If you're interested, here are some little pen sketches I drew of the characters, so you can see what they look like in this fic. ^_^. They're mostly pretty crappy and pretty simple, but you can get the idea. ^^;; As for colours, Adrienne has red-blonde hair and brown eyes, Amy has blonde hair and blue eyes, Nathan has black hair and eyes. Webmon is mostly a dark blue with light blue webbing, Feathermon is mostly a kind of faded red, Petalmon is varying shades of green, Spritemon is white with red stars, feet, hands and eyes.
Joe with Adrienne, Amy and Nathan
Cody, Yolei and Ken
Adrienne/ Nathan with Spritemon (his Rookie partner)
Takeru, Cody, Koushiro, Matt, Joe
Matt with Ripumon/Joe/Ken
Sora/Kari with Takeru
Yolei, Mimi, Adrienne and Amy
Tai with Terri (his fiancee)
Mimi, Sora and Yolei
Koushiro and Matt
Adrienne and Nathan flying on Petalmon (Adrienne's Champion Digimon)
Webmon (Amy's Champion Digimon)
Feathermon (Nathan's Champion Digimon)
Cody, Yolei, Takeru and Kari (ignore Takeru's hair ^^;)
Davis
Mimi, Sora and Tai
Prove yourself!
by Leto
Second day: morning
--Gatomon's POV--
Sometimes I have strange dreams, and I think they're because of Kari. Last night I dreamed I was talking to her, and it felt so real. I wish I could see her again. I hope she's alright without me, but I have a sudden gut feeling that our humans are in trouble, maybe even somewhere in digiworld.
I'm definitely not saying that to the others, though! Especially Wormmon! The last thing they need is to worry more. All of us are good enough at that as is!
Wormmon, Agumon and I managed to meet up after all us Digimon got split up. We haven't been able to find anybody else. I'm starting to think none of the others are even in this country. If they're even still alive.
The digital world is just crawling with virus Digimon. This part of it is, anyway. You can't walk for five minutes without encountering one. The three of us are just doing our best.
--Matt's POV--
Ken had wondered what was going to happen next, but nothing did. Those of us whose crests reacted weren't sucked up into the sky or anything. The evening just continued on uneventfully, we slept peacefully enough - or as peacefully as was possible with TK's chronic snoring...
Now it seems I'm being woken up by that little digital pipsqueak bouncing on my face. It is very very annoying. Go away!
"Mamaaaaaa!"
Do I really have to talk? I hate mornings. It's such an effort...
"Purimon, grrway," I manage.
I don't know why I bothered.
"You're awaaaaake!" he chirps, jumping up and down on my chest, "now we'll have wots of fun! Will you tell me about mama being a digideshtined?"
I sigh. Looks like there's no getting out of this. With an effort, I pull myself up and rub my eyes. Most of the others are up. Yolei is attempting to start a fire one-handed, cursing loudly at her lack of success. Ken is watching her with a little half-smirk on his face. Tai and Koushiro are leaning over the laptop, discussing something.
Mimi is sitting slumped against a log, with an "if you talk to me this early in the morning I'll pound your face in, if I can be bothered expending the energy" expression on her face. Sora is combing Joe's hair for him - hahah... looks funny from yesterday, kind of like he's been electrocuted.
I think my brother's awake but Kari is asleep with her head on his chest so he can't get up. I just don't get their relationship.
Cody's asleep, dead to the world with a textbook open on his chest and a little smile on his face. I remember what high school was like; it must feel like heaven for him to be able to get a full night's sleep for once.
"Hey, Matt," says Sora, "I see Purimon woke you up."
"It's about time you woke up," says Tai, "that little thing has been squeaking at you for about twenty minutes now."
"It woke ME up," says Koushiro.
"Well, mama'sh awake now sho it'sh all good!" says Purimon. I don't have the heart to yell at the poor little guy, but I'm not at my best with hyperactive children early in the morning.
"DAMN! Ow ow ow ow ow ow!"
Yolei leaps away from the not-fire, flapping one hand madly in front of her face. Her other arm is still in the sling, but she's holding her glasses in one hand.
