A Larger-Than-Pockets-Could-Be Dragon [Monodramon, Unica]

"I don't understand why it hasn't been working," Unica's mother grumbled, her long, pale arms crossed over her chest as she half-heartedly tapped a chipped nail against the microwave's clock. The machine lost all power for some unexplainable reason in the middle of her cooking the store-bought strudel for Unica. The timer had ceased, leaving nothing but a black box behind. "I think we need a new one," she huffed while opening the tiny door and pulling out the paper plate. The strudel wasn't even warm yet. Just as she went to close the microwave, her boyfriend stepped up and began carefully studying the machine's insides, trying to figure out if there was any reason why it may have suddenly stopped working.

"It's the fifth time this week," he pointed out as he squinted his eyes and looked at the sticker at the back of the microwave.

"I know, that's why I think we need a new one," Unica's mother retorted, slipping the strudel into a small plastic baggy before shoving it back into their off-white freezer.

Seeing her mother put away the food, Unica pouted out a lip and huffed, "I'm hungry!"

"I know, baby," her mother said as she walked to the pantry and examined the food on the shelves. As she reached in and grabbed a sleeve of crackers, she faced her boyfriend and added, "I thought this is why they hired you."

"Well, not me, specifically," he replied, closing the microwave door and dragging his finger across the label on the bottom of the machine. The two continued talking like this for a while, but Unica couldn't understand what they were talking about. Her attention was focused in on the crackers her mother had taken out of the pantry. She patted her hands on the table a few times before her mother handed over the sleeve of crackers. They would hold her over for the meantime, at least until her dad could figure out how to get power back to the apartment and her mom could make her something more fulfilling.

After roughly ten minutes, Unica's mother turned toward her daughter and rose her voice a little. "Baby, would you like to go to the park?" Of course, Unica agreed and in a matter of minutes, she was ready to go. They left the apartment, and headed northward, toward Miyashita Park, which was really part of the university campus, but was open to the public neverthless. When they arrived, Unica ran off from her mother, plucking flowers and sniffing each as she went. Although she couldn't really smell the difference from one to the other, she had seen people do it in movies so she decided to do the same. Just as she rounded one of the bushes in search of the pink-and-white daffodils she had seen earlier, she spotted a purple creature, half-buried in the foliage.

"Hello?" she asked, cocking her head to one side to try and see the creature's face. It was breathing, so Unica could tell it was alive, but it didn't look like any animal she had ever seen before. Actually, that wasn't entirely true. She had seen a similar looking dinosaur-dragon-mutant on the train ride from the digital world back to the human world. Was that dinosaur the same one here? No, she figured, this one had different coloring, so they were two separated individuals. It was obvious that this creature was no regular animal, though. It was a Digimon. But what was it doing here? And in the park, of all places? Unica crouched down and began pushing against the dinosaur's belly to wake it up, the same way she would shake her parents' arms to get them up on Christmas morning.

The Digimon reacted by jolting awake and screaming. Unica gasped in shock, stumbled backwards, and dropped her flowers in the process. She hadn't expected it to respond like that, and it startled her. Her body trembled a little, and she felt like crying suddenly, but watching the dinosaur jump to its feet and slam into the tree trunk in a Looney-Tunes-esque fashion caused her to erupt in a fit of giggles. "Ahah! You're so silly!" she laughed while standing up, walking over to the Digimon, and stopping by its head. Just then, she heard the creature's stomach growl and she reacted by looking over at its belly. "Are you hungry? Mommy brought sandwiches," she explained, indirectly offering the stranger some food.

Unica had to admit that she was surprised to hear the Digimon practically beg for his life. What did he think she was? What would she even do it him? Her face shifted to reveal confusion when he asked her not to hurt him. Fortunately, the lull in conversation changed when Unica offered to get the dinosaur hybrid something to eat--more specifically, one of the sandwiches her mother had whipped together before they came to the park. This seemed to change the Digimon's tone a little. Instead of cowering, he became curious and responsive. After he gave a nod, Unica laughed playfully and held out her hand, palm out. "Stay here!" she exclaimed before heading back the way she had come. On the way, she grabbed the small boquet of flowers that she had dropped then disappeared behind the hedges.

