ZAFT Convoy: Here is a new chapter~!
DarkFoxKit: *Yawns* So, tell me, ZAFT, you ever thought about something funny or weird on the ANs? Or do you just want to say there's a new chapter every update?
ZAFT Convoy: No, not really, but I can. :)
DarkFoxKit: I guess we don't have to. Usually I do it because my co-writers want to do it.
ZAFT: It's fine. It would be fun. :)
DarkFoxKit: Then in that case, I should drag someone on here, like Andy or Takuya to join us and make this more fun~
ZAFT: I call Andy~ *Grabs Andy and drags him out*
DarkFoxKit: Where did you get him?
Andy: Eh? What the? Who are you?
DarkFoxKit: Andy, meet ZAFT, a fan and a new co-writer for you~ :3
ZAFT: Nice to meet you~! *Hugs Andy* You are so adorable!
Andy: Oh great, first Key, then Onyx, and now ZAFT? How many more co-writers are you going to bring to help torture me?
DarkFoxKit: As many as I want! Your pain and misery is our entertainment! Mwuahahahaha! Now be a good boy and go play with ZAFT~
ZAFT: I will not torture Andy like you do, but I will have some fun with writing him. :3
Chapter 5: A Baby Digimon?
The rest of the night went by fairly quickly. Danny ended up dancing with Sam after Paulina dumped him. Andy went back with Valerie to dance with her. Takuya watched the dance for a little while, but he headed back to Fenton Works because he was sure Andy didn't want to see him right now, and he needed to call someone about the Digi-Egg in his arms right now.
When Takuya was in Fenton Works, alone in his room, and made sure the door was closed, he picked out his D-Tector. After some messing around with it, he was able to get a hold of Koichi, the Warrior of Darkness. The symbol of Darkness appeared on the screen.
"Takuya?" Koichi asked as Takuya grinned.
"Hey, Koichi." He greeted. "Been a while, huh?"
Koichi chuckled over the line. "It sure has. How have things been in America?"
"Fine. Listen, I have a bit of a problem of the...digital nature…" Takuya began. "Let's just say a Digimon attacked in the real world, and now there is a Digi-Egg here."
"What?!" Koichi was shocked. "How is that possible?"
Takuya sighed. "I don't know, but it is going to possibly cause problems, and I want to know how we can get it back to the Digital World, if at all."
Koichi didn't answer at first, but then a sigh could be heard. "I'm not sure we can return it to the Digital World…"
Takuya groaned. "Great…" He moaned as he put his head to the bedsheets. "Okay, thanks for that…"
Koichi sighed again. "I'm sorry I can't be of much more help." He admitted. "But this is the first time we have encountered this. How and why did this Digimon come into the real world in the first place? Could you explain what happened?"
"Let's just say that a creepy fog rolled in at the school dance, and then there was a Digimon outside. It wound up attacking and I had to evolve." Takuya admitted. "But before that, I saw what looked like a mockery of the Celestial Angel Digimon's symbol on the monitor in the school gym."
Koichi gave a troubled look at that. "How… troubling… you don't think something happened in the Digital World, do you? Is Cherubimon corrupted again? Or did something else happen?"
"I don't know, but Ophanimon would have alerted us if something was wrong." Takuya muttered. "I think we should keep ourselves on alert in case she does contact us."
"Right, I'll let Koji know about this, maybe we can investigate," Koichi answered. "Until then, you'll have to figure out what to do with the Digi-Egg on your own."
"Okay," Takuya said. "Thanks for that."
Koichi smiled before his symbol vanished from the D-Tector and Takuya looked at the egg again. Why was Andy drawn to the egg? He wondered. Could it be the Digimon was sent here for a reason?
Takuya didn't remember too much about how to take care of baby Digimon, but he had encountered some before in the Digital World. He wasn't sure how long it would take for a Digi-Egg to hatch, but this one seemed very still. There was no sign of it moving around, or seemed to be even alive at all.
He decided to leave the egg for now, since it wasn't doing much of anything. Perhaps we can deal with it in the morning… but I'll be sure to keep a close eye on it. He mused before he began to take off the suit he was wearing. This thing is itchy...
Takuya didn't even realize he fell asleep on his bed until he heard the door open up. He quickly jolted awake, seeing the egg was beside him on his bed, and Danny was standing there, looking surprised.
"Hey… thought I'd come and check up on you after you left the dance early," Danny said softly.
"Uh, yeah. I wanted to get home before I fell asleep." Takuya lied, making sure the egg was hidden under a pillow. "You got home alright, I see. What happened with Paulina?"
Danny sighed. "She… decided to dance with Dash in the end. Dash didn't stay with her for long though, which surprised me a little, I kinda figured the most popular jock in the school would want to date the most popular girl in school. But I still had a good time, Sam decided to dance with me for a bit."
Takuya smiled at that. "I'm glad she had a fun time too. I'm sorry about what went down with Paulina, but what can you do?"
"Yeah, though maybe Paulina might like me more if I was popular," Danny grinned.
"She's too shallow, you shouldn't like her just because she looks pretty," Takuya sighed.
"Heh… Andy said the same thing," Danny chuckled sheepishly. "But speaking of Andy… did something happen between the two of you? Andy seemed… quiet whenever I mentioned you to him on our way back home."
"You could say that…" Takuya said, unsure of what to tell Danny now. He sure as heck couldn't spill about what happened with the Digi-Egg. Danny would freak out if he realized I have an egg here.
"Well… I hope you two can make up soon," Danny said before he frowned. "Andy… hasn't been quite… himself lately since the… accident. I know most of it was my fault, but… I… I had my reasons… I just couldn't let him… see… what…"
Danny stopped and shook his head. "The point is, ever since you came back, Andy had been in a much better mood. And whenever I couldn't hang out with him for… my own reasons… he still has someone to talk to and hang out with."
Takuya frowned at that. "Yeah. I think we'll make up. It just… will take some time." And I hope I can explain things to Andy soon...
"Okay… but try not to take too much time, I can't help but worry about him," Danny said softly.
The older boy could only nod as his hand went to his pocket where his D-Tector was. "Same here…"
A few days passed since the incident with the dance. The Digi-Egg still didn't hatch or seemed close to hatching, which was making Takuya a little bit worried. He didn't think a Digi-Egg would take this long to hatch after being purified. And he still hadn't been able to talk to Andy.
Danny had been going out at night lately with Tucker and Sam. They claimed to be studying for the upcoming test, but Takuya didn't know why they had to leave the house to study.
Takuya himself had been trying to study as well, but with his mind on the Digi-Egg, it wasn't going so well. In fact, he was sure he would get about a C or C- because of how little he was actually getting studied. Maybe I should ask Andy for help? He mused as he looked at the book.
Takuya looked around the house for Andy, the boy wasn't in the kitchen, or the living room, but he was in his and Danny's room. Andy was reading a manga on his bed, which momentarily surprised Takuya to see a manga outside of Japan, until he remembered Andy had always been a little bit of an anime nerd.
"Andy?" Takuya asked as he looked in. "Can I ask you for some help on the biology studying?"
Andy looked up from the manga he was reading. "You want my help? You could've just asked Jazz… she's good at every subject."
Takuya shrugged. "Biology is your best subject, so why not?" Plus, it would get us bonding again.
For a moment, Takuya was worried that Andy would reject helping him with his biology studies, but Andy put a bookmark on the page he was reading before closing the manga.
"Sure, I guess. I don't really have anything better to do," Andy sighed.
Takuya grinned before he plopped down on Andy's bed next to him. "Great! I was wondering if you could help me with the DNA stuff. I have no idea on genetics and how they work."
Andy sat up as he looked at the book Takuya was showing him. "DNA is a very complex subject, but it's really interesting when you learn about it, and what someone could change into if their DNA structure was mutated or changed in some way."
"Oh? How so?" Takuya asked as he looked at the book as well. "What could change if someone had their DNA altered?"
