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tobiasdrake · 6 months ago

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Digimon Adventure 02x09 - Rampaging Power of the Evil Ring / The Emperor's New Home

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The Chosen Children finally met Ken Ichijouji. Daisuke got the respect of his idol, Miyako got a new crush, Poromon got physical trauma, and Daisuke went back and got some emotional trauma out of jealousy. He called dibs first; All-a y'all fuck off.

Though they aren't partitioned in the usual "Part 1, Part 2, etc." way, this is actually part 2 of the previous episode, which ended kinda abruptly. We pick up not just where we left off, but a little earlier.

We open by replaying Ken's departure.

Ken: It's no coincidence. It's exactly what you think. Daisuke: It... It can't be. Ichijouji Ken! Ken: I'll concede defeat for today. But from now on, I'm going to fight you seriously. AHAHA AHAHAHAHA!!!

Ken pounces atop a passing Airdramon and whisks away to plot his next move.

Instead of sticking with Daisuke, however, we follow Ken back to his base of operations. Wormmon is waiting to greet the Kaiser, so I guess he fucked right off after Ken-chan fell down that hill.

When Ken approaches, Wormmon cutely squibbles over onto his foot.

Wormmon: Ken-chan, are you okay?

The Kaiser silently kicks Wormmon over onto his back and keeps walking. He enters his command center and takes his seat, silently watching the monitors.

Wormmon: The sun's setting. Ken: ...

On one of the screens, Ken's eyes are fixed on an interview he gave to a reporter.

Reporter: We're here today to take an honest look at the boy genius Ichijouji Ken. Ken: I haven't really done anything special. Reporter: You say that, but I bet you must be working really hard behind closed doors. Ken: No, not really. Reporter: They say genius is 1% talent and 99% sweat, don't they? Ken: I suppose.

1% 才能 saino and 99% 汗 ase is the same idea as "10% inspiration, 90% perspiration" but Japan has different proportions. I guess they work harder than we do.

That's okay. At least ours rhymes.

The dub skips over the replay of Ken's departure and starts right at him returning to his base. The ominous silence following him is immediately filled.

Wormmon: (thinking) Uh-oh. The Emperor's not in a good mood today, which is like every other day! Maybe I can cheer him up. Wormmon: Hey, Ken, did you hear the one about the man who--OOF!!! (Emperor kicks Wormmon over and keeps walking) Wormmon: I guess you heard that one already. (Emperor sits in his chair) Wormmon: Master, what are you watching? Emperor: ... Reporter: Join us as we talk with young genius Ken Ichijouji Ken: I'm just your average boy genius. Reporter: You're so modest! Do you spend a lot of time studying? Ken: Some geniuses do but I'd rather play soccer. Reporter: Ahaha! And funny too! They say genius is 1% brains and 99% hard work! Do you think that's true? Ken: Mine's 2%.

...we have a phrase for that. You could just use ours.

In the original, Wormmon points out that the sun's going down, implying that Ken should be heading home soon. Today's activities have finished. But he's not going home. He's here. Lost in his own mind and giving Wormmon the silent treatment again.

Dub Wormmon starts us off all wrong by describing Ken's mood today as "like every other day". Coupled with cutting out the repeat of his confrontation with Davis, and we're a little confused on the timeframe. This could just as well be a new day.

Reporter: By the way, you're still in elementary school so I'd assume you like animals. Do you have any pets? Ken: No, my family lives in a condo that doesn't allow pets. Reporter: Is that so? You live in a surprisingly normal place for a boy genius, don't you? Ken: I suppose.

Though the interview continues to play, the Kaiser isn't watching it directly anymore. He slumps in his chair, looking silently down at the floor, visibly depressed.

Reporter: In places like America, there's a grade skipping system in place so that even children your age can attend college. Would you like to skip ahead? Ken: Well, we don't have a system like that in Japan so there's not much point in thinking about it. Reporter: But if we did have a system like that, wouldn't you like to skip ahead? Ken: I suppose.

There's a pattern to these questions. Ken gives an initial response, the reporter then pushes him to talk about what an unrelatable super-mega ultra-genius he is, and Ken falls back on his shrugging non-answer.

In the dub:

Reporter: Eheh, you are funny! And to think you came from such humble beginnings in an everyday apartment building. Are you glad you're just a normal, average kid? Ken: Yeah! (snarky) There's absolutely nothing I love more than being average. Reporter: So, you've mastered chess, 3-D chess, and the Donkey Madness video game. Is there anything you can't handle? Ken: Hehe, reporters. Reporter: Aha! The big question on everyone's mind is: What does a genius do for fun when he's not solving complex math problems? Though I know that math is already more fun than most people can handle. Ken: Well, I'm always busy writing one of my computer programs. But like I said earlier, my favorite thing to do is play soccer. Reporter: I'm sure you'll be a big success at that too, Ken. I don't see how anything could possibly get in your way!

Ken's smug and self-assured here, but this otherwise comes off as a fairly normal interview. What they seem to be going for here is a bitter irony. The reporter kissing Ken's ass and Ken answering smarmily contrasted with the weight of the Kaiser's multiple defeats.

Flashing back, Ken recalls being there on that day.

Reporter: Thank you very much, and keep up the good work (ganbatte) on your studies. Ken: Thank you.

She gives Ken a pat on the shoulder, then departs. Ken is left alone with his teacher.

Teacher: Thank you for your effort, Ichijouji-kun. Ken: No, it was nothing.

Ken brushes off his shoulder as if trying to disinfect himself from being touched.

Teacher: No, you really helped us out. You've done wonders for our school's reputation. Ken: Well, I'm happy to be of service. Teacher: By the way, on a more personal note....

The teacher leans in conspiratorially as he makes his offer.

Teacher: Perhaps I could convince you to 'tutor' my daughter....

The predatory smile and lascivious tone in his voice as he quietly makes this offer make his true intentions pretty clear. He's trying to matchmake his kid with the boy genius. Ken shoots the teacher a sharp disgusted glare before composing himself.

Teacher: (more casually) What do you think? I would compensate you accordingly. Ken: Someone as young as me couldn't possibly be an appropriate tutor for a teacher's daughter. Please find someone else to do it. Teacher: (disappointed) That right? Yeah, I guess. Sorry, sorry.

And he's offering Ken a salary to do it. God, some parents are fucking gross.

Even without that, the teacher is subtly presented here as a predatory opportunist. Note that it's now been a recurring plot point that Ken's unparalleled skill and brilliance has no clear explanation. And yet, the teacher mentions Ken being a boon to the school's reputation.

The school is taking credit for the phenomenon that is Ichijouji Ken. While Ken's gross-ass teacher seeks to opportunistically claim Ken for his family lineage.

All of this, from the reporter to the teacher, serves to paint a portrait of Ken's life.

In the dub:

Reporter: Well, that about wraps it up. Thanks for your time, Ken. (pat) Best of luck. Ken: You're welcome! Teacher: That went well, don't you think, Ken?

Once the reporter's gone, Ken drops into his wicked voice that he uses as the Digimon Emperor.

Ken: Of course. I always look good to the press! Teacher: That 1%/2% stuff was brilliant! Although I'm not really sure I understand it! Ken: I'll explain it to you later. Teacher: There's something else you can help me with too! (Teacher leans in conspiratorially) Teacher: How do you get past Level 4 on Donkey Madness? I just can't get the scepter! (Ken shoots the teacher a sharp, disgusted glare, then composes himself) Teacher: Of course, you know I wouldn't tell anyone else your gaming secrets. Ken: (returning to public facade voice) I'd be glad to tell you everything I know! I'll even come over and help you play the game. That is, of course, if you don't think you're too old to be playing video games, hm? Teacher: (disappointed) Oh, yeah. Too old. I always forget that I'm an adult....

Censored that inappropriate request straight into the bowels of Donkey Madness.

Teacher: Oh! It's getting late. I should probably head home.

As the teacher departs, Ken turns to leave. But suddenly the teacher calls after him.

Teacher: Oh, right! Could I ask you for one more thing? Ken: What is it?

The teacher holds out his computer.

Teacher: Signature?

Ken autographs the teacher's laptop, making it out to the teacher's daughter Yuriko-chan.

Ken: Will this do? Teacher: YES, THANK YOU!!! Oh, the signature of the boy genius Ichijouji Ken! She's gonna be thrilled!

Taking the computer, the teacher finally leaves. Ken's face hardens as he watches his teacher walk away.

Ken: Tch!

Fuck everybody but also fuck that guy in particular.

In the dub:

Teacher: Oh! Look at the time. I gotta get to my Advanced Joystick class. (Ken starts to leave) Teacher: Oh! Could you do just one last thing for me, Ken? Ken: (annoyed) Rrrgh... What is it!? Teacher: Um... Autograph?

The dub edits Ken's autograph to read "Good luck with Donkey Madness!" in English, but oddly leaves the actual signature itself in Japanese.

Ken: (patronizingly) Here you go! Teacher: Thanks, Ken! You are the best! Even better than a graphics accelerator card! WOOF, the guys will be jealous! (Teacher leaves and Ken's expression turns to a glare) Ken: Fool!

In the dub's take on Ken's encounter with his teacher, all we get is that Ken's a condescending asshole. His teacher is nothing but supportive and encouraging. A bit of a goof, but undeserving of the hostility that Ken shows him.

From here, we return to the Kaiser's command center for a moment to see him still slumped down in his chair.

Wormmon: Ken-chan?

Still, Wormmon's concern falls on deaf ears. The Kaiser enters into another flashback, returning home. As he opens the door, his mother peeks out into the hall.

Mother: Oh, welcome home! Dinner is ready.

This exchange gives us a bit of an understanding of the timeframe we're working in. Ken eats dinner with his parents, so this is well before the practice of his mom delivering his dinner to his room on a cart became normal.

Mother: I saw you on the TV just now, Ken-chan. They were shooting over in the park, weren't they? Mama should have gone over to watch. Father: That was great! Especially that 1% talent and 99% sweat part!

Ken closes his chopsticks, places them on the table, and stands up.

Ken: I suppose.

That was the fucking reporter who said that you--

Mother: What's wrong? Ken: One second.

Ken excuses himself from the table and goes up to the roof, looking out through the fence at the city beyond. Grabbing hold of the bars, he screams at the top of his lungs.

Ken: YOU WORMS!!!

Linguistic note: The word Ken uses to deride the people around him here is 虫けら mushikera. This can generally mean "insect" but can also specifically refer to "worms". And is used as a derogatory insult to throw at someone who is beneath you.

I believe the more specific meaning is relevant here, as it creates an obvious parallel to his Partner Digimon.

In the dub:

Wormmon: Cheer up, you can destroy somebody tomorrow! (Flashback to family dinner) Mother: Oh, Ken, honey! Your dinner is ready, dear! (Ken comes inside) Mother: Ken, it's getting cold! It's your favorite, dear. Liver, squash, and lumpy mashed potatoes! Father: Saw you on the TV today, tiger. Soon you're gonna need a stick to keep all of the ladies away. Just like your old dad. Ken: (sigh; gently) I've lost my appetite. (Ken stands up suddenly, startling his parents) Mother: Well, what's the matter? Ken: Nothing.... (Ken goes up to the roof) Ken: Look at all of those fools out there. Dreaming away their meaningless lives. Running around like rats in a maze. Not one of them is worth half of what I'm worth! RRRRRRRGH!!! NOTHING BUT FOOLS!!!

Again, the thorns stuck in Ken are removed here, and he's just played as one-note egotistical shit. Throughout these flashbacks, all of the nuance that's here to flesh out his character and convey why he's so bitter, misanthropic, and self-involved get sanded off, replaced with jokes and wickedness.

Original Ken is alienated by the way the world treats him. Dub Ken alienates himself through his patronizing temperament.

Returning to the Kaiser's command center one more time, he rises from his chair, walks to what passes for a wall in this nebulous void, and types on an invisible keyboard.

Wormmon: Ken-chan... Right now, you're thinking about all kinds of complicated things... many of which I wouldn't be able to understand, huh?

The Kaiser doesn't answer. He silently keeps working at his console, filling the command center only with the sound of his keystrokes. On the screen, his Dark Digivice seems to be the subject of his programming this time.

Even though the sun's gone down and he should be getting home soon....

In the dub:

Wormmon: Master? Master? Master, I-- (Ken stands up) Wormmon: Oh! (Ken walks to his computer) Wormmon: Don't be depressed. I've got an idea. Let's grab some Dark Rings. We'll capture a couple of innocent Digimon and make their lives absolutely miserable. That should make you happy!

"The Emperor is depressed for no particular reason and thinking about how much he hates people" is as deep as the dub's reading of this whole opening goes.

With that, it's time to move over to the protagonists of our show. The dub takes its first commercial break here to mark this transition.

New day, new team meeting at Computer Club. And boy, does Daisuke have a whopper of intel to deliver.

Koushiro: The Digimon Kaiser is...!? Daisuke: Yeah! It's the boy genius Ichijouji Ken! Chibimon: I had a bad feeling about him!

Nice try, but no, you didn't. If anyone gets to claim credit for disliking Ken from the start, it's Iori.

Iori: How could someone so talented and brilliant do something like this? Hikari: I can't believe it.... Takeru: That reminds me. Last time I turned on the TV at home, they were talking about Ichijouji Ken. Koushiro: (considering) The Digimon Kaiser was this close to us... (announces) Let's look into this. Takeru: Eh? Into what? Koushiro: Let's get in direct contact with Ichijouji Ken-kun.

The inevitable next step from finding out who he is: We're going to go jump him in an alleyway and beat the shit out of him have a pleasant conversation with him in the human world and try to work out our differences.

In the dub:

Izzy: You mean Ken is the Digimon Emperor!? Davis: Right! And, as Emperor, he's not just a genius; He's an evil genius! DemiVeemon: And a super-evil genius at that! Cody: I just don't understand why such a talented and smart person would want to use their gifts to hurt others. Kari: He seemed so nice. T.K.: You know, there was a report on him on TV yesterday. I saw it on that show "The Genius Parade". Izzy: (considering) ... Kari: I can't believe the Digimon Emperor is a kid like us! Izzy: (announces) Let's find him. T.K.: What!? Find him!? Izzy: Yeah! We'll track him down and confront him outside the Digital World.

Mostly solid, though they take a moment to emphasize that Ken's super-mega-ultra-evil in case that didn't come across yet. The dub really does not want you sympathizing with the Digimon Emperor.

Also I just find it funny that Izzy makes the mistake of covering his mouth while he thinks aloud, allowing his kleptomaniacal costars to steal his line from him.

So, Koushiro has a plan but not everyone's interested in talking shop right now.

Upamon: Whatever, who cares. I'm hungry dagyaa! Koushiro: Ah, yeah. Miyako-san sure is late.

Summoned by the calling of her name, Miyako appears! Throwing open the door and entering Computer Club with an I-Mart bag full of her parents' financial distress.

Miyako: Hey-hey-hey! Sorry to keep you guys waiting

Four out of five Digimon dogpile on her bag, though Poromon hangs back.

Chibimon: CHOCOLATE!!! Tailmon: CHEESE FISH CAKES!!! Upamon: JELLY DRINKS!!! Patamon: ICE CREAM!!! Poromon: I want kanpyoumaki from Iori-san's mother! Miyako: (wryly) So, you don't want anything? Poromon: ACK!!! I DO, I DO!!!

Finally, Poromon joins the dining Digimon. The children watch their Partners ravenously devour it all.

Miyako: He's so picky about his food.

Look, just be glad that the part where you have to manually clean your V-Pet's poop off the floor has been quietly ignored. Gonna go out on a limb and say the Japanese team worked out a solution for that on Day 1 and the American team makes Davis do it.

In the dub:

Upamon: Does this plan include a part where we get to eat? Izzy: For you, anything! Hey, I wonder where Yolei could be?

She's getting the food. Did you not know that? What were you about to feed Upamon? Pencil shavings?

Yolei: Hey, everybody! Sorry I'm late but look what I've got! DemiVeemon: CHOCOLATE!!! Upamon: COOKIES!!! Gatomon: FISH!!! Patamon: ICE CREAM ICE CREAM ICE CREAM!!! (Poromon doesn't join the others) Upamon: You're the best, Yolei! You could be head chef of the cafeteria one day! Yolei: (wryly) So, you're not hungry? Poromon: WHAT!?!? (Poromon joins the others and they all dig in) Yolei: I'm surprised they didn't eat my arm right off.

Compounding consequences of past creative decisions. Poromon's unfulfilled desire to try that kanpyoumaki turning into an obsession has been a running joke that the dub has elected to ignore. Consequently, they're left with nothing to put here as to why Poromon held back and didn't join the others right away.

The result is a really awkward gag where Poromon needs to be encouraged to join in due to what is now a random and unexplained hesitancy.

Miyako: Also!

Miyako pulls a magazine out of her bag and holds it out to Daisuke.

Miyako: There's something in here about Ichijouji Ken. Daisuke: WHAT!?!?

Daisuke rips the magazine out of her hand so hard she grunts in shock.

Miyako: Ack! You don't have to be so rough!

Daisuke flips through the magazine until he finds what he's looking for. The article is about that programming contest Ken won, with the professor that was interviewed on the news. It also has a nice photo of Ken's pleasant smile.

Daisuke: Ahh, here it is! Iori: Just looking at this... He wouldn't seem like the kind of person who'd do those awful things. Hikari: He has a kind smile.... Takeru: Well, I guess appearances can be deceiving. Koushiro: Let me see that, please.

