Author's Note: This is as good a time as any to mention that Digimon Adventure Tri is not canon to the events of this story. This is not because I especially dislike Tri, but I came up with the plot for this story before it came out and don't feel like reworking it to account for the events of the most recent anime. (Plus I haven't seen all of Tri yet.) With that said, please enjoy the story and remember, reviews are always appreciated.
Adventure: Unto the Third Generation
Chapter 04: Total Lock-In
Three Years Ago
There is a term in psychology called a flashbulb memory. It can occur when a memory is so traumatic, you recall every aspect of the moment when it happened. That's why some people can remember things like where they were when the World Trade Center fell with absolute clarity.
And it's why I remember every aspect of the afternoon of April 3rd, 2029.
This was in the old apartment, before Mom bought the house in Brooklyn. I had just come home from school and was watching television in the living room. It was a wrestling program; I used to be really into those. Tanemon was with me. We were on the couch and I was feeding him some celery Mom had packed in my lunch. I hated celery.
Tanemon had just made a stupid joke. "Should I really be eating all these greens, since I am a green?" It wasn't very funny. I laughed anyway. And then I stopped.
"We interrupt this program to bring you a special bulletin."
A blond man in a nice suit appeared on the TV. I knew him. He worked at the same studio as Mom. He was one of the new guys, and pretty young for his line of work. He got teased a lot by his co-anchors for it. But he didn't look young that day. His eyes were glassy. His face seemed deflated. His left hand held his coffee mug in a vice grip.
He looked scared.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am sorry to inform you that today there has been an attack on this nation's capital."
The image cut to a city. I wasn't very familiar with the location at the time, but it was Washington D.C. Usually when we Washington shows up on TV, you only see the important places: The White House, the Supreme Court Building, the Washington Monument, etc. What isn't always emphasized is that most of D.C. is a normal city. It's where people live, where they work, and where they have their families.
That was the Washington I saw that night. And it was on fire.
On the screen, I saw buildings burning. There were tiny shapes in the street I took for people running, and larger shapes pursuing them. Soon the camera angle changed. The camera focused upon a large gorilla-like creature with a canon for an arm. It was firing upon moving vehicles, presumably filled with people. Soon the creature took aim at whoever was wielding the camera and the angle changed again. Instead I was faced with large Digimon facing men in uniform in the streets. Both were armed with weapons, but it was clear who had the advantage. Even with television editing protecting me, I knew who was winning. I was watching men die.
The final image I saw has haunted me ever since. It was a large, black dinosaur, standing above the burning buildings, the fleeing crowds, and the fighting. Down its back traveled a long, white mane. Its mere movement created waves of fire and death. The thing looked straight at the camera, its details slightly obscured by the inferno behind it.
The chyron at the bottom of the screen read "Terror Takes Washington."
That's when the screen turned black.
My mom had arrived. She had the remote in hand, and stood in front of the TV. "You-you shouldn't have seen that, Mark," she said. She was trying to be stern, to be a strong figure. But I could see how she wavered. Whatever she had heard before arriving, she was scared too.
On the couch, I had trouble being strong too. I was on the verge of crying when she wrapped me in her arms.
"Don't worry. That's all very, very far away. We're safe. I promise I'll keep you safe."
The more she reassured me though, the less safe I felt. Washington should be the safest place in our country. Against whatever it was I had seen on screen, what could one person do? What difference would it make?
Eventually the reports would come out that a collaboration between the local police, the National Guard, and UN forces had turned the tides on the attack. Not long after, the UN would release a statement saying that a task force had been assembled to investigate the forces behind the incident and prevent further attacks on sovereign nations utilizing the Digital World.
But none of that mattered. That day I realized that what our parents had started would lead to a much greater conflict, and that we all would have to play a part in it. I knew that I'd need to be stronger. For that reason, Tanemon would become Kiwimon and I would become… me.
Present Day, Present Time
The Digiport closes behind us, depositing us in a lush, forest environment. The place is beautiful, but surreal in a way it always takes a moment for me to put my finger on. Despite the visible life all around us, few of the sounds you would associate with a thriving forest are present. There are no chittering insects. There's no birdsong or water dripping from leaves. For all the beautiful greenery, the area feels more like a grave.
"File Island," the orange-ish haired boy with a Biyomon says with a hint of melodrama. "The place where it all began."
