Chapter 6: Her Name is...
Day 5 - Digital World, (Not so)Vibrant Seaside: Seiko Sasaki
For some reason I could not hear those people's names. Only Kiyoshi and Isamu. Who was that girl? There were seven in total, like the seven Digimon Eismon mentioned. Seiko was still in a daze. Maybe they are all here?
"Seiko! You okay?" Isamu was holding her in his arms. Kiyoshi looked to be in tears at this point, very afraid.
Schneemon looked back, distressed. Seiko nodded that she was fine, and he turned his head forward, speeding up. The ice path he made melted slowly starting from the shore the farther he got. Honomon was close at his heels.
Isamu was relieved when she could sit up without his help. She wiped Kiyoshi's tears and comforted him by ruffling his black hair. He was stunned for a second but let her continue until he stopped sniffling.
Day 5 - Digital World, (Not so)Vibrant Seaside: Schneemon
Schneemon felt terrible for leaving his partner behind. Just like back then, she had told him to go forward, ignoring her own condition. Honomon had disappointed him earlier, but Schneemon knew that he had to lead the example of what a Digimon like them should be to their partners. Besides, he was the second oldest Digimon, he had to lead if Magomon wasn't here. Magomon had put him second in charge anyway, so he was the defacto leader.
Right now, just focus on what Seiko wants. When I get my hands on that MoriShellmon, he'll pay for what he- no, don't get angry. Don't get angry. Think of Seiko's smile, think of the other five Digimon I need to meet...
Sensing the loud noises and the disturbance of the water, Schneemon and Honomon had reached MoriShellmon in time just as he was about to deal the finishing blow. Octomon had held MoriShellmon off well.
"Icicle Needles!"
Schneemon threw his cloak in the air and the icicles all separated, lining up in the air to point themselves towards MoriShellmon. Then they all aimed for MoriShellmon at once. During this time, another icicle cloak was forming over Schneemon, to replace the one he was losing.
"Pentagon Fire!"
Kasaimon summoned five fireballs, arranged in the shape of a regular pentagon. He aimed two at a time towards MoriShellmon, who yelled when hit by both blasts. Some icicles were stuck in his tough skin. Octomon fell onto the ice.
"Mind Fog!"
MoriShellmon dispersed a fog that was quickly approaching Honomon. Eismon felt it in the air and used his cloak's icicles to form a barrier, but it was hard to keep the seeping fog away.
"Spurting Ink!"
The ink bullet made the fog disappear.
"Heh, you owe me one now." The Octomon gave a goofy smile, ready to faint.
Schneemon revived another cloak, dodging here and there.
"Honomon, go and take Octomon out of here. I can deal with him myself."
"Shell Pile!"
Schneemon dodged a shell hurtling towards his direction. How can the MoriShellmon breathe in the water? He decided to ask questions later.
"Schneemon, I want to help!" Honomon was defiant to his command.
"Just go! I told you, I can handle him. You're affinity is fire, so you're weak here anyway. It's not that you'll get in the way, but the best thing you can do is to bring Octomon back. I know I can count on you."
He could imagine Honomon's face.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Schneemon affirmed confidently.
"Okay, you got it." Honomon carried Octomon, despite his smaller size, and bounded towards the shore.
Cute kid, hopefully I'm leading him to the right direction. Now there's a mollusk to punish.
"Nature Hit Ray!"
"Eiswords!"
Several swords, ten in total, embedded themselves into the ice road he had created. Schneemon reflected a green ray with two ice swords. They broke right after the blast ended. He grimaced a little. Being out of commission weakened him. Not that his swords were strong anyway. He picked up one and threw it at the MoriShellmon, aiming for his skin. It turned around quickly and the sword shattered into pieces on the shell. Schneemon aimed a few more at MoriShellmon, trying to gauge a weak point, or somewhere vulnerable. They pierced his skin, but didn't do enough to cause major damage, just irk him.
"Shell Pile!"
"Urgh." Schneemon took the hit predicting the stance that would damage him the least. He didn't know where MoriShellmon had come from. Sliding across the floor, he almost fell underwater.
"Schneemon!" He heard Seiko from the coast. Honomon was ready to come back. Shneemon heard Isamu telling him to stay back.
He did a quick wave to show that he was fine. To Honomon, he motioned him to stay put. Shcneemon felt that instinctively. Honomon pouted. Using a sword, he pulled himself back up and jumped before the jaws of the MoriShellmon burst through the ice.
Three swords left before a recharge. I have my cloak ready. Schneemon tilted his diadem. Argh! Hurry and find a weak point. My swords and cloak can't pierce it's tough skin. Should I just slash anywhere?...don't get angry, don't get angry. He took a deep breath. Things take time. It hasn't been that long anyway. He analyzed and sorted through the movements of the mindless forest Digimon who just kept growling. I got it... Schneemon's lips curved slightly.
