EPISODE 05 - STILL YOUNG
“Castor, if you splash me, I will never forgive you.”
“We’re by a river! We’re supposed to get wet!”
Sunlight glinted down from between the branches of the trees overhead, casting cool shadows upon the grass of the riverside. Clouds drifted lazily above, often obscuring the patches of sunlight still visible on the ground. Flowers swayed back and forth in the breeze, spreading their pollen across the woods. One thing was for certain: it was beautiful.
Circuit County was a lovely change of pace from the murderous vibes of Plugin Forest. The group had parked for the day by the banks of a calm river - they needed to refill their water bottles, and they’d been walking for quite a while. It was definitely time for a break, and once they’d heard the rushing of the river, they’d all immediately perked up, unanimously and silently agreeing to find it. Once they’d gotten there, it was obvious that it would be the perfect place to stop for the day. They could have kept walking for a little while longer, yes, but… nobody really wanted to. They weren’t in that much of a hurry.
Ren had finally settled in with the rest of the group, and was hesitantly dipping her feet into the water flowing below. Harmony was pressed up against her, making daisy chains and stopping every so often to brush her hair out of her face. Castor, Ryan, and Dare were swimming - or at least Castor and Dare were. Ryan was sort of standing off to the side in the river, looking like he’d much rather be anywhere else at the moment. Alex and Ezra were sitting on the riverbank, their feet kicking back and forth in the water. Alex was trying very hard not to get wet, but Castor was making it difficult for him by splashing around as much as he could. Azure and Ko were on the opposite side - Azure was reading, and Ko was making some sort of sculpture out of bark.
Miguel was freaking out.
This whole trip thus far had been one nightmare after another - first falling through the sky, then stranded in a strange world, then attacked by several large monster creatures, then nearly gotten lost in a jungle that was out to kill them while also being attacked by another of the large monster creatures. There were several things one had the option of worrying about, and Miguel had chosen to take one for the team and worry about all of them, while everyone else had the time of their lives.
He didn’t know what it was about the river. It had seemed nice at first, and it was certainly a relief to come across a fresh source of water, but there was something… strange about it. He wished he could tell for certain what was wrong with it, but none of the possibilities seemed plausible enough - the water was poisonous, the pollen was deadly, the rocks seemed a little suspicious - none of it.
Maybe it’s just my anxiety again, he worried, worrying that he was worrying too much.
He looked up from the ground as he heard Harmony giggle; he noticed Alex’s shoulders shaking and immediately assumed the worst before realizing that Alex had simply made a joke, and was laughing at it.
He breathed a sigh of relief before resuming examining his shoes. He wanted to be able to enjoy the day, but he had to be the reasonable one here. If everyone else was having fun, who would be on the lookout for potential threats? Maybe he’d end up saving someone’s life.
He sighed, shaking his head gently. No, that’s never going to happen. If anything, my constant worrying is going to get someone killed. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think of that.
“Migueeeeeel, why don’t you come sit over here?” Harmony called, looking over her shoulder at him. Ren twitched an ear, not turning around, but turning her attention towards him.
Miguel blinked, then forced a smile, shaking his head. “No, thank you! I’m fine over here!”
Harmony’s shoulders slumped as she made a mock pouty face. “Aww, you sure? Well, if you want to, you can always come over!” She went back to making her daisy chains.
The smile slid off of his face as she turned away from him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hang out with her, and it certainly wasn’t that he was fine where he was. But he couldn’t - and he didn’t know how to explain that without sounding like a crazy person.
Yes, I would really like to join you, but everything is not going great right now for me, and I need to keep lookout, and I don’t want to be a burden, so I’m just going to sit over here.
If only he could enjoy the day like everyone else was. But it wasn’t that easy.
Why don’t you just try?
Miguel swallowed hard, his shoulders falling as he tried to loosen the tension throughout his body. …Yeah, I guess I could try.
He closed his eyes, trying to relax and enjoy the wind gently blowing his hair back and forth.
It was going to be a long day.
Miguel didn’t realize that he’d fallen asleep.
He awoke suddenly and with a panic, afraid that something bad had happened or the others had left him. Would make sense if they did.
Once he’d gotten a grip on his surroundings, he looked around for the rest of the group. They were still all mostly where they’d been last time he’d checked, save for now Ryan had gotten out of the river and was sitting near Harmony.
“Miguel!” Harmony called again, just as Miguel realized that he’d been woken up by someone yelling his name. He quickly scrambled upright, blinking a few times before walking towards the river.
She smiled up at him as he approached, standing up and stretching her arms above her head. “Ren and I are going to go for a walk! We just want to see what’s around here, and where we’re going to go next.”
“…Oh.” He blinked curiously at her, rubbing his shoulder awkwardly. “Cool?”
Harmony stared at him, then rolled her eyes. “And we want you to come with us, duh!” She playfully shoved Miguel’s other shoulder. He winced slightly, surprised by the sudden contact. Harmony took no notice of it. “Come on, it’ll be fun!” She marched away, taking Ren’s paw and swinging their interlocked arms wildly. Miguel noticed that she had placed the finished matching daisy crowns on her and Ren’s head.
With hesitance and a small smile, Miguel set off after them.
They were heading in the same direction they were supposed to be, if they were all still walking and heading toward Aldamon. Miguel was confused about it. What was the point of going this way if they were just going to have to come back and then go this way again? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take the others with them? Why did Harmony even want to go on a walk, anyway?
And yet, as they went, Miguel noticed his anxiety… lessening. He frowned in confusion. Why would being away from the others make me less anxious? Shouldn’t I be worrying about if they get hurt? Or if something happens to them while we’re gone?
He noticed that the sky had darkened just a bit, and the patches of light between the tree branches were less noticeable. Day and night were weird in this place, but he knew that it was approaching evening. They’d be coming up on their… fourth night? Fifth? He shook his head. Keeping track of time was hard here.
When they were out of earshot of the group, Miguel cleared his throat and glanced over at Harmony. “Uh…”
She lifted her head, turning to look over at him. “Hm?”
“Ah - nothing,” he mumbled, biting the inside of his lip. “Just… how’s your palm doing?” She’d got a pretty nasty cut the day before when trying to catch one of Ninjamon’s shurikens. She’d seemed fine, but after what had happened to Azure… you could never be too sure.
“Oh,” she said, smiling sadly. “It’s alright.” She lifted her hand up to show him - it had stopped bleeding, and wasn’t super deep, but it still looked bad. “Doesn’t hurt as much now,” she continued, letting it fall to her side. “I mean, obviously when I touch it, it does, but I’ve been good at not doing that.”
“Good,” Miguel said, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “Happy to hear that.”
Harmony let go of Ren’s hand and slowed down, letting Miguel fall into stride next to her. She glanced over at him. “What about you?”
Miguel scratched his neck. “…What?”
Harmony threw her hands in the air. “How are you doing here! I know you’re not great with stuff like this! How’s your day been? What’s going on in that head of yours?” She reached a hand up to pat his head at the last part. He ducked away from her, smoothing his hair back out.
Flustered, he struggled to find a response - which question should he answer first? “I - uh, yeah, I’m good. It’s okay.”
Harmony looked unconvinced.
Miguel sighed, slumping forward. “...Although I’m not sure how long that’s going to last.”
