Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction written by someone who enjoys creature collector franchises. Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc. and Satoshi Tajiri. Digimon is owned by Bandai, WiZ, Toei Animation, and Akiyoshi Hongo. If you want to support the official releases, worry not. Lord knows there is plenty of merchandise to choose from.
Another note before we get started: The continuity of this fanfic is going to be mixed. While the Pokémon continuity is mostly going to be based on the anime, there will be some game lore mixed in and a tad bit of manga. As for Digimon, its continuity is going to be cobbled together from all over the place.
Listening to as I'm writing this: File City Day (Digimon World)
The Crest of a Master Chapter 1: Binary Code, Binary Worlds
Byte Island, Digital World
Of all the adjectives used to describe the Digital World, boring would usually not be one of them. Yet here Agumon was, standing on the beach of the small Byte Island. The short, orange reptile let out a loud yawn from his Tyrannosaur jaws and reached down with one of his large clawed hands to give his stubby tail a quick scratch. It was time for his morning routine!
Still feeling groggy, Agumon made his way to a tide pool and began splashing his face with sea water. Between the salty scent assaulting his nostrils and the cold temperature of the water he was feeling more awake by the second. Which was good as he would need all the energy he could get before tackling his next task.
With some sea salt fresh up his nose, Agumon set off across the beach to another small hut. Unlike his own hut which was built facing the sunrise to help him wake up, this hut was facing away. Which was probably a means to let the occupant sleep in. Agumon could even hear the loud snores coming from the lazy bum within!
"Gabumon!" Agumon shouted in a froggy voice. "Gabumon!"
Reaching the hut, Agumon peered inside. As per usual there were three piles laying on the floor. The first pile was of old equipment: a fishing pole, a fishing net, a hatchet, and a pole stained with various fruit juices. The second pile was of various fruits, some of which already had multiple bites taken out of them. It was step up from the inside of Agumon's hut which had the same contents but sprawled across the floor. If anyone asked, it was because Agumon intentionally left them like that to train for hazardous terrain and NOT because he was messy thank you very much.
The third pile was made of dried grass laid down in a soft looking nest for its occupant. The occupant in question was a curled up ball of yellow scales and blue and white stripped fur. The fur would rise and fall rhythmically as the sleeping Digimon release loud snore after loud snore. Time to change that.
"Gabumon!" Agumon stormed into the hut and began violently shaking the sleeping Digimon. "It's morning! Wake up!"
Despite the volume of Agumon's voice and the power of his shakes, Gabumon remained asleep.
A warning tone creeped into Agumon's voice. "Gabumon, if you don't wake up I'll burn down your hut."
The snoring ball of fur was still unresponsive.
Agumon took a deep breath and allowed heat to gather in his maw. Flames began to ignite and squirm past his lips. One small flame leapt out from the forming fireball and onto the black, canine nose of Gabumon. "Pepper…"
"Ahhh!" Gabumon jumped up to pat out the small flame on his nose. Now that Gabumon was uncurled, Agumon could see his friend's full form. A bipedal, yellow reptile with thick legs, a thick tail, and a blue and magenta belly. The rest of his features were hidden under a white and blue stripped pelt save for a couple of holes for his red eyes and a small hole between the pelts long ribbon-like ears for a long pointed horn to poke through.
Gabumon finished patting his short snout out with the magenta claw tipped sleeves of his pelt. He then turned his attention to his guest. "Oh, good morning Agumon." He greeted in Agumon in a calm and sleepy tone, which was his normal voice making it hard for Agumon to tell if Gabumon was actually awake or not. "What brings you to my hut today?"
"Today's the day! I can feel it!" Agumon declared, pounding his chest to emphasize his point.
"You can?" Gabumon asked looking down at where Agumon pounded as though he was expecting some sort of sign to pop out.
Agumon nodded. "Definitely! Now get your hide straighten. We've got to go!" Without waiting for his friend to finish prepping, Agumon dashed out of the hut and into the groove of trees which boarded the coast.
"Wait for me!" Gabumon shouted as he took off after Agumon, fixing up his crooked pelt as he did so.
The two monsters ran through the trees. It was a small island, so the forest was really just a groove made up of various fruit trees which were either collected by the island's elder or washed ashore over the years. From those trees hung a wide variety of fruit from apples to peaches in various stages of ripeness. Some of which were dangling just low enough to pick.
