((Author's Note: I want to thank retro mania, jame33333, Yutyrannus28, VeemonFan, HCB22, Damarial, Bakugan's Reboot Dragonoid, Megaer, and JJWalker12 for the favorites/follows. You guys are awesome!
Also, I should have been more specific on what the prompt for this fic was. The request was for a retelling of season 1 with Kari added at the beginning. There are going to be similarities between this and the first season, at least in the beginning.))
Chapter 02: Brave New World
Koromon and the other little Digimon charged for the swarm of Flymon. Tai could only watch, horrified, as Koromon bravely (and perhaps stupidly) attempted to fight these foes.
"Koromon! Get back here!" Tai cried out. The others were calling out for their Digimon, too, but it was too late. The little monsters were running into the fray, each of them letting out a battle cry.
Tai's strange device, which was clipped to his belt loop, begin to vibrate softly. He retrieved it and looked at it with curiosity. The device's screen was flashing and its speakers were making a loud whistling noise. Light from above caught his attention and he gasped when he looked to see what it was. Koromon and the rest of their Digimon were glowing brightly, and their bodies began to morph and grow larger.
When the light faded, Koromon had been replaced by a little yellow dinosaur, with long claws, big green eyes, and a stubby little tail. Koromon's jaws flung open and a ball of fire shot out of his mouth, blasting one of the Flymon. The Flymon shrieked and took a nose dive to the streets, landing with a loud, sickening crunch.
All the kids' Digimon were unleashing fire, electricity, and bursts of air at the Flymon, and the swarm scattered to escape the onslaught. The Flymon were zipping around the city in a disorganized frenzy. One of them tried to retreat further into the sky, but Tanemon, who now adorned a pink flower on her head and long arms that resembled that of leaves, made her plant fingers extend out into thorny vines and wrapped them around the Flymon. She lassoed it and pulled it back down, slamming it against the ground.
Another Flymon swooped down on Tsunomon. The little horned Digimon had now become a yellow reptilian creature with a little horn sticking out of his head. He was also wearing a blue wolf's coat that had claws at the end of the sleeves. Tsunomon saw the Flymon coming, opened his mouth, and spewed a stream of blue fire at it, setting it ablaze. The Flymon let out an ear-piercing scream as it thrashed about, trying to put out the flames. It tried to pull up and retreat to the sky, but its escape was hindered by Motimon, who had transformed into a red beetle of some kind. He had large, round compound eyes, a single talon on each arm, as well as small spikes poking out of his shell and wings. Motimon flew after the one that was trying to escape Tsunomon. Motimon's wings sparked and he unleashed a blast of electricity at the Flymon. Electrocuted and on fire, Flymon dropped from the sky and landed on the ground. It attempted to push itself back up, but it just didn't have the strength and slumped back down.
Yokomon had become a cute, pink bird with blue accents on the tips of her head and tail feathers, claws at the end of her wings, and wore a metal cuff on her right ankle. She chased after one Flymon that was attempting to sting one of the fleeing citizens. She flapped her wings harder and a spiral of green flames formed. The fire spiral shot out and enveloped the Flymon. It also dropped from the sky and crashed to the ground, rolling to a halt.
Bukamon was all white now, with a little red mohawk and long, clawed paws that almost resembled fins. He stood still and watched as one of the Flymon came towards him. He waited for a moment, allowing it to close the gap between them. Before it could touch him, he called out, "Bubble Deflector!" and a bubble formed around him. The Flymon dove in but bounced off the bubble. Bukamon didn't even budge, completely unharmed thanks to the barrier he had created. The Flymon shook its sore head from the ineffective tackle, clearly disoriented, and readied itself to charge at Bukamon again.
Nyaromon had turned into a tiny puppy and didn't look all that much bigger than she had been before, but that didn't stop her from jumping into the fight as well. She ran over to the Flymon that Bukamon was fighting, hunkered down, and let out a loud howl. The Flymon trembled and its wings suddenly stopped flapping. It collapsed to the ground as well, paralyzed from Nyaromon's howling.
