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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Dec 9, 2022 21:08:57 GMT
Rush's face scrunched up a bit as he pondered Adrian's question about how he was doing. "... I don't know how I'm doing, really. Other than being a bit scared, I guess."
Rush quickly glanced over to where Hana was sleeping, his face flickering with traces of insecurity and doubt. The Morphomon had something he wanted to get off his chest, and he leaned over to Adrian and whispered, "Please don't tell my mom, but... I don't think my brother made it away from the zombies. I can't feel him through our connection like I usually can, but the disconnect isn't as clean as it was when he died in the past. I don't really know how to explain it."
Rush squirmed as he spoke, his antennae twitching erratically. "I think I'm handling this better than the last time I lost him, though. I can't remember being a Keramon very well, but I think I lashed out and did something very bad to the guy who hurt Data. Like, bad enough that I don't think that the MarineDevimon will ever be able to come back..."
It really showed how much Rush actually trusted Adrian for the Morphomon to be willing to spill something like that to him, although the little guy was still worried that Adrian might judge him for what he'd done to that evil squid. All the Morphomon could really do at that point was just stand there in shame, waiting to see what Adrian's response would be.
Off in her corner, Sakura was secretly listening to every word that came out of Rush's mouth, even if she was pretending not to. Of course, she wouldn't actually share anything about this information if asked, simply because it wouldn't be her secret to tell.
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Dec 11, 2022 18:57:36 GMT
"That's understandable... I'm scared too," Adrian quietly said to the Morphomon. "So is Gem, and practically everyone else here. No one wants to end up as one of those things' meals... or even worse, become one of those things..."
Rush then revealed to Adrian that he didn't think Data actually made it away from the Zombimons. Adrian felt his heart sank a bit as he too looked over at Hana. In the back of his mind, Adrian had hope that Data had gotten away, but listening to Rush say that the connection between him and Data wasn't cleanly cut, it was obvious just what had happened. "I... I'm sorry, Rush. But... I don't think it's a good idea to hide this from H- from your mother. She deserves to know what happened to him, at the very least. I won't tell her, but I think you should."
Rush at least claimed that he was handling this loss of Data better than the last time. "He died before?" Adrian asked, not surprised to hear that considering how he saw Data run off on his own like that to save the others. What did surprise him was Rush explaining how he lashed out at the Digimon that did the deed to his brother. "Shoutmon did some messed up things in his previous life, too. Things that make him ashamed to even be a reincarnation, despite him being his own Digimon. But the thing is... we all end up doing at least one or two bad things in our lives in the name of love, you know? If I saw someone kill my own brother in front of me, I'd probably end up doing something similar to them." He then looked over at Rush and placed a hand on his head, rubbing it a bit as if he were petting a puppy. "You're a good Digimon, Rush, and nothing can change that. Your family... they're going to love you no matter what."
Now that Adrian was thinking about it... didn't Kaito find some kind of journal in the house today? Adrian couldn't believe he didn't think to check it... maybe he was still in shock from Shoutmon turning. He looked over to where Kaito had placed the journal, right on the coffee table. He flipped it open to see what was inside...
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Feb 17, 2023 17:56:50 GMT
Adrian had a point, and Rush knew it. Keeping Data's fate from Hana was not a good idea, and would likely prove flat-out impossible if they happen to come across his zombified form. That didn't mean Rush had to tell her right this moment, as he needed to figure out the best way to do so. "I'll... tell her in the morning about Data."
Well, at least this conversation helped Rush feel a little better about what he did to MarineDevimon, which was better than nothing.
The journal that Adrian was reading would turn out to be a hand-written "apocalypse log" written by a Scopemon villager as he described his experiences from day 1 of the outbreak. The Scopemon had managed to hold out on his own for a while as the infection quickly spread, but was ultimately infected and locked himself in his attic before attempting to end his own life to avoid becoming a zombie himself. Judging from a broken window in the attic Kaito found the journal in, with a blood trail leading up to the hole, it would seem that the Scopemon had failed and became one of the undead after all.
