Tamer Name: Anika Winters
Digimon Species: BlackGabumon
Battle Type: Opponent (Zackary Knight
Field Area: An arena with textured metal floors. There is glass around the square floor, keeping the combatants contained while, in the bleachers, a crowd of shapeless faces watches on.

((4750-50=4700))

Anika stepped coolly into the holodome, Terminus following along behind her at a demure rate. The two had been painfully silent on their journey over here and it had left the BlackGabumon tense. He hadn't expected a job well done party upon her awakening but this glacial treatment was unnerving and made him wary.

"Get out there, Termite,"she said smoothly. "We're gonna buff you up a bit... you need to be strong so we can accomplish my new mission."

The reptilian canine eyed her through honey brown eyes and cleared his throat, approaching the center of the dome. "And what would that be?"he asked softly, watching as the room began to transform, dropping them in an squared off, metallic arena with an audience peering in.

"Revenge."

Tamer name: Zachary Knight
Digmon species: Tailmon // - Glacier
Battle type: Opponent
Field: Opponent's choice

---

17,802 - 50 = 17,752

---

The first thing that struck Zack as he approached the doors was a low rumble, a loud noise muffled by distance and metal. It was strange, almost like there was a crowd somewhere in the training fields. Strange, he thought, for that was one of the very reasons he avoided the tournament grounds. The other being that it seemed to be begging for Insomnia's forces or a bounty hunter to take a shot at him.

"Relax," said Glacier, apparently noticing him stiffening. "They're just holograms... can't you tell? Their voices are distorted, it's subtle, but it's easy enough to tell they're synthesized."

"If you say so..." Zack shrugged and double-checked his harness. The doors in front of them split open, and light flooded the corridor.

"Sheesh," grumbled Aura, curled up atop Zack's head. "Can't a girl take a nap?"

"You knew we were going to the training fields," Zack said evenly, working a kink out of his shoulder.

"Mmmm..." Aura smacked her lips, squinting her eyes up at the arena that stood around them. "Maybe there's a concession stand."

Orion loomed behind Zack as ever, the Dorugamon's nose working overtime. Alas, he always seemed to know something wasn't quite right in the training fields. Perhaps the system wasn't very adept at mimicking natural scents.

"Hey there," Zack nodded to the girl and her Gabumon. A double check of his d-ban revealed that it was in fact a subspecies, with different attribute and evolutions to go with the pigmentation change.

Aura blinked, trying to make her bleary yellow eyes focus on the tamer. Something about her looked familiar, yet she didn't quite look like anyone Aura knew, and she wasn't sure she knew any tamers with such a partner. She yawned and shook still trying to wake up. "S-sorry," she said, sitting down. "Hello, you two."

Glacier stepped out in front of Zack, her ears erect, her tail slowly undulating, nose aquiver, blue eyes raptly alert. Another step on my road to catching up with the winged rat.

Anika recognized Zack but Zack didn't recognize her. That was fine by her. It was probably better that he didn't. She nodded to him and his partners mutely, not much in a talking mood. Terminus, however, spoke up, give a shallow bow to them.

"I'm Terminus and this is An-"

"Anna,"Anika said, cutting him off smoothly. She didn't want to be involved with any of the old light tamers any more than she had to be. The Black Gabumon was thick and stupid though and cast her a confused look. She ignored him and cleared her throat, deciding she might as well do the talking now.

"Don't go easy on Termite,"she said, smiling mildly. It was a good mask and trick; it almost made the name sound endearing. Underneath the sweetness was the bitterness though, rising up like bile.

Yes, don't go easy on Terminus.

Though time and trauma had changed Anika's face enough that Zack did not recognize it, her voice struck a chord of memory. He was accustomed to feeling out empty spots in his head thanks to the Order, but this felt more recent.

"I'm Aura," said the Tsukaimon from her perch atop Zack's head. "It's nice to meet you." She smiled warmly, friendly even though she sensed some tension between this two. Maybe they were just new, all the more reason to be nice to them. "And these are Zack, Glacier, and Orion," she gestured to each in turn with a tiny forepaw. "I think it's Glace that wants to fight today."

