Remembrance and Closure [Totem Hunt.] [K, Haru]

Aylin looked back as Haru and Tawna arrived "This wasn't how it was supposed to go! Toki was...Toki was talking about being weak and worried about being too reliant on people...when he picked up the spirit totem, it went berserk! He's not in control of himself right now...I-I don't know what to do!" she looked between them and Toki, clearly hurt by the situation. She was in her Champion form, Lekismon.

Toki slammed his fists into the sand and growled "Don't...need your help! Don't need it! Don't need it!" he shouted at the three of them. He grit his teeth and dug his hands into the sand, the particles trembling "Sand Shackles!" he called out as condensed sand darted towards Tawna and Aylin in an attempt to restrict their movement.

Aylin yelped as the sand latched onto her "Toki! Control yourself! Everyone needs help...there's no shame in it!" at this point she knew that they would have to weaken Toki before anything could truly be done. "You two...please help me..." she said to Haru and Tawna before she called out "Tear Arrow!" She drew an arrow of ice from her back and knocked it before she released it towards Toki.

The arrow hit and shattered against Toki's form. He winced, but the damage wasn't as bad due to the stage difference. "I can handle everything on my own! I'll show you all! I'll show everyone what I can do!" he said as he stomped forward.

In his mind, a different battle took place. A younger Toki was at school, alone and studying during break when everyone else was talking about the latest video game or manga volume. What was the point? Where would those get you? Toki just wanted to get through school and keep training at home. He'd run the dojo someday. That's what was important.

The current Toki watched and shook his head, powerless to change this "No...come on, let yourself enjoy life...that's not how I should have lived. That's not how any kid should live." he regretted his decisions back them. He watched as he made some of the other kids upset or angry that he just casually dismissed their hobbies like they were nothing. "Don't say that...please. You're only making it worse. Please..." Toki said, but to no avail.

"Is this the past you didn't want people to see? The one not even you want to revisit?" his spirit sat beside him in their spot floating above the memory classroom. "I've failed you Toki. I should have been a better guide to you. Now our body is on a rampage with us unable to do anything about it until it tires out or is subdued."

"I thought I could do this on my own...but I just couldn't. I must look so pathetic...what if I hurt Aylin or someone else? I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"I...I am sorry. I don't have an answer to that..."

Back in the Shining Sea, Toki stepped closer "Come on! I'll show you what I can do, so bring it on! I'll win...I have to!"

------------

Toki attempts to restrict Tawna and Aylin's movements with Sand Shackles: Conjures streams of sand to latch onto foes in an area and weigh them down, substantially hindering their movement for 2 turns. (3 turn cooldown.)

Aylin fires a Tear Arrow at Toki, dealing slight damage.

Both of his opponents were currently immobilized which gave Toki the perfect opportunity to strike, though how quickly Tawna was managing to get out of the sand irked him. He was about to launch another attack, but the sudden attack from Tawna blasted into him, leaving a searing mark that faded after a moment, though the pain lingered for a time. With a growl, he placed his hands against the sand "Stalagmite...Fortress!" Sharp spires of stone erupted around the area Tawna and Aylin were stuck in. Unfortunately for Aylin, her movement was still restricted, so the attack landed. She recoiled in pain and grit her teeth as she felt more of her energy fade every second afterwards.

Once Aylin regained her footing, orbs of water floated around her hand "Moon Night Bomb!" she punched forward, the orbs flying towards Toki.

He had seen this ability before when she helped fight Antylamon. He lowered down close to the ground as the volley passed overhead. It did, however, slow him down a little, which would give the two of them a chance to escape from their current situation.

Back in Toki's dreams, he continued to watch as his younger self threw away so much time just for the sake of that mindless pursuit. That's what it was. Mindless. What was the point of what he was doing then if he wasn't truly happy with himself or life? With that realization, the dream faded for a moment before reshaping to a different scene a couple of years later.

At this point, Toki was starting high school, and he remained home after school to get his work down and get back to helping his father around the dojo. He was a great student and very diligent, but still sort of hollow as a person. It was at this age he began to feel like he wasn't doing this for himself, but because he thought it was expected of him, which it wasn't. Still, what could he do now? He had no people skills and no real friends to speak of. His father tried to help him get out more, but it didn't really work all that well. Most people he tried to talk to just felt he was too intimidating or not knowledgeable on modern trends to be interesting. This insistence on trends just made Toki lock himself away even more.

Toki watched the lonely days pass by "What was I doing...? Nothing. I can't believe this was me. I look so alone. So lost. If...if I saw someone like that today, I'd do my best to be their friend." he said.

"Then you've grown as a person since then. You can't change the past...all you can do is learn from it and use that knowledge to improve yourself now."

"I...I know..." he still felt awful for what was happening. When would he wake up? Would he be able to before something terrible happened?

