Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I wish I did. Though honestly I think I would have more fun owning Yu-Gi-Oh because I love making up cards. I do kind of have my own idea for a card game. Who knows, maybe one day I shall invent it, it will become popular, there will be a TV series, and people will write fanfiction of it!
Author's Notes: Kind of a bit of filler, this one is hard to write. I wanted to transition to the funeral in this chapter, but I couldn't do it in a seamless manner. This is also the first chapter which features scenes focusing on characters other than Naota. I'm a little dissatisfied with the transition though. It happens toward the end. Future chapters will feature more characters being at the center of attention.
Naota found two Digivices in the box. One pink and white the other light blue. She immediately reached for the pink one. "So, what kind of features do these have?" She asked. According to her research, there were different types of Digivices that could do different things. The basic function allowed you to store Digieggs for Armor Digivolution and to amplify the bond between Human and Digimon to make regular Digivolution easier.
"Assuming it's the same type as mine, these babies can play music and surf the web if you get a Wi-Fi signal. You can even use them as a smart phone if you're willing to pay a monthly fee," said Ham. "So how many did you get? One for each of you?"
"Just two," said Naota. "One for me one for Hikaru. She rubbed hers between her fingers. "Okay, but how'd you know that we'd be getting a box too?"
"Just a hunch," said Ham. "I can only imagine one person rich enough to afford something like this who would be willing to just dump a box into the mail. The only question is why? Does he know something?"
"Yuu," whispered Naota. She bit her lip and frowned. "As I understand, his family is responsible in part for the creation of Digimon, right? So it would make sense that they'd know some top-secret things. Still, it would be nice if he would just tell me what's going on! I'm still scared and confused. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with a Digivice, it's not even like I have a partner."
"Maybe we should look into finding one for you. The other Naota," Ham paused for a second. "She said she wanted one, but she could never find a Digimon who seemed to fit well with her personality. Maybe you'll do better though."
"But, if I find a partner, won't I just end up leaving them behind in the end?" Asked Naota. "That sounds so cruel. I've seen the way everybody else acts around their partners, I couldn't do that to a Digimon."
"True. Look. We'll just have to take things slowly and see how they go. The good news is, Hikaru and I can Digivolve our partners now, which means we can help protect you better. So try to stick close to her as much as you can. Hopefully you aren't attacked by anything higher than a Champion. Anyway, I need to go now. See you soon." He hung up.
Naota turned to Hikaru. "I'm going to go tell mom and dad," she said.
Chapter 5
Naota woke up the next morning and threw her closet door open with enthusiasm. She tried selecting a great outfit, but felt her enthusiasm drain when she realized that her choices were limited. Her only clear fire shot at presenting as female came from wearing a skirt. Maybe she could try a pink sweater, but she had no idea if that would be enough. She sighed in defeat and resigned herself to her bed when somebody knocked on the door.
"Can I come in?" Hikaru asked.
"Sure."
Hikaru wore a pink sleeveless top and slim black jeans that hugged her body really well. Everything about her screamed female. It helped that she had something on her chest, as small as it was. "Something wrong?" Hikaru asked. "You look upset."
"I just, I," Naota blushed unsure of how to say it. The statement tasted vulgar and dirty on her tongue. Her stomach twisted and her face burned red hot. "I don't want to wear a skirt today, but I want to be a girl. And it's the only way I can really show everyone I'm a girl since I don't have," she paused.
"Boobs?" Hikaru asked with a quizzical look. "Okay, follow me," she said as she marched out the door. Naota quickly chased after her as she power walked to her room. "I was going to give this to you for your birthday. Or to her, really. The other Naota." Hikaru said as she opened her closet and grabbed a box wrapped in pink wrapping paper. "Here," she said as she thrust it to Naota's chest. "Open it."
Naota tore the paper away and pulled the lid off the smaller box inside, revealing a skin colored padded bra. "It's supposed to be super comfortable," said Hikaru. "It's from Fall Forever," she said. Fall Forever was a fashion company owned by the Akimoto Family. They sold some of the most popular clothes in the world. "The other Naota tried a padded bra once but said she couldn't wear it because of sensory issues.
Elecmon stirred from his spot on Hikaru's bed and looked up with curiosity. "Oh, is it a special occasion?" He asked, noticing the padded bra.
"No, go back to sleep Elecmon." Hikaru smirked. "Come on go try it on." Hikaru said as she followed Naota to the bathroom. She waited outside as Naota closed the door. She struggled for a moment. "Everything okay?" Hikaru asked.
"I can't get this thing to fasten. Oh wait. Got it." Naota opened the door, stepping outside with a smile. "Okay, definitely not too bad, I could get used to this." She whirled around in front of the mirror, staring at her chest. She smiled.
Hikaru smirked as well. "You look good. But you should go get your clothes and take a shower, so we can get to school."