"And every other day," Zack said under his breath, the corners of his lips quirking ever so slightly.

"And don't worry," said Glacier, on the subject of not going easy on the Black Gabumon. "I didn't intend to." Though she smirked, her tone remained jovial enough. She wouldn't go easy on him, though it wasn't like she'd be fighting to permanently injure him either.

Zack backed up slightly and eyed the crowd, reminding himself they weren't real. "Well alright then," he said. He kept the shortlist card pocket of his harness opened, but he wasn't sure he would really need it. The battle didn't really seem even, but Anna could have something up her sleeve. "On three?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Cat's Eye!" Glacier's azure eyes shot wide, a strange gleam to them. Despite Glacier's efforts to aim the hypnotic attack, Anna might catch the edge of it, getting a taste of the same dazing effect directed at Terminus.

It was an opening move Glacier had used the likes of before. Tailmon's ranged options were limited, but against an opponent that could breathe fire like any Black Gabumon, the hypnotic attack could help Glacier close the distance.

The sudden start through Terminus off and he was ensnared easily by the Tailmon's opening move. He growled and swayed, unable to concentrate. He still felt a burning rising up his throat, however, in a severely weakened Petit Fire. The small black flames licked his maw and he let them fire drunkenly, aim off, as seen by the way it pulled to the right.

Anika herself felt the affects of the hypnotism, though... not quite as much a Termite. It was mostly a skin crawling feeling, not unlike the kind she used to get in the presence of her Sleeplessness. She clenched her fist tightly and felt bile rise up in her throat. She shoved it down and broke eye contact with the white feline and instead focused on Zack.

Yes, Zack was familiar. Most light tamers knew each other, at least by face and passing. It had been a long time since she and Zack had any contact though, the young man preferring time to himself than in the company of other tamers. After hearing conversations in the Ebon Hold, she understood; he had quite the massive bounty on his head. It was easier and safer for all involved not to be around others.

It was a sentiment she was understanding quite well.

Glacier smirked as she saw Terminus's attack go wide. Skirting to the other side, she ducked low and sprinted toward the Black Gabumon. Her four nimble paws carried her quickly into striking range. "Cat Punch!" Her black claws slid fully from her gloves, and she slashed at the side of Terminus's ribcage.

Zack glanced across the arena, absently stroking Orion's side. Anna seemed to have had a slight reaction to something, perhaps the peripheral of Glacier's attack. Anna was standing behind Glacier's target, after all. Still, something looked off about her, like she'd been ill recently. Perhaps it wasn't really that, but it was something.

Instead he dropped his gaze to his d-ban. It flashed a relative reading of the two combatant's power levels, and he frowned. On raw ability, Glacier can take 'Termite' apart. If not for the safety systems in place here, she could seriously injure him on accident. Does Anna really know what she's doing?

Terminus stumbled, trying desperately to fight through the ebbing haze of the Cat's Eye and his own clumsy form. He was more built for power and defense; speed and agility were definitely not on his side. His efforts at escaping the faster, stronger, and agile Tailmon might as well have been half hearted. Her dagger like claws scraped his skin and he let out a yelp. His dodge hadn't been all for naught, however; the wound left behind was mild compared to what it could have been. Furthermore, her closeness gave Terminus an excellent opportunity.

He reached out and grabbed at the still extended paw with his own hand. He gripped tightly and felt the hot build up of flames. It roiled in his belly first before rising like vomit to his maw. The flames licked his muzzle and fangs before launching themselves out, aimed to singe the Adult level in a good, up close attack.

Anika watched the battle continue on, feeling a chill creep into her. She dragged the Haversack shooting jacket closer to her body. Her time in the hospital had weakened her. Really, her time with Insomnia had weakened her. Her muscle didn't respond as readily as they used to, things dragged and scrapped. Even her mind was slower. It was frustrating.

Trying to hold on to a willful cat was never the smartest idea. Trying to grab one and then spray it with fire was even more questionable. Though Glacier twisted to the side, she still felt blue flame scorch across her shoulder and back.

