Subject: motor roars: hua 782 views

[ensenga]

Looking for the famed Mirage Tower seemed a worthy adventure when he first found out about it back in Asuka City, but now that he's actually out in the desert, he can't help but regret his choice. Virtual reality's amazing and all, but right now it's being a bit too virtually realistic for his tastes.

"It's hot," says the White Lopmon flopped upon the boy's head. The Digimon had tired of walking on his own just a few minutes into the desert, complaining that his white fur was "totally soaking up all the sunlight here."

"It is," Ensenga grumbles, voice muffled by his cloak. His RPG-hero fashion sense has thankfully gifted him with the means to protect his mouth and nose from the harsh winds, but it's also unfortunately given him a sleeveless top. His bare arms sting like hell now from the constant waves of sand.

"Are we there yet? Please tell me we're there."

"Not quite," Ensenga says and is met with an exasperated groan. He can't blame him for it honestly; in fact, he feels a slight bit guilty, since it was his idea to go look for the tower after reading that BBS post about it. Briefly he considers suggesting that they turn back, but he shakes the thought away. Nothing's even happened yet so how stupid would it be, ditching a journey because of the heat of all things? And even if something had shown up, how stupid would it be ditching because of just one encounter? He's not some cowardly loser who can't even finish what he starts. He can't be. Ensenga's not that kind of character.

"Ensengaaaa." He snaps out of his thoughts; White Lopmon is patting his head and pointing off to a distant sand dune. "Is that the tower? Please tell me that's the tower."

He squints, trying his best to make out the blurred silhouette. "I think that's a Digimon, actually. Wait—" his eye catches two more, "—I think it's... several Digimon? And a player, maybe? They look like they're fighting."

"Huh. Are we gonna go check it out? See if they need help?"

He pauses. Ensenga would go.

"Yeah," he says, and starts walking.

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Maybe he underestimated the game a little. Biyomon flew backward like a reverse cannonball from the curled up body tackle from one of the two Armadimon. Joshua cringed. Okay, maybe he underestimated the game a lot. "Hu-Hu-Huaaa, arreee youu all righhtt?" asked Biymon with a slurred speech, her head wobbling shakily while her eyes appeared dazed. "Biymon, I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping to his knees to cradle his Digimon. "We're running. Two against one is hardly fair." Biymon suddenly returned to her senses. She pushed him away with her wings and stood her ground again. "No! I can do this. I promise you, I can so please let me." "Biyomon, you can't," said Hua with exasperation. "You're getting hurt. Watching you get beaten up isn't making it easy for me. There's nothing to gain from..." Hua's words were falling on deaf ears. Biymon had her attention back at her enemies and was ready to charge to her death again. Hua felt something rise inside him with force that made him grit his teeth. "Don't be stupid!" he said angrily with a tone he hadn't used in years. "You're too weak!" "You said you used to beat these Digimon in groups." Biyomon didn't move a muscle. Her face was slightly inclined to the side like an adjacent door where he could only take a small peek inside. "If your previous Digimon can do it then..." She didn't finish her sentence. Biyomon charged forward and pecked the Armadimon on the head. "On its underbelly!"

[/i] he reprimanded mentally. Hua wasn't as frustrated with his Digimon as he was with himself. He should have known mentioning his history in the game would make Biyomon insecure. There were many items Hua no longer had and bits he needed to earn to buy more consumables to be of help in battle. Having steamrolled the game before, Hua had forgotten its difficulty for new players.

Logic and emotions could not appeal to Biyomon. Hua tried to think for a third option to help his Digimon. As he was looking around for any ideas, he saw a player and a Digimon coming to them from a distance. The idea came to him instantly. It was the only way.

He immediately established a whisper link with the player - Ensenga, the name read - a basic MMO feature that allowed players to talk privately to one another. Urgently, he whispered:

[classy=whisper]"Would you help us? There's two Armadimon. It doesn't matter if your Digimon can't evolve or has no techniques. They can be defeated if hit from the underbelly."[/classy]

[/div][/div][/td]

[td][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160]

Why can't
little boys
be made of
sugar and spice,
too?

[/td][/tr][tr][td][atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160]

Coded by AMB Tanz

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[ensenga]

He's closed a good part of the distance when the message reaches him. Just as White Lopmon had guessed, this other player Hua and his partner—a Biyomon, he learns after a bit of staring—do want some help.

Ensenga looks next at the two Armadimon to identify them. "So they're just Child level, huh?" If that's the case, then his joining would make for a fair fight. They can do this.

