Another chapter of Digimon. Hurray! In this one we see the characters beginning to apply the knowledge and technology found at the Tower in chapter two, and learning more about the conflict between Manipulamon and the Digimon already living in this world.
Chapter Three
The Team’s Choice
“Hold on!” said Jen. “Before we decide, I have some questions.”
“I am designed to answer any question that you may have to the best of my ability,” the computer voice replied.
“Alright then,” said Jen. “I’m worried what will happen when our parents realize we’re missing. I mean, we have no idea how long all of this crap will take.”
“Uh,” I said, interjecting, “I realize that they’ll be worried, but I know my parents would understand. And I think that your mom and dad would get it too. This is our destiny. We’re meant to do this.”
“Yeah,” said Jen, “I guess you’re right.”
“I have one,” said Sarah. “What if we get hurt here? Is it for real?”
We all looked at the computer, awaiting the answer.
“Any injuries sustained in this world are just as real as those sustained in your world,” the computer answered.
“Okay,” I said before anyone else could chime in, “This is obviously a big deal. We could get hurt. Our parents might worry. But I think we need to address something more important than any of that stuff. We have to remember that if we don’t stay and do our best, every Digimon in this world will be enslaved. Digital or not these are living, breathing beings, and we’re the only ones who can save them. I think we have to try.”
“You’re right,” said Jen. “I vote that we stay.”
“Me too,” said Sarah. “I vote stay.”
We all looked at Amanda. She was young and had a tendency to be pretty selfish, making her the most likely of us to want out. Then again she was also pretty likely to give in, since she probably didn’t understand what was going on.
“If you guys think we can help out,” said Amanda, “then I guess we should try.”
“Then its settled,” I said, turning back to the computer, “we stay. Now, what’s next?”
The computer screen blinked and a new image appeared. It was a digital representation of the desert and Desert Tower. “Using the handheld computer interface to determine direction, head north from this spot until you reach an oasis spawned by the water of a river, using this device’s built in Digimon Analyzer software to aid in your defense. Follow the river east until you find a bridge. There you will find the key to the rest of your journey.”
“Alright,” I said, “we have a mission! Let’s go!”
“Hold it!” said Jen. “I appreciate that you're all excited to go on an adventure, and I'm pretty excited too, but it's almost completely dark out. Don't you think we should sleep here tonight? You know, get some of our strength back.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said smiling, “but I get top bunk.”
Using the open Digicomp as a nightlight, we spent the night in Desert Tower. The battery on that thing never died. I never really thought back then about how that was possible, and even now I don't care enough to, well, care. I mean, who am I to complain about good fortune?
Anyway...
The nine of us slept in one corner of the room. It was cold and it was uncomfortable. We woke up with our hair and cloths full of sand and dirt particles. We were sore, and we were on edge, but we had a purpose, a reason to endure. So we endured, even as we set out across the desert yet again.
We were hungry, but we endured. We were thirsty, but we endured. We were hot, but we endured. And only a few hours into our trek, we found ourselves at the most beautiful grove of trees we had ever seen.
“Awesome!” said Sarah, running up under the edge of the grove. Amanda jumped down from Chickomon’s back and followed, Chickomon and Ponymon close behind.
“Hey John,” said Jen, pointing, “those are apples in those trees!”
“I see ‘em,” I said. I turned to Serpentmon and asked, “Do you know if those are okay to eat?”
“Of course!” he answered. “They’re just meat apples. Each one tastes like a different meat, from pork, to steak, to hotdogs.”
“Pretty sweet,” I answered, barely listening. I'd been so tired that I hadn't realized how hungry I was, but once I did, it was all I could think about.
“Yup. You’ll probably find some regular apples too, and some Digimushrooms. Digimushrooms don’t taste very good, but they provide protein and restore health and energy, especially in us Digimon.”
“Alright then,” I said, “while the kids play in the woods, we’ll look for mushrooms. Jen, stay with Sarah and Amanda and pick some apples.”
“Aye aye, boss!” she responded with a mock salute. I chuckled and headed off into the dense forest to pick some mushrooms.
“Ah! These must be them!” I bent down and pried a black mushroom from the base of a tree. I held it up for Serpentmon to see.
“Yep, that's a Digimushroom alright!” Serpentmon said, and I lay my over shirt open and began filling it up with the unappealing black fungus. I had just finished tying the makeshift sack closed with my shoestring when I heard a series of screams coming from the apple grove where the others were waiting. The screaming was accompanied by a series of small explosions and the toppling of a tree.
Battle. The only thing that could distract me from food.
“Time for action, buddy,” I told Serpentmon. I looked at BlackColtmon, “You too pal.” The two Digimon nodded, and my Digivice came online.
I raised my Digivice up and called, “Initiate Digivolution!”
“Serpentmon, Digivolve to, Dragonterramon!”
“BlackColtmon, Digivolve to, BlackStaliamon!”
