A Seraphic Tale Chapter 9
May. 18th, 2021 06:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kudzumacKudzu: Welcome back to the spork, everyone. Joining me and Ayaka this time is Percy Black, Kudamon, Scott Winters and BishopChessmon.
Percy: *Looks to Scott* Hey mate, how've ya been?
Scott: Eh, doing pretty good, how's your granddad?
Percy: Well, Gramps is still annoyed about how he was killed off in Avengers Assemble, and after seeing the canon version of him get engulfed in the All Dark? Yeah... that was grusome. *shudders*
Ayaka: Uh... who's your grandpa, Percy?
Percy: Oh, it's Loki in our universe.
Ayaka: Oh, right, you guys are from a world with superheroes and stuff. Forgot for a moment. *pauses* Do you two have super powers or anything?
Percy: Magic, Ice Giant Powers, Roguish Charm *smirks*
Kudamon: *rolls eyes* Percy, don't get cocky.
Percy: What can I say? Might as roll with the whole Trickster in Training thing, right?
Scott: Just try not to summon anything by accident again, ok?
Percy: Oi! I'm workin' on that, Scott!
Ayaka and BishopChessmon: Oh Lord, Give me Strength....
Kudzu: Anyway, let's move on to the chapter itself. Snipping the Author's Notes again because it mentions personal life stuff, but it also mentions that this chapter starts on the same morning the previous chapter ended on, in a bit of a condescending way, but eh, it's at least it's something that adds to the chapter. Also, before we truly begin, I got to add a warning.
Ayaka: A warning?
Kudzu: Yeah, read ahead between chapters, and uh... this chapter, while short also implies a suicide attempt so... yeah.
Scott: Dude...
Percy: Is the whole chapter that dark?
Kudamon: *reads the notes Kudzu made off screen* No, in fact, according to the notes... it's "Comedic."
Kudzu: Yeah... anyway, Roll Episode.
EPISODE 9: Dog Eat Dog (or Cat)
Scott: Gee, I wonder who digivolves this time?
Percy: *rolls eyes* I could never be able to guess...
Omori Minako sat on the deck in her backyard on a fine, breezy and halcyon morning, looking at the garden from afar and holding her rectangle-shaped cell phone up into the air.
Ayaka: As opposed to what? A round cellphone?
In truth, she's trying to take a picture of the garden with all of it's white lilacs and frail periwinkles and tiny violets and lively buttercups.
Percy: Aren't buttercups wildflowers?
Kudzu: Yup, also quite poisonous.
She stood on the porch since she often got the best view of the garden patch from there and tried to angle her cell phone camera in JUST the right way so she can get a nice picture of the whole thing. Salamon is running around, exploring and looking at everything her violet eyes laid their curious and bright-eyed gaze on. Finally...
Scott: She decided to make a mess in the back yard!
Percy: *laughs and high-fives Scott*
Ayaka: *rolls eyes and shakes her head*
Kudamon: Sweet Yggdrasil, they've both been hanging around Zero....
Ayaka: Who's Zero?
Kudamon: Another Royal Knight- Though I used to be Sleipmon of the Royal Knights until I was reborn as Percy's digimon partner, I still try to uphold their standards. In any case, Zeromaru is an UlforceVeedramon who came from an alternate timeline to ours... one where he tended to make Sukamon jokes with his partner, Taichi, and do silly victory dances when things weren't serious. *groans as he rubs his temples with his tiny paws* He, and Leopardmon are very headache inducing...
Ayaka: Leopardmon?
Kudamon: *Sighs* I'll explain him to you another time, Ayaka. We're stalling the story.
Click!
The camera flashed and a good picture of the garden finally formed on her cell phone. She ran to the patio table, uploaded the picture onto a web page through her cell phone, re-accessed it on her laptop, and saved it in a folder entitled 'Mina's Pictures' in the top left corner of her desktop, which is decorated with a very colorful and pretty wallpaper featuring a winged unicorn galloping among fluffy white clouds and underneath a beautiful arching rainbow in all of it's myriad colors. It's silver mane looked as if a gentle breeze was caressing it and making the ends of it's hair fly freely without a care in the world.
Scott: *gags* I know I shouldn't talk since I like to read romance novels, but did we really need the reminder that Mina is super girly?
Percy: The author certainly thought so. Also, does this wallpaper description add anything to the story?
Kudzu: Don't think so, it seems to be pointless purple prose.
BishopChessmon: I get the feeling this may have been the author's desktop wallpaper at some point with how detailed the description is.
Minako's semi-long blonde ponytail bounced around whenever she ran around or skipped along merrily, with the lavendar colored ribbon giving it a nice sense of style and flair, though Minako was never really the type who cared about fashion.
Ayaka: Sure she isn't, narrative. Sure she isn't.
She just simply liked putting her hair up with that particular ribbon. Today she looked particularly nice in a new choice of raiment. Today she is wearing a sleeveless light purple top with three small flowers sewn on the bottom part along with a long sleeved light green hoodie with a zipper, light blue jean shorts, and a dark purple choker with a silver peace sign on it. She is also wearing white shoes and purple socks. Her purple digivice is right next to her laptop.
Scott: *groans and put his head in his hands* Ugh, this can something please happen?
Her pictures have uploaded successfully. She puts them in her folder and saves them. A second later, she notices Salamon hopping around and happily sniffing the flowers in the garden. Minako noticed her little tail wagging sweetly, her little cheeks becoming a cute rosy pink color, her little paws gently touching the grass, her little floppy ears swinging back and forth, and her little black nose sniffing the scent of the flowers. Minako found this a nice photo opportunity. She got her cell phone out again, stood on the porch, and tried to angle her phone so she could get Salamon and the flowers she's happily sniffing. She got her perfect angle and...
Click!
Kudamon: *Sighs* How. Thrilling.
"Wan!"
Not only did Minako get her nice picture, the sound of the click and flash was enough to frighten Salamon a bit. She looked at Minako who is looking at the picture on her phone.
"Mina-chan! What was that sound just now?" Salamon asked, sounding rather startled. Minako noticed this.
Kudamon: *twitches* Percy?
Percy: Yeah partner?
Kudamon: Are... are the digimon partners in this fic treated as total imbeciles?
Percy: *Checks notes* Apparently so.
Kudamon: *Coldly* I see.
"Oh! Did I frighten you, Salamon? I'm sorry! I took a picture of you with my phone. Wanna see?" Minako replied with her phone in hand.
"Didn't you say phones are used for talking to people?"
"Yes, but new technology has allowed them to do other things as well, like take pictures, send computer messages and record videos! Here, I took a picture of you just now. See?" Minako explained while searching her phone for the picture she took of Salamon. She found it and showed it to the little cream colored puppy.
Ayaka: Ok, we get it, Mina is the Smart one and her partner is dumb as bricks! *Grumbles* I can't believe my old world was this obnoxious sometimes...
Kudzu: Yeah, I also read ahead a couple of chapters and found out about your boyfriend, Ayaka. You doing ok without him?
Ayaka: Yeah, I'm remembering Shunji now, but finding out he had a Digimon from Splashmon still hurts a bit. I mean, I wish he trusted me with that info before I found out my sister had Digimon of her own.
Scott: Maybe the narrative wouldn't let him?
Ayaka: Probably...
Salamon was quite surprised, seeing herself in a little square sniffing the white lilacs happily and without a care in the world. She found herself quite happy seeing it.
"Wow! That's me!"
Kudamon: No shit.
Ayaka: *surprised* Aren't you supposed to be a Royal Knight?
Percy: He usually upholds decorum... except when someone pushes his patience. He's a bit tempermental like that.
Minako smiled.
"I just had to take a picture of you with those flowers," Minako said.
Then, a good idea popped into Salamon's head like a baby chick hatching from it's egg.
