Skip Navigation
The Prince of Tennis [Guest Starring Fusion] (Luke and Iko)
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 3, 2017 4:38:49 GMT
Isaac had very mixed feelings about today's incursion to Whitewater City. On one hand, it was finally time for them to see someone about a cure for Isaac's strange condition. Even if they didn't end up with all the answers, at least Isaac would have something to work with as a result. On the other hand, the spirit he was currently nurturing in his Digivice was rather . . . jumpy, to say the least. Something told him that if he needed to break out NeoDevimon in the middle of the city, sensory overload alone would either bring him to his knees or drive him into a berserk rampage. When having a Digivice was supposed to be a sign of safety and security, having it feel more like a pinless grenade was very stressful.
On the third hand, it was the beach! Even if today didn't go as planned, at least he could kick back and relax after the fact. It wouldn't make things perfect, but it'd certainly help.
He didn't get much sleep tonight, but that didn't really change much. Sleep was hard to come by in general these days, even with Luke and Iko brightening his spirits. His days just weren't productive enough, so he found himself staying up at night trying to get extra work done. Usually it was spent trying to tap into various Digivolved forms and hoping there wouldn't be a lot of D-Reaper feedback. It didn't work most of the time. He could hold Yasyamon's form for a bit, but eventually the heavy cloud within his mind just weighed on him too much. Even his Fragments were half-tainted by the Reaper's influence. He could count on them in a pinch, but for extended periods he'd start feeling the burn again.
No time to worry about the past, though. He was in the present now. He looked towards Luke and Iko as he lingered near the outskirts of Whitewater, the sound of festive beachgoers and smell of salty water faintly catching his attention. "Well, here we are. Do you guys know where we should start looking?" he asked, wondering just which sorts of medical Digimon would be in Whitewater. They were probably way more prepared for drunken fainting than something like Isaac.
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 3, 2017 20:04:25 GMT
Thankfully, there likely wasn't a need to reach a higher form in Whitewater. In a lot of ways, this city was much like Terminus - and without the natural commotion caused by the only connecting point between the Digital and Real worlds, this coastal city was calmer to boot! Once you got used to the ocean's scent and the bright sun reflecting off the water, it was hard to not just want to kick back and relax.
Yeah, it wasn't hard to see why Iko preferred this place. As the three finally made their way to Whitewater, Iko stretched out his arms, giving a relaxed yawn. "Sheesh, finally. Alright, that's the last time we try to do so much of this without a Trailmon."
"Oh, it wasn't that bad." Luke gave a gentle elbow to the wolf's side. "Besides, once we get this handled, we'll get to spend the rest of the day off our feet. Gotta recharge after that little forest excursion, after all."
"Hmph, since when are you a fan of the beach?" Right: as they approached, Iko's ear twitched at Isaac's question. "Mm? We shouldn't have to look too hard, I don't think... Whitewater's more like cities in your world than most. And besides, its not like we're going to find an exact specialist for this..."
"Right, but do we even know where to start?"
The wolf shrugged. "Well, we aren't looking for some heat exhaustion clinic by the beach... hm..." As they came closer, towards a main road, Iko caught sight of a sign: much like a mall map, it outlined the city with several numbers, and a description next to each entry. To Luke and Isaac, it was completely unhelpful, written entirely in Digital script. The wolf, however, tapped a line near the middle. "There... its a something-something-clinic for tamers and their partners... probably has a few who are decent with humans. Its right... there." Huh, that was only two blocks off... though the description, as far as Iko could tell, was just a 'Tamer medical clinic'.
Still, better than nothing! "Worth a shot, then? I just hope a walk-in's fine-"
"- Eh, no worries. If it was this hard to pick up, I'm not even sure most people know this place exists. Anyway..."
Well, it wasn't really a bad street, but it was away from the beach and even the market. As Iko guessed, this entire block seemed to only have passing traffic, save a rather ritzy restaurant on the corner. Seeing the simple sign on the entrance, Iko gave a shrug, pressing the door open with his shoulder. It opened up to a rather normal-looking waiting room. Even as the bell at the door rang, the single figure behind the help desk, a Stingmon, didn't even look up as he continued scribbling at some notepad.
"... Kinda quiet for my tastes..." Iko muttered, before speaking up: "Yo?"
"Hm? Ah." The bug nodded, and trodded off to the back, without a word.
"... Wonderful tone here, already."
