Chapter 1: The Arrival
Walking down a forest path was a bipedal, otter-like Pokémon with primarily light blue fur. A pair of rectangular glasses which he occasionally needed to gently push back to prevent from slipping off; resting upon his red nose. Around his waist was a large, fringed arrangement of fur that was colored a dark blue. On his thighs were attached two scallops. He sighed to himself in content and scratched his head, unintentionally ruffling the tuft of hair that was of a similar hue.
It was a very nice day, sunny but not unbearably hot. Despite common misconceptions, given their resistance to fire type attacks, water type Pokémon were anything but fond of heat. This Dewott, named Kai, was a passionate traveler and learner. The water type was currently out on a stroll which was more for the sake of taking a break rather than exploring. He wasn't taking in his surroundings like he usually did because it was the same area, he'd spent the last month at. There was a small, quiet town not too far off with plenty of nice Pokémon in it, something he always appreciated because of how difficult it was for him to interact with strangers. It had a pretty nice library too, and the residents had some interesting stories as well as general knowledge to share.
His mother had once told him that there was more to a young pokémon’s life than studying (which was accompanied by an anything but appreciated elbow nudge that had embarrassed the living hell out of him at the time). It was kind of funny, in a way, how unlike her he was when it came to personality. Kai was still waiting to get a response to a letter he'd sent her and his adopted brother upon arriving to this town. He sent those out whenever he got the chance to and, assuming he chose to stick around for more than just a few days, mentioned that he'd wait for an answer. With how far he was from home, it was no wonder how it often took long for that to happen.
The Dewott was so caught up in his own thoughts, he failed to notice what he was walking towards. A distortion that warped the surrounding area. Although, given his natural curiosity, he'd have probably gone and inspected it either way. So, when it suddenly felt as though he was being warped- well, he didn't know how to describe that brief sensation.
On the other end of Kai’s distortion in space was a blue dragon Digimon, a Veemon named Yami. Yami was walking down the street in his usual daily routine to find that next job so that Sol the Guilmon would stop calling him a layabout. After another failed attempt at working, the blue dragon was sluggishly heading back home. By this time, the sun was already setting and the sky an orange hue. He sighed.
"This royally blows... and not in the good way."
It wasn't long before there was a relatively loud cracking noise that echoed across the sky. It was unexpected, causing poor Yami to nearly jump out of his scales. He immediately looked up into the sky to see the distortion followed by something rocketing from it and crashing not too far from where he was.
"What in the hell!?" He said and looked around at the other Digimon who talked amongst themselves about it. All wondering what it could have possibly been, as it landed downtown without any noticeable noise or damage. Yami, who had been on many adventures before as a young Digimon, was instinctually programmed to check it out. Without hesitation, the blue haired dragon ran off in the direction of the object.
"Ugh, what am I even doing? I'm retired from this kind of stuff... still... I can't just ignore it like the rest of these Digimon.” The Veemon let out an elongated sigh, “I swear, if I have to kick some ass, I'm going to be so pissed."
It took him nearly ten minutes to make it to where it had fallen, even at his top speed. The small distortions in the air along the way gave Yami its exact location, he slowed as he approached it and when he saw something blue moving, he ducked behind something nearby and peeked out.
Kai had landed on his back, with his bag that carried most of his belongings breaking the impact. The water type groaned in pain and discomfort, rubbing the back of his head. He was about to attempt to rise into a sitting position when he suddenly stopped. How weird, the sky looked very different compared to what he could have sworn it looked like just a moment ago. Maybe it was just his imagination?
Sitting up, Kai situated his glasses back into their proper position, feeling glad that they hadn't fallen off during this bizarre ordeal because he could hardly see without them. With that out of the way, he quickly became aware of the fact that, in contradiction to the forest he'd been walking through just before, he now appeared to be inside an alleyway of what looked very much like a human city. The sight made it impossible for him not to yelp in an almost startled manner. He's always been curious about humans but never dared to try to learn more about them so directly. If he were to get caught, it would probably mean the end of his travels as well as never being able to go back home.
Being in this weird alleyway ruled out the possibility that he'd maybe tripped over something, got knocked out and was then found by someone who carried him back to town. This possibility would have explained why the sky looked somewhat different because some time would have obviously passed. Just what in the name of Arceus was going on?
Yami brought a hand to his chin. "That's what came through a distortion? It's so... fuzzy. It's definitely not a Digimon... hmm... I wonder if this is one of those Pokémon things Sven and Sol always go on about. I mean, I guess it makes sense... I suppose I should actually approach it and see if it's hurt... that would be the right thing to do. Plus, it will give me a reason to stop talking to myself like a loon..." Yami cleared his throat and stepped out from where he had been hiding, approaching the blue otter like creature.
"Hey buddy, are you okay?" Yami called out keeping a firm look just in case it turned out to be violent and dangerous. "You fell from the sky pretty fast and hard... but it looks like the digital coating kept you from fatal harm."
Kai, still thoroughly confused and trying to get his head around whatever it was that was going on, was startled even further when he heard someone address him suddenly. For a very brief second, he felt relieved. Pokémon could understand human language but it was unlikely for a human to suddenly address a stray Pokémon in such a manner. At the same time, he knew that humans carried their Pokémon inside things called pokéballs, so it seemed also unlikely that this was a Pokémon speaking to him. This had to be a human city though wild Pokémon did not build or inhabit such places as far as he knew.
But as he looked to answer whoever (or whatever) it was that had just spoken to him, he found himself unable to utter a single word at first. This was definitely not a human but it didn't look like a Pokémon either. Well, certainly not a Pokémon specie that the Dewott was familiar with. Giving in to his curiosity (to the point where it easily overpowered his reserved and timid nature) the water type stood up and fully faced the stranger. The prospect of seeing a Pokémon he has never seen before easily overshadowed that strange remark of some "digital coating" keeping him from harm.
"What kind of Pokémon are you?" he asked eagerly, forgetting what proper manners even were as he stepped a little closer to get a better look at Yami, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. It was like the pain of falling just now was entirely gone.
Usually when Kai spoke to strangers, he could barely look in their general direction and yet there he was. He also seemed to forget the whole issue with him suddenly waking up in a completely different place as a result of who knew what. Wait, did the presence of an unknown Pokémon mean he was in an entirely different region?
"I've never seen one like you before!" he added, with the same eagerness.
Yami crossed his arms once the Pokémon approached him with such excitement. He was definitely new here and that could be dangerous for a Pokémon, why did he always get stuck with the piss jobs? Yami's thoughts muddled and his face soured into an annoyed grimace. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. After a moment, he stood at attention and marched over to him, closing the gap between them.
"That's because I am not a Pokémon and you are not in your world. Don't speak, listen because I do not feel like playing twenty questions with you. I'm only going to say this once, and only once, you fell through a dimensional rift that was connecting your Pokémon world and my world, which is called the Digital World, which exists in a different dimension on a digital plane. My kind, although sometimes annoyingly confused with yours, are called Digimon, and we're native to this world." Yami took a breath and calmed so that his own personal annoyance with the universe didn't completely frighten this newcomer. He was supposed to be helping after all.
The inflection in his voice noticeably calmed with his next words, "My species are known as Veemon, I am a dragon type Digimon and my name is Yami. You're in the city of Xuan Wu, where I live, which is on the continent Silva. Understand?" Yami asked.
Of course, he didn't expect all this information to be taken so lightly and the newcomer to just accept it. Yami was entirely expecting this thing to completely flip out, and that thought slightly annoyed him. It always happened, every single time someone accidentally fell there. It got real old real fast after the ten thousandth time. Still, it was going to happen and he would have to deal with it. Ugh, was it too late for him to turn around and leave this guy here to fend for himself? Yes... because despite how upset he was, he was not that big a jackass and still felt the need to be a hero.
