The pen is mightier than the sword, especially in the hands of an artist.
Chapter 1: A Brush With Destiny
The ground shook as the beastly blue bird landed on the field. Its screech made the warrior down below flinch as he stood his ground. Bright blue eyes narrowed as the warrior gritted his teeth. Flames then erupted in his hands as he rushed forward.
"Pyro Punch!"
He loosed the flames at the massive bird, hitting their mark squarely in the chest. The monster staggered back from the attack, as charred blackened feathers smoldered where the flames connected. It stamped its talons on the ground in fury and let loose another deafening screech.
The warrior clad in red winced and held his head as he tried enduring the monster's cry. He kept his eyes on the creature before him and saw electricity surge to life from the yellow lightning bolt shaped feathers at the tips of its wings and from the jagged horn on its head.
"Oh that's not good…"
The air in the arena gradually charged up as ominous storm clouds swirled up above, blotting out the evening sky. Lightning crackled, surging violently in the dark clouds as the armored beast lowered its head and set its sight on the red warrior.
"Thunder Storm!"
Bolts of wild lightning shot down towards the warrior with blinding speed. Instinct took over as he leapt away from the lightning's path. The attack relentlessly assailed him, sending bolt after bolt down upon him, scorching grass and blasting debris and dust into the air with every missed strike. The warrior tirelessly avoided the onslaught of lighting despite the ache and strain in his legs and burning in his lungs.
When finally the storm settled and the debris settled, the warrior took in the damage done to the stadium and was thankful that no one was still around to get caught up in the devastation.
"Holy crap…"
The bird spread its wings and flew towards the distracted warrior, electricity crackling with an eager promise of pain. With talons outstretched it slammed down onto the field, ensnaring the warrior.
He heaved desperately trying to breathe as the creature's talons curled tightly around him, threatening to crush his armor. He struggled, flames once again licking free from the silver manacles on his wrists. The blue bird slammed him down hard, letting go of him.
Winded, he staggered to his feet, still trying to fight on. Either that or let the overgrown pigeon destroy half the city. Or worse. The creature shrieked again, drawing the warrior from his thoughts.
"Oh so you want some more do ya?" He shouted, irritated by the monstrous bird.
This is insane, how did he, Takuya Kanbara, of all people end up here, fighting a giant armored bird on a half destroyed soccer field? All of this- because of that pen. Maybe? He wasn't sure but that had to be it.
-Earlier that day-
Sounds of shouting reverberated off the walls inside the arena. A soccer team practiced, doing drills as their coach blew his whistle.
"Last drill! Line up!"
Another short whistle.
"Kanbara! You're first!"
A young brunette stepped up, then ran and kicked the soccer ball. The ball flew through the air and landed solidly into the net. The coach nodded in approval before calling the next player up. The boy took a spot on the nearby bench as the team finished their final drill of the afternoon.
"Nice shot," another boy remarked.
"Thanks," the brunette replied, "Can't afford to get rusty."
The other nodded, "I'm just hoping to make the cut once the club team starts up again this year."
Takuya didn't respond right away, merely nodding his head. He already had a place on the school's club team. Well, provided he stayed on his parents' good side.
"I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Thanks!"
The coach called the team over and they all began to clean up the equipment from practice. The team then headed to the indoor arena's locker rooms to shower and change back into everyday clothes.
"Hey man, you excited for today?"
"Hell yeah I am! Nothing's going to stop me from watching today's game!"
Takuya quietly huffed to himself, overhearing his juniors' excitement. He wanted to be excited too. This was for crying out loud. Too bad his family had to meddle in it. Takuya felt frustration bubble up when he thought back a couple of weeks to when his father bought Shinya seasonal tickets for his birthday.
The brat barely cared for the sport but at the slightest sign of interest his dad goes out of his way to buy the tickets for his little hellspawn. Not that Takuya felt bitter about that. No, not at all. Not like he asked, practically begging, to go watch the for months only to be ignored.
He opened his locker with more force than he intended and rummaged through his bag for his street clothes. Takuya took his goggles from the bag when he heard something clatter on the ground.
"What the heck?" Takuya found a black pen on the floor. He found a mark printed in red on the barrel of the pen that seemed to just glow in the light. The kanji for fire? Takuya frowned and took the cap off the pen, seeing a red brush point. When did he...
"Hey Kanbara, you okay there?"
Takuya yelped and shoved the pen in the bag and turned to see his junior looking over his shoulder. He put on a smile for the young man and waved it off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He quickly shrugged his bag onto his shoulder and closed his locker. "I gotta go, I'll see you guys around, yeah?"