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 5, 2017 5:10:13 GMT
"Hey, I thought the exercise was kinda nice," Isaac admitted, stretching a little in order to get some feeling back into his legs. "Then again, I spent the last two months running blindly around a forest. So I think I hit my workout quota for a good, long while." At least it was better than taking Worm for another ride. After Worm's horribly awkward attempt at giving Elliot some on-route therapy, Isaac was fairly certain neither brother would end up taking a Trailmon again.
Besides, Luke knew what was up. He was suggesting a beach party after this, and Isaac was quite stoked for that little detour. "Heh. Been ages since I've been able to hit the beach," he admitted, shooting the ocean waves a brief look. "Kind of amazed I didn't just charge in and take a swim right now. But I guess I've got much more important stuff to focus on, eh?" He didn't know why his guard was already so lowered, but the prospect of getting to the bottom of this problem really appealed to Isaac. When hands were idle, Isaacs got restless.
Thankfully, Iko had been able to help pinpoint a clinic. "It's so weird being back in the city," Isaac admitted, a slight shrug following. "A lot noisier than I remember. Brighter, too. It's a little bit overwhelming, honestly." He made a note to stay close to Luke and Iko so he wouldn't get lost in all of the chaos. "Thanks for helping find a clinic, by the way. I'm sure I would've been lost for sure if I tackled it on my own," he added.
Unfortunately, instead of being lost in a literal city, now he was lost in a mass of red tape. Despite the waiting room being completely empty, the Stingmon receptionist was almost aggressive in his efforts at ignoring the assembled company. It took Iko getting his attention for him to even start heading towards the back! "Great customer service, eh?" he asked Luke. The Stingmon didn't even check what their problem was; he would've gone at this pace whether it was a splinter or a full-on decapitation, it seemed.
"So now we just wait, I guess," Isaac said, plopping down in a nearby seat. He nervously fiddled with his bandana, occasionally glancing at the clock as if he would explode any second now.
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 6, 2017 3:05:52 GMT
"What, you getting used to the woods now? Don't go wild on me, ya imp." Iko joked at Isaac's note regarding the city, the Impmon's thanks earning an acknowledging wave of the hand. "Let's just hope this works, alright? I mean, doc's probably going to think we're going to be there for Luke, or something."
"Oh, right, because I need one of the mall's weird robot hands." Luke rolled his eyes at that thought, a slight chuckle escaping Iko's teeth.
And yes, great customer service indeed. If anything, it spoke for how much demand there really was for a clinic for humans in the Digital World: outside of Terminus, it was merely a job of necessity. Still, the place seemed nice enough, Iko plucking a thin magazine off a waiting table - and, again, aside from pictures, only Iko could make sense of any of the letters on the page. "... And now I know how it feels like to be you trying to read anything on our side."
"Yuuuuup." And with a grin, Iko just kept on reading. Fortunately, the pair wouldn't be waiting for long, the doctor opening the door to greet the patient directly. But the appearance was enough for the wolf to raise an eyebrow. For a doctor, Iko expected something more in the 'holy' or 'science' tree... but no, there stood a Mikemon, with the identifying medic band around his arm, giving a lazy yawn. Was this really just a beach-side clinic?
"Yo... which of the twins are here to see me?"
"Um, look, I think we got-"
"Wait, don't tell me." The Mikemon's eyes briefly rested on Iko, then shifted to Isaac. "The Impmon, right? Even if its not, that level of 'static' ain't normal... well, c'mon back." He turned, gesturing for the group to follow to the back. Iko looked to Luke, and shrugged: alright, maybe he knew what he was doing!
And once they were in the office, they would see the Mikemon already flicking through the 'I's' in his file, pulling a folder out for 'Impmon'. "A'ight, narrow it down for me..." He flicked through the folder. "Have a run-in with the Empyrian parade here last week? Sea just not agreein' with ya?"
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 6, 2017 3:23:36 GMT
Thankfully, Isaac had no intentions to go feral on Luke. That was half of the reason why he was here, after all. The customer service here may have sucked, but anything was better than dealing with the hostile Kuwagamon or Veggiemon that would have been his "customer service" back in the jungle. For now he just occupied himself with some light reading, or more accurately pained squinting at whatever Digicode he stumbled upon next. "Yeah, that's true. I guess that puts me even more in between, huh?" Isaac asked. He could read Digicode sometimes, but usually only stuff that was important to his spirits. The usual stuff went right over his head.