Harmony gave him a sympathetic smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright! You’ve got us! We’re ready to take down whatever bad guy comes our way! Right, Ren?”
The fox swiveled her head toward them, blinking. “Sure.”
Harmony grinned, squeezing Miguel’s shoulder. “See? We have you covered!”
Miguel nodded. Yeah, but…
“But that’s it,” he mumbled. “I don’t… want to be ‘covered’. I don’t want you guys always looking after me. I want to be able to take care of myself.” And all of you guys.
Harmony paused, then frowned, nodding pensively. “I see.” After a few moments of silence, she resumed her cheerful demeanor. “Well, who’s to say you won’t get a partner? So far we all have! I bet that you’re next!”
“But Ezra…”
She waved a hand around dismissively. “Oh, so what about Ezra? Why would he come next and not you?” She smirked at him, winking. “I have a feeling that your partner is just around the corner!”
“Harmony!”
Ren gathered Harmony in her arms and rolled to the side before immediately getting back up and covering Miguel. He instinctively closed his eyes and placed his hands on the side of his head, preparing to be scooped up as well.
No scoop came. Miguel cracked an eye open warily.
Ren stood in a fighting stance, faced toward the river, claws at the ready and tail fluffed up. He peered around her at the opposer.
An unfamiliar voice came up from the river. “There’s no need to be so defensive! I don’t wanna hurt you!”
“Then why were you looking at us so weirdly?” Ren demanded, flicking her tail.
“Because you guys are humans! And I’ve never seen a human!”
“Ren, I think it’s fine,” Harmony said, getting up and dusting herself off. She tugged on Miguel’s arm, leading him over to the riverbank. Ren reluctantly folded her arms and stilled her tail.
Miguel leaned toward the river, finally catching a glimpse of the speaker. It was a tiny white Digimon with orange markings and a red-pink mane running down its neck. It seemed reminiscent of a sea lion, although Miguel couldn’t tell for certain, as its body was submerged in the water.
“You’re a Gomamon,” Ren said, at the same time the creature in the water said “I’m Gomamon!” They eyed each other for a moment before Ren cleared her throat.
“You said you’re looking for a human,” she said, twitching an ear.
“No I didn’t,” it said, crinkling its nose. “I said I’ve never seen a human. I think it’s weird.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Harmony said, crossing her arms to match Ren, though her tone was playful. “For the record, I think you’re weird.”
Gomamon laughed. “Fair enough,” he said, before turning to Miguel. “Humans aren’t even supposed to be in the Digital World. Why are you here?”
Miguel felt very much put on the spot, and he didn’t like it one bit. “I don’t know,” he managed to mumble, which embarrassed him but satisfied Gomamon.
“Also fair.” He looked back to Ren and Harmony, and Miguel breathed a sigh of relief. “Here I was, feeling some sort of weird pull to this place, and what do I know, two humans!” He laughed again, wiping his brow with a flipper. “So weird.”
“Hang on, a ‘pull’?” Ren asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Yeah,” Gomamon said. “I don’t know, just - some sort of need to come here? Like a Mothmon to a Lampmon!” He leapt out of the river onto the grass by Miguel’s feet, shaking himself off like a dog.
“Lampmon isn’t a lightbulb,” Ren said smoothly, looking down at him skeptically. “Thus, Mothmon wouldn’t be attracted to it.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Gomamon said dismissively, waving a clawed flipper at her. “Point is, I’m here, and there’s humans here!”
“And you think that’s not a coincidence,” Miguel mumbled, starting to catch on to what Gomamon was implying.
The little Digimon nodded earnestly, smiling. “Of course it’s not. I’ve never been to this area of the forest, but today, I woke up knowing I had to come here. And here you are!”
“So - just let me get this straight,” Harmony started, clasping her hands together. “You think there’s a reason that you feel drawn to some humans?” She raised her eyebrows at Miguel, obviously trying to communicate something, but he had no idea what.
“Well of course!” Gomamon said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say. Not as in, you know,” he added, “that there’s a super important reason. I didn’t wake up expecting to run into humans.”
He trailed off, his gaze drifting over the water. “Although…” He snapped back to attention, peering up at Miguel again, who once again felt a strange shiver go down his back when he connected with those yellow eyes. “Although a human would be able to help me with my problem.”
“Woah, woah,” Miguel said hurriedly, holding his hands up in protest. “What problem?” And why is he looking at me like that?
“Ah, it’s nothing big,” Gomamon assured him. “There’s just some… weird trash a little downstream that I’ve been having trouble with.”
“Oh?” Ren perked up at this, finally looking down at the little sea lion. “Do you usually take care of the area?”
“Not officially,” he admitted, ducking his head in what Miguel assumed to be embarrassment. “But I do like keeping an eye on it. Just to make sure nothing bad happens.”
“So I guess you haven’t been doing your job very well, if you need the help of a human,” Ren mumbled, earning a glare from Harmony and a nervous chuckle from Gomamon.
“Ignore her,” Harmony said, pushing past the fox to kneel down next to Gomamon. “Where’s this trash?”
“You’re not telling me we’re helping him,” Ren sighed, but she followed Harmony anyway as Gomamon pointed downstream, and then the four of them were off.
Miguel didn’t know how to take in any of what had just happened. What kind of trash was it? Did Digimon litter? They really needed to be careful around here. They had no idea where they were, and neither did any of their Digimon.
Except… Miguel caught himself sneaking a glance down at Gomamon, and he quickly shook the thought away. We’re just helping him out. It doesn’t mean anything.
He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he noticed just how… close Ren and Harmony were. They’d only met yesterday, but they were already getting along as if they’d known each other their whole lives.
Well, of course. Miguel stuffed his hands in his pockets, chewing on the inside of his lip. They are partners. And even though they’re practically exact opposites of each other, they still have that connection.
“That’s the trash?”
Miguel nearly walked straight into Ren’s back, but quickly sidestepped before she could get angry at him. They’d come to a stop near a pile of… well, it was certainly trash. Plastic bags and empty metal cans were stacked on top of each other haphazardly, some of them having fallen down to the river bank, in danger of being swept away by the current.
It didn’t look like normal trash, though, which was what Miguel noticed first. Rather than being in one piece (or somewhat close to one piece), it was all… losing pixels. There really was no other way to describe it. It was weird-looking, it was pixelated, and it did not look friendly.
Come to think of it, none of them had had any experience with anything like this, other than the various plants that seemed to be constantly losing data and the few fights where the Digimon dissolved into pixels (which Miguel hadn’t even seen with his own eyes). This garbage patch was definitely not the same, though.
“Yeah,” Gomamon sighed, scuffing his claws in the dirt. “That’s the trash. Nasty piece of work, ain’t it?” Any despair he had held suddenly evaporated as he pinned his ears back and raised his head in determination. “And we’re gonna take care of it.”
“Excuse me, but - um,” Miguel started, faltering when the three others turned to face him. “How, exactly, do we take care of it?”
“Throw it away,” Ren said, but Gomamon shook his head.
“Tried that. It ain’t working. I think there’s someone around here littering. If we can find them and ask them to stop -”
“Then it won’t keep coming back, right?” Harmony finished, at which Gomamon nodded.
