Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction written by someone who enjoys creature collector franchises. Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc. and Satoshi Tajiri. Digimon is owned by Bandai, WiZ, Toei Animation, and Akiyoshi Hongo. If you want to support the official releases, worry not. Lord knows there is plenty of merchandise to choose from.
Listening to as I read this map: Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins)
The Crest of a Master Chapter 23: Interlude 2 The Electric Bogaloo Part 1
Dogfight Minus the Dogs
For the most part names were seen as unnecessary to Digimon. You'd have Digimon who would give monikers to their pets or weapons, but Digimon in general just didn't felt the need to name themselves. Contextual ques and body language were usually enough for you to figure out which individual Digimon someone wanted to talk to so why complicate it by making everyone memorize a bunch of names?
This unspoken cultural edict did not fly as easily in combat. When an enemy was bombarding your squad with attacks you had to be able to figure out who was getting which order immediately. To facilitate faster commands some Digimon troops incorporated the use of call signs or nicknames.
There were several rules as to how you were assigned a call sign. Rule number one: if you don't already have a call sign when joining a team you would be given one by your peers. Rule number two: you would probably not like your name.
It was thanks to the first two rules that Pteramon X found himself with the call sign "X." X was not very fond of this name. Not only was it reductive, naming the one guy in the flock with an x-antibody mutation "X", but it also made it sound like he dated and broke up with every one of his flock-mates. X went on to voice these thoughts to his flock-mates and in doing so forgot the final rule: if you complain about your name you will receive a new name you will hate even more.
"Oh Darling!" the Pteramon X dubbed "Darling" suppressed his cringe when one of his flock-mates called out to him. It wasn't so much his call sign that he loathed, he actually got used to it. No, it was the way his flock-mates said his call sign that drove him up the wall. They just had to say it in such an exaggerated lovey-dovey manner every time they called out to him. Their reason being that if it bothered him so much that it sounded like he broke up with them, why not make him feel as though he was everyone's sweetheart?
"Yeah?" Darling responded in a casual tone. His flock-mates knew he was irritated by their teasing, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of expressing his displeasure.
"Get your tail over here and eat! We're going to be taking off soon," the Pteramon called backk.
Shrugging, Darling hopped down from his perch and strutted over to the rest of his flock. They were all Pteramon, Digimon who resembled Pterosaurs. Each stood on two taloned feet which were balanced by a bent, metal tail. Their lavender bodies were cover in purple and red armor making their wings resemble jet wings with missiles when spread out. Their armored heads were long and pointed with sharp beaks filled with sharp teeth and long, sharp crests sticking out of the back of their skulls.
Darling, being a Pteramon X, was larger than his flock-mates. He had the same basic body design with a few tweaks such as steel grey armor, blue and white scales under said armor, more integrate weapons lining his wings, and a more jet plane-like tail. His helmet was outfitted with a cockpit while his head ended in three crests, one large and two small. Painted across Darling's wings were multiple pink hearts. These were not natural to his species, they were brushed on his wings by his flock-mates as part of a christening that came with his new call sign.
A couple of Darling's flock-mates backed away. One Pteramon with doodles of suns decorating his wings and a stern scowl nodded up at Darling. "Dig in. There are plenty of fish in this river," offered Major Sunshine.
Following his squadron leader's command, Darling dove his beak into the deep waters of the river. Sure enough, he was able to easily catch a mouthful of fish.
One of the Pteramon standing next to Darling chuckled. His wings were covered in red streaks. "I'll never understand fish. Why do they cluster so close together? They're just asking to be picked off one by one," said Red Spurt.
"I think it's actually supposed to protect them," voiced a Pteramon named Scarecrow, a call sign reflected by the black birds painted on her wings. "Strength in numbers. Except it doesn't work against us because we're too strong for them to take on in a fight."
"Meh, their loss is our gain," said Chomper, a Pteramon with teeth decorating the edges of her wings.
"Yo! Radar!" Fireworks, a Pteramon with his namesake painted across his wings shouted. "Are you going to cloud watch all day?"
Perched atop a tall rock was a Pteramon with scribbles of radar screens across its wings. Radar didn't respond to his flock. He just kept his eyes glued to the skies above. "I don't like this," Radar said.
Radar's comment caused the rest of the Pteramons to groan. "What is it this time?" grumbled Pond Scum, a Pteramon with frog pictures on her wings.
"The woods are quiet," Radar continued. "There aren't any animals and the birds are completely silent."
"I did a sweep on the area earlier," Darling supplied. "I probably just scared them off. There aren't any other Digimon around here."
"You heard the mon," Chomper barked at Radar. "Get your paranoid tail over here and eat something!"
Radar gave the skies one last visual sweep before hesitantly joining the rest of the flock. Now that all the Pteramon were gathered around the river's edge, Major Sunshine cleared his throat. "If can have you undivided attention, we have new orders."
Seeing that crowd of beaks were now pointed at him, the major continued. "The angels have received word that the humans should be arriving at the Temple of the Crests any day now. Once they have finished speaking with the temple's guardians, they will be given escorts to take them beyond the blockade. Our job is to fly ahead and clear the meeting area out of any Chaos soldiers."
"Sounds straightforward," Darling nodded.
"Wait for it," Fireworks muttered.
"We have reason to believe that there will be a massive raid on the blockade near where the humans will cross," Major Sunshine said.
"Reason, sir?" Scarecrow inquired.
"Our update on the human's progress comes from The Information Broker," answered Major Sunshine earning him a round of groans from his squad. "As you probably guessed, there is a high probability that he shared this information with our enemies as well."
"Is there any way we can change the meet up plans, sir?" Darling asked. "Maybe set up a decoy meeting place or tell the humans to delay their advance?"
"Delay their advance?" Red Spurt looked at Darling like he was crazy. "I don't know what war you've been fighting, but it's pretty bad over here. If there's any weight to those stories about the first human, than we need those new guys here pronto!"
"More importantly, the blockade won't survive a direct attack," Major Sunshine added on grimly. "The blockade has worked for so long because the Forces of Chaos have been spread throughout the world. If a significant amount of the forces focus their efforts on single section of the guards, they may very well break through."
"Add one of the Chaos Generals into the mix and it's a certainty," Radar shuddered.
"I don't know," Scarecrow put in thoughtfully. "Don't you think that if they could break through the blockade they would have done it already?"
"They never tried," Radar argued. "If the humans are as big a threat as everyone thinks they are then it's only a matter of time before they attempt to do something dangerous and we are all dragged into the crossfire!"
"Whatever the case is, we'll be jetting out as soon as we're fueled up," Major Sunshine cut in. "Now fill your tanks. We'll be taking off in fourteen hundred hours."
Heeding his major's commands, Darling dipped his beak back down into the river for a drink. As he did he couldn't help but to notice that Radar was right. These woods were too quiet.
One Take Off Later
Despite the danger on the horizon, Darling felt at piece in the sky. The wind against his skin, the thermals escalating him to new heights. This was his home.
"So, what do you guys think the humans are going to be like?" Scarecrow's voice came in over the group's radio channel.
"I don't know," Fireworks replied. "I think the stories said that the first one wore a hat. I guess that means they'll all be wearing hats?"
"Hats? That's the best you've got?" Chomper scoffed. "I knew you didn't have any imagination, Fireworks, but this is disappointing even for you."
"Alright," Fireworks said with a challenging edge to his voice. "What do you think they're going to be like?"
"Well, the stories say that the Digimon who partnered with the first human were able to go back and forth between their evolutions, right? I bet the humans will want to use that power on the rest of the Celestial Army," Chomper predicted with an edge of eagerness to her voice. "Hey, do you think if we ask them they'll turn us into megas? Because I always thought I'd make a good Brigadramon."
"I don't think it's that easy," Darling tutted.
"Ah come on, Darling. Let us dream!" Scarecrow laughed. "What would you want to become?"
"Something that's alive," Darling simply responded.
