"BO-TA! BO-TA!" Botamon's 2D animation yelled after waking up, and a notification with a meat emoji appeared above his head.
"You're hungry? Let's see here." I say as I scroll through the map of the diamond-shaped land of the Digi-Farm to search for the Tiny Meat Field and tap on it to harvest 5 Digi-Meats that lay on the grass around the field. Botamon bounces towards it and starts eating one of them.
[Botamon has eaten 10 KG worth of meat]
"So one Digi-Meat alone is 10 KG."
Then Botamon burps and a notification with a water droplet symbol appears above its head. He bounces to the water fountain at the map's center. Botamon immediately starts drinking it and burps once more.
A smiley face appears in a bubble above Botamon before staring at me with a notification above his head with the symbols of a white-gloved hand.
"What does that symbol mean?" I ask.
[Botamon wants you to pet him as a sign of praise for eating and drinking properly]
"Oh? Alright." I reply and then tap on Botamon's avatar, which excites him. A little static shock hit my forefinger, and I felt like I had touched a furry slimeball. Then, my Digimon partner closed his eyes and went to sleep with a notification of 'Z z Z z' appearing above his head.
"Black Gatomon, when will the next harvest be ready?" I ask.
[The Tiny Meat Field can only be harvested once a Digi-Day]
"Digi-Day? Is that different from a real-world day?" I asked for clarification.
[Yes, 1 hour in the real world is 1 Digi-Day in the Digi-Farm. Your Digimon partner will eat, drink and rest once every day]
"Interesting. By the way, I remember toilets were a core feature in Digimon Tamer games." I point out.
[That feature does not exist]
"Well, I am relieved to hear that," I reply.
I had so much anxiety when I played those types of games where I had to clean up their pink swirly poop with a broom every few minutes and keep stock of portable toilets or stay near a bathroom while grinding levels or raising the stats of my Digimon in a Gym.
I notice an 'Up' arrow icon over the gym equipment and tap on it to find that it is an upgrade option that requires a currency it calls 'Bits' and materials.
"Where do I get Bits and materials to upgrade the equipment?" I ask.
[You can obtain bits in the Digi-Store by selling off any Digi-Medals your Digimon obtains in the Digital World. As for materials needed for upgrades, they can only be collected from the Digital World]
The store icon appears at the top right corner of the screen's interface, and I tap on it.
[Digi-Store for Stone Tamer Rank
1) Punching bag Upgrade = 5000 Bits / 5 Mega Bits
Details: Increases ATK, DEF and DEX from 1 point to 5 points per exercise
2) Treadmill - Increases = 5000 Bits / 5 Mega Bits
Details: Increases HP, STA and SPD from 1 point to 5 points per exercise
3) Bookshelf Upgrade = 5000 Bits / 5 Mega Bits
Details: Increases WIS and MP from 1 point to 5 points per reading
4) Medicine Pill = 2500 Bits
Details: A consumable that heals any internal sickness
5) Bandage = 300 Bits
Details: A consumable that heals physical injuries
6) Auto-Pilot = 800 Bits
Details: A consumable that lets your Digimon return to the Digi-Farm immediately along with all the Bits and items it has collected from the Digi-World]
"Can you explain the breakdown of Bits?" I request.
[Bit is the smallest type of currency.
1 Mega-Bit is equivalent to 1000 Bits.
1 Giga-Bit is equivalent to 1000 Mega Bits.
1 Tera-Bit is equivalent to 1000 Giga Bits]
"They can only be obtained by selling things to the store?" I ask.
[There are chests in the Digital world that contain Bits and equipment that raise a Digimon's stats. You can also complete requests from the Quest Board or hunt down bad Digimon listed on the Bounty Board in exchange for Bits. Only the requests that are appropriate for your Tamer Rank will be accessible to your Digimon]
"I think I have a rough idea of Tamer Ranks from the old games, but could you explain the Ranking system?" I ask.
