I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
“Digimon are alive!” The words linger in dead air.
Eiji breaks the silence with an involuntary chuckle “It be cool if Digimon were alive. Lots of people have Digimon. Some folks keep them as pets and others collect them. Digimon are pretty useful tools.” Eiji thinks of his Tyrannomon. Tyrannomon are popular with code crackers because they were common and easily caught. Most Digimon exists as code traded, bought, and sold between people on GriMM.
“Hmm,” Ryusenjji responds, somewhat lost in thought.
“So, when will Digimon Land be ready? Where are you going to build it?”
Ryusenji snaps out of his thought as a look of disappointment fills his face. He begins to shake his head “We had to stop development on Digimon Land…Permanently”
“Seriously?”
“The park presented many challenges, some of which were…. impossible to overcome. There’s a reason why the digital world has to be kept a secret. People aren’t ready.”
Eiji thinks about the plane crash. He can still hear the screams and the terrible sound of the plane slicing through the air as it fell
“There are bad people out there Eiji. People who will misuse Digimon. Digimon Crimes started small. A game server would crash or a website would get overloaded, but they were brushed off as pranks. Soon, the news started trickling in about identity theft and random acts of terrorism. You saw what happened to that plane. There are already people committing Digimon crime at a concerning scale, but the world leaders and international organizations are covering it up!”
Ryusenji takes a moment to compose himself. His hands shake from the anger but slowly still. “Can you imagine what would happen if a criminal used one of the park’s mascots for an act of cyber-terrorism? Can you imagine the scandal? Publicizing the Digital world means publicizing Digimon Crimes, and the world just isn’t ready. Imagine the panic that would cause.”
Eiji nods his head as he listens.
“I can hear the news outlets fear-mongering headlines,” the professor continues. “Digimon are coming for your freedom, more on this at 11,” Ryunsenji looks flustered as his rant grows angry. “It is shortsighted to assume all Digimon are evil…People just aren’t ready to understand.” The professor’s words trail off, turning into an incoherent rant.
“Professor?” Eiji asks, attempting to bring him back.
The professor wakes from his trance and remembers where he is. “There is another world beyond the network where Digimon are alive. The real world and the digital world both coexist. Do you want to see it?”
“Yes of course” Eiji replies with a hint of skepticism clinging to his words. He’d only known the digital world through the black and white screen of the palm-sized device he made from salvaged parts.
“Do you know why what I am telling you is top secret?”
“Because its real?”
Ryusenji smiles as he nods, “Yes. That was real footage from the digital world.”
Eiji looks at the Modoki Betamon on the screen. It’s alive! He thinks of the Tyrannomon he’s been using. They’re alive too. They’re all alive.
“That is why I have devoted my life to studying Digimon. To D4.” The transfer of Modoki Betamon is complete. The professor unhooks Eiji’s handmade device and looks over it once more.
Eiji moves forward with his arm extended “Thank yo..”
SNAP
Ryusenji tosses Eiji’s Digimon dock to a nearby bin.
Eiji moves quickly and catches the dock before crashing into the trash can and stumbling to the floor. Eiji spent a lot of time building it. Even though it was made from mostly junked parts, it cost him a lot of money. “What are you doing?” His face still recovering from the sting.
“There was an error in the memory”
“Seriously?!” Eiji couldn’t believe it. The memory had never been an issue.
Ryusenji was a Digimon Collector, and like most collectors, he was precocious about his collection. “My research requires Digimon data to be perfect, or else its worthless. That Modoko Betamon data was nearly destroyed.”
“That doesn’t mean you need to throw it away. It may be worthless to you, but this stuff is expensive. I don’t have the funding of a huge corporation or access to expensive equipment” Eiji snaps as he looks over his device for signs of damage.
Ryusenji ignores Eiji’s outburst. He seems preoccupied on a new thought.
“…Hello?” Eiji waves, trying to regain his attention. The man may be a genius, but he had no right.
“Sorry about that,” the professor replies suddenly. “You just gave me an idea. Let me see you left arm”
“My..arm?” Eiji studies the professor suspiciously. Ryusenji stands over him, flashing an eager smile. Eiji offers his arm up cautiously. Rysenji attaches something to Eiji’s wrist.
Eiji looks down and finds a stylish smart watch wrapped around his wrist. The sight of the gift makes him tear up. It’s been a while since he’s gotten a present. He fights back the tears. He wants to be professional.
“It’s Abadin Electronics’ latest Digimon Dock. Make sure you take care of it Eiji”
Eiji studies his gift. AE products were top of the line and highly sought after by Code Cracker. Eiji could only dream of owning AE parts, but here he stands with the latest model strapped to his wrist.
“Now this is just a prototype I’ve been working on so there might be some bugs.”
Eiji manages to rip his gaze from the watch. “This is amazing professor, thank you!”
The watch starts cycles through the startup process. “It has a biometric vital sonsor. Only you will be able to use it,” the professor explains.
“Just for me?!?!” Eiji can’t hide his excitement.
The professor nods “It can record your pulse, blood pressure, and other medical data. Most importantly, it supports Digimon hololization. Digimon hololization is only allowed in at the DDL and a few other facilities, but this…is a special exception”
Eiji is too excited to hear the explanation. He continues to turn over the watch to appreciate it from every angle.
“But here’s the thing” the professor begins. Eiji’s heart sinks. Of course there’s a catch. He knew better than to think there wouldn’t be a catch, but he also wasn’t ready to depart with his new watch. “I want to see what the famous Cracker Fang can do with it the next time I ask him for a favor”
“You got it chief!”
“That was fast. Good. I like that about you.” Ryusenji takes Eiji’s arm and presses the switch on the side of the Digimon Linker. The screen begins to glow a faint green. A mysterious flame flickers across the screen before vanishing into black. Words scroll past the watch reading: Loogamon, child, dark beast, virus type
Eiji looks at the strange Digimon occupying his screen. A small blue…
“It’s a..Dog?” Eiji asks stary-eyed.
Eiji passes through the security gate alone. The professor’s words echo in his head. Digimon are alive. The digital world is real.
Eiji passes the reception desk.
“Oh, good evening!” This time Hatsune speaks to him first.
Eiji turns away from his watch “Do I return the pass here?”
“Yes please. Put it here. Thank you very much.” She says, pointing at a small basket in front of her.
As Eiji returns the bass, he notices Hatsune eyeing his watch curiously. “The professor gave it to me. It’s a Digimon Dock.”
Eiji shows off his watch. Hatsune scurries around the desk. She grabs his hand to get a closer look and whispers “Isn’t that the newest model? I thought those were top secret?”
Eiji is surprised by how well-informed Hatsune is. “It’s just a prototype. The professor asked me to test it for him.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” Hatsune says, reexamining Eiji. “The professor must really trust you.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutly” Hatsune lowers her voice “The professor is so…strange. He wouldn’t give this to just anyone.”
“He is peculiar isn’t he?” Eiji blurts out. Eiji is surprised by Hatsune’s sudden change in attitude. She is a lot nicer towards him now. “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure Nagasumi.”
“You can call me Eiji”
“Likewise…eh..you can call me Hatsune or whatever. Oh, this is your admission record. I noticed you left your occupation blank. If you don’t mind, what should I put down?”
“My occupation?” Eiji thinks for a bit before declaring proudly “I’m a Code Cracker!”