"Okay, now you're beginning to sound like Radar," Pond Scum snorted.
"Yeah, Darling, relax," Red Spurt chided. "We've managed to make it this far. Stop being such a worry wart."
BOOOM! Just as soon as Red Spurt finished his sentence, a missile whizzed right into his back. The explosion killed him instantly.
The rest of the flock didn't have time to process his death as a loud roar sounded from behind them. Looking back Darling could see a pair of large, tattered, purple wings break through the clouds like a pair of giant shark fins. With a powerful flap, the wings broke apart the clods revealing a brown, serpentine dragon. Each of the dragon's claws were encased in thick, metal gauntlets that matched the metal helmet engulfing the upper half of its head.
"We've got a Megadramon!" shouted Major Sunshine. "Take evasive action!"
At the major's command the remaining Pteramon split away from their flying formation and began swarming around the Megadramon like flies. In response the dragon began swatting at them attempting to clamp down on them with his gauntlets and whipping at them with his long tail creating a loud CRACK as he did so.
Finally the Megadramon decided it had enough and its wings gave a powerful flap creating powerful whirlwind sending most of the Pteramon back. Fireworks managed to stay out of the wing's way and began flying down the dragons back peppering him with missiles.
Snarling, the Megadramon reached back and managed to snatch Fireworks from the air and bring him out front. The dragon then smiled cruelly as he took hold of one of Fireworks's wings and slowly pulled on it threatening to rip the wing off.
Responding to his flock-mate's cries of pain, Darling jetted forward. Before the Megadramon could react, Darling's wings folded while his talons flew forward just as the jet Digimon made it past the dragon's neck. The claws of Darling's talons sliced through Megadramon's exposed neck causing the dragon to roar in pain and release Fireworks.
Flying back to the rest of the flock, Fireworks thanked Darling. "You're a life saver. Literally!"
"You can treat me later," Darling called back over the radio. The flock had begun pelting the Megadramon with missiles and lasers again while the dragon was disoriented from the neck injury.
"Yeah! Now this is what I'm talking about!" cheered Chomper.
Radar, on the other talon, wasn't feeling the enthusiasm. "Don't let your guard down! This is too easy!"
"Yeah," Scarecrow agreed. "Isn't weird that this Megadramon is alone? Don't these guys usually work in pairs?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah," Chomper said thoughtfully. "Shouldn't there be a Gigadramon somewhere nearby?"
As if to answer Chomper's question, a large shadow manifested underneath her. Before she had a chance to react, a large grey dragon that looked almost identical Megadramon shot up from beneath the cloud line and snagged Chomper in its jaws. It only took a bit of chewing before she was demolished and her data absorbed.
Immediately, the rest of the Pteramon responded by flying away. Now stuck between two dragons, their flight patterns became more erratic in an attempt to confuse the enemy. Neither cyborg dragon looked too concerned.
"Were you playing with your food again?" Gigadramon chided Megadramon. "Look what you did. Now they're getting uppity."
"You'd do the same in my position!" Megadramon snapped back.
"Would I?" Gigadramon taunted back. Once again Darling came streaking in, this time from behind Gigadramon. The jet-reptile tried to slash into Gigadramon the same way it had with Megadramon, but Gigadramon was able to deflect him with a swat from his tail. "Because I don't think I'd let these gnats scratch me."
"Shut up and start shooting," growled Megadramon. Their argument over, the duel dragons opened their metallic gauntlets and began firing missiles at the left over Pteramon.
Darling swerved. Up, down. Left, right. Diagonally, straight. There were explosions no matter where he flew. He and the other Pteramon soared around the dragons trying to find an opening, but to no avail. The twin dragons defended against the Pteramon's flight patterns by flying around each other, protecting on another.
Any other day the dragons' maneuvers may have been considered beautiful. They circled and twisted around each other in a dance which allowed them to both have a clear shot at the pterosaurs while guarding their partner's back from three-dimensional sky battle field.
"Fall back!" Major Sunshine ordered before taking off away from the cyborg dragons. Seeing as how they were outgunned, the rest of the Pteramon followed.
Predictably, escape was not going to be that easy.
"And just where do you think you're going?" sneered the Gigadramon as he flew after the Pteramon.
"Hahaha! I love a good chase!" roared the Megadramon right behind the Gigadramon. He punctuated his sentence by firing off multiple missiles toward the Pteramons.
"They're gaining on us!" Radar warned.
"We can't keep this up much longer!" Darling called over the radio. "Fireworks is still recovering from his wing pull!"
"Leave me behind," Fireworks called back. "If I'm already done for then I'm not worth it!"
"No mon's left behind!" Major Sunshine snapped. "Now, listen carefully and follow my orders exactly."
…
"That's crazy!" Scarecrow cried after hearing the major's plan. "Sir, you can't-"
"Private you WILL follow my orders or I will save those dragons the trouble and gut you myself!" Major shouted.
"..Sir, yes, sir," Scarecrow relented.
At these words, the five Pteramon broke away from the major and flew off into the surrounding clouds. The major, meanwhile, made a U-turn and shot himself straight at the dragons. Seeing this, Gigadramon narrowed his eyes. "What is he up to?"
"Isn't it obvious? He's trying to make one final stand to save his comrades," Megadramon grinned and thrusted a claw forward. "Let's not disappoint."
Megadramon then fired off multiple missiles. Major Sunshine flipped and spun around the projectiles. A couple barrel rolls later and he was practically right in front of the dragons. Before the two parties could collide, the major pulled up and blasted towards the upper level of clouds.
"You're not getting away that easily!" Megadramon shouted before following the Pteramon.
"Wait you fool!" Gigadramon roared. Gigadramon made a motion to follow the two, but roared out in pain when he felt multiple razor sharp talons pierce the end of his tail. Looking down he could see Darling had grabbed onto him and was now jetting downward in an attempt to pull him away from the other dragon. When Gigadramon tried to pelt Darling with missiles, Radar, Fireworks, and Scarecrow came flying in. Now that his wingman had flown away, there was nobody to defend Gigadramon from the pterasaurs' onslaught.
While the rest of the flock was dealing with Gigadramon, Major Sunshine continued to lead Megadramon away. For a moment, it looked like Megadramon was right on top of the major only for the major to serve upwards again.
"You're not getting away again!" Megadramon snarled. He tried to climb up after Sunshine, but was met with a nasty surprise. Without a cloud line to shield his eyes, Megadramon was staring directly into the sun. Momentarily blinded, Megadramon was completely open to receiving every single missile in Major Sunshine's arsenal.
"Raining Bomb!" Major Sunshine shouted. Before long the Megadramon was coated in explosions, allowing Major Sunshine to fly away from the dragon without issue.
A few minutes later, the major was able to reunite with the rest of his flock. "Report," he commanded.
Darling flew right under the major's line of sight showing him the grey egg now nestled in his cockpit. "Gigadramon's been contained, sir."
"Good work," a ghost of a smile manifested on the major's usually stern face. He looked over at Scarecrow. "Now as that so bad?"
Before Scarecrow could answer, an angry roar sounded out from the upper cloud line followed by a rain of missiles. One missile went off right next to Pond Scum.
"I'm hit!" Pond Scum called out as she went crashing into a lake below.
Major Sunshine was about to dive down after her when Megadramon came barreling out from above the cloud line. The cyborg dragon ignored the rest of the Pteramon, focusing all his attacks on the major. The flock of Pteramon turned around to go and assist their leader when Radar spoke up. "We've got a group of reinforcements on their way, and I don't think they are ours!"
Sure enough, Darling could see a flock of Megadramon and Gigadramon off in the distance heading their direction. If they stuck around to fight they may be able to take on the Megadramon that was squaring off against the major, but in doing so they would inevitably be overwhelmed by the dragon's backup.
It seemed as though Major Sunshine came to the same conclusion. "Retreat! While he's focused on me, retreat!"
