Crunch

Senna felt the leaves and twigs snap beneath her feet as she ran through the forest. She was faintly aware of Biyomon flapping her wings close by, but she focused on what was ahead. Oh Palmon. Senna's thoughts raced as she did, the cool forest breeze stinging the sweat on her body and face. Grief mixed with a sense of relief that her friend had overheard them; at least she wouldn't have the burden of carrying this secret. "Palmon! Please let me explain!" She cried.

"Leave me alone!" A raspy voice echoed from just ahead, she could tell it was breathing heavy. The poor little plant was running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

From behind her Senna heard footsteps gaining. Glancing back she saw a sweating Deon catching up to her, Veemon on his shoulders, and she felt a flush of heat. She shook her head and concentrated on what lay ahead; there would be time for that later. Seeing her friend gave her the burst of energy to keep going; he was quiet, but gentle and kind, someone she felt good leaning on.

"Palmon, you know Senna!" Biyomon now tried calling out to the child. "Think about it! There has to be a reason. Just listen!"

"No! There's nothing you can say! Now leave me alone!" Her voice was closer than before, and Senna took the chance to slow her run a little bit with her sides starting to hurt. It was incredible she was able to go on running this long. Deon, also breathing quite heavily, slowed to a trot beside her and Veemon jumped off his shoulder.

"It's not safe out here!" He called. "Let's talk to Jijimon and Cherrymon." Silence. Senna and Deon shared a look of concern and kept going, the only sound coming from their footsteps.

Until a crash was heard in the distance.

Senna got a knot in her stomach and tried to pick up the pace as much as possible.

"Aaaiieee!" Palmon screeched loudly.

" No . PALMON WE'RE COMING!" Senna screamed. Glancing at her partner, Biyomon nodded and went on ahead towards the noise.

She, Deon, and Veemon redoubled their efforts and ran. Senna felt her heart beat in her chest, and could almost imagine the constant beeping on the monitor flatline. No. Fight through! She can't be responsible for more deaths.

"Argh!" As the trio got in sight, Senna looked on in horror as Biyomon hit a tree. In front of them, snarling, stood two giant creatures drooling with hunger.

One of them, a green dinosaur not unlike Tyrannomon, with giant spikes and two black and red long horns sticking out its back. The second, a yellow, deformed beast with bits of metal armour. One arm was much larger than the other and wielded long, red claws.

Tuskmon, Cyconemon [https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/immortalfork/97476102/2947/2947_original.png]

Biyomon got back up, bruises showing through her pink feathers. Growling, she flew back and launched an attack at the green one. "Spiral Twister!" Green flames spiraled out her mouth and hit the dinosaur in the eye, flinching it. Senna ran towards Palmon, who lay on the ground, eyes wide with terror.

"Palmon! Are you okay?" She cried, reaching out to touch her. Palmon blinked and shoved her away.

"Get away! You humans are nothing but trouble! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!" Palmon screeched at Senna as the yellow mutant laughed and struck out at Biyomon with its large arm.

"Vee Headbutt!" Veemon launched himself at the red-clawed arm, stunning it long enough for Biyomon to evade. "Deon! This isn't something we can fight like this!"

"R-right!" The brown hair boy panted. “VEEMON DIGIVOLVE!" Senna winced as a bright light surrounded the blue imp and he grew. Arms and legs. Body. Horns and snout.

"Veedramon!"

The blue and white dragon grabbed the yellow arm with both of his, and with a loud grunt tossed the creature over his shoulder "Hah! I got you Cyclonemon!". The tree behind him cracked as it impacted, but before Veedramon could follow up, he was hit from the side by a long, charging tusk.

"Gahh!" Veedramon stumbled backwards, grabbing his side, but launched a counter punch towards the approaching green dinosaur. "Tuskmon. Take this you lousy trash heap!" As his fist collided with its snout, Cyclonemon's powered yellow arm connected with the dragon from the other side, sending him flying into a bush.

"I don't belong here?" Senna whispered to herself, almost oblivious to the battle raging around her.

"I have to help!" Biyomon cried.

"BIYOMON DIGIVOLVE!"

"Where do I go then? What can I do?" Senna just sat there, shaken by Palmon's rebuke and just faintly aware of Biyomon crying out.

"VALEMO-"

Senna was stunned. All this, gone? Just like that? This was the only hope she had left.

"Senna! I need you to concentrate!" The pink bird shouted at her, flapping her wings. There was no glow. No growth.

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From the bush, Veedramon jumped high in the air and shot a V-shaped breath of heat towards the Cyclonemon, who countered with a beam of his own. The two attacks collided close to the yellow mutant, but just as it looked like Veedramon's attack was pushing it back, Tuskmon leaped up towards him and punched Veedramon down with a flaming fist.

"Hahaha!" Cyclonemon laughed. "You're a poor substitute for Leomon, aren't you?"

"Don't you say his name!" Palmon shouted. She had scrambled away from Senna, and now peeked around a tree.

"Aww poor little baby" Tuskmon laughed mockingly.

Leomon, one of the first Digimon that made her feel safe here. Right, he was gone. That voice of reason probably could have gotten through to Palmon. Senna was useless. She sank to her knees.

"Senna, please," Biyomon pleaded, next to her, tears in her eyes. "Don't think like that! You are strong!"

Veedramon growled, moving sideways in front of another tree and away from the others. "I may not be Leomon, but someone of his strength isn't needed for you lousy goons. You're barely above a Flymon, you dumb little rocks!"

"Veedramon, what are you do-" Deon, standing beside Senna, was frantically looking at his partner. Her heart fell. They were fighting so hard to protect them. Why couldn't she have the same strength? Tuskmon roared in rage and charged towards the blue beast at full speed.

