A Seraphic Tale Chapter 7

[kudzumac]

 Kudzu: Welcome back. Joining us today is Rita, Plutomon, Zack and Damian.

*Two boys enter the sporking chamber, one a boy in a blue dress shirt and khakis with short blonde hair and reddish-brown eyes, the other a boy with brown seaweed-like hair and green eyes, in a seagreen shirt, jeans and a black vest.*

Blonde boy: Hello, I'm Damian, a pleasure to meet everyone.

Seaweed boy: *Grins* Yo, I'm Zack!

Rita: *Waves* Hello again everyone.

Pluto: *Nods* Let's begin, shall we?

Kudzu: Yeah. This episode, we have ADHD Stereotypes, drama, and Yun's Love interest getting an introduction. Anyway, Roll Episode.

EPISODE 7: Like a Moth To a Flame

Zack: That's got to be the worst line to use in... any situation.

On that very same sunny Saturday morning, right around the time Birdramon sent Kokatorimon back into the Digital World, another person and Digimon were enjoying themselves very immensely. Nobara Riku and Coronamon spent most of the morning playing video games in the living room. And they were enjoying it very much. Riku wore nothing but a pale green and dark green plaid skater shirt with buttons and pockets and a pair of bright red shorts. Currently he's barefoot and his red, furry, funny-looking friend Coronamon sat next to him. Both of them are playing Space Raiders, a new PS2 game that came out.

Kudzu: And according to wikipedia, Space Raiders was a sucky game!

BOOM! BOOM! went the laser as it attacked an enemy airship.

"Hah! Take that, General Hancock!" Riku exclaimed.

"No way! I'm taking down Hancock!" Coronamon retorted.

"No! I am!"

"I am!"

BOOM! BOOM! SCREECH!

After defeating a few more levels and finally taking down General Hancock, GAME OVER appeared on the screen. Coronamon threw his controller on the floor and jumped with joy while Riku sat there with his jaw to the floor. Literally.

Damian: That's disturbing, does Riku have super stretching?

Kudzu: Nope.

Damian: Shame, that would have made things much more interesting.

"YAAAAAY! Who's the awesomest Digimon in all the world? Coronamon, that's who!" Coronamon cried out happily and joyously as he jumped up and down around the room while Riku's left totally awestruck. After a while he finally got up.

"I taught you how to play this game two days ago yet you beat it way before I do? You cheated somehow! I know it!" Riku yelled.

"No way! I didn't cheat! I dun even know HOW to cheat!" Coronamon retaliated with his arms crossed and flaming tail wagging behind him. Riku finally calmed down a bit.

"Oh yeah. That's right. You're a Digimon," Riku muttered. But Coronamon heard it.

Plutomon: Yes. Because we digimon are apparently idiots.

"Hey! It ain't JUST because I'm a Digimon!" Coronamon yelled.

They were about to argue some more, but something stopped them mercilessly.

"Would you two keep it down?"

It's Riku's older twin sister, Nobara Rena, and her Digimon, Lunamon. Unlike Riku who is messy and has unkempt hair and clothes (one of the buttons on his shirt is done in a rather cursory way) right now, Rena is perfectly neat and tidy with her semi-long blonde hair tied neatly into a braided pigtail with a lavendar purple ribbon going down her left shoulder. Today she is wearing a cream-colored shirt under an indigo blue short sleeved shirt with a lavendar purple bow around the collar matching the one in her hair, beige khaki shorts, black shoes and tall white socks. Lunamon dutifully and shyly stood by Rena's side. She does not look happy seeing Riku and Coronamon bouncing off the walls this early in the morning.

Kudzu: I have ADHD, and I find that last line offensive.

"Mom and Dad are still sleeping! Do you WANT them to find out about our Digimon?" Rena yelped discouragingly at her younger twin brother.

"This furry little hamster beat General Hancock way before I did! And I taught him how to play just two days ago!" Riku pointed at his red Digimon discontentedly, completely missing the question Rena's asking him, which irked her greatly.

"So what?" Coronamon yelped.

"The game's not important! You two need to quiet yourselves down! Riku, you don't want Mom and Dad to find out about our Digimon, do you? If they find them, they'll make us get rid of them no matter what! You know how paranoid they can get when it comes to this stuff!" Rena cried out.

Rita: And her yelling immediately wakes up her parents, in a logical world. But sadly, this isn't a very logical world.

"Calm down, sis! I don't want them to find them either! Especially not MY little friend here! He's the best thing that ever happened to me! No way would I let Mom and Dad take him away from me!" Riku replied sharply.

"Okay then. But at least keep the noise level down, would you? I don't want Mom and Dad thinking there's a robber in the house trying to steal all our jewelry. And besides, isn't it about time you took your meds?" Rena told him sternly like a very strict school teacher lecturing an unruly and naughty student.

Zack: As the son of a cop, I'll just say that robbers don't just go for jewelry, they also go for anything that looks like it can sell well- electronics as an example.

Riku's ears perked up once Rena openly and non-hesitantly uttered the word 'meds.' He knew what it meant, and now he began to look perturbed. Out of all the things he hated the most, he is the most openly averse toward taking his meds. He absolutely hated taking them, yet he has to in order to keep a calm persona throughout the day without causing trouble.

"N-N-No! I'll be fine without those for one day!" Riku exclaimed.

"No you won't! You know that you have to take these every day! The doctor said so! Who knows what trouble you'll get yourself or other people into the next time you go without these? I don't want Mom and Dad to yell at you for every little thing again!" Rena told him in a stringent manner and voice. Rena knew for a fact that if Riku got off of his meds ONCE, he would unwittingly get himself caught in all kinds of wild transgressions, especially considering how intractable he is when he's focused on something too much. It was bad enough Riku had a pretty set in stone record for those particular transgressions, and it's only made worse by the fact that Rena's mom and dad don't trust Riku with just about anything, whether he's on his meds or not. Rena didn't like this at all, but she knew Riku would get careless and she didn't want him to be blamed even more.

Rita: *glares as Plutomon protectively holds her* Calling it now, Riku is a scape goat.

"Riku. Please. Just take these," Rena told him. Lunamon hid behind her, not wanting to be caught in the middle of this little sibling squabble.

"Hey Coronamon! Wanna go out to the park and hang out?" Riku asked as he threw on his white socks and shoes and grabbed his gold digivice in a flash.

Coronamon jumped with joy. "Yay! Let's go!"

Both Riku and Coronamon very quickly dashed out of the door, right before Rena and Lunamon could get a decent hold of them.

"Wait! Riku! Come back!" Rena yelled as she watched Riku and Coronamon run out into town. She knew chasing him down wouldn't exactly do any good either, especially in a public place full of people. Lunamon looked up at her partner with worry.

"What are you going to do now, Rena-san?" Lunamon asked politely and softly as to not irritate Rena any further. But an idea popped into her head like a baby chick that just hatched from it's egg. She looked down at Lunamon with a smile.

"Why don't we go after them?" Rena told her. Lunamon wondered what she meant when she said that. But Rena, instead of chasing him down rapidly, she decided to go for a very different approach. A very secretive approach.

Kudzu: And we don't see them again until the plot deems it convenient.

But while Rena and Lunamon were left at home by themselves, Riku and Coronamon finally got to the park. To their ecstasy and joy, the park is totally empty. The trees that Ogremon knocked down have been cleared off, and it had been closed until today because of it. Riku knew this and was ticked off about it. But now it's open! The old, rusty rides are open too, like the slide, the swings, and the old spinning wheel. This was his time to prove to Rena that he can do just fine for a day without taking his medication. He looked at Coronamon with a bright smile on his face.

Damian: Uh... pretty sure rusty equipment is dangerous to play on...

Zack: Yeah, isn't anyone maintaining this park?

Kudzu: Nope, just as there are never any witnesses to digimon attacks so far.

"So, what do you want to do today, Coronamon?" Riku asked.

At first, the furry red beast was a little mystified by Riku's striking presence. His choppy, unkempt blonde bangs hung over his green eyes that shone like morning dew basking under the sun. But Coronamon could see something in his eyes. What was it again? Curiosity, joy, and liberty. Coronamon liked this, and decided to answer.

"What's that big long thing over there?" Coronamon asked, pointing to the silver slide and the red ladder that was attached to it.

"That's the slide! Wanna go on it?" Riku told him in an oddly enough very calm and informative manner. Coronamon jumped for joy yet again.

Plutomon: *Growls* I despise how the partner digimon are infantilized.

"Yes! I do! Yay!" Coronamon exclaimed.

Riku and Coronamon jauntily dashed for the slide and decided to play on it. Even though some parts of the slide are very old and rusty, Riku didn't care. The areas were very small so he didn't feel much of a thing. Riku slid down the old metal slide first, showing it to his furry red friend. Coronamon followed suit, and Riku was very surprised with how well he caught on. And so quickly, at that! Soon, the two jaunty little rascals were happily sliding down the old metal slide every minute they could, and they were enjoying it immensely. These two energetic little moppets were simply bursting with morning energy and didn't feel like taking a break, even for one minute. One thing Riku knew for sure was that he can easily forgo the medication when it came to sliding down the metal slide.

