Skip Navigation
Echoes of a Forgotten Past [Toki]
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Sept 3, 2019 12:50:58 GMT
The Digital World was always going to be full of surprises, and secrets, and one part of KIZNA involved exploration and unearthing secrets that lay underneath. Recently, rumours had been quickly swirling about an old sword hidden somewhere deep within the Valley of Dragons. Reports said that in ancient times, this sword was capable of bringing great devastation in the wrong hands, but in the hands of a hero, it was said that entire armies would be utterly obliterated upon a single swing.
But in the present era, the sword was nothing more than a shadow of it's former self, drained of all it's power, and now, sought out by collectors and archaeologists alike for both it's historic and commercial value. And if anyone had to get their hands on it, it would be KIZNA, so they could uncover more of the history of the old Digital World.
And that's where our story starts us today. Kenny and Skadi were waiting around at the Rustpost Trailmon station. With summer coming to a close in both worlds, the weather here felt only mildly cooler than normal, compared to the record breaking heat that it usually experienced. And Kenny and Skadi had packed well, bringing enough water, food, and supplies to keep them up throughout the journey. Having just got there, Skadi had made herself comfortable in her seat and was now kicking her legs a little impatiently, while Kenny eased himself.
On a whim, Kenny pulled out his D-Nexus to check the time. 9:50AM. Toki, as promised, would be showing up roughly around then, if not in the next 10 minutes. Hopefully his Trailmon wasn't running late. Otherwise there would be a few snags.
Speaking of, the idea that Toki friggin' Akiyama of all people was going to join their little expedition was a little exciting; occasionally in the Digital World, nobody in the group could go at least 5 minutes before somebody nearby would talk him up like if he single handily solved world hunger and saved their kitten from a tree in the span of a day. It was like if Clark Kent had personally contacted them and agreed to help.
Instinctively, Skadi turned her head to Kenny to ask, "Hey, Kenny? When's Toki going to get here?"
"Give me a minute, Skadi," He said, typing a message on his D-Nexus to Toki, "He'll be over in like a minute or two." With that, he hit the 'send' button and sent the message over to Toki, before turning back to smile at Skadi, "I'm just, like, really glad Toki's agreed to help us today. I just wonder what he's like, I've never really gotten to see him in person before." He leaned back on his seat and threw his arms against his head.
"I bet he's like some sort of superhero or something!" Skadi guessed, her feet kicking a little more, "At least we feel a little more safe with a bit of extra help. I'm... not exactly good at withstanding fire attacks."
Kenny grinned before ruffling Skadi's hair once again, making her giggle affectionately, "Dude, I have like 2 Seadramon cards, you'll be fine girl. Trust me." He said, giving her a thumbs up. Skadi nodded happily, before leaning into her Tamer's arms for a quick hug, which he willingly accepted. Hopefully, he wouldn't catch them like this. Hopefully.
DrMothman: We're at the Rustport Trailmon station. How long will you be, Toki?
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Sept 4, 2019 8:29:40 GMT
MoonRabbit: I'll be there in a few minutes, just had to do some last minute preparation! ---
The Trailmon would soon come into view and begin to slow down in front of the station, where it would remain for a time. In the distance, a tall young man was walking towards the station alongside a smaller figure. He wore a large backpack full of supplies for the trip. Rope, food, water, everything that could potentially be useful. His blue and white, star-patterned scarf swayed slightly in the breeze. Not only was he really tall, his dark tan complexion made him stand out as well, especially compared to the tiny companion that followed him. Aylin, the Lunamon, also had a backpack full of supplies, but more archaeological gear and such. It's a wonder how she was so easily carrying everything like that considering the bag was almost as big as she was.
Toki stepped onto the station and approached Kenny and Skadi, holding a hand out to them "Hi! I'm Toki. I take it you're Kenny and Skadi?" He asked. If they shook his hand, his grip was gentle. He never liked the overly firm handshake. It always seemed unnecessary to him. "It's good to meet you in person. I take it this is the Trailmon to the Valley? We're all set and ready to go then?" He asked with a friendly smile.
Aylin waved happily "Hi, I'm Aylin! I'm glad Toki let me know about this little adventure. I think I've heard of this sword from my studies long ago, but whatever information there was didn't help figure out where it was...the fact that it's resurfaced is amazing but also a little scary...we need to make sure that these sword doesn't get into the wrong hands on the off chance it can be restored to its former power. But! I am really excited to search for it all the same."
Toki smiled warmly at Aylin's excitement as he knelt down to gently pat her head "In that case let's get going, shall we? No need to keep this adventure on hold for too long!" He said as he stepped inside the Trailmon and took a seat next to Aylin. Whenever Kenny and Skadi got on the Trailmon, Toki decided to keep the small talk going "So how long have you been adventuring here in the Digital World? A little while I'm guessing if you've already found work with KIZNA. I hope your adventures together have been special."
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Sept 5, 2019 7:49:40 GMT
Almost immediately after that little conversation, Kenny's D-Nexus would buzz once again, forcing him and Skadi to break off from the hug so he could read his message. "Seems like he's nearly here, Skadi." He noted, as the Valaismon tried to look at the message. Speak of the devil too, as when the Trailmon Worm showed up to the station, so too would Toki, himself accompanied by what seemed to be his partner, a Lunamon, both looking to have packed well for this little excursion.
