5) Introducing Calumon
The kids and faculty were assembling at the soccer field. More kids came running, their attention attracted by all the unusual activity.
"What is this?", one asked
"Who could've done such a thing?", asked another.
"What a f'kin' mess!", another observed.
"Squiggly, wiggly", Kazu announced.
Someone had taken the field marker, filled it brim full with chalk, and emptied its contents all over the field in a pattern of a random line. The grounds keeper looked on, silently and with disgust, as he knew he'd be raking the entire field.
"Everyone: get to your classes", it was the Headmaster.
"Last night, some prankster hit the school grounds", Ms. Asagi was saying before starting the daily lesson, "I'm not making any accusations here, and I sincerely don't believe anyone from Class B had anything to do with it. If you know something, or you hear something, I would appreciate it if you would bring it to my attention...", she paused.
"Now that that's settled, no further announcements... Put away your texts and notes", as she pulled out a stack of papers.
"A test?"
"For real?"
"I'm not ready for this...".
"I'm so gonna get a zero...",
There was considerable grumbling from the students: "No one said anything about this!", Kazu complained.
"That's why it's called a pop quiz, Mr. Shioda", Ms. Asagi explained.
She announced, as she handed a stack of papers to the first student in line: "Take one, and pass the rest back. Don't forget to turn in your work before you leave"
Takato was finishing his lunch as he listened to some of the conversation swirling around him.
"I'll bet it was the school ghost", one theorized.
"Yeah", another agreed
"Remember when the Headmaster thought he saw that dinosaur? I think it was a poltergeist, not a ghost".
"That day, we didn't get any bread for lunch, though, do you think poltergeists eat bread?"
"Dunnow, but I'm sure that ghosts don't"
Two students were moving and stacking desks and chairs. It was cleaning day. Every boy dreaded this, and did their best to cover for each other, to avoid it, to leave it to the girls. Takato had volunteered for this duty readily.
It was a chance for him to be with Juri.
"Just some prankster", Takato observed. "Everyone's making too big a deal of this".
"Everyone's saying it's this school ghost", Juri reminded.
"You believe that?", he began to chuckle. Juri stopped mopping.
"What's wrong?", he asked.
"I think I saw it", Juri confessed, "the school ghost, I mean".
"Oh? When was this?", he asked.
"Last year", Juri began the story. "I was sick with a stomach ache and went to the school infirmary to lie down for a bit. The school nurse said she had to attend to something, but said she'd be back soon. I know there was no one else there.
"That's when I heard it: a faint sound of tinkling glass. I got up to investigate, and the sound seemed to be coming from a cabinet where they keep the chemicals for Chemistry. At first, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but then I saw the bottles jiggling and tapping together. That's went I saw it: a small black figure flew at me from the inside of the cabinet. At first, I didn't believe I hadn't just imagined the whole thing, but...", she paused.
"Go on", Takato prompted.
"It left behind evidence..."
"Evidence?"
"Yes, it left behind footprints, but here's the thing: it left them on the ceiling. All over, leaving tracks, all over the ceiling".
"That is weird", Takato agreed.
"So, maybe there's something to it after all? Though... I didn't think ghosts could leave behind physical evidence?"
"I don't know... you got me", Takato lied.
Small, black: that could be but one thing: a nyokimon. This must've been what Juri saw in the infirmary that day: the materialization of a nyokimon. He kept this to himself, though he wondered how a Fresh could cross over. So far as he knew, it was Rookies and higher level digimon.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
The little white creature observed, hidden from sight, in the upper branches of a tree. Across the street, he observed the kids playing soccer on the school playing field.
"They're having fun, culu?", he said to himself.
He wondered if he could play this game. He was much smaller than the kids, so he figured he had an advantage: he could dodge and get the ball around the defenders. He imagined kicking lightening fast goals, being the hero of the game.
"No way, culu?!", he said, but why not?
"See ya Monday!", one student called to another as the school day ended.
"Got any plans for the weekend?", another asked.
They filed off, going their separate ways.
The next day, Calumon returned to his vantage point to await another game. He didn't understand weekends, and wondered why no one was coming. He waited all day.