"Um… yeah, later Kanbara." the boy waved to Takuya as he left the locker room.
Once Takuya made his way outside he felt bad for rushing out like that. Not the best way to leave things with his classmates. Should probably make time for them during break to make up for it. Takuya remembered the pen in his bag and pulled it out of his bag.
"Did I buy you online?" Takuya asked himself, trying desperately to remember when and where he got it.
He tested the ink on the back of his hand discovering its metallic red color. It flickered like burning fire in the sunlight, shimmering with traces of yellow and orange. That settles it. No way in hell did he just buy a pen like this and simply forget it in his bag. The pen stands out way too much to be forgotten like this. That just begged the question: Where did it come from?
He spent the rest of his walk back to the house pondering all the possibilities of where this mystery pen came from. At least it gave him something to play with later. Takuya let a smile grace his face when he contemplated ideas for the pen, a smile he quickly dismissed as he approached the front gate of his home.
He shoved the pen in his pocket and stepped through the open driveway. He stayed out on the lawn, taking a deep breath and prolonging the peace for as long as...
"Mom! Dad! Takuya's home!"
… five seconds. Yay.
Takuya groaned weakly and opened the front door, letting himself in.
"Takuya, I thought we told you to call us when you were done so we could pick you up." His mother chided from the hallway as he passed.
"We finished early so I figured I'd get a walk in since we'd be sitting for a while." He lied easily and made a dash for his room. "Lemme just drop off my stuff real quick."
"Well, you better hurry. We don't want to be late." she called after him.
"Yeah! I wanna get there before it starts getting packed!"
'Little hellspawn. You don't even like soccer.' Takuya grumbled and entered his bedroom.
Takuya heaved a very heavy sigh and dropped his gym bag in the corner of his room before taking the pen out of his pocket, returning to the mystery of its origin. He quickly dismissed the idea that his family put it there. Like that was likely at all.
"Takuya!"
The boy rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the backpack at his desk. He shrugged and grabbed the backpack, sticking the pen in the side pocket along with his other pens and pencils. It wouldn't hurt having something to do during the intermissions. Certainly better than interacting with his family; that and he really wanted to play with that mysterious red pen.
Yuriko Kanbara felt at a loss with what to do with her eldest son. The boy seemed plenty comfortably staring out the window with earphones on and completely disengaging from everyone during the drive to the stadium. She thought she'd at least see some form of excitement on her son's face but she saw only bored indifference instead leaving Yuriko distressed. She needed to engage.
"Are you boys excited?" Yuriko asked her sons, trying to put out feelers and latch onto anything her sons would give her.
Shinya, with a big smile plastered on his face, responded. "Yeah! This is gonna be so cool!"
She gave her youngest a smile but quickly turned her attention to Takuya who remained lost in thought, looking out the window. "What about you, Takuya?"
He ignored her question, music still blaring in his ears.
"Takuya, take off those earphones and listen to your mother." Hiroaki demanded, his voice loud enough to cut through the loud music.
Takuya initially considered ignoring his father, blaming it on the volume of his music, but thought better of it and pulled out one of his earbuds while fighting back the urge to sigh. "Yeah Mom?"
"I just wanted to know if you were excited for the game." His mother responded with a strained smile.
He gave a halfhearted smile back, "Yeah! It'll be great." The lack of enthusiasm permeated his words, enough so his father felt the need to respond.
"It had better be, those tickets were expensive." He huffed, still focusing on the traffic.
Hiroaki Kanbara hated sports, finding them about as trivial as the arts. As a career politician he put a lot of emphasis on "practical" things such as higher education, money management, and personal responsibility. In his eyes, anything less than a polished looking suit with a well-to-do job was a waste of time and energy.
Takuya bit back a venom-filled retort, opting to instead return to his music and looking out the window. The cool late March air against the glass of the car windows made them fog up as he exhaled heavily. He resisted the urge to draw in the fogged glass, knowing it would just piss his father off.
He couldn't quite remember when his frustrations with his father started. The man's career in politics boomed in recent years and it had already put a lot of pressure on his family. As a result, Hiroaki often prioritized his work over family functions, resulting in tense resentment from Takuya.
It didn't help the fact that he openly favored Shinya's academic success over any of Takuya's accomplishments. It got to the point where Takuya gave up trying with his father, and instead went about his pursuit of the arts in secret.
Traffic slowed significantly as they approached the stadium. Staff attendants directed cars, allowing the occasional groups from the nearby train station to cross safely. As the Kanbara family vehicle showed their tickets, an attendant directed them to a premium parking lot. They pulled up to the stadium's entrance and got out of the car. A valet took the keys and promptly took the car to be parked as the Kanbara family entered the complex.
