15. The Last Leg

"You can talk?!"
Charlie stared at BlackGreymon. The digimon that had recently tried to kill her was now looking at her and her friends quizzically, with his head tilted like a confused puppy.
"Well, of course I can talk." He replied. "Why would you think I couldn't?"
"W-Well, you can't really b-blame her." Kumomon spoke up. "A-All you did back in the t-tunnel was roar. Any h-human would think that d-digimon are just feral b-beasts!"
BlackGreymon pulled up short at that statement. He leaned closer to Charlie and looked her up and down before turning to Kumomon.
"That's a human?"
"Of c-course she is! How could you not n-notice that?!"
Kumomon seemed to have forgotten her fear of BlackGreymon. Charlie wasn't sure if her digivolving had given her new confidence, or if she was just too tired to care anymore.
"Well, I've never seen a human before! I thought she was just some weird looking digimon." BlackGreymon lowered his voice and pointed at Shinyu and Kartik. "Are they humans too?"
"Yes, we are." Shinyu stepped forward, wondering to himself what qualified as 'weird looking' to a digimon. "Would someone please explain what's going on. Is this a new friend of yours Charlie?"
"He's the monster I warned you guys about." Said Gomamon.
"What? You mean the one who's been attacking travelers in the tunnels?" Kartik shifted closer to Charlie. "Is he the one who injured you?"
"I didn't mean to. I tripped!" BlackGreymon answered hotly. "And I haven't been attacking anyone!"
"You a-attacked us!" Kumomon shot back.
"Nuh, uh! You invaded my den. You even went to block the exit, so I couldn't run away!"
"W-We were the ones t-trying to run away! Why would we p-pick a fight with you?"
"You probably wanted to use me for battle practice; just like the digimon who chased me into the tunnel in the first place!"
"Okay, okay!" Tarumon stepped between the two digimon with his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Clearly, there's been some misunderstanding here. BlackGreymon, why don't you start from the beginning? What were you doing in that tunnel?"
BlackGreymon looked around at the group. Seeing that they weren't making any move to attack, he lowered himself into a sitting position and began.
"I came to Sunshine Canyon because I had heard that the light here could help digimon get stronger. I was BlackAgumon then.
I hadn't been here long when three digimon showed up. A Gumdramon, a Falcomon and a Koemon. They said that Sunshine Canyon belonged to them now and that I should clear out.
I tried to stand up to them, but they ganged up on me. They said they were going to use me for practice, to see if the canyon really did make them stronger.
I stumbled across the tunnel opening while trying to get away and they chased me inside. I don't know how long I ran. I remember feeling really scared, and then really angry, and then suddenly I was really big.
I'd managed to hide from them in the dark but, once I realised I had digivolved, I went back to face them."
"That must be what I saw that day." Gomamon pointed out. "Now that I think back, it did kinda look like those digimon were searching for something."
"But did you have to destroy them?" Shinyu asked. "Surely, they weren't a threat to you anymore."
"I only meant to knock them about a bit." BlackGreymon replied. "Give them a taste of their own medicine, y'know? I didn't realise just how strong I'd become. I'm pretty sure their digicores made it out of the tunnel. The problem was; I was now too big to get out myself. I tried digging my way out, but the walls started shaking and I was scared that I was going to be buried and my digicore was going to be trapped forever."
"We know that feeling." Tigremon exchanged a look with Tarumon.
"So, how long have you been stuck in that tunnel?" Kartik asked.
"I don't know. It was hard to keep track of the days in there. I spent most of my time sleeping, really. The lightshrooms were tasty, but not very filling for someone my size so I had to conserve my energy."
"W-Well, you seemed plenty e-energetic when you were ch-chasing us." Kumomon said, pointedly.
BlackGreymon lowered his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you left the tunnel. I guess all that time alone has made me a little paranoid. I've had lots of bad dreams where those digimon came back to hunt me down again and all I could do was run and hide."
Kartik looked over to Kumomon.
"That sounds like a familiar story."
Kumomon breathed a deep sigh and crawled over to BlackGreymon. She lightly patted his leg.
"I know what it's like to be scared all the time. And trusting others isn't easy."
She looked around at her companions; her gaze staying longest on Charlie.
"But I guess if you never break that wall down, you'll be stuck behind it forever."
BlackGreymon looked surprised at first, but his face softened with relief as he realised Kumomon's words were genuine. He lifted his face upwards.