Coronamon knew something himself: that he's absolutely happy to have Riku for a partner. Ever since he met him as a tiny little thing that hatched from a DigiEgg, he knew Riku was the one for him. With that hyper, sunny, energetic and amiable personality of his, Coronamon knew he couldn't find another partner like him anywhere. But sadly enough, Coronamon did understand something else. Something that both confused him and broke his heart: that Riku is horribly misunderstood and other people push him away a lot. He saw this when he witnessed Riku importuning his mom to let him buy a new game he's been saving money for after he managed to get a C+ on an English test, but his mom said no the entire time. Not only that, he overheard Riku's parents talking. Coronamon heard his dad say that they should put him on a stronger medication and take him out of the school because he's tired of getting complaints from the teachers regarding his energetic and somewhat unacceptable behavior. Coronamon silently scoffed at them and remembered how Riku raised him and brought him up to his rookie level now. He didn't want those happy memories to be tarnished by cruel words.

Kudzu: Okay, how is what Riku's done been unacceptable? Has he done anything socially inappropriate? Has he threatened anyone? Physically attacked someone and drew blood like an animal? How is what Riku does any different or even worse than what Nenji does? Or is Riku only a victim to have drama in his life?

Soon, Riku and Coronamon grew tired of the slide.

"So! What do you wanna do next?" Riku asked.

"What's that round spinny thing over there?" Coronamon pointed to the yellow spinning wheel a little ways away from the slide.

"That's the carousel! It's so much fun!" Riku took Coronamon by his hand and invited him to the spinning wheel in a congenial manner. He hoisted Coronamon up and put him in the middle of the wheel.

"All you have to do is stay there! I'm gonna spin it around! Let me know if you want to go faster, okay?" Riku explained.

"Okay! Go for it!" Coronamon exclaimed as he sat comfortably in between two yellow bends. Riku put a hand on the handle on the side and began running.

Zack: *Plays a rhythm game on his phone* So thrilling. Much padding.

Coronamon could see it moving. He could see the scenery around him going right past him. Soon, the scenery looked more and more blurry and pixelated-looking like it was getting thinner and weirder. Riku gradually picked up the pace.

Damian: If my vision turned pixelated, I'd be very worried.

Kudzu: Probably the Author abusing the thesaurus again.

"You want it faster?" Riku asked.

"Yeah! Faster!" Coronamon cheered.

Riku ran faster and faster, resulting in the carousel going faster and faster as well. Coronamon was starting to get dizzy, but he wouldn't let that stop him from having an abundance of fun. Right now he's having a lot of it. He clung to one of the yellow bends to keep himself from falling off of the carousel. Soon, the scenery around him was going by so fast he could barely tell one thing from the other. He couldn't even let go of the bend he was clutching to so desperately. Coronamon was having a blast!

After a while, Riku finally stopped to catch his breath. Coronamon finally let go of the bend and lay on the wheel. He was so dizzy and his head was throbbing like he's having a headache.

"Whoa! That...was...so...AWESOME!" Coronamon yelped loudly as he suddenly hopped back onto the carousel. But he landed on the pole that all the yellow bends connected to.

"You're right! That was fun!" Riku exclaimed happily.

"We should do that again sometime! Not now, I mean! Later!" Coronamon said.

"Yeah. Too much spinning for one day. Hehehehe..." Riku said. Then he noticed Coronamon standing firmly and jauntily on the yellow pole that all the bends connected to. A little idea sparked in his head like a campfire.

"Hey Coronamon! Can I get on there?" Riku asked.

Kudzu: *reads ahead a bit* Uh oh, time for Komedy

Pluto: Shouldn't it be Comedy?

Kudzu: when it's spelled with a K, it means it's a bad attempt at it.

Pluto: Ah.

"Sure! Come on up, partner!" Coronamon gestured him to come up as he got off of the pole. Riku stood upright and straight as his feet planted themselves on the pole. He spread his arms out far and wide, and he felt on top of the world. And he felt like shouting it to let everyone know of his existence.

Zack: Despite no one being there at all, not even for a morning jog.

Kudzu: The meat puppets only come out when the narrative calls for it.

"GOOD MORNING, PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! I am Nobara Riku, standing on top of the world!" Riku edicted loudly as he made a few redundant and ridiculous poses to make himself look like a hero of justice.

"Yay! And I'm Coronamon, Riku's noble and faithful sidekick!" Coronamon edicted just as loudly as Riku did. Thankfully, nobody heard him so he was fine.

If one were to exclude the fact that he just lost his balance and is about to fall.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! I-I'm gonna fall flat on my face!" Riku exclaimed as he struggled and flailed in a desperate attempt to regain his balance. But nothing was working. Coronamon was getting worried.

"Uhh...uhh...Whaddo I do?" Coronamon asked himself with trepidation.

But Riku's foot finally gave up. It slipped, and the both of them braced for impact.

When Riku came to, he was surprised he actually lived. Not only that, he totally missed all the yellow bends. If he hit his head one one of those things, he would crack his skull and die from too much bleeding! Thank goodness he missed them. He exhaled a great big sigh of relief. But he could feel something soft and furry below him. He found red hair on his shirt. When he looked down, he gasped to find Coronamon right below him.

All: *aghast*

Zack: Did... did the story really go there?

Rita: Yeah, it did.

Damian: Good lord...

Pluto: and with no witnesses to help him, he really would have passed away. This is why parent supervision is a requirement for children, correct, Rita?

Rita: Yeah, that's right Plu.

"Co-Coronamon! Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you? If I did hurt you, I'm so sorry!" Riku wailed as he realized Coronamon was under him. But Coronamon opened his lucid, sharp golden eyes and looked up at Riku with a smile.

Kudzu: Checked the wiki, and Coronamon actually has blue eyes, not gold. So, I assume Coronamon's gold eyes are like that to make him special like Yun's green-eyed Lopmon.

"Don't worry! It's all good!" Coronamon said. Riku, seeing Coronamon's bright eyes and sweet but roguish smile, smiled himself and let out a nervous chuckle.

"I'm glad. If I hurt you, I'd think what my parents say about me are right!" Riku said as he helped himself and Coronamon up and out of the carousel.

"What do you mean, Riku?" Coronamon asked curiously.

Kudzu: Incoming angst, lady and gents.

"Remember when Rena said that I tend to cause trouble for myself and others whenever I start getting all hyper and going without my meds? She's kinda right. I don't like it, but whenever I want to do something I end up getting a bit reckless and impulsive. I don't mean to drag people into my schemes. They're just kinda there and I don't see them until it's too late. Plus I don't mean to cause trouble. But something bad always happens whenever I wanna do something or something ticks me off. I kinda got thrashed real good because I tried to deal with some kid Nenji cuz' he was picking on my good friend Yun. All I was trying to do was protect her! Nobody messes with my friends! What he was doing to her was wrong! But Mom and Dad didn't believe me. They won't let me get that new video game I've been saving up for. I kinda get the feeling they're starting to like Rena more than me because of my ADHD," Riku explained, looking a little dejected and perturbed.

Damian: This is getting ridiculous. You mean to tell us, that Riku is so unlucky, that people immediately think he's the bad guy, when there's proof otherwise right in front of them? All because he has ADHD?

Kudzu: *Grinds teeth* Eyup.

"What's ADHD?" Coronamon asked.

"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It means I don't listen to people and get real hyper a lot.
Kudzu: *Forces a smile* As someone with ADHD, I can safely say that it's a bit more complicated than that, but I don't feel like explaining it. 

Believe me, I don't like it just as much as my family doesn't like it. And I don't mean to make trouble for other people or get myself in bad situations! But it seems I'm a big magnet for them, and everyone's mad at me because of them. My own parents don't even trust me with anything anymore. They won't even let me run a simple errand like going to Wawa to get a meatball sub anymore! I know where Wawa is! It's on Mayoi Avenue, and that's the most populated street there is! The park is on this street! I can get there and back in 10 minutes!

Zack: Wait, if the park is on the most populated street, and there's a construction site, then how come there's never any witnesses to the digimon shenanigans so far?

Kudzu: Author Fiat makes the meat puppets not come out until it's dramatic enough, I guess.

Well, I guess most of it's my fault for all the stuff I cause. Not only that, anyone I know seems to think anything I do is bad! This one time, I saw a kid trying to shoplift from a store. I saw him do it, no doubt! I went over to him and snatched it from him and told him straight to his face 'Shoplifting is wrong! You should know better, kid!' But alas, people thought I was the one doing the shoplifting! Can you believe it? I told them everything but nobody but Rena believed me! What did I ever do to deserve that?

Rita: I'm sorry, but the fact that complete strangers don't believe them, or check security cameras is pretty contrived. This feels like the universe is out to get Riku because he's either a boy, or because he has ADHD- probably both since so far, most of the girls are shown to have less drama in their lives than him and Kosuke. With Yun being the exception.

I don't like criminals, especially those who are heartless and stupid. But a security guard threatened to put me in juvie! I told him he's supposed to be going after the other kid, but even he didn't believe me! It's like I'm little Mr. Kid Who Does Everything Wrong No Matter What! Come on! It also doesn't help that my grades in school are kinda bad. I've been studying real hard, but school work doesn't really suit me, does it?" Riku explained again.

Zack: Yeesh, the universe IS out to get Riku, seriously, I can't find this believable, it's like he's been cursed or something just because he has ADHD or something.

Kudzu: *Glares* I know.

