Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
Presage – Chapter 71
Originally Written: Friday, April 14, 2017 232AM to Monday, April 17, 2017 510AM
. . . . .
"Getting tired, Gogglehead?"
Albedo looked up at Sakuyamon, floating above him in an off blue violet bubble. Rika had told him holding her directly over his person would be his motivation for not dropping them. Renamon promptly agreed. Albedo quickly concluded the act must be a result of them both being outright nuts.
Somehow, it was her, and not anyone else, who had the bright idea to sneak him to the Digital World. He concluded that idea was related to their craziness as well.
"I'm fine." He muttered, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. It didn't feel right pulling at his sleeves with MarineAngemon so close to him. Nor did it feel right to say anything other than 'I'm fine.'
The guards back at the apartment agreed, claiming that due to his experience, he would find the activity calming. The only thing he found so far was copious amounts of sand in his shoes.
He looked around him. Beelzemon looked bored as he strolled next to him, even though he was finally able to take off the ID mask. Kenta kept distracting him, looking at the bubble he had made in fascination. MarineAngemon sat on his shoulder, waiting for the chance to produce one of those annoying hearts.
'Seventy-five percent energy remaining.'
He jumped at Juggernaut's voice in his head. He turned around, and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Farther than last time."
"Yea. You're getting really good at this." Kenta chimed in. "You were able to hold it for 10 minutes now."
He gave the green haired male a look.
Kenta smiled sheepishly. He set his bag on the ground.
Albedo raised his hand, and lowered it slowly, directing the bubble downwards. It faded away as it touched the ground. He had to admit that Rose and the others were right. It was easier and safer to concentrate and practice here. He didn't have the WonderSwan console and those ridiculous, nonsensical yet somehow true games to annoy him.
"How's scouting?" Beelzemon asked as Sakuyamon brushed her long white hair back over her shoulder.
"There's nothing dangerous for miles. A few in-training and rookie digimon here and there, but nothing stronger."
The tall digimon nodded. "Perfect area for sparring. Wish Monodramon came along."
"It'd be even more suspicious if he did, wouldn't it?" Kenta commented. "Just entering Hypnos was a huge risk."
Albedo lowered his head. Even with Jeri skillfully modifying Hypnos defenses enough that Albedo shouldn't have been detected, there was still a risk of transporting him through Hypnos. He couldn't go as himself, as people and aliens there would surely notice a "Ben Tennyson lookalike" walking around Hypnos. Rose suggested an ID mask.
He crossed his arms. It took Ryo ten minutes to convince him that disguising as a Galvan wasn't a good idea. He was right, but still...He pulled his jacket tighter around him.
"Phoo..." MarineAngemon cooed.
"One. Heart." He glared at the ground.
"We should eat while we rest," Sakuyamon suggested while looking around, "and before a sandstorm comes along."
"Sounds good."
It took no time at all to find a reasonable place to set up the blankets and food. The act reminded Albedo of the times he ate with Jenrya at the park. The memories almost made him smile. He shouldn't have left Jenrya at the apartment. He frowned.
Beelzemon shoved a sandwich under his nose.
He rolled his eyes, but took the offering of food. He ate slowly, only paying enough attention to the kind of sandwich he was eating to know that he wasn't allergic to it.
"Kazu told me he never heard of an Anodite before when I asked." Rika spoke.
"Kazu and I don't have a clue what they are."
Albedo looked up.
Renamon sat behind Rika, their backs pressed together. When had they split?
"You wouldn't have." He replied simply, "From my research, they're aliens that can easily blend in with other species, morphing to perfect, yet bland forms that won't attract too much attention unless that's what they want. They come and go like the planets and stars. Completely illogical, full of themselves things, they are."
"That is truly in the spirit of mana." Renamon commented, "Unorganized, wild, and only to be coerced to one's desires. Never truly tamed. Unable to be tamed."
"Phoo! Phoo!"
"Touching and intimidating, but it doesn't keep them from being annoying. A half breed I can think of off the top of my head is Gwen Tennyson." He looked down at his almost eaten sandwich.
"For real?" Beelzemon gave him a side glance.
"Unfortunately." Since practicing with these new abilities Juggernaut granted him, Albedo reluctantly found himself with respect for the control Tennyson's lackey had. The first time he created the bubble, he couldn't even make it float. Twenty times later, and he had only managed to float it three to four feet max over the ground. He couldn't help feel glad that she didn't team up with Tennyson in his dreams...
"She is quite proficient at it, I regretfully admit. However, she did get a bit of a head start from when she was younger."
Silence filled the area save for the occasional faint gust of wind. He looked up. Everyone looked at him. He held in a sigh.
"It should be obvious to you, but one does not need to be an Anodite to have magical powers. At age ten she studied more traditional magic performed by spell casters and wizards and the like. She was and," he cringed absolutely disgusted with himself, "still is, proficient in 'the basics.'"
He raised an eyebrow at the glee in Rika's eyes.
"No way!"
"I just said so." He deadpanned.
