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whaledenwtf · 1 year ago

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Vegeta x Reader -

Hihi!! The last fanfiction I wrote was the Kratos x Reader. I love Vegeta, so I'm writing a fanfiction. This has also been cross-posted on AO3 here: Link Enjoy this Smut-fest.

Warnings: afab!reader and Male Smut, Breeding Kink, Creampie, Choking, Dom/Sub dynamic, Use of Pet names/Nicknames, Praise and Degradation, Oral (Male and Female Receiving), Fighting, Blood, etc. Porn with Plot, basically

Vegeta is also a little OOC, especially after seggs, so warning for that too!

WORD COUNT: 6197 Words (Jesus Christ)

Hope you enjoy this story ~

It had been probably, the WORST week of your life. You got evicted because your landlord ended your lease - can landlords even do that? what a dick, you thought to yourself. That, plus the massive training block you've been experiencing AND the fact you had just ended the worst date have really made you crave a night of forgetting everything. You're so grateful for alcohol and Bulma. Both were incredible distractions and can help you forget everything.

"Thanks again for letting my stay here until I could get back up on my feet." You tell her after taking a sip of your rum and coke. She waves you off, lifting her feet up onto the couch, tucking them under herself and getting comfortable.

"(Y/N), I'm serious when I say you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. You don't understand how much I need a friend in this house." You giggle.

"What do you mean?" Bulma groans, and takes a massive gulp of her vodka sprite.

"My parents... are my parents-" That, you could understand. They are a handful. "And Vegeta's always been a pain in my ass. Especially since I got back with Yamcha-" You almost spit out your drink.

"WHAT?!?!" You gasp out loud, before whispering, as if you were conspiring. "Since when? What happened to 'working things out' with Vegeta?" You were curious, as she went on and on... and on and on about fixing things with Vegeta for the sake of Trunks.

"I mean, there's definitely love for him as the father of my son. But that love can only get me so far. We understand that we aren't meant to last. Plus Yamcha has gotten better at communicating his feelings and his wants. He's definitely not the same person who cheated on me years ago." Bulma stated matter-of-factly. You furrow your brows.

"So why's Vegeta still live here?" Bulma takes a sip of her drink and ponders her response.

"Well... At the beginning it was because I would miss him too hard, and I couldn't imagine a world without him in it. Now, its partially because of Trunks, and partially because-" She leans in close, and whispers in your ear. "I feel bad for him. He really only has Trunks now..." She bites her lip as she moves back to her spot.

"He'll find someone. He's... very attractive and sets his mind to things and sticks to it. I mean, sure, his pride is his greatest weakness, but he definitely has more pros than cons, especially now." You always found Vegeta attractive, but that was a given. Both Saiyans (and Broly, when you think about it) are very attractive beings. You wonder if its Saiyan genetics that make such handsome men, or if it really is just pure luck.

"Ou~" Bulma purrs. "Want me to set you two up? I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He can already tolerate you and has complimented your strength-" Your eyes widen.

"What has he said?" You lean in, excited. Bulma smirks knowingly.

"Maybe this planet isn't doomed after all." She puts on her best Vegeta impression, which makes you giggle.

You spend the rest of the night chatting and getting drunk with Bulma, by the time you both head to bed, its almost 3 am. You stumble through the halls, bumping into different doors. You open your bedroom door, and walk to your bed. When you collapse, your eyes are closed and notice that your bed is warm... and hard?

"Woman! Is there a reason you're in my bedroom? It's 3 AM, some of us train around here." You snuggle deeper into the mass.

"S-ry 'Geta. M'drunk." You slur out, with zero environmental awareness.

"GO IN YOUR OWN ROOM!" He whisper yells, trying to push you off. You whine, cuddling your face into his neck and inhaling. He instantly freezes up, and you feel heat pool up his neck towards his face. Eyes still closed, you smile softly.

"Mmm... smell good." You lay your face directly on his pulse point, blissfully unaware of the speedy pitter-patter of the Saiyan's heart.

"Woman-" He whisper-yells. "Please get out of my room." His voice is pleading, and your mind seems to begin feeling guilt.

"Can't. Can't walk. 'M too drnk." You whisper into his neck sadly, sniffling as tears spring to your eyes. Your body was vulnerable, especially so under the effects of alcohol, and Vegeta feels concerned. On the one hand, he is uncomfortable with physical touch, but on the other, the way your breath hits his pulse point has brought his Saiyan instincts out, and he does not want to take advantage of one of the only women in his life who finds him tolerable- semi tolerable? he thinks to himself. He sighs.

"Lemme carry you then." You hum.

"Thank you, Princey." You leave a small peck on his neck. Insignificant to you, probably, but meant too much to Vegeta. From his limited understanding of Earthlings and their tolerance to alcohol, it lowered inhibitions, but also could bring out instincts. Do you trust him? That question unloads a can of worms in Vegeta's head, as he lifts you in a bridal carry and walks towards your room, which is a short walk from his door. Despite this, it feels like centuries. He watches your face as you slowly fall asleep to the rocking of his movement as he carries you. What if you DID trust him? Vegeta knows he is not a good man, perfectly shown through his relationship with Bulma, or lack of. He couldn't keep a woman, who, he would never admit, helped him through a lot and even gave him a son. A son he hasn't even taken care of much! Vegeta's brow furrows and he stops walking in the middle of the hallway, which stirs you from your light slumber.

"'Geta?" You ask him confused, still drunk. He looks into your eyes, and can't help but admire their colour.

"Almost there-" He whispers softly. You gaze at his face, before reaching a hand to his forehead. The soft touch to his face makes his eyes widen.

"You should smile more. You're handsome when you do." You whisper, before your hand falls from his forehead, and lingers on his cheek, holding him softly. Vegeta's brow unfurrows, as he watches you. He then walks you to your room, and prepares to leave you at the door.

"Tha-nk y-ouuu 'Geta." He helps you out of his arms so you could land on your legs, though you did so a little unstable. You kiss his cheek quickly, and giggle before opening and closing the door behind you. Vegeta is stunned in place, holding the cheek you kissed as a raging blush flushes his entire body.

"Ugh, my head." You groan as you walk into the kitchen, where Vegeta and Bulma are bickering.

"Yeah I'm in pain too. Wish I could use a Senzu bean-" Bulma jokes, but Vegeta cuts her off.

"What a stupid use of a Senzu bean. You'd be wasting it to get through something ridiculous." He bites at her, and she rolls her eyes.

"Normally, I'd fight you, but I'm in too much pain and care too little about your opinion." You wince, and can tell those words hurt Vegeta a little, no matter how much he hides it.

"Woah Bulma, 'ts a little much. Let's all just have coffee, breakfast, and then we'll all feel better." You speak up as you walk past Vegeta, brushing his shoulder with your hand as a sign of respect, and defense. Vegeta looks at you with an eyebrow raised, and you raise one side of your lip slightly, smirking at him. You loved Bulma, but sometimes she says things she regrets, especially when hungover. She groans.

"Coffee sounds great." You giggle, as you make coffee for you three. You pass everyone a mug, and take a sip and sigh into the warm mug.

"I'll make us breakfast. What do you want, Vegeta?" You ask, looking at him over the rim of the mug. Bulma raises a brow.

"Why are you asking him?" You hum looking at her.

"Cause he's gonna be eating the most portions. I'm already making eggs and bacon, but he'll probably want something else, right 'Geta?" Your eyes switch from Bulma to Vegeta, and you can see the tips of his ears blushing, before he crosses his arms and turns to look away from you.

"Tch. Make me three steaks on the side, woman!" You roll your eyes at Bulma, who chuckles.

"All right, your highness. I'll make them rare and also feed them to you?" He smirks at that.

"Finally, someone who can understand the worth of a Prince-" Bulma rolls her eyes.

"Being the prince of 3 people is like calling me the queen of nothing." Vegeta's head snaps to her, and he growls.

"What a fitting title for someone who brings nothing to my life-" Bulma's eyebrows raise, and so do yours.

"Okay Vegeta, let's calm down~" You hold his shoulder, and rub it, eyes widening as you can see his hair flicker between blonde and brunette quickly.

"Tch. She's insufferable!" He cries out, effectively calming himself down.

"You're BOTH insufferable, actually. Both of you need to fucking relax." You tried not to swear often, but they were annoying you. Both of them shut up, eyes wide.

"I'm gonna finish cooking, we are going to eat calmly and quietly, and then I can go train for a bit before I-" You're taking the bacon out of the oven when your phone rings, and Vegeta grabs it for you.

"Who's calling?" You ask him as you grab the device from his thick hand.

"Tinder James? What kind of a first name is Tinder?" Vegeta raises a brow and you cough, eyes wide.

"He's calling you back?! PUT HIM ON SPEAKER." Bulma shouts, excited. You roll your eyes, but answer and put him on speaker while you cook.

"(Y/N) here." You respond.

"Hey sweetheart. Sorry I had to cut our date short yesterday, you know how it is haha-" You roll your eyes as Bulma mimics the movement of vomiting. Vegeta stays silent, watching your face. You had a date yesterday? He's upset at this information, but would never tell you that.

"Its fine-" You start to respond. "I mean, if you wanna continue the date tonight I'm game." He cuts you off.

"Continue... our date?" You ask confused.

"Yeah? I didn't hit so I thought you'd want me to hit it-" Both you and Bulma actually guffaw at that.

"Something funny?" He asks confused.

"Listen here, sweetheart-" You start sarcastically "You weren't gonna hit. You spent the whole date checking your phone and texting. I'm not stupid and I'm not someone who you can push around. We aren't gonna fuck, so stick your dick elsewhere. Oh! And delete my number." You hang up before blocking the number, turning to grin at Bulma. She laughs and high-fives you after you turn off the stove-top, eggs ready. You pile the eggs and bacon onto plates and get going on the steaks while handing the plates of food to Bulma and Vegeta. They start eating, and by the time you finish the steaks, Vegeta has finished his portions.

"Here you go." You hand the pile of steaks to him, and eat your meal. He doesn't touch his food, and looks at you expectantly. He harrumphs to get your attention.

"Yes?" He raises a brow.

"Why aren't you feeding me?" You laugh in his face. You pick up a piece of bacon from your plate before shoving it in his mouth. He choke on it, eyes wide looking at you.

"Eat your damn steaks." You tell him as you shovel eggs into your mouth and wink at him. Bulma laughs at him, as she picks up the empty plates and puts them in the dishwasher. Vegeta stays quiet and starts to eat his steaks, but you can see that his hairline is flickering blonde, but he wears a small smirk on his face.

The next couple days you don't see Vegeta at all. Normally, it wouldn't affect you, but you felt... saddened by the lack of his presence.

You are walking past the Gravity Chamber when you hear a massive explosion, and shouting. You sprint towards the Chamber, worried.

"Stupid Earthlings and their stupid creations!" You smirk at the angry Saiyan, who is hugging a robot, his hair a dark blue.

"Cute look, Vegeta. Is she your new girlfriend?" You tease, smirking at him. He turns to looks at you, and the tips of his ears turn pink.

"Woman! How dare you joke about the Saiyan Prince and his taste in women?" He grumbles loudly, walking closer to you. His hair goes back to brunette, and you can't help but admire his handsome looks.

"It's okay Vegeta. I won't tell Bulma~" You say in a sing-song voice, winking at him. He drops the robot before crushing it with his feet. You raise an eyebrow and smirk at him.

"These ridiculous jokes must end! Where is the respect for royalty? An understanding of- of greatness?" He asks you, getting closer. You look up at him, and bite your lip.

"I apologize for my humour, my prince-" You tell him, as you curtesy. "I'll make sure to only sing my praises of your existence, your majesty." The tips of his ears are deepening into a dark blush, and his cheeks are also discolouring.

"That's more like it, woman! Though, Saiyans always greeted me on one knee-" you cut him off, grinning.

"You want to see me on my knees? Dirty prince." His whole face turns red, and you can feel his Ki rise significantly.

"Y-you vile woman! Such tactless behaviour- such a dishonourable sneak attack!" He stutters angrily, his eyes becoming a beautiful teal and his hair a vibrant blonde, once again. You giggle before rubbing his chest to calm him down.

"I'm only kidding 'Geets-" he grumbles looking away from you, face still flushed. He snaps out of Super Saiyan, and his blush lowers significantly. "Hey, wait a minute! Why don't we train together?" His head snaps back at you, intrigued.

"Why should I train with you?" He asks unkindly. You roll your eyes at his attitude.

"Well, for starters, your little playroom is broken-" his eyebrows furrow and he is reminded of his loss. "Secondly, I've had the worst training block in my life. I can't do anything right and having someone like you train with me will surely help!" He ponders this for a moment.

"Fine. But only because, as you put it, "my playroom is broken"." You smile at him, and grab his wrist to drag him to an open field far away from Bulma's ire.

"Tch. We could've flown here." He crosses his arms, raising a brow.

"Yeah, but sometimes walking through nature helps clear the mind, and prepares me for a battle." You say, as you roll your shoulder and stretch your body.

"C'mon Vegeta, I know you've said that I am a competent fighter-" Vegeta cuts you off angrily.

"Does that putrid woman share all my secrets?!" He goes back into Super Saiyan, getting into fighting position. You giggle as you also stance up.

"She's being harmless, 'Geta." He comes towards you first, fist almost breaking through your block.

"Jesus Vegeta. You need to slow down so the rest of us can catch up!" You huff out, faces close together. You blush as your eyes wander to his lips.

"I will never "slow down" so that a mere Earthling can catch up to the Prince of all Saiyans-" You punch his gut as he speaks, and he barely reacts to it, eyes widening. You aim a kick to his ribs, but he quickly grabs your calf, and spins you. You use your other foot to kick his sternum, and fly up in the air. You dodge and hit eachother, nothing that would really need a Senzu. Then you decide to up the stakes.

"I've been practicing this technique- CATASTROPHIC CANON-" [note: idk man im trying] A massive ball of red-hued Ki shoots towards Vegeta. In his mind, the move sounded idiotic, so surely he could handle its power. The ball then splits into three and hits him from all angles. He's never seen a move that did that! He was impressed, but it could be stronger.

"That was cute, woman! Let me show you a real show stopper- GALICK GUN!" You tried to dodge, but it was too late. Like a meteor, you crash into the ground under you, creating a crater around your body. Vegeta's eyes widen as he flies towards you, worried.

"Woman!" When you don't answer, he walks closer, concerned.

