ZAFT: New week, a new chapter. And next week is St. Patrick's Day for those of you who are Irish! XD
DarkFoxKit: I've finally started on Persona 3 Reload. Only reason I hadn't played it sooner was due to burnout after playing through Persona 4 Golden… twice.
ZAFT: Well, don't play this one twice. Don't want more burnout… XD
DarkFoxKit: You really don't know how Persona games work.
ZAFT: True… I need to look that up…
DarrkFoxKit: Well, regardless, this isn't about Persona, this is about Digimon and some ghost stuff. So you guys go ahead with the chapter.
ZAFT: Enjoy~
Chapter 28: The Digimon Village
"Hey… hey there, wake up!" An unfamiliar, yet somehow, familiar voice cut through the haze of darkness.
Andy groaned a little as he blinked open his eyes, and a bright light made his eyes hurt for a moment as he was trying to adjust. He saw a white blur standing in front of him as his eyes were adjusting to the light.
The white blur became a Digimon, one that looked familiar to Andy. The Digimon was white all over, save for the mouth, which had gray around it. The head of the Digimon ended in a point, and the Digimon had black eyes as well as black claws and foot claws. On its waist was a pink bellywarmer.
"Oh, thank goodness you are awake!" The Digimon exclaimed in relief. "Imagine my surprise when I found you outside my house, completely out cold!"
Andy blinked a few times, trying to make sure what he was seeing was real. He rubbed his eyes a few times before realizing that… these weren't his hands… at least not the hands he was used to. He studied the hands for a moment, seeing they were mostly little black claws that he was able to flex and move like fingers. He had pink and light brown fur on his arms. Looking down at himself, he could see his body was a lot smaller, and his legs were a lot shorter. He looked to the side, seeing two very floppy ears that were longer than his body.
Oh my gosh! I really am Lopmon now! Andy realized, his brain catching up to him. This feels so weird! I mean it was one thing being on top of Antlyamon's head and feeling like I was Antlyamon, but it's very different to actually be my partner!
The Digimon in front of Andy was watching the boy, who was now a Lopmon, looking himself over like he never saw himself before.
"Are you okay, my boy?" The Digimon asked, not entirely sure of what to make of Andy looking himself over.
"O-oh, uh…" Andy winced, hearing his voice, it sounded just like Lopmon's voice. "Um… I uh… s-sorry, I seem to have… dropped in out of nowhere…"
Andy looked around for a moment, frowning. "Did you see anyone else with me?"
"Can't say that I have, you're the only one I saw out here… Are there more of you?" The white Digimon asked.
"Oh… there should be," Andy replied as he tried to walk, but he wasn't used to having such short legs.
Not only that, Andy's long ears made it easy for him to trip over them. He yelped as he fell to the floor. At least he was short, so it wasn't a long way down.
"Do be careful." The white Digimon said in a concerned tone. "I dare say, you act like you haven't been a Digimon before. Normally a Lopmon such as yourself would not be tripping over their own ears the way you are."
"I'm… new…" Andy admitted.
The Digimon looked shocked. "How?"
"I… skipped the Baby and In-Training phase?" Andy replied before clearing his throat. "My situation is a bit unique."
The Digimon frowned. "This won't do… I've never heard of a Digimon skipping the Baby and In-Training stages before… though I have heard some Celestial Digimon are born as Rookies…"
The Digimon looked at Andy for a moment. "Could you be…?"
"Hmm?" Andy blinked.
"Nevermind… it couldn't be that easy," The Digimon sighed. "Listen little one, my name is Bokomon. And you won't survive in the Digital World if you're going to be stumbling on your own ears like that. Come with me, I'll help you with the basics before you go looking for your friends."
"Uh…" Andy hesitated for a moment, but logically speaking, he wouldn't last long at all if he went out on his own as he was now, since he wasn't used to this body. If Bokomon was willing to shelter him until he could walk on his own, it would be wise to take that decision, he just hoped his friends were in a good spot too. "Alright."
Andy hadn't expected to wake up to Bokomon when he entered the dream world, but he supposed he should consider himself lucky. Bokomon helped him inside his house.
"Alright… now then… to teach the basics of walking…" Bokomon began as he took a large green book out of his bellywarmer.
Andy sweatdropped. "Um… maybe instead of being told how to walk, I should just keep trying to walk until I get used to it?"
"Are you sure you want to try it?" Bokomon asked in concern. "I don't want you to trip over your own ears with each step you take. Perhaps I should help you out."
Andy didn't mind the help, but he didn't want to stay inside trying to study on 'the ways of how to walk'.
"You know, a lot of newly digivolved Digimon struggle to learn how to walk for the first time, since most Baby and In-Training Digimon don't have legs or feet to walk on," Bokomon noted. "Though I've never seen it as bad in your case."
Probably doesn't help that I know how to walk, just… not as a Lopmon. Andy sighed.
Bokomon's house was pretty small, there was a bookshelf that had books, and what appeared to be a small kitchen. Andy could see some kind of clay stove for heating food up, and a small white box that looked similar to a fridge, probably where Bokomon may or may not be storing food. But Andy was eager to get out and find his friends… and maybe see this world with his own eyes instead of on a screen, and how different it was to the Digital World he knew.
"At least let me try," Andy said. "You can stay beside me if you're worried about me tripping."
"Okay, if you're that insistent." Bokomon said, but he didn't sound like he was approving of Andy's plan. He did make his way to Andy's side, just to make sure Andy didn't trip over his own ears again.
Walking out of Bokomon's house wasn't too bad, but walking outside was a different story. The terrain was a little more rough, and Andy no longer had shoes, he had to walk with his bare feet.
Andy started taking baby steps, but as he started getting the hang of walking with short legs, he kept stepping on one of his ears, making him trip and fall on his face. Luckily there was grass under him, so his fall wasn't too bad.
Bokomon helped Andy up, and Andy tried again. Andy was trying several times, but he kept tripping on his own ears.
"I don't get how Lopmon was able to walk with ears this long…" Andy grumbled.
"I guess you knew another Lopmon?" Bokomon asked.
"You could say that," Andy replied. "But I don't get how he was able to walk no problem. The ears keep getting in the way… maybe I should tie them up or something…"
"I wouldn't recommend it. A Lopmon's ears are sensitive, and useful for gliding or riding the air, and for attacks. Tying them up is like trying to tie up your hands," Bokomon warned.
"But how am I going to walk like this?" Andy groaned.
"Ah, let me see if I can find something in the book!" Bokomon smiled.
Andy frowned, wondering just how much information was in that book. A part of him wondered if Dr. Carbon made it so that book just had information on every single Digimon in the dream world.
Bokomon spent a few minutes flipping through the book before he found what he was looking for. "Ah, here we are! Digimon with long ears like Lopmon and Terriermon keep their ears behind them when they walk. You've been keeping your ears right next to you, so that's why you keep tripping on them."
Andy blinked as he remembered whenever Lopmon walked, he had his ears dragging behind his feet, so even though his ears were long, they were never right next to his feet. Andy hadn't thought of that, he always kept his ears close to his body.
"Okay… I'll try that then," Andy said.
This time, when Andy walked, he had to remember to let his ears drag behind him. He had been worried about damaging his ears if he let them drag, but apparently his ears were meant to be dragged while he walked. With his big ears no longer right next to his feet while he walked, it made walking a lot easier. Dragging his ears wasn't painful, in fact, he barely felt anything at all on his ears as he walked. He remembered Lopmon often used his ears to block attacks, or used them to attack himself, so it made sense there wouldn't be much feeling in the ears themselves, otherwise it would be a painful existence.
It seemed like things were going well for Andy, and Bokomon was beaming with pride when a loud crashing sound was heard from above. Several yelps were also heard before something that was orange and cream fell to the ground in front of Andy and Bokomon with a loud grunt. "OOOF!"
"My word! That's not something you see everyday!" Bokomon exclaimed as the form that had crashed got to its feet. This new Digimon was orange with a cream underside, and blue eyes as well as wings that also served as ears, had black claws on all four of its paws, and a stubby tail.
Andy helped the Digimon up to his feet. "Are you alright?"
The Digimon groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking a few times. "Lopmon?"
"It's me, A-" Andy tried to say his name, thinking this was Danny, but when he tried, little snowflakes came out of his mouth.
"Huh?" Andy frowned, putting a hand over his mouth in confusion.
