It's been a while since I worked with my Digimon fic, so I'm picking up the slack.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Digimon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 4: The New Team of Masaru and Thomas
I thought the useless fight between Masaru and Thomas would finally come to an end when we returned to DATS, but alas. After we sent the Digi-Eggs to the Digital World with the Digital Dive, Thomas claimed Masaru managed to defeat Meramon only because of my assistance, but the brunet threw back he figured out the way to deal with the rogue Digimon on his own. Thomas refused to believe it and the two boys barked at each other until Father lost his patience.
"ENOUGH!" Father yelled loudly.
Everyone flinched by his sudden loud voice and grew silent. I had to rub my ears to smooth the pain since I was standing next to me.
"Ow…", Dorumon groaned in pain as he lowered his head to try reaching his ears with his short arms.
"Uh-oh… The demon within Commander has been awakened…", Yoshino mumbled.
"It's been a while since we've seen it…", Megumi whispered.
"A long time…", Miki corrected.
"Masaru. Thomas. For now, you two will be partners", Father announced, shocking the two boys.
"What? But, sir, he's an incompetent fool!" Thomas argued.
"Work with him?! Never in one million years!" Masaru snarled.
"That is an order!" Father said with his "and-that's-the-final" voice. "Eve will be the leader and your supervisor until you two learn to work together!"
I blinked in surprise at that. Father put me in charge of the boys? He turned to me and gave me a determined nod. It was a silent sign to tell me that I had to do this. I got over the slight surprise and nodded in return. I walked up to Masaru and Thomas who were glaring at each other. Agumon and Gaomon looked concerned about the situation. It seemed they didn't harbor the same hostility feelings towards each other like their partners.
"Okay, listen up, you two!" I called with a serious voice, getting the boys' attention. "As your leader, I expect you two to work together without fighting each other over every single move. If any of you got complaints, you turn straight to me. But I refuse to hear you complaining about not wanting to work together! If I hear any of that, you'll get punished! Understood?"
I was putting on my serious glare at the duo as they flinched hard when they felt the serious aura emitting from me. "Y-Yes, ma'am!" both of them nodded.
"And you two better not follow your partners' footsteps, Agumon, Gaomon", Dorumon added as he stepped over to them. "We don't want any more unnecessary fights, okay?"
"Yes, Dorumon", Gaomon nodded.
"I'm more worried about Boss and Thomas…", Agumon mumbled.
XXXXXXXXXX
For the next couple of days, I tried to make the boys drop their personal feelings and work together without chewing each other out for going their own way during missions. When it looked like they were getting over the hostility, it fired up again at DATS when it came to minor discussions. In the end, I had no other choice but to punish the two boys by having a massive workout in the gym until they dropped. Agumon and Gaomon were behaving nicely and didn't fight each other. Instead, they tried working it out by practicing their close combat skills together. Gaomon was still the quiet type, but he didn't throw any remarks at Agumon, and since he didn't get agitated by the blue Digimon he didn't make fun of him either.
Right now, Masaru, Thomas, Yoshino, and I had been sent out on a mission to capture a new rogue Digimon called Numemon. By the time we arrived to the destination, the whole street had been vandalized by the Champion Digimon. Windows were broken, cars demolished, and there was green slime literally everywhere. The whole area was stinking by an odor that resembled the smell from the sewers.
"Ugh! The smell is so strong!" Masaru gagged as he pinched his nose when he got out of Yoshino's car.
"It's believed Numemon are created by the sludge from the sewers in the Digital World", Thomas grimaced as he tried resisting the smell. "That's if they really have sewers there…"
"Huh? I thought you knew everything about the Digital World, Thommie!" Masaru said sarcastically while still pinching his nose.
Thomas took that as an opportunity to throw back a remark. "Could you repeat that, Masaru? I could barely understand you."
"What'd you just say?!" Masaru growled as he let go of his nose for a second, but pinched it again when he smelled the air. "I hate this smell…!"
