Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Digital Monsters. (blinks) Dang…doesn't sound as cute as Digimon, eh?
Author's Notes: The above statement is true. Oh, and the 100-review mark has been breached once more!
To the reviews!
Dark Qiviut: Oh. THOSE. (makes a pukey face) Okay…you asked for it.
Love Triangle was basically a standard 'TK's dating Kari, TK meets female OC, TK falls in love with female OC, Kari becomes heartbroken, Davis fills the gap'. Back then, I didn't like Takari at all, so I wrote something that appealed to me. Does it suck? Yes. And I'm glad it's gone forever.
Missing Courage was basically a rip-off of another story I saw where Tai supposedly dies in battle only to appear a year later as an alive guy (characters changed, concept remains the same); Sora becomes distant and heartbroken during that period, thus the 'Missing Courage' (Sora missing Tai, the Child of Courage). It too, was crappy.
Oh, and just for the record, I LIKED Sonic Shuffle. :P
And yes, you can use the Gravemon and the Dark Obelisk concept. Descriptions will follow (check your reviews in Thoughts of the Children)…(boots him off a cliff) :P
Alforce Zero: New names are fun! I'll call you Air Force One! (blinks) Wait…
ficmaster: If he tried to make me mad, he did a really bad job. :P
Mewgia Mirrorcoat: Thanks for the support.
Silver Warrior: BeyBlade…bleh.
Bluesv20: …huh?
Dot Cubed: Happy birthday!
Yami Shadowclaw: Look, if you couldn't tell from the '(wails on like Calculon)' bit…I was being sarcastic. Honestly, I have no problem with you review earlier chapters…but I DO have a problem when they're basically one sentence spammy stuff. To get an example, go to the last page of the Housemates review page.
As long as your reviews are actually REVIEWS, then I have no problem. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Anthony1: Strange how you're the only one to comment on that. ;)
Trey Miller: Ah. The classic stuff. Like this! "Hey Booboo! Let's go get a pic-a-nic basket!" Yogi Bear. (smiles happily…then sighs) Too bad I don't get Boomerang. XO
Yamimaru: A lot.
Ninetalesuk: And I did. (boots him off a cliff)
Chosen Child of Darkness: The second genre IS Drama…:P
Cloud-821: Instead of experiencing Great Expectations…Davis is experiencing Crappy Expectations. (shot) Okay, bad pun. X.X
Lord of swords and waffles: Can I have another waffle?
Digi fan: Yet you always wait anyway. ;P
Kmoney: If your mind wanders, does your head go with it?
duskmon87: Eh…I could if I would, but I had the original script deleted immediately after I was banned. Sorry.
bobbyneko: Are you taking language class from Veemon?
Yami Vizzini: I ALWAYS check reviews…even those for Zero 2.
As for the name things…remember, they were only mentioned in the past as part of Joshua Kido's memories of them. He was remembering their names as he recalled them…which meant their current names instead of their past names. And as for Shaun…well, Ryo Akiyama didn't exist in the future 02 timeline anyhow. Call it an alternate series of outcomes of the second season. As for Dragomon, he was waiting for Kari's light powers to grow in strength before absorbing them. He's waiting for her powers to purify (which was why he was so miffed about Darkheart 'tainting' Kari's light).
Did I just make these up? With the exception of the last one, yes. Do they make sense? I hope so. :P
And yes, Housemates WILL have a definitive ending. I still have other fics in the wings (Comeback Tour, Battle of the Shinobi, and the Digital Deception).
Begin!
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Chapter 13: Taking Root
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/Lunch Table, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 12:27 PM/
Kari suddenly shivered.
Cody quietly asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…I suddenly felt weird though," muttered Kari. Why had she felt such a strange chill? Something was happening…but what?
Kari momentarily felt a pang of sorrow. As the Child of Light, she was much more susceptible to the powers of darkness. If something of ill nature or dark origin was occurring, she would be able to feel it. When she sometimes remembered the darkness of Dragomon, the malice of Myotismon, and the horrible rage of Darkheart, she would always get the shivers. It was ironic; she was the most powerful weapon against pure darkness, and she was weak to it.
