How it Should've Been [Rinji] [59A]

I shall ask for bits for my reward, kind sir/madam.

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"Oh my goodness, is that...-"

"Yes, I'm afraid it's a human child, and in mortal danger, it appears."

Swanmon had her feathers to her bill, and horror had drawn itself across her face. She raised a wing to block her class's view, a small group consisting of a Motimon, a pair of Koromon, a Chilomon, and a Yokomon. All of which were desperate to witness what their teacher was concealing from them.

"She's only a child!" Swanmon panicked. "You have to do something!"

"Calm down, maam," replied the smooth talking Mercurymon. "There is a high likelihood she will be rescued by her parental units. I'm simply showing you why we need more recruits to -"

Swanmon snapped. "Nevermind the recruits!" She stepped forward threateningly, a thunderous scowl on her forehead. Despite the age difference, the Mercurymon visibly faltered. He was suddenly not so sure about coming to the Village of Beginnings for an 'educational experience'.

In fact, it seemed very likely he was about to get schooled.

"Oh no, here she goes again," one of the Koromon whispered to the Chilomon next to him.

The Chilomon was transfixed, however, on the Mercurymon's mirror. In it, wasn't a reflection, but an entirely different world. And in that world, a young girl. "She needs help," he said weakly.

By now, everyone was either too busy enjoying the fact that someone else was on Swanmon's receiving end, or being given hell by the so-called 'white fury'. So instead, Chilomon wandered up to Mercurymon's mirror, who was so distracted that he didn't even realise Chilomon was about to touch it.

"WHOAH! CHILOMON'S GONNA TOUCH THE MIRROR!" Screamed Motimon. Everyone immediately turned to Chilomon.

He was gone.

Silence perpetuated the room. Swanmon's face turned from shock, to disbelief, to rage.

Motimon was first to voice the situation. "Oh shi-"

...

Chilomon couldn't breathe. One minute he was in deep space, the next minute he was burning. His vision was blue and red. Electric currents flew through him. Then, he was dunked out of water.

As if the world was a videogame, a huge, digital grid appeared, suspended in the blue sky, and out of it popped a small, green bug. As if it's job was finished, the grid vanished and the bug fell to the earth.

Which was pretty unnoticeable, considering the giant helmet-wearing Chameleon that was currently trashing a mall. Its whiplike tail had just slammed into a non-descript area of the building, and sent a flock of roosting birds packing. "Long live the Allegiance! This is for the Great Chilling!" 

Chilomon realised he had no idea what the Chamelemon was saying, just before he bounced off its head and landed inside the destroyed building. When he opened his eyes, he saw shards of porcelain, wood, and a pair of... shoes?

Connected to the shoes were legs... and... the girl!

Sensing that there would be an awkward silence, he decided to talk first.

"I came to ask if you were okay.
...
Are you okay?"

The Chilomon stared up from the girl's arms, enraptured by her words. At least she seemed OK.

"I think so... What does she look like?" Chilomon was sure that he knew what a mother was. It made him feel sad. Something about mothers was very... sad. The thought that the girl couldn't find her mother was sad too. It made him determined.

Even if his antennae were drooping and his eyes were just slightly watery. He sniffled it away.

But before he could say anything else to help, a deafening barrage of sound surrounded them. Bullets! Whizzing past them! All around them, small, brown shells were embedded into the tiled floors and walls.

"Wait... those aren't bullets! They're acorns!" 

Suddenly, all around them, the acorns burst to life. Green, leafy stems erupted and shot up to the sky, pushing aside rooftops and masonry to make way for their heady stems. 

And also providing a potential route of escape from the rampaging lizard.

A dead electrical wire, hanging from a branch, was quickly being pulled away by a tree's growth.

"Can you hold onto that wire without letting go?" Chilomon suggested, not sure if his charge would understand.

He thought he knew what a beanie looked like - and tall with brown hair was easy to remember. They'd just need to get to higher ground to be able to see her. Which was currently happening, as the girl had taken his advice and was now being pulled upwards by the ascending wire. And they were rising! Rising above and out of the toilets!

But despite the growing forest rising out of the ground, and the fact that they were being carried to the treetops, something was bothering Rinji.

The girl was crying.

He... needed something to distract her. "Hey... what's your name?" It was a good question to ask, right? Everybody liked having a name.