That said, it brought up a question he had never considered prior. "So wait, can Digimon not read our languages? We've always been able to understand them, so I guess I just kinda figured this whole time." Maybe it varied from Digimon to Digimon. Some seemed way more likely to take the time than others. Cough cough, Kuu and Patamon, cough cough.
Iko was clearly relishing the the chance to be the guide of the group, though. "So I guess you're our tamer for the day, eh?" Isaac joked, a teasing smile on his face.
Thankfully, he wouldn't need think about it too much, though. The doctor was in, and he was a cat. Maia would probably love this place. While Isaac wasn't quite sure about the credentials of Cat M.D. , apparently he could tell there was something off with Isaac at just a mere glance. That was a good sign for, if not solving this problem, at least helping shed a bit more understanding on it.
It came time to narrow things down, though, and that left Isaac wondering just what the hell he could say here. "It's a really long story," he started, fiddling with his bandanna a little. Seriously, how the heck did he even get into this? "You see, I'm a human. A spirit user. And I had foreign code injected in me by some sort of . . . entity. I haven't been able to turn back since. This one's got the least corruption, so I'm fine sticking with it, but if I try to go to any level higher I'm kind of afraid to see what the results would be." That basically covered everything, right?
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 6, 2017 4:21:12 GMT
"I know, its weird, right?" Iko smirked. "Digimon can pretty much understand languages fairly easily, its just how the data works. But we generally don't get to read much - your literature doesn't get into this world all that easily. We got a few fanatics and translators, but other than that," Iko turned the page, "Not at all."
For the moment, 'Mike' was under the assumption that Isaac was just one of Luke's Digimon, as Iko's twin. There was no reason not to think that: both fit under 'Dark Area' and 'Nightmare Soldier', after all. In fact, he was even looking at Luke as he asked his initial question. Thus, when Isaac was the one to answer, the Mikemon's ear twitched as he turned to face him.
"A long story? Well, shoot, kid." And a long story it was: Iko and Luke hung back as the Impmon explained his problem, the story quite familiar to them at this point. The Mikemon, though, hung on with vague interest. First, this wasn't an Impmon, but a human. Second, he was stuck in this form. And third, including the Impmon form, all of this kid's current spirits were corrupted, by something, at least to some degree.
"Hm..." Flipping through the file one more time, the Mikemon snapped it shut, giving a sigh. "Welp, that folder ain't gonna help with that sort of problem... alright, spirit, right? Let me see your D-Tector -"
"Mm, he doesn't have access to that, either. Last fractal code we encountered, I had to brute force it." Iko shrugged, but that comment earned a glare from the Mikemon. "... And Digimon wonder how their data gets corrupted in the first place... alright, fine, I'll have to eyeball it."
'Eyeball'? Like, 'guess'? That was what it sounded like, but just as the sentence ended the Mikemon extended a paw into the open space to his left... except, half his arm seemed to vanish, pushed into a suddenly-opened, dark-colored portal. And, a moment later, he would pull back his paw and withdraw a spherical red crystal, Iko giving a 'snap' as it clicked. "Right, right, Mikemon are Dark Area, too..."
"Yeah, don't be surprised by that much." Holding up the sphere, setting it on his claws, he closed one eye, and peered through it, using it as a lens to look at Isaac. There was a fair glow in the jewel, the feline muttering to himself for several seconds. "... The heck... no, its not that... no... not... hm... what did he do, load like 30 Numemon?" He sighed, tossing the crystal idly in his hand.
"A'ight, I ain't gonna be kind: the worst of your data looks like the stuff we drag out of the Dark Area to research. Aside from one totem that I can only guess you picked up after the fact, everything's got all this red... 'plaque', I guess, dripping over it. And past that, I'm not hearing any noise from them, either."
"Wait, no noise? I thought you said he was giving off static-"
"Hush, now." The Mikemon held up a finger towards Iko. "Spirits, especially idle, usually talk to each-other and sometimes to the host, either out of need or just innate boredom. But from your main Rookie to Mega line, I can't hear a single word. If I wasn't looking with a crystal, I would've just thought you were joking."
... Was that really helpful? Still, it did give a lot more detail on the diagnostics! "Now, generally when stuff like this happens, I can just flush your weakness data - you know, Vaccine - through the D-Tector. It would 'damage'," the Mikemon gave airquotes, "all your totems, and force any loosely attached data off them."
"... And why can't you do that with him-"
"Because its like asking him to jump into lava."