Scott: That's a phrase.
"Wan! Wan! Mina-chan! Take another picture of me! Please?" Salamon importuned sweetly while hopping up and down like an excited little kindergarten girl wanting a snack after doing a task correctly. Minako simply couldn't refuse those rosy cheeks and puppy dog eyes.
"Alright. Stand right here if you will. Don't move," Minako said as she placed Salamon onto a part of the grass, hoping to get a nice picture out of her from that spot. Thankfully it wasn't hard for her to find the right angle because Salamon looked fine standing perfectly straight with her sweet smile. Then, out of the blue...
Percy: Not how the phrase works, since out of the blue means that it came unexpectedly and out of nowhere. Since this was a planned photo, the phrase doesn't make sense.
Click!
Minako got her picture.
"Did you get it?"
"I did! Look!"
Salamon saw the picture of herself.
"Ohhh! You did it! Nice! Wan!" Salamon squealed happily and rubbed herself against Minako's legs. Minako decided to pet her.
"You're such a sweet little thing," Minako muttered as she rubbed her hand against the adorable puppy's soft head of cream colored fur. Then she went back to the patio table and uploaded the pictures onto her laptop. Salamon noticed this and leaped onto the table.
BishopChessmon: Author, your preferences for cute things are showing.
"What'cha doing?" Salamon asked curiously and innocently.
"Saving the pictures I took," Minako replied.
"Why?"
"Because I like them. This folder is where I save the pictures I took just for having memories to remember. I'm definitely keeping the ones I took of you."
"Good!"
"See this folder here? The one that says 'Pictures To Edit'? This folder is for the pictures I take just to use for experimenting with."
"What do you mean experiment?"
"Edit them. Mess with them a bit. Crop them on Photoshop."
"What's Photoshop?"
"It's a program that lets you edit your pictures and do whatever you want with them. Sometimes add stuff to them or delete stuff."
Kudamon: GET ON WITH IT!
Percy: I'm getting the feeling the author might like amateur photography, mate.
"You're not gonna mess with the pictures you took of me, are you?"
"Of course not, silly little pup, you!" Minako teasingly rubbed Salamon's ear and head with her hand to scoff at her inane question. But then she noticed the sun glaring on her screen.
Ayaka: The Digimon here has the mind of a very young child. It is not inane for Salamon to ask that, annoying as she can be.
"Aww, no. The sun's in the way. Let's go inside, shall we?"
"Sure! Wan!"
Scott: Finally, onto something interesting!
Kudzu: *Reads ahead a bit* Yeah... incoming angst, folks.
Ayaka: Hooboy...
Minako and Salamon left the back yard and ran to Minako's room. Salamon felt happy returning to this peaceful, halcyon place with it's lovely purple wallpaper, soft bed spread, and Minako's perfectly organized book shelf and desks. But there's one area little Salamon realized she hadn't explored just yet: underneath her bed.
Scott: Where she found Mina's fanfiction journals.
Percy: Don't you keep a lockbox of bad novels under your bed though?
Scott: Yes, they're sealed with holy water because I swear some of them were only popular due to demons!
Percy: Even the Eye of Argon?
Scott: That one is actually demon free, it's just badly written and only well known due to bile fascination.
Ayaka: *Stares in confusion* What do demons have to do with anything?
Scott: Oh, my dad's a Paranormal Investigator, he tends to deal with weird spooky stuff all the time.
Ayaka: Right...
Out of pure curiosity and on a complete impulse, she decided to sneak in there. She managed to fit just fine so she didn't get stuck. Much to her surprise though, there's practically nothing underneath her bed!
Scott: I call BS! She's a kid, unless she's a neat freak there has to be something under her bed!
...except for one thing. Salamon krept closer to it to get a closer look. In front of her is a small stuffed animal in the form of a white puppy with long, floppy light brown ears, a big black nose, pink paws, and a yellow ribbon wrapped around it's neck. Salamon sniffed it and noticed that the scent on this little stuffed animal is very different from Minako's scent, which she had become very used to. But nonetheless, she liked the little dog plushie and decided to drag it out from under Minako's bed. She leaped up onto the bed and put the stuffed animal down. Minako had turned around on her spinning chair and noticed Salamon playing with the doll.
"Salamon?" Minako asked.
"Mina-chan? Is this yours? It's really cute!" Salamon exclaimed as she presented the little puppy doll to Minako. Upon seeing it, Minako at first looked a bit uneasy. But after seeing Salamon's innocent face, she forced a smile.
Percy: She's not happy that Salamon found a doll she swiped, huh?
Kudzu: Her little brother died, so it's most likely his doll. Then again, this would have been better to reveal if Mina's friends hadn't spilled the beans in earlier chapters though.
"It used to be, but you can keep it if you want," Minako told her.
"But it's yours, isn't it?"
"No. Not really. I just had it under my bed is all."
"Oh. Okay! Don't worry. I promise I won't rip it up or tear it apart."
Kudamon: For someone the narrative calls curious, she doesn't really press the subject, does she?
Kudzu: Apparently.
Minako smiled at Salamon's sincerity and innocence and went back to packing her books into her black and purple book bag. Yes, even her book bag is purple. She looked down into her bag with a somewhat uneasy look, unbeknownst to Salamon who is happily playing with the dog plushie.
'That doll...used to be Kiyoshi's,' Minako thought to herself as she packed the last of her books into her book bag. Then a voice pulled her out of her reverie.
"Minako! It's time to go! Are you ready yet?"
"Coming mother!" Minako yelled back. This caught Salamon's attention.
"You're going to school again?" Salamon asked.
"Yes. Another long school week," Minako groaned a bit. Today's Monday, so of course a long school was waiting for her and many other kids.
Scott: Yes. We know what monday means for school kids. We're not idiots.
"I wish you didn't have to go. I love playing with you," Salamon told her with a somewhat worried and sad face. Seeing this, Minako put her hand on the little pup and stroke her fur.
"I don't want to go either, but I have to. It's the law. And don't worry, I'll be back. Then we can play for the rest of the day. Now you be good while I'm gone, okay little one?"
Percy: A kid calling her digimon partner "Little one" kind of creeps me out a bit.
Kudamon: If any of these children called me Little One, I'd be forced to tell them what-for.
Ayaka: But, you're kind of cute though, Kudamon.
Kudamon: *Twitches* I am not cute, I am a Royal Knight.
Kudzu: Kudamon? You lounging on Percy's shoulder like a scarf and your appearance say otherwise.
Kudamon: *Twitches again and grumbles while remaining on Percy's shoulders*
"Okay. I promise I'll be good. Wan!"
"That's better. See ya!"
Minako flung her school bag over her back and dashed out for the car, which her mom is driving. It took her to school. Soon, Minako was dropped off at school and her mom Minagi returned. Salamon began to feel a little lonely upon seeing Minako leave, but she knew for a fact that she'd definitely come back. She found the dog plushie after all, so today's the day to play with it.
Ayaka: Children walk to school. They do not get car rides to school in Japan.
Kudzu: They do in America, and since the Author's American herself, I think...
Salamon, with her violet eyes bright with wonder and curiosity, took the little dog plushie and quietly ambled into the living room. She settled onto the big couch with the plushie next to her and the big window above her as she watched Minako's mother come through the door.
Percy: Does Mina's family know about Digimon yet?
Scott: *Checks notes* Nope, they just think Salamon's a puppy that followed Mina home, and they decided to keep her for emotional healing.
Percy: Ah. Well, Salamon does look like a puppy, though they'll probably have questions when Salamon doesn't go beyond puppy size.
Kudzu: Everyone in this fic is a moron on some level outside of the main characters, Salamon has nothing to worry about. Also, decided to check official artwork and Salamon's eyes are either blue or green, depending on the artist. Mostly blue, but there are a couple of art pieces with green eyes.
