I don't own digimon.
Benedita liked to think she was up for anything. Whether that be traveling across Portugal to see the sights to just hanging out around Lisbon interviewing people just for the heck of it, the reporter was game. But only a year after that Eosmon attack, the shining capital of Portugal had been struck quite a massive blow. The economy had very much recovered, but the physical and mental wounds were still a long way from being healed. While her home had been unscathed, she knew tons of people who weren't as lucky. And for a select few, they were no longer with them. Those had been the worst stories to report on. Trying her best to maintain a composed attitude, the tears still fell.
"Etemon, o que você pensaria de mim agora? (Etemon, what would you think of me now?)" Benedita thought as she slipped his microphone into his bag. Always good to have it on hand if something happened mid-route between here and the news studio. Camcorder as well. Corroborating footage always went a long way in providing the utmost experience and getting paid. That, and one might never know when something might happen out of nowhere. Rumors of digimon returning even in the face of some losing them had stroked a variety of emotions within the people. Emotions not easily quelled in stressful situations. Taking the utmost care to put the camcorder in with the microphone, she carefully slipped the bag's strap across her chest and onto her right shoulder. Staring down at the bag, she was met with a relatively plain black bag. Designed to be tough rather than stylish, Benedita wasted little time in slipping on a pair of tennis shoes. Somehow plainer than that of her bag, the reporter didn't mind. The wardrobe people at the news station would likely have a pair of pumps or some other kind of similar heels. Paired with a dress or a pantsuit, the reporter didn't mind. Though, that usually depended on what the assignments were. For today, Benedita had decided on a long sleeved shirt done up in orchid purple with gray pants. Well-traveled, the latter would likely need to be thrown out and a new pair would take their place. Those could be grabbed after her shift. Should be a store or two that would be open around the times she got off work. For now, those thoughts didn't have a place in her mind. The reporter instead focused on her phone of all devices. Just a flip phone, she didn't consider that huge of a fan of those newfangled 'smartphones'. Not because of the price, but more the idea of it suddenly bricking for one reason or another just didn't feel safe. Especially when it happened right outside of the warranty. The price wasn't helping matters either. So what if you could use it in place of a digivice? Those dang things were a dime-a-dozen. Speaking of which…
Bending down, Benedita took the opportunity to slip her digivice into her front pants pocket. Phone coming right after, she took time to push both objects down and bring her keys up. Don't want those falling out during the few parts of the trip that couldn't be traversed by way of a car. Quite a bit more now that digimon were returning to this town. Heading over to the door, she wasted little time to walk over the door and open it up. Heading out, she was met with the beautiful Portugal sky. In the distance, the waterfront awaited. On days like today, part of her wanted to go to the beach and take a dip. But that would be abandoning work, which was less than ideal in her situation. Instead, she gazed upon her vehicle. A blue 2010 Seat Ibiza Mk4 sat comfortably in her driveway, more than ready to deal with the roads. Digging the keys out of her pocket, it wasn't particularly difficult for the reporter to unlock it. Opening the door up, Benedita slid into the driver's seat. Inserting the key, she didn't waste any time in starting the vehicle up.