“Exactly. I looked around here a bit, and I think I know where they are, but I can’t exactly get to it easily.” Gomamon beckoned the three to follow him, and he led them over to a large tree stump, nearly as tall as Ren.
“It’s hollow,” Harmony noted, stepping back to let Miguel get a good look inside - and indeed, although Miguel was quite short, he noticed that there was a large cavity in the center of the trunk.
Inside was a cluster of more trash, as well as something that Miguel couldn’t quite make out in the darkness. He thought he saw an eyeball, but he blinked and then it was gone.
“I can’t really climb up in there,” Gomamon was explaining when Miguel finally turned around. “I was hoping you guys could take a look inside for me. And you did! What did you find?” He looked back at Miguel for the last question, flicking his tail.
“More trash,” he said, Harmony nodding in agreement. “Bigger. And - no, nevermind.” He trailed off at the end, raising his hand to his mouth.
“No, what is it?” Gomamon asked, still looking up at him.
Miguel bit his lip. “It’s probably nothing, but I thought I saw an… eye in there?”
Silence.
“Me too, actually,” Harmony said after a beat, flashing Miguel a look.
Ren sniffed and wiped her nose. “Just one eye?”
Harmony nodded, nudging Miguel slightly.
“Just one,” Miguel confirmed. “I don’t know. It was probably nothing.”
Gomamon contemplated this, sticking his tongue out slightly, and Miguel sensed Ren behind him moving to look at the tree trunk.
“Could have been the trash shifting around weirdly,” Gomamon finally said, and then the three of them were knocked over by Ren barreling into their sides.
“Ren!” Harmony shouted, standing up and offering a hand to Miguel and Gomamon, but the latter had already bounded to the side of the larger Digimon. As Miguel grasped Harmony’s hand in his, he noticed Ren and Gomamon standing off against a small purple Digimon.
“A Tsumemon!” Ren spat, her tail bristling. Gomamon’s mane flared up as he bared his teeth at the little… hand with an eye?
“They eat data,” Gomamon said to the two humans, not taking his eyes off of it. “The data from trash is easy to get to, so it’s what they usually go for. That must be why it’s everywhere around here!”
“Are they going to kill it?” Miguel asked Harmony anxiously, whose eyes only widened as she watched her partner’s moves.
“
“
“It’s too fast,” Ren growled before leaping back into action. She tried to hit the Tsumemon, but it dodged again, crawling up onto the tree trunk so Gomamon couldn’t reach it.
“Ey, puppy!” Gomamon shouted, drawing Ren’s attention as he eyed the Tsumemon above him. “If you can drive him toward me, I can get him.”
“I am not a puppy,” Ren muttered, but she lashed her tail in agreement as she lunged for the Tsumemon. It skittered out of the way, down the tree trunk, and was too busy trying to avoid Ren to notice it had fallen right into the trap.
“
And that was Ren’s time to shine.
“
Miguel stood there for a minute, even as Harmony went to check on Ren and Gomamon. He couldn’t stop staring at where it had collapsed and… died.
Gomamon edged out of Harmony’s way and waddled up to Miguel, a slight frown on his face. “Tsumemon eat data,” he said again, although Miguel barely registered that he was being spoken to. “That’s why it was all wacky around here.” Miguel gave no response. Gomamon frowned and followed the boy’s gaze, finally realizing where he was looking.
“He’ll be okay,” he said, softer. “When he’s reborn he might evolve into something else. Something not so destructive, eh?” Apparently he couldn’t resist adding a joke to every sentence uttered from his mouth.
“It’s really gone?” Miguel asked. Gomamon nodded.
Miguel closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths before looking down at Gomamon again. “Okay. How do we get rid of the trash?”
“Already taken care of,” Ren said as she and Harmony approached them. “While you two were standing around doing nothing, I actually got rid of it.”
“Hey, there’s no need to be rude,” Gomamon retorted, and even Harmony gave Ren a sharp tap on the shoulder as punishment.
“Sorry for her,” Harmony said. She paused, looking back over her shoulder at where the trash had been, then tilted her head. “…She attacked it and it went up in pixels?”
“Yep,” Gomamon said, smiling. “That’s what happens. There’s a more complicated explanation, but… eh, that’s pretty much it.”
Harmony looked confused, but she nodded anyway. “I guess that’s it, then?”
Gomamon grinned up at her. “Yessir. Thanks for the help!”
“No problem,” Harmony said, smiling. “We’re gonna go back now. I don’t wanna deal with that again, and the others might be wondering where we are.”
“Wait, but - I want to stay with Gomamon,” Miguel blurted out, which surprised not only Harmony, but himself as well. “I mean, if it’s alright with him.”
Suddenly he got the feeling that he had just made a terrible mistake by letting that slip, and he cursed himself in his head for being so careless with his words. Great. Now she’s gonna think I’m weird or something. Me? Wanting to stay with a Digimon I don’t know?
And he probably doesn’t want me around, either.
“Yeah, I should look for more trash!” Gomamon agreed. “Just in case, ya know? It’d be more fun with a friend.”
Miguel did a double take, and tried to casually look down at Gomamon while also hiding a small smile. Huh. Okay, scratch that. …Wait. Did he call me a friend?
Gomamon caught Miguel staring at him, and saluted him with a flipper. Miguel snorted and looked back up.
Ren and Harmony exchanged a look, before the former folded her arms and the latter shrugged her shoulders. “Alrighty then,” Harmony said cheerfully. “Don’t get too lost! Be back in time for dinner.”
Miguel blinked. “Aren't you staying?”
“Nope!” She smiled widely and took Ren's hand, leading her back upstream. “I’ve had enough for the day. It’s your turn to lead the group,” she added as they walked away.
“Lead the - I can’t do that!” he protested, but the two had already started on their way back. Miguel inhaled sharply, then sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping. Gomamon stared up at him, amused.
“Well, here we go!” Gomamon said, nudging his leg. “Unless you’re having second thoughts?”
Miguel closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. “No. It’s fine. Let’s go.” He gathered up his courage and set off, Gomamon waddling beside him.
The trees were less dense the further downstream they went, allowing sunlight to shine down and reflect off the surface of the river. The breeze was pleasant, and the smell of strange wildflowers tickled their noses. Grass bowed beneath their feet, soft enough to not break. Miguel scratched his cheek with a finger awkwardly.
“So Miguel, how did you end up here in the Digital World?” Gomamon suddenly asked. Miguel jerked back in surprise. “I’ve only ever heard stories of humans here before. I never thought I’d ever see one for myself.”
“Well, ah - it’s a weird story,” Miguel said, grimacing. “I was in class one day when Alex got a weird thing on his computer, so some others and I went over to see it, and then we ended up here.”
Gomamon nodded thoughtfully, still looking ahead. He kicked a rock out of the way with his flipper. “I see. And you’ve been here for how long?”
Miguel frowned and tapped his cheek. “Four days, I think?”
“Four days!” Gomamon exclaimed, stopping in his tracks to stare up at him. His mouth was open wide in disbelief. “So you don’t know anything about what’s beyond this forest, do you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that…” Miguel mumbled, feeling a little put out.
“Oh boy.” Gomamon sucked his breath in and rested his chin on his claws. “Well, what don’t you know about the Digital World?”
