More Digimon? I thought you'd never ask.
Disclaimer: Nothing of this franchise is owned by me in part or as a whole.
LAST TIME:
KIYOKO: After meeting this old guy in the park, he gave me something he called a D-Power. He told me to use it near a computer, and when I did, I found myself in the Digital World, or more accurately a cowboy town. There I was attacked by Deputymon and saved by Gatomon. Using the power of Digi-Modification, both of us were able to beat that thug. It only got better when we got the reward for taking him out. When it was decided I'd find my way home, Gatomon followed me, saying she'd protect me from this world.
Chapter 23
Devil
Kiyoko was almost through telling Gatomon about the events in her life that led up to her arrival in the Digital World. Despite the fact that Gatomon had promised to protect her only until she found a way home, the two were as close as old friends.
"Just then," Kiyoko continued, "the computer started glowing, then the D-Power, and then the next thing I knew, I'd walked into the movie set for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
"Who was the 'bad' in that whole scene, then?" Gatomon said. She and Kiyoko started laughing.
Kiyoko took this moment to check their surroundings; they were now next to a large lake. Kiyoko also noticed that the temperature had dropped significantly since they left the area that Gatomon referred to as "Western City." Just one more thing I'll have to get used to, I guess, she thought.
Suddenly, they both heard some sort of rumble. They looked at the lake to see if the source of the noise was causing ripples. The rumbling occurred again, but nothing happened to the lake. Gatomon turned in Kiyoko's direction. There was more rumbling and Gatomon had a look of realization on her face. "Kiyoko," she said, pointing at her, "that's your stomach!"
Kiyoko just laughed nervously. "Sorry, guess it's been a while since I've eaten. Got any good ideas for food around here?"
It turned out that Gatomon knew of a restaurant that was close by. Not too far from the lake's edge was a small, one-floor building. The sign above it read "Digitamamon's," but it was the image juxtaposed with it that grabbed Kiyoko's attention: it looked like an eggshell with two reptilian feet sticking out of the bottom and a hole in the middle revealing two yellow eyes.
"Um, Gatomon, what's…?" Kiyoko asked as she pointed at the top of the restaurant.
"Oh, that's Digitamamon himself, the Digimon who owns this restaurant," Gatomon answered. "Don't let his looks fool you. Inside that hard shell, he's a real softie." Although not completely reassured, Kiyoko followed her through the door.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was not unlike any restaurant Kiyoko had been to in her own world. They were seated and handed menus. Kiyoko was surprised to see how many entries were remarkably close to actual human food.
After a few minutes of looking through the menus, a small, robotic Digimon came up to their table. "Hello, ladies," it said. "May I take your orders?"
Kiyoko was the first to speak. "Yeah, I'll have a chicken sandwich and some soda for a drink." The Digimon didn't have a pad to write it down, but its clear, dome-shaped head showed its flashing circuitry, no doubt updating its memory banks.
"And you?" it asked, indicating to Gatomon.
"Hmm." She looked at the menu a few seconds longer and said, "I'll take the tuna surprise and a bottle of milk." The Digimon's head flashed again.
"Okay, I'll be back with your orders in a few minutes," it said. Kiyoko and Gatomon gave it the menus and it walked away.
When it was gone, Kiyoko finally asked the question burning in her since the Digimon came. "I know I'm going to be asking this a lot," she admitted, "but what was that Digimon?"
"Datamon," Gatomon answered matter-of-factly. "He's really good with matters of technology, and his Digital Bomb can take care of his enemies easily."
"Does every Digimon have to have an attack?" Kiyoko asked.
"Well, in case you haven't noticed," Gatomon replied, "there are a lot of Digimon out there who want to hurt others. I like to think of our attacks as a self-defense mechanism."
"Back home," Kiyoko said, "we can do that with karate."
"Maybe," Gatomon said, "but can karate stop a giant stag beetle?" She paused just to look at Kiyoko's face of wonder and fear. "There are a lot of Digimon, and many of them are fierce by nature. And there are plenty who are stronger than that Deputymon we faced back in Western City."