Coronamon's suspicions were right. Riku IS misunderstood, not only with words but with actions as well. He was especially appalled upon hearing about the shoplifting incident. Riku caught a shoplifting kid and stopped him from doing a wrongful deed. Riku should've been exalted and praised joyously! But having to be accused of being one when you're stopping one? Being threatened to be put in juvie (To Coronamon, whatever that is)

Zack: Parantheses don't make good writing. It's pretty jarring.

and having nobody believe you did a good deed in trying to stop the kid? Absolutely awful! Coronamon's curious little mind simply could not comprehend why someone who tried to stop a shoplifer from stealing would be the one actually mistaken for one and then have nobody believe them while the real criminal runs scott free. What is this world coming to?

Rita: And... nobody thought to check security cameras. Seriously?

Pluto: The people of this world, when they are mentioned to exist, are incredily stupid.

"That's awful!" Coronamon exclaimed.

"Exactly! I'm just as ticked off about it as you are. You probably don't have stuff like that in the Digital World, but who knows?

Plutomon: I'm not sure in that fic's digital world, but my body was used as a silent puppet to take it over when all I wanted to do was figure out who it was I felt like I was waiting for. My body was used to cause a coup, and lead to war against Beelzemon's resistance, which, once Miss Kudzu gets back to writing our story again, I will join eventually with Rita. We also do have a justice system of sorts, and also a lot more common sense than the humans of your world, Riku.

Kudzu: *Grumbles* I'm slowly working on the next chapter, ok? Not to mention I still got plotting to do as well!

Anyway, now onto a happier subject! Wanna play on the swing?" Riku exclaimed again, this time he decided he was tired of telling his tale of woe and changed the subject to something happier. He pointed to the swings and Coronamon caught sight of them.

Zack: Aw man, not more painstaking detail about playing on rusty equipment...

"I'd love to! Let's go!" Coronamon yelped.

The two of them dashed for the swings. Riku got on the one with the blue seat, and Coronamon got on the one with the red seat and the sort of rustier chains. They swung back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, happy to feel like they're about to go into the sky. They liked the gentle breeze caressing their faces and pushing their hair back, and Coronamon has a LOT of hair. He wouldn't be able to feel much of it. But they were both immensely enjoying the time they're spending together. After a while, they decided to get off the swing.

Damian: *Sighs in relief* That wasn't as bad as the last two scenes.

"That was fun!" Riku exclaimed as he stretched himself out a bit.

"Yeah! It sure was!" Coronamon said.

"Wanna grab a bite to eat? I happen to have a few bucks on me right now," Riku said as he pulled out two dollars from his pocket. Rena didn't see it, but he secretly put those two dollars in his pocket because he was planning on getting himself something to eat if he were to go with his parents to run small errands like this. This happened to be a great opportunity to try and do something without his meds.

Rita: They're in japan, right?

Kudzu: Yep, and so instead of dollars, Riku should be using yen, I'm pretty sure. 

"Sure! I am getting a little hungry," Coronamon said.

"Alrighty then! You might have to stay here for a bit because I don't want you getting caught by other people. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay. I'll hide."

"Good! I'll be back in a flaaaaaaaash!" And with that, Riku dashed from the park and headed for Wawa, which is strangely enough about 10 feet from where the park is, further to the right of it. Coronamon decided to hide in the bushes and see if Riku will come back.

Zack: I'm not alone in thinking that Wawa sounds more like baby noises than a store name, right?

Everyone else: *nods in agreement*

Riku went through the door. He saw a few people in Wawa this morning, but he wasn't focused on them right now. Right when he walked three feet into the store, he quickly saw two hash browns near the counter. But before he grabbed them, he read the sign that said 'CAUTION! HOT! TOUCH TOP OF BAG!' Like the sign said, he very slowly grabbed the two small bags by the top and put them on the register. The lady asked for 130 yen, Riku have her two dollars and he got 30 cents back in dimes. He got his hash browns, which were put in a bag so to minimize the hotness of the contents. Easy as that. He thanked the lady and was about to leave, but something stopped him.

Kudzu: So... the narration acknowledged that they use yen, but still refer to Riku's money as dollars and cents? Also, I don't think dimes are a thing in Japan.

"Huh? Rikkun?"

He turned around and lo and behold! Right there behind him are Yun, Terriermon, Lopmon, and Yun's mom!

Rita: *sighs* And of course we can't go a full chapter without Yun...

Zack and Damian: Who's Yun?

Pluto: The main character and according to the notes, a Mary Sue who can do know wrong.

Kudzu:*is about to speak when Ayaka enters the sporking chamber again, irritated* Ayaka, no slurs.

Ayaka: Right, I remember. *sighs* Sorry, I came back here because I had a feeling my sister was going to get into trouble of some kind.

Kudzu: Yeah... this is the chapter Lucemon shows up.

Ayaka: *pales* shit.

Pluto: Miss Ayaka, please, stay and join us?

Ayaka: Gladly. *Sits down on the couch and watches as things unfold.*

"Yun!"

"Rikkun!"

The two of them high fived each other happily as a greeting. Today, Yun is wearing a puffy sleeved white shirt with many pale indigo circles on it, dark olive green jean shorts, her white sneakers, and red socks. Terriermon and Lopmon are in a little bookbag Yun is wearing on her back.

Ayaka: Pretty sure the two digimon are usually bigger than that.

Kudzu: The author is probably making them smaller for convenience.

"What are you doing here, Rikkun?" Yun asked with a smile.

"Eh, I was just in the neighborhood and felt like takin' a little morning stroll with Coronamon!" Riku said. The two of them didn't notice Yun's mom at the counter putting stuff on it for the lady to check out.

"Coronamon's with you?"

"He's at the park. Hey! Now that you're here, do you wanna come hang out with us?"

Yun's face beamed. "Sure! I'd love to! But I gotta ask Mom real quick."

"Here, Yun. Your treat for today," Hisako said when she handed her three hash browns. One for her, one for Lopmon, and one for Terriermon.

"Thanks! Hey, Mom? Do you mind if Rikkun and I hung out at the park for a while? It's right across the street," Yun asked politely.

"Well, I don't see why not. But be sure to look both ways before you cross the street. Alright?" Hisako replied with a smile.

Pluto: And she's not going with them because?

Kudzu: Apparently, eleven-year-olds don't need supervision. Which is BS cause they could get into trouble, get hurt like Riku nearly did on the carousel, or kidnapped.

Ayaka: I'm just shocked mom's being neglectful like this to my sister. Then again... with how she treated me...

Kudzu: Don't worry, once we get to the end, or at least recharge the transfer system, you can have some revenge, that fair?

Ayaka: I'll think about it.

"Yay! Don't worry! We will!" Yun exclaimed happily as she took Riku by the hand and ran out of the store.

Before they crossed the street, they made sure to look both ways to see if there are any cars coming. Only two passed by at the same time, but they crossed without difficulty. Once they got to the park, Terriermon hopped out of the bag.

"Yaaaay! It's Riku!" Terriermon said as he leaped onto Riku's head with a smile.

"Hey, Terriermon! How's it going?" Riku asked.

"Good! I get to be outside with you! Yay!" Terriermon replied.

Lopmon decided to come out as well.

"Good morning, Riku. It's nice to see you today," Lopmon said very politely.

"Back at ya, Lopmon!" Riku flashed the peace sign at her. Lopmon blushed.

"We should go sit," Yun advised.

They found a bench and sat on it. Coronamon saw them sit on the bench and leaped out of the bushes like the little prankster he is. Lopmon was surprised, but Terriermon beamed joyously at the sight of him.

Plutomon: And still, no one else has come to that specific park, despite the street they're on being the most populated.

Kudzu: We were told one thing, and shown another, it seems.

Ayaka: Yeah... that's... that's kind of creepy now that I notice it.

"Yaaaay! Coronamon!" Terriermon cried out.

"Wheeee! Terriermon!" Coronamon cried out.

They high fived each other. Riku gave Coronamon his hash brown. Yun gave Lopmon and Terriermon their hash browns too. They munched on them and enjoyed them immensely. Crunchy on the outside, soft and somewhat sticky on the inside, and warm on all sides, they relished the taste and were full and satisfied when they finished.

Rita: Are hashbrowns a thing in Japan?

Kudzu: Let me check. *Googles* Huh, the proper term for a Japanese Hashbrown is Korokke, and it's considered a croquet.

"That hit the spot!" Terriermon said.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" Coronamon said.

"It was very good. Thank you, Yun," Lopmon said to Yun politely.

"You're welcome!" Yun said. Terriermon and Lopmon decided to play with Coronamon, leaving Yun and Riku alone at the bench.

"So, Rikkun...how've you been?" Yun asked.

Rita: *Frowns* That pause tells me she's trying her best to act normal, or remember Riku's name. My sister does that from time to time whenever she puts on her innocent act.

Ayaka: *looks on in worry* Is Yun really...

Kudzu: Your writer has Yun as Autistic, however, what's shown and what's told can conflict. That's the way of the sue, I'm afraid. How the author intends for a character to be, isn't always how everyone else perceives them.

"Great! But get this! Coronamon beat me at Space Raiders this morning! He defeated General Hancock way before I did, and I only taught him how to play two days ago!" Riku replied.

"Ouch. That must be rough."

