[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

[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.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato laughs.

"Clever," he calls back over his shoulder, just before he hits the ring. As he hurtles through the air, he pushes the nose of his car down, forcing it to land a few meters short of where it could have gone, so that he can snatch a power-up off the ground.

He doesn't use it yet, instead swerving for one of the lesser boost rings.


"Of course they're coming," Monzaemon says. "In the Penmon palace, it is written above the throne itself."

He flicks his paw, dismissing the image of the Muchomon and summoning a new bubble of a wall of ice, with writing in the same blocky script that appears on Yamato's digivice on it.

"'Beware, children of DaiPenmon, for the Muchomon come from across the ocean to mock your feathers and criticise your beaks,'" Monzaemon reads.

Situated just above the text, carved into the ice, is, in fact, the symbol of the Crest of Friendship.

[makes_the_toys]

"You know it," Cisco says back. When he hits the ramp he goes for distance, punching it at just the right moment to gain maximum air.

His tires land with a quick squeal, and he takes a turn on two wheels, tearing around the corner then streaking forward, picking up his own boost along the way.

[run_barry]

Barry looks over the image, reading the prophecy and recognizing the Crest.

"Yeah, but who wrote it? And why does it have the Crest of Friendship on there?"

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato's a little ways behind Cisco again, but he doesn't use his boost yet, instead keeping up the pressure from behind, trying to push Cisco into running into some of the roadblocks.

He keeps an eye out for boost rings, though, and when two of the lesser boost rings appear ahead of them, does his best to try to wind around to one of Cisco's sides and nudge him out of the way of them.


Monzaemon hums slightly, dismissing the bubble.

"This language is a ceremonial one that not many Digimon speak," he says, thoughtfully. "And it would be unusual for Bird Digimon to invoke this particular Crest in their own writing, when its associated with Beast Digimon, who would be their natural predators. So, it perhaps stands to reason that the Crest itself left the writing, and marked it with its symbol."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco does his best to try and shake Yamato, cutting across the street then back again, swerving back and forth without letting up on the gas.

Seeing the rings, he tries to maneuver towards one, only to be nudged by Yamato.

"Oh bring it!" he says, turning his wheel to nudge Yamato right back.

[run_barry]

Barry still doesn't fully understand the whole things with the Crests, and prophecies, or the Penmon, but he's certainly not going to try and unwind it all right now, so he accepts Monzaemon's reasoning.

"Nice of it to give them a warning then, I guess."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato considers using his power-up, but doesn't yet, instead focusing on trying to shove Cisco out of the way of the ring, or at least not be shoved.

As it is, they both collide with the ring and get the boost. Yamato immediately starts veering towards another.


Monzaemon, watching them get close to the third corner and the shortcut directly before it, waves a hand to block off said shortcut with a wall that rises from the ground. He can imagine the chaos that might result from two cars jockeying for it.

"I do hope that when the Muchomon arrive, they don't also say they were guided by prophecy. That could get difficult to untangle."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco holds off on using his own power-up until after they're through the ring and the burst has faded. Then he shoves down on the button. His intent was to jump ahead and take the shortcut, but when the wall goes up he has to react quick and instead ends up trying to beat Yamato to the next boost.

[run_barry]

"A prophesy telling them to come over here and be jerks? That seems like a waste of whatever the Crests are."

But, at the same time, seems kind of in line with the crazy of the rest of this place.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato keeps holding off on using his own, letting Cisco put some space between them, although he barrels through the same boost ring a few moments later.

Still, Cisco's lead over him is considerable now, as they turn the third corner and the finish line -- along with a few boost rings and at least one silver triple-boost ring further ahead -- comes into view, albeit very distantly.

Although, between them and the finish line there are also quite a few patches of ice, and several squishy, marshmallow-y roadblocks.


"It would be -- rather petty," Monzaemon allows. "Although an argument could be made that that's also true for the Penmon's prophecy."

[makes_the_toys]

Peeling around the corner and coming into the home stretch, takes in what's ahead and quickly plans out his finish.

