Getting back into the swing of things [QUEST][FEAT. SOPDET]

The moment KoKabuterimon suddenly tensed sharply, the stream of senseless blabber coming out of his mouth silenced, Toshiro felt a chill run down his spine.

A second later, his Digivice started screaming at him. Yanking it out of his pocket, the blonde stared at the map that suddenly popped up, his lip curling down. He couldn't just catch a break, could he?

"Shiro, look!" Suddenly shouted his partner, breaking the blonde away from the map to stare at where the beetle was pointing. The night sky seemed suspiciously foggy, The stars from before having disappeared entirely. The large dot in his device seemed to be moving quickly towards their position, but he couldn't see anyth- 

"Don't just stand there!" Screamed KoKabuterimon as he tackled him just in the nick of time for the speeding object he hadn't seen to pass by without completely bisecting him in half.

They landed to the floor in a sprawl, the wind knocked right out of the young man's lungs while his partner immediately sprang back to his feet, his gaze narrowing at their attacker. 

"Get up, Toshiro. And get those cards. Now." KoKabuterimon was actually calling him by his full name now, he noticed. This couldn't be good.

Standing up, the young man swiped his forearm underneath his chin as he stared at his attacker, narrowing his gaze at it while feeling a bead of sweat slowly roll down the back of his neck.

"Man. This is why I don't exercise anymore..."

His Digivice supplied him with the information before he even had a chance to ask just what in the world was he looking at. The first thing he noticed was the very clear words 'Champion' in the screen. He felt a stone drop into his stomach.

"Oh crap."

KoKabuterimon likely had faster natural reactions, but Toshiro could read the telegraphed motions of the knife-like creature long before his dimwitted companion could process the signals.

"Left!" Screamed the blonde at his partner, giving a sharp yank at the rope connecting their waists just as KoKabuterimon surprisingly followed the directions to a t, leaping towards him before the thing could stab him. The tug at the rope proved surprisingly effective at keeping the beetle from getting bisected.

Unfortunately, KoKabuterimon ended up slamming into Toshiro once again, sending the young man sprawling on his ass. Thankfully the buff insect didn't lose its footing at least.

"That thing just tried to stab me. Did you see that?! It tried to friggin' stab me! DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH, PUNK?!" Screamed the KoKabuterimon, his heavy forelegs digging unto the asphalt as he glared at the BladeKuwagamon, hissing.

"KoKabuterimon, calm down!" shouted the blonde, to no effect. His partner was ready to get down.

Toshiro scrambled to his feet in the meanwhile, hands clumsily reaching into his pockets for his deck of cards, quickly picking a card just as his partner exploded towards the bladed insect, screaming his lungs out as he swung his arm wide at it.

"Beetle LARIAT!"

Though landing a seemingly successful blow, there was, unfortunately, a considerable problem with KoKabuterimon's decision of rushing at the knife insect thing.

Namely, the fact that he and Shiro were attached at the waist.

Needless to say, Shiro was like a paperweight to the brawny Beetle, getting yanked along like a ragdoll as it slammed its forearm into the other insect, the blonde's body unceremoniously slapping onto KoKabuterimon's back immediately after.

He felt like he was gonna hurl. This rope had been such a terrible idea. But of course it was; It was friggin Kokabuterimon's idea.

For his part, KoKabuterimon lost balance as the blonde's body slapped onto him, essentially sending him stumbling into the air knife attack. Yelping, the KoKabuterimon crossed all four of its thick forearms in front of itself, stomping his forefeet down to center himself as the attack slammed into him, sending him sliding back. His heels tore at the asphalt as the electrifying wind blades cut at his chitin plate.

As he came to a sliding stop, the digimon held all four arms at his sides, hissing lowly in pain while his arms trembled. Data slowly peeled of rather clear cut wounds on its chitin. "A- ah..." He murmured, hugging all four arms to his body while bending over them, eyes clenching tightly. This wasn't as bad as tanking that cannon; but then again, that time, it had barely touched him.

This had hit him in full. He wasn't looking so hot after the hit. Seemed like pain had served to cool him o-

"I'LL KILL YOU!" 

Or maybe not.

Toshiro screamed in a fairly unmanly manner as his partner tore at the asphalt to throw himself at the other bug again, screaming in rage as he swung his data bleeding arms wide at it.

"KoKabuterimon, cool it! It's a champ, don't rush i-!"