After blocking the broken window with a bookcase, Kaito grabbed the Scopemon's rifle and stockpiled ammunition, having been left behind as the zombie made its escape. Kaito then barricaded the attic door just to be sure nothing would get in so easily. Returning downstairs with the weapon and ammo, the ninja had a somber look on his face. "This was all that I could find upstairs. I don't think its owner is going to come back for it."
Meanwhile, Rush was sitting next to Hana as he let his thoughts wander to the situation they were in. Maybe if we had an actual doctor here, things wouldn't be so dire and they wouldn't have lost Data and Shoutmon. Wait a minute...
Rush quickly jumped to his feet with a gasp as he had an idea, quickly turning to Hana and poking her face to wake her up. "Mom, wake up! I think I know something that could help us!"
"Wha...?" Hana groggily asked, her brain not fully awake yet. She grabbed her glasses and put them on before focusing on Rush again. "What are you talking about?"
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Feb 25, 2023 5:05:57 GMT
Adrian patted Rush on the head. He understood what the little guy was going through, and soon what Hana was going to go through, considering that Shoutmon was just a few feet away from the front door, shuffling around and groaning like all the other mindless zombies out there. Hearing that Data didn't make it also saddened Adrian. He liked Data, and he was sure that he'd be immune to this sort of thing, being a robot and all.
He just figured that the virus took mercy on no one.
The journal didn't make Adrian feel better at all, sadly. It recalled the final days of the Scopemon that lived in this house, trying to fight off the infected before he too got bitten. The Scopemon apparently tried to take his own life instead of becoming one of them, but giving how there was a broken window in the attic leading up to the hole, it was safe to assume that the Scopemon didn't make it after all.
"This entire village suffered..." Adrian said, his voice sounding like he hadn't drunk anything in ages. "I want to find whoever did this, and make them pay for what they did to the Digimon here. For... for what they did to Shoutmon."
Kaito then came downstairs, placing a rifle and stockpiles of ammo that he found onto the coffee table. He said that it wasn't likely that the owner would return for them. "If we're lucky, he won't," Adrian said to the ninja. Putting down the journal, he took a look at the rifle and ammo that the Tuwarmon came down with. "You wouldn't happen to know how to use that, do you, Kaito? As much as I wanna use it, I don't think I'd actually be able to, you know?"
Suddenly, Rush perked up, waking Hana up while saying that he had an idea. The human had a feeling that this actually would be important, so he opted to wake Gem up, scooping him up from his spot on the couch and holding him in his arms. "Hey, Gem, wake up..."
"Nnnngh... Daddy?"
Adrian's heart skipped a beat when he heard the Gammamon say that. "No, it's not dad, it's Adrian. Look, Rush has something he wants to share with us, okay?"
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Feb 26, 2023 21:19:23 GMT
Regarding the rifle and ammo Kaito grabbed from the attic, Kaito simply shrugged his shoulders. "I should be able to use it if no one else can, but I primarily grabbed it in case you wished to try and use it to defend yourself. Hana... is too small to handle the recoil of a weapon like this, but you might be able to handle it better."
As Rush prepared to share his revelation, he wasn't expecting Adrian to wake Gem up for what he wanted to tell Hana, but that wasn't important. "Okay, so I was thinking about how if we had a doctor with us, they might be able to help us figure out a way to deal with this zombie stuff and help Data and Mr. Shoutmon, and I realized that there IS a doctor we could ask! Biomon's good at medical stuff, so if I Armor Digivolve into him, he might be able to help! His medical abilities could potentially be able to cure the virus!"
Hana stared at her partner/adopted son for a moment as the gears turned in her head, before groaning and repeatedly hitting herself on the head. "Aaauuugh! How did we not think of that sooner!"
After a few minutes of berating herself, Hana took a deep breath before pulling out her digivice. "Well, we have no other ideas, so screw it! Give us your best shot, Biomon! Digi-armor energize!"
As the Digimental of Miracles did its work on Rush, the newly-formed Biomon quickly got to work. Since most Digimon usually had an instinctual understanding of their own abilities, Biom went over all of his techniques in his head, one by one. [Booster Shot]? No. [Regeneration Serum]? Closer, but not good enough.