Minagi saw Salamon on the couch and thought nothing of it, but she did notice the little puppy plushie with it's long floppy light brown ears, the big black nose and the pink paws. She didn't say anything, so she just walked by.
Ayaka: That doll was her son's, and she's not even wondering how Salamon got ahold of it? Is she an idiot?
Kudzu: She could have just moved on a little, and is in the acceptance phase of grief.
Ayaka: Maybe so, but she should have at least said something!
Salamon, seeing her walk by, couldn't help but note how pretty she is with her long blonde curls trailing down to her back, not one of them out of place, her porcelain white skin, and her deep green eyes, like a very deep and vast rain forests. Salamon knew about rain forests because she watched Minako do a project on rain forests and listened to her talk about them.
Kudamon: You are a DIGITAL Monster. Use the internet.
BishopChessmon: *Sighs and shakes his head* Clearly, the author wants to infantilize the partner digimon some more, since she assumes that Rookies are morons.
Kudamon: You know, you're much more insightful as BishopChessmon than you were as WhitePawnChessmon.
BishopChessmon: I feel as an Ultimate Level Digimon, I need to at least act as a knowledgable adult, and as a Rookie... at least try and act as a child. Plus, I'm still not fond of battle, no matter what form I take.
Percy: What I want to know is what kind of bloody school is Yun and co going to? It still feels more like an American one than a Japanese one.
Kudzu: Probably because Yun's school is an American one that's been placed in Japan, and the author failed to do research on it.
Percy: *feels a headache coming on* Stone the crows...
Minagi didn't put her hair up like Minako did, but Salamon didn't really mind one bit. She figured Minagi looked just fine the way she is. But she did notice that Minagi always wore a black and white work suit with maroon stockings and black high heels. Salamon leaped off of the couch and ambled into the dining room, where she saw not just Minagi reading the paper, but Minako's father, Tatsuha, making himself breakfast.
Scott: I guess Minako's mom is the breadwinner- any idea what any of these kids' parents do for a living?
Kudzu: I think Otoya's dad is a preacher but other than that? I got nothing.
Tatsuha was the person Salamon was the most curious about. A young, lively and spirited man he looks to be, with short light brown hair and violet eyes just like Minako's, only his are smaller. But they definitely have a cheerful and friendly spark in them, like Minako's had a few times. He wore nothing but a short-sleeved pale blue shirt, beige khaki shorts, tall white socks, and light brown shoes that almost seemed to resemble Indian moccasins, with the weird yellow string bows and everything.
Scott: Hey Ayaka, don't Japanese people usually wear slippers or different shoes indoors than they do outdoors when it comes to school and home?
Ayaka: Yeah, Tatsuha should be wearing slippers, not loafers or whatever he's wearing.
He's humming a happy little tune to himself while flipping a metal spatula and making pancakes, which, to Salamon, smelled really good. Oh, how she yearned for the pancakes! But she couldn't eat them in front of them because they believe Salamon is a real dog and real dogs can't eat pancakes.
Kudzu: As a dog owner, I'd like to call bullshit here. Dogs will try and eat anything, including pancakes, especially if it's meat or cheese. As long as there's no syrup on the pancakes she eats, she should be fine.
Salamon knew this well, and she did not want to cause an uproar by suddenly announcing she's a Digimon, or else the repercussions would be perilous. She kept silent and had to be on a diet consisting of dog food until Minako got back. She didn't hate the dog food, but she didn't find it to her liking either.
Kudzu: There is dogfood made with actual meat instead of kibble. Pet parents with a picky eater will have to buy multiple brands to figure out what the dog likes to eat. Not to mention that some dogs with health issues will need specific foods in their diet that specialty dogfood can provide. Also, I'm surprised Minako's family didn't take Salamon to a vet to make sure she was healthy or didn't have any preexisting health conditions. Then again, the author probably didn't think of that either so... yeah.
But she did find Tatsuha to her liking. With his happy demeanor and spirited personality, she couldn't help but want to be around him. On impulse, she rubbed herself against his legs.
"Whoa! Oh, hello there little one! How are you today?" Tatsuha exclaimed. Salamon said nothing. She simply sat down and wagged her tail. Tatsuha, charmed by this, kneeled down and petted her with his big hand.
Scott: I know this is weird, but this kind of feels like my dad.
Percy: How's he doing, anyway?
Scott: Eh, he's doing fine. When he came out of retirement, several demons who owe him favors panicked a bit, and while helping a ghost he took down a Lovecraftian Cult!
Ayaka: Right. Superhero World. Things are weird there, huh?
Scott: Yeah, since your world's closer to reality than ours, I guess our world might seem weird to you, huh?
Ayaka: A little bit.
"Gosh, you're such a cute little thing. No wonder Mina-chan likes you!" Tatsuha said as he stroke the adorable little pup. Then he finished his pancakes, put some maple syrup and berries on them, took them to the dining table, and proceeded to eat. And enjoy it he sure did! How Salamon yearned for those pancakes! Minagi looked up from her newspaper at Tatsuha.
Jean Winters: *Appears on the couch* Cuteness is in the eye of the beholder. While Salamon is cute to some, Dad and I find hellhounds to be cute as well.
Ayaka: GAH! Where did you come from!?
Jean: *Without missing a beat* Bison Bend, Utah.
Ayaka: *Looks to Scott* Does... does your sister teleport or something?
Scott: Nah, sis and I can sort of phase out of reality, she was probably just waiting for the best moment to appear and spook someone. She does that.
Ayaka: Anything else I need to know?
Jean: I have a pet monster named Fluffy, she's nice.
Ayaka: I-I see.
Jean: *Disappears*
Kudzu: With that bit of comedy out of the way, I'm pretty sure the Japanese have different toppings for Pancakes. *checks*Huh, besides okonomiyaki, there are also souffle pancakes, which are extra fluffy and can even require a mold to make! Nothing on maple syrup, but there are options such as fruit, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sometimes even ice cream, according to a quick google search anyway.
Ayaka: Yeah, that sounds about right. So, this is another Americanism?
Kudzu: Most likely.
"Tatsuha...do you remember that little doll we got for Kiyoshi two years ago?" Minagi asked in a low and somewhat worried voice. Tatsuha noticed this and swallowed a bite of his pancake.
"Yeah. The little white puppy with the brown ears and the pink paws? I remember that! He sure loved it. Carried it around everywhere he went, he did! It was adorable!" Tatsuha replied.
Now this piqued Salamon's curiosity.
'Kiyoshi? Who's Kiyoshi?' she thought. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on their conversation, but she just happened to be there.
Scott: Anyone else getting that feeling of impending doom?
"Minako's had it. Did you know that?" Minagi told him.
"No. I didn't. I thought it was in his room the whole time," Tatsuha said.
"You know...Minako hasn't gone in there since he...y'know," Minagi told him again.
Kudzu: Your both adults, you can use the word died around what you think is just a puppy.
"I saw. She doesn't even look at the door, even when she comes home from school. And it's down at the end of the hall! I wonder if she knows that her pretty hair brush is still in there? She hasn't asked where it is and kept on using my old ratty one. Seriously, I need to get rid of that thing!" Tatsuha explained. Minagi put the paper back down on the dining room table.
Ayaka: Hairbrushes are kind of cheap, you could just buy her or yourself a new one...
Percy: I'm honestly more worried about the fact that Minako doesn't even look at a door she has to see daily. I know everyone copes differently, but are there any therapists in that universe?
Ayaka: Not that I can recall...
"Do you think maybe she's trying to force herself to move on? To forget Kiyoshi?"
