#+ sora's and yamato's too of course

[seventeenlovesthree]

Did you know that there is a clear "pecking order/priority list" Taichi and Koushirou have in common when it comes to calling their friends in case of emergency?

Did you also know that, even though there are exactly 10 episodes between these two moments, they both still take place on August 1st 1999?

[angstandhappiness]

Adorable

ヽ( ﾟ〇ﾟ*)乂(*ﾟ〇ﾟ)ﾉ ｡.:+*｡.:*☆ [ vol 2 ✧ vol 1 ]

[starmahgalaxies]

Weren't you guys let out in the mountains? How did you get to the desert? Ah, the joys of easy backgrounds /lighthearted.

Oh, this is not going to go well.

What can I say, I like long darker hallways opening up to a brighter open space. The composition is pretty to look at.

Little guys having fun / ouch, that has got to hurt.

I love saving these two next to each other and no shots in between it looks like Gabumon knocked Gazimon in the head even though in reality it is Taichi punted the ball away because he's being a dick right now.

Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah. (I love this egomaniac so much)

That is what I'm wondering! And the silly fish aren't as photogenic. I couldn't get a good shot of this one. (A part of it is because I think this episode is cursed, specifically on my computer. It works fine on my TV but would stutter trying to get screencaps on PC)

➕

You should try harder to stop him.

A moment when courage crosses over into stupidity.

*headdesk* This is not going well.

Yaayy!

...

Real talk, SkullGreymon's design is fire. What a scary monstrosity.

Yeah, you guys should run.

TV personality realizing he cannot get hurt through the screen, although people really want to. (It's the Digital World so I don't blame him.)

Yup the best thing you could do is let him run out of energy.

Poor little guy feels so bad and so tired. It's fine. It's fine. No one's dead. except that other Greymon.

At least you can recognize it the second after it happened. It's fiiine. Really.

I love how Yamato is ready to give Taichi a hard time on it but any arguments deflate the second Taichi immediately giving in and admitting he messed up. Kid is used to some push back and not receiving any at all leads to ?!?!?. Sora is the same way when she's asked. Yes- uh, I mean no. XDD

I cannot overstate how much of a memorable episode this was for me as a kid. I was a toddler(-ish) when I first watched Digimon, and this is one of the few episodes I distinctly remember watching. Scary SkullGreymon and Taichi trying so hard to just land in a massive fuckup was very impressionable to little me. It has been over twenty years and that hasn't changed.

I will continue to be a smartass toward Taichi; I have too much kinship with Hikari, and I give all characters that I identify as sibling-shaped a hard time because its fun for me. I am a little shit. Genuinely though, I do love this episode for his character. I don't think ep 19/20 would have hit as hard if this episode did not exist though overall I like those episodes more. I love how Digimon shows kids messing up or collapsing under personal responsibility either put on by others or mostly themselves. They're trying but they are kids so of course it goes badly most of the time. I've mentioned it in passing before with Yamato, and it's definitely true for him and all the children, but I think it is especially true for all the goggle-heads.

Let kids mess up, as a treat.

[astrocloud3]

Digimon Headcanons

Haven't really ever written these down but here are some of my random headcanons...

1. The partner digimon grow up alongside their partners, instead of staying the same size while the humans get bigger. The older / more mature a digimon gets, the larger they are- a newly evolved agumon is going to be a bit smaller than an older agumon.

2. (Refer to 1) Gabumon is the largest of all the partner digimon, and full grown, comes up to Yamato's shoulder (excluding their horn). They're not extremely tall, but their body is large / dinosaur-like. Agumon is the same way, but a little shorter. I'd imagine they're both 200 to 250 lbs? Idk.

3. Digimon keep scars from battle. For example, if Piyomon gets an injury as Garudamon, she'll only have the scar when she's Garudamon, not when she devolves to Piyomon.

4. Digimon actually reproduce, although it's not super common. After all, if a digimon gets permanently deleted and doesn't return, then eventually there'll be none left.

5. When a digimon dies, they leave a body behind, and it's only their soul / data that gets reincarnated. But for special cases, like Angemon against Devimon, they disintegrate completely (Angemon used all their data for their final attack against Devimon, and it included destroying the data of their own body). This means that Digimon can eat other digimon.

6. (Relates to 5) During the Chosen's original adventures, their partners would occasionally hunt other digimon in order to get supplies, whether it be furs to keep the kids warm / make clothes or last-resort food if there was nothing to scavenge

7. Mimi gets pretty good at cutting hair. Taichi still won't let her touch his hair, and instead ties it half-up in a ponytail when it gets too long. She and Taichi did braid Yamato's hair in his sleep once (only with Gabumon's permission of course)

8. The Chosen's adventure lasts 5 years- 3 years from the start of their adventure to Vamdemon / where they return to the real world, then once they return to the digital world, they spend 2 years fighting the dark masters. Their bodies grow up during this time to young adulthood, but revert to their 9-13 year old bodies during the Vamdemon arc. When they return to the digital world they are once again young adults. At the end of their adventure, they choose to stay with their digimon and make their lives in the Digital World, much to Gennai's dismay.

9. Yamato has little holes and cuts on his gloves- more so than the other's (wear and tear, etc), and small scars on his fingers from using knives and cooking food for the group. He's a decent cook at the beginning of their adventures, but still needs a bit of practice. He's only 12 at the beginning of their adventure, and over the next 5 years he grows to be a much better cook.

10. Jyou is (naturally) the group's doctor. When the Chosen return to the real world, Jyou makes sure to pack up on medical supplies, and steals his brother's medical college textbooks, anything he might find useful. If there's a book on burns, breaks and injuries, he'll take it. He may or may not have shop lifted a CVS or two. Heck, all these kids pilfer stores in the real world, they get good at sneaking around. Yamato (steals) brings small spice packs in a carry on bag that he can use when cooking fish, any meat the digimon bring back from hunting.

11. Everyone gets their fair share of injuries- Taichi loses a finger or two, Yamato gets slashed across the face (he's lucky he didn't lose an eye, according to Jyou), Sora gets a pretty nasty gash in her leg at one point, Koushirou dislocates his arm, Takeru gets a pretty bad concussion, Hikari gets ill on more than one occasion, Jyou's foot gets impaled (giant thorn? Idk. He has to treat it himself and that's not fun. He walks Sora through doing stitches), and Mimi breaks a couple ribs. Other than these, the occasional scratch or twisted ankle happens every so often.

12. The Chosen have a designated bath and wash day, and all of them spend a day bathing / washing their clothes / fur blankets, etc. Jyou uses this day as a 'checkup' day to make sure no one has any injuries they're hiding (implemented after Koushirou tried to hide a nasty bruise on his ankle. He didn't want to bother anyone about it). When everyone and their partners are bathing, Gabumon sits to the side and watches over everyone / stands guard. May or may not be jealous of the others bathing with their partners, but would rather stay dry. Plus, Yamato is the only person they'll allow to see them without their fur.

Okay that's all I can think of for now, but maybe I'll do another Headcanons post! This was fun and at least I have some written down now.

:)

[ayukaze]

MY DEPRESSION HAS BEEN CURED MY SKIN IS CLEAR MY CROPS ARE FLOURISHING ALL BECAUSE OF THIS ONE IMAGE THIS IS THE YEAR OF ADVENTURE PANDERING LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Let's break this down one by one ~

This is such a good Sora fit I don't even know how to explain how very much OG Sora this is, the pink tones of the overall sporty outfit perfectly capture all levels of her personality. To top it off she's sharing flower themed cream sandwiches with Piyomon AAAHHH the subtle reference okay merch team you can take a w. Not to mention Sora is perfectly matching with Taichi and the fruit in her sandwich is orange stoooopppp itttt!!!!!

TAICHI OMG who is dressing this boy because that's the most he's ever jocked as a 11 year old. The sweatshirt, cargo pants, matching wristband and the sense to put his goggles down, he is winning the sporty casual fashion show for sure. And of course him and Agumon are enjoying some chicken popcorn, love how they weren't even subtle with the packaging art we all know Japan's favourite fried chicken brand anyway 🤣

Yamato. YAMATO. Y A M A T O. You're 11 can you tone down the cool guy heartthrob behaviour for a minute because I am losing my mind THE DOGTAG CHAIN IM GONNA SCREEAAAMMM ACTUALLY I AM SCREAAAMING AAAAHHHHHHH. He looks so good, there is absolutely no wrong element in his entire outfit, everything is perfectly paired up, a fashionista is among us. The little thumbs up over the onigiri that Gabumon is offering him?? Is he telling Gabumon that he's okay with having one and Gabumon can have the rest because that's the sweet, protective, kind, caring baby he is at heart???🥹🥹🥹The blue and green gradient in the background tho?? Mimato math is mathing bestiesss 🤣

Takeru is just a lil guy, but such a perfect lil guy!!! I like how his outfit has the similar green shade as his anime outfit but they still chose to gave him a new beanie instead which doesn't really match the colour tone of the rest of the fit but it's Takeru so we know that he can pull any hat off and that's what he does!!! Him and Patamon sharing burgers, okay mood, but why is he looking so surprised? I need to know what happened, did he spill some sauce on his overalls? Was the burger too hot to bite? WHAT HAPPENED TAKERU????? 😢

Jou, I see you paired up the plaid pants with a nice long, muted, warm toned jacket BUT I SEE THAT PURPLE SHIRT POKING IN FROM INSIDE and excuse me sir but why that purple with the plaid 😭 I need to see a version where Jou isn't wearing the jacket so I can make an informed rating on this outfit but may I add that in the full merch pic he has paired this look with green and white sneakers...I cannot defend you I am sorry Jou, please try brown loafers next time 😭 But outfit aside, Jou eating a taiyaki with Gomamon is lowkey funny I just know that Gomamon cracked a Marching Fishes joke at least once.

Koushiro...I will not go into detail but I will say it's cute that you have a sweater with a little K on it, it's also very cute that there is a splash of orange in your outfit, who's attention are you vying for it isn't subtle at all bby boy and I am grateful you matched your shoes to your sweater even if the socks are definitely a choice and that blue with orange is also definitely another choice. Good to see your are making choices. I like that him and Tentomon are sharing dango, it's always nice to see Koushiro's fondness towards Japanese traditional snacks hinted at in some way.

MIMI. QUEEN. SLAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!! YOU NEVER EVER MISS MY SWEET BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL. The pastel tones matched with the grey stockings for contrast, that beret and the fuzzy hem boots, you just know she shops at Takashimaya and Isetan and anything below it will just not do 👏🏻 Plus Sora and Mimi are wearing the same tones, which probably means that they pre-planned the outfits together, cuties!!! Also Crepe is such a Mimi™️ choice of dessert but I always get teary eyes when I see Palmon mimic Mimi's gestures, there is just so much love and admiration between them for each other, pure childish wonder 💚 And the crepe even has a cutesy character face on it, which kinda looks like Monzaemon, though I can't be sure but if it is then another win for a subtle reference. Not to mention both Yamato and Mimi look like they've dressed in a more cool and elegant style than the rest like they might be on their way to a date THE MIMAT MATH IS MATHING YALLL!!!

Hikari looks super cute, I think there isn't much official art of her in casual clothing for OG stuff so it's nice to see her in a more cutesy fit suited to her age. The hairband matching the cardigan is such a nice touch!! I can't recall any other casual outfit for OG design Hikari except the War Game and Memorial Party dress, so I think this would be the first time we see Hikari with a hairband and it just looks adorable. Of course she is sharing an ice cream with Tailmon, it's kinda their brand now but like Takeru she's making a surprised expression, perhaps she wasn't expecting Tailmon to offer her a bite of her ice cream?

To conclude, this is probably the best OG artwork we've gotten since Idk maybe the Rainy Day stationery series. This will be sold in advance at the Kamio Store booth at Anime Japan 2024. No other details were mentioned, but the event booth sale feels like a pre-sale before the goods become available more widely at other outlets, hopefully, at some stores that international fans have access too as well.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

Ayushi out.

[blacklegsanjiii]

Okay, I don't know if anyone remembers this Shirohige!Sora where she's alone on the fleet but I got to thinking about what if she went with Marco to Wano, don't worry Ace lives, but Sanji might not. It'd be after the raid. Ace is laughing with Yamato and eager to introduce Sanji to his weird lookalike. Sanji is of course treating Sora with respect like he would other women, especially older ones he knows are too good for him and Marco seems protective of her. Sanji is of course looking at her with some sort of hidden hurt too. Ace notices and says it's weird they look so alike without being related. Sanji and Sora both agree, Sanji says something offhandedly about how Judge wouldn't have let both of them out without more repercussions before leaving and Ace is blinking before going after him. Marco hums and looks at Sora, mentioning how they found her in the North Blue. Sora glares at him and says it's not possible, as Sanji said. Judge wouldn't have let them both slight him. Marco shrugs and wanders off, leaving Sora alone to try to figure out how to actually talk to Sanji about this. 

She thinks about it for a few days before finding Marco again and talking about it with him. Marco is nonjudgmental, he listens quietly and his face is trained in neutrality from his years as CMO for the fleet. Sora cries for her son and their relationship and what happened to him and how she didn't know how to help him. Marco just wraps an arm around her and lets her cry, lets her get out all of the pain from Judge, from the pain of having to leave. Sora asks him with a strained voice while hiccupping what she's supposed to do. Marco just wraps his other arm around her and stays with her; tells her he doesn't know what she should do. Sora calms down after a while and Marco asks if there's anything he can do for her, she just leans into him. The Shirohige are family, even if the fleet is technically disbanded after the war with Teach. Marco is her brother, has been for fifteen years. Marco takes the cue to just hold her tighter, they've lost Izou and now Sora is seeing her son and she doesn't know what to do. It's been a rough few days and Marco knows Sanji should have been more hurt and so does Sora. He should be on bed rest but he's walking and cooking and fine. She's a nurse and has been for years, wrangling her captain and Ace and all the others, she and Marco know something is very wrong. Sora decides she's going to take a nursing position to see if it's possible to bring up that she is his mother. She says this to Marco who says to do what she thinks is best; Sora nods and thanks him. 

She finds Sanji in a kitchen with Trafalgar and they're chatting, she's calmed down, made sure all evidence is gone from her talk with Marco. It's just them, away from the continuous parties and noise. Trafalgar greets her with a nod as Sanji smiles and says hello. Sanji keeps cooking and Law is looking between the blonds as Sanji says that if he has something to say to just say it as he looks over his shoulder at him.

"Is she your mother? If so, Tony-ya will need an accurate medical history." Law grins at him. It's sharp in a way that reminds her of Teach but Sanji just narrows his eyes.

"My mother," Sanji's voice is sharper than Trafalgar's smile, "is dead." Law tilts his head ever so slightly.

"Right." Law agrees, backing off. Sanji nods and looks back to his cooking, starts plating three plates. Sora looks confused and Sanji looks at her.

"No one goes hungry." Sanji says as he gives her a plate and chopsticks. Sora is staring at him slightly wide eyed and holding the plate awkwardly as Sanji hands a plate to Law and then takes his own. "Even you, Shitty Surgeon." He says in a Northern dialect far too familiar. Law's grin returns, sadistic and sharper than before.

"Careful. I can still go tell Chopper about how I removed that shrapnel from your back." Law responds in a different dialect that's still familiar but Sora hasn't heard it in years. Sanji just rolls his eyes. "You already told him?" Law guesses.

"Yep. Said you handled it as it was the safest option." Sanji replies with a shrug. Law nods as he eats the delicately cooked fish. Sora takes a bite of the fish and it's the best damned thing she's ever eaten. Sanji looks proud at whatever expression she's making as he starts eating. 

"Seas, Ace was right." Sora says after swallowing several bites. 

"Should have seen the marines on Punk Hazard. Or in general. Your food has that effect." Law agrees with a look to Sanji. Sanji just blinks at him. "Redleg actually kill you if you defend yourself against a woman?" 

"I mean, you take Judge and my brother's being them, Zeff, not having a maternal figure after age six, the rock." Sanji lists off and Law’s laugh is as sharp as his sword. “I didn't want to be like Judge or brother's, I guess that meant treating every lady like a princess should be. Even if that comes to my own expense.” The cook shrugs and Law quiets to a chuckle with a nod. Sora watches them carefully in case she does need to go say something to their crews so that these boys can be taken care of.

“I'm technically the only survivor of Amber Lead.” Law nods and Sanji looks somber and Sora is horrified at the thought. “Two peas ina fucked up a pod.” The surgeon says to the cook. Sanji laughs, finally finding humor in the talk. The finish eating and Sanji cleans as Law nods to Sora with a wink as he leaves, like he's keeping their secret or something.

Sora moves to help Sanji but he smiles and waves her off, mentions Marco must be worried. Sora looks at her son, taller than her by a few inches, dressed in a comfortable yukata, his blond hair like hers. Sun bleached and brighter than in Germa. He smells like cigarettes and it's comforting, he smells like Beckmann from their few and far between short conversations as Hongo would bring her and Marco medical texts.

Sanji is long, lean, his forearms are pockmarked from oil splashes and he has a decent amount of stubble on his chin.

Sora wishes she had been able to take him with. To save him and not have this conversation. Sora knows they don't have the time for this though.

“If your mother lived, got out, what would say to her?” Sora asks. Sanji looks at her out of the corner of his eye.

“I'd say I was glad she got out.” Sanji answers. “Didn't take a shitty limpet with her.” 

“From the sounds of it, you didn't deserve it. You were a child.” Sora argued lightly. 

“Probably not.” Sanji agrees. “Doesn't change it.* 

“If she did, I'm sure she missed you every day.” Sora tries.

“I'd hope not.” Sanji says as he scrubs the grill screen.