I got off my sports motorcycle and parked it next to Yoshino's car before letting Dorumon out of my Digivice. "It's a good thing there's only one Numemon", I commented as I tried taking deep breaths and hold in the air for as long as I could before the next inhale. "They're usually in groups, according to the data at DATS."
"Yeah…", Dorumon groaned by the smell.
"This is going to be a big job to clean up… Good thing it's not our job", Yoshino mumbled as she and the boys called out their Digimon partners.
"Yuck! It smells nasty!" Lalamon yelped as she tried covering her tiny nose, but her arms were too short for it.
Gaomon said nothing and tried to keep his poker face, but his eyes and corner of his lips twitched a bit as he also was affected by the smell.
"Hey, look!" Agumon yelled as he pointed at a trace of green slime that led into a building. "Numemon is inside that building!"
"Since Numemon are born in the sewers, they prefer being in dark places than in the sun", Thomas said as he read information on his portable laptop.
"Then that mean he trapped himself in there! Let's go!" Masaru grinned before he rushed into the building with Agumon.
"Wait!" Thomas yelled before he and Gaomon ran after Team Orange, which I had nicknamed Masaru and Agumon's team.
"Do you think everything will go well?" Lalamon said worriedly as the rest of us walked into the building, Dorumon rushing ahead to see what the boys were up to.
"I don't know", Yoshino shook her head. "What in the world was the Commander thinking, making Masaru and Thomas a team in the first place?"
"Partially hoping the two of them will become friends and accept each other's different sides", I replied. "I can't tell if they've made any progress, but they've been complaining less lately."
"So that's a good sign, right?" Lalamon questioned.
"Well… They're more afraid to complain because they don't want to get punished by working out for two to three hours straight with pushups", I confessed.
"Yikes…", Yoshino shivered. "I didn't know you were that strict, Eve."
"Secret side of mine", I giggled softly. "That, and I've seen the way Commander acts whenever he punish people, including me."
"I always thought he was going easy on you, Eve, because you're his daughter", Yoshino said, slightly surprised.
"He said it's for my own good", I shrugged. "I know he means no harm and he loves me…even though I'm not his flesh and blood."
"Girls!" Dorumon called as he ran back to us. "Masaru and Thomas are being attacked by Numemon!"
"Oh great…", Yoshino sighed. "Now we have to go and rescue them."
"Where are they, Dorumon?" I asked.
"In the basement!"
We hurried to the basement where we heard loud noise of something gooey being thrown and the boys' panicked voices. Even Agumon and Gaomon were calling for help. We rounded a corner and spotted the boys being assaulted by Numemon who threw slime at them.
"Dorumon!" I called.
"Hyper Dash Metal!"
Dorumon tackled Numemon so hard the slime Digimon rolled backwards until he crashed against the wall. He rubbed his head to get rid of the dizziness, but he didn't move fast enough as Lalamon swiftly flew towards him.
"Go, Lalamon!" Yoshino shouted.
"Seed Blast!"
Lalamon fired multiple solid nuts from her mouth and hit Numemon until he got weak enough to transform into a Digi-Egg. Gaomon and Agumon were looking exhausted, but also surprised that Dorumon and Lalamon finished the mission instead of them.
"What happened this time that got you in trouble?" Yoshino asked strictly as I went to pick up the Digi-Egg.
"Thomas and Gaomon got in our way just when we had Numemon in our sight!" Masaru snarled, pointing at Thomas.
"You were the ones who got in our way!" Thomas retorted. "We failed the mission because you refused to listen and cooperate with us!"
At this point, I knew if they kept going there was going to be a never-ending argument. I pushed the Digi-Egg into Yoshino's arms before I stepped to the boys and pinched their earlobes, snapping them out of the argument.
"Enough, you two!" I told them strictly. "This will lead nowhere and we've got more important things to do!"
"But-", both Masaru and Thomas began simultaneously.
