The Concrete Jungle Part 2

[Zachary Scryer]

Things got strange since Zachary had moved to new york (Up to date reference after the trip to the card shop and finding the strange blue card in another thread) He had taken his mother's advice to go out and explore in the safe part of the neighborhood, so he went to the local card shop and bought some digimon cards. Despite the strange occurrences of electronics and computers behaving strangely around him, what really tipped him off was the strange blue card he found in the pack. After the strange occurrence, he played a couple of games with some new comers to the shop, and then packed up. He took pride to use some of the cards he just won. 

As he had packed up all his gear, he stuffed his personal card-- the card Panthermon he had created by a family member who worked for the card game-- and the blue card into his pocket with his cellphone. As he had began to walk away from the shop, his cellphone turned on all on its own, the screen flashing and going static. The show of eyes appeared on it as the two cards were close proximity with the phone. Small arcs of static electricity danced between them-- the blue card, the Panthermon image , and the phone. Almost on its own, the same image of panthermon appeared on the screen through the static, as if the phone was trying to read the information on the card. 

Zachary left the card store, ignorant of all of this as he got ready to go home. THe sky had become overcast and the wind was picking up in the city. As he reached for the crosswalk to get to his next block-- he stopped as he saw it. There had been a mild accident to the road. Whatever it was, the work crew and police were there, working on the traffic lights-- after a small accident took place where two cards collided. Luckily no one was hurt judging by the lack of an ambulance and both drivers talking to one another. 

Realizing the path was blocked, Zachary turned down the end of the corner and proceeded to go around. it would take him longer, but he could find another way to get home. He headed towards a small park near his building, just another long block away, and where he could at least not be crowded by so many people. 

[Zachary Scryer]

As he made his way down the street, he soon reached the corner park. The park was a small area-- roughly the size of half a block cut into a triangle shape with the gates. Though compared to the rest of new york, it was made as realistic as possible. There was a small court for basket ball, plenty of trees, grass and a playground for kids. There was also an awning and picnic area. As he walked through the park-- he felt a drop of rain hit his nose. "Huh?" Zachary looked up to the sky, seeing how dark it had gotten. As he observed around, he saw bits of water beginning to fall around him. "Oh come on," he groaned and quickly ran to find cover. The closest thing nearby as the rain began to intensify was the picnic awning. He ran towards it and ducked under it. The rain soon became a downpour as he was now stuck.

He wished he could of gotten to the small coffee shop nearby but it was across the street. As the rain came down harder, now making loud patters against the iron roof, he felt it was better to sit and wait it out. A sigh escaped him as he saw the rain come down. No one else was in the park but him, giving him some time to himself. With no where else to go, he stepped onto the small picnic 'table'-- one of those one piece table and seat in one objects-- and sat on the table itself with his feet on the seat like a bleacher.

The feel of the rain's mist soon grazed his skin as it cooled the heated summer air. It was a welcome change, still Zachary sat there, awaiting this downpour to lessen up.

[Zachary Scryer]

The melody of stormshowers and thunder continued to play along the skyline of new york as now it had become dark. Zachary still remained under the cover of the park awning, unable to leave unless he wanted to be drenched in water. The splatter was so strong he felt it from there as he now sat on the table, a leg curled up as he had his arms resting on it, the other out. A sigh escaped him as he didn't know how long he sat there waiting. "This is ridiculous..." he said, seeing no let up in the rain. The park had soon become foggy from the clouds and rain as well, masking the outside of the park easily.

As it was only growing later, Zachary reached into his pocket once more. As he did his cards fell out a bit onto the table he was on, but he pulled out his phone. "I better call mom and tell her I'll be late. This rain really is annoying... Huh?" he gasped as he saw his phone. He had turned it off but now it was on-- and the glitching was becoming more and more troublesome. The screen was just a wall of random data, something he couldn't identify.

Lightning flashed above the skyscrapers around him as he tried to get his phone to work. He attempted to turn off the power by holding down the button-- but nothing happened. "What the heck? Come on!" he said, now shaking the phone. "What, I overspend my minutes or something? Come on you stupid piece of --"

CRACK! BOOM!!

The exact time it occured, the screen flashed-- to reveal a screeching sound of some sort... and followed by the flash of two strange yellow eyes on the screen.

"WHAAAA!?" He shouted, dropping the phone. The flash of lightning and thunder was close, all in time that spooked Zachary.