“I did, Sanji I missed you every day, I still do.” Sora chokes and Sanji is frozen. “I wanted to take you with-”

“I'm sorry but you must be mistaken,” Sanji interrupts, “my mother is dead. Judge made very sure I knew that.” 

“How.” She demands, suddenly angry. “How the hell did he lie this time? Put a fake body in the casket? Beat you?” Sanji is staring at her, eyes widened only slightly as his movements are paused. Sora is not adept with haki, Ace is though and Sora wants to know what the fuck is going through her son's head. “What did he do?” Sora asks again, stepping closer to him. Sanji doesn’t answer, instead stepping back and away from her. 

Sanji looks at her, scared. Like he's a child who came to her bed in the medical wing after Judge got his hands on him. Before his eyes harden and his posture shifts.

“I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken, and by now Marco must be worried for you. I need to finish these up and check on my crew.” Sanji says with less grace than he has. Sudden a set of arms sprout on his shoulders that make Sora yelp in surprise.

“Cook-san, I believe Chopper is hunting you.” One of the hands say because it has a mouth and the other an ear. Sanji looks relieved as he moves back to the sink.

“Thank you, Robin-chan. I'm sure you already know where I am?” Sanji smiles at it as he goes back to finish the dishes. 

“I would say you have about two minutes to escape.” The mouth-hand giggles. “Good luck, Cook-san.” 

“Thank you, Robin.” Sanji says and the hands disappear into a puff of petals. Sanji wraps up quickly and Sora reaches for him as he tries to dodge past her. “Have a nice night.” He says awkwardly leaning out of her grasp and out the door. Sora follows to see her son go outside and start sky walking. She sees some of his crew watching with laughs and fond smiles. Except Chopper who is screaming for him. Nami looks at Sora and waves so Sora heads over. Marco’s with them as he raises an eyebrow at her, she shakes her head and Marco offers an arm. She goes and leans into him, thankful. 

“If I may,” Robin says making Sora look, “Zeff in the East Blue would be a good starting point.”

“Or say you’re his dead mom right after everything with the Vinsmokes.” Nami sighs as Ace takes to go catch her cook while Luffy and Zoro are still comatose. “They’re alive still, don’t know who made it out or where they’re headed obviously, but you could always go get the answers you want from them too.” 

Marco laughs as Sora stares at the woman who are grinning wickedly. 

“And what do I owe this advice?” She asks.

“I accept tips.” Nami’s grin turns sharper than any of Law’s earlier and Marco full on loses it at the sight as Sora looks at him.

“Man, I haven’t seen Redleg in years. I think a trip to the East Blue is in order.” Marco says once he’s calm and hands over a stack of beri to Nami. Sora sighs as she watches the boys in the sky and sees Sanji dodge Ace with expertise. 

“To the East it is.” Sora agrees quietly.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x28 - Pursuit! Hurry to Japan / It's All in the Cards

Previously on Digimon Adventure:

Big Fucking Nerd Vamdemon and the good half of his mercenaries are now off in Japan, closing the door behind them on their way out. The Chosen Children are forced to retreat from his castle and regroup with Gennai.

Gennai: I see. That's too bad. Yamato: "That's too bad" isn't going to cut it! At this rate, the Eighth Child is going to die! Sora: That's not all! If those Digimon run loose, they'll wreak havoc on Japan! Taichi: Is there a way we can reopen the Gate? Gennai: That's possible. Taichi: There is? Sora: How? Gennai: I can't simply explain it. You'll also need some tools to assist you. Taichi: Well, stop wasting time! Gennai: I understand. Come to my house.

Gennai points up, then vanishes from the rainbow beam. His meaning is lost on the kids, forcing him to come back and clarify his too-subtle gesture.

Mimi: He disappeared right when we needed answers? Gennai: (reappears) Look around you!

Off in the distance, he's waving a big-ass spotlight to get their attention.

Gennai: If you follow that light, you'll find my home. Taichi: Got it! Gennai: I'll be waiting. Taichi: Yes! Let's go!

Gennai trying to be stylish but forgetting that he's talking to children, who need a bit more instruction than that.

An interesting note about the way the kids are positioned in this scene. The episode recap ended with a brief snippet of new footage, showing the kids fleeing the castle while attacked by silhouetted Digimon. They also had to fight their way out; We see the outside of the castle and hear Tentomon firing Petit Thunder, followed by an explosion bursting out of the building.

This is why Mimi's doubled over up there; They just made it back here. She's gasping for breath from all the running they had to do. When he's in frame, we can see Yamato is piggybacking Takeru as well.

The dub, as usual, cuts the recap. This scene of them escaping got cut along with it, so the dub starts right here at Gennai with no explanation of why Mimi's exhausted and Yamato's carrying Takeru.

Gennai: Myotismon has shut the Gate. You can't follow him now. Matt: Listen, Pops! You gotta help us get through that Gate! The Eighth Kid is doomed if we don't! Sora: And that isn't all! If that rotten creep goes on a rampage in the real world, lots of innocent people will get hurt! Tai: There just has to be some way we can open the Gate up again! Gennai: Well, of course there is. Tai: No kidding? Sora: How, then? Gennai: Any door can be opened with the right key. Tai: Oh, don't be so mysterious, Gennai! Gennai: Follow me to my house and I will explain everything. Sora: Where's that? Gennai: Look above you! (points up and fades away) Mimi: What kind of directions are those!? Gennai: (returns) Very good ones if you will just listen.

Matt borrowing a bit of Taichi's aggressive disrespect for Gennai.

Gennai outright tells them to look up before pointing and vanishing, which makes them all look even stupider when he needs to come back and clarify.

Note: In both versions, the spotlight is making an audible shimmer sound. But in the dub it's also roaring with the fury of a thousand angry batteries. There's wooshing wind noises and what almost sounds like rockets exploding overhead.

Gennai: Keep looking and you shall see it. Matt: There! A searchlight! Gennai: Sorry, I ran out of maps. Follow the light and you can't miss it. Tai: Excellent! Gennai: Snack time for me! (disappears) Tai: Let's jet!

I was not ready for "Snack time for me!" XD

The kids follow Gennai's signal and find it coming straight out of a giant lake.

Mimi: Wait... WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?!? Yamato: Is his house underwater? Koushiro: I get it. This is why I couldn't find him during those two months I searched the mountains. Jou: So then how do we get there? Gomamon: (pops into the water) I'll go take a look.

Suddenly, the water ripples and bubbles emerge all around.

Gomamon: It's not me! Ehehe....

The light parts the waters of the lake, granting the kids passage down a flight of stairs.

They don't say whether this is the same lake everyone's been crossing on Yamato's swan boat. But I choose to believe it is because it's funnier that way.

In the dub:

Joe: Looks like we're gonna be doing a little swimming. Mimi: MY HAT!!! MY BEAUTIFUL HAT!!! Matt: Either we got those directions really wrong or Gennai's house is in the middle of a lake! Izzy: So that's why I've never found it! Joe: Must be really tough to get pizza delivered. Gomamon: (pops into the water) Hey, c'mon in! The water's fine! (The lake begins to glow and bubbles emerge all around Gomamon) Gomamon: Oh no!

Fart joke's out. Mimi is freaking out about the threat of getting her hat wet instead of the inexplicable oddity of the scene. Izzy expresses the same sentiment as Koushiro, though Koushiro reminds us that he was doing precisely this during the group's split-up time. And Joe drops a pretty solid quip. XD

The waters part and the stairs emerge.

Group: NO WAY!!! Patamon: Do we use these to go down? Yamato: Looks like. Taichi: Alright, let's head down.

The kids descend past a still stunned Gomamon.

Gomamon: Huh? WAIT FOR ME, EVERYONE!!!

They head deeper down perilous stairs whose perils are unsurprising if you really stop and think about it.

Takeru: It's slippery! Patamon: Be careful!

Okay, yeah, these stairs were underwater five seconds ago. Forcing his visitors to descend a freshly-mopped stairwell is a pretty major hazard, honestly. They could break their necks! I'm filing a complaint with OSHA. Uh, as soon as I finish filing the child labor complaint.

Gennai sucks, y'all.

In the dub:

Group: (Miscellaneous cheering) Tai: Steps!? Alright, gang! We're in business!

The dub puts a commercial break here, which I think is a pretty okay place for one. They're able to then use Patamon and Matt's lines to briefly remind us of where we're at upon return.

Patamon: There are stairs going right down into the lake! Matt: They must lead to Gennai's house! Tai: Well? What are we waiting for? Joe: I was kinda hoping he'd send a boat to pick us up. (The kids descend past Gomamon) Gomamon: Hmm... HEY!!! WAIT FOR ME!!! (The kids go deeper) Mimi: If anyone wants any sushi, now's your chance! T.K.: I wish I had my boots! Patamon: Me too!

Another XD for Joe. A boat would be way better than freshly-mopped stairs. I'm with him.

Mimi also gets to make a silence-breaking quip commenting on the art. She's talking about the fish we see swimming around in the foreground while the kids are descending.

I don't think T.K. and Patamon's exchange lands very well. To get what he's complaining about, you need to already understand from context that the stairs are slick and dangerous. But when magical lake-parting is involved, I don't know that this is an assumption anyone would leap to. I certainly didn't until Takeru spelled it out for me.

Finally, the kids see Gennai's estate.

Patamon: Look at that! Sora: Is that it? Jou: I think so.

They invite themselves in.

Everyone But Taichi: PLEASE EXCUSE US!!! Taichi: WE'RE COMING IN!!! (The kids come inside) Piyomon: THIS PLACE IS KIND OF COOL!!! Sora: It really is....

In the dub, the kids continue riffing on the art.

Patamon: Whoa! Sora: Quite a place if you don't mind living in pink fog. Joe: No lawn to mow. Tai: I don't see a doorbell. Everyone: (shouts unintelligibly) (The kids enter the yard) Gennai: WHO NEEDS A DOORBELL WITH SUCH NOISY VISITORS!?!?

I like Joe's quip here in theory; He's talking about the area outside the estate, which is the lake. But it's a little janky that we cut from that to everyone standing on Gennai's lawn.

At long last, the kids see Gennai in person waiting for them.

Koushiro: Gennai...-san? Gennai: I see you children made it here safely. Taichi: (uncertain) Is that really him? Koushiro: Yes.

Taichi first takes a moment to confirm with Koushiro that this is really, truly the man in the flesh. Then, once he's secure in that knowledge, he lets his anger out.

Taichi: HEY, GEEZER!!! I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU!!! Gennai: What's that? Taichi: Why haven't you ever come to meet us in person all this time!? Gennai: Because I'm a couch potato.

The word Gennai uses here is debushou, which means a shut-in who's too lazy to get up and go outside. The subs here translate it as "I like staying at home" which is accurate but doesn't quite get across the self-deprecation at play. I've also seen debushou translated as "a houseplant" which is hilarious but requires some explanation.

Honestly, Taichi is right to be upset about this. Back on File Island, it was a plot point that Gennai was supposed to be there to meet them Day 1 but Devimon blocked his signal. They spent two weeks alone in savage wilderness being hunted for sport by monsters they couldn't understand because Gennai was too lazy to come explain the isekai in person.

I'd be furious too.

Everyone else has questions too.

Jou: Just who are you, anyway? Takeru: A human? Or a Digimon? Gennai: Neither of those. Mimi: What does being a Chosen Child even mean? Gennai: It means that you're children who were chosen to save both of our worlds. Yamato: But who chose us? Sora: Was it you, Gennai-san? Gennai: (shakes head) Mm... Enough questions. What you should be thinking about right now is saving the Eighth Child. Now, come inside.

Once the conversation turns to the specifics of who drafted these kids for war and why, Gennai gets evasive yet again.

There's long been a friction between Gennai and the Chosen Children, especially Taichi. He omits information he doesn't want them to have and routinely talks around answering questions, managing the kids on a need-to-know basis. This in-person meeting is doing nothing to quell it.

This friction is also there in the dub.

Izzy: Wow, it's the real Gennai! Gennai: Who did you expect, Santa Clause? Tai: (uncertain) We've just never seen the real you. Izzy: Yeah! Tai: (angry) So tell us! How come you're always hiding!? Gennai: I'm not. Tai: Well, you could have come in person but you always choose projections, right? Gennai: It's just a show to impress you. Joe: What kind of a person are you, anyway? T.K.: A human? Or some kind of Digimon? Gennai: That is not important. Mimi: (directly into Gennai's ear) HOW COME YOU CALL US THE DIGIDESTINED!?!? Gennai: EASY!!! I'm old, but I'm not deaf! You were chosen to save this world and you're own! Matt: But just how were we chosen? Why us? Sora: Yeah, we only signed up for summer camp. Gennai: (shakes head) That is all you need to know for now. Come inside. The most important thing is to return to your world and find the Eighth Child. That and maybe have a nice bowl of soup and a tuna sandwich.

It's a little different, but the main difference is in tone of voice. The kids are softer and less combative with Gennai in the English version. The Japanese versions, especially Taichi, sound exasperated by the lack of clear information they've been given.

The children follow Gennai inside.

As they enter the house, the parting of the lake waters ends and the house's exterior floods. The kids watch fish swim by the doors outside.

Takeru & Patamon: PRETTY!!! Jou: Porgies and flounder? But this is a freshwater lake. Gennai: Those are machines I made. It gets lonely, living by yourself.

Gennai pulls down a world map of the human world. He zooms the map with a flick of his fan.

Gennai: Take a look at this. (flick) Koushiro: Japan. Gennai: (flick) Mimi: Is that Tokyo? Gennai: (flick; A red circle appears on the zoomed in point) Taichi: That's the Nerima district! Gennai: Mm. This is where Vamdemon currently is.

Taichi and Yamato both suddenly gasp and jump, startled by recognition.

Taichi: (looking at Yamato) What's wrong? Yamato: No, it's nothing serious. You? Taichi: Same here. I was just noticing that he's in Hikarigaoka.... All of the Kids: Hikarigaoka!?

Hikarigaoka is kind of a big deal, which is why Taichi's so startled by it. He doesn't remember the events of the OVA well, so he can't put it into words. But Hikarigaoka is the place where Hikari's Agumon evolved into Greymon and fought a deadly battle against an invading Parrotmon; A battle that killed them both.

The other kids recognize it because they were there too. The OVA showed brief snippets of Jou, Mimi, Yamato, Takeru, Sora, and Koushiro watching the fight between Greymon and Parrotmon unfold. Yamato and Takeru were still living together at the time.

They don't know it yet but they're all connected by this dream-like monster brawl that took place one day in Hikarigaoka.

This is another point from the OVA that the dub's going to have to talk around.

Mimi: Look at the fish! Joe: But those are halibut. They're saltwater fish. Gennai: You are right. So I have to feed them popcorn, salted pretzels, and tons of salted nuts. Joe: ...do you think he's pulling our legs? Tai: I have no idea!

Not a huge change but the mystery of Gennai's regionally-inappropriate fish goes unanswered for the sake of a joke where he just lists things that have salt on them. Which, granted, does add to the crypticness of this obnoxiously vague man, so the new bit still works pretty well.

Gennai: (brings down the map) Now a look at the weather. (flick) State. (flick) County. (flick) City. Does anyone recognize this area? Tai: Our hometown? Gennai: Mmhmm. And the red flashing circle indicates Myotismon's location. Tai & Matt: (gasp and jump) Tai: Myotismon! Matt: Wow, he's only a mile from where we all live. Gennai: I'm afraid so. Tai: I'll bet you that he goes downtown.... This is not good!

What's downtown, Tai? Why is downtown so ominous? Hey, Tai. Hey, Tai, what's downtown? What do you think he's going to do downtown?

After all of the Japan namedropping of the previous episode, we are right back to geographically playing coy about the kids' point of origin, and also kind of implying that it's the U.S. with that "state, country, city" bit.

And also the dub team doesn't know about Hikarigaoka so they have no idea why all the kids are freaking out right now, and it shows. Thus we have the mysterious and ominous downtown.

Matt, incidentally, is bad at reading Gennai Maps. Hikarigaoka is about 18 miles away from "where we all live", which is Odaiba.

A brief cut to Hikarigaoka shows us Vamdemon and his forces lurking on a rooftop while electronics around the area go haywire. Phones are ringing off the hook. Technicians are at work on the issue but can't seem to find any cause.

In the dub, the city's quiet. There's no sign of any sort of technological malfunctions. But the technicians complain that something's causing "interference".

Then we return to Gennai for further instruction.

Taichi: Come on! Tell us how to open the Gate! Gennai: Let's not be hasty. You'll need to use these.

Rifling through his cabinets, Gennai finds a set of cards and lays them out in front of the Chosen Children. There are ten cards in all.

Kuwagamon

Agumon

Gazimon

Andromon

Elecmon

Unimon

Digitamamon

Drimogemon

TonosamaGekomon

Gomamon

Gomamon: Ha! There's one of me! Koromon: And Agumon! Mimi: What are these? Gennai: Cards. Taichi: We know that! Gennai: Do you remember seeing nine holes in the slate in front of the Gate? Koushiro: Um... Yes! There was. Gennai: You must place these cards into those holes. Koushiro: But you gave us one card too many. Gennai: There's an extra card mixed in. I'm not sure which. Taichi: Which hole do we put each card in? Gennai: Well... I don't know.

Unhelpful as always, Gennai! Thanks!

Sharp-eyed viewers may already be able to tell how these cards should be arranged on a 3x3 grid, and which two cards are redundant to each other.

In the dub:

Tai: Please tell us how to open the Gate back to our world! Gennai: You certainly are impatient. Keep your goggles on, my young friend! (Gennai lays out the cards) Gennai: You'll need these. Matt: Check 'em out! Tai: Whoa, Digimon keycards! Tentomon: It's the spitting image! Joe Alright! Look at Gomamon! Gomamon: I'm cuter in person. Koromon: There I am too! Mimi: But what are they for? Tai: Yeah, and how do they help us open the Gate? Gennai: Well, there are nine holes on the stone wall of the Gate. Izzy: Yeah, so... Oh, wait! Do the cards go into the holes? Gennai: That's right. However, take a closer look. It's not quite as simple as that. Do you see the problem? Izzy: You're giving us one too many cards. Gennai: That's right! One of them is a fake.