Kari looked around; she couldn't see Davis at any of the tables. "Does anyone know where Davis is?"
"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention," replied TK.
Yolei sighed. "He's probably found a little spot on his own. Don't worry."
"But Davis might be feeling upset after all the rejection," replied Kari.
"If he feels that bad, we'll give him a pick-me-up. He'll be fine!" exclaimed Yolei.
Seconds later, Poromon peered at Yolei from the ground. "PSST! Yolei!"
Yolei blanched at the sight of Poromon on the ground; what the heck was she doing down here? "POROMON!" loudly whispered the Child of Caring. "What are you doing down here?"
"I snuck down here! And just to let you know, we Digimon saw trouble!" exclaimed Poromon.
Yolei blinked; a strange feeling of dread came to her heart. "Trouble?" She quickly motioned for everyone to come and listen to Poromon.
xxxx
/Gym Rooftop, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 12:30 PM/
Impmon snorted. Trouble was brewing.
Normally, he liked trouble. Heck, trouble was his middle name! He was Impmon! An IMP! Imps were notorious for causing trouble! Bring him a box of nails, and he'd pop so many tires Goodyear would have a field day! Bring him to a slumber party, and all the guests would leave within the half hour! Bring him to a VIP party for a the debut of a new electronics business, and he would inadvertently bring about the bankruptcy of the entire company within a week…and if there was alcohol being served, make that five days!
So why was he feeling so hesitant?
He had long ago noticed that a group of Digimon had gathered on the opposite side of the gym rooftop; he recognized them as the Digibrats he had seen yesterday. He had watched as the pink bird and the cat had gone off somewhere, leaving the yellow puffball and the bat-pig behind to watch. He didn't care.
He was too captivated by the fact Daichi had interfered with the fight.
Which brought him back to one thing…why was he hesitating? Why was he feeling his innards quiver at the thought of going down there to bust some heads?
Was he…afraid? Was he afraid of revealing himself?
Feh…I ain't afraid! I'm the toughest marauder around! I ain't scared of nobody!
Then why couldn't he move?
xxxx
/Lunch Table, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 12:33 PM/
The four Digidestined were all stock-still after Poromon finished explaining what she had been sent to explain. "And that's what happened! The others sent me to get you, because Davis is getting the stuffing beat out of him!"
TK's fist clenched subconsciously. "How dare they…bigots. All of them!"
"Their fear is making them act…they fear Digimon because of what happened…and they want to stop them because they fear something like that will happen again." Cody sighed as he stood up from the table, the wind blowing through his brown hair; sometimes, he regretted being in the same species as some of the many idiots and extremists in the world.
Kari couldn't help but gulp at the thought of what was happening. "We have to go help Davis…we have to stop Waya!"
Yolei stood up straight, her eyes staring towards the high school section of the lunch tables. "I'm going to get some backup. You guys go on ahead!" Yolei immediately took off into a run.
Kari quickly grabbed Poromon as TK said, "Come on, let's go!" The Child of Hope led the way while the Child of Humility and the Child of Light followed.
xxxx
/Central Alley, Gym, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 12:34 PM/
Waya snickered as he blocked an angry kick from Daichi. "I recognize you now…you're one of my workers. Daichi Etsuya, correct?"
Daichi Etsuya didn't answer as he stepped back to get some room.
Davis Inoue, as bloody and tired as he was, couldn't help but stand up and choke out, "Daichi…this is my business. It's not your place…to step in…"
"Shut up," angrily responded Daichi. "I just made it my business. Besides, you're in no condition to even stand."
Davis grunted as he suddenly clutched his side; a wave of pain shot through him. Man…I feel like I was trampled by a Deltamon…
Seiji Waya sighed as he lightly ran a hand through his orange hair. "It's quite surprising actually…you've carried out my work before. I've seen you roughed up a few nobodies. Why stick up for this trash?"
Daichi didn't answer Waya. But in his mind…the answer was completely clear. Because…he's shown me something that I desire…something that I want. He's shown me…who I want to be…
Daichi charged.