Naota grabbed a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pink sweater. The jeans weren't very flattering, but she liked them. Hikaru on the other hand shook her head. "You know what, we're about the same size. You can borrow some of my jeans. After school, we're going shopping." She quickly ran to her room and returned with a pair of jeans for Naota.
They looked much better on her.
Naota and Hikaru ran downstairs. Elecmon dashed out of the bedroom and followed them. Falcomon quickly greeted them as and presented them each with a plate of rice, scrambled eggs, and bacon. They said their thanks, ate their food, and ran for the door.
"Looks like I caught you just in time," said Ham as he pulled up in the driveway. You three need a ride to school?" He noticed Naota and asked quizzically, "shouldn't you be wearing your sling?" he wore a red T-shirt, jeans, and had shaved off his facial hair.
"My arm feels better now," she told him. Naota smiled. "Thanks," she quickly got in behind Ham while Hikaru and Elecmon got in the other side. "So how are you?"
"I'm thrilled. I can't wait to take my Digivice for a test drive. Kotemon doesn't quite feel the same, though." Ham waited for his passengers to buckle up and put the car in reverse.
Kotemon grunted. "I find these gifts suspicious. Whoever coined the phrase 'never look a gift horse in the mouth' has obviously never read Homer. "We should be careful about these things. We honestly don't know for sure who they're from. It could be some sort of trap. They could be defective in some way. The last thing we need is to trigger a Dark Digivolution and have either Elecmon or I go on a rampage. We might even end up killing Naota."
"Dark Digivolution?" Asked Naota. "That doesn't sound good."
"Yeah, sometimes a Digimon will Digivolve improperly and lose control of their senses. They'll take on a stronger form than usual but attack those around them indiscriminately," said Elecmon. "They usually happen when a Digimon or their human partner is feeling significant emotional stress, though a defective Digivice increases the odds of this happening. I remember once watching a tournament battle where one of the contestants had a black market Digivice. Her partner ended up Dark Digivolving from Greymon into a SkullGreymon and nearly tore the arena apart." Elecmon shook his head. "Security had to force him back into his egg form."
Hikaru hugged Elecmon tightly. "So, is that why you came? You couldn't have just wanted to offer us a ride," she said.
"Well, mostly I just wanted to say hi to Naota," said Ham. "But Kotemon wanted to talk to the three of you."
"I think we should be careful around Loaño. There's no telling if we can trust this AncientAnubismon. He seems suspicious to me. He knows too much and for all we know he could be leading us into a trap. He could be using Naota."
"I trust him," said Naota.
"Be careful," said Kotemon. "Maybe I'm being foolish for putting my faith in you based on looks alone but, I can't imagine you as being anything other than the Naota I know, just under slightly different circumstances. What happened to her was an unfortunate accident, but if I were to let anything to happen to you because of carelessness, that would be a different matter."
"Thank you, Kotemon," Naota said. She waited for Kotemon to continue, but he said nothing else. Naota hung her head low. She clutched her seatbelt tightly and rubbed her fingers on the edge, waiting for somebody to fill the awkward silence.
Elecmon finally chirped in. "I think AA is on our side. After all, he, Kidd, and Lo saved everyone when Lynxmon attacked. "Without them we'd be dead. I think we can trust them."
"We don't know if that was out of the goodness of their own hearts or if they need Naota for their plans. Maybe they were only in it for the bounty. I find that being foolishly trusting is often the path to an early deletion, and we need to be careful. We're dealing with powerful people here."
"Well," said Hikaru, "I think we just need to worry about school for now. See you later Ham," she did as she unbuckled her seatbelt and carried Elecmon out of the car. She set him on the ground and he scampered around like a child. "We're going to the mall after school today. Wanna come with us?"
"Nah, I've got baseball practice today. But don't hesitate to call if anything happens. I can get out of it if I need to." Ham turned to Naota and smiled. "Have fun. Hope you find something good."
"And be careful," said Kotemon.
Ham drove off.
School went by slowly that day. She bumped into Yuki while walking to one of his classes and turned down an invitation to play baseball in the afternoon. Before class began, Justin extended the same invitation and Naota turned him down but invited him to go shopping before the game. Justin politely declined then asked for help with a few questions on the homework.
Haseo remained quiet and distant, ignoring Naota during class and recess. He refused to speak to Naota during lunch and quickly changed tables when Naota got near. Dorumon offered an apologetic look but didn't say much. Naota bit her lip and turned away.
Naota gave up and ate with Hikaru, Justin, and Elecmon. Justin offered her some chocolate chip cookies that his mother had baked that morning. They tasted like heaven and Naota thanked him. Lunch ended and they parted ways.
Gym class went much better than usual. The coach offered to let Naota sit on the sidelines a little longer, because of her arm, but she decided to play. The girls were a lot more fun to play with than the guys. They were playing soccer on one half of the field with the boys playing on the other half. It was a game of shirts versus skins for them, with Justin on the skins team. He waved at Naota, and she quickly turned away trying not to blush.
'Oh God I'm staring at Justin,' she moaned to herself.
