18. Ready To Rumble

"What've we got here then?"
Tarumon opened his eyes. For a moment he was confused about where he was, but then everything flooded back to him.
He had instinctively sought out the revival spring to soothe the incessant droning in his head. He hadn't meant to fall asleep.
He was lying curled up on his side next to the well housing the digieggs. Looking up, he saw the Monochromon he'd spotted earlier tending to the newly hatched Botamon. The frilled digimon was standing over him with curiosity in his green eyes.
"I don't remember a Rookie like you leaving the nest. You must be one of them visitors I've heard gossip about."
Monochromon's voice held no aggression and his stance was relaxed, so Tarumon didn't get the impression that he was going to attack him. Nonetheless, he quickly got to his feet and dipped his head respectfully to the scaled digimon.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I just... It feels nice here."
Monochromon's face softened.
"So you're a carer too, eh? I had a feeling when I noticed you staring at me earlier." He gestured towards a pair of boxes piled behind him with his tail. "In that case, you won't mind helping me feed the young ones."
Tarumon's ears flicked up and he quickly moved to grab a box. A familiar sense of purpose came over him as he followed Monochromon away from the well.
They walked past several pillars, ultimately coming to a more shaded part of the fortress. There, Tarumon saw a red stone structure shaped like a barn surrounded by high roped fencing.
In-Training digimon were gathered together outside the barn. At first Tarumon thought that they were playing but, as Monochromon pushed open the gate, he realised that the small digimon were dogpiling on each other, nipping and shoving in a disorderly heap.
Monochromon sighed.
"Can't leave them alone for a second."
He slid his box off of his back and stomped over to his young charges.
"Alright, break it up!"
Most of the In-Trainings hopped or crawled away from the pile upon noticing the larger digimon approaching. The only ones who were still fighting were a Koromon and a Bowmon.
"I said, break it up! "
Monochromon's shout finally got their attention. Koromon got off of Bowmon's back and the blue furry digimon released his opponent's long thin ear from his mouth.
They both stood with their eyes lowered before their carer, though still threw sideways glares at each other.
"Want to tell me what this is all about?" Monochromon looked from one to the other.
"He bit me!"
"He jumped on me!"
"He shoved me!"
"He said I don't belong here!"
Monochromon tapped the ground with his tail, signalling for them to stop. He lowered his head towards Koromon.
"Is that true? Did you tell Bowmon that he doesn't belong here?"
Koromon's red eyes stayed glued to the ground. A low growl from Monochromon finally got him to look his carer in the eye.
"I just meant that beast digimon don't live in the desert. Their fur makes them hot and their feet aren't tough enough to walk on the sand."
"You don't even have feet!" Bowmon cut in.
"I will once I digivolve!" Koromon shot back. "And I won't be covered in fur!"
"I won't either!" There was a clear tone of desperation in Bowmon's voice. "I'm gonna digivolve into a dinosaur digimon and I'll be able to stay outside all day!"
Monochromon lowered his horn between the squabbling digimon.
"Alright, that's enough. Koromon, Bowmon hatched here just like you did. This is his home, whatever he digivolves into. And Bowmon, you shouldn't have attacked Koromon. We are a family. We don't hurt each other."
"But the bigger digimon fight each other all the time!" Bowmon replied. "Armadimon got beaten up by Muchomon earlier. I saw it."
Monochromon paused for a moment with confusion in his eyes. He shook it off and focused on Bowmon.
"That's not fighting; it's training. There's a difference - and how many times have I told you not to sneak off to the training ground?! You could get hurt!"
He raised his horn and looked steadily at the two In-Trainings.
"Now, I want you two to shake and make up. If either of you have a problem in the future, come to me about it."
Koromon and Bowmon glared at each other for a second before Koromon reached out an ear. Bowmon raised a stubby leg and let Koromon's ear wrap around it. After a single shake, they turned away from each other.
Monochromon straightened up.
"Now that that's settled; we have a visitor."
