I'd just like to thank the people who reviewed the first chapter. David, I don't capitalize digimon because I consider them to be a species, much like humans, dogs, and cats. I'm disappointed you didn't like Ryan, but maybe he'll grow on you. And yes, Collin does need more development. JTX1000, thanks for your review. It provides enormous motivation to continue writing. For those of you who didn't submit a review, a simple "That was good!" or "That was the worst story I've ever read and I hope you burn in eternal damnation!" would work. Look, I already typed it all up for you; you just need to copy and paste. Please and thank you.
Chapter One Recap:
A young boy was met by a man with red skin and the two made a deal: a piece of the boy in exchange for his very own digimon. Later on, a 17 year-old named Ryan was attacked by a vicious pitbull, but a teenager named Collin and his Labramon saved him. In the end Ryan was met with a mysterious voice...
Full Circle
Wednesday, June 7th, 2084.
"Jake, honey? Can you run to the store and get some boxes for me? Your father and I need them to help pack for the trip." Jake's mother tossed him her keys as he headed for the door. He had always wanted his own car, but his parents said there was no need for it. Driving a vehicle in such a populated area was a hassle, and he could easily take a bus into the city.
"Sending me to buy things for a trip I can't go on. Gee, thanks," replied Jake as he walked out the door. He knew the "vacation" would be boring since it was work-related, but Jake still wanted to go to Florida, even if it meant only one day of free time. Both of his parents worked for an insurance agency and held respectably high management positions. As a result, they were constantly away on business trips to discuss various things that he never cared about.
Jake Ladon was 5'11", slightly taller than average. His eyes were green and he had messy, short-kept, dark brown hair. He had an athletic build from playing soccer and lacrosse (he was one of the best players on both teams) and did well in school; while he did not have the highest grades in class, he usually maintained around a 3.8 GPA each year. Not wanting to associate with so-called "nerds," Jake was not a part of the chess club, but he was unmatched in the game; everyone knew he could easily beat the team captain in only a few moves. He was quite popular in school, but some argued his natural ability for strategy is what granted him this fame since he had an unsympathetic attitude toward most people.
Jake's mother drove a 2084 Grand Charger, painted strawberry red. It was the newest model on the market and still had the new car smell. Ever since fuel manufacturers switched from gasoline to the hydrogen fuel cell, gas mileage rarely improved on newer models. Speed limits remained consistent as well, so horsepower did not matter; however, Jake's family had an obsession with new things, so his mother and father never bought used cars.
The distance to the city was short, but due to urban traffic, the trip was usually over an hour long. To add to the hassle, parking garages were scarce and Jake did not have a Meter Card, which allowed him to use parking meters indefinitely. He could use quarters, but he no idea where the store he needed was located or if it was busy. Instead, he found a parking garage and used the 3-D map to find a store nearby. Unfortunately, he had to cut through the city park, which would probably have dozens of mothers with their babies playing in the sandboxes. Jake did not understand the appeal of babies. To him, they were just loud, filthy, and greedy; none of which were desirable traits.
Surprisingly, the park was relatively empty, which was possibly due to the extremely hot weather. Summer was approaching and people preferred to stay home and swim in their pools. The government was apparently funding research to create a better way to control the weather, but these projects were still in development. Some small towns were placed inside domes; however, most cities were too large to fit inside these small-scale devices.
As Jake entered the store he noticed there were not many customers inside. Maybe the heat was strong enough to prevent people from leaving their houses. He did not mind; the less people out, the quicker he would get home. A short, bald man behind the counter asked, "Hi. Can I help you?"
Jake simply replied "I need a few boxes."
The man, trying to be friendly, said "All right. How many?"
"A few. Three," Jake responded with some annoyance in his voice.
"Oh, right. Sorry." The man quickly looked away as he rang up the boxes. "That'll be $29.95." After he paid and left the store, Jake remembered a story his grandparents had once told him. In their day, "boxes" were simple cubes (made from cardboard) that held various items. Fragile items had to be placed in many layers of protection. However, as technology evolved, special mechanisms were added that filled the box with a Newtonian fluid, which allowed small, precious items to be transported more safely. This breakthrough also meant the boxes would be heavier, and Jake knew he would have to help pack when he returned home.