Radar, Fireworks, and Scarecrow looked like they wanted to protest these orders, but Darling knew the major was right. If they stayed here, everyone was dead. Darling swerved around. "You heard the major! We're close to the checkpoint. We'll grab reinforcements and return."
Truth be told, Darling was sure that even if they had enough reinforcements to take on a flock of dragons the major would be long dead before they returned. But there wasn't anything he could do to change that. What he could do was lead his last flock mates to safety.
With a heavy heart, the remaining Pteramon turned tail and fled. They were about to come up on the coordinates for the meet up point when they saw it. The battlefield.
The skies were darkened by smoke and the forest was reduced to splinters. In the middle of the havoc Darling could spot crowds of Digimon shooting their attacks, charging into each other, and attempting to literally claw one another apart.
Now Darling knew why the birds had fled. A storm was coming.
Kyubimon (Training the Trainer)
"Now remember your form. It doesn't matter how fast you perform the roll if your form is not right. If done wrong, you'll just end up hurting yourself in your enemy's stead," Kyubimon instructed.
After a fair bit of traveling the group of chosen heroes had stopped to set up camp in a wide field. It was here that Kyubimon decided to instruct them on how to dodge attacks. This was accomplished by finding a plot of soft grass and having the humans practice rolling across the ground. When Kyubimon felt that they understood the basics, she had them proceed to the next step: practical application.
"Geodude," Geodude announced before he lobbed a large mud ball over at the humans. The rock Pokémon had finished recovering from its battle with Kyukimon and was now taking up the roll of attack launcher. Though Geodude was now sporting a gash above its eye, it could still float around and operate as normal making it the perfect volunteer to chuck globs of mud at the humans.
Seeing that the mud ball was hurtling right at them, the humans all dove to the side. Kyubimon had just met these humans, but by over hearing their conversations she was able to get a feel for each human's athletic capabilities.
As a trainer who spent a fair share of time gallivanting around the wilds, Misty was proving to be the most nimble of the group who didn't have a spot of Geodude's mud on her. It also helped that she was an experienced swimmer who regularly worked out most of the muscles in her body. Kyubimon was willing to bet that the girl had her fair share of monster encounters out in the human world which helped her catch on to the basics of defensive maneuvering.
Brock had a couple of splatters on his clothes. This was probably thanks his busy lifestyle which prevented him from getting out as often. Still, he was physically fit and had spent years working with Pokémon so he could hold his own.
Opposite them in experience was Ash and Serena. For what it was worth, Ash was doing alright. Though he was a rookie trainer, he wasn't the kind of kid who just sat around all day and had spent many an afternoon scampering around the woods and playing with Pokémon at his village's elder's lab. As a result the boy had plenty of energy to spare. He just needed training on how to properly utilize that energy.
Finally there was Serena. From what Serena had told Kyubimon it sounded like she trained with a large Pokémon and had to learn how to protect herself from getting hit if her mount ever tossed her off. This was defiantly a handy skill (note to self: find time to train the other humans in close ranged dodging) but Serena was going to have to be ready for any kind of danger. Kyubimon made the mistake of neglecting the girl before, now she had to make it up.
"Um, Kyubimon," Betamon had scuttled up to Kyubimon's feet. "They've been at this for a while. Do you think that they can have a rest? That is if you think it's a good idea."
Kyubimon nodded her head. "No, you're right. They've done enough for now." Kyubimon then looked over to the humans. "That's enough for today."
The conclusion of the exercise was met with a collective sigh of relief from the humans.
Misty stretched out her arms. "Come on guys, it wasn't that bad. A little workout is good for these kinds of adventures."
"I guess," Serena tried to stretch as well, though found herself wincing. "It's just going to take some getting used to."
"Personally, I don't see why these exercises are necessary," Gotsumon commentated from the side lines. "Why are you teaching these guys to dodge roll? It's not like it grants them temporary immunity form attacks."
"No," Kyubimon admitted. "But it will help them maneuver around the battlefield if we ever find ourselves facing an opponent that can over power us. In that instance, I'd feel much better knowing that our charges had some training on how to react to incoming attacks."
"It's not an idea without merit," Brock remarked as he mopped off the mud. "I once read that back when people weren't as used to Pokémon, explorers who went adventuring into Pokémon territories would use moves like this to side step incoming Pokémon attacks."
Gotsumon didn't look impressed. "There was a time when your species was even more vulnerable and you still felt the need to walk up to monsters who could easily kill you? How have you guys not been snuffed out by natural selection?"
"Because we're good at what we do," Ash replied, as if that explained everything. "It doesn't matter what comes our way so long as we stand our ground and-"
"Fight," Greymon growled, rising from where he was lying down to watch the human's train.
"Exactly," Ash grinned, only to be ignored when Greymon walked around him and straight up to Kyubimon.
"Excuse me?" Kyubimon asked coolly.
"The human's training session is done. Now it's our turn," Greymon's eyes narrowed. "We're both at the champion level and we're in a wide open space. I want a rematch."
Though Kyubimon wanted to roll her eyes at the lizard's rash and prideful behavior, she had no reason to turn down his challenge. This could serve as good opportunity to practice with her champion form. It could also help if Serena got a good view of her combat style. In fact…
"Very well, I accept," Kyubimon replied to Greymon before looking over her shoulder. "Serena, could you come over here?"
Though surprised, the girl heeded her partner's summons. "Yes?" Serena asked after she jogged up to the fox's side.
"I want you to watch me carefully in this fight," Kyubimon instructed. "Make note of how I move and how I deploy my attacks. I'll be sure to impart some tips for winning strategies while I spar."
"Winning strategies?" Greymon scoffed. "How about you add 'how to lose gracefully' onto that list."
"I'll leave that lesson to you," Kyubimon rebuked. Though she taunted, Kyubimon made note to not get overconfident. Getting too supercilious was what lead her to trying to take on Renamon X on her own, a mistake she almost cost her life.
Ash meanwhile, who was looking fairly tired after the workout, had suddenly gained a second wind when he heard the word "rematch." The boy was immediately at his Digimon's side and had managed to pull Greymon away from the quarrel to discuss a plan of attack.
From her side of the field, Kyubimon watched boy and dinosaur animatedly hash out their strategy. "He is an…excitable boy," Kyubimon commented.
"He's trying to become a Pokémon trainer," Serena informed. "It makes sense that he would get fired up about battling."
"Fair," Kyubimon turned her attention to Serena. "And what is it that you want to do?"
"Oh, I'm not sure," Serena admitted bashfully. "Like, I'm not against Pokémon battles. I actually planned on doing a couple every once and awhile once I got my own Pokémon to help keep it in shape. But I'm still thinking about what I want to do professionally."
Serena let out a wistful sigh. "But I guess it doesn't matter. I'm just destined to fight."
"Sometimes what we want to do in life gets overruled by what we have to do," Kyubimon said as she looked ahead to see Misty was now lecturing both Ash and Greymon, neither or which looked like they wanted to listen.
"Right, you're a princess," Serena said thoughtfully. "I guess going off and doing a different job wasn't in the cards for you."
"Nor could I now. Even if Sakuyamon didn't pick my egg to be her heir, I would have still been Kentaurosmon's successor. No matter what life I would have chosen to live would have been usurped by my responsibilities to you and the Digital World," Kyubimon explained.
"Do you ever feel mad?" Serena asked. "Or trapped? I don't think most people would like their destiny being decided for them."
"It is what it is," Kyubimon replied. "Becoming resentful for what I do not have or depressed for how I must live will not change my circumstance. Those emotions would just serve to put me in a bad mood and sabotage my attempts to live my life as is. Though for what it's worth, I have found many aspects of my life to be enjoyable. The palace I grew up in was a beautiful place and I was surrounded by many wonderful Digimon. And my training with Shurimon has taught me to be self-sufficient."
By now, both Ash and Greymon had broken up their strategy session and were now taking their place on the other side of the field. Before Kyubimon took her position, she turned to Serena. "Serena, I have a favor to ask."
