Author's Note:
Hmm... took me long enough to update this, didn't it? Well, 'least it's finally done! XD
Okay, so as promised, here's a chapter featuring the Tamers' Digital World... personally? I don't mean to brag or anything, but I really love how this chapter turned out! I sure hope you guys feel the same way~! ;D
Alright, that's enough delay! Onto chapter 6! XD
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Reviews:
Again, nothing this time. I was kinda hoping to get more questions. :(
"Friendship, loyalty… they're more than just words. They're real and they matter. I'm going to prove it to you!"
– MetalGarurumon (to Matt)
Tamers Digital World, Desert Layer: *Growlmon's POV*
Thump…thump…thump…
Seemingly without direction, a large creature lumbered through the deserted wasteland he found himself in. Normally bright yellow eyes looked on dimly as the beast trudged on; squinting against the sandstorm he was trapped in. Of course, after being on this level for so long, the red creature had long gotten used to the feeling of sand scratching at his hide, lashing out at his eyes 'till they began to tear. So, despite his lack of visibility, the storm hardly fazed him.
This creatures name is Growlmon, the evolved form of Guilmon and the partner of Takato Matsuki, unofficial leader of the Tamers. Or, at least, he had at one time been Takato's partner…
Growlmon growled as that last thought entered his head, shaking it from side to side until he was sure it had tumbled right out of his brain, along with the pile of sand that had collected on his snout. 'Takato IS a Tamer still! He's my Tamer—he's Growlmon's Tamer! Nothing can change that!'
Renewed with a returned vigor and new will-power to keep on searching for that familiar flicker of pink in the sky, Growlmon continued on. Out of all the Digimon, he was the only one who truly still believed they would get to see their beloved partners again, but even he was beginning to have his doubts…
The digital monster, not pausing in his trek that was far too much like a certain Champion machine digimon's he knew, thought back to when he last saw the others.
Flashback
Guilmon simply blinked at his friend, confused. "What do you mean leave?"
The little purple imp digimon standing in front of him sighed, almost regretfully, as he fiddled with a string hanging from one of his gloves. "Ah gotta go Pineapplehead… ah jus' can't stay 'ere."
"Why not?" Guilmon turned his head slightly towards the newest speaker: his little buddy Calumon. The little guy was sitting on Guilmon's tail, too tired to continue walking. Despite this, he sure sounded like he had a lot of energy. "Why do you have to go, culu? What's wrong with this place? I mean, I know it's really, really hot when it's light and really, really cold when it's dark and the sand hurts your feet when you try to walk for a long time, ouchie!"
Guilmon couldn't help but nod, echoing him. "Ouchie…"
Calumon went on, "But you're with us and we're friends so it's okay, right, culu?"
Before Impmon could respond, Terriermon, having also evolved to Rookie level like the rest of them, spoke. A scowl was on his cute face and he sounded really grouchy. "Yah! What's with the sudden change of heart, Impmon? I thought we were supposed to be friends! I thought you cared about them!" Guilmon knew who he was referring to. It was their Tamers. After all, by leaving the group he was essentially abandoning the idea that all of them could go to the Human World together, though Guilmon only vaguely grasped this notion.
Impmon bristled when he heard the bunny, his short fur literally standing on end. "Ah do care!"
"Then why leave, puu?" MarineAngemon's soft, sweet voice piped up from his position on Monodramon's shoulder, the two having surprisingly hit it off. Though not a fighter, quiet and shy MarineAngemon was their lone Mega and had saved their lives more than once already. Even Impmon had a grain of respect for the little guy… even if he was pink.
Impmon didn't respond for a while until Guilmon began to think he didn't hear MarineAngemon. Guilmon had been about to open his mouth to ask when Impmon finally did respond, speaking slowly, surprising Guilmon with how serious he sounded. "…I just can't stay guys… I really want to, trust me, but I just can't…" His voice hardened slightly as the imp clenched a fist, ripping off the string he had been toying with as he did so. "I gotta go."
"Yes, but go where?" Renamon's voice called from nowhere, her body materializing directly behind him shortly afterwards.
Impmon jumped a little, cursing under his breath as he turned, glaring up at the fox. Guilmon couldn't see his expression, but he had gotten good at reading people and by the way Impmon's fur flattened back down, his tail raised, and his fists clenched, Guilmon could tell the imp wasn't mad, but something else; something on the verge of desperation… why?
