Well, turns out John was right, and something was up with Jeremy. Whoops!
Chapter Eight
Manipulamon’s
Greatest Pawn
“Welcome fellow Digidestined,” said Jeremy, waving us through a gap in the brush, “to my digital home away from home, the Hidden Village of the Amphibian Digimon!”
We stepped through and found ourselves in a village of small huts built of reeds, barely as tall as me, scattered around a much taller open structure made of log pillars covered by a reed roof. There were several long logs, cut in half, placed inside the structure, flat side up. I figured immediately that this was the village dining hall, and probably the village equivalent of a town hall as well. Behind the main village was a large, Lilly-pad-filled lake rimmed with green algae. Suspended above the lake, on wooden stilts, was a much larger hut for the chief. There was a large reed built gondola positioned out front.
At first we saw no Digimon, but then they started stepping out of their huts tentatively, stepping close to us to get a look. There were three distinct types; tadpole-like Digimon with stubby fin/legs that came either red or blue, and gangly green frogs that stood about two feet tall on their hind legs, each carrying a brass horn on one of their shoulders. There were about fifty of them altogether.
Jeremy introduced the Digimon to us. “The green ones are Gekomon, Adult Level,” he said, “and the blue and red ones are Otamamon, Child Level. Their color depends on their type.”
Just then an eight-foot-tall fat red frog with a horn on each shoulder emerged from the hut above the lake, stepped into the gondola, and rowed across using his broad webbed hands as rowers. Upon seeing their chief emerge, the Gekomon and Otamamon bowed, waiting to rise until their chief had reached us. “And this,” said Jeremy, gesturing to the new arrival, “is Chief ShogunGekomon. He’s the one who gave me my Crest and Digiplayer and told me about my quest and where to go next.”
“It is good to see you again Jeremy,” said ShogunGekomon in a cheerful, booming baritone, “and it is good to see that you have found the others. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what, or rather who, awaited you at the bridge, but trust that I had my reasons.”
“Its cool,” Jeremy replied, “don’t worry about it.”
“Now please,” said ShogunGekomon, “I already know your names, so let us skip the introductions. Please join us for evening meal and the night’s town meeting. We have much to discuss.”
ShogunGekomon turned away from us and let out a bellowing croak. When he did, Gekomon and Otamamon came running from their huts with large, green mats that they set out along the flat-sided logs. A few of the Gekomon then ran back to some of the huts close to the central structure that I now noticed were longer and taller than the others. They darted inside and re-emerged almost immediately with extra mats for my team and myself, as well as various bowls and platters covered in leafy veggies, mushrooms, fruit, bugs, and algae. Another group retrieved enough wooden bowls and plates for everyone, passing them down the length of the log tables. I have to admit, their precision impressed me.
ShogunGekomon sat at the end of the longer table behind a large tree stump upon which sat a bowl and two plates. We were seated near him. “Normally,” ShogunGekomon said, “I eat more than my fellows, for reasons that I’m sure are quite obvious. But today, I share what little food I have with you.”
“Actually,” I told him, opening my over shirt sack to reveal our remaining supply of mushrooms and meat apples, “its us who will share with you.” I handed him one of the larger of the apples, “For your hospitality.” Then I turned to my friends and divided the rest of the food amongst us.
“Your kindness is greatly appreciated,” said on of the Gekomon across the table, “but please, there is plenty of fruit and algae and mushrooms to go around. Please have some of whatever you want!”
“Well,” I said, taking a mushroom from the plate in front of me, “if you insist.”
The meal was pleasant. The Gekomon and Otamamon soon grew comfortable with our presence, and they turned out to be good conversationalists, sharing stories of life here in this borderland between tropics and marsh. ShogunGekomon shared stories of the founding of the village many decades ago, and explained a little bit more about the magic that protected it. The village was surrounded by an ancient barrier that made it impossible to find, unless you had directions, or a guide, or had already been here before. For this reason, the village was one of the last places free of Manipulamon's reign, and one of the places that Manipulamon most wanted to conquer. This interested me. I was worried that we might have led Manipulamon's people here upon our return, but the chief assured me that we could not have been followed here either, unless we intended to be.