Vengeance was swift however, and the Tailmon intended to take advantage of her speed and their close proximity to simply maul Terminus. "Cat Paw!" She went straight for his throat with her claws.

"She doesn't look so good..." Aura murmured, eying Anna from her lofty perch. Anna wasn't exactly short herself, but she looked as though she was just getting over a nasty bout of the flu. "Do you really want to keep fighting them?" Aura asked, lowering her voice so they couldn't be overheard. "This isn't a fair fight at all."

"Some aren't," Zack replied softly, but it was a simple statement of fact, not necessarily a dismissal of Aura's suggestion. He fixed Anna with a querying glance, trying to push beyond those brown eyes and ascertain what the mind behind them might be up to. Was it some sort of scheme to lure him into a false sense of security? Or was Anna just very driven, even in the face of a seemingly mismatched battle?

Terminus growled low and vicious in his throat and jerked his arm, the one still clutching Glacier's paw, up to deflect her incoming attack. Her claws scrapped painfully and easily through the soft fur pelt and to the skin and scales underneath. He tightened his grip on her first paw and scrabbled with his free hand to grab her second paw. He glanced a panicked eye back toward Anika.

Brown eyes met his red eyes coolly and he gritted his teeth together. Right. He could see where this was going. Another rumble rolled up his chest and jerked his whole body around, using his brute strength in an attempt to make Glacier lose her footing. At the apex of his turn, he released his grip on her, trying to put some distance between them. Tailmon were close combat fighters, best suited to guerrilla warfare; hit strong and fast and then get away. He had to keep her away from him.

"Black Ice!"he snarled and a stream of frosty air frothed from his mouth. He pointed his muzzle down and made a quick turn, turning the floor slick and glacial; at the center of it, stood Terminus, injured but not quite ready to quit.

Though Terminus's toss succeeded, Glacier had accepted that fact and landed gracefully several meters away. The ice field was a nice touch, enough to cause her problems if she tried to get too close. Clearly he wanted to keep her out of her element and in his. Still, Glacier still had a few tricks up her sleeve, even without Zack swiping cards like a Yu-Gi-Oh addict on crack. Sometimes a simple change in tactics had shock value. On that note...

With a flare of golden light, Glacier's form shifted, becoming stockier and slightly larger. It remained quadrupedal however, and had a large, feathery fan of a tail, long ears, claws for burrowing, and a crimson coat streaked with white stripes. "Sparkling Thunder!" as the Elecmon opened her mouth, a stream of yellow energy blasted from within, aimed dead-center at Terminus.

Zack suppressed a small smile, surprised at Glacier's choice of evolutionary directions. She often lamented Tailmon's general lack of ranged attacks, but he had expected her to evolve up to Bastemon.

"Not something you see every day, huh Zackie?" Aura was all too accustomed to Glacier's relentless need to show off, so she too was surprised. "I figured she'd ask for Gatling Arm or something."

"She does like that one," admitted Zack. At the same time however, Glacier had been separated from him for awhile, so it only made sense that she would have found ways around limitations. Plus it would be interesting to see what the other pair's reactions were to this particular change.

The attack struck Terminus cleanly and for a moment he couldn't breath. He choked on the electricity, his lungs and vocal cords briefly paralyzed by it before it passed in a wave, the excruciating pain leaving only a deep boned ache. He shivered and wavered on the spot, closing his eyes against the burn. It wasn't as powerful as Glacier's previous attacks had been but it had still hurt like a bitch and he could feeling his strength weakening.

He pressed forward anyway, strengthening his resolve as much as he could; he was drawing on only his own strength. Anika wasn't forth coming in giving her own assistance. He stole a quick glance toward her and saw he trembling, finger tips grasping tightly at the lapels of her own coat. She looked paler than before.

"An-"

"Focus on the battle, Termite,"she hissed. She was clearly shaken by something but her voice didn't betray it.

Frankly, Terminus wanted to end the match here. Anika had made her point; she didn't need to torture herself now. He wasn't an idiot; he knew what was in her head. Visions of electrified pylons and the jarring pain that came with them. No, he wanted it to be done with now.