After class ended, Naota quickly showered and changed back into her clothes. She waved goodbye as she passed Justin on her way to meet Hikaru. Naota's heart thumped as she power walked, and she focused on her feet so much that she nearly bumped into another teenager. "Sorry," she said at the last second. She looked up and began blushing even more brightly. Her heart raced faster and she started to sweat.
"Oh hey Naota," he said.
"HiFletcher," Naota blurted. "How are you?" She took deep breaths, trying to fill her lungs with the oxygen she needed. Her chest tightened until it hurt. She held a hand in front of her heart as she stared at the younger boy. Fletcher was still in Middle School, only one grade behind Naota, but they'd passed by each other a few times back before Naota went to High School. Naota had no idea Fletcher knew her name, perhaps the other Naota had been brave enough to say hello.
"Something wrong?" Fletcher asked. He had brown skin and short black hair that curled just a little. He wore a black jacket over a white T-shirt and camo colored cargo shorts. He had a bright infectious smile that made Naota smile back at him. "You don't look too well."
"No, it's nothing," said Naota.
A small bird like Digimon hovered next to Fletcher. She had brown and white feathers with a mismatched feather sticking out of a headband on her head. "Hello, Naota. Long time no see. I hope you've been doing well."
"I have. Thanks." Naota felt dizzy and had to lean against a nearby tree for support. "How about you two?"
"I lost my necklace sometime around Friday. Hawkmon and I checked the park, the beach, the pool, the mall, anywhere it might have been but I still can't find it. It's been annoying me so much. I hope I find it soon. I mean, I know it might not seem like much, but it was an early Christmas gift from Erica and I don't want to lose it. She just gave it to me too."
Naota nearly stumbled. Erica was alive in this world? Add that to the ever growing list of surprises. "What kind of necklace was it?"
"It was a cute silver necklace shaped like a star. Apparently you're supposed to get them for the person you love and it promises that you'll both be together forever. Like magic or something," Fletcher said. "I know it sounds silly, but I think it's cute."
"Silly nothing, young Fletcher," Hawkmon scolded. "Items can be imbued with great magical power if you let them. I do hope we can find it. Erica would simply be devastated if she knew you lost it. I think we should check the park one last time."
"Well, we better be heading off now," said Fletcher. "It was nice seeing you again. You really gave us a scare you know."
Naota watched Fletcher and Hawkmon vanish into the distance.
With her heart still thumping, Naota walked toward the parking lot, where she found Hikaru waiting for her. "You okay? You look flushed."
"I'm fine," Naota wheezed.
The mall was within walking distance, though it was a fairly long walk. Elecmon rode on Hikaru's head for most of the way. Naota kept thinking about Fletcher. His perfect wavy hair. His shiny white smile. His warm friendly voice. Naota shook her head in dismay, wishing she could focus on something else.
Their first stop at the mall was Fall Forever a clothing store owned and run by the Akimoto family. Two shirtless young men with muscular bodies greeted them at the door. Like many stores, Fall Forever went with the sex appeal route to lure customers in. Unlike some of the others, they at least offered jobs indiscriminately. A fat woman with dark skin and long black hair approached them with a huge grin on her face. "Hello, welcome to Fall Forever, how may I help you?"
"We need to buy some padded bras and girl's jeans," said Hikaru. "Maybe some shorts too."
"Right this way," said the woman with a smile. Her name tag read Sally. She led them to a rack displaying padded bras in various colors. "We offer a 30% discount if the bra is purchased by or for a transwoman or non-binary individual," she told them. "We go by the honor system."
Naota cringed, unsure of whether it was a standard bit of info to relay or if it was that easy to tell she was dmab. She shook her head and said thanks. The woman pointed to a nearby rack of cute jeans and shorts. "Let me know if you need help finding anything."
"I spoke to mom," said Hikaru, "she said to go ahead and use her credit card. We just need to make sure not to spend too much, but since clothes are important it's okay to go a little overboard." She grabbed a few bras off the rack. "We can get more later and~"
"Hikaru?" Naota interrupted. "Don't you think maybe this is a bit excessive? I don't even know how long I'll be staying. And it isn't like I can take the clothes with me or anything."
"Well yeah," said Hikaru. Her body loosened up, her shoulders slumped, and she let out a deep breath. "Well, I can always wear the jeans and shorts after you're gone. I guess we'll just cut back on the bras then. It's not like you'll need them every day, I suppose." She smiled weakly. "I really do hope you get to go home, but, I'm going to miss you when you're gone. You know that right?"
Naota froze. "I'll miss you to. Even when I'm with the other Hikaru, I'll still miss you."
Hikaru smiled. "Well now, let's pick out some jeans."
In the end they picked out three pairs of jeans and a few really short shorts in pink, light blue, and purple. Hikaru paid for it all with a credit card. When asked about the discount, Hikaru said nothing, and waited for Naota to speak up. She remained silent.
