The Contest
Scene: A coliseum located deep underground of the Digiworld. Classical Roman architecture is incorporated into the design, resulting in a very large sandy arena, perhaps one mile in diameter, around which is a heavy barrier to protect the gambling Digimon who come to watch and bet on the winners of the battle. Spherical Cameramon hover over the sand, relaying images to the viewscreens installed at various locations around the stands. Benjamon arrives suddenly in a flash of light, in front of a desk marked 'Entrants'.
"Whoa, mon. Where'd you come from?" drawled a relaxed voice from somewhere behind the desk.
"Huh?" Benjamon spun around to face the Digimon that had addressed him. "Oh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you...Sorry about the ambiguity."
"It's groovy, mon. And I can take some pretty far-out stories... I've expanded my mind, man..." a small puff of sweet smelling smoke drifted up.
"Well, if you insist." Benjamon sighed, taking off his backpack. "I was sent here by the creators of the Digiworld to fight whilst the Digi-Destined meet the Dark Masters."
"I don't see what's wrong with that, mon. Nothing out of the ordinary around here...You wouldn't happen to see several plaid Mammothmon behind you, right?" another puff of smoke from the joint hit Benjamon in the face.
Turning around, Benjamon saw some Numemon polishing the floor, but that was it... "No, no plaid Mammothmon." He replied, feeling his stomach grumble... "Could you stop breathing on my face, it's making me hungry."
"Oh, mon... I could really go for some munchies right now..."
Benjamon sighed, and took off his backpack. "All right," he said, pulling out two small packets, "Got any hot water?"
"Sure, mon. Check the rainbow teapot...Whoa."
Benjamon extracted two bowls and two spoons from his pack, and went over to the plain white teapot, pouring the bowls half-full of steaming water. Walking back to the desk and the smoke-enshrouded Digimon, Benjamon blinked, and realized he'd forgotten something important. "By the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Peacemon, mon." the smoke cleared, revealing a long, black haired Digimon with hypnotically green eyes and looked like a member of the Woodstock revival movement. Tie-dye colors swirled across its body, and the rest of it looked like a plant, its palms and fingers leaves with long, jagged edges. Every once in a while, it took a toke off the small green cylinder that it gingerly held between two of its fronds.
"Nice to meet you, Peacemon. The name's Benjamon. I've got a bit of grub to share, if you aren't forbidden from eating on the job." Benjamon said, tearing open the packets and upending them into the water-filled bowls.
"No way I'm forbidden, mon. I OWN this place..." Peacemon took another hit off the narcotics, and smiled. "What are ya offering?"
"Just some dehydrated miso soup. Shouldn't be too much longer." Benjamon said, watching the seaweed unfold in the hot water as the soup settled down into the bottom of the bowl.
"Good choice of food, mon. So, you want to compete in my arena?" Peacemon said, seeming more intense than before...
"Well, yes..." Benjamon replied, smiling. "How do I enter the battle?" he asked, handing Peacemon a spoon. "It's ready. Dig in, mon."
"Thanks! I have got such a bad case of the munchies right now!" Peacemon cried, taking the spoon in a free frond and lifting the steaming miso to his mouth, where it disappeared with a noisy GULP.
Benjamon leaned against the counter and ate his soup, ignoring the loud slurps Peacemon made as it alternated eating with smoking the joint.
"Thanks again, mon." Peacemon drawled, taking yet another puff. "I don't do this for everyone, but... FLOWER POWER!" he shouted, five blossoms of varying colors appearing in his hand. "Take five, mon." Peacemon grinned as Benjamon took the flowers.
"Thanks, but I don't really need to be paid back..."
"I always repay debts, mon. ALWAYS. You were asking about how to enter the competition? Go through the doors on the right." Peacemon pulled a set of keys out from his desk, and tossed them to Benjamon. "Take room 325. Leave your stuff, and read the rules." Peacemon went back to smoking his joint.
Benjamon nodded, and picked up the bowls, spoons, and empty packets, going back to the white teapot and washing the tableware off, and throwing the packets away.
"Good luck, Mon!" Peacemon said as Benjamon passed through the doors.
Benjamon paced down the cavernous hallways, watching all the other Digimon that might be his rivals in the arena... Woodmon, a scarred Agumon, an oddly dog-like Dobermon that wasn't frothing at the mouth, but flaming...
"Room 323... 324...325." Benjamon thought, walking past the numbered doors. He took out the keys and unlocked the blue door.
Inside, the room could be described as "Spartan" at best. Carpet, walls, ceiling, bed, and a tiny, cramped bathroom off to one side. On the bed was an envelope, and inside the envelope, a letter.
"Rules for Competition:" It read.
"One. No destroying the other Digimon, except in specially sanctioned Death Matches."
"Two. Bouts are finished when:
A Digimon is no longer able to battle, even after a ten second count.
A Digimon has been knocked down, and has not been able to stand up within a count of ten.
A Digimon surrenders/forfeits the bout.
A stalemate results in a decision by the judge."
"Three. All other rules will be announced by the judge before the match."
Benjamon put the letter back in the envelope and took off his pack, setting it aside. He sat down on the bed, which creaked reassuringly...Laying back, he was asleep within five minutes.
"BENJAMON AND CRIMSONMON! REPORT TO THE ARENA!" a loud speaker blared into the room.
"WHAT?" Benjamon awoke with a start, falling off the bed. "Ooof!"
He got up quickly, grabbed his Digivice from his backpack, and left the room, locking his door behind him. He dashed down the halls, the numbered doors blurring as he ran past.
Benjamon arrived at the edge of the sands, and looked for his opponent.
"I like to see hustle in the fighters, mon..." Peacemon's now familiar voice said from beside him. "That's the quickest anyone's ever gotten to the arena." a smoke ring blew out beside him, and hazed the air.
"And who am I fighting? Crimsonmon?" Benjamon asked, looking at the colorful Digimon.
"That's right, kid..." a harsh voice grated as a large red hand with long, claw-like fingernails suddenly grabbed Benjamon's shoulder and spun him around.
Crimsonmon was the color of fresh blood, with bat-like wings and a foul countenance. The head had short horns, like a demon, and the eyes were dark and sunken beneath a heavy, overset brow. Two nostrils served as a nose, just above a horribly toothy mouth with long, pointed canines (fangs) and a forked tongue. The neck was thick, too large for Benjamon to strangle, and the torso looked like it had been carved from stone. Chiseled, that is. Broad, bulging pectorals and seriously ripped arms made the scarlet Digimon look like a refugee from a body building contest, except for the fact that he had no legs, only seemed to float atop a smoky haze. Add this to the fact that what could be seen of Crimsonmon was over ten feet tall, and the overall effect was rather grotesque.
/*
Digimon Analyzer (Beta version 2.3.0.4)
Crimsonmon
Type: Data
Level: Champion
A genie of the earth, Crimsonmon keeps his guard up and is tough as stone.
Attacks:
Stone Gaze: Effect unknown. Non-fatal program.
Magic Wall: Defensive maneuver that generates a barrier around Crimsonmon to shield against attack.
*/
Peacemon spoke. "You both read the rules, mon?"
"Yes." Benjamon and Crimsonmon answered.
"Then get out there and DO it, mon!"
Benjamon trudged, and Crimsonmon floated, out across the sand to the center of the coliseum. Cameramon flew out and hovered around them as the two Digimon turned to face each other.
"AND BEGIN!" Peacemon roared over the loudspeakers.
Benjamon bowed quickly then leapt back as Crimsonmon's great red hand swept through the air that Benjamon's head had so recently occupied.
"You sure don't go for posturing, do you?" Benjamon asked, readying his attack. "CHAAAAIN BLASTER!"
Balls of light emerged from Benjamon's hands in rapid succession, zooming towards the hulking Crimsonmon.
"MAGIC WALL!" Crimsonmon bellowed, and a translucent, red-tinged barrier sprung up around him, absorbing the spheres of light. The red Digimon chuckled. "Is that your best attack? If so, You're DOOMED!" Crimsonmon laughed again...
"I can do slightly better, yes..." Benjamon replied, shifting his hand guards into the gauntlets.
"Huh? What nice little toys."
Benjamon charged at the demon Digimon, swiping the chrome Digizoid blades across the wall of Crimsonmon's creation. Sparks flew as the sharp edges bit into Crimsonmon's Magic Wall, but nothing else happened.
"BWA HA HA HA!" Crimsonmon chortled. "This is too rich! STONE GAZE!" a gray beam shot from Crimsonmon's eyes, striking Benjamon in the chest.
Falling back slightly, Benjamon didn't feel any worse for wear. "What the hell was that?" he asked,
"I... I... I can't move!" Benjamon cried, watching helplessly as his body stopped responding.
"That's the effect of my Stone Gaze. It causes instant paralysis, and gives me a MAJOR advantage over ANY opponent." Crimsonmon grinned widely, revealing his rows of stained, jagged teeth.
Over the loud speaker, Peacemon begins to count....
"One."
Benjamon groaned, trying to move.
"Two."
"Three."
"Four."
Crimsonmon laughed, loud and deep... "You're finished, kid, go home and clean your glasses, maybe you'll see just how WEAK you are!"
"Five."
Benjamon gritted his teeth, seething with anger for letting himself be defeated so easily.
"Six."
"No! Not yet! I have to...win!" Benjamon grunted, sweat pouring out of his brow with the efforts of trying to move against the stone gaze attack.
"Seven."
In Benjamon's pocket, his Digivice started to shine.
"Eight."
Light burst forth, suffusing Benjamon's body with its glow.
"Nine."
"Benjamon, Digivolve to...(( PSISAUROMON!))
Pandemonium broke out in the stands as Peacemon stopped the count. "Groovy, Mon!" he exclaimed, then went back to watching and smoking.