It was then Andy remembered one of Dr. Carbon's rules, that their names were blacklisted, so they could never be said, at least not by them.
"You're what?" The Digimon before realizing something. "Oh, you're-"
Just like Andy before, the Digimon tried to say something, but all that came out was some air and petals.
"Wow… that's weird…" The new Digimon grimaced. "It feels like I'm burping up something from my throat…"
"Yeah… we can't… say our names," Andy realized. "... Well… then I guess I'm just Lopmon now, and you're…"
"... Patamon," The Digimon, Patamon, said. "But you know who I really am, right… bro?"
Andy… or rather, Lopmon smiled. "Yes, I do, bro~"
Bokomon blinked as he looked at them, a little confused. "You two are brothers?"
"Um… yeah. We hatched from the same Digi-Egg…" Patamon admitted sheepishly.
Bokomon looked at the two, seeing how they looked nothing alike. "I… suppose it's possible for Digimon to come from the same Digi-Egg but digivolve differently."
"Don't think about it too much," Lopmon said. "Our situation is… unique. But yeah, Patamon was someone I was looking for. Why did you fall from the sky, bro?"
"You try flying, flapping your ears as wings." Patamon grumbled. "It's nothing like I expected it to be!"
"So when you woke up, the first thing you tried to do was to try to fly?" Lopmon asked. "Did you even try to learn how to walk?"
"I… Not really…" Patamon admitted. "I mean, I'm on four legs, unlike you."
Patamon got down on all fours and tried to walk. Lopmon watched with some amusement as his brother had his wings down, dragging on the ground. Though unlike with Lopmon, who was supposed to have his ears drag, Lopmon didn't think it was supposed to work like that for Patamon. Lopmon remembered seeing Patamon fold his wings whenever he wasn't using them. But his brother had his wings on the ground. That, combined with Patamon not being used to walking on all fours, and that equaled Patamon falling on his face really quickly.
"Oh dear…" Bokomon sweatdropped as he watched Patamon struggling to walk. "This will not do at all! We need to teach you how to walk too, my boy!"
"I can walk!" Patamon huffed. "Just… maybe I'll have better luck flying everywhere instead!"
"You can't fly before you learn how to walk! It just doesn't work!" Bokomon pointed out.
"Umm… can't I just learn how to walk on two legs then?" Patamon asked as he stood up on his hind legs.
Lopmon knew Patamon was capable of standing on two legs, but he wasn't really meant to walk like that. So when Patamon tried to step forward, he lost his balance immediately. Lopmon caught Patamon before he could fall on his face with his ears. Lopmon was beginning to realize how useful these ears were, he had a much longer reach with these ears, and the three prong tips were able to grapple things with surprising ease.
"Careful, bro," Lopmon said as he unwrapped his ears from Patamon's body before realizing something. "Huh… I'm actually taller than you now. Maybe I'm the bigger bro now~"
"You're only a little taller than me!" Patamon huffed. "Besides, that doesn't matter, I'm still older!"
"You two really are children…" Bokomon sighed.
"No we're not!" Patamon argued.
"We kinda are," Lopmon sheepishly said. "And right now, we're basically newborns since we're learning how to walk, and… how our bodies work."
Patamon groaned. "So we're basically starting from square one of life? That sucks!"
"Well, we have to, otherwise how are we going to find our friends and do what we came here to do?" Lopmon pointed out.
Patamon sighed. "Fine… how do I walk on all fours? And… with these really long ears that keep getting in the way."
"Welcome to the long ears club," Lopmon remarked with a chuckle.
"Well, first off…" Bokomon began as he looked at Patamon, seeing how he still had his ears dragging on the ground. "You need to pick your wings back up, they shouldn't be on the ground like that or you could damage them."
Patamon huffed, but he did just that. He held them out to the sides of his head. "Is there any way I can lessen the weight when I have my ears out like this? It hurts my head…"
"You're not supposed to have your ears out to the side like that," Bokomon answered. "That's only when you're gliding in the air. Now, different Digimon do different things with their wings, but in a Patamon and Tsukaimon's case, you want to keep your wings above your head when you're not using them. You can stretch them out or fold them, but keep them above your head."
"So I fold them back?" Patamon asked. "That doesn't sound too hard."
Carefully, Patamon moved his ears around before he managed to get them positioned behind his head, but in the raised up position. Strangely, he felt like it was completely natural for his wings to be like that; he didn't even notice it at all. "Wow… That feels much better, and I don't even notice it! I thought it would be a strain to have to keep my ears above my head like this."
Yeah, I guess that's the problem. We're used to thinking like humans, so that's why we're having trouble adjusting to our Digimon bodies. Lopmon noted.
"I'm glad that you're feeling better now," Bokomon said. "Now first, let's get you walking. You'll want to focus on putting one foot in front of the other until you get used to it. You and Lopmon can try walking around the field and see if you can get a good feel."
Patamon slowly began to put one foot in front of the other, which was odd at first. But the more he walked on all fours, the easier it became for him. "Hey! I think I'm getting the hang of walking on all fours!"
Lopmon was also walking around, having a better feel for his new body as well.
The two of them walked together. Lopmon was getting the hang of it a little faster than Patamon, since he was still able to walk on two legs, he just had to get used to walking with short legs and small feet, as well as remembering to keep his ears behind him. Patamon took a little longer, since he had to learn how to walk on all fours, but it wasn't too hard for him.
As they were walking, they started seeing other Digimon as well. They saw the white blobs, the ones that were called Poyomon, slithering or floating around. They looked happy to just exist. They also saw some purple furball Digimon, with long ears, and red mischievous eyes. They were called Pagumon.
"Look what we have here, some new Digimon to play with~" Some of the Pagumon grinned.
"We've never seen you guys around here before!" Another Pagumon sneered.
"Don't you know not to wander in a place you're not familiar with?" Another Pagumon mischievous remarked.
Before Lopmon or Patamon could reply, Bokomon ran over to the Pagumon. "Now, now, don't go playing pranks on them. They're with me."
The Pagumon all looked at Bokomon, but they didn't make a move towards him.
"Aw man, what a spoilsport." The first Pagumon grumbled. "Such a goody-two shoes. You're no fun."
"You can't protect them forever," Another Pagumon hissed.
The Pagumon all hopped away, grumbling to themselves.
"Those are Pagumon, they're young, but very… mischievous. If you rile them up, they can become quite dangerous," Bokomon warned.
That's an understatement… Lopmon frowned, remembering just how dangerous they could be from what he saw in the Dreamer machine.
"Well, other than those unpleasant guys, I think things are going pretty well. I'm able to walk now." Patamon smiled.
"Great, now we can try running," Lopmon said. "We'll probably be doing that a lot."
Patamon sweatdropped. "Great… And I have to do it on all fours… I'd better not trip too much…"
"Running isn't all that hard, my boy." Bokomon smiled. "And if you do trip up, don't quit. You will get it eventually!"
"Alright, let's do this, bro!" Lopmon smiled.
The two brothers began running, though they started out slow. Lopmon felt his ears being brushed against the wind as he moved faster, which threw him off balance. Patamon realized he would have to do things differently if he wanted to run. Trying to move his legs faster only made him walk faster, and going any faster than that resulted in his legs getting tangled up.
It took Patamon a while to realize he had to move his front legs and back legs together in the opposite direction if he wanted to run. He couldn't just simply put one leg in front of the other in this case. That was the tough part. For Lopmon, it was a little easier, because again, he only had to walk and run on two feet, though his big ears did throw him off balance several times.
As time went on, the afternoon sun was starting to set. Lopmon and Patamon finally made some progress in running with their new bodies. But they were also tired and hungry now. They were both lying on the ground, panting.
"How… long… have we… been… at this?" Lopmon groaned.
"I… have… no… no idea…" Patamon gasped out. "My body feels like it's sore all over…"
"Alright, I'd say that's enough practicing for one day, let's go back inside and get some dinner," Bokomon spoke up. "You two look like you could use a good meal after all of that."
Lopmon and Patamon found themselves salivating at the word 'dinner' and 'meal'. Normally they wouldn't go crazy for food, but their bodies were more than ready to start eating. It was likely a Digimon instinct, they knew their partners always loved to eat.
Lopmon and Patamon got back onto their feet, now a walking expert, they hurriedly followed after Bokomon.