They took their shopping bags with them as they exited the store. "I'm sorry," Naota apologized. "I just got nervous. I was scared."
"It's okay," said Hikaru. "It wasn't that much. Besides, you can fill out a rebate form online if you want. It's for people who don't want to out themselves in public, it's really handy." Hikaru stepped onto the escalator with Elecmon following closely at her side. Naota followed them up to the second floor and they approached the food court.
Humans and Digimon chattered happily as they ate their meals. Naota immediately recognized all the options, nothing had changed about the food court. He couldn't decide between Moink and Subway. On one hand he did prefer Moink, but on the other, Subway had a much shorter line. Hikaru and Elecmon stood in line at a Mexican restaurant. Naota considered his options before telling them he wanted a sandwich.
He could smell the bread baking in the ovens and the scent of marinara in the air. A young man at the front of the line ordered a BLT on white bread. Naota watched as the sandwich artist added shredded cheese. Naota's mouth watered. She smelled the air, hoping to catch the scent of it, but only found bread.
"Oh fancy meeting you here."
Naota turned to see Loaño smiling her. "Oh, hey Lo. Where's Kidd?" She asked.
"Busy running errands," Loaño answered with a smile. "Not all partners are tied to each other 24/7. Some people never like to go anywhere without a Digimon, because it's a safety issue. But there are security guards pretty much everywhere. Not to mention I've got AA."
The line moved up and Naota arrived at the counter. "I'll take a six inch turkey sandwich on honey oat." He added provolone cheese and tomatoes. Loaño ordered a meatball marinara with mozzarella cheese on top of a freshly baked loaf of Italian herbs and cheese.
"So are you here on business or pleasure?" Naota asked. She carried her soda in one hand and her sandwich in the other.
"Pleasure. I was going to hit up the Thunderheart game store after this. Want to come with me? I'm picking up the new Converging Hearts game from SC. I heard it's supposed to be really good. Too bad they're releasing the DLC little by little. I wanted to get the Garurumon line but that won't be out for a few months."
"Garurumon line?" Naota asked.
"Oh right, you wouldn't know. Well see, some Digimon are variations of each other and some are stronger forms of other Digimon. Often they'll have prefixes added to their name to distinguish them. For example there's a Digimon known as Agumon. There's also SnowAgumon, ToyAgumon, and BlackAgumon. Agumon can Digivolve into Greymon or GeoGreymon. There's also a SkullGreymon, MetalGreymon, and RizeGreymon, which are all Ultimates. For Megas you've got ShineGreymon or WarGreymon. You've also got BlackWarGreymon and ChaosBlackWarGreymon. There's others too, like AncientGreymon. And VictoryGreymon.
"Now, the Garurumon line, at least, the one present in the game, goes from Garurumon to WereGarurumon to MetalGarurumon. They're wolf Digimon. In fact, Kidd is technically a Garurumon as well. It's short for KiddGarurumon."
"Really?" Naota sipped her soda. "That's cool, but super confusing. ChaosBlackWarGreymon is such a mouthful," she moaned. Looking around she noticed Hikaru and Elecmon still in line. "So, have you and AA found any leads on the virus?"
"Sorry, we're trying our best but so far all our clues have been leading us nowhere," she blew her bangs out of her eyes. "It's honestly super frustrating. We keep getting close but nothing." She drummed her fingers on the table. "Anyway, AA wants to talk to you, so I'm going to let him speak." Loaño paused. "Also, he likes giving people nicknames. So don't be surprised if he gives you a nickname."
Loaño's eyes began to glow. "Hello, it is good to see you again."
"It's nice to, speak to you," Naota gulped. Sweat poured down her neck. She remembered everything Kotemon said, but she pushed those thoughts aside. She trusted Loaño and by extension, AA, but he still radiated a strange power that made her nervous.
"It is okay, do not be nervous, Naota, there is no reason to fear. I understand that some of your friends do not trust me, and that is okay, hopefully in time I can earn their faith. But for now I would like us to be friends. The little one seems to have taken a shining to you. Something about you seems to have such an effect on people. I'm sure that in time even Haseo will gravitate back to you.
"You seem to have a personality that attracts others to you. I think this personality if part of why you were able to cross the dimensions. If my theory is correct then you need to have an absence in the other world to help you cross, but you also need to meet certain unknown qualities, otherwise there'd be lots of people crossing the dimensional borders."
Naota quickly thought of Haseo and Erica, and a frown appeared on AA's face, mixed with shock. "I think, before we continue, it is only fair that I warn you. Loaño and I have a certain level of empathy. It would be rude of me to spy on your emotions without you knowing. I feel your sadness overflowing from within and I believe I know the cause of your grief. You are thinking of another who has died in one world but not the other."
"Haseo," said Naota. Half the truth. "He died in my world not too long ago. "I'm still adjusting to seeing him alive again."
"What a horrible situation. I am truly sorry that fate has inflicted this pain upon you," said AA.
"It's okay. I'm just happy I got to see him again, even if it's a different him." Naota sighed. "I do hope he forgives me."
