Digimon Defenders 02
Chapter 1: One Year Later…




The Digital World had seen worse than the menace of Arkadimon in all the time it had existed, though this particular disaster ranked at least in the top ten.  That said, the Digital World did not come to an end or get rebooted in any major way, so life went on.


As Gatomon had proclaimed as she sat on the beach, the Defenders and the Digital World recovered and rebuilt from the Arkadimon War.  A full cycle had passed, and while much of the damage had yet to be completely repaired, the world was well on its way to a full recovery.  While buildings still showed signs of damage; cracked walls, broken windows, scars from claws and attacks; the majority of Digimon had returned to their jobs within the first few months.


Once the major search and rescue work was done, the Defenders turned over the rest to local law enforcement and the civilian reconstruction crews.


The Defenders themselves did not get a break.  There was no vacation for the peacekeepers, only a short rest before preparing for the next mission.  Sure enough, even though the major world-ending crisis was averted, crimes and natural disasters continued to occur.  The Defenders went right back to work (though much happier dealing with relatively mundane situations than a full-scale war).


File Island Headquarters received an enormous surge in recruitment after the Arkadimon War ended.  Too large, in fact, as EVERY Defenders base was swamped with Digimon trying to enlist.  The Defenders had become fashionable, in-vogue, and everyone and their grandmother (quite literally) wanted to be part of the force that had saved the world.


For Gatomon, the de-facto, unofficial leader of the File Island Defenders, it was a nightmare, bordering on a reason to commit homicide (or suicide, depending on whether her mood was rage or depression at the moment, and it tended to swing wildly back and forth).


Given the sheer number of useless, idiot wannabes, fame seekers, mall ninjas, psychopaths, and worse swamping the few legitimate enlistees trying to make the world a better place, Gato often found herself wondering whether a judge would convict her for just slaughtering the whole bunch.  When one recruit asked her how long it would be before he got laid by groupies, she decided that the odds of being convicted were pretty low, and that the judge might actually award her a medal.


The situation was made worse, since Gato was the one who had fought at the forefront and delivered the killing blow.  This meant the worst situation possible as far as Gato was concerned: She’d become famous.


She could not go outside the walls of the HQ without seeing other Digimon wearing copies of her gloves, her tail-ring, even styling their hair or headfur in the short, utilitarian style she usually wore.  Her face stared back at her from magazine covers and billboards and video screens (usually scowling and clearly taken from afar, without her permission).  She’d even heard of a fad of Gatomon-fans going out and getting their gender-files hacked to have a penis like hers (or males getting hacked to gain female traits).  This last trend in particular tended to trigger more of her homicidal thoughts.


It was only the constant mantra that she repeated to herself constantly that kept her from doing something she wasn’t entirely sure she would regret: “Defenders do not kill innocents. Defenders PROTECT innocents.  Even the stupid ones.”


Even though Gato-Mania (as the media liked to call it) had begun to die out a year later, she was still a regular topic of discussion in the newspapers. The local File Island tabloids had a regular feature detailing the missions she went on; and there were regular requests for interviews from television shows and newspapers worldwide.


Gato turned them all down consistently. Fame was the exact opposite of what she wanted.  Being famous made her job harder, since it meant she was recognizable. This all but killed her chances of doing undercover missions, and meant that she was swarmed with fans and hangers-on while she was trying to do her job. Those who became Defenders to seek fame and fortune were the first ones rejected because they could not be trusted.  Gato felt this applied to herself too.


The other File Island Defenders, much to her endless chagrin, found it far more amusing than she did.  Goma kept an archive of Gatomon-related articles, just to annoy her.  While Gato was media-shy to the extreme, Pal and Goma certainly were not, happily giving interviews (though generally attempting to steer the conversation towards PR for the Defenders organization in general and away from Gatomon herself).  


Still, Gato reflected as she sat and watched Agu and Gabu beat the living stuffing out of about fifty recruits all at once, the fame wasn’t entirely a disaster.  Despite the fact that thousands of recruits were utterly worthless (and unfortunately, the Defenders WERE seeing that kind of recruitment numbers), a few gemstones had made it through the rigorous screening process. 


Most recruits came in, found out they actually had to train and WORK, and immediately left in a huff.  Of those that remained, seventy-five percent flunked the extensive psych exams, and were thrown out.  Of those that remained after that, another ninety percent washed out during basic training.  Usually, Gato estimated that one out of every 300 potential recruits would make it out of basic training and become a Defender.  In the current times, with the ridiculously inflated number of people applying, she revised that statistic to somewhere like one in five thousand.


And in the year since the Arkadimon War and the Defenders opened up recruitment again, a couple of new talented and sincere recruits had made it into the official training program.  Unfortunately, while Gato wanted to give those particular new recruits the attention they deserved, to polish them into the gemstones she knew they could be; the sheer amount of wannabes and idiots and fans applying were overwhelming all of the Defenders’ trainers.


Agu and Gabu tended to be the nurturing type.  They tried to bring out the best in their trainees through advice, demonstrations, and carefully crafted training regimens.  


Gato, for her part, preferred to force newbies to meet high standards or crack under the pressure.   If they managed to meet her standards, she'd raise them higher and higher, until only the cream of the crop was left for her to give personal attention.  She had long arguments with Agu and Gabu over their differing philosophies in the past.


Now, as Gato watched Agu drive his fist into a flailing newbie’s face, knocking him out cold, the feline had to feel more than a little smug. Overwhelmed with thousands of idiot wannabes to weed out, her father figures were forced to use her methods.  Gato’s approach was simply more efficient.  They simply did not have the time, energy or patience to try to bring out the best in everyone.  All they could do was try to flunk out as many idiots and mall ninjas as they could, and let those with the skills or talent overcome the challenges.   


As such, a few rising stars had made themselves known, but the problem was that everyone was too darned busy to give them the close attention and training they needed.  Gato almost wished she could clone herself…


The thought sent a cold spike into Gato, as she remembered her sister.  A year out, the memory of BlackGato still stung her, and the empty void in the back of her thoughts where BlackGato’s emotions used to be yawned like a black hole. Because Gato had been the one to strike the final blow against Arkadimon, the world thought that she was the hero.  All the Defenders knew otherwise, that it was BlackGato’s sacrifice that had truly saved the world. 