"No excuses!" I interrupted as I let go of their ears. "You failed this mission, and so you'll get punished."
"More pushups…?" Masaru asked nervously.
"No. Something much worse…", I replied with a low tone.
"Uh-oh…", Dorumon mumbled in the background.
I looked over my shoulder. "Yoshino, Lalamon, you drive back to DATS with the Digi-Egg."
Yoshino raised an eyebrow confusedly before her eyes widened in realization and nodded with a small mischievous smile. "Got it."
"Wait… Don't tell me we have to walk back to DATS like this?" Thomas's eyes widened as he gestured at his slime-covered body.
"Yes", I nodded.
"What?! C'mon, that's humiliating!" Masaru panicked. "People will laugh at us!"
"Isn't your failure already humiliating?" I pointed out as I crossed my arms. "And if that slime gets in Yoshino's car, it'll a long time to wipe it off the interior and we can't waste time on that."
Defeated, Masaru and Thomas walked behind me and Yoshino as we hurried out to the fresh air. A large team of construction workers from DATS had already arrived and began cleaning up the slime. Yoshino and Lalamon went straight to the car as I went to get my motorcycle. I called back Dorumon just as Masaru and Thomas did with their partners.
"I'll see you guys back at DATS!" Yoshino called before she drove off.
"Wait! Come back, Yoshi!" Masaru called as he waved his arms.
"I can't believe I have to walk back like this with you, Masaru…", Thomas muttered beneath his breath.
"You think I want this too?!" Masaru growled.
"Enough!" I yelled as I adjusted my helmet while sitting on my purring motorcycle. "I'll be watching you as you walk back to DATS. And when you get there, take a shower to get rid of both the slime and smell, and wash your partners. After that, Thomas, you give Masaru a ride home."
"Why do I have to give him a ride home?!" Thomas argued.
"Because I said so", I replied with an ice-cold voice. "Now, get moving! And no fights along the way!"
The boys glared at each other for a second and turned away, but then began the long humiliating walk back to Headquarters. I made sure to follow them with my eyes as I drove on the streets next to the sidewalk. Once we got to the area that hadn't been evacuated, they got eyed by many people. Some teased them about being smelly and called them slime-guys. Masaru and Thomas' cheeks turned pink in embarrassment as I knew they tried to control themselves from making a scene.
Maybe the punishment was slightly overkill, but it was about time they get to taste what actual humiliation is. I had gone through that once and it was not a happy experience, but I learned a lot from it. I hoped they would learn from it as well.
XXXXXXXXXX
I was on the nightshift later that day, so I was present when the alarm went off in the control room. Miki and Megumi had still been there, so we could contact Father, Yoshino, Masaru, and Thomas to hurry back to DATS. Everyone, except Masaru and Agumon, arrived to see what was going on.
"Status report", Father spoke up as he took his position behind the counter.
"We just received a report about an attempted bank robbery", Miki replied.
"Bank robbery? That's not part of our division", Yoshino pointed out.
"Sadly, it is, Yoshi, because energy readings are indicating a Digimon appeared at the time the bank robbers were there", Megumi said.
"Meaning a Digi-Gate must have opened there", Kudamon pointed out.
"Did it open there by pure accident or…?" Lalamon trailed off.
"A device was discovered at the crime scene", Megumi announced as a picture of said device appeared on the main monitor.
"It looks like a scanner…", I mumbled softly.
Thomas quickly analyzed the electronic readings from the device and compared it with something before reaching a conclusion. "I suspect that, while hacking into the security system, the device sent a signal that triggered a Digi-Gate to appear in the vault, and the Digimon got attracted to it and wanted to find the source."
"So certain devices can trigger Digi-Gates?" Yoshino questioned.
"Could that be one of the reasons why Digimon are appearing more frequently in Japan?" I wondered.
"Maybe, but it's too early to draw a conclusion", Thomas replied.