"Woman?-" Your eyes were closed, but your chest was still moving. "Y/N?" He's right next to you now. You grab his ankle, and flip him so you land on top of him. You sit on his lap, and hold his arms up over his head, panting loudly. Blood is dripping down a gash from your forehead, and he can't help but find you to be the most beautiful being he's ever seen.

"I-" You inhale. "Win-" exhale, looking deep into his eyes. He tries to break out of your hold, but you grip his wrists tightly, and he flinches.

"That was dirty!" Vegeta protests, blushing. You get closer to him, your breathes mingling.

"I'll make sure to play nicely next time, Prince Vegeta-" His lips catch yours in ah instant. Your lips mold to his perfectly, and the small moan you let out is not unnoticed by the Saiyan. Your grip on his wrists loosened, and he takes advantage of your vulnerability to flip you under him. Your thighs wrap around his small waist, and you pull him closer to you, grinding up to him.

Your open your mouth and you begin another battle. His tongue and yours lash against eachother, and you further explore his mouth, tracing your tongue over his teeth. Your tongue caresses over his canines, which were sharper because of his Alien heritage. You puncture yourself on them, and he moans out when a drop of your blood lands on his tongue. You pull away to look him, eyes wide.

"Please-p-please Vegeta." You whimper. He looks at you, panting slowly.

"Call me by my real title, sweetheart." You moan, pushing forward to kiss his neck. You lick up and down his pulse point. He moans into your hair, and you feel a rush of slick leave your body. He sniffs the air around you before groaning.

"I can smell you sweetheart-" You whimper into him, before licking up to the shell of his ear.

"Please Prince Vegeta. Please touch me." He pulls you up off the ground, still grinding into you softly.

"As you wish, princess-" He shoots off the ground, flying quickly back to Capsule Corp to continue what you had both started. As he flies through the skies, you continue to lick and kiss his neck, before biting down on junction between his neck and shoulder. He growls in your ear before pulling away to look into your eyes.

"Do that one more time and I'll make sure you can't ever walk again." His focus goes from one eye to the other, and you can't help the surge of need that flows through you from his attentiveness.

"That better be a promise, my prince-" Before you could end your sentence, he's already landed on his balcony, and has slammed the door open with his foot. He kicks the door shut behind him and lays you on the bed. He watches you for a moment, as you wriggle to lean on your elbows and look up at him.

"Why are you staring at me?" You ask curiously, a blush forming on the apples of your cheeks. He bites the fingertip of one of his gloves, pulling it off, before mirroring the action for his other hand.

"You remind me of the women from my planet-" You roll your eyes at him.

"Usually during sex, you don't tell the person you're about to sleep with they remind you of someone else." He barks a laugh at that, trailing his hands near your ankles, pulling off your shoes and working his way up your legs, caressing the muscles there.

"You're strong- physically and mentally. You're talented in many trades, multi-faceted. Powerful-" he begins to kiss his way up your torso, his warmth bleeding through your clothing. "Intelligent. Beautiful. Alluring. You have an air around you-" He cuts himself off then, having kissed his way up to your face and stopping.

"You possess much more than any of the women of this planet. You call to me in ways the people of my planet never did. You're much more than the sum of all these things together. I've always thought this." He murmurs as he looks into your eyes. He sees your eyes shine before you speak up.

"I've always admired your strength-" You begin to say as you caress his arms, before pulling his calloused hands towards your lips and kissing each fingertip, each scratch and mark that makes him, Vegeta. "You're much more than your physical prowess Vegeta. You're mental fortitude, after everything you've been through- continue to go through-" You exhale loudly. You hold his face in your hands.

"You are the ultimate warrior. You always compare yourself to Goku but in my eyes you will always be more than he is." You thought you saw his eyes water, but he burrows his face into your neck before taking a deep breathe.

"Princess, I need you. I've wanted to conquer this body like the thousands of planets I've conquered in the name of the Saiyan Army. I want to watch you quiver underneath me as I take everything you have to offer- and much more." He growls out, showing his teeth. You whimper, once again getting wet at his words. He plays you like an instrument- and he's the maestro. You quickly pull off your clothing until you are naked under him. He admires your body quietly, before looking into your eyes.

"Fuck me Vegeta. Breed me like I'm yours." He bites his lip looking at you.

"You already are mine. I'll make sure to mold your body to mine, woman-" You bite down on his neck, as a form of chastising him.

"Don't call me woman-" You warn him softly. He groans in your ear and his hands roam your curves. His fingers find the peaks of each breast, twisting and rubbing with the pads of his fingers. Your hands wander across the planes of his body that are still covered by his blue training gear.

"What should I call you, Y/N?" He asks you softly, before taking your right nipple in his mouth.

"F-Fuck Vegeta. Please call me yours, call m-me princess~" He groans at your words, his arousal showing through his clothes. "Show everyone who I belong to-" You never felt so dirty in your life; pleading for a man to call you his, never in your life could you imagine the submissive turn this took. You want to take control back, so you flip yourself back on top. He looks up at you, biting his lip.

"Such a good princess for me. Pleasing your Prince like a good girl~" You growl at that, grinding down hard into the clear outline of his heavy cock. You begin to tug on the collar of his training gear.

"I'm gonna rip this off of you and ride you. I wanna be a good girl for my Prince." He smirks at that, before his eyes widen at the ripping sound his gear makes. You pull the tattered fabric off his body, nails lightly scraping the surface of his skin.

"So handsome, and strong. Perfect for protecting me~" You whisper in a sing sing voice, before kissing down his body. You start from his lips and work your way down. You can tell your bites and hickeys are already mostly healed, so you leave a couple more before kissing his pecs and lavishing his nipples in attention. He covers his mouth to muffle a moan, as he squeezes his eyes shut.

"Don't shy away from me now Vegeta. Let me hear you." You tell him, pulling his arm away. He pants at you, eyes wide.

"T-these damn sneak attacks!" You grin at his words.

"I'll show you a sneak attack-" You begin the sentence, before gripping his cock in your hand. Its girth is unimaginable, your hand barely closing around it. His length is above average, and you could already tell you would spend many days worshiping his cock if you could.

You slowly thrust your fist up and down his length, watching how his cock pulsed under your hand. You could tell there was something peculiar about it, like the small ridges near the head and the particularly thick vein on the underside. Your other hand goes to his balls, which seemed to have already been straining for attention.

He whimpers as you touch him, but swears as soon as your tongue touches his slit.

"Fuck~ just like that princess-" You moan around his cock, taking the head into your mouth and giving it small sucks and kitten licks.

"Such a good little Earth whore for her Saiyan Prince- f-fuck. Can't wait to fill you with my royal seed." You didn't realize Vegeta was so vocal during sex. You pull your mouth off him and sit on your haunches, slowly stroking your up and down his cock.

"W-why'd you stop?" He asks angrily, hair flicking to blonde for a moment. You hover over his body, before grinning.

"Let's put that mouth to good use-" You sit on his face looking down at him. You hear him inhale through his nose deeply, before he looks up at you, lust prominent in his eyes. You bite your lip before tugging on his hair, and in a moment his fingers latch onto your thighs, and his tongue takes a wide lick up your slit. You look into his eyes to see him staring at your face. His tongue continues to take wide licks, before it enters inside your pussy. He licks up the juice that leaks out of you, groaning under you. You moan out his name as he does so, and hear him muttering under you.

"Taste so good for your Prince. Such a good girl-" You moan out loud, before you have to use your left hand to hold yourself up. You stretch your right arm behind you, and grip his cock, before giving him a sloppy handjob. He grunts under you, before unhooking his left hand from your thighs and spreading you open. You caterwaul when his tongue finds your clit, swirling and giving it attention while he lets his thick middle finger stretch you out by entering in and out of you slowly.

"F-Fuck Vegeta." You knew you were being too loud, and were worried about an audience outside the door.

"That's right princess. Tell everyone who this pussy belongs too." The slurping noise he makes is whorish, and your mind instantly clears of all thought.

"Fuck-fuck-FUCK!" You begin to grind on his face, slick leaving you in waves.

"That's right Y/N. Tell me what you want-" He enters a second finger inside of you, the stretch delicious.

"Want to cum- need to cum so badly Vegeta! Please please please-" You beg him, your hand and body moving in tandem with one another.

"Gonna make this pretty pussy cum all over my tongue-" He mutters, grinning. You look down and see the predatory look in his eyes.

"Please Daddy- please let me cum~" You're just blabbing random words, brain short circuiting at the intense pleasure between the apex of your thighs.

"Daddy?" He grunts at that.

"Want me to be your daddy?" You don't answer him right away, but he gets a response out of you when he takes his mouth away from your pussy and bites down on the side of your thigh, canines breaking skin. You groan in pain, the pleasure being elevated by his roughness.

"Answer me princess." He demands, fingers still entering and exiting your body languidly.

"Y-yes Vegeta. Be my Daddy, my Prince. F-fuck. Just let me cum!" You beg him, tears in your eyes at the edging Vegeta put you through.

"What a good girl. Such a good girl for daddy-" His lips latch onto your little pearl, sucking and licking, with his canines bumping into the sensitive bundle of nerves. The attention serves to be too much, and your sight goes white. You cum on his face, but more than that you squirt a little. He continues to suck on your pussy, the twitching and wailing from the body above him not stopping his actions.

He licks up your mess, enjoying that all his senses are surrounded by you. When your body goes lax he releases you, laying you under him to continue his caressing and kissing on your body. He pays particular attention to the junction of your neck, where he leaves a deep bite. The bite snaps you out of your euphoric ride, eyes widened at the sudden pain. You must've made too much noise, because Vegeta covers your mouth with his hand, as he licks up the mark. You can already feel the skin begin to mend itself, as his Saiyan saliva speeds the healing process. His hand releases your mouth when you're no longer whimpering in pain.

"Now everyone will know who you belong to-" He grunts at you, his hands caressing your torso and the undersides of your breasts. You look into his eyes, panting at his attention.

"Fuck me." You tell him, touching him on his forearm. He grins at you, sharp canines stained with your blood.

"Excuse me?" He asks you, acting galled at your words. Without answering him, you push him to sit on his haunches between your thighs. As you do so, his eyes wander your body, his tongue reaching out between the seam of his lips to lick them. Your hand trails down your body, and as you begin to pant with need, you spread your pussy open, and his eyes widen at the sight of your slick leaking out.

"Fuck me, Saiyan." Your voice was authoritative, and without warning, Vegeta growls and pulls your thighs closer to him.

"With pleasure, princess." He pushes your legs all the way down, your knees bumping into your shoulders. You grab your legs by the backs of your knees, and he takes his cock in his hand and strokes your pussy. When his tip would bump into your clit you'd moan loudly and he'd chuckle at you, breathless.

"Look at you; your crumbling resolve left you cock hungry for the Prince of all Saiyans." He begins to push himself into you, the stretch of his cock nothing like the stretch from his fingers. You find yourself flinching at the intrusion, and Vegeta notices. He pushes himself all the way in slowly, before putting you both into a mating press. Your nipples were sensitive dragging against his chest. He looks into your eyes and whispers.

"You're doing great, sweetheart. Such a good princess for daddy-" His hand snakes between your bodies, and begins to rub your clit as he begins to move. The minor pain from the girth of him begins to ebb away, and pleasure begins to take its place.

"F-fuck Vegeta. So b-big." He chuckles, before groaning.

"Princess. You're so fucking tight. Gonna fuck this pussy good. 'N make you squirt again." He mumbles out, words slurred by the feeling of your pussy squeezing him. You whimper at his words, beginning to grind into his cock as he moves.

"H-harder Daddy. Fuck me good. P-Please-" You beg, almost weeping with tears running down your cheeks. . He wipes your tears before using both hands to brace himself onto the bed.

"Anything for you." He says passionately. It struck a cord in you, the sincerity of his words making you gaze at him with love. The intensity of your coupling is one you've never experienced, and your body and soul feel overstimulated by everything Vegeta. His thrusts are strong, and your legs slip out of your hold as you grip the bedsheets under you, needing something to ground yourself.

Your legs wrap around his hips, and the heel of your foot bumps into the patch of fur at the small of his waist where his tail used to be. He moans out, his voice loud. You notice him blushing as he looks into your eyes. His thrusts go harder, and he grabs both your hands to lock his fingers with yours.

"Just like that princess- fuck." He grunts. You reach up to lock your lips together. Your bodies have become one at this point, with a feeling of oneness you had never felt in your life. You begin to purposefully rub the heel of your foot into the patch of fur, as you near your release. After a couple strokes of your foot, he shouts into your mouth, cumming into your pussy.

The twitching of his cock triggers your release, and you cum around his cock. You stay together for a moment, tongues languidly rubbing against eachother. He pulls away softly, panting. He begins to pull himself up, to watch where you are both connected. He groans again.

"Look at you princess. Creamed around my cock. Such a messy girl-" Your pussy twitches and he bites his lip. His eyes flicker teal for a moment.

"Don't tempt me to ravage you again, (Y/N)." You grin at him, acting coy.

"Sorry my Prince." He smiles softly at you, pushing hair away from your face. He then pulls out, and you whimper at the feeling of cum leaking out of you. He pushes his fingers into you, scooping up his seed and filling you back up.

"None of my seed should go to waste. You're the perfect mate." He growls possessively.

"Is that so?" You ask him. He nods. After a couple minutes of silence, he pulls his fingers out slowly, and you moan softly. He chuckles at the sound, before going into his bathroom. He closes the door for two minutes. You sigh, turning yourself so your laying on your side, leaning your head on your hand. You watch the door, eyebrows jumping when you hear a bang and a muffled "shit" through the door. Not a moment later, Vegeta leaves the bathroom with boxers on and a damp hand towel in his grip. He comes towards you, and slowly pulls you into his lap.

"What's all this?" You ask him softly, voice hardly louder than a whisper.

"After a Saiyan mating bite, the male is supposed to take care of the female. I'm going to clean you up and take care of you." His voice has mellowed out, with a softness which you haven't ever heard from Vegeta.

"Mating bite?" You ask curiously. Vegeta slowly wipes your neck, before moving to the apex of your thighs, cleaning your combines releases from you.

"Saiyans don't normally mate for life, but when we do we bite each other. Some scars, like mating bites, don't heal and we use them as markers of possession. Its to make sure female Saiyans don't get taken advantage of. It also helps mix our scents." You hum softly, eyes fluttering closed at his gentle strokes on your weak body.

"So I am yours?" You ask gently. He hums, before his other hand goes to stroke your hair.