The smartphone fell upon his loose cards, falling screen up as the data continued to blitz out. IN a small bit of shock, Zachary looked to the phone, confused as hell to what happened. Did he really see something flash on his phone, or was the storm playing tricks on him? He couldn't tell. "What's going on here...!" he gasped as he looked next to him.

It was then that things got REALLY strange. THIS TIME, the lightning actually hit the awning of the building. The flash was so loud and powerful the structure shook. The bolt of lightning arched, and a small bit of it touched his phone. IN that same moment-- the phone's screen of data glowed bright white. It was then that something ACTUALLY CAME OUT OF IT! Like a bubble, light came out of the screen, and rolled onto the table, illuminating the dark awning around it.

Zachary was speechless as he just stood up from the table, getting some distance away as if it was radioactive or something. However, the mass of light soon began to dim, so did his phone's screen.

In its place, was a small blue device no bigger than one's hand. It was a blue and silver device with a screen on front and a strap on top. A small number of buttons were on the front, and a strange reader on the side.

A digivice.

The light faded completely, leaving Zachary's cellphone screen blank, and the newly created device on top of Zachary's Panthermon card. Zachary's face was frozen, the splash of rain that would of been on him was replaced by sweat as he saw the phenomenon happened right before his eyes. He stood there as things became quiet, the patter of rain once again being the only persistent sound around him.

His breath was shallow as he slowly approached the table again. Reaching for his phone, he held it. In a matter of seconds-- his normal display soon appeared. The cell screen was back to normal before the strange coding. With his cell phone back working as it should, he turned his attention now to the device now on the table.

[Zachary Scryer]

His arms shook as he attempted to reach for the digivice. "This just... isn't possible," he said. He knew it wasn't possible, but he knew what that device was. A digivice! The build and style was unmistakable. Slowly he reached to touch it. He used just his finger and lightly tapped it, checking to make sure it wasn't hot or dangerous to hold. He tapped it, and felt nothing after a bit. Finally, satisfied, he reached to feel it and slowly picked it up.

The device was made of smooth plastic, like a toy would be made of. However, the light that came from the screen came with the same realism of his own cell phone. He looked at all sides of it, seeing the features and detail, looking like a real piece of machinery. "Definitely not Radioshack tech..." Zachary joked to himself, a habit of his when he was nervous.

By that time, the rain began to lessen, but it still left the strange fog that hovered over the area. The patter of the rain was the last thing on his mind hover as he gazed at the digivice.

"This can't be right. Digimon don't exsist," he said, trying to think of some other possibility. "It has to be something else or... or..."

Despite how hard he tried to justify another example, there was no other idea to cross his mind. A device that popped out of a cell phone, looks like the same type of techs in the card games and comics--digivice just immediately came to mind. He couldn't think of anything less.

As the rain began to lessen, he heard something else. At first it sounded like thunder, but it was more lower and rumbled. Looking around, he didn't see anything, but the fog had grown dense that it was hard to see the street. As the rain still fell, it was starting to creep Zachary out. Too many unexplained things were happening. After glancing at the fog, he quickly put the new digivice and his cards back into his pocket. Swinging his bag back over his shoulder, he left the awning down the concrete path, heading for the street.

As he left, from the shade of the trees-- a pair of yellow eyes emerged from the fog. It looked to Zachary as he turned his back to it. It was watching him, focused and interested...

[Zachary Scryer]

The downpour became just a small drizzle, the rain pretty much lessening and no longer guaranteed you to be soaked through your clothes. Still clinging his jacket close to keep dry, Zachary made his way through the small path, already seeing the lights of passing cars nearby. As he got closer to the street, the fog was becoming less and less intense-- but something didn't feel right. He clutched the mysterious device he found in his pocket, all the while hastening his step towards the street. Reaching the intersection, he waited for the crossing in between to turn green. The light flashed red for a couple of moments.

A chill ran up his spine as he waited, anxiously hoping to keep moving. He looked from side to side, gazing down the street. No one was there-- rather no one was looking at him. A few people walking home from work moved away, people in umbrellas rushing to get inside. Still, something had Zachary feeling anxious.

The light turned green, catching Zachary's attention. He quickly ran across the area to the other side of the street.

The street lights had already turned on, and the sky was pitch black as the rain slowly fell around him. It was now dusk, and he needed to get back home. No matter what neighborhood you were in, in Manhattan, it was dangerous to walk alone at night. It all hasted his step.