Of course, the first thing that went through Kai's mind as the Digimon in front of him started to explain the situation was, naturally, the impulse to ask an endless number of questions despite the stranger's clear impatience. He wasn't a Pokémon? This was a different world?! What the hell? Well... Pokémon like Giratina, for example, did prove that there was more than just one world and one dimension, but for an ordinary Pokémon such as himself to randomly end up in a different one-
His thought process was interrupted when Yami seemed to be talking more aggressively, it suddenly made the water type aware of just how annoyed this individual was. Kai has never been good with strangers and this only got worse whenever these interactions weren't just a calm, normal conversation which, in this case, seemed to be just that in light of the Digimon’s clear agitation.
The dewott's gaze dropped to his own feet and his paws slowly grasped the strap of his bag as he began to fiddle with it awkwardly in an attempt to distract himself, but he still listened to Yami's every word. Being rather easily intimidated, he couldn't help but worry that this would somehow take a violent turn. He was quite capable of defending himself, actually, despite the misleading appearance and demeanor, but he greatly disliked violence.
Out of nowhere, instead of being as appealing as it had been just a moment prior, the idea of being stranded in a foreign world surrounded by creatures he knew absolutely nothing about was just as intimidating as it was filled with learning potential. He didn't even know how he'd gotten there exactly, despite Yami's brief explanation, if one could call it that seeing how it didn't really explain how these distortions worked. How could one even go back? Were there other Pokémon like himself in this Digital World? How come he's never even heard of it before? Maybe because all the Pokémon that accidentally came there have never been able to get back?
His eyes slightly rose to look at Yami now that the Digimon seemed to have calmed down to a certain extent (and sounded like it too). He tried to find his voice which, at least from his perspective, took forever. Of course, he had a lot of questions, but he was too hesitant to ask them because he didn't want to anger Yami even further.
"I... I think I do? Kind of... N-Not entirely..." he eventually mumbled quietly.
Yami's answer was something, though. He understood that he was in a different world and that he'd gotten there because of some dimensional rift... this couldn't be a dream. The pain in his back from the fall made that clear enough. Even with those few dry details, he didn't really understand anything at all. Regardless, he didn't dare ask another question or even make a sound.
Yami looked at the Dewott and how humbled and quiet he had become. He tried to keep up his firm stance but let out a sigh, his annoyance subsiding he dropped his arms and scratched the back of his head before speaking up.
"Look... I'm sorry. I was out of line... I wasn't having the best of days and then I stumbled into you and didn't want to be bombarded with questions and such. Why don't we start over?" Yami then approached and held out his hand.
"My name is Yami, I’m a Veemon and a Digimon of this world. You are?" Yami asked giving a smile. It wasn't right of him to be so rude and so nasty to this guy, he was probably scared and feeling alone. He remembered his own first time being stranded in a foreign world, but he at least had friends with him.
"You must be scared, and I clearly wasn't helping. I hope you can forgive me."
Kai kept quiet, still fiddling with the strap of his bag while wishing he could just vanish or simply turn invisible until Yami suddenly spoke up again, the water type felt greatly relieved and raised his gaze from the floor.
"O-Oh... That's alright..." he muttered quietly.
It's not like he was blaming the Digimon or anything. It probably wasn't all too pleasant to suddenly get questioned endlessly by some stranger. The Dewott hesitated briefly when Yami held out his hand but, not wanting to appear rude, slowly reached towards it with one of his own and shook it slowly and awkwardly.
"My name is Kai..." he said, his voice still quiet. "Um... I'm a Dewott... It's a... well, a Pokémon specie..."
He couldn't help but pay attention to the fact that, despite being in a seemingly different world, he and Yami spoke the same language. What was the deal with how human-like the city looked too? It raised even more questions in the young water type's mind, but he figured he better keep his mouth under control and not ask them; at least not right now.
"You're not the first or even the tenth Pokémon to find their way here. We've been seeing more and more of your kind here... among other creatures from other worlds. Usually, they just take a normal rift here, but sometimes random ones still open and send guys like you here. You're the first Dewott I've seen though. I can take you to a rift station and get you back home though, before it gets any later and the stations close for the night."
Yami offered pointing behind him to the street. "I'm sure the last thing you expected today was to come to the Digital World." Yami suddenly heard ringing, and his calm demeanor faded. "Ugh..."
He turned and opened a pouch that had been hidden, comfortably sitting on his hip. Kai was about to sheepishly tell Yami that he couldn't have had the slightest chance to expect to arrive in a place he didn't even know existed, but was prevented from doing so by the sudden, weird noise coming from the pouch the Digimon was carrying. Yami checked the screen and glared at the I.D.
"What?" He answered, violently flipping open the device. There was a moment of silence as Yami listened.
"Sven... Sven... shut up a second. I don't know where your controller is... stop talking so fast. What does Sol want?" Yami's expression soured and he pinched the V on his forehead in angst.
Kai remained silent and stared as the Veemon spoke into his weird looking device. It had to be one of these cellphones his mother had told him humans used. As far as the Dewott was concerned, she must have had a trainer at some point in her early life. She never seemed to want to tell him about it, so random questions about humans in general were as far as Kai went. If only Pokémon used those it would make keeping in touch with his mother and adopted brother that much easier in comparison to writing letters.
It wasn't at all surprising that Digimon had cellphones, actually, given the fact that they lived in such a human-like city. Were there humans in this world as well? According to Yami this Digital world and Kai's own world weren't the only ones in existence, so the possibilities were endless! Suddenly an idea struck him. This place was far more interesting than any spot he could possibly try to travel to back in his home world... He knew absolutely nothing about it whatsoever! What could be more appealing to someone that was so eager to learn than this?
"Okay okay okay, shush... tell Sol I'll be home within another twenty minutes and keep the food warm okay? I have to do something first... don’t... don't worry what I need to do first twerp, just tell Sol okay? Yes. Yes... uh huh... you do that Sven... love you too... bye." Yami placed the phone back in his pouch.
"Sorry, that was my little brother... they're wondering where I am. Best get you back to your world Kai."
"Actually, uh..." said Kai after a short silence, rubbing the back of his head. "To tell the truth, I would really like to stay... Um, you know, learn more about this place..." He paused briefly to adjust his glasses on his face properly. "I-"
The Dewott suddenly paused as a realization hit him. How in the name of Arceus was he supposed to do that? He had nowhere to sleep not to mention any money - the money used between Pokémon back in his own world was probably different and he doubted it would be possible to convert any of his savings.
"Oh..."
Before Yami knew it, Kai was muttering quietly to himself, going through possible scenarios or courses of action he might be able to take in order to make it a possibility somehow. The problem was, with how quickly and quietly he was talking to himself, that it was impossible to understand a word he was saying.
Yami couldn't say he was surprised, usually Pokémon found the Digital World quite appealing. It didn't really matter to him; their world hadn't had any dangers in years so it wasn't particularly dangerous for newcomers and Pokémon could defend themselves as long as they didn't run into a Digimon triple their size with unfathomable power. Yami remembered how that used to be him once upon a time. Ah well, now was not the time to take a trip down memory lane.
He looked to the Dewott muttering to himself and Yami shook his head, "Look if you want to stay, that is on you but it's going to be dark soon so you may want to grab a hotel or something. There is an inn down the street, just give them this cash and you can probably spend a single night."
Yami reached into his pouch and then realized something was missing. "Where's my extra money!?" He exclaimed and then perked up as he remembered something.
"Yami, can I have one bit? I want ice cream." Sven asked. Yami was reading a magazine and didn't pay his request much mind.
"Whatever."
"Sven! That little!! He took all my money!!! I'm gonna let him have it when I see him!" Yami let out a heavy sigh and looked at Kai. He was so unprepared to be on his own, there was really only one thing Yami could do.
"I thought I had cash but I don't... would you... like to stay with me and my family?" Yami offered.
Kai, still trying to figure out how to deal with his predicament, snapped out of his train of thought when Yami spoke to him again. He didn't even get a chance to say that he would feel really uncomfortable about taking money from him before the Veemon suddenly came to the realization that he didn't even have any to begin with.