The last Flymon was facing off against Tokomon, who looked quite similar to his previous form, however, he was orange and had a white belly, arms, and legs, and his antennas had become pointed wings. The Flymon chased after him into the sky, stinger pointed at him.
"Brown Stinger!" Flymon hissed as the stinger on its abdomen was launched like a missile at Tokomon, but the little Digimon swayed to the right and evaded the stinger.
Tokomon spread his wings and caught the wind current and pulled up, flying in a loop-the-loop around the Flymon until he was right behind it. Tokomon inhaled and his body inflated like a balloon, then he unleashed the air as a burst of wind. The Flymon recoiled from the hit, and Tokomon continued firing air shots at it. Flymon was having trouble keeping airborne and fumbled about as it tried to right itself. While it was trying to recover, Tokomon charged and tackled the Flymon, knocking it out of the sky. It crashed to the ground below along with the rest of its brethren.
The children all stared in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Not only had their little Digimon friends suddenly changed into completely new monsters, but they easily took down the swarm. They were incredibly confused by everything that had just transpired.
The Digimon all ran back to their human partners, each of them smiling and laughing as they all but tackled the kids in their excitement. They were all talking at once, making it hard to understand what they were saying. Koromon leaped into Tai's arms and hugged him. Tai was absolutely baffled but reciprocated the hug happily.
"I have no idea what you just did, Koromon, but you saved all our lives. You're amazing!" Tai said.
"About that," Koromon said, "you can call me Agumon, now."
"Look, Sora! I can fly," Yokomon said as she, Motimon, and Tokomon all flew around their partners joyfully. Izzy was staring at Motimon, stunned and unable to form words. For once, he was speechless. Sora and T.K. were accepting their strange reality a little easier than him and they were grinning as they watched their partners flutter about.
Tsunomon approached Matt. He rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well, what did you think, Matt?"
Matt shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Um, it was cool and all, but I have no idea what you guys just did."
"That's easy. We digivolved," Nyaromon said. Kari knelt down and picked her up and Nyaromon snuggled up to her.
"You digi-what?" Joe asked. Bukamon had jumped on his back and was trying to hug him around the neck. Joe managed to pry his arms off so he could breathe and Bukamon rested his arms over Joe's shoulders.
"Digivolved," Bukamon said. "That means we reached the next level. We're rookies now! By the way, you can call me Gomamon now, Joe."
"Gomamon? You mean your name changed as well?"
Mimi turned to Tanemon and asked, "Does this mean that your name is different now, too?"
Tanemon nodded. "That's right. Now I'm Palmon."
Tokomon landed on T.K.'s head. "I digivolved from Tokomon to Patamon."
"I'm Biyomon, now, Sora," the little pink bird said in a sing-song voice as she landed and hopped over to her partner.
"So, 'digivolve' means to change into a new and stronger form?" Izzy asked Motimon.
"That's right," said Motimon as he buzzed beside Izzy. "I evolved from Motimon to Tentomon. Likewise, Tsunomon became Gabumon, and Nyaromon became Salamon."
"Agumon?" Tai repeated softly, breaking the hug between him and the little yellow dinosaur.
"That's right, Tai," Agumon replied. "To be honest, I'm not really sure how I was able to digivolve like that, but hey, it works."
Izzy unclipped his odd device from his backpack strap and looked it over. "It's strange, but I think these devices may have something to do with it, too. Did anyone else notice that they lit up right before our Digimon digivolved?"
Tai nodded. "I definitely noticed. Just what are these little gizmos?"
They heard a groaning. It was the Flymon. They were trying to push themselves back up but were having trouble. They slumped down and lay on the street, too exhausted to keep fighting.
Kari slowly approached one of the Flymon with Salamon still in her arms. "Why did you do that?" Kari asked the closest Flymon. "Why were you trying to hurt your fellow Digimon?"
"Kari! Look at your device," Izzy said. "It's reacting to something again."
