I don't own Digital Warriors.
Story 56
For pita's sake
Ogremon stared about the streets of Dubai. Everything felt so much louder than he remembered it being. Far larger too. How could regular humans be so content with all this crowding? Claustrophobia felt like it would come forth and swallow him up. If this place was in the Digital World, everyone would think they were dealing with an outbreak of Housemon. For now, Ogremon shoved that thought out. The less mental focus he put on fears like that, the less likely it would come to fruition.
"hal hadha almakan ya 'akhi? (Is this the place, brother)?" a goburimon announced and Ogremon forced his attention over to the goblin digimon. Patting them on the head, his focus turned to the rest of the group. Digitamamon was doing its best to look for anyone who might attempt to get in the way of them finding their chosen. Whereas Tunomon was hopping about in excitement. Scooping the orange puffball digimon up, Ogremon motioned for his brothers to get behind him.
"'iidha lam yakun al'amr kadhalik , fa'iina hadha "alkiani" ladayh alkathir min alsharh lilqiam bihi. khususan qaribatan jidana min alfajar. (If it isn't, then this 'entity' has quite a bit of explaining to do. Especially so close to dawn prayer time.)" Ogremon announced as he stepped onto a sidewalk. Feeling the warmth of the pavement, that was one downside about this place. He could already feel the sweat rolling down his side. Why couldn't they have been sent down at a cooler time? They had to know of the cases of digimon collapsing from the heat back when they were down here last time. Sadly, that was asking too much here. Especially from an entity they had no way of reasoning with or really filing a complaint against. Probably by design.
"ear lays ladayna 'ayu khubz nahduruh maena. (A shame we don't have any pita to bring with us.)" Goburimon announced as he switched the grip on his club. Looking over to Ogremon, he found his older brother had taken to having his club on his back. As long as they didn't need to sit down any time soon, he should be okay. A shame that the same couldn't be done with his club. If someone saw them, they would probably think they were on the lookout for an easy mark. In a place like Dubai, they could only hope that fact could be looked past here. If not, they could dump their clubs. Hadn't been useful for a long time. Especially when the only thing they pounded was dough to make pita. Rolling pins worked better and took up a heck of a lot less space. Most of the time. The few times it somehow didn't were when a big order of pita came in. Then it was all hands on deck.
"rubama yumkinuna alhusul ealaa almukawinat bimujarad 'an najid 'akram. (We can probably get the ingredients once we find Akram.)" Digitamamon announced, skipping his way across the pavement. Taking care to not fall, that was easier said than done. Coming awfully close to tripping, egg digimon managed to correct his jump and avoid smashing into the pavement.
"'iidha kan yaetaqid 'anana naqul alhaqiqat wanaltazim biwajibatina. (If he believes that we're telling the truth and have been keeping up with our duties.)" Ogremon explained and was met with nods all around. Even as a supercar zoomed by. Threatening to throw him off-balance, the ogre digimon managed to catch himself at the last possible moment and retain his stance. Turning back to his brothers, Ogremon took the opportunity to calm down. Wouldn't do any good to get mad at a time like. Those vehicles were likely worth more than they could ever make in a century as bakers. Even if they were to scalp their customers, it was likely not be enough. That, and it would go against all they had been taught by Akram and his family. They could only hope fortune smiled upon him in the face of all that had occurred. While nothing in the way of damage could be seen, they were standing on the edge of one of the more populated sections of the city. It was entirely possible all these buildings had managed to shield the people from the Eosmon attacks. "jahiz lilkhuruwji? (Ready to head off?)"
Catching a nod from his brothers, Ogremon headed off. Taking care to remain on the sidewalk, time was taken to appreciate the sights. Even in the face of the height of these skyscrapers, there was a strange quaintness to this place. While likely not one of the places that they would find their human, it would be kind of cool to just go into a building and look around. Probably have to take the stairs, knowing the weight limits of elevators and their general size. One would think that humans would at least try to improve upon the design for the sake of transporting digital monsters and their humans. Of what rumors he and his brothers had chanced upon, that didn't sound to be the case. A shame, but one expected for a world reeling from the aftermath of a mass kidnapping and deaths galore. For now, Ogremon pushed that thought away.
