DarkFoxKit: Here's another chapter. We're a little late on updating though.
ZAFT: Yeah, been a while since we were a day late. But had things going on at home that made me forget about it yesterday… ^^' Anyway, let's get on to the chapter. Don't wanna keep you guys waiting any longer!
Chapter 5: Going Your Own Way
Biyomon was flying ahead. She was keeping her keen blue eyes on the shadowy figures that were trying to move around in the shadows of the tree. Lopmon, despite having short legs, was able to keep up. He was lucky that Biyomon were not naturally fast flyers, though this Biyomon was very persistent with her flying. Lopmon saw the shadowy beings up ahead, and he had a bad feeling about them. He knew he couldn't leave Biyomon alone, or there was a good chance she would get taken out quickly.
With his big ears, Lopmon was able to hear the shadow figures grumbling to each other as they were moving.
"Way to go, genius, you weren't exactly subtle. Now we have two of those annoyances behind us!"
"I didn't think they would catch on to us!" The second shadow figure huffed.
"Next time use your head, not just your stupid core!"
"One of us needs to drive those two off; we all can't fight them, but one of us should be able to defeat them once and for all."
"Why can't we fight them? If we take two of them out, then that's two less variables to worry about."
"You idiot! You know the laws of this world don't permit us to interfere too much, even they have to follow that law. If we all take them on, there's a good chance we'll be caught by the Legendary Warriors, and then what!? We'd never be able to come back here!"
"Then I'll stay back and drive them away. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to take them out quietly so we don't get caught and not have to worry about them anymore."
"Ugh… of course you would. Just don't take too long or you won't be coming back here!"
"No fair… He always gets to do the main bulk of the fighting!"
"He is our main fighter for a reason. Now shut up!"
Lopmon frowned as he saw one of the shadows stopped moving while the rest kept going. Biyomon slowed down as well when she noticed this. She came down for a landing as Lopmon quickly caught up to where she landed.
"Be careful… I think this shadow intends to kill us," Lopmon warned Biyomon.
Biyomon scowled at the shadow figure. "Well, we won't go down so easily!" She exclaimed, puffing up her feathers to look more intimidating. "We can't, not with what's at stake!"
The shadow figure stood ready to attack, just as Biyomon and Lopmon did. It was like a western standoff so to speak, with each side waiting for the other to make their move.
"Show yourself," Lopmon demanded. "If you plan to fight us, you can at least give us the decency to know what we're fighting against."
"Heh… very well. But you'll soon regret that, little bunny," The figure replied.
The shadow was just a disguise, the true being was lying underneath the black silhouette. A green glow broke through the shadowy disguise. A green humanoid figure stood before the two Digimon, but this being was far from human. Its hide was green and purple, it glowed an unnatural light. Its eyes were black and soulless looking. It had a pair of purple and green tentacles for arms. Its legs were long, and it ended with a pointy triangle without any feet. Its face was round, with 3 sharp prongs at the tip of its head. There was a bright, glowing purple gem-like thing in its chest.
"What… You're not a Digimon," Biyomon quickly noticed. "You shouldn't even be in the Digital World."
"You think I don't belong here?" The figure chuckled evilly. "That's funny, coming from you two, who are in the same boat so to speak."
"At least we aren't unnatural beings like you!" Biyomon snapped back, her feathers puffing out again.
"You're even more unnatural than I am," The figure laughed before pointing a tentacle at both of them. "At least I'm not lying with my appearance alone."
"Why are you here? Just to insult us?" Lopmon frowned.
"Wouldn't you like to know, little bunny?" The figure replied. "You can call me Dairy. I will be your doom for the day."
"Dairy? What kind of name is that?" Biyomon deadpanned.
"The kind that will end your run in this world," Dairy replied before he fired a blast of green beam at the two.
Lopmon yelped before he tackled Biyomon out of the way.
Biyomon yelped as she was tackled to the ground by Lopmon before looking at him gratefully. "Thanks… That could've turned ugly."
"Keep your guard up, he's coming!" Lopmon quickly warned. And we've been separated from the others.
Dairy jumped at them, and extended his tentacles at the two. Biyomon quickly flew up and slashed at the tentacles near her with her talons. Lopmon jumped away and fired out a quick Blazing Ice attack to slow the tentacles down. Dairy grinned before opening his mouth to fire out some kind of green sludge. Biyomon yelped as she was covered in the slime, unable to move or fly.
Lopmon gasped, seeing Biyomon was caught in the sludge. He quickly moved to avoid getting coated in the sludge himself.
"H-hey! What the heck is this?!" Biyomon exclaimed, trying to escape the green sludge. "This is so gross!"
"That is to keep you from flying away, little bird," Dairy replied. "And now for you, little bunny."
Dairy put his tentacles together in front of himself, creating a ball of electricity. "Here, have a ball!"
Dairy threw the electric ball at Lopmon. Lopmon's eyes went wide as he hurried to get out of its way, but the ball was fast. Lopmon jumped just as the ball hit the ground before, exploding and discharging electricity in the area. Lopmon let out a cry as his body was being electrocuted. He fell to the ground, feeling numb.
"Lopmon!" Biyomon shouted. "Get up! He's coming for you!"
Dairy was indeed approaching the numbed Lopmon, a sinister laugh escaping him. "How do you like that, little bunny? Was it shocking enough? Was it electrifying?"
Great, our slayer is a pun lover. Lopmon inwardly groaned before he managed to look up from his face down position. But what are we going to do? If he destroys our bodies, then we…
"You're so much weaker than I thought you'd be, this will be easy. I'll take the two of you out, and we can get out of this dump," Dairy remarked as he raised up one of his tentacle pairs, turning them sharp. "Now hold still, this will only hurt a lot, but it'll be over soon."
Lopmon struggled to move, but the electricity made it impossible to move his body.
"Howling Laser!"
A bright white energy shot came from the trees, hitting Dairy in the back directly. The attack caught Dairy by surprise, causing him to stumble and lose his footing. Dairy fell to the ground with a grunt after failing to regain his footing.
Biyomon and Lopmon both gasped, not having expected the sudden rescue. They turned their heads, still unable to move their bodies.
"Hey you two! Are you alright!?" Labramon asked in concern.
"Y-yeah! We are now!" Biyomon replied in relief, seeing Labramon with a familiar white-armored humanoid Digimon at her side, his left arm raised and the barrel built into his forearm armor aimed at Dairy.
"Whatever that thing is, I'm not getting a good feeling from it." Lobomon said as he lowered his left arm and drew out one of his light swords.
Lobomon? He was here? And he saved us? Lopmon thought in surprise. But why would he care? Was it because of Labramon?
Dairy grumbled as he shook himself off. He looked at Lobomon with his black eyes. "A Legendary Warrior, huh? I didn't know there was one way out here. And here I thought we were in the clear."