Then, almost as
soon as it had begun, the meal was over and the sun had begun to set.
ShogunGekomon, with another bellowing of his horn, called a meeting
to order. “I’m sorry to report that the affairs of our world have
grown even more complicated my friends,” he said, Speaking more to
us than to his people. “Recently, as most of you know, we have been
allowing those who fight or flee Manipulamon to use our hidden
village as a safe place to regain their strength. In doing so, we
have been able to learn many things about current Digital World
affairs. There is a rumor,” he said, speaking now only to us, “of
a new presence in Manipulamon’s ranks with the power of a
Digidestined.
“According to the
stories,” he elaborated, “Manipulamon now has at least one
Digimon in his ranks with the power to Digivolve at will, and at
least one companion that seems to call the shots. This Digimon has
been hunting down fighters and tagging or destroying them for about a
week now. No Digimon who has gotten close enough to see his face has
escaped to tell of it, but all who have had the displeasure of
meeting him in battle claim that he is an enemy easily as dangerous
as Manipulamon himself. This is all I know, but I thought that my
Digidestined allies should know all that I know.”
“Thanks,” I said, scowling at the theory forming in my mind. “We’ll sleep on this, and we’ll decide how to act on this information first thing tomorrow.”
With the meeting out of the way, my team and I were led to one of the taller longer huts. The only such hut that the Gekomon hadn’t brought food and dishes from. I noticed a group of Digimon taking the dishes from dinner to the pond to wash up. I would have offered to help, but I honestly didn’t want to. “You can sleep here,” our Gekomon escort said. “You’ll find bedrolls and blankets inside against the back wall.”
“Thank you,” said Jen, once she saw that I wasn’t going to say it. We ducked into the hut, and she elbowed me in the ribs, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been distracted since the end of dinner.”
“Sorry,” I replied, “I’m just tired.” She seemed skeptical, but she accepted my answer, at least for now.
I stepped inside the hut and pulled one of the bedrolls down from a stack against the wall. It consisted of a mat, a stuffed cloth cylinder, and a blanket. The cloth was green and sturdy, though obviously made of interwoven leaves. The texture was different to say the least, but not at all uncomfortable.
The others were asleep fast, except for Mechmon who left to walk by the pond. I guess he didn't need to recharge yet. I was glad of this, because I wanted some time to myself. Once I was sure that everyone was out, and that Mechmon was out of earshot, I sat up and removed the Digicomp from the tattered bag we had found with it, and I opened it up, turning the volume down to a whisper, before bringing up the A.I. program.
“How can I help you?” the computer voice asked.
“Just one quick question.” I replied. “What can make a Digimon able to Digivolve at will?”
The answer was simple and sweet, and exactly what I didn’t want to hear. “The only thing that can give a Digimon the ability to Digivolve at will is a Digivice operated by a Digidestined.”
“Yeah,” I said, “that’s what I thought.”
“Thanks,” I said, scowling at the theory forming in my mind. “We’ll sleep on this, and we’ll decide how to act on this information first thing tomorrow.”
With the meeting out of the way, my team and I were led to one of the taller longer huts. The only such hut that the Gekomon hadn’t brought food and dishes from. I noticed a group of Digimon taking the dishes from dinner to the pond to wash up. I would have offered to help, but I honestly didn’t want to. “You can sleep here,” our Gekomon escort said. “You’ll find bedrolls and blankets inside against the back wall.”
“Thank you,” said Jen, once she saw that I wasn’t going to say it. We ducked into the hut, and she elbowed me in the ribs, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been distracted since the end of dinner.”
“Sorry,” I replied, “I’m just tired.” She seemed skeptical, but she accepted my answer, at least for now.
