Digimon Treasure Quest

Chapter 2


	The sun had already passed the horizon.  Normally members of the Treasure Guild would already be awake by now, but Flint and Rex were sound asleep.  Dan had gotten up already and began making preparations for breakfast.  He decided to let them sleep late since they had spent the last few days making their way to register at the guild.  Still, he knew the challenges they would be facing would make their trek over seem like a leisurely stroll.

	Flint had leaned over to rest against his hand at some point in the night as he slept while Rex had and was still fidgeting in his sleep.  He was currently upside down from how he slept the night before.  Dan was quiet as he began setting the table since he didn’t want to wake them up, but he knew they wouldn’t be asleep for long once they caught whiff of the food as he relit the campfire and put a pot of porridge on to heat it up.

	The aroma wafted in the air and even asleep they seemed eager to eager.  Flint was drooling at the mouth and licking his lips in anticipation.  Rex had begun clawing at the air trying to grab at food and only clawed at dirt.  As Flint let out a deep yawn to signify that he had awaken Rex gave another attempt at the food caused his foot resting on the log to slip off and land in Flint’s mid-yawning mouth.  The sensation sent a shock to both of them and their eyes shot up and they immediately got up, Rex’s foot still caught in Flint’s mouth.  Rex hopped backwards on his one free foot, struggling with all his might to gain his balance and towing Flint who was too busy being dragged to open his mouth and let Rex go.  Their trip ended abruptly when they reached the lake, or more precisely fell into it.  Flint released Rex upon on entry and any weariness they were still feeling got washed away by the icy water.  They both resurfaced at the same time and were quite steamed at one another.

	“Why’d you put my foot in your mouth?” cried Rex, splashing a wave of water at Flint.  “Who knows what gross things that tongue has touched?”

	“The only gross thing it ever touched was your foot,” Flint shouted, splashing Rex back.  “When was the last time you washed those things?”

	Their words only caused the other to retort back with more insults and splashing.  Soon, though, they ran out of things to call the other and just kept on splashing each other with all their might.

	“If you guys are going to spend breakfast time in the water then I guess I’ll be eating all this food them,” Dan called to them.

	Their eyes turned at the pot of porridge now on their dining table.  The aroma reached even where they were in the water.  Their stomachs rumbled, reminding them they were hungry and making them forget their squabble.  They torpedoed to the shoreline and ate their breakfast wrapped in towels to help their dripping wet bodies dry off.  The porridge helped warm their frozen bodies after their unplanned swim.  It was sweetened with honey and had the right amount of milk so it wasn’t too dry or too soupy.   They each had a tall glass of orange juice that Dan made from some oranges he had in supply along with a battery powered juicer.  They ate their fill to have plenty of energy for the day ahead.  They were finally going to be going on their first adventure as a team.

	They were on their way to the Treasure Guild facility to pick up their licenses, bellies full to bursting, but not enough to keep them from running all the way.  But there is a very good reason that members of the guild get up so early in the morning; to get a good place in line since everybody else is thinking of the same thing.  The line was all the way to the front door when Team Matrix made the scene.  Instantly Rex became low and sad.  He crouched in the corner as if his hopes and dreams were destroyed.

	“I hate lines,” he cried full of despair.  Flint had to lead the big baby back in line by the hand.  He wasn’t giving the group a good first impression.

	Fortunately, the line moved quickly and before they knew it they were nearing the front.  They spent their time mingling with the other teams who were talking about what where they were planning on heading to today.  Flint and Rex’s anticipation was on the rise, but stopped by an unexpected arrival at the front door.  They burst open revealing three adult level Digimon, Meramon, Ogremon, and Seadramon.  Their appearance made the room quiet and for good reason.  These guys were giving less than friendly looks.  They made their way to the front of the line, cutting past everyone like they owned the place or everybody was too afraid to stand up to them; probably the later since everyone was stepping aside to let them pass.  It was when they were reached Team Matrix that they had to stop since they refused to budge.

	“What seems to be the hold up?” asked Meramon.  “Is there a problem with the line?”

	“The line is fine,” replied Flint.  “The only problem is that you cut it.”

	Flint’s words seemed to startle the three big Digimon.  The other teams were watching either expecting a fight or a blood bath.  Then the three brutes burst out laughing.

	“I get it,” chuckled Ogremon.  “They must be a group of newbies.  You see we’re the best team here and as such we don’t have to wait in lines.  That’s how this sort of thing works.”

	“Yeah, this is a guild that all the Rank 1 members come to,” added Seadramon.  “Teams tend to reside around guilds closer to areas they are able to search for.  They don’t have to travel as far and information is much easier to come by.”

	“Well, that doesn’t explain why you are better than everybody else,” commented Flint.  “You’re Rank 1 like everyone else.”

	“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ogremon retorted and showed his license.  It had a two on it.  “Our group is at Rank 2 so we outrank everyone here.”