"One point for the wolf." With a two-fingered salute, he tapped his free claw against the table. "Nice sugar-coating, though... simply put, I can only guess what to do from here. Though, I should ask, what happened to get you like this?"
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 6, 2017 4:51:14 GMT
Oh, good. Apparently not only was this cat a licensed physician, but it was also a warlock! Isaac's eyes darted curiously towards the crystal that Mikemon pulled through a portal. "You know, the sad thing is, I'm pretty sure that's not even the strangest thing I've seen since coming here," he commented dryly. Then again, knowing Alicia tended to have that effect. Exceptionally active spirits could be some of the weirdest beings in the Digital World, and that was saying something.
Part of him was still a little nervous about what the crystal meant. In times like this, the phrase 'Trust me, I'm a doctor' was the best thing to hold onto. He shut his eyes and focused, waiting for Mikemon to finish his diagnosis.
Apparently, the results weren't pretty. His data either looked like research sludge from the bowels of hell or a pureed mix made from the world's shittiest Digimon. "Well that's reassuring," he said, not entirely surprised by this news. "Considering how I ended up in this mess, you're not really wrong guessing Dark Area research data." Hell, wasn't this supposed to be a research expedition before everything went wrong? "This basically is Dark Area research waste. Did you hear about Datamon and Wizardmon's recent trip? It was only, like, two months ago."
The plaque may not have been surprising, but the fact that his spirits had completely fallen silent was quite concerning. "Wait, you're saying you can't hear anything?" he asked, trying to make sure. Usually, even if his spirits weren't the most talkative, he could feel their impulses, instincts, and desires becoming one with his own. He was certainly hearing a lot of that with NeoDevimon, who he didn't even feel comfortable letting loose in the middle of a city. "They're okay, right? I mean, they have to be fine. Is there anything I can do to help them?" His spirits had given him the strength to keep those he love safe. Was he going to be powerless to aid them in return?
Apparently the main solution would be to flush him with enough loose data to kill him. It would've worked fine if he could bring his Digivice out, but it seemed to be in full containment mode and refusing to even emerge when requested. "I'm guessing even that much pain wouldn't be enough to force my human form out, would it?" Isaac asked. It was an idea he considered from time to time. Taking enough damage usually worked, and it wasn't like a spirit could recede to an egg. That meant either forcing an override or deleting him outright.
Something told Isaac the answer would be delete.
"Anyway, what happened? Well, I told you the circumstances, but as for the how and why . . . it was injected in me by an Ebemon within the anomaly's core," Isaac explained. "I didn't get to see the process. It just did . . . something to me, and then everything went red. Although being an Ebemon, it isn't like there's a shortage of weird appendages to inject me with."
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 6, 2017 23:00:26 GMT
Actually, Isaac's first explanation with Datamon and the Wizardmon's exploits made a lot of sense to the Mikemon: as soon as Isaac spoke about their latest trip, the Mikemon's ear twitched, the feline pinching his sinus. "Oh great, those guys again. I wish that Wizardmon would leave well-enough alone... his damn research grants fund way too much of this s- stuff." The Mikemon cleared his throat, the doctor's opinion on the two scientists quite apparent at the moment.
But thankfully, the topic didn't trail on long enough, Isaac soon concerned about his own spirits. And though he didn't give any sort of positive smile or reassuring tone, the shrug given by the doctor was enough to show there wasn't any cause for alarm. "Don't worry about them, kid. Spirit totems are resilient, and even more-so in the form you have them. As far as their health is concerned, its just signal interference - they may be grumpy when they wake up, but they won't have any long-lasting damage." What was probably news for relief for Isaac was followed by a yawn from their doctor, as the feline continued to field his questions.
"Hm? Oh, you can't go human, no." Yup, another abrupt answer! "... Quite the cheery one, aren't you?"
"Please. With what we're working with, I don't have the luxury to say anything flowery." With a sharp glance towards the other champion, the Mikemon soon returned his look to Isaac, Dr. Mike now spinning that ball in his hand. "Its not just the spirts' corruption that's a problem... you have a case of, I guess we can call it, 'data dependence'. Basically, your own code is so chaotic that its clinging around the Impmon totem to stabilize itself. Ah, don't worry, your current form is quite stable... just remember that you don't have a fallback."