"Icicle Needles!"
Schneemon aimed at MoriShellmon's softer inner body. They stuck and he howled in pain and opened his mouth.
"Gotcha."
Schneemon aimed all three swords and several dozen remaining icicles into where he thought his big mouth was and MoriShellmon was defeated. He reverted back into a Digiegg and it headed towards Primary Village.
Oh pitiful Digimon, rest in peace and may you have a fresh start. Opening his eyes halfway, he saluted to the Digiegg, now a speck in the distance. Schneemon felt something hit his foot in the water. Picking it up, it seemed to be a mask. He made it a note to find out where it came from. Then Schneemon went back to his beloved partner.
He had so much to tell them, yet so much to keep secret.
Day 5 - Digital World, Vibrant Seaside: Seiko Sasaki
Schneemon came back and both Honomon and him regressed to Eismon and Kasaimon respectively.
Eismon commanded the Digimon around him. "Okay, lets get the two Syaykomon in treatment first. Ask questions later. I want a tight security around the area too. There might be other hostile Digimon around like that MoriShellmon. Kasaimon and I will protect everyone here. Also, I would like to know if there is a telephone."
After seeing Schneemon's fight, all the Digimon obeyed his word. Seiko guessed the battle made an impact on the villagers. Right now, he looked charismatic and like a true leader.
"Seiko you okay?" He knelt down and took her hand. He half opened his eyes again, full of worry.
"Of course I am, just a little headache." She stood up to prove it to him. He sighed contently and closed his eyes and walked to inspect the damage. Kasaimon followed his example and scurried after him. Seiko was still wondering how he could go around with his eyes closed. Wouldn't he bump into something?
Kasaimon who was silently walking in the sand, making no noise. He bumped into Eismon. Eismon had tried to move out of the way, but still collided with him. Eismon had a stern look on his face and yanked his hood up. Kasaimon fretted until Eismon uncovered his face after ten seconds. Seiko figured that Eismon was trying not to lose his temper.
XXXXX
The whole group now was resting in the house with the two Syaykomon who attacked them earlier. Isamu was jogging around the room, training now, but tired. He did a few push-ups too. Then he fell back onto a chair, exhausted. Eismon did glance at him approvingly but with a little pity. During this time, Seiko and Kiyoshi were catching Eismon up to date on their journey so far. Kasaimon was cheering for Isamu to continue, but he relented. She herself was sitting on a coach with Kiyoshi and Eismon next to her. Eismon then placed a mask out of his cloak onto the table in front of the coach. It was clear and transparent.
"So it's a mask right?" Eismon questioned. "What does it look like?"
"Uh... aren't you staring at it right now?" spoke Kiyoshi. Everyone stared at Eismon, confused.
"Well, I can't see." Eismon put his hood up and bit his lip. "I use my hearing to get around. I can hear everyone's hearts beating right now. Honestly, it's more comfortable for me to put my hood up to block the sounds. Right now though, we can be in danger in any moment so I would like for me to hear anything far away. Just because I can't see, don't treat me like a weakling or anything. So if anyone was wondering why I close my eyes, it's because I don't see a use of doing so."
Question resolved.
"Well," Kiyoshi decided to describe it to make up for his indirect rudeness," It's a clear mask that filters out anything so that anyone can breathe in any environment. It says on the left side 'made in Musyamon's Factory.'" He tried the mask on. "Wow, pretty cool! It just disappears on my face! It looks like I'm not even wearing it!"
"Yes, and it magically adjusted to the size of your head," Seiko pointed that out too.
"It also says version 2.0 on it. Well, that explains how a land Digimon can survive underwater." Isamu's body calmed down at last. "But who sent the MoriShellmon? Did it work for the Digimon Tsumi? If so, then why would it betray two Digimon working with it then?"
"Maybe it's because the Syaykomon were blackmailed?" Kasaimon piped up, wagging his tail.
"Probably," Eismon confirmed, "Even so, the reason why and who sent it, we don't know yet."
"Excuse me? Eismon?" The Syaykomon with a dent in its shell peeped into the room. "We finally found a telephone for you." He lugged an old fashion phone, the one with the dialing numbers where you had to wait till the number reached zero to input the next one.
"Thank you." Eismon tried to take it, but he tripped over his fur cloak, landing 0.5 centimeters to the handle. Everyone tried not to laugh as Eismon pulled up his hood to hide his embarrassment.
After ten times trying to not mess up the number, the group finally got the call across.
"Hello? Who is it?" Terriermon answered from the other side.
"Terriermon!" Kasaimon yelled next to Eismon's ear, and Eismon winced in pain.
"Who is this?" Terriermon spoke in a suspicious voice.