Loaño's face drooped and AA spoke in a more reserved tone. "He is not truly upset with you, Naota. He is upset that he lost the person he cares the most about and further frightened by the idea of forming a new bond that will seem like a betrayal to the old Naota. I sense that he is trying to work through it, and hopefully he will come to his senses soon." AA noticed Hikaru and Elecmon approaching.
"I should be going now. I would not want to overwhelm poor Elecmon with my presence. But before I go, is something troubling you? You seem disappointed."
"I was kind of looking forward to a new nickname," said Naota.
"Well in that case, how about," AA paused. "Tegami?"
"Tegami?" Naota asked. It was a strange nickname, but she liked it."
"Yes. Now, goodbye Tegami. Until we meet again." AA vanished, returning Loaño to normal.
"Why is AA calling you letter?" Loaño asked.
"I have no idea."
"Hey you two," Hikaru said as she set two plates on the table. She helped Elecmon up and he sat before his plate, eating the food like a dog. He had some cheesy nachos that smelled especially strong. The meat pierced the air, overpowering the smell of the other food. The chips crunched loudly as Elecmon munched away. He stood on his hind legs to drink some soda and returned to his food.
Hikaru ate a burrito filled with Spanish rice, salsa, sour cream, steak, and chicken. Chunks of food fell out with each bite, forcing her to scoop it up with a fork. "I'm surprised to see you here Loaño, everything okay?"
"Just shopping for fun. Even adventurers like me need days off," she said.
Hikaru laughed. "What kind of things do you do for fun anyway? Rescue people?"
"I play video games, read, do a little art, play some music. I've even dabbled in some hacking," Loaño said with a grin.
Naota smirked. "Hey, Hikaru's mom is a hacker too. She's pretty good too, as far as I understand."
"Really? Just goes to show you can never tell who's good at these kinds of things. A middle aged woman and a teenage girl could be huge legends of the internet underworld." She said with a smirk. "So, you three got anywhere else to go after this? I was about to hit Thunderheart." She bit into her sandwich.
"Oh cool, I should see if my dad is in," said Hikaru.
"Oh, does he work there?" Loaño asked.
"More like he owns there," Hikaru said.
Loaño dropped her food and turned to Naota. "Wait, why didn't you tell me your uncle owned Thunderheart? That's like, the biggest new up and coming game store in the nation. I knew being friends with you would have some benefits."
"Sorry, I just," Naota hung her head. "It seemed like a silly thing to mention. But is it really that big? It's still a fairly small store where I'm from."
"Well, it isn't all over the place yet, but they're opening up new ones all the time. They're really drawing in a huge crowd from the whole deal they did with Shinigami Conglomerate for the exclusive DLC. Just go to one of their stores and you can download free stuff. Boss fights, power ups, new weapons. It's really huge. They've even got special extended demos for some of their games. Other stores are having trouble keeping up," said Loaño. She picked up her sandwich and tossed it in the trash. "I'm too excited to finish it," she decided.
Elecmon gobbled up his food and Hikaru devoured her burrito, leaving only Naota left. She hurriedly chewed her food and swallowed it, joining the others as they walked to Thunderheart. The cool air blasted them as they entered. Naota looked around and smiled. The store was bigger here. They offered a bigger selection of games and merchandise. He walked toward a rack of video game themed clothes and examined a Converging Hearts T-shirt, featuring the female protagonist alongside four different Digimon. Based on their size and ferocity, she assumed that each one was a different level. She waved to her uncle behind the counter as she continued browsing.
She owned a T-shirt like it back home, except that one featured the female protagonist alone without any Digimon partners.
A Tentomon flew up to a high shelf to examine a game that caught his attention. Naota walked right by a Redlizardmon and his human partner. She saw Digimon on the covers of all the games, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD, Halo, Digimon Crossing, and nearly everything else. There were even games she didn't recognize at all, like Digimon Chaos Coliseum.
Loaño marched up to the counter with a copy of Converging Hearts in her hand. "Just this for today," she said as she reached into her pocket to grab her wallet.
Arthur smiled at her. "Take it, free of charge. You're friends with Naota and Hikaru and you did save them. It's the least I can do. In fact, is there anything else you'd like?"
Loaño's eyes lit up. "No thanks, just this. I'd feel bad taking advantage of your hospitality." She stuffed the game into her bag and turned to her friends. "I've heard that hard mode on this game is pretty tough," she said with a smirk. "I hope it's true, I've been itching for a challenge. You two going to play it? You seem like the types who like RPGs."
"Already beat it," said Hikaru with a smirk. "Dad broke street date for me."
Naota smiled. "I played it back home. Of course, that version has no Digimon. Not sure if I should bother starting a new file here or if I should wait to get back home."
"It looks fun," said Elecmon. "I wish I had thumbs. Maybe if I Digivolve I can play."
They left the store together. "So where too next?" Loaño asked. "Anybody want ice cream?"