I stepped inside the hut and pulled one of the bedrolls down from a stack against the wall. It consisted of a mat, a stuffed cloth cylinder, and a blanket. The cloth was green and sturdy, though obviously made of interwoven leaves. The texture was different to say the least, but not at all uncomfortable.
The others were asleep fast, except for Mechmon who left to walk by the pond. I guess he didn't need to recharge yet. I was glad of this, because I wanted some time to myself. Once I was sure that everyone was out, and that Mechmon was out of earshot, I sat up and removed the Digicomp from the tattered bag we had found with it, and I opened it up, turning the volume down to a whisper, before bringing up the A.I. program.
“How can I help you?” the computer voice asked.
“Just one quick question.” I replied. “What can make a Digimon able to Digivolve at will?”
The answer was simple and sweet, and exactly what I didn’t want to hear. “The only thing that can give a Digimon the ability to Digivolve at will is a Digivice operated by a Digidestined.”
“Yeah,” I said, “that’s what I thought.”
I had something
resembling proof now, but I still didn't want to believe it. Not when
I was so tired from two days of travel with no sleep at all. With a
deep, calming breath, I decided to address my concerns come morning,
and I set my head upon my leafy pillow and drifted off to dream
land.
“John, wake up!”
I shot up into a sitting position, startled, and saw the others running out of the hut. I leaped up and ran for the door. I stepped through to find three Kuwagamon and six Flymon flying back and forth over the village, tearing huts apart as they went. The sun was only a quarter of the way risen above the horizon.
“Crap,” I said, cursing myself for not seeing this coming, “I didn’t expect this yet. Okay guys, go to work!” Amanda and I raised our Digivices. “Initiate Digivolution!”
“Serpentmon, Digivolve to! Dragonterramon!”
“BlackColtmon, Digivolve to! BlackStaliamon!”
“Chickomon, Digivolve to! BrauntoPhoenixmon!”
BrauntoPhoenixmon leaped up and took to the sky, careful to avoid crushing any of the remaining huts. There were Gekomon and Otamamon running into the forest. One of the Kuwagamon gave chase, and was cut off by BlackStaliamon. The Digimon kept the enemies occupied until the Gekomon and Otamamon were all safely away.
“You gonna help?” I asked Jeremy.
“Yeah,” he said, though he was barely even trying anymore, “right. Initiate Digivolution!”
“Mechmon, Digivolve to!” He grew until he was much taller than any man, with a more human posture and rocket boosters on his back. He had folded up treads attached to his legs, and closed panels in his chest. Laser guns extended from his plug-shaped hands, guns which really could have helped us against Scorpiomon, if he'd bothered to deploy them, “Mechamon!”
“Take them out!” growled Dragonterramon, charging ahead. BrauntoPhoenixmon flew low just behind him. BlackStaliamon ran with them at first, but veered to the right, while Mechamon veered left.
Dragonterramon called out his attack, spewing flames over one Kuwagamon, blowing it to bits. He was then immediately pelted by Flymon stingers, pumping him full of enough poison to bring him down. This wasn't quite the loss it seemed, however, as before the Flymons’ stingers had had a chance to grow back, BrauntoPhoenixmon did a mid-air roll straight through their ranks, slinging flames from his wings and incinerating them. Then BrauntoPhoenixmon spun mid-air, slamming a Kuwagamon with his tail. It fell from the sky, landing hard on its back, and was immediately crushed by BlackStaliamon’s Hoof Slam attack.
Nearby, Mechmon was fighting against a single Kuwagamon, one on one. He fired several shots at point blank range, missing each time, which didn't surprise me at all. He was hit by one of Kuwagamon’s Scissor Claw attacks and de-Digivolved to Mechmon. We were now only two strong, though by now I was sure that we already had been.
It was then that three more Kuwagamon and six more Flymon rose up out of the surrounding trees. The Flymon launched their attacks, giving the Kuwagamon enough cover to get in close. BlackStaliamon could avoid the stingers easily, but the much larger BrauntoPhoenixmon was sure to be hit.