Gato glanced over at a large golden plinth marked with DigiCode, the ancient alphabet of the Digital World.  It was a placeholder memorial for BlackGato, to honor her memory and her actions, at least until her real memorial statue was finished.  Gato had been heavily involved in the construction of the statue, as she modelled for it in place of her twin sister.  When it was done, it would stand twelve feet tall, made of solid File Mountain obsidian, a translucent smoky black image of BlackGato standing with her paw outstretched and proud.  It was going to be beautiful.


The thought brought a tear to Gato’s eye.  However, she could not say that she mourned BlackGato quite so heavily these days, with good reason.


Speaking of which...


“Big siiister!” called a pair of voices.  Gato looked up, smiling as a pair of cubs rushed towards her.


“Big sis, Meicoo stole my tuna fwom lunch!” whined the smaller of the two.  The smile faded from Gato’s face and she sighed and mentally prepared to go into full “mother” mode.


“I did not!  BlackGato just wanted MY tuna, so she’s trying to make me out as the bad guy!” retorted the other, glaring in irritation.  Gato sighed and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle, looking back and forth between the two.  


In the year since Arcadimon’s destruction and the rebirth and repair of the Digital World, the DigiEgg that BlackGatomon had left behind hatched.  The baby within had little memory of her old life, and Gato swore to give it the childhood that BlackGato had always envied. 


The child grew at a prodigious rate, easily Digivolving to Champion within six months.  The new BlackGato was the spitting image of the old (though half of her original size), with the single exception of her eyes.  Her eyes were a brilliant, vibrant, almost neon green, compared to the deep pine green of her previous self. 


The new BlackGato was happy and cheerful and energetic and playful; showing none of the moodiness or mopiness of her original self.  Gato could not have been happier to have the child in her life, even as she respected the memory of the original.


Beside the child, Meicoo scowled, her distinctive blue and green heterochromatic eyes narrowed.  Salamon, Gato’s adopted ward, had grown quite a bit in the year since everything went down.  


The day came when Sala felt a burning electric charge surging through her; a sense of immense power.  Gato recognized it as a natural Digivolution, a transition into the next stage of her life.  Sala had talked extensively with Gato about it, as some Digimon could choose their form if they were mature enough to do so.  She had almost taken on the form of a Gatomon, just like Gato… but changed her mind at the last moment.  Her parents were both Meicoomon, and so she would be too.


She had become a short feline with brilliant, fiery orange fur and black tiger stripes.  Her eyes were still heterochromatic, one blue, one green; but they had changed shape, becoming more angular.  The pupils of her eyes were shaped like plus signs.  An enormous fluffy ruff of fur surrounded her neck, and a pair of “scarves” of fur trailed off down her back, marked with a black diamond pattern. Her tail was large and ended in a helix of fur.  


Salamon, now Meicoomon, despite her newfound Digivolution, was still a child both in body and mind.  While she revelled in her newfound strength and power, she was still the same person she had been before she had Digivolved.


Which led Meicoo and BlackGato to their current argument. Gato sighed and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle again, trying to decide how best to resolve the argument before the kids decided to start throwing special attacks at each other and causing property damage.  Her patience already at a premium, she decided to go the blunt route.


“CAT’S EYE HYPNOSIS,” Gato announced, her voice echoing.  Her eyes glowed bright, shimmering gold, drawing the two cubs to meet her gaze.  The result was instantaneous, a simple complete cessation of independent thought.  Against the force of Gato’s empowered glare, both girls were instantly dropped into a mindless, emotionless trance.  Their eyelids drooped, their paws falling limp at their sides.


“Okay, truth time, girls.  You must obey me, and you can’t lie,” Gato commanded, her hands on her hips as she let the power fade and leaned forward to look the child in her vacant eyes, “...Meicoo, did you take BG’s lunch?”


“...Yes… but only a small piece when she wasn’t looking…” Meicoo admitted after a moment, staring somewhere over Gato’s shoulder dazedly.  Her voice was empty and sleepy.


“...BG, did you want Meicoo’s lunch because you were still hungry after eating all of yours?” Gato asked, turning her attention to the tiniest girl.  BlackGato blinked sleepily.


“...Yes, but… I was hungwy!  An’ she had more dan me!” BG mumbled.  Gato grunted.


“She didn’t, because I made both of your lunches myself and made sure you had the same.  And if you wanted more, you could have come to me and asked instead of fighting with your sister, right?” Gato asked, frowning.


“...Yes…” BG agreed sleepily, her ears drooping with shame.


“You both did wrong here. Meicoo, don’t steal from your little sister.  She’s growing, and needs all of her meals to get big and strong like you.  BG, you shouldn’t fight with Meicoo.  If she or anyone else does something wrong, you come to me first,” Gato chided, poking both girls in the nose, “Now say sorry to each other.”


“...I’m sowwy, Meicoo…” BlackGato said softly, turning to face the older child.


“I’m sorry, BlackGato,” agreed Meicoo dully, blinking sleepily.


“Now.  On the count of three, you’ll both wake up.  Meicoo, you are going to go take BG to the mess hall, and get her a second helping.  You may share it with her, but don’t take more than half,” Gato ordered, “...One, two… Three.”


The two girls blinked and looked around in a moment of disorientation, the fog instantly clearing from their thoughts.  Their eyes met after a second.


“...C’mon, BG, I’ll take you to the Mess Hall,” Meicoo said gently, holding out her paw for the tiny kitten, “We can share a second helping.  I’ll even let you have most of it.”

“Yayyy!” cheered BlackGato happily, taking Meicoo’s paw and hopping up and down.  She pounced on Meicoo, rolling in the grass.


“Well… I don’t remember much about my trainin’ for conflict resolution, but I don’t recall ‘hypnotizing both parties into submission’ being part of it,” a voice said, chuckling.  Gato looked over her shoulder to see Impmon approaching.


In the year since BlackGato’s sacrifice and rebirth, Imp had changed quite a bit.  He had never rejoined the Defenders officially, though he continued to live on base and help them with missions.  The cut over his right eye had healed (thanks to Hawk’s expert care), but it had left a scar, a pink line in his violet fur that stood out starkly.  Gato had to admit, it didn’t make the male any less attractive.  


She had been spending a lot of time with Imp of late, though in an entirely platonic manner.  She had absolutely no romantic feelings for him; and Imp was still in mourning for the original BlackGato and had no interest in anyone else.  His demeanor had calmed drastically, his perpetual rowdiness gone.  Instead, he had a tangible air of sadness surrounding him.  His smiles no longer reached his eyes.  Their mutual grief over the loss of the original BlackGato had bloomed into a strange friendship, as Imp felt that Gato was the only one who really understood how he felt.