Backing out, Benedita took care to not accidentally run into someone while trying to get out of her driveway. That kind of tragedy was not welcome in her life. Turning her gaze ahead, she took care in maneuvering her vehicle around the massive potholes and other dents in the road. Work all across the country had been focused on a mix of roadwork and buildings, which still left places in disarray and in dire need of fixes. Those would come eventually, but not soon enough. At least, that was how it felt in Benedita's mind. It probably wouldn't be as long as it felt. All the more reason to shift her thoughts to other things. Things like that weird asteroid that landed in the water… only to turn out to be something called a 'Guilmon'. Not that the online news article had provided a picture of said digimon. Couldn't be that big to survive a fall from space of all places. What she would give for a chance to interview them. Just a question or two would be more than enough. Interviews with digimon were both rare and difficult. Not at all helped by requiring permission from their partner - usually a child. Brought with it even more complications. At that point, you were better off finding someone else to interview in their place. But the few times that the stars aligned and she could get the necessary permissions, the interviews she got were always the most popular segments. At least, that was what the network told Benedita. She would need to actually see the numbers to actually know for certain. Until then, she would continue doing what she was do-
Forcing the car to a stop, Benedita found herself facing down a long line of cars. The start of said line remained frustratingly out of view, making it far harder to determine whether or not the reporter had enough time to actually get out and see what the commotion was. Yet, that didn't stop her from turning off the engine and unbuckling her seatbelt. Opening the door up, Benedita got out. Closing the door behind her, she slowly made her way up the line of cars. Taking care to not step into traffic, she made her way along the line of cars. Would absolutely suck if that was the moment that all the cars decided to start moving once more. The reporter pushed that thought away and reached down into her bag. Out came the camera and microphone. Turning both on, she came to a stop. Mentally composing herself, it was a cinch to stare into the camera with the expression expected for a shot like this. Even if the reporter didn't have the clearest idea what was going on.
"Essa é a Benedita. Estou atualmente na cena de uma desaceleração maciça não muito longe da minha casa. (This is Benedita. I am currently on the scene of a massive slowdown not that far from my home.)" Benedita announced and slowly spun around to show the line of cars. Now even longer, whoever or whatever it was that had been intent on creating this were very good at their job. Whether or not that was the actual intention remained to be seen. Especially as Benedita headed forward. Camera pointed in the direction of the line, but still no sign of the cause. She did get to catch a couple of conversations in english. Probably just tourists pissed that their day had been wrecked by way of what was likely just a minor inconvenience. Maybe if they had packed a bit more patience before coming to Lisbon, they would be in a far better mood. At least, that was what Benedita told herself as she continued along the line of vehicles. Up ahead, a large cactus creature had taken root in the middle of an intersection. Boxing gloves on its arms, they were punching right in front of the cars at all sides. Swinging the camera back over to her, Benedita took a step back. Last thing she wanted was to get pelted with needles.
"Como você acabou de ver, a formação foi causada por uma grande criatura de cacto. Provavelmente um digimon, só posso imaginar o que poderia ter feito com que eles insistissem tanto em bloquear o tráfego. (As you just saw, the lineup has been caused by a large cactus creature. Likely a digimon, I can only wonder what could have caused them to be so insistent on blocking traffic.)"
Bringing her microphone back down, the reporter pulled her camera back to the cactus creature. Throwing caution to the wind, she slowly approached. From a distance, her target hadn't looked any bigger than her. Now up close, the cactus creature very much had the height advantage.
"Poios páei ekeí?! (Who goes there?!)" they announced and Benedita stared up to their face. Or at least, the approximate area that it was. Roughly carved, Benedita could only speculate how they were able to see.
"Por acaso você fala português? (By any chance do you speak Portuguese?)" Benedita announced and held the microphone as high as her arm could manage. Not even close to the cactus's mouth, that didn't stop them from leaning into the device.
"sim. Acho que esqueci onde estava. (Yes. I guess I forgot where I was.)" the cactus creature announced and swung at the air for good measure. Missing whatever they were aiming at, it was back over to Benedita. "Esperar. Estarei na TV? (Wait. Am I going to be on TV?)"
Benedita held steady, debating how to best explain this to the massive cactus. Due to the nature of the incident, there was a chance. But considering that she was the only one at the scene and would then need to get it to the news station to be edited. A process that could take quite a significant chunk of time if the cactus creature decided to continue making a fuss.
"Há uma chance, mas não posso dar nenhuma garantia. (There's a chance, but I can't make any guarantees.)" Benedita answered and watched the cactus creature's expression shift ever so slightly. Bracing herself for what she could only assume to be the inevitable punch coming her way, the reporter was surprised when none came to her. Instead, she found the cactus creature making their way out of the middle of the road. Great and all, minus the fact that Benedita's car would now be in the street and up for anyone dumb enough to slam right into it.