Carrying the boxes across the busy intersection, especially in such blistering weather, was exhausting. Not aiding the situation, the aluminum coating heated up quickly. Jake crossed the streets in-between traffic, ignoring all hand signals. As he reentered the park, he noticed something strange: it was completely empty. Even the few daring mothers who had their children there earlier had disappeared.
He decided to cross through a wooded region in the park. Secluded from most of society, this area was prone to numerous crimes. Confident, Jake was certain he would be able to sufficiently defend himself if threatened. The shadows from the trees kept this path cooled, so he slowed his pace a bit to enjoy the scenery. There were dozens of flowers planted along the walkway. The city hired gardeners to keep this foliage maintained. They usually worked in the early morning, after most crimes had occurred and before many common folk were out.
Curiously, he noticed the shrubs rustling, but his hair was not moving; there was no breeze. Probably just a squirrel, he thought. However, he reconsidered when bushes on both sides of the path began to shake violently. Preparing for the worst, he set the flattened boxes down and quickly surveyed the area, looking for any help.
"Heh, look at this human. I think he's scared," mocked a voice.
Scanning his surroundings, Jake replied "Scared? You're the one hiding."
A different, but similar voice joined the conversation, "Oh, a tough guy. I guess we'll have to beat that out of him."
Jake kept his calm and said, "We? You guys have to team up?"
The first voice answered him this time, "We don't have to, but we're going to." At this point, both creatures jumped out of hiding. They were anthropomorphic rabbits.
Jake, equally shocked and amazed, stepped back. Standing before him, each on their hind legs, were two grey rabbits. Combining various feline aspects, both creatures had elongated claws and a long tail, on which were three black bands. Adding to their menacing appearance, these monsters had red eyes and vicious smiles.
He stood there, too confused to speak. The second creature laughed, "Ha. What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" His tone became serious as he continued, "Too bad I'm going to rip out a lot more."
Finally, Jake slowly responded with "What...are you?"
The first answered him this time, "We're Gazimon, the baddest digimon in the whole Digital World!" As he spoke, both monsters slowly advanced.
"Digimon? You mean, like the television show?" Jake watched as the second Gazimon slowly circled behind him, the first apparently providing a distraction.
"Television show? What? Just shut up while we lay a beat down on you!"
"I-what-You guys are delusional. Two rabbits aren't very intimidating."
"We are digimon! Not rabbits!"
Confident, Jake said "Oh, did I strike a nerve?"
"YAHHHH," the second Gazimon screeched as it lunged at Jake's back. He was prepared for this. In one smooth motion, he swung around, connected his fist to the Gazimon's face, and slammed it on the ground. However, his victory did not last long. The creature's companion jumped on Jake's back and embedded its claws in his shirt. He struggled to pull it off, but it clung on tightly. Two more Gazimon jumped out of the bushes and began clawing at his body while he wrestled with the one already attacking him. In the fray, one of them yelled "Paralyze Breath!" and Jake's body began to numb. He fell to his knees, and then on his chest.
"Hey, you leave him alone!" A girl came running over and kicked one of the Gazimon. She stood in front of Jake as the three remaining enemies approached her. "S-stop that," she quivered.
The girl would not be able to fend off the Gazimon for very long. She was only 5'6" and had a slender build. Fortunately, she delivered a powerful kick, which pointed to her being an athlete or cheerleader.
Menacingly, one of the Gazimon teased, "Make us!"
"Beat Knuckle!" A stout, purple dragon descended from the sky and punched one of the Gazimon in the head.
"Lunar Claw!" From seemingly nowhere, a small, white mammal dug its claws into another Gazimon.
Terrified, the remaining enemy tried to escape, but the girl grabbed its ears and pulled it to the ground. All of the fallen Gazimon slowly faded away.
The girl then ran over to Jake and turned him on his back. She had her dark brown hair (which matched her eyes) pulled into a bun. Jake figured she had been traveling and preferred to keep her hair out of her eyes.