He turned to Tarumon who had been standing back at the gate.
Seeing that he was invited in, Tarumon came forward and crouched down in front of the In-Trainings.
"Hi there. I'm Tarumon, from File City."
The little digimon exchanged looks and mumbled to each other.
"Where's that?" Koromon asked.
Tarumon spread his arms out wide and put on a dramatic voice.
"Oh, it's a faraway place beyond Sunshine Canyon and past Optimal Forest. My friends and I travelled for many days to seek out the powerful digimon of Saurus Fortress."
The In-Trainings looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Are your friends the humans everyone has been talking about?" A second Koromon spoke up.
Tarumon nodded.
"That's right. I could bring them over later to say hello if you like."
The young digimon hopped up and down excitedly.
Monochromon swept his tail around one of the boxes, bringing it towards the In-Trainings.
"Alright, you rascals. It's chow time."
He popped the top of the box off with his horn and he and Tarumon started giving out the digimeat inside.
"No shoving now. There's plenty for everyone. Koromon, you've already got your share. Don't try switching places with Koromon to get extra."
Eventually, everyone had a piece of digimeat and they all settled down to enjoy their meal.
"So, what's a carer like you doing away from his babies?"
Tarumon looked up from his drumstick at Monochromon's query. He turned the bone over in his hands as he thought over his response.
"Well, it's a long story. I really liked looking after the little ones back in File City but... it always felt like something was pulling me away.
I got the opportunity to go to the Physical World; something I've wanted to do for a long time. There, I made a human friend. His name's Kartik, and he's great. We get along well. He's just as interested in learning about the Digital World as I am about the Physical. It's just..."
He took a bite of his digimeat and chewed slowly. Monochromon waited patiently for him to get his thoughts jn order.
"We haven't made a genuine bond; at least, not according to Yggdrasil. The digimon I've been travelling with have both managed it, even though their relationships with their humans are... a bit rocky. Tigremon and Shinyu spend most of their time arguing. Kumomon and Charlie are about as different as night and day. Yet their bonds are apparently stronger than mine and Kartik's."
Tarumon sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest.
"I just don't know what I'm doing wrong."
Monochromon tore a chunk of digimeat off of the bone he held down with his front feet. He chewed and swallowed with a distant look in his eye.
"It sounds to me like you're confusing a genuine bond with a perfect one."
Meeting Tarumon's questioning eye, he nodded towards the In-Training digimon.
"I spend most of my time with these rascals. From the moment they hatch, to when they leave the nest as Rookies. I feed them, teach them, clean up after them; while they play around and give me headaches. Does that sound like an equal relationship?"
Tarumon's ears flicked awkwardly.
"Well, I mean, they are still young," he replied.
"Exactly. They need tending to, like a field of digimeat." Monochromon looked to the food they were both holding. "And, in time, they'll grow into fine digimon. Ones that I'll be proud to have raised."
He turned his head to face Tarumon.
"My people waited a long time for Yggdrasil's blessing. Most of us died waiting. Don't make that same mistake. I don't claim to understand this whole bonding with humans thing, but if it matters that much to you then go and make it happen."
Tarumon gave a huff of laughter.
"You make it sound so simple."
"Maybe it is, and you're just overthinking it." The Champion replied. "If there's one thing I've learned from being around these brats, it's to focus on what's in front of you or you'll miss what's most important."
Tarumon looked over at the In-Trainings. Most of them had finished eating and were now playing with the leftover bones; having tug-of-war matches, beating them on the ground like they were playing drums. Bowmon was digging a hole, likely intending to bury the bone in his mouth.
Monochromon chuckled.
"Even so, it seems I still manage to miss some of the important things. I wasn't there to see Muchomon leave. I'm not even sure which In-Training became Muchomon."
Tarumon looked up. An unpleasant feeling started to rise in his stomach, and it wasn't from the digimeat.
"Muchomon's an avian digimon, right?"
"Hm? Yeah, but they could still digivolve into a dinosaur digimon in this environment."
