Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Donkey Madness ❯ Beta Level ~ Trial of Honesty ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: The new digimon and this storyline are the only things that belong to me in this story; Toei Animation owns their characters and stuff. Please don't try to bite off the things I created, such as the Game Lords and a few of these digimon.
Ah, and with this story's seventh part, I make a vow: I will never again try to rush a story because I feel pressured by readers. I have already tasted the bitter fruits of dissatisfaction with three of my past Digimon fanfics, each written far too fast and with very little thought. If I ever again write a story within one day, it will either be because of a strike of brilliance (such as "Giggling Rain"'s beginning scene) or because of pure idiocy (such as "The Only Friend").
Author's correction: Back in Part 6, Uragirumon announced himself as one of the four Game Lords. There are only three Game Lords.
Started: November 22, 2000
Finished: December 2, 2000

Part 7:
Beta Level ~ Trial of Honesty

The six marched silently through the blue-walled maze, Ken Ichijouji once again in the lead. His steps were firm and sure, each turn already known and each pathway already having been gone down in his mind. With such a confident leader, the other Digidestined were left to wonder.

"Why didn't the Game Lords just warp these mazes beyond recognition?" asked Cody Hida. He stuck by Yolei Inoue's side, seeing as she now carried Wormmon and he subconsciously had grown attached to holding the digimon.

T.K. Takaishi shrugged, his hands stuffed in his green shorts. "We don't know anything about these digimon," he muttered. His blue eyes fell on Wormmon. "Wormmon, have you ever heard of them?"

". . . None of the names sound familiar," admitted the little Rookie. "Utagaumon, Uragirumon, Makusumon. . . I've never heard of any of them."

"I wonder if they're just lying to us," Davis Motomiya muttered, shifting the Red Orb he had received in the first puzzle room. "For all we know, we could be dead or something."

Kari Kamiya frowned. "That's a horrible thing to say!"

"No kidding!" agreed Yolei, shivering visibly. "Now I'm never going to be able to stop thinking of that. Thanks a lot, Davis!"

Wrapped in their conversation, the Digidestined didn't even realize they had lost sight of the Digimon Emperor again until Wormmon brought it to their attention. Davis fumed, hands clenched into fists. "Geez! How many freakin' times is Ken gonna walk off like that!?"

Cody sighed. "Davis, complaining isn't going to make Ken come back. We should get going."

Davis grudgingly agreed, again taking lead of the group. "Um, you know, I should tell you guys that I didn't get very far in Donkey Madness. . ."

T.K. gave the shorter boy a surprised look. "How far did you get?"

"Uh, only halfway through level three. . . I just wanted you guys to know, since we might get lost in level three, too. We've record running here. . ."

"Hey, that's farther than me," Yolei shrugged. "I only got to the start menu!"

Kari smiled and hugged the brown-haired boy's arm, making him blush. "That's very considerate of you, Davis," she said happily. "Not to mention very smart!"

Davis grinned wildly, rubbing his nose as Kari let go. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" he chuckled. "Okay, let's go!" He marched proudly through the maze, the others smiling lightly as they followed.

* * * * *

"How many times are you blithering idiots going to keep me waiting?" Ken asked in annoyance, his arms crossed as he watched the Digidestined approach him.

"'Blithering idiots?'" repeated Yolei indignantly. "Well, excuse us for living, Ken!"

Ken stared coolly at the girl, then rolled his eyes. "I don't see why I even wait for you Digidestined," he huffed, turning to leave.

". . . Maybe it's because you actually care."

The Digimon Emperor stopped, willing himself to keep his hands from clenching into fists. He turned back to the kids, eyes on the speaker. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kari held onto the straps of her backpack as she met Ken's gaze. "I think that you care about us. You just don't want to admit it."

He snarled, jerking his head to glare at a wall. "I don't care about anyone." Not anymore, anyway.

"I refuse to believe that," Kari stated stubbornly.

"Then you're a fool!" Ken snapped. Once again, he turned to leave. "If you bring that up again, Kamiya, I won't hesitate to leave you behind." With that said, he stormed off.

"God, that guy's gettin' worse and worse," mumbled Davis, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he approached Kari. "You okay, Kari?"

Kari lowered her gaze, a sad sigh passing her lips. "I'm fine. It's just. . ." She looked at Ken as he walked away. ". . . If he didn't care . . . why did he bother saving Yolei?" Her eyes trailed to the violet-haired girl. ". . . Or Cody?" The green-eyed boy was the next under her gaze.

"Kari. . ." T.K. stepped forward and gripped Kari's shoulder. Kari raised her hand and gripped his hand in return.

"I'm not gonna give up, T.K.," the girl declared firmly.

"None of us are," piped up Yolei, flashing the younger girl a smile. "Besides, he needs a major attitude adjustment. A hot guy like that doesn't need a nasty personality; it really repels the girls, right?"

