Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dejimon Armor 01 ❯ Shoutotsu suru Sekai! Dejimon Sekai no Yobu! ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Dejimon, or any of the Dejimon in this fan series, except for enemy Dejimon. I do own all the human characters in the series. So don't sue me!

Episode 1: Shoutotsu suru Sekai! Dejimon Sekai no Yobu!

(Worlds Collide! Call of the Digimon World!)

Ding-dong!

"I'll get it!"

"Ow! Kenichi get off! Oi!"

"I said I'll get it-"

Jishin's wild red bangs dropped over her eyes as she scrambled for a grasp on the door. She seized the doorknob and flung it open triumphantly, causing it t hit the wall with a loud report. Her older brother, Kenichi peered over her shoulder. "Presents!" Jishin announced ecstatically, seizing the big brown box that was just hunching over the terrace there, sagging with the weight of its burden. "Aha! To Yuukino Jishin and Kenichi."

"Crap! Move!"

Both kids ripped the box open frantically, routinely shoving each other aside, eager and excited to find out what generous gifts they had been sent. Among a sea of Styrofoam peanuts they pulled out two smaller parcels, each addressed to one of the two of them. Jishin snatched hers and opened it, pulling out a pair of goggles, black with red lenses. "Huh? Ugh, how weird. Is this one of your jokes, Kenichi?"

Kenichi had a hand searching his box. "Nope, this isn't my style. And here I thought you trusted me, Jishin. Woah!"

"Nani?" Jishin asked him absently, still digging around for anything left in her package. Her hand touched something hard, made of plastic, and warm to the touch. She glanced at Kenichi. A look from him told her they had gotten the same thing.

"You first," she said.

Kenichi shook his head. "Same time."

"Scared? You're in the eighth grade, baka."

"Same time," he repeated.

Jishin blinked.

D . . .1 . . . ?

****

" . . .controversy, `cause it feels so empty without me. Now this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me, `cause we need a-need a-needa-needa-" Eminem's rapping fitzed out into meaningless static.

"What the hell?" Shinkou muttered, jumping up from her post of the bed. "You damned `f'ing piece of shit."

She smacked the thing in irritation and reached behind the black boombox, feeling for the cord, and instead as she was looking behind it, caught a glance of a small glow emanating from by the plug. "Na-nani?" she whispered.

****

"Eeya!"

"Your form was good, but the landing hit wasn't clean enough. Try again, Tao."

Regaining his composure, Tao sucked in a deep breath, releasing it in a loud and aggressive kiai as he again executed that complicated kick. He had been practicing for an hour and a half. He had been attempting this kick fifteen minutes now, relentlessly. "Eeya!"

His father blocked the kick effortlessly. "Your anger is getting in the way, Tao. What have I taught you?"

"I'm not angry," Tao bit out harshly, panting.

"First rule, do not lie to yourself. That's enough for today, son. I can tell you're getting tired. Take your walk, and I'll talk to Okaa-chan about dinner."

"Hai," Tao breathed, untying the sash around his middle as he walked out the door. He hurried to his bedroom to get his backpack and notebook and pens. He rarely had any time to work on his book, so he used what little time he had to his advantage. The walks he always took after his karate lessons with his father were excellent chances to get writing.

"Ack!" His foot caught on something and he fell flat on his face. A yowl directed his attention to Mei, his tabby cat. Apparently it had been her he tripped on. She hissed at him angrily and scampered away.

"Mei-chan! Uh?"

A spark had caught his eye. Still on his stomach, he stared and reached forward in awe. It was glowing, it was glowing . . .

****

"Tadaima!" The door opened and then slammed closed again. A small figure kicked off her shoes and set them by the door. "Okaa-chan!"

No answer came. She headed into the kitchen to get a glass of milk and saw a small piece of paper on the refrigerator door, held by a small angel magnet. "Genki," it read. "Shinta offered to help me shop for groceries. Be back in a few hours-the two of us will probably stop for something to eat. Okaa-chan."

Sighing, disappointed, Genki grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured some milk in it, then made herself a turkey sandwich. For a seven-year-old, people told her mother, she sure is independent.

