Chapter 4

Digital Monsters

Kim was lying loosely in her oasis, snoring in a quite unladylike way. Even in sleep, she wore her goggles. If she could have seen herself then, she would have been disappointed that a bubble wasn't floating around her nose. The window blind was open, displaying a dream catcher against the stars. Nagainamon beeped, in a drowsy sort of way.

And then she said, "…What? At this time of night?"

Kim suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. For a few seconds, she stared blankly at the opposite wall. Then she rubbed her eyes. She had been dreaming about candles flying through a misty, rainbow gate, before a voice, squeaky yet rough, and female, had woken her up. Kim gazed around, trying to locate the speaker. But the room was empty…?

The voice spoke again. "Kim! Are you awake! Help me, the gates are opening erratically, and I'm stuck in this twentieth century hovel!"

"'S Kimiko," said Kim groggily. "Wait… Is that you, Nagainamon?" The latter was something even Kim only would have thought in her sleep.

"Yes yes yes! Quickly, touch me while I have a chance!"

Kim swung her legs out of bed, and limped to the shelf where Nagainamon's keychain was sitting. The Digimon was dancing excitedly around the screen. Kim touched the keychain with two fingers.

"That's not fast enough! More of you, hurry, they're coming!" Nagainamon snapped. Kim closed her fist around the keychain.

"Yes yes yes!"

The keychain changed shape under Kim's fingers, morphing into more the shape of a three pointed star. She opened her fist and looked at what it held: a Digivice just like the one she'd given to Gen, in light and dark blue. It was exactly like the one in her dream, and the screen was flashing yellow, displaying the words "Summoning Digimon".

Nagainamon said it best herself, Kim thought. Yes yes yes! This had better not be a dream! But Kim was almost fully awake now. In the middle of the room, a flat yellow silhouette shimmered, growing thicker and more three-dimensional. It flashed for the last time, and became… Kim's mouth hung open. "FaerieDramon?"

The Digimon shook her delicately scaled head. "No way. That's the name you thought up yourself. I never included my name in my message."

A beam of light extended from the Digivice's main screen, and projected in a hologram an exact miniature duplicate of the Digimon standing before Kim. "Nagainamon (rookie)," it confirmed, "A plucky baby dragon Digimon who generates power in her collar. Armed with her Electron Stream attack, she is nothing to be underestimated."

"Woah! Holograms haven't even been invented yet!" Kim exclaimed. She knew she was already ready to accept that her dream- Nagainamon's message- had come true, and wanted to explore the new possibilities.

Nagainamon rolled her eyes. "Sheesh. The so-called "Real World" is just lagging behind in the technology department, isn't it? Other departments, of course- Oh, what are we doing wasting time! Out of the house, into the backyard!" She butted Kim in the ankles, pushing her to the door.

"Geeze, you're so pushy. You come on!" Kim ran ahead down the stairs, skidded through the kitchen, and thrust the door open, feeling proud of her speed. Nagainamon, with wings extended to a workable length, zoomed past her into the night. The dragon smirked triumphantly. Kim shook a finger at her. "This means war," she warned.

"Very true. Haul to the backyard, now! That's where the gate has opened." Nagainamon zipped around the side of the house. Kim followed, slightly peeved, and noticed a glow coming from the yard.

Nagainamon was crouched behind a bush with her wings shrunken again. She put a claw to her lips. Kim squeezed next to her. In the backyard beyond, a circle seemed to have been drawn in the grass and filled with light, rendering Kim night blind to most things beyond, except for the Digimon who were prowling around, whom, due to their nature, emitted their own light.

"Candlemon (rookie) attacks with fire, with Karmic Flame and Lava Loogie! Its true face is that of the DigiCore on its head," the Digivice informed. Kim shushed it.

There were three of them. Two of them stood on brass pedestals, and one, who seemed to be the leader, stood on a platinum one. It was conversing quietly with the others. Then, one stood up sharply and looked around. Its flame flared tall and blue for a split second; it tapped the platinum Candlemon on the shoulder and spoke in a waxy voice. "We're not alone. I just sensed another Digimon here."

The platinum Candlemon blustered. "Impossible! I thought we were the first!" It hit the other one, confirming Kim's suspicion of its leadership. A few dollops of wax broke off its hand and stuck to the subordinate Candlemon's shoulder. "What are you waiting for! Get it!"

The two brass Candlemon hopped reluctantly in the direction of Kim and Nagainamon's hiding place. "Distract them while I digivolve," hissed Nagainamon.