As the two other creatures slowly approached, she cried, "Go away! Leave him alone!"
The white mammal, in a comforting voice, said "Don't worry. We're not here to hurt you."
The dragon added, "Yeah, if we were, we would have done that already."
"Monodramon, you're going to scare them!"
"I think the Gazimon already did a good job of that." The dinosaur sounded very sincere; everything he said was sober and serious, like a small child.
The mammal gave the dragon a stern look, "Just be quiet." Turning back to the girl and Jake, she continued, "I'm Lunamon, and this is Monodramon. We're digimon too, but we're on your side. Those Gazimon are bad news."
"Mo-mo...re...digi...mon?" Jake had slowly started to recover from the paralysis, but only his head was functioning. The girl supported it so he could look at his saviors.
Monodramon was a short, dragon-like digimon with purple skin. He had tiny wings attached to his forearms and was decorated in gold patches. He also had two red stripes down its chest.
Lunamon was short as well, but had no legs. In their place was what looked like the bottom of a gown, on which Lunamon shuffled. She had two large ears, each covered in blue stripes, and she had a yellow crescent moon on her forehead. Over her chest were draped two intersecting pink ribbons, in the center of which was a sleeping moon.
Lunamon answered Jake, "Yes. We are digimon too, and you are our partners!"
"Partners?" the girl asked.
"Yup. We're special digimon. We got to come to here, to the Human World, to seek out human partners!"
Jake had regained slight motion in his upper body. He propped himself up on his elbows and said "And we're your partners? How did you pick us?"
Monodramon ran over to Jake. "Actually, I just smelled the Gazimon and decided to find them. But when we saw them attacking you guys, we were certain you were our partners!" He stuck out his hand, "I'm Monodramon, nice to meet you!"
"Uhhh...I'm Jake...nice to meet you too...I guess." Jake tried to meet Monodramon's hand, but he had trouble. Monodramon grabbed it and placed it in his claws.
Lunamon ran over and threw her arms around the girl. "And I'm Lunamon! We're going to be best friends!"
The girl, debating whether to touch the creature, hesitantly said "I'm Penelope. Or Penny, for short." Finally, she patted Lunamon on the back.
As Jake started to move his legs, he asked, "You said you came to our world, the 'Human World,' right? Does the mean you're from a different world?"
Monodramon answered, "We come from the Digital World."
"Digimon have their own world, way up in space?"
Lunamon interjected, "No. Our world is...next to yours. I'm not even sure how it works."
"Then how did you get here? How are you getting back?" Penny still had trouble accepting this was all real.
"Back? We're not going back. We're a team now. You and me together forever!"
"That's...uh...I hardly know you."
"Which is why we should spend time together!" Lunamon sounded excited to have met Penny.
Jake, wobbling to stand up, said, "She's persistent." He then turned to Monodramon. "So, does that make us partners too?"
"Sure does." The dragon-like digimon then placed his hand on his stomach. "I'm hungry."
"You eat?"
"You don't?"
"I...just thought that...you didn't eat. I don't have any food."
"But I'm hungry."
"We can go back to my house and eat." Jake suddenly remembered, "Oh wait, my parents are there."
"You want me to eat your parents?"
"No! ...Okay, they should be leaving soon. Which reminds me: I need to get these boxes back home. You can come with me and hide until they leave."
"Yay! Let's go!" The naïve digimon began trotting off.
"Not so fast. I can't let you just waltz through the park. Here, put this on." Jake expanded one of the flatten boxes and put it on Monodramon.
"But I can't see."
"You'll be fine. I'll guide you."
"I don't think there's enough room for you in here too."
Jake, touching the back of the box to appear as if he were pushing it, walked back to his car.
...
As she watched the pair walk away, Penny commented, "That was kind of rude. He didn't even say thanks."
Oblivious, Lunamon said "Don't mind Monodramon. He can be a bit childish."
"I was talking about Jake. He's 17 and needs to work on his manners."
Curious, Lunamon asked "How do you know him?"
"He goes to my school. He's a grade behind me, though."
"Oh." The digimon thought for a moment. "Well let's not worry about those two anymore. I want to see your house!"