"sure i got your back"

"thanks for the tip btw"

"Alright, let's go!" Ensenga yells, running now as he points to the nearest Armadimon. "Aim for the underbelly!"

"Got it!" White Lopmon says, getting up to stand atop his tamer's head before leaping towards his target. By the time the Armadimon realizes there's another enemy it's too late; the rabbit is already slapping it in the face with his long ears, making it growl and stumble back.

"Hey!" Ensenga yells to Hua, having caught up to his partner and the battle. "You guys doing okay here?" He's distracted by a sharp yelp; White Lopmon had tried to take advantage of the stun time by reaching an ear out to its underbelly, but he'd ended up getting scratched in the face instead.

"Why you little...!" the rabbit hisses, his paws held gingerly over the cuts.

"You alright?" Ensenga calls worriedly, but receives no answer; White Lopmon only scowls, glaring at his foe. "I guess it's more difficult to get to that underbelly than I thought..." He puts a hand to his chin, looking puzzled.

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Hua was relieved for the immediate, positive response from the other player. Having been a player who kept to himself - even until now - he didn't know what to expect from asking for help. Biyomon had dodged a claw at her direction and soon realized a second Digimon enter the fray. A long-eared Digimon smaller than Biyomon was attacking the other Armadimon. She turned her head to Hua for answers but Hua looked just as confused. No, not confused...there was something else. "Hua, who are they?" Hua breathed in sharply. He heard Biyomon, he heard everything else right. But Hua couldn't help but flinch from the irony and be emotionally stunned for a second. He didn't expect...of all Digimon...of all times...It was as if some greater power was trying to tell him something right now but Hua didn't have the leisure to dwell on it at the moment. "The shell and armor are heavy; they act sort of like weights. Unless completely flipped over like a turtle, it won't be able to stay up long enough for our Digimon to hit it." Hua sent a party invite to Ensenga. He turned to the other player. "Biyomon will distract them. Have Lopmon pull their tails then Biyomon would knock them down while they're unbalanced. Their ears prevent them from seeing behind so Lopmon should catch them by surprise." It was like reciting a piece of his memories. It felt satisfying. Hua had the knowledge to beat half the Digimon in the game but there was no way he could have Biyomon pull them off at her current state. He wanted to be of use. He wanted to see his idea work out. He wanted the sense of pride and achievement that made Digimon Online an alluring poison to his wandering soul. Though he might never say it out loud, he wanted to win and the chance was there right within his grasp.

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

Ensenga accepts the party request, nodding as he listens closely to Hua's words. This other player sure knows a lot about Digimon. It's a bit surprising he can't just take them out on his own with that knowledge, but Ensenga's not going to question someone who needs his help. In fact, maybe he can ask Hua for more battling tips later; he's not going to get any stronger without information, after all.

For now though, he'll start with the enemies in front of him. If they follow Hua's plan, everything should work out, right?

"I gotcha," he says to Hua before turning to White Lopmon. "You heard him, right? Aim for the tail!"

"Yeah, yeah," the rabbit mutters, still scowling. He tenses, feet shifting in the sand as he stares the Armadimon down, and when at last it lunges forward with shining claws, it's too late—he's already dodged to the side, scampering quickly behind the Armadimon before pulling at its tail with both ears. "Like this?"

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Distracting the Armadimon wasn't a difficult job for Biyomon. She had no problems with the sandy terrain as she was free to soar around the air. But if it would have helped her in the fight against the Armadimon, Biyomon would have defeated them sooner alone. She didn't know they had a weak spot. Hua didn't tell her anything. Even if he did, she didn't know if she could have attacked them on their underbelly. Hua probably knew that that's why he didn't bother telling her. He knew she couldn't have beaten them that's why he wanted them to run... Biyomon pecked them repeatedly to keep their attention on her until one of the Armadimon began standing on its hind legs. The Armadimon flailed, trying to fight the pulling on its tail and keep its balance. Biyomon dived in to spear the Armadimon with its exposed underbelly with her beak. The Armadimon had tumbled backward and dropped on its shell before disappearing into bits of data. "It worked!" cheered Biyomon gleefully. Of course it would, Hua thought but he couldn't help but smile a little from Biyomon's joy. The second Armadimon, not programmed to learn as fast, was most likely to fall from the same trick. It curled into a ball and launched a body tackle at the airborne Digimon. Biyomon was able to dodge at the last minute fortunately. "Th-that was a close one..." Assuming they were going for the same plan, Biyomon started to engage with the Armadimon. The earlier attack did nothing to make Biyomon any more cautious. In fact, she played more aggressively and was looking forward to beating this other one too.