Agumon heard Gabumon call from behind him. "Agumon, could we stop and pick some breakfast?"
Spotting some low hanging fruit coming up on their path, the fire in Agumon's mouth began to flare up again. "Better yet, how about I cook some for you to go? Pepper Breath!"
As Agumon called out his attack a fireball flew from his mouth right at the bundle of fruit ahead from their path. The ball hit its mark and Agumon could hear the fruit fall down as he passed under with an "Oph!" from Gabumon signaling his friend caught it.
Jogging further along Agumon broke through the wall of trees and onto the ledge of a steep cliff. Not perturbed by the drop, Agumon hopped down a series of rocks sticking out from the side of the cliff never once slipping or losing his speed. Once he hit the bottom he zoomed forward into a village of huts even more tiny than his own. As he passed by the huts various tiny creatures came out to greet him.
"Good morning, Agumon!" Squeaked a Digimon which looked like a sprouting bulb with tiny legs.
"Morning, Tanemon," Agumon called back
"I think your speed is increasing," Called out Nyaromon, a Digimon which resembled a cat head with a tail sticking out of it.
"Thanks, I'm trying," Agumon grinned.
"Are you going to the temple to get yelled at again?" Eagerly asked a Digimon which looked like a gray head with floppy ears.
"Oh ha, ha." Agumon rolled his green eyes at Pagumon's jeer.
More and more little Digimon swarmed out of their huts, awakened by the pitter patter of Agumon's feet. Agumon paid them no mind as he made his way to the large hut decorated with a variety of sea shells nestled between some large rocks next to the shore. With a final burst of speed, Agumon slid through the front entry into a large room.
The inside of this hut was not as barren as Gabumon's hut, but was way more organized than Agumon's. To Agumon's left was a large flat pad on the ground which emitted a soft green glow. On Agumon's right was a short, yet broad shelf filled with various old books and scrolls jammed into place with still some more parchments and tomes sitting on top of the shelf along with a large, lite candle in a bronze holder that was just about his height. Behind the candle was a large map which mostly displayed a world complete with labeled oceans, islands, and continents. The map also displayed a number of scribbled notes along with some skulls and cross bones littered on side of the world which seemed to be encroaching on the other half.
Agumon paid no heed to any of these objects. His concern was sitting on top of a pedestal at the back of the shrine. There, before a wall decorated with different painted symbols were two technological devices. Each were small, grey octagons with several buttons arranged around a tiny screen.
Coming to a halt in front of the devices, Agumon gave them a quick inspection. No glowing, no power, no mystical feelings. Just like always. Go figure.
Agumon groaned and slumped down on the sandy floor. "Hurry up already."
"I'm here!" Announced Gabumon as he jogged into the shack. He walked up to Agumon and held out some fruit. "I saved you some breakfast. Don't want to meet our new friends on an empty stomach."
Gabumon then looked around the shrine. "Say, where are the humons?"
"Obviously they haven't arrived yet."
The two friends turned towards the large candle sitting on the shelf which was now sporting two faces, one jack-o'-lantern like face with large red eyes in the wax and a small second face with blue eyes amongst the flames. The wax face continued to speak. "Haven't you been paying attention to any of the elder's lessons?"
"Of course we have!" Agumon growled. "The old horse said so himself. The humons will appear once the ten rainbow stars form a circle in the sky."
To demonstrate Agumon pointed outside the shrine and up towards the sky. There, framed by a thin series of clouds, were ten, bright stars of various colors gathering in a circle. A small crowd of gathering villagers looked up at the ring and began to excitedly chat amongst themselves.
"I hear that humons are excellent tacticians in battle," whispered a bird-like Digimon known as Poromon.
"I hear they carry alien Digimon in tiny balls," whispered a tiny red dragon named Gigimon.
"I hear that they are ugly," whispered Pagumon.
Candlemon did not look impressed. "First off," He lectured. "It's human. Not humon. These are creatures are of a foreign nature and therefore use a different dialect."
Candlemon then hopped down from his perch and lead Agumon and Gabumon outside. Two globs of wax mounted towards his sides forming a pair of arms. He pointed one of his hands towards the new constellation. "And second, those stars are not a perfect circle."
