*Fifteen years ago, the human world and the Digital World became linked by a series of Gateways. Since that time, groups of humans and their Digimon partners, known as "Explorers," have attempted to discover the Five Elemental Crystals, the most powerful treasures in the Digital World.*
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DIGIMON EXPLORERS
Episode 02: Rivals
by J Weekley
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Story copyright 2003 by J Weekley. Digimon is the property of Toei and Bandai. Used without permission.
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The human paced before the three explorers on top of the hill, grasping the Fire Crystal tightly. His long brown hair covered the right half of his face, but he kept his left eye on them all the while. When he spoke, it was with an unmistakable British accent. "Ryan, you need to tell Lamarc his security programs are really starting to suck."
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Joel?" Ryan called up to the young man.
Joel just smiled. "I'd say it's rather obvious. I've been hired to obtain the Crystals before you do. My employer doesn't want to see them in Lamarc's hands as much as the Dark Lords'. And Adriana was so confident in my abilities she paid me full in advance."
This caught Ryan off-guard. "Adriana? Adriana Reeves?" he asked in disbelief.
"That's right," Joel answered. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a long day ahead, and I certainly don't want to miss my train." He turned to the Digimon. "Red Leomon, let's go."
It was then that Yuusuke got his first good look at him. The Digimon looked almost exactly like Leomon, except its fur was a reddish-brown, and its mane was cut short. But that was all Yuusuke could see, because Red Leomon picked up the young man and leapt away to the other side of the hill. Yuusuke turned to his partner. "Relative of yours?"
"Variant," Leomon answered.
"Aren't we going after them?" Yuusuke asked Ryan.
It took a moment for Ryan to answer. "No. The situation's just changed in a way I never expected."
"Why's that?"
"Adriana Reeves. She owns her own business, but she and Lamarc have worked together for years. Why would she suddenly betray him like this?" He turned toward Yuusuke and Leomon. "We're going back to the inn. I can get a private signal and call Lamarc." He then added silently, "This isn't going to be as easy as I planned."
The walk back through town was a lot more subdued than it had been earlier. Along the road, shops were starting to open for the day; the workers setting up displays and tables. Ryan's face was serious as he thought over the situation again and again. Too many questions arose, no matter how much he thought of it. Yuusuke and Leomon followed him silently.
When they reached the inn, Yuusuke and Leomon sat out in the lobby while Ryan arranged for a private line to be set up in one of the phone booths. When the clerk told him the connection was made, Ryan went into the booth and closed the door. He activated the videophone's screen and dialed a number. After a moment, Lamarc's face came on. "Hello? Ah, Ryan! Did you get it?"
Ryan leaned close to the screen. "We have a problem."
"What's wrong?"
"It was definitely the Fire Crystal. But it was stolen right after we got it."
"Stolen?"
"The thief was Joel Hutchinson. He's managed to find a Matrix Chip, it seems."
Lamarc was taken aback. "Joel?"
"Oh, it gets better. He says he's working for Adriana Reeves."
On the screen, Lamarc stared at him in shocked silence. After a moment, Ryan asked, "How do you propose we handle this little situation?"
"First thing's first. Despite its being stolen, you did recover the Crystal, as per your contract. For that, I'm going to go ahead and deposit the rest of the money into your accounts. After that, come on back here. This is going to require more thinking than we can do over the phone, and I doubt Adriana's going to be very cooperative if I call her."
"I can't think of any reason why she would betray you. Go ahead and call her; you may find something out. I'll head back on the first train I can."
"What about Yuusuke?"
Ryan closed his eyes and ran his hand over his unshaven face, trying to think. Sighing, he said, "I'd hate to leave him alone on his second day here, but he found his partner. Leomon."
At this, Lamarc's eyebrows went up, but he didn't say anything.
Ryan leaned back. "I'll contact you again when I'm on the train."
"What if you run into Joel?"
"I won't. Knowing him, he's probably using a station a few towns over. He may have already left, and there's no indication he's heading back to Adriana straight away."
"Okay, then. Just hurry up and get here."
"Right."
With that, Ryan turned the videophone off and stepped out of the booth. Yuusuke and Leomon looked up at him. With a serious look on his face, Ryan said, "Guys, the room's yours. I've got to head back to Upload City. Leomon, you keep an eye on him."
The Digimon nodded. "I will."
Yuusuke stood up and shook Ryan's hand. "Good luck," he said.
"To both of us," Ryan answered. He handed Yuusuke a small piece of paper. "This is my D-Cell number. If you find out anything else, call me and let me know."
"I will."
Ryan handed his key to the room in at the desk, said a final farewell, then was out the door heading for the station. Yuusuke watched him until he turned a corner, then sat back down in one of the lobby's easy chairs. Leomon walked over and stood next to him. "What do you want to do now?" he said.
Yuusuke looked up at his partner. "Now? Right now, I'd just like to rest. This is a little too much to take in. I wanted an adventure, but I didn't think it'd happen so... so *fast*."
"And what about the Crystals?"
"I think I just want to learn a bit more about the Digital World for now. If along the way we find out anything more on the Crystals, I'll call Ryan. I think he can handle it." He sighed, "I know I'm going to have to start looking for jobs soon, but while I've got enough money," he turned to Leomon, "school's in session."
Yuusuke turned around in the chair and called to the clerk behind the desk. "Are there any libraries in town?"
"Sure," the clerk answered. "There's a library next to city hall. Center of town. Can't miss it."
"Thanks," Yuusuke said. He got out of the chair and started walking toward the door. Leomon followed him, asking, "A library?"
"Of course. I can't study it all here, but along the way I want to read some books on geography, history, customs; stuff like that. If I want to be successful, those are some things I'm going to have to know, right?"
"Right."