Miguel frowned and thought long and hard. Finally he shrugged. “…Almost everything, I guess?”
“Oh boy,” Gomamon said again, before beginning to walk again, beckoning Miguel to continue as well. “I can tell you about what happens when a Digimon gets deleted.”
“Deleted?”
“Like Tsumemon earlier. Or, you could call it dying, but we don’t ever really die, since we just get reborn at the nearest Primary Village.”
“You’re making my head hurt,” Miguel complained, which Gomamon laughed at.
“Sorry.” He looked up at the trees, his mane ruffling in the wind. “When a Digimon’s data is damaged super badly, like from being attacked or simply old age, they’ll be deleted, and their data will be sent to a Primary Village. I don’t know exactly what happens in between deletion and rebirth, but something like their data is reconfigured so they can be reborn. That’s why we call it reconfigurement.”
“So like reincarnation.”
“Yeah!” Gomamon paused. “If ‘reincarnation’ means they die and then get born again.”
Miguel snickered, which in turn made Gomamon laugh too. “That’s exactly what it means.”
The conversation died down after that, with Miguel still processing the concept of digital reincarnation and Gomamon looking around at the scenery. After a while, though, Miguel began to lose focus and started zoning out, enough where it got to the point that he couldn’t pick up on what Gomamon was saying.
“Miguel?”
“Hm?” Miguel startled back to reality and noticed he had stopped walking.
“You were spacing out.”
“Oh.” Miguel rubbed his eyes. “Sorry.” He paused, looking down at Gomamon for a second before sighing. ”I guess I’m just… really worried.”
“About what?”
“My family.”
Gomamon stared up at him curiously. Miguel sighed and began walking again. “We’ve been gone for four days. They must be so worried.”
Gomamon remained silent for a moment before speaking up. “What’s your family?”
Miguel squinted at him, unable to tell if he was joking. “Really?”
Gomamon rolled his eyes. “I know what the word means, obviously. I want to know what your family is. What’re they like?”
Miguel bit his lip. How should I say it… “Well, my family is my mom, my dad, and my little sister Andrea. My mom takes care of us and my dad works in the city, so he gets home late usually. We all live in a small house and we eat dinner together, except for on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Andrea has dance practice. We all… I love them a lot, and I miss them.”
Gomamon ducked his head. “So they’re people who love you and take care of you?”
“Yep.”
“That sounds like Elecmon.”
“Elecmon?”
“He’s a Digimon who took care of all the eggs and babies in my Primary Village,” Gomamon explained. “I guess he was kind of like a… father? I haven’t seen him in a long time, ever since I evolved to Bukamon. And then there were the other Bukamon in my village.”
“So you have family too,” Miguel murmured. “That’s nice.”
Gomamon frowned a bit, then nodded. “…Sorta. Yeah.”
A comfortable silence settled over the two as they continued their walk. Miguel noticed that the trees on the opposite side of the river seemed to be even more sparse, and he could just barely make out the silhouette of the mountains.
Hit by a sudden burst of motivation, Miguel stopped walking and instead moved to the riverbank. Gomamon followed him, tilting his head in confusion.
“Why don’t we cross the river and see what’s on the other side?” Miguel suggested. “It looks like there’s less trees over there.”
“Sounds good!” Gomamon jumped into the water with a splash. “I’ll see if there’s a shallow spot where you can walk through.” He swam downstream, testing the depth with his claws.
Miguel intended to wait for Gomamon to beckon him over, really he did, but… instead he found himself getting into the river after him. I don’t need to wait for him. I can take care of myself! I know how to swim.
“Miguel, don’t -”
Gomamon’s warning was, quite literally, drowned out by the water that surged over Miguel’s head.
He didn’t think the river would be so deep; he had severely misjudged it and had foolishly walked right in without a second thought. He didn’t want to open his eyes - he’d always been bad at opening his eyes underwater - so he was forced to search for the surface with only his sense of direction.
He kept his mouth shut and tried not to inhale any water up his nose. Air hit his hand as it reached out above the surface - or at least he thought it did. It was hard to tell.
It didn’t matter anyway, because even if he had gotten a limb out of the water, he couldn’t raise his head above the water in time before he lost any sense he’d had of what was up and what was down.
Every thought in his head was shouting don’t panic! save your energy! flailing around will only exhaust you! and then every feeling in his lungs was screaming you need to breathe! get up! get out of the water!
Seconds ticked by, each one stretching longer than the last as Miguel frantically waved his arms around, trying to find the surface.
After what seemed like an eternity, he sensed a presence in the water near him. Claws prodded his side gently, and then he felt a tiny body under his own, lifting him up onto the bank of the river. He spluttered as he breathed in and out, coughing up water on the shore.
Gomamon stayed silent while Miguel regained his bearings, but once Miguel rolled onto his back and took a deep breath, he was immediately up in his face.
“Don’t ever do that again!” the sea lion scolded. “You could have gotten really hurt. I just met you, I don’t wanna lose you.”
Miguel’s shoulders drooped. “Sorry.” He stilled his shaking hands and caught his breath. “I just… I can swim. I can take care of myself.”
Gomamon’s expression softened, and he stretched a flipper forward to rest on Miguel’s hand. “You don’t need to prove it, and certainly not by risking your life. I already know.”
Miguel gave him a weak smile. He wiped his eyes and exhaled slowly, standing up. “Why don’t we just head back. I think I’ve had enough for today.”
Gomamon shook his head fiercely. His eyes lit up with determination as he started forward. Looking back over his shoulder, he called back to Miguel. “Nah, let’s keep going! I know you can do it! C’mon, we won’t get in the river again.” With that, he turned back and kept walking.
Miguel sighed. I make one bad choice and it ruins the whole thing, and when I try to make a rational decision, I get turned down. He looked down at his hands, trying to stall for as long as he could, but Gomamon was getting impatient.
“Let’s go!” he called out, looking back over his shoulder at him.
…Guess I have no choice.
They didn’t talk much after that, but it was an easy silence, and Miguel slowly but surely found himself worrying less as they continued. Gomamon would stop every now and then to look back at Miguel to make sure he was following. Miguel would always smile and wave, and Gomamon would smile back.
Miguel made sure to look around and check out his surroundings. After all, he was mostly on this walk to scope out the area for when they left tomorrow. That was what Harmony had said at first, right? But as hard as he looked, all he saw were trees, grass, and more trees.
I’ve had enough of trees on this trip, he thought to himself wearily. First that forest where we found the mansion, then that crazy jungle, and now this. When are we ever going to find something new?
“Hey, I found something new!”
Miguel snapped out of his thoughts, looking ahead to where Gomamon was pointing. He jogged over and instantly wished he had walked.
The river had split into two parts a while back, and the part on the opposite side had now ended in a waterfall cascading down the side of a huge cliff. The trees on the opposite riverbank thinned out along the clifftop, and the sky was now visible. Below, more trees of a seemingly different species dotted the riverside.
Miguel reeled back, suddenly feeling dizzy. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look -
“Look at what’s down there!” Gomamon said excitedly. “I bet there’s some Swimmon down there. Maybe they’ll know if there’s any more trash around here.”
“Let’s not,” Miguel said quickly, taking several steps away from the cliffside. At least the ground on this side is still solid.