It was the first time for Patamon to be inside Bokomon's house. He was looking around at how tiny yet cute the house was. Bokomon was taking out some fruits and berries from the little white box, though Lopmon wondered how much of that was actually fruit or meat that looked like fruit. He didn't care either way, food was food. Bokomon put some berries and cabbages on top of the clay stove. If he had to cook them, they were likely meat.
While Lopmon and Patamon weren't used to being Digimon, they had gotten familiar with the Digital World enough to know that not everything was as it appeared, especially when it came to food.
While Bokomon was cooking, he decided to make some small talk. "So where did you two come from?"
"Um…" Patamon began, only to hesitate. He was realizing that he and Lopmon couldn't exactly say where they were truly from, but that left them in a predicament. Patamon didn't know what to tell Bokomon. Patamon looked to Lopmon, hoping he had an explanation in mind.
"Far away," Lopmon answered vaguely. "We couldn't really tell you though, our memories are hazy."
Ah, playing the amnesia card, that's a good idea. Patamon realized.
"Your memories?" Bokomon frowned.
"Yeah… we don't really know what happened to us, we just… know a few things, like our friends, each other, and some people we're supposed to look for. But everything else is just a blur," Lopmon answered, weaving the story to try to make it believable, and also close to the truth. "We don't know how we got here."
"I see… you must've suffered quite the traumatic situation then… it's no wonder you're having trouble walking and just being what you are," Bokomon said in a worried tone.
"Well… In a way, it's a good thing, because we don't remember the exact situation that got us into this mess." Patamon admitted, trying to make it look like he was looking on the bright side. "I'd rather not remember how we wound up in this situation than deal with such traumatic memories."
"Still, it's horrible you ended up suffering in such a manner!" Bokomon exclaimed in worry.
"Yeah… it does kinda suck." Patamon agreed. "Trying to find our friends after such an event is certainly not an ideal situation either."
"But we're hoping that since we ended up here, our friends are here too," Lopmon said. "Are there any dangerous Digimon around here? Besides the Pagumon?"
"As far as I know, there shouldn't be any really nasty Digimon that live around here. The Digimon Village in the Flame Terminal is meant to be a safe haven for young Digimon, and a train station," Bokomon answered.
"That's good to hear." Patamon said in relief. "That means our friends should have no trouble finding or meeting up with us." Aside from that Cerberumon we saw in the dream world…
But we don't know when in the timeline we're in… Lopmon frowned. The fact that Bokomon is here… it likely means this is before Takuya and the others arrived, or… it could mean this is after… but that wouldn't make much sense, since there is no 'after'.
"Hey… this might sound strange, but… have you seen any humans around here lately?" Lopmon asked, needing to be sure.
"Humans?" Bokomon asked in confusion. "Why would I have seen a human? I've only heard of them. I've never seen one for myself before."
Okay, so they likely haven't shown up yet. Lopmon noted.
"Why do you ask?" Bokomon asked as he turned off the fire in the stove.
"We're looking for them," Lopmon admitted. "Six- err… no, five to be exact."
"Well, I can't say I've seen any humans here. I'm sorry." Bokomon apologized. "But if you want to, you can stay for the time being while looking for your humans."
"That's quite the offer." Patamon noted. "We don't want to intrude or be just in your way."
"It's not a problem at all," Bokomon promised. "I only have one other Digimon who stays with me from time to time, and he's an even bigger headache than a few children."
Bokomon put the cabbages and berries on some wooden plates before putting them down on the table in front of Lopmon and Patamon. "Careful, they're hot. Make sure you eat some fruits too."
Bokomon set down some regular looking apples, bananas, and red grapes next to their food.
"Oh, this all looks so good!" Patamon exclaimed as he felt his mouth watering at all of the delicious food.
Lopmon didn't waste time digging in. He bit on the cabbage, and it tasted like pepperoni pizza. He loved the strange yet tasty foods of the Digital World, he was glad that was one thing Dr. Carbon kept consistent.
"My, you two are really hungry," Bokomon noted as Lopmon and Patamon were eating at the speed of sound. "It's like you haven't eaten before."
"It's been a while," Lopmon admitted.
"Yeah, I can't remember the last time I ate. The whole memory loss thing isn't helping with that either." Patamon added, going with Lopmon's lie.
"Well, don't eat too fast, otherwise your stomachs will hurt." Bokomon warned.
After a while, Lopmon and Patamon finished eating. They felt nice and full, and very satisfied.
"That was good," Lopmon complimented.
"Can't remember since the last time I ate that much food," Patamon remarked.
"I'm glad you enjoyed the meal." Bokomon chuckled. "It's been a while since I had guests over, much less young Digimon such as yourselves."
"Do you often interact with the young Digimon from here?" Patamon asked. "You seem to be quite experienced in raising young Digimon."
"I grew up here," Bokomon admitted. "I always read stories about the Digital World, and always wanted to explore it. I usually get made fun of though, being a bookworm and all. Digi-school was quite rough for me, but I still enjoyed it. I get along with younger Digimon sometimes, but not always, especially the Pagumon."
"Why haven't you explored the Digital World?" Lopmon asked.
"Well, it's quite expensive getting tickets to ride the Trailmon, and walking is just out of the question," Bokomon said. "Though mostly it's because of the state that our world is in right now, no thanks to Cherubimon."
"The state of the world?" Patamon asked.
"Yes." Bokomon said sadly. "Our world is not in the best of shape. Cherubimon is looking to claim all of the world's fractal code for his own desires of power."
Taking a breath, Bokomon resumed speaking. "In order to understand what is going on, I must tell you an important history lesson."
Bokomon took out his book from his bellywarmer and opened it up. "Long ago, our world was split between the Human Digimon and the Beast Digimon. The two groups of Digimon had a long, terrible war, and it seemed nothing could stop this war. This was the great time of strife known as the Human-Beast Digimon War. Then, when it seemed like the war would end our world, hope came down from the sky in the form of Lucemon."
Bokomon paused to catch his breath before resuming the lesson. "Lucemon pleaded with the Human and Beast Digimon to end the war, and taught them how to coexist peacefully. For a time, things were at peace, but Lucemon began to get it in his head that he was the only one who could rule over all Digimon, and began to terrorize those who didn't agree with him or his ways."
Flipping to a new section of the book, Bokomon gave a small smile. "But, when it seemed like no one could stop Lucemon, ten Ancient Digimon, each one representing one of ten elements, rose up and stopped Lucemon. Now, Lucemon was strong, able to take out Mega-level Digimon with ease, but these ten Digimon were able to seal him away despite the odds being against them. However… they were unable to be reborn as Digi-Eggs due to the amount of power they expended in the fight. So, using the last of their power, the ten Digimon split their energies into artifacts so they could rise again one day if Lucemon were ever to escape, or if our world was in great danger."
"So, how does this tie in with Cherubimon?" Patamon asked, realizing playing dumb was the best way to go along with the memory loss cover story.
"After the defeat of Lucemon and the loss of these ten Digimon, now known as the Legendary Warriors for their feat, the artifacts left behind by the warriors were entrusted to the new rulers of our world, the three Celestial Digimon. They are Seraphimon, Ophanimon, and Cherubimon." Bokomon revealed. "Cherubimon, after a time of peace, slowly became corrupted, and now he is looking to conquer our world. He was able to defeat the other two Celestials, but he didn't claim their fractal code, more to send a message that he was not going to let anyone stop him."
"So one goes bad, and the other two couldn't do anything about it?" Lopmon frowned.
"Well, it's more complicated than that. Cherubimon took Seraphimon by surprise, and Ophanimon didn't want to hurt her old friend," Bokomon answered. "But ever since then, Cherubimon's been slowly eating away at the Digital World, draining it of its fractal code. I'm not sure what will happen if this keeps going."
Bokomon put the book back into his bellywarmer, making Lopmon and Patamon curious as to how Bokomon was able to fit the book in there.
"I can't believe a Celestial Digimon would just become corrupted like that, and attack his friends." Patamon frowned. "Is there no way to stop him?"
"I'm afraid not, Cherubimon is far too powerful to be stopped, and he has powerful Digimon under his command." Bokomon frowned.
"Maybe that's what caused us to lose our memories, we tried to stand up to Cherubimon but failed," Lopmon pretended to guess.
"It's possible." Patamon agreed. "But even if it is, we can't stand up to Cherubimon again. If we were defeated once, it's highly likely we will be defeated again."