[Aesculapius]. Yes, that might work, although...
"Hm, I do have one ability that might work to help our infected comrades. My Aesculapius ability is a potent healing ability that can heal just about any wound with a special serum injection. It can even revive the dead if there's a relatively intact body remaining." Biomon explained as he flexed his syringe-like fingers. "Normally, that function won't work for Digimon, who disintegrate into data upon death, but since this virus leaves the infected's body behind even if killed, it might be able to work in this case. There is... one problem, though."
Biomon paused for a moment, his hands clenching as he struggled to keep himself together. "I can only create a single dose of the serum. We can try to save Shoutmon, or we can try to save my brother. I cannot use it on them both, so we have to pick one."
It was only at that point that Hana's brain finally caught what Rush had revealed, her face falling at the revelation that he knew Data had been infected and likely turned by now. She figured that was likely what happened, but it still hurt to have it confirmed to her face. "Oh... oh, god."
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Feb 26, 2023 23:16:28 GMT
Adrian was a bit surprised to hear what Kaito said about him being able to use the gun. "Kaito, the closest thing I've held to an actual gun are plastic ones from arcade shooting games," Adrian said as he sweatdropped. "And even then I'm not the best aim. Humans like us need training for this sort of thing so that we don't accidentally shoot someone's eye out, or worse. Still, I appreciate that you think I could handle it..."
Once Gem had woken up, he and Adrian would join everyone else in listening to what Rush had to say. He explained that his Armor Champion form, Biomon, was a doctor, so he would likely have a solution to cure Data and Shoutmon from the virus. Both Adrian's and Gem's faces lightened up at the news... there was still a chance to save Shoutmon after all. After she berated herself for not thinking of this sooner, Hana used the Digimental to armor evolve Rush to Biomon.
The light of digivolution poured out of the windows of the house. The zombified Shoutmon was feasting on the remains of the dead Labramon along with a zombie Hawkmon and Terriermon. All three looked up at the house to see the light coming through, and they sauntered from their almost-gone feast to the house. It wasn't long before others began to follow them...
Biomon thought about the situation for a few minutes before he came to a conclusion. He explained to the group that he did have an ability that was potent enough to even bring someone back from the dead, provided that there was still a physical body to go along with it. It seemed like just the thing that could heal Shoutmon and Data back to their usual selves! "Yeah! We'll be able to get my dad back then!" Gem cheered.
However, Biomon said that he could only make one dose of this cure, so it could either be given to Data or Shoutmon. It was at this moment that Hana realized the truth, that Data was now one of the Zombimons outside. Adrian glanced over to her, and at that moment, he knew what she was going through...
"...if it's just one or the other, then we're not gonna use it at all," Adrian said. "at least not yet. What happened to them both... it hurts, it hurts a lot, I won't lie. But it's also not fair for us to choose one of them over the other. They both deserved to be cured, and so does the Scopemon, and the entire rest of this village. We should save it for in case one of us gets infected, or if one of them has us cornered."
"Huh?!" Gem looked very surprised to hear Adrian say all that. "But... but Dad-"
Gem was then interrupted by multiple loud banging sounds on the outside of the front door, followed by multiple groaning sounds. The worst had happened; the zombies figured out there were still living people and Digimon here. But how did-
The light. The light of Digivolution, THAT'S what brought them here!
"Adrian...!" Gem cried, tears forming in his eyes as he started hugging Adrian's right leg.
"Dammit... we're trapped!" Adrian yelled out. Sure, Biomon, Kaito, and Sakura could fight, but Gem was just a Rookie level still, and their two heaviest hitters had joined Team Zombimon hours ago! "What are we gonna do...?!" |
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Mar 24, 2023 15:36:24 GMT
Secretly, Rush was grateful that he wouldn't have to make the sadistic choice of who to save from the virus. Well, at least not yet. However, there was a bigger issue to worry about at the moment. Specifically, the zombie horde Rush's armor digivolution had accidentally attracted.
"Head upstairs, quickly!" Kaito exclaimed as he pulled out his Mantis Arms. "There is a window in the attic we might be able to use to escape."