"Well, kids have different ways of coping with grief. And in regards to forgetting Kiyoshi, nah. I don't think she'd forget about him even for a second. Do you remember how freaked out she was when he went into that big ice cream bowl one time? That sure was pretty funny!"
Scott: I think Tatsuha is trying to cope with the loss in his own way, but by remembering the good times, which I think is pretty healthy.
"Yes. They were close. But not when it happened. Not only that...I can tell she's only keeping up a bold front to make us not worry about her. But I'm still worried that she might-"
"Now Minagi. Don't you dare start thinkin' about that stuff! I hid all the knives, all the over the counter meds, all the razor blades, all the bleaches, and all the weights somewhere safe. Even if she starts thinking about it, she'll never be able to attempt it. I made sure of that! Plus there's no way she'd think about doin' it at school where people will know about it. Minagi...I don't want you to worry. I think Mina-chan understands that we're worried about her and that she needs to move on. I don't want to force her or to give her a hard time about it. Besides, let's be positive! That's the Omori family's motto, isn't it? We just have to believe in our little girl!"
All: *just... stares*
Scott: Dude... did... did Mina attempt that in the past?
Ayaka: the implications are certainly there...
Percy: There's... there's no reason to hide all that stuff as a precaution over a sibling death, right? I mean...
Kudamon: I feel like something is very wrong here.
BishopChessmon: Indeed.
Kudzu: There's a lot to unpack here, so let's just throw out the whole damn suitcase and move on.
Everyone else: Agreed.
Minagi smiled a bit.
"Yes. You're right, Tatsuha. Sorry I'm such a worrywart."
"Nah. It's alright. After the stuff that happened it's pretty natural to get all worried and scared about what'll happen next."
"But one question...how are you able to endure all of this? Aren't you sad that he-"
Kudamon: What...what did the child do?
Kudzu: I haven't read that far ahead yet so... I honestly don't know the cause of death.
"I sure am, dear. I sure miss my boy. But being all sad and depressed and angsty about it isn't going to bring him back. I learned that the hard way long ago. Plus I don't think he'd want me to spend the rest of my life sad and angry at everyone. I should probably tell Mina-chan that when the time's right."
Scott: When will the time be right though? I mean, yeah, Tatsuha's fully accepted the loss of Kiyoshi, but still...
Now Salamon became more and more curious. Questions were running through her head like speeding jellyfish. Who's Kiyoshi? What happened to him? That little stuffed puppy belongs to him? Where is he? Why doesn't Minako go into his room? And what did Minako do that got her parents so frightened and taking such drastic measures to keep her away from those products he mentioned? Is she actually very very sad inside? She couldn't help but wonder. But another place became a topic of exploration: Kiyoshi's room.
Scott: This just brings up.... sooo many questions, dude.
Percy: Damn straight, Mate.
Ayaka: Yeah...
She knew that room well. It has a deep mahogany door with a rusty gold knob on it and a small, childish sign that read 'Kiyoshi's Room' on it in dogs and elephants. Salamon did remember Minako telling her not to go in there for reasons Salamon didn't know. Now she was determined to see and find out why. She very slowly krept up to the door. Thankfully, the golden knob was at a height Salamon could reach so she could turn it, even though she doesn't have fingers.
Kudamon: Um... how big is Salamon again?
Percy: I assume the size of a small dog, why?
Kudamon: I can stretch my body to reach things, I'm pretty sure Salamon cannot reach a doorknob easily, unless the door was smaller than normal.
Kudzu: Also, gold doesn't rust. Or Tarnish. It is the least reactive metal on the periodic table, actually. The door knob is probably just dyed somehow to look like gold though.
'Maybe this will help me find out who Kiyoshi is. Mina-chan...forgive me. I promise I won't touch anything or break anything important in there. Well, here goes nothing!' Salamon thought to herself solemnly as she finally turned the knob. The door creaked open just a crack. She pushed it further open with her head, and was surprised upon walking in.
Kiyoshi's room is totally not like anything Salamon had ever expected. The walls are a bright pale blue, like the sky, with little animal pictures on them. There were elephants, dogs, giraffes, and panda bears. They all looked very cute and cuddly. And speaking of cute and cuddly animals, the room was full of plushies. Of all shapes and sizes. There are even plushies in a tiny white bed with a starry sky themed bed spread with the planets and the moon and everything. The floor has a beige carpet on it. There's a small brown dresser full of little boy's clothes. On top of the dresser are DVDs of shows like Sesame Street and Blue's Clues and Umizoomi. Salamon couldn't help but walk deeper inside. She also noticed something else on the dresser.
Kudzu: While this paragraph is mostly harmless... I have to say that the DVDs are for non-Japanese shows. So, shouldn't Kiyoshi have DVDs of Japanese kids shows?
Ayaka: That's a good point. Looks like the author's Americanism is showing yet again.
A small, framed picture featuring Minako, Minagi, Tatsuha, and a very small boy. The boy looked to be about two or three years old with a head of beautiful light brown curls dangling all over the place, coupled with deep green eyes like the eyes Minagi has, and the same rosy cheeks as Salamon. The little boy had his tiny tender hands out and was smiling very happily. The boy is being carried by Tatsuha in the picture, and next to Tatsuha is a very happy and lively-looking Minako, with her signature purple ribbon and choker, wearing a light pink shirt under a dark pink sweater with a hood, cloud blue jeans, and brown boots. All four of them are smiling. Salamon also noticed very small writing on the bottom left corner of the picture. Even though the writing was small, she could make it out easily. It read, 'Minako, Kiyoshi, Tatsuha, and Minagi. February 4, 2011' in small black kanji. Salamon knows who Minako and Minagi and Tatsuha are...so could the little boy be Kiyoshi? Salamon smiled.
All: *silent and looking uncomfortable at the implications of just when Mina's brother died.*
"Well, whoever Kiyoshi is, he's cute! But from the way Minagi-san and Tatsuha-san were talking about him, it sounded pretty sad. I'll ask Mina-chan about it when the time's right. I don't want to suddenly make her mad or anything," Salamon said to herself as she gazed at the picture once more. Then she saw something else. A small purple glittery hair brush with a flower on it.
"Is this Mina-chan's brush? I'll put it on her bed," Salamon said as she took the brush off the dresser.
Scott: Can we move on yet? This is creeping me out.
Percy: Wait, you, who's sister owns an eldritch horror, is getting creeped out by a dead kid's bedroom?
Scott: Yeah... I don't like dead kids, their ghosts can be more terrifying than an adult ghost.
Percy: I see.
"Alrighty! Enough exploring for one day! Time to go back. Wan!" Salamon exclaimed as she dutifully left the room, closed the door as tightly as she could, and left.
Scott: *sighs in relief* I really hope it's a while before we come back to this mess...
Kudzu: Should be, for now? We got to deal with Yun.
Ayaka: Of course we do. Can't go a chapter without her involvement somehow.
As curious and innocent little Salamon was doing her exploring, Minako was at school. Right now it's lunch, and she is within her little group of friends eating her lunch. She listened to her friends talk, though Rena was the one striking up the most conversation.
"Hey! Is anyone going to see part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows when it comes out? I sure am!" Rena asked.
Ayaka: Harry Potter? I figured that they'd be talking about a Kamen Rider or anime film.
Kudzu: Not to mention that Deathly Hallows is not for kids as young as eleven.
"Oh! I want to! And I'm taking my big brother with me! I wanna see how they handle the final fight!" Otoya exclaimed happily.
Percy: Got to see a movie not meant for kids somehow, by bringing in an older relative, right?
"Eh. Harry Potter's fine. But I prefer the Percy Jackson series," Kosuke said.
Percy: *glances at his D-Watch as he googles something real quick* Too bad the Percy Jackson films sucked. Besides, Norse and Celtic Myth need more love! That, and Herc's an egotistical wanker in our world.