"Well what did you expect when you go up against a Celestial Digimon that's been corrupted by dark powers?" Bokomon frowned. "Not to mention you're only Rookie levels. If you did go up against Cherubimon, it's a wonder how you're not Digi-Eggs right now, or completely consumed by Cherubimon himself. The only way you'd be able to digivolve quickly was if you had a bond with a human like in the stories!"
"Oh, maybe that's why we're looking for humans," Lopmon said, clinging onto what Bokomon just stated. "If humans really make Digimon strong that quickly, then maybe if we teamed up with humans, we might be able to take down Cherubimon."
"Yeah, we can't just sit back and let Cherubimon get away with whatever he is doing." Patamon agreed. "It only makes sense that we team up with humans. Who knows? Maybe that's the key to defeating Cherubimon!"
Bokomon gave them a look of surprise. "Are you serious? If you go up against Cherubimon, you'll die! I don't know for sure if you lost your memories because you went up against Cherubimon before or not, but if you had, it's clear you lost. And Cherubimon may not be so merciful next time. Why do you feel like you must go up against Cherubimon?"
"Think about it like this, Bokomon. If we don't, who will?" Lopmon questioned. "With Cherubimon eating away at the Digital World, it's only a matter of time before he destroys the Digimon as well. Isn't it better to go down fighting than wait for a miracle that may never come?"
Bokomon hesitated, but he knew Lopmon and Patamon were right. "I understand… But you're still just children compared to the rest of us here… I don't like the idea of having to have you two go out and fight against Cherubimon, even if you did have human partners. And humans have not been seen in the Digital World since ancient times, why would you think humans would be coming here now?"
"We have faith that humans are called into the Digital World in its time of need," Patamon answered. "We may not remember much of our lives or what's been going on in the Digital World, but we do know… humans are wonderful beings that always rise to the occasion when needed. They help Digimon become strong, they form bonds with each other, and they may have saved the Digital World before. And they can do it again. They'll come, I know they will, and when they do…"
"They'll save the world," Lopmon finished.
Bokomon had his doubts, but these two Digimon had faith that humans would show up. It wasn't common to see such young Digimon having such faith in mere myths, but if they had such a strong belief, who was he to stop it?
"I just hope your faith is not misplaced." Bokomon said. "I'd hate to see you be disappointed to say the least."
"You know, you've been calling us children all this time, but aren't you the same?" Lopmon asked. "Aren't you a Rookie Digimon too?"
"I am, technically," Bokomon admitted. "However, I can't digivolve past this stage. I'm a scholar Digimon, my purpose is to learn and gain knowledge. I don't need a stronger form for that after all."
"Wait, really? There are Digimon that can't go past a Digivolution stage?" Patamon asked, surprised.
"Yes, of course. At least not without some kind of Armor Digivolution or Fusion Evolution," Bokomon answered. "But those are extremely rare, to the point they're unheard of in this day and age. Humans were the ones to discover such rare Digivolutions in ancient times, and seemed to have disappeared along with them."
"All the more reason to find these humans," Lopmon said.
"Yes, well, for now you two need to remember how to function as Digimon first," Bokomon sighed. "Tomorrow, I'll have to try to help you learn how to fly, despite not being able to fly myself."
Bokomon was looking at Patamon when he said that, since Lopmon couldn't fly himself. Patamon huffed. I can fly… I just don't know how to fly with wings…
"Tomorrow?" Lopmon asked.
"Yes, it's already getting late," Bokomon pointed out, seeing how the sun was setting. "It would be bad for you to stay up too late."
"But where can we sleep?" Patamon asked.
"Oh, I have some extra beds for any guests I may have over." Bokomon smiled. "Just follow me, and I can show you where you will be sleeping."
Bokomon stood up from where he had been sitting at the table and began to head to the bedroom. "This way, don't dawdle!"
Lopmon and Patamon looked at each other, they had a lot of questions, but they decided to follow Bokomon.
Bokomon led Patamon and Lopmon to the bedroom. "Here we are." Bokomon said as he opened the door to the bedroom. "This is where you will be sleeping."
Patamon and Lopmon looked inside the bedroom. It looked nice enough. There were two beds, one for each of them, on opposite sides of the room. The beds looked like they were soft, and each one had a fluffy pillow at the head of the bed. The upper walls were nice and clean, showing a nice cheery cream color, and the lower walls were matching the floor, which was a nice rich brown color.
"You have more than one bed?" Lopmon asked, surprised.
"Well… I sometimes have a roommate," Bokomon admitted. "The other bed is mine. Since you two are small, I figured you could share the same bed. But if you don't want to, I might have a futon one of you could use."
"Lopmon and I have't shared a bed in… well… for a long time…" Patamon admitted. "Um… do you want to share a bed, bro?" He added, looking at Lopmon.
"I don't mind," Lopmon shrugged.
"Very well then," Bokomon said. "You two go ahead and get comfortable then."
"What about you?" Patamon asked curiously.
"I'm going to do some late night reading," Bokomon answered. "So I usually go to bed later."
Lopmon nodded before he and Patamon climbed into the bed. It was quite comfortable, softer than they expected.
"I'll let you two get settled in then," Bokomon as he walked out of the room.
Lopmon and Patamon looked at each other.
"So… uh… it looks like we made it," Patamon noted.
"Yeah." Lopmon nodded.
"... Do you think the others made it too?" Patamon questioned.
"I hope they did, but I haven't seen them since I woke up," Lopmon admitted.
"If they did arrive, we probably got separated. I mean, that's what happened with the two of us." Patamon mused. "If at all possible, I think we'll need to look for them in the morning. I don't want all of us to be separated for too long if we can help it."
Patamon took a breath before continuing to speak. "I just hope we got here in time to help the Legendary Warriors when they arrive as well…"
Deep down, Patamon was really hoping they could pull this off. It was one thing to help the Legendary Warriors in the real world, but to do the same in a dream world? This was something new to them.
"Well… Dr. Carbon did say that we couldn't come in until the loop went back again, right? It's possible we were put into a state of suspension until the loop went back to the beginning," Lopmon explained. "But we don't know how far back we are. So we better keep our eyes out for when the Legendary Warriors come into the Digital World. But our first priority is to look for our friends. Make sure everyone makes it alright, we're going to need all of their help."
Patamon nodded. "Yeah, so finding them is the first thing we'll do tomorrow." He said before a yawn escaped him. "We'll need to get some sleep so we can have energy for tomorrow."
Sure enough, Patamon looked like he wanted to doze off right then and there. "These soft beds aren't exactly helping me stay awake to talk to you either…"
"Go ahead and sleep then, we're going to need the energy tomorrow. We've got a lot of work to do," Lopmon chuckled. I just wonder if sleeping is okay… we are in a dream world, aren't we technically already asleep? What would happen if we fell asleep here? But it looks like we can't just stay awake forever either. It looks like our bodies still need the basic stuff, like eating and sleeping. Then again, we did see Takuya and the others needing to eat and sleep too.
Lopmon could only hope that Dr. Carbon wouldn't try to lock them into an endless sleep here. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep himself.
Andy opened his eyes again. He found himself in… what he could only describe as the void. There was nothing but darkness as far as the eye could see. But he saw he was floating inside some kind of light brown sphere with fractal code circling around it. He looked down, seeing he was currently human, but… he was also naked.
"Where am I? … And where are my clothes?" Andy questioned. "Wait… why am I human again?"
Andy heard a familiar voice giggling at his questions.
"This is definitely an interesting situation we are in." The voice of Lopmon replied. "It seems your mind retreats here when you sleep. Although, this is also confusing, because I had no idea this would happen/"
"Lopmon? Is that you?" Andy asked, surprised.
"Of course it's me, silly. Who else would I be? Your conscience?" Sure enough, Lopmon had been speaking to Andy directly.
"Where am I? … And where are you?" Andy questioned.
"You're asleep… well… you're asleep in the real world, and in the dream world. Um… I wouldn't call this a dream exactly, but more like… a place in our heads?" Lopmon's voice answered, sounding a little unsure. "The reason you can't see me is because I'm technically all around you. I don't exactly have a physical body at the moment, since you're using it."
"Oh…" Andy frowned. "I have been wondering about that, but I was… focused on learning how to be a Lopmon, and where my friends are. Have I… took over your body? Like… overshadowing you?"
"Well… not in a normal, ghostly sense. You're not possessing me exactly, more like… you are me, but with your own mind? I'd say we're more like a fusion of each other," Lopmon answered.
