Platinum let out a loud snort as she awoke. Her hair was disheveled, and a dry line of drool ran down from her mouth to the side of her cheek. She sniffled before slowly tumbling off her bed and onto the floor.
"Forgot to use your legs again?" Viximon crawled out from under Platinum's comforter. "One foot in front of the other."
"Yeah, I know." Platinum stood up and stretched. "Morning."
The redhead clumsily picked up the little fox, exited her bedroom, and walked down the hall to enter the bathroom. She brushed her teeth (and Viximon's) and jumped into the shower. After rinsing off and brushing her hair, Platinum went back to her room to find something to wear. She picked out a purple blouse and white jeans, along with a pair of magenta sneakers. After that, she returned to her bathroom and began applying her makeup.
"Back and forth, back and forth." Viximon joked as she passed her tamer in the hall. "So, what will we be doing today?"
Platinum shrugged before applying some eye shadow. "I don't know. Nothing's going on right now. Might meet with Will today, he always has the cutest look on his face when I arrive out of the blue."
"Hey, do you like Will or something?" Viximon asked. She leaped onto the sink counter for a reply.
The tamer pursed her lips. "Dunno… maybe. He sure is endearing though. But I kinda like where we stand now. So it might make things weird, not just for us but everyone."
"Humans…" Viximon huffed. "Digimon just ask each other if they want to be mates. It's as simple as that. None of this drama and stuff."
Platinum knocked the In-Training off of the counter. "Oh, shut up, will you?"
After finishing in the bathroom, Platinum and Viximon went downstairs and greeted her parents. Platinum's mother Zelda was dressed in a business suit and held a piece of toast in her teeth. "Hi sweetie." She mumbled. "Sorry, but I'm super late. See you tonight!" She rushed out of the front door and slammed it in her hurry.
Candlemon hopped next to Platinum with a key ring in his hand. "Three, two, one…"
Zelda barged back through the door and was looking around frantically. Candlemon hopped over to her and handed her the car keys. "Mmph!" Zelda said with a full mouth. She patted the Digimon's head and rushed back through the door.
"Hopeless woman…" Platinum giggled. Candlemon nodded and hopped upstairs.
Sitting at the kitchen table was Platinum's father, Drake, who was sipping on a cup of tea. He was a gruff man, with broad rectangular face and a short dark brown mustache. His hair was short and cut cleanly. He was wearing a sweater vest and khaki pants. "Plato, how are you this morning." He looked to his daughter with stark indigo eyes.
"Fine, daddy." Platinum walked by and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Are you going to work today? Or are you going into the basement?"
"I'll be going to work today. I know that you've been getting busier lately with all these Digimon attacks." Drake said. "So I'll be working there more often."
Platinum smiled. She always enjoyed helping her father in his lab in the basement, from handing him tools for his research to simply making tea for him during his break time. But because of that, Platinum could never stay out often, as she always worried about her father hurting himself. She glanced at his left hand, the skin burned a pale red from a chemical accident a year back.
"Okay, just take care of yourself, daddy." Platinum said. She grabbed a breakfast sandwich from her father's plate and waved goodbye. "See ya later!"
"H-hey! That's mine!" Drake called. He sighed. "The things I put up with…"
…
Platinum strolled down the street with Viximon under her arm. A couple of people waved at her and shot her looks of gratitude. The tamer smiled. I feel like an army vet or something!
"Hey, look over there." Viximon yapped. "It's Soul." She pointed her tail across the street. Platinum was surprised to see the blonde girl alone walking along the crosswalk.
Soul caught sight of her friend and waved to her shyly. Platinum reluctantly waved back. The redhead was still a bit skeptical of Soul's moral fiber after the Wendigomon fiasco the week before. Just thinking about the event ticked Platinum off. If that's how she treats family, god knows how she treats her enemies.
"Hiya, Platinum. Viximon." Soul smiled shyly. She was wearing a blue t-shirt and a red skirt. Her bandages were gone, so Platinum assumed she must have healed completely.
"Hello there, Soul." Viximon greeted her. "How's Dorumon?"
Soul beamed. "I think I'm getting the hang of Dorumon's abilities. I've been studying everything about him. He can evolve to a Champion Level, and is very powerful. Plus he has incredible hearing!"
"Um, what are you doing here?" Platinum asked, not really caring for an answer.
Soul bashfully kicked the ground. "Well, I was looking for you. I met Viral today. He said he wanted the both of us for something important."
"Viral?" Platinum looked down at Viximon. I wonder what that guy wants… She thought to herself.
"Come on and follow me." Soul beckoned. "He said it was really important."
The red-haired tamer sighed and began to follow the blonde down the street. After about half an hour of walking, Soul led her into a coffee bar.
"Viral wanted to meet here?" Viximon whispered. The shop was mostly empty, and the red and blue haired tamer was nowhere to be seen.
"He was here before…" Soul pouted. "He promised he'd wait, that jerk!"
"I'm still hungry. I'm ordering something." Platinum shrugged. "Can you call him or something?"
Soul shook her head. "I don't have his number. Look, I'll treat us. You can call."
Look at you, flaunting that cash around… Platinum couldn't help but be pessimistic. It was her natural flaw, or something maybe along the lines of a defense mechanism. Viximon always teased her and said she'd never make any friends. Platinum had been trying to suppress her cynical thoughts, but every now and again, one always managed to slip out and dance around in her head. Unless it involved Soul. She really disliked Soul, to the point that she had completely stopped interacting with the girl anymore.
"I just want some coffee and a bagel. Nothing fancy." Platinum simply shrugged. She honestly wasn't going to pass up free food. When the blonde paced over to the counter, Platinum slumped down at a table and pulled out her cell phone.
"Yo." Viral's voice was heard through the speaker.
"Where are you?" Platinum growled. "I walked a pretty long way for this, and you're not even here?"
"I had to settle a bit of business. You see, we have a client."
"A client?" Platinum repeated. "We're Digimon tamers, not a guild."
"What if the job is Digimon related?"
"Fine. I'm listening."
"This guy was at some record studio when some big Digimon came up and took the place over. He wants us to get rid of them."
Soul returned with two cups of coffee and a bagel. Platinum motioned to listen in, prompting Soul to press her ear to the other side of the phone.
"Soul is joining in to get some experience fighting with Dorumon. Not to mention, we even are gonna get paid! Isn't that awesome!" Viral continued. "It's like totally win-win for us, right?"
"Um, no." Platinum huffed. "What's in it for me?"
Viral began laughing. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you who our client is. Hold on, I'm right outside." The male tamer quickly hung up the phone.
"What exactly is that going to do?" Platinum took a big annoyed bite out of her bagel. "I don't care who this guy is… even if he was-"
"Hey, party people." Viral clasped the redhead's shoulders, which caused her to yelp with her mouth full.
Platinum eyed to boy fiercely. "Viral, what the hell!"
"My bad. Anyway, as I was saying; here's our client."
Platinum locked eyes with a boy with crystal blue eyes standing behind Viral. He concealed his blonde hair and pale face with a dark hoodie and glasses.
"D-D-D-Diamond Dustin…" She stammered.
