"You lead" says Sonne
"Huh? Why me?" asks Komet, confused
Sonne looks down. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I know very little about the Digital World, since Lua and I have always lived away from it. We do have registered in our memories about the basics of Digimon, but nothing beyond that, not even the geography of this place. In fact, Lua, for instance, knows way more about your world than our world, if she knows anything about here at all, that is"
"Yeeeaaaah, sorry about that…" Lua scratches the back of her head. "We know as much as you do"
"For that reason, and the fact that you have always been our commander, and skilled at that, we trust that you are the best suited for that role. We are gonna follow your orders, as determined by our roles as your tools- erm, I mean, uh… Ahm…" Sonne looks away as soon as he notices Komet displeased by him calling themselves 'tools' again. "Your… Subordinates…? Underlings…?"
"Friends, Sonne, friends! Why is that so hard for you?" Lua facepalms. She turns to Komet "Never mind, I kinda know the answer. For some reason, it's kinda hard coded on him that he is someone to follow orders at all times, kinda like a knight with their king, you know? Where they see themselves as the king's sword and shield or something and should never question their lord. Yep, that Sonne for ya"
Komet looks at Sonne and picks him up. "So this is why you talk about punishment when you confront me. You shouldn't forget that putting me on line is also part of your role" she nuzzles him with a smile
"I'm aware of that, but that should not be done with misconduct like how I have done…" says Sonne
"I hope one day you get over this king-servant idea about our relationship, and start to accept the idea of 'friendship'. But while you have difficulty accepting that, instead of using the word 'tool', you could go by 'assistant'. I think this will keep the hierarchy you want, right?"
"If this is what you wish, then I will do my best" he nods
"Aaaah, don't worry, you will disobey her a few times as soon as she is in danger and decides to be stubborn again" says Lua while smirking
"I-" Sonne flinches "I should not allow myself to do such a thing, but protecting her is still top priority!"
"Haha! Conflicted already, I see! I will do that without a second thought, since we are, you know, friends!"
"Don't worry about that, you two. It's not like I will let something like that happen to me again. I'm going to be planning things at all time, and I will not accept anything that's not close to perfection" says Komet
Sonne looks at her ready to protest, but he decides to let it go for now. Komet opens the map and looks for the best path to take. The holographic map is somewhat simplistic, but good enough to distinguish terrains and biomes. It shows a very big continent. Not very far in the east, lies a vast ocean with some archipelagos. Up northeast, a long mountain range covers the area, and above it lies a desert. The Village of Beginning is in the south, very close from where they are standing. The west looks the most favorable path to follow, which is a place with forest and as plain as it can get. The decision to go through that area is reinforced by the fact that Komet loves forest, and the first time she's been on one was in the Village of Beginning, although she didn't exactly have a fun time there.
"We are going this way" she says as she points at the path going northwest. "I don't know how steep these up north mountains are, so it's better to avoid it. That other portion seems like a desert. Well, I don't think I need to explain why I want to avoid a desert" she giggles
"We are going on an adventure together! Isn't that exciting?" says Lua
"Ahm…" even though Komet says nothing else, her face shows very clearly that she disagrees
They start walking. Sonne and Lua have their guards up at all times, while Komet tries to blend herself into the environment as much as possible, although her clothes are not helpful at all. During the walk, they see different Digimons around, minding their own business like wild animals. She sees a horde of yellow creatures with orange fur at the top with some big black spikes growing out of their spine, hopping towards the opposite direction. On the other side, some big pink ladybug-like creatures with big green eyes can be seen flying around, sniffing some flowers. One of them is just sleeping under the tree. Above them, they see a flock of red bird Digimons with white heads and yellow beaks and talons flying north. Komet doesn't understand how they are able to fly when they have three long claws in the end of their not-so-long wings, but she doesn't try to make sense out of it. They cross the denser area for some time, until they reach where it seems to be the top of the hill. That part has way less trees, so the sunlight hits their faces. They cover their eyes to help them see ahead, and they get impressed by the view of the valley below: a crystalline river crosses the valley, while different kinds of big trees are scattered around the area. Hordes of Digimons can be seen there, but they are so far away that Komet can hardly tell their colors. They spend some time amazed, appreciating the breathtaking scene, as they had never seen such a place in person, only through pictures.
