(P4) Sydney - Face Myself

[Candescence]

The Chatswood suburb of Sydney, Australia, in the Tamers world. It was a sunny day, but a particular group was inside, in the local Westfield shopping centre. A normally busy place, the mall was not nearly as busy as usual.

The group of tamers and trainers walking about weren't even trying to hide their partners, going for Takato's "hide in plain sight" tactic he usually pulls with Guilmon when they're out on walks. This was working hilariously well.


"So... Keith, remind me how the heck you managed to drag us all here?" Ikuto asked. "On your date, no less?"


"It's not a date, jeez. Christa and I are together now, but that doesn't mean every time we go out somewhere, it's a date..." He sighed, as he walked along.


"It scares me how easy it is just to walk around with mons and not get noticed..." Emerald looked around, surprised by how nobody seemed to care.


"You can say that again." Christa chuckled.


"It helps that there's so few people around." Ashe grinned, excited by the fact that she's going shopping on another continent.


Hideto looked around, blinking. "That is strange, though. Why is it so... Deserted, today?"


"It's the crime scene we saw outside. Third murder in a row, all three bodies hanging from telephone poles, and the cops can't figure out how they died."


"Yeah, creepy. And did you hear about that rumor about a 'Midnight Channel' that appears if you watch TV at midnight when it's raining? Keith and I tried it out, it's kinda freaky." Rush noted.


Chika scratched her head. "Midnight Channel...? Huh."

[YolkaEd]

@tai@

"Midnight Channel?" Tai inquired, as he tilted his head. "What does that do?"

@kenta@

"It's kind of weird..." Kenta began, as he scratched his head. "...but the rumor goes that if you look at your TV on a rainy night when it's midnight, supposedly, you're supposed to see your soulmate, or something."

@marineangemon@

"Phuu!"

@taiagumon@

Blinking, Agumon tilted his head. "Wait... how do you know about that, Kenta?"

@kenta@

"...um..."

@junior@

"You tried it out, too, didn't you?" Junior said with a snicker.

@koemon@

"Who did you see?" Koemon inquired.

@kenta@

"I... really don't want to say..." Kenta uttered sheepishly.

[Candescence]

Christa looked at Keith with a raised eyebrow. "Wait minute, and you tried it?!"


"It was just out of curiosity, jeez!" Keith replied defensively. "But what I saw was kinda freaky... There was a whole lot of static at first, and... It was a girl on the TV, but... She was writing in pain. The next morning, they found the second body, and... Well, the appearence of the girl I saw was the same as the victim!"


"You're telling me... That it showed the victim before she died?"


"I dunno, I haven't tried it again." Keith sighed. The group were turning the corner, and... "Hey, JB-HiFi! Maybe they've got game discounts!"


"Let's check it out, then."


"Heh, I wonder what kind of electronics you guys have in this world..." Emerald chuckled, as they headed into the store.


Chika was messing around in the music section, grinning. "I've been meaning to import some of these albums!"


"Like a kid in a candy store..." Biyo chuckled.


"And some nice TVs, too!" Ashe was checking out the big TV screens.


"You do realise we've got better ones back in Japan, right?"


"Yeah, we Aussies get everything last, I swear..." He sighed, poking one of the TVs for no reason. Except his hand went straight through the screen, and inside, causing a while ripple across the screen's surface. His jaw dropped. "Uh... Guys?"


"THE HELL?!"


Rush voiced his surprise in the most eloquent way possible. "I have to pee!"


"Hey, guys, what's going o-WHOA!" Chika was coming over to see what was all the commotion, only to be surprised by Keith's hand in the TV.


"I don't think that's supposed to happen..."

[YolkaEd]

@tai@

"Keith, how did you do that?!" Tai uttered in complete surprise.

@taiagumon@

"Is it a Digiport or something?" Agumon uttered in surprise.

@kenta@

"You have to pull it out, before anyone else notices!" Kenta said in panic, as he grabbed hold of Keith's arm, trying to pull it out of the TV.