"Sure, what is it?" Serena inquired quizzically.
"I'd like you to keep my former title as princess between the two of us. If our teammates ever or already have figured it out, it's fine. But I'd prefer it if we didn't broadcast what I was," Kyubimon turned to face Greymon. "Amongst the other chosen Digimon and their humans we are peers. I wish to earn their respect as such and not through a dead title."
With that, Kyubimon took her place opposing Ash and Greymon. "Whenever you're ready."
At the side of the field, Brock took the referee's place. While his Pokémon sat down near him, Gotsumon sat a further distance away from what he dubbed the "debris zone." Having finished her conversation with Ash, Misty had left the group to check up on Staryu with Betamon in tow.
"Greymon verses Kyubimon," Brock rose his arm in the air. "Begin."
"Greymon, charge forward with a Great Horn Attack!" Ash called out.
With a roar, Greymon rushed ahead. He lowered his armored skull to the ground in an attempt to either ram Kyubimon with his head or slash her with his horns. Despite the massive dinosaur coming at her at ramming speed, Kyubimon didn't look too concerned. She just waited until Greymon was right in front of her before dashing to the side.
"You'll make note that I didn't move right away," Kyubimon called out to Serena. "This is because if I moved too soon, Greymon would have time to course correct and continue his charge."
"You mean like now?" Greymon growled and turned around to try again.
"Precisely," Kyubimon said before swerving around Greymon and pelting him with a few fireballs in his blind spot.
"Greymon, cut her off!" Ash called out. "Use Fire Wall."
The dinosaur roared and spat out a massive fireball that landed on the ground and spread into a massive flaming wall separating him from Kyubimon. Kyubimon leapt back, avoiding the initial blast, but was now stuck with a barrier. Now that the momentum was back on his side, Greymon began firing Nova Blasts across the barrier at Kyubimon.
"A shield, not bad," Kyubimon remarked as she pranced around the bombardment of flames. "But you forget, fire is just as much my element as it is yours!"
Kyubimon charged forward, moving left and right to dodge incoming blasts as she did so. When she got closer to the fire wall, Kyubimon jumped up and began summersaulting in the air. As she span, her body was bathed in flames. "Dragon Wheel!"
The flaming serpent soared through the tall fire wall, assimilating some of the defensive flames as it few, and straight at Greymon. Spotting this, Ash called over to Greymon. "Now, while she's heading for you, use another Nova Blast!"
Seeing that Ash was right, that Kyubimon's trajectory seemed to be locked in a forward motion, Greymon's jaw opened up to gather heat for another attack. "Nova-BFFF!"
It turned out that Kyubimon's trajectory wasn't straight ahead. The fire dragon was flying at an angle that went up just above Greymon's head. Before Greymon could finish his attack, Kyubimon flew overhead and broke her attack. With the dragon dispersed, the large fox came straight down on the bridge of Greymon's muzzle causing his jaw to slam shut.
Without an exit, the fire from the would be Nova Blast went off inside Greymon's mouth creating a small explosion within the dinosaur's head. Shaken, Greymon stumbled around for a bit as smoke leaked from his lips. Finally, the dizzy dinosaur toppled over allowing Kyubimon to hope off.
"Greymon is unable to battle!" Brock announced from the side line. "Kyubimon is the winner!"
"Now Serena," Kyubimon wasted no time in trotting up to her partner. "Do you know why I choose to make Greymon's attack backfire instead of taking him head on?"
"Because he's bigger than you?" Serena answered. Though the girl's voice communicated uncertainty, she was on the right path.
"Exactly," Kyubimon nodded. "The battle begins not with the first attack, but with the first observation. Greymon is obviously built both to deliver powerful blows and to withstand attacks. If I took him head on, I would have lost. So instead, I had to make the battle about my strengths: speed and dexterity."
"I see," Serena's attention turned toward Greymon who giving Kyubimon the stink eye. Meanwhile, Ash and Brock had gone to the dinosaur's side to make sure he was okay.
With the humans tired from their training, Betamon off with Misty, Greymon recovering from their spar, and Gotsumon most likely unwilling to fight, Kyubimon decided this was a good place to stop. "This will be all for today's lesson. You are dismissed."
Before Kyubimon could walk away, Serena called out to her. "Excuse me, Kyubimon?"
The girl jogged over to her bag and fished around for a bit. Finally, her hand resurfaced brandishing a brush. Serena then walked up to Kyubimon. "I noticed some matting in your fur. I can fix that, if you'd like."
Kyubimon blinked in surprise. Was this Serena's way of contributing to their partnership while she was being trained? "I suppose I could use some maintenance." Kyubimon admitted.
Serena smiled at Kyubimon and got right to work. Internally, Kyubimon had to admit the girl was skilled. The grooming session felt nice.
Iris (A Dogfight with a Dog)
"Lekismon, fire your Tear Arrows at the wings," Lillie called out to her partner.
"Coredramon, deflect them with a foreword spin!" Iris ordered.
Lekismon leapt up in the air and shot out a barrage of ice at Coredramon's wings. In response the dragon rotated itself in a fast spin which caused the ice to harmlessly bounce off his scales.
"Continue to spin and use Blue Flare Breath!" Iris called out into her Digivice.
Roaring, Coredramon unleashed a torrent of flames which wrapped itself around Lekismon, preventing her from escaping.
"Finish her with a Strike Bomber!" Iris shouted with gusto.
With the rabbit fenced in by the flaming tornado, Coredramon was able to deliver a point blank blow with his powerful tail. As his tail came down on his target, he sent Lekismon flying and broke up the ground she stood on. As the rabbit was sent soaring back, she was also pelted with the debris of earth Coredramon had created, knocking her out of the match.
Lillie ran forward to her partner's side and began helping her up. "Are you okay, Lekismon?"
Lekismon accepted Lillie's helping hand and rose to her feet. "Yeah, I'm good. Just need to be faster next time."
"No, it's my fault," Lillie apologized. "I thought if your icicles could pierce Coredramon's wings we could ground him. I didn't think what to do if she defended against them."
"It's all about experience," Iris said reassuringly. She and Coredramon had come over to check on their sparing partners. "Just keep practicing and one day you'll get the hang of it."
"Don't' be too hard on yourself," Coredramon chimed in proudly. "Iris was a real trainer before coming to the Digital World."
"Hmmf," a muffled snort came from the side. Iris didn't have to look over to know who made it.
"Got something to say, Gary?" Iris asked in an icy tone.
It was no secret that Iris and Gary did not like each other. Maybe it was just that they got off on the wrong foot back at the Royal Knight's Castle, maybe it was both of their naturally proud personalities, maybe it was their clashing ideologies with Iris's superstitions running up against Gary's more scientific upbringing, or maybe it was all the above. Whatever the problem was, most of the team had come to an agreement never to leave Iris and Gary alone.
For their part, Iris and Gary had come to an unspoken agreement to leave each other alone, mostly. Though the two didn't directly start fights, they weren't afraid to get passive aggressive. Whether it Iris criticizing Gary's decisions (you seriously think that is a good camping spot? Look at the trees! This is someone's territory) or Gary's micromanaging Iris more than the other team members (next time you scout, be quick about it. You can waste time flying around once we get to the temple) the pair always seemed to be on each other's case.
For the most part, the rest of the team tried to stay out of these disagreements. Yes it was clear that the two were going out of their way to hassle the other, but there was always a seed of truth in their criticisms. This was with the exceptions of Garurumon, who would step in to smooth over Gary's remarks, and Lillie who tried to play peace keeper.
"So Iris, if you were in my shoes, how would you have gotten out of the fire trap?" Lillie asked, quickly placing herself between Iris and Gary. "Because I was thinking about a Moon Night Bomb, but that wouldn't be enough water-"
Iris just side stepped Lillie. "No, no. I want to hear what Gary has to say."