Sure enough, the light from Kari's device could be seen through the pocket of her pink pants. She sat Salamon down and took out the device from her pocket. It was shaking slightly and the screen was flashing a multitude of colors. The Flymon seemed to react to the device as they shifted their gaze to her. She didn't know what prompted her to do it, but she turned the device to face the Flymon. The six Flymon began to glow as a rainbow aura flared from their bodies. They didn't appear to be in any pain from what Kari was doing, as a matter of fact, they seemed to relax.
When the light faded, the device stopped flashing and returned to its normal state. The Flymon looked around, confused. "Where are we?" one of them asked.
"Dunno," another replied. "I don't remember how we got here."
"Neither do I," a third one said.
Another one scratched the back of its head with its long talon. The six Flymon stood up and brushed themselves off. They flew back into the sky, high above the city. They looked all around and one of them pointed to the forest. The other Flymon nodded and they took off in that direction. Soon, the buzzing of their wings faded away into silence as the Flymon returned home. The Digimon citizens that had been fleeing for their lives just a short while ago slowly approached the children and their partners.
"You saved the city," one said to the kids in awe.
"Who are they? Are they humans?" another whispered to the Digimon next to him.
"They must be. Does this mean that the old legend is true?" The other one replied. More Digimon were whispering to one another and talking in hushed tones.
Kamemon sauntered over to them, chuckling softly to himself. "That was impressive," he said.
The kids shifted their attention to Kamemon. "You said that you could take us to someone that can help us?" Matt asked.
"That's right. Follow me. Hurry along, now," he said, taking slow and tentative steps as he lead them through the city. It took a while, as their guide wasn't particularly fast, but after nearly two hours of walking, they made it to the outskirts of the city. They followed a dirt trail through the hilly terrain as they made their way closer to the gigantic mountain. They passed by several tiny homes, all of which looked to be made of stone.
"How much further, Kamemon?" Tai asked impatiently.
"Almost there," the little turtle replied. "Don't be hasty, now."
They followed the dirt path into a wooded area. The path took them deep into the woods until they finally came to a stone staircase that led them up to a massive, old-fashioned, Japanese home. It was wooden, with a pointed, shingled roof, and had sliding doors. Over to the left side of the house was a stone pathway that lead to back of the house and to a little pond with koi fish swimming inside. The house and pond were surrounded by a stone wall, and just inside of the main entrance was a statue of a three-legged raven, better known as the Yatagarasu.
Kamemon was a little out of breath and said, panting, "Here we are. The home of Jijimon and Babamon. They can help you out."
"Thanks, Kamemon," Tai said, "You should probably get some rest. I bet that took the wind out of you."
"Oh, I'll be just fine. My home isn't that far from here. Well, goodbye, friends." And Kamemon headed back down the hill, slowly and steadily.
The children and their Digimon walked up to the house and Tai yelled, "Hello? Is anyone home?"
"Quit shouting already. We're coming," they heard a man's voice say from inside the house. After a short wait, the sliding door flung open and two human-like Digimon stood in the doorway. One of them was an old man, with a long white beard and hair so moppy that it drooped over his eyes. His clothing was tattered and in rags, and it almost looked like he was wearing nothing more than a roughed-up burlap sack. He also carried a stick with a large cat paw on the end. The other was an old woman, whose gray hair was done up in a neat Japanese-styled bun. She wore long green robes and had a large pearl necklace around her neck. In her right hand, she held a broom that she used to lean on.
"What have we here?" the old man said as he stroked his beard.
The old woman gasped. "Why, these must be the DigiDestined."
"What did you just call us?" Sora asked.
The old couple motioned for the children and Digimon to follow them inside. "Come, come. Make yourselves at home," the old man said as he led them into the house. He brought them into the dining room, which had a long, low table and several cushions placed around it. The kids sat on the cushions while their Digimon stood beside them, protectively.
"I am Jijimon," the old man said, then pointed to the old woman, "and this is my wife, Babamon. Let me see here… Eight of you, eh? I thought there would be more, but this will suffice."
"Kamemon said you guys could give us some help," Tai said. "Do you know a way for us to get back to our world?"
"Ah, I can't answer that one," Jijimon said. "But I can tell you why you are here."
