Skip Navigation
Not Your Ordinary Eggs... [Kai]
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 14, 2015 6:07:01 GMT
"I'll see you later!" the young girl cheerfully called to her friend, a bright smile on her face before she turned and took off at a run, unable to contain her energy. That was how she usually was after school; it was so boring to sit around! That wasn't to say she didn't focus on the lessons or try or anything like that, she certainly did. Just...it'd be a lot more fun to be let outside and to run around, and play in the dirt! And play tons of games too, of course.
Her running slowed as she reached the park not too far from her house. She noticed a few other kids her age, but not many. Some people glanced her way, others staring longer than most (after years of living in Japan, she had figured out it was because of her very foreign appearance), but they eventually turned back to their own business.
This was how she usually spent her time after school, if she wasn't with one friend or another. Sometimes she'd even sit in on a club and watch them at work; the older she was getting the more she thought about joining one. Regardless, often she spent her time here until her papa told her he was home from work, which was when she actually headed home.
She was just about to run over to the swing when she paused, frowning as she stared into the bushes. Were those...eggs? They were pretty big eggs, though, and...they were shaking! Her eyes widened in alarm and, in a panic, she quickly scooped them up and hid herself deeper into the bushes.
...Moments later she found herself staring down at two small white...things. One even had cute little wings. And they were making weird noises at her; she was at a complete loss. "U...uhm..." she mumbled, backing up out of the bushes a little; they were following her.
That wasn't good.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 14, 2015 18:59:55 GMT
"Kai! Something's over there!" The white Digimon known as Shiro was speaking very excitedly, like usual. And, like usual, he didn't bother waiting around for Kai, running off into the distance. "Well, Kuro, I suppose we'd best see what's gotten into him this time, before he causes any trouble." The boy directed this to the black Digimon sitting on his shoulder. She was the sister of the excitable white Digimon, but did not share his boundless energy.
"I suppose we'd better," Kuro responded with a sigh. Often, she could hardly believe her brother's ability to find trouble, and today did not appear to be any different. Every time, something seemed interesting, so he ran off without her to protect him, and had to be saved. Every. Time. Today was not shaping up to be any different. She didn't say anything more, just in case they came across a normal human who might wonder why Kai had a talking weasel on his shoulder.
He was growing accustomed to taking Shiro into the depths of the park to stretch his legs, but given that nearly every time he did so, things happened, he was considering finding somewhere else to wear out the energetic white Digimon.
He came across a girl stumbling out of a bush, surprised, just in time to see Shiro dash into it. That wasn't good, had Shiro said something? A talking cat was always a surprise. "Hiya!" Shiro's squeek told Kai two things. There was something else in that bush... And the girl had most certainly heard him talk.
How the heck did he expect to get out of this one?
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 15, 2015 4:37:30 GMT
She opened her mouth when a...something showed up out of nowhere. A cat? It sort of looked like a cat, but at the same time, not. And it was way bigger than one too. And it had actually spoken too! Cats didn't do that! She was just about to respond when she paused, hearing...coo's. The child glanced downwards, even more flabbergasted at the sight before her. Where before there were eggs, now there were only a pair of tiny little white...things, one of them even looking a bit like a tiny angel.
"...What," was the only thing the normally energetic girl said; rarely was she at a loss for words, but now was such a moment. The arrival of an older boy with another something on his shoulder did not help matters at all.
"I, uhm..." nothing had prepared her for something like this, and...were those two tiny things climbing onto her? Ooh they were. This was so bizarre. She stayed seated on the ground, glancing between all the new arrivals before settling on the boy.
He'd come on over, so...maybe he had some idea of what was happening. And even if not, maybe he'd help her. Though, she doubted he had no idea what was going on here since there was a thing on him too. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and composed herself before giving a friendly smile to both the creatures and the boy. No need to forget her manners, even in a situation that ought to be in a dream.
"Can...can you tell me, um. Do you know what is going on...?" she asked, looking up at the boy.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 15, 2015 5:11:03 GMT
Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This was getting complicated. Why was it so complicated? Well, for one thing, two creatures which were obviously Digimon had popped out of the bush, and climbed onto a girl who looked to be not long out of elementary school, if at all. Furthermore, by her reaction, she had never met Digimon before. Also, she had definitely heard Shiro talking. This was a very awkward situation. He supposed he'd better start from the top. Preferably, before Shiro made things more complicated.
