Chapter Text
Chapter 16 – Game of Death
Holograms, a new technology.
In the near future, paranormal phenomenon frequently occur.
Humans began to refer to them as…
Hologram Ghosts.
“Ok, what’s going on?” Hiro asked as she and Kotaro walked into the dormitory building, along with a stream of other students arriving with them after school.
She lifted up the bag of jellybeans her friend had unceremoniously shoved into her hands without a word, just a wide grin on his face. “Normally you get me my favourite sweets when you’re after something. So spill, what is it?”
“Why Hiroko, so suspicious! I just wanted to do something nice.” He smirked, his voice had that tone that clearly gave way that he was indeed, after something. Then he laughed and raised his hands, as Hiro gave him the look. “Fine fine. Remember that game that I’ve been playing all week?”
She nodded while ripping the bag open and reaching inside for a jellybean. It was a crime with how much she loved these sweets. “Fighter’s Kingdom?” She asked for confirmation before tossing a sweet into her mouth.
They were heading up the stairs now, towards the cafeteria area.
“Yup!” Kotaro beamed, his face flushing with sudden excitement as his voice got a little bit louder. “Apparently, when you get on a win streak, they say a mysterious and beautiful character cuts in to fight! I have to see it for myself!” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them with glee as he let out a little cackle. “I want to focus on getting that win streak tonight since I’m so close, so ah… can you email me your notes for the homework assignment? Pretty please?”
Of course, it would be something like a beautiful game character that would get her friend all riled up. Not feeling impressed, Hiro snagged another couple of jellybeans and tossed them into her mouth. “Fine… I suppose so.” She said grumpily.
Suddenly he elbowed her, almost making her choke on the sweets. “Awwww don’t be jelly Hiroko~ I think you’re beautiful too, even if you’re not a hot smoking game gi-!”
“Nomura!”
They both stopped at the stern and almost angry voice of Kiyo as he came marching over, his blue eyes almost like ice as he stopped in front of them and crossed his arms. “You’re inside the dorm. Please refrain from openly discussing such inappropriate things. Especially to other girls, it’s uncalled for!”
Instead of looking guilty at his actions, Kotaru simply posed with his hands behind his head and spoke in an almost mocking tone. “Sowwy!” He then winked at Hiro before walking away towards the male dorm sections. “See ya Hiroko!”
“Good grief.” Hiro sighed, shaking her head before turning to look at Kiyo who still seemed slightly tense as he glared at the back of Kotaro’s head. “He was only talking about a game Kiyo, relax. You know how Kotaro can be.”
He huffed slightly and blew through his nose. Before he could answer, Jellymon chose that moment to faze through the wall in hologram mode. Or more accurately, invisible mode that only they could see.
“Your friend was talking about Fighter’s Kingdom right?” The jelly like Digimon giggled as she floated next to her partner. “Darling was totally hooked on that game.”
“Hiroko!”
Gammamon stepped out from behind Kiyo in hologram form as well, his face a picture of pure happiness at seeing his sister.
Hiro smiled and kneeled down as her brother came rushing over to greet her, his tail wagging.
“But he quit after he heard some scary rumours.” Jellymon giggled as she playfully nudged Kiyo with one of her tentacles. The silver haired teen didn’t look impressed at all as he seemed to tense up.
So, the male dorm leader played the game too? It wasn’t surprising to learn considering Kiyo was into gaming from what Hiro had learned so far. By the sounds of it, Fighter’s Kingdom was really popular.
“Rumours? Other than the beautiful character rumour?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kiyo flinched and looked around quickly, then he leaned in slightly while looking on edge. “Yes. Now let’s sit down and I’ll tell you about it.”
“O…kay?” Hiro said, frowning as she stood up.
They headed over to a quiet part of the area, where a few tables sat along with a potted plant in the corner and a vending machine. They both sat down at the table near the wall, with Jellymon hovering above the table between them.
Gammamon seem to gain an interest with the vending machine and took the air with his bat like wings, flying up to tap his hand against the screen with a curious expression at all the pictures of drinks lined up.
Kiyo looked around once more, then leaned back in his seat and surprisingly puffed out his chest with a look of pride. “Not to brag, but I’m pretty good at games. Fighter’s Kingdom was a rare hit for me.” Then his expression changed to one of fear. “However, a terrifying rumour started going around lately.”
“Is this beautiful character scary?” Hiro asked, feeling slightly confused. How could something be beautiful but scary? Kotaro hadn’t mentioned anything from the rumours saying the character was scary.
“Hiroko!” Gammamon spoke up, his hand tapping more insistence on the vending machine screen. “Champion juice!”
She looked over at her brother and crossed her arms. “Hey, what’s the rule about asking for something? What do we say?”
The white Digimon stopped tapping and looked at her, pouting. Then he lowered his arms. “Please can I have the Champion juice?”
“That’s better.” Hiro smiled, getting up to tap her phone against the payment monitor and selecting the chocolate milk option.
Kiyo leaned forward slightly and laced his fingers together as the vending machine gave a clang, distributing the drink to the loud cheers of Gammamon. “Players who encounter that beautiful character are apparently disappearing one after the other.”
“Wait, what?” Hiro blinked as she opened the bottle for her brother, before sitting back down. Kotaro didn’t mention anything like that.
“At any rate, I’m never touching a scary game like that again. Nobody should!” The silver haired teen said, shaking his head slightly.