Koushiro takes the magazine and checks the article for himself.

Koushiro: Oh, it's this boy? I've seen him a few times.

Koushiro had no idea who were talking about this whole time. Junior team just started throwing the name Ichijouji Ken around as if everybody's been cyber-stalking him. XD

Miyako: He's what you'd call a real Chosen Child! Daisuke: (offended) What's that supposed to mean!? You saying that just because he's so smart!? Miyako: He's not just smart. He's got a pretty face too! Iori: He's also an exceptional athlete. Daisuke: WELL I'M SORRY THAT I'M NOT AN EXCEPTIONAL ATHLETE!!! Group: ... Koushiro: ^_^;; H-Hey... We should try contacting Ichijouji Ken-kun.... Daisuke: How?

Nobody points it out. They leave Daisuke hanging there in his self-inflicted humiliation.

In the dub:

Yolei: Oh! I found this! There's an article in it about Ken! Davis: (snatch) I'll take that! Yolei: HEY!!! You gave me a papercut! (Davis flips through and finds the article) Davis: Yeah, that's him! The evil kid! Cody: Who would think that such a normal-looking boy could be the Digimon Emperor? Kari: His smile makes him look so gentle.... T.K.: Uh, yeah, but his haircut makes him look like you, Kari.

Okay, fair criticism of the character design. XD

Izzy: Let me see it! (Izzy takes the magazine) Izzy: Ohhh, this kid! I've seen him on the news before. Yolei: Look at his IQ! He could program my computer any day! Davis: Are you crazy!? He may be smart but that guy is completely rotten to the core! Yolei: Well, he's not just smart. He's got dashing good looks, too! Cody: And he's also really athletic. Davis: Rrrrgh! Hey, I'm just as good at sports as that guy is! Group: ... Izzy: Okay, okay! Don't get your knickers in a twist, Davis! Let's just find him! Davis: What are knickers? Izzy: Never mind!

Solid. The dub plays Davis's awkward silence punchline in the opposite direction. In the original, the vibe is a sort of "...uh, you said it, not me...." awkwardness. While here it's a sort of, "...sure, man, whatever helps you sleep at night...." awkwardness.

Getting back on track, Koushiro teaches the junior team how to really cyber-stalk someone.

Sitting at the computer, Koushiro holds the magazine with one hand so he can study it while typing with the other.

Koushiro: Look at the background of this photo. Haven't you seen that somewhere before? Miyako: Now that you mention it.... Koushiro: This picture was probably taken around here....

On the monitor, Koushiro uses the cursor to circle a small area of a map. Hikari points at a spot.

Hikari: Oh, so then the building is here! Koushiro: That's right. In other words.... Daisuke: Ichijouji Ken lives somewhere around there!

In the dub:

Izzy: I'll use my map program to locate the apartment building behind Ken in this picture. Yolei: Looks like a nice place to live. Davis: Yeah, if living next to a heartless kid who wants to rule the world is nice! Izzy: If my calculations are correct, he should live... right around here. Kari: (points) Yeah! I know that area! Izzy: You smudged my screen! Davis: I think there's an apartment building right there under Kari's fingerprint!

XD That got me.

But also, "Have I mentioned in the last minute that Ken is super evil?"

The constant reminders of what a vile piece of shit he is almost feel like an overreaction to the original script playing him sympathetically earlier. But it's specifically Davis doing it, so it's more likely that they're playing up his "WHY ARE YOU ALL STILL IN LOVE WITH THIS GUY!?!?" freakout and extending it across the whole scene.

Daisuke is thoroughly disenchanted but Miyako is still crushing hard and even Iori's found nice things to say about him. So it does fit that Davis keeps reminding everyone that, uh, hey, we hate him. You remember that we hate him, right?

Cut to the Ichijouji residence. The sun's going down, and Ken's parents are getting a little nervous. His mother goes out into the hall, looking at Ken's closed door.

Father: Well? Mother: It looks like he's not going to come out today either. Father: He's been in there ever since that soccer game. He won't even go to school. What is he thinking!? Mother: What do we do? How are we supposed to handle this? Father: Did you talk to his teacher at school? Mother: His teacher said we should just let Ken-chan be Ken-chan. Father: The hell is that supposed to mean!? Mother: They said that he's so smart, we can't possibly understand what's going on in his head. So they've given up. Father: (angry) That's just irresponsible! Mother: What should we do? Father: Tell you what, I'm breaking down the door. Mother: EH!?!? Isn't that a bit excessive? Father: What else can we do!?

Ken's father smashes the door open with his shoulder, bursting into Ken's bedroom. But they don't find their suddenly solitary child avoiding school inside. The room is empty.

Ken hasn't been skipping school. Ken is gone.

Father: Ken!?

Ken's father goes out onto the balcony, but Ken isn't there either. While he's looking around, Ken's mother investigates his computer. And there, she finds his note left typed out on a note in the center of his screen.

Mother: PAPA, COME LOOK AT THIS!!!

Ken's father comes quickly, reading it out for us.

Father: What!? "I have no place in this world anymore. Goodbye, you worms." What's that supposed to mean!? Mother: WHY!? WHYYYYY!?!?

Mom's a bit quicker on the uptake. We know what Ken means by that but out-of-context, that's a suicide note. ...and in-context, it kind of is too. Ken made a choice after revealing his identity to Daisuke. Ichijouji Ken is dead to the human world. He's never going back.

In the dub:

Mother: Ken! Ken...? Father: What's up? Mother: Well, usually I hear the furious scribble of him doing math problems. But today, nothing. Father: Hmm, he's been awfully quiet since that soccer game. Mother: I don't want to barge in. I might set off one of his booby traps. Father: When you met with his teacher, did he say anything at all to you? Mother: No, all his teacher could talk about was something called Donkey Madness. Father: Donkey Madness!? Mother: I know! It's strange! I mean, we don't even own a donkey! Father: (angrily) Let's go in there! Mother: Oh, should we do that? Father: I say we break down the door! Mother: WHAT!?!? No, don't break it down! Father: Well, I've gotta break something! (Father breaks the door down) Father: Ken? (Father looks around while Mother finds the note) Mother: Ahh! Look at this! Father: What's this!? "Goodbye to all of you. Your trivial lives will plague me no longer. My destiny awaits." Rrrrgh NO!!! He's run away! Mother: (cries loudly)

Donkey Madness seems to have seriously triggered Ken's dad. He must not be very good at the game.

Unsurprisingly, Ken's phrasing is rewritten to definitely not be a suicide note, and Ken's dad even explains how we're supposed to interpret it. Can't go that dark on FOX Kids.

Since Ken didn't leave a body, he's going to be reported missing, not dead. So it's not that much of a change. Just a tonal one.

Outside the complex, the Chosen Children arrive... right around the same time as the police.

Daisuke: Is this it? Iori: (looking over papers) According to the map Koushiro-san gave us, it has to be this condominium. (Sirens grow louder as police cars approach the building) Miyako: Eh? Looks like something's happened. Group: ... Daisuke: Let's check it out.

The children hurry down the sidewalk to the front of the building, where they overhear three people gossiping about what's going on.

Gossip: Apparently Ken-chan from the Ichijouji family has gone missing.

Ken's parents are standing in front of the doors, giving testimony to the police.

Father: Yeah... I don't understand what happened.... Iori: Missing? Daisuke: Where would he go?

Cut to the Digimon Kaiser in his command center, working at his wall keyboard. Then we go to commercial.

In the dub, they actually are going with my joke suggestion to jump Ken and beat the shit out of him.

Davis: Here it is! This is the place where we stop Ken once and for all! Cody: (looking over papers) Okay, I wrote down a battle plan. (Sirens) Yolei: Uhhh, does it involve the police? Davis: Huh!? Group: ... Davis: Man, that kid's trouble! (The kids go around to the front) Gossip: Little Ken Ichijouji is missing and no one has any idea where he might be. Father: I think... he's run away from home.... Cody: Run away from home? Davis: I bet I know where he's gone! (Cut to Emperor's command center) Wormmon: Speak to me. Just two words. One, even.

Again, since he didn't leave a body, they can only say he's missing despite the dark tone of his suicide note. So here, the two tones shore back up with each other, though the dub's still taking care to emphasize that he's a runaway and not a missing person.

The dub also foregoes the commercial break here, kicking it out to later.

Following the commercial break, it's a new day. The junior team meets with Koushiro again at Computer Club.

Koushiro: Word is that Ichijouji Ken-kun has been missing since Sunday. Hikari: They didn't know he was gone until yesterday. Iori: And it's Tuesday today. Koushiro: (considers) Then that makes two days....

I appreciate Iori for giving us an exact timeframe but also it's funny that he needed to tell Koushiro that. Very awkward exposition.

Koushiro turns on the computer and brings up their territory map. It's covered in black squares.

Takeru: There's so many more black regions! Koushiro: It would seem that Ichijouji Ken-kun has been in the Digital World all this time. Daisuke: Eh!? Why!? Koushiro: He intends to remain there for the foreseeable future and steadily expand the black regions. Hikari: What does that mean? Takeru: Could he be planning to stay in the Digital World... And never come back to the real world!?

Iori picks up the magazine, looking somberly at Ken's smiling, seemingly happy photo.

Iori: ...he might be. Miyako: EHH!?!? He wants to spend the rest of his life in the Digital World? That's weird. Koushiro: In any case, this will make things much more difficult going forward.

It will. That's definitely true. Ken gets to be the Digimon Kaiser full-time now. They may have a numeric advantage on him but he just gained the advantage of time. He never has to go home or go to school. This is his life now.

The dub's already let Davis claim credit for the revelations that Izzy's about to give them, so it continues from that track.

Izzy: I think you're right. Ken is probably in the Digital World, but it's dangerous to just rush in there. Kari: But the longer we wait, the more time he has to plot against us. Cody: We need to make a new plan. Izzy: (considers) Hmm... We need to know what Ken's doing. Let's check the computer. (Izzy pulls up the map) T.K.: Does that mean what I think it means!? Izzy: Ken is taking over areas in the Digital World faster than ever before! Davis: Well then let's go! Izzy: We can't afford to be reckless! Remember the expression: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Kari: So what do you think we should do? T.K.: You know, being a fool is really low on my priority list but I can't just sit here and do nothing! (Cody picks up the magazine) Cody: Why do evil geniuses have to be so evil!? Yolei: Ugh! He doesn't look capable of causing such trouble, y'know! Izzy: Well, he is! And don't let yourself forget it!

I see where the dub is coming from here. The revelation of where Ken went is pretty obvious. For the Chosen Children, it's the first thing they should naturally assume, so it makes sense that the DigiDestined pick up on it immediately.

But that leaves them with nothing to discuss for this scene, so they end up vamping for time. Consequently, despite how obvious Ken's whereabouts are, the Chosen Children get to more closely examine the circumstances of his depature: How long he's been gone and what his intentions are.

Daisuke: We're going too! Iori: At this hour? Daisuke: We'll work something out!

According to the clock, we're coming up on 5 PM in a couple minutes. For context, the Japanese school day typically ends around 3. ...no idea what they've spent the last two hours on since it seems like "club activities" just started a moment ago.

Hikari: We should go anyway. Takeru: That's right. MIyako: We'll be right back. Koushiro: Please just take a quick look around and then come back right away. Daisuke: Got it! Miyako: DIGITAL GATE, OPEN!!! CHOSEN CHILDREN, LET'S ROLL!!!

I don't think they're coming straight back.

In the dub:

Davis: Well, I've had enough talk! The clock keeps ticking away and I'm getting ticked off! I want some action! Kari: He's right, so let's get it into gear. T.K.: Yeah! Yolei: I'm with you! Let's fight! Izzy: You've convinced me! No more hesitation! Davis: Excellent! DIGI-PORT OPEN!!! Yolei: Let's go get that evil cute guy! Izzy: I'll be watching over you. Good luck, guys.

The dub does some editing here. The original scene closes with a panning shot over everyone holding out their Digivices to transfer over, then cuts to a closeup of Miyako's face while she says her catchphrase.

The dub puts the closeup of Yolei first for her "evil cute guy" line, then goes to the panning shot of the group while Izzy says his extra line. It also plays the panning shot in reverse for some reason? IDK What that's about.

Then we go to the second commercial break and come back to Yolei's closeup again.

Yolei: IT'S GENIUS STOMPING TIME, LET'S GO!!!

And now they transfer over.

As the Chosen Children enter the Digital World, we cut to the Kaiser in his command center still typing away at his wall keyboard, and then they arrive.

Their destination is a volcanic region with fire shooting out of pits.

Miyako: So hot.... Daisuke: What's this place?

In his command center, the Kaiser's moved back to his chair. He's got a Digivice radar on the central monitor showing the Chosen Children arriving, as well as various screens showing Greymon.

Kaiser: They're here.

Wormmon hugs the Kaiser's ankle and nuzzles him. Ken kicks Wormmon away from him, then approaches one of the Greymon monitors. Wormon flails his legs helplessly on his side.

Wormmon: (teary-eyed) But Ken-chan, we'll be together forever now, won't we? (rights himself) I'm so glad.

Ken offers Wormmon no response. His eyes are fixed on Greymon, and he grins a wicked grin.

Kaiser: Huhuhuhu....

This is a healthy relationship.

In the dub:

Emperor: They're heeeeere... Heh! (The DigiDestined arrive in the volcanic region) T.K.: Look at this land of fire! It's like the movie Land of Fire! Yolei: (irritated) I know. Sure is hot! Davis: Five-star chili hot! (Cut to command center) Wormmon: Why don't you let me fight instead of capturing Greymon? Emperor: You fight? Hmph! (Wormmon nuzzles the Emperor's ankle and gets kicked off) Wormmon: I guess I'll take that as a no. (Wormmon flails helplessly on his side) Wormmon: (teary-eyed) Uh, Master, can I get a little help here? I'm having some trouble standing. (rights himself) I'm okay! (Emperor's attention is fixed on Greymon) Emperor: Hehehehehehehe.... That Control Spire will be their doom....

As usual, the emotional impact of Wormmon being battered and abused is painted over with goofiness and wicked banter.

Back in the volcanic region, the Chosen Children begin their march for the Dark Tower.

Daisuke: Where are you, Ichijouji Ken!?

Ken does not reveal himself, but several Meramon do. They erupt out of the lava pools to block the Chosen Children's path. Each one has an Evil Ring around their neck.

Hikari: MERAMON!!!

Meramon is an Adult-stage Data-attribute Flame Digimon. We got to know one of them back on File Island, where they were the guardian of Mt. Miharashi corrupted by a Black Gear in much the same way that these ones are now.

That Meramon returned later to join Mimi's army and fought in the last battle at the end of the Digital World.

Narrator: Meramon! Their flames and fiery temper burn through everything around them. Their special attack is Burning Fist! Daisuke: They're mine! Let's go! DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

An instrumental version of Break Up plays during evolution, with none of the lyrics because this isn't quite the fuck yeah moment that Daisuke thinks it is and I think we all know what's about to happen.

Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!

One Meramon throws a Burning Fist fireball at Fladramon, who responds in kind. Fladramon's attack blows straight through Meramon's slamming into their pec. Meramon absorbs the attack and is no worse for wear.

Daisuke: (confused) Knuckle Fire had no effect? Hikari: Fire attacks might not work on them!

Shockingly, she refrains from calling him baka for that because she has more restraint than I do. Daisuke, you are so green. XD

In the dub:

Davis: Keep your eyes open! Trouble could be anywhere! (Meramon burst from the lava pools) Kari: Meramon! Kari: (rundown) Meramon are very dangerous. They can burn you with their Roaring Flame attack or just by touching you. Davis: Let's show 'em who's boss! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Veemon Armor Digivolves into Flamedramon) Meramon: ROARING FLAME!!! Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! (Flamedramon hits, but the attack fizzles) Meramon: Ehehe.... Davis: Don't do that anymore! You're just tickling him! Kari: I don't think fire attacks are going to work on them!

Davis scolds Flamedramon but like what did you think he was going to do, my guy?

I always love it when the veteran kids give the diegetic rundowns themselves.

Okay, this isn't working. Miyako's turn.

Hawkmon: Miyako-san! Miyako: Okay, let's go! DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Evolving into his own Armor form, Horusmon spins up a vortex and fires it at the Meramon.

Horusmon: TEMPEST WING!!!!

The wind vortex spreads their flames wildly.

Miyako: STOP!!! YOU'RE JUST FANNING THEIR FLAMES!!!

This is so pitiful, the Meramon aren't even attacking. XD

In the dub:

Hawkmon: My turn. Yolei: Get 'em, Hawkmon! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Hawkmon Armor Digivolves) Halsemon: TEMPEST WING!!! (The attack makes things worse) Yolei: HALSEMON, STOP!!! YOU'RE MAKING THE FLAMES BIGGER!!!

While the junior team is humiliating itself, the Kaiser puts his real plan into action elsewhere.

In a forested region elsewhere, five Airdramon descend on Greymon.

Greymon: What's this?

Good question, Greymon. Airdramon, to my knowledge, never gets a rundown. So, real quick, Airdramon is an Adult-stage Vaccine-attribute Mythical Beast Digimon.

They hail from the very first Digital Monster V-Pet, where they were another option for Betamon's evolution alongside Seadramon, Devimon, Meramon, and Numemon. Greymon and Tyranomon come from there as well, but are exclusive evolutions to Agumon.

All of those Digimon have appeared in Adventure thus far, unlike Airdramon. With this debut, the first V-Pet's roster of Adult Digimon is complete.