“I am the worst parent ever. The only time my parents ever zonked me out like that was to put me to sleep at night,” Gato groaned, rubbing her face in embarrassment and frustration.


“Better’n my parents.  At least yer around and actually give a crap about ‘em,” Imp replied, shrugging, “...Given that, ain’t hypnotizin’ ‘em to stop fighting not that big a deal?”


“In perspective, probably not,” Gato agreed, chuckling weakly.


“...How’s she doin’?” Imp asked, watching BlackGato wrestle with Meicoo playfully, the girl’s purrs audible even from this far away.


“She’s growing up slowly. Which is the way we want it,” Gato replied, glancing over at the scamp.  Imp grunted softly, rubbing the scar under his eye.


“...I miss ‘er.  I mean… she’s right there… but she’s not… y’know… HER,” Imp muttered slowly, sighing.


“She could be MORE than her, Imp.  She remembers you, after all.  She’s forgotten so much, but YOU, she remembers,” Gato said softly, resting a paw on his shoulder, “...The old BlackGato was a hero, and she was the sister I never knew I wanted or needed.  But she was also a profoundly… sad and unhappy person.”


“...Yeah.  I mean…  I know…” Imp said lamely.


“We lose much of who we were when we are reverted to DigiEggs, but we don’t lose everything.  And getting to know the new BlackGato, I think that the best parts of her are still there,” Gato explained, “And those best parts include her love for you.”


“I don’t think…” Imp trailed off, barely audible.


“Give her time. Let her get a little older.  She’s a baby right now, but I’m willing to bet that within a couple of cycles, she’ll stop thinking of you as ‘Cool Uncle Impy,” and start thinking of you as ‘Impy, that hunka burnin’ love with the enormous stiffy,’” Gato teased, grinning as she pinched his rear end.  Imp yelped and glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest.


“...It’s easy ta say that, but you don’ know what’s gonna happen with ‘er,” he growled.


“I don’t know anything for certain, true.  But given that I’ve had to change her sheets four times this week alone after wet dreams about ‘Uncle Impy,’ I’m willing to put money down on it,” Gato said, smirking.  Imp’s eyes went wide and his cheeks turned red.


“Stop trying to force it.  Let it happen naturally.  She won’t be the old BlackGato… but be honest with yourself.  Do you really want her to be?” Gato asked softly, “Do you want her carrying around all that pain and anguish?”


“...No. I want her to be happy,” Imp finally replied after a moment, sighing.  Gato gently kissed his cheek.


“Good.  Because that’s what I want too.  Now.  I suggest you stop moping and put yourself to work.  Gennai knows there’s more than enough to do around here to keep your mind off your misery, y’know,” Gato suggested gently.


“...Yeah, you’re right… as always.  It’s really, really obnoxious, y’know,” Imp agreed.


“I’m sure.  It’s why I would’ve made a really lousy sex slave.  I have a nasty habit of telling people what they need to hear, not what they want,” Gato said, flicking his nose playfully.  Imp grunted and shook his head.  His days as one of Succubimon and Devidramon’s Generals were a sore topic.


“...She had wet dreams about me?” Imp asked after a moment, blushing deeper.


“Huge ones.  You wouldn’t believe the size of the mess.  Digimon are born sexually mature, but jeez louise, that girl is precocious,” Gato said, sighing, “Showering all of it out of her fur is a chore too.”


“...Maybe I could help with that,” Imp replied, grinning mischievously.  Gato swatted him upside the back of the head.


“We’ll see,” Gato said, chuckling, “Let’s let her grow a little bit before we begin letting her ride the Imp Express?”


“Hey, I’ll have you know there’s nothin’ ‘express’ about it!  I can go all night!” Imp bragged, crossing his arms.  Gato rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and waved goodbye, going to escort her little wards to the Mess Hall.  She smiled to herself, happy to have raised his spirits, even if only a little.


******


After making sure the kids were properly fed, Gato went right back to work.  The training field, which was always busy, was positively jam-packed today.  Hundreds of recruits went this way and that, performing exercises, training in the fighting rings, aiming down the firing range, or else just running laps of the track.


When things were working properly, the training fields were poetry in motion as everyone went about their tasks without disturbing anyone else.  The only place that consistently caused problems was the firing range, where Digimon who were over-enthusiastic or had horrendous aim tended to blow things up… like the northeast guard tower, or each other.


Things were not working properly.  Training groups collided with each other, often quite literally, resulting in piles of squabbling Digimon.  Explosions detonated far from the firing range, as trainees lost their heads and fired attacks when they were training in martial arts.  Hawk’s medics scrambled around with Armadillo’s security teams in a constant rush to treat injuries and throw out or lock up offenders.  To say it was chaos was an understatement.  


Gato took several long, deep breaths to pre-emptively calm her temper.  This was her least favorite part of her job.  She liked training apprentices, but she loathed newbies and wannabes.  Given the amount of idiots who were joining with the intention of becoming celebrities or living a life of luxury rather than service, Gato’s nerves were constantly on the verge of breaking.


She spotted Agu and Gabu escorting a platoon of trainees down the field; keeping a notable distance from the largest sections of pandemonium.  The dinosaur and lizard were barking orders, which only a portion of their assigned recruits were even bothering to pay attention to.  Gato grit her teeth, and set down the hill to join them.


One of the recruits tripped over some debris from one of the explosions, causing a cascade of bodies tripping over him.  It quickly devolved into a brawl as fists and feet started flying. Gato snarled in anger, picking up her pace.


“Recruits!  ATTENNNNN-SHUN!” Gabu shouted.  Only about half of the new recruits assumed an appropriate posture.  Gato’s eyes narrowed as her lip curled into a sneer of disgust.  She tugged one of her gloves further up on her wrist, already marching towards the squad to begin delivering punishment.  Before she could get there, however, Agu was already flitting here and there among them, yanking out everyone who had not obeyed the order properly.


“You get three chances, that’s it, morons!  There’s too darned many of you, so I’m gonna do my best to drive you all out.  Every single person I pulled out of line?  That’s your first strike, and you better damned well believe I know your faces and names and won’t forget,” Agu bellowed angrily.


“When ANY Defender with one of these on their hands,” Gabu growled, showing his Brand, “...tells you to stand at attention, then you’d better snap to it!  And YOU!  I saw you roll your eyes!  You’re done. Get out!” 