"For life." Your eyes widen as you look at him. He looks nervously at your face. You pout and huff angrily. He flinches at your anger, and before he could apologize you cut him off.

"Well that's not fair. How am I supposed to mark you back?" His eyes widen.

"You're.. not upset at me?" You smile up at him, taking his cheek in your hand and rubbing it with your thumb.

"Out of all the people on this planet I'm the only one who can handle you most of the time. If that isn't an admission of love I really can't think of one-" You get pulled into a hug, and you hear him sigh sadly. You rub his back up and down.

"Listen Vegeta, I meant those words I said before. I really do admire you, and I do want to stick by your side. I mean, a warning would have been nice-" You say jokingly. He huffs a laugh. "But I really love being with you." You pull him away from you, and you see a small tear in his eye. You pull him forward and kiss his forehead.

"But never call me woman again!" You tell him warningly. He laughs out loud at that, and smiles widely.

"Alright, princess." You both lay back down, cuddling and spending the rest of your day in bed, ignoring the outside world.

END

---

BONUS:

"Vegeta isn't answering his phone-" Goku says worryingly to Bulma, who he bumped into while looking for the missing Saiyan.

"Yeah, he was busy." Bulma answers, before a full body shiver goes through her. Goku looks at her worried.

"Are you sick Bulma? And Vegeta knows we are training today-" Bulma snaps her fingers in his face.

"Goku, he's with (Y/N)." Goku looks at her confused.

"Are they training?" He asks innocently.

"Horizontally." Bulma says chuckling, before walking away. Goku looks down and thinks.

"Is that a better way to train?" He asks himself.

#vegeta x reader #vegeta x y/n #vegeta x you #dragon ball #Vegeta #Dragon #Ball

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shannonsketches · 4 months ago

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Something I've really really enjoyed about Kakarot is that they absolutely nailed the element of perspective. The sense of scale, especially while you're learning the game and controls, is fantastic.

The Oozaru are fucking terrifying. They're massive, and Vegeta is so fast in his and the radius of his attacks are almost inescapable, especially since it's early in the game and you (the player) are still learning the mechanics. It's really a very fun added context for why Saiyans are so feared in this universe (especially since you only ever have to fight one at a time, and Saiyans are usually deployed and transformed in groups).

The power scaling is done very well too, I think, while still keeping the story accessible to players who aren't well versed. It's great at offering a sense of danger and an idea how steep the climb is for the characters (assuming you play through the story and don't grind hardcore in between), even when you're very strong in the game. I think that's sometimes a thing that's difficult to convey in comics and animation, since we kind of see the same kinds of fights all the time, but with interactive media it's really cool to see how the odds stack in a more practical way.

#Also Vegeta is a very fast fighter in general and I love that for him he's a goddamn nightmare opponent laksjasjkl #he's also a little speed demon in the car which i appreciate so much asfsdfdfgk #I'm not a Gamer(tm) but I DID accidentally challenge Beerus early for a Vegeta sub story I didn't read the recommended level for ksjldajs #And as a level 97 Vegeta I got a level 250 Beerus down to his last health bar before I got my shit wrecked so I'm proud of my little heathe #I've also [sticks me little leggy out] been doing the same quests with Goku as I have been with Vegeta and Goku's several levels higher #But Vegeta gets through the challenges faster and with a higher grade #Biblically Accurate Dragon Ball #At first I was like 'why are Beerus and Whis so much harder on Geets than they are on Goku??' and I realized it's aklsdjasj because Geets #was tanking their health so much faster than Goku and they fight harder the lower their health bar gets so Geets fights are more chaotic #I was supposed to have them both at 150 but Goku was 114 and Vegeta was 108 #sketchesplayskakarot

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duhragonball · 26 days ago

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Daima 07: Collar

Spread the word around. The boys are back in town.

All right, so last time Bulma got the Supreme Kai's old plane working, but it broke down again before her group could get anywhere with it. Now, she's discovered that the problem lies in a "damaged rock" that functions as part of the plane's energy converter. And she determined that this component is made out of materials that don't exist on Earth. This seems awfully similar to the problem Jaco had in the Jaco: Galactic Patrolman manga, but you can't fault Akira Toriyama from stealing from the best, by which I mean stealing from himself, Akira Toriyama.

Well, to be fair, the punchline in Jaco was that his ship didn't actually need an unusual material for repairs. Bulma herself determined this when she repaired his ship, and I think she used copper as a substitute. But this is a different part on a different ship, and so if Bulma says it can't be replaced, then the ship can't be fixed. She's more frustrated that she went to all the trouble to perform repairs that ultimately wound up being pointless.

I'll take a moment to note a moment with Vegeta and Bulma. When she explains the ship can never fly, he grumbles about it, and then she gets upset with him because she's the one who should be complaining, since she went to so much effort for nothing. And Vegeta just has to stand there awkwardly and take it, because he knows better. And he faces the viewer as if to say "Yeah, don't look at me, pal, I gotta live with her."

Then Hybis arrives to pick them up in his plane, and Bulma immediately steps behind Vegeta and he steps in front of her, and it's really cute. It's only a few seconds of the episode, but it captures the Vegeta/Bulma dynamic perfectly.

Meanwhile, Goku eats Manpuku Dumplings, which look like meatballs, but they're actually the Demon Realm equivalent of that Lembas bread they have in Lord of the Rings where you can live off it for a long time. One Manpuku Dumpling is the same as two entire meals. Goku eats two of them in one sitting, because he's a hongry boy.

Panzy is amazed that Goku could really be a grown man, and wonders how he could have raised a child of his own. Goku says that he "wasn't really involved." I'm sure the whole "bad dad" crowd will make hay over this, but personally I think it shows how modest Goku is about his life as a parent. It's true that he was absent for much of Gohan and Goten's lives, but he still had a big impact on their childhoods. But he would be the last person to see it that way. As far as Goku's concerned, Gohan got strong enough to beat Cell all by himself, and he doesn't see how critical his training was to that process. And so he'll freely give all the credit to his wife, since she did put a lot more time and structure into raising their kids.

Back in the outer universe, Hybis takes Bulma's group to join the others on Third Demon World. Bulma asks why Kibito didn't join them, and Piccolo explains that he's staying behind to "look after the temple". Uh… why? Is it going to be attacked? Besides, Hybis can be their guide anyway, so they don't really need Kibito.

And that's fair, Kibito isn't really necessary for this story, but you'd think he'd want to go along so he could keep tabs on his master, the Supreme Kai. The bigger question is: Why is Bulma going in his place? She was going to stay behind when they tried to use the Supreme Kai's old plane, so why is she suddenly coming along this time? Not that I don't want her to be in this adventure, but it seems a little strange to sub her in this way.

Back to Goku, his group get intercepted by King Gomah's goon patrol, and they want to search the plane. Glorio realizes that they must not be sure Goku is on board, or they would have attacked without warning. The Supreme Kai says they should play it cool so their plane doesn't get shot up, and he has an idea about hiding Goku.

Glorio wonders how they tracked them down, and Panzy figures they must have used the collar she wears to locate her. Demons in the Third Demon World are required to wear the collars their whole lives. We saw the goons use them in Episode 3 to control the townspeople while they collected taxes, and they scanned Panzy's collar in the previous episode.

So the gang deplanes, leaving Goku on board, and the goons find… nothing. Then Goku reveals he's been behind Panzy the whole time. Then he hides behind a bush. Panzy is amazed, and the Supreme Kai explains that Goku used Instant Transmission.

This is a pretty cool way to introduce Goku's ability. In other stories, Goku's Instant Transmission is often taken for granted, because he was already very powerful when he first debuted the ability. And much of the time, Instant Transmission might as well be the same thing as super-speed. In GT, Goku tried to use it, only to find his child body couldn't do it for some reason, but it didn't matter very much.

I was beginning to wonder if Goku might have lost his Instant Transmission ability in Daima as well, but then I realized there really wasn't a good reason for him to use it until now. He could have teleported to Master Roshi's to get his Nyoibo, but he flew instead, probably because he wanted to use the time to adjust to his new kid body. After that, he's been in the Demon Realm this whole time, and he can't teleport anywhere useful because he doesn't know the place well enough to travel that way. Instant Transmission relies on sensing the ki of someone else, and then teleporting to their location. So in theory, Goku could have teleported to King Kadan's castle by sensing his energy, but even if Goku could have sensed Kadan's power, he wouldn't have known whose power that was. Now that he's met Kadan, I guess he could teleport back to him whenever he wants, but that wouldn't accomplish anything.

No, the only one Goku knows in this place is the Supreme Kai, and they're traveling together, so the only reason for Goku to use Instant Transmission is if he and the Kai are apart, and he wants to go to him without anyone noticing. And this situation sets up a perfect demonstration.

So the good guys are free to go, right? Wrong. The goons want to take Panzy in for questioning. Some masked kid threw a bomb at them in Episode 3, and they think she might be connected. The Supreme Kai tries to give her an alibi, but the goons don't really care if she's guilty or not, so Panzy tasers one and Glorio and the Supreme Kai clobber the rest.

It's a pretty quick fight, but it's still good stuff, and I'm just amazed that we've gotten five fights in five straight episodes like this. Some of the goons try to escape, but Goku brings down their plane with a ki blast. Not any kind of fancy ki blast, just a vanilla one, because this show is doling out Goku's powers one by one, and I'm pretty sure they're saving the Kamehameha for later.

Panzy uses a ray gun to disable the goons' communicators, and Goku pokes one of them with a stick. Man, imagine you get your ass kicked by Goku and then he pokes you with a stick like a cutie patootie. Goku's ruthless, man. Now they're all fugitives, but Goku's cool with that. I mean, it was just a matter of time anyway. Their plane is wrecked, but they can just take one of the Goon Patrol planes and make better time with it.

There's just one problem: Panzy's collar. She realizes that if she keeps traveling with Goku and the others, Gomah's men will keep following them. So it looks like she'll have to stay behind, until the Supreme Kai takes a look at the collar for himself.

Turns out it's made of Katchintite, which is a term Goku recognizes, so I'm pretty sure this is the same metal as that block the Supreme Kai made to test the Z-Sword back in DBZ episode 250. I thought it was just called "Katchin", but that might be a dub thing. No, wait, I looked it up and he called it "Katchinko" back then. Wait, no, the subtitles on Crunchyroll call it "Katchintite", but the voice actors themselves are saying "Katchinko." Okay, I'm glad we got that cleared up.

So, in DBZ, it was just a supremely hard metal, but here, the Supreme Kai explains that it can only be obtained on Planet Kaishin, where the Glinds used to live. And I am now really confused about the Supreme Kai's backstory. Apparently he was born on the Second Demon World, then he left to migrate to the Outer Universe, but then his people settled on another planet called Kaishin, and then he finally moved to the Sacred World of the Kais when he took the Supreme Kai job. At this rate, he'll have forty-five addresses before this show ends.

Anyway, the Supreme Kai suspects that his sister, Dr. Arinsu, was the one who manufactured the collars during the reign of Dabura. I guess that makes sense, because Arinsu was doing research that was heavily funded by Dabura, and he might have found her invention useful for controlling the unruly populace of the Third Demon World. Panzy says her people are taken by the government and forced to wear the collars, but she doesn't say when that happens. She does say that the collars grow along with you as you get older, so it's safe to assume they get put on at a young age, since Panzy's still a child herself.

So the Supreme Kai offers to remove her collar, because he's a Glind, and has special powers over the Katchin metal it's made of. He just sort of busts this out without warning, so Panzy is blown away by this. Apparently, the magic used to dissolve the collars isn't even that special. The Supreme Kai says anyone can use it, so it's likely that he'll be teaching it to Panzy before it's all over and done with.

I like this a lot, not just because it's a cool bonding between Panzy and the Supreme Kai, but also because it shows just why Goku and his pals are the heroes of this show. Sure, they came here to overthrow Gomah and rescue Dende, but this is more than a mission. Just being in this world makes it a better place. Goku clobbered those tax collecting goons in Episode 3 without hesitation. If he sees more of that horseshit going down, he'll do it again, so Gomah's goon squad better just watch their butts. And now the Supreme Kai revealed he has the power to dismantle all of the evil oppression collars too. Gomah was right to fear these guys.

Panzy asks the Supreme Kai's name, because she forgot, but she also wants to know his real name, the one he had in the Demon Realm before he left for the outside world. So Shin tells her he used to be called Nahare, which she recognizes as a Glind name. Goku decides to start calling him Nahare too, but neither of them care much for that, so Goku sticks with "Supreme Kai".

So the gang resumes their journey to the Tamagami, but Glorio realizes that they'll need a new PIN number now that they've changed planes. But that's no problem, because Panzy calls some guy named Peral, who hacks the mainframe or something and gives them a new PIN to use. More importantly, Peral relays the news that Hybis has returned to Demon Realm with Goku's friends.

Panzy asks if they should rendezvous with Vegeta, but Goku says they can catch up to them. Yeah, Vegeta's used to playing catch up, if you know what I mean. Goku's in a hurry to fight this Tamagami, after all.

So Goku's group reaches the town with the Tamagami, and it just stands there like a statue and waits for someone to challenge it for the Dragon Ball in its chest. Panzy warns him that not even Dabura could defeat these things, and that just gets Goku more excited. Look, Panzy, I know Dabura was a big deal in these parts, but Majin Buu turned him into a cookie and ate him, and then Goku killed Buu with a Spirit Bomb. Dabura ain't shit.

So how do you start a fight with the Tamagami? Well, you just walk up and ask him to fight, and he yells at you. Then you fight until one of you gives up or dies. Goku's like "Fuck yeah!" And that's the cliffhanger.

The next episode preview is an extra-long one, with plenty of footage from the Goku/Tamagami Three battle, so I'm pretty optimistic about Episode 8 being wall-to-wall action. Should be a real hum-dinger.

I guess this would be a good time to consider the entire series up to this point. Really, it's all been set-up, like the first act in a three-act structure. In the first act, you introduce the characters, then in the second act you introduce the problem, and in the final act you resolve the problem. I guess I could use that to infer this series is going to be about 24 episodes long. Goku will fight the Tamagami, move on to the Second Demon World, and head for the next Tamagami, but that would be dull, so there must be some kind of complication when they reach the Second Demon World that keeps the story from getting to formulaic.