As they both stood up and turned around to greet the two, what seemed to catch Kenny off guard so far was that as Toki greeted them himself, he stood a foot taller than him, practically towering over him, to boot. But thankfully, as he came to shake their hand, they found that his grip was gentle. "Yes, yes we are." He gently smiled at Toki, still taken a little aback at how tall the boy was, while Skadi looked upon him happily, "You came at the right time, this Trailmon's going to take us over to the Valley of Dragons." He glanced over to the Lunamon following him, Skadi following in cue, "And who's that cute little fella over there?" He asked, while Skadi nodded in interest.
They'd get their answer, as the Lunamon introduced herself as Aylin, explaining her reasons why she tagged along with Toki, and her excitement for the quest. Skadi grinned eagerly at the Lunamon's optimism, "That's great!" She told her, "We're working as part of KIZNA to find the sword and hopefully take it back to Ys, so we can study it, and figure out more about the Digital World's past in general, and keep it safe to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands." It was clear she hadn't read the Tamernet posts (Kenny had learnt his lesson from when Skadi stole his D-Terminal from him).
"And besides," Kenny added, "It's great we got a couple extra hands on board to help up with this little quest, especially someone so well known around here." He chuckled with a wink aimed at Toki. With that, he and Skadi would follow him onto the Trailmon, taking their seats next to them. Or Kenny at least; Skadi would lay onto his lap once again. It was one of her favourite spots to rest on, and Kenny was practically used to it at this point.
If anything, Toki seemed perfectly aware of what KIZNA was, and he asked them about their adventures together. Kenny chuckled once before patting Skadi, "Oh yeah, they've been very special. Especially very recently; shortly after joining KIZNA, there was this whole fiasco during Golden Week in the real world where all these Digimon showed up, then Archnemon and her cronies threatened to cause havoc in the Entertainment District, but luckily, one of our members, a very cute Gomamon X, may I add, led this peaceful protest to prevent things from escalating, and it worked. And Skadi here even made a new friend along the way." He ruffled his partner's hair, as if to remind her of a job well done for what she did.
"After that," He continued, "We've gone on a training mission with another member to hone our survival and camping skills. And to be honest with you," He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "I haven't exactly done it before. At least it helped us improve in a lot of ways. Just think, I probably wouldn't have done all this if I never met Skadi that cold January afternoon." He sighed happily. It was a quite a scary time, but also exciting. How odd that his life had changed a lot for the better thanks to these creatures.
"Just goes to show you, Kenny." Skadi laughed, "Life can be full of surprises sometime."
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Sept 5, 2019 8:55:01 GMT
Toki blushed a bit and scratched at his cheek at the mention of him being well known "Well known...? Hm...I suppose I am." He said with a slight chuckle. He did throw himself at pretty much every danger that presented itself. He watched as Skadi rested in Kenny's lap. He smiled warmly at their connection with one another. Skadi was also impossibly adorable to Toki, so that was definitely a plus.
His expression shifted slightly at the mention of Golden Week. He sighed deeply as Aylin placed her hand on his arm. She looked up at him sympathetically "You had your own situation at Golden Week, huh? I didn't want to have to talk about that one so soon." He admitted before he crossed his arms "The group I was with had it rough that day. Honestly...that's putting it very mildly. We met with DATS because a few friendly Digimon were making themselves known and wanted to help bridge the gap between our people. I was so happy...so happy that someone was brave enough to take that step...that we were so close to finally reaching some kind of understanding. Then...we were under attack by another group of Digimon. A few champions that we managed to convince to help us, and a few Ultimates. While we managed to defeat them...well, quite a lot of damage was done. Not just to the area, but some humans now just...fear Digimon. It's...not fair." He said, looking clearly troubled about it. "I might as well get this out of the way. When I defeated the leader, Matadrmon, I loaded his data...at his request. Normally I would never even consider loading as a possibility. Ever...but he was so torn with grief, madness and rage that...it just felt like a mercy." he said, squeezing his arms tightly around himself.
Aylin frowned and held his hand gently "You did what you thought was right, Toki...please don't do this to yourself, okay?" She said, trying her best to support him.
Toki nodded "Yeah...sorry, you're right." He said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Sorry...sorry, I didn't mean to ramble about what happened on my end. I'm extremely happy that your experience worked out so well. I hope there were humans there who could vouch for the Digimon who want to coexist with us." He was genuinely happy to hear about Kenny and Skadi's experience.
Aylin smiled as Toki looked like he was feeling better "Yeah! I wish I was there to support Toki, but I was at the Blossom Isles getting help rebuilding the monastery on the southern island. I would have been there in a heartbeat to help out." Well that certainly raised a few questions. Aylin wasn't there, yet Toki spoke of defeating the enemy Digimon leader. Was Aylin not his partner? If she wasn't, who was? There didn't seem to be anyone else with them.
"Hey, if I can't beat myself up, you can't either Aylin." He said with a laugh as he pet one of her ears. The two were still close friends though. He looked back at Kenny and Skadi "Survival and camping, hm? Definitely vital skills if you're going to be out here for a long time. I could do with learning a bit more about it myself. I can do basic meal preparation, set up a tent and the usual necessities, but I could always learn more. How did you two meet anyway? Did Skadi wind up in the human world and you found her, or did you find her in the Digital World after stumbling in? Funny story, I was actually pushed in the the Shibuya River by some thugs and woke up near the Village of Beginnings."