"That sight is really not so different from pictures I've seen from travel agency websites. Experiencing this in person is really something else!" says Sonne while amazed
"It sure is- Wait, you what?" says Lua
Sonne just keeps looking at the horizon
"I know you heard me! What was that about?"
"I said the pictures are as beautiful as the sight in person. They are actually real"
"No no no, the rest! About you visiting travel agency websites. I'm very curious about how this thing specifically 'enhance your capabilities and improve your skills'"
Komet starts paying more attention to the conversation. Sonne turns away again, but his tail starts to wag faster and his flames gets more agitated.
"Well?"
"I… I just wanted to check on places that Komet wished to visit one day. And… Erm… Thinking how nice it would be if we could go together on a trip". Sonne covers his face. "M-my apologies for considering that. My curiosity got the best of me. I am aware that should always focus on my roles, so I will not allow that to happen again"
"AAAAWWWWN!" Lua squeezes her own face and opens a big silly smile. "My heart can't take such cuteness" she slowly floats towards the floor
"Wait, for real?" asks Komet, surprised
"We share the same dream then!" says Lua. She floats towards Sonne and hugs him. Sonne faintly groans in embarrassment
"You two…" Komet smiles. She hugs both of them and lifts them. "Don't worry, Sonne, you are more than free to do stuff like that!" She pats Sonne on the head. "If only I could learn that you are way more than just my AI assistants earlier…". She looks at the sky. "After all this mess is solved, we are going on a great vacation trip together!"
Sonne, while still abashed, starts to feel less tense. Komet and Lua laugh together, pleased with the idea. Suddenly, they hear something next to them. They instantly get on alert and ready for anything.
"Hey, can I get this warm hug too?"
"Huh?" Komet looks to the direction of the voice. She sees a small red quadruped creature, with blue markings around the body and nine tails. She isn't sure if the Digimon is being honest or not, so she opens the identifier just in case they need to battle or flee.
Elecmon. Stage: Child. A small mammal Digimon. It's curious and lively, but it also retained the prank-loving personality from the previous form. It opens its peacock-shaped tail to intimidate opponents. Its special move is Sparkling Thunder, shooting a powerful lightning bolt.
"Your eyes don't deceive me, you want to perform a shock prank!" says Lua. She makes an intimidating face and slowly flies towards Elecmon
"I-I would never! Aah… Aaaaaah… ABORT PLAN!" Elecmon immediately runs away towards the bushes.
"I'm too good for that" gloats Lua
Komet just scratches the back of her head confused.
"Where are we currently heading to? Standing still here offers great danger for us. We are standing on wild grounds, after all" says Sonne. He points at the sky, where three big blue birds - with golden angular shapes in their body and lightning ray shaped feathers in the tip of their wings - can be seen flying around the area, as if they are looking for a prey.
"Ideally we should find a town. It's safer than sleeping in the wild. But as you can see…" Komet opens the map "...we have no information regarding that"
"Ah, are you guys looking for a town? The closest one from here is the Village of Beginning! You just need to head south and then follow some signs!" says Elecmon, getting off the bushes
"Are you still here?" asks Lua
"You better not try any pranks, or else…" Sonne gives Elecmon a menacing look
Elecmon immediately shivers and gives two steps back. "N-no, no! I'm trying to actually help now! I-I wouldn't dare dealing with three angry monsters!"