Rika leaned back against Renamon, "I can only do anything magical as Sakuyamon," She sighed heavily.
"It's not that spectacular. The trade off is lacking DNA." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Say what?"
"Anodites lack DNA. It's why they're not in the Omnitrix. There's nothing to study." He held up a hand and concentrated, "And it's why my having this," the barest hint of an off pink energy bounced on a single finger, "makes no sense."
"Magic is not something that makes sense." Renamon spoke.
"I can see that."
"That's cool. I wonder what it would be like to not have DNA." Kenta pressed a finger to his chin.
"If it is anything like not having data, you would have to concentrate on making sure you didn't split up into pieces of energy all the time." Renamon deadpanned.
"There's a whole slew of potential issues. You, theoretically, could not have a traditional brain without DNA, for example, so what holds your memories?" Albedo shook his head. "An overwhelming amount of them are probably nuts for that reason alone."
"Just rain on my parade." Rika muttered, sparking Beelzemon to laugh.
"You mean, there's a risk they'd forget everything? Like an extreme case of amnesia?" Kenta looked at him with wide eyes.
He frowned. "I'm not exactly sure, but I can't see why there wouldn't be such a risk." He picked up the bottle of water closest to him and drank.
"I can't imagine losing memories like that, all because you forgot to concentrate or something." Kenta shook his head. "That sounds terrible."
"All magic and all gifts, come at a price." Renamon added.
"Phoo! Phoo!"
"Yea..." Beelzemon looked down at the blanket, "The stronger the gift, the bigger the price." He scoffed and looked off to the side.
"Phoo! Phoo!"
"Yea! You're right." Kenta clenched his fists excitedly, "Then we should be even more glad that we can hold onto our memories without even thinking about it. Our personalities too."
"That's one way of looking at it, I suppose." Albedo murmured.
"When I was six, I met Kazu." Kenta grinned as he looked around. "When we were seven, we met Takato. We'd play the Digimon Card Game every day before and after school when we could."
Rika tilted her head at him.
Albedo raised an eyebrow.
"Phoo!" MarineAngemon cheered.
"I'd have to say playing those games are my most memorable memories. Without them, I wouldn't have met MarineAngemon." Said digimon floated over to him, and Kenta hugged him tightly.
"You're such a gogglehead."
"Yup!" He smiled a wide smile.
Rika shook his head.
"Seriously?" Beelzemon looked at him, "That was cheesy as all get."
"Well then, you give it a try." Kenta pointed a finger at him.
The digimon sputtered. "You want me to wha-?"
"C'mon! Let's celebrate having memories!"
"Over sandwiches and cookies and chips?" Rika grinned at him. "You lost your mind."
"Alright," Albedo looked up for a moment as he pulled on his jacket sleeves. He mentally kicked himself for the fast response, but it was too late to back out now. "We'll," he motioned quotation marks with his fingers, "'celebrate' memories."
"Most memorable memory." Kenta pointed to Beelzemon, "If you want."
"Ugh, fine." Beelzemon closed his eyes and laughed a short laugh, "Meeting Ai and Mako the first time. I wasn't sure why whatever pulled me to them did. I still don't get it. They were too young to understand I wasn't a toy. Fightin' ova' me all tha time, pullin' and pushin' and shovin' and dress up...Least they ain't call me Princess Prettypants." He shook his head, "It pissed me off, but, knowing how they were then made going back to see 'em and, seeing that recognition on their faces. Seeing that they now understood that I was alive just like them. I like to think it helped me help Jeri and myself." He folded his arms, "Happy now?"
"Yup!" If Kenta smiled any wider, his face would split in half.
"Interesting," Albedo murmured. "Expected of children, yet still surprising."
"What makes you say that?"
"At such a young age, they couldn't have realized you could have killed them easily. Furthermore, you didn't kill them in retaliation for their actions."
"Hm." Renamon spoke, but it was too soft to understand anything more of substance.
Rika smiled, "He's got a point. That's got to say something huge about how good you are."
"I'm glad you're our friend." Kenta nodded eagerly.
"Phoo!"
Beelzemon turned his head, face flushed. "Cut it out." He spat. "The hell you ask about Anodites for?"
"Hmph." Rika smirked. "Next time I'll ask when you're not around."
"You do that."
Albedo shook his head, a hint of a smile on his face.
"I can relate in a way." Renamon turned her head to look at Beelzemon.
"Figured as much."
"Huh?" Rika shifted her eyes, attempting to look at her partner out of her peripheral vision. "Are you talking about that?"
"Mhm."
"That seriously relates to your most memorable memory?"
Kenta looked at them, smiling sheepishly.
"It would require explanation..."
"Huh. Alright then. I suppose I could," Rika looked off to the side for a moment. "Gogglehead?"
"Hm?" Albedo looked up from the blanket.
"The omnitrix uses DNA to turn the universe's dumbest savior into other aliens, yea?" She pointed a finger at him.
"Yes..."
"Do you think it's possible that it imprints a kind of living persona on it when Ben transforms?"
"Where are you going with this?"