Moments later, she returned again with two sandwich bags. As she rounded the corner, she was pleased to find the dinosaur creature staying where she had left him, sitting up now, his back against the tree trunk that he had previously run directly into. Another giggle escaped Unica's lips as she skipped up to the Digimon and held out one of the bags. He seemed hesitant, though. He even asked if she was certain about her offer, claiming that she would be hungry if she gave him her food. That didn't bother Unica any. She had plenty of food at home and once her daddy fixed the microwave, she'd be able to eat her strudels! Before Unica could even formulate a response, the Digimon's stomach growled again. "It's okay," Unica comforted while shaking the bag a little, enticing the creature to take it.

Whether or not he actually accepted it, Unica eventually sat down across from the Digimon and opened the paper bag before pulling out her PB&J sandwich. As she took her first bite, the creature spoke, asking about what "mommy" was. He wondered if it was a object or if it was a saying. He wondered if it was a living creature, like a tree, or something artificial, like a factory. It certainly was a strange question. Did Digimon not have parents? Of course they did! All living things had parents, right? So maybe this particular one didn't have any. It was a sad thought, but Unica was more than happy to enlighten her new friend. "A mommy is a mommy," she explained matter-of-factly. Seeing the puzzled expression on the Digimon's face never waver, she glanced over her shoulder, in the direction of where her mommy was located. How else could she describe what a mom was? "Mommies are pretty and nice and take care of you and read you stories." While Unica wasn't exactly defining what a mother was, she was doing a decent job explaining what one did.

Unica couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter when she saw the creature take a bite out of the bag, but she quickly clasped a hand over her mouth when she realized how loud she was being. Her parents had always told her that laughing at people was rude, and she didn't want to be rude. When she finally collected herself, Unica took another bite out of her sandwich and watched as the dinosaur mimicked her actions. As soon as he bit down and the jelly squirted out of the sides, he reacted more energetically than Unica had originally expected. Although the way he spoke was strange--referring to "gifts" and "treasure cans"--and was admittedly a bit off-putting, Unica felt flattered when he said she was amazing. Her face flushed red and a massive smile broke across her lips as she let out a quiet giggle.

From there, she answered Monodramon's question about mommies, but he didn't seem to fully understand. He thought that Unica could be his mommy, but that didn't seem right. Reading stories, being nice, and giving food weren't the only requirements needed to be a parent... right? This confused Unica and she had to stop eating momentarily to think about it. The truth of the situation was far more complex. Her mother was biologically related to her, but her father had abandoned her before she was even born. Her mom's boyfriend was the one she considered to be her daddy because he was kind, he was always there, and he loved her. Unica didn't know the specifics of her parents' relationship, though, which led the more confusion. She just knew that her mommy looked like her and her daddy didn't. So, did mommies have to look like their babies? No, because she knew plenty of other kids whose moms had different hair, eye, or skin color too. Iif appearance and blood didn't make someone a parent, then what did? "Umm..." she grumbled in reply, looking anxious suddenly. How could she answer his question when she didn't know the answer herself?

However, the dinosaur creature gave her a good escape when he admitted that he didn't even know her name. "I'm Unica!" she chimed, her cheerful demeanor returning again. There was a barely a lull in the conversation as the Digimon started rambling off a bunch of rapid-fire questions. "What is human digivolution like?" "Umm..." "What level are you?" "I-" "Why do humans look so much alike?" "Uh..." "What is that attack you use where this yellow liquid or brown mushy thing comes out of your body?" "Yellow..?" "It kinda looks like a Numemon attack, but of a different color. And, and, and-" Unica looked panicked, her eyes wide and her breathing becoming quick as she tried to keep pace with all the questions. She didn't even know how to answer most of them, and the ones that she felt she could answer were worded in such a way that she wasn't sure if she'd be answering them correctly, even if she tried. "I don't know!" she exclaimed, looking frazzled and a little upset.

Monodramon reacted poorly to Unica's outburst, recoiling and apologizing for being a bother almost immediately. Seeing this, Unica's expression shifted suddenly. "Ah! I'm sorry! Sorry!" she said, managing a weak smile in the process. As an awkward sort of silence fell between the two, Unica let her smile vanish while she looked down to break eye contact with the stranger. As she did, she noticed the sandwich still in her hands. "Umm... here!" she said, holding out the half-eaten snack to the nervous-looking Digimon. She let her smile return then, reassuring him that it was alright and that it wouldn't be a problem if he accepted her offer. She continued insisting until he finally took it from her and began eating. She watched him and sat in silence for a little while before grabbing her feet and asking, "Are you a dinosaur?" With a subtle tilt of her head, she almost looked like a curious dog, cocking its head to hear better.