Scott: Didn't Loki spend time in hell and have a son who tried to go after Venus/Aphrodite?
Percy: We don't talk about that member of the family. Nor do we talk about Loki's attempts at Venus... or anything related to Loki's time in Hades. He's very embarrassed by it.
Scott: Ah, sorry.
"Me too. I personally think Harry Potter's a bit overrated for my tastes. But if you all like it, then that's okay!" Yun told them.
Scott: Maybe Harry Potter isn't fluffy enough for Yun.
Ayaka: *giggles*
"Everyone has their tastes, I suppose," Rena said. Minako finished drinking her chocolate milk and decided to start a conversation of her own.
"Yun? How's that boy doing? The one named Lucero," Minako asked politely.
"Lucero? Oh! Mom says she's gonna try and get him to begin school tomorrow. We still haven't heard back from the principal yet," Yun replied.
Ayaka: Even though Lucemon has no background, no known family, and could possibly be a kidnapped victim. *sighs* knowing this story, he's probably going to get in anyway, isn't he?
Kudzu: Eyup.
"I wouldn't mind giving him some information about the school," Minako said.
"Oh, I bet you'll love teaching him about it. You're the smartest girl in the 6th grade! Maybe even in the whole school!" Yun rejoiced happily.
BishopChessmon: Yes, yes Minako's smart and that's all there is to her character besides the dead brother.
Kudzu: Yeah, the cast so far have been a bit flat, haven't they?
"I don't like to brag."
"I know you don't, and I know you don't mean it in a bad way so it's fine. By the way, how've you been doing lately, Mina-chan? Feeling any better?" Yun asked. Yun had remembered the day she first met her Digimon, mostly the part where she wanted to talk with Minako but she had rejected her. Minako remembered it well herself. She put her chin on her hand.
"A little bit. Sorry if we haven't been able to hang out by ourselves," Minako said.
Percy: Yeah, the last time they tried, Aria appeared.
"Oh! I get what you mean. Sorry if I asked a weird question. I know you have a lot going on in your life and I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't want to, so it's perfectly fine! You need a little space once in a while, right?" Yun exclaimed.
Ayaka: So, you respect your friends, but bad talk me. What an angel you are, Yun.
"Yes. Yes we do. Umm...I'm not doing anything this Friday, so maybe...if you don't mind, we can hang out then? I can invite you over to my house and we can do some girl stuff together," Minako explained. Yun's eyes beamed with joy.
"I'd love to! But I'd have to talk to my parents about it first. I'll let you know later, okay?" Yun replied happily. Minako smiled. To tell the truth, Minako hadn't really been able to hang out with JUST Yun in a very long time.
'It's been a while since I hung out with just Yun. She's probably feeling lonely. So much has been going on in my life. Maybe this'll be a nice change of pace,' thought Minako as she finished the rest of her lunch. And her school day.
Kudzu: Yes, rehash what we just went over. *Sighs* Can we get to the fight yet?
Around 3:00 PM, Salamon decided to go out into the backyard and play around. She made sure not to go into the garden patch. She didn't want to trample on the pretty flowers her mother worked so hard to plant. She got up on the fence and watched everything from on top of it.
Kudzu: This makes it look like Minagi is Salamon's mother as well as Minako's.
"Ohh! There are lots of houses here! I wouldn't mind going out exploring for a bit and seeing where everything is! I could play with the other Digimon too. Wan!" Salamon exclaimed happily as her bright violet eyes took in all the halcyon scenery.
But unexpectedly, all of a sudden...
WHOOSH!
Scott: It's Mothmon!
Kudzu: Better than Mothmon, Scott.
Scott: Oh really? Who's the digimon?
Kudzu: Here's a hint- his anime debut was basically an homage to Wacky Races, with trains.
"Waaan!"
Something zipped past Salamon so quickly and with such violent force that Salamon nearly fell off the fence. She hung on tight and got herself back up.
"Whoa! What was that?" She yelped. She could practically see a dust cloud dissipating into the air.
Then it came back again. Twice! WHOOSH! ZIP! Something was running at full speed, but Salamon couldn't quite make it out.
Ayaka: This feels like a gag-anime or a western Cartoon.
Kudzu: I think it's because it is supposed to feel like that.
However, she did feel a presence. But she didn't have time to let it sink in because the thing doing all the running is suddenly standing right in front of her.
Well, below her, at least. And it wasn't even looking at her. It was rummaging through a trash can. Salamon watched from atop the fence as the strange creature ripped through the trash can and began looking through it. 'Awful, smelly thing!' Salamon thought.
Scott: Welp, can't go a chapter without the enemy digimon being criticized for their appearance, I guess.
The thing rummaging through the trash can is bigger and wider than Salamon. Big and yellow, with a white D on it's chest, funny-looking dark blue ears, a dark blue tail, and a VERY goofy-looking face. Salamon couldn't believe her eyes.
'It's a Digimon!' She thought. But what she saw on it's back shocked her the most.
Percy: That... sounds more like a cartoon character than a Digimon.
Kudzu: Well, that's because Dogmon was born from a database of American Cartoons.
Percy: Ah. So... this is going to get silly, isn't it?
Kudzu: Eyup.
A black hexagon with a skull on it! A lucid and blatant harbinger of evil! She knew she could not ignore this at all. The funny looking Digimon, whose eyes glowed red like the siren on an ambulance, ran away with the speed of Yosemite Sam. But Salamon could tell where it was going. Minako saw her on the fence and was confused. She had just arrived home from school.
Ayaka: Does Yosemite Sam have super speed?
Kudzu: Nope, the Road runner does. Also, once again the author is referencing western media in a Japanese setting.
"Salamon? What are you doing up there? Get down or you'll hurt yourself!" Minako commanded. But Salamon knew she couldn't leave the Digimon be.
"Mina-chan! I just saw a Digimon!" She yelped.
"A Digimon?"
"Yep! It had a black hexagon on it too!"
"A black hexagon? That's not good!"
"Right? We gotta stop it from causing trouble!"
"Hang on! Let me get my digivice!"
Percy: These kids should really start carrying their digivices on them at all times. *Holds up his black and purple D-Watch* So glad ours can double as a smart-watch and they look fashionable as well!
Scott: *Holds up his blue and yellow D-Watch* Yup! Also, they can store digimon inside them too, which is useful for keeping them close in case a digimon attacks.
Minako ran back to her room, dropped her school stuff, grabbed her digivice and ran back out. Salamon decided to try and smell the Digimon's scent so she could track it down easier. Even though the funny-looking Digimon ran REALLY fast, it sure wasn't going to be hard finding it. As Minako and Salamon got into town, they could hear people screaming.
"Ugh! What IS that ugly thing?"
"Hey you! Get outta my store, you mutt!"
"Someone call animal control! This thing's rabid!"
"Ooh! Doggy!"
"No! Don't touch it!"
All: *Glares*
Kudzu: Well, it seems Author Bias is in full effect here.
"It's definitely been all over the place. I can smell it everywhere!" Salamon exclaimed.
"I know! But it sounds like this one has really good agility and running abilities. How are we going to find it?" Minako said, feeling a little worried. Then she heard a voice.
"Mina-chan?"
Lo and behold, it's Otoya with Labramon by her side. Otoya's wearing a long sleeved maroon sweater, blue jeans, and black and white sneakers. Labramon remained by her side the entire time.
"Otoya-chan! Did you hear? A Digimon's running loose!" Minako told her.
"I saw it! Labramon can smell it too! Let's find it together!" Otoya replied.
"Otoya! I smell it! It's at the park!" Labramon exclaimed as he prepared to dash away.
"The park?" Minako said.
"Jeez! It seems like Digimon just LOVE that place! Come on! We can't waste any time!" Otoya exclaimed.