He considered lying, but he didn't have enough time to come up with something convincing. But how could he drag a little girl like that into this? It simply felt wrong. "These are... well, they're... " Somehow, just saying 'creatures from another world' felt really bad, but he didn't really have a better way to put it. "Digimon! We're Digimon! Shiro supplied happily, hopping out of the bush. Kai followed through from there. "Digimon are, well, they're creatures from another world. A Digital World. I don't really get how it works. Occasionally, they come to earth and find partners, though I'm not sure why." He rattled off the things he knew about Digimon. It was fraught with 'I don't know,' which annoyed him. Hopefully she understood what he was saying, despite her age.
"These two," He indicated Shiro, the white cat-like creature at his feet at his feet, and Kuro, the elongated creature akin to a ferret or weasel which wrapped around his neck, "Are my partners, KoShiromon and KoKuromon. I call them Kuro and Shiro, though, because in their previous... Oh!" He cut himself off, realizing he hadn't explained Digivolution. "Sorry, I forgot to mention. Digimon grow into new forms through a process called Digivolution. For example, these two looked like hamsters when I met them, then they Digivolved intoi these forms. In that form, they both called themselves Kokkurimon, so I called them Kuro and Shiro to differentiate them, and it stuck." Her wasn't sure what else to explain. "Any questions?"
"I do! What's a hamster?"
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 15, 2015 6:00:23 GMT
She blinked a few times as all of that was explained to her, and honestly...it was a lot to take in, wasn't it? So she just sat there and tried her best to process it, absentmindedly petting the creatures that had now decided to hop into her lap and rest there...or play there, rather. They were bouncing up and down, getting her dress rather dirty, but she didn't seem to mind. "I...I see. This is a lot to take in..." she mumbled, rubbing her head. "So they're things from another world that sometimes come here and find..'partners'?" she summarized the first part of what he said, glancing down at the two creatures in her lap. Did that make them her partners...?
It was a strange thought. Partner for what? The most she'd ever been a partner with anyone for was for school. "And they can change, too?" she spoke a moment later, glancing between the two 'Digimon' this boy had with him. She thought for a few moments before giving a little giggle and glancing up at him. "It's all a lot to learn!" she admitted, slowly standing up, bringing the pair that had been in her lap into her arms instead. "But it's sorta hard to say you're making stuff up when I have the proof right here," she nodded down at her arms, a more confident smile on her face. This was a lot like some fantasy or adventure story, honestly; it was so unreal.
"I guess I'd wanna ask why they come to be partners...but you said you dunno that," she tilted her head a bit as she thought. "Ah! How come they change like that...? Is anything different 'sides how they look?" the girl added a moment later, just so he understood clearly what she was asking. "...And how'd you know their names? These two are just making lots of weird noises, like babies do," she paused before glancing to the Digimon that had asked that question. Ah, right! "A hamster's an animal! It's small and furry and is really cute!" she...honestly wasn't sure how to describe a hamster without just giving him a picture, though.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 15, 2015 6:24:38 GMT
Kai knew exactly what she meant. A few weeks ago, he had been in her position, learning about Digimon with no clue as to what was going on. If he hadn't met Yui, he probably would have thought he was going insane. Fortunately, she seemed to be taking it well. He wasn't sure what exactly was supposed to happen when non-tamers found out about Digimon, but by all accounts, it wasn't good. Though, he supposed the girl could be a tamer. Sure, she was far younger than any other tamer he'd met, but that didn't mean much. And while she didn't seem to have found her Digivice, well, it had taken Kai a week. Secretly, though, he hoped she wasn't. He'd seen how dangerous this side of the world could be, and didn't like subjecting a young kid like this to it.