"Fusion? Really?" Andy blinked. "I don't feel any different… other than the obvious physical changes."
"Of course not. You've been linked to me before, and… well, I don't think our minds would notice a difference since we're… very much alike anyway," Lopmon replied.
"Wait… so… we're currently fused?" Andy questioned again. "Is that… okay? Is that okay for the others? Have they fused with their partners too?"
"I do think it's possible that the others have gone through the same situation as us." Lopmon admitted. "But as to if it's okay… This is new for all of us, so I can't say if this is okay for you guys or not. I'm sorry I can't give you a more concrete answer."
Lopmon's voice held regret before the tone changed to be more optimistic. "But if it helps, think of this like the Legendary Warriors' situation. They can become Digimon themselves. So, in a way, it's similar to that."
"Yeah, I guess so," Andy replied. "Would we… be able to unfuse when we get out of the dream world?"
"I don't know… I hope so, because it's gonna be kinda weird to just be a Digimon all the time without a human partner," Lopmon answered.
"It'll definitely be weird to be a Digimon for the rest of my life," Andy added.
"You enjoy it, come on, I know you do~" Lopmon teased.
Andy huffed. "Don't go looking into my thoughts…"
"You make it easy," Lopmon chuckled. "But… it looks like we can't really speak to each other while you're awake… well, awake in the dream world. So I guess if you need to talk, you should fall asleep."
"Easier said than done, I can't just fall asleep on command," Andy grumbled.
"Well, it's either that or you get knocked out." Lopmon replied with a mental shrug. "But I do think we need to work on communicating while you are awake, or find a similar method so you don't have to fall asleep just to talk to me. It would be detrimental if you had to fall asleep during a battle or something just to talk to me."
Lopmon raised a valid point, and the implications pointed out didn't spell anything good for them both.
"My parents and Jazz did mention that they'll try to communicate with us, maybe I can ask them if there's a way for us to talk to you guys," Andy suggested. "Though that does mean we'll have to wait until they're able to communicate with us."
"Until then, I guess the best thing we can do is work with what we've got," Lopmon said.
Andy gave a grin. "Nothing we haven't done before. Though I wonder how Danny and Patamon are taking this…"
"Oh man… I can't believe that I've fused with you!" Danny groaned.
Danny was in the same kind of void as Andy was, only the sphere surrounding him was orange instead of light brown.
"I mean no offense, Patamon, but after becoming half ghost, I'm still trying to figure out how to live like that. Now I have to figure out how to live like a Digimon too?" Danny sighed.
"Well, it's not that bad." Patamon tried to cheer up Danny. "If you can learn to live as a half ghost, then you can learn how to live as a Digimon. I mean, you've done well to learn to live with your powers so far."
"Easier said than done," Danny grumbled. "But… I'm glad the plan worked… at least we were able to make it into the dream world."
"And at least my biology still allows you to fly. Granted it's not as fast as your ghost form, but it's still something," Patamon stated. "You should still have access to our ghost form."
"What?" Danny blinked surprised. "Really? How? My body is back in the real world."
"My data was infused with your ectoplasm, remember?" Patamon reminded.
Danny blinked before grinning. "Really? That's awesome!" He exclaimed before he remembered what ectoplasm did to the Digital World, and his grin faded. "Or not… Aw man! If I use our ghostly form, that could mess up the Digital World!"
"Calm down." Patamon said gently. "Haven't you used your ghost form in the Digital World before?"
"Um… maybe once to save Tommy from a WaruMonzaemon…" Danny admitted. "And… the Digital World seemed stable at the time, but…for all we know, my ghost form could have corrupted the Digital World if I had remained in it for much longer."
"Hmmm… While I would say that your ghost form not corrupting the Digital World is a good sign, what we know about ectoplasm and how it reacts to data makes me think that using our ghost form should be a last resort option." Patamon mused thoughtfully. "I'd rather be safe than sorry in this case."
Danny nodded. "I definitely agree with you there."
"It might also be wise to try to not use it near the Legendary Warriors themselves. While Dr. Carbon didn't say it was against the rules, it would be dangerous if he saw us using that form. He'd put two-and-two together and figure us out as Danny Phantom," Patamon warned.
Danny grimaced. "Yeah, good point. And if he figures it out, then who knows what Mom and Dad may do. I mean, yeah, they're being more open to the idea of ghosts not being all evil and stuff, but… I don't want to risk them doing something stupid or crazy if they find out I'm half ghost."
Patamon sent a reassuring feeling to Danny. "We'll get through this, and we'll save the Legendary Warriors, whether we use our ghost form or not."
Danny smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we're stronger than Dr. Carbon thinks."
"Until then, we better work with what we've got," Patamon said.
"Nothing we're not used to at this point," Danny chuckled.
It was the next morning in the dream world. Lopmon was the first to wake up, with his large ears, he heard something. He sat up from the bed and looked over to the window, looking out curiously. He saw a tall looking yellow creature wearing red pants walking toward the house. There were a few Digimon behind him.
"That's right, just keep walking! You should be pros in no time at all!" The yellow Digimon spoke in a bit of a high pitch voice.
The few Digimon behind this Digimon were somewhat familiar to Lopmon, but one thing was clear; all of them were struggling to walk.
"How can some Digimon stand walking like this?" One of the Digimon complained. "I feel like I'm going to trip over my own feet!" The complaining Digimon was a Labramon. The Labramon Digimon fell down after a few steps. "Darn it! It's like walking while doing a tango dance!"
"Well, at least you don't have large claws on your feet." Another Digimon, a Biyomon, grumbled. "It feels like I'm wearing something uncomfortable on my feet."
"You try being made of metal." The last Digimon, a Kokuwamon muttered. "I feel like I'm wearing heavy armor. I can barely even move!"
"H-hey! No complaining! You're all doing great!" The yellow Digimon encouraged.
The three Digimon grumbled despite the yellow Digimon's encouragement.
Patamon grumbled as he stirred awake due to the commotion outside. "What's going on out there?" He asked as he looked at Lopmon groggily. "Someone's loud voice woke me up…"
Lopmon was giggling. "Well, I think we found the rest of our friends… well, maybe, assuming they are who I think they are. It looks like Neemon found them and they're learning how to walk."
Patamon got off the bed and made his way to the window. He peered out as well, seeing what Lopmon was seeing. Despite his best efforts, Patamon found himself snickering as well. "And I thought the two of us learning to walk was awkward."
"Come on, let's go outside and meet up with them." Lopmon smiled.
Lopmon and Patamon were relieved to see their friends came and found them, they were worried they would've had to go look for them all over the Digital World.
"What is it?" Bokomon asked, seeing Lopmon and Patamon were awake and heading toward the door.
"We saw… who we think are our friends with someone heading this way," Lopmon explained.
"If it's them, we want to see if they are alright." Patamon added. "I mean, we all did get separated."
"Oh? Well, if I may, I would be happy to come along with you." Bokomon said with a smile. "Who is bringing them here?"
"Well… I assume the one escorting our friends here is Neemon." Patamon replied.
"What? That dolt is coming here?" Bokomon groaned. "I haven't set up everything for him!"
"Is he really that bad?" Patamon asked.
"He tends to be a huge klutz!" Bokomon grumbled. "No, no, it's best you meet him first before you get any second hand information from me. Come on, let's go meet up with them."
Bokomon walked over to the front door, opening it up. Lopmon and Patamon walked outside. Bokomon closed the door behind them as they headed toward the four Digimon.
"Hey… I see them! I… think," A Biyomon pointed out when they spotted the three heading toward them.
"They fit the two Digimon we were looking for at least," A Kokuwmon noted.
"Don't go too fast… unlike you guys, I have to walk on all fours, and that's completely new to me!" Labramon grumbled, who was falling behind the group.
Lopmon and Patamon got closer to the group.
"Oh hey, these are your friends?" Neemon asked.
"I think so," Biyomon said as she stepped forward to Lopmon and Patamon. "Did you… fall asleep in a living room and wake up somewhere around here yesterday?"
"Yes, we did," Patamon confirmed.
"I take it the same goes for you guys?" Lopmon pointed out.
"Yup! We managed to find each other when Neemon found us," Kokuwamon confirmed.
"Though we would've found you guys sooner, but we were having some trouble… getting used to our… own feet," Biyomon admitted.
"Especially Labramon," Kokuwamon pointed out.
"H-hey! Don't go saying that!" Labramon huffed.
