Chapter 9 - Capacitor City

Despite the successful accomplishments, Aster’s sleep was fitful. She awoke within her lodging at the Aeston Springs inn, and reckoned she needed a few more hours of sleep to be fully functional. But Aster had a job to do and a promise to fulfill, so with a deep breath she forced herself to start getting up. While her long slender digitigrade legs hung over the edge of the bed, barely touching the floor, the tired vixen ran a paw through the fur atop her head. “Here we go again,” she chuckled before rising to her feetpaws and walking over to where her purple leotard lay folded up over the backrest of a cushioned chair. Although all Renamon were covered with fur and very few of them ever wore any clothing articles beyond a satchel or backpack, Aster felt naked without her leotard. It's as though she wasn’t wholly herself without it. After suiting up and gathering the few items she had brought with her, Aster gave the cozy room one last look over before leaving.

“Hiya Aster, are you ready to get going?!” yelled Terra excitedly, having been anxiously waiting on the other side of the door for a few minutes.

Not entirely awake, the Agumon’s sudden appearance startled the poor vixen causing her to recoil back into the room where she landed in an aggressive stance on all fours. “D-damn it, Terra, don’t startle me like that!” exclaimed Aster, her fluffy chest rapidly rising and falling as she attempted to regain her composure. But even though she was angry at the young Digimon for his innocence, she was glad her first reaction was to get some distance than immediately attack.

“Sorry…” was all Terra could respond with, his head along with his entire posture slumping in shame as his excitement rapidly drained from his body. “I should have knocked rather than waiting,” murmured the Agumon, keeping his eyes on the floor as Aster rose to her feetpaws.

“Well, now you know better, so don’t do it again,” answered Aster, trying to sound cautious rather than stern before giving Terra a small noogie with her paw to let him know she harbored no hard feelings.

“Wait...why did I just do that?” Aster thought to herself as she walked down the hall, leaving a slightly shocked Terra behind. He quickly caught back up to her once he regained himself.

But rather than dwelling on her actions, Aster promptly headed towards the police station to see if they had managed to locate the Petitmamon’s crashed supply van from the day before.

Sure enough, Aster and Terra’s story had checked out, and the Petitmamon had quickly told the Brave Guard officers everything when they interrogated him. The crashed armored van had been located, and the miscellaneous scrap inside had been confiscated. This critical information was inserted into the official incident report, which was faxed to the Brave Guard headquarters in Capacitor City. Still insistent on pursuing their investigation, Aster volunteered to transport the message and the worn Petitmamon to Capacitor city, to which the officers agreed after some persuasion.

Having some time to themselves before the next Trailmon to Capacitor City arrived, Aster and Terra took some time for breakfast at the quaint café inside the inn where they had spent the night. Unlike the rations from Blisterstone, Aeston Springs was more of a tourist and relaxation destination, and the meals they were served reflected this.

“I’ve never seen fruit cut into so many different shapes before,” admired Terra, drooling as he greedily eyed the plate of fresh fruit and steaming eggs which their ladybug-like Tentomon waiter set before him. But with a stern look from Aster, Terra managed to control himself until Aster’s plate of sausage and eggs was brought out and placed before her. But as soon as Aster’s gaze dropped to her plate, Terra wasted no time in getting to work. But after gobbling down half his plate in a matter of seconds, the young, innocent dinosaur paused for a moment when he noticed the cultured fox eating with two small wooden sticks which had been set on each of their place mats.

Enthralled, Terra watched Aster skillfully manipulate the long sticks with her paws to lift a sausage from the plate to her mouth, of which she took a small bite.

It took Aster a few more bites before she realized she was being observed. Setting her chopsticks to the side, Aster looked Terra in the eyes before inquiring why he was staring at her. “What is it Terra, is there something you need? There’s a bathroom in the back if you have to go,” offered Aster on an assumption, her words causing instant embarrassment to the young Agumon as he sheepishly looked back at the chopsticks residing at the corner of his own plate.

Terra attempted to acquire a chunk of fruit with the wooden ends, taking the slender eating utensils clumsily in a paw. But to his frustration, Terra only managed to send his chopsticks flying as his precious food dropped to the floor. Red with embarrassment, Terra hopped down from the chair on which he was sitting before collecting the fallen fruit with a claw and popping it into his mouth without a second thought, much to the astonishment of their Tentomon waiter who was watching from the serving counter.

“Terra! Why did you just do that?” chastised Aster as she looked around and noticed the other customers at the café were staring at the orange Agumon.