"How can you tell?" Challenged Agumon.
"You just have two eyes," Candlemon pointed to the face within his flame. "Whilst I have four. So I have better depth perception."
"Makes sense to me," Gabumon stated as he nodded his head.
Agumon, on the other hand, wasn't backing down. "Yeah, well I can feel my partner." He pressed his claws against his heart for emphasis. "I can feel his soul pulse alongside mine. His spirit is vigorous and strong! He is rearing and ready for adventure and I'm just the Digimon to give it to him!"
While Candlemon rolled all four of his eyes, Gabumon looked at Agumon in awe. "You can feel your partner already? That's great!" He cast his gaze down to the sandy ground below. "I haven't been able to feel anything from mine yet. Guess I'm just not as cut out for this as you are, huh?"
"No way," Agumon placed a clawed hand on Gabumon's shoulder. "Just you wait. When your human arrives the two of you will be so in sync that you'll practically be reading each other's minds."
Gabumon perked up a bit. "You think so?"
Agumon gave him a firm nod. "I know so. What you need is just a little more training. Come on! We can squeeze in some more rounds before our partners arrive."
Before the two could sprint away, they were stopped by Candlemon clearing his throat. "Before you do that the elder has left a list of choirs for you to complete while he is off island. Agumon, you need to pick all the ripe fruit from the orchard. Gabumon, there is a fishing net with a hug hole in it that needs tending."
"Uhh, right," Agumon recomposed himself before he could trip over his feet from the false start. "First choirs, then training, then get ready for human arrival. Gabumon, can I borrow your harvest stick? I accidently set mine on fire the other day."
As Agumon trotted off with Gabumon, he could still hear Candlemon huff. "Impatient and dull witted. I pity the humans who get stuck with those two as partners."
Pallet Town, Kanto Region, Pokémon World
"And that," Said an old man in a lab coat as he finished spraying the foreleg of a large beast which looked like a cross between a warty reptile and a toad with a large flowering plant growing out of its back. "Is how you properly apply a potion. Remember, while the potion helps to speed up a Pokémon's already robust healing system there will be some situations where a Pokémon may be injured beyond what a potion can manage. So remember to take your Pokémon to a Pokémon Center on a regular basis. Thank you for the demonstration, Venusaur."
"Saur." Responded the monster. A pair of vines stretched out from the plant on its back and proceeded to gather and pack the various first aide equipment displayed for a class of students watching the old man.
This was a small class of four 10 year-old students. Each of which was gearing up and learning the necessary skills to care for themselves and their future partners: their very first Pokémon.
Pokémon, or pocket monsters if you are a stickler for etymology, are animals which come in a wide variety of species. Some are adapted to swim around in the deepest parts of the ocean. Others have the wind at their beck and call to rule the skies. And yet others are so ancient and powerful that they have been worshiped as gods.
In order to inhabit and thrive in this world humans have learned how to capture and train Pokémon. Some keep them as pets while others use them to obtain fame and glory in battle. Because the humans in this world have developed such a deep symbiotic relationship with Pokémon, it is not surprising to see children as young as ten venture off to find their purpose along with their very own Pokémon partner. Or six Pokémon partners. Even more if they end up becoming professional trainers.
As for the children in this class, the four of them all have their minds set on their own journey. To that end they had all signed up to learn about camping, navigating, money management, and caring for their own Pokémon before they head off. The teacher of these classes were none other than the local Pokémon expert, Professor Oak, who was generous enough to host his classes in a small unused room in his laboratory. The children's adventures may not be for another couple of months, but that was no excuse to skip out on learning the essentials.
But now that class was over, it was time for something more important: gossip.
The girl sitting at the front of the class turned to the boy next to her. "Did you hear? The Elite Four are going to hold a miniature tournament to decide the new champion."
"Seriously?" Responded the boy. "I thought they were all busy looking for the old champion."
"Oh come on," Scoffed the girl. "That guy has been missing for almost a decade. It's about time they found a replacement. I mean what if there is a huge emergency? They're going to need a Pokémon Master."
"I guess so," the boy contemplated. "I wonder who the winner will be. My money's on Bruno."
"Pfft," the girl scoffed. "That guy's all brawns. He wouldn't last a minute against someone like Agatha."
