Today was a drowsy day for Will and his Digimon. The heat from outside seemed to seep into his room somehow, overpowering the coolness of the air conditioner. Will was sprawled on his bed, BlackGuilmon on the small, circular mat at the side of Will's bed.
"Will..." Blacky said with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, "Make it cool!"
"What do you want me to do?" Will growled, "Wait. Where's Dracomon? And Ranamon?"
Will and Blacky walked downstairs to see Will's mother making a slushy Ranamon was with her, helping out by creating many floating hands to grab ingredients. Dracomon wasn't there, however.
"Hey, Mom. What's going on?" Will asked.
"Oh! Just making something to beat the heat." She said. "Ranamon, could you pass me the sugar?"
"Coming up, Miss Jerri!" Ranamon giggled as she made two of her floating hands reach into the nearby cupboard and pulled out the sugar container and handed it to Will's mother.
"Jerri?" Will hadn't heard anyone call his mom by her first name in a long time. Everyone always called her Mrs. Exis. Never Jerri. "Anyone know where Dracomon is?" Will asked.
His mom pointed to the back door. "Out back burning the stale plants in the garden. Makes great fertilizer!"
Will walked up to the backdoor and looked through the window. Sure enough, the cyan dragon was setting the garden aflame. There was a basket of plants next to him, most likely plants that were salvaged from the dead ones.
"Huh." Will said.
Blacky opened the freezer and curled up in front of it. Ranamon spat water at Blacky's backside, laughing loudly when he jumped in surprise.
"Blacky, come on. I know where we can go to beat the heat." Will patted BlackGuilmon and strolled to the door. "Mom, I'll be back before sundown."
"Okay. Take a slushy with you." Jerri handed Will two bottles of strawberry slushy Will nodded in gratitude and headed out with Blacky.
...
Gigimon slurped on his slushy as he rode in Will's arms. Will made his way through his busy city and reached a large, fancy apartment building. He pressed a button on the speaker on the wall next to the glass door.
"Hello?" a male voice called from the other side of the line.
"It's Will Exis. I'm here to see Soul, Mr. Belle." Will said.
The door opened, and Will walked in. "Okay, Gigimon, into the D-Wrist." With a small protest, Gigimon dissolved into data and entered the D-Wrist. Will then started upstairs and reached the seventh floor.
Will knocked on the door and a older man with blond hair opened it. He had brown eyes and a stubble on his chin.
The man smiled warmly. "Hello again, Will. I haven't seen you since summer began."
"Hello, Mr. Belle. You look good. Where is Soul?"
Mr. Belle pointed to the hallway behind him. "In her room. She's spent a lot of time in there lately..."
Will nodded and walked past the gentleman. The Belles were very wealthy. Their living room had eggshell white carpets and walls. Expensive paintings lined the walls and priceless sculptures sat in several corners. Will continued through the hallway and to a light blue door. He knocked gently.
"Um, hold on!" Soul's sugary voice called. Will heard rustling and struggling inside.
The door flew open to reveal the young Soul. The lithe girl had silvery blonde hair and soft blue eyes. She wore a white t-shirt with a light blue jacket and bell-bottom jeans. She was also wearing pink slippers.
"Oh, Will!" She beamed, "What are you doing here?"
Will blushed, "Well, I knew that you have a strong air conditioner here, and I wanted to see you, so I thought i could come over to talk and cool off."
Soul began to blush as well. "Um, okay. Come in."
...
Will met Soul at his middle school when she first moved here. Since her father was CEO of a very successful oil company, students seemed to treat her like royalty, something that she despised greatly. Will was the only person to seem to treat her normally, and had been friends for a long time after that.
Will looked around Soul's bedroom, which was filled with plush toys of varying sizes on the ground, her desks, and mostly on her bed. Some were big and some were small. Some even looked like they were alive. Will shivered at their cold, glass eyes.
"I see you got a few new ones." Will pointed at several toys he hadn't seen before. There was a huge polar bear, a few cats of varying colors, a brown and pink rabbit, and a large dog.