And finally, the specifics of their incursion came to light... an Ebemon? The Mikemon shook his head. "Ok, sure Wizardmon, let's put man and 'mon in a place where D-Reaper data can get injected straight into the core... piece of s*** scientist-" He stopped, and gave a 'tsk': producing a coin between his fingers, he flicked it to the desk, where it clanged to the side of an unmarked jar, and rattled at the bottom.
Despite everything, that earned a snicker from both Iko and Luke. "Alright... that's a lot of... that," Luke started, "But if you know this much, you must have an idea of how to handle it?"
"Yeah, two, and an extra thing. And congrats, kid," The Mikemon chuckled, finally breaking a grin. "You're the first problem in this office that I haven't been able to solve with the crystal alone." On that note, he tossed the ball upwards, the red crystal vanishing into another dark portal.
"You have two options: first, complete the spirit line of your... Devimon, I guess? Your data will start to recognize the pathways between them as they were built initially, and with enough luck, you'll be able to call your D-Tector. Do that, bring it here, and I'll scrub it out. Bring cupcakes and we can have a good ol' reunion-and-celebration party."
"... With enough luck, lovely..."
"-And as for option two? Acquire a Vaccine typing. Or, jogress with a Vaccine type. If the form is strong enough - like, Mega or Super Mega strong - a Vaccine type will survive the data cleansing of your virus-type totems."
"Wait, hold on..." Luke was lost. "Jogress? Are we making up words, here?" And to that, Iko laughed. "We call it DNA, but think of it more like 'Fusion'. There's conditions, but its generally possible in Digimon of two of the same attribute, family, and type."
"Meaning in this case, you specifically need a Dark, Nightmare Soldier, Vaccine type." And that didn't seem common: both 'Dark' and 'Nightmare Soldier' were pretty heavily weighted in Virus. So, it took a moment of thought.
There was a bit of a silence in the room. And then Iko put his face in his palm.
"... Yup. I fit."
"Mm, I didn't want to say it because I wasn't sure. But, hey kid, you got just a bit of luck there."
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 7, 2017 4:38:53 GMT
Isaac snickered a bit at Mikemon's opinion on the Dark Area Duo. It was a nice bit of schadenfreude hearing that the two were apparently making disasters like this happen all the time. "I know, right?" he said. "These guys were totally meddling with stuff above anyone's pay grade. Do you get their other would-be assistants around here often, or am I the first?"
He sighed in relief when he found out that the underlying spirits themselves were okay. "Thank goodness," Isaac said, a bit of relief spreading across his face. "I'd finally started understanding them better. I'd feel horrible if right after taking that effort, I got them in big trouble." From what he knew of spirits, it made sense at the very least. Right now they would be dormant totems, spared the worst of the corruption until they manifested themselves. Briefly, he wondered if he could regress into totem form to make the same escape, but that would probably also leave him sealed as a totem forever. Probably not a great idea.
That said, relief for the spirits just meant even worse news for him. His own code was basically a plate of spaghetti that had been tossed in a blender, from the sound of it, and he could only get by thanks to having Impmon's spirit to tether to. "Thank goodness for small miracles, at least," he said, clearly a bit dejected but trying to cling onto some sort of hope. "So you're saying if anything bad happens to Impmon, it's curtains for me? Seems like as good a reason as any to keep my nose out of trouble." Isaac being Isaac, he knew this was going to be a major struggle for him. Nevertheless, this was his chance to get solutions. If he could hold onto his pride and wait until he solved his problems, he'd surely be okay.
If it was any consolation, he was Dr. Mikemon's hardest case yet. "They should give you a medal," he quipped. It may have been a major Digimedical breakthrough, but that didn't make Isaac happy to be the guinea pig for it!
His two options were clear. The long, hard way, in which he'd need to quest for a complete spirit line and remind his own body how it worked. "Already halfway there, eh?" he commented. Impmon. Neodevimon. Two others would follow. And then again, wasn't there a step beyond? If he had achieved Samudramon by merging his two present spirits, it made Isaac wonder what would even possibly help him reach the next level.
Then there was the shortcut; a DNA Digivolution with Iko? The two were certainly compatible enough, but would that even work? "This wouldn't get him infected too, would it?" Isaac asked, hesitant. "I mean, I'd fused with my brother already inside of the Reaper, but our spirits are really tightly linked. So that's always felt kind of different in my mind. I mean, at least you said my form was stable, right?" As skeptical as Isaac was about the idea, he was still thankful that it existed. He had basically walked into the hospital with a perfect donor.