"Foxy, ah gotta go. Ah jus' can't stay 'ere… not with dat thing over me all tha time!" His gloved hand shot upwards towards where Guilmon knew the human world was, a growl ripping from his throat. "Ah dun care where ah go, but ah ain't stayin' somewhere where I can freagin' see it!"
Renamon said nothing, staring down at the young demon. She stayed that way for a long while before eventually, slowly replying with, "Very well."
Without another word, she stepped to the side, Terriermon gaping at her as she did so.
"Very we… What? You're just gonna let him go like that!?" The bunny blurted out after a moment, jumping forward, his large ears plodding down onto the sand on either side of him, little clouds surging up from each.
Renamon's eyes flicked towards the smaller digimon, narrowing. This effectively stopped the dog-bunny from continuing. "Yes, I am. It is his choice," was her curt response.
Guilmon, confused still, stepped forward with Calumon still clinging to his tail. "But Renamon-"
The vixen turned towards him and, expression softening slightly, she shook her head. Guilmon didn't understand, heartbroken as he looked at Impmon, still standing there, glaring at the digital sky. "Impmon… why do you have to go?" he choked out, noticing as a few of the others winced at how he sounded. Guilmon's voice was hoarse from exhaustion, showing how hard he had pushed himself to stay loyal to Takato.
Impmon was among the ones who visibly winced. Tail stiff, he turned back to look Guilmon in the eyes, than dropped his gaze, unable to stand the expression on the dino's face. "Ah'm sorry Pineapplehead, but we ain't gonna see them again. Tha Tamers are history…" Impmon hesitated. "Ai… Makoto…"
Stunned, Guilmon watched the little imp dash off after saying his twin Tamer's names. Despite his own shock, Guilmon still noticed something the imp had clearly been trying to hide, ruining his façade when he gasped out a final name. "Jeri...!"
Impmon was crying.
No one moved when Impmon left, perhaps too exhausted to further try to stop him, perhaps not really caring what happened to the little imp. All Guilmon knew was that as the group watched his form disappear into the distance, the red Rookie could feel deep in his digital heart that he wouldn't be seeing Impmon again for a long, long time.
No one spoke for the longest period of time. Terriermon broke that, stunning Guilmon with just how bitter, cold, cruel he sounded.
"Good riddance."
"Terriermon!" Kokuwamon, Guardromon's Rookie form, yelped in surprise when their normally jovial friend said that. Terriermon simply ignored him.
Turning away from where Impmon had gone and facing their path towards the MudFrigimon village, Terriermon began to walk again. "I knew we couldn't trust him... come on guys. Let's go."
The rest of their group looked at each other, then Terriermon again. It didn't take long for them to follow, as silent as they had been before Impmon's leave of absence.
Guilmon and Calumon were the last to leave their spots, Calumon whimpering something that Guilmon didn't hear, the dino too caught up in his own sadness as he stared at the spot on the horizon Impmon had disappeared into. And Guilmon knew—he had lost a friend.
End of Flashback
Guilmon had been right then… that was the last they saw of Impmon.
He, Impmon, had been the first to go, yet sadly not the last either. After that, everyone else slowly but surely began to drift away from Guilmon and their belief in their human friends as well.
Monodramon, the first, left by accident, snatched up by a data stream. It hadn't even been a full day in the Digital World since Impmon left when this happened.
Kokuwamon and MarineAngemon said farewell, staying behind in the Chuchidarumon village after the group had helped to fend off an attack on said village. They planned on returning to Kokuwamon's old home in the Forest level once they had finished up there.
Lopmon, receiving a message from her old master, swiftly left for the realm of the Sovereigns to return to her old post. She was the only one who managed to keep in contact with the rest.
Bitter after losing nearly all of their friends, Terriermon left during the night soon after his 'twin', not even saying goodbye.
Renamon and Calumon stayed the longest, though it didn't last. Soon enough, Renamon too had left without explaining herself.
Last to go, Calumon had promised to visit Guilmon, now a Growlmon by this point. Growlmon hadn't seen him since, last hearing he was on the Sovereign level from Lopmon.
Impmon… Growlmon didn't know where the demon went. At the time he had been to depressed to ask and then later to angry to care. But now…
Now he just wished he could still see his friends; that they were still here with him. Calumon once told him about a time when he was all alone, lost in a big forest filled with numbers… was this that feeling he was talking about? Loneliness?