"I have to be," She said aloud. "We're all alone."

She carried the sandwich and milk into the living room, where she sat on the sofa and searched for the remote to the television. Her hand found something familiar, but not the remote. It was a game she had bought and put away a while ago, forgetting about it.

She had read the description on the package. No where in there did it mention that it glowed.

****

"We chose well," said a voice in the darkness.

There came a growl. "Do we really need blow-ins? Can't we handle it ourselves?"

"Oh? Why do we need the Sovereigns, or even the Order of Kami? Don't lie to yourself. We cannot do this alone. Everything is in order. We will wait."

****

"But he don't care, he's a problem child, what bothers him all comes out when he talks about his fucking dad walking out-" Shinkou belted out the rap lyrics boldly.

"Young ladies should learn to keep civil tongues in public," an old woman grumbled.

"Screw you too, baba," Shinkou muttered, turning up the volume on her Walkman until the Eminem lyrics were blasting in her ears. He was the only foreign artist that she liked because he was the only one who spoke the truth, and spoke what was really on his mind.

She ignored everything around her as she walked through the park. It was a relatively quiet day. After her boombox went nuts, she decided to take off with her Walkman. Hopefully she would be able to spend some time by herself in the grove. The grove was a patch of trees that no one had been in for two years, since someone was kidnapped in that same grove.

Shinkou didn't care. She liked being the only one there. Although that didn't seem to be the case today. Someone small and fast darted past her, headed for the grove.

"Shit." Shinkou grabbed the kid. "I wouldn't go in there, girl. Too scary for kids your age."

The girl wrenched out of Shinkou's grip. "Atleast they won't catch me in there! I can climb trees better than anyone can! Ack! Oh, no!"

Shinkou looked up and grinned maliciously. A guy her age was looking ready to beat that little girl bloody. Shouts from behind told Shinkou that "they" were a bunch of kids that had been chasing the girl. Shinkou laughed to herself. Boy was this punk in for a surprise.

"This'll be fun."

Eminem still blaring in her ears, she struck, her knee smashing into the boy's face. "Kid, I won't protect you for long. Run!" she yelled at the frightened child behind her.

Genki frowned, but turned around, only to come face to face with the other boys. She gritted her teeth, worried and anxious. She didn't like to fight, but-

"Gaaaagh!" One of the boys fell forward abruptly. Behind him, arm outstretched, was a young man with black hair and intelligent grey eyes.

"Only cowards fight someone who can't fight back," he said quietly, but firmly. "Too bad for you I'm making an exception on my part."

"Should we help?" Jishin asked her brother. They were in the grove, watching Shinkou fight the punk.

"For a girl-a little girl-she's doing pretty well."

"She's atleast ten. That's not exactly little."

"For an eighth-grader like me, a ten-year-old is pretty little. Come on. Let's give the kid a hand." Ignoring Jishin's shouts of anger, Kenichi dashed past her, straight at Shinkou's opponent. The older boy rammed the kid from behind.

Shinkou dodged the punk as he fell. "What the hell are you doing?" She snapped at Kenichi. "Quit playing tough guy and stay out of my way!"

"Geez, just trying to help!"

"Kisama!"

"Dam nit, Kenichi, behind you!" Kenichi heard Jishin scream, right before something smashed against the back of his head. Temporarily stunned, he was not prepared for the blow aimed at his crotch. He doubled over in pain, groaning.

The punk heard something behind him and spun around. He saw briefly a boy with angry grey eyes before something smacked into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him to the ground again. One of his companions, thrown his way by that grey-eyed boy.

As soon as the three got up and the rest of their little gang arrived and saw they were outnumbered, all of them fled the scene. The grey-eyed boy took a deep breath and dusted off the front of his shirt.

Genki was checking the green hat she had been wearing. Three long, brown braids flopped out. After she rearranged the Gilligan hat on her head, she smiled at the older kids and bowed respectfully. "Arigatou gozaimasu, sempai-tachi," she said.

Shinkou looked bored and more concerned with her Walkman than the kid's gratitude.