The stingers were only a few yards away when ShogunGekomon, back from showing his people to safety, jumped in the way, taking the hits himself. Then he was hit by Scissor Claw attacks from all three Kuwagamon at once. He fell over and broke apart, killed saving our lives.
“No!” I cried, fluctuating between horror and rage.
“Destroy those Digimon now!” Jen commanded, her face flushed with anger. Coltmon and Ponymon ran forward and called out their Hoof Tornado attack. The swirl of purple and red wind rose up, destroying two Flymon and drawing the rest together. Serpentmon leaped up and destroyed one with his Serpent Strike, while BrauntoPhoenixmon’s Dino Fire finished the rest.
BlackStaliamon kicked and destroyed two Kuwagamon with his back hooves, and smacked the third with his front hoof, knocking it onto its back. Then he called his attack, slamming the ground. Waves of concussive energy hammered the fallen foe, and it converted to data as well.
“Dammit!” I screamed. The Digimon de-Digivolved and moved to where myself and the other humans were standing. I turned around and punched the tightly woven wall of the hut behind me. “ShogunGekomon just gave his life for us!” I yelled. By now the Gekomon and Otamamon were returning from the surrounding forest. I turned to face Jeremy and said, “This is all your fault!”
I ran straight at Jeremy and punched at his face. He raised his arms to absorb the blow, so I swung my other fist, catching him in the gut and dropping him to his knees. I was about to hit him again when Jen, my unnaturally strong cousin, grabbed my arm, “What are you doing?!”
“Don’t you get it!” I said. “The one who’s been working with Manipulamon the past couple of weeks is Jeremy! The Digicomp says that the only way a Digimon can freely Digivolve back and forth is with the help of a Digidestined, yet Manipulamon’s new general can freely Digivolve. And this is an enchanted village. You can’t get here unless you’re led by someone who has already been shown the way, and yet the village was ambushed almost as soon as we arrived, the same morning that Mechmon, who never does anything, decided to go walking!”
By now the Gekomon and Otamamon, teary eyed over the loss of their beloved leader, were surrounding Jeremy, preventing his escape.
Jen, looking stunned, said in a low voice, “Check him for an M-Tag.”
“Here!” said one of the Gekomon, lifting Jeremy’s left sleeve. Sure enough, there was a tag attached to his arm. I reached forward to remove it, and stumbled, hit in the back by a wave of electricity. I turned abruptly to see Mechmon standing there, his eyes glowing red. Immediately Serpentmon and BlackColtmon were standing between Mechmon and myself, Serpentmon’s jaws wide, BlackColtmon’s hooves ablaze.
“Heh,” said Jeremy, “the only times you’ve ever seem my Digimon fight he was holding back. You have no idea how powerful he really is. Mechmon, go! Initiate Digivolution!”
“Mechmon, Digivolve to, Mechamon!”
“That poison hit me hard,” said Serpentmon. “I need more time before I can Digivolve again.”
“I don’t,” said BlackColtmon.
“And we’ve got some fight left too,” said Coltmon. He and Ponymon stepped up beside Serpentmon and Chickomon, ready to give everything they had.
“Then let’s go,” I said. “BlackColtmon, Initiate Digivolution!”
“BlackColtmon, Digivolve to! BlackStaliamon!”
Mechamon jumped back, up into the air, and aimed his guns at BlackStaliamon. He fired, but BlackStaliamon leaped out of the way. He jumped into the air, bounced off of one of the huts, and soured into the air to tackle his foe, but was kicked out of the air before his attack could connect.
“Serpent Strike!” called Serpentmon. Again, as one of my Digimon was hit, it wasn't a true loss. While Mechamon was still mid-kick, Serpentmon launched his attack at Mechamon’s back from below, and one of his rockets sputtered and burnt out. The other overcompensated and blew out, causing Mechamon to cry out in pain, but his pain hadn’t passed. Only moments later he was hit by a Hoof Tornado and tossed through the air, landing a good ways away in a crumpled mess, blasting clouds of dust in every direction. When the dust cleared, though, he was already up, but seemed damaged.