"I do, I do," cheered Elecmon.
Loaño suddenly froze. "Hey everybody get back." She took a few steps backward as somebody came sprinting out of a nearby building. They wore a black ski mask and carried a bag over their shoulder. A small dog like creature with blue and yellow fur ran alongside him. He had a strange horn on his head. "Ugh, I hate when criminals get their partners involved."
An overweight security guard chased after the criminal, with an orange lizard like creature at his side. The security guard grabbed a walkie talkie and spoke into it. "I need back up, somebody just robbed the jewelry store. They are armed with a gun and they have a Gabumon with them."
"Pepper Breath!" Cried the lizard as it shot tiny fireballs at the duo. The thief simply dodged the attack and watched the flames vanish in midair.
"Shit," Loaño swore. "Stopping them would be super easy, but if we start a fight here, we'll trash the mall." She turned to Naota. "You okay? Don't worry too much, we'll be fine if we stay out of the way."
The thief ran straight toward them. "Oh fuck," Loaño swore.
In one fluid motion the thief reached out and snatched Naota's hand, jerking it behind her back as he held a gun to her head. "If anyone tries to call the cops I'll blow this kids brains out." He said. His arms shook with anger. "Yo, Gabumon, we need a quick getaway."
"Got it, boss," the dog like Digimon spoke with a gruff voice, like he'd smoked too much in his youth. A bright white light surrounded his body. "Gabumon, Digivolve to-"
"GARURUMON!"
Naota gulped as he saw the striped wolf before him, it had white and blue fur and looked extremely sinister. It didn't help that Naota hated most canines that were any bigger than a he could carry.
"Let him go!" Hikaru barked.
Elecmon's tail fanned out as he hissed at the duo.
The thief merely laughed. He climbed onto Garurumon's back and yanked Naota up with him. He turned to the security guard and fired his gun, shooting the man in the chest. People screamed as the shot rang out and the guard fell backward. "C'mon, Garurumon, let's get out of here."
Naota shook uncontrollably as the wolf ran off. She tried to turn to see Hikaru and Loaño, but the thief held her tightly. She felt the cold gun digging into her head and she prayed to Yggdrasil.
Hikaru turned to Loaño. "Can you do anything? Can't AA help?" She grabbed her Digivice and held it up. "Elecmon, try to Digivolve."
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm trying, but I can't." Elecmon cried as he watched Garurumon speed off into the distance. "I don't know how."
Loaño ran to the security guard's side and dropped to her knees as she examined his body. Panic set in and sweat soaked her clothes. 'AA I can't get the bullet out but I can stop the bleeding. Will that just make it worse in the long run? The doctors will be able to fix things right?'
'I think so little one, but I myself am not a medical expert. Surely they can perform any necessary surgery to get the bullet out.'
Tears streamed down Loaño's eyes as she held her glowing hands over the security guard's body. His wound began healing, the blood stopped flowing as the hole closed up.
"Loaño, forget him. We need to save Naota!" Hikaru shouted.
"Calm down," Loaño shot back. She was nearly hyperventilating. A Garurumon is too fast, we can't catch him. We need to call the cops and let them find Naota. They'll keep the criminal in one place long enough for us to intervene. Hell, they may even be able to save Naota themselves."
"You heard him. If we call the cops then he'll shoot Naota." Hikaru's makeup smeared across her cheeks. She looked terrible. "We have to do something. I can't lose Naota. I already lost Naota. We can't hold two funerals for her," she started sobbing.
Loaño could hardly breathe. 'Calm down little one. Your empathy combined with your own emotions is starting to overwhelm you. If you panic then it's all over,' said AA. 'Please, I know you're scared. But Tegami will be okay.'
Hikaru gripped the rail tightly. "There has to be something we can do."
"If only Haseo would get his head out of his ass," Loaño sighed. "If we could fly then we'd be able to better track them. But as it stands, we've only got Elecmon on our side." Loaño sighed as she wiped her face. "But don't cry. We'll save her. I know we will."
Hikaru wiped away her tears. "Thanks, Loaño. I just wish we knew where they were going." She grabbed her Digivice. "Elecmon, if you can Digivolve into something strong enough, you can carry us right? Hopefully you'll be fast. But whatever your next form is, we need to do this. I know it's hard and I know it's a human's job to help her partner, but right now you're Naota's only hope. So we need to try."
Elecmon nodded.
Hikaru held up her Digivice and closed her eyes. 'I need to protect Naota.'
The Digivice began to glow and so did Elecmon. Hikaru watched as her eyes lit up.
"Elecmon, Digivolve to~ LEOMON!"
Leomon stood tall, a mighty lion covered in fur. He had a glorious golden mane that made him look like a mighty and noble king. He wore black pants and no shirt. He grinned brightly. "Hold on tight," he said to Loaño and Hikaru as he scooped them into his arms. They clung to his chest. "I think we can make it." He ran toward an ice cream store, his eyes fixated on the sign hanging above the door. With a mighty grunt he bounded up and landed on the sign, using it as a stepping stone to hop to the third floor. He ran along the railing and jumped onto another sign, making his way to the roof.
