16) How to Ruin a School Outing
The time Takato, and every other kid in Japan, had been waiting for had finally arrived: summer vacation. It couldn't get here soon enough for Takato.
"A school camp out?", Koichi asked.
"They do it every year", Takato explained, "to end the school year".
"They never did anything like that back home. No way would they. Too afraid of law suits and shit like that, even if they did, it would be a real drag, always watching us, never letting us have any real fun".
"It doesn't sound like they trust you very much?"
"Believe me, they don't"
"I always thought America was the land of the free".
"America ain't the America you heard about in class. Those days are long gone. These days, America's the land of the stuck-up, hung-up, and control freak. Political correctness has everyone on edge, just waiting for the slightest excuse to whine about some offense, real or imagined. Even in my own life time, it's gotten worse.
"School camp out: fuggedabouddit! Swimming? Some kid might drown. Softball, and games? Some kid might get a boo-boo, and his parents would be looking to hit a Lawsuit Lottery from the school district. Yeah, we keep telling ourselves we're 'free' (finger quotes) but we don't have school camp outs to end our school years. Hell, we barely have field trips anymore. It seems the spirit of eighty-four is winning out over the spirit of seventy-six... Enough ranting for now... What was it you needed?"
"Jen and I were talking the other day, and we agreed our partners could use some time off too. Jen doesn't have a problem, what with Terriermon's size, but I can't take Guilmon on the bus".
"Say no more. Where's this park? I'll run Guilmon up there for you. No problem".
"That would be great!"
"There's one thing..."
"Yes?"
"What about Little Miss PITA?"
"Ruki doesn't go to our school, and I don't think she even knows, or cares for that matter, what our school does".
"Good thing. At least she won't be spoiling all your fun".
"Yeah", Takato agreed.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Fifth Grade! Everyone on the bus!", Mr. Mori announced. He would be going with the Class 5-A students.
There were two busses, one for 5-A, and the other for 5-B. Jenyra was going with Takato's class, having worked out a trade: one from 5-B agreed to take Jen's place.
"I guess this is the latest fad in back packs?", he asked himself. Most of the kids had animal shaped back packs. This made sneaking Terriermon on the bus all that much easier, as he was strapped to Jen's back. "Where did they buy them?", he asked himself.
"Good morning, Nami-sensei", Takato greeted. She would be taking 5-B, and for that, Takato was glad as she had a habit of car-napping, and totally dead to the world. During her field trips, the kids could get away with murder.
"Ready to have a good time?"
"You betcha!"
"You're not bringing anything weird, are you?"
"I don't know what you mean?", he said, though he knew what she meant. "Just my digital camera". He kept his digivice well hidden.
"Glad you're not" A digital camera was OK. "Get on the bus".
"How about that?', Terriermon said, "looks like Calumon wants a vacation too".
In the very back, there was the small white digimon, perched atop two backpacks hung on hooks. He noticed and smiled at them.
"Oh well..."
"Moumentai!"
Takato was sitting on the rear bench with Kenta, Kazu, Juri, and Yuki. He waved Jen over, as they'd been saving a seat for him.
"Let's go!". Ms. Nami announced.
"Let's go!", everyone called back.
The bus rolled out of the city and into the country side.
Guilmon's Shed
"Koichi!", Guilmon called out.
"Ready to go?"
"You bet!"
Just then, a small dark figure dropped from a nearby tree.
"Impmon, what brings you here?", Koichi asked.
"I'm goin' too"
"I didn't think..."
"Blabber mouth told me all about it. I'd like to get away too".
"OK, then, come along. Room for everyone".
Guilmon, Impmon, and Renamon all piled into Koichi's car.
"Hey Foxie", Impmon greeted.
"Do try to behave yourself", Renamon warned Impmon. "Don't do anything to ruin their fun".
"What makes you think I'd do anything like that?"
"Your track record so far doesn't exactly reassure me. I have my doubts..."
"I swear by the Digimon Code of Honour: there! Feel better?"
"I'm sure Impmon won't if he says he won't. He saved out asses when that snake Deva attacked, didn't he?", Koichi ponted out. "That's good enough for me. Now let's get you on up to that campsite".
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Ms. Nami was sound asleep up front, just behind the driver. Kenta had commandeered the mic used for teacher's announcements, and was regaling them all with a sea chanty:
With the rough waves,
Mother wait for me...
There was nothing the least bit melodious about Kenta's "singing". Takato, Kazu, Yuki, and Juri were cheering him on; most of the rest of the passengers wished he'd shut up.
We made a big catch
They were wondering how in the hell Ms. Nami managed to sleep through that, but she did. She didn't wake up until the bus was pulling into the parking lot.
