4) Chickens Coming Home to Roost
"Get the god-damn hell out of here!", Takato called out, as he surveyed the damage this latest digibattle caused. There was hardly an intact car in the whole garage. Fighting in the park was one thing, but he never expected to see so much damage done so quickly while fighting right there in the city itself. How could that "Digimon Queen" have been so irresponsible and reckless?
Fortunately, the cops hadn't arrived yet, and the street was deserted, as everyone who'd heard, seen the smoke and dust pouring out of the underground garage, had fled. Renamon had already transported herself away from the scene, Ruki went her separate way, and Takato and Jenyra and their partners fled to their own hide-out: the park.
"Why were you telling him to control himself?", Takato asked
"Lalala... lalalala...", Guilmon was trying to do handstands, but without success. Galgomon was doing handstands, leaning against a tree for added support.
"Must I?", Galgomon asked. "Do I have to stay standing on my head?"
"Now that you've evolved, will you ever go back?", Takato asked him.
"That's not true!", Jenyra shot back. That was his greatest fear: that Galgomon would never become Terriermon again. "Just because he's a digimon doesn't mean he has to evolve. He'll change back sooner or later... Hopefully sooner, I think".
"It would be a real inconvenience if he doesn't", Takato observed. "He's so much bigger. You can't hide him in plain sight when he's like this... You mean, he's evolved before?", Takato asked. "Why make him do handstands?"
"I'm hoping it'll calm him, speed up his return", Jen explained.
"You really think that'll work?"
"I don't know, but what's the harm in trying?"
"Mon!", Guilmon called out as he dropped onto his head once again.
"Guilmon, what say we get you home?"
"You go on ahead", Jen told him. "no sense in the both of us risking a grounding for being out past supper"
Takato was taking his pre-dinner bath, floating in a tub big enough to be a small swimming pool. "I wonder what Guilmon would become, if he were to evolve?", he asked himself. "I wonder if Jen's made it home yet?"
Chou Park
Jen was leaning against a tree, daydreaming: a video game Terriermon was chasing another digimon, Gorimon. He used his Blazing Fire attack to delete the digimon, who exploded into data, with the appearance of the Death's Head symbol, signifying defeat. Terriermon loaded the data, and increased his point count. This was before Terriermon had materialized, when Jen still believed it to be just another video game.
He was brought back to reality: "Jen, I'm back to normal", Terriermon announced.
"Then let's go home"
"You aren't angry?", Terriermon asked.
"You already know the answer", he replied. "I told you I don't want you evolving. Look at the mess you made back there. Was it worth it?"
"I couldn't help it", Terriermon apologized, "it's just when I thought I was a goner... it kind'a happened".
"I know it's not entirely your fault, but, Terriermon, you do realize that, if they ever find out who's responsible, we will be separated forever. Not to mention the possible troubles for Father and Mother".
"How do you mean?"
"Since I'm a minor, they might possibly be sued. If they allege neglectful parenting for allowing me to keep a potentially dangerous digimon... I hope you can appreciate how much trouble evolution really is. It's bad enough, feral digimon, trouble-makers, and now that irresponsible little bitch. You aren't helping win any popularity points for our side".
"Moumentai"
After dinner that night, Takato uncharacteristically joined his parents for the evening news telecast. He bit his tongue the whole time, waiting for anything about what happened at the garage. He was afraid, since he and Guilmon were out, that Guilmon might be connected to all that destruction. Did anyone else happen to see digimon there? So far, the incident went unmentioned. Was that a good sign, or a bad one? Did they consider it too un-news-worthy to bother reporting it? Or were they withholding any information while investigating? Takato knew they sometimes did that for serious cases. How much did they know?
Ruki's House
Ruki was reviewing Battle Card strategies. Lately, she was very disappointed in Renamon's performance. This made twice that she failed to load a Rookie whose power rivaled that of most champions. Even if the cowardly Takato didn't understand Battle Cards – did he even know how to use the cards – did he even have any cards? Even if he begged and pleaded like a little girl, and he was a thorough disgrace as a Tamer, he did design and materialize a spectacular digimon. With Guilmon's data, surely Renamon would have enough to finally evolve.
