Digimon, Digital Monsters

Shinjuku. Busy, busy, busy.

11:00 PM

"You're sure they're here, Yu-Yu?"

A high-pitched voice 'barked' atop the head of a younge male teenager. The small, soft-looking white furred creature flapped it's hanging ears and lightly toyed with the large hood currently hiding her from sight. It merely appeared that the human had a big head or was wearing a strange hat beneath his hooded-jacket. Still, the Digimon knew better as "it" blinked a pair of bright blue eys and 'yipped' at the sight of the odd mist covering the area. The tense and thick air that covered the park was almost like smoke; incredibly hard to see through and building up in a sort of swarm around the center of the area. There wasn't a soul in sight however and even the birds that typically populated the nearby forest were strangely absent. However, the teenager didn't appear all that rattled. If anything he looked interested as he silently put away his pocketwatch and took out a small purple device.

The screen lit up and data flashed before his dark eyes in a instant.

"Goblimon, Rookie-level. Virus Digimon. Watch out for it's Fire Ball Goblin Strike and it's cheating prowess. There isn't anything this cowardly Digimon won't do to win."

Yu arched his head and 'attempted' to look up at his seated partner.

"That's one of them at least. Ready?"

Salamon smiled and pushed the hood off her form; leaping down with her bright blue eyes gleaming. She streched out for a moment; then focused her attention on the "cloud"-like formation of smoke before them. Her yawn revealed a adorable mouth of almost baby cat-like teeth, then snapped wide open in a loud, echoing screech. Windows shattered and a brief shockwave lashed forwards at the smoke in a single straight line. It blew "Yu" back briefly, snapping his hood away and causing him to chuckle at the sudden burst of power being released from the cute little creature.

"Salamon, Rookie-level. Vaccine Digimon. Salamon is an experimental Digimon, but beware it's pride and honor. It's Puppy Howling will give you a real fright if you're not careful."

He knew enough about his partner already; silly Digivice.

"Puppy Howling!"

"Goblin Strike!"

The collision of the two attacks ate away at the 'smoke' and Yu finally had a look at the green skinned Digimon carrying a club. It was barely as tall as an adult human, but looked wild and a bit insane. Completely blank eyes, drooling maw and a stench that made him twitch his nose in disgust. A real animal. No normal animal could cause this much property damage however. It needed to go, with a lil' bonus for Salamon and himself. It's data. Yet, this was only one of them. Didn't Salamon say that there was another Digimon in the area? Some kind of Renamon? He didn't want to risk a two-on-one situation, but this Goblimon would be a peace of cake. Especially for his Salamon.

"How dare you, you protein-guzzling buffoon. Don't you have any respect for pretty parks? Think of the romantic evenings and picnics you've spoiled!"

Goblimon didn't even blink before letting loose a monkey-like howl. Salamon pouted; having expected more from this ruffian.

"Salamon, need a hand?"

"I would think not! This won't take long, Yu-Yu."

The green skinned Digimon apparently took offence to that. The club in it's hand let loose a firey-glow before the creature launched forward at the Tamer and Salamon. Thankfully Salamon wouldn't allow the human to be hurt by such a bully! It gave a jump and rammed full force into the Goblimon point-blank, wrecking the stomach of the beast. Safe to say the angry creature was winded and sent flying at the same time; crashing straight through a nearby bench. It was surprisingly a large amount of force for such a small puppy-thing to deal out, but no matter how she looked Salamon was still a Digimon. Her two attacks of Petty Punch and Sledge Crash were just as affective as her Puppy Howling; make no mistake.

Unfortunately, Gobimon had quite enough.

A green-claw pulled it's body up and spread out towards the much smaller Digimon; summoning a large ball of fire about the size of a human fist. The attack was launched so fast and so suddenly that poor Salamon looked completely caught off guard as she was overtaken by the flames in a small, contained explosion.

"Goblin Bomb!"

Yu didn't look too worried. Goblimon looked awfully pleased with itself however.

The smoke left from the explosion had completely taken over where Salamon once was. Hiding her from sight.

"I wouldn't look so happy if I were you. Looks like you messed up her coat."

Two wide, spread eyes formed from the smoke and a pouting mouth slowly twisted into a fanged smile. The cute voice was still just that, cute, but it contained a malice that positively dripped with self-smug superiority. Very much hinting at a tone found in noblewomen, or very annoying actresses. Four small paws spread out and the surrounding smoke evaporated with a loud screech, completely revealing unhinged fur and a utterly unharmed Salamon. One couldn't help notice the apparent twitch of her eyes that had formed; bright blue eyes staring with a piercing judgement.

"Yu-Yu, would you be a dear...?"

Sigh.

Yu shrugged and raised his hand; drawing out a...card?

He slashed it straight through his Digivice before Goblimon knew what hit it.

"Digi-Modify: Hypersonic Activate!"

Salamon vanished in a burst of speed; a cold look painted across her features.

Virus vs Vaccine? It didn't stand a chance earlier. Now? Now it was just unfair.

Data, lights and smoke exploded over the area as the green skinned enemy was eradicated with one savage, brutal head-butt. Straight through it's torso. It had died in agony and had only managed one breath before becoming nothingness. Like many Digimon before it. Salamon and Yu stood there looking at the hovering data particles. The park once again silent and empty, bar themselves. The property damage was certainly noticeable, but many citizens would no doubt put it down to simple nightly-ruffians than, well, monsters from another world.

"Download it's Data, Salamon. Looks like we've got others in the area."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Yu stared at his Digivice; three to four unusual dots appearing on the map.