The boy with the grey eyes asked, "Why were they chasing you?"

"I had money," Genki said simply. "I guess a seven-year-old girl without an adult to keep her safe seems pretty vulnerable. Chiisai Genki desu."

Jishin looked worried about Kenichi. She had hustled over to see if he was injured. "Other than two throbbing balls, I'm fine," he muttered. Jishin glanced up and noticed that everyone was gazing at her curiously.

"Nani? Oh-" She glanced at the goggles that were hung around her neck casually. "The goggles? Don't ask. Came in the mail. Yuukino Jishin desu, age eleven. That is my brother, Kenichi, age fourteen."

"Well, nice meeting you all. Ja." Bored already, Shinkou began to walk away, but the grey-eyed boy seized her arm.

"What's your name?" he inquired.

"Karakau Shinkou? Age ten. Get off of me before I-"

"Don't even think about it." The boy spoke quietly, but with a fierce authority. "I can handle you. I'm Chen Tao. My father teaches me karate and he is a third degree black belt. I only fight in self-defense, but if you saw what I did to those guys back there, you'll be smart not to start a fight with me."

Before Shinkou could answer, Genki ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "You can't leave! I have to pay you back for helping me! C'mon!"

"Kid, I-" Shinkou closed her eyes. "I gotta go."

"Geez, aren't you anti-social?" Jishin muttered, folding her dark skinned arms against her chest. "That isn't healthy."

"You think just because we fended off a few overly confident punks together we're suddenly friends? Think again."

Genki bit her lip as she listened to the older girls' arguments. Then in what seemed to be a brief flash of brilliance, she turned around, suddenly darting in the direction of the grove. "Uh-oh," Kenichi said.

"She'll get lost in there," Jishin muttered fretfully.

Shinkou snorted, walking at a brisk pace after Genki. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt protective of that kid. Tao immediately followed her, grey eyes flashing. Jishin and her brother exchanged glances, shrugged, and curiously joined the pair.

"Kid, if you know what's good for you," Shinkou hollered through the trees.

"Shinkou-neechan!" Genki came hustling through the overgrowth, apparently ecstatic about something. She carefully made her way over an immense tree root and hurried over to Shinkou. Her indigo eyes were shining with excitement as she tugged on Shinkou's hand eagerly. "Come see! It's amazing! I was running and then I found it. Come on!"

"Onee-chan? I am not-"

"Let's take a look," Tao suggested right before his pocket began to glow. Genki abruptly stopped trying to drag Shinkou through the trees, and gawked at Tao with everyone else. He frowned and reached inside his pocket, pulling out a D-1 virtual pet. It was glowing with a violet luster.

"Is that a D-1?" Kenichi asked curiously. "Jishin and I each got one in the mail this morning. What a coinci-ah!"

He jumped as a flash of magenta reached his eyes. He pulled up his shirt a little to reveal the D-1 hooked onto his belt. It was emitting beams of magenta light. "Ji-jishin?" His voice trembled. Jishin nodded and tentatively reached into her own pocket.

"I should have known," she muttered in exasperation. As expected, her D-1 had its own gentle radiance, but hers was azure.

"Is it just me," Shinkou put a hand in her pocket and it came a way with a D-1 glowing a glittery orange, "or do we seem to have the only glowing D-1 pets in existence?"

"I got one too," Genki announced. Hers glowed a bright saffron yellow.

"They have to be reacting to something," Jishin suggested.

"They wouldn't all glow at the same time other wise," agreed Tao.

Genki began squirming with anticipation again. "That's what I wanted to show you!" She grabbed Shinkou again and began to drag her through the grove with strength surprising for such a small girl. Gripping their glowing D-1's, the others followed cautiously.

"I suggest we leave it alone," Tao said when they caught up with Shinkou and Genki.

"What is it?" Jishin wondered aloud.

"Hyperspace portal?" Kenichi suggested.

"You read too much sci-fi."

"It" was a shimmering, opaque, completely flat plane of light that stood on a vertical axis. And it only showed from one side, as Jishin demonstrated. She stepped around to look at the back of it, but saw nothing but the other children. Surprised, she went back to them, shrugging and grinning sheepishly. "Any ideas?" she asked.