Someone who's willing to do whatever it takes to stand up for themselves, their friends, and their ideals…
The black-haired boy roared as he launched a fist at Waya's face.
Even at the cost of their own life!
Waya calmly sidestepped away, using his foot to trip the boy up. Daichi grimaced as he fell onto the ground, but he was back on his feet in no time. He immediately sent a kick at Waya's gut, but the high school student merely dodged and pushed Daichi in the back, using the boy's momentum to send him flailing onto the ground.
Daichi Etsuya whirled around only to see Waya standing over him. The black-haired Digidestined froze…and in hindsight, he wondered why the heck he had gotten into a fight with the toughest bully in the school.
Waya sneered. "Pathetic." He kicked Daichi in the side, causing the boy to recoil in pain. He then turned his attention to Veemon, who still struggled against the two goons restraining him. "I think I'll break your face."
Veemon growled as he tried to break free. All he could see was a foot coming at him-
SLAM!
Veemon blinked; a body was sitting in front of him.
Waya's eyes widened slightly; his foot had hit the gut of Davis. The boy had fallen into the path of the kick so he could get there in time…it was clever, if not foolhardy. "Idiot."
Davis coughed up blood on Waya's foot. "A gift."
The orange-haired bully scowled as he grabbed Davis by the neck and slammed him into the wall of the gym. "You miserable little piece of garbage! If you think standing up for that little monster's honorable, then you have another thing coming!"
POW!
Davis grimaced as Waya tossed him into the wall. Veemon yelled, "DAVISH!"
Waya seethed as he clenched his fists. "Do you even understand what Digimon are? They're monsters! I lost my house to them…and I know people who have lost friends and relatives to them! They're an abomination…" Waya roared as he turned Davis around, glaring straight into the boy's bloody face. "…and if you think it's noble to protect that weakling, you're WRONG! YOU DON'T KNOW MY HATRED FOR THEM AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE…AND YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!"
Davis was silent as his mind remembered…
The dark deeds of UmbraDevimon, Demon, and BelialMyotismon…
His agonizing corruption into Darkheart by UmbraDevimon…
The scathing laughter of his dark alter-ego…
Everything he had done…
Davis smirked at his combatant, showing off his bloody mouth. "Yeah…I can understand…" His eyes stared straight into Waya's dark orbs; the Child of Miracles oozed with defiance. "And…so what?"
Those words struck Daichi hard. Davis PERSONALLY knew what Digimon had done…and yet he still protected one with such undying ferocity. Even though Digimon had done something to him and those he loved…he still protected one. Unreal…how can such a guy exist in today's cold world…?
Waya, however, was not so impressed, if at all. The bully snarled. "FINE. Then I'll beat some sense into you!"
KAPOW!
A fist collided with Waya's cheek. The goons gaped. Davis blinked. Daichi and Veemon's mouths dropped.
"Keep your hands off of Davis," ordered TK as he brushed his fist.
Veemon cheered, "TK!"
As Kari and Cody ran into the alley, TK helped Davis to his feet. "You don't look so good Davis."
"Put a sock in it TZ," muttered Davis…but he had a smile on his face.
TK smiled; it had been a while since Davis had misspelled his name (though he still had no idea why Davis could keep messing up considering his name had only two letters in it). By now, Kari and Cody had caught up.
Kari's breath drew short at the sight of Davis. He was bruised all over. Blood leaked from his nose, his mouth, and his lips. There was a cut on his forehead. Kari was in absolute awe…even if Waya was powerful, Davis had fought and triumphed over tougher enemies. So why was he so hurt? "Davis…how did…?"
"Hey Kari…don't worry about me…I asked for this." Davis shifted his weight so that he would lean against the wall and not TK.
TK blinked. "How? Why?"
"Because…I gave him myself instead of Veemon." Davis wiped his mouth off with a sleeve before turning his attention to Waya, who was just getting up. "But still…thanks for the backup…"
Cody, meanwhile, was standing over Daichi, who had a look of confusion and shame on his face. "You seem troubled…Daichi Etsuya, was it?"
"What do you want? You a friend of Davis'?"