For once, the dub kids are slower on the uptake than their Japanese counterparts. Gennai has to explain the numerical flaw to them before they notice it's there.

Then Tai has the worst idea, provoking a response that both Gennai and the audience have wanted to do to him many times.

Taichi: Oh well. We'll just put the cards in a random order and go with that!

As he feels the biceps of furious adulthood wrap around his neck, Taichi suddenly regrets finally meeting the old geezer/Jiji in person. This man is responsible for mobilizing child soldiers. He does not give a fuck about the ethics of punitive child abuse.

Gennai: YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! Taichi: Hck hck sputter Gennai: If you do that, you'll be cast into some random and unpredictable world! Mimi: Do that many worlds really exist? Gennai: Yes. There's also a risk that you may not be fully reconstituted on the other side. Mimi: What do you mean?

Gennai demonstrates with the example of Mimi and Palmon entering the Gate, only to come in with their data merged into amalgams of each other on the other side.

Mimi: NOT THAT!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

We briefly see Palmon looking up at Mimi with a hurt expression. She seems a little bit offended that Mimi took this so harshly.

Mimi continues melting down and shrieking No's in the background while the others carry on with the meeting.

Gennai: That is why, unlike Vamdemon who used an incantation for this, you will need to solve this with your own abilities. Jou: But there are so many things we don't know. Gennai: Anyway, here are the cards. Relax and enjoy yourselves tonight. The enemy won't attack you here.

Gennai can smell questions coming and changes the subject before they even have a chance to ask.

In the dub, Gennai is so mad at Tai's poor decision-making that he rips two of Mimi's lines out of the script, talking straight through her lip flaps.

Tai: We'll try 'em all until we get the right combination! (Violent, cathartic throttling ensues) Gennai: No, you will not, you silly boy! That's absolutely the last thing you should do! There are many, many other worlds! If you put the cards in the wrong holes, it will be a disaster! You could end up in a different world with no way to return! (ahem) Let me explain. (Mimi and Palmon demonstration) Gennai: The wrong cards might take you to a world where, for example, people and Digimon switch skin! Mimi: NOOOOOO NOT THAT!!! I LIKE MY SKIN!!! (loudly cries through the rest of the scene) Gennai: Don't worry! Don't worry! You're not going to switch your skin with anyone as long as you learn how to use the cards correctly. Joe: But we don't have any idea what to do! Gennai: You must learn to use your power the way Myotismon is using his. Tomorrow, I'll teach you the proper use of the cards.

So, obviously I'm miffed about Mimi having two of her lines cut. For entirely reasonable and objective reasons, I assure you. I will have Gennai's kneecaps.

More seriously, "Use your power the way Myotismon is using his" is an odd way to translate "Myotismon did it with an incantation but you need to use your own abilities instead." I can kinda see how it connects. "Myotismon achieved it by using his power that was unique to him, and now you have to use your power that's unique to you to achieve the same." But it's janky and comes off sounding like he's saying we need to do things the way Myotismon does them.

The more pressing contradiction is that Gennai promises to explain how the cards work in detail to them, which is exactly the opposite of what he's telling them in the original scene. He does not have the answer to the card riddle.

This comes at the cost of telling them they can actually have a nice, relaxing, perfectly safe night. Which, at this point in their adventure, is just such a nice thing to be offered that I'm sad it got cut.

The kids go to bed for the night.

Jou sleeps between Taichi and Sora because I guess he's still upset over that "I want some of Sora's love!" thing. Mimi gets her own private little corner to herself like the princess she is, following that rude, triggering experience Gennai inflicted on her. Yamato and Takeru have pulled their futons close together then thought better of it and decided to sleep in the same futon anyway. And Koushiro is absent.

Koushiro is with Gennai, trying to learn more about the lore of Digimon.

Koushiro: This world is similar to ours, but there's still a lot that's strange about it. Why is that? Gennai: Do you know what this world is comprised of? It's something equivalent to the atoms and molecules of your world. Koushiro: Data, right? Gennai: Correct. Everything in this world is comprised of the data running through computer networks in your world. When you encounter something strange here, it's because of faulty or missing data. Koushiro: I see. On that note, Gennai-san, are you also made of data? Gennai: Nrgh.

Not a word. Gennai didn't have a good evasive response to that one and just grunted reflexively. Koushiro takes that as confirmation.

Koushiro: But you do have a real body somewhere, don't you? Just like we do? Gennai: Nope. Koushiro: Are you something different from a Digimon? Gennai: Yes. It's because I don't have an attribute. Koushiro: An attribute? Gennai: Although this world is created by data, Digimon are further classified by the attributes Data, Virus, and Vaccine. Koushiro: I see.... Gennai: On that note, has the Digimon Analyzer been helpful for you? Koushiro: Yes! But there's something that's been bothering me. Gennai: What's that? Koushiro: This only contains data on the Digimon that I've met. I can't access data on Digimon that the others have seen. Gennai: I understand. Koushiro: Can you do something to fix it? Gennai: Yes. Let me borrow that for a while. Koushiro: Okay. Gennai: I'll have it fixed by morning. You should get some sleep. Koushiro: Okay.

In the dub, Gennai starts off by saying that the Digital World - which I guess we're no longer calling Digi-World - is made of molecules and atoms too.

Izzy: The Digital World is like our world but different. Why is that? Gennai: The same material is used in all worlds! Izzy: Molecules and atoms? Gennai: Exactly! Everything here in the Digital World - plants, trees, buildings, even the Digimon themselves - came from computer data in your world. So if there are strange things here, they are the result of broken or missing data. izzy: What about you, Gennai? Are you just made up of computer data too? Gennai: Of course! So, in each of the worlds, I would appear somewhat different. Izzy: But Gennai, if you're not human, how are you different from Digimon? Gennai: I have no attributes. Izzy: Attributes!? Just what does that mean!? You mean the different attacks Digimon have? Gennai: Yes! And the way a Digimon Digivolves. But attributes determine much more than that. They explain why some Digimon are good and some are evil. All Digimon can be classified as Data, Virus, or Vaccine. Izzy: We're definitely familiar with the Virus kind. Gennai: By the way, have you used that Digimon Analyzer I gave you? Izzy: Yes. But there is something I wanted to ask you about it. Gennai: What's that? Izzy: I'm only able to access information on Digimon that I have seen. Not on the ones that the other kids have seen. Gennai: Hmm... You're right, that is a problem. Izzy: Is it one that you can solve? Gennai: You just leave it to me, my young friend. I should have it all taken care of by morning. But, for now, you had better get some rest. Izzy: 'Kay.

This infodump is more or less the same. Though Gennai claims that being made of data would cause him to take different forms if he went to other worlds. Which doesn't really track or segue well out of the conversation they were having. The Digimon don't seem to have a problem with visiting other worlds without changing shape.

It also replaces the interesting clarifying question of whether he's "made of data" like the Digimon or "made of data" like the kids' digital bodies.

The next day, the kids have a satisfying breakfast. Gennai enters with Koushiro's laptop in hand to show off how he's upgraded it.

Gennai: Are you ready? Kids: YES!!! Gennai: I've added an adaptor to Koushiro's laptop. If you insert a Digivice in here, the information of Digimon that its owner has met will be added to the Analyzer. I've also installed several new programs. Take a look at the manual when you get the chance. Koushiro: Thank you! Gennai: It may be tough for you, Chosen Children, but have faith in your abilities. Jou: (faceplants into the table) The abilities of the Chosen Children, huh? Sora: Hey! Have more faith! Gennai: I'm sorry I cannot be of any further use. Now go, children! I wish you luck. Kids: YES!!!

The dub starts this scene with a silence-breaking quip.

Sora: Wow, Joe. Why not just eat the bones too? Joe: Hey! I was hungry! Gennai: (enters) Good morning, all. Kids: HI!!!

Can I just say that having the kids yell "HI!!!" instead of "HAI!!!" is hilarious for meta reasons?

Gennai: Izzy, I've completed the modifications for your computer. When you insert someone's Digivice into this adaptor, the Analyzer will show information on any Digimon that person has seen. I also installed a new screensaver. You know the one with the colored fishes swimming around? I really like that one. Izzy: Great minds do think alike! Gennai: Now, I have a request for all of you. I don't want you to forget that you are the DigiDestined. Joe: I'll never forget this stomachache. Urrrrgh.... Sora: Joe, this is serious! Gennai: I have done all I can do. I can no longer help you once you return to Myotismon's castle. Good luck!

Fuck do you mean, you've done all you can do? Gennai, weren't you going to show us how to use the cards? What happened to that?

"Hey DigiDestined, don't forget that you're the DigiDestined," is an absolutely terrible way of presenting "Have faith in your abilities as Chosen Children."

The kids return to Vamdemon's castle, now guarded by the two Devidramon that Tailmon left behind. There's kind of an awkward commercial break here in the original. We leave Gennai and see them creep up on the castle for like two seconds, then cut to commercial, then come back on the Devidramon guarding the place. So it disrupts the flow.

Not sure why they didn't just put the commercial break after Gennai wished them luck, then come back to Vamdemon's castle.

Peering through a slightly opened door, they try and figure out how they're going to get in there.

Yamato: What should we do? Taichi: This is bad. Tentomon: (loudly) WANT ME TO DEAL WITH THIS!?!? (Taichi and Koushiro exchange looks, then nod together) Tentomon: HERE I GO!!!

Tentomon is chomping at the bit to go loud and fuck these guys up. The second Taichi and Koushiro give him the okay, he Super-Evolves all the way up to AtlurKabuterimon and bursts in guns blazing.

"HEY GUYS SPECIAL DELIVERY WHO ORDERED THE PAAAAAIN"

Koushiro: Hurry! While they're distracted!

Koushiro shouts as they sprint down the corridor away from the carnage. Which is certainly one way to describe AtlurKabuterimon wasting one Devidramon so fast we don't even see it, then slamming his axe horn straight into the other's neck and firing Horn Buster point-blank.

I would say they are "distracted", to be sure. AtlurKabuterimon is not cackling maniacally while he does this, but I'm gonna imagine he is.

The dub moves the commercial break to where I suggested, splitting up Gennai's "Good luck!" from the kids approaching the castle. It then gives Joe a silence-breaker on their way in.

Joe: Man, this place looks even scarier than it did the first time.

There's a little jankiness to moving it like this, though. The last shot before commercial is Taichi looking up and the first shot coming back is a snarling Devidramon. These shots are not connected to each other; They're separated by commercials. But cutting them together like this makes it look like the Devidramon is looming over Tai.

It was animated with the commercial break being at that spot in mind. So in the end, both versions feel a little off.

As the kids approach the door, Tai and Matt are given no lines, and Izzy speaks in regular speaking voice rather than a hushed whisper.

Izzy: How do we get past the Devidramon? Tentomon: Leave that to me! I'll take 'em out while you go in. (Tai and Izzy exchange looks, then nod together) Tentomon: ...

Tentomon is sadly not roaring "PIXEL DUST FOR THE PIXEL THRONE" in this version. He's still gung-ho about fighting the Devidramon but is not in a hysterical blood frenzy.

AtlurKabuterimon erases the Devidramon so hard that it breaks the coding on the castle.

In a flash of light, all the wonky physics of the place vanish, and the kids are dropped unceremoniously on a flight of stairs.

(They did speculate earlier that Vamdemon's power was sustaining the wonky physics. It's probably no coincidence that the effect ended after a) Vamdemon fucked off to another reality and b) the last of his gargoyle Devidramon guards was destroyed.

But on the other hand, Horn Buster broke Vademon's pocket dimension too. Horn Buster may just be really good at wrecking the custom programming that others have put into their surroundings. AtlurKabuterimon taking an axe not just to your face but your hours and hours of SQL coding.)

Mochimon flops down the stairwell, all of his power spent on gleeful mayhem. Koushiro catches him in his arms.

Koushiro: Mochimon! (catch) Mochimon: (weakly) How did I do? Koushiro: I think you fixed the distortions in the airspace here! Taichi: C'mon! Let's move!

No change in the dub.

Once they've arrived at the Gate, Taichi lays out the cards and tries to figure out the 3x3 patterns.

Taichi tries to classify them as

Good Guys: Gomamon, Unimon, Agumon, Andromon

Bad Guys: Gazimon, Drimogemon, Digitamamon

Disgusting Guys: TanosamaGekomon, Kuwagamon

Despite the fact that this setup puts four cards in one category and two in another, he snubs Elecmon, presumably picking that as the fake card.

Also, this is Drimogemon slander. He forgives Unimon and Andromon for the things they did under Black Gear influence but still calls Drimogemon a villain.

And another thing! I get that we have Kuwagamon trauma but what did he do to get classified as disgusting while the child-labor capitalist is merely bad?

I have a lot of issues with Taichi's breakdown.

Dub Tai describes them as "Good one, bad one, funky one".

Jou takes the next crack at them.

Small: Gomamon, Agumon, Elecmon, Gazimon

Medium: Digitamamon, Unimon, Andromon

Large: Drimogemon, TanosamaGekomon, Kuwagamon

Jou makes no assumptions about which card is the fake.

Joe, however, classifies them as "In-Training, Rookie, and Champion", the dub's terms for the Baby, Child, and Adult stages.

He actually has the right idea, as the stages are one of the two axes on the grid. However, the labels he gives are wildly incorrect for the cards shown. Holy shit, Joe. Gomamon should fucking slap him for calling him an In-Training Digimon.

From there, the others start giving it a shot, but we don't get to see how they separate the cards out.

Yamato: Let me try. How's this? Weak, so-so, and strong. But we still don't know which card is the wrong one. Sora: I bet it's where they live! Like land or sea! Mimi: Maybe it's the number of syllables in their name. Like A-gu-mo-n, that's four.

Everyone in this group has reasonable ideas except Taichi and Sora. The former of whom is letting some weird-ass biases show. And the latter. Like. Sora? Hey. Hey, Sora. Name one of these Digimon who is aquatic. Name one.

This is not going to be solved by the soccer club.

...actually, Koushiro is a member of the soccer club so, ironically, it is. Huh.

In the dub, Matt steals Jou's idea but as a sarcastic suggestion born of frustration.

Matt: Or could it just be small one, medium one, big one... How can we be sure!? And we still don't have a clue which card is the fake one! Sora: Maybe it's where they live. Water or land? Mimi: Maybe the key is in their names! Like, Agumon starts with 'A', that's letter #1, then... oh, no, it really doesn't make any sense.

Sora's idea gets translated straight. Mimi keeps the idea of names and lettering but in a way that's more familiar to an American audience than counting syllables/katakana lettering.

Skipping Takeru because I guess he had zero ideas and is just deferring to the older kids, now it's Koushiro's turn to get his thinky-think on. Koushiro approaches the pedestal that the cards need to fit into, while thinking aloud.

Of note: Koushiro begins talking while Mimi's making her suggestion and trying to arrange the cards in the original, speaking over her. Yet more fucking rudeness from Koushiro to my kid that's gonna get him tossed off a cliff.

Mochimon: What's wrong? Koushiro: Vamdemon broke the seal with magic. Therefore, the pictures on the slate must also relate to magic. Mimi: (finishes sorting) AUGH!!! It still doesn't fit! Koushiro: I've seen these marks from occult pages on the Internet. The lion and archer are from the twelve Zodiac constellations. But the monkey isn't part of it. Also, these stars.... Mochimon: Do you know what they mean? Koushiro: No. But there must be some significance to them.

The dub, on the other hand, lets Mimi finish speaking before she prompts Izzy to share his thoughts.

Mimi: Izzy, what are you looking at? Izzy: Myotismon used a spell to open the Gate and I think this picture must have something to do with it. Some of these characters, I know. Sagittarius and Leo are signs of the Zodiac, but there's nothing about a monkey in any horoscope. And what's the significance of this star pattern?

We lose Koushiro crediting his familiarity with the zodiac to "occult pages on the internet", but replaces it by offhandedly mentioning horoscopes. No loss in the English version; We were all about astrology in the late 90's and early 00's United States.

Zodiac-based divination was so mainstream in American culture back in the day that I actually had a momentary kneejerk reaction over Koushiro calling it "occult". Like. Fuck do you mean occult!? They're just constellations that people use on a daily basis to oracularly divine the future for millions of stranger-- oh.

So, culturally, this is a good change. It's super easy for Izzy to just start namedropping Leo and Sagittarius. Those things are right there in the morning newspaper your dad reads every day. Kids will get it. And if they don't, it's easy for them to find out.

Suddenly, the building shakes. Outside, large chunks of the castle are beginning to move and reconfigure.

Takeru: W-What's that sound? Yamato: I don't know. Mimi: It feels like something awful.... Patamon: I'll go take a look!

Patamon flies up the stairs to scout what's happening. While that's happening, Taichi tries another configuration.

Taichi: How about this? Sora: Well.... Jou: It's useless. Mimi: It is not! Don't say that! Jou: Even if we come up with something that might work, there's no guarantee it's correct. Yamato: That's true, but--

Before he can finish, the castle shakes again. The structures have begun to fall in on each other.

This is meant to be a quiet build-up to tension. The background music is absent, as Taichi and the others are still trying to figure out the cards. We don't know that we're in danger yet, but something certainly seems to be happening that warrants investigation.

The dub plays their Peril Music track and dials the alarm up to 11 from the moment the kids notice the first quakes.