'Takato-mon… where are you?'
Growlmon paused from his endless trek, looking up at that sphere in the sky, rotating, shimmering, and flickering as it always did. It taunted the Champion day and night. Beckoning him to return to his true home, making it seem just so… so… (What was that word Impmon had taught him? Oh yah!) So fucking easy! So close… yet so far…
Why? Why did it have to do that? Why did it have to hurt poor Growlmon so?
Blinking back digital tears, Growlmon closed his eyes, letting out deep rumble that somehow also managed to sound like a faint whine. The Champion sounded like a hurt puppy, abandoned by his master, broken heart crying out for the love it so craves.
"Takato…"
Even he was beginning to believe that maybe Impmon was right. Even Growlmon knew that his Tamer was far from perfect, that he had made plenty of mistakes before. Maybe there was a reason they had all left him, even Renamon and Terriermon… maybe… maybe Takato just couldn't keep his promises.
Tamers Digital World; Desert Layer, Chuchidarumon Village: *Kokuwamon's POV*
'You really can't call this place the Village of Chuchidarumon anymore. At least, not only Chuchidarumon…' Kokuwamon thought to himself absently as he watched the various digimon wander about the makeshift village, still repairing the damage done by the last attack. 'Nor can you call it the Forgotten Village of Discarded Data...'
Indeed, you can't really, as this village is no longer forgotten in the least. In fact, ever since the D-Reaper's attack, it has never had a greater influx of visitors! The Chuchidarumon inhabitants (who had returned to their previous forms from before the Light of Digivolution) had actually run out of homes for the new digimon! The village, due to this, looked the same as back when the original gang of tamed digimon traversed this area, if more developed and with quite a few Megas roaming about. Not to mention no maniac bike destroying everything in sight, though the gaping mounds of missing digital earth dotting the area is more than enough of reminder to the villagers that danger is far from past, even if the D-Reaper has been defeated. After all, not all Mega digimon are as friendly as Kokuwamon's friend MarineAngemon, which the GranKuwagamon from before had only too well proven.
Kokuwamon couldn't help the slight wince that left him as his gaze once more trailed over to the pair of Pandamon that had perished in the last skirmish; their data still dispersing into the digital sky of this world as what was left of their bodies lay against a nearby mud home, a crowd of digimon surrounding them. Maybe someday that data would return here in the form of a pair of kind Chuchidarumon, but until then, that data would be left to wander.
Kokuwamon let out another regretful sigh, crimson gaze sliding downwards. The pincers on top of his head sparked a little, the Rookie digimon clenching a fist. "Justice has been served, yes, but I feel I have not done enough for our friends, the gracious Pandamon." He murmured to himself in a voice not nearly as boisterous as usual.
The digimon next to him, a QueenChessmon, heard him. She just frowned, shifting her grip on the Queen Stick she always wields. "Kokuwamon… you know there was nothing you could have done for them. Certainly not in that form," her soft, yet strong voice gently scolded the sparking Rookie, who immediately, if forcefully, calmed himself.
"I realize that QueenChessmon, but that does not make me feel any more at ease," was the electric bug's reply.
The Queen Digimon simply sighed again, shaking her head. "Kokuwamon…" She sounded nearly as disappointed as Kokuwamon felt. Luckily for them, an old friend flitted over at that moment, knowing just how to cheer the two up.
"Pu-pi!" A tiny, chipper voice cried from an even more petite and cheery creature.
Kokuwamon looked up, smiling faintly at the noise. "MarineAngemon," he greeted, the angel digimon blowing a little heart bubble in response, which popped against QueenChessmon's cheek. This act earned a faint giggle.
"Thank you, MarineAngemon." QueenChessmon smiled brightly at the little Mega, placing her free hand on his head.
MarineAngemon 'puued' again, nuzzling her hand a little before flitting off once more, likely hoping to bolster someone else's hopes.
Kokuwamon smiled again, already feeling back to his old self, "Right, there is no use in moping! Pandamon would not want that." Eyes sparkling, the former Guardromon grinned at the Mega beside him who smiled kindly back.
"Yes, no moping. That was what I was trying to tell you, wasn't it?" A smirk graced her lips and Kokuwamon couldn't help but blush a little, nodding his head in confirmation as he looked away. Who would have thought the little MetalKoromon the others had told him about would have evolved into such a graceful, regal digimon as QueenChessmon?