"Funciona para mim. O que você quer me perguntar primeiro? (Works for me. What do you want to ask me first?)" the cactus creature inquired as they came to a stop at a flat area by the sidewalk. Benedita let out a deep breath, taking the time to get fully composed. This was going far better than she could ever dream of. Even if her vehicle did get totaled, the cactus creature could serve as a possible form of transportation.
"Por acaso você tem um nome? (By any chance do you have a name?)" Benedita started and watched the cactus creature raise a gloved fist up to their mouth. They had to have a name. Or at least, something to call them by that isn't 'cactus creature'.
"Togemon." the cactus digimon announced and leaned down into the microphone. Doing their best to not knock it out of Benedita's hands. Would be absolutely unprofessional to do that to a reporter. Their jobs were already hard enough without adding digimon like them into the mix. "I got sent down here while sleeping. Don't know why they couldn't wait until I woke up."
Benedita nodded. Making a note of that, she was cursing herself mentally for not bringing a pad of paper with her. Having notes would go a long way in this story. If her bosses actually liked it, of course.
"Antes de parar aqui, o que você estava fazendo? (Before you pulled down here, what were you doing?)" Benedita remarked and Togemon brought their fist down. Waving their other fist about, they took care to not hit Benedita or anyone else who might be passing by.
"Socos, jardinagem e malabarismo. (Punching, gardening and juggling.)" Togemon answered and brought both fists down. The area they were at had nothing suitable for juggling. Even if it had, this reporter lady was likely not that interested. They didn't really blame her.
"Essas são uma combinação interessante de atividades. (Those are an interesting combination of activities.)" Benedita answered as she took a moment to look at her car. Somehow unharmed, even as the last of the cars passed on through.
"Na verdade, tenho que me manter ocupado enquanto espero que as coisas voltem ao normal. (Indeed, I have to keep myself busy while waiting for things to get back to normal.)" Togemon explained as they looked about.
"O que você quer dizer, normal? (What do you mean, normal?)"
Togemon stared down at the dirt. Muttering something in that general direction, they forced their attention back to the reporter.
"Todo mundo está em pé de guerra desde que descobriu que os digimons podem ser enviados de volta por algum motivo. (Everyone has been up in arms since it turned out that digimon can be sent back for some reason.)" the cactus digimon answered and was met with a nod from Benedita. "Uh... posso ir? (Uh… am I allowed to go?)"
Benedita nodded and turned the mic off. Doing the same with the camera, she watched Togemon walk off to a different part of the city. She could only hope that they didn't cause any more traffic troubles. At least until she actually got to the news studio and handed over the footage. Once they got it, there was no telling what they would do with it. Pushing that thought away, Benedita made her way back to the car. Still not hit by all the traffic coming through, that didn't stop the reporter from being on her guard. Considering that Togemon had been looking for their partner, that potentially meant that more digimon were likely out and about. Some of them were searching for their partners, others possibly intent on creating problems for people. Part of her hoped that Etemon was part of the first batch at least, but Benedita knew better. He would show up whenever he felt like it. Probably in the middle of singing some song in a language that Benedita didn't recognize. Not that she minded when he did that. Always a good learning opportunity when it occurred when she was younger. Back then, the world had felt so large and massive. Somehow within reach and yet a million miles away. But as she got older, it somehow felt smaller. The answers to just about any question was just an internet search away. The days of begging one's parents to take you to one of Lisbon's many museums and other showcase buildings were mostly gone. You could still go there for the actual experience, but those kinds of people were few and far between.