Four of the Airdramon hang back while a fifth descends slowly in front of Greymon, revealing the Digimon Kaiser mounted on their neck.

Greymon: (defensive) You wanna fight? Kaiser: I want to perform a little experiment, but I'll need your help to do it.

The Kaiser raises his arm and an Evil Ring descends towards Greymon.

Greymon: What are you doing!?

But we cut away before Greymon can get his answer.

In the dub:

Emperor: There's my prey! Greymon: Come and get it! (The Emperor's Airdramon descends towards Greymon) Greymon: What do you say the two of us go at it? One on one. Emperor: As much as I appreciate your offer, Greymon, I'd rather we play Sphere Throw! Greymon: What!? But I hate Sphere Throw!

I love Greymon demanding that the Emperor face him in fisticuffs. XD

Absolutely no idea what "Sphere Throw" is supposed to mean. It's the line the Emperor delivers right before calling down the Dark Ring, which... is not a sphere...?

I can only imagine it's some obscure turn-of-the-century thing but I grew up at the time this was broadcasting and I do not for the life of me recall anything this might be referencing.

Back at the Meramon battle, it's Iori's turn to join the fray.

Iori: Hikari-san, Takeru-san, I'm going in! DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

This time, when Digmon evolves, the full version of Break Up finally begins.

Digmon: BIG CRACK!!!

Digmon's Big Crack takes the whole team at once, plunging all of the Meramon into the lava below.

Iori: We did it!

But the Meramon pull themselves back out of the lava and leap up onto the ground above, no worse for wear. They came from that lava, guys. You're all so bad at this.

Daisuke: Careful, everyone! Miyako: Nothing's working!

Have you tried aiming for the rings? I would try aiming for the rings.

In the dub:

Cody: Nothing is working; It's up to you, Armadillomon! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Armadillomon Armor Digivolves) Digmon: ROCK CRACKIN'!!! (Digmon drops the Meramon into the lava) Cody: Way to go! Kari: Look! (The Meramon pull themselves back out and return) Yolei: WATCH OUT!!! Davis: Nothing stops 'em! Yolei: HERE THEY COME!!!

Yolei and Davis swap lines so that Yolei can slip a secret third line in there.

Patamon: Takeru! Takeru: Got it. DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Once Pegasmon is in the game, he and Horusmon double-team a pair of Meramon.

Horusmon: UDJAT GAZE!!!

Horusmon's Udjat Gaze paralyzes two Meramon where they stand, making them vulnerable to Pegasmon.

Pegasmon: SHOOTING STAR!!!

Pegasmon, in turn, pummels the incapacitated pair with Shooting Stars, none of which actually strike the Evil Rings. Not exactly demonstrating the pinpoint accuracy he showed the Bakemon last episode.

In the dub:

Patamon: My turn? T.K.: LET'S DO IT!!! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Patamon Armor Digivolves) Halsemon: TEMPEST WING!!! (Two Meramon freeze) T.K.: It's working! Pegasusmon: STAR SHOWER!!!

It is working, T.K. Udjat Gaze is pretty broken and we should use it more often. Too bad about that follow-up though. Headbonks and crotch-shots, while funny, do little to stem the tide of enemy Meramon.

This fight has been a cavalcade of fuckery. Hikari, show these idiots and Takeru how it's done.

Hikari: Tailmon! Tailmon: Hikari! Hikari: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Tailmon goes through her Armor Evolution sequence but then gets narratively snubbed as we cut away to the Digimon Kaiser. Greymon is now under control of an Evil Ring around his neck, while the five Airdramon air-lift him to the battlefield.

Kaiser: Huhuhuhu.... Wormmon: What are you laughing about, Ken-chan? Kaiser: I lost control of Andromon, but if I can evolve one from Adult-stage to Perfect-stage, then I should be able to manipulate them from there. (Kaiser holds the Dark Digivice up) Kaiser: ABSORB THE POWER OF DARKNESS!!! DARK EVOLVE INTO METALGREYMON, BECOME MY SERVANT, AND SWEAR YOUR FEALTY TO ME!!!

The Kaiser's own holy light issues forth from the Dark Digivice. By his power, Greymon evolves.

Oh, errors have been made. This is like watching a train-wreck in slow motion. We know what's going to happen here from the moment he says "Dark Evolve". The Kaiser continues to not have a goddamn clue of what he's doing.

As prompted, Greymon does undergo Dark Evolution, but the form he takes is not MetalGreymon. Welcome back, SkullGreymon.

In the dub:

Kari: Are ya ready? Gatomon: Always am! Kari: DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Gatomon Armor Digivolves and we cut away to the Emperor) Emperor: Sending Greymon to attack those kids is my best plan yet! Wormmon: But, uh, what about the problems you had with Andromon? Emperor: I learned from my mistakes! If I can make a Rookie Digimon Digivolve while under my control then I can control its other forms as well! Wormmon: Master, you give me chills when you act all tough. Emperor: Oh, be quiet. GREYMON, DIGIVOLVE TO METALGREYMON AND BE MY SLAVE!!!

Rookie... what? At no step of this process has Greymon been in his Rookie form. The Partner Digimon have been hanging out in Champion forms long-term (apparently a thing they can do now) in order to defend their territories from the Digimon Emperor. We just saw that for ourselves.

In the original, Greymon/SkullGreymon does not go through the typical "Greymon SHINKAAAAAA!!!" callout during his evolution sequence. But he does it in the dub.

Dub Emperor does not mention that this is a Dark Evolution. So the original is more informative about what's going on, while in the dub it's more of a shocking twist when SkullGreymon suddenly emerges from the process. Both have their merits.

The dub also uses that shocking twist as a cliffhanger, to play us out to our third commercial break. "Wait WHAT THE FORKS!?!?!?" "Hey kids, wanna buy some Hot Wheels?"

Once SkullGreymon's on the scene, we cut back to Hikari to see how that's going.

Nefertimon: CURSE OF QUEEN!!!

It's going super well, as Nefertimon's Curse of Queen breaks the Evil Rings off two Meramon's necks. I'm going to say those are the paralyzed ones and she's shaming Pegasmon for his poor accuracy today.

Also, she's back to "Curse of Queen" instead of the briefly accurate "Curse of the Queen" she used the first time. Maybe the director corrected her actress between episodes.

Hikari: NOW GO FOR THE DARK TOWER!!!

Yep, today is Hikari's turn to hold the Competency Stick. She's got her eye on the prize.

While Kari sees this as a good spot for a triumphant quip.

Nefertimon: ROSETTA STONE!!! (Nefertimon shoots the two Meramon down) Kari: That's what you get for playing with fire!

Shot with Egyptian queen lasers until you can speak Portuguese is what you get.

No time to celebrate, though. The Digimon Kaiser arrives with his wicked new Digimon in tow.

Hikari: (shocked gasp) Takeru: IS THAT...!?!?

Don't know what Hikari's gasping about. She wasn't there for that.

SkullGreymon is a Perfect-stage Virus-attribute Undead Digimon. He originally evolved by mistake, as a consequence of Taichi corrupting his virtue of Courage. The consequences were disastrous for the Chosen Children, as SkullGreymon proved wildly aggressive and attacked everything indiscriminately.

Narrator: SkullGreymon. Though his body has perished, he remains animated solely through his unrelenting will to fight. His special attack is Ground Zero. Kaiser: (stunned) SkullGreymon...?

The Kaiser fares no better with this Digimon than Taichi did way back when. SkullGreymon's first order of business is to tear out the ropes carrying him, yanking four of the Airdramon to the ground in the process. The only Airdramon still in the air is the Kaiser's personal mount.

Wormmon: Ken-chan... It's SkullGreymon! ...I'm scared.... Kaiser: Tch!

His next order of business is to attack whatever's in reach. In this case, one of the Kaiser's own Meramon, who SkullGreymon swats like a bug.

In the dub:

Kari: (shocked gasp) T.K.: Oh no! It's SkullGreymon! T.K.: (rundown) The only thing more terrifying than his looks are his fighting skills! Especially his Dark Shot attack! Emperor: SkullGreymon!? (SkullGreymon tears himself free and pulls down the Airdramon) Wormmon: Suddenly... This plan doesn't really seem... so good. Emperor: Rrgh!

Solid. Wormmon's delivery is a little awkward because he has to account for the pauses in the original line, but it can be justified by him being so freaked out that it's affecting his ability to string sentences together.

And T.K. is exactly the right character for SkullGreymon's diegetic rundown. Not to mention that having T.K. exclaim SkullGreymon's name and then explain him makes it feel like the Emperor is reacting in real-time to T.K. explaining how bad he fucked up.

Daisuke: What is that thing!? Hikari: It's SkullGreymon! Daisuke: Skull... What was that? Takeru: Run.... Daisuke: Eh? Takeru: We can't beat him in a straight fight!

Despite Takeru's warning, the newer Digimon rush in. Fladramon, Horusmon, and Digmon all go for SkullGreymon at once.

In the dub:

Davis: Can we beat that thing!? Kari: I have no idea! Davis: Not even one? T.K.: I have one. Davis: What!? T.K.: I say we run and then, after that, we run some more!

Solid. The dub does not have Kari call out SkullGreymon by name which makes sense because she wasn't there for that.

The original's acting like Hikari's just as traumatized by SkullGreymon as Takeru is but I sincerely don't know why she would be. Veteran though she is, this is Hikari's first time seeing this shit too.

Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!

Fladramon scores direct hits with all of his shots, but his attacks mean nothing to SkullGreymon. The colossal undead titan backhands Fladramon, sending him flying.

Much like the fight with Andromon, it takes only one hit to bring down the Armor Digimon, as Fladramon hits the ground hard and drops out of form.

Daisuke: FLADRAMON!!!

SkullGreymon follows up by punting Digmon across the volcanic terrain, oneshotting him.

Iori: DIGMON!!!

And then he concludes by slapping Horusmon out of the sky.

Miyako: HORUSMON!!!

In the dub:

Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! (No effect. Flamedramon gets slapped) Davis: He got Flamedramon! (Digmon gets kicked) Cody: DIGMON, NO!!! (Halsemon gets slapped) Yolei: HALSEMON!!!

Not a lot to say here but simple translations like these really call attention to the pronunciation difference between English and Japanese.

Davis needed to add two words because Flamedramon is three syllables, but counterintuitively Fladramon is five. Fu-rei-do-ra-mon.

Cody needed to add one word because there are three syllables in Digmon. Di-gu-mon.

But Yolei's fine because Horusmon is spelled Ho-ru-su-mon but pronounced Hol-su-mon.

With SkullGreymon now advancing on the children, Pegasmon and Nefertimon urge them to get out of here.

Nefertimon: EVERYONE, RUN!!! Hikari: But we have to stay together! Pegasmon: We'll take the other Digimon with us. Find a safe place and wait for us!

Before this discussion can be settled, SkullGreymon halts his march. For the first time, he speaks. To call an attack.

SkullGreymon: GROUND ZERO!!!

SkullGreymon launches the missile from his back. It twirls in the air and sails straight for the Dark Tower.

Kaiser: WHAT!?!? Wormmon: I'm scared!

The impact is clearly modeled after a nuclear blast. Hell, it's specifically named after one so the reference is pretty obvious.

First, a great flash of light. Then a blast wave sweeps across the volcanic region, knocking Pegasmon and Nefertimon out of the air. The Dark Tower crumbles into dust from the impact force.

Daisuke: WHAT IS THAT THING!?!?

We should bring SkullGreymon back to traumatize every new generation of Chosen Children.

In the dub:

Nefertimon: EVERYONE, RUN!!! Kari: But we have to fight SkullGreymon! Pegasusmon: (sarcastic) Yes, great idea. Stay clustered together so you create an easy target! (sincerely) GET TO SAFETY!!! SkullGreymon: DARK SHOT!!! (SkullGreymon fires at the Control Spire) Emperor: (gasp) Wormmon: He's got good aim. (Nuclear blast annihilates the Control Spire) Davis: I SHOULD PROBABLY PUT ON MY GOGGLES!!!

Davis riffs on the animation but I don't know if goggles would help. You need sunglasses here, my guy.

In the original, Hikari's concern was that she didn't want the kids to be separated from the Digimon. Nefertimon and Pegasmon are offering to hold the line while the children get to safety, and Hikari understands what that might entail and doesn't want to go.

Kari is inexplicably gung-ho about keeping the fight going.

Kaiser: A-a failure....

The Kaiser whistles, summoning reinforcements: A horde of DarkTyranomon.

DarkTyranomon is an Adult-stage Virus-attribute Dinosaur Digimon. We met one of them before during Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba. They were tasked with guarding the prisoners inside the Big Sight convention center, up until Lilimon purified them.

Narrator: DarkTyranomon! A ferocious Digimon infected by a computer virus. Their special attack is Fire Blast!

The horde stomps past the Chosen Children, circling SkullGreymon.

Miyako: More enemies!?

In the dub:

Emperor: YOU WANNA PLAY ROUGH!?!? (Emperor whistles) T.K.: I'm afraid to find out who he's calling! (DarkTyrannomon horde appears) Yolei: What are those things!? Cody: They're DarkTyrannomon! Cody: (rundown) A computer program turned Tyrannomon into the evil DarkTyrannomon! Watch out for his Fire Breath attack! Kari: Why can't we ever fight anything short!? Yolei: Like some mice!

Cody delivering the rundown here makes less sense than the previous two, but I guess it was someone else's turn.

The five DarkTyranomon form a semicircle around SkullGreymon and hit him with their Fire Blasts all at once.

Daisuke: What are they doing!? Takeru: They're attacking one of their own.

Despite everything, the Chosen Children are very slow on the uptake today. I don't know how much more obvious it can possibly get that SkullGreymon isn't under their control. He nuked the Dark Tower!

Ignoring their flames, SkullGreymon slaps the DarkTyranomon aside and grabs one of them. He holds them up in his hand, crushing them for a few seconds, then tosses them down onto a nearby hillside.

Daisuke: He's so strong...! Miyako: But this doesn't make any sense....

SkullGreymon snatches up another DarkTyranomon and hurls them into one of the lava pools. They float unconscious to the surface shortly after so we know they didn't die. DarkTyranomon can swim in lava; It's fine.

Having nothing to do in this scene anymore, the dub kids pass the time by quipping.

Davis: With all that fire, they can bake, broil, and braise him! If he can't stand the heat, he'd better get out of the kitchen! T.K.: Stop! You're making me want to barbecue! (SkullGreymon smacks the DarkTyrannomon aside, then throws one against a hill) Davis: He's throwing them around like ragdolls! Painful! Yolei: Hope he doesn't get the idea to throw us around! (SkullGreymon throws one into the lava pit) Kari: He beat them all single-handed!

At this point, they're just narrating. But. Like. They've got nothing better to do. Our whole protag cast has been reduced to peanut gallery. They stopped being part of this scene as soon as he shot the tower.

Finally, after lava dunking that last DarkTyranomon, SkullGreymon runs out of stamina. He regresses to an unconscious Agumon, with the Evil Ring still latched firmly around his neck.

Hikari: (gasp) Is that...!?

The four Airdramon that SkullGreymon yanked from the sky seem to be doing fine and are back up there. One descends to retrieve Agumon, picking him up by his tail.

Hikari: Agumon? Takeru: Wait, what!? Hikari: AGUMOOOOOOOON!!! Takeru: Taichi-san's Agumon!? Daisuke: What!?

Daisuke needs Takeru to explain why they're freaking out but he gets there.

The Kaiser and his five Airdramon withdraw, taking Agumon with them.

Hikari: WAIT!!! YOU CAN'T TAKE AGUMON!!!

He takes Agumon.

In the dub:

Kari: That's Agumon! (Airdramon descends for Agumon) T.K.: That slimy creature is coming after him! And when I say slimy creature, I mean Ken! (Airdramon picks up Agumon) Kari: AGUMON!!! T.K.: LET HIM GO!!! Kari: AGUMOOOOOOOON!!! T.K.: YOU BETTER NOT HURT HIM, KEN!!! Davis: YEAH, JERK!!! Emperor: From defeat, I snatch another victory! Huhuhuhuhuhu! Kari: T.K., DAVIS, SOMEBODY, DO SOMETHING!!! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!!!

It takes T.K. a moment to realize we're done doing tongue-in-cheek narration and actually this is serous.

Davis isn't sure what he's supposed to use his line for.

Back in the human world, Koushiro's still waiting for the junior team to report back.

Suddenly, on the map, a ton of white and gray squares fill in as black squares. I remain confused about what the gray squares are supposed to represent.

Koushiro: Huh? The areas that Taichi-san's Agumon were guarding have turned black.

He doesn't have to wait long for explanation. An email arrives soon after from diligent Iori explaining it all.

Koushiro: "Taichi-san's Agumon was captured by the Kaiser"!? "The Dark Digivice made Agumon Dark Evolve into SkullGreymon"! What the hell... Is the Digimon Kaiser trying to destroy the Digital World!?

I mean. He plans to live there forever so probably not, but I understand. Koushiro's freaked out.

That ominous exclamation brings part 2 of this arc to an end.

As usual, the dub rewrites the email lazily so there's only a body, with no subject line or From or To fields.

Izzy: Whoa, that's the strangest thing I've seen since my ethernet configuration collapsed! (gasp) Izzy: What!? "The entire area that Agumon was guarding has been taken over by the Digimon Emperor!" Does that mean that Agumon is under his control!? Or worse yet, what if Agumon's been destroyed!? Then who's next!? If he was able to get Agumon, that means every one of our Digimon are in danger! Narrator: How will the DigiDestined rescue Agumon? The answer on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Narrator lies. There's two more episodes of this arc.