T.K.: Matt, what's that sound!?!? Matt: I don't know! Mimi: Well, maybe someone should go take a-- Patamon: I'll go find out! (flies off) Tai: Come on, guys! We have to figure out the cards! Sora: Yeah! Let's go! Joe: What's the point!? We'll never unlock the Gate. Sora: Don't even say that, Joe! Joe: Even if we put the cards in the holes so they look right, we have no way of knowing until it's too late! Matt: We have to try, Joe!

Nonetheless, the crux of this scene - Jou despairing over the unsolvable card puzzle - comes through intact.

Patamon: (soaring back down the stairs) WE HAVE TROUBLE!!! THE CASTLE IS CRUMBLING!!! Taichi: WHAT!?!? Mochimon: AUGH!!! This might be my fault! I broke the ceiling earlier! Patamon: All of the passages are blocked! Yamato: So now we can't turn back! Sora: That's not all! This place will start collapsing soon too!

With their backs against the wall, Jou-senpai makes a pronouncement, harkening back to what Gennai said to them before they left.

Jou: Taichi. Taichi: What? Jou: I'm going to let you handle this. Taichi: What's this all of a sudden? Jou: I'm not saying I don't want the responsibility. This is because I have faith in you! Taichi: Eh!? Yamato: Me too! At times like this, we should follow our leader. Taichi: Hey, now! Since when am I the leader!? Yamato: When you disappeared, we all fell apart. You were the one who brought us back together again! Taichi: That was a coincide-- Mimi: WHO CARES!?!? Sora: Mimi-chan? Mimi: DO SOMETHING TO TAKE ME HOME!!!

Then Mimi suddenly sticks out her tongue to reveal she was playing around.

Mimi: I've been whining like that this whole time, but that's not how it works. I won't speak selfishly anymore. Sora: That's right! If we don't change ourselves, nothing else will! Yamato: That is why I'm putting my faith in our nakama. Taichi: Everyone.... Yamato: You agree, don't you, Takeru? Takeru: Yeah! Even if we do end up in a different world, we'll all be together. That's why I'm not scared! Yamato: That's right! Sora: What about you, Koushiro-kun? Koushiro: (uncomfortable) Y-Yes. I always had faith in Taichi-san even before all this. Group: DO IT, TAICHI!!! (beat) Taichi: (with resolve) I will.

As of this moment, Taichi is officially team leader. The group has decided that he proved himself over the course of the PicoDevimon to be the glue that holds this nakama together.

We're a long way from that shit he pulled at Nanomon's pyramid. Chronologically. It's been months so nobody's thinking about that anymore, except Tai because that was like yesterday.

The dub starts this section off by removing the point Mochimon made about this being his fault.

Tai: Something tells me we don't have much time! Patamon: Hey, everyone! The walls and ceilings in the castle are caving in! The passages are all blocked! Matt: That means we can't go back the way we came in! We're trapped! Izzy: Now we have to open the Gate. One of us has to choose nine cards and put them in the holes, and that will be that. Joe: You, Tai. Tai: Me? Joe: Yeah, it's your call. Tai: Mine!? Why is it up to me!? Joe: I'm not trying to put you on the spot or anything like that. I just think we all really believe in you, Tai. Tai: Me?

This endorsement doesn't really hit as hard when Joe isn't at least on paper our responsible senpai who's supposed to look out for us. The Team Weenie wants Tai to do it; Big surprise there. Fortunately, we still have the others.

Matt: Joe's right! In times like these, decisions need to be made by the one in charge! Tai: Hold on, have you guys all gone crazy!? Who made me leader!? Matt: Do you remember when you were gone, Tai? We fell apart without you around! And after all that, weren't you the one who managed to bring us all back together again? Tai: Uh, yeah, I guess-- Mimi: JUST DO IT, TAI!!! Sora: Mimi? Mimi: I JUST WANT TO GET BACK TO MY HOME, THAT'S ALL!!! (Mimi suddenly gives a :P) Mimi: Oh, I'm sorry. I was being selfish again. I have to remember that we're a team. Come on, Tai! Save the day! Sora: Yeah, we have to believe in our friends! Remember what Gennai said? Matt: Yeah! He said to believe in our power! You believe, don't you, Tai? Tai: Maybe....

He did not. What Gennai said was "Don't forget that you are the DigiDestined. I cannot help you at the castle. Good luck!" You could infer that sentiment, but he certainly didn't say those words. The English kids are referencing things only said in the Japanese script again.

Mimi's moment of self-deprecation spinning into self-actualization is replaced with Mimi sincerely whining but then catching herself. Which isn't necessarily a bad change but it does mean her sudden :P partway through doesn't make much sense.

From there, instead of asking T.K. and Izzy's opinions, the kids just start calling back to other episodes. I guess we don't care what those two think.

Joe: Come on, we've gone through a lot of weird stuff already! If we hadn't stuck together, we never would have beaten Seadramon! Matt: Or smashed Tyrannomon! Mimi: Or escaped from Toy Town! Joe: And I'd still be making french fries in Vegiemon's diner if you hadn't saved me. You can do it, Tai! Group: YOU CAN DO IT, TAI!!! (beat) Tai: (with resolve) ALRIGHT.

Those feel like weird examples to me. Yamato and Gabumon fought off Seadramon by themselves. Taichi and Agumon defeated Tyrannomon by themselves while everyone else was afflicted with Love Serenade. Mimi and Palmon defeated Monzaemon and saved the team from Toy Town with help, but it was from an army of Numemon, not the other kids.

None of those victories was achieved through teamwork and relying on one another. Though the Vegiemon one, at least, is valid. That is a solid example of overcoming a problem by working together and having each other's backs.

ShogunGekomon would have been another good example to draw on, as Togemon, Ikkakumon, and Greymon/MetalGreymon all worked together to protect Mimi from him and ultimately vanquish him.

Also, general rallying about teamwork isn't what we're talking about here anyway; We're trying to puff up Tai into believing he deserves a position of authority over the rest of the group. He only gets credit for two of those four examples.

This is off-topic, and it replaces sincere moments of Takeru and Koushiro expressing their faith in Taichi, in the nakama, and in their ability to persevere through whatever comes their way.

(Especially Koushiro, who has always believed in Taichi and you can see that throughout the series. Koushiro looks up to Taichi like an older brother.)

Once Taichi is placed in charge, he immediately passes the buck to the correct person to be doing this actually.

Taichi: Just to confirm this: Will all of you really follow my decision? Group: (synchronized nodding) Mmhmm. Taichi: Great! Then I've decided! Koushiro! I want you to choose! Koushiro: M-Me!? Mimi: If that's what Taichi-san's decided, then I think it's a good idea. Yamato: We're counting on you, Koushiro! Takeru: Koushiro-san! Koushiro: But if I get it wrong-- Jou: No one will hold it against you. Sora: We have faith in you! Taichi: What they said.

Yeah, this is definitely a Koushiro problem. An esoteric and poorly-explained lore puzzle is directly within his wheelhouse.

The dub follows the script until Jou and Sora's lines. The two of them get cut in favor of having Mimi and Tai chime in again.

Izzy: But what happens if I'm wrong? Mimi: No one will blame you. Tai: We all know you're the right one for the job, Izzy. Go for it!

Once the decision is made, Koushiro gets work trying to crack this mystery.

Koushiro: Well, then.... Mochimon: Koushiro-han, maybe your laptop can help. Koushiro: My laptop?

Everyone stands by silently and watches Koushiro take out his laptop and open it up.

Koushiro: If I had access to the internet here, I would be able to ask people who know more about the occult.

He leafs through the Digimon Analyzer, skimming over profiles. Devimon, Leomon, Ogremon, Kentarumon, Whamon--

Koushiro: Ehh!?

He goes back, and we see the sigils superimposed over their entries. It's not Sagittarius and Leo; It's Kentarumon and Leomon.

Koushiro: Then the monkey is....

Koushiro pulls up Etemon's profile, adding it to the list.

Koushiro: This is it! But what does it mean? (flashback) Gennai: Digimon are further classified by the attributes Data, Virus, and Vaccine. Koushiro: Attributes!

Koushiro zooms each profile in on the three's Attributes.

Leomon: Vaccine

Kentarumon: Data

Etemon: Virus

That's one axis.

Koushiro: Who here has met Digitamamon and TonosamaGekomon? Jou: I have. Koushiro: Bring me your Digivice!

Koushiro plugs Jou's Digivice into the laptop and downloads those two profiles.

Over in the dub:

Izzy: I still have no idea how this all fits together. Motimon: Maybe you could use your computer to help figure it out! Izzy: The computer? Right now, I'd rather use it to log onto the internet and book us a flight out of this place. (Izzy skims through the profiles) Izzy: HUH!?!? Wait a minute.... (Izzy goes back through) The horse. The lion. And... THE MONKEY!!! THAT'S IT!!! (flashback) Gennai: Remember, all Digimon can be classified as Data, Virus, or Vaccine. Izzy: Could it be!?

We don't get to see the confirmation of his question for ourselves. The dub cuts the shot of him zooming in on the three Digimon's attributes. Probably because of how skittish they are about showing Japanese letters onscreen.

He then casts his vote on TonosamaGekomon's name. Remember how the Analyzer said ShogunGekomon but all the characters said Shogunmon?

Izzy: Who here has met up with Digitamamon and Gekomon? Joe: I have! Izzy: Give me your Digivice.

THAT WASN'T ONE OF THE OPTIONS, IZZY. THAT IS A DIFFERENT DIGIMON, IZZY.

The Analyzer, incidentally, still clearly reads "SHOGUNGEKOMON" in the big bold English font they used to replace the original Japanese lettering.

All this context is precisely what Koushiro needs to crack this puzzle.

Something absolutely none of the kids picked up on is that the cards themselves hint at the X-axis. Vaccines have a red background, Datas have a green background, and Viruses have a blue background. That would have been a great place to start, but every single one of these kids failed at pattern recognition.

Their school needs to do better at teaching critical thinking.

Taichi: Did you figure it out? Koushiro: Let me explain. (Koushiro draws his own reproduction of the pedestal in the sand) Koushiro: Listen closely. Take a look at this. Lion, Archer, Monkey. These respectively represent Leomon, Kentarumon, and Etemon. Each has a different Attribute. Specifically Vaccine, Data, and Virus. What I'd like to point out next are the number of stars. From top to bottom, they mean Child, Adult, and Perfect-stage. If you put the cards in the appropriate places.... Jou: It's a perfect fit! Sora: That's amazing, Koushiro-kun! (zoom in on Gomamon and Agumon) Koushiro: But there are two here. Either of them could be the wrong one, but I can't tell. I'm sorry. I couldn't live up to your expectations. Jou: What are you talking about? You did great!

The kids all give Koushiro a round of applause.

Koushiro: (smiling) Everyone.... Sora: You should decide the rest, Taichi. Taichi: Will do. You were a big help, Koushiro. Thank you.

The dub follows the same script until Izzy makes the same mistake Joe did.

Izzy: The stars starting from the top represent In-Training, Rookie, and Champion! So now we can put all the cards in the right squares. Sora: You did it, Izzy! Good work! Tai: We knew you'd figure it out! (zoom in on Gomamon and Agumon) Izzy: But wait a minute. Not so fast. There are two cards here. One of them is the fake but I don't know which one. So that's it. I'm sorry, we still can't be certain where the Gate will open to. Joe: But we made it this far! That's great! (round of applause) Izzy: Yes, it is! Sora: Tai can pick which one's fake. Tai: if I can't, everyone gets an ice cream and I'm buying!

Like. The dub team just forgot what they're calling the stages. Come on, guys.

It's a good thing Koushiro was able to get us this far because we are out of time. As the castle continues to shake and fall apart, spiders suddenly descends from the ceiling.

Jou: Who is that!? Koushiro: (laptop) I'll have their data pulled up in a minute.

That is Dokugumon. An Adult-stage Virus-type Insect Digimon. The name comes from dokugumo, which means a poisonous spider.

This Digimon does not exist in the V-Pet. Yet. It's an early preview of an up-and-coming new addition. This episode aired on September 19th, 1999. Dokugumon is a Nightmare Soldier added in the .5 edition released the following month, replacing Bakemon in the lineup.

The Chosen Children are being attacked by a product ad.

Narrator: Dokugumon. A cursed Digimon whose entire body is covered in a computer virus. Their special attack, Stinger Poration, is released from their sharp fangs. Dokugumon: Anyone who damages Vamdemon-sama's castle will pay with their lives!

Well, there's a fucking word. "Poration". The formation of pores. Dokugumon will make new pores in your skin. Using their stinger. Fun for the whole family!

Appropriately, the dub has Izzy do the diegetic rundown.

Tai: What is that!? Izzy: I'll tell you in just a minute! Izzy: (rundown) It's Dokugumon! An evil Digimon with computer virus parasites covering his body! Dokugumon: INTRUDERS IN THE CASTLE MUST BE DESTROYED!!! GO GET THEM!!!

Again, the dub cuts the reference to the fact that AtlurKabuterimon's enthusiasm destroyed Vamdemon's castle and caused the calamity we are currently in. In the dub, Dokugumon's just acting as a security guard.

Dokugumon does not lead with Stinger Poration, instead sending a swarm of weird-ass baby spiders whose existence is super questionable within the Digimon life cycle. But eventually they would be acknowledged as KoDokugumon.

Garurumon, Togemon, and Ikkakumon all evolves and unload on the KoDokugumon swarm. A few get through and attack Sora, provoking Pyokomon to regain her Piyomon form and counter with Magical Fire.

In the dub, Garurumon forgets his attack name (Howling Blaster) and instead calls Blue Blaster, which is Gabumon's.

While the Digimon hold the line, Taichi places the cards on the pedestal and agonizes over the final decision.

Taichi: Which one. Agumon or Gomamon? Mimi: TAICHI-SAN, HURRY!!! Jou: It doesn't matter which!

Hahaha it kind of does matter if you don't want to swap skin with Gomamon, my dude.

The dub cuts Jou's line which is no real loss because it's kind of stupid. XD

Tai: I can't decide! Which one is the fake card? Mimi: HURRY UP!!! CHOOSE!!! Tai: If I choose wrong, we're toast!

While Taichi agonizes over this choice, Dokugumon enters the fray themselves.

Dokugumon: I WON'T LET YOU ESCAPE!!!

Binding the three Adult Digimon with webbing, they yank them up helplessly into the air and hit them with Stinger Poration.

Togemon: I'M GOING NUMB!!! Dokugumon: THE CHILDREN ARE NEXT!!! Yamato: GARURUMON!!! Sora: GANBATTE!!!

There's another conjugation of ganbaru, the important Japanese cultural principle of working hard and persevering through tremendous adversity.

The dub cuts most of this combat shouting. Dokugumon just cackles menacingly. They name the webbing attack "Poison Thread", and then the actual Stinger Poration is called "Poison Cobweb".

Matt: GARURUMON!!! Sora: Digivolve again!

Not quite as punchy as shrieking ganbatte at the top of her lungs.

Garurumon takes Sora's advice and perseveres.

Super-evolving into WereGarurumon, he uses his Kaiser Nail to cut the other two free and wrestles with Dokugumon. The bright red energy released by his Kaiser Nail cuts straight through the walls, knocking huge chunks off the dwindling mountain holding up the castle.

Gomamon and Palmon lose their Adult-stage and revert as they fall.

Patamon?: TAICHI!!! Yamato: You're still deciding!? Sora: PICK ONE!!! Taichi: Alright, I've got it!

Fulfilling the idea Gennai throttled him for, Taichi throws both cards face-down and just turns one over.

Taichi: THIS ONE!!! (turns over Gomamon) Open the Gate, GOMAMON!!!

In his defense, there is no way to discern which card to use. At this point, it is a 50/50 coin flip, and there's no wrong way to flip a coin. What Taichi just did was a clever method of breaking choice paralysis. I've actually employed similar methods many times in my life.

In the dub, only Matt yells at Tai.

Matt: TAI, YOU'VE GOTTA MAKE UP YOUR MIND NOW!!! WE'RE OUT OF TIME!!! Tai: (throws down the cards) Okay! It's this one! (turns over Gomamon) Come on! NOW!!!

The Gate opens wide, granting the children passage to whichever world lies beyond, and they take off running.

Except Yamato, who stays behind to grab his Partner.

Yamato: WE HAVE TO GO!!! Dokugumon: I WILL DRAG YOU TO HELL WITH ME!!!

They will not.

WereGarurumon: KAISER NAIL!!!

Dokugumon takes a point-blank Kaiser Nail that decapitates the goddamn castle, cutting through what's left of the mountain and bringing the entire thing down like a freshly logged tree. The attack erases Dokugumon.

Once the up-and-coming Nightmare Soldier IN STORES NEXT MONTH has been carved into pixel dust, Yamato catches the reverted Tsunomon and they too make the long sprint to the other world.

Yamato: Thank you, Tsunomon! LET'S GO!!!

The dub obviously changes out "I'll drag you to Hell with me".

Matt: Leave him and come on! Dokugumon: YOU'LL NEVER GET OUT OF HERE IN ONE PIECE!!!

They also cut WereGarurumon calling his Kaiser Nail. Then Matt's line is:

Matt: It was real close, Tsunomon, but it looks like we made it!

Bit too calm for my liking.

The children wake up back at the campgrounds, lying on the ground in front of the shrine they'd started at all those months ago.

Yamato: (waking up) Th-This is.... Taichi: Japan? Jou: This shrine... WE'RE ON THE CAMPGROUNDS!!! WE MADE IT BACK!!!

Mimi starts bawling from sheer joy and relief.

Sora: This is where we left for the Digimon's world. (beat) Sora: Where are our Digimon!? Koushiro: It couldn't have been a dream, could it? Sora: (heartbroken) ...maybe it was the wrong card-- Piyomon: Sora! Sora: (gasp, suddenly ecstatic) OR NOT!!!