The water type Pokémon was about to tell Yami not to worry about him and that he would be fine (even though he was starting to doubt he would be) when the Digimon actually went as far as to offer him to come and stay with him and his family.
"O-Oh! I... uh..."
If asking for money felt like too much, then this made Yami's previous offer look like nothing despite having also been very generous. The Dewott obviously didn't have any with which he could somehow repay for the kindness, but it would still be really unpleasant to just show up unannounced to the rest of the household even if he did.
"I couldn't possibly ask that of you..." he muttered, once again fiddling with the strap of his bag.
"You weren't asking if I recall, I was offering.” Said Yami. “Whether you take it or not is of no consequence to me. You're in a new world you know nothing about, you have no friends, no money, nowhere to stay, no sense of direction, no food. Are you really in a position to look a gift horse in the mouth? Look, Kai, if you think you can go all commando here and tough it out in a foreign land, I'm not going to stop you. I know how rough it is to wind up with no sense of anything in a foreign world. So, I'm going to offer it again, and only one more time, do you or don't you want to stay with me and my family?" Yami said being as firm as he could.
He wasn't one to push himself on people especially if they didn't want his help. He stared at the Dewott and awaited his response, his foot eagerly tapping. Though the more he stared, the more the thought of the Dewott saying no made him feel uneasy. Perhaps pushing this one time would be okay.
Kai already knew all those things Yami was saying. He was far from dumb. That's why the situation was so unpleasant, because he not only didn't want to be a burden on anyone but also because he knew the consequences of turning down the offer which he was so incredibly lucky to have been presented with.
Despite knowing how much his lack of assertiveness often hurt him (with this scenario being a fine example), it wasn't easy to just suddenly change so drastically. Yami was right, even if his little speech was more of a reminder rather than an eye opener.
"I-I do..." he answered eventually, his paws now gripping onto his bag tightly rather just fiddling with the strap like before. "I do... T-Thank you... You're a life saver..."
Yami gave a small grin as the Pokémon finally agreed, "I thought I'd have to drag you by your tail home at this rate. Glad you have some common sense." Yami stated, revealing he didn't have any intention of letting Kai fend for himself. Now he just had to call ahead and inform his housemates.
Yami took the phone out of his pouch again and flipped open the top, dialing a number before placing it to his ear. "Sol, we're going to have a house guest, prepare more dinner." He ordered. Yami listened to the Digimon on the other end of the phone, gradually becoming more irritated as they went on.
"I don't need your last-minute speech, just do it... what do you... ugh... does it matter? A while probably... maybe a night. It's a Pokémon that fell here from one of those random distortions."
Kai stood there in complete silence as Yami made his phone call, even though he was already feeling a lot less stressed out now that Yami had again dropped his serious and impatient demeanor. Not that the idea of being dragged by the tail sounded very pleasant. Then Yami suddenly turned a bit red.
"Sh-shut up you stupid dragon, that isn't the case at all! I'm trying to be a good Digimon here! You're so infuriating! ...Kai, he's a Dewott... I don't know, some kind of otter? I don't see as many Pokémon as you. Can we talk when we get to the house? The street lights are already on and I'm hungry… Yes. Yes. Sure. Bye." Yami hung up the phone with noticeable aggression and put it away.
"That guy really pisses me off to no end. That was Sol, he's the head of the house... pays the bills etcetera. Anyway, you're clear to stay with us, so shall we?"
As Kai expected, suddenly showing up on such short notice was a bit of a mess. He'd find a way to make it up to Yami and his family. First thing in the morning, he'd go and look for a job. Anything at all if it would make it possible for him to stay in the Digital World. The Dewott could only imagine how big the city library had to be surely, they had one. Hopefully, with any luck he'd be able to get an inn room or something for the following night because, despite the kind offer, the sooner he was able to provide for himself the better.
"Uh, yes... of course..." he said, following Yami as the blue Digimon led the way outside of the alley. He was already busy rehearsing how to phrase his apologies and gratitude once they got there as he looked around at their surroundings while they made their way, the vehicles, even the streetlamps. Everything was so foreign and new. He couldn't wait to learn more. Surprisingly, out of the many different Digimon out on the streets, almost no one even looked in his direction. It seemed that having Pokémon (or any creature from another world) in the Digital World really was common like Yami had pointed out earlier.
"Um... I actually do have some food with me..." he pointed out, hoping that Yami could hear him over all the noise around them. Perhaps he should have said this back when the Veemon had been on the phone with Sol.
Yami looked to him briefly as he spoke about having food then looked back in front of him, "Any food you have is probably just some kind of snack and not anywhere near a full course meal one should be eating at this hour. Save your food, Sol is a good cook I'll have to admit. I should probably explain my housemates to you before we actually get there." Yami said with a short sigh.
Kai wanted to tell Yami that berries found in the wild in the Pokémon world were pretty filling and nutritious. Also, that he'd actually eaten just before heading out to that walk earlier today. Then again, there was no telling just how much time had passed since then with him falling through that dimensional distortion earlier, it would probably be pointless to say any of this to him in the end.
"Well, the first Digimon on the phone was Sven, my little brother, or son... or something... I'm not really sure what he is to me but I consider him my brother at any rate. He's a small blue dragon like me. His species is a new type called a Giramon. He is essentially a hybrid of my species and Sol's species, the second one on the phone who I told you were coming. Sol is the largest of us all and he is a red dragon, he is the head of the household and pretty much annoys the living hell out of me by just existing. His species is known as Guilmon. Sol pretty much does everything, so if you need anything you can go to him... just... don't piss him off if you can help it. He is not someone you want as an enemy because you'll wind up very dead, very fast. Oh, and if Sven annoys you, just kick him. He'll wind up not liking you and essentially leave you alone. He’s got hyper energy, is clingy and likes new faces so be prepared for an immediate hug."
The Dewott kept quiet and listened attentively as the Veemon told him a little about the two Digimon he lived with. He considered this important information despite the 'just because' attitude Yami seemed to have as he spoke about them. The Pokémon didn't know whether the rather extreme and intimidating description of Sol was one hundred percent accurate or whether it was the apparent dislike Yami had for him that made him talk about him in such a manner, though he had no plans of agitating anyone if he could help it. That was one of the main reasons why he was so quiet all the time.
Yami's description of Sven being very energetic and clingy reminded Kai of his own little brother. The two were probably different in many ways, but he was also full of energy. The water type felt their similar attributes would make talking to Sven less difficult since he was used to it, but it all depended on just how clingy Sven really was. At any rate, he had no intention of kicking anyone. Hopefully, that was just a joke.
"Oh, that's okay..." he replied after a short silence. "I have a little brother myself..."
It's not like he had any right to complain about anything anyway. He had been offered to stay with them so the house residents were something he was going to have to deal with. Not in a bad way, of course, but they did live there after all while he was just a guest.
Yami looked at Kai briefly when he mentioned a brother. "We will see how okay it is I guess, anyway, here we are."
They walked up to a two-story home, its white coloring stood out among most of the homes and the grass was very rich and low cut. There was smoke emanating from the chimney and the sprinkler system was watering the grass for the night. There was a walkway leading to the stoop made up of two stairs that Yami stood on. Kai couldn't help but slow down his pace as they entered the front yard of the house. Even with the streetlights on, it was too dark to see any details of any of the houses aside from maybe the fact that most of them had lights on. It was definitely electricity given the permanent glow in comparison to the flickering one of a fire. The sprinklers easily caught the Dewott's attention. He’d never seen those before.
In the one window that was next to the door, a small, blue, smiling face could be seen looking out at them. The water type hadn't even realized that a certain Giramon was looking out through the window and waiting for them to arrive. It was only for a brief moment before he popped out of sight and the door opened.
The small blue dragon came running outside with a giggle. "Yami's hooooooooooome!" He cried out as he approached. Yami put on a smile as Sven ran and jumped towards him. It looked as if they were going to embrace in a welcoming hug, but Yami's hug turned into a headlock. The smaller blue dragon yelped as he was trapped. Kai’s smile in response to how cute the young Digimon was vanished instantly when the Veemon caught his little brother in a headlock.
