[tri OOM] Barry, Cisco, and File Island

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato brings Barry and Cisco out through the same hilltop telephone booth he used to bring Autor through a few weeks back, out onto a cliff with a pretty good view of the island.

The island's central point is a mountain that looks more like a sheer spike of rock, and radiating outwards from it are a lot of very different places: Closest to the mountain, there's a pastel-coloured village of some kind that looks like it might be made of cushions; a tropical jungle with a ruined temple of black and brown stone jutting out of it; and a desert with gear markings carved into the ground and a single, leafy mountain in the centre.

Spreading out further than that, there are forests; some kind of icy tundra; a large town with a glittering white castle; a small village covered by a dark cloud; some kind of factory belching smoke into the air; and a plain covered in railroad tracks and ruined trains. Just down from the cliff, there's a lake with a camp set up next to it.

"All right, File Island," Yamato says, shutting the door. "Oldest part of the Digital World."

Comments

[run_barry]

"Dude, I don't know half the junk you packed into that bag," Barry replies to Cisco.

Shaking his head, he returns his attention to Yamato.

"The other clones were just shells, so the was the only one with awareness enough to know he was the original." Yep, it was weird.

"That's cool. Were they puffballs the first time, too?"

Barry remembers Yamato saying the Digimon had been waiting around for their partners for a long time, but also that their evolutions took some doing to make happen.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Yeah, same forms that we found them in this time. Since Digimon evolution's more like a tree than a straight line, though, there's no hard and fast guarantee that Tsunomon will become a Gabumon when he evolves this time," Yamato says.

He gives the accumulating items a dry look, then flicks his gaze over to Cisco.

"Bear mace? A snorkel mask? Really?"

[makes_the_toys]

"You've got Digimon that can evolve into giant wolves here," Cisco points out. "There's probably a bearmon out there, too."

Duh, Yamato.

"Oh, there it is." Reaching the bottom of the bag, Cisco finally finds what he's looking for and adds it to the device he's assembled.

Now, the task of putting everything back into the bag.

[run_barry]

"Huh, that's weird," Barry says, focusing on Yamato. "I just kind of figured you'd come in and Tsunomon would be Gabumon again someday."

Barry watches Cisco struggle with repacking everything for a moment, then sighs. Shaking his head, Barry moves, using superspeed to repack the bag.

In a blur everything finds it's way back inside Cisco's backpack and Barry steps back over to Yamato, chewing on a Twizzler he swiped before the bag of them got put back away.

"What is it that decides what the Digimon become?" he asks.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Your bear mace isn't going to do anything but annoy a bear Digimon," Yamato says, shaking his head.

He's somewhat grateful for Barry stepping in to repack the bag, because otherwise he was going to have to step in, and that would've taken much, much longer.

"Environmental factors, what they specifically need when they evolve, what kind of data they've absorbed, their mood and temperament, things like that," Yamato says. "The first time around that we did this, there was also an element of 'whatever each Crest is associated with' -- like, Takeru's Crest of Hope is associated pretty strongly with angels, so Patamon even though most of his evolutionary tree is made up of mammals, he ended up veering off down the one path that involved angel Digimon."

As he talks, a shape starts moving along the edge of town. Something small and red, leaping from cushiony pillar to pillar, too quick to really see, making its way deeper inside. As it reaches the three of them, it circles them for a few moments, pauses, then leaps away from them.

Yamato follows it with its eyes -- as best he can -- but doesn't seem that concerned.

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco re-shoulders the backpack and starts up the device he's put together.

"Annoy and amscray is totally an escape strategy," he informs Yamato.

[run_barry]

"I guess that makes sense," he says, about Digimon evolution not Cisco's bear plan.

Full awareness of his surroundings isn't something Barry practices or particularly excels at, and so it takes him a bit longer to realize that something is up and they have company.

Turning his head just as the thing leaps away, Barry looks to Yamato.

"What was that?"

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I'll remember you said that when you get mauled by a bear," Yamato says, dryly. "Or a bear Digimon."