"And besides, even though we're partners, I shouldn't have to rely on you for everything. We need to be able to help each other." He stopped walking and looked up at his partner. "Don't you think?"
Leomon smiled. "Of course."
*****
Maxwell Lamarc paced on the lush carpet of his office, holding a scotch in one hand, and fidgeting with a pen in the other. He'd been like this for a hour, and whatever ice the liquor may have once held had long since melted and hadn't even been drank. Every once in a while, Lamarc would stop and turn around towards his desk, looking at the computer screen hooked up to his videophone. He knew what he had to do, but he was dreading having to do it. Adriana was a woman he had trusted for years. What reason could she possibly have for stabbing him in the back like this? Lamarc could think of one possibility, but its meaning was so frightful that he immediately put it out of his head.
"No sense putting it off any further," he said, then drained the watered-down alcohol and walked over to his desk. Sitting down, he turned on the power to the screen and dialed Adriana's number. A Terriermon graphic danced on the screen to the dial tone while Lamarc waited anxiously in his chair. Maybe she wasn't there?
A screen on the other end of the line activated. So much for that idea.
At first, all Lamarc could see was a high-backed leather chair, much like his own, overlooking the cityscape far on the other side of Upload City. Then, Adriana Reeves came into view. She was a tall, trim woman in her early thirties. She was dressed in a gray business suit and had her dark brown hair done up in a tight bun. Gold wire-frame glasses rested on the bridge of her small nose. She sat down in the chair, took one look at Lamarc, and smiled. "I take it your errand-boy Ryan's already told you the news," she said.
"An hour ago," Lamarc said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. "Why did you steal the Crystal?"
Adriana answered cooly, "I think you know why."
"Humor me."
She leaned forward slightly. "We've both said the same reason for wanting to find the Crystals. We want to keep them out of the wrong hands."
"When did I become a part of 'the wrong hands?'"
"When something... rather enlightening... was revealed to me." She leaned back again. "The Fire Crystal is now in my hands. When Joel gets back, research on its properties can begin. Don't even try to send out a security team after him, you'll only end up with a lot of hurt people." Her smile suddenly became very chilling. "Maybe, with any luck, you'll be able to find the other four. But even if you do, it won't matter. I'll take them all. The Five Crystals are as good as mine."
With that, she severed the connection.
Lamarc continued to stare at the blank screen for several minutes. He knew she was right; his security teams would never be able to touch Joel, let alone get close enough to the Crystal. He stood up and turned towards his window, looking out over Upload City. In the distance, he could just see the top of the high-rise tower Adriana owned. Staring at it intently, he made up his mind. He would have the other four Crystals, and nothing, not even Adriana Reeves, would stop him from getting them.
*****
After several hours of pouring over books on various subjects, Yuusuke was tired, hungry, and ready to call it quits for the day. He now had a basic idea of the layout of the Digital World and the people living there. There were three main continents: Hub, Lan, and Bus. Comdi and Upload City were both located on Lan, the largest of the three. Almost every city in the Digital World was connected by the railway network, and tunnels allowed the lines to span under the oceans and join the continents together. The railway construction had been deemed a miracle, and was a part of the massive change the Digital World underwent after the Gateways had first started to appear.
Yuusuke had also begun to make a list of the various Digimon races, and studying the customs of the different regions, but the head librarian made a closing announcement, and Yuusuke got up to leave. Having no permanent address, he couldn't get a library card, so he made a note of the books he had read and the ones he had not yet gotten to before walking out.
Leomon had spent most the day sitting and thinking quietly out in the courtyard next to the library. He opened his eyes when he sensed Yuusuke's presence. "Ready for dinner?" the boy said.
"Sounds good to me," Leomon answered.
With the city streets bathed in the orange light of the sunset, Yuusuke and Leomon strolled casually down the road. They had decided to eat at the pub again, and Yuusuke was going over the menu in his mind, trying to decide what to have.
It was then the attack came.
It happened so fast, neither one of them could have reacted to it. Black Were Garurumon pounced on them, swinging his fist around, catching Yuusuke on the side of his head and knocking him to the side. Keeping his momentum, he brought his fist deep into Leomon's gut, winding him and sending him falling to his knees. Black Were Garurumon kicked Leomon's head for good measure, then scooped up Yuusuke's half-conscious form and leapt away.
Struggling to catch his breath, Leomon called out after his partner, "Yuusuke!" but it was too late. They had already disappeared from view.
*****
On a rooftop not too far away, Black Were Garurumon dumped Yuusuke to the floor. The boy groggily shook his head as he struggled to his feet. "I told you it wasn't over, boy," the Digimon growled. "Your partner's out of the way, and I saw the other human get on a train this morning. You're all alone and completely defenseless."
Yuusuke was still dizzy from the blow, but somehow he kept on his feet and glared at Black Were Garurumon. "Don't bet on it," he managed to say.
Black Were Garurumon chuckled coldly, then leapt at Yuusuke, slashing at him. Yuusuke dodged the clawed hand, then swung his own fist at the Digimon. But Black Were Garurumon was too fast for him and caught the punch several inches from his face. He latched onto Yuusuke's other shoulder and began to squeeze the boy's fist. Yuusuke grunted as he felt the bones in his hand compress under the pressure. Trying to take his mind off the pain, he did the first thing that came into his head.
He kicked Black Were Garurumon.
In the crotch.
The Digimon did stop squeezing Yuusuke's fist, but when the boy looked at his face, it wasn't quite the reaction he'd expected. Black Were Garurumon was looking at him, puzzled.
For a moment, neither said anything, but then Black Were Garurumon spoke. "Now, see, had I been a human, I imagine that would have hurt. But being a species that reproduces asexually, there's nothing down there but bone and data." He got an evil glint in his eyes. "Though, I have often wondered what it's like. I hear the expressions people make are absolutely hilarious."
