Chapter 1: Hell’s Coming With Me
Chapter Text
“We’re too late.” Alphamon scowled, staring at the colossal iron Gate. “Our sources were right. Myotismon has departed for the real world, with the Chosen Children not far behind.”
“Then what shall we do, Alphamon?” Gallantmon asked, stepping forward, his helm’s long plume swaying with his cape. “Are we to simply leave them to fight off the incursion upon their home? I think not!” He swiped his hand down, while the other Royal Knights murmured their agreement.
The Black Knight of the Empty Seat hummed, eyes narrowing as he looked down at the stack of Digi-Tarot Cards. “There hums an ancient sorcery within this deck.” He mused, kneeling from his full height to get a better look. “I may not be Dynasmon when it comes to the mystic arts, but I should be able to…” He raised a hand, which hummed and split off into two that began to move independently, sometimes even phasing through each other. A green circle of Digicode flashed into existence as the arms relayered themselves into one, and nine cards from the deck slotted into place, leaving one off to the side.
With a creaking groan, the Gate slowly swung open, revealing a glowing white abyss on the other side. “The path to the human world is open, yet only has enough strength to ferry one of us, though it will still drain our power significantly for some time.” Alphamon declared, standing and turning to look over his fellow knights. “Who among you will undertake this quest?”
“Allow me to!” UlforceVeedramon said, stepping forward and kneeling on his right knee, crossing his left arm over his left thigh in a show of respect. “My swiftness shall ensure the vile fiend is stopped before he can harm the innocent!”
“No, I shall go!” Slayerdramon declared, eyes red as Examon spoke through half of his total data. “My might will strike down his army in an instant!”
“Ah, but neither of you possess the… shall we say, subtlety to partake of a mission in the human world.” Duftmon purred. “While I may not be as fast as UlforceVeedramon, my discretion shall serve well to keep the worlds apart.”
As the knights began to argue amongst themselves, two digimon stood off to the side. Hackmon looked to his immediate senior, head tilting to the side. “You do not wish to throw your hat in the ring, Magnamon?”
The youngest knight chuckled, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. “My Golden Digizoid is needed here, pal. The others can go on vacation if they want, but someone needs to make sure the Digiworld is safe.”
“Then it’s decided!” Gallantmon’s voice declared, the argument having reached a conclusion. “Magnamon shall be our champion!”
The sole Armor digimon’s shoulder pads sprung from their relaxed position, hanging over the outside of his arms, to pointing directly out, while his jaw would have hit the floor if not for his helm. “Wait, what?!”
“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” Magnamon grumbled, staring into the Gate as UlforceVeedramon kept a hand on his shoulder to keep him from walking off.
“Because, brother!” The blue knight grinned. “You may not excel in a single area, but you are well rounded in all! I believe the humans call it, “A Jack of all trades is a master of none, but better than being a master of one.” That, and also you’re…” The older Veemon evolution trailed off, seeing the burning heat behind the red eyes of Magnamon.
“If you call me short, I’m going to fast-pass you to Primary Village.”
“I was going to say inconspicuous!”
“I GLOW , VEEDRA!”
“Enough!” Crusadermon interjected, the pink knight striding forward with a rose in her free hand, as usual. “Go and mete out justice on this cur so we may depart this wretched place. It’s tarnishing my armor.”
Magnamon grumbled, then sighed, turning to Alphamon and kneeling as UlforceVeedramon had, with his left leg bent in front of him and his arm crossed over the thigh. “Upon my armor and core, I shall see this quest through, or return an egg to regain my honor.”
Alphamon nodded, tapping his Blade of the Dragon King on Magnamon’s shoulder pad. “As our champion, your words are our words. Your actions shall reflect upon all Royal Knights. Act with the dignity and respect of your station, and return with Myotismon in chains, or his ripped out Digicore in hand.”
“I will, Alphamon.” Magnamon nodded, before standing and rising on jets of gold flame from his pauldrons and soles of his greaves, floating into the abyss. As he reached the light, his figure warped and distorted, turning into a bundle of gold digicode that rocketed out of sight, headed off to the realm of Atoms and Humans.
“Do you believe he shall succeed?” Gallantmon asked, stepping forward.
“He must.” Alphamon sighed, before turning with a swish of his cape, striding towards the tunnel out of the chamber. “Now, come. The forces of the end muster their strength, and we must prepare to drive back that which hides in the shadows.”
“That’ll be a hundred yen.” A young teen with glasses, tan skin and orange hair read out behind a cash register, handing a chocolate bar back . “Thank you, come again.” He waved to the customer as they left, then sighed, slouching against the counter. “Most kids get to go to camp, meanwhile I’m stuck at work…”
“Oh, quit your whining, Mantaro.” His older sister said, walking by with a cardboard box of chip bags. “Yolei’s working, and you don’t see her complaining!” The lavender haired girl in question was laying in front of an open window with a fan set to full power, trying to beat the sudden heatwave that had swept the city, and too exhausted to complain.
The boy opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the lights in the convenience store began to flicker between pitch blackness and searing brightness. “Whoa! What the heck?!”
In all the confusion, neither of them noticed the baseball sized orb of gold light rocket out of the cash register, through the open window of the store, and up into the sky, with Yolei staring after it in shock.
“Come out, come out wherever you are…” Magnamon muttered, flying above the city that stretched from horizon to horizon. “Of course he decided to set up in a maze like this. Where to start…” He hummed, then looked to the side as a loud groaning creak sounded out over the cityscape, followed by cries of panic and fear. He blinked as a huge white and red tower made of metal beams began to sway and melt, the image wavering from all the heat as a Birdramon burst from the windows. “That’ll do it.” He decided, dashing through the sky as his physical form began to rebuild itself, taking the form of his armor while his actual body remained a blurry golden silhouette, save his ruby eyes.
SkullMeramon laughed, chains clanking as Birdramon circled around the beams of the tower, wings humming. “METEOR WING!” The Champion shouted, sending a spread of fireballs at the metal-faced humanoid. He only grunted as a swirling tornado of flame encircled him, before turning at the sound of heavy stomps to see Togemon approaching.
“Get ready for my NEEDLE SPRAY!” The cactus declared, pushing her body outwards and shooting dozens of razor sharp needles at the Ultimate. Not intimidated in the slightest, he grabbed one of his chains and lashed it, burning the plant matter to ashes and knocking Togemon back with a burst of blue flame.
“Togemon!” Mimi screamed, flinching as her partner landed only a few feet away, all while SkullMeramon laughed, flexing as he pulled the chain taut. When he was suddenly engulfed in shadow for a moment, he turned, seeing Kabuterimon approaching from the cityscape.
“METAL FIREBA-!” The Ultimate began, before a golden streak blitzed into him, slamming him against the beams above Tokyo Tower’s Main Observatory.
“Don’t you know not to play with fire?” A voice spoke, the glaring light dying down to reveal
something
.
“Izzy, what is that guy?” Tai asked, the growing screech of his Digivice faltering as they stared at what looked like a haunted suit of armor held together by energy, with a thick blob of light acting as a tail while two more extended from the back of the smooth helm.
“Not sure!” Izzy admitted, shocked. “It’s not even saying there’s nothing there, it’s just saying I don’t have high enough clearance!”
“I think I know…” Agumon gulped, eyes wide as Izzy shook his laptop, muttering about how ‘Of course I have clearance on MY OWN COMPUTER.’
“Agumon?” Tai turned, seeing the strange look in his partner’s eyes, while Kabuterimon began to shake slightly underneath him.
“That’s… that’s Magnamon.” The reptile said. “Or his armor, at least.”
“Magnamon…?” Izzy sounded out, furrowing his brows as Kabuterimon took over.
“One of the Royal Knights, the highest level of Network Security.” The Champion explained, mandible chattering. “I just don’t get why he’s here!”
“Well, whoever it is, it looks like he’s on our side!” Tai decided, a grin growing. “So let’s give him a hand! Agumon!”
Down below, Magnamon looked at the indistinct tendrils of energy that had replaced his flesh, humming to himself in thought. “Guess my form’s still not quite stabilized. The conversion from Data to Atoms is taking longer than expected.” Across from him, SkullMeramon groaned, pushing himself out of the crater. “And Alphamon wasn’t joking about my decrease in power…”
Before he could take more than a step, MetalGreymon suddenly landed beside him, servos hissing and gears grinding. “Magnamon!” The Ultimate greeted, tone almost reverent. “How can I help?”
Magnamon glanced over, nodding in greeting. “Hold him steady for me, will ya? I got just the thing to put out this spitfire.”
“Right!” The cyborg roared, charging forward as SkullMeramon absorbed the flames left by Birdramon, growing to match MetalGreymon in size. The two began to wrestle, pushing back and forth and tearing up the roof of the Main Observatory.
“COCONUT UPPER!” Togemon shouted, charging in from the side and delivering an uppercut to SkullMeramon’s ribs, then diving out of the way to avoid the white-blue fire.
Magnamon let out a slow exhale, his armor shining with power, then dimming as he concentrated it all into his right gauntlet. His eyes snapped open, and he shouted to MetalGreymon, “THROW HIM!”
The cybernetic saurian bellowed, firing his claw and wrapping it around SkullMeramon’s body before spinning, whipping the fire elemental into the air above Tokyo and into Magnamon’s crosshairs.
“MAGNA BLAST!” His gauntlet blazed, then fired out a rapid salvo of energy bolts, ripping SkullMeramon apart in a brilliant flare of gold light.
Tai blinked the spots from his vision, rubbing his eyes and grinning upon seeing no sign of their foe. “Oh yeah! That’s right! Who’s the Mon?!” He laughed, shaking Izzy by the shoulders in his excitement as MetalGreymon roared in triumph. It was only a few moments later, however, that he realized someone was missing. “Wait, where’d Magnamon go?”
The knight groaned as he set down in a park, his normally radiant armor dimmed from his lack of energy. “Damnit…” He grunted, sitting down and leaning his back against a tree. “I must’ve miscalculated just how much the Gate affected my data.” He shut his eyes, leaning his head back against the trunk as he took slow and heavy breaths.
Before he knew it, for the first time in eons, he lost his grip on his form, the power of Magnamon slipping away like water through a net. His body solidified, returning to its natural state of blue and white scales, yet it shrunk in size, corded muscle becoming softer and proportions turning childish as he backslid. The last thing he saw before passing out was a golden, multifaceted box the size of his fist, and a white triangle in the bottom center of his vision. ‘Huh… forgot I had that…’ Veemon thought sleepily, before his consciousness fell away and left him curled up at the roots of the tree.
A few hours later, a black and white soccer ball bounced through the bushes, slowly rolling to a stop with only inches to spare before it would have nudged the little dragon.
A young voice grumbled over the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs, before a young tanned boy with spiky maroon hair stumbled out of the brush, wearing khakis, green and white tennis shoes, and a blue shirt with green sleeves and a collar that had a large yellow D on the front. “-stupid Jun tellin’ me I can’t balance the ball then headbutt it…” He muttered, pulling a sprig from his hair before blinking. “Oh, hey! You found my ball!” He grinned, showing he was missing a tooth or two as he walked over, then blinked again. “Oh wait, you’re asleep. And wearing a weird costume.”
He leaned in close, face screwing up in concentration as he ever so slowly reached out and tugged the zigzagging horns attached to the “costume’s” hood. Instead of revealing a human face and hair, all it did was make Veemon let out a yelp, jerking upright and clonking his forehead against the boy’s.
“WHAT’D YA DO THAT FOR?!” The dragon shouted, rubbing his aching horns.
Instead of screaming in shock or fear, the boy just looked at him in awe. “Wait, you’re real?!” He gasped, rubbing his aching forehead.
“‘Course I’m real, human!” Veemon shot back, grimacing as he stood up. “I’m standing right in front of you, ain’t I?”
“Hey! My name’s not “Human”!” The boy shouted, glaring and crossing his arms. “The name’s Davis! Davis Motomiya!”
“Well then, “Davis”,” The blue dragon rolled his eyes. “You can call me Veemon. Now scram, you’re messing with important Digiworld business. Next time, don’t go yankin’ on a digimon’s parts!” He started grumbling, turning to walk away.
“Digi…Mon?” Davis blinked at the unfamiliar term. “Is that what you are?”
Veemon sighed, looking back over his shoulder. “Yeah, I am. Keep up, shorty.”
Davis puffed his cheeks in irritation, glaring at him. “How am I short?! We’re the same size!”
Veemon sighed again, this time with more irritation in his tone. “Listen, kid. I could stand around and play twenty questions with you all day, but I got important stuff to do.” He grunted, looking around.
“Like what?” The seven year old human asked, before blinking and picking something up from the ground.
“Like save this ball of dirt- where did you get that?” Veemon cut himself off, staring in trepidation as Davis twisted and turned the Golden Digiegg in his hands.
“Found it.” He grinned impishly. “Why? It important?”
“Yes, it is. ” The dragon hissed, stepping forwards with narrowed eyes. “Now, be a good wad of atoms and meat and give it back.” He held his hand out, tapping his toes impatiently, only for David to glare at him.
“Ya know, I don’t like your attitude!” The boy stuck his tongue out, dancing back a few steps. “I think I’ll hold onto this until you say please!”
“Pl-?! No! I’m a Royal Knight!” Veemon snarled, leaping forward but missing as David juked to the side. “I refuse to-! Will you quit-! STOP IT-!”
After several minutes, Veemon had his hands on his knees, panting. ‘Damn, I’m out of shape for this form…’ He growled, looking up to see Davis still grinning, juggling the Armor like a bouncy ball rather than the precious artifact it was. Veemon gritted his teeth, swallowed his pride, and bowed his head. “ Please , can I have it back?” He growled, only to blink in surprise as it was suddenly thrust into his field of view. Lifting his head, he was further shocked to see a kind, almost gentle smile on Davis’s face.
“Here ya go!” The boy chirped, not moving at all as Veemon tentatively reached out, then snatched the angular egg away in the blink of an eye.
“…thanks.” Veemon huffed, examining the source of his true power with an appraising eye. Davis chuckled, then picked up his ball, turning to walk away. “Wait!” The seven year old paused, looking over his shoulder with a confused expression. “…that’s it?” Veemon asked, baffled. “All that, and you just… leave? ”
Davis blinked, titling his head. “Well, yeah.” He said, in a tone that implied the answer was obvious. “I like to mess with people, but I’m no bully. I hate bullies. Anyway, see ya!” He grinned, running out of the bushes and out of sight. “Hey, Jun! I found the ball!”
“Yeah, and it only took you five minutes!” Veemon peeked through the brush as a paler human with more red to her hair bonked Davis on the head, though he could see her gaze dart across the boy’s form with worry, as if scanning for wounds. “Honestly, Davey.” She sighed, both in exasperation and relief. “What took you so long?”
Davis glanced over his shoulder, and met Veemon’s gaze. The dragon hesitated, then held a finger to his lips. Davis grinned, winked, and turned back to Jun. “Guess I just got distracted is all!” He chuckled sheepishly.
Jun sighed, wrapping an arm around her brother’s shoulders and walking him out of the park as the setting sun began to paint the sky a rich orange. Veemon watched them go, tilting his head lightly. “Humans… so bizarre…”
He ducked back into the brush, and a moment later it lit up with gold light. Magnamon flew from the park, his form now repaired. “Now, time to find a lead.” As he flew over an apartment complex, a small white cat with yellow gloves scampered out.
The moon had hung over Tokyo for several hours when Magnamon finally landed, tired, irritated, and above all, hungry. ‘What I wouldn’t give for a Burgermon Burger right now…’ The knight thought, crossing his arms as he looked out over the relatively quiet city, ignoring the growls and whines of his stomach.
After a few minutes, his composure dropped, arms hanging lax by his sides as he hung his head. “Alphamon, what were you thinking…?” He murmured, baffled by his leader’s decision to send him to the human world.
The soft thud of feet hitting the ground had him whirl around, arms up and glowing with power, before he paused, relaxing. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Indeed.” His guest nodded, stepping forward. “Glad to see you’re still in one piece after such an… eventful first day.”
“You saw all that, huh?” Magnamon sighed, leaning against the rooftop water tower.
“It was hard not to notice the flash of golden light. But be warned, my friend. Myotismon’s minions know a third party has entered this race, though they remain unaware of your true nature.”
“What’s the plan, then?” Magnamon asked, raising a brow under his helmet.
“Tonight, I go to speak to a close friend. I’d like you to join us, though preferably without your armor.”
The knight hesitated, then nodded, splitting into two beams of data as he became Veemon and the armor digiegg. “Alright, what’s the plan?” He asked, cradling the source of his power in one hand, while his ally closed his eyes, sensing the flow of the world.
“The sands of time shift, old friend. We must make haste if we are to ensure our victory!” With that, he took off, leaving Veemon to groan and begin to race after him, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
“YOU CAN’T GET ANY MORE VAGUE, I SWEAR!”
“Wizardmon, what do you want?” Gatomon grumbled, barely looking away from the balcony she’d been staring at for hours. “It better be important, or I’ll use you as a scratching post.”
“Sorry to disturb you, but-”
“But what ?” The feline hissed, turning and jumping off the wall surrounding the roof while Wizardmon reached into his cloak, pulling out- “The Digivice!” She gasped, staring at it. “Where was it?”
“In a crow’s nest, in Iraki park.” The magician explained.
“I see, then the Eighth must be near there…” The Champion muttered, beginning to look towards Ariake, only to stop as Wizardmon spoke.
“No, the Eighth Child is…” He began, only to trail off at the intense look in her eyes.
“Tell me. Now. ” She glared, stepping forward.
“I think you already know, toots.” A different voice spoke, as another digimon landed on the roof.
“Who are you?! You’re not with Lord Myotismon!” Gatomon snarled, baring her claws as the blue lizard approached.
“No, I’m with the guys trying to stop Myotismon.” He nodded, grinning cheekily, before his face turned serious. “Just like you should be.”
“What?!” She snarled, tail whipping in irritation. “I’m loyal to Lord Myotismon! Just as I’ve always been!”
“But that’s not quite true, is it?” Wizardmon asked, taking a knee before the other Champion. “Please, Gatomon, look into your heart.”
Gatomon grimaced, holding her head as she glared at Wizardmon and the stranger. “Who sent you two?! Why are you doing this?!”
“Because, Gatomon.” Wizardmon said, eyes soft. “You are my friend. Don’t you remember how you found me, wandering the desert alone? I had failed to prepare for the heat and sand, and when all others left me to suffer, you came to my aid. When I tried to leave later, you told me to stay. You told me that…”
“That all hearts can harden after enough time alone…” She whispered, recalling her words. “Even mine…”
Wizardmon nodded, reaching out and putting a gloved hand on her shoulder. “You spoke of someone you were waiting for, and that you couldn’t recall her name. Do you remember?”
“Y-yes…” She nodded, eyes softening. “I… I still don’t remember who it was.” Her ears drooped, and unconsciously, her head turned back towards the balcony, where a young girl with brown hair was holding a cat, while a spiky haired boy stood in the door. Wizardmon followed her gaze, then smiled.
“Well, I believe the chase is over.” The sorcerer nodded, standing up. “Will you two need a lift?”
“Wait, what?” Gatomon gasped, as the dragon snickered and leapt from the edge of the roof, sailing through the air alongside Wizardmon.
It was only halfway through the leap that Veemon realized he didn’t just recognize the boy, he knew him. “Wait, Davis?!” He gaped, eyes wide, but it was too late to turn back. He landed on the wall of the balcony in a gargoyle crouch, while Wizardmon hovered behind him.
The girl gasped, while Davis stared at Veemon with wide eyes. “Who are you two?” She asked.
“Wizardmon.” The Champion said simply.
“Uh, Veemon.” The Rookie shrugged, offering Davis a wave, which was returned with a big, toothy grin.
“How can you fly like that?” The girl asked with awe and wonderment, which made Wizardmon stammer, a bit embarrassed.
“O-oh, well…” He began while Gatomon finally leapt over, hand springing off the railing to acrobatically land before the girl.
“Oh, hello! You’re Agumon’s friend, aren’t you?” She smiled, kneeling down while Veemon hopped off the railing, glancing around. “How come you ran away last time?”
“Wait, this is the cat you were tellin’ me about, Kari?” Davis asked, stepping up next to her after herding the normal house cat inside. “She’s a lot… more than you were sayin’.” He noted, ducking behind the girl a bit as Gatomon glared at him.
“Now, now, how about we all calm down?” Wizardmon suggested, waving his hands in a placating gesture. “I take it you all know each other to a degree?”
“Yep!” Kari smiled, unbothered as she wrapped her arms around Davis’s arm. “We’re best friends! He stayed here instead of going to camp so I wouldn’t be alone!”
“And I ran into him earlier today.” Veemon nodded, crossing his arms and leaning against the railing. “Lotta coinkydinks goin’ on tonight, huh?”
“No.” Wizardmon shook his head, smiling. “I think this is more than chance.”
Veemon’s horns stood on end, staring at Wizardmon with wide eyes. “Ya don’t mean…”
“KARI, DAVIS, GET BACK!” Tai shouted, throwing the door open as Agumon charged out, flames licking between his fangs.
“STAND DOWN!” Veemon shouted, jumping in front of the yellow-orange saurian, arms outstretched. The authority of a Royal Knight leaked into his voice, making Agumon nearly bite his tongue as he slammed his jaws shut and swallowed the fireball, smoke curling from his nostrils. “Right.” He nodded, turning to Wizardmon. “Do it.”
The magician nodded, pressing the eighth Digivice into Gatomon’s paw, then nudging her towards Kari. “Wait, what are you-?!” Tai began, only to stop and stare as the Digivice let out an almost pleased chirp and whistle as Kari reached out for it. “No way…”
“Hi,” Davis waved, a stressed look on his face. “Yeah, sorry to jump in, but… WHAT’S GOING ON?! ”
“Kari is the Eighth Child.” Wizardmon spoke, before Veemon stepped forward.
“And Gatomon is her partner.” He said, turning and nodding to the two.
Gatomon’s eyes widened, pupils shaking as memories were dug up from the depths of her mind, finally ending on the one thing she knew from the day she hatched. “Kari…” She whispered, tears welling up as she turned to the girl. “I… I waited so long… and I finally found you!” She smiled, leaping at the girl and wrapping her arms around her neck in a hug.
Tai watched in shock, stepping backwards and nearly tripping over his own feet. “I… I think I need to sit down…” He said in a queasy tone, sliding down against the wall until his butt hit the floor.
“Me too, Boss…” Davis muttered, joining him. “My head hurts…”
“While those two handle that,” Wizardmon said, before turning to the others and holding out the pink Crest and tag. “This is but a copy, meant to detect the presence of the Eighth Digivice. If we wish to grant Gatomon and Kari their true power, we must get the original.”
“Which is where I come in.” Veemon said, stepping forward and crossing his arms.
“Wait, how do you two know each other?” Gatomon blinked, looking between the two in confusion, now that her own internal struggle had calmed down. “You’re acting like you’ve known one another for years.”
“Because we have.” Veemon shrugged, sharing a nod with Wizardmon.
“You see, when you found me in the desert, I was on a mission.” He explained, kneeling before the cat. “I was to locate Myotismon’s lair and gather intelligence on his plans. The fact that you found me was nothing short of a miracle.” Veemon twitched at the word, while Gatomon’s eyes widened.
“Does… do you mean you were just-”
“No!” The wizard shook his head sternly, grabbing her shoulders. “No, I wasn’t using you to complete my mission. We truly are friends, Gatomon. I promise on my hat.”
“I can confirm, he thinks both Worlds of you.” Veemon sighed fondly, chuckling. “Every report that involved you mentioned how brave and strong and cool you were.” Wizardmon blushed under his collar, stuttering out denials, to which Veemon grinned. “Well, not in those exact words, but that was the general tone.”
“Who are you?” Tai asked, staring at the blue dragon. “You show up randomly, help Gatomon and Kari unite, and now suddenly Wizardmon’s been reporting to you?”
“Well duh.” Veemon smirked, turning. “He’s working for Network Security, after all.”
Agumon let out a squeaking wheeze in realization, while the golden cube in Veemon’s hand began to glow. “No way. You’re…!”
“VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TO… MAGNAMON!” The dragon had suddenly grown three times as tall, standing at twelve feet, and coated in thick golden plates of armor as he hovered outside the balcony.
“Wait, what?!” I thought you were all goopy earlier!” Tai gaped, recalling the almost spectral appearance of the knight’s flesh.
“Turns out I just needed a quick rest, which was interrupted.” The Armor digimon explained, mock-glaring at Davis, who grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry, but I didn’t tell anyone!” Magnamon nodded in agreement, eyes softening.
“You did not, and for that I thank you. But now, we have a much greater storm on the horizon.” He explained. “Myself and Wizardmon shall go and retrieve the Crest. Gatomon, Agumon, you two remain here and protect the children. Should Myotismon learn of Kari’s nature or your betrayal, he will stop at nothing.”
“Right!” Agumon nodded, punching the air. “You can count on us!”
“If Myotismon tries to get Kari, I’ll carve him into ribbons.” The Champion growled, pupils narrowed into dangerous slits.
Magnamon nodded, turning to Wizardmon. “Lead the way.” The two took off into the night, leaving Tai and Agumon to help Gatomon herd Kari indoors, while Davis stared after Magnamon.
“Be careful, Veemon…”
Almost silently, Magnamon and Wizardmon landed on Dairoku-daiba, barely rustling the grass. The spellcaster held a finger up to where his lips would be, then waved his staff in the air. A few moments later, the two were rendered completely invisible, with only their footprints in the grass betraying their presence as they moved towards the entrance of the old fort.
The two swiftly ran into the depths of the island, with a twist of Magnamon’s steel claws picking the lock easily. ‘Who even makes a lock and key with a single tooth?’ He thought, half amused and half baffled. ‘What is this, amateur hour?’
“He’ll return at dawn.” Wizardmon whispered as the two slipped into the chamber beyond, the only item in the room being an ornate black and gold coffin with a large bat on the front. “That gives us a few hours, but I’d rather not risk it.”
“Sounds good. You check the coffin, I’ll keep a lookout.” Magnamon said, turning as he heard Wizardmon’s footsteps move towards the box, opening the lid and moving the pillow as his invisibility faded. Wizardmon let out a whispered noise of victory, right before all hell broke loose.
“What are you doing in here?!” Myotismon barked, apparently having sensed something amiss. Wizardmon had barely begun to stammer out an excuse when Magnamon burst into action, the cloaking spell vanishing around his shimmering armor and eyes, yet concealing his scales.
“MAGNA-PUNCH!” He shouted, socking the vampire across the cheek and throwing him into the wall before turning to the Champion. “Time to beat feet, Wiz!”
Myotismon growled, his perfectly groomed hair having been knocked loose so a few extra locks hung over his forehead as the two thieves ran from the chamber. “That digimon…”
Magnamon and Wizardmon burst from the tunnels, kicking up grass and sod as they spun to face the horde of bats that suddenly exploded from behind them, followed swiftly by their master. “Wizardmon, get the Crest outta here.” Magnamon ordered, stepping in front of the Champion and raising his fists like a boxer. “I’ll keep fang-face here busy.”
“Right.” Wizardmon nodded, turning and flying away. “Good luck, Magnamon!”
Myotismon scowled, glaring up at the magician. “GRISLY WING!” He shouted, sending a wave of bats to swarm Wizardmon. Only a few managed to reach him, claws tearing and teeth biting, before they were wiped out in a wave of gold.
“GO!” Magnamon urged, flying between the two and glaring at Myotismon. “Your fight’s with me, creep.” He met the Ultimate’s glare with one of his own. “By order of the Royal Knights, you’re under arrest. Come quietly, or face deletion.”
Instead of cursing or pleading to Magnamon, the vampire laughed, a soft chuckle at first, which swiftly grew to a booming guffaw. “You think I’ll surrender? After I’ve come this far?! NEVER! CRIMSON LIGHTNING!” A whip of blood red electricity lashed around, wrapping around Magnamon’s gauntlet as he raised it to block the attack. Even as the Gold Digizoid absorbed the attack, he couldn’t help but flinch, his strength still not back to full power.
‘Damn, I forgot to eat today. I’m running low on energy, and the Gate didn’t help.’ Magnamon swore within his mind, while Myotismon smirked, his elongated canines glinting in the light of the moon.
“What’s the matter, Knight? Not feeling up to snuff?” He chuckled as Magnamon glared daggers at him. “I could tell when your punch did nothing more than stun me. You’re weakened, while I’ve had the chance to replenish my strength!” He lashed the Crimson Lightning, and Magnamon wasn’t able to stop the grunt of pain as it burned his arm, his armor’s glow flickering rapidly like a dying light bulb.
“SHADOW SCYTHE!” A shout from behind had Magnamon turn, then bellow in rage as he watched Wizardmon fall out of the sky, leaking data from a slash across his chest while a Phantomon twirled his scythe above. His distraction was his downfall, as Myotismon shouted “NIGHTMARE CLAW!” The knight spun back to his foe just as he was suddenly paralyzed, his body turning grayscale. Unable to keep himself aloft, he too fell, the last thing he saw being Myotismon’s smug grin as fog began to creep in.
As his strength gave out and his body began to fall apart, all he could do was curse his failure. ‘Dammit… I’m sorry…’
Davis looked out the window nervously at the fog, only breaking his imaginary staring contest as Yuuko Kamiya put a plate in front of him. “Oh, thanks, Mrs. Kari’s Mom.” He grinned, taking a bite.
“Not a problem, Davis!” She smiled, patting his head. “I should be thanking you for staying with Kari. Letting you spend the night was the least I could do.”
Across the table, Tai and Kari stared in shock and horror as he chowed down on their mom’s Gizzard Nuggets. “He’s braver than me…” Tai muttered, cheeks puffing out a bit as Kari silently nodded, nibbling on the edge of a pop-tart.
As the Kamiya Matriarch began to clean the pots and pans used to make breakfast, Davis looked over at his best friend and his role model, nervously chewing his bottom lip. “Do… do you think they’re alright?” He whispered, making the other two freeze.
“I’m not sure, Davis.” Tai admitted, sighing as he set down his own pop-tart. “Me and Agumon’ll go out looking for them in a bit, ok? Maybe they just got lost, or they’re lying low.”
The doorbell ringing caught Yuuko’s attention, making her face screw in confusion as she walked over.
“Can I come with you?” Davis asked. “I know I don’t have a partner, but-” Yuuko’s terrified scream ripped through the apartment as a trio of Bakemon suddenly flew by her as she fell onto her back in shock. Agumon and Gatomon practically disintegrated the door to Tai and Kari’s room in their rush to get out, with the former firing a pair of Pepper Breath fireballs that cooked two ghosts, while the third was obliterated by a Lightning Paw.
“TAI! KARI!” Yuuko screamed as she was dragged out the door, where three more Bakemon flew in, only to meet the fate of their comrades.
“Time to get outta here!” Tai glared, holding up his Digivice while Agumon nodded.
“AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO… GREYMON!”
The front of the apartment building suddenly crumbled as Greymon burst out, Tai hanging onto the nose horn with a big backpack on while Kari and Davis sat on the ones sticking out the sides of his head. “HERE COMES THE CAVALRY!” Tai shouted as the humans getting funneled out screamed at Greymon’s appearance. “Quick, get mom!” He pointed towards Yuuko, but the Champion only managed a few steps before he was rearing back in pain.
“SHADOW SCYTHE!” Phantomon appeared, as black particles gushed from the cut on Greymon’s back. “Looks like your time is up!” The Ultimate ghost mocked, before waving with his scythe to the two dozen Bakemon. “Get the rest of the crowd out of here!” He ordered, as Greymon twitched and writhed behind him.
“NOVA BLAST!” Greymon’s eyes snapped open as he whipped his head around, shooting a fireball the size of a VW beetle at the cloaked ghost, who vanished and let the attack blast away the corner of a building. The saurian grunted, slowly rising to his feet as he addressed his partner. “Sorry, Tai. We’re gonna need to cut and run if we want to stand a chance!” He turned and charged away, while Tai and Kari shouted reassurances to their mom in the distance.
As they went to round the corner, something caught Davis’s eye: His sister, huddled under a bush while Bakemon flew around her, unaware of her presence. His eyes widened, but he quickly looked away, biting his lip to avoid accidentally revealing her hiding place.
The pack slung over Tai’s back slowly unzipped, letting a blue eye peek out as yellow gloves cradled a Digivice. ‘I’m sorry I can’t do more…’ Gatomon thought morosely to herself.
“Go go go!” Davis chanted several minutes later, the pack over his shoulders bouncing as Tai gave an exhausted Agumon a piggyback ride. “Keep moving”
“You ok, Agu?” Tai huffed, jogging past an opened warehouse in Aqua City with Kari running beside him.
“I’ve felt better…” The dinosaur admitted, before a voice spoke up from within the building.
“TAI! Up here!” All three skidded to a stop as they turned, peeking inside to see Matt and Gabumon waving from the second floor.
“Matt!” Tai grinned, striding inside. “Man, we gotta talk!”
A few minutes- as well as one Blue Blaster when Gatomon hopped out of the backpack- later, Davis was playing nurse as Kari wiped down Agumon’s back with a wet towel, a first aid kit on hand, while Tai, Matt, and Gatomon had a strategy meeting.