Koichi had arrived ahead of the kids, and Guilmon was waiting in the woods for them to get all set up. He and Renamon headed back to the city. As much as he'd like to stay, he wasn't in the fifth grade.
Blankets were spread out, and picnics brought out. Terriermon was sitting with Calumon in the hollow of a dead fall; Guilmon had joined up.
"Terriermon, slow down: we have plenty of food", Jen admonished.
"I'll let you have one of my onigiri", Kazu offered Guilmon.
"You can have one of mine, too", Kenta offered.
"I brought an extra sandwich", Juri offered as well.
"Me too", Yuki said.
All the kids who were at Guilmon's shed that day were there; they all brought something.
"Thanks, everyone!", Guilmon said.
"No", Takato objected, "if he eats all that, he's gonna get sick".
"I'll risk it", Guilmon said.
"You eat too much as it is", Takato told him.
"Everyone: I have an announcement", Ms. Nami said as she walked by, not seeing Guilmon, who was concealed behind a tree. "After lunch, organize yourselves into teams to set up your tents".
"Takato, we'll set up your tent so's you and Guilmon can go play", Kazu offered.
"That would be great, Thanks"
This gave Jen and Takato a good chance to be off with their digimon, unseen. They were crossing a narrow, rope bridge across a deep, but narrow, canyon. The digimon were looking down into the river far below.
"There! All done!", Kazu announced.
"Think we'll fit in there?", Kenta asked. "Seems awfully small", he said of the dome shaped pup tent.
"Oh well, can't be helped", Kazu replied.
"What about Takato and Guilmon..."
He was interrupted by a loud, but very odd, bird call that sent a flock of other birds into the sky from the surrounding trees.
"Fuck was that?", Kazu said.
"No idea", Kenta said.
At the bridge, Guilmon was doing a one-handed hand stand on the support rail of the bridge. Terriermon and Calumon balanced precariously on one of Guilmon's feet, making a tower. How Guilmon could do that when he had problems even doing a regular hand stand, and that was on solid ground, no less, Takato hadn't a clue...
That's when he and Jen heard the alert...
"Guilmon..."
"Wait", Jen said. "It's a small, weak signal", he explained. "They didn't notice", he said, nodding towards the digimon.
"Hand stand! Hand stand!", Guilmon was calling out. Terriermon and Calumon were laughing.
"We brought them here to get away from fighting for awhile. Let them have some fun".
"Yeah, I guess you're right", Takato agreed.
Hypnos
"Wild One detected. What should we do about this, Megumi?", one tech asked the other.
"I don't think we need to alert Yamaki. He did tell us to not bother with the small ones. Best to just keep an eye on it for now", Megumi answered.
The Campsite
For dinner time, Mr. Mori and Ms. Nami had set a huge bonfire, and Mr. Mori was regaling the kids with a campfire story:
"This is a real story", he began. "It's about something that happened right here, about ten years ago..."
He had the kids' attention.
"OK, OK", Ms. Nami said. She wished he'd tone it down a bit: she didn't need a site full of kids who couldn't sleep all night long.
"While we were having dinner, just like you are right now, we heard the sound of a bird that seemed to come from nowhere..."
"Just like we did", Kazu whispered to Kenta.
"Ummmm...", he agreed.
"...And inside a tent which was supposed to be empty..."
Suddenly, the kids saw a look of genuine fear come over Mori's face. They thought it part of the story, and thought he was pretty good as a scary story teller.
"Takato, I want more", Guilmon called from the tent directly in Mori's line of sight.
He screamed.
All the kids screamed.
"OK, OK", Nami said. She didn't need this.
Mr. Mori actually feinted. The kids thought it a magnificent performance.
"Asanuma-sensei" (Nami's real name) Mori was saying as they patrolled the site. The bonfire had long burned down to embers, the kids put to bed. "I swear I really saw it! There was a monster inside one of the tents!"
"OK, OK", was all she had to say.
They heard the sound of muffled laughter: "You two still up?", she asked.
"Sorry", Kenta and Kazu said in chorus. They shone their flashlights in such a manner as to keep her from seeing into the darkness of the tent.
"Where's Takato?", she asked.
"He fell asleep a while ago", Kazu said, as he indicated a lump under a sleeping bag.
"He's not much fun", Kenta complained.
"You should do the same"
"Oooookayyyy", they promised.
"Misison accomplished!", Kenta said to Kazu.
"Guilmon!", Takato called out, "not so fast".
"I heard there was a great view of the city from this hill top", Jen said as they ran up the steep slope.
"Really?", Takato asked.
"Wow!", Guilmon said.
"Great!", Terriermon agrees.
"Beautiful, culu?!"
They caught up with their digimon.