"Same forest at least," his sister with the Gabumon says. "This Digiport is roughly two miles off from where they started according to Uncle Takeru's book. It wouldn't be a long walk though if that's the way we're heading. Is that the plan, Tetsu?"
The brown haired boy, Tetsu, shakes his head. "We could, but we don't have to. This is like an expedition, there isn't much point if we take a guided tour."
And what exactly is the point? I think to myself. "Well it's night right now. That will only make this place that much harder to navigate. And more dangerous."
The dark haired boy with an insect Digimon around his neck nods in agreement. "We don't want any of us wandering off a cliff by mistake. We should find a good place to set up camp."
So the twelve of us, six kids and six Digimon, go looking for an appropriate spot. The girl, Taji, holds one of the flashlights to guide our way while the short kid with a puppy-Digimon holds the other one. Floramon and I lag behind the others, trying to keep one eye on our surroundings and another on our companions.
I don't know yet what to make of these kids. We all met when we were much younger on a rare getaway our parents took to the Digital World, back when they were all still alive. I hardly remember, so in essence these Digidestined are strangers to me.
Taji at least comes off as capable. I haven't seen her or her partner in anything resembling a conflict at this point, but she does project a certain air of competence and responsibility. Her brother- Tama, I think? - really doesn't. He seems like a good kid, friendly, but far from reliable.
The dark haired boy I've just met, so not much to say there. Same with the short kid. Our apparent leader though has struck a few cords. Contradictory cords. On one hand, he did rush into that fight the other day, I can only assume to help protect his family. On the other, what he actually accomplished was shit-all. His heart might be in the right place, but he's too inexperienced to be useful. Overall these "Digidestined" aren't living up to their namesakes as much as I'd hoped.
I don't like having to think this way. A healthy kid my age would just be enjoying the company of his new friends, trying to get to know them. The survivalist in me simply can't stop from analyzing how the people in my vicinity will hold up if a firefight breaks out. I need to get this under control. It's exactly the sort of thing that cost me so many friends back home.
Eventually we reach a clearing in the forest.
"This will be as good a place to bed down as any," says Taji. "Now we just need to build a fire."
"Agumon and I can gather some lumber," volunteers Tetsu.
"And we'll go scavenge for grub!" the dark haired boy's partner says from round his neck. "The fruit kind, I mean. I know all the best eatin's on this island."
"Oooh. We're going with them!" says Tama, speaking for his partner as well. "I could use a snack- and I wanna help, of course."
Taji nods. "Great. Tama, you and Jyu are a pair. Mark, you accompany Tetsu. We'll stick to the partner system while we're here. Hiro and I will stay here and guard the camp."
"Sounds good to me." I don't say anything to spare Tetsu's pride, but I notice the pattern in her pairings. Both teams have someone who can take a hit and someone who can't. This way, no one is left undefended. This girl's growing on me.
Tetsu and I venture into the bushes with our partners. I hold the flashlight and walk slightly in the lead. Finding sticks large enough to support a fire proves time consuming as very few linger on the ground. Kind of wish we'd brought Biyomon to knock a few down for us.
"This is rubbish," says Floramon. "She picked me to look for sticks just cause I'm a plant. Profiling is so unfair."
"Everything is a plant around here," Agumon says in his deep, rumbling voice. "Don't think you're special."
Agumon's hands aren't meant for the task, so the vast majority of the gathered timber is being held by Tetsu and myself. It's not enough to call it a night, but enough to be uncomfortable to hold.
"So before yesterday had you ever been in a real fight?" I ask the other boy.
Tetsu has to think about it. "Well, my family used to visit the Digital World now and then. Usually the parts with people, but sometimes we'd be out in the wild. A couple of times wild Digimon jumped us. But Dad was always there. He was really strong, so we never had to worry much about it."
"I see. So that's why you can't digivolve yet. You've barely had any training."
"But that isn't really what it's about, is it?" Tetsu asks. "My dad and Taji's both digivolved their partners to Champion on day one. It was more about motivation than strength."
"Actually it's a bit of both," I say. "Sure, in a life or death situation Digimon can do incredible, unprecedented things. It's just like an adrenaline rush for humans, situations where you hear about middle-aged women lifting cars to save their children. But in more controlled situations it takes practice. Another part of it is the law of averages. The more often you find yourself in danger, the more likely you make a lucky roll and something amazing will happen."