However, as he crossed the street and made his way down, he didn't notice the presence behind him. As he was further down, as the crosslight turned red and cars moved along the road-- a strange blur came from a mass of the fog among the park. It moved like a blur into the trees that were planted within the sidewalk of the city street. It hopped from tree to tree. From within its bows and cover of the leaves, it peered after the young teenager as he made his way for home. Yellow eyes tracked him, interested by what it saw.

All the while, Zachary felt unnerved. Knowing his apartment was close around the block-- he stopped as he saw a possible shortcut. An ally that cut right across the block and he could see the street on the other side. It wasn't a bad one, allowed for trash and restaurants and buildings to lay out their trash. It was a decent enough walk as he could see his building across the other side. For a moment, Zachary hesitated-- as he never liked 'dark allies'. However, the chill still was on his back, and he felt better taking the quickest and fastest way home. He wouldn't feel better till he would get to his lobby at least.

Finally making up his mind, Zachary hastily stepped through the ally. He was power-walking through it, looking left and right for anything that made him uneasy. The rain didn't fall from the ally, blocked by the height of the buildings around him. However, the darkness made it harder for him to see his surroundings. Still he walked further and further to the building.

"Just keep going... you're almost home..." he said to himself.

He still felt that strange sensation of being followed. He moved quickly, almost feeling like running when...

"Hey..."

"WHAAA!" Zachary jumped nearly out of his shoes as he jumped from the call. It came from his right as he moved away... however, he only soon saw a single person. A man, looking to be in his fourties with a long shaggy beard and a dirty ripped jacket. Zachary stopped, realizing it wasn't some predator, but just a person. More specifically, a homeless person from the way he was huddled between boxes and bags.

"...Don't suppose you could spare a little change?" he asked softly.

Zachary looked at the man, clearly down on his luck. It both made Zachary be afraid of it and also pity him. He was filthy, but it was clear why. He didn't have the means to take care of himself. NO home, no where to go. A fate Zachary couldn't comprehend and never wanted to experience. The fear from before left as he couldn't just leave things as they were.

He remembered when he visited the city as a kid with his mother, how he saw someone and felt compelled to try and help them-- only to have his mother tug him away and scold him for trying to help him. It was odd for Zachary listening to his mother explain that they were homeless and giving them money was not the answer to help them, made him conflicted. She explained that many just would use the money for booze or drugs-- things they shouldn't get in order to get off the streets. Still, Zachary couldn't help but feel compelled to help somehow at that young age. To him, walking away from someone in need wasn't right.

ANd he felt the same way now.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out the remaining change he had from the card store. It was only three dollars and a some change, but it was better than nothing. Clutching the money, Zachary reached out and dropped it into the man's hand. Despite his grimy and shaded face, his eyes seemed to twingle with some recognition. "Here, sir. Sorry I can't help more," Zachary said.

"God bless you," he said simply as he returned to sit in the same spot.

It felt strange to Zachary that the man would thank him, but with that, Zachary turned and moved to get out of the alley. He was sure his mother and father wouldn't approve, but he couldn't say no so easily to anyone in need of help. He could only hope the man used the money right.

For the time being, he just continued on.

However, it was then he felt that chill from behind. Turning around, Zachary looked, to see if it was the man from before. Though the fog was hardly dense due to the ally, there were plenty of shadows. The man still was where he was, curled up against the wall.

"Get a grip Zachary..." Zachary said to himself aloud, shaking his head for a moment. "There is nothing..."

He stopped and his words got caught in his throat as he looked to the far right of the allyway, behind a pair of trashcans. Something moved there. He couldn't make it out, but the gleam in the shadows did catch his attention.

The gleam of two yellow eyes gazing at him.

His eyes widened as Zachary caught his breath and immediately took off running out of the alley.

[Zachary Scryer]

It had followed him from the park. With its eyes, it followed Zachary's every movement and curious to his actions. Slowly, it moved forward...

Zachary scrambled out of the ally, running in a frenzy. It could of been a dog, a giant rat-- but he didn't care. He KNEW something was following him, and whatever he saw, he was not about to go looking to find out what. He dashed out from the ally and running in between a few people walking on the sidewalk. Despite a few shouts and yells at them, he pressed forward. His first step for the street was then answered by a sudden honk of a nearby taxi!

It was the only thing to truly get his head straight as the cap screeched to a halt, the driver yelling at Zachary for almost getting hit. Not waiting to apologize, Zachary quickly looked and found the way clear. With an opening, Zachary ran across the street for his building. His legs pushed him forward faster than he ever thought he had gone before as he reached the other side of the street, his feet pushing hard against the concrete.