The Tuwarmon quickly led the group upstairs, where he and Rush quickly unblocked the attic door so the others could get inside. As the group headed inside, Kaito noticed Sakura hanging back instead of going through the door. "Sakura, what are you doing? We have to go!"
"Nah, someone's going to have to keep these things busy so you guys can get away." Sakura retorted with a small, sad smile on her face. "Rush is too valuable to risk right now and a ninja like you can't fight as well in confined spaces, so just let me do this for you guys."
Kaito was about to argue, but Sakura interrupted him by shoving him through the door and blocking it off again with the bookcase. With the door blocked, Sakura turned back towards the stairwell as she heard the sounds of the horde breaking down the front door.
Ah, well. They're already here, so no point in holding back! Sakura thought to herself as she quickly digivolved into BanchoLillymon. She quickly cracked her knuckles as she brought out her yo-yos and slowly walked towards the incoming zombies. The Bancho quickly got to work, knocking away the zombies with her yo-yos whith a smug lsmirk on her face. "Sorry, losers. You guys are gonna have to work for your next meal, assuming you can even get close to me!"
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Mar 25, 2023 3:50:26 GMT
Kaito didn't have to tell Adrian and Gem twice to get upstairs. Adrian grabbed the ex-Scopemon's gun and ammo, quickly stuffing it in his Infini-Store before running upstairs with the Gammamon close behind. Kaito and Rush managed to get the attic door unblocked, allowing the group to rush in there to escape the Zombiemons banging at the front door. However, Adrian and Gem noticed that Sakura wasn't coming through, so they turned around to see what was going on.
Adrian's heart sank when Sakura said that she was going to stay behind to keep the infected busy. "Are you insane?!" Adrian asked. Unfortunately, Adrian didn't get to argue further, as Sakura pushed Kaito into the attic and blocked the door herself. Adrian rushed over to the door, attempting to open it as much as he could, but to no avail. "Sakura! Sakura, don't do this, please!"
"No... no no, not again..." Gem muttered, tears running down his face. First Data, then his dad, now Sakura... so many were dying, any one of them could be next, and the stress and panic was too much for the Gammamon. His eyes shifted to a solid black color, and his voice grew more dark as black energies began to emanate from Gem's body. "Not again."
Adrian's stomach twisted when he heard that voice, and his fears were confirmed when he turned to look at Gem. He once again started banging on the door again, this time even harder. "SAKURA! IF YOU DON'T COME BACK IN HERE, WE'RE GONNA BE DEALING WITH STONE IN HERE!" Hana, Rush, and Kaito didn't know who that was unlike Sakura, but judging by Gem's current state, they would surely know that it was going to be a problem. Dark energies surrounded Gem more, until he was encased by a dark aura of a cloaked figure with a flowing cape...
Unfortunately, Sakura was preoccupied with the Zombiemons that had managed to bust in through the door. She was doing a very good job knocking them back with her yo-yo's, with none of them even managing to get close to the BanchoLillymon. But then... zombie Shoutmon entered the picture. Armed with his rusted microphone staff, he stared at Sakura with empty, orange-glowing eyes. Any semblance of the 'mon he used to be was gone, a monster that was wearing his body like a demented costume. Shoutmon roared out a mighty roar before lunging right at Sakura, being the only one to get as up close and personal to her.
And because he was so close, Sakura probably won't be able to react in time before she gets bit.
Suddenly, the attic door burst open. The dark energy flew right towards Shoutmon, pushing him out of the way before Sakura was harmed. The undead dragon crashed into the wall, leaving a huge dent as he fell to the floor, unable to get up right away. The rest of the Zombiemons followed suit, all being pushed back tremendously. They weren't killed, but they were knocked down long enough for the group to escape or make a plan.
The dark aura looked down at Sakura. She would recognize this form immediately... Stone. "I won't be able to bail you out again, you know," the dark aura told her. "Cure the music dragon and get as far away as you can. Preferably towards the forest... something tells me that's where you'll be able to save this pathetic village." And as quickly as it game, the dark aura vanished, leaving behind a very woozy Gem, who fell to the floor. "Ow... what... where am I...?"