"Hello again…" The idol said nervously. "See what happened was-"
"Say no more." The redhead balled her fists. "I'll help you no matter the task, Diamond! It's my job as a Digimon Tamer, after all!"
Soul sweat-dropped. "What about not caring who the guy was?"
"Nonsense! We can't leave a defense and unfathomably gorgeous superstar in his time of need!" Platinum's face was bright pink. "Let us advance!"
"Advance?" Viximon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, who cares? We have Diamond!"
Viral smirked. "I thought you'd might like that…"
…
"So a bunch of Digimon just walked right out of the computer screen and took over the building." Diamond sighed. "There are still people in there. You have to help out."
"Yeah, yeah, of course." Viral flashed a smile at the young man. "But more importantly, how much are we getting?"
"Viral!" Soul pushed the boy away. "Sorry, he's a bit… out there…"
"By the way… Did you ever find Commandramon?" Platinum asked.
Viral grimaced. "Oh, I did. He got a horrible case of car sickness, though. So I left him with Aunt Gale and Gotsumon to take care of. Did you know that Gotsumon knows healing attacks?"
"Must be a special case. Never heard of that before…" Viximon squeaked from Platinum's arms.
Platinum tilted her head. "That reminds me, Viximon. You were born from an egg. How is it that you know so much about other Digimon?"
"Yeah. I noticed that with Lopmon as well. And Blacky." Soul responded.
"Well, Digimon are born from data from a previous Digimon's life." The In-Training pondered. "Guess some information about common Digimon was used so often in my past lives, I sort of retained it."
"Maybe. It makes sense." Soul shrugged a bit. "Anyways, maybe we should figure out what we're going to do to get those Digimon out."
"What did they look like, Diamond?" Platinum asked cutely.
The idol placed his finger on his chin. "Um, one was big and purple, and looked like a lion. Another looked like an octopus or something. And the last one was… a woman."
"A woman?" Viral snorted. "Man, I never thought of making a Digimon harem before…"
"Shut up." Platinum slugged the boy in the shoulder. Hard. Viral made a gasping noise as he grabbed his shoulder.
"We're here." Diamond pointed in front of him. Down the street between a corner bookstore and a flashy restaurant, was a large grey building with lot of holes and broken windows. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars were parked out front behind a crowd of distressed people.
"Distem Howling!" A loud bark was heard from the crowd. The teens rushed into the gaggle of people to see a doglike Digimon fighting a purple Elecmon.
"Doggymon and Vi-Elecmon." Soul checked her D-Wrist. "But why?"
"Go on, Buster!" A police officer called out to the Doggymon. It nodded before lunging at the purple Digimon. The Data Type Digimon slammed his fist into Vi-Elecmon's face, throwing it into the building. It let out a short cry before dispersing into data.
"Alright, Buster! You did it!" The officer patted the Digimon's head. "Good job."
"Oh yeah." Viral nodded his head in understanding. "Will told us about how he and Spade were almost arrested. A Digimon appeared and they left it at some police station."
Platinum and Soul nodded, recalling the story. "So I guess that's the officer he left it with." Platinum realized. "Let's say hi."
The tamers walked up to the policeman to greet him. "Hello there, sir. We're Digimon Tamers." Soul said politely.
The man grinned. "Oh so glad you could make it. Those things are starting to multiply and- YOU!" His smile turned into an annoyed frown as he pointed to Viral.
The tamer's eyes widened when he realized. "Oh, crap. Ord!"
"Never expected you to come to me, Viral." Ord grabbed the front of the boy's shirt. "You know how much crap you should be in for?"
Viral patted the man's shoulder. "Ord. Buddy! Can't we let get along? We're here for the same reason! I want to get rid of the Digimon too!"
"You have a Digimon? Don't make me laugh!" The dark haired man scoffed. "I don't remember seeing you in those videos we caught of you all."
"I'm so bad at taking pictures…" Viral wiped an invisible tear away. "Camera never gets my good side."
"Bull crap, son." Ord narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you for a second."
"Believe this then." Viral activated his D-Wrist. "Reload, Angewomon!"
The blonde angel Digimon appeared in a burst of data. "Ah! Viral-sama!" She gasped. "Are you doing something naughty?"
Ord took a look at Angewomon and then stared blackly at Viral's face. "Is… there something you're not telling me, son?"
"What's that supposed to mean, bastard?" Viral thrashed. "Whatever… I've got a Digimon, and unlike yours, I'm legit."
Officer Ord snorted before lowering the boy to the ground. "Fine. But one slip up, and you are back in the correctional facility."
"Looking forward to it, Ord. Say hi to the Mrs. For me." Viral rolled his eyes. He walked back to the others and huffed. Angewomon joined him, smiling brightly.
Platinum snickered. "Viral-sama? Really?"
"I don't tell you how to live your life." Viral pouted.
"Oh! Viral-sama's so cute when he's mad!" Angewomon cooed. Viral responded by pulling on her ear. "Oh, my master's so mean!" She drooled.
"A-anyways, what's going on right now, officer?" Platinum asked.
Ord scratched his head. "Okay. Three really big creatures have taken several hostages in that building. We've tried to reason with them, but they refuse to negotiate, and now they're sending these little purple things to get us away."
"Well, let's get going." Viral let go of Angewomon's ear and paced past Ord. "Come on, we don't have all day." He turned to Diamond. "Stay out here where it's safe. Can't have you getting hurt before you pay me."
"Good idea…" Platinum cooed. Diamond scratched his head nervously.
"Okay. Now let's go. Yo, boss. Keep those Vi-Elecmon from running around out here." Viral said to Ord, who begrudgingly nodded. With that, the three teens entered the building, oblivious to the small striped spiders watching them from the shadows.
…
"This place looks like hell." Viral commented on the destroyed lobby. It was a mess of scorch marks, sticky silk, and massive indentations in the walls and floor. "Angewomon, stay on your guard." He said to the Ultimate, who nodded.
Platinum activated her D-Wrist, evolving Viximon into Renamon. "God knows what's around here. Soul, take out Dorumon too."
Soul nodded. "Reload, Dorumon." In a flash of light, the fox-tailed beast Digimon appeared. It looked around curiously before running close to Soul's side.
"H-hello again, Tamer." He said nervously to Soul. She scratched behind his ear to calm him.
"Okay, I'm guessing they're not on this floor." Viral pointed to an elevator door. It was ripped open and the top half of the actual elevator was sticking up from below. "Let's take the stairs."
The group ran up the nearby flight of stairs to the third floor. When they tried to open the door to the third floor lobby, the door held firm. "What the heck is this?" Soul pulled on the doorknob, but to no avail.
"Let me try." Angewomon said politely. She took in a large breath and kicked the door in, sending it flying into the wall on the other side of the room. "There we are."
"She's so mellow now…" Platinum whispered to Viral. "What did you do to her?"
"Unspeakable things…" Viral laughed.
Inside the lobby was a mess of thin sticky silk. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in the substance. Several round pods were stuck to the walls.