“He’s tired of waiting.” Gatomon explained. “He probably caught Wizardmon and Magnamon last night, and decided that he can’t afford to let you- I mean, us- run free while his end approaches.”
“So he decided to change the rules.” Matt grumbled, arms crossed. “Capture all of Odaiba, and go through every kid one by one until he finds who he’s looking for.”
Gatomon nodded, ears drooping, before they stood on end, her pupils narrowing again. “He won’t stop until he gets Kari, or until I rip his face off.”
Matt blinked at the sudden aggression, then grinned, holding out a fist. “I had my doubts, but you’re alright, Gatomon.” The cat looked between his face and the offered hand in confusion for a moment, then smiled softly, completing the fist bump.
It was half an hour later that their next problem came up. “Crap.” Tai muttered, looking into the empty camping pack. “We were in such a rush to hide Gatomon I emptied all the food out. No food means no energy for the digimon. No energy for the digimon means…”
“No digivolving.” Matt finished, grimacing. “If we get caught like this, with Agumon still healing, it’ll be over before we can blink.”
“I can go.” They turned to Davis, eyes widening at the stoic look on the boy’s face.
“Davis…” Tai began, only to be cut off.
“I’m sick of sittin’ around!” He shouted, stomping forward. “I know I don’t hava partner like you guys to fight with, but let me help!” He pleaded, his resolve cracking a bit to show the fear in his eyes. “There’s a corner store down the beach! I can be there and back in thirty minutes tops!”
Matt opened his mouth to deny his request, then stopped. For a moment, it was like looking at T.K., wanting to prove that him and Patamon didn’t need to be protected. His lip wobbled as he tried to stamp out the panic at where his little brother could be in the mess, before nodding. “Alright. Go straight there, then come back. Don’t fill the bag, otherwise you won’t be able to run if you get into trouble.”
Davis blinked, then grinned wide, nodding once. “Right!” He grabbed the bag, throwing it onto his shoulders, and ran over to Kari, sharing a big hug with the girl, before darting to the warehouse door. He glanced around, then ran out onto the sidewalk. A few moments later, he ran back across, grinning sheepishly.
“He went left, not right.” Tai sighed, a fond smile on his mouth, even as his hands shook.
“Hey, he’ll be fine.” Matt gave his best friend a small smile, slugging him in the shoulder. “He’s like a horrifyingly effective mix of your determination and T.K. wanting to show he can stand on his own.”
Tai took a moment, gulping down his nervousness and nodding. “You’re right. I’ve known Davis for years. If anyone could pull this off, he could. But just in case, I’m going to go make some noise on the other side of town.”
Twenty minutes later, Davis peeked his head out of an alley, adjusting the bag filled with sandwiches, chips, candy, and drinks on his back. With the coast clear, he began his run down the sidewalk, but something in the sand made him pause. As something twinkled almost invitingly from under a newspaper, he bit his lip. ‘It’s probably just a bottle or a hubcap or something, Davis! Focus!’ He berated himself, taking a couple steps past the stairs leading down, before it shined even brighter somehow, even in the foggy gloom.
He looked around, then set the pack down at the top of the stairs, slowly creeping down the steps. A minute later, he stared in wide-eyed horror at what he held in his hands, the newspaper that had half-covered it discarded beside him.
For the second time in less than twenty four hours, Davis Motomiya held the Golden Digiegg, but this time, Veemon was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 2: Light ‘Em Up
Summary:
“I’m the guy you want!” Davis shouted, stomping forward as he glared at Phantomon.
“Davis?!” Sora gaped.
“What are you-?!” Matt choked, tugging at the metal chain.
“No, I’m the Eighth!” Kari shouted, stepping forward and pushing Davis aside. “If you stop hurting them, I’ll come with you!”
“NUH-UH!” Davis shouted, pushing forward. “I’m the Eighth!”
“No, it’s me!”
“No, me!”
“Me!”
“Me!”
Chapter Text
He floated, his mind sluggishly trying to recall for how long. Faintly in the distance, he heard the sounds of fighting, waves tossing him about.
“-RPOON TOR-!”
“-DER JAVE-!”
Weakly, he wondered what would happen now. His strength was lost, the mission had failed, and Myotismon was uncontested.
“-ULCAN’S HAMMER!”
Soon after that, the sounds of battle died down, though after a while voices began to emerge from the fog.
“-an’t see anythi-”
“-we don’t end up go- -ally wrong direction.”
“TAKE ME-” A voice, closer and clearer, shouted, coughing up water between words. “-TAKE ME TO GATOMON!”
Who was that…? It sounded like…
“Please!”
“Who’s there?” A much younger voice called out, before there was a splash.
“I- I’m Wizardmon.”
It was! He survived! That meant the mission wasn’t done! Myotismon could be beat! And like hell was he going to miss that! He grit his teeth, focusing on a power that was normally beyond his reach, and after a minute, threw his arm up, flinging water as his hand splayed out like a flag.
“Whoa! Who’s that?!” Another, slightly nasally voice cried out, only for Wizardmon’s voice to chuckle in relief.
“A friend: Veemon.”
“Matt! Tai! Kari!” Davis shouted, running back into the warehouse at Aqua City, panting. “BIG! IMPORTANT! BAD!”
“Whoa, easy, kid!” Matt ordered, stepping forward, a worried furrow in his brows. “What’s wrong? Where’s the fire?” Davis took in a big gulp of air, throwing the bag off to the side, then grabbed a wadded up newspaper and began to open it. Or at least, Matt had assumed it was wadded up. As the layers were peeled away, he couldn’t help but squint, raising a hand up to block the glare. “What is that?”
“It’s Veemon’s…” Davis said softly, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. “I- It’s how he becomes Magnamon. If he doesn’t have it, then…”
“Oh, no…” Gabumon murmured, ears drooping as Kari ran over to comfort her best friend. Gatomon clenched her paws tight enough to dig her claws through the gloves, baring her teeth in anger.
‘He was trying to help me, to help US , and he and Wizardmon paid the price for it. You come after me, then you come after my partner, now you go after my friends, Myotismon? You won’t live to see tomorrow!’ She vowed, moments before a thud sounded from outside.
“Matt?! Kari?! Anybody here?!”
“It’s Sora!” Matt smiled, running towards the entrance where Sora and Birdramon waited, with a new, grayscale digimon with a flower theme laying on the ground. “Finally, some good news!”
“Well, how about some bad news, too?” Phantomon chuckled darkly, phasing into view on the bridge above. “Say hello to Tuskmon and Snimon!” He groaned, as a giant mantis flew in from above and a dinosaur with two massive horns burst up from underground.
“GABUMON!” Matt turned, just as his partner leapt by him to meet his opponents.
“GABUMON DIGIVOLVE TO… GARURUMON!” The wolf howled, tackling Tuskmon, jaws snapping inches from flesh as claws dug into scales.
“We’ve got these punks!” Birdramon cawed, flapping up to meet Snimon. All the while, Kari and Davis watched in shock, with Gatomon lurking in the shadow of the warehouse door.
“TWIN SICKLES!” Snimon rasped, firing a pair of purple energy blades at Birdramon, and barely missing her. Tuskmon, on the other hand, struck his opponent directly with a punch that had Garurumon blow through the front edge of the roof.
“GARURUMON!” Matt cried, moments before a ball and chain suddenly wrapped around his arms.
“SHADOW SCYTHE!” Phantomon lunged forward, missing the Bearer of Friendship by a hair, and instead using the momentum to slash through a branch Sora swung at him.
“BIRDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TO GARUDAMON!” The Ultimate bird-human cried, flinching as a pair of Twin Sickles cut across her bicep, then glaring hatefully at the digimon who dared attack her partner. However, any attacks she had planned were halted as Matt gagged and choked, Phantomon’s chain now around his neck.
“Stop…” Kari whispered, eyes watery. “Stop it… That’s enough!” She went to step forward, only for all the humans present to stare in shock at what happened next.
“I’m the guy you want!” Davis shouted, stomping forward as he glared at Phantomon.
“Davis?!” Sora gaped.
“What are you-?!” Matt choked, tugging at the metal chain.
“No, I’m the Eighth!” Kari shouted, stepping forward and pushing Davis aside. “If you stop hurting them, I’ll come with you!”
“NUH-UH!” Davis shouted, pushing forward. “I’m the Eighth!”
“No, it’s me!”
“No, me!”
“Me!”
“Me!”
Phantomon looked back and forth between the arguing children, feeling a headache form and rapidly grow. “Oh, enough of this. I’ll just take both of you brats!”
As his chain wrapped around Kari and Davis, the only thing stopping Gatomon from leaping out was the look Davis had sent her earlier, and the knowledge that there were still too many unknowns for Myotismon.
‘You can play double agent.’ Davis had whispered, a rare, almost tactical idea from the impulsive boy. ‘They don’t know you’re with Kari.’ Then he had stepped forth and claimed to be the Eighth.
‘I promise, Kari. I promise I’ll keep you safe.’ Gatomon looked up at the shrinking forms of Davis and Kari. ‘But until then, Davis will have your back.’
Nearing Odaiba, Veemon glared at the TV Station from atop Zudomon’s shell. “I can sense him.” He growled. “The final battle approaches.” His fingers twitched, his joints loosening after several hours frozen like a statue.
“Agreed, my friend.” Wizardmon nodded, still weak, but much better than he had been thanks to first aid from Joe. “I sense a great change on the wind. Light shall split the darkness in a true miracle.”
“Stop that.” Veemon grumbled, horns twitching. “It doesn’t count if you call it like that. That makes it Fate. I don’t do Fate.”
“Ah, yes.” The spellcasting Champion chuckled, wringing out his waterlogged hat. “You prefer to rely on your gut in the heat of the moment. I seem to recall that landing you in quite a few sticky situations.”
“And how many times have they stayed sticky? Never! Because my gut hasn’t failed me yet!” Veemon harrumphed, crossing his arms and nodding with finality.
“I’m still wrapping my head around all this…” Joe sighed, sitting near the front of the shell. “Tai’s sister Kari is the Eighth Digidestined, her partner is Gatomon, you two broke into his bedroom last night and stole the Crest, and one of you is apparently a Digital World Superhero?”
“Not a superhero.” Veemon corrected. “Network Security. We make sure the Digiworld’s still in one piece.”
“Then where were you guys during the whole Devimon and Etemon things?” T.K. asked, not accusing, but genuinely curious.
Veemon sighed, shaking his head. “Even we have to answer to those who outrank us. We were doing threat assessments every day during each situation, but every time we wondered if we should mobilize, we were told to stay back. That it was the Digidestined’s fight. Some of us understood why, and their reasoning was proven as you all grew stronger in body, mind, and spirit through each battle, though others… weren’t so understanding, for one reason or another.”
“Hate to break up this interesting conversation, but…” Zudomon rumbled, before standing up as the bay became shallow enough to allow it. “Land ho!”
“LOOK! It’s Matt and my dad!” T.K. pointed towards the front of the TV station a few minutes later as Zudomon stomped down Route 482. “DAD! MATT!” He waved, pausing only to climb down the aquatic Ultimate’s furry left arm while Patamon hovered above.
“Guys!” Joe shouted, running after the young Digidestined, while Veemon and Wizardmon hopped down to the ground.
“What happened there…?” Veemon muttered, looking over at a crater in the road, as if something had slammed into it from above. ‘Or tunneled up from below…’
“WIZARDMON!” The Champion let out a small oof as Gatomon cannonballed into his chest. “You’re alive!”
“I am, thanks to these five.” He nodded, gesturing towards the duo of Hope, Reliability, and Veemon.
“Whoa, no.” Veemon shook his head. “ I nearly got you killed! I was the one who failed as a Lookout!”
“Ah, but if it were not for you, I would have gone it alone, or worse, with Gatomon.” Wizardmon corrected. “Then Myotismon would either still have the Crest, or know the identity of the Eighth Digimon and her partner.”
“About that…” Sora said, stepping forward after sharing a look with Matt. “We were looking after Kari when we got attacked. She was about to surrender herself to make Myotismon’s goons back off, then Davis started shouting about how he was the Eighth Child.”
“Davis?!” Veemon said, incredulous. “Why was he here?!”
“Apparently, he was staying the night with Tai and Kari.” Gatomon explained. “When the Bakemon attacked, he escaped with them, then went to get-!” She cut herself off with a gasp, turning to Matt. “The cube! Do you know what happened to it?!”
Matt’s eyes widened as he recalled the glowing gold block, before his stomach sank low. “Davis still has it. Which means…”
“Myotismon is sitting on my Golden Radiance,” Veemon scowled, sensing the armor as he glared up at Fuji TV’s sphere. “And he doesn’t even know it.”
Izzy clapped his hands, nodding with a stern expression. “Alright. What we need here is a plan…”
“What were you doing?” Kari hissed, elbowing Davis as four Bakemon escorted them through the halls of the TV station.
“Me?” He whispered back, looking at her incredulously as he made sure the wrapped up block stayed in his hoodie pocket. “What were you doing, giving yourself up like that!”
“I just wanted to keep you all out of this!” She whispered harshly, glaring at him.
“Well tough! You’re my best friend, and I’m not lettin’ some creep get his claws on you!”
The two glared at one another in silence, before looking away in sync, sticking their noses up in the air. That only lasted a few moments before they sheepishly made eye contact. “I’m sorry for gettin’ mad.” Davis apologized.
“Me too.” Kari giggled softly. “We’ll get out of here. Tai’s gonna save us.” Before they could say another word, they entered the Sphere, which seemed to have been remodeled into a throne room, with Myotismon lounging on a black iron seat with angular bat wings at the top, and blood red cushions. All over the room, dozens, maybe even a hundred Bakemon floated.
“I sure hope so…” Davis whimpered as the vampire stood, sneering down his nose at them.
“What is this?” Myotismon barked. “Why have you brought me two brats?”
“They both claim to be the Eighth Child, Lord Myotismon.” Phantomon hummed, floating forward and lowering himself to the ground in a kneel.
“I see…” Myotismon glowered, turning his focus to study the children. “Very well, I shall simply destroy you both! CRIMSON-!” He reared his arm back, but paused as the door was thrown open.
“LORD MYOTISMON!” Gatomon saluted, marching inside. “I apologize for my tardiness, my lord. I was simply ensuring no one had hidden in the chaos. The Bakemon aren’t the smartest, as I’m sure you’re away.” She knelt down beside Phantomon, the two sharing a competitive glare.
“Ah, Gatomon.” Myotismon grinned smugly, sitting back down in his throne. “At least one of my most competent servants remains, after that damnable fool Wizardmon perished in an act of betrayal.” Though it was said casually, his eyes tracked every twitch and shift on the feline’s body.
It took every ounce of willpower not to react on Gatomon’s part. At least, not to react in a way he didn’t expect. Instead, she looked up in surprise, plastering on a face of bafflement. “Wizardmon… betrayed you?” She murmured.
Myotismon nodded in both confirmation and satisfaction. ‘Not an ounce of resentment towards me. Such a good pet.’ He smugly thought. “Indeed. Now, what has delayed you so long, Gatomon?”
She shook the expression off her face and snapped her claws. Two Bakemon floated in, holding a gagged and struggling blue digimon between them. “This digimon had caught my attention, my lord. He wasn’t with the Digidestined, and not with us.” She hesitated, just enough to make it believable, before continuing. “I believe it's possible he’s the partner to the Child.”
“Is that so?” Myotismon grinned, gesturing the Bakemon bring the Rookie closer. “Hmm, yes, I don’t recognize the species from any of the tomes in my study. If the Eighth Child is as formidable as the legends say, it would stand to reason their partner be utterly unique.”
‘How about I make you unique too, freak?’ Veemon glared at the Ultimate, gnawing at his gag. ‘I’m sure I can find a way to blast your data in a way no one’s ever seen.’
“However, we should perform a test, to be sure.” Myotismon grinned cruelly, snapping his fingers. In an instant, Demidevimon flapped inside, hanging upside down and saluting with a wing.
“Right here, your most evil and vileness!”
“Oh, spare me the flattery.” Myotismon rolled his eyes as he pointed to Kari and Davis, who had silently been watching with wide eyes. “Make yourself useful.”
As DemiDevimon snickered, conjuring a pair of Demi-Darts, Veemon’s eyes narrowed into an angry glare. ‘Alright, time’s up!’ Suddenly, he threw himself into a front flip, arms twisting and slamming the two Bakemon together, knocking them out. He hit the ground in a three-point landing, with his free arm ripping the gag out of his mouth. “NOW!” He shouted, moments before the station shook, windows cracking along it as Zudomon scaled the building like a jungle gym. Lillymon, now healed thanks to Wizardmon, kicked in a window and darted in, firing off blasts from her Flower Cannon as Wizardmon and Angemon followed behind her.
With the jig up, Gatomon glared hatefully, whirling and punching Phantomon directly into a Hand of Fate blast that knocked him out of the building. “WHAT?! Myotismon roared, leaping to his feet. “YOU DARE BETRAY ME, GATOMON?!”
“Of course I do.” She purred, though the fury in her voice was clear. “After all, why shouldn’t I try and end the cause of my nightmares?”
“INSOLENT LITTLE-!” Myotismon roared, using words that no ten year olds should ever hear.
While he was doing that, Veemon darted over to Davis and Kari, quickly dispatching of the four Bakemon. “Davis!” He shouted urgently, his voice barely heard over the sound battle. “You have it?”
The boy nodded, not needing any clarification as he reached into his hoodie. “Never put it down after I found it.” He assured the dragon, who grinned eagerly and gratefully as he took the package, the newspaper burning away.
“Thanks, shorty. Now, time to bring the heat.” Veemon lifted the Golden Digiegg, making everyone stop and stare. The Digidestined’s side with renewed morale and spirit, and Myotismon’s army with fear and trepidation. “VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TO… MAGNAMON!” The armored form of the Royal Knight spun around, glaring at the Bakemon. “FREEZE, DIRTBAGS! APPENDAGES IN THE AIR!”
At once, they all screamed, flying out the walls and windows. “CHEESE IT, IT’S A KNIGHT!”
“EVERY SPOOK FOR HIMSELF!”
“I CAN’T GO BACK TO PRIMARY VILLAGE!”
In moments, all that was left was the Digidestined and Myotismon himself, who glared hatefully at the knight. “You…” He snarled.
“Me.” Magnamon smirked, knuckles popping as he clenched his fist. “Next time you kill someone, fang-face, make sure to finish the job! MAGNA-PUNCH!” He rushed forwards, wrapping his hand around the vampire’s throat and choke-slamming him through the wall of the sphere, throwing him out onto the walkways. “WIZARDMON, GET THE CREST TO KARI!” He ordered, leaping out.
Down on the street below, WereGarurumon looked up from the defeated forms of Snimon and Tuskmon to the battle atop the building. He growled, then leapt towards the station’s wall, scaling it with ease and outpacing Zudomon, with Garudamon grabbing hold of the massive Ultimate’s shell to lift him up.
Myotismon scowled, looking at WereGarurumon and Zudomon on one side, while Magnamon slid into a combat stance on the other. Above, Angemon, Garudamon, Lillymon, and MegaKabuterimon hovered, the latter glowing a faint purple as the light of Digivolution dimmed.
“GET HIM!” Izzy shouted, prompting his partner to rush forward, horn crackling with power. With a laugh and a gesture, Myotismon redirected the beetle towards WereGarurumon, who was still clipped by the edge of his friend’s carapace, even as he leapt out of the way. The wolfman grunted, barely grabbing onto the railing of the walkway in time.
“CRIMSON LIGHTNING!” Myotismon laughed, lashing at WereGarurumon’s hands, only for Magnamon to leap in the way, the red tendril wrapping around his arm again.
“I’m ready for you this time!” The knight glared, armor humming as the whip was pulled from Myotismon’s grasp, turning gold as it was sucked into the gauntlet. WereGarurumon pushed off the side of the walkway, backflipping to the one across the gap before nodding to Magnamon in thanks.
Myotismon scowled, and in his shock, wasn’t prepared for the sudden blast to his back, tearing a hole in his cape as he fell to one knee. “WHAT?!” He snarled, whirling to see Wizardmon behind him, hands outstretched from the attack. “So, you’re still alive.” He growled, standing up as Kari, Gatomon, and Davis ran out to join the spellcaster, the Crest dangling from the first’s neck.
“That’s right.” Wizardmon said, his voice full of steely resolve as he stepped forward. “It’ll take more than the likes of you to defeat me!”
“We shall see! CLOUD MINION!” Myotismon shouted, firing a ball of energized mist that slammed into the Champion, throwing him back against the sphere with a grunt. “Now, with him out of the way…” He turned his glare towards Kari, gripping the Crest in a white-knuckled hold while Davis and Gatomon stood in front of her, arms out. “Give that to me!” He snarled, striding towards her.
“HANDS OFF, CREEP!” Magnamon shouted, sliding around the vampire with a burst of golden energy from his armor’s verniers, blocking the path.
“Not so fast!” A voice shouted as MetalGreymon flew up, landing beside WereGarurumon across the gap, Tai perched on his cybernetic claw.
“Tai!” Everyone shouted in unison, as the Bearer of Courage hopped off his partner’s arm.
“You messed with the wrong kids, Fang-Face!” Tai shouted, before pulling a Digivice from his belt. “KARI, CATCH!” He wound up and threw the Digivice, which Kari managed to snag out of the air. She smiled, holding it up in victory, only for DemiDevimon to swoop in and take it
“I got the Digivice!” The demonic Rookie cackled. “You can thank me after you take over the world, boss!”
“And I’ve got the brats!” Phantomon shouted, suddenly reappearing with his scythe held back, ready to slash through Davis and Kari. Everything seemed to slow down, Magnamon turning to see the scythe begin its arc, but not being close enough to stop it. Tai shouted, someone screamed, the digimon all tried to intervene, but none of them could move fast enough.
No one, save one.
A lead pipe suddenly struck Phantomon over the back of the head, making him lose his grip on his weapon, before he was struck again and again. “STAY! AWAY! FROM MY! BABY! BROTHER!” Jun Motomiya screamed, whacking the stunned Ultimate to everyone’s shock. Magnamon shook off his stupor, rushing forward and slamming a Magna-Punch into the spectre's chest, grinding the ghost against the floor until he hit the wall of the sphere, disintegrating..
He looked over at the panting thirteen year old, still dressed in her pajamas, with scrapes on her arms and legs, leaves in her hair, and red, puffy eyes, dirty cheeks streaked with tear lines, and nodded in respect. “Nice job, kid.”
Myotismon scowled, conjuring another Cloud Minion, only to abort it halfway through to block a pair of Giga Blaster missiles from MetalGreymon, then grunted as he was forced back onto one knee, holding his midsection where a Hand of Fate had struck in his moment of distraction.
“Had enough yet?!” Angemon shouted from above, gripping his staff.
“Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing!” The vampire grinned, despite the pained sweat on his brow. “GRISLY WING!” Rather than aim at the digimon battling him, he instead turned and gestured towards the now defenseless forms of Gatomon, Davis, Kari, and Jun, with the teenager wrapping her arms around the kids and turning them so her body covered them, while Gatomon stood before her, claws flexed..
A split-second before impact, a tan and dark blue shape lunged before them all, arms and legs spread out as his hat flew into the air, torn to ribbons. Wizardmon’s eyes widened in pain, but he grit his teeth, refusing to buckle, even as the claws of Myotismon’s familiars ripped into him. Gatomon stared in horror as her friend was swarmed, with Davis and Kari sharing her expression once they managed to peek past Jun.
Myotismon scowled, glaring at the wobbling form of Wizardmon as he fell to a knee. “Next time, don’t get in my way!” He sneered, before suddenly being tackled back by a roaring Magnamon.
“Wizardmon!” Kari shouted, breaking out of the teen’s hold and running to the weakly gasping sorcerer, joined by her partner. “You- you’re gonna be ok, right? You won’t leave us! P-please!”
Instead of answering the girl’s questions, he merely looked between her and his fellow Champion. “Are… you two alright?”
“Y-yeah.” Gatomon said, voice shaky as her eyes watered, taking her friend’s hand in her paws. “You… you saved us. I… I’m sorry…”
“About what…? This isn’t the end…” Wizardmon chuckled weakly, turning to look towards Magnamon. “My old friend, I need your help…”
Magnamon pushed the vampire back with a kick to the chest, backflipping away and landing before Wizardmon, before spinning and kneeling before the spellcaster, placing a glowing hand over the mage’s head. “I, Magnamon, Golden Knight, Loyal Servant to King Drasil, hereby unlock your true might, so you may retake your station at the Table. Long live the King!”
“Long live the King…” Wizardmon said weakly, nodding as the golden light from Magnamon’s armor flowed into his being, reenergizing it. His eyes snapped open, turning from green to red as his sealed power was unleashed, letting him return to his true might.
At the same instant, Kari’s Digivice began to shriek in DemiDevimon’s claws, glowing with so much angelic power that he was forced to drop it, lest his foot be burnt away into ash. Tai, who was below the Rookie as he screamed in pain, leapt up and snatched the Digivice, turning and throwing it back to Kari with a shout. “NO!” Myotismon screamed, lunging forward a step. “NOT HER!”
The Digivice lit up pink, firing out a beam at Gatomon, who began to glow and morph. “GATOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” Her ears and tail shrunk into nothingness, while her gloves slid off and a feathery pink ribbon slipped around her arms. A helmet covering her eyes and forehead slid over her head as her bright blue eyes glared out at Myotismon, and eight wings covered in pure white feathers sprouted from her back, the roots of which were soon covered by long, blonde hair. “ANGEWOMON!” The Ultimate declared, standing at around eleven feet tall.
“WIZARDMON, WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” His body shot up in size to nearly twenty feet, becoming lanky and covered in spikes, while his cloak reformed into a pair of massive wings. Two horns sprouted from his head, pointing forwards, as he shouted in victory, his white, gold, and purple armor gleaming. “DYNASMON!”
“Gatomon’s an… Angel?” Kari gasped.
“No way!” Lillymon gasped. “Wizardmon was a Royal Knight too?!”
“My Digimon Analyzer is bugging out again!” Izzy grumbled, lightly whacking the side of his laptop. “It still reads I don’t have enough clearance!”
“Allow me.” Dynasmon turned, opening a clawed hand to reveal a red jewel in his palm. The gem shot out a soft purple beam onto Izzy’s laptop, and suddenly the screen was filled with Digimoji. A moment later, a large padlock icon appeared, then unlocked, revealing an updated Analyzer.
“Dynasmon, member of the Royal Knights. Level… what the heck’s a Mega?! ”
Myotismon’s aloofness and anger had drained from him in the face of two knights, one of which had been within his own camp for over a year. “Myotismon.” Dynasmon spoke, turning to the vampire, righteous fury in his eyes. “You stand guilty of assault, mayhem, attempted murder, murder, and above all, disrupting the balance of the Digital and Atomic worlds.”
“You have tried to destroy the Digidestined and attempted to conquer Earth.” Angewomon spoke, passing judgement upon him. “In doing so you have ruined the lives of digimon and humans alike. How can you justify these actions?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to the likes of you!” Myotismon shouted, eyes wide and wild as he looked for a way out. “It is my destiny! I was fated to plunge this world into darkness! None of you have the power, nor the right, to deny me!”
“You refused to stand down when it was offered to you, so now, you will face judgement via combat.” Magnamon swore, hovering beside Angewomon, while Dynasmon stepped back, standing protectively over Kari, Davis, and Jun.
“Aren’t ya gonna help them?” Davis asked the white and gold knight, who looked down at the boy and shook his head.
“No, little one. This is not my destiny, nor my quest. The final blow must be struck by those the Digital World has decreed.”
“NIGHTMARE-!” Myotismon began, arms crossed, only to be cut off.
“HEAVEN’S CHARM!” The Ultimate Angel spread her arms out to the side, then brought them up over her head, a glowing halo of light racing up them before growing to ten times the size once it left her fingertips. The ring stopped several feet above her, and unleashed a veil of prismatic light over the area, freezing Myotismon in place.
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon! Monster Friends to the Boys and Girls! Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon! Champions of the Digital World!
“Our power…” MetalGreymon marveled, robotic claws wiggling in their slots.
“It’s returning!” MegaKabuterimon agreed, standing beside his friend. “No, it’s growing!”
“Then let’s give it to Angewomon and Magnamon!” Garudamon shouted, only for the knight to shake his head.
“Don’t worry about me! You give it to Angelface.” He turned, ignoring the female angel’s glare at his audacity. “Dynasmon, you ready?”
“Of course!” The knight of magic nodded, glowing with blue-white fire. “ALL TOGETHER!”
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
“HORN BUSTER!”
“FLOWER CANNON!”
“VULCAN’S HAMMER!”
“WOLF CLAW!”
“WING BLADE!”
“GIGA BLASTER!”
“HAND OF FATE!”
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
These seven attacks roared through the air, funneling into the aurora emitted within Angewomon’s halo, intensifying the glow and turning it into a crackling ball of power. Dynasmon roared, pupils dilating as the flames around him shot up, taking the form of a giant dragon. “BREATH OF WYVERN!”
The phantom dragon screamed, flying towards Magnamon and engulfing him in fire, though rather than scream in pain or even disintegrate, his armor flashed as bright as a star, taking on a green tint as ports opened along the edges and sucked the flames in, until his armor was vibrating with stored energy. “Finally, back to full power!” He smirked behind his faceplate, clenching his fist so hard it sounded like a miniature explosion.
Monster Friends to the Boys and Girls!
“CELESTIAL ARROW!” Angewomon shouted, the wings on her left hand’s glove growing into a bow as she reached her right hand up, gathering power from the crackling orb, and refining it into an arrow.
“MAGNA STORM!” The golden knight bellowed, stretching his arms out to the side, then bringing them together in front of him, fingers curled as if to direct the blast.
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
“No! NO! DON’T!” Myotismon begged, though all that answered was a pair of glares before a glowing arrow filled with holy energy and a beam of focused golden explosions ripped through him, his pain-filled final screams swallowed as white lightning struck down on his already disintegrating body.
Champions of the Digital World!
Magnamon and Angewomon panted, having used every drop of power they could spare, but shared a nod and a satisfied smile. “Nice shot, Angelface.”
“I could say the same to you, Knight-Light.” She smirked, then grabbed him by the angular crest of his helm and pulled his head in close. “But if you keep calling me “Angelface”, I’m going to be aiming my next shot at you.” She hissed.
“Not to interrupt, but we gotta get outta here!” Tai shouted, looking over the railing to see the tower Zudomon had climbed beginning to crumble. “Everyone on the ground now!”
One by one, the digimon leapt off the Fuji TV station, with most of the humans sitting atop Zudomon’s shell as Garudamon carried him to the ground. “AURA BARRIER!” Magnamon shouted, crossing his arms into an X and forming a golden disc in front of him, then threw his arms out to the sides. The disc expanded into a massive shield that encompassed the group, just as the sphere fell from the pillar supporting it and slamming into the ground, kicking up a mushroom cloud of dust.
“THAT WAS AWESOME!” Davis shouted, bouncing around the group. “YOU WERE ALL BOOM, AND THEN SHE WANT KA-BAM! AND-AND-AND WHOOSH!”
“Davis, sit down!” Jun scolded, grabbing her brother and making him stay still as she looked him over. “You’re ok, right? No cuts, bruises, none of that?”
“I’m fine, Jun!” Davis whined, squirming out of her grasp, but staying next to her.
“Well, he’s not wrong.” Tai laughed, turning to his team, who were all holding their partners’ In-Training forms. “We rocked! We finally beat Myotismon!”
“With all of us together, it wasn’t so tough after all!” Joe laughed.
“Yeah!” Mimi chirped. “Especially with those two on our side!” She smiled, looking over at Veemon and Wizardmon, who were whispering together a bit down the street, occasionally glancing up at the place the ball used to sit.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Sora asked, just before Kari let out a gasp.
“The fog!” She cried, pointing up. “It’s getting thicker!”
“No way!” Matt said, looking up with the others and sweating nervously as thunder rumbled in the distance.
“But I thought we beat Myotismon?” T.K. asked nervously, Patamon sitting on his head while Gatomon’s fur stood on end.
“Maybe, but maybe not…” Izzy gulped. “What if… what if he’s still around? And instead of beating him, we made him stronger?”
“Then we’ll be ready.” Veemon spoke, stepping back into the gathering alongside Wizardmon. “I swore upon my armor and honor to either bring Myotismon back in chains, or to slay the fiend.” He lifted the Golden Digiegg up, and flashed with green and gold energy.
“While this may not be my quest, his defeat is just as important to me.” Wizardmon spoke, leaning on his now returned staff. “He hurt my dear allies, and thus justice must be served.” His cloak split apart into a pair of massive wings, and suddenly Magnamon and Dynasmon were kneeling before them. “We may not be of your order, but allow us to aid in your battle, Digidestined.”
Tai blinked, then smiled as he looked over his shoulder at his friends and sister, who nodded. “Well alright. Welcome to the team!”
“Hey, what about us?!” Davis shouted, leaping in front of his role model. “I helped, and even Jun beat up that creepy guy with the hood!”
The teenage girl stiffened, blushing in embarrassment as everyone looked at her appraisingly. “I- I was stressed, ok? I saw Davis with the big orange dinosaur, and I had to wait to follow him because of those ghosts, and then I saw him getting carried away, and-!”