Strange, there were no other Digital Fields....

Then...why?

&&&&

Yu; http://static.zerochan.net/Demon.Spade.full.568875.jpg

If there was any true evil in the world, it was cram school.

It was a necessary evil, perhaps. Self-study could only take one so far. Cram school was a surefire way to get into a good college, and this one in particular would allow her to get into the very best. Anything less wasn't an option. And it wasn't bad as far as cram schools went. Quite the opposite. The students were serious about their studies and left her alone, which was good, the teachers were all competent and she was learning more from them than she would have alone, which was also good, and just her attendance would impress people and take her far when it was finally time for her to start job hunting, and that was good too. Really, there was nothing bad about it, as far as cram schools went. In fact, it was one of the best in all of Tokyo, well worth the large amount of money her mother paid and the long commute it took her to get there. She was very fortunate to attend such a school.

That didn't make Aiko like it any more, though.

The sound of fighting in the distance made her pause and wrinkle her nose. Delinquents. Great. That was what she got for staying so late. Not that she'd had much of any other choice. But dealing with good-for-nothings wasn't something she wanted to do, armed with pepper spray or not, so Aiko decided to take the route home though the park's woods rather than go around the park and risk dealing with them.

Little did she know what was actually happening, or what was about to happen to her.

Aiko was about halfway through the woods when something gleaming caught her eye, drawing her slightly off the path as she thoughtlessly went over to examine it. It was a square, light greenish-blue, mechanical device smaller than her palm that glowed with an otherworldly sort of light, but beyond that she had no idea what it was. For some reason it reminded her just a little of those things she'd seen used in that Digimon game. She knew of the franchise, vaguely, through the talk of some of her classmates who were way too into it for their ages. She would have thought they'd grown out of such things, but it seemed she, at twelve, was more mature than the high schoolers three years her senior. But it couldn't be that. It didn't even look like those, not really, and there was no reason for something like that to be lying out in the woods. Maybe someone had been on a jog and dropped their glow-in-the-dark watch...?

"But how would their watch fall off...?" She muttered as she leaned down to pick it up.

And that was when things got weird.

A column of light erupted out of the device when she made contact, a pillar reaching to the sky and getting wider. Aiko shrieked as she snatched her hand away, trying to back up but tripping over an exposed root and finding herself engulfed regardless. It was bright as the sun, and she couldn't see anything, and the sound of static roared in her ears, and it felt like she had been struck by lightning, and—

—and then it was gone, and there was a weird creature sitting just behind the device, smiling at her.

"Hi! I'm Tsunomon!" It said.

Aiko shrieked again.

That shriek was a nuisance to the ears. Salamon was not amused.

Thankfully it allowed the duo to quickly find their next objective.

Yu did not expect to find a kid and a rather adorable little Digimon however. Seriously, he didn't know which was cuter. Still, he wasn't stupid enough to underestimate the tiny creature, too much. His own lil' Salamon put a stop to any thoughts of that being an issue a long time ago. Now he just had to find out who these two were, or at the very least get some answers. He slowly walked out into the clearing and raised his Digivice, barely blinking as his partner hopped up beside him from the bushes. "Tsunomon, huh? In-Training level. Data-type..." he trailed off and scratched his cheek, looking down at the creature some distance away. Well, his Digivice pretty much summed up that it wasn't much of a threat before he even finished reading it. Considering there wasn't a Digital Field in sight it hadn't broken through the barriers through sheer force or accidentally like so many others either.

"Salamon.."

"No."

"I didn't even-"

"No, no, no."

"....Salamon."

The puppy Digimon shot him a glare before sighing. She gave a roll of her eyes and pranced right past him with her nose in the air. She knew exactly what he wanted her to do. She just really hated having to do it. So degrading! That's what she told herself anyway. Slowly the small"cat-puppy" creature dashed up to the screaming girl and the round "ball" with a spike on it's head. Her pretty blue eyes raised up in the cutest, most 'put-on' look of defenselessness and warmth that the Digimon could manage; going as far as to droop her ears over the sides of her head. Even the little "hops" she gave made her sound like a squishy toy! However, all that was broken the second she raised one paw and spoke in a bossy, "attempting to be womanly" noble tone. "Darling, please stop screaming. Your friend here appears to lack ears, but I, for shame, do not."

Maybe the shock of seeing two unknown creatures would have sent Aiko screaming. Or into shock.

A tall, dark figure in a hood suddenly staring down at her probably didn't help matters.

"Are you okay?" asked Yu.

Well, least they didn't try to eat her.

The initial sight of Salamon had Aiko inching away. The puppy was absolutely precious, she couldn't deny that, but unfortunately for her she was allergic to most animals, and trouble breathing on top of whatever had just happened was the last thing she wanted. Beyond that, the sight of a cute animal did calm her down, if only very slightly.

But then it spoke and Aiko let out that hated shriek once more as her inching turned into a full-on retreat, scrambling back until she hit a tree and could go no farther. She looked just short of hyperventilating, pale as a ghost with her eyes wide behind her glasses. Yu's question wasn't even acknowledged but the answer was obvious. Aiko was the exact opposite of okay.

"It spoke." She whispered, sounding somewhere between disbelieving and completely and utterly terrified. "It spoke, THEY spoke, they spoke to ME oh my GOD what is going on why are they speaking to me HOW are they speaking to me this is impossible THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE."

"Hey."

"It — It's not real, right? I mean, you just don't touch weird glow-in-the-dark watches you find lying in the woods and have a bright light shoot out of it and then suddenly see TALKING DOGS AND WEIRD HORNED CREATURES, right? That's just crazy! Wait. Am I crazy?"