"Oh god, I saw this in a video game." Viral's body stiffened. "We're going to need a ranged weapon with Bane of Arachnids enchantment and antidotes up the ass."
"I don't think that'll be necessary… look." Soul pointed toward the center of the room. A woman was sitting on the ground, gently stroking her long white hair. She looked like a woman in her thirties, wearing a long red dress and a purple witch's hat. Purple gloves that reached her elbows covered her arms. Her face was quite beautiful, her flawless white skin contrasting significantly to her black lipstick.
Platinum stepped towards the woman. She looked up, her eyes concealed by dark sunglasses. Platinum walked until she was only a few feet away from the woman. "Are you a Digimon?"
"I'm gloomy." She mumbled. She began to nervously chew her hair. "I am a gloomy Digimon."
"What's your name?"
"A-Arukenimon…"
"Are… you here to hurt humans?"
"Yes. I am. My brothers and I were sent to strike fear into the hearts of the humans."
"You don't scare me." Platinum glanced at Renamon behind her. The fox Digimon took a fighting stance.
"I… I don't want to fight…" Arukenimon's voice was nothing but a whisper. "But my brothers want me to… It's just so gloomy…"
"Does that mean you'll let us pass?" Soul asked hopefully.
Arukenimon brushed her hand through her hair, pulling out several strands. "No, I'm afraid I cannot."
"But you just said you didn't want to fight!" Dorumon whined. "Liar…"
The humanoid Digimon threw a strand into each of the silk pods around her. The hairs turned straight and sharp, piercing each pod. "I'm not going to. My children will."
The pods exploded. Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny, black and yellow striped spiders flew out. They descended on the group like rain.
"Metal Cannnon!" Dorumon shot a barrage of metal balls from his mouth, pelting the little spiders. "Tamer!" He called out to Soul. "They're Fresh Level Digimon! They'll go down quickly if we hit hard enough!"
"Diamond Storm!" Renamon released hundreds of sharp projectiles, impaling the little Digimon as they fell. Several of the insects latched onto the two Rookie Digimon and began biting furiously.
"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon blew a kiss at Renamon and Dorumon, vaporizing the insects. "There you go! Now, Celestial Arrow!" The Ultimate shot a pink arrow of energy at Arukenimon. The humanoid Digimon waved her hands, and a wall of the Fresh Digimon blocked the attack.
"My KoDokugumon listen to my every command. They may be weak, but my hairs will produce more and more of them until you're overwhelmed." Arukenimon yawned after throwing more hairs at the pods. More insects crawled out, poised to attack. "They'll kill you while I get some shut-eye…"
Renamon smacked away a KoDokugumon with her paws. "Platinum, think of something fast, or else we'll be caught in Arukenimon's web for good!"
"Digivolve!" Platinum activated her D-Wrist, evolving Renamon into Witchmon. The Champion smashed several of the baby spiders with her broom.
"Okay, time to clean house!" Witchmon swept a gaggle of KoDokugumon into a pile. "Baluluna Gale!" Her windy whips slashed through the bugs turning them into data bits.
"You too, Dorumon!" Soul activated her D-Wrist, causing her partner to explode with light.
"Dorumon Digivolve to…" The Rookie grew to at least three times its own size. Its fur turned indigo with light blue stripes. Its eyes turned reptilian, and its claws were now bigger and bright red. Its tiny wings grew to about half the size of his body. He roared, his cute voice now stronger and slightly gruffer. "Dorugamon!"
The Champion slapped the bugs away with its tail. "Power Metal!" Large iron balls flew out of its mouth like a cannon, destroying almost half of the remaining KoDokugumon.
"Awesome power you got." Viral praised the draconic Digimon. Dorugamon blushed at bit.
"Viral-sama! You're not really impressed with that big furry lizard!" Angewomon whimpered. "I can be a furry lizard too! Digivolve me!"
"The hell are you talking about?" Viral barked.
"I'm gloomy…" Arukenimon once again pulled out several hairs that were already beginning to stiffen. "Please stop resisting. It's quite the gloomy endeavor."
"Hey. Can't we just talk?" Platinum asked. The hairs in Arukenimon's hands began to slightly droop. "I think we can work this out rationally."
"Rationally?" The woman snorted. "There isn't anything rational about this situation. One minute I'm sleeping soundly with my lovely children, and the next I'm being dragged off by my stupid brothers to another world. Honestly, I just want to go back to sleep…" Arukenimon placed her hands in her hands. "So gloomy…"
Platinum sat down on the silky floor in front of Arukenimon. "Tell me about it. I'd love to hear."
"Liar." The Ultimate glowered. "You just want to distract me while your friends go on ahead. I'm gloomy, not stupid…"
"True. But I still want to hear." Platinum smiled warmly.
"Big liar… gloomy liar…" Arukenimon drifted in and out of consciousness. "You just wanna make me drop my defenses and delete me… You're evil. Like my brothers. Like everyone."
"Jeez, you're pessimistic…" Platinum scoffed. "Can you believe this woman, Witchmon?"
"Hello there, Pot. Have you met Kettle?" Witchmon giggled. "You both sure do have very similar colors, huh?"
Platinum rolled her eyes. "Whatever… Look, Arukenimon… Maybe we can help you sleep. You just have to help us with one thing."
"What?" Soul spoke up to Platinum's dismay. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Pla-"
The redhead glared at the girl with annoyed violet eyes. "I don't know if you know this, but we don't have to solve all of our problems by killing them. We can save our energy for the more serious threats ahead. Honestly, shut up and use your head."
Soul slinked away from Platinum's hateful stare. Dorugamon growled, but his tamer tapped his head for silence.
Arukenimon bashfully reached out to Platinum. "And… you aren't lying to me?"
The tamer grabbed her hand. "T-Trust me."
"Well, I suppose so…" The Ultimate let out a big yawn. "What do I have to do?"
"Just let my friends pass." Platinum explained. "That's all."
"Alright then." Arukenimon sighed. She caressed the silk on the floor, causing some of it to retract. The stairwell to the next floor was revealed.
The tamers ran to the stairwell and began ascending up the stairs. Platinum and Witchmon had stayed behind. "You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up." She then smiled at Witchmon. "Now, let's try and make our new friend Arukenimon feel a bit more comfortable."
…
Massive tentacles slammed into Viral's chest. He flew back into Soul, who barely was able to stop herself from flying with him. The group had finally reached the new floor, specifically a large area filled with destroyed cubicles. Little octopus Digimon, Octomon, were ransacking the place.
"What are you doing here?" A demonic voice boomed. "Arukenimon couldn't have been beaten so easily!"
The voice belonged to a squid-like Digimon. It seemed almost humanoid, save for its jet-black skin and its elongated head and arms. Two large tentacles protruded from its back. Viral's D-Wrist confirmed its species as MarineDevimon.
"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are?" Viral leapt from Soul's grasp. "Think you can just attack me and get away with it?" His eyes were burning like flames. "Angewomon! Rend. Into. Pieces."
"Of course, Viral-sama!" The Angel Digimon flew at the Ultimate, driving her heel into its chest. MarineDevimon winced, giving Angewomon an opening to slam her fist into its face. "How do you like that? Does it hurt?"
