Chapter 4: Royal Arms
"Almost." Izuku muttered to Terriermon and Veemon. The three are side by side looking at the door of Izuku's class room, waiting for the bell.
"Almost." His voice was low but the three boys were still like coiled springs, waiting anxiously for their freedom.
Two weeks had passed since Veemon joined the family, and the three of them were basically attached at the hip. Inko had accepted it fairly well, after all her son's new partner was cut from the same cloth that her boys were.
Everything was once again explained with the extremely convenient excuse of "It's his quirk." And in no time at all Veemon was another part of their lives.
"Now!" They sprung on a mad dash to the door, the bell rang as they reached it, as Izuku expected. Since the incident with the clock, Izuku's powers over the data of the Real World and everything that it controls have only grown. He now could see the kaleidoscopic aurora that the digital systems created over the world and could alter it with ease.
Things like seeing the time and when the bell of his school would ring were just the tip of the iceberg he was slowly discovering.
In no time at all, the trio of blurs burst out of the front doors and ran back to their home, laughing along the way.
Some minutes later they were on the living room couch, watching the news about heroes, something that Izuku never missed, even if he could get the information at any time.
"Look, he is going to do the thing!" Terriermon said while excitedly pointing at the screen. It was a fight from early on the day, if you could call what was happening a fight.
All Might, the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace, and Izuku's idol since he could remember, had shown up in the scene, and with his signature smile and catchphrase, they all knew it was going to be okay, because he was here!
"Detroit Smash!" The three said along with the mountain of a man while throwing their fists up, enraptured by the display of power and heroism on the screen.
Inko chuckled at the adorable view of her boys joyfully jumping on their seats seeing heroes saving the day once again.
"Man that's so cool!" Veemon exclaimed, doing some shadow boxing while talking, "He just shows up and boom! Bang! Pow! And it is over!" He ended with a dramatic voice.
"Imagine when us will be the ones doing all that!" Terriermon envisioned himself on top of a pile of Villains while a crowd cheered.
"Do you think we can be like All Might?" Izuku asked incredulously, his dream was to be a hero like the man that single handedly made the crime of Japan dwindle with his presence alone, but hearing someone say he can do it was a completely different thing.
"Of course we can, you have to give us and yourself a little more credit little bro, you are the Prince!" Terriermon words made Izuku's eyes water, he couldn't believe how lucky he got having a partner like that.
"And we are your Royal Knights! You'll see, we are going to be the best heroes ever!" Veemon brought Izuku on a one armed side hug while pointing to the sky and proclaiming their goal.
Izuku looked at his friends, giving a soft smile he said, "Thanks guys."
"Enough sappy stuff, let's talk about what we're gonna do tomorrow. I refuse to spend another weekend shopping!" Terriermon said the words shopping like it was a vile act of torture, and for the three hyperactive boys it basically was.
Veemon hummed while Izuku laughed at his big bros antics, "Hey guys, if we're going to be awesome heroes, then we have to train for it, right?"
"Yes, that's why we are going to UA!" Izuku vibrated with anticipation at the idea of going to the best hero school in Japan. The place where legends were born, legends like All Might.
"I know, but until then, we could get a headstart training somewhere else!"
"Okay stop the drama and just say what you want already." Terriermon rolled his eyes at Veemon's beating around the bush.
"What I wanna say is, there is a dojo where we can train in the Digital World! It's runned by Piximon, he's an Ultimate, so if we get some help from him, we can be really strong before we know it!" Veemon ended while bringing his fist down his open palm.
Terriermon and Izuku traded a glance before looking at Veemon. "You're a genius!" The two said in unison.
The three talked about the details, before coming with a plan to do the hardest part, getting Inko's approval. None of them liked the idea of going to the Digital World behind her back, so they needed a way to get her ok for it.
After some ideas that ranged from unlikely to absolutely insane, they settle with the simplest approach.
At dinner, after stuffing themselves, they turned to Inko with a combined tripe puppy dog eyes attack, "Mom, can we go to Piximon's dojo?".