"It was! But it's alright. I've gotten over it. I'm sure I'll beat him at Space Raiders next time!"

Plutomon: Is Space Raiders, a real game, multiplayer?

Kudzu: I couldn't see anything about it in the wiki article about it. So... *shrugs* All I could gather was that the game sucked.

"Good luck!"

"So! How've you been?"

"Fine. Oh! Just so you know, tomorrow's gonna be the next Digimon Brigade meeting."

"Good! Thanks for telling me! I'll tell Rena when I get home."

"She's at home?"

"Yep! I'm going out all by myself! Awesome, isn't it?"

"I don't really leave the house much so I don't really go out into town."

Ayaka: Yeah, hate to say it, but I think my parents at least made sure Yun didn't go off on her own outside of the times she snuck out to face digimon so far. *Frowns* It's still hard to remember things, if my memories were real at all.

"You serious? Man! I'm gonna have you get out more! And don't worry, I know where your house is! You invited me and Rena a few times!"

"You remember that?"

"Sure do! You wiped out all my Pokemon before I could land one attack on you!"

Kudzu: Yeah, Yun is totally an awesome player, y'all. Look how strong her pokemon are.

Rita, Zack, Damian and Pluto: What are pokemon?

Kudzu: Different franchise, nothing to worry about.

"Sorry..."

"Eh, it's okay! Games are games! So! How have Terriermon and Lopmon been? They look pretty good."

"They have been. Unfortunately...my mom, dad, and my sister kinda found out that they're real."

"No way! You're kidding, right?"

"I wish I was, but I'm not. Thankfully Mom and Dad are cool with it, and they're letting me keep them! I was so afraid they would get mad and think they're monsters about to eat us. The bad thing about it is that my big sister knows about them too, and she absolutely hates them. Well then again, she hates me and practically anything I do in front of her, even when it's not directed at her!"

Ayaka: *frowns* Is this seriously how I'm portrayed in this world? As the villain?

Kudzu: Yeah, guess you never noticed until now, huh?

Ayaka: No, I didn't. Not until Splashmon got me out of there. But, to hear that Yun didn't even notice I was replaced... that's alarming.

Kudzu: Your just one of Yun's antagonists. Your supposed to be hated by default, even if the puppet replacing you in-story even acts out of character, no one's going to notice because well, everyone's a bit of an idiot in your world at the moment.

Ayaka: Yeah...

"I know what you mean! My parents are kinda like that. Ever since that shoplifting incident my parents don't trust me when it comes to just about anything! I was just telling Coronamon this story earlier."

"The one where you tried to stop a kid from shoplifting but got accused of being the shoplifter?"

"That's the one! Good guess! Anyway, my parents are so uptight about me running around town by myself they won't even let me run a simple errand!"

"But your parents don't call you bad names or yell at you every three seconds about every little thing and tell you to die like my big sister does."

The kids and Plutomon: *glances at Ayaka*

Ayaka: *Pale as a ghost* Did... Did I really do that? I know I yell at her but... 

Kudzu: Ayaka, that's just the narrative painting you as a villain. You're not apart of the story anymore. You don't have to be like that.

Ayaka: Right... y-you're right.

It's around here that Terriermon and Lopmon hopped on Yun's lap and decided to join the conversation.

"What's a shoplifter?" Terriermon asked curiously.

"A shoplifter is someone who steals from little stores like Wawa," Yun explained.

"Isn't that the same as robbery?" Lopmon asked, confused.

"Well, yes, but there's a difference. Shoplifters just go into the store, put something in their pocket and try to leave without getting caught or drawing attention to themselves. Robbers just break into a store or home by force and steal whatever big or small thing they want and run out," Yun explained.

"Ohhhh. I see! I get it now. But nevertheless, shoplifting and robbery are both crimes, and crimes should not be committed!" Lopmon replied.

"Good! Glad to see you're on the good side!" Yun said as she hugged her little floppy eared friends.

Pluto: Hmph, obviously because they're cute, they must be good. Unlike the obviously evil digimon out there. This writer disgusts me with her bias towards good looks rating how good a person is.

"You three seem to get along pretty good," Riku said.

"Yep! I love these little moppets with all my heart! They're the best thing that ever happened to me! No way would I give them up for anything in the world!" Yun replied.

Ayaka: That... did not sound like a kid. At all.

Kudzu: Nope. no kid would say moppet, I think.

It's around here that Coronamon leaps onto Riku's lap and sits comfortably on it.

"Riku's MY best friend!" Coronamon exclaims. Yun laughs.

"I'm sure you two get along just fine," Yun said with a smile.

"Sometimes people and Digimon who share common personality traits or interests are more likely to become platonically intimate with one another," Lopmon explained.

Pluto: *Crosses arms and growls* And some digimon who are completely opposite in personality to their partner can become just as good friends, Lopmon. Just because two beings have different personality traits doesn't mean they can't bond. Opposites attract, after all.

"Huh? Speak Digimon, will ya?" Terriermon said with a confused look.

"They're friends because they're a lot alike," Lopmon simplified her explanation, though Yun understood the first one just fine.

Ayaka: Of course she did. Because she's perfect. 

Kudzu: Yeah, that's pretty much a sign of Sueishness.

"Oh! Okay then," Terriermon said.

"Of course we're best friends!" Riku exclaimed as he and Coronamon got off of the bench and stood up straight, erect and dignified.

"In fact...!" Coronamon said as he leaped onto Riku's shoulders. Now Coronamon stood up, only his feet were firmly planted on Riku's shoulders. Riku and Coronamon's arms were spread out, far and wide.

"We're the best tag team anyone could offer! The super speedy and up-to-date Nobara Riku, and the blazing on fire Coronamon, at your service!" The two of them said in unison with perfect synchronicity. Yun laughed, Lopmon clapped, while Terriermon looked at them with curious eyes. Coronamon then leaped off of Riku's shoulders and back onto the ground he went.

"You guys are like a superhero and his sidekick," Yun said.

"Kinda like Wolverine?" Riku asked.

Damian: Uh... Rita, Zack and I are from a Marvel universe, and Wolverine doesn't have a sidekick. In fact, the only superhero that had a sidekick that I know of is Captain America and Bucky, and according to history class, Bucky kind of died... right?

Kudzu: Uh... it's a bit more complicated than that, but yeah. *glances at the door, as if expecting someone to come in*

Ayaka: Also, since this is Japan, shouldn't they be referencing Japanese heroes or Spiderman? Because Super Sentai or Kamen Rider are pretty big there, as examples.

"Yeah.

"Good! Because I like Wolverine the best!"

"Who's Wolverine?" All three Digimon asked in unison, also with perfect synchronicity.

"Wolverine's a super hero," Yun replied.

Yun and Riku wanted to go on, telling Lopmon, Terriermon, and Coronamon more about the famous comic book super hero, Wolverine. But they couldn't. Mostly because cries and screams from the distance stopped them from doing so.

Rita: *Surprised* Wait, is this what I think it is?

"Eeeeek! What is that thing?"

"Someone call pest control!"

"A monster! Everyone, run! Quick!"

Pluto: It seems the locals are finally appearing, after hiding in the void for so long and noticing that there are monsters in the world that do not belong.

Ayaka: You were waiting to use that for when this finally happened, huh?

Pluto: As an experienced TTRPG player and storyteller... I'll admit that I have been, yes.

People, few as there were, began screaming and running away from town. Lopmon and Terriermon's ears perked up while Coronamon prepped his fists.

"It's a Digimon!" Lopmon cried out.

"A Digimon?" Yun and Riku exclaimed, also in unison and in perfect synchronicity for a third time.

"Yeah! And it's coming this way!" Terriermon exclaimed.

"Look out!" Coronamon yelled.

ZOOM! WHOOSH!

"Eeek!" Yun yelped as she ducked for cover. Something swept past them with great speed and agility. Leaves were blown past them because of the creature's speed. As Yun and Riku got up, they saw a Digimon flying above the trees in the park. Since it's so bright out this morning, they were able to get a good look at it...and they did not like what they saw.

Ayaka: It was me, with superpowers of course.

Zack: Oh hey, was that a joke?

Ayaka: What? I can make them, you know. I'm not entirely a bitch.

A large Digimon, a little taller than Yun and Riku, that looks like a giant bug with it's yellow and dark green scaly skin, big buggy glowing red eyes, brown moth wings, a shrub of brown hair on the back of it's head, sharp teeth, brown leaf-shaped antennae, and a shiny silver gun taking the place of it's tail. Riku pulled his digivice out and the Digimon's information.

"Mothmon. This guy's an armor level and a data attribute. Whoa! He's got FOUR attacks! Multiple Blaster, Gauss Powder, Poison Dust, and Energy Drain!" Riku explained.

"FOUR attacks?" Yun yelped.

Pluto: Yes. Digimon can have more than one attack. I have three of them, myself. Also, Mothmon actually has two attacks, according to the wiki that Miss Kudzu frequents- Morphon Gatling and Gauss Powder. The other three attacks listed do not exist for Mothmon. Oh, and before I forget, it's time once again to roll initiative.

"This ain't good! Well, no point in complaining now! Coronamon, get ready!" Riku exclaimed.

"Yes, sir!" Coronamon prepped himself for battle.

"Alright! We'll do this together! Terriermon and Lopmon! Let's fight this thing!" Yun cried out, gathering her mettle and mentally preparing herself for a battle.