@junior@@koemon@@marineangemon@

The only three who didn't seem to take it that seriously were Junior, Koemon and MarineAngemon, who merely looked on in mild surprise.

[Candescence]

Keith cringed, as he looked at Tai. "Hell if I know! I just poked it, and..." He tried to pull it out. "Uh... I think I'm stuck."


"Crap, crap, crap..." She tried to help Kenta pull it out, but it was no use. If anything, they ended up making Keith's arm sink in further.


"Uh-oh... What're we gonna do?!"


"IhavetopeeIhavetopeeIhavetopeeIhavetopee-" Rush groaned, stepping around while covering his crotch, but he accidenly bumped into Keith, sending him half-way into the TV.


"GAH! Watch it! Huh...? It feels spacious in here... There's a lot of empty space inside!"


"Huh?! Seriously?!"


"Screw it, we don't have time, just push him in already!" Emerald rushed up, shoving Keith into the TV fully, before climbing inside it, himself. "Come on!"


"Ugh, idiots... Might as well make sure they don't get themselves killed..." Ashe muttered, as she dived into the TV after them.


They both climbed in as well.


"Wait a minute, guys, I still have to pee-"


"Get in!" They both shoved Rush into the TV, before climbing in as well.


They looked at each other, sighed, and jumped in as well.


"This is getting stupid." Hideto groaned, as he climbed in as well.


"Exciting, though." Warg noted, as he climbed in.


"Good grief..." She climbed in after Warg.

[YolkaEd]

@kenta@

Of course, since Kenta hadn't let go of Keith, when Emerald pushed him in, Kenta was pulled along as well.

@marineangemon@

"PHUU!" MarineAngemon cried, as he flew in after them.

@tai@

"We... should probably follow them!" Tai said, as he quickly went into the TV as well.

@taiagumon@

"How much room is it in there, anyway?" Agumon uttered, as he went into the TV.

@junior@@koemon@

"Let's go!" both Junior and Koemon said, as they jumped into the TV.

That left the area completely empty...

@silver@

...save for a few people. "...weird. I thought I saw them go into this store." Silver muttered, as he just happened to walk past that TV with Yoshi.

@yoshi@

"Maybe they went outside..." Yoshi proposed, as the two walked past the TV, without looking at it.

[Candescence]

Everyone who went into the TV would find themselves falling down a black and white "corridor"...



And soon enough, they hit solid ground.


"Gah... You guys alright?"

He got to his feet, looking around... A strange-looking fog covered the area, but he could see some things... They appeared to be in some kind of TV studio, with the floor having body chalk outlines much like a crime scene.




"I think so... But where are we?" Christa got to her feet, groaning, and brushed herself off.


"Doesn't look like the Digital World..." Hideto sat up.


"Doesn't feel like it, either. The fog's giving me chill down my spine." Warg commented.


"I can barely see in it, too..." Ikuto noted.


Rush walked up, looking very happy with himself. "Bladder's empty."


"W-Where did you pee?"


"Off the railing."


"Let's not speak of that ever again."


"Agreed."

[YolkaEd]

@tai@@taiagumon@@kenta@@junior@

"Yeah, agreed."

@marineangemon@

"Phuu."

@koemon@

"Hm..." Koemon hummed, as he looked around, before suddenly stumbling. "Aah..."

@junior@

"Koemon?" Junior uttered, as he approached his partner. "Are you alright?"

@koemon@

"...Koe feel kinda weak..." Koemon said, as he held his head.

@taiagumon@

"...yeah, now that you mention it..." Agumon noted, as he held his head as well. "I don't feel that perky, either..."

@marineangemon@

"Phuu..."

@tai@

"Weird... you were just fine a while ago." Tai noted.

@kenta@

"Wait, let's just get this straight..." Kenta said, as he looked around him. "...we fell through the TV, right?"

[Candescence]

"I don't feel good either... I think it's the fog..." Christa groaned.


"Having a mind link with a Digimon has its cons..."


"Yep, we fell right through the TV. It was like we were going through a holographic wall." Ikuto replied to Kenta.