	“Basically, you guys so weak at Rank 2 that you have to pick on the Rank 1 teams to appear strong,” Dan deduced.

	All the other teams flipped out by Dan’s comment.  Meramon, Ogremon, and Seadramon were infuriated by it.

	“Don’t call us weak you newb,” spat Meramon embers flying from his mouth. “Nobody on your team is even at adult level, it seems, while ours has three on it.  We’re everyone’s worst nightmare so move out of the way.”

	“No,” giggled Rex.  “Lines are my worst nightmare.  You guys seem like a joke.”

	Rex’s comment caused all the other groups to move as far back as possible.  They were certain a battle was going to break out.

	“We are Team Terrorbyte,” roared Ogremon.  “The scariest team you will ever meet.”

	“And we are Team Matrix,” retorted Flint.  “We are the team that will find The Infinity Zone.”

	“Take your turn in line before us,” growled Ogremon.  “I dare you.”

	The two teams glared angrily at one another, with the exception of Dan.  He sighed, not wanting or expecting this to escalate into such a scene.  “Just go on ahead,” he sighed.  “We’re not really pressed for time.”

	“We can’t back down now,” complained Flint.

	“Yeah,” added Rex. “We can’t let them think we’re wimps.”

	“You better listen to your friend,” stated a familiar voice.  It was the Elecmon from the other day, afro and all.  They hadn’t noticed the day before, but his afro wasn’t just gray with a yellow streak down the center.  It was a yellow zigzag pattern and with the gray it looked like a bolt of lightning in a thunderstorm.

	“What do you mean?” asked Flint.

	“These guys are more dangerous than they look.  They’re considered newb killers cause they tend to cause all sorts of problems for new teams and make them quit before they even get started.  If you go first they’ll know exactly where you’ll be going and go after you.  It won’t end well.”

	“You stay out of this,” Seadramon said and spat a blast of water at the Elecmon making his soaking wet and made his afro flatten out.  He didn’t look very irritated.

	“Hey, you’re problem is with us,” shouted Flint.  “You want us, you got us.”

	“You’re supposed to be our leader,” Dan explained.  “You have to have a level head even when faced with such opposition.  Picking a fight is not a good idea.”

	“A leader also doesn’t let his team get pushed around and it sounds like these guys have been getting away with it for far too long.  I swear it stops with us.”

	“Hmm, there may be hope for your team then,” stated the Elecmon.  He clamped his fingers on his nose and held his breath.  He tried to expel the air and his afro popped back to its original shape.

	“That’s so cool!” exclaimed Rex, impressed by what he just saw.

	“Thanks, again,” said Flint.  “You were here yesterday too.  I don’t think we were properly introduced.  I’m Flint, he’s Rex, and that’s Dan.”

	“I’m Fonz.  And for future reference,” he explained, he gave a thumbs up to Flint.  “Strong ethics… cool,” he moved on to Dan.  “Worrying for the safety of your team… cool,” he moved on to Rex.  “You… uncool,” he gave him the thumbs down and caused Rex to sob in the corner again.

	“I’m guessing you’re at Rank 1 as well then,” commented Flint ignoring Rex on the ground.

	“Nah, I’m not on a team at the moment.  I’m taking a break for a while.  Well, good luck out there.  I better get going.”

	Fonz left and Flint and Dan went to the counter where Digitamamon was waiting for somebody to come after Team Terrorbyte caused trouble.

	“So, you’re back and already getting into trouble I see,” Digitamamon said.  “Well, here are your licenses.  I just need you to place your palms on this scanner.  Flint went first.  It was warm to the touch and a red beam of light went down and up his claw and his license spit out.  He looked at it and just like the one Ogremon showed it had all his information on it, and his Rank 1 rank.  Looking at the back it had a miniaturized version of his paw print.

	“That was cool,” exclaimed Rex, who was back on his feet and happy again.  “I’m next.”

	He placed his palm on the machine and Dan followed suit so they all had their license.

	“You are now al certified members of the Treasure Guild, congratulations,” Digitamamon said with a lack of enthusiasm.  “You should also know that your license will send data on your exploits while gathering treasure so that we can monitor if any of you are become injured and need help.  It also tracks to make sure you operation within the standards of the guild.  Cross too many lines and you can be suspended from the guild for a set number of days.”  He looked at Team Terrorbyte.  “That goes for you guys too.  You’re on thin ice so you better tread carefully.”  They turned away, ignoring his words.  Digitamamon returned to Team Matrix.  “So, where would you like to search for?  The monitor here has all the nearby places available and how much data we have on it.”

	Rex and Flint were surprised at the number of places on the list.

	“Shouldn’t a lot more places have been found at this point?” asked Rex.  “I mean the Treasure Guild has been around for some time now so a lot of ground should have been covered, right?”

	“It isn’t that simple,” explained Dan.  “Most of these locations should have been found, but after time they vanish from one location and end up in another restocked with treasure all over again.  The Treasure Guild has been trying to figure out why this phenomenon occurs, but they still haven’t a clue.”