“Woah woah, back up a bit.” She said quickly, feeling a sudden sense of dread. Almost like a forewarning or something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “What do you mean disappearing one by one?”
It was Jellymon who answered, as Gammamon landed on the table to drink from his bottle of chocolate milkshake, a look of delight on his face. “Apparently, players who boasted about getting the 20th win streak in Fighter’s Kingdom on social media, have been reported going missing. There are over thirty missing cases at the moment. Spooky right?”
Hiro just stared, feeling suddenly cold when she remembered Kotaro saying he was close to getting that win streak.
“Hiro?” Kiyo called out, clearly noticing the sudden distressed look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
If the rumours were true, if they turned out to be real… then that meant…!
“Kotaro!” She gasped, now feeling panicked as she spun around on her heels and broke into a run, heading right for the male section of the dormitory.
“H-Hey! You’re not allowed… Hiro! Wait!”
She ignored his calls as she ran, almost skidding as she turned and began to climb the stairs two at a time in a desperate bid to get to her friend’s room as fast as she could. Hurried footsteps behind showed that Kiyo and the others following after her, no doubt confused by her sudden erratic behaviour.
She bolted down the corridor right to the end before skidding to a stop by the very last door. Without missing a beat, she began to slam her fists against the door. “Kotaro! Open up!”
The sounds of the game could be heard playing within the room.
“Kotaro! Please! Open the door!” Hiro yelled while banging her fists repeatedly against the door, her panic only growing when the teen wouldn’t answer. “Kotaro!”
Jellymon and Gammamon arrived, both in the air as Kiyo bought up the rear. He stopped next to her, looking bewildered.
“Hiro! Really? You’re making a scene!”
Hiro turned to face him, the fear clear to see on her face. “It’s Kotaro! He’s playing that game Kiyo! He told me he was close to getting that winning streak!”
He blinked, before his expression changed as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Ok, ok, just try to calm down. I’ll get the door open, ok?” He sounded oddly serious, a stark contrast to how he was acting earlier.
It soon shattered though, when Kotaro’s scream issued from within the room. Something was clearly happening inside.
“Dammit!” Kiyo hissed, grabbing the handle and yanking it hard. “Open this door, Nomura!”
“What’s wrong, Kotaro? Answer me, Kotaro!” Hiro yelled, before glancing at the keypad to the door. She bit her fingers. “Oh no, oh no! I can’t remember his key number!”
“Hiroko…” Gammamon whined as he fluttered next to her, clearly worried about her but unsure what to do to help.
“What is your name?”
The female voice spoke out, loud and clear. Kiyo and Hiro froze, then quickly glanced at each other as their eyes widen.
“K-Kotaro.” They heard Kotaro answer, his voice stuttering as if he was struggling to even speak.
“When I call out your name…” The woman’s voice spoke,
“… you are to answer.” A man said this time, his voice deep and gritty.
Jellymon huffed and braced herself. “I’ll open it from the inside!”
Before she could phase through the wall, there was a mechanical click as the door unlocked.
Hiro stared in disbelief, feeling a sudden strange sense of déjà vu. Didn’t this happen before, way back in the museum? She glanced at Gammamon, and notice her brother staring intensely at the lock.
Before she could think anymore on it, she focused on saving her friend instead and rushed inside as Kiyo pushed open the door.
Kotaro was slumped in his seat, his eyes wide open with his gaming headset skewered to one side. Then he let out a pain filled screamed as a bright white light enveloped him. Before their very eyes, they watched as he was sucked into the computer screen itself, his controller and headset clattering to the ground.
Just like that, he was gone.
“I claim you as my spoils.”
Gammamon flew over with Jellymon and landed on the desk, growling lowly as he glared at the screen with his body tensing up. “Someone’s there.”
Hiro just stood there, staring as she starting to feel sick. “K-Kotaru?” She whispered, her voice filled with devastation.
The computer screen flickered, then flashed to blue. As if driving in the final nail to what had just happened. Her friend was gone, someone she had tried her upmost to keep away from the dangers of Hologram Ghosts.
Snatched away by what most likely was a Digimon, two by the sounds of it.
Kotaro was her anchor to normalcy, a part of her life that was separate from all the craziness she had gotten into for the last few months since the day she put on her Digivice.
And now he was gone.
“I-Integer overflow.” Kiyo stammered, sounding terrified as he took a step back, his eyes wide. “Integer overflow…” With that, he made a strange sound before fainting on the spot. He collapsed next to Kotaro’s bed, half his body slumped on top.
“Oh darling…” Jellymon sighed, looking disappointed as she turned to face her partner, her tentacles crossing like a pair of arms would.
Gammamon glanced over too, then turned towards Hiro as his expression softened to one of concern. “Hiroko?”
“I’m… ok.” Hiro said, trying not to throw up on the floor as her stomach churned. “I’m ok. I have to be ok.” She walked over to the desk and sat down, her hands shaking as she reached for the keyboard and began to type. “I have to be ok for Kotaro.”
Her brother just watched her, his concern growing on his face. With a few commands typed up, she managed to reboot the computer and began to look at the logs. Kotaro wouldn’t mind, would he? It’s not like she’s snooping through his computer, just looking to see what happened during his time on the game.
Problem was, no such log seemed to exist. Every time she tried to bring it up, the computer just threw errors at her. It was like he never played the game at all, even though they all heard and saw it themselves.