It was Coronamon who landed the first attack.

"Corona Flame!" Coronamon concentrated on the flaming ball on it's forehead and shot a flaming sphere at Mothmon. Unfortunately, Mothmon successfully dodged the attack and flew all over the place, it's wings flying very very fast like that of a hummingbird.

Zack: There are like, dragonfly digimon right? Wouldn't they fit the speedy flyer better than a moth?

Kudzu: The author probably didn't think about that, in all honesty.

"Blazing Fire!" Terriermon did the same and exhaled a fiery sphere at Mothmon. But it dodged that too.

"Freezing Snow!" Lopmon shot a blizzard of snowy powder at it. But even that didn't do anything, let alone slow it down. Mothmon is just flying too fast.

Zack: *starts humming Mothmon to the tune of the song YMCA*

Damian: *chuckles and hums along*

Rita: *laughs and shakes her head while Ayaka and Plutomon look on in confusion*

"Durn! It's too fast!" Riku said.

Pluto: There are faster digimon, also I think the gatling gun on Mothmon would make it slower than portrayed here.

Ayaka: Silly Plutomon, my world has no use for logic like that!

"Our first priority is to find a black hexagon on it's body and destroy it. But this thing just refuses to stand still!" Yun exclaimed. But right when she said that, Mothmon stopped in the sky and launched an attack.

"Multiple Blaster!" An array of bullets shot out from Mothmon's tail gun, heading straight for Terriermon and Coronamon.

"Terrier Tornado!"

"Coroknuckle!"

Terriermon spun itself around like a twister and Coronamon threw a myriad of punches at the bullets, stopping them from hitting them. That turned out to be a nice defensive response. But it didn't stop Mothmon from preparing to launch another attack...and it didn't involve shooting bullets at them either.

"Poison Dust!" Mothmon didn't fly anywhere, but his wings flapped extremely fast. Hummingbird speed. Not only that, a strange cloud of violet purple dust scattered and floated aimlessly toward them.

Pluto: Ah, so that's why Poison Dust was listed- for dramatic purposes. It seems the writer is homebrewing moves to make the encounter more thrilling, but instead it comes across as frustrating.

"Everyone! Cover your mouths! Don't suck in the poison dust!" Yun cried out. Upon hearing her order, everyone covered their mouths and closed their eyes. Yun did the same. Once the poison dust finally dissipated into the air, Coronamon ran toward a tree, climbed it, and arrived at the top of it.

"Coronamon! What are you doing?" Yun asked.

"I'm gonna distract it!" Coronamon replied. He shot out a flame, grabbed it with his hands, and hoisted it up in the air for Mothmon to see, though it wasn't seeing it right now. Yun and Riku could see how bright the flame is, even from below.

Pluto: *in full DM mode now* Ooh! Excellent strategy, Coronamon! Let's see how the dice favor you!

Zack: Rita, your partner is a nerd.

Rita: I know, but at least he's having fun.

That was when Yun realized it.

"Riku! I think I get what he's doing!" Yun exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"You know how moths really love light for some reason? Like how they always like to hang around street lights when it's dark? I think Coronamon's trying to draw Mothmon toward it so he can land a decent attack!" Yun said.

Pluto: Yes, that is why I thought Coronamon's distraction idea was a good one. But, we didn't need to point that out, Yun. 

Ayaka: It's my sister, she needs to look smart somehow, I guess.

"Wow! I think you're right! That's amazing! But we better help him out!" Riku replied with a smile.

"Indeed we should!" Yun said.

Mothmon finally caught sight of Coronamon and his ball of fire and, naturally by pure instinct, charged at the little furry red beast. Once Mothmon got close enough...

"Corona Flame!"

Coronamon shoved the flame into Mothmon's face, causing it to screech wildly. Plus, Coronamon hopped onto Mothmon's back. Mothmon could feel the little red beast on his back and flew in all directions, wanting to get him off. Struggle and flail around in the sky it did, but Coronamon refused to give up. He knew there's a black hexagon somewhere on it's body, and he decided it was his duty to find it and destroy it. Coronamon clutched onto Mothmon's back, refusing to get thrown off, while looking carefully for the black hexagon.

After a few seconds, he finally found it. On Mothmon's left wing. But Coronamon, being stuck where he is now, couldn't reach it. Even with both of his attacks. If he were to slowly slide over there and make a false move, he would slip and get thrown off, and the damage wouldn't be good. Thankfully enough, Mothmon's attention diverted toward something else.

Pluto: Coronamon actually has a third attack, called Petit Prominence, which can be used offensively and defensively depending on the situation.

"HEEEEY! Giant moth! Look!" Yun and Riku yelled in unison as they waved thin tree branches with flames at the tips of them in front of Mothmon.

Torches. Burning torches.

Zack: Hold up, where did they get the fire to make torches? I don't think these kids would be carrying lighters or matches.

Damian: I assume Terriermon helped, since he apparently has a fire attack.

Zack: *pauses for a moment to think* Oh.

Click. It did it. Mothmon descended toward them.

"Now we run and you attack!" Yun exclaimed. She and Riku ran while Terriermon and Lopmon attacked.

"Blazing Fire!"

"Freezing Snow!"

Both attacks successfully managed to hit Mothmon in the face and his right wing, weakening him enough for Coronamon to get off of it's back without difficulty. Lopmon used her attack to put the torches out and they threw the branches away.

Pluto: *sighs* and there goes your distraction. I may have to dock EXP for this blunder for Lopmon.

"Coronamon! You alright, little dude?" Riku asked.

"Yep! I'm just fine! By the way, I found the black hexagon! It's on the back of it's left wing! I saw it while I was riding it!" Coronamon explained.

"Good! Now we have a better idea of-" Yun didn't get to finish that sentence, because Mothmon grabbed Coronamon with lightning speed and kept him locked inside one of it's hands.

"Energy Drain!" A green light surrounded Coronamon, and he yelped in pain. His energy was being sucked by the giant ugly moth and he could not get out of it's grip no matter how hard he tried. He was trapped. 

Pluto: It seems that this battle is meant to be Coronamon's time to shine... well, if this battle doesn't kill him first. *steeples his fingers together* And since he's been grappled, then he's going to have a hell of a time getting out of that since well, grappling rules can be a mess depending on the system.

"Coronamon! You let him go, you moth!" Riku screamed angrily.

"Gauss Powder!" Mothmon flapped it's wings again, but this time a strange cloud of crimson red dust flew over the duo of kids. They covered their eyes and mouths. So did Terriermon and Lopmon. But Yun could feel her skin burning, and she didn't like that feeling.

Ayaka: Of course she wouldn't. No one likes being burned... well, most people don't.

Kudzu: *Coughs*

Kids and Plutomon: *confused*

"My...my skin! It burns!" Yun yelped.

"I know! Mine is too!" Riku yelled. Thankfully, Mothmon's super fast flying made the powder go away faster and the burning sensations in their skin dissipate, but Riku wasn't going to give up. He saw the unconscious Coronamon lying in Mothmon's hand, dormant and drained of all his energy. But Mothmon was looking down at it with a hungry face.

"Energy Drain!" Mothmon proceeded to take the last of Coronamon's energy.

But Riku has finally had enough.

"CORONAMOOOOOON! DON'T LET THAT THING EAT YOUUUUUUUUUU!"

Pluto: It seems it's time for digivolution.

Zack: Digivolution brought to you by the power of Shonen Yelling. Always useful for your dramatic needs and power ups!~

Ayaka: *Rubs her forehead* So, what does Coronamon become?

It's this powerful, echoing, desperate yell that made both Coronamon and Riku's gold digivice glow.

Coronamon wasn't enveloped by a green light that signaled it's energy being drained from his body. He was enveloped by a light the color of the blazing sun and it's golden effulgence,

Kudzu: I'm getting sick of that word...

shining it's faint beams on the furry red Digimon as it glowed. Mothmon was so blinded by this light that he finally let go of Coronamon, who is still glowing...and growing bigger in size as he fell.

"Coronamon, digivolve to..."

Everyone watched with awe as the golden, sun-colored light enveloping Coronamon grew bigger and bigger. Finally, the golden light dissipated and out came a great red lion with a neck full of fluffy, sun-colored hair, black devices and bracelets emitting flames on it's forehead, back legs, ankles, and tail, which a great blazing flame at the tip. Protruding from the beautiful lion's fluff of sun colored hair are two orange wings. Small but capable of flight.

"...Firamon!"

Ayaka: Huh, that doesn't sound so bad...

Rita: Yeah, it's... probably better than what Terriermon digivolves into.

Ayaka: Oh right... gatling gun bunny.

Firamon descended onto the ground with grace and dexterity while Mothmon remained in flight. Riku was so awestruck and shocked by his partner Digimon's awesome transformation that he could not help but break out smiling like a dork.

"Wooooow! Oh my God! You look AWESOOOOME!" Riku screamed, enough for Yun to cover her ears, but she knew he meant well. Firamon turned to face Riku.

"I underwent this transformation because of your unrelenting and persistent belief in me. Now, join me as I purify the evil within Mothmon! Hop on my back, my friend!" Firamon commanded in a kind but deep voice.

Zack: And his manner of speech completely changed too! I expected something more... hotblooded to be honest.

