Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Poor me.
Notes to People who Submitted Characters
yamatos.girl – Sorry, but you can only submit real Digimon for partners. But, as it's a bit hard to find angel Digimon, I decided that any powerful Vaccine Digimon of the Mythical or Holy types (i.e. Unimon, Veedramon, etc.) could make a character a princess. I sent you an e-mail regarding this.
Fallen Angel – Er, this doesn't happen in the Tamer's world, sorry. And the Digivices are in a different style than the D3's, D-Arcs, or regular Digivices. And there is no magic. I explained most of this in an e-mail I sent to you.
Steel knight – Your entry was fine. Sho will be in the fic, but I don't know exactly when he'll appear.
Chapter 1: Heart's Sorrow
"Hey, brainless!" yelled the intimidating drill sergeant at the younger boy and his Digimon. The voice resounded throughout the gray and lifeless stadium. The older man was wearing whit, indicating his seniority over the cadet, who was in a light shade of gray. "Get a move on! The other cadets have already gone!" The sergeant gestured to a group of young people standing off to one side. A couple of them were tittering at the familiar scene between their commanding officer and the cadet.
The boy just continued to stand with a slight smile and an innocent expression on his face.
The boy's name was Phloem [1]. He had emerald green eyes that always held a calming, dreamlike quality, and he usually was smiling to attempt to pass on his smile to the people around him and help cheer them up. Often people did smile when they saw his familiar slightly mussed brown hair and kind face.
Phloem had been training under his drill sergeant ever since he had been drafted into the army at the age of five. Now, ten years later, he was facing a second test. Nonetheless, he and Tapirmon were facing down the hulk of the drill sergeant with apparently no fear. The genie-like tapir Digimon was levitating as usual at Phloem's side as the sergeant continued to roar at them. The sergeant's Leomon was leveling a glare at the both of them, but he looked more like an irritated parent than anything else.
"Do you hear me, idiot? Your Digimon needs to evolve, and he'll do it now if you know what's good for you!" shouted the exasperated officer.
The boy threw a casual salute. He smiled as if he was about to agree, but he said, "Tapirmon sees no need to evolve for this test, sir." Tapirmon nodded slightly.
The sergeant sighed in frustration. Almost everyday he got a headache from talking to Phloem. The boy had some ideas that were completely alien to the sergeant's mind. "Exactly how do you know what he wants to do when you haven't said a word to him?" said the sergeant slowly, as if Phloem was a particularly dense child.
"It's my bond with him, sir. I always know what Tapirmon is feeling, sir," he replied while still saluting.
"And why does it matter?" shouted the sergeant.
This finally elicited a reaction. His saluting hand drooped, and a puzzled look crossed his face. "Because- Because he's my partner, sir. He's a part of me."
"Cadet Phloem," the sergeant said sharply, "You must realize that to the general population of this empire, the opinion of a Digimon is worth less then a blade of grass."
"I do, sir."
"You also must realize that some consider it treasonous to consider Digimon as little more than tamed animals – as if they were a talking parrot."
"I do, sir."
"Then explain to me why you continue to think in this manner – and show it openly to your superiors?"
"Because I believe it is wrong, sir."
The drill sergeant stared at the boy. If he knew that it was punishable by death and torture to consider such thoughts, the boy was either very reckless or extremely brave to admit to such thoughts. And to admit that he thought the empire was wrong… The boy must be insane to express those thoughts openly. And then he really lost his wit when he saw the person and the Digimon standing behind the boy.
Having driven his instructor temporarily speechless, Phloem allowed his attention to drift to Tapirmon. //The other students are really quiet now,// he observed to his Digimon through their bond. //I think I feel a strong presence nearby. What is it?//
Tapirmon was careful not to glance his way, but while the cadet kept his eyes straight, the Digimon turned to look behind him. His eyes widened. //Holy…// the Digimon trailed off with a nervous gulp. //Pretend that you don't sense anything! Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid. It's High Prince Rime and his Sorcerymon!// Rime looked around eighteen years old and was dressed like the prince he was in a white shirt, pants, boots, and cloak with a circlet of Chrome Digizoid around his head. Long white hair fell down to his shoulders. He was very handsome, but he was also known for being cold and heartless.
//No wonder the students are quiet,// observed Phloem. A Sorcerymon was a really impressive Digimon to be partnered with, and Prince Rime was not a person to annoy in any way. //The presence has been there for about a minute. He heard everything I said.//
//Unless we manage to do something really impressive, we're dead.// Tapirmon said flatly.