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Mar 27, 2023 14:07:38 GMT
As Stone's shadowy form emerged and busted his way out of the attic, Hana, Rush, and Kaito were utterly confused by what just happened. Unlike Sakura, the three of them had never encountered Stone before, and had no idea why Adrian was freaked out by his appearance.
Out of the three, Hana was the only willing to express her confusion on the matter. "What the heck just happened?"
Meanwhile, as Sakura continued holding back the zombies, the undead Shoutmon managed to sneak past her defenses and leap at her. Sakura tried to bring up her yo-yos to knock him away, but hesitated as she had trouble bringing herself to attack her fallen friend. Just when it looked like Sakura was about to become zombie-chow, Stone's shadowy form managed to save her sending the undead Shoutmon flying down the stairs like the other zombies.
The BanchoLillymon had mixed feelings about being saved by Gem's darker half of all poeple, but she didn't have a chance to voice those feelings. Stone quickly told her to go cure Shoutmon, and that he had a feeling that they'd need to check out the nearby forest to solve the zombie issue before releasing control back to a confused Gem.
Not needing to be told twice,Sakura quickly used her yo-yos to tie up the infected Shoutmon, binding his limbs and jaws shut with the viney strings. Not the most elegant way to restrain him, but it should hold him. Once the zombie was restrained, Sakura quickly picked up the infected Shoutmon with one arm (careful to avoid his jaws and claws) and grabbed Gem with the other and ran upstairs. "No time to argue, we need to go!"
Once upstairs, Sakura quickly passed Gem over to Adrian and set the bound Shoutmon zombie on the floor next to Biomon. "Well, our dark friend apparently feels that we might find the source of the outbreak in the woods. Not sure how he'd know that, but we don't exactly have any other leads at the moment. Now, let's go!"
Since the attic window was too high up for a human to safely reach the ground, Kaito actually scooped Hana up into a princess carry as he leapt down. Behind them, Rush reached out to pick up the bound Shoutmon, only to feeze mere inches away as he looked at his own hands. Realizing the opportunity he had here, Rush knew what he should do.
"Screw it. I don't care if you hate me for this, but you can't stop me." Rush said as he stabbed his syringe-like fingers into Shoutmons sides. In mere moments, a mix of green and purple liquids flowed through the needles into the infected dragon's body, where the serum mix quickly got to work in combatting the virus ravaging his body.
-Aesculapius: Once per thread, Biomon can inject a fallen ally with the needles on both hands to deliver a uniques serum blend that completely restores them to full health even if they were on the brink of death. Can even revive a human from death if administered quickly enough, but cannot revive a dead Digimon due to the fact Digimon don't leave corpses. Mega-level allies are only healed to 25% health, and Super Mega allies are only revived with a tiny sliver of health. This ability requires Biomon to have at least one intact syringe needle on each hand in order to work.
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Mar 29, 2023 3:42:16 GMT
Naturally, Hana and the others wanted to know what just happened after Stone's shadowy form materialized and busted through the attic door. It made sense, considering how GulusGammamon's were not all that common in the Digital World quite yet. "A whole other problem that we don't have time to deal with," Adrian said as he headed back downstairs. Zombies and Stone all at once? That was just asking for trouble!
When Adrian got downstairs, however, Stone was nowhere to be seen, and all the zombies had been knocked back, Shoutmon included. Instead of Stone, Gem was being held in one of Sakura's arms, while a tied-up infected Shoutmon was in Sakura's other arm. While Adrian was very confused and needed a moment to process why Stone wasn't there, he wasn't given that moment as Sakura handed Gem to him without a second thought. "Gem! Are you okay?"
"I... I think so..." Gem responded, sounding a tad bit more tired than he sounded originally. "What happened? is Sakura okay? Where's my dad?"
The Gammamon had gone through far too much tonight, Adrian thought. While he still didn't think curing Shoutmon right here and now would be fair to Data or the other infected Digimon... Gem needed to see his father. His real, fun-loving father. And so, Adrian just hugged Gem close and told him, "Sakura's perfectly fine. We're going to cure your dad now. Would you like that?"
