Wulf sat on a wooden chair in a row of identical chairs. A few people along with their Digimon were sitting in the other chairs next to him, but it wasn't too crowded for him.
The boy was in a waiting room and a rather pleasant one at that. The floor had brown carpet, which was unstained and clean, white colored walls with classic paintings of gorgeous scenery hung up, and a golden chandelier with lights hanging from above.
In his hand was a small, advanced device that partially resembled a phone, with a screen and buttons installed on it. It looked quite sleek with a color scheme of black and yellow. It was Wulf's brand new Digivice which he had bought. He wasn't completely sure what it did or how to use it, but he knew it was a crucial item in becoming a Tamer.
Wulf would occasionally glance at a wooden desk with the words "Digimon Registration Office" labeled on it. Behind the desk, a pretty blond-haired woman wearing a white blouse and a black skirt sat, staring intently at something on her desk. The boy then took his eyes off her to look up at a clock hung just above her desk near the ceiling.
"4:07 PM, I've been waiting for almost twenty minutes, when will they call my name?" He whispered under his breath.
Wulf then looked to his right and left sides, "Where did Renamon go? I don't get why she hides like this.". As he continued looking around, a voice spoke up.
"Becker? Mr. Wulf Becker?" The voice came from the desk, the woman was calling Wulf's name. He promptly stood up, now really needing to find Renamon.
"Renamon?" He silently called out.
Then, as he frantically looked around for her, he noticed her standing in a corner, back turned and her arms crossed. Her fluffy tail slowly swayed back and forth as she stared at an oil painting on the wall. It depicted a grass field with a wooden fence and a dirt path in the center. A forest stood in the left corner, while a wooden Barnhouse painted red with a white roof stood in the right corner. Overlooking everything from above was a beautifully painted starry night sky. Renamon stared at the painting in curiosity, feeling an admiration for it.
"Hm, pretty." she uttered to herself. As Wulf stared, he quickly walked over to get her attention.
"Renamon? She called my name, time to go." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, feeling her soft fur.
"Oh, Wulf. Alright then, let's go." Renamon slowly followed Wulf over to the desk, hesitantly taking each step behind him as she occasionally glanced at people nearby. Wulf talked to the woman behind the desk.
"I'm here.". The woman smiled, pointing to a doorway at the end of the room.
"They are ready for you, make sure you have your ID and Digivice ready.". Wulf smiled back.
"Ok, thank you." Before he and Renamon could start heading towards the doorway, the curious woman managed to get Renamon's attention.
"Hello, are you his Digimon?" Both Wulf and Renamon stared at her looking nervous.
"Uh, yes," Wulf spoke for Renamon, who was struggling with even forming words.
"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a Digimon like you before." The woman told her. Wulf tried to steer out of this conversation for Renamon's sake.
"My apologies, she is a bit shy." However, Renamon surprisingly countered.
"It's alright, Wulf.". The woman chuckled.
"Well, I don't mean to keep you two waiting, I was just curious about her." The woman leaned further, closely inspecting Renamon. "I must say, she is a very beautiful Digimon.".
"Thank you," Renamon uttered as the woman sat back down in her seat behind the desk.
"Alright, let's get a move on." Wulf took Renamon's soft hand and started bringing her toward the doorway that the woman pointed to. Renamon sighed, relieved that the unwanted conversation was now over. However, what just happened only made Wulf more curious as to why Renamon was so shy.
She acted this way on Monday when he first saw her again on the rooftop, but she apologized for how she acted. Why was she acting like this again? What could be the reason for her discomfort around other people?
His thoughts completely shifted as he entered the two large wooden doors into what felt like a completely different building. The classic and cozy waiting room coated in traditional colors had radically changed, now he and Renamon stood in a square hallway with the walls, ceiling, and even the floor painted in a spotless pure white color. Nothing was hung on the walls, only a single black stripe was painted on both sides of the wall that stretched on with the rest of the hallway.
As the human and Digimon traveled deeper into the hallway, they both paid attention to the stripe on the wall, which would occasionally list a number along with a room designation next to a metal door on the sides of the hallway. An almost eerie vibe protruded throughout the hallway due to the sheer quietness, the only sound that was emitted was the sound of the ventilation system whirring through the air ducts on the ceiling.
Eventually, Wulf and Renamon reached a metal door with a 4 painted next to it. Underneath the unmissable number was labeled words that read "D.R.S. Registration".
"This must be it," Wulf spoke, his voice echoing a bit throughout the hallway. He promptly opened the door and allowed Renamon to go in first, following her through the door behind her.
Now, they stood in a darkened lab, with various technical equipment and cabinets along with a few tables placed to the side of the room. At the end of the room was what appeared to be a figure sitting on a chair and staring out through a large window. Wulf would try calling out to get their attention.
"Hello?". The figure would then stand up and come out of the shadows to approach Wulf and Renamon. It was a brown-haired middle-aged man with a rather thick beard wearing a clean lab coat.
"Greetings, I'm Dr. Thompson. Are you here to get your Digimon registered?" He asked.