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

"Alright, we did it!" Ensenga cheers, pumping a fist into the air. "Dude," he says to Hua with a grin, "your strats are awesome!" Yeah, he's definitely going to have to ask him for some tips later!

"Don't celebrate just yet," White Lopmon growls. "There's still one left!" He makes his way through the sand quietly, scampering behind the remaining Armadimon as it tries futilely to swipe at Biyomon. When at last he's close enough to grab its tail, he lunges forth and—hits the sand?

"No way! I missed?" Quickly the rabbit gets up, glaring at the Armadimon. It had turned its tail away at the last second and, now noticing the new foe, turns its attention away from Biyomon as well. "What do I do? Dodge and pull like before, maybe?" He tenses and prepares to move, but the attack that comes isn't what he expects; instead of claws, it's a rolling tackle he barely manages to sidestep. "How am I supposed to get to its tail now?" White Lopmon yells, watching as the Armadimon slows down a distance away before making a sharp turn back. "It's all curled up and everything!"

"Uh, um," Ensenga stammers, glancing briefly at Hua. He's probably got a plan, right? "But wait," he thinks, "I can't just... Ensenga can't just rely on other people all the time. He has to be independent, and strong enough to stand on his own two feet..." He turns away from the other player, staring hard at the battle before him. His White Lopmon's jumped out of the way of another rolling tackle but he's slower this time; an ear gets caught and he yelps as he hits the sand. "Think, think," Ensenga mutters to himself, but he's distracted by a sudden desert gust. Instinctively he raises his arms to shelter his closed eyes, but just as quickly, his arms are down and his eyes wide open in realization. Along with the sand, the wind's brought him an idea.

"Try that new technique you learned!" Ensenga shouts. "Knock it off balance!"

"Alright!" the rabbit yells back, his uninjured ear perked up to hear past the wind. He watches as the Armadimon turns for a third run, and when it's rolled into range...

"Petit Twister!" White Lopmon shouts as he begins to spin in place. Powered by the desert winds, he rises slowly into the air, his long ears twirling about him until he's formed a miniature tornado. Unable to pause its momentum, the Armadimon rolls directly into it and is blown away a fair distance before landing squarely on its back.

"Now!" Ensenga says, turning to Hua.

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Hua stayed quiet. They could just wait for the Armadimon to shift back to its normal form? A plan was nothing without tactics. What was important was achieving the goal, not the details along it. They didn't have to panic over one sudden action. Hua could hear Ensenga muttering and he had caught him glance to his way. Maybe it was because he already played this game before that he was finding a new player's behavior strange. "Hey - hey, I'm distracting you!" yelled Biyomon, trying to take the Armadimon's attention back but to no avail. Hua covered his mouth and coughed to hide his chuckle. It was rather mean of him but he found the party's "noobness" to be amusing. They had already turned the tide by making the battle a one versus two on their favor. They didn't even have to use the same tactic and could just beat the second one down by force. It might take a while though. Biyomon didn't know any techniques yet... But what Ensenga had shouted caught his attention. White Lopmon knew one? That had only confused Hua further. Why hadn't he used it earlier? Maybe he was unsure. He did say his Digimon had just learned it. His question was answered in the form of a small tornado. White Lopmon's cry resonated with a small, distant voice in his head from a memory he had longed dissolved, purged upon his request. The attack was no ordinary Petit Twister as Ensenga had taken advantage of the desert winds to boost its power up a little. He nodded to his teammate and ordered the finishing move. "Biyomon!" "Bye-bye!" Biyomon dived after the Armadimon and pierced its underbelly with its giant pink bill. At once, the Armadimon too disappeared into bits of data like the first one. "We did it!" "Mm," Hua hummed agreeably. The success was unexpectedly underwhelming. He thought he would be cheering along with the rest but he suddenly felt like there was no reason to celebrate. It was...a small thing. He might have gotten a bit too intense at the start but it had died away pretty fast. Hua smiled at Ensenga. "We couldn't have done it without you two. Thank you."

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

"Dude, awesome!" Ensenga cheers, both fists in the air. "We totally owned them!" He kneels as White Lopmon scampers to his side, beaming. "High five, man." He claps a hand against the rabbit's outstretched ear. "You did great!"

"Of course I did," White Lopmon says, flipping a long ear back.

"Those attacks you took looked pretty bad though," Ensenga says with a worried expression. "Need an HP disk or anything? I've still got a bunch of them."

"Nah," the rabbit replies with a dismissive wave. "I'm not gonna keel over from something as small as that." The wounds still smart but he won't admit it. "I'll be fine." As if to prove it, he leaps back to his former spot on Ensenga's head.