Patamon smiled. "I'm glad we found each other pretty quickly. I was worried we'd have to look all over the Digital World for you!"
"Hey, that would've been an extremely difficult task." Kokuwamon retorted. "Finding us would've been like looking for a needle on a large pile of screws, or even a hay pile."
"That's… a good way to describe it…" Patamon sweatdropped.
"Let's not get too distracted here," Lopmon spoke up. "It's great that we found each other, but aren't we missing someone?"
"Ah, right! We're missing-" Patamon coughed out some small feathers from his mouth. "Um… I mean we're missing Salamon. Did she make it okay?"
"I'd assume so, but we don't know where she is." Kokuwamon replied. "This is concerning. I thought we'd all end up in the same place."
"Apparently not." Biyomon grumbled. "But we don't know where she could have ended up."
"Well, the important thing is that most of us are together now," Lopmon said. "We can discuss what our next plan is and hope that… um… I'm guessing Salamon? Yeah, Salamon finds us on her own time."
"But we first need to learn how to walk… and just get used to these bodies in general…" Kokuwamon sighed.
"Yeah. I'm still learning how to walk properly, then I gotta learn how to fly if I want to be an effective scout, I am a bird after all," Biyomon pointed out.
Neemon went over to Bokomon and smiled. "You got your own kids, too? Don't they just grow up so fast?"
"Oh hush!" Bokomon grumbled. "I came across the two of them yesterday. They aren't my kids. I was just helping them out."
"That's sweet." Neemon grinned. "I just thought a Trailmon delivered the wrong kids… or maybe they're the right kids and I didn't know we were expecting."
"We weren't expecting!" Bokomon snapped. "Honestly, we haven't even found a Digimon to settle down with, so how could we have had kids of our own?"
"I dunno, I mean children are usually just brought to other Digimon from Primary Village, right? Do they have to be partners to have kids?" Neemon questioned.
"You ask the dumbest of questions, I swear…" Bokomon grumbled. "It seems these children are on some kind of mission, but they can't remember much about themselves or the world. The poor things…"
"What kind of mission could children be on? To have fun? To play a prank on someone?" Neemon questioned randomly.
"I don't know!" Bokomon snapped as he grabbed Neemon's pants waistband and pulled, letting it snap back into place.
Neemon yelped at the sudden snap. "Ouch!"
"Serves you right for asking the dumbest questions." Bokomon scolded. "Besides, I think their mission may have had something to do with fighting back against Cherubimon."
"Oh… uh… why?" Neemon asked.
"They said that nobody would stand up to him… and they want to find humans to help them with that," Bokomon answered.
"Humans? What's a human?" Neemono questioned.
"How could you not know what a human is?!" Bokomon exclaimed. "There are myths about humans coming to the Digital World in its times of need! Were you not paying attention in Digital World History?!"
"I don't remember. I may have been sick that day." Neemon replied. "Either that or I was asleep in class."
Bokomon let out a loud groan.
"Are they gonna be okay?" Labramon asked.
"Neemon does tend to be quite clueless about things that should be pretty obvious, but I think he's a pretty funny guy," Kokuwamon chuckled.
"And he was nice enough to help us learn how to walk," Biyomon added.
"Bokomon was helping us learn how to walk too," Lopmon said. "And helped Patamon with his wings, since his wings are a little different from bird wings."
"Did Bokomon help Patamon learn to fly too?" Biyomon asked.
"Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think so…" Patamon admitted sheepishly. "I really need to learn to fly."
"You were still learning how to walk, don't be so impatient," Lopmon said.
"I can understand the excitement, he's used to flying, so it's probably hard for him to stay grounded," Biyomon said vaguely, making sure to word it for those who know about Patamon's secret would be the only ones to understand what she meant. "As for me though, I'm pretty excited to learn to fly. I used to ride on… bigger flying Digimon, but I'll bet it feels a lot more different to be able to fly on your own."
"Couldn't Kokuwamon fly too?" Lopmon asked, looking at Kokuwamon.
"I believe so. I seem to have bug-like wings behind me," Kokuwamon replied. "Though I have no idea how to use them."
"Yeah, bug wings don't just flap like a bird's wings or bat's wings," Biyomon noted.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out, you're pretty smart," Labramon said. "I would say I'm pretty jealous that you guys get to fly, but since I'm still struggling learning how to walk, I think I'm good on trying to learn how to fly too."
"I can't technically fly, but I think my ears may allow me to ride the air currents and glide," Lopmon said as he picked up one of his ears and started to squeeze it a bit.
"Flight will be an interesting thing to learn, but we don't have any Digimon to teach us." Patamon grumbled. "At least it would be faster than walking to say the least."
"Says the one who is used to flying." Kokuwamon joked.
"Haha, very funny." Patamon retorted, but there was no anger in it, just frustration.
"I can't blame you though." Kokuwamon admitted. "It's something you were used to."
"What does that mean? He flew before?" Labramon asked.
"He spends a lot of time in a simulation room back home to learn how to be an astronaut," Lopmon explained.
Labramon nodded. "Ah, okay. So that's what you meant."
"So uh… Cherubimon is still eating the world?" Neemon questioned. "But isn't he right there?"
"Why would Cherubimon be here?" Bokomon asked. "If he was, the world would've been fixed by now! Use that empty head of yours for once!"
"But he's right there, next to Seraphimon." Neemon pointed at Patamon. "See?"
"You idiot! That's Patamon and Lopmon! Open your eyes!" Bokomon scolded.
"All I see are Seraphimon and Cherubimon." Neemon said dumbly.
Bokomon grumbled before he did the waistband snap to Neemon again. "That's for your dumb questions and assumptions!"
"Ow!" Neemon yelped.
"Besides, Seraphimon hasn't been seen in ages," Bokomon sighed.
"What are you two talking about?" Lopmon asked. "Seraphimon and Cherubimon?"
"Oh! They are two of the Celestial Digimon who rule the Digital World, along with Ophanimon." Bokomon replied. "I thought you'd be more aware of that. I did give you two a history lesson after all."
"We were more curious to why Neemon was mentioning them," Patamon clarified.
"Oh don't mind him, he probably thinks all Patamon and Lopmon are Seraphimon and Cherubimon," Bokomon huffed.
Patamon and Lopmon both sweatdropped.
"Neemon can be so dumb sometimes. I am often surprised his idiocy hasn't gotten him turned into a Digi-Egg already." Bokomon continued with a sigh.
"Yeah… he sounds like he can be a handful." Patamon chuckled.
"But it's not nice to call him 'dumb'," Biyomon scolded. "He helped us when we were confused and unable to walk."
"Well… I suppose Neemon does have his random flashes of intellect at times." Bokomon admitted. "But those are rare and don't happen often."
"I was happy to help them!" Neemon beamed.
"Well, for now, we should learn more… like how to fly, and use attacks if we wanna survive here," Lopmon stated. "Once we can do that, then we can wait for the humans to show up."
"They haven't showed up yet?" Labramon asked.
"I don't think so, but if they have, we can try to look for them," Kokuwamon suggested. "Being able to fly will help with that."
"I agree with Kokuwamon. The sooner we can use attacks, and the sooner Biyomon, Kokuwamon, and I can fly, the better." Patamon said.
"Learning to fly will not be an easy thing for you three." Bokomon warned. "Are you sure you want to try it so soon after just learning to walk?"
"We gotta start sooner or later." Patamon replied with a shrug. "Why not sooner rather than later?"
"I like that idea! You'll learn sooner if you start sooner, right?" Neemon pointed out.
Bokomon sighed. "Very well then. I'll do the best I can to help. The Poyomon usually fly, so they might be able to offer some advice, the only problem is they don't use wings to fly, so they can only tell you so much."
"I'm sure you guys will figure it out! It should come naturally!" Neemon encouraged.
"Well… it looks like we may have some time to try to figure this out, so we might as well," Kokuwamon said.
"Labramon and I will probably start working on our attacks then while you guys get some flying lessons," Lopmon chuckled.
"Sure, I think that works." Biyomon grinned. "And then when Kokuwamon, Patamon, and I have learned to fly, you guys can teach us how to use our own attacks."
"Hey, that's a fair trade." Patamon grinned.
"Not much of a trade, since you can't teach us how to fly," Labramon pointed out. "But I guess it's important that you learn how to use attacks."
"Alright, we got a lot to do and little time to do it," Patamon spoke up. "Let's get started!"