"It's nothing," Gary shrugged. "I was just wondering what Unova's credentials are for being a 'real Pokémon trainer?'"
"You own a Pokémon and train it," Iris rolled her eyes. "Same as the rest of the world."
"Fair enough," Gary strutted over to the makeshift practice area. "What I should be asking is what are Unova's credentials for a good Pokémon trainer?"
Iris folded her arms. "Are you trying to imply something?"
"I'm just saying you shouldn't let your little win streak with Coredramon go to your head," Gary said nonchalantly. "You've just been fighting against inexperienced trainers and wild Digimon after all."
"For the record, I wouldn't just shrug off wild Digimon attacks," Goh called over from where he was setting up camp. "One false move with those guys and we're dead."
"Meh, it's not that bad," Gargomon said as he dumped a pile of wood onto the ground for some fire. "You get into the swing of it pretty fast. Once you fight one mindless rampaging dinosaur you've fought them all."
"Says the maniac with guns for hands," May deadpanned as she walked by.
"I don't just fight amateurs," Iris argued. "Back in my home village, I managed to win our local tournament on my first try with Excadrill."
From her spot next to the camp, Birdramon perked up. "Do you mean the Excadrill you have now?"
"Uh, yes," Iris hesitantly answered. She then followed up with more confidence. "We swept through that tournament."
"Even though it doesn't listen to a word you say?" Gary asked not bothering to hide his doubt.
"He did before!" Iris began to blush. "It's just that, after the tournament we fought with another trainer. He was a lot stronger than the other trainers we battled and he bet us. Excadrill was just disheartened from losing and needs some time recover and rediscover his fighting spirit."
Iris looked around the campsite. Most of the humans and Digimon either gave her sympathetic looks or understanding nods. Gary on the other hand…
"That sounds like an excuse," Gary huffed, crossing his arms.
"An excuse?!" Iris's hands began to clinch.
"My dad's lost from time to time and his Pokémon still obey him," Gary elaborated. "If you ask me this is a YOU problem."
It took every little ounce of will power to stop Iris from marching across the field and punching Gary off his high Mudsdale. "Are you saying I'm a lousy trainer?!"
"I don't know," a smirk danced on Gary's lips. "Are you?"
Iris decided to take the bait. "Let's find out here and now! Coredramon!"
"Present!" Coredramon took his place in front of Iris. He spread his wings and held out his claws in a battle ready pose.
"Garurumon?" Gary called to his partner.
The large wolf gave the battlefield a small frown, but he dutifully trotted in front of Gary.
From the sidelines, May looked back and forth between the trainers. "Should we do something?"
Gargomon shrugged. "Those guys have been glaring each other ever since we picked Iris up. I say let them get it out of their system."
Lillie walked over to the side of the battlefield. "If it's alright with you guys, Lekismon and I will be refereeing."
"I'm fine with that," Gary said, eyes fixed on Iris.
"No problems here," Iris returned Gary's stare.
"Okay," Lillie raised her hand in the air in a manner reminiscent of a Pokémon League referee. "This will be a one on one battle which will end when either one side surrenders or is no longer able to battle. Begin!"
Iris wasted no time. "Coredramon, take to the skies!"
At these words Coredramon spread his wings and rocketed into the air. Garurumon let out several Howling Blasters, but Coredramon was able to swiftly fly around the fire fountains.
"I can't reach him!" Garurumon announced.
Gary didn't look worried. "This was going to happen. Coredramon is a natural in the sky. Iris would be an idiot not to use that to her advantage."
"Glad to see I pass one of your intelligence tests," Iris called out sarcastically. Yes, it was clear that Coredramon had the maneuverability advantage thanks to his wings. But despite this, Gary didn't look too worried, which irked Iris. "What are you so smug about?"
"Nothing, just wondering how long Coredramon will be able to stay up there," Gary responded. He watched as the dragon darted around the skies. "The normal strategy for fighting flying Pokémon would be to wait for them to get in close before launching an attack. Most flying type Pokémon can't use their moves from too far away. If they could, the tournament circuit would be dominated by flying types since you'd either want to have a Pokémon that could attack from far away without risking getting hit or something that could fly after someone trying to use those kind of cheap tactics."
Gary continued to watch Coredramon. On the field, Garurumon's muscles tensed. "At first glance, it looks like champion level Digimon don't have this weakness. It's as if they can fly and drop attacks like there's no tomorrow. But after watching our Digimon spare I've noticed a couple of things. First off, Coredramon is more likely to fly in and risk taking attacks than Birdramon. This tells me that he has a more balanced build than your average flying type."
"RAWR!" Iris looked up at Coredramon. She could feel the dragon's impatience stinging at her, practically begging her to allow him to attack. While Iris was curious about where Gary was going with this, they were having a battle not a lecture. Using their aura bond, Iris sent Coredramon a feeling of confirmation along with a nod.
What followed next was a recreation of the battle the team had at the Royal Knights castle with Coredramon spitting out massive flames to the ground below in a manner not unlike Lady Coredramon. However, unlike that battle Garurumon didn't just get out of a battle with an ultimate level knight. Meaning the well-rested wolf could scamper and dart around the field successfully dodging the fire attacks.
On the side lines, Lekismon looked down at Lillie. "Balanced build?"
"He's looking at Coredramon through a competitive lens," Lillie explained. "Fans of Pokémon battling like to break down a Pokémon's abilities into six categories: physical attack, physical defense, special attack, special defense, health, and speed. A Pokémon with balanced stats doesn't really lack or excel in in particular area."
"I see," Lekismon said thoughtfully. "And your average flying type isn't balanced?"
"Nope," Gary answered having overheard the two's conversation. "A lot of flying type Pokémon are built with higher speed stats. This is because in order to fly, the body has to make compromises. A higher heartbeat, hollow bones, you get the picture. As a result most flying type Pokémon tend to have low physical defense."
"Thanks for the biology lesson, professor," Iris grumbled. "Do you have a point or should I be taking notes for the pop quiz later?"
"My point is that if Coredramon didn't make any compromises to his physical build to achieve flight, then he must be drawing upon his energy reserves," Gary concluded. "The longer he's up there pelting us with his attacks, the more tired he's going to get. Which basically makes this a battle of endurance. Side note, did you know that large canine's like Garurumon tend to have high endurance?"
Looking at the battlefield, it seemed as though Gary had a point. Coredramon's attacks were getting less frequent while Garurumon didn't look worse for wear aside from a few singes on his fur.
Gary caught Iris's eye. "Only a matter of time before your dragon comes tumbling down," he taunted. "At that point, I don't Garurumon will have to do much. Gravity will deal the damage for us."
Glaring back at Gary, Iris brought her Digivice up to her mouth. "Coredramon, dive down and deliver a Blue Flare Breath right at Garurumon before flying back up."
Following Iris's command, Coredramon tucked his wings in and dived down right at Garurumon. Right as the dragon opened his jaws to bath Garurumon with flames, Gary issued his own order. "Jump on his back and bite down!"
Using his powerful leg muscles, Garurumon leapt up in the air and-
"Now! Strike Bomber!" Iris ordered.
Right in the middle of Garurumon's jump, Coredramon spun around and lashed out with his heavy tail. The wolf was sent tumbling back with a loud canine cry.
Now it was Iris's turn to lecture. "See that Gary? That was called a fake out," she smiled. The dumb look on his face felt so earned. "Did you really think I was just going to let you pull the old wait until they get close then nab them plot? Get real. Coredramon, now you can use your Blue Flare Breath."
With Garurumon down, Coredramon was able to hose down the wolf with fire to his heart's content. To Garurumon's credit, he held on despite the bombardment. Probably thanks to a combination of his armor-like fur coat and his own affinity for the fire element.
"Garurumon, deflect his fire with your fire!" Gary ordered, finding his feet again after the surprise attack.