	“Well, in that case, let’s take the one at the top, ‘Maplewood Temple,’” Flint decided.

	Digitamamon selected it and hooked up a small device that was mostly a screen.  “All teams are issues a DigiPad at the start of their first adventure.  It will hold all their data.  You can trade information with other groups with it and jot down new information in it.  It functions as a map, GPS, and phone.  If you lose of break it you will not be issued another one.”

	Flint was quick to pick it up before Rex could get his hands on it.  “I’ll keep this with me if that is alright with everyone,” he stated, giving Rex the evil eye.  Rex nodded nervously in agreement.

	With everything in hand Rex and Dan ran out the door to get started, but were stopped by Dan who was holding them back by their stumpy tails.  “We’ve got two more things to do before we can head out,” he explained.  “We have to get supplies at the camp.  The place you picked was a good choice since we’ll be passing by the campsite.  But before that we need to get dressed.”  Rex and Flint were confused by the last part but followed Dan.  Meanwhile, Team Terrorbyte was making their choice and it was obvious what they were going to choose.

	Dan led them to a store not too far from the Treasure Guild facility.  Inside it had clothes and an assortment of other accessories and weapons.  At first Flint and Rex weren’t sure about this, but grew excited when they saw the weaponry at their disposal.

	“Don’t get too excited,” he stated.  “We’re broke so we can only get stuff out of the free bin and there aren’t any weapons in there.  It doesn’t matter anyway since teams can’t handle weapons until they reach Rank 3.  We’re here for some clothes.”

	“Why?” asked Rex.  “Does it have special powers or something?”

	“Nothing beyond the normal protection and comfort, but more importantly it helps unify us as a team.  You two may have known each other all your lives, but we just met yesterday and as our team grows that means more people that we will have to get to know each other.  You can learn a lot from the people by what they wear.  And if that sounds disappointing, you may figure some alternate use for your clothes.”

	Team Matrix rummaged through the free bin and found out why it was called that.  Most of the stuff in it was in tatters.  It was old gear other Digimon got rid of so nothing in it matched well with anything else.  In the end, however, they all managed to find some things they liked.  Flint got a black vest.  It was a bit small and he its zipper was torn off, but he couldn’t have zipped it up even if he tried.  But it had a thick padding making it seem like armor to him.  It also had an inside Velcro pocket that was a perfect size for to keep the DigiPad safe.

	Rex picked out a red bandana with a yellow pattern that reminded him of the markings on his face.  He tied it on his head.  The next thing he found was a pair of sandals.  Thoughts of being short remained in his head and they would give him the boost he’d need to be a few inches taller Flint and not the shortest in the group.

	Dan picked out a pair of goggles that he stared at longingly for few minutes.  He took a breath and then put them over his neck.  He also used some of the RAM he had with him to purchase a large backpack since there weren’t any in the free bin, without a hole in the bottom.  It was made of study material and had two sections to put stuff in.  One at the top that was red and there for holding small things and the main body that was green and yellow at the bottom that held larger items.

	As they made their way out they got a look at how everyone looked and they all smiled.  It had actually been a lot more fun than they expected it to be.  They then headed back to their campsite where Dan gathered some food and drinks as well as some other tools they would need into the pack and put it on.

	“I think we’re about ready to head out,” announced Dan.

	“Do you need any help,” asked Flint.  “You seem to be doing all the heavy lifting for the group.”

	“It’s alright,” replied Dan.  “I will manage just fine.”

	“You just think we’re too small,” Rex retorted.  “Give it to me.  I’ll carry it.”

	Dan complied and took off the backpack.  Rex grabbed it while Dan still had it in hand.  When he let go Rex fell backwards and got crushed underneath it.

	“Oh, I almost forgot there was something I wanted to give to you,” Dan told Flint.  “He went into a tree at the camp and pulled out a necklace of a red string.  Attached to it was a tooth.  “This is a Chimera Fang.  I got it on the last adventure I was on before I left.  Think of it as a gift for your first day as group leader.”

	Flint smiled and put it on around his neck.  “Thanks,” replied Flint.  “You’ve done so much to help us.  We will pay you back for all this one day.

	“How about one you do me one more favor,” Rex said in an almost inaudible, muffled voice from under the heavy backpack.


	Dan freed him by lifting the pack up with a single hand and slinging it back onto his back.  Flint pulled Rex out of the small Veemon-shaped hole he made and they were off.


	“What took you goons so long?” asked a Digimon sitting in a tree.

	“A new team didn’t know their place,” answered Ogremon.

	“Did you do what I told you to do with troublemakers?”

	“Yeah, we got the same mission they were doing,” stated Seadramon.  “We’re off to ‘Maplewood Temple.’”

	“Excellent,” he stated as he jumped out of the tree.  “So, what is the name of this team?”

	“Team Matrix,” Meramon answered.