"Hmm… to put it in an easy way to understand…" Andy thought for a moment. "Think of it like an anime. If a protagonist's DNA got changed by… let's say a virus that an animal transferred into them, like a were-wolf, it starts to change their DNA. The person's DNA starts to shift and adapt to the virus that's slowly changing them, the person may start to show signs of wolf-like behavior, such as howling, snarling, scratching with their foot instead of their hands. And depending on how much their DNA changes, or how many, and if it will continue to change their DNA, they could become half wolf, or full wolf. You change a code in a person's DNA, then they will change into something else entirely. It's quite interesting, isn't it?"
Takuya chuckled at that. "Yes, it is. And I think I understood that reference clearly." He gave a grin at that.
Andy smiled a little himself. "Now for genetics, if two people create an offspring, that offspring will gain both parents' DNA. Now let's say one parent was human, plain and simple, and the other was a lizard person. The child would likely be half lizard, half human. There is a chance their evolution in their DNA structure will allow them to shift between both forms, so they can look all human or all lizard instead of half and half. It helps them blend into the world."
"So, it would be an adaptive trait," Takuya mused. "I see how that could work."
"Yup. It's a lot more fun and easier to understand if you think about it like that instead of all these long, scientific words that make no sense," Andy chuckled.
Takuya grinned. "This is why I say it's your best subject. The way you explained it was far easier to understand than those long names."
"Of course, you will have to memorize some of those words for the test," Andy sheepishly admitted. "The test is brutal when it comes to names."
Takuya sighed. "I guess you have a point."
"Anything else you need help with?" Andy asked.
"No, not really. I think I needed help with that the most." Takuya admitted. "But that was very helpful." He grinned.
"Glad I could help. Now… I'm going to go back into my research," Andy said before picking up his manga again.
"Research? You're just reading manga!" Takuya pointed out.
"Oh… you know… manga could be considered research for… certain things," Andy said vaguely.
Takuya began to feel a bit nervous. Is Andy onto me? He wondered. How could I forget how observant he is? "Uh...is that so? What kind of things?" He wanted to be sure it wasn't what he thought it was.
Andy seemed to be studying Takuya, which made Takuya feel even more nervous, but he tried to hide it with a neutral face.
Andy then gave a friendly smile. "Oh you know, since ghosts exist, I just wanted to know if there's anything else that could exist that we just thought didn't before."
"Okay…" Takuya murmured. "Yeah...then, I'll just let you get back to that...research. I...will be...getting a snack…" He lied before he stood up and left the room.
The next morning, Andy was in the living room with Jazz. He had been keeping a close eye on both Takuya and Danny lately. He had a crazy theory in his mind that made the world seem a lot more anime than it should, and he couldn't confirm it yet until he either saw it with his own eyes or they outright admitted it.
"You know, Andy, I'm getting a little worried about you. You seem a bit more obsessive than usual…" Jazz frowned as she was going through the mail.
"Don't worry, Jazz. I'm only trying to figure out if my theory is true. Don't a lot of scientists do that? Have a theory and then try to see if it's true?" Andy asked.
"What theory?" Jazz asked, cocking an eyebrow at the comment. "You have a theory? About what?"
"Considering you're… a skeptic, I think it's best I don't share my theory until I know it's true," Andy answered. "I don't need you thinking I've jumped off the deep end or something."
Jazz frowned, but decided to let Andy have his small 'theory', whatever it was. "Okay, little brother. I won't pry."
Then Jazz saw something in the mail that made her jump up from the couch all of a sudden, and she raced into the kitchen where everyone else was.
Jazz entered, and held out the magazine and letter. "Omigosh! I can't believe it! They said yes!" She exclaimed with excitement in her voice.
"Oh? Who said 'yes'? The person who you asked if you were a know-it-all snob?" Danny asked in a mocking tone.
Takuya snickered at that, to which Danny gave a goofy grin to him, but Jazz just gave the two boys a glare.
"No, Genius Magazine!" She explained as her gleeful look returned to her face.
"What's Genius Magazine?" Jack asked. "Is it the swimsuit issue?"
Jazz sighed. "Dad, Genius Magazine is for Women Geniuses, by Women Geniuses, and about Women Geniuses! I just got the confirmation that they want to put Mom on the cover!"
"What?" Takuya asked. "Why? Isn't what she does a bit...unusual for a living?"
"Maybe, but Mom is a genius, and maybe she could show that I just have a couple of eccentric genius parents instead of just ghost hunting freaks," Jazz answered.
"So this is to just satisfy your desire for a normal set of parents?" Takuya asked with a frown. "Why don't you just accept that your parents have chosen what they want to do?"
"I didn't say that. I just meant I don't want people thinking they're just delusional people who hunts something that doesn't exist. At least this way people can see they're actually very intelligent people that have their own ways of doing things," Jazz explained.
"Okay. I get it now." Takuya replied. I have to admit, that is a very good idea. He admitted to himself. Even I can see they are geniuses. Maybe this will get them some more respect.
"I appreciate the thought, sweetie, but I do hope Genius Magazine will let me stand by Jack," Maddie said as she looked at the papers. "Because your father and I are a team after all."
"I believe for every genius woman, there is a genius man!" Jack smiled proudly. "And speaking of geniuses, this is our latest invention! The Ghost Gabber!"
Jack held up a device of some kind, it had two big light bulbs that acted like beeping radars.
"This baby translates every word a ghost says into everyday language we humans use!" Jack explained as he pointed at the device. "Why don't you try it, son?"
Jack held the device in front of a very nervous looking Danny. Danny wasn't sure how the device worked since he would be speaking English, but he decided to try it anyways to humor Jack.
"Uh… boo?" Danny tested.
*I am a ghost. Fear me* The device translated, surprising Takuya and Danny. Takuya was a bit worried now. Why did that device translate what Danny said?
"Here, let me try something," Takuya suggested. "OoOoOo!"
The device didn't do anything.
Ok, now I'm sure that device reacted to Danny for some reason! Takuya thought as he glared at the device. That is not normal.
"Uh- I better get to school!" Danny quickly said.
*I better get to school. Fear me.* The Fenton Gabber repeated, and with that, Danny was gone from the chair.
Takuya looked at his aunt and uncle. "I had better get to school too." I just hope that Digi-Egg doesn't hatch while I'm at school. He thought as he grabbed his backpack, having stuffed the egg into it before going to Andy for some help with biology.
"I'll be going too!" Andy said as he walked into the kitchen, grabbed some toast, and stuffed it into his mouth.
As Andy walked by Takuya, however, the Digi-Egg moved a little.
Takuya had no idea the egg had moved though, as he was walking and the movement hid the Digi-Egg's slight shaking.
At Casper High, Mr. Lancer handed everyone their test results. Danny hadn't been too happy with his results.
"I GOT A D!?" Danny shouted after class let out.
Takuya winced at Danny's shout. He looked at his own test, where the big fat C+ sat in the corner. A sigh escaped him. Well, at least I passed, albeit barely...
"So much for the Fentons being a family of geniuses," Tucker joked.
"Not helping," Sam hissed.
Danny groaned, rubbing his hair. Andy looked at Danny for a moment.
"You know, this was a biology test, you could've asked me for some help bro, but you were a little too busy 'studying' with Tucker and Sam," Andy remarked.
Takuya looked at Danny. "I asked Andy for help, and I managed to get a C+," He pointed out. Then he saw Danny's deadpan look on his face. "Uh, right… Not helping…"
Danny sighed. "I can't get a D, my parents will kill me! My grades haven't been doing so well lately, and I really needed to pass this one."
"Can't you ask Mr. Lancer if there is a way to boost your grade?" Takuya asked as he looked at Danny again. "It seems like that would be a good way to get it up."
"Mr. Lancer always gives us a way to pull our grade up," Sam spoke up. "It's called 'extra credit'. I think that if we can write about a very interesting discovery about Sampson, one of the last two purple back gorillas in the world, Mr. Lancer may pull Danny's grade up enough to pass."
"The purple-back gorilla, huh?" Takuya mused as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "That sounds like it might be a good topic."
Danny sighed. "I don't know… I'm not sure if I would have time to do research on a gorilla in the zoo."
"Don't worry, I can be your time manager," Tucker volunteered, holding out his PDA. "As long as you have someone to help organize your schedule, you'll have time for researching, studying, and… other things!"