While Inko almost said yes from the cheer cuteness, she caught herself and in time. Asking what exactly they were talking about, she gained a concerned motherly aura that almost made them regret asking.
"I don't know boys, aren't you three a bit too young for it?"
"We're Digimons, so we would be totally fine with it, and Izuku is the Prince, he's gonna breeze through the training." Veemon's weak excuses didn't do much to convince Inko.
"Can't we go to at least have a look? If in the end you still don't want that we go we drop this idea for now." Terriermon did his best to salvage the situation.
Inko still wasn't sure, but seeing the three adorable eyes looking at her, she couldn't say no. "Okay, but I'm going with you, I'll talk with this Piximon, and then we see what we do, okay?" The reaction was instantaneous, the three boys hugged her while saying "Thank you!" Over and over.
Laughing at her children's antics, she then sent the three to bed. Inko mused to herself while cleaning the aftermath of dinner, "It's okay to just look at it right? It's not like something will happen, right?"
She then blanched at her own words, "He's Hisashi's son, of course something is going to happen." She said defeated, remembering all the times some simple things escalated out of control with her husband's luck.
—
In the middle of a stone path that seemingly led to a temple, a green portal opened and from it four figures came.
Izuku felt the soft buzz on his body that always welcomed him to the Digital World. Inko saw her son lit up and became understandably concerned, "Izuku! Are you okay? What happened!".
"Calm down mom, it's always like this." Terriermon said while patting her leg. Veemon turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "Is it?".
"Yup, I always glow when I come to the Digital World, but I'm fine." Izuku reassured them. Turning to the path ahead, he saw what looked like a Shinto gate, and up ahead a temple where the sound of something striking wood came from.
Inko took the sights of this new world and have to admit, it was marvelous, various Cherry Blossoms marked the terrain, giving a mystique feeling to the path ahead. Inko couldn't help but smile at it, but she was still on edge, her son's misadventures where proof that danger lurked in this wonderful world.
"So this is where Piximon lives?" Izuku asked, but the answer came from behind the group, "Yes, here is where the great Piximon train mighty warriors that were recalled as legends!".
Turning around, the pair of humans and Digimons saw a bipedal reptilian creature with red eyes, a tail, and three digits on his hands and feet. He was wearing a golden armor that covered most of his body, and a white cape.
His armor had a claw at each digit, a black diamond-shaped object in the tail, a small blade-like object on each knee, an orange "0" on its left shoulder pad, and a sword-like horn on his helmet. The horn emitted a blue light on its blade, and it has a silver "20" on its left side.
"Who's that?" Inko asked her boys. Izuku took his Digivice out of his pocket and runned the scanner.
{Zubamon: Level Rookie, is a Weapon Digimon. It is one of the "Legend-Arms", who are capable of transforming themselves into weapons. A legend about the Legend-Arms goes, "if held by an angel, it will save the world, and if held by a demon, it will destroy the world." Zubamon carries the "Twentiest" data, and often shouts out "I am the Twentiest!" despite not understanding what it means. It despises crookedness, and is constantly seeking sharpness. A day where its battles, jokes, and sharpness turn out well will leave it in high spirits. Zubamon's true power is exhibited while it is in its weapon form.}
The beginning of the entry left them in awe, but the rest made them chuckle at how simple, for a lack of better word, Zubamon is.
"Hey! I know what it means! I just… don't go telling other people about it." His heated reply ended in a weak excuse.
Veemon rolled his eyes at Zubamon, "Yeah right, keep telling yourself that."
"What, are you looking for a fight?! Because I'll let you know that I'll be one of the greatest warriors that Piximon ever trained!" Zubamon proclaimed loudly, the wind picking up and making the petals of cherry blossoms dance through the air and making Zubamon's cape flail behind him.
For a moment, he looked like a great knight ready to defend his honor. But the moment ended when another voice said, "Zubamon,we aren't even Piximon students yet."