Black Were Garurumon began to draw his leg back, and Yuusuke braced himself for the worst. Suddenly, a short blade shot through Black Were Garurumon's chest. "Leomon!" Yuusuke yelled with a smile. Leomon leaned forward and whispered into the other Digimon's ear. "This time, it *is* over."
With a final scream, Black Were Garurumon's body suddenly exploded into a cloud of red free-floating data particles. Leomon returned the short sword to its sheath on his back, then held out his hand. The data particles spiraled towards it, flowing into his open palm. When the last of the particles entered his body, he took a deep breath, let it out, then looked down towards Yuusuke. "You alright?"
Yuusuke was rubbing his hand. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Nothing's broken, just a little sore." He looked up at Leomon and smiled. "Thanks again."
Leomon smiled and shrugged. "Hey, I'm your partner. I'm supposed to protect you, right?"
"Right."
*****
In another town, many kilometers away, another reaffirmation of a partnership was taking place.
On the rooftop of a hotel, a teenage girl stood staring up at the night sky. A tall figure wearing a dark cloak that covered his entire body crept up silently behind her. Without turning to look at him, she said, "It's a nice night, isn't it?"
From the depths of the cloak, a hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. "It's perfect."
"We make for Kebo tomorrow," the girl said. "Don't be late."
"I won't be."
A slight breeze picked up for a second, and when it died down, the cloaked figure had disappeared. The girl turned around and walked back inside.
*****
In his hotel room in Upload City, Ryan sat leaning against the window, staring at the setting sun. In his hand was an unopened beer can. His dinner lay forgotten on the table by the bed.
He had met with Lamarc only a few hours earlier, and had been told about the conversation with Adriana. He still couldn't make any sense out of the situation. All the elements appeared in a random jumble in his mind. Himself. Lamarc. Adriana. Joel. The Crystals. Yuusuke.
That last thought he held onto the longest. The poor kid had been thrown into this fiasco without even knowing his way around the Digital World. Thank God none of the Dark Lords decided to show up. At least he managed to find his partner, and considering who that partner was, Ryan didn't feel too bad about leaving Yuusuke in Comdi. Ryan knew Leomon would be reliable, even if he was reluctant to discuss his past life. Of course, Ryan knew perfectly well what that past life was like, but he felt that if Leomon wanted Yuusuke to know, he would tell the kid on his own.
As the final light of the sun faded behind the high-rises and distant mountains, Ryan's eyes drifted southward. Pulling back the tab on the beer can, he raised it in a toast. "Best of luck to you, kid."
*****
Yuusuke had spent the rest of his first week in the Digital World pouring over the books in Comdi's library before he decided it was time to move on. Paying the hotel charge, he and Leomon gathered up their few possessions and hit the road. Yuusuke decided it would best to be cautious with his money because he didn't know when he would get another job. For that reason, he thought it best to walk from town to town rather than use the railway system. Besides, he had heard that foot journeys were quite common in the Digital World, and were usually preferred over the trains. Explorers Yuusuke met in the library and the pub gave him some excellent hiking tips, as well as telling him about some great sightseeing locations that could only be reached on foot. After hearing the tales, both he and Leomon were anxious to see some of these locations.
At night, they would set up camp, or if they were in a town, stay at a hostel. Either way was pleasant. Camping under the stars, Yuusuke and Leomon would talk for hours about themselves and their worlds, not caring if some of the subjects had already been brought up. In the hostels, Yuusuke would have excited talks with the explorers staying there, learning new techniques from the more experienced First- and Second-Geners. Some of them even knew Ryan and were curious about how he was doing. Yuusuke could only reply that he was fine for the two days they were together. Leomon would often stay up late with the other Digimon partners, who all seemed to be trading war stories from the time of the Dark Lords. They all seemed to have a great respect for Leomon, but Yuusuke didn't listen in on the tales. He figured that if Leomon wanted to tell him, he'd do so when the time was right.
After four weeks, Yuusuke and Leomon found themselves on the road to a town called Kebo. As they approached its outer wall, the sounds of a great commotion inside from inside grew louder and louder. Yuusuke had heard that Kebo was a boisterous trading center, but it still didn't brace him for the shock he got when he first walked through the town gates. Yuusuke was immediately reminded of the Documents Folder in Upload City, only this time, it was *the whole town*! Stone pavilions and canvas tents lined the streets, each of them with someone having something to sell. Even the homes were considered places of business, with every house having a shop on the ground and living space on top. Yuusuke couldn't believe that the place was so prosperous, yet still so small. He figured that most of the people there weren't permanent residents, just merchants in from some other town.
Sure enough, as he and Leomon made their way to the back of the town, the number of hotels gradually increased until they were only buildings that could be seen. Yuusuke was trying to find the cheapest place to stay when a voice called out to him. "Excuse me!"
He and Leomon looked in the direction of the voice. A short, brown-haired man was running up to them. When he reached the pair he asked, "Do you happen to be explorers by any chance?"
"Yes, we are," Yuusuke answered.
The man clapped his hands together and sighed. "Oh, thank God. I've been trying to find some explorers who would be willing to do a job for me, but they're all too busy."
"What's the job?" Leomon asked.
"My name is Gelsin. I own ten hotels in this town. My newest acquisition came about a month ago. It's an old hotel outside the town walls that I decided to renovate. The hotel came with about eighty acres of land attached to it, and there are some shallow caves in the forest on that land. I thought it might make a good attraction, but I don't know what the caves themselves are like. I'm trying to hire someone to explore them. The town safety board won't even set foot in them unless I hand over a map first."
"Isn't there anyone who's been to the caves before?" Yuusuke asked.
"The hotel was abandoned sixty years ago, and the land closed off. Everyone I've asked has never even been near the place."
"What would the pay be?"