He didn't turn back, feeling the creature or whatever it was, was hot on his trail. Running for the revolving doors, he practically jumped into the side of it and it went spinning, leaving the presence of the pursuer behind him through the doors.

Zachary burst through the revolving doors with a gasp, toppling out onto the carpet that ran along the wooden floor of the lobby. Both the doorman and desk attendant stopped what they were doing as they looked to see Zachary gasping in alarm.

Pushing himself off the floor, Zachary looked out to the windowed doors of the building and looked for the same creature. However, there was nothing there. He blinked, confused and terrified. He could of sworn he felt the 'thing' closer. He thought it might be on his tail but any trace of it was gone. All he could see was the rainy street and the dark ally beyond where he had ran from.

"Are you okay?" the desk attendant ask. The man walked over and attempted to help Zachary. Accepting his hand, Zachary was pulled back to his feet as he still looked out at the street. "What happened?" the man asked.

Zachary pointed to the street , but didn't know what to say. Of all the strange things to happen in the past half-hour, he didn't have a clue who or WHAT was after him. But now, there was nothing.

"Kid, was someone chasing you?" the bellhop asked, trying to get an action back from Zachary.

Snapping out of his fright by the adults near him, he shook his head and looked to them. "Um... fine. I'm fine... I thought I was chased, but it was probably some dog or something," he said. Slowly he put himself together and made his way for the elevator bank.

Despite his excuse, the men looked to him with concern. "Are you sure? " one of them asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just probably nothing. Sorry..." Zachary said as he hastily got into the open elevator. Pushing the button with a fist, the doors closed, allowing him to go up the floors. The two door attendants looked to one another, confused by the teenager's actions.

[Zachary Scryer]

Zachary leaned against the wall of the elevator as it rode up the floors, the only sound being the soft spinning of the gears and machines above and below him. The numbers on the wall slowly blinked up to his floor on the 12th. His breath was labored but slowly was calming down as he tried to regain some composure of himself. "Calm down, Zachary..." he said to himself, feeling the light movements of the elevator against his back. It was the only thing keeping him from falling down to the ground.

After a minute or so, the numbers scrolled to 12 and the 'ding' of the elevator snapped him to attention. The doors opened, revealing the bright hallway of the apartment building. Stepping out, he headed for his apartment. Reaching into his other pocket, he felt for the keys he had and walked down the hallway. His apartment was half way down, the hallway being a straight path between two windows. He reached his door, uniform next to the rest and spaced evenly apart as he shakily took his key and tried to put it into the lock. He missed one time, but got it in the second, his nerves still uneasy.

It was then Zachary felt that same strange chill. His head shot up and looked around. He darted his head back and forth, trying to know why he felt like someone was watching him! This time, however, he knew no one else was there. It was a single hallway with no real place to hide. If it was that strange creature, it couldn't of been there.

Zachary shook his head again. He knew it was not possible, so he pushed forward and turned the key. The door opened and he got inside the apartment.

Closing the door behind him, he let out a sigh of relief as within his home, he felt somewhat safe. It didn't matter the boxes still around or the fact now that they moved. He was home and within a familiar setting. Turning to the door, he put the extra locks up, just in case.

"Welcome back Zachary," his mother's voice said, and Zachary turned to greet her. "Everything okay? I thought you would of been home earlier."

Wiping his brow, Zachary tried to keep his cool. "Um... I'm fine mom. Sorry. I had to take a detour getting home, and got caught in the thunderstorm. " he said, hastily going to his room. He took off the jacket, still wet from the rain and put it on the coat hook nearby.

"You alright? You look a bit pale," his mother observed, noticing the distress in her son.

Forcing his face into it, he smiled at his mother. "No, no. I'm fine. Really," he said, "Just tired from the long trip. I... I'm gonna take a nap maybe." he said.

"Okay. I'll wake you up when dinner is ready," she said.

"Thanks, mom," Zachary said as he entered his room and closed the door. A sign escaped him once he had it shut as he entered his dark room.

[Zachary Scryer]

The patter of the rain against the windows was the only sound as he walked over to the computer chair that sat near the end of his bed. Rolling it back, he sat down in it and leaned back. His hands went to his face as he covered it. He wiped his face, trying regain a sense of calm now that he was safe in his room and home. He never felt so relieved to be back in this new apartment. Feeling weighed down, Zachary unloaded his pockets, removing his wallet, cellphone and cards-- including the new Digivice from his pocket.