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Sept 8, 2019 12:20:10 GMT
A few days after the Golden Week incident, Kenny had heard rumblings about what happened in the other areas. But all he heard from Yuuki was 1. a few other events had gone down around or at the same time (as they were going home that night, they could spot Tiger and Jiro fly off into the sky), and 2. one of the incidents actually did go to hell, potentially negatively impacting the general public's image of Digimon. At the very least, their actions were a step in the right direction.
However, Kenny and Skadi listened thoroughly to Toki lamenting on what happened on his part of the incident. And from what he was telling them, and the body language present, it wasn't pretty. A similar group of Digimon had also staged an attack and didn't hesitate to start the carnage almost immediately, and managed to do a lot of damage before going down, inspiriting fear into humans there. Kenny didn't really know what to say, but he did remember how Archnemon's threats and the subsequent cold war between her and Tiger did frighten quite a few people.
But it was Toki's revelation on what happened to it's own leader, Matadrmon, that struck deep into Kenny. Goaded into doing what would be normally considered a horrendous act otherwise, Toki had loaded him in his entirely as a sort of mercy kill. Skadi looked a little saddened upon hearing that, even shuddering a little bit as she remembered how she had to load Arkadimon to save countless more lives. After petting Skadi to calm her down, Kenny leaned over to Toki to reassuringly pat him on the back, only managing to say, "I'm sorry to hear that, man..."
At the very least, Aylin was making the effort to reassure him, but something was starting to sound a little... off about her and Toki for the duo, as Kenny's face turned to confusion. 'I loaded his data'? 'I wish I was there to help [him]'? By all means, Toki was a full flesh and blood human, not a Digimon. There was no possible way he could've logically gone face to face with an Ultimate like Matadrmon unless he just made him take a flamethrower to the face. Unless...
"Wait, wait, hold on!" Kenny said in bewilderment, "How could you do any of that? I had trouble trying to knock out a hostile Rookie-level Digimon attacking us once. How the heck could you stand up to an Ultimate-level like Matadrmon all by yourself?" His mind was trying to comprehend how was that even possible.
"Actually, Kenny, I think Toki's most likely a Spirit User." Skadi quickly corrected him, "They're humans who have the ability to transform into the Digimon respective of their spirit totem with special Digivice and fight on equal footing as us. I've seen a fair few in my past life. But I've still yet to truly comprehend them, sadly." Spirit Users, as far as Skadi was concerned, were a bit of an enigma to her. How did totems emerge, anyways? And how come could only humans transform into a Digimon proper?
"Huh. That explains... quite a lot actually." Kenny mused out loud, He then turned his attention back to Toki, "Hey, what's your Spirit Totem, anyways?" He asked, generally curious to see what was his, exactly.
After that part was sorted, Toki asked about how did Kenny and Skadi meet. That was always gonna be a funny story to tell, even as they were nearing the Valley of Dragons, if all those canyons were apparent, "Well, according to Skadi, after she reached In-Training, she hitched a ride to Shibuya thanks to a Tamer nearby, but she got lost in Shibuya. Coincidentally, I had just moved there, and as I was trying to get accustomed to my new home, I decided to check out the Hachiko statue, and Skadi, right then and there, just came over and started humping my foot. I was so frightened at first because I thought she was a lost plushie, and suddenly she and- ow!"
Once again, Skadi had playfully ribbed Kenny for making such a dumb remark, "No, I was hugging you, silly. I was so scared and lost out there, and when I spotted you, I knew I found my perfect partner. I was just so happy to meet you and make a new friend. And look how well we've done so far!"
'Friend'. That was particularly important to Kenny, considering how lonely a lot of his life in Australia was, and ever since he moved to Japan, he managed to flat-out hobnob with, and join KIZNA of all things. It just felt so good to him. Kenny just smiled and ruffled Skadi's hair once again, "Thanks, Skadi. Good to hear that you had a lot of faith in us from the beginning." Honestly, both parties impressive amount of experience would bode pretty well for this little quest.
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Sept 9, 2019 1:48:44 GMT
Toki appreciated the sympathy Kenny displayed, plus his care for his Digimon's well-being. He could tell that he was a good person from that alone. "It's difficult to look back on...but I dearly hope that he's at peace now. He didn't want to be ruled by his insanity anymore and...I wasn't sure what else to do. All that we can do in the end is move on, as hard as that might seem." His smile returned, content with his reasoning.
He was taken aback slightly at Kenny's sudden confusion and questioning, as was Aylin. The two of them looked at each other as it clicked. It started as a tiny chuckle before the two of them started laughing. It wasn't out of mockery or judging Kenny for something he wasn't familiar with. It was just amusing because at first glance the two of them do seem like the usual tamer and Digimon team. "Ah, yes. Forgive me, I should have explained. Skadi's right. I'm indeed a spirit user. Aylin's been a constant friend and traveling companion since my adventures here in the Digital World began. Without her I doubt I would have ever gotten as far as I have."
"We actually met at an ancient ruin in the desert near his Champion level spirit. He was a lot different back then. Very shy...didn't talk much, but he was still very sweet and did his best to do the right thing."