"Five hundred Digis and a free room and three meals a day for however long it takes, up to a week. Some of the renovation's already been done, so if you wanted to stay in the old hotel and be closer to the caves, that'd be fine. I'm staying there myself for the time being, and I've already got a skeleton staff helping to set up some of the modern equipment in the offices. How's that sound?"
Yuusuke and Leomon looked at each other for a moment. Then Yuusuke held out his hand. "Mr. Gelsin, you've got yourself a deal."
"Excellent! We'll write out the contract, get it signed, and you can get started tomorrow."
*****
Yuusuke kept thinking about how nice it would have been if Gelsin had mentioned just how much the hotel was *in need* of renovation. The words "abandoned sixty years ago" should have tipped him off, but he was too excited to finally have his first job on his own as an explorer to notice.
Half the roof (and several of the upper-story rooms) had collapsed on one side of the building. The lights were always flickering, and most of Gelsin's staff were complaining about how there just wasn't enough power to get the computer system set up, let alone run the hotel. Whatever water there was trickled cold out of the faucets, no matter how much the pressure was up, or how hot the dial was turned. The construction equipment and renovators started early in the mornings and worked until very late at night, filling the halls with so much noise that most workers there wore ear plugs just so they could hear themselves think.
'At least the bed's comfortable enough,' Yuusuke thought as he lay there, ears plugged, trying to get some sleep. He and Leomon had been there for three days, and he was glad that they were going through the caves rather than working in the building itself. They only had to deal with the construction noise in the mornings and at night.
On the table by the window were several large sheets of paper. On each was a map made out in pencil. The caves had been more expansive than Gelsin had thought, but Yuusuke and Leomon knew they would be done at last the next day. They were going to look through the cave farthest away, which had its entrance just inside the property line. After that point, the land was open, so Gelsin said there would be no problem if they went off the property. So far, the caves seemed safe enough, but Yuusuke thought it best to leave the final analysis to the professionals. There weren't any large pits, or extremely low ceilings, and, for the most part, they just sloped gently downward into the ground. There were a couple rooms that only Yuusuke could squeeze into, as Leomon was too large, and they made note of them on the maps.
As the sounds of the renovation died down for the night, Yuusuke rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, it would all be over. He would collect his fee from Gelsin, and be done with this God-forsaken hotel. He wasn't even sure he wanted to come back for a free stay when the renovation was done, as Gelsin had invited him to do at dinner that night. He thought he'd seen enough of the place it was.
'Oh, well, I'll worry about it later,' he thought, then went to sleep.
*****
The next day was overcast, but the weather report said there wouldn't be any rain for a while longer. With that in mind, Yuusuke and Leomon set out from the hotel as usual, greeting the disgruntled staff as they passed. For half the day, they roamed through the cave, which was indeed larger than the others had been. They found some incredible formations in its depths, along with a small lake, though there didn't seem to be anything alive in it. Around noon, they came back outside to have lunch, and that's when the trouble started.
They had just started eating when a dark-haired teenage girl and a tall, cloaked thing Yuusuke that could only guess was her partner stepped out from behind a large tree. "You two!" she yelled. "What do you think you're doing here?"
Yuusuke stood up and answered, "We're under contract with the hotel being renovated to map these caves. What are *you* doing here?"
The girl looked at him defiantly. "We've been hired by a farmer on the other side of the open land to find some crop thieves who've been wandering around his fields."
"Well look somewhere else," Yuusuke answered. "We're busy."
"I'm sure."
"You're accusing *us* of being the thieves?" Yuusuke laughed. "Let's just walk up to the hotel and get Gelsin to confirm we're working for him."
The girl smirked darkly. "If I'm walking anywhere with you, it's to the town police, while you're restrained." She turned to the cloaked Digimon. "Partner! Get him!"
The Digimon leapt at Yuusuke, but Leomon jumped in front and shoved him out of the way. The two Digimon rolled away from the humans, finally being able to break away from each other and leap to their feet. Yuusuke and the girl watched as their partners fought. Every punch and kick one threw at the other was either blocked or avoided with fluid ease. Leomon had tried to use some of his special techniques at first, but he soon realized that they just slowed him down. He also realized something that seemed strange. The cloaked Digimon was only using physical attacks! Even if they did slow the user down, it was a Digimon's usual instinct to try a special move with any new opponent.
They moved forward and grappled with each other once again. Leomon was starting to feel winded, but he somehow felt his opponent was feeling the same way. Their bodies twisted slightly, and that was when the light penetrated the shadows of the cloak for the briefest moment, and Leomon saw who his opponent was. He suddenly loosened his grasp and just stared in bewilderment at the cloaked Digimon. "It's you," he was finally able to say. "You came back, too?"
The cloaked Digimon chuckled. "Yeah, about four years ago."
"And you have a partner."
"You, too. Amazing how times change."
"You know, if we keep on fighting, we'll probably have a repeat performance. I don't think either of our partners will appreciate that."
"Agreed. I trust what the boy says is true?"
"It is."
The cloaked Digimon turned around. "Then, in that case, we'll leave you alone. It was good seeing you again."
"You, too."
The cloaked Digimon passed by his partner. "Natalie, come on. They're not the ones we're looking for."
"You're sure?" the girl asked him.
"I'm sure."
She took one last glance at Yuusuke, then turned around and started walking away with her partner, just saying, "Okay, then."
As they disappeared back into the forest, Leomon returned to Yuusuke. The boy looked up at him. "What happened back there?"
"A recognition."
"You know who the cloaked Digimon is?"
Leomon looked down at him and smiled. "Of course. I killed him."
To be continued
(End Episode 02)
NEXT TIME: Who is this girl Natalie, and, more importantly, who's her partner? Secrets will be revealed when she teams up the Crystal thief Joel, who may not be such a bad guy after all. Plus, the appearance of the first Dark Lord in the series. Digimon Explorers Episode 03: HELL RIDER.