Gato blinked and stepped back, a small smirk on her face as she saw that the two had things well in hand.  She watched as Agu called over a security officer to escort the disrespectful newbie out of the base.  The officer dragged the Digimon away, even as he cursed and screamed.  It wasn’t an uncommon sight these days.


“The rest of you!  Start running laps of the field.  If you get blasted by the idiots on the target range, that’s your own fault for not paying attention!” Agu snapped, sending the newbies off.  Gato approached, reaching up to pat him on the back gently.


“Y’know, for years now, you’ve always groused and griped and grouched and grumbled and other verbs that start with “G” about the recruits and how much they suck.  I think I am finally starting to see why,” Agu grumbled, leaning down to kiss her cheek affectionately.


“Yeah, they do.  But at least we’ve got a tiny handful of promising rookies coming out of this bunch,” Gato agreed.


“...Maybe.  I’m willing to bet a year’s worth of entertainment vouchers that Flamemon makes it, but other than him…” Gabu grumbled, crossing his arms.


“And you two always call me unfair,” Gato giggled, “Flamemon is definitely the top of the list, but I think that Strabimon also has some potential…”


“Strabimon has the talent, certainly, but his attitude leaves something to be desired,” Agu groused, leaning against Gabu.


“Nothing that a few solid beatings can’t solve.  Once he heals from some full-body bruising for the tenth time, I think he might learn a little respect,” Gato chuckled.


“Maybe.  The good news is that the recruiting numbers are finally beginning to drop off a little.  We’re almost to the end of this, and maybe things can get back to normal,” Gabu said, gently rubbing Agu’s arm.


“...Were they ever normal to begin with?” Gato asked, vaguely.  Agu and Gabu chuckled.


“I’d better let you get back to work,” Gato sighed, “I’ve gotta go do my usual rounds.”


“Yeah, yeah, sure, sure,” agreed Gabu lazily, “Do what you’ve gotta do.”


“We’ll try not to kill anyone.  We know how much paperwork that adds to your pile,” Agu said, smirking.


“Don’t even JOKE, Agu,” Gato growled, looking traumatized at the thought of the mountain of red tape and bureaucracy that awaited her in her office at the Command Center.  


It was always a constant struggle to keep up with it, even with Leomon stopping by more often than he used to.  But after the Arkadimon incident, the amount of paperwork snowballed out of control.  The pile of forms that needed to be filled out, requests that needed to be signed, and reports that needed to be written threatened to spill out of the office in an avalanche and flood the rest of the Command Center.




******




Taking her leave, Gato walked down the concrete path from the training fields.  She passed the barracks, took a side path between the Armory and the security center, and glanced wistfully at the zen garden and onsen.  She would have killed for a couple of spare hours to soak in the volcanic waters and just untense.


As she approached the front gate, she was contemplating which trainee she would sacrifice in a blood ritual to the DigiGods to get those few hours of bathtime.  


She found Vee, Gazi, and Pata at the gates, helping the security team on guard duty.  Since the current boom of popularity, Armadillomon had suggested that at least three Defenders supplement their normal security detail at all times.  Today, it was her boyfriends’ job to watch the walls and make sure that no paparazzi or wannabes were stupid enough to try to fly over or dig under the massive barriers that separated the Defenders compound from the rest of File Island.  This was not idle paranoia; there had been three incidents just that last month.


“How’s it going, guys?” Gato called in greeting as she jogged down the path, her feet padding lightly.


“Borrrrrrrrrreeeeed….” moaned Vee, grumbling as he stood, throwing punches and kicks into the air, bobbing and weaving to dodge imaginary counterattacks.


“Ehh, it’s not that bad.  It’s better than another lecture from Hawk on first aid…” Gazi replied, leaning against the wall, watching a security monitor lazily.


“You DO realize that if you want to qualify as a scout and search-and-rescue specialist, you need to actually LISTEN to those lectures, right?” Pata asked from above, perched on a catwalk near the gate as he poked and prodded at one of the taser turrets.


“I DO listen, actually, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re mind-numbingly boring,” Gazi replied, “They’re a better tranquilizer than your Cat’s Eye, Gato.”

“All the same, Pata’s right.  A rescue specialist isn’t much use if they can’t tell a painkiller from a blood-thinner,” Gato said, smirking.


“Whoops, hold onto that thought.  Someone just showed some valid credentials.  Gate opening!” Gazi called, glancing at the security monitor.


The security team rushed forward to the gate, shouting commands at the press crews, paparazzi, and groupies gathered around, trying to shunt them aside long enough for the person to enter.  Gazi kept an eye on the monitor, but there was no reason to intervene. The security team could handle such a mundane task.


As they chatted idly, a Digimon entered the gate and walked through.   He was slightly scuffed and ragged around the edges from pushing his way through the crowd outside the gate.   Gato glanced at him momentarily, then did a double take, her eyes going wide.


He was a humanoid Digimon, a little over 4 feet tall.  He had grey skin, though it was hard to see; he wore a patchwork jumpsuit of yellow, with orange highlights and an orange vest.  A dark blue cloak draped over his shoulders, the high collar of his cloak hiding all but his eyes and ears from view.  A mane of shaggy orange hair cascaded down his back.  He wore a long, pointed hat with a frayed brim.  A skull symbol with glowing eyes was attached to the front.  Despite his face being mostly hidden from sight, something about his posture and demeanor gave an air of friendliness and benevolence.  There was some strange sense of likability about him.


He stepped up to Gato, snapping a picture-perfect salute that showed the glowing Defenders Brand on his left hand.


“...Wizardmon, reporting for duty, ma’am.  Transferring to File HQ from Cloud Continent Base 1,” the young Digimon announced politely, holding up his transfer papers in one hand, and letting a machine scan his Brand in the other.


“By Gennai’s ridiculous beard..  Wiz?!! Is that YOU?!” Gato shouted, dashing forward and tackling him, knocking his hat right off his head.


“Ack!  Ow!  Gato, you’re gonna break my ribs!” he said, gasping as Gato pulled him into a tight hug.


“...Gato, who the heck is this?” Gazi asked, frowning as he narrowed his eyes at the boy suspiciously.


“Wiz!  Wizardmon, sorry.  He was my partner!  My best friend in the world other than Pal!” Gato exclaimed with a grin, “He transferred to Cloud Continent two years ago, just before you met me.”