Garurumon's head whipped around and began blasting his own fire breath. The two blue flames met in the middle and flared out. For a moment it looked like Coredramon's fire was about to overtake Garurumon's, but then Gary called out a new command. "Jump back and switch it up with Wolf Cry!"
Again, Garurumon leapt back, breaking his half of the fire stream and causing Coredramon's stream to hit the ground where he once stood. Now briefly out of the dragon's line of fire, Garurumon opened his mouth and released a powerful howl. While the volume of the howl caused everyone present to clap their hands over their ears, the force of the shockwave knocked Coredramon off his feet.
"Finish him!" Gary ordered.
A new set of flames erupted from Garurumon's maw, hamming into Coredramon's downed body. "Howling Blaster!"
"Coredramon!" Iris cried out.
At first, Coredramon didn't respond. Then his eyes snapped open. Despite the intensity of the flames, Coredramon managed to fling himself at Garurumon. The dragon then grabbed onto the wolf and bit down. Snarling but not in a position to return Coredramon's bite, Garurumon grabbed onto Coredramon with his own sharp claws. When Garurumon attempted another Wolf Cry, Coredramon just grabbed onto his face and slammed his head into the ground. The two then began to roll around on the ground.
Meanwhile, Lillie watched with horror as the sparing match manifested into a full out grudge match. She turned to Lekismon. "Use Moon Night Bomb on both of them!"
"Understood!" Lekismon nodded. She then gathered water into her cupped hands. "Moon Night Bomb!"
The large orb of water propelled right at the two dueling monsters. The water splashed over the pair causing their eyes to grow heaving and their movements to slow.
"Call off your Digimon now!" Lillie shouted. "This sparing match is over! Nobody wins!"
For a moment, neither Iris nor Gary said anything. Their eyes were locked, daring the other trainer to be the first to throw in the towel.
"Hey! Did you hear what she said?" Goh shouted from the side lines. "It's done! You're not getting anything out of continuing!"
Iris and Gary continued to star until finally Iris sighed and relented. She caught Coredramon's eye and waved him over. At the same time, Gary whistled at Garurumon.
The two champions broke out of their tangled pile of limbs and walked toward their partners. Just then, Coredramon stumbled forward and landed on the ground with a loud THUD! His body glowed before shrinking down back into Dracomon.
Seeing as how his Digimon was still in his champion form while Iris's just reverted, Gary shot Iris another smirk. "Well would you look at that."
That did it! Face now burning from anger, Iris was just about to run up to Gary and give him a smack in the face when a small roar sounded out from the battle field.
Whether because he also heard Gary's comment or because he sensed Iris's anger over their Aura connection, Dracomon was now back on his feet and charging right at Garurumon. "We're not out of this yet!" he shouted before butting his head against Garurumon's leg.
For his part, Garurumon looked less threatened and more bewildered. "Uh," his mane twitched as his ears lay back against his head. "What should I do?"
"Fight me!" Dracomon growled as he continued to shove against the wolf's leg. "Don't worry, Iris! We're still in this! I won't let you down!"
Hearing Dracomon's declaration, Lillie turned toward Iris. "Iris! Call him off!"
"I…" Iris hesitated. For a moment she was back in the Village of Dragons. Dracomon was replaced with Excadrill and Garurumon had transformed into a large Haxorus. Maybe, if they just pushed a little harder, they might be able to win.
"Iris!" Lillie's voice snapped Iris out of her vision.
With a heavy sigh, Iris called over to her Digimon. "Dracomon, return."
Dracomon paused to give Iris a hurt look. "But we-"
Iris cut him off. "We lost. Return."
Dracomon's wings and tail sagged. He gave Garurumon's leg a quick pat before slowly marching back to Iris. "Good game."
When Dracomon finished walking back to Iris, he slumped onto the ground. Head hanging, he muttered. "I'm sorry I lost."
Though she felt awful, Iris squatted down and pat Dracomon on the head. "You were great."
"Why didn't you just leave it?!" Both Iris and Dracomon's heads shot up. On the other side of the field, May had put herself right in Gary's face and was now shouting at the boy.
"Hey, I wasn't the one who was trying to start the fight back up," Gary snapped back. "I called off Garurumon!"
"Too bad you couldn't call off your mouth!" May argued. "I heard that comment. You just had to rub your win in Iris's face, didn't you?!"
"I didn't rub anything in anyone's face!" Gary argued back, his voice defensive. "It just…it just came out."
"Oh, that's a load of Tauros-" May began.
"May, please!" Lillie made her way over to Gary and May. "We just got done with one fight. I don't think anyone wants another."
May gave Gary one last huff before heading back over to Birdramon. "Sure, whatever."
For his part, Gary just shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. Goh called after him. "Where are you going?"
"On a walk," Gary responded without looking over his shoulder. Garurumon looked back and forth between his trainer and the rest of the group before standing up and trotting after his partner.
Goh was about to follow, but Gargomon stopped him with a metal hand on his shoulder. "Just let it go. There are some people whose heels will just keep digging into the ground the harder you pull."
Ash (To Be a Master)
Ash stared up at the clouds. The first time he lost to Renamon was frustrating. The second time he lost against a Renamon, Broker, felt pathetic. But now, right after his lose against Kyubimon he was beginning to feel disheartened. Why was this evolution line so hard to beat?
He could still remember Brock's words of condolence. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember, Renamon has been training at a school that specializes in fighting for years while you're just beginning your journey."
Ash knew Brock was correct, but that didn't stop his pride from stinging. It was Gary all over again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't overcome an opponent who looked down on him. Well, to be fair Kyubimon wasn't as frustrating as Gary. Ever since they left the school the fox had opted to treat the rest of the team with less of a cold condescension and more of a formal attitude. Yes, the fact that she saw Greymon's match as a teaching opportunity for Serena meant that she still didn't think Greymon nor Ash were capable of giving her a challenge, but at least she wasn't a jerk about it. Unlike certain people.
Still, it was infuriating. As Ash mulled over his lose, the criticisms from his first match with Renamon surfaced in his mind.
"You've been relying on Greymon's brute strength to finish the job."
That wasn't true! He was trying to come up with plans. They just didn't come to him as easy sometimes as they did others.
"Our enemies will have centuries of experience and we have to defeat them…we will not receive silver medals if we don't come out on top!"
In the face of those comments, Brock's words about Renamon's years of experience lost their comfort. How was he going to beat someone who leaved for hundreds of years if experience was what was holding him back?
"Why our fate has been placed in the hands of a bunch of inept children is beyond me."
Was there a way around the experience gap? Digimon seemed to live far longer than humans did and the first human was still able to become a legend in the Digital World. Was it really just experience that separated him from Ash and the rest of the humans or was there something else?
"Stupid fox with her stupid smug stupidness," growled Greymon. While Ash was contemplating, Greymon was washing off in the river. His head would dip down into the water before coming up and flinging the water onto his back where it would be shaken off. He had spent the last ten minutes repeating this motion all the while growling about Kyubimon.
"Hey, Greymon, when you hear 'Pokémon Master' what do you think of?" Ash called out to his partner.
Greymon paused and looked over at Ash. "A champion? That's what you said they were."
"That's what I thought," Ash remembered back to his first night in the Digital World. "But then Pegasusmon said-"
At the mention of his old mentor, Greymon snorted. "Pegasusmon just wanted to make you think. Trust me, he'd pull the same kinds of question on me all the time. Remember?"
"Yeah, I know," Ash said, recalling their conversation on the beach with the horse. "But do you think the first human was a Pokémon Master?"
That inquiry caused Greymon to pause. Finally he spoke. "He did save the world. Yeah," Greymon grinned. "I'm going to say yes. The first human saved the Digital World, so he was probably a Pokémon Master."
That seemed right. Saving an entire world did sound like something a Pokémon Master would do. But the entire world wasn't about to be destroyed by a giant, evil Digimon everyday (probably for the best) which meant that there were other criteria when it came to judging whether or not someone was worthy of the title of Pokémon Master.