Sora's come a long way from being weirded out by Piyomon's pushy friendliness and reluctant to emotionally connect to others in general.

In the dub, they don't mention Japan.

Matt: (waking up) H-huh.... Tai: Where are we? Joe: I know this place. This is the summer camp where we all met! You did it, Tai! We're home again! Mimi: OHHHHH HOME WHOOOAAA!!!

Dub Mimi doesn't so much cry as... some kind of yowling vocalization.

Sora: We're back to where we were first sucked into the Digital World. But where are our Digimon? Izzy: I wonder if we got the cards wrong after all? Sora: (heartbroken) Then in this world, we could be without them. Piyomon: You can't get rid of us that easily! Sora: (gasp, suddenly ecstatic, giggles)

Here Izzy theorizes that the card was wrong, rather than Sora despondently accusing it.

Right as it's revealed that the Digimon made it across too, the insert song "Seven" fires up to relieve the tension, which comes across as surprisingly hopeful now that we're back.

Palmon: Looks like you're all awake. Taichi: (jolly) And where did all of you get off to? Gomamon: Foraging for food!

The Digimon all reveal berry bushes that they brought with them. How Tsunomon and Koromon carried theirs, I have no idea. The kids have a good laugh about it.

Jou: Hahaha! This is Japan, so you don't have to eat that stuff anymore! Mimi: You'll get to eat nicer things! Everyone: WELCOME BACK!!! WE'RE HOME!!!

The dub overcompensates for the fact that we are admittedly in Japan right now by turning this last bit into another rousing round of just rattling off American things.

Palmon: Wake up! Come on, sleepyheads! Tai: We're up! We're up! Where have you been? Gomamon: (berries) We thought we ought to go look for a little lunch! Joe: Hahaha! Now that we're home, we don't have to eat leaves anymore! We can eat cheeseburgers! Mimi: That's right! And pepperoni pizza! T.K.: And french fries! Matt: And ice cream! Sora: Yeah! And broccoli: Other Kids: BROCCOLI!?!?

Before we can wrap up, Koromon has a question for Taichi.

Koromon: Taichi, why didn't you choose my card? Taichi: Your card? Oh, uh... I wanted to keep it as a souvenir? Koromon: Really. (¬_¬)

Koromon is right to be skeptical. Taichi is lying through his teeth. He picked at random.

Dub Tai seems to sell his lie better.

Koromon: How did you know that my card was the fake, Tai? Taichi: I didn't. I kept your card because you're my friend! Koromon: Hehe, that's so nice! (¬_¬)

Though the expression he's making doesn't really vibe with the pleasant response.

Taichi quickly changes the subject.

Taichi: A-Anyways! We should start looking for the Eighth Child. Yamato: Yeah! Vamdemon must already have made his move. Taichi: Hikarigaoka. I'm certain that's where the Eighth Child is. Let's find the kid before they do and rescue them! Group: RIGHT!!!

Good news, Vamdemon can't have gotten far. The time dilation that Taichi experienced earlier means it's been like eight minutes since he and his forces arrived in Japan. But the kids don't really understand how that works yet.

In the dub, of course, they've been dancing around Japan so they're not going to say Hikarigaoka.

Tai: Hey, everybody! We've got to go and find the Eighth Child! Matt: Yeah! And we've got to get a move on since Myotismon's there ahead of us! Tai: I'm happy that we're finally headed back to my hometown! And we already know that's where we're gonna find the Eighth Child! LET'S GO!!!

Tai, you live in Odaiba. You're as bad as Matt when it comes to reading Gennai Maps.

Ironically, Tai is actually so wrong right now that he comes full circle to being correct. Because the Eighth Child is, in fact, in Odaiba. Odaiba isn't the plan. But it is where she is. So. I guess. He gets a cookie anyway.

Assessment: I wonder what Dokugumon did to get snubbed from the Assault Team? They're not a mercenary. They actually work for Vamdemon, like Tailmon and PicoDevimon. If they really are just the security guard then they've done a terrible job of it, 'cause this is the first we've heard of them after fucking around the castle for two days straight.

I mean. They're dead now, so I guess it doesn't matter. RIP spider who was way too late to this party.

This episode formally introduces Digimon attributes to the series. They've technically been around since the very first rundown but now the kids know about them. Koushiro is becoming more and more capable as the Guy In The Chair.

This is a hard episode to watch only because it comes between the kids nearly making it to Japan and the kids being in Japan, which is arguably the best part of the series. So part of me was just vibrating in my chair wanting to get to Japan for the whole episode. XD

The dub had some unbelievable mistakes this time around. Like. Messing up attack names is one thing but they forgot what they even named the tiers of Digimon stages. They also cut out minor plot points and any mention of Japan or Hikarigaoka.

I wouldn't call this a complete hack job but it's not one of the dub's better episodes.

[rimanne]

well this recent stuff messed me up a bit, even if i'm not a akatsukiP. i normally wouldn't do this kind of thing but enstars is a really beloved series to me and i wanted to share my experience with it and vent a little

so yeah corny stuff after read more

I've always loved rhythm games, since my childhood playing rhythm heaven. In fact, it's the only type of game, besides visual novels, i can say i'm sort of good at lol

And some years ago i used to play love live and utapri-shining live a lot. If i remember correctly both of them had gacha elements and story modes but i didn't really care about it, because my english was really bad at the time AND all i cared about was to play silly anime songs on my phone.

I wasn't really sad after both of these games ended their services. I was left bittersweet, yes, but nothing that impacted me that much. So i was left wondering if there were other games similar to those i've played.

I tried bandori, project sekai, d4dj, but none of them really stuck with me, maybe because i'm a thumb player and the layout was really hard for me to adapt to. And then, almost 4 years ago, i saw enstars in pre-registration. It apparently had a similar layout to what i was used to, so i figured "i might like this! i'm gonna give it a try!"

And it didn't take me long to fall head over heels for this series. I love absurdism, so the crazy lore behind the silly idol game really pulled me in. And i did get used to the gameplay style, i felt nostalgic of the games i used to play before and i felt like i struck gold for finding enstars.

I can't exactly point out what makes enstars special to me, compared to the other games i've played, i never felt such a deep connection to a game before.

Regarding the story, as i said before, it really left me interested to learn more about the world and the characters. The way the plot point was over the top and insane, along with the characters who are crazy too, it was as if it was built in for me to obsess over lol

But of course, the problem was always there. Honestly the way aira treated hiiro left me so uncomfortable at times, especially within the story, where it makes it seen hiiro as a stupid kid who knows nothing about anything.

Adonis' case is really complicated for me, because, as a black woman who grew up watching cartoons and anime with little to no black characters, i just got used to, in lack of better words, "be grateful for what i have".

And adonis being the only foreigner in a cast of yamato japanese people made me sympathize with him. "Oh, so he is viewed as a violent foreigner who's obsessed with meat, but he is just a softie? Well, i'll take what i can get".

And i genuinely thought that "maybe they're making a criticism on racist views or something". But really, adonis has existed for 10 years, i've been a fan for almost 4, and to this day we don't know what country he is from.

Not to mention what they've been doing with their neurodivergent characters lately! Sora lost his synesthesia somehow, and apparently shu got "cured"?? Mademoiselle doesn't appear anymore??

This new stuff with ibuki was my last straw, because it felt like happyele spent years punching us, then suddenly they switch to hitting us with bazookas with their blatant disrespect for their characters, their fans, everything!!!

I really can't bring myself to enjoy playing it anymore, but i'll still be in the fandom, i'll still have so much care for the characters, i'll still listen to the songs i already like, because they're mine now. And happyele can try to pry them away from my cold dead hands!!!

Anyway

[hikaritakaishi]

Takari Week 2024 - Day 4: Fourth Contact

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Title: Carnelian (Fourth Contact)

Characters: Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Yagami, Sora Takenouchi

Summary: It wasn't a conscious decision. It wasn't even a decision. It just happened. When she noticed, she was already looking into his eyes, wanting to drown in them. Quickly. Desperately.

That wasn't a coincidence. But it wasn't planned either. When he noticed, he already wanted to feel her touch. Madly. Profoundly. Intertwined souls, made to recognize each other in every lifetime.

They had it all. They had each other.

Note: A collection of stories that gives us an insight into Takeru and Hikari's relationship over the years. It was really hard to put all the prompts explicitly in the story, so I tried to metaphorize some of them, in order for them to make sense at the end.

It is composed of two prologues, one for Takeru and one for Hikari, exposing events before 1999. And a final epilogue, summarizing all the feelings exposed in the previous chapters. In the intermediate chapters, we follow all the challenges that a long-term friendship has to face when it becomes a romantic relationship, and how we form solid and permanent bonds with the ones we love the most.

・。。・゜゜・。。・

Something was missing.

A progression, a discussion, an enlightenment. A hug that brought no closure to her spirit nor erased her doubts. Not completely ease her mind. She needed it, she wanted it. But she needed to put her heart to rest in some other way.

Required advice. And thought of someone right away, who used to give the best advice for any type of hard situation. The mother of their friend group. The person she knew was her brother’s first love and Takeru’s brother last. Sora.

Hikari first wanted to call, but reevaluated the position that she was on, and decided to text asking if she could meet her in person. Some things are simply better discussed face to face, eye to eye. Feeling the other person's empathy and seeing their facial expressions while reasoning runs.

Sora didn't even take 10 minutes to respond the message. Did she sound too alarmed? Or too desperate?

“I'll be home all Saturday. Take as much time as you want and as you need, I have plenty.” Followed by a pink heart emoji.

Sora was always so incredibly soft and solidary. Always available to help, even with tight work schedules, and meticulously studying the future she wanted to build. No wonder Taichi and Yamato loved her for so long.

“Thank you so much Sora! I will be arriving after lunch time, early afternoon. I promise it won’t take too long!” Followed by a red heart emoji. Perfect. Finally, she will let herself speak about it for the first time. That thought made her a little nervous, honestly.

As much as she knew it was necessary, Hikari still had troubles opening her feelings to others. It still felt uncomfortable hearing her own thoughts out loud. Messed up argumentative lines, misplaced words, long silences. Failed attempts to explain what seemed inexplicable. Giving up. Quit easily. Self-sabotage.

It was a process, she emphasised to herself pretty much every day. A time-consuming process. But still imperative. Baby steps, little by little, small progresses flourished.

She walked slowly to Sora's house. Mentally preparing what she would say, how she would say. A flawless script. Not that it was difficult to explain, but she wanted to not sound foolish.

Everything simply evaporated from her mind when she arrived. Great. Took a deep breath and rang the bell.

“Hikari!” A very radiant voice welcomed her. It was impossible not to smile and feel loved. Sora was the personification of lovely. “Come inside! I was making some tea; would you like to have some?”

“Sure! What kind of tea is it?”

Chamomile. Of course. Perfect when it comes to avoid nerve wrecks.

“I am alone at home, but let's talk in my bedroom anyway. It's more comfortable. Can you help me with the tea?”

“Yes of course! And thank you so much for your time!”

“You don't have to thank me, I'm always here for whatever you need. Would you kindly be able to bring the cups? I take the pot of tea and biscuits” A plate with Sembei biscuits was placed right next to the pot of tea.

They calmly walked to Sora's room. She closed the door as soon as they arrived.

A small table sat in the centre of the room was waiting for them, with two pads on the floor, one on each side of the table. There was an undeniable effort to make everything look as welcoming as possible.

“Make yourself comfortable!” Sora said while placing the pot of tea and the biscuits plate on the table. “I hope you like the tea and the biscuits; I didn’t know what to prepare so I went for the safest option.”

“You didn't need to bother; I just needed your company.”

“I am so glad you came; we didn’t spoke in such a long time!”

Sora sat in front of her and started pouring the tea into the cups.

“I know right? And I am sorry if I am taking time from you that you might need for…”

“Oh Hikari, you have no idea how I really need and missed these moments. Just to talk to a friend and having them around. So don’t apologising, really, I am very happy that you came! So…”  She handed her the cup of tea, with small pieces of the tea plant floating calmly inside of it, contrasting with Hikari’s flustered emotions. “You said you needed to talk about something important, what could it be?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know where to start…” Hikari sighed, inhaling the smell of the tea to calm her nerves.

“Take your time” Sora smiled, and it filled Hikari’s heart with a warm kind feeling of comfort. “Is it something that happened recently or have been happening?”

“Actually, it has been happening for quit sometime, but before getting there… How can I say this...”

Sora remained silent, not wanting to pressure Hikari into saying anything she didn't feel comfortable or prepared for. Hikari was stirring the tea with a spoon and looked away.

“Promise me not to tell anyone about this… specially Yamato.”

“Oh, of course not…” Sora’s voice tone changed, and she could sense the intrigue in it. “But why specially Yamato?”

“It was to do with Takeru.” Said finally, feeling some of the weight she carried on her shoulders finally fall.

“Takeru? I think I know where this is going… “Sora laughed a little bit.

“You know? Did he tell you what happened?”

“No, he did not tell me anything, but I can imagine. But please continue, at the end I will explain you everything that I have in my mind.”

“Ok.” She said suspiciously.” Well, since the beginning of high school, Takeru has become very popular, and when I say very, I say immensely, popular. Mostly around, girls. To the point that he receives several loves letters every single week.”

“Oh really? That much? I mean, he is a very sympathetic person with a gentle eye-catching personality, always cordial and courteous… how do you feel about all of that?”

“At first, I didn't pay much attention, I thought it was normal, for the reasons you mentioned mostly. But lately it has been bothering me a little bit…” Took a sip of the tea, to give Sora space to say something.

“And why is it? Is because you are afraid that he will distance himself from you, or is he acting any differently now that he is receiving a different type of attention?”

“I don’t feel like he is acting differently than before, and I do admire him for the way he deals with his recent popularity, always being careful with the words he uses and always being humble despite everything. A lot of boys would’ve taken advantage of the girls and probably hurt them.”

“Takeru is a soft soul; I don’t believe he would do that. “

“Neither do I. But I keep imagining that one day he might give one of them a chance. And start really… love someone.”

“And that is a completely plausible scenario.” She took a Sembei biscuit from the plate and broke it in half.  “Soner or later, he will find someone he really likes. And will go on dates with her, spend time with her…” Continue to talk while eating.

That was exactly what she was afraid of. Felt her heart sinking a little and her throat started burning. Sora was undeniable right.

“… and that makes you feel nauseous, right?” Sora finished.

“Yes, a little bit.”

“Do you want to be that person?”

“I cannot be that person Sora, that is not even an option.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because…” Hikari began to search in her mind for the best words to describe what she had been feeling in the last few months. A tough but sincere analysis. “Because that could do more harm than good. We have been friends for many years, and we have an incredible friendship. Our connect is rare, and I don't want to destroy it. I don’t want to hurt him if I’m not able to be... enough for him.

“I sincerely understand you, Hikari, seriously.  I went through something similar when I started to date Yamato, but you know, when you really love someone, the best thing you can do for them and for yourself is to be honest about those feelings. “

“You cannot imagine how betrayed by myself I felt when I realized that… I was falling for Takeru.”

“I can imagine. Have you thought about... exposing it to him? Do you think he might feel something as well?

“I don’t know… I never really planed on saying anything but a few days ago, he received another love letter from a girl he rejected, and I think that now he suspects that I might like him because of the way I acted around it.”

“What did you do?”

“I was so tired of pretending that I was ok with all of that. The love letters, the girl’s whispers whenever he passes by them in the hallways, him pretending that nothing was going on. My feelings simply boiled up and I couldn’t take them anymore. I distanced myself the rest of the day and avoid Takeru as much as I could. And I know what you might be thinking! Like, what a stupid thing to do! But I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Oh Hikari, I understand you so well, I felt that too. Yamato had the band, and the band was a huge success for a long time. “Sora looked around, remembering the days before she confessed herself to Yamato. “Too many girls, too many concert, and too much pressure on me to be perfect. I almost gave up on him because of that. But I was being overcome by fear, just like I think you are. “

“Do you think he will be ok with me… confessing all of this? The last thing I want to do is mess up with our friendship.”

“I believe that your connection is unique enough to make those feelings you have something much more than you expect, Hikari, you just have to let them do their magic.”

“I can agree with you… but why is it so hard? To just be honest?”  

“Sometimes your feelings can eat you alive if you don’t get them out of your chest. Even if you try to ignore them, they will still exist.”

Hikari continued stirring her tea impatiently. Seemed infinitely easier said than done.

“I need more sugar, otherwise I'll have a drop in my blood pressure.” She took tiny cube of sugar out of a small pink jar that was on the table.

“Do you know what I was referring to earlier? Everyone expected you to fall in love with each other Hikari, it seemed beautifully inevitable. You built something that very few people experience in a lifetime.”

“Beautifully ironic if you ask me. “

“You should romanticize it more, maybe it was fate that brought you together, at the right time, at the right place. I mean, who knows. And even if it was just a coincidence… what an incredible one.”

“You cannot romanticize total chaos, Sora.”

“Oh, how dramatic!”

Hikari rolled her eyes while Sora kept laughing at her facing expressions.

Time went by and they kept sharing memories and advice, in a light tone that almost gave Hikari total certainty that what she was going to do was the right decision. What else could she do? The worst that could happen was that her feelings weren't reciprocated, which Sora dismissed almost immediately. It was either that or lose the opportunity to be honest and see Takeru with someone other than her in the future. You do what you need to do.

・。。・゜゜・。。・

Another week came a way too fast. The weekend was so fastmoving that Hikari did not even notice until Sunday night, when she was preparing her materials for school, and remembered everything she had shared with Sora. Now that the morning was dawned, she will have to go and face him. She had a little knot in her stomach and even her mother noticed that she had barely eaten breakfast.

“Come on Hikari, you got this!”

She asserted in waiting for the ideal occasion, and deliberately waited for the classes to finish.