Opening the car door, the reporter wasted little time in taking a seat. Closing the door, it was a cinch to start the vehicle up once more. Benedita looked ahead and let out a deep breath. Merging into the traffic, it provided for the perfect opportunity to calm herself down. At least until something happened that threw her off. But those were not the thoughts she needed to be thinking about here. She would make it through this. Whether or not the same could be said about the car remained to be seen. Especially as one of the tires hit a pothole. Bouncing up right after, it did help in getting the reporter's mind on other things. More specifically, what exactly lunch would entail. In her haste to get to work, she didn't pack anything in her bag. A rookie mistake for some as experienced as her. No matter. There were tons of cheap lunch options in the vicinity of the news studio. Not as many as there used to be, but the attack by Eosmon had done quite a number to both the buildings and people's livelihoods. Donations and subsidies were helping, it was still not enough to keep everyone hap-
A rock came through the side window and Benedita forced her gaze to the left. While she could not see where the rock had come from, she moved her car off to the side. Taking a moment to look at the rock, she watched it disappear. Letting out a deep breath, Benedita unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Back outside, the reporter slipped her camcorder and microphone out. She should have enough storage for this on top of the interview with the Togemon from earlier. If not, there was always the option of saving it directly to the camcorder's memory. The tech people would probably shout at her, but they could most definitely pull the data off. That was what the network paid them to do. Nonetheless, she turned the camera on and got to filming.
"Estou em cena mais uma vez quando alguém tentou me acertar com uma pedra. (I'm on the scene once more as someone has attempted to hit me with a rock.)" Benedita started and waited a moment to see if she got any additional attacks. The reporter didn't need to wait long for one to come through. Catching a glimpse of the projectile mid-flight, with it a weird-looking figure made from crumbled up white rock.
"Isso vai te mostrar! (That'll show you!)" the vandal announced as their focus shifted to Bendita's camera. Taking aim, their shot didn't come close to hitting the reporter or her recording device.
"Uh... como jogar uma pedra em mim de alguma forma me "mostra" alguma coisa? (Uh… how does throwing a rock at me somehow 'show' me something?)" Benedita countered and slowly approached. Up close, she clearly had the height advantage. But considering that her target was capable of conjuring rocks out of thin air, it was best to air on the side of caution. At least until she got them calmed. Especially as her gaze met their yellow eyes.
"As rochas são incríveis e ninguém quer olhar para elas! Então vou fazê-los olhar para as minhas pedras! (Rocks are amazing and no one wants to look at them! So I'll make them look at my rocks!)" the vandal continued and made an even bigger rock appear in their hands. Throwing it towards Benedita, the reporter was just able to duck out of the way in time. Her car, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. Now sporting two dents to the side, it was only a matter of time before something was thrown that did significant damage to the vehicle. These kinds of attacks were likely not covered by insurance. Even if it weren't, perhaps she could at least spin it in such a way to make it coverable. Wishful thinking, best reserved for when she actually was out of this situation. Just one thing of many things swirling about her mind at the moment. If there was ever a moment for her partner to swoop in and save the day, now was the time.
"We will, we will rock you!" a voice announced as the sound of guitar strings being played echoed across the buildings. Looking around, Benedita's gaze came upon Etemon. Falling through the air, a guitar of all items was pulled back in their massive hands.
"Sinto muito pelo seu carro. Por favor, não deixe Etemon chutar minha bunda. (I'm sorry about your car. Please don't let Etemon kick my butt.)" the rock creature announced as Benedita took a couple steps back. Just in time for Etemon to make his landing. Creating a massive cloud of dust, all parties waited a moment for it to settle. Once it had, Etemon took the opportunity to smash the guitar into the rock creature.
"Vá encontrar a quem você pertence também e fuja. (Go find whoever it is that you belong too and scram.)" the performer ape digimon announced and watched their opponent do just that. Spinning around, they met Benedita's gaze. Doing a bow, that got the camcorder pointed his way. Getting turned off right after, Etemon did their best to hide the blushing of their cheeks.
"Eu tenho saudade de voce! (I've missed you!)" Benedita announced and hugged her partner. Forgetting her car for just a second, she felt Etemon scoop her up and head for the sidewalk. But not before letting her put everything away.
"Você pode me agradecer assim que chegarmos ao estúdio de notícias. (You can thank me once we reach the news studio.)" Etemon answered and shot off. Benedita nodded in agreement, trying her best to think of a proper through line for all of this. Even with the little time she had, one would come to her. She just knew it.