"Sorry, I don't really know that either. As for how I know their names, Kuro and Shiro were quite talkative from the start. Especially Shiro." Kuro, unable to take Kai's lack of knowledge any further, spoke up. "My dear partner, do shut up. The reason why they don't speak, is because they can't. They're clearly babies, fresh from the egg. I'm sure they'll be talking happily once they Digivolve, which I imagine will happen any second. You see, Digimon grow by Digivolving. We're not humans, we don't slowly get larger as time passes. We're digital beings, we grow as we accumulate data. Once enough builds up, poof, we evolve into a new form. When you met Shiro and I, we were in the form known as in-training, a step up from the 'fresh' level of these two. Our current form is known as Rookie. As for why Digimon form partners, it's because humans aid growth. By supplying energy through the Digivice, a tamer can produce a temporary Digivolution in a partner. Of course, there are cases where otherwise normal Digimon exhibit a similar ability, but it is far more common with human partners."
Kai was surprised, he didn't think he'd ever heard her say so much at once. Heck, he wasn't sure even Shiro had ever talked that much. "Okay... Uhh, why didn't you tell me this earlier?" was all Kai could say. "You never asked," Came the vaguely smug reply. Realizing that Kuro's explanation involved a Digivice, which he couldn't be sure whether or not the girl had, though he didn't see one, he took his own out. "This is a Digivice, by the way."
"Small, furry and cute? That fits me to a T!" Quipped Shiro, paragon of humility that he was, finally finding a break in Kai and Kuro's lecture on Digimon. Kai was vaguely amazed that the white Digimon hadn't simply interrupted.
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 15, 2015 7:10:28 GMT
"Um..." the girl simply stared at the creature that had just spoken to her, looking positively perplexed as she tried to consider all her words. She sure liked to speak a lot..and use big words. But it wasn't like Paige was dumb, or anything of the sort; she was sure she'd get it if she just thought about it for a little while.
"I...I suppose you are," she spoke to the other Digimon, just to distract herself momentarily before focusing on the other pair once more. "...Oh, wait!" she quickly hurried back into the bush the eggs had been in, emerging just a moment later with something in hand. "I...this was laying near the eggs. I just sorta...didn't notice it," she admitted. Not a surprise, given the surprise of this whole situation. Not many people would notice a small device like that.
"Basically! What you told me is that uhm...Digimon suddenly get all big and stuff once they eat enough 'data'?" she asked of the Digimon that had told her so much. "And that they get partners 'cause partners help to make that happen quicker. That seems simple enough. Even if it is pretty weird," she admitted, giggling just a bit. At least now she had an understanding of it all.
"You're Shiro, I assume," she spoke to the Digimon that had found her first; the boy said he was quite talkative, and this one seemed to be just that. "And Kuro..." she nodded to the other Digimon before eyeing the boy. "But I dunno your name! My name's Paige Mikuni, and I appreciate this very much!" the girl proclaimed, even going so far as to bow just a little bit. It was only the polite thing to do when somebody was helping you. She had to count herself lucky that someone had just stumbled upon her, too, right after she found the eggs.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 15, 2015 18:51:54 GMT
Oh come on. It had taken him so much time, worrying about whether or not he was actually a tamer, and this girl's Digivice was just sitting there? At least it proved his suspicions, that she, despite her age, was indeed a tamer. A shame. Digimon were dangerous. He didn't like letting a young lady like this be in that kind of danger. But, what could he do about it? It's not like he could turn back time and prevent her from finding her partners. All he could do was try to prepare her for the dangers ahead.
"Close enough... For a human." Kuro, satisfied that her partner's ignorance had been cleared up, settled back down to rest.
"That's right! Shiro is Shiro!" The white Digimon proclaimed proudly. Kai started to wish he'd given them more creative names than 'black' and 'white,' though at the time, he hadn't had the luxury of thinking. "Oh! Pardon my rudeness. I'm Kai, Kai Haimura. And trust me, I was where you are, not too long ago. It can be a lot to take in all at once." In his case, he had been saved by the timely arrival of Yui Kimura, who had since become a good friend.
Speaking of his meeting with Yui, "Be careful, by the way. It's bad for people who aren't associated with Digimon to see them. According to a friend, if they're seen, they'll be taken away. Don't ask me who, I haven't taken the risk to try and find out. Oh! And another warning, not all Digimon are friendly. I haven't met bad ones other than in the Digital World, but I know people who've been attacked in the real world. Be careful." He wasn't necessarily the best person to explain this stuff. He kept forgetting important things, and having to go back to them. But he was the only one here to help, right now, so he had to keep trying.