"Hey!"

"I mean, I could be dreaming, right? No, no, my dreams are never this vivid. But it's the only thing that makes sense...no, wait, that light hurt earlier. You can't be dreaming if you get hurt. That's why people pinch themselves. Am I really insane? Did I study too much an actually go bonkers from boredom or something? Crap! I can't be insane! Mom would KILL me!"

"HEY!"

"WHAT?!" Aiko snapped as she finally really looked at the horned figment of her imagination.

The little creature beamed at finally having her full attention. "You're not crazy! Me and Salamon are real! We're Digimon, digital monsters from the digital world! That thing you touched is called a Digivice, and it shows that you're a Digidestined, fated for great things, like maybe even saving the worlds! And I'm your partner! We're gonna go on a bunch of adventures together and be HEROES!"

Aiko stared at her new partner for a long time before nodding slowly, looking much calmer after the explanation. "...Right. Okay."

Then she got to her feet and took off screaming.

"Nonononononononononono!"

"Wha — hey, wait!" Tsunomon shouted, bouncing after her. "You forgot your Digivice!"

An explosion, a pillar of light, and three terrified shrieks of a small child. If those weren't the signs of trouble, Hideo had to study up on the new meaning of the word. He moved at a brisk pace through the park, tracing the signs of danger with his eyes to pinpoint where he needed to go.

"Do you think....?" a growling voice asked behind him. A red, tattered cloak waved through the night air as the creature ran on all fours, covered from head to toe with a silver-like metal that emanated a soft glow from the lights on the path. It seemed aggressive in appearance, but the tone in it's voice was one of cunning and honor: the voice of a storied knight.

"Can't say for certain, yet," Hideo turned and said to the small dragon-like creature at his side, "but we can't leave it unchecked. Least we can get extra training in! Let's go, Huckmon!"

"Right!"

The duo pushed their speed further, belting closer and closer toward the place where the light had been. He had seen the mist from another location, and his digivice had acknowledged the field, but it had been removed almost as soon as it appeared.

And yet one signature still remained on the map...and now two...no, three? Hideo placed the black, silver, and red device back on his side. They were so close now.

They had to be ready, like they always were.

Slowing down, Hideo tucked up behind a tree, turning an ear to the happenings ahead. Huckmon followed suit. This was not their first rodeo, so to speak. Then he heard the voice...

Of a human boy.

Hideo peeked out from behind the tree, and as he saw the boy in the hood, he stepped out into the clearing. He had never seen another one. A tamer, that is. He had meditated on the idea of there being more and had decided there had to be. They had to be out there in the world, in America or England. Germany...but right here in Tokyo? He hadn't expected it.

"Hey."

He heard the girl scream and run off, and as intrigued as he was with the other tamer, he had no prior knowledge of the motives of other tamers. He only knew the process of training, of defeating, and of absorbing, and the rituals they had worked in with each.

"Who are you? What happened to the girl?"

Hideo past a glance to Salamon. Unlike the girl, he wasn't moved or soothed by the cute appearance of the small, feline-canine. That was a digimon, and every single one of them were strong.

Every one of them were dangerous.

"Renamon."

A soft, light-touched female voice coated in disdain stopped the casual talk cold. Two large, yellow clawed paw-like feet stood in the way of the little Tsunomon. The tiny Digimon had little choice but to either try and bounce around it, or ask it to move aside. Either way, the tall fox creature did not look amused. It's two small, cold eyes stared down at the In-Training Digimon with a predatory instinct that appeared to be almost human in a way. Suddenly a violent kick swiped out at it and sent a shocking pressure of air scuffing out near the tiny ball-like Digimon. It didn't hurt to be hit by the air pressure, nor' was it strong enough to make one stumble, but it was certainly rude. If a little threatening. For something so small it must have felt like a slap in the face for the tiny Tsunomon. Especially when all it wanted was to move on and catch up to it's human friend! Well, sort-of-friend-to-be!

"Tsunomon, huh? Tch. It's not even a Rookie."

It was a human girl. Thin, a little small, rather pretty and possessing a red-haired cut that ended just above her features. The "broken heart" shirt she wore stood out instantly and the bored look in her violent eyes was very obvoius. She didn't even bother to spare a glance at Yu or Hideo as she toyed with her Digivice. Her....Digivice? That clinched it. Another Tamer. The "card-slash" style was easy to see and the deck of cards that she had hidden away on her belt appeared to be in constant use.

"It appears that it's Tamer doesn't wish to play, Rika."

A eyebrow raised. Rika snapped off her glasses and cast a glance towards the fleeing Aiko with a dry look.

"Then that just makes this easier for us. Ignore the Rookies, deal with the small fry first."

Yu didn't know what to think. He train of thought was halted as he prepared to introduce himself to Hideo. Then THIS crazy girl showed. Oh, he knew who she was. He knew exactly who she was. She was one of the few Tamers in the district after all. There weren't that many and sooner or later running into one was bound to happen. Thankfully, he had only heard about her. Rumors. From one Digimon in particular. A female Tamer with a powerful Renamon that had the power of Champion-level Digimon. Pretty darn intimidating to be honest.

"Renamon, Rookie-level. Data Digimon. Run away too slowly and it's Diamond Storm move will turn you into a pin-cushion. It's high intelligence and deadly speed make it a great threat for many a Digimon. Don't be fooled by the noble attitude and honor that it holds, it isn't afraid to play rough.."

His Digivice beeped, booped and explained.

Again.

Finally, he gave up thinking and just answered.