"Whatever you are, you clearly underestimate the Legendary Warriors." Lobomon said as he got into a fighting stance. "I just happened to be in the area and sensed something off, so I came to investigate. I never imagined running into an enemy I've never seen before."
Labramon growled as she crouched down in a fighting position. "How dare you hurt my friends! We'll make you pay for that, you big ugly creature!"
Dairy studied the situation for a moment. "How annoying. I would fight, but you'll draw too much attention. That, and you're… well, for the sake of convenience, I'll just say you're one of the Legendary Warriors. I'm not supposed to fight against one of you. So consider yourselves lucky."
Dairy looked at Lopmon and Biyomon. "And by 'yourselves', I meant you two. But I won't hesitate to kill you if I get the chance to."
Dairy then created a puff of smoke before vanishing.
Lobomon saw the unknown creature vanish and frowned to himself as he narrowed his red eyes. However, seeing the thing was gone, he stood up and stowed his light sword again. "That was weird. Why did that thing just run?"
"He probably didn't want to mess with a Legendary Warrior, he did seem pretty hesitant on that," Labramon noted before she rushed over to Lopmon. "Hold on, I'll heal you."
"Thanks, you're a sight for sore eyes," Lopmon weakly grinned.
Lobomon went over to Biyomon to help her out of the sludge.
"Use your D-Tector thingy. This sludge can be taken off if you just scan my fractal code," Biyomon explained. "Just don't turn me into an egg."
Lobomon nodded as he reached over and pulled his D-Tector off of his person. "I will try to be careful. Just don't expect me to be too gentle."
He then concentrated and held up his D-Tector. The screen began to glow with his symbol of Light and Biyomon felt her fractal code slowly emerge from her body. It didn't hurt, but it did make her body ache a bit.
Lobomon then activated the scanner and scanned Biyomon's fractal code, trying to make sure he didn't take her code and only removed the green sludge… whatever it was.
Thankfully, the Warrior of Light was successful in the removal of the green sludge on Biyomon, and the scanner on his D-Tector went dark as soon as he was done.
Biyomon was free from the sludge and she felt rejuvenated after her fractal code was scanned. "Wow, that was quite the rush! And thanks, I owe you one for this."
"You don't owe me anything." Lobomon replied, waving it off. "I was just in the area and decided to help."
Lopmon was back on his feet after Labramon used her Cure Liquor on him.
"But that Dairy guy was right, we really did get lucky that you and Labramon were nearby. Otherwise he would've finished us off," Lopmon said grimly. "We couldn't do anything to him."
"Dairy?" Labramon asked.
"That was the name that… thing gave us," Biyomon explained.
"Oh… what do you think that Dairy monster wanted?" Labramon asked. "Koji and I heard these shadowy figures talking earlier. They kept saying how they wanted them to fail their mission."
Upon hearing that, Lopmon and Biyomon paled.
Lobomon saw the reaction of the two Rookie Digimon and raised an eyebrow. "Do you two know something about that?" He questioned.
Labramon frowned as well, though unlike Koji, she knew why. She just had to relay the message to the others in the least suspicious way possible in front of Koji.
"We… don't really know exactly, but… we know it doesn't sound good," Biyomon answered.
"If Dairy is part of this… mission to sabotage, then we're definitely in a lot of trouble," Lopmon warned.
"What do you mean?" Lobomon asked. "Who's mission are they trying to sabotage?"
Lopmon and Biyomon looked at each other, as if asking how to explain it to him.
Lopmon then snapped his fingers as if getting an idea. "Those things weren't Digimon, but they're definitely after something. It's possible this evil Cherubimon made them with his own power, getting tired of other Digimon failing him. But they're limited to what they could do, which is why that one fled when he saw you. They probably don't have the power to fight back against a Legendary Warrior. The mission they're sent to sabotage is probably the mission you guys are on to get to the Forest Terminal. Why else would they be here?"
Lobomon looked down as if considering Lopmon's words. In his mind, it did make sense. "Yeah… that's probably it." He agreed. Lobomon then frowned as he realized something. "But this then makes that goal much harder than I expected. I'm sure the others will also be targeted if I was a target this time."
"So what do you think we should do, Lobomon?" Labramon asked. "Should we stick with the others?"
"Is he supposed to go with the others now?" Biyomon whispered to Lopmon.
"I don't think so. Zoe and JP don't have their Spirits yet," Lopmon whispered back.
"Then… shouldn't we do something? Doesn't this count as interfering?" Biyomon nervously asked.
"Just… wait and see what happens. Koji's probably stubborn, so I doubt he'll work with them right now despite the… situation," Lopmon replied.
Lobomon sighed and shook his head. "It would be better if we remained split up for now. Too many of us in one area makes for a more tempting target." He admitted. "Despite safety in numbers, I don't want to have the others become targets. Besides, Labramon, we should be able to handle ourselves."
"Right, okay," Labramon replied before looking at Lopmon and Biyomon. "Will you two be okay?"
"Yeah, we'll get back to the others," Lopmon said. "You two stay safe, because you might be targeted next."
Lopmon was mostly looking at Labramon.
Labramon nodded, knowing what Lopmon meant. But it was under the guise of being concerned for Koji, so it hid the real recipient of the message.
"C'mon, Labramon." Lobomon said. "We need to get moving so that thing doesn't come back and find us right away."
"Coming, Lobomon. You two take care, and stay close with the others," Labramon said to Lopmon and Biyomon, hoping they would stay safer if they were with the other Legendary Warriors.
Labramon followed after Lobomon. Lobomon surrounded himself with fractal code, changing back to Koji.
"We really did get lucky back there, didn't we?" Biyomon frowned.
"Yes, we did. We shouldn't have recklessly ran off on our own," Lopmon replied. "We… aren't strong here. We're not the main protagonists of some anime. If we get attacked by forces stronger than us, then we will fall. If we want to make it through this, we need to work together."
Biyomon grumbled. "We should get back to the others then. I'd hate to get caught in that sludge again. That was disgusting. It messed up my feathers!"
Lopmon looked at Biyomon. "That's not all you're worried about, is it?"
Biyomon looked down. "... Is… Kokuwamon going to be alright? We haven't heard from him since we sent him to scout the place out 2 weeks ago. What if… he was caught by those shadowy beings?"
Lopmon frowned. "I'm worried about Kokuwamon too. But we can't get reckless. Biyomon… I know what I said before, about getting attached to the Legendary Warriors. But… maybe for now, it might be in our best interest to stay with them."
Biyomon nodded. "Yeah… you're right." She agreed. "We can't survive on our own in this world. We need the protection of the Legendary Warriors."
"At least… until they… outgrow us," Lopmon said softly.
"Do you know when that will be?" Biyomon asked.
"Well, at least two or one of the group have yet to find their human Spirits, so we still have some time," Lopmon answered. "We can ask them to spar with us, so maybe we'll be able to handle ourselves when the time comes. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to train with us, because it'll benefit us and them."