[Tamer Ranks are as follows
Stone - Infant Digimon Tamer
Copper-In-Training Digimon Tamer
Bronze - Rookie Digimon Tamer
Silver - Champion Digimon Tamer
Gold - Ultimate Digimon Tamer
Platinum - Mega Digimon Tamer
Mithril - Mega Plus Digimon Tamer]
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"Thanks! Now I would like to know when my Botamon will Digivolve." I ask.
[An Infant Digimon requires 5 Digi-Days to Digivolve to an In-Training Digimon]
"That means a total of five hours?" I ask.
[Yes]
"So I have to wait till then?" I ask.
[Yes! But you can ask questions if you have any]
"Well, I have a few. Is there a Digivolution chart for me to study? I want to see if it is the same as the one I learned from the games and anime," I ask.
[The Database will become available once you become a Digi-destined]
"It has to be a Koromon, right?" I ask.
[Probably]
"Well, could you tell me the requirements to reach Rookie after Botamon Digivolves into an In-Training Digimon?" I requested.
[10 Digi-Days of consistent food, water and praise]
"So, if my Digimon were to die in the Digital World and be reborn back here, would I have to endure 15 hours to raise it back to a Rookie Digimon?" I asked.
[Yes]
"Well, that sucks. Can I control the Digi-volution line?" I ask.
It was controllable in most games, and I wouldn't say I liked the ones that depended on luck to meet hidden requirements.
[Yes, if you meet certain conditions to access each line]
"Are they hidden?" I ask.
[Their requirements won't be hidden, but whether or not your Digimon can meet them will be the challenge. The tougher the requirements are to clear, the longer it will take to Digivolve and vice versa]
"But the tougher requirements will create a stronger Digimon than the easy requirements, right?" I ask.
[Yes]
"Good to know! Tell me, is there an EXP distribution system or a Level up system?" I ask.
[Each Digi-volution line will have unique requirements not based on EXP or levels. Some requirements will involve defeating several Digimon of the same Rank and Species or obtaining specific items to unlock it. While some will require stats to be raised to a certain level to meet the criteria]
"Oh? So going on a killing spree won't guarantee it will Digivolve?" I ask.
[Some Digivolution lines will be suited for that style of growth]
After that, the flight attendant interrupted my conversation by pointing to the screen of my seat, which highlighted the menu for my in-flight meal. I chose a meal with roast chicken mushroom risotto, caramel custard, and other side items. Within a few minutes, she returned to deliver them. Black Gatomon seemed curious about the food for some reason.
"Do you want to see what I am eating?" I asked, and they nodded vigorously.
I picked up my phone and aimed the video camera at the food. Black Gatomon sniffed it and drooled.
"Was that a real sniff, or were you just faking it?" I ask.
[I can smell everything around you up to one meter]
"I see. Too bad you can't eat the food," I pointed out and started to dig in.
[If you are willing to let me digitize some of it, then I can]
"Digitize? You can convert physical matter into digital matter?" I asked.
[Of course! How else would the Digivice be able to bring a Digi-Destined into the Digital World? Just pick the item you want me to have, and I can create a Digital version of it to consume]
"You can have my Caramel Custard," I said as I aimed the video camera at the packaged desert. Green laser lines shot out of the phone sensors to scan it, creating a replica of Black Gatomon's paw. Once done, she opened it and licked it before gobbling it up and expressing deep satisfaction. Black Gatomon made another copy and ate the second serving before having a third.
[This is delicious! Thank you for sharing!]
"Can you feed it to my Botamon?" I ask.
[Sure, I can, but Botamon will only enjoy the taste. His hunger won't be satisfied through replicas of your Earth food]
"So only food harvested from the Digi-Farm fields fills his stomach?" I ask.
[Not just Digi-Farm! In the Digital World, tons of plants and trees produce food. There are also Merchant Digimon who sell special ingredients and Chefs who sell special dishes for Bits]
"Good to know. By the way, you mentioned you can Digitize humans. Is that only possible when I become a Digi-Destined?" I ask.