Kudzu: Yeah, I feel robbed here.

Pluto: *Calculating exp for RP in his personal journal, and muttering* Let's see, I could probably add for Firamon's attempt to sound cool, but his trying too hard might mean he loses XP for Roleplay instead...

"Oh you bet I will!" Riku dashed toward Firamon and hopped on his back. Firamon finally flapped his small wings, ascended into the sky, and went chasing after Mothmon, who is desperately trying to run away, leaving Yun, Terriermon, and Lopmon behind.

"Wow! Firamon is so cool! I wanna fight with him!" Terriermon said as he was about to run after them. But Lopmon pulled him away.

"No. You mustn't, Terriermon," Lopmon told him softly with a smile.

"Huh? Why not?"

"This is their fight, not ours. We have no right to interfere. This is Riku and Coronamon's time to shine. Let's let them handle the situation."

Pluto: Hmm... there goes any XP for the rest of the party, so it seems that Riku and his partner get the bulk of it...

"She's right. They're probably enjoying themselves by doing this," Yun said. Terriermon finally relented.

"You're right. Okay. I'll stay," Terriermon said, feeling a little disappointed. Lopmon rubbed his head with her rosy pink paw.

"Please, don't look so sad, Terriermon. Your time of digivolution will come soon. I know it. Now is just not the time. Perhaps fate has something in store for you," Lopmon told him gently.

Zack: Let's take bets, who all thinks that Terriermon will be the last one to digivolve?

All: *Raises hand*

Zack: Aw... can't at least one of you bet against me?

As for Riku and Firamon, they chased after the frightened Mothmon, not letting it fly out of their sight. Riku was loving this even more than being on the slide, the carousel, or the swing put together. Now that Coronamon digivolved, this was his time to soar in terms of showing how he is in battle.

"Firamon! Hit 'em on it's left wing!" Riku commanded.

"You got it, my friend!" Firamon replied as he prepared for an attack. Finally, Mothmon is beginning to grow tired. It can't seem to fly any faster. This gave Firamon the chance to attack it and keep it from flying anymore.

"Fira Claw!" Firamon's front feet became enveloped by blazing vermilion red flames shaped like his claws. He charged at Mothmon and successfully scratched it's left wing hard enough for it to actually rip. But it wasn't enough to destroy the hexagon. Thankfully enough, it was enough to make it incapable of flying. Mothmon proceeded to descend to the ground. But Firamon wasn't done yet.

"Fira Bomb!" A bright yellow sphere of fire shot out from Firamon's forehead and hit Mothmon's left wing before it even hit the ground. But what they didn't know was that parts of the sphere of fire got onto two tall trees. Real good. They didn't notice this.

Rita: Oh joy, consequences are incoming, aren't they?

Pluto: Seems that way, also, they must have all failed their perception checks to not notice the impending forest fire.

The raven black hexagon finally dissipated, a digital portal opened in the ground, and Mothmon fell into it, sending it straight back into the Digital World. Firamon descended back to the ground, Riku hopped off of his back, and Yun and Terriermon approached them with smiles on their faces.

"You two were awesome out there!" Yun exclaimed.

"Yeah! You taught that yucky Mothmon a good lesson!" Terriermon cheered. Riku flashed a big toothy smile.

Pluto: Yes. Call the brainwashing victim yucky. Not like he had a choice in attacking the human world or anything. Terriermon? You get zero XP from this battle.

Zack: Yeesh, couldn't go one chapter without making fun of the enemy digimon's appearance, huh?

Kudzu: Nope.

"I sure did! Me and Firamon, together! And speaking of Firamon...MAN you look so cool like that! I wish Rena were here to see this!" Riku yelled happily as he hugged Firamon.

"All you did was give me instructions on how to defeat Mothmon. We wore it down enough so it would be incapable of further flight. Perhaps you are smarter than you look, Riku. I'm glad you're my human partner. You have a heart full of a sense of justice," Firamon told him kindly in his deep voice. About a second later, he glowed again. This time, he de-digivolved back into the happy, curious, and energetic little Coronamon that everyone knows and loves.

"Rikuuuu!" Coronamon leaped into Riku's arms.

"Buddy!" Riku exclaimed.

"That was awesome! Way better than Space Raiders!"

"Hey! Don't go insulting my favorite game!"

Zack: The reviews say that your favorite game sucks, Riku! Also, Coronamon no longer sounds coolheaded.

Pluto: Perhaps he really was roleplaying and has talent as an actor.

Yun and Terriermon smiled as the two energetic and jaunty little ones embraced each other.

Unfortunately, it wasn't over. A new problem arised.

"Yun! Riku!" Lopmon ran out in front of Yun and Riku, panting and with a very worried look on her face. Yun scooped Lopmon into her arms and embraced her.

"What's wrong, Lopmon? Why are you in such a rush?" Yun asked.

"We...we...we have a big problem! Come look!" Lopmon told them and directed them to the forest near the park. They were horrified by what they saw.

Two really big trees were on fire!

Rita: Of course things wouldn't be that easy. *Sighs* I guess this is so Riku could suffer more.

Damian: Poor kid, he's just unlucky...

Zack: Yeah...

The flames only managed to engulf the bottom halves of them, but even this was too much for two young kids to put out on their own, especially with very little access to water! If that wasn't enough, the flames were climbing the tree very rapidly.

"Oh no! Did we do this when we unleashed Fira Bomb?" Riku yelped.

"We did! We diiiiid!" Coronamon yelped.

"We've gotta put this fire out! But how?" Yun yelped with fear.

Once Riku got a hold of himself and regained his composure, a sudden flame of courage erupted in his heart, stimulating him into action.

"Yun! I have an idea! There's a pond nearby! It has lots of water! We can use that to put out the flames!" Riku told her.

"But we don't have anything to carry it with!" Yun exclaimed.

"Yes we do! Look!" Terriermon said as he presented the white Wawa bag to Yun. It was too small, but it was better than nothing.

"But this won't be enough to put them out!" Yun said.

Pluto: At least Riku is trying to do the right thing.

Ayaka: *glares* Yun, shut up and do something. Or better yet, call the fire department!

"It's better than nothing, right? Come on! You and I will go get water! Coronamon, Terriermon, and Lopmon! Do you best to try and stop the fire from progressing as much as possible! And DO NOT use fire attacks! That'll make it worse!" Riku told everyone with a sense of courage and, oddly enough, authority in his voice. He and Yun scrambled to the pond, which thankfully has lots of water in it and is close by, put the bag in the water, slugged it back to the trees, and poured it onto the bottom of one of the trees. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to put the flame out.

Pluto: Points for trying, at least.

They did it again and again and again, constantly moving from the pond to the trees, desperately trying to put the flames out. But nothing worked. Yun felt really bad. She wished she had her cell phone so she could call the fire department and have them put out the flames.

Ayaka: Yun you--- *sees Kudzu's glare* Idiot! You should always bring your phone with you, just in case shit like this happens!

They can do it better than she, Riku, and the small Digimon could do by themselves. But then again, what if they suspect her and Riku of being the ones who caused the fire? After hearing about Riku's story, she didn't want him to be accused of committing another crime, especially since he could be potentially put into juvie if he was caught again (not that he really committed any crimes. He's just always at the wrong place at the wrong time). But what else could she do? The flames were slowly reaching the top of the trees, but Riku wasn't going to give in.

"No! We can't give up! We're not giving up!" Riku said as he and Yun proceeded to get more water, even though this whole thing was futile.

...or was it?

Pluto: The writer's about to pull that, isn't she?

Kudzu: Eyup. One Deus ex Machina, coming right up!

"Moon Night Bomb!"

Three very large spheres of lucid water spilled from the sky and successfully landed on the trees, putting out most of the flames! Yun and Riku were awestruck, and the three Digimon stepped back. Riku and Yun recognized that voice. They turned around and...lo and behold, Rena and Lekismon arrived on the scene!

Kudzu: And Rena upstages her brother's moment by cleaning up a mess the writer decided he and his partner caused. Because fuck a boy having a moment of heroisim without any problems, I guess.

"Sis! Lekismon! Great timing! Help us out, will ya? We're having a bit of trouble putting the flames out!" Riku told them.

"Sure! No problem! You two better step back unless you wanna be soaked to the bone!" Rena commanded sharply. Yun and Riku did as told and they backed away from the burning trees.

"Lekismon! Another one please!"

"Moon Night Bomb!"

With a few more spheres of water splashing over the trees, the flames on the trees were finally extinguished and put out at last, though the bark on the trees turned charcoal black and a lot of the leaves got incinerated. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. Riku and Yun hugged Rena and Lekismon once the task was done.

"Siiiiis! Thanks soooooo much!" Riku exclaimed as he embraced his sister.

"We couldn't have done it without you!" Yun exclaimed as she hugged Lekismon.

"If you two hadn't come, the entire forest could've been enveloped by flames, and animals would've died. For that, we are grateful," Lopmon told the two of them with a bow.

Ayaka: Yes, because Riku is unlucky and has to be saved by someone else to get him out of the fire.

"You're soooo cool!" Terriermon exclaimed.

But the response Riku got...was nothing he ever expected.

POW!

"Owwwww!"

He got a good whack on the head from Rena, who is now looking at him with a very stern and stringent look on her face. Coronamon hid behind Riku.

