Chapter 4: Ready Player One
Tommy's heart sank as he opened the carefully wrapped gift. Within was a copy of the brand new Catch'emals game- just not the version he'd wanted. He looked up at his smiling grandmother who had given him the gift.
"Thanks Gran, I love it!" He got out somewhat half heartedly.
She smiled more and hugged the boy tightly, "I knew you would! Now whenever you play your catchy-mals game, you'll think of me!"
"Heh, yeah. I will!" Tommy groaned inwardly, not wanting to hurt his gran's feelings. He barely got to see her at all since she lived so far away.
Across the room, Yutaka scoffed with an eye roll. He had received a lovingly knitted sweater and matching socks from their grandmother. Tommy couldn't resist making a face at his brother. His gift was cooler afterall, even if it wasn't the right game.
Their visit came to an end as the boys' parents escorted their grandmother to the car to drive her to the train station.
"I think you hurt her feelings, brat." Yutaka huffed once the front door shut.
Tommy puffed up, "Did not."
"Your voice said it all. You didn't like the game Gran brought for you."
"Nuh-uh! I do like it! It's the newest Catch'emals game!"
Yutaka sneered, "It's the wrong version, I know because you won't shut up about it- You wanted the Blazing Tigon, not Frozen Wholphin." He looked smug.
"So what, I'll just ask Mom to get me the other version later. Then I'll have both versions to play with, so there." Tommy shot his older brother a triumphant smirk like he'd won the argument right then and there.
That earned an unimpressed look from Yutuka. "You can't be serious, Mom's not going to buy you the other version just because you ask-"
"She will when I tell her about the exclusive Catch'emals in each game." Tommy interrupted and folded his arms with absolute confidence in his reasoning. "I won't even have to wait till Christmas."
That irked the older boy something fierce. He bit back a growl and glared at his little brother. "Mom and Dad aren't going to coddle you forever. And sooner or later you're going to have to grow up and realize you can't get everything you want."
Tommy stuck out his tongue, "You're such a jerk Yutaka!"
"Says you, you spoiled little brat!"
"I can't wait for you to go back to college!"
"Can't wait to leave!" Yutaka snarled, storming upstairs.
Tommy frowned after him and huffed irritably. Stupid Yutaka. What was his problem anyway? It's not like the little boy said he hated Gran's gift or anything. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. If anything he was perfectly nice about it. Yutaka was probably just jealous.
Instead of lingering on it any longer, Tommy decided to settle in with his new game and popped the cartridge into his Shift console. The thumbnail icon popped up on screen but to Tommy's confusion the icon was pitch black with some strange symbol glowing in seafoam green in the center. "What the?" He tried opening up the game.
The screen went black before it hummed to life with that same symbol glowing prominently on the screen. Now that he got a better look at the strange symbol Tommy realized it looked like the kanji for ice. Weird, he didn't remember the previous games doing something like this with their intros.
Tommy waited patiently for the game screen to change but soon the seconds ticked by before he came to a conclusion. "Maybe the game's stuck?" He tried going back to the home screen but the console seemed unresponsive. Ultimately, he had to turn the Shift off and on again and tried turning on the game again.
Again the screen turned black before the green kanji appeared again. And once again, it stayed on that still image.
"What the heck is going on?" Tommy frowned down at the device in his hand. "Don't tell me it's broken."
Tommy tried another game and noted how it seemed to play fine without any issues. "Okay… the Shift's fine…" he then tried switching the new game back on.
Frustration bubbled within as the screen turned dark again. He nearly threw the console on the ground but restrained his anger as he tried to think of a solution. Maybe he'd just have to turn it in for a new copy.
"I guess that wouldn't hurt, I could get Blazing Tigon after all." He mused aloud to himself as he attempted a final reboot.
This time, the Shift pinged with its signature "snap" startup tone. A light blue symbol glowed on the dark screen. Tommy brightened up as the game finally loaded properly. The symbol pulsed briefly before the system shut down completely.
Tommy groaned loudly in frustration, hoping his mother would hear. Then he remembered that she wasn't home at the moment. He huffed in annoyance and went to put the game back in the gift bag before catching sight of a gift receipt. He pulled out the paper and noticed that his grandmother had scrawled a small note on the bottom.
