Viewer Disclosure: May contain Depressing content, mild abuse and sad childhood. Not everyone has happy beginnings.
Chapter 10
10 years ago…
Kayden is sitting down at a funeral in a vacant church. Only he and his father with his friends, family and aquaintances are there.
One person says, "Oh those poor kids… I am sorry for your loss."
Another, "Tomoki, if you need anything…"
The voices start to just become part of the background; he stopped paying attention a while ago. The only person in his life who was supposed to be his mother is gone now. It's just him, his father and baby sister. He felt nothing, there were no tears and no sorrow, it was like everything was surreal. His heart would beat but he felt like a hollow shell.
"How can a child just not cry for his mother?! Shame!" His auntie yelled at him "That's your mother boy! Have you no sorrow?! Look at your poor sister and father!" Kayden didn't budge he only looked at her with his empty eyes as she cried.
Kayden looked at his father who stared down at the coffin, the only thing in it were the few belongings covered in ashes.
Tomoki's phone rang, "Hello? …I see. I'll be there."
Tomoki looked to his nanny, and said a few words then left.
He could hear people from his father's side mumble, Kayden already knows his mother wasn't well received since his father was a descendant of a rich and powerful family. He married his mother who had nothing else in her life and a commoner. His nanny approaches him, "Come now, it's time to go home."
'Home… What home?' Kayden followed his nanny out of the church and days later they moved far away outside the city to the countryside.
Meanwhile, Milo and Coilydramon race down the halls checking every door and hallway. Eventually one of Coilydramon's tendrils senses Kayden's presence behind an iron door. Milo is about to open it when Coilydramon stops him, "Danger. Not Right." Milo notices it too. There are a lack of guards here and the door is opened.
Milo thinks for a while and hears Kayden scream behind the door, "Kayden" He opens it, across the room Lilithmon is sitting down enjoying tea. Below her is a pit with a rampaging Badgermon but he doesn't look right. He's acting like a monster ripping up the walls and ground below. He sees Kayden above sitting across from Lillithmon, "Kayden!"
There is no response. Lilithmon faces his direction, "Oh, welcome to my humble abode! May I interest you in some tea? It took a while but after a few lessons and some friendly suggestions he's a natural born gentleman! I don't know why GrandDracmon had a problem with him" She lifts the tea to her face.
Milo is visibly shocked at the sight, he had to pinch himself to make sure he's not hallucinating. Coilymon seems depressed looking them both.
Coilymon says, "Sorrow. Pain. Why?"
Lilithmon finishes her tea, as Badgermon takes notice of them, he growls, "Kill…"
"Oh my, it seems Badgermon ran out of wall" Lilithmon claps her hands. Ladydevimon whip him relentlessly causing him get angier. Badgermon roars, "RAOOOOORR!"
Milo shouts, "Stop! Coilydramon let them have it."
Coilydramon uses his vines to encase the whole room in foliage. The Ladydevimon fly back to avoid being caught in his venomous coils. Badgermon started to climb up and rip through the vines. It's rabid form became clearer, it's not the kind Digimon they knew. This was a monster filled with anger. Coilydramon brings Milo close to him as the monster vacantly stares at them. "Kill…"
Lilith rings a bell, "Dinner time!"
Badgermon lunges for Milo but Coilydramon slows him down with a wall of vines that only manages to slow him down. Coilydramon says, "Pain." Milo remembers something from when his mother used to garden that plants can pick up on a person's feelings. Maybe that's what Coilydramon is trying to communicate. "Do you know what's wrong with Kayden?" Badgermon lunges again this time slicing more of his coils to get to Milo.
Coilydramon hisses in pain and runs up the ceiling. "Hurt. Sorrow. Anger. Memory. Pain" Coilydramon carries Milo who tries to shout for Kayden. But it's no use, badgermon is climbing the foliage and quickly making their way to him. "We are going to have to take him down, just… try not to kill him" Badgermon bites down on Coilydramon's tendril and rips it apart like a rabid dog. "KILL… ALL… It's their FAULT." Badgermon almost grabs Milo but is blocked by Coilydramon who opens his bulb and grabs him with his second jaw and closes his mouth. Badgermon is not easily taken though his bottom legs manage to cut off more vines making them both drop to the pit below.