That wasn't what was bothering Tarumon. He remembered the Muchomon staring at the group as they'd walked by the training ground. Something about it's eyes had struck Tarumon as strange. There was an aggressiveness in them that had seemed familiar.
He thought back to their time in Sunshine Canyon. Blitzmon had been buried under falling rocks; most likely getting injured in the process; and the next time they saw him, he had reverted to KoKabuterimon.
Birdramon had been severely weakened by her fight with Saltimon.
A cold sense of dread ran through Tarumon. He quickly stood up, dropping his half-eaten digimeat.
"You alright?" Monochromon asked, noting the distressed look in Tarumon's eyes.
"I need to get back to my friends; see how they're doing." Tarumon didn't want to voice his fears in case he was mistaken. Causing an unnecessary panic would hurt their chances of winning the dinosaur digimon's support. "Thank you for your time, Monochromon."
He walked quickly through the gate, hearing confused sounds from the In-Trainings behind him. Once he was out of sight of yhe barn, he started to jog and then run as the sense of fear in him strengthened.
Strangely, this feeling felt familiar. Tarumon got the sense that he'd experienced this before.
Before he could delve any deeper into this thought, a blue blur struck out from behind a pillar.
"Beetle Lariat!"
KoKabuterimon swung his large foreleg into the side of Tarumon's head, slamming him into the stone wall.
The bovine digimon slumped to the ground; his eyes barely open. Through his swimming vision, he saw KoKabuterimon's hand reaching down for him.
As his eyes closed, one last confusing thought entered his head.
'It's happening again.'

While Tarumon had been visiting the barn, the dinosaur digimon had finished preparing the battle site. It consisted of a large circular sandy area surrounded by roped fencing. The spectators gathered around excitedly to get a good view of the imminent fight.
On one side, GeoGreymon was already stood inside the ring leaning casually on the ropes and talking over his shoulder to Allomon. On the other, Smilomon was climbing through the fencing to take her position while Shinyu was giving her advice.
"Okay, this guy's faster than he looks so don't let your guard down. He also clearly breathes fire so your usual strategy won't work."
"What usual strategy?" Smilomon looked quizzically at him over her shoulder.
"The one where you charge head on at your opponent and get hit by their attack. You're gonna need to bide your time and wait for an opening to strike."
"So, what? I'm supposed to run away from him and hope he trips or something? That sounds more like Saltimon's kind of strategy."
"It r-really does." Saltimon put in.
Shinyu pinched the bridge of his nose.
"No! Just be aware of his movements. Watch him and try to predict what he's going to do. Because, I swear, if we all wind up stuck here forever due to your utter lack of strategic sense; I will never forgive you!"
"Okay, fine." Smilomon shook out her legs. "So what's the plan, coach?"
Shinyu looked carefully at GeoGreymon; taking in every aspect of his body. His lean build, his heavy looking horned helmet, his long tail.
"That's it!" He leaned through the ropes to speak into Smilomon's ear. "Go for his tail. Look at all those large horns and spikes on his upper body. He must be really top heavy. That flat stomach can't give him a lot of support, so it must be his tail that balances him out. Use your Drill Bite on it, as close to the body as you can get, and you'll severely hamper his movement."
Smilomon looked at GeoGreymon, seeing the logic of what Shinyu was saying. She bared her long canines in a confident grin.
An insistent squeak came from Kartik's bag. He looked down to see Relemon squeezing out from under the flap. He caught her as she popped out.
"You really shouldn't be watching this Relemon. It's probably going to get pretty violent."
Relemon answered with an angry squeak and a scrunched up face.
"Oh, a little violence never hurt anyone." Tuskmon approached the group, followed by BlackGreymon.
"Uh, violence, by definition, hurts people." Kartik replied. "And it might not be good for you guys to be seen talking to us."
"Everyone's already mad at me for bringing you guys here." BlackGreymon fiddled with his claws and kept his head down, trying not to meet the glares being thrown his way from the onlookers.