As he put it on the table, he felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of the device. Turning to the rest of his cards, he went looking for something. The strange blue card he found a couple hours ago back at the card shop. However, as he looked it among the pile of cards, he couldn't find it. The mysterious blue card, the digivice, and a possible 'thing' stalking him over town... it was all starting to overwhelm Zachary. "Where did that card go..." he said as he sat back, looking at all his cards spread out. "Could I have dropped it when I was running?"

Once again, he looked to the Digivice on his desk. It was an elegant blue color with silver buttons and frame over the screen. Picking it up again, he hesitantly pushed the first button. The screen lit up, but no text could be seen. A strange-compass like radar appeared, and the arrow moving in another direction-- outside of his window.

His mind wondered what it was for, but he quickly put the device down, face down on the table. "This is crazy... Digimon... aren't real... aren't they?" he said, knowing full well it was a game. A fantasy. And yet, there he was, holding a special device designed for that world.

Pushing himself away from his desk, he stood up and walked to his bed. He flopped face down on the bed, laying against his pillow. "Maybe my head will hurt less if I nap." he groaned into the pillow. "JUst need... some rest..."

His shoulders felt lighter now as he allowed himself relax into his warm bed. He curled up around the soft cover, fading in and out of consciousness...

[Zachary Scryer]

The rain continued to patter as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance, illuminating the room through the window. He slept for roughly a half-hour as the sound once again reached his ears. The sound woke him as he softly stirred. Shadows danced against the wall from the lightning, as it showed the silhouettes of the buildings-- along with something else. The last flash cast a shadow of a beast against the wall.

Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes as he readjusted. A chill crossed his body from a cold, moist air. It came from his window. "Huh...? When did I open the window...?" He said as he slowly turned around. The window was black with both the night and overcast sky. THe window somehow had gotten open. He couldn't remember if he had left it open during the day or not... but it didn't matter as something caught his attention.

The glow of yellow eyes in the window-- and the flash of lightning illuminating the dark shadow of a four-legged beast.

"WHAAA!!" Zachary shouted and rolled away. He fell of the bed and scrambled to his hand and knees. At first he thought it was his imagination, but the shadow was very real inside the window. The glow of the yellow eyes refused to vanish as he gazed at them. He skidded backwards, backing away from the creature. He banged his head as he hit his desk, unable to move further away as his body trembled. The thud into the desk knocked over the collection of items on it, causing cards to flutter onto the floor. He looked to the beast, recognizing the same eyes he saw following him since the ally. The same thing that had been following him this whole time.

Softly, it reached out a leg and stepped through the window sill. Silently, it approached. As it got closer, Zachary could see its outline, shaped in the form of a cat-like creature. It stepped onto the night table in front of the window, and then down to the floor. It took its time, unnerved by Zachary's fear as it approached.

Oh, god... oh god... I'm gonna die here... he thought as the creature drew closer. He could make it out more as it drew to him, like a ghost to his perspective. Its pitch black color terrified him in the dark, lit by only those feral looking eyes.

Zachary shut his eyes tight and covered his arms in front of him, hoping to fend off the beast. "D-Don't hurt me!!" he shouted, terrified for what would happen next.

He trembled, awaiting the inevitable.

"...Why would I hurt you?" The voice answered Zachary, clear as a bell.

It took a moment for him to realize what happened. For one thing, he was still alive. Slowly he opened his eyes and lowered his arms. His view of the creature was very real and stood a mere foot away, looking at him attentively. His eyes went wide as he saw the creature-- the giant black cat standing there. A long moment passed as Zachary fell speechless, for a moment thinking he was already dead.

The cat made no other move and just cocked his head a bit, his tail swishing softly behind him. "Why would I hurt you? " the cat spoke again, its mouth moving and talking as easily as a real life person would.

This time, Zachary's words came up dry as he didn't move and tried to think what was going on. After a moment, he closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath, realizing he wasn't breathing at all. With a gulp, he sat up, though still under his desk. "Whah... gah..." he struggled to talk, his throat dry till he finally worked up enough mositure to speak once more. "Um... what are... you? "

"I'm a Digimon. " he said simply.

Unable to think of a justifiable response, he could only just nod. "Ohhhkaaaay..." he said, as if his brain didn't figure out just what the hell a digimon was, despite his card collection now all on the floor.