"Octomon!" The Ultimate yelled. The octopus Digimon stopped what they were doing and lunged at the Angel.
Angewomon smirked. "This seems a bit too easy…" She held out her hands, creating ten orbs of light in the shape of a crucifix. "Grand Cross!" She shouted as she vaporized have the Octomon platoon. The other half shrieked as the watched their comrades be reduced to data. They retreated immediately.
"Had enough already?" Angewomon pouted. "With all those tentacles, I was hoping to get some real fun out of you all…"
MarineDevimon grabbed the remaining Octomon with its tentacles. "Useless pawns! You're only good for being my next meal!" He crushed the Digimon with his stretchy limbs, grabbing their data and then feeding it into his mouth. His injuries quickly began to heal, and his black skin rippled from new muscles being formed under it from the Octomon's data.
"Oh fun!" Angewomon flew at the Ultimate, planting a powerful kick to its side. But, unlike before, MarineDevimon seemed unfazed. "Wha-"
"Guilty Black!" MarineDevimon grabbed the angel with its tentacles. It then spit ink in Angewomon's chest and slammed her to the ground.
"Angewomon!" Viral was stunned. He sped over to his partner shook her. "You okay?"
"It tingles…" Angewomon stuttered, her body smoking.
"Power Metal!" Massive iron balls slammed the wind out of MarineDevimon. Dorugamon charged at the Ultimate's chest and threw it against a window.
"Nice one, Dorugamon!" Soul ran up to pet the Champion's neck fur. "You're so cool!"
MarineDevimon stood up shakily. "You peons are getting on my nerves…" It growled. The Digimon's mouth began spewing thick black smoke. The fog began covering the area, corroding the desks, chairs, and walls and turning them to mush.
"I got you." Dorugamon said as her nudged Soul onto his back and flapped into the air. Viral had pulled Angewomon on top of a long metal table, but the legs were slowly beginning to melt.
Viral began slapping his Digimon's face. "Hey, Angewomon? Do you mind waking up now? Kinda need you to get rid of this fog before it melts our skin off, 'kay?"
Dorugamon began flapping his wings to dispel the gas, but to no avail. MarineDevimon grinned. "How do you like my attack? I thought this would make this a bit more interesting." The Virus Type laughed evilly.
The poisonous fog began rising steadily. Viral bit his lip. "Damn… What are we going to do now?" He yelled out to Soul. "Hey, fat-cakes! Find the last guy! I'll take care of this! Go on!"
Soul nodded as she flew past MarineDevimon and up the next flight of stairs. The Ultimate began to charge after her, but was stopped by a quick kick to the head from Viral. The tamer grabbed onto the Digimon's tentacles. "Hey! You're opponent is right here, buddy!"
…
"So is she asleep?" Witchmon asked as Platinum dusted of her hands.
The redhead nodded. "Yep. She's out like a light." She pointed to a human-sized cocoon made from Arukenimon's silk. The Digimon in question was snoring softly from the thin but strong membrane.
"I'm pretty surprised that you decided to do this." Witchmon said as she played with the bristles of her broom. "I don't suppose this has anything to do with the Crest of Trust?"
Platinum sighed. "Maybe I want you to be more than you are now. Is that so wrong?"
"Is that all?"
"Well… I know I can be a bit… irritable. And maybe a bit pessimistic…"
"Uh-huh…?"
Platinum rolled her eyes at the Champion. "So maybe it would be beneficial to us if I learn to put a bit more faith in others."
Witchmon hugged her tamer tight. "Oh, I'm so glad! Now maybe you can finally stop egging Will on and finally get yourself a boyfriend!"
"The hell does that mean?" Platinum blushed, her freckles almost invisible. "Jeez…"
"Gloomy…" Arukenimon moaned in her sleep. "It's gloomy…"
Witchmon floated over to the cocoon. "Oh, come on. We just got you settled down. Please calm down and rest. You really need it."
A fuzzy long leg pierced through the tough silk pod, stabbing through Witchmon's stomach. The Champion coughed out a cry for help. Platinum, wide-eyed, grabbed her Digimon's hand and pulled her away. Witchmon held her stomach, data dripping from between her large hands.
"Arukenimon…?" Platinum said shakily.
"Today is a gloomy day…" The leg retracted into the cocoon. Something was beginning to contort inside the silk pod. "Such gloom… I mustn't let anyone else suffer this gloom…" A large golden eye peered out of the hole. "I'll have to kill you to save you from this gloom!"
"Is she having a dream?" Platinum shivered.
Witchmon shook her head. She said through gritted teeth, "No, but this situation is nothing short of a nightmare…"
…
Dorugamon bounded up the stairwell with strong, graceful steps. Soul looked up at the faint light of the floor above them. "Here, Dorugamon. I think the last one's here."
As they barged through the doorway to the top floor, Soul couldn't help but admire the lovely décor of the president's office. The floors were velvet red and the walls were a lovely shade of ivory. "Nice place…" She whispered.
"Thank you for your compliment." A low voice purred. A massive Digimon was sitting at the president's desk. It seemed lion-like, with indigo skin and a large black mane. Its front arms were long and thick compared to its much smaller hind legs. It had beady red eyes, and an intimidating snarl on its muzzle.
"MadLeomon. No Level." Soul read the lit bit of info of from her watch. "Not much else is said."
"I applaud you for coming this far…" MadLeomon sat up from the chair it had been sitting in, which was crushed almost flat from its weight. "You defeated both Arukenimon and MarineDevimon?"
"Um…" Soul began, but was cut off by the distant sound of an explosion from downstairs.
MadLeomon grinned. "So they aren't dead? Good…" The massive Digimon walked forward. Vi-Elecmon began to crawl out from the shadows. "You'd best surrender yourself to me, human. I'd hate to destroy such a pretty little thing…"
"Dorugamon! Let's go!" Soul commanded. The Champion nodded and shot a large cannonball at MadLeomon's chest. The No Level Digimon howled out in pain, signaling the Vi-Elecmon to attack. The Rookies shot balls of electricity from their tails, electrocuting Soul and Dorugamon. They backed away from the little platoon, shaky from the attack.
"Y-you okay, Tamer?" Dorugamon said through gritted teeth.
The blonde nodded. "I'm good. Just give him a good pounding, partner!"
"Cannonball!" Metal balls exploded from Dorugamon's mouth with machine gun speed. They pelted through the Vi-Elecmon, injuring most, but deleting the rest. MadLeomon leaped over his troops and slammed his fists into the ground. Dorugamon dodged around and head-butted the beast in the back.
"Power Metal!" The Champion blasted another metal ball into MadLeomon, this time penetrating through his body. A large gaping hole was left in his chest, spilling data by the bucket loads.
"How do you like that?" Soul said, blood rushing in her ears. She had never been in the heat of a Digimon battle like this before, and her heart was pumping like crazy. "Now you're going to tell me what you planned on doing here in the human world!"