“And you beat up an Ultimate with a stick.” Magnamon summarized, letting out an amused chuff. “Not a lot of beings can claim that, kid. You’ve got guts.”
“I gotta agree with him,” Tai grinned, stepping forwards. “And that’s coming from the guy with the Crest of Courage. Davis, Jun, you two might not have partners, but you’re part of the crew, too.”
“Well,” Davis said, face screwed up in thought before he suddenly ran over to Magnamon, wrapping his limbs around the knight’s boot like a koala. “What if he was my partner?”
They all stared in shock at the claim, but none worse than Magnamon himself. “…what?!”
Chapter 3: Back From the Dead
Summary:
Wizardmon flinched and Magnamon shuddered in his armor, his shoulder pads going from relaxed to alert in seconds. “Well, you know of the Server desert, do you not?” The spellcaster asked.
“Yeah, it’s where we fought Etemon and found all our Crests.” Sora nodded.
“Before the third Myotismon became the first to use their other Mega form, it was a lush rainforest. It was even called the “Jewel of the West”,” Magnamon said bluntly, staring into the distance. “The first one’s a danger, but the second one? That’s a real monster.”
Chapter Text
“No.”
“But-“
“Nope.”
“You haven’t-“
“NUH UH!”
“Will you just-!”
“DENIED!”
Tai, Sora, and the other Digidestined stared as Magnamon practically spun in circles, all to avoid having to meet Davis’s eyes.
“How long until he takes off?” Gomamon wondered, earning a chastising hiss from Joe.
“At this rate, ten seconds.” Matt hummed, wanting an elbow to the side from Tai and Sora for his bluntness.
“Listen, Davis.” Magnamon finally sighed, crossing his arms and looking down at the boy. “ We are not partners, ok? You helped me out by keeping me a secret, then finding my armor. I appreciate that, but that’s different from what those guys have.” He explained, jerking his thumb towards the eight Digidestined. “ They had their data synchronized to perfectly resonate with their partners for hundreds of years while they were Digieggs. We don’t have that. Hel- heck, we don’t even have a Digivice. We are not partners.”
Davis pouted rebelliously, glaring up at the while crossing his arms, clearly refusing to take no for an answer. The dragon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose within the open slot of his visor. “Kid, you’re ruining my reputation here.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint, but you never had a “bad boy reputation”.” Dyansmon corrected, chuckling. “I recall a story of you once crying while aiding a village of baby digimon, as they were “too small and cute” to be harmed.”
Magnamon whirled on his fellow knight, pointing at him with a single finger as his faceplate began to glow red from his blush. “That’s enough out of you. You’ve gotten way too snarky away from the Tree.” But it was too late, and the damage was done. The kids and their partners giggled and snickered at the embarrassed knight, who could only stand there and take it. Luckily, he was saved as the laptop on Izzy’s back began to beep, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Oh, hang on!” The boy said, sitting down on a chunk of rubble while everyone crowded behind him, trying to get a peek at the screen. “We’ve got mail from Gennai!”
“The Sage?” Magnamon and Dynasmon shared a look, grimacing.
“Hey, what’s with the looks?” Sora huffed, glaring up at the two knights. “Gennai’s our pal, busters!”
“We understand that, Lady Sora.” Dynasmon said peaceably, hands up in an attempt to placate her. “It’s just…”
“He runs with a crowd that doesn’t directly work with King Drasil.” Magnamon explained. “We have the same goals of peace and prosperity, but they’re much more proactive and sneaky, while we prefer to wait until we’re certain our interference is required. It was actually he who contacted us, requesting we aid you when Myotismon showed a desire to invade.” As he told the tale to the Digidestined, Izzy got the Digi-Human’s email to play aloud..
“Wonderful news!” A chibi Gennai shouted, hopping like he was doing jumping jacks. “I think I found the way to defeat him once and for all!”
“Well he works fast…” Jun muttered. “But he couldn’t have told us earlier?”
“Tell me about it…” Matt nodded, a fair bit irritated at the vampire’s survival, while an image popped up on screen.
“While this may look like a graham cracker, it’s actually an ancient text! The translation is as follows: ‘The skies will be darkened by the wings of many bats. The Fallen will invoke the name of the Undead King, and when the clock strikes the hour of The Beast, the Undead King will reveal his true form as The Beast! Then Angels will shoot arrows of Hope and Light at the loved ones of those they are sworn to protect, and a Miracle will happen! …please always recycle.’ Good luck!” The chibi-Gennai faded away with those parting words, and left them in silence.
At least until Magnamon let out a noise akin to TV static mixed with a Fax Machine and spun, roundhouse kicking a chunk of Fuji Station. “This does not bode well.” Dynasmon said grimly, staring at the laptop as if reading something no one else could see.
“Dammit!” Magnamon snarled. “He belongs to one of The Seven. No other digimon would be able to pull this off!”
“The Seven?” Tai asked, as the Digidestined, Davis, Jun, and Hiroaki Ishida stepped back from the raging knight. “What’s that?”
“A group we can only pray that you children never have to face.” Dynasmon said gravely, before walking over and putting a hand on Magnamon’s shoulder pad. “Calm yourself. Remember your decorum.”
Magnamon let out an angry, shaking breath, glaring at the ground, before he closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths, the fury leaking out of him. After a few moments, he nodded, eyes clearer. “Thank you, Dynasmon. I… apologize for my outburst.” He turned to the humans and the partnered digimon and bowed his head. “I apologize to you, as well. I didn't mean to scare you. I just got… upset.”
“Uh, yeah.” Joe chuckled nervously, eyeing the chunks of concrete that had been ground to dust. “We can tell.”
“No matter the case, we now know our prophecy.” Dynasmon spoke, turning to them all. “And with it, we know the key players.”
“Right.” The blue-scaled knight nodded, stepping forward. “The Undead King is Myotismon, obviously. Angels of Hope and Light are obvious, too.” He nodded towards Patamon and Gatomon. “Congratulations, Angelface. You get to help eighty six the creep again.”
“What did I tell you about calling me that?!”
“Ok, so if those two are the Angels, and their partners are the ones they’re sent to protect, does that mean the loved ones are…” Jun stopped, turning towards Tai and Matt, who suddenly turned as pale as ghosts.
“I no longer like this plan if it means I get shot at by arrows.” Tai squeaked.
“Well, suck it up, buttercup.” Magnamon snorted, his feet leaving indents in the street as he walked by.. “If “The Beast” is what I think it is, we’re gonna need all the firepower we can get.”
“While I would put it in a gentler way, he’s not wrong.” Dynasmon sighed, following the other knight down the street. “Especially if Myotismon seeks to use the old magic to grant him power.”
“Ok, pause. Time out!” Sora shouted, holding her hands up in a T. “You two are talking like you know what “The Beast” is! Mind clueing the rest of us in?”
The pair of knights stopped and shared a glance, before Magnamon nodded. “Alright. Well, to start with, this Myotismon you kids have been fighting? He’s not the first, and probably won’t be the last. Myotismon as a species are younger compared to others like Tyrannomon or Flymon, but they’ve still had plenty of millenia to get up to trouble. In that time, us Royal Knights have been called in on three occasions to handle them when they get out of control, but I was only around for the latest incursion.”
“Really?” T.K. asked, Patamon perched on his head. “What’d they do?”
“The first sought to claim a floating island in the sky named Pop-Up.” Dynasmon answered as they all began the walk towards Big Sight. “He had planned to turn it into a flying bastion that was never in the same place twice. One of our cohorts, Examon, swiftly handled that. The second had similar goals to what we face now, though he had a much more brute-force approach to problems. He was also the first instance of a Mega Level Myotismon.”
“Ok, I need to ask.” Izzy interjected, laptop folded under an arm. “What is a Mega? Up until now we’ve only seen up to Ultimates, which has been implied by basically everyone to be the end of the line!”
“That’s because it takes a normal digimon thousands of years to reach it.” Magnamon said. “Last I checked, there are less than one hundred Megas in the entire population of the Digiworld, and most spend their time at the edges of the world and become nothing more than folktales.”
“Like you guys?” Matt asked, looking up at the knights, who nodded.
“Indeed.” Dynasmon agreed. “We knights end up seeking solitude to prepare ourselves for whatever King Drasil may demand of us, and on the occasions we do venture into civilization, we take on more common forms.” To prove his point, he glowed white and shrunk, becoming Wizardmon before their eyes.
“Ok, that makes sense.” Tai nodded, before looking at Magnamon. “What doesn’t is why you need that shiny block to digivolve. Can’t you just… do it?” Wizardmon began to softly chuckle while Magnamon looked away, arms crossed as he mumbled something.
“What was that?” Tentomon asked, buzzing up and tilting the side of his head to point towards the knight. “One more time, a little louder?”
Magnamon glared, but repeated himself. “I… can’t. I never figured out how to hit Champion. And that “shiny block” is an ancient artifact from the earliest days of Digital Civilization. It’s one of the last sets of Armor from the ancient species, and the only one to use only Gold Digizoid, so put some respect on it.”
“Wait.” Matt couldn’t help but snort, fighting to hide the grin on his face. “So, you just never really grew up from Veemon?”
Magnamon turned his glare to the Bearer of Friendship, his faceplate glowing molten from his embarrassed blush. “Shut up. I just… never got around to it, then I found the Golden Digiegg, so I figured I didn’t need to.”
“He actually has matured quite a lot.” Wizardmon nodded.
“Thank you!” Magnamon threw his arms in the air, though the spellcaster’s next words had him as the target of the dragon’s glare.
“Oh yes, I remember his first day, when he had to be dragged in because he’d wasted all his energy doing loop-the-loops.”
“I hate you all.” Magnamon muttered, but they could all tell he didn’t mean it. Not with the way he reached down to ruffle the Motomiya siblings’ hair.
“Will someone please explain what’s going on here?” Masami Izumi asked as his son led him and his wife out of Odaiba Mansion.
“Take a seat.” Hiroaki said, stepping forward. “It’s a long story.”
“Hey guys!” Mimi shouted, running up in her usual attire as opposed to her pajamas. “Sorry we’re late! Hold on, are we missing someone?” She asked, seeing the headcount to be a bit less than she was expecting. As if on cue, a loud shout came from somewhere on the second floor of the apartment building.
“SHIN, DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!”
A few minutes later, they had all reconvened at the entrance, where Hiroaki had taken up a role as their commander. “We need to find out what’s going on at Big Sight, and how to wake up everyone that got put to sleep.”
“We might have a fix.” Magnamon offered. “Wizardmon can lift the spell, while I energize him.”
“The only issue is that I can only cast the counterspell on a handful of people at a time.” The wizard said. “Which means we have three potential results should we choose this course of action. The first is we succeed in awakening everyone. The second is we only manage to awaken some before the Hour of The Beast and the prophecy is carried out by those we couldn’t get to.”
“And the third,” Magnamon picked up. “Is us running out of juice before we finish or we hit the time limit, and leave our side down two Megas.”
“Well, we should still be able to handle him if worse comes to worst, right?” Tai said optimistically, only for his grin to falter at the expressions in the knights’ eyes.
“It… depends.” Wizardmon admitted. “There are two likely cases for what he becomes, and both already sit in the higher tier of Megas.”
“Wizardmon, Magnamon.” Izzy spoke up, having been rubbing his chin as he thought something over. “Earlier you mentioned three Myotismons in the past reaching Mega Level, yet only told us about the first two. What about the third?”
Wizardmon flinched and Magnamon shuddered in his armor, his shoulder pads going from relaxed to alert in seconds. “Well, you know of the Server desert, do you not?” The spellcaster asked.
“Yeah, it’s where we fought Etemon and found all our Crests.” Sora nodded.
“Before the third Myotismon became the first to use their other Mega form, it was a lush rainforest. It was even called the “Jewel of the West”,” Magnamon said bluntly, staring into the distance. “The first one’s a danger, but the second one? That’s a real monster. ”
The first thing Yuuko Kamiya noticed when she woke up was the smiling faces of her kids. She smiled back, content to lay in bed for a bit longer, before realizing she was on cold hard concrete. In the blink of an eye she sat up, remembering all that had happened that morning. “TAI! KARI!” She screamed, wrapping her babies up tight in a hug, before noticing the creatures behind them.
“Hi!” Smiled a thing that looked like a yellow-orange dinosaur with green eyes, while a cat with purple stripes on its tail and yellow gloves waved.
“WHAT ARE YOU?! STAY BACK!” The woman shouted, pulling her kids behind herself. “IF YOU COME NEAR MY KIDS I’LL-!”
“Mom!” Tai shouted, tugging at her arm. “Agumon and Gatomon are friends! They helped save us!”
“Hehe… sorry for breaking your building…” The dinosaur said sheepishly, kicking at the floor.
“Breaking the-“ Yuuko’s eyes widened as she recalled the massive orange dinosaur with the brown helmet that had slammed out of the apartment with Tai, Kari, and Davis riding on its head. “That was you?!”
“Oh, she’s taking it better than expected.” A voice chuckled. Yuuko whirled around and her jaw dropped as she saw more and more strange creatures, from a plant to a bug to a bird to what looked like a wizard with blue skin. The largest, however, was the ten foot tall figure in glowing gold armor, looking down at her over crossed arms with mirthful eyes. “I was expecting her to pass out.”
“Don’t be a jerk.” Jun Motomiya sniffed, walking around from behind the giant’s legs and kicking him in the ankle.
“What?” He asked. “I’m just stating the facts. Mimi’s parents did it.”
“And then Mimi’s dad tried to fight DarkTyrannomon. With a golf cart! ”
“Tai…?” Yuuko said faintly.
“Yeah, mom?”
“Please tell me this is all a really weird dream…”
“…you told me not to lie to you about stuff like this.”
“Oh…” she nodded, then went limp, her body giving out on her as her children held her up from knocking her head on the floor.
“Well, that’s almost all of the parents.” Wizardmon sighed, flexing his hands. “How are your reserves, Magnamon?”
“A bit drained, but nothing intense.” The golden knight reported, looking over the sea of enchanted humans. “Whoever this creep’s sired from, it’s some intense magic.”
“Indeed.” Wizardmon nodded. “It does not fill me with confidence to know that he has either gotten this powerful on his own, or that he carries power from one of them .
“So, these… digimon, are from another world entirely?” Susumu Kamiya asked a couple minutes later, rubbing his wife’s hair out of her face as she laid in his lap.
“Yeah. Some of them are nasty customers, but a lot are our friends.” Tai nodded, smiling. “There were all the guys on File Island like Leomon, Ogremon, Frigimon, Centaurumon, Elecmon, and Andromon, and then Piximon and the Koromon village on Server, and-”
“Wait, hold on.” Susumu shook his head, baffled. “How did you meet all these people in one afternoon?”
Tai chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “Well… do you know what Time Dilation is?”
“So, Biyomon.” Toshiko Takenouchi addressed her daughter’s partner, the three of them sitting on a bench nearby, then hesitated. “I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t really know how to make conversation with a creature from another world.”
“It’s alright, Mrs. Sora’s Mom!” The pink bird digimon smiled, feet kicking back and forth over the edge of the seat. “On the first few days, me and Sora and the others didn’t really know what to talk about either.”
“They didn’t even know what a mom or dad was at first.” Sora recalled, giggling slightly. “We found these phone booths on a beach, and when we said we could call our parents, Gomamon over there asked “What’s a parents?””
“But then, wait.” Toshiko blinked. “Where do digimon come from?”
“Digieggs, of course!” Biyomon laughed.
“And… where do those come from?”
“What do you mean? They just fall out of the sky.”
“Whatcha lookin’ at, Tentomon?” Palmon asked, walking over to the beetle, whose compound eyes were watery as he looked around a corner.
“Just…” He sniffled. “Just wishing I had a mom, suddenly.” Confused, Palmon peeked by him to see Izzy and his parents hugging.
“That’s adorable!” She squeed. “Are you gonna join in?”
“Wh-what?” He turned to her.
“Well, you’re his partner.” She shrugged. “We’re all basically family to our partners, so if it’s a family hug, shouldn’t you join in?”
Tentomon looked between her, then the group hug. He nodded slowly, and began to tentatively move towards it. Two steps, then one, then three, then one again.
Izzy blinked away his tears as he felt something tug at the edge of his shirt. He turned his head, his parents copying him, to see Tentomon almost nervously rubbing his claws together, before spreading his arms in an unspoken request. Izzy let out a watery laugh, moving over a bit to let his partner in. “Mom, Dad, I know I didn’t really get to introduce you two to him earlier, but this is Tento. He’s had my back since this all started, even when I wasn’t the best teammate.”
As thrown off as the two adults were to suddenly be hugging a bug the size of their child, they could tell how much the two meant to one another, and so they smiled. “Well in that case, you’re welcome to our home at any time, Tento.”
Palmon sniffled, her own eyes watering now. “I just love happy endings.” She smiled, before turning and skipping off to find Mimi and her parents.
An hour later, disaster struck. “Lord Myotismon,” A person chanted, eyes snapping open and glowing red. “Lord and Master.”
“Oh, crap.” Jun paled, turning to Wizardmon and Magnamon from the tight hug her parents had put on her and Davis. “GUYS!”
“We’re running out of time!” Magnamon shouted, as the chant began to spread out like a ripple.
“Myotismon, Lord and Master! Myotismon, Lord and Master! Myotismon, Lord and Master!”
“Damn…” Hiroaki muttered, looking over the crowd of hundreds as Matt, Gabumon, T.K., and Patamon relayed their tale of being lost in the fog, then swarmed by Gizamon before bats appeared and took them away.
“Physically, they’re still asleep.” Joe’s brother, Shin, explained, standing up from examining the nearest person. “It’s like they’re all having the same dream, in a way.”
“More like a nightmare…” Davis muttered, squirming out of his parents’ grasp. “This is the Fallen thing from the graham cracker, right?”
“Yeah.” Matt nodded. “So now we’re two for two with the bats.”
“Wait, what?” Tai blinked as he and Sora ran over. “When did that happen?”
“What was the third part, Izzy?” Sora asked as the redhead ran over.
“Gimme a second…” He muttered, flipping open his laptop. “‘When the clock strikes the Hour of The Beast, The Undead King will reveal his true form.’”
“We don’t have much time until this Hour of The Beast.” Magnamon scowled, looking around. “We don’t even know when it is!”
“Six six six.” Hiroaki said, face serious as he stepped up. “Six minutes and six seconds past six o’clock.”
Tai pulled his Digivice out just as it beeped over from 5:59 to 6:00. “We don’t have much time! Go go go!” He shouted, running out the door to the van, joined by Matt and their partners.
“Game on.” Magnamon quietly said, running out and blasting off on a column of gold fire, while Wizardmon turned to Dynasmon and stood guard outside Big Sight.
“We’re not gonna make it!” Tai shouted as the clock ticked over to 6:06, Magnamon a golden dot in the distance as they raced towards Fuji Station. “SHOWTIME!”
The entire TV station suddenly exploded in a white flash as a giant with a red, chitinous torso, massive arms, and four colossal wings stood. Black furred legs stomped the rubble to dust and a mane of yellow hair ran down its back. A rat-like tail swept through trees like blades of grass, while red antlers menacingly gleamed in the gloom.
“IS THAT MYOTISMON?!” Tai gaped, running out of the van as it screeched to a halt.
“He’s been taking steroids!” Matt whistled, before Magnamon slammed into the ground in front of them, having been thrown by the explosion.
“Ok, good news.” The knight said, standing and brushing a chunk of asphalt from his shoulder pad. “This is the weaker of the two. Bad news? He’s still on the higher end for Mega levels.”
“Like that’s gonna stop us!” Agumon shouted, running forward as Gabumon followed him. In a flash, they became MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon, but as the new Myotismon slowly turned, the wind pressure halted them in their tracks. “Ok, it might be able to stop us.” The Ultimate Cyborg growled, lowering his mechanical arm.
“SAY HELLO TO VENOMMYOTISMON, KING OF THE UNDEAD!” DemiDevimon cackled, flying about overhead. “HE’S THE UN AND YOU’RE THE DEAD!”
“More energy!” The titan bellowed, taking a step forward that felt like an earthquake. “I’m hungry!”
“Don’t you worry about that, boss!” The Rookie cackled. “There’s a buffet of tasty little humans waiting for ya at the convention center! Remember to start your day with a hearty breakfast!”
“How about I start with a little snack?” VenomMyotismon grinned, before inhaling and sucking DemiDevimon into his mouth. The Rookie screamed in fear, before he was silenced by a gulp and a belch.
“He’s coming this way!” Hiroaki shouted as the giant began to stomp in their direction.
“Not for long!” Magnamon roared, blasting off towards the Mega while MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon jumped into the undead titan’s path.
“Wanna flip a coin for who goes first?” The wolfman smirked, landing on the metal helmet of his ally.
“Allow me!” The dinosaur grinned, standing up straight as his chestplate opened. “GIGA BLASTER!” A pair of shark-like missiles roared out, and with a grunt and a leap, WereGarurumon was surfing on one. As they neared their target, he jumped, letting two explosions envelope the crotch of VenomMyotismon.
“GARURU KICK!” Gabumon’s Ultimate form shouted, sending out a scythe of energy from his foot that sliced a gash across the Mega’s forehead. Rather than shout or even flinch, tendrils lashed out and wrapped around the small wolfman.
“TRIDENT ARM!” MetalGreymon’s cybernetic arm launched out on its cable, slicing through the writhing tendrils, while Magnamon flew in front of VenomMyotismon’s face.
“MAGNA RAY!” Beams of golden light emitted from the segments of armor and slammed into the vampire’s face, knocking him back into the only remaining wall of Fuji TV.
“Think that got him?” Tai asked, before a giant red arm reached up from the dust cloud and swatted Magnamon away.
“NEED MORE! I’M HUNGRY!” VenomMyotismon shouted, rising back up.
“That answer your question?” Matt asked, a nervous sweat drop trailing down the side of his face.
“MATT! TAI!” WereGarurumon shouted, leaping off MetalGreymon as the two Ultimates landed before their partners. “Get back to the convention center! Tell them what’s going on!”
“We’ll help Magnamon handle this clown until then!” MetalGreymon grinned. “Piece of cake!”
“Be careful, you two!” Matt shouted, running back towards the van as the two digimon turned to face their foe.
“MAGNA-PUNCH!”
“SAVAGE TYRANT!” A shockwave boomed across Odaiba as the two punches met, neither side giving an inch.
“Let’s buy some time.” WereGarurumon growled.
“I’m with ya, old buddy.” MetalGreymon nodded, chest making a loud ka-clunk as a fresh pair of missiles were loaded.
“We don’t know how long they can hold him off!” Tai explained a few minutes later, the Digidestined and their families gathered outside Big Sight as VenomMyotismon slowly stomped forward, only to be pushed back by new gashes forming on his skin, explosions engulfing large chunks of his body, or a tiny golden sparkle zipping around him and ramming into his with enough force to knock him back a step. “But we need to get everyone out of here, NOW!”
“Even if we had a way to move them, we don’t have the time!” Shin countered, shaking his head.
“We can’t run.” Everyone turned to Gatomon, who was glaring out at the towering form of her tormentor. “He’ll never stop chasing us. The only solution is to destroy him.”
The children and their digimon shared a series of looks, then nodded. “I’m with ya!” Patamon chirped, taking off with his bat-like ears.
“And I’m with you!” T.K. said, putting his partner on his head.
“Us too!” Biyomon and Palmon raised their arms, then grinned and high-fived at their synchronicity.
“Me three!” Tentomon buzzed.
“And four!” Gomamon chuckled.
“No.” Gatomon shook her head. “You heard the prophecy. It requires the Angels of Hope and Light. The rest of you need to stay here and guard the humans in case…”
“...in case you don’t make it back.” Kari finished softly, grabbing her partner and lifting her up into a hug.
“No,” Dynasmon shook his head, kneeling. “As noble as your intentions may be, my friend, you will require the strength of all the Digidestined to handle this foe. I shall remain as the last line of defense.”
“Wizardmon…” Gatomon looked up at her friend.
“Don’t worry.” The knight chuckled, reaching down and patting her head with one massive finger. “This is the quest given to all of you. It is not my place to join in. Go now, and show the beast what a mistake it was making a foe of you.”
“HOLD ON!” Yuuko shrieked, stomping forwards. “You can’t be serious?! You’re just going to let them all charge off into… into that?! ” She pointed at the distant battle, where VenoMyotismon began to belch out a river of dark red fire, turning his head to scorch the ground where MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon were, before turning to follow Magnamon’s path.
“Mom…” Tai said softly, before his father stepped in front of him.
“Yuuko.” He sighed. “Let them go.”
“Wh-what?” She said, eyes wide and watery. “Susumu, do you hear yourself? You’re going to let our babies run into hell?!”
“We’re the only ones who can, mama.” Kari said, looking up at her mom with a serious expression. “Myotismon is gonna hurt a bunch more people if we don’t beat him.”
“We have to go.” Mimi said to her parents, silent tears running down her cheeks as she hugged them. “This is our battle.”
“Besides, this isn’t the worst thing we’ve done.” Joe chuckled, all of the kids running to the station van as their Digivices began to shake and glow with the powers of the Crests. “Ask Tai about the time he ran into a black hole to fight Elvis!”
“WHAT?!” Yuuko screamed, but by then it was too late. Garudamon took off while holding Zudomon’s shell, while MegaKabuterimon and Lillymon escorted the van as the kids began to pile into it.
“We’re coming with you.” Masami said to his son, smiling. “We’re all in this together, remember?”
“Dad, mom…” Izzy smiled back, hugging them quickly before they all jumped into the backseat.
In all the chaos as Angemon and Angewomon took off, no one noticed the stowaway in the trunk of the van. It wasn’t until they were halfway to the battle that Jun looked around, dread on her face. “Wait, where’s Davis? ”
“Where did the angels come from?” Kae asked in wonderment as the two flew over the van and into the front windshield, before turning to her son as Izzy began to explain.
“They’re Patamon and Gatomon, just digivolved. Like how Tentomon became MegaKabuterimon.” He pointed out the window, where his partner waved one of his large hands.
“Well, I’m glad you’ve got a hobby.” Masami smiled, though it was a bit tight as they got closer and closer to the battle. “I just hope this won’t affect your grades.”
Izzy rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but have a teasing tone in his voice. “It’s the fate of the world, dad. I think I can do a make-up test for anything I missed later.”
“Besides, who cares about boring school crud during summer break?”
Izzy nodded, then froze, along with everyone else in the van. “What the-? DAVIS?!” He shouted, spinning in his seat and looking into the trunk to see the boy laying on the floor, grinning. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”
“WHEN’D HE GET ON?”
“Can we drop him off or something?!”
“Who even is this kid?!”
“Like I was gonna stay outta this!” Davis shouted, sitting up and holding onto the headrests of the backseats. “My not-partner’s out there fighting, just like all of you guys!”
Matt looked into the rearview mirror from the passenger seat, grinning in a way that looked more like a grimace. “He’s as stubborn as you.” He said to Tai, who hung his head.
“I know…”
“MAGNA MISSILES, FIRE!” Eight hexagonal rockets blasted out from silos in Magnamon’s shoulder pads and thigh protectors, slamming into VenomMyotismon’s chest with a series of golden explosions. The smoke hung there for a moment, before four beams of prismatic light shot from the two pairs of eyes on the Mega’s crotch. WereGarurumon, MetalGreymon, and Magnamon dodged the three aimed at them, but the fourth struck a building and vaporized it, scattering its data.
In his jump to avoid the attack, MetalGreymon found himself directly in front of VenomMyotismon, who glared at him as he pulled his arm back. “Uh oh.” With a booming thud, the dinosaur was thrown back, shouting.
“Oh, crapbaskets.” WereGarurumon muttered, seeing his friend’s back fast approaching. “DEDIGIVOLVE! HURRY!” He shouted, though it wasn’t quite fast enough as he was pushed backwards, the massive bulk forcing him back to Gabumon as Agumon landed beside him.
“GOODBYE, SMALL FRIES!” VenomMyotismon laughed, lifting a foot over the Rookies, only to be stopped as Magnamon rushed in and flew against it, pushing it back up.
“CELESTIAL ARROW!”
“HAND OF FATE!”
The two holy beams struck the vampire in the chest, knocking him further off balance as Magnamon threw his leg up, and finally forced him to fall on his back.
“This won’t be easy!” Angemon said, forming his staff.
“Nobody ever said it would be!” Angewomon scowled, glaring at VenomMyotismon as he slowly pushed himself back up. “I always knew he was disgusting, but it looks like now the outside matches the inside.”
“I SHALL ENJOY DEVOURING YOU! ANGEL FOOD IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES!” He bellowed, laughing, before he was suddenly hit by an uppercut that had the tip of his tongue sliced off by his own fangs.
“HOW ABOUT A KNUCKLE SANDWICH?” Magnamon shouted, punching his fists together as they flared gold and lightning bolts crackle between them.
Down below, Gabumon slowly pried his eyes open, seeing Matt’s worried face. “S-sorry… He was… too strong…”
“We tried…” Agumon nodded, rubbing his snout where he’d been punched. Garudamon, Zudomon, Lillymon, and MegaKabuterimon held back, standing protectively around and over the children, Hiroaki, and the Izumis, though their roles as guardians didn’t stop them from firing off the occasional attack at the Mega.
“STOP IT, YOU’RE TICKLING ME!” Myotismon laughed, blood dripping from his mouth and down his chin, even as a Wing Blade, Flower Cannon, Vulcan’s Hammer, and Horn Buster joined a Celestial Arrow, Hand of Fate, and Magna Blast.
“Damnit, we’re running out of time.” Magnamon growled, his energy draining faster than he could replenish it.
“Anyone got any suggestions?” Angemon asked, cracking the knuckles on his right hand as they started to lock up.
“How about blocking?!” Angewomon shouted to the two males, wrapping her wings around herself in a pink forcefield as two more of the multi-colored lasers were fired at them.
“AURA BARRIER!” Magnamon shouted, forming his own shield and covering himself and Angemon moments before impact. The shots deflected off, striking a nearby ferris wheel and disintegrating it.
“I really don’t wanna go through with the whole “shoot us full of arrows” idea!” Tai shouted, seeing the three get pushed back.
“Well apparently we might have to, since I’m not seeing another way out!” Matt yelled back over the explosions.
“Well, what about Cupid?” Kae asked, having been caught up on the prophecy while the two angels and Magnamon battled VenomMyotismon. “He was sort of an angel, wasn’t he? All his arrows did was make people fall in love.”
“That’s a bit corny, mom.” Izzy brought up, but Sora shook her head.
“I don’t wanna toot my own horn here, but as the one with the Crest of Love, I say we go for it!” She turned to Matt and Tai, a confident smile on her face. “You boys ready?”
Matt clenched his teeth and nodded, and Tai did the same. “T.K., Kari, you’ve gotta tell them to do it.” The blond said, looking at the two eight year olds. “They won’t fire at us otherwise.”
“But what if you get, like, DEAD, or something?!” T.K. asked worriedly.
“Never gonna happen.” Tai chuckled, smirking at Matt. “Right?”
“Right!”
“Alright…” Kari nodded, holding up her Crest as T.K. did the same. “Angewomon!”
“Angemon, listen up!” A pink beam shot from Kari’s Crest while a yellow one was emitted from T.K.’s. “You gotta shoot Matt!”
“And you need to hit Tai!” Kari explained, as the beams reached their respective Angel and formed a bow with a glowing pink arrow and a yellow javelin.
“MAGNAMON, YOU GOTTA BUY ‘EM TIME!” Davis shouted, jumping forward and swinging his fists at VenomMyotismon. “PUNCH HIM IN HIS STUPID UGLY FACE!”
“ALREADY ON IT!” The knight roared, blasting forward and clocking the Mega in the jaw, making him stumble backwards.
“Looks like we’re actually listening to the Prophecy!” Angemon yelled, flying back towards the van. “This is crazy!”
“It may be crazy, but it’s the best bet we’ve got!” Angewomon nocked her arrow and turned towards Tai.
“Wait!” Gabumon yelped, stepping forward. “Are you sure about this?!”
“The Prophecy could be a bunch of phooey!” Agumon nodded, agreeing with the fur-coated reptile.
“You guys want a Miracle to happen or not?” Tai asked, grinning as he turned around so his back faced the angels.
“Yeah.” Matt smirked, pulling his Crest out from under his shirt. “Miracles require a little faith.” With his piece said, he turned his smirk towards his best friend. “Scared, Tai?”
“Nope.” Tai chuckled, his voice a touch tighter than usual. “How about you, Matt?”
“Course not.” He grinned back, though his hand shook as he grabbed onto Tai’s. “But I’ll just make sure you don’t take off because you chickened out.”
“Right back at ya, buddy.” Tai teased, their Crests glowing in the show of Courage and Friendship from both.
“One Miracle!” Angemon shouted, pulling his arm with the spear back.
“COMIN’ UP!” Angewomon finished, the bowstring going taut as she aimed between Tai’s shoulder blades.