Gomamon looked back at him curiously. “Why not?”
“We can just as easily continue on this side,” he pointed out. “And it’s less dangerous. Definitely not going to maybe possibly kill us.”
Gomamon tilted his head. “Is that what you’re afraid of? Dying?”
Miguel looked down, shuffling his feet awkwardly. Gomamon padded over to him slowly.
“Miguel, it’s okay to admit it.”
“Okay, yes!” he shouted, leaning against a tree trunk and sinking to his knees. He rearranged his legs in a more comfortable sitting position, and Gomamon curled up closer to him.
“Yes,” he went on in a softer voice. “Yes, I’m afraid of dying. There’s monsters in this world that I’ve never seen and they all want to kill us. ” He sighed and pointed his face to the sky. “We don’t know anything about this place! We got here four days ago. It’s all so new to us, and we have Digimon with us, but just - ” He broke off at the end, burying his face in his knees.
“I just - I’m the youngest of the group. But I still feel like I need to… protect them. Keep an eye on them. It’s the least I can do, since I’m not much help with anything else.” He furrowed his brows.
Gomamon remained silent, prompting Miguel to continue.
Miguel inhaled and stilled his trembling hands. “…But I feel like they won’t notice if I go missing. And I’m just afraid of getting hurt in general.”
Gomamon nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I know you’re worth more than they think. Without you, I think the group would shatter.”
Miguel snorted. “But you don’t even know the others.”
“I still know that you’re the best out of all of them.”
Miguel looked out across the river. A leaf drifted down from a tree, landing upon the surface and sailing over the edge of the waterfall.
“My point is,” Gomamon went on, “you’re a lot stronger than you think. You just need to be a little more confident in that. Once you start to believe it, they will, too.”
Miguel gave a noncommittal sound of agreement. Gomamon rested his head on his leg, closing his eyes.
“…It’s nice being away from the others, I guess,” Miguel mumbled. “Just you and me. Not having to worry about anything.”
“See,” Gomamon said sleepily. “You’re doing great already.”
Miguel chuckled, feeling himself start to grow tired as well. He yawned and rested his head back against the trunk of the tree.
“Yeah. Thanks, Gomamon.”
Miguel was startled awake by a talon pressing against his face.
Instinctively, he shot up, pushing away the perpetrator and getting into a defensive position. Gomamon made a strange sleepy sound, but woke up after Miguel nudged him with his foot.
“What…” He yawned and covered his mouth with a claw before opening an eye. When he saw what had awoken him, he moved in front of Miguel protectively, his mane standing on end.
“What are you?” Miguel asked, taking a step toward the opposer.
It was a small, rotund, purpley-blue Digimon with giant front legs and wide eyes. Its webbed tail swished back and forth worriedly as it cowered away from Gomamon.
“Please, we don’t want to hurt you!” it said, reaching its talons out in a non-threatening manner.
Miguel blinked. “...We?”
Two more of the same Digimon popped out of the river and joined their friend. All three smiled widely, their sharp teeth glinting in the setting sun’s rays.
“Oh, no,” Miguel muttered. “I can’t take any more of this.” Rubbing his nose, he sat back down on the ground. Gomamon gave him a concerned look but continued to face the Digimon.
“You’re a human, aren’t you?” the first one asked.
Miguel nodded. “Uh… yeah, I am…”
All three of the digimon hopped up and down and smiled even more. “Oh, yay!”
“We heard news there were humans in the Digital World!” the first one said. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Miguel and Gomamon exchanged glances. “News travels fast here,” Gomamon explained.
Miguel shook his head and turned back to the Digimon. “And who are you?”
“We’re the Otamamon!” all three said in unison. “We live along this river!”
“We really need your help!” the smallest of the three pleaded. “There’s a group of Gizamon who have been terrorizing us!”
The first one nodded. “We thought they were our friends, but they’ve been acting crazy recently! We’re too weak to fight them, so we need your help!”
“Woah, woah, slow down,” Miguel protested, holding his hands out. The three Otamamon all sat down obediently, staring at him with wide eyes. Gomamon relaxed and laid down next to Miguel, but he kept a wary eye on the Digimon.
Miguel rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb before continuing. “You’re being… attacked by other Digimon, and you think that since I’m a human I can stop them?” He winced. “Not likely.”
“Miguel,” Gomamon started. The three Otamamon turned to him expectantly, and he raised a brow at them, unamused. “You can do it! You’ll be such a great help. You’re awesome!”
“But I… I can’t do anything.”
“Miguel, you and I are friends!” Gomamon said, placing a clawed flipper on his leg. “We can do anything together! A coupla Gizamon aren’t gonna be a big deal!” The Otamamon jumped up and down in agreement, prompting a frown from Gomamon. They sat back down and tried to contain their excitement.
“You sure? I don’t know…” I know the others can fight with their partners, but… Gomamon and I might not even be partners. And even if we are, what if I’m not strong enough? Miguel sighed and placed his cheek in his hand. He bit the inside of his mouth absentmindedly, considering the options before him.
If he helped the Otamamon, he would feel good about what he’d done, and the Otamamon would be happy - but there was the risk of him getting hurt, and he hated to think of that. If he didn’t help them, though, he had no risk of getting injured, but the Otamamon would be devastated and the Gizamon might use that chance to further antagonize them.
Maybe I should go ask for help…
“Come on, Miguel! This is your chance to show the others that you’re stronger than they think!” Gomamon smiled widely and looked at the Otamamon, who smiled back and clapped their hands together.
Miguel’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He was outnumbered. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? A few scratches?
I never signed up for this. I didn’t choose this. I just wanna go home.
But he powered through it; he clasped his hands and stood up straight, looking down at the four sea animals. His friend and three tadpoles who were relying on him to help save them from, what, a few mischief makers?
He sucked in a breath, closing his eyes, as he thought to himself.
I have to do this. Even though I would rather be anywhere than here, in this weird world with giant monsters out to kill us.
He looked back down at the Otamamon and smiled. “...Okay. We’ll help you.”
The Otamamon cheered, running around each other in circles, diving into the water and back out again. Miguel shrunk back, trying not to get splashed, while Gomamon laughed and jumped in with them.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Miguel managed a giggle and waited until the four were done jumping around before gesturing them toward him. “Alright. Where are these… Gizamon?”
The Otamamon pointed further downstream. Miguel nodded and they all started off, the Otamamon leading and Gomamon following close behind.
“So what exactly have the Gizamon been up to?” Gomamon asked. “Anything in particular or are they just being kinda rude?”
The smallest Otamamon shuddered and lingered behind to walk beside Gomamon. It wrung its talons out, casting nervous glances around it. Miguel cocked his head at it.
“They used to just leave us alone,” the largest Otamamon said from the front of the group. The one beside it nodded, a pensive look on its face. “We weren’t super close, but they were always friendly to us!”
“And then out of the blue one day, they started attacking us if we got too close,” the smallest continued, ducking its head. Gomamon nudged its shoulder and gave it a reassuring smile.
“We tried to ask them what was wrong, but they wouldn’t answer, just attack us.” The leader sighed and shook its head. “They don’t even say anything now, just sort of growl and hiss. And… there’s something wrong with their eyes.”