"I wonder if there's something about the devices in Japan that has this radio wave that attracts Digimon more than other radio waves in other continents…?" Dorumon said.
"I agree", Gaomon nodded. "This needs further investigation."
"What concerns me the most is the bank robbers must have lured the Digimon to work for them", Father spoke up. "We must find them before the Digimon can cause more harm."
"We've been able to match the energy signature of the Digimon with one from our database!" Megumi announced as the picture of a Drimogemon appeared on the monitor. "Drimogemon; a Champion level beast Digimon."
"It lives deep underground, like the moles, and uses its drill-like nose to dig in a very high speed", Miki added.
"Which means it can attack without a warning", Kudamon concluded.
I bit my lower lip as I thought about the technology DATS was using to find Digimon. The energy readings could detect Digimon on the surface, but they had a slightly harder time to find Digimon that were invisible or underground. We could have a hard time finding Drimogemon.
"Sorry we're late!" Masaru called as he and Agumon rushed in. "What did we miss?"
"It's about time", Yoshino scolded him slight irritably. "Where've you been?"
"Mom caught me and Agumon sneaking out of the house", Masaru said sheepishly. "I had a hard time assuring her we were heading to DATS due to a rogue Digimon and not going out fighting thugs."
Thomas snorted loudly, getting everyone's attention. "If you're so worried about your mother, you should've just stayed home."
"What'd you just say?" Masaru growled.
"Thomas", I spoke up strictly as I crossed my arms. "I don't know what's going on with you, but it's about time you stop provoking Masaru and underestimating him just because the two of you are so different."
"Don't defend him, Eve!" Thomas said as he glared at me. "If he's more concerned about his family than the safety of all the citizens in Yokohama and taking responsibilities, then he can just resign and leave DATS!"
"I care about the safety of everyone in Yokohama just as much as you do, Thomas!" Masaru snarled. "And Mom's worried about me because she doesn't want to lose me and Chika like how we lost Dad ten years ago!"
"Hey, there's no need for a fight right now!" Yoshino intervened. "However, Thomas is right on one thing; all you want to do is to fight Digimon with your bare fists even when you know humans can't harm them!"
"Because I want to become the ultimate fighter, and I have to become strong enough to protect my family! I'm the man of the house!" Masaru retorted as he punched his right hand on the palm of his left hand.
"Yeah, and we'll keep trying until Boss can beat the most powerful Digimon!" Agumon added.
Most of us jumped when the alarm went off and the lights were dimmed. The main monitor showed a map with a red blinking dot that was moving.
"We've found Drimogemon's energy signature!" Megumi announced.
"And it's moving very fast!" Miki added. "It appears he's heading towards Area C!"
"Everyone, mobilize and move out!" Father commanded.
Even though there had been a tension before, everyone collected themselves and saluted to him. "Yes, sir!"
"And Thomas, Masaru", Father added, getting the boys' attention. "Put aside your personal feelings and work as a team."
The boys glared at each other before nodding hesitantly to Father. "Yes, sir…"
XXXXXXXXXX
As usual, I was on my motorcycle while the others were riding in Yoshino's car. Luckily, there was almost no traffic, so we arrived fast to Area E-2 where we found a small Drimogemon with the bank thieves who were just two people. They used the Digimon to make a hole in an ATM to steal money by a harbor.
"HALT!" I yelled once I braked my motorcycle, making the tires screech.
The two robbers and Drimogemon looked up by my yell. "Oh no! The police's here already?!" the taller man exclaimed in disbelief.
"W-What'd we do now, Boss?" the smaller guy with dark skin and afro-hair stuttered.
Yoshino, Masaru, and Thomas got out of the car while I got off my motorcycle. We called out our Digimon and surrounded the trio. The bank robbers exclaimed in shock at the sight of our partners. Drimogemon looked a little astonished as it tried comprehending the situation.
"They have their own monsters too!" the smaller guy yelled in fear.
"Step away from Drimogemon and surrender yourselves!" Yoshino demanded.
