[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]

Barry tries to think of a way to equate doctors to something Monzaemon might know.

"Like a healer? They have the knowledge and skill to make people feel better; with medicines, or procedures. They're definitely very helpful people. My dad was a doctor and he saved a lot of lives."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato takes a quick stock of the road ahead: He's closer to the ramp, marginally, at least insofar as it's on his side of the road instead of Cisco's, but if he misses it, there isn't another silver ring ahead for a while.

So he swerves towards the ramp as well, moving to slam the front of his car into Cisco's and hopefully knock him off course enough for Yamato to make the jump into the ring instead.


Monzaemon tilts his head.

"We just eat, here," he says. "The data and energy from the food can replace that which we've lost to injury. So long as our Kernels aren't damaged or corrupted."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco fights for the ramp, but loses out after the knock from Yamato. He catches just enough of the ramp to gain air, flying up into a barrel roll that misses the ring, but still has him sailing a fair distance.

Spinning through the air, Cisco's car does a pair of rolls, righting just before his tires meet the road again and he shoots forward, still on course.

[run_barry]

Barry nods in understanding to that.

"Right. Most humans can't get over serious things that way, it's why we-- " Barry's words cut off when he sees Cisco shoot into the air, spinning like a corkscrew before hitting the road and zooming off again.

"-- need doctors," Barry finishes, shaking his head at the crazy stunt. "It's great that you guys can, though."

Healing is definitely an awesome thing to be able to do.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato goes flying off the ramp and straight through the ring, meanwhile, catapulting him forward with a second-and-a-bit burst of triple speed, before landing just before the first corner.

(He does not get to see Cisco's stunt, otherwise he surely would be yelling 'THAT WAS AWESOME,' right now.)

He has to swerve hard to avoid crashing straight into a building as he lands, and ends up pinballing off a wall before shooting down the road.


Monzaemon hums thoughtfully, and flicks his paw again, manifesting a few football-sized spheres scattered across the course: Maybe half a dozen bright yellow ones with lightning bolts, and three or four blue ones with cross signs on them.

As a Penmon who swerves into a bright yellow sphere finds, they seem to be items that can be stored one at a time and used at the driver's discretion, appearing as a glowing symbol over the speedometer that can be pressed to activate it: The yellow ones to provide a quick boost, and the blue ones to be sent hurtling at enemies to momentarily slow them down.

"It is very necessary for most Digimon. We are inclined towards fighting," Monzaemon says, afterwards. "Although I prefer not to, myself. I would much rather teach people about sharing, and kindness."

[makes_the_toys]

For a moment Cisco is stunned by what he's just done, and then he's crowing ecstatically while peeling around the corner.

When the yellow lightning bolts appear he's quick to snatch up one, confused a moment when no burst comes, then realizing what he has.

"HAHAHA, YES!"

Now he's after another ring, ready to use the boost he picked up and the silver ring at the same time.

[run_barry]

"I don't really like fighting myself," Barry admits, looking down into his empty tea cup. "But I do when I have to, to help people."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato swings into one of the lesser boost rings, hoping to use it to increase his lead -- and the boost carries him forward into a crowd of densely packed Penmon, forcing him to slow slightly just to weave through them.

Meanwhile, it seems like there's a silver ring on ground level just before the first turn, for Cisco. As it turns out, the boosts do stack pretty well, for a slightly absurd times six boost.


Monzaemon nods gravely. "Sometimes, doing so is unavoidable," he agrees.

[makes_the_toys]

When Cisco hits the ring and triggers the burst it's enough to pin him back in his seat.

"HOLY WARP DRIVE!"

Reaching the Penmon, Cisco doesn't slow down, he just batters his way between cars, butting them aside to pass.

[run_barry]

"Yeah. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes."

Turning back to the action, Barry shakes his head.

"I think we're gonna have a wild finish here."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato can't help but laugh, even as Cisco overtakes him again, putting a not inconsiderable distance between the two, scattering Penmon in the process.

There's both a lightning and a blue sphere ahead of him, just behind where Cisco's boost deposited him. Yamato thinks for a moment, then rams his car into one of the angrier Penmon's, forcing it to pick up the blue sphere, before he picks up the yellow one himself.