Meanwhile, in Kayden's mind.
Two years after the funeral.
Kayden can remember the day he met Sablemon, his father was working on the computer like usual and he was playing with his baby sister. Their nanny was always there, he was playing tag with her until he pushed her down too far almost letting her fall down the stairs. His nanny saw this and yelled at him, "What's wrong with you?!" She picks up his sister who is bawling her eyes out, "Go to your room! Then stay there! Wait until I tell your father what you did!" Kayden didn't even bother explaining, he trudged off into his room like usual.
This was normal for him, he was always the brother jealous of his sister or the disappointment of his father's eyes. He can't remember the last time he was taken to the park, or the last time he was happy. Kayden would take out his mother's old laptop and play that old monster game again. The time for tears was long gone at this point, he didn't really feel anything anymore after his mother's funeral. Joy was a strange idea, as was happiness he just sat there playing until a message came up.
[Do you want to escape? Y/N]
'What a weird message?' Kayden thought. He typed back 'yes', all of a sudden the room flashed with white and he was teleported somewhere strange. He was in the middle of a swamp with three monsters looking at him with menacing grins.
"I told you he'd fall for it!" Trashmon laughs.
"Hehehe, yea children are stupid! How much you think we would get for this one?" Ogremon happily exclaims.
The monster grabbed him. "Let me go! What are you? Who are you?" Kayden exclaimed. The monster took a closer look at him, until Kayden kicked him in the eye.
"Ouch!" The monster drops him.
"Oof!" Kayden lands with a thud.
"You see you gotta stop doing that Ogremon, this is like what the third time someone kicked you in the eyeball?" Chuumon says.
Ogremon rubs his face, Kayden tries to get up and run but chuumon grabs him by the leg and drags him back. "Where do you think you're going? You're our commodity now!"
Kayden screams, "Help!"
"Much good that's gonna do ya. No one is out here but us and the trees!" Trashmon says.
Ogremon picks the kid up and throws him into a cage with wheels. Chuumon looks at their data file, "This kid should be… Kayden Tatsumaru! Isn't that the Ranger's kid? Oh man! We are rich!" Chuumon dances around gleefully.
The other two share in his enthusiasm. Orgemon bellows, "Woot, our buyer will certainly pay premium for him! Imagine, the great Tomoki watches as his son is tormented before his very eyes!"
Kayden shudders, he's scared and for the first time tears start to come down his face as he accepts his fate. He feels hopeless, alone and scared. 'At least dad won't look at me with that expression' He thought, 'Maybe he'll finally pay attention to me after I'm gone… like mom.'
There is a shuffling in the trees. "Huh? What's that?" Trashmon looks around. "Come on out, we won't hurt you… much."
"Fist of the beast king!"
A lion shaped blast evaporates trashmon. "Trashmon!" Ogremon shouts. The remaining Digimon try to look in the direction the blast came from but nothing is there. "Come out coward!" Ogremon shouts.
"Spiral Claw"
Ogremon is split in half, as a dark figure stands before chuumon who tries to grasp the situation. The figure grabs chuumon, "Please… I- I'll give you-"The figure crushes him within his claws. All three of Kayden's captors are gone. The figure becomes easier to make out and it's some sort of man lion in Kayden's eyes. Kayden is uncertain of what this creature is going to do, "It's ok… I'm your Godfather!"
Kayden asks, "Godfather?"
Leokumon breaks the cage open with ease and helps him out. "Yes, I promised your mother I would look out for you. Now, lets get out of here the swamp makes my fur frizz. My name is Leokumon, but your mother called me Kyu"
Leokumon picks Kayden up and uses a disk to teleport out.
They end up in a forest next to a well made hut, he puts Kayden down. "Come in, make yourself at home".
He walks into the cozy hut and notices an egg on the chair, Leokumon says, "Ah you noticed this egg hmm? Well I was going to have breakfast but if you can hatch it, it's yours."
Kayden asks, "Hatch it? How?"
"Touch it" Leokumon gestures with his tail pointing to it.