----------

Toki his hit by Trichobezoar and takes slight damage from it before retaliating. He manages to dodge Moon Night Bomb from Aylin, but it slows him down to do so.

Stalagmite Fortress: Upon placing their palms on the ground, an area of their choosing erupts in a barrage of earthen spikes. Enemies caught will be damaged and suffer bleed damage for 2 turns (2 turn cooldown.)

Sand Shackles Cooldown: 2 turns remaining.

Toki began to flinch slightly at Haru's words, part of it due to the internal conflict within him slowly resolving itself. Despite this, it seemed he wasn't going to back down just yet "I wanted...to prove I was good at something." he said. There was a solemn tone, a stark contrast to how angry he was before "Now...I have to win. I have to win! If I don't...then everything I've done has been a waste!"

The rage had returned as he dove at the now digivolved Meicrackmon and didn't hesitate in the slightest despite the chillingly violent appearance. "Terra Kick!" he called out as his legs tucked in closer to his body mid-jump. He kicked them out hard towards Meicrackmon with the force of a tumbling boulder.

Aylin sat back, still hurt from the previous attack "No. It's not a waste...anything you do here with that spirit isn't a waste! Anything with your new friends isn't a waste!" he felt a surge of energy "Lekismon, digivolve to...!" the energy formed a data cocoon around her. It burst like a brilliant snowstorm, the form of a tall digimon wielding a crescent-shaped polearm and shield stood in her place "Crescemon!"

While the battle intensified, Toki seemed to stop going through memories and reflected on what he had seen. He was quiet. Antylamon spoke up "Neither of you were in the right, you know. You shutting everyone out wasn't the answer...but neither was them pushing you away. If only someone then managed to break through that small, but regretfully durable barrier..."

"...yeah...but I might not be here today if someone did...and I can't think about life without knowing this all exists. I've grown dependent on it. But that just makes me sound like I'm just using the Digital World as an escape, and that's not fair to those here."

"I never once felt like you were just using us. Everything you've done to help others...whether it was to make you feel better about yourself or not, was still a genuine act of kindness."

All Toki could do was smile, but there were still insecurities that kept him and Antylamon locked away in his subconscious.

----

Toki jumped towards Tawna and attacked with Terra Kick

Terra Kick: Lagosmon leaps at the enemy and kicks with the force of a landslide with both feet.

Aylin spent the turn to digivolve into Crescemon.

Toki froze at Haru's words, this time for a much longer period of time. Aylin prepared to strike, but stopped as soon as Tawna went in for the counterattack. Toki didn't even flinch or yell in pain when Tawna began to drain the Ultimate's energy. All he could do was say, through clenched teeth "No...this isn't what I...want..."

For a moment, all was silence in the dreams, until Toki and his spirit found themselves in the hallway of Toki's old high school. "No, I don't want to see this again!" Toki shut his eyes from the scene, but it was all happening either way. The day when he sent that thug to the hospital.

"You don't want to see this, but what good is hiding from the truth going to do? This is that moment, isn't it? When you became who you are now...when you began to blame your father for your faults. Open your eyes, Toki. Now that you've matured, I want you to tell me...who are you now?"

Reluctantly he opened his eyes when the thug pulled out a knife and sliced Toki's face, the scar of which he reached up and touched. He then watched himself violently beat them down far more than was necessary. Again and again his fist met his face. When he realized what he had down and looked down at his bloodied knuckles, he just shut down and stared blankly at the unconscious teen in front of him. Please be breathing. Please be breathing. That phrase repeated itself in his head until he was taken to the hospital. They had survived the beat down, but that didn't alleviate Toki's fear and self-loathing at the act. For all of his years of training, he had never gone that far against someone. The fact that he could have killed them completely shattered what he wanted.

"You asked who I am now...I still don't know. All I know is I'm someone who regrets that and always will. Needlessly pursuing something that only hurts others without ever actually thinking about why I did it...I didn't heed any martial philosophy...I just wanted to be better than others. Now I just want to be with others. I want to find my place with them and do something more with my life." he said. He thought about the hobbies he had earned recently. Manga collecting, gaming, writing. It was something he never thought of in his younger years and now he knew it wasn't too late to enjoy his life. He barely turned twenty years old. He felt himself begin to drift back to consciousness "I'm sorry, Antylamon..."

All his spirit did was nod once as Toki vanished from sight. Toki carefully pulled away from Tawna and felt his grasp on the Beast Spirit slip before the form faded away to return Toki to his human state. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry everyone." he said as he struggled to even remain standing "That wasn't what I wanted from this. If I had just let go of my petty blame shifting...this wouldn't have happened." he said before he fell back and sat down on the sand.

A boisterous laugh echoed as a tall humanoid form landed nearby and kicked up some of the sand "Good! That! That is growth, young man! You realize the faults that you have struggled with!" whoever this was, they stood far taller than an average person with blazing red hair and a white jacket that billowed in the wind. "I am Ignatius! And I! Am your dear father's Digimon, Gankoomon!" he said and struck an exaggerated, crossed arms pose. Close by, Yosuke appeared and chuckled at his old friend's antics "Forgive him, he's always so hotblooded."