"Should have thought that before asking for a fake hug" says Lua
"We actually came from the Village of Beginning," says Komet. "We are heading north, so it would be nice to know if there's any village at that direction"
"Ah, yes, there is!" Elecmon points to a direction. "After about two kilometers, you will find a path that will lead you to the next village. The path is way safer than this area, since it's somewhat guarded for travelers like you. From there, you will know where to go. I don't think you will be able to get there before sunset though, you guys look too slow. In any case, the village is called Cerranis. As soon as you get there, your safety is guaranteed, especially against the Corrosion Virus, since that place is currently being guarded by the Angel Army 24/7!"
"That's nice to hear. Thank you Elecmon! I can even hug you for that" says Komet
Elecmon opens a big smile, but notices that Sonne and Lua are standing behind her, staring at him menacingly. Elecmon swallows dry, and before he realizes, Komet hugs him. She knew that he wouldn't attempt to prank her, since her friends were already ready for anything, and if he tried anyway, she wouldn't stop them from punishing Elecmon.
The red mammal blushes somehow. "Aaaah… So warm"
Komet gets up, and Team Twilight walks away from Elecmon on their way to find the trail to Cerranis. They again try to blend as much as they can in the bushes.
"The Angel Army… Those are the guys that actively fight against the Corrosion Virus, right?" asks Komet
Both Digimon nod. "According to Prof. Bokomon, they are the guardians of this world. They are very loved in general, but as you might expect, there are exceptions. Unfortunately, we can't count on them - or anyone else, for that matter - to help us collect the corrupted data of Infected, since Anpu is carrying this mission in secret, even from the Angel Army themselves. As for the reason, I have no answer" says Sonne
"It probably has something to do with 'Digimon shouldn't know the existence of another world', although it would be beneficial if they joined forces. Well, at least we will be safe in that village"
As they keep walking, they see a big red dinosaur with white belly and green plates on its back fighting against a big green dinosaur with spikes growing out of its spine and two big black-and-red tusks coming out of its shoulders. The red dino shoots a big fireball at the green dino, which makes it flinch. The red one sees that as an opening to finish the green one off, but the green dino immediately repositions and bends down, and charges at the red lizard. The poor red dino is caught off guard, as the green dino uses its big tusks to lift the big red one and perform a back throw. Upon watching the ferocious battle, the team decides to go a bit further into the forest to not get caught in their territorial fight. After walking for about two hours, they finally reach the trail Elecmon mentioned: a trail paved with pebbles, cutting through a more dense forest, in which the trees make a nice looking tunnel. Like in the trails for the Village of Beginning, some random technological objects, like wires and chipboards, can be seen around.
Komet stops walking and starts panting a lot. "I have… never walked nonstop… for so long in my life. I need… a break" she then immediately sits down while sweating a lot. "I definitely need to wash my clothes as soon as I can"
"Oh geez, you sure need to do more exercises, don't you?" asks Lua
"Yeaaaah… Despite my shape, I am actually very sedentary" Komet looks away, not exactly proud of that. "The only moment I 'exercise' is when I go to work and go back home, or when I go to my favorite coffee shop"
"Then, during this journey, we will assist you to get more physically in shape" says Sonne
"I… Don't think my lazy butt wants that, but I guess I don't really have a choice"
Lua leaves for a moment and then gets back with a round leaf full of water. "Here, stay hydrated~" She hands the leaf to Komet
"Oh, thank you very much!" She drinks the water in one go. "By the way, what did you two eat and drink while living in my computer?"
"We don't actually feel hunger or thirst there. Why? No idea. Maybe it's because we were always bombarded with data, who knows. But we were very aware that those things exist. Now I finally know that it feels good to eat! Although it's not nice to feel hungry" says Lua
"Interesting. I wonder if the same would happen to me if I lived inside my computer too"
After some long minutes resting and chatting, Komet gets up again to resume their journey. The team takes the trail. Komet decides to check her map while walking, just to realize that they didn't move that far. She sighs in frustration. "At that rate, it will take us weeks for us to get there…"
"I understand your frustration, but you didn't expect it would be easy or fast, did you?" asks Sonne
"No, I didn't… But who knows what might be happening in my world, especially with the final debate approaching"
"Slow and steady, Komet. We still have a few months before that. Besides, don't forget that you are not fighting that alone, you have strong allies there"
"He is right! It also helps a lot that Gabriel Smith is has a lot of influence on people and is very respected among some other powerful people too" says Lua
"Talk about mad respect, Mr. Smith is insane. In a good way, of course. It felt like a dream, and a bit scary too, when I got hired and got to know that he's the direct boss for the team I work with"
"Which gives me an idea: when we return to Surface, we could ask for his help. You would need to prove that you are indeed you, but I imagine this can't be too hard, right?"