One impressive aspect of this show is how it's managed to introduce and develop the characters without dumping a bunch of lore all at once. I mean, the Buu Saga highlight reel was kind of a lore dump, but all you really need to know from that story is Gomah and Degesu's reactions to the footage. You get to meet Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Bulma, and the Supreme Kai later, as we continue into this story. So if you're confused about why all those guys could shoot light from their hands, you'll find out when Goku explains it to Pansy and Glorio.

It is kind of weird how the heroes' trip keeps getting interrupted by mechanical breakdowns, or planes getting stolen or outright destroyed. Maybe it's just a running gag, or Toriyama designed way too many vehicles and the showrunners want to get screen time for every single one. And there's a lot of characters just shooting the breeze as they travel. But it's effective because we want to know what these characters are all about.

Glorio is extremely secretive, so pretty much anything he says or does is a potential clue to his allegiance and true agenda. When Panzy talks about the way Third Worlders are collared, he turns away and goes back in the ship. If you don't know the character, you might think he's bored or indifferent, but we know he secretly works for Dr. Arinsu, so it's more likely that he doesn't want to hear about the collars because he already knows all about them. Or maybe it's because he claims to be from the Third Demon World originally, before he took a job working in the First. So did he have a collar once, only to have it removed when he got the job? Or is he lying about his origin? Either way, he probably doesn't want to call attention to his lack of a collar.

By contrast, Panzy seems to be an open book. She readily tells the others anything they want to know, and when she contacts Peral, she doesn't bother keeping it a secret. She's our window into the way things work in the Third Demon World. It's strange that she seems to know so much about Glinds when they supposedly left for the outer universe long before she was born, but I guess we'll get to that when we get to it. There's not much mystery to Panzy, but it's fun to watch her react excitedly whenever Goku busts out a cool new Goku power.

I suppose the Supreme Kai is mostly defined here by his suspicion towards Glorio, as well as his nebulous connection to the Demon Realm. It seemed pretty clear at first. Degesu and Arinsu were his evil siblings, and Shin was going along to settle things with them. But each new episode muddies the waters a little more. They're not siblings in the human sense; they were simply all born from the same tree centuries apart from one another. So the connection between them might be weaker for that, or perhaps stronger. Shin's the Supreme Kai of Universe 7, and he has been for a long time, but he was also born in the Demon Realm (apparently) and he has a Demon Realm name. It's strongly implied that he was part of a single migration to the outer universe, but he had his own ship, so apparently he drove himself? Why did he leave the Demon Realm, and what does that have to do with his position as Supreme Kai? He's not keeping secrets or being evasive like Glorio; it's more like the other characters just aren't asking the right questions.

Then you've got Goku, who's just going out there and being Goku. Watching him eat and fart and be a rowdy lad is awesome. I've heard it said that this show is trying to introduce Goku to new viewers that don't already know about him, and there's a lot of wisdom to that approach, but also Goku makes it pretty easy to do that. Put him in a situation and let him go to work. If a strong opponent presents himself, Goku wants to fight him. If something bad happens, Goku shrugs it off and keeps on going. If people need help, Goku jumps in to give it. If there's five hamburgers on the table, Goku will eat them all and ask for another.

So yeah, I guess that about covers it for now. Next time we'll see how that Tamagami fight goes.

Okay, here's a bonus fan theory for you: People have pointed out the resemblance between Glorio and Mira, the artificial husband of Towa, Dabura's sister. So what if that's not a coincidence? What if Glorio is Dabura's son, and he's trying to play Arinsu, Kadan, Goku, and everyone else in order to get a clear shot at taking the throne from King Gomah? That's why he's so dodgy about which Demon World he's from, and who he works for, because he's secretly in this for the good of the people of the Demon Realm. Just a thought.

#dragon ball #dragon ball daima #glorio #goku #panzy #supreme kai #hybis #bulma #vegeta #piccolo #kibito #mr popo #tamagami no.3

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tobiasdrake · 3 months ago

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Digimon Adventure 01x46 - MetalEtemon's Counterattack / Etemon's Comeback Tour

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Yamato and Taichi punched each other so much that Homeostasis came down from Digimon Heaven to give all of the children study detention, even though six of them did nothing wrong! Except Hikari, who needed her rest and was allowed to sleep through it.

(Japanese episode titles for anime get a lot of shit for being full of spoilers. I like how the dub team apparently wanted to get in on that action this time around. SPOILERS, FUCKING BOTH OF YOU!!!)

Now the team has fractured. Yamato has gone one way, Mimi and Jou another, with what remains of the nakama following Taichi to war.

We open on carnage already in progress. An explosion of dark energy in the woods calls our attention to Ogremon, being chased through the forest by waddling treelike Digimon. He stops running, turning to face them.

These are Woodmon. An Adult-stage Virus-type Plant Digimon from the Wind Guardians. Woodmon is what can, with sufficient effort, evolve into Jureimon and Garbamon.

Narrator: Woodmon. A plant Digimon. Usually disguised as an ordinary tree, it sustains itself by capturing passing Digimon and draining their energy.

They're vampiric ambush predators that impersonate ordinary flora to snare their prey. Hahaha that's fun....

Three Woodmon advance on Ogremon; He knocks two of them back with a left hook, then bashes the third with his club.

Ogremon: My great self is not some girlish maid!

This line is difficult to translate. He seems to be saying "Ore-sama onna meido nai yo!" The subs translate this as "Don't underestimate my power" probably to avoid the obvious sexism in the line, but he is most certainly being sexist.

Ore-sama is easy. The -sama honorific is a highly respectful honorific applied to a venerable elder or superior. Applying it to a first-person pronoun like ore is one of the most Cocky Little Shit things you can say in Japanese. This is a popular choice for anime braggarts like Dragon Ball's Vegeta.

"Meido" is a maid. A female housekeeper. But just to make sure you know he's negatively comparing femininity to himself, he also says onna, which straightforwardly means "woman".

Punch, thwack, boast: I-sama am not a maid woman!

I'm not 100% but I'm fairly certain that's what he's saying.

One thing's for sure: Ogremon shit-talking women to brag about his strength isn't making it into the dub.

Ogremon: (rundown) Get away from me, you pile of Woodmon! I know your tricks! You pretend to be trees and then absorb the energy from unsuspecting Digimon as they pass by! (punch, thwack, boast) Ogremon: This is your last warning!

Punching them in the face is not a warning, Ogremon, but at least you aren't randomly denigrating women. Your Japanese counterpart somehow manages to be a Manosphere bro despite only having aesthetic gender.

I mean, he comes from the internet so that's fair. He learned it from watching us.

Also want to shout out the "I know your tricks!" bit. They somehow managed to make the diegetic rundown work despite Ogremon having no one to explain Woodmon to except Woodmon. Props for that.

Despite his bluster, though, Ogremon knows he's cooked. He can't win this fight.

Ogremon: (thinking) However, a swarm like this is too many for me to handle at once. I'll have to fend them off and keep running.

He throws his signature Haouken at the ones in front, knocking back three; The one in the center takes the hit so hard that chunks of wood break off of their face. Then he turns and starts running again, with the horde of Woodmon giving chase.

Dub Ogremon continues bragging.

Ogremon: How many Woodmon could an Ogremon chuck if an Ogremon could chuck Woodmon? PUMMEL WHACK!!! (Ogremon blasts them, then turns and runs) Ogremon: They sure run fast for tree stumps!

Bet you can't say that first line three times fast.

Cut to Mimi and Jou taking lunch in the woods. The Digimon are enjoying their food, but Mimi remains despondent.

Gomamon: (bites an apple) Mm, tasty tasty! Mimi: (quietly) Um, Jou-senpai? Jou: What? Mimi: I'm sorry for imposing my selfishness on you. Jou: What do you mean, selfishness? I don't think you're being selfish at all! I agree with what you said, Mimi-kun. Conflict is only good for creating further conflict. It does nothing to actually solve anything. But....

Jou looks up at the sky, seeing the Earth hanging above. A reminder of the instability threatening both worlds. The image of his brother Shin appears reflected in his glasses.

Jou: No, never mind. Gomamon: Jou? Jou: What? Gomamon: You should share with us if you have something to say. Jou: That's not always true, Gomamon. Even if you have something to say, sometimes it's best that you don't say it! Gomamon: Yeah, that's true. I suppose you might be right. No, you've gotta be! Jou: (pleased) You think so too, Gomamon?

Jou agrees with Mimi on principle but he's clearly worried about how those principles apply to their present situation in practice. However, he bites his tongue on the matter, feeling that there is nothing he can say at this time that would help.

In the dub:

Gomamon: (bite) This... good.... Mimi: Joe, can I tell you something? Joe: What? Mimi: I hope I wasn't too selfish for saying I didn't want to fight anymore. Joe: I don't think you were selfish. In fact, I think you were pretty brave. What you said was true; Fighting just leads to more fighting and then nothing ever gets resolved. My brother Jim used to say the same thing after he'd get beat up! (Joe looks up at the sky, thinking about Jim) Mimi: Joe? What is it, Joe? Joe: It's nothing. Never mind. Gomamon: Joe? Joe: What? Gomamon: Don't keep things bottled up inside. It's not healthy. Joe: Don't tell me about not being healthy! I've been not healthy my whole life so I'm an expert, and if I want to keep things bottled up, I will! Gomamon: Whoa! It looks like somebody needs a time out in the corner. I was just trying to lend a friendly ear! Joe: I know you were, Gomamon. Sorry, bud.

Everything through Joe's agreement with Mimi is played straight, but then things start to drift. The moment with Jim's reflection is recontextualized to be Joe nostalgically remembering him.

The follow-up with Gomamon still indicates that Joe's biting his tongue about something, but it's made more vague by giving Joe an unrelated reason to be thinking about Jim. Though I think what they're going for is that thinking about Jim made him worry for the Earth, rather than him looking at the Earth and thinking about Jim.

We lose Jou expressing his philosophy of social propriety; How small lies and omissions can maintain peace in social situations. Instead, the more high-strung Joe comically snaps at Gomamon in defense of unhealthy habits. Both of these do make sense for their separate takes on the character while still maintaining the core point that Jou/Joe has something he wants to say but won't.

Suddenly, a shadow falls over them. Something appears in the sky overhead.

Palmon: What is that!?

The darkness coalesces into a spherical object burning with the heat of atmospheric re-entry, plunging towards the Digital World.

Jou: That's a meteorite.... (Jou watches it fall) Jou: (alarmed) IT'S HEADING FOR US!!!

Meanwhile, the Woodmon horde chases Ogremon to the edge of a cliff.

Ogremon: This is bad.... I can't afford to die here! I can't die until I've defeated Leomon-- Huh!? (Ogremon spots the meteorite) Ogremon: W-WHAT IS THAT!?!?

The Woodmon scatter, but some are too late; The unpleasantly familiar looking ball of pipes and black scrap crashes down on top of the horde, killing many Woodmon and throwing Ogremon off the cliff from force of impact.

In the dub:

Palmon: What is that thing? Joe: It looks like a meteorite! (Joe watches it fall) Joe: LOOK OUT!!! IT'S COMING THIS WAY!!! (Meanwhile, on the cliff) Ogremon: I can't get rid of you guys! You're not trees, you're weeds! It can't all end like this; Not before I beat Leomon-- HUH!?!? (Ogremon spots the meteorite) Ogremon: What in the world!?

Faithful translation with a weed insult thrown at the Woodmon. The dub puts a commercial break here as we watch Ogremon plunge into the canyon. But then, so there's no confusion about what's happening in the next scene, it cuts together shots of Joe and Ogremon's reactions with the meteor landing again.

Joe: That thing is monstrous! Ogremon: It's heading right for us! (Meteor crashes and throws Ogremon into the chasm again)

Basically a Cliff's Notes version of the preceding scene.

Elsewhere in the woods, the meteor impact causes the ground to shake, which does not go unnoticed by Taichi's crew.

Taichi, Koushiro, Hikari, and Sora all grab onto trees to ride out the earthquake. Koromon, Tailmon, and Piyomon are all left to fend for themselves, but Takeru curls around Patamon and shields him on the ground.

Sora: An explosion!? (The shaking subsides) Taichi: W-What happened!? Koushiro: Was it an earthquake?

Tentomon flies down from the sky, having apparently gone to scout it out.

Tentomon: A meteorite! And a huge meteorite at that! It came crashing down nearby! Taichi: A meteorite? Sora: Let's not talk about the meteorite. We should get back on-topic.

Sora is aggressively disinterested in whatever that was. XD The remaining child soldiers in our nakama have important shit to discuss. We have, here in these woods, a fucker to assassinate.

Takeru: Right. I think we should go to Pinocchimon's mansion. Patamon: We can lead the way. Koushiro: Rather than waiting for him, we should make the first move and challenge him to fight. Tailmon: I agree. Besides, we don't have time to waste. If we don't hurry, it will be too late for both our world and yours. Hikari: Onii-chan, let's go! Taichi: Hm....

Taichi was gung-ho about charging straight into the lion's den a couple episodes ago, but recent experiences have made him reconsider the nature of valor. He hesitates, thinking things over.

Sora: H-Hold on a second, everyone! Pinocchimon is at Ultimate level, remember? He won't be an easy opponent for us to win against. Takeru: But we have to fight him eventually, don't we? Patamon: That's right!

While Taichi remains silent, Sora is badly outnumbered.

In the dub:

Sora: WHAT'S HAPPENING!?!? (The earthquake subsides) Tai: Was that some sort of explosion!? Izzy: An earthquake? Tentomon: (returning) A METEOR!!! And I mean a whopper! It just crashed in the forest! Tai: TOTALLY COOL!!! Let's go check it out! Sora: I don't know, Tai. It could be dangerous. T.K.: Yeah! Let's head over to Puppetmon's mansion instead!

Yeah, that sounds way less dangerous than the meteor. Sora funnily nipping this conversation in the bud gets replaced by Tai getting eagerly sidetracked before Sora killjoys his idea. T.K.'s response is ironic but I'm not sure if it's meant to be a deliberate joke as the irony goes unremarked upon.

On a pedantic note, Tentomon reports this incorrectly. The original correctly labels it inseki for "meteorite" rather than ryuusei for "meteor".

A meteor burns up in atmosphere; A meteorite is the chunk of a meteor that survives entering atmosphere and makes it all the way down. That shaking was the meteorite impacting the ground.