"Uh...a time manager?" Takuya asked, skeptical at best. He didn't really think that was possible, but he then shook his head. "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know…"
"Fine… I suppose we can have a trial period… but you're not going to handle anything… fragile, Tuck," Danny warned in an annoyed tone.
"I already wrote down not to let me handle the… fragile thing." Tucker smiled sheepishly.
"So what are you two going to do since you already passed your tests?" Sam asked Takuya and Andy.
"Oh, you three go on ahead. Takuya and I can use this time to bond a little~" Andy grinned, putting an arm around Takuya's shoulder.
Takuya gave a slight yelp as Andy pulled him close. "Uh, yeah...go ahead…" He managed to slip out from Andy's grip. "We'll...be bonding…"
"Great, glad to see you two are getting along." Danny smiled. "We'll be at the Amity Zoo if you need us."
Takuya gave a smile to Andy before he saw the trio leaving. He looked back at Andy. "So...what do we do now?" He questioned.
"Wanna go to the Nasty Burger?" Andy offered.
"As long as you don't call me 'burger boy' again," Takuya grumbled, but he didn't mean it. He then gave a teasing grin to Andy.
"Alright, and I'll tell you what; it'll be my treat, cuz~" Andy grinned back.
"Let's go then!" Takuya cheered. He loved it when he hung out with Andy, even if they did tease each other from time to time. But who wouldn't in a family? Though it was still an odd feeling to only be hanging out with one of the twins instead of both of them, they used to stick to each other like glue.
When Takuya and Andy came into the Nasty Burger, Takuya got his order, which Andy paid for, and they took their seats by the window.
"So, how do you think the research for the extra credit is going?" Takuya asked as he bit into his burger. "Aren't purple-back gorillas supposed to be almost extinct?"
"There's still two left in the world, and they're supposedly both male, so they will be extinct before long," Andy answered, taking out a manga from his backpack and started reading it.
"Doing your 'research' again?" Takuya asked, not liking the fact that Andy was claiming reading his manga was research.
"Hmm… more like instructions on how to handle something." Andy smiled softly.
"Handle what?" Takuya asked, a bit nervous now, although he hid it well.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, I'm sure," Andy said. "Just relax and enjoy yourself, cuz~"
Andy's grin suddenly seemed to resemble more of a sly fox grin than a friendly one.
Takuya felt a shiver run down his spine, but he kept his face neutral. "Okay…" He murmured, biting off some more of his burger. What is going on with Andy…?
As Takuya was eating, he thought he felt something in his backpack was moving a little.
Looking down, he opened up his backpack, only to stare in shock at the Digi-Egg moving around. Since when did the egg start to move?
"Hmm? Something the matter?" Andy asked, seeing Takuya looking in his backpack in shock.
"Um...remember that egg thing we found?" Takuya asked Andy without even looking up. "Because I think that thing is moving…"
"The egg? I thought you took it somewhere already." Andy frowned, raising an eyebrow. "You kept it all this time?"
"I was unable to send it back to wherever it came from," Takuya admitted. "And I didn't want Uncle Jack and Aunt Maddie to think it was a ghost egg so I took it with me."
"I see… and it hasn't hatched after all this time?" Andy asked. "And what would we do if it does? It could turn back into that monster again."
Takuya knew it wouldn't do that, but Andy didn't, so he had to come up with something to say and fast. "Well...it didn't seem to be doing much at the moment when I had it, so I figured it was safe to carry around. And right now it's just slightly moving. I don't think it will hatch yet."
"Let me take a look at it," Andy said before he got up from the booth he was sitting on and walked over to Takuya's backpack.
When Andy bent down, the egg suddenly started to move a lot more, and even hopped in place. "It… sure looks lively."
"It's...never done that before…" Takuya murmured before a thought crossed his mind. Wait...what if that Digimon was sent here because of Andy? But why…?
"Are you sure it won't hatch suddenly?" Andy asked a little nervously, seeing how lively the egg was.
"Um...no…" Takuya admitted. "Not with this going on." He gave a nervous glance at Andy. "I wouldn't touch it, just in case."
Andy stood up and backed away from the egg, the egg stopped moving and went still again. "... That's a very weird and fickle egg."
Takuya seemed to relax as the egg stopped moving. Okay, I think it is reacting to Andy for sure. But we can't be too careful. If he touched it here, things could've gotten ugly.
Andy sat down and sighed. "I think after you eat, we should go back home or somewhere private, just in case that egg does hatch. But if it hatches into that monster again… be ready to run for it."
Takuya nodded. "Yeah...good idea…" He admitted, although he knew it wouldn't. Having finished his food, Takuya then stood up with the egg in his backpack and began to walk out, Andy followed behind him.
When the two boys got back to Fenton Works, they headed straight into Takuya's room, before closing the door. Takuya took the egg out of his backpack and set it on the ground.
"So what do we do now, just wait?" Andy asked. "Eggs usually need warmth to hatch, but I don't know how that applies to giant fox dragons."
Takuya looked at the egg again. "Well, it seemed to react to you, so maybe it wants you to rub it or something."
"I am not going to be its 'mama'," Andy huffed. "I'm sure it was just coincidence it reacted like that when I got close to it."
"You sure? Because it looks like it's jumping a bit right now," Takuya pointed out as he looked at the egg. Sure enough, it was bouncing a bit.
Andy frowned as he hesitated. "... Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean if you're right, and it is reacting because of me, then maybe it might be better if I just left it alone? We don't know what will happen if that thing hatches."
"Well, we can't just let someone find it either." Takuya said. With that, he gave Andy a slight shove forward. "It'll be fine." He added with a mysterious grin. "We just bolt for the door if it turns into that dragon-thing again."
"In the house!?" Andy shouted before Takuya shoved him forward once more.
"Oof!" Andy fell forward and landed on his knees, and his hands were on the egg.
As soon as Andy touched the egg, it suddenly began to glow brightly as cracks began to show on the egg. Andy quickly let go and scrambled back as the egg continued to crack, until a small lavender furry head popped out. It looked like a fox or a cat-like creature with no body other than the head. It had a tooth mouth, white fur on its mouth, and yellow and black eyes.
As soon as Takuya saw it, he heard the voice in his head. "Dodomon is a Slime Digimon and a carrier of the X Antibody. Its whole body is covered in a tough fur named "Mithril Hair"."
Takuya frowned as he heard that. X Antibody? That is the second time I heard it. Wonder what it is… He shook his head. I can't think about it right now. This is something Andy needs my help with!
Looking at Andy, Takuya gave a grin. "Well, does that thing look menacing?"
"Uh…" Andy started to say before the Dodomon leaped at Andy suddenly and stuck onto his face. "YAH! GET IT OFF!"
Takuya realized this was both alarming and funny, hence why he was laughing as he tried to take the baby Digimon off of Andy's face. "Okay, sorry for laughing, but that was just funny."
The baby Digimon refused to let go of Andy's face, but Takuya managed to yank it off. Andy groaned as he rubbed his face, and his mouth had some of Dodomon's fur, which he quickly spat out.
"Please tell me it didn't lay eggs in my body!" Andy begged in worry.
Takuya gave Andy a deadpan look. "It's a baby. How can it lay eggs?"
"You've never seen the movie Alien have you?" Andy sighed.
Takuya sighed as well. "Okay, never mind…"
The little Digimon in Takuya's hands was squirming around a bit.
Takuya glanced down at the baby Digimon again. "Seems squirmy." He held it out to Andy. "Want to hold it?"
"Hold it? Why would I want to hold it? It just tried to eat my face!" Andy pointed out.
"It's just a baby~" Takuya teased. "It can't bite into your flesh… I think..." To prove his point, he began to nuzzle it. Of course, his Spirits slowly gave off a soothing heat that flowed throughout his body, so it wouldn't try to bite him.
Andy deadpanned at Takuya. "Dude, we don't even know what it is, and you're nuzzling it!"
Takuya paused his nuzzling. "Uh...oh...ehehe…" He gave a sheepish grin. "Um… Sorry…"
Dodomon looked over at Andy with its yellow and black eyes. Andy looked back at the little Digimon.