[Zachary Scryer]

Finally getting his wits back, at least so he thought, he was able to see more of the Digimon before him. He was indeed a giant black cat. Looking at him now, despite the glow of his yellow eyes, he didn't seem so scary now. The digimon was in the form of a black panther. On his front paws were two metallic braces with a diamond-shaped jewel on each one. On its rear right leg was a gold ring with symbols etched onto it. It calmly swished its black tail about, as he patiently waited for Zachary to speak again.

After a moment, Zachary sat up and looked at the panther. Able to think clearly, he recognized him. It was HIS digimon-- the digimon he had drawn up and had his uncle create in the card game. "I-It can't be...," Zachary gasped as he reached up a hand. He was trying to touch the digimon on the head, despite the cock of his head. "Are you... Panthermon?"

*KNOCK KNOCK* "Zachary, you alright in there?"

Zachary jumped again, hearing his mother's voice. He turned to the door, knowing she was out there.

"Is everything okay? I heard you yell," she called out.

A sweat returned to Zachary. If she saw a giant black jaguar in the middle of their apartment, she would probably freak out, so Zachary thought. "Oh no...!" Zachary said as he scrambled back to his feet. He went for the door but before he could reach it, it opened and his mother walked in.

"Zachary? You okay?" she asked, stepping inside as she reached for the lightswitch.

Zachary tried to keep her from seeing the digimon in his room but she turned on the light. "Mom! Calm down! I can explain everything!" Zachary said fast, trying to not let her see it.

The room lit up. She simply looked over Zachary's shoulder. "Explain what?" she asked.

Zachary blinked, his mind blank for a moment as the light illuminated the once dark room. He spun his head back to look -- and to find the giant panther was gone. The room showed no sign of him, as if he simply disappeared into thin air. Spinning around, Zachary looked in every corner of the room. From under the desk, to his bed and behind the corner of his dresser. He didn't see anything.

"Wh-what...?" Zachary gasped softly as he stared at the blank space in his room.

Seeing her son's shock, she reached out and rested her hand on his forehead. "Zachary, are you not feeling well or something?" she asked, checking if he was feeling sick. "What's going on?"

Turning around, he stepped away from his mother's hand on his head. "Oh-I-I'm fine. Really!" he spoke quickly, raising a hand up to stop her. "I just... tripped over my desk in the dark, is all," he said, pointing to the mess on the floor. "Don't worry, I'll clean it up." With that, he knelt down and began to pick up the cards and Digivice that fell on the ground.

His mother could tell something was bothering him, but as she looked around, nothing was wrong. "Well..." she said as she saw her son pick up his mess, "I just wanted to let you know Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. So come out soon, okay?"

"Yeah, sure mom," Zachary said hastily as he dropped the pile of items onto his desk. "No problem."

Believing him for now, his mother turned to leave. She walked past his door and closed it behind her. After a couple of seconds, waiting to be sure she was gone, Zachary dropped the act and looked around. He knew he wasn't crazy, or hallucinating all of this. A giant panther came walking through his window and now he was gone. "Hello? Digimon?" Zachary asked, now on his hands and knees to look under the bed. However, as he looked there, he couldn't see anything hiding. Rushing up to his closet, he checked inside, but there was nothing hidden in there as well. "Where did you go?"

"I'm right here," a voice answered him.

He jumped hearing the sound of the digimon, but as he looked around the room, there was no sign of him. He turned his head left to right so many times, he was starting to feel dizzy. "I know I have an active imagination, but not THIS active!" he exclaimed as he looked around. "Come on, where did you go--?"

At that very moment, the panther miraculously appeared in the blink of an eye! It was as if he simply 'faded in' back into being, as if from a movie effect. Zachary gasped as he jumped back, the cat being directly in front of him. "Wh-WHat the hell?" Zachary asked. "What was that you just did?"

The panther blinked at Zachary, his head craned up to look to him. "I sensed you were concerned I would be discovered, so I hid myself," the cat replied. "I was able to make myself invisible, so I did just that."

Zachary was speechless for a moment. Without even an invitation, the jungle cat took notice to Zachary's bed and hopped up onto it. All the while, he watched the cat as he pawed the bed, testing its softness. "Um... and just how did you become invisible?" Zachary asked, still reeling how he was able to not be noticed by his mother.