In case I got the wrong one, I couldn't recall which you wanted!
The note was signed with a little heart which made Tommy smile, his grandmother had thought of the possibility that she picked out the wrong game. He gave the receipt a quick once over, discovering that the game shop was only a few blocks from the house.
Asking Yutaka to go with him was out, considering the argument they just had, but that didn't bother Tommy in the slightest as he grabbed his jacket. Snow still covered the ground from the sudden snowstorm a few days prior. Tommy slipped on his shoes and left the house, game, console and gift receipt in hand.
Tommy carried his Shift tightly in one hand with the game securely in the other hand. He made his way down the city streets, carefully navigating to the local game shop. He spotted the store on the street opposite of could hardly wait; soon he would be playing the new Catch'emals and the version he originally wanted. Tommy crossed the street and entered the store. He suddenly felt intimidated by the number of people inside the shop. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Fortunately for him, a teenaged sales clerk noticed Tommy by the door and approached him.
"Hey little guy! Do you need some help?"
Tommy nodded, "Uh, y-yeah. My gran got me the new Catch'emals game but it's not working on my Shift."
The teen looked confused, but smiled. "Come over here, let's see if we can't get it working right."
"I have the receipt if it doesn't. It wasn't even the version I wanted anyway."
"Wish I could help you out there, but we currently don't have either version in stock."
Tommy's face fell.
"But, let's take a look at your Shift, maybe we can get it running until the next shipment comes in."
The boy nodded and followed the clerk to the counter. He pulled out his Shift and the game, handing both to the clerk. Tommy bounced around, looking at all the cool games and collectables available while the clerk tried to reboot the Shift and get the game running.
"There we go!" Tommy turned around as the teen showed him the game functioning and sitting on the title screen.
"Wow Thanks!"
The clerk smiled, "Sure thing. I have no idea why it was showing a black screen. You may want to get your Shift serviced."
Tommy took the device from the clerk as he handed it back to him. "I'll have to ask my mom. Thank you though!"
The young man grinned, "Go Catch'emal!"
"I will!" Tommy left the store with a smile on his face and took a look at the console's screen. Maybe he could get a little time in before dinner. He had been looking forward to playing all day. He then noticed something in the screen's reflection, something looming over him from the shop's rooftop. "Huh?"
He turned around and saw a creature perched lazily on the ledge. It was some kind of large cat, its whole body burning brightly with vibrant orange flames, and it was looking down directly at the boy. "Is that? The Blazing Tigon from the cover?" he wondered aloud.
"Look! It's the box rarity from the new Catch'emals!"
"Hot damn, they really went all out with the holograms, huh?"
"It looks so real!"
People were gathering around, pulling out their phones to snap pictures or videos, unaware as the creature kept its gaze trained on Tommy, leering at the console in his hands.
Tommy felt a shiver run down his spine. Something about the hologram felt off. He didn't like the way that thing seemed to be watching him. Weren't these things supposed to be more animated, doing cool tricks or something to promote the game?
Whatever the case may be, Tommy wasn't planning to stick around. He started to hurry back home, dismissing the tiger creature from his mind and instead hyping himself up to play his new game.
Before he could make it far, Tommy heard people gasping, some even giving startled screams when he heard something land on the ground behind him with a heavy thud. Then he felt a low growl followed with a sweltering heat blowing against his back. The boy didn't have the courage to turn around and simply ran as far as his legs could carry him, ignoring the panic that had taken root in the streets.
The blazing cat leapt over Tommy's head and landed in front of the boy, cutting off his escape down the street. It menaced the boy, taking glee in the fear plainly written on his face. It would have fun playing with its prey, if only for a little bit longer.
It was after him. Whatever this thing really was, it was after him specifically. Tommy couldn't wrap his mind around it and quickly ran into the alley, hoping to lose the creature in the tighter space.
The beast stalked after Tommy, following him into the alley and emitting more heat to disorient the boy. A purr of delight rumbled in its throat at the desired effects as the boy swayed and staggered into a trash can before falling to the ground.