The wind died and Zubamon's cape fell uselessly on the ground. The golden Digimon slumped while a depressed air started to form around him.
The owner of the second voice approached and pat his back, "Don't worry, this time we'll pass the test, but do me a favor and stop rushing ahead."
The new arrival was another Digimon encased in armor, this having a green one, with some white and pink paint in decorative designs. He had a circular shield in each arm and one in the tip of his tail, this having a white 'x' painted in it.
In his head, a helmet that looked militar in its design covered it, leaving only his mouth exposed. A "01" was painted on the top of the helmet, a little to the left. In both his feet and shields/hands, three metallic claws worked as fingers.
Izuku was already scanning the militaristic looking Digimon.
{Ludomon: Level Rookie, is an Armor Digimon. It is one of the 'Legend-Arms', who are capable of transforming themselves into weapons. It is the only one among the 'Legend-Arms' capable of transforming itself into a shield. It wields sturdy, steel shields on its head and on both arms, protecting it from attacks coming from any direction. As a Digimon made with protection in mind, there have been records of it protecting areas being targeted by the D-Brigade. Ludomon is also able to exhibit its defensive abilities at their maximum strength while it is transformed into a shield.}
"Okay, I have to admit, these guys sure have cool notes on them." Terriermon's comment lifted Zubamon's spirit. The two weapon Digimon approach the group, "Yes, and we will be even cooler when we pass the test and become Piximon's students!"
"You two keep saying that there's a test to enter this Piximon's dojo. What is it, if you don't mind me asking?" Inko said in a gentle tone, to her these 'Legend-Arms' were just two boys that looked like they could become friends with her boys.
"It's just a spar with someone that is already a student, it looks simple but those guys are strong!" Zubamon said, acknowledging the strength of his soon to be adversaries.
Ludomon then explained their situation, "As you thingy there said, we can only show our true strength when we are in weapon form, but there's no one that we know that is strong enough to wield us."
Izuku felt bad that the two couldn't find someone to help them pass the test, and being his heroic self, he offered them, "Hey, what if I help you pass the entrance test?"
"You? sorry but you don't look like much." Zubamon said, while he appreciated the kindness, he wouldn't risk failing, again.
"Not much?! You know who you are talking to?!" Veemon asked incredulously, did those two live under a rock or something?! How didn't they know Izuku, everyone knew him, a fact that still left the boy embarrassed.
"Hey, you two block heads are talking with the one and only Prince of the Digital World! Show a little respect will ya!" Terriermon said with a proud voice, not noticing Izuku blushing in embarrassment.
"The Prince!" The two shouted at the same time, staring at Izuku with wide eyes. Zubamon's brain fried with the revelation, "Him, but he- he doesn't...WHAT?!" He stumbled with his words.
"Is it always like that?" Inko asked her son, who was squirming with the attention he was receiving. The boy gave his mother a resigned nod, which only made her giggle at the fact his head looked like a strawberry with how much he was blushing.
Ludomon then grabbed Zubamon by his shoulders and turned him around, dragging him quickly away, "Give us a second please, we'll be right back!" He then slapped his friend out of his dazed state.
"Zubamon, this is our chance!" Ludomon whisper-yelled.
"Our chance to what?"
"Ah for Yggdrasil's sake! Is our chance to become real 'Legend-Arms'!" His friend's still confused face made Ludomon facepalm, what produced a metallic clank.
"He is the Prince! If we become his weapons, we would be Royal Arms! Imagine this, the legendary weapons the Prince used to protect the whole Digital World!" Zubamon took one second to consider what Ludomon said.
He imagined Izuku on top of a mountain, the sun shining behind him, he lifted his weapon, a golden sword that when illuminated by the sun, looked as if made by pure light.
Zubamon was almost drooling with the mental image, he quickly recovered from his daydream and grabbed Ludomon. The two rushed back at the group, they saw Izuku and his partners explaining something to Inko, and the woman looked fairly worried.