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 17, 2015 4:04:28 GMT
"Mmh," she gently picked the Digivice up, a thoughtful look on her face as she eyed it. Digimon, partners from another world...it was a strange thought, but she sort of liked the sound of that. She had plenty of friends already, what was two more? Even if they weren't humans, who cared about that? "It is! A lot to take in, I mean. But...I think I'll manage. Or I hope I will," she said, letting out a giggle as she looked back to the trio.
The two Digimon she had found seemed to be having a...staring contest? It seemed to be that. They had hopped off her lap and were intensely staring at each other, near the bush they had hatched in. She eyed them a moment and shrugged, maybe that was just how young Digimon were, or maybe her partners were strange. Either way, it wasn't of any real importance, now was it? "So...you're saying that it's bad if they're seen? And that bad Digimon might exist?" she asked, frowning a bit as she looked at the little pair. "I won't let them be seen, then...but even if they are, somehow, no one's gonna take them from me," she said firmly, her voice full of determination.
That was just how she was; even if she didn't know what or who a problem might be, she'd still be willing to face it head-on, no matter the consequences or odds. Heck, even if she still did know the who or what, she'd probably still be just like that. "But what do you mean about the bad Digimon stuff? Are you sayin' they're gonna have to fight...?" she wondered, glancing back to them once more. "But...but that's dangerous."
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 17, 2015 4:35:03 GMT
Kai hoped that the girl... That Paige was right. "Speaking from experience, it's not really you that decides whether or not they're seen. For example, take how I met you. Shiro noticed something, I can only presume it was those two," Kai pointed to the two small Digimon which were playing with each other, "And he ran right over. I couldn't stop him. If other people where around, he'd be seen. I'm fortunate that he looks like a cat, and so from a distance won't be called out. Most people I've met, haven't been so lucky." There, that should prove his point.
"Hah! Dangerous for them, maybe!" Shiro had immense confidence in his own combat abilities, which was not reflected in his current record. "Shiro, be a dear and be quiet, will you? She doesn't care about your hyperinflated ego." "Hyperwha what? Sounds cool!" Shiro said, far more proudly than he probably should.
Shiro was definitely not helping, but Kai tried to salvage the situation. "Sorry about him. He means well... He just has the attention span of a goldfish." If Shiro wasn't busy bickering with Kuro, he probably would argue that... For maybe three minutes, until he forgot why he was arguing. "Yes, Digimon fight. The person who taught me about Digimon used the phrase, 'built for fighting.' It's not obvious now, but once you've seen them in evolved forms, it's a lot more obvious. And it is most certainly dangerous. Not just for the Digimon, but the tamer can get caught up in the fight."
You have to understand, this is normal for Digimon. Remember how I said that they Digivolve after acquiring data?" Sure, that theory was just conjecture, but it was consistent with what he'd seen. "Well, the Digimon I call bad Digimon don't wait around for the data to accumulate. They gather it by taking the data of other Digimon. That's why Digimon fight. Without Tamers, they need to fight to either take data, or to defend themselves from Digimon who want to take their data. It's not pleasant, but it's how it is."
He himself had been well accustomed to Digimon, and ones more fierce than Kuro, Shiro, or the new two, when he'd first been told that Digimon were made for battle. Maybe he should have left that out, given how upset it had made her... No, she had to be told. Now was better than later, too, since she could be attacked at any time.
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 17, 2015 5:01:07 GMT
The girl shook her head soon after he spoke. "That isn't what I said. I said I'm not gonna let anyone take them away. That isn't the same as making sure they're never seen," she said. Already she could tell it'd be...difficult to keep the two near her under control. She would try her best, of course, but she believed Kai when he said it was likely they'd be spotted eventually. And if so...so what? They were her friends, and she wasn't about to just let someone take her friends away from her, no matter who they were.