Also, screw whoever sent that email. Really sending him the bare minimum of what just happened, forcing Izzy's imagination to send him into a panic spiral.

Great job, guys. Your bad intel broke Izzy.

Assessment: There are a few things from 02 that I vividly remember and have been looking forward to, and next episode is going to be one of them.

This one starts off really strong, with a deep-dive into Ken's persona. We learn so much about where Ken's coming from. We see his own personal life experience and the way it colors his view of the world; Things that don't justify what he's doing but make him sympathetic and understandable. Ken is what his experiences have made him into. He is the child that all of these people raised.

But it ends kinda weak. The Kaiser's second attempt at controlling a Perfect Digimon blows right up in his face, which is good on paper. But once SkullGreymon actually takes the field, it just feels like repeating the SkullGreymon episode from the first Adventure but without all the interesting character drama.

It's an episode that needed to happen but I wish the cast had more to do. As is, all six of them including Ken basically just run around going "OH SHIT" until SkullGreymon tires out and then break for next episode. The only thing that's learned is that Ken will need to scratch Plan B off the "Control Perfect Digimon" list and figure out a Plan C.

But the fact that he still has Agumon at the end nonetheless sets up some solid tension going into Part 3 of this arc.

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #revisiting digimon #revisiting digimon adventure 02

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vobomon · 10 months ago

Text

Affection -- A Digimon 02 Drabble

Osamu Ichijouji is not used to physical contact and affection. It is one of his flaws. Something that most people never notice because he puts on a brave face in public.

He flinches when his younger brother attempts to hug him or tugs on his arm – hoping desperately to show him something funny that he saw on the television.

He pulls back when Ryo Akiyama tries to grab his hand in a desperate attempt to show some form of comfort.

He feels a chill run up his spine when his dear mother pats him on his head and applauds him with another “well done” and “good job.” He grits his teeth and holds back a growl.

All this affection feels so alien to him. But he smiles and walks to his room, hoping for some peace and quiet. But he knows who is waiting for him before he even turns around.

“Osamu?”

Ryo is never one to hide his presence well around him.

“What’s wrong this time?”

“Nothing.” Osamu spits out the acidic words and he knows that it stings.

“Why do you care anyway?”

It tastes terrible in his mouth and he can’t bring himself to look at Ryo’s expression but he knows that his companion is strong. He has heard it all before. Osamu doesn’t do well to hide his true feelings around him. He has been cruel to Ryo before. Too cruel.

“You know why I care.”

And now it's Osamu’s turn to feel the pain and sting of those words because of course he knows the truth. No matter how cruel he is to Ryo… he just never will leave.

“But why?” Osamu finally turns around. And now they are seeing each other; staring into each other’s eyes. He can not put up a brave face anymore. The facade of his demeanor begins to break.

He is not powerful like Ryo. He could never save the world. He could never make the tough choices that Ryo could.

The tears are stinging his eyes now. They are fogging up his glasses.

Ryo walks closer to him and Osamu sees him reach his hand toward him. And in one fluid moment, he slaps the hand away.

“Stop pretending to care about me!”

He can see that his hand is turning red now from the impact of his slap. But Ryo continues to smile.

“I told you, Osamu.”

Ryo. His Ryo. His darling Ryo.

His lip quivers as the tears fall down his cheek.

And Ryo reaches his red hand up to wipe away the tears.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

And Osamu feels himself melt in Ryo’s embrace.

Indeed… he hates physical contact but no matter how much he runs from it, he knows that there is still a piece of him that craves the feeling of a gentle touch.

It is the reason he stops shaking when his younger brother hugs him and Osamu smiles softly at seeing how happy it made him.

It is the reason that the cold chill leaves his body when his mother’s sweet words of praise enter his ears.

It is the reason that he grabs hold of Ryo’s hand after pulling away a moment earlier.

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise…” Ryo repeats.

“And I’m not going anywhere either.” Osamu replies.

And the two embrace each other.

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #digimon 02 #osamu ichijouji #sam ichijouji #ryo akiyama

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beginningobserver · 11 months ago

Text

[RE:CONNECT - blog v.] Link 5- Who's that pink digimon?

[AO3 version]

Rui and Ayame kept on a bare minimum contact via email. As much as she and Hiroomi wanted to meet Rui again, they agreed with Daisuke about not forcing Rui to do it against his own will. They wanted Rui to feel comfortable with that idea, since he was still gathering courage to talk with them in person. He knew they all are old and possibly do not look like the people in that old photo.

First, he learned Hiroomi went on a drastic aesthetic change -- the boy dyed part of his hair blonde and has an earring now. And Second, Ayame is still wearing twin pigtails, but… lower this time. And it seems her hair is not-too-short-but-not-too-long as well.

But what made Rui surprised was seeing a pink rabbit-like digimon in one of Ayame’s photos.

“Daisuke-kun…”

So, his usual decision was to resort to Daisuke’s digi-expertise.

“Do you know what type of digimon this is?”

And he showed the photo of Ayame and the digimon together, from the saved pictures in his phone’s gallery.

“Hmmm…” Daisuke scratched his head, “Ya know, I look like I’d be a digi-expert but I’m not good at identifying digimon… Maybe if we ask Koushiro-san or Ken…”

“Does Ichijouji-kun know more about the digimon…?”

“Yeah, he was like, some nerd type” V-mon nodded sagely, “Didn’t we tell you he used to be a tyrant who thought the Digital World was a game and the digimon its NPCs? Much of that knowledge he got from… that.”

“Oh…”

“He might be free at this hour,” Daisuke looked at his own phone, “Ken usually passes by here…”

The restaurant’s door opened, and Rui turned his head to look at the person getting in and just standing next to them.

“Huh?”

“... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight now,” and Daisuke looked at the tall man and the bug digimon on the man’s shoulder.

“Incredible…” Rui blinked, impressed.

“What are you talking about…?” Wormmon tilted his head.

“Good timing, mr. detective-in-training,” Daisuke clasps his hands together, “Always at the same hour on Tuesdays.”

“You pass by quite a lot here…” V-mon commented.

“...” Ken was still unfazed, “the office is nearby, besides if none of us keep a look on Daisuke every Tuesday he might feel lonely.”

“Hey hey, do ya think I’m like, five?!” Daisuke pouted.

Rui did not understand what was happening anymore.

“And Daisuke likes to hear constructive critique on his dishes,” Wormmon added.

“It looks more like you guys only come here to eat for free,” V-mon whispered to himself.

“You need my help, I presume” Ken said with a sassy tone, “What are you up to this time?”

“It’s not me, sorry to disappoint ya” Daisuke replied, then gestured to Rui, “Rui needs your digimon knowledge right now.”

“Oh…”

“Is that okay to ask about this, though?” Rui frowned, “I--”

“He needs to know about a digimon in one of his childhood friend’s photos” V-mon said bluntly, making Rui’s heart skip a beat.

“I see…” Ken nodded, then looked at Rui, “Can I see it, please?”

“Y-yeah,” and he showed the photo on his phone to Ken, “It’s this pink digimon here, if that’s a digimon though… It could be a plush doll too, I think…”

“It’s definitely not a plush” Ken answered calmly, “The Chosen Children Network shares information not only about wild digimon on the loose, but also about their own partners in case they need help.”

“Oh… So you guys…”

“We had seen that digimon before, right Ken-chan?” Wormmon commented, “Two years ago, when the Eosmon incident happened.”

“Eosmon incident…” Rui repeated those words vaguely, “Two years ago…”

“Yeah, a digimon was stealin’ Chosen Children’s consciousnesses” Daisuke recapped, “Once everything was solved by Taichi-san and the others, I asked if everyone else was fine via the Network.”

“A digimon…” Rui kept vaguing some words without realizing, “stealing consciousnesses of those people…”

“Have you checked the responses to your post?” Ken asked Daisuke now.

“Uhh… I did but there were like 20,240,229 replies to that thread!”

“That’s impossible because--”

“I don’t remember the exact number, dude! And I couldn’t sit and read them all!!”

“... A digimon was the cause of the mass comatose incidents throughout the world two years ago?”

Daisuke and Ken's argument was interrupted by Rui’s question. They glanced at the boy again, but how would they explain about that? Sure, Rui had been possibly living under denial that the digimon were spreading and possibly had became some sort of ‘digimon hater’ for a while, but would he have a good reaction if they tell him a former Chosen Child named Menoa Bellucci had modified her digimon’s partner data and turned it into Eosmon?

They reached the conclusion they couldn’t give those details yet .

“Yeah, but we solved that and everyone is fine now” both boys and their digimon said quickly, to not let him feel that was also his fault.

“Anyway,” Ken cleared his throat, “I did skimmed into that thread once, there were around 19,900 replies ignoring the same messages send by the same user in response to the others in the comments, and some of them had a photo of them and their digimon in order to make sure everything went well for them.”

“And…?” V-mon said, watching Ken just scrolling thru his own phone now, while he was talking:

“And if you mark to filter the results by the ones sent a picture in the replies, we get a better view of the results so you have to search for the girl in the picture, and then we will find her post sent two weeks after the Eosmon incident--”

“... Her name is Nakajima Ayame,” Rui said, deadpanned.

“Oh that’s right!” Daisuke snapped his fingers, and then took his phone, and did his own research on that post, “Ah I found her! She has a Cutemon partner!”

“-- Eh?” Ken blinked, totally beaten by Daisuke and Rui just finding the answer before him.

“Cutemon is a digimon with healing powers!” V-mon replied with a grin, “Didn’t she ask you if you needed help?”

“Yeah, she--”

“If you could do that then why did you ask for Ken-chan’s help?!” Wormmon hissed, calling their attention.

“Oh… True,” V-mon blinked, “But Ken was… Taking too long to--”

“But he was TRYING!!”

“Sorry sorry” Daisuke chuckled nervously, “But we don’t know anything other than the digimon’s name and that it can heal others.”

“Y-your knowledge is still needed, Ichijouji-kun!” Rui babbled quickly.

“...........................” Ken’s silence was terrifying.

Rui whispered to Daisuke and V-mon, “I think we made him angry--”

“Sigh,” Ken sighed, “I had nothing to do at the office at the moment,” and shrugged, “Cutemon’s ears are not exactly bunny ears but sensory organs which can sense the approach of someone like a digimon or human immediately.”

“So like, ears?” V-mon blinked.

“Those are not exactly like ears though…” Daisuke replied.

“Also Cutemon is a fairy type digimon,” Ken continued, “and a Vaccine type too.”

“Fairy type? Vaccine type?” Rui felt like Ken was speaking another language, “So it’s not a rabbit…?”

“Definitely not,” Ken shook his head, then he put his phone in the pocket again.

“Oh… Interesting…”

“But why do you want to know that?” Wormmon asked, curious.

“... Nakajima-san is… one of my childhood friends.”

“What?!” Ken and Wormmon exclaimed.

“It’s a long story” Daisuke tried to explain, “Seems like Rui’s old friends are trying to contact him since the Eggcounter we all had with Ukkomon.”

“Did you just--”

“If I were still the same person I was before solving my issue with Ukkomon… I’d have been concerned about her getting hurt…” Rui commented with a sigh, then looked at V-mon and to Wormmon, “But you guys proved me that… They would be okay if something bad happened before.”

“Hmm… Cutemon is not a brawler type,” Ken mused, “It’s a healer, so most of its abilities are only for healing rather than for fighting tough digimon.”

“Still… If she gets hurt, her digimon can treat her wounds, right?”

“Yes, I guess” Daisuke frowned.

“But more importantly,” Ken looked at Rui again, “Why didn’t you ask Nakajima instead?”

“... I don’t want to bug her,” he said, and turned his sight away from Ken.

“Hmm…” the other three, but Daisuke felt a bit of concern right now.

Daisuke clasped his hands again, “Well, Rui is taking baby steps. He’s feeling awkward right now because… He thinks Ukkomon also did the thing with those two.”

“The thing ?” Ken and Wormmon raised an eyebrow and the other blinked (respectively)

“The mind-control technique he had,” Rui explained, “I don’t know if it was the tentacle-thing or…”

“Hmm…”

“... Do you know anything about Ukkomon, Ichijouji-kun?” Rui asked after a brief awkward silence between him and the others.

"Not that I recall, sorry."

“...” Rui frowned. He had the feeling that he would just have to wait for Ukkomon to hatch in order to ask the right questions.

“Are you on a break from work?” Wormmon asked him, out of curiosity.

“I took a day off,” he explained, “I was… spacing out again so my cousin-- I mean, my boss thought I should just get time to…”

“... Get your mind in order, right?” Ken completed it, making Wormmon, Daisuke and V-mon look at him.

“Yeah, that.”

“Huh, whaddya mean--”

“I had to do that before,” Ken looked at Daisuke, “When we were ‘rebuilding’ the Digital World and Arukenimon appeared. I couldn’t join your group because I felt nervous and ashamed of my actions.”

“Oh, that tracks now!” V-mon nodded.

“What Rui is feeling here is something similar: He knows Ukkomon and he might have caused trouble to Nakajima and Koyama before, so he’s feeling nervous about messing things up again. And this is consuming his mind enough to send him there .”

“There?” Daisuke and V-mon asked in unison.

“The Dark Ocean, I say” Ken answered.

“I don’t feel like I’m getting… teleported to that place though…” Rui sighed, “Just that… I don’t want to make things worse for everyone again.”

“Everyone messes things up, Rui” Daisuke left the kitchen side and sat on the empty seat next to the boy, and put his hand on Rui’s shoulder, “Like, I’ve heard my ol’ man boss scold me for overcooking something, or breaking something. Or V-mon just breaking something.”

“H-hey!”

"Pretty sure Ken's boss called him out for screwing up, right?"

“Yeah, it happens.”

“...” Rui looked at Ken and then back to Daisuke, he smiled and nodded in agreement.

“But you shouldn’t do anything reckless, again” then Daisuke’s tone got serious and it really sounded like he was getting lectured by an adult (well… they all are adults there)

“Oh… You mean…” he gulped, “R-right… I’ll not be climbing towers anymore.”

“I didn’t mean that, but… Yeah, don’t put your life in danger like that too. Literally.”

“I feel like we had a talk like that before…” V-mon tilted his head.

“If we did, it means we’re just reminding Rui and making sure he got our support here!”

“...”

“And no, bud. You’re not givin’ us any trouble.”

“To be fair, all of this team is full of issues” Ken made a snarky remark, looking at Daisuke, “But that’s why we need each other.”

“Are you two flir--”

“NOPE!” Daisuke hissed, “Don't you dare say what Miyako said before! Besides, Ken and Miyako are an item!” he blushed, embarrassed.

“I think you’re forgetting something,” Wormmon said with a monotone voice, quite upset with something, “Right, Ken-chan?”

“... Ah. Right… I have to go now.”

“But you barely eat--” V-mon said, but Ken and Wormmon (on Ken’s back) just left quickly like if he had left the stove on.

“What’s wrong with them?” Rui asked, confused.

“Who knows,” Daisuke shrugged, “Ken’s like that. Everybody thinks he's a smart, cool guy, but...he's a walking mess and dumbass.”

#digimon adventure 02 the beginning #ohwada lui #02tb spoilers #re:connect sidestory project

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detectiveichijouji · 2 years ago

Text

Case 9 - Hikari has a secret admirer!?

[AO3 version!!]

Tailmon is a mature cat with lots of responsibilities, but she also could lose a few brain cells to please Hikari. At least she and Hikari are doing well now!! Since the day she was rescued from Vamdemon’s hands, life has turned into a pleasant adventure for her. Even with the deepest struggles and despair they had faced… Tailmon and Hikari had the help of their friends, and Taichi, to surpass all the sadness and misfortune in the world.

But… Today’s case… It’s a little complicated.

“... Ichijouji-kun… I need your help.”

Ken was looking at Hikari, who suddenly appeared at the end of his classes and in front of the entrance of his school. Wormmon looked at Ken, who glanced from Wormmon to Hikari in confusion.

“Yes? How can we help you?”

Oddly, Tailmon was not in her usual digimon level form -- she was devolved into Plotmon. This brought some suspicion to both Ken and Wormmon. Seriously, what’s going on there?

“I can’t talk here…” she used her free hand to grab Ken’s arm gently and drag him on a walk, “Can we go to your home, please?”

Ken blinked. What does THIS mean!? His curiosity just hit him badly that he decided to accept the idea. And while they were on the way to his apartment, he noticed Hikari looking behind, and around… Continuously. So… Maybe she has been stalked? -- Ken mused.

Once they arrived at the Ichijouji’s residence, he asked if she wanted something to drink, because he definitely noticed her being quite wary. Hikari accepted a warm tea cup, and then he prepared it for both of them.

“So… What’s wrong?” Ken finally had the moment to ask for the details.

“Someone… is stalking us,” Hikari said, a bit timidly and awkwardly.

“Ah I see” he sipped his tea, then made his next question “Do you know who is?”

“No. All I know is… They left a letter on our apartment’s doorstep”

“Hmm…” Wormmon mused, while Ken did it in silence, “Why do you need our help, Hikari-san?”

“I thought about going to the place they asked us to go and…”

“... And?” Ken and Wormmon repeated.

“... Tell them that I already have a boyfriend...”

“I see…” they said together.