“Well, that’s weird.” Jellymon commented after watching.
“Yeah, this definitely has to be the work of a Digimon.” Hiro said, feeling herself calming down now. They’ve dealt with stuff like this before, it was nothing new.
The only difference was Kotaro being involved. Maybe that was why it was such a shock this time, because the one in danger was someone she cared about.
She pulled out her phone and selected Ruli to video call. Within a few rings, the blogger girl picked up as her face appeared on the screen.
“Hey Hiro!” She beamed, looking pleasantly surprised. Her happy expression soon faded when she saw Hiro’s face, as Angoramon appeared in the background.
Without missing a beat, Hiro began to relay everything that had just happened. About the rumours surrounding the game, how she and Kiyo had tried to stop Kotaro but was too late, and how they watched him get sucked into the computer itself.
“I tried looking up his logs on Fighter’s Kingdom, but nothing.” Hiro said, shaking her head as she propped up the phone on the desk. “His log is gone. What just happened? Where did he go? I… I don’t…” She trailed off and shook her head, starting to feel overwhelmed again.
“Hey, it’s going to be fine. We’ll get Kotaro back.” Ruli said softly, her voice low and soothing.
“Integer overflow! Integer overflow…” Gammamon chanted as he stood on the bed, poking Kiyo in the cheek with one of his claws. Jellymon hovered above, looking amused.
Angoramon came closer to the screen. “What’s this “interger overflow” Gammamon keeps repeating?”
Hiro looked over, watching her brother repeatedly poke the boys cheek with a playful expression. She actually had no idea what it meant, only that Kiyo muttered it before fainting.
Jellymon perked up at the question and giggled as she floated over. “You want to know? It’s when Darling’s fear count reaches max capacity and overflows!”
“What in the world is that?” Ruli asked with a raised eyebrow, asking the question that was on Hiro’s mind.
With a mischievous giggle, Jellymon reached over and began to tap away on the keyboard. “The fun comes after, I call it a limit break.” She said, refusing to elaborate or explain.
Fighter’s Kingdom booted up, and flashed to the title screen as its theme song began to play. Mere seconds later, Kiyo jerked up with a frightened cry and instantly dived under the bedcovers to hide as Gammamon was knocked onto his back with a yelp.
“I’m so sorry!” Kiyo wailed from under the cover, his form trembling. “Please spare me!”
Gammamon sat up, then looked over at Jellymon with a confused and curious expression. “Is this the limit break?”
Hiro felt like slapping her hand over her face at the sheer cowardice of the older teen. Even Jellymon looked disappointed and annoyed for some reason as she made a shrugging motion with her tentacles.
“No, he failed.” She grumbled, shaking her jelly like head. “Oh darling…”
A pinging sound from her phone caught Hiro’s attention, as she turned and reached over to pick it up.
“What is it?” Ruli asked.
Hiro looked at the notification, then blinked in surprise. “Oh, it’s a text from Professor Bokomon.” She bought up the text and read it, feeling even more surprised. “He wants to meet at the library that’s near my dorms.” Then she felt a spark of hope. “Professor might know something about what happened to Kotaro!”
“It’s worth asking. I know what library you mean, me and Angoramon will meet you there.” Ruli smiled, as Angoramon nodded as he stood behind her. “See you soon!”
“See you.” Hiro smiled back, before ending the call.
Ever since meeting Bokomon, the scholar Digimon had taken a shine to her. Often inviting her and Gammamon over for a cup of tea and a chat, or coming over himself to offer help with Hiro’s homework or studies.
He often asked about her day, and showed concern whenever she was struggling. Hiro was embarrassed to admit, but it was nice to have someone fuss over her, almost like a father would.
Her brother Gammamon absolutely adored Professor Bokomon, who showed nothing but kindness to the white Digimon.
“Ready to go see the Professor?” Hiro asked as she turned towards Gammamon.
His face lit up instantly as he raised his clawed hands into the air. “Ooooh! Bokomon!”
By the time Kiyo had calmed down enough for them to leave, Ruli and Angoramon was already waiting for them by the front door when they all finally arrived at the library.
Bokomon beamed with delight at seeing all of them arrive together as he sat at one of the tables on the upper floor, with Bakumon hovering next to him. “Hi Hiro, Gammamon. I see everyone else is here too, how wonderful!”
He then shoved a box of chocolates towards Gammamon, and a bag of Hiro’s favourite brand of jellybeans towards the girl. “Chocolates for you, neighbour, and of course I can’t forget you Hiroko.”
“My champion!” Gammamon practically squealed in delight at the gift, and promptly wasted no time tearing off the cardboard lid with his claws.
“You’re the best professor, thank you.” Hiro smiled as she accepted her own gift. Then she glanced at her brother and nudged him with her elbow. “Hey, remember your manners. What do you say when someone gives you something.”
Gammamon blinked, already chewing a mouthful of chocolate balls. His expression changed to a thoughtful one, then he swallowed and turned to Bokomon. “Thank you Bokomon!”
Hiro chuckled and reached over, playfully rubbing his head as the white Digimon giggled at the action.
Bokomon’s expression seemed to soften as he watched them, something he often did when the two showed displays of sibling affection.
“So why here professor?” Ruli asked as she briefly looked around before her eyes landed on the Digimon. “Not that I’m complaining, it’ll be easier to visit you now that you’re closer.”