Mechamon leaped to Jeremy’s side, picked him up, and jumped away.
“Follow him!” I ordered. We took off running, determined to save our friend, no matter the cost. He'd already tried to kill us and the Gekomon all at once by bringing Manipulamon's forces to the only sanctuary safe from Manipulamon's reach. He had to be stopped! I was angry, but if I hadn’t been so angry, I probably would have realized that we were running right into Jeremy's latest trap.
Next Chapter >>
“John, wake up!”
I shot up into a sitting position, startled, and saw the others running out of the hut. I leaped up and ran for the door. I stepped through to find three Kuwagamon and six Flymon flying back and forth over the village, tearing huts apart as they went. The sun was only a quarter of the way risen above the horizon.
“Crap,” I said, cursing myself for not seeing this coming, “I didn’t expect this yet. Okay guys, go to work!” Amanda and I raised our Digivices. “Initiate Digivolution!”
“Serpentmon, Digivolve to! Dragonterramon!”
“BlackColtmon, Digivolve to! BlackStaliamon!”
“Chickomon, Digivolve to! BrauntoPhoenixmon!”
BrauntoPhoenixmon leaped up and took to the sky, careful to avoid crushing any of the remaining huts. There were Gekomon and Otamamon running into the forest. One of the Kuwagamon gave chase, and was cut off by BlackStaliamon. The Digimon kept the enemies occupied until the Gekomon and Otamamon were all safely away.
“You gonna help?” I asked Jeremy.
“Yeah,” he said, though he was barely even trying anymore, “right. Initiate Digivolution!”
“Mechmon, Digivolve to!” He grew until he was much taller than any man, with a more human posture and rocket boosters on his back. He had folded up treads attached to his legs, and closed panels in his chest. Laser guns extended from his plug-shaped hands, guns which really could have helped us against Scorpiomon, if he'd bothered to deploy them, “Mechamon!”
“Take them out!” growled Dragonterramon, charging ahead. BrauntoPhoenixmon flew low just behind him. BlackStaliamon ran with them at first, but veered to the right, while Mechamon veered left.
Dragonterramon called out his attack, spewing flames over one Kuwagamon, blowing it to bits. He was then immediately pelted by Flymon stingers, pumping him full of enough poison to bring him down. This wasn't quite the loss it seemed, however, as before the Flymons’ stingers had had a chance to grow back, BrauntoPhoenixmon did a mid-air roll straight through their ranks, slinging flames from his wings and incinerating them. Then BrauntoPhoenixmon spun mid-air, slamming a Kuwagamon with his tail. It fell from the sky, landing hard on its back, and was immediately crushed by BlackStaliamon’s Hoof Slam attack.
Nearby, Mechmon was fighting against a single Kuwagamon, one on one. He fired several shots at point blank range, missing each time, which didn't surprise me at all. He was hit by one of Kuwagamon’s Scissor Claw attacks and de-Digivolved to Mechmon. We were now only two strong, though by now I was sure that we already had been.
It was then that three more Kuwagamon and six more Flymon rose up out of the surrounding trees. The Flymon launched their attacks, giving the Kuwagamon enough cover to get in close. BlackStaliamon could avoid the stingers easily, but the much larger BrauntoPhoenixmon was sure to be hit.
The stingers were only a few yards away when ShogunGekomon, back from showing his people to safety, jumped in the way, taking the hits himself. Then he was hit by Scissor Claw attacks from all three Kuwagamon at once. He fell over and broke apart, killed saving our lives.
“No!” I cried, fluctuating between horror and rage.
“Destroy those Digimon now!” Jen commanded, her face flushed with anger. Coltmon and Ponymon ran forward and called out their Hoof Tornado attack. The swirl of purple and red wind rose up, destroying two Flymon and drawing the rest together. Serpentmon leaped up and destroyed one with his Serpent Strike, while BrauntoPhoenixmon’s Dino Fire finished the rest.
