An Afternoon of Gaming

When Hawk told Jen that each Digimon looked different, it was clear she wouldn’t be getting any specific details to look for. So as he led her and Sam around the arcade, she could only watch out for for something unusual. In any way.

But even though she didn’t know what to except, she was still surprised when Hawk suggested Space Ace. And not just because of how weird it was to see it in Japan. "You...want me to play it?" she said, approaching the machine. "And that'll...bring out the...?" She trailed off as she thought about it. How would this work, exactly? Did Digimon tend to hide in things? This didn't look like a game that spit out tickets.

She figured she'd just have to see for herself. "Worth a try."

So she dropped her coins in and got to playing. It took a few tries to get anywhere without dying; she had to figure out how it worked and which buttons they wanted you to press at which time. But eventually, she started to get the hang of it. For the time being, she forgot about this Digimon thing and focused on keeping that Space Ace guy alive for as long as possible. It was on her longest run yet, during a nasty encounter with a space monster, when a blinding light flashed in front of her eyes. Like someone was taking her picture, only this one lingered just a little too long.

Her hands slipped off of the controls and her eyes shut tight, and she didn’t open them again until the light was gone. Of course, the few seconds it had been there was enough to get her a game over. “Wow,” she said. “Rude.”

But as she reached into her pocket to grab more change, she found...something else. Something much bigger, much bulkier, than a few 100 yen coins. “Wha…?”

She pulled it out of her pocket to inspect it. It was...some kind of electronic device. Kind of like a walkie-talkie with its little antenna sticking out, but it also had a screen. And buttons: one tiny button, two bigger buttons, and a...directional pad?

“What is this,” Jen said, mostly to herself, “and how the heck do I have it?”

Patamon was having lots of fun in this weird new city, but he wished he wasn’t stuck in a box.

He didn’t really mind the box. It was see-through, so he could still look around, and there were all these new Digimon friends to keep him company. A big pile of them, and they were all his size, too. It was just that none of these new friends were very friendly. No one wanted to talk to him, not even when he asked very, very nicely.

Oh, well. Maybe the Digimon in here weren’t very nice, but they were soft. Soft and squishy, like pillows. So Patamon was very comfortable. And soon, he couldn't help but drift off to sleep…

~~~~~~

Jen looked over at Sam’s device, and apart from the color scheme, it was exactly the same as her own. She turned her attention back to what she now knew was her Digivice, running her fingers along the rubbery grips.

When Hawk spoke, she looked up. “Meant to have a Digimon? What do you…? Does this mean I…?” Was she...locked into this now?

She shook her head. “Sure. Let’s go.” And she pressed on, staring down machine after machine. None of them looked suspicious; the racing and drumming games were the same as ever, and nothing was hidden on the ground near them, either.

After a little while, she stopping walking and leaned against the wall, right next to a crane game full of stuffed Hello Kitties and characters she didn’t recognize. “I never was that good at looking for things,” she said.

But as she stood there, eyes closed...she heard something. A voice, muffled, from directly to the right of her. Where the crane game was.

“Heeeeeehhh…haaaaa.”

Her head shot up. Was one of those Hello Kitties...breathing?

Jen knew she had to investigate. She couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary from the side of the machine, so she moved around to the front of it. And soon, she found it: one of the “stuffed animals,” a yellow and white little guy with wings, was slowly expanding and shrinking back down again. Breathing in...and out.

If anything in this room was a Digimon, this was it.

Next thing she knew, someone was grabbing her from behind and pushing her. “Ah!” she said. “Oh. Hawk. Okay. Um...sure.” She looked back at the creature. Rescuing them was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?

“You may have to be patient,” she said as the crane rose from its resting position. “These things are a lot harder than they look.” But that didn’t mean she wasn’t willing to try. To the best of her ability, she guided the crane to the Digimon’s approximate position, and when it looked like it was there, she pushed the “drop” button. The crane opened up...lowered itself...lowered even more...and finally, it closed.

On a spot approximately two inches from the Digimon.

Oh, well. Maybe she’d have better luck next time. But next time came, and the time after that, and still no luck. She almost got it one time, but the Digimon rolled over just as the crane was about to touch them.

“If I could just get it to poke them or…” she said to herself. But then she realized she was likely still being watched, and, feeling self conscious, Jen turned around. “Would either of you know any strategies?”

Of course! Waking them up without using the crane! She couldn’t believe she didn’t think of that.

Though she did wish they didn’t have to cause a scene. As Hawk banged on the glass, she turned around and opened her mouth to say something about how frustrating these games were. But, remembering the crowd might not understand her, she just gave them an apologetic shrug.

It turned out all the ruckus was worth it, however, because...it worked. The Digimon’s eyes, big and blue, slowly blinked open. And soon, they were staring right at Jen and company.

“Great!” Jen said. “Thanks, Hawk.” And she turned to the Digimon and waved. “Hi!”

The yellow blob stuck their little stump of an arm in the air and waved back.

Jen continued. “I’m gonna get you out of there.
I’m going to start up the machine, and you’re going to grab onto that...giant metal…claw thing.”

The creature tilted their head to the side.

“The crane!” she said, a little louder. But when she got no reaction, she figured it was better to demonstrate. She started the game up once more and brought the crane as close to the Digimon as possible. They looked up at it but didn’t do anything.

“Now jump up into it.” Wait, no, they couldn’t hear her. To get the point across, she started jumping up and down herself, jamming her finger against the window where the crane was.

The Digimon only watched as she kept jumping and throwing her hands around, but soon she got a reaction. They smiled and started nodding their head up and down along with her. She shot her hand into the air as if to say “Up! Go up!”

And finally, the Digimon leaped upward. Straight into the crane, too. “Phew.”

Jen turned around to face Hawk and Sam. “Would one of you mind putting your hands in the little slot there to catch? I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

Jen’s heart skipped a couple beats when the Digimon came plummeting down. But just seconds later, they were in safe hands. All the tension rushed out of her. “Thank you, Sam.”

Patamon, meanwhile, just nodded when Sam asked if he was okay, looking up at her with eyes wide. He’d never been this close to one of the big Digimon before.

Hawk spoke up next, and Jen wondered if it was possible to know this little creature was a he. But a Digimon would know better than her, she supposed. 

Hawk was right--he was little. Like a baby, lying face up, his wings folded down like bunny ears on a onesie. So Jen was sure to be careful as Sam handed him over. But the instant she touched him, something...stirred inside her. A ripple of excitement, or comfort, or...something. Something that felt right, and she didn’t know why.

Maybe it was because he was so cute! Look at this little guy, she thought to herself. He was all small, and orangey-yellow, and puffy, like… “Like a cheeto.”

“Cheeto!”

Jen jumped. “Did I say that out loud?”

“Cheeto!”

Oh, geez. Everyone was staring. “Uh...Cheeetoooo!” Jen said in her best imitation of the Digimon’s voice. “I’m so hungry!” Looking back at Sam and Hawk in the hopes they’d follow her, she bolted out of there and ducked into the nearest quiet room.

After checking that her companions were still there, she looked down to the Digimon. “You have to be quiet, okay?”

Patamon lowered his voice to a whisper. “Okay.”

“Good.” Looked like he could understand at least some of what she was saying. “Anyway, hi! My name is Jen!” She tilted him so he could see the others. “What’s your name, little guy?”

“CHEETO!!”

“Shhhh.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Cheetooo.”