There's an innate intimidation that Toki felt with every fiber of his being despite never having met Ignatius. The presence of this particular Gankoomon was unmistakably familiar to his spirit, but that would be for another time. "Dad...I'm-"

Yosuke raised a hand "Don't. No one is entirely to blame for what happened. Ignatius and I were watching to see what would happen...and I heard a lot. And Ignatius sensed your internal struggle. This was something all of us could have done to fix, but it looks like we're well on our way now." he said with a smile. He knelt down and pat Toki's shoulder "You have a wonderful friend in your spirit. And wonderful friends in Haru, Tawna, and the other Digimon you have met. Both of you, I'm grateful you managed to stop this without us having to intervene."

Toki looked at his father and managed a small smile at his words. "Thank you...it still doesn't excuse how I've felt for so long. I haven't really been the best son." he said. He looked at his digivice and noticed that despite everything, the Beast Spirit was still claimed. The spirit, however, was currently silent.

Yosuke smiled "Nonsense. No one goes through life without hitting a bump in the road. I don't think any less of you, and I'm proud that you've come this far. Now come on, stand up." he stood up and offered his hand.

Toki took Yosuke's hand and stood up. He looked over at Haru, Aylin and Tawna "...are...are we okay?" he asked.

Aylin planted her weapon into the sand and smiled warmly "I am simply happy that you and your spirit are safe. I was worried...and glad I didn't have to fight more than I had to."

-----

Toki was hit by Tawna's Succulent Kiss and took major damage.

Toki has successfully been brought back to his senses.

Toki rubbed his arm nervously and frowned "I..I'm okay. I had a chance to reflect on a lot of things since I was pretty much trapped in my own mind. Everything that happened was because I was too caught up worrying about what I was like before instead of appreciating who I am now and what I have. There were parts of myself I didn't want to admit were my fault, but they were. I repressed so much that it nearly cost me who I was at the end. I've...got to keep my head in the here and now. Who I was...that doesn't matter anymore. I should be happy of who I am now and what I've done for the people I've met in the human world and here in the digital world."

Ignatius gave a wide, beaming and gave Toki a thumbs up "You are indeed Yosuke's son, young man. With people like you, the Digital World has a bright future!"

Yosuke nodded "It makes me happy to hear that this place has had such a positive influence on you. Seeing it again...it takes me back. I remember having to hide Ignatius whenever I brought him to the human world. I guess that's one advantage of being a spirit user." he chuckled.

Toki couldn't help but laugh "You say that, but he seems to have trouble keeping himself hidden once he was strong enough to manifest a bit." However, he soon looked at his digivice again "He's quiet right now. I'm...I'm sure everything's fine, but this was a huge strain on both of us. I feel like we let each other down."

Aylin blushed brightly and broke her higher form's facade of being the calmer of them "I-it's not like that in the slightest. Him and his spirit are dear friends I have been helping for some time now. We met in the desert when he found the totem for Antylamon." she explained. "My name is Aylin. I'm glad to meet more of his friends."

Toki blushed a little as well, but focused his attention on talking to Haru and Tawna again "I'm glad you two were able to make it here. I'm scared on what I would have done if I was alone. If I had hurt you two or Aylin, or worse..." he choked up a little and wiped his eyes "No. I can't focus on those what ifs. I need to learn from this and approach the future with a new perspective. If I wasn't so angry and bitter over things that I can't change, everything would have gone fine."

Ignatius simply nodded and approved of what he said. Such a boisterous, loud Digimon was quite the sight to see next to the more calm and reserved Yosuke.

"What are you going to do now, Toki? You look exhausted...we should get back to the human world so you can rest up." Yosuke said.

Despite this, Toki shook his head "I think I'm going to go for a bit of a walk to think about all of this. I'll be fine. I'll be back soon." he said, looking out towards the sea of sand. Before he left, he addressed Haru and Tawna one more time "I'm really glad we can still be friends after this. I'm lucky to know you two. We'll hang out again soon, okay? And under better circumstances." he said with a smile. After their reply, he would head out on his small journey.

Yosuke sighed and smiled "Still stubborn as always, but I think that's turning into a positive trait for him from here on. What are you all going to do? I think I'll take a tour of the world again." he said.

Aylin bowed her head "I think I will accompany you. It feels like it will be some time before another totem makes itself known, so traveling for the sake of it sounds really nice." she hoped Toki would be okay, but realized it was probably best for him to be on his own.

"And what about you two? Will you be okay from here? You're free to come with us or head on home." he asked Haru and Tawna. Ignatius, meanwhile, was excited about another adventure "Ah, it's been too long, my friend! Much has changed, and I cannot wait for you to see it!"

------

[Exit]