"If she is not mistaken for a malware, that is. You should not forget that we are talking about the CEO of a cybersecurity company" remarked Sonne
"C'mon, you know she can just send a message to him first, right? It's not like she needs to be in his system for that!"
"Uuhhh… Can I…?" asks Komet
"You can, can't you…?"
Sonne slowly facepalms. "You should give more thought - if you give it at all - to your plans. This is going to be her first time executing tasks inside cyberspace. Although we are digital creatures, a lot of the dangerous tasks we completed on Surface was thanks to the help of external guidance, which was Komet's"
"Well, too bad, because external guidance is now stuck with us inside. Even in our solo missions, we always found our way around to solve problems, didn't we? Together as a team, we are much better! Do you know what that means? That's right! We are gonna find a way to solve it, like we always did!"
Komet nods. "It's not like I have much of a choice at this point anyway. But still, you two are used to surfing inside the internet, so I'm sure your knowledge will guide me!"
"You should be careful about that. Lua might take you to worthless places" says Sonne
"Heeeey, you've got the wrong idea of me, little puss! I know damn well when it's mission time, okay?" protests Lua. Sonne growls at her after hearing the swearing word.
"Well, it's not like I can make a plan around it now anyway, since we have to guarantee that we will get there in the first place," says Komet, while looking at the horizon. The sun denounces that it's past three o'clock. She looks back at her partners. "I will surely ask for help as soon as we go back to my world, but I need to think better about what I'm gonna do beforehand. By the way, you mentioned solo missions. I assume this is about the investigation for Anpu, right? Did it make significant progress?"
Lua and Sonne shake their heads. "It was crap. We can feel that whoever or whatever the bastard is, it exists within the layers of the Deep Web, but we could never pinpoint the place exactly, despite our efforts" says Lua, moving her fists angrily.
"Do you have a clue about what you are trying to find? A Digimon? A person? An object?"
"Not exactly, no. But if we focus enough, we can feel the 'infectious aura' around, if you know what I mean. But we are so unlucky! We detect something exists, but that's about it! Grrr"
"At least we can certainly confirm that the infection is not created by the mere existence of the Human World. We could attest that by the time we were present there. Which makes we come to the conclusion that this is most likely an individual work, or a group working together on something that causes the virus, whether intentionally or not" says Sonne
"I bet it's intentional! If not, then why are we having so much trouble finding it? It's as if that damn virus is trying to hide from us!"
"Watch your mouth, Lua! This is the second time for a short period already" growls Sonne. "Our current suspicion is that the creature that attacked you might be related with the Corrosion Virus. But we had little time to analyze that since… You know…" Sonne looks at Komet, worried. "But then we arrived in the Digital World and faced an actual Infected, and they felt different, but at the same time, familiar"
"Huh? You didn't mention that part yesterday. But I see why you still have your doubts. That supposedly Infected, unlike the one we faced and heard of, knew very well what it was doing" says Komet
"We were thinking about that since when we were taking you to the Digital World. We were super unsure, but despite that, Sonne told me to tell that detail to Anpu while he was observing your body recovering, but in the end I didn't" says Lua
"Wait, you didn't?"