"We should be careful. It may be dangerous," Tao warned.

Genki walked fearlessly up to it and stretched out a hand to touch it. Her fingers brushed its surface and she laughed delightedly. "It tickles," she giggled. "I wonder what it is?" Feeling brave, she reached forward again and this time stuck her hand all the way in.

"Oh no. Kid!" Shinkou yelled anxiously.

Jishin hurried over to Genki. "Genki" she scolded, gently taking hold of the younger girl's arm and pulling. It came out without any resistance.

"I'm okay," Genki insisted. She pushed Jishin away and as an experiment stuck her head in this time. Disappointed, she realized that it was too dark to see anything. Sighing, she began trying to pull her head back out-and instead hauled her torso and legs in!

"Genki!" Jishin made a grab for her and managed to grasp an ankle, but all that did was pull her right through with it!

"Jishin!" Kenichi cried.

"Kid!" Shinkou yelled.

Without hesitation and oblivious to Tao's warnings, both of them bolted at the enigma and dove in anxiously. Worried, Tao decided to follow, even if it meant the worst. As soon as he went through, the plane winked out, leaving nothing but a slight shimmer in the air to indicate what had once been there.

"Lemme out!" Genki wailed. She was falling through the darkness at breakneck speed, Jishin almost beside her.

"Stop the ride, I wanna get off!" Jishin gagged, afraid she was going to lose what little nutrition she'd had for lunch.

"I think I see a light up ahead!" Genki announced suddenly, her voice quavering. "Are Shinkou-tachi behind us?"

"Dunno. Gaaaagh!" Jishin felt her stomach churning and did nothing to resist the burning froth as it poured from her mouth, leaving a lingering bitter taste. She spit-the taste was sour and disgusting. It reminded her of time she'd had the flu and could not stop vomiting. "Guh!"

"Watch out!" Genki shrieked as they plummeted toward the light and fell through it. Without warning a sandy surface loomed toward them and they hit the ground with a bone shattering impact, both of them screaming ceaselessly.

Once her head had ceased its ringing and she gained enough control of her vocal cords to stop screaming, Jishin managed to sit up and take a look around. She barely had time to think before something hit the ground so hard that it shook and made a tremendous crash.

Terrified, Jishin sat in paralysis, trying to assess what to do. Then the dust and sand cleared from the air and she caught sight of a thankfully familiar figure slowly pushing itself up off the ground. "Kenichi!" Jishin shrieked.

Before he even had a chance to reorient himself Jishin dashed over, dropped to her knees in the sand, and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing violently.

When he realized where he was, Kenichi was ecstatic and relieved. "Jishin! You're okay! Don't you ever do something like that again! Do you have any idea how terrified I was? What would Hiroko and Kira have said if anything had happened to you!"

While the siblings were reconciling and Kenichi was busy scolding his sister, Tao managed to sit up without his head spinning. "Where are we?" he wondered. They appeared to be in a desert, albeit a small one. Off in one direction they could see a forest. Somewhere close by was a cliff or a plateau that was covered in green trees. And opposite the forest was the bleak horizon.

"Normally you won't see a desert just break off into a forest. No, never. There will be trees, sure," he ranted on, thoroughly confused, "but they'd be palm trees, not deciduous forest trees. Desert trees don't vary, unlike the plants. It's like someone cut off chunks of forest and desert and sewed the ends together. This is illogical. There's no place on Earth that could-"

"A little help?" Shinkou yelled. She was kneeling by an unconscious Genki, visibly concerned.

The rest of the group scrambled over to the pair. Tao broke off his tangent and hastened over with everyone else. He knelt down and calmly and carefully placed his hands over Genki's nose and mouth. "Oi! Anata nani desu?" Shinkou yelled at him. What did he think he was doing? "You'll suffocate her."

Genki spluttered twitched, and began to flail, her eyes opening. "Mrmph! Gff yrf hmphs rff mrg!" Tao pulled his hands away and Genki gasped for breath, letting fresh air enter her lungs.

