3. A Bond is Made

Shinyu needed some air.
He'd sat in silence as Tigremon had explained the crisis approaching both the Physical and Digital worlds.
"It's basically like this." Tigremon extended a long sharp claw from her paw and dipped it into the cup of green tea in front of her. "Ever since you humans first started recording data in digital form, little bits of info have slipped into our world."
She used her free paw to take Shinyu's cup and held her claw above it, letting drops of tea fall in.
"This is what created our home; the land, mountains, forests, oceans; all of it based on data from your world. We digimon were born from that data too."
Tigremon took her cup and held it over Shinyu's.
"Over time, the data coming in from your world increased causing the Digital World to expand." She tipped her cup and poured some tea into Shinyu's. The liquid inside rose until it was near the top. "It's now gotten to the point where our world is starting to pour over into yours."
She turned the cup she was holding over completely, dumping it's contents into Shinyu's cup. The tea within overflowed, dampening the table cloth underneath.
As Arisu reached over with some tissues to soak up the tea; Tigremon pointed at Shinyu.
"And that's where you come in."
Shinyu didn't want to hear anymore. He stood up and walked quickly to the front door. He grabbed a thick brown coat, slipped into his black boots and opened the door. He thought he heard Arisu calling his name before he shut it behind him, but it was hard to tell with the ringing sound in his head.
Their house, and the small shrine that Arisu ran next to it, wasn't far from Inokashira Park. Shinyu's fast walking pace got him there in five minutes. He didn't stop walking until he was well within the forest and the trees blocked out any noise from the outside.
He closed his eyes, leant his head back and breathed deeply through his nose. The cold air helped quiet the competing thoughts in his head and he felt his heartbeat start to slow down.
The sound of a creaking branch above his head caused it to speed up again. Shinyu took another few breaths and let out a groan before looking up.
"I don't know how it works in this world; but where I'm from, it's considered very rude to walk away from someone when they're talking."
Tigremon had her feet planted against the trunk of a tree while holding the thin branch above her with a single paw.
Shinyu walked over to the tree and sat at it's base. He crossed his arms over his knees and lay his forehead on them.
"I just needed a minute, okay? It's not every day I get my entire understanding of reality shattered."
"You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?" Tigremon's striped tail flicked back and forth as she looked down at Shinyu.
"Well, how did you digimon feel when you discovered that your entire world existed inside a man-made network?" Shinyu glared up at Tigremon. He was getting tired of her dismissive attitude.
Tigremon shrugged, irritating Shinyu further.
"I don't know. I wasn't hatched then. Though I imagine it answered a few questions, like why new landscapes fell out of the sky every few years."
Shinyu leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes again.
"I just don't know what you want from me. I'm not a computer scientist. I wouldn't know how to even begin solving the problem of our worlds colliding."
Tigremon was quiet for a moment then sighed.
"Truth be told, Shinyu; we're not sure that there is a way to stop it."
"What?!" Shinyu opened his eyes and stared at the digimon.
"Well, it's not like we didn't try!" Tigremon's tone became defensive. "Yggdrasil did all sorts of things. Deleting abandoned landscapes to free up space. Slowing down time to decrease the build up of new areas. It even took away the sky! Nothing is working. The data's coming in too fast. We've got a year; maybe two; before the Digital World hits it's limit."
"And then what?" Shinyu wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that question, but there was no running away from this now.
Tigremon took a breath before answering in a more subdued voice.
"Best case scenario; the Digital World continues to expand into the Physical World, meaning that your home will be changed. We don't exactly know how. Worst case scenario..." She looked away from Shinyu but he could see her ears folding against her head and her claws digging into the tree branch.
"Our home will be destroyed and us along with it, unless we escape into the Physical World."
Shinyu's chest started to feel tight with the enormity of what was being laid before him. Within two years, the entire world was going to change. He closed his eyes and imagined creatures like Tigremon jumping out of every digital device on the planet.
How would people react?
Some might be okay once they talked to them; but others would surely panic. They'd see it as an invasion. What would the world governments do? Would there be a war?
Shinyu's breaths came fast and shallow. He felt like he was trapped in a vice that kept squeezing and squeezing.