"Umm...ye-yeah, okay."
Lunamon could tell Penny was nervous as she spoke. "What's wrong? Why are you scared?"
"This is all so ridiculous. Digimon is just a t.v. show; they don't really exist. At least...they aren't supposed to. Now, though..." Part of Penny wanted to reject this reality, but it had trouble doing so. Lunamon, Monodramon, and the recent battle with the Gazimon were all very real.
Lunamon's voice was kind as she spoke. "Penny, I know this can be hard to accept, but we're real. Digimon are real."
After a few minutes of contemplation, Penny made her decision. "All right. I trust you; you can come home with me. However, I'll have to hide you. Is that okay?"
"Yes! Of course!" Lunamon jumped into Penny's arms yelling, "Thank you thank you thank you!"
"Haha, not a problem. My car is at the edge of the park. Let's get home." Penny started carrying Lunamon out of the park, but stopped and looked down at the small digimon.
"What's wrong?"
"Jake had a point. I can't just carry you out into the open. People will freak."
"What people?"
"The people in the park. They're probably everywhere by now."
"There are no people around..." Lunamon curiously stated.
"What? How do you know that?" Penny was baffled.
"You'd hear them, silly." Lunamon then realized she and Penny had different ears, and started pulling on her partner's. "Look at those ears! They're so tiny!"
"Hey! Stop that! That hurts!" After Lunamon finally relinquished her grasp, Penny continued, "That's amazing. You can hear the whole park?"
"Yup. We're the only ones here. I guess the Gazimon scared them all away. So, can we go now?" Lunamon was eager to see Penny's house.
"Sure. Just keep your ears open."
Penny's car was parked at the edge of the park. Her job required her to deliver various packages throughout the city, and since parking was so treacherous, she owned a Meter Card. Today, she was assigned to bring an assortment of goods to a merchant store. The store was located on the opposite side of the park, which forced her to cross through it. That is when she heard Jake and the Gazimon.
As Penny placed her in the passenger seat, Lunamon said "You're all watery!"
"That's sweat. It's really hot outside."
"Look, I can cover myself in water too!"
Penny screamed "NO!" but it was too late.
"Tear Shot!" Lunamon shouted, and a large amount of water began to form between her antennae. Desperately, Penny cupped her hands and threw them under the water, but it fell through and covered the seat. She glared at Lunamon.
"Oh...was that bad? I'm sorry. I didn't know," Lunamon apologized.
"Just-...just don't move for the rest of the ride." Penny commanded. The drive home was silent.
As she pulled in the driveway, Penny noticed both of her parents' cars were absent. Good. They're still at work. Sneaking Lunamon in would be easy; keeping her hidden would be hard. Lunamon could not figure out how to open the car door, so Penny walked around and freed her. The seat made a "SQUISH" sound as Lunamon jumped out of the vehicle. She did not dare look her partner in the eye.
Penny started to ascend the stairs, but she turned around to see Lunamon looking perplexed. "What are these things? Why are we going up?"
"These are stairs. My room is up there." Penny was curious how digimon knew about certain things here, in the Human World, but were oblivious to others. Remembering that Lunamon did not have legs, she picked her up. "Here, I'll carry you."
Penny's room was painted light blue and had many novels scattered throughout. She was an avid reader despite being an athlete, which could also be assumed from her lack of trophies or medals. The books also served as entertainment; last year, after her grandfather had moved in with the family, she agreed to give him her television. Frames containing photos of her family and friends covered both of her desks, signaling a caring individual.
"My parents shouldn't be home for a while. I'm going to take a shower real quick."
Lunamon became excited. "You use water for that, right? Here, let me help! Tear Sh-"
"NO!" shouted Penny. She grabbed Lunamon's antennae, pushed them down, and sat on her head.
...
Labramon watched as Collin sat at the computer desk and started his research paper. In the top, right hand corner, he typed "Collin Set/Science/Black Holes/6-7-84." The assignment was not due until next week, but Collin never procrastinated; he was too punctual for that. Labramon had not met many other 18 year-olds, but Collin was the most responsible he knew. At times, this caused him stress; however, instead of whining, the teenager always searched for a solution. These traits carried over to interpersonal relationships too. Whenever his friends had trouble, he could easily identify the problem and help them work through it. Labramon admired his innate ability to read people.