"See? Simply shut off the flow of oxygen and the person will wake up. No need for yelling or cold water." He stood up and went back to examining their surroundings, once more muttering to himself.

"Kid, you are worse than these bozos." Shinkou jerked her thumb at their companions.

"I didn't know it would do that," Genki protested. She hung her head guiltily.

"Don't worry, Genki. You didn't know better," Jishin reassured the child.

"She did know better. She's seven! You should know by now not to be so impulsive, touching everything in sight, kid."

"It wasn't her fault! Quit beating up on the poor kid!"

"I'm giving it to her straight! Either you handle it or you don't, but one way or another, you have to accept the truth!"

Sensing a fight brewing, Kenichi hurried to intervene, or hopefully deflect their attentions from one another. "The truth is, wherever we are, it is not Nihon, and we are stranded here. Wherever `here' is."

The reality of their predicament set the argument aside for the time being. They all cringed as a blast of sandy wind tore past them. Jishin pulled her goggles down over her eyes. Genki shielded her face with her hat.

When the sandstorm died down, Jishin was the first to speak. "Oi, listen!"

"Once more, no thanks to you-"

"I didn't know there would be sandstorms."

"We're in a desert, of course there will be sandstorms. Look at all the sand!"

"What is sand?"

"We're walking on it, it's the stuff you find in deserts!"

"What's a desert?"

The children glanced about at each other, surprised. Who could be wandering around in a desert like this? Surely no one would purposely stumble onto this terrain.

The last of the sandstorm disappeared, revealing two short, stubby shapes making their way towards the children. They halted abruptly as the two groups came face to face, both of them peering at each other in shock.

"Aaagh! Monsters!" Jishin shrieked.

"Gah! Humans!" one of the creatures replied.

"They're funny looking Dejimon," the second creature said obliviously, tilting its head.

Shinkou glanced briefly at her companions then glared suspiciously at the two creatures. "Yo. Either you just said `Dejimon' or my ears are defective. And let me tell you, I know that like hell it isn't the second choice."

Everybody was silent for a moment, waiting for the "Dejimon" to answer. Then the apparently less bright creature asked, "What did she say?"

All humans present fell over in exasperation while his partner took hold of a fluffy ear and yanked on it painfully, making the poor thing squeal. "You loon," the more aware of the two snorted. "These aren't Dejimon. They are humans. I would have thought you would recognize them as such. Did you pay no attention to what I told you?"

"Mm, not really."

"Oooh dear, I should have known."

"Known what?"

"Aaargh!"

"Ara, wai! Kawaii desu!" Genki exclaimed. "I've never seen real Dejimon before!" Without waiting for the older kids' permission she rushed forward and seized the dim-witted creature by the throat. It appeared to be some sort of ghost with big, fluffy ears that flared out to the sides.

The other creature cleared its throat and tugged at Genki's dress. "Pardon me, but I must ask you to let Zatumon go. All the attention might go to his head."

"Nani? Gomennasai!" Genki gently released the bundle in her arms. "Zatumon" gasped for breath and fell over backwards.

The wiser one looked like a reddish hawk with a white head. He wore an Indian headband with a feather in it, and had three threatening, long black claws at the end of each wing.

"Real Dejimon," Shinkou murmured, concealing her awe. She was a big fan of the games, and not that bad. She had wanted to enter the D-1 Grand Prix tournament. However, it looked like that wouldn't be happening, now that they were stuck here in this stupid world full of the real creatures.

Tao glanced over his shoulder. "Well at least now we know we're not on Earth."

"Really? What was your first clue?" Jishin asked with badly masked sarcasm.

"The exotic fauna, the fact that there is a deciduous forest right next to a desert. And the Dejimon. Ah, did I sound pretentious? Gomennasai. I was brought up to observe and learn about my environment." He smiled sheepishly at Jishin, blushing.

"Good for you." Shinkou was examining Zatumon.

"How did you get to this world?" Humans never come here," said Hawkmon quite curiously.

"We went through a big ball," Genki replied. Everyone stared at her. "A big flat ball. It was a glowing circle."