Back in the arena, Psisauromon faced off against Crimsonmon, Psisauromon's green scales and yellow fires in direct contrast to Crimsonmon's red body and smoky haze.
Cameramon whirled into position as fast as their little spheroid bodies could take them, zooming in on the combatants.
Psisauromon's gold eye glared fiercely from behind the chrome Digizoid mesh protecting his eye. His faceplate shone with the reflection of the solar flames that enshrouded his head, the green scales on the left side of his face uncovered, surrounding the eye that was abyss; no matter how brightly Psisauromon shone, the triangular eye absorbed all light that touched it. The symbols of his crests, Compassion, Honor, and Justice, the code of a true warrior, were engraved across the armor covering the mute mouth. Psisauromon took a fighting stance, drawing on his recording of Tai kwon do. Feet spread apart, planted firmly on the swiftly heating sand, burned hotly. Hands clenched into burning fists the size of Christmas hams, green knuckles even, lined up with the waistline of his beige trousers, belted tightly at the waist with a length of black rope.
"You got lucky." Crimsonmon sneered, glaring at the Champion Digimon. "STONE GAZE!" The incapacitating gray beams shot out of Crimsonmon's sunken eyes, and struck Psisauromon's massive leg.
((Oh, no! I've been hit again? What SHALL I do?)) Psisauromon's thoughts were heard by Crimsonmon, Peacemon, and all the spectators, as Psisauromon reached down with his flaming hands and appeared to struggle mightily with the tan-panted leg that had been 'paralyzed'.
"You SHOULD realize that you can't win against a Digimon with the power to stop you in your tracks!" Crimsonmon flapped his bat wings and lifted off the ground as he circled Psisauromon to attack from behind.
Psisauromon's blank eye turned white, the flames of his head, hands and feet flared up, breaking the hold of Crimsonmon's Stone Gaze.
"SCARLET Hrrrk!" Crimsonmon gagged as Psisauromon pivoted on one foot, spinning around to deliver a kick sheathed in solar fire to the throat of the red demon with such force that the horrendous ruby genie was hurled straight into the wall of the stadium.
As the Cameramon rushed to get close to the action, Peacemon leaned back in the broadcasting room, grinning at the turn-about. "The customers are gettin' their money's worth today!" he thought happily, puffing on the ever-present joint. "Not that I accept money anymore, that stuff's a bad trip..."
Back in the arena...
Psisauromon rushed at the dazed Crimsonmon, thick, clawed toes digging into the sand as Psisauromon dropped his head, letting the skull wrapping Chrome Digizoid faceplate take the brunt of the blow the charge would deliver.
"MAGIC WALL!" roared Crimsonmon, massaging his throat with surprising delicacy. The barrier spiraled up around him just moments before Psisauromon hit.
CLANG! Rang Psisauromon's faceplate as he bounced headfirst off Crimsonmon's red partition, the redirection of force knocking the twelve foot Digimon off his feet, as he held his head in his burning hands....
((Ow!)) The entire stadium got a headache as the feeling of pain was accidentally passed around with Psisauromon's thought.
"Ah, well... Beating your head against a wall is such a futile exercise, Psisauromon. And I should know." The scarlet Digimon smiled an evil smile as he dropped his barrier.
((Yes, you SHOULD know!)) ((PSI SHIELD!))
Psisauromon's voided eye became the source of a dazzling white beam that raced in a straight line in front of Crimsonmon's smoggy body.
A wall of ivory fire leapt up between the combatants, solidified, and shot toward Crimsonmon, lifting off the ground and pasting the dark red Digimon right between the eyes, driving him headlong into the stone wall.
Crimsonmon slid off with a squeak, and lay on the sands.
Peacemon began the count again.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Four!"
"Five!"
"Six!"
"Seven!"
"Eight!"
"Nine!"
"TEN!"
The crowd of spectator Digimon erupted into a noise so loud that it made a cheer from sold out Bronx Stadium sound like a kitten's fart.
Psisauromon hefted Crimsonmon on his shoulder, and carried him off to the arena entrance, lifting the Digimon easily, even though Crimsonmon and he were of similar build in height and musculature.
"Out of this Digi-world, mon!" Peacemon crowed. "They'll be talking about this for years, mon! YEARS!"
((When's my next match?)) Psisauromon asked, his flames illuminating the dim room into a study of shifting light and shadow as Psisauromon moved his hands and feet.
"Tomorrow, mon. You go get some rest, I don't want any fighters too tired to fight! Screws the whole thing up, mon, in a majorly uncool way!" Peacemon responded, toking up.
((I was hoping for something sooner.))
Psisauromon set Crimsonmon down gently.
"Like when, Mon?"
((Like now.))
The Contest, Part Two:
Plasma Burn
Scene: Again in the underground coliseum, Psisauromon faces off against Digimon Competitors in his desire to become stronger, and aid the Digi-Destined in their fight to defeat the Dark Masters.
"BEGIN!" Peacemon shouted, and the spectators cheered as the battle began. Two champions stood in the middle of the ring, Psisauromon and Multimon.
Multimon looked an elf from Santa's workshop gone Goth, a thin, pale face with blue pinhole eyes, a long, upward curving nose, black lips and brown teeth. Pointed ears framed a gray bobble hat placed rakishly on his head, and the rest of Multimon did not look thin and emaciated at all. He was almost completely spherical from neck to legs; his arms, legs, and head poked out as if they had been added as an afterthought to a black and white striped beach ball.
/*
Digimon Analyzer (Beta Version 2.3.0.4)
Multimon
Type: Virus
Level: Champion
Eccentric and unpredictable, Multimon possesses a high level of knowledge about battle stratagem. Reasons unknown. Body is highly malleable, like soft latex with high elasticity constant.
Attacks:
Bouncing Bomb: Explosive attack utilizing own body.
Multi ****** PROGRAM ERROR******
Please report this error to your local Digitech representative.
*/
((After you.)) Psisauromon thought, bowing to his opponent.
"OoooooOO! Such a gentlemon!" cackled the elf, who barely came up to Psisauromon's waist. "But since you insist! BOUNCING BOMB!"
The scary little Digimon pulled his appendages into his torso like a turtle into its shell, and began to hop up and down, an exaggerated BOING happening each time the ball bounced.
Psisauromon watched, his eyes wide in incredulous disbelief at the display of the odd Digimon, now bounding more than fifty feet into the air with each loud BOING.
Suddenly, Multimon shot towards Psisauromon, who barely had time to throw himself to the ground as the black and white ball spun by so fast it appeared gray. The sphere kicked up the sandy floor into a large local sandstorm as it grabbed the turf for traction and finally zoomed off.
Psisauromon picked himself up, and searched for the twisted little gnome. In the sand cloud, he couldn't see anything, but he felt, several times, the presence of another Digimon rolling by. The sand floating around him turned a bright red as it passed through his flames, illuminating the path already walked in a shower of light similar to the bioluminescence of disturbed plankton lighting the wake of a passing ship.
Then, two things happened at once. First, Psisauromon stepped out of the sandstorm, and second, a fast moving gray ball hit him in the back and exploded.
Psisauromon was hurled twenty feet into the air by the force of the blast, and the air knocked out of him by the concussion wave that followed. He stood up, breathing deeply through his mask as he struggled to regain his composure.
"He! He! He! He!" squeaked Multimon, his head and arms extended, still bouncing along.
((Just for that, sprite, I'll PIXILATE you!))
Psisauromon rushed forward and caught Multimon's arm in a vice grip, the little black arm smoking as the hot flames of Psisauromon's hand scorched anywhere they touched. Bringing the pale Digimon back over his head, Psisauromon wound up and swung the elf underhand, hurling it straight up.
((Okay, bouncy. Let's see how elastic you really are...)) Psisauromon laughed, a hissing noise emerging from the vent holes in his mask.
The burned Multimon pulled in his arm, crunching up for impact.
With a strong right hook to the center of the falling black and white Digimon, Psisauromon send Multimon sailing across the arena sands.
"BOUNCING BOMB!" a muffled voice cried, and the ball sped up, whirling to gray again as Multimon rebounded off the wall and headed for Psisauromon
Psisauromon leapt into the air, somersaulting and coming down fist first on the top of the ball, pushing Multimon into the sand.
Multimon exploded, blowing a large crater in the ground while Psisauromon, ever the fast learner, had bounced off Multimon's springy body to safety twenty feet away.
"Oooooo! That's not nice!" Multimon exclaimed in an excessively falsetto, reedy voice as he pulled himself back together, smoke still pouring out from the holes in his torso. His dot-like blue eyes stretched into horizontal indigo lines across the pale whiteness of his face. "No matter! You won't survive this!"
((I'm tired of you.)) Psisauromon cracked his massive green knuckles, walking towards the slightly burned black ball, taking his time now that he knew what to expect from the psychotic little elfin Digimon.
"MULTIMON MULTIPLY!" Multimon pirouetted rapidly on one foot, spinning so fast that his body began to distort, flattening out into a wide ebony disk.
((What?)) Psisauromon stopped in his tracks ten feet from the twirling figure, unsure of what to do. Having no other ideas, Psisauromon got ready to jump in case the Digimon decided to attack in some strange way.
A high pitched whistle began from the rapidly rotating disk, and then, Multimon snapped. Literally. With a ripping, rending noise, the now plate-like Multimon separated into sixteen fragments that shot off at right angles to the direction of the rotation, landing in a perfect circle, in complete accordance with the laws of physics.
((Multimon killed himself?)) Psisauromon broadcast to the minds of the spectators. Walking over to one of the pieces, Psisauromon knelt down, looking at the jet-black remains of Multimon. ((But he's not dissolving into data...))