“... And I’d like to ask if you could pretend to be my boyfriend in front of them.”

Ken and Wormmon spat their tea on each other’s faces.

“W-what!?” Ken babbled, “I don’t think this would work… I mean, I think you should’ve asked Takeru-kun or Daisuke for that--”

“Takeru-kun and Daisuke-kun wouldn’t look like the perfect match for this plan… Takeru-kun might be nice but he’s a little scary and I don’t want to have him threatening whoever is this secret admirer. And Daisuke-kun… W-well, he’s Daisuke-kun…!”

“He would end up messing this up” Plotmon explained, “Besides, he doesn’t seem the kind to intimidate someone.”

“Daisuke’s going to murder me…” Ken muttered.

“True, Ken-chan is boyfriend material” Wormmon nodded sagely.

“W-Wormmon!!” Ken blushed. Then, he asked: “Did you tell anyone else about this? Taichi-san? Miyako-san? Iori-kun?”

She and Plotmon shook their heads gently, but frowning. Hikari added: “No, because we didn’t know what to do… Until I had this idea from a TV show I was watching recently.”

“Then, how do you plan to make it work?” Ken and Wormmon said in unison.

“We do this quickly and then we get away with this, without anyone knowing about this plan, ok?” Hikari replied with a timid smile.

Ken did not ask for this, and he hasn't cogitated about Iori as a fake boyfriend because Iori’s younger than Hikari. But deep down Ken knew this wouldn’t work well, but Hikari is so good at manipulating people that when he realized…

“Please, I… I trust you to discover who they are and intercept them”

“F-fine… But… I’d like to say one detail: I like someone else, and I hope we can keep this person away from this…”

“Oh okay! Let’s don’t do anything like that in public, only when we meet that secret admirer.”

… it was too late to go back.

Hikari met Daisuke and Takeru at class the next day, as usual. But Tailmon kept in Plotmon form, which wasn’t usual at all. Daisuke and Chibimon were the first ones to suspect of something wrong:

“Maybe Tailmon got sick!” It was Daisuke’s theory.

“Have you ever seen a digimon sick before?” Takeru asked, innocently.

“I’ve seen one sick! Chibimon got a cold once! He sneezed like a hedgehog!”

“H-hey!!” Chibimon protested.

“But it was a funny sneeze sound that I wish I had recorded for myself…”

“Maybe she’s not sick,” Patamon mused, “Digimon in this world tend to run their energies so fast to maintain higher forms…”

“Ah… That’s true,” Daisuke blinked. Chibimon agreed with a nod.

“Maybe we should ask Plotmon herself?” Takeru suggested, with a warm smile on his face.

“Tailmon devolved because she’s tired” Hikari interrupted them, “Because she got a little sick yesterday. So both are right.”

“Yes, I don’t recommend staying close, it might be contagious,” Plotmon added.

“C-contagious!?” Daisuke and Chibimon gasped.

“It’s just a cold, nothing to worry about,” Hikari giggled.

“No, it is” Plotmon disagreed, with a serious tone, “It might be too contagious so better you, Takeru and Patamon don’t get any closer. Hikari is fine because she’s infected too.”

“W-W-WHAT!? AND YOU WENT TO SCHOOL WHILE SICK!?” Daisuke panicked.

“Um… I-It’s not that bad…”

“HIKARI-CHAN PLEASE GO HOME, NOW! I’LL TELL THE TEACHERS! You can get my notebook for the lessons you miss, but please GO HOME NOW!”

“Plotmon… Forgot to say this is only with Chosen Children!”

“E-eh!?”

“Exactly!” Plotmon added, “Non-partnered humans and digimon cannot get infected. They’re safe. It only affects Chosen Children and partnered digimon.”

Takeru looked at Patamon for a moment and whispered to him: “Hikari-chan and Plotmon are acting weirdly today… That’s definitely a lie.”

“Yeah, but it’s working on Daisuke and Chibimon…” Patamon pointed at the other duo just… standing away from Hikari and Plotmon.

“... I forgot Daisuke-kun and Chibimon are the kind to believe in everything without hesitation…” Takeru sighed.

After class…

“I can’t believe Hikari-chan is sick and we can’t stay close to her!!” Daisuke sighed.

“... Daisuke-kun,” Takeru looked at him seriously, “Did you do something to Hikari-chan and Tailmon?”

“W-what? No! I didn’t!” Daisuke growled, “Do ya think it’s my fault now!?”

“No… It felt like she was trying to keep both of us away from her…”

“Did you do something instead?” Chibimon asked, but innocently.

“Nope.” Patamon answered with a shrug.

“But why would she…” Daisuke seemed concerned, he was glancing at the street while he and Takeru were eating some burgers at a fast food store.

“Should we investigate it?” Chibimon asked the boys and Patamon.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Takeru confessed, “It would be better if we wait until they can explain it to us.”

“Besides, stalking is a bad idea,” Patamon said, looking at Takeru, “Right, Takeru?”

“I don’t say stalking Hikari-chan…” Daisuke frowned, “I don’t want her or Tailmon to get hurt if they’re sick…”

“She’s not sick,” Takeru sighed, “More likely she’s hiding something from us.”

“Yeah… Hmm, do ya think she’s mad at us?”

“If we didn’t do anything wrong, that might not be the case,” Chibimon commented.

“Yeah!” Patamon agreed, “It might be for another reason.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t worry,” Takeru gave Daisuke a smile, “Hikari-chan and Tailmon might be fine, if anything bad happens she will call us five to help her.”

“Y-yeah, it’s not like she got a super secret right?” Daisuke chuckled, but then he saw Hikari on the other side of the street, “Ah, she’s there.”

“I guess she’s waiting for someone… Taichi-san, Miyako-san or another friend outside our group.”

“Yea-- HUH!?”

Daisuke gasped, and then he saw Ken with Hikari now.

“T-TAKERU!” he babbled, “S-SOMETHING IS… UH… WEIRD HERE.”

“Ichijouji-kun? Huh, I didn’t know she would meet him today…”

“But I thought Ken liked-- A-another person I’m not allowed to say because that’s private and if I let anyone else know he might hunt me down!”

“But I thought it was Daisuke who liked Hikari” Patamon and Chibimon said together.

“H-hey!! It’s not like I have a crush on her or something!!”

Well, you’re definitely panicked here about this… -- Takeru thought, shrugging. It’s not a secret that Daisuke has a crush on Hikari, and everyone in that circle is pretty much aware of that, including Hikari herself. But Daisuke… He thinks he’s so good at hiding it to not notice the truth, that he’s too transparent when it comes to his crush on Hikari.

“Takeru.”

Oh no, will he…

“Let’s follow them!”

“Daisuke-kun I don’t think it’s a good idea--”

“Like goddamnit, I just wish they could have told us! We would understand! We wouldn’t do anything to separate them from each other! And it’s not like the-one-who-Ken-has-a-crush-and-I-can’t-tell-ya will be mad either…”

“Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions too fast?” Patamon blinked, his face was a legit 😐 right now.

“Miyako’s gonna be disappointed tho” Chibimon frowned, “Hikari got Ken before her.”

“B-before we start panicking about this…” Takeru tried to calm everyone down, “Maybe we should ask them directly. But not now. We have to respect their privacy.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t sound right,” Patamon said, and then ate a french fry, “Here, eat a crunchy french fry!!” He offered it to Chibimon.

“I think I just saw Daisuke-san, Chibimon, Takeru-san and Patamon at the burger shop,” Wormmon commented with the other three.

“As long as they didn’t see us, it will be okay,” Plotmon said calmly.

“But why are we meeting in an alley?” Ken frowned, “There’s something off…”

“It’s what’s said in the letter” Hikari said, “I knew it would be too risky so…”

“You could’ve asked Miyako-san’s help instead… She’s your jogress partner after all…”

“Yeah, but…”

“But?” Ken raised an eyebrow.

“... The reason Tailmon devolved was…”

“Hohoho, there you are my beloved Tailmon~”

Ken put himself in front of Hikari and Plotmon, with Wormmon on guard. The boy just screamed: “Who’s there!?”

“Huh??” the digimon, who looked like a Tailmon costume wore by a humanoid monster (a la Etemon) just popped from the shadows, “Who the heck are you? Where’s Tailmon!?”

“... Betsumon?” Wormmon tilted his head.

“So that’s the reason,” Ken looked at Hikari, “You got the letter talking about someone having a crush on Tailmon, then you knew you were being watched by Betsumon so you lied about the fake date plan and couldn’t put the other in danger. Am I right, Hikari-san?”

“What what what??” Betsumon growled, “you brought this punk with ya!? I asked one thing and you--”

“Miyako and Hawkmon also know,” Plotmon said, “But I can’t Jogress-evolve into Silphymon with Aquilamon. So it would be pointless.”

“Why?” Ken and Wormmon asked.

“Because I have THIS with me,” and then Betsumon showed one of those portable Dark Towers.

“Oh, that makes sense now…” Ken replied with an unpleasant voice tone. Oh of course it’s one of those portable Dark Towers. Again. Someday he will find who’s building those and make them never build one ever again.

“But how can we fight!?” Wormmon seemed concerned, and he glanced at the other three, “You should’ve called for Takeru-san or Daisuke-san’s help.”

Hikari then gave her D-Terminal, “Please, use this.”

“Digimental…?” Ken took it and then… “I got it…” he glanced at Wormmon, “Wormmon, ready?”

“Yeah!”

“What?” Betsumon raised an eyebrow, “Will ya pick a fight against me? I’m a perfect level digimon, you can’t--”

“Light Digimental Up!!”

Wormmon Armor-evolved with the Digimental of Light to a mythological beast, with traces of the Mayan’s Quetzalcoatl, the plumed and winged serpent: Coatlmon.

“Oh I guess you wanna fight someone bigger than you!” Betsumon laughed.

Apparently, Betsumon was smaller than Coatlmon. Ken, Hikari and Plotmon were just staring at him coldly, as if that opponent digimon was just a big joke. That wasn’t funny though…

“That’s my chance…!!” Betsumon’s eyes flashed like lights, and he took the advantage of his ‘Cold Gag’ technique to try to snatch Plotmon from Hikari’s hands.

But Ken shielded Hikari and Plotmon, giving time for Coatlmon to attack and then coil around Betsumon, forcing him drop the portable Dark Tower on the floor. Plotmon jumped from Hikari’s arms, caught the tiny tower and handed it to Ken, who tossed it to the ground and broke it with his foot.

“M-MY DARK TOWER!!” Betsumon cried, then used his paws to hit Coatlmon’s head like if he was hitting the boke of a manzai show -- his special technique: the Tsukkomi Punch !!

“Ouch!” Coatlmon devolved to Wormmon and set Betsumon free, falling in Ken’s arms… He was mentally drained and couldn’t keep his Armor form!!

“Hahaha, that was my best shot!” Betsumon laughed menacingly, “Now let me get my prize!”

“Not so fast,” Ken smirked, a legit Digimon Kaiser smirk. When Betsumon realized, Angewomon had fled in his direction.

“W-WHAT!?” Betsumon screamed, but he recognized that smirk, “Y-YOU’RE THAT… THAT GUY!! THE DIGIMON--”

And then, Angewomon knocked him down with a punch.

“-- KAIS--ACK!!” And then he was knocked out.

“It had been a while since I heard someone calling me by that name…” Ken sighed, then he looked at Hikari, “Case solved, now we should just send him back to the Digital World and you and Tailmon will be free from him.”

“Thank you, Ichijouji-kun but… Are you and Wormmon okay?”

Ken nodded his head, “Yeah, it just caught me off guard for a little… So those things are still in use…” he looked at the shattered Dark Tower on the floor.

“Ken open the gate,” Angewomon asked politely, with Betsumon on her shoulder like if she was carrying a sack of potatoes.

“A-ah, right…” Ken took his D-3 and pointed to a random space in the alley, “Digital Gate, open.”

The gate opened and Betsumon was dumped into it as if Angewomon was taking out the trash. And then, Ken closed the gate.

When they were leaving the alley, they saw a very very EMOTIONAL Daisuke with Chibimon on his head, dragging Takeru by his wrist (with Patamon on Takeru’s head) -- Ken gulped: They will have to explain a lot of this to those two now…

“KEN! YOU, YOU--!!”

“Daisuke I--”

“-- YOU SHOULD’VE SAID ME THAT YOU TWO WERE PLANNIN’ SOMETHING FOR MIYAKO’S BIRTHDAY ALREADY!!”

“Eh!?” Ken and Hikari blinked. Then Daisuke gestured to the store they stood in front of -- a store with stuff for parties.

“At first I thought you and Hikari-chan liked each other!” Daisuke babbled, dramatically of course “But Takeru and I found that too strange! And I know you like you-know-who so it would be bad if you were like that cheap prince named Wallace, the dude from America, y’know!”

Ken and Hikari looked at each other. Didn’t Daisuke see them leaving the alley, so maybe they could roll with it, right?

“But! But Hikari-chan is Miyako’s bestie, and you’re so tall and chill so it wouldn’t mind carrying a few boxes for her, right!?”

“Uh… Yeah!” Hikari nodded, “I called Ichijouji-kun to help me with the packages! But turns out we had to catch a digimon and send it back to the Digital World, so we did it without calling the others!”

Takeru had been shaken by Daisuke’s gestures (because Daisuke didn’t let go of his wrist) and he was completely exhausted from being dragged like that. Daisuke sighed relieved:

“Ok, I’m glad you two are fine… But what was that thing about not gettin’ close to Chosen Children and partnered digimon to not infect them with a flu?”

“H-huh?” Ken looked at her.

“Oh…!!” Hikari was sweating now, but kept calm, “I know you guys would spill the beans if I told you about Miyako’s birthday surprise party, so… I asked for Ichijouji-kun’s help instead.”

“I see… Well then, next time call Takeru and me! We can handle it! We’re strong too!!”

“Right! I will call you and Takeru-kun if we need help then.”

“Call me for wh--” then Daisuke just turned back, still dragging Takeru by his wrist “He-hey! Daisuke-kun--”

“... Should we tell them later?” Ken and Wormmon asked the other two.

“Yes, we should tell them later,” they replied.

“Now that he mentioned it… Isn’t Miyako’s birthday in May?” and then the boy raised an eyebrow, “We’re in August…”

“Considering it was Daisuke who made that assumption, better not remember him yet” Tailmon shrugged, Hikari giggled.

Suddenly, Hikari’s phone rang and she answered the call, it was Miyako: “Hikari-chan! I’m sorry I couldn’t help you with that sneaky creep digimon! But… Are you okay? Did it work?”

“Oh, it worked! You were right, Ichijouji-kun and I beat that Betsumon and… I think we will have to explain it to Takeru-kun and Daisuke-kun later…”

“Oh… Well, I’ll message them later. Are you with Ken-kun now?”

“Yes, he’s here! Do you want to talk to him?” and then she gave the phone to Ken, and he was… a little confused and tense?

“H-hello…?”

“Hello, it’s Miyako!” Miyako said with a happy voice tone, “A-ah, I’m sorry for that! I dumped this on you because of a school club activity… But it was our only option, the other two wouldn’t work for that job!!”

“W-wait, it was your idea??” Ken blinked.

“Hehe… Sorry~”

Of course it was actually Miyako’s plan. Hikari isn’t the kind to make risky plans… Or ask someone to pretend to be a boyfriend to shoo some stalker out. However, Miyako… Yeah, this explains why Hikari was so tense and nervous. But she was also watched by Betsumon, so…

“... N-next time please explain to me before sending Hikari-san. We almost made Daisuke freak out thinking we were secretly dating.”

“Of course he would put a nail in my perfect plan!” she growled, “But I will explain everything to everyone! Sorry and Thank you~♡”

She hung up. Ken silently gave the phone to Hikari again. Oh that day was… Too stressful, he might go home and crash in bed. He looked at Hikari, his brain kinda fried by whatever happened that day:

“Why did Miyako-san make a plan like this if Tailmon was the target?”

“Uh… We thought Betsumon was a partnered digimon… So we thought it was someone else and Betsumon.”

“That… That sounds right,” he remembered how both Daisuke and V-mon are though…

“We were hiding one more detail though” Tailmon began, explaining, “Someone tried to attack Hikari when she found the letter, and then I protected her. I ran after the suspect, but then I got hit by something and devolved into Plotmon.”

“You mean… Betsumon attacked you?” Wormmon commented.

“Yeah, and then… When I went to look for Tailmon…” Hikari continued from there, “Betsumon found me and asked to bring Tailmon. Hours later, she came home as Plotmon and told me what happened.”

“Hmm…” Ken mused, “That Betsumon was looking after something then…”

“But let’s not worry about it now” Hikari said quickly and awkwardly, “It might be just some love sick Betsumon, right?”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be the case…” Ken thought, “But I’ll keep an eye on our surroundings…”

If it was on purpose or just a digimon in love with Tailmon they don’t know. Whatever comes next is uncertain, so better not waste time thinking too hard about it…

#young prince detective ichijouji ken #02 team digimon case files

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ladyofthecastleproject · 2 years ago

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The Knight and the Detective

[AO3 version]

Summary:

Ken vs Lightnimon showdown, Fight the Knight!! The detective (prince) Ichijouji Ken finally reaches his conclusions and unmask the mysterious yet terrifying digimon's secrets.

[Note: It takes place in 2008; this is one of my favorite drabbles btw]

The dark night didn’t stop Ichijouji Ken from running after the mysterious shadow who had been spotted. He let the group sleep, and then with Wormmon he dived into the forest.