BlackStaliamon kicked and destroyed two Kuwagamon with his back hooves, and smacked the third with his front hoof, knocking it onto its back. Then he called his attack, slamming the ground. Waves of concussive energy hammered the fallen foe, and it converted to data as well.
“Dammit!” I screamed. The Digimon de-Digivolved and moved to where myself and the other humans were standing. I turned around and punched the tightly woven wall of the hut behind me. “ShogunGekomon just gave his life for us!” I yelled. By now the Gekomon and Otamamon were returning from the surrounding forest. I turned to face Jeremy and said, “This is all your fault!”
I ran straight at Jeremy and punched at his face. He raised his arms to absorb the blow, so I swung my other fist, catching him in the gut and dropping him to his knees. I was about to hit him again when Jen, my unnaturally strong cousin, grabbed my arm, “What are you doing?!”
“Don’t you get it!” I said. “The one who’s been working with Manipulamon the past couple of weeks is Jeremy! The Digicomp says that the only way a Digimon can freely Digivolve back and forth is with the help of a Digidestined, yet Manipulamon’s new general can freely Digivolve. And this is an enchanted village. You can’t get here unless you’re led by someone who has already been shown the way, and yet the village was ambushed almost as soon as we arrived, the same morning that Mechmon, who never does anything, decided to go walking!”
By now the Gekomon and Otamamon, teary eyed over the loss of their beloved leader, were surrounding Jeremy, preventing his escape.
Jen, looking stunned, said in a low voice, “Check him for an M-Tag.”
“Here!” said one of the Gekomon, lifting Jeremy’s left sleeve. Sure enough, there was a tag attached to his arm. I reached forward to remove it, and stumbled, hit in the back by a wave of electricity. I turned abruptly to see Mechmon standing there, his eyes glowing red. Immediately Serpentmon and BlackColtmon were standing between Mechmon and myself, Serpentmon’s jaws wide, BlackColtmon’s hooves ablaze.
“Heh,” said Jeremy, “the only times you’ve ever seem my Digimon fight he was holding back. You have no idea how powerful he really is. Mechmon, go! Initiate Digivolution!”
“Mechmon, Digivolve to, Mechamon!”
“That poison hit me hard,” said Serpentmon. “I need more time before I can Digivolve again.”
“I don’t,” said BlackColtmon.
“And we’ve got some fight left too,” said Coltmon. He and Ponymon stepped up beside Serpentmon and Chickomon, ready to give everything they had.
“Then let’s go,” I said. “BlackColtmon, Initiate Digivolution!”
“BlackColtmon, Digivolve to! BlackStaliamon!”
Mechamon jumped back, up into the air, and aimed his guns at BlackStaliamon. He fired, but BlackStaliamon leaped out of the way. He jumped into the air, bounced off of one of the huts, and soured into the air to tackle his foe, but was kicked out of the air before his attack could connect.
“Serpent Strike!” called Serpentmon. Again, as one of my Digimon was hit, it wasn't a true loss. While Mechamon was still mid-kick, Serpentmon launched his attack at Mechamon’s back from below, and one of his rockets sputtered and burnt out. The other overcompensated and blew out, causing Mechamon to cry out in pain, but his pain hadn’t passed. Only moments later he was hit by a Hoof Tornado and tossed through the air, landing a good ways away in a crumpled mess, blasting clouds of dust in every direction. When the dust cleared, though, he was already up, but seemed damaged.
Mechamon leaped to Jeremy’s side, picked him up, and jumped away.
“Follow him!” I ordered. We took off running, determined to save our friend, no matter the cost. He'd already tried to kill us and the Gekomon all at once by bringing Manipulamon's forces to the only sanctuary safe from Manipulamon's reach. He had to be stopped! I was angry, but if I hadn’t been so angry, I probably would have realized that we were running right into Jeremy's latest trap.
Next Chapter >>
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