While Rinji was contemplating that, the Chamelemon was busy trashing the mall, seemingly not noticing the tiny beings hitching a ride on the foreign trees that were further infesting the buildings with their roots.

"Amelie. Amy. Ameeee." Rinji tested her name on his tongue. His face furrowed. It sounded familiar, as if he'd heard it before. Or if he was meant to know it.

"I like it," he said. If her mother picked that name, she must've been a good person. Someone that cared. That only made it even more imperative that they find her.

"My name?" He repeated after her. "Umm..."

It wasn't that he didn't know his name. He'd just never told anyone. Maybe it was because the reason why was, well, stupid.

"Rinji... My name is Rinji."

The otherwise pleasant introduction was cut short by an alarming new piece of information.

Amy had found her mother!

"That's her!?" The Chilomon shouted in excitement as he followed her pointing finger. He almost felt like jumping for joy, except he would have fallen straight out of Amy's hands if he did.

Instead, he settled for a big, happy grin. That hadn't been so hard after all!

He only needed to figure out a way to get her down. It had been his idea to tell her to grab the ascending cable, and now it was his responsibility to get her down. Only he was completely and utterly puzzled. Yet as he looked down, saw the car park, the lizard, and the mall, an idea began to form.

But was it a good one? He had to make a decision on the fly. Reckless, unsafe, death-defying. It would likely be all three. Amy had only been sobbing moments earlier from the shock of being so high, and now he'd have to ask her to do a manoeuvre that not even some Digimon would do.

It was awful. He felt awful. Yet at the same time, he felt sure. Sure that he would keep her safe. It was his duty. She wouldn't, no, couldn't get hurt if he was there.

"Amy..." Rinji said gravely while he looked up at her with large, orbicular eyes. "I need you to jump. Jump onto the..." He struggled for the Earth word that she'd understand.

"Lizard," he remembered. "Can you do that for me?"

"I won't let you get hurt. I promise." 

When Amy started her countdown, Rinji felt the adrenaline wash over him. Could it be called that?

He steeled himself.

Two.

His muscles tensed.

Three.

And they flew!

Amy's petite form, an insignificant flea, falling towards the behemoth lizard. Would it be enough? They were only just yards away from making it onto the top of his head.

Rinji suddenly wondered if they would make it at all.

As if time had slowed to a crawl, he noticed something. Amelie's pocket was glowing. And he felt different too. Energised, as if power was pouring into him. Before he knew it, he was glowing too.

Not just glowing, but shining. Shining and shifting into a larger, redder form.

Amelie was no longer holding him. He was holding her.

And they were still falling.

Rinji held onto her tighter. He had an idea, but no time to explain it. Instead, he said two words.

"Scarlet Rain!"

Below them, superheated pellets formed out of thin air. Then they shot straight at the Chamelemon's head like a hail of bullets. The Chamelemon was taken utterly by surprise. His forelegs collapsed. He slumped forwards. The scent of burnt scales filled the air.

At the same time, Rinji tried to shield Amelie from the imminent impact. It was a bit awkward, like a mid-air bear hug.

They hit the lizard hard.

"Ouch," Rinji said in deadpan. His carapace had been the point of impact. The good news? He'd shielded Amy, and they were now sausage rolling off the stunned reptile and onto the concrete.

Rinji ended up on his back, embedded with asphalt and with a young girl protected under his legs. When he pulled them away, he was relieved to see she was still alive.

He didn't move. Instead, he stared at her. "Are you still okay?" He asked. 

"Yeah, I'm... different." Rinji didn't have time to say much else. There was no time to explain, or even to think. Instead, he nodded at Amelie's tug and look gesture.

He carefully let Amelie down, then pushed himself onto his legs and steadied himself for the first time. The newly evolved Digimon stood far taller than Amelie ever had. Looking down at her felt strange. He was the adult now.

"That way, right?" The memory and direction of Amelie's mother was imprinted into his mind. The question had been little more than a superficial reassurance. With the lizard nearby twitching back into action, Rinji opted to do something that would probably be considered dishonourable by most.

He kicked him while he was down with a second Scarlet Rain.

After all, he had a child in tow.

With the lizard down for a few more precious minutes and fire engine sirens calling in the distance, Rinji looked to Amelie. "His fate is the adult's responsibility now," he said in resignation.

"Let's go."

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[Exit Thread]