"Yes," replied Cody. "He told us about you…and about your partner."
Daichi's eyes widened. WHAT? "WHY?"
Cody sighed; he was probably going to regret what he was about to do…but if the relations between humans and Digimon were ever going to change, some sacrifices would have to be made. He glanced up at the two Digimon staring down at them.
Upamon.
Patamon.
Cody stared into Upamon's eyes. At that moment, the little In-Training knew what to do.
Moments later, a childish 'BANZAI!' could be heard. Upamon plopped down onto Cody's head softly. The sight caused Daichi's eyes to bug out of his head. "A…then…are you…?"
"Yes. I have a partner as well." Cody quietly grabbed Upamon, holding him in his arms. "His name is Upamon."
"Hello!" chirped the little Digimon.
Daichi Etsuya was flabbergasted; he had thought the people who had Digimon were very few…and were in hiding to keep themselves from being found out. But if this little guy had a partner…what about the other two? Were there more human-Digimon partners than he had first perceived?
As these thoughts rumbled through Daichi's mind, Waya was getting to his feet. The orange-haired bully looked at the newcomers.
The hat boy, who had punched him.
The little shorty, who had a yellow puffball on his head. ANOTHER Digimon…
The brown-haired girl with the camera wrapped around her neck…and in her arms was a pink bird. ANOTHER! THEY'RE LIKE COCKROACHES!
"Boss."
Everyone turned around to see four more people standing at the entrance to the alley. Like Waya and his goons, they had muscular builds, and – with the exception of the brown-haired one on the left – they all possessed dark hair.
Waya chuckled. "Well…glad you remembered to come."
Yes, they were more of Waya's goons. Before following Davis, Waya had told four of his personal bullies to come after a certain period of time if he had yet to return from his 'meeting'. The period of time had passed.
The four goons chuckled as they moved in on the entire group. TK grimaced; three bad guys would've been a tough fight, but a beatable one nonetheless…but SEVEN? Not without using their Digimon…and that was a no-no. It would make all of Davis' injuries worth squat.
Waya stepped back, joining his four-goon squad. "You two. Come here."
The goons restraining Veemon released him before running to the side of their boss. Veemon immediately rushed to his partner's side. "Davish! You okay?"
"Heh. I'm fine…remember, I'm the toughest guy around!" boasted the Child of Miracles.
Waya snorted at the sight. Sickening…soiling their hands on those digital scum…not even human!
TK quietly turned his gaze to Waya. The same hatred he had for darkness was rising to the surface…because what Waya had done to Davis was inexcusable.
And in a moment's notice, he made his decision. "Patamon. Come on down."
Waya's eyes bugged out of his head when he saw a flying bat…er, pig, um whatever, DIGIMON floating down to sit on his head. "ANOTHER?"
Meanwhile, on the rooftops, Impmon was absolutely bewildered. They had all gone down without a second thought…for their human partners.
Then, he innocently shrugged. "Eh, what the hey." He then jumped off the rooftop. "CANNONBALL!"
Everyone's heads shot upward to see Impmon falling down into the alley, unfurling from his cannonball before landing nimbly on his feet in front of Daichi.
Daichi Etsuya blanched. "Impmon! You-"
"Decided to come down and join the partay! Heh…and youse told me that I would be mincemeat if I showed myself." He shot Daichi a cocky glance. "Looks like youse was wrong, boy."
"…" Daichi couldn't say anything. Not at first anyway. A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Yeah…guess I was."
Waya, meanwhile, was seething. Those traitors! Traitors to the human race, all of them! "Alright guys, listen up! WASTE THEM ALL!"
The six goons chuckled as they cracked their knuckles. It was them against a beat-up Davis, a tired Daichi, a fresh TK, Kari, and Cody (for whatever THAT counted for, the goons reasoned), and five wimpy Digimon. This fight was in the bag, especially with Waya at the helm!
"I don't think so!"
Waya and the goons blinked; they turned around to see six newcomers.
Matt Ishida.
Mimi Tachikawa.
Sora Takenouchi.
Izzy Izumi.
Yolei Inoue.