"Huh," says Tetsu. "That's an interesting way of thinking. You seem to really have this stuff figured out."
I pick up another, especially thick stick. "I've had a lot of time to think it over."
"This looks like another good patch," Wormom informs his companions, stopping in front of a bush. "But then again let me just check." The Rookie begins gobbling the bright red berries.
"Don't eat them all," says Jyu. "We are meant to bring some back for the others."
"That goes for you too, Tama!" Biyomon yells indignantly.
His human partner stops eating the mango-looking fruit in his arms and glances at Biyomon with embarrassment. "Uh, right. No worries, I'll replace them. How about those up there?" Tama signs his flashlight at an overhanging branch where several banana-shaped fruits hang.
"And just how do you intend to pick those?" asks Biyomon, tapping his foot.
"Um…" Tama examines the height of the tree and then glances around, as if he expects a ladder to materialize. "Little help, buddy?"
The bird Digimon shakes his head, but takes flight anyway. "Don't know where you'd be without me."
Biyomon reaches the level of the fruit, but pauses. With his hands busy flying he'll need some other means of knocking the fruit loose. After a second's contemplation, he backs up and flexes his legs.
"Spiral Twister!"
A pair of green, twisting flames shoot from the air-born Rookie and strike the tree's limb. The fruit is knocked loose from the branch, and then tossed through the air to parts unknown. All of the tree's upper portion is lit with the sickly green flame, and burning sticks fly through the air.
"Get down!" yells Jyu, tackling Tama to the ground.
Above them the twister dissipates, but the fire remains. Ash rains from the sky and the forest is lit with a green radiance.
"I saw that going differently," Biyomon says with shame as he lights back onto the earth. "Apologies, humans. I am not very practiced at that maneuver."
Shakily, Tama and Jyu make it to their feet. "It's alright," says Jyu. He looks at the fruit he and Tama dropped scattered upon the ground. "It looks like we'll need to start over collecting food, but let's just be glad you didn't start a forest fire."
"Right," says Tama. "Or catch the attention of-"
Suddenly, the sound of crackling flame is overwhelmed by a new sound. Harshly beating wings, not at all like Biyomon's. They sound bigger. And there are multiple pairs.
Wormmon clings to Jyu's leg. "We should forage somewhere else."
Back at camp, Taji is examining her fire making kit while Hiro unrolls his sleeping bag. No one has spoken since the others left.
Hiroaki clears his throat. "You know Taji, you can have my sleeping bag for the night if you want."
From the corner of her eye, the older girl shoots Hiro a look that makes him wish he could disappear. "That's okay. I come out here a lot with my dad. Pretty sure I'm more used to sleeping on the ground than you are."
"Oh uh, okay! That's cool. Never mind…" Hiro lapses back into smoothing out his bag.
"Real smooth moves you have there," whispers Salamon, who's pretended to be sleeping this whole time.
"Shut up."
A moment later, the sky lights up with green fire. Everyone pauses what they're doing to look at it.
"That's the direction Tama went," notes Gabumon.
"Right," says Taji. "But Jyu is with him. Whatever trouble Tama started, I'm sure Snimon can handle it."
And then the screaming starts.
"Or maybe not." Taji stands up, Digivice in hand. "Hiro, come on. We're checking this out."
The boy gulps. "If you think we can help…"
Biyomon collapses to the ground and degenerates into a pink radish. Tama picks and cradles Yokomon.
"Let me go, human. This is my fault, I should be ending this fight!"
"Right. Hate to tell you buddy, but you aren't cut out for fighting normally," says Tama. "For the moment, the only thing you might have a chance against is a side of ranch."
Hovering above them is what appears to be a human-sized wasp with a beak and purple wings. It hovers ominously, deciding who to target next.
"I get the feeling running isn't an option," says Jyu. "Are you ready, Wormmon?"
Reluctantly, the Digimon parts with his leg. "I'll do my best!"
"Wormmon, Digivolve to… Snimon!"
The light surrounding Wormmon fades, revealing a humongous green insect with sickle-like arms. The beast roars, exposing a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
The wasp-creature is fast to react. It zips down and slashes at the new opponent's face with a spiked forelimb, leaving a scratch for data to seep from. Snimon cries and lashes out with his sickles, but the attacker is small, faster, and airborne. Deftly he dodges each of Snimon's blows as they come.