Gem sniffled and hugged the goggle-headed human back. "Yeah, I would."
With Gem still in his arms, Adrian regrouped with Hana and the others. Sakura was explaining how Stone told them that the source of the outbreak was in the woods. Much like Sakura, Adrian didn't know how Stone could possibly know this. "Best guess is that he likely sensed something the rest of us couldn't. In case you haven't noticed, Stone's not exactly a normal Digimon."
"S-Stone...?"
Hana, Kaito, and Sakura would then jump out the attic window to the ground below. Adrian had no way of getting down due to the window being too high up for a human to get down safely, and Adrian didn't have access to his own personal ninja to get him down safely. "In case you guys didn't notice, I don't exactly have a way to get down," Adrian called out to the others.
While he and Gem thought of a way to get down, they'd both see Rush standing over an infected Shoutmon, who was still struggling to escape and chow on some digital flesh. The two would then watch in silence as Rush injected Shoutmon with the cure. The zombie Shoutmon's eyes widened once the cure was in his system. His body went still until eventually, he passed out. What Rush would be able to see is the green glowing vein-like substance slowly fading from Shoutmon's body, retracting back to the point on his arm where he got bitten. Of course, this was a very slow process, and who knows when Shoutmon himself was going to wake up again.
"Is it... working?" Gem eventually asked Rush, unsure if he wanted to know the answer or not.
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Apr 20, 2023 21:38:48 GMT
It would seem that in the group's rush to escape from the attic, there had been a significant issue that needed to be resolved. Namely, the fact that Adrian and Gem had no way to get down safely.
"Relax, I've got you." Sakura said, quickly floating up to carry Adrian down to solid ground with the others.
Meanwhile, Rush kept a close eye on Shoutmon's condition as his treatment did its work. the green veins were slowly retreating back to the bite on his arm.
"The infection is slowly retreating, so I believe it to be working. However, it will take time for the medicine to do its work." the Biomon rattled off to Gem when the Gammamon came over to check up on his dad. "I would recommend not getting too close for now, though. There's no telling if he'll still be infectious or not."
Rush would keep a watchful eye on Shoutmon, carrying him in his arms as the group headed towards the forest on Stone's instruction. It was an odd lead, but was hardly the weirdest thing Hana and Co. had encountered on their travels.
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Apr 23, 2023 4:06:06 GMT
Rush explained to Gem and Adrian that Shoutmon's infection was slowly retreating, so he had faith that the cure was working. Both the human and Gammamon smiled with relief. Sure, they couldn't get their hopes up too much just yet, but there was nothing neither one of them wanted more right now than to be able to talk to Shoutmon and have him be on their side once again.
Right now, the problem to deal with was the matter of actually getting down. Thankfully, Sakura was able to carry Adrian and Gem down from the attic and safely onto the ground, with Rush following closely behind while holding an unconscious Shoutmon. The group began making their way deeper into the forest per Stone's instructions. Adrian couldn't help but think about how Stone would get a feeling that the forest was where they needed to go. Maybe Gem sensed something odd when they arrived?
"Hey, Gem?" Adrian asked. "When we got here, did you sense any digital signals that felt a bit off, by any chance?"
"Kinda," said Gem. "I just thought the village was really creepy. I did get a weird feeling from the forest, though. I'm still getting one right now, a feeling that's getting stronger."
Rush, Kaito, and Sakura would be feeling it, as well. It felt like the digital signature of a Digimon that wasn't too far away, but something about it was practically screaming bad news. It was the kind of digital signature that would give a Digimon goosebumps, if that was even possible. It could be possible that this feeling is what Stone was talking about when he mentioned going into the forest.
"Nnnnngh..."
After a few minutes of walking, Shoutmon was beginning to wake up. His closed eyes began twitching as they slowly opened up, revealing bright, blue eyes... but with the pupils still glowing orange. The glowing green veins had also retracted back to the bite mark on his arm, but they were still clearly visible, a sign that the cure wasn't going to be a permanent solution. Adrian and Gem turned towards the red dragon with anticipation, praying that he wouldn't jump out and start attacking them. Instead of that, thankfully, Shoutmon looked back and forth at everyone there and smiled.