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DIGIMON EXPLORERS
Episode 02: Rivals
by J Weekley
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Story copyright 2003 by J Weekley. Digimon is the property of Toei and Bandai. Used without permission.
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The human paced before the three explorers on top of the hill, grasping the Fire Crystal tightly. His long brown hair covered the right half of his face, but he kept his left eye on them all the while. When he spoke, it was with an unmistakable British accent. "Ryan, you need to tell Lamarc his security programs are really starting to suck."
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Joel?" Ryan called up to the young man.
Joel just smiled. "I'd say it's rather obvious. I've been hired to obtain the Crystals before you do. My employer doesn't want to see them in Lamarc's hands as much as the Dark Lords'. And Adriana was so confident in my abilities she paid me full in advance."
This caught Ryan off-guard. "Adriana? Adriana Reeves?" he asked in disbelief.
"That's right," Joel answered. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a long day ahead, and I certainly don't want to miss my train." He turned to the Digimon. "Red Leomon, let's go."
It was then that Yuusuke got his first good look at him. The Digimon looked almost exactly like Leomon, except its fur was a reddish-brown, and its mane was cut short. But that was all Yuusuke could see, because Red Leomon picked up the young man and leapt away to the other side of the hill. Yuusuke turned to his partner. "Relative of yours?"
"Variant," Leomon answered.
"Aren't we going after them?" Yuusuke asked Ryan.
It took a moment for Ryan to answer. "No. The situation's just changed in a way I never expected."
"Why's that?"
"Adriana Reeves. She owns her own business, but she and Lamarc have worked together for years. Why would she suddenly betray him like this?" He turned toward Yuusuke and Leomon. "We're going back to the inn. I can get a private signal and call Lamarc." He then added silently, "This isn't going to be as easy as I planned."
The walk back through town was a lot more subdued than it had been earlier. Along the road, shops were starting to open for the day; the workers setting up displays and tables. Ryan's face was serious as he thought over the situation again and again. Too many questions arose, no matter how much he thought of it. Yuusuke and Leomon followed him silently.
When they reached the inn, Yuusuke and Leomon sat out in the lobby while Ryan arranged for a private line to be set up in one of the phone booths. When the clerk told him the connection was made, Ryan went into the booth and closed the door. He activated the videophone's screen and dialed a number. After a moment, Lamarc's face came on. "Hello? Ah, Ryan! Did you get it?"
Ryan leaned close to the screen. "We have a problem."
"What's wrong?"
"It was definitely the Fire Crystal. But it was stolen right after we got it."
"Stolen?"
"The thief was Joel Hutchinson. He's managed to find a Matrix Chip, it seems."
Lamarc was taken aback. "Joel?"
"Oh, it gets better. He says he's working for Adriana Reeves."
On the screen, Lamarc stared at him in shocked silence. After a moment, Ryan asked, "How do you propose we handle this little situation?"
"First thing's first. Despite its being stolen, you did recover the Crystal, as per your contract. For that, I'm going to go ahead and deposit the rest of the money into your accounts. After that, come on back here. This is going to require more thinking than we can do over the phone, and I doubt Adriana's going to be very cooperative if I call her."
"I can't think of any reason why she would betray you. Go ahead and call her; you may find something out. I'll head back on the first train I can."
"What about Yuusuke?"
Ryan closed his eyes and ran his hand over his unshaven face, trying to think. Sighing, he said, "I'd hate to leave him alone on his second day here, but he found his partner. Leomon."
At this, Lamarc's eyebrows went up, but he didn't say anything.
Ryan leaned back. "I'll contact you again when I'm on the train."
"What if you run into Joel?"
"I won't. Knowing him, he's probably using a station a few towns over. He may have already left, and there's no indication he's heading back to Adriana straight away."
"Okay, then. Just hurry up and get here."
"Right."
With that, Ryan turned the videophone off and stepped out of the booth. Yuusuke and Leomon looked up at him. With a serious look on his face, Ryan said, "Guys, the room's yours. I've got to head back to Upload City. Leomon, you keep an eye on him."
The Digimon nodded. "I will."
Yuusuke stood up and shook Ryan's hand. "Good luck," he said.
"To both of us," Ryan answered. He handed Yuusuke a small piece of paper. "This is my D-Cell number. If you find out anything else, call me and let me know."
"I will."
Ryan handed his key to the room in at the desk, said a final farewell, then was out the door heading for the station. Yuusuke watched him until he turned a corner, then sat back down in one of the lobby's easy chairs. Leomon walked over and stood next to him. "What do you want to do now?" he said.
Yuusuke looked up at his partner. "Now? Right now, I'd just like to rest. This is a little too much to take in. I wanted an adventure, but I didn't think it'd happen so... so *fast*."
"And what about the Crystals?"
"I think I just want to learn a bit more about the Digital World for now. If along the way we find out anything more on the Crystals, I'll call Ryan. I think he can handle it." He sighed, "I know I'm going to have to start looking for jobs soon, but while I've got enough money," he turned to Leomon, "school's in session."
Yuusuke turned around in the chair and called to the clerk behind the desk. "Are there any libraries in town?"
"Sure," the clerk answered. "There's a library next to city hall. Center of town. Can't miss it."
"Thanks," Yuusuke said. He got out of the chair and started walking toward the door. Leomon followed him, asking, "A library?"
"Of course. I can't study it all here, but along the way I want to read some books on geography, history, customs; stuff like that. If I want to be successful, those are some things I'm going to have to know, right?"
"Right."
"And besides, even though we're partners, I shouldn't have to rely on you for everything. We need to be able to help each other." He stopped walking and looked up at his partner. "Don't you think?"