"Hi there Sven... guess what I found out. You took all my money today. Like stealing from me do ya?" Sven held on to Yami's arm as his tail flailed around and his feet pushed off Yami's side in an attempt to break free.
"I'm sorryyyyy..." Sven cried out.
"I said one bit Sven! One bit! Not the fifty I had!!" Yami squeezed a bit tighter and Sven whined.
"Would you stop horsing around outside when dinner's ready? It's bad enough you're this late, now you're acting out in front of your own guest." A sturdy and imposing voice said from the doorway. The red dragon, Sol, stood there with his arms crossed and a scowl. Kai was about to timidly, quietly and awkwardly ask Yami to maybe give Sven a break when they were all suddenly made aware of Sol's presence. Yami glared at Sol with an eye twitch and released Sven who scrambled to his feet and ran back into the house.
Sol turned his head to look inside. "Sven, go finish putting the food out." He then turned his head back towards the duo.
"Tsk... stupid lizard." Yami started walking and went inside and past Sol without looking at him, a detail Kai noticed. Did he really dislike the red dragon so badly or was this also the result of the pretty bad day he claimed to be having? Well, in any case, Kai couldn't judge so soon. It wasn’t even any of his business to begin with.
The red dragon looked back at Kai as he approached, a soft gaze and smile coming across his face. He moved some strands of his hair out from behind the glasses he wore. His excellent physique was better noticed so close up.
"Hi there, I'm sure Yami has already told you about us but let me formally introduce myself. My name is Sol, it is nice to see a new Pokémon around here from our regular visitors." The red dragon held out his three clawed paw to shake. Feeling unnecessarily tense all of a sudden now that he and Sol were outside on their own, the Dewott’s hands once again grasped the strap of his bag in an awkward manner.
"H-Hello..." he mumbled nervously. Sol didn't look nearly as imposing as Yami had described him to be, but that didn't stop Kai from being himself.
"Nice to m-meet you Sol... My name's Kai..." It actually took the Pokémon a few seconds to even notice that the Guilmon was holding out his paw, which he shook after getting his bearings a moment later.
"U-Um... I'm sorry for intruding like this..." he admitted awkwardly. "Up until less than an hour ago I didn't even know that this world existed... I, um, ended up here without really intending to..."
Sol let out a chuckle, "Being invited into someone's home is hardly intruding. To intrude, you'd have had to come in uninvited, and if that happened, you'd have been torn to shreds. I'm honestly surprised Yami even had the decency to invite a stranded otherworlder to our home. Please, come in and make yourself at home. We have had Pokémon guests before so you're in a loving home, I assure you. As long as you don't mind the mess."
Kai wasn’t sure whether the red dragon was joking or not with his comment about getting torn to shreds. He seemed literal with him, making sure the Dewott knew the difference between what was currently happening to actually intruding in someone's home. At the same time, he didn't really get a chance to seriously think that over before Sol invited him in. Not wanting to either appear rude or delay the Digimon from having dinner further, he quietly stepped inside, with Sol closing the door behind the both of them.
The room started as wood flooring in front of the entrance, then transitioned into a blue rug where a single red couch was positioned in front of a very large television with all sorts of accessories near it. To the right of Kai was the staircase leading up into the upper floors where the bedrooms were. In the next room by the staircase on the bottom level was the half bath with only a sink and toilet within it. On the left side, just past the decorative plant hanging from the ceiling, was the doorway leading into the dining room kitchen where noises could be heard of things shuffling and clanging together.
The walls were painted a beige and had paintings and photos on it of some humans and younger versions of Sol and Yami. There were other pictures of other Digimon but one that would stand out was a picture of all three boys with a Cubone hanging above the doorway. Now that Kai was in an urban house, he couldn't help but feel fascinated by everything that he saw. This was very different from the homes Pokémon built themselves in the wild. They certainly lacked television, for starters. That photograph of the trio with the Cubone caught his attention as expected but given that Sol had mentioned them having had Pokémon guests in the past, it wasn't that big of a surprise. He noticed the pictures with the humans in them as well; making a mental note.
"Come on in, dinner is still warm." Sol said motioning Kai into the kitchen where a wide variety of meats and vegetables were spread out along the table.
The amount of food looked like it could feed a much wider party; more than four creatures of their size. Little did Kai know of a Digimon’s eating potential, though. Kai had to stop his awestruck gazing when Sol led him into the kitchen, which was also filled with all sorts of things (mostly electrical devices) that Kai had never seen up until that point. His attention shifted to the enormous amounts of food that was on the table. That looked as though it had taken a hell of a lot of effort to prepare not to mention that he couldn't even begin to imagine how they were possibly going to eat it all.
He recalled one time where he didn't know his mother had invited friends over and obliviously asked her whether all the food was for her. She hadn't been too happy with him for it. Hopefully this all wasn't just because of him coming there. Sven was sitting on his chair, swinging his feet in the air humming a tune, his plate full with all sorts of food. Yami was slouched in his chair, resting his face on his palm, twirling his fork on the table looking rather annoyed. Sol pulled out a chair from a closet on the other side of the kitchen and brought it over next to Sven.
"Here you are, Kai was it? Please have a seat, make yourself at home." Sol went and sat down in his chair and began to fill his plate. Sven's tail wagged very fast as he watched Kai, and when the blue Pokémon got close enough; Sven looked at him with a bright smile and big, curious red eyes. Kai awkwardly approached the chair Sol had brought out for him, not noticing the inevitable greeting he was about to get from Sven until he sat on it and was spoken to by the Digimon.
"Hi! I'm Sven! You must be the Pokémon! I've never seen your kind before! I wonder, do you know Toto!?" Sven asked earning a glare from Yami. The Dewott was just a tad startled by the sudden inquiry, even if it didn't show. He gave a small smile and was about to say that he didn't know who the Giramon was talking about as well as politely ask whether he was referring to the Cubone from that one photo. Maybe even point out to Sven that Yami had already told him about Toto, just not by name. Before he could get the chance however, Yami spoke first.
"Sven don't ask stupid questions, not all Pokémon know one another just like we don't know every Digimon." Sven looked at Yami and stuck his tongue out. The childish reaction was amusing to the Dewott. He was such a cute little guy, both in his appearance and his behavior. Kai, who was going to try again to give Sven an answer to his question, didn’t get a chance when Sol immediately spoke up gaining his attention.
"So, Kai how exactly did you come to this world?"
The thing was that he had no idea what to tell Sol. As per Yami's explanation, this was all just a big coincidence.
"I don't really know..." Kai muttered quietly, still feeling a little uneasy about sitting there with three strangers from another world. "I, uh, can't really remember... I was just walking in the woods and the next thing I knew; I was here..."
Perhaps Sol would be more patient to explain some things to him than Yami was, but now wasn't the time to ask question after question. He was feeling as uncomfortable as it was, so he definitely wasn't going to keep everyone from eating just so that they could answer him. The fact that he was actually able to prevent himself from asking anything was pretty remarkable because boy, did he have a lot of things he wanted to know.
The four began eating, Kai just sat there silently at first as the three Digimon sitting at the table with him began to dig in. Only Yami seemed to be eating in a reserved manner, perhaps due to the rather dampened mood he was in. Yami slowly picked up each scrap, examined it a moment, then ate it. Sven was eating wildly and making a mess. Nothing uncommon for a Digimon with his energy level to do. Sol was a surprise, being the big difference between how they all ate. He used his massive claws to rip into the food and like a predator of his caliber, scarfed incredible sized slabs of meat down his gullet. His tongue picking up the remnants of food from his blood-stained scales. Kai was in no way judging and he definitely had no right to care about how they ate in their own home. However, that didn't stop the Dewott from being reminded of the way his mother always scolded his little brother whenever the young Pokémon made a mess while eating his food, asking him if he felt obliged to feed the table.