Soul nodded. "Yeah. I'm starting to run out of room for the damn things... but I love them so!" The girl then sat down on her circular bed and cuddled up with her many toys. Will sat next to her.
Will noticed that Soul seemed different than the last time he saw her. She had gotten a tan, and maybe a few new pieces of jewelry, like the silver watch she had around her wrist-
What. What?
Will's eyes were glued to Soul's wrist. He realized with dismay it was in fact a D-Wrist like his, but silver-colored. Will swallowed hard and slurped on the last of his slushy
"Huh? Do you like my watch?" Soul said, noticing Will's vacant stare. "I got it from a friend of mine."
The male tamer put his right hand on the watch, the same hand that held his own D-Wrist. Soul's eyes widened.
"You have one too." She said. "Well, I guess there's no point in lying to you." She patted her bed three times.
The brown and pink rabbit Will had noticed before began to stir. It sat up and rubbed its eyes. It was very small, with long ears with pink ends that were almost twice the length of its body. Three horns protruded from its head.
"Mama," It said, "Who is this guy?"
"This is the guy I was talking about. This is Will." Soul then turned to the male tamer. "Will, this is Lopmon.
"N-nice to meet you..." Will said nervously.
Soul lifted Lopmon and placed it on her lap. "If you have a D-Wrist, doesn't that mean you have a Digimon? Can I see it?"
"Yeah, yeah! Let's see it!" Lopmon chirped.
Will activated his D-Wrist. " Um, okay. Reload, Gigimon." A flash of light was cast from the Digivice as Gigimon formed in reality.
"Huh? Hey! A new tamer! Cool!" Gigimon barked the blonde girl. He turned to Will. " Digivolve me, Will! I want make a good first impression!"
"Okay, okay..." Will pressed a button on the D-Wrist, causing the center circle to spring up. He switched the setting to Rookie Evolution and pressed down.
"Gigimon Digivolve to...BlackGuilmon!" The Digital Monster said as it transformed into its familiar dark form.
Soul gasped, "Um, that's your Digimon?"
"Looks deadly..." Lopmon covered her eyes with her ears. Blacky sniffed the rabbit-like Digimon.
"Don't worry!" BlackGuilmon smiled, "I only beat up bad Digimon!" Lopmon uncovered one eye. Will chuckled.
"Blacky is a softy. We've already beat a good amount of Digimon already." Will grabbed Soul's hand. "How many have you found?"
Soul pulled her hand away. "Not many." She twirled her finger around Lopmon's middle horn. "We tend to ignore the Digimon Alerts."
Will's eye twitched. "What? But you were chosen to protect the two worlds with Viral, Platinum, and I!"
Soul looked away. "Really. Those two are tamers as well." The female tamer hugged her Digimon close. "Will, what does BlackGuilmon mean to you?"
Will looked at Blacky, who smiled at him. "A friend and partner. An equal."
"I don't feel that way to Lopmon." Soul said with a troubled look on her face. "When she first hatched, she wasn't a friend to me. She was a small living creature that I couldn't see as a partner. I saw her as my child."
Will and Blacky exchanged glances. "Child?" They both said in unison.
Lopmon jumped up. "Yep! I'm Mama's pride and joy! Her faithful daughter, Lopmon!"
"I have been so fearful for her well-being, that I haven't let her fight against any bad Digimon."
"But what happens if a Digimon attacks close to here?" Will reasoned, "You can't just sit in here and play while a Digimon destroys the city!"
"You said that Viral and Platinum have Digimon, right?" Soul spoke softly, "Then you guys can take care of it..."
Blacky growled, "But that doesn't make sense! You were given a Digimon to protect others! Not for you to protect!"
Lopmon looked up to her mother. "These two are making a lot of sense. I'm not helpless, Mama..."
"Don't say such things, Lopmon." Soul patted the Digimon's head. "I'm your tamer and your mother, so my decision is law." Lopmon sighed in defeat.