Leomon smiled. "Of course."
*****
Maxwell Lamarc paced on the lush carpet of his office, holding a scotch in one hand, and fidgeting with a pen in the other. He'd been like this for a hour, and whatever ice the liquor may have once held had long since melted and hadn't even been drank. Every once in a while, Lamarc would stop and turn around towards his desk, looking at the computer screen hooked up to his videophone. He knew what he had to do, but he was dreading having to do it. Adriana was a woman he had trusted for years. What reason could she possibly have for stabbing him in the back like this? Lamarc could think of one possibility, but its meaning was so frightful that he immediately put it out of his head.
"No sense putting it off any further," he said, then drained the watered-down alcohol and walked over to his desk. Sitting down, he turned on the power to the screen and dialed Adriana's number. A Terriermon graphic danced on the screen to the dial tone while Lamarc waited anxiously in his chair. Maybe she wasn't there?
A screen on the other end of the line activated. So much for that idea.
At first, all Lamarc could see was a high-backed leather chair, much like his own, overlooking the cityscape far on the other side of Upload City. Then, Adriana Reeves came into view. She was a tall, trim woman in her early thirties. She was dressed in a gray business suit and had her dark brown hair done up in a tight bun. Gold wire-frame glasses rested on the bridge of her small nose. She sat down in the chair, took one look at Lamarc, and smiled. "I take it your errand-boy Ryan's already told you the news," she said.
"An hour ago," Lamarc said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. "Why did you steal the Crystal?"
Adriana answered cooly, "I think you know why."
"Humor me."
She leaned forward slightly. "We've both said the same reason for wanting to find the Crystals. We want to keep them out of the wrong hands."
"When did I become a part of 'the wrong hands?'"
"When something... rather enlightening... was revealed to me." She leaned back again. "The Fire Crystal is now in my hands. When Joel gets back, research on its properties can begin. Don't even try to send out a security team after him, you'll only end up with a lot of hurt people." Her smile suddenly became very chilling. "Maybe, with any luck, you'll be able to find the other four. But even if you do, it won't matter. I'll take them all. The Five Crystals are as good as mine."
With that, she severed the connection.
Lamarc continued to stare at the blank screen for several minutes. He knew she was right; his security teams would never be able to touch Joel, let alone get close enough to the Crystal. He stood up and turned towards his window, looking out over Upload City. In the distance, he could just see the top of the high-rise tower Adriana owned. Staring at it intently, he made up his mind. He would have the other four Crystals, and nothing, not even Adriana Reeves, would stop him from getting them.
*****
After several hours of pouring over books on various subjects, Yuusuke was tired, hungry, and ready to call it quits for the day. He now had a basic idea of the layout of the Digital World and the people living there. There were three main continents: Hub, Lan, and Bus. Comdi and Upload City were both located on Lan, the largest of the three. Almost every city in the Digital World was connected by the railway network, and tunnels allowed the lines to span under the oceans and join the continents together. The railway construction had been deemed a miracle, and was a part of the massive change the Digital World underwent after the Gateways had first started to appear.
Yuusuke had also begun to make a list of the various Digimon races, and studying the customs of the different regions, but the head librarian made a closing announcement, and Yuusuke got up to leave. Having no permanent address, he couldn't get a library card, so he made a note of the books he had read and the ones he had not yet gotten to before walking out.
Leomon had spent most the day sitting and thinking quietly out in the courtyard next to the library. He opened his eyes when he sensed Yuusuke's presence. "Ready for dinner?" the boy said.
"Sounds good to me," Leomon answered.
With the city streets bathed in the orange light of the sunset, Yuusuke and Leomon strolled casually down the road. They had decided to eat at the pub again, and Yuusuke was going over the menu in his mind, trying to decide what to have.
It was then the attack came.
It happened so fast, neither one of them could have reacted to it. Black Were Garurumon pounced on them, swinging his fist around, catching Yuusuke on the side of his head and knocking him to the side. Keeping his momentum, he brought his fist deep into Leomon's gut, winding him and sending him falling to his knees. Black Were Garurumon kicked Leomon's head for good measure, then scooped up Yuusuke's half-conscious form and leapt away.
Struggling to catch his breath, Leomon called out after his partner, "Yuusuke!" but it was too late. They had already disappeared from view.
*****
On a rooftop not too far away, Black Were Garurumon dumped Yuusuke to the floor. The boy groggily shook his head as he struggled to his feet. "I told you it wasn't over, boy," the Digimon growled. "Your partner's out of the way, and I saw the other human get on a train this morning. You're all alone and completely defenseless."
Yuusuke was still dizzy from the blow, but somehow he kept on his feet and glared at Black Were Garurumon. "Don't bet on it," he managed to say.
Black Were Garurumon chuckled coldly, then leapt at Yuusuke, slashing at him. Yuusuke dodged the clawed hand, then swung his own fist at the Digimon. But Black Were Garurumon was too fast for him and caught the punch several inches from his face. He latched onto Yuusuke's other shoulder and began to squeeze the boy's fist. Yuusuke grunted as he felt the bones in his hand compress under the pressure. Trying to take his mind off the pain, he did the first thing that came into his head.
He kicked Black Were Garurumon.
In the crotch.
The Digimon did stop squeezing Yuusuke's fist, but when the boy looked at his face, it wasn't quite the reaction he'd expected. Black Were Garurumon was looking at him, puzzled.
For a moment, neither said anything, but then Black Were Garurumon spoke. "Now, see, had I been a human, I imagine that would have hurt. But being a species that reproduces asexually, there's nothing down there but bone and data." He got an evil glint in his eyes. "Though, I have often wondered what it's like. I hear the expressions people make are absolutely hilarious."