And Tai Kamiya, the one who had spoken. An angry frown was on his face. "If you think you're going to beat on our friends, you've got another thing coming!"
Waya scowled. More of them…but it looks like they have no Digifreaks…
A gasp came from Mimi's mouth. "Oh my…look!" She pointed at Davis.
"I see," replied Matt, a scowl on his face. "Okay…which one of you punks beat up on Davis?"
"It was that orange-haired meanie!" yelled Veemon.
Waya grunted arrogantly. "Sure. It was me…but what are YOU going to do about it?"
A white and purple cat suddenly landed between Waya's goons and the group of older Digidestined. Kari gaped. "Gatomon!" Impmon nervously twitched. Oh boy…not her again.
Gatomon smirked. "If you guys want to get a piece of my friends, you'll have to go through me!"
"Oh yeah? You and what army? boasted a goon.
Five silhouettes leapt off the roof, landing beside Gatomon.
Agumon.
Gabumon.
Biyomon.
Palmon.
Tentomon.
All five simultaneously yelled, "US!"
Suddenly, the goons didn't look so confident.
Waya, however, was furious. "You're kidding…ALL OF YOU ARE DIGIMON LOVERS?"
"Depends on the kind of Digimon. Some of them – like the ones who destroyed Odaiba – are absolute trash. But the kind like our friends here…" Tai smiled as he pointed at Agumon. "…are great to hang around!"
"Naïve. All of you!" roared Waya.
Yolei slowly started walking over to Waya and his goons. Cody blanched as she started cracking her knuckles. Uh oh. I know that look. This is not going to be pretty.
"So…you guys think you can beat up Davis and just lord over everyone else in the student body because you're tough?" Yolei's tone was growling, and it caused a deep chill to grip the seven bullies. "Well guess what…" Her eyes suddenly became aflame as she charged at the Waya and his goons. She roared, "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN TOUGH!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
xxxx
Meanwhile, less than one mile away from the school, a purple cloud of mist suddenly appeared in a city intersection. Traffic lights went on the fritz. Cars suddenly died. TVs and computers in the immediate vicinity of the area flickered before shutting down.
Three separate growls emerged from the purple fog. As it faded, the silhouettes dissolved into three monstrous figures.
Tyrannomon.
Deltamon.
And at the head of the group was the skeletal beast known as Skullgreymon.
The three beasts roared as they stormed toward the school. They sensed Digimon there.
And they were hungry for their data.
xxxx
Davis blanched at the sight of the moaning, bruised, and unconscious bodies of Waya and his goons. What he had just seen was akin to the rage of an angry god. Mental note. Never get on Yolei's vengeful side.
Yolei sighed. "That'll teach em'."
All of the Digimon suddenly tensed up. Upamon and Poromon quickly started glowing.
Upamon digivolve to……Armadillomon!
Poromon digivolve to……Hawkmon!
Kari blinked as Hawkmon dropped out of her arms. "Hey! What's going on!"
"We have company," muttered Gatomon, her fur on edge.
A piercing roar suddenly broke through the air.
"FIRE BLAST!"
"TRIPLEX FORCE!"
"DARK SHOT!"
Everyone tilted their heads toward the outside of the school grounds to see a red fireball, a large blue ray, and an orange, shark-shaped missile zooming in on their position. The Digimon paled; they wouldn't be able to digivolve in time before the attacks hit!
Daichi Etsuya screamed out of impulse. "OH MAN! WE'RE SCREWED!"
No we're not…not while I'm still kicking! Davis grimaced as he whispered, "Holy Armor Energize…"
The Crest of Miracles shined as Davis' body was enveloped in a golden glow. One second later, it faded, revealing him within the Armor of Miracles. Daichi's eyes widened at the sight. "What the…Davis…?"
Davis' eyes suddenly widened as power surged through him. He leapt to his feet – his wounds feeling like little scratches now – and flew upward towards the incoming attacks. Daichi gasped out of utter shock. Impmon blubbered, "W-W-W-WHAT? WHAT DA HECK IS DAT BOY DOIN'?"
"Saving us," nonchalantly replied Gabumon.
