Digimon: After the Adventures End
Chapter 5: The Union
"I think he's waking up."
"Good."
"What happened to him?"
"Good thing we found him."
"Takato-kun? Can you hear me?"
Takato opened his eyes to see a familiar person standing over him, if "standing" meant anything in open space. "Katou-san!" he said. "It's great to see you again!" He looked around at the small crowd of people and Digimon gathered around him. "New friends?"
"And some old friends, too," said Juri. "You know Ryo, and Cyberdramon, and Culumon. The others are Mimi and Hikari and their partners, Palmon and Tailmon."
"Actually, Takato," said Ryo, "you don't know me. The Ryo you know is a copy of me." Quickly, he explained who he was and how the copy had come to be.
"You've met Hongo-san too?" Takato said. "I just met him a little while ago."
"Who is he?" Juri asked.
"Well, you have a seiyuu, right?"
"Yes."
"Hongo-san is another person from her world. He's the one who first thought of all this Digimon stuff. We all exist because of him."
"What makes you so special that you got to meet him?" said Mimi.
"I'm the goggle boy for the Tamers," Takato said. "Every time a new Digimon story begins, one boy is chosen to wear the goggles and be the leader. Do you know Taichi and Daisuke?"
"Taichi is my brother!" said Hikari. "Have you seen him?"
"Yes," said Takato. "Taichi and Daisuke and I were all in a meeting with Hongo-san not long ago. Together, we passed the leadership position on to Kanbara Takuya, the one who will lead the new Chosen Children. We used a computer to send him some of our energy, and we watched him get a Digivice. Then Hongo-san sent us away, but first, I asked him what had happened to the places we knew before, and he said they're floating around out here and the challenge is to find them."
"Sugoi!" said Juri. "I accept the challenge."
"So do I," said Ryo.
"And me," said Mimi.
"And me," said Hikari. "Oh - someone's coming!"
Everyone looked and saw two people approaching, along with their Digimon. Ichijouji Ken was one of them. The other was . . . Ryo!
As the two groups became one, no one said anything for a long moment. Finally, Ken said, "Ryo?"
"Ken?" responded the person Mimi had found.
"Ryo . . . it's really you!"
"Ken . . . it's been so long!"
Laughing, they leapt into an embrace. "Oh, Ryo," said Ken, "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"You're . . . all grown up," said Ryo.
"Yes . . . Wait. If you're the one I knew as a kid, then who is this guy I've been talking to?"
"That's my Tamer self. You see, there are actually two groups of children with Digimon, the Chosen and the Tamers, in two different realities. I have two halves, one in each world."
"That's right," said Takato. "I know that Ryo well. He's part of my group."
"How did you get copied?" Ken asked.
"Well, you know who your seiyuu is, right?" said the Ryo who had been Ken's friend.
"Yes. Paku-san."
"Well, the fact is that she is more than just a voice that you hear. She is actually a person who lives in another dimension. Hongo-san lives there, too."
"Yes, I know who he is. Did he copy you?"
"Yes, he did. He wanted me to stay a part of the adventure, I think."
"I had no idea," said the second version of Ryo. (Call him Ryo2.) "So you know Mimi and the other Chosen?"
"No," said Ryo1. "I just know Ken. In fact, I owe it to him that I went on my adventures at all. If it weren't for him, I would have been taken over by the Dark Seed. Thank you, Ken."
"You're welcome, old friend."
"Hey," said Ryo2, "Takato said that the places we know are floating around here, and we can find them. So, why don't we start looking now?"
"All right," said Takato. "Let's go!"
United at last, the representatives of the Chosen and Tamers set out to explore half-forgotten old worlds and seek out a new life for themselves. In the midst of the despair of character limbo, they had found hope.
Disclaimer: All Digimon characters belong to Hongo Akiyoshi, Toei Animation, Bandai, and Sensation Animation. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-)
Chapter 5: The Union
"I think he's waking up."
"Good."
"What happened to him?"
"Good thing we found him."
"Takato-kun? Can you hear me?"
Takato opened his eyes to see a familiar person standing over him, if "standing" meant anything in open space. "Katou-san!" he said. "It's great to see you again!" He looked around at the small crowd of people and Digimon gathered around him. "New friends?"
"And some old friends, too," said Juri. "You know Ryo, and Cyberdramon, and Culumon. The others are Mimi and Hikari and their partners, Palmon and Tailmon."
"Actually, Takato," said Ryo, "you don't know me. The Ryo you know is a copy of me." Quickly, he explained who he was and how the copy had come to be.
"You've met Hongo-san too?" Takato said. "I just met him a little while ago."
"Who is he?" Juri asked.
"Well, you have a seiyuu, right?"
"Yes."
"Hongo-san is another person from her world. He's the one who first thought of all this Digimon stuff. We all exist because of him."
"What makes you so special that you got to meet him?" said Mimi.
"I'm the goggle boy for the Tamers," Takato said. "Every time a new Digimon story begins, one boy is chosen to wear the goggles and be the leader. Do you know Taichi and Daisuke?"
"Taichi is my brother!" said Hikari. "Have you seen him?"
"Yes," said Takato. "Taichi and Daisuke and I were all in a meeting with Hongo-san not long ago. Together, we passed the leadership position on to Kanbara Takuya, the one who will lead the new Chosen Children. We used a computer to send him some of our energy, and we watched him get a Digivice. Then Hongo-san sent us away, but first, I asked him what had happened to the places we knew before, and he said they're floating around out here and the challenge is to find them."
"Sugoi!" said Juri. "I accept the challenge."
"So do I," said Ryo.
"And me," said Mimi.
"And me," said Hikari. "Oh - someone's coming!"
Everyone looked and saw two people approaching, along with their Digimon. Ichijouji Ken was one of them. The other was . . . Ryo!
As the two groups became one, no one said anything for a long moment. Finally, Ken said, "Ryo?"
"Ken?" responded the person Mimi had found.
"Ryo . . . it's really you!"
"Ken . . . it's been so long!"
Laughing, they leapt into an embrace. "Oh, Ryo," said Ken, "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"You're . . . all grown up," said Ryo.
"Yes . . . Wait. If you're the one I knew as a kid, then who is this guy I've been talking to?"
"That's my Tamer self. You see, there are actually two groups of children with Digimon, the Chosen and the Tamers, in two different realities. I have two halves, one in each world."
"That's right," said Takato. "I know that Ryo well. He's part of my group."
"How did you get copied?" Ken asked.
"Well, you know who your seiyuu is, right?" said the Ryo who had been Ken's friend.
"Yes. Paku-san."
"Well, the fact is that she is more than just a voice that you hear. She is actually a person who lives in another dimension. Hongo-san lives there, too."
"Yes, I know who he is. Did he copy you?"
"Yes, he did. He wanted me to stay a part of the adventure, I think."
"I had no idea," said the second version of Ryo. (Call him Ryo2.) "So you know Mimi and the other Chosen?"
"No," said Ryo1. "I just know Ken. In fact, I owe it to him that I went on my adventures at all. If it weren't for him, I would have been taken over by the Dark Seed. Thank you, Ken."
"You're welcome, old friend."
"Hey," said Ryo2, "Takato said that the places we know are floating around here, and we can find them. So, why don't we start looking now?"
"All right," said Takato. "Let's go!"
United at last, the representatives of the Chosen and Tamers set out to explore half-forgotten old worlds and seek out a new life for themselves. In the midst of the despair of character limbo, they had found hope.
Disclaimer: All Digimon characters belong to Hongo Akiyoshi, Toei Animation, Bandai, and Sensation Animation. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-)