Biyomon smiled a bit at that. "It would be interesting to say the least, sparring with the Legendary Warriors. You really always think of good plans, don't you, Lopmon?"
"Heh… well someone has to," Lopmon chuckled sheepishly. "Do you think they were able to take out the Mushroomon?"
As if on cue, they heard familiar voices calling out to them.
"Lopmon! Biyomon! Can you hear us?!"
"Hey! Where are you two?!"
"Biyomon! Answer us! Lopmon! Where are you?!"
"Don't make me find you and stick to you like glue, Lopmon!"
Lopmon grumbled at the last voice while Biyomon giggled. "Sounds like you activated 'big brother mode'."
"He's not that much older than me!" Lopmon groaned.
"I'll go get them," Biyomon said before she flew up into the sky. "Hey, we're down here!"
The sound of footsteps began to get louder and closer. Even wing beats could be heard, most likely one very annoyed brother-like orange hamster.
Lopmon was tackled by Patamon. "Do you realize how worried I was?!"
"Are you trying to break my body?" Lopmon whined as Patamon was shaking him.
"What's up with Patamon? He sure it freaking out," JP asked as they caught up.
"He sees Lopmon as a brother, they're really close," Biyomon explained before she looked at Kazemon. "Who are you?"
"Oh! It's me, Zoe!" Kazemon replied. "I found my Spirit during the fight with the Mushroomon!"
"Really?" Biyomon smiled a little nervously. "So you found your Spirit… cool."
"Is everything alright?" Kazemon asked in concern.
"Oh, it's… nothing. We were attacked earlier, but Lobomon saved us," Biyomon answered.
"You were attacked?" Kumamon frowned.
"YOU WERE ATTACKED!?" Patamon shouted.
"Patamon! Please! I need to breathe!" Lopmon yelled as Patamon shook him harder.
"Why didn't you come and find us?!" Patamon demanded.
"We were kinda… well… stuck…" Biyomon muttered. "And Lopmon was paralyzed by an electric attack…"
"That's it! You are not being let out of my sight again, Lopmon!" Patamon said sternly.
Agunimon had to clamp a hand over his mouth to hide his grin and to hide his laughter.
"Calm the heck down, Patamon," Lopmon groaned. "Besides, we have more to tell you about what attacked us."
Patamon frowned, but he finally let go of Lopmon to give him some room to breathe.
"How about we go back to Floramon's house? We can talk there and catch everyone up on what's been happening," Kumamon suggested. "And it might give the others some time to cool down."
"Was that a cold pun?" JP asked.
Kumamon rolled his eyes. "Sure, if you want to see it like that."
Agunimon actually visibly shook with laughter, trying very hard to keep from being heard.
"Agunimon, are you alright? You look like you're shaking," Kazemon asked.
"... Let him cook," Biyomon said.
Agunimon felt his good mood evaporate. "You really know how to ruin a good mood, Biyomon." He grumbled.
"It's what I'm here for~" Biyomon grinned.
Floramon and Mushroomon were getting along after the Mushroomon had apologized and explained the situation to them. They began working on a new soup recipe together.
"Here, some of these fractal codes aren't even our's, we were just hit by a bunch of extras. They might help bring the tree back to life," One of the Mushroomon said as he put a hand on the root of the tree, giving it the extra fractal code.
"That would be nice." One of the Floramon replied. "We also know it wasn't your fault with what happened. You were controlled by some evil force, so you weren't yourselves."
"We just hope it doesn't happen again," Another Mushroomon grumbled.
The fractal code surrounded the tree, and green leaves began to sprout from the tree. Flowers and bushes sprouting fruit began to come back to life in the area as well.
"Now it's starting to look like the old Breezy Village!" One of the Floramon smiled happily.
Meanwhile, inside one of the houses, the Floramon and Mushroomon were giving the new mushroom stew to the kids to try out.
"Trust us, its flavor will be out of this world." A Floramon smiled.
"And don't worry, all our mushrooms are edible and non-toxic," The Mushroomon confirmed.
JP took a sip, only for his eyes to light up in delight. "Oh wow! This is even better than the last soup we had!"
Takuya also was grinning as he tried his own soup. "Talk about tasty food! I could eat seconds or thirds of this!"
"At least you guys got over your disgust of how the broth was made," Tommy chuckled.
"Who cares about when this stew is delicious beyond words?" Zoe smiled.
Lopmon, Patamon, and Biyomon were eating up the stew like crazy as well.
While they were enjoying the mushroom stew, the group began talking about what happened. Takuya, JP, Tommy, Zoe, and Patamon talked about what happened with Mushroomon, and Biyomon and Lopmon explained what happened with Dairy, and how Lobomon and Labramon saved them.
"It's possible that these shadows are trying to stop us from getting to the Forest Terminal. Do you think Cherubimon sent them?" Zoe frowned.
"It's possible." Takuya said. "We can't dismiss how big a threat Cherubimon is. He may be feeling threatened by the fact we are gaining our own Spirits for all we know."
"But how does Cherubimon know we are gaining the Spirits of Legendary Warriors?" JP questioned. "I doubt he has spies everywhere, so he can't possibly know how we gained the Spirits."
"It's not exactly difficult to know that you're gaining Spirits," Lopmon said. "After all, 5 humans arrive, and now the Legendary Warriors are starting to pop up, one after another?"
"He's got a point," Tommy said. "With how often we had to use our Spirits, and how many Digimon see us using our Spirits, it's not hard to figure out that we're gaining the Legendary Warrior's Spirits."
Patamon leaned over to whisper to Lopmon. "But that's not the case, is it?"
Lopmon shook his head.
"They're here… for us, not them, right?" Patamon frowned.
Lopmon nodded.
Patamon let out a small groan. "Of course, nothing can ever be easy."
"We just have to try and stay alert." Biyomon whispered to Patamon and Lopmon. "We can't drop our guard."
"We have to stay close to them right now," Lopmon whispered. "Dairy and his allies seem to not be allowed to be near the Legendary Warriors. So… until they outgrow us, it might be in our best interest to train with them, so we can take care of ourselves… when the time comes."
Patamon and Biyomon nodded in agreement.
"You really think training with the Legendary Warriors would be a good idea?" Patamon asked quietly. "I mean… they are stronger than we are on a physical level when using their Spirits…"
"That's exactly the point. We need to get stronger, and they need to get used to using their Spirits," Lopmon pointed out.
Patamon looked contemplative before he looked back up at Lopmon and nodded. "I can't exactly argue against that logic."
"So what should we do?" JP asked. "They could come back at any moment to get you guys."
"What about you?" Zoe asked.
"Hey, unlike you guys, I'm not a Legendary Warrior…" JP frowned. "So you should be more worried about yourselves than me."
"Hey, don't say that JP." Takuya said. "For all you know, the next Spirit we may find could be yours. You also have a D-Tector, right? So there must be a Spirit for you somewhere."