Kim was about to argue with the pushy Digimon, but thought better. She didn't have a better plan. So, she crawled on her belly to a tree a few feet away, and stood up behind it. She stepped into the light, as if she'd simply been taking a midnight stroll.

She improvised. "Uh… Holy mother of a pregnant llama killer, what are those things in my backyard?" All three Candlemon rotated to look at her.

"Aha! I have discovered a human!" exclaimed the platinum Candlemon, who Kim was already starting to think of as a bit of an idiot. It waved a dripping arm dramatically. "We shall take it home for research!"

Behind the bush, Nagainamon flipped the internal switch that would begin digivolution. Nothing happened. "Dammit, what's the big idea? I've done this dozens of times before. Why not now?" she groused.

The Candlemon hopped closer to Kim, though obviously hesitant. Kim took a step backwards, spun around, and started to run. She planned to circle back around to Nagainamon- or whoever she'd become by now- and surprise the Candlemon.

One of the Candlemon spoke, or more accurately, issued a command. If words had physical form, Kim could have believed that these words curved in the air, and dived into the glowing gate in the ground, coming back out crackling with power. The words were, unfortunately, "Paraffin Paralyzer!" Something hot hit Kim's back, sending a shock though her body that made her bones feel like cracking. She tried to turn her head and see what had hit her, but her eyes remained fixed forwards. In fact, she couldn't move at all. She was suffocating! The Candlemon cackled, and hopped towards her.

Nagainamon peered through the bush. That pathetic kid had already gotten paralyzed. Sheesh, on their own, humans were worse than rookies. Nagainamon realized she rather liked that idea. Besides, she supposed her stay in the "Real World" would be ridiculously short if she didn't keep Kim alive. Treading carefully on the grass, the blue dragon creeped up on the Candlemon.

Through sluggish nerves, Kim felt a pair of steamy, sticky hands grab her by the arms. The temperature suddenly spiked again, and Kim's muscles returned to life. She took a huge breath of air, and stumbled forward. Her heart worked double-time to make up for the blood it hadn't been able to pump. Kim was utterly shaken by her close encounter with death. A thought- If a rookie can do that, how long am I going to survive if stronger Digimon appear?

Wheeling around, Kim saw the reason for her release- the brass Candlemon who had paralyzed her had been smote, with a gaping hole in its back. It lay face down, dripping wax on the grass. Its arms were still stuck to Kim, though as she watched, it seemed to be growing a new pair.

Nagainamon was fighting the other brass Candlemon, while its boss stood back and watched. The animate candle jumped into the air and spat a glob of red, molten wax at Nagainamon, commanding, "Lava Loogie!"

Nagainamon ran around the attack. "Why haven't you digivolved?" asked Kim.

"I can't, for some reason," Nagainamon admitted. She stood still for a short moment as a mechanical whine filled the air. The thunderbolt on her chest lit up with a white light; the light traveled to the wings, and up the cord. The baby dragon's eyes glowed, and she opened her jaws wide, declaring, "Electron Stream!" A blinding thunderbolt shot out of her throat, breaking the Candlemon into dollops of wax. And then, shimmering fragments of plain data. She repeated the attack on the other brass Candlemon.

"You're quite strong. I'd be terrified of your Champion form," Kim cheered.

Nagainamon snorted, sending a few residual electrons fizzling around her nostrils. "Gimme a break. They were just weak."

The data that was the memories and last legacy of the two Candlemon was pulled towards the gate. But the platinum Candlemon inhaled deeply, and sucked the data inside itself. The air around it filled with fog, slowly thickening and shaping itself around Candlemon. The gate wobbled, and a shape expanded out of the fog. It wore an indigo cape covered in runes, and a pointy hat with a skull sewn on, pulled low over the figure's eyes. It thrust its cape back, showing that it was now human shaped, in a suit the color of wax, and brown boots and gloves. Its right hand held a golden staff topped with a stylized sun.

Kim's Digivice beeped, emitting a similar picture, and a short description. "Wizardmon (champion) is a wizard in training. But he already knows how to summon magical forces to attack. Look out for his Magical Game!"

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Uchimon was high on life right now. He had been chasing a crab, pretending it was a mighty foe, when his body began to change states. Next thing he knew, the Sunset World was gone, and he was in a stony, alien landscape, under a night sky. In front of him was an enraged enemy, and at his back a human partner, just like in the stories. There was only one hitch- the human seemed somehow incapacitated.