"I'm Yu. Yu Yukari."

His attention was still on the Renamon and Rika however, even though his words were aimed at

"Only I get to call him Yu-Yu."

Salamon, however, just looked appalled that the human girl had fled from her. Not at all bothered by the newcomers.

"Huckmon, Rookie-level. Data Digimon. -NO DATA AVAILABLE-"

....What?

"Is that thing broken again, darling?"

Ugh.

Yu pocketed his Digivice and shook his head, focusing on the task at hand as he turned away.

"Salamon, get that Renamon."

She blinked. Twice.

"Pardon?"

He pointed at the cold, yellow fox.

"She called you fat."

Salamon knew that was a lie. She definitely, most certainly knew that was a lie. 100%! Still, she couldn't stop herself. Her cheeks blew up in cute little 'balloons' and she turned her attention to the fox Digimon with cat-like slits rapidly forming in her gaze. Fat! She? She was a perfect image of data-perfection-thank-you-very-much! The nerve of this stuck-up-little-fox! How dare she. Slowly a rumble formed in the back of her throat and her soft paws spread out to keep herself stable. Preparing her attack.

Yu wiped his forehead with a chuckle. Whooo~ That was close.

"Sorry lady, no data-loading tonight."

Rika disagreed.

Apparently, so did Renamon.

While the other Digimon and their Tamers were focused on each other, Tsunomon sneakily retrieved the Digivice it had dropped when Renamon nearly kicked it, quietly bouncing off in the direction Aiko had run afterwards. It hated doing that, leaving the others behind to fight, especially when Yu and Salamon were fighting so that it wouldn't get absorbed, but the female Tamer was right. It wasn't even a Rookie. At this level it wouldn't be able to do much, so it needed to find Aiko, make sure she was okay, and then convince her to help.

It didn't have to go far. Aiko had stopped only a couple of minutes from where they had met, curled up in the fetal position with her back against a tree. Her nails dug into her skin as she hid her face in her knees, the mantra of 'no' still being muttered under her breath, and she was shaking as if freezing cold in spite of the warm weather. She looked seconds away from a full-blown panic attack. Clearly, she not okay.

Tsunomon, concerned, quietly bounced up to its partner and placed the Digivice down. With how overblown her fear had been earlier, it had almost forgotten how the reaction had been caused by exactly that. Fear. "Aiko?"

Predictably, no matter how good its intentions, Aiko shrieked and lurched away when it spoke.

If it had ears, Tsunomon might have rubbed them. Instead, it only winced and frowned. "I'm not gonna hurt you, you know."

Aiko made no indication of having heard its reassurance, staring back at the Digimon with wide eyes and a pale face. "It's back, it's back and it KNOWS MY NAME, why is it here, why does know my name, oh, God, I'm crazy, I'm actually crazy, I've lost my mind at twelve years old, oh my God."

"You're not crazy, I'm real!" Tsunomon exclaimed, trying to be helpful.

Again, Aiko made no indication that she had heard, only continuing to babble, getting more frantic with each word. "This can't be happening! I haven't even done anything stressful or bad lately! Exams aren't for a long time, it's not like I'm on drugs or anything, and nothing out of the ordinary has happened, let alone anything traumatic enough for me to be hallucinating! So why is this happening? Why am I seeing things?! Is there something I'm missing? Is this maybe a genetics thing? Is insanity inheritable or something?! I've never heard about anything like this from Mom — but I only know her side of it. There's a whole other half I know nothing about. Crap! Crap crap CRAP! I can't be losing my mind! I need it! It's the only thing I have! I can't lose it! I CAN'T!"

Tsunomon's frown deepened as its partner got more and more freaked out, wheezing and getting closer to tears the longer she spoke. If this went on then Aiko really WAS going to have a panic attack, and it wouldn't have any way to help her then. What Tsunomon needed was a way to pull her out of this, to make her realize that she wasn't crazy or seeing things. But how? She wasn't listening to it, and it had no way of proving its existence to her if she wouldn't even listen. Except for maybe physically doing so, but that might just freak her out more, not to mention the fact that Tsunomon didn't want to do that at all.

But desperate times called for desperate measures, and it was a very desperate time, so Tsunomon leapt forward and chomped down on Aiko's hand.

"Ow!" Aiko gasped, pulling her hand out of the Digimon's mouth and cradling it to her chest. "I thought you said you weren't going to hurt me!"

Apparently she had heard it earlier. "Sorry. But now you know I'm real, right?"

That made Aiko pause, and she looked at her hand curiously. The creature's teeth hadn't even broken the skin, only leaving faint marks, but the pinch it had caused and the marks themselves definitely existed. Pain couldn't be imagined so clearly, as far as she was aware, and there were other factors to consider too. Again the sight of the marks, though faint and fainter still in the darkness, was undeniably there. She could physically feel the marks when she ran the thumb of her opposite hand over them, too. Aiko could even smell the breath from its residual spit (ew), and all that was without considering the slight though very present pain. All evidence pointed to the fact that the bite was real, and logic won out over the possibility of insanity. The bite was real, which meant what had bitten her was real.

Which meant...

"Oh my God, you're REAL!" Aiko shrieked, trying and failing to back up further.

Tsunomon heaved a sigh. One problem gone only to be replaced by another.

At the arrival off a greater power, of an enemy coming for your very life, one might jump, recoil, or otherwise react with some form of self-preserving action. Hideo did none. He didn't blink. He didn't take a step back, but at the same time, he didn't take a step forward. There was no reason to rush into a fight.

How the times have changed.

