Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 2
Part 3
by Christian "Sid" Lang
Ruki knows that fighting Digimon is a risky business.
The attack of a Digimon could easily kill a human.
Even the weaker ones.
But Renamon's Fox Leaf Arrowheads are an instant killer attack.
The attack can tear apart a Champion Digimon.
A human body won't even slow down the projectiles.
The shards start moing. Ruki knows that it's over.
Killed by my own partner. How ironic.
Then, just as the projectiles accelerate, the world suddenly moves sideways.
Ruki hits the floor and curses.
Then she notices Gatomon lying next to her.
She threw me out of the way! Ruki realizes.
Then she notices the wall behind her former position.
Kari gasps as she examines the wall Ruki had leaned against.
The glowing projectiles are already gone.
But the holes in the wall are still there.
What was that? she asks herself.
She counts almost two dozen holes, each hole the size of her fist.
"Tai. You told me she was just a Rookie." Agumon whispers.
WHAT WAS THAT?
She looks at her three-fingered paw.
It's trembling wildly.
"What have I become?" she whispers, sinking onto her knees.
Curling up instinctivly, she doesn't care about behaving like an animal anymore.
She simply wants to die. There is no chance she could ever become a human again.
If you have ever been one. the voice of doubt adds.
She cries into her arms, realizing how mad this whole situation is.
"Has that been her attack?" Gatomon whispers.
"Haven't you seen it before?" Ruki asks back.
Then Ruki realizes that Renamon had indeed never used her attack here.
"I didn't even know she is capable of this."
"Oh. You haven't seen anything yet." Ruki mutters.
Then she approaches her curled-up partner.
"Yolei." he says, tipping the sleeping girl's shoulder.
"Oh Ken."
"No, not Ken. Hawkmon."
"Oh Ken."
"Yeah. Ken." Hawkmon sighs.
"I love you Ken."
"But I love Kari."
"WHAT?" Yolei shouts, her eyes opening instantly.
"Sorry to wake you this way, but-"
Hawkmon gasps when he feels Yolei's hands at his neck.
The grip reminds him of the jaws of a very large predator.
"HOW DARE YOU!" the DigiDestined yells.
Saving his breath, Hawkmon points at the living room.
Still cursing her Digimon under her breath, Yolei enters the living room-
-and sees the TV report.
"Oh crap." Hawkmon hears her mutter.
Minutes later, she enters her room again.
"We'll depart in a minute. Just lemme change my clothes." she mutters.
"Yolei, shouldn't we wait? Give them space?"
"We'll depart in a minute." Yolei repeats, giving Hawkmon a stare.
"Yeah?" Veemon answers the phone.
Hawk here.
"What's up?"
Yolei just decided to visit them right now. Hawkmon sighs.
"Yeah, I bet Davis will get that idea soon, too."
"Veemon! I've got an idea!" Davis suddenly shouts.
"See what I mean?"
Yeah. We'll meet you there.
"Wait a sec. How're you getting there?"
I bet we'll use Armor Airlines. Hawkmon sighs.
Veemon chuckles.
"Makes sense. See ya!"
"Yolei, look! Over there." Halsemon says.
The Armor Digimon is silently gliding over the rooftops.
"T.K. and Pegasusmon. Big surprise there." Yolei answers.
"And down there." Halsemon adds.
Yolei looks down and sees Davis riding on Raidramon.
"Almost looks like a small-scale invasion to me."
"Let's just hope they don't see it like this." Halsemon mutters.
Ruki is stroking Renamon's fur.
It had taken long minutes until Renamon had allowed her to do so.
She frowns when she sees that her arm is still bleeding a little.
Renamon had scratched her the first time she tried it.
Ruki would never forget the haunted look in her partner's eyes.
I'm no doctor, but this must be a mix of amnesia and paranoia.
She sighs. The feeling of helplessness disturbs her.
A sudden noise on the balcony makes Renamon jump.
Ruki curses silently. It had taken her long enough to calm the poor Digimon down.