"Let 'em be mad." Tuskmon gave him a friendly slap with his tail. "They'll change their tune once these guys prove their strength."
He turned to smile at Kartik.
"Unless you lose; then we'll become eternal pariahs for supporting you. But hey; no pressure."
While Kartik could feel his blood pressure rising, Saltimon walked up to Charlie who was leaning on a fence post with her chin resting on her crossed arms.
"D-Do you have a plan for m-me, if I have to enter the r-ring?" Saltimon asked.
Charlie shrugged.
"Just zap him with your electric cannon."
"It's Sp-Spark Cannon, and I was hoping for a b-bit more in terms of st-strategy."
"Yeah, well you're asking the wrong person. My last bright idea almost got us lynched." Charlie pulled her hat down over her eyes.
Saltimon poked her with a foreleg.
"D-Don't you get all sulky now. You v-volunteered me for this fight, so you'd b-better provide some support. R-Remember in the tunnel? You c-came up with some pretty u-unorthodox, but admittedly e-effective, ideas to get us out of d-danger."
Charlie lifted her hat off of one of her eyes.
"You like my ideas?"
Saltimon looked to the side and tapped the tips of her forelegs together.
"'L-Like' isn't the word I w-would use; but then, there aren't many th-things that I do like. H-However, under the right cir-circumstances, your schemes have p-proven to have their... merits."
Charlie stood looking at her for a few moments, then her lips began to twitch and her shoulders started shaking. She threw her head and laughed.
"Oh mon dieu! You're really not used to giving compliments, are you?"
The silver hair on Saltimon's face turned pink.
"W-Well, it's not like I've had m-many opportunities to practice! I've n-never had a... c-colleague before."
Charlie wiped her eyes and stood up straight.
"Well, you do now; and I should be pulling my weight. Although, I'm not really a big planner. I just kinda get an idea and go with it."
"W-Well, if you get any ideas, l-let me know - so long as they d-don't involve music."
A thunderous roar rang out, silencing everyone and drawing all eyes to the centre of the ring. MetalTyrannomon closed his mouth and looked around at the gathered crowd.
"Let's be clear about the rules. This is a tag-team match. Combatants may switch with their partner at any time, but must make physical contact with them to do so. The first team to defeat an opponent wins the match.
Those not in combat are to stay outside the ring and not physically interfere with the match. Likewise, active combatants are to remain inside the ring. If they are thrown or knocked out of the ring, they are defeated. If they lose consciousness or are otherwise unable to continue fighting, they are defeated."
He looked from GeoGreymon to Smilomon.
"Bodily destruction is not the intention of this match, but it is an accepted risk. If a combatant shows signs of breaking down, the match will end and they are defeated. A combatant may also surrender at any time. Any attack or strategy is allowed in the pursuit of victory."
He returned his gaze to the crowd, who were clearly growing excited.
"As agreed, if the visitors win then we will aid them in liberating File City. If they lose, they will pledge allegiance to Saurus Fortress."
A rumbling spread through the courtyard. Numerous heavy feet stamped the ground and low growls sounded in throats.
MetalTyrannomon stepped easily over the rope fencing and stood outside the ring.
"May the strongest digimon win. Begin!"
GeoGreymon wasted no time in charging across the ring towards Smilomon. The tiger slipped a paw under her goggles and brought them up over her eyes. She took a breath and stood facing her approaching foe head on.
"Roar Force!"
GeoGreymon brought his arms up across his body and lowered his head, not slowing his charge. He intended to power through Smilomon's attack and take her out at close range. So he was taken by surprise when the shockwave hit the ground in front of him, sending up a cloud of sand that engulfed him.
With a grin, Smilomon jumped into the cloud leaving both fighters invisible to the audience.
Through her goggles, Smilomon saw GeoGreymon spluttering and trying to wave away the sand with his eyes half closed. She stalked around him until his tail was in front of her. Opening her mouth wide, she pounced towards the tail with her canines spinning.