"Never!" the taller robber growled as he shielded Drimogemon. "He's gonna help us steal cash and we're gonna be rich!"
"Then I guess we have to go with brute force!" Masaru smirked as he cracked his fists.
"Yeah, that's our forte!" Agumon nodded.
"Don't get reckless, you two!" Thomas told them.
"Boss, what we're gonna do?!" the smaller guy shrieked.
"I don't know!" the tall robber retorted before he got the lightbulb expression. "Wait a sec! Hey, you!" He turned to the rogue Digimon. "Attack them!"
"A-Attack…?" Drimogemon repeated before the glance in his eyes changed into a wild animal's. "ATTACK!"
"Everyone, get back!" Yoshino called.
We quickly stepped back while our Digimon partners stood ready to protect us from the Champion Digimon. Drimogemon roared as his nose drill started spinning while he charged toward Gaomon.
"Counterattack, Gaomon!" Thomas called.
"Rolling Upper!"
Gaomon rolled forward and hit Drimogemon on the head to block him. It worked and forced the Champion Digimon back. He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness before he growled aggressively.
"Your turn, Dorumon!" I called.
"Metal Cannon!"
My partner fired several iron spheres on Drimogemon, which hit him and made him whimper in pain. I noticed movement from the corner of my eyes and turned around to see the two robbers were running toward their truck.
"Someone stop them!" I shouted as I pointed at them.
"Got it!" Masaru nodded. "Agumon!"
"Right!" Agumon nodded. "Pepper Breath!"
He fired a fire ball that hit the truck and caused it to explode and turn into a burning frame.
"No! That truck was newly stolen too!" the boss yelled in disbelief.
"Masaru! Agumon! You were supposed to stop them, not cause more damage!" Yoshino scolded them.
"Hey, we stopped them from getting away with their car! Give us some credit!" Masaru retorted.
Yoshino groaned in defeat before she got over it. "Let's surround them!"
She, Lalamon, Masaru, and Agumon ran to stop the robbers from running away, so I returned my attention at Drimogemon who saw his "allies" were in danger.
"Double Backhand!"
Drimogemon got punched straight on his cheek and collapsed on his back. It looked like he was about to give up.
"Just one more move and we'll be done", Thomas said with his calculating voice.
"Right", I nodded.
Drimogemon grunted as he pushed himself up on his four paws, glaring at Gaomon and Dorumon who didn't have a single scratch on them.
"HELP!"
Drimogemon snapped his head at the voice and turned to see the robbers had been tackled down to the ground by the others. I noticed his behavior was slowly changing and his pupils got wider as he watched the robbers being in harm's way.
I suddenly got goosebumps as if there was a cold wind, but the air was calm. I quickly realized it was an aura and it came from Drimogemon himself! His body got enveloped in a dark purple aura before he started growing!
"What's this?!" Thomas exclaimed in disbelief.
"Is he digivolving?!" Dorumon questioned.
"No, he's only growing in size", Gaomon shook his head.
Drimogemon roared so loud it almost felt like the ground was shaking. He thrashed his paws on the ground, causing the concrete to crack before the tantrum got over. He then turned to Yoshino and Masaru who were just as stunned as everyone by the now huge Champion Digimon.
"Friends… FRIENDS!" Drimogemon repeated like a child before he swung his claw towards them.
Agumon and Lalamon quickly jumped up to shield their partners and the robbers.
"Pepper Breath!"
"Seed Blast!"
The attacks were swept aside like they were nothing before Drimogemon pushed aside the two Rookie Digimon.
"Agumon!" Masaru yelled in shock.
"Lalamon!" Yoshino called worriedly.
"C-Calm down, pal!" the tall robbery stuttered, now getting scared by the Digimon he once thought he could use to rob banks.
"We have to stop Drimogemon! He's going crazy!" Dorumon shouted.
"Right!" Gaomon nodded.