Stopping abruptly at their side, Zubamon let go of the dazed Ludomon, that was not expecting the sudden suicide dash, "Fear not my dear Prince, from now own you won't lose a single fight!"
The boy was stunned from the turn of events, but before he could ask, Zubamon jumped and in a flash of light, turned in a golden sword. Izuku fumbled while trying to catch it, but fortunately did it before anything could happen.
The sword was like a modified version of the Digimon it was, the blade/horn elongating, the handguard being Zubamon's head, and the handle his tail. His limbs formed an extended guard in front of his hand.
"Wow." Izuku whispered in awe, "That's Amazing!" He started to gush out, but Inko was not as thrilled as him. The woman didn't like it when Izuku held a knife, so seeing him with a sword that was half as tall as him left her feeling incredibly worried.
"Izuku be careful, you can get hurt!" The boy stopped his tirade and looked sheepishly at his mother. They both then got startled by the sword talking, "Hey don't worry, I'm not gonna cut him or anything. He is the one who'll cut things with me!" Zubamon joyfully said.
"Yeah and he'll be safe, as he'll have an awesome shield with him too!" Ludomon followed his friend's lead, and with another flash of light, he transformed in a round shield. It was composed of a bigger centerpiece, that was like Ludomon helmet, and other two smaller ones, that were like his arms.
Izuku was expecting it now, so he didn't have any trouble with catching the shield in the air.
Inko looked at her son, with sword and shield in hand, he looked adorable. She was still concerned with him holding something sharp, but for now she would not object, as the excited faces of her boys were just too much for her.
"Now you'll be able to pass the test with flying colors!" Zubamon smugly said. He felt it the moment Izuku's hand landed on his handle, the sheer power flowing through him. Zubamon was sure he could slice through a boulder without even slowing down.
"Yeah, so let's go! If we are lucky there's someone to apply our test now!" Ludomon was in the same boat, the power trip was making the usual level headed Digimon a little overconfident. But who could judge him? He felt invincible with all the power Izuku was pouring into him without even knowing.
"Wait, I'm still not sure about letting Izuku fight. You two were already pushing it," She pointed at Terriermon and Veemon, "But I would let it slide as you two were Digimon, but I'm not comfortable with Izuku getting in a fight." She said that with conflicted feelings.
Mirei had told her that Digimon fought all the time, as it made them stronger, so it was their way of life to push themselves with conflict. But her son was a four year old, and he already had more battles under his belt than he should.
"Hey, it's okay, is not like if we are going to have a death match, I'll only have a spar with them and see if they have what it takes to be trained by my master." A new voice said.
All the commotion until now grabbed the attention of the Digimon training up ahead. And one of them came to check what it was about, rearing the reason the group was there, it was clear what was happening, and the new Digimon clarified what was about to happen.
He was a combination of a dinosauroid, a hypothetical humanoid evolved from a troodontid dinosaur, and a tribal warrior.
Izuku Digivice lit up once more and the entry of the new arrival was broadcasted to them.
{Dinohyumon: Level Champion, is a Dragon Man Digimon. Dinohyumon has the appearance of a humanoid lizard. It lives in an area that has not yet become a modernised civilisation, where all of the tribesmen are valiant combat dragons who possess the makings of a warrior. It has great muscle strength, allowing it to swing its greatsword, Akinakes, with ease.}
"Yup that's me, but I'm one of the ones that left their tribe to adventure through the world. But enough about me, you all want to be accepted in the dojo, right?" The boys nodded, "Okay then I'll see if you are worthy of Piximon's teaching. Don't expect any favoritism just because you are the Prince kid." Dinohyumon said.
He then turned to Inko and calmed the woman's worries, "And don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt them. I'm sure Sir Hisashi would have my head when he shows up again if I do."
That took them all by surprise, "You know my dad?!" Izuku blurted out. Dinohyumon nodded, "Yup, he trained under Piximon too, a long time ago. Now he appears from time to time to give some tips to the new students, he even helped me a couple times." He said with a small smile, remembering the kind man that helped him to reach where he was now.