“Huh? Wha- did I do something wrong?” stammered Terra, suddenly becoming quite aware that he was now the center of attention. “Did my chair squeak too loudly when I moved it?” he asked innocently, unsure why so many Digimon were now suddenly eyeing him as if he didn’t belong there.

“You shouldn’t just eat food off the ground, Terra,” pressed Aster, her usual calm and collected personality getting frazzled by all the glances and straight-up stares they were receiving.

“But why not? What’s wrong with eating it as long as it’s not growing vira-mold on it yet?” mumbled the Agumon meekly, his head gravitating towards his plate in shame. “I mean, back in Blisterstone Roy and I had to eat much worse than some slightly dirty fruit from the floor just to survive.”

“I…I never thought of it like that before,” replied Aster quietly as she leaned back in her chair. The young Agumon’s simple words gave her a humbling reminder of her companion’s past. “I forgot about everything that you… you and Roy have gone through. I’m sorry, Terra.” sighed the vixen, her head and ears drooped as those around them continued to stare, concerned only about the uncivilized disturbance to their meal. “Go ahead and finish your meal however you see fit... the Trailmon should be ready soo.”

The two finished eating in silence before leaving the upscale café, thanking the waiter for the meal before heading back onto the streets of the fancy tourist town. But despite the earlier events, Terra quickly returned to his regular chipper, curious self as they collected Aster’s bike before heading towards the Trailmon station. A few Brave Guard officers were waiting for them when they arrived, the hand and wing cuffed Petitmamon between them.

“Are you sure you can handle him just fine all the way to Capacitor? One of us can accompany you if you want,” offered the armored Centarumon as Aster and Terra approached.

“I appreciate the offer, but Terra and I can handle it just fine,” answered Aster with a nod of acknowledgment before accepting the keys to her prisoner’s shackles.

After making sure she had the proper papers and everything was in order, Aster’s motorcycle was driven into a storage train car and the Petitmamon was secured in a makeshift holding cell.

Once that was taken care of, Aster and Terra situated themselves in their seats. A loud resounding whistle then marked their departure as the Trailmon gave a strong lurch forward, slightly jostling its passengers before starting to make progress down the polished tracks before it.

Having never been on a Trailmon before, the thrilled young Agumon eagerly pressed his face against the glass window by his seat, his eyes darting to take in all the sights as the Trailmon picked up speed.

Aster smiled to herself as she watched the scenery shift past Terra’s scaly shoulder, the greenery around Aeston Springs quickly giving way to the overwhelming tanned hues of the desert beyond.

Although Aster certainly preferred the gentle purr of her motorcycle to the rhythmic click-clack of the railroad track, she was thankful for the comfy air conditioning of the passenger car and the lack of sand blasting its way into her fur. Leaning back against the headrest, the fluffy fox let out a long exhale as she felt the almost constant tension in her shoulders start to relax. It didn’t take much more until Aster was fast asleep and cuddled up with her tail on her chair.

“Hey, Aster! Look at the cool rock forma-” started Terra with delight before quickly shutting up once he realized his furry friend was sleeping. But rather than immediately shifting his attention back to the window, Terra’s eyes remained on the sleeping vixen. While Aster typically came off as extremely intimidating to the young Digimon, Terra couldn’t help but admire how peaceful and pretty she was in the moment. Smiling, the innocent Agumon watched as Aster’s tail shifted and her cute little nose twitched as she breathed. But not wanting to feel creepy, Terra returned his gaze from the sleeping Renamon to the scenery outside, where it contently stayed for the majority of the journey till he started to doze.

After almost two hours of traveling, an announcement played across the Trailmon’s speakers, informing the passengers that Capacitor City would be coming into view shortly. Lifting his face from the smudged glass where it had been resting, Terra’s eyes noticed that the previous dessert had changed. Small shrubs and dry brushes now dotted the landscape along with occasional patches of trees that ruled over their respective domains. But as beautiful as it was, it paled in comparison to the monolithic stone wall of Capacitor City, which had just come into view.

As the Trailmon came closer to the city, Terra made out five enormous towers within the walls that stoically watched over the bustling city below. To the untraveled Agumon, the city seemed like something out of a fantasy world, and Terra could do nothing less than admire Capacitor City’s grandeur.

As they neared the city walls, the Trailmon began to decelerate before smoothly coming to a stop at the station, which was bustling with all sorts of Digimon and a surprising number of human tamers of all ages.