Then there was that kid's pathetic and ridiculous dog/bunny: that Terriermon. He had somehow managed to pull off that which Renamon could not. Even that Goblimon had evolved. Galgomon was a full Champion, and his data even more valuable than Guilmon's Rookie data. Still, she had failed. She had been humiliated in battle. This had never happened before, and Ruki didn't like failure, not in herself, and certainly not in any partner she considered worth Taming.
"If I use these cards, she thought to herself, Renamon could win". She reviewed a High Speed Plug-in B card, and a Stamina Seed card. "No, this isn't what I need. Renamon could win easily if only she would evolve"
Takato's School
Class was over for the day, kids saying farewells, planning after school activities. Calumon looked on: "Culu?! Everyone's so happy, culu?", he said to himself. Lately, the kids' activities had caught his attention.
"Let's see...", Kazu was trading cards with Takato. In addition to being a tough competitor, he was a shrewd and ruthless card trader. Trading cards was as much a part of game play as the actual card games. "These suck", he said of the High Speed Plug-in B card, the Iron Claw card, and the Training Gibs card. All either pretty routine cards, or next to useless ones.
"Here, you can have this one, I have a duplicate", as Kazu shoved the card into Takato's hands.
"Training Gibs", he read off the description. "What the hell am I gonna use this for?", he asked.
"It's a training card", Kazu explained. "Use it and you'll increase your point count and up your attacks". He made it sound better than it really was.
Jen was also passing by: "Hold up, I'm coming with you".
Takato showed him the card: "Do you suppose this card Hirokazu gave me has anything to do with Evolution?", he asked.
"I don't really know myself", he said, apologetically.
"I see...", Takato began.
Terriermon alerted.
"What is it?"
"It's coming, Jen", he announced, "a digimon".
They looked around, seeing nothing unusual.
"There!", Takato called out. "That cloud, that's a digimon!"
Even though it looked like every other cloud in the sky, this one was moving against the wind.
"And it's coming our way!"
"We can't stay here", Jenyra agreed.
The two began running down the sidewalk, trying to out distance the phenomenon. It was still catching up fast.
"It's after us!", Takato announced.
"I doubt it", Jen objected.
"Right turn!"
The "cloud" made the 90deg turn: "I knew it was chasing us!"
"There: turn left, up the viaduct!", Jen called out. Takato broke left, ran up the stairs, and paused to see halfway across. He saw the "cloud" fly on by.
"So it's after Jenyra", Takato said to himself, "What do I do now? I hope Guilmon's on his way".
"There!", Terriermon called out. "In there!"
Jenyra leaped over a saw horse, and into a construction site just as the "cloud" overtook them. There was a burst of white light, and the entire site was covered with that white mist that always heralded a materialization.
The creature growled softly as it stood on a scaffold. Jen didn't need his digivice to identify Gorimon. It was patterned after a gorilla, except for being covered in white fur, and that its right arm was replaced with a prosthesis that was a laser cannon.
Terriermon ran forward: "Welcome to the Material World", he greeted.
Gorimon's response was to fling a section of I-beam at him.
"Go back to your own world!", Jen demanded. "Terriermon doesn't want to fight you anymore!"
Gorimon threw his head back in a fierce roar, as he pounded his chest.
Guilmon and Takato were just arriving: "Don't you recognize me?!", Jen was saying. "Don't you know me?!"
As soon as he said it, he wanted to pull his tongue out. Of course he remembered. That was the whole problem: he came for some pay-back.
Guilmon leaped and took a swing at the digimon, who easily batted the red dino aside as if he were nothing.
Takato ran the ident
Gorimon
Anthro animal digimon
His main attack is Power Attack
"What is it?", Takato asked. "What happened between you two?"
Guilmon body slammed the gorilla digimon, knocking him off his feet, as Takato and Jen ran up some stairs to get out of his line of fire The rebound sent Guilmon up against a support column: "Looks like I can do handstands", he said.
"Looks like it's my turn..."
"Absolutely not, Terriermon!", his Tamer told him.