A sudden, violent impact threw the reptilian Digimon head over tail, and he found himself gazing upward into the blue dots of Multimon's eyes, hearing faint hissings and pops from all around him. Soon, he was staring in disbelief at a ring of blue dots, white faces, and gray bobble hats as Peacemon began to count.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Come on, get up!" the sixteen Multimon said simultaneously, reminding Psisauromon of the first time Benjamon had heard true surround sound.
"Three!"
Thirty-two little hands grabbed onto Psisauromon, and lifted him to his feet.
"Fo... What's going down out there?"
Psisauromon looked down at the gray bobble hats and white faces, shuddering. ((Why?)) he thought, eyes wide in surprise.
"Because you let us go first! He he he he!" the sixteen little mimes cackled. "Now, start running, ya great lummox!"
((What??))
"BOUNCING BOMB!" all the Multimon cried, pulling in their appendages and careening off each other as they collided with each other with increasing frequency and force.
Psisauromon gulped, looked for an opening, and jumped as far as he could from the berserk gray balls, and ran.
As one, the Multimon changed course, and rolled off after Psisauromon in a phalanx square, a cloud of dust boiling up after the formation.
Psisauromon dashed to the wall, and turned, squatting down into the smallest space possible.
((PSI SHIELD!))
The white barrier appeared in front of him, then as Psisauromon's empty eye turned white, wrapped around him to the wall, becoming thicker as Psisauromon continued to sculpt the psychic wall.
The Multimon separated into groups of four, one group rolling to the right, one group rolling to the left, and the final two groups moving side by side, forming a large rectangle, then moving into a semi-circle.
Psisauromon held the barrier, losing energy, as he waited for the attack, planning how he could defeat all the Multimon at once.
Fed up with waiting, the gray spinning balls spun and rolled at the shielded Psisauromon, one at a time. They hit; they exploded violently, bouncing back to their original position in the semi-circle.
Straining to keep the psychic shield up against the onslaught of exploding Multimon, Psisauromon noted the position of each blast...((EUREKA!))
Just as the final Bouncing Bomb attack hit, Multimon began to pull themselves back together. Psisauromon's wall vanished and he stood up, the solar flames on his hands, feet, and head raging upwards, higher than the edge of the wall, singing the eyebrows off several Digimon Spectators who had leaned out to watch.
Psisauromon's eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the recovering Multimon with sullen fury. Placing the palms of his large, scaly hands together, Psisauromon tensed up, the fires of his hands joining and forming a column of hot plasma that reached the roof of the coliseum, then doubled back, becoming wider, surrounding Psisauromon in a pillar of flame.
The spectators began to faint as the temperature rose higher and higher, wilting in their seats as the solar inferno heated the air far beyond the capacity of the cooling systems to compensate. Fuses blew and the lights shorted out as the maelstrom continued unabated.
((CORONA FLARE!))
Psisauromon flung his arms wide, the tower of fire condensing into an incandescent wave that arched between his hands, moving outwards and expanding like a ripple in a pond as it raced towards the sixteen Multimon.
The edge of the arc hit all sixteen at the same time. The copies shrieked briefly, then were rendered silent as the superheated flare burned them to a crisp. Only the original survived; its face was no longer pale, but a golden brown, not unlike a well-toasted marshmallow. The rotund shape deflated into a floppy discus with a bobble hat and pointed shoes upturned at the toe.
The wave of fire disappeared, and the entire arena was pitch black, except for the area of glowing sand, and the circle of light Psisauromon gave off as he stood, shaking his head at his fallen opponent.
((Sorry about the mess, Peacemon.)) Psisauromon apologized later.
"Mon, I am USUALLY a mellow fellow, but... MON! If you do anything like that again, you are out! Ya dig?" Peacemon grunted, blowing a large smoke ring.
((I understand... I mean, I dig.))
Peacemon smiled suddenly. "Hey, don't let me get you down, mon! In two fights, you've become the new favorite for the really groovy cats in the stands!"
Psisauromon blinked, confused. ((Come again?))
Peacemon puffed a joint, and pulled out a piece of paper from a desk drawer, the long, jagged leaves of his fronds acting as perfect fingers. Tracing down the list of names and odds, Peacemon pointed to a particular entry and smiled, the wild coloration of his body shifting hypnotically. "See, mon? The lookers think you are hot!"
Psisauromon looked to where Peacemon's leaf pointed, and read. ((Psisauromon vs. Greymon. 2:1 on Psisauromon. Not bad.))
The owner of the coliseum rocked back in his chair and smiled. "But remember, mon. If you trash my pad again..." Peacemon left the threat hanging in the air.
Psisauromon nodded once and left the office, heading back to the arena.
The Contest, Part Three:
Farewell to the Arena.
Scene: Once again on the sands of the coliseum, Benjamon has managed to stay Digivolved as the Champion Psisauromon for over a day, and beaten two powerful opponents: Crimsonmon and Multimon. Psisauromon's skills and style have taken him to the top of the favored in the betting of the spectators, and he is favored two to one in the next match... Against a Greymon.
Psisauromon walked out onto the sand rendered into silicate glass by the Corona Flare attack Psisauromon used to defeat Multimon and all his copies. He wondered how the Digi-Destined were faring against the Dark Masters, and how soon it would be before he could rejoin them... Walking, distracted by thoughts, Psisauromon walked past the center of the arena and would have made it to the other side had a huge shadow not crossed his path.
"Where do you think you're going?" the Greymon growled through pointed teeth, "I came here to fight, not be ignored!"
Psisauromon silently thought of a rude retort, but did not transmit it. He was in trouble enough for damaging the arena in his previous battle, and didn't want to get kicked out before he could mop the floor with at least one more opponent. He looked up at his opponent, to see exactly what he was up against.
The classic shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the massive jaws, legs, and tail, only in orange with blue stripes and tiny, ineffectual arms. A deep, jagged scar ran from the left side of the neck to the inside of the right leg, thick tissue surrounding the old wound covering over the actual gash. The metal helmet covering the top half of his head was scratched and dented; it appeared to have been sandblasted several times. The horns on the helmet were nastily serrated, and covered in the blackish crimson of dried blood.
Psisauromon found all of this odd because programs do not bleed, or scar, for that matter, and began to wonder how the wonderfully ugly effect was achieved. He barely came up to the Greymon's ankle (remember, with dinosaurs, dogs, cats, etc., the part we consider the foot is really the toes, and the backwards knee is really the ankle), and did not feel threatened at all by this Digimon, having seen how Tai and Greymon had only been effective because the enemies hadn't tried physical attacks, only attribute attacks.
The Greymon got nervous as Psisauromon stared at him; the combined effect of the golden, vertically slitted eye behind silver mesh and the perfect blackness of the triangular empty eye disconcerted the Greymon, who began to fidget. "What are you doing, you fool!" he roared, stepping back.
Psisauromon shrugged. He wasn't going to waste any extra energy on this clown. The green, scaly, reptilian humanoid bowed to the Greymon, just so he wouldn't have to risk getting hit by anything the Greymon might try after the battle began.
"READY, MON? BEGIN!" Peacemon announced over the P.A., and the assembled Digimon cheered, some of them with large fans to keep themselves somewhat cool if Psisauromon turned up the heat again.
"NOVA BLAST!" roared the Greymon, expectorating a fireball the size of a semi-truck.
Psisauromon took a running leap toward the incoming inferno, landed about five feet from the front of the fire, jumped again, revolving in the air to land on the flaming flanges of his large green hands just behind the rear edge of the Nova Blast. Pushing off with the full force of his solidly muscled arms, Psisauromon began a rapid series of forward flips towards the orange Digimon, who was preparing to attack again.
"NOVA BLAST!" the Greymon bellowed again, but before he could spit, Psisauromon's acrobatics carried him under the giant maw of the fiery Digimon, and with a massive shove, launched himself feet-first at the large mandible. A well-delivered kick slammed the jaw shut just as the blast was about to pass the jagged teeth of the Greymon.
The ensuing explosion was horrendous.
After the ringing in his ears had ceased, Psisauromon's thoughts had cleared enough to where he could see that the Greymon would have blown its skull to digital shrapnel if it weren't for the restraining force of the helmet. The large Digimon was out cold, twitching spastically on the glassy surface of the coliseum, the scorch marks surrounding its mouth adding a new color to the carrot and indigo hues that were the standard for Greymon.
"In a really quick match, the winner is... PSISAUROMON!" Peacemon announced from the booth.
You will be needed soon. Be ready.
((What?)) Psisauromon looked around, and put his blazing hand on his burning head... ((No fever.)) A sibilant hiss of a laugh, reminiscent of puffs of escaping steam, emerged from the slits of the nostril holes. ((As if I could tell, with my hand and head ablaze.))
((Peacemon, I can only stay a little longer. Maybe less than a day.)) Psisauromon thought apologetically to the colorful swirl and black hair of the stadium's owner.
Peacemon choked mid-puff, and his entrancing green eyes went wide in surprise. "Mon! Why?" he sputtered, "The cats are comin' in from all over to see you, Mon! You built up popularity faster than I blow smoke, and you want to leave?!"
((Not want to leave. Have to leave. The creators are calling me; the Digi-Destined need assistance.))
Peacemon rasped and hacked for a few moments longer. "Do you have time for one more fight?" he croaked.
((I thin...)) Psisauromon began.
He does not, Peacemon. He is needed elsewhere.
"Did you say that, mon?" Peacemon asked quietly, nervously twirling a lock of his lustrous ebony hair around a leafy finger of one of his marijuana leaf-like hands.
((No. I must be needed soon, if they talked to you.))