“It’s good to see you too, Gato,” Wizardmon said with an affectionate smile, patting her on the back gently as she purred loudly.


“Wiz, what are you doing here?” Vee asked, grinning as he ran up to shake his hand.  Seeing that Vee seemed to regard Wizard with no sense of jealousy, Gazi relaxed.


“Well…  Honestly, I’ve been meaning to transfer back for a while.  Cloud Continent is nice, but it’s just not the same as File HQ.  But what nudged me to do it now was Leomon,” Wizardmon explained, shrugging, “He said that you guys are dealing with a massive overflow of trainees, and that I should come back and help with some of the more promising ones.”


“Oh, thank Gennai…” Gato sighed, “I think Agu and Gabu were gonna kill someone if they didn’t get some help.”


“Yeah.  I’ve heard.  Leomon suggested I handle the most promising of the recruits, in a ‘Rookie Squad,’ while Agu and Gabu continue to weed out the rest,” Wizard said, standing up as Gato hopped back to her feet, “...Though training others is NOT my forte.”


“You did fine with me,” Gato said, smiling.

“I didn’t train you, I worked WITH you.  Big difference, kitten,” Wizard said, ruffling her hair affectionately. Gato purred loudly again, her tail swishing happily.


“Oh, is THAT what you call teaching Gato better blowjob techniques?” Vee asked, snickering.  Gato and Wizard both blushed deeply and looked at each other, while Pata chuckled, and Gazi looked annoyed again.


“Ahem,” Gazi fake-cleared his throat, crossing his arms as he stepped forward. 


“Ooh!  Sorry! Uh, Wizard, this is Gazi.  He’s… um… one of my boyfriends,” Gato yelped, gesturing at the cabbit.


“I know who he is.  Leomon’s not the only one who’s been keeping tabs on you.  Nice to meet you, Gazi,” Wizard said, smiling as he offered his hand to Gazi, “I’m glad you’ve treated my partner well.”


“Other way around, I think,” Gazi admitted, “Without her, I’d still be a sex slave or worse.”


“I dunno, judging from what I’ve heard of you, you’re not giving yourself enough credit,” Wizard said politely, “From what I’ve heard, you have become a model Defender.”


“This guy is the best!” Gazi said, his eyes large and watery, “We need to keep him around!”


“...Gazi doesn’t get a lot of flattery,” Gato sighed, shaking her head in embarrassment.


“So… how long have you known each other?” asked Gazi, frowning.


“Um, well… Think of it this way.  Agu and Gabu are my surrogate parents?  Wiz is my big brother,” Gato explained, “He’s been my partner since Leomon rescued me.”


“And you…” Gazi asked, glancing down at Wizard’s pants curiously.  The young man coughed and adjusted them a little, self-consciously.


“We’ve had sex, yes, Gazi.  Hundreds of times.  But we’ve had no romantic interest in each other.  At all,” Gato sighed, exasperated, “He’s not one of my boyfriends and never has been.”


Gazi nodded, mollified.


“Glad to see the base hasn’t changed much since I left.  Though those turrets on the wall are wayyyy bigger than I remember…” Wizard remarked, looking around.


“Armadillo…  Uh, you haven’t met him, but he’s our security chief…  Anyway, he’s spent pretty much every day since the Black Collar incident upgrading our defenses.  And it’s become a bit of an obsession after the Virus and the Arkadimon War…” Pata explained.


“Right.  Well, I can find my own way to the barracks to drop off my belongings,” said Wizard, lifting a small bag he had resting over his shoulder, “And then I s’pose I’ll meet my new trainees.”


He waved goodbye and turned to walk away, but Gato jogged up to his side.


“What’s up, Gato?” Wizard asked, lifting the brim of his hat with a finger so she could see his curious green eyes.


“So, um… I have a request,” she said cautiously.


“...Yes?” Wizard asked, raising an eyebrow.


“...Uh… So, I kinda have two little sisters now… sorta…” Gato began.


“BlackGatomon and Meicoomon. You’ve told me about them in email,” Wizard replied, “I’m up to date on what’s going on, y’know.”


“Right, sorry,” Gato said. She trailed off, looking down at her feet as she padded beside the taller young man.  Wizard sighed.


“It’s not like you to not say what’s on your mind, Gato.  Somehow I doubt you’ve changed that much in the last two years that you won’t just say what you’re thinking,” Wizard said.  Though Gato could not see the lower half of his face, she could tell he was smiling encouragingly.


“I want you to train them,” Gato said.  The smile in Wizard’s eyes faded, turning to concern.


“Meicoo is only six cycles old, and BlackGatomon is… what?  11 months?” Wizard asked, stopping as he turned to her.


“Yes, though due to weird clone-stuff, she’s physically about 3 cycles,” said Gato, “And I know they’re both young for starting official Defenders training…  I may have been adopted at five, but I didn’t start REAL training until I was seven or eight.”


“But you want me to make an exception?” Wizard asked, crossing his arms over his chest.


“Yeah. I do.  They’re both… special.  Agu and Gabu have been giving them what attention they can, as have I, but… with things the way they are…” Gato trailed off, gesturing at the training fields, visible from where they stood.  As they watched, there was a loud “WUMPH” as a fireball billowed into the air, leaving a cloud of black smoke in its wake; followed by the unmistakable sound of Agu and Gabu screaming themselves raw in rage.

“...Okay.  I’ll take ‘em.  Send me a write-up on them, and I’ll look it over before we start in on training,” Wizard said, shrugging.


“Oh, yeah, punish me for asking a favor by making me do more paperwork,” Gato grumbled tiredly.


“Hey, you asked,” Wizard said, smiling as he turned to walk towards the barracks, “Talk later, partner.”


“...Heh, yeah.  It’s wonderful to have you back, partner,” Gato agreed.  She sighed and turned to continue her patrol of the base.  She had so much work to do.




*****


The workstation flickered on in a darkened laboratory.  Two years of work had repaired much of the damage.  It had taken months of lies, manipulation, bribery, and theft to get what it needed.  


But it was finally time for phase one of its plan.  The Defenders’ guard was low.  The world was at peace.  And all the pieces were in place.


It savored the thought for a moment.  And with a single keystroke, it began the program.  The Data Compiler whirred, taking samples of DNA and data shards, merging them.  It brought life out of disparate parts, creating a new Digimon from nothing but pieces and the remnants of others.