"bi'ayi fursat yajib 'an nas'al shakhs ma ean alaitijahati? (By any chance should we ask someone for directions?)" Goburimon announced and Ogremon looked his way. Bringing a hand up to his chin, he took a moment to think it over. Yes, they had zero clue where to look. But at the same time, Dubai was a massive city. The actual chances of a person just knowing where exactly they could find the person in question they were looking for was awfully low. Even if they did find someone who knew, they likely wouldn't know where Akram might be at that very moment. Though, they also needed water and a bite to eat. The former more rapidly than the latter in their current situation.
"alamir yastahiqu rasasatan wahidatan. lakin ealayna 'an nakun hadhirina. (It's worth a shot. But we have to be careful.)" Ogremon announced as his gaze turned ahead. Scanning about, he searched for anything resembling people. But all he found was cars and their drivers. Zooming on by, he doubted anyone actually caught a look of them. Probably freak out if they did.
"hal yumkinuni 'an 'akun alshakhs aladhi yatrah al'asyilata? (Can I be the one to ask the questions?)" Tunomon announced and got the lightest pet from Ogremon. Trying his best to hold a straight face, he eventually nodded. By no means the best digimon for the job, he would actually do his best to get his point across.
"naema. lakin la yusmh lak bitanawul 'ayi shay' yuetik 'iiaah alnaasi. (Yes. But you're not allowed to eat anything that people give you.)" Ogremon explained and was met with a look from Tunomon. Turning back ahead, the little orange puffball took care in scanning for anyone who might have some information to lead them to Akram. If not that, maybe push them in the right direction. Preferably one that didn't put them so close to these supercars and closer to a source of drinking water.
"lakin lays ladaya 'ayu yad. kayf bialdabt sa'atamasak bihadhih al'ashya'i? (But I don't have any hands. How exactly would I hold onto that stuff?)" Tunomon countered and got one more pet. The utmost care taken to not get stabbed, that was not enough to answer his question. Not in the slightest. If anything, it felt as if his question was being blown off on the account of them being brothers. They were a team. A team should be more than capable of answering a question like that.
"sa'uhamiluh min 'ajlik , tunumun. hal sayaemal hadha maeki? (I'll hold it for you, Tunomon. Would that work for you?)" Goburimon announced and Tunomon swiveled to meet his younger brother's gaze. Giving the closest he could ever get to a nod, their attention turned ahead. Leaving the outskirts of Dubai, the brothers found their gazes forced upward. Up close, the many skyscrapers of the city seemed absolutely unfathomable. Stretching up to the heavens, there was no way that people could actually live and work in such places. No, most of the building was likely all for show. A way of showing people the amount of money people were capable of spending without even coming close to breaking the bank. Literally and figuratively in this case. Spread between these juggernauts of steel and glass, were smaller buildings. Heck of a lot more quaint than what they had seen so far, Ogremon and his brothers preferred these a heck of a lot more. Just looking at them felt far more natural than that of the skyscrapers. Built from a different time before money began rolling in, relics of a bygone era. It was here that the brothers found their first signs of people. Mostly tourists, that didn't stop a couple men dressed in traditional khanduras with ghutra over their heads. Too preoccupied with their conversation to notice the brothers make their approach, Ogremon and company took care to walk as quietly as they could manage to not freak them out. A futile effort, judging by the way a lot of the tourists were giving them. Didn't stop them from continuing their approach.
"alsalam ealaykum. bi'ayi hal min al'ahwal hal yuqrae asm 'akram 'ayi 'ajrasi? (Peace be upon you. By any chance does the name Akram ring any bells?)" Tunomon announced and watched the men look over to them. Staring for a couple seconds, what sounded like whispering echoed between them.