His investigation was leading him to a conclusion -- The mysterious digimon named ‘Lightnimon’ who had been a hot topic through the Digital World as some terrifying savior for the victims of Frostmon and Ranamon’s armies, had not been alone. He got an accomplice, a partner which probably had been doing all the dirty job for him.

However, Ken did not believe it could be him . He’s a nice person and wouldn’t hide behind a mask or pretend to be who he isn’t. The time he had done this on Valentine’s Day five years ago, Ken immediately snapped him out of it. But why would this now be an option?

Unmasking Lightnimon became Ken’s priority. If he were a digimon, then this means Daisuke had yet to be found. However, what if…

“I can’t think about it being a possibility” Ken shook his head.

“What’s wrong Ken-chan?” Wormmon frowned, he was on Ken’s back.

“Nothing… Do… Do you think that that silhouette we saw was Lightnimon?”

“Hmmm… Maybe?”

“I’d hope to be Daisuke though…” Ken whispered, “Where did you go, you dumbass…”

“If it’s not him, what should we do?” Wormmon asked this time.

“Maybe we can fight… or retreat to call for the others” Ken replied, musing about his plans.

“I… I sense something…”

“Huh?”

“Right there!!” Wormmon stared at the unknown, and threw his silk web at the bushes. Something the web hit and stuck on it. So, Ken took the other end of the silk from Wormmon’s mouth and held it tightly.

“We know you’re here. Show yourself, whoever you are!”

“My my…. You’re quite smart hm?”

That voice…

“Who’s there?!”

“What, you have been looking for me and don’t even know my name!?”

“Show yourself!” Ken repeated, gritting his teeth.

The silk started to loose as the digimon-or-human appeared from the bushes. The Lighdramon armor revealed that it wasn’t no one else than…

“It’s him, the digimon were talking about him!” Wormmon gasped.

“Who me? Ah yes, I forgot I became pretty famous” Lightnimon shrugged, “Anyway, isn’t past your bedtime Ichijouji-kun?”

Ken felt so much anger at that mysterious enemy (?) sassing him. But, instead of losing his mind, he smirked.

“I don’t sleep when I’m investigating something. Say, what makes you think you’re different from us? You said you and us have the same goal, but also threatened us to not mess with your plans. This is quite contradictory, don’t you think?”

“Kh… You…”

“Ah, this reminds me of someone who tends to lose his coolness once dealing with some critique.”

Then Lightnimon started to laugh, louder and louder.

“You think I am someone you know?” he said with a serious tone of voice, “Ichijouji-kun, you know nothing about me, but I do know you. Or you think slipping back into this cocky Digimon Kaiser persona would intimidate me?”

“You lost your mind!! I’m trying to make you get back to your senses!”

“Again you keep insisting I’m someone you know… Sigh, you’re so boring. I’m going off--”

“You won’t escape this time! Wormmon!”

Wormmon jumped from Ken’s back and evolved to Stingmon. The insectoid digimon flew in Lightnimon’s direction, but then the digimon got blocked by a Lighdramon-motif Glaive. This probably made Ken realize he was right about not only Miyako and Iori had gotten such weaponry based on their Digimentals of Sincerity and Reliability.

“I knew it… You’re him.” Ken clenched his fists, but this commentary kept stuck in his mind.

“You got one of those too!?” Stingmon exclaimed.

“Tsk, I stole it from your friend.”

“If you’re not him…” Ken said aloud, “Then where is he!?”

“You want to know? I can’t tell you where he is” he held the glaive on guard “It would put his life at risk.”

“If you know… We will make you tell it!” Stingmon attempted another kick, but Lightnimon dodged it “Where’s Daisuke-san and V-mon!?”

“Are you ignoring me!? I said I CAN’T tell that! His life’s in danger, you all saw Frostmon saying he was dead!”

“That information was incorrect though” Ken said seriously, glaring at him “The Digital Gate can only be opened by a D-3. The gate to the Digital World was locked, but someone managed to open it. Daisuke is alive, and you also confirmed it.”

“Yes, but which part of ‘His life is in danger so I can’t tell where to find him’ you two did NOT understand!?” He used the glaive to block Stingmon’s kick again, then repelled the digimon with it.

“You will tell us or else…!!” Stingmon and Ken said together.

“Or else what, you will destroy me knowing I know where he is and then ruin the possibilities of finding him again?” behind that helmet, he was smirking.

“We won’t kill you!”

“Oh interesting~ Well then, I’m not alone and you know it.” Then he snapped his fingers, making a wild claw come from the shadows.

“What?!” Stingmon dodged, and stood in front of Ken, “Is…”

“As expected, he indeed has a partner-in-crime.”

“Impressive! As expected from the prodigy genius boy” Lightmon clapped his hands and laughed, and Ken cringed at being called 'genius' by him “Now if you excuse me, I have to go. There’s more enemies around and I can’t let them attack those innocent lives.”

“We… We won’t give up!”

“Ah, you still want to fight” and then he sighed, “Isn’t it a disadvantage for you? Two against one?”

“Kh…” Ken bit his lips, “Fine, you won. You can go, but before… Allow me to ask one more question.”

“Another one?” Lightnimon said, totally uninterested in it, “Fine, fine… Go ahead. If it is about your friend he’s fine and safe but I can’t tell you where he’s hiding--”

“Oh no, I know Daisuke is an idiot but can survive alone. My question is about you though.”

Ken smirk was denouncing some tricky question, or a trap. He couldn’t fall on it.

“If you’re not Daisuke, then how do you manage to get his partner to evolve?”

Wh-what!? How did he…

Stingmon had taken that distraction to attack the clawed monster, revealing Fladramon from the bushes.

“S-shoot…!!” he muttered.

“Answer me, Lightnimon… Or should I say...”

“Fladramon, now!”

“W-what are you do--”

Fladramon’s form changed to a crimson armored version of himself, and wings of flame appeared from his back, causing a huge explosion in which both him and Lightnimon used to escape as Stingmon couldn’t pass through the flames.

“Ken-chan, he escaped…!”

“Darn it, you moron…!!” Ken thought, now knowing that Lightnimon wasn’t a digimon at all and yes…

“I’m sorry Da-- It mean, Lightnimon. I messed this up…” BurningFladramon said, holding Lightnimon in his arms.

“It’s not your fault, buddy… Ichijouji Ken’s an amazing detective after all.”

“But now he knows…”

“Well I suppose that cannot be helped, as long he doesn’t spread the word and put their lives at risk. The trees have ears y’know?”

“Was… Was that a…”

“No, I meant literally. If any digimon from those two’s army heard us, this might put everyone’s lives in danger.”

“Don’t you think it’s the right moment to reveal ourselves?”

Daisuke did not respond, he was thoughtful. Something in his mind was going on and BurningFladramon knew.

“I’ve… Turned into some despicable person right now. Except for Mimi-san, Palmon and Gummymon… All of them do not like me. Do you think if I reveal myself they would understand?”

“We’re all friends, of course they will.”

“... But not now, we need to keep beating those meanies and save villages. We will settle this some other time.”

“Right…”

“Should we tell the others?” After Stingmon had put out the fire to prevent it hitting more and more trees and the local towns, he returned to Wormmon form.

“Hmm… I think we can--” Suddenly, his D-terminal beeped, “Huh?”

Ken took his device from his pocket and opened it. He noticed Daisuke had sent a message to him:

Ken, for the sake of everyone… DON’T tell anyone what you know. You might be putting everyone in danger if you do that. Wait for the right time, I trust you. P.S.: Put out the fire and uh, sorry for lying.

“What does he mean by ‘wait for the right time’ Ken-chan?”

“I guess he’s still been tracked” Ken mused, “If the enemies know.... They could find him wandering alone and then…”

“I don’t like that, he should’ve come back to us.”

“I know Daisuke is not a genius, but… He might have a reason for this. His ideas usually backfire, like now. So I’m concerned.”

“He admitted it was him, so I guess… We should keep it a secret like he asked us.”

“I think the same, but he’s a terrible liar. This might only work if he’s not talking at all.”

“I agree.”

... Sigh, what do you have in mind, Daisuke…

#arc 5: hinode [concept]#ichijouji ken #wormmon #digimon adventure 02

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variouscolors · 5 months ago

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"..."

Oof, that kid really hit him in a sore spot right now.

"Worry... about..."

He kinda felt like a broken record just repeating that, at least inside his mind -- I don't want to die, but I don't want to be a burden to anyone...!!

His parents are just a bunch of airheads, but unlike Ichijouji's case... They definitely are supportive type. He's pretty spoiled while his sister, Jun, was the more serious-and-unserious person at home.

Serious because she's the one to simply be the one to not be dotting him like his parents. And unserious because... she's quite delusional about dating celebrities and other cute boys around. (She doesn't even realize that her best friend, Inoue Momoe, has a secret crush on her either...)

"... Why do you... care about me, Ichijouji?"

He muttered, trying to not be heard. But he was so sure the other would hear him at this point, since he kept being carried.

"... The others don't care about me, I'm... weak and unable to defend myself."

This is a scenario in which Motomiya Daisuke never had met Yagami Taichi at all, or rather, never had formed a strong bond with Taichi. Despite having a very innocent crush on a classmate, Hikari, he had no courage to talk to her... And he just got into this 'game' called 'Digital World' or something…

No friends... Yet... Ended up with this other kid which seemed to understand a bit of this frustration of having no friends. Does the other Chosen Children at school know about him being their enemy's henchman? Or...

"... T-Thank you anyway."

The noisy barking of his loyal henchman elicited a low, irritated growl until the boy finally shut up long enough for a reply.

He leaned in as close as the stupid spike on the other boy's head would allow to stress his point: "Stop screaming like an infant chimp - or I'll drop you. I can hear you perfectly fine without you breaking my goddamn eardrums."

Of course, Ken was about as willing to actually drop Daisuke as he was willing to just leave him behind - not. But if the dumb boy thought he would ever do the latter anyways, there was no reason not to be pointed.

And privately - to an extent that torture would be unlikely to get this out of him - he liked the feeling of Daisuke's body weight and nascent warmth against his own. His parents, for all their insipid, empty affection, were not physical people. So they never ruined it for him.

Positive bodily contact was something he had only shared with his late brother before, and it was pleasant to relive.

"Is it really so much to ask you to worry about your health? You live across two separately dangerous and terrible places." He bit his lower lip. "You like your family, too. Imagine if you died here and they never knew what happened to you."

He held Daisuke closer to himself unconsciously at the thought of him being hurt.

#indentedheartner #lightni • digimon kaiser's henchman #crack post • glitchy environment #this is not a crack thread anymore i suppose...??

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koushirouizumi · 2 years ago

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Meanwhile with DigiAdvs 02's Daisuke+Co. [and some O.C.s]

Hikaru, bit earlier that day: !! I just remembered!! Chosen: ?!! Hikaru, ponderingly: Shane mentioned Shane had a younger brother. Hikaru: "Patrick", I think the name was. Taichi + Daisuke: (This is New...) Taichi: (Shane's from the U.S. {right??} so...) Hikaru: But Shane only got to mention him a few times in our e-mail exchanges. It seemed like Shane really cared about Patrick though. They didn't always "hang out" closely, but they did bond when able. Daisuke: (...So Shane is a kind guy after all.) Daisuke: (But Shane was kind before that, too...) Ken: ... (*definitely not thinking of Own family.*) Koushiro: I can look up "Patrick" in combination with "Shane" and see what I can find, but... (both are pretty common names...) Koushiro, to Hikaru: Did Shane ever reveal Shane's surname? Hikaru: It took Shane a *while* to, since we met on-line, but once we finally got more acquainted... Hikaru: (*gives surname*) Chosen: !!! Koushiro: (We should have expected this, actually.) Takeru, Looking down at Patamon: (...That kind of surname...) Miyako: Oh, Takeru-- Takeru: ?? Miyako: (I need to Speak with you after this) Takeru: ...! (What's--) Miyako: (We Need To Talk---) TAKERU: (What Did I Do---)

#repeatverse #repeat chosen #repeat shane #repeat hikaru #repeat daisuke #repeat ken #repeat ichijoujis #repeat taichi #repeat koutai #repeat takeru #takemiya #repeat takemiya #coftff #coftff shane #coftff patrick #shane x hikaru #oc: hikaru #oc: shane #oc: patrick #shane and patrick #koushirouizumi no rb #koushirouizumi no rb posts #in which more info about shane comes to light #in which shane has family connections #in which ken is remembering #in which takemiya bounce around each other because of unresolved tension going on 10+~ years since I wrote old 02 fic #in which takeru doesnt know how to tell miyako takeru is slowly realizing takeru is very very aroace #aroace takeru #('Yeah Shane has Shanes own 'verse And I Am Including Some Things from old 'verses Again')#(Because I Can but also because it had some Meaning back then and 'Patrick' was an O.C. in the oldest ficverse w them too)

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earlgreymon · 3 years ago

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digidestined's fanon birthdays

so i saw a lot of taichi's fanart on twitter, mostly from japanese artists, wishing him a happy birthday a few days ago, and i thought: "...wait, i thought we don't have official birthday for these kids?"

and indeed we don't. however, i found a list of fanon birthdays which seems quite popular in japan. once again, i have to emphasise that these are not canon. the closest information we have are 1) sora's birthday is somewhere before summer (our war game), and; 2) miyako is a gemini. if you see the below list, their birthdays are FAR from that, which confirms that this isn't official stuff.

but hey, if you love to join the celebration by making birthday fanart, this will do! and if you are like me who loves writing in detail yet lacking the creativity to assign birthdays, this information can be useful too.

taichi: july 15

yamato: april 23

sora: october 25

koushiro: november 6

mimi: july 20

jyou: may 24

takeru: august 3

hikari: december 16

daisuke: may 11

miyako: october 18

iori: september 27

ken: july 31

source: (1)(2)

is there any explanation for these dates? not that i know of; i'll update if i found one. BUT if you love zodiacs/birth-chart/astrology/etc and need explanations behind the birthdays, i will gladly refer you to this awesome post from my beloved friend @dutchforstrangers and read her well-thought analysis on #DFS Digimon Astrology Journey!

#digimon #i know this might be a repeating post but #this is me making a note on my own tumblr so i won't forget later on lmao #ken is digiweek baby y'all #taichi yagami #yamato ishida #sora takenouchi #koushiro izumi #mimi tachikawa #jyou kido #takeru takaishi #hikari yagami #daisuke motomiya #miyako inoue #iori hida #ken ichijouji

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ventrios · 6 years ago

Photo

i know it’s true so please tell me you feel it too

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #daisuke motomiya #ken ichijouji #daiken #beepo #OH??? MY CAPTION ISNT A SHITPOST FOR ONCE??? INTERESTING INTERESTING #also hehe new signature time #its cause i hate writing @ventrios it looks so fucking awkward #BUT THIS? i like this #i want yall to know that like halfway thru coloring this again i thot of the caption #and like #instead of writing it down i just kept repeating it in my head hoping #i would not forget it #so thats that on that #i doodled this a while ago but please god take this while yall wait out requests #ive been playing minecraft i cant help how sexzy it is #RRRRR I WANNA LIKE..... LINK BABY ITS FACT BUT #I CANT THINK OF IT HAVING TO DO WITH THE PIC OR THE CAPTION #ALSO IT FEELS REALLY CHEESY I MIGHT COMBUST #THE CAPTION IS ALREAYD PUSHING IT #WHATEVER IM GONNA LINK IT #i like the song this is how i will live this is how i will die

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izzyizumi · 5 years ago

Video

tumblr

Digimon Adventures / Tri ~ x K@gerou Project / Mek@kucity @ctors “ DEAD and SEEK ” A.M.V ( PREVIEW / UNFINISHED ) [ music ( C ) Jin ] [ V O C A L O I D : I . A ] featuring implied DUO/SHIP/O.T.P.: Taichi Yagami [Taichi “Tai” Kamiya] x Koushiro(u) [“Izzy”] Izumi also known as [Taishiro(u)] - Ken Ichijouji x Daisuke Motomiya [Daisuke “Davis” Motomiya in US] { as Kensuke / DaiKen } can also be read in ! with cameos from: Daisuke Motomiya & V-Mon; Ken Ichijouji / Digimon Kaiser { Implied } / Wormmon; Meiko Mochizuki; Hikari Yagami; Homeostasis { Briefly Implied }; & NOT!GENNAI { Tri } with brief footage / video clips from: Adventure, 02, Tri, Kizuna { Koushiro scenes }

PAST AMVS / VIDEO EDITS IN THIS SERIES: Kagerou Daze (Heat-Haze Daze) / Children Record [+Adv Chosen] / RED / Additional Memory and Imaginary Reload music edits for KageDaze / Days (short edit) / Lost Time Memory / Yesterday Evening / Summertime Record / Shounen Brave [+Jou] / Outer Science [+Villains] / Headphone Actor (short edit) / DAZE (short version / TV Size OP) / KOUSHIROS ? CYBER JOURNEY [+Maki] / Brave Heart x Kaien Panzermast [+Chosen Children] / Night Tales Deceive [Yobanashi Deceive] / [KOUSHIRO’S] Imaginary World / Mekakushi Code [Blindfold Code] [+Yamato&Sora&Adv Chosen] / Ultramarine Rain [+Mrs Yoshie Izumi; Izumis] / Imagination Forest [+Mimi&Jou] / Transparent Answer [TaiKou+Meiko] / Jinzou Enemy [Artificial Enemy]

Part of my Digimon Adventures AMVs series / Semi canon-Compliant or otherwise, AUs / spinoffs Ficverse series { TAISHIRO is the main pairing / duo } : REPEAT?_Verse; with links to more information here ! { Please read all links & information before reading the fic ! } { The A.M.V.s are made as an alternative means of storytelling ! }

SUMMARY:

... It’s A Timeloops Series. &

“ So WHY didn’t you include 02 from the start ANYWAY ? ”

[ Note: commenting/tagging respectfully/positively is ok ! ] SONG LYRICS PREVIEW { for the future ! }:

... This fantasy story’s gotten away from me Ever since THAT ACCIDENT we were PLUNGED INTO ALONE, now, I REALIZED that ; [ . . . ]

YOU’RE DEFINITELY STILL TRAPPED in THE HEAT of THAT SUMMER --------

INVESTIGATING YOUR THEORY on that ILLUSIVE W O R L D

TODAY , I’ll ----

“ HEY . YOU’RE up next .