It was dark, and Calumon made his way to the storage shed.
"Why isn't it opening, culu?!", as he struggled with the sliding door. He looked up.
"What's this, culu?", he asked himself, as he flew up about half-way. He pulled at the padlock that was keeping him from opening the door. He picked up a rock, and began to hammer at the lock.
"Open, culu?! Open, culu?!"
It was a cheap padlock, and soon gave way. Calumon got out the field marker, and filled the whole field with random lines: "Now everyone will come, culu?! Let's have a great time, culu?!"
He got out a soccer ball, and played with it, imitating the moves he'd observed: bouncing the ball off his head, kicking it as had the offense players, throwing it as he'd seen the goalie do.
He waited for the playmates he was expecting, but they never showed up.
"That's odd, culu; no one came, culu?"
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Why Sunday good day to play?", Guilmon asked.
"Because we don't have school", Takato explained.
"Then why Takato goin' school?"
"It's my turn to feed the rabbits"
Guilmon had no idea what he was talking about, but that wasn't unusual: he had to do a great many things Guilmon didn't understand.
"Shit!", Takato exclaimed.
"What...", Guilmon started.
"They did it again", Takato said after seeing the playing field. The pranksters were back. "And it just had to happen the day I'm supposed to feed the rabbits".
"Did what again?", Guilmon asked.
"Fucked up the soccer field. Mr. Iwamoto's really gonna be pissed".
"Who?"
"Mr. Iwamoto, the grounds keeper. He'll have to clean up this whole mess... Oh well, best I call someone so's I don't get blamed for this".
"Guilmon know you didn't. Guilmon tell..."
"Thanks for the thought, but I don't think that'll be practical, not after you scared shit out of Headmaster Kurosawa".
Takato poured raw lettuce, broken string beans, and carrots into a shallow tray. This, he placed in the rabbit cage.
"Don't you even think about that Guilmon". He noticed how interested the digimon dinosaur seemed to be in the school's pet rabbits. "They're pets, not food".
"Guilmon unnerstan", he promised, though he'd never seen a rabbit before, and didn't know he could eat them. Now he did.
Suddenly, Guilmon alerted: "There's a digimon close", he announced.
"You sure?"
"This way", Guilmon led the way. There was the heavy roller used to smooth the sand of the playing field: "It's behind here"
"Is that a digimon?", Takato asked. It was very small, very white, and very disproportionate. Its arms and legs little more than stubs, as was its almost non-existent tail, its head outsized for its body. Its eyes and ears outsized for its head. Feet, hands, and ears trimmed with purple. The fore head was decorated with a central, red triangle, surrounded by three black triangles: the opposite of the design on Guilmon's chest.
They caught it asleep, but there was nothing unusual in that: unpartnered digimon often slept outdoors where convenient.
"Culu?", it said as they awakened it.
"Yo", Takato returned the greeting.
"Culu?! Culu?! Culu?!", his large, green eyes lit up.
"You're so cute", Takato complimented as he reached out to pet him. He leaped just out of reach. He tried again, but with the same results.
"I wonder if he's afraid?"
"We won't hurt you", as he tried to grab the creature.
"Culu?!"
"Are you playing, then? Playing tag?"
"No No No No Culu!"
"That's a strange digimon", Jen agreed. "I don't recall ever seeing one like that before".
"The hell of it is: I can't get an ident on him. My digivice remains stuck on "Seek", as if he's not a digimon at all. If he isn't, then what is he? Where did he come from?"
Calumon, as they learned his name, followed Guilmon all the way back to his shed. Takato called Jenyra to let him know what they'd found at the school.
"I wonder... if I designed Guilmon, could someone have designed this digimon?"
"Then where's his partner?", Jen asked. "Maybe it's some other life form from the Digital World, not a digimon?"
"What the hell else could it be?"
"There are other video games besides Digimon", Jen pointed out. "If one set of game characters could exist independently of the games, then why not others?"
"You mean, like a Pokemon?"
"Perhaps... Kind'a looks like one".