"There was a portal just sitting n the middle of the park," Kenichi told the two Dejimon. "Genki fell through it and we all followed and woosh! We're here.

Jishin raised an eyebrow. "'Woosh', Kenichi?" she muttered. Genki giggled.

"It's the best I could come up with on short notice!"

"Woosh."

"Sou, woosh."

Jishin poked her brother, grinning and laughing. "Just playing with you, Onii-chan. So," She turned back to the Hawkmon and Zatumon, "What's a nice couple of Dejimon like you doing in a desert like this?"

"I don't remember," Zatumon answered.

Once again Hawkmon seized his ears and pulled, making the ghost Dejimon flail around in pain. "What do you mean you don't remember!? Are you telling me that you don't remember that Monochromon you aggravated? If you hadn't interrupted its nap by poking it in the eye with that berrybush branch it wouldn't have chased us all the way out here!"

"Well at least we didn't get chased by a Monochromon."

"If it weren't for that sandstorm, we'd be Monochromon meat right about now!"

"What's a Monochromon?" Tao inquired curiously.

"Big, scary, territorial dinosaur Dejimon. Never interrupt its nap."

"Arigatou," Kenichi muttered sarcastically. "Maybe you could tell us something useful like how to get back home?"

Hawkmon closed his azure eyes and opened them again. "To put it bluntly-there is no way back."

"Nani!?" Everyone shouted at one.

"You mean we're stuck here?" Kenichi moaned.

"Well," Hawkmon paused, "there have been several rumors of four portals to the human world, heavily guarded by Perfect level Dejimon. If you cannot tell already by their name, they are perfect in every way. Only the master Ultimates can beat them."

"Well, let's go for it!" Jishin suggested eagerly.

"I wanna go home," Genki agreed, nodding.

"But we'll never have another chance to come back here," Tao protested. "I don't want to leave just yet."

Shinkou jammed her hands in her pockets and glanced the ground. "I'm really kind of thorn in my mother's side. I need a break from her."

"You two are crazy," Kenichi proclaimed. He folded his arms.

"But you don't understand!" Hawkmon protested. "The four portals-each one is located in a realm of one of the four Sovereigns! Ultimates! Very powerful Ultimates chosen by the Order of Kami! We'd never be able to set foot on their land. It's sacred ground. It would be sacrilegious to do enter!"

"Sacred? Sacrilegious?" Kenichi echoed.

Hawkmon opened his mouth to reply, but he never got a chance. A deep rumble rocked him back and forth and the ground suddenly shook with a force so great that it threw them to their feet, except Zatumon, who merely floated backwards anxiously. "Na-nani desu ka!" Genki yelped. What was that!?

"Oh dear!" Hawkmon squeaked in a voice surprisingly similar to Genki's.

"Well, it wasn't that bad," Jishin replied, confused.

"The quake wasn't-but he is!"

When such words are spoken it is human nature to turn around and look, as though someone had said, "Don't look now." True to their instincts, the children looked over their shoulders in the direction Hawkmon was pointing. Thundering toward them, kicking up sand and snorting furiously, was a creature like none the children had ever seen. Clenching one eye shut painfully, it appeared to be a rhinoceros covered in black and white armor plates. Its good eye gleamed dangerously.

"Ack! Nani desu ka!?" Jishin shouted over the din. Her D-1 began beeping and she pulled it out. Almost instantaneously it projected a holographic picture of the Dejimon in front of them, along with a block of text, surprisingly written in katakana and hiragana.

"Monochromon," Jishin read aloud. "A dinosaur Dejimon. His attacks are Volcanic Strike and Slamming Attack. So, anyone have any ideas?"

"How about we back away slowly?" Kenichi suggested, remembering what was best to do in front of a potentially dangerous animal. Of course, the closest he had ever come to such a creature was a stray dog that had appeared none too friendly at the time. Right now Monochromon made that dog seem like a yipping toy poodle.

They all gulped and started to walk backwards, except for Genki, who was frozen in fear before the creature. "Genki!" Jishin hollered, still backing away. "Uwa!"