"I think I'm gonna barf," said Hikaru. Her stomach churned as she felt the wind blasting her face.
Leomon ran along the rooftops. "I see them," he said as he watched Garurumon running out of a parking structure. He turned the corner and ran around it. "Must be new here," Leomon chuckled. Garurumon apparently charged inside, not knowing it was a dead end. Luckily he didn't blast the wall down.
Leomon braced himself as he jumped from the roof, landing in the parking lot only a few feet in front of Garurumon. He set Hikaru and Loaño down gently and turned to the thief. "Looks like you're slower than you thought!" He taunted.
"Let me go or I'll blast a hole in this kid's head," threatened the thief.
Loaño rolled her eyes and swung her hand out. Darkness surrounded the gun and twisted it into an unrecognizable lump of metal. "Let her go," she said. "Or I'll do that to your head next."
The thief pushed Naota to the ground and she cried in pain as she rolled across the asphalt. Hikaru ran to her side to help her up. "Come on, let's ditch these brats," the thief said to his partner. Garurumon took a running leap and jumped high above Leomon. He tripped on a beam of light and accidentally threw his rider to the ground.
The thief let out a wail as he slammed into the ground, dropping his bag of jewelry. He swore loudly as he rose to his feet. "Garurumon, kill these brats."
Garurumon hesitated. "But they're just children. We can still get away, let's leave the jewels and run."
"No, let's kill them. We'll take the jewels and then run." The thief reached for the bag of jewels, but Loaño threw a dagger of light at him. He yelped as it cut across his hand, drawing a few beads of blood. "You witch. You'll pay for that. Garurumon, hurry up and kill them!"
"Very well," the wolf closed his eyes and turned to Loaño. "Howling Blaster!" Blue flames poured from his mouth and raced across the ground, heading straight toward Loaño. They met a wall of bright white light and bounced off harmlessly, dying as Garurumon and the thief watched in shock.
"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon countered. He threw a punch at the air, not even coming close to the wolf. It looked comical at first, then his fist lit up with a glowing aura. The light poured into the air and took the shape of a roaring lion's head as it sped toward Garurumon, hitting him in the chest. Garurumon roared in pain as the attack knocked him over.
The wolf stumbled around as he rose to his feet. He let out a bestial roar and jumped into the air. "Howling Blaster!" Blue flames poured everywhere, bathing the parking lot in fire that closed in on the group from all directions. Hikaru, Loaño, and Naota huddled together,
"Shit," Loaño swore. "I can't stop it from this many directions." The blazing inferno swirled in around them.
Leomon swept them into his arms and jumped high above the flames, letting the fires burn blaze below him as he carried the children to safety. The fires cackled below as Leomon slowly fell to the ground a few feet away. Garurumon growled as he spat more fire.
"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon's aura cut through the flames and hit Garurumon in the jaw. The lion charged toward the wolf and hit him with a spin kick, knocking him back a few feet. He wrapped his arms around Garurumon's head and began squeezing tightly. He hoisted Garurumon into the air and tossed him aside. "The police will be here soon," Leomon warned. "Now is your last chance to escape. Or do you want to end up in jail?"
The thief reached into his pocket and pulled out a Digivice. "Garurumon, you need to Digivolve further!" he ordered.
"Shit," Loaño swore. "It's black market."
Naota felt something evil pouring from the small white device. It made her stomach churn. She wanted to puke. It felt like she was standing waist deep in a pile of sludge filled with all the waste of the world. The very air tasted toxic.
Darkness surrounded the device and engulfed Garurumon. "Garurumon!" He howled out. "Digivolve to!"
He rose up on his hind legs as his fur turned black. His front legs became more arm like as his paws became hands. Camo pants appeared around his waist, followed by decorative skulls. His eyes narrowed as he let out a bloodcurdling howl. "ShadowWereGarurumon!"
The thief slowly backed away in fear. "Oh, shit," he swore.
ShadowWereGarurumon turned toward the thief and smiled wickedly. "Shadow Claw!" he called out as he swiped a claw at his partner. The thief screamed out as ShadowWereGarurumon tore through his shirt and chest, spraying blood on the asphalt.
Naota let out a shriek.
Loaño let out a stream of swear words as she pulled Naota back. "Leomon, be careful, he's an Ultimate level. Do you think you can handle him?"
"I'll do my best," said Leomon.
"Cover me." Loaño charged forward as she threw daggers of light and darkness at ShadowWereGarurumon. He howled loudly as he swiped through the air, knocking the daggers to the ground.
ShadowWereGarurumon charged toward Loaño and jumped through the air. Leomon intercepted, tackling him to the ground as Loaño rolled beneath them. She put her hands on the thief's chest and began healing him. "You're a gigantic asshole," she said.