Takeru noticed her impatience throughout the day. She seemed far, far away from him. Tried to catch her eye multiple times unsuccessfully and could not tell where she was in the intervals between classes. He expected everything to be back to normal, posterior to what happened. It was clearly not, something strange hovered over them. To convoluted for him to decipher. Yet.

“Can you wait for me, after class?”

Hikari was right behind him, standing, speaking graciously and quietly. He was sitting in his desk, waiting for the teacher to come and to start the last lesson of the day.

“Of course, is everything ok?”

Tried not to sound too analytic. Maybe a bit causally worried. She smiled. He knew she had done it on purpose. The distance, the quietude all day long, no mention of the love letters or that afternoon after class. Hikari laid the emotional groundwork.

“Yes, I only need a moment with you, alone. To talk.”

“Sure, I may need it too.” He played her back.Felt the tension build, while observing her confused expression. She did not expect that, and it was apparent.

“Wait for me then.”

Perceived her go to her sit. There was something stimulating about her existence and the way she simply was. Whenever he could, he looked at her distractedly. In her most natural way of being. For as long as he could remember, he had admired her. Beautifully soft, gracefully strong. Consciously vulnerable.

 The school bell rang, and Takeru did not want to wait much longer. He packed his things and got up, heading towards her.

“Follow me, I can think of a better place for us to talk.”

That was certainly unexpected. Decided to trust him, and packed her things quickly as well, and hold his hand. Together they walked out of the room, waving Daisuke goodbye, leaving him with a strange feeling that something was about to change.

“Where are we going?”

“To a part of the school where no one had classes today.”

They went down to the top floor, still holding hands. Hikari felt her knees getting weaker and her hands were sweating. She tried to breathe slowly, but it was difficult, mainly because of the speed at which Takeru was pulling her. They passed through several rooms and entered the last one in the corner. He was right, it looked like no one had used those rooms that day. Everything was tidy and quiet.

“These rooms belong to the art and sculpture clubs. They only come from Tuesday to Thursday. We are safe.”

He let go of her hand to open the door. Courteously, he let her in first and followed. They went to the end of the room and placed their backpacks on the table in the right corner, which was next to the window.

The entire room was filled with shades of orange and brown. Carnelian. A slightly stuffy environment, with a little dust visually hung in the air.

Takeru leaned on the edge of the table and looked at Hikari, waiting for her to feel comfortable enough to look at him.  She leaned against the windowsill and avoided his eyes, trying to calm herself first. Stretched her back a little and relaxed her shoulders. Took a very deep and loud breath.

“Takeru… I don’t even know how to start… I”

“Look at me, please.”

She looked up to meet his eyes. They brough her an uncomfortable cosiness.

Maybe due to the sunset colour pallet, his eyes seemed more crystal clear now, an angelic blue. The orange touch of his freckles contrasted with the blonde of his hair in a melodical way. Would it be too pathetic to want to hug him again?

“I missed you today.” Takeru broke the silence. “I don’t know what you are thinking, but I hate feeling you distant.”

“I missed you too.” Hikari said honestly. “I've been wondering all day how to ask you to talk about what happened, last week.”

“I thought about the possibility of that being the case.”

“Takeru, I just don’t want to ruin our friendship because of my selfishness.”

“I think we should have talked about this sooner. We could have avoided misunderstandings and…discomfort.”

“That's not an easy conversation to have” She looked out the window. No one was around, but she bet their colleagues were all on their way home.

“I understand, and please be as sincere as you need. I don’t mind being a little hurt” He laughed. “If you do is because I probably deserved it. “

“First of all, I want to apologise for the way I handled what happen the other day. I think I took it too… personally.”  The words came out choppy, as if she was trying to force them out. “I just don’t want to lose a… friend, as special as you are to me.”

Hikari waited for a reaction. His face was neutral, until he started laughing.

“Takeru… I am being serious…”

“I know, I know, am sorry but…”

He pushed himself off the table and approached her. He placed one hand on each side of her body, leaning on the windowsill, facing her and looking into her eyes.

Her pale skin felt like snow. Light brown eyes, light brown hair. A scent of vanilla and coffee. Hikari was calmness, even when was being drowned by an ocean of insecurities he never really saw as such. Her lips were dry, probably from impatience to express herself. He did not mind, she looked as perfect as always.

Hikari let her weight fall onto her back, she had no space to move away from him. He was close, leaning down a bit to reach her height.

“What you are telling me is… and please correct me if I am wrong.” His lips move slowly, and those words came out like a whisper.

Hikari looked at his lips first, and then his eyes.

“You've been jealous… can we call it jealous? All this time because of those letters, and yet you say we're…friends?”

“What do you mean?”

Her eyes went down to his lips once again. Whole body shaking from anxiety. Felt his breath close, very close.

“Can you guess?”

Takeru slid a hand to her cheek and placed his lips on hers. Quickly.

One

“Don’t go yet.”

Hikari whispered, when she felt the kiss breaking. Locked their lips once again. A much longer contact. Warm, humid. Her hands pressed in the windowsill. His hand still in her cheek. Felt the other hand reach her waist, pressing it.

Two

“What are the chances of someone showing up here?”  She asked, as an excuse to get some air. Her cheeks were burning. Their bodies were burning.

“None. Literally none.” The urge in his voice.They’ve wanted each other for too long. It took them to much time to reach to that.

Three

Hikari put her arms around his neck and let him carry most of their weight. Takeru struggled not to take his hands off her waist and go further. Their noses bumped many times.

They let go for a moment, going for a small perfunctory kiss afterward.

Four

They remained hugged, wanting to eternalize that moment. His head on her right shoulder, hers on his chest. Takeru was inhaling as deeply as he could, pressing on hand flat against her back, smelling her vanilla accent. Their heartbeats synchronized. A powerful feeling that was as beautiful as dangerous, terrifying even. Terrifyingly human.

The heat, the excitement, the nervousness. They had it all, they had each other.

・。。・゜゜・。。・

[beermanoftana]

endgame

header by @/earlgreymon

for @ashxketchum!! requested some time ago and finally got to finish it (there's a part that just won't write itself!). i know you asked for takari but your takari for me, my mimato for you (even though it's a little unfair since i love mimato, too). i still do hope you like it! i had a lot of fun writing this and it kinda went on and on as i typed once the part finally wrote itself. anyways! enjoy (i hope)!!

endgame | main characters ; yamato ishida, mimi tachikawa, some taichi yagami and sora takenouchi, can't forget gabumon, palmon, agumon, and piyomon | universe ; au / can be placed anywhere after 02 | ships ; yamato x mimi, taichi x sora, takeru x hikari | genre ; fluff, humor | word count ; 2,235 | rating ; 13+ | edited ; three times - forgive me for any mistakes

Yamato was never in the mood for flirting. He knew people fawned over him, he knew his band was worshiped by those his age, and sure, he did “have a feeling” that flirting was going to be part of his life. But he never even tried to flirt back. Well, maybe he did, but it was usually against his will.

The band was not together anymore, having to go their separate ways, but he still loved them. The flirting, however, did not stop. He knew he was a good-looking guy but now that he was living a life that did not involve anything that required him to “go out there and fly”, maybe a life without people flirting with him 24/7 would be nice.

He and Taichi were having a meal in a small diner with Gabumon and Agumon hidden beside them. The digimons were enjoying their food while their partners talked about school.

Although they took up different courses, they still had some minor classes together, which, despite Yamato not admitting it, was a relief from all the other students they swarmed with. He had made some friends, but no one at the same level he had with Taichi. Everyone came from different backgrounds, and if they were to be honest, it was a little overwhelming, especially since it was their first year in university.

“Are you going to Shinichi’s party on Friday?” Taichi asked.

“Who’s Shinichi?” Yamato questioned, not bothering to look up from his food.

“He’s in one of our minor classes,” Taichi responded, “cool guy. But this party is a little too early, don’t you think? It could be a way to make some friends, I guess. Wanna go together?”

“Can we go?” Agumon asked.

“A party’s always fun,” Gabumon said.

Taichi smiled at them and then looked at Yamato. “What do you say?”

Yamato looked over at the smiling Gabumon and Agumon and sighed. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Great!” Taichi exclaimed.

“But you’re driving,” Yamato said.

“Sora will.”

“Sora?”

“Yeah. She wants to go. But she wants to bring her car so that she can leave anytime she wants.” Taichi shrugged. “Her mom’s car. And she said walking would be a pain, Shinichi’s venue is a little far.”

“We can always ask Birdramon to fly us away,” Agumon jested.

Taichi chuckled, Gabumon laughed, and even Yamato gave a smile.

“So what time do we meet her?” Yamato asked.

“Not sure yet. But we’ll ask her, or message if we don’t see each other anytime soon.”

Yamato smirked. “Right. Anytime soon.”

When Friday arrived, Sora, Taichi, and Yamato, along with their digimon partners, were packed inside Sora’s mom’s car. It was just a four-seater after all, it would only be Mrs. Takenouchi, Sora, whenever Mr. Takenouchi would come home, and Piyomon. And of course, Piyomon rode shotgun, while the men were cramped at the back.

“I think we’re here,” Sora said, looking out the window.

“Finally,” Yamato sighed in relief.

“The place is packed and in full swing!” Taichi said.

“Let’s just find a place to park. Doesn’t look like there’s a lot of cars.”

As they drove around, Gabumon pointed at a spot and Sora immediately swirled to get to it. Both Taichi and Yamato looked at each other, surprised by the speed and sudden jerk of the ride.

They got out of the car and Taichi whispered how his soul nearly left his body after that short ride. Yamato rolled his eyes and stated that he was overreacting.

“His place isn’t that big up-close,” Taichi observed. “It’s just the garden.”

“You think there’ll be beer?” Yamato wondered.

“You three find a spot,” Sora ordered. “Somewhere we can see each other.”

“I don’t think there is a place where we can see each other,” Yamato said.

That could be true. The house was packed. So far, the three have not found anyone they knew. But they were just outside and there were not many people around, perhaps they would find more people inside.

“Think you three can go around without being seen?” Taichi asked.

“Of course!” All three digimons grinned.

The group dispersed, the digimons to the right and the Chosen Children straight ahead.

When they reached inside, they looked around for anyone familiar. After a minute of standing by the door, Sora was called by another young lady and she excused herself from the boys.

“We’ll leave at midnight on the dot,” she told them as she walked away.

“Yes, ma’am,” they both murmured.

After some time of just being together, people-watching, someone came up to them. Taichi straightened up while Yamato raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, glad you two can make it!”

“Thanks for the invite, Shinichi,” Taichi said, smiling.

“Yeah, the party’s great,” Yamato said, although he actually did not find the party that great.

“I’m glad you think so, Yamato. I really wanted your approval.” Shinichi grinned. “I heard you were pretty popular back then, I know you are right now. I wanted the approval of someone who knows how to party.”

“I don’t know how to party,” he replied. “I was in a band, but that didn’t mean we were always partying.”

“I see.” Shinichi pursed his lips. “I’m sorry for assuming. But anyway, enjoy the party.” And he waved goodbye as he disappeared into the crowd.

“I think he likes you,” Taichi joked.

Yamato sighed. “I don’t regret the band.”

“I know you don’t, we all do.” Taichi placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “But come on, enough of this. Time to have fun before the old lady tells us to go home.” He snickered.

Yamato scoffed. “I’m going to tell her you said that, I’m sure she won’t like it. At all.”

They both laughed.

The two did enjoy the party. They made new acquaintances and even stuck with a group. They invited Sora in and the three were glad they had new people by their side.

At some point, as the group was talking, Sora paused mid-sentence and everyone waited for her to continue.

“So—?”

“Mimi!”

Both Taichi and Yamato immediately looked to where Sora saw Mimi, followed by the rest of the group.

“What’s she doing here?” Sora wondered, her voice filled with worry.

“Why?” One of the members asked. “What’s wrong?”

Sora shook her head and headed straight for the young girl. Taichi and Yamato followed suit.

“Mimi,” Sora called her.

Mimi looked back and grinned. “Sora!” She stepped forward and gave her a hug, which Sora returned. When they let go, Mimi hugged both Taichi and Yamato as well. “I’m sure Palmon has found the others already.”

“Mimi,” Sora said softly. “What are you doing here?”

“I was invited,” she smiled. “They said there was going to be a party here and I thought it might be fun, you know. And Palmon’s with me.”

“Mimi,” Taichi started. “Who invited you?”

“Shinichi Ozawa did,” she replied. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“Well, no…” Sora said, tilting her head a little. “But, this is a college party. Does Shinichi know that you’re not a college student yet?”

Mimi began to think. “I went to your campus one time, and that’s when he invited me.”

“What were you doing on our campus?” Yamato asked.

“I wanted to surprise you all,” she answered, grinning at him. “But then I asked if you three were coming to the party. He said he wasn’t sure but I wanted to take my chances and surprise you here instead! Isn’t this fun?” Though she sounded unsure when she said the last part.

Yamato sighed. “I don’t think asking you to leave is an option, especially since you’ll be alone—even with Palmon.”

“So what do we do?” Taichi asked.

Sora licked her upper lip. “Babysit.”

Mimi’s eyes widened. “No!”

“Mimi, we don’t know these people. We don’t know these people. Please, stick with at least one of us. We’ll make it up to you, we promise. Just please, Mimi?” Sora pouted.

Mimi looked at all three of them but focused on Sora last. After a few seconds, Mimi sighed. “Okay. I don’t want to admit it but I am a little nervous about this.” She frowned. “Especially since I wasn’t even sure if you guys would be here.”

The three older Chosen Children sighed in relief.

Just then, the group that group the three were talking to appeared and asked what was happening.

“This is Mimi,” Sora introduced. “She’s one of our closest friends.”

“Really?” One of the guys asked. “I’ve never seen you around campus. What course are you in?”

“She’s from another university,” Yamato said quickly.

“May I visit you there?” the same guy asked, his voice a little flirty.

Yamato was suddenly feeling very protective of the younger girl. He did not like the thought of an older stranger visiting her. “Not at the moment,” he said.

“Why don’t you let her answer for herself?” the guy snapped.

Mimi smiled. “Yamato’s just always been protective of us. I don’t mind him answering for me…sometimes.” She giggled.

Yamato knew she was lying so he wondered why she was playing along.

The party was in even fuller swing about forty-five minutes later. Although the three knew Mimi was not too happy with the situation, they also saw that she was having a good time.

At the stroke of twelve, Sora ordered everyone out of the house after thanking Shinichi for the invite. As they headed for the car, the four digimons arrived by their side.

“Yamato, would you take the car and bring Mimi home?” Sora asked.

“Sure,” Yamato answered. “But what about you guys?”

Taichi intertwined his and Sora’s fingers and smiled.

“Got it.”

Mimi squealed. “You two have fun!”

“Agumon, Piyomon?” Palmon looked at them.

“We’ll protect them,” Piyomon said. “But we won’t ruin their moment.”

When everything was set, Yamato, Mimi, Gabumon, and Palmon entered the car. They were quiet for a while until Palmon asked Gabumon how Takeru and Hikari were.

“They’re still very shy,” Gabumon replied. “But that’s expected, right, Yamato?”

“Either very shy or very guarded,” he said with a laugh. “Taichi is still all over them.”

“And you’re not?” Mimi asked, smiling.

Yamato smirked. “Takeru can handle himself. Even if this is his first relationship.”

“Everyone knows Takeru and Hikari would be endgame,” Mimi said with a giggle.

“And Taichi and Sora, too,” Gabumon added.

“Yamato, didn’t Sora have a crush on you before? Mimi said that she gave you something special for Christmas one time. What happened?”

“Palmon!” Mimi chided.

Yamato sighed. “I’ve only told Taichi what happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Palmon said, bowing her head. “I was just very curious now that the topic came up.”

“I knew that Taichi had feelings for her, and I couldn’t do that to him, especially since I only ever felt feelings of friendship for Sora.”

“And Sora gradually had feelings for Taichi, too. And he didn’t even have to try too hard despite having strong feelings, correct?” Mimi grinned as Yamato nodded. “It just means they’re meant to be!”

The four talked more about their friend’s love lives. Mimi’s home was a little on the farther side so they had a lot of time to gossip.

Finally, Mimi had a mischievous look on her face. “What about you, Yamato?”

Yamato smirked. “What about you, Mimi?”

“Don’t turn this in my direction. I asked first.”

“If there’s nothing to say then it only makes sense the question goes back to you.”

“Oh please, someone like you is bound to have someone in mind.”

“There’s no one, Mimi. And again, what about you? If I remember correctly, you’ve always been a hopeless romantic.”

“I still am,” she admitted. “But my goal is different now. I want to play Cupid.”

“Don’t force it though.”

“I know the limits. Now c’mon, Yamato. Answer me.”

“There’s no one, Mimi.”

“Do I have to play Cupid?”

“If it’s with you then I don’t mind.” A smirk on his face.

“I’m serious!”

“Oh look, we’re here.”

Mimi looked up and sighed when she saw the building she lived in. “Okay, fine. But you owe me an answer, Ishida.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes, but a smirk appeared on his face. “It’s time to go, Tachikawa. It’s getting late. Too late.”

“Will you bring the car back to Sora’s?”

“Yes. And then Gabumon and I will walk home.”

Mimi smiled. “Okay. Thanks for the ride.” She turned to the back seat as Palmon went down. “Goodnight, Gabumon.”

Yamato raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll say goodnight to you if you give me an answer.”

“The gas is running,” Yamato said, looking at the meter. “Goodnight, Mimi. Goodnight, Palmon.”

“Goodnight, Yamato,” Palmon said with a wave.

Mimi chuckled. “Okay. Goodnight, Yamato. Goodnight again, Gabumon.”

“Goodnight, Mimi. Goodnight, Palmon,” Gabumon said.