"BEETLE LARIAT!" Crap. He wasn't listening. He needed to get him to chill out. But they wouldn't get a chance under constant fire...! Still hanging onto his partner's back for dear life, the blonde reached into his pocket and awkwardlyslashed another card.

Toshiro couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as the lariat sent the murderous sword thing slamming into the asphalt. The sharpness of its blade left it lodged into gravel, too. The vines from his card before where the cherry on top, moving to hold down the thing.

Lucky.

KoKabuterimon was panting hard, the data bleeding off its arms slowly disappearing into the air. Yet, he seemed ready to charge the thing once more; Toshiro wouldn't have any of that.

"Oh no, you don't." He said, poking the digimon's eye suddenly. Kokabuterimon yelped, his own hand moving to slap the young man's off, before he glared at him.

"What the hell?! Why did you do that?" shouted the beetle, rubbing at his eye furiously.

"Because everytime you do anything, you drag me along." 

"Kind of the point in being partner's, ass!"

"I mean it literally, you dung beetle."

"What?" The beetle blinked at him confusedly, before the human rather sharply reached down to yank at the rope. "Oh." responded KoKabuterimon blandly.

Then he unceremoniously grasped the rope and tore it off his waist, the thing snapping soundly before being thrown aside. 

"Better?" Grumbled the digimon at his partner.

"Much so." Mumbled the human as he got off his partner's back, reaching into his pockets for yet another card. "Let's end this quickly, shall we? Your arms are looking terrible and it is way past my bedtime."

He slashed the card onto his device, stepping away from his partner. And with good reason. Suddenly, blue flames seemed to engulf KoKabuterimon, prompting a shocked gasp from the beetle. Toshiro couldn't blame him, he and fire got along about as well as water and oil.

That said, the fire did nothing to hurt the beetle, instead filling him with a feeling of strength he couldn't quite explain. 

"Go get it." Ordered Toshiro in a lax manner, his partner nodding sharply at him in response before rushing at the lodged, tied blade digimon once more, swinging his flaming arm wide at it.

"Beetle, LARIAT!"

KoKabuterimon was already screaming in frustration when the thing pussied out and flew away from his attack, moving to hover high above them in what it likely thought was a pretty brilliant strategy.

Toshiro had something to say about that. His card was being slashed across the D-arc the moment the thing telegraphed its escape.

As KoKabuterimon came to a grinding halt, prepping to leap right into the enemy's attack like the dumbass he was, a sudden Boulder materialized right in front of him, giving him pause.

"Whuh?!"

"What are you waiting for? Throw it." Commanded the blonde sharply. The simple command seemed to be enough for the KoKabuterimon to get the idea, a lightbulb flashing over the beetle's head.

"Got it!" Responded the beetle as it reached for the boulder and suddenly threw it at the vacuum blades. The rock sailed into the sky and rammed right into the other insect's attack, getting absolutely destroyed in the process. A large dust cloud spread in the air and bits of rock fell to the floor.

And then a figure suddenly shot out of the haze of dust, flying through the air towards the blade digimon, its form cloaked in blue flames as it swung its arm at the metallic insect.

"Beetle LARIAT!" Of course it was KoKabuterimon. He had jumped with all the strength in his forelegs the moment he had thrown the rock. Toshiro couldn't help but grin from where he stood, arms still in his pocket. For such a dumbass, he had been surprisingly quick at reading the blonde's idea.

Kokabuterimon's swing went wide, the faster digimon managing to get out of the way before he could land. It couldn't escape being lit on fire however, and the screech it released was as satisfying as main course meal to the angry beetle.

Toshiro simply clicked his tongue as the thing dodged his partner's swing. Of course it wouldn't have been that easy, but one could hope and what not. 

There was a momentary pause between the time it took KoKabuterimon to slap back in the ground and the stillness of the BladeKuwagamon as it turned toward Toshiro.

"Huh. I think he's on to me." Muttered Toshiro, slowly reaching into his pocket for yet another card.

And then thing suddenly zoomed towards him.

"Yep, he is definitely onto me." He said, dropping any caution whatsoever and quickly drawing and slashing another card.

A four legged figure with 9 tails suddenly materialized right in front of him, Essentially utilizing its body as a meat (data?) shield for the human, silent and unfeeling as the other digimon stabbed deeply into it, opening a wide gashing wound. 

Its tails then suddenly ignited into white flames, the creature howling as it swung them at the other beasts. On the other side of the field, KoKabuterimon slapped onto the floor with a grunt, bouncing off his shell and onto his chest with a pained groan.