"So… uh… what do we do with it?" Andy asked as he looked at Dodomon.
"Hmmm…" Takuya looked at the baby Digimon in his hands again. "I think we could keep it in my room while I'm here."
"What if Mom and Dad walk in and see it? Or what if it gets out of your room? What does it even eat?" Andy questioned.
Takuya really felt uncomfortable with Andy asking those questions, because it required his experience in the Digital World to answer. "Um...I mean, it could pose as a toy, and as for what it eats, I don't know…"
Andy sighed. "I guess… it could pass on for a plushy or something, but only if it holds still."
"Hey, why don't you try petting it?" Takuya suggested.
Andy looked at Takuya as his cousin held out Dodomon. "Come on, Andy, don't be shy. I think it just wants you to be friendly to it."
Andy hesitated, though he had always wanted a pet, his parents never let him or Danny keep a pet due to their line of work being too dangerous for the pets themselves. Andy decided that if this little creature could one day grow into that giant fox dragon, he might as well be on its good side. So Andy, slowly held out his hand to pet Dodomon.
As soon as Andy's hand touched its fur, however, Dodomon jumped out of Takuya's arms so fast that Takuya almost fell forward, and Dodomon was latched onto Andy's face once more.
"Okay...bad idea…" Takuya muttered before he grabbed Dodomon again and pried it off of Andy's face again.
Andy groaned as he rubbed his face again. "Does it have a problem with me or do I just look delicious to it?"
"Um...I would like to think that it was being friendly. I mean, the thing doesn't have arms or legs, so that may be the only way it can show it." Takuya replied as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Dodomon's stomach, if it had a stomach, growled suddenly, then it began to cry. "HUNGRY!"
Takuya jumped as he realized it had spoken. At once, he clamped a hand over Dodomon's mouth to keep it from shouting again. He had a nervous look on his face. "Okay, I think it's hungry…"
Andy stared at Dodomon and then at Takuya. "... It can… talk?"
"I...had no idea it could do that…" Takuya lied. Oh, he knew, he was just not saying that he did.
"Alright…" Andy sighed. "How about you stay here with it while I go get something? Hopefully it can eat human food."
Takuya nodded. "Sure."
Andy left Takuya's room to head into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to look around. "Let's see… maybe the ham? Dad hasn't eaten it in a few months, and it's going to spoil soon. That creature looked like a fox, and it definitely had teeth, so maybe it's a meat eater?"
Grabbing some food, the ham included, Andy then closed the fridge and made his way back up to Takuya's room. When Andy pushed open the door, however, he was surprised to see Takuya chasing the little head creature around his room. The little fox creature was bouncing around like a bouncy ball.
"Gotcha!" Takuya exclaimed as soon as he grabbed the baby Digimon. "And give me that!" He yanked his goggles from its mouth.
"Uh…" Andy spoke up. "Am I interrupting something?"
Dodomon looked at Andy and jumped straight towards him eagerly. "FOOOOOOOD!"
"Uh-oh… WAH!" Andy yelped as the Dodomon tackled him in the chest, causing him to fall on his back.
Dodomon was on Andy's stomach as it began to chow down on the ham Andy brought.
"Okay...I think that should keep it happy for a while," Takuya mused as he observed this with a bit of a grin. He had his goggles back around his neck.
"This is a hyper little thing," Andy commented as he managed to sit up, and the Dodomon was eating the rest of the ham on his lap. "I wonder if we should name it…"
"What would we name it?" Takuya questioned as he looked at Andy. He knew what the Digimon was called, but he wasn't going to say it because Andy would question how he knew that.
"Uh…" Andy hesitated. "I don't know… I never had to name a creature before."
"Hmmm…" Takuya trailed off. "Well, since it can talk, why don't we ask it what its name is?" He figured it would be better if that happened, because he didn't want to reveal his secret.
"But it was just born, how could it already have a name?" Andy questioned.
Dodomon smiled as it finished eating. "Dodomon! I Dodomon!"
"What…? Dodomon…?" Andy blinked, looking at the little creature.
Takuya smiled at hearing that. "Well, that answers that question~"
"What you name?" Dodomon asked in a baby voice.
"Oh… uh, I'm Andy," Andy introduced. "And that's my cousin Takuya."
"Hi Andymon and Takuyamon!" Dodomon greeted happily.
"Um...No, it's just Takuya." Takuya explained. "And that is just Andy."
But Dodomon didn't pay attention to that. "Andymon! Takuyamon!"
Andy rubbed the back of his head, he was still getting used to the fact that this creature was talking. "I guess… since you're here, we should take care of you for the time being. But you can't let anyone else see you. It would be dangerous… I mean bad, bad for you."
Takuya nodded. "Yeah. You're in a new place, and those like us, well, me and Andy anyway, would react badly to you being here." He then pointed at the bed. "So, if you are to remain here, you have to pretend to be a lifeless toy...for...your safety."
Dodomon frowned. "How come…?"
"You're… unique… uh… special. And people who look kind of like us don't… usually take special things too well," Andy tried to explain.
"Just...trust us…" Takuya said vaguely, that feral look appearing slightly in his eyes. "It is best for now…"
"Okay, I trust Andymon and Takuyamon," Dodomon said.
Andy sighed in relief. "Never thought I had to hide a 'pet' from Mom and Dad."
"We'll come up with something eventually," Takuya assured Andy. "But for now, it is best to hide Dodomon so it can be kept safe. It's just a baby."
It was easy to keep Dodomon hidden for the day, it was small, and everyone else was busy doing their own thing. Jazz was preparing her parents for when the lady at Genius Magazine would come to interview them for the evening, while Danny, Tucker, and Sam were at the zoo, researching Sampson. Dodomon did end up pooping in Takuya's room, however, which the boys had to clean up.
"Remind me to get a waste basket for when Dodomon needs to use the bathroom…" Takuya grumbled as he finished cleaning up the mess. He wasn't too happy about the incident.
Andy chuckled sheepishly. "I didn't think it could poop since it doesn't even have a butt, but I guess I was wrong."
"Whatever…" Takuya sighed as he tossed the paper towels out into a trash bag he had with him.
Andy sighed as he started to feed Dodomon some bits of chocolate. He wasn't sure if it could eat chocolate, but it seemed to be able to consume just about anything without any ill side effects. Dodomon enjoyed the chocolate Andy fed it.
"You know… you are pretty cute," Andy complimented.
Takuya chuckled as he heard that. "So you think it's cute now?" He teased.
"When it's not trying to eat my face," Andy grumbled.
Dodomon let out a happy sound before its body started to glow, and fractal code began to surround it. Andy gasped in shock as he got up and backed away.
"Takuya… what's happening?" Andy asked in concern.
"I...don't...know…" Was all Takuya could say. He hadn't expected the baby to evolve so soon. "Let's...just see what happens next…" His hand was already on his D-Tector in case something went wrong.
The electronics around them started to go a little haywire. Takuya's D-Tector beeped, making Andy turn to him for a moment, before turning back to the cocoon wrapped data. Then, with a flash, the fractal code dispersed. In front of them was what looked like Dodomon, but now it had little stubby feet, and a little tail.
"Okay...That's a new form…" Takuya muttered to himself. It has to be at the In-Training stage now.
"Dorimon is a Lesser Digimon and a carrier of the X Antibody. It can run very quickly if it is going straight." The voice in Takuya's head informed.
Okay, that X-Antibody thing is mentioned again. Must be some kind of...defense against something, but what? Takuya mused before he looked at it.
"Takuya… did it just get bigger?" Andy cautiously asked.
"Hiya!" The In-Training Digimon greeted, speaking better. "I'm Dorimon, nice to meet you!"
Takuya then looked at Andy. "I think it has different stages to its life."
"So in other words… it's already growing up?" Andy blinked.
Takuya waved his hand a bit. "Eh...it might be around a toddler stage, so it's still quite young."
Dorimon started to run around the room restlessly. "Do you have a place bigger than this? I wanna run more!"
"Oh...Uh…" Takuya had to think of something to satisfy both parties.