The two arrows ripped through the sky, going through the boys and into their Crests. At the same time, Magnamon let out an ear-piercing scream, golden energy exploding from his body as his eyes went wide. Bolts of gold lightning crackled, striking Tai, Matt, Agumon, and Gabumon, then spread out, hitting Kari and Angewomon as well as T.K. and Angemon, then further still to Sora and Garudamon, Joe and Zudomon, Mimi and Lillymon, and finally Izzy and MegaKabuterimon, all of them shouting at the sudden rush of energy. The golden bolts crackled on their bodies, before changing to match the colors of the Crests, then died away.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!”
“Anyone else feel tingly?!”
“DID WE JUST GET HIT BY LIGHTNING?!”
Magnamon panted, energy spent, then fell from the sky, landing in front of Davis. “MAGNAMON!” The boy shouted as he ran forward, even as Agumon and Gabumon flashed orange and dark blue behind him.
“AGUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“GABUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“Are you alright?” Davis asked worriedly, reaching out to the knight, only to yelp as a bolt raced up one arm, through his body, down the other arm, and back into Magnamon, who groaned.
“I’ll live.” He assured the kid, sitting up, then grinning as he saw the silhouettes of Agumon and Gabumon’s new forms begin to dim. “But fang-face sure won’t.”
“WARGREYMON!”
“METALGARURUMON!”
Chapter 4: It’s the End of the World as we know it
Summary:
“It’s the digital world!”
“No way!”
“That can’t be!”
“We were just there!”
“We’ve only been gone a few days, but time moves much faster up there.” Izzy muttered with horrified realization. “For them, decades, possibly even centuries have gone by!”
“Probably a lot more than that, Izzy.” Tai corrected. “Me and Koromon were gone only an hour, but we came back to find out two months went by. If one minute here is one day there…”
Izzy’s eyes widened as he began to do the math. “Three days is seventy two hours. That’s four thousand, three hundred and twenty minutes, divide by three hundred and sixty five… We’ve been away for over a decade…” He muttered, staring up at the digital world.
“It was already a mess when we left it…” Koromon whimpered. “And now it’s had over ten years to get even worse.”
Chapter Text
“WARGREYMON!” Roared the fourteen foot tall dinosaur, who was now much more humanoid in build. Armor covered his head, chest, shoulders, shins, and hips, while a shield marked with the Crest of Courage sat split in half on his back. His massive three-clawed gauntlets glinted ominously in the gloom as he turned his emerald eyes towards VenomMyotismon, glaring.
“METALGARURUMON!” Howled the cybernetic wolf, now standing ten feet tall at the shoulder. His golden wings and bladed tail twitched as his claws dug into the ground, pistons pumping and servos hissing while the racks of three missiles on his shoulders clunked, releasing the locks on the rockets as he growled lowly at the undead Mega, ruby eyes burning.
“Awesome…” Tai said, jaw slack.
“You can say that again…” Matt nodded.
“LET’S GIVE HIM HELL!” Magnamon shouted, blasting off out of the crater he’d formed and joining WarGreymon. The two began to glow, forming a pair of giant spheres of energy colored orange and gold, before ramming into VenomMyotismon’s chest, making him shout in pain as he was pushed onto his back.
“SIC ‘EM!” Davis whooped, punching the air.
“PUT HIS LIGHTS OUT!” Kari shouted, hands around her mouth.
“METAL WOLF CLAW!” MetalGarurumon bellowed, eyes glowing blue as he locked onto VenomMyotismon and opened up several hatches in his legs, back, and chest, revealing dozens of missiles, before opening fire. The rockets streaked through the air and slammed into the giant’s body, but instead of heat and smoke, there was only ice that rapidly began to cover the undead beast, leaving him as a giant ice statue.
“Frozen!” T.K. laughed.
“Solid!” Matt agreed, grinning.
The three landed before their iced over foe, looking up at it. “You fellas know anywhere to put a lawn ornament this size?” Magnamon chuckled, before they all stepped back as the ice began to crack. VenomMyotismon shouted as he broke through the frosted shell, his body engulfed in dark red flames.
“Well that didn’t work.” MetalGarurumon grumbled.
“YOUR MISERABLE ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY ME HAVE FAILED! NOW YOU WILL PAY!” Myotismon grinned, chuckling darkly, before he started laughing. His eyes turned prismatic, and he began to fire blasts of dark, multicolored light down at his opponents.
While MetalGarurumon leapt to the right and WarGreymon dove to the left, Magnamon dashed forward, diving between his legs and grabbing onto the giant’s tail. “ROUND AND ROUND HE GOES!” Magnamon shouted, heaving as he began to spin around, before throwing the titan further down the length of the island, before blitzing after him as a comet of gold light. In all the chaos of Myotismon firing off energy blasts, the Digidestined had scattered, losing track of each other and their surroundings as thick clouds of dust filled the area.
“TAI?!”
“KARI? KARI WHERE ARE YOU?!”
“T.K., CAN YOU HEAR ME?!”
“GET HIM, ANGEMON!”
“YEAH, YEAH! BEAT HIM UP, MAGNAMON!”
“EVERYONE!” WarGreymon’s voice cut through the noise. “ATTACK AT THE SAME TIME! GO FOR THE WAIST!”
“FLOWER CANNON!”
“VULCAN’S HAMMER!”
“WING BLADE!”
“HORN BUSTER!”
“HAND OF FATE!”
“CELESTIAL ARROW!”
“MAGNA BLAST!”
“GARURU TOMAHAWK!” The attacks of Angemon, Magnamon, and all the Ultimates were joined by a large rocket launched from the mark on MetalGarurumon’s chest, the wolf doing a backflip to fire it. Fur was burned and chitin cracked under the barrage of attacks, making VenomMyotismon stumble back.
“MY TURN! GREAT TORNADO!” An orange drill the size of a truck ran into the giant’s waist, drawing out howls of pain before WarGreymon ripped straight through and out the other side, leaving a gaping hole in the undead Mega’s midsection as he fell on one knee.
“Did that… did that do it?” Tai wondered, looking at the wounded titan. Suddenly, VenomMyotismon roared, standing up and raising his arms to the sky in fury. “GUESS NOT!”
“YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?!” He cackled, anger behind every word. “YOU’VE ONLY AWOKEN THE BEAST WITHIN!” From the hole in his abdomen, an oily face appeared, dark blue eyes surrounded by a copy of Myotismon’s mask as its stubby little arms gripped the fur like reins. “NYEAH!”
“Oh, that is all kinds of wrong…” Zudomon muttered, cheeks turning green.
“I’m with ya on that.” Lillymon nodded, hands over her mouth.
“You never mentioned they could do that!” Angemon shouted to Magnamon, pointing at the new face.
“Yeah, that’s a first for me, too.” The knight admitted, just before a wave of dark energy was blasted from the oily face’s mouth. “EVERYONE DOWN!” His warning was just a moment too late, as the digimon were all thrown back, screaming in pain as they landed near their partners.
“NOW I’LL DEVOUR ALL YOU SO-CALLED DIGIDESTINED! YOU STOOD IN MY WAY FOR THE LAST TIME!”
“It can’t end like this…” Mimi whimpered, cradling Lillymon’s head in her lap.
“I’ve let them all down again…” Matt muttered, hands on the back of MetalGarurumon as the cyber wolf laid on his side.
“I wish I could’ve done more…” Sora murmured, leaning against the side of Garudamon’s face.
“It’s impossible…” Izzy whispered, hand on MegaKabuterimon’s horn.
“Should… should we surrender?” Joe asked the stunned Zudomon, holding onto his partner’s arm.
“This is scarier than the movies…” T.K. gulped, looking up from his place besides the fallen Angemon.
“We can’t lose…” Kari said, kneeling next to Angewomon.
“I refuse to give up…” Tai growled, fists clenched as he and WarGreymon glared up at the giant.
“BRING IT ON, YOU BIG UGLY JERK!” Davis shouted, pulling on his eyelid and sticking his tongue out at VenomMyotismon. “WE’RE GONNA KICK YOUR BUTT, AND THE BUTT OF THAT WEIRD FACE THING!”
All around the area, the Crests flared to life, shining brighter than ever before, before beams of light shot up into the sky, and bathed their respective digimon in energy.
“We’ve got too much left to do...” Lillymon groaned, wings beating and lifting her into the air.
“Too many lives are counting on us…” MetalGarurumon growled, pushing himself onto all fours
“We aren’t finished yet…” Garudamon coughed, kneeling, before standing on both feet.
“Nothing’s impossible. Not when we work together!” MegaKabuterimon declared, punching the ground as he lifted himself.
“C’mon Joe, surrender’s not our deal.” Zudomon chuckled, using his hammer as a crutch to push himself off his belly. “Besides, I don’t have a white flag.”
“Have hope, T.K..” Angemon said, wincing as he sat up and began to hover.
“We won’t lose, Kari. I swore that Myotismon would never get to you, and I don’t intend to break that oath.” Angewomon asserted, steely resolve in her voice as she lifted off.
“We’ll never give up!” WarGreymon bellowed, claws scraping against concrete as he stood.
“Damn right.” Magnamon grunted as his verniers began to burn, his armor scratched, blackened, and even dented in some places, but still holding.
The pillars suddenly whipped like writhing serpents, wrapping around VenomMyotismon’s body. The orange and blue from Tai and Matt took his forearms, while the grey light from Joe and the purple light from Izzy snagged his legs. T.K. and Sora’s yellow and red took a wing each, while Mimi’s green grabbed the tail. Pink light from Kari’s crest wrapped around the giant’s neck, holding him still. “CURSE YOU DIGIDESTINED!” The nasally voice of the oily face cried. “CURSE YOU AND YOUR LOUSY CRESTS! LEMME GO!”
Magnamon glared up at the face, realizing something. “Now I get it…” He muttered, turning to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. “Time to play soccer!” He shouted, recalling Davis’s enthusiasm for the sport during the hours between the vampire's death and rebirth.
DIGIMON, WE FIGHT TO WIN! WE FIGHT TO WIN!
“Got it!” WarGreymon shouted, forming a sphere of glowing orange energy between his palms. “TERRA FORCE!” He bellowed, throwing it to MetalGarurumon, who blasted it with a breath of subzero air.
Change into Power! We got the Power!
“ICE WOLF BITE!” He howled, before headbutting the sphere of fire and ice up to Magnamon, whose greave was as bright as a star.
We got the Strength Within! We always Fight to Win and-!
“MAGNA-KICK!” The knight yelled, spinning around and performing a bicycle kick and coating the truck-sized orb with his golden power. The golden sphere rocketed towards the face like a shooting star, trailing flames and frozen vapor before slamming into it and unleashing the stored power within. VenomMyotismon thrashed and convulsed, trying to escape the power of three Mega level attacks condensed into a single shot, but couldn’t break the bonds of the Crests.
Change into Power! We got the Power!
His chest melted and disintegrated under the intense heat and cold, and soon bits and pieces of him were exploding into data from the feet up. The last thing anyone saw before he completely vanished was his pain filled, pure yellow eyes, and then those too disintegrated into a cloud of particles.
Together you and me, will Win the Victory!
The former battlefield erupted into cheers of victory and relief, with the kids grouping up near the center while their partners, now all in their weaker forms, bounced or hopped over.
“WE DID IT, TAI!” Koromon laughed, landing in the boy’s arms, who began to do a victory dance.
“Wasn’t that cool?!” Tsunomon grinned, getting head rubs from Matt.
“Great job, buddy!”
“Wait,” Davis asked, looking around as he noticed someone missing. “Where’s Magnamon?”
“Or Gatomon?” Kari asked, joining him.
“Down here.” A young, feminine voice spoke, drawing everyone’s attention to what looked like a puppy wearing Gatomon’s tail ring like a collar. “What, do I have to cough up a furball? Just call me Salamon.”
“And I ,” grunted a small blue digimon, rolling a dark, crystalline sphere the size of a baseball over. “Was making sure this jerk stays where I can see him!” He hopped up onto the orb, revealing an all white face and familiar red eyes. “The name’s Demiveemon!”
“Hold on, that’s Myotismon?” Everyone gaped, staring at the sphere.
“In his purest, unadulterated form.” The draconic In-Training nodded, sitting down on it. “Now that he’s toast, I need to get him back to the other Royal Knights and King Drasil so he can stand trial.”
“Uh, you might need to take a rain check on that!” Sora gasped, pointing upwards. “The fog’s clearing, but…!”
“But that’s… that’s a…” Joe stammered. “That’s an island!”
“This doesn’t make any sense!” Izzy gaped, turning on the spot as he examined the strips of land that went from one end of the horizon to the other, his laptop aimed at the anomaly. “It’s like someone flipped an entire continent upside down and put it over our heads, but Radar, Satellite, and any other kind of digital instruments just don’t see anything!”
“T.K.! WHERE ARE YOU, T.K.?!” A woman’s voice had everyone look towards the docks, where a ferry had just landed and a woman had come running from the gangplank.
“HI, MOMMA!” The blond boy smiled, waving.
“T.K.!” She smiled, tears in her eyes as she rushed over and hugged her son tight. “I was so worried about you and-” She looked up, then had to blink back more tears. “Matt.” Her smile turned even more wobbly as she lifted an arm, the invitation clear. The older boy looked back towards his dad, who just gave a small smile and a nod, before turning back and tentatively walking closer to his mother. Before he knew it, she had pulled him into the hug, kissing his forehead. “You’re both ok…” Nancy sniffled. “I’m so,
so
happy you’re safe.”
“Course we’re safe!” T.K. laughed. “Dad was with us!” That was when Nancy noticed Hiroaki behind Matt, looking off to the side awkwardly.
“Been a while, huh, Nancy?” He smiled a bit crookedly.
“Yes, it has.” The woman nodded.
“It’s been a really long time since we were all together!” T.K. corrected running over and pulling his father back towards his brother and mother.
“Check this out!” Izzy called several minutes later, sitting cross-legged on a chunk of a demolished apartment building while his mother rubbed a snoozing Tentomon’s elytron.
“Whatcha got, Izzy?” Tai asked, walking over with Koromon on his head like a hat.
“I’ve been checking the news, and apparently the US Air Force is sending up a plane to check out what the continent in the sky is! They don’t know anything so far, but they’re guessing it’s not good.”
“MAGNAMON! CHOSEN CHILDREN!” The voice of Dynasmon bellowed from afar, drawing their attention to the approaching mass of white, gold, and purple, as well as the crowd of people below him.
“Wizardmon!” Salamon yipped, leaping out of Kari’s arms and running towards her friend as he landed, taking a knee.
“I’m glad to see you all are safe.” The knight rubbed her head with a claw and smiled with his eyes, as his mouth lacked the muscles to make such an expression. “I also see that you succeeded in your quest.” He looked to Demiveemon, who smirked and hefted the digicore.
“One fang-face, gift wrapped and ready for trial!” The In-Training snickered, bouncing over and putting it in the Mega’s palm.
“Soon, justice will be meted out.” Dynasmon nodded. “But for now, we face more urgent matters.”
“No kidding!” Shin said, riding up on Joe’s scooter. “The news reports are saying whatever the land in the sky is, it’s not an illusion, and it’s dangerous as all get out!”
“Tai, get your telescope!” Izzy barked suddenly, eyes locked to a single spot in the upside down continent. “I need you to take a peak at that peak!”
“Which one?” The Bearer of Courage asked, half sarcastically. “There are about a hundred peaks, so you’re gonna have to-” He gasped suddenly, pulling the spyglass away from his eye.
“Did you see it?” Izzy asked urgently, only for Tai to shake his head no.
“What I saw was a jet flying straight into that mess!” He looked again, and his face paled. “IT’S GOING DOWN!”
“Biyomon!” Sora turned to her partner, who nodded as she was engulfed in light.. Birdramon was halfway to the airliner when the familiar red carapace of Kuwagamon suddenly ripped through the sky, knocking the plane into a spin. She tried to catch it, but the momentum was too much, and as her pained squawks reached the ground, Sora grabbed her Digivice, which flared red.
“BIRDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… GARUDAMON!”
“Tento, give her a hand!” Izzy shouted.
“TENTOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… KABUTERIMON!” The blue and grey rhinoceros beetle flew up, arms crackling as he began to charge an Electro Shocker. “GARUDAMON, TAKE THE PLANE! I’VE GOT SCISSOR-FACE!”
“Just make sure not to touch him!” Garudamon shouted, her arms and larger size letting her handle the plane much easier. “He did something to the wing!”
“Then it’s a good thing I don’t need to worry about that with ELECTRO SHOCKER!” A blast of purple lightning and a column of white energy shot out, but instead of detonating on the other beetle’s exoskeleton, it passed right through. For seemingly no reason, Kuwagamon swerved up, returning to the other land, while leaving Kabuterimon to aid Garudamon in setting the plane down in the harbor. “No need to thank us, folks!” The Champion waved. “Just your friendly neighborhood digimon!”
“Get moving, hammy.” The Ultimate rolled her eyes, a grin tugging at the corners of her beak. “We need to tell the others what’s going on.”
“It’s the digital world!”
“No way!”
“That can’t be!”
“We were just there!”
“We’ve only been gone a few days, but time moves much faster up there.” Izzy muttered with horrified realization. “For them, decades, possibly even centuries have gone by!”
“Probably a lot more than that, Izzy.” Tai corrected. “Me and Koromon were gone only an hour, but we came back to find out two months went by. If one minute here is one day there…”
Izzy’s eyes widened as he began to do the math. “Three days is seventy two hours. That’s four thousand, three hundred and twenty minutes, divide by three hundred and sixty five… We’ve been away for over a decade…” He muttered, staring up at the digital world.
“It was already a mess when we left it…” Koromon whimpered. “And now it’s had over ten years to get even worse.”
“The balance has been destroyed.” Demiveemon said solemnly, hopping into the center of the gathering and turning to face each Digidestined and digimon. “An unknown force has ripped open the barriers and is letting digimon run rampant on the atomic world. There is only one thing to do.”
They all glanced up at the sky, then at each other, before stepping forward. “We’ve got to go back.” Tai nodded, face set.
“But how?” Mimi asked, fidgeting with her bag. “I don’t mean to be a downer, but there isn’t a Gate for us to use.”
“Well, when we went there the first time, we used the Digivices.” Joe hummed, eying his own. “Maybe that’s how we get back?” He looked towards the others, blinking at their grins. “Wh-what?”
“Oh, just recalling how bad you wanted to get back here, and now you’re ready to get digital again.” Matt chuckled, softly slugging the taller boy in the arm.
Joe blushed, but chuckled along. “Well, someone has to make sure you guys take care of yourselves! Otherwise you’d all chow down on T.K.’s candy stash!”
Demiveemon shook his head amidst the laughter, before he began to glow. In moments, Magnamon stood before them once more, armor buzzing. “I’ll form the pathway. You all will use your Digivices to ride the energy currents after me.” He turned to the other knight. “Dynasmon, will you stay here and safeguard the human world until we return?”
“I shall.” He nodded, lifting his right forearm and rotating it so the back faced out towards Magnamon in a salute.
“Thank you.” The golden knight returned the salute, then turned back to the children. “Now, hold out your Digivices, and-“ He paused at a sudden weight, looking down to see a familiar head of maroon hair sitting on his foot. “Davis, what are you doing?”
“Well, I don’t have a Digivice, so I was gonna ride with you!”
“No, you aren’t.”
“Oh.” A moment passed in silence. “Am I going with Boss?”
“No.”
“Oh. Sora?”
“ No.”
“…Ka-“
“You aren’t coming with us!” Magnamon shouted, glaring down at the kid. “You don’t have a partner, you don’t have a Crest, and you don’t have a digivice! You wouldn’t be safe if you got separated! You are staying here!” He turned, trying to ignore the ache in his chest at the shimmer in Davis’s eyes and the wobble in his lip. “Now, it’s time to go.” He said, armor beginning to hum, before it shot a pillar of gold light directly up.
“Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times!” Tai grinned, his digivice’s screen flashing the Crest of Courage. One by one, the others held their digivices into the golden beam, adding their own colors until it was a shimmering rainbow.
“T.K.!” Nancy shouted, making all the children pause and look over and see their families, all staring back with worried looks.
“...Go.” Magnamon said, nodding to the kids. “I’ll hold the door.”
“I- I know I can’t stop you, and I know you’re going to go no matter what.” Yuuko let out a sob. “J-just… promise you’ll come home?”
“Mom…” Tai gulped, looking up at his mom’s red, puffy eyes. “I… I can’t promise it’ll be safe, but I’ll do everything I can to look after Kari, so you don’t need to worry about her, and-” Without a word, she dropped to her knees, hugging the boy tight with one arm before grabbing Kari with the other. Susumu knelt and wrapped his arms around them all, while Koromon rode on Salamon’s back.
“Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya!” The In-Training laughed, using his antenna to salute. “Tai will look after Kari, and we’ll look after both of ‘em!”
“Thank you, er…” The patriarch blinked, not recognizing the pink ball.
“I’m Koromon, but you know me better as Agumon!”
“Thank you. …wait, what?”
“Momma, I-“ Sora was cut off as her mother raised a hand, a gentle smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
“I know you need to go. I don’t like it, and I wish I could fight this battle instead, but I can’t.” She stepped forward and wrapped her daughter in a hug, removing her hat and kissing the top of her head, before turning to Biyomon. “You’ll look after her, won’t you?”
“I always will.” The bird nodded, eyes set. “No one will get to Sora with me around. I promise.” Toshiko nodded back, then lifted an arm. Seeing the invitation, Biyomon let out a joyful cheep and dove into the hug.
“Now, you two take care of each other, alright?” Kae said, kneeling in front of Izzy and Tentomon. “Make sure not to stay up too late, and that you eat good meals, and that you watch each other’s backs.”
“Don’t worry Mrs. Izzy’s Mom!” Tentomon saluted. “I’ve been the muscle to Izzy’s brains since the day we met!”
“Oh, Tento, you can just call me Mom.” She smiled, rubbing the beetle between his antennae.
“…Does this mean I have a mom?” Tentomon tilted his head, though he made sure not to move it too much to prevent head pats.
“If you want.” Susumu chuckled.
Izzy smiled, looking between his partner, now dancing at having a “digimom” and his parents. He threw himself forward, hugging his mom tight as happy tears flowed down his cheeks. “I-I love you guys.” He said, voice cracking a bit.
“When you come home, I’ll make sure to figure out a new dessert for you both to celebrate with!” Mimi’s mom smiled, though there was a tension in it as she glanced at the pillar of light. “I was thinking something chocolatey and fruity.”
“Mmmmm!” Palmon’s tongue hung out as she rubbed her belly and her head petals turned even more vibrant. “That sounds goooood!”
“No doubt it won’t be!” Keisuke smiled, holding his wife. “Just yesterday I tried out her new fried rice with whipped cream and strawberries!”
“Oh, I want that, too!” Palmon bounced on her trunk-like feet.
“And I’ll make sure it’s pink, just for you, honey!” Satoe giggled, hugging her daughter as Mimi cheered.
“Hard to believe the fate of the world’s in the hands of a bunch of kids!” Shin laughed, ruffling Joe’s hair.
“Hey, we’ve been doing fine on our own!” Joe said indignantly, swatting his brother’s hand away.
“Did you replenish your first aid kit?” Their eldest brother, Shuu, asked.
“Eh, who’s got time for brushing teeth when you’re saying the world?” Gomamon snickered, hopping forward.
“Even so, good hygiene shouldn’t be ignored.” Masami Kido, their father, said, wagging a finger at the seal before focusing on his youngest. “Now, I don’t understand digimon biology and anatomy all that well, but I’m certain you’ve picked some things up. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the closest thing to a doctor your group will have should things go wrong.”
“I know, dad.” Joe nodded, then pulled him into a hug. “Also, is now a good time to mention I got a C on the test…?”
“I’m sorry we have to leave now that we’re finally back together…” T.K. apologized, even as Nancy’s eyes widened and began to water.
“But, but you can’t! ”
“Let ‘em go, Nancy.” Hiroaki sighed, crushing a cigarette under his shoe. “We’ve made some… selfish decisions ourselves, remember? This is something they need to do. It’s more important than any of us realize.”
“The whole world’s doomed if we don’t do something, mom!” Matt pleaded, eyes wide in desperation. “We have to go back! We’re just trying to protect you!”
“Matt…” She cried, tears running freely. “T.K.…”
Magnamon’s gaze darted up as the bridge flickered for only a split second, too fast for the human eye to catch. “Hate to cut in, but it’s now or never! The Gate’s not gonna be able to stay open much longer!”
“We’ll come home!” Matt promised, hugging his mom one last time, before jumping into the prismatic column.
“We all will!” Tai nodded with a confident grin, hopping into the beam and floating up.
“With the time dilation, we’ll be back before you can miss us!” Izzy smiled, joining the two, followed soon after by the others.
“Lemme go lemme go lemme go!” Davis squirmed in his sister’s grasp, watching them rise more and more into the air, slowly gaining speed.
“NO WAY!” Jun shouted, their parents hovering nearby but not wanting to risk their fingers near Davis when he was in a mood. “You heard Magnamon! You’re staying he-OW!” She screamed, yanking her hand away and looking at the teeth marks in her hand, though thankfully he hadn’t broken the skin. She blinked, head darting up, and let out another scream as Davis dove headfirst into the pillar, grabbing onto Magnamon’s boot. “DAVIS YOU BRAT! COME BACK HERE!”
“DAVIS, NO!”
“SWEETIE, DON’T!” Her parents screamed, running after the boy, but they were too late. There was a flash of light and the crack of thunder, and the beam was suddenly yanked up, vanishing into the digital world, and taking Davis with it.
“O-oh, god…” Megumi whispered, eyes running as she leaned into her husband’s hold.
“He’ll… he’ll be safe.” Hiroki muttered, sounding as if he was half convincing himself as well. “The other kids can look after him.”
“Davis…” Jun whimpered, eyes running as she looked into the sky. “DAVIS YOU BUTT, YOU BETTER COME BACK IN ONE PIECE, OR I’M TAKING YOUR ROOM!”
“Are you serious? ” Veemon stared at the stowaway as the group picked themselves up off the darkened forest floor they’d landed in. “What did I JUST SAY?!”
“Well I didn’t like it, so I ignored you!” Davis stuck his tongue out, glaring rebelliously at the knight’s Rookie form while he picked up the Armored Digiegg and stashed it in his hoodie pocket, which had quickly become his go-to hiding place for the artifact when it wasn’t part of Magnamon. “Besides, your blue butt would be toast without me!”
“What are you-?!” Veemon spluttered, baffled by the audacity of the kid. “You better count yourself lucky I can’t turn around, because if I could I would throw your butt back to Earth so hard your HEAD WOULD SPIN! ”
“You know, I fear for the next generation if they’re willing to throw themselves into portals to an alien world.” Joe muttered.
“Nah, that’s just Davis.” Tai snickered, walking up next to the older boy. “I once saw him leap off a picnic table and tackle a guy because he was messing with Kari.”
“It’s true.” Sora nodded with an exasperated yet fond smile. “The kid’s a force of nature when he’s got his mind set on something. All you can do is try and roll with him so he doesn’t run you over.”
“As fun as this sounds, Magnamon had a point.” Matt reminded them. “The digimon aren’t gonna be able to protect an extra person if things are worse than they were before.”
“Yeah, but Davis had a point, too.” Kari shrugged, legs crossed with Gatomon in her lap. “Even if they’re not partners, Veemon can look after him.”
“While that’s well and good, I wanna know why he went down to Rookie form.” Tentomon hummed, scratching his head.
“It’s because of how much data he has.” Izzy explained. “It’s easier for smaller Digimon to slide between dimensions than it is for larger ones. According to him, that's why he was ghost-like at Tokyo Tower. His data was still a bit strained from trying to get through the Gate.”
Back with the arguing pair, things hadn’t calmed down in the slightest. “-AND ANOTHER THING- wait.” Veemon suddenly stopped, horns perked up and eyes wide. His nostrils flared as he sniffed, head on a swivel as he examined their surroundings for the first time. “Do you sense that…?” He asked quietly.
“What? What is-?” Tai asked, only for Koromon to wrap his antenna around his mouth.
“Shhh.” The In-Training shushed, before pointing the tendrils to a faintly rustling bush at the side of the small clearing. “Something’s in there…”
“Everyone, get ready…” Salamon whispered. “We don’t know what’s going to come out of there…” Everyone gulped, Joe took a step back, a twig snapped under his foot, and a magenta blur leapt out of the brush, screeching.
“KOROMON DIGIVOLVE TO AGUMON!”
“TSUNOMON DIGIVOLVE TO GABUMON!”
“TOKOMON DIGIVOLVE TO PATAMON!”
“SALAMON DIGIVOLVE TO GATOMON!”
“WAIT!” Kari shouted, making the Champion and eight Rookies skid to a halt from their charge. The girl ran by the crowd towards the tall grass, where two round ears and a huge eye with a tiny pupil peeked out. “It’s alright.” She cooed, squatting. “I’m sorry we scared you. We’re just a little nervous is all.” Slowly, the digimon crept out, pushing aside the blades of grass and revealing a pink rat with mismatched eyes. As soon as he left the confines of the foliage, however, he suddenly collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
“Is that a rat?” Davis blinked.
“Chuumon?!” Palmon gasped, stepping forward and joined by Mimi.
“Mimi…?” The rodent Rookie murmured weakly. “Palmon…? You’re back…”
“Chuumon, are you alright?” Mimi asked, kneeling down and taking hold of Chuumon. “Where’s Sukamon?” The mouse coughed as he opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, the ground started shifting and heaving. The earth split open, and Tentomon yelped as his legs began to get pulled in two different directions. He took off, and watched the place he was standing just moments before turn into a ten foot wide chasm into blackness.
“What’s going on here?!” Matt gaped. “It’s like the whole world’s gone wacko!”
“I’ll try to get a hold of Gennai.” Izzy announced, sitting down and opening his laptop while the rest of the group gathered around Chuumon, who was laid in Mimi’s lap.
“He looks like he’s gone through the wringer…” Biyomon muttered, seeing the scrapes, bruises, and exhaustion covering the Rookie.
“Poor guy…” Sora agreed, nodding as Chuumon groaned and began to awaken, opening his eyes to see Mimi staring down at him with worry.
“Mimi…?” He croaked weakly. “So I wasn’t dreaming, it’s really you…”
“It’s me.” She nodded, a small smile on her face. “What’s going on? Where’s Sukamon?” The rodent winced, eyes screwing shut at the painful memories.
“He- he’s gone…” Chuumon sobbed. He told them of the day everything went wrong. How the land opened up below them, and Sukamon fell into the bottomless pit. How pure evil had burst from the cracks like geysers, warping the land and sea and rebuilding it into an easily conquered landscape. “I’ve been hiding ever since…” He finished his tale, looking down sadly.
“This doesn’t make sense…” Veemon muttered to himself, scowling. “The rest of the Knights wouldn’t just allow this… Chuumon, can you show us what happened?” The mouse squeaked in fear, but led them through the dark forest to a wide open plain with a river running through it. Ahead stood a colossal abomination, as if someone had wrapped different elements of the Digiworld together into a rope of wood, steel, and water, while the tip ended with a huge landmass. “What the hell…?” Veemon whispered, horrified. “What happened here…?”
“Everything’s been taken apart and put back together way up there!” Chuumon rambled, staring fearfully at the twisted mass. “It’s called Spiral Mountain! Everything down here is just the leftovers!”
“What about all the other digimon?” Tai asked, brows drawn tight in worry. “Leomon, Elecmon, Whamon? Are they up there, too?”
“Probably!”
“What about King Drasil and the Royal Knights?” Veemon asked, stepping forward. “Surely they fought against it!”
Chuumon whimpered. “No one’s heard anything about Drasil or the Knights since they took over.”
“‘They’?” Matt repeated. “Who’s ‘they’?”
“The Dark Masters!” The rat cried, burying his face against Mimi’s dress. “They’ll destroy anyone who gets in their way!”
“Oh, c’mon! They can’t be that tough!” Tai smirked confidently. “We took out VenomMyotismon, we can take these bozos out, too!”
“ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?!” A voice cackled from the river, before it exploded as a giant metal sea serpent burst out, carried into the sky by jet engines attached to his spine. “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you, Digidestined!” Red eyes glared from a gold helmet, while thick, rubbery locks of hair swung from the back of his head.
“A MetalSeadramon?” Veemon gaped, before sliding down into his combat stance. “Davis, pass me the armor! This is a Mega!” The tanned boy nodded, but was knocked backwards as the leviathan surged over the group, throwing them all to the ground from the pressure.
“Ok, you wanna play rough?” Matt grunted, pushing himself up and glaring at the twisting snake in the air. “Let’s play!”
“Let’s go, Agumon!”
“Not so fast! YEEEARGH!” MetalSeadramon howled, the cannon embedded in his nose gathering energy. “RIVER OF POWER!” A light blue beam as thick as a train car rushed out of the cannon, carving a gash into the plain and opening up another chasm. Before the Digidestined could even try to dodge, they fell in, screaming. Their partners, instinctively reacting to the danger the humans were in, curled around them, trying to soften the impact.
“BIRDRAMON!”
“KABUTERIMON!”
“ANGEMON!”
“IKKAKUMON!”
“GARURUMON!”
“GREYMON!”
“TOGEMON!”