"But-" Will was interrupted by the D-Wrist beeping loudly. "Crap. Digimon attack. The northern park. Come on, Blacky!" The two ran out the room and past the front door.
Soul's father came to her room. "Another one of those Digimon, huh? You sure make lots of strange friends, Soul."
Soul picked up Lopmon. "I'll be back, Daddy." She called as she ran out of the door.
...
A white furred Digimon the size of a minivan was charging at the park bystanders with its large black horn. Will and Black arrived in time to distract the beast from skewering the innocent.
"What kind of Digimon is that?" Will asked his partner.
"Um, not sure." Blacky said, "Looks like a Deep Saver, though."
Suddenly, Will's D-Wrist began to scan the Digimon. A hologram of the Digimon appeared, showing its stats and information.
"Ikkakumon. A Sea Animal Digimon. Special move: Harpoon Torpedo." Will read the info out loud. "Convenient."
BlackGuilmon snapped his claws. "Oh yeah! Ikkakumon! I heard that a famous DigiDestened was partnered with one."
Ikkakumon roared as it charged at the two, its horn glowing. "Harpoon Torpedo!" It said as its horn shot from its head in a puff of smoke. The horn rocketed at the two with such great speed, Will and Blacky both couldn't see it as it zoomed past their heads.
"Um, someone's pissed." Will said fearfully.
"Absolutely livid." Blacky frowned.
Blacky ran at the opponent Digimon to attack, but strangely enough, the large, four legged Ikkakumon was light on his feet. It dodged behind the dark Digimon and smacked him in the back of the head.
"Pyro Grenade!" Blacky blasted Ikkakumon in its face, causing the beast to stumble backwards. Ikkakumon growled as he charged at Black once again. Blacky was hit head on and tripped backwards in pain.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Will yelled as he activated his D-Wrist. "Time to Digivolve!"
"BlackGuilmon Digivolve to... BlackGrowlmon!" Blacky transformed into large champion form, his height only about a foot more than Ikkakumon's.
"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon blasted it horn at Blacky, who just barely dodged it. Blacky grappled with the beast, but was thrown back by Ikkakumon's strength.
BlackGrowlmon gasped in anger. "He's a Vaccine-Type Digimon. He has a natural advantage over a Virus-Type like me!"
"Well, what do we do?" Will called.
...
Soul and Lopmon arrived a few minutes after Will's fight began. Soul's eyes widened with fear, while Lopmon seemed enraged.
"That Digimon is going to beat Blacky if we don't help him. I'm going down there to-"
"Stop!" Soul cried, "It's too dangerous! You could get hurt!"
"But Blacky could get hurt too! I have to, Mama!" Lopmon started towards the battle.
Soul shut her eyes and clenched her fists. "Lopmon, I am your mother, and you shall listen to me because my word is law!"
Lopmon turned to her. "I don't need a mother now, I need a tamer! And the way you've been acting, I'm not sure if you're fit to be either!"
Soul gasped as Lopmon ran towards the fray. The blonde girl dropped to her knees, tears flowing from her eyes. "Lopmon..." She whispered. "Wait!"
...
"Tiny Twister!" Lopmon spun like a top and bashed into Ikkakumon, causing its attention to turn to the small Digimon. BlackGrowlmon used this opportunity to blow fire at the Aquan Digimon.
"Its too hot!" Ikkakumon blasted the dark dragon with its Harpoon Torpedo, and Blacky fell back in a daze.
"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon's horn exploded at Lopmon, who was blown away by the blast. She was about to get up when Ikkakumon placed its foot on her. She cried out in pain.
"Hey! Stop that!" Will attempted to attack Ikkakumon himself, but was also blasted by the beast's attack, and fell backwards, dizzy with pain.
"Get off! Ahh!" Lopmon cried, " Mama, help me!"
A small pebble hit Ikkakumon in the head. The Aquan Digimon turned his head and glared at Soul, the thrower of the pebble. He removed his foot from Lopmon's tiny body, and charged after the female tamer.