Kari hurries towards the balcony door and yanks it open.
"Yolei?" she mutters is surprise.
"T.K. is on his way, too. And Davis is waiting at the door."
Ruki notices Renamon's body shiver.
The Digimon is staring at the balcony, as if expecting an attacker.
Although she is still curled up, Ruki can tell that she is ready to leap away instantly.
"Shhhhh. Those are friends." Ruki whispers, stroking the fox's fur lightly.
"Your friends or my friends?" the scares Digimon hisses.
"Our friends." Ruki assures her.
Yolei and Hawkmon now enter the living room.
"Pah. Another pet." Renamon mutters when she sees Hawkmon.
Ruki bites her lower lip.
The newcomers see Ruki and want to come closer instantly.
"Don't!" Ruki hisses, holding up her hand.
"What is it?" Yolei asks, obviously sensing that something is wrong.
"I'll be right back. Okay?" Ruki whispers.
Renamon just stares at Yolei and Hawkmon.
Ruki sighs and stands up to tell them what has happened.
Renamon is-
NO. I am NOT Renamon. That doesn't even sound like a real name!
She knows she needs an identity. Without it, she is nobody.
But Renamon sounds so... wrong.
What about... Rena? she suggests to herself.
While this is not the most original suggestion, it at least sounds like a name.
Rena.
Rena is unsure who to trust.
This girl - Ruki? She told her name once. Hm. - has been nice so far.
But she could have been paid to be nice.
I have to find it out myself. But how? Rena asks herself.
The humans and their pets are talking to each other.
I won't find any answers while I'm trapped in here.
Then Rena notices the open balcony door.
It's not too far away. And once outside, she would run.
Rena looks down at her legs. They look strong enough for a good run.
The doorbell rings, making everybody's head turn.
NOW!
And Rena starts to run. With one powerful leap, she jumps out of the apartment-
- and notices for the first time that she has just jumped out of the fifth floor.
"Renamon?" Ruki asks and turns.
She has heard something. And it sounded just like Renamon's paws.
Ruki gasps when she sees her Digimon as it jumps right through the balcony door.
"NO!" she yells, but it's too late.
Acting on instinct, Ruki draws a card and her D-Arc.
She won't survive this fall in her condition!
"Card slash! White wings!" she yells as she slashes the card.
Renamon's fall becomes slower as her weight is now carried by a set of wings.
Still, the fox crash-lands on the street, having forgotten how to land properly.
To Ruki's surprise, the Digimon doesn't seem to care about that.
The golden fox simply dashes away.
Ruki sighs.
"We've got to follow her!" Yolei shouts.
"We can't afford to lose her trail!" Hawkmon adds.
But Ruki simply holds up her hand.
"You two have done enough already." she hisses.
She somehow doesn't feel like being nice to people anymore.
At this point T.K. and Patamon land on the balcony, too.
They are soon joined by Davis and Veemon.
"Ruki, what happened, are you all-"
"BACK OFF!" Ruki yells at the startled boys.
"What should we do?" Gatomon asks.
Ruki looks at the cat and frowns.
Kari's partner looks very sad. Small wonder, considering her feelings for Renamon.
"We'll follow her. But only to make sure nothing bad happens." Ruki tells them.
"No luck here. She's long gone." Hawkmon mutters, looking out of the window.
"Shut up, bird-brain." Ruki snaps, startling the Digimon.
Ruki signals Kari and Gatomon to follow her to the balcony.
"I could really use a lift." she tells them there.
Kari instantly nods and presents her DigiVice.
Seconds later, the two girls are riding on Nefertimon.
"Wait for us!" T.K. shouts, taking out his own DigiVice.
"Hold it!" Tai snaps.
He has stayed in the background so far.
But he has seen the look on Ruki's and Kari's face.
"Nobody follows them." Tai adds firmly.
Tai can see that T.K. is not pleased.
But finally the boy nods. Tai is reminded of the good old times.
He has been the leader of the DigiDestined. Then he has become something like a mentor.