"VICTORY FOR THE PENMON!" The Penmon booms, as soon as it has Cisco in its sights, and a flash of blue lightning crackles between its car and Cisco's, exerting a second-long slowdown.

Yamato activates his boost at the same time, speeding towards Cisco.


"This whole race has certainly been close," Monzaemon agrees. "And full of stunts."

[makes_the_toys]

"AW, Noooooo!" Cisco bemoans, both hands on his wheel and yanking in a tantrum, like that could push the car back up to speed.

"Penmon you suck!" He shouts, just as his power returns and he jumps back up to speed again.

[run_barry]

"I had no idea either of them could drive like this," he says with a chuckle.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato's boost fades just in time for him to be driving alongside Cisco, and he throws a quick grin over Cisco's way.

"Havin' trouble, Cisco?"

Which is the exact moment the Penmon leader activates his own boost and speeds past both of them. Yamato's expression turns positively infuriated.


"They are putting in a more impressive showing than the Penmon," Monzaemon agrees. "But I'm not sure if the Penmon are racing, instead of just ... driving in circles."

[makes_the_toys]

"Cheater!" he accuses yet again, pointing a finger at Yamato.

He's grinning as he does it, though. Up until the Penmon goes zooming past them.

"NO! Catch him!"

They cannot lose to Penmon!

[run_barry]

"Yeah, what's up with the Penmon? They're such... angry birds."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

There are two of the blue slow-down items coming up. Penmon zooms past them without picking them up, instead heading for a ramp to jump towards a silver ring.

"You take the left, I'll take the right," Yamato says to Cisco, tone clipped, before swerving towards one of the items. "We'll use them together and stop him in his tracks."


"They pursue the noble cause of uniting the Penmon clans, under an emperor who can sit upon the Winter Throne," Monzaemon says, very somberly. "So that they may be unified when the Muchomon visit this island to shove them and make cruel remarks."

He pauses, then holds out a paw, generating a bubble in which sits a glowing image of a Muchomon.

It looks exactly like a Penmon, except it's orange.

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco doesn't hesitate, he follows Yamato's order and peels off for the blue cross.

Picking up the item, Cisco looks over at Yamato, ready on his signal.

[run_barry]

Barry looks at the image, then throws Monzaemon a 'are you for real?' look.

"Huh. Okay, so why are the Muchomon such jerks?"

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato holds up a hand, watching as the Penmon gains more and more distance on them, waiting for the right moment.

That right moment comes along as the Penmon approaches a few marshmallowy roadblocks. Yamato makes a quick 'three, two, one' gesture, then flicks his hand forward as the signal to attack.

A moment later, he presses the glowing symbol on his dash, and a blue bolt of energy crackles between his car and the Penmon's, slowing it down.


Monzaemon glances at Barry out of the corner of his eye, expression fairly unreadable.

"Well, you see," he says, very seriously, "they are very orange."

[makes_the_toys]

"Suck on this, penguin!" Cisco shouts as he jams down on his button when Yamato gives the go.

As the Penmon's car slows Cisco pushes all the speed out of his, working to close the gap and pull ahead while the Penmon is slowed.

[run_barry]

"But that's-- " stupid, he starts to say, before realizing people don't always need much more than that to be jerks.

He settles for shaking his head in clear disapproval.

"Well hopefully the Penmon get their act together, so they won't have to each face the Muchomon alone."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

The Penmon's sudden drop to quarter speed leaves him without enough speed to dodge through the roadblocks, and he goes bouncing off one before slowing to a complete stop.

Yamato keeps pace with Cisco, keeping alongside him as they zip past the Penmon and turn the second corner. As a ramp leading to a silver booster ring comes into view, situated in the centre of the road and directly between them, he veers towards it.


The Muchomon image floating above Monzaemon's paw seems to become more colourful and saturated, as if to clarify just how incredibly orange the Muchomon are.

"I am sure they will," he says. "And who knows how long it'll be before the Muchomon arrive."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco cuts in right behind Yamato, trying to avoid being knocked into again and drafting on Yamato as they head for the ramp and ring.

[run_barry]

"Is it even a for sure thing that they are coming?" he asks.