"I guess this means we won, huh? Sorry I wasn't much help..."
"Shoutmon..." Adrian muttered as his eyes watered up. "It's really you..."
"Dad!" Gem cheered, flying over to him and giving him a great, big hug, tears rolling down his face like waterfalls. This would end up knocking them both out of Rush's hands. "Dad, you're back, you're back, you're back! I-I missed you so much, I thought, I-I-I..."
"Gem, it's okay, it's alright... I'm here now. I'm so sorry, Adrian and Gem, really. But hey, you guys stopped the big evil thing without me, and now all of us are back!"
"Um, that's actually not what happened..." Adrian said.
"Huh? Adrian, what are you talking about?" Shoutmon asked, before he saw that the bite on his arm was still there. "...wait, what happened to me? I'm still infected, but I can think clearly again?"
"You have Rush to thank for that," Adrian told his partner. "He evolved to Biomon and created a cure for the virus, but he was only able to make one dose."
"So you used it on me? I want to say I'm flattered, but why me and not someone who deserved it more? I was the one dumb enough to get myself bitten to begin with." |
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Apr 29, 2023 11:10:08 GMT
As the group made their way deeper into the forest, Rush, Kaito, and Sakura were able to feel the unsettling digital signal as well. Kaito made sure to stay close to Hana, while Sakura was silently hoping that Shoutmon would wake up soon, so she could take her yo-yos back.
Luckily, her wish would be granted as Shoutmon managed to wake up shortly after, with his mental faculties restored as opposed to being a mindless zombie. The fact that there were still visible veins around Shoutmon’s bite mark was mildly concerning, seeing as it meant that the virus wasn’t fully eradicated like Rush feared. Rush was slightly annoyed by Gem tackle-hugging Shoutmon out of his hands (against his own warning that the Gammamon’s father could still be infectious), but kept his mouth shut so that the duo could enjoy their reunion.
When the red dragon asked why Rush used his only dose of medicine on him, there was only one way the Biomon could respond. “I wouldn’t waste my only dose on someone I didn’t trust, and out of the two of us who have been infected, you are the only one we’ve come across. Logically, that made you the only choice to use it on, although it seems that even my best effort wasn’t enough to fully eradicate the virus in your system. I have no idea if the serum has restored your mind by truly turning you into a carrier, or if this is merely a temporary recovery.”
Rush didn’t say who the second infected person was, but Shoutmon would be able to easily connect the dots by seeing who wasn’t with the group. Meanwhile, Sakura decided to untie Shoutmon so she could take her yo-yos back. “Sorry about tying you up, dude. I had to restrain you while Rush did his thing, and we thought it was best to make sure the medicine worked before freeing you.”
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Post by Adrian Boriker on May 1, 2023 3:08:04 GMT
It wasn't long before Shoutmon got a good look at his bite mark. It hadn't healed, and the green veins were still there, which frightened and disgusted him a bit. On the bright side, those veins didn't seem to be growing at all, so it was likely that that's where they would remain. Still, Shoutmon wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. Even if they weren't going to grow and take his mind over again, it still looked revolting, and there was the possibility of him still being able to infect someone else.
Rush explained to Shoutmon that the dose of the cure used on him was the only one, and Shoutmon was the only one of the two infected party members that they had come across. Shoutmon didn't have to think about it long to realize who else Rush had meant. "So, he didn't make it after all..." Shoutmon said in a melancholy tone. "I'm... really sorry, Hana and Rush. Data didn't... no, none of us deserve that to happen to us."
Rush also wasn't sure if Shoutmon had been made into a carrier, or if he was going to revert back after a certain amount of time. "Well, as long as I'm still in control, I'm going to help out as much as possible."
It was then that Sakura released Shoutmon from her yo-yo's, apologizing for tying him up. "It's all good, Sakura, don't worry about it," Shoutmon said with a smile, waving it off like it was no big deal.