A warm feeling spread through his hands. He looked up to see Tigremon holding them. Her large paws had a surprisingly gentle grip and her blue eyes were full of sympathy.
"We don't want to hurt anyone." She said softly. "We've known about humans for a long time. We thought that you knew about us too. That's why we were sent here."
Shinyu's breathing felt easier now. He took in some more cold air to settle himself before asking;
"We? You mean there's more of you talking to people?"
Tigremon nodded.
"Yggdrasil scanned the Physical World picking out humans who would be open to communicating with us, and sent us each to one we would be compatible with."
"Compatible? For what?"
"For bonding." Tigremon's eyes lit up with excitement. "There's a theory that if a human and a digimon form a strong bond, they'll be able to do incredible things. Things they could never do alone. If it's true, then humans will see that us being together isn't a bad thing."
Shinyu straightened up and put a hand to his chin.
"So, this whole thing's like a diplomacy mission."
"That's right." Tigremon held up a fist and gave a toothy grin. "You and me are gonna pave the way for a union between humans and digimon. What d'ya say, partner?"
Shinyu rubbed his chin and then held up a finger.
"One more question. If this Yggdrasil determined that I was your perfect match; the absolute best human out of over eight billion for you to bond with... how could you get me confused with a cat?"
Tigremon's ears went flat and the fur around her cheeks turned pink.
"H-Hey, give me a break! I'd never actually seen a human until today! I thought you took different forms like we do!"
Shinyu found himself chuckling at the flustered look on Tigremon's face. He stood up and dusted his coat off.
"We should get back. Arisu will be worried. I still need to talk to her about - Tigremon? Are you okay?"
Tigremon's fur was standing on end. Her claws were extended and her lip was curled, revealing her sharp fangs.
She turned around to face the forest, a low growl escaping her throat.
"Shinyu. Go back to your house. Now."
"What's going on? Why are you so -?"
"I said go!" Tigremon turned her head and snarled at him.
Before Shinyu could respond, something crashed through the trees reducing them to splinters. He almost lost his footing at the sight of the monster before him.
Even hunched over, the beast was easily eight feet tall. It resembled a giant monkey covered in course brown fur with a red muzzle and ears. A pair of black belts were wrapped around both of it's upper arms. It's shoulders, forearms and chest were covered with solid gray rock; as were it's feet, it's big clawed hands and it's tail which ended in a club. A mask of stone lay over it's eyes and lower jaw, and included a long stone horn over it's forehead.
Shinyu gulped and bent down to speak quietly to Tigremon.
"Is that another digimon?"
"Yeah." Tigremon growled back. "But he's not one of the friendly ones."
"You just said digimon didn't want to hurt us!"
"I meant most digimon. Come on! It's not like all humans are nice either."
Their talk was interrupted by a loud hooting sound from the new digimon. Shinyu wasn't sure if it was yelling or laughing. Either way, it made his skin crawl.
"Fighting with your human already, runt?" It spoke with a screechy masculine voice. "Well, I'd be only too happy to take it off your hands."
He began to advance on Shinyu, but Tigremon put herself in his path.
"Back off Baboongamon! You and the rest of those stinking poachers don't belong here!"
Baboongamon gave a wide menacing grin.
"We're all gonna belong here soon. You can't blame us for wanting first dibs on this world's spoils."
With that, he lunged towards Shinyu with his hand outstretched.
Tigremon let out a snarl and leaped onto his face clawing at his ears.
"Shinyu, run!" She called out before Baboongamon grabbed her and flung her away. She hit a tree and crumpled to the ground.
"Tigremon!" Shinyu went to go to her, but found his way blocked by Baboongamon.
"You're coming with me, human."
Shinyu looked around, then grabbed a broken branch off the ground. Seeing him holding the branch like a kendo stick, Baboongamon let out another hooting laugh.
"You're a cute one. Perfect for a pet."
"Paw Force!"
An invisible force hit Baboongamon in the back, causing him to stagger forward. Turning around, he saw Tigremon back on her feet with her paws held out in front of her. He bared his teeth and pointed at the smaller digimon.
"You get points for persistence, runt. But we both know how this is going to end. So do yourself a favour and -"
"Paw Force!"
A ball of compressed air shot out of Tigremon's paws and smacked into Baboongamon's face. This time, he held his balance. He let out an annoyed snort.
"You're going to an awful lot of trouble for one stinking hu -"
He turned his head to see that Shinyu had disappeared.
Turning slowly back to Tigremon, he spoke with barely suppressed fury.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance."