He turned to Iko, a determined look on his face. "You wouldn't mind helping me try this, would you?" he asked. For once, there was hope.
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 7, 2017 5:35:07 GMT
"Hmph... I hardly get them around here, but the Mummymon in the Dark Area has his work cut out for him." The Mikemon agreed, as far as Isaac's point regarding those researchers were concerned. Really, as much as Isaac joked about it, the two really put this kitten on edge...
... But, thankfully, the conversation drifted far enough, back to Isaac's condition. "In this case, its better to think of yourself as the Impmon - aside from your method of Digivolving, that's effectively replaced your 'base form'. That said, you don't need to be more careful than any other Digimon would be... well, more-or-less."
"More-or-less being that he doesn't even have an in-training form?" Iko's curiousity was peaked, earning yet another shrug from Dr. Cat:
"He might. I wouldn't test it, though."
Eventually, though, it led back to the options, and the first one was simple enough - easily understood and reasonably doable by a spirit user, though it would definitely take some time. No, it was this DNA option that brought up the most discussion. And for this, Iko had a stake in it as well: his ear twitched as Isaac brought up the potential contamination!
"That, well, I can't say for certain. Corruption can and will spread through the Jogress process... and if you start it in any form other than your Impmon, well, I would say the Ankomon's core would be at risk for damage. As stable as your rookie form is, though, the risk is minimal." Still, he gave a 'tsk' - this was the first time that he had to, at all, use uncertain terms! Iko simplified it, though:
"So, what you're saying is, we would have to start from Impmon into a DNA state, probably hit some intermediate form, and then Digivolve from their into mega?"
"At least Mega. And its an Aato - Digimon with a partner," he clarified, shooting a gaze towards Luke, who had just half-raised a hand to ask a question, "in Jogress with a Spirit. Don't worry, its doable... but keep in mind, your Impmon friend's probably never actually Digivolved before."
"Because they just pick the totem they need on hand..." Iko sighed. Honestly, it seemed like a lot of work... and both Isaac and Iko individually had mega forms to work with. To Iko, this would simply be for the sake of a cure.
But as Isaac asked his question, Iko grinned. "Sure, Isaac. Let's see just how far we can take it."
"Alright, before you guys get ahead of yourselves, I did say one more thing... and for this, I'm going to do the doctor thing and say 'I'll need a minute'." The Mikemon stepped to the door, pulling it open. And with that personality out of the room, the three were left in silence for a moment. And at this point, Luke gave a sigh.
"... Anyone else curious how he can do the whole reaching-into-portals thing? I mean," He looked down at his Digivice. "No moves match that-"
"Here." Iko took the Digivice away, pressed the 'right' arrow twice, and briefly displayed the apparent form on the screen: the demon, Barbamon. And that red crystal was in the image, right on the staff.
"... Wait, so he's been mega?"
Curiosity in the doctor or not, it wouldn't take long for the Mikemon to step back in. The cat was clasping an orange bottle in his left hand, brushing beige dust off his arm. And like that, he looked towards Isaac, holding up the bottle between two claws.
"Let me be clear. This isn't medicine." His words were direct: popping open the lid, he pulled out a foul-colored gray pill. "With one of these, for about thirty or so minutes, your frame will be highly resistant to corruption. You'll probably be able to reach all of your forms, and in a pinch, be able to fight using all the tools you've acquired until now. There are three in this bottle."
He put the pill back, and sealed the lid shut. "When the effect wears off, you better be sure you're an Impmon, or the cumulative damage of the corruption will hit you all at once. Let me be perfectly clear: I'm basically handing you poison. Do not use these unless your life depends on it.." He let that sink in. "Don't take more than one in a 48 hour period. Don't take it in any form other than Impmon. Never ask me for more. And if you have to use it, win fast. Use way more power than necessary, if you have to, then get the heck to a safe place."
Luke blinked. Yeah, that definitely changed the tone of the room, at the end. "Wait... for that effect, why even offer it? He already said he can use the forms in a pinch-"
"Because he's just guessing he can. Now," He held out the bottle. "If you don't want it, I can burn it. If you take it, treat it like a careful weapon."
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 7, 2017 21:33:58 GMT
Did Mikemon just imply there was a clinic in the Dark Area? If he knew about that, it would've saved him so much time and so many uncomfortable Trailmon rides. The Mummymon who staffed it sounded absolutely overwhelmed, though, so it might have been for the best that Isaac missed that little pit stop. Maybe later he'd see about helping Mummymon get those two researchers off of his back. It sounded like everyone was sick of their antics at best, furious with them at worst. A bit of turnabout could be fair play, no?