"Actually, I might know a good place," Andy spoke up. "But if we leave here, you'll have to promise to not move or talk. We don't want the other people thinking you're alive, or they'll take you away."
Takuya smiled at Andy's words. It seems Andy is taking this well so far.
"Okay! Okay, I promise!" Dorimon smiled.
"Great," Andy said before Dorimon jumped at him, and Andy yelped before seeing it landed in his arms instead of latching onto his face again.
Takuya chuckled at seeing that. "I think the food was what won it over." He joked.
Andy sighed in relief. "Come on, let's go while Jazz and my parents are still distracted for the upcoming interview."
Dorimon was in awe when they walked outside for the first time. There were many tall buildings, moving vehicles, and people that looked like Andy and Takuya around. Although Dorimon was very curious, he promised to hold still until they got to wherever it is they were going to.
"So Andy, where are we going?" Takuya whispered.
"I was thinking Amity Zoo, there's a free roaming place there that I think Dodo- I mean Dorimon would like to run around in," Andy answered back. "We could ask for a private one, so nobody would see Dorimon moving."
Takuya nodded. "Makes sense." He then looked at Andy. "Wait, you can ask for a private roaming area?"
"Sort of… normally you'd have to pay quite a bit of money for a private roaming area, but…" Andy chuckled sheepishly. "I was thinking we'd just… sneak in…?"
Takuya sighed. "That makes more sense," He admitted. "We'll just have to worry about getting caught."
As they were heading to Amity Zoo, a few people they passed by looked at the 'plushy' Andy was holding curiously, but most didn't pay it too much mind. However, a few girls were asking where Andy got the adorable 'toy' from. Andy and Takuya just said 'at the toy store'. One girl said she never saw any toy like that at the toy store, so Andy said 'internet' instead.
Takuya looked at Andy with a grin at that last lie. "From the 'Internet'? Classic."
Andy shrugged. "If it works, why change it, right?"
By the time they got close to Amity Zoo, it was starting to get late. The sun was beginning to set.
"Good, it's evening," Andy noted. "That means there won't be a lot of people here, so that'll make it easier to sneak into a private roaming room."
Takuya looked around for one of the private roaming rooms, hoping to see one that was open. He could see lions in one, and giraffes in another.
Dorimon was looking quite curious at these other animals.
"Let's see…" Andy looked around before seeing one of the doors to a roaming area opened, and an employee coming out of it. "Over there, Takuya. Looks like they just finished examining the place."
Takuya saw that and grinned. "Let's go, then." He waved Andy and Dorimon over to the open gate. He made sure he was out of sight from the man.
Andy hurried over, still holding Dorimon, and went into the door as quickly and quietly as he could. Takuya followed him inside. The inside of the room was huge, it was like a savannah.
Andy smiled before he put Dorimon down. "Okay, you can run around here to your heart's content, little one."
Dorimon let out a squeal of delight as it began to run around eagerly. Off to the side, Takuya chuckled at the antics of the little guy.
While Andy was watching Dorimon run around, Takuya's D-Tector started to beep his ringtone, meaning someone was trying to call him through his D-Tector.
Taking out his D-Tector, Takuya saw it was Koichi again. "Koichi?" He asked, trying to keep his voice low so Andy didn't hear him.
"Sorry, is this a bad time?" Koichi asked, noticing Takuya was keeping his voice down.
"No, I'm just with my cousin. That Digi-Egg hatched. It is a Digimon called Dorimon." Takuya replied. "And it seems to have taken a liking to Andy."
"Oh? Huh… You'll have to tell me more later. Koji and I have been doing some investigating, and it looks like something's been going on lately. The barrier between here, the Digital World, and another dimension has been weakening," Koichi warned.
"What?!" Takuya almost shouted, but he stopped himself before Andy heard him. "It has?" Then he remembered the Celestials. "And what of the Celestials? Are they aware of this and are they okay?"
"We don't know, we haven't heard from them," Koichi answered. "But so far it looks like there haven't been any Digimon aside from that one that crossed between the barriers. But that doesn't mean more won't try eventually. They seem to be flocking towards your area, because your area seems to have a portal between the Digital World and this one. Making it easier for the Digimon to go through the weakened barrier."
Takuya frowned at that. An unknown portal here? That's odd. Because the only one I know of is the Ghost Portal. "Huh...We'll have to keep an eye out for it."
"As for any Digimon you'll have to fight and purify, the Digi-Eggs can be stored in your D-Tector. You can probably store the next Digi-Egg with your D-Tector until we can send it back into the Digital World," Koichi continued.
Takuya nodded, albeit unseen. "Okay. Thanks for the update. I will keep an eye out for any new Digimon. And if things get tough, you guys may be needed here. But that may be later."
"Right… that might be a while, because America is on the other side of the world for us, but we'll see what we can do. Let us know if you need backup though. Oh, and what are you going to do with the Digimon that already hatched?" Koichi asked.
"Andy seems to like the little guy, and they seem to have formed a bond, so Andy can look after it for now." Takuya replied.
Koichi gave a thoughtful sound. "I see… keep an eye on them then, see what develops. Perhaps that Digimon might be an ally for us in the future. Until then, we'll see you later."
"Okay," Takuya replied before he cut the line and looked back to Andy and Dorimon. He smiled at seeing Andy smiling at Dorimon's antics.
"You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to have a dog," Andy spoke up. "I imagined it would be pretty close to something like this."
Takuya chuckled at that. "Is that so?" He gave Andy a teasing look. "Dorimon may not be a dog, but it sure acts feisty like one."
"Yeah," Andy agreed.
The two of them watched Dorimon enjoying itself a little bit before Andy spoke up. "Hey, um… Takuya… do you think maybe that other dragon… BurningGreymon might be the same kind of creature as Dorimon?"
Takuya almost gaped before he shook his head. "Um...well, it is possible…" He began. "They do have some similar traits, but not exactly the same…"
"I have noticed both of their names end in 'mon'," Andy muttered. "And if I remember right, BurningGreymon appeared to be made of data for the most part. And when Dodomon became Dorimon, I noticed digital code was surrounding it, and some of the technology in the house was going a little haywire as well. So… what are they? Some kind of digital beings?"
Takuya frowned at that. "Yeah...I noticed that with the tech as well." He wasn't sure where Andy was going with this though. Is he close to figuring it out?
"I was just wondering if there's more of them out there, and if they're dangerous or if they're peaceful," Andy said. "BurningGreymon looked to be helping, but he could just be defending his territory. I can't say I know enough to be sure. And when this little guy was that giant fox dragon thing, it attacked us, but it was clear that it was in pain. Right now it seems to be alright and friendly enough, but… what if it's not? What if once it's grown past its toddler stage, it starts to go back to being that dangerous fox dragon again?"
Takuya was unsure of how to answer, but he figured it was best to try. "Well...I can't say for sure, but if it is made of data, then maybe BurningGreymon gave it a 'reset' almost. You know, restored it to its original state."
Andy looked over at Takuya, giving an analytic expression. "Hmm…"
Takuya frowned, he wondered what Andy was looking for.
Before Takuya could try to figure that out, however, he suddenly sensed something hot and cold. Dorimon suddenly ran back and looked to be shaking.
"Huh? What's wrong, Dorimon?" Andy asked in concern.
"D-danger… nearby…" Dorimon shivered.
Takuya gasped before he looked back. "I think...we need to get out of here…" He was not liking the feeling he was getting.
Andy looked worried too. He bent down and picked up Dorimon, who looked shaken, but ready to fight if he needed to. Both of them hurried out of the roaming room. They looked around, hoping to not get caught, and to see if there was any danger nearby.
Takuya glanced around before he suddenly tensed up as they ran past the gorilla exhibit. Then, he saw what looked like a ghost that was metal, with flaming green hair in a mohawk, and wearing clothes like a vest and pants with black boots. The ghost had glowing green eyes as well.
Andy must've noticed it too, because Takuya could feel him tensing up. They could see the robotic-like ghost was floating just outside the tiger's exhibit, and was looking at the zoo tower where people would go to watch animals from afar with binoculars. The ghost was using his own binoculars from his arm, trying to see what or who was up there.