"walakum salamu. 'atamanaa 'an 'aqul 'iinani 'aerif shkhsan kahadha. hazana saeida. (And unto you peace. I wish I could say that I know someone like that. Best of luck.)" the man announced and Tunomon looked over to his companions. Waiting a moment, they took a moment to stare at the orange puffball.
"Do you know anything that might lead us in the right direction?" Tunomon continued, the other men raising a hand to their chins. Taking a moment to think it over, anxiety threatened to take hold of Tunomon's little body. So much for this being a simple task. Even if it had, they still needed to track him down. In a city of this size, that was like searching for a needle in a massive haystack. Oh how he hated needles. Especially when it came down to embroidery and personalizing their aprons.
"kan hunak khabaaz ra'aytuh fi alfajar. laqad bada qanean tmaman , raghm 'anah dhakar 'anah faqad baed 'asdiqayihi. rubama 'antum al'asdiqa' aladhin kan yatahadath eanhum? (There was a baker I saw at fajr. He looked quite content, though he did mention missing some of his friends. Perhaps you are the friends that he was speaking of?)" one of the men announced and Tunomon perked up. Looking over to his brothers, it was nods on all sides. Then it was back over to the man.
"shkran lika. (Thank you.)" Ogremon announced and shook the man's hand. Taking care to not accidentally break it, the hand shake looked good. Letting go right after, he motioned for his brothers to follow. Passing the group of men, it was right back to searching. While it perhaps would've been a good idea to ask for directions to the mosque in question, that probably wouldn't have helped as much as the brothers wanted it too. Instead, they would need to search the surrounding area for a baker or a similar building. Those would be a good place to start their search for Akram.
"kunt 'atawaqae ruyat almazid min aldayjimun huna. (I expected to see more digimon around here.)" Digitamamon announced and got a look from Tunomon. Getting up on his tippy toes to meet the orange puffball digimon's gaze, he came up a couple inches short.
"hsnan , kanat hunak hajamat Eosmon. almukhtar bila shakin faqaduu hayaatahum wahum yuhawilun himayat hadhih almadinati. (Well, there were the Eosmon attacks. Chosen no doubt lost their lives trying to protect this city.)" Goburimon added, his brothers gazes swiveling to meet him. Once they had, he took a moment to compose himself. "While the city looks no worse for the wear, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the damages aren't quite as visible."
Silence fell over the brothers as they continued on. Of the little information that had trickled through by way of bakery gossip and small talk, the Eosmon attacks sounded horrific. What kind of monster could claim that they were saving the chosen by way of preventing them from growing up? Let alone at the same time, slaughtering anyone brave enough to take a stand against their cruelty. Yes, there were some in the Islamic faith that used their religion as a shield against usually valid criticisms and terrorist attacks. But those extremists made up a small fraction of the worshippers of Islam. To lump them all together was not only dumb, but ignorant as well.
"kulu hadha sabab 'iidafiun lil'amal fi 'an 'akram bikhayrin. (All the more reason to hope that Akram is alright.)" Tunomon announced as they continued their search for their elusive master. He had to be around here somewhere. Why else would this unknown entity choose the outskirts of all places? It flew in the face of all reason. It clearly didn't know that the brothers were religious. Yes, the percentage of digimon that could say they were part of a religion. At least one that wasn't designed to be based around the concept of complete gluttony or the worship of celebrities. But that question didn't matter as the brothers found themselves staring down a bakery. Tucked away amid the hustle and bustle of everything they had seen so far, it was right across the street. Simple enough to cross, minus the fact that everyone and their mother had a supercar and needed to go by at blazing speeds. Kind of like right now. Just their luck. Just when it seemed like they had finally found a viable place that they were looking for, something had to come up in order to throw them off. Tunomon and his brothers were used to it at this point. If that was how it was going to be, then they would just power through for Akram's sake.
Taking the time to look both ways, Ogremon dashed across the asphalt. Holding onto Tunomon to the best of his abilities, the pair managed to cross with relative ease. Turning to face the rest of their brothers, the results weren't as ideal. While some of the vehicles had noticed the rest of their family, that didn't stop them from speeding up in the hopes of scoring a direct hit on one of the digimon. Thankfully, no car managed the feat - supercar or otherwise.