"I don't know about that… for all I know, this D-Tector could just be a hunk of junk for me," JP sighed.
"Hey, don't worry about it, alright?" Biyomon spoke up. "You're here, you have a D-Tector, and you've survived for this long in this world. You're tougher than you give yourself credit for."
"I like your attitude~" Zoe smiled.
"Thanks, you're not so bad for mostly wearing pink, even in your Digimon form," Biyomon remarked.
Zoe blinked. "But you're pink."
"I know," Biyomon replied.
Zoe sighed as she shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever understand Digimon sometimes."
"Eh, that's just how Biyomon is," Patamon chuckled. "You'll get used to her. That is… if you're planning to stick around with us."
Biyomon sighed. "I hadn't at first, but after thinking about it… it might be better if I stayed for now. You guys are hopeless, so I need to keep an eye on you."
"Hey! We're not hopeless!" Takuya grumbled.
"Says the one who charged head first at Cerberumon as a human." Patamon retorted.
Takuya blushed at that reminder. "No need to remind me of that…"
"I thought that was brave… even if reckless," Tommy chuckled. "I mean I did get myself into that situation in the first place."
"You see? Hopeless," Biyomon snickered.
"Well, welcome to the team then. The more the merrier, right?" Zoe smiled.
"When should we start training with them?" Patamon asked Lopmon.
"Probably when JP gets his Spirit," Lopmon whispered back. "That way they can all start getting used to their Spirits, and we can properly spar with all of them."
Patamon nodded. "Okay, so as soon as JP gets his Spirit, then we will start training. That sounds like a good plan."
"What about Kokuwamon?" Biyomon whispered.
"Maybe we'll find him. And if not… if those shadow beings got him, then…" Patamon paused. "I guess we'll have to do this without him."
Lopmon and Biyomon winced at the idea of having lost Kokuwamon, even if not in the traditional sense.
"We'd better hope he isn't gone then." Biyomon whispered back, feeling worry racing throughout her. "We'll need his superior tech knowledge…"
"Are you three alright? Why are you whispering?" Zoe asked.
"Ah, just some personal stuff between us Digimon," Lopmon quickly said.
"Yeah, nothing to worry about." Biyomon added easily. "It's just Digimon stuff, nothing special."
"So… what about Koji?" Tommy spoke up.
"What about him?" Takuya asked.
"He was here earlier, right? Shouldn't we be worried about him? What if he gets targeted too? He has Labramon, and he's pretty good at using his Spirit's power and all, but still, he'll be mostly alone against those shadowy guys and they seem to be pretty strong," Tommy pointed out.
"Maybe if we see him again, we can ask him to join our group." Takuya suggested. "We don't know where he went right now, so we just have to hope he can handle himself until then."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Labramon's with him and, like you said, he is pretty tough," Patamon said encouragingly.
"I guess," Tommy sighed.
Besides, it's not Koji we should worry about with those shadow beings. Lopmon frowned.
"We should probably leave tomorrow morning after we've rested up," Zoe suggested. "We don't want to take too long getting to the Forest Terminal."
"Yeah, whatever," JP huffed.
Tommy looked at JP in concern, noticing the attitude.
Later, that night, everyone had turned in for the night. The Floramon were kind enough to give them all guest rooms to sleep. Their beds were mostly made from leaves, but the leaves were very soft, and they smelled nice. Making it easy for the group to sleep.
However, JP hadn't been able to sleep very well. He thought back on the battle against Woodmon, and how Zoe managed to get her Spirit. Now he was the only ordinary human left in their group… their group of Legendary Warriors. JP sat up from his spot in bed and slowly got out of bed. He needed some air.
JP slowly crept by the other sleeping kids in their rooms and walked outside as quietly as he could before shutting the door to the guest house. He sighed and looked up at the night sky above him. It was so peaceful, but JP didn't feel peaceful at all.
However, it turned out there was another who didn't fall asleep. They saw JP leaving. They slowly walked out as well.
"Hey, JP." The person greeted.
JP jumped and turned around, seeing nothing at first, before he looked down, seeing a familiar little kid standing there.
"Oh, hey Tommy." JP grumbled. "What are you doing up this late? Shouldn't you be sleeping or something?"
"I wasn't really sleepy," Tommy said, though he had to fight off a yawn.
"Uh-huh," JP looked at him. "Maybe you want to try that again?"
Tommy let out a sigh. "I couldn't help but notice how bummed you seemed while we were eating. You're usually a lot happier when food's involved."
"How can I not be bummed when I am the only human left in our group?" JP grumbled. "The rest of you are now heroes, the Legendary Warriors. Me? I'm just the human sidekick."
"Weren't you the one who was freaking out about turning into a Digimon?" Tommy pointed out.
"I know, but now that I'm the only one without the ability to become a Digimon, I'm feeling kinda jealous of the rest of you." JP admitted.
"I know the feeling," Tommy replied.
"How can you know the feeling? You were the second person in this group to get their Spirit," JP pointed out.
"I mean I know the feeling of being left out," Tommy clarified. "I… don't have a lot of friends back home. I usually watch other kids play on the playground while I just watch from a swing."
JP grimaced. "That doesn't sound fun to be honest…"
"It isn't," Tommy agreed. "Although, maybe it's my fault. I sometimes freak the other kids out I guess, or maybe my brother's right in saying I act like a spoiled child around everyone, so I drive them crazy. But… it isn't just that. I feel like… I've been through something like this before. Being among other Legendary Warriors, and feeling like you don't belong. But I'm not sure why I feel like that, the feeling is… just really familiar."
JP whistled. "That's deep thinking for an 8-year old kid."
"Maybe I just think too much," Tommy shrugged. "But, uh… are you going to be alright? I've noticed a pattern… It seems each of us finds a Spirit for someone in our group. So… maybe this means you'll find yours soon. So don't write yourself out just yet. Besides, Lopmon seemed pretty confident you'll get your Spirit soon."
JP smiled a bit. "Thanks. I don't know if I will find my Spirit yet, but you're right. I can't just quit now. I have a D-Tector like the rest of you, so that must mean something."
"Besides, ever heard of the 'late bloomer' saying? Since you're the last one to get your Spirit, that means your Spirit must be really strong," Tommy chuckled.
"Heh, I'm expecting it to be strong then." JP grinned back.
JP then sighed before he decided to ask Tommy something. "What was it like? When you… saw your Spirit in front of you? You didn't seem too thrilled about becoming a Digimon at first either."
"I wasn't thinking about that when I saw Takuya, Patamon, and Lopmon were in danger," Tommy admitted. "I just… felt like I needed to help them in some way. And when Kumamon's Spirit stopped in front of me, it was like… I just knew what to do. I can't really explain it in words."
"That's kinda weird." JP admitted. "But it sounds like the Spirits may be giving us the information we need to know somehow, like on a spiritual level or something."