From this vantage point, they had a panoramic view of Tokyo spread far below them. It was also a very clear night, and the lights of Tokyo spread to the horizon, sparkling like multi-coloured jewels in the night. There were greens from flouescent lights from offices, the golden glow of sodium vapour street lamps, the reds of warning lights marking the tops of office towers and ariels. Not a sound from the city reached them here.
"I didn't think the digimon would enjoy this that much", Jen observed.
"I'm happy we brought them", Takato agreed.
They heard that squawk from that digimon. With a wordless nod, Takato and Jen went off to investigate. In the woods, Jen saw it first. It was a bird digmon, perched on a high branch.
"What should we do?", Takato asked. "If they see it, there're'll probably be a fight". It didn't matter that it was no bigger than a pigeon.
"We have to go", Jen advised.
"We're going back", Jen announced when they returned where they left their partners and Calumon.
"Ehhhhh..."?. Guilmon asked.
"Already?!", Terriermon protested.
"I want to stay more, culu?"
"Kazu and the others are probably worried by now", Takato thought up a plausible explanation.
"But...", Guilmon started.
"C'mon", Takato urged him along.
(Blackouts are spreading through several Tokyo districts. The reason is...)
Hypnos
"We're on emergency back-up", Megumi announced.
"The Wild One is growing at an incredible rate"
"Yamaki, Sir, we have a situation..."
"Understood. On my way"
Yamaki ran for the control room. He looked out the windows at darkened buildings across the street.
"Digimon: what are they doing in our world?", he thought to himself.
"It stopped growing?", he asked as he arrived in the control room in time to see the latest read-outs on the Wild One.
The Campsite
"Ohhhhhh..."Guilmon was moaning, "I'm tired", he complained.
Terriermon and Calumon also looked to have reached the end of their energy reserves.
'Thankfully, nothing happened", Takato said.
"Yeah", Jen agreed.
Swimming was the activity for this morning. All the kids, and Ms. Asanuma and Mr. Mori were in their bathing suits down by the river.
"Asanuma-sensei, do you want me to pit sunscreen on your back?" Mr. Mori was the school letch, and he was practically drooling as he said it.
"No, I'm fine", she replied.
Unfortunately, Ms. Asanuma was the main object of his lechery. She'd rather burn to a crisp, than have him touching her.
Takato and Jen had slipped away, to a secluded spot next to a waterfall.
"Here, you can play unnoticed", Jen told the digimon
"You can swim all you want", Takato said.
The three jumped from a high branch, landing in a pool near the waterfall, raising a splash that drenched Takato and Jen. They laughed.
Terriermon and Calumon, "flew" underwater. Guilmon let himself sink. A fish swam by. It was the first time Guimon had been in water. Terriermon, the first time that wasn't the bath, and Calumon wasn't sure.
They surfaced: "Takato. Come on in!" Guilmon called out.
"Swim with us, Jen!", Terriermon said.
"'Swim with us, Jen!'", came an unexpected reply, very sarcastic, from an over head tree branch.
"Hey! It's Impmon!", Terriermon called out.
"Impmon!"
"Impmon, culu?!"
He was laying sideways.
"Huh?', Takato and Jen said.
"What about 'Impmon', huh?", he began another one of his rants. "Do you really think digimon can go on camping trips and have fun like Outworlders?"
"I don't see why not", Takato objected. "They're our friends. Friends share fun things they like to do"
"I think so, too", Jen told him.
Impmon got to his point, as he sprang to his feet: "Then how come you didn't see fit to invite me?! How come I have to hear all about it second hand from the big red blabber-mouth?!
"You want to play with us?", Takato asked.
"What are you saying? That's not what I meant. Why would I want..."
Guilmon splashed him: "Play!"
"Play!", Terriermon encouraged.
"If you want it so badly...", he began in a very threatening tone "...then I'll play!", he said as he dived in.
"Wait for me!", he called out as he swam after the other digimon.
"If he wanted to play, why didn't he just say so?", Takato asked.
"Some digimon, like some people, have a problem being honest with their feelings", Jen explained.
They heard a scream, and watched as all the digimon were thrown into the bank.
"What's wrong, Guilmon?!"
"Jen, there's a digimon!", Terriermon warned.
They looked to where they'd seen their digimon flying. It looked very mechanical, its body spherical, like an LNG tank. It bore a certain resemblance to a chicken. Its wings feathered and stubby.
"It's that digimon we saw last night!", Takato pointed out.
"How did it get so big?!", Jen asked.
Guilmon was growling at it.
"I'm not getting any data!", Takato called out. This was becoming an ominous pattern... "OK, got something: "Shinduramon"
Guilmon was growling louder: "Hold up, Guilmon!", Takato called out.
"Wait, Terriermon, let's see what he does", Jen advised his partner.