"Seriously though; what is up with the sky?"
Kumomon wiggled her legs awkwardly.
"O-Okay, you've clearly been in that t-tunnel a really long time. Let me e-explain the situation."
BlackGreymon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as Kumomon informed him of the current state of the Digital World. She also told him about Babamon's idea to call on humans for assistance and Baalmon's attack on File City.
"Th-That's why we're heading to S-Saurus Fortress. We want to s-seek out MetalTyrannomon's help so that w-we can get our city back and r-return to finding a way to save the D-Digital World."
"Wow..." BlackGreymon sat in silence for a minute, processing the information he'd just received. His face then lit up. "I can help you. I'm from Saurus Fortress."
"What?!"
He jumped at the cry from the whole group.
"You couldn't have mentioned that sooner?" Said Shinyu.
"Well, you didn't ask me! Anyway, if you show up there alone, the guards will probably attack you. MetalTyrannomon is very distrusting of strangers. But I can vouch for you."
The group shared questioning looks.
"It would help to have someone who knows the rules and customs." Tarumon pointed out. "We don't want to accidentally insult the 'mon we're asking for help."
"Sounds good to me." Said Charlie. "He can show us the sights too, like the best places to eat."
"Urrggh! Please don't mention eating. I. Am. Starving!" Tigremon stood up holding her growling stomach. "Can we get going already?"
"It's better to wait until night time." Said Tarumon. "The desert is far too hot to traverse during the day."
"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad."
Tigremon walked over to the end of the canyon where the yellow stone ground gave way to white sand. She placed one foot down among the small dunes, only to immediately jump back with a howl of pain.
"Yow! Hot, hot, hot!"
Shinyu pinched the bridge of his nose as Tigremon hopped on one leg, trying to blow on her foot.
"Can't you ever just take someone's advice? If I said, 'Don't touch the stove. It's hot.'; you'd probably set yourself on fire trying to prove me wrong."
"It's called taking initiative!" Tigremon shot back at him. "It's the key to my success in combat!"
"Oh, right. Because you were so successful against Birdramon! Your initiative almost got Charlie killed!"
"Hey, come on Shinyu. It's okay." Charlie placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"No it's not!" He shook her hand off. "I sat in that cage for hours, thinking you were dead. She never thinks about how her actions affect others. I wasn't even supposed to come to the Digital World in the first place!"
"What do you mean?" Asked Tarumon.
The others looked equally confused.
"He means I tricked him into being my human!" Tigremon snapped.
Shinyu looked to her with surprise in his eyes.
"What? That's what you think, isn't it?" She growled at him.
Shinyu opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it and stared down at the ground.
"Fine, then!" A wet sheen covered Tigremon's eyes, but she quickly pulled her goggles up over them and turned around. "I'm gonna go make sure Birdramon's gone."
Without looking back, she bounded off down the canyon on all fours.
"Tigremon!" Kartik made to follow her, only for Tarumon to put his hand on his hip.
"I'll talk to her." He said, giving a distressed looking Relemon to Kartik. "You guys should get some rest before it gets dark."
He took off at a jog after Tigremon.
The rest of the group collectively turned their heads to look at Shinyu.
"Okay, seriously, what is going on with you two?" Charlie asked sternly. "You've been sniping at each other this whole trip."
"And why did you say you weren't supposed to come here?" Kartik added as he stroked Relemon's head.
Shinyu had his arms crossed over his knees with his eyes still cast downward. He was silent for a moment before heaving a sigh and looking up at the others.
"Tigremon wasn't supposed to go to the Physical World. She went there without Babamon's permission. She told me I had been chosen to help form a union between humans and digimon, but she was lying.
And to make matters worse, her coming to my home made it possible for another digimon; a poacher; to force his way there too. People could've gotten hurt because of her.
I came to the Digital World because I trusted Tigremon. I thought we were going to be partners. But she was just using me the whole time."
Charlie and Kartik exchanged shocked looks.
"Wow. Um, gee, that... that's something." Charlie fiddled awkwardly with her bandage until Kartik gently moved her hand away.
"You have a right to be upset. It was wrong of Tigremon to lie to you." Kartik nodded to Shinyu. "But I'm not certain about her just wanting to use you. Since the start of our journey, she's been protecting you - protecting all of us. I think she really does want to be your partner."