"Maybe, but Agatha's as old as the professor," Suddenly the boy snapped his mouth shut and swerved his head, probably to make sure the professor wasn't around to hear that slight. It wasn't that Professor Oak was a stern man by any stretch of the imagination. If anything he was very patient with children. But the fact remained that he wasn't just their teacher, he was their sponsor. Prof. Oak would supply the kids with a rare, starting Pokémon, a bit of financial support, and the occasional advice and in return the kids would contribute to his studies either through data gathered by their Pokedexes or through the extra Pokémon that trainers would leave with him during their travels. Given that most kids had to make due with whatever Pokémon they could find, money they could scrounge up, and limit the number of Pokémon they could use to whatever they could manage to take care of this was a sweet deal. And no kid in their right mind would want to rock that boat. Or at least that was what their parents told them.
Seeing that the professor had indeed vacated the room, the boy continued. "She's probably getting her retirement papers ready. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't start holding tryouts for both her and whoever gets the champ's title," he explained. "What about Lorelei? I hear she's good at balancing offense and battle tactics."
"She's a good pick," contemplated the girl. "But then again she'd have to go up against Lance. That man's supposed to be so amazing that not even ice can stop his dragons."
"Man, this is tough," muttered the boy before turning to the student sitting behind the pair. "What do you think, Ash?"
Sitting behind and listening to the pair debate was a boy with short, messy, black hair sticking out from under an official red and white Pokémon League cap. With his worn jeans, dirty sneakers, and short sleeved, blue jacket over an old t-shirt he looked as though he was already rearing to go forth and adventure under the warm Kanto sun.
"Ah man," a dreamy grin spread on Ash's face, "They're all really strong so I can't picture anyone as a clear winner. But I do know this much," his hand curled into a fist, "I'm going to challenge and beat every one of them!"
"You? Beat the Elite Four? Ha!"
Scowling, Ash turned his attention to the last student in the class. Standing by his desk was another boy, this one with spikey, brown hair. He wore black jeans, a long sleeved, purple shirt, boots, a green and yellow necklace, and a large smirk across his face.
The interjector continued. "Come on, Ashy-boy. We all know you'd stand no chance against a bug catcher let alone a member of the elite."
Ash growled and stood straight up launching his chair back in the process. "Oh yeah! What would you know, Gary?"
"Uh, quite a bit," responded the girl in the front. "He gets top scores on all the tests, has won almost every simulation battle, his parents are both accomplished trainers, and his grandfather is the teacher of this class. Not to mention Professor Oak was also a champion before he retired."
"Yeah," the boy nodded in agreement. "Meanwhile you kind of just suck, Ash."
"Some friends you guys are," grumbled Ash as his face turned beet red.
"Don't go feeling too sour, Ash," Gary said in his usual cocky tone. "Fact is there are two kinds of people in this world. Winners and losers. It just looks like I'm a winner. Nobody'll blame you if you have problems keeping up."
Ash's face stayed red as his scowl turned practically murderous. "Fine, then. I've got a new goal." His eyes locked with Gary's. "Before I go after the elite, I'm going to catch a whole bunch of Pokémon and beat you!"
That proclamation just induced laughter in his rival. "Don't set the bar too high. Just try to keep track of one monster first before you start shooting for the stars."
Arc 1: Welcome to the Digital World: Start
AN: Alright. The stage has been set. But before we continue this adventure I must first ask: are you a boy or a girl?
As you may have gathered the Digimon partners' personalities in this story are not exact matches to the ones in the various animes. They may have similar traits, but otherwise the Digimon depicted here are their own persons.
Digimon Introduced:
Agumon: Rookie, Vaccine, Reptile
Gabumon: Rookie, Data, Reptile
Candlemon: Rookie, Data, Fire
Tanemon: In-Training, Free, Lesser
Nyaromon: In-Training, Free, Lesser
Pagumon: In-Training, Virus, Lesser
Poromon: In-Training, Free, Mini Bird
Gigimon: In-Training, Free, Lesser
Pokémon Introduced:
Venusaur: Grass/Poison, The Seed Pokémon
Next Time: Agumon's wish comes true and he and the other chosen Digimon get their human partners. Will they save their world or are they really just playing into the hands of the forces of evil? Stay tuned.