"Our God has descended...", they looked to see who or what was speaking. It was a common barn owl. "Our God has grown by eating the light of the Outworlders". The main thing they noticed right away was the fiery red glow of the owl's eyes.
"Light?", Jen asked.
"Eating?", Takato asked.
"The light gives him power, and our God's power grows"
"Even stronger?", Takato was asking.
"Is that a threat?", Jen asked.
"Not a threat", the owl replied, "a prophecy"
"Prophecy?"
With that, Shinduramon lifted off, and his spokes-owl followed.
"Guilmon!"
"Terriermon!"
"God this and God that", Impmon complained. "I'm sick of it"
"Don't worry, we'll manage it somehow", Kazu was explaining from outside the tent where Takato and Jen were getting dressed. They knew they had to do something, and that it was highly unlikely Asanuma and Mori would excuse them to go fight a digimon.
Thanks", Takato called out.
"Nami-sensei was saying there was a big black out last night in Tokyo", Kenta added, off hand. "Maybe it's related?"
Takato emerged, dressed and with Calumon
"Jen?"
It looked like he was lost in thought again. He recalled the events of last night, what that spokes-owl said.
"That's it!", he announced. "It grows by absorbing electrical energy. This is bad... very bad... Takato! We don't have a minute to lose! Let's go!"
He led the way to a bus stop near the campsite, and was checking the schedule.
"Do you know where Guilmon and Terriermon are?"
A familiar car pulled up: "Koichi! Renamon! Are we ever glad to see you!" Takato said.
"I figured I'd run into you two up here. We got alerts..."
"I sensed it was here", Renamon added.
"How can we be so sure?", Takato asked.
"What's at the dam?", Jen asked.
"The hydroelectric plant?", Takato asked.
"If it taps into those dynamos, I don't want to think of the consequences... We shouldn't've let him go. It's all my fault...".
"If anyone's to blame, then I'm just as guilty. I agreed, remember?"
There was a burst of red as they were pulling up...
"Pyrosphere!"
"Petit Twister!"
Guilmon and Terriermon attacked together, but even the combined attack wasn't enough to even faze Shinduramon. He flew up and unleashed an electrical attack.
"Terriermon!", they'd arrived just in time to see it.
"Guilmon!"
"'Bout damn time you two showed up", Terriermon said. "You brought reinforcements?"
"Koyousetsu!", Renamon hit the bird digimon. This attack wasn't any more effective, but served to divert his sttention.
"Everybody!", Jen called out:
"Super Evolution Plug-in S: digimodify!"
Terriermon evolve! …
… GALGOMON!
Renamon evolve! …
… KYUUBIMON!
Guilmon evolve!
… GROWLMON!
Shinduramon leaped from the overpass where he perched, throwing himself at Galgomon, who opened up with his twin 0.50s. Growlmon intercepted him, holding him back to prevent him from flattening the smaller anthrocanine digimon.
Shinduramon fired off his electrical attack form the claw-like electrodes that crossed his back, just ahead of those stubby wings. Growlmon somehow managed to hold his ground, despite the attack was so ferocious the arcs partially concealed the two combatants in the glare.
"Growlmon!", Takato called out.
Growlmon dropped to his knees, as the avian digimon backed off, retreating to the overpass to regroup.
He flew at Growlmon again...
"You forgot about me!", Galgomon stepped in front of Growlmon.
"Galgomon!", Jen called out.
"Dum-dum Upper!", he fired at point blank range.
This drove the digimon off, as he sought to regroup, attack from the sky once more.
"Foxfire Dragon!", Kyuubimon struck from above, driving him back towards Growlmon, who was waiting.
"Exhaust Flame!", he hit him just so, sending him into the reservoir.
"Looks like he's short circuiting himself!" Jen called out.
"Shocked by his own electricity", Takato agreed.
The avi-digimon burst into data. The spokes-owl's eyes returned to normal and it flew off, unharmed.
"C'mon, we best be getting back", Takato said.
"Yeah", Jen agreed.
The trip back would be a good deal harder, now that they couldn't all fit in Koichi's car.
Hypnos
"The Wild One has disintegrated". Megumi announced to Yamaki.
He said nothing, but his knuckles turned white as he gripped his Zippo. He knew enough by now to know how that happened. Who was responsible. It irked Yamaki to no end, knowing that a bunch of grade school kids, and one kid between high school and university, could do what he considered his job. It was his greatest fear: his "superiors" would find that out and defund Hypnos and/or remove the responsibility for Wild Ones. Either way, that would be the end of his carrier.
The Campsite
"Like this?", Growlmon asked.
"Hurry up and change back, or we'll be in trouble", Takato announced.
Growlmon, Galgomon, and Kyuubimon were all doing hand stands.