"See? Now do you see why you can't go out without taking your meds? Stuff like this happens! The whole forest could've caught fire!" Rena exclaimed sternly and strictly.

Rita: Yes. Blame Riku for something beyond his control, just because he didn't take his meds. You don't know if that would have prevented the fire from happening in the first place.

Kudzu: Because everyone totally knows acts of god are able to be controlled by taking your ADHD medicine. Seriously, what do you do when the prescription runs out? Hm?

"But it was an accident! Plus Yun and I actually tried to put it out!" Riku retaliated.

Zack: Riku does have a point here.

"Yes, I saw that, and I'm proud of you for making an attempt. I'm not blaming you for this or anything like that. I know you didn't mean for this fire to happen. But even so, you're too impulsive and reckless and careless most of the time! This is why you keep getting into trouble! You always do the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time! I don't want you to end up getting arrested and thrown into juvie! Do you see what happens if you get too careless now? I don't want you getting into more trouble than you already have!" Rena explained very strictly and sternly. Riku felt humiliated by her presence and her merciless scolding. But he knew there was nothing he could do to escape it, even with Yun and Coronamon by his side. He sighed.

Ayaka: Rena doesn't sound like a child here, she sounds like a parent blaming a child for things they couldn't control. Riku is innocent here. *clenches her fist* Riku is a bit like me after all, and since I've had to deal with this bullshit longer than he has, with what little memories I have left, then I suggest we rescue him as well, like I was.

Kudzu: The Interference Chamber is still recharging, Ayaka. Besides, Rena's a victim as well since she's displaying Parantification- where a child is forced to take on an adult role to take care of younger siblings.  She feels she has to be responsible for her seemingly reckless twin, when in reality, Riku is just... unlucky and a buttmonkey.

"Yes. You're right. I'm sorry," Riku muttered ruefully. He kicked himself for thinking he could prove to Rena that he could go without his meds for a day and go out into town. Now he saw first hand what could happen if he wasn't careful. Unbeknownst to him though, Yun looked at Rena with a straight face.

Ayaka: What is my sister doing now?

Kudzu: I don't know, but we're about to find out.

"Rena-chan...I know Rikkun did some careless things, and I agree with what you said to him, but you have to admit, think of what would happen if Mothmon were allowed to run free and wreak havoc. Much worse things would've happened besides the fire. Riku and Coronamon worked very hard to stop Mothmon from causing trouble. Also, you should put some of the blame on me too. I should've noticed the fire earlier. I would've been able to put it out before it got out of hand. But I didn't see it in time, so I think you should scold me for being careless too," Yun told her lucidly and with a straight face.

Ayaka: Wow... that... it sounds like my sister is actually trying to help for once.

Rita: *Glares in suspicion* I have a feeling that it's just to look good, Ayaka.

Rena knew that Yun prefered being on both sides and helping to resolve issues instead of cause them, but she was surprised by what she said to her. Rena was going to focus too much on what Riku did wrong instead of focus on what Riku did both wrong and right. In the back of her mind, Yun was right. Riku did act a little careless, but he did stop Mothmon from causing much more damage. Plus he actually attempted to put out the fire. He realized his mistake and resolved to fix it, even though it didn't go so well. He understood the repercussions. This was what Rena had been looking for all along in her little brother. Rena sighed and smiled.

Ayaka: And of course, my sister is in the right. Rena is so easily swayed by her. Why is that?

Kudzu: The narrative is on her side, and also because of a phenomenon called Suefluence.

Ayaka: Suefluence?

Kudzu: It's what bends characters to the sue's whims and the story's plot around the main character. It's why the narrative so far has made sure that Yun never stayed out of it for long- because she's the source of the narrative and if characters develop without her influence then it might not go the way the author wants it.

Ayaka: That's horrifying! Was I under it?

Kudzu: A form of it, you were extracted because not only did your acting out might have been you fighting against it, but also because no one would notice an antagonist being replaced by a puppet. That, and we just felt you didn't deserve what was coming to you.

"You're right. Thanks for keeping an eye on him, Yun," Rena said as she rubbed Yun's hair with her hand. "And Riku...although you were rather careless today, you've definitely improved the last time you got yourself in a bad situation. You need a little bit more improvement, but I think we can work on that. Plus, you did a great job of running into Wawa and out without difficulty," Rena explained. Riku smiled and hugged her.

Zack: Wawa is still a stupid name for a store!

"Yay! Thanks, sis! I knew you'd understand! And yeah, I'm sorry for being stupid. I seem to cause myself trouble a LOT, even when I don't mean to, and I usually never mean to cause trouble! But don't worry. I'll be sure to do better next time, even if I have to stake my life on it!...wait! How did you know I went into Wawa?" Riku exclaimed happily but then realized that Rena just said she saw him go into Wawa. How did she know that? Rena crossed her arms.

"Simple! I followed you and spied on you the entire time!" Rena edicted without hesitation.

Rita: There we go. Rena didn't trust her brother to stay out of trouble, and when he did get into a fight with Mothmon, she stood by wherever she was hiding, and did absolutely nothing until the fire.

"WHAAAAAAAAT?" Riku and Coronamon yelped in unison and in perfect synchronicity for a fourth time.

"Rena-san was very worried about you. She wanted to make sure you didn't get lost or unknowingly cause more trouble, so she followed you," Lekismon explained politely.

"Awwwww! I can't believe this! My attempt to prove that I can be independent without my meds is ruined!" Riku wailed with his hands on his face.

Kudzu: Listen, I haven't been on ADHD meds for years, mainly because I built up a tolerance to them combined with them being expensive as hell. You'll do fine one day, Riku but for now... take your meds, ok kid? Chances are, you'll build up a tolerance against them as well, so you won't really need them.

"Calm down, little bro. There's always next time. Well, I guess we'd better be going now! Our parents are gonna freak if they find us gone. Bye, Yun-chan! See you tomorrow!" Rena said as she took Riku by the arm and pulled him away. Around this time, Lekismon de-digivolved back into Lunamon and faithfully and silently followed them, but not before bowing to Yun in gratitude. Yun watched as the two twins walked away. She ran back to her mother with Terriermon and Lopmon by her side.

Ayaka: *notices the bow* Because of course my sister must get her praise...

Although Rena and Riku successfully got back home safely, their welcoming committee wasn't so...welcoming. Not warm and happy, especially. Standing before them are their parents, both with their arms crossed and, worst of all, very strict looks on their faces.

Rita: Ah, more consequences for Riku, it seems.

"Rena! Riku! Where have you two been?" The mother asked loudly.

"We've been worried sick about you this past half hour!" The father edicted.

"We were just taking a little stroll through town for a bit. We didn't mean to-" Rena was about to explain, but their mom cut them off.

"Riku! You went out on your own without taking your meds, didn't you?" The mother yelled.

Somehow, Riku didn't feel the need to lie. He decided to confess, even though it meant he'd be yelled at again. "Yes, I did. I'm sorry," He murmured softly. Unfortunately, this didn't soften his parents.

Rita and Ayaka: *frown*

"We're very disappointed in you, Riku! You know for a fact that you're not capable of-" The father exclaimed angrily. But oddly enough, possibly in retaliation for being cut off earlier, Rena cut him off with a straight look on her face.

"Actually, he IS capable, Dad," Rena told him sharply.

Rita: Well, at least the scapegoat is being defended by his sister, who might be the golden child here.

"What?" Both parents yelped.

"The truth is, we were practicing running small errands. We went to Wawa. You should've seen Riku. He went into the store, paid for a hash brown, and walked out. All in a matter of seconds. Without delay or difficulty. And without causing an uproar at that," Rena explained very lucidly and harshly. Riku was surprised, but his parents were not phased by this.

"Impossible! You can't even go to Wawa without-"

"But he did. He went to Wawa and got what he wanted without trouble. I watched him the entire time. I'm proud of him. You should be too. Y'know, my health teacher says that yelling at people every day regarding stuff they can't do won't help them improve. The best way to teach someone to do something right is to practice with them. Encourage them with what they can do, and help them with what they can't until they get it right. See? We kinda ate our hash browns already so I don't have proof. Sorry!" Rena explained. She was on a roll, and Riku was even more surprised. Even their parents were left speechless.

Zack: This feel like a soapbox to you guys?

All: Yes.

Zack: Okay, it's not just me then.

"Sorry we made you worry. We'll leave a note next time. Plus we came back, didn't we? Come on, Riku. Let's get you on your meds now," Rena told her parents, then took Riku into the kitchen.

Riku, strangely enough, didn't object this time, even though he still hated the taste of those medications. But he endured it and swallowed them without complaint. Then he and Rena went into Riku's room, where Coronamon and Lunamon were waiting for them. They had come in through the window.

"Maybe from now on, they'll let us go out a bit more!" Rena said.

"I wouldn't mind doing a little going out," Lunamon exclaimed with a smile.

Riku and Coronamon smiled at each other and embraced each other, happy they did do something right for once (which was defeat Mothmon).

Pluto: We know, we read the chapter. The part in parantheses didn't need to be used at all. We're not goldfish like you seem to think we are.