This Digimon sure was a strange and naive fellow, but that was part of the reason Unica adored him so much. He was like one of those silly cartoon characters from her favorite TV shows. She was immediately reminded of one in particular. It was a Japanese show about these twins who would travel through time to solve mysteries and help fight crime. They'd meet a new wacky and "historical" character in each episode who would help them solve whatever new conflict there was. A lot of the comedy came from the outrageous colors, the word puns, and the guest characters' quirks. There was one episode where the twins met a woman who sang everything she said, and Unica loved always got a kick out of that one. Although she was still new the Japanese language, she thought it was funny that someone would sing everything instead of say it normally.

Monodramon was like one of those characters, saying words funny and not understanding the most basic concepts. Who didn't know what a mommy was? Who didn't know how to eat a sandwich? It was hilarious! While Unica thought the whole conversation was comical, Monodramon didn't seem so amused. He was genuinely confused about what Unica was talking about. So, instead of continuing to humor the young girl, the  Digimon decided to start at square one by explaining what he was, who he was, where he came from, and why he was here. From there, he started talking about restaurants before finally rounding the conversation back to the food Unica had given him. It sounded like the dinosaur had a lot of stories to tell, but he looked sad while talking about his home and Unica wanted to do something to make him feel better.

While the young girl sat there, staring at the ground while she thought about what she could do for him, the Monodramon asked a bizarre question. He wondered if she'd be willing to be his friend. Although he tried to explain that if she didn't want to be his friend then he'd understand, Unica promptly cut him off. Almost immediately after he asked his question, Unica clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "YES!" before laughing light-heartedly again. The idea of having another friend--especially if that new friend was a dinosaur/dragon creature--excited Unica and she was sure to let her eagerness show. Without really giving Monodramon time to respond, Unica hopped to her feet and started walking off, motioning for the digital monster to follow her. "C'mon, friend!" she hollered back.

Beyond the hedges, flowers, and benches was a playground, set up on a large patch of dirt on the edge of the park. A handful of other children were playing there, but only one parent seemed to notice the strange, fierce creature, for she let out a gasp of horror, took her two children, and left the park in a hurry. Most of the other children stopped what they were doing and stared at the duo, as if trying to wrap their minds around what they were seeing. Unica didn't seem to notice the weary glances they were getting, though. She walked over to a seesaw and sat on one side before pointing at the opposite seat. "Sit! Sit!" she exclaimed, bouncing eagerly while she waited.

Unica was excited to have fun with her new friend, which was the reason she had brought him to the playground in the first place. There was no way anyone could stay upset when playing. The swings and slides and jungle gym were tools of elightenmight, but the Digimon didn't seem to agree. If anything, he became more anxious when they entered the playground. Unica ignored this, thinking he would cheer up when they finally started playing, but it didn't stop the creature from wondering if he had done something wrong; that perhaps he had trespassed and was not allowed here.

Monodramon was not far off in his assessment. He shouldn't have been there. The human world was no place for a Digimon. Not only did Digimon pose a threat to human civilization, but humans were a skittish bunch who posed a threat to Digimon in turn. If they felt threatened, there would be no telling what they would do. Although the humans in the park probably wouldn't have tried anything, a fearful parent was bound to call the police and animal control services were bound to get involved, but the point remained: Digimon did not belong in the human world because humans were not ready to accept those things beyond the scope of their own world. 

Unica, of course, had not heard the Digimon's quiet mutters and, honestly, wouldn't have really acknowledged them even if she had. Being so young, everything in the world was new to her. She had only recently started school, she didn't understand love or politics or finances yet. She still had so much to learn. The whole wide world was new and engaging. And so, to her, Digimon were just another layer to that. Unica was new to everything, of course, but only a small percentage of people in the grand scheme of things were actually familiar with Digimon, and an even smaller percentage actually engaged with the virtual world. Unica didn't realize how special she was.