I jumped onto BlackStaliamon’s back, and we shot off toward the grove. Dragonterramon charged past us, letting out what I was coming to recognize as his distinctive signature "engagement roar". It shook the ground beneath us. He shoved several densely packed trees out of the way, revealing our friends, under siege from a spider-like creature the size of a car.
I pulled the Digicomp handheld out of my pocket and held it up to the spider. Text appeared, reading:
- Name: Dokugumon
- Characteristics: Female, Adult, Virus Type, Insectoid Species
- Attacks: Spider’s Web, Viral Grenade
*WARNING* Poisonous
“Careful guys,” I said, “she uses poison attacks in battle!”
Dragonterramon roared and charged, calling, “Terra Strike!” Dragonterramon raised his claws and slashed, but Dokugumon fired a web, using it to pull herself out of the way. Then, while Dragonterramon was still mid rush, Dokugumon wrapped his legs with webbing, causing him to fall hard.
I jumped down from BlackStaliamon’s back and said, “Get her bud!” BlackStaliamon leapt at Dokugumon, who shot up a net-like web that caught the powerful Digimon mid leap.
Dragonterramon shot a thin stream of flame across his feet and legs, incinerating the web that held him. He jumped up and roared again. Dokugumon turned around to face him, and I saw it, a small patch emblazoned with an “M” attached to Dokugumon’s thorax.
“Look there, a manipulation tag! If we get rid of it, Dokugumon won’t attack anymore!”
“I’m on it!” Chickomon declared, and he charged. Dragonterramon tried to jump onto Dokugumon’s back and pin her, but she used a web to pull herself away, disappearing into the trees.
“Look out,” Dragonterramon growled. “She could be anywhere." He fired another spread of flames at BlackStaliamon, burning the web away, freeing him. BlackStaliamon scowled as his gaze darted through the treetops.
Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Dokugumon descended from the treetops, hanging by a thread. “Viral Grenade!” she called, and several smaller spiders the size of squirrels, dropped from the treetops and grabbed onto Dragonterramon. They exploded, causing Dragonterramon to revert to his previous state and pass out, reversion to the Child Level being the only way to save himself from the deadly poison inflicted upon him by the attack.
“Chickomon Blades!” called Chickomon, firing energy blades from his eyes, cutting Dokugumon’s thread. She fell, and Coltmon and Ponymon began running a tight circle around her. “Hoof Tornado!” they called, and a pillar of wind rose up, trapping Dokugumon inside.
BlackStaliamon jumped up, pushed off of a tree, and fell into the cyclone’s eye. He fell, knocking the tag off and smashing it with his hoof. Coltmon and Ponymon ended their attack, and Dokugumon stood up, disoriented.
“The last thing I remember clearly,” Dokugumon said, “is my best friend Birdramon and myself running from a group of Willings who were trying to tag us. Manipulamon equips his taggers with the ability to produce M-Tags using a small portion of their own data. They were being lead by Okuwamon, a mighty Perfect Level Digimon who-.”
“Excuse me,” Jen cut in, “but what do you mean by ‘Willings’?”
“Oh!” said Dokugumon, “as Digidestined, I thought you would know! Only some of Manipulamon’s subjects are controlled.
“You see, many Digimon, especially the more wild ones, will align themselves with the Digimon with the most power and serve them willingly, like the majority of Manipulamon’s current ranks. We call them ‘Willings’. There are other Digimon that remain unaligned, neither assisting or resisting Manipulamon’s influence. ‘Fighters’ is another term that we use for Digimon who resist Manipulamon and his forces when they can. I'm one, even though I can't really fight very well, except when Manipulamon is controlling me, I guess.”
“And Birdramon was a Fighter too?” I asked. We were sitting in a half-circle, facing Dokugumon, listening to her speak.
“Yes,” Dokugumon replied with a nod. "We were in charge of a small group actively resiting Okuwamon and his forces. Finally he moved to tag or destroy us. Only Birdramon and I survived."
"Okuwamon wasn't one of the generals, was it?" Jen asked me.
"I dunno," I answered.
"No," Dokugumon said, answering Jen, "he is not, but he is equally dangerous, as he oversees Manipulamon's forces dedicated to tagging Fighters."
“You said he was after you and your friend," I said. "Where is Birdramon now?”
“She has likely been tagged and placed on lookout in the sector that she is most familiar with. Her nest is in a cliff located in this very forest.”
“Alright then,” I said, standing up to better address my friends and allies, “we’re gonna go free her too! In fact, we’re going to free as many tagged Digimon as we can. The more we free, the more potential allies we have against Manipulamon!”
“Alright!” Sarah agreed, leaping up as well, my excitement rubbing off on her, “Dokugumon, lead the way!”
“Thank you, Digidestined,” Dokugumon said, rising to her too many feet, creeping me out a little (spiders give me the heeby jeebies), “I am in your debt.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Serpentmon, jumping up to hang around my neck.
“Yeah,” BlackColtmon agreed, a proud tone to his voice, “its what we do.”
Next Chapter >>
No comments:
Post a Comment