Black Were Garurumon began to draw his leg back, and Yuusuke braced himself for the worst. Suddenly, a short blade shot through Black Were Garurumon's chest. "Leomon!" Yuusuke yelled with a smile. Leomon leaned forward and whispered into the other Digimon's ear. "This time, it *is* over."
With a final scream, Black Were Garurumon's body suddenly exploded into a cloud of red free-floating data particles. Leomon returned the short sword to its sheath on his back, then held out his hand. The data particles spiraled towards it, flowing into his open palm. When the last of the particles entered his body, he took a deep breath, let it out, then looked down towards Yuusuke. "You alright?"
Yuusuke was rubbing his hand. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Nothing's broken, just a little sore." He looked up at Leomon and smiled. "Thanks again."
Leomon smiled and shrugged. "Hey, I'm your partner. I'm supposed to protect you, right?"
"Right."
*****
In another town, many kilometers away, another reaffirmation of a partnership was taking place.
On the rooftop of a hotel, a teenage girl stood staring up at the night sky. A tall figure wearing a dark cloak that covered his entire body crept up silently behind her. Without turning to look at him, she said, "It's a nice night, isn't it?"
From the depths of the cloak, a hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. "It's perfect."
"We make for Kebo tomorrow," the girl said. "Don't be late."
"I won't be."
A slight breeze picked up for a second, and when it died down, the cloaked figure had disappeared. The girl turned around and walked back inside.
*****
In his hotel room in Upload City, Ryan sat leaning against the window, staring at the setting sun. In his hand was an unopened beer can. His dinner lay forgotten on the table by the bed.
He had met with Lamarc only a few hours earlier, and had been told about the conversation with Adriana. He still couldn't make any sense out of the situation. All the elements appeared in a random jumble in his mind. Himself. Lamarc. Adriana. Joel. The Crystals. Yuusuke.
That last thought he held onto the longest. The poor kid had been thrown into this fiasco without even knowing his way around the Digital World. Thank God none of the Dark Lords decided to show up. At least he managed to find his partner, and considering who that partner was, Ryan didn't feel too bad about leaving Yuusuke in Comdi. Ryan knew Leomon would be reliable, even if he was reluctant to discuss his past life. Of course, Ryan knew perfectly well what that past life was like, but he felt that if Leomon wanted Yuusuke to know, he would tell the kid on his own.
As the final light of the sun faded behind the high-rises and distant mountains, Ryan's eyes drifted southward. Pulling back the tab on the beer can, he raised it in a toast. "Best of luck to you, kid."
*****
Yuusuke had spent the rest of his first week in the Digital World pouring over the books in Comdi's library before he decided it was time to move on. Paying the hotel charge, he and Leomon gathered up their few possessions and hit the road. Yuusuke decided it would best to be cautious with his money because he didn't know when he would get another job. For that reason, he thought it best to walk from town to town rather than use the railway system. Besides, he had heard that foot journeys were quite common in the Digital World, and were usually preferred over the trains. Explorers Yuusuke met in the library and the pub gave him some excellent hiking tips, as well as telling him about some great sightseeing locations that could only be reached on foot. After hearing the tales, both he and Leomon were anxious to see some of these locations.
At night, they would set up camp, or if they were in a town, stay at a hostel. Either way was pleasant. Camping under the stars, Yuusuke and Leomon would talk for hours about themselves and their worlds, not caring if some of the subjects had already been brought up. In the hostels, Yuusuke would have excited talks with the explorers staying there, learning new techniques from the more experienced First- and Second-Geners. Some of them even knew Ryan and were curious about how he was doing. Yuusuke could only reply that he was fine for the two days they were together. Leomon would often stay up late with the other Digimon partners, who all seemed to be trading war stories from the time of the Dark Lords. They all seemed to have a great respect for Leomon, but Yuusuke didn't listen in on the tales. He figured that if Leomon wanted to tell him, he'd do so when the time was right.
After four weeks, Yuusuke and Leomon found themselves on the road to a town called Kebo. As they approached its outer wall, the sounds of a great commotion inside from inside grew louder and louder. Yuusuke had heard that Kebo was a boisterous trading center, but it still didn't brace him for the shock he got when he first walked through the town gates. Yuusuke was immediately reminded of the Documents Folder in Upload City, only this time, it was *the whole town*! Stone pavilions and canvas tents lined the streets, each of them with someone having something to sell. Even the homes were considered places of business, with every house having a shop on the ground and living space on top. Yuusuke couldn't believe that the place was so prosperous, yet still so small. He figured that most of the people there weren't permanent residents, just merchants in from some other town.
Sure enough, as he and Leomon made their way to the back of the town, the number of hotels gradually increased until they were only buildings that could be seen. Yuusuke was trying to find the cheapest place to stay when a voice called out to him. "Excuse me!"
He and Leomon looked in the direction of the voice. A short, brown-haired man was running up to them. When he reached the pair he asked, "Do you happen to be explorers by any chance?"
"Yes, we are," Yuusuke answered.
The man clapped his hands together and sighed. "Oh, thank God. I've been trying to find some explorers who would be willing to do a job for me, but they're all too busy."
"What's the job?" Leomon asked.
"My name is Gelsin. I own ten hotels in this town. My newest acquisition came about a month ago. It's an old hotel outside the town walls that I decided to renovate. The hotel came with about eighty acres of land attached to it, and there are some shallow caves in the forest on that land. I thought it might make a good attraction, but I don't know what the caves themselves are like. I'm trying to hire someone to explore them. The town safety board won't even set foot in them unless I hand over a map first."
"Isn't there anyone who's been to the caves before?" Yuusuke asked.
"The hotel was abandoned sixty years ago, and the land closed off. Everyone I've asked has never even been near the place."
"What would the pay be?"