Kari burst into laughter, shaking her head as the group hurried after their leader.

* * * * *

It didn't take the Digidestined long to find the emperor; he hadn't managed to get very far before he ran into a barrier. He stood with his arms crossed before a long corridor, as if waiting for something. Before any of the kids could ask what he was waiting for, flames shot from the walls in rapid succession. Eyes widened as the flames continued down the hallway, finally diminishing near the end of the corridor.

". . . Oh, crud. . ." Davis swallowed hard and walked up to Ken's side. "So, uh, what's up with this. . .?"

Ken was frowning, his eyes narrowed on the hallway as he thought. "I've been watching this pattern for awhile now," he announced, not bothering to look at the shorter boy. "I've already calculated out that I wouldn't be able to get through this trap in time to avoid getting fried . . . even if I was running at top speed."

Cody walked closer to the blue-garbed boy, watching as the flame-shooting trap once again triggered. "So running isn't an option," he said in his soft voice.

"Apparently not," agreed Ken. He pulled his gaze away from the corridor to look back at his companions. "I'll take suggestions now."

Surprisingly, the first to act was Wormmon. The Rookie digimon leapt out of Yolei's arms, crawling forward until he was past Ken, Davis, and Cody. All of the children watched the digimon as he began to speak. "Well, I'm not sure if this is much of a suggestion, Ken-chan," the caterpillar began, addressing his master, "but I think it's safe to crawl under the flames. The fire doesn't go all the way to the ground." To demonstrate, Wormmon waited until the flames shot from the wall and then walked right under the flame. Due to his small size, he wasn't touched by the fire.

Yolei clapped in appreciation. "You're smart and cute!" she giggled. Just like his partner. . . Heh heh, she thought to herself mischievously.

Davis nodded. "I think it's a good idea. We'd just have to keep really close to the ground." He got down on his knees. "C'mon, guys! Wormmon, you lead."

Cody was the next to follow, closely followed by Kari and T.K. Yolei was about to follow when she noticed Ken glaring furiously. ". . . What's wrong, Ken?" she asked.

"That incompetent worm," he growled out. ". . . Always saying stupid things. . ."

The older girl blinked slowly, then adjusted her glasses. ". . . I'm not sure if you've realized this by now, Ken, but Wormmon's not stupid, incompetent, or whatever you think he is. He's your digimon; he's your loyal, loving, and wonderful digimon. And just now, he gave a very smart idea. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"What do you know?" spat the blue-haired child.

Yolei looked the Digimon Emperor once over, her face remaining placid as she scanned him. Then, "Apparently something you don't know." Not waiting for an answer, Yolei dropped to the floor and followed after her friends.

Ken curled his hands into fists and swore, then dropped to the ground and crawled after the Digidestined.

* * * * *

As it turned out, there were more traps similar to the flame-shooters further into the maze. Each time, the six children and one digimon were forced to crawl beneath the fire and down a long corridor. Each time, they came out of the ordeal sweating and a little more tired than before.
The group's pace through the maze slowed after the seventh corridor of flame-shooters, Ken moving listlessly and Cody struggling to keep on his feet. Wormmon, not wanting to burden Yolei by having her carry him, walked close to Davis; Ken tried to kick at him every time he came too close.

A giggle floated through the air. "Tired, Digidestined?" came a mocking voice. "How do you like this maze so far, hmm?"

Eyes snapped up, each looking for the source of the voice. Simultaneously, they came to rest on a humanoid figure that balanced along one high wall of the maze, walking up and down it and leering at them. "Wh--" T.K. stopped himself, his eye twitching. "You must be Uragirumon. . ."

The orange-haired humanoid digimon cackled, nodding at the blonde. T.K. and Kari were reminded of Puppetmon once again; Uragirumon not only shared Puppetmon's frightening laugh, but also that sadistic-playful glint in his amber eyes. The digimon's white fingers were longer than a normal human's, gracefully moving like blades in the hands of master swordsmen. His attire was a black bodysuit shredded at the ends, a green cloak thrown carelessly around his neck and partially covering his mocking smile.

"What do you want?" demanded Davis, standing next to T.K. and glaring at the Game Lord.

Uragirumon ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Ohhhh, I'm just checking up on you little children," he said nonchalantly. "It's so amusing to watch you claw your ways through this maze. . . And just think -- it's only the second one!" Again he crowed loudly.

Ken pushed past the other children, flinging his cape back angrily. "You're really not making this situation any better!" he shouted.

The digimon smirked down at the blue-haired boy. "Oh? And why is that, Digimon Emperor? Could it be because you want to kill all these other children and get back to conquering the Digital World?"