"Tafu. (Phew.)" Digitamamon announced and took the time to glare in the direction of the nearest supercar passing by. Turning back to his brothers, he found their gaze to be on the bakery. Joining them, it was a simple walk to reach the door. Carved from a darker wood, it looked awfully ornate for a simple bakery. A glass window served to provide customers outside with a way to peer right through and see the various baking goods. In this case, that meant pita bread. "hal sanakun munasibina? (Are we going to fit?)"
Ogremon looked over to Digitamamon. Holding out his free hand to meet the top of the door, he found it coming just under the top of the door frame. Moving to the sides, the ogre digimon found his proportions to just barely fit through. By no means ideal, it was better than not fitting through the door at all. For now, Ogremon gave the door a knock. While the shop was likely open, that didn't excuse not knocking on the off chance that the owner was in the middle of prayer. Perhaps if they were really lucky, they might even get invited in to join them. Most prayer mats would fit, except for himself. He needed something a touch longer than what most places h-
"Ogremon?" a voice called out and a man made his approach. Dressed much like the other men they had seen so far, a second man followed right behind. Trying his hardest to not make this awkward, it was clear to Ogremon and his brothers that something was going on. Whether that something was platonic or *gasp* romantic remained to be seen.
"Akram, it's been too long." Ogremon greeted as the door opened up. Taking the utmost care to step through, the brother's attention shifted to that of the man beside their partner. Trying his hardest to act casual, he wasn't hiding anything. At least in their eyes. "Care to tell us who that man beside you is?"
Akram stared to the floor. Muttering a word in a language that the brothers did not recognize, he reached out to his companion's hand. Grabbing hold, that was all it took to pull his gaze back up.
"Zuji. (My husband.)" Akram answered and got confused looks from his digimon partners. There was no way that they heard that right. Yet, it was clear as day.
"'ana ealaa thiqat min 'ana kilakuma kuntuma tabqianih mnkhfdan mundh hajamat Eosmon? (I trust that you two have been keeping it on the down low since the Eosmon's attacks?)" Goburimon announced as he closed the door behind them. Met with nods, the opportunity was taken to find a place for them all to sit down. When none could be found, he instead chose to step off to the side. Brothers following right behind, they took care in making room for each other and the married couple.
"hadha mumkinun. (You could say that.)" Akram's husband announced and let go. Trying his best to decide which digimon to focus on. Eventually settling on Ogremon, he was met with a reluctant wave. "ana eafan. 'iidha kan dhalik mfydan , falays ladaya sharik Digimon. 'iidha faealat dhalik , fasa'aftarid 'anah 'aw 'anaha satuqadimu- (I'm Affan. If it helps, I don't have a digimon partner. If I did, I would only assume he or she would gi-)"
His statement was cut off by the sound of screaming. Gaze turning to what little of the window wasn't being obscured by Ogremon and his brothers, a tall angelic figure stood. Dressed in a white abaya decorated with a long pink ribbon, a gray hijab served to cover their head. "'ana 'aqif bishakl sahihin. (I stand corrected.)"
Ogremon did his best to hold in a chuckle. Making space for Affan to head out and greet his newfound digimon partner, his gaze returned to Akram. Smile forming on his face, he went in for a hug.
"ahlaan bikum fi almanzil , 'ayuha al'iikhwatu. (Welcome home, brothers.)" the baker announced as he was assaulted on all sides by hugs.
Notes:
The Arabic dub of Digimon Adventure ran on Spacetoon Arabic from April 15th 2001 to September 30th 2014. Unlike every other version of Digimon Adventure that I'm aware of, the digimon here would not evolve. Instead, they would call forth their 'brother'. And by that, you would see the waterfall from the first episode of Adventure and then the end of the evo sequence. They dropped this after 02, letting Tamers and Frontier keep their evo sequences (with some touch-ups for certain digimon).