Miguel looked up at the tree branches above their heads. “…Sounds a lot like the Digimon we’ve come across recently,” he muttered.
Gomamon looked up at him, blinking, and the Otamamon turned their attention to him as well. “What do you mean?” Gomamon asked.
Miguel scratched the back of his head nervously, unsure of how to say it. “We haven’t exactly… been treated well since coming here,” he said awkwardly. “There’s been a lot of violent Digimon who seem to make it their personal goal to - to hurt us. The only other friendly Digimon we’ve come across have said that it’s not normal, and they’re not sure why anyone’s been acting this way.”
There was a pause, and Miguel pressed his hands together, fearing he had worried or offended any of them. I hope they don’t think that I think they’re going to hurt us.
“That is weird.” Gomamon wriggled his nose and his mane bristled. “I’ve been seeing that a little, too. Not a big deal - there’s always been aggressive Digimon, but there’s a lot more now than there used to be.”
All three Otamamon nodded. “Yeah,” said the biggest. “A lot of Digimon who used to be our friends have been going a little crazy recently. Do you know the Crabmon?” It turned to Gomamon before adding the last part, who mumbled in agreement. The Otamamon’s tail drooped and dragged across the grass behind it. “Yeah. They’ve been really mean lately whenever we try to talk to them.”
“It’s weird,” the second said. “They’re not talking either. None of the rude Digimon seem to be able to talk anymore. Maybe there’s something wrong with them.”
“Like they’re upset about something?” Miguel suggested.
The Otamamon shrugged. “I don’t know.”
The conversation died down after that, and a somber air washed over the group. Miguel was suddenly not looking forward to dealing with the Gizamon, but he’d made a commitment. He couldn’t back down now.
And besides, he could probably just talk some sense into them anyway. They might be more open to constructive criticism coming from a human. Miguel smiled a bit at the mental image of him teaching the Gizamon the values of manners and politeness.
The sun had climbed higher in the sky, and Miguel was finally starting to feel more comfortable. A breeze carried cool droplets of the river water into their faces as the shade of the trees protected their backs from the harsh sunlight. The clouds were mostly gone, and between the holes in the forest canopy Miguel could see the vast blueness of the sky above their heads. It felt a little like home.
Miguel immediately shook the thought off. No, this place isn’t at all like home. Home didn’t have giant monsters and random telephone poles in empty fields and vending machines in the middle of the forest. He stifled a sigh as he thought of Andrea and his parents. I hope they’re doing okay without me. I hope they’re not too worried.
The Otamamon suddenly stopped, grabbing each other’s arms and tails and shushing each other. They turned around to face Miguel and Gomamon and silently ushered them to hide behind a bush.
“Be quiet,” they whispered when they were all safely tucked away. Gomamon squirmed out from under one of the Otamamon’s tails, giving it a gentle flick with a claw.
“There they are,” the biggest one said, looking over the bush and pointing at something along the riverbank. Miguel peeked his head up to see what it was, lifting Gomamon with him as he did so. There were a few figures in the water, submerged enough that Miguel couldn’t make out their true appearance.
“Those are Gizamon?”
“Those are Gizamon, alright,” Gomamon spat with a hint of bitterness in his voice. He flicked an ear and narrowed his eyes at the Digimon in the water. “They’re usually pretty harmless on land, but they’re ferocious in the water.”
The Gizamon’s backs were coated in thick, orange fur, with a lighter yellow body and black spikes sticking up from their spines. Their legs were muscular, and all four limbs ended in sharp webbed claws.
“You think we can do it?” Miguel asked, feeling unsure. “If they’re in the water, it’ll be hard to take them, right?”
“Nah, they’ll be a piece of cake!” Gomamon reassured him. He flashed a toothy grin at Miguel, who felt his own confidence boosted by the small gesture.
He looked down at the Otamamon sitting beside him. “So you want us to fight them?”
“Yes please!”
“But… why? They’re just sitting there.”
The Otamamon looked down at their feet, the biggest one speaking up. “You’ll understand once you get closer.”
Miguel and Gomamon barely had time to share a confused glance before they were pushed out from behind the bush. Miguel felt his heart skip a beat as the Gizamon, still submerged in the water, turned their heads around to stare directly at them.
Miguel rubbed the back of his neck in hesitance as Gomamon glared back at the Otamamon, who, for their part, had huddled together even more closely behind the bush after rudely shoving the two boys into the open.
“Here goes nothing,” Gomamon muttered, leading the way over to the riverside. Miguel followed, shoving his hands in his vest pockets awkwardly.
When Gomamon said nothing even as they reached the Gizamon, Miguel realized he would have to take the lead here.
He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Uh… hey guys… listen, I don’t want to fight you, but the Otamamon told me you guys have been really mean to them, so could you… maybe stop?”
The three Gizamon said nothing. Miguel looked down at Gomamon and shrugged a shoulder, but the tiny sea lion waggled his flipper in an indication to Miguel to continue.
He cleared his throat before facing off against the Gizamon again, trying to smile at them non-threateningly, but his nerves got the better of him and he had a feeling - both from his own perception of his face as well as Gomamon cringing away from him - that he had failed miserably at that specific task.
Well, there was still a chance he could ace the actual negotiations.
“Sorry,” he said, but he wasn’t sure whether it was aimed towards Gomamon, the Gizamon, or some unidentifiable third party (himself?).
“Sorry,” he said again, and this time he really felt awkward. He almost said sorry a third time, but a slight nudge from Gomamon forced him to focus on the situation at hand: dealing with these Gizamon.
Slightly shaking his head, he breathed out and clasped his hands together, forcing a smile. “Hi. I’m Miguel, this is Gomamon, and the, uh, the Otamamon have said you guys haven’t been super nice to them. We - I - we?” - and he looked down at Gomamon for this, to ensure that he was still with him - good, he was - “really don’t want to fight you, but you need to stop attacking the Otamamon. They’re your friends, right?”
The largest Gizamon swam forward an inch, tilting its head slightly.
“…Right?” Miguel asked again, a slight hitch in his voice this time around.
“Miguel,” Gomamon whispered, tugging on his pant leg with a claw, “I don’t think they can understand you.”
Miguel let out a huff and looked down at Gomamon, a little annoyed. “You understand me just fine.”
Gomamon scrunched his nose up, his ears pinned back as he shook his head. “Yeah, but - look at them!”
Miguel, who had spent the past three minutes looking at them, rolled his eyes silently but obliged, turning his gaze towards the Gizamon once more. And this time, he… noticed something. Something he hadn’t noticed before.
Something disconcerting.
“Something doesn’t… feel right,” Gomamon said quietly, and Miguel had no idea what to say back, because he was absolutely correct and there was no chance that he was misreading things.
The largest Gizamon suddenly bared its teeth and narrowed its eyes - those pure, white, soulless eyes, those eyes Miguel had failed to notice at first, those eyes that made his heart slow to a stop and his breathing falter and his legs shake.
“…I think you’re right.”
Before the two had time to react, the Gizamon were lunging out of the water at them, and Miguel prepared himself to be shoved to the ground - but instead they were pulled into the water, where the Gizamon circled around them like hungry sharks, their teeth snapping at the choppy ripples from their sudden dunk in the stream.