Let’s SEE HOW FAST you can R U N . ”

#izumi koushirou #yagami taichi #ichijouji ken #motomiya daisuke #not gennai #izzyizumi posts #izzyizumi amvs #fic: repeat #verse: repeat #verse: 02 #verse: tri #verse: advs #verse: kizuna #verse: semi canon compliant #verse: AUs #verse: adv #REPEAT TAISHIRO #taishiro #amv: dead and seek #taichi x koushiro #daikensuke #digimon kaiser #(I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NEXT AMVs)#(SHAKES FIST AT TOEI FOR NOT GIVING ME ENOUGH GOOD ANIMATION THIS PAST KOUSHIRO EP)#(ANYWAY PLS HEED THE VERSE INFO AND WARNINGS but yes This Is A Timeloops Series)#(OK BUT LISTEN this is a VERY short instrumental preview of the ending of the song and thus a potential ending of .... the AMV itself)#(BUT LISTEN. LISTEN. I WANT TO YELL ABOUT ADVENTURES LORE AND I HAVE NO ONE TO YELL ABOUT IT WITH)#(' WHY DIDN'T YOU INCLUDE 02 FROM THE START ')#(' I MEAN IT'S A TIMELOOPS SERIES ')#(ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT ME TO GET TO THE 02)

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seventeenlovesthree · 2 years ago

Note

Yeah so your dynamic shipping game? I know I say Takeru and Hikari a lot because I always want to know others perception of them.

Another one I am very curious about is Koushirou and Mimi. Because Tri just worked for them.

But if you mean non common ships I have been curious about Yamato and Mimi. I get the whole they look good together vibe especially in illustrations, but personality wise they don’t really mesh up well in my opinion. Maybe you’ll find something good out of it?

Anyways thank you for reading this. Even if you do one review I would appreciate it. Thank you!

Hello there! Thank you for sending me this, I still have all the other rarepairs in my queue and want to work on them, since I always enjoy to have some thought experiments here and there.

Since my stance on Takari hasn't really changed ever since writing my first analysis post, I hope it's okay if I'm not gonna repeat this one.

However, the other two (namely Koumi and Mimato) are definitely more interesting to write about, for very different reasons each:

Digimon Shipping Dynamic Game:

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Disclaimer: I won’t claim this to be a conclusive/definitive analysis of all of the ship’s aspects. Ship dynamics vary depending on which parts of the series/timeline or media types you are looking at. So this is going to be my personal take on it and just a personal interpretation of how I perceive them.

Whether canon provides input on them or not:

Since I've already written a huge tumblr breaking analysis on what does and does not work about them to me personally, you can bet that canon provides a whole lot of input about them. I will try to keep this section as brief as possible regardless:

You have their initial set-up, which appears to be your typical "opposites/beauty and the nerd" tropes at first glance - and while they do fulfill their stereotypes to at least some degree at various parts of the series, they also frequently defy them. They're the same age and also classmates, making them one of the few characters who have known each other (very superficially) even before the events of Adventure - and they start off rather roughly. While both of them are portrayed as oddballs in their own ways (enjoying questionable food combinations, being very focused on the things they're interested in, etc.), they have very different priority systems. Basically, whenever these two are the focus in an episode (namely episode 10 of Adventure), a scene (namely their interactions in "Diablomon Strikes Back) or a plot-point (namely their interactions throughout the first four Tri movies), it's usually about them having to come to terms with their different approach systems:

Koushirou is the rational type, who focuses on solving a problem by going through the entire PDCA cycle, trying to figure out each and every puzzle piece and gather all information to come to a conclusion. Mimi's judgement is based more on emotions, feelings and instinct, she likes to skip the first three steps of the PDCA cycle and does what she thinks is best for everyone - and that's where these two tend to clash. While Koushirou absolutely can be a hands-on person who jumps into action when necessary, he has a hard time understanding Mimi's reasoning sometimes, especially when she demands him to take her/other people's feelings into account. They do have very different energy levels in that regard - which, on the other hand, is also what makes their DSB interactions so entertaining to watch, as she is just very happy to be back in Japan, wanting his attention (extroverted dominance), while he's absolutely done trying to save the world once again (introverted exhaustion).

While their fights can turn out to be rather exhausting whenever they're not able to communicate well and also whenever they cannot admit that the other may have had a point (especially in Tri), they do work best once they actually reconcile and combine their strengths; whether it's when he is leaving his laptop behind (once) to tear down a wall to save her, admitting that acting is better than thinking sometimes (episode 10), when she praises his skills and achievements up to the point of them even working on her online shop together (Tri + Kizuna/To Sora), or when he leaves his laptop at home once again after being told to do so by her, just to come to the conclusion that this helped him to actually think about what he wants to do in the future (Stageplay).

There is a reason why they're among the most popular ships in the Digimon fandom world-wide due to their interesting dynamics (see here and here). So much so that there was even an audio drama explicitly functioning as fanservice, making Koushirou write a love letter to someone and having Mimi be rather infuriated by the idea that it was for Hikari instead of herself. While instances like this (and DSB) formed the preferred fandom headcanon of Mimi having a crush on Koushirou, Tri canonized him having developed a crush on her instead - even though said crush was rather treated in a comic relief manner without serving a development trigger in either of their arcs, as the main focus had been, once again, them having very different view-points instead.

Long story short - there is A LOT to work with. Even though I have to say that, in my opinion, Tri did not really work for them. The recycled conflict between them (rational vs. emotional) could have been great if it had been intertwined in their respective arcs (self-isolation vs. selfishness), but was NEVER properly resolved. The crush never led to anything but fanservice (while also reducing Koushirou's character to that in a "they had to dumb him down so he couldn't figure out the plot immediately" way). I actually prefer their portrayal in the stageplay (as well as in Kizuna/To Sora), which is why I chose the screenshot above - but let me elaborate on that...

Whether I think why and how they’d work:

The "opposites attract trope", if done right, can be a very appealing one - and, as mentioned, it explains why these two are as popular as a romantic ship as they are. As mentioned above, I do prefer their portrayal in the stageplay as opposed to Tri; while their personalities were still very much on opposing ends, there was a lot more familiarity and closeness between them, which could have been the natural development after they had started to come to terms with their "differences" after episode 10 of Adventure, throughout 02 and up to this point. Mimi scolding Koushirou for relying on his laptop too much is met with him seeming rather helpless, exhausted by her attitude at first - however, instead of just acting obediently and leaving his laptop at home to please her, he uses that twice: Once by teasing her, pretending to have withdrawal symptoms and scaring her in the process, ACTUALLY joking around intentionally and playfully for once! Secondly, he actually talks about his own dreams, feeling inspired by her and indirectly thanking her for that (the crush does not seem to exist at this point btw). And that is a mutual point for them, as Mimi also confesses to Sora that, while she's currently not crushing on anyone, she also feels inspired by Koushirou to maybe do "something with computers" in the future (which, as we know, will actually happen by the time of Kizuna).

And that is what, as mentioned above, could be their greatest strength as a romantic couple. They're AWARE of their different energy levels and, after all these years, they've started to gain an understanding of the other's needs in terms of emotional and mental affection. At least they SHOULD BE. Instead, Tri implied that Koushirou suddenly started to get interested in fashion JUST for the sake of impressing Mimi - which is not what his character is about at all and misunderstood his entire arc of accepting himself the way he is. Having him bend over backwards to impress the person he fell in love with, hiding behind an app to tell him how to dress, would always result in him never opening up - sure, he's been able to stand his ground against her, but that only resulted in them shouting at each other in Tri, unable to really understand each other. And Tri COULD have used that to make Mimi comment on how it didn't matter what he wore as long as he felt comfortable with it. Because - again, they're both weird in their own ways and wouldn't be themselves if they changed for the sake of someone else. But that conclusion was never reached.

In an ideal world, I feel like they could just have naturally progressed from 02 to the Stageplay to Kizuna/To Sora; with Koushirou becoming more aware and considerate towards Mimi needing attention and affection and Mimi learning that there are times when Koushirou needs to be left to solve his riddles, with words of encouragement in between. The Kizuna promo art of her looking absolutely amazed at whatever he had managed to make out of her online shop while he beams at her with fondness and pride is how I could see them working out just fine. Sure, there would be moments of them clashing again - but they'd be able to deal with that without him turning into an obedient puppy or her turning into an enraged harpy. There can be a sense of protectiveness and gentleness between them, learning from and complementing each other without actively trying to CHANGE the other, enjoying each other's company as well as spending time apart, as long as they have something to gush over together (whether that's online shops, food, their friends - or, like in the reboot, the actual fact that Mimi's grandfather is the manufacturer of Koushirou's tablet. The potential of them actually having business-related rambles is just too good to pass on).

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship:

Alright, enough rambles - throughout all this time spent analyzing their romantic potential, I have actually grown more fond of them as a couple. Despite that, I still prefer them as platonic business friends, since I primarily ship each of them with other characters. Still, I love the idea of them growing more and more close and familiar through the years (which is basically canon at this point anyway), teasing and praising each other, making jokes, gossiping over their friends, etc. (Though I would actually like to see them in an OT3 with Taichi - because in my opinion, both Mimi and Taichi care deeply about Koushirou and he'd be such a wonderful bisexual disaster around them. Plus, I thoroughly despise certain fandom depictions of Michi cheating on Koushirou with each other, because that couldn't be further from their actual personalities.)

ALRIGHT, NEXT.

Digimon Shipping Dynamic Game:

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Whether canon provides input on them or not:

Depending on what you want to look at: There isn't much. While you referred to them as "non common ship", I do believe there is quite a fanbase for them out there. However, I'm inclined to agree that it is mainly based on two factors: Both of them being highly attractive characters and the potential they could have due to their personalities (and the tropes they represent).

Throughout Adventure 01 and 02, I actually cannot remember any significant interactions these two had with each other; Yamato starts off having a hard time approaching the others, he's not exactly closed off or aloof, but is mainly focused on taking care of Takeru. Him ACTIVELY bonding with others happens very rarely, so when he's not contemplating things (sometimes together with Jyou), or argues or fights with and alongside Taichi, he doesn't really have any capacities to interact with Mimi - who, in turn, is more likely to play around with Takeru or spend time with Sora or Jyou. At first glance, Yamato is the classic introvert to Mimi being an extrovert, which is not only displayed by their colour palettes being VERY different (warm shades of red and pink vs. cold shades of green and blue), but also by their energy levels. While they're both very outspoken and opinionated - they never talk to each other in either 01 and 02. In the novel, there are even several instances of their energy levels and approaches being that different that they actually clash with each other, actively fighting.

Thus, figuring out their dynamics is rather difficult - there are just minor instances (and characteristics) that COULD make them rather interesting; one of the most famous moments in 01 is the way Yamato tells Taichi off, demanding him to give them - and Mimi in particular - time and space to mourn the loss of the Digimon that have already died, implying that he's sympathizing with her. Yamato has definitely experienced loss in his life already after the divorce of his parents and still struggles with feeling inadequate as a brother to Takeru - while Mimi comes from one of the happiest, most peaceful families in the series. Her purity, her sense of wanting to achieve peace without sacrifices almost appears as a stark contrast to Yamato's "corruption" later on; when he demands Taichi to fight him, trying to solve things in a rather violent way, it's almost a shame that someone like Mimi is not able to stop him there and then (since deep down inside, he doesn't want to fight either). And that's where I assume fandom likes to step in using their personalities to form headcanons:

Mimi being a positive influence, a genuine force of sincerity to (literally) pull Yamato out of his (more negative) tendencies, helping him to be more honest with himself as well - almost in an actual "Beauty and the Beast" kind of way. Neither Tri or Kizuna really elaborated on their dynamics - but the former did like to imply that they are indeed opposing forces, twice; the situation depicted above shows the group coming together after Mimi had another fight with Koushirou. Meiko feels like a burden, since she was the reason Mimi and Koushirou clashed in the first place, as he tried to interrogate her in a moment of emotional vulnerability, while Mimi called him out for being insensitive. Yamato voices his concern towards Meiko, telling her to stop worrying them - and both Taichi and Sora step in, saying that Yamato was just genuinely worried about her, to which Mimi tries to call him a "Tsundere". He just deflects by telling her that she cannot speak proper Japanese and that she's just making things more complicated (because she refuses to take a step towards Koushirou at this point). The other instance is within the stageplay - where Yamato tells Mimi to stay away from his cooking, fearing that her extravagant tastes (bananas and fish) may ruin the dish...

Long story short - they don't appear to be very compatible as friends canonically. So, again, that's where headcanons have to step in.

Whether I think why and how they’d work:

As mentioned above, due to their contrasting set-ups, family backgrounds and way of attraction, there is an appeal that may make them quite popular in singular online spaces. Mimi is a natural people-magnet due to her openness and tendency to become the center of attention very quickly, she easily befriends everyone around her (even if some may find her controversial, as depicted in Tri) and tries to spread a positive spirit. Whereas Yamato, despite being a band leader (that is also very popular), is indeed more closed-off, with a very selective group of friends he is very committed to and protective of (maybe even possessive to some degree, as you can imagine he is not good at dealing with losses). From an outside view, they almost have that "idol-like vibe" that makes them very attractive - so it's no surprise fandom sees them as an intriguing and compelling combination to end up together. Due to them being as opinionated as they are, they may clash a lot - but similarly to Koumi, that COULD be also a strength, as it is important for characters like Yamato to ACTUALLY speak their mind without hiding behind a mask. Plus, Yamato needs someone he can truly be vulnerable around with, because he's a lot softer (and awkward) than his facade would make you believe at first glance. The question is - would he be able to let loose around Mimi like that? It's very hard to tell, because unlike with Koumi, we don't really know if she understands how he rolls. Sure, she can see that he has VERY Tsundere-like tendencies, tough shell, soft and caring on the inside - but up to this point, they're not close (or even comfortable) enough for him to not deny that rather aggressively (especially because Taichi and Sora were actually a lot quicker to pick that up - which is no surprise either, because they're canonically closer to him). So it feels more like they'd be prone to fight for dominance than being able to take a step towards each other (even more strongly than Koumi, because Mimato may take disagreement as a personal attack and can't even seem to bond over their passion for cooking together at this point in time).

Mimi, on the other hand, also needs someone who can keep up with her - people like Jyou and Koushirou, as we've seen, should be used to her habits already, but it is very difficult to tell whether Yamato would have the energy and patience to deal with her, giving her the assurance and attention she needs.

Long story short, the potential is there due to their personalities, but we never learn if and how they'd be able to interact on a closer level.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship:

Admittedly, they're a relationship I have pretty much no attachment to, simply due to the fact that canon never gave me a reason to believe that they'd think of each other as "close friends", let alone "romantic partners". As they're both Chosen Children, they would surely protect and fight for each other, no question - but everything beyond that never gave me positive vibes. Which is actually a shame, because they're both (potentially) good with Jyou and Takeru, Team Hope exists for a reason after all (and I even ship both Mimi and Yamato with Jyou, yet I couldn't imagine them being an actual OT3). Heck, they're also both (supposedly) very close to Sora, yet they never had a group moment together. Even in the reboot, they were mainly just arguing and never had a positively reaffirming moment together. So I must say, I rather think of them as acquaintances than anything else.

However, I can understand the theoretical potential with what they represent, so to whoever ships them romantically: Please go for it and don't let my personal preferences invalidate yours!

#my two cents #meta #long post #mimi tachikawa #koushiro izumi #yamato ishida #koushirou izumi #relationship analysis #shipping analysis #digimon

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dragonandtiger · 2 years ago

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Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty - 11

CheerfulHeaven: The answer to that might be easier than you think.

@Koshiro: Did you find something?

CheerfulHeaven: Digital Max is owned by Kigaru Tengoku.

CheerfulHeaven: Sound familiar?

GODHACKER: not really

CheerfulHeaven: He’s Tsuyosa’s dad.

CheerfulHeaven: Tsuyosa Tengoku.

GODHACKER: !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miyako sat up straight at that, jerking up like a flagpole. Kudamon sensed it coming and quickly flew back to avoid being hit in the face by the back of Miyako’s head. Kudamon carefully landed on her partner’s shoulder, blinking, before turning her attention to what Miyako had reacted to.

“Wait, Tsuyosa’s dad?” Kudamon repeated. “You mean that Tsu kid at the Ryuzaki’s? His dad?”

@Koshiro: Wait, wasn’t he the one that helped Ken mass-produce our DT2s?

GODHACKER: SO WHAT HE’S A FUKKIN MOLE???????