Kayden touches the egg which starts to shake and crack. Kayden is taken back and trips over himself. The egg becomes a small raccoon like furball, "Hi Kayden, I'm Furrmon! I'm your partner!"
"Partner?" Kayden is visibly confused.
Leokumon explains, "When a child enters this world, a Digimon may take a liking to you and decide to make you their partner. This friendship lasts a lifetime, they are there with you thick and thin. Just like my partner a long time ago. If you take good care of them and raise it well. It will become an even more powerful being as you see right here" Leokumon smiles and flexes.
"Whoa!" Kayden looks at Furrmon who jumps into his arms and nuzzles him. For the first time in a long time, he felt warm and full. Like he found something he was missing. Furrmon looks up to him, "I'm happy to meet you Kayden! Lets be best friends!" Kayden nods while tearing up, it feels like everything is hitting him at once. He wasn't alone anymore, he has a godfather who seems to care about him and a new friend. 'Will it last?' he wonders as he starts to frown and doubt himself.
Furrmon asks, "What's wrong?" he uses his tail to clean up the tears.
"Everyone abandons me in the end, what if… I'm not good. What if you find someone better?" Kayden says glumly.
Furrmon bristles, "WHO WOULD ABANDON MY BEST FRIEND! LET ME AT THEM I'LL GRR! RAWR!" Furrmon grabs a pillow and rips it to shreds.
"Hey! I liked that pillow…" Leokumon says.
Furrmon looks at leokumon, "Sorry… but that makes me so mad! There is only one partner for me and that's Kayden! No ands ifs or buts, someone messes with you they are going to answer to me!" Furrmon huffs.
Kayden hugs furrmon with all his might and Furrmon hugs back. Kayden looks at Leokumon, "So how do you know my mother?"
Leokumon scratches his chin mane, "Uhm… that's a story for when you are older. All I can say is I've been watching over you for a long time. Since you were born pretty much."
Kayden looks shocked, "Really?"
Leokumon nods, "I heard what your nanny said, and I saw what happened… I've seen what your life has been like and well… I've been making sure predators like those three don't even think about getting a hold of you. But, it seems like that's getting harder and harder right now."
Kayden asks, "Is it those things? The zombies?"
Leokumon nods again, "I can't protect you on my own rookie, so if you can believe in yourself and Furrmon. You both will make it out fine and nothing will be able to hurt you." Leokumon points to the scar on his chest and pulls out some fur, "This here, is determination and I'm giving some of it to Furrmon."
Kayden asks, "What's determination?"
"The ability to get through anything no matter what, I want you to survive rookie. I want you feel the will to live again. This here will help you but it's up to you to take this the rest of the way." Leokumon tosses the fur like magic being cast upon them. "I hear by pronounce you both officially determined!"
Furrmon looks at Leokumon with glee and hope, "Whoa! I feel it!"
Kayden says, "I… I feel the power inside of me too!"
Furrmon digivolves into Sablemon.
"F- Furrmon?!" Kayden exclaims.
"No, Sablemon now hehe!"
"Well… I didn't expect that to be so fast. I guess we can head off and bring you back home." Leokumon says.
"What if I don't want to… What's going to happen to Sablemon?" Kayden cries.
Leokumon responds, "Sablemon will be with you, he'll be right here in that device in your pocket."
Kayden checks his pockets and finds a strange device, "what is this?"
Leokumon answers, "It's a digivice. It's one of the connections between a tamer and their partner, it's the symbol of their bond. Treasure it rookie."
Kayden's memories start to glitch
"Treasure it…" Leokumons words fade away.
Another memory flashes on by it's his father with volvomon.
"Kill it!"
Sablemon is on the floor. Kayden screams, "NO!"
Sablemon digivolves….
Sablemon digivolves…
Meanwhile, in Lilithmon's room
Badgermon starts to writhe around in Coilydramon's mouth. Coilydramon is forced to let go as Badgermon starts to thrash inside his bulb.
"Hissssss." Coilydramon shakes off the vicious assault. Badgermon stands still a moment, "No, father… Please… Don't'! NO!"
Badgermon digivolves…