The chapters look like there going to be longer so bare with me it it takes a little longer to update. Sorry it took so long! Tell me what you think of my digimon and review!
foreverbluegreen:I thought you would!
The Violent Tomboy:He's so bad!
Random Person: Yeah that's Noriko. As for Ryoko, not exactly, but you'll see what I mean.
Dark Qiviut: Imagine if Davis and Noriko had triplets?
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Following The Footsteps Of Destiny
Chapter 13: Daichi's Digimon Partner
Masato 'Matty' Takaishi
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"What's it doing?" Matty gasped in shock. He glanced around at the others who were staring curiously at the arrow hovering above them.
"It's pointing to that fortress," Takara said, sounding uneasy.
Dai scratched his head and frowned. "I think it's saying that we're suppose to follow it."
"Yeah, but to what, and why," Mickey said nervously.
Dai took a deep breath and glanced towards the fortress. "Well, it's better than standing around here and doing nothing. Anyone else have any better ideas because I doubt Piximon's suddenly going to show up and clue us in about what's going on here!"
Matty made a face at Dai and sighed. His friend was right. They did not exactly have a lot of choices.
"Come on," Dai said quietly.
Matty was about to follow his friends when he noticed something odd sitting on the ground behind him. It looked like a small portable television, but the screen was black, as if it was currently turned off. He had been so busy gaping at everything else that he had not even noticed it. What is that thing?
"Hey, guys!" he called out. "Check this out!" When no one answered, he looked up and discovered that the others were already halfway to the fortress, and they had not heard a single word that he had said. "Wait up!" he cried, racing after them and completely forgetting about the small T.V.
By the time he caught up to his friends, they had already stopped and were staring up at the looming structure of the fortress before them. Matty gazed up at it's dark stone walls and shivered. It looked empty and deserted. It looks like a place where ghosts would wander.
"You guys could have waited for me," he grumbled in an effort to break the uneasy silence.
Mickey merely smiled at him and pulled him into the group which stood huddled together several metres from the large doors. They stood open.
"You really think we should go in there?" Takara asked, eyeing the crumbling structure with apprehension. "It doesn't exactly look safe, and who knows what could be waiting inside there for us!"
"Maybe it's empty," Sam said hopefully. "It looks empty."
Dai turned to face them and fixed them all with a stubborn look. "Don't you guys remember what Gennai said in his email? He said that we have to have faith in the Digivice. These little gadgets are the only things we have to help us, and I don't know about you guys, but I'll take any help I can get!"
Matty nodded and frowned at his own Digivice. Dai's right. This thing is the only hope we have of figuring out what's going on.
"Are you ready?" Dai asked.
There was a brief hesitation and finally everyone nodded.
Slowly they made their way inside and found themselves in a large courtyard. A stone path led to the inner walls of the fortress which also had it's doors standing open.
"It's so quiet," Takara whispered, clutching Dai by the shirt and staring at their surroundings with wide eyes.
"Now what?" Mickey asked quietly.
Matty gave his twin a look. Mickey and the others seemed almost afraid to speak for fear that it might trigger some unsuspecting attack. Mickey blushed and shrugged, looking a little embarrassed, and Matty patted his brother's arm in reassurance.
Dai raised his Digivice and studied the floating arrow. "It looks like it's pointing to the inner fortress. This Digivice seems to be acting like some sort of signal detector."
"Yeah, but what exactly is it picking up?" Ryoko asked, leaning over Dai's shoulder to gaze at the Digivice. His cousin looked skeptical and Matty sighed. Does Ryoko always have to question everything?
"That's what we're here to find out," Dai replied, turning his back on Ryoko and gazing towards the inner fortress.
Ryoko glared at Dai and stepped back to whisper something angrily to Takara.
Takara just shook her head and gave Ryoko a stern look which Ryoko promptly ignored.
"Lets head inside," Dai muttered, frowning at his Digivice.
Matty followed silently behind Ryoko and stepped through the door. He and the others found themselves standing in a large room with stone walls and a high vaulted ceiling. Every wall had intricate patterns carved into the stone. Most of them were strange unrecognizable symbols, and many of them had faded over time.
"It looks kind of like writing," Takara said softly, running her hand over the stone's rough surface and tracing the symbols with her finger. "I wonder what it says."
"Me too," Sam replied, staring up at the ceiling with an expression of awe on his face.
Matty wandered away from the group towards the centre of the room and stopped short when he spotted a large stone pedestal standing on it's own in direct line with the door. It was the only object in the room and it stood in the heart of the fortress beneath the symbols carved upon the ceiling which resembled those on the walls.
"Guys! Come take a look at this!" Matty gasped in awe, motioning his friends to his side.