"There you are, my prey~" The robot ghost smirked.
Takuya looked uneasy, and he wanted to take that ghost out, but with Andy and Dorimon there, he couldn't take that chance. Instead he gave look to Andy. "We have to get out of here before that ghost sees us."
Andy nodded in agreement, but he was also concerned about something. Dorimon didn't move, he stayed quiet and still in Andy's arms.
They both started to quickly move away, when Takuya and Andy saw something big and white rushing towards the ghost. All of a sudden, the robot ghost was pounced by a purple-back gorilla.
Takuya gaped before he shoved Andy and Dorimon to the ground. "GET DOWN!"
While on the ground, they couldn't see what was going on, but they heard a lot of gorilla growlings and metal clanging. Takuya began to crawl away, Andy followed. Dorimon was beside Andy since Andy dropped him when Takuya shoved them down, but Dorimon was, thankfully, smart enough to follow them.
Takuya kept an eye on the gorilla, trying to stay away from the raging Sampson. How did the gorilla get out of his enclosure?
They kept going until they felt they were far enough away that they could stand up and make a run for it to the entrance of the zoo. Andy picked up Dorimon as they started running.
When they finally left Amity Zoo, Andy and Takuya were panting.
"What… was… that…?" Andy panted.
"That, I think, was Sampson…" Takuya replied as he too panted, almost doubled over. "And I can't be too sure...but I think...that Sampson...attacked that ghost…"
"I gathered that much," Andy said. "But… that ghost… that was a ghost…? It looked… like a floating flaming robot… how could… a robot be a ghost?"
"No...no clue…" Takuya rasped before he stood up straight and raised his arms over his head. "Wow...That was not how I expected this to go."
"We should get out of here. It's already getting late, and I would rather not have to tangle with another ghost," Andy stated, having caught his breath. "I'm pretty sure Danny and the others had gone home by now."
Takuya nodded. "Yeah, good idea." He then gave Dorimon a glance. "And I think Dorimon is in need of some sleep as well."
Dorimon let out a big yawn, making its mouth almost as big as its body.
"Heh… yeah, I guess you're right," Andy chuckled as he put a hand on Dorimon's head. "Let's get back home and figure out some sleeping arrangements for this little guy."
Takuya chuckled. "Since Dorimon seems to like you, why not let him sleep with you? All you have to tell Danny is that Dorimon is a toy."
"Unless Dorimon snores or growls in his sleep," Andy pointed out. "Or what if he wakes up and starts crying that he's hungry? Or poops on my bed?"
Takuya smacked his face with his hand. "Okay...we'll think of something. But let's at least see how this night goes. Think of it as a trial run." He hoped that it would go well.
"Fine, but if Dorimon starts to do any of that, I may have to invest in a dog house," Andy sighed.
Andy and Takuya made it back to Fenton Works, though when they walked in, they could see Maddie, Jack, and Jazz were already in the living room, talking to a woman with big black poofy hair, and a purple-pink dress uniform. She had a professional air around her. The woman had a tape recorder with her, likely for the interview.
"Ugh… I forgot about the interview…" Andy sighed.
Takuya frowned. "Great… But how are we going to get Dorimon past them?"
"Shh… just pretend Dorimon is a toy, remember?" Andy winked.
"A few more questions, Maddie," The woman said. "Can you tell us what you're working on right now?"
Before Maddie could answer, Jack held out the Ghost Gabber. "Well, it's called the Ghost Gabber, and-"
"Dad, put that thing away!" Jazz exclaimed before she snatched the device and stuffed it under the pillow next to her. She then smiled at the interviewer. "Now, where were we?"
"Connie, my primary focus these days is ghost hunting," Maddie explained.
"Wah- forgive me, but did you say… ghost hunting?" The woman, apparently named Connie, asked in surprise.
Jazz groaned, realizing that this was turning into a train wreck.
Then the family spotted Andy and Takuya as they were heading upstairs.
"Uh… Hi?" Takuya waved. "Andy and I were heading upstairs. Don't mind us!"
"Wait… Andy, what is that in your arms?" Maddie asked.
"Oh this? It's just a plushy I bought at a store. Takuya and I were just looking around the mall, when we saw this cute little thing, and decided to buy it. I mean it seems pretty unique, right?" Andy answered, trying not to sound nervous.
Takuya nodded. "Yeah. Andy wanted it so, I bought it for him."
"Andy, I thought you didn't like plushies anymore," Jazz said.
"Who said that?" Andy frowned. "A-anyways, we'll let you get back to your interview. We're just going into our rooms for the night."
Takuya then began to head upstairs and to his room. He made sure Andy and Dorimon were right behind him.
However, as he was passing Danny and Andy's room, he suddenly got that hot and cold feeling again. Dorimon suddenly looked alarmed.
"H-hey, what's wrong, Dorimon?" Andy asked, noticing how Dorimon was acting.
"D-danger…" Dorimon shivered.
Takuya was very tempted to grab Andy's arm and keep him from opening the door. "Andy… I don't think it would be a good idea to open the door…"
Andy frowned. "What should we do? If it's a ghost, we can't just leave it there."
Takuya frowned at that as well. That is true… He thought. A thought crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. His hand was on his D-Tector, just in case he had no choice.
Before they could do anything, however, the door suddenly opened. And a big, grinning, flaming mohawk robot ghost was staring down at them.
"Hello, ghost child," The robot ghost greeted with a predatory smirk.
Then suddenly, the robot held out his arm and shot out a glowing blue net at Andy, trapping both him and Dorimon.
"Wah!?" Andy yelped before he and Dorimon were being pulled into the room.
Takuya cursed to himself as he dived for the net, grabbing onto it so he could keep Andy from being taken. This is so not good!
Unfortunately for Takuya, as a human, he was too weak to keep tugging for long, and he too was pulled into the room before the door shut behind him.
"The ghost child in its natural habitat," The robot ghost commented as he looked down at Andy, not seeming to notice Dorimon, or he didn't care about it. The robot ghost didn't seem to care about the other human child he brought in as well.
"What…?" Andy blinked, confused. Why is this thing calling me 'ghost child'? "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I am Skulker, collector of things that are rare and unique. And you, ghost child, are that and more," The self proclaimed Skulker answered with a grin.
Takuya growled as he stood up. He stood in front of Andy protectively, that feral look in his eyes, unrestrained or even in control.
Skulker looked at Takuya. "I didn't want you, human child. Get out of my way."
"No." Takuya snapped, his voice seeming to gain some power to it. He could feel his Spirits calling out for him to evolve, but there was no way he could unless this ghost wanted to kill Andy.
"Takuya! You need to get out of here! Get out and get Mom and Dad!" Andy yelled out.
Takuya then gave a look back at Andy, unaware of the look in his eyes as he locked gazes with his cousin. "Andy… I can't do that."
Andy paused when he saw Takuya's eyes, they looked feral, and somehow familiar. Dorimon was no longer shaking, but was growling instead.
Andy then let out a gasp. "Look out!"
Takuya didn't react fast enough, he was suddenly slapped away by Skulker's metallic hand. With Takuya out of the way, Skulker looked down at Andy. "Pity though, I was hoping you would put up more of a fight."
Dorimon then opened his mouth and bit down on the net with his teeth, breaking it apart. Then he jumped at Skulker.
"Dorimon!" Andy called out in alarm.
"Metal Drop!" Dorimon shouted as he spat out iron beads at Skulker while he jumped at the ghost.
Takuya looked up, seeing Skulker getting hit with the metal beads, but it didn't do much, as Skulker was made of metal and thus, the metal beads didn't do much damage. Instead, Skulker just slapped Dorimon aside, which sent the small Digimon rolling back towards Andy.
"Dorimon! Are you okay?" Andy asked in concern as he picked up the hurt Digimon.
Skulker towered over Andy, and glared venomously at Dorimon. "So… you have one of those little digital beasts with you. I'm surprised that you're even holding the accursed thing."
Then, Takuya stood up. He gripped his D-Tector in his right hand, clenching it tightly.
"Oh well, it won't be missed," Skulker grinned as he held up his arm and it turned into a cannon.
"No! Stop it!" Andy cried out in desperation.