Patamon: We'll show you guys exactly where it is. Izzy: I suppose it's inevitable. He's one of the Dark Masters and we'll have to fight him sooner or later. Gatomon: Yeah, it's time somebody cut his strings instead of waiting around here! Let's take the fight to him for a change. If we don't hurry up, I'm afraid that both of our worlds will be destroyed! Kari: Let's do it, Tai! Tai: Hm.... (Tai considers) Sora: Wait a second, you guys! Let's think this over. Puppetmon is a Mega Digimon and we won't be able to defeat him that easily! T.K.: (sarcastic) Oh, in that case, let's give up and go watch cartoons! Patamon: Let's fight!

This part is a near-perfect translation. The one thing that sticks out to me is T.K.'s much more snippy response to Sora, which fits the general tone of the dub kids being meaner than their Japanese counterparts.

Now that we're at an impasse, Koushiro presents an idea.

Koushiro: Why don't we take a vote? Everyone who thinks we should go to Pinocchimon's mansion!

Koushiro, Hikari, and Takeru all raise their hands, while Sora and Taichi do not. Tentomon, Tailmon, Patamon, and Koromon all vote for going too; Koromon lacks hands, but his bunny ears go from folded down to straight up in the air, doing his best to make the voting gesture.

Though the vote clearly settles the matter numerically, Taichi's vote surprises everyone. He merely stands, arms folded, lost in thought.

Koushiro: (confused) Taichi-san? Sora: Taichi.... Taichi: (thinking) If Yamato were here, what would he do? What would he say? Takeru: Taichi-san? (Taichi opens his eyes and sees Takeru) Taichi: (thinking) If something were to happen to Takeru, how could I ever face Yamato? Hikari: Onii-chan? Tentomon: Are we going or not? Sora: (thinking) You won't go, Taichi? Taichi: Okay, I've got it! Let's scout the place out, then figure things out from there. Younger Kids: Yes! Takeru: This way, everyone!

Sora's hopes are dashed as Taichi does ultimately relent and go along with the group; Albeit not as gung-ho as he once was. Everyone leaves, following Takeru, except Sora who hesitates.

Taichi, realizing Sora's not with them, stops and turns back.

Taichi: Sora? Sora: There's no other choice. You've made your decision. Taichi: It's not what you think. If we walk into danger, Koromon and I will hold off the enemy. I want you to lead the rest to safety while we're distracting them. Sora: (surprised) Taichi! Taichi: I'm counting on you. Sora: Understood.

Now that he doesn't have Yamato to balance him out and has undergone tremendous character growth in the last couple episodes, Taichi is being uncharacteristically cautious. His plan is as he said. They'll go to Pinocchimon's mansion but they won't go in guns blazing; He wants to case the place and find out what the situation is before committing their forces to a battle they may not win.'

And he has a withdrawal plan already mapped out in his head. He's being careful about how he approaches this, in a way we've never seen from Taichi before.

In the dub:

Izzy: The only fair thing to do is to take a vote. All those in favor of going to Puppetmon's mansion, raise your hand and say 'aye'. (The kids and Digimon vote) Izzy: The 'ayes' have it! Sora: Tai, you didn't vote! Tai: (thinking) I wonder how Matt would vote? Knowing him, he'd probably go the safe route. T.K.: So Tai, what do you think? Tai: (thinking) And what about T.K.? With Matt not here, it's my job to make sure nothing happens to him. Hikari: What should we do, Tai? Tai: Well, uh.... Tentomon: We're waiting for an answer! Sora: (thinking) After all we've been through, he can't really be thinking about going.... Tai: Alright, we're going. Just to take a look around, but we don't necessarily have to start any trouble. Younger Kids: ALRIGHT!!! T.K.: It's this way, guys! (Everyone runs off except Sora) Tai: Sora? Sora: I'll go along with your decision but I'm still not sure it's safe. Tai: I know it's dangerous, Sora. And we're not looking for trouble. But if anything happens, Koromon and I will hold off Puppetmon while you take the others and escape. I won't let anything happen to you. Sora: You mean it? Tai: Of course I do! Sora: Okay, then.

I'd say this is about 95% correct. Sora's line "Tai, you didn't vote," is a little off. We held a single binary vote; Raise your arm to go, don't raise your arm to not go. By not raising his arm, Tai implicitly voted against going. You can't abstain when the options are Yes or Not Yes.

That last bit in Tai and Sora's exchange, where "I'm counting on you" is replaced by "I won't let anything happen to you," also bothers me.

The plan is the same in both versions. If things go south, Taichi and Koromon will offer themselves up to hold the line while Sora takes the rest of the team and retreats. But these lines alter the tone of how Tai presents it.

Taichi assuages her concerns by treating her as an equal and valuable contributor to this plan, while Tai assuages her concerns by promising to be her knight in shining armor - in the process implying that Sora was only concerned about her personal safety, as her worries relent as soon as he promises to protect her.

This, combined with the earlier "The meteor could be dangerous" altered dialogue makes Sora come off weaker and more cowardly than her original counterpart.

Though Taichi's group was disinterested in it, we turn our attention back to the crater as something begins to emerge. It can't be. It can't possibly....

WHO'S THE STRONGEST IN THE WOOOOOOOOOORLD!?

KING OF DIGIMON!!!

This would be a fantastic twist if both titles didn't spoil the shit out of it.

The emergence of the new and improved Etemon goes without dialogue in the original. The dub, eager to hear their most famous vocal performance again, has him narrate to nobody in particular.

MetalEtemon: Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Get ready for the comeback tour of the year! Baby, I'm BACK!!! Uh-huh-huh, YEAH!!!

Jou and Mimi make for the cliffside, interested in the meteorite.

Jou: Over there! The meteorite fell on top of that cliff! Mimi: But where did it come from? Palmon: Maybe from Earth? Jou: Eh!?

That's a good question, honestly. The conditions that would produce a meteorite aren't exactly applicable with the two worlds in dimensional flux above one another like this. Mimi points out a good reason to find this sudden meteorite suspicious as hell, though she doesn't take that to its logical conclusion.

Suddenly, Gomamon starts sniffing the ground.

Gomamon: Huh? Palmon: What's wrong? Gomamon: I smell something. Over there!

Gomamon and Palmon run into the woods, with a startled Jou and Mimi chasing after.

Jou: W-Wait! Mimi: That's dangerous! It might be a trap!

They come upon a large green figure unconscious on the ground, buried under broken tree branches. The group collectively gasps at the sight.

Gomamon: There's someone on the ground! Palmon: How did this happen!? (Palmon runs towards the figure) Palmon: Are you okay!? Hang in there!

Palmon sweeps the debris aside, revealing Ogremon badly hurt. His body is covered in scrapes and scuffs, and a trickle of blood is running down his forehead. Palmon jumps back when she realizes who she's uncovered.

Palmon: AH!!! It's Ogremon! He's not moving! He might be dead!

Obviously not because he would have turned to pixel dust, but as if on cue, Ogremon starts to move. He tries to get up, holding his shoulder in pain and causing everyone to shriek and step back from him. But he can't do more than that before he collapses back down.

In the dub, they're still calling it the wrong thing.

Joe: Look! There it is! The meteor landed up on that cliff! Mimi: I wonder where on Earth it could have come from? Palmon: Probably L.A.!

Joe makes no sound in response to Palmon's quip. He's still staring at her slack-jawed when we cut back to the wide shot of the group, but nothing draws your attention to it so it's easy to miss.

I think Palmon's quip is meant to be a joke about Elvis having homes in L.A. I disagree, though; That meteor clearly came from Memphis, Tennessee.

Gomamon: Huh? Palmon: What? Gomamon: I smell something... from over there! (The Digimon run off, as their human partners give chase) Joe: WAIT!!! Mimi: HEY!!! Not so fast; I might sweat! Palmon: And I keep tripping on my roots!

Mimi's concern is changed from fear for the Digimon's safety to disdain for physical exercise. Palmon's given a line to join Mimi in whining despite the fact that she and Gomamon are neck-and-neck, sprinting side by side with no evidence of any such tripping.

Palmon: I think someone's hurt. Gomamon: Hang in there, we're coming! Palmon: We've gotta get these branches off of him. (Palmon removes the debris from Ogremon) Palmon: Ogremon! Yikes! We'd better get out of here before he wakes up!

For more mismatched choreography to dub dialogue, they have Gomamon shout "We're coming!" before a scene where only Palmon rushes over to help.

Now, you may be wondering how the censors will approach removing the blood from Ogremon's face. I was wondering that too. And the answer is that they don't.

Yeah. Ogremon's clear, visible blood trail running down his face is allowed in. That made it past the censors. They do, however, cut the part of Palmon's line where she wonders if Ogremon's dead.

Though the sight of Ogremon in front of them is startling for everyone, Mimi only has one thing on her mind.

Mimi: He looks hurt.... Gomamon: Hey, what should we do? Jou: We'll be in big trouble if he attacks us again like on File Island. It's best if we ignore him.

No sooner are those words out of Jou's mouth than Mimi shoves past Jou to get to Ogremon.

Jou: Ah! Mimi-kun! What are you doing!?

Mimi kneels down beside Ogremon with a cloth in hand, reaching out to wipe the blood from his face.

Mimi: That's a terrible wound....

Ogremon groans and stirs, forcing Mimi to stand back up and take a step back for safety. He rouses, opening his eyes and seeing Mimi there.

Ogremon: Y-You... Chosen Child! Mimi: Stop it! Don't move or you'll open your wounds!

She kneels back down, resuming her work.

Mimi: Palmon, find medicinal herbs! Gomamon, go find water! Digimon: Right! (exit) Mimi: Jou-senpai-- Jou: I got it. I can treat his wounds. I am the son of a doctor, after all. Ogremon: Y-You.... (tries to move, then collapses) Mimi: Stay still! Ogremon: ...yes, ma'am.

Also try not to make sexist comments while you're at it. Your continued existence is in Mimi's hands right now. I hope you're grateful.

In the dub:

Mimi: It looks like he's hurt.... Palmon: Good! Then he won't be able to chase us! Joe: Remember him from File Island? He was meaner than a cat giving a bath! Let's pretend like we never found him. (Mimi shoves past Joe) Joe: Hey! Mimi! What are you doing!?

The language is snippier, but fair given the circumstances. I like this interpretation.

(Mimi kneels down to tend to Ogremon's wounds) Mimi: This cut looks bad-- Ogremon: Grrrghh.... Mimi: Oh! (Mimi jerks back) Ogremon: ...you're the DigiDestined. Mimi: Well, I guess you don't have amnesia but try not to move anyway, okay? (Mimi kneels back down to wipe away the blood) Mimi: Palmon, go look for some healing herbs, and Gomamon, see if you can find some water. Digimon: Right! (exit) Mimi: Now, Joe, I want you to-- Joe: I know. My father's a doctor and he taught me a lot; I used to practice on my toys. Ogremon: TOYS!?!? (tries to move, then collapses) Mimi: I told you not to move! Ogremon: ...okay....

The toys bit got me. XD Not just Ogremon's hilarious reaction, but the mental image it conjures of Chibi Jou/Joe doing play-surgery on little plastic Gundams and Astro Boys is perfect characterization.

The dub handles this scene beautifully, covering every detail while putting it in their own voice. No notes.

Working together, Mimi and Jou render medical aid to Ogremon.

Ogremon: Agh! THAT HURTS!!! Mimi: These herbs must sting a lot. Jou: Your arm might be broken, so I'm putting it in a sling.

Jou reaches into his duffel bag and pulls out a roll of toilet paper from his supplies.

Jou: Um... I guess this will work. Mimi: Why toilet paper? Jou: (wrapping the sling) I'm substituting it for bandages. Before we returned to this world, I thought I should bring stuff that would be useful to us. This was all I could think of, though. But when you use it like this....

Jou manages to make a functioning sling out of it.

Jou: There! That's a big help, isn't it? (pats Ogremon's arm) Ogremon: OW!!! Mimi: Ehehe! Jou-senpai is so smart! Ogremon: Why? Why are you helping me? I tried to kill you all on File Island. No one would be surprised if you decided to kill me right here and now. Mimi: Again? Killing this and killing that.... Don't you have any more tasteful words? Ogremon: More tasteful...? U-U-Um-I-- (stands up) Mimi: If you push yourself too hard, you might start crying. Well, take care of yourself.

Ogremon doesn't mince words here, using the vulgar term korosu which means, unambiguously, to kill. As a reminder, during the arc itself, the show favored the milder taosu verb for "defeating" them. Like Pinocchimon, he's using harsher language now that the show shied away from in earlier arcs.

Mimi's response here connects back to her emotional state she's been in since the graves. She is so done with all of this violence. Ogremon asks why they didn't kill him and Mimi's response is basically "OH MY GAWD Why does everything have to be about killing!?"

Her reaction is pretty similar to her "Fighting and fighting, and what do we get out of it!?" meltdown over Taichi and Yamato's pointless fistfight. Everyone around her seems to default to violence, and she's done with it.

It's a scolding that leaves Ogremon, a mon who prides himself on being the Vegeta to Leomon's Goku, at a loss for words.

In the dub:

Ogremon: Ow! That stuff hurts! Be careful! Mimi: Big baby! Don't you want to get better? Joe: It looks like his arm might be broken. We're going to have to put it in a sling. (Joe rifles through his duffle) Joe: Oooh, toilet paper! Mimi: Do you have to do that now? Joe: Really, Mimi? I'm using it as bandages! Before we came back to the Digital World, I thought of things we might need and toilet paper was the first thing that came to my mind! (Joe wraps Ogremon's arm) Joe: There! Just about finished here. Well? Ogremon: Feels soft! It must be two-ply. Joe: Lay off the Digivolving for a few days and you'll be as good as new! (pats Ogremon's arm) Ogremon: OW!!! Mimi: Joe, I never knew you were so resourceful!

This bit goes strong. It's faithfully translated, but they make room for a silly gag where Mimi, quite reasonably, misunderstands the purpose of the toilet paper.

"Lay off the Digivolving for a few days" is an odd instruction to give a non-Partnered Digimon, however. Ogremon evolving into an Andromon would be a great benefit. Though, let's be real, he's probably lost too many fights with Leomon to ever be eligible for Ultimate Digivolution.

Ogremon: Why are you DigiDestined being so nice to me? Especially after the way I tried to destroy you on File Island? You could have left me here to rot but instead you saved me; Why? Mimi: Well, we were taught that if someone's in trouble, you always help them out. That means, even if they were trying to pummel you into oblivion. Ogremon: Gee, I never thought of it that way. Mimi: Don't mention it. Besides, that's what friends do; They help each other out. Joe: Bye!