"Then why doesn't she ever listen to me?" Shinyu replied, with a desperate plea in his eyes. "Any time I make a suggestion, she practically snarls at me! I'm not her partner. I'm... just like this."
He held up his device.
"I'm just a tool she carries around so that she can digivolve. That's probably the only reason she came to me in the first place." He let out a bitter laugh. "Hell, maybe that's what this whole 'union' thing is about. Digimon just using humans to get stronger. They're no different than the poachers. At least Baboongamon was honest about what he wanted."
"Now hold on a minute!" Charlie straightened up; her voice sharp with anger. "Clearly, you and Tigremon need to work on your communication issues; but don't go projecting on the rest of us! Me and Kumomon have been buddies from the very start. Right, Kumomon?"
Kumomon had been silent during the conversation, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. She jumped at Charlie calling her name.
"Oh, uh, y-yes. Right from the st-start. Sure."
"See?"
Charlie smiled triumphantly at Shinyu. He just raised a disbelieving eyebrow, wondering how she could buy such an insincere response. Just how tone-deaf could a person be?
"Weeelll..." Gomamon awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm gonna take off now."
"You're not coming with us, Gomamon?" Charlie looked disappointed.
"To a desert? No, thank you. Far too dry for my taste. Besides, I've got to get back to my friends. They'll be worried about me."
"H-How will you get back?" Kumomon asked. "The t-tunnel's collapsed and it's a l-long way to the other one."
"Those tunnels aren't the only secrets this canyon hides." Gomamon smiled at her. "I dug lots of entrances to the underground waterways. There's one not far from here. Good luck, you guys. You've given me an exciting story to tell."
"Thanks for everything, Gomamon." Charlie called after him as he set off into the canyon. The others called their goodbyes too until he disappeared around a rocky bend in the wall.
Kartik looked around at the group. Shinyu was staring sullenly at his feet, while Charlie was fiddling with her device; deliberately not looking at the boy sat next to her. Kumomon seemed to be lost in thought again and BlackGreymon was looking at them all with a confused expression on his face. Relemon was sitting sadly in his arms, her tail curled around her.
"Okay, look." He raised his voice to get everyone's attention. "We've all been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours. We're hungry, tired and stressed out. Maybe it's making us say things we don't mean."
Shinyu narrowed his eyes at him and Kartik held his hands up.
"I'm just saying that once we've had some proper food and sleep, we'll probably feel a lot better and tempers will be cooler. So, how about we agree not to hold any grudges. Okay?"
Shinyu and Charlie glanced at each other then both nodded.
"Fine."
"D'accord."
Kartik blew out a sigh of relief. His eyes were drawn to movement from the bend in the canyon wall. Tarumon appeared with his hand on Tigremon's shoulder.
Shinyu kept his head down, but his eyes followed Tigremon as she silently sat down next to Kumomon.
"Sorry."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but Tigremon's ears pricked up nonetheless. She acknowledged his apology with a nod and then curled up the ground with her eyes closed.
Tarumon took his place next to Kartik and tickled Relemon, getting a smile and a happy squeak from the little digimon.
He took in the pensive mood of the group and raised a questioning eyebrow at Kartik. The boy responded with a helpless shrug. They let out identical tired sighs, then looked at each other in surprise.
Tarumon's muzzle creased in amusement and he covered his mouth to stifle his chuckles. Kartik found himself giggling along with him. Relemon joined in with her squeaks and the three of them laughed away the stress of the past twenty-four hours, ignoring the stares of everyone around them.

-

Birdramon lay panting on the riverbank. Water was dripping down her muzzle. She must've drank a gallon from the river, yet her throat still stung due to the exhausting flight from the canyon. The flames coating her feathers had dimmed to the point that they were more yellow than orange.
KoKabuterimon emerged from some tall grass with various types of mushrooms in his arms. He lay them down in front of his comrade.
"Here you go. This'll relight your fire."
Birdramon lifted her head and devoured the mushrooms in a few famished gulps. She lay back down and let out a sad sigh.
"I failed my mission."
"It wasn't your fault." KoKabuterimon nibbled on some smaller mushrooms Birdramon had missed. "Those digimon were a lot stronger than we predicted. I'll explain everything to Baalmon. He won't blame you."
"But now they'll be sure to reach MetalTyrannomon." Birdramon despaired. "Regardless of his feelings towards humans, he won't be happy to hear that we broke the agreement. Baalmon will have to prepare for an assault, or abandon the mission altogether."