"Lopmon, I'm sorry!" Soul called, while she ran from the raging Champion. "I was being so foolish! Please forgive me!"
Lopmon jumped at Ikkakumon and started spinning. "Tiny Twister!" She knocked the Digimon off its feet. "Apology excepted, Mama!" She said as she landed in Soul's arms.
Ikkakumon roared in anger. Lopmon jumped to the ground. "Ready?" She asked her tamer.
Soul activated her D-Wrist. "Y-yeah..." She said nervously, "Digivolve!"
Lopmon Digivolve to..." Lopmon grew to Soul's height, and her ears grew thin and long. A sleeveless, yellow karate gi, red gloves, black slippers, and metal weapons appeared on her person. Her body turned pink, excluding her snout which was white in color. She bowed in respect and shouted, "Turuiemon!"
Soul nodded to her evolved Digimon. "Go!" Turuiemon nodded back and raced to Ikkakumon.
"Gauntlet Claw!" Turuiemon punched Ikkakumon in the face with the metal weapons on her arms. She punched it rapidly and without mercy. Ikkakumon jumped back to dodge the other Digimon's attack, but Turuiemon was expecting its retreat.
"Ninja Fist!" Turuiemon leaped with great force and punched her Aquan opponent in the chest. Ikkakumon was pushed back, and fell on the ground.
"Finish it, Turuiemon!" Soul commanded. Turuiemon jumped up into the air above Ikkakumon, then came down, fist first. Ikkakumon dodged out of the way and ran away.
"Let's go after it!" Turuiemon called. Soul nodded. The two then follow the large Digimon into the nearest neighborhood.
Will regained consciousness at the same time Soul had left. He was just barely able to see Soul and a strange new Digimon follow Ikkakumon into the nearby suburban area.
BlackGrowlmon stirred, "What happened?"
"Not sure, but turn back to rookie form. They went that way towards... my neighborhood?"
Will and the devolved Blacky raced through the streets, following the signs of a struggle. The followed the trail to an open fence door.
"What? This is my house!" Will said as he looked at the white house in front of him. He then heard Ikkakumon's roar. He and BlackGuilmon ran through the gate to find something unexpected. Ikkakumon was lying on the ground, with Lopmon blowing cold air on it. The beast looked happy and content. Soul was with Will's mother, mixing more strawberry slushy as Ranamon was giving Ikkakumon a large cup of the cold drink.
"What the hell's going on here?" Will and Blacky yelled together.
"This big guy was thirsty, that's what!" Will's mother called. "The heat must have been too much for him because of all that fur. It must like cool climates and went crazy when it got too hot!"
"He must have been attracted by the coolness coming from your place, Will." Soul said as she blended more strawberries. "When I say he was just really hot, I got Lopmon to use her Blazing Ice attack to cool him off!"
Lopmon nodded, "He wasn't bad! He was having hallucinations from the heat!"
Dracomon was tilting the soil in the garden with his claws. "I want the next slushy!" He called over his shoulder.
Will sighed. "So what do we do with him?"
Ranamon raised her hand. "The Digifarm can change its climate for all types of Digimon. We can keep him there."
Will gave Ranamon a thumbs-up. "Good thinking, Ranamon. Let's do that later."
"Why not now?" Blacky asked.
"Because... I'm thirsty. Two drinks over here, Mom!"
...
"So you're going to join us in this fight?" Will asked Soul as the sun began to set later that day.
Soul adjusted the sleeping Lopmon in her arms. "Yes. Thanks for everything you've done, Will. If you need me, you have my number."
"Okay. See you later." Will waved goodbye to his friend as she walked away. He then went inside to his room and sat down on his bed. Dracomon and Blacky were both on the ground snoring, while Ranamon was busily typing on the computer.
"I'm really surprised this thing still works." Will patted the computer monitor.
Ranamon giggled. "Yep. Its real... what's that outside?"
Will, with a confused look on his face, looked outside of his window. There, he saw a large moving truck unloading furniture into the house next door.