Shinya's eyes widened at the sheer scale of the sports stadium. Takuya looked equally impressed, but rolled his eyes at his brother. Takuya's attention returned to the stadium where he felt the raw energy in the air from the rising excitement of the gathering crowd. He saw the people chattering feverishly for what awaited them and wearing jerseys and faces painted the colors of their team. Their excitement was contagious.
'This might be fun after all' Takuya thought to himself while wondering where they'd be seated. His mood took a very sudden turn back to sour when he realized where the attendants ushered them; a private box. 'Oh no…' He dragged his feet as he followed behind his family into the compartment.
Shinya, on the other hand, exuded enthusiasm bouncing around the room before plastering himself to the window where they'd watch the game through. "This is so cool! We're so close to the field! You can see everything from here!"
"I'm glad you like it Shinya." Yuriko smiled at Shinya, relieved that her youngest seemed to be enjoying himself but she still felt concerned for Takuya, observing the strained look on his face. He seemed overwhelmed by the grandeur of the luxury suite.
She then had her husband to contend with, a man who's stoicism made it infinitely harder to gage how he felt. Sadly, the only thing evident to her was how tense things were between her husband and her son; something she tried desperately to fix. "This was a great idea, dear. Don't you think so, Takuya?"
"Huh… oh, sure." Takuya shrugged awkwardly, feeling anxious being put under the spotlight with his father's attention on him. He clenched his hand tightly around the strap of his backpack and steeled himself. 'Just play nice, Takuya. Do it for Mom.' He offered his best attempt at a smile and made his way to his seat. "Great idea, Dad. Thanks for bringing us to watch the game."
Hiroaki's eye lingered on Takuya's bag and frowned as he considered what the boy brought with him to the game. 'He better not have brought that stupid sketchbook.' He then noted the pleading look on his wife's face and heaved a heavy sigh, letting it go. "You're welcome Takuya."
Silence followed the exchange but the air seemed less strenuous than it did before, a welcome change that everyone appreciated as they settled in to watch as the players took to the field.
The game started. Takuya looked on, enraptured by the speed and footwork of the players on the field. How he wished he had skills like these, to be able to run like that or work the ball so fluidly and so confidently. Their passion for the game stood out to him above all else, passion he envied. Takuya longed for that kind of courage to openly follow his passion.
For a brief moment Takuya glanced down to the backpack at his feet, to the sketchbook hidden inside. He entertained the idea, a dream for the future of drawing manga, but dropped it quickly. His father vehemently disapproved of the notion, and would have banned any such activities from his home if it weren't for his mother's insistence. Still his father proved to be an obstacle that stood against him, one that seemed impossibly hard to overcome to reach that dream. He heaved a heavy sigh, pushing everything back down and settled with going back to watching the game.
Something seemed odd as Takuya returned his attention to the field. It seemed minor, a sharp wind blew through the open stadium, but then something passed over the stadium so swiftly and so suddenly that Takuya almost missed it. 'What was that?' he thought and looked up at the sky.
"Takuya?" Yuriko noticed her son's attention directed elsewhere and looked up at the sky as well to see what he seemed to be searching for. "What're you looking at-"
A great gust of wind blew through the field, whipping wildly enough to knock the players off their feet. The audience in the bleachers clung to their seats as the winds threatened to take them up into the air.
"W-what the heck is going on?" Takuya jumped up from his seat looking down in shock at the pandemonium breaking loose outside.
"Takuya, get away from the window!" His mother shouted as she pulled Shinya out of his seat. Takuya started to step away as the glass in front of him creaked ominously. Jagged cracks splintered into a spider web pattern before shattering under the immense pressure of the raging gale. Glass sprayed into the room, nicking the Kanbara family as they attempted to escape the luxury box.
They barely made it to the door as a deafening shriek pierced the night air. Takuya glanced back towards the field. A giant blue and yellow eagle-like monster hovered above the stadium, its massive wings stirring the howling winds through the stadium. He stood, frozen to the spot staring in disbelief at the monstrous bird.
"TAKUYA!" His mother's shrill cry broke the boy's trance and he raced towards the door.
The Kanbara family forced the door open and made their way into the stadium's outer corridors and into a sea of terrified people. Takuya fought to stay with his family as people pushed and shoved, trying to make their escape.
Takuya's stomach sank as he realized he left his bag in the box. He couldn't bear the thought of his sketchbook being left behind in all this chaos. He pulled back from the crowds, pressing himself close to the walls as he made his way back to the luxury viewing box.