"You just learned to walk, you want to keep going already?" Bokomon asked.
"We can't start slacking off now," Lopmon said. "We want to be ready when we find those humans."
"Oh… alright… I'll see what I can do to help you with all of this," Bokomon sighed.
"You just gotta believe!" Neemon smiled.
"Be quiet, please," Bokomon grumbled.
For the next few days, Patamon, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon were trying to learn how to use their wings to fly. Flapping their wings was the first thing they had to work on consistently. They ended up flapping too fast or too slow to fly properly. Bokomon was using the book to try his best to explain how to have them fly with their respective wings.
Neemon was working with Lopmon and Labramon, helping them with their attacks. Neemon was surprisingly good at explaining how moves worked. Lopmon and Labramon realized their attacks came from their Digi-Cores, which were somewhere in the center of their bodies. Unleashing their attacks was but a thought, like blowing out air, or trying to stomp on the ground. It was simple when they actually tried it. They did need to put in more effort and energy to make the attack stronger, which was something they had to keep in mind.
With practice, Biyomon, Kokuwamon, and Patamon were soon able to fly with ease. While it was weird at first for Patamon to use his ears to fly, it wasn't as bad as he thought and he got used to it quite quickly. Biyomon found using her wings was like a bird flapping their wings, and it made her feel giddy because she was flying under her own power. Kokuwamon had little trouble flying, but that was because he was more or less using electromagnetic forces to fly, which made it easier for him to maneuver in the air.
Labramon and Lopmon were getting used to using their attacks. With more practice, they were able to get the hang of it and to make the moves sufficiently powerful enough to hold their own against each other. The next part came with teaching the three flyers how to use their own attacks.
With Neemon's help alongside Labramon and Lopmon, Biyomon, Patamon, and Kokuwamon were able to learn how to use their own attacks. Patamon found it weird he had to inflate or puff up his own body to let out one of his attacks, but it also meant the attack had more power behind it the larger his body became. Kokuwamon enjoyed learning how to use his attacks, as it meant he could shock his enemies silly or stun them. Since his body was made of metal and had electrical currents flowing through it, he just had to touch an enemy to get the best effect. Biyomon had a bit of trouble with her Spiral Twister attack, as getting it to form in front of her was rough and it did explode into a fiery burst a few times before she finally got the hang of it.
Lopmon enjoyed being able to breathe out ice, freezing certain things. Labramon discovered she can shout really loud, but she can also heal others with some kind of healing liquid from her maw. Though Kokuwamon and Patamon found that really gross.
They also decided to forage for food for Bokomon, since there were a lot of them to feed, and Bokomon didn't have enough food or money to feed all of them on a daily basis. So the 5 Digimon, using their newly learned abilities, decided to get some food. Labramon realized she could use her nose to find food easier, while Patamon, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon flew around to find food in the trees.
They also started talking to some of the less cruel Pagumon, and the Poyomon. Slowly but surely, the 5 Digimon were getting used to life in the village.
"I wonder how much longer it will be before the humans are supposed to show up," Labramon questioned as they were sitting outside, enjoying the afternoon sun.
"I don't know." Patamon admitted. "I thought they would be here by now, but I guess we may have to wait for a while longer."
"I hope nothing bad happened to them." Biyomon said worriedly. "I mean… Well… I hope they didn't end up in the wrong place…"
"That's a very valid concern." Kokuwamon noted. "We do know the humans end up coming here, but maybe things could have changed."
"What if they were already here and they left before we arrived?" Labramon frowned.
"That… that's a possibility…" Biyomon admitted. "But… wouldn't we have seen them by now?"
"Bokomon mentioned he didn't see any humans here when we first met him." Patamon noted. "So going off that line of thought, I doubt they have been here."
"Bokomon doesn't need to have seen the humans for them to have already been here." Kokuwamon pointed out.
"And things could've changed because we ended up here in the first place," Lopmon pointed out. "I don't know how, but… he may have wanted to change things to throw us off guard. He did say he didn't want to make this easy for us after all."
"Great, so there's a chance they arrived early and are already exploring the Digital World," Biyomon grumbled.
"We could try asking the other Digimon around here if they've seen any humans, it doesn't just have to be Bokomon we ask," Patamon suggested.
"Hmm…" Kokuwamon said thoughtfully. "Maybe one of us who can fly should scout around the Digital World, just in case?"
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Labramon frowned.
"We have to take a chance, or we won't make any headway in our mission." Kokuwamon replied. "It would be good to scout ahead anyway. We can't all just stay in one spot waiting forever."
Patamon looked down in thought. Finally, he looked back up and spoke. "Kokuwamon has a point. We can't just stay here. We need to move around, scout out the Digital World. It will be helpful to us, and if the humans do come here, we will have some of us ahead so we can have more information when we meet back up."
"Yeah…" Lopmon frowned as he looked at the group. "But…"
"What's wrong?" Biyomon asked.
"Remember one of the rules he listed to us?" Lopmon pointed out. "About not being allowed to be around them after they get their Beast Spirits?"
"Oh… that rule…" Patamon grimaced. "That's gonna be a hard one to deal with when the time comes."
"How will we deal with that when we get to that point?" Biyomon asked. "It sounds… very restricting."
"Restricting is not really the way to describe it." Kokuwamon pointed out. "It means we will be forbidden from seeing them or even being in their presence."
"How are we supposed to save them if we can't be near them?" Labramon frowned.
"We don't have to be near them, we just have to get them out of this world," Lopmon explained.
Luckily, Bokomon and Neemon were in their house right now, so the Digimon could talk among themselves about this.
"So what's your idea then?" Biyomon questioned.
"It might be in our best interest to stay away from them from the beginning," Lopmon answered.
"What? But aren't we supposed to look for them?" Kokuwamon asked.
"And why should we stay away from them?" Patamon questioned.
"Look, if we have to stay away from them once they get their Beast Spirits, then wouldn't it be better to already be keeping away from them instead of getting attached to them, and them getting attached to us, then we have to leave them?" Lopmon asked. "That could mess them up, and we would all get hurt in the end. We can keep an eye on them from afar, but we shouldn't get too close to them."
"I… guess that works…" Labramon said nervously. "But… will we be able to do that? Stay away and keep an eye on them I mean. What if they get into trouble and need our help?"
"And besides, our role is to be their 'guides', right? We can't do that if we stay away from them," Patamon pointed out. "I'm sorry but I don't like this idea, bro."
"I know you don't," Lopmon grumbled. "But try to be practical about this. If we're forced to stay away from them later, wouldn't it be better to just do that at the beginning? Getting close to them only to be torn apart later will just make things painful. I'm sure we can just keep an eye on them from afar. They were able to make it through the Digital World without us holding their hands before."
"What can we do then? We can't…" Patamon trailed off. He didn't want to just stay away, but it was too risky to get close to the children. Lopmon had a point, but it didn't sit well with Patamon. "I can't stand this… That rule we have to leave them after they get their Beast Spirits? It's not fair and puts us in a bad position. I don't like the idea of staying away. It goes against what we are supposed to do, which is to be their guides! How can we do that if we only stay away?!"
"I understand how you feel…" Biyomon frowned. "I want to be able to help them, have them avoid this fate… I also want to get to know them better too… but being forced to stay away and watch from afar… either now or later… it's a harsh rule. And Lopmon does have a point, it would hurt far less if we stay away from them in the beginning. No bonding, no need to worry about breaking their hearts, or our's."
"I don't really like it though." Labramon frowned. "I just don't think we can really help them if we stay away from them the entire time. What if hanging out with them helps us understand them more that could help us get them out easier? Or heck, we could even get stronger by going with them so we can survive on our own when the time comes."
Kokuwamon was in agreement with Patamon. "I hate to admit it, but I agree with Patamon. We can't just sit back. They will need our help. There may be things that they encounter that they can't overcome with just their Spirits alone. It's not fair that we have to leave them, but why can't we help them? If we watch from afar, it prevents us from being their guides. They will need all the help they can get in this world."
"They may have gotten along fine without us before," Patamon stated. "But who's to say that'll be true this time around? D- he may make things different to, like you said earlier, take us off guard."
"I doubt he would want them to get killed early on. This is supposed to make them win, if it weren't for that 'virus' or whatever, he wouldn't be keeping them trapped in this loop to begin with," Lopmon pointed out.