"What's your call, Huckmon?" Hideo asked as his partner digimon crept closer, his cloak billowing before resting down on his armor-plated body.

"The yellow one seems to have challenged the small puppy to combat," Huckmon spoke with his raspy growl, "their body language is what intrigues me the most. Do you see it, Hideo?"

Hideo brushed his duo-toned black and blonde hair back behind his ear, the other hand playing with the black goggles resting around his neck. The red-head was cold as a winter breeze and her partner Renamon was none-the-warmer. It wasn't new for there to be digimon with an attitude issue, and people with the stoic persona were growing in number by the day. Their attitude wasn't what concerned Hideo. It was their...aura. It was one thing to witness an opponent willing to destroy. It was another to see an opponent who was willing to destroy again, and the Renamon and this girl "Rika" were regulars in destruction.

"They're killers. Dangerous kind."

"Exactly," Huckmon answered, "And the other two..they've seen their share as well...we're not the only ones."

"So...do we help them out?"

"They've accepted a duel, Hideo. It'd be an insult to their honor to intervene."

Hideo half-frowned, scratching the back of his head. It didn't necessarily settle right, letting the puppy go up against the much larger fox-like digimon, but Huckmon was right. This was their battle.

"Plan stays the same, though, right?" Hideo looked down to his partner, who passed a glance up to him in return. Huckmon said nothing more, just offering a subtle head nod to Hideo. Hideo brushed the black jacket tied around his waist back, digging his hand into his pocket and wrapping his fingers around his digivice.

The plan stayed the same.

Salamon stepped forward the second Renamon made a move to charge right past her. Her small body pounced at the yellow fox-like creature but, not-so-shockingly, missed completely. The taller and more sturdy Digimon stared at the petite looking thing; almost amused to think that it, like herself, was a Rookie-level. They came in all shapes and sizes, yet, this unthreatening? It was laughable to imagine really. Still, the puppy-animal continued to stare up at her with that same haughty look of superiority. As if she wasn't worth her time. Rather irritating really.

"You're not going anywhere, darling."

"We shall see."

Salamon charged and quickly went to strike the towering creature with her head.

One quick kick put a stop to that. Sending the smaller puppy flying through the air briefly and ruffling her fur along that region. A bruise had already formed from that one blow; and yet Salamon just continued to look even more annoyed as she leapt up as quick as a flash.

"Y-You brute!"

Renamon rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, did I mess up your hair?"

She quickly vanished as a small paw smacked down where she once was.

"Hold still you-...you...brat!"

"Witty."

"Puppy Howling!"

"Diamond Storm!"

Shockwave met 'Raining Spears of Doom' in a large explosion. Hitting one another and sending out an expanding dust cloud.

Then, something odd happened. The 'Diamond Storm'....ate the attack. Canceled it out and launched out in a second wave of spears that never seemed to end. Shards of energy that Salamon was prepared to meet once again with her own blast. Or; she would have attempted to it.

"Renamon. Walk. All. Over. Her."

That cold, cold voice. That was no little girl.

It overwhelmed her before she could even get off a howl.

Salamon didn't know what hit her as she flew through the air and impacted the ground with a rough, spine-tingling smash. Her once pretty coat was coated in 'blood' and bruises; swelling taking form around her chubby cheeks as she struggled to stand up. She was at a complete disadvantage. Not only was she slower, weaker and all around less focused than Renamon, but, her very genetics meant that her power was barely even making her flinch. She was a Vaccine-type. Holy of the holiest and all that. Going against a Data was like being punched before even stepping in the ring. Unfair.

"Salamon."

"...Darling?"

What was that idiot doing? M-Moron!

Yu was holding up his Digivice.

"Ready?"

"D-Don't you DARE!"

"Sorry."

"BAD YU-YU!"

D-I-G-I-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N.

White fur sheared into digital strips of code and numbers. Lines of green lashed out in a shape shifting form of raw mass; slowly tearing outwards from Salamon until she was nothing but a flickering glow. Paws changed to claws, teeth changed to fangs and gentle, arrogant eyes gained slits of gold. A loud "nyroooan!" was the only warning Renamon had before her ears were pierced by a second echoing call. One that shocked both her and her tamer. Rika herself could only stare wide-eyed in envy and anger at witnessing a fellow Tamer do what she longed to do. Digivolve her partner. How? How had this reckless nobody done such a thing? It made no sense!

"Salamon Digivolve to...."

Yu could only grin.

"....Gatomon!"

She didn't look too happy.

At all.

"Gatomon. Champion-Level. Vaccine Digimon. A very special Animal Digimon. Although its body is small it is a precious Holy-species Digimon and its appearance does not match the true strength it possesses. Wearing the Holy Ring shows it's place in the Digital World and rumors say that removing it could causes disastrous effects. Don't expect this kitty to play nice; one Lightning Paw can obliterate cars and it's deadly Cat's Eye Hypnotism will, quite literally, make you punch yourself."

To be honest? It didn't look impressive. Barely bigger than a small child. Barely bigger than her previous form! However it also looked a lot more nimble and lot more feral. Very much a cat that it's data made it out to be. Only, this Gatomon appeared to be standing in a way that looked completely out of place. Arms crossed, upright and it's...nose in the air? Seriously. It just looked odd. Eyes of gold glared at Yu and trailed away after several moments before locking onto the Renamon that had hurt her only moments ago. Her wounds were gone. G-O-N-E. The ring on her tail shimmering with a pitch-golden glow and vanishing into a dull pulse.

"Forgive me, but I'm going to punch you."

A pause.

"A lot."