"Why shouldn't I help Guilmon?"
"Do you really want to go back to that life?!"
"What... what happened?", Takato asked again. "Guilmon!", he called out.
Gorimon had Guilmon by the tail, trying to pull him away from the support column.
Suddenly, Gorimon dropped Guilmon, taking aim with that laser cannon.
"LOOK OUT!" Terriermon said as he threw himself at Gorimon, body slamming him hard enough to send the blast of UV over their heads, as Takato and Jen hit the deck.
"Blazing Fire!", he attacked. He hit Gorimon in the legs and eyes, forcing the gorilla digimon to cease his attacks for the moment.
"STOP IT, TERRIERMON!", Jen demanded.
"Weren't you the one who made me fight him before?", Terriermon objected. "What's the difference now?", he asked.
Gorimon recovered enough to throw a punch at Guilmon, who ducked. His fist slammed into a support column, cracking it despite its nearly meter diameter.
"What happened before?', Takato asked.
Jenyra remembered. His little sister had just received an NBA All Stars jersey: "Look at the present Pa-pa gave me!", she announced to her mother. It was the occasion of his father's business trip to the US of A. Before he left, he promised home coming gifts.
"The American version of Digital Monsters", Jen received this highly sought after video game.
"I knew you'd like it", his father replied.
"Thank you, Dad", he said with enthusiasm. He couldn't wait to install and run it.
He clicked through various character selections, including Gorimon, but he moused past that one. The character he finally selected was Terriermon.
Gorimon had another section of I-beam and attempted to strike Terriermon with it.
"Nice one! Guilmon!", Takato congratulated as he batted the I-beam away. Gorimon had forgotten about Terriermon for the moment, as he chased Guilmon.
"Why? Why?!", Jen asked himself as he fruitlessly clicked the mouse button. "He passed through the 'Net-gate and disappeared? Is there something wrong with the modem? Is it a bug? Digimon can't open a gateway on their own. It can't be, there's no way, but still..."
Gorimon had Guilmon in a head lock, and attempted to crack his head against a concrete wall.
"Guilmon!", Takato called out.
"Over here, you sumbitch!", Terriermon diverted his attention. Guilmon was strong enough to resist having his head pounded to mush.
Unforch, Gorimon caught Terriermon on the fly by one of his long ears, and flung him across the room.
"Just like back then", Jen was saying.
Gorimon was destroying one digimon after another: a numemon, a tyrannomon, and loading the data.
"Stop it Gorimon!", Jen demanded even though these game characters couldn't hear, and wouldn't care even if they did. "Why are you doing these things?! You suddenly disappear and just as suddenly reappear. Why the excessive cruelty?"
Teriermon was lying on the floor, stunned.
"Terriermon... I can't forgive you! "Speed percentage up: High Speed Plug-in B", as he scanned the card through the video game's card reader. "Power percentage up: Boost Chip"
Terriermon slammed him, knocking him off his feet.
"That's it, Terriermon! Keep it up! Hit percentage up: Aurvandil's Arrow!", as he scanned yet another card.
Terriermon hit him with his Blazing Fire, doing considerable damage, but not destroying Gorimon.
"Next up: Stamina Seed!"
Terriermon Evolve! …
… GALGOMON!
"Yes! He evolved!"
Galgomon giggled as he opened up with his Gatling Arms, forcing Gorimon to cover himself, shielding himself with his arms, He began to run away.
"He's fleeing!", Jen congratulated.
Galgomon pursued, still blazing away at Gorimon.
"That's enough!", Jen called out. "He's gone!"
"Didn't we win? Didn't we win against Gorimon?", he asked himself, "Is this because of me?"
Gorimon gave Terriermon a swift kick, intending to send him into a column. Guilmon jumped and caught him, unharmed.
"Terriermon!", Jen called out.
"Guilmon, don't give up!", Takato called as he saw Gorimon aiming that laser cannon. He charged with a length of rebar, Gorimon fired at Takato instead, knocking the rebar from his grasp.
"Don't hurt Takato!", Guilmon threatened.
"There's something I can do", he said as he went through the cards he got from Kazu.