"Maybe. I can't say I understand how this whole Spirit thing works," Tommy shrugged.
JP looked over at Tommy, he couldn't help but appreciate how the young boy went out of his way to comfort him. "Hey… thanks for talking to me, squirt, but you should get back inside and go to sleep. It's not healthy for a kid your age to stay up this late."
"The same can be said for you," Tommy pointed out.
JP grumbled. "I'm older than you, and yet you tell me I need to get some sleep as well?"
"Hey, I'm just saying we all need to sleep before we hit the road tomorrow," Tommy chuckled.
From the corner of one of the Floramon houses, Lopmon watched the two in silence. He gave a small smile. Well… this didn't happen before… I wonder if we were responsible for this change. I hope it doesn't hurt JP's chances of getting his Spirit. But… maybe it would benefit him in the long run later.
"So thou actually intend to leave the Rose Morning Star since awakening?" Mercurymon asked in a tone of surprise. "Oinkmon must be flying, because this day didn't seem likely to come."
"Better believe it. Duskmon plans to travel out of this boring dark continent." BlackGatomon grinned. "Staying cooped up here just isn't very fun, and he'll never really get to see the Digital World or find any good fractal code for Lord Cherubimon if he stays here all day like an introvert."
"Then may thou's hunt be fruitful. T'will be good to see how Duskmon does the hunt for more fractal code." Mercurymon chuckled.
Duskmon rolled his eyes. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. I'm more than capable of finding fractal code on my own."
"Of course you are, but I am tasked to stay close to you until ordered otherwise," BlackGatomon remarked. "Besides, I'm sure you'd like a witness to your awesome power when you find a place to take fractal code from."
Duskmon felt a grin crossing his lips, albeit unseen due to his mouth being covered. "Yes, that would be a good thing to have." He said, his tone of voice actually holding some amusement for once instead of being dull and boring.
Mercurymon would be rolling his eyes if he had any right now. "Thou art getting too attached to the mischievous she-devil covered in fur. Thou best watch thyself."
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of evil Devimon manipulating Duskmon," BlackGatomon said. "Relax, will you? I have no reason to do such a thing. I'm just a cat Digimon wanting to enjoy some entertainment."
Duskmon actually chuckled as Mercurymon just shook his head.
"Let's get going, BlackGatomon." Duskmon said. "The fractal code won't be found by itself."
BlackGatomon grinned as she followed Duskmon outside of the hideout.
"So do you have a destination in mind?" BlackGatomon asked as they were walking.
D"We will look near a village of Digimon that can supposedly tell the future." Duskmon replied as they made their way down the pathway outside the hideout. "There's supposed to be some good fractal code there, or so I assume."
"A village of Digimon that can tell the future?" BlackGatomon asked. "I've heard about that place, it's called Fortune-teller Village. Supposedly there's a Shamanmon there who can accurately tell the future."
"Yes. If many Digimon there are said to be able to tell the future, then the fractal code must be of good quality. Not many Digimon can see the future, so there must be something in the fractal code that makes it a big place for such Digimon." Duskmon replied.
"Hmm… maybe," BlackGatomon said.
"Is something troubling you?" Duskmon asked, noticing the hesitance in BlackGatomon's tone.
"Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking… wouldn't it be smarter to hold off on taking the fractal code of that place right away?" BlackGatomon spoke up.
"Explain," Duskmon stated.
"Well, taking the fractal code means the entire land will disappear. That means taking away resources that could be used for finding better fractal code much faster," BlackGatomon explained. "Not to mention if there are Digimon who can tell the future, it would be handy for us to hear what they have to say about the future. We could prepare for enemy attack, or find your Beast Spirit. You and Ranamon still haven't gotten your Beast Spirits after all. It might be better to mark the place and get the fractal code later after we've taken what we need."
Duskmon looked down in thought. BlackGatomon did raise a few good points he hadn't considered. "That's true…" He admitted before looking back up at BlackGatomon. "Alright. We'll mark the area and leave it for later, but I suggest we explore a bit to see what we may find."
"Of course. Maybe we'll even find a decent meal there. Eating nothing but paste and gruel is pretty nasty if you ask me, and not a proper diet for a growing Digimon," BlackGatomon grumbled.
Duskmon actually laughed. "So true. Ranamon doesn't even eat at the hideout, she burns everything she makes, which is ironic considering she is the Warrior of Water!"
So he does have a sense of humor as Duskmon. BlackGatomon grinned. "No wonder she leaves often, she gets to eat all the good food out there. Well, now it's time to show her she's not the only Digimon who can eat good food. Perhaps you should pick me up and start running. It'll be faster."
Duskmon's eyes glinted with amusement and an eagerness to take on the challenge. "We'll show Ranamon who the faster Digimon is." He remarked as he knelt down and picked up BlackGatomon.
Duskmon raced through the lands. He was truly fast, he was a black blur to anyone who saw him. BlackGatomon hung on to his arm, not wanting to get flung off. Duskmon's speed would put any Trailmon to shame, though that didn't mean the ride was the most pleasant one.
It didn't take Duskmon long to reach his destination.
"We've arrived at the Fortune-teller Village." Duskmon said as he set BlackGatomon down on the ground. "Not bad for a timely arrival, wouldn't you say?"
BlackGatomon tried not to look all frazzled from the very speedy yet bumpy ride. Though her fur was all poofed up. "... Not bad for a timely arrival… but you need to work on your smooth traveling."
Duskmon couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of BlackGatomon looking like a big black puffball. "You'd better get your fur straightened out or you will be mistaken for a lint ball."
"Ha, ha, ha," BlackGatomon sarcastically laughed as she used her claws to smooth her fur out. "Just keep your stoic attitude up here if you want to appear intimidating. But don't give the Digimon ideas that you're here to take the fractal code, at least not yet. We want them to work with us for now after all."
Duskmon nodded, easily slipping back into his stoic mood. He didn't need to be seen laughing with a comrade, no, they were with Cherubimon, the Celestial Digimon. They were his best warriors, so he had to act like it.
"I take it this is your first time interacting with civilian Digimon?" BlackGatomon asked.
"... Yes…" Duskmon admitted. "I… never saw the need to until now…"
"I figured as much. The others did tell me you were awoken by Lord Cherubimon recently, and you've never left the Rose Morning Star," BlackGatomon remarked. This could be tricky, he has no idea how to socialize, and that could give the Digimon the wrong idea… "Alright, just let me do most of the talking. If you must talk, try not to… sound too threatening."
Duskmon nodded. "I can do that." He replied. "Playing the silent type shouldn't be too hard."
BlackGatomon tried not to chuckle as she nodded. Heh, can't wait to tell the others about this side of Duskmon. They'll never believe it. "Alright, let's get going."
Duskmon followed BlackGatomon into the village, keeping up his stoic attitude and just being the silent follower of BlackGatomon for now.