"You do Senna! You can protect your home just as well as he can!" Biyomon cried out. Veedramon jumped just before the green dinosaur hit him, and leaves fell as the great horns embedded themselves into the tree.

"This isn't my home!" Senna shouted back, tears now flowing from black eyes.

"Magnum Crusher!" Now above Tuskmon, Veedramon gathered the full might of his strength into his fist and dropped straight down onto the beast's head, a loud echo rippling through the forest from the force of the impact. The tusks left long, vertical gashes on the tree as Tuskmon sank to the ground.

"Palmon said so herself! And she's right! We've brought nothing but pain for these poor things." Senna rebuked.

"Hyper Heat!" Cyclonemon shot a beam of heat at Veedramon, who stood triumphantly on top of Tuskmon's head. Grunting, the blue dragon reached over and picked up the fallen creature from the base of its tail. Just in time, he used Tuskmon as a shield, the white hot beam hitting it right in the underbelly. Cyclonemon roared in anger as Tuskmon disintegrated into blue data.

Veedramon grinned at the yellow mutant, panting. "Still think we need Leomon?"

"You got lucky boy! RAHHH!" Cyclonemon rushed towards Veedramon, arm pulled back. The dragon inhaled, gathering energy into his mouth.

"V-NOVA BLAST!" Just before Cyclonemon hit him, a blast of heat shot forth from Veedramon's mouth, disintegrating the mutated beast.

Glowing, Veedramon turned back into Veemon and ran towards them, panting, covered in bruises, and holding his side where Tuskmon had first hit him. He grinned and gave Deon a high five. "You see that? I kicked their asses!" Veemon laughed.

Deon smiled back at his partner, but looked concerned. "Smart play there buddy."

Senna stood up and stared at both of them. Two people who knew what they were fighting for: a way back home.

"Don't you see Palmon?" Biyomon rounded on the small plant Digimon, still huddled by the tree. "We're on your side. Please, let us explain what happened."

"Explain what?" Palmon shot back, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. "You killed two more Digimon to save your own skins!"

"Hey! We saved you too!" Veemon jumped in. "You'd be a salad by now if we didn't chase after you!" Palmon looked at him, eyes full of fury.

"AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NATURAL. JUST LIKE IT'S BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING!"

"Don't you want to live?"

"Not if it's because of something so... wrong." She sounded disgusted looking at Veemon.

"What Devimon did to your friends was wrong too." Deon said softly. "I'm sorry, he made them attack us! We had to defend ourselves. Here and back then. Please understand." Palmon looked taken aback, and shook her head.

"He made them attack you?? He made you kill them??" she shrieked back at him. "All of this happened because of you! I hope you make it back home to enjoy the rest of your life, and never think of us again!"

"I - I was hoping this would be my home." Senna said quietly. Everyone turned to her, and she looked Palmon in the eyes. "I wasn't going to leave with the others. I wanted to stay with you guys for the rest of my life." Shocked, Palmon took a step back.

"After all of this you brought upon us?" She whispered. "The meteors? The scar in the sky? You were only supposed to be here a short time. We would have a little bit of fun, we'd make you some clothes, and then you'd all leave. Nothing would change. We'd all have our same friends. Leomon would still be our champion."

They all stood there speechless. Senna and Biyomon stared at Palmon. She felt acutely aware of Deon staring at her .

"Leave me alone. I want to be alone." Palmon said, glaring at her specifically, and took off deeper into the forest.

Senna struggled to hold herself together as the wind blew through her growing hair. Well, that's that. Maybe Cherrymon will be able to talk to her? The faint glimmer of hope was rapidly fading. Shaking her head, Senna turned around and locked eyes with a dumbstruck Deon. Right.

"Um. Sorry." She mumbled, averting her gaze. Deon just shrugged his shoulders and turned back around to start walking.

"Senna." Biyomon said.

"Deon wait!" Senna ran up and grabbed his arm, stopping the young man. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you!"

"It's fine. I just thought... after everything we went through..." A lump caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I- I just wanted to have a little fun, because I'd probably never see a human again." Deon spun and looked at her.

"Why? Do you think we'd leave you behind?" Senna shook her head.

"I should be dead." Deon stared at her, mouth agape. "The last four years of my life, I was tied to a hospital bed. I barely saw any friends. I rarely went home. In the weeks leading up to us being brought here, I was undergoing some last ditch treatments." Her eyes glazed over, remembering her mothers wail that sounded so close, but so distant. "They all failed." Deon stumbled back and sat on a log, staring at her with pity.

Senna laughed. "Imagine my surprise when I woke up here. I actually thought I had died, and this was heaven." She looked around. "I'm still not sure I'm not dead." She went to sit beside the boy, touching his arm. "So, I don't think I can go back. If I do, I'll probably just die." She sat quietly. Saying it out loud now really let the reality of this sink in.

"This... this was supposed to be my second chance at a life. Sure, I'd never have a traditional life. I wouldn't have a job, a husband. Children. But I'd be alive. I'd have friends. I wouldn't be alone anymore." She whispered. She saw Deon's eyes starting to get wet, and without thinking just grabbed him in a tight hug.

"We'll fix this world." Deon whispered, as they sat there in each other's arms. "This is your home, whether Palmon likes it or not." They let go and looked at each other, Senna's staring at him in appreciation. She giggled and wiped her eyes.

"You're quiet, but when you say something you really make it count." Deon looked taken aback at her compliment. "Come on, let's head back. We should tell Floramon and the others what happened."

Deon nodded, and the two of them started walking, Deon taking the lead. Senna smiled. "Thank you." She whispered.