"Leave my cousin ALONE!" Takuya shouted before he did something Andy thought was impossible. He swiped the D-Tector over the coding, calling out the familiar phrase he knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" His clothes ripped away as his body became digital, and the process began. Coding surrounded him as the power of the Spirit flowed into his body. Red armor formed and latched onto his body as his hair changed to blonde and became long and wild. His height increased, as did his strength and agility. His eyes snapped open, now a brilliant blue instead of brown, and his teeth were sharper than a human's as well. He landed, crying out his name. "Agunimon!"
Now evolved, the Warrior of Fire glared at Skulker, revealing his sharp fangs as he gritted his teeth together.
Skulker stared at Agunimon in shock, so was Andy.
"Takuya… you…?" Andy started to say, not sure what to say really.
"You! You're a Digimon!?" Skulker growled.
"In a sense," Agunimon replied, keeping it vague. I don't need Skulker to know I am really a human who can evolve with Spirits. "But what you should be worried about is what I will do to you if you harm even one hair on that human!"
"Human?" Skulker frowned, looking at Andy in confusion. "He's no mere human, he's-"
Skulker stopped as he looked at something on his arm. "What…? You're just… a human child? Impossible, you have to be the ghost boy! You looked exactly like him, and you were about to go into his room!"
Agunimon just gave Skulker a glare. "Are you going to risk it?" He hissed.
Skulker gave an angry look before he grabbed Agunimon suddenly, and Andy. Andy gasped as he and Agunimon became see-thru, and they sank under the floor. Agunimon and Andy yelped as they fell through the kitchen floor as well, and didn't stop falling until they hit the lab floor.
As soon as Skulker let them go, he floated above them.
"I can't let you two leave and risk warning the ghost boy," Skulker growled before he began to fire missiles at them.
Reacting quickly, Agunimon got one of his attacks ready "Pyro Darts!" The small bursts of flame hit the missiles, causing minor explosions in the air.
"Blasted annoying Digital Monster!" Skulker hissed in anger.
Skulker fired an ecto blast at Agunimon. Andy quickly got up and moved away, still holding onto the injured Dorimon.
I've got to do something… Andy frowned, seeing his cousin turned Digimon yelled out in pain from the ecto blast. Takuya's going to get hurt, and Dorimon did get hurt.
Agunimon jumped, avoiding another ecto blast, before he suddenly got missiles in his face.
"Give it up, I've fought with your kind before, I know how you work," Skulker warned.
Agunimon fell to the ground with a grunt, smoke rising from his form. He managed to get to his feet as he glared at Skulker. That would explain why he knows what I am. He thought as he panted slightly. He had to finish the fight before Andy or himself got hurt, or worse, his aunt and uncle coming down into the lab.
Then, he had an idea. With a shout, Agunimon ran at Skulker and threw a punch, his right fist encased in fire. "Pyro Punch!" The fiery blow landed on Skulker's face, sending the ghost back towards the wall.
Andy looked around the counter in the lab, before he picked up what looked like a small rod. "What the heck does this thing do?"
Andy saw a button and pressed it, the little rod suddenly extended to a longer rod. "I hope this thing can hit ghosts."
Skulker wasn't out yet, he kicked Agunimon's torso, sending him back a few feet.
Grunting at the blow, Agunimon's hand flew to his stomach area, not sure if he was hurt badly or not. Looking back at Andy, he saw the boy had a rod of some kind, but what it was, he didn't know. But Andy is right behind Skulker so maybe...
While Skulker's attention was on Agunimon, he didn't realize Andy was coming up behind him until the boy slammed the rod into Skulker's head with a loud CLANG. Skulker yelped as he stumbled forward a little, rubbing his head before he looked back at Andy. "That stung."
Andy gave a nervous grin before Skulker began to fire ecto blasts at the boy. Andy yelped as he ran, trying to avoid the blasts. Dorimon opened his eyes, seeing that Andy was in trouble. Dorimon moved his head over Andy's body to look at Skulker.
"A-Acid Bubbles!" Dorimon spat out what looked like pink bubbles at Skulker.
Seeing the bubbles, Agunimon realized that Dorimon was trying to protect Andy. Turning his gaze to Skulker, Agunimon gave the harshest glare he had ever given any being, digital or otherwise. "Time to end this…" He hissed before he ran at Skulker again and jumped up before he brought down his left foot in a drop kick onto Skulker's head, flames covering his foot as he did so.
While Agunimon was doing that, the pink bubbles slammed into Skulker's chest. The bubbles were starting to eat away at Skulker's metal chest, which made the ghost gasp.
"What the?" Skulker was so distracted that he didn't see the flaming foot coming at him.
Agunimon made contact with a shout, sending Skulker to the floor so hard, he left an imprint.
Skulker groaned before he turned intangible and floated up. He was looking at something on his arm. "I see… the real ghost boy will be getting back in the morning… which means I should have time to repair the damages before he gets here… and you three…"
Skulker looked at Agunimon, Andy, and Dorimon. All three were ready to fight if Skulker attacked again.
"Be sure to sleep with your eyes open tonight," Skulker threatened before he flew through the ceiling.
Agunimon glared as Skulker left, only to relax once the ghost was gone. Then, he gave a look to Andy, unsure of what his cousin would do.
With Skulker gone, Andy dropped the rod he was holding in favor of having two hands to hold Dorimon. He then walked over to Agunimon with a serious expression. "... So… this was your secret?"
Agunimon sighed. "Yes… it was…" He admitted as he gave a glance to Andy again. " I didn't want you to freak out…"
"... Honestly, the only reason why I haven't freaked out yet is because I almost just died back there," Andy responded a bit sarcastically. "And I also… suspected something was up with you."
"I suppose you'll want the whole story?" Agunimon asked. "How I got to have this ability?" He gestured to his own body.
"That would be nice, yes, very much so. But we should do this in your room. Mom and Dad might come here to check out what all the ruckus was once the interviewer leaves," Andy stated. "And we should also tend to this brave little guy."
Agunimon smiled a bit before coding surrounded him and he returned to his human form.
"Sure," Takuya said with a smile.
Andy and Takuya had to sneak by the family after they came out of the kitchen. They really didn't want to have to explain what they were doing in the lab, what the ruckus was in the lab, or how they got to the lab without being spotted before. Thankfully, they were too engrossed with Connie to notice them sneaking upstairs, especially since the Ghost Gabber was making loud noises, likely from Skulker earlier, that was distracting Jack, and stressing out Jazz.
Once in Takuya's room, the older boy made sure the door was closed before he sat down on the bed. "Okay, do you want me to start from the beginning?"
"Yes, it would make the most sense, and we've got all night," Andy answered as he sat down on the other side of the bed, and looked Dorimon over. "His injuries don't look too bad, and they appear to already be healing."
Takuya smiled. "That's what a Digimon does when they get hurt." He then sighed. "And yes, that is what Dorimon is. Back in Japan, four years ago, five of my friends and I were called to this place called the Digital World." He then paused. "Okay, if the Ghost Zone is the opposite of the human world in that it is the realm of the dead, then the Digital World is the opposite of the real world in that it is made up of data."
He then took out his D-Tector. "When my friends and I wound up in the Digital World, we found out we were supposed to help save it, using the power of ancient artifacts called Spirits, left behind by ten Ancient Warrior Digimon. My Spirits are fire, thus that is my element and title: Warrior of Fire." Takuya continued. "And well, my friends and I managed to save the Digital World. We have the ability to become Digimon, or beings made up of data, with these Spirits. Using coding called fractal coding, we can evolve, thus becoming stronger than our human forms."
Andy listened as Takuya went on about his adventures in the Digital World with his friends, and what they had to go through. It took a while until Takuya finally finished his story.
"... Well… dang… your life sounded like an anime," Andy finally said after a while.
"Ehehe…" Takuya rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well… it wasn't exactly an anime, but close enough…"
"Still though… I can't believe there's another world out there, filled with these Digimon. I mean I've seen anime and manga that had something similar to that, but to have it apply in the real world seems beyond sane," Andy said. "But I have living proof right here."