"To me, my children!" MadLeomon roared. The Vi-Elecmon leaped to the No Level Digimon, transfiguring into data and filling MadLeomon's wound. The beast stood up and began transforming. His body grew larger, and his arms were covered in metal plating. His left arm transformed, becoming a massive chainsaw. "Now, face my Armed Mode, human!"
"Power Metal!" More metal balls pounded MadLeomon's chest. The Digimon laughed as he slapped the Champion away. Soul fell to the ground, a few feet away from Dorugamon.
MadLeomon grabbed the blonde in his right fist. "Where's that bluster from before, human?" He squeezed down hard, making Soul scream. "I should have guessed that it was all a bunch of big talk."
"Soul!" Dorugamon cried. He lunged at the lion, jaws stretched open. MadLeomon responded by slashing the Champion with its chainsaw, leaving a deep gash in Dorugamon's shoulder.
"Pests… The lot of you…" The No Level Digimon sighed. "Now… I don't know much about humans. When Digimon are crushed, we're turned into data. I wonder what you turn into if I squished you!"
The floor shattered under MadLeomon's feet. A slimy black creature burst from under the beast, slamming into its face. They both fell backwards, stunned.
"M-MarineDevimon?" MadLeomon roared. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Duh-da-da-dum!" Angewomon floated from the hole, Viral in her arms. "No need to worry, 'cause Angewomon is here to send you to everlasting peace!"
Viral pinched the Ultimate's neck. "Quit your showboating and put me down already. This is embarrassing…" He was commenting on the fact that the Digimon was holding him like an infant in her arms.
"Viral-sama, you're grip is so strong! I feel faint!" Angewomon moaned, making her tamer turn scarlet and release her. "You're so cute, Viral-sama!" She cooed as she regained her composure.
Soul pried herself from MadLeomon's grip and ran to Dorugamon. The Champion's golden eyes were filled with worry. "Tamer, I was worried for you."
"You called me by my name just now!" Soul beamed. "That must mean were really becoming friends now!" She buried her face into Dorugamon's neck fur. "This is so great!"
"But we can't quit now, Tamer…" Dorugamon growled. MarineDevimon and MadLeomon got to their feet.
"Sorry, brother… I got bested." The Ultimate hissed. "I thought I had taken out that meddlesome angel, but no matter what I do, she comes back for more!"
"No matter, let's fight together." MadLeomon let out an intimidating roar. He and MarineDevimon leapt at the two Digimon, claws outstretched.
Viral jumped from Angewomon and kneed MadLeomon's snout. His partner countered MarineDevimon by grabbing its waist and throwing him into a wall. She shot multiple arrows, crucifying his arms, legs, chest, and tentacles. The Virus Type hissed wildly before a swift kick to the neck silenced him.
Dorugamon launched his body at MadLeomon. "You won't hurt my tamer anymore!" He slammed directly into the Digimon's chest, clamping his jaws onto his skin. "Cannonball!" The Champion bellowed before launching a large metal ball through MadLeomon's chest at point blank range. The ball exploded, splitting the No Level Digimon in two. Pained howls escaped his maw without end as MadLeomon's body parts thudded the ground.
"Yeesh… That was kinda brutal…" Soul pulled on the collar of her shirt.
Viral nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it again."
MadLeomon groaned. His body was beginning to disintegrate. "You may have won against us, but it will take a lot more to face our true leader…"
"The hell are you talking about?" Viral barked. "In case you haven't noticed, we beat all three of you morons. Don't screw with me."
The large Digimon grinned through the pain. "Oh, but you've only defeated my brother and I. Tell me, what do you think my sister is up to right now?"
"Son of a…" Viral's eyes widened. "We need to find Platinum!"
"It's probably too late. She must have fallen asleep by now… and your friend is most likely not of this world!" MadLeomon began laughing maniacally. "You'll all be destroyed by Arukenimon's rage!"
In a fit of rage, Viral slammed his foot into MadLeomon's face. His body exploded into bits, small clumps of data still stuck in the crater his foot created in the floor. The data filled his and Soul's D-Wrist. MarineDevimon's data followed soon after.
Soul seemed a bit startled by Viral's actions, clutching to Dorugamon's fur when the tamer's eyes met hers. "Well? What are we waiting for?" He snarled. "Let's go!"
…
Platinum screamed as she flew into a wall of silk. The tamer called out to her partner, who was struggling to her knees. A new Digimon was beginning to climb out of the cocoon. It looked somewhat humanoid, but with a large mouth with sharp teeth and a pair of crooked horns protruding from her white hair. Her large hands began to rip through the silk like paper, revealing a massive striped abdomen. Six long legs grew out from spiderlike lower body, clicking loudly on the hard floor.
"What are you?" Witchmon groaned. Her wound was taking far too long to heal, obvious by the data slowly flowing out of her.
"Arukenimon… at your service." Arukenimon bowed. The Ultimate's voice was different, more raspy and condescending. "Now, I will save you from this gloomy world!"
"Aqunary Pressure!" A blast of water from Witchmon's hands propelled her backwards, all the while dousing the spider. She flipped onto her broom and levitated above the ground. "Thunder Ball!" Witchmon said as she slammed an orb of electricity onto the trail of water left by her last attack. The electricity traveled through the water, electrocuting the soaked Arukenimon.
"Nice job, Witchmon." Platinum cheered, her hands and back still stuck to the silk wall.
"If you believe that you could kill me with that, you're sorely mistaken!" Arukenimon hissed. She scuttled after Witchmon, her fists outstretched. "Spider Thread!" Long red threads shot from the red jewel above her knuckles. The threads wrapped around the Champion, squeezing the air from her lungs and the data from her injury.
"Witchmon!" Platinum cried. In a burst of courage, the redhead leaped onto Arukenimon's back and held her in a headlock. "Let go of my partner!"
"Predation Spider!" The Ultimate bit down onto Witchmon's shoulder. The Champion screamed, prompting Platinum to reach her hands into Arukenimon's mouth in a desperate attempt to pry it open.
"Let go!" Platinum yelled, but the Insect Digimon would not loosen her grip. Witchmon became silent.
"Power Metal!" A cannonball zoomed through a broken window, nailing Arukenimon's thin waist. Her jaws released Witchmon, who rolled away, unconscious.
Dorugamon and Soul flew into the room, with Viral and Angewomon following soon after. Soul jumped off her partner and ran to Platinum, who just fell off on the disoriented Ultimate.
"Are you okay?" Soul asked. She dusted off Platinum's blouse, noticing small abrasions all over her body. Bloody scratches covered her palms from Arukenimon's sharp teeth.
"What do you care?" Platinum huffed. "I was just trying to protect my partner. I doubt you'd no anything about it."
Soul was hurt by the girl's comment. "A thank you would have been nice…"
Arukenimon grunted. "Spider Thread!" Her red whips flew towards the two tamers.
"Grand Cross!" Angewomon appeared before the girls and burned through the threads, causing Arukenimon to scuttle back in defense.
Viral ran up next to his partner. "I swear, Angewomon. If you get caught in those threads and do… you know what, I'm not going to punish you at all for a week."
The Angel Digimon looked heartbroken. "Y-you don't really mean that! Oh please, Viral-sama! Don't do that!"