Kokuwamon wasn't there when that motorized beast, the Behemoth, had mowed down this village, but he had heard about it from his friends. And as soon as the group had learned the identity of this strange QueenChessmon he had become fast friends with this old associate of theirs.
A deep voice rang out from somewhere off to the left, breaking him out of his thoughts, "Kokuwamon! Ah, it is good to see you well after that last battle, my friend."
Kokuwamon turned his head, seeing the digimon who had spoken. A BanchoLeomon, which evolved from the former leader of this village (according to his friends).
Cloak billowing out behind the esteemed digimon, he turned his head back towards a MetalEtemon near him. The tall, leonine digimon bent over, assisting the metal monkey in lifting a boulder that had crushed one of the bubble-like homes.
The MetalEtemon grinned, "Thank you, thank you very much Bancho. A-huh-huh!"
The Leomon variation simply sighed. "Please MetalEtemon, enough with the Elvis imitations, if that is what you are doing."
The monkey scowled a little, but nodded. "Alright, whatever you say boss. A-huh-huh!"
BanchoLeomon groaned a little, but in a good-natured way as he turned back towards Kokuwamon, an apologetic look on his face for letting himself become distracted while talking to the Rookie.
Kokuwamon cheerily waved it off, watching as a few Chuchidarumon children ran over to hug the Bancho digimon's legs. BanchoLeomon gruffly tried to shoo them off, but only half-heartedly as his tail betrayed by the way it rubbed against one of the children's heads. "Please let go of my legs children, I'm trying to talk to Kokuwamon about getting him and his friend home," he laughed, nudging a young Chuchidarumon that had tried to pull his prized tantō, the Dankon, out of its sheath.
Kokuwamon couldn't help but chuckle as he noticed Boltmon make his way over to BanchoLeomon while a few Pandamon led the Chuchidarumon children off. The sparkplug Rookie got the feeling he wouldn't be getting that conversation with BanchoLeomon for a while with all the problems around the blossoming town. But, glancing at MarineAngemon playing with a few Chuchidarumon and QueenChessmon's ever present smile, Kokuwamon began to think to himself that maybe that wasn't so bad.
'After all,' he smiled back at QueenChessmon as he thought this, 'I do not exactly mind staying here a bit longer than planned.'
Tamers Digital World; Prairie Layer, Train Tracks
"Ergh…" a small, purple dragon-like creature groaned as it regained consciousness, a raging headache being what aroused him.
"Whe…where am I?" The dragon moaned, rubbing the bruised horn that protruded from the top of its head with one of his clawed hands.
The creature's golden hued eyes blinked open, staring unfocusedly out at its surroundings. A tree here and there, some rocks, plenty of grass… it was a nice enough looking place to the digimon, if seemingly barren.
Lifting his head to try and look around some more, the dragon digimon noticed something out of place in this part of the Digital World, as that is where he recognized the area from. That something out of place was what he was laying on—train tracks.
Voicing his confusion, the small digimon blinked, placing a hand on the still warm, metallic surface. "Train tracks? Where am I…" he trailed off, seeing a few nearby pebbles bounce and clatter past him. The dragon soon felt the vibrations from the ground as well, trembling and shuddering their way up his arms… but from what?
He soon got his answer as a tiny figure rushed towards him from somewhere off on the horizon. The dragon thought little of it at first, despite his instinctive warning to GET THE HELL OUT.
This changed with the swift approach of the once small figure in the distance, now growing to daunting proportions until the dragon finally recognized it as a… GranLocomon!
"Aw nuts!" the dragon yelped, scrambling to his feet, only now realizing what the tracks were for.
"Beat Knuckle!" Pounding his fists into the ground, the small digimon propelled himself up and over the train digimon. Any later and he would have been impaled on the large horn protruding out of the steam locomotive's metal head covering. Even so, he didn't escape unscathed—a thin scratch slit his stomach, thanks to a metal spike tipping its lead wheel.
Grunting sorely, the Rookie stared down as the train digimon zoomed past with its connecting cars. It didn't take long for the train to pass under the dragon Rookie, though it took longer for him to fall back down to the earth.