KoKabuterimon fiddled with a mushroom in his claws. He found himself thinking back to his talks with Charlie in the tunnel; particularly the one about Baalmon's motives.
"Say, do you know why Baalmon doesn't want humans in the Digital World?"
Birdramon's eyes flicked towards him.
"The Overloading is the Digital World's problem. Humans have no business getting involved."
"Yeah, I get that." KoKabuterimon had heard that statement repeated many times since Baalmon had first announced his intention to disrupt Babamon's plan. "It's just, breaking the agreement; invading File City; hunting these humans down; doesn't it all seem a bit... extreme?"
Birdramon raised her head; her eyes boring into his.
"I'm sure he has a good reason!" KoKabuterimon quickly waved his arms in front of him. "I just think we deserve to know what it is. We're risking Yggdrasil's anger by doing this. Is it really too much to ask that we know why?"
Birdramon continued staring at him for a long moment, before lowering her eyes and resting her head on the ground again. KoKabuterimon edged closer to her.
"Do you know why we're doing this?"
Birdramon looked back up at him. She opened her mouth then closed it again, finally giving herself a shake and sitting upright.
"We need to warn Baalmon about MetalTyrannomon. There's no time to waste on pointless - What's that?"
KoKabuterimon jumped to his feet with his forelegs up and ready to fight. He looked around for any sign of danger, but there was nothing to be seen besides the peaceful grassland and flowing river.
Following Birdramon's gaze, he spotted a small figure fluttering through the air. It came to a sudden halt above their heads and dove straight down towards them. They both braced themselves for an attack, only for it to pull up and float in front of Birdramon's face.
KoKabuterimon could now see that it was a bird made of paper and, judging from the characters written all over it; the paper was one of Baalmon's talismans.
The bird unfolded itself revealing written words on the clear side of the talisman. Birdramon's eyes moved from side to side as she read the message.
"The mission has changed!" Birdramon's voice rang with joy. "I haven't failed!"
She grabbed the talisman with her muzzle and gave it to KoKabuterimon, who quickly read the enscribed message.
"He doesn't care about the humans anymore? He just wants the device?"
"That's right!" Birdramon opened up her pack and reached a claw inside. "And I just so happen to have -"
The cheerful look dropped from her face as she rummaged through her bag.
"I had it. I had the device. I took it from that human before I locked them..." She trailed off as the image of the empty cage flashed in her mind. "The key. They somehow got the key, and the device with it."
She slumped down onto the ground. Her flames seemed to dim even further with disappointment.
"I can't even accidentally succeed."
"Why the change of plans?" KoKabuterimon turned the talisman around, looking for any more writing that might explain this turn of events. "Has something happened while we've been away?"
"It doesn't matter." Birdramon rose to her feet. The familiar steely look had returned to her eyes. "We have to return to our mission."
"But we just got here!" KoKabuterimon exclaimed. "You need to rest some more. You're gonna drop out of the sky at this rate."
"I have enough strength to get us to Layer Desert." Birdramon replied. "And when we get there, it'll be better if I'm in a weakened state."
KoKabuterimon gave her a questioning look.
"I'll explain when we get there." Birdramon held out her leg. "Trust me. I have a plan."
KoKabuterimon's shoulders slumped and he let out a defeated sigh.
"Okay, fine." He climbed onto Birdramon's foot and held onto her leg. "But when this is all over; promise me you'll take a vacation. Your work-life balance needs some serious adjustments."
With a new sense of determination, Birdramon flapped her wings and took off back towards Sunshine Canyon.

-

The sky changed from white to black.
Kartik blinked a few times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He thought they were playing tricks on him when he looked at BlackGreymon. There were multiple dots of green light scattered around the dozing dinosaur's body.
"Uh, BlackGreymon? Is that something you usually do?"
BlackGreymon opened his eyes and looked at the glowing spots.
"Oh, the lightshrooms." He poked at the small fungi still stuck to his body. "In all the excitement I forgot they were there."
"You've had food this whole time?!" Tigremon jumped to her feet and reached up for one of the glowing mushrooms.
"I r-really don't think you sh-should eat that." Kumomon said as Tigremon plucked a lightshroom off of BlackGreymon. "It's b-been covered in my w-webbing and dirt for hours."
"I'll take my chances." Tigremon opened her mouth to bite into the lightshroom, only for her jaws to close on nothing as Tarumon took it from her paw.