Renamon blinked; only to be taken completely off-guard when Gatomon vanished within a charge.

Directly at Rika.

The teenage human girl didn't stand a chance and her violet eyes were gazing in horror as a yellow claw tore straight down towards her features.

This hadn't happened before.

This hadn't happened before.

"Rika!"

Yellow fur blocked the blow and took the attack full-force. Ripping straight through the fox with a nail-biting "slash" that no doubt decimated her skin. She had only a second to take the attack. The cat was, though she hated to admit it, too fast. Way too fast. Attempting to block it was pretty much the same thing as just standing there and being hit by it. Unfortunate the dirty tactics of the Gatomon meant that she had little choice in the matter. Renamon could be heard screaming as the large SaberLeomon 'glove' pounded into her chest. Once. Twice. Three times. A barrage of rapid blows sank deadly nails past her defenses over and over again.

"Lightning Paw!"

"Lightning Paw!"

"Lightning Paw!"

"Lightning Paw!"

"Lightning Paw!"

It. Just. Wouldn't. Stop.

Yu didn't look like he appeared to mind all that much as he observed.

"You and your Digimon are strong. Much stronger than Salamon."

His finger raised and clenched with another. A single Digimon Card in the grasp.

"But, how many Digimon do you think we've downloaded? Ten? Twenty? Thirty maybe? This fight has barely started."

"Lightning Paw!"

"Lightning Paw!"

"Lightning Paw!"

Renamon was starting to lose conscience. Pity, considering it was the only thing keeping Rika from being a brand new scratching post.

Rika did not look happy. Cold tears welling.

Yu didn't look too pleased either.

"Digi-Modify - Hypersonic Activate!"

A yellow paw met yellow paw. Muscles sending both Digimon flying back from the force.

Gatomon barely stumbled, even if her attacks had stopped.

Renamon? She looked tired. Bruised. Wounded. The fight had barely started? They needed to retreat. Now.

"Rika."

"Right."

Gatomon flashed her claws and smiled.

"Ohohoho. Sorry, dear. You're not going anywhere."

Yu raised his eyebrow.

"Didn't look like you were going to give poor Tsunomon the option to run."

Renamon actually growled.

So did Rika.

"Digi-Modify - Power Activate!"

Round 2. Then the Tsunomon.

"Their tactics are dirty," growled Hideo, taking a step forward. He was stopped by the young dragon at his side, turning down to see his partner, eyes still set upon the battle between the fox and the feline.

"It's not their tactics...just hers. His partner's all about her own bravado. Big head on that one. Her aggression is just based on her ego. The guy, Yu, right? He's not really saying anything."

"He's also not stopping her."

"Do you think he could if he wanted to?" Huckmon said, grinning a bit. 

Hideo cringed with the multiple lightning paws, but he was never one to let things keep him down for long...at least visually.

"Huckmon, they're giving no quarter. This fight is for data absorption."

"And what makes their fight any different from hers? From ours?"

Hideo sunk down slightly, his sense of honor was new and was starting to drift away as his partner's point settled in his mind. For all of his self-righteousness in that moment, could he truly say he was any better? Even after giving an enemy quarter, a kill was still a kill, and their rap sheet could easily be compared to those doing battle right now.

"If we need to step in, we will. Yu and Gatomon...well...Yu's fighting for that girl and the Tsunomon. We can give them a little break. Still, they can Digivolve....that's impressive," Huckmon said with, surprisingly, a slight hint of envy to his words. Digivolution was the next step he had to take toward his knighthood, towards new capabilities...but it had evaded him even now.

Hideo passed a glance down to his partner, "think we can match up?"

"Wouldn't be our first Champion," Huckmon smirked back.

"Yes, I'm real." Tsunomon said quickly before Aiko could go back to her non-responsive panicking state. "Please don't scream again."

And surprisingly, Aiko didn't. She was still freaking out, that much was obvious, but her eyes were clearly aware and focused on the small creature in front of her, no longer looking seconds away from tears. Her breathing was calmer as well, another plus, and when she finally spoke, her voice was steady and she didn't babble. "What are you?"

Tsunomon relaxed, and answered with a grin. "I'm a Digimon!"

"...Digimon. You're telling me you're actually a Digimon." Aiko said after a deep breath, the what the frick is my life evident in her tone.

It nodded. "That's right!"

"So you're telling me Digimon are real."

"Yup!"

"...Why?! How?! What are you here for?!"

"I'm here for you!" The Digimon said, and Aiko kind of wanted to scream again.

So she did the next best thing. Panicked rambling.

"THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" The preteen yelled, making Tsunomon jump from the sudden volume increase. "Digimon is a game. A GAME! A stupid game made by stupid people played by STUPIDER people who have nothing better to do with their lives than waste money and time on useless cards or scanners or whatever it is they play the stupid game with! Digimon is A GAME, and it's NOT REAL! But then I try to be a good samaritan for once and pick up some stupid person's stupid watch that somehow stupidly fell on the STUPID GROUND, and then there's light and it hurts and there's this stupid creature telling me he's a-" Aiko paused in her rambling suddenly, and narrowed her eyes with a small, thoughtful frown. "Actually, are you male or female? Your voice sounds a little more masculine than feminine, but that's the only tell I have."

Tsunomon blinked at the abrupt shift, then happily explained with a little hop and a smile. "Digimon don't have a sex, and most of us don't have a gender, either! You can refer to me as male if you like, though."

Aiko nodded. "Okay, male it is. Now where was I?"

"Telling you he's a..."