She had tripped on something. She sat up from where she had fallen on the sand to look at the treacherous object. Half immersed in the sand was a tree branch. It was firm and much bark had been stripped away. What the hell is a tree branch doing in the middle of a desert?

A crazy idea entered her head, shoving aside all rational thought. She grabbed the branch and ran in the direction of the Monochromon. Shouldering Genki aside, she raised the branch high above her like a dagger, and brought it crashing down on Monochromon's head. The branch snapped in two, showering Jishin with splinters. "Aieeeee!" She screamed.

Kenichi had taken Genki by the hand and led her to the others when Jishin attacked Monochromon. But now he saw his sister in trouble and turned around, just in time to see Monochromon charge and hit Jishin straight on, right in the ribcage.

It was like barreling into a semi. All the air escaped her lungs and Jishin went flying, landing several yards away from her original position. She hit the ground and lay on her back, gasping for breath and catching none.

"Jishin!" Kenichi hurried over to his sister and knelt down in the hot sand. "Daijoubu ka? Are you sure nothing's broken? Wait, don't talk, you don't have the breath. Jishin? It's me, Kenichi."

Jishin blinked and smiled, her eyes glazed and not quite seeing him. "Kenichi. That's good." Then she blacked out.

Tao was the first to run over there, dropping to the ground and examining the fallen girl carefully. After a moment he sighed with relief. "Her ribs are bruised. A little rest and she'll be fine."

The angry Monochromon was snorting, getting ready to charge again. Furious, Kenichi scowled and stood up, turning to face it. He stood there, his back straight, arms rigid at his sides, hands balled into fists. "Isn't this about enough!?" he bellowed at Monochromon. "I understand you have a quarrel with Zatumon, but I don't appreciate you knocking out my sister! You're no better than a bully, taking your anger out on someone who doesn't deserve it."

Shockingly, the Monochromon began to whimper pitifully. "Hurts," it whined. "Eye hurts."

"So find a way to stop the pain instead of inflicting it on others. And stop that simpering! What are you, a baby?"

Hawkmon whispered, "I do believe this one is a baby."

"But the thorn! Thorn poking! Owwwww!"

"Well, fine! Can't you just ask for help?"

Monochromon began to wail. Kenichi walked confidently up to it. "Open your eye and I'll get the thorn out," he commanded. He reached forward and gently placed a hand on either eyelid, easing them open. Frightened and in pain, the baby Monochromon squalled and reared, throwing Kenichi back.

And now it was really angry.

"Aaaaagh, this is it!" Kenichi moaned.

But when Monochromon was almost a foot away, something gave forth a radiant burst of light that stopped him in his tracks, honking in surprise. He scooted back and the light further shone, blocking his view of his human target.

Something rose out of the ground, sand trailing off it in little streams. It was small, but glowed with such brilliance that its size made no difference. It was an egg. A pink egg shaped like a blooming flower. And on it was a symbol, like two flower petals unfolding.

"That is-that is the symbol of the Guardian of Kindness!" Hawkmon pointed, awed.

"I don't know what that is but it sure is pretty," Zatumon said simply, grinning with his usual empty-headedness.

"'Pretty,' he says. `Pretty.'"

The egg hovered before Kenichi, gleaming. "Is it mine?" he wondered aloud. He pulled out his D-1, the screen of which bore the same symbol as the egg. Then it faded into a small block of text.

"Take the Deji-mentaru of Kindness," the D-1 spoke aloud, in the voice of pretty young girl, "and shout out the words that thrive in your heart."

"I-" Kenichi said nothing more, but reached forward and touched the egg, the Deji-mentaru. The instant his fingers brushed the surface, the already bright light became even more radiantly blinding, and everyone and everything was immersed in magenta light.

Kenichi found himself holding the egg at arm's length. The light did not blind him as it did every one else; rather, it was helping him see. The egg dissolved into a ring of light that formed around his hand. "The words that thrive in my heart," he whispered.

"Do it now," his heart was telling him.

"Do it now."

Kenichi thrust out his arms and with a series of movements he had never learned but knew nonetheless, began to utilize the power he had been offered.