“Ow…” T.K. muttered, rubbing his aching shoulder as he turned to his partner. “Angemon, are you alright?” He asked, kneeling on the Champion’s chest as the others slowly picked themselves up behind him in the heavy fog they’d landed in. Greymon’s arms slid down to his sides, revealing not only Tai, but Kari, Gatomon, Davis, and Veemon with him.
“I’ll be fine.” The angel chuckled, sitting up and then standing as T.K. jumped off him. A distant roar caught his attention, and his staff formed in a flash of light. “T.K., I want you to stay here. I’ll be back.” With that, he took off. He barely made it a few yards before a pair of yellow energy blasts raced out of the gloom, slamming into his chest and knocking him back with a shout. By the time he landed, he had reverted to Patamon, wings limp in unconsciousness as a titanic dinosaur made of metal slowly emerged from the fog, gears and servos whirring as dozens of wheels on the bottom of its feet drove it forwards.
“A Machinedramon…” Veemon groaned, rubbing his head and glaring. “Really not liking the theme. Davis?”
“Here!” The boy nodded, the argument from earlier seemingly forgotten as he passed the Armor over.
“MAGNAMON!”
“METALGREYMON!”
“WEREGARURUMON!”
“GARUDAMON!”
“MEGAKABUTERIMON!”
“LILLYMON!”
“ZUDOMON!”
“ANGEWOMON!”
“Watch out for the Giga Cannons!” Magnamon warned. “As well as just about everything this hunk of junk is packing! We’re dealing with a weapon of war!” He barely got the words out before the pair of cannons on Machinedramon’s back began to fire blast after blast, striking each digimon in the chest and knocking them flat. “Ok,” Magnamon groaned, shaking his head as dirt fell out from his helm. “ That’s a new one…”
“
AUTO-FIRE: ONLINE.
” The robotic Mega’s voice growled, continuing the barrage and cracking open the ground around the humans and the knocked over digimon, dropping them deeper and deeper.
“HOLD ON TO WHOEVER YOU CAN GRAB!” Angewomon shouted, wrapping her arms around Kari while Magnamon grabbed onto Davis, T.K., and the still knocked out form of Patamon.
“HOLD ON, IZZY!” MegaKabuterimon yelled, curling around the boy.
“Make room for us!” Lillymon yelped, dodging a falling rock and huddling under the beetle’s massive figure, Mimi holding onto her hands like an acrobat.
They all screamed as they fell, until the only thing around them was a murky, soupy abyss with faint lights in the gloom. “Wh- we stopped?” Sora blinked, looking around.
“It’s better than falling on our heads.” Joe chuckled tiredly from Zudomon’s back, before the aquatic Ultimate was suddenly thrown back. “WHAT THE?-?!”
“C-crap!” Magnamon grunted, even as Zudomon brought his hammer down on his head with a sound like a church bell being struck. “I can’t control my body!”
“Me neither!” Zudomon bellowed, letting out a pained oof as Magnamon suddenly uppercutted him in the chin.
“What’s happening?!” Tai yelped, suddenly being forced to moonwalk.
“I don’t know!” Sora shouted, doing cartwheels. “But I don’t like it!”
“We’ve become puppets!” Izzy gaped, seeing the faint light reflecting off the strings controlling his arms.
“Well aren’t you a little smarty pants?” A nasally voice from above snickered meanly, making everyone look up.
“A Puppetmon…” Magnamon glared, before Zudomon’s hammer rang his bell once more.
“You’re takin’ all the fun outta this!” The small wooden Mega glared. “No one likes spoilers, you night light! You’re as annoying as those other bucket heads!”
“Others…? You mean the Royal Knights?!” Magnamon shouted, muscles tensing with anger. “What did you do to them?! Where are they?!”
“Oh, don’t worry!” Puppetmon snickered. “You’ll find ‘em soon! But for now, I gotta let you go!” He cackled, throwing them using the strings as his revolver-shaped hammer began to glow. “PUPPET PUMMEL!” A spray of yellow bullets shot out, knocking all the Ultimates down to their default forms.
Magnamon grunted, armor taking the majority of the blasts as he formed an Aura Barrier, shielding the others from further harm and encasing them all in a golden bubble. The glowing sphere fell deeper and deeper into the darkness, until even its radiance was swallowed up.
“Where… where are we…?” T.K. groaned, pushing himself off a brick-laid seat in a brightly lit arena.
“This doesn’t feel like the underground…” Mimi agreed. A sudden clown horn made everyone look towards the center of the coliseum, where a jester in a onesie had appeared, balancing on a big red ball.
“WELL HELLO THERE, BOYS AND GIRLS! WELCOME TO MY SHOW! TODAY I’LL BE REGALING YOU WITH AN AMAZING STORY!” The harlequin laughed, pulling out a stack of drawings that showed a cartoonish version of the Digidestined. “Once upon a time, there were eight Digidestined! They went with their digimon companions to try and save the world!” He threw the top sheet away, showing the caricatures now scaling Spiral Mountain like a jungle gym. “They discovered that in order for them to do it, they had to climb to the tippity-top of Spiral Mountain! But to their dismay, the Dark Masters defeated them!” The last paper showed the children falling in a dark void, their digimon nowhere in sight. “So sad, the end!”
“BOO! Get off the stage!” Davis heckled.
“Oh dear, it appears we have a naysayer in the audience!” The clown smiled. “Would it help if I said this was based on a true story? CLOWN TRICK!” There was an explosion of pink smoke and confetti, and suddenly the clown was much more menacing, with proportions and a build only a Digimon could have as he leapt onto one of several pillars. “HAHAHA! FOOLS!”
“A Piedmon, too?” Magnamon grunted, glaring.
“Time for a rewrite!” Tai shouted, turning to his partner. “Agumon!”
“You too, Gabumon!”
“AGUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO… WARGREYMON!”
“GABUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO… METALGARURUMON!”
“Let him know we mean business!” Tai whooped, his partner dashing by with his claws extended.
“Teach this joker a lesson!” Matt ordered, MetalGarurumon rushing by him.
“Kick clowny’s butt!” Davis cheered, Magnamon blasting off with his fists glowing.
“TERRA FORCE!”
“ICE WOLF BITE!”
“MAGNA BLAST!”
The clown Mega dodged the fireball and beams of light, then pulled one of his four blades from his back. “TRUMP SWORD!” He slashed the column of frozen air, shattering it with the Blade of Spades, then pulled the other three swords out and threw them. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon cried out as they were struck, falling to the ground in pain and reverting back to Agumon and Gabumon. “How can you expect two rookie Megas to stand up to the likes of moi? I, who have trained my superior form over the course of a millenia!”
Magnamon’s glare hardened, lifting his fists in a boxer’s stance. “So, you’ve been around that long, huh?” He asked, not letting his guard down for a second. “Then you probably know what happened to the Royal Knights!”
“The Royal Knights, hmmm?” Piedmon lifted a finger to his chin, tapping it thoughtfully. “Oh yes, I do seem to recall a band of do-gooders who attempted to battle us quite a few years ago! Though, well, you can see how that turned out for them.” He gave a twisted grin, stomping on the top of the pillar and cracking it, revealing a massive metal pole hidden under the stonework.
Most of them looked at it in confusion, but Magnamon’s eyes widened in horror. “Ambrosius…” He muttered the name of the weapon, recognizing it from the claws of Examon. “What… what did you do with them?!” He roared, armor glowing with his anger.
“Why, the same thing you’ll be once we’re finished here!” The clown laughed, even as Puppetmon dropped in from a series of wires and MetalSeadramon and Machinedramon blew down the back wall of the arena. “Destroyed!” On cue, several items fell from the sky, landing before the Digidestined. Magnamon stepped back in shock, staring at the objects.
“Gram…” He muttered, looking at the broken lance of Gallantmon. “Tsurugi, Fist of Athena, Claíomh Solais…” Magnamon pried his gaze from the cracked and broken weapons of Leopardmon, Crusadermon, and Craniummon, then let out a sob. “V-Saber…” He whispered, seeing the bracelets of the knight who was as close as a brother to him. “You… you bastards… ” He hissed, sorrow giving way for righteous fury. “I’LL KILL YOU!” He lunged forward, deaf to the shouts of the kids behind him as he focused on Piedmon’s cocky smirk. ‘Let’s see how smug you are after I break you down into zeroes and ones!’ The knight grit his teeth, bringing his arms forward as the aura around his fists combined into a single sphere, cupped between his fingers. “MAGNA STORM!”
Piedmon’s grin never faltered as he stared into the oncoming beam of golden explosions. Rather, it grew wider as his eyes flashed a toxic yellow and he raised his hand. “DARKNESS ZONE!” A completely black void suddenly appeared in front of the clown, racing up the ray of Magna Storm and swallowing the attack whole. As Piedmon squeezed his hand shut, the void dissipated, leaving no trace of the exchange.
“Wh-what…?” Magnamon panted, armor dimming from the sudden loss of energy. “What was- how did you-?” He struggled to stay aloft, his verniers burning weaker and weaker as gravity pulled him down.
“Oh please.” Piedmon scoffed, a condescending smile on his painted lips. “Did you truly believe we managed to best Drasil and their Knights without the power needed to back it up? One by one, the Royal Knights fell before our might, until only a few remained unaccounted for. Dynasmon, Omegamon, and
you.
The Golden Boy. The oh-so-grand Knight of Miracles!” He scoffed again, glaring down at the knight. “The one who only became a knight because he was in the right place, at the right time.”
“Shut… shut up…” Magnamon muttered, glaring up at the Dark Masters as they laughed. “Shut your mouths!” He shouted, even as his armor fell away and left only Veemon and the Golden Digiegg.
“Or what?” Puppetmon snickered. “Whatcha gonna do, tough guy? Beat us up with all that power ya don’t have?”
“Or will you do what you did in the N-Crypt and run like a coward?” MetalSeadramon growled, dark amusement in his eyes.
Veemon paled so hard all his head’s scales appeared white as he stared at the Dark Masters, even as the Digidestined grew confused at the term. “How do you...?”
“Ah, but we mustn't get ahead of ourselves!” Piedmon exclaimed, sounding as if he were chiding himself. “First, we need a volunteer to aid in breaking his spirit completely!” His gaze roamed the Digidestined, a knife appearing in his palm. “Eenie… meenie… miney... Murder!” He suddenly whipped his arm and launched the blade at Mimi, who couldn’t move out of the way fast enough.
She screamed as the blade found its mark, but only because someone else had moved in the way. “CHUUMON!” She screamed, cradling the Rookie as he fell back into her arms, the knife in his torso exploding into particles and leaving a wound that exposed the wireframe of his chest. “Nonono, please no!” She sobbed.
“Mimi…” He rasped weakly, looking up at her. “I’m glad… you’re safe… I’ll let Sukamon know… you’re alright…” With that, he let out a sigh, bursting apart into data on the wind.
“What a fool.” Piedmon tutted, shaking his head like a disappointed teacher. “Oh well! Who else wishes to have their Grand Finale?”
“PIXIE BOMB: FLASH AND REVEAL!” A grenade with a sharp-toothed grin and bat wings suddenly flew in, exploding in front of the Dark Masters like a flashbang, blinding them. They howled at the sudden, stinging light, and when their vision cleared, their prey was gone.
“Thanks for the lift, Piximon!” Tai grinned at the tiny Ultimate. “Perfect timing!”
“Just glad I could make it in time, yep yep!” The fairy grinned back, twirling his spear.
“I don’t get it.” Matt said, leaning forward. “You said that when all eight of the Digidestined were together, we’d win. We’re all here, but we’re still getting our butts kicked!”
“There’s more to it than just gathering you all into one place.” Piximon shook his head, which was essentially his entire body. “There’s something more you need to do.”
“Like what?” Sora asked, a bit hysterically. In her arms, Mimi stared down at her hands with tears gushing from her eyes, as if still seeing Chuumon’s body there. “In case you didn’t notice, we don’t really have time for riddles!”
“It’s something you must discover on your own.” The Ultimate sighed. “I’m sorry.” Suddenly, the cloaked forcefield they were all flying in was rocked by an explosion, the dust getting disturbed as it flew by.
“THERE YOU ARE!” MetalSeadramon’s voice called from behind them, followed by his menacing laugh.
“They’re coming!” Piximon said, gripping his spear tightly. “You kids need to get to the top of Spiral Mountain! You’re the only chance our world has!”
“Are you insane?!” Tentomon warbled. “You’re one Ultimate against four Megas! I don’t have to have a big brain like Izzy to know that’s not good odds any day of the week!”
“He knows that.” Veemon’s exhausted voice came from the back of the bubble, making everyone look towards the dragon who, for the first time since they’d met him, looked defeated. “He’s not playing to win, he’s playing for time.”
“The knight gets it, yep yep.” Piximon nodded, a bit sadly. “You must go on without me. But know that once you find the source of your power, you’ll be unstoppable!” He flew out of the sphere, turned, and struck it with his spear, launching it over the horizon. “MAKE US PROUD!” The last the Digidestined saw of Piximon was him turning to face the four Dark Masters, spear at the ready, before an explosion of blue energy demolished the arena with a ground cracking boom.
Chapter 5: Wipeout!
Summary:
“Go go go!” Joe urged, holding onto Zudomon’s head with Mimi beside him and Lillymon flying above. “We don’t have much time!” He glanced over his shoulder, and sweatdropped. “But did you really have to bring a souvenir?”
“Hey, trust me!” Zudomon grinned, eyes moving to look upwards towards where Joe was. “I’ve got a plan!”
“These bullies wanna go after our friends? After taking Piximon and Chuumon?!” Mimi growled, anger in her eyes. “Let’s show ‘em why you don’t mess with the Digidestined!”
Chapter Text
“So, what’s the N-Crypt?”
“I’m not talking about this.” Veemon grumbled, eyes unfocused as he stared down at the sand. “It’s not important.”
“I mean, based on how bad you reacted just from hearing the name, it seems important.” Davis hummed, leaning against the cliffside next to the blue Rookie with his hands behind his head.
“ Well it’s NOT , so DROP IT!” Veemon growled, punching the floor.
The others looked over from the demolished telephone booths they were investigating at the sudden outburst, faces showing concern.
“Fine. What about the weapons? Those were your pals, right?” Davis asked, ignoring Tai and Sora rapidly twisting their hand side to side in a “stop talking” gesture.
“They… they were…” Veemon nodded, his anger draining away. “Some of them were as- er, jerks , but most were allies. Friends. One I even considered a brother.”
“...what were they like?” Davis asked softly, leaning over just enough to nudge the Rookie’s shoulder with his own.
Veemon scoffed, but couldn’t stop the small smile as he recalled the fond memories with his comrades. “Well, Gallantmon was a goody two-shoes in the best way. I once saw him hold back an entire avalanche so a skating rink up in the mountains wouldn’t be out of business on an In-Training’s hatching day. Then there was Duftmon. Man, he was smug as all get out.” He chuckled, shaking his head and not realizing the others had begun listening in. “I remember one time, a couple centuries ago when we were sparring, he said “You’re either perfect, or you’re not me.” Drasil, what a tool. And I can’t forget Gankoomon and-!” His eyes shot open as he leapt to his feet. “HACKMON!”
“Who-mon?” Tai tilted his head, baffled by the sudden change in demeanor.
“Hackmon! He was Gankoomon’s Squire! He was only a Rookie, so I doubt Gankoo would bring him into a battle against Megas like that!”
“Then… you think he could be alive, somewhere?”
“He has to be!” Veemon nodded, a renewed light entering his eyes. “He may not have been a fully fledged Knight when I left, but he was one of the strongest Rookies in the land. If anyone would be able to make it through this mess, it’s him! I can feel it in my gut!”
“What about that other guy?” Gomamon asked, hopping forward. “That Omni-what’s-his-face.”
“Omegamon.” Veemon corrected, grimacing. “He’s… not available. Hasn’t been for a while now. One day he said he had to leave, and that was that. No one’s seen him since.”
“So, they were wrong.” Izzy blinked. “There’s only one Royal Knight left to stand against them at the moment, not three.”
Veemon nodded, picking up his armor. “As of the moment we returned, I became the last official Royal Knight in the Digital World.”
A couple hours later, the Digidestined were lined up in front of Tai like troops before a general. Behind them was the canoe that most of them had gone out onto the ocean with, now damaged from a much craftier Shellmon. “I’m just saying that even if they’re tired, it only took three Rookies to do what a Champion barely could last time!” Tai said, nodding to the exhausted forms of Tentomon, Biyomon, and Gomamon. “That’s gotta mean they’re all getting stronger!”
“Heck yeah!” Davis whooped, ever the hype-man. “Those Dork Masters won’t know what hit ‘em if the digimon keep getting stronger like this!” He shared a grin with Tai, just as they high-fived in sync.
“There’s two of them…” Joe muttered in horror.
“But they’re right.” Veemon nodded, stepping forward. “And worst of all, Piedmon was right. Some of you barely have any experience in your new forms, and that’s going to be a drawback if you get caught out again. Agumon, Gomamon. You two never had to focus on melee, but now your strongest forms excel at it. Gabumon, Palmon, and Gatomon are in the opposite camp, now having to go from close-range to forms that perform best at a distance. Biyomon, Tentomon, you’re alright. You’ve got a good grasp of your Ultimate forms’ strengths and weaknesses, so you’ll just need to focus on polishing your skills. But you.” He turned to Patamon with a critical eye, making the bat-winged hamster straighten up. “You’re only able to get to Champion. At the moment, that makes you the weak link.”
“Hey, that’s not fair!” T.K. argued, stepping forward. “Patamon works just as hard as the others in fights!”
“I don’t doubt that, but it doesn’t change the fact it’s true.” Veemon sighed. “Until he reaches Ultimate, he’s going to be outclassed in just about every battle. That’s why, while the others practice with their new forms, he’ll be sparing with me.” The dragon turned a reassuring smile towards the other Rookie, yet all Patamon saw was a menacing grin full of fangs. “I’ll personally make sure you can go toe-to-toe with Ultimates by the time I’m through with you, Wings.”
“I don’t trust this.” Veemon muttered a few minutes later, standing with the others as they looked down the beach towards the mirage-like image of a Snack Bar. Behind them, the cliffside flickered with blue data as the opening to the chamber was sealed shut, making it look like any other stretch of rock.
“Oh c’mon, it’s the digital world! Weird stuff happens all the time!” Tai snickered, stepping forward. “Besides, I’m hungry!” Veemon raised his hand as if to stop him, only to blush as his stomach let out a loud squelching growl, which was soon part of the orchestra from the other digimon and even the humans.
“Guess the magic power of Drasil doesn’t stop you from getting hungry, huh?” Gatomon teased, even as she began to salivate at the scent of grilling fish.
“That settles it! CHOW TIME!” Davis whooped, grabbing the draconic Rookie’s wrist with one hand and Kari’s with the other, pulling them along after his mentor, joined by everyone else. Halfway to the shack, however, Mimi fell to the ground after Joe accidentally stepped on the back of her shoe, flat-tiring her and making her fall to the ground.
“Crud, Mimi!” Joe yelped, skidding to a halt and kneeling besides the girl. “Sorry about that, you alright? Didn’t scrape yourself?”
“No, I’m fine.” She smiled, putting her shoe back on as Palmon and Gomamon ran back from the stampede.
“What are you two waiting for?!” The seal cried, baffled.
“Yeah, they’re gonna chow down on everything!” Palmon nodded.
“They better not!” The two humans shouted in sync, turning towards the snack bar as the last of the group ran inside. As soon as they passed through the doorway, the entire shack was surrounded by a tornado of sand, silicate piling up at the entrance and sealing them inside.
“D-damnit!” Veemon coughed, eyes barely opened as he glared at Anomalocarimon .
“Can’t… breathe…!” Sora gasped.
“Kari, Davis!” Tai shouted, pulling the two against him to protect their eyes, while Matt did the same for T.K.. Soon, however, the lack of oxygen was too much for them all, and they fell to the ground, unconscious.
Mimi, Joe, Palmon, and Gomamon all clapped a hand or paw over one another’s mouths to stifle the gasps of shock, while the arthropod Ultimate burrowed under the sand once more. “Are they…?” Mimi whispered.
“No, just knocked out.” Joe shook his head. ‘ I hope… ’
“Well done, Anomalocarimon!” The menacing voice of MetalSeadramon chuckled from behind the shack, making the quartet peek around the corner to see his colossal, coiled form in the trees, while the invertebrate clicked his mandibles at the praise. “These Digidestined aren’t so tough to handle after all! Now for your reward.” He chomped through a branch, and a fishing net fell to the ground, limply opening and spilling out dozens of clams.
“My favorite!” Anomalocarimon cheered, picking one up and holding it above his head, allowing his bladed tail to crack it open. “Thank you! Thank you, boss!” He greedily chowed down on the insides, chucking the empty shell behind him once he was done. “I just can’t get enough!” He slurped, cleaning out another clam and throwing the husk after the first, though this one clocked Gomamon in the head.
“ Ow! ” The seal hissed, rubbing his forehead as Palmon shushed him, but it was too late.
“What was that?” MetalSeadramon growled, turning in the direction of the yelp.
“What was what?” Anomalocarimon blinked, looking up with shellfish juice running from his maw. “Oh, did you want one?” He offered, lifting a mollusk up, only for the Mega to slap it away with his pair of tails.
“QUIET!” The sea serpent barked. “I thought I heard something…” His gaze scanned the trees, unknowingly passing right over the one the four members of the Digidestined had huddled behind.
“...I didn’t hear anything.” Anomalocarimon offered, spraying clam meat as he talked and chewed at the same time.
“Either way, time to finish the job.” The Mega chuckled cruelly, slithering past with his head held high on his way to the shack, not even realizing he’d passed just inches from Joe’s foot. He pushed his head through the straw walls of the snack bar, grinning as he scanned the unconscious forms. “Nine human brats and their little accomplices- wait, there’s only seven pairs! ” He pulled his head out, looking around. “WHERE’S THE REST OF THEM?!” Suddenly, another empty clam bounced off his helmet with a loud clang, drawing the Mega’s ire. “YOU CHUCKLE-HEADED COCKEL SHELL!” Anomalocarimon let out a burp as he looked up to the towering serpent, angry wisps of steam flowing from the gaps in his armor. “FIND THE FLOWER GIRL, THE FAT SEAL, AND THEIR PARTNERS NOW, BEFORE I CRACK YOU OPEN LIKE ONE OF THOSE CLAMS!”
“You got it Boss!” The Ultimate saluted with one claw before scuttling away, MetalSeadramon heading the opposite direction. “I’m on it!” As he left the small grouping of trees, he was suddenly face-to-face with his quarry, who were all crawling along the ground. Anomalocarimon stared at the Digidestined. The Digidestined stared at Anomalocarimon . Then, in sync, they all shouted in shock before the chase began.
Luckily for the kids, he was an aquatic ambush predator, meaning that a sustained chase on land was just about the worst thing he could do. Unfortunately, with Gomamon not being equipped for running and the sand bogging them down, they weren’t gaining or losing ground to the Ultimate, even as he huffed and wheezed. “Oh forget it!” Anomalocarimon grumbled, tunneling under the sand as the four ran behind a pile of boulders.
“Ok…” Joe wheezed, leaning against a rock. “I can’t… keep running… so I guess… we’ll fight.”
“I’m with ya, Joe! GOMAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOOO…!”
“Wait a minute!” Palmon said, breaking the duo’s concentration. “He’s gone, look!” The duo joined her and Mimi at the side of the boulder, where the only evidence of Anomalocarimon even being there was the drag marks in the sand and the filled in hole. “Good thing too, my roots are exhausted!”
“And I’m so hungry I could eat a Unimon!” Gomamon moaned, his stomach squealing, before he noticed something at the edge of the surf. Licking his lips, he hopped over. “Or some kelp and clams!” He clacked two of the mollusks together while Palmon began to slurp up the aquatic plants like noodles, already feeling their energy beginning to return. Gomamon tossed a shell into the ocean, and only a few seconds later Anomalocarimon arose in a waterspout, practically steaming with anger.
“HEY! GET YOUR CLAWS OFF MY CLAMS!” Gomamon and Palmon spun around, eyes wide in surprise as they jumped in front of their partners.
“IKKAKUMON!”
“TOGEMON!”
“SCORPION STORM!” The arthropod intoned, rearing up and firing a whirlwind of sand from his maw. The two Champions rolled to either side, with Ikkakumon bringing his horn to bear once he was back on his feet.
“HARPOON TORPEDO!” In quick succession, three missiles fired from his head, while Togemon began to spin.
“NEEDLE SPRAY!” As the missiles exploded harmlessly against the exoskeleton and the needles bounced off with a rapid series of clinks, Joe’s grip on his Digivice tightened.
“Really wish Veemon or Izzy could tell us about this guy!” Mimi shouted over another exhaled sandstorm. “All this sand is messing up my hair!”
“I’m thinking Ultimate.” Joe admitted. “The attacks are making him flinch, but nothing substantial!”
“Then I guess we need to kick it up a notch!” Ikkakumon grinned, glowing with grey light. “IKKAKUMON DIGIVOLVE TO ZUDOMON!” The hammer-wielding Ultimate twirled his weapon, glaring down at the arthropod. “Let’s get cracking!”
“Try it, fuzz-face! When I bring you in to the Boss I’ll have all the clams in the ocean!” Anomalocarimon chittered, crossing his bladed front limbs. “STINGER SURPRISE!” He launched out a blue, X-shaped energy blast. Zudomon spun around, letting the attack crash off his shell, while Togemon began to glow and the fuzz atop her head bloomed.
“LILLYMON!” The fairy shouted, flying up over Zudomon as her hands turned into smaller versions of her cannon. “POLLEN PISTOLS!” A barrage of fuzzy, glowing spheres raced out, peppering Anomalocarimon. He shouted in pain, then began to cough and sneeze, his eyes turning red and puffy.
“A-ACHOO! OH NO! NOT POLLEN! I’M ALLERGIC!” He rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear the irritation, but with his lack of hands it was proving difficult. Busy trying to clear his vision, he never noticed the hammer coming up for an uppercut until it struck him in his mouth.
“VULCAN’S HAMMER!” Zudomon flexed as the arthropod fell onto his back, twitching. “Oh yeah, we rock! ”
“Yeah we do!” Lillymon laughed, slapping her hand against Zudomon’s massive palm in a high five.
“Go go go!” Joe urged, holding onto Zudomon’s head with Mimi beside him and Lillymon flying above. “We don’t have much time!” He glanced over his shoulder, and sweatdropped. “But did you really have to bring a souvenir?”
“Hey, trust me!” Zudomon grinned, eyes moving to look upwards towards where Joe was. “I’ve got a plan!”
“These bullies wanna go after our friends? After taking Piximon and Chuumon?!” Mimi growled, anger in her eyes. “Let’s show ‘em why you don’t mess with the Digidestined!”
A minute later, Lillymon, Mimi, and Joe were guiding the woozy others out of the snack bar through a hole in the back wall. “Nap time’s over, guys!” Joe whispered urgently, hearing MetalSeadramon just outside the front of the shack. “Otherwise you’re all gonna be toast, literally! ” He hefted Izzy and Tentomon up, while Mimi helped Sora and Biyomon. Lillymon darted to Matt and T.K., then to Tai, Davis, and Kari, before peeking out through the front straw of the snack bar.
“Ok, it looks like he’s still trying to make his cannon into a flamethrower.” She reported in a whisper, turning to Zudomon and waving her hand forward as the giant peeked in. He nodded, and Anomalocarimon was shoved inside, eyes still unfocused from the strike while the Digidestined hobbled out, supported by their digimon.
Veemon glanced over his shoulder, glaring at the serpent as he burned the shack down. ‘I don’t know how you know about the N-Crypt, but I swear, for my comrades and my King, I’ll take you all down.’
“FARWELL, DIGIDESTINED! IT WAS A RARE PLEASURE KNOWING YOU! MEDIUM- RARE!” MetalSeadramon bellowed, laughing.
“WUAH! HOT HOT HOT!” Suddenly Anomalocarimon burst out the front of the snack bar, exoskeleton singed and covered in fire as he ran for the sea. “WHO’S THE- Oh hey boss!”
“EH?!” The Mega stared, baffled, as his subordinate hopped by and leapt into the water, kicking up a cloud of steam. “No…” His eyes widened, turning back to the smoldering ruins. “No, NO, NO! ” He screamed, smashing through what remained with his tails. “THEY’RE GONE! ALL OF THEM, GONE!” His fury bubbled as he saw no trace of the humans, and he turned his ire on the Ultimate who was slowly crawling out of the surf, his tan exoskeleton now seared almost completely black. Before he knew what was happening, MetalSeadramon coiled around him hard enough to crack his exoskeleton and carried him into the air. “YOU’VE FAILED ME FOR THE LAST TIME! THE ONLY THING YOU’RE STILL USEFUL FOR IS AS SHARK BAIT !” Anomilacarimon screamed and pleaded, begging for forgiveness even as the coils loosened, letting the Ultimate plummet hundreds of feet to the beach below, and kicking up a cloud of sand and data, leaving nothing but an imprint behind.
As MetalSeadramon slipped under the waves, the Digidestined peeked out from behind the trees, sighing in relief. “He’s gone…” Sora wiped her brow, coughing a bit.
“And we’re all ok, right?” Tai asked, doing a quick head count and relaxing as all humans and digimon were accounted for. “Whew.”
“I hate to tell you this, but things still aren’t ok.” Mimi said, grabbing her dress in her fists and bunching the fabric up. “It took two Ultimates just to take out that big bug- no offense, Tentomonn- and he was a flunkie.”
“Mimi and Veemon are right.” Joe sighed. “Our digimon still don’t know how to use their new forms compared to their Rookie or Champion ones. If we want to even stand a chance against a monster like MetalSeadramon, they need the practice.”
After a moment of deliberation, Tai nodded. “Alright, but we’ll need to find somewhere to lie low until we’re sure that big ugly garden hose is gone.”
“Lucky for you all, I know just the place.” Veemon smirked, standing and walking into the small forest. “And it’s nearby, too.”
A couple hours later, Angemon’s chest hit the ground with a pained grunt, the wind getting knocked out of him for the fifth time. He flipped over, and froze as he stared into a glowing ball of plasma, just inches from his helmet. It pulsed for a few moments, then fizzled away, revealing a blue scaled hand that opened up to him. The Champion only sighed in disappointment before he took it, groaning as it pulled him up to his feet. “You good?” Magnamon asked, looking Angemon over. “Let’s take five. You won’t reach Ultimate level strength overnight, much less in a couple hours.”
“Fine.” He turned from the Champion to examine the rest of the digimon, now in their highest levels within a colossal cavern. From the ceiling an organic looking tendril hung down, humming electric blue and illuminating the space like a chandelier, while faintly glowing pale green sand covered the floor. At the far end of the chamber MetalGarurumon, Lillymon, and Angewomon were firing at several floating targets made of Chrome Digizoid, which either slowly moved in a circle or rapidly and erratically darted about. Closer was WarGreymon and Zudomon, metal clashing against metal as they sharpened their close-range fighting.
“Remind me again how this works?” Izzy requested, typing away at his laptop as Tentomon and Biyomon relaxed nearby. “I understand it to be what’s essentially a private server for Royal Knights, but how do the mechanics of it operate?”
Magnamon hummed, scratching the base of his horns as he tried to translate it into a way the boy would understand. “Ok, so, you see the glowing tendril up there? That’s one of Drasil’s roots, which is providing everyone here with enough energy to maintain their highest form. Every spot in the Digital World where one of those ends is essentially a login portal to the sanctuaries of the knights, while also being connected to King Drasil. In a way, we’re inside the Great Tree now, and completely off the grid. Since the Roots are coded to only open in the presence of a Knight’s Core, the Dark Masters won’t be able to find us.”
“Prodigious!” Izzy breathed, enthralled by the possibilities. “An entire subspace pocket tucked just under the surface!”
“What bothers me…” Magnamon continued, looking up at the Root as the electric blue light flickered, then returned a touch dimmer. “Is that. ”
“So what? Someone probably just forgot to pay the electric bill.” Davis offered, only for Magnamon to shake his head.
“No. That light’s tied directly to King Drasil’s life force. For it to do that, things are worse than any of us ever expected.” He tightened his grip on his arms, feeling something off . ‘What’s going on? Does it have to do with why I’ve been returning to my Rookie form more often? ’
“Hey, is it me, or does he seem… I don’t know, different?” Sora asked Matt, who shrugged.
“I mean, can ya blame the guy? He comes back only to find out he’s the last Knight left. I’d be snippy too.”
“I get that, but I just feel like there’s more to it…”
Suddenly, the Root’s glow flickered more intensely, as if someone had found the light switch and was rapidly turning it on and off. “I’m guessing that’s a bad thing?!” WarGreymon shouted over the startled and confused yelps.
“Definitely not! EVERYONE OUT, NOW!” Magnamon bellowed, grabbing Davis and Kari and passing them to Tai while Angemon swiftly picked up T.K.. “MOVE!” He waved the humans onward as their partners began to reach the entrance of the chamber, which looked like a hollowed out tree trunk over fifty feet in diameter with steps carved into the bottom side. It was only when MetalGarurumon charged by with Lillymon and Angewomon ahead that Magnamon began to evacuate as well, boots slamming against the ancient wood as the sounds of timber cracking and rocks falling echoed from behind him.