By the time the Trailmon came to a complete stop and opened its doors, Aster was already up and about, collecting their few belongings before guiding Terra to the exit doors. As they stepped out onto the busy platform, a few uniformed Brave Guard approached them and requested for Aster and Terra to follow them.

“Of course, the Petitmamon is in the third storage car. Also, could you please bring my motorcycle in there to fountain plaza, please?” asked Aster in return as they wound their way through the crowded station towards the looming gateway into the city. Behind her Terra followed in an awestruck daze, his head swiveled around at the city’s utter immensity.

Bypassing the long lines through the security checkpoints, the group entered the vibrant city thanks to their Brave Guard escort.

Like the stalwart walls behind them and the looming towers standing sentinel before them, Capacitor City was primarily carved of a dark grey stone, including the various buildings, streets, and busy sidewalks. But amidst all the stonework were a number of tents and other crude temporary structures. Huddled around them were clumps of refugees who had sought sanctuary within Capacitor City’s protective walls. As far as Aster could tell by looking at the accumulating mass of trash and refugees, Capacitor City was almost bulging at its seems.

They continued without stopping and arrived at the plaza in the city’s heart. And the five primary towers were centered around it. Each one served as the dedicated headquarters for various city departments and was marked accordingly by banners bearing specialized emblems.

“Um Miss Aster? Where are we going?” spoke up Terra shyly as they headed towards a tower with a large banner depicting a golden lion head on an azure background fluttering above the entrance.

“We’re going to meet with an old friend of mine, Terra. He should be able to help us locate Roy faster and give us more information about what’s going on,” relayed Aster as the group entered into the crowded foyer. There, a tall, sharply dressed blond-haired young man in his late twenties was busy chatting with several officers of higher rank.

But after turning around and seeing Aster, the young man’s face came alive with a wide grin before promptly approaching her.

“You crazy vixen! We haven’t seen you in over six months, and the first thing you do is cause a stir and make a mountain of paperwork for me to deal with!” he chuckled while shaking the Renamon’s paw before the two went in for a hug, which caused Terra’s eyebrows to skyrocket in surprise.

“What can I say? I enjoy causing a good stir.” Aster laughed with an equally big smile on her face as her tail wagged happily from side to side. “It’s good to see you, Morrow. How have you been these days?”

“Busy,” replied Morrow bluntly, his previous sunny disposition taking on a bit of a scowl as he glanced around a bit.

“Things have been a bit busy with all the refugees coming in lately, but it is good to see you again,” he continued with a small nod of his head before shifting his gaze over to Terra, who was uneasily rocking back and forth on his heels, somewhat intimidated by all the tall and powerful Digimon walking around. “Who’s your scaly friend here?”

“Hm? Oh, this is Terra. His partner and some other townsfolk were kidnapped in Blisterstone and we’ve been following their trail ever since,” informed Aster as Terra gave a nervous wave of his clawed hand, still a bit overwhelmed to form any real coherent introduction.

“A pleasure to meet you, Terra. You must be quite brave and loyal to pursue after your Tamer like this,” smiled Morrow, bending down so he could more easily shake Terra’s hand. “I’d like you to introduce you to someone else Terra. This is Rem, my Gazimon partner,” continued Morrow before pointing back at the grey lemur-like Digimon who was currently arguing over something with a Chamelemon behind them.

“N-nice to meet you s-sir, are you the leader friend Aster was telling me about?” stammered Terra at first, his confidence gradually coming back to him.

“Leader friend? Oh, you must mean Beowulf. He’s the Brave Guard’s leader, so it makes sense that you would want to see him. You know Beowulf though, he’s never been one to sit still in an office. When he hears that others are in trouble, he can’t help but go gallivanting off to rescue them.” chuckled Morrow before straightening up and running a hand casually through his blond hair. “Anyways, he should be back soon. In the meantime, you can tell me what the deal is with the Petitmamon you caught,” pressed Morrow as several guards brought the very nervous Digimon into the room before tossing him roughly in the center.

Stepping towards the Petitmamon, Aster towered over the cowering prisoner as she glared down at him with her sharp green eyes. “If you have any brains in that head of yours, I suggest you tell them everything and fast.” Her harsh words bringing a grin from Morrow and Rem as they were reminded of old times.

"Some things never change."

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It's quite a large city. I kinda imagine it looking like a plug sticking out of the desert, what with it's circular shape and the huge towers.

Written by ThornWolf33 on DA
Story outline and character design by  AtticusKotch