Gen shook his head. " No way… This can't continue the way it's going. "

Uchimon blinked, confused. " Why not? " he asked.

" There's a limit to what I can believe. I must be dreaming, or hallucinating, or something. Maybe I caught a rare brain disease from Kim. "

Uchimon was offended and disappointed. " If you're dreaming, how come I'm seeing this, too? " he countered.

Gen considered. That didn't sound like anything anyone would say in his dreams. He conceded reluctantly. " …Some philosophers say that life is a dream. We could be sharing hallucinations. "

Tuskmon wheeled around, gathering speed for another attack. Uchimon couldn't wait any longer. He leaped at the dinosaur, landing on its snout. From this perch, the wind whistled invigoratingly. Tuskmon shook his head, trying to get rid of the irritant, but Uchimon scampered down its neck and tickled its back.

From below came Gen's voice, sounding concerned now. " Wait! You're only a rookie! One attack from a Champion level could destroy you! "

Maybe, but I can't waste my big chance! Uchimon thought. He bit Tuskmon almost playfully, causing an impressive roar.

Carefully, Uchimon turned around, while remaining on Tuskmon's back. He sighted down his tail, aiming at the giant striped horn on the left. Then he reached deep within himself, a part so deep that it was less a part of him, and more a part of the home world he barely remembered, and gathered the power he needed. He released it in two words: "Petal Pistol!" The flower opened, and fired like a cannon. The horn was blown in half.

Without the heavy horn, Tuskmon's balance was thrown off. It slipped and toppled to the right. Uchimon hopped off just before he would have fallen off, and landed in the shallows. He chuckled; he was a natural!

Without getting up, Tuskmon charged up another attack. "Horn Buster!" it ordered. Uchimon scampered out of the way, as water sprayed up spectacularly from the impact. The water came splashing down, and soaked Uchimon. He noticed that it was chillier at night, and shivered in his matted fur.

A hand grabbed him by the nape of the neck and lifted him off the ground. When he twisted his head, Uchimon saw Gen carrying him away from the fight. " I don't know why, " Gen muttered, " but suddenly I need to protect you. "

Uchimon wriggled, but couldn't slip free. Then from behind came Tuskmon's voice again, and a huge blast slammed them both into the riverbed. Having been spared the full force of the attack, Uchimon got right back up, but Gen was floating limply, face down in the water. Uchimon nudged him, and he rolled over. He was breathing shallowly. There was no pain or injury in the Sunset World; Uchimon didn't know what had happened.

Tuskmon continued its charge. Though he didn't know why, Uchimon felt a little more… serious now. He stared down the stampeding dinosaur, and raised his tail like a scorpion. He fired three times in rapid succession, and all three shots hit their target. Tuskmon groaned.

The green Digimon slowly slid to a stop, and lay down at Uchimon's feet. "What… hit me?" it murmured, before closing its eyes. That was the first coherent thing it had said since it appeared. The body began to decompose at an accelerated pace, breaking into its component data. Uchimon watched the dusty nebula, awed. As if blown by a wind, the data returned to the circle of light, and sunk through it. Once the last glittering speck had passed through, the light went out.

Uchimon looked at unconscious Gen, still not sure what had happened. Being a dog, he licked his cheek. Gen's eyes fluttered open; he stirred, and tipped over in the water. A few seconds later, he got up, spat out some water, and shook his head again.

" There's a limit to what I can believe. Now that I've crossed it, I don't know what I'm going to do, " he sighed.

" How about… " Uchimon thought hard about it. "Gentle Respite." At the puppy's command, a soft dust clouded around Gen. One breath of it, and he fell asleep again.

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Wizardmon pointed its staff at Nagainamon, and cackled. "You stole my chance at being the first Digimon to enter the Real World since the last Earth War, and you opposed my henchmen in capturing a human! I'll have you know there are rewards being offered for both! But it won't matter if you're dead!"

Nagainamon spat. Her spit glowed. "I hope someone deletes your mother while you're away. Electron Stream!"

Wizardmon floated up and over the lightning attack, which disappeared into the ground. "You like electrical attacks, do you? What do you think of this one- Electro Squall!" He waved his staff over his head, and clouds gathered above it. Lightning jumped between the cloud and the ground, striking Nagainamon along the way. She screeched, and collapsed where she stood. Wizardmon floated to Nagainamon's side, and whispered conspiratorially. "Between you and me, I hope that as well. I'm first in line for a large inheritance!"