"Yolei, just what are you trying to do?" asks Takeru, mildly, from underneath Kari.
Yolei 'hmpfs'. "Well, heaven forbid the actual firewood burn, the only thing that gets lit up is my hand!"
"Why don't you use matches?"
"Well, we might need them in an emergency and the glasses thing worked on Lord of the Flies."
"Wasn't that the book where the owner of the glasses got killed by a rock?" asks Ken.
Yolei shoots him a glare - those two are always at each other's throat - and ignores the question. "Burn, burn, burn! Stupid wood!"
Mimi looks at her blankly. "Yolei, you can't burn those plants. You just pulled them off living bushes, and they have too high a water content."
Yolei glares. "You could have told me that sooner!"
"But then we'd have missed the entertainment," says Ken.
She strides over to him - Yolei is a formidable woman - stamps on his foot and walks back.
"Forget the fire," she says, and puts her glasses back on, "most of us are awake now, let's just go visit that city."
Kari mumbles something. Guess she's starting to wake up too. She doesn't look very happy, somehow.
"I can't see patients looking like this," mutters Joe, "would you trust someone with hair like this with *your* life?"
"Oh, stop complaining Joe," says Sora, "there's nothing wrong with it... uh... well... it could be worse. If you're that worried about it we could try to disguise it."
Joe looks unimpressed. "Disguise it with what?"
"Well, we could wrap one of your bandages around it and pretend you had some kind of accident," she suggests.
"Or we could always try more pretty flowers," says Yolei, sweetly.
"Or I could give you a free haircut and makeover," said Mimi, with an evil look.
"On second thoughts, looking like a deranged, frizzy-haired lunatic is suddenly not without its appeal."
"Don't forget unshaven!" says Mimi happily.
"And dishevelled!" agrees Yolei.
"And beat up!" continues Mimi.
"And that's quite enough," says Joe, in his best authoritarian, I-am-a-person-in-a-respected-position-behold-my-words voice. He can't really pull it off, given that he *does* look like a derelict and has pollen in his hair.
Purimon seems to suddenly decide it doesn't like me ignoring it for so long and he climbs onto my head.
"Mamaaa," he says, "ish there bweakfasht?"
Tai looks up. "Breakfast? Yeah, Koushiro's just been scanning the area for food. There should be a banana tree just on the way to the city."
It's weird how Tai and Koushiro sometimes seem like the only ones who are focused on what we're doing. But... Tai's always looking off into space with this weird look on his face. I should talk to him soon; I'm his friend. Maybe it will make my crest react again.
"That's good enough for me," says Mimi, starting to look a little more energetic, "ready to go, everyone?"
"Mmm," sighs Kari, and sits up. She stares into the distance for a moment as though thinking about something. Takeru sits up too.
"Hey Cody, we're leaving now," says Koushiro, folding up the laptop.
Cody twitches in his sleep.
"Cody," repeats Koushiro, "CODY!" He nudges him with his foot.
"You're not doing it right," says Yolei, walking over and leaning down over her old friend.
"CODYYYYYYYY!" she roars, "YOU HAVE A TEST STARTING IN FIIIIIVE MINUTES!"
Well, that sure did the trick - and deafened us in the process. Cody's eyes snap open and he's on his feet, looking around defensively.
"I'm awake, I'm awake! I won't be late! I've studied! I... oh. Very amusing, Yolei."
"Let's go, Sleepy," says Yolei. Cody rubs his head tiredly, and bends to put his textbooks away.
"Hey, we've got all the Seven Dwarves here," says Kari, "Cody's Sleepy, Joe's Doc, Takeru's Dopey -"
"Hey!"
"Mimi's Grumpy -"
"I am not!"
"Purimon's Happy, and, umm... Cody's Bashful."
"You already did me," mutters Cody, and touches his head again, "but I might be Sneezy if I stay here surrounded by these exotic plants for much longer."
"You know, sometimes I wonder if you and Joe are related," I can't help saying.
"Nah, they can't be related, Cody has normal hair," says Mimi. Joe frowns at her.
At least we're walking now - I always feel better when we're actually doing something. We soon find the bananas, which are on the top of 30-foot-tall branchless trees.