Eismon punched the speaker button on the side of the telephone. He ordered them to close the windows in case anyone could hear their conversation.
"It's me, Eismon." Eismon gruffed. He was at his boiling point due to the group's blunder to get the right number and by Kasaimon's outburst. "And to let you know, that was Kasaimon right there. Everyone I have with me are fine. No harm came to them."
"You know Terriermon?" Seiko stroked a ponytail. "You've never met him, right?"
"I will say right now that I was a living and breathing rookie before I was reverted back into a Digiegg Seiko." Eismon answered. "We met once before I slept."
"Yeah." Terriermon sighed. "I only know Eismon though. I met Magomon once too."
Before any more questions were asked, Terriermon told the group for a full update on their progress. Eismon explained everything that transpired and brought up the mask's origin.
"We only know that Renamon flew in the direction of Musyamon's Factory. After finding him, we were planning to go there and check anyway." Isamu finished off.
"Really? Do you want me to inform KedakaiLeomon? I have someone helping me relay messages back and forth. About the factory, Musyamon was defeated two days ago. It's now under ownership of Clockmon along with the Hagurumon and Solarmon again. Isn't that great?"
"Wow! Who freed them?" Kiyoshi asked with curiosity befitting a boy his age.
"A group of humans just like you, Greens. That's what the Digimon who informed me said."
"Oh, and were there four?" Seiko asked.
"No. Three was in their party."
Hm? So does that mean my earlier deduction of seven Digidestined were wrong? Including the girl there were seven. Seiko fingered through one of her ponytails. Then did something happen to decrease the number? All I remember was that it took place at this exact same location. It occurred as least a week after I entered the Digital World at the time, if I am correct on that.
"Seiko, why do you think that there were four?" Isamu tilted his head, puzzled.
"Well..." Seiko confessed what she had seen. Eismon froze like a block of ice and Terriermon was silent over the phone until she finished her story.
"So all I know is that there were seven of us, which match the number of Digimon partners Eismon stated earlier." Seiko played with her right ponytail, deep in thought. "That means we were all here before. If the three of us came back, then the other four should have come as well. Then, how is there six?"
Eismon broke the silence. "Seiko, you were here before. That's why Kasaimon and I knew who the three of you were. Ever since you left, we all waited in our egg forms for the six of you to come back. Three years we waited, and I know that some are still waiting. I was the last to revert back into a Digiegg so I know who was the one holed up in Musyamon Factory."
"Then who was the Digimon?" Kiyoshi leaned forward, wanting to hear.
Eismon opened his eyes halfway and seemed to be in another world, seeming to reminisce. "Vetermon. By the way, her human partner's name is Sasha Alkaev. Sasha must have awakened her and defeated Musyamon then."
"And who are the other two?" Isamu inquired.
"It must have been Minoru Yamamoto and Yoshi Takahashi. They were the ones with us in the previously in the past. They are the one's KedakaiLeomon probably has with him, judging from Terriermon's report."
"Yeah, that's right." Terriermon's voice rang out. "That's who they were. Three. Not four."
"Oh! Then who was that girl with the black hair?" Seiko wanted to know.
"Her name is... Hitomi. She was a bright girl. Always making lame puns." Eismon suddenly looked a lot older and tired, contrasting his previous dreamy face.
"Wait, did she create the name of our Digivices, D-Links?"
"Yes, to my knowledge Isamu. She did. How did you know that?" Eismon half opened his eyes, watching Isamu seriously.
"I had a vision like Seiko, well more of a dream. Seven of us were gathered in a circle and she made the name along with a joke. I also saw her digivolving her Digimon, but I couldn't make out her or her Digimon though."
"Was. You keep using the word was when talking about her. Why?"Kiyoshi pointed to Eismon.
Now Kasaimon had a worried face. "Did something happen to her?"
"Yes, she's dead." Eismon slowly worded out. "She died three years ago. Magomon was her partner."
"..."
Dead? Wait, why did I not know her until now? I knew her three years ago. What WAS I doing all this time? Did she have a family? Do they know she is gone, never coming back? Magomon was her partner? Is that why he did not speak to us? Did we remind him of her? How would Schneemon feel if he lost me? Is death permanent for us then, in a world made of digital data?
This was a lot to take in. Seiko felt as if death was closing in on her, breathing behind her neck. It felt cold all of a sudden. She looked up to see the temperature decreasing due to Eismon. He noticed and dispersed the forming ice away. Everyone huddled to Kasaimon for warmth. Except Eismon.
First of all, who was Hitomi? And again, how did I not remember her until I returned to the Digital World?
"So Magomon has been alone all this time?" Seiko spoke in a gloomy voice.
"Yes, and by the way, there are only five Digieggs. Kasaimon was right by the number, but not by the number of people left."