"What is it, Matty?" Mickey asked, responding to the frantic waving of his hand.
His twin stepped up beside him and gave a start at the sight of the stone pedestal standing alone and forgotten in the midst of the fortress's crumbling walls.
"Cool," Dai said, placing his hand on the pedestal's cold stone surface. "I wonder what it's for."
"It's a piece of stone," Ryoko snorted. "It's not meant for anything!"
Matty gave his cousin a sharp jab in the ribs, but Dai just ignored Ryoko. Instead, his goggle headed friend ran light fingers over the image carved into the pedestal's flat stone surface. It looked like a shield.
"That's strange," Dai murmured, frowning at the image. "The stone feels really warm. Odd. This pedestal probably hasn't seen sunlight in years. The stone should feel cool, especially inside these thick walls."
It was almost as if Dai's words had triggered an invisible light switch, because the image of the shield started to glow a bright red casting a soft light in the room and emphasizing Dai's shocked expression.
What's happening? Matty took a step back and there was movement behind him. He turned just in time to see the sharp edge of a sword swing down to press against Dai's throat. His friend quickly dropped his hand from the pedestal, and the light faded away leaving the stone cold and lifeless once more.
"Dai!" Takara shrieked, stumbling backwards and clapping a hand to her mouth.
"Who dares to disturb this sacred place?"
Matty whipped around in horror to find a large figure standing behind them and holding the sword that was inches away from decapitating Dai.
He froze in fear, unable to move, and stared wide-eyed at the figure who had come out of nowhere to murder them where they stood.
"Answer me!" the figure shouted.
Behind him, Mickey let out a moan filled with terror, and he placed a reassuring hand on his brother's arm.
"Daichi, don't move," Ryoko whispered, huddling anxiously next to Dai's side and looking more scared than Matty had ever seen him before.
Ignoring Ryoko, Dai slowly turned his head to gaze at the figure behind him, and Matty stared at Dai in surprise. There was fear in his friend's eyes, but at the same time Dai appeared calm and composed. How does he do it? If someone held a sword to my neck, I'd be bawling like a baby and begging for mercy!
"We didn't know that we weren't suppose to be here," Dai said calmly, fixing his potential murderer with a level gaze.
"Shut up before you get us all killed!" Ryoko hissed into Dai's ear, tugging on the other boy's shirt.
Dai showed no sign that he had even heard Ryoko. "We're sorry for disturbing you, and I promise we'll leave right away."
The figure paused and turned his head to one side as if studying Dai's face for any sign of dishonesty. Finally he spoke. "What is your name?" His voice was quiet, but it had a firm tone.
"Daichi," Dai replied with a small smile. "Daichi Motomiya."
Silence fell, and after several tense seconds, the sword was lowered. "My apologies, young Digidestined," the figure said softly and stepped into the light.
Matty let out a shocked gasp which was echoed by Mickey who stood close beside him.
"What are you?" Sam gasped, leaning against the pedestal for support.
"A digimon, of course," the figure replied with a smile. He bowed slightly and sheathed his sword in one fluid movement that left Matty feeling rather impressed.
"My name is Leomon," the digimon said in a strong voice. "I am a champion level vaccine type digimon. My special attacks are Beast Sword and Fist of the Beast King. I've been waiting for you, Daichi Motomiya."
"You have?" Dai asked, his eyes growing wide with shock. "Why?"
"To assist you," Leomon said with a smile. "Or rather, to fulfill my duty to Gennai."
Matty gaped at the digimon in shock. Leomon had the physical structure of a human, but his head was that of a lion's. He was also much bigger than Piximon. Are all digimon this different from one another?
Ryoko sagged against the pedestal and covered his face with both hands. "A talking lion wants to help us," the blond moaned. "Any minute now I'm going to wake up in a nice padded cell."
Matty choked back a laugh and gently patted his cousin's back.
Dai stepped up to Leomon and studied the digimon with interest. "You know this Gennai?"
Leomon nodded in confirmation. "He is a friend of mine who asked me to stand gaurd over this fortress until the day you arrived. I have done so, and now there is hope for the Digital World once more."
"And why would Gennai want you to gaurd this place?" Ryoko asked, glancing at the crumbling walls and wrinkling his nose.
Leomon stepped forward and gently placed his right hand upon the pedestal. "This place tells us much about the Digital World's history," he said quietly, indicating the symbols on the walls with his left hand. "Some of the writings speak about events that occured shortly after the creation of the Digital World while others speak about events that are...more recent."
Matty frowned and that's when he realized that one section of the wall stood out more prominently than the rest. Directly behind the pedestal the symbols were clearer, as if they had been etched there much more recently than many of the others.