Scott: They probably like it because the author can't think of anything else to uphold the masquerade.
They dashed for the park and finally managed to find it, but they were frightened by how seemingly innocent but ferocious it looked with it's cartoony appearance but blazing glowing red eyes. And glowing red eyes usually meant a black hexagon on it.
All: WE KNOW!
"Mina-chan! That's it! Right there! That's the Digimon I saw!" Salamon exclaimed. Minako pulled out her digivice and got it's information.
"Doggymon. He's a champion level data attribute Digimon. His attacks are Mega Chomp, Jesting Howl, and Quick Shot," Minako explained and then put her digivice on her shorts.
Kudzu: Actually, it has two moves- Ultra Snapping which is a bite attack, and Distem Howling, which is either a supersonic howl, or involves throwing dirt/bombs at an opponent. The author is making up moves again.
"Ewwwww! That thing's slobbering all over the place!" Otoya yelped, disgusted with the fact that the Digimon, Doggymon (as if it wasn't morbidly obvious), is drooling all over the place...and very sloppily too. Even Salamon and Labramon, being dogs themselves, were very grossed out and disgusted by it's repulsive behavior and odor.
Kudzu: I think the author hates drooling dogs. *glares* As a dog owner, I'm offended by this, as dogs will droll sometimes. Also, stop with the snarky comments in parantheses, it's condescending to the reader.
"Do dogs normally eat from trash cans?" Salamon asked.
Kudzu: Sometimes.
"Ugh. I'm certainly grateful that I'm not one of them," Labramon said.
But something else was going through Minako's mind, and she was sure to blurt it out.
"Does anyone else feel like we're about to start a dog fighting tournament?" Minako asked.
"Dog fighting?" Otoya asked.
"Think about it. If people see us, two young girls, putting two dogs against another one in a life or death battle, they'll think we're dog fighting. You can actually get arrested for doing it!" Minako explained.
Scott: Minako. Priorities. I don't think anyone is going to arrest some kids for letting their dogs fight each other. It could be seen as two dogs protecting their owners from a rabid dog if you spin it correctly.
Percy: Oi! I'm the trickster here...
Scott: Oh, right, sorry Percy!
"WHAT? I don't want that happening! I don't like dog fighting either!" Otoya yelled.
Strangely enough, Doggymon suddenly zipped deep into the woods like a speeding race car on steroids. Minako, Salamon, Otoya, and Labramon were left speechless.
"I...think he got your point," Otoya said.
Percy: Looks like Dogmon has some awareness while brainwashed. Poor guy, must be horrified about his situation.
Ayaka: Yeah...
Kudzu: Alternatively, this could be the author trying to be funny again.
"No time! He could still cause trouble! Let's go and stop him!" Labramon demanded. All four of them went into the woods and relocated Doggymon, who was...doing his business in front of a big tree. It caught sight of the two girls and dogs.
Kudamon: *glares* Classy.
Percy: So... since Dogmon is bipedal, was he standing on two legs, or on three?
Scott: I'd assume three since well, I don't think digimon have those parts.
Ayaka: We are seriously having this conversation... *Shakes her head*
"Now you're cornered! Surrender at once!" Labramon commanded.
But it seems Doggymon wasn't phazed by Labramon's threat. Not one bit.
Percy: Dogmon's keeping up eye contact as he finishes taking a leak. That takes balls in this fic.
Scott: *chuckles*
BishopChessmon and Kudamon: *shake their heads and groan*
"Mega Chomp!" Doggymon opened it's mouth WIDE, showing off it's sharp fangs and proceeding to attack Labramon. Thankfully, Labramon leaped out of the way. And so did Minako and Otoya.
"Echoing Bark!" Labramon barked LOUDLY, sending echoes all throughout the forest. But it didn't work on Doggymon. Salamon decided to jump in and help.
"Holy Roar!" Salamon roared just as loudly, hoping to intimidate Doggymon. But he wasn't intimidated. He wasn't even phazed by any of their attacks.
Plutomon: *pokes his head into the room* Must be immune to Sonic Damage. *leaves*
All of a sudden, Doggymon's scrawny arms stretched out REALLY far. Then it leaped into the air and threw some red spheres at them.
"Quick Shot!" Doggymon's red spheres were heading right toward them.
"Look out!" Labramon exclaimed. He, Minako, Salamon, and Otoya evaded the bombs, which were exploding all around them, and were trying to land an attack on Doggymon, which wasn't working. Now Doggymon stood at the top of a big tree and continued to throw bombs at them.
"Quick Shot!" Red bombs exploded all over, and it was getting loud too. Minako was beginning to have trouble getting away.
"I-I can't let that thing get us! That hexagon needs to be destroyed! But he's so fast and agile I can barely calculate his speed and agility! Jeez!" Minako muttered to herself. Then, she tripped over a giant root and got her foot caught in it.
Scott: Science's worst enemy- Toon Physics.
Percy: *High Fives Scott* Good one.
"Oh no!" She tried to get herself out, but the root is very thick and thorny.
Ayaka: Thorny roots? Wouldn't it be a vine then?
Kudzu: Probably, then again I don't think the author decided to do research here.
But right when she looked up, she saw a red bomb falling right toward her. She thought it was over for her.
But then a high-pitched, screeching howl pushed the bomb away from her. It came right out of Salamon's mouth.
"Mina-chan! You okay?" Salamon asked as she bit the root and managed to get Minako out.
"Yeah. Thanks, Salamon. You're the best!" Minako said as she stood up.
"That thing's really fast and tricky!" Salamon said as she saw Doggymon jump back onto the ground.
"I know, right? If only I could decipher his movements and find a pattern," Minako said. But nobody was prepared for Doggymon's next attack.
Kudzu: Chaos! Chaos!
"Jesting Howl!"
Doggymon opened his mouth wide and a very high, screeching howl came right out of it. It was so loud and piercing that it even scared Salamon and Labramon into covering their own ears. Everyone's ears are ringing, even though they were covered, and their brains are shaking.
"Ahhh! So loud!" Otoya yelled.
"Hey Otoya-chan!"
"Yeah?"
"I've gotta admit, I'm glad it was you I ran into and not Yun!"
"Why?"
"No way would she be able to tolerate this noise! She'd hate this!"
Ayaka: Not the time to be discussing my sister. *Sighs* Even when she's not involved in a battle, she gets talked about. Damn Suefluence!
Kudzu: Don't worry, Ayaka, we'll be attempting something once Shunji is properly introduced.
Ayaka: How long is that going to be?
Kudzu: Chapter... 13 I believe. So, it'll be soon.
Ayaka: I see. *smiles* It probably would be nice to have him around here...
Kudzu: Let's just hope what I have in mind works.
"Oh, I get what you mean! But now's not the time to be talking! We gotta destroy that hexagon on it's back!"
Kudamon: Thank you! *grumbles* I am so glad we didn't have to deal with too many brainwashed digimon in our fic.
Ayaka: How many have you dealt with so far?
Percy: Just two, Kudamon and I fought a brainwashed Apemon, while Sheena and Jean went against a brainwashed Crusadermon. Oh, and then there was Piedmon, who was sort of brainwashed.
Ayaka: Sort of brainwashed?
Percy: It was less full brainwashing and more that he couldn't say no to any orders given to him. He still had a personality of course.
"Yeah! I just wish it wasn't so fast!"
Doggymon's howling finally stopped, but Otoya and Minako fell to their knees, still very intimidated by Doggymon's attack just now. Their fragile ears continued to ring, and this gave Doggymon the perfect opportunity to attack.
"Mega Chomp!" Doggymon ran toward the two girls with his drool infested fangs ready to dig into their skin. Minako and Otoya closed their eyes and braced for impact.