His bag lay more or less where he left it, a chair toppled onto it and it laid covered in glass, but otherwise unscathed. Takuya darted towards the bag as the parrot monster descended into the field. It screeched again as he grabbed the bag.
"Gotcha," A sudden jolt shot through him and heat radiated from within his bag.
Takuya dropped the backpack in shock, the contents spilling out across the floor. The pen with the red ink rolled past his foot, bright scarlet light emanated from it like a pulse. The light reverberated through the space like a heartbeat, loud and thunderous.
The vibrations caught the giant bird's attention and it turned towards the luxury box compartment, the red light glinting in its eyes. It then let out a depraved cackle and approached the box with heavy steps.
Takuya froze. Every part of him screamed to get up and run but the demented glee in the bird's eyes had him petrified at the spot. 'Run… Come on Takuya, run…' Takuya fought desperately to find the strength to get to his feet but found nothing. Fear took it all and left him high and dry.
The monster reached through the broken window, its sharp talons gleaming in the light.
Takuya felt time slow down as claws the length of his arm bore down towards him. But as they neared, the pulse of hot light from the pen sped up, drawing Takuya's hand closer and enticing him to grasp it.
His finger brushed against the smooth barrel of the pen. Fire erupted and consumed everything.
The giant bird shrieked in agony as fire ate away at its claw. It fell backwards and flailed its leg around in a desperate attempt to put out the fire.
The flames in the small room continued raging, spinning and burning vibrantly with Takuya at the center of it. Takuya watched in awe before feeling the pulse of raw heat surge from the glowing red pen in his hand.
The fire didn't burn him like it did the monster. Instead it felt warm, and oddly comforting despite how the flames raged. That warmth seeped into him, filling him with that soothing heat. Then it ignited something within him.
Flames swirled around the boy as power surged through his body. The energy burned bright, raw and invigorating. Takuya reached out as a dragonoid shape formed in the fiery vortex. Fire burned in his eyes as he made contact with the being.
Brilliant scarlet armor formed around his body, now changing to resemble the shape in the flames. Taller, bolder, keener, his sense alit with exhilaration. Fire, literal fire burned within his chest as long blonde hair cascaded down his broad shoulder and back.
Red fire turned to blue as data particles surged forth and cut through the flames, forcing them to dissipate. Once brown eyes, now intense blue locked onto the massive bird. Takuya roared with a vigor he didn't know he possessed and leapt out of the ruined stadium box and onto the field.
The bird stamped its burnt foot on the ground, finally putting out the flames and shrieked at the red warrior rushing towards it.
"Spark Wing!" it gave a great flap of its wings, flinging lightning bolt shaped feathers from the yellow tips of its wings.
Takuya ran through the hail of feathers, nimbly dodging the charged projectiles with dexterity he didn't know was possible. He never felt so light on his feet before. Fire erupted from his gauntlets as he sprinted across the field towards the giant thunderbird.
"Pyro Punch!"
Flames flew like rockets, staggering the bird on impact. Thunderbirdmon stamped its claws, screeching angrily. Electricity surged in its wings, crackling around the horn on the bird's head. Takuya felt his hair stand on end as static charged the air. Thunder rumbled in the swirling storm clouds above.
"Thunder Storm!"
Thunder crashed again and lightning struck the field wildly. Takuya narrowly evaded the initial strike as more bolts surged towards him. Chunks of turf and concrete flew everywhere upon each successive strike.
Takuya heaved heavily, looking at the devastated field and stadium bleachers as he attempted to catch his breath and not vomit. His body trembled with adrenaline and fatigue.
In a rush of wind, talons snatched the Flame Warrior. He yelped in pain as Thunderbirdmon threatened to crush him with its vice like grip. Takuya struggled, calling forth more flames from his gauntlets. The bird screeched and slammed him into the ground before letting him go.
He pushed himself up and back to his feet. Takuya growled to himself as he faced down the menacing monster bird. It screeched again, flaring its wings aggressively.
"You want some more?" he shouted irritably. He squared his stance, ready to push through the pain. He snarled, "Come get some!"
Thunderbirdmon rushed forward again, electricity crackling around its wings. Takuya braced himself as it flew up and overhead. The storm above swirled faster. A torrent of hail and rain fell as the bird stirred the storm further.
"Spark Wing!"
Charged feathers mixed with the hail, pelting the blonde warrior.
"God dammit, this is insane…" Takuya growled under his breath, falling to his knees as lightning and ice bombarded him. He looked to the silver braces at his wrists and ignited them once again with brilliant red flame. He clenched his fist tightly and reared it back before turning his attention back to the sky where the bird continued its assault.