"That tickles, culu?!", the small white digimon called out as Guilmon nuzzled it wit his snout. So far, he consented to being touched only by Guilmon, which Takato took as evidence that this was indeed a digimon, and that he had no partner.
"He probably crossed over with the other digimon", Jen was saying.
"And can't get back?"
"That'd be my guess"
"How about we find him a partner?", Takato asked. "What about your sister,..."
"Shiuchon?"
"Sure, why not?"
"I dunnow... I mean she doesn't know anything about digimon, and hasn't suspected Terriermon isn't anything but a doll... Besides, I don't think it's any of our business. We don't know how, or why, digimon partner. Maybe he wants to remain independent? Maybe he's looking and has his own ideas of what to seek in a partner?"
"I guess... but he's so small and vulnerable".
"If I could get an ident, maybe he has some formidable powers we're not aware of. Maybe that's one of them: concealment. If he lets just those digimon see him who he wants to see him, then it would be hard to threaten him. He's managed so far hasn't he? He seems to get along with Guilmon, doesn't he? I think it's best to leave well enough alone. Either he seeks a partner, or he doesn't: that's his business".
It was getting towards sundown, and Calumon was getting bored with playing in the shed.
"Let's go out and play, culu?", he said in that strange mannerism that made everything he said sound like a question.
"Can't", Guilmon told him.
"Why not, culu?"
"Takato said can't go out".
"Why not, culu?"
"He said I have to protect you because I'm bigger".
"Why, culu? Why do you have to protect me because you're bigger, culu?"
"Uhhhhh..."
"Why, culu?"
"Ehhhhh..."
"Why, culu?... why, culu... why, culu... why, culu..."
"Uhhhh... wanna go out an' play?", Guilmon could think of no reason why his size had anything to do with it. He, too, was getting bored.
"Yeay, culu?!"
He led Guilmon to the school play field: "There are three now, culu?! We can't get that many off, culu?!"
The grounds keeper wasn't taking any chances where this "prankster" was concerned: he'd locked the shed with three different padlocks, one a combination lock, though none were up to the standards of Master Lock.
"Don't have to", Guilmon pointed out. "Rock 'n' Roll Breaker!"
"See? I can tunnel inside", Guilmon pointed out, as he reappeared from the hole he dug outside the shed.
"Take that, culu?", Calumon pointed out the field marker. Guilmon brought it outside.
"Make patterns, culu? That way, everyone will come and we can have a lot of fun, culu?"
"Like this?"
Calumon was riding on top of the chalk hopper, as Guilmon operated the marker.
"That's good, but more, culu?"
Guilmon, unlike Calumon, decided not to make a mess. That way, he figured the grounds keeper wouldn't be so upset. He drew a circle, and overlaid a hexagram on top. No sooner had he completed his design, than a column of that white mist burst from the ground...
"Dammit, Guilmon!", Takato was saying as he discovered that the shelter was empty. He and Jen were bringing Calumon and Guilmon the unsold stock, as he did every evening.
"You told Guilmon to look after Calumon", Jen pointed out, "if Calumon left, then Guilmon would surely follow".
"I suppose, but I hoped those two would stay here, and out of trouble".
That's when he noticed: "Over there!", Takato pointed out.
"Looks like it's near the school", Henry agreed.
"It's coming", Terriermon announced: "a digimon".
"C'mon!", Takato led the way.
The digital field soon spread over the entire playing field. Guilmon and Calumon watched as something no bigger than Calumon completed its materialization.
"What the hell are you?", the new arrival asked of Guilmon.
"You're tiny", Guilmon observed, "I'll protect you because I'm bigger".
"Don't call me tiny!", the digimon raged, "I may be small but I'm powerful! I'm terrifying! You're probably scared of me right now! If you aren't, then you should be!"
"Culu?"
"But you're still tiny", Guilmon insisted.
"I said don't call me tiny! ... Nightmare Shock!"
The new digimon attacked, and completely vaporized the field marker as Calumon ducked.
"I'll load all your data!", he threatened. "Nightmare..."
"Run! Culu!", Calumon recognized this one wasn't friendly before Guilmon did.