"I don't think he's doing too hot," comments Tama.
"Just give him a second!" says Jyu. "Snimon, you need to focus. Wait till he comes in for an attack, then swat him."
But it seems the enemy can understand. The wasp immediately backs further into the air, still facing Snimon. He positions his body so his back stinger faces the grounded insect.
"Poison Stinger!"
A purple dart flies from the stinger and collides with Snimon's face. The green beast makes a low, whining sound as his arms and head drop. The wasp hisses in victory.
Jyu rushes forward to his partner's side. "Snimon! Don't go to sleep!"
The wasp moves again. Not toward Snimon, but toward his human. His two spiked forelimbs reach out, but just before they make contact-
"Rain of Pollen!"
-the air fills with strange yellow spores, carried as if by a spontaneous wind. The monster rears back and screams, trying to escape the field. But it's too late. Its wings fail before it can gain its previous altitude and the thing collapses to the earth, muscles spasming beyond control.
Floramon and I emerge from the foliage, Tetsu and Agumon closely behind us. "We came when we saw the fire," I explain. "Hope we weren't too late. Is everyone alright?"
Jyu lays a hand on the side of one of Snimon's massive back limbs. "I'm not sure…"
I look down at the enemy Floramon downed. "This is a Flymon. Their attacks can be pretty poisonous, but Snimon should recover with time. It will get better once he degenerates, then the important thing is that he eats and gets plenty of rest."
"I've been stung by those freaks plenty of times," adds Floramon. "It bites, but I've always shook it off before."
Jyu smiles. "Thanks guys. I don't know when he'll degenerate though. Guess I'm stuck out here until he does."
Tetsu lays a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No worries. We'll keep you company. No way I'm leaving you alone in this forest of creepy crawlies."
"Don't tell me we missed all the action!" cries a high pitched voice.
While the rest of us are still talking, Salamon arrives. Taji, Hiro, and Gabumon appear soon after.
"Salamon," pants Hiro. "You can't run ahead like that. You could have gotten yourself into trouble."
"Trouble is what I'm looking for!" the puppy insists. "Man, one measly bug attacks you and kids hog it all to yourself? That's what I call selfish."
Something clicks in my brain. "That's interesting."
"Huh?"
"I don't understand what you mean," says Taji.
I stare into the forest. "I've seen plenty of Flymon in areas like this. Defeated a few of them. But I don't think I've ever noticed one traveling by itself before."
Floramon perks up. "Oh yeah, you've gotta point."
I look toward the Champion I downed, and compare him to the Flymons in my memory. Does he look smaller than those? Could he be sick?
That's when we hear the wings beating.
Four Flymon descend from above us. Each of them is taller than the first one, almost as tall as Snimon. They emit a terrible buzzing sound that makes my head want to burst.
Despite having just arrived on the scene, Taji grasps the situation immediately. "Everyone! Form a defensive circle around Snimon. Select a target and ready your attacks. If you can, get ready to digivolve."
"Whatever you say boss," says Tama, clutching Yokomon tighter to his chest. "Not sure how many of us are in fighting shape though."
Taji's mouth becomes a tight line. "Let's hope they don't know that."
The eleven of us form a shaky circle around Snimon. Between Tetsu and Taji, Tama stands slightly behind the rest of us. Makes sense as his partner has nothing left to contribute. Without an active partner at all, Jyu stands beside me. Smart guy.
But by far, the most nervous among us is Hiro, who stands on my other side. His hands are balled into fists and I can practically see the lump in his throat. Salamon stands before him, and concern for his companions seem to have all but overwhelmed the puppy.
All but.
"Puppy Howling!"
A sonic attack is fired by the diminutive Digimon, striking one of our aloft opponents. The Flymon rears back and screams before zipping downward.
"Salamon! Don't!" cries Hiro, but it's too late. His partner dashes forward to continue the attack.
A Poison Sting strikes the ground nearby, with Floramon barely dodging in time. Another few follow it and I instinctively raise an arm to defend myself. Of course if I get hit by one, it won't much matter where. I really should've brought body armor.
"Mark, I don't think we'll get much farther like this," says Floramon.
"Well let's step it up then."
My Digivice glows.