"Then why are you helping me?" He asked. His wound closed up and he slowly started to rise. Loaño punched him in the face and knocked him unconscious.
"Shut up."
"Be careful, Leomon," Hikaru's shoulders tensed up as she watched the fight. Leomon punched his opponent hard in the stomach and ShadowWereGarurumon gasped for air, but it barely phased him. Leomon screamed out as the werewolf tore at his chest.
ShadowWereGarurumon howled as he lifted Leomon into the air and slammed him hard on the ground. He jumped over the fallen lion and charged toward Hikaru and Naota, only stopping when something struck him in the back of his head. He spun toward Loaño as she readied more daggers. "Take this!" She cried as a storm of light buzzed his way.
ShadowWereGarurumon moved too quickly, avoiding the daggers as he bounded from side to side. He slid toward Loaño and swiped a claw at the girl. "Shadow Claw!" He swung one of his claws at her. Loaño simply smirked as she flipped through the air. Light trailed from her hands, leaving dazzling images lingering in the air.
"Garuru Kick!" ShadowWereGarurumon spun and tried to catch her in the side, but Loaño simply stepped backward and watched the kick whoosh through the air in front of her. He let out a roar as he swiped at her again, but Leomon grabbed his arm and held it back.
Naota watched from a distance, holding her arms at her side. "Hikaru, is there a way to save a Digimon after it Dark Digivolves?"
"Temporary Digivolutions like this do wear off eventually. Our best bet is to wait. Sometimes certain Digimon can sort of cleanse them with their healing abilities, maybe AA could if Lo got close enough, but that would be pretty dangerous."
Naota took a deep breath. "Garurumon, you have to fight it!" She shouted. "I know you don't want to hurt us. You didn't want to listen to your partner but he made you attack us." She took a step forward and Hikaru tried to hold her back.
"He barely knows you!" Hikaru protested. "A human might be able to get through to their partner, but not to a stranger!"
ShadowWereGarurumon cried out as he viciously tossed Leomon to the ground and began tearing at him with both claws. Leomon roared in pain. Hikaru watched in fear. Naota grimaced in horror. Loaño held out her hand and fired a blast of darkness that knocked ShadowWereGarurumon away.
"Loaño!" Naota cried out. "He's been turned to the darkness against his will. I know darkness isn't inherently evil, but it's not meant for him. Is there any way you could use your light to counterbalance that?"
Loaño gnashed her teeth. "I tried that with the light daggers, but they didn't really do anything. If you could get him to hold still long enough, I might be able to heal him, but honestly our best bet is to revert him to an egg, take him to the authorities, and hope he doesn't fall in with the wrong crowd again like he did with this asshole," she pointed to the thief.
"Where the Hell are the police anyway?" Asked Hikaru. "Can't they get here any faster?"
ShadowWereGarurumon ran toward Loaño, but Leomon grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around the wolf's waist. ShadowWereGarurumon clawed at Leomon's arms, but Leomon bit back the pain.
Naota bit her lip and forced back a scream of frustration. She suddenly dashed toward the fallen thief before Hikaru could restrain her. ShadowWereGarurumon broke free from Leomon's grip and raced toward Naota. Hikaru and Loaño both cried out in fear.
Naota grabbed the thief's Digivice and threw it to Leomon. "They amplify a Digimon's power right?"
Leomon nodded in understanding as he smiled. "Fist of the Beast King!" He punched the air and sent a blast of aura at the Digivice, breaking it into pieces. ShadowWereGarurumon fell to his knees panting. He took a further step toward Naota, but Leomon clobbered him in the back of his head.
"Shadow Claw!" ShadowWereGarurumon spun and lashed out at Leomon with both hands. Leomon dodged under the first swipe, but the second clawed him across the chest.
"Heh, you're getting weaker already," Leomon grunted as he lifted ShadowWereGarurumon by the neck. "Fist of the Beast King!" He punched the wolf in the chest and hit him full force at point blank. He reeled backward as he transformed into a Digiegg.
Naota bent down and picked the egg up. "I'm really sorry." She whispered to the egg. "I hope you have a better life after you wake up."
Loaño put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine."
A driver honked their car horn as they came across the scene. Loaño rolled her eyes. "Do you not see the unconscious man on the ground? What do you want us to do about him, jackass!" The driver quickly drove around them, making a rude gesture at Loaño. She waited until he parked and got out of the car, then popped his tire with a light dagger while he wasn't looking.
Light engulfed Leomon as he reverted to Elecmon. "I'm sleepy," he said with a yawn. "Digivolving is exhausting."
"It's okay, you can rest," said Hikaru as she scooped him up into her arms. Elecmon closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
Naota walked to a bench nearby and sat down, grabbing her cellphone to check for any missed calls or messages. She had one from her aunt. It had come in only a few minutes ago.
'The undertaker found this in the other Naota's hand. Apparently she was clutching it pretty tightly. Any idea if it's important?'
It was a small silver necklace shaped like a star.