Peacemon sighed, accepting the sudden change of plans. "All right, Mon," he said, back to the drawling, easy voice he had used the first time Benjamon met him, "I don't like to see a cool frood like you go, but looks like I have to. Get your stuff, and come back with your key."
Psisauromon nodded and left the office. Walking down the halls, he looked at all the uniform doors... Behind each was a Digimon with a strong fighting spirit and love of competition. A haven for warriors among Digimon... Psisauromon blinked a tear that disappeared in an instant under the unrelenting heat of the solar fire that surrounded his head. He opened the door to room 325, and willed the fires of his left hand out so he could pick up his backpack. Lifting the red carrier, Psisauromon left the stark room and locked the door.
((Your key, Peacemon. Thank you for letting me compete.)) The heated key melted the desk varnish under it as Psisauromon set it down.
"Hey, mon. It's groovy. Come back anytime you want. And don't forget my gift..."
((The flowers?))
"Right, Mon." Peacemon took a hit off his joint, and blew a huge smoke ring. "They are more than they are."
((What?)) Psisauromon thought, his mind distracted by the sudden glowing of the leftmost crest of his mask, which had begun to glow softly.
Psisauromon fell through a sudden swirl in the floor, and vanished.
It is time.
((I gathered.))
Are you ready?
((If I'm not, I'm probably deleted.))
Go, then.
"Oh, no! WARGREYMON!" Tai shouted as Metalseadramon dove under the waters of the cove, holding Wargreymon in his metal mouth.
"Is it just me, or did it get warmer?" Sora asked, watching the Mega Digimon fight.
"Ooooh! I'm boiling!" Tentomon exclaimed, opening his wing covers to cool his back.
((Am I late?)) Psisauromon asked, propping his backpack against a nearby tree. ((I was told the Digi-Destined needed help.))
"Psisauromon?" TK said, turning with Patamon resting on his hat.
((Who else do you know that raises the air temperature by several degrees just standing still?))
Mimi, sitting by Palmon, thought for a moment. "Oh! Meramon and Skullmeramon!" she exclaimed brightly, a wide smile and closed eyes making her unbearably cute.
"Mimi, he meant that as a rhetorical question." Joe sighed, shaking his head. Mimi's lower lip trembled, and her eyes began to tear...
((Oh, glitch!)) Psisauromon swore, turning to Izzy. ((What's going on?))
"Well, Metalseadramon just blasted Whamon, and now he's fighting Wargreymon... However, Wargreymon is weak underwater."
((All right. I knew I could count on you.)) Psisauromon looked over at Joe, who was trying to comfort Mimi.
"So, you've come back." Said a chilly voice behind the furnace of Psisauromon.
Psisauromon sighed softly. ((Can it, Matt. Looks like I've got a bigger fish to fry than you right now.)) ((PSI SHIELD!))
While Matt sputtered in frustration, Psisauromon's barrier appeared, and then fell to lie flat on the ground. Psisauromon stepped on, and the shield lifted from the ground, carrying him into the sky.
"The nerve of that Jerk!" Matt fumed, glowering at the rising light.
From atop the shield, Psisauromon searched the waters of the bay. A small line of bubbles in the middle of the water started to grow larger, and Psisauromon swooped down toward the trail.
The ocean surged outwards as Metalseadramon burst forth, still carrying Wargreymon in his teeth. The giant serpent laughed coarsely, almost braying. "Haw, Haw, Haw! How'd you like that?" he roared, water cascading off his metal body.
((Look away from me, Everyone!)) Psisauromon ordered, touching his right hand to his extinguished left, making it burn brightly once more.
"What?" Tai called.
((CORONA FLARE!)) Psisauromon cried, his fires leaping higher, burning hotter, and getting brighter. No distance attack occurred as the blaze enveloped him, forming into a ball of disassociated nuclei and electrons, a solar furnace, a small sun. Around him, the air wavered and churned, then began to rush upwards as the temperature of Psisauromon's sheath superheated the surroundings.
"Don't look, TK!" Matt ordered.
"But I want to watch!" TK complained petulantly.
"Look, and it's the last thing you'll ever see!" Matt retorted, spinning his brother around, away from the incandescent fireball.
"He's right, you could go blind!" Kari exclaimed, hiding behind a tree with Gatomon.
Joe held Mimi close, keeping her head turned away from Psisauromon. Mimi, in an unprecedented show of common sense, removed her large pink hat and held it up over both of them to filter out the light.
Tai pulled down his tinted goggles, but the light still tried to burn his retinas to a crisp, forcing the energetic leader to likewise keep his eyes away.
The Digimon had turned away from Psisauromon the instant he had ordered them to do so, and were sweating out the duration of the light as best they could.
"What in the Digi-world is that?" Metalseadramon roared as his silhouette was brilliantly painted across the landscape as Psisauromon drew closer and closer.
((I do believe the saying goes: The cavalry has arrived.)) Psisauromon thought, intentionally giving a sense of direction to his thoughts.
"What?" Metalseadramon snarled, spinning around to look. "YEEEAAAARRRGH!" the giant water wyrm screamed as he gazed directly into the maelstrom of the Corona Flare. "My eyes!"
((So stupid... Almost pathetic, falling for that one.)) Psisauromon taunted, leaping onto the broad metal back of Metalseadramon.
Metalseadramon screamed and writhed as the inferno heated him to tens of thousands of degrees within moments. His mouth opened wide as his metal mane melted into drops of solder that fell into the ocean below, creating huge clouds of steam. Wargreymon flew out of Metalseadramon's jaws, and shielded his eyes against the blinding white light. "What is that?!" Wargreymon said in his guttural voice.
((Just Psisauromon, back and burning for a good fight.)) Hanging on to the searing armor of the tortured Mega, Psisauromon addressed the Digi-Destined again. ((Level doesn't always matter, when a champion can blind and use physics instead of special attacks all the time. Right, Moltensquealdroneon?))
Metalseadramon curled and straightened, like a worm under a magnifying glass. He wailed constantly with pain, unable to even think of the most basic response to dive into the water.
((GET HIM, WARGREYMON!)) Psisauromon stopped the Corona Flare, jumping back to the shield, descending as quickly as possible.
"All Right!" Wargreymon grinned under his helmet, as the blinding light stopped. "TERRA FORCE!"
Stiffening his body, claws of the Dramon Destroyers pointed to the sky, Wargreymon spun like a dervish and dove into Metalseadramon's gaping mouth, slicing his way through the unprotected inside of the large beast, swiftly drilling through, and bursting out of the former Dark Master's tail.
Metalseadramon exploded into a flow of black data particles, and blew away. Wargreymon, energy spent, turned back into a very dizzy Koromon, which Psisauromon caught and brought back to the Digi-Destined.
After stepping off the shield, Psisauromon glowed subtly, and changed back into Benjamon, having stayed in champion form for more than two day cycles of the Digi-world. "Okay, it's over!" he called to the Digi-Destined, who all began to turn around, with the exception of Mimi and Joe, still behind her sun hat.
"Koromon! Are you all right?" Tai asked, holding the funky little pink head in his arms.
Izzy tapped at the keyboard of his computer. "Do you know how much energy you just used?" he asked Benjamon, who was yawning widely.
"No." Benjamon replied, looking tiredly over at the computer genius.
"Given the heat I felt and the intensity of the light falling just on me, I can approximate the energy emitted by using the surface area of the interior of a sphere, multiplying by the area that I occupied during the event," Izzy's fingers sped across the keys, integrating functions. "Then finding the change in temperature as sigma approaches zero..." He now took a limit, using Simpson's rule, "And at contact, you were giving off enough energy to maintain a fusion reaction for six months or power all of Japan for a year!"
Sora looked incredibly puzzled. "Joe, could you tell us what that means?... Joe? ...JOE!" she shouted, striding over and snatching the sun hat from Mimi's hands.
Joe blushed a deep crimson as he felt everyone's eyes on him. He fell backwards, Mimi's hair falling from between his fingers, and his glasses steamed. "I...I...Uh..." he stammered.
Mimi giggled, and blew him a kiss, making him blush all the harder.
Wider eyes were never seen as the Digi-Destined and Digimon stared at Mimi and Joe. Except for Benjamon, who had fallen on the ground and was laughing hysterically, rolling and clutching at his stomach.
"Joe?" Gomamon squeaked.
"Huh?" Joe answered.
"Could you get off me, NOW!!" The little seal with an orange Mohawk shouted.
Benjamon laughed all the harder, tears in his eyes.
The awkward moment continued on, and on, and on, broken only by Benjamon's manic bursts of laughter and gasping for breath.
"Never mind, Joe..." Sora said quietly, handing Mimi her hat.
A sudden rushing, sloshing noise finally broke the moment. The Digi-Destined rushed to the shore, and saw the water that twisted up Spiral Mountain flow down.
"What's happening?" Kari asked.
"With the defeat of Metalseadramon, his domain, namely the oceans and major rivers of the Digi-world are recompiling."
Tai smiled, and prepared to make a dramatic statement. "Well, this can only mean one thing!"
"What's that?" Matt asked, watching the water spiral down.
"That this is the last chance..." whatever he said was drowned out by a fresh fit of laughter from Benjamon, who fall to his knees, chortling madly.
"Look, would you shut up, already?" Tai grumped.
That's it for the coliseum, now, onto Puppetmon!
Next time, "I Wooden do that, If I were you!" or, "No strings attached... Yet." Or something else in the way of a pun.
Peacemon, the ever-groovy owner of the Digimon arena, is the creation of Cutiemon.
I'd like to thank Several People on the Digimon Message Board of AnimeHQ, specifically:
Cutiemon, who suggested Peacemon;
King-a-da-Dragons, for the excellent competitor Crimsonmon;
And the administrator Dobermon for... Dobermon!
Send your suggestions to:
Drowzee1@hotmail.com.