The sergeant finally found his voice. "You believe it is wrong. Well, cadet, let's see how you fare in this battle with your sense of righteousness. I was going to have you fight a Swanmon like the rest of your class did, but I have decided to have you fight something more challenging. Your Digimon is not allowed to evolve, and if it doesn't win it – and you – will be killed." The sergeant really didn't want to do this to the boy, but it was his duty for the health of the empire. He fidgeted slightly before taking a remote off of his uniform's belt and pressing a combination of buttons.
It was a Thunderbirdmon. Like a Swanmon, it was an armor evolution. But Thunderbirdmon was much larger than a Swanmon. It looked as prickly as the stinger of a Flybeemon with impressive blue armor. The armor had golden lightning marks running across it. His tail, wings, and head were completely armored. Along his back ran prickly light gray feathers with a metallic sheen. His red feet also looked metal, but they had gold tips to them that matched his armor. From beneath his armored head poked a short red beak.
Both Tapirmon and Phloem traded worried glances. The thing looked twice as powerful as Swanmon, and the worst thing was that they didn't know its attacks, and therefore had no strategy to defeat it.
"Don't worry, Phloem. We can do this!" Tapirmon said bravely.
Phloem smiled again and nodded, the dreamlike quality gone in his eyes as he stepped forward with his Tapirmon to face the opponent. Now his eyes contemplated his opponent that would determine whether he – and more importantly to him, his Digimon – would live or die.
He stopped on the outside of the marked lines, though Tapirmon walked inside them, and then a electromagnetic barrier rose around the perimeter to keep them enclosed inside while still giving Thunderbirdmon room to fly. With a screech, the flying Digimon rose up and dove down towards Tapirmon.
"Tapirmon, go left!" Tapirmon complied, and then Phloem continued to relay information to his partner as the battle progressed. "Right! Right again! Left! Fall back!"
Tapirmon continued to dodge the dive-bombing Thunderbirdmon. Finally the bird seemed to tire and rise up in the air. "Is he leaving?" asked the Digimon to his partner.
Phloem frowned while looking up at the sky. He could swear that Thunderbirdmon was glittering. Realization dawned on him. "Tapirmon, run!" he shouted at his Digimon. "Get as far away as you can!" Tapirmon began to speed away as the enemy released its attack.
"Thunderstorm!" it called out in a rough voice. It opened its mouth and unleashed its lightning. Tapirmon barely kept one step ahead of the bolts that struck again and again. The bolts got closer and closer.
"Ground yourself, Tapirmon!" yelled Phloem as the lightning got even closer. His usually melodious voice was tight with worry. Then the lightning covered his Digimon, and he could not see anything.
Then Phloem grinned as the lightning cleared. Tapirmon had been able to follow through with their strategy against lightning attacks. His smoky hind legs were sunk into the ground, and his solid forelegs were also pressed down to the dirt. His head was lifted so that the lightning had run straight through him and into the packed soil beneath him. Phloem could feel that Tapirmon was slightly damaged, but it was nothing compared to what could have happened. Thunderbirdmon was looking at the ground in disbelief that the little Rookie had survived.
That was when Tapirmon unleashed his attack. "Nightmare Syndrome [2]!" He unleashed all of the bad dreams he had eaten and stored for a desperate moment like this one. The blackness rose in the air and hit Thunderbirdmon in the unarmored spot just beneath his beak. The attack made the armored Digimon reel as if drunk and fall to the ground. It tried to get up, but it collapsed again and lied still. The barrier was then let down.
As protocol required, Phloem turned and saluted the sergeant. "Sir, the target has been defeated." Tapirmon came to once again float at his side.
The sergeant nodded, careful to not let any of his relief show on his face. "Good-"
That was when the high prince interrupted. "His fight has not ended yet," he said coldly. "The Digimon is still alive." The prince smiled in an unfriendly way and pushed back a strand of his long white hair.
The sergeant gulped inaudibly. "But, your highness, it is not required for cadets-"
"It does not matter," interrupted Rime. "He spoke treasonous words, and he should kill this wild Digimon before it can cause any more trouble in the world."
"Your highness-" Phloem began to try to excuse himself from having to do that.
"All things that cause trouble should be done away with," the prince interrupted again with a meaningful glance at him and Tapirmon.
Knowing that they were being forced into this, Phloem and Tapirmon slowly turned and walked towards the fallen Thunderbirdmon. They reached it, and compared to it, Phloem felt small. It is actually quite beautiful to look at when it's not trying to kill you, Phloem thought to himself.
He felt wetness on his cheek, and he realized that he was crying. Tapirmon also was. "Tapirmon, I- I really don't want to do this," he said brokenly.