"Oh, did I say too much? Ooooopsie~"
"This is crucial information to solve this matter, why did you go against your task and hold it to yourself? Is this irresponsibility or disloyalty?" growls Sonne
Lua approaches Sonne, drags him away from Komet and talks in a low voice. "Woah, hold on 'I-must-obey-all-orders' puss. Have you ever thought about the possibility that Anpu could just fragment Komet to study about it, and in consequence never being able to recover her? You know darn well his first stand about saving her. Would you go for that? Would that be okay for you?"
Sonne growls, but then his expression changes to uncertainty. He lowers his head and starts questioning his loyalty in silence. Lua puts her hand on Sonne's shoulders and winks at him. "Don't worry, I am the one that disobeyed, you are in the clear"
Sonne sighs. "Even so… I feel my loyalty to Anpu shaken now, given that I would give more priority to Komet. This is… Despicable"
"That you are loyal to Komet?"
"No, of course not!"
"If that makes you feel better, just remember that you never sworn any kind of loyalty to Anpu, but still you have always followed his orders and you never lied to him, which make you on good terms" Lua taps his back
Sonne gives it some thought. Then he nods. "It displeases me how you are right about that"
"Displeases? Awn, don't be modest!"
Komet just keeps walking while watching them from afar. She is very curious to know what this is about, but she chooses to respect their privacy. After the conversation, Lua and Sonne slow down, so that Komet can catch up with them. "I don't know what that was about, but the end of it was cute!" says Komet
"We are not only just about arguing and fighting, don't worry!" says Lua
"The sun and the moon are forces born on opposite sides. But their complement is what brings balance and progress" says Sonne
"We might disagree and argue more often than we should, but we promise we are friends!"
Komet laughs. "That reminds me of a… old friend" she sighs
"Oh… Did something happen to that friend…?" asks Lua
"Not in the way you might be thinking…" she quickly shakes her head. "Anyway, that time is long gone now. No point in thinking about that"
Not long after, they notice there's something big in their way. Four big and thick yellow legs with blue stripes, a big body with a long neck, in which the head can't be seen because it goes above the treetops. The team stops and backs off a few steps, to hide behind a tree. Komet uses the identify function, but before she retrieves the information of that Digimon, the creature lowers its head towards them. Sonne and Lua jump in front of her, getting ready to defend.
"Hello, travelers. Have you seen any kind of suspicious activities along your path?" asks the long-necked Digimon
Brachimon. Stage: Adult. A heavyweight dinosaur. Because of its weight, one single stomp from that creature can cause massive damage. However, since it's generally herbivorous and docile, it won't attack without a reason.
Komet gets surprised by seeing its face from very close, so she gives a few more steps back. The Digimon has red eyes, brown forehead and a big white bony crest coming out of the top of the head. The most remarkable part for her is that its mouth is all stitched, but it doesn't seem like it has trouble talking. Still, even if it doesn't show pain while talking, it doesn't make her feel less uneasy about that.
Brachimon tilts its head after a couple of seconds without getting an answer. "You are not doing anything suspicious, are you?"
Lua decided to speak up. "No no no, of course not! Do we look like we are doing something suspicious? We are totally clean, see?"
Sonne cringes. He grabs Lua and pulls her back. "Enough. Let Komet speak, before you make things worse"
Lua turns to the orange maned puss. "There was nothing wrong with what I said!"
"Oh, sorry" finally says Komet. "I was just startled by suddenly finding something very big in our way. Well, I don't know what exactly would be suspicious around here, but we did see a few thunderbirds trying to prey on us and two dinosaurs fighting, does that count…?"
"That's just the ordinary. By anything suspicious, I mean anything related to thievery or the Corrosion Virus" says Brachimon
Komet thinks about Elecmon, but since he is just a prankster and he actually helped them, she decides to let it slide. "No. Our whole walk up to this point was long but peaceful. Are you one of the sentries of this path?"
Brachimon nods
"Can you tell me how far is Cerranis?"