"But…" Biyomon spoke up. "There is something to consider… if they were to get killed, he just has to reset them back to the beginning… then what will happen to us in that case? He made it clear that we only get one shot at this, right?"
"... Resetting over them dying would be the easiest way to get rid of us," Kokuwamon nodded.
"That… must be why he made us guides, to make sure they don't get themselves killed too quickly, so we have a chance… right?" Labramon asked.
Lopmon sighed. "We don't know what he is thinking or planning, these are all just speculations. We can stay close enough to them to keep an eye on them, so we can help them if it comes down to it. But otherwise, it might be in our best interest to be distant from them even if they do see us."
"So you're saying we have to err on the side of caution." Patamon noted. "I get it, but that doesn't mean I like it, nor do I want us to do it."
"So… it's agreed? We keep our distance from them while also keeping an eye on them?" Lopmon asked.
"Yeah, I guess so," Kokuwamon said.
"If we must." Biyomon nodded.
"I don't like it… but if it's easier, then we'll try," Labramon sighed.
"Okay. Then for now, let's ask around the village if they've seen any humans, if not… we'll need some of you guys who can fly to scout around," Lopmon stated.
"Sounds like a plan," Biyomon said.
"Let's just hope they didn't arrive early so we get thrown off our game," Kokuwamon remarked.
As the 5 Digimon got up and started walking, Patamon noticed Lopmon's look of worry. "You worried about them?"
"... Well… yeah, I am, but…" Lopmon looked at Patamon. "Where is Salamon? It's been a few days and we still haven't seen her. This village isn't that big…"
Patamon frowned. "I'm sure she'll turn up soon… she's tough, she can take care of herself."
"Salamon, I don't understand, why are we here?" Valerie asked.
Valerie was currently in the void, with a gold sphere around her that had a fractal code ring around it, similar to when Danny and Andy spoke to their Digimon.
"It's possible that Maxwell sent us here instead of with the others for a reason," A familiar voice said to Valerie. "We woke up in my Rookie form, so he must have some kind of plan for us."
"I don't like this. We're alone and probably far away from our friends," Valerie grumbled. "This place is dark too… do you know where we are?"
"It looks like we're on the dark continent, close to the Morning Star," Salamon's voice answered.
"Oh, so we're close to the big bad Cherubimon… Is Dr. Carbon trying to get us killed!?" Valerie groaned.
"I don't think so. Maybe there was a reason we were separated from the others." Salamon's voice replied. "But as to what reason that is, that we don't know, so I suggest we stay on the side of caution for the time being."
"I agree with you." Valerie grumbled. "We can't just rush in here. But we can't just wander around either. We need a plan besides acting all lost."
"I get the feeling that might be why we were brought here, though I'm not sure. We clearly can't get out of here on our own, especially since you're just now getting used to walking on all fours," Salamon replied.
"So what, am I supposed to walk straight to Cherubimon's castle? Wouldn't it be better for us if we find a Trailmon to get us out of here?" Valerie asked.
"I'm afraid Trailmon won't come into the dark continent, not with Cherubimon ruling as an evil tyrant anyway," Salamon replied.
"So our options are limited…" Valerie frowned. "I haven't been able to eat much of anything since we ended up here… our body is going to get really weak soon."
"Yes, but we need to get to safety first. Once we find shelter, we can figure out what to do next." Salamon suggested. "Finding a cave to shelter in would be our best bet, or barring that, perhaps a tree with an opening in the trunk."
"I'll see what I can do," Valerie sighed. "Let's try to wake up our exhausted body. It's not safe to sleep anywhere in the open for too long…"
Salamon opened her eyes, finding herself back in a dark forest. Her body was thin, and her fur was covered with dirt and grass stain. She began moving, walking forward. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she had to find some kind of shelter.
She didn't get far, or at least… she might've gotten far, but blacked out as her body was on auto-pilot, when some kind of large shadow approached her. The dark aura of that being made her flinch and back away. The darkness that was oozing from this being made her feel sick.
Looking up at the shadowy figure, she saw yellow eyes gleaming at her tiny form. She wanted to run away, but she felt too weak to move much, let alone run. She also felt rooted on the spot. She was terrified. This dark being could just smash her entire existence if it wanted to.
The dark being lowered itself to get a better look at her. "... Ophanimon…? How curious… I should have you in my prison right now, yet you stand before me as a weak little Salamon? … No, that doesn't make sense… I know for a fact that you should still be back at my prison. And yet… you are also here… like a helpless little child. How… interesting… You are Ophanimon, but you are also not her."
Salamon didn't know what to do. Oh crap! I didn't think I'd get spotted by Cherubimon so soon! She was too weak, and she didn't even know how to fight back. She had only learned to walk and run over the last few days, but she wasn't as experienced with moving on all fours either, so even if she tried to run, Cherubimon would easily catch her. What does he mean? Ophanimon? Isn't she one of the Celestial Digimon? Why would he think I'm her?
"You look confused," The dark being noted. "Perhaps I can take advantage of this… yes… if you are unaware of your true self… then this could work in my favor. Don't look so frightened little lost Salamon. I shall bestow you a gift. I trust you will use it well."
The dark being reached out a large hand at Salamon. Salamon let out a yelp as she tried to turn around and run, but this only resulted in her tripping on her own little paws and falling down. She let out a whimper as she felt the cold, dark finger of the dark being touching her head.
A surge of coldness and heat went through her body. Salamon didn't know how to describe the sensation. It felt like she was getting weaker, but stronger at the same time. Her timidness and fear started to become confidence and thrillful. It was like her emotions were getting all twisted up. Hunger no longer bothered her, whatever this dark being did, it seemed to have reset her body. Fractal code surrounded her, and before she realized what was happening her mouth spoke out some words.
"Salamon digivolve to… BlackGatomon!"
Salamon was no more, instead, what stood in her place was a black cat-like Digimon with sharp claws, wearing purple gloves with red stripes. Her ear tips had purple tuff of fur, and her long, thin tail had purple and black stripes, with the tip having purple tuff of fur. Her eyes were yellow, similar to the dark being.
BlackGatomon blinked as she stood there, looking down at her claws, and checking her new form out in surprise.
"I've given you some of my dark energy to help you back on your feet. You seem to take to it well~" The dark being grinned.
"Yes, I seem to have indeed." BlackGatomon agreed. She wasn't sure how to take this new evolution. It reminded her of when she had dark digivolved her partner, but at the same time, this time she was in control of herself, her partner was in control of herself. It was weird to say the least, but it was also kind of… reassuring to know she was still clear-headed. Then again, she also realized her emotions were twisted.
Like she knew she should be scared and disgusted with what just happened, but instead, she felt excited, confident, and ready to do whatever she needed to.
It was then BlackGatomon realized something. Wasn't there someone here? One of the Legendary Warriors? … That's right, Koichi, he was captured by Cherubimon, wasn't he? Is that why I'm here? To keep an eye on Koichi while the others keep an eye on the other children?
"But… why did you give me this power?" BlackGatomon asked, no longer suffocating in the dark being's dark aura.
"I feel you would make a valuable ally," The dark being stated. "I am Cherubimon, the Ruler of the Digital World. I will soon gain enough power to awaken the ultimate power that sleeps in the core of this world. But I still need help with that. Just recently, I found a lost child, and I helped him gain some power as I did with you. He is training under me. Would you like to meet him?"
BlackGatomon gave this some thought. She was being given Koichi on a silver platter, she couldn't believe her luck. Or maybe this was just how Dr. Carbon programmed this to be. Regardless, if she was here to help Koichi, she should take it.
"Yeah, I guess. I have nothing better to do right now," BlackGatomon nonchalantly stated. Whoa… I can't believe I'm saying that to Cherubimon. Maybe I'm not in as much control as I thought with this form. "But, if I may make one little request… could I send a letter to a friend? I want to let them know I'm alright."
"Of course. I am not so cruel I wouldn't allow a new recruit to send a letter to a friend. I have to be reasonable after all." Cherubimon chuckled. "You may send your letter once we get back to the castle."
"Thank you, Lord Cherubimon." BlackGatomon said with a bow. "They will be relieved to hear from me, I'm sure."
Cherubimon grinned. "Welcome to the fold, my young student."
Titanic X: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, things are getting like that
ZAFT: Glad you liked it! XD
pokemon fan 1991: DarkFoxKit: Thanks. Yeah, we put a lot of thought and effort into how this all started.
ZAFT: Hope you enjoy this next chapter as well! XD