"Floramon, Digivolve to… Kiwimon!"
When the light vanishes, my partner has been replaced by something larger. Not as large as the enemy, but I know exactly what he's capable of.
"Okay then. Let's show them the pecking of a lifetime."
From his position, Tetsu can still see the Flymon I took out previously. It has since stopped moving, but the fact its body remains means that it isn't dead. Tetsu frowns. Digimon aren't supposed to suffer like that, like living creatures. In every fight he's witnessed before, it's been simple. Digimon fight, they lose, they disappear. How can fighting in this world still be so distasteful?
One of the new Flymon lands and crouches above his fallen comrade, examining. It doesn't seem that he likes what he finds. The new enemy looks up and emits a warning buzz in Tetsu's direction.
"Tet, should I take him on?" asks Agumon.
The boy hesitates. "No. It looks like he just wants to protect his friend. If he wants to fight, let him make the first move."
"Blue Blaster!"
A stream of blue fire strikes the wasp-Digimon. It cries out and lifts off the ground, moving straight for the group.
"Gabumon!" shouts Tetsu. "You didn't have to do that!"
"Tetsu," says Taji, not looking at him. "Our pack comes first. You know that."
Tetsu shakes his head, but doesn't respond. "Okay Agumon. Now we fight."
Salamon falls to the ground after being swatted by another Flymon. He looks upwards and growls. He's not built to fight flying opponents. It's so unfair.
Then Salamon looks to his side. There's another Flymon there. Collapsed to the ground, practically finished already. At least he can get in on the action somehow.
Salamon rushes the incapacitated opponent. "Sledge Crash-"
"No!"
At that exact moment, Hiro steps in the way. Salamon aborts the attack, but still collides into his partner. The two go rolling and almost fall on top of Flymon.
"Hiro, get outta my way! I need to help protect you."
"No Salamon!" says Hiro, lifting his partner by the scruff of his neck. "I told you, no fighting! This isn't what we do, especially against somebody who can't fight back."
Salamon hangs his head, but still softly growls. "You still don't get it. I have to protect you. It's my job. If I can't do it, what good am I?"
Hiro's expression softens. "You're my friend, Salamon. My best friend. That's all you need to be."
But the good vibes are interrupted as another Flymon takes a swing at the short boy's face. The boys fall backward screaming. Blood pours from his forehead.
"Pepper Fire!"
A burst of pure heat strikes the offending insect and forces it to withdraw. Taji runs over and crouches above the injured boy. "Hiro, are you okay?"
The boy is crying, but nods. "I-I think? It hurts and- and there's blood, but head injuries are s'posed to bleed a bunch, right?"
She nods. "Exactly right. Stay behind the rest of us and apply pressure. Salamon, stay with him."
The puppy looks increasingly agitated, but acquiesces.
"Nose Mattock!"
With precision, Kiwimon uses his sharp beak to sever a Flymon's forelimb at the elbow. The spiked appendage erupts into the data. Kiwimon lands lightly beside me. (I've elected to stay on the ground, not wanting a repeat of the fight with Grizzlymon.) The amputee Flymon turns toward us, but whatever his response would have been is interrupted by a Blue Blaster from the left. His wing bursts into fire and the insect falls to the earth.
"Nice shot Gabumon," praises Kiwimon. "That's another one grounded."
"Yeah," I say. "But we've still got three in the sky. Keep your attention there."
Kiwimon nods and leaps toward his next target.
Meanwhile his last one struggles back onto its feet. I almost forgot Flymon had feet. You never see one using them.
Until this one, who's running at me.
I take a step back and look for Kiwimon, but he's not in my line of sight.
"Hey, somebody! Help!"
Just before my own face is ravaged by a spike, Agumon appears before me. He catches the Flymon's claw with his own. Struggling, he just manages to hold back the Champion level Digimon. Slowly, the Rookie lifts his muzzle.
"Pepper Fire!"
The Flymon's face is on fire. It fall back, screaming,
Agumon launches a brief series of clawed attacks, and suddenly the enemy is merely data blowing in the breeze.
Tetsu runs over. "Awesome job! Got some more in you?"
Agumon glances at him with a toothy smile. "What do you think?"