"I've got a better idea." He slapped the lightshroom onto the middle of Tigremon's back. The remaining strands of Kumomon's webbing attached to it adhered to her fur, sticking the glowing mushroom in place. "Now we won't lose each other in the dark."
"Hey!" Tigremon tried to reach around for the lightshroom, but ended up just spinning around in a circle while Tarumon handed more out to the others.
Kartik stuck one to his shirt and moved to give one to Charlie. The girl was vigorously scratching at her bandaged forehead.
"Please stop that, Charlie. You could make your cut worse."
"I can't help it. It's itching like crazy!" The girl answered through clenched teeth as she worried at the dressing.
"Let me take a look." Kartik took her hand away from her head. "There may be some grit in there."
He started untying her bandage. Charlie watched him work for a moment then smiled at him.
"It's good to know we've got a great healer on the team."
Kartik suddenly realised just how close he and Charlie were to each other, and felt his face heating up. He cleared his throat and tried to focus on his task.
"I'm hardly a healer. My father's a doctor and he insisted that my sister and I learn first aid in case of emergencies. Hopefully there's a real healer at Saurus Fortress. Your cut will need cleaning and stitching to properly - What in the world?!"
"What?"
"This can't be. Shinyu, can you bring some more light over here?"
Shinyu hurried over, holding up his lightshroom.
"I'm here. What's the - Whoa!"
"Whoa, what?"
"That is definitely not normal." Said Shinyu.
"Guys, you are seriously freaking me out here! What's wrong with my head?"
"It's healed!"
Kartik grabbed his phone and turned the screen off. He gave it to Charlie so she could see her forehead.
There was a visible white line above her right eyebrow but that was the only mark on her skin. There wasn't even a drop of blood.
"It's not just me, right?" Kartik said to Shinyu. "You saw her cut too. There's no way it could have completely healed in just a few hours."
"What's going on over here?" Tarumon walked over to the three of them and noticed Charlie's head. "Oh, wow! You humans heal up fast. It took a whole day for the injuries Reppamon gave me to disappear."
"We don't heal up this fast!" Kartik"s voice squeaked as he struggled to stay calm. "An injury like Charlie's would normally take days to close up."
"Maybe it's the Digital World?" Shinyu suggested. "If it can compel us to speak a different language; maybe it can make us heal faster."
"Are nahin! Aapako mujhe isake baare mein kyon sochana pada!"
While the boys were having their discussion, Charlie pulled her left sleeve back. She'd run a strip of velcro through the gaps in her device, and it was now strapped to her wrist like a watch. She tapped the third of the three buttons under the screen a few times, then raised her head.
"Hey, guys. I think it's this thing."
Everyone had gathered round by now. Charlie held up her device. The screen was displaying a medical cross symbol with the words 'Repairs Complete' underneath it.
"When I was checking it out earlier, the screen said 'Repairs in progress'. I was worried the machine was damaged, but all the other functions seemed okay."
"Wait. What other functions?" Shinyu asked.
"These ones." Charlie pushed the third button again and the screen changed to show what looked like a radar display. "I haven't figured out what they all do, but this one seems to keep track of Kumomon and other devices. See, Kumomon? That little dot is you, and I think this oval shape is Shinyu's device."
Shinyu placed a hand on his own device. Did it have the same functions he was seeing on Charlie's?
"Are you sure it's a good idea to be playing around with that thing?" She asked Charlie. "There's still a lot we don't know about them."
"I'm not 'playing around'!" Charlie replied hotly. "I'm finding out what it does. You've had this thing for days and you haven't thought to check if it could do other things than make Tigremon digivolve?"
"I know it can do other things! I saw it close a gate, remember? I just think we shouldn't go pressing buttons on a mysterious device without knowing a bit more about it."
"Oh, come on! It's not like it's going to explode if I press the wrong button... Right, Kumomon?"
Kumomon just raised her front legs in a shrug.
"Okay, okay." Kartik decided to step in before another argument broke out. "So, when you got hurt, this device started... repairing you?"
"How else do you explain this?" Charlie pointed to the mark on her forehead. "Back in the tunnel, I remember being in so much pain I couldn't think straight. But the second this thing was in my hand; it was like my head cleared. It can't just be a coincidence."
"This really is amazing." Tarumon picked up Kartik's bag and gave it to him. Relemon was perched on the bovine's head. "But we'll have to continue this discussion on the go. Saurus Fortress is still a couple of hours away."