"And it's alright. It's just how he is," she said with a giggle, smiling at the hyperactive Digimon. She didn't mind it, but hopefully her own pair weren't like him...it would be a bit troubling to have a Digimon with that much energy near her all the time. When he spoke again, she once more went quiet, and stayed that way even as he finished, a frown on her face.
Digimon were built for fighting...looking at her two partners, and at the two with Kai, she would never have gotten that impression. They seemed...they seemed just like people, aside from how they looked. Were they really built for fighting...? She doubted Kai would lie to her, though, so it had to be the truth.
"So Digimon fight because they want to stay safe from bad Digimon?" she questioned. That seemed to be the core of what he was saying, but that couldn't be all. Fighting had to come naturally to Digimon, bad ones or not, based on what he said before. The girl let out a sigh and rubbed her head. "Then...then doesn't that just mean I have to make sure they're as strong as they can be? So that...I don't lose them. They're my friends, after all, even if they don't know that yet," she glanced downwards, softly smiling as she knelt and picked the pair up; they were so very tiny.
"So! All I have to do is make sure they're real tough, that way nothing bad can happen to me or them," she said it casually, but there was determination behind her words. She seemed set on this idea of hers. "Say. You said they came from another world, right? Would ya happen to know how someone would even get there?" she asked, pausing when she realized how bad that sounded in conjunction with what she last said.
"Not that I'm gonna go there! Just...if I need to go there for whatever reason, it'd be bad not to know how to get there, right?"
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 17, 2015 5:31:53 GMT
Kai was fairly certain that she had, in fact, said that she wouldn't let them be seen. But he let it go. He couldn't prove it, even if he had. Apparently, Shiro's outburst had cheered her up slightly from the idea of Digimon fighting. That was a positive, at least.
"That, or to take the data from another Digimon." It was fortunate that she understood. Kai had half expected that she would insist on believing that Digimon shouldn't be fighting. Still... Her proposed solution betrayed her youth. "It would be nice if it worked that easily. Digimon grow, but they don't grow that quickly! Take Shiro and Kuro, for instance. They're in the Rookie stage. They've been there for two weeks, without showing any sign of Digivolving again. And in that time, I've had several occasions where people with stronger partners had to bail me out. Making them as strong as they can be requires time, which you don't necessarily have."
Paige already wanted to go to the Digital World? Uh-oh. If she did, it was asking for a whole lot of trouble. He hadn't yet been to the Digital World without it ending in some sort of fight. But... He couldn't just refuse to tell her. After all, Hadn't Yui taught him the first time they met? Or rather, she'd told him she'd bring him along next time she went. While in Kai's experience the Digital world was dangerous, maybe there were good reasons to go there. Still, he didn't like the idea of her going alone... But somehow, asking a little girl to get on a train to another world with him seemed slightly too creepy. He weighed his options.
"Alright, but don't go there alone. As I said, I've had several occassions where I've needed people stronger than me to keep me out of trouble. Now, trust me, this is going to sound weird. The entrance to the Digital World... Is in the Shibuya Train Terminal." He paused for a second to let it sink in. "Once there, you use your Digivice with the scanner, and when you continue to the platform, it will be different from the normal platform. I'm not clear on what it looks like to people who are going to the normal platform, it seems to me like people disappearing would cause a panic. Anyways, from this other platform, a digimon named Trailmon, who looks like a train, will arrive, and transport people between the human world platform and its Digital World counterpart in Terminus City, the city of the Digimon.
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 17, 2015 5:47:09 GMT
"Yeah, but you said only bad Digimon do that, right?" she questioned, frowning a bit as she thought about it. It sounded like loading the data of another Digimon was not a great thing, but then again, that was just her gut speaking. She didn't know that for sure. "...Is there a difference between loading data and...something happening to a Digimon?" she felt she didn't need to specify what that something was, she was sure he was old enough to get at what she was hinting at there. She just didn't want to come out and say it because...well, it was scary to think about.
"And I guess, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna try to make them as strong as I can as quickly as I can! If I didn't, I wouldn't be keeping them safe! And that's what..." she trailed off, thinking for a few moments. "Tamers! That's what you said. That's what tamers are supposed to do right? Keep their partners safe," or so she guessed. It was the only thing she had an idea about on what tamers might have to do, aside from the obvious of helping their Digimon with other things too.