Toki blushed at Aylin's explanation, but didn't ind it at all. Kenny then asked about his spirit totem "They're all fragments of a single Digimon that lived a long time ago. It's...Aylin's father, in fact. Here, let me show you some images." He held out his Digivice and brought up displays of each totem and their individual forms. Turuiemon, Gargomon, Antylamon, Lagosmon, ZenCherubimon, Tsusagimon, Kenshimon. "They supposedly all represent Earth in some way, but the later forms specialize in some sort of crystal manipulation as well as gravity control. Kenshimon...I'm not actually sure. I haven't had a chance to use that one yet, but it was a final gift from my spirit to me."
He listened to how the two of them met and was clearly amused by the situation, as well as the humorous misunderstanding. "There's a bond between human and digimon that must be respected. A Digimon who partners with a human puts their faith in them and it's up to the tamer to live up to that faith. From what I understand it's quite the responsibility, but you two are doing very well for yourselves. It makes me very happy to see."
He leaned back and looked out the window to see the canyons "Our worlds are connected for a reason. People doubt that, but I refuse to believe this is just happenstance. Our people were meant to meet and coexist. So many are just...afraid of the change, and the challenge of making things fair for both worlds."
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Sept 21, 2019 10:08:07 GMT
At first, Kenny was taken a little aback from the sudden laughter of both Toki and Aylin at his surprised reaction of the revelation that his travel companion for this quest was actually a spirit user. However, he quickly figured that their laughter was more affectionate, rather than malicious in nature. Only a moment later, Kenny would find himself chuckling himself. along with Skadi, before listening to him confirm that, yes, Toki was a Spirit User, and Aylin met him when her part- friend found his Champion level Spirit.
More specifically, Aylin pointing out how Toki was actually quite the sweet and kind fellow did leave a good feeling in them, at least, as Kenny smiled, "Well, at least we know that we're in good hands here." He said, as Skadi nodded happily. Having just met him, it was nice to know that they had what could potentially be a valuable ally on their side.
As it turned out, those so-called 'spirit totems' in question were actually fragments of dead Digimon, and somehow also Aylin's own dad. As he and Skadi watched and ogled as Toki showed them all the totems, and explain their basic abilities, Kenny found himself a little lost in thought; Digimon were basically sentient AI, data. And he knew that data couldn't truly be deleted, especially with sentient creatures.
Skadi, on the other hand, couldn't exactly take her eyes off the totem displays. "Woah! That looks so cool, Toki!" She exclaimed, making grabby hands towards them. Granted, Skadi wasn't trying to steal the totems, just rather take a better look at them. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you were Toki), she would find herself pulled away slightly by Kenny, making sure his D-Tector was way out of her reach.
"Sorry about that, man." Kenny said, holding his partner in his arms, still making those grabby hands, "Skadi has a bad case of curiosity. That behaviour's perfectly normal, but a little troublesome for me to handle at times. She's just still a little young. I hope you understand." Or at least from what Kenny knew. He knew Skadi had gone through at least one cycle, but her behaviour certainly indicated she forgot everything from that time.
The story of how Kenny and Skadi met, a rather embarrassing affair, if anyone was gonna be honest about it, made Toki go into a short speech about the bonds of humans and Digimon, and how he wanted them to co-exist together. Kenny could only nod in agreement, before he added his own two cents on the manner, "Heh. That's true. But at least there's a whole bunch of people out there helping to at least keep up human/Digimon relationships. Like we at KIZNA. We work to help make humans and Digimon live in harmony with one another, especially at Ys, our base. It's basically a bustling modern ancient city protected by a giant barrier, keeping threats out. Essentially, it means that we promote the idea that Digimon and humans can live together in harmony."
Before (person) could continue, however, a loud horn tooted from around the Trailmon, following by their announcement started to roll to a stop, "Attention, passengers! This station is the Valley of Dragons!" As soon as it came to a complete stop, the Trailmon doors had opened, and many of the passengers were walking out in turn. Speaking of, Skadi jumped off Kenny's lap and was now happily bounding towards the exit, while Kenny would similarly get up in turn, picking up his own stuff and following Skadi out. No doubt Toki and Aylin would follow suit as well.
"Well, there's our stop, guys. And, from the looks of it, Skadi looks pretty excited for the journey." He chuckled at his partner once again, "I swear, I'm never going to really understand her properly." With that, they would set out from the station, and into the entrance to the Valley of Dragons to find the sword. All the while, his mind lingered; this sword would definitely benefit KIZNA to help learn more about the Digital World, but what if Toki was right, and those natives wouldn't be happy if they just ran off with it?
That would be a hard question to answer.
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Sept 27, 2019 22:50:30 GMT
Toki nodded when Kenny said they were in good hands, but it also made him hesitate slightly, something Aylin took notice of. She frowned, knowing the things Toki was going through and she didn't want him pushing himself so hard. Part of the reason she came along was to help take this self-imposed burden off his shoulders.
He soon snapped out of his melancholic state when Skadi excitedly reached out to see the totems to get a better look at them before Kenny pulled her away. Toki smiled warmly "Oh no harm done. I can't blame her for being curious. Curiosity is a good thing, as long as it doesn't get her into unnecessary amounts of trouble. Aylin and I are curious about a lot of things ourselves, which is why we explore the world a lot." He looked down at Skadi and gave her a happy smile "You'll get a chance to see these different spirits in full someday! I promise, okay?" He knew it was healthy for the young to be curious. Which was funny for him to think since he's still rather young himself all things considered.