For now, though, it was better to just sit back and listen to the doctor's advice. One point was that Isaac may or may not have had an In-Training form. "I could go without testing that, if that's okay," Isaac said. Would that make him a baby? Isaac had already been a baby! He didn't want that shit to happen again.
Isaac was a little worried to hear that corruption could spread through the fusion, but he was glad to know that Impmon would be stable enough to minimize the chances of that happening. That said, was he supposed to fuse into Ankomon? "He's a level above Impmon, though," Isaac pointed out, shooting a brief worried look towards his would-be fusion partner. "Would the fusion be balanced enough as is?" At the very least, Isaac was content that he did have a Champion who could step up to the plate, although NeoDevimon brought his own set of challenges to the mix. Would he even be able to play well enough with others to make a fusion happen?
Apparently it would also take an actual Digivolution, too, rather than the harnessing of a Digimon spirit. "You can help me through that, right?" Isaac asked Iko. One of these two knew much more about Digivolution than the other, after all!
With that said, and Iko agreeing to fuse, the doctor left. Isaac did a double take as he overheard Luke and Iko talking, trying to peer at their Digivice and see what they saw. "Wait, what's going on now?" he asked, wondering why the Digivice seemed to be giving such an inaccurate read.
There likely wouldn't be too much time to discuss it, unfortunately. When the doctor returned he brought medicine in tow, and it sounded every bit as remarkable as it did terrifying. "I've tried, sometimes," Isaac explained. "I could feel myself reaching it, so close, but then it always burned too badly before I could pull it off. I could probably force myself to reach one of those higher forms if I really needed to, but it'd probably tear me apart to even finish Digivolving. I think these are going to help a lot. Thank you." He graciously took the pills, smiling at Mikemon. "What happens when they wear off?"
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 7, 2017 23:30:25 GMT
Ah, right, form imbalance... the Mikemon didn't even consider that. But even with that news, he just shrugged. "That's up to you to figure out. If you feel like barging at a locked door until it opens, that's on you." Despite how useful the Mikemon's advice was, it was clear that he didn't have all the answers. Besides, he was sure enough that the two of them could figure something out.
Like with NeoDevimon, maybe. As far as Digivolving went, Iko shot a thumbs-up: if the form was going to be at least half-him, it wasn't going to be rocket science! Well, at least he hoped not! "Well, at the very least it looks like we'll still have you around for a while. Still, I wonder what the fusion would end up as-"
"-Its not as exciting as you think. The vast majority of Jogress end on a known species of Digimon. Something about stability, and the like." Still, that didn't take away the mystery entirely! "At any rate, hopefully we won't be wondering that for very long; I'd rather it all go smoothly."
Pessimistic tone aside, as the Mikemon left to make the pills, Barbamon's form was displayed before them. As Isaac and Luke asked their question, Iko flicked off the screen. "In short, our doctor here is very capable. Not only is he able to reach mega, he's able to keep a certain control and use some of Barbamon's power in his other forms. Honestly, it would explain why he's so good at diagnosing this..."
"Huh... wait, does that mean you could pull off the same thing?"
"Heck no." He chuckled, shaking his head. It was potentially frustrating, but the Mikemon was just cut from a different cloth... well, they wouldn't dwell for long. The doctor was soon back, presenting the pills to Isaac. He tilted his head, carefully considering Isaac's words as the Imp accepted the pills.
"Ideally, you don't want to use them at all. As for when they wear off... the average reaction is a complete seizing of your back and arm muscles, at least for a good five minutes, and an incredibly upset stomach. So, like... a really bad flu, the worst you've ever had, for a solid hour."
"H... huh. Hopefully it doesn't come to using them, then." Luke stated the obvious, the Mikemon simply nodding.
"Anyway. I've done all I'm able to, here. And though you're all quite entertaining, I'm going to have to ask you to check out at the front desk." He was already yawning by the end of that sentence - a real charmer, this one!
"... Tch, fine, I think we're good enough to go. Isaac?" And provided everything was in order, Luke would lead the way out at Iko's word. Though the wolf had one question to ask:
"So, all that and you run your clinic in Whitewater?"
"What can I say?" The cat smirked. "Low stress, decent traffic, easy work, and I don't have to keep anyone on payroll but the Stingmon. And that's mostly because I'm too short for any decent desk."