"Collin, do you have to do that now? I want to go outside and play."
"No, I don't have to do this now. I mean, I could just forget about it and take you outside. Heck, I could even decide to skip it completely. Who cares if my grade plummets and I potentially fail school? I don't need to go to college. I can just work at McDonald's for the rest of my adult life until one day I realize how sad and pathetic I truly am and then spiral into an endless state of depression finally ending with me putting a bullet through my skull. I mean, as long as you're happy, right?"
"Good, so you've got it all planned out. Let's go."
Understandably annoyed, Collin ignored Labramon. The two clashed constantly, but each knew he loved the other. They were best friends.
Labramon's ears stiffened as he heard commotion outside. "Hey! Stop typing for a second! Something's going on outside."
Sighing, Collin rose from his chair and glanced outside. He stared as he watched two young boys charge a small, green man holding a club. A third child lay on the ground, apparently unconscious. A few onlookers had gathered, but they were all too frightened to approach the man. "Who is that guy?" Collin asked.
"That's not a guy. That's Goblimon!" Labramon jumped off the bed and onto the windowsill.
"You mean, another digimon?"
"Yup. I guess I'm not the only one."
Collin had never considered that Labramon was not so unique. "Okay, well that doesn't matter. Those kids don't stand a chance. We have to help!" Collin started running downstairs as Labramon followed.
...
Normally, Ryan would have tried to escape. However, with his leg still badly injured, the most he could do was to throw his textbooks at the intruder behind him. He spun around and blindly flung English: The Language Through the Ages, but it hit the wall far above his attacker's head.
Terrified, he stared as a little white creature with wings flew toward him. It had two arms, two legs, a head, and a tail. Around each eye were three black patches, the only other color on its body. The top of its head formed into a small horn, which matched the rest of its skin.
The creature floated near Ryan's leg and said "Cure Light." As he spoke, a brilliant white glow formed around the injured limb and instantly healed it. Startled, Ryan stood up and backed away.
The intruder commented, "No need to thank me. I totally got that from the book-throwing."
All Ryan could manage was "Who...what are you?"
"I'm Cupimon, your new digimon partner!"
"Digimon? Partner?" A voice kept telling Ryan to run, but he had a strange feeling of trust in this creature.
"That's what I said. You should really consider yourself lucky. I mean, other kids might get Agumon or Gabumon, but you got me! Cupimon!"
"Agumon? Gabumon? Cupimon? Like...in the show?" Ryan stood still, beginning to grow fascinated.
"Yup. Well, except for me actually existing. That's important." Cupimon floated closer to his new friend.
"And...I'm your partner?" Ryan's curiosity had overtaken his fear.
"Sure are. Aren't you excited?"
"I don't think that's exactly the correct word, but sure. What else can you do?" As he asked, Ryan raised him arm, trying to touch the digimon.
"Right now...not much. But when I digivolve, I'm unstoppable!" Cupimon's voice became excited as he flew around Ryan's arms.
"So, you can digivolve too? That's why you need me?"
"That's not all. Human/digimon pairs share special bonds that help both members grow stronger."
Still amazed by Cupimon, Ryan mumbled "Hmm...so the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That's amazing."
"HONEY! ARE YOU HOME?" Ryan heard his mother's screeching voice throughout the house.
Alarmed, he grabbed Cupimon and yelled, "YEAH. I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN." He shoved the digimon in the closet and ran to the kitchen. "Hi, mom."
His mother was a tall lady who looked very similar to her son: blond hair, blue eyes, and a slender build. "I just wanted to check up on you. There's this crazy green man down the street with a club. A lot of kids were over there too."
"Oh, wow. Well I'm okay." Worried about Cupimon, Ryan dashed upstairs and opened the closet.
"What was that all about?" The digimon glided out of the closet and perched himself on Ryan's shoulder.
"Mom wanted to make sure I was okay. I think there's some crazy green man attacking kids with a club," Ryan repeated as he closed the door.