"Um," says Sora. Nobody needs to say anything else.
"I could try to climb it," suggests Ken.
"Don't be ridiculous, you'll kill yourself," says Yolei.
"Maybe we could chop down one of the trees somehow?" suggests Tai.
"Don't be an environmental hazard, Tai," says Mimi, "haven't you ever heard of conservation? You can't just chop down one whole living tree for your own selfish -"
"Okay okay," says Tai, "not another one of those green freak lectures, PLEASE Mimi."
"Pu-ri-mon will get food down!" says Purimon.
"And just how do you plan to do that?" asks Kari.
Purimon dives at the tree, his little legs fastening him to the trunk like suction cups. He slinks his way up the tree as we all watch. Guess he is useful for something. A moment later there's a shower of bananas.
"Ow! Ow!" shouts Yolei, "watch it! Hey! That one hit me on PURPOSE!"
"Pu-ri-mon ish comig bag down nowww!" shouts Purimon, sounding more indinstinct than usual with a banana in his mouth. He poises himself at the end of a banana leaf.
"No, don't jump!" I shout - too late. He's falling - he's calling something - what?
"Pu-ri-mon, digivolve tooo..."
Digivolving?
"Ripumon!"
He changes less than a foot above the ground, and hovers there on large wings. So now he's an in-training? Now he's a little red bat-creature with webbed white wings that seem a bit big for his body. He looks up at me with big black eyes, and smiles hugely.
"Did you like that?" he asks, "did you see that? I digivolved, I digivolved!"
"Ripumon," says Koushiro, reading off his Digimon Analyser, "a good-natured bat Digimon with hidden potential. Little information is known."
Hidden potential?
"I'm a big tough in-training now, mother!"
"Mother?" I repeat.
"Well, now that I'm older, I can't very well call you something as childish as 'mama', riiiight?"
I can't suppress a sigh. "You do know I'm not a female, right."
"But you have long hair like an Angewomon," Ripumon says.
"I hardly think it's that long," I snap. Just what's wrong with my hair? I could be a Pantene model! Everyone else is trying not to laugh through mouthfuls of banana. I'm just trying not to throttle Ripumon.
"But Mother, you're so pretty!"
At that, Ken laughs so hard he spits banana all over the ground. That makes everyone else laugh even harder. Koushiro's almost crying and even Cody's shoulders are shaking.
One thing's for sure, this brings home just how well-suited my real partner is. Gabumon would never make me feel stupid in front of everyone!
--General POV--
The digidestined made their way slowly down the cliff toward the city they had seen the night before. Kari walked as though in a daze, occasionally touching her crest. Takeru kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't dazedly walk right off a steep part. Koushiro, for once, was not holding his laptop in front of him as he walked, but looking all around with great interest as he edged down.
Joe's injuries had healed, but Cody's arms were aggravating him; he winced as he handled some of the more awkward climbs, swinging himself down on his arms or hugging trees to stop himself falling over. He didn't let anyone else see it though. Occasionally he paused to help Ken carry Yolei; Yolei was having trouble climbing down with her injured arm and Ken was mostly helping her, but sometimes there were parts beyond them.
Ripumon fluttered around Matt's head, getting on his nerves, but the little Digimon *was* helpful at times, occasionally helping to carry people's bags and purses down the steeps.
"This is a lot steeper than it looked," puffed Sora, "I really shouldn't have gotten so out of shape."
"Well, we're halfway there now," said Joe, also breathing hard.
"I sure hope there's a Starbucks in this city," said Mimi, "I just don't feel quite awake!"
"At least you sound like you're in a better mood than last night," said Sora.
"Last night? Oh, last night! Yes, I'm sorry about that. I was in a bad mood."
"We did notice that, yes," said Takeru.
"How is everybody feeling?" asked Kari.
"Never better," said Cody quickly.
"I'm alright," said Joe.
"Just peachy," said Mimi.
"Whose stupid idea was this anyway," muttered Yolei. Her arm was hurting again; she was taking care with it but there was fresh blood starting to show through the bandages.
"Don't worry, Yolei," said Ken, "I think the worst of it's behind us."