He burst into the sunlight as the cliffside that concealed the entrance suddenly gave out, caving in on the passageway. The knight stared at it, his body going numb as the rest of the party panted from the sudden run up what felt like hundreds of steps, with the digimon falling back to their smaller forms.. “Oh, damn it all…” Magnamon murmured in horror, taking a knee. “Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT! ” He punched the sandy ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust only a foot tall and burying his fist a few inches into it.
“What? What’s wrong?” Agumon asked, stepping forward.
“Those ba-” Magnamon cut himself off as he stood, remembering there were children present. “The Dark Masters have done something to King Drasil.” He explained darkly, turning to face the others. “I had hoped it wasn’t the case, but it’s the only way to explain how they reformatted the entire Digital World in only a few years. The other Knights likely moved to stop them, which led to…”
“Their defeat…” Gatomon bowed her head in respect, joined soon after by the others.
“Yes.” The knight nodded. “Whatever the Dark Masters have done to Yggdrasil’s energy flow has not only changed the very world, but its flow of energy. We may not have a place to rest for a long while.” He looked over his shoulder at the crumbling remains of the tunnel, then faced forward once more, his eyes steeled with resolve. “Gomamon, how's your strength?”
“Oh, uh, solid, I guess.” The seal blinked, surprised at being addressed directly. “Wait, why?”
“RIVER OF POWER!”
Zudomon yelped, pushing himself to the side in the turbulent waters as the leviathan’s energy beam cut so close to the surface of the ocean it began to steam. “Keep it steady, Zudomon!” Joe shouted, shielding his face from the spray as he held onto his partner’s horn like a pirate grabbing the rigging. “We’ve gotta keep moving!” He glanced behind him to see Lillymon and Magnamon peppering MetalSeadramon with energy blasts in an effort to distract him from the shell holding the rest of the Digidestined.
“ANNOYING SMALL FRIES! I’LL HAVE YOU SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES!”
“Try it, sardine breath!” Magnamon shouted, ramming his fist into the serpent’s face hard enough to make the Dark Master’s head turn ninety degrees. Slowly, the aquatic Mega turned his head back to glare at Magnamon, murder in his eyes and a dent in his cheek.
“Just for that, THEY ALL DIE!” He roared, suddenly lashing his tail out of the water and slapping Lillymon into Zudomon, knocking all the passengers overboard, before bringing his tail back down on the Ultimate’s shell. He went under for a few moments, then resurfaced as a bruised and coughing Gomamon. Magnamon’s eyes widened as he realized the defenselessness of the Digidestined, and he dove down in front of them, arms crossed in an X as his armor shined. “RIVER OF-!”
His aim was disrupted as the tide suddenly changed and a colossal shadow moved under the surface, so close the treading children could feel the entity under their feet. Before any of them could even scream in shock, the digimon burst upward, riding the very currents over Magnamon’s head. “WHAMON!” Tai shouted, grinning. A brown armored head the size of a baseball infield rammed into MetalSeadramon, knocking the Mega back with a shout of surprise. While he was stunned and thrashing from suddenly getting hit by a skull twice his size, Whamon turned and opened his maw, swallowing up not just the knight, but the floating children as well. “Never thought being fish food would be the best play!”
“Technically, he’d be more of a mammal!” Izzy shouted over the rushing water as the Ultimate’s jaws snapped shut and he began to submerge.
By the time MetalSeadramon regained his bearings and rose from the waves, his quarry was out of sight, save for the ripples left in Whamon’s wake. “BAH! You escape this time, BUT YOU’VE ESCAPED FOR THE LAST TIME!” Behind him, several Divermon began to surface, summoned by their Master, while more shapes circled below the water, appearing only as blurry silhouettes. “I RULE THIS OCEAN WITH AN IRON HAND, AN IRON TAIL, AND AN IRON EVERYTHING, FOR THAT MATTER! I’ll catch them even with Whamon on their side!” He turned, then paused as he realized his fleet of Divermon remained, staring up at him from the surface. “Well don’t just sit there treading water, GO FIND THOSE PUNKS! ”
“AYE-AYE, SKIPPER!”
Several dozen miles away, Whamon surfaced once more, with the Digidestined crawling out of his blowhole. “So, you all know this guy?” Veemon asked, taking Davis’s hand as the boy helped pull him out of the hole, the Golden Digiegg faintly glowing in his hoodie pocket..
“Yeah, he helped us out way back when we were getting from File Island to Server.” Joe nodded, rubbing some ointment on Gomamon’s bruised back while Mimi did the same to Palmon’s side. “Thanks for the lift, by the way.” The teen smiled, patting the sea giant’s head.
“Oh, don’t mention it!” His deep baritone voice laughed, before taking a bit of an embarrassed tune. “No, seriously, don’t mention it. I don’t want everyone thinking I’m a free ride!”
“We still got a lot of questions and not a lot of answers, remember?” Matt offered, leaning back on his hands. “We don’t have a way to train, and if we don’t have a way to train, then our only way of fighting the Dark Masters will be real battles.”
“We don’t even know what exactly they did to Drasil to take over.” Sora mused, sliding forward on her knees. “Do you know, Whamon?”
“Oh, of course I know Whamon! Snappy dresser, life of the party- oh you meant- right. Well, it’s hard to keep up with what happens inland, but just a bit after the Digital World began to warp, MetalSeadramon pushed his way in, deleted Neptunemon, and-”
‘NEPTUNEMON’S DEAD?!” Veemon shouted, rushing to the front of the group. “You’re sure?!”
“I am.” Whamon nodded solemnly, nearly bouncing his passengers off his head. “Me and a bunch of others were there. It was a tough battle, but MetalSeadramon managed to win and beat him. A River of Power right through the chest.”
“Who’s this Neptunemon guy?” Davis asked, sitting cross legged next to Tai.
“The Lord of the Seas, and a member of another faction similar to the Royal Knights called the Olympos XII.” Veemon explained, gnawing on his knuckle in worry. “We usually kept to ourselves, but if the Dark Masters were gunning for the Twelve after beating the Knights, they must’ve been wanting to keep any challengers out of the running. What about the Elementals? Or the Celestials?” He asked Whamon. “Surely they stepped in with all this chaos!”
“No signs of either.” The Ultimate shook his head. “Not a peep from The Lady, and not even a bubble from a MarineAngemon. We’ve been on our own.”
Veemon stared off at the horizon, face pale as he grasped just how far the Dark Masters had pulled the Digital World under their rule. “Oh…” He said softly.
“Vee?” Davis asked, leaning forward and poking his shoulder. “You ok?”
“No…” The Rookie slowly shook his head, his face growing sharper and more disciplined. “No, I don’t think I will be for a while. Not until we save this world.”
“That’s the spirit!” Whamon cheered, sending up a spout of water that sprinkled droplets on them all. “I can take you somewhere beyond MetalSeadramon’s reach, even if I have to swim to the edge of the world!”
“Thank you, Whamon.” Veemon nodded, kneeling on his left knee and crossing the matching arm over his thigh while pressing his right fist down against the ground- or in this case, Whamon’s head. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, and whispered a soft chant in old Digicode. The energy from the Armor flowed from the pockets of Davis’s hoodies, through him, and into the whale, making him glow so faintly it was hardly noticed in the bright noon sun.
“Cats land on their feet, but we still need to eat. It's Gatomon's wish, for some fresh flying fish. 'Cause I'm a kitty, a Digi-kitty.” Gatomon sang as Matt played the blues on his harmonica. Behind her, everyone watched in surprise, then outright shock as she suddenly leapt into the air, paws blurring, before landing atop Whamon’s head once more, swiftly followed by cleaned and skinned filets of flying fish on her plate. “Oooooh yeah~”
“That was awesome!” Davis laughed.
“Well she’s my partner!” Kari teased, pushing him.
“Not bad, Angelfa-” Veemon ducked as a fish bone zipped through the space his forehead was only a moment before, grinning impishly at the glaring Champion.
“One day, you won’t be fast enough to dodge, Knight-Light.”
“That’s great and all, but the rest of us have to eat, too!” Palmon laughed, stepping forward. “Lemme show you how a pro goes fishing! POISON IVY!” Her finger vines suddenly lashed out, reaching between Joe and Tai who were using conventional poles to fish. The plant Rookie reeled her fingers in, and stared in shock at the massive tuna she pulled up. That lasted for about two seconds before it landed on her, knocking her flat and making her eyes spin. “Dinner is served! …Owie…”
“Oh hello?” Izzy hummed, looking something over on his laptop before grinning, walking over towards Tai. “I think I’ve got a way for us to beat the Dark Masters. Half of them, at least.” He said, his words gaining everyone’s attention. “Apparently, there’s a type of weapon called “Dramon Destroyers” that is especially effective on dragon-type digimon, and guess who has a pair of those?” His laptop pulled up an image of Wargreymon, whose clawed gauntlets began to flash.
“Alright!” Tai whooped, high fiving Agumon. “Those Dark Masters are toast with those on our side!”
“Well, MetalSeadramon and Machinedramon are, at least.” Veemon shrugged, walking over. “That leaves Puppetmon and Piedmon. We should be set against the pile of wood if we can get everyone’s attacks up to snuff, but the clown…” He trailed off, looking towards the peak of Spiral Mountain.
Piedmon’s grin never faltered as he stared into the oncoming beam of golden explosions. Rather, it grew wider as his eyes flashed a toxic yellow and he raised his hand. “DARKNESS ZONE!” A completely black void suddenly appeared in front of the clown, racing up the ray of Magna Storm and swallowing the attack whole. As Piedmon squeezed his hand shut, the void dissipated, leaving no trace of the exchange.
‘Piedmons may not be common, even among Megas, but none of them have had an attack like that last time I checked Drasil’s archives…’ He chewed on his bottom lip slightly, one of his fangs sticking out.
“HEY! NO!” Sora shouted, holding Agumon down with Mimi, T.K., and Kari while Biyomon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Davis tried to pry the tuna out of his mouth after the dinosaur decided to try swallowing it whole. “SPIT THAT OUT! SPIT IT! BAD AGUMON!” They managed to pull the fish out, but only after Agumon’s rather impressive jaws snapped it in half.
Suddenly, Joe was suddenly pulled off the side of Whamon, yelping as he splashed into the sea. A moment later he resurfaced, this time with Gomamon. “We got incoming!” The seal shouted up as his partner used him as a boogie board. “Divermon are headed this way!”
“Not good…” Veemon grumbled, looking around as if expecting their foes to appear out of thin air. “Any idea where from?”
“Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Gotcha.” Whamon nodded to a small blue digimon wearing what looked like a chunk of coral as a helmet, who soon dove under the waves. “Sangomon says they’re about two hundred miles out from where we came from, and closing fast. Wait, hold on…” The Ultimate corrected himself as a small green and red fish appeared, hovering just under the surface. “Oh, oh no…” He gulped, which felt more like an earthquake to his passengers. “There’s more than just Divermon coming.” He warned gravely. “There have been sightings of several Tobiumon, Ebirdramon, Dolphmon, and even Gusokumon and Piranimon. He’s brought out his entire army. We’ve got to go, and fast! ”
One by one, Izzy pulled the listed digimon up on his analyzer, gulping at the descriptions. “Good news, that’s mostly Champions and Gusokumon usually work alone. Bad news? Piranimon are Ultimates that work in a pack.”
As everyone began to climb back into the blowhole, Veemon turned towards Davis. He didn’t even have time to say anything before the digiegg was handed over with a grin. “Time to kick butt.” Davis snickered, drawing a fond eye roll from the Rookie.
“VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO… MAGNAMON!”
“And there… we… go! ” Izzy finished with a final click on his laptop.
“Oh you are
good
, Izzy!” Tentomon cheered while the others began to gather around.
“Whoa, crazy screensaver.” Sora whistled.
“It’s not a screensaver.” The boy shook his head. “What you’re seeing is what Whamon’s seeing. I managed to patch into his cybernetics and connect my laptop to his optical nerves!” He explained, gesturing towards the cables that had snaked their way along the floor of the stomach and up to the tube to the mouth, then out of sight.
“Cool.” Matt grinned. “Like a submarine.”
Suddenly everyone flinched as a high-pitched squeal ran through Whamon’s body. “Ow, ow, ow! ” Magnamon hissed, holding the base of his horns.
“My ears hurt!” Kari whimpered.
“Everyone quiet!” Whamon whispered, as the screen showed a far off shape in the gloomy waters. “That was a pulse for echolocation. With any luck, that was just a normal ocean goer, and not-!” He was cut off as he grunted in pain, the screen now showing a Divermon darting through the whale’s line of sight with a harpoon that was streaked with blue digital blood. “Oh you little-!”
“They’re onto us!” Tai shouted. “Whamon, we gotta get to the surface!”
“On it!” The massive Ultimate pushed off the ocean floor, kicking up a cloud of silt and bubbles as a smokescreen.
“Hang on, you two.” Matt said, arms around T.K. and Patamon while Gabumon had a hand on the boy’s back. “Things are gonna get bumpy!”
“I can’t even go out and join the fight without you guys getting up to your eyeballs in high pressure water!” Gomamon worried, hopping from side to side.
“High pressure…” Izzy muttered, before his eyes widened. “That’s it! Whamon, are there any trenches nearby?!”
“I like where your head’s at, Izzy! Everyone, hold onto your stomachs! Or in this case, hold onto mine!” The Ultimate said. The screen showed Whamon suddenly turn downwards over a pitch black canyon in the ocean floor, then dove into the darkness. Everyone yelped as their ears popped and their bodies shook as the pressure intensified.
“TH-I-I-I-I-S-S-S-S AW-E-E-E-S-S-S-O-O-O-M-M-M-E-E!” Davis’s voice warbled and bounced as he lifted his arms like he was on a roller coaster.
“K-e-e-e-e-p-p-p-p go-i-i-i-ing!” Izzy shouted, his laptop showing a window of a large blue dot descending, followed by a dozen small red dots. Soon one seemingly gave up the chase and rocketed up towards the surface, then another, and another, before all of them took off for lower pressure. “WE’R-R-R-E CLEAR-R-R-R!” They all let out a sigh of relief as the pressure finally stopped increasing and the shaking turned into a smooth glide.
“Ok, now what?” Sora asked. “We can’t just wait at the bottom of the ocean forever, and if we go up they’ll be waiting for us.”
After a minute of thought, Izzy nodded, standing up. “Kari, come over here, would ya?” He led her over to the other side of the chamber and explained his plan to her, getting the occasional nod of understanding while the others watched in confusion. He went back to his laptop and began quickly typing while Kari coughed, clearing her throat as she began to hum in what sounded like a vocal exercise.
“Uh, Kari? What’re you doin’?” Davis asked, tilting his head as he watched his best friend rock on her heels.
“Alright Kari, you’re live!” Izzy gave her a thumbs up, grinning. The girl smiled, nodded, then put her whistle to her lips. What followed sounded like two seconds of shrill screaming from the metal instrument before everyone clapped their hands over their ears. Kari’s face even went from red with exertion to blue from lack of oxygen. A few moments later, she took the whistle out of her mouth, practically gulping down air. Izzy’s grin widened as everyone tentatively lowered their hands, ears ringing even from the muffled sound. “Awesome work, Kari! We now have sonar imaging of the entire trench! Oh nice, looks like there’s a tunnel up ahead that can lead us to land!”
“You heard him, Whamon!” Magnamon chuckled, putting a hand on the wall. “Full steam ahead!”
“What was that, sorry?!” Whamon asked, a bit louder than was necessary. “Someone blew a whistle in my ears! Anyway, there’s a tunnel up ahead! It should lead us to land!”
It was only a few minutes later that Whamon was suddenly struck, sending everyone falling to the floor. “Looks like MetalSeadramon’s back.” Magnamon growled, hearing the irritating roar of the Dark Master even through the thick walls of Whamon’s skin. “I’ve had enough of this guy! Whamon, tell me you can section parts off?”
“Don’t worry! We’re almost to the surface!”
“You heard the Mon!” Tai grinned, pulling out his Digivice. “Let’s show MetalSeadramon just how bad of an idea it was picking a fight!”
“ YEAH! ”
“WARGREYMON!”
“METALGARURUMON!”
“LILLYMON!”
“ANGEWOMON!”
“ANGEMON!”
“GARU-!”
“MEGAKABU-!”
“ZUDO-!”
“ WHOA! ” Everyone shouted at Biyomon, Tentomon, and Gomamon, nervously sweating. “How about you guys hold off until after we’re outside our friend?” Joe pleaded. “Or at least in his mouth so you don’t have to try fitting up his esophagus?”
“WE’VE SURFACED!” Whamon shouted. “BUT IT’S NOT SMOOTH SAILING YET!” The Ultimate grunted as he was shaken by another attack, or rather a series of attacks. “MetalSeadramon’s entire naval force is out here!”
“Then let’s give ‘em something to shoot at!” Magnamon yelled, blasting off into Whamon’s mouth, then out of it into the bright sun, his armor seeming to shine even brighter after so long without natural light. “MAGNA MISSILES, FIRE!” The eight rockets tore out of his armor, instantly hunting down and destroying a pack of Piranimon, while a Gusokumon that was trying to grab Whamon’s tail was obliterated by a swarm of missiles that froze, then shattered it. “Nice shot!” The knight grinned, giving MetalGarurumon a thumbs up.
“HAND OF FATE!”
“FLOWER CANNON!”
“CELESTIAL ARROW!”
“TERRA FORCE!” The three energy attacks blasted away a half dozen Tobiumon, while WarGreymon’s massive fireball obliterated a trio of Ebidramon.
“DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT WOULD STOP ME?!” MetalSeadramon shouted as he suddenly burst from the sea. “NOW, ALL YOU DIGIBRATS ARE GOING DOWN WITH THE SHIP!”
“EVERYONE OFF!” Garudamon cawed, taking the humans into her arms while Gomamon jumped into the water and arose as Zudomon, swiftly swimming to the nearby shore.
“My turn!” Whamon shouted, beginning to swim in a circle. “TIDAL WAVE!” While the Digidestineds’ digimon were fine in the air, MetalSeadramon’s forces were thrown into disarray and panic as the water went from relatively calm to a turbulent maelstrom, throwing them against rocks, the beaches, and even each other.
“Mind if I hitch a ride?” WarGreymon asked, landing atop Whamon’s head and standing like a surfer.
“Let’s get this guppy!” Whamon agreed, ceasing his attack and charging forward through the waves at MetalSeadramon’s towering form. WarGreymon tensed, then leapt forward, slashing his claws against the aquatic Mega’s face. He turned, expecting to see large gashes, only to see the armor as smooth as ever, save the dent from Magnamon’s punch earlier that day.
“What was that, a love tap?! You’re gonna have to try harder than that to beat my Chrome Digizoid!” MetalSeadramon taunted, before firing a River of Power from his cannon.
“Magnamon, could use your help over here!” WarGreymon shouted, weaving to the side.
“I’M A BIT BUSY!” The knight yelled back, holding up one of the only surviving Gusokumon as it tried to jump at him. He glanced to the side, and upon seeing a couple dozen Divermon charging onto the beach towards Zudomon, Garudamon, and MegaKabuterimon, began to spin, turning into a giant blue blur, before releasing the massive shellfish and leaving it to crush the much smaller Ultimates. “STRIKE!” He pumped his fist, before turning back towards WarGreymon just in time to see the Mega get caught in the jaws of MetalSeadramon and pushed under water. “DAMN!” Magnamon shouted, before diving in after them.
He raced after them on a comet tail of bubbles and boiling water as MetalSeadramon slammed WarGreymon through boulder after boulder on the seafloor. Growling, Magnamon poured as much power as he could into his verniers and burst forward, then realigned himself and fired upwards, pushing the serpent up by the middle of his hose-like body. “I’LL DEAL WITH YOU IN A MINUTE!” MetalSeadramon shouted, glaring at Magnamon as he squeezed his jaws tighter and tighter on WarGreymon, who was struggling to push them apart. “FOR NOW, SAY GOODBYE, WARGREYMON!”
“NO!” Magnamon dashed forwards to do anything to stop the execution, but someone beat him to it. Bursting out of sea, Whamon body-slammed the Mega, forcing his jaws to open in surprise and freeing the warrior. “HA! Nice hit, Whamon!” He smirked, flying to hover next to the Ultimate.
“RIVER OF POWER!” The knight’s eyes widened as he saw MetalSeadramon turn his cannon towards Whamon, likely refusing to take the attack lying down. Without a second thought, he dashed in front of the beam, crossing his arms for an Aura Barrier. The shield held, but as he stared into MetalSeadramon’s glaring red eyes, they flickered yellow, and the pale blue and white energy beam became dark blue and purple, shredding through his forcefield.
Magnamon screamed in pain as the attack washed over him, but didn’t destroy him thanks to his Gold Digizoid. But without the shield, the tail end of the blast blasted into Whamon’s head, burning a hole through the skin but not penetrating completely.
“MAGNAMON!”
“WHAMON!”
“THAT TEARS IT!” WarGreymon roared, pointing his claws to the sky and beginning to spin. “GREAT TORNADO!”
“RIVER OF POWER!” The next beam was the usual pale blue color, which was swiftly proven insufficient as the golden-orange drill of WarGreymon’s body ripped through it, then the length of MetalSeadramon himself. The Dark Master let out a scream of agony, then collapsed limply like a ribbon.
“Next time you wanna try ruling the water, how about you do everyone a favor and take a bubble bath instead?!” Tentomon shouted at the slowly disintegrating body of the leviathan, even as everyone else ran towards the burned bodies of Magnamon and Whamon.
“D-Digidestined…” Whamon coughed. “P-please… save this world, won’t you? I miss the way it was…” Water began to trickle down from the gap between the brown and blue sections of the whale’s body, and as his next words came out choked and wet, everyone realized he was crying. “I remember the joy and freedom of the seas, but now, it’s lawless and savage… I just… I just wish things were back to normal…”
Magnamon’s vision flashed blue as he looked towards the Ultimate, but saw so much more than usual. ‘ Whamon v1252.25.734. Structural Stability: 1/52949. Subject has reached parameters. Activate? ’ Before he even knew what he was doing, Magnamon nodded, raised his hand, and fired a beam of golden energy at the whale.
Everyone screamed in shock and horror at what seemed to be the sudden betrayal, only to stare in wonder as the wound healed and the pain seemed to melt away, even if the slow dispersal of particles continued on. Magnamon lowered his arm, then shook his head with a groan, holding it as his armor dimmed and reformed into the Golden Digiegg. “Wh-what just…?”
“I… I think you gave Whamon a peaceful, gentle send off?” Izzy blinked, floored by the turn of events. “How did you even-?” Before he could continue, the land began to quake, nearly throwing them all to the ground.
“Whoa, look at that!” Tai gaped, pointing to the horizon where the sea was vanishing. “Who pulled the plug?”
“Without the Dark Master to hold it in place, the ocean isn’t stuck up here.” Gomamon blinked, a wide grin splitting his face. “The more butts we kick, the more back to normal the Digiworld gets!”
“Score one for the good guys!” Biyomon laughed, lifting her hands and slapping them against Tentomon’s.
“If they’re as tough as this guy was, they don’t stand a chance!” Joe cheered, punching into the air.
“That’s the Digitude! You humans are growing on me more and more every day!” Gatomon grinned.
“Let’s go show the next one who he’s messing with!” Davis whooped.
“WAIT!” Everyone turned to Mimi at her shout, and froze as they realized what exactly she was doing. “We’re not done with these.” The girl explained, Palmon helping her in making a mound of sand with a cross made from two sticks and some vines. Beside it sat three other markers.
“Oh, Mimi…” Matt whispered.
“That one’s for Sukamon, and the one next to it is Chuumon. Over there is Piximon, and this one’s…” She gulped down a sob, her eyes watering. “This is Whamon’s.”
“They aren’t dead.” Gabumon assured the girl, stepping towards her. “They’re just… not here. In a couple weeks, they’ll be bouncing around Primary Village with all the other newborns, and if they're able to keep their memories, they’ll be back to who they were in no time at all!”
“He’s right.” Tentomon said. “Think of it like them going for a spa day! They’re getting all the nasty injuries and bugs out of their system while they get turned back into a Digiegg, and then they’ll be good as new!”
“Either way, they took our friends away from us!” Tai said, raising a fist. “It’s time to get some payback on the Dark Masters! You with me?”
“...I’m not going.” The girl said softly, making everyone do a double take.
“H-huh?” Tai blinked. “What do you-?”
“I have had enough !” She sobbed, her voice going shrill as her emotions boiled over. “Everytime we fight we lose friends!”
“This is war!” Tai pointed out. “Sometimes people we like get hurt!”
“STOP IT!” Mimi screamed, hands over her ears.
“Dial it back, Tai!” Matt glared, stepping between the two. “How about you think about other people’s feelings, or are you too cold hearted?!”
“But he’s not wrong.” Veemon sighed, standing up. “You may not like it, but it’s the truth. We’re in a war.” He stepped towards Mimi and gently pulled her hands away from her ears. “Mimi. Mimi, I need you to look at me.” She tilted her head towards him, but kept her eyes closed tight. “Mimi, please. I need you to hear this. You all need to hear this.” Slowly, her eyes opened, and then shot wide at the downright heartbroken expression on the Rookie’s face.
“Veemon…?”
“Friends will be lost.” He admitted bluntly. “They’ll fall in battle, or after the battle from injuries, but that’s part of the world. I wish it wasn’t but it is. I understand wanting to stop fighting to avoid losing allies, but you have to hold on until everything’s finished.” He told her, before gesturing to the markers. “Otherwise, all of their sacrifices would be in vain. If you walk away now, after they gave their lives to make sure you’d be able to continue the battle, then you could give them no greater disrespect.”
The children all stared at him in shock, while the digimon nodded in understanding, bowing their heads. After a few minutes of silence as they all came to terms with what it meant, Davis walked over and sat down next to Mimi, looking at the grave markers. “So, what were they all like?” He asked her softly. Mimi let out a sob, but began to tell the tale, starting with File Island getting split apart by Devimon, and how she ran into the two oddballs on her own floating chunk of land.
Chapter 6: Welcome to the Jungle
Summary:
“Overpro-?!” Matt gaped. “I’m not overprotective! I’m a normal amount of protective, kid!”
“Eh, I don’t know about that.” Veemon hummed. “He’s been at this just as long as you have, and his partner’s on the higher end of Champions.”
“That’s not the point!” Matt growled. “I’m his big brother! I’m supposed to look after him! He needs me!”
“Does he need you to hold his hand, or are you just afraid of when he doesn’t anymore?”
Matt stared at Davis incredulously, at a complete loss for words. “...you’re weird, kid.” Davis snickered, shrugging unapologetically.
Chapter Text
The next morning, after everyone had time to mourn and recharge, they were marching through the dark, twisted forest full of thorny vines and thick, jagged brambles, all of them lost in thought.
‘I’m not as cold as Matt thinks, right?’ Tai wondered, looking over towards his friend, then looking away when he realized Matt was staring back at him.
At the same time, Matt flinched, biting his lip almost hard enough to draw blood as he looked at his shoes. ‘Maybe I was too harsh on Tai. He’s just trying to stop the Dark Masters as fast as possible, but that doesn’t mean we can just ignore our feelings.’
Mimi let out a sniffle, rubbing her red eyes that were filled with indecision. ‘I don’t want to fight, but what if Veemon was right? Would I really be insulting Chuumon, Whamon, and Piximon by giving up?’
‘We should be focused on fighting our enemies, not each other…’ Izzy’s brow furrowed in concern, looking between Tai and Matt.
‘Everything’s falling apart…’ Joe worried, gnawing on his lip.
‘We’re all so on edge…’ Sora sighed.
“Veemon, how do we fix this?” Davis whispered to the blue Rookie.
“We can’t.” The dragon sighed. “This is something they gotta figure out for themselves. They’ll either break under the tension, or they’ll come out the other side stronger than ever. It happened to me.”
Davis looked at him for a long moment, eyes holding an intelligence rarely shown. “...you’re not talking about the Royal Knights, are you?”
Veemon hesitated, but shook his head with a weary sigh. “No. We all knew that our service to Drasil wasn’t a promise of immortality. For them to fall meant they were fighting to the bitter end for something, but that wasn’t where I learned this lesson.”
“...does it have to do with the-”
“Wait, Kari?” Tai’s concerned voice came from up ahead, drawing both of their attention. “Where did Kari go?!” He spun in circles, gaze turning more panicked, before locking onto his sister as she came around a bend a bit further back. “Kari!” He shouted in relief, running forward and getting on a knee, grabbing her arms and looking her over. “You’re ok, right? You didn’t trip or anything?”
“I’m fine, Tai!” Kari pouted. “I just thought I heard something.”
He sighed, letting her go, though his stern gaze remained on her. “Tell us that instead of stopping, ok? What if something attacked you and we couldn’t get there in time?”
“I’m sorry…” Kari muttered, looking down.
“Uh-oh…” T.K.said, reaching over and tugging Matt’s hand. “Hey, Matt? We all stopped moving, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, then why are the trees still going by?”
“...wait, what?” He blinked, looking at his feet, which hadn’t been lifted in nearly half a minute, and the trees on either side of the path zipping by.
“Oh crapbaskets!”
“It appears the stretch of grass we’re on is moving like a conveyor belt, getting us from one place to another!”
“Anyone else nervous about where the place we’re going could be?!”
“Everyone, jump to the left in three, two-!”
“Wait! Is it three two one go? Or three two one go-on-one?” Davis asked Tai.
“JUST GO!” They all leapt, but as soon as their feet were flat on the dirt, it began to move, while the strip of land they were just on paused.
“I’ve never been car sick without a car before!” Joe heaved, hand over his mouth.
Tai’s gaze darted around, before something caught his eye and made him grin. “Palmon, Tentomon, Biyomon! I’ve got a plan!”
“So, what’s the game plan?” Sora asked from her tree branch, looking down at the moving patches of floor far below.
“Well we either keep going or we build a nest.” Joe whimpered, hugging onto the trunk tight.
“What’s with you? You’re fine with heighters when you’re on Ikkakumon or Zudomon.” Gomamon asked.
“Because I trust you to catch me if I slip, duh.” The seal blinked, then shared a wide grin with his partner.
“It’s Puppetmon.” Veemon growled, perched on a higher branch as he looked out over the forest, where more and more trees began to move around. “He’s turned this entire forest into his twisted little playground.”
“That means if we wanna get outta here, we gotta take him down.” Tai scowled, punching his fist into his opposite palm.
“Look, I’m not arguing against that.” Matt sighed, giving his leader a glare. “But don’t you think we should take a while to rest? We’ve been going full throttle almost all day, remember? We need to rest, and the digimon all need to eat.”
Tai paused, then nodded. “Right. Good call. In that case, we should-” Between one millisecond and the next, he vanished, flickering out of existence like he was never there to begin with.
“TAI?!”
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!”
“MIMI VANISHED TOO!”
“IZZY!”
“SORA!”
“T.K.!”
“KARI!”
“JOE!”
Davis looked around in shock as he was suddenly left alone with Matt and the digimon. “Wh-where’d they all go?”
“T.K.!” Matt shouted, eyes wide in horror. “T.K. WHERE ARE YOU?!” He stood, then reached for the trunk as if to climb down.
“Matt…” Gabumon interrupted, tugging his shirt and pointing to the scared and confused form of Davis. The Bearer of Friendship flinched at the realization that he was willing to just abandon the kid. Looking at the forest floor with worry, he then took a shaky breath and pulled himself back up.
“S-sorry about that…” He muttered. “I… I just…”
“Sibling thing, right?” Davis asked, voice steadying while Agumon, Veemon, and Gatomon hovered nearby. “Y-yeah. My sister, Jun, she gets the same way.” He chuckled weakly. “Like the day I met Veemon, and I was gone for a lot longer than I shoulda been, and she started yellin’. Or when I was out playin’ with Kari a couple weeks ago, and we ended up goin’ to get ice cream without tellin’ Tai or Jun, and they freaked.” He tilted his head, looking at Matt. “Are all big siblings overprotective?”
“Overpro-?!” Matt gaped. “I’m not overprotective! I’m a normal amount of protective, kid!”
“Eh, I don’t know about that.” Veemon hummed. “He’s been at this just as long as you have, and his partner’s on the higher end of Champions.”
“That’s not the point!” Matt growled. “I’m his big brother! I’m supposed to look after him! He needs me!”
“Does he need you to hold his hand, or are you just afraid of when he doesn’t anymore?”
Matt stared at Davis incredulously, at a loss for words. “...you’re weird, kid.” Davis snickered, shrugging unapologetically.
It was at that point Matt flickered out of existence, and was replaced by Joe, who was cradling his stomach with a pained expression. “What the-?!” Davis yelped, sliding backwards in shock while the teen flailed, trying to get a grasp on the branch before he fell off. “JOE?!”
“DAVIS?!” Joe blinked, then was suddenly replaced by Sora who looked around in confusion.
“I’m losing my mind!” Davis cried, grabbing his head.
“How do you think I feel?!” The older girl shouted, eyes wide. “I just saw Izzy, Tai floating upside down, and then Kari in the span of ten seconds!”
“Oh, this is ridiculous!” Gatomon growled. “I’m not gonna sit here and wait like I did as Nyaromon! I’m going to go find Kari!”