"I say we find a way outta here. Might as well, before the fog weakens our mons too much." Emerald noted, as he started walking off.


"Where are you going?!" Ashe snapped.


"Hey, we might as well go in any direction, anywhere's better than here."


"He's right. Come on, let's go." Hideto began following Emerald, Warg and Melga following him.


"Well... I guess we gotta stick together in this fog..." Chika sighed, as she went along with 'em.


They all followed, deciding to not argue against this.

[YolkaEd]

@junior@@koemon@@tai@@taiagumon@

All of them complied, as they followed the others.

@kenta@

However, Kenta stopped before following, as he looked around.

@marineangemon@

"...phuu?"

@kenta@

"...I think I heard something, MarineAngemon..." Kenta muttered.

@marineangemon@

"Phuu?"

@kenta@

"...nah, it's probably just my imagination. Let's follow the others." Kenta said, as he and MarineAngemon followed the group.

[Candescence]

Soon enough, the group managed to find their way to what appaeared to be a street like in the Chatswood area of Sydney. But the fog was still around, and, well, it the sky was freaky as hell... Kinda like this.



They did not have the luxury of having as much to see as these guys in the pic.


"Wha... What is this place...?" Ikuto tried to get a better look at his surroundings.


"This is my neighbourhood..." Keith muttered, as he looked around. In the fog, he could see a familiar building. "That's... That's my apartment building!" He started running towards it.


"Whoa, seriously?! I gotta see this!" Rush ran after him.


"Hey, wait up!" But Keith and Rush were already sprinting, and she was forced to follow.


"This does not bode well, I think..." He noted, as they ran after them...

Soon enough, they managed to find their way to Keith's apartment. Keith and Rush had already barged in. But when they came inside, they found the pair facing up against what appeared to be globs of darkness, which transformed into two spherical creatures, both of them looking like tongues with mouths...



Rush had managed to weaken them with his rifle, but both he and Keith were being backed into a corner.


"The hell?! Warg, Melga, cover Keith and Rush!"


"Gotcha! Baby Flame!" Warg unleashed his flame at one of the creatures, destroying it with ease.


"They seem pretty weak! Petite Fire!" Melga roasted the other one, and the two creatures exploded into darkness.


"That... Whew. Thanks, guys." Keith sighed.


"But... What were those things? Those weren't Digimon!"


"All the more reason to get the hell outta here before stronger ones come around!"


"Yeah, but... What's with this place? Why is there a replica of Keith's neighbourhood here?"

[YolkaEd]

@tai@

"I don't know..." Tai uttered, as he looked around with a concerned expression. "...but we should get out of here before things get too rough."

@taiagumon@

"Yeah... and I'm feeling really weak, now..." Agumon groaned.

@koemon@

"Koe, too..."

@marineangemon@

"Phuu..."

@junior@

"...ergh, now I'm feeling it, too." Junior muttered.

@kenta@

"What's up with this fog, anyway?" Kenta muttered, as he scratched his head.



"Hey! Who are you guys?"

@kenta@

"EEP!" Hearing that voice, Kenta quickly latched onto Ashe, looking frantically around. "Someone's here!"

@tai@

"...who is it?!" Tai called, as he looked around him.

[Candescence]

"Sounds like another one of those things..." Keith groaned.


"You sure? Whatever it is, it seems intelligent..." Ikuto looked towards the door. "Is there someone there?"


"Maybe it's a Digimon?"


"Doubt it. I can't sense any other Digimon nearby."


"Same here..."


"Helllloooooo?" Rina called out towards the doorway.


"Get ready. We might have a fight on our hands."


"Gotcha." She rolled up her sleeves...

[YolkaEd]

"Hey, no need to get aggressive on me!" the voice called, as they could hear someone walking towards them. However, what they saw wasn't exactly what they had expected.



"Now, just who are you people?"

@tai@

"...is that a..."

@junior@

"...teddy bear..."

@taiagumon@@koemon@

"...walking around?"

@marineangemon@

"Phuu!"