The words . . . "Armor Evolution!" he shouted.

The strangest sensation. Floating, naked, in an endless void of warmth and light. What is this feeling? This place? What's happening to me? I've never felt this way before. And this warmth is so familiar . . .

Being lifted into the sky, feeling the wind whipping around him, the warm light becoming him. Given new form, new purpose. New strength.

The light died away and all others present and conscious gasped. "I don't believe it!" Shinkou gawked. "Did he just-"

"He did," Tao confirmed.

"Puttimon!" the warrior revealed his name proudly. His strong voice, the voice that was still Kenichi's but now laced with power and a sense of purpose, betrayed his outward appearance. Red and white, with a red bandana tied with a huge bow in the back; gentle black eyes; red boots; pointy red elf ears, and long, fuzzy red antenna that each ended in a heart, ending in round-edged arrows. He held up one red clad hand and let several small lights dance around it melodically.

Jishin groaned and came to, massaging her ribs. "Ooh, sucker punch from hell. Ah! Nani kore desu ka?"

"It is Kenichi. He used the Deji-mentaru of Kindness to Armor Evolve to Puttimon!" Hawkmon informed her.

"No kidding?" Jishin whispered. "Kenichi desu ka?"

Puttimon held up his fingers in a "V" for victory, smiling, and then turned his attention back to Monochromon, who was still whining. Now shocked too, he asked, "How did you do that?"

I followed the kindness in my heart." Puttimon smiled. Then he ran. He was speeding towards Monochromon, ready to ram the other Dejimon head on.

"Didn't he learn anything?" Shinkou muttered.

But Puttimon paid no attention to the obvious recklessness of his moves. He leapt into the air and shouted, "Heavy Beam!" A bright ball of light appeared in his hand and he tossed it at Monochromon. As it flew through the air it grew rapidly until it was the size of a large beach ball. It hit the ground as an arrow shaped beam and filled the air with smoke.

"What does he think he's doing?" Hawkmon wondered aloud.

"King of Hearts!"

Something sliced through the smoke like a knife, clearing a path. Puttimon walked up to Monochromon, a card in his hand. "The good old King never fails. How about a magic trick?" He tossed the card in the air and two bombs landed in his hands. He dropped them, and they exploded, filling the void with more red smoke.

While Monochromon was thrashing around in the smog, Puttimon managed to grab his horn and hang there, feet propped up against the monster's forehead. "Hold still," Puttimon commanded He grasped the top lid of the bad eye and pulled it up, holding on for dear life as Monochromon flailed. The thorn was small, but loose. It would be irritating to any creature with free will. The constant itching and wiggling was enough to drive a creature mad.

He grabbed the thorn, pulled and fell back. The smoke was clearing away. The desert became visible again. The baby Monochromon blinked, smiled, and honked happily turning around and trotting off into the forest without so much as a thank you.

Puttimon spun and raced back to the group, grinning. "How's that for a heroic rescue?"

They sweatdropped as Puttimon faded away, back to Kenichi, who was doing a victory dance. "I am awesome! From now on you can call me Puttimon-sama the Great!"

"The Great Baka more like," Shinkou muttered, unimpressed. She folded her arms across her chest in a gesture of obvious annoyance.

"Oh Puttimon-sama the Great Baka! Slow down before you fall over!" Jishin called to him.

"Oi! Show some more respect! I saved you, remember?"

Genki walked up to him and tugged on his sleeve. He glanced down at the child, who just watched him closely with big, indigo eyes. "If you keep acting that way," she said quietly, "you'll lose the Deji-mentaru of Kindness that turned you into Puttimon in the first place."

"Now that is the smartest thing anyone's said all day!" Shinkou agreed. "That kid's got a lot on the ball!"

Kenichi swept over to her, leaning uncomfortably close. "And what does the fair maiden think of having a knight in shining armor?"

"Were you nude in there? I'm glad the light covered you, because I really did not want to see what little equipment you have."

"I'm insulted! My equipment is standard and fully operational!"

"You wish," Jishin muttered in the background.

Kenichi began to berate her. Shinkou sighed, and headed off to the forest.