"Gatling Burst!" Takuya unleashed his own flurry of blows against his enemy. Bullets of fire shot up from his fist in rapid succession, blasting through the charged projectiles.
Flames and lightning clashed violently in the open air between the two fighters and scattered harmlessly to the ground. The red warrior roared and fired more and more flames into the air, finally clearing the sky of those electrical feathers. Heat now radiated through the air, evaporating rain and melting hail as it fell.
Thunderbirdmon hovered high up in the sky and snarled at Takuya who met its gaze head on.
Takuya kept his hand held in the air, pulling in the residual heat from his previous attack and gathering it around him. Fire flickered to life throughout his blazing red armor as Takuya started spinning, pivoting on the balls of his feet.
"Pyro Tornado!"
The flames burst, spinning faster around the red warrior and raged wildly as they rose higher and higher from the ground. Soon a twisted pillar of fire towered over the stadium and shot through the storm clouds, tearing them apart.
Thunderbirdmon tried steering away from the tornado of fire but the pull it had proved to be too strong to overcome. It flapped its wings furiously in a desperate attempt to get away but to no avail.
The tornado swallowed the giant bird as it gave a great shriek of agony. The searing red blaze swirled around the massive bird, eating away at the sparking feathers Thunderbirdmon used to protect itself. No matter how hard it tried or how much lightning it generated the inferno raged on, burning the beast's vibrant blue and yellow plumage pitch black.
Takuya leapt high up into the air, the flames lifting him higher and higher towards the burning bird, all while still spinning. As he rose towards his foe, the fire spiralling around them converged around his right foot. The pillar of fire swelled and expanded around them before erupting, spraying crimson embers over the arena once the red warrior drove his foot into Thunderbirdmon's breast with a devastating blazing kick.
Thunderbirdmon gave a guttural gasp as the warrior's foot buried itself deeper into its chest and drove all the air out of its lungs. It felt its chest creak and come close to caving in from the sheer force of his kick alone but the heat that pooled in at the point of impact kept pushing, burning hotter before it burst all the way through and exploded out Thunderbirdmon's back.
Takuya pulled his foot free and started his slow descent, watching as the monster above him suddenly started glowing with bright light before vanishing without a trace. "Whoa…"
He touched down on the scorched field but kept staring up at where the bird once was. Takuya blinked as the adrenalin receded and looked down at his hands, taking a real good look at himself for the first time.
"Man… look at me. I look…" he laughed, unable to contain his rising excitement as he gave himself a good once over. "Friggin' awesome! A-and I took out that monster! I was like a-a… a superhero! Oh my god, this is like the coolest thing to ever happen to me!"
A great big grin stretched across Takuya's face as he threw his hands up high and gave a loud whoop that resounded through the empty stadium. Nothing felt better than that excitement he felt right then and there. Takuya felt high off the satisfaction of his victory against that strange creature alone. But thinking about it did bring up a slew of questions. Where did that monster come from? How did he transform like this? Could he change back?
"Oh crap…" Takuya patted himself down and whimpered. "H-how do I…"
A jolt shook through him and the boy realized that the particular dilemma he faced seemed to take care of itself. That overwhelming strength he felt started ebbing away as his blazing armor emitted a warm light.
"O-okay… um…" Takuya looked around and found the private box his father rented for the game. Takuya knew he was changing back and a situation where someone could see him revert back to a harmless teenager had disaster written all over it.
Before his strength could vanish completely, Takuya hopped back up to the private box and through the broken window. He found his bag and belongings right where he left them before going all Bēru Driver* on a giant lightning bird.
"Yeah… that won't not sound crazy saying that out loud, will it?"
The dull light suddenly enveloped the warrior and replaced him with the boy from before dissipating. Takuya felt nauseous and clung to the arm of the couch to steady himself. He gasped and heaved for fresh air when he heard something clattering on the ground by his feet. Takuya looked down and saw it, that red ink pen and something else…
Takuya leaned over and picked up a strange device, red and black like that red pen. The screen lit up as he held the device in hand, the kanji of fire shining brightly against the black screen. As he stared down at the device, Takuya found himself wondering.
"What the hell did I get myself into?"
Meanwhile, across the city, four other children sat up a little straighter, eyes wide at a sudden realization. They were not alone.
In dedication to Frontier's 20th anniversary, FernClaw and I have come back to fanfic to take our own take on Digimon Frontier's story. This is a crosspost in AO3 with the same name where we'll also be posting art. Happy to be back and hope you guys enjoy the show.