"Uh, yes. My name is Wulf, and this is Renamon." Wulf introduced Renamon. Naturally, Renamon wouldn't say anything, keeping her usual tone of complete silence.
"I'm sorry, she can be quite shy.". He explained to the doctor. Dr. Thompson chuckled.
"It's alright, I understand." He looked closely at Renamon.
"Well, isn't she pretty?" Both Renamon and Wulf blushed a bit, never did he think Renamon would get this many compliments, maybe that's the reason she is so shy.
"Alright, I won't keep you two waiting any longer. Ready to register, Renamon?" Dr. Thompson asked Renamon. Wulf had no choice but to answer for her.
"Yes, she is." He gripped Renamon's hand, assuring her that it would be alright. Dr. Thompson gestured for them to follow him and then turned around and started walking to the window again. The three would stand in front of the window and look out through it.
Through the window was a large and rather advanced and complex machine that took up an entire room larger than the lab they stood in. The machine was the shape of a large tower with rings around it, its top and bottom were connected to the room's ceiling and ground. It was unlike anything Wulf had ever seen before, and his curiosity was peaking.
"What is that?" The curious boy asked.
"That right there is the key to immortality." Dr. Thompson said, admiring the grand machine.
"But what does it do exactly?" Wulf continued to ask.
"It's the Digimon Recovery System, D.R.S. for short. It allows for a Digimon to reincarnate if it's ever destroyed." Both Wulf and Renamon were confused, requiring even more explanation.
"Allow me to elaborate." Dr. Thompson chuckled.
"Humans can die, whether it's old age or an accident, they always have a fate that's awaiting them. Digimon, however, don't have the same inevitable fate. Unlike humans, Digimon are comprised of various forms of data that make up their entire existence. Digimon do not get old or die, the only way for them to die so to speak is when they get destroyed and their data disperses into nothing. Their data can even be absorbed by other Digimon, which cements a permanent death." Wulf feels unnerved listening to this. Dr. Thompson continues. "However, scientists discovered that the dispersed data could emerge with each other and reform the destroyed Digimon. But of course, Digimon couldn't naturally do it on their own, and required something to start the process of regeneration.".
Everything started to click in Wulf's mind. "And this machine jumpstarts that process?".
Dr. Thompson smiled and nodded at the boy. "Yes, when a Digimon and its data is registered into this machine, they gain the ability to reform after being destroyed. Their life begins yet again as it did, as a mere Digiegg."
Now Wulf was getting eager. "So, if Renamon is registered into this machine, she will always reform if something happens to her?".
"Yes, indeed. However, there are some faults with it.". Dr. Thompson informed him.
"Huh? Faults? What do you mean?" Wulf felt his eagerness turn to concern.
"While it is true a destroyed Digimon will reincarnate, their memory from before will forever be gone." Dr. Thompson explained.
"What? Their memory? Why can't you restore it?" Wulf pleaded. "We've tried for many years, but we just cannot. It appears that memories of a Digimon are far more than just mere data." As Dr. Thompson finished lecturing to him, Wulf was left both relieved and worried about this information. While it was good to him that Renamon could never die and would always return. If the worst-case scenario did occur, she would lose any memory of who he was. However, he still knew that being able to reform was still pretty good for her to have, and so trusted this machine.
"I understand, I would like to register Renamon into this machine." Wulf then turned to Renamon, who was still staring at the machine through the window in silence.
"Renamon? Are you ready? Are you okay with all this?" Still refusing to say a word, Renamon merely turned to Wulf and nodded. Wulf sighed and then looked at Dr. Thompson.
"Alright, we're ready I guess.". Dr. Thompson promptly held out both his hands to Wulf.
"Your ID and Digivice please." He politely asked Wulf to give him both. The doctor then turned around and walked over to an advanced-looking computer module. Wulf turned his body to face Renamon, still staring out the window.
"Renamon, are you sure you are alright with this?" He quietly spoke to her. Pressing one hand against the glass, Renamon turned to face Wulf.
"Yes, I am. I've been through worse, and this is the final step before you truly become my Tamer." Suddenly, Dr. Thompson began his approach towards the two again, prompting Renamon to cease speaking and turn her entire body towards the window again.
"Your digivice has been plugged into the machine's supercomputer." He looked at Renamon. "Renamon? Follow me."
Renamon took her hand off the glass and left both her arms hanging at her sides as she faced Dr. Thompson and began following. He walked toward some sort of scanner-looking contraption in the corner of the room. It was human-sized and looked like anyone could step right into it.
As Dr. Thompson gestured for Renamon to enter the scanner, Wulf naturally felt anxiety for her. He wanted to be able to reform, but the idea of her losing her memories was an unnerving concept to him. She would completely forget who he was, along with her purpose of defending the city. He could try and get her to remember by telling her but would that even work?
Still, Renamon seemed confident enough and was determined to become his partner Digimon. Wulf knew he just had to stop worrying so much and just trust Renamon, surely everything would be fine.