The Seal Man, and Other Tales, with Barry and Cisco

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Jyou's located a short walk away -- a little way south-east, over a bridge to another one of the islands that make up Odaiba, past a construction site repairing some light damage from a Digimon battle, and to the southernmost tip of one of the islands.

But he's there, sat on a bench with a textbook in hand and a white, orange-mohawked sea lion slumped around his shoulders like a scarf.

"Hope we didn't keep you waiting," Yamato says, as Jyou looks up at them and flicks down his glasses.

Comments

[makes_the_toys]

"Riiight, the hydrokinesis," Cisco says, forgetting to be afraid for a moment in favor of getting excited. "That's so awesome."

[run_barry]

Barry holds his ground as MadLeomon moves in closer. He gestures with his hand for the crew to hurry up with packing up their equipment while his gaze remains locked on MadLeomon.

"I really can't do that," Barry says, shaking his head. "If someone's paying you to do this, trust me, it's a bad gig."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I guess I'm lucky I live on an island. In the Digital World, we spend so much time inland or -- sometimes just in deserts, that I don't get much use out of it," Jyou says, as Ikkakumon wheels around again, firing off another pair of torpedoes.


The cameramen are quick to follow that command, finishing up packing their equipment with distinctive haste.

"I'm being paid a lot. It's nothing personal," MadLeomon rasps, flicking out his claws. "And besides, I last tangled with the Eight three dozen incarnations ago. You can't blame me for being interested in seeing whether anything has changed."

[makes_the_toys]

"Try living in the mid-west," Cisco says. "We've got a pretty big river, but you've got a long drive if you want to get to the actual beach."

Cisco continues to stay down and hold on, watching the Mantaraymon get taken out.

"So... what about them? What can they do if they make it over here?" he asks.

[run_barry]

"Yeah? And who's paying you?" Barry asks, glancing at those claws and then looking back at MadLeomon's face.

"I don't really understand the whole reincarnation vessel thing," Barry admits, "But the Chosen now don't want to see anyone on either side get hurt, in this world or yours."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Rivers will do. I can get along with rivers," Jyou says, pushing his glasses up his nose. "It's not like me and the sea are exclusive, I can have working relationships with other large bodies of water."

He angles a glance over to the side, thinking for a moment. "Well, mantarays, so they probably have some kind of electrical or poison sting."


MadLeomon shrugs a shoulder, making a somewhat unpleasant cracking noise in the process. "Ironworks Trading Company, but it's obvious the Old Man is pulling their strings. Doesn't matter to me, so long as I get food and supplies out of it," he says. "Last chance. If you all move aside, I can just walk up there and finish my job. Killing people I haven't already been paid to kill is just bad business."

[makes_the_toys]

"What about small bodies of water?" Cisco asks. "Could you part the seas in a bathtub, or make sick waves in a swimming pool?"

None of that sounds good, and Cisco reaches down to give Ikkakumon a pat, more to comfort himself than for Ikkakumon's benefit.

"Okay, so let's not find out what that's like," he says, eying the water warily.

[run_barry]

Barry frowns and shakes his head again.

"Like I said, I can't let you do that," he replies, shifting slightly, ready to move.

First order of business will be getting Yamato's father and crew out of the area, and then Barry will have to figure out whether his powers will let him fight, or at least be a big distraction, to a Digimon.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I've never tried, but I guess? But the excess power bleed-off would probably leave the house unbearably humid for the next few hours, so," Jyou says distractedly. "Not worth it."

There's an explosion from somewhere above them, as Birdramon swoops and curves around the Blimpmon, occasionally raining fire out of her wings. Jyou ducks on instinct, then straightens up when he realises there isn't any rubble falling.


MadLeomon considers this for a moment, before sliding out his other set of claws. He takes a step back, hunching his shoulders slightly, then raises a claw into the air.

"Necrotoxic Claw," he calls, voice echoing, as he brings his claw down onto the concrete, and a stream of black liquid bursts out, snaking along the ground towards Barry.

[makes_the_toys]

"Ew, yeah now, that's terrible for the locks," Cisco says, running a hand through his hair.

Cisco yelps and ducks for cover as well, chancing a glance up when nothing comes crashing down on top of them.

"Is the Chosen thing always this intense?" he asks.

[run_barry]

"Sorry guys," Barry apologizes to the people behind him before he starts to move. The apology is given for the sudden relocation they're all about to experience.

One by one in a few quick seconds Barry grabs and speeds off with each person and whatever equipment they're holding. He deposits them a few blocks away, pausing on the last which is Yamato's father.

"The shelter is a block that way, please go there if things get too crazy," he says to the man, knowing the guy has a job to do, but also hoping he'll use good sense if things get too far out of hand.

Leaving the group in a slightly safer location to cover the action, Barry returns to MadLeomon, coming to a stop to the side of the Digimon and out of the path of that black liquid.

"I really don't want to fight you," he says.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Sometimes it's just individual Digimon coming through the Gate, and we just have to herd them back through. And if we're in the Digital World, there's a lot of travelling and doing odd jobs like rebuilding dams and stuff," Jyou says. "But -- kinda, yeah. A lot of the time."


"Will do," the man says quickly. "Thanks for getting us clear, Fastman."

When he returns, MadLeomon turns towards him, visibly surprised by his disappearance and reappearance, and pauses, seemingly doing some mental arithmetic.