There were a lot of Digimon walking around the Fortune-teller Village. It was night time right now, but that didn't stop the more nocturnal Digimon from roaming around. Duskmon was looking around at each stand with curiosity. The Digimon appeared to be selling certain types of charms, or crystal balls, or even telling other Digimon their future. There was a frog-like Digimon, a Geckomon, Duskmon realized, trying to make some kind of deal with an Armodillomon, though the Geckomon was acting a little ditzy.
"Don't fall for their tricks," BlackGatomon spoke up. "Most of them are just trying to get you to buy their stuff, and their 'fortunes' are usually just made up to make a quick buck."
Duskmon mentally made note of that. "So it seems the rumors are mostly false, only to get others to come here and buy stuff, even fake fortunes."
"Not all the rumors are false, they're just a bunch of money grubbers riding on the success of others," BlackGatomon grumbled. "Some Digimon are able to actually see the future. Shamamon is definitely one of them. But we're here to get some food first, can't work well on an empty stomach after all."
Duskmon nodded. He had to admit, he was feeling hungry as well. Running to the village had worked up an appetite for him.
"Hello there!" A large, golden furred ape-like Digimon suddenly came up in front of them. "I have bones that tell me of your future! How about it? Only 10 dollars!"
BlackGatomon grumbled before taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Duskmon, let me handle this."
Duskmon backed off, allowing BlackGatomon to handle the situation. He was sure she could handle it better, as he just wanted to attack this Digimon trying to make a quick buck off of them.
BlackGatomon looked at the Apemon before she suddenly shouted in his face. "Does it look like we're interested in a fortune telling!? You can take your bones, and shove them up your butt! We are hungry, and I'm ready to sink my claws into your bones covered in your body if you bother us again! Do I make myself clear!?"
The Apemon looked uneasy. "Um… Yes… Yes, you do. I am terribly sorry for disturbing you!" He apologized quickly before darting away to find another Digimon to bother.
BlackGatomon looked at the other vendors who looked like they were about to do the same thing Apemon did. "That goes for all of you!"
The vendors quickly turned around and walked away from them, not wanting to get their hides clawed off by an angry BlackGatomon.
Duskmon looked at BlackGatomon, a hint of being impressed in his red eyes before it faded and he was projecting that stoic air again.
BlackGatomon turned to Duskmon and gave a smirk. "And that is how you handle Digimon like them. They should back off for now, giving us time to actually look for a restaurant."
Duskmon nodded. "That was quite a way to handle it."
"Just don't go shouting at every Digimon in the face if they approach you. That was only to keep these money grubbers in line," BlackGatomon explained.
Duskmon nodded again, keeping up his silent, stoic facade.
BlackGatomon and Duskmon walked through the town. The other Digimon uneasily backed away from them as they walked. Even the Digimon that weren't shouted at looked uneasy. If it wasn't the BlackGatomon that worried them, it was the strange, tall, stoic Digimon walking behind her. He had creepy eyes on his shoulders and chest, and he had this powerful aura about him that made it difficult to approach him.
"Something smells good." BlackGatomon smiled as she followed the delicious smell, leading her and Duskmon to a restaurant. "I think I found us a good place to eat. Duskmon, do you have any money on you?"
Duskmon actually did have some money on him, even though he rarely, if almost ever, left the hideout. "I think I have enough for a meal for both of us."
BlackGatomon smiled. Oh good, he actually does have money. I was worried we'd have to take the villain route and threaten the cooks and waiters for our meal. "Alright, then let's go find a table."
"A table?" Duskmon asked.
"Yeah, we need to sit at a table before a waiter can come to serve us food," BlackGatomon explained. "Come on, big guy, you'll learn by experience."
As the two of them were walking, the other Digimon looked at the two. Many of them were uneasy, though some started whispering to each other, wondering who the big scary guy was.
"Ah, that looks like a good spot," BlackGaotmon pointed at a table near the corner.
Duskmon and BlackGatomon headed to the table in the corner, which was a relief because it meant they could eat their meal in peace.
"These things on the table are our menus," BlackGaotmon explained as she picked up a menu. "You can look through them to see what kind of food the restaurant serves, and they show you the prices of the food. So order what you think might be good, and that's within your budget."
Duskmon began to look through the menu and saw the food was reasonably priced, so it would not exceed the budget he had if both of them were to order two separate meals. Although Duskmon wasn't too familiar with a lot of the foods on the item, so he wasn't sure what to pick.
"Anything that… might be good to eat?" Duskmon asked BlackGatomon.
BlackGatomon blinked at the question. Oh, right, he hasn't eaten anything other than paste that was called 'food'. "Well, for a first timer, I'd recommend trying some hamburgers, or chicken tenders."
Duskmon felt his mouth start to water at the mention of hamburgers and chicken tenders. "I think I'll have the tenders. That sounds real good…"
"Uh… good evening. How… uh… may I help you?" A nervous looking Togemon asked.
"My friend, Duskmon, would have the 5 piece tender combo meal. And I'll have the fish filet sandwich combo," BlackGatomon stated.
"Um… Okay, that can be arranged…" The Togemon replied uncertainly; the two Digimon were making Togemon uneasy, the air around both of them feeling intimidating.
"Relax, we're just customers here. It's not like we're gonna eat you up or anything," BlackGatomon chuckled, seeing the unease.
Togemon quickly ran off. "I'll get you your orders quickly!"
BlackGatomon looked over at Duskmon. "Hmm, maybe tone down the intimidation a little bit."
Duskmon just gave BlackGatomon a deadpan look. "I can't exactly do that so easily." He admitted.
"I guess you are naturally intimidating," BlackGatomon remarked. "At the very least, we'll get our food quickly."
Duskmon had never had such tasty food before, and yet, it tasted familiar somehow. The chicken was crispy, and the meat was delicious. The fizzy drink that was called 'soda' went very well with the chicken tenders. BlackGatomon also added some tomato sauce called 'ketchup' with his tenders, adding to the flavor.
"Looks like someone's enjoying himself~" BlackGatomon grinned.
"What can I say? This tastes way better than that paste I was eating back at the hideout." Duskmon replied, the grin audible in his voice.
"Maybe Lord Cherubimon needs to hire a chef or something at the hideout," BlackGatomon mumbled before licking her claws and gloves. "I'll be right back, I just need to use the little kitty litter room."
"Just don't take too long." Duskmon said; he was clearly nervous about being left alone among so many Digimon.
BlackGatomon rolled her eyes. "You can survive on your own for 5 minutes."
BlackGatomon got out of her chair and walked to the bathroom area. She wanted her paws to be clean. As she was washing up at the sink, her ears twitched when she heard something nearby. It didn't sound like Digimon whispering nervously. She looked back, frowning. The stalls looked empty, but she didn't feel alone. Her fur was starting to stand up.
"Who's there?" BlackGatomon demanded.