"I've got some painkillers in my briefcase," offered Joe, "and there might be a hospital down in the city."
"I am NOT going to hospital," said Yolei, "come on, let's just keep going."
They did.
--Amy's POV--
You know, I don't like the digiworld very much. I guess we hafta be here, for some reason, but it's not very fun. I guess it's better than school, but not much. At least in school you don't get hurt.
There's s'posed to be a Mega Digimon somewhere around, but we sure don't know where it is. If we beat it, won't all this bad stuff go away? Right now we're just killing every mean Digimon we come across, and there sure are a lot of them. We had four big battles just today, and it's not even lunch time yet!
And I dunno where the Great Enlightened One is, either. That button on our d-power won't even work, just this stupid static stuff comes up on the screen!
So what are we s'posed to be doing? Right now Addy and Nathy are talking about it but I don't even understand everything they're saying. I hate it when they leave me out just 'cos they're older. But then I'm kinda glad they're here to make the decisions. I don't wanna have to work out what to do. I don't know what to do anyway.
"I don't think these Ultimate Digimon are working for anyone," says Nathan.
Adrienne frowns. "Yeah, wasn't part of the problem of the digital world that the balance got totally out of whack and so all these virus Digimon have been cropping up everywhere? Makes it sound like it was all some accident, we've just gotta kill them until there aren't so many left."
"But more new ones keep appearing," says Spritemon, "it's very annoying!"
"Supposedly this stupid Mega's just waiting to get its butt kicked so the balance'll go back to normal," says Addy, "d'you think we can beat a Mega Digimon?"
"Of course we can!" says Floramon, "of coooourse we can! We have my infinite beauty and power behind us, and now all of us can go Ultimate! With the three of us working together, we'll do it easy as pie! If we can find more allies we'll be all set! Who says it's just the three of us that hafta save the world? Maybe Veemon can help, and I bet The Great Enlightened One has magnificent power he's never revealed yet! And there are the other digidestined, AND I'm sure there are still vaccine mon hiding around here somewhere!"
She's right I bet, but *where* are they all?
Webmon got to digivolve to Ultimate just a few minutes ago, so now I'm carrying her In-training form. I don't mind really but it's hard enough walking so far without having to carry extra things. But Sapphiramon was really cool! I'm so lucky to have such a good friend!
I guess that's one thing - one of the ONLY things - that's good about this world. Addy's not so mean to me, at least she looks out for me sometimes, so she's not being a TOTAL pain ALL the time. And Nathy's usually nice. And our Digimon are pretty cool, especially *mine*, although Floramon sometimes talks too much and Spritemon as Pagumon is kind of rude.
The thing is though, we haven't had major fights. It's not like at school where you get a new best friend every week, and make fun of each other behind each other's backs. It's not like that here, we really stick together.
Another good thing is that we get a whole bunch of time that other people don't get, so I can really practise and practise my ballet routine without having to worry about the deadline! When we get out of here I'm gonna be the best performer in the whole show!
Now Nathy and Addy are talking about our crests. I don't know what they're talking about. But I think our crests are weird. The ones Joe talked about sounded much cooler. I didn't even know what our crests were, I didn't know what the words meant. I still don't really get it.
Charity? What's that supposed to mean? Mine just reacted when I was worried about Webmon. She was sad about not being able to digivolve, and I think she felt bad for not being able to protect me so well. Then she got injured and I was scared and my crest went off. I don't know why.
I looked it up in the dictionary when we got home, it said charity was about goodwill and love and kindness and stuff. Love and kindness, they were two of the first crests, weren't they?
--General POV--
The ex-digidestined passed through a small grove of trees and saw the city before them, tall buildings peeking out over the top of a great wall.
"There appears to be a wall here," observed Koushiro.
"Thanks for the update," said Yolei.
"No way can we climb over that," said Ken.
"I could!" said Ripumon helpfully.
"There must be an entrance somewhere," said Matt.
"Oh goodie, more walking," said Mimi.
They began to make their way along outside the perimeter of the city. Before long they came to a break in the wall where there was a turnstile and a window. A face grinned at them from the window.
"Hi, how you goin'? Can I help you with somethin'?"