Now he almost feels like the leader again.
"I'm getting too old for this." he mutters as he starts to explain what has happened.
Rena is running through the streets.
Finally she stops and leans against a wall, catching her breath.
That should be far enough. she decides.
When she can breathe normally again, she takes a look around.
Without even noticing it, she has stopped next to a kiosk.
The kiosk is basically a small hut on the sidewalk. Inside it, a man is watching TV.
Then the man turns to face her and frowns.
"Aren't you one of the Digimon who saved the kids?" he asks.
Digimon?
She can see that the TV is showing the report of the fire.
"Yeah. Why?" she asks, trying to sound calm.
"You're a hero! That's why I'm asking." the man answers with a chuckle.
Hero. I'm a hero?
Rena briefly wonders if this is a trap.
But even in her confused state of mind she realizes that this is not very likely.
So she carefully approaches the kiosk.
"That has been the bravest thing I've ever seen." he says, pointing at the TV.
"Thank you." Rena answers.
She looks at the magazines and newspapers.
"Here. You look exhausted." the man suddenly says.
He is presenting her a bottle of water.
"I... I'm sorry, but I don't have any money with-"
"Nonsense. You have done so much for all of us. Accept it as a small gift."
She smiles and takes the bottle.
Rena greedily drinks from it, feeling better already.
Just then, she sees another newspaper.
It looks a bit older than the others. And it's sealed behind a small window.
"You two really seem to be a nice pair." the man mutters when he sees her look.
The front page of the newspaper is a single large photo.
It shows her. And another... Digimon. Kissing. Passionately.
The blue Digimon is slightly smaller than she is, but she obviously didn't mind back then.
A nice pair...
"This may sound strange, but where can I find him?" she asks.
The man frowns, but smiles.
"Veemon's living with that Motomiya kid." he says.
Then he describes her the way.
Rena thanks the man for his help and starts to run.
Maybe her loved one would know how to help her.
As long as she didn't have to face those other humans.
Or this weird talking cat...
Part 3
by Christian "Sid" Lang
Ruki knows that fighting Digimon is a risky business.
The attack of a Digimon could easily kill a human.
Even the weaker ones.
But Renamon's Fox Leaf Arrowheads are an instant killer attack.
The attack can tear apart a Champion Digimon.
A human body won't even slow down the projectiles.
The shards start moing. Ruki knows that it's over.
Killed by my own partner. How ironic.
Then, just as the projectiles accelerate, the world suddenly moves sideways.
Ruki hits the floor and curses.
Then she notices Gatomon lying next to her.
She threw me out of the way! Ruki realizes.
Then she notices the wall behind her former position.
Kari gasps as she examines the wall Ruki had leaned against.
The glowing projectiles are already gone.
But the holes in the wall are still there.
What was that? she asks herself.
She counts almost two dozen holes, each hole the size of her fist.
"Tai. You told me she was just a Rookie." Agumon whispers.
WHAT WAS THAT?
She looks at her three-fingered paw.
It's trembling wildly.
"What have I become?" she whispers, sinking onto her knees.
Curling up instinctivly, she doesn't care about behaving like an animal anymore.
She simply wants to die. There is no chance she could ever become a human again.
If you have ever been one. the voice of doubt adds.
She cries into her arms, realizing how mad this whole situation is.
"Has that been her attack?" Gatomon whispers.
"Haven't you seen it before?" Ruki asks back.
Then Ruki realizes that Renamon had indeed never used her attack here.
"I didn't even know she is capable of this."
"Oh. You haven't seen anything yet." Ruki mutters.
Then she approaches her curled-up partner.
"Yolei." he says, tipping the sleeping girl's shoulder.
"Oh Ken."
"No, not Ken. Hawkmon."
"Oh Ken."
"Yeah. Ken." Hawkmon sighs.
"I love you Ken."
"But I love Kari."
"WHAT?" Yolei shouts, her eyes opening instantly.