"And the sooner we get there, the sooner we can eat!"
Tigremon bounded up to the end of the canyon, stopping just in front of the desert. Gingerly, she placed a foot forward and lowered it onto the sand. To her relief, it was cool to the touch.
"Alright! The last leg of the journey! Let's go!"
She put on her goggles and took off on all fours. The lightshroom stuck to her back bobbed up and down in the dark.
"Tigremon! Slow down! You're gonna wear yourself out before we get there!" Tarumon called after her.
"I'm gonna die of starvation if I keep going at your pace!" Tigremon stopped on top of a tall sand dune. "Maybe I should just run ahead to the fortress and - whoa, whooooa!"
Her feet slid on the fine sand and, with arms flailing, she disappeared down the far side of the dune.
"Tigremon!" Tarumon ran towards where she had disappeared, followed closely by the others.
"See, this is exactly what I was talking about!" Shinyu said in exasperation.
Reaching the top of the dune, the group looked down to see Tigremon lying face down in the sand. Her body had worn a groove in the dune as she'd slid down.
"Are you okay?" Charlie couldn't quite keep the laughter out of her voice as she called to Tigremon.
The feline digimon raised her tail which the others took to mean she was fine; but she remained lying down, possibly too embarrassed to get up just yet.
With an excited squeak, Relemon hopped down from Tarumon's head and landed near the edge of the dune. Before anyone could grab her, she leaped off the edge and slid down the groove left by Tigremon; ultimately landing with a hop on the Rookie's head.
"Relemon, don't just take off like that!" Tarumon scolded her. "You could've hurt yourself!"
"I think she's onto something." Charlie sat on the edge. "Come on, Kumomon!"
"W-Wait, what?" Kumomon yelped as Charlie picked her up and held her on her lap.
Launching herself off the edge, Charlie and a screaming Kumomon raced down the sandy slope. Tigremon pushed herself up off the ground and moved Relemon's tail out of her face, just in time to see them about to collide with her.
The group on top of the dune winced at the impact. Charlie and the two Rookies were laying together in a tangled heap. Relemon was being held in the air by Tigremon, who had managed to move her out of harm's way.
Shinyu ran a hand down his face.
"If you're done wasting time, can we please get - Hey!"
He, Kartik and Tarumon were scooped up by BlackGreymon.
"Here we come!"
The striped Champion placed his companions on his head and threw himself down the makeshift slide on his stomach. Shinyu and Kartik each clung to one of his head horns, while Tarumon straddled the one over his nose.
"Not again!"
Charlie and the digimon scrambled to get out of BlackGreymon's way; managing to get clear just before he reached the ground.
Sand flew in all directions, including up; raining back down on the group at the base of the dune.
Tigremon lowered her goggles. The two circles around her eyes that they left were the only parts of her not coated in sand. She spat some grains out of her mouth as she spoke.
"Well - ptui! - who wants to do that again?"
The sounds of laughter rang through the cool desert air.
Shinyu walked next to Kartik, watching Tigremon sliding down another high dune. There were plenty dotted around the area. The others were making their way along by climbing a dune, sliding down the other side, then moving forward to the next. It seemed excessively strenuous to Shinyu, but they looked like they were having fun.
He hopped on one leg trying to shake sand out of his jeans.
"I've got sand everywhere. I hope they have showers at Saurus Fortress."
"I hope they have somewhere we can get some new clothes." Said Kartik. "The ones we're wearing aren't exactly flower fresh."
"I wouldn't get my hopes up." Shinyu replied. "Most of the digimon we've seen weren't wearing clothes, except for the more human looking ones. And I'm not certain if that's actual clothing, or just part of their appearance."
Clumps of fresh sand rained down on the boys as BlackGreymon reached the end of his slide not far from them. He stood up and shook himself like a dog.
"It's so good to be out and about again!" He looked up at the black void above them. "I miss the stars though. The night sky was so beautiful. I could lay in the sand and look at it for hours."
"Tarumon said something similar." Kartik said as he brushed sand out of his hair. "I wish I could've seen the Digital World's sky. Although, now that I think about it; I can't remember the last time I stopped and really looked up at the sky in our world. I guess you tend to take things for granted, until they're not there anymore."
Shinyu stared at the ground as he walked. Kartik's words were bringing to mind things he really didn't want to think about.