She frowned a bit when he said it was the train station. That seemed rather...mundane, and really problematic too. After all, there'd be tons of other people around! And if only people with Digivices could get into the Digital World...people would probably freak out whenever someone vanished like that. "So...what I gotta do is get my pretty thingy...the Digivice scanned by the scanner, and then get on the train that's gonna be on the different platform. That seems...simple, I guess! I hope people don't notice me if I ever hafta go there, though..." she said, looking troubled.
She wasn't too eager to go to the Digital World right away, to say the least. Sure, her papa wasn't around a ton, but he was sometimes, and she was sure he'd be worried if she just disappeared. Maybe she could convince him that she was heading off to a friend's house for the weekend or something, if she ever had to leave...it was something to think about, though she would hate to lie to him.
"Alright! I won't go there alone. But uhm...who should I go with, then? You? 'Cause I dunno anyone else..." she trailed off, thinking. "Are there usually other people with Digimon at the station? Maybe I'd be able to go with one of them."
|
|
|
Post by Kai Haimura on Dec 17, 2015 6:14:38 GMT
"Well, bad is relative. To us, they're bad, because they attack other Digimon. To them they're doing it because they have to in order to survive... Or because they're bad and enjoy hurting others." Was he seriously trying to explain ethics to a child that young? Even if she understood, it probably wasn't a good thing. As for her other question, he wasn't actually sure. Well, Digimon were made of data, so when their data was taken, they probably would cease to exist, right? And Yui's partner had said that Shiro would die if hit by a car. "Well... Digimon do die, and I presume that's happens when their data is taken."
"I suppose you're right about us protecting our partners. Though, from what I've seen, they're more likely to keep you safe after a certain point. It's just, as Kuro explained, humans supply energy for Digimon to Digivolve. That way, they can grow without having to fight and take the data of others. Or, they can fight opponents they'd usually be unable to do anything against." He paused, remembering how little Kuro and Shiro had been able to do against Boogiemon, compared to Loli and Pop.
Here he'd just decided not to offer to go with her, and she was asking him? He knew full well he was unqualified for the job. SHiro may act like he was the strongest, but when it came down to it, he wouldn't be able to save Paige if a digimon like Boogiemon attacked again. "Sorry, but as I've said, Kuro and Shiro are still rookie stage. If it came down to it, I wouldn't be able to protect you. You should find someone stronger than me to go with." He paused for a second and thought. He shouldn't pass this off onto an unnamed stranger. He felt rather responsible for the girl. "If you can't find someone trustworthy, though... I suppose I'd be better than going alone." he conceded finally.
|
|
|
Post by Paige Mikuni on Dec 17, 2015 6:30:52 GMT
"Okay, but...I'd say a bad Digimon is one that just attacks without having been attacked first," she commented. Unlike most kids her age, she did have a rather strong sense of justice to her, so this subject was something she wasn't completely unfamiliar with.
In fact, she thought about right and wrong a lot; probably because of the bad things her mother had done. "So it's Digimon like that that we have to protect ourselves from," she added a moment later, managing to wriggle one of her hands around enough to pet one of the Digimon currently held in her arms. "...I still hope we don't get into lots and lots of fights, though," she added, sighing. She didn't want to...kill anyone, but if they were bad and insisted on fighting, there wouldn't be much she could do, unfortunately.
"And right. I remember her saying that. So...I guess in a way, we protect each other, right? We protect them by being there for them to let them grow bigger, and when they're bigger, they protect us," she said, considering her words as she spoke. There was a lot that went into this Digimon stuff...not a surprise, given the fact that these were creatures from another world they were talking about.
She let out a reluctant nod as he spoke next. So the Digimon with him could only reach Rookie...? That was a surprise to Paige; he seemed to know a lot about all this stuff already! And now she knew all that too, and she hadn't even stepped foot in the Digital World herself. "I see...well thanks anyway! I'll be sure to try and find ya if I ever wanna go there," she gave him a smile. "Uhm, is there anything else that's important that ya need to tell me? You've already told me a lotta stuff."
|
|
|