Possible Traits of a Pokémon Master 1: They participate in thrilling heroics.
"Hey guys. Is everything okay over here?" Serena asked as she walked over to the water's edge closely followed by Kyubimon.
"We're doing just fine," Greymon folded his arms. "We were just having a deep, philosophical discussion."
"Philosophical discussion?" Serena asked.
"Before I left Greymon's village the elder wanted to know what a Pokémon Master was," Ash explained.
"A Pokémon Master? Huh, I don't think I've really ever thought about that before," Serena said thoughtfully. "Though if I had to give that title to anyone, I'd go with my region's champion: Diantha."
"What's she like?" Ash asked. He thought back through all the champion level tournaments he watched over the years. There was Wallace, the water specialist Misty mentioned wanting to challenge, Steven Stone, the other Hoenn champion who was a duel specialist in steel and rock types, and Cynthia who was currently considered the strongest trainer in the Japanese regions. Wait a minute!
"Wait, I think I remember her," Ash exclaimed. "I saw a match between her and Cynthia. Diantha's ace is a Gardevoir, right?"
"That's the one," Serena confirmed. "Diantha's really famous in Kalos. Not only is she our champion, but she's also a super star actress!"
"She's a Pokémon Master because she's a fighting actress?" Greymon asked.
"She's not just a fighting actress," Serena tutted. "She's THE fighting actress. Not only is she the strongest trainer in Kalos, but she's able to take on any role in any genre and turn out a performance so amazing that you forget you're watching a movie!"
"That sounds pretty awesome," Ash admitted. Though he wasn't sure if being a top actress had anything to do with being a Pokémon Master. "What do you think, Kyubimon?"
Kyubimon, who was silently laying next to Serena looked upward in thought. "I'm not familiar with the inner workings of Pokémon training, but the title of master tends to imply a high level of skill. From what I'm hearing, this Diantha has managed to become a highly regarded professional in two industries. This is a sign of disciplined individual, a trait that you should harness if you wish to master any area of expertise."
"Exactly," Serena nodded. "I think, if you want to be a Pokémon Master, you need to figure out what skills people look for in a master and work on mastering them first."
Possible Traits of a Pokémon Master 2: Disciplined in many skills.
Serena's and Kyubimon's suggestions sounded like a good start. So Ash rolled with the skill angle and continued to probe his teammates.
"Hey, Misty," Ash greeted the water-trainer as he walked down to the shore line of the river. "Can I ask you a question?"
Misty, who was wading in the shallow edge of the river, spoke without looking up. "If you want to know why you lost your battle with Kyubimon, you're out of luck. I tried to give you my advice."
"This isn't about Kyubimon," Ash retorted with a hint of irate. "I want to know what skills you need to be a Pokémon Master."
"A Pokémon Master?" Misty asked, now giving her full attention.
"Yeah. You're a gym leader, right?" Ash probed. "Does the Pokémon League have some rules or a list on what you need to be a Pokémon Master?"
Misty bit the corner of her lip in thought. "Not that I know of. From what I've seen, that's more of a title people just give to you when they think you're a top tier trainer."
No way. There had to be more to the title than 'just because.' "There's got to be more than that!" Ash protested. "You said you wanted to be a water-type master. That's got to be similar. What does that mean?"
"Becoming a master of a certain type is way more clear cut then becoming a Pokémon Master," Misty firmly responded. "To become a type specialist you have to know the type you're using in and out. You have to be book smart and able to apply your knowledge practically in the real world. You need to know your type's strengths, weaknesses, how to play to those strengths, how to work around weaknesses, and how to bring out the full potential of your Pokémon."
"Bring out your Pokémon's full potential? Like evolving them?" Ash asked remembering one of their goals in the Digital World was to get their Digimon to the mega level.
"For some Pokémon, yeah. But that doesn't work for every Pokémon," Misty reached her arm into the river. When she pulled it out, Staryu's remaining two limbs were wrapped around her forearm, allowing her to show the Pokémon to Ash. "When I offered Staryu a Water Stone to help it evolve, it turned away from the stone. Meaning he wanted to stay a Staryu. As his trainer, it's my job to make sure that he's the best Staryu he can be. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah," Ash replied. One of his favorite past times growing up was watching his mother's recordings of Pokémon battles. One video that always stuck out to him was of the World Coronation series finale that took place before he was born. In that match, the champion of Kanto managed to finish off his opponent with simple Pikachu. "I can defiantly see that."
"Um," Betamon, who until now had been swimming around the river, crawled ashore next to Ash. "Misty has been doing a lot of work to help Mr. Staryu heal and she's been helping me to be braver."
Betamon paused for a second to look down at the ground before continuing. "I think a Pokémon Master should probably bring out their monster's full potential not just in fighting, but make sure they are at their best mentally too."
Possible Traits of a Pokémon Master 3: Can bring out the full potential of his or her Pokémon.
Later Ash would propose the same question to Brock while he was helping the older boy prepare dinner.
"A Pokémon Master?" Brock said thoughtfully while he stirred the stew. "To tell the truth, I've never really thought about it too much."
"So you don't know anything?" Ash asked in disappointment as he handed some bowls to Agumon. Said reptile happily accepted the bowls and then proceeded to do an impatient happy dance next to the almost ready meal.
"It's just like Misty told you, they don't pass out pamphlets on these kinds of things," Brock said grabbing one of the bowls Agumon handed him. "If you really want my advice, I'd say you should focus on the fundamentals of training before looking into what a master does."
"I know the fundamentals. I learned about type match ups, status conditions, Agumon told me all his moves," Ash listed.
"Actually I was talking about what comes before you battle with your monster," Brock explained. He walked over to his bag and took out a shoe shining brush. "Before you send your monster out to do anything, battling, rescue mission, racing, you have to make sure they're properly cared for."
To demonstrate, Brock walked over to Onix and began brushing the side of the rock snake. Onix let out a pleased groan and leaned into the motions.
"I think I remember Professor Oak saying something like that," Ash nodded. "He gave us some Pokémon care classes too."
"He was probably only able to give you the basics," Brock hummed as he went down Onix's massive body. He then grabbed a rock off the ground and began to clean it off. "There are a lot of Pokémon out there and each one of them has a different diet, grooming needs, and exercise requirements."
Brock ended his speech by offering the now cleaned rock to Onix. The rock snake happily accepted the treat and lay down to quietly chew. Satisfied, Brock turned to Ash. "Right now I think you're doing a good job taking care of Agumon. You're training with him, letting him have some downtime, probably could help him with his grooming-"
SLURP!
Agumon had just finished with his meal and was now burring his muzzle in the bowl to lick up the remains. From his spot next to Agumon, Onix just shook his head and continued to quietly chew on his rock.
"And you've been helping to feed him," Brock continued. "At the moment, you're doing just fine. But if you're going to become a Pokémon Master, you're going to want to expand your roster. When that day comes, you're going to have to know how to look after a whole bunch of very different creatures."
Possible Traits of a Pokémon Master 4: Can provide their Pokémon with proper care.
"I see what you're saying," Ash sad with a small smile watching Agumon lick his lips and Onix settle down next to the fire for a nap. He then looked over at Gotsumon who was just now helping himself to some of the stew. "Hey, Gotsumon. What do you think?"
The rock Digimon finished serving himself and sat down. "From what I heard a Pokémon Master has to explore the dangerous and unknown. He must battle against the bloodthirsty and befriend monsters who can crush him without even trying. He must not only do these deeds once, but on a regular basis. This means only one thing. The quality that all Pokémon Masters share is…"
Gotsumon took a quick sip of his soup before looking Ash dead in the eye. "Insanity."
Possible Traits of a Pokémon Master 5: Questionable mental health.
AN: Well isn't it obvious? A Pokémon Master is someone who buys all the merchandise! What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go! Sacrifice your wallet! You want to be a Pokémon Master don't you?!