It smiled.  No rebellious little BlackGatomon this time.  No monstrous Arkadimon, out of control and destroying the Digital World.  This was a custom build, a unique Digimon designed to exact specifications.  It had taken extreme care in doing its research and working with the best and brightest of the criminal element of the Digital World.


It could not wait for its plan to begin...


******


BlackGato held Meicoo’s hand as she toddled beside her older sister into one of the Defenders’ special training facilities.  Unlike the general training grounds outdoors, the special training buildings were restricted to Defenders alone; either for journeyman Defenders training in their specialties, or for full-fledged Defenders to brush up on their skills. 

The two little girls followed the directions Gato had given them and found their way through the halls to a specific room. Pressing her paw flat against the pad beside the door, Meicoo frowned curiously as she felt her program being accessed by a scanner.  Verifying her identity (since she did not have a Defender’s Brand), the door slid open with a hiss.


The two kittens found themselves in what appeared to be a small dojo.  Mirrored walls, tatami mat floors, and a wide, empty space with minimal furniture.  It was not entirely unexpected, though Meicoo found herself mildly disappointed to find such a mundane thing in one of the big buildings she was forbidden to enter.


Four other Digimon were already in the room, milling about listlessly, having already been waiting here for a little while.  Meicoo was surprised to see they were all children.  All of them were older than her by a couple of cycles; 8 or 9 years old at her best estimate.  She swallowed nervously, giving BlackGato’s hand a gentle squeeze.

The first was a leonine humanoid Digimon, with a tall, spiky mane of fiery crimson hair.  His body was lithe and skinny, that of a boy who played outside and was very active.  He had bright green eyes and a little black nose. White tribal tattoos curved under his eyes and marked down the left side of his body.  He had a mid-length tail, that appeared to either be on fire or made of flame.  There was something about the boy’s bright demeanor that made him instantly likable, for no reason Meicoo could really discern.


In contrast, another boy stood apart from the others, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.  He was a purple-furred rabbit-wolf.  He had large diamond-shaped ears and slanted magenta eyes.  A large fang dipped down over his lower lip.  His fluffy white chest was bare, but he wore white leather pants, accented by black straps on his arms, gloved hands, and legs.  Where the lion-boy seemed cheerful and inviting, this boy seemed like he was trying to be cool and aloof.  The operative word was “trying,” as it was fairly obvious that he was putting quite a bit of effort to not seem interested in the others in the room.


The third denizen of the dojo was a porcupine girl, with white fur and black and yellow quills.  She had a sharp, angular face, but it was stretched by a wide, excited smile.  The girl seemed to practically vibrate with excitement, unable to stay still for any length of time.  Her gold eyes were darting from person to person, before she noticed Meicoo and BlackGato and let out a squeal.


“Ooh! More people!” she giggled, her voice bubbly and high-pitched.  Again, Meicoo’s first impression was of someone very likable… but unlike the boy, she imagined that interacting with this hedgehog girl would be exhausting after a while.


Unlike the rabbit-wolf boy, who was attempting to put up a facade of complete lack of interest in the others and failing at that task; the final girl in the room seemed legitimately and entirely uninterested in anyone else.  She was a short, pink rabbit girl.  Delicate shoulder-length locks of hair draped around her pretty face.  She would have been an extremely pretty young lass… if not for the expression of complete and total boredom on her face.  She wore a pair of earphones (emblazoned with hearts and flowers), which were blasting out death metal at a volume that made Meicoo wince from across the room.  A scarf wrapped around her neck, draped down her back.  The other kids gave her a wide berth, apparently not wanting to deafen themselves trying to interact with her.


“Meicoo, what are we doing here?” BlackGato asked nervously, clinging to Meicoo’s side.  The older cat gently rested a paw on her head.


“I think we’re gonna do some sort of training, BG,” Meicoo said, “And I’m guessing these kids are here to train too.”


“Hey!” said the lion-boy, approaching them with a smile on his face, “I think I’ve seen you two around here once or twice.  My name is--”

Whatever the boy’s name was, Meicoo did not have a chance to find out.  The door opened, and an adult Digimon stepped inside.


His face hidden by a tall, wide-brimmed hat and a tall-collared cape, the new Digimon walked with an easy, almost lazy stride into the room.  He carried a staff in his gloved hand, topped with a bronze sun totem.  He looked around the room for a moment, clearly taking a headcount.


“Five, six. Okay, you’re all here. Excellent,” he said, before walking into the center of the dojo and planting his staff firmly into the mat.


“First things first, my name is Wizardmon. I’m your new commanding officer.  You’ll refer to me as ‘Wizardmon’ or ‘Sir,’ not ‘Wizard’ or ‘Wiz.’  We’ll see how we get along before I allow you that luxury,” he stated.  Five of the six kids had eyes on him.  The sixth, the bunny girl, had not even noticed he had entered the room.  She was bobbing her head to her music, her lips syncing to the screamed lyrics.  


Wizard, annoyed, rolled his eyes and flicked a finger at her.  A miniscule spark of light flew from his index finger, striking her earphones and knocking them off her head.  No longer muffled, everyone in the room winced and covered their ears at the thundering thrash metal that suddenly blasted through the dojo.


“Hey!  What was that for?” asked the bunny girl, scrabbling to pick up her headphones.  Her voice had a strangely flat affect, only a hint of annoyance affecting her soft monotone.


“TURN. IT. DOWN!” shouted Wizard, his voice barely audible over the noise.


“Okay, okay, you don’t have to shout,” the bunny replied, pressing the volume down button on the side of the headset.  The music went from teeth-rattling and wallpaper-peeling to merely uncomfortable.

“MORE. How about OFF completely?!” Wizard snapped, holding his hands over his pointed ears.

“Fine,” the little lapine muttered, clearly irritated.  The room went silent as she turned off the music.  The relief was apparent on everyone’s faces, even the rabbit-wolf.


“How in the Nine Digital Hells are you not completely DEAF?!” exclaimed the lion-boy, blinking at the bunny.


“AHEM!” Wizard interrupted, “As I was saying…  I’m your new commanding officer.  You were all told to report here, and I’m glad to see you made it.  So without further ado…”


“Okay, line up, guys!” Wizard called.  The six recruits all dashed to stand in line, snapping to attention.


“...Nice.  I didn’t say to go to attention, though.  At ease,” Wizard chuckled.   The six relaxed a little, though still looked nervous and tense.