"NOOO!" A high pitched voice permeated the air in the forest. Then...CHOMP!
Minako got the mettle to look up and check if she survived. She did. But what she saw...left her frozen with fear.
"SALAMOOOON!"
Salamon lay in between the two sets of teeth, covered in bite marks. Doggymon, not finding her very appetizing, threw her against a tree.
Percy: So glad Megan isn't sporking this chapter with us, she hates it when things get overly violent.
Ayaka: Why's that?
The boys: *exchange uncomfortable looks before looking to Kudzu*
Kudzu: Megan... witnessed her father being murdered in her own house.
Ayaka: *Horrified* Is... is she ok?
Kudzu: Mostly, her mom put her through therapy as soon as she could after the funeral.
Ayaka: I see, that's good.
"Wan!"
"Salamon!" Minako ran to her little pup while Labramon became absolutely choleric.
"You monster! How could you be so cruel? I'll make you pay!" Labramon screeched as he and Doggymon went into a dog eat dog rumble. Otoya didn't like the sight but what else could she do.
Percy: Think Labramon has feelings for Salamon?
Scott: Maybe, also how often do dogs fight?
Kudzu: When there's a female dog in heat? Hoo boy it's pretty often between guy dogs.
Minako very gently cradled her little friend into her arms. Salamon's violet eyes gazed up into Minako's, whose eyes were starting to become blurred by tears.
Ayaka: This is probably triggering for Minako, considering her recent loss.
Kudzu: Yeah...
"Mina-chan...you okay?" Salamon croaked.
"Salamon! Why did you save me? Why?" Minako yelled in a very worried tone, fearing for Salamon's life.
Kudamon: She saved you because that's what digimon partners do. *Realization* Oh sweet Yggdrasil...
Kudzu: Don't say anything Kudamon. We don't know for sure.
Kudamon: Right.
She was oblivious to the fact that Labramon and Doggymon were going all out, with fangs and bombs everywhere. Unbeknownst to everyone, she had a different reason for asking why Salamon saved her, but the little injured pup didn't seem to notice.
All: *silent and uncomfortable*
Kudamon: May I say it now?
Kudzu: Yeah.
Kudamon: Thank you. *Takes a deep breath and sighs* It seems that Minako... might be suicidal after the loss of Kiyoshi. She probably wanted to die here, without even thinking about how it would affect her friends and family after the loss of her brother. This.... This is terrifying to even consider, in all honesty, that a human with a support system like what Minako has would be willing to do. Just... what happened to Kiyoshi that drove Minako to this point?
Kudzu: I wish I knew, Kudamon. But we might find out as we keep reading, and it probably won't be pretty either.
Kudamon: This world needs Therapy, that's all I can say.
Ayaka: Yeah, it really does.
"Because...you're my friend...and friends help each other," Salamon whimpered. Salamon then finally closed her eyes. Minako couldn't believe what was happening.
"Salamon! No! Don't leave on me yet! I don't want to lose you! Just like how I lost-!" Minako tried to importune for Salamon to reawaken, but suddenly Doggymon became bored with fighting Labramon and decided to go after her. Otoya and Labramon both saw this and were stricken with fear.
Kudzu: Yeah, if this were a real fight between dogs, then Labramon would keep trying to attack, boredom from Dogmon or not. I've seen such fights before, unfortunately and sometimes intincts can hit hard.
"Mina-chan! Get out of the way! Doggymon's coming after you!" Otoya waved her arms to warn Minako, but she (Minako) saw it too late.
Scott: The Parantheses her kind of breaks the tension.
Percy: Yeah.
"Run! Run, Minako!" Labramon howled.
Minako laid eyes on Doggymon, who is dashing right toward her, and she was frozen. That's when her digivice, and Salamon, began to glow.
A violet purple light, just like the violets in her mother's garden patch, appeared from her digivice and enveloped Salamon, caressing her, lifting the little pup into the air, and enveloping her. Minako, Labramon, Otoya, and even Doggymon were entranced by the beautiful purple light. It didn't change size, but it sure was getting brighter.
Though she had only seen it once, she knew what it was already.
"Salamon! She's...digivolving!" Minako exclaimed.
Percy: No shite, mate.
"Salamon, digivolve to..."
After a few minutes, the light finally dissipated and Salamon digivolved. Out from the light appeared a small, white cat. To Minako, she looked like a small Egyptian kitten wearing a pair of yellow and red striped gloves with black claws protruding from them. At the tips of her long white and pink ears are purple three-tipped notches, and her long thin tail has purple stripes and a small gold ring at the end of it. Much to Minako's joy, she still has her purple eyes.
"...Gatomon!"
Upon laying eyes on Gatomon, Labramon gasped. Nobody noticed. Otoya looked up Gatomon's information.
Scott: *As Labramon* Oh no, my crush is a cat!
Kudzu: *Shoots Scott a glare* Oh trust me, things are going to get annoying after the fight.
"Gatomon, a champion level vaccine type Digimon. Her attacks are Lightning Paw, Cat's Eye Hypnosis, and Cat Kick," Otoya said.
Minako was just starry eyed.
"She's soooooo cute!" Minako muttered to herself, and Gatomon didn't hear. She just stood on top of a tree branch, away from Doggymon.
"Well, it looks like it's time for a little rumble! Come and get me, you drooling mutt! Nyan!" Gatomon snarled sweetly as she watched the yellow dog from above. Doggymon stretched his arms out to catch her, but Gatomon quickly leaped on another tree branch. And another, and another, and another. Doggymon couldn't keep up with her.
Kudzu: Because obviously cats are superior to dogs.
"Nyan!" Gatomon winked at Doggymon cutely, like some fashion model. "Looks like you've been awestruck by my beauty! Sorry, but you're way outta my league! Nyan!"
"Quick Shot!" Doggymon, angered by Gatomon's snide but cutely executed comment, threw his red bombs at her. Thankfully, Gatomon managed to evade them with just as much speed as Doggymon. Right when Doggymon had trouble finding where she is, she appeared from behind.
"Cat Kick!" Her back paws laid a hit on Doggymon's back, but not enough to destroy the black hexagon. Red with anger, Doggymon tried to speed away from the woods...but Gatomon locked her eyes on him.
"Cat's Eye Hypnosis!" Gatomon's eyes glew an ominous purple color, suddenly preventing Doggymon from being able to move. Otoya was impressed.
Kudzu: Glew isn't a word. I think the word you're looking for is "glowed."
Ayaka: But Kudzu, clearly glowed isn't fancy enough!
"Wow! She stopped Doggymon from moving! Way to go, kitten!" Otoya exclaimed as she gave Gatomon a thumbs up, which Gatomon gave back to her in gratitude. Now, she put her front paw into a fist and it glowed light blue, sparking with lightning. She leaped up from behind a paralyzed Doggymon and proceeded to lay down the final blow.
"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon's electrified paw hit the target, both electrocuting Doggymon and destroying the black hexagon. Sparks flew all around, and Gatomon finally backed away. After the hexagon got destroyed, the red glow in Doggymon's eyes finally disappeared and he came to, looking around and feeling very confused.
"Heeeeey! Wait a minute! This ain't the Digital World! Ruff!" He exclaimed in a funny-sounding voice. He howled worriedly.
"Ruuuuuuuff! I gotta get outta here! Ruff!" He snapped his fingers and a digital portal appeared in front of him. He leaped into it. "Gotta boooooounce! Ruff ruff ruff!"
And that was the end of the epic dog fight (or dog vs cat fight).
Kudamon: *Glares* Author, considering what Minako tried to do during the battle, you aren't being funny or cute right now.
Gatomon turned toward Minako, who was very impressed by the whole brouhaha. Gatomon let out a forced laugh.