"What does it all say?" Takara asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"There will come a time when the past must be revisited, but now is not that time," Leomon replied. The far away expression in the digimon's eyes faded, and he gave them a serious look. "Right now we must focus on the present and the dangers that await us all in the future."
"Danger? In what form?" Mickey whispered, sounding afraid. "Piximon did not give any details. We did get a letter from Gennai saying that he would meet with us, but we haven't seen him. Do you know where he might be?"
Leomon gave the ceiling a dark look and frowned. "I do not know where Gennai is," he murmured. "The last time I heard from him was days ago. It worries me. He is normally very reliable when it comes to keeping in touch. It just isn't like him to remain unresponsive for so long."
"Do you think something might have happened to him?" Sam asked, sounding concerned.
"I can only hope that that is not the case," Leomon replied.
"Does this Gennai guy really want to help us, or is he just pulling our leg?" Ryoko demanded.
Leomon smiled and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Do not fear, my young friend. Gennai is not your enemy. He, like Piximon and myself, are here to guide you. We are your friends."
"You're nothing like Piximon. Are all digimon this different from one another?" Sam asked, looking a little dazed.
Leomon nodded. "Many digimon represent stories, legends, even living creatures from your world. We are, after all, a digital shadow world of the world that you humans live in. Like humans, we digimon share many unique qualities, making each one of us different from one another."
"You didn't answer our questions," Ryoko interrupted. "What kind of danger are we facing, and why did Gennai ask you to watch over this place?"
Leomon stared silently at Ryoko for a minute and turned to stare at the ceiling again. "I do not know exactly what threatens the Digital World, but the darkness is spreading. I can feel it in the very air around us. It has been getting stronger ever since the crests were stolen. It must have been the work of a dark digimon. Whoever this digimon is, he is very powerful to have made it past the barriers that Gennai had put in place to protect the crests. He will be difficult to defeat."
"What exactly are these crests?" Mickey asked, sounding very interested.
"Lets just say that they act as protection against the darkness here in our world."
Ryoko crossed his arms and gave Leomon a dirty look. "So basically you're saying that we're the ones who are going to have to figure out what's going on around here!"
"You will not be alone," Leomon replied, his voice gentle. "Gennai, Piximon, myself, and many others will be watching over you and assisting you in the fight against darkness. There is also your digimon partners which brings me to your second question, Ryoko Ishida."
Ryoko gave him a cold look, his blue eyes sparkling like ice chips, and did not respond.
"Gennai asked me to protect this place because it contains a digimon who I'm sure is very anxious to meet you. He has been waiting for quite some time now."
"Why does he want to meet us?" Dai asked, frowning in confusion.
Leomon pointed to the arrow hovering over Dai's Digivice. It was directed right at the pedestal.
Matty had almost completely forgotten about it.
"Why don't you find out for yourself," Leomon said, nudging Dai towards the pedestal.
"But...what do I do?" Dai eyed the pedestal with frustration and placed his hand on it again. Immediately the symbol of the shield lit up and so did Dai's Digivice. A bright red beam shot out of the digital gadget and slammed into the shield. Soon the room was ablaze with a deep red glow.
"What's going on?" Dai gasped, staggering away from the pedestal and shielding his eyes from the bright glare.
Matty stood frozen in amazement at the sight before him. Something started to materialize on top of the pedestal.
The light finally faded away and Matty found himself staring at a small creature which was crouched on top of the pedestal. It had pointed ears, a fork tail, and it resembled a lizard that walked on two feet. The thing's body was a flaming red, and it had emerald green eyes. Slowly the little digimon (or what Matty assumed was a digimon) turned to stare directly at Dai. It straightened up, lazily flipping it's tail, and gave Dai a warm smile. "Dai," the creature said softly. "I can't believe you are finally here. It feels like I've been waiting forever to meet you."
"What? How did you know my name?" Dai whispered, staring at the digimon in amazement.
Matty stared at the little digimon, at a loss for words. He had never thought in a million years that anything this strange could ever happen to him, and yet here he was right in the middle of it all.
The digimon took a step closer to Dai, and Dai jumped taking a small step back. The two were at eye level as a result of the pedestal, and Dai seemed unable to take his eyes off the small red form standing before him. "Because," the digimon said quietly, staring right into Dai's deep brown eyes. "You are my partner."
"I don't believe it!" Mickey gasped, and Matty turned to stare at his twin in surprise. Mickey was staring at the digimon with wide eyes. "Gennai was telling the truth! Don't you guys remember what his email said? He said something about us having digimon!"
"May your digimon guide you safely on your quest," Takara quoted softly.