"Sorry to wake you this way, but-"
Hawkmon gasps when he feels Yolei's hands at his neck.
The grip reminds him of the jaws of a very large predator.
"HOW DARE YOU!" the DigiDestined yells.
Saving his breath, Hawkmon points at the living room.
Still cursing her Digimon under her breath, Yolei enters the living room-
-and sees the TV report.
"Oh crap." Hawkmon hears her mutter.
Minutes later, she enters her room again.
"We'll depart in a minute. Just lemme change my clothes." she mutters.
"Yolei, shouldn't we wait? Give them space?"
"We'll depart in a minute." Yolei repeats, giving Hawkmon a stare.
"Yeah?" Veemon answers the phone.
Hawk here.
"What's up?"
Yolei just decided to visit them right now. Hawkmon sighs.
"Yeah, I bet Davis will get that idea soon, too."
"Veemon! I've got an idea!" Davis suddenly shouts.
"See what I mean?"
Yeah. We'll meet you there.
"Wait a sec. How're you getting there?"
I bet we'll use Armor Airlines. Hawkmon sighs.
Veemon chuckles.
"Makes sense. See ya!"
"Yolei, look! Over there." Halsemon says.
The Armor Digimon is silently gliding over the rooftops.
"T.K. and Pegasusmon. Big surprise there." Yolei answers.
"And down there." Halsemon adds.
Yolei looks down and sees Davis riding on Raidramon.
"Almost looks like a small-scale invasion to me."
"Let's just hope they don't see it like this." Halsemon mutters.
Ruki is stroking Renamon's fur.
It had taken long minutes until Renamon had allowed her to do so.
She frowns when she sees that her arm is still bleeding a little.
Renamon had scratched her the first time she tried it.
Ruki would never forget the haunted look in her partner's eyes.
I'm no doctor, but this must be a mix of amnesia and paranoia.
She sighs. The feeling of helplessness disturbs her.
A sudden noise on the balcony makes Renamon jump.
Ruki curses silently. It had taken her long enough to calm the poor Digimon down.
Kari hurries towards the balcony door and yanks it open.
"Yolei?" she mutters is surprise.
"T.K. is on his way, too. And Davis is waiting at the door."
Ruki notices Renamon's body shiver.
The Digimon is staring at the balcony, as if expecting an attacker.
Although she is still curled up, Ruki can tell that she is ready to leap away instantly.
"Shhhhh. Those are friends." Ruki whispers, stroking the fox's fur lightly.
"Your friends or my friends?" the scares Digimon hisses.
"Our friends." Ruki assures her.
Yolei and Hawkmon now enter the living room.
"Pah. Another pet." Renamon mutters when she sees Hawkmon.
Ruki bites her lower lip.
The newcomers see Ruki and want to come closer instantly.
"Don't!" Ruki hisses, holding up her hand.
"What is it?" Yolei asks, obviously sensing that something is wrong.
"I'll be right back. Okay?" Ruki whispers.
Renamon just stares at Yolei and Hawkmon.
Ruki sighs and stands up to tell them what has happened.
Renamon is-
NO. I am NOT Renamon. That doesn't even sound like a real name!
She knows she needs an identity. Without it, she is nobody.
But Renamon sounds so... wrong.
What about... Rena? she suggests to herself.
While this is not the most original suggestion, it at least sounds like a name.
Rena.
Rena is unsure who to trust.
This girl - Ruki? She told her name once. Hm. - has been nice so far.
But she could have been paid to be nice.
I have to find it out myself. But how? Rena asks herself.
The humans and their pets are talking to each other.
I won't find any answers while I'm trapped in here.
Then Rena notices the open balcony door.
It's not too far away. And once outside, she would run.
Rena looks down at her legs. They look strong enough for a good run.
The doorbell rings, making everybody's head turn.
NOW!
And Rena starts to run. With one powerful leap, she jumps out of the apartment-
- and notices for the first time that she has just jumped out of the fifth floor.
"Renamon?" Ruki asks and turns.
She has heard something. And it sounded just like Renamon's paws.