"That's it!" Masaru growled before he let go of the tall robbery and ran toward Drimogemon with his fist drawn. "No one messes with my pal!"
"Masaru, don't!" I called worriedly.
Drimogemon just watched the brunet as he jumped up and tried punching the Digimon. He hit the Digimon's cheek, but it barely did anything. Drimogemon rolled his eyes before he swiped Masaru with his paw, making the boy fly through the air and fall into the water of the harbor.
"BOSS!" Agumon called before he jumped up on his feet and ran toward the water to help his partner.
"Reckless as always", Thomas sighed. "But he gave me an idea. Gaomon, lead Drimogemon toward the harbor! That way, he won't be able to escape!"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Eve, Dorumon, you two assist Yoshino and Lalamon with the robbers", Thomas instructed us.
"What…?" I mumbled confusedly.
I didn't have time to tell him we could help out, but he and Gaomon had already run after Drimogemon who was now out of control and didn't bother saving the robbers anymore. I quickly got over it and hurried to Yoshino who was struggling to keep both robbers in place while trying to handcuff them.
"Let us go, bitch!" the tall man growled.
"You two are arrested for attempted bank robbery and associating with Digimon!" Yoshino grunted as she tried pushing down the tall man with her hands while kneeling the smaller guy on his back.
"I want to go home!" the smaller guy cried.
I quickly assisted Yoshino with holding down the tall robber and handcuffed him while Dorumon held down his legs. "You are to stay here until escort arrives", I informed the duo as I forced the tall man up on his knees.
"Hell no! We're leavin'!" the boss spat.
Yoshino sighed as she helped the smaller guy up on his knees. "Lalamon."
"I got it", Lalamon nodded as she had joined us after recovering from Drimogemon's attack. "Sing a Song!"
Colorful notes from Lalamon's move spun around the two robbers. They stopped struggling and slowly fell asleep on the concrete, both of them snoring loudly.
"Sleep tight", Lalamon chirped.
"They must've been exhausted after tonight's robberies", Dorumon commented.
"Probably", I nodded.
Yoshino reached for her headset. "This is Yoshino. Requesting escort to bring the robbers to Headquarters for erasing their memories and a construction team to fix the damage caused by Drimogemon."
"Confirmed. We're sending backup right now", Miki responded through the intercom.
"Status report on Drimogemon", Father spoke up.
This time, I was the one who reported back. "Still at large. Thomas and Gaomon are going after him."
"What about Masaru and Agumon?"
I hurried to the railing that separated the land and the water, no longer seeing Masaru in the water. "Both of them were harmed by Drimogemon, but it appears they're going after him too."
"Standby and wait for backup."
"Yes, sir."
I walked back to Dorumon, Yoshino and Lalamon, noticing the young woman had a weird expression on her face. It looked like she was sad and frustrated at the same time. She had her arms crossed, but I could tell she was holding herself so hard her knuckles were turning white.
"Yoshino?" I called softly.
Yoshino blinked and snapped out of her trance. "Y-Yes?"
"Are you okay? You looked mad just now", I pointed out.
"I'm not mad!" Yoshino hissed irritably before her eyes widened in realization. "Sorry. I-I don't know what came over me." She turned away and rubbed her forehead before letting out a sigh.
"It's okay", I waved my two hands. "Everyone has a bad night once in a while."
"It's not that", Yoshino said.
"Huh?" I blinked confusedly.
"It's… Never mind", Yoshino shook her head.
Lalamon looked concernedly at her partner. She must know what was bothering Yoshino. I decided to leave her alone to summarize the current situation.
Drimogemon got manipulated by the robbers to steal money when we found them. The rogue Digimon was about to be taken out when he saw the robbers being in danger and that caused him to get out of control and grow in size.
That dark aura from before… What was that? I had never sensed it before. It felt so cold and depressing, like it was negative energy. Was that a dark version of DigiSoul?
Could this mean…random humans could connect to the rogue Digimon with the help of dark DigiSoul?!