"Well, alright then." The boy shrugs before turning to Hua. "Ah, it was no problem," he says sheepishly. "You're the one who did most of the work anyway," he thinks but swallows the thought down.

"That plan of yours worked perfectly though!" Ensenga says with a grin. "You sure know a lot about this game!"

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] While Hua and Biyomon had barely exchanged any words to each other, Ensenga and his Digimon were instantly talking. Biyomon shared Hua's preference for silence, opting to watch the other two instead from behind Hua. As Hua didn't have that much interaction with other players, so didn't Biyomon. The two would congratulate each other some other time when they're alone. "I just happen to know more than you do," he replied, his shoulder feeling strange as he looked at the White Lopmon on Ensenga's head. "Just joking! I'm actually a government spy from America, raised since I was a child in the field of electronics and network information, assigned to uncover Japan's military secrets." Hua beamed widely. "So now I have to 'delete' you! Your physical body will be unharmed but your consciousness will die here as data. You will become nothing but a mindless zombie in the real world, feeding on the brains of others. Do you have any last words?"

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

"Ohh," Ensenga says, nodding along as Hua speaks, "I see, I see." He pauses. "... Wait a second, a government spy?!" He gapes at the other boy; he's gotta be joking right? Definitely joking? His friends have always told him he's easy to fool, but there's no way this guy could be telling the truth. Right? "Hahaha, don't say stuff like that, man..." Ensenga laughs again, nervously. "For one, didn't we just help each other out back there? Don't tell me you'd delete a random guy who just happened to be there and decided to help out? Aww, man I don't wanna be a zombie... that's totally uncool..."

"He's joking," White Lopmon says bluntly.

"... Right! It's all just a joke, so let's just calm down here, okay? Hahaha."

"Even if he wasn't, those are some pretty lame last words."

"Nobody asked you," Ensenga hisses to the rabbit, who simply shrugs. "Err, well, anyway!" The boy turns back to Hua. "So, uh... Jokes aside, what brings you out to the desert?" He smiles sheepishly. "Let's all just forget about that conversation, okay?"

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Hua laughed. He didn't even mean to scare the guy. "Sight-seeing," he answered cheerfully. "You don't see vast expanses of sand everyday. It's very exciting." The desert winds rolled over, throwing particles of sand everywhere. "Probably should have brought Go-Go Goggles," he muttered thoughtfully. "Is there anything we can do for you? As payment for your help, we are willing to temporarily aid you in your quest. You see, though I may have the form of a human, I am in fact a digital android programmed by the very brain behind Digimon Online. I can grant you and your Digimon all sorts of abilities including flight, invulnerability and super speed."

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

"Ah, I see," Ensenga says with a nod. He'd forgotten that Digimon Online is more than just a game, and that people treat it as everything from tourism to a second life. "Is this the kind of potential virtual reality has? Mixing the gaming industry with tourism and stuff." Briefly he imagines a future of MMOs, all lined up with their different settings. Steampunk one week, high fantasy the next; it's like choosing worlds out of a catalog, though he can't say he's adverse to the idea. It sounds kind of cool, actually.

"I guess it is pretty exciting," Ensenga says. "Can't say I've been to a desert before or anything. Freakin' hot here though."

He gives Hua a blank stare upon seeing his offer for help. "Hahaha... Let's stop with the jokes, alright? You know that saying: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice... Although, special abilities would be pretty cool."

"Hey, Ensenga," White Lopmon says. "So are you dense, or are you reaaally dense?"

"Let's stop with the peanut gallery too." Ensenga glares at the rabbit, who only looks away innocently. "Anyway, well," the boy starts while turning to Hua, "have you heard of the Mirage Tower? Someone was talking about it on the BBS, so we decided to go look for it. You can join us if you'd like."

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Hua giggled on the side of his fist. Was he being mean? The annoyance seemed to be directed at White Lopmon instead or else Ensenga wouldn't still be here talking to Hua. "Oh." The Mirage Tower. They were still talking about that? It was a popular subject amogn rumors a year ago when Hua first played the game. He would have thought everyone knew by now the directions to the tower and discovered the truth. The forums seemed to be livelier. Why didn't anyone mention it? "Hmm. Why do you want to go there?" asked Hua curiously.

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

"Hmm, well," Ensenga starts, looking thoughtful, "I guess I just wanted to explore DO? Then I saw the post about the tower and I figured I might as well look for it and explore at the same time.

"Besides," he continues with a grin, "it's a mysterious tower in the desert. It sounds totally cool! And they say it's just good players who actually manage to find it, so it's kinda like a challenge too!"