Tommy whimpered as he lay prone on the ground, his vision blurred from the heat. His Shift clattered on the ground ahead of him, its screen cracked and glitching out from the fall. It was just within reach. He reached out to the device when the screen lit up with that cool green light from before.
Catching the light emanating from the console ended the games the cat had in mind. It couldn't play around anymore. "Thermal Roar!" It took a deep breath and let loose a fireball at the boy.
"No!" Tommy screwed his eyes shut and curled up into a tight ball as the flames consumed him. Only the flames never touched him. They were stopped dead cold by a burst of frigid wind. Tommy slowly peaked out and awed at the icy winds around him creating a protective barrier against the flames of the feline Digimon's attacks and at the center of it all was his console, hovering over the ice forming beneath it.
"What the…"
A small figure rose from the light emanating from the screen, its shape obscured by the white powdery flurries swirling around them. It approached Tommy and offered its hand to help the boy back up to his feet.
He stared in awe of the figure, admiring just how something as small as him could stand so strong and fearless against the monster battling against the sleet and ice to get at them. He wanted to be brave like that too, to stand up and fight. Tommy found the determination he needed and accepted the strange creature's hand, pulling himself back up to his feet and accepting the power that came rushing through him.
Tommy felt the cold seep into him, warding off his heat induced fatigue. It gave him strength; he never felt so sturdy yet so flexible at the same time. It was an odd contradiction and yet it felt right. A wide smile spread across his face as he bounced on his feet, ready and raring to go.
Lynxmon finally broke through the icy barrier and lunged at the evolved child, baring flaming claws to rip its intended prey to shreds.
Tommy was quicker than it expected, and leapt over the Digimon's pouncing attack. The smile never left the snow bear's face as he bounced off Lynxmon's head with a hard kick, forcing the cat to crash hard into the ground.
The fire cat quickly got back to its feet and zeroed in on Tommy wall-jumping to the top of rooftops all while taunting it by blowing raspberries. Lynxmon growled and started scaling the walls after him, using its claws as leverage to give chase.
Tommy made it to the rooftops and with the scant few seconds he had left before Lynxmon would reach him, he took a deep breath and exhaled a blast of icy wind, freezing the floor solid. "Crystal Breeze!"
His attack had the desired effect, when Lynxmon made it to the rooftops it lost its footing on the slick floor and slid across the ice in a vain attempt to maintain its balance.
"Gotcha! Crystal Breeze!" The snow bear let loose another blast of icy wind, intending to freeze Lynxmon on the spot.
The fire cat snarled and quickly released a burst of heat from its flaming coat, melting the ice at its feet and dispelling Tommy's attack much to his dismay.
"Uh oh…" Tommy gulped realizing his disadvantage. When Lynxmon pounced at him again, the small warrior tried reacting as fast as he could, letting his body fall loose and melt before letting it jut out and form a defensive wall of icy spikes to repel the wild cat. "Frozen Tundra!"
Lynxmon was forced to redirect its trajectory to keep from impaling itself on Tommy's spikes. The warrior had a solid defense, not unlike a porcupine's but the fire cat quickly found a way around it. "Thermal Roar!"
Tommy yelped and reformed his body from the spiky mass and leapt out of the way just in time. The flames left a dark scorch mark where the snow bear once stood, a reminder of what would happen should he get hit even once by that attack.
Honestly, it just wasn't fair. How could he not be at a disadvantage against this kind of opponent? Even if this was real life, an Ice-Class's no match against a Fire-Class. Then again, if Ember could use an Electric-Class to defeat a Ground-Class stadium leader in the first season of Catch'emalls then why couldn't he apply that same logic here- "That's it!"
"Crystal Breeze!" Tommy blew his attack up into the sky, freezing the air around them and built a thick dome of ice around them to encapsulate the battleground.
Lynxmon couldn't comprehend the reason for the warrior's attack and disregarded it all together. The environment didn't change anything. "Thermal Roar!"
The snow bear avoided the flames and found himself skiing on the smooth surface of the dome's interior shell, circling the fire cat and leaving it open to a new assault. He reached into his backpack and pulled out his snowball launcher 'Romeo' and fired it at his opponent. "Blizzard Blaster!"