Toki and Aylin were both pretty curious about the city of Ys. "This is the first I've heard of Ys. To have that as a base, I can't even imagine the resources that are at KIZNA's disposal...that's incredible." Toki said, wondering what it was like "I'll have to visit someday, provided I'm allowed to."
Aylin nodded in agreement "Me too! I'd love to see it for myself. An ancient city with technology long lost to the Digital World...ah, it's so exciting!" She was practically bouncing with excitement. Soon, the horn blared outside, signalling their arrival to the valley "Oh hey, looks like we're here!"
As Toki stood up to follow Kenny and Skadi, Aylin tugged at his shirt "Toki, hold on..." She said, looking up at him with worried eyes "Are you okay? You're not...overworking yourself are you? You didn't just take this job because you felt like you...had to, right...? I don't want this to feel like an obligation to you. If you want, you can go home and I'll go with them...but you won't feel any kind of fulfillment if you feel like you're forced into doing this. I know you've been struggling to maintain spirit evolution lately..."
Toki was taken aback by Aylin's observations "You've noticed, huh...? I...I don't know. This just...I wanted to help them, along with KIZNA. They have a good goal, and good hearts...as for me..? I don't know what to think of myself anymore. If I don't help them, then what good am I?"
Aylin huffed and slapped his leg several times "Enough of that, Toki! Stop thinking you have to do everything by yourself...you know what I noticed? You have a bad habit of bottling things up until you get into this spiral of self-hate. And you don't let others return the kindness you give to them when you deserve it. Do yourself...and me...a favor. Be their friend...and let them be yours. And...don't be afraid to use your new spirit if you're struggling to use father's."
Toki winced a bit at Aylin's scolding, but sighed with a nod "I...I'll try. I'll try, okay? I can't promise much though..." he rubbed his arm nervously as he felt a strange approval in the back of his mind. Knowing it to be Stiffilmon, he groaned and finally stepped off the Trailmon to meet with Kenny and Skadi "Sorry about that, just making sure some things are squared away. A-are you guys ready to go? I hope I can live up to your expectations..."
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Oct 1, 2019 9:21:25 GMT
No sooner than when Kenny complimented Toki he was starting to raise a few red flags high up in the air, if Toki and Aylin's behaviour was anything to go by. If anything, it seemed to hint that his normally friendly, devil-may-care nature was merely a facade. And if it was, the young Spirit User was doing a pretty good job quickly covering it up, as he gently reassured Kenny and Skadi that it was only natural. The enthusiastic Valaismon only nodded in understanding in response to Toki's promise.
Subsequently, Toki and Aylin had shown a lot of interest in KIZNA, especially Aylin, the Lunamon practically salivating over the ancient technologies that called the city home, but before either Kenny or Skadi could elaborate further, they had arrived at the station, and had started to depart, but neither Kenny nor Skadi had gone a step further before they noticed something off. Those other 2 weren't following them. Immediately, Kenny turned around and yelled, "Hey Toki! Aylin! Something wrong, you guys?"
As it turned out, if Toki's apparant internal paranoia and Aylin's reassurance were anything to go by, something was clearly eating away at the Spirit User. A sympathetic look spread upon Kenny's face, while Skadi looked up at him. He knew what that had to feel like, always fighting self doubt within himself, and often worrying whenever he was good enough for anyone, but over the past few months, he at least could
Quietly, he nudged Skadi with his foot, "Skadi, mind keeping the door open for these two?" She nodded, and ran over to the Trailmon door, before outstretching her hand, preventing it from closing for just a little longer. While there, she could easily overhear their conversation in turn a little more clearly. She knew not to say anything, lest she shoot herself in the hoof. But she had noticed heard something wrong; was Toki really struggling to spirit evolve? Her face fell a little bit, but started to raise as she overheard that he had another spirit waiting in the wings.
After she ran back to Kenny, having brought Toki and Aylin just a little bit more time, Toki and Aylin would follow shortly after, and with that, the Trailmon would blow it's horns once more before setting off once again. And despite Toki's nervousness, Kenny would try and reassure him the best he could, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Dude, don't worry about living up to anything. You're like, a superhero of the Digital World. I don't really think you have much to worry about at all, what with the crazy good reputation we have around here?"
"Aylin's right." Skadi agreed, "You should really stop doubting yourself all that much. I overheard you's two a moment ago, and we don't want you to doubt yourself. I'm sure your spirit's still proud of you and everything you've done so far, right?" She gave Toki's leg a friendly light elbow, in a bid to reassure him.
No matter the answer, Kenny and Skadi would soon depart from the station in turn, and start on their journey on the Valley of Dragons. And upon reaching the entrance of the area, the party would come across the giant canyon, cliffs lining upon the tops above, and several draconic Digimon flying overhead, along with a few non-draconic beings as well.
Kenny signed happily as he looked upon the cliffs, "Welp, this is it, guys. You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, Kenny!" Skadi exclaimed happily, before she and Kenny set off, expecting Toki and Aylin to follow behind.
Having begun their journey, Kenny smiled to Toki as he started to explain, "If you guys are wondering about if you're allowed to go to Ys, well, anybody's allowed to. In fact, the city's protected by this huge barrier that prevents any intruders or troublemakers from coming into the city, because if they do touch it, they'll be teleported away without a second thought. Everyone else is allowed to come in and out as they please."