"Oh, you can even see it by yourself if you wish! Climb on my head, I can lift you three" says Brachimon
"I didn't expect that answer, but thanks, I accept!" says Komet
"Are you sure you wish to do that? In that case, I will accompany you to ensure your safety" says Sonne
"I don't mind the ride!" says Lua, while landing on Brachimon's head
The long-necked dinosaur lowers its head a bit more within their reach. Komet and Sonne climb its head and hold on its hard crest. Brachimon carefully raises its head and reaches full stretch. From there, the four of them see a wider area of their surroundings: on one side, some big colorful blocks sticking out of a forest in the distance, which appears to be the Village of Beginning. In the other, a big savannah in a canyon, in which after some distance, starts blending with a denser forest. They recognize that place as where they came from. From up there, they can even see the mountain range, and after looking at the size of the mountains, Komet feels very thankful for avoiding that area. To the direction where they are heading, they see a long bridge that leads to a low wall around what seems to be a big medieval-looking village. They also see the sun, which is more than 75% done with its course.
"Aw, crap… I don't think we are gonna reach Cerranis before the sunset…" says Komet
"If we keep walking, we can get there a bit before midnight!" says Lua
"Maybe, but… I don't think it's safe to wander around at night. Besides, I'm getting exhausted… I'm surprised that I still managed to walk for that long!"
"This is most likely caused by the adrenaline in your body, because of your eagerness mixed with your anxiety to get to your destination as soon as impossible. But as consequence, your body will feel extremely sore" says Sonne
"Thanks for the reminder, '' says Komet, with zero enthusiasm. "Thank you very much, Brachimon! Could you take us back down?"
Brachimon carefully lowers its head to as close to the floor as it can, and the three of them drop off its head. Komet pets the dinosaur on the head, feeling its rough scales and head plate. Brachimon looks a bit confused by that, but enjoys it.
"Do you know of a place where we can rest for the night?" she asks
"Well, unfortunately for you, this place is like any other wild area. You will need to find your way to the safest spot and survive until next dawn" says Brachimon
"That's fine… Thank you very much!". She waves at it, and the team keeps walking the trail.
It's around 5 in the afternoon, and the sun is getting closer to set. Lua notices that Komet is walking way slower compared to the beginning. "I think it's time to find a place to rest!" she says
"But the sun is still up" contests Komet
"Lua is right. You are pushing your limits very hard at this moment. Besides, it is wiser to use the remaining sunlight to find a safe place for the night" says Sonne
Komet doesn't try to protest. After all, she feels the pain on her legs for walking for way longer than she is used to.
"Lua, stay with her, I will go search for a safe spot"
Lua nods
"Be careful" says Komet
Sonne nods and goes away from the path
Komet sits down, lying on a tree, and looks at Lua. "You know, I've been thinking… This whole 'instantly change form every time you grow' thing that you Digimon have reminds me of Tamagotchi"
"Aah, I've read about this thing! It was very popular back in the days, but now, not so much. It seems kids nowadays would rather waste their times watching dumb stuff and recording dumb stuff for social medias" says Lua
Komet laughs. "You're sounding exactly like someone from older generations. You know Sonne would exchange some words with you about that, right?"
Lua rolls her eyes. "That little puss doesn't know what he is talking about! Every tiny piece of information is information nonetheless!"
Komet smirks. "The 'kids nowadays' can use the same argument, you know?"
Lua starts rambling about why this is not the same thing, while Komet just giggles. In the middle of the conversation, Sonne returns and reports that he has found a place for them to stay, and asks them to follow him. They get up and do as told. They walk for about 9 minutes away from the main path, until they reach a place with a big hole in the ground, next to an old tree. The hole is about 120 cm wide and 80 cm tall, and it nears some bushes, making it not very easy to be found.
"Is this a burrow?" asks Komet
"Yes. I've inspected the interior, and it's been abandoned for a while now. We can safely use it to stay overnight" says Sonne
Lua opens a big smile. "Ooooh, so we are going down the rabbit hole now, huh?"