"Sounds like the dimensional barrier between your world and ours is further deteriorating. Might be worth looking into honestly. We wouldn't want both of our worlds phasing into one another. That would be cataclysmic." Sol answered as if that were a normal thing to say.
Neither Yami nor Sven seemed to give the thought of a two-world ending apocalypse any reaction either. The water type was about to help himself to a bite because, despite what he'd said to Yami earlier, he was quite hungry and this looked way more delicious than berries. When Sol spoke up, the sound of what could be at least some explanation to how he'd ended up in the Digital World grabbed his attention. It was a good thing he hadn't started to eat just yet because he would have choked on his food as a result of what the Guilmon said.
Huh?! They wouldn't want the two worlds phasing into one another?! How come Sol had just said that so casually while both Sven and Yami seemed to not react to such a statement in even the slightest way?
"Just as long as it isn't me. Not really into saving the world again." Yami replied taking another bite.
"I'll do it! I wanna save the world!" Sven yelled standing on his chair and leaning out over the table in an excited manner.
"Sven, sit down and eat. I don't need you falling off the chair again." Sol ordered. Sven's ears dropped back as he sat down and continued eating.
"No one is going to have to save the world. Fixing dimensional rifts is easy in today's day and age. We're in no danger as long as we catch it early. I'll write an email to the World Defense Association and they'll handle it." Sol replied taking another slab down his throat with a slurp, then picking up the glass of water and drinking.
Kai couldn’t help but wonder what that saving the world comment was about. Has something like this happened before? Did humans maybe have something to do with it in one way or another? There just seemed to be more and more questions that kept popping up in Kai's mind to the point where he felt sure he wouldn't be able to remember it all. What was the World Defense Association? What were emails?
"In any case Kai, I hope for the time you're here, you enjoy your stay. The Digital World is in an era of worldwide peace right now so you'll be in no danger mostly." Sol chuckled.
"I wanted to be a hero..." Sven whined as he grumpily ate some more.
Somehow still keeping his mouth shut, the very curious Pokémon gave Sol a quick, silent nod, managing to not freak out as a result of the Guilmon's last statement. His chuckle after saying it made it rather clear that the red dragon was only kidding and, in any case, he wasn't as helpless as he probably looked. Once again reminding himself to keep all of his questions for later, the hungry Dewott figured he might as well finally eat something before he came off as rude.
As casually as ever, the water type detached one of the scallops attached to his thighs. It took a second before a sort of blue, pointy edge made of water extended from it and the Pokémon effortlessly cut himself a small piece before setting the scallop down on the table next to his plate. The sheen then disappeared as if it had never been there and Kai picked the slice of meat with his paws. He obviously didn't want to make a mess while he ate, being a guest and all. The Dewott's tool used to carve the meat caught Sol's attention and he watched with an analytical stare, a small smile on his snout. Every movement and action taken by Kai was mentally recorded. Kai took a small bite, his expression lighting up as he did. Chewing on it quickly, he swallowed and then looked at Sol. Sol gave a soft stare returning to his meal just as the Dewott spoke up loudly.
"Sol, this is delicious!" he said, unable to help himself. This was a bit of a surprise considering how quiet he'd been up until that point, but he did believe in giving credit where it was due.
"Yami told me you're an incredible cook so I guess I shouldn't be surprised..." he added with a small smile, helping himself to another bite.
Sol smirked and looked at Yami, "He did, did he? Well, that’s not surprising, he does love his food. Thank you though for the compliment. I appreciate it. I spent a good portion of my younger years learning quite a few forms of cooking. It was a fun experience since I was used to catching live prey and eating it raw."
Yami paid the comment no mind and continued with his food. Sven on the other hand had been staring intently at Kai as he used his tool.
"What is that? That's really cool! You can manipulate water? That must mean you're aquatic! That's so awesome! So, are you like an otter? I've never seen an otter..." Sven went on with question after question until Yami leaned over the table and clamped Sven's mouth closed and glared at him. Sven's ears dropped back again and Yami released him. The blue Digimon slouched and covered his snout with his hands (which were not gloved at the moment). Being a Dewott, Kai obviously didn't think much of his scallops because of how used to them he was. So, he didn't really expect it to catch Sven's attention the way it had. He would have gladly answered the Giramon's questions had the little guy given him an opportunity to do so before Yami got tired of his rambling. This was probably what he himself sounded like whenever he wanted to know more about something.
"Sven's eccentric questioning aside, that is a unique tool. I've studied a few water Pokémon in my visits but not yours. I would assume that there is a reserve of water stored in that shell and you possess some kind of kinetic ability to be able to shape that water into the tools you need. Either that, or the shell itself stores water and shapes it so each shell has a different use. I'd be willing to bet that it is the former of my hypothesis." Sol said finishing his plate. By this time, the large amounts of food had dwindled down to scraps; most of it eaten by Sol and Yami.
"Here comes sciency Sol again." Sven chuckled.
Sol shook his head, "Just an observation and process of elimination. No sciency stuff Sven." Sol stopped, taking a drink of his water. Yami had finished and pulled away from the table and took his plate.
Kai was surprised by the rather accurate hypothesis the Guilmon presented. "Most of my kind actually uses these as swords in battle. Um, I mean, that is their main purpose... We don't run around looking to do that..." he said after swallowing another bite. What he'd done just now was rather minor as the water could be extended to an even greater length. "But you're right, we can shape the water into any form we want within a certain size limit. I use it for all sorts of things..."
Sol definitely seemed like the type of Digimon that had a curious mind and a desire to learn. Even without him pointing out that he'd studied Pokémon in the past it was clear just from the general way in which he spoke. This was clearly something the two of them had in common. Kai wouldn't mind telling the Guilmon more about his species in particular and the Pokémon world in general. It also felt like Sol would be able to tell him a lot about the Digital World. He even seemed to have some knowledge as to how and why travelling between the two worlds was possible. More importantly, Kai doubted the red dragon would mind that type of conversation.
"It's my turn to do dishes... Sven bring everyone's plate once you're done. It's piled up and I don't want to be here for hours so I'm starting now." Yami said making his way to the sink and turning the faucet on. He prepared his chore while the others still ate.
The sudden thought of Yami made the Dewott follow the Veemon with his eyes as he approached the sink with some of the dishes. The sink was far more modern than the one he used at home. Namely, their sink was linked directly to a nearby lake; connected by hollowed out logs that lead back to his home. That seemed highly convenient, to somehow have access to water from within one's home without the need of being near a body of water. Kai had so many questions and again, reminded himself that he should save all of his questions for later. Especially the drier ones such as "how does this work" and the like. He felt the need to offer to help but had a hunch that he would be turned down because he was a guest, which made him too shy to even try.
"You're quite the interesting kind of water Pokémon. Most Pokémon I've seen keep reserves of water in a special organ in their bodies. I'll have to study your species closely when next I go to your world." Sol said.
"Oh, well, we do also keep reserves of water in our bodies." Kai added quickly. "It's just that our kind excels more at physical combat." He was about to point out to Sol that he wouldn't mind telling him all he knew about his species. He wasn't fully evolved just yet but his mother was a Samurott and he has lived with her his whole life. Surely, he'd be able to answer whatever basic question the Guilmon might have about his kind. Before the red dragon had a chance to ask anything else though, Yami interrupted, annoyed by Sol's inquiries.
Yami scoffed, "Can you maybe lay off the weird intrusive speech for once in your life?" He said as he lathered up more dishes.
Kai didn't mind at all. He was used to asking one question after the other without ever seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, in a manner of speaking. As a matter of fact, something Kai has noticed about himself throughout the years was that he was way more talkative when it came to these types of conversations. Well, everyone was usually a lot more open when it came to things they were interested in or passionate about. For him, it was learning. Sol looked at Yami and tilted his head.
"I’m making conversation to break the ice. I can tell by Kai's facial expressions and flippant movements that he is twitchy about something and I can only deduce it has something to do with being in such a new and different world. You're an inquisitive mind, aren't you?" Sol smiled. "Anyway, how was today Yami?" He added. Yami shook his head.