"Remind me to never come here for a vacation," Kiyoko said.
"Then why are you here?" Gatomon asked.
"I told you, it was an accident."
"Maybe. But that old man must have had some reason for bringing you here."
Although she didn't want to admit it, Kiyoko realized that Gatomon had a valid point. It was the old man who gave her the means to come here, if unwittingly. Did that mean he was just another Digimon? No other human could have possibly known about the Digital World.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Datamon came back with a large serving tray. "Okay," it said as its head began to flash again. "Chicken sandwich for you…" it placed the plate on Kiyoko's side of the table, "and tuna surprise for you," it put this plate next to Gatomon. "Enjoy your meal." They both thanked it as it walked away.
As they ate, Kiyoko said, "You know, I'm surprised. When I learned that I was in another world, I expected this place to be as civilized as that cowboy town."
"The Digital World has plenty of different settlements," Gatomon replied. "Most of them are villages made up of similar Digimon, either by species or attributes. Compared to these villages, only a handful of settlements are actual cities or towns with a mix of Digimon. And still many others live in the wild, either because they're wild Digimon or they choose that way of life."
"How about you?" Kiyoko asked. "How did you live?"
"I traveled around the Digital World because I wanted to help those in need," Gatomon answered. "I was just on my way through town when I met you being held at gunpoint."
"What made you want to spend your life helping others?"
"The Digi-Agents," Gatomon said simply.
Kiyoko just stared at her. "Uh, come again?"
"The Digi-Agents are a group of Digimon that have all but taken over our world. Not much is known about them, but the way I hear it, each agent rules over one section of the Digital World, and they do it with extreme cruelty. The problem is they almost never show themselves. But you can feel their presence; even if you don't actually see the Agent, you'll at least see one of their underlings doing the dirty work for them. They say their goal is to 'rule the world.'"
"They make it sound like they don't," Kiyoko observed.
"Add that to the list of things we don't really know about them. Whatever they're doing, I want to make sure that they don't hurt anyone. I realize I'm just one Digimon, but one is better than none, right?"
Kiyoko nodded absentmindedly and returned to her sandwich. She thought about what Gatomon was saying. Evil Digimon keeping a strict dictatorship over most of the Digital World, an old man giving her the ability to come to such a world; was it all coincidence?
She went through these thoughts until they finished their meal. Kiyoko went up to the register to pay. Behind the register she saw the Digimon whose picture was on the sign outside: Digitamamon. "So," it said, "good meal?"
"Yeah," Kiyoko said, just barely paying attention. She took out the jump drive that acted as money and saw a slot, almost like a USB port, in which to place it. As she was about to connect the two, however, an explosion occurred outside. "What was that?" Kiyoko asked.
"I think I know," Digitamamon said, almost angry. "Wait here." He jumped over the counter and headed out the automatic sliding doors. Kiyoko went back to Gatomon, who was already looking out the window, as were several other customers. They all saw Digitamamon talking to another Digimon. It looked like a female human, but her skin was a pale gray and her hair white. She wore mostly black, and whether those were wings or a tattered cape on her back, Kiyoko could not be sure. The top half of her face was covered by a mask that looked like it was made of the same material as the rest of her outfit. Her left arm was long enough to reach her knees and the hand on it was incredibly large and sported red fingertips. The other arm was wrapped in chains. One final feature, Kiyoko noticed, was a flap of fabric over her right shoulder, curved upward, that looked like it was alive.
"Who is that?" Kiyoko asked Gatomon.
"LadyDevimon. A nasty fallen angel Digimon, whose Darkness Wave is just as nasty."
"I told you," Digitamamon said to her angrily, "the only reason for you to be here is to eat something."
"Sorry, bad egg," LadyDevimon replied, "but I'm here on business. I've been hearing reports of some human activity. Care to verify?"
"Why should I?"