"So let me get this straight. There's six of us, and only five Digieggs?" Isamu blurted out. "Why? That means someone's going to be in constant danger!"
"When Hitomi died, someone's Digimon died too. Even if they were supposed to turn up in Primary Village, it never happened. Magomon told us when he went to check. Maybe that Digimon's is still alive somewhere, or maybe the Digimon's in egg form."
"Who, who?" Kasaimon was in anguish.
"All I know is that it's either Minoru's or Kiyoshi's." Eismon stated. "Magomon didn't tell who it was. I was reverted last. I saw Yoshi's partner, Vetermon, and Kasaimon stored away in their respective areas."
"Our signal for the Digiegg was purple though!" Kiyoshi shouted. "Do you know whose it is?" He stood up, shocked.
"Purple... then it's Minoru Yamamoto's. That was the color of his Digiegg, I'm sure of it. I'm sorry for you and all of our loss, Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi slumped down back in his spot on the couch, his eyes looked dead. Seiko and everyone else stared. They all didn't like that look on a young boy. Now Seiko wanted to bring him back to Earth, away from all this chaos and sorrow.
"Greens, cheer up." Terriermon huffed. "I know it's hard now, but think about it. If your Digimon was reborn back in the Primary Village. It's out there somewhere! Just look for it. Don't give up. Everything's going to be okay!"
Kiyoshi then put on a determined face. "Okay, if you say so. No one's dead okay? Just that Hitomi girl! We're going to bring peace and go back home. Lets find my Digimon and meet up with the others! It's not over yet okay, okay!? Everything's going to be okay!"
Kiyoshi didn't look like he believed in himself, but Seiko and Isamu respectively put a hand each on his shoulder.
"Sure sport," Seiko pulled up his drooping jacket on the right side," It's not over yet."
"Yeah." Isamu did the same on his left side."Come on, we've got a world to save."
Now Kiyoshi was determined. He looked up and shouted, "See me? I'm Kiyoshi Suzuki and nothing else is going to be taken away from me? You hear that?"
Taken away?
Isamu and Seiko glanced at each other.
The sun set as the sea darkened to an ugly, gray color. Beneath where the sunken temple lay, water had removed the grime of the sign revealing the true name of the place.
"Altar of the Dark Ocean"
Day 6 - Digital World, Cliffs of Tapirmon: Magomon
Magomon was chasing after a Digimon who was quite fast. Hitomi was sitting on his shoulder, the wind blowing harshly.
"Magomon! Oh hurry! If you can catch that Digimon, I won't make any puns for the next month!"
This motivated him immensely.
The purple Digiegg glowed as the conniving fox was getting farther and farther away. The winds made it hard to move around without losing balance. Hitomi would fall to her death if he messed up. He was trying the best he could.
"Lucky Die!"
Magomon summoned several pieces of die, six in total. Each die had different powers inside, making him not entirely specializing in one element, but not lacking in any either. He aimed one at the fox who missed. The die exploded into a red, raging fire. The wind quickly blew it away. He aimed three more. Respectively, vines, lightning, and a beam of light was dodged by the speedy fox.
"Who is that?" Hitomi clutched on for dear life.
"Youkomon. It is feared to bring destruction and decay." He adjusted his top hat so he wouldn't lose it." It's not strong offensively, but it possesses strong spiritual ability as well as specializing in the "arts" techniques. It's a Champion level."
"Well, who cares about that! It sure is fast!" Hitomi yelled to be heard. "And it has the Digiegg we were looking for! What gives?!" Her hair whipped around her face. "Our plan would fail if we couldn't get Minoru's."
"Jaenryu!"
A flaming dragon was hurtling towards them at an insane speed, aided by the gusts of air. It grew bigger, fueled by the winds, unlike Magomon's. He dodged with Hitomi who yelped, as it nearly grazed her.
With two die left, he aimed one toward the blue, nine tailed fox and one at himself. Using the winds die, he accelerated forward and struck the ice die at Youkomon. It fell somewhere, deep deep in the abyss, unable to move it's legs.
"I'm going in, ready?" Magomon balanced himself in the air, ready to plunge into the unknown.
Hitmoi nodded then-
"He sure is blue now. Must be the cold."
He groaned and then the two dived into the pitch black darkness.
Hitomi's dead? What?!
Right after AP testing and I decided to reward myself by typing this chapter! I think I did pretty well. Maybe not a 5 score but I'm pretty sure I passed.
I feel that this story is going to be going along fast soon. Lots of action in this chappie. But now, we must move onto the other group's point of view! And yes, many questions are answered yet raised and Schneemon had his own POV. Sweet!
And yes, if you look up who Youkomon is, you will be spoiled of what happened to Renamon.
Thanks again for my sis editing and proofreading. ;D
Short chapter than the others, but I think it revealed a lot more.