"I’ll try again in the morning." He simply replied. "Ah so the usual day for you." Yami scoffed under his breath at Sol’s comment.
Sven jumped off the chair grabbing his plate while Sol handed his to Sven. Sven looked at Kai with a smile, waiting to take his empty plate as well. The Dewott quietly handed it to him, mouthing a silent 'thank you' and offering the Giramon a small smile in return. Sven happily walked it over to Yami by the sink. Kai tried not to think much of the small back and forth between Yami and Sol, seeing how it wasn't any of his business.
"Here Yami!" Yami took the plates and gave Sven a familiar glare.
"I want my money back Sven." Yami said reminding Sven he hadn’t forgotten about the small dragon’s sticky fingers.
"Hee hee. Fine, I'll go get it later."
Kai found himself chuckling at Sven's reaction to being told to give the money back. Thankfully, it seemed, the mischievous blue Digimon hadn’t spent all of it. Doing so would have probably pissed Yami off even more.
"So, Kai...." Sol began, "You look ready to burst. What is it you want to ask?"
Kai looked back to Sol, blinking a few times. What did he want to ask? The right question would have been what didn't he want to ask? "Oh, I don't even know where to start..." the Pokémon mumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he did.
"Even the way your home is structured is foreign to me in every way... When I first woke up here, I noticed that your city very much resembles cities built by humans back in my world. I've never been to one before, being a wild Pokémon and all... Are there humans in this world as well? I mean, there must be given those really detailed paintings you have on the walls in that other room... Who drew those by the way? They're amazingly realistic..."
Sven chuckled, "No one painted them! They're photographs taken with a camera! They capture moments in time forever to be seen. Guess they don't have cameras for Pokémon."
Sol also laughed, "Yes well, Pokémon are still rather primitive compared to us. It makes them even more fascinating that we can even communicate with them. From what I read in books; they normally can only say their names but I suppose our molecular structure is closely enough related that communication is not an issue." Sol continued making Yami roll his eyes.
"Flaunting your intelligence is getting so old." Yami said to Sol as he narrowed down the dishes.
Kai was about to ask just what a camera was, but figured that it was some sort of device that somehow managed to take these 'photographs' Sven was talking about, just like how there was another device that had allowed Yami to talk to the Giramon just before despite not being next to him. To him that wasn't even half an explanation, but something small like that could definitely wait. There were much bigger things the Dewott wanted to ask about.
"Well, humans are indeed incapable of understanding us for the most part." Kai said. "There are some exceptions when it comes to Pokémon with psychic powers strong enough to allow them to communicate telepathically... My mom told me that some humans are even able to understand all of us directly... Dunno how and why she's so sure of it, though..."
He'd already come to the conclusion that his mother must have been in close contact with humans in her life. To what extent though he didn't know and, by this point, he'd given up trying to get her to tell him anything about any of that.
"Sven, start sweeping the floor." Yami asked.
"Aww.... I wanna talk to Kaaaaaaaaai!" He whined.
Yami glared at him, "Sweep. Now."
Sven turned to Sol, "Sssssoooooollll"
Sol sighed. "Sven, please do as you're told."
Sven pouted and dragged his feet to the broom closet to get what he needed. "Well Kai, do you drink tea? It's nice to have when you have questions." Sol said getting up to gather the kettle.
"Oh, um, sure. I'd love some tea." he said. Last time he'd had tea had been before he left home to travel.
Yami looked at Sol just as he finished the last dish, "You're washing that when you're done."
Sol looked back at him, "Yes, yes puny. Anyway Kai, humans do live in this universe, but unlike your world, they're not native. They come and go like most foreigners now."
"So, um, about this whole coming and going thing..." Kai added after a short silence. "Well, that as well as the fact that I'm here now... How does that work? I mean, I know of just a few, very powerful Pokémon back from my world that are capable of traversing dimensions... I haven't been able to learn much about them but from what is known, whatever other realm they travel to isn't anything like this..."
He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if a Pokémon like Giratina or Palkia somehow ended up in the Digital World. It probably wouldn't go very well overall.
"Oh boy here we go..." Yami said to the presented question about inter dimensional travel. He rolled his eyes and Sven chuckled as he swept. Yami had started cleaning the countertops as Kai and Sol spoke.
Sol put the kettle to boil and ignored the other two. Finally, he had someone who would want to listen to him talk about such things. It excited him. He went back and sat next to Kai at the table.
"Interdimensional travel is a complex thing but I’ll try and break it down for you. We know that the universe is infinite and always expanding and as a result, multiple universes exist. Somewhere out in the vast cosmos your Pokémon world exists, probably never meant to interact with ours. However, given the nature of our world and its advancements in technology and science, the ability to connect to these universes is possible. Though using rifts in space can disturb the natural order and that’s how rouge rifts appear. Much like the one you fell through… someone from this side must have recently been to your world so the connection never completely closed and caused said rift to open in front of you."
Kai gave his entire attention to Sol as the Guilmon began to explain the basics of interdimensional travel to him. Honestly, with Pokémon like Giratina, Palkia or Dialga existing, the water type really should have at least theorized something along those lines himself. He felt a bit foolish for having not done so but remained quiet, continuing to listen. Sol continued to talk about the multiverse and all theories and hypotheses associated to it and how the digital world was unique to be able to connect to any number of them.
Yami sighed and looked to Sven who was still sweeping. "Out of all the Pokémon that could have fallen from the sky, it had to be a mini-Sol?"
Sven laughed at that remark. "I like him!"
Yami shook his head. "You like everyone."
"Though what gets quite interesting is that multiple variations of worlds exist, like multiple versions of your world and mine that may or may not be entirely different.” Continued Sol. “To understand those, it gets even more complex…”
"They're going to be talking for a while..." Yami said.
Sven nodded. "Wanna play cards?" He asked.
"Sure."
The conversation carried on even after Sol had finished explaining everything he knew about traveling between worlds and dimensions. Kai asked more questions about the Digital World and in turn answered Sol's own questions whenever he asked them. The Dewott was definitely very talkative, which kind of made it seem as though the red dragon was talking to an entirely different Pokémon. It was after Sol had finished explaining to Kai how things like the faucet over the sink or showers worked when the water type suddenly realized that they've been sitting there in the kitchen for quite a while.
He was used to not noticing the passage of time whenever he was caught up in an interesting book, for example, so it was no wonder that it happened again while being engaged in such an interesting conversation with someone who, for a change, was actually interested in everything Kai had to say as well and just as eager to participate rather than opposed to simply listening. He couldn't remember when he'd last enjoyed himself so thoroughly. This could very well be a first. Kai could not recall ever having this type of discussion with someone like Sol before.
"W-Wow..." he muttered, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "We've been here for quite a while, huh?" he asked, giving a small smile. "I didn't realize..."
As much as he would not mind carrying on with this, he probably shouldn't keep his hosts up any longer than he already had. Sol most likely had a job to go to in the morning and Yami… needed to go look for one again? As for Sven... Did Digimon have schools? At any rate, he needed to look for work first thing in the morning himself. Once he had that taken care of, he'd be able to allow himself the leisure of learning even more about the Digital World.
Sol chuckled looking at the wall clock, "It is quite late. I think it's time everyone turns in, as riveting as this conversation is."
Yami sighed. "Good because if I have to play one more round of Go Fish with a drowsy Sven, I'll knock myself out with my own head."
Sven wearily frowned at Yami. "You're just mad because I was winning so much." He said, sounding almost drunk. Yami smiled and stood up, picking up Sven and holding him, the smaller Digimon laying his head on Yami's shoulder and wrapping his arms around his neck.
"That's because winning so much means you don't whine."
"Can... Kai sleep with me?" Sven wearily asked.
Yami laughed at the drowsy Digimon. "Hush now bud, go to sleep." Sven closed his eyes and fell asleep in Yami's arms, breathing softly.