"I think we should back out now,"he offered up to the room a large.

Anika's features tightened. "Keep going,"she said, shaking her head.

Zack frowned, crossing his arms. He was all for calling the battle if Terminus was, but Anika seemed to have other ideas. He flexed his fingers, uncertain what he should do at this point. He hadn't been sure how well they could fight, but there was no they, and this... wasn't a fight.

Glacier ticked her claws against the field's deck, her tail fanning back and forth. Electricity continued to crackle across the sail. "Thunder Knife!" With several pops, blades of hissing electricity took the shape of Glacier's tail feathers and fired themselves one by one at Terminus.

Though sluggish and tank like and fenced in by his own ice, Terminus lurched to the side, throwing his weight onto the dark ice and slide across it. He stumbled slightly as he hit uniced ground, getting hit by an idea the moment his feet touched solid ground. He sucked in a sharp breath and aimed his muzzle at the ground. "Black Ice!"he snarled.

Hurriedly, he froze the ground in a trail aimed toward the, now slower, Elecmon. He chopped off the attack just short of the rabbit Digimon before charging down it. Carefully, Terminus hit the patch of ice and allowed his paws to slide over it, keeping his center of gravity low so as to not lose his balance. He gained speed and inertia quickly and used it to his advantage, lowering his silver gleaming horn.

He pushed off hard once he hit the end of his ice patch and used his close proximity to attempt a Little Horn attack.

Zack realized what Terminus was up to as he finished laying down the black ice 'runway' toward Glacier. He opened his mouth to call out a warning, but Glacier had also worked it out.

Turning to the side, Glacier scrambled clear. She managed to avoid getting gored, the horn passing several inches behind her tail feathers, but the Black Gabumon was bulkier than that and so clipped her back end and the blunt impact spun her around. Bracing her paws against the ground and pushing, she completed her spin, bringing her tails back around to slap at Terminus. "Nine Tails!" Electricity once more crackled along her tail feathers, ready to discharge on impact.

It was Terminus's own momentum that saved him from the painful attack though... the resulting fall was quite painful. Despite his target having changed locations, his body kept on moving despite this, its natural course being thrown off by the slight bump that the two of them had. He bounced away from Glacier, rolling to a halt and narrowly avoiding her physical blow.

He was still for a moment, somewhat dizzy from the twist. It took him a moment to push himself into a stand position and even longer before he could focus on just one of the Glacier's swaying in his vision. He growled soft in his throat, the noise gurgling. Even when he'd been under Insomnia's rule, he hadn't been much of a fighter; his primary duty had been servant. He'd had a brother, a Psychemon, that had been a foot soldier but he never spoke to him.

Now it seemed it was biting him in the butt. The double attack had worn him and his injuries were making the battle twice as hard as it should be. He glanced at Anika again only to see nothing but firm resolution. Apparently, he was just going to get his ass kicked and there was little else to it. Dammit.

Not that you don't deserve it.

He clenched his fist and felt a burn in his face and in his stomach. He charged at Glacier again, not even bothering with a powered attack; just a mean right hook and frustration searing his eyes. He was useless.

Obvious attack, obvious solution. Glacier held her ground, waiting for Terminus to commit to the attack. With luck, she could fry him before he got close. "Sparkling - Thunder!" A crack split the air as Glacier fired a sizzling yellow bolt from her mouth at Terminus.

What's your angle, Anna? Zack wondered, tapping a boot against the slick floor. Simple victory didn't seem like her aim. Was this supposed to toughen up Terminus somehow?

"I don't like this, Zackie..." Aura murmured, shaking her head, her wings drooping. "Terminus isn't a match for the glacial bitch, and Anna's not even trying to help him..."

"I don't know..." Zack said under his breath.

The attack struck and Terminus again felt the seize of electricity. He choked and felt bile rise in his mouth, as acrid in taste as Glacier's assault. It cut off abruptly, sending him backwards in a skid. He came to a haphazard stop and swayed, panting heavily and trying to get the roil of his stomach under control. His eyes watered and he felt the humiliation, defeat, and frustration start to get to him.