"I don't know if I can," replied Tapirmon. "Remember when we were five, and I finally found you after those long years of searching?" Phloem nodded. "I had to protect you from the Digimon that were sent to kill you. I even evolved to Apemon to help you. But before I could destroy them for hurting you, you stopped me and made me promise never to kill a living being. Even when you were five, you were that kind."
"Yeah, I still have a scar from that incident… But I'm glad you didn't kill them, aren't you?"
Tapirmon nodded. "I was very glad, afterwards, that you stopped me. It wasn't the fault of the Digimon that they were doing what they had been taught. But it would have been my wrong to destroy them in a wild rage."
"Killing something that isn't fighting back would be a twice as bad, wouldn't it?" Phloem asked. The smaller Digimon nodded. "That's what I thought. Tapirmon, I don't think we should kill this Thunderbirdmon. I'm sure it didn't want to hurt us, either. Even if we die…"
"…at least it will live," finished Tapirmon. "I agree with you." They both looked sadly at it.
The Thunderbirdmon cracked an eye open at them. "You two are pathetic," it said in its rough masculine voice. "I can't believe that you two idiots beat me."
Tapirmon stiffened. "Hey, that's not polite!"
"So what? Actually, I was supposed to lose."
They looked at it in alarm. "What?"
"I was supposed to lose. You two have been chosen."
"Chosen?" asked a clueless Phloem.
"Yes, chosen. I've been sent here, and to complete it, you need to finish me."
They were even more shocked now. "You want us to kill you?" asked Tapirmon.
"Yeah, you heard me. Ya have to. If ya don't, I'll be forced to attack you again and again until ya do destroy me."
"But, why?" Phloem asked with tears running down his face. He did not want to. He really did not want to with all of his heart.
The Thunderbirdmon sighed. "Damn, I don't want to upset ya, kid, but ya really need to do this. Please, just do it."
Phloem shook his head. He didn't think he could under any circumstances.
It looked at him pleadingly. "Don't worry, I won't really be dead. Most of ya humans don't know this, but a Digimon can come back as long as he has a partner. So… just kill me, okay?"
"You have… a partner?" asked Tapirmon sadly. "Won't he miss you?"
"That's right. I'm still searchin' for him, though. I have been searching for him for a long, long time, but I can never find him… Maybe if ya kill me, I'll be closer to him when I reappear. So, please…"
Phloem looked the Digimon straight in the eye. There, he saw only truth and longing. There was no anger, no pain, and no sorrow. "Tapirmon, let's do it." Phloem bowed his head. "I believe… No, I know this is the right thing to do."
Tapirmon looked at him questioningly. "Are you sure?" Phloem nodded while still looking at the ground. "…Okay." He gathered up his power again, and once again unleashed the darkness of bad dreams. "Nightmare Syndrome!" It struck the Thunderbirdmon straight through his head again.
The Thunderbirdmon seemed to smile as it turned dissolved into data. Phloem and Tapirmon watched with tears of grief running down their faces when they heard a voice spoken so softly, it was as if it was into their minds. "Thanks. And… follow your own beliefs… If you find something interesting, it'll be from me and the people that sent me. Goodbye…" The last of the data faded, and so did the voice.
Eyes watering at the pain in their hearts, Tapirmon and Phloem turned as one and walked towards the sergeant and Rime. A few feet away from both, Phloem saluted even as tears dripped to the ground. "Your highness, the target has been destroyed," he said emotionlessly. Both Rime and the sergeant nodded, and the high prince left the training grounds.
The drill sergeant and the other cadets threw some unsure looks at Phloem. He could hear some whispers. "Did you see what he just did?" "He killed a Digimon." "I didn't think he could do it…" "How could he do something like that?" Phloem looked down, not able to meet any of their eyes.
Finally the sergeant dismissed them, but Phloem continued to just stand alone except for Tapirmon. "It's okay… We did what the Thunderbirdmon wanted us to do…" the Digimon sadly tried to comfort his partner.
"I know it was the right thing," whispered Phloem as tears traced salty paths down his cheeks. "But then… why do I feel so horrible?" The Digimon couldn't answer that. He floated closer to his partner and hugged him. The two stayed in the embrace for a while as they tried to rid their hearts of sorrow.
~TBC~
[1] "Phloem" is pronounced like "Floam". In plants, the phloem is the part of the vascular system that carries nutrients to parts of the plant (think of it like veins, but for plants). Vascular systems also provide some support to the plant, which is why mosses are so short: they don't have one. And this was your useless fact for the day.
[2] I'm using the Japanese attack because I like its name more than "Waking Dream".
Author's Notes: I'm not accepting any more characters.