"Mom, please, we have to try. Dad comes here, so if we are accepted, we can run into him at some point!" Izuku's pleading eyes quickly destroyed any resistance Inko had left, but she still had to be sure.
"You give me your word that you won't hurt my children?" She asked the dinosaur Digimon. Dinohyumon nodded resolutely, "In the name of my tribe, I will not endanger your young."
That visibly calmed the woman, "Okay, you can try, but if I think that it's too much for you, any of you, you'll stop, okay?" They all nodded.
"Good, now let's go kids, come at me with all you have!" Dinohyumon said while taking his cutlass, keeping it sheathed and making sure it wouldn't slip by tying it with a leader strip.
Izuku traded a glance with Terriermon and Veemon, the three nodding to each other, and them to his 'weapons' who were almost vibrating with excitement.
They stared each other down, the wind picking up once again and making the pink petals float through the air, giving a mystical feeling to the battle that was about to occur.
"YOLO!" Terriermon was the one to break the silence with a, rather comical, war cry. He dashed at Dinohyumon and jumped, going for a drop kick with both his legs.
Dinohyumon watched the Rookie Digimon throw himself at him, and with a smirk he sidestepped the attack, letting Terriermon sail through the air, "I like your enthusiasm kid, but try to stay on the ground until you learn how to fly!" He laughed, seeing Terriermon land unceremoniously on his back with an exaggerated "OOOFF!"
"And no I didn't forget about you." The humanoid dinosaur said while bringing his sheathed blade up, blocking a punch from Veemon. He then grabbed the blue Digimon arm and threw him at the recovering Terriermon, the two Rookies falling to the ground in a bundle of limbs.
"I have to admit, they got spunk!" Dinohyumon nodded approvingly to himself, seeing that the two downed Digimons were already trying to get up, "Now what about you?" He turned to Izuku, who tried to capitalize on the opportunity, as Dinohyumon didn't have his guard up.
Or that was what Izuku thought. Dinohyumon just lazily swung his blade, parrying Izuku's, who tried to so a horizontal slash at his adversary's legs.
The Champion then trusted his blade at Izuku, holding himself back to not hurt the boy. The young prince managed to bring his shield up, blocking the attack, even if he ended taking a step back from the force of the impact.
"Huh not bad, but can you keep up?" Dinohyumon said, slightly impressed with the boy's reaction, he then swung his blade at his legs, intending to trip him.
Izuku saw it coming and tried the same move that Dinohyumon used on him. Putting all his strength into it, he was barely able to swat the offending blade aside, gaining a victorious "Yeah!" From Zubamon.
Dinohyumon raised an eyebrow at that, impressed that Izuku could learn even in the middle of a fight highly disadvantageous for him. He knew the boy never held a sword before this day, as it was painfully obvious to anyone that could call themselves a sword wielder, but that only made his improvements more impressive.
The boy was learning, and he was learning fast, just by a simple trade of blows and he was already correcting his flaws. He would be a good addition to the dojo, he knew Piximon would agree, but he couldn't just let him and the others in without working for it!.
"Good, but now let's see how you do with something unexpected!" Dinohyumon then jumped, dodging the double charge of Veemon and Terriermon. They tried to pull the same move they used in Deltamon, but Dinohyumon heard them coming a mile away.
Izuku was startled, but he quickly turned himself sideways and made his body as small as possible, letting his partners pass for him.
"Ouch! C'mon! We already beat Champions before, why is this guy so strong?!"
"Please kid, don't compare me with those wannabe thugs that think just because they digivolved they were strong. I trained day and night to be like this, I earned my strength with blood sweat and tears!" Dinohyumon speech let the group in both fear and awe. This was a real Champion, one that make his title and level count.
Izuku was slightly backing away, he didn't think they could win. They were not fighting someone that gained a little strength and used it to terrorize the weak, they were fighting a true warrior.