@kenta@

"AAAAAHDONTHURTUSWEDIDNTMEANTODISTURBYOUDONTHURTUSPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!" Kenta yelled, as he quickly hid behind Ashe, trying to avoid eye-contact with the bear.

[Candescence]

Keith simply stared. "A... Teddy bear? Doesn't look like a Monzaemon..."


"Looks nothing like any Digimon I've ever seen." Hideto blinked.


"Doesn't look like a Pokemon, either!"


"Who cares? He's so CUTE~!" Ashe grinned, running up and hugging the bear.


"Um... Isn't it more polite to introduce yourself first?" Ikuto pointed out.


"Well, yeah, I think that's the polite thing..." Falcomon scratched the back of his head.


Chika rolled her sleeves back down. "Um... Do you live here or something? What are you?"


The Digimon simply stared at the bear.

[YolkaEd]

The bear, however, didn't seem to hear Chika, as he was enjoying the hug Ashe was giving him to the fullest.

@tai@

"I don't think we're gonna get anywhere like this..." Tai muttered, as he pulled Ashe away from the bear. "Now, can you answer our questions?"



"Oh, right!" the bear said sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, this is where I live. The name's Teddie, by the way! It's beary nice to meet you!"

@kenta@

"...puns?" Kenta uttered, as he was starting to calm down. "A teddy bear is telling us bad puns, on top of everything..."

@marineangemon@

"Phuu!" MarineAngemon laughed.

@junior@

While the others were preoccupied, however, Junior seemed to hear something, and snuck away in one direction, without letting the others hear him leave.

@koemon@

Koemon, seeing that, followed Junior.

[Candescence]

"Heh, yeah, it's nice to meet you too, Teddie. Look, we're kinda lost. Do you know a way out of this place?"


She looked around, asking, "Uh... Where's Junior and Koe?"


"Over there!" She pointed, as Junior and Koe snuck off, having managed to spot them through a window.


"What are those two doing?! They're gonna get lost in the fog!" She dashed after the pair.


"We can't have that, then!" Keith ran off after Junior and Koe.


Emerald looked at Teddie. "Uh, can we continue this conversation in a minute? We kinda have to stop those guys from getting lost." He ran after Keith.


"If only there was a way to clear this fog..." Ikuto muttered, running after the others, with Falcomon in tow.


"Come on, then... Gah, too much running..." Christa ran, pulling Rina along.


"Okay, let's continue this conversation AFTER we stop Junior and Koe from getting lost! Wait, did Emerald already say that? Gah, whatever!"

[YolkaEd]

@tai@

"Oh, for crying out..." Tai muttered, as he ran after the pair, with Agumon following him.

@kenta@

"We've gotta stop them before they get in trouble!" Kenta called, as he and MarineAngemon ran after the group.



"Ah- w-wait! You have to be careful! The Shadows could attack you!" Teddie yelled, as he followed the group.

@junior@@koemon@

Before the group could properly catch up to the two, both of them found a strange, black-and-red vortex, akin to how the sky looked. Without a second thought, both of them entered it.

[Candescence]

Aaaaannnnd more than half the group proceeded to jump in after them.


Ikuto promptly facepalmed. "Was that really a good idea?"


"Jumping into a crazy red vortex, a good idea? I doubt it. But we might as well follow!" Christa replied, jumping in.


"Right, we gotta pull them out!" Rina rushed in with her.


"Come on, Ikuto!" Falcomon rushed in, pulling his partner along.


"Whoa, wait a minute-"


"Shadows, huh? So that's what those things were? Don't seem strong to me. If all of us are together, I think we'll be fine..." Hideto noted to Teddie, as he stepped into the portal. "Alright, come on."


"Right behind ya!" They rushed in.

[YolkaEd]

Pretty much everyone ended up going through the vortex, and when they got out...



...this was where they found themselves.

@tai@

"...what is this place?" Tai uttered, as he looked around.

@kenta@

"Aah, there they are!" Kenta called, as he pointed ahead of them.

@junior@@koemon@

Sure enough, both Junior and Koemon were there, curiously looking around at the scenery.