“All right, you six are heads and tails above your fellow recruits, and so we’ve moved you out of having to train with a couple hundred washouts into a ‘Rookie Squad’ for the time being,” Wizard explained, walking back and forth in front of them, “I’m your new commanding officer, Wizardmon.  When not serving with the rest of the Defenders officers, my job’s going to be personally helping you each train to be Defenders in your own right.”


“First off… Let’s get some introductions,” Wizard said, coming to a stop and facing the crew.  He pointed at the end of the row. 


“Start with you,” Wizard said, smiling, “What’s your name, and why do you want to be a Defender?”


“Um…  I’m Flamemon,” said the tall boy, waving shyly, “And uh… I wanna be a Defender because… during the Arkadimon thing, I was attacked by several possessed Digimon… and I was saved by Veemon.  He beat them back and got me to safety.  I wanted to pay it forward and do whatever I can to help anyone else in need.”

“Okay, and next in line, you?” asked Wizard.


The purple-furred rabbit-wolf grunted and crossed his arms as he said, “...I’m Strabimon.  I want to be a Defender because I’d get to beat up criminal scum.”


Wizard stared at the boy for a moment, before saying, “...Well… Uh… Yeah, that’s not… the entirety of what we do, but okay.  How about you?”


“Um, I’m Herissmon,” said the porcupine, grinning as she bounced on her heels, her disheveled mass of quills bristling with excitement, “An’ during the whole Arkadimon thing, I helped a buncha Defenders evacuate some civilians.  It was awesome!  I liked bein’ a hero and rescuin’ people so much that I wanna do it full time!”

“Uh-huh.  I enjoy your enthusiasm.  And you?” asked Wizardmon, moving down the line.

“...Cutemon,” said the little rabbit, shrugging.  There was an awkward silence.

“...Um… And why do you want to become a Defender?” prompted Wizard.


“...I don’t want a real job,” said Cutemon, apparently annoyed by the question.  Everyone leaned in, expecting her to say more on the subject, but she returned to listening to her music, ignoring them.  Another awkward silence loomed heavy as Wizardmon stared at her, trying to figure the girl out.  Sighing, he shook his head.


“As for the two of you,” Wizard said, addressing BlackGato and Meicoo, “I already know the two of you very well from your big sister, but go ahead and introduce yourselves.”


“Um… I’m Meicoomon. I’m Gatomon’s adopted little sister, and… I wanna be like her.  I wanna be a hero and be an awesome fighter.  She saved me and took me in, and… I wanna be like her,” Meicoo said, smiling awkwardly.


“Wait, you’re Gato’s little sister?!  AWESOME!  Is it true that she has a twelve inch--” Heriss began to ask.


“HERISSMON.  You can talk about that later. Let’s not interrupt each other,” Wizardmon cut in, his cheeks flushing.


“...--Claw length,” finished Heriss, before stepping back in line, while throwing Meicoo a very interested glance.


“All right, and you?” Wizard asked, gesturing to BlackGato.


“I’m… um… I’m BlackGato, but… I wanna be called ‘BG.’  I’mma clone o’ Gato, an’... um… I used to be someone else, but she died, an’ then I was born,” BlackGato explained, scratching behind one of her large ears.


“...What does that even mean?!” Strabi asked, staring at her in consternation.


“It doesn’t matter right now, but Meicoo can explain more later.  She’s Gato’s other little sister,” Wizard interjected, “And why do you want to be a Defender, BG?”


“I… dunno,” BlackGato squeaked, looking slightly scared by the question, “I… dunno if I even wanna be one.”


“That’s all right.  Okay, I’m Wizardmon.  I’ve been serving with the Defenders for 15 cycles, and before I spent the last two years at Cloud Continent Headquarters, I spent nine years as Gatomon’s combat partner,” Wizardmon introduced himself, tipping the brim of his hat politely, “And frankly, having served that long, I can say BG is the only one who DOESN’T have a crappy reason to become a Defender.”


“WHAT?!” the other five Digimon shouted in shock and anger.


“You want to be heroes, or you want to save lives, or you want to live up to others’ examples.  These are all good and noble goals… In fact, they’re excellent and selfless goals… but they’re crap reasons to become Defenders,” Wizard reiterated firmly, “BG is the only one here who is even CLOSE to being right, when she says that she has no idea if she even wants to be one.”


“Defenders spend their lives sacrificing EVERYTHING for the sake of others.  If you’re not on missions, you’re training for missions.  If you’re not injured, you’re working.  If you’re not sick, you’re training.  Defenders don’t get paid.  We’re rewarded for our service with anything we could want for free.  But we PAY for those luxuries with a life of hardship, pain, and dedication,” Wizardmon lectured, beginning to pace back and forth in front of the kids.


“Once you are Branded as a Defender, you have dedicated yourself to this life.  You will never be able to have a normal one.  You won’t have time to go out with friends.  You probably won’t get married.  You might not live long enough to have kids,” Wizard said, narrowing his eyes from under the shadow of his hat.


“...So, your first assignment is to give me a REAL reason you want to be a Defender.  A good one. Not petty hero-worship, or wanting to beat up baddies, or even because it’s expected of you.  I want to know WHY you want to give up everything positive in your life to do the hardest thing that any Digimon could do,” Wizard announced, tapping his staff on the floor for emphasis, “And if you can’t give me a real reason by tomorrow morning, I’ll personally kick you out into the street.”


“Now hit the showers, kids.  Be back here by tomorrow at 0800,” Wizard said, turning and walking away, leaving the six kids standing in stunned silence.




*******


It was with low spirits, that indeed the six children of the Rookie Squad retreated to the shower room. 


“...Why are we even bothering?  We didn’t work up a sweat or do anything physical. We didn’t DO anything but get told we weren’t worthy of being Defenders,” Strabi growled, kicking the wall idly.


“Well, considering how smelly boys are, maybe he wanted you guys to get an extra scrub-down,” Heriss teased, but the playful insult fell flat with the oppressive mood in the room.

“Well… I’M gonna take a shower ANYWAY,” Flame sighed, “Maybe I can wash the loser-stink off, or come to some sorta revelation to an answer that Wizardmon is looking for.”


“Whatever.  I’m gonna go find something to punch until it’s broken,” Strabi grumbled as he walked towards the exit, his claws clacking on the tiled floor, “...THEN I’ll take a shower.”


Heriss sighed and followed him, “I guess I’ll go to the library and see if I can find… something?  ...to help our case.”