The triple-boost is a tempting target, but Cisco steers for the smaller boost rings, avoiding a marshmallow roadblock and lining his approach to hit as many of the smaller rings as he can.

[run_barry]

Barry considers that, see-sawing his head back and forth.

"I mean, a little. But theirs is more a warning than a directive. Although, I guess it would have the potential to cause conflict regardless. If the Muchomon arrived without the intent to shove and insult, the Penmon would still assume that's their purpose."

Yep, it's all crazy.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato takes in what's ahead as well: The boost rings, the ice patches, and the silver rings at the end.

Behind Cisco, he zips from the same smaller boost rings to one or another at first, and this time he also aims for the ice patches, letting the short moment of low friction they provide prolong how long he's accelerated for.

It only lengthens the boost by a little each time, maybe half a second, and he has to use some frantic and clever driving to keep himself from spinning out of control, but it's enough that he's eventually nearly alongside Cisco.

He waits, waits, waits. Then, when the time is right, and a lesser boost ring is close, he activates his power-up, counting off the boost in his head.

x2 speed.

He zips forward, into the lesser boost, letting it stack.

x4 speed.

And then he rockets directly into the silver ring.

x12 speed.

He feels like someone stuffed him in some kind of g-force blender that threatens to either throw him out of the car or crush him against the seat, and he can't really see what's going on, as he rockets forward at absurd speeds.

His car has just about crossed the finish line at twelve-times speed when the front wheels burst. It doesn't stop moving. A few moments later, the back wheels burst. It doesn't stop moving. A few seconds later, it grinds to a halt, engine emitting copious steam, a ways down the track from the finish line.

Yamato has no idea if he won or not, but he hops out of the car (only a little shakily) to look for Cisco.


Monzaemon watches that particular spectacle unfold with enough concern that he seems to honestly consider bubbling Yamato for a moment, before deciding against it.

"I will need to get that car repaired."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco has a plan going in, but he forgets it in favor of watching Yamato become a rocket car.

"Holy... "

His own finish is hardly as spectacular, and he doesn't even care that he was dusted. Pulling up beside Yamato, Cisco jumps from his car, arms held up high.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!"

[run_barry]

Barry watches the action, laughing at first as Yamato accelerates to ridiculous speeds, then growing concerned as that speed keeps stacking up and the car keeps screaming forward faster and faster.

He tenses when the first tires burst, when the second set goes Monzaemon's shoulder is suddenly empty, save for the empty tea cup where Barry had been standing.

Speeding down the giant teddy bear, Barry rips through the race course and comes to a skidding stop at the finish beside Yamato and Cisco.

"Are you alright?" he asks urgently, stepping forward to grip Yamato's shoulder to help steady him while looking him over.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato has the decency to look somewhat sheepish when Barry speeds over, because -- yeah, truth be told, that ended up more difficult to control than he was banking on.

"I'm fine, Barry," he says, reassuringly, reaching up to squeeze Barry's shoulder lightly. "No injuries, I promise, just a little shaken up. I didn't gamble on the wheels giving out. Sorry for worrying you."

He gives Barry an apologetic look, then glances over at Cisco.

As soon as Cisco gets close enough, Yamato swings an arm around to drag him into a headlock, and proceeds to mercilessly ruffle his hair.

"More importantly, lookit you, kiddo," he grins. "You were pulling off some pretty impressive stunts out there."

[makes_the_toys]

Stuck in the headlock, Cisco squirms, trying to get loose.

"Hey, knock it off!" he says, struggling, but not as hard as he could be, and laughing.

[run_barry]

Barry just shakes his head at both of them, worry morphing into bemusement.

"Both of you are nuts."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato laughs, rubbing his knuckles against the top of Cisco's head. "If I hear about a mysterious midget street racer who's beating all comers in Central City, I'll know whose autograph to get."

He does release Cisco after a few moments, though, or at the very least he loosens his grip enough for Cisco to slip free.

"You forfeited your right to call anyone nuts," Yamato says to Barry, wryly, "when you ran at supersonic speeds towards solid metal."

Yamato has obviously never done anything risky in his life. That is why they call him 'the Safetymonger.'