Skadi was all too happy to pitch in, "Ys is basically the ultimate fusion of both ancient and modern technology. We work to maintain harmony there and ensure everything is running smoothly. It's an amazing place, and we really do hope you pay us a visit sometime after this little journey." She grinned to them. With that, the journey had started to find the mystical sword. Despite Toki's worries, those 2 were sure he was gonna do good that day for everyone involved.
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Oct 2, 2019 7:37:14 GMT
So many thoughts were still swimming around his mind. He still felt like he was letting his spirit down by not being able to sync properly with it right now. Though maybe...it was intentional? A lingering remnant of their will preventing him from doing so until he figured something out. What did he have to learn? He thought he was doing everything right...he thought back to what he learned during Golden Week, but he disregarded that lesson because he thought he came to that realization in the heat of a dangerous situation. Something like that couldn't possibly be relied on, right? Or...was he correct...? The internal struggle was clearly eating away at him.
Though part of that faded away when Kenny walked up to him and encouraged him, saying that there were no expectations placed on him. That whether he felt it or not, people viewed him as a hero. Would they still think of him as a hero if he showed such doubts all the time? He started to think that maybe, despite his heroism and kindness, he always came across as a little stoic and impersonal. Maybe his spirit never wanted him to become so detached from everyone else. He gave Kenny and Skadi a little smile "I...honestly don't really know what to say. It's been pretty hard to really see the good I've done lately. Part of me feels responsible for what happened to my spirit and my friend K. I...sometimes feel like people who get too close to me just end up hurt. I don't want that."
Toki looked at his Digivice at Skadi's words "Yeah...I think he would be. Maybe in some way he's just not happy with how I've been treating myself and how I approach other people. If it comes down to it, you can rely on me. I promise." He said, reassuring not only Kenny and Skadi, but himself.
Aylin smiled warmly and gently pat his hand "We can do this. Together. And I'm glad you listened in a bit, Skadi...we would have kept quiet about it, but talking about it is something we really have to do."
Toki looked out over the canyon as they arrived and took in the incredible view before them "What a view...this place is enormous. Do you two have an idea of where to start?" He asked. Though they started to elaborate a little more on Ys "I'll definitely have to come visit someday soon. Such a place seems incredible. I wonder if there's any way to incorporate a similar system back at the monastery to keep intruders away..." He crossed his arms as he pondered.
Aylin thought as well "If you're serious about reopening the monastery...I'm sure a lot of really powerful Digimon would offer to take care of the place and protect it from harm. It's also pretty remote near no super strategic resource, so I can't imagine anyone wanting to attack it unless they had something against the residents."
Toki nodded "That's true." He said before he turned his attention to the task at hand "Let's see...we could ask around...though I worry if they'll get defensive. I still think it would be a good idea to offer something fair to them, like have one of their own deliver it personally and keep an eye on things while it's being studied."
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Oct 19, 2019 12:04:52 GMT
Was Toki honestly OK? Certainly, from what everyone and their dog were telling Kenny and Skadi, Toki was like the Digital World equivalent of Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne; well respected heroes with crazy-good powers. And yet, the person in front of them were basically beating himself up, blaming himself for what he let happened to his own spirit and 'K'. K... that name rang a few bells in Kenny's head. A while ago, while on Tamernet, he came across this odd post from this one 'K. Fox', taking about their own then-incoming death because they needed to extract corrupt data from their core at the cost of their own life. Or so that's what he heard anyways. Why was Toki beating himself up over that? Clearly 'K. Fox' wasn't naming names here. All Kenny could do here was just listen to the Spirit User bemoan himself, and give him a sympathetic look as blamed himself for what he supposedly did. But thankfully, Skadi's words of encouragement had gotten through to Toki quite a bit, the spirit user reassuring everyone around him, followed by Aylin thanking Skadi for helping them, "It's OK, Aylin." Skadi told her, "We were just getting worried when you guys stayed on the Trailmon earlier, especially since you guys didn't look worried earlier."So did Kenny and Skadi really have any idea where to go? Well, the D-Nexus did have quite a particular feature on hand. Kenny pulled out his D-Nexus once more and switched on the Advanced Scanning mode, mapping out the area on the screen. On the map showed a clear set of pathways, one left and one right. The beeping icon had shown them that "I do have an app on my Digivice that can serve as a map to help us know where we are right now." He said, showing Toki the map onscreen, "I think we should go left and see where it takes us from there. Think it might lead us to the sword." In turn, they would walk along the path, and set off on their journey. As they were walking along, they listened to what Toki and Aylin muse about Ys, and about a monastery. It did sound interesting to them, all things considered. Maybe they could ask them sometime, when they had the time too. For now, they would help to lead the expedition to the mysterious artefact in question. Toki would follow up by suggesting they ask around and even possibly offer them something in return. "Yeah, that could be a good idea, Toki." Kenny agreed, "I did bring plenty of food today, for one, and it's basically quite an easy way to ear a Digimon's trust quickly. After all, they do say the easiest ways to a Digimon's heart is to their stomach. Isn't that right, Skadi?"