"Then impress me." Viral responded. Angewomon nodded fiercely and fired an arrow at Arukenimon. The rival Digimon dodged and then lunged at the angel. The Vaccine Type reacted instantly by kicking one of the insect's legs, causing her to land shakily. Arukenimon opened her mouth and spat a thick rope of silk at the Ultimate, wrapping her upper body and disabling her arms and wings.
Dorugamon roared and head-butted the Spider Digimon away. He attempted to free Angewomon by chewing though the silk, but to no avail. As he pulled away, his head jerked back towards the silk bind. Dorugamon's mouth was glued to the sticky threads.
Arukenimon grinned as she saw Dorugamon and Angewomon struggling to free themselves. "Straight Punch!" She shouted, slamming her massive fist onto the floor below the constricted Digimon. The floor gave way, and the two Digimon fell down into the lower floor.
"Dorugamon!" Soul called out. She ran towards the hole, Viral following behind. They were about to jump down, but were stopped when Arukenimon slapped them away. They landed a couple of feet away from Platinum and Witchmon's location.
"Now you too shall never feel gloomy again!" Arukenimon laughed hysterically. "Straight Punch!" The Ultimate shattered the ground, sending the tamers plummeting into the lower floor and their apparent demise.
…
Platinum gasped. A large metal beam had pinned her to the ground. She looked up, seeing light filtering down from the hole above her. They thankfully only fell down one floor, as she noticed white silk covering the above floor's ceiling. She tried looking around for Witchmon, but just moving her neck around caused waves of pain to shoot through her body. "W-Witchmon…!" She wailed. "Anyone? Is anyone there?"
"I'm here…" A meek voice called back. Platinum shifted her body to look to her left. Soul's pale blonde hair was glinting from the light from above.
"Me too…" Platinum heard Viral behind her. "But I'm kinda stuck. I'm with the Digimon, though."
The next voice was from Angewomon. "Viral-sama… How'd you get stuck to us like that? I guess it doesn't matter though… Dorugamon, are you still there?" A muffled growl indicated that Dorugamon was fine, albeit with a mouth full of spider silk.
But where was Witchmon? Platinum carefully flattened her body to slink out from under the beam. After shakily getting to her feet, she limped around to find her missing Digimon. She felt something warm and sticky dripping from her left side, obviously blood.
Platinum could see pieces of red cloth stuck onto barbs of wire. "Witchmon? You there?" She called. A few feet from her, the weak groans of the Champion could be heard from under a few large pieces of rubble. Platinum carefully pushed a few pieces off of the Digimon and helped her up.
"Hey… What's up?" Witchmon mumbled before dropping to her knees again. Data still floated out of the wounds in her stomach and shoulder. Platinum tried to hold her up again, but the Digimon stopped her. "I'm fine. It'll take a lot more to delete me. But I'm pretty hungry, Plato…"
Soul called out. "Viral, do you think you and Angewomon could handle it if Dorugamon used his Power Metal to free you guys?"
"What! Are you crazy!" Platinum yelled. "It's an exploding iron ball at point black range! You could kill them-"
"Yeah. Do it." Viral said calmly. "I trust ya not to blow me into smithereens. Let her rip."
Angewomon nodded quickly. "Make sure to get me right in the gut, Dorugamon!"
Platinum was stunned. Why would Viral allow Soul to even attempt such a dangerous idea? It's official, the tamer thought. He's completely insane.
"Powah Mettul!" Dorugamon mumbled through the silk. The silk bind exploded, sending bits of metal and silk. Viral and Angewomon fell backwards, a bit charred, but still intact. Dorugamon huffed, licking his lips to remove any traces of silk.
Viral stood up and brushed off his shirt. "Not bad, Dorugamon. Thanks a bunch."
"Now what?" Platinum asked. "Witchmon can't fight anymore."
"Maybe she can." Soul responded with a snap of her fingers. "Witchmon could still use her attacks to distract Arukenimon…"
Witchmon nodded. "I could at least do that…" She winced before getting on her feet, using her broom for support.
"Absolutely not. You'll kill yourself." Platinum furrowed her eyebrows. She then turned to Soul, glaring at her ferociously. "Why don't you try to think of something that isn't so mind-numbingly stupid?"
"I was just trying to help…"
"Well you're doing a pretty crap job at it." Platinum wasn't really realizing what she was saying. She was simply too scared and angry to try and hold her words back like normal. "Honestly, who thought someone like you could help save the world?"
Soul fell silent. She hung her head, letting her silvery bangs cover her face.
Platinum was on a roll. She stopped caring about what she was saying now, letting out all of her pent-up aggression with the tangent of verbal abuse. "Quit with your dumb plans! They don't work! You aren't Will. At least his strategies work most of the time."
Viral stepped forward, his eyes dark. "Hey, don't you think you're being a bit-"
He stopped a foot behind Soul, who held her arm up to block him. Her eyes were still hidden. "I… have been doing my best to help ever since my mistake at the pier. I've paid for that, and I've done nothing but try to make up for it…" She looked up a Platinum, silvery eyes glowing with rage. "But all you've been doing is belittling me this whole time! I'm tired of you, Platinum!"
The two girls stared at each other for the longest time. Platinum stamped her foot. "Why should I even bother with you? The only reason we're even speaking is because somehow you got a Digimon. Can't imagine why."
WHACK! Platinum fell down. She held her cheek, which was red and stinging. Soul glowered down at her, her balled fist shaking with anger. "How can you just say that?" Soul's voice was an unsteady whisper. "Remember when we defeated Mamemon together? The party we went to… Didn't we have fun together?"
Platinum sat up and spat out a glob of blood and saliva. "I can barely even remember that night. It's not like it even mattered…"
"It mattered to me!" Soul grabbed Platinum's shoulders and forced her on her back. She sat on top of her, looking her straight in the eye. "I thought we could have become friends! I… I just wanted you to like me… because…"
"Well? Speak up!" The redhead was beside herself as well. "If you haven't noticed this is the real world. There's gonna be a lot of people who won't like you. And it looks like you found one!"
Platinum's eyes widened as Soul's tears fell onto her face. "B…But, how was I supposed to know that? Who was I supposed to know the woman I admired was so horrible?"
"W-What?"
Soul slumped on top of Platinum, breathing heavily. She must have been injured, and all of the weight of the situation wasn't helping. "I've always… admired you… Okay? I looked up to you while we went to school, and even now I still do."
Platinum turned pale from shock. Her face was inches from Soul's. "But, I thought you would have hated me, because of Will…"
"I did at first, but-" Soul was finding it difficult to find the right words. "I… never had many friends other than Will, so watching him swoon over you was hard, but… you're Platinum. One of the most popular girls at school. You're smart and pretty… and you captivated everyone in school. And I wasn't any different."
"Soul…"
"I wanted to be like you. I grew out my hair, and I even decided to join you all in this Digimon hunt." Soul sat up and wiped her eyes, but her tears wouldn't stop coming. "Not just for Will, but also because you were there too. I was hoping you could help me, teach me to be like you and make lots of friends." She covered her eyes, her rage beginning to return. "But… I never would have done it… if I knew that you were so awful!"