He pulled his pack around to his front and took out his water bottle. It was only a quarter full.
"Say, BlackGreymon? Is there anywhere we can get some fresh water around here?"
"You thirsty? I can help with that." BlackGreymon tilted his head up and started sniffing the air. "Hmm, ah! There we go. Follow me!"
He took off at a run with Shinyu and Kartik having to sprint to keep his glowing spots in sight.
Following him around another dune, they saw BlackGreymon standing in front of some tall plants that looked similar to cacti. They had thick green stalks with bulbs of various sizes sticking out in every direction.
Drawing closer, Shinyu noticed that what he thought were spikes were actually blunt stems attached to each of of the bulbs. They were curved down in a way that made them look like... mug handles?
BlackGreymon gripped one of the smaller bulbs by it's 'handle' and plucked it off of the stalk. He sliced the top off with a claw and gave it to Shinyu.
The bulb was full of a light green bubbling liquid. Shinyu exchanged a look with Kartik as BlackGreymon handed the other boy one of his one.
"We call this cactus soda. It's perfect for cooling down after a hard day's work. And it'll replenish your energy too." BlackGreymon took a bigger bulb for himself.
"I don't know." Kartik looked into his bulb hesitantly. "Doesn't cactus water make you go loopy?"
"Only if you drink too much." BlackGreymon replied. "One or two bulbs won't hurt you."
He took a gulp of his own drink and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ah, that's the stuff. This with a big slab of digimeat; pure paradise."
Shinyu's mouth felt dry watching BlackGreymon enjoying his beverage. Raising his bulb to his lips, he took a cautious sip. To his pleasant surprise, it was delicious. The flavour was similar to watermelon, but sweeter, and it was refreshingly cold.
He nodded to Kartik who tried it for himself. Judging from his expression, he felt the same way as Shinyu.
"Hey, guys! Come try this!" Shinyu called out to the others.
Everyone gathered together to enjoy the cactus soda. Charlie took a big glug of her drink.
"Holographic trees, edible glowing mushrooms and now cold soda plants growing in a desert. I love the Digital World!"
"We've certainly seen some sights." Kartik nodded as he poured some of his soda into a sliced off bulb top and put it on the ground for Relemon.
"I just wish you could've seen them under more peaceful circumstances." Said Tarumon.
"It's all good." Tigremon nudged him with her elbow. "A bit of adventure builds character. Facing life threatening danger together is perfect for forming bonds."
Her eyes met Shinyu's as she finished speaking. They stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before both looking away.
"Speaking of forming a bond;" said Charlie. "Have you guys tried making yours?"
She pointed to Kartik and Tarumon.
"Oh. Er, I guess I haven't really thought about it." Kartik shared a look with Tarumon. "I've been pretty preoccupied with the journey and everything."
"I'm not even sure what we're supposed to do." Tarumon added. "They didn't cover this in the orientation before we got sent to the Physical World."
"I don't really know what you're talking about." Said BlackGreymon. "You two seem to have a pretty good bond already."
"He's right. You guys seem really in sync." Charlie placed a finger against her chin. "You just need some kind of trigger for your device to appear."
"Ours showed up when we were fighting Baboongamon." Tigremon pointed out. "Shinyu made this big dramatic speech about fighting for the future and shing, there it was."
"I was just trying to keep you awake!" Shinyu's face had gone red.
"Kumomon saying something to me before our device appeared too." Said Charlie. "I don't remember what exactly. I was still woozy from being shot into the wall like a lawn dart."
"Sorry, again." Said BlackGreymon.
"What was it you said to me, Kumomon?"
"Oh! Uh... I don't r-really remember either. It was a v-very emotional m-moment, you know?" Pink marks appeared under Kumomon's eyes.
"Maybe it doesn't matter exactly what you say. You just have to really mean it." Tigremon took hold of Tarumon's shoulders and turned him to face Kartik. "Let your guard down. Stop holding your feelings back and let your partner in!"
"Are you trying to get them to bond or kiss?" Charlie asked with a snicker.
"Try telling Kartik what you told me." Tigremon whispered into Tarumon's ear. "About the whole sky thing, and how it gave you an existential crisis."
"I'm not telling him that!" Tarumon hissed back.
"I feel really put on the spot here." Kartik gave Shinyu an imploring look.
Shinyu sighed and stepped forward.