The digimon hovered in midair a second, eyes wide. "Aw nu… oomph!" he groaned, hitting the burning hot tracks in a daze, quickly rolling to the side and off the tracks in order to escape the searing heat.
Sucking in air, the digimon whimpered faintly as he gently prodded the scratch lining his belly, pain pricking him as he did so. He forced himself to stop, coughing faintly as he struggled to pull himself to his feet. "Oww… Why'd he have to do that…" the digimon mumbled, blearily looking around while forcing the tears back. He was not going to cry.
Coughing some more, the digimon blinked open his golden eyes again, watching the GranLocomon's receding form.
Perhaps reuniting with Ryo would be a bit harder than he, Monodramon, had originally thought…
One Day Earlier; Tamers Digital World, Zhuqiaomon's Palace:*Antylamon's POV*
Slowly opening once again deep, crimson eyes, Lopmon's newly evolved form—Antylamon—gazed up at the imposing form of the Sovereign Zhuqiaomon with absolute awe.
Automatically bending down into the deepest bow the Deva could muster, she began to express her deep gratitude. "Thank you, oh glorious Sovereign, for your gracious gift. I do not deserve such kindness from a creature as magnificent as thou, oh lord and master Zhuqiaomon, among the Harmonious Ones, beings greater than all other…"
"Yes, yes!" The Vermilion bird of the South boomed, annoyed, though a hint of pleasure at the Rabbit Deva's praising escaped him, "Enough, Antylamon!" He refused to let it show, but evolving his the only living, original Deva left had pleased him greatly.
She immediately concluded her never-ending show of adoration, standing straight once more. She may not have felt worthy of being within the grand Zhuqiaomon's presence, but she was willing to serve him and the other Soveriegns to the end of the Earth and back. She had but one question; however, and Zhuqiaomon knew of it.
At his nod, Antylamon voiced her confusion. "My Lord and Master… why have thou, in all of your boundless benevolence, returned me to this form?"
"Hmph, it should be obvious, my Deva." One of the four rulers of the Digital World promptly chastised his follower, the servant taking it with great grace. "I have a task of great significance which I inquire upon you, my final surviving Deva, to complete."
"My Lord?" She questioned, but he went on as though he had not heard her.
"The worlds have been separate for far too long..." The mighty phoenix cleared his throat. "My… fellow Sovereigns and I have, after much debate, have come to the conclusion that our world and the pathetic human's world must once more be united." He sounded displeased by what he was telling the Deva before him, the Deva's own reaction contradicting his greatly.
Antylamon gasped, falling to one knee, head bowed. She seemed unable to be able to form a complete sentence for some time, the rabbit finally gasping out, "M-master Zhuqiaomon! I… I thank thee!"
Zhuqiaomon waved his wing in dismissal. "Yes… you would, wouldn't you? No matter, it is time! Come." With that, the majestic bird took to the skies from his perch within his still destroyed palace, striking wings spreading out to their full length, easily blanketing the ground beneath in shadow.
Wasting no time, the Rabbit Deva shifted into a squatting position, and with a mighty push, leapt up and over and out of her master's palace.
Landing precariously on the tip of one of the few spires still standing, she braced herself before soaring off with a mighty bound, her deep strides barely keeping pace with the Scarlet Sovereign's swift wing beats.
"It is time… I am coming home, Suzie." Antylamon softly murmured to herself, crimson eyes sparkling with a hope she had at one point forgotten.
Author's Note 2:
Sooooo? Was it what youse guys expected? Haha! XD
Sorry, shouldn't be laughing. It was pretty depressing, after all... Hope that didn't make it any lest enjoyable for you guys. I mean, I find that people don't often talk about what the Digimon themselves could have been feeling during this time. So, I decided to give it a try. Hope they're all in character... what do you guys think?
Okay, so I should probably mention what took me so long to finish this despite having most of it written down by the time I posted the last chapter... I admit, I was actually intending on making Antylamon's part longer, but I just couldn't get it to work! *Sigh* Well, I hope it's okay regardless. :)
Alright... now, with that done I'll be working on the next chapter! I plan on having it feature the OCs you guys sent in, but I'm not sure yet so I wont have a 'next time' this time. I'll be sure to add one later once I've got one ready.
Um... that's all I got. lol, huh... don't have much to say this time. Oh well. *Shrugs, grinning* Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! R n' R guys! =D
P.S.: I ever mention I hate the original Etemon? -.-