Here, the dub falters. They shy away from Mimi's scolding over Ogremon's violent language. This costs both Mimi and Ogremon a great moment for their individual characterizations; Instead we get drama-free generic moral thoughtfulness.

All we get from this is that Mimi is a kind person who was raised well, and Ogremon doesn't understand kindness.

As Mimi and Jou turn to walk away, Ogremon continues tripping over his words until he finally finds something tasteful enough to say to Mimi.

Ogremon: W-WAIT!!! Th... Th... Thank you!

Mimi's face brightens considerably when she hears those words. She turns back around.

Mimi: You're welcome.

Ogremon's eyes fill with tears.

Gomamon: Ogremon is crying! Jou: These must be tears from a demon's eyes! Ogremon: (wipes his eyes) I just have dirt in my eyes!

Jou here references a Japanese expression: 鬼の目にも涙 Oni no me ni mo namida, or "Tears from a demon's eyes". It means that even the hardest and cruelest hearts can be brought to tears.

This sub translates it as "crocodile tears" which is a terrible translation; Crocodile tears means he's faking it, only pretending to cry in order to elicit undeserved sympathy. Wildly different meaning, and an accusation that utterly shatters the tone of this scene. That's a rolled-up newspaper thwack.

The dub builds on the "what friends do" bit for their version of this scene.

Ogremon: Wait, don't leave now! I... never had any friends.... Mimi: Ah! Well, you have them now. (Ogremon cries) Gomamon: I've never seen Ogremon cry before! Joe: Don't tell me you need more toilet paper to blow your nose. Ogremon: (wipes his eyes) It's alright; I'll just use my sleeve.

Suddenly, an ominous voice calls down from the trees.

Pinocchimon sings the same haunting tune he sang when he was creeping up on Takeru earlier.

Pinocchimon: (singsong) Let's pla~ay! Let's pla~ay! Let's pla~ay Riddles! Jou: PINOCCHIMON!!! Gomamon: What do you mean, "Riddles"? Pinocchimon: What is the thing that I'm missing? Gomamon: What are you missing? Pinocchimon: Hurry up and tell me!

Pinocchimon's had time to consider what Jureimon was trying to tell him, before he lost his temper and killed him. But the only person who knows what Jureimon meant is now dead.

When Gomamon can't answer in time, Pinocchimon lets off a volley from his Bullet Hammer. Gomamon scrambles out of the bullets' path.

Pinocchimon: If you can't answer my riddle, I'll kill you. Palmon: Mimi, I have to evolve! Mimi: But....

Visions of Togemon being brutally killed by Pinocchimon's Bullet Hammer run through Mimi's head.

(Probably accurate. Pinocchimon is above even Lilimon's weight class.)

Mimi: (thinking) I can't... If Togemon were killed....

Mimi is paralyzed by her trauma.

In the dub, Puppetmon doesn't sing his haunting song; He simply calls down from the tree about Ogremon wiping his eyes.

Puppetmon: That's gotta hurt with all those spikes! Mimi: Huh!? Puppetmon: Here's a riddle: What has four strings and is made of wood? Mimi & Joe: PUPPETMON!?!? Puppetmon: No! A violin! But that's a good guess; I guess you guys aren't music-lovers. Gomamon: No, it's YOU we don't like! Puppetmon: Yeah? Do you like this? (Puppetmon sprays Bullet Hammer projectiles at Gomamon) Puppetmon: I can also play a really mean saxophone. Palmon: I've gotta Digivolve! Mimi: But... (Mimi pictures Togemon dying) Mimi: (thinking) Oh no... What if Togemon gets hurt during the fight...?

The decision made two episodes ago to swap out "Those children have something that you lack" for "Those children might be stronger than you" means the foundation for this scene hasn't been laid in the dub. Instead, this scene gets played as a straightforward Combat Encounter. Puppetmon shows up, is menacing, and then starts shooting.

Though Mimi is paralyzed by her fear for Palmon's safety, Jou has no such reservation.

Jou: Gomamon, evolve! Gomamon: On it!

In the dub:

Joe: Gomamon, Digivolve! Gomamon: Right!

Ikakkumon makes one overly optimistic attempt to fire on Pinocchimon, launching a Harpoon Vulcan at the tree branch he's standing on. It destroys the branch, but Pinocchimon hops over the blast with no difficulty whatsoever because of course he does.

The blast destroys the tree. Pinocchimon lands on the stump, giggling at Jou. Time to kick things up a notch with Super-Evolution!

It does not go well. Pinocchimon and Zudomon clap their Bullet Hammer and Hammer Spark together in a contest of pure, raw strength. A contest that Zudomon loses, sending the Thor Hammer flying from his hand.

Flames erupt from the force of Pinocchimon's Bullet Hammer, engulfing Zudomon and one-shotting him. He falls on his back, then degenerates into an unconscious Gomamon.

All of this action passes by without a single added line of dialogue by the dug.

With Gomamon defeated, Pinocchimon raises his Bullet Hammer menacingly.

Pinocchimon: I'm not hearing an answer! Guess I'll have to kill ya-- Out of Nowhere: (Tarzan roar)

In an ironic twist, it's now an ominous menacing voice in the distance haunting Pinocchimon.

Swinging from a vine, MetalEtemon arrives on the swinging, leaping to a tree branch and flexing his muscles for the crowd.

Pinocchimon: Who are you!? MetalEtemon: Don't you know a superstar when you see one? (MetalEtemon starts clapping feverishly) MetalEtemon: Now, applaud! Applaud! (He stops suddenly, getting serious) MetalEtemon: Long time no see, Chosen Children. Jou: YOU'RE ETEMON!!!

Maybe Dub Sora was right; That meteor(ite) was pretty dangerous after all. Following this revelation, the original takes its commercial break.

In the dub, as before, this remains an ordinary combat encounter with no greater meaning for Puppetmon's character journey.

Puppetmon: Don't tell me playtime's over! Out of Nowhere: (Tarzan yell) (Puppetmon looks around for the swinging MetalEtemon) Puppetmon: Alright already! (MetalEtemon lands) MetalEtemon: Get Digi with it; MetalEtemon's in da house!

The dub puts its commercial break here, at MetalEtemon's reveal and tone-setting Will Smith reference. The King of Digimon is back, in more ways than one, and appropriately enough he is stealing from black artists.

Then we pick up right where we left off after the commercials.

Pinocchimon: Who's that guy!? (MetalEtemon starts clapping feverishly) MetalEtemon: A superstar like me deserves a little applause, bay-beh! (He stops suddenly, getting serious) MetalEtemon: After all, it's been so long since we've seen each other! Joe: Oh no, it's Etemon!

As we return from the original's commercial break, the new and improved Etemon makes his official debut.

MetalEtemon: Etemon is old news. I've been reborn as the new and improved MetalEtemon!

MetalEtemon is an Ultimate-stage Virus-type Cyborg Digimon. Despite clearly being meant to be evolved from Etemon, he debuted as a Nature Spirit - the first V-Pet to allow Ultimate evolutions, and one that did not include standard Etemon in its roster. Instead, he was an evolution for Okuwamon, the Perfect form of Kuwagamon, and TonosamaGekomon. Weird.

But subsequent appearances in video games and the like have shored him up as Etemon's Ultimate evolution.

Fun note: The kanji on his chest are 最強. The 最 kanji is sai, meaning the highest, most supreme, most ultimate of whatever the other word is. This is being used to modify 強 kyou, which means strength.

Yes, as part of his Ultimate evolution, Mr. Konoyo de Saikyou/Strongest in the Living World fucking got the word Saikyou tattooed on his chest. He certainly does not lack for confidence.

(He also swapped out his Monzaemon doll for a WaruMonzaemon doll, which is the same level as Monzaemon but from a different evolution tree.)

Narrator: MetalEtemon. The Ultimate-stage Digimon that evolves from the Perfect-stage Etemon. His special attack is Banana Slip!

The rundown tells us absolutely nothing interesting about MetalEtemon whatsoever. 0/10 on the rundown scale.

In the dub:

MetalEtemon: I used to be Etemon, kid, but that was a long time ago! Now, I'm MetalEtemon! Thank you; Thank you very much! Gomamon: We thought Etemon was tough! MetalEtemon's a Mega Digimon! After his Banana Slip attack, you'll have to peel us off the floor!

The dub's rundown is as useless as the original's. I award them both no points.

The Digimon, of course, have so many questions about this turn of events.

Palmon: I thought you died! How did you come back!? MetalEtemon: I'm glad you asked!

Conjuring a presumably metaphorical Etemon band to back him up, MetalEtemon starts singing his tale.

MetalEtemon: (singing) It's a tale that makes both its listeners and storyteller weep with emotion~! MetalEtemon: After my battle with MetalGreymon, you all know I was pulled into a Black Hole, yes? Within the Hell of that dark world, my body was destroyed and regenerated over and over again. But I refused to die, and I survived! Do you know why? Because the only thing on my mind was getting revenge against the Chosen Children for making me suffer like this!

The singularity that sent Taichi and Agumon home was apparently a horrific experience for MetalEtemon. He calls it Jigoku no ankoku sekai, using "Hell" as a modifier for "the dark world". He didn't literally go to Hell but is equating the dark world inside the singularity to being like Hell.

MetalEtemon: Then I was reborn into MetalEtemon! Today, I have returned to this world! MetalEtemon: (singing) All so I can get my revenge on you~! Understand? It's the Pent-up Resentment and Revenge BLUUUUUES!!!

In the dub, nobody asks about MetalEtemon's survival; He volunteers this story of his own volition. That's fair; I'm sure he's been chomping at the bit to tell it and would have explained himself either way.

Palmon: Just what we need; New and unimproved! MetalEtemon: Well, let me tell you how I became 'me'! MetalEtemon: (singing) So here's what transpired / When Etemon expired / Listen up, bay-beh! MetalEtemon: I'm sure you all remember the battle I had with MetalGreymon! I tell ya, he's one tough dinosaur, honey! After that, I was swallowed up by a black hole; I think I gave it indigestion! My digital information was scattered throughout the universe! I pulled myself together and chilled out for a while in Digimon Limbo. My information was chopped, mixed, whipped, and pureed! I felt like a four-speed blender, honey! But I refused to return to the Digital World until I was bigger, badder, and had a full head of beautiful metal hair!

MetalEtemon's origin is wildly different in the dub. The black hole scattered his data around the universe, which... is the opposite of what a black hole does, but okay. Then he reassembled himself by sheer force of will and, on purpose, entered Digimon Limbo. Which. Is apparently a thing that exists; He drops that with zero explanation.

Digimon Limbo is a nightmare place that ripped him apart bit by bit, but he went in there voluntarily as a sort of extreme shonen training to turn himself into MetalEtemon. Now his super-training is complete, and he's popped out to get his vengeance.

So, basically, Japanese MetalEtemon is Jason Voorhees clawing back from the edge of death for another go, while American MetalEtemon is Golden Frieza. That's. Kind of amazing.

Also, "Here's what transpired / When Etemon expired" is beautiful lyricism.

MetalEtemon: Now I'm back to get my revenge on YOU, DigiDestined! MetalEtemon: (singing) I got the low-down, dirty, revengeful / YOWWW / I'm talking... / Big-time DigiDestined bluuuuuuues!

One way or another, Etemon is going to be like Vamdemon; This isn't over until we see the dust of his pixels.

...

._. Mimi-chan, I apologize for my tasteless words.

As MetalEtemon concludes his lyrical recap, we come back to see that the children have plugged their ears and listened to none of his backstory crooning.

Pinocchimon: (relieved) It's over.... MetalEtemon: There's more where that came from, little boy. Pinocchimon: DID YOU SAY 'LITTLE BOY'!?!? MetalEtemon: BANANA SLIP!!!

A furious Pinocchimon charges MetalEtemon, walking right into his trap. MetalEtemon hits him with Banana Slip. It's. Um. It's literally throwing a banana peel under his foot so that he slips and falls on his ass.

MetalEtemon: What's wrong, little boy? Pinocchimon: STOP SAYING 'LITTLE BOY'!!!

Sitting up, Pinocchimon swipes with his Bullet Hammer, striking MetalEtemon in his metal shin and leaving a surprisingly painful-looking red bruise. MetalEtemon yelps in pain, grabbing his leg and hopping on one foot.

The dub plays this as Puppetmon interrupting the concert. Consequently, he's the aggressor here rather than MetalEtemon being the one antagonizing him.

Puppetmon: Enough! MetalEtemon: I just got started, you oversized footstool! Puppetmon: WHO YOU CALLIN' OVERSIZED!?!? MetalEtemon: Watch your step! BANANA SLIP!!! (Puppetmon charges in and trips on the banana peel) MetalEtemon: Too much of a waxy build-up? Uh-huh-huh! Puppetmon: (sits up) PUPPET PUMMEL!!! (swipe)

The dub cuts the shot of Puppetmon's hammer impacting MetalEtemon's shin. We get a white flash and cut straight to him bouncing on one leg, nursing the wound.

Once again, we lose characterization details on Pinocchimon here. In the original, MetalEtemon goads him into a fight by infantilizing him. Pinocchimon falls for his provocations hook, line, and sinker because he's sensitive about his genuine childishness.

For Puppetmon, this remains a standard combat encounter with no particular character nuances. What we get instead are jokes, which fit in well to a combat encounter involving slipping on a banana peel. This is already a comical fight, so the quips fit in nicely with the tone.

Puppetmon does the classic "Objecting to the wrong part of your insult" bit, which I admit got me. XD

Not sure what the "waxy build-up" crack is supposed to mean, however.

Still, I do prefer the original because I'll always take character nuance over quipping.

And on that note, this goofball fight continues.

MetalEtemon: HOW DARE YOU!?

MetalEtemon bounces on one foot, nursing his injured leg, then suddenly lunges for Pinocchimon. Pinocchimon sidesteps the lunge; Then, while MetalEtemon's on the ground, Pinocchimon calls Drill Nose.

Pinocchimon's nose spins like a drill and he stabs it into MetalEtemon's ass cheek. This proves to be a mistake, as it sets him up for MetalEtemon's counter-move Hekoki Attack. Which. Um.

Hekoki means "fart". MetalEtemon farts in Pinocchimon's face. Brief cut to Mimi, Jou, and Ogremon all plugging their noses to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

What a dignified clash of Ultimate powers, the most ultra-rare and supreme Digimon in all existence, we have had here today. It goes to show that no matter how high the Power Levels may become, there's a limit to how serious a fistfight between a small child and a bag of poop wearing sunglasses can be.