As for Yun, she went back home and played with her floppy eared friends through the rest of the day. After dinner though, she and her mom had to run some errands. Not the small ones like Riku did earlier. They had to go to the clothes store to find some new summer clothes for Yun and to the office of an ophthalmologist to receive Hisako's new pair of glasses. Her other ones broke. Throughout these errands, Yun had Terriermon and Lopmon with her. Thankfully, they didn't draw much attention and they kept silent whenever people were around so everything was just fine.

Zack: *Sighs* And we have padding again.

Yun had absolutely no idea what was going to happen when she was heading home.

Hisako drove in front of Wawa and parked.

"I'm gonna get a meatball sub for dad. Do you three want anything?" Hisako asked. Yun and Lopmon said no.

Rita: Do stores even sell meatball subs in Japan? 

Kudzu: Let me check Google....nope, outside of specialty shops, meatball subs seem to be rare in Japan. So let's chalk this up to a lack of research again.

"Can I have reeses pieces please?" Terriermon asked.

Kudzu: They're in Japan. Maybe ask for a japanese sweet? Like pocky, or mochi ice cream or something? Though, kit kat bars are pretty big over there with all the flavors available now that I think about it.

"Sure. Stay here. I'll be right back," Hisako said as she left the car and walked into the store. They were parked right in front of the store, and all the store's outside lights are on, even the fronts lights on a lot of people's cars were on. They were sure to get in trouble for leaving them on. Yun looked down at Terriermon.

Rita: Must be night time then.

"I didn't know you liked the reeses pieces," Yun said to him.

"I've been loving them since you gave me a few of them earlier this week!" Terriermon replied sweetly.

"I'm glad you like them! But I still like the original reeses peanut butter cups. They're my favorite candy!" Yun told him.

Kudzu: *Googles again* Huh. Apparently the Japanese are rumored to not like peanut butter, but they do have whips and frosting flavored like it. So, this may be the author showing her favorite things through Yun again.

Ayaka: Huh. Yun is a self-insert, isn't she? At least, I think that's the term.

Kudzu: Probably... but that makes the upcoming shenanigans a little disturbing in that case...

"Hey Lopmon. Do you have a favorite candy?" Terriermon asked.

"Well, I don't like to eat too much of it since it's unhealthy, but if I had to name a favorite, mine would be those Lindor truffles that Hisako-san likes so much. She gave one this morning and I loved it," Lopmon replied.

Kudzu: Yeah, anything too sweet, outside of specialty stores aren't really sold in Japan, apparently.

"Me too!" Yun exclaimed.

The three of them laughed heartily until Yun looked up and saw something in the distance. There were no cars on her right, so she could see what it was. A black silhouette, almost darker than the night itself was approaching the store. The more she focused her gaze on it, the more she could see that the silhouette was more limping than walking. She kept her gaze locked on the small silhouette. As the silhouette got closer to the store, the lights began to shine on it and finally shed light (literally) on who, or what, the silhouette really is.

Ayaka: *Blanches a bit* It's time, isn't it.

Kudzu: Yeah. *looks to the rest of the sporkers in the room* Alright y'all, it's here. The moment Yun meets her love interest... Lucemon.

To Yun's utter surprise, the silhouette is nothing more than a young boy! A boy about her own age, with very short and very pale blonde hair arranged in a rather unusual style with parts of it sticking up like a hot of hair jell had been applied to it. He also has very light and pale blue eyes, like the cloudless morning sky. What struck Yun as odd is that the boy is wearing absolutely nothing but a flimsy and somewhat torn up white gown. But that wasn't the only thing that was strange and peculiar. On the boy's wrists and ankles are thick, gold bracelets and anklets. They sure didn't look like anything Yun had seen in a store once. But the oddest thing of all were the tattoos. The boy has purple tattoos on the left side of his face and all over his left arm in strange shapes and patterns very unfamiliar to Yun. But what caught Yun's attention the most was the fact that the boy is limping, grimacing with pain, totally barefoot, and worst of all...

Clinging to his right shoulder. It's bleeding.

Zack: Lucemon's a demon lord, right?

Kudzu: Yup.

Zack: So... where are his wings? Also, what could have beat the crap out of a digimon that's the most powerful of the Seven Great Demon Lords?

Kudzu: I... I'm afraid to think about that, in all honesty.

Not wanting to sit by anymore, Yun burst out of the car.

"I've gotta help him!" Yun exclaimed as she dashed out and left the car door open.

Ayaka: Yun, I know you mean well, but you can't just help a complete stranger! What if whoever or whatever attacked him is still out there!? You could get killed, you idiot!

Kudzu: It's worse than that, Ayaka. Yun... has become part of an imprint for Lucemon.

Ayaka: That's what you talked about before, right- that thing from the Twilight Saga?

Kudzu: Yeah. Lucemon is your sister's love interest, as decreed by the author. There's no going back now that she's seen him.

"Wait! Yun! You can't go out!" Lopmon tried to call her back, but Yun didn't listen.

Right when Yun approached the boy, his tired legs finally gave out and he nearly fell head first onto the solid concrete that is the sidewalk. Thankfully, Yun managed to catch him. The boy looked very tired and pained. She could also see small scratches and bruises on his frail body.

"Hey! You! Are you alright? Wake up! Speak to me!" Yun begged him to wake up, but he didn't. Lopmon and Terriermon ran up to the two.

Zack: *grimly* He's dead, Jim.

Kudzu: Well, something about him is dead alright...

"What's wrong with him?" Lopmon asked.

"Yeah! What happened to him?" Terriermon asked.

"I think he's been beaten up!" Yun exclaimed. Right then, Hisako spotted her.

"Yun? What are you doing outside..." Hisako was about to scold Yun, but she gasped upon seeing the injured boy. "Oh dear! What in the world happened to him?"

Zack: Well, could be rabid weasels or something.

Damian: Could also have been a killer rabbit.

Rita: Maybe my sister ended up there and tried to take her frustration out on him.

Ayaka: I'd say it was bad writing.

Plutomon: For all we know, he could have gotten caught in the middle of a territorial dispute between skullgreymon and deltamon.

"Mom! He needs to be taken to a hospital! He's bleeding! We can't leave him here!" Yun explained with worry in her eyes. Hisako rummaged through her pocket book and pulled out her cell phone.

"I'll call an ambulance. But stay here and don't move!" Hisako told them as she punched the numbers in her phone and called 911. But Yun was adamant about getting the boy to wake up. She wouldn't let him out of her sight.

Kudzu: According to google, it's 119 that gets dialed, not 911. Once again, the writer's Americanism is showing.

"Don't die on us yet! Wake up! Speak to me! Say something, kid!" Yun cried out, importuning the boy into waking up.

Finally, his eyes opened and he gazed up at Yun with an odd look on his face. Yun sighed with relief. The boy's alive.

Kudzu: The odd look is due to the imprint being finalized between them.

'Thank goodness! He's alive! But he'll die if he doesn't get help soon!' Yun thought.

"Hello," Yun didn't want to just sit there and do nothing while this boy lay in her arms bleeding and possibly near death. But she didn't quite know what to do. Neither did Terriermon and Lopmon. She decided to try and engage in conversation with him. She hoped this would keep him awake. She knew this wasn't a time to be shy and afraid, even though on the inside her insides are doing backflips and she's shaking with fear. But what she got in response...almost threw her off guard.

"Wh-Who...are...you?" The boy asked in a low, pained, and somewhat harsh voice. Yun could tell he hadn't hit puberty just yet, but he's in pain so it's only natural for his voice to sound a little croaky and harsh.

"Me?"

"Please...tell me...thy name..." The boy asked again. She was surprised that the boy asked for her name. But seeing the pain in his pale blue eyes, she couldn't refuse.

Zak: I'm sorry... but thy? *Snickers* Is... Is this world's Lucemon an Elizabethan Escapee?

Ayaka: *Remembers what's going to happen soon.* Unfortunately, he talks like that a lot.

"Yu-Yun. Wakamiya...Yun," She muttered. To her surprise again, the boy actually smiled.

"Yun...what a...beautiful...name...ugh!" The boy croaked out until suddenly he gasped and lost the rest of his energy. His eyes closed and his head lay motionless in Yun's hand.

Zack: It's too late, we've lost him to the suefluence. *Shudders* Didn't think I'd be sorry for the Digital Satan.

"Hey! Don't die on me yet! Wake up! Come on! Wake up! Wake up, kid!" Yun begged and begged for him to wake up.

The ambulance arrived and they took the boy to the hospital. But Yun, being wracked with worry as she was, couldn't help but want to see if the boy is alive. She convinced Hisako to take her to the hospital.

She had absolutely no idea that this encounter was going to alter her destiny. In the bizarrest of ways.
Ayaka: Destiny, huh? I call bullshit. The narrative is going exactly as the writer wants, right?

Kudzu: Eyup. 

Ayaka: So, what now?

Kudzu: For now, we wait until the next entry. So... see y'all next time. *Watches as the sporkers leave the room.* Next time, we properly meet, Lucemon's human identity.

Comments

[pan2000]

Honestly, ADHD is treated as too big of a deal in this fic, and I feel bad about Riku.

"Don't die on us yet! Wake up! Speak to me! Say something, kid!" Yun cried out, importuning the boy into waking up.

Finally, his eyes opened and he gazed up at Yun with an odd look on his face. Yun sighed with relief. The boy's alive.

Kudzu: The odd look is due to the imprint being finalized between them.

*Sees the text below* Sadly, it's kinda accurate.