The stalls were silent. Slowly, BlackGatomon began to approach the stalls. She had her claws ready to attack as she approached the first stall. She nudged the door open slowly, hearing it creak as it slowly opened up. She didn't see anyone inside, but a stall two doors down slowly swung open with another creaking noise.
BlackGatomon jumped, turning around quickly. She crept over to the stall and peered in, but it was empty. She was beginning to wonder if she was just acting paranoid, when she heard another stall slam shut. Whirling around, BlackGatomon tried to find the stall that had slammed, but all the stalls looked alike, with all the doors shut. Peering down, BlackGatomon's fur then stood on end as she saw two legs that ended in points inside one of the other stalls behind her. The door slowly creaked open, just as BlackGatomon turned around slowly to meet gazes with the stall's occupant.
BlackGatomon frowned in puzzlement when she didn't see anyone in the empty stall. She knew she heard someone, and saw the door opening before her. There was no way she was going to assume it was 'just the wind', that was how people got killed in horror movies. There was something else here, lurking around.
BlackGatomon turned around again, and jumped back when she saw what looked like some kind of alien-like creature looking back at her. It glowed red, its eyes were black and soulless. It had red and black tentacles for arms. It looked like it was primarily red with a black gem-like object in its chest. And it had long, pointy looking legs with no feet. Its face had one big pointy spike at the tip of its head.
"Whoa! Who are you!? What are you doing, creeping around like that?" BlackGatomon hissed.
The creature snickered. "So the little black cat wants to know who I am, eh? You can call me Gouda."
BlackGatomon blinked. "Like… the cheese?"
"Yeah, so? What's wrong with it?" The creature, Gouda, questioned in an annoyed tone.
BlackGatomon frowned. "... So you're not a Digimon, I take it?"
Gouda chuckled. "No, no, no, I'm no Digimon. I'm surprised you don't realize just what I am, considering how many times you've seen my species before."
BlackGatomon hissed as Gouda held out his tentacles at her. "That glow, and that stench… How are you here? You shouldn't be here."
"Oh, that's my little secret, my dear kitty cat~" Gouda snickered. "But sadly, you will never find out, because this is your end!"
Gouda shot out his tentacles at BlackGatomon. BlackGatomon was thankful she sparred with Ranamon and Grumblemon before coming here today, because her quick reflexes and honed in battle instincts saved her from having her chest pierced by those tentacles. She managed to dodge, and the tentacles pierced through the bathroom door.
"Why are you trying to kill me?!" BlackGatomon hissed.
"That, my kitty cat, is normally not for you to know. But since you asked, I will only say this; your mission cannot be allowed to be completed." Gouda replied sinisterly.
Gouda charged up a red beam with his tentacles and fired at BlackGatomon. BlackGatomon ran around the bathroom, getting away from the beam. BlackGatomon didn't know why this Gouda being wanted to sabotage her mission, but she wasn't going to let him do it so easily, not when there was so much at stake.
"Nice try! Have a taste of this!" BlackGatomon jumped at Gouda, curling one of her claws into a fist. "Lightning Paw!"
BlackGatomon punched Gouda in the face, despite her small size, she hit him with enough force to send him into a wall, cracking it.
"Ouch…" Gouda groaned before shaking his head. "So someone has some strength behind her blows. I see this won't be easy."
His tentacles began to shapeshift into pointed spears. "How about this? Gouda Jab!" He lunged at BlackGatomon, intending on piercing through her Digi-Core with the spears that made up his arms.
BlackGatomon dodged the first blow, but the second nicked her right paw, cutting through the glove. While the stabbing move may have been stupidly named, it was clearly a powerful technique.
One wrong move, and I'm toast. BlackGatomon realized. Gouda's pretty strong…
"There's more where that came from~" Gouda grinned.
"I'm not finished yet either," BlackGatomon hissed.
BlackGatomon was fast, nimble, and small. While Gouda was fast, he had trouble trying to hit her with his tentacles. BlackGatomon managed to get up close and jumped, avoiding another spear attack. She gave a quick kick at his shoulders. "Lightning Kick!"
"Cat Tail!" BlackGatomon slapped Gouda's tentacles away from her with her fast tail.
Unfortunately, Gouda was able to still use other attacks. The black gem on his chest glowed before it fired a beam of energy at her. BlackGatomon yelped in pain as the beam felt like it was burning through her fur and skin, and her back hit one of the bathroom stall's door.
"Your biggest problem is that you only have physical attacks. You can't do anything unless you get up close to your opponent. But I have no such issue, little kitty." Gouda grinned.
BlackGatomon groaned as she managed to get back on her feet, and rubbed her sore back a little. "I've managed to hold my own."
"Ah, that may be, but for how long can you keep it up?" Gouda chuckled sinisterly. "I can dodge your attacks, and attack from long range. But you can't do that. You can only dodge and use close range attacks."
"Don't get so cocky. I know what you are. You can only take so much damage from me," BlackGatomon hissed.
"Enough stalling. I need to finish you before someone sees me, other than you of course," Gouda said as he began to build up another attack with his gem.
BlackGatomon looked at the gem as it was glowing. Gouda was building up what looked like a big ball of wind. BlackGatomon jumped as Gouda threw out the ball of wind. The ball slammed into the ground, causing a tornado in the bathroom. BlackGatomon hissed as her fur and skin were getting torn by the blades of the wind, but she wasn't about to give up, not now, not here.
Despite the pain, and the winds blowing around her, she held out her fist as she forced her body to move down at Gouda. "YOU'RE NOT STOPPING ME! LIGHTNING PAW!"
BlackGatomon's fist hit Gouda's chest, right on the gem. The gem held strong, but Gouda let out a scream of pain.
"GAH! You little panther! You will pay for that!" Gouda yelled before smirking. "Oh? Did you think the gem was my weak point?"
BlackGatomon's eyes went wide as she realized her mistake.
"Gotcha!" Gouda's tentacles wrapped around BlackGatomon's body. "The gem is made out of ecto-diamonds. It protects our core, you won't be getting to my true weak point so easily! But thank you for serving yourself up on a silver platter, makes my job so much easier~"
BlackGatomon hissed as Gouda squeezed her tightly. One of Gouda's tentacle slowly moved up in front of her. BlackGatomon paled when she saw the tentacle turning into a spear.
"Now, it's time to say goodbye, kitty cat~" Gouda snickered sinisterly.
"Let me go! LET ME GO YOU BIG STINKY CHEESE!" BlackGatomon screeched loudly.
All of a sudden, the bathroom door busted down. An intimidating, dark, tall figure stood there. "I didn't think you'd be needing my help, BlackGatomon." A familiar deep voice said as twin blood red blades glinted dangerously. "But since I'm here, I'll carve up this 'big stinky cheese' for you."
Gouda turned at the voice. "Who dares to interrupt me?!" He demanded.
"Just call me your worst nightmare." The dark figure replied, stepping into the light of the bathroom, revealing the intimidating form of Duskmon.