Terminus was prepared to take another step but he stumbled and fell forward onto his hands and knees, heaving. Salty liquid leaked from his eyes and he felt his embarrassment increase ten fold. Everything ached and he couldn't help but wonder if this was how Anika felt every day with Insomnia.

He looked at her again from the corner of his eyes, pleading quietly that she was satisfied with this; that they could go home and he could just fall into a deep sleep. She said nothing though, her lips pulled closed tightly and her eyes far away, distant and cold. The BlackGabumon gritted his teeth and pushed himself up right again.

"Well,"he said. "Is that all you have?"

"I could keep this up all day~" Glacier's voice was light and spry, playful and almost flirty. "But it doesn't look like you can." Her tail twitched, her ears quivered, her lips forming a grin. "Sparkling Thunder!" She fired another blast of electricity at him.

Zack glanced away, his face wrinkling slightly in disgust. Whatever Anna and Terminus might be gaining from this, Zack gained nothing, and even Glacier's heart wasn't truly in it the way Zack had seen her.

"Zackie..." Aura murmured. "You could call it off. Glacier will listen to you, and you can deal with it if they try to force a fight."

Terminus swayed to the side and managed to avoid the electrical attack this time; he didn't think he could take another hit of any magnitude. He stumbled over his own large, clunky feet but his trip didn't stop him from letting lose with a volley of black flames. His knees quivered as he did so but he wanted to at least land one last hit before he gave out completely. His pride begged him to land one more hit.


Anika stared at Terminus, looking over his battered form. She then turned her gaze to Zack. He seemed distinctly uncomfortable, undoubtedly picking up on her lack of help. It wasn't any of his concern really; if he was worried about a Digimon getting hurt, he should stop being a Digimon Tamer and fast. It was what Digimon did; battle and get hurt. Its what everyone did in the Digital World. Battle and then get hurt...

She broke her line of vision from him and covered her eyes, rubbing them a little. It wasn't the first time she wished she never came to the Digital World.

Turning to her left, Glacier tried to hop clear of the flames, but Elecmon's chunky form wasn't as good for high speed evasion. She was left with a singed flank, and several smoldering spots on her tail feathers. "What's the matter, getting dizzy?" Her tail feathers crackled and quivered, readying another charge.

"Stand down!" barked Zack, losing his patience at last. He straightened his lanky frame to its full height, towering over all others present in the arena. His shoulders drew tight and high first, then spread fully. He looked first at the battered Terminus, and then to distant Anika, his gaze cooling and his face freezing over with an impassive mask as he did.

"What are you trying to accomplish?"

Aura felt a slight shiver in her core, knowing that Zack's stony, impassive demeanor was masking something far less peaceable. Despite that though, she was as curious as Zack just what the opposing duo was up to.

Grumbling, Glacier fanned her tail again, the charge passing from it. The temptation was certainly there to give Terminus the final stroke to knock him out, but for the immediate future she wouldn't strike except in self-defense.

Anika glared at him and wrapped her jacket tighter around herself. The chill was still seeping into her bones and she could feel his patience having broken. Her lips thinned and she pressed down on the tendril of wriggling fear in her gut; he wouldn't lay a finger on her. He wasn't anything like Insomnia.

She sucked in a breath when Terminus spoke up again, saving her the trouble. "We're just trying to accomplish a friendly battle,"the Black Gabumon said smoothly, swaying on the spot. It was a lie, bold faced and brazen and it tasted bitter on his tongue. But Anika needed protecting, even from other tamers. He slid between Zack and Anika and sucked in a breath.

"Which you have clearly won,"he continued, despite the ringing in the room.

Anika's fingers tightened but she didn't say anything. She wanted to continue the match but the way Zack was acting, it seemed like it wasn't happening. Fine. She had other things on her agenda...

"Termite, we can go,"she said, voice frosty. The hologram fell away and the room became quiet without the jeering faux fans. Terminus looked back at Anika and couldn't help but feel he'd disappointed her. He hadn't been expecting praise but...

He wilted and felt exhaustion seep into his bones. No, he'd never get her praise; if he just go her acquaintance he would have crossed a huge milestone.