"Drill Bi - !"
Just before she could strike, GeoGreymon whipped his tail out of her path and rammed into her with his shoulder. Her claws dug into the ground as she was pushed away from him.
"Nice try."
GeoGreymon reared up and sucked in a breath.
"Mega Roar!"
A loud blast of wind shot from his wide mouth. The sand cloud was blown away, rising and dissipating in the air. Grains of sand rained down on the crowd, but they were too absorbed in the fight to care.
"He can use wind attacks too?"
Shinyu picked up his digivice. With a few clicks he accessed the digimon database and selected GeoGreymon.
Like before, a holographic image of the selected digimon sprang from the screen accompanied by informative text.

GeoGreymon
Champion Level
Dinosaur Species
Vaccine Type
Fire Affinity
Attacks:
Mega Flame (Fire) - Shoots super-hot flames from it's mouth.
Horn Impulse (Neutral) - Charges it's opponent with the horns on it's head.
Mega Roar (Wind) - Blasts it's opponent with a powerful warcry.
General Info:
A subspecies of Greymon. Inherently aggressive; it's body has developed to maximise it's offensive power, while sacrificing defence. It's favourite food is digimeat.

"Smilomon!" Shinyu called to his partner. "Stay away from his horns. He can attack with them."
"Oh really? And here was me thinking they were just for decoration. Thanks!" Smilomon didn't take her eyes off of GeoGreymon as he slowly approached her.
"Roar Force!"
She shot off a quick shockwave and started running towards GeoGreymon as he dodged, taking a curving path to hit him from his left side.
Claws unsheathed, she leapt onto her opponent, gripping the base of his tail and pulling him to the ground.
GeoGreymon started kicking at Smilomon and whipping his tail back and forth in an attempt to shake her off. The two Champions rolled along the ground in a snarling heap, sending clumps of sand flying everywhere.
Relemon squeaked in protest as Kartik covered her eyes. Next to him, BlackGreymon had his fists clenched and was bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"She's doing well. I can't remember anyone giving GeoGreymon a real challenge before."
"It's probably because she's a Data-type." Kartik remarked, as he put a squirming Relemon in his bag. "Her attacks will be more effective against him."
"That won't matter if she can't land a proper hit." Tuskmon said. "Anything can happen in a fight. The moment you think you're winning is usually when you're most vulnerable."
GeoGreymon finally managed to kick Smilomon off of him. She rolled to her feet and took aim at her opponent who was still pushing himself upright.
"Roar Force!"
With no time to dodge, GeoGreymon braced himself against the ground and took a breath.
"Mega Flame!"
A stream of orange fire spewed from his mouth.
The two continuous attacks collided in the center of the ring and both digimon struggled to overpower the other.
Shinyu clutched his digivice tightly. He remembered Smilomon using her Roar Force against Baboongamon. The attack was powerful but she couldn't maintain it for long. Already, he could see Smilomon start to weaken and GeoGreymon's fire creeping steadily towards her.
"Come on, Smilomon." Shinyu spoke under his breath. "You can do this. You can do this. - You can do this!"
He yelled out loud and Smilomon's eyes widened as she felt renewed strength flow through her. With a loud roar, she unleashed a bigger shockwave that quickly overwhelmed GeoGreymon's fire and sent him flying to the other side of the ring, where he landed with a slam on his back.
"Yes!"
Charlie pumped her fist in the air. Beside her, Saltimon breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she wouldn't have to fight after all.
Smilomon's long strides ate up the distance between her and GeoGreymon as she rushed to make sure he stayed down.
Just as she was about to pounce, Allomon stuck his tail through the ropes and touched GeoGreymon's outstretched hand.
The blue theropod leapt over the fencing and swung his tail at the approaching Smilomon. Unable to stop in time, she was knocked to the ground.
GeoGreymon climbed out of the ring while Allomon stomped towards the fallen tiger. He raised his foot over her head, but she managed to roll out of the way before he slammed it down.