The panther then sat upon the bed, its large body stretched out along the width of it as he sat down. "I just can," the cat replied matter-of-factly. He let out a soft growl, which Zachary could only hope was an equivalent to a cat's purr.

As Zachary was able to think clearly bit by bit, he began to understand why this digimon could use such a skill. As many jungle animals could, especially jungle cats, many could use camouflage in order to hide or stalk enemies. It wouldn't be such a stretch that a digimon could utilize the same qualities. Slowly, Zachary grabbed his desk chair and wheeled it over near the bed to face the panther. "Okay, level with me, here okay? I feel like I am losing my mind," he said, keeping as calm as possible as he looked to the talking panther. "Are you REALLY a digimon?"

The cat looked to him calmly. "Yes, I am. Why would I lie about my own identity?" he asked, almost inquisitively sharp in his 'counter-question'.

Zachary sat back, trying to relax a bit more. "Because digimon are suppose to be a game. Science Fiction. Digital life forms are... well science fiction," he replied.

The panther cocked his head again, a sign of his confusion over his words. "Well, I am, what I am. I can't argue my own existence, and I know where I came from. " he answered simply.

Zachary looked at the cat, his expression wide and his mouth gaped open. It was strange how intelligent and self aware this panther was. Even if he was a digimon, a digital creature, he was surprisingly sharp. Almost philosophically sharp.

"Well, answer me this then," Zachary asked, gulping for a moment. Spinning his chair, he picked up one of his cards. The personal one he had made for him-- the same digimon card who was now sitting on his bed. Spinning back around, he showed the card to the panther. It was the identical same image of him, with the text, level and attacks he could use. "Are you Panthermon? Is that your name?"

The cat looked to the card, recognizing the drawn picture of him. "That's correct. My name is Panthermon. Its what I know," he replied.

"What do you mean by 'it's what you know?'" Zachary asked.

It was at this time, Zachary's mother's voice came calling through the door. "Zachary! It's time for dinner!" she called out.

Turning his head to the direction of the voice, he felt a small surge of panic in him, but quickly quelled it with a breath. "Okay! I'll be right there!" he called back towards her. Looking back to the digimon, Zachary stood up from his chair. "Look, I gotta go take care of this. Just stay here till I get back okay?"

Panthermon this time laid down, resting his head against his front paws in front of him. "Sure. I got no where to go," he answered.

Zachary was both puzzled and put off by the panther's unusual demeanor, but it was too many questions for him. Trusting the talking cat that he would keep his word, Zachary left for the living room and closed the door behind him, so his parents would walk in and see the giant cat.

[Zachary Scryer]

Dinner was quiet as Zachary ate his chicken. Too many questions were running through his mind as he occasionally glanced back to his room, knowing well behind it was a real life talking panther. HIs parents did take notice to this of course, but they too were eating as well, and his mother and father spoke to one another. "How is your food, Zachary? Is it cooked well?" His father asked.

Shooting his head up for a moment, Zachary looked to him. "Huh? Oh, yeah... it's great. Sorry," he said.

He couldn't get his head straight on point to focus on his parents. He would of told them. He SHOULD of told them-- but a Digimon? It was one of those things that kids told their parents and they would think 'oh its just his active imagination'. And Zachary had one all right, but too old to do games like that. There was no one he could tell calmly, and they would take him seriously. If he just showed them, it would just end badly in panic and fight.

Zachary drank the last of his grape juice, realizing he had to keep it all a secret. He had finished his dinner and put the plates in the sink as he usually did. "Thanks for dinner. Please excuse me," he said calmly but hastefully as he left and headed back to his room.

He was careful as he opened the door, just enough to allow himself in and to close it behind him. He sighed as he closed it, resting against the door for a moment. He had his eyes closed for a moment to calm himself down.. then slowly opened them.

He had thought it was all just a big hallucination, but there he was. The giant panther was lying at the foot of his bed, resting his head against his paws and his tail swishing lazily off the bed. Hearing Zachary, the cat looked towards him, curious.

"How are you feeling?" The panther asked, raising his head.

Zachary didn't know what to say for a moment, but then shook his head. "Better... now that I got some food to eat," he said slowly walking towards the cat. "Um... hey how come you didn't turn invisible or whatever? I mean, it could of been my mom or dad coming in?" he asked.

"But it wasn't," the panther replied, looking to the human teenager. "I could sense it was you, very clearly, no different from how I tracked you. Anyway, there was no point to conceal myself since I knew it was you."