It was Bakumon who answered. “We moved here because the professor read all the books at the last library.” He said this with a tone of pride and admiration.
“All of those books?” Ruli said incredulously, as the others looked just as amazed.
They were talking thousands upon thousands of books.
“Of course.” Bokomon said smugly as he closed his eyes and lifted up his face. A moment later, his expression changed to a more serious one as he opened his eyes to look at Hiro. “Enough about my feats though. Something has happened, I can tell just by looking at you dear girl. What’s wrong?”
Hiro lowered her head and began to explain everything that had happened, from the game and it’s rumours, to her friend being spirited away.
“Professor, do you have any idea what happened to Kotaro?” She asked at the end, desperation in her voice.
Bokomon frowned and lifted up his hand to his chin, looking thoughtful. “I actually don’t know much about games, only some Digimon who like to partake in them. It’s hard to narrow down a potential suspect though.”
Ruli raised her phone. “I tried asking my followers on Lirurun, but nobody seems to know anything.”
That was strange, for a blog focusing on Hologram Ghost rumours, they sure missed out big time with this one.
Jellymon giggled and turned towards Kiyo who had been sitting silently all this time, looking on edge. “Our only option is for you to play the game and look into it.”
His expression became more fearful but defiant at her statement. “I-I just told you I’m not touching that game again.” He said, his voice high and cracking slightly.
“I guess it’s impossible for my cowardly darling.” Jellymon grumbled, sounding disappointed and annoyed as her crossed her tentacles.
“Wait...” Bakumon spoke up suddenly, a strange look on his face as the group turned their attention towards him. “You said you heard a feminine and masculine voice, didn’t you?”
“Yeah...” Hiro nodded.
Bakumon closed his eyes for a moment and tapped his hands together, then he gasped and opened his eyes. “That could be the siblings Kinkakumon and Ginkakumon! They’ve been obsessed with a game recently that have not long come out, some kind of fighters game?”
A stunned silence followed as everyone stared, until the Professor finally spoke.
“How do you know that?” Bokomon asked, sounding deeply impressed with his assistant.
Bakumon rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh. “I love computer bugs, and I ran into them when I went to eat some bugs from a different game. The older sister Kinkakumon loves to break into games and go wild. The younger brother Ginkakumon turns defeated opponents into liquor.”
Gammamon tilted his head to the side, his mouth smeared with chocolate. “Liquor?” He asked confused.
“I’ve heard of that rumour.” Angoramon spoke up. “Ginkakumon’s gourd called Beni-hisago sucks in anyone who answers its call… and turns them into liquor.”
“Wait, so Kotaro too?!” Hiro yelped as she quickly stood up, feeling anxiety and panic bloom. If it really were Kinkakumon and Ginkakumon who took Kotaro, then did that mean... was he turned into liquor?!
“Calm yourself.” Bokomon said sharply. “There might still be time to save your friend. Though I have to admit, there’s no coming back once he’s fully turned into liquor. Our time is limited I’m afraid.”
Ruli stood up and wrapped her arm around Hiro’s shoulders. “Hey, we’ll save him, so try to calm down. We can’t do this if you’re panicking.” She said soothingly.
“I know, I know, I just...” Hiro trailed off for a moment, then lowered her head slightly. She breathed in deeply, forcing her emotions down. “I’m sorry. I’m ok now.”
She had no idea why she was breaking down like this, why she was losing control of her emotions. It had to be more then just Kotaro being her first friend.
Everyone she cared about always ended up leaving her eventually, so why was she so rattled by this?
Ruli didn’t look convinced, her face full of concern as she gave the girl a squeeze before turning her attention to the professor. “How do we reach someone inside the internet, Professor Bokomon?”
“The internet is vast. It... may take some time.” Bokomon said with a grimace.
Hiro understood the implications of his words, and what he didn’t say either. She lowered her head, just staring at the ground when...
“I’ll do it.”
To everyone surprise, it was Kiyo who said it as he stood up. He looked scared out of his wits, but there was an odd determination on his face too. He glanced at Hiro then quickly looked away as he crossed his arms. “I’ll do it. I'll get the win streak to make contact. I’m the dorm leader after all, Kotaro wellbeing while at the dorm is my responsibility.”
No one said anything, not even Jellymon who seemed stunned at this unusual show of bravery from the normally coward Kiyo.
He had been so adamant before about not touching the game. Hiro had no idea what changed his mind, but she couldn’t help feeling an enormous wave of gratitude towards the silver haired teen.
“Kiyo... thank you.” She said softly, smiling.
Kiyo glanced at her, then quickly looked away once more as his cheeks flushed red.
Jellymon just sighed and shrugged, before flashing her partner a knowing smirk.
“Ok...” Kiyo muttered, more to himself than anything as he sat down on his chair. They were in his dorm room, with the door locked.
Hiro stood behind him as Gammamon sat on the desk to watch. Jellymon floated in the air on her partners other side, looking oddly excited as she rubbed her tentacles together, much like a human would rub their hands.
Ruli and Angoramon had chosen to stay behind in the library with Bokomon and Bakumon, opting to watch via an iPad which was linked to Kiyo’s computer. The silver haired teen had set it up for them.
If anything went wrong, at least they would have a trail to follow.
“I-If I get a 20 win streak…” Kiyo muttered, before trailing off with a gulp.
Jellymon chose to finish the sentence for him. “If the rumours are true, Kinkakumon will appear.” She cackled excitedly.