"By the marks left on the walls, I don't think this was made by a rabbit"
"I don't mean it literally-" Lua facepalms. "Ugh, forget it!"
"If it's safe, then I'm going in" says Komet. She slowly walks into the burrow, but gives a wrong step that makes her slip and fall, sliding down further in. When she stops sliding, she sits down and looks around, seeing mostly dark, with only a patch of light coming from the entrance. The light gets partially blocked as Sonne and Lua try to see if Komet is fine, but two seconds after that, Sonne rushes down to confirm the well-being of the lass. Because of the fire on his tail, the burrow starts to get more visible for Komet, which reveals to be a very wide and fairly tall room, big enough to allow her to stand up without needing to bend over.
"Are you okay? Did you get injured?" asks Sonne
"I'm fine, thanks," says Komet, while quickly dusting her body and hair. "I would appreciate a nice shower though, but I don't think I'm in a position to request that…"
Lua waves from above. "I will go get some sticks and leaves and make a door for this hole!"
"Is Lua really making use of survival knowledge? Now that's surprising" says Sonne
"Hey! I know a lot when it's about tricks, useful or not!"
"Sometimes I forget about your trickster behavior. You are correct, I thought too highly of you for a moment. I will not allow myself to make this mistake again, apologies"
Lua grumbles and leaves, while Komet tries to hide she is giggling. She looks at Sonne and has the impression he was smirking, but she couldn't confirm it. While Lua is busy, Komet has an idea. "Sonne, I want to exercise more, I'm still fired up! Well, something that will not use my legs, at least" she says with determination in her eyes.
"I understand your eagerness to improve your endurance, but that will just exhaust your body and hinder your progress tomorrow. Besides, weren't you displeased with the idea of exercising more?" Sonne asks
"I know, I know…" she puts her hands together and starts pleading. "But I can't access my usual stress relief here, so, please, make me work out! I need to get more resistant!"
"But- Please, just to make sure you really understand: there's a high chance that your body will refuse to move for a long period even after you rest. Are you sure you want to proceed?"
She nods. "Pick something that will make me regret doing it"
Sonne sighs. He doesn't approve of it, but he takes it like an order. "If this is what you wish… Then we are gonna start with crunches. Later, we are going to practice punches and guarding. After all, it's important that you learn some way to attack and defend yourself when we are not able to help in some way"
"Teach me the way!"
Reluctantly, Sonne starts with crunches. He explains and shows her the way to do it and corrects her position. He gives her a low series, so that he doesn't make her overdo it. She gets tired after a few series in the end. Then he tells Komet to punch him, to analyze how she does it and correct whatever is wrong.
"You are going to defend, right?" she asks
"I am, of course. You do not need to worry" he says
Komet punches him with all the strength she has, which is not a lot, especially now that she is really tired. Sonne defends easily, but he gets surprised that she actually did the correct motion for the punch.
"I did not expect that you would know the basic concept for a punch. I have seen many accounts of people getting injured by performing it in wrong ways" he says
"Ah, thank you, if that's a compliment, that is. I learned it some years ago, when I injured myself by punching while having my thumb in my fingers… Then this… friend… laughed at me and then taught me how to do it right. It is an unforgettable day…" she says while scratching her head in embarrassment. "That person really liked to pick fights with other people, so I can guarantee he had experience… Not that I condone his actions, of course!"
"Early you mentioned a friend that argues a lot. Now it is a friend that picks fights with random people. I hope this is the same person, or I will question your ways of finding friends"
"A-ah, don't worry about that, I promise I don't go around befriending bad influences!"
"Still, why would you relate yourself with a troublemaker?"
"Ahm, I didn't really have a choice, okay? Let's leave it for another time and keep practicing!"
Sonne sighs. "Anyway. Your punch was very weak. I know you are still very motivated, but your body says otherwise. Allow me to teach you how to guard"
Komet agrees. Sonne then starts teaching her the basics, which it seems she doesn't know much about. Then, with slow motions, they start practicing. When Sonne starts throwing punches a bit fast but without actually hitting Komet. At this moment, Lua appears at the door and sees Sonne 'punching' Komet, and she freaks out.