"Right. TELLING ME HE'S A DIGIMON, an actually living Digimon who is somehow real, and that somehow I'm not insane. And that's not even mentioning the talking dog thing, which, that was another Digimon? So it's not just you? There are more things like you running around the city and how is this not common knowledge, how is this REAL?! But the weird creature that emerged from the light tells me he's here for me and that I'm destined or some such crap and THIS IS INSANE, BUT I'M NOT INSANE, SO WHAT IS THIS?!"

"...Reality?" Tsunomon offered up hesitantly.

Aiko made a series of unintelligible noises as she buried her face in her hands.

Tsunomon sidled up to Aiko and tapped his horn against her elbow, the closest he could come to patting her when he had no hands. "There, there...?"

His partner made a strangled noise as she continued hiding her face behind her hands, then quickly stood up. "Okay, you know what? No. No, I am not dealing with this. I am going home and I am going to bed and I am going to pretend this never happened. Okay? Okay."

"What? Hey, wait!" Tsunomon protested, bouncing in front of Aiko and stopping her before she could even step to make good on her word. "We have to go back and help the others!"

"We have to what now?" Aiko asked.

"We have to go back!" Tsunomon told her, bouncing higher and higher in the air as he got impassioned. "A Renamon and her tamer showed up and attacked me, and then Salamon and her tamer defended me from them so I wouldn't get hurt! They're probably still fighting now!"

A blank stare was the only response he got from those words.

"We have to help them!" He reiterated.

"Why?"

Tsunomon gaped. "Huh?"

"Why do we have to help them?" Aiko reiterated.

"Why?! They started fighting because of us!"

"Because of you. They started fighting because of you." Aiko corrected as she crossed her arms. "What they're doing has nothing to do with me, and nothing to do with you either, really, now that you've left. But whatever you think, and whatever you plan to do, I'm not going back there."

"But I need your help!"

"Why?"

"Because you're my PARTNER!" Tsunomon yelled, actually getting close to tears with frustration.

Aiko was unmoved. "Whatever, Pochi, I don't care."

Tsunomon's stopped bouncing in shock, and somehow instead of commenting on how Aiko didn't care, what came out was "P-Pochi?! I'm not a dog!"

"Yeah. You're apparently a Digimon, and I want nothing to do with them. Or you." With that, Aiko stepped over her 'partner' and walked away, away from the fights and the Digimon and the insanity, and towards home.

Tsunomon deflated, staring after Aiko dejectedly...but only for a moment. The Digimon sucked in a deep breath before bouncing over to pick up the once again forgotten Digivice and making his way after his partner.

He wasn't giving up on her.

The two Digimon met each other in mid-air and the colliding blows sent out a blast that caused Yu to stumble. Both Champion and Rookie looked to be ready to kill each other with the way things were going; with neither one willing to let up. Still, there was noticeable fatigue from the yellow furred fox even with the power boost. Renamon was most certainly used to fighting Champion Digimon, but not one who fought with such raw killing intent. It was like was 'puppy' had become a completely different 'person' upon turning into the cat-like beast.

"Diamond Storm."

A rain of shards exploded forth as Renamon renewed her attack. Her furred arms spread out wide in-front of her even while Gatomon jumped, danced and hopped between the attack like a trained ballerina. It would be almost comical if it wasn't so deadly. Not a one touched the kitty however due to this little show. Instead the piecing attacks struck the earth and tore straight into it like a barrage of burning arrows, fading into dust moments later.

"Your cat is fast for something that would look better coughing up hairballs. Hard to believe that puny thing is champion though," said Rika with her eyes firmly locked on the battle before her. The mixture of anger and intrigue that flickered across her features was a haunting sensations. As if she couldn't quite make up her mind on what to do at that moment in time. No matter the circumstance.

Yu didn't utter a word.

Something didn't add up.

He glanced down at his Digivice and watched it beep. One of the dots of the tool slowly moving away in a strange, circular motion. To be honest, he had thought Renamon was that dot. It made sense what with the number of Tamers and Digimon added up. Yet, Renamon just wasn't moving in the same way as the dot that was on the screen. If anything it seemed to be overlapping her own. The only question was why?

Yu blew out a breath of air; cold licking his lips as he shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. Gatomon, that should be far enough for them to go."

That card held between his fingers suddenly slashed straight through his Digivice.

Digi-Modify - Training Grips.

"What....?"

Snap.

Gatomon looked stunned before her arms snapped back behind her and was forcefully wrapped in what looked like binding steel ropes. She stumbled backwards before letting off a growl that very much echoed that of one very angry kitty. Hiss, hiss, hiss. Her fangs glimmered in the light and her golden eyes were pure with rage. Violence no doubt aimed at her Tamer as she began to shake her head rapidly. Every strand of fur was stood up; her muscles doing everything they could to throw off the chains now binding her even her own legs. She could no longer move. At all. Well, her mouth could...and boy did she use it to heckle him.

"Yu-Yu! How dare you use that card again! That is no way to treat a lady!"

Rika did not expect this.

Renamon was in the same boat.

Gatomon went red in the face. Then she went purple. Her howl was loud, ear-stinging and downright miserable to listen to. It only got worse when she began to struggle and lash around in anger. Doing everything she could to get the chains off her. Finally, she just gave up. Her butt hit the floor as she sat down on the ground and let her ears fall; drooping from her typical proud, if angry-style. She 'meowd' in a pathetic manner and bubbled with frustrated tears as human fingers gently stroked the top of her head. Her face was positively gleaming with rage and ego, but there was a notable lean towards the leg of her Tamer as he scratched between her ears.

Yu glanced at Rika and Renamon.