Yamato looked at her and smiled. “G’night.”

Mimi smiled once again and closed the door.

Once Yamato saw that the two had gone inside the building safely, he drove away.

“Yamato,” Gabumon said.

“Yeah?”

“You were flirting with Mimi, weren’t you?”

Yamato choked. “Flirting? Me? I wouldn’t say so.”

“You were.”

“I was not.”

“You even said—.”

“Gabumon,” Yamato said in a warning tone. This only made his digimon laugh. “Gabumon!”

“You won’t admit it, but you were!”

Yamato sighed. “You’re not letting this go, are you?” Gabumon shook his head. “Just don’t mention it to anyone. And no, I was not flirting.”

[genork-the-fandork]

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Word Count: 525 Prompt: & Sora A/N: I honestly think I'm a little bad at writing interactions between Taichi and Sora. Maybe it has something to do with my personal attachment to him, or maybe it has to do with the fact that I (admittedly) don't think of them often. I'm always worrying about his interactions with Yamato, Hikari, Koushiro... but not Sora. I hope to rectify that here, even if it rehashes some of the same pain I touched on in the Yamato drabble. Here's to you, Sora! @taichiyagamiweek

There had been a time when being in the same room as Sora had been as easy as breathing. Another part of himself, someone he could rely on, always. Of course, he could still rely on her, and he always would be able to, but something had changed over the years. He was well aware that part of it was his fault, the way he let his feelings dictate his every move, but he also knew that Sora would tell him they were both at fault. Even on the days when he wasn't sure if he knew her, he understood her all too well.

"You, too, huh?" he murmured, noting the distinct lack of a certain pink-feathered bird. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Sora bowed her head, some strands of her hair falling over her face. "It hurt too much."

"Yeah. I get that." He tapped his fingers awkwardly on the table, trying to find something to say. It had been a while since they'd last seen each other, long before either of them had faced a greater loss than they were willing to go through. Taichi thought perhaps it would bring them closer together, as it had for him and Yamato, but maybe it was bound to drive them further apart.

"Taichi," Sora said quietly. When he looked up, she was giving him that look of sheer compassion she'd always been a pro at directing his way "I'm so sorry."

He blinked, and suddenly they were both in tears. Across the table, their hands sought each other, curling into each other as they had back when they'd played soccer together. Instead of congratulating each other on a job well done, however, they were sharing in a pain neither of them had imagined they would feel. For so long, the Digimon had simply been a part of them. Why did they have to be taken away so soon?

Bent over themselves, they cried out all the pain they'd been bottling inside for the sake of the others. Taichi had thought that perhaps their bond could never truly return to what it had been, once upon a time. He wasn't so sure of that anymore. Funny how the Digital World was still bringing them together, even as it tore their hearts out.

It took a while, but Taichi eventually straightened and squeezed her hand. "We should go get some water. I feel a headache coming on."

She smiled as she got up and followed him out of the room. "And here I thought I was the group mom."

He laughed guiltily. "You look after us, but you gotta let us look after you, too, sometimes." Meeting her brown eyes with his own, he added, "Besides, the three of us only have each other now."

Sora just stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "That's not true. We still have five other friends."

"There she is," he said to himself as she entered the kitchen ahead of him. It would always hurt—that was the thing with losing your literal other half. But maybe, just maybe, some of the old Sora would still be around.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Taichi's stance on the other Chosen Children - and why it's not always immediately visible

... Spoiler alert: It's because canon depictions don't let him dwell on it a lot, but as I've already deduced once before: He struggles once he gets isolated from the others (either self-imposed or involuntarily and, unfortunately, that happens a lot).

I do have my very own view on how he feels about every other Chosen Child (mainly the Adventure squad, but I'll try to do my best to analyze the 02 kids too), so I'll try to keep each paragraph brief. The main sentiment is that ALL characters have a certain impact on Taichi - some more than others, of course, but it shall not be overlooked how important each of them is (becoming) to him.

Yamato:

As it was pointed out various times before, Taichi and Yamato have a theme of "opposition" going on. They're often portrayed to have different viewpoints and values, literal fire vs. ice, which causes them to clash with each other a lot. But despite their tendency to fight, Taichi has this unwavering trust in Yamato that had been growing throughout their Adventures in the Digital World. He may be better at understanding and observing Yamato than Yamato is actually aware of (especially in terms of their similarities as protective older brothers). And since he trusts and believes in Yamato so much and wants to be on the same page - they (will) have saved the world together several times after all -, it usually doesn't do him good when they're at odds. Which is, mostly, initiated by Yamato and very particularly after their argument in the Dark Masters' Arc. Despite his stubbornness and hotheadedness, Taichi contemplates and overthinks a lot when they're fighting - and is basically suffering like a wounded puppy whenever it happens. I'd say he enjoys the playful (!) bickering in 02 onwards, but gets stressed out and defensive when it comes to the unresolved fighting. He obviously cares for Yamato and will definitely turn to him as his equal battle (and moping) partner. [How I see their ship compatibility]

Sora:

I think it's not exactly exaggerated when I say that Taichi isn't the most... Socially adept person when it comes to dealing with women. He has a tendency to either idealize and overprotect - or, as it is in Sora's case, doesn't find the right words to approach them. He 100% values Sora as one of his oldest friends and absolutely cherishes her caring nature - he's seen it ever since they've been partners on the football pitch and observes it closely among their companions in the Digital World. So when Sora lashes out at him for "not understanding her", it catches him off guard every time. The question is if he really misjudges her - whether it's when he calls her loving, caring or gifts her a hairclip - or if he actually subconsciously understands her better than she does herself. (She IS struggling with an identity crisis after all, and him not fully getting that kinda makes sense, since she's never filling him in.) He knows he can rely on her to take care of the others, his sister in particular, and generally trusts in her as an equal. He seems to develop a habit of not wanting to get into her business (mostly in 02 onwards), and may keep a respectful distance in Tri onwards, but will still jump in to either protect or push her if he needs to. [How I see their ship compatibility]

Koushirou:

I like to refer to Koushirou as Taichi's complementary right-hand-man - and even though Yamato and Sora may deserve the same title at varying parts of the series, all three of them fulfill different roles for him. If you want to get particularly cheesy, you could say that, in a battle-related context, Yamato is the (other) fist, Sora the heart (while Hikari is the soul) - and Koushirou is the brain. From episode 1 onwards we can tell that these two have known each other before and seem to be close in similar ways as Taichi and Sora are - and even if Taichi starts off misunderstanding Koushirou's love for technology at first, he quickly learns when and how to rely on his expertise. Similarly to how he relies on Yamato in later parts of the series as his fighting partner, he thoroughly and vocally relies on Koushirou to help him find the right path, strategy, approach - and even if they do clash a little here and there, they will always find ways to reconcile. There's also, once again, the theme of him turning into a wounded puppy when they're not on good terms - but that, once again, applies to Sora and Yamato too. One aspect of Adventure to be mentioned on the side is that Taichi may even have put Koushirou on a pedestal for a while, since he forbade him from fighting - just as he did with Hikari, whom he also idealize(s/d) and tried to protect. (I may also argue that he has a bit of an inferiority complex towards Koushirou + all the smart people around him during Kizuna, but that's him generally feeling lost in comparison to everyone else.) Either way, he will turn to Koushirou whenever there's an emergency with 100% trust (and amazement). They get more comfortable bickering, playing on-call-dads for the 02 kids and sharing knowing glances as they get older. [How I see their ship compatibility]

Mimi:

While he doesn't exactly overprotect Mimi, he still has a habit of teasing/grinning about her "royal" attitude. There isn't as deep of a bond between them as there is between Taichi and the three previous characters. However, you get a feeling that, for Taichi, Mimi "is just Mimi", with all her antics and quirks (and only gets annoyed at that when she is overdoing it like in the Princess episode, but aside from that, he doesn't mind it and doesn't treat her like a "girly girl"). There is just a general sense of acceptance and treasuring. [How I see their ship compatibility]

Jyou:

Once he has gotten over his first impression of Jyou being "a stingy, wimpy know-it-all", you can tell that there is not only growing respect, but a general sense of comfort between them. I'd say that this may have increased even more after Jyou reassured Taichi as their leader - and the older they get, the more Taichi seems to be able to understand and relate to Jyou's previous (and ongoing) struggles and doubts. I like that there is an underlying theme of mutual admiration at various points in their lives. [How I see their ship compatibility]

Takeru:

While they clearly do have a sibling dynamic going on, it's interesting to see that Taichi doesn't coddle Takeru - quite the contrary. From day 1 on, Taichi treats Takeru like an equally important part of the group, gives him tasks and encourages him to believe in his abilities. By the end of the series, he even entrusts him with the life of his sister. It can be assumed that he's able to tell that the relationship between Takeru and Yamato is a little rocky and tries to reassure Takeru in that Yamato would never abandon him (once again reaffirming his own trust in Yamato as well). Either way, one can tell that he absolutely cares about Takeru. [How I see their ship compatibility]

Hikari:

In general, it can be said that the relationship between these two siblings is quite close - not only did Taichi take care of Hikari ever since they were little; due to their rather traumatic experiences, Taichi may also idealize/put Hikari on a pedestal and definitely had to grow out of his overprotective tendencies and self-guilt-tripping as he grew older. He adores and loves Hikari to the core and doesn't exactly coddle her, knowing that she is indeed capable - but he's also terrified of the idea of being the reason for her getting hurt again. I'd say, as of 02 onwards, he doesn't feel as thoroughly responsible for her as he used to, but it would be foolish to assume that the trauma of almost having caused her death as a kid didn't leave a lasting impact on his fear of causing collateral damage. There are instances of natural sibling bickering between them. And I'm sure, if Taichi could, he'd like her to stay as idealistic and empathetic as she is - as depicted above. They both know the necessity to fight, but it does feel like he doesn't want her to shoulder the same burden he does. [How I see their dynamic in general]

Daisuke:

After Hikari (whom he idealizes) and Takeru (whom he mostly treats like an equal), Daisuke is like a third adopted sibling - and while it's not exactly clear how he feels about it, I would assume that Taichi kinda enjoys having someone who looks up to him. He may tend to underestimate him at times or call him off as too rash, inexperienced or short-sighted. However, we can also assume that he sees parts of his younger self in Daisuke - and can now laugh about that. Also, I'd say he is actually impressed by the way Daisuke is different from himself, especially his more idealistic attitude. Taichi Yagami, as pointed out so many times before, is someone who believes in his friends - thus he also believes in Daisuke to make it one way or another. And I'd even argue that he kinda admires Daisuke for believing even more thoroughly than himself. [How I see their dynamic in general]

Miyako, Iori & Ken:

Pinpointing Taichi's exact stance on these three is incredibly difficult, because he tends to refer to the 02 group as a whole mostly as "Daisuke and the others" - meaning that he acts like a protective part-time-dad for them most of the time and tries to teach and warn them about the dangers and horrors that he/they have gone through before. It can also be assumed that his wrath towards Ken has completely vanished post-redemption, as he is not a particularly resentful person when it comes to people who show remorse.

[froggie-bolt]

Day 3: Habits and change

Super late for todays entry, but it’s been a day tbh.

I went through some drafts of mine and just picked something I thought might fit the prompt! I’m so sorry if it sounds rough :,)

So this is based off that one drama CD where Koushiro wrote a love letter and everyone was trying to figure out who it was for. I know at the end he did name someone, but it was bleeped. So for the purpose of this oneshot, pretend he never named anyone. I do nooot like this, maybe I’ll go back and do a re-entry for this day after the week is over…

“So, your love letter.” Taichi began.

Koushiro shrank in on himself. Again with this? Why was it so important?

“Taichi-san can’t we just drop—“

“I won’t tell anyone! We’re alone now right..? You can trust me, I just want to know!” He begged.

Koushiro kept his back to the boy but stopped typing as he considered.

Why did he want to know so bad!? Normally if Koushiro wanted Taichi to stop poking his nose in his business, all he had to do was say so.

But that wasn’t working this time.

“Cmon, if..if it’s Hikari I won’t actually mind. I was just saying that, y’know? Or Mimi or Sora too! But Sora’s into Yamato, so I don’t think that would work–“

“That hypothesis of yours is very heteronormative, Taichi-San.”

Taichi looked up at the boy curiously. He’d never heard that word before.

“Heteronorma-what?”

Koushiro spun around in his chair.

“Heteronormative. Denoting or relating to a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation.” he spoke slowly.

Taichi tilted his head and frowned. He still didn’t understand.

“But how is what I’m saying ‘heteronormative’?”

“You’re limiting your guesses to the girls.”

“Well of course I—“

Then the brunette paused as Koushiro turned his attention back to his computer.

The gears slowly began to turn in his head as he considered what his friend just said.

The room stayed quiet for what felt like a long while.

Was Koushiro saying he liked boys? Was that why he didn’t want to tell them?

“Koushiro, I didn’t know you were into guys.”

He heard the boy sigh.

“I’m into both. But the love letter you’re so insistent about is in fact, addressed to another boy.”

Taichi smiled widley. This was progress! Before, Koushiro refused to give them any hint as to who it was, but now they were getting somewhere.

[kankuroplease]

OCs and Who they’d give Valentine’s Day gifts to (not all of it is shippy. Friends can get valentines too~)

Chiha (TSAU)

Sakura - buys her Strawberries dipped in Chocolate

Sasuke - force of habit as it felt weird giving Sakura a gift and not her bf. Usually a random pack of trading cards she picked up while getting Sakura’s strawberries.

Naruto - the other pack of trading cards

MinaKushina - a foot long sandwich and sodas from her workplace

Michi - Uchiha bestie! She knows she can’t afford anything Michi would buy for herself but she also knows Michi is a sucker for homemade things. So, homemade chocolate

Michi (TSAU)

HashiMadaMito - pays for their Valentine’s brunch

Tsunade - buys her a spa day

Obito - buys him a watch

Shisui - buys him cuff links

Elder sister - buys her chocolates and flowers

Middle sister - buys her preferred brand of sunglasses

Neji - buys him a tie and opera tickets

Tenten - custom dress she ordered for her (it has pockets!)

Lee - box of roses and chocolates

Chiha - Gift Card and a pair of sneakers

Ryu (TSAU)

Rin - finger painting of the family and bead bracelet that matches Daddy’s (Kakashi)

Kakashi - bead bracelet and a card heart

Obito - finger painting of him winning a fight + a card heart

Aori (Main Timeline)

Shizune, Kurenai, Gai, Yamato, and Iruka - A Bouquet

All the pals are getting flowers

Katsura- her favorite meal

Katsura (Main Timeline)

Shino - chakra infused jelly for his kidaichū and wife cakes

Okami - stickers and castella

Yuuta - warabi mochi or a rock. Depends

Okami (Main Timeline)

Kiba - doggy treats

Katsura - crushed and dried lily of the valley shrub leaves

Yuuta - Kunai

Naruto - candy

Yuuta (Main Timeline)

Everyone - brochures for his families restaurant

It’s him being lazy and efficient

If with Hanabi - flower room + home cooked 5 course meal

If with Tenten - breakfast in bed + Scavenger hunt for the weapon he made her

Gou (Main Timeline)

Kankuro - wood + attempted homemade chocolate

Temari - nail stains 💅

Gaara - a cactus + homemade fulgurite

Haiiro (Main Timeline)

Shizune - chocolates + nail polish (iykyk)

Founders Au bonus

~~For those that have ships~~

Katsura for Madara - inarizushi + sparring date

Aori for Tobirama - fishing date + dinner with their catches

Okami for Kawarama - gives him the new robe she’s been working on

Miu for Kagami - dresses up and acts like a lady for a change

Sora for Rei - sensual massage + a free use pass for the day

Rei for Sora - flowers, dinner, and a new robe

Kōmori for Sakumo - a new haori she thinks feels good

Suzaku for Erika - a LOT of streamed barbecue pork buns, makeup, hair pin, and robes

Suzaku for Aja - Gulab Jamun (he had to write her mother to find out how to make these), jewelry, and silk fabrics

Tora for Orochimaru - salamander skull

Manda for Nisshoku - wild flowers, chocolate, and any snake jewelry he’s come across

Nisshoku for Manda - nail polish, matching tattoos, and a copy of Icha icha because she heard it’s a good story

Megumi for Suigetsu - switchblade

[astrocloud3]

Digimon Adventure: Alternate Destiny

I’m finally gonna do it! I’m gonna write my version of Digimon Adventure. It’s going to involve the aspects / world building that were stated in my headcanons posts, but a lot more! This is only the first chapter, which is the first part of episode one. I might be pretty slow doing updates, but I have the first 4 or so chapters done already. (Once University starts back up I’ll probably go into snail mode)

Chapter 1: Marching into a New World (Involuntarily)

  “When on earth is this snow going to let up? It’s been like an hour…” Mimi sighed, wistfully staring out the window of the old shrine. The air was musty and there were far too many of them huddled in this tiny old building, waiting for the snow to pass. She twiddled her thumbs, leaning against the window sill. “I didn’t think to bring a jacket…”

“This was supposed to be summer camp, and yet here we are, in a blizzard.” Taichi grumbled, joining Mimi by the window, “Hopefully it’ll be over soon enough.”

“I sure hope so, I’ve got some explaining to do to the counselors as to why we thought it would be a good idea to go missing in action during a snowstorm! Granted, who would’ve thought it would start snowing, of all things.” Jyou spoke up from his place by the shrine’s Kami, an old stone figure in the back of the small room. 