It was a huge gamble, but the only lead they had. They all had to appreciate the dangerous risk Kiyo was willing to make, despite his fear of the game.
Hiro placed her hands on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “If you beat Kinkakumon, we can probably save Kotaro as our spoils. I believe in you, Kiyo!”
Not wanting to be outdone, Jellymon placed her tentacles on the boys face and forced him to look at her. “Darling, you’re the dorm leader! A dorm leader has the duty to lead their students.”
He blinked, then seemed to calm down somewhat as he nodded. The moment she let go, he booted up the game and pulled on his gaming headset. “I’m the dorm leader! I can definitely, no... I will do this!”
Hiro let go of his shoulders and watched as he selected his fighter from the selection screen, then the first match began. The moment it started, Kiyo’s fingers were like a blur as his fighter character effortlessly zeroed in on the opponent and took them out.
No mistake, no mercy.
[K.O!]
“Ooooh! Did you win?” Gammamon asked, his eyes glued to the screen in fascination.
“That’s one win.” Kiyo said calmly, and they could hear the laser focus in his voice. “Nineteen more to go.”
“You got this Kiyo.” Hiro said as she placed her hand on the desk to lean forward a bit.
He smirked at her words as the game found his next opponent. “Of course I do. Watch and be amazed by yours truly.” He cracked his fingers then readied them over the buttons and joy stick.
Match after match, his fingers were nothing but a blur. His skill was unparalleled, and Hiro almost felt sorry for the teen’s opponents. It was like Kiyo could predict what they were going to do, and acted in accordance.
It just made her admire him even more, as her stomach did a funny flip.
[O.K!]
He was on his seventh match, the opponent stood no chance and was down within seconds.
[O.K!]
The fifteenth match started, and so far no one had managed to land a single hit on Kiyo as the teen worked silently, his whole persona nothing but cold steel focus.
No wonder he was a genius, Hiro honestly believed there was nothing Kiyo couldn’t do. He really is amazing...
She blushed at the thought and looked away, as Jellymon and Gammamon cheered at another victory.
[O.K!]
Down went the opponent as everyone tensed up and prepares themselves. That had been the twentieth win in a row. The requirement needed to make Kinkakumon appear.
Kiyo leaned back in his chair as the O.K popped up, yet the match didn’t end. “A glitch?” He muttered.
Yet Gammamon growled slightly, his eyes narrowing. “Someone’s coming!”
Before Hiro could say anything, a flash of lightning appeared in the game, hitting the downed opponent. Once it faded, a Digimon stood in their place, female in nature with impeccable muscles and a golden horned mask.
Kinkakumon.
“Oh, mighty one. I challenge you to make my soul tremble!”
“Kinkakumon’s here!” Kiyo said loudly, his voice cracking as his calm focus seemed to slip.
This was the moment Jellymon seemed to be waiting for, as she poked her partner in the cheek. “Darling, I’ll punish you if you lose.” She threatens with glee in her voice.
Then she floated over to the very large and extremely expensive looking computer and raised one of her tentacles. Hiro watched in fascination as the Digimon morphed the tip of her tentacle, before quite literally plugging herself in.
The moment she did so, her eyes closed and she went unresponsive.
“I’m number one! Jellymon is here!”
“Wha?” Hiro blinked and glanced at the monitor where Jellymon’s voice had issued from. To her amazement, the Digimon was in the game itself, taking the place of Kiyo’s fighter in her humanoid form.
“Miss J-Jellymon?!” Kiyo exclaimed in shock, clearly not seeing when his partner had plugged herself in.
“Okay, Darling! Beat Kinkakumon to prove that I’m number one!” Jellymon smirked before posing as she wagged a finger in Kinkakumon’s direction. “Naturally, I’ll be taking my spoils as well.”
Kinkakumon smirked, as another Digimon seemed to appear behind her. Three times as large, he sat with his legs crossed with a controller on his lap. Strapped to his back was a huge gourd almost as big as him.
This had to be the brother, Ginkakumon. Which meant…
Kotaro is inside that gourd, being turned into liquor. Hiro thought as she stared at the object, her hands clenching into fists.
“Don’t make me laugh.” Ginkakumon boomed, his voice loud and deep. “No one is better than my sister.”
“We’ll see about that!” Jellymon grinned, as she curled her tentacles around her fists to turn them into what looked like boxing gloves that crackled with electricity.
GO!
Kiyo regained his focus and began tap away fast and furious, as Jellymon rushed forward and began to throw punches one after the other.
Kinkakumon smirked turned into one of boredom as she dodged each blow with ease, making it look like she wasn’t even trying. “Weak.” She huffed, eyes flashing with anger. “Don’t hold back! Give me everything you have!”
The Digimon pulled back her fist and swung forward so fast, Jellymon had no time to react as she was punched in the stomach. Then another, and another, each hit making her cry out as she was slowly pushed back.
“Is Jellymon losing?” Gammamon asked, sounding concerned as he watched the screen.
The scene playing out was brutal as Hiro bit her lip while watching. If Jellymon lost, that would mean losing Kiyo as well. Somehow, that thought seemed more terrifying. She was barely coping with losing Kotaro, let alone two of her friends.
“My fists are nowhere near satisfied, but this seems over. How boring.” Kinkakumon said, her disappointment clear as she went to deliver a finishing blow to Jellymon.
This was it. This was the…
“I figured out the range.” Kiyo said, his voice confident as he actually grinned.