"WHAT THE EFF? Why are you attacking Komet?" Lua flies in Sonne's direction while filling her claws with dark energy
Sonne puts his arms in front of his face to parry the hit, but Komet throws herself in front of him. "Lua, wait! We were practicing!"
Both Sonne and Lua gasp. Lua immediately stops her attack and dodges Komet, and leaves a relieved sigh. "Thanks goodness, for a moment I thought he had gone insane. Anyway, the door is done!"
Sonne bends his body over a little bit to see the hole closed off, and stands straight back. He looks at Komet and shakes his head. "Please, Komet, do not be reckless. Throwing yourself in front of attacks, especially with the most important body parts exposed, will not do any good for you if you have no means to defend from it. We were just practicing guarding, and this is the first thing you do?"
"Don't worry, I knew she wouldn't actually hit as soon as she saw me. Her reflexes are good. So are yours" says Komet
Sonne snorts in disapproval
"I will try to be more careful, okay?" she says
Sonne nods satisfied
"More lessons learned, yay! Anyway, while I was outside, I was thinking about your appearance," says Lua. "Anpu said it was made using fragments of your memory, but shouldn't that make you look like your normal self?"
"Uuh…" Komet looks at her hands with nails that looks like claws
"Unless those fragments can be related to subjects Komet really appreciates, or memories she cherishes a lot and got mixed with her physical building" says Sonne
"Ah, like something that is very important for her life! So, what kind of thing happened in your life that would give you big horns, pointy ears and claws? And these different-looking clothes as well! Look at all those feathers decorating the purple parts!" says Lua
"Erm… I… I have no idea" answered Komet, while still looking at her hands
"Maybe we should brainstorm what that look can remind us of, and then something will come to your mind!"
"A-ah, no, this is not needed. A-actually, I prefer to not think about that right now, this whole ordeal is killing me, you know?"
"Wait, are you NOT curious about that? Now that's unexpected"
"Ah, that's because…" Komet stops herself and thinks for a moment. "That's right! I had it in mind for a while, but I thought it was too stupid to mention. Maybe it has something to do with my favorite game, you know?"
"Your favorite game… Ah, you mean Monster Hunter?"
"Exactly! I don't know if you two were able to watch me playing, but in that game, there's a race of humanoids that has claws, more monstrous feet and pointy years"
"Oh, I remember them! What is the name of that race again…?"
Sonne just tilts his head. Then he approaches Komet. "Are you feeling alright? Your heart rate increased by a lot moments ago"
Her eyes widen, and she immediately checks her smartwatch. Her heart was really racing. "Geez… I forgot about that" she thinks to herself. "Is this because I went overboard with the exercises? I guess I should really stop and rest now, huh?" she says
Sonne frowns in worry, but decides to say nothing. Komet turns her back at them and sighs as silently as possible. "I'm sorry…" she thinks
"So, are you going to sleep now?" asks Lua
"Yeah… I'm pretty worn out now. Also, if I don't, I don't think Sonne will be happy about it"
Sonne nods. "I'm glad you understand. But unfortunately that will not prevent you from feeling the consequences of your choices today"
"It will be bad, but I'll be fine. Are you two also going to sleep now?"
"Soon" says Sonne
"Nope, it's too early for me. I like to enjoy the night a lot longer!" says Lua
"That's alright. So, good night Sonne, Lua! Hopefully tomorrow our trip will be as calm as today!"
Komet turns around, specifically away from Sonne's flame, and closes her eyes. It doesn't take minutes for her to fall asleep.
"How pathetic" says something
I don't know if the descriptions were clear enough, so in case they weren't, the not identified Digimon that appeared in this chapter are: Gizamon, Tentomon, Hawkmon, Thunderbirmon, Tyranomon (a classic, I know) and Tuskmon :3