"That's enough, Tigremon. This is something they have to figure out for themselves."
"I'm just trying to help!" She shot back at him.
"I know." Shinyu answered through clenched teeth as she tried not to lose his temper. "But we shouldn't be rushing them into anything."
"Oh, like I rushed you into bonding with me?"
"Stop putting words in my mouth!"
"That's basically what you said! That you weren't supposed to come to the Digital World!"
"I said I was sorry; which is more than I've gotten from you!"
Everyone else suddenly seemed very interested in their drinks or their feet. BlackGreymon cleared his throat.
"So, Saurus Fortress shouldn't be too far now."
"Glad to hear it!" Tigremon drained the last of her soda and tossed the bulb over her shoulder as she bounded ahead of the others.
Shinyu put his hands over his face.
"Grrrggh! It's like dealing with a bratty little kid! No matter what I say, she's determined to fight me!"
"Well, by digimon standards, Tigremon is still a child." Tarumon pointed out. "Digivolving changes us physically, but it still takes time for us to mature mentally."
He put his hand on Shinyu's leg.
"I know it's hard, but try to be patient with her. I don't think she finds it easy to express herself."
"Could have fooled me." Shinyu muttered as the group set off again.
After half an hour of trekking through the desert, BlackGreymon raised his head and cried out;
"We're here! Saurus Fortress is right ahead!"
Kumomon hopped up his body and landed on his head.
"He's r-right!" She called down. "It's just p-past the next few d-dunes!"
The group quickened their pace, energised by the thought that they had finally reached their goal. The sand around them gradually thinned out until they were standing on a flat rocky plain.
Before them stood a wide sandy coloured stone wall that reached far above their heads. In the middle was a pair of metal gate doors with two reptilian digimon standing before them. They were both wearing black armbands depicting the image of a roaring white T-Rex skull.
As the group approached, one of the digimon; a red-striped blue theropod wearing feathers in his red hair; raised a clawed hand.
"Halt! State your identity and business."
BlackGreymon stepped forward, recognition shining in his eyes.
"Allomon, GeoGreymon, it's me!"
Allomon gave a questioning look to his fellow guard; a digimon that resembled BlackGreymon but was leaner with spikes on his arms shoulders and jaw, and his blue-striped scales were a pale orange. He returned Allomon's look with a shrug.
BlackGreymon seemed confused at first, then realisation hit him.
"Oh, of course! I was BlackAgumon when we last saw each other. From the cadets, remember?"
GeoGreymon's yellow eyes widened.
"Oh yeah! You were that weakling that kept bombing the graduation exam. Ha! We thought you'd quit."
"I didn't quit!" There was a hurt tone in BlackGreymon's voice. "I went to Sunshine Canyon to get stronger. Did nobody look for me?"
"We have more important things to do than keep track of wandering Rookies." GeoGreymon snorted. "Speaking of which; what are those doing here?"
He didn't even try to hide his contempt as he pointed at the group standing next to BlackGreymon.
"Hey!" Tigremon stepped forward and opened her mouth, only for Tarumon to quickly slap his hand over it.
"We're here for their help, remember?" He hissed as she tried to pull his hand away. "Let BlackGreymon handle this!"
BlackGreymon gulped as GeoGreymon looked at him with a patronising smirk on his face.
"Seems you've formed your own little gang. Have you come to challenge MetalTyrannomon for his territory?"
"No! No, never!" BlackGreymon waved his hands frantically. "These digimon and their humans are from File City. They need to speak to MetalTyrannomon. It's urgent."
"Hold on." Allomon leaned down to look closer at the group. "Those weird looking guys are humans?"
"And you brought them here?!" Orange flames licked at the edges of GeoGreymon's mouth. "I oughta rip your wireframe out through your nose!"
BlackGreymon shrank back as the spiky digimon advanced on him. Allomon held an arm out, blocking his colleague's path.
"MetalTyrannomon will decide what happens to him. And we currently have no quarrel with File City. Bring them in, but keep an eye on them. I'll report this."
He looked up to the top of the wall and waved his tail. A figure that couldn't be discerned in the dark returned the gesture and moved out of sight.
With a reverberating rumble, the gates slowly opened inward. Allomon entered first while GeoGreymon stood by as the group walked through the entrance. He cast a baleful glare at BlackGreymon as he passed.
"For your sake, this had better be important."
Once everyone was inside, he entered himself and the gates closed behind him with a clang.