“That’s my darling!” Jellymon smirked before she spun around. “Spiral Kick!”
The attack landed, actually making Kinkakumon reel back slightly from the blow.
“W-What?” Ginkakumon gasped at the turn of events.
Kiyo’s fingers tapped away at the buttons, his focus seemed to grow even more laser sharp. “We can do this, Miss Jellymon!”
Hiro couldn’t help but feel herself smile as she placed both hands on the desk to lean closer, as Gammamon shook his hands and cheered. “You got this!” She cheered herself, feeling hopeful.
When before, it was Kinkakumon dodging and landing hits, now it was Jellymon dodging with ease and landing blow after blow as the roles were reverse.
Instead of getting frustrated, the Digimon seemed to be growing exhilarated. “My fists, my body, my fighting spirit are delighted!”
“Oh ho ho!” Ginkakumon said excitedly. “Time to get serious!”
Before their very eyes, the controller on the brother’s lap suddenly glowed and extended with even more buttons appearing. With a smirk, he began to tap away, his fingers moving so fast they were just a blur. In fact, he was inputting commands even faster then Kiyo.
A bolt of lightening appeared in Kinkakumon’s hand, where a spiked club type weapon formed. “Here I come!”
She swung the weapon with incredible speed, landing a direct hit that sent Jellymon flying backwards with a cry of surprise and pain. She hit the floor and rolled over a few times before coming to a stop, wincing.
Ginkakumon laughed loudly. “There is no faster finger movement! No human can keep up!”
“That’s cheating!” Hiro gasped, shocked at what had just occurred. “Surely he isn’t allowed to do that!”
Gammamon growled at the monitor. “Cheating!”
Kiyo just remained silent as he focused. In fact, his fingers began to move even faster, impossibly fast.
Jellymon jumped up and began to dodge the lighting bolts being thrown at her by Kinkakumon, then she morphed her hand into a gun like shape and shot a bolt of lightning back.
The Digimon barely dodged in time.
Somehow, both fighters were keeping up with each other. Attacks flying and being dodged, the sight was spectacular.
“You’re keeping up?!” Ginkakumon gasped, sounding both incredulous and shocked.
Kinkakumon seemed to be having the time of her life. “Wonderful! This is a battle between raging souls! I have been waiting for this kind of battle!”
Jellymon cackled, looking like she was enjoying herself as well. “Nice work, Darling!”
“I want to play too!” Gammamon said, sounding excited as he watched the two fight.
Hiro laughed and scooped him up in her arms, feeling happy. This was it, they were going to win and save Kotaro.
“Unbelievable!” Kinkakumon grinned as she was locked in furious combat with the jelly like Digimon. “To think an opponent who could make my soul tremble still existed! I would love to see their faces.”
“Me too, Sis!” Her brother piped up.
There was a flash of lighting that lit up the whole screen, and Jellymon seemed to be unceremoniously kicked out of the game. Back in her body, she jerked and yanked her tentacles out of the computer port, a look of shock and surprise on her face.
Moments later, Kinkakumon herself was reaching out of the computer towards Kiyo, no doubt with the intention of pulling him in as he yelped and kicked back away from the desk, his headset falling off.
His fingers flew to his Digivice, throwing up the digital field just in time as an explosion rang out from the computer.
The force sent them all flying, and Hiro cried out as she slammed into the wall before sliding down as she continued to hold her brother.
“Hiroko!” he cried in alarm.
“I’m... alright.” She winced, feeling slightly winded.
The ceiling had been blown away, and some of the walls too. As the smoke cleared away, there stood Kinkakumon, with her brother Ginkakumon behind her.
The larger brother gazed down at Kiyo who was on the floor, staring with wide terrified eyes and an open mouth. “Are you the player?”
Kinkakumon stepped closer to the silver haired teen as she rested her spiked club over her shoulder. “Let’s continue.”
“In…In… Interger overflow...” Kiyo weakly muttered before promptly fainting. A horrible silence followed as everyone just stared.
“Kiyo! Get it together!” Hiro yelled, feeling panicked at the situation.
“Integer overflow! Integer overflow!” Gammamon chanted, as if the Digimon didn’t quite grasp just how serious things have become.
Kinkakumon huffed, a sneer forming on her face. “I expected a mighty opponent, not a snivelling coward!”
“We demand satisfaction!” Ginkakumon demanded as he raised his fist to point towards the group with his finger. He then glanced at his sister. “Sis, I know we’re not done fighting yet, but I can turn them all into booze, right?”
Gammamon quickly locked onto the Digimon and let out a low hissing growl, his eyes narrowing. He seemed to now have a full grasp of the situation after hearing a threat that involved his sister.
“You will be punished for this disappointment!” Kinkakumon roared as she brandished her weapon. She went to take a step towards the fainted Kiyo, but Jellymon quickly got in her way as she popped into her humanoid form.
She smirked, then glanced towards Hiro and Gammamon. “Leave Kinkakumon to me!”
Hiro nodded, before turning her attention towards Ginkakumon as she placed her brother down. “Okay, we’ll deal with the gourd.”
If they can break it, Kotaro would be free… right?
“Tch!” Kinkakumon gritted her teeth, glaring. “I am extremely irritated.”
“Spiral Kick!” Jellymon called out as rushed over, before spinning around as she readied to land her attack.