She waved a hand, "Just tell me what you think."
"On the Omnitrix itself, or Ben?"
"Omnitrix."
Albedo closed his eyes and took a few moments to think. "There are a few instances I can think of where the aliens Tennyson turns into are a bit more...living, than expected." He opened his eyes, and looked at her curious.
"More living than expected? Would you consider them real then?"
"My mentor would more than I." He lowered his head. That sounded less ridiculous in his head.
"Stop grinning Kenta," Rika snapped.
"If anything, they'd be more like the current version of Juggernaut in their 'alive-ness'. A sentient program at best, influenced by the DNA they came from."
"Like a digimon?" Kenta tilted his head.
"I suppose. DNA can be converted to data." He raised an eyebrow, "But, experience shows me a Digimon is more alive than a sentient program, even though they are just sentient programs." He ignored Beelzemon's stare, and that odd look on Renamon's face he couldn't identify.
"Better than me. I'll take it." Rika shrugged her shoulders. "I see why you said someone would mistake him for a homophobe though."
"Mhm." Kenta chuckled.
"I asked all that because I used to think Digimon weren't alive. They were just programs meant for fighting." Rika folded her hands on her lap. "Like how a calculator is meant for solving math problems and that's about it."
Albedo blinked at her. "Don't you advocate for women's rights every day?"
Renamon actually chuckled loudly enough that it surprised him. Kenta laughed as well, and Beezlemon snorted.
"Shut it! I was ten!" She glared at him.
"Rika did not think much of me back then." Renamon spoke eventually, "Just that I would make her strong. When she realized that I have emotions, just as she, it scared her, and she ran from me."
Rika folded her arms, as she hunched her shoulders, glaring at nothing in particular.
"You were ten." Albedo replied.
"One day, Rika put her life on the line and helped me against a Harpymon. That was the second time I digivolved, and when I realized what it is that makes Digimon strong. I do not have to fear anything with Rika alongside me and neither does she."
"Softee." Rika leaned back against her digimon. A small smile and a blush graced her face. "Your turn gogglehead."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yea, Renamon just went, and I just told you a secret. Your go," She smirked at him.
"Hm," he lowered his head, "Alright then." He stayed quiet for a long time, searching through centuries of memories. Working to find something, anything that was as memorable as the others found their experiences. That is how the game went, of course. "When I was younger, my elders quickly discovered how smart I was, and I was transferred to an apprenticeship under my first mentor. She was a stern Galvan, who assisted me in similar manners as Jenrya, and to an extent Jeri and Ryo have. Her name escapes me, as do many of the individual experiences I've had working alongside her, but I would know if I saw her. I am not sure if I would thank or punch her if I did."
"She soon realized my intelligence surpassed her own and there was no more she could teach me. She transferred me to who aliens across Galaxies consider the smartest Galvan there has been for millennia. My most recent mentor I worked alongside for the longest time, a Galvan they call 'The First Thinker'. He is who I refer to by default when I speak of 'my mentor'. Meeting him paved the way for me to learn that one can have all the intelligence in the world, but still be an idiot."
"Wait, 'The First Thinker'?..." Beelzemon waved a finger as he thought, "Ain't he the one who built the Omnitrix?"
"He is."
"Whoa!" Kenta grinned
Rika whistled, "Nice."
"You said you helped build it too, right?"
"I did." Albedo glared at the ground, "And then my mentor ignored every apprentice he had at the time, and every being he met and knew of who was still alive, young enough, healthy enough, and truly intelligent enough to utilize the omnitrix without ending the universe or throwing it into a universe-wide war that would last for all of eternity. That fool then handed the greatest device in all the universe to a bumbling idiot who can't properly shift into the alien he chooses because he has yet to realize he is hitting the main control too hard. It does not matter how many times or the various ways you tell him to treat it gently and with care."
"If we were to make it as durable as an Annilargh, it would not be able to perform the task it was designed for. It needs to be able to shift with your physical body as you shift and your DNA is temporarily overwritten. Otherwise it would break, get stuck inside your body, break one of your own limbs or any other of the innumerable number of catastrophes!" He ignored the deep growl in his voice, and his shaking, clenched fists. "That fool! What was he thinking!?"
If they asked him why he spoke about that event, he wouldn't be able to tell them. He wasn't even sure what the event he was trying to speak about was, but he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be that. He was also sure he didn't have any clue of what he said between speaking of Azmuth giving the Omnitrix to Tennyson and before Beelzemon smacked him on the back of his head with his tail.
He blinked. He noticed his palms hurt. He slowly opened his fists. He looked at the heart floating past his face. Dr. Iris would have yet another field day with him.
Rika looked at him wide eyed. Her arms reached back, hands grasping Renamon's fur.
"Interesting..." Renamon murmured. One of her paws rested gently on Rika's head.
"Kazu told me it was bad, but I didn't think he hated-"
"No." Beelzemon snapped, interrupting Kenta. "I'm surprised calming him worked just now."
He rubbed the palm of his hand. He scowled in disgust at the pale skin. "He. Was. Ten."