Skadi blushed a little bit upon hearing Kenny teasing her, "Oh come on, Kenny! I don't eat that much sweets every day!" She whined, throwing her arms in the air, while Kenny chuckled, leaning down to ruffle her hair once again affectionately, making the Valaismon giggle again. Sometimes, it felt good to be the teaser for once, rather than the teased. In what had to be a pretty good coincidence, in the distance, they could see a small oasis dead ahead. Along with a series of trees plastered around the medium sized lake, several tiny In-Training Digimon could be seen playing around in flora and near the water. And one Digimon in particular stood out of the crowd, as it happily floated in the water, safe from the mountain sun. The Kikudramon's ears twitched as the sound of footsteps could faintly be heard coming towards the oasis. He splashed his way up as he pulled himself into an upright postion. From what he could be making out from the 3 figures in the distance coming up towards. Happily, he waved an open fin to them, "Hey, new friends! Welcome to my home!" He chirped towards them as they started to get closer. Probably the Digimon there would be able to help them on their little quest today.
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Oct 24, 2019 6:49:26 GMT
This reassurance and friendliness from them...their encouragement, patience, and respect for him helped to push those insecurities aside. Despite his worries and struggles, there were still people out there who believed in and cared about him. It was clear they cared about him as a person too, not just as some heroic figure. It showed them that no matter what, everyone had their low points that they needed to contend with, and that didn't make them weak or anything of the sort.
Aylin looked at Toki and his overall change in demeanor, smiling before addressing Skadi "Thanks for your concern. I think we're going to be okay." She said as she gave her a grateful smile. "Toki here likes to keep things bottled up. I keep telling him that's bad for him!" She teased.
Toki crossed his arms and huffed "I just don't want people worrying about me." He admitted. "But...I guess I've been too nervous to accept kindness in return for what I do for others...trying to be this stoic wandering fighter just isn't working out for me." He said with a slight chuckle "I can't handle being alone. Not anymore."
He would lean over towards Kenny to get a better look at the map "Now that's handy. I'm not sure if I have an advanced map like that on my digivice, though I tend to just wander around until I find something interesting. It does have a radar for digital signatures though, particularly spirits." He followed Kenny's lead and followed him through the left path.
Kenny and Skadi bantered playfully during their walk. The two of them had such a genuine bond with one another. True friends...he placed a hand to his chest and thought about what that meant. He had a lot of acquaintances...but did he have many friends? He looked at Aylin and was assured that yes, he did indeed have friends.
Toki paused for a moment as they came across the oasis and looked about the area "Wow..." He said as the beauty of the place hit him. The In-Training Digimon caught his attention as they played and hopped around. "Aw...cute..." He smiled warmly at them, though this also made him more determined to avoid having a fight break out at any point. For the young ones sake. He saw a Digimon he had never seen before swim up to them and speak to them. "Oh, hello! My name is Toki Akiyama. It's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed politely. He would let Kenny and Skadi explain what they were here for and see if this Digimon could help them on their journey.
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Nov 7, 2019 9:14:31 GMT
Amusingly enough, Toki's own digivice actually had it's own ability to detect other spirits, much to Kenny and Skadi's interest. Spirit users were pretty much a completely different kettle of fish in their own right, having the ability to actually hold their own in combat against other Digimon. While Skadi was starting to wonder what it was like for a human to turn into a Digimon, Kenny couldn't help but wonder himself: what would it be like for him to turn into a Digimon proper? Maybe for once he'd actually do more in combat than just swipe a card and call it a day?
But a bit after the dynamic duo's banter, Kenny caught a small glance over to the spirit user himself and his Lunamon friend, and seeing him feel better, even a little bit, did put a smile on his face. After witnessing him constantly beat himself up when he thought everybody's backs were turned, it did feel good that he knew he was taking the right steps to improve himself. He just gave Toki an approving nod.
As they got closer to the oasis, Kenny and Skadi could spot a myriad of In-Trainings in more detail; 2 Gigimon were fighting over a piece of meat, tugging on it like a piece of rope and pulling as hard as they could, 2 Chapmon were having a self-contained splash fight with one another, and a Tokomon, Koromon and Upamon were all napping together in a pile, under the shade of a palm tree. Toki had every damn right to aww at this, even Kenny and Skadi couldn't help but feel a sense of overwhelming cuteness from what they could see.
The only non-In-Training Digimon there, being the Kikudramon, beamed as the strangers got closer, and already, Toki's polite behaviour was starting to win the strange Digimon over. But upon seeing the first stranger bow, he blinked for a moment, before trying to copy him in turn, accidentally submerging himself into the water in the process before getting back up, "Nice to meetcha too, Toki. The name's Gil. And who's your two buddies over there?" He pointed to both Kenny and Skadi, catching them a little off guard.
"Uh, actually, we can introduce ourselves just fine, thank you." Kenny just pointed out, "I'm Kenny, and that's my partner, Skadi." The Valaismon happily waved in turn.
"Nice to meet you, pal!" Skadi added as well.
"Ah, it's always so nice to get some new friends around here." Gil chuckled, as he paddled out over to the side to pull himself out, before shaking himself off and approaching the four. "Come, why don't you stay a bit? Maybe we could have a bite to eat, and a bit of a chat too. You guys look hungry." He gestured them to follow him near to a small spot underneath the palm trees, with a set of smooth rocks set out like chairs underneath for a lot of groups. Kenny and Skadi happily obliged, following along, and Gil wouldn't be complaining if Toki and Aylin followed along.