"My friend Hyogamon has been having a spot of trouble lately; it seems one of his lackeys was destroyed earlier. Then I heard that a human had come this way. If you have any in there, this is my ultimatum: bring them to me, and your life, as well as those of whatever Digimon are in that sorry excuse for a restaurant, will be spared."
"Sorry," Digitamamon said, "but I have this thing against Digi-Agents who both attack and insult my restaurant. Swing Egg!" He released a salvo of egg-shaped projectiles at LadyDevimon from his face hole. She turned to the side to shield herself.
When he stopped, LadyDevimon cried out, "How dare you? Darkness Wave!" A dark aura surrounded her and flew to Digitamamon. He tucked his legs inside his shell and closed the openings. The aura came upon him, and although he was protected, he still tilted from his position.
Kiyoko stared at the scene. "I don't know if he can last much longer against that witch," one of the Digimon said.
"But what can we do about it?" another Digimon asked. There was silence.
Suddenly, Kiyoko spoke. "She's looking for a human; I say give her what she wants." There were a few gasps, but no one made any attempt to stop her; none except Gatomon.
"Are you crazy?" she asked. "Digitamamon's just barely holding her off. What can you do?"
"Without you," Kiyoko replied, "nothing. You said you'd protect me, and you wanted to strike a blow against the Digi-Agents. I'd say this is an opportunity to do both." There was something in her response that made Gatomon smile. The two ran out of the restaurant.
"Hey!" Kiyoko shouted. LadyDevimon stopped her attack and turned to face the voice that grabbed her attention.
"Ah," she exclaimed, "so there was a human. You see, egghead, if you had cooperated, we could've avoided all that nastiness." Digitamamon opened his shell and turned to see Kiyoko. "So you must be the one who destroyed Hyogamon's flunkey, am I right, little girl?"
"Can't exactly say it truthfully," Kiyoko admitted, "but I did take out a Digimon that was acting like a pretty big jerk."
"And I suppose the little kitty cat helped you," LadyDevimon said. "That must make you a Digi-Destined."
"A Digi-What?" Kiyoko asked.
LadyDevimon simply waved in indifference. "The technical matters need not concern you. Basically, little girl, you're supposed to destroy us, and we certainly can't have that, now can we? So, surrender now, promise not to interfere, and maybe nothing will happen."
Kiyoko smiled. "Let's see: leave the Digital World in your control or destroy you all. What do you think, Gatomon?"
"I'll tell you what I think," Gatomon said. Suddenly, she jumped. "Lightning Paw!" As she was about to connect, LadyDevimon flew out of the way. Gatomon landed and stood ready for battle.
"So, looks like we're doing this the hard way, then," LadyDevimon mused.
"Who am I to refuse what destiny wants of me?" Kiyoko asked rhetorically. She took her D-Power and a card out of her pack. "Let's see if this still works. Digi-Modify! Kabuterimon Electro-Shocker, activate!" A ball of electricity appeared in front of Gatomon. She pushed her hands into it and it flew toward LadyDevimon. She was surprised by Gatomon's new, and otherwise impossible, move that she didn't dodge it in time.
When she righted herself, she said, "How can you possibly use a move like that?"
"Just a little thing I call Digi-Modification," Kiyoko answered.
LadyDevimon growled. "Well, this is something I call Darkness Wave!"
Kiyoko quickly pulled out another card. "Digi-Modify! Icemon Defensive Ray, activate!" A blue beam shot out of the D-Power and flew in between Gatomon and the dark energy, creating a shield. The energy hit, but couldn't penetrate the shield. Kiyoko took the Icemon card and swiped it again. "Digi-Modify! Icemon Iceball Bomb, activate!" The shield dropped and something appeared in Gatomon's hand: a ball of ice. She threw it at LadyDevimon at high speed. However, the demon-lady brought her elongated left arm forward, caught it in her huge grasp, and crushed it.
"That didn't work," Gatomon said.