"So, um... how did it feel?" Adrian asked. "To be a... you know..."
"A zombie? It felt kinda weird, not gonna lie. It was like someone else threw me out of the car and took over the wheel, so to speak. Someone without social skills and craved living flesh. I don't think I was even dreaming during it. Last thing I remember was... oh Yggdrasil. Adri, Gem, I'm so sorry for putting you through that."
"It wasn't your fault," Adrian said. "It was honestly a good thing you did what you did. If you turned while you were still in the house, there'd probably be a lot less of us here right now."
Hearing that Adrian and the others understood why Shoutmon did that made him feel much better than he did before. "So, do you guys have a plan?"
"Sort of. While you were infected, Stone came out briefly. He told us to go to the forest for some reason."
"I'm guessing he or Gem felt that awful signature before any of us did," Shoutmon said, looking deeper into the forest. "Whatever it is, it's giving me the creeps. But considering what's going on, I'm willing to bet that's where the virus is coming from. We should probably keep moving, before the rest of those infected Digimon follow us."
The very moment Shoutmon finished speaking, his stomach growled. Not only did it growl, but it practically roared, growling almost as loud as his own shouting voice. He, Adrian, and Gem stopped in their tracks.
"...you've got to be kidding me right now, Shoutmon."
"I'm sorry, but the virus and cure both took a lot outta me, I can't help it. Maybe we got lucky and nothing heard it...?"
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Jun 16, 2023 21:18:32 GMT
“Well, now that I’ve treated Shoutmon with the one dose of serum I had, I suppose there’s no reason to remain in this form instead of a more combat-capable… no, wait.” Rush said, only to stop when he remembered what had happened in the house not too long ago. ”The light would only attract more of the undead towards us, which is the last thing we need right now. Dang it!” Well, it seemed like that would likely end up being a non-issue, seeing as how Shoutmon’s stomach chose that moment to growl loudly enough to wake the dead, both metaphorically and literally. Not to mention how Shoutmon decided to tempt fate even further by saying that “maybe nothing heard it”. The distant howling of the infected Scopemon could be heard responding in the distance, but it was clearly a ways off. Clunk. That, however, was much closer. Whatever made that sound, it was obviously something very heavy slowly making its way towards the group in a straight line (knocking down trees that were in its path with ease. Rush froze as he tried listening on the sound, hoping to figure out what the incoming entity was. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.Rush felt a deep chill go down his back as he recognized the approaching footsteps, right as two glowing, orange dots peered out from the foliage. With a few more heavy steps, the approaching figure turned out to be none other than Data. It was only barely recognizable as Data, though, with the infected Guardromon’s frame being horribly mangled from being attacked by the horde. The android’s armor was all torn up, and his right arm and eyes had been completely ripped away. Despite being blinded, the hulking zombie was still an intimidating sight as it came to a stop, rotating its head back and forth as it tried listening for a target to go after.  “Brother…” Rush whispered in a mix of horror and shock, only to cause the zombified Data to immediately home in on his voice and charged towards him. Sakura used one of her yo-yos to trip up the undead brute, but the giant was merely slowed as it continued to crawl its way towards the Biomon, who ended up forcibly reverting back into his Morphomon form in shock. For a brief moment, Rush was utterly paralyzed by the tidal wave of emotions flowing through him, but he ultimately knew what needed to be done. “Morphomon, warp… shinka.”At first, Rush’s digivolution sequence seemed to go normally, the Morphomon being encased in blue light as he started to grow. But halfway through, Rush’s glowing form started to glitch out and turn red as he let out a screech filled with grief and anger. Rush’s body was engulfed in a flaming vortex, from which a pair of glowing white eyes stared out from within. As the flames dissipated, the end result was not Eosmon, as would be expected, but a figure that would fill Hana and Sakura with a sense of dread. “Now, then. Shall we get started?” MorphoKnightmon cooly asked as he cracked his neck and aimed his sword at the zombified Data.
Rush reverts back into Morphomon after Sakura trips Zombie Data, before warp digivolving into MorphoKnightmon (Ultimate).
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