GODHACKER: YOU SURE THERE’S NO SPYWARE OR CRAP

@RainbowBuilder: They’ve already been thoroughly searched after the whole Kaiser fiasco.

GODHACKER: THAT’S RIGHT!!!!!

GODHACKER: ITS FUKKIN KEN ICHIJOUJI AGAIN!!!

GODHACKER: ITS HIS FUKKIN BUDDY!!!!!!

* @DigimonKaiser has joined #Digimon

@DigimonKaiser: I just came in to say that anyone can easily hack into these “private” chatrooms and read everything you’re saying without having to join.

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

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ryuuseini · 2 years ago

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You: hey -

Me: don't you ever stop to think about how Ken Ichijouji is an absolutely fascinating character study in what jealousy and depression can do to a person? he, before even being infected by the dark seed, wished for his own brother to die, because his brother wouldn't let him have the device that suddenly fell from the sky. and yet his whole thing is that he is "the kind one" which, typically in kids shows, would mean he is 100% kind 100% of the time, i mean for fucks sake this is the same show where the crest of light goes to the girl name Hikari like subtlety is not the name of the game. yet they let Ken be shown at the limits of kindess - you cannot be kind 100% of the time especially when others do not reciprocate the same kind of kindness you give in spades. as a young kid, you are taught to always be kind, however as you grow older, you learn that kindness takes on many forms and being kind is exhausting and it needs to recharged every so often, especially if your kindness is not received well by the other nor given back to you. and when Ken learned this lesson at the cost of losing his brother to his own dumb wish, the dark seed gave him the option to never be kind without feeling guity, because what's the point of kindness if no one reciprocates. what's the point of kindness if it can't save your family. what's the point of kindness if YOU, the kind one, caused nothing but pain to your family. and so he (though, forcibly) took the easy way out of never being kind and inflicting nothint but pain because once again: that was all he had done before; only to snap out of it once he realized history was repeating itself... and in the end, it was all because of him

You: i was going to as how your day was but ok

#digimon 02 #digimon #digimon adventure 02 #ken ichijouji #im suddenly having thoughts like whats with digimon being like #'oh hikari is the one with the crest of light' and then being like #'the kind one is fucking exhausted from being kind but is still the kind one'#idk man i love this

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detectiveichijouji · 16 days ago

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Act 1-7: The Thief of Memories

[AO3 v.]

“Sigh… I almost got caught… again.”

“Eh, it’s not a big surprise,” Lunamon said with a sassy tone.

"However, we did get a few names that matched the project's list of the staff members we got previously," Coronamon tried to defend the mysterious agent.

“At least the plan worked, monsieur. Just as I thought” still nonchalantly, Noel tried to cheer him up.

“So… what now?” the tiny digimon companion asked.

“We’re close, I think” Mizuki was with headphones on and reproducing the cam’s video.

“Close…?” their agent repeated.

Soleil then answered:

“Before we send the data you got we need to track down the person who purchased the data and then they will reveal who sold it to them.”

“So we can catch the real villain, stop their plans and send them to jail… Correct?”

“Oui. Because of that we need to keep everyone in the dark.”

“But this is getting more and more dangerous though…” the tiny digimon frowned.

“I know, I know. I suppose Ichijouji-san and his group will figure this out sooner.”

“That’s… bad, don’t you think?”

“... You do seem calm even with that problem” the newbie thief commented, “Does it mean there’s any new detail from what those people were doing with the stolen notes about Eosmon…?”

“Glad you asked!” Noel clasped his hands, excited. Then he continued, “Yes, even if it takes a few more weeks to decrypt the entire data… We got at least the lead that they were building a digimon.”

“Building…?”

“As you thought previously, none of us, be human or digimon, would mind the fact of creating life, but we all condemn creating meaningless, mindless machines for war.”

“...”

“This is what made you accept my deal, non ?”

The silence from the other clearly meant it.

“Without the data we extracted from their database, they cannot proceed. But, if the person who took hands on this is still in contact with the real thief…”

“... They might have copies of it, is that what you want to say?”

“Bingo,” Noel said, “But, as pointed out by your petit camarade, this is getting more risky for you. So you could stop right now or continue. What is your decision?”

“...”

“So you weren’t able to answer his question…?”

“Yeah…”

Ken just went to see Daisuke in New York, before Daisuke closed the shop for the night. At least his best friend offered him a cup of water to relax and vent out the problems he had been dealing with.

“So… Rui went to Mochizuki-san’s house because they’re friends and then he accidentally put himself at risk of being flagged as a suspect for the theft.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“And he kept going to the bathroom many times before, but Ukkomon kept with you guys in the same room.”

Ken nodded his head.

“But once he was back, you three saw the phantom thief Chat Noir in front of you and Ukkomon dodged all the attacks and successfully got stuck in the same room he, Chat Noir and professor Mochizuki were.”

“Exactly.”

“You guys broke the door, found Ukkomon and the professor unconscious and the thief there. But then, Chat Noir got a way to escape.”

“Yes, but… Why would Rui think I’d suspect him…?”

“Something makes no sense here,” V-mon commented, “I mean, you were doing your job! And making sure Rui wasn’t the culprit!”

“... Yeah, we did,” Wormmon’s antennae were down, “Because we don’t want to think Rui and Ukkomon are doing something bad…!”

“No, I get that perfectly well” Daisuke said, while checking his phone’s messages, “Rui is our friend and had been through a lot of things before, we just don’t want him to get in more trouble.”

“Yeah, I guess so…”

“If Noel is really involved, maybe we could ask him directly.”

“Wh-- What do you mean?”

“Noel called Miyako before, right? The next time he calls you… You go and ask him.”

“But Rui definitely said something odd when we met him before,” V-mon mentioned, remembering those words.

“What did he say?” Wormmon asked, out of curiosity.

“He said ‘I don’t want you to get involved in this’ and that’s all.”

“Involved…?!” Ken and Wormmon exclaimed.

“He then said it was because of a movie they were about to use the cafe shop’s building as one of the recording sets” Daisuke added immediately, “He didn’t want us to be around because it could attract a ton of people there and ruin the recordings…?”

That sounds like a terrible excuse though…

“But now that you said it…” Daisuke frowned, “I’m starting to worry about him again. Like, he’s a cool guy and does not like to get involved with anything big, and he only climbed the Tokyo Tower because no one had done anything for a week…”

“He was also related to the giant DigiEgg though” Ken reminded him, “It gave him a reasonable motive of doing it in the first place.”

“Then, if there’s no real motive for him to do something reckless like, pretending to be a thief… He wouldn’t be the best candidate for it.”

True but… How can you be so sure…?

“... Even if he is doing so, there might be something we don’t know and he does.”

Daisuke’s words kinda sounded a little… bittersweet. He was hurt by that possibility?

There were no calling cards or police reports for a while. In fact, Ken decided to watch Rui’s moves carefully now. Just to make sure his and Daisuke’s concerns weren’t real.

“...?”

Rui noticed Ken looking at him from that table. He talked with Kouda Yuna, who was finally back to work and recovered from her little work accident.

Ken saw the woman give her cousin a nod and he went in that direction. Rui just sat on the other end of the table.

“Is there something wrong?” Wormmon asked, while Ken was still quiet.

“... Someone left me a message last night.”

“A message?” Ken raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah… It was…” he took a deep breath “One of those cards.”

Ok, why would Rui be a target now…?

“I think it was meant for you, but why would it be left at my home…?”

“Maybe because you were at Mochizuki Meiko’s residence,” Ken pondered, looking at the black card Rui had placed on the table. Then, he took it and read:

-- Memory acquired: Look up at the names of the Project Mei contributors and researchers. There will be more data from where it came from. --

“... Project Mei?” Wormmon read the card, “Isn’t that…”

“I have no idea,” Rui replied immediately, “After Ukkomon getting hurt I don’t want to get near that guy again…!”

“... Wouldn’t you want to catch him and make him apologize?” Wormmon asked, knowing that Rui definitely has the guts enough to do risky things.

“I told Daisuke-kun and Takaishi-kun this and now I’m telling you,” Rui stared at the digimon, “I’m not doing anything reckless after the Tokyo Tower incident from three years ago.”

You sure about that?

“That’s all, now if you excuse me…” he got up from the table and went back to the kitchen.

“Why was he upset with my question, Ken-chan?”

“...” Ken silently looked at Rui leaving, wondering the same thing Wormmon had asked him.

“A list of people involved in that project?” Miyako raised an eyebrow; at this point she was working in the case alongside Ken. But they couldn’t let it be discovered by Ken’s high ups, that he’s working behind the curtains.

“Yes, do you know anything relevant to it?” He asked, "I think the phantom thief is leaving us a hint about his next victims."

“As usual, the phantom thief leaves a fair warning so we can catch them before committing the heist” Hawkmon commented with the other three, nodding his head sagely.

“So you have a list of the researchers working on the top secret project that was stolen from the facility?” Then, Miyako looked at Ken.

“They sent a copy of that list, but no details on what that project is.”

“Ok, give me that list, I will check on the key names they have in common and then we will know the next victims from the phantom thief Chat Noir.”

…

Miyako took the two lists and ran a search engine to match all the names they had in common. In a few seconds… The names Amano, Kayama, Minase, Himekawa and Shibayama appeared in a third list isolated from the rest. The list also had Yamashina and Mochizuki in common, but they had been targets already.

“Oho, bingo!” The skilled hacker smiled with a big grin, "These are the key members of the researchers from the failed Project Mei!"

“So they’re the potential victims,” Wormmon mused.

Ken gave a serious gaze at the list and then to Miyako, “At this point I should call the department and report this immediately, but…”

“Doing it so would make them catch Noel, right…?” She was able to predict what he was about to say. Because she was also concerned.

Noel is not only a phantom thief for them. Noel is a friend they made, even if they were playing a cat and rat game for a while. He had helped them out before and protected them as well.

Besides, if Noel Leblanc was involved… This means that something grave has been going on.

“If Noel Leblanc is trying to catch someone doing anything that could put everyone’s lives at risk… Then I’d like to keep the department out of this for a while.”

“Right, and about the email he made me write…”

“Hm?”

“There was something inside it, a code I guess” she opened the saved email text and showed it to him, “He told me to sign it with ‘phantom thief Chat Noir’ instead. I think he’s using another pseudonym for this.”

“Another form…”

“Like what Daisuke said!” Wormmon commented, “He suspects that this new phantom thief is another identity from Arsenemon.”

“Daisuke being a detective all again, huh…?” she chuckled, “Are you still going to secret dates with him, dear?”

“Not many as I have with you,” Ken teased her back with a smirk, “Anyway, now we have to pick one of those names and try our luck.”

"Does your detective gut have a potential candidate?"

“Hmm…”

The sneaky phantom thief recruit landed on another victim’s balcony later that week. Unlike Arsenemon, Chat Noir did not warn his victims, and would just act as some sort of spy agent trying to gather potential confidential information from them. That could be easy though, but he hoped to not have to use that ability again.

With professors Yamashina and Mochizuki he had no choice. They panicked and did not cooperate with him in the first place. But the idea of using that ability as truth serum felt kinda handy and he would adopt that approach if it just keeps happening. But he would prefer to have another option, dang it!!

“... Do you think he figured something out?” the digimon asked in a low voice, after they opened the balcony’s glass door and sneaked in.

“Probably did,” Chat Noir answered, “He’s a police detective after all.”

The thief looked around, trying to make sure there were no cameras in that room. Sending his digimon assistant seemed pretty obvious -- the tiny creature can turn invisible and then use his little string-like tentacles to disable the cameras and anything else.

(Thieves would’ve been very efficient if they had a digimon partner, spies too. That’s all.)

The residence the phantom thief was visiting belonged to a lone wolf lady, the digimon researcher Amano, who was definitely not waiting for him in the next room, just focused on something and being sleep deprived.

"... We will have to do that again, won't we?" Chat Noir sighed, knowing that the best thing to do would be to brainwash the woman and extract the information from herself instead.

He opened the door so he and the digimon could slip inside the room without catching the professor’s attention. She was on the phone and judging by the conversation… That person on the other end of the line was another researcher facility colleague from the same project:

“Ok, Kayama-kun. I will check those papers later…”

Suddenly, the phone connection was interrupted, and she noticed it.

“Hello…? Kayama-kun?”

She felt something was behind her, and then… Amano turned back and saw the phantom thief standing there.

“Y-YOU!?”

“Please calm down, I just want to talk--”

She grabbed her desk chair and tried to hit him, unfortunately. He gulped and stepped back.

“I won’t… I won’t let you--”

Suddenly, a digimon with green eyes was staring deep inside her soul. She couldn’t resist it and then she got successfully caught by the digimon’s power.

“My apologies for doing this to you, ma’am. But you have left me no other choice...”

Then, he took the phone from the woman’s hand and checked it out. Oh nice, the screen got locked, "Can you unlock this for me, please?" and showed the phone to the digimon.

“Right…!” and with one finger he released a tiny string-tentacle inside the smartphone’s jack and unlocked its screen, “There you go!”

“Thank you,” the thief said with a soft tone, and proceeded to examine the victim’s phone.

He used the camera in his helmet to show the contact list to Mizuki, who was following his moves cautiously (as usual). Then he proceeded to do the same thing he had done with Yamashina and Mochizuki respectively -- interrogate their target.

Another day at work and Hikari heard some rumors about what happened recently:

“What is wrong with that thief?!” she heard one of her coworkers chatting to another in the teacher’s room on their break, “The research facility theft was all they could steal though?!”

“Right, they just invaded two houses and didn’t take anything from the house?! Maybe they’re not a thief and yes a killer?”

“So, are they trying to kill the people who work at the research facility though…?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Tailmon frowned, This makes no sense.

Hikari and Tailmon had been informed by Ken and Miyako that yes, their former rival and current friend Noel (aka Arsenemon) was involved in those heists. And even, that this new phantom thief is helping him.

Those recent three cases (only two handled by the police, because Meiko was told to not report it to the authorities), has nothing stolen and just having the victims being found unconscious in their homes. Seems like they were also on a small sleep stasis for a few weeks.

So they had to wait for those victims to wake up.

…

“Could it be a digimon like Eosmon, again?” Hikari asked Miyako while she was visiting her friends and their baby, on the weekend. Ken had actually invited all four to a small reunion, so miraculously, Daisuke, Iori and Takeru were also there.

“A digimon… like Eosmon…” the other repeated those words, vaguely. Miyako stroked her chin, trying to find any correlation to those cases and that hypothesis.

“A digimon who steals consciousness like Eosmon…” Ken mused, then said, “It’s true that the stolen project is related to Eosmon, because what they stole had Menoa Bellucci’s confidential blueprints of Eosmon.”

“... So, Arsenemon could’ve gotten a digimon who can steal consciousnesses to help him catch the real target, huh…” Tailmon pondered.

Daisuke frowned, “Didn’t you guys beat the Mother-Eosmon-or-whatever-it-was-called? Because shouldn't ALL of the Eosmons have just… vanished with it?”

“Mother-Eosmon?” the others exclaimed.

“Look, Taichi-san said it was like a giant bee-like creature so maybe it was like a Mother-or-Queen bee… It doesn’t matter what we call it! They all should’ve disappeared when Taichi-san and Yamato-san took it down!”

“Oh… that’s right, dagya…” Armadimon said.

“So… Noel is using a digimon who can do this and then steal the information all he wants without leaving traces?” Patamon commented from the top of Takeru’s head.

“More likely,” Hawkmon with that hypothesis.

“So he’s Chat Noir and has another ally besides Miss Espimon?” V-mon said, and then looked at Ken, “Or do you think she can do those?”

And everyone also looked at Ken. Because… he’s the digi-nerd in that group. Yes.

“I’m not familiar with her digimon species, sorry.”

“We’re back to square zero, dagya…”

“Let’s suppose she couldn’t do it,” Takeru started, “Didn’t Arsenemon have a skill like this too?”

“He definitely used a hypnosis trick to put Koushiro-san, Taichi-san and Hikari-san’s cousin to sleep, yes” Iori recapped their previous encounters with the elusive digimon from a decade ago.

“Maybe he’s still using those tricks?” V-mon commented.

“But Noel said he hates to use brainwashing,” Daisuke argued back, “Unless he changed his mind…?”

“But then… Why would he just go full panicky when we had met his Chat Noir persona?” Wormmon asked the group.

“Well, he’s the master of disguises,” V-mon replied, “I think this makes sense, right?”

“It’s plausible, at least” Hawkmon said, while everyone nodded sagely.

“Hmm…”

Suddenly, the baby’s cry just made Miyako excuse herself from the living room and move to her room to pick the baby from the cradle. The rest of the conversation changed from the mysterious heists to other stuff… Like food, of course.

None of them noticed a digimon outside, with green eyes, observing them in silence. The digimon then quickly returned back to the ground level and met the mysterious phantom thief Chat Noir.

"So? How are they doing?"

“Um… I think they think you are Arsenemon…”

“You heard that, right?” and the thief talked with the misfit trio on the other side of the line with his helmet’s communicator, “Are you okay with that, though?”

“It’s better than having them targeting you, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, I think so…”

“Now leave those people alone and go to our target’s residence.” Mizuki said with a serious tone, “Before Ichijiouji catches you snooping around.”

“Alright,” and he nodded his head. Then, the digimon and the phantom thief just left the area, heading to their next victim.

#digimon adventure 02 the beginning #digimon adventure 02 #young prince detective sequel #arsenemon's ambitious heist case

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