Shinyu quickly brought up his digivice and accessed Allomon's profile.

Allomon
Armour Level
Data Type
Dinosaur Species
Wind Affinity
Attacks:
Dino Burst (Wind) - Shoots a high-temperature blast of wind from it's mouth.
Dynamite Head (Neutral) - Rams opponent at high-speed with it's head.
General Info:
Born from the Digiegg of Courage, this digimon had a strong rivalry with Tyrannomon in ancient times. It's powerful leg muscles allow it to run at blistering speeds.

"Smilomon! Get back here!" He called out. "Switch with Saltimon!"
"W-What?!" Saltimon's legs stiffened up in fright.
"Allomon's greatest asset is his speed." Shinyu held up his digivice to show the others the profile. "Your agility and jumping strength will help you outmaneuver him. Don't let him build up any momentum and watch out for his breath attack."
"Dino Burst!"
Smilomon felt the hot air against her fur as she barely dodged Allomon's attack. She was coming up fast to the fencing where Saltimon was waiting with an outstretched leg, but the sound of Allomon's footsteps behind her were getting louder and more frequent.
Swerving to the right, she flicked out her tail and smacked it against Saltimon's leg before launching herself over the fencing.
Allomon's heels dug into the ground as he tried to stop himself.
Shinyu and the others screamed as Allomon tipped over the ropes and fell towards them.
"Look out!"
BlackGreymon and Tuskmon ran between Allomon and the humans and knocked him back into the ring.
"Hey! That's interference!" GeoGreymon looked to MetalTyrannomon as he pointed to the two Champions shielding the humans.
MetalTyrannomon raised an eye ridge.
"You'd rather Allomon landed outside the ring and cost you the match?"
GeoGreymon lowered his claw and settled for glaring across the ring at BlackGreymon.
"Are you guys okay?" BlackGreymon looked down at the shaken humans.
"Yeah... Thanks." Shinyu mentally counted to ten as he waited for the sound of his own heartbeat to quiet down.
"No offence, but you dinosaur digimon are a clumsy bunch!" Charlie took off her hat and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. "That's twice I've almost been crushed by a falling dinosaur, which is two times more than I ever expected it to happen!"
"Continue the match!" MetalTyrannomon's command rang out loudly.
Saltimon hopped over the ropes and stood before Allomon, who had regained his footing.
"Dino Burst!"
Allomon unleashed a blast of red-hot air towards Saltimon who ducked under it, spreading her legs out along the ground. Spinning back up in a graceful movement she returned fire.
"Spark Cannon!"
Barely dodging the electrified web, Allomon charged at Saltimon with his claws bared.
She jumped back to avoid his slashes and put some considerable distance between them.
"Get back here!" Allomon set off in pursuit.
Smilomon lay down with her head resting on her paws.
"Are you alright?"
Kartik knelt beside her, looking her over for injuries.
"I'm fine. Just conserving my energy." She replied. "Don't wanna revert before the match is over. It won't make us look good."
"You were awesome!" Charlie came up and ruffled the fur on Smilomon's head. "I bet MetalTyrannomon's convinced of just how effective our digivolving method is."
"It's not over yet." Shinyu remarked while keeping his eyes on the fight. "Don't just go in one direction, Saltimon! Keep changing it up so he can't use his Dynamite Head!"
"Looks like Shinyu's figured out this coaching thing," said Charlie. "I'm kinda feeling like a third wheel here."
"Saltimon still needs you to cheer her on." Smilomon's eyes flicked to Shinyu as she spoke. "Trust me. It helps."
Among the crowd, Muchomon peered out from behind a Parasaurmon's leg. She'd been keeping watch on the humans, and what she saw had enraged her.
Those devices contained a database on digimon, including their attributes and affinities. What possible reason could humans have for needing that information, if not to discern their weaknesses?
No wonder Baalmon had changed the mission's priority. He must have discovered the humans' true intentions.
She had to get that device away from the humans. The safety of the Digital World depended on it.