Davis smashed his foot into the tip of the Dark Shot missile, causing it to erupt into a ball of fire and flame. Fragments of it rained down on the nearby ground before disintegrating into particles. That'll get everyone's attention for sure! I have to do this quick!
Panels in Davis' armor opened up as he yelled, "Magna Ray!" The golden rays of light erupted from the panels, colliding with the fireball and blue ray; both attacks nullified each other. Davis immediately charged for the bigger threat; Skullgreymon.
The bony Ultimate roared as it swung its arms and tail at the Child of Miracles. The agile boy dodged every attack before getting in close and slamming his fist into Skullgreymon's chin. He finished up by throwing the large Ultimate into the ground, causing an indent to form.
Davis' turned to see a set of jaws clamping onto him. He quickly propped open the bony jaws with his hands and feet; the mouth happened to be that of Deltamon's left hand. Deltamon roared as it tried to crush Davis in one fell swoop.
Davis immediately zoomed backward – causing the mouth to shut tight in front of him – before grabbing the Champion's hand and flipping him over. The Deltamon howled as it was slammed back first into the ground. Unconsciousness arrived moments later.
Davis set his eyes on the last one: Tyrannomon.
Tyrannomon was almost upon the others. Oh no!
"FIRE BLAST!"
The Digimon immediately prepared to digivolve. Daichi froze as the fiery ball of flame neared them. Oh man…this is it…!
"HA HA HA!"
That laughter came from Impmon. "Heh…well whaddya know…looks like comin' to dis place wasn't a bad thing after all! Free butt-kickin'!" As Impmon spoke, Daichi's digivice began glowing in his pocket. "And if dis kinda stuff is gonna be a regular occurrence with youse guys around…then there's no WAY I'm gonna let dese kids die!"
His body was awash in a white glow.
Impmon digivolve to……Gremlimon!
As the light immediately faded, the figure leapt at the fireball and punched through with it a massive fist, causing the flames to fade. As the new creature landed, it could be fully seen.
The new Digimon was roughly seven feet tall…but that was only because it was crouching down into a sort of 'frog' position. His entire body was covered with short purple fur, save for the face, which was covered by short white fur. His legs seemed small, but that's because he was crouching; they were lined with lean muscles. His arms, meanwhile, were long; each one was five feet long. The muscles grew large near the hands, giving off the impression of a thick club. His gloves were gone, revealing thick hands, fingers, and red claws. His feet were wide like dog feet, and the toes ended in sharp red nails. The yellow smiley face on his belly had morphed into a grinning red face that had devil horns protruding from it; the symbol screamed 'malicious'. His mouth was lined with fangs, and his ears were now large and fan-like; the back of his ears was lined with purple fur, and the skin inside the ears was gray in color. His green eyes glinted with mischief. He chortled in a deep, yet childish voice; the traces of his Brooklyn accent were gone. "Hah! What a rush!"
Daichi blanched at the sight of his partner's Champion form. "I…Impmon?"
"The name's Gremlimon now!" The palm of his right hand spawned a green fireball as Tyrannomon charged. "And that dino's about to get a taste of my BADA BANG!" Gremlimon hurled the green fireball at the digital dinosaur.
BOOM!
Tyrannomon howled as the explosive fireball sent him hurtling backwards into the ground. All three Digimon now lay smack-dab in the middle of the road adjacent to the school, causing quite the traffic jam. The chain-link fence that had separated the school from the road was now demolished. Gremlimon chuckled as he clenched his fists. "Now to bash their faces in!"
"No."
Gremlimon blinked as Davis set down in front of him. In a flash, his armor disappeared. "We aren't going to kill them; it's not our place. We're only going to send them home."
Gremlimon snorted. "And how the heck are we gonna do that?"
"I have a solution," said Izzy as he pulled his pineapple laptop out of his backpack. "I got a wireless adapter recently; I can use it to access the Internet from anywhere within Odaiba! And this means access to a computer network!" He powered it on and pointed the screen toward Davis. "Do it."
"Right." Davis pulled out his blue D-3. "Digiport open!"