Gouda suddenly froze when he saw Duskmon. BlackGatomon quickly took notice of this.
"So you're here. I didn't expect you to be in a place like this," Gouda grumbled. "I guess your little kitty friend is more of an influence than I thought. I guess I took too long playing with her."
BlackGatomon eyed the sharp spear that was still in front of her. She didn't know what Gouda planned to do, though it was clear he wasn't too happy to see Duskmon.
"You let her go, or I will carve you up so fast you won't even recognize your own body." Duskmon threatened, holding up one of his twin blades at Gouda. "Or better yet, I just defeat you here and now!"
"Watch it, Mr. Edgy, I still have your cat friend hostage. You wouldn't want to accidentally cut her up too, do you?" Gouda warned, holding BlackGatomon in front of Duskmon.
BlackGatomon looked down at the tentacles holding her. Gouda was distracted, he was getting sloppy, must be because he was afraid of Duskmon. That gave BlackGatomon an opportunity. She bit down on the tentacles holding her as hard as she could.
"OUCH!" Gouda yelped as he reacted by dropping BlackGatomon. The pain had caused him to retract his tentacles on reflex, thus making him let BlackGatomon go. "You little sneak! That was my good tentacle!"
"Good," BlackGatomon hissed back. "So, do you want to take me and Duskmon on?"
Gouda frowned as he assessed the situation. "Hmph… I was supposed to kill you and only you, but it looks like I've been compromised. Don't expect your big, bad Legendary Warrior buddy to keep you safe though, kitty, because I will be back. And if not me, then another will come and take you out. For that is our mission."
"What mission?" BlackGatomon demanded.
"I've said too much already." Gouda said. "But you'd better watch yourself, kitty cat. Because next time we meet, you may not be so lucky."
Gouda then turned and began to run at Duskmon, intending on getting past him. Duskmon was about to swing his blades, but Gouda's body suddenly disappeared.
"Huh? What happened to the enemy?" Duskmon asked.
"He got away," BlackGatomon said. "He's not a Digimon, and he's got abilities that we can't match so easily. At least I can't."
The bathroom was a mess. Walls were cracked and broken, the stalls were busted down, the sinks and toilets were leaking. It was a miracle the mirrors didn't get shattered during the fight.
"We'll need to discuss this somewhere else, Duskmon," BlackGatomon said. "For now…"
BlackGatomon looked at one of the employees, who was staring at them and the destroyed bathroom. "Cat's Eye Hypnotism."
Duskmon and BlackGatomon were walking down the streets, heading for a less busy area.
"I'm surprised you had an ability to manipulate others' minds," Duskmon remarked.
"I only did it to wipe their memory of seeing us, so to them the bathroom just magically fell apart," BlackGatomon explained. "I doubted you had enough money to pay for all the damages."
Duskmon grumbled. "True. I only had enough to pay for the meals." He then looked back at BlackGatomon. "So, what happened back there? How did that… thing… get the jump on you?"
"He was lurking around, trying to take me by surprise," BlackGatomon said. "Said his name was Gouda. He wanted to destroy me."
Duskmon growled. "And why did he want to destroy you? That's pretty reckless, attacking you like that."
"I don't know. He said something about it being a part of his mission," BlackGatomon replied. But if Gouda was aiming specifically for me… and he implied there's more of his kind running around here… there's a good chance I'm not the only target. "He didn't seem too keen on trying to destroy me when you showed up though."
"I noticed." Duskmon confirmed. "It seems this… 'Gouda' is afraid of me for some reason, and rightfully so."
"Yeah, you are pretty intimidating, and strong, and you're a Legendary Warrior. I doubt many would want to mess with you," BlackGatomon chuckled. But I think it's more than that. It might be best to stick with Duskmon for the time being until I know more. I can't let Gouda and whoever else kill me before I've completed my mission… the reason I'm even here in the first place.
Duskmon nodded. "That's a wise decision." He agreed. "It's best to not split up if we can avoid it."
Wow, either he's thinking the same thing or he somehow read my mind. BlackGatomon chuckled. "For now, let's mark a good spot to look for the fractal code of this place. Then maybe head back. I could use some rest after that little scuffle."
Duskmon chuckled as well. "Very well. I think we can mark the outskirts of this place as a place to start."
Duskmon looked down at BlackGatomon for a moment. It's strange. I had a strange feeling in my chest when I heard BlackGatomon screaming, and saw her about to be impaled. The feeling felt like it was squeezing my Digi-Core. Why was that? I've never felt that, even when I saw my fellow comrades taking their sparring too far and nearly kill each other. Maybe it's because I'm supposed to be watching her, after all, Lord Cherubimon wanted her to stay with me.
"Something caught your eye? Or… eyes?" BlackGatomon asked, noticing Duskmon had been looking at her.
"Hmm? Oh no. Nothing caught my eye." Duskmon replied. "It's just… when you were in danger… I felt an odd sensation in my Digi-Core… Like I was… scared… or something…"
"Hmm? Oh, that's interesting," BlackGatomon said, rubbing under her chin as she gave a small smirk. "Perhaps you actually care about me. If you care about someone, you'll usually have that kind of feeling when you see them in danger."
Duskmon rolled his eyes on his face. "As long as you don't mention this to the others, I think we can keep this between ourselves."
"Of course, we would never hear the end of it from Mercurymon. He already thinks I'm a bad influence on you after all," BlackGatomon chuckled.
Duskmon chuckled as well. "A bad influence, huh? Well, you are a Virus Digimon. Of course you'd be a bad influence."
"I mean… so is Lord Cherubimon," BlackGatomon pointed out. "So you've already been infected, what's another virus?~"
Duskmon couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. It was too funny because it was true.
"Glad I could make you laugh," BlackGatomon said before yawning. "Now let's head back, I could use the cat nap. Maybe we'll come back later to see if we can get Shamamon to help us find your Beast Spirit or something."
"That would be best." Duskmon agreed. "I don't think that 'Gouda' character will leave us alone if we remain here for the time being."
Guest 16: ZAFT: Oooh, someone has a theory~ Haven't heard that before, so it's good to hear a reader's speculating! And you will see what happens, don't worry!
DarkFoxKit: Though it would be cool to see your theory.
pokemon fan 1991: DarkFoxKit: Yup, we figured making them unable to say certain names would be a good way to show why they can't talk about certain things. It's not that they don't want to, they physically can't. And yeah, ectoplasm corrupting data and all that.
ZAFT: Glad you liked Zoe's combat debut here. It definitely makes her seem more competent and it fits better since our Rookie Digimon are here to help. :3
DarkFoxKit: Well only Patamon was there, Biyomon and Lopmon had to run off. And yes, I didn't like how they handled her debut as Kazemon in the actual show either. She should've gotten her own time to shine, not show off Koji again.
Eh, kids thinking soup from someone's nose being gross is nothing that unusual. Though Tommy thought it was cool.