“I think we all probably should get going soon!” Tentomon nodded as a soft crackling noise began to fill the air. “Mainly because THE BRANCHES ARE BREAKING!” In the blink of an eye and a chorus of shouts, Sora and Davis were left with wide eyes in the tree, with Veemon sitting on a higher branch and Biyomon hovering before them.
“…I guess we’re splitting up, then?” Davis shouted, not getting a response from the rest of the now-scattered digimon.
A few minutes later, the tree suddenly shook as the ground began to move, with Davis and Sora yelping as they were carried off to who knows where. Rather than a pit of spikes or a jungle of man-eating plants, they were brought to a clearing where several other conveyor belts dragged scattered humans into view. Everyone seemed fine, though there was no sign of T.K. and Matt was cocooned in red strings. “Puppetmon’s handiwork.” Veemon glared as he and Biyomon sliced through the cables.
“Matt!” Gabumon’s voice cried out, followed soon after by the other digimon, save Patamon.
“T.K.! That sentient pile of firewood took T.K.!” The blond shouted, pushing himself up. “He said he wanted to play with him before he d-destroyed him!”
“Oh no!” Kari gasped, hugging Gatomon tight.
“We have to help him!” Mimi cried.
“Where’d that creepy little toothpick take him, Matt?” Tai asked, stepping forward, only for the Bearer of Friendship to distraughtly press his hands against his face.
“I don’t know!” He wailed.
“Get a hold of yourself, man!” Tai shouted, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and giving him a small shake. “Sitting here and freaking out won’t save him! Izzy, you got any options for us?”
“Well, it shouldn’t be too difficult to search by air.” The redhead offered. “But I believe that the first road we were on leads directly to Puppetmon’s headquarters. His driveway, if you will.”
“So then we’ll be walking right into the belly of the beast?” Joe gulped, before shaking his head and steeling his nerves. “B-but it’ll be worth it to help T.K.!”
“Well said!” Agumon cheered.
Before they could do more than take a step, two dozen brown bird-like digimon with white helmets and beaks and green leaves leapt from the brush, accompanied by half a dozen giant flowers with yellow faces and jagged, Jack-o-lantern grins. Finally, the branches and shrubbery began to move, curling away from a crowded path to allow a tall woman with purple skin, fishnet leggings, an amethyst top, white and airy sleeves and skirt, and two scepters to step through. The golden rod in her right hand was topped with a flower with several petals that shimmered through every color of the rainbow, while the one in her left ended with two large golden wings, with two snakes- one black and the other white- curling around the staff.
“Hello, Digidestined. I am Lotusmon” The woman said, her eyes seeming to lock onto each and every one of them from behind a covering shaped like the center of the flower she was named after. “Master Puppetmon has requested that I keep you from interrupting his “playtime” with Takeru Takaishi.”
“Listen lady, you either step aside or get run over, because we’re not gonna let you just-!” Matt shouted, only for Veemon to grab his arm and pull him back.
“Don’t.” The dragon hissed, narrowed eyes never leaving the purple woman. “She’s a Mega.”
Everyone’s blood ran cold at the realization, looking back towards the nine foot tall digimon with nervous expressions. She smiled softly, though there was a dark edge to it that none of them could really place. “Good. Now, you shall stay here and be… entertained by the Kiwimon and Blossomon. Except for you.” She pointed her flower-ended staff at Davis. “Seven’s Fantasia!” The boy flinched as the multi-colored ray washed over him, then relaxed as every inch of tension drained out of him and his eyes glazed over. As if in a trance, he slowly shuffled forward, ignoring everyone’s concerned looks.
“Hey, what are you-?!” Tai shouted, taking a step forward, only to leap back as a tiny, bird-shaped missile exploded at his feet.
Lotusmon patted a Kiwimon on the head as it closed its beak, then put her hand on Davis’s head as he reached her. “You see, Master Puppetmon only ever planned on playing with the eight Bearers of the Crests. When Daisuke here came to the Digital World with you, we didn’t have time to set things up. Thus, he must be… removed .”
“You keep your hands off him or so help me-!” Kari lunged at the Mega, only to be stopped as her arms were grabbed by Sora and Mimi.
“Oh, adorable.” Lotusmon’s small smile turned into a tiny smirk. “Well, if you’re truly concerned about your little boyfriend-”
“HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!”
“-then by all means, come to Master Puppetmon’s mansion.” She laughed, stepping back into the shadows of the trees with Davis in tow, while the Champions and Ultimates began to fill in the gap left behind.
“HEY! HOLD ON A SECOND!” Matt shouted, stepping forward. “WHERE’S T.K.?! WHERE’S THE MANSION?! ANSWER ME!”
“Matt!” Tai yelped, grabbing his friend and pulling him back as another Kiwimon’s Pummel Peck. “I get how you feel, but if we don’t handle these guys first we’ll never be able to get to T.K. or Davis!”
“No! We need to-!” Matt yelled back, then paused as Davis’s words came back to him. ‘Does he need you to hold his hand, or are you just afraid of when he doesn’t anymore?’ He hesitated, closing his eyes and taking a breath. “...no, you’re right.” His eyes snapped open, fire blazing within as he glared at the squad of enemies. “They can take care of themself for now, especially if Patamon managed to find them.”
Tai blinked in surprise, then grinned, nodding. “Agumon, let’s go!”
“Alright!”
“You with me, Gabumon?!”
“Always!” Seven digivices were lifted into the air, and their respective partners began to shine with the light of digivolution.
“WARGREYMON!”
“METALGARURUMON!”
“BIRDRAMON!”
“ANGEWOMON!”
“LILLYMON!”
“IKKAKUMON!”
“KABUTERIMON!”
In the ensuing battle, as fireballs, rockets, energy waves, and razor sharp leaves flew through the air, no one noticed Veemon slip away, charging through the brush after Lotusmon. “Damnit, Davis…” He growled. “How did I end up playing babysitter?!” He asked no one, even as all the times Davis called him “partner” played in the back of his head.
Davis jolted as awareness rushed back to him, then hissed as his head slammed against something. “Owwww…” He grumbled. Wherever he was, it was tiny and only faintly lit by the golden glow from his hoodie pocket, with his legs having to bend to fit him inside it. He lifted his hands to try and feel around, but when it passed over the dim light from his pocket, he saw what looked like rope tying his wrists together. “What the- WHERE AM I?!” He threw himself to the side of the container, making a loud, wooden thud. His breathing became faster and more erratic the longer he stayed within the cramped space, his eyes and the almost-non existent light playing tricks on him and making him see things in the darkness that weren’t there. His heart beat against his ribcage so hard he could hear each beat in his ears. Through his growing anxiety, he managed to gasp out, hoping anyone would help. “HELLO?!”
“Davis?” A muffled voice asked from outside the box. “Davis, is that you?”
“T.K.?!” The boy’s head shot up, slamming against the ceiling once more. He yelped in pain, then continued. “T.K., where are you?! Where am I?! Where are we?! ”
“We’re in Puppetmon’s house. It looks like he shoved you in a toy box! Patamon, can you get him out?”
“Sure thing! Davis, close your eyes and cover your ears!”
“Wait my hands are tied I can’t cover my-!”
“BOOM BUBBLE!” A cannonball of compressed air ripped through the top of the box, blowing the lock off and the lid up. Davis blinked as he went from near total darkness to an obnoxiously bright and cheery colored playroom that didn’t really fit the moniker of “Dark Master”.
“You ok?” T.K. asked as he leaned over Davis, blocking out most of the light.
“I am now. Thanks, T.K.!” The spiky haired boy grinned, holding his wrists out as Patamon began to gnaw through what was revealed to be a jump rope cord. “So, what’s the plan?” He asked, rubbing his red wrists as they walked out of the room into the hall.
The Bearer of Hope opened his mouth, but a shout from down the hall interrupted them. “HEY, HOLD IT!” Yelled a mushroom with a purple cap, running towards them.
“IMPROVISE!” T.K. yelped, grabbing Davis and running the opposite direction as a Boom Bubble slammed into the Mushroomon and launched him through the wall behind him.
“Sounds good!” Davis’s head blurred from how fast he nodded as he kept pace with the other boy. Behind them, far in the distance, was the nasally, eerie voice of the master of the house.
“HEY, T.K.! WHERE’D YA GO?! I GOT NEW TOYS FOR TARGET PRACTICE! AND LOTUSMON BROUGHT IN SOMETHING TO SHOOT AT!”
“Go!” Davis yelled, leaping through the front door after another Boom Bubble threw it off its hinges.
“I’m going! I’m going!” T.K. shouted back, Patamon overhead as the three ran towards the forest surrounding the mansion. As they neared it, one of the dead trees suddenly morphed, the top falling away while blue eyes appeared in the bark.
“HALT! I AM WOODMON! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!”
“VEE-HEADBUTT!” A blue rocket blurred from the shadows of the trees, slamming into Woodmon’s back and sending him flying towards the house, rolling over several Mushroomon and Floramon that had raced out after the escapees.
“OH NO! I’VE BEEN DEFEATED!”
“VEEMON!” Davis grinned.
“Davis!” The dragon sighed, a relieved smile on his face. “You’re alright! And you found T.K.!”
“Well, technically we found him.” Patamon corrected. “Someone shoved him in a toy box!”
“ They WHAT?! ”
“There they are!” Another Woodmon shouted, emerging from the trees. “Grab them! Master Puppetmon demands his playthings!” The battered and bruised Rookies picked themselves up, while Kiwimon and Blossomon burst from the door, leaving a total of about twenty Rookies, fifty Champions, and ten Ultimates, all glaring at the two boys.
“Davis?” Veemon asked over his shoulder, raising his fists.
“Right here.” The boy nodded, passing over the Digiegg.
“T.K.?”
“Let’s go, Patamon!” The blond’s grin matched his partner’s as he lifted his Digivice.
“VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TO… MAGNAMON!”
“PATAMON DIGIVOLVE TO… ANGEMON!”
Puppetmon’s army skidded to a halt in the face of the two glowing digimon, with Magnamon glaring and cracking his knuckles while Angemon tapped his staff against his shoulder like a baseball bat. “So, how do you wanna split ‘em?” Magnamon asked nonchalantly. “First come first serve, or you take the right and I get the left?”
“I’d prefer the former.” Angemon nodded. “As long as we’re out of here before Puppetmon shows up.” He clenched his fist, orange light condensing around it as he charged up a Hand of Fate.
“Fine by me.” The knight shrugged, golden plasma gathering in his palms as he brought his hands together in front of his chest. “Boys, stick behind us. Things are about to get messy.”
“Right!” Davis agreed, stepping behind a tree alongside T.K.
“Good luck, guys!” The hat-wearing boy hollered in encouragement.
“If anyone needs luck, it’s those punks.” Davis snickered, pointing to the rapidly paling enemy forces.
“MAGNA BLAST!”
“HAND OF FATE!”
MetalGarurumon’s jaws snapped shut on a RedVeggiemon’s frozen torso, scattering its data to the wind. “C’mon…” Matt muttered from his partner’s back, looking around with furrowed brows. “We have to be getting close…”
“Easy, Matt. It’s been less than an hour.” Sora assured the boy from Birdramon’s foot a couple yards overhead. “If Puppetmon wanted to “play” with T.K., I doubt he’d get bored so soon.”
“Yeah, but what about Davis?” Matt worried. “If Lotusmon took him to be “removed” then who knows what could be happening to him!”
“Hey, put a little faith in the guy.” Tai chuckled as he walked over with WarGreymon, who was scraping chunks of plant matter from his gauntlets. “I know him better than almost anyone. By now he’s probably kicked Puppetmon between the legs and escaped.”
“HIYAAH!” Angemon shouted, swinging his staff around. Magnamon, who was grabbing onto the other end, matched his bellow of victory as his feet pedaled in a series of low power Magna-Kicks, knocking the approaching trio of Blossomon back into their allies. The golden armored dragon landed, spun, and now swung Angemon at the group of charging Woodmon. The angel released his hold on his staff, getting catapulted towards the cluster, and began to spin. “ANGEL TYPHOON!” A glowing tornado with dozens of radiant feathers caught in its vortex began to tear through the enemy lines, further adding to the chaos.
“THAT’S THE WAY!” Davis whooped.
“KICK THEIR BUTTS!” T.K. yelled, hands around his mouth.
“Hey, do you think we should get outta here? You know, before Puppetmon or Lotusmon show up and gang up on our guys?” David asked, turning to his friend.
“Maybe, but we could also help take care of all of these guys so the others don’t have to later! Besides, I know they’ll be showing up any minute to back us up!” T.K. grinned, not noticing his Crest flicker beneath his hoodie.
Davis did, though. His eyes widened minutely before a smirk crossed his face, putting his arms behind his head. “So, they’ve always backed you up when things got tough?”
“Oh yeah.” T.K. nodded, while Angemon drop-kicked a Blossomon into Magnamon’s arms, who then supplexed the Ultimate. “Like against Devimon, or when Tai came back and helped me reconnect with Patamon! We beat Myotismon, MetalSeadmon, and now we’ll beat Puppetmon, then the rest of the Dark Masters and save the Digital World!” The glow from the Crest grew brighter and brighter, with Davis’s head whipping between T.K.’s chest and his partner, who was now practically engulfed in yellow light. “But even if everything’s bad and they can’t win, I know Angemon can help! He’s done before and he can do it again!” His smile was as bright as his Crest, which had now become a shimmering orb of light bleeding through his hoodie.
“Uh, dude?” Davis pointed towards T.K.’s chest, which made the blond finally realize what was happening.
“W-wait, what? This is-!” He gasped, pulling out his Digivice as it began to shake and turn yellow. He stared in shock for a moment, before grinning widely, turning to his partner. “ANGEMON!”
“YEAH!” The Champion nodded, flying into the air. “ANGEMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
Magnamon smirked up at the spinning, glowing form of Angemon, before turning to face the crowd of horrified Champions and the last few Blossomon, with all the Rookies having run off or been destroyed earlier. “You guys are screwed. ”
“MAGNAANGEMON!” The Ultimate Angel dropped out of the sky in a three-point landing, before rising to his full height of eleven feet. His top and bottom pairs of wings had folded over, forming what looked almost like a robe and sash over his futuristic armor, while a new pair of large wings sprouted from his back, bringing him up to eight total. A purple, transparent shield covered his left arm, which was covered in black armor from the tips of his fingers to his pectorals, while a helmet made of the same material sat on his head, an iron cross marked upon it while two small wings similar to Angewomon’s extended from the sides. His iron, knee-high greaves dug into the soil as he brought his left arm up and snapped it down, extending a purple, foot and a half long blade from a golden bracelet, while a long yellow scarf with digimoji etched upon it curled around his neck and hung down his back.
“Borrowing my name, huh?” Magnamon crossed his arms with an amused gleam in his eyes.
“Just for now. Though, I guess it’s more a prefix, rather than a proper name.” MagnaAngemon chuckled. “Now, I believe we’ve thinned the numbers enough.”
“No arguments here.” The knight smirked. The two began to glow as they turned to face what remained of Puppetmon’s forces, fists shining as if charging attacks. The plant-like digimon all let out screams of fear, diving for cover to try and avoid the approaching damage, only for the two to suddenly go out like candles in the wind, turning on their heels and grabbing their respective humans.
“See ya!” T.K. waved from MagnaAngemon’s arms, giggling.
“Wouldn’t wanna be ya!” Davis cackled, sticking his tongue out as the pair of digimon flew over the treetops and out of sight.
Lotusmon, who had watched the escape from the second story window, showed no change in her expression. In fact, the only evidence of his displeasure was how her staves creaked under her tightening grasp. She turned, and knelt beside a dejected Puppetmon, who was holding his broken remote and toys. “Pino? Are you alright?”
With a cry that sounded like a broken chainsaw, the wooden Mega threw his arms around the taller digimon’s neck, anger burning in his eyes as tears of oil and sap oozed down his cheeks. “I hate them…” He sniffled. “They’re all a buncha mean bullies!”
“There there.” Lotusmon cooed, patting his back. “What do we do about the bullies?”
“We destroy them!” Puppetmon shouted, leaping away and hefting his hammer. “SISSY, GET THE DOGS!”
“Of course, Master.” Lotusmon bowed, a small smile on her face that promised nothing but agony for the brats who’d hurt her baby brother.
“We’re lost.”
“We’re not lost!”
“We’re totally lost.”
“SHADDUP!” Magnamon twitched, slowly spinning in place as he tried to get his bearings, while MagnaAngemon watched from a few yards away.
“I thought digimon got more grown up when they digivolved?” Davis asked, sitting on the knight’s shoulder pad and holding onto one of his horns.
“Common misconception.” Magnamon waved it away. “Digimon only seem more mature because they’re usually taking a battle seriously. Outside of a fight, however, a Mega is still the same as their Rookie form, just with a different body.”
“You can see it with Gomamon’s evolutions, since he rarely acts serious.” MagnaAngemon chuckled.
Before they could continue, an ear-bursting scream of rage came from the direction of Puppetmon’s mansion. The four froze, glancing at each other and then the distant clearing over a mile away. “That sounded big…” T.K. noted.
Suddenly, five other roars boomed out across the forest near the house, the trees shaking and beginning to fall as some things began to move. “And that sounded like a lot!” Davis agreed, tapping on Magnamon’s shoulder pad. “Should we go?”
“We should go.” Magnamon nodded. “Wings, think you can keep up?”
“I don’t think I have a choice!” The angel shouted as the first of their new foes burst out of the canopy.
“Toropiamon?!” Magnamon gaped, before a second, then a third burst up. Soon, half a dozen of the tropical dragons were in the air, clouds of eye-searingly bright purple and green gas billowing from their maws. “Oh, this really ain’t good!”
“What? What’s the big deal?” Davis asked. “Are they all Megas?”
“No, Ultimates.” Magnamon said, shaking his head. “But just one of those can go up against two Mid-to-High tier Ultimates back to back with no rest, plus that smoke is their greatest weapon. They call it-“
“TROPICAL VENOM!” Six beams of toxic gas blasted towards the two pairs, who only just managed to dodge. Davis and T.K. watched in dread as a tree dissolved after getting barely grazed by a blast, going from a twenty foot tall oak in its prime to little more than soggy mulch in seconds.
“Yeah, that.” Magnamon sighed. “My armor’s tough, but I’ve still got squishy parts that I’d rather not get melted down.
“Sounds like a plan.” MagnaAngemon nodded. “Take off in a random direction on three?”
“Better than sticking around here to get turned into a smoothie!” The knight agreed. “THREE!” In sync the two took off, wings glowing and thrusters burning while their passengers screamed in a mix of panic and exhilaration, followed by the one hundred and sixty foot tall flora-drakes.
“Hey, do you guys hear that?” Kari asked, looking up.
“Hear what?” Izzy asked, everyone pausing on their march through the forest. Silence reigned for what felt like an hour, the group putting their backs towards one another as their eyes scanned the woods in what had become almost second nature. “Tentomon, can you get in the air and look around?”
“On it, Izzy!” The beetle saluted, buzzing into the air, only to nearly be shot down by a glob of pink sludge. “OH GROSS GROSS GROSS!” He shouted, dropping back to the forest floor as over a dozen trash cans hopped out from behind the trees, opening up to revealing slimy pink bodies with jagged teeth and banana peel toupes.
“YOO-HOO!” Puppetmon’s voice called from the top of a nearby tree, where the diminutive Dark Master was sitting on its highest branches. “Hope you like playin’ with my Garbagemon! Consider it payback for what those jerks Davis and T.K. did to my house when they ran off!”
“Told ya they were fine.” Tai snickered, gently slugging Matt in the arm.
“Yeah yeah.” The blond rolled his eyes, yet the tension he’d been carrying since his separation from T.K. bled out of his shoulders at the reveal his brother was safe, though it rapidly returned at Puppetmon’s next words.
“Oh, I wouldn’t call ‘em fine just yet! After all, they’re on the run from my Toropiamon!” Puppetmon grinned cruelly, his eyes burning with hate. “It’s like Tag! Except if they become “It”, they get turned into sludge! But for now, you should really worry about these guys!”
“Oh, CRAPBASKETS!” Gomamon yelped as the sixteen Garbagemon brought their trash bazookas up.
“JUNK CHUCKERS READY AIM FIRE!” More pink sludge fired out, this time mixed with bits of wood and metal, while the Digidestined all screamed and ran off, save one.
“MIMI?!” Palmon gaped as the girl stood firm, glaring at the Garbagemon.
“Veemon was right. I may not want to fight, but I need to fight!” She shouted, grabbing one of the missiles out of the air like a pro baseball player, then throwing it back while her Crest hummed green.
“EW, IT GOT IN MY EYES!” A Garbagemon retched while the other fifteen hopped after the humans and their partners, firing more and more sludge-patties.
“Now’s not really a good time to go all action hero!” Tai and Sora shouted, picking her up by her arms and carrying her off while she kicked and screamed.
“Where’d the others go?!” Matt shouted to Gabumon as a trio of Garbagemon fired at them, the sludge splattering off the trees as they reached the shore of a mist-covered lake.
“No clue! But if these hopping trash bags ruin my coat I’ll be peeved!”
“Then how about a bath?!” Matt grinned, grabbing his partner and pulling him into the water with a yelp.
“Ew!” One Garbagemon grimaced as they stopped at the edge of the shore. “Look at how clean and sparkly that water is!”
“It’s so clear and unpolluted!” The second gagged, none of them noticing the glow from under the surface as the sun reflected off the crystalline lake.
A spout of water burst up, revealing MetalGarurumon in his cybernetic glory. “METAL WOLF CLAW!” The Garbagemon barely had time to scream before they were obliterated.
“Nice shot, Gabu.” Matt smiled tiredly, rubbing his partner’s neck from his spot on the wolf’s back. “Now, let’s get outta here.”
“Leaving so soon?” An elderly voice asked from the mist, which cleared away to reveal a giant tree digimon with a cane and a mustache made of leaves. “Why not rest and listen to what an old Cherrymon like myself has to say?”
“C’MON!” Magnamon shouted, hatches opening and firing back another missile salvo at the pursuing Toropiamon, which was already in the process of falling apart. The Ultimate let out a cry as its data finally dispersed, drifting away in the wind. “That’s one for me!” He shouted, passing by MagnaAngemon as the Angel drew a massive ring in the sky with his own body.
“GATE OF DESTINY!” The glowing ring solidified into a colossal golden disc etched with lines and symbols, which rotated as if being turned by a key. “OPEN!” Along one of the grooves, the disc opened up, revealing a swirling, misty expanse beyond that hummed with power. The three Toropiamon began to back pedal, screaming in fury and fear of the beyond, but only one was able to escape the pull of the Gate. “Close!” The Angel swiped his hand down, and the disc vanished. Turning to the zooming form of Magnamon, he grinned. “That’s two!” T.K. laughed, hands in the air before hugging his partner’s head from behind.
“Oh, who’s keeping track?!” The dragon shouted in return. From the knight’s back, Davis hung onto his collar, feet locked into grooves in his torso’s armor in a koala hold as he tried not to puke from the rapid turns and twists that made even the most intense roller coasters seem like a peaceful wagon ride through the zoo.
From afar, Lotusmon frowned as three of the mansion’s hounds were destroyed. “Clearly I underestimated them…” She hummed, cupping her chin in a dainty hand. “No matter. It’s time to, as Puppetmon would say, “play for keeps”.” She raised her scepters above her head in an X, and watched as they began to glow with dark energy. With a cry, she brought them to aim at the regrouped Toropiamon just as a colossal beam of darkness poured forth, wrapping around the three dragons.
“What is that?!” The Ultimate Angel shouted, staring in shock as their foes suddenly screamed in agony, limbs bursting into data and then reforming in twisted, crude parodies.
“I… I don’t know…” Magnamon shook his head, horrified as the rate of self-destruction and regeneration sped up, until the data of the three Toropiamon began to mix and swirl into a single mass. ‘But this energy… it’s just like Piedmon and MetalSeadramon… what is it?!’
The black cloud exploded outward, blocking the sky completely as the new digimon thrashed about, towering at nearly five hundred feet tall, jaws snapping as acid drooled from between its fangs. A series of massive, telephone pole sized thorns embedded in its chest opened, revealing a glowing purple core that spilled a toxic fog out. “HYDRAMON!” The beast screeched in three separate voices, yellow eyes burning and red-orange frills flaring.
“Well, that’s new!” The knight gaped, before dropping like a stone to avoid a sudden jet of purple and green liquid big enough to fill a swimming pool. “Ok, he kept the acid!”
“How do we fight this thing?!” MagnaAngemon shouted, forming another Gate to act as a shield.
“Good question!” Magnamon yelled back, sending out a burst of Magna Blast lasers to cut another stream to pieces. “I’ll let you know when I figure something out!”
“You mean you don’t know?!”
“Hey, when I said it was new, I meant NEW! ”
“Hey, crazy idea?” Davis offered weakly, cheeks green as he poked his head over Magnamon’s shoulder. “What if we, y’know, found the others for backup?”
The two digimon blinked, then stared at each other dumbfounded. Another jet of acid tore the sky between them, and they took off with a yelp.
“GOOD IDEA!”
“SPLIT UP!”
As they flew away from the three-headed plant Mega, Davis and T.K. looked back, then shared a surprised look at the sluggish, almost non-existent chase Hydramon was putting up.
Izzy held a finger to his lips as he shushed Joe and Kari, the three of them and their digimon huddled in a hiding tree while the sounds of trash cans clanging sounded from outside.
“Anyone seem ‘em?”
“Nah, but I thought I saw a rusty bike!”
“We’re in the middle of the woods, sludge for brains! Why would there be a bike out here?!”
“Could we try sniffing the brats out?” Silence reigned at that suggestion, before one sighed.
“Someone hit him. If I do it, I won’t stop until he’s dead.” There was a loud clang and a shout of pain, before the noises got further and further away.
The six of them sat in silence for a few minutes after that, making sure their hunters had moved on, before sighing in relief, slowly stepping out of the tree and looking around.
“PEPPER BREATH!”
“SPIRAL TWISTER!” The two fire based attacks intercepted a barrage of sludge missiles, lighting them on fire and throwing them back at the half dozen Garbagemon pursuing them.
As the trash-coated digimon gagged and screamed at the sudden onslaught of burning sludge covering their faces and invading their noses, Palmon began to glow. “PALMON DIGIVOLVE TO… TOGEMON!” The boxing cactus slammed her fists together, glaring down at the Garbagemon. “NEEDLE SPRAY! COCONUT UPPER! LIGHTSPEED JABBING!” She blew the smoke off her fist as she turned away, three of her foes covered in needles, two coated in bruises and fist marks, and the last hanging from the branches of a tree, his mandible crooked and turning an ugly purple. “ Never shoot that nastiness near my partner again.” Togemon scowled.
“That’s my girl!” Mimi cheered, running forward and hugging her non-prickly partner. “Let’s show those bullies what happens when they go up against the Digidestined!”
“Man, she wasn’t kidding.” Sora whistled, eyes wide. “Veemon’s whole speech really got through to her.”
“Yeah. It’s… kinda nice…” Tai breathed out, a small grin on his face.
Sora looked over at her longest friend, understanding what he meant. ‘Tai’s been the one to make us all keep going forward through thick and thin. I guess now he’s able to relax and not have to focus so much on that.’ She smiled softly, leaning over and nudging his shoulder with her own. “Now you don’t need to be the bad guy to keep us moving, huh?” Tai’s head snapped towards her, eyes wide with surprise at how easily she read him.
“Sora…” Before he could continue, Mimi cried out in shock.
“WHAT IS THAT?!” She gasped, looking up as a black meteor engulfed in red and green flames ripped through the sky, darkly staining a line across it even after it had passed.m
“I don’t know, but whatever it is…” Tai paused as the object hit the ground much further into the forest, kicking up a bright, ominous flash, before the shockwave rushed over them. After a few moments, Tai lowered his arm from his face, hair swept back a bit from the wave. “…it can’t be good.”
Chapter 7: It's Going Down, We're Yelling Timber!
Summary:
“We’ll do it.” Mimi interrupted, drawing wide eyed stares from everyone. “Me and Lillymon will keep her busy. The rest of you, bring that thing down.”
“Mimi, hold on!” Sora stepped forward, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. “Do you even hear yourself?! Lillymon’s only an Ultimate!”
“I know, Sora.” The pink-adorned girl said softly, a tiny, wobbly smile on her face. “But I’m sick of all the sadness. I’m sick of good, innocent digimon losing their homes and friends because of the Dark Masters. I’m sick of not knowing if the next fight will end with us losing. But most of all, I’m sick of doing nothing! Veemon had it right, Sora. The only way to stop the fighting is to fight! Well, IF THEY WANT TO PICK A FIGHT, THEY’VE GOT ONE!” She turned to Lillymon, tears in her eyes as her Crest and Digivice flared brighter than ever. “Are you with me, Lillymon?!”
Chapter Text
“So, what’s with him?” T.K. tilted his head in confusion, mirrored by his partner as they stared at the curled up and shaking form of Matt, who had tear tracks running down his cheeks. Rather than sorrow as one would expect from his condition, he seemed to be caught in the aftershocks of laughter, the shaking matching suppressed giggles and snickers.
“Some Cherrymon tried to convince Matt that Tai was trying to be a better big brother to you than him, so Tai should be destroyed… or something.” Gabumon sighed. “Honestly it was a stupid plan altogether. I mean, they argue, but at the end of the day they’re still best friends.”
The next thing either of them knew, Matt had wrapped them in his arms, planting a kiss on his brother’s head and pressing his forehead against his partner’s, a much more relaxed look on his face than T.K. had seen in a long while. “I love you guys.” The older blond chuckled, before looking to MagnaAngemon appraisingly. “So, Patamon hit Ultimate.” He said more than asked. “You promise to have T.K.’s back?”
The Angel chuckled, taking a knee before the Bearer of Friendship. “You act like there’s an answer besides “Of course,” Matt.”
“Had to make sure.” The preteen shrugged with a grin. “But can you shrink down to Rookie? It’s already hard hugging these two.” A few moments later, Matt had his arms full of one brother and two digimon on the shore of the lake, a shining crystalline tree made of ice a few yards down.
“We go from hiding from Puppetmon and his goons to hiding from Etemon…” Joe muttered, huddled under a bush as the new metal-plated monkey swung above them, his horrible, off-key Tarzan shouts ringing in his ears.
“Tell me about it…” Ogremon groaned, wincing as he put too much weight on his bad arm. “I might prefer having to be Devimon’s goon over listening to the banana brain.”
“What are we going to do?” Tentomon asked, mandibles chittering nervously. “None of us can hit Mega!”
“WHAT THE-?! HEY, WHO ARE YOU? SECURITY, EIGHTY-SIX THIS GUY!”
“OUTTA OUR WAY!” A pair of voices shouted in sync with a guttural, bestial roar, before the loud clang of metal on metal burst through the woods and MetalEtemon let out a high pitched scream that faded into the distance.
The ragtag group stared at each other in surprise, nervous sweat dripping down their faces as the heavy snuffling of a creature grew closer. “They’re close.” A voice growled, right next to their hiding spot. “I smell ‘em.”
“Any clue which direction?” At the second voice, Joe, Kari, and Izzy’s faces lit up, hopping to their feet while Ogremon yelped in surprise.
“MAGNAMON! DAVIS!” The six grinned, while the knight and his tag-along blinked in surprise.
“What the-?!”
“KARI!” Davis smiled, waving from Magnamon’s shoulder.
“I hate to interrupt, but I sense the monkey’s approach.” The gruff voice growled, drawing their attention to a bipedal lion with brown armor and a massive javelin on his right arm. “We should leave while we can.”
“Right.” Magnamon nodded. “We had the element of surprise this time, but he’ll be expecting opposition if he catches up.”
“Wait, who is this guy? How’d you two meet?! WHAT’S GOING ON?!” Joe shouted, holding his head.
“We ran into him after splitting up from T.K. and MagnaAngemon.” Davis shrugged. “He said he knew you guys.”
“T.K. and who?! ”
“Ok, conversation can wait!” Magnamon interrupted, grabbing the three kids and their partners and putting them on the robotic lion’s shoulders. “Ogremon, can you keep up?” The knight asked, eyeing the Champion’s wounds.
“I may not be a Mega, but I can handle a run through the woods, shiny pants.” Ogremon grinned challengingly, sprinting through a gap in the trees. The group emerged on a wide open plain, and in the distance stood the faint outline of buildings. With no other way to go, they charged forward, kicking up grass and sod in their wake.
Only a few minutes after they had left, MetalEtemon returned, a dent shaped like Magnamon’s knuckles in his chest, but even then it was slowly popping back into its natural shape. “Damn party crasher, ruinin’ my good looks, uh-huh!” He sneered, then smirked as he looked down and grabbed the dirt marked by footprints. “SUPREME!” He chuckled, crushing the chunk of soil. “Time to go on a mean streak!”
“I guess it’s true.” Gomamon said, hopping off the giant’s shoulder and onto a cracked table in what was once Digitamamon’s Diner. “We didn’t really get a chance to see it for ourselves, but if this is in the middle of a city and not by a lake, the Digiworld really has been shuffled up like a deck of cards.”