In a flash of bright light, the three invading Digimon disappeared. Gremlimon grimaced as he dedigivolved to Impmon. "No fair. My fun ended WAY too early ya joik."
Sora walked over to Davis and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah," replied Davis with a chuckle. "After that, the wounds don't feel so bad."
Daichi Etsuya was silent; he was still in awe over the fact Davis had somehow donned a set of golden armor, flown into the sky, and fought two giant Digimon. And speaking of the third Digimon, his partner had somehow become different…what was it called…digivolving?
As Armadillomon and Palmon poked the unconscious Waya, Biyomon remarked, "Well…that went quite well, all things considering."
At that moment, practically every student at the school – drawn by the ruckus of the three giant Digimon – appeared at the entrance of the central alley.
All of the Digidestined and their partners sweatdropped. Tentomon sarcastically remarked, "How come someone ALWAYS opens their mouth at a time like this?"
xxxx
/Principal Motoyama's Office, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 1:00 PM/
Principal Jonathon Motoyama sighed as he rubbed his bald head with worry. Sitting in chairs at the front of his desk were Davis Inoue, Kari Kamiya, TK Takaishi, Yolei Inoue, Cody Hida, Tai Kamiya, Sora Takenouchi, Matt Ishida, Mimi Tachikawa, Izzy Izumi, and Daichi Etsuya. Their partners sat beside them.
The principal quietly said, "As you know, the student body has been split apart by what has happened."
"Yeah. Too bad there wouldn't be a student body without us," muttered Tai as he rubbed his sore cheek; a result of what had happened earlier. Tai had tried to explain that the Digimon that had done the damage to the school had been returned to the Digital World. A student said he was full of dung (albeit with a more vulgar synonym, if you get my meaning) before punching him in the face. By that time, the faculty had arrived to clear everything up before sending the Digidestined to the principal's office.
"Most of them are anti-Digimon. However, there are a few who bought your explanation of what happened near the alley with the Digimon. You also have some on your side for 'Veemon's' little stunt in Mrs. Hakashi's class. Oh…and I'm certain a lot of people are happy that you put Seiji Waya in his place." Waya, despite his careful methods of letting others bully for him, had a record. Beating up Davis was the last straw. Suspension would follow soon.
Matt sighed. "But I'm sure you have something else in mind for us."
Motoyama nodded. "Indeed. I'm afraid that after what has happened today, your Digimon have been revealed to the public. You know what this will mean. Angry letters. Discrimination. Death threats. There will be children who will despise you for being associated with Digimon. Anti-Digimon teachers might go so far as to lower your grades…so let me ask you again; are you sure you want to let your partners still come with you to this school?"
This elicited a chuckle from Davis. "Of course…do ya think I would've gone through all of this just to back down now?"
Motoyama looked at all of their faces. Each one showed a mixture of defiance, determination, and doggedness. They wouldn't back down…they would not. The principal sighed. "Very well…then I shall create a Policy on Digimon for this school. The guidelines are as follows." He paused to take a breath.
"Number one: if someone wishes to bring a Digimon to the school grounds, permission must be obtained from the parents."
"Number two: if someone does bring a Digimon, they are to remain outside. You may not socialize with the Digimon until either recess or lunch."
"Number three: if your Digimon is found to be destructive to school property or student lives, then we will promptly contact authorities and permanently ban them from coming back to the school grounds."
"Number four: should a Digimon kill a human being, then authorities will be called and asked to take down the beast. No exceptions."
"Number five: should a destructive Digimon be extremely impervious and/or large, then the military will be called in to put them down. No exceptions."
"Number six: if you see someone associating with a Digimon, do not try to stop them by violent and nonviolent means. Such acts of prejudice will be rewarded with a detention."
Motoyama sighed again. "It'll be more clear once the guidelines are down on paper. Now that we have that settled, you and everyone else are dismissed for the day; school's ending early due to the damage caused."
The Digidestined did not move…although they were slightly puzzled by Motoyama's relatively calm words. "You have something to ask of me?"
Izzy nodded. "Yes sir. With all due respect…why are you being so lenient on us?"
Motoyama was silent.