Miguel was quite offended at being subjected to drowning twice in a day, and he struggled to the surface, looking around frantically for Gomamon.
“Miguel!” he heard the sea lion call out, and he whipped his head around to face him. Two of the Gizamon - the smaller ones - were locked in combat with him. Gomamon seemed to be handling himself fine, using his clawed flippers and Water Shot attack to hold them off.
Miguel, on the other hand? Well, with no claws or special attacks, he was handling his own Gizamon very poorly.
“Miguel - ” Gomamon cried out again, before being shoved underwater by a Gizamon. Miguel tried to swim over to him, but the Gizamon in his way was not interested in letting that happen.
He saw Gomamon’s head breach the surface and gasp for air, and he managed to reach an arm around and grab onto one of his claws. Gomamon looked over at him, his eyes filled with determination.
And then Miguel’s Gizamon threw the two of them apart, Miguel’s hand desperately grasping for anything solid as Gomamon was yanked out from his fingers.
Defenseless, Miguel was forced to try his best to fend off his Gizamon while he watched Gomamon fight the other two, and every time his friend took a hit, he winced as if he could feel his pain.
“
He resurfaced behind the Gizamon, who had stopped at this point and was slowly turning around to face him again. “
Confident that Gomamon could handle himself, Miguel turned back to his own Gizamon. It was still staring at him, its white eyes almost unblinking and its teeth bared.
Gomamon laughed suddenly, and Miguel saw the two Gizamon he was fighting had backed off. He looked over to the boy and grinned, opening his mouth as if to say something, but Miguel didn’t hear what he said - his own Gizamon had pulled him underwater.
He struck his hands out, hoping to either hit the Gizamon or grab hold of Gomamon, but he only felt the water around him as he reminded himself not to breathe and not to open his eyes and not to panic, because panicking while you are drowning is the worst thing to do.
Arms wrapped around his abdomen, and the next thing he knew Gomamon was pulling him into fresh air for the second time that day. Miguel managed a weak, grateful smile, until Gomamon left him treading water as he spun around to face the three approaching Gizamon.
“We have to end this,” Gomamon panted, breathing heavily, and Miguel felt a twinge of guilt at not having realized just how beaten up he was. Sure, he was an aquatic Digimon, but having to fight three others off at once while also making sure Miguel didn’t die had obviously taken a toll on him.
“How,” Miguel said, spitting out the water that had entered his mouth as he’d said it. “How can we end this when I can’t fight and you’re outnumbered?”
“But you can do something,” Gomamon said, looking over his shoulder. “Because you’re worth more than you think. Because you’re stronger than you think. Because you’re my friend, and I’d only ever be friends with the most coolest, most strongest guy around!”
Miguel blinked, both in disbelief and to clear the water in his eyes. “…Most coolest, most strongest? I’m not - either of those things!”
“Well, you have to be right now!”
The three Gizamon began to close in on them, spreading out and around the two so that Gomamon could only hold off two at once. Miguel shrank away from the largest one, who was eyeing him, and he felt Gomamon’s mane brush against his neck as he backed up into him.
Gomamon shot another burst of water at one of the Gizamon, who took it head-on and seemed only a little inconvenienced by it. “I can’t do this alone.”
“And I can’t do this without you!” Miguel cried, clenching his fists.
Gomamon barked a laugh, slapping a flipper against the water and splashing the nearest Gizamon. “Then let’s do it together!”
Miguel felt his heart swell three sizes larger as he reached a hand back to squeeze Gomamon’s claws. With a newfound determination and confidence fueling him, he narrowed his eyes at the two smallest Gizamon as he and Gomamon advanced on them side by side.
Of course, Gomamon had to do most of the work, as he was the only one who could really fight, but Miguel thought he did a pretty good job at holding back the other Gizamon while Gomamon shot Water Shot after Water Shot, slashed claw after claw at his opponents. Soon enough, he’d done enough damage to send the smallest two careening down the river far too fast for them to try to regain their footing and come back for more.
This left the largest of the three, who had thus far been the most hellish to deal with, and Miguel was really not looking forward to having to fight this one off.
“I’m not looking forward to having to fight this one off,” Gomamon remarked as the two of them stared deep into the pure white eyes of the Gizamon.
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Miguel replied, and Gomamon chuckled.
Whenever Gomamon tried to launch an attack, the Gizamon either dove underwater to dodge it or took it full-force and escaped unscathed. It seemed to Miguel that it was growing bored with them, as it no longer swam with the same speed or growled at them with the same intensity.
“There’s no way we can beat this guy,” Miguel said, feeling all his courage drain away and float downstream as if following the other two Gizamon.
“Yes we can.” There was absolutely no hesitation in Gomamon’s voice, and Miguel chanced a peek at his face - his brows were furrowed and his pupils narrow slices in his yellow eyes.
He held no cowardice about him, no fear or regret, and Miguel felt a small fire kindling deep within him as he stared into his friend’s determined gaze.
Suddenly he saw Gomamon was rising up to his full height in the water as he faced the Gizamon. “We can do this,” he said, flicking an ear back toward Miguel.
Miguel paused for a single heartbeat, and then he nodded, and then he stared at the Gizamon with all the intensity that Gomamon had in his heart.
The Gizamon didn’t seem to notice the change in either of them, but Miguel realized that Gomamon was preparing to dive.
“What are you doing,” he hissed, and then Gomamon disappeared beneath the surface, leaving Miguel and the Gizamon alone in the middle of the river.
Within a moment, Gomamon was flying out of the water, leaping straight up into the air, and a sort of forcefield was visible around the front half of his body.
Time seemed to slow to a halt, and Gomamon seemed to hang in the air for a second before the barrier burst into life and he cried out “
He stretched his arms out in front of him and dove.
The force was enough to knock even Miguel back, and he was nowhere near his target, which was the Gizamon. A huge wave went up, splashing everywhere and causing Miguel to have to shield his face from the blast. When he could finally open his eyes, he saw Gomamon floating in the water, his eyes wide, and he followed his gaze downstream, where the defeated Gizamon was lying face-up in defeat as it drifted down the river.
Miguel couldn’t resist the smile that spread across his face, but even so. “Will they come back?” he asked, still a little nervous at the prospect.
Gomamon shook his head. “They won’t dare mess with the Otamamon after that beating!”
“Heh.” Miguel looked around. “I hope you’re right.”
Silence washed over the river, no longer filled with the struggling splashes or cries of battle. Gomamon caught Miguel’s eye and grinned, fully showing off all his sharp little teeth in his puppy-dog mouth.
The air was split by a familiar beeping noise, and Miguel craned his neck around to look at the Otamamon running towards the river, smiles and laughs emanating from them, and Miguel noticed the largest one was holding his phone - which was, of course, where the beeping was coming from.
“You did it!” the smallest one said, positively beaming with joy and gratitude. “You guys are so cool! He was like ‘aaaah, I’m gonna get you’ and then you -” it pointed to Miguel at this - “were like ‘you can do it! I believe in you!’ and then Gomamon was like ‘yeah, I can do it!’ and then he did it and it was so cool! You were so cool!”
Miguel and Gomamon laughed and managed to pull themselves out of the water amidst the gaggle of Otamamon clambering all over them, and all five of them collapsed on the bank of the river, smiling and taking in big gulps of air.