All of the children tensed, shifting uneasily at the thoughts that entered their minds with Uragirumon's words. Wormmon shook his head in denial. "That's a lie! Ken-chan, that's a lie, isn't it?!" When no response came out of the boy, Wormmon panicked. "Ken-chan?!"

"Why don't you tell them the truth, 'Ken-chan?'" taunted Uragirumon. "Tell them exactly what you're thinking!"

Ken's face twitched, and he turned so he was able to see both his comrades and their enemy. ". . . You want to know exactly what I'm thinking?" he queried, his voice having returned to that deadpan from before. "I'm frustrated that anger and hate are my prime emotions right now. I'm furious that I've had to scream things that I don't mean." Wormmon's eyes widened in sudden realization as Ken's gaze fell on him. "I'm annoyed by the incompetence my companions have shown--" an indignant snort from Davis was audible from behind him "-- and I can't stand them sometimes. . . But I'm presently thinking about getting rid of you!"

A blaring set of beeps could be heard as soon as Ken finished his speech, and Yolei reached into her pocket and pulled out her D-terminal. The other Digidestined gathered around her, Davis realizing what was happening. "Ken, the Digimental. . .!"

That was all Ken had to hear. He faced Wormmon, who nodded as his young master pulled out his black digivice. Yolei's D-terminal flipped open automatically, accessing one of her two Digimentals and shooting a beam from it to Ken's digivice. "Digi-Armor, energize!" Before the eyes of all the Digidestined, the Digimental of Sincerity appeared in the air.

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to . . . Nohemon, the archer of honesty!"

As the green glow that had engulfed Wormmon disappeared, the children stared at the new digimon that stood before them. Incredibly tall and lanky, Nohemon was a pallid-faced humanoid digimon that resembled a scarecrow to such an extent that a crow perched on his head. His clothes were a dark brown hue, suitable gear in a woodland area but out-of-place in a maze. He carried a longbow of some sort of strong material, a quiver of arrows to his side.

Uragirumon guffawed loudly at the sight of the gangly digimon. "The Digimental of Sincerity!" he exclaimed knowledgably. "Ah, yes, yes, this shall be fun indeed. . ."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ken glared at the Game Lord heatedly.

"Do you think Sincerity can beat me, little emperor?" queried Uragirumon, smirking. "Especially your sincerity? Honesty was never much of a strong point with you!"

Ken snarled, but was unable to step towards the digimon when T.K. and Yolei held him back. "He's just trying to egg you on," T.K. ground out. "Don't listen and concentrate!"

I hate to admit it, but he's right, Ken mentally conceded. He relaxed a little, averting his attention to his digivolved partner. "Nohemon, shut him up!"

"With pleasure, Ken-chan," Nohemon hissed, raising his bow and plucking an arrow from the quiver. "William Arrow!" The arrow began to glow brightly as he released it from the bowstring, the crow on his head cawing loudly.

Uragirumon flipped deftly out of the way, landing on one foot on the maze wall. He grinned at Ken, pointing at Nohemon. "This is the personification of your sincerity, Digimon Emperor! It lacks the strength it needs to defeat me!" he declared forcefully. "You have already seen the personifications of your courage and knowledge, and they are very powerful indeed. However, there is more to a human than bravery and intelligence. . . It raises a question in my mind: Who is less human -- the slave or the person that enslaves him?" There was a horrible silence as those words sunk into the Digidestined's heads. "I leave you now. . . Remember my words and you may just live longer." He flipped into the air again, disappearing from the maze before he touched down.

The children traded uncomfortable looks, then stared at Ken's back. Ken had raised his digivice, the object absorbing some of the power used to let Wormmon digivolve. Wormmon looked apologetically at his master, unable to think of something to say. The Digimon Emperor, his eyes unreadable beyond his violet shades, pocketed his digivice and began to walk away.

". . . . Let's go," he said emotionlessly. "We still have a long way ahead of us."

"Ken-chan. . ."

Ken shot the digimon a hard look. "Don't talk to me."

There was only silence between the two after that.
As they walked, Yolei couldn't help but stare at her D-terminal. What's he so angry about? she wondered. He's acting like he's actually angry that Nohemon's power wasn't that great. . . Is he mad at Wormmon . . . or himself? The girl was unable to shake the question from her mind. She raised her gaze to the digimon and emperor at the front of the group. He hasn't touched Wormmon, so it can't be that. . . Is he actually angry over what Uragirumon said. . .?
. . . Ken, are you changing? And if so, is it for the better?



I'm kinda sorry that I allowed Nohemon to not defeat a digimon, but I couldn't have Ken on a winning streak, now could I? ^_~ I like Uragirumon so far; he's a lot better than some characters I've made. . . Ah, for those readers that have been wondering up to this point, all of Wormmon's Armor Digivolutions are correct -- according to the Digimon card game. I highly doubt that Wormmon will ever Armor Digivolve in the series.
Next chapter, the second danger zone!