It was strange to hear the digimon talk like that. He knew this digimon was a rookie, but he spoke with such confidence and maturity, it seemed very odd. Then again, he knew no other digimon to compare to.

Returning back to the issue Zachary had before he had to leave for dinner, he looked over Panthermon again. "Are you really Panthermon? I mean, that is who you are." he asked.

"Yes. I am Panthermon." Panthermon replied easily.

Zachary felt his breath quicken. "It's just... I created you..."

Panthermon cocked his head at that, confused. "Created me?"

"I-I mean-- ugh," Zachary groaned and went to his desk. He tossed a few papers around till he found it-- the childish drawing he made of a similar black cat that looked much like Panthermon. "THat! I dreamed about you, drew of you, even my uncle made the actual card-- and here you are. Live, in the flesh."

"Please calm down," Panthermon said, clearly seeing how excited Zachary had become. "I can't say over the nature of my inception, but I get what you mean. It seemed you were responsible for this... shape I am now as. SO i guess you did create me, but not my essence."

Zachary's mind was blank for a moment. He slowly sat down in his desk chair, it sliding back as he fell back. "Oh... I think I am getting a headache," he groaned, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

All the while the panther watched his new human partner. The cat understood this must be confusing for Zachary, but the idea that his dreaming up a digimon now turned real-- could freak anyone out.

[Zachary Scryer]

Realizing Zachary was overwhelmed, Panthermon stood up from the bed and walked down to the ground. Sitting before Zachary, he looked up at him. "I know this must be a lot to take in... but my purpose was to find you, because maybe you were responsible for my being here," he said, trying to look Zachary in the eye while Zachary had his head in his hands. "Of course I am not blaming you. But I am here now, and you are indeed the person I was sent to meet. That digivice is proof than anything else," the cat said.

A big puff of air escaped Zachary as he lifted his head up and looked to his desk. He slowly picked up the Digivice and held it, looking over its physical features. From it, he looked to Panthermon. It was only then he began to understand just what happened. He was really a digimon tamer, and his digimon-- his very own digimon-- was one he dreamed up all this time. It finally was before him looking at him and talking to him. It wasn't like how "Takato and Guilmon" were in the TV show, but a real live digimon. And this one was intelligent in his own right. He was not sure if that was normal for real digimon, but here he was.

"You sure I am not dreaming right?" Zachary asked, still questioning his own sanity a little bit. "I mean, this is all happening."

Panthermon nodded his head in a cat-like manner. It was all he had to do.

Cautiously, Zachary reached out a hand to Panthermon. Normally, it was dangerous to even attempt to pet a wild cat like this, but if he wanted to be sure, he wanted to be able to feel him. Like an owner trying to reach out to a pet, he slowly and non-threateningly reached a hand to touch the top of the panther's head. Panthermon looked at it curiously, but didn't move. Finally, Zachary rested the hand on the cat's head. It felt real. It felt soft and warm to the touch. The cat's short fur rustled against his palm as he rubbed him there and felt the ears of the creature. It felt just like a real cat. Even as he touched him, the soft sound of a growl escaped Panthermon. While it was a growl, Zachary could only hear it as the sound a jungle cat would make closest to a real 'purr'.

Finally, a smile came to his face as he realized it was all real.

After rubbing the cat's head for a few seconds, Zachary smile kept as he slowly knelt down before him. "Panthermon... I-I can't believe you are really here," Zachary said.

However, seeing Zachary happy and tears forming in his eyes, confused Panthermon. He looked concerned, seeing how Zachary seemed to be both happy and sad at the same time. "Is... everything okay? You look sad," he asked, not understanding everything about humans.

Zachary shook his head. "N-no... I'm good. I just... " he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I never imagined you would be here. I'm so happy," he said. Reaching out, he extended his arms around the black cat and hugged him, feeling his warmth and no longer giving him any doubt that Panthermon was real.

The panther was confused but didn't move away. He felt the warmth and compassion his new human companion had. Even though he never had a human partner, or even any clue what he was doing here... he felt strangely calmed by Zachary's hug. It was the same warm feeling he sensed when he first emerged in the human world, drawn in by Zachary. He felt an emotion he didn't experience before. He was speechless as his new tamer gave him a warm hug.

Though the future before them was not always going to be as sweet, the bond between a digimon and a tamer was a powerful thing. Zachary and Panthermon were partners now... but only too soon would Zachary realize the responsibility of being one was to be.

End of part 2.