"Friendly battles are normally at least close to a fair fight," Zack said, his tone unaltered, the tamer flatly unpersuaded by Terminus's words. Not to mention the two of them hardly act like friends. Still, if Anna wanted to throw her partner under the bus and he wanted to let her, there wasn't much any of them could do.

Aura leaned down and whispered into Zack's ear. "Heal him, Zackie. She can't. Or won't..."

Zack reached into one of the upper pockets on his harness, the one where he kept his 'shortlist' of cards. He pulled out them halfway out of the pocket, and thumbed them back down one by one until he found the card he was after. He slashed the card through his d-ban, and a soft glow appeared around Terminus, erasing his wounds.

Name: Miracle Ruby
Number: U20
Type: Single Target
Duration: N/A
Effect: Instantly restores 100% of the health of one Digimon of the user’s choice.

Glacier sauntered back over to Zack, her body wreathing in light along the way. By the time she reached her companions, the bulky fur and feathers form of Elecmon had trimmed back down to her adult stage of Tailmon.

((*expecting Anika to get mad~* XD;;))

For such a small, sickly girl, Terminus had to give her credit for being to bristle and puff up like someone twice her size. Her features went from pale to vivid angry red and her first clenched. Her back straightened and her body went rigid and she spat out a vehement, poisonous,"Piss off!"

Her outburst was short lived and seemed to drain her though. Her features slumped soon after, shuddering out. Terminus inched closer in case she lost her balance while watching Zack. "Sorry,"he said, looking apologetic. "She's really not feeling well..."

Anika glowered at him and jerked away, even as she swayed on the spot. "I'm feeling as fine as I'm ever going to,"she snapped. She turned her flinty gaze on Zack. "And I'd appreciate it if you let me handle my Digimon the way I want to,"she growled. "You don't know everything that's involved or everyone that was involved."

"Anika..."

Though the sickly girl's ability to puff up, hiss, and spit was surprising, it wasn't exactly unsettling to a group as experienced as the quartet was. Aura ducked her wings slightly, but Zack held his ground, and Glacier looked ready to zap Anna for her insolence. Ready to fall over and she can still manage a roar, she'd get along well with Kyra, Glacier thought icily.

Aura had to feel a certain amount of pity for Terminus, he was clearly a kind and diligent partner. So of course, some cruel twist of the universe had him saddled with a cranky bitch. Well, I don't think I've ever wished I was Kyra before, but I bet she'd have fun with this. Alas, Aura wasn't inclined to beat someone up purely for the crime of neglecting a partner, however tempting it might be.

An assortment of responses flitted through Zack's mind, his body remaining tense. He didn't know what her problem was, but her hostility seemed to be rooted in more than just ignorance of Digital sentience. He could try to drag her problem out of her, by force if necessary.

Or he could just shrug and walk away. It was just a training battle, and they had their own problems to deal with. A glance up at the simulated crowd showed they had mostly gone silent, filing slowly out of the stands. Some muttered vague disappointments about the match ending without a true knock-out.

Zack exhaled slowly, and decided that what was done was done. "Let's go," he said in an undertone.

"Zack," Glacier began hotly, though her voice was just as quiet so that Anika and Terminus would not hear the disagreement. "She's a danger to herself, and to that doormat partner of hers."

And what can I do about that? Zack thought bitterly. "I'm not Partner Protective Services, or a cop."

"Maybe you should be." Glacier's whiskers quivered as she smirked.

Zack nodded curtly to Anika and Terminus, before turning and heading for the exit. Glacier was a little slower, sorely tempted to make an 'I'm watching you!' gesture to Anika, but refraining. Turning on Zack's head, Aura managed to get off a wave to Terminus before Orion followed and blocked the whole lot of them from view. The doors closed behind them, the hologram disappeared.

The Dorugamon alone recognized Anika, for while her appearance had changed her scent had not as much. It puzzled him that they spoke as strangers, but at the end of the day it didn't seem particularly important.

hmmm

anika

.05 dep

200 bits


Zachary

.05 dep

300 bits))