"...Shock!"
The energy attack missed.
"Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu!", for now, Calumon was his target of choice.
"Take this!", he attacked with more energy bursts that Calumon was just barely able to out pace.
"It's the end for you!"
"Pyrosphere!"
"What the...", the smaller digimon wasn't expecting this attack, and had pretty much forgotten about Guilmon. He figured the big red dinosaur was none too bright, and no real threat. He was barely able to deflect the ball of plasma with a wave of his wings.
"Guilmon! Calumon!", Takato announced as he and Jen ran into the digital field.
"That thing's...", Terriermon began.
Jen had his digivice out to get the ident:
Vilemon
Evil spirit digimon
Rookie
Main attack: Nightmare Shock
Vilemon was flighted: "White Wings: digimodify!", Takato decided to even the odds a bit.
"Whatthefuck!", Vilemon said as he watched the red dinosaur flying towards him.
"Pyrosphere!", he attacked at closer range this time. This time, he nearly got Vilemon. In his attempt to deflect that fireball, Vilemon crashed to the ground.
"What did you do, Outworlder?!", Vilemon demanded.
"I gave Guilmon the power of flight", Takato answered.
"Damn you! Damn you all!"
"Terriermon!"
"Leave it to me"
"High Speed Plug-in D: digimodify!"
"Nightmare Shock!"
This attack was too late, and went over their heads as Terriermon struck him, sending it off-course.
"Is everyone all right, culu?", Calumon asked.
"YOU BASTARDS!", Vilemon was getting more and more pissed with these Outworlders. "I'll load all your data!"
"This is bad", Jen said, as all they accomplished so far was to avoid Vilemon's attacks. He was still fast, agile, flighted, and had formidable defenses. They knew he could make good on his threats.
"What card should we use?", Takato asked as they went through their card collections.
"Vilemon!", someone called out. "Your opponent is right here!" It was Ruki and Renamon.
"This one looks more powerful", Vilemon said, "better quality data"
"Alias: digimodify!", Ruki scanned the card.
"Nightmare..."
"Looks like he fell for it", Ruki said to herself.
"...Shock!", as he blasted away what he thought was Renamon
"I did it!', he congratulated himself.
"You didn't win a damn thing", Ruki announced. "That was just an imitation, the real one's right behind you".
Too late did Vilemon recognize his error: there was no data from the "renamon" he thought he killed.
"Koyousetsu!"
Vilemon exploded into data, and Renamon loaded it.
"No need to thank me", Ruki announced, "all I wanted was his data".
"You're... horrible", Takato accused.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, he wasn't pretty and he wasn't friendly, but he was still a life. How can you destroy life so casually?"
"Digimon are only digimon", she explained. "Renamon..."
"What's this thing?", she asked.
"Culu? Wanna play, culu?", Calumon looked up at this new arrival, and potential playmate.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on him!", Takato called out.
"What. Ever", Ruki replied. Besides, this new digimon didn't look the least bit interesting, nor would his data do anything to solve Renamon's evolution problems.
"Fucksamatter with her?", Takato asked no one in particular.
"That was fun, culu?!", Calumon announced.
"Ehhhh...?", Takato said. This Calumon sure did have an odd notion as to what fun was.
"Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu!", the small white digimon bounced across the playing field.
"Wait!", Takato called after him. "It's dangerous for you to be off by yourself!"
"No it isn't, culu?", he disagreed.
"Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu! Culu!", he continued bouncing across the field, over the hedge, and out of sight.
"What a strange little digimon", Takato said.
"Very", Jen agreed. "I don't think he even wants a partner".
"If that's the case, then it's alright?", Terriermon asked.
"I guess...", Takato replied.
The next morning, the kids were gathering at the playing field.
"This is the worst yet!", one announced as they surveyed the devastation of last night's digibattle.
"Had to be that ghost or poltergeist"
"I think zombies rose from the earth here", another added.
"Maybe it was that red dinosaur the Headmaster said he saw? Maybe he wasn't as crazy as we thought?"
"What say we let them keep on believing that?", Takato said to Jen.
"Agreed", he replied.