With that, he let out a screech and charged towards Tigremon on all fours.
Tigremon gave a crooked smile and pulled her goggles up over her eyes.
"Glad I finally got your full attention."
Waiting until Baboongamon was almost on top of her, she slammed her paws into the ground and unleashed two shots of air. The earth exploded in a cloud of dirt that enveloped Baboongamon, leaving him spluttering and unable to see.
Tigremon's blast had sent her into the air. She flipped and landed in a crouch behind her opponent, then turned and slashed him across the back.
Baboongamon let out a pained growl and tried to slam a fist down on her, but Tigremon had already bounded away on all fours. She slipped in and clawed at his legs before darting back again.
Baboongamon fell to his knees, letting out a moan of pain. Tigremon pounced towards his exposed back; not seeing the smile on his face.
"Glide Rocks!"
His rock covered tail slammed into Tigremon's torso. Her eyes bugged behind her goggles and the breath caught in her throat. Time seemed to slow down as she saw the malicious grin spread over Baboongamon's face.
She was then sent hurtling backwards into the forest. Branches snapped as her body collided with them, doing little to slow her flight.
Even hitting the ground didn't stop her right away. Her body bore a groove into the earth before she bounced up and continued to skim along, turning and tumbling head over tail.
When she finally came to a halt, she was half deaf and blind from the pain. She lay on her side with her limbs splayed out around her. One of her goggle lenses was broken, but even the lighter images she could see through it were ringed with darkness.
As she struggled to get some air into her stinging chest; a thought forced itself into Tigremon's mind that made her whole body turn cold.
I'm going to die.
"Tigremon!"
Shinyu raced to the digimon's side. He'd taken the opportunity to get away when she'd distracted Baboongamon, but couldn't bring himself to leave the park without her. Now he knelt by her broken body, struggling to think through the ringing in his head.
The outlines of Tigremon's body were blurring. Tiny parts of it seemed to be floating away. It was like she was slowly disintegrating before his eyes.
"No no no no! Tigremon, wake up!"
Shinyu shook Tigremon's shoulder. At first, there was no response but then she took in a gasping breath and opened her eyes.
"Why are you still here?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'm not just going to leave you." Shinyu started slipping his arms underneath her. "We'll get you to a doctor... or maybe a vet. Someone who can help."
The sound of heavy footsteps started coming from the broken path through the forest. Tigremon tried to push Shinyu away from her.
"Get out of here. There's nothing you can do."
"Weren't you the one who said that humans and digimon can do amazing things together? You travelled to an entirely different world because you believed that. Are you going to give up at the first obstacle, or are you going to fight for that future?"
Tigremon cocked an eyebrow and gave a weak laugh.
"Oh, sure. Now you're an optimist."
"I guess you're contagious." Shinyu held an open hand up. "What d'ya say, partner?"
Shinyu initially just wanted to keep Tigremon from giving up and dying, but he was surprised at how much he actually meant those words. Right now, he wanted to do something amazing. He wanted to help shape the new world that was coming. And, as Tigremon grasped his hand, he wanted to send that rock-headed baboon back where he came from.
A blinding light shone from Shinyu and Tigremon's clasped hands. He shut his eyes and felt his fingers grasp something solid.
Opening his eyes, he saw a small oval shaped object that fit neatly into his palm. It was milk white with a clear square screen in the middle and a band of colour around the edge; the same burnt orange as Tigremon's fur. Below the screen were three small black buttons. There were two rectangular holes along either side.
Before Shinyu could ask what had just happened, Baboongamon burst through the trees. He reared up in front of them and raised his fists above his head.
"I'm gonna give you this one chance, human. Drop the weakling and join a real monster, or I'll turn you both to paste. There's plenty more humans for me to choose from."
Shinyu stood up, holding Tigremon to his chest. All his fear seemed to have disappeared. All he felt now was anger.
"I don't know what you want with us humans, but I'd never stoop so low as to join an arrogant bully like you. So just... shove off!"
Baboongamon gave a small shrug.
"You had your chance."
He moved to bring his fist down, but was stopped by a large ball of air hitting him in the stomach and knocking him off his feet.
Shinyu looked down to see Tigremon holding out a single paw. She jumped out of his arms and prowled towards Baboongamon on all fours.
"You keep your filthy hands off of my human!"
The object in Shinyu's hand let out a bright light. He looked down and saw a word flash on the screen.