His eyes flick over to Barry, then back over to the red shape as it darts around the Village.

"That's Elecmon. Village caretaker," he says. "Guess he's back from his supply run."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco looks up from his screen when hears they have company.

"Pretty speedy little dude," he comments, raising the scanner attachment to try and getting a reading of the Digimon.

[run_barry]

"That's great that he takes care of all these little guys," Barry notes, smiling as he tracks Elecmon. "Is he gonna be okay with us being here?"

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"He was fine when I brought Autor here. Should be fine with the two of you, too."

As Cisco raises the scanner, the red blur swings towards them and closes the distance in an instant, landing directly in front of the scanner. Up close, Elecmon looks like a bright red rabbit with purple stripes, and a fan-shaped, peacock-like tail that's currently crackling with sparks of electricity.

He also has a small basket looped under one paw, which appears to be filled with bottles of milk right now.

"What is this?" He asks, pressing a paw to the scanner.

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco flinches, then pulls back the scanner when Elecmon touches it.

"A piece of very delicate electrical equipment," he replies, wary of the crackling sparks.

[run_barry]

The speed is impressive, and Barry's more focused on that than worried about trouble for Cisco.

"Hi, I'm Barry," he greets Elecmon. Best always to be friendly.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Elecmon gives a quick chuckle, then bounds off. He's only gone for a moment, and when he returns he's holding an egg nearly as big as he is, which he thrusts into Barry's hands.

"Rub this egg, Barry," he says, firmly. "It's nearly ready to hatch."

Turning, he peers at the scanner, but doesn't try to move any closer to it.

"What does it do?"

[makes_the_toys]

"I'm studying the digital makeup and biology of Digimon. This device records data and vital information for study."

Cisco turns his equipment around so to show Elecmon the screen which has quite a bit of numbers and figures on it, along with readings along graph lines.

[run_barry]

Barry blinks, cradling the egg in his hands.

"Do what now?" He casts a glance at Yamato, and then starts rubbing the egg.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato lifts an eyebrow, as if to silently suggest to just go along with it.

As Barry rubs the egg, it starts to shake, just slightly, and then begins cracking across the middle.

"Utterly incomprehensible," Elecmon says, flatly. "Sounds like the kind of thing Centalmon would ramble about."

[run_barry]

Barry's eyes widen when the egg starts to move, and his smile grows brighter as it cracks.

"Dude, check it... "

[makes_the_toys]

"It is all pretty technical," Cisco replies, "but I promise it's not going to hurt you."

He's about to ask who Centalmon is when the egg Barry has starts to hatch and Cisco smiles as he watches.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato settles a hand on Barry's shoulder, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at the egg.

It cracks a little bit more, in one long line around the middle, before the top pops off, revealing what appears to be a cloud of smoke and ash, with two glowing yellow eyes peering out from within, and a few flickers of flame near the top.

After a moment's pause, the egg in Barry's hands glows and disassembles itself into cubes of data, flowing away from him and dragging the smoke Digimon with it, before reassembling itself into a crib.

[run_barry]

As the cracks further Barry leans in.

"Hey little guy."

The whole process is amazing, and Barry's smile is full on delight as he watches the egg hatch and the blocks zip away.

"That was awesome."

[makes_the_toys]

The fire and smoke is a touch alarming, but Barry and Yamato seem cool with it, so Cisco doesn't panic. He also doesn't get any closer, but he is smiling when the hatchling is in its crib.

"Aww, Barry, you're a momma," he teases.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Got a smokey little Barry Jr," Yamato adds, wryly.

Elecmon squints at them both. "I have no idea what a 'momma' is."

Yamato leans back a little, folding his arms. "... Actually, I think I might know this guy. Or I knew him before the Reboot. He used to be the guardian of Mount Panorama. Guy was even one of our lieutenants for a little while."

Beat.

"He was made of fire back then."

[run_barry]

Bary just rolls his eyes at the pair of them, amused.

"For the record I would never subject my kid to being 'Barry Jr'."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco laughs at Barry, then give Yamato a nod.

"Fire, you say? That sounds... fun."