"You play the card game, right? Then you know what she can turn into. You really wanna risk that over a Tsunomon?"

Rika paused.

....flowing blonde hair and soft white wings circle her as a motherly voice sternly warns her her...

....all she can say is...

"Beautiful..."

Her eyes snapped close from the image in her mind and the tomboy turned away with a huff. How long had that been there? Since she had seen that damn cat? Yeah. Right. Like that little furball could turn into such a thing. This wasn't a game anymore. Or the show. Renamon would be the strongest and so would she. Just because she too had been a little girl once didn't mean she still was.

He was bluffing.

"Renamon, lets go."

Well. That takes care of one.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

So why something still heading towards that little girl?

The duo were a couple of strange characters as far as Hideo was concerned. Gatomon had been restrained by her own trainer, perhaps containing the murderous rage that would've been set upon the opponent. A display of power before cutting that power off? It was a scare tactic, though one that came far after the damage was done. It was sloppy, unnecessary, but effective nonetheless. The distraction paid off.

"See?" Huckmon spoke, catching Hideo's attention, "not as heartless as you thought."

"He delayed for the girl....." as he spoke, Hideo's digivice chirped at the same frequency Yu's did. He didn't need to look at it. He knew, "The girl!"

Snatching his device to map the distance, Hideo launched off into a sprint toward the direction of the red blip. Huckmon took a moment to survey the restrained Gatomon, as well as her trainer, before pursuing Hideo with billowing cloak.

The boy always did act before thinking when his heart was in something.

By the time the fight was over, the little girl was well at home.

Unfortunately for her, so was Tsunomon.

"Pleeeeeeease?!"

"Shhh! You'll wake the neighbors!"

Aiko glared at the Digimon, who stared back undeterred, then sighed and went back to unlocking the door. Rusty old hunk of junk. Eventually she finagled it open and entered the empty apartment, kicking off her shoes and closing the door on Tsunomon's face, who squeaked with surprise and maybe a little bit pain. Sighing in relief at THAT part of her life being over, Aiko went to get ready for bed.

Five minutes later, the incessant rapping had her opening the front door again. "Go away!"

But the words were hardly out of her mouth when Tsunomon did a roll dash between her legs, invading Aiko's home the same way he was invading her life.

"Hey!"

Tsunomon hopped up onto a chair, and then a table so that he could be closer to Aiko's height. The Digivice that had started this whole mess was stuck on his horn like an odd little headband. It really didn't help his serious face, which was too round and squishy to even be serious at all. "I'm not leaving until you agree to be my partner!"

"If I agree to be your partner, you won't leave at all!" Aiko countered, making a grab for him so she could toss him out the window or something. He dodged, and continued to do so as she continued to chase him. This went on for several minutes, until she finally quit and stomped her foot in frustration. "Just get out of here you, you-!"

"Aiko, darling?"

Aiko froze, then whirled around to see her mom in the door she forgot to close, looking a little harried. "Are you okay?" She continued. "The door was open, and I heard you talking..."

Wondering why the universe hated her, Aiko fumbled for an excuse when said universe apparently decided to cut her a break.

In the form of a cockroach.

Aiko, seeing the opportunity, swooped on the bug like the excuse it was. She grabbed and rushed past her mother, throwing the thing several stories into the night. "And stay out!"

Her mom laughed behind her. "Oh thank goodness, I thought you were in trouble."

"No, just pests." Aiko said, thinking of one in particular. "What are you doing home so early?"

It was well past midnight at this point.

"My boss thought I looked tired tonight so he sent me home. It was so nice of him!" She gushed, pulling her daughter inside. "And on a Friday night no less! Those are some of the busiest, but he said he and the other girls can handle it. I feel kind of bad, though I'm honestly really happy too."

But Aiko saw the lie underneath the foundation and blush in the form of a bruise. She turned around and locked the door so that her mom wouldn't see the way her teeth clenched.

"Oh, how cute! I didn't know you liked Digimon!"

Aiko whirled around to see her mom picking up Tsunomon, who-

Who...did nothing.

...Was he even breathing?

...Did Digimon even have to breathe?

"Ah! It's so soft and squishy!" Her mom continued, squeezing Tsunomon lightly. If it bothered him, he didn't say so. Or show it. Or blink. And Aiko really wasn't sure if he was breathing or not. "What an adorable plushie! Where did you get it sweetheart?"

She just said the first thing that came to mind. "The arcade. I just sort of picked it up on impulse."

Her mom set Tsunomon down and looked at her with surprise. "The arcade? But I thought you had cram school today?"

Drat.

"I, uh, didn't...go today." Aiko lied.

Instantly her mom was worried. "Aiko...I know you said you wanted to go there, and that you can handle it, but if it's too much for you-"

Aiko cut in. "No. No I just - I just needed a break. It won't happen again."

"...Okay. If you're sure, honey." Aiko's mom leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I have tomorrow off too, you know. How about we have a lazy day in tomorrow, just the two of us? No work, no school, just us, junk food and a lot of movies."

"That sounds great." Aiko sighed in relief.

"Thought so. Now off to bed with you, darling. You don't have to make me dinner tonight."

Aiko nodded, giving her mom and quick hug before grabbing Tsunomon and hurrying to her room. As soon as the door closed, she stared at Tsunomon worriedly. Was he dead or...?

"Your mom's nice."

She jumped, but didn't scream. Not dead afterall, then. "Yeah. Yeah, she is."

Tsunomon was blessedly silently the rest of the night as Aiko got ready for bed.

In gratitude, she ignored him hopping on the bed and snuggling up behind her as she fell asleep.