Inko saw the scared face of her son and was about to call the match, but then she saw his arm start to tremble, and Zubamon's voice murmured something she couldn't quite catch, but she saw Izuku instantly stopping in his tracks.
Zubamon's words echoed in Izuku's mind, "We can be like that!" His arm was shaking because Zubamon was vibrating with excitement. And how could he not, this was what they could be, they could be valiant warriors just like that!.
Izuku's train of thought took a similar path, and in a second he was smiling, even if still a little shakily. He turned to his friends, both ready to fight with him to the end, and them to his new companions, and he could feel their support.
Nodding to himself, Izuku gripped his weapons firmly.
{SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE}
{ACTIVATING PROGRAM}
{XROS}
As one, they dashed at Dinohyumon. They could feel what the other was doing, and what they had to do. It was like if they were sharing one mind, with perfect synchrony they attacked.
Dinohyumon was once again surprised. The three were now perfectly coordinated, one punch was followed by a slash, they rushed over him and back, striking and falling back while the other came to cover the retreat.
A kick came and he had to dodge, but it ended pushing him in the path of a punch that was quickly blocked, only for a sword to almost get him in his flank.
The three continued their assault for as long as they could. Forcing themselves to push beyond their limits to land a single strike on the Champion, but he kept dancing on the edge of their attacks, close but never able to land.
Until in a last push, Terriermon punched at Dinohyumon left, making him dodge to the right. Veemon followed with a kick to the legs, which was blocked by the sheathed blade once more.
Then Izuku rushed at Dinohyumon head first. The dinosaurman disengaged his blade and thrusted it at him once more.
Izuku saw the blade coming, he felt time slowing down, the rest of the world getting out of focus, there was only him and the sword coming at his direction.
He waited, closer, he had to time it perfectly, closer, it was his last chance, closer, so he would make it count!.
Izuku swung his shield, Ludomon giving a war cry as he bashed the cutlass aside, a metallic clunk filling the air as it fell on the rocky path.
For one second, a single second, Dinohyumon lost his balance, and Izuku used this second to swing his blade, Zubamon voice raised along his battle spirit, this was it!.
Dinohyumon back stepped the fastest he could. Looking down, he saw a small cut on his abdomen, he could barely feel the pain, but the joy from the fight, this he felt hitting him like a truck.
He started to laugh, a laugh full of pride and fulfillment, "Look at that! A bunch of kids could keep me on my toes, looks like I still have a long way to go! Hahahaha!" His laugh filled the path, the only other noise being the heavy breathing of his young adversaries.
Inko was quickly at their side, checking her children and making sure they were not hurt. The only thing that was damaged was their pride, all of that, for only a single scratch.
"Why the long faces kids? I thought you would be more excited with passing the test!" Dinohyumon's voice cut the heavy air that was starting to form.
"What?!" Five voices asked at the same time. Dinohyumon laughed again, "That was a good fight, and if you could do all that with a spec of experience, then when you end your training, you were going to give me a run for my money!" He said joyfully.
"That means they passed? They were accepted in Piximon's dojo?" Inko asked the Digimon.
"Of course! Now let's go, I think Piximon will like to meet his new students and you too, Lady Inko, even if Sir Hisashi already told him about you almost as much as the little Prince!" He laughed once more.
Now it was Inko's turn to be embarrassed, she knew her husband liked to brag about his family, but she would have some words for him about it. And now she found that not only Izuku, but she and Hisashi were some kind of nobles, this day was already becoming too much.
"Okay, let's not keep your new teacher waiting boys." Inko turned to the kids, and saw that first, Zubamon and Ludomon were back to their normal forms, and second, they were all around Izuku, who had his Digivice out and a window with Team written in it.
Now Along Terriermon and Veemon, Izuku's picture was connected to one of Zubamon and Ludomon, at his right and left, one below Terriermon and the other Veemon, respectively.
Inko didn't know the specifics, but she had the impression that her family had just grown bigger once again.
This chapter was created by me and edited by SilverBits.
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