Kai found himself chuckling once more at Sven's antics. The Giramon was reminding him more and more of his own brother with every passing minute. They'd probably get along swimmingly if they were to ever meet one another. The water type felt a little embarrassed when Sven asked if he could sleep in the same bed with him. Not that he minded Sven despite how full of energy he could be, especially now that the Digimon was just as good as asleep anyway. It was just awkward is all, with Kai still being a stranger to their family.
"We do need sleeping arrangements Sol, I'll prepare the couch after I tuck in Sven." Yami said.
Sol shook his head, "Don't worry about it. By the time we prepare the couch it will be later. Kai can sleep with me. My bed is plenty big and he is small. Plus, we can continue talking until we fall to sleep." Sol said.
"That's a bit awkward for Kai don't you think?"
Sol shrugged, "I don't mind. It's his choice. The couch isn't really meant for sleeping and Sven has his own room now so I could use the company. What do you want to do Kai?" Sol asked quickly washing his kettle and both cups in the sink.
To tell the truth he hadn't really thought about where exactly he'd sleep and Sol's offer briefly caught him off guard. It felt rather intrusive, really, but he quickly dismissed that initial thought after recalling his conversation with Yami earlier that evening. It was a completely different matter if he was being offered the option to do it and Sol had presented him with the choice. Besides, it would mean that no one would have to stay up even longer in order to prepare the couch for him. Plus, while even he was starting to feel tired, the idea of carrying on talking to Sol sounded quite appealing as well. A bed was always more comfortable than a couch as an added bonus.
"Yeah, that sounds okay with me..." he said quietly. "You've already been so hospitable as it is so if it means no one has to stay up any longer in order to prepare the couch... I mean, it is really late already..."
Yami looked at Kai and then to Sol and shrugged, "Well if that's what you want... a bit weird but hey, I've done much weirder things. I'll put Sven to bed then go to my own right after. Good night Sol and Kai. See you in the morning." Yami nodded to them both and took Sven up the steps to his room.
Kai didn't think much of Yami's remark, not understanding at all what was weird about this. It made perfect sense, didn't it? It was already late into the night as it was. It seemed like a far more logical and polite option to allow them all to go to sleep earlier rather than have them prepare some other sleeping arrangement and besides, it was Sol who'd offered. It's not like the Dewott himself had made the proposition.
"Mmmm... is Kai going to sleep... with me?" Sven asked still a bit dazed as he was put down.
"No not tonight buddy. Go to sleep." Yami tucked in the blue Digimon who was immediately asleep once he felt the comfortable sheets beneath him. Yami kissed Sven after making sure Sol or Kai weren’t behind him, worried about keeping up his appearances. He was still technically Sven’s dad too despite both of them being the same level. Once Yami was satisfied with Sven, he retreated to his own room.
Sol turned and looked at Kai, "Well my blue furred friend, shall we?"
Sol touched Kai's back, guiding him out of the kitchen and up the steps to the end of the hall where his room was. Tensing up ever so slightly at the feeling of the Guilmon's paw on his back, Kai nodded quietly as he was led up the stairs. Was the red dragon's paw a lot bigger than when he'd shaken it before or was it just his imagination? Looking at Sol in the corner of his eye as the two of them approached his room, the water type found himself taking note of the fact that the red dragon was almost twice as tall. He had no idea why it was sticking out to him like that. He'd met Pokémon who were larger than Sol and had no doubt that there were other Digimon in this world who were also bigger. This was probably nothing to make a big deal out of.
Sol opened the door and turned on the light. The room was comfortably rugged, and the bed was very large. It wasn't hard to imagine all three of the house residents sleeping in it at the same time. There was a closet next to the bed and a nightstand where the lamp was. There was also his personal bathroom on the opposite wall. The room had one window with a curtain.
"This is our room for the night Kai. So far it has been an absolute pleasure knowing you. Why don't you get comfy? I'm just going to wash up a moment." Sol smiled and headed for his private bath closing the door. There were small air vents in the floor that blew in a steady flow of cool air making the room comfortable. There was also a mirror that hung on the wall just after the entrance.
"Oh, thank you, Sol." Kai said with a small smile.
The Guilmon's bedroom looked very homey, to say the least. Kai has been in the house for several hours at that point but that was his first time inside a bedroom like this.
"It's been a real pleasure getting to know you and your family. I really can't thank you enough for your hospitality..."
"You can pick left or right of the bed; I don't mind at all." Sol called from the bathroom as the water began to flow.
Not seeing any difference between either side of the bed that seemed almost too big to even fit in his own room back home, Kai simply climbed and sat on the nearest one, not thinking too much of it. As he sat there waiting for Sol to return, the Dewott found himself thinking over everything that had happened to him that day, from accidentally winding up in a different world he didn't even know existed to meeting this wonderful family. They were an interesting trio alright, and he was already looking forward to learning more about them as well as about other Digimon and the Digital World as a whole.
This was the first time he was face to face with the option to learn about something completely new; something that he had no prior knowledge of whatsoever. Also, talk about how great it was to have someone he could talk to about these sorts of things! Kai couldn't recall ever meeting someone like Sol. Well, in a way, perhaps it was mostly due to him being someone the Dewott had so much in common with.
Being a wild Pokémon who has so far in his life been in touch only with other wild Pokémon, it was pretty difficult to come across someone who liked to read. While small libraries could be found here and there, most wild Pokémon had no interest in them. It seemed like Sol himself was also quite pleased about making this acquaintance, which would make sense given the fact that he lived with one other Digimon who was clearly not as interested in this sort of thing and another who was far too playful to care.
Still, the water type felt really lucky to have been found by Yami. As far as he knew, if it hadn't turned out the way it had, he might have ended up spending the night in the street without even knowing who and what. He was indeed very grateful that Sol hadn't minded the short notice on which Yami had told him that they would be having a guest for the night. The Guilmon sure was nice, smart and quite attrac-
The Dewott's train of thought abruptly ended as he quickly shook his head. What was that just now? Well, not that it was wrong, recalling all their interactions up until that point, there was no denying the fact that the Guilmon was good looking. Hell, everything about him was hot! His red scales, the fit but not insanely muscular build, that white hair which went really well with those glasses and his yellow eyes, the fact that he was so clever.
Kai felt his cheeks heat up as he suddenly connected the dots and realized just why Yami had pointed out that this sleeping arrangement was a little weird. Wait, so what did the Veemon mean by saying that he'd done even weirder things?! The Pokémon’s embarrassment increased when he realized that he was getting a little turned on by the thoughts of the red dragon and he quickly draped part of the blanket over his lap before it could become noticeable. What in the world was he doing?? This was completely inappropriate! He was a guest in their home!
Scolding the thoughts out of his mind just as Sol emerged from the bathroom, Kai gave him a small smile and didn't even allow himself to think that the Guilmon's hair looked a little better now that it was slightly wet. Sol walked out and he climbed onto the bed, opposite of Kai. He lay his head on the pillow and looked to him.
"You're going to be a great friend I can already tell. You were much better than the book I had been reading every night before bed."
"Oh, I agree." Kai pointed out. Talking would certainly help take his mind off of all of this. "Books are great and all, but it's nice to have someone to talk to about things like this."
Sol chuckled reaching out to pet the Dewott’s head. Sol removed Kai's glasses and his own, placing them both on the nightstand. As if the universe somehow intended to make things more difficult, the Dewott blinked a few times but managed to keep his cool. This was actually better for him, seeing how he couldn't see the Guilmon's handsome face as clearly without them.
"Comfortable?" Sol asked.
"Oh, yeah, this bed is very comfortable..." Kai pointed out quietly as he lay down properly. With how nervous he had been a moment ago, he hadn't realized just how soft the sheets were. "I suppose it's a pointless question, but is there a library here in this city?" As much as he enjoyed conversing with Sol, the Guilmon probably had a job. They wouldn't be able to talk to one another all night and surely there were things that Sol didn't know.