On Snimon's other side, Gabumon is busy distracting two Flymon from Hiro, Tama, and Taji. His Blue Blasters keep them at bay, but just barely. He can tell both are looking for a hole in his offense, a chance to launch a poisonous attack he won't quickly recover from.
Taji's thinking along the same lines. Digivolving might help, but escalating the conflict isn't always the best solution. It would provide the Flymon with a bigger target, and possibly drag more locals into the fight. For the moment, the numbers are even. It would likely be better to gang up on the remaining Flymon than take out each as an individual.
"Agumon, Kiwimon, we could use assistance."
At his current position, Kiwimon barely dodges a poisonous jab from his own opponent. This Flymon seems faster than the last one. Besides that, Kiwimon excels at sneak attacks. Put him in a face-to-face confrontation and, well, just flip a coin.
"Yeah, you and me both, sister. Be there when I can."
"We're coming!" yells Tetsu. He runs to Taji's side while Agumon launches a few fireballs in the direction of a Flymon. The attack drives the insect back, but also draws Gabumon's attention away from his intended target. The wasp takes the opportunity to dive in for a direct assault.
"Watch out!" yells Agumon. The dinosaur tackles his friend, sparing Gabumon the attack. Instead Agumon is stabbed in the back with a jagged spike.
"Blue Blaster!" says Gabumon, firing a blue flame at the insect's arm. The Flymon chirps in alarm and flees. With all his strength, Gabumon hoists Agumon back onto his feet. "My friend, are you harmed?"
"You can't stop now Agumon!" cheers his partner. "Keep fighting!"
Gabumon and Agumon turn toward the Flymon and, in conjunction, fire off their attacks. Unsure of which to dodge, the Flymon fails to dodge either and bursts into flame. It releases an unnatural, horrified screech and dissolves.
But the time it takes the Rookies take to finish off one foe allows the other a chance to aim. Flymon positions his stinger and carefully selects a target.
"Brown Stingers!"
The stinger from the insect's hindquarters detaches and violently slams into Agumon's claw. The dinosaur pauses and then screams. The virtual neurotoxin passes through his veins, leaving what feels like a trail of fire. Agumon's knees give out and he finds himself crouched on the ground, fighting the urge to vomit.
Tetsu tries to run forward to help his friend, but Taji grips the back of the boy's shirt, holding him in place. "Don't you dare put yourself in danger. Gabumon, give Agumon cover. Kiwimon, you better be on your way!"
Jyu stands out in front of Snimon. His friends are fiercely fighting to protect him and his partner, and all he can contribute is nothing. Even the first Flymon had been defeated by Floramon, a Rookie, rather than his Champion ally.
Hands clenched into fists, Jyu turns to look up at his partner. Snimon still hangs his massive emerald head, two orange antennae dangling from the sides. The only sign that the insectoid Champion still lives is the gradual rise and fall of his shoulders.
"Snimon, please, if you can hear me, wake up. Our friends need us. Someone could die. Tetsu could die.
"Please."
Deep in Snimon's throat, a rumble of acknowledgment thrums.
A poison dart passes closely by Gabumon's head. This is his third near miss, and the Digimon doesn't know how many times he'll get lucky. Already the Rookie has expended too much energy to access his main attack, so as long as the insect remains at a distance he's all but useless.
"Taji, I cannot do this much longer. We require support."
The girl Chosen almost growls. "Kiwimon! Where are you?"
The Champion Digimon briefly lands on Snimon's shoulder and fires another Pummel Peck at the pursuing Flymon. "Trying not to die, thanks!"
"Don't… need… Kiwimon."
The stinger embedded in Agumon's arm comes off and hits the ground.
The dinosaur stands.
"I'll kill it myself."
Tetsu is too stunned to speak for a second. It passes. "Go ahead then. Take him down!"
Agumon takes a few shaky steps forward, just barely avoiding a tumble. He lifts his muzzle. "Pepper Fire!"
Three volleys of fire. All miss the target.
Flymon makes a chirping sound that almost sounds like laughter. A purple dart fires from where the thing's stinger used to be and hits Agumon straight in the chest.
He screams, but refuses to fall. "Pepper Fire!"
"That's right Agumon, keep up the pressure!"
"What the hell are you doing?" I demand.
Tetsu turns to me. "Cheering on my partner! He can win this."
"No, he can't. He's taken a way higher dosage of that toxin than Snimon did. He's too small! Call him off now!"