"You're fast, human. I thought I smelled the Knowledge-Bug's lightning on you, but I suppose I was wrong. He and his can't move that quickly," he rumbles, turning. "I didn't know humans got that fast."

[makes_the_toys]

"And camping, ugh. That's gotta be the worst part," Cisco says, shaking his head.

"Things can get kind of wild with us on our world, but this is crazy."

Cisco hopes things don't decide to start going nuts like this in Central City.

[run_barry]

Mentally Barry sighs, realizing he's probably going to be 'Fastman' in this world now.

Facing MadLeomon, Barry shrugs a little and replies, "It's kind of a weird long story, but basically I was struck by lightning and dark matter and now I have superpowers."

That's the general gist, at least.

"So yeah, I'm fast."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Camping's not so bad, once you get used to it. Team medic duties mean I don't have to take a watch shift, and the biggest problem is that if you get too close to Yamato while he's cooking, he might bite your face off," Jyou says.

Above them, Birdramon starts glowing red, and a particularly harsh wind picks up as she shifts shape, becoming a much larger, bird-legged, bird-headed, winged humanoid.


MadLeomon blinks slowly at Barry.

"I don't understand. I'm not well-versed in the sciences, for I am not an Insect-type," he says, as if this makes perfect sense.

[makes_the_toys]

"That's a lie people tell themselves to try to convince others to go camping," Cisco says with the tone of, 'I'm on to you'.

"He's a very bitey guy," Cisco says with a nod about Yamato before looking up and dropping his jaw.

"What the hell is that?"

[run_barry]

So this really wasn't the type of distracting Barry was thinking he'd have to do, but he'll totally roll with it for as long as he can here.

"Insect-types and sciences, I guess I get that," he says thoughtfully.

"There was a machine called a Particle Accelerator," he says, trying to give further explanation. "It was an experiment some scientists were running, and there was an accidental explosion."

Barry keeps his focus on MadLeomon, hoping to hold his attention with the story.

"The explosion released Dark Matter which is one of the mystery elements of the universe, and that supercharged an overhead storm cloud, which then generated a bolt of lightning that struck me." Barry holds a hand to his chest while point his other towards the sky.

"Somehow that combination landed me with super speed."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Sora's partner's Perfect-level, Garudamon," Jyou says. "Sora and Piyomon are kind of our main air forces, they're the most agile fliers we have."


MadLeomon listens intently. Then: "I understood none of that. I don't even recognise all of the words. But I will remember your story when I'm eating you." His tone is very level, even reasonable.

He takes a step back, rolling out his shoulders, then hunches down until his hands are scraping the ground. "Brace yourself, Speedy Lightning Human," he rumbles, and draws back a fist. "Fist of the Fallen Beast King."

He throws a punch, and from the edge of his fist a blast of reddish flame, shaped like a lion's face, comes flying out and towards Barry.

[makes_the_toys]

"Awesome," Cisco breathes, watching the fight now more rapt with awe than fearful.

[run_barry]

Whelp, he tried.

Barry can't help a small smile to the end of their conversation and the totally casual way that it's announced that he's going to be eaten and remembered.

"Thanks, I guess?" he says.

He's not quite sure what to expect, but he tries to be ready.

The whole flaming lion thing is a surprise though, and his eyes go wide when it comes at him. It's more reflex and instinct than intentional reaction that get him to move, and Barry ducks and slides just out of the way of that blast.

"Whoa."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Hold on tight," Jyou says, eyeing more Mantaraymon approaching. "We're evolving too."

Silver light bursts out of him a moment later, and as Ikkakumon starts glowing grey, the waters swirl up around them.

Under them, Ikkakumon nearly doubles in size, growing a rough shell across his back, before lifting his hand and summoning his hammer in a flash of lightning. When the light fades, he's still walrus-like, but a lot more Viking.


The lion's head projectile lands against a car, and instead of exploding or burning, starts eating through it like acid.

MadLeomon gives a bellow, charging at Barry, swinging one fist. He's fast, but not supernaturally so, and he swings wildly, but from the way the wind rushes when he moves his arms, any one of those swings could do serious damage.

[makes_the_toys]

"HOLY-- " Cisco exclaims, holding tight as the evolution happens.

[run_barry]

Barry stares at the car for a moment as it melts away, then jerks his head back around quickly to face MadLeomon who's charging at him.

Barry uses bursts of speeds to move back out of the way and side to side to avoid those swings. The way they buffet the air, he's sure that just one would probably take his head off.

He's also very mindful of those claws, and decides his best bet is to stay just out of range while also carefully maneuvering around so that they're fighting away from the broadcast building.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk more science?" Barry asks, speeding to one side of MadLeomon and then back around to the other to avoid punches and hopefully draw the Digimon back away further from the building.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Once the light clears, the swirling eddies of water go inert again, dropping back down into the sea, and the lingering humidity around them starts to fade.

Zudomon hefts his hammer, raising it over his shoulder, and then throws it, letting it fly in ever expanding rings moving outwards, knocking swarms of Mantaraymon back.


"I'm going to eat your entire face," MadLeomon replies, turning to follow Barry.

He's easily enough led away from the building, following with short, stomping footsteps. He scrapes a claw across the ground as he goes, and veins of poison spread out across the concrete, branching and curving towards Barry.

[makes_the_toys]

"This is awesome," Cisco exclaims, cackling with excitement, but definitely still freaked out at everything that's going on.