No one else spoke, quietly biding their time as the snow only got worse. Taichi grumbled something under his breath, avoiding Jyou’s eyes. After all, it had been his idea to go on a non-supervised nature walk, exploring the mountainside near the small camp. Their teachers had planned some boring board games- and who goes to a summer camp to play board games indoors when exploring was so much better? Naturally Sora accompanied him, and Mimi tagged along- she and Sora were in the same cabin, weren’t they? The little blonde boy- Takeru, if he remembered correctly, had gotten excited upon hearing the plan, and the older blonde refused to let him out of his sight. Taichi didn’t know Yamato all too well, as he had transferred into the other class mid-way through the year, but it was obvious the two were related. Takeru didn’t even go to their school. Koushirou followed along due to Mimi dragging him by the hand. Taichi could’ve sworn he saw a faint hint of blush on Koushirou’s cheeks- after all, Mimi was a girl! And a really pretty one at that. Jyou had tried to convince them not to go, or at least to tell a counselor where they were heading, but had ended up following them, and soon enough they were at the mountainside. He did remember to bring the emergency bag, so at least they had a couple of granola bars to snack on while they waited out the storm.

Taichi looked around the small shrine, eying its inhabitants. Of the kids here, he knew Sora and Koushirou the best- the three of them were in their school��s co-ed soccer club, and they sometimes ate lunch together. Upon finding out that Koushirou was in his cabin, Taichi was hoping to play a bit of soccer with him, but unfortunately that hadn’t happened yet as Koushirou seemed to be glued to his laptop- just like he was now. Sora was sitting by Jyou, nodding off after munching on one of the stale granola bars. Yamato and Takeru sat along the other wall, both seemingly immersed in their own world, ignoring everybody else. Taichi couldn’t help but stare- there were very few people he knew that had blonde hair, let alone naturally. Their eyes were strange too- Takeru’s eyes were a soft, light blue that seemed a little too bright, but Yamato’s eyes downright scared him. They were deep and sapphire colored, but in a very eerie way. Maybe it was just the way he stared at people. Taichi recalled some classmates whispering about him possibly being a ghost, or some kind of spirit. Of course Taichi didn’t believe it, but still… it’d be cool to meet a ghost. Not that Yamato was a ghost, of course. Maybe he was European, but being a ghost would be much cooler. Mimi started talking again, Sora having gotten up to join them by the window. They talked for a couple minutes, and Taichi tried to ignore the quiet rambling, but then Mimi got a little louder, and two words stood out. “…Aurora Borealis?” He repeated, dumbfounded.

“…Yeah, look! It’s so pretty!…” Mimi quickly slipped her boots back on, and made her way out the door. The snow seemed to lessen a little, so surely being outside for a couple of minutes would be totally fine. Sora followed suit, and Takeru ran out after her, laughing about having a snowball fight. Yamato followed. Taichi perked up at the mention of a snowball fight, and soon he was corralling everybody else out of the shrine, dragging Koushirou by the arm. 

“Hey!! Let me at least put my laptop up, geez!-… Holy moly…” Koushirou said, making his way out the door. He silently followed the others, head tilted up to the sky as he took in the bright lights. 

Taichi was the last to leave the shrine, and quickly came to a stop by the other kids. Other than a snowball fight, if there really was an aurora borealis, it’d be cool to look at. “Wow, you guys are acting strange- HOLY CRAP, that’s weird!” Taichi followed the gazes of the other kids, instantly noticing the bright green streaks across the sky. He slipped his goggles over his eyes in order to block the thick flurry of snowflakes, watching the beautiful haze of color as it danced through the sky.

“That shouldn’t be there…” Yamato murmured. 

“What, do you know the lights or something?” Taichi responded curiously. Yamato turned to look at him, deadpan expression on his face. 

“It’s an aurora borealis. If you haven’t noticed, we’re a little too far south for that to be a normal occurrence.”

“Okay, geez, just asking…” Taichi mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Everyone stayed quiet for a moment, taking in the strange beauty above them. It seemed to twitch, almost. It didn’t look natural…

“Hey, HEY GUYS!! Look at that!” Koushirou shouted, pointing upwards.

Taichi immediately looked to where Koushirou was pointing, noticing the one, two… seven bright lights in the sky. He heard a slight hissing sound, and they seemed to be getting bigger- wait. “DUCK!!” Taichi screamed, immediately hitting the ground, hands over his head. He heard the surprised gasps and yells of the others as they hit the ground, immediately followed by a high-pitched whooshing sound, then loud BOOMs and CRACKs as the lights hit the ground, cratering all around them. Dust and dirt flung into the air as light after the light struck the ground all around them. Mimi and Jyou were screaming, Koushirou curled protectively over his laptop case. But as soon as it had started, it was over. 

Taichi looked up, sliding his goggles back up onto his forehead, and looked over the others, all huddled on the ground. Takeru peeked out from underneath Yamato, crying, the others slowly starting to sit up. Sora was the first to stand, cautiously making her way towards the crater right in front of her, peering into the bright light inside. The light- whatever it was- started floating. Then the one by Mimi started to float. Taichi looked at the crater next to him, watching with bewilderment as the light-thing rose into the air. He raised out a hand, slowly reaching out to touch it- he felt drawn to it, somehow. 

“No, don’t touch that!” Jyou barked, but it didn’t register. The light was calling to him, it seemed, telling him to touch it, to reach out and hold it. So he did. He stood up and grasped it in his hand, expecting it to be very hot, after all it had just come crashing down from the sky, but as the light settled in his hands, it dimmed- leaving a small, square-ish device behind. It hummed softly, thrumming with a strange, alien pulse. It tugged slightly against his fingers, as if saying ‘up.’ The others quickly followed suit, taking the floating light into their own hands, each rewarded with a device, strangely warm, strangely thrumming. 

“What on earth…” Taichi mumbled, watching the little device with fascination. He could faintly hear the other kids talking, but then he heard it- a strange, rumbling sound that seemed to echo into his very being. He looked up quickly, immediately met with what looked to be a giant wave, opening up into a great black void. He didn’t have time to scream as the wave came crashing down over them.

[sloanerisette]

Digimon Secret Santa 2023 Gift!

So I was @bacomon-art-blog's Secret Santa! I know how much you love Iori and Jou, so I wanted to write something with them for you! I hope you have a merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy! I had a lot of fun writing this and a ton of fun coming up with this fic!

---

For some reason, Iori felt a bit out of his depth for this celebration. According to Takeru and Hikari, August 1st was a big day for the original eight Chosen Children, being the day that they went to the Digital World and came back. As a result, the eight Chosen Children were joined by him, Miyako, and Daisuke to celebrate. They were Chosen Children now, so they had been welcomed wholeheartedly in the group. But while Miyako was quick to find friendship with Sora and Mimi thanks to her exuberant nature, and Daisuke had already been close with Taichi and had recently become closer with Yamato after a he received the Digimental of Friendship, Iori felt… well, a bit out of place.

It wasn’t that he felt unwelcome by any means, but it was a bit different. Everyone was so much older than him, and compared to the other new Chosen Children, he felt he hadn’t gotten nearly that close to any of his seniors. His own Digimentals were Knowledge and Reliability, and while he greatly respected both Koushiro and Jou, his relationship with them wasn’t nearly as close as Miyako was with Mimi or Daisuke was with Taichi.

Still, he was grateful to come along. The heat wasn’t too bad, they had a picnic together, and he had been enthralled by all the stories of that first trip the others took into the Digital World. He couldn’t imagine the idea of being stuck there for so long… it merely made his respect for them all grow so much more. Every so often that day he looked down at Upamon, each time with a fond, if small smile. He and his Digimon partner had already become incredibly close friends, and Upamon had done plenty to get him to lighten up just a bit more than usual. All he could hope was that their bond would continue to grow and grow.

By the mid-afternoon, the humidity had grown quite a bit, and Iori found himself needing to fan himself a bit more.

“Water?”

He snapped from yet another bout of thoughts about what being a Chosen Child meant and he looked up to see Jou offering him a bottle of water. He blinked.

“Ah, thank you, Jou-san,” he said with a bow of his head before taking it.

“I’m surprised the summer hasn’t been rougher,” Jou said as he cracked open his own bottle and took a long drink. Iori opened his bottle and offered some to Upamon before taking a sip himself.

The group of Chosen Children had split up a bit, with all of them splitting up into their own small groups. Miyako had dragged Hikari over to Mimi and Sora, while Daisuke was listening to Taichi and Koushiro, and Yamato and Takeru were standing next to each other, laughing about something one of them said.

“Don’t worry, I made sure to pass water out to everyone else. You just seemed to be in such thought I didn’t want to interrupt you, but considering everyone else got their own by now, I hope you don’t mind,” Jou said lightly. Iori shook his head.

“No, I appreciate it, thank you.”

Things stayed quiet between the two as they sat down on a bench, watching their friends socialize. It was nice to spend some quiet time, but with the oldest of their group there, Iori couldn’t help himself.

“Jou-san, do you mind if I ask a question?” he asked, voice serious as ever. Jou’s eyebrows raised and he let out a gentle chuckle.

“Of course, fire away.”

Compared to the few times he had seen Jou in the Digital World, he seemed a lot more easygoing now. Well, not necessarily easygoing, considering this was the guy who had made sure everyone was staying hydrated on a warm summer day, but he definitely wasn’t as stressed as he was making sure their friends didn’t die or in helping temporarily stop the Digimon Kaiser.

And, really, there were some questions that Iori floated in his mind. Even if Taichi had been the leader in Jou’s group and Daiuske was the leader in theirs, he still wanted to do his best to help out. Frankly, out of all the people to ask, from what he knew and the stories he was told, Jou was the only person to really ask.

“How did you do it?” he asked. Jou blinked and tilted his head.

“Do what?” he asked as Iori gave Upamon another drink of water.

“Keep them all under control,” Iori said simply, before taking another gulp for himself. Jou scratched his cheek and grimaced.

“Ah, well… that was more Taichi’s job than mind…” he trailed off.

“I understand that, but you were the oldest one. Your crest is Reliability, and I share that too through my Digimental. Mimi talking about how you stayed with her to make sure she stayed safe when you went back to the Digital World a second time, the story about making sure Taichi didn’t get in over his head while trying to rescue Sora, making sure Takeru didn’t get hurt… even if you didn’t lead the group, you still did everything you could to keep everyone safe.”

Jou placed his hand to his chin and hummed quietly, in deep thought. Iori focused his attention on him, waiting for what he had to say. He wanted to do his best to keep everyone safe with how dangerous the Digimon Kaiser was dangerous. Ever since they had to fight Metalgreymon, it felt like the stakes were being raised more and more. It wouldn’t be easy, and they needed to do all they could. Iori had to keep an eye out and make sure they all stayed safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to any of his friends.

“Well, to be honest with you, Iori… I think a lot of it happened by accident,” he said with an awkward laugh. Iori’s jaw dropped.

“Huh?”

At his bewildered expression, Jou waved his hands and shook his head.

“No no no, don’t get me wrong! I worked as hard as I could to keep everyone safe, even if Taichi took the lead of the group,” he said. He paused again and pursed his lips, trying to best figure out how to better word what he meant to say.

“A lot of our group is pretty impulsive. Sora-kun and Koushiro are probably the only others who could keep as much of a level head, and there were plenty of times where I still needed to do what I could to help them out, too. Working with a lot of people isn’t always easy, especially when a lot of them are so headstrong.”

Iori glanced over at Daisuke and then to Miyako. He could definitely understand that pretty well.

“In a way, you sort of have to be an anchor for your group.”

The anchor for the group…

Iori had a hard time thinking of himself that way. While he had been raised with a good head on his shoulders thanks to his family, being the “anchor” felt like something else entirely.

Jou set a gentle hand on Iori’s shoulder, his own gaze having followed towards Iori’s friends.

“Daisuke and Miyako-kun are both pretty energetic, aren’t they,” he mused with a soft chuckle, “They really are like Taichi and Mimi-kun.”

“Jou-san, you really think I could be the anchor to our group?” he asked. He always appreciated the advice, help, and knowledge he received from Koushiro-san, and the few times Jou-san had offered it had been a boon, too. He still thought about what he had said when he needed to call on him in order to help save the group.

“I wouldn’t say think, I would say I’m sure you could be,” Jou said, offering Iori a smile. To Jou, it was almost funny how different the two were. Here Iori had taken helping out the Digital World in stride, doing everything he could in order to help fight against the Digimon Kaiser, while Jou had been so anxious and hesitant during his first trip there. Granted, they were in completely different situations, but he was always impressed by the boy’s convictions and strength.

“Takeru and Hikari-kun may have the experience from being in the Digital World with the rest of us, but you have an incredibly level head. You know when to take action and you focus on the right thing to do.”

Hearing Jou-san say that… really did mean a lot. It wasn’t always easy being the youngest, but…

“Thank you, Jou-san. Going against the Digimon Kaiser hasn’t been easy. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a battle we can entirely win,” Iori frowned. He wrung his hands together as he watched the others. He didn’t want to see them get hurt. He still thought about how his friends had nearly died, had a few nightmares about it. If it wasn’t for him being able to get Jou-san, then…

“I know we can’t help you all out too much, but we’ll always do what we can. You’ll always have our support.”

Upamon looked up at Iori, with that same adorable smile that he always held. It brought warmth to his chest, and enough relief to cause the knot that had slowly been forming in his stomach to unwind.

“Iori,” Upamon squeaked, “If I get what Jou is saying, then I know you do that for me, too!”

“Upamon?”

Jou smiled in silence as he watched the the pair.

“You always help me out! And if it wasn’t for you, there’s plenty of times I would’ve had way more of your mom’s food than I should!” Upamon said as he wiggled in his place.

And there were a lot of times that he had gotten seconds (and thirds) to give to his partner after a long day in the Digital World.

“Sounds a lot like a seal I know,” Jou said, before pausing for a beat, “Well… a lot less sarcastically than said seal, at least,” he said before adjusting his glasses.

“Thanks. Both of you,” Iori nodded as he held Upamon a little closer. “I hope one day I can be as close with Upamon as you are with Gomamon.”

Jou set a reassuring hand on Iori’s shoulder, patting it a few times before he reached for his bottle of water and took another drink.

“I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about on that front. You two are just as much anchors for each other as Gomamon and I are for each other.”

“Hey, Iori!” Miyako shouted out with an exaggerated wave, “Get over here! Daisuke is buying us ice cream!”

“What!? I didn’t say I was gonna do that!” he shouted, his voice booming through the park.

“Sounds like you have to now!” Takeru said, his laughter mingling with Daisuke’s continued cries of refusal.

“B-But I was talking to—” Iori started, but was stopped by another hand on his shoulder again.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m sure I can find someone to talk to,” Jou said, mirth clear in his voice as he nodded towards his group.

“And I want to get ice cream, too!” Upamon said.

“Hey, wait! If I start buying ice cream for all you guys I’m gonna be broke!” Daisuke shouted.

“Oh! I want ice cream, too!” Chibimon squeaked out happily as he danced around his partner’s feet.

“Me, too!” Patamon said as he flew in circles.

The two stood up and started to walk forward. “Thanks for all of your advice today, Jou-san. It’s really helped me out.” Iori stopped in place and offered his senior a half bow.

Jou smiled, “I’m happy to help.”

“Hey! If you don’t hurry up then you and Upamon aren’t getting any ice cream!” Daisuke shouted over to them.

“Iori come on!” Upamon said, nearly flying from the boy’s arms to secure his frozen treat.

“Oh, and Iori? I think you’re already on the right track to being the anchor for your group,” Jou said, shooting the younger boy a thumbs up before heading over to talk to Mimi and Koushiro.

“Fiiiiiiiinally,” Daisuke said, putting his hands behind his head as Iori approached, Upamon practically buzzing in Iori’s arms as his little eyes darted around to try and find ice cream.

“I thought we were gonna have to leave ya behind,” Daisuke grinned. Miyako flicked his ear, leading to him shouting “Ow!” and rubbing his ear with a grumble.

“He wasn’t going to leave, I wouldn’t let him,” she said as she folded her arms. It caused Hikari to laugh, putting a hand in front of her mouth to cover it.

“Iori, Iori, how many ice creams can I get?” Upamon asked as he finally popped out of his partner’s arms, bouncing on the ground with Chibimon.

“Just one!” Daisuke said with a huff, pouting out his lower lip, “I’m not made of money.” Despite his grumbling, he couldn’t help the way the edge of his mouth turned upwards into a half grin before he led the charge towards a small convenience store, the rest of the group following close behind.

Despite the fact that Upamon ended up having an extra half a popsicle after begging Iori for some more, the tiny Digimon still ended up scarfing down a whole plate of food he had taken to his room after dinner. Iori watched with a mix of wonder and terror as the Digimon chowed down face first on a large pile of rice.

“You know, I still can’t help but wonder how many stomachs you have.”

“I dunno but not enough! I’m still hungry!” Upamon said between bites.

Iori smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair. His partner was certainly something else. Not that he would ever complain.

“Hey, Upamon?” Iori asked after a few minutes. Upamon looked over at him, chewing on a piece of fish. Iori reached forward and wiped away a few grains of rice that were on his cheek.

“Yeah?” Upamon asked, finally swallowing the massive mouthful of food he had.

“We make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

“Of course we do! We make the best team ever! Ever ever!” Upamon cheered as he bounced in place. Iori chuckled gently.

“I think so, too. I’m glad and I’m grateful to be your partner.”

Upamon couldn’t stop himself from continuing to munch as he watched Iori with wide eyes and rapt attention.

“I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous about taking on the Digimon Kaiser… it won’t be an easy fight. But I want you to know I’ll always stand by you. As long as you’re able to fight, then so will I.”

Upamon suddenly launched himself into Iori’s arms, the force of which caused his chair to nearly fall backwards. Iori barely managed to get his feet planted on the floor in time while Upamon nuzzled into him. Iori grimaced as some soy sauce started to stain his shirt.

“I’ll be your anchor if you’ll be mine, Iori!”

Iori smiled, closed his eyes, held his partner tight, and gently set his forehead against the top of Upamon’s head.

“I will.”