Scene: A coliseum located deep underground of the Digiworld. Classical Roman architecture is incorporated into the design, resulting in a very large sandy arena, perhaps one mile in diameter, around which is a heavy barrier to protect the gambling Digimon who come to watch and bet on the winners of the battle. Spherical Cameramon hover over the sand, relaying images to the viewscreens installed at various locations around the stands. Benjamon arrives suddenly in a flash of light, in front of a desk marked 'Entrants'.
"Whoa, mon. Where'd you come from?" drawled a relaxed voice from somewhere behind the desk.
"Huh?" Benjamon spun around to face the Digimon that had addressed him. "Oh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you...Sorry about the ambiguity."
"It's groovy, mon. And I can take some pretty far-out stories... I've expanded my mind, man..." a small puff of sweet smelling smoke drifted up.
"Well, if you insist." Benjamon sighed, taking off his backpack. "I was sent here by the creators of the Digiworld to fight whilst the Digi-Destined meet the Dark Masters."
"I don't see what's wrong with that, mon. Nothing out of the ordinary around here...You wouldn't happen to see several plaid Mammothmon behind you, right?" another puff of smoke from the joint hit Benjamon in the face.
Turning around, Benjamon saw some Numemon polishing the floor, but that was it... "No, no plaid Mammothmon." He replied, feeling his stomach grumble... "Could you stop breathing on my face, it's making me hungry."
"Oh, mon... I could really go for some munchies right now..."
Benjamon sighed, and took off his backpack. "All right," he said, pulling out two small packets, "Got any hot water?"
"Sure, mon. Check the rainbow teapot...Whoa."
Benjamon extracted two bowls and two spoons from his pack, and went over to the plain white teapot, pouring the bowls half-full of steaming water. Walking back to the desk and the smoke-enshrouded Digimon, Benjamon blinked, and realized he'd forgotten something important. "By the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Peacemon, mon." the smoke cleared, revealing a long, black haired Digimon with hypnotically green eyes and looked like a member of the Woodstock revival movement. Tie-dye colors swirled across its body, and the rest of it looked like a plant, its palms and fingers leaves with long, jagged edges. Every once in a while, it took a toke off the small green cylinder that it gingerly held between two of its fronds.
"Nice to meet you, Peacemon. The name's Benjamon. I've got a bit of grub to share, if you aren't forbidden from eating on the job." Benjamon said, tearing open the packets and upending them into the water-filled bowls.
"No way I'm forbidden, mon. I OWN this place..." Peacemon took another hit off the narcotics, and smiled. "What are ya offering?"
"Just some dehydrated miso soup. Shouldn't be too much longer." Benjamon said, watching the seaweed unfold in the hot water as the soup settled down into the bottom of the bowl.
"Good choice of food, mon. So, you want to compete in my arena?" Peacemon said, seeming more intense than before...
"Well, yes..." Benjamon replied, smiling. "How do I enter the battle?" he asked, handing Peacemon a spoon. "It's ready. Dig in, mon."
"Thanks! I have got such a bad case of the munchies right now!" Peacemon cried, taking the spoon in a free frond and lifting the steaming miso to his mouth, where it disappeared with a noisy GULP.
Benjamon leaned against the counter and ate his soup, ignoring the loud slurps Peacemon made as it alternated eating with smoking the joint.
"Thanks again, mon." Peacemon drawled, taking yet another puff. "I don't do this for everyone, but... FLOWER POWER!" he shouted, five blossoms of varying colors appearing in his hand. "Take five, mon." Peacemon grinned as Benjamon took the flowers.
"Thanks, but I don't really need to be paid back..."
"I always repay debts, mon. ALWAYS. You were asking about how to enter the competition? Go through the doors on the right." Peacemon pulled a set of keys out from his desk, and tossed them to Benjamon. "Take room 325. Leave your stuff, and read the rules." Peacemon went back to smoking his joint.
Benjamon nodded, and picked up the bowls, spoons, and empty packets, going back to the white teapot and washing the tableware off, and throwing the packets away.
"Good luck, Mon!" Peacemon said as Benjamon passed through the doors.
Benjamon paced down the cavernous hallways, watching all the other Digimon that might be his rivals in the arena... Woodmon, a scarred Agumon, an oddly dog-like Dobermon that wasn't frothing at the mouth, but flaming...
"Room 323... 324...325." Benjamon thought, walking past the numbered doors. He took out the keys and unlocked the blue door.
Inside, the room could be described as "Spartan" at best. Carpet, walls, ceiling, bed, and a tiny, cramped bathroom off to one side. On the bed was an envelope, and inside the envelope, a letter.
"Rules for Competition:" It read.
"One. No destroying the other Digimon, except in specially sanctioned Death Matches."
"Two. Bouts are finished when:
A Digimon is no longer able to battle, even after a ten second count.
A Digimon has been knocked down, and has not been able to stand up within a count of ten.
A Digimon surrenders/forfeits the bout.
A stalemate results in a decision by the judge."
"Three. All other rules will be announced by the judge before the match."
Benjamon put the letter back in the envelope and took off his pack, setting it aside. He sat down on the bed, which creaked reassuringly...Laying back, he was asleep within five minutes.
"BENJAMON AND CRIMSONMON! REPORT TO THE ARENA!" a loud speaker blared into the room.
"WHAT?" Benjamon awoke with a start, falling off the bed. "Ooof!"
He got up quickly, grabbed his Digivice from his backpack, and left the room, locking his door behind him. He dashed down the halls, the numbered doors blurring as he ran past.
Benjamon arrived at the edge of the sands, and looked for his opponent.
"I like to see hustle in the fighters, mon..." Peacemon's now familiar voice said from beside him. "That's the quickest anyone's ever gotten to the arena." a smoke ring blew out beside him, and hazed the air.
"And who am I fighting? Crimsonmon?" Benjamon asked, looking at the colorful Digimon.
"That's right, kid..." a harsh voice grated as a large red hand with long, claw-like fingernails suddenly grabbed Benjamon's shoulder and spun him around.
Crimsonmon was the color of fresh blood, with bat-like wings and a foul countenance. The head had short horns, like a demon, and the eyes were dark and sunken beneath a heavy, overset brow. Two nostrils served as a nose, just above a horribly toothy mouth with long, pointed canines (fangs) and a forked tongue. The neck was thick, too large for Benjamon to strangle, and the torso looked like it had been carved from stone. Chiseled, that is. Broad, bulging pectorals and seriously ripped arms made the scarlet Digimon look like a refugee from a body building contest, except for the fact that he had no legs, only seemed to float atop a smoky haze. Add this to the fact that what could be seen of Crimsonmon was over ten feet tall, and the overall effect was rather grotesque.
/*
Digimon Analyzer (Beta version 2.3.0.4)
Crimsonmon
Type: Data
Level: Champion
A genie of the earth, Crimsonmon keeps his guard up and is tough as stone.
Attacks:
Stone Gaze: Effect unknown. Non-fatal program.
Magic Wall: Defensive maneuver that generates a barrier around Crimsonmon to shield against attack.
*/
Peacemon spoke. "You both read the rules, mon?"
"Yes." Benjamon and Crimsonmon answered.
"Then get out there and DO it, mon!"
Benjamon trudged, and Crimsonmon floated, out across the sand to the center of the coliseum. Cameramon flew out and hovered around them as the two Digimon turned to face each other.
"AND BEGIN!" Peacemon roared over the loudspeakers.
Benjamon bowed quickly then leapt back as Crimsonmon's great red hand swept through the air that Benjamon's head had so recently occupied.
"You sure don't go for posturing, do you?" Benjamon asked, readying his attack. "CHAAAAIN BLASTER!"
Balls of light emerged from Benjamon's hands in rapid succession, zooming towards the hulking Crimsonmon.
"MAGIC WALL!" Crimsonmon bellowed, and a translucent, red-tinged barrier sprung up around him, absorbing the spheres of light. The red Digimon chuckled. "Is that your best attack? If so, You're DOOMED!" Crimsonmon laughed again...
"I can do slightly better, yes..." Benjamon replied, shifting his hand guards into the gauntlets.
"Huh? What nice little toys."
Benjamon charged at the demon Digimon, swiping the chrome Digizoid blades across the wall of Crimsonmon's creation. Sparks flew as the sharp edges bit into Crimsonmon's Magic Wall, but nothing else happened.
"BWA HA HA HA!" Crimsonmon chortled. "This is too rich! STONE GAZE!" a gray beam shot from Crimsonmon's eyes, striking Benjamon in the chest.
Falling back slightly, Benjamon didn't feel any worse for wear. "What the hell was that?" he asked,
"I... I... I can't move!" Benjamon cried, watching helplessly as his body stopped responding.
"That's the effect of my Stone Gaze. It causes instant paralysis, and gives me a MAJOR advantage over ANY opponent." Crimsonmon grinned widely, revealing his rows of stained, jagged teeth.
Over the loud speaker, Peacemon begins to count....
"One."
Benjamon groaned, trying to move.
"Two."
"Three."
"Four."
Crimsonmon laughed, loud and deep... "You're finished, kid, go home and clean your glasses, maybe you'll see just how WEAK you are!"
"Five."
Benjamon gritted his teeth, seething with anger for letting himself be defeated so easily.
"Six."
"No! Not yet! I have to...win!" Benjamon grunted, sweat pouring out of his brow with the efforts of trying to move against the stone gaze attack.
"Seven."
In Benjamon's pocket, his Digivice started to shine.
"Eight."
Light burst forth, suffusing Benjamon's body with its glow.
"Nine."
"Benjamon, Digivolve to...(( PSISAUROMON!))
Pandemonium broke out in the stands as Peacemon stopped the count. "Groovy, Mon!" he exclaimed, then went back to watching and smoking.