Tetsu grabs me by the collar. "Are you calling me weak?"
That look in his eyes. I know it well. I've seen it in the mirror. The pride. The bloodlust.
I jerk free from his grip and Tetsu stumbles back. "I'm calling you an idiot," I say. "Agumon, get out while you can."
"Pepper Fire!"
One of the dinosaur's fireballs happens to strafe the insect's wings. Flymon is forced to make a hasty landing, and Agumon goes in for the kill. He's slowing down now, and none of his clawed attacks meet their intended recipient. Flymon dances around him, careful to keep himself between the Rookie and the incapacitated Flymon.
The active Flymon sees an opening and swiftly counterattacks with spike forelimbs. Agumon attempts to block with his claws, but only hurts himself in the process.
"Agumon! Run!" I yell. "You're going to be killed!"
Snimon stirs.
"Everybody… Move!"
Everyone jumps a bit and clears away from the Champion. Snimon rotates toward the ongoing commotion. The gargantuan's effort distracts the Flymon for a second and Agumon gets in a lucky hit, knocking him toward his unconscious ally. The active Flymon trips and sprawls over his friend.
Above us, Kiwimon finally gets the drop on his rival and smashes his feet against the wasp's head. "Special delivery!" yells Kiwimon.
The third wasp lands atop the other two, and the whole pile buzzes and squirms. The active two have just untangled themselves and begun aiming their stingers at Snimon when the larger Champion raises his scythe arms.
"Twin Sickles!"
Snimon swings his massive arms through the air and two crescent-shaped energy blades are sent flying in an X-formation. The conscious Flymon have only a second to process the coming death beams.
The air is filled with data and the sound of screaming.
Before the attack even hits, Snimon has turned back into Wormmon and Agumon has collapsed into Koromon.
"Are you okay, Wormmon?" Jyu asks.
"Jyu, we really need to find more food."
Tetsu clutches the pink head-Digimon to his chest. "Buddy, you almost had them."
"I'm sorry… Really thought I could do it. Will try… harder." Koromon fades into unconsciousness.
"It's over," Taji says, after doing a quick check on Tama and Hiro.
Eyes fixed on Tetsu, I frown. "Yeah, it is for now."
Back at camp, the fire has been started. Jyu is feeding Wormmon the snacks they packed. Tetsu is the furthest from the fire, holding Koromon and saying nothing. Taji is treating Hiroaki's injuries while Tama and a re-digivolved Biyomon look into the fire.
"I started this whole thing," says Biyomon, sulking. "Hiro and Agumon could have died. How could I be so irresponsible?"
"Oh relax," Tama says, his usual mirth subdued. "I'm just rubbing off on you is all. Next time we'll know better."
"And all done," says Taji, leaning back to get a better look at Hiro's injury. "Just had to clean it up a bit and apply bandaging. I don't think it will even need stitches."
Hiro hasn't spoken since the fight ended. He simply sits in front of the fire, absently petting Salamon.
"Hiro, does it hurt?"
He shakes his head.
"Are you okay then?"
The boy thinks for a moment. "You killed them all."
Taji blinks. "Excuse me?"
"All of the Flymon. You guys killed them. I didn't sign up for this. We weren't supposed to be fighting. This was going to be an adventure."
"It's not like they left us much choice," says Floramon.
"Even the one who couldn't move?" Hiro shot a look at Jyu. The other boy didn't return the glance. "It was barbaric."
"Hey listen," says Tetsu, rising to his feet. "Maybe no one told you, but Digimon don't die in the Digital World. They can't. They just come back as DigiEggs. We didn't "kill" anybody."
"And that makes it okay to risk Agumon's life like that?" I ask, joining the debate. "These Digimon are our partners. Even if they aren't gone for good, you don't risk their safety so carelessly. There weren't plenty of ways to turn the tide back there, and you just had to choose the one that would prove how strong you are. Isn't that right?"
Tetsu freezes. His arm shakes, as if ready to throw a punch. He fights down the urge. "I'm going for a walk." Tetsu picks up Koromon and walks off into the woods, taking with him one of the two flashlights.
Jyu looks between us before getting up to follow.
"I don't care if they come back," says Hiro. "I don't care if we had to do it. Killing is wrong, and I won't be part of this."