“Cute, what are you gonna---  okayyyyy…” Meicoo began to ask, but Cute walked right past her and out the door in mid-sentence, leaving her standing dumbfounded.  She looked over to BlackGato, who merely shrugged, confused.

“I’ll… see you guys later, then,” Flame grumbled and walked around the corner.  Meicoo and BlackGato heard the water turn on, steam billowing out.  Meicoo sighed and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle.  She patted BlackGato’s hair, ruffling it gently.

“Don’t worry, lil’ sis.  We’ll figure this out.  If I have to, I’ll complain to Big Sis and have her yell at Wizard,” Meicoo said, putting her paws on her hips.  

“...I think Big Sis would yell at US for tattling on Wizard,” BlackGato replied flatly.  Meicoo winced.  She was probably right.

“C’mon, let’s just go blow off some steam.  We’ll catch up with the others at lunch and figure things out,” Meicoo sighed, patting BlackGato’s back gently.  To her surprise, the little girl shook her head back and forth, the tassels on her ears flapping softly.

“I’mma go talk to Flame.  He seemed really upset.  I wanna cheer him up,” BlackGato said, glancing over her shoulder as more steam wafted from around the corner.


“...Okay.  Catch up with me at the Entertainment Facility.  I’m gonna go to the arcade,” Meicoo said, before turning to walk out of the shower room.


BlackGato hesitated for a moment, then turned and padded to the corner of the room and peeked around slowly.  


“Flame?” she squeaked quietly.  The boy clearly did not hear her, for multiple reasons.  First, the quietness of her voice.  Second, the loud hiss of the showerhead and the splash of water on the floor, as well as the distinctive sizzle of water flashing instantly to steam as it touched his flaming tail.


And third, because the young boy was quite busy and distracted at the moment.  BlackGato’s green eyes went wide as she saw the naked lion-boy under the spray of water.  He was bracing himself against the shower wall with one hand, shoulders bunched as he leaned forward.  His hand was sliding up and down a large, swollen pink rod of flesh between his legs.  It pulsed and dribbled clear fluid even as BlackGato watched, fascinated.


Despite her youth, BlackGato knew about sex and was familiar enough with the concept of masturbation.  Digimon were sexually mature pretty much from the day they were born, and she had been taught the basics fairly early by Gato and some of the other Defenders.  That said, watching a near-stranger masturbating in a public room was very different from fooling around on the couch while watching tv at night.


She blushed, pressing herself to the wall and watching in fascination as Flame groaned, his cock twitching as long strands of pre splashed to the shower floor.  His hand was sliding up and down, a lather of soap helping to provide lubrication.  The young boy grit his teeth, huffing softly.


BlackGato felt her loins twitch.  She looked down and was unsurprised to find that her own penis was fully erect, jutting out from her hips.  The pink rod of flesh contrasted dramatically with her jet black fur.  It was only six inches long, but given how tiny she was, it was more than long enough to reach past her navel if she laid back.  She blushed, her dark-furred cheeks lightening with pink.


She was tempted to walk in, to interrupt Flame, and maybe even see if he was willing to play.  She had even opened her mouth to call out to him, when she heard him moan.


“Nnnf… B-BlackGato…” he huffed, his eyes closed.  The words stopped the little girl in her tracks, her green eyes going even wider.  Her cheeks were no longer merely pink, but blazing crimson.


He was masturbating over HER.  BlackGato was still new to sex and all of its nuances and social niceties.  But she was fairly certain that interrupting a boy who was currently pleasuring himself to thoughts of her when he thought he was alone was a bad idea.


That did not stop her from reaching down and beginning to rub her fingertip over her little clitoris, panting as little bolts of pleasure rushed up and down her spine.  She bit her lip, huffing through her nose.  As she slipped a finger inside herself, she could not suppress a moan.


She squeaked in alarm, realizing what she had just done, clamping a gloved paw over her mouth in panic.  Peeking around the corner, she sighed in relief.  Flame gave no sign he heard her at all.  With the pouring water and the fact that he was distracted with his own pleasure, he was oblivious.


Flame moaned, stabbing his erection forward into his palms, the head of his cock actually pressing to the shower wall with each push forward.  The wet tip of his cock pushed against the tile, his foreskin actually creating a moment of suction as he pulled away.  He panted, his heavy testicles drawing up towards the base of his cock, tightening as it prepared to release his burden.


The boy gave a groan as his orgasm broke.  His penis convulsed, the head swelling.  His back arched as a blast of milky red-orange fluid fired into the air, drumming against the tiled wall with enough force to splash back onto his body.  His ejaculations were unusual; it would be more accurate to say that he only had one singular ejaculation.  His cum burst into the air in one continuous fountain of fluid, splattering about in a long, messy gout.  His penis pulsated, pumping visibly as his orgasm raged.  His flaming tail wagged back and forth, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.


BlackGato bit her tail to muffle her own yowls of pleasure, her inner walls quaking around her fingers.  Her cock spasmed in her other hand, firing ropes of milky white liquid against the wall she hid behind.  The little black kitten’s fur was spattered with streaks and globs of fluid as it ricocheted off the wall with the sheer force.  


Flame moaned as his spunk slopped to the shower floor, spilling down the wall in gloopy, gooey rivers.  His body trembled, his toes curled with the force of his climax.  He huffed and moaned, pumping his cock slowly.  Other Digimon who tended to milk their penises in time with each burst of semen, but Flame did not really have that option.  He grunted, feeling his erection rippling constantly as fluid rushed up and out of his tip.


He finally sagged forward and panted for breath as his orgasm released its tight, binding grip.  The flow of cum slowed to a steady slow dribble.


Flame sighed, putting his face under the spray of water, washing the sweat from his forehead.  He shook his head tiredly, using the soap to finish cleaning his penis off, washing away the semen.


After stepping into a drying booth, the hot air blowing up and down his body to evaporate moisture, Flame manifested his pants.  Taking a few deep breaths, he nodded to himself, a little of his previous confidence returning.


The boy rounded the corner to exit the shower… and his foot splashed into something wet, hot, and sticky.  He frowned, looking down.  A puddle of white semen pooled on the floor, dribbling off the wall.  The spunk shimmered with a faint crimson light.  Flame looked around in confusion, but the person who left the milky fluid was nowhere to be found.


Shrugging vaguely, Flame went to go wash his foot off, then prepared to turn his mind to the problem of how to convince Wizardmon.


*******