The biggest Otamamon tapped Miguel on the shoulder, and he rolled over to face it. It held its talon out and presented his phone to him. The beeping had died down, but his phone was on and displaying the last page on his home screen, where a new app was beginning to download.
Miguel blinked and took his phone with a nod of thanks, calling Gomamon over to his side so he could help examine it. The sea lion emitted a noise of surprise when he saw the Digimoji.
“Weird,” he said, scratching his nose with a claw. “That’s our ancient language. How did you get that?”
Miguel’s mouth curled into a smile, and he leaned forward to wrap his arms around Gomamon. Gomamon froze for a moment before snuggling closer to Miguel, accepting his embrace.
“We’re partners,” Miguel whispered. “You and I. We’re partners and you’re my best friend.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Gomamon said, “like, at all, but I get a good feeling from it. Does it mean we get to see each other every day from now on?”
Miguel let go of Gomamon and ran a hand through his mane. “Yeah. It does.”
The Otamamon, sick of being sidelined, bounded back into the center of attention. The smallest one crawled close to Miguel and rested its arms on his leg. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! How can we ever repay you?”
Miguel and Gomamon shared a look. They didn’t need any thanks, did they? They’d been doing a good deed for the sake of doing it.
Then Miguel’s stomach rumbled, and he clapped a hand over it, embarrassed. Gomamon and the Otamamon stifled their laughter, and Miguel joined in with a giggle.
“Well… do you guys have any food?”
The Otamamon’s village - if you could even call it that - was just an empty clearing a ways in from the river, with a few houses seeming to be constructed of reeds scattered here and there. Other Otamamon - some of them the same deep indigo, others bright red - had poked their heads out as the group entered the grounds, but they were a small group, perhaps ten or so. Regardless, they were greeted with wide smiles and deep bows, and they were all very polite.
Miguel and Gomamon had returned to where the rest of the group was and told them everything, from their excursion down the river to their fight with the Gizamon. Harmony had clapped her hands with joy when it was revealed they were partners, because apparently she had known that Gomamon and Miguel would end up bonding together from the moment she laid eyes on them. (Miguel had had no idea that she had been hinting at that the entire time she was with them, and felt a little ridiculous for it.)
Presently they were gathered in a small circle just outside the village boundary, with a small fire flickering in the center. They were enjoying a wonderful meal cooked by the Otamamon with the help of Miguel; he wasn’t sure exactly… what it was, but it was some sort of seafood noodle dish. Cobb noodles, they’d called it? Something like that.
It was dark now. Miguel had barely even noticed that the sun had begun to set while he and Gomamon were dealing with the Gizamon, and by the time he had both fetched the group and found the village, it had sunk below the horizon and nighttime had washed over the forest.
He and Gomamon were exhausted, but they managed to stay alert enough to take in everyone’s support and congratulations. Ryan had tried suggesting a few nicknames for Gomamon, all of which both he and Miguel had turned down.
The two of them really settled on something after Azure expressed their amazement for perhaps the tenth time that night. They were still in awe, and couldn’t refrain from saying that they “would’ve flipped out” if it had been them in the situation.
Gomamon went silent at this, cocking his head and propping his chin up with a flipper. “Flipped out… huh.”
“Oh, that would be a good name,” Harmony pointed out, wiping her mouth. “Like, ‘you’re flipping awesome, Flip!’”
“Well, does our nickname connoisseur agree?” Alex cracked, nodding toward Ryan.
“It’s not really his decision,” Miguel broke in before Ryan could even open his mouth. “I think it’s perfect. What about you, Flip?”
Gomamon perked up, looking up at him. His perpetually-smiling mouth seemed to smile even wider, his teeth flashing in the firelight. “Flip…” He trailed off, turning toward the campfire. “Yeah. I like that.”
Azure made a sound of agreement. “Well, Flip. Welcome to the team.”
Flip smiled and nodded before turning to his own partner. “I’m glad that I’ve finally found you, Miguel.”
Miguel found himself smiling down at the Digimon beside him. My partner.
“I’m glad I’ve found you, Flip.”
One of the Otamamon cleared its throat, drawing the group’s attention to where it sat at the entrance to the village. “You’re all welcome to stay here for the night, if you’d like.”
“Oh, thank you so much!” Harmony said before anyone - namely Ryan - could turn them down. (Ryan seemed a bit offended at this, but let it go without argument.) “That would be wonderful!”
“Of course!” The Otamamon beamed up at them, wagging its tail back and forth. “We owe you so much! If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask us!”
They were offered beds made of fresh reeds, which they were extremely grateful for. Miguel was getting a little tired of sleeping on the dirt. They arranged their positions so their heads were in the center, close to the dying fire to warm their tired faces. No one was quite ready to go to bed just yet, so they chatted a little here and there, and Miguel was happy that they were all getting along finally.
“Well… fourth night here wasn’t so bad.” Azure stretched their arms above their head.
Miguel blinked. “It’s only the fourth night, huh?”
“Yeah.” Azure sighed and reached a hand up to pat Ko’s horn. “I can’t believe I met Ko yesterday.”
Miguel followed suit, stroking Flip’s mane until the sea lion nearly purred with pleasure. “I guess I haven’t been keeping track of the time as good as I thought I was.”
“Hey, it’s alright,” Harmony reassured him, Ren laying beside her and looking a bit bored. “Everything is weird here.”
Castor nodded. “And tomorrow is just another day. A day that we’ll all get through together.”
“Hear, hear!” Alex shouted, which earned laughs from everyone present.
“I’m exhausted,” Ryan said suddenly, and as if on cue, everyone began to yawn as well, nodding their heads sleepily. “We should go to bed anyway. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
“That’s ominous,” Dare mumbled, but she curled up into a sleeping position next to him anyway. He adjusted himself so he could rest his head on her stomach comfortably, as if she were a pillow.
Slowly, everyone fell asleep, curled up next to their partners - and, in Ezra’s case (who was still without a Digimon of his own), next to Alex.
Miguel knew he should try to get to sleep as well, but he kept staring into the dwindling fire, listening to it pop and crack and feeling its heat on his face and Flip at his side.
Speaking of, the tiny Digimon had crawled up closer to his head, so he could look into his eyes and talk to him more clearly. “So where are we headed tomorrow?”
Miguel rubbed his eyes, repressing a yawn as he reached an arm around Flip for a side hug. “I… don’t know,” he admitted. “We need to find Castor’s friend, but… we also need to look for a way home.”
“Home? Why?”
Miguel said nothing for a while, and Flip rested his head on his paws, still paying attention to him out of the corner of his eye. When Miguel finally spoke again, he was surprised to find his voice quieter and more somber.
“Because we don’t belong here. We have families back in our world, who must be worried sick about us. We’re just kids. We need to go home as soon as we can.”
“But…” Flip trailed off, ducking his head and scuffing his claws against the grass. “But I just met you.”
Miguel raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Flip. “I never said you can’t come with me!”
“Oh.” Flip thought about this for a second, then grinned and nodded. “You’re right! Wow, I can’t wait to meet your family. You think they’ll like me?”
Miguel smiled, looking down at his newfound friend. What a strange world this is.
“Yeah. Yeah, they’ll like you.”