Pinocchimon recovers, unloading his Bullet Hammer's rapid-fire bullets. MetalEtemon blocks them all with his hand, then calls a left hook to the face as Number One Punch.

Pinocchimon: (pained) You've done it now! MetalEtemon: Children should behave like children.

That remark provokes a point-blank Bullet Hammer, as Pinocchimon slams his hammer into the ground and showers MetalEtemon in gunspray. MetalEtemon pulls back and blocks when he sees Pinocchimon telegraph the swing.

While this is going on, Jou snaps into Senpai mode. He grabs Mimi and starts pushing her away from the fight.

Mimi: NYAAAGH!!! Jou: Run while they're distracted! Ogremon: Good idea!

The children and their new pal quickly exit the fight. Meanwhile, Pinocchimon makes funny faces to bait MetalEtemon into punching a tree, which breaks and falls on him. He's crushed under the tree with a comical yelp.

(The best hit Pinocchimon scored all fight was by tricking MetalEtemon into hitting himself.)

In the dub:

MetalEtemon: Ow! I'll use you as a toothpick!

The dub cuts the Drill Nose/Hekoki Attack exchange. We go straight from Puppetmon dodging MetalEtemon's tackle to MetalEtemon firing a spray of bullets from his Bullet Hammer, which MetalEtemon blocks with his palm.

They keep Number One Punch, even showing the moment his fist slams into Pinocchimon's face. Surprising, given that they cut the impact from Pinocchimon hitting MetalEtemon's shin earlier. However, they rename it Metal Punch.

Puppetmon: Ow! You fight dirty! MetalEtemon: I'm not dirty; I just got detailed at the car wash yesterday! (Puppetmon blasts MetalEtemon; Joe starts pushing Mimi) Mimi: AUGH!!! Joe: Now's our chance to escape!

Ogremon has no line in this version; He silently follows the escaping kids.

Again, they took out the part where MetalEtemon goads and provokes Pinocchimon by infantilizing him and replaced it with a genuinely funny quip.

While all this is going on, Taichi's team have reached Pinocchimon's mansion. Taichi scouts the front with his mini telescope.

Taichi: So that's Pinocchimon's mansion. He has two guards.

Though Taichi can't see the two guards in any detail, he - in a clever moment of Understanding The Rules - recognizes that this is good enough to register them in his Pokedex. He snatches his Digivice out of his pocket and passes it off to Koushiro.

Taichi: Look them up. Koushiro: Okay.

The two guards are the pair of Digimon that watched Takeru escape the mansion a couple episodes ago: Floramon and Delumon.

Floramon is a Child-stage Data-type Plant Digimon from the Wind Guardians lineup. They're what evolves into Woodmon and Kiwimon.

Delumon is a Perfect-stage Data-type Bird Digimon, also from Wind Guardians. Their name is derived from the english word "Deluxe" due to their fancy appearance as a distinguished bird. However, due to common anime translation confusion relating to the letters 'l' and 'r', this gets mistranslated in the dub as "Deramon".

Delumon can evolve from any Wind Guardian adult but most fits as the evolved form of Kiwimon.

Narrator: Floramon. A plant-type Digimon that evolved in a reptilian shape. Their special attack is Allergy Shower. Koushiro: The other one is.... Narrator: Delumon. At first glance, they may look like a bird, but they're actually a strange Digimon with vegetation growing out of their back. Their special attack is Royal Nuts!

I'm going to need us all to try and be as mature as we possibly can about Delumon's Royal Nuts.

(Hahaha XD I told y'all they fit best as Kiwimon's evo.)

That one unsettles Taichi.

Taichi: That one's Perfect-stage? Koushiro: (returns Taichi's Digivice) Yes. Tentomon: They shouldn't be a problem, though. Let's go in, everyone!

Tentomon flies over to where Hikari, Takeru, and the Digimon are waiting, but Taichi calls after them before they can set out.

Taichi: Hang on! There might be more of them inside. I'm going to go in and scout ahead; The rest of you hang back here. Takeru: Then I should come with you. Patamon and I are the only ones who know the layout. Patamon: Mhm! Taichi: (reluctant) That might help.... Takeru: Are you going to treat me like a little kid? Taichi: No.... Hikari: Let's go together, Onii-chan. Koushiro: I agree with Hikari-san! It won't be scary if we all go together! Koromon: What do you say, Taichi? Taichi: Very well. Let's go, everyone!

Taichi still trying to figure out how to be responsible for these younger kids without Yamato or Jou here, without giving into the bad kind of courage. But they twist his arm and get him to go along with the majority vote.

In the dub:

Tai: So that's Puppetmon's mansion, huh? There are two guards! (Tai hands over his Digivice) Tai: See who they are. Izzy: Analyzing. Izzy: (rundown) One of them is Floramon. She's a Plant type Digimon who Digivolves like a reptile. Her attack is Rain of Pollen. Izzy: And the other guard is.... Izzy: (rundown) Deramon. At first glance, it looks like Bird-type Digimon but it's actually got a plant growing out of its back! Prodigious!

Izzy does his best to translate the rundowns faithfully but makes one easy mistake: He says that Floramon Digivolves like a reptile, future tense, implying that her future evolutions are going to be reptilian in nature.

There's only one reptilian evolution line in the Wind Guardians and it is, ironically, one of only two Floramon can't evolve into. Plants and birds make up most of this evolution tree.

She evolved like a reptile, past tense. Floramon is a lizard made of plant matter.

Tai: So they're not Ultimate Digimon, right? Izzy: Right. Tentomon: Nonetheless, we should be careful! They could be quite dangerous! Shall we go?

Izzy then concludes the rundown by reminding us of how constantly wrong he is. Tai asks for confirmation that they are not "Ultimate", which in the dub is Perfect, and Izzy lies to his face about it. Deramon is, in fact, an Ultimate Digimon.

Tentomon promptly flips the script from being gung-ho about fighting despite the enemy having a Perfect to being cautious and nervous about fighting despite the enemy allegedly having nothing of such high level.

Once Izzy's done being pseudointellectually wrong about facts he is actively looking up as he says them, this next part is basically perfect.

Tai: Wait! There might be more guards inside! I'll go inside and make sure the coast is clear; You guys wait here until I get back. T.K.: Tai, I think Patamon and I should go with you. After all, we're the only ones who know where everything is inside there. Patamon: Right! Tai: Sorry, it might be dangerous... T.K.: Come on, Tai! Don't treat me like a little kid! Tai: That's not it. Kari: What if we go together? As a team? Izzy: I vote with Kari! There's nothing to be afraid of if we all go together! Koromon: What do we do, Tai? You decide? Tai: Alright, everyone! We're going! Follow me!

Cutting back to the Ultimate Clash of Ultimate Powers, we find MetalEtemon slapping himself in the face over and over.

MetalEtemon: (smack) What! (smack) Is this! (smack) Ouch! OW OW OW OW OWWWWW!!!

Zooming out, we see MetalEtemon wriggling on strings, puppeteered by Pinocchimon above him.

Pinocchimon: Ahahahaha! Again! MetalEtemon: Augh! Stop it!

Pinocchimon uses the strings to flop MetalEtemon over onto his back, and then forces him to tickle himself.

MetalEtemon: That tickles! Ahahahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Pinocchimon: Now to deal with the children--HUH!?!? THEY'RE GONE!!!

Huge success for Jou's plan of, uh, turning around and walking away.

I've noticed this before but it's especially noticeable here: The dub, as usual, makes dissimilar sound effect choices to the original. In the original, every time MetalEtemon hits himself, such as his earlier clapping or slapping his own face here, the impacts make a metallic clanging sound. This reinforces that he's, y'know, coated in metal from head to toe.

The dub opts for ordinary flesh slapping sounds, which makes it sound like he's just painted silver rather than made of metal.

MetalEtemon: (slap) Ow! (slap) Ow! (slap) OW! Hey! Cut it out! Puppetmon: Nahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!!! (Puppetmon makes MetalEtemon tickle himself) MetalEtemon: Hey, quit it! I hate tickling! Come on! Puppetmon: Now I can finally take care of those kids! HMM!?!? THEY'RE GONE!!!

Faithful translation.

While Pinocchimon's distracted, MetalEtemon rips himself free of the marionette strings. Once he hears Pinocchimon's words, however, he whips around in fury.

MetalEtemon: NGGGH!!! WHAT WAS THAT!?!? Pinocchimon: This is your fault! MetalEtemon: No, it's yours!

This is MetalEtemon's fault. Pinocchimon had dibs on the basis of First Come First Served and was about to start killing when MetalEtemon interrupted.

Jury finds in favor of the sad little puppet boy and orders Titanium Elvis to surrender two children in compensation plus another half of a child in emotional damages.

MetalEtemon lunges furiously for the tree branch Pinocchimon's standing on. Pinocchimon hops over his lunge, then kicks him in the back and uses him as a springboard to get moving into the forest. MetalEtemon slams facefirst into the tree while Pinocchimon heads off into the woods.

Pinocchimon: I quit! MetalEtemon: (grumbling) What's with you? Pinocchimon: Got bored. Going home. MetalEtemon: Crude little brat. But at least he's not around to get in my way anymore. Just you wait, Chosen Children! You'll regret making light of me!

In an ironic twist, Pinocchimon is the one who shows maturity and realizes how pointless this is. And MetalEtemon didn't even need a higher being to come make him do backstory homework before agreeing to let him go! Such maturity.

In the dub, MetalEtemon is the one who starts the blame game.

MetalEtemon: It's your fault, you piece of rotted driftwood! Puppetmon: You recycled tin can! MetalEtemon: Big, dumb knothole! (MetalEtemon lunges; Puppetmon kicks off his back and starts to walk away) MetalEtemon: Hey! Where ya goin'!? Puppetmon: Home! You're lousy at name-calling! MetalEtemon: Oh yeah!? Well, I'm metal and you're wood! Whatever you say bounces off me and splits you in half! ...Who needs him anyway? I can find those DigiDestined myself; After all, I am the ultimate metal detector.

Lots of material composition jokes in this exchange. The "I'm metal and you're wood" bit got me. XD

The dub version seems to be implying that MetalEtemon had been trying to team up with Puppetmon this whole time? Weird way to go about it.

Back at the mansion, Koromon evolves to Agumon and the children ambush Pinocchimon's guards.

Suddenly rushing them without warning, Tentomon nails Floramon with his Petit Thunder while Agumon lobs a Baby Flame at Delumon.

(Weird choice to come at them at Child stage after Koushiro specifically analyzed and confirmed that Delumon is Perfect. Weirder is that Delumon looks more ruffled by their attacks than Floramon does.)

Delumon: What do you think you are doing!?!? Agumon: Isn't that obvious!? You're with Pinocchimon, aren't you!? Delumon: ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Floramon: It's not like that at all. Takeru: Then what is it like? Delumon: Well... He sees us as playmates de aru, but we don't feel the same de aru.

Delumon ends his sentences with "de aru" instead of the standard "desu"; This signifies that he's speaking in a posh and formal manner, as is to be expected from the Deluxe Monster. It's not something I would normally write out in the transcript, but it forms the basis of an upcoming gag.

Delumon leans in conspiratorially.

Delumon: Don't tell him I said this de aru but the truth is that WE DESPISE PINOCCHIMON DE ARU!!! Takeru: That's right! I just remembered de aru. Pinocchimon doesn't have any friends de aru. Patamon: Yeah yeah! Hikari: Really? That makes Pinocchimon a really sad person de aru. Tailmon: ...you don't have to copy him. Hikari: Ehehehe!

Inspired by Delumon, Takeru and Hikari decide that seems like fun and start playing around with de aru as their "to be" verb too. This is how language evolves, especially in the minds of impressionable children.

Oh fuck me, we rolled up and started shooting at Pinocchimon's victims. Holy shit, I am glad we got this sorted out before somebody died; We're kind of in Shoot to Kill mode at this point so that was a real possibility!

A valuable lesson has been learned today about wildly spraying bullets into a populated location where one identified bad guy can be found. I'm sure this has no real-world application whatsoever. Nope nope.

The de aru bit won't translate to English, so obviously the dub has to drop that.

(Tentomon and Agumon jump Floramon and Deramon) Deramon: If you wanted fried chicken, you could have asked! Agumon: Sorry, we thought you guys were out here protecting Puppetmon's mansion. Deramon: Oh, so you barbecue me!? Floramon: We're not here protecting anything! T.K.: Then what are you guys doing? Deramon: Well, we're supposed to be Puppetmon's playmates. You know, someone to chase around and attack when he gets bored. (Deramon leans in conspiratorially) Deramon: But let me fill you in on a little secret: Puppetmon is an obnoxious jerk and none of us around this place can stand him! T.K.: Oh, yeah. Now I remember. Puppetmon doesn't have any friends even though he thinks he does. Patamon: Yeah, that's right! Kari: Wow, what could be worse than having a life without a single friend? Gatomon: A litter box lined with fly paper? Kari: AHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Despite having to lose the de aru, this is a solid adaptation. In particular, Deramon's line "Oh, so you barbecue me!?" is perfect. You can feel his outrage at getting shot for being in the vicinity of a bad guy.

Taichi, his eye on the ball, questions Delumon.

Taichi: Well? Is Pinocchimon inside? Delumon: No de aru. He's out de aru. Agumon: What should we do, Taichi? Taichi: We should sneak into Pinocchimon's mansion. Takeru: Delumon, take us in de aru. Delumon: Will do de aru. Follow me de aru.

Hikari got scolded by her Partner but Takeru's still doing it.

Delumon and Floramon turn to lead the kids in, but then Delumon stops and turns back to them.

Delumon: AH!!! Let me ask you one favor first de aru. You have to keep this a secret from PInocchimon de aru. Everyone: WE WILL DE ARU!!!

XD Goddammit every single one of you. Even Tailmon gets in on this one.

In the dub:

Tai: So, is Puppetmon inside the house right now? Deramon: I think he's out being fumigated for termites. Agumon: So what should we do, Tai? Tai: Well, now's a good chance to take a look inside the mansion. T.K.: Deramon, will you show us around? Deramon: Sure; I used to be a tour guide at Digimon Studios! (They start to go, but then Deramon stops) Deramon: Oh! No video cameras, flash photography, food, or drink are allowed during the tour. Everyone: GREAT!!! LET'S GO!!! Deramon: The main structure was built before the Digital Revolution....