Andy looked down at the sleeping Dorimon, then at Takuya. "And you. First ghosts, and how Digimon? Not to mention my cousin can turn into a Digimon!"
Then suddenly, Andy had that glint in his eyes, the glint of curiosity. "What is it like? Does it hurt to become a Digimon? How do you know how to do all those attacks? Did you have to train or were those instincts? Did you inherit the knowledge from your Spirits? Are there more of you? Are there going to be more Digimon coming into our world? What's their relationship with ghosts? The ghosts seem to really hate Digimon. Could you spirit evolve at any time or does it have a time limit? Do you-"
"Calm down!" Takuya exclaimed."Okay, first off, it's very...interesting when I am a Digimon. Second, no, it doesn't hurt. I just do it. Third, those attacks are instinct. Fourth, I didn't train. Fifth, yes I did inherit the knowledge from my Spirits. Sixth, there are more like me, as my friends can do it too. Seventh, no, I don't know, and I don't know the relationship with ghosts. Eighth, there is no time limit, and yes, I can evolve at any time." Takuya panted once he was done.
Andy gave Takuya a thoughtful look. "You know… I'm surprised you can still spirit evolve out here in the real world. From what you told me, the Digital World is filled with data, so it makes sense that you could spirit evolve there. But… what about out here? Where the world isn't made of data? How do you still have access to your Spirits?"
Takuya frowned at that. "I'm not sure myself. I just know that I do. Although...when that fog came out of nowhere, I could sense data in it. So maybe there is a Digital portal somewhere."
Andy thought about it. "A Digital portal, huh? Well… we have a Ghost Portal in our basement… maybe that might have some relation to this Digital portal?"
"I'm not sure…" Takuya trailed off. "But we'll see." He then gave a glance to Andy. "Andy, can I ask you to keep what I can do a secret? I don't want Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack to find out. Same with Jazz. I mean, Uncle Jack and Aunt Maddie might think I am possessed and Jazz… well, you know skeptical she is, she might just think we're crazy or something."
Andy gave a thoughtful look. "I can understand that. Mom and Dad would definitely think it was the work of some ghost, especially since 'Spirit' is often another term for 'ghost'. Jazz… well, I think it might make her snap if she suddenly saw you Spirit Evolve. As for Danny… I don't even know what's going on with him. But considering the secrecy… it's possible he might share a similar secret like yours."
Takuya perked up at that. "You think so?" He had never considered that. Is it possible? But if it is, then could it be like mine?
"That accident… could've done something to him that we don't know about, and Danny is too scared to tell us. Tucker and Sam were there when it happened, so it makes sense why they would know about it," Andy theorized.
"It could be," Takuya agreed. "But I don't know if they will reveal it to us. You saw how they were reacting. Tucker and Sam are always making sure we're not able to figure it out."
"Yeah… Tucker and Sam are very loyal friends if nothing else. If Danny doesn't want to tell us, they'll make sure we don't find out," Andy sighed. "But… you know, if there is something like that going on, I'm kind of relieved. It explains the sudden disappearances, and why they're always ditching me."
"You mean us?" Takuya teased before his grin faded. "But I think if Danny does have something going on like my ability to evolve, it would make sense too." He then looked at Dorimon again. "It's just difficult to get close to Danny to find out his secret."
"It's not just that either…" Andy frowned, looking at Dorimon himself. "Considering the fact that these ghosts, and possibly dangerous and hostile Digimon, are appearing in our town, there's a real danger that we'll have to face them again. I don't like how helpless I was, and how you had to get hurt just to protect me. I should've been able to do more than just hit that Skulker ghost with a stick and then run for it."
Takuya frowned at that response. "Andy, when I return to human form, my injuries are not as severe as they are in my Digimon forms." He then sighed. "But I do get what you are saying. Being helpless is never fun." That happened more than once in the Digital World...
"Unfortunately, I don't have some kind of Spirit to evolve myself, or whatever Danny might possibly be. I no longer have that dragon amulet either, so I'm just… stuck as an average human boy," Andy sighed.
"So… get… stronger…"
Andy and Takuya were surprised when they heard Dorimon say that, they thought the little Digimon was asleep.
Dorimon looked up at Andy. "Get stronger… I get stronger… I will Digivolve… get strong… like Takuyamon."
Takuya blinked. This was the first time he was hearing of such a thing. "But how can he? Andy doesn't have my abilities, nor his brother's secret, whatever that is."
"Train… Digimon become strong… with training," Dorimon said with determination shining in his eyes. "Spirit already strong, but other Digimon need to train to get stronger and Digivolve. Like humans, humans train to get stronger too."
Andy nodded. "Dorimon's right. Mom and Dad have been training to battle with ghosts, so maybe… there's no reason why I can't do the same. Just because I don't have a Spirit or a D-Tector to evolve, it doesn't mean I have to be helpless forever."
Takuya smiled at that. "Well, if that is what you want to do, I can help if you want. You can train against me when I am evolved, just so you can be able to handle a Digimon to an extent."
Andy couldn't help but smile and laugh. "Wow… looks like with you back in my life, it's truly become an anime now."
Takuya laughed as well. "I guess it has!"
"I train too, get stronger together!" Dorimon grinned.
Takuya patted the little guy on the head as he chuckled. "Sure you can! Don't want to leave you out either!"
"Then starting tomorrow after school, we'll meet up at the outskirts of town, near the woods," Andy suggested. "That should be a good spot to train without alerting anyone. Just… try not to get too close to the trees with your fire, we don't want to cause a forest fire after all."
Takuya laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I...made that mistake in the Digital World once so you can be sure I won't do it again." He then became serious. "I won't use my attacks anyway, since you need to get used to fighting first."
"That's true. And I will be needing some tools if I'm going to be fighting with ghosts and Digimon. A human's bare fists can only do so much to creatures like those," Andy stated.
"How about that rod?" Takuya questioned. "It seemed to do some damage to that Skulker ghost."
"Right… that must've been the Fenton Rod. Mom and Dad made it a while back, said that it's good for close combat with ghosts, though they tend to favor long range weapons like ecto blast guns and bazookas since ghosts usually prefer flying away from people then getting up close and personal. Still, we can't rule out that possibility, and having a close range weapon is better than having nothing," Andy remarked.
Takuya nodded. "Good call. I can't recall how many times a Digimon tried to attack from close range."
"I'll gather what I think I'll need for our training tomorrow. For now, we should probably get some sleep, it's been a tiring day for us," Andy suggested.
Takuya felt a yawn escape him at that remark. "True… And evolving can tire me out if done too many times in quick succession." He looked at the bed. "Bed looks inviting right now…"
"I'll leave you to it then, cuz," Andy chuckled as he stood up and headed for the door.
Dorimon jumped off of Takuya's bed and hopped onto Andy's head.
"... What are you doing?" Andy asked when he felt Dorimon's weight on his head.
"He wants to sleep with you." Takuya chuckled. "You did help him, after all."
"I didn't do much, he was the one protecting me," Andy pointed out.
"Yeah, but you did show concern for him," Takuya replied with a grin. "And you did feed him."
Andy sighed. "Fine, but no pooping on me or my bed."
"Or Danny and his bed." Takuya chuckled.
"Okay!" Dorimon replied happily.
Titanic X: ZAFT Convoy: I am glad you think it is. :)
GirlFish: DarkFoxKit: Twins? You do know that one of the main characters, Andy, is a twin himself, right? You have to be more specific on who you mean when you say 'twins'. I'm guessing you mean Koji and Koichi though?
ZAFT Convoy: I would assume that is the case, because they too are twins. But I agree.
DarkFoxKit: Paulina trying to date Takuya, huh? *Gives an evil smirk* I actually like that idea~
ZAFT: Uh oh… Girl fight~! XD
DarkFoxKit: I don't know what we'll do with the GIW yet, they come in later, much later. But it's very likely they would want to weaponize Takuya if they find out about his Spirits and his ability to transform into a Digimon.
ZAFT: We'll get to that down the road. For now, just enjoy the chapters. :)
Andy: *Pouts* I'm sure there's gotta be some kind of law against this…
ZAFT: And now, onto the chapter~