"That sounds like Goblimon. We should help those kids out." Cupimon flew over to the door, beckoning his partner to open it.
Not complying with the digimon's wishes, Ryan replied "That doesn't sound very safe. We should probably just stay here."
Defiantly, Cupimon said "You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna go find Goblimon."
"Then how are you going to get out of here?"
"I'll blast this door wide open!"
"I don't think you can do that."
"Wanna bet? I mean, at the very least, I'll make a lot of noise. I'm sure your mom would love that."
Beaten, Ryan opened the door. "Fine. Let's go out the back door; mom's still in the kitchen."
...
As Collin and Labramon neared Goblimon, they watched as he raised his club, ready to strike one of the children. The tamer shouted, "Quick, Labramon!"
A new feeling had come over the digimon. He grew fierce and focused; he was ready to fight. "Sonic Bark!" He threw open his mouth and an ear-splitting sound forced Goblimon to grab his head in pain.
Collin, still running toward Goblimon, praised his companion, "Good job!"
Goblimon, ignoring his previous victim, turned toward Labramon and threw his club. However, the agile digimon was too fast. He leaped over the club and continued darting toward his opponent. Goblimon planted his feet in the ground, anticipating Labramon's attack. Instead, the valiant digimon zipped to the side, circled Goblimon, and shouted "Canine Burst!" Collin, helping the injured children, watched as a small beam shot from Labramon's mouth and connected with Goblimon's head.
The evil digimon yelped and grabbed his head. He felt his singed hair and grew enraged. "My Mohawk! You ruined my beautiful Mohawk!" In a frenzy, he threw his arms out and punched Labramon, sending the digimon through the air.
"Labramon! No!" Collin ran over to his partner, but there was no response. Goblimon grinned and picked up his club.
"Cure Light!" A strong glow enveloped Labramon as Ryan and another digimon appeared.
Collin, shocked to see the duo, exclaimed, "Ryan! You have a digimon too?"
Labramon had stood back up. He answered before Ryan could, "That's Cupimon!"
"Great! Two digimon are better than one!" Collin turned back toward Goblimon and clenched his fist. "Let's take this guy out."
Cupimon flew toward the enemy and shouted "Angel Ring!" causing a circle of light to form around Goblimon, capturing him.
Ryan, proud of his partner, shouted "Yeah! You got him!"
Labramon, reenergized for battle, glanced at Collin and the two simultaneously shook their heads. "Canine Burst!" This time, the beam was much stronger and traveled completely through Goblimon. He slowly began to dissipate as he shouted in agony.
Collin looked at his three friends. "Nice job guys! We beat him!"
Before they could celebrate, however, Ryan interrupted, "Uhh, there are people all around. We need to hide the digimon."
Disappointed, Collin replied "That's true. My house is right over there. You guys can hide out there until everyone leaves."
"I don't know... My mom is going to notice if I'm gone."
Cupimon tugged at his partner's shirt, "Come on. She's making dinner. You'll be fine." He turned toward Labramon, "Beside, I want to talk to him more."
Ryan was still nervous, but he could not just stand in the street arguing. Finally, he decided to follow Collin and Labramon. "Okay, let's go."
Author's Notes:
Jake punching the Gazimon was a reference to Data Squad. I hated the fact that Marcus could punch mega-level digimon without consequence. However, I couldn't make Jake completely useless, so I found a happy medium.
There is one main reason I chose a futuristic setting, which will be introduced later. You probably noticed that some elements feel advanced while others are modern. This idea came from a friend; he once told me that, while computers are developing rapidly now, this expansion will eventually halt. Once quantum computers are perfected (they use atoms to calculate equations), it will be hard to pass such a speed. Now, this doesn't necessarily extend to all items in the future, but I believe it's sufficient. Besides, it's not that far in the future.
You'll note that I added a few attacks to the digimon. Basically, I felt they needed a wider arsenal to use. However, I will try to stick to a few main attacks for each digimon.
Also, when digimon shout their attacks, I try to avoid using all caps. This is very distracting and I think exclamation points make the same point.