The kids all leaned in closer and waited for him to explain. Jijimon and Babamon remained standing at the end of the table, and the two leaned in closer as well, as if to tell them an important secret. "You were summoned here to destroy a great evil that is plaguing the Digital World," Babamon began.
"A great evil?" Matt repeated.
Jijimon nodded. "Yes. There's a prophecy that foretells of a darkness that will overtake the Digital World, turning good and kind Digimon into evil ones."
"Is that what happened to those Flymon?" Agumon asked.
"What do you mean?"
"After we arrived in File City, a swarm of Flymon appeared and were trying to attack the citizens," Gabumon explained.
"Do you know what caused them to act out like that?" Mimi asked.
Babamon shook her head. "I'm afraid that we do not. The prophecy does not say how the darkness will spread, but tell me, what happened to the Flymon?"
"We Digimon digivolved and fought them off," Biyomon said. "They didn't stand against all of us."
Izzy unclipped the strange device from his backpack strap and said, "Then, after Kari walked over to them, this thing lit up and did something to the Flymon. Then they returned to normal. I believe that this gadget also has something to do with our Digimon evolving into the next stage."
Jijimon hobbled over and took the device from Izzy, looking it over. "Good, you all received your Digivices. They will be imperative for your quest. They are the key to your Digimons' continued evolution, as well as spreading the light that will save the Digital World."
"When you say 'continued evolution,' you mean that our Digimon can digivolve even further?" Joe asked.
Patamon cheered. "Yay! I want to get even bigger!"
"I bet I'll digivolve into something really pretty," Palmon said.
"But how are we supposed to destroy this evil?" Sora asked. "We're just a bunch of kids."
"You are more than children," Jijimon replied. "You are the DigiDestined. You are the chosen heroes of this world. I know that this is a lot to ask of you, but please, we need your help."
The kids all looked around at each other, unsure of how to respond. "I mean, it's not like we don't want to save your world," Sora said, "but we need to get home. Our families will be worried sick."
"I wish that we could help you return home," Babamon said, "but we simply do not know how to send you back. We are begging you, DigiDestined, you are our last hope."
"We can't just do nothing," Kari said. Everyone turned to her. She had been so quiet up to this point, they were curious about what she had to say. "If we're the only ones that can save this world, then shouldn't we do something to help?"
"Kari's right," Tai said, standing up. "We're already here, so we should do something about this spreading darkness. I say we scope out this great evil and take it down."
Sora nodded. "It is the right thing to do. Alright, I'm in."
T.K. stood up. "I think we should help out, too. Right, Matt?"
Matt, who was suddenly put on the spot, looked around nervously before saying, "I mean, I guess so, but what am I going to tell Mom and Dad about us disappearing? I'm responsible for you, kiddo."
"I'll be all right, especially since I have Patamon looking after me."
"That's right!" Patamon said, flying up and landing on T.K.s head. "I'll take care of you."
"Are we in agreement, then?" Tai asked, and everyone seemed to agree, too. Everyone except Joe, that is.
"I don't know about this," Joe said. "I don't think my mom would approve of me getting involved in another world's affairs."
"We have no way of getting home, so we might as well help," Tai said. "Come on, Joe. Have some compassion."
"I do have compassion! Fine, I'll do it."
"Atta boy, Joe," Gommamon said, patting his partner's back.
"Where do we start, though?" Izzy asked.
Jijimon politely excused himself and walked out of the room. When he returned a few minutes later, he was carrying a rolled-up piece of parchment paper. He unraveled the paper on the table and revealed a map. Jijimon pointed to File City on the map. It was at the southern end of the island. "Here, this is our home; File Island, and this is where we currently are, in File City, but you need to get here," his finger circled the mountain, called Infinity Mountain, to the northern section, to an icy area labeled Freeze Land. "You will want to go here, to Freeze Land, and then you must find the Ice Sanctuary. There, you will find all the answers you seek and the tools you will need to destroy the great evil."
"What exactly is this great evil you keep talking about?" Salamon asked.
Jijimon scratched his head and turned to Babamon. "Er… I forget, what's his name again?"