Kim punched Wizardmon, knocking off his hat. She scooped Nagainamon's limp- but still alive- body off the ground, and ran back to the front door. She entered the house, locking the door behind her, and carried Nagainamon into her room. She laid her gently on the bed, and snatched one of her tins of Digimon cards off the shelf.

No one else she knew played the game, or even owned a single card of this nature. Though it was hard to tell, since all card games were banned at school for being immoral, along with Harry Potter, music that didn't include the phrase 'for kids' in the title, and religion. But Kim had amassed a large collection of cards for just this eventuality. She took out the first card that seemed suitable.

Then Kim searched for something that might be able to revive Nagainamon. Digging in her toy box, she found a battery recharger. That might work. Unhooked Nagainamon's cable, and the Digimon seemed to sag a little more. She then plugged her into the recharger and turned it on. Unexpectedly, Nagainamon's entire body began to shoot sparks. Afraid that either one of them might be hurt, Kim switched it off, and put Nagainamon's cord back where it was.

Nagainamon's eyes snapped open. She sat up and nodded to Kim. "Thank you very much for that. I concede you are good for something."

"Right. Take that!" Kim grinned. She discovered that she was already attached to the baby dragon. "Now you'd better hurry, 'cause Wizardmon's banging on the door."

"Don't push it," said Nagainamon dryly.

Wizardmon was indeed banging and rattling at the door. Kim, with her back to the wall, motioned for Nagainamon to take cover. Nagainamon hid behind the recliner. Kim waited for a pause between slams, then quickly opened the door. Wizardmon flung himself onto the floor.

Kim whipped out her Digivice and the card she'd picked out. There was a small slit on the back of the Digivice, and she slid the edge of the card into it. The screen flickered orange-red, displaying the word 'downloading'. The card seemed to stick in the middle for no apparent reason, but with a good yank Kim pulled it out. The screen now said 'transferring'.

By now Wizardmon had gotten to his feet. He pointed his staff at the recliner. "I can sense you back there!" He taunted. "Thunder Ball!" A luminescent orb flew in Nagainamon's direction.

"Counter Attack!" called Kim. At the signal, Nagainamon, flickering with added power, leapt from her hiding place.

"Electron Stream!"

The electricity jumped to the tip of Wizardmon's staff, and traveled through his hand. His attack vanished just before it would have left a telltale crater in the chair, as lightning arced all over the wizard Digimon's body. He began to dissolve, starting with the feet.

Kim couldn't imagine what it must feel like to die like this, and hoped no human would ever know. Even as he disappeared, Wizardmon acted like an idiot, shouting, "Curse you, brother! You sent me here to die, didn't you? Fine! I hope mother lives for a hundred years!" And then he was gone.

In the backyard, the cloud of data that was once Wizardmon disappeared through the gate. Then the circle of light shrunk, until it was only a point of light smaller than the dot on an i, barely visible even if you were looking for it. Kim and Nagainamon watched, until the yard was back to normal, for now.

Kim turned to Nagainamon. "Why is this happening?"

"There are 'hot spots' around both worlds, which connect to an intermediate world known as the Sunset World, from which you can travel to any point in either world. At certain times, and no one knows what decides when these times come, people and objects can travel through the gates that open in these hot spots. The gates always open at the same time, so if one opens, it means that every gate across both worlds is open."

"So… we could have gone to the Digital World if we'd wanted to?"

"Gates only work in one direction. Hot spots leading to the 'Real World' appear in the ground, and hot spots leading to the 'Digital World' manifest on the internet."

"…So Gen and I were barking up the right tree… We were just looking at the wrong branch," Kim mused. "But… This all wasn't quite what I meant. Speaking of Gen, he said that there wasn't room for a world in a computer. He… sort of made me think a little. How does the Digital World exist?"

Nagainamon smiled knowingly. "You humans so often can't see the program for the bytes. The Digital World isn't in the computers. It's suspended between computers, made from information-data- lost to space. That's why things don't work there unless periodically reminded of what they do. No, that's not quite right- oh whatever. I can't explain it, because I don't understand it either. And that's hard for me to admit, believe me."

"Hah! A diplomatic answer!" Kim sighed. It hit home. A Digimon, a Digivice, a Digital World. Which meant, somewhere in between, a Digidestined. Kim grinned at her partner.

Nagainamon cocked her head. "What?"

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