"Power percentage up: Devil Chip!", as he scanned the card.
"Pyro...", Guilmon was preparing to launch his attack, but Gorimon shoved a sack of concrete mix in his mouth.
"Dammit! It didn't work! What can I do? What can I do... Of course, evolution. Terriermon to Galgomon: it's the only way"
"I can't!"
"Why the HELL not! If we don't do something, we're gonna lose both of 'em!"
"When one digimon destroys another, it loads its opponent's data. Just like wild beasts, survival of the fittest. Of course, there is one big difference: digimon aren't alive. They're just programs, and you can't really hurt them. You're worrying about nothing", his father was telling him.
Back to his game: "That's right: they're just programs, so what difference does it make?"
Things weren't going so swell for Terriermon. He collapsed to the ground, on the verge of deletion.
"Terriermon... They do matter", he said as he wiped at his eyes as he stood. If he didn't do something, and soon, he was going to lose Terriermon. The game timed out only so long, awaiting his next play.
When he opened his eyes, that's when he saw it: that Blue Card. In desperation, he ran it through the card reader. It's LEDs glowed steadily, instead of blinking in reaction to a card scan. The game locked up, unresponsive to either mouse clicks, or the keyboard.
As he watched, incredulous, the card reader turned into a digivice, leaving a useless USB cord dangling from the front of his computer. Next, the digivce switched itself on, and a random pattern of swirling colours appeared on its LCD screen. The same pattern of colours also displayed on the monitor.
A very real Terriermon materialized right in his lap, as the image of the game Terriermon faded from the screen. He was still unconcious, as Jen carried him to his bed, and knelt before him.
"Forgive me, Terriermon", he sobbed, his tears dropping on Terriermon's head.
"Don't cry, Jen", Terriermon said, "I'm perfectly fine", he reassured.
"I'm so sorry for hurting you... for all the digimon I killed and hurt".
"Moumentai! It's alright"
"Jen! JEN!", Takato snapped him back to reality where Gorimon kicked Terriermon aside as he attacked Guilmon. "There's no other choice! Terriermon has to evolve, or they'll be killed!"
"There's another way!", Jen insisted.
"No there isn't!", Takato countered. "What can I do with these cards?", as he held them up.
"There has to be a way... Somehow... That's it! Give it to me!", he was referring to the most useless card in Takato's collection.
"Terriermon!", he called out.
"Jen!"
"Training Gibs!", as he ran the card through his digivice.
The data was arriving, and the training gibs materialized around Terriermon's ears.
"Hell'd you do that...", Takato began to ask. Terriermon flung the training gibs off his ears and onto Gorimon.
"I see now, with the training gibs, he can't move as freely"
Guilmon struck from above, knocking him to the ground.
"Petit Twister!", Terriermon attacked, sending the vortex straight into him. The circulating winds lifted the big digimon off the ground. He slammed back down hard on his back. This served to really piss him off. He broke free of the gibs. He brought his weapon to bear, but Terriermon was waiting for this.
"Blazing Fire!", he sent the fiery pellets down the barrel of the laser cannon. It was too late: the power supply overloaded, and the weapon backfired, blowing Gorimon into data.
"Stop Terriermon!", Jen called out, "I don't want you loading his data!", he ordered.
"I won't if you don't want me to", Terriermon said as he let the particles drift away.
"What happened to his data?", Takato asked.
"It went back to the Digital World", he replied with confidence, but more to reassure himself than answer his friend's question. Rather than admit that he'd been responsible for the death of yet another digimon.
Takato found an article in the paper that morning. The police were claiming that there had been a shoot out between rival factions of the Yakuza in the underground garage. It was fortunate, the article read, that there were no casualties. The damage was extensive, amounting to hundeds of millions – if not over a billion – yen's worth in damage. The shoot-out had involved high powered, automatic weapons.
It looked like Takato, his friends, and their partners had dodged a bullet. There was no mention of anything having to do with digimon. That is, if the article could be believed.
Once he started paying attention to the news, he found more suspect digimon activity. He wondered just how many digimon had crossed over. How many had partners? One thing was certain: he and his friends were not alone.