Digivolution

Every hair on Tigremon's body stood on end. Light started to shoot out of holes in her skin that grew into cracks. With a thunderous boom her entire outer layer flew off, revealing an orange wireframe underneath.
The device flashed up another message.

Tigremon digivolve to...

Tigremon started to grow. Her limbs stretched. Her body expanded. Her canines lengthened until they became level with her chin. All the while, a new layer of skin spread along her frame until it was covered completely. She stood in her new body and gave out a mighty roar.

Smilomon

Smilomon stood at the same height as Baboongamon. Standing on four legs, she looked like a sabre-toothed tiger. She had the same orange striped coat and blue eyes, but now a mane of white fur ran from the top of her head along her spine. Her goggles fit around her neck like a collar.
Baboongamon sat on the ground staring at the transformed digimon. He suddenly gave out a delighted laugh.
"It's true! Humans can power digivolution! Haha!"
He got back up and crouched before Smilomon, baring his stone covered claws.
"Let's see just how much power he's given you."
With fearsome roars, the two digimon sprang at each other. They each wrapped their forelegs around the other and tried to wrestle their opponent to the ground.
Sparks flew as Smilomon's claws struck against Baboongamon's shoulders. The rocky armour proved impervious to her slashes.
Pushing herself up with her hind legs, Smilomon opened her jaws wide. Her long fangs started to rotate with a whirring noise.
"Drill Bite!"
She lunged forward and sank her spinning teeth into Baboongamon's shoulder. Chips of stone flew as she bore holes in his armour.
Baboongamon let out a cry of pain and grabbed a hold of Smilomon's mane; violently yanking her off him. Tossing her to the ground, he jumped back, holding his injured shoulder.
Smilomon hopped back onto her feet and charged at her opponent once more.
Baboongamon whipped his good arm through the air.
"Mount Stone!"
Rocks flew off of his forearm straight at Smilomon. She managed to dodge them while closing in on Baboongamon. But, as she lunged for him with her fangs again, he spun and struck out with his tail.
"Glide Rocks!"
The stony club hit Smilomon in the side of the head, sending her crashing to the ground. Baboongamon sprang forward and slammed her with a rocky fist before she could regain her footing.
Several punches followed; striking her head and body, until she lay twitching at Baboongamon's feet. Not done yet, he grabbed her tail and swung her through the air into a maple tree; knocking it to the ground and showering Smilomon's prone body in scarlet leaves.
Baboongamon stood panting for a moment, then wiped his forearm along his muzzle and straightened up.
"You got strength, runt. You just don't know how to use it right."
He turned his head towards Shinyu who was standing frozen, looking at Smilomon's still form.
"To think, such a puny creature could provide so much power. I can't wait to see what you can do for me."
He moved his head around as trying to sense something. Finally, his gaze rested on a small camera attached to a fallen tree.
He struck out with his claws and ripped a hole in the air in front of the camera, through which shimmering light escaped. He looked back at Shinyu.
"Time to go home, human. You can either come with me, or I can take you. Your choice."
He took a step towards the frightened boy, only to stop at the sound of crunching leaves.
"Did you... not hear me... before?"
Smilomon's legs were shaking. Her breathing was laboured and her eyes were glazed. Still, she pushed herself to her feet and faced Baboongamon with her teeth bared.
"I said... keep your hands... off of him."
Baboongamon let out a frustrated sigh.
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous! I'm ending this!"
He ran towards Smilomon, raising his tail in the air.
Smilomon dug her claws into the ground and took a deep breath. Just as Baboongamon leapt at her, she opened her mouth.
"Roar Force!"
A large continuous shockwave shot out of Smilomon's mouth with a roaring sound. It hit Baboongamon dead on and knocked him back towards the hole he had created.
As he went through the opening, he struck out and grabbed the edges with his claws; gripping tightly and refusing to budge. Smilomon kept up her attack but Shinyu could see that she was weakening, and Baboongamon was starting to pull himself back through the hole.
He looked to the tiny machine in his hand. There had to be something he could do to help.
As he held it up, a new message appeared with a pinging sound.
Digital Gate Detected
Open
Close
Shinyu pressed the first of the three buttons. A little cursor appeared next to the 'Open' option. He pressed it again to select 'Close' and hit the second button.
A thin beam of light shot out of the screen, almost hitting him in the eye. He held the device out towards the hole. The beam hit the opening and the light travelled along it's outline.
Baboongamon saw what was happening but, before he could do anything, his claws slipped through the hole's edges like they were water and Smilomon's attack sent him flying back through the gate, which proceeded to close up and disappear.
Shinyu dropped to his knees with relief. It was over. He looked again at the device's screen.
Digital Gate Closed
Area Secure
He heard a groan and saw Smilomon drop to the ground. As he ran to her, her body seemed to explode in a shower of pixels; leaving Tigremon lying face down in the leaves.
"Tigremon!" Shinyu skidded through the leaves to kneel at her side. "Say something! Please don't be dead!"
"I'm not dead." Came a muffled reply. "Just really tired."
They both paused as a rumbling noise came from the vicinity of Tigremon's stomach.
"...and hungry."
Shinyu hoisted Tigremon onto his back. He stood up and looked around the park. Just this morning, it had been a beacon of nature and peace. Now it looked like a warzone. Trees lay broken. The earth was torn and gouged.
If just two digimon could do this much damage; what would it be like when the rest arrived?
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Shinyu set off in the direction of home. He didn't want to be around when people came to investigate the commotion. He wouldn't be surprised if someone had already called the police.
As he walked, he realised he was still holding the little machine. The screen was now blank and there was no more light coming from it.
Slipping it into his pocket, he glanced over his shoulder at Tigremon. Her eyes were closed and she was resting her head against the crook of his neck.
"Tigremon?" He said, softly.
"Hmm?"
"...Thank you for saving me."
Tigremon's mouth turned up in a small smile and she rested a paw on Shinyu's shoulder.
"Ditto."