Then, he smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a digivice, much to the shock of the other Digidestined. "Because…I too have a partner. His name is Betamon…and if things were a bit different, he would be here with me. Even though I was surprised to find him in my home one day, he has proven to be an intelligent, witty, if slightly hungry being. I am proud to call myself his partner."
Motoyama almost beamed at the sight of Davis' smile. The relations were improving already. "Perhaps one day, it'll be where I can bring him to the school with me…until then, watch yourselves."
The Digidestined left the principal's office. As the principal spoke over the intercom informing the student body of the early dismissal, Mimi let out a breath of relief. "Wow, that was close…I thought he was going to close the book on us for sure!"
"It just goes to show you that it just takes one of us to get you to change your mind," replied Hawkmon.
As they walked through the hallways – with Davis and Veemon – in the lead, they slowly encountered the other students. They could feel the stares and glares…and they could hear the whispers.
"Look at them all…"
"They think they're all that."
"Why are they walking so casually?"
"I can't believe they're actually walking TOGETHER…"
"Idiots."
"How dare they betray humanity…?"
"Those fools…"
"I wish they'd just drop dead."
"They should've never come to be…"
"Those Digimon deserve to burn for what they did."
"Monsters…"
Shivers came upon Kari in droves; the hatred and dark feelings she was getting were affecting her ability to look straight. Their hatred and anger…why at us…?
"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPP!"
All of the Digidestined leapt backward out of surprise; the students in the hall paled at the outburst. Davis Inoue continued his angry tirade. He had enough of the prejudice…enough of the anger…and enough of the hatred.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN ACT SO HIGH-AND-MIGHTY? WELL GUESS WHAT! YOU OWE YOUR LIVES TO THESE DIGIMON! ODAIBA WOULD STILL BE NOTHING MORE THAN CINDERS WITHOUT THEM! YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER? YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMEAN THEIR LIVES? YOU THINK YOU CAN DENY THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST? WELL YOU CAN'T! UNLESS YOU'VE SACRIFICED BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS TO PROTECT THIS WORLD, I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANY COMPLAINING!"
All of the students were stunned out of silence. The Digidestined were in absolute shock. The Digimon were awed by the raw power of Davis' words.
Well, Impmon managed to grin and humorously say, "Nice touch."
Davis sighed out of relief. "Ah…had to get that out. Let's go Veemon."
As Davis and Veemon walked on, Daichi and Impmon were the first to move again. Daichi was still reeling over the events of the day…everything that had happened…all that had occurred…and yet Davis still wanted to stick up for his partner. For Digimon. For their very lives.
Davis had stood up for Veemon…in a way, he had stood up for all the Digidestined. It was a magnificent feeling to behold; one of awe…and respect, where both had once been in short supply.
One thing was for sure, Daichi now wanted to get to know Davis more. If at all possible…he wanted to be something he had never been before.
A friend.
After all, he mused as he watched Davis and Veemon exit the school's front doors; they HAD made things easier for him.
Davis…thanks.
xxxx
As Davis and Veemon left Odaiba School – with the other Digidestined close behind him – a figure in black watched from atop a tall hotel rooftop. He quietly spoke into a cell phone.
"Mr. Bishop. Phase One is complete."
xxxx
Author's Notes: Well…this little subplot is finally over. The Digidestined have revealed themselves to the school, as well as their partners…but despite all that, Daichi is the only one to find out about the Armor of Miracles.
Thus far, it has been a great pleasure writing this for the past two months (feels longer, doesn't it?). But I must tell you that the first part of Housemates has ended…and the second part will begin next.
The second part will be comprised of the remainder of the Bonding chapters (Chizuru, Momoe, Subaru, and Sasuke), another chapter featuring Daichi (how much did you like Impmon's Champion form, FYI?), and a subplot revolving around Ken that features romance, rabid fangirls, and a time bomb!
But the majority of the saga will be comprised of one I'm sure you're all looking forward to. What is it? Well…
xxxx
To be continued…
Next time…
Chapter 14: The Prank War
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Author's Notes: …well, I'm sure you know. ;)
See you soon, and please review!