Platinum shut her eyes. "You can't be serious… Why would anyone want to be anything like me?" She was breathing heavily. "I am awful." Tears started running down her freckled cheeks. "Those friends of mine weren't real. I never cared about of any of them… I'm not a friendmaker, Soul. I'm just a girl with an ugly view of the world."
"… But it's not like it's impossible for you to become one…" Witchmon spoke up.
"What?"
"Plato, you kept telling me you want to change. Maybe Soul's your first step."
Platinum shook her head. "That's impossible, Witchmon. I… I can't just wave my hand and suddenly like a person."
"Did she slap the sense out of you?" The Champion retorted. "Of course not! I'm not asking you to marry the girl! Just try to work with her for once before we get killed by a giant spider!"
Platinum looked up into Soul's eyes. They were a blue torrent of emotion. Anger, grief, and disappointment. Her reflection stared back at her. Her face was dirty and covered in tears. Platinum felt like she was looking at a physical representation of her own soul. Her heart tightened. "Soul… I'm sorry. I can't say that I didn't mean to hurt you, but… I never meant to take this so far… I was just-"
Viral coughed hastily. "I hate to break up this little bonding moment, but could we please kiss and make up already! I'm pretty sure Arukenimon just noticed we're still alive!"
The group looked up, and sure enough, Arukenimon's horned head poked out from the hole above them. "You're all so gloomy…" She cackled. "I'll fix it for you!"
"I guess this'll have to wait." Soul told Platinum. She stood up, grimacing at the Ultimate Digimon that was forcing itself through the ceiling. An idea popped into her head. "Witchmon, if you and Dorugamon can attack from either side of Arukenimon, we could stun her. Then, since she's the strongest, Angewomon can land a big attack to finish her!"
"But-" Platinum began. She wasn't comfortable letting Witchmon continue to participate in battle. But she bit back her tongue when she saw Witchmon stand up taller than usual. She really wanted to continue. She looked at Soul and nodded solemnly. "Okay. If Witchmon wants to do this, then… I'll put my f-faith in you…"
Soul clasped her hands together. "Y-yes! I promise you, you'll won't regret this!"
Witchmon and Dorugamon flew towards the hole in the ceiling, watching Arukenimon's large abdomen forcing its way down. Viral directed Angewomon to aim a Celstial Arrow straight at the Ultimate. Platinum steadied her breathing. She still doubted this sloppy plan, but it was obvious it probably was the most likely way to defeat the Insect.
Arukenimon burst from the ceiling, sending a shower of dust and stone down onto the Tamers. "Now!" Soul cried out.
"Aquary Pressure!"
"Cannonball!"
The two attacks collided with the Ultimate. Within the smokescreen of dust, they heard Arukenimon hiss in pain. Soul looked over to Angewomon. "Fire now!"
"But I can't see anything in this dust, ma'am!" The angel bit her lip.
Platinum grabbed Soul's shoulder. "We need to try again. We can't fire now and risk hitting our DIgimon."
"But there's no problem!" Soul assured her. "I told you I wouldn't let you down!" The blonde called to her partner. "Dorugamon! Listen close!"
"Witchmon! Duck and attack five feet in front of you!" Dorugamon barked. In the screen of dust, Witchmon followed the Beast Digimon's orders. She ducked quickly, feeling something swipe the air above her head. "Thunder Cloud!" A bolt of energy shot from her hand and collided with something large. Arukenimon's spastic scream was soon heard after.
"That's some incredible hearing!" Viral commented. He patted Soul's back. "Good job, fat-cakes."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Soul fumed.
A distant memory came into Platinum's thoughts at that moment. She remembered the concert, when she and Soul were fighting against Mamemon. "Turiremon's ears are very sensitive!" Soul had said when a smokescreen had blinded their Digimon. But Platinum had hesitated, refusing to try something so, at the time, incredibly chancy. "You don't trust me?" Soul had said." I know you don't like me, but you don't trust me?"
Maybe Soul was a bit wiser than she had let on.
"Now, Angewomon!" Dorugamon called. "Aim where you see my attack!" The Beast Digimon fired a metal ball into the dust cloud. It hit Arukenimon, causing a small bright burst, easily visible in the smokescreen.
"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon fired her attack into the cloud. Arukenimon screamed.
"We did it!" Viral pumped his fist into the air. The dust was clearing now. Arukenimon staggered, panting heavily. The arrow had left a hole in the left side of her chest. "Oh crap, nevermind!" Viral gasped.
"You… won't beat me!" The spider roared. He fired her threads at the Tamers. "Spider Thread!"
"Out of the way!" Soul shoved Viral and Platinum to the ground. The red threads wrapped around her arms, legs, neck, and stomach. She choked as the threads jerked her back into Arukenimon's reach.
"Soul!" The two remaining tamers cried. The Digimon were about to attack, but halted when they saw Soul being held out in front of them.
"What a gloomy situation…" Arukenimon cackled. Her threads tightened, squeezing the life out of the girl. Her chokes became pitiful gasps of air. "Now what will you do?" The spider was uproarious with laughter.
"Put her down." Platinum demanded calmly.
Arukenimon just snickered.
"Put her down." She repeated, more forcefully this time. "Now!"
Witchmon walked up to the Ultimate. "I am both hungry as hell and in a serious amount of pain right now. Let her go this instant before I add 'pissed the hell off' to that list. And trust me, sister. That's not a triad you ever want to see."
"Make me." The words slithered out of Arukenimon's mouth.
Power burst from Witchmon's body. "Platinum…" She growled. "I want to rip this thing apart…"
The redhead nodded. "Me too." Her D-Wrist began glowing with a bright purple light. When it subsided, a gleaming violet DX-Wrist was in its place. "Digivolve."
"Witchmon Super-Digivolve to…" Witchmon's body glowed as her data began to reconfigure itself. She became taller and more slender as her dress transformed into a dark blue leotard. She wore pink gauntlets and boots that looked similar to the limbs of a pig. A huge pink hood draped over her head, looking just like a pig's face. Her old broom transformed, becoming a massive rake-like staff. "Cho-Hakkaimon!" She bellowed with intense force.
"What the…" Platinum gazed at her newly evolved Digimon. "Well, I wasn't expecting anything like that… But whatever! Cho-Hakkaimon, save Soul!"
"YEAH!" The Ultimate Digimon roared. "I'm gonna kick your nasty spider ass!" She raised her rake high. "Feel my power! My rage! My hunger!"
Viral face-palmed. "Oh god, not other one…" Angewomon tilted her head in confusion at her tamer's comment.
"Hard-Swung Homerun!" Boosters on the bake of Cho-Hakkaimon's rake let out a burst of flames. She swung the weapon at Arukenimon, skillfully swiping through the tethers constricting Soul. She caught the girl and set her on the ground carefully before rocketing herself at the Virus Digimon again.
"Acid Mist!" Billowing green fog escaped Arukenimon's mouth, melting through anything it touched. But Cho-Hakkaimon seemed unfazed by the danger.