Back in the arena, Psisauromon faced off against Crimsonmon, Psisauromon's green scales and yellow fires in direct contrast to Crimsonmon's red body and smoky haze.
Cameramon whirled into position as fast as their little spheroid bodies could take them, zooming in on the combatants.
Psisauromon's gold eye glared fiercely from behind the chrome Digizoid mesh protecting his eye. His faceplate shone with the reflection of the solar flames that enshrouded his head, the green scales on the left side of his face uncovered, surrounding the eye that was abyss; no matter how brightly Psisauromon shone, the triangular eye absorbed all light that touched it. The symbols of his crests, Compassion, Honor, and Justice, the code of a true warrior, were engraved across the armor covering the mute mouth. Psisauromon took a fighting stance, drawing on his recording of Tai kwon do. Feet spread apart, planted firmly on the swiftly heating sand, burned hotly. Hands clenched into burning fists the size of Christmas hams, green knuckles even, lined up with the waistline of his beige trousers, belted tightly at the waist with a length of black rope.
"You got lucky." Crimsonmon sneered, glaring at the Champion Digimon. "STONE GAZE!" The incapacitating gray beams shot out of Crimsonmon's sunken eyes, and struck Psisauromon's massive leg.
((Oh, no! I've been hit again? What SHALL I do?)) Psisauromon's thoughts were heard by Crimsonmon, Peacemon, and all the spectators, as Psisauromon reached down with his flaming hands and appeared to struggle mightily with the tan-panted leg that had been 'paralyzed'.
"You SHOULD realize that you can't win against a Digimon with the power to stop you in your tracks!" Crimsonmon flapped his bat wings and lifted off the ground as he circled Psisauromon to attack from behind.
Psisauromon's blank eye turned white, the flames of his head, hands and feet flared up, breaking the hold of Crimsonmon's Stone Gaze.
"SCARLET Hrrrk!" Crimsonmon gagged as Psisauromon pivoted on one foot, spinning around to deliver a kick sheathed in solar fire to the throat of the red demon with such force that the horrendous ruby genie was hurled straight into the wall of the stadium.
As the Cameramon rushed to get close to the action, Peacemon leaned back in the broadcasting room, grinning at the turn-about. "The customers are gettin' their money's worth today!" he thought happily, puffing on the ever-present joint. "Not that I accept money anymore, that stuff's a bad trip..."
Back in the arena...
Psisauromon rushed at the dazed Crimsonmon, thick, clawed toes digging into the sand as Psisauromon dropped his head, letting the skull wrapping Chrome Digizoid faceplate take the brunt of the blow the charge would deliver.
"MAGIC WALL!" roared Crimsonmon, massaging his throat with surprising delicacy. The barrier spiraled up around him just moments before Psisauromon hit.
CLANG! Rang Psisauromon's faceplate as he bounced headfirst off Crimsonmon's red partition, the redirection of force knocking the twelve foot Digimon off his feet, as he held his head in his burning hands....
((Ow!)) The entire stadium got a headache as the feeling of pain was accidentally passed around with Psisauromon's thought.
"Ah, well... Beating your head against a wall is such a futile exercise, Psisauromon. And I should know." The scarlet Digimon smiled an evil smile as he dropped his barrier.
((Yes, you SHOULD know!)) ((PSI SHIELD!))
Psisauromon's voided eye became the source of a dazzling white beam that raced in a straight line in front of Crimsonmon's smoggy body.
A wall of ivory fire leapt up between the combatants, solidified, and shot toward Crimsonmon, lifting off the ground and pasting the dark red Digimon right between the eyes, driving him headlong into the stone wall.
Crimsonmon slid off with a squeak, and lay on the sands.
Peacemon began the count again.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Four!"
"Five!"
"Six!"
"Seven!"
"Eight!"
"Nine!"
"TEN!"
The crowd of spectator Digimon erupted into a noise so loud that it made a cheer from sold out Bronx Stadium sound like a kitten's fart.
Psisauromon hefted Crimsonmon on his shoulder, and carried him off to the arena entrance, lifting the Digimon easily, even though Crimsonmon and he were of similar build in height and musculature.
"Out of this Digi-world, mon!" Peacemon crowed. "They'll be talking about this for years, mon! YEARS!"
((When's my next match?)) Psisauromon asked, his flames illuminating the dim room into a study of shifting light and shadow as Psisauromon moved his hands and feet.
"Tomorrow, mon. You go get some rest, I don't want any fighters too tired to fight! Screws the whole thing up, mon, in a majorly uncool way!" Peacemon responded, toking up.
((I was hoping for something sooner.))
Psisauromon set Crimsonmon down gently.
"Like when, Mon?"
((Like now.))
The Contest, Part Two:
Plasma Burn
Scene: Again in the underground coliseum, Psisauromon faces off against Digimon Competitors in his desire to become stronger, and aid the Digi-Destined in their fight to defeat the Dark Masters.
"BEGIN!" Peacemon shouted, and the spectators cheered as the battle began. Two champions stood in the middle of the ring, Psisauromon and Multimon.
Multimon looked an elf from Santa's workshop gone Goth, a thin, pale face with blue pinhole eyes, a long, upward curving nose, black lips and brown teeth. Pointed ears framed a gray bobble hat placed rakishly on his head, and the rest of Multimon did not look thin and emaciated at all. He was almost completely spherical from neck to legs; his arms, legs, and head poked out as if they had been added as an afterthought to a black and white striped beach ball.
/*
Digimon Analyzer (Beta Version 2.3.0.4)
Multimon
Type: Virus
Level: Champion
Eccentric and unpredictable, Multimon possesses a high level of knowledge about battle stratagem. Reasons unknown. Body is highly malleable, like soft latex with high elasticity constant.
Attacks:
Bouncing Bomb: Explosive attack utilizing own body.
Multi ****** PROGRAM ERROR******
Please report this error to your local Digitech representative.
*/
((After you.)) Psisauromon thought, bowing to his opponent.
"OoooooOO! Such a gentlemon!" cackled the elf, who barely came up to Psisauromon's waist. "But since you insist! BOUNCING BOMB!"
The scary little Digimon pulled his appendages into his torso like a turtle into its shell, and began to hop up and down, an exaggerated BOING happening each time the ball bounced.
Psisauromon watched, his eyes wide in incredulous disbelief at the display of the odd Digimon, now bounding more than fifty feet into the air with each loud BOING.
Suddenly, Multimon shot towards Psisauromon, who barely had time to throw himself to the ground as the black and white ball spun by so fast it appeared gray. The sphere kicked up the sandy floor into a large local sandstorm as it grabbed the turf for traction and finally zoomed off.
Psisauromon picked himself up, and searched for the twisted little gnome. In the sand cloud, he couldn't see anything, but he felt, several times, the presence of another Digimon rolling by. The sand floating around him turned a bright red as it passed through his flames, illuminating the path already walked in a shower of light similar to the bioluminescence of disturbed plankton lighting the wake of a passing ship.
Then, two things happened at once. First, Psisauromon stepped out of the sandstorm, and second, a fast moving gray ball hit him in the back and exploded.
Psisauromon was hurled twenty feet into the air by the force of the blast, and the air knocked out of him by the concussion wave that followed. He stood up, breathing deeply through his mask as he struggled to regain his composure.
"He! He! He! He!" squeaked Multimon, his head and arms extended, still bouncing along.
((Just for that, sprite, I'll PIXILATE you!))
Psisauromon rushed forward and caught Multimon's arm in a vice grip, the little black arm smoking as the hot flames of Psisauromon's hand scorched anywhere they touched. Bringing the pale Digimon back over his head, Psisauromon wound up and swung the elf underhand, hurling it straight up.
((Okay, bouncy. Let's see how elastic you really are...)) Psisauromon laughed, a hissing noise emerging from the vent holes in his mask.
The burned Multimon pulled in his arm, crunching up for impact.
With a strong right hook to the center of the falling black and white Digimon, Psisauromon send Multimon sailing across the arena sands.
"BOUNCING BOMB!" a muffled voice cried, and the ball sped up, whirling to gray again as Multimon rebounded off the wall and headed for Psisauromon
Psisauromon leapt into the air, somersaulting and coming down fist first on the top of the ball, pushing Multimon into the sand.
Multimon exploded, blowing a large crater in the ground while Psisauromon, ever the fast learner, had bounced off Multimon's springy body to safety twenty feet away.
"Oooooo! That's not nice!" Multimon exclaimed in an excessively falsetto, reedy voice as he pulled himself back together, smoke still pouring out from the holes in his torso. His dot-like blue eyes stretched into horizontal indigo lines across the pale whiteness of his face. "No matter! You won't survive this!"
((I'm tired of you.)) Psisauromon cracked his massive green knuckles, walking towards the slightly burned black ball, taking his time now that he knew what to expect from the psychotic little elfin Digimon.
"MULTIMON MULTIPLY!" Multimon pirouetted rapidly on one foot, spinning so fast that his body began to distort, flattening out into a wide ebony disk.
((What?)) Psisauromon stopped in his tracks ten feet from the twirling figure, unsure of what to do. Having no other ideas, Psisauromon got ready to jump in case the Digimon decided to attack in some strange way.
A high pitched whistle began from the rapidly rotating disk, and then, Multimon snapped. Literally. With a ripping, rending noise, the now plate-like Multimon separated into sixteen fragments that shot off at right angles to the direction of the rotation, landing in a perfect circle, in complete accordance with the laws of physics.
((Multimon killed himself?)) Psisauromon broadcast to the minds of the spectators. Walking over to one of the pieces, Psisauromon knelt down, looking at the jet-black remains of Multimon. ((But he's not dissolving into data...))