"We were hoping to go into the city," said Tai. "Could you let us through, please?"
"Do you have a letter of referral?"
"Huh?"
Joe brightened. "Sure, I do!"
"Well, let's see it then!"
Everyone looked at each other quizzically as Joe began rifling through his briefcase and pulled out a sheet of paper with a flourish. The Digimon guard came out from behind his window box and took it, skimming it with his eyes. The digidestined took the chance to get a good look at him; a tall, vaguely human-like creature with blue fur, long yellow hair and a tail. It seemed to be wearing a pirate's suit.
"What do you think I am, an idiot?" snapped the Digimon, throwing the paper back at Joe, "this is an employment referral!"
Joe sweatdropped. "It was worth a try..."
"Is there any way we could get into the city without a letter, Mr, uh...?" asked Sora.
"Monkeymon, the name's Monkeymon. And there's only one way you can get in without authorisation. I'm not really s'posed to do it but it's so much fun!"
"Well, what is it?"
"Well, if you want to be granted access to the city, first you have to beat me!"
"With pleasure!" said Matt, balling his hands into fists.
"Nuh uh!" said Monkeymon, "not a violent battle! Battle of the words! Who will represent your group?"
"What do you mean by battle of the words?"
"An insult contest, of course! Now which of you wishes to challenge me!"
Everyone looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. No question about that. They all said in unison: "Yolei."
Yolei cracked her knuckles. "You betcha, I can easily out-insult this stupid, scrawny, smug-faced, screwed up, sorry sap of a simian."
"Look who's talkin', you have the intelligence of an amoebamon and half the charm! What you lack in intelligence, you make up for in stupidity!"
"You're so ugly that when you were born, the doctor slapped your mother!"
"*You're* so ugly that when you try to go into a store they point to the 'no dogs allowed' sign!"
"You look like you comb your hair with an eggbeater!"
"Your only flair is in your nostrils!"
"I've seen better-looking faces on a pirate flag! Don't you need a license to be that ugly?"
"You wouldn't look so bad if it weren't for your face... you know, for such an old hag, you've really kept your figure - and then added some!"
"You shouldn't go out in public, people will think it's Halloween."
"Look who's talking, you're so ugly that when you walk into a store they turn off their surveillance cameras!"
"You're so stupid that when you go to the restaurant, you complain that you can't get the soup to stay on the fork!"
"Oh, brains aren't everything. In fact, in your case, they're nothing! I don't know what makes you so dumb, but it really works!"
"They say what you don't know can't hurt you, in that case, you must be invincible! Aren't you depriving a village somewhere of an idiot?"
"You took an IQ test and it came out negative!"
"You make me want to puke!"
"You make me think somebody already did!"
"You're one to talk, *your* face has all the charm of a rotting fish, you big-mouthed, dim-witted, slimy, pussy, festering carbuncle!"
"Ugh," said Joe, looking slightly green, "you're making me nauseous."
Tai rolled his eyes. "Joe, how can you be so squeamish when you spend half the week cutting up dead bodies?"
"Well, we usually call it an inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, not a 'festering carbuncle'."
Everyone facefaulted. Yolei and Monkeymon ignored him, and Yolei continued.
"I really shouldn't be participating in a battle of the wits - I don't like to fight an unarmed mon."
"You couldn't find a man if you went into -"
"Don't even finish that sentence! Thou art a knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a lilly-liver'd, action-taking knave; a rogue; one-trunk inheriting slave; one that wouldst be a bawd, in a way of good service, and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pandar, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch; one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou deniest the least syllable of thy addition!"
The others applauded this little speech. Monkeymon sweatdropped.
"Not bad," he said grudgingly, "okay fine, you win. Enjoy your stay!"
Yolei smirked and turned to Koushiro. "Hah, and you laughed at me for taking English Lit! You said it was a waste of my talents and no normal person would do it, didn't you! Who's laughing now?"
Koushiro said contritely, "I'm sorry, Yolei, I should have taken into account the factor of meeting an insult-collecting pirate monkey monster."
"Yes, you should have," said Yolei, satisfied.
They filed in through the turnstile and found themselves in a digital metropolis...