There was a commotion behind him, and Matty turned to see Sam catch Ryoko under the arms before the other boy could sink to the floor.
"I knew I should have told my mom I was too sick to go to school today," Ryoko said weakly.
Matty gave his cousin a concerned look. Ryoko's face was very pale and he was looking a little green around the edges. Considering how he looks, if he had swung that lie on Aunt Mimi now, she would have believed him in a heartbeat! She probably wouldn't have let him out of bed for at least two days!
"It's okay, Ryoko," Mickey murmured, helping their cousin take a seat on the floor and putting his arms around the other boy.
Ryoko sagged against Mickey and did not reply.
The digimon gave Ryoko a curious look before turning back to Dai. "I knew you would come," he said softly.
"You're my...my partner?" Dai whispered. "No way. How could you possibly know something like that without having even met me before!"
"You have the red Digivice," the digimon replied, pointing to the gadget in Dai's hand. Only the person who owns that digivice could release me."
"You're kidding!" Dai gasped in astonishment and held out the Digivice. "This thing?"
The digimon nodded and gave Dai a smile. "That's right. By the way, Dai, my name is Embermon. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon. My special attack is Ember Blaze."
"Um...nice to meet you," Dai said faintly, looking a little dazed.
Matty did not know what to think. I don't understand. Why do we need partners?
His goggle headed friend took a hesitant step forward and gently stroked Embermon's head between his ears. "You're amazing," Dai said softly.
Embermon gazed at Dai for a moment and suddenly leaped into his partner's arms. He rested his head against Dai's shoulder and said softly," So are you."
Dai held tightly to Embermon, and his face broke into a wide smile. "This is so cool! My own digimon partner." Then Dai frowned. "Er...why do I need a partner anyway?"
"I'm here to protect you," Embermon replied, his face growing serious.
"Yeah, from what?" Ryoko whispered, his face turning white. The blond's face was starting to look like that of a ghost's.
"From whatever stands in the way of us saving the Digital World," Embermon said, his emerald eyes sparkling with determination.
"I get it now!" Takara spoke up, a smile on her face. "The signal Dai's digivice picked up was Embermon! It's almost as if the Digivice knew that they belonged together."
"It's like the Digivice can sense their connection," Mickey said softly.
Dai smiled triumphantly and gave them all a look. "See? I told you we should trust the Digivice."
"So what? Does the Digivice connect you to Daichi?" Ryoko asked, his voice trembling.
"Not exactly," Embermon replied. "It's more like a symbol that represents our connection as partners. It's a physical representation of our special bond."
"Oh well, that clears everything up!" Ryoko said sarcastically.
"I am sorry if I frightened you all before," Leomon said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Dai's shoulder. "But do you now see why I was so suspicious of you? I had to make sure that you were really the Digidestined and not some trick or diversion planted by dark digimon. Gennai asked me to watch over Embermon and keep him safe until you arrived. Embermon is a strong digimon, especially for a rookie, but that strength is nothing compared to the strength he has when he is with you, Dai."
Dai glanced at Embermon with his mouth hanging open, and Embermon smiled back at him.
"When humans and digimon work together, they create a powerful force against the darkness. Naturally many dark digimon would not want you to join up with Embermon to give you a chance of defeating them. I was instructed to make sure that no dark digimon tried to capture Embermon or harm him before he had a chance to join with the Digidestined where his power is at it's greatest level. Without you, Dai, there was a chance that Embermon could be hurt. Now that you are here, he is safe, and you are safe with him as well."
"That's right," Embermon replied, placing his small hand against Dai's cheek. "We'll always look out for each other."
"Yeah," Dai said softly. He turned to Leomon and frowned. "There's something I don't understand. How come you were so quick to believe that I was Dai just because I said I was?"
"Because, you passed the test," Leomon said simply.
"You mean because the pedestal reacted to Dai when he touched it?" Sam asked. "I'm guessing it wouldn't have started to glow for anyone else."
"No, it wouldn't have," Leomon agreed. "But that isn't the only reason."
"What other reason could there possibly be?" Ryoko snorted. He seemed to have recovered a bit and was back to his usual self.
"There is more to being a Digidestined than having a Digivice and digimon partner," Leomon replied, staring hard at Ryoko who flushed.
"There was something else that told me Dai was who he said he was. It's not something you can see, but it's there just the same. As a result, he passed the test." Leomon suddenly smiled and gazed into each one of their faces with a penetrating look. "It also doesn't hurt that you remind me so much of a group of friends I once knew a long time ago. You even look like them, though under the circumstances that is quite understandable. You will have made them proud today."
Matty was about to ask what he meant when the wall to the right of the door exploded.