A sudden, violent impact threw the reptilian Digimon head over tail, and he found himself gazing upward into the blue dots of Multimon's eyes, hearing faint hissings and pops from all around him. Soon, he was staring in disbelief at a ring of blue dots, white faces, and gray bobble hats as Peacemon began to count.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Come on, get up!" the sixteen Multimon said simultaneously, reminding Psisauromon of the first time Benjamon had heard true surround sound.
"Three!"
Thirty-two little hands grabbed onto Psisauromon, and lifted him to his feet.
"Fo... What's going down out there?"
Psisauromon looked down at the gray bobble hats and white faces, shuddering. ((Why?)) he thought, eyes wide in surprise.
"Because you let us go first! He he he he!" the sixteen little mimes cackled. "Now, start running, ya great lummox!"
((What??))
"BOUNCING BOMB!" all the Multimon cried, pulling in their appendages and careening off each other as they collided with each other with increasing frequency and force.
Psisauromon gulped, looked for an opening, and jumped as far as he could from the berserk gray balls, and ran.
As one, the Multimon changed course, and rolled off after Psisauromon in a phalanx square, a cloud of dust boiling up after the formation.
Psisauromon dashed to the wall, and turned, squatting down into the smallest space possible.
((PSI SHIELD!))
The white barrier appeared in front of him, then as Psisauromon's empty eye turned white, wrapped around him to the wall, becoming thicker as Psisauromon continued to sculpt the psychic wall.
The Multimon separated into groups of four, one group rolling to the right, one group rolling to the left, and the final two groups moving side by side, forming a large rectangle, then moving into a semi-circle.
Psisauromon held the barrier, losing energy, as he waited for the attack, planning how he could defeat all the Multimon at once.
Fed up with waiting, the gray spinning balls spun and rolled at the shielded Psisauromon, one at a time. They hit; they exploded violently, bouncing back to their original position in the semi-circle.
Straining to keep the psychic shield up against the onslaught of exploding Multimon, Psisauromon noted the position of each blast...((EUREKA!))
Just as the final Bouncing Bomb attack hit, Multimon began to pull themselves back together. Psisauromon's wall vanished and he stood up, the solar flames on his hands, feet, and head raging upwards, higher than the edge of the wall, singing the eyebrows off several Digimon Spectators who had leaned out to watch.
Psisauromon's eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the recovering Multimon with sullen fury. Placing the palms of his large, scaly hands together, Psisauromon tensed up, the fires of his hands joining and forming a column of hot plasma that reached the roof of the coliseum, then doubled back, becoming wider, surrounding Psisauromon in a pillar of flame.
The spectators began to faint as the temperature rose higher and higher, wilting in their seats as the solar inferno heated the air far beyond the capacity of the cooling systems to compensate. Fuses blew and the lights shorted out as the maelstrom continued unabated.
((CORONA FLARE!))
Psisauromon flung his arms wide, the tower of fire condensing into an incandescent wave that arched between his hands, moving outwards and expanding like a ripple in a pond as it raced towards the sixteen Multimon.
The edge of the arc hit all sixteen at the same time. The copies shrieked briefly, then were rendered silent as the superheated flare burned them to a crisp. Only the original survived; its face was no longer pale, but a golden brown, not unlike a well-toasted marshmallow. The rotund shape deflated into a floppy discus with a bobble hat and pointed shoes upturned at the toe.
The wave of fire disappeared, and the entire arena was pitch black, except for the area of glowing sand, and the circle of light Psisauromon gave off as he stood, shaking his head at his fallen opponent.
((Sorry about the mess, Peacemon.)) Psisauromon apologized later.
"Mon, I am USUALLY a mellow fellow, but... MON! If you do anything like that again, you are out! Ya dig?" Peacemon grunted, blowing a large smoke ring.
((I understand... I mean, I dig.))
Peacemon smiled suddenly. "Hey, don't let me get you down, mon! In two fights, you've become the new favorite for the really groovy cats in the stands!"
Psisauromon blinked, confused. ((Come again?))
Peacemon puffed a joint, and pulled out a piece of paper from a desk drawer, the long, jagged leaves of his fronds acting as perfect fingers. Tracing down the list of names and odds, Peacemon pointed to a particular entry and smiled, the wild coloration of his body shifting hypnotically. "See, mon? The lookers think you are hot!"
Psisauromon looked to where Peacemon's leaf pointed, and read. ((Psisauromon vs. Greymon. 2:1 on Psisauromon. Not bad.))
The owner of the coliseum rocked back in his chair and smiled. "But remember, mon. If you trash my pad again..." Peacemon left the threat hanging in the air.
Psisauromon nodded once and left the office, heading back to the arena.
The Contest, Part Three:
Farewell to the Arena.
Scene: Once again on the sands of the coliseum, Benjamon has managed to stay Digivolved as the Champion Psisauromon for over a day, and beaten two powerful opponents: Crimsonmon and Multimon. Psisauromon's skills and style have taken him to the top of the favored in the betting of the spectators, and he is favored two to one in the next match... Against a Greymon.
Psisauromon walked out onto the sand rendered into silicate glass by the Corona Flare attack Psisauromon used to defeat Multimon and all his copies. He wondered how the Digi-Destined were faring against the Dark Masters, and how soon it would be before he could rejoin them... Walking, distracted by thoughts, Psisauromon walked past the center of the arena and would have made it to the other side had a huge shadow not crossed his path.
"Where do you think you're going?" the Greymon growled through pointed teeth, "I came here to fight, not be ignored!"
Psisauromon silently thought of a rude retort, but did not transmit it. He was in trouble enough for damaging the arena in his previous battle, and didn't want to get kicked out before he could mop the floor with at least one more opponent. He looked up at his opponent, to see exactly what he was up against.
The classic shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the massive jaws, legs, and tail, only in orange with blue stripes and tiny, ineffectual arms. A deep, jagged scar ran from the left side of the neck to the inside of the right leg, thick tissue surrounding the old wound covering over the actual gash. The metal helmet covering the top half of his head was scratched and dented; it appeared to have been sandblasted several times. The horns on the helmet were nastily serrated, and covered in the blackish crimson of dried blood.
Psisauromon found all of this odd because programs do not bleed, or scar, for that matter, and began to wonder how the wonderfully ugly effect was achieved. He barely came up to the Greymon's ankle (remember, with dinosaurs, dogs, cats, etc., the part we consider the foot is really the toes, and the backwards knee is really the ankle), and did not feel threatened at all by this Digimon, having seen how Tai and Greymon had only been effective because the enemies hadn't tried physical attacks, only attribute attacks.
The Greymon got nervous as Psisauromon stared at him; the combined effect of the golden, vertically slitted eye behind silver mesh and the perfect blackness of the triangular empty eye disconcerted the Greymon, who began to fidget. "What are you doing, you fool!" he roared, stepping back.
Psisauromon shrugged. He wasn't going to waste any extra energy on this clown. The green, scaly, reptilian humanoid bowed to the Greymon, just so he wouldn't have to risk getting hit by anything the Greymon might try after the battle began.
"READY, MON? BEGIN!" Peacemon announced over the P.A., and the assembled Digimon cheered, some of them with large fans to keep themselves somewhat cool if Psisauromon turned up the heat again.
"NOVA BLAST!" roared the Greymon, expectorating a fireball the size of a semi-truck.
Psisauromon took a running leap toward the incoming inferno, landed about five feet from the front of the fire, jumped again, revolving in the air to land on the flaming flanges of his large green hands just behind the rear edge of the Nova Blast. Pushing off with the full force of his solidly muscled arms, Psisauromon began a rapid series of forward flips towards the orange Digimon, who was preparing to attack again.
"NOVA BLAST!" the Greymon bellowed again, but before he could spit, Psisauromon's acrobatics carried him under the giant maw of the fiery Digimon, and with a massive shove, launched himself feet-first at the large mandible. A well-delivered kick slammed the jaw shut just as the blast was about to pass the jagged teeth of the Greymon.
The ensuing explosion was horrendous.
After the ringing in his ears had ceased, Psisauromon's thoughts had cleared enough to where he could see that the Greymon would have blown its skull to digital shrapnel if it weren't for the restraining force of the helmet. The large Digimon was out cold, twitching spastically on the glassy surface of the coliseum, the scorch marks surrounding its mouth adding a new color to the carrot and indigo hues that were the standard for Greymon.
"In a really quick match, the winner is... PSISAUROMON!" Peacemon announced from the booth.
You will be needed soon. Be ready.
((What?)) Psisauromon looked around, and put his blazing hand on his burning head... ((No fever.)) A sibilant hiss of a laugh, reminiscent of puffs of escaping steam, emerged from the slits of the nostril holes. ((As if I could tell, with my hand and head ablaze.))
((Peacemon, I can only stay a little longer. Maybe less than a day.)) Psisauromon thought apologetically to the colorful swirl and black hair of the stadium's owner.
Peacemon choked mid-puff, and his entrancing green eyes went wide in surprise. "Mon! Why?" he sputtered, "The cats are comin' in from all over to see you, Mon! You built up popularity faster than I blow smoke, and you want to leave?!"
((Not want to leave. Have to leave. The creators are calling me; the Digi-Destined need assistance.))
Peacemon rasped and hacked for a few moments longer. "Do you have time for one more fight?" he croaked.
((I thin...)) Psisauromon began.
He does not, Peacemon. He is needed elsewhere.
"Did you say that, mon?" Peacemon asked quietly, nervously twirling a lock of his lustrous ebony hair around a leafy finger of one of his marijuana leaf-like hands.
((No. I must be needed soon, if they talked to you.))
Peacemon sighed, accepting the sudden change of plans. "All right, Mon," he said, back to the drawling, easy voice he had used the first time Benjamon met him, "I don't like to see a cool frood like you go, but looks like I have to. Get your stuff, and come back with your key."