It took a while for Monodramon to finally understand what Unica wanted him to do with the seesaw--and, granted, she could have helped him out, but that would have spoiled the fun and it was hilarious watching him try to figure things out on his own. He didn't know what mommies were, how to eat sandwiches, or how to play.  It was very silly! Things were humorous and light-hearted until the creature leaped onto one side of the seesaw with such force that it sent Unica flying. Three emotions overcame Unica the moment she went airborne. One, she was delighted by the height she had achieved; two, she was amused at how she must have looked to others in the playground; three, she was terrified of hitting the ground. These emotions revealed themselves as such: while she shot up through the air, she laughed and giggled, but as she slowed and began to fall, she started flailing her arms and screaming in panic.

It was then that Monodramon acted. Perhaps it was the crying and fleeing humans in the playground, or perhaps it was Unica's sudden change of behavior, but regardless of the reason, the dinosaur creature grew wings and leaped to her rescue.  He launched himself into the air and caught the small girl before she was anywhere close to hitting the ground. It took a moment for Unica to realize what had happened, but after blinking a few times in surprise and taking in her surroundings, she overcame the shock and locked eyes with the Digimon, who looked like a proper dragon now. "Woah!" she gasped, suddenly erupting into a fit of giggles. That was so much fun! "Again! Again!" she laughed, glancing down at the ground that was a few feet below them.

The dinosaur Digimon reacted in a way Unica had not expected, and that scared her. He kept talking about her dying and ending up in a place called "the Village of Beginnings." Was that heaven for Digimon? Unica was too young to fully understand what it meant to die, but she did realize that those who did die could never come back. And so, when her friend went on and on about her dying, it made Unica upset. Tears brimmed and her bottom lip trembled. Why was he saying these things? She hadn't fallen. He had caught her. She was fine. It was fun. Why was he talking about death?

Then, as if moved by Unica's strong reaction, Monodramon began tearing up too; and what more, he actually started crying. Thick streams of salty tears fell down his face, but he seemed puzzled by the sudden moistness on his cheeks. Of course, seeing her friend cry made Unica start crying too. She wasn't really sure why Monodramon was so upset, but clearly she had done something wrong and it had upset her new friend to the point of sobbing. It was upsetting, to say the very least, and she couldn't help but feel sorry about the whole situation.

And yet, just as she was becoming hysterical, the Digimon stroked the top of her head in an awkward, albeit comforting, manner and Unica was able to calm down enough to meet her friend's eyes. As soon as they were looking at each other, the dinosaur said that he was sorry. It helped, a little, but the tears continued to fall and Unica continued sniveling. Monodramon went on to explain how he would be willing to play more dangerous games with Unica, as long as they avoided the seesaw. He offered to fly her up and down while his wings were still active. It sounded fun! Unica's frown was quickly replaced with a massive grin and she nodded fervently, her cheeks still damp as she did.

As the two floated to the ground below, there were a bunch of children, shouting and crying out for the Digimon to take them on a ride too. Unica saw no problem with it: if her friend had the ability to fly and if he was as nice as he had been with her then surely he wouldn't have a problem playing with all the other kids too. Plus, she didn't mind sharing her new friend. He was her friend first, anyway. Little did she realize just how flustered her new friend was getting by all the stimuli.

As if the children weren't stressful enough, a handful of adults approached--some with pepper spray, some with keys between their knuckles, some with cellphones poised to call the police. One by one, they pulled their children away from the strange reptilian creature, hurrying away to avoid any more interaction with the bizarre animal. Who knew what kind of diseases it carried! Then there was Unica's mother, who rounded the corner with wide eyes and shaky breaths. She had been sent into a frenzy when she realized her daughter was not where she had left her, and she became even more panicked when she spotted Unica with the strange animal.

"Unica!" the woman screamed, terror and confusion in her eyes. The young girl turned in Monodramon's grasp and smiled at her mother, thrilled for her mom to finally meet her new Digimon friend. Unfortunately, her mother did not view things the same way. "Get away from that thing! Come here!" she cried out, taking a hesitant step closer, suddenly worried about what the creature would do. What if she moved too fast and it attacked her or her daughter? What if all the children and all the screaming parents were making it act out? Why was Unica in its arms? The joyous look on Unica's face quickly vanished when she saw how her mother was reacting to the situation.