"It's been far too long. I don't remember either," she admitted. The kids all groaned. "Fear not, you'll receive all the answers you need at the Ice Sanctuary. In the meantime, it's getting late and you'll need your strength for the morning ahead of you. Why don't you rest here for the night and we'll even make you a fine meal."
"Food?" the Digimon all asked happily, their stomachs growling. They had worked up quite the appetite from fighting the Flymon, after all.
Jijimon and Babamon retreated to the kitchen to prepare dinner, and it was far more luxurious than any of the kids had anticipated. They presented a feast of roasted beef, chicken, and fish, fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, sushi, a few soups, three different kinds of cakes for dessert, and several other dishes that the kids had never even heard of. It all looked amazing and smelled even better.
"Holy cow! This is so much food!" T.K. exclaimed.
"Sorry, but holy cow isn't on the menu," Jijimon said, "Now, let's dig in."
The kids and their partners didn't have to be told twice and they began piling their plates high with food. There was very little chatter amongst the DigiDestined as they were too busy filling their empty bellies with this delicious meal. With their stomachs warm and full, the kids could feel exhaustion settling in and they each yawned.
"Sounds like it's bedtime," Babamon said. "Here, let me show you to your room."
Babamon led them down the hall and to the spare bedroom. She laid down eight futon mattresses on the ground for the children and their Digimon. The kids all crawled into a futon and cuddled up beside their partner and drifted off to sleep in no time.
They awoke fairly early the next morning, feeling refreshed from their peaceful sleep. Jijimon and Babamon had already prepared them a hearty and traditional Japanese breakfast consisting of grilled mackerel, steamed rice, miso soup, fried eggs, and pickled daikon and carrots. The kids and their Digimon happily ate before taking off for Freeze Land. With Breakfast out of the way, Jijimon and Babamon walked them to the sliding door and bid them farewell.
"Good luck on your journey, DigiDestined," they said. "Believe in your power and you will save the world."
The kids waved them goodbye and headed back towards the forest, which they had learned was called "Native Forest." While they walked through the forest, Tai looked over the map that Jijimon and Babamon had given them with Sora and Izzy, trying to figure out their best route to Freeze Land. Agumon and the other Digimon stopped suddenly, listening intently.
"Is everything okay, Gabumon?" Matt asked his partner.
"I hear something, and it sounds like it's getting closer," Gabumon replied.
Sure enough, they heard rustling from the bushes as well as heavy footsteps. They all stopped to listen, wondering if it was another Digimon. Just then, a form burst through the tall bushes. It looked like a large and round rabbit. It had green markings on the ends of its ears and its light yellow fur was so thick and fluffy that it covered its eyes from being seen. The Digimon all relaxed when they saw the giant rabbit.
"Angoramon!" the Digimon said happily. "Where have you been?"
"You know him?" Kari asked Salamon.
Salamon smiled and hopped up joyfully. "Yes, that's Angoramon. He took care of us when we were just digieggs and later when we were in our baby stages."
"He disappeared a few days ago," Biyomon said. "We were very worried that something may have happened to him." she turned up to Angoramon. "We're very glad that you are okay, now."
Something was wrong. Angoramon let out a low growl and charged for the Digimon. Everyone scattered as Angoramon began swinging his fists at them, roaring and shouting while he did so.
"Angoramon, what are you doing?" Palmon asked. "He's never done something like this before."
"It must be that same evil influence that the Flymon were under," Izzy said. "Jijimon and Babamon said that this darkness was turning Digimon evil."
"We have to get close to him to use our Digivices," Tai said, which was proving difficult with Angoramon lashing out at anyone that came within range of him.
"Maybe we should weaken him," Agumon offered. "Then one of the kids can get close to him and bring him back to normal."
"I'm sorry, Angoramon, but you leave us no choice," Biyomon said as she flew over to him and shouted, "Spiral Twister," and a fiery vortex formed before her and shot out at Angoramon. Despite the flames hitting him, Angoramon looked mostly unaffected and turned his sights on Gomamon and Agumon.
"Hop Dunk!" Angoramon bellowed and leaped high into the air and prepared to body slam the two.