Unable to utilize the de aru gag, the dub compensates with a lot of quipping. They also add a line for Deramon at the end, as the children silently approach the mansion, which is a strong choice.

Since we can't leave on the punchline of everyone saying de aru together, they wrote a different punchline playing off their "tour guide" angle. That way, we still get to end this scene on a silly note.

Elsewhere in the woods, MetalEtemon's search for Mimi and Jou continues, but they've found safety under the roots of a tree.

MetalEtemon swings briefly into a tree branch, looking around the woods. He mutters to himself.

MetalEtemon: Damn it! Where did you run off to, children?

Then he grabs another vine and swings away, and we pan down to Jou, Mimi, and Ogremon hiding under a tree.

Mimi: Do your wounds still hurt? Ogremon: I'm doing well, Miss. I promise, I will return the favor some day. Mimi: You don't have to do that. Ogremon: NO, I MUST!!! That is the code of honor that every lone wolf upholds! Jou: (gasp) By "code of honor", do you mean like "O hikae nasu," "O hikae nasu,"!? Mimi: (laugh) That's so old-fashioned! Ogremon: (pout) ...so I'm an old-fashioned Digimon. Gomamon: Look! Ogremon is sulking! Kids: Ahahaha!

This one's complicated.

Ogremon's "code of honor" here is jingi, a particular sense of duty and ethics commonly associated with unsavory types such as yakuza. The phrase Jou breaks out for confirmation is an archaic way for yakuza and other criminal types to greet one another. He's confirming that Ogremon is talking about an "honor among thieves" sort of deal.

In the dub:

MetalEtemon: How hard could it be to find a bunch of kids!? (swings away) (Pan down to Mimi, Joe, and Ogremon) Mimi: So, does it still hurt? Ogremon: Actually, no. Not really. I need to know how I can ever thank you all. Mimi: Oh, forget about it. You don't need to thank us. Ogremon: No, I have to! It's an ancient tradition to repay all acts of kindness. It's part of my sacred moral code as an Ogremon! Joe: Sacred moral code; What are you, a member of King Arthur's Court or something!? Mimi: Oh, that's so romantic! Ogremon: (pout) I'm sorry, I'll try to be meaner next time! Gomamon: Yeah, you'll ruin your reputation! Kids: Ahahahahaha!

This flows pretty well but the nuance is lost. There's a context shift, as we lose the reference between Ogremon's behavior and old-school gang conduct. Without that connection, what is now all Ogremon having a "sacred moral code" lands a little weird given what we know about this guy.

End result, Ogremon gets ridiculed for having inexplicably high moral standards for a guy who tried to murder children that then go unexplained. In the original, he was being called out for being the Japanese equivalent of a Pinstripe Mafioso with a Tommy Gun.

Back at the mansion, Taichi and his group enter Pinocchimon's mansion.

Right as they walk in, they find a gift box waiting on the stairs in the foyer. It springs open on its own, revealing a jack-in-the-box puppet of a soldier in camo fatigues. With an SMG in hand, the puppet sprays gunfire at the intruders.

The team scatters. Taichi, Sora, and Hikari go one way with Delumon, Piyomon, and Tailmon. Koushiro and Takeru go the other way with Floramon, Tentomon, Patamon, and Agumon. Most of the kids have their partners, though Taichi and Agumon are separated in the panic.

Taichi: W-What the hell!? Delumon: I think that was a jack-in-the-box! Taichi: Are you trying to lead us into a trap!? Delumon: Absolutely not! We aren't as mean and underhanded as Pincochimon! Please believe me. Hikari: We should believe him, Onii-chan.

Meanwhile, Koushiro's group finds a toy fire truck in their hallway.

Takeru: Huh? It's a fire truck? Floramon: Don't! If you touch it--

Too late. Patamon touches it, causing the siren to turn on.

Agumon: A siren? Floramon: This! (Floramon picks it up) Floramon: Needs to go! (Floramon hurls it out the window) Floramon: EVERYONE DOWN!!!

Everyone drops to the floor, covering their heads. Outside, the explosion from the detonating fire truck blasts open the wall beside them.

Koushiro: It was a time bomb.... Floramon: That's why I told you not to touch anything! Agumon & Patamon: Sorry....

Despite the censoring of other guns, the dub keeps the G.I. Jack-in-the-box sentry. I guess that gun's fine because it's disguised as a toy.

Tai: What was that!? Deramon: It's a Jack-in-the-Box with a serious attitude! Tai: You wouldn't happen to be leading us into some sort of trap, would you, Deramon!? Deramon: Why, of course not! I would never try anything as deceitful as Puppetmon! Cross my wings and hope to fly, honest! Kari: I believe him, Tai! How about you? Tai: (noncommital) Mm.... (Cut to the other wing) T.K.: OH BOY!!! Patamon: It's a toy! Floramon: Oh no! Make sure you don't touch it! Patamon: (touch) Uh-oh.... (Siren starts to blare) Agumon: What's happening? Floramon: WATCH OUT!!! (Floramon picks it up) Floramon: GET DOWN!!! (Floramon hurls it out the window) (Explosion) Izzy: It was a heat-activated bomb! Floramon: That's why I said don't touch anything! Agumon & Patamon: Sorry....

...it was a time bomb, Izzy.

When I was younger, I might have questioned the logic of putting a timer on a trap like this. But no, that's sound booby trap design. The bomb would have got them either way; The only reason it failed is because they had an infiltrator already familiar with the security system.

Putting a timer on your booby trap isn't a bad idea because it allows for what Floramon did. It is, in fact, a good idea because it allows for what Floramon did. The worst-case scenario with a trap like this is not that it fails to kill an intruder. It's that it successfully turns you into wall paste because you woke up groggy and forgot it was armed.

Good security design accounts for the possibility that your dumb ass might accidentally set it off one day. After all, an intruder only rolls those dice once; You're going to roll them every single day of your life going forward. A +19 circumstantial bonus won't save you from a Nat 1.

In any case, apart from Izzy misidentifying the bomb, this is a pretty solid adaptation.

From here, we return to Mimi and Jou, who are still conversing with Ogremon.

Ogremon: You want to know why I fight with Leomon? Mimi: Yes. I want to understand the meaning behind your fights. Ogremon: Having a 'meaning' would make it too complicated. I guess you could say that Leomon and I are eternal rivals. Mimi: So what will happen when one of you wins? Ogremon: When one of us wins? I guess we'll cheer "HOORAY!!!" and know that we're stronger. Mimi: And after that? Ogremon: What do you mean, after that? Mimi: Then your rival would be gone. Ogremon: Leomon would be gone...? NEGH!!! Don't say things like that! I don't want to think about it!

Ogremon has no answer to Mimi's question and it freaks him the fuck out.

Ogremon: Defeating Leomon is the only thing that brings meaning to my life. (voice breaks) If he were gone, I'd... I'd.... Mimi: That's a logical contradiction. Think carefully about this. Ogremon: SHUT UP!!! I'm still going to defeat Leomon! What comes next... It doesn't matter! I'll think about that after I've beaten him! Jou: So, in the end, we just came full circle.

Jou finds this to have been an uneventful exchange, but it's clear that Ogremon's flailing. Mimi's question cut him deep, nearly bringing him to tears, and now he's frantically backpedaling. She's planted a seed of doubt in his mind, even if it didn't bear fruit today.

Before this can go any further, an explosion is heard outside.

Jou: Huh? (Jou goes out to look around) Jou: What the...?

In stepping outside, Jou walks right into the trap. MetalEtemon lowers himself from a vine, singing.

MetalEtemon: Fo~ound yooooooou! Jou: RUN FOR IT!!!

The group flees their temporary shelter, running for their lives once again.

The dub opens this exchange with a gag.

Mimi: Ogremon, can I ask you a personal question? Ogremon: Yes, it's true; I don't floss. Mimi: That's not what I was going to ask! Why do you fight with Leomon? Do you have him? Ogremon: No, no. It's not a question of hate. It's our destiny to fight each other. He and I will be rivals for all eternity. Mimi: Well, if that's your only purpose in life, what would happen if you actually won? Ogremon: I never really thought about it before. Maybe I'll take a vacation; A cruise is always nice. Mimi: And after that? Ogremon: What do you mean, after that? Mimi: Well if the fight's over, you wouldn't have a rival anymore! Ogremon: Of course I would. He and I are like two old warriors; Fighting a war that has no beginning and has no end. Why, the only reason I exist at all is to defeat Leomon and if he were gone, well... I'm so confused. Mimi: You've got to have more of a purpose in life than to just defeat Leomon. Ogremon: Leave me alone! You can't possibly understand! This rivalry is as old as time itself! I don't care what happens; I'll think about it after I've defeated Leomon! Joe: You're getting way too excited! I'd better take your blood pressure.

XD Goddammit, Joe. That was funny, and a good reminder that he's technically Ogremon's physician right now.

This conversation goes off-track right around "If the fight's over, you won't have a rival anymore." The point of this scene is that Mimi is trying to get Ogremon to think about death; The logical conclusion of his and Leomon's violent rivalry. And succeeding!

In the dub, Ogremon blows right through the question, presuming that even after one of them wins, their rivalry will continue on forever anyways. The only concession he offers is that he briefly gets "confused".

Mimi then derails her own topic by questioning Ogremon's purpose in life instead of keeping the conversation centered on "What happens to the other one when one of you dies?"

MetalEtemon: (Tarzan yell) Joe: What's that? (Joe goes out to look around) Joe: It came from out here.... MetalEtemon: I FOUND YOU!!! Joe: RUN!!!

This part is another victim of the dub clearly not knowing which sound effects are supposed to go with the footage. Once again they mess up a plot point delivered only through sound.

The thing that draws Joe's attention is a mysterious explosion. That's what he's investigating. The dub uses MetalEtemon's Tarzan yell, which... Like... Why would Joe walk towards MetalEtemon's Tarzan yell when they're hiding from MetalEtemon?

He knows what that sound means. He was there the first time MetalEtemon did it.

Bad sound choice.

Back at the mansion, Pinocchimon finally returns home after a long day of monkey business.

It does not go well.

Pinocchimon: Who should I play with next...? Taichi: (watching through mini telescope) Pinocchimon's on his way back.

Taichi's crew have reunited offscreen and found a cannon upstairs in the mansion. Agumon and Koushiro are inspecting it while he scouts.

Taichi: Is it ready? Koushiro: None of us know how to fire this thing. Agumon: (turns to the others) You guys! Delumon: You want me to fire it de aru!? Very well, but you DEFINITELY have to keep this a secret from Pinocchimon de aru! Taichi: We know! Agumon: De aruuu~!

Delumon and Floramon roll the cannon up to the window.

Delumon: Here we go de aru! Floramon: Alignment set. Delumon: FIIIIIIRE DE ARU!!!

To his complete shock, cannonballs explode around Pinocchimon.

Pinocchimon: W-WHAT!?!? WHAT THE!?

He turns around and swiftly retreats, taking cover behind a giant tree root.

Pinocchimon: Great, a hiding spot! I get it... This must be the Chosen Children! Just you wait... I'll get rid of you once and for all!

Once he's gotten his bearings, he raises his Bullet Hammer, dives back over the root, and charges for the mansion. He screams a full-throated battle roar as he charges, cannonballs exploding and ripping up the cobblestone walkway all around him.

In the dub:

Puppetmon: Who should I play with next? Tai: Puppetmon's coming back! Are you ready? Izzy: It would help if I had some idea of how this worked. Agumon: You do it. Deramon: What!? That's against every principle I stand for! Alright, what the heck, I'll do it but don't tell Puppetmon! It'll be our secret! Tai: Yeah, yeah. Agumon: We know! (Deramon and Floramon prepare the cannon) Deramon: Okay, I've got him in my sights. Ready! Aim! FIIIIIRE!!!

The dub puts its final commercial break here, right before the cannon fires. We return a couple seconds earlier to Deramon and Floramon wheeling the cannon to the window.

Deramon: I can see him coming! TAKE THIS, PUPPETMON!!! (Cannonfire begins) Puppetmon: Wha--!? WHOA!!! WHO'S SHOOTING AT ME!? (Puppetmon flees and takes cover behind a vine) Puppetmon: I know who it is! It's the DigiDestined! Hey, that's not fair! You're using my toys! (Puppetmon charges the mansion)

Not sure why Deramon would scream "Take this Puppetmon" when he doesn't want Puppetmon to know it's him, but that's a nitpick. This is pretty good, and the "That goes against my principles; Okay I'll do it" bit makes for a solid replacement for this round of the de aru gag.

Elsewhere in the woods, MetalEtemon continues his search for his prey.

MetalEtemon: (calling) Where did you go, Chosen Children!?

MetalEtemon swings from a vine, searching for the kids and Ogremon; All of whom are taking cover under the nearby bushes to escape his sight.

Once he's gone, they get up to move. However, a bestial snarl from nearby catches their attention. The silhouette of a large creatre appears nearby.

Mimi: H-Huh!? Jou: Enemy or ally!?

The creature reveals themselves, emerging from the brush. It's a huge, vaguely familiar sabertoothed lion. Ogremon gasps at the sight of it, raising his club threateningly.

Three guesses who that is and the first two don't count.

In the dub:

MetalEtemon: You can't hide from me, I'm the king of swing!

Dub MetalEtemon harmonizes his Tarzan yell into a genuinely pleasant melody. I love this stupid monkey man so much. XD

(New creature appears) Mimi: What is that!? Joe: Friend or foe!? Ogremon: (eager) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Narrator: Who is this new creature? Could he be Ogremon's archrival? And will Puppetmon escape Deramon's cannon blast to take his revenge on the DigiDestined? Tune in for the next episode of Digimon: Digital Monsters!

I want to make a "SPOILERS FUCK" comment here but I'm not entirely convinced that the Dub Team ever watched episodes in advance so he might actually be speculating.

Assessment: Mimi gets a lot of focus in this one and Etemon returns so that automatically makes it the best episode in the series FIGHT ME

In seriousness, the Mimi arc is up and running with Ogremon challenged on the precise nature of his rivalry and what he wants out of it. Meanwhile, the battle with Pinocchimon has officially kicked off.

The dub handles this episode pretty well. There's a few missteps with characterization here and there as usual but overall a pretty good one, with plenty of jokes that land and their typical highly entertaining take on Etemon - though at a cost to much of Pinocchimon's personality.

#digimon #digimon adventure #revisiting digimon #revisiting digimon adventure

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