Once he got everybody sat down, Gil smiled at all of them, "You stay right there, folks. I'll be grabbing some fish to cook for you guys, why don't you guys talk among yourself for a bit?" With that, he jumped back into the water, leaving the four among themselves.
As soon as Gil was gone, Kenny started to speak, "So, Toki, what's it like to spirit evolve, anyways? I mean, you must have been doing it for a while now. I've never really thought anyone could turn into a Digimon before."
"I've always kinda wondered myself on what being a Digimon is like for humans like you, myself. Does it tickle or anything?" Skadi questioned him, tilting her head curiously. Just what did being a spirit user entail anyways for the spirit user themselves? Surely it might not have been comfortable drastically switching physiques on the fly, at least for humans.
|
|
|
Post by Toki Akiyama on Nov 9, 2019 8:50:56 GMT
Toki watched the various groups of in-training Digimon go about their daily business. Eating, playing, napping. He smiled brightly, hand to his chest at the display. He had a fondness for cute things, so witnessing these sorts of scenarios of young Digimon enjoying life brought much joy to his days.
Soon enough the digimon introduced himself as Gil and attempted to mimic Toki's greeting. The gesture made Toki chuckle a tiny bit before settling on his warm smile once again. Kenny and Skadi introduced themselves just fine. So far, it seemed all parties were getting along pretty well. "I take it you don't get too many visitors way out here? I'm surprised to see this many In-Training Digimon so far from the Village of Beginnings. What is this place, exactly?" Toki asked.
He followed Gil and the others to sit underneath the shade of the palm tree. The presence of the water and the shade made the hot dusty landscape of the valley a distant memory and Toki took every possible moment to relax and appreciate the solace here. "We'd love to stay for a while, sure! Some food does sound good right about now, but don't trouble yourself too much! I'd hate to impose without doing something in return."
Aylin stuck close to Toki and patted his arm gently, smiling proudly at him for his warm presence. That was the Toki she remembered. "Yes, if there's anything at all, we'd love to come to some kind of agreement. Toki and I area always ready to help out."
Toki smiled back at Aylin as Gil left to prepare some food. Then, he was asked an interesting question by Kenny and Skadi "Now that's...an interesting question, and one I'm never quite sure how to answer..." He said, crossing his arms in deep thought. "I've spirit evolved so much that it's become a second nature thing to me, but the first times I tended to sort of...black out. A lot of what happened between spirit evolving and returning to my human state was usually...blank. I was still partially in control, but also guided by raw instinct. My spirit probably helped guide my body in all likelihood. The transformation itself...it's like a strange burning sensation throughout the entire body. Not agonizing, but not exactly pleasant either. Your body's data is essentially being rewritten and refitted to the Digimon's form. Eventually, though, even that fades. Now it's a sort of transcendent experience. My mind and my spirit's really become one in a way that works in complete harmony. Of course, this has led to me struggling with certain thoughts. Like...where do I belong? Can I say I'm truly human anymore? Can I even say I'm a Digimon or just some pretender borrowing one's form for a little while?"
"Tsusagimon...my father, and his spirit, never liked it when you found yourself torn between worlds like that. He would always insist that Toki is the perfect mediator. One foot in each world, belonging in both in equal measure. To say he did or did not belong completely in either would be doing Toki a huge disservice."
Toki blushed a little bit "Well, yeah...I've come to accept that now. It took a while though, and I appreciate the help that everyone's provided to help me be comfortable with that."
|
|
|
Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Dec 13, 2019 4:07:43 GMT
Gil gave a sly chuckle as Toki asked him about this place, "Oh, it's only my humble adobe. Nothing special. Often I end up discovering lost and scattered DigiTamas around here, and I've taken it upon myself to take care of them up until they grow up. It's a little hard at times, I've lost count how many times these buggers bit my arms because I accidentally picked them up the wrong way, but it's all worth it in the end."
As for Aylin's suggestion about offering to repay the favour? "Heh. No need for now, fellas. I'm a grown Digimon. I can take care of things myself. But you guys look awfully strong. If any danger comes calling, I won't hesitate to give you a call." His build and appearance did suggest he was a pretty tough Champion level Digimon, so at least he could hold his own. But for now, this would be necessary. After all, fish was plentiful, for one.
With Gil out and leaving the group be, trying to catch the best, juiciest fish possible for them, Kenny and Skadi proceeded to listen and be intrigued to Toki's explanation on what it was like to spirit evolve. While thankfully, it didn't hurt him in the slightest, but your own body data being rewritten? To Skadi, whenever she digivolved it felt natural and harmless, considering she was already a Digimon, but Kenny? It all just sounded so surreal, honestly. Being a Digimon Tamer and helping to power your partner up with the power of your bonds was one thing, but becoming the Digimon yourself? That was a whole different kettle of fish to be honest, considering spirit users were basically risking life and limb just to survive.
And according to Aylin, Tsusagimon would always say that his wielder was always in between two worlds. But a thought came across Kenny's mind; just who was Tsusagimon, anyways, as a person? He sounded a lot like if he was his own mentor. After a brief pause, Kenny asked, "Hey Toki, just who is Tsusagimon, anyways? He sounds like a really good guy, honestly." By the way they were praising him, you'd think Tsusagimon was a saint.
|
|
|