Sorry about the lack of updates. As stated last time I've got a very busy fall schedule this year and I'm working on a couple of fics for Halloween. I've got the rough drafts ready for three chapters of the first of these fics. My goal is to have four ready to go and to release one each Saturday in October. This fic will be a Pokémon fic which will feature a tragic curse, a bit of fighting, and a trail of bodies. Things you can't avoid even if you are pure of heart and say your prayers at night.
The second fic will be a Kingdom Hearts II one-shot. It's over halfway done and will most likely be posted on the Sunday before Halloween. I was originally thinking about making a Kingdom Hearts Alien crossover, but an R rated film doesn't seem to fit Kingdom Hearts. Maybe I can get Sora to fight a different alien monster.
Alright, enough advertising. In regards to this fic, I meant for this chapter to be longer, but I didn't want you guys to have nothing for September. So here's the first half of Interlude II. The second part of the interlude will have a short with the villains and another short will feature a Digimon ghost story. That's Halloween-ish.
The more you know: Wolves tend to rank high on lists of animals with endurance. This is thanks to their large lungs, powerful back and leg muscles, stable bone structure, and large paws that allow them to evenly distribute their weight on a wide arrange of surfaces.
As stated above, your body would need to make multiple sacrifices to fly. Obviously you'd need wings that can generate lift and thrust, but you'd also need to be light (small body and hollow bones), fast heart rate (if a human's blood went as fast as a bird's blood we'd be dead), high body temperature, lots of food, etc.
A common proposed explanation for why dragons can fly (ignore magic) is that in addition to some of the adaptations birds have, they also would have an organ that stores hydrogen (see: "The Last Dragon"/"Dragon's World a Fantasy Made Real" and "The Flight of Dragons"). Maybe that's why Charizard and Dragonite have such big bellies.
Reader Response Recess!
Ultimate Savior Infinity: Did I say Pteromon? I meant Pteramon. My bad.
Ashpoke55: Yes, Ash will be getting Pikachu during the next arc. Sorry your story didn't work out. Sadly, it can be hard to get eye traffic on Digimon fics. Which is a real shame because I think between the monster designs and the lore Digimon can give a writer a lot to work with.
Legoguy67: Yeah, it was kind of a dark chapter. There are some dark moments in the Digimon anime, but the day's always saved. We're following the Don Bluth School of logic where you can have as many heavy moments as you want but if we attached a happy ending then all is well.
There will probably be another dark Digivolution in the distant future.
The thing about the generals of the Forces of Chaos is that they are all very different characters with different principles. You'll get to know them a bit better soon, but to give you a quick overhead: the head general and the draconic general wouldn't go out of their ways to be involved in human affairs unless the humans can either be used in a way to benefit them or are a danger to their plans for the Digital World.
The head general in particular is very aware of how sacred the bond between trainer and monster is and would never partner himself with the likes of Giovanni, Ghetsis, or Cyrus. Though his ultimate plan would have some parallels to Cyrus's if you exclude the world without spirit portion.
The draconic general may be willing to work with evil humans, but he do so with the intent to execute them once they out lived their usefulness.
The serpent is a Darwinist at heart and views humans and Pokémon as nuisances that have no place in the Digital World. He'd sooner blast everyone to kingdom come than listen to a proposal for a team up.
The humanoid is just here to cause havoc. Normally he'd be the kind of guy the head general would take out back and put down like a diseased dog, but the humanoid has been useful in the fight against the Celestial Army. If the humanoid thinks that any of the Pokémon world villains could cause our heroes trouble, he'd be fine with lending them a hand.
Though he is not a part of the Forces of Chaos, Broker aka Renamon X would be all over working with the criminal underbelly of the Pokémon world. He wouldn't be anyone's partner, just a mercenary spy working in a hot market.
There may be another Digimon who's willing to work with the humans for his own agenda. We'll see him later.
In the end no matter what they choose to do, the villainous Digimon are just like the villains of the Pokémon world. They view humans the same way those organizations view Pokémon: as a means to an end.
Mr. Navit: Too late. You're reading a fanfic. You're already a certified nerd.
Ophanimon Falldown Mode is vaccine? (Goes to look it up) Well would you look at that.
Oh no! I can't let Yodewtwo/Yodarceus near my story! He'd defeat all the main villains and then I'll be left with nothing to write! I've got to arm myself (grabs a rolled up newspaper). I'm ready.
Glad to see you got the Prof. Oak reference with Pegasusmon. Yeah, those two would make good partners. Excellent reasoning. However, knowing me, I would probably set Oak up with a completely mismatched Digimon for dumb pun reasons.
Defiantly would choose those Gomamon and Tentomon for Lana and Sophocles. I'd also add that Tentomon is a roundish monster with spikes like Togedemaru.
I probably wouldn't match Paul up with Loogamon. Though I would use a dark doggo as lancer characters in Digimon tend to match up with canines.
Good choices and explanations for the other trainers/Digimon. I look forward to more of your choices.
I'm not sure about Giovanni partnering with the leader of the Forces of Chaos. If the leader saw Giovanni as someone who could further his own goals, he may put up with Team Rocket. Otherwise Giovanni, along with most of the other villains of the Pokémon world, would be the type of people the Chaos leader would gladly crush under his metal feet.
Impmon's partner wasn't really featured in the anime.
This is the Arceus that's multiversal. He's not happy that a lot of his universes have been ravaged by a rabid chimera.
The Sovereigns for this Digital World are not multiversal in this story as I didn't want this Digital World to be too heavily connected with the Digimon multiverse. We'll get into it more when we go through the temple, but this Digital World has its own origin that actually ties into the Pokémon world as well as some other worlds.
The One Who Reads and Writes: As of now the PC mostly going to play some background roles. Nothing too big. As for its functions, I'm currently picturing something like in the games where different boxes have different environments where you can put a bunch of Pokémon. For example, Misty left the rest of her Pokémon in a box with a beach theme.
Getting the chance to attack a Digimon at its core is pretty rare. There are some Digimon who have skills/abilities that can do this, but most Digimon aren't going to give you instant access to their core. CannonBeemon is a massive aircraft/flying fortress so its core is supposed to be protected and maintained by the army of bees that inhabit it like you would with other vehicles. Down side is that it gives this Digimon a Death Star style weakness, if the Death Star smelled like Honey Nut Cheerios.
I can't say much for the canon Millenniummon, but the Millenniummon featured in this fic does have a means to destroy it which will be hinted at towards the end of this arc. Just don't expect this chimera cosmic horror to make things easy.
The Digivice is defiantly a special machine. It was forged for Red by a powerful craftsman using materials that mortals probably shouldn't mess with.
May still wants to go back home, but she's more hesitant as of finding out how much she means to Birdramon.
The angels do have the power to breach realities. They don't use it often as multiversal travel can lead explorers to getting lost in the maze of countless realities or turn mad by the experience, but if given someone or something from another reality they can create a path.
If I were to hypothetically give other humans Digimon partners, they wouldn't start showing up until Arc 3, though some pairs would be hinted at in Arc 2. Some of the new partners may go on to play bigger roles than others, but the humans introduced in this arc are the most important. This is all hypothetical, of course.
WE will get to see Arceus either at the end of this arc or the beginning of the next arc. Our heroes won't. As for Yggdrasil, it has agents working on its behalf. Though we have seen bits and pieces of the host computer.
You will get to meet the fourth dragon when we see Arceus.
Thanks for the video recommendations. I'll be sure to give them a watch.
Thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to comment, criticize, or just say something silly. God loves you and so do I!
Digimon Introduced
Pteramon: Armor, Free, Pterosaur
Pteramon X: Champion, Data, Pterosaur
Megadramon: Ultimate, Virus, Android
Gigadramon: Ultimate, Virus, Android
Next Time: We continue this segments of shorts with a look into the past, catching up with Garurumon and Gary in time for the group meeting, a ghost story, and we'll finish off by poking a sleeping dragon.