"Bubble Deflector!" Gomamon cried out as a bubble barrier formed around him and Agumon. Angoramon hit the barrier and bounced off it, landing hard on his back. He was stunned for a moment, but rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself back up.
"I'll hold him," Palmon said. "Poison Ivy!" Her vines extended and wrapped around Angoramon, locking his arms to his sides. He began struggling against Palmon's hold, and it was becoming clear that she was having trouble keeping him tied up.
"I've got this," Salamon said, "Puppy Howling!" Salamon barked loudly and the sonic waves from the sound hurt Angoramon. He tried to roar, but his voice was downed out by Salamon's cries.
Angoramon fell back and sat down, panting. He was exhausted from all his thrashing about. Tai knew this was his chance and he dashed over to Angoramon, Digivice in hand. He held it out in front of Angoramon and the Digivice lit up. A rainbow aura flared around Angoramon and he hummed as the energy restored him and brought him back to normal.
When the light faded, Palmon loosened her vines and retracted them. Angoramon groaned and rubbed his sore head. "What happened to me?" he asked. "All I remember is… No. It's no good. I can't remember anything at all."
"You were under some kind of mind control and then you attacked us, Angoramon," Agumon explained.
"Why would I attack you, I don't even know… you…" he studied the eight Digimon and gasped. "You're the little ones! Well, you're not so little anymore."
"Nope, we digivolved!" Biyomon said happily. "It was all thanks to our partners."
"You finally found those people you were waiting for." He turned up to the kids and added, "It's all they'd ever talk about. Let me see if I can guess who each of you are."
Much to their surprise, Angoramon guessed each of their names correctly. They were impressed by not only his memory but how much he clearly cared about their partners.
"Where are you all headed now?" Angormon asked the Digimon.
"We're going to Freeze Land," Tentomon answered. "We're supposed to get answers to this prophecy that says that darkness will overtake the Digital World and turn good Digimon into evil ones."
"Is that what happened to me?"
"Yup, yup," Palmon said. "But the kids' Digivices turned you back to normal."
"I can't thank you all enough. It's so strange, though. I really can't remember a thing."
"Nothing at all?" Patamon asked.
"...Wait," he said thoughtfully. "I do remember one thing. I remember a bat flying toward me, but that's all I can think of. Everything else after that is foggy."
"A bat?"
"Yes, but I've never seen a Digimon like it before."
"How peculiar," Izzy mumbled to himself.
"By the way, do you know how you're going to get to Freeze Land?" Angoramon asked.
"Not a clue," Tai admitted, which made Matt groan.
"You know, the tunnel through Mount Panorama should be completed soon. You'll be able to use that tunnel to get to Panorama Valley. It's a pretty clear path from that point onward."
"How do we get to this tunnel, Angoramon?" Kari asked.
"It's just to the west of Dragon Eye Lake, which is about a day's walk from here. If you hurry, then you should reach it before dusk."
Izzy pointed to the area marked "Dragon Eye Lake" on the map. It was just west of where they were in the forest. "This would be easier if we had a compass."
"I have one," Mimi said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a compass. She handed it to Tai.
"Just what all do you have in there, Mimi?" Sora asked, curiously.
Mimi sat down and emptied her bag on the ground. Camping fuel, a swiss army knife, a flashlight, emergency rations, and a six-pack of signal flares all tumbled out.
"And here I thought you hated camping," Matt teased. "Why did you bring all that stuff with you?"
"Just wanted to be prepared," she replied. "Who knows what can happen in the wilderness, especially at night."
"You're right," Angoramon said. "Even this forest can be dangerous at night. It's important that you get to Dragon Eye Lake before nightfall."
"We'd better get going, then," Tai said. "Thanks for your help, Angoramon."
"No, thank you for saving me," he replied. He then turned to the Digimon. "Be careful on your journey. Stick close together, and you'll be just fine."
The DigiDestined and their Digimon waved goodbye to Angoramon. He waved to them and watched them as they disappeared further into the forest. Tai had taken the lead with the compass in hand, while Sora was right beside him and looking over the map. Together, they led their team through Native Forest and onward to Dragon Eye Lake.