"Oh, and do you think it would be possible for me to find a temporary job somewhere?" he asked. "I mean, I don't really care what it is as long as I can make some money, but... You don't think I'll have any trouble finding one because I'm a Pokémon, do you?"
Sol looked at Kai and thought about his question, "Why yes, we have a library here in this city. It's actually quite large and chock full of wonderful books. Though I've read every book it owns so it's a place I rarely visit these days. I collect my own books from other worlds now and keep them in my library which is just beyond my closet door. I don't wear clothes, so a walk-in library seemed more appropriate. My books are very rare since none of them are from this realm." Sol placed his claw on the Dewott's head and gently stroked.
Kai listened attentively as Sol began to explain the library as well as why he rarely went there. It wasn't strange for him to hear someone say they've read every single book in a library, seeing how he's also done that himself back in his own world. For once, he wasn't the one who was saying that sentence. He became particularly interested when the Guilmon mentioned books from other worlds. That sounded just as interesting as books about the Digital World to the Dewott, seeing how he still hasn't read any of those either, but he didn't really expect to have anything from other worlds available so that was pretty exciting.
Before he could enthusiastically ask Sol whether he could have a look at some of those tomorrow, the red dragon once again placed a claw on the water type's head; stroking it. It made the Dewott just a little bit tense, which was to be expected given the suddenness of it.
"As far as finding a job, well, you have nothing to fear. Outlanders seeking to stay here for extended periods have jobs. You have a lot going for you as well, you're smart, curious and you're a very cute Pokémon. In a way, you remind me a lot of Sven. You have a high level of energy, but you direct it differently. You're both cute and blue. Ha ha ha. If anyone at the library gives you trouble, which they will not, give them my name and they'll give you a job." The red dragon's tail came up and rested across the Dewott's legs.
A job at the library sounded perfect for someone like him, assuming they were even looking for help of any kind to begin with. It would be a good place to start in the morning, but he was going to have to be careful not to get tempted to just stay there and read for the whole day in case he would need to look for another option elsewhere. Kai's train of thought once again got interrupted as the situation got even more awkward from his own perspective when the Digimon also placed his tail across the Pokémon’s legs. His mind started racing, thinking that perhaps somehow Sol had caught onto him staring at him or that maybe, in an even more extreme case, he was making a move? Sol then continued talking.
"I'm glad you find my bed comfortable Kai; I have grown rather fond of you in such a short time. You're welcome to live here for as long as you stay in the Digital World. Should you wish to return to your home, however, I can assist with that. If you would like young one, I can keep you warm with my body. As the head of this household, everyone within it is part of this family unless they cross me in some way. As part of my clutch, I can be your warm pillow. I know you're not a dragon but it is an instinctual thing with us but I thought I'd ask first. After all, we've only known one another for several hours, but I studied you enough downstairs to see you are trustworthy and likable. Your timid and reserved nature tells me you have little experience with much of anything. I'd say you recently only left your nest... so I suppose what I'm offering is to be your guardian whilst you are here in my world. I can be your temporary caretaker, just as I am with Yami and Sven." Sol gave Kai a smile and went from patting his head to caressing the embarrassed Pokémon’s face a moment before pulling back his claw.
The Dewott didn't really know what to think so it kind of sent his brain into a temporary frenzy, especially when he was offered the option to actually cuddle with the red dragon for the night. Thankfully enough, before any of these thoughts could affect Kai in a way that would be physically noticeable, Sol went ahead and explained how, for a dragon Digimon like him, this was all instinctual. The Dewott nearly heaved out a sigh of relief. Of course, he should have known. Many dragon-type Pokémon were also like that. He shouldn't have jumped to conclusions that Sol had even agreed to let him stay in the first place for some ulterior motive.
The Guilmon has been very kind and hospitable so far and didn't seem like the type to do that. That must have been the result of Kai not knowing how to handle the situation, but he still felt like he shouldn't have immediately thought of something along those lines. Another thought suddenly popped in his head. Perhaps he had hoped he was right for a moment back there? The Dewott quickly pushed the thought away, refusing to let it have any effect on him. It did make perfect sense that Sol would make such an offer.
"It's partially the reason I invited you into my bedroom. The other reason is I'm interested in Dewott sleeping patterns and felt like this would be a good opportunity to watch how you sleep... if I can even keep awake myself. Ha ha ha. Anyway, does that sound okay with you Kai?" Sol asked, the tip of his tail patting the Dewott's legs.
Kai knew that he didn't seem very intimidating in the slightest and it was something he'd come to accept a long time ago. "I've actually been traveling for a while..." he answered quietly after Sol had finished speaking, actually managing not to stutter. "But I understand why you'd think that... I mean, I don't look too sure of myself, do I?" He chuckled. "This is mostly the result of the fact that I'm in this new world I have no experience with whatsoever..."
His mind went back to Sol's offer. Water type Pokémon, in particular, weren't as susceptible to cold as others, but it was still tempting for more than just that reason. The thought of the red dragon's strong arms and his smooth scales made the Dewott hold back a blush and, before he knew it, he found himself more inclined to agree rather than worry about himself accidentally reacting in a way that would make the situation really awkward. It was a very tempting offer and it would really give Sol a better chance to study his... sleeping patterns.
"Uh... and about y-your offer… Y-Yeah..." he mumbled, managing a small but clearly flustered smile. "That sounds... nice..."
Sol gave Kai a smile, the rest of his thick tail slithered over Kai and up his side, pulling him towards Sol who positioned himself so that Kai was laying up against his body. The dragon's claws laying on Kai’s hip and tail resting at Kai's side so that he was surrounded and warmed by Sol. Sol nuzzled Kai's face a bit with his snout.
"Welcome to the family Kai, I will take good care of you for as long as you stay with this family."
Kai felt himself slightly tensing up once again when he felt Sol's tail slither over him before being pulled closer to the Guilmon. It sent an oddly pleasant shiver up the Pokémon’s spine as he found himself literally face to face with the red dragon. He could feel the Digimon’s breath on his face. His body was so warm and his scales felt so smooth. The Dewott felt his cheeks heat up and he began to blush furiously as Sol nuzzled his face for a brief moment. Thank Arceus the lights were off by that point. Sol lay his head down, his face nearly touching Kai's head as his big, yellow, soft eyes glazed sleepily at the Dewott.
"You will have nothing to fear from this world I promise. Enjoy yourself until your heart is content and overflowing with knowledge. In the meantime, I would like to get to know more about the new addition to my family. What makes Kai, Kai." Sol let out a chuckle that turned into a silent yawn, the dragon could feel his eyes growing heavy. He wrapped his arms around the Dewott's sides, gripping him in a bear hug. Kai was pressed tightly against Sol now. He could hear and feel Sol's heartbeat. It was calm and rhythmic.
Kai’s heart was thumping so wildly inside his chest to the point where he could not only hear and feel it in his ears but was also worried that Sol might notice it as well. Thankfully, the red dragon didn't seem to catch on. Despite feeling incredibly flustered, Kai couldn't help but give a small smile as the Guilmon's arms wrapped around his sides, pulling him into the hug. Now being pressed so tightly against the Digimon, he noticed Sol smelled really nice too.
"The Library… will be open… for quite a while… so sleep as late as you want... mmm " The red dragon's voice trailed off and Sol was limp with just the sound of his soft slumber and a sweet-smelling breath. Sol's grip loosened around Kai due to him falling asleep. His maw hung slightly open, and Kai could hear the dragon’s soft breathing. As he was left to his own thoughts and weariness.
Before he could find the words to wish his new friend goodnight, he felt the red dragon's grip loosen. The sudden lack of speaking made it possible to notice Sol's heartbeat, which was very calm in comparison to his own. What was this? Kai couldn't recall ever feeling this way in his life before. It was strange but, at the same time, he really liked it. The close embrace provided him with a feeling of safety, even if there was obviously nothing to be afraid of at that given moment. Unable to take his mind off the day's events and off a particular Guilmon, Kai's tiredness eventually caught up to him as he too drifted off and fell asleep, nestling into the warmth of Sol’s torso.
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