[Oh, you can do it right now. It is part of my duty to create your Digital avatar who will manage the Digi-Farm while you are busy in the real world, and you can transfer his memories whenever you request it from him]
"But what about his food and toilet needs?" I ask.
[Similar to your Digimon, your avatar won't need a bathroom break. As for food, he can also consume the Meat Plant, or I can serve him any meal you permit me to digitize]
"What about you? Don't you need to eat to survive?" I ask.
[Yggdrasil designed me never to hunger for food, but I still like to taste delicious food]
"Yggdrasil is your god, right?" I ask.
The TV shows and games showcased him as creating and managing the Digital World.
[Yes, but I can't reveal any more information unless you pass his test]
"I understand. You may digitize the rest of the meal and then me." I instructed her.
Black Gatomon nodded before scanning the roast chicken mushroom risotto, two pieces of garlic bread, mango juice, butter, seasoning packets, and nut mixture packet. She made their replica on a serving tray and began to feast. Once done, she scanned my head and created a 2D Cartoon-like avatar of me on the farm. He is wearing the same clothes I am wearing and seemed surprised by the surroundings. He accidentally steps on the sleeping Botamon, who wakes up in pain. Botamon reflexively bounced hard enough to tackle him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground, and then attacked him with Bubbles, which seemed to cause my avatar to scream in pain. Suddenly, Botamon realized it was me and stopped the attack by affectionately rubbing his furry slime body over my avatar's face in apology.
"How do I transfer the memory?" I ask.
[Click on your avatar, and the option to initiate memory transfer will be visible]
I do so, and soon, I experience all the pain and joy he experienced in the few minutes he had inside the Digi-Farm.
"But what happens to my avatar if I fail the test?" I ask out of dark curiosity.
[Your avatar's data will be stored in a Digi-Egg and be reborn as a Digimon in the Digital World]
"Well, that is disturbing. Are all Digimon once Digi-Destined candidates?" I ask.
[Most were failures from different Earths, but not your Digimon Partners. They have brand new data with no past lives so that you all have an equal starting chance]
"Would his reincarnated Digimon avatar retain the memories of my life?" I ask.
[At Mega Rank, they will unlock their past life memories. Though not every Digimon manages to survive long enough to get to Mega, their data will slowly change with every reincarnation depending on their experiences in the Digital World. Most of the Digimon have been reborn hundreds of times and can no longer remember their Human lives]
"So they will eventually forget their past identities and adapt to their Digimon identities?"
[Correct]
"Do they only get reborn once killed, or do they have a lifespan?" I ask.
Some Digimon games had that feature, making it a grind to raise them back to Mega.
[10 Digi-Days for an In-Training Digimon
100 Digi-Days for a Rookie Digimon
1000 Digi-Days for a Champion Digimon
10000 Digi-Days for an Ultimate Digimon
100000 Digi-Days for a Mega Digimon
1000000 Digi-Days for a Mega Plus Digimon]
[If a Digimon fails to Digivolve before the end of its lifespan, it will be reverted into Digi-Eggs. Except for Mega Plus Digimon since they cannot Digivolve further, but if they do manage it, then they will gain immortality and escape the cycle of reincarnation]
"Wow! Has there been a Digimon who has done it?" I ask.
[I can't reveal anything more until you pass the test]
I suspect that should be the case. Otherwise, why mention it?
"Right! I will watch the news to see what's happening." I inform.
Then I look at my avatar dribbling Botamon like a basketball for revenge before switching the Digi Farm to the BBC news App to see the latest updates.
I read several new headlines. The first discussed the Black Gatomons who appeared on their Digivices and everything I learned from mine. The second article mentioned a dozen cruise ships have disappeared at sea. The third article reported that over two dozen flights disappeared from flight radar, and over a hundred flights crashed for unknown reasons. Mass panic ensued in many international airports as flights were being canceled everywhere due to the fear that their flights would suffer the same fate. Suddenly, the plane's left wing's engine blew up, angling downwards from the nose.
"This is your Captain speaking! Something struck our jet engine! Fasten your seat belt and brace for a crash landing!"
To be continued in the next episode...