The boy and his partner move to leave the clearing, but he pauses before they do. "You know, I always wondered why we were so different. Why I wasn't close friends with the other Digidestined kids, even though we're supposed to be family. Now I know. Maybe it's better if I keep my distance."
And he's gone.
Silence settles over the camp.
Tama looks at Taji's pile of supplies and puts a hand over his face. "Oh jeez, he didn't even take a flashlight."
I scoff. "So his plan is just to stumble onto the Digiport in the dark. Smart kid. Hope the Flymon are only hunting for brains."
Tama takes the light. "Here, Biyomon and I will go after him. If nothing else we'll make sure he gets home safe."
"Are you sure you'll be safe on your own?" Taji asks.
"Oh please," says Tama. "You guys just took down five Champion level Digimon. I think every baddie on File Island is gonna think once or twice before going after one of us."
Taji nods. "Okay then. Scream if you need help."
Tama smiles. "Oh yeah, they'll hear me in Server if it comes to it." And the pair vanish into the dark, leaving Taji, Gabumon, Floramon, and I to ourselves.
I take a seat at the fire by the girl. "You handled yourself well back there. It seems like you and Gabumon have a lot of combat experience."
She shrugs. "Not as much as you, I think. We look out for ourselves okay."
"Jyu isn't bad either. Inexperienced, but adaptable. And even Tama at least knows his place on the battlefield."
Of course Taji catches my meaning. "Even? At least?"
I nod. "I'm worried about Tetsu."
"He'll be fine," she says. "Agumon will recover. As for Tetsu, he's just going through some stuff. He's not clear headed. I'm hoping this trip will help."
"That's not what I mean," I say. "When the Flymon attacked, your priority was keeping the group safe. Same as me, same as Jyu. Tetsu got into it though. I could tell. He wanted Agumon to fight for the sake of fighting."
Taji stood up. "You don't understand him. Tetsu's a good guy. He wants to protect us all. He's just looking for the power to do that."
"What he wants is to play hero," I insist. "He wants to be his dad. Which would be great, if he were. But he's not Taichi Kamiya, he's Tetsu. The fact he doesn't know that might get him and Agumon killed. I don't know if we should be along for the ride when it does.
Taji keeps her eyes fixed on the fire. "He'll be okay. I've known him my whole life, and I know we can trust Tetsu."
I frown. "Well if nothing else I admire your devotion. What are going to do the next time he loses his fight against a stronger opponent though? Just believe in him?"
She laughs quietly. "Of course not. That's simple. When he loses his head, that's when I save him."
Tama and Biyomon run through the forest, a beam of light bouncing in front of them. Tama has been out of breath since they left camp and now even Biyomon is lagging.
"Do we really remember which way the DigiPort was?"
"Of course Tama, my memory is impeccable. The question is if Hiro remembered properly."
"Jeez. Really wish I had a dog here to help instead of a no-good bird."
"If Salamon were present, I believe our issue would already be resolved."
"Hold up, is that them?"
The pair come to a stop. Sure enough, not far ahead are Hiro and Salamon, rooted in front of a monitor which seemed to have been haphazardly tossed into the forest.
Hiro has a frown fixed to his face.
"What's up Hiro?" Tama asks, approaching. "Don't tell me you changed your mind and decided to hang around. That would be pretty anticlimactic after your little speech."
Hiro shakes his head. "It's nothing like that. We all have a serious problem." The boy holds up his Digivice. "I've been trying for a few minutes, but the Digiport just won't activate. I don't know what that means."
"Really?" Tama asks. "Maybe your head got hit harder than we thought. Let me try."
Tama holds his Digivice at the ready. "Digiport, open!"
But sure enough, it doesn't.
"Oh man, this is bad," says Tama. "Don't tell me we're stuck out here! Sis will not be happy about this."
"Oh what a dreadful twist of fate," says a voice from behind the Chosen and their Digimon. "Quite tragic for you, but most fortuitous for me. To mourn or celebrate? Such a conundrum!"
The boys turn to see the speaker and immediately draw away.
The man is tall, and dressed in complete disarray. His coat is torn and his hair is haphazard. His smile is lopsided and cruel.
Most worrying though are the knife in his hand and the bat-like monster on his shoulder.
"Now, if you'd be so kind, sons of Love and Light, please remind me of your names. And while we're at it, which of you does Takeru care for more?"