Ruki gasps when she sees her Digimon as it jumps right through the balcony door.
"NO!" she yells, but it's too late.
Acting on instinct, Ruki draws a card and her D-Arc.
She won't survive this fall in her condition!
"Card slash! White wings!" she yells as she slashes the card.
Renamon's fall becomes slower as her weight is now carried by a set of wings.
Still, the fox crash-lands on the street, having forgotten how to land properly.
To Ruki's surprise, the Digimon doesn't seem to care about that.
The golden fox simply dashes away.
Ruki sighs.
"We've got to follow her!" Yolei shouts.
"We can't afford to lose her trail!" Hawkmon adds.
But Ruki simply holds up her hand.
"You two have done enough already." she hisses.
She somehow doesn't feel like being nice to people anymore.
At this point T.K. and Patamon land on the balcony, too.
They are soon joined by Davis and Veemon.
"Ruki, what happened, are you all-"
"BACK OFF!" Ruki yells at the startled boys.
"What should we do?" Gatomon asks.
Ruki looks at the cat and frowns.
Kari's partner looks very sad. Small wonder, considering her feelings for Renamon.
"We'll follow her. But only to make sure nothing bad happens." Ruki tells them.
"No luck here. She's long gone." Hawkmon mutters, looking out of the window.
"Shut up, bird-brain." Ruki snaps, startling the Digimon.
Ruki signals Kari and Gatomon to follow her to the balcony.
"I could really use a lift." she tells them there.
Kari instantly nods and presents her DigiVice.
Seconds later, the two girls are riding on Nefertimon.
"Wait for us!" T.K. shouts, taking out his own DigiVice.
"Hold it!" Tai snaps.
He has stayed in the background so far.
But he has seen the look on Ruki's and Kari's face.
"Nobody follows them." Tai adds firmly.
Tai can see that T.K. is not pleased.
But finally the boy nods. Tai is reminded of the good old times.
He has been the leader of the DigiDestined. Then he has become something like a mentor.
Now he almost feels like the leader again.
"I'm getting too old for this." he mutters as he starts to explain what has happened.
Rena is running through the streets.
Finally she stops and leans against a wall, catching her breath.
That should be far enough. she decides.
When she can breathe normally again, she takes a look around.
Without even noticing it, she has stopped next to a kiosk.
The kiosk is basically a small hut on the sidewalk. Inside it, a man is watching TV.
Then the man turns to face her and frowns.
"Aren't you one of the Digimon who saved the kids?" he asks.
Digimon?
She can see that the TV is showing the report of the fire.
"Yeah. Why?" she asks, trying to sound calm.
"You're a hero! That's why I'm asking." the man answers with a chuckle.
Hero. I'm a hero?
Rena briefly wonders if this is a trap.
But even in her confused state of mind she realizes that this is not very likely.
So she carefully approaches the kiosk.
"That has been the bravest thing I've ever seen." he says, pointing at the TV.
"Thank you." Rena answers.
She looks at the magazines and newspapers.
"Here. You look exhausted." the man suddenly says.
He is presenting her a bottle of water.
"I... I'm sorry, but I don't have any money with-"
"Nonsense. You have done so much for all of us. Accept it as a small gift."
She smiles and takes the bottle.
Rena greedily drinks from it, feeling better already.
Just then, she sees another newspaper.
It looks a bit older than the others. And it's sealed behind a small window.
"You two really seem to be a nice pair." the man mutters when he sees her look.
The front page of the newspaper is a single large photo.
It shows her. And another... Digimon. Kissing. Passionately.
The blue Digimon is slightly smaller than she is, but she obviously didn't mind back then.
A nice pair...
"This may sound strange, but where can I find him?" she asks.
The man frowns, but smiles.
"Veemon's living with that Motomiya kid." he says.
Then he describes her the way.
Rena thanks the man for his help and starts to run.
Maybe her loved one would know how to help her.
As long as she didn't have to face those other humans.
Or this weird talking cat...