Psisauromon nodded and left the office. Walking down the halls, he looked at all the uniform doors... Behind each was a Digimon with a strong fighting spirit and love of competition. A haven for warriors among Digimon... Psisauromon blinked a tear that disappeared in an instant under the unrelenting heat of the solar fire that surrounded his head. He opened the door to room 325, and willed the fires of his left hand out so he could pick up his backpack. Lifting the red carrier, Psisauromon left the stark room and locked the door.
((Your key, Peacemon. Thank you for letting me compete.)) The heated key melted the desk varnish under it as Psisauromon set it down.
"Hey, mon. It's groovy. Come back anytime you want. And don't forget my gift..."
((The flowers?))
"Right, Mon." Peacemon took a hit off his joint, and blew a huge smoke ring. "They are more than they are."
((What?)) Psisauromon thought, his mind distracted by the sudden glowing of the leftmost crest of his mask, which had begun to glow softly.
Psisauromon fell through a sudden swirl in the floor, and vanished.
It is time.
((I gathered.))
Are you ready?
((If I'm not, I'm probably deleted.))
Go, then.
"Oh, no! WARGREYMON!" Tai shouted as Metalseadramon dove under the waters of the cove, holding Wargreymon in his metal mouth.
"Is it just me, or did it get warmer?" Sora asked, watching the Mega Digimon fight.
"Ooooh! I'm boiling!" Tentomon exclaimed, opening his wing covers to cool his back.
((Am I late?)) Psisauromon asked, propping his backpack against a nearby tree. ((I was told the Digi-Destined needed help.))
"Psisauromon?" TK said, turning with Patamon resting on his hat.
((Who else do you know that raises the air temperature by several degrees just standing still?))
Mimi, sitting by Palmon, thought for a moment. "Oh! Meramon and Skullmeramon!" she exclaimed brightly, a wide smile and closed eyes making her unbearably cute.
"Mimi, he meant that as a rhetorical question." Joe sighed, shaking his head. Mimi's lower lip trembled, and her eyes began to tear...
((Oh, glitch!)) Psisauromon swore, turning to Izzy. ((What's going on?))
"Well, Metalseadramon just blasted Whamon, and now he's fighting Wargreymon... However, Wargreymon is weak underwater."
((All right. I knew I could count on you.)) Psisauromon looked over at Joe, who was trying to comfort Mimi.
"So, you've come back." Said a chilly voice behind the furnace of Psisauromon.
Psisauromon sighed softly. ((Can it, Matt. Looks like I've got a bigger fish to fry than you right now.)) ((PSI SHIELD!))
While Matt sputtered in frustration, Psisauromon's barrier appeared, and then fell to lie flat on the ground. Psisauromon stepped on, and the shield lifted from the ground, carrying him into the sky.
"The nerve of that Jerk!" Matt fumed, glowering at the rising light.
From atop the shield, Psisauromon searched the waters of the bay. A small line of bubbles in the middle of the water started to grow larger, and Psisauromon swooped down toward the trail.
The ocean surged outwards as Metalseadramon burst forth, still carrying Wargreymon in his teeth. The giant serpent laughed coarsely, almost braying. "Haw, Haw, Haw! How'd you like that?" he roared, water cascading off his metal body.
((Look away from me, Everyone!)) Psisauromon ordered, touching his right hand to his extinguished left, making it burn brightly once more.
"What?" Tai called.
((CORONA FLARE!)) Psisauromon cried, his fires leaping higher, burning hotter, and getting brighter. No distance attack occurred as the blaze enveloped him, forming into a ball of disassociated nuclei and electrons, a solar furnace, a small sun. Around him, the air wavered and churned, then began to rush upwards as the temperature of Psisauromon's sheath superheated the surroundings.
"Don't look, TK!" Matt ordered.
"But I want to watch!" TK complained petulantly.
"Look, and it's the last thing you'll ever see!" Matt retorted, spinning his brother around, away from the incandescent fireball.
"He's right, you could go blind!" Kari exclaimed, hiding behind a tree with Gatomon.
Joe held Mimi close, keeping her head turned away from Psisauromon. Mimi, in an unprecedented show of common sense, removed her large pink hat and held it up over both of them to filter out the light.
Tai pulled down his tinted goggles, but the light still tried to burn his retinas to a crisp, forcing the energetic leader to likewise keep his eyes away.
The Digimon had turned away from Psisauromon the instant he had ordered them to do so, and were sweating out the duration of the light as best they could.
"What in the Digi-world is that?" Metalseadramon roared as his silhouette was brilliantly painted across the landscape as Psisauromon drew closer and closer.
((I do believe the saying goes: The cavalry has arrived.)) Psisauromon thought, intentionally giving a sense of direction to his thoughts.
"What?" Metalseadramon snarled, spinning around to look. "YEEEAAAARRRGH!" the giant water wyrm screamed as he gazed directly into the maelstrom of the Corona Flare. "My eyes!"
((So stupid... Almost pathetic, falling for that one.)) Psisauromon taunted, leaping onto the broad metal back of Metalseadramon.
Metalseadramon screamed and writhed as the inferno heated him to tens of thousands of degrees within moments. His mouth opened wide as his metal mane melted into drops of solder that fell into the ocean below, creating huge clouds of steam. Wargreymon flew out of Metalseadramon's jaws, and shielded his eyes against the blinding white light. "What is that?!" Wargreymon said in his guttural voice.
((Just Psisauromon, back and burning for a good fight.)) Hanging on to the searing armor of the tortured Mega, Psisauromon addressed the Digi-Destined again. ((Level doesn't always matter, when a champion can blind and use physics instead of special attacks all the time. Right, Moltensquealdroneon?))
Metalseadramon curled and straightened, like a worm under a magnifying glass. He wailed constantly with pain, unable to even think of the most basic response to dive into the water.
((GET HIM, WARGREYMON!)) Psisauromon stopped the Corona Flare, jumping back to the shield, descending as quickly as possible.
"All Right!" Wargreymon grinned under his helmet, as the blinding light stopped. "TERRA FORCE!"
Stiffening his body, claws of the Dramon Destroyers pointed to the sky, Wargreymon spun like a dervish and dove into Metalseadramon's gaping mouth, slicing his way through the unprotected inside of the large beast, swiftly drilling through, and bursting out of the former Dark Master's tail.
Metalseadramon exploded into a flow of black data particles, and blew away. Wargreymon, energy spent, turned back into a very dizzy Koromon, which Psisauromon caught and brought back to the Digi-Destined.
After stepping off the shield, Psisauromon glowed subtly, and changed back into Benjamon, having stayed in champion form for more than two day cycles of the Digi-world. "Okay, it's over!" he called to the Digi-Destined, who all began to turn around, with the exception of Mimi and Joe, still behind her sun hat.
"Koromon! Are you all right?" Tai asked, holding the funky little pink head in his arms.
Izzy tapped at the keyboard of his computer. "Do you know how much energy you just used?" he asked Benjamon, who was yawning widely.
"No." Benjamon replied, looking tiredly over at the computer genius.
"Given the heat I felt and the intensity of the light falling just on me, I can approximate the energy emitted by using the surface area of the interior of a sphere, multiplying by the area that I occupied during the event," Izzy's fingers sped across the keys, integrating functions. "Then finding the change in temperature as sigma approaches zero..." He now took a limit, using Simpson's rule, "And at contact, you were giving off enough energy to maintain a fusion reaction for six months or power all of Japan for a year!"
Sora looked incredibly puzzled. "Joe, could you tell us what that means?... Joe? ...JOE!" she shouted, striding over and snatching the sun hat from Mimi's hands.
Joe blushed a deep crimson as he felt everyone's eyes on him. He fell backwards, Mimi's hair falling from between his fingers, and his glasses steamed. "I...I...Uh..." he stammered.
Mimi giggled, and blew him a kiss, making him blush all the harder.
Wider eyes were never seen as the Digi-Destined and Digimon stared at Mimi and Joe. Except for Benjamon, who had fallen on the ground and was laughing hysterically, rolling and clutching at his stomach.
"Joe?" Gomamon squeaked.
"Huh?" Joe answered.
"Could you get off me, NOW!!" The little seal with an orange Mohawk shouted.
Benjamon laughed all the harder, tears in his eyes.
The awkward moment continued on, and on, and on, broken only by Benjamon's manic bursts of laughter and gasping for breath.
"Never mind, Joe..." Sora said quietly, handing Mimi her hat.
A sudden rushing, sloshing noise finally broke the moment. The Digi-Destined rushed to the shore, and saw the water that twisted up Spiral Mountain flow down.
"What's happening?" Kari asked.
"With the defeat of Metalseadramon, his domain, namely the oceans and major rivers of the Digi-world are recompiling."
Tai smiled, and prepared to make a dramatic statement. "Well, this can only mean one thing!"
"What's that?" Matt asked, watching the water spiral down.
"That this is the last chance..." whatever he said was drowned out by a fresh fit of laughter from Benjamon, who fall to his knees, chortling madly.
"Look, would you shut up, already?" Tai grumped.
That's it for the coliseum, now, onto Puppetmon!
Next time, "I Wooden do that, If I were you!" or, "No strings attached... Yet." Or something else in the way of a pun.
Peacemon, the ever-groovy owner of the Digimon arena, is the creation of Cutiemon.
I'd like to thank Several People on the Digimon Message Board of AnimeHQ, specifically:
Cutiemon, who suggested Peacemon;
King-a-da-Dragons, for the excellent competitor Crimsonmon;
And the administrator Dobermon for... Dobermon!
Send your suggestions to:
Drowzee1@hotmail.com.