"I'll say it didn't. Darkness Wave!" LadyDevimon released another wave of dark energy. Gatomon jumped and her tail ring began to glow. She waved her tail, dispersing the energy coming near her.
"That was close," Kiyoko said, "but that kind of luck won't last forever."
"Hey," a rough voice called out. Kiyoko turned and saw Digitamamon. She had forgotten he was even there. "Listen, if you want to beat her, you have to take advantage of her weakness." Kiyoko just gave him a confused look. "LadyDevimon is a virus, like a computer virus, so that means—"
"Hey down there!" LadyDevimon yelled. "This battle is going on long enough without you boring us with your babbling." She swooped down and swiped Digitamamon with her left hand, knocking him over and unconscious. She then was about to strike Kiyoko, but got sidetracked by Gatomon, who slapped her with the ring on her tail.
"Don't forget, you're not done with me yet." LadyDevimon chased after her, leaving Kiyoko alone.
Alright, Kiyoko thought, what now? "Exploit her weakness?" But what is that? Digitamamon mentioned something about her being like a computer virus, so maybe an anti-virus program? She looked through her cards again. She saw that some of the Digimon were labeled in one corner as virus. She continued to look through them and saw some others marked as data. That's it! If I can find something that looks like it can beat a virus, then I can use it to beat her. She continued to look through them until she found the perfect card. It was labeled as a vaccine, which fit perfectly as an opposite of a virus. Plus, she thought, an angel against a demon is a nice touch, too. She took the card and brought it to the card reader.
"Digi-Modify! Angemon Angel Rod, activate!" A large staff appeared in Gatomon's hands.
"Ooh," LadyDevimon taunted, "looks like kitty has a new toy. Well, I got one of my own. Black Wing!" She lifted her left hand and it began to shift into a black blade. She charged in and prepared to attack. Gatomon saw it coming and moved the staff just in time to block her. LadyDevimon quickly regained herself and tried again, only to be blocked once more. No matter how many times she slashed, Gatomon was able to block her at every turn.
"Why don't you just give up, lady?" Gatomon taunted. "This is a staff from an angel; you'll never beat it."
"My motto is, 'Never say never,'" LadyDevimon said as she continued to attack. "I won't give up that easily."
"Then maybe we should give you some more incentive," Gatomon replied. She pointed the staff into the ground and leapt over it like a pole-vaulter. Taking it with her as she ascended, she lowered it once again as she fell, sticking it into LadyDevimon's back. Gatomon pushed her out of the way of her landing and posed with the staff, like she was ready for more. Kiyoko ran up next to her.
LadyDevimon struggled to get up. She grunted as she finally stood. "You'll pay for this," she said before holding up her left hand. "Evil Wing!" A flurry of bats came from her hand and toward Kiyoko and Gatomon. Kiyoko tried to swat the bats away with her arms. Gatomon quickly twirled the staff above her head. All of the bats disappeared, but, as the two looked around, so did LadyDevimon. They heard applause coming from the restaurant.
"So was that an escape tactic or a last ditch effort?" Kiyoko asked.
"Probably both," Gatomon replied as the staff disappeared. "Even if it didn't destroy us, it would provide enough cover for an escape."
They both heard groaning from behind them and turned to find Digitamamon waking up. Kiyoko ran over to him and helped him to stand. "That was impressive," Digitamamon said. "No one's ever gone that long against LadyDevimon before. The rest just usually collapse or surrender."
"Well," Gatomon said "just call us unusual."
"How about I just call you paying customers," Digitamamon replied. "You still hadn't paid for your meal yet. And don't try to talk me out of it by saying you saved my shell and all." Kiyoko could only chuckle.
Well, that was a close call. But will LadyDevimon return? Only time will tell on Digimon: Digital Monsters.
Before I close on this chapter, I just realized that Kiyoko's crest isn't revealed yet. So guess whaaaa-aaaaat? Remember, No-Prizes for the first one to get it.
This is CF signing out.