Kinkakumon simply blocked the attack with a bored expression, then she countered with a swing of her spiked club, sending the jelly like Digimon flying.
Hiro winced, before fully focusing on her own target. She trusted Jellymon to deal with her opponent. “Ok Gammamon, you ready for this?”
He nodded, still growling as his body tensed up. “I won’t let Hiroko be turned into liquor!”
The bar on Hiro’s Digivice filled up with a flash, as Gammamon began to glow brightly.
“Gammamon Evolution! Betelgammamon!”
With a burst of flames, the data shattered to reveal Betelgammamon as he raised his fists, glaring.
“W-What?!” Ginkakumon gasped, clearly not expecting the Digimon to evolve right before his eyes.
Betelgammamon wasted no time as he rushed forwards, then dropped down and skidded right under the larger Digimon before twisting around.
“Sorshot!” Hiro called out the moment the word streamed into her head.
Her brother shot a flaming ball of intense fire towards the gourd, with the intention of destroying it, but Ginkakumon turned at the last moment and quickly raised his large hand to block the attack.
“Don’t you touch my booze!” He roared, then swung out his fist. He punched Betelgammamon with incredible force, sending him crashing into the nearest wall with a pained yelp.
“Betelgammamon!” Hiro called out, worried for her brother’s safely as she started to rush over, but stopped when Ginkakumon stepped in front of her.
“Annoying little brat!” He sneered, reaching out for her. “You’ll be better off becoming my new batch of booze.”
She quickly stepped back, feeling fearful as she narrowly avoided being snatched up. “H-Hey! You shouldn’t be turning humans into liquor! It’s wrong! You have my friend in there! Give him back!”
Ginkakumon scoffed and began to approached her slowly. “I don’t have to listen to you. The first batch of humans made good booze, and I’m sure this latest batch will just be as good.”
Wait… first batch? But didn’t that mean…
Hiro went pale, suddenly feeling sick at the implications as Bokomon’s words echoed in her mind. There’s no coming back, once he’s fully turned into liquor.
If Ginkakumon was making a second batch to drink, the people taken as spoils for the first batch were gone for good. They were dead.
“You killed them…” She whispered in horror, before feeling her back hit the wall. “Y-You killed them!”
“Eh?” Ginkakumon said before shrugging. “They lost and became our spoils, it’s how we do things in the Digital World. It’s how we do it here too.” He reached out for her.
“It’s wrong!” Hiro shouted as she tried to escape the approaching hand, yet the Digimon had her trapped. It’s wrong!”
Before his large fingers could curl around her, Betelgammamon shot up in the air from behind, looking furious. “Don’t… touch her!”
“Sorblow!” Hiro yelled.
With a roar, the red Digimon shot towards Ginkakumon as his fist burst into flames before landing a mighty blow to his head. The attack sent him staggering back a bit as Betelgammamon flipped through the air and landed in front of Hiro.
He turned and began to shield her, growling viciously as his fists were engulfed in flames so hot, even Hiro could feel the heat prickling at her skin.
“Darling, you have to wake up!”
They glanced over at Jellymon who laid battered on the floor, with actual tears falling from her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. It was the first time they had ever seen the Digimon in this state.
“If you don’t, I’m throwing out all your stuff! I’ll even tell everyone the secret about your right hand!” She sobbed, desperately trying to wake up her partner as she reached out with a tentacle. “We weren’t strong because it was a game! We were strong because we had each other!”
She then let out a piercing cry of pain as Kinkakumon mercilessly stepped on her tentacle that was reaching for Kiyo, crushing it beneath her foot.
“Are you prepared?” The Digimon asked with cold indifference, as she raised the spiked club over her head. It was clear what she was about to do, judging from the killing intent in her eyes.
“Jellymon!” Hiro tried to rush over with Betelgammamon, but Ginkakumon blocked them with a smirk.
The situation was growing dire, as time was quickly running out for Jellymon who only seemed to focus on Kiyoshirou.
“Wake up already, Kiyoshirou Higashimitarai!” Jellymon all but screamed, as she reached over with another tentacle, touching his cheek before delivering an electric shock.
Instantly, Kiyo snapped his eyes open and bolting up in a sitting position, his face down. There was no cry of pain, no shaking of the body. Just a stillness that seemed… strange.
“Darling!” Jellymon sobbed, her voice filling with happiness and relief as Kinkakumon looked over and paused with a curious expression.
“Jellymon.” Kiyo said, his tone serious. Then he looked up, a confident smirk as he nodded.
She smiled back, her face brightening up as she nodded back.
“Max Level… Limit Break!” They both spoke at the same time, their voices synchronizing. With that, Jellymon began to glow.
“Jellymon Evolution! Teslajellymon!”
The light shattered as the Digimon’s new much stronger form appeared. Teslajellymon grinned as she twirled in place, looking like a teen now as electricity crackled off her body. “Hell yeah!”
“Woah…” Hiro said in awe, her eyes wide in surprise as Ginkakumon turned around to stare at this new development.
“Evolution? How interesting!” Kinkakumon grinned, not fazed at all. Immediately she began to attack, shooting bolts of lightning.
Yet each attack missed as Teslajellymon dodged with ease. Not one of them came close to hitting her as she stopped and began to pat herself down with a cute pout, as if brushing dirt off herself. “You made me dirty! What’s your problem?”
Kinkakumon’s expression quickly turned to one of anger as she glared. “How dare you insult our battle!” She raised her hand, clenching it into a tight fist.