"Five hundred Digis and a free room and three meals a day for however long it takes, up to a week. Some of the renovation's already been done, so if you wanted to stay in the old hotel and be closer to the caves, that'd be fine. I'm staying there myself for the time being, and I've already got a skeleton staff helping to set up some of the modern equipment in the offices. How's that sound?"
Yuusuke and Leomon looked at each other for a moment. Then Yuusuke held out his hand. "Mr. Gelsin, you've got yourself a deal."
"Excellent! We'll write out the contract, get it signed, and you can get started tomorrow."
*****
Yuusuke kept thinking about how nice it would have been if Gelsin had mentioned just how much the hotel was *in need* of renovation. The words "abandoned sixty years ago" should have tipped him off, but he was too excited to finally have his first job on his own as an explorer to notice.
Half the roof (and several of the upper-story rooms) had collapsed on one side of the building. The lights were always flickering, and most of Gelsin's staff were complaining about how there just wasn't enough power to get the computer system set up, let alone run the hotel. Whatever water there was trickled cold out of the faucets, no matter how much the pressure was up, or how hot the dial was turned. The construction equipment and renovators started early in the mornings and worked until very late at night, filling the halls with so much noise that most workers there wore ear plugs just so they could hear themselves think.
'At least the bed's comfortable enough,' Yuusuke thought as he lay there, ears plugged, trying to get some sleep. He and Leomon had been there for three days, and he was glad that they were going through the caves rather than working in the building itself. They only had to deal with the construction noise in the mornings and at night.
On the table by the window were several large sheets of paper. On each was a map made out in pencil. The caves had been more expansive than Gelsin had thought, but Yuusuke and Leomon knew they would be done at last the next day. They were going to look through the cave farthest away, which had its entrance just inside the property line. After that point, the land was open, so Gelsin said there would be no problem if they went off the property. So far, the caves seemed safe enough, but Yuusuke thought it best to leave the final analysis to the professionals. There weren't any large pits, or extremely low ceilings, and, for the most part, they just sloped gently downward into the ground. There were a couple rooms that only Yuusuke could squeeze into, as Leomon was too large, and they made note of them on the maps.
As the sounds of the renovation died down for the night, Yuusuke rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, it would all be over. He would collect his fee from Gelsin, and be done with this God-forsaken hotel. He wasn't even sure he wanted to come back for a free stay when the renovation was done, as Gelsin had invited him to do at dinner that night. He thought he'd seen enough of the place it was.
'Oh, well, I'll worry about it later,' he thought, then went to sleep.
*****
The next day was overcast, but the weather report said there wouldn't be any rain for a while longer. With that in mind, Yuusuke and Leomon set out from the hotel as usual, greeting the disgruntled staff as they passed. For half the day, they roamed through the cave, which was indeed larger than the others had been. They found some incredible formations in its depths, along with a small lake, though there didn't seem to be anything alive in it. Around noon, they came back outside to have lunch, and that's when the trouble started.
They had just started eating when a dark-haired teenage girl and a tall, cloaked thing Yuusuke that could only guess was her partner stepped out from behind a large tree. "You two!" she yelled. "What do you think you're doing here?"
Yuusuke stood up and answered, "We're under contract with the hotel being renovated to map these caves. What are *you* doing here?"
The girl looked at him defiantly. "We've been hired by a farmer on the other side of the open land to find some crop thieves who've been wandering around his fields."
"Well look somewhere else," Yuusuke answered. "We're busy."
"I'm sure."
"You're accusing *us* of being the thieves?" Yuusuke laughed. "Let's just walk up to the hotel and get Gelsin to confirm we're working for him."
The girl smirked darkly. "If I'm walking anywhere with you, it's to the town police, while you're restrained." She turned to the cloaked Digimon. "Partner! Get him!"
The Digimon leapt at Yuusuke, but Leomon jumped in front and shoved him out of the way. The two Digimon rolled away from the humans, finally being able to break away from each other and leap to their feet. Yuusuke and the girl watched as their partners fought. Every punch and kick one threw at the other was either blocked or avoided with fluid ease. Leomon had tried to use some of his special techniques at first, but he soon realized that they just slowed him down. He also realized something that seemed strange. The cloaked Digimon was only using physical attacks! Even if they did slow the user down, it was a Digimon's usual instinct to try a special move with any new opponent.
They moved forward and grappled with each other once again. Leomon was starting to feel winded, but he somehow felt his opponent was feeling the same way. Their bodies twisted slightly, and that was when the light penetrated the shadows of the cloak for the briefest moment, and Leomon saw who his opponent was. He suddenly loosened his grasp and just stared in bewilderment at the cloaked Digimon. "It's you," he was finally able to say. "You came back, too?"
The cloaked Digimon chuckled. "Yeah, about four years ago."
"And you have a partner."
"You, too. Amazing how times change."
"You know, if we keep on fighting, we'll probably have a repeat performance. I don't think either of our partners will appreciate that."
"Agreed. I trust what the boy says is true?"
"It is."
The cloaked Digimon turned around. "Then, in that case, we'll leave you alone. It was good seeing you again."
"You, too."
The cloaked Digimon passed by his partner. "Natalie, come on. They're not the ones we're looking for."
"You're sure?" the girl asked him.
"I'm sure."
She took one last glance at Yuusuke, then turned around and started walking away with her partner, just saying, "Okay, then."
As they disappeared back into the forest, Leomon returned to Yuusuke. The boy looked up at him. "What happened back there?"
"A recognition."
"You know who the cloaked Digimon is?"
Leomon looked down at him and smiled. "Of course. I killed him."
To be continued
(End Episode 02)
NEXT TIME: Who is this girl Natalie, and, more importantly, who's her partner? Secrets will be revealed when she teams up the Crystal thief Joel, who may not be such a bad guy after all. Plus, the appearance of the first Dark Lord in the series. Digimon Explorers Episode 03: HELL RIDER.