"Hehe. Sorry if I kinda startled you back there, Mina-chan. You alright?" Gatomon asked in her usual sweet voice. Apparently the super model front was just a facade to trick Doggymon into becoming choleric enough to attack. Minako couldn't help but smile.
Kudzu: Because cats can be assholes. I have a cat, and that is unfortunately true.
"Yes. I'm alright. But don't scare me like that ever again! You could've been killed!" Minako scolded her mildly for her stunt that resulted in her getting caught in Doggymon's fangs earlier.
"Actually, while we Digimon do get defeated in fights, we don't really get killed. We get turned into DigiEggs and our lives start anew! Did you know that?" Gatomon explained.
"I do, but still! I could've lost you! I don't want to lose you like how I lost-" Minako was about to say it again, but the second opportunity was stolen from her.
BishopChessmon: *Glaring* Yes. Keep Minako from saying her brother's name with suspense, when the audience already knows that he died, and had her parents talk about him in this very chapter, all for the sake of poorly timed comedy.
Oddly enough, by Labramon.
"Ummm...Labramon? Why are you all vicious?" Otoya asked, creeping up to Minako with a scared and frightened look on her face.
Minako saw why. All of a sudden, Labramon looked VERY vicious. He wasn't like this before. He's growling and snarling, his teeth are showing, and he looks VERY choleric. How could this be so? The kind, quiet and faithful Labramon who was always polite and considerate is now this growling German shepard-esque dog preparing to attack? Minako couldn't understand at first...but then she realized it.
Kudamon: Was Labramon possessed?
Kudzu: *sighs* No, the reason is much more stupid.
He's laying eyes on Gatomon.
"RAWR!"
Labramon pounced toward her.
"Look out!"
Minako grabbed Gatomon and got out of the way. Otoya ran toward Labramon and grabbed him by the tail.
"Labramon! What are you doing? Stop it right now!" Otoya tried to make him stop acting like a vicious dog, but he wasn't listening.
"Otoya! He's growling at Gatomon! Dogs don't like cats! Remember?" Minako explained.
Kudzu: *Frowning* As a pet owner, I would like to say that not all dogs hate cats, as my dog Phantom goes out of his way to try and befriend my cat, Mona. Also, I would like to point to the internet itself for examples of cats and dogs liking each other, as well as Animaniacs for a dog that likes a cat- look up Runt and Rita.
"Oh yeah!" Otoya replied as she tried to control him. Minako looked at Gatomon with a look that seemed to say, "Please de-digivolve!" Gatomon got the message and de-digivolved back into little Salamon. Labramon finally shed his vicious behavior and returned back to his original kind and faithful self.
"Hm? What...what just happened?" Labramon asked.
Kudamon: *glaring* This really was stupid.
Kudzu: Told ya.
"We'd like to ask you that," Otoya said.
Then it hit him.
"Oh. Now I remember," His head drooped downward. Salamon, feeling a little worried, walked toward him.
"You acted all vicious and angry when I digivolved into Gatomon. Why is that?" Salamon asked kindly.
"It's natural instinct. Dogs normally don't like cats, and it applies to Digimon too. I guess for Labramon, Gatomon are their natural enemies," Minako explained.
Kudzu: I just stated examples of why that's BS!
"Yes. It's true. I suppose I need to work on controling my instincts if you were to digivolve again. I'm terribly sorry, Salamon," Labramon said, feeling very guilty and rueful about what just happened. But Salamon simply smiled and rubbed herself against him.
"It's okay! It's just instinct, isn't it? I think we can fix it somehow! Don't worry! We're still best buds!" Salamon exclaimed happily as she gave Labramon a nose kiss. Labramon couldn't help but smile and blush.
Percy: Yeah, Labramon's totally developing a crush on Salamon.
"Awwww! I smell puppy love!" Otoya said. Minako looked at the time on her cell phone.
"Oh dear! Look how late it is! Mom must be making dinner now! We better go! Otoya-chan, thanks for helping me! I'll see you at school tomorrow!" Minako exclaimed as she looked at the time on her phone.
"Okay! Bye, Mina-chan! Have a nice day!" Otoya waved her hand at her and left with Labramon walking faithfully by her side.
Minako and Salamon returned home safely, and the first thing Salamon did as she went through the door: fall asleep on the big couch, snuggling right up to Kiyoshi's puppy plushie. She was tired but happy.
Kudzu: *watches as everyone but Ayaka leaves the room* So... this chapter was whiplashy.
Ayaka: No kidding... just... Holy Shit that was a mess.
Kudzu: I know, this was probably supposed to be a light hearted chapter but... well, it was executed poorly. There's a time and place for drama, after all. And this chapter is an example of why drama and comedy rarely mix well together. Anyway, let's check out the Author's Note.
Author's Note: Yes! I finished chapter nine! Chapter ten's gonna be a real exciting one so look forward to it! Sorry. I don't really have much to say here today. I'm sure I will the next time I work on another chapter of this. I better go now. I'll see you all in the next chapter! Bye-bee!
Ayaka: What happens in Chapter ten?
Kudzu: At least one half of the "Team Rocket" of this fic gets introduced, which means we're getting the mian plot.
Ayaka: I see, so why do I have a bad feeling about it?
Kudzu: That's a common feeling when dealing with Sues, Ayaka.
Ayaka: Oh... *sighs* I just hope it isn't as big of a mess as what we just witnessed.
Kudzu: Yeah, I hope so too.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-18 08:26 pm (UTC)Percy: Well, Gramps is still annoyed about how he was killed off in Avengers Assemble, and after seeing the canon version of him get engulfed in the All Dark? Yeah... that was grusome. *shudders*
Also Percy: And don't ask him about MCU Hulk.
Percy: Magic, Ice Giant Powers, Roguish Charm *smirks*
Kudamon: *rolls eyes* Percy, don't get cocky.
Pan: Hey, he is a Digidestined who can actually fight with magic! That's a good reason to brag! (I know the drawbacks, but still)
Kinda reminds me of Jojo, where you have to use the Stand AND fight by yourself at the same time.
Percy: What I want to know is what kind of bloody school is Yun and co going to? It still feels more like an American one than a Japanese one.
Kudzu: Probably because Yun's school is an American one that's been placed in Japan, and the author failed to do research on it.
Percy: *feels a headache coming on* Stone the crows...
You said it more subtly than I would.
But it seems Doggymon wasn't phazed by Labramon's threat. Not one bit.
Percy: Dogmon's keeping up eye contact as he finishes taking a leak. That takes balls in this fic.
Scott: *chuckles*
BishopChessmon and Kudamon: *shake their heads and groan*
Pan: Good one, Percy! I already liked you a lot in Digivengers itself!
Scott: The Parantheses her kind of breaks the tension.
Yes. Seriously, the paretheses are not a welcome addition in this fic.
Kudzu: *Frowning* As a pet owner, I would like to say that not all dogs hate cats, as my dog Phantom goes out of his way to try and befriend my cat, Mona. Also, I would like to point to the internet itself for examples of cats and dogs liking each other, as well as Animaniacs for a dog that likes a cat- look up Runt and Rita.
True, we did talk about that after all ourselves.
Ayaka: What happens in Chapter ten?
Kudzu: At least one half of the "Team Rocket" of this fic gets introduced, which means we're getting the mian plot.
While I spotted a typo, I am more worried about the "Team Rocket" description... well, no matter the incompetence, at least they will NEVER be Terl.
She was oblivious to the fact that Labramon and Doggymon were going all out, with fangs and bombs everywhere. Unbeknownst to everyone, she had a different reason for asking why Salamon saved her, but the little injured pup didn't seem to notice.
While it's disturbing, THANK YOU, Salamon, for saving her. And if the author thinks Minako is wrong for doing that (I am not sure they do so) they just dodged a bullet. If not, this is toxic.