The fiery Digimon was pelted by heavy snowballs more akin to chunks of hail the size of baseballs than soft powder. They impacted hard against Lynxmon's blazing pelt, melting and evaporating yet diminishing the flames ever so slightly.
Tommy smiled, seeing his attacks starting to have the effects he wanted. Romeo's ammunition packed a better punch than his Crystal Breeze; they didn't just evaporate on impact, they were melting into Lynxmon's fiery coat and slowly putting it out. What's more, the icy shell he had been skiing on was starting to melt and drip a cold slurry from above to add to the ammunition.
Lynxmon fought desperately to shoot the icy warrior down with its fire but none of its attacks were connecting. It just couldn't keep up with Tommy's superior maneuverability and speed with his skis.
The flames of Lynxmon's coat had dwindled down to a meager flame, unable to endure the endless pelting of ice and snow. The fire cat's breathing grew ragged, losing the strength to even muster one more fire blast at the bear.
"Okay! Here we go!" Tommy put away Romeo and jumped into the air above Lynxmon. "Frozen Tundra!" he let himself fall loose again only this time, forming a solitary icicle to drop down on the fire cat's weakened form.
Lynxmon yowled as the ice pierced its body. The flames of its form were doused, leaving only a great big poof of smoke and shattered blue light flickering like lingering embers before dissipating into the steamy air of the melting dome.
Tommy reformed from the ice and marveled at what he accomplished. He had no idea what he was fighting but he beat it despite the odds. He kicked its butt! "Whoo hoo!" the bear jumped with joy and dispelled the ice he conjured during the battle. "This is the coolest! I'm like a superhero! I wonder if I have a motorcycle like Beru Driver? That'd be so awesome!"
Something interrupted his celebration. The bear's ears perked as he heard a commotion coming from the streets down below. Tommy carefully peaked over the ledge and saw a crowd around the building, many filming the spectacle with their phones.
"Is the show over already?"
"That was so cool! Those effects were unreal!"
"They're really going all out to promote the new games, huh?"
Tommy slinked away from the ledge and considered his options. Ultimately, he'd have to wait until the crowd dispersed before sneaking away and heading back home. "Oh boy… I'm in so much trouble if I'm late for dinner…"
Tommy scowled as his parents and Yutaka watched the inaugural J-League soccer match on the family TV. Normally he'd be a little interested but he had Catch'emals to tame and felt put out he was kicked off the TV for the soccer game. At least the Shift was portable.
He heard shouting as his parents gasped in shock. Tommy lifted his head from the game and saw a giant bird descend upon the soccer field. Its wings crackled with electricity as it screeched, shorting out the microphones on the camera equipment.
The Himi family watched with rapt attention as the beast landed. It clawed at one of the stadium boxes when fire erupted forth. Tommy could've sworn he saw something within the flames. The bird recoiled and summoned lightning to the field. The live feed cut out from the electrical surge and replaced by newscasters reacting to the event in stunned horror.
"Goodness, what's happening out there?" Mrs. Himi turned to her husband, "Turn it off Dear, I don't want to scare Tommy."
Mr. Himi obliged and turned off the TV, much to Yutaka's annoyance. Tommy meanwhile turned back to his game, not paying it much mind given what he witnessed. There were more of those monsters out there, and maybe, other people like him as well. If there really are others like him out there then Tommy owed it to himself to keep an eye out for them. Maybe they could even help each other out. It's certainly better than dealing with these monsters all by himself. If today's news was any indication, things weren't going to let up any time soon.
Here we go everyone, Tommy's chapter for your reading pleasure. I'm sure some of you are confused with the weird naming conventions of certain products. Honestly, it's a little game FernClaw and I are having fun with. We've come up with a lot of alternative names for social media, gaming and television products, and just went with it. If you want to take a shot and guess what we're referencing by all means, join the fun. We'd love to hear what you guys come up with.
Also, kudos to Bastion Lightz for noticing a theme with our enemy Digimon. It's not quite right but they're certainly on the right track. We're really impressed how quickly you caught on to the theme we have going.