“Getting so angry is mega lame.” Teslajellymon mocked as she wagged a finger as the Digimon snarled.
Kiyo stood up, his whole demeanour calm and focused as he raised a hand. “Physalist!”
Without missing a beat, Teslajellymon rushed forward as her fist crackled with intense electricity. Then she punched Kinkakumon in the stomach in a crackling hissing explosion, sending the Digimon flying and crumbling to the ground with a pained cry.
“S-Sis!” Ginkakumon gasped, absolutely floored at witnessing his sister be taken down so easily by a single attack.
“Game over. Thanks for playing.” Teslajellymon giggled as she posed, doing the v sign with her hand that she bought to her face, before sticking out her tongue playfully.
Kiyo smiled and crossed his arms, before turning his gaze to Ginkakumon. “We win, give us back all the people you took as spoils.”
“W-What? No way, my booze!” The Digimon stammered, taking a defensive stance. Just when it looked like he was about to attacked, his sister gingerly got up, clearly injured.
“Enough brother. We lost fair and square. Give them back.” Kinkakumon muttered, her eyes closed as her weapon vanished from her hand.
Ginkakumon hesitated, then grumbled as he sat down with his legs crossed. “I should’ve taken a sip at least.” He huffed, pulling the gourd off his back and popping the cork stopper out. There was rush of lights that burst free, shooting into the air before vanishing.
Hiro watched them go, feeling a sense of sadness despite their victory. If only they could have saved everyone…
“Hiro! Kiyo!” called out a voice.
She looked over to see Ruli in the arms of Angoramon who was flying over through the air with his spinning long ears. Both of them wore expression of worry and concern. Most likely they decided to head over when the digital field had come up.
Professor Boko was with them too, being held by the blogger girl as Bakumon flew next to them.
The moment they landed and Ruli was placed down, she put the professor down before rushing over. “Did you win? We tried to come over as fast as we could!”
“We won.” Hiro said, smiling. Then she blinked in surprise as the girl pulled her into a tight hug.
“Thank goodness you’re ok!”
She tensed up for a moment, then slowly… Hiro relaxed and hugged Ruli back.
“My booze…” Ginkakumon mumbled, sounding devasted. “And it tasted so good too, I was looking forward to my second batch…”
Betelgammon glared at him, his eyes narrowed before he glowed and reverted back to Gammamon. He quickly jumped up and clung to Hiro’s back in an almost protective manner, his eyes remained transfixed on the large Digimon.
Bokomon turned to Ginkakumon and crossed his arms. “You don’t need to bother making it, you can buy booze here.”
“What?!” he exclaimed, sounding utterly shocked.
Somehow, this statement just made things worse for Hiro as she let go of Ruli and looked away, feeling sick. “You killed all those people for nothing…”
“K-Killed?” Ruli said in alarm as she went pale, as Angoramon winced and looked away as well. “What?”
“I thought so.” Kiyo said, his blue eyes seemed to become cold as he glanced at Kinkakumon. “Like you said, we won fair and square. The only spoils we request, is for you brother to no longer make his liquor using humans, or Digimon.”
“W-What?” Ginkakumon spluttered. “You can’t just-!”
“Silence brother!” Kinkakumon snapped, before turning her attention back to Kiyo. “Very well. The strong make the rules, and we’ll follow them. Make no mistake, all I’ve cared about is the battle.” She raised her hand, pointing at Teslajellymon who floated close to her partner. “I look forward to challenging you again. Next time, I will be victorious.”
“I’ll like to see you try!” Teslajellymon declared with confidence as she raised a fist. “No matter what, I don’t intend to lose!”
With the danger finally over, Kiyo tapped the buttons on his digivice and lifted up the digital field. The damage that had been inflicted in the building vanished away, as if magically restored.
Kinkakumon and Ginkakumon were also gone, no doubt slipping away back to the Network.
This should have been a joyous occasion considering they won and came out of this unscathed, but a heaviness hung in the air as silence fell.
As Teslajellymon reverted back to her previous form with a glow, Kiyo walked over to Hiro before stopping in front of her. His face were forlorn, as he sighed softly. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save them all.”
Hiro shook her head before quickly hugging him, catching the boy off guard as he gasped slightly. “Thank you, for saving Kotaro. You really came through for me Kiyo, I won’t forget.”
“A-Ah... Anytime H-Hiro.” He stuttered, his body tense as he held his arms out awkwardly. Then slowly, he hugged her back and seemed to relax. “We’re friends remember?”
She smiled and stepped back, breaking the hug as her cheeks flushed red. She looked at him, then at Ruli and felt a warmness in her heart, melting away the cold from this ordeal.
It was then she realised, just how much they meant to her. As long as they stuck together, they’ll get through anything thrown at them. Maybe just this once, she could let herself believe everything would be alright.
“Yeah, we’re friends.” She smiled, and that included the Digimon too.
Kiyo and Ruli smiled back at her, as did the others.
Later on, it turned out Kotaro remembered nothing of the ordeal. The boy was simply disappointed, believing he had fallen asleep and missing on the beautiful character.
Maybe that was for the best.
Next time on Ghost Game Alterna!
Strange things are happening around the area, like objects getting slice up and unusual high winds.
Ruli grows frustrated when Angoramon keeps being secretive about his outings.
As she and Hiro hang out, those high winds might be more dangerous then they believed.