"MINCE!" She swung her mighty weapon through the fog, dispelling it immediately. "Mince, mince, mince, mince, mince, MINCE!" She bludgeoned the spider with immense strength and speed.
"No!" Arukenimon cowered. "Stop! This isn't gloomy at all!"
"Gloom this!" Cho-Hakkaimon's body caught fire. She balled a fist and pulled it back. "Roast of the Pig!" She slammed her fist square into Arukenimon's chest, setting her ablaze. The spider exploded in a small burst of crimson flame.
Platinum grinned widely. "Cho-Hakkaimon, that was so awesome!" She leaped onto the Ultimate, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"Aw, it was nothing!" The Puppet Digimon snickered. "Now can we get something to eat? I wasn't kidding when I said I was starving!"
Viral walked over to Soul, helping her up from the ground. "Well, I'm really impressed about how ballsy you got back there. Not bad, fat-cakes."
"Quit calling me that!" Soul coughed. Viral snickered and backed off.
"You're bleeding…" Dorugamon whimpered. Soul nodded, pointing at a large red blotch on the right side of her shirt. She petted the Digimon's ears to comfort him.
"Soul," Platinum paced over to the girl. "Thank you… I guess if I wasn't such a dunce, I would have gotten Renamon to evolve a long time ago."
The blonde laughed. "You're no dunce. You're… bleeding too! And bad!" She pulled up Platinum's blouse, which had a huge bloodstain on left side. A short gash on her waist was welling with blood.
Viral took a good look at the wound. 'It's not too deep. You'll live." He pulled up Soul's shirt to look at her injury as well. "Huh, look at this. It looks almost exactly like your gash, Plato."
"Then I have an idea." Soul inched over to Platinum and pressed her cut to hers.
"What are you doing?" Platinum asked, slightly intrigued by the blonde's action.
"Now your blood's in me. And mine's in you." Soul smiled warmly. "We're kinda like sisters now."
Platinum lost a bit of color in her face. "I'm not sure how I feel about this…"
"Oh, look at you two bonding!" Viral pulled the girls into a pseudo-hug. "Now let's get you home before you bleed out."
Soul nodded. "And maybe, Platinum, you and I can hang out for a bit. You could teach me a few things."
Platinum shook her head. "I don't have anything to teach you. If anything, you should be the one teaching me about this whole 'mutual trust' thing!" She playfully slugged Soul in this arm. "And… call me Plato, 'kay?"
…
"Hah! Another point for me!" Blacky yapped. He, along with Ranamon and Dracomon, were playing a video game in Will's room. The tamer in question was nodding off on his bed, or at least he was trying to.
Ranamon pulled at her ears. "Gah! How is it you're winning when you don't have any fingers?"
"He was raised in human culture his entire life…" Dracomon explained.
"But Will said he didn't even have hands till about a month ago!"
Blacky grinned slightly. "You mad, bro?"
"Yes! Extremely!" Ranamon fumed. "A-and don't call me bro!"
Will groaned. "What is with you guys? It's just a game." He yawned before turning around on his bed. "Besides, I'd beat all three of you in a second."
"Oh, you wanna put your Bit where your mouth is?" Ranamon growled.
The bedroom door flew open. Viral walked in with Commandramon in tow. "What's up, bitches?"
"How'd yesterday's little skirmish go?" Will turned back around on his bed. "Everything go well?"
"Hell yeah it did." Viral announced pulling out a check. "I'm swimming in paper!"
"I was talking about the battle."
"Oh yeah. Angewomon did pretty good. Wasn't as bad as I thought she'd be." Viral turned to his partner Digimon. "Commandramon, you really should have been there."
The Cyborg Digimon sighed. "I really do apologize for my absence, sir. Going off on my own like that was pretty stupid of me. It's just that I wanted to go out and see more of the Human World. And you were also doing some honestly horrific things to Miss Angewomon…"
"You worry me, Viral." Will said blankly.
"Whatever. Anyways, Platinum got Renamon to Digivolve to Ultimate Level."
"Really? Awesome! What about Soul and Dorumon?"
Viral smirked a bit. "Yeah, they did pretty good too. They really helped out during the last leg of the battle."
Will beamed. "That's wonderful. I'm glad everything went well." He sat up and sighed. "I just hoped that Soul and Platinum would get a bit more friendly with each other. I mean, have you noticed that Platinum has barely talked to Soul lately?"
"I don't think that'll be a problem." Viral laughed. "I brought them with me. Check this out."
Will got up and followed the tamer to the stairway leading to the downstairs living room. Peeking out from the top of the stairs, Will saw Platinum and Soul sitting on the couch, talking. Laughing. Actually enjoying each other's company. "Wh…What happened?" He whispered to Viral.
"I told you Platinum got Renamon to Digivolve, right? Crest of Trust, remember?"
"I can understand that. I want to know how they're so friendly when a day ago they didn't want to even be in the same room together?"
"I don't know man." Viral shook his head. "Girls… Am I right?"
Will sighed. "Whatever. I'm just glad they actually like each other. Now, we just gotta do the same thing with you and Spade."
"Ha ha. Funny." Viral flicked Will's nose.
"What was that?"
"Oh, sorry." Viral patted the boy's shoulder. "I've just been using such weird ways to disciple Angewomon, I just confused real punishment for her special kind. Seriously, it's really hard to punish a Digimon that considers electrocution and bondage a reward."
Will slinked away from the Tamer. "You really worry me, Viral…
Another chapter completed. Pretty shaky in the middle, but otherwise, I think it came out pretty well. I believe this is one of the longest chapters I've written, so good on me. Oh, any you guys too for reading. Thanks a whole bunch!
Anyway, before my question, let's go behind the scenes and learn some trivia about Data Hunters, shall we?
-Data Hunters was originally going to be set in the Digital World. It would have followed a young boy with grey hair, using a Keramon as his partner. It also would have different themes such as Digimon Tournaments, where Tamers would battle against each other using their Digimon. Might actually reuse that for something in the future…
-Viral was originally supposed to be the calm, silent type of character. Spade, on the other hand, was supposed to be the wild child of the group. The reason their personalities are what they are now is because… hell if I know.
-Platinum, Soul, Heart, and Diamond are all named after Pokémon games from Generation Four, my second favorite Gen. Speaking of Platinum, originally she was going to be named Pearl after Pokémon Pearl Version. She was going to be a whiney young blonde girl who was always at Will's throat. So think Mimi from Adventure, but with a perpetual stick up her ass. She was dropped because I liked Platinum's character better, and because I already had a badass blonde already in Soul.
- Will was originally going to have siblings. Diamond Dustin was supposed to be his elder brother, while Silver (whose original name was Braden) was to be his younger brother. The reason they were changed is because I kinda wanted a small cast of heroes, and it kind of felt pointless to have them and not make them DigiDestined.
Finally, here's my question for you all; How do pronounce Viral's name? Do you pronounce it like the actual word 'Viral'? Or do you pronounce it like 'Viral', as in the character from Gurren Lagann? I suppose the former is the correct pronunciation, but its not like it matters. Just curious.
Tell me your answers and your thoughts in a review, if you would. Have a nice day!