"... Right..."
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 8, 2017 1:12:53 GMT
"Barging into locked doors until they open is my specialty," Isaac said, grinning proudly. "This could be my one chance at recovering properly. I'm not just going to let it slide because something might be a little bit imbalanced. Not when I've finally got something to hope for again." It was a very declarative statement, especially coming from someone who didn't have much hope left in him mere hours ago. Isaac may have fallen harshly, but he had a real knack for bouncing back. How far would his newfound momentum take him? Maybe if Iko took the wind out of his sails, it wouldn't get far at all. "I mean, just because it exists doesn't mean it won't look cool," he said, trying to look on the bright side of things. "Worst case scenario we just fuse into something that we could've already Digivolved into. Which, yeah, that'd be pretty lame. I bet we'll be something badass, though." He neglected to mention that he and Elliot's fusions were usually fairy uncharted, but the fact that their spirits were two halves of a whole were probably the reason behind that.
Isaac could only hope it went as smoothly as Iko predicted. NeoDevimon didn't play well with others, and Isaac could only hope he'd behave enough for a proper fusion.
Wait, hold on, the doctor was a Mega level in disguise? Or, rather, capable of Digivolving to Mega but instead strategically tapping into his power? That was kind of amazing! Isaac had never seen any Digimon with that level of control over their form before. "You ever stumble upon one of the strongest Digimon in the Digital World, and you find out he's just your doctor?" Isaac asked, still trying to process how amazed he was.
The side effects of the medication sounded about what Isaac expected, although with more realistic cramping and yes melting into a horror monster. "I'll make sure it never catches up on me in the middle of a fight," Isaac promised, not even wanting to know what would happen if he took two at once. "Thanks for everything, doc."
He was ready to go whenever Luke and Iko were. However, the real question was for when they finally left the clinic. "Alright, what's next?" Isaac asked, unsure where he'd end up going after this.
|
|
|
Post by darkblade on Jun 8, 2017 3:08:47 GMT
All-in-all?
This was honestly a lot more productive than Iko expected from what he initially thought was just a corner-clinic in Whitewater. It was honestly a little disappointing that the Mikemon, with so much potential, was just letting it all go to waste out here. But than again, who could really blame him: a city with this kind of nightlife, a beach nearby, and with a steady job to boot?
Iko really couldn't speak, really. And as the three made their way out, just a wave given from the Mikemon, Isaac's question hit Iko's ears. "Well, you heard the 'doc, we've gotta figure out how to jogress... pretty much by brute force." He gave a wave to the Stingmon as they would come by the front desk, the clerk quickly sliding a piece of paper out towards Luke.
"Brute force? I thought you all just Digivolved when you need to." Luke picked up the paper, and rolled his eyes as Iko gave a shrug. The tamer pulled out a card, and the Stingmon stepped back for a moment.
"To a need, sure. But why would I need to reach a more difficult ultimate form? Nah, it'll be more like what we did when I was sparring with Isaac and Elliot."
"... Fair enough. Well, should we at least hit the beach first?"
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 8, 2017 5:40:18 GMT
"Just to warn you, I've got no clue how this works," Isaac said. "My bro and I's spirits are connected enough that they basically do all the work for us. Hell, we have to remind ourselves we're separate just to undo a fusion that tight. Turns out, being super opposed when it comes to pizza toppings comes in handy." He scoffed a little, remembering that Elliot thought it was remotely appropriate to put sweet, juicy fruit on top of a salty pizza? It was pure excess. Downright shameful.
Of course, planning how to separate didn't matter if they couldn't even figure out how to fuse in the first place! It was always so automatic for him and Elliot that he couldn't even imagine what the process would entail. "Do we just kinda start glowing, and then run into each other?" he offered, imagining literally mashing two Digivolutions together. "But it's not like I can really Digivolve much right now, so I doubt my data would be nearly malleable enough to just jam together with yours right now." Briefly he imagined blowing a pill on it, but those were really valuable! He couldn't just burn one of the only three he had on something as frivolous as trying to fuse.
Apparently this would be a lot like sparring. Isaac wasn't quite sure how that added up, but he trusted Iko to figure it out.
The beach sounded like a really nice stop, though. "I think we could all use a break," Iko had just hit Mega, Luke had walked through an entire forest, and his own struggles needed no further explanation. "And who knows? We might get some ideas when there are tons of other Digimon around us."
|
|
|