“Eerily accurate, considering Piedmon’s a clown.” Magnamon hummed. “We should be safe here. At least for the time being.” He knelt by one of the windows and peeked through the blinds down the road they came from, standing guard. His vigil didn’t falter even as the armored beast flashed gold and transformed into the bipedal form of Leomon, who fell to one knee, panting.
“Leomon?!”
“Prodigious!”
“Joe, Izzy, Gomamon, Tentomon.” The honorable Champion nodded with a smile to his old friends. “It’s good to see you all once more, though I wish it were on a better note.” He then turned to Kari, Gatomon, and Davis. “And I see you’ve added new members to your group. Davis I’ve met, but who might you two be?”
“Oh, I’m Kari. Kari Kamiya.” The girl bowed shyly. “And this is Gatomon, my partner. She’s awesome.” The smaller feline stood up straighter in pride at the girl’s words.
“Kamiya, you say? Would you happen to be related to Tai?”
“Yeah, he’s my big brother.”
“I see. It was thanks to Tai that I was freed of Devimon’s control. Next time you see him, would you please pass on my gratitude?”
“Of course!” The girl beamed.
“Speaking of Digivolving, how’d you manage that? It took an ancient prophecy to get Agumon and Gabumon to Mega, and according to Magnamon it takes most Ultimates hundreds, if not thousands of years.” Izzy inquired.
“I believe it to be my exposure to the Digivices.” Leomon offered. “I found myself able to Digivolve not long after Spiral Mountain was formed, however I’ve been unable to decide when the change occurs.”
“Ah, I’ve seen that.” Magnamon nodded, looking over for a moment. “It’ll be a while until it goes from instinct to conscious thought, but considering you have total cognition-” His eyes widened as he froze, getting a feeling in his gut. “Oh, dammit all.”
As if on cue, the roof caved in as five tons of steel ape landed on it, holding his groin in one hand and pointing towards the sky with the other. “UH-HUH, IT’S THE KING, BABEY! Now, where’s that punk who ruined my cast-iron bod?! Time to lay it on the line, cause I’m so fine!”
“Right here, screwball!” Magnamon yelled, vaulting a table and blasting off at the Mega, slamming him through the wall and into the town square beyond. In all the commotion, several Otamamon and Geckomon scrambled out from under the floorboards, yelling their greetings to Joe and Gomamon as they ran for new cover.
“What is going on?!” Tentomon yelped, taking to the air and watching as Magnamon and MetalEtemon began to slug one another in the plaza, neither giving more than an inch. “How come neither of them are falling down?!”
“Hang on…” Izzy muttered, typing away at his laptop. “Ah, I see! Magnamon and MetalEtemon both use Digizoid armor! What we’re looking at is essentially a pair of battleships duking it out in fisticuffs!”
“AND THIS SHIP AIN’T SINKING!” Magnamon yelled, hand glowing. “MAGNA-PUNCH!” His fist slammed into the side of MetalEtemon’s head, cracking his teeth and shattering a lens of his shades to reveal an eye that looked like a vinyl record with digimoji instead of a label.
“Not bad, glow-stick!” MetalEtemon spat a wad of glowing blue data to the side, along with a gold tooth. “NOW TIME FOR THE NIGHT LIGHT TO SAY GOOD NIGHT! NUCLEAR PUNCH!” His chrome fist hummed red with radiation as it embedded itself in Magnamon’s stomach, making the knight double over with a grunt.
“Leomon, get them outta here!” Magnamon ordered, pushing the steel monkey back and kicking him in the chin with a Magna-Kick. “Find the others! I’ll keep Chimp-Chump here busy!”
“Who you callin’ a Chump?!” MetalEtemon shouted, spinning around and driving his heel into the knight’s temple. “Ain’t nobody leavin’ till the show’s over, and baby? WE’RE JUST GETTIN’ STARTED! DARK NETWORK HEAVY METAL!” A bolt of black lightning surrounded by a dark red corona ripped down from the sky, aimed directly at Kari and Davis.
“NO!” Leomon shouted, moving forward, only for someone else to get there first.
“JOE!” Gomamon cried out, hopping as fast as he could as his partner tucked the kids under him, using his own body as a shield.
‘I promised that I’d protect them. I’m the oldest one, after all. That makes them my responsibility.’ Joe closed his eyes, accepting what was coming, and thus didn’t notice Davis shine gold, nor that light to pass through him and into his Digivice, which howled with power.
Gomamon’s eyes widened, fur peeling away to just a gray wireframe as he backflipped. “GOMAMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” The lightning never struck Joe, but instead a titan with snow white fur, shielded shoulders, a viking helmet, and a pair of maces attached by a chain atop a massive sand-colored cloak. “VIKEMON!” The new Mega bellowed, his voice deeper than either of his forms and puffing out wisps of icy mist with every breath. “Call me the Can-Opener, because I’m about to bust open your sorry metal a- butt!”
Everyone stared in awe at the twenty foot tall giant, but while they were stunned into stillness, Vikemon quickly burst into action. “VIKING FLAIL!” He grabbed one of the maces and swung it and its twin like a pair of motorcycle-sized nunchucks, striking MetalEtemon in the chest with a thunderous boom. The monkey screamed in pain as he was sent flying back into a building, chunks of Chrome Digizoid dropping in his wake.
“Gomamon…?” Joe finally found his voice, stepping forward and putting his hand on his partner’s leg.
“What, you expecting Santa Claus?” Vikemon’s laugh was as deep as thunder and as playful as ever. “C’mon, Joe. Let’s welcome him to a jungle he’s never seen before!” He lowered his hand, looking at the blue haired teen. “You in?”
Joe gulped, then nodded. “Always.” He hopped aboard, then hopped off to grab ahold of the helm’s horns. “SHOW HIM WHAT YOU GOT, VIKEMON!”
“You- you think you’re tough?” MetalEtemon grunted, pulling himself out of the ruins, a hand over the gaping, jagged hole in his chest. “YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT THE KING, YOU LITTLE PUNKS?!”
“Well, consider this a coup!” Joe shouted.
“ARCTIC BLIZZARD!” Vikemon punched his fists into the ground, inhaled until his chest was twice the size, then opened his mouth. An explosion of sub-zero air rushed out, frosting the metallic Mega over in an instant, but also racing into his exposed insides. Etemon never even got a chance to give a send-off before he was frozen solid, then burst apart into shining particles of metal and ice data.
“That’s how we do it!” Davis whooped, grabbing Kari and Gatomon and jumping around while Leomon and Ogremon helped the semi-concussed Magnamon to his feet.
“We’re not done yet.” The knight groaned, rubbing the slight dent in the side of his helmet. “We may have finished this battle, but our war here isn’t over. After all, there’s still Hydramon, Lotusmon, and Puppetmon. And if I were a betting ‘Mon…” He turned towards the far off sounds of battle. “That’s exactly where the others are.”
“WHAT IS THIS THING?!” WarGreymon roared, shredding a hole through Hydramon’s chest and popping out the other side, only for vines and roots to immediately patch up the hole left by his claws.
“It calls itself Hydramon!” MagnaAngemon reported, while MetalGarurumon peppered the several hundred foot tall mass of plant matter with rockets and ice attacks. “Somehow three Toropiamon fused and made this thing! Oh, and watch out for acid attacks!”
“ON THE PLUS SIDE,” T.K. shouted up. “IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S SMALLER THAN HE WAS BEFORE!”
“ THIS IS HIM SMALLER?!” Lillymon gaped, darting out of the way of an acid blast. “HE’S THE SIZE OF FUJI STATION!”
“AND BEFORE HE WAS LIKE A HUNDRED FEET BIGGER!”
“Maybe we can work with that.” Tai muttered. “If he’s trading size for staying in the fight, then we can whittle him down, literally!”
“Sounds good to me.” Matt smirked. “You wanna take the high road or the low road?”
“Isn’t there something about how cold air sinks and hot air rises, and when they meet things get dicey?” Tai grinned.
“I like the way you think. METALGARURUMON, HIT THE TOP!”
“WARGREYMON, GO FOR THE ROOTS!”
“HELP THEM OUT, YOU THREE!” Sora shouted to Garudamon, Lillymon, and MagnaAngemon, the former of which was handling the dozens of RedVeggiemon popping out of the dirt like weeds.
“ICE WOLF BITE!”
“TERRA FORCE!”
“WING BLADE!”
“FLOWER CANNON!”
“GATE OF DESTINY, RELEASE!”
A beam of ice struck Hydramon’s main head, while a massive fireball destroyed the ground under it and set fire all around. Between the two extremes, a flame-filled blast of wind, several energy shots, and a ray of Holy Energy tore into Hydramon’s plant flesh. As the hot and cold air was stirred up and mixed, a tornado appeared for only a few moments, but that was enough to fling burning sticks onto the Mega’s back, making the beast smolder and slowly catch fire.
Hydramon screeched as purple “blood” oozed from across its body, filling the valley that it had found itself in and turning it into a giant swamp filled with toxic fumes and poisonous pools. In the blink of an eye, every tree withered and died, becoming twisted husks from the monster’s acid.
“Oh yikes.” Tai grimaced. “Really glad there aren’t environmentalists around, otherwise we’d be in for such a lecture on pollution.”
“I think we can worry about littering later, Tai.” Mimi gulped. “Considering that now he’s looking right at us!”
It was true. The now three hundred foot tall Mega was glaring at the group of children on the hill top, spurred on by the whispers in its ears.
‘Get them, my dear.’ Lotusmon’s voice crooned, urging the behemoth onward. ‘They bring pain unto you, so bring destruction unto them. Show the humans their folly in making an enemy of Puppetmon’s Household.’
What none of them noticed was the large brown and gold blur racing around the perimeter of the swamp, while a golden sparkle held a large white blob high in the sky over Hydramon.
Nearly half a mile above the bog of poison, Magnamon held onto Vikemon’s arms, with the furry Mega hanging below. “You ready?” The knight called to his passenger.
“Drop it like it’s hot!” Vikemon whooped, then let out a deep and loud laugh as he went into free fall, grabbing his bludgeons from his back as he streaked towards the giant form of Hydramon like a fuzzy meteor. “COME ON, YOU OVERGROWN DANDELION! LET’S TUSSLE, SPROUT!”
“Well, he’s taken to his new form like a Betamon to water.” Magnamon sighed to himself, before chasing after Vikemon as a golden comet. “LET’S GO!”
Vikemon slammed onto the top of Hydramon’s main head feet first, then brought his maces down onto its skull. The combined force was enough to completely compress the plant Mega’s already weakened neck, leaving no space between the head and the body as he continued beating it like a drum. As that happened, Magnamon began to rip through the plant with Magna Blasts, now much more confident in their odds, especially without having to worry about a soft and fragile passenger on his back.
“YOU GUYS GONNA JUST STAND THERE?” He shouted, rocketing by the five digimon who had already been present. “OR DO YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS ACTION?” They blinked, dumb-founded, before grinning- or the closest Garudamon’s beak and the two helmeted Mega’s could- eagerly.
“They’re winning !” Puppetmon screamed from his tree branch, looking down at Lotusmon. “You said Hydramon was unstoppable! That they’d lose for sure! Why aren’t they losing?!”
“I’ll admit, I was planning on that old fool Cherrymon’s scheme to bear fruit and drive a wedge between two of their strongest fighters, and I most certainly wasn’t anticipating them acquiring a third Mega.” She gracefully rose from her seat atop a large toadstool, setting down her teacup. “If you’ll allow me a bit more of your power, I can-“
“Yeah yeah.” Puppetmon waved her off, tendrils of dark fog going from his hand to cover her body and seep into her very Digicore, staining her white clothes pitch black. “Just make sure they all lose!”
“Of course, Pino.” Lotusmon bowed, then vanished in a swirl of rainbow colored petals. If she stayed for a moment longer, perhaps she would have seen the worried look he sent her, glancing between where she was and the falling apart Hydramon.
“Be careful…”
“Nice of you guys to join the party!” Vikemon belly laughed. “I thought I was gonna be the only one beating this guy into mulch! It’s like Whack-A-Mole!” As if summoned, a trio of small heads popped up, only to be beaten back one strike after another. “SEE?”
“Oh we see it!” WarGreymon chuckled. “We also see you got yourself a new form!”
“Heck yeah, Mon! And all it took was Joe jumping in front of Etemon’s Dark Network to protect Kari and Davis!”
“IT TOOK JOE DOING WHAT?!”
“ Tell you about it later!” Vikemon snickered, then let out a surprised “Oomph!” as a vine the size of his body punched him off Hydramon’s back and clear of the swampy valley entirely.
The vine thrashed and split, then wove itself back together, then split apart, again and again, until it took the form of a massive green Lotusmon, but rather than a head, the true Lotusmon stood atop the shoulders of the construct. “By order of Puppetmon, master of these woods, PLAYTIME IS OVER! ” She raised her arms in the air, mirrored by her avatar, and the forest suddenly came alive as vines warped to be covered with jagged, saw-like thorns and end with giant Venus flytrap maws.
“REGROUP!” WarGreymon shouted, barely moving his arm out of the way in time to avoid his bicep getting sliced to pieces.
“I’ll get Vikemon!” Magnamon yelled, darting over to the crater in the hillside, where the Arctic Mega was slowly pulling himself out.
“She sucker-punched me!”
“Well, we did sucker-punch Hydramon first.”
“…shaddup with your logic.” The fur covered raider grumbled as he lifted his arms and let Magnamon carry him to the other digimon, who were now joined by Angewomon and MegaKabuterimon as they waited next to the kids, as well as HeavyLeomon, Ogremon, and a handful of Geckomon and Otamamon.
“I see you all met up.” Magnamon smirked, seeing the normally stoic lion purr under the pets and scratches from most of the other children.
“Yep. It was honestly pretty funny how they reacted.” The beetle snickered.
“Focus up, guys.” Matt said. “We’re up against a massive, poisonous, mon-eating jungle controlled by a witch. Anyone got ideas beyond blasting it to kingdom come?”
“Hey, it’s always worked in the past!” Tai offered, smirking. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
“He’s got a point.” Garudamon shrugged. “The issue would be Lotusmon. If she’s able to put any of us in a trance like she did to Davis, then we could end up turning on one another.”
“Then one of the digimon needs to keep her distracted while the rest go for the jungle.” Izzy summarized. “It’d be best for a Mega to do so, since-“
“We’ll do it.” Mimi interrupted, drawing wide eyed stares from everyone. “Me and Lillymon will keep her busy. The rest of you, bring that thing down.”
“Mimi, hold on!” Sora stepped forward, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. “Do you even hear yourself?! Lillymon’s only an Ultimate!”
“I know, Sora.” The pink-adorned girl said softly, a tiny, wobbly smile on her face. “But I’m sick of all the sadness. I’m sick of good, innocent digimon losing their homes and friends because of the Dark Masters. I’m sick of not knowing if the next fight will end with us losing. But most of all, I’m sick of doing nothing! Veemon had it right, Sora. The only way to stop the fighting is to fight! Well, IF THEY WANT TO PICK A FIGHT, THEY’VE GOT ONE!” She turned to Lillymon, tears in her eyes as her Crest and Digivice flared brighter than ever. “Are you with me, Lillymon?!”
The Ultimate didn’t even have to think twice before grinning, pumping her fist. “Always, Mimi!” The connection stabilized, and Lillymon became a wireframe of green as her petal wings wrapped around her body. “LILLYMON MEGA-DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” Her wings opened up again, having turned into a wide cape, while the flower atop her head moved down to cover her eyes and bloom from a bud to a full rose. Her pink dress became a red body suit that exposed her stomach, while her sleeves became bicep-length red gloves and her boots extended to mid-thigh and became black. Thorny vines wrapped around her arms and generous bust, and golden yellow hair hung down the back of her cape, tied near the end with a bundle of roses. “ROSEMON!” The nine foot tall woman shouted.
“Well I guess today’s just another Mega Evolution day, huh?!” Vikemon laughed over the stunned silence.
“Oh my gosh, Rosemon!” Mimi squealed, leaping forward and hugging her partner around the waist. “You’re so pretty!”
“It’s all thanks to you, Mimi.” Her ruby red lips quirked in a smile, before turning to the other digimon. “I’ve got the witch.”
“Uh, right.” WarGreymon nodded, then nodded again with conviction. “Right! Ok, let’s do this! Leomon, Ogremon, stay here and guard the kids!” While blasts of energy and elements assaulted the body of Hydramon, Rosemon flew towards the top of the avatar’s body, glaring at the other flower lady when she reached it. No words were spoken between them as they stared one another down, the time for talk having long passed.
“ROSE SPEAR!” Rosemon suddenly lunged forward, one of the vines on her arms extendings and turning into a rigid, barbed rapier aimed for Lotusmon’s chest.
“SERPENT RUIN!” The purple skinned Mega’s caduceus hummed, before firing a black aura at her attacker. Rosemon paused her advance, then leapt up,the lance turning loose while her other arm’s vine extended into a pair of whips.
“DANGER THORN!” She lashed her weapons in an X shape, and sent dozens of razor sharp thorns racing out at Lotusmon, who only barely managed to raise one of the avatar’s arms in time to act as a shield.
“She’s so cool…” MegaKabuterimon sighed from over a hundred feet below, only to get quickly whacked on the back of the head by Magnamon.
“Eyes on the prize, not her!” The knight warned, diving out of the way from one of the remaining heads spewing a stream of acid.
“On the plus side, it’s definitely smaller!” MagnaAngemon noted with a grin.
“Yeah, but the bad news is the more we tear into it, the more acid it pumps out! Pretty soon this entire place will be one big lake of nasty!” Garudamon pointed towards the edges of the bowl-like valley, where the level of toxic liquid had notably risen since the battle began. “If we want to stop this thing, we have to do it now!”
WarGreymon flew forward, looking up towards the top of the creature. “ROSEMON, FINAL PUSH!”
“ON IT!” She shouted back, before turning to glare at Lotusmon. “It’s time for you to go! FORBIDDEN TEMPTATION!” The Tiferet jewel affixed to her cape and acting as a clasp over her sternum flashed pink and green, before that glow spread over her entire body, leaving her as an almost ethereal being made of rosy light. Several roses, each the size of a truck tire, manifested around her in a ring, aiming at Lotusmon.
Puppetmon’s subordinate stared in silent horror at the approaching attack, and tried lifting the giant’s arms to block the blow, only for nothing to happen. She looked down, and her fear mounted upon seeing that the rest of her foes had pruned her Hydramon down to just a single trunk, with the extra heads and limbs being ripped apart by raw strength or long range attacks. She lifted her head in time for the roses to begin firing a barrage of energized pollen, striking her again and again, before knocking her off her perch and towards the acid below. Out of the corner of her eye, for only a split second before she struck the surface of the lake, she saw Puppetmon, eyes wide as his strongest servant and closest confidant fell. ‘I… I’m sorry, Pino…’ She thought, her strength fading, just before she went under and rose to the top as particles.
“NO!” Puppetmon screamed, slamming his hammer onto a RedVeggiemon’s head and pulverizing it. “NO NO NO!” He howled, striking again and again on his soldiers. “THIS ISN’T HOW THE GAME WORKS! I’M SUPPOSED TO WIN! I CAN’T LOSE! THIS IS MY FOREST, MY GAME, MY RULES!”
“Well we decided to change the rules.” Puppetmon whirled around, shaking in fear as he stared at the digidestined and their partners, as well as that brat Davis and that goody-goody knight, Magnamon.
“New rule: Good guys win, bad guys lose.” Tai smirked, crossing his arms. “Now you’re all alone. No more hiding behind minions.”
“That’s not true! I’ve still got… uhm…” His head darted around, only for ice to fill his body as he realized they were right. There was no more backup, no more servants to throw in their path so he could escape. He truly was alone.
“What’s that power you and the other Dark Masters have?” Magnamon interrogated, stomping forward. “Where’d you get it from?” He growled, grabbing the small Mega by the straps of his overalls and lifting him up. “TALK!”
Puppetmon hissed, glaring back at the knight. “SOAK YOUR HEAD! DRILL NOSE!” His metallic nose suddenly extended outwards, jabbing Magnamon in the eye. The blue scaled knight shouted in pain, hands covering the wound, while Puppetmon fell to the ground and quickly struck him in the knee with his hammer. “PUPPET PUMMEL!” Magnamon dropped to one knee, and Puppetmon raised his hammer with a demented giggle, an unhinged gleam in his eyes as he prepared to bring it down on the knight’s head, eyes glowing yellow and his body radiating a dark energy. “BUH-BYE!” He crowed, then froze with a choked gasp. He slowly looked down, and watched as the glowing purple energy blade was pulled from his back. He creakingly turned his head, and met T.K.’s glare, standing next to MagnaAngemon.
“It’s over. No one will ever be hurt by you again!” Puppetmon fell to his knees as WarGreymon and Rosemon helped Magnamon up, then fell forward onto his front, his body pixelating as deletion set in.
‘I… I don’t get it… Cherrymon, what’d they have that I didn’t…?’ He thought softly, recalling the Ultimate’s words of warning before he had set off for the lake.
‘They had each other, through thick and thin.’ The voice of Cherrymon echoed softly, though Puppetmon wasn’t sure if it was his mind playing tricks on him, or the actual spirit of the tree. All he did know was he felt Lotusmon pick him up and hug him, muttering that things would be all right.
‘I’ll see ya soon… big sis…’ His gears creaked to a halt and his body fell apart into particles.
Tai turned to Leomon and Ogremon, posture tense. “You two gather any digimon you can find and get them off Spiral Mountain! The forest is about to come crashing down!”
“Right!” Ogremon nodded, turning to the Geckomon and Otamamon and urging them down towards the proper digital world.
“Wait, the voice…” Kari blinked, turning and walking into the woods, unnoticed.
“Kari?” Gatomon asked, following behind her worriedly
“What about you?” Leomon asked, kneeling before the children. “Surely you don’t intend to continue the battle so soon!”
“We have to.” Matt shrugged, stepping forward. “It’s our mission to wrap this up.”
“And no one will stand in our way of saving this world.” Mimi nodded.
“I hate to cut in, but we should probably go!” Joe yelped. “I don’t wanna know what happens to humans when they’re on a chunk of digital ground that suddenly drains away!”
“He’s right.” Izzy nodded. “We need to move.” He pointed towards the distant skyline of what looked to be a city. “Our next foe lies ahead.”
“Then let’s get to work!” Tai cheered, raising his fist and joined by the others in the party, only for Davis to look around.
“Wait, where’s Kari?”
They found her less than a minute later sitting on a fallen log, seemingly talking to no one as Gatomon sat in her lap. “...and then it turned out Wizardmon was actually a knight called Dynasmon, and- oh, hi Tai!” She smiled, waving to her brother as he ran over.
“KARI!” He dropped to his knees and looked her over. “You’re ok? Why’d you walk off again?”
“I heard the voice again.” She explained with a small smile, pointing upwards towards a beam of light that was peeking through the dark canopy.
“The… voice?” Patamon blinked, looking over to Gabumon, who shrugged.
Veemon looked up at the beam, which seemed to sparkle like crystal the longer he stared at it. “Kari, this voice.” He addressed her, not looking away from the light. “What does it sound like?”
The girl hummed, putting a finger on her chin as she thought it over, while the others began to fidget. “Do we really have time for this?” Sora asked worriedly. “The forest’s giving out on us!”
“Just humor me.” Veemon requested, turning to look at Kari directly. “The voice, Kari. Can you hear it? Does it see us?”
Kari opened her mouth, then flinched, grabbing her Crest as it began to glow bright white. There was a shining flash of light, and suddenly the small grove was empty, just seconds before the entire forest fell away.
“Where are we?!”
“What’s going on?!”
“Kari are you ok?!”
“What is that thing?!”
“No way…” Veemon breathed, the chatter of the rest of the group flowing over him as he stared at the only other entity in the endless white void. A crystalline statue, covered in cracks, with a feminine face, and two long, curtain-like wings hanging from her back.
‘Hello, Digidestined. Hello, Magnamon.’
The voice of a woman seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, and while the humans and digimon stared in trepidation, Veemon dropped to one knee, his fist planted against the invisible floor while he crossed his left arm over its respective thigh, bowing his head and closing his eyes.
“King Drasil.” He breathed out reverently.
‘We have much to discuss, but not much time to do so.’ The God of the Digital World spoke. ‘In this world, there is a balance of darkness and light. However, digimon born of the dark are more susceptible to the things that call the shadows home. When such digimon cause the darkness to run rampant and swallow the light, harmony is destroyed.’ Shadows suddenly burst from under their feet, wrapping around the glowing white plane and casting it into midnight.
“So we need to just find the switch and hit the lights. Easy.” Tai summarized.
“Hang on, Tai.” Sora squinted, grabbing his arm. “Do you see that?” She pointed into the abyss, where small lights began to twinkle into existence. Soon, they were all staring at a perfect recreation of a Tokyo residential apartment zone. “It looks just like…”
“Highton View Terrace…”
‘Indeed. The first instance of a true Gate opening between the Digital Divide, brought about by a battle between two Megas that carried on from one life to the next.’ There was a brief flash, showing a massive bird digimon in gold and black armor, locked claw-to-claw with a WarGreymon, though this one was around eighty feet tall and much more bestial and sharp, his armor more jagged lumps of carved steel rather than polished plates. As quickly as the image appeared, it vanished, and suddenly they were on the street, watching as a giant red-orange Greymon grappled with a green, yellow, and red bird with a metal plate on its skull.
“That’s Parrotmon.” Veemon gestured to the bird. “And the armored one was Eaglemon, its evolved form.”
“I remember this…” Tai muttered, his brow furrowing. “If Greymon’s here, then I should be…” He looked down the street to the left, where a little boy in blue pajamas was covering a toddler in a pink onesie with his body.
Drasil nodded their crystalline body as beams of light shot down from above, illuminating several balconies around the street as well as the young Tai and Kari while Greymon and Parrotmon rose into the Gate. ‘It was this night that you eight were Chosen. Out of the dozens of children watching that battle, only your values and personalities resonated with the eight Crests. But to wield the power of the Crests, you could not have just any digimon. Only the strongest and bravest warriors would do.’ The group suddenly lifted off, rising into the Gate after Greymon and Parrotmon.
They found themselves in a wasteland, clouds of dust and flashes of light streaking through the dark sky while the sounds of battle rang out all around them. “WHOA!” Tai shouted, grabbing Kari and Davis and pulling them away from a charging digimon that looked like some sort of armored bull. “Where are we?! What’s going on now?!”
‘This is the Digital World, nearly seven thousand years ago in Digital World time, or five years ago in the Atomic Clock. You may wish to step back.’ They all shared confused glances, but did as requested. Just in time, too, as half a dozen giants charged past, kicking up dust as the gloom covered their features, yet the outlines of WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, Rosemon, and Vikemon were easy to see.
“Is that… us ?” Gabumon gaped, joined by Agumon, Gomamon, and Palmon, as the Megas moved with a grace and confidence that they could only dream of.
“Then those would be…” Tentomon pointed towards what looked like a giant, three horned beetle and a four-winged bird with over a dozen streamer-like tails.
“Us…” Biyomon finished, as a beam of gold and purple lightning speared out from the beetle’s horns and explosive sparkles rained from the bird’s wings, mixing with Arctic Blizzard, Forbidden Temptation, Metal Wolf Claw, and Terra Force, swallowing the world in an explosion of energy.
When the light faded, they were all inside a chamber with stone brick walls, while generators and all kinds of large machines and pipes crafted an intricate labyrinth, while figures in white and brown robes turned dials and pulled levers. “Whoa.” Matt whistled, looking around. “From firefight to factory, huh?”
‘Yes. We’re now just over six months into the past by Earth’s time.’
“Prodigious!” Izzy said, typing at his laptop and taking as many pictures as he could with its camera. “The technology at work here is similar to the type in Andromon’s factory, yet more archaic.”
“Hey, look at this!” Davis waved from what looked like a glass display case, hands over his eyes as he peeked into it. “There’s some crazy lookin’ eggs!”
“And Crests and Digivices, too!” T.K. gasped as he ran over ahead of everyone else. “Look, there’s mine! It’s stuck to the egg that looks like…” He trailed off in realization. “Patamon’s…”
“Those aren’t just any Digieggs…” Gatomon breathed out, eyes wide as she stepped forward to look at a pale pink one with magenta circles. “They’re us. ”
One by one, the eight digimon took their place in front of their respective eggs, staring at them in awe.
“Give ‘em a minute.” Veemon whispered to the confused children, waving them back a few feet. “It’s usually impossible for digimon to see their egg. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Izzy, who had glanced away as he gave his partner and the other digimon time to examine their first stage of existence, suddenly gasped and ran over to a three foot tall cylinder of hewn stone. “I don’t believe it!” He ran his finger along the etchings of a lion, centaur, and monkey at the top edge of a three-by-three square. “This is from Myotismon’s castle!”
“And there’s the gate!” Sora pointed to the iron doors, which had blended in behind the machinery.
“This is unreal…” Tai slowly turned in a circle, looking around before stopping on Drasil, who had floated silently as they explored. “Hold on, you said that our digimon were picked specifically for us, and then showed a Vikemon talking to Gennai. Are you saying that was our Gomamon?”
‘Correct, Taichi Kamiya.’ Drasil inclined their avatar forward in a nod. ‘Several thousand years ago, a great conflict tore through the Digital World between those who would maintain the Balance, and those who had fallen victim to the whispers of the void. Both sides were evenly matched, for pure light is just as blinding as the darkest abyss, and in their wisdom, the forces of Balance called upon guardians from across the digital world, each tasked with the defense of their sector and kin. Together, the champions managed to push the army of the wicked back into the shadows, sealing them away with the power of the Virtues.’
“Well that explains them.” Patamon floated up, wings flapping. “But what about ours?” He pointed to his egg and Gatomon’s egg, the only ones who hadn’t been shown with the others charging against the forces of evil.
‘All will be explained when the time comes.’ Drasil brought their hand up and rubbed it on the bat-winged hamster’s cheek. ‘The Crests you bear now are concentrated versions of the original ones, carved eons ago by some of the first digimon. Your Digivices were each tuned to resonate specifically with a Crest and your biological data, creating not just a bridge between human and digimon, but also an ancient artifact of the digital world. This bridge allows your digimon to achieve forms that would otherwise take decades to reach.’ Drasil turned to face each child one by one, their Crests glowing as they spoke the names. ‘Courage. Love. Sincerity. Knowledge. Reliability. Friendship. Hope. Light. These eight Crests are just as much a part of the digital world’s laws of nature as gravity is on Earth, and together, they’re able to perform Miracles and fight back the evil that lurks in the shadows.’
“Like what happened against VenomMyotismon?” Matt asked, stepping forward. “First T.K. and Kari- or Hope and Light- sent power to Tai and Me- Courage and Friendship- which let Agumon and Gabumon hit Mega, then near the end of the fight all our digivices tied him up for MetalGarurumon, WarGreymon, and Magnamon to take him out?”
‘You understand fully, Yamato Ishida.’ Drasil tilted forward in a nod. ‘Alone, you are strong. Together, you’re unstoppable.’ All at once, they recalled Piximon’s final words to them.
“The knight gets it, yep yep.” Piximon nodded, a bit sadly. “You must go on without me. But know that once you find the source of your power, you’ll be unstoppable!” He flew out of the sphere, turned, and struck it with his spear, launching it over the horizon.
“Our teamwork…” Joe breathed out, looking around the circle. “That’s the source of our strength!”
“But it won’t do much against the Dark Masters at this stage.” Veemon interrupted, stepping forward. “They were able to obliterate the Royal Knights, and Piedmon was able to overpower one of my strongest attacks like he was swatting a Flymon. My King,” He turned to the crystal form of Drasil, kneeling. “They carry a power I haven’t seen before. If they were able to best the Knights, what chance do a handful of novice Megas stand?”
‘Come now, Magnamon.’ Drasil admonished the dragon, voice gentle yet stern. ‘You carry many things. An oath, a burden, and your honor, but what you carry most prominently is your armor, marked by the symbol of fortune. Have faith, my knight, and all shall be set right in the end.’
Suddenly, the door of the chamber was blasted open, and several ghostly machine digimon stomped inside, some rounded and brown while others were boxy and grey. “Guardromon and Mechanorimon!” Izzy shouted, glancing at his computer as the robed beings screamed and began to run about, only to swiftly get knocked to the ground by explosions and laser blasts.
“Oh crapbaskets…” Tai gulped. “Piedmon’s here this far back?!” He shouted, pointing towards the see-through Mega as he approached the case of Digieggs.
“CLOWN TRICK!” Piedmon laughed, pressing a hand against the glass and making liquify and splash like it was water.
“He’s going for the Crests!”
“Not just those!” Agumon corrected, eyes wide as the Clown raised a pair of swords, eyes burning as he prepared to bring them down onto Palmon and Gabumon’s eggs.
“First the six champions, then the Celestials, and then the Royal Knights!” He cackled. “Soon, NONE SHALL STAND IN OUR WAY!”
“Get away from them!” One of the figures leapt in front of the case, wielding a katana.
“Gennai.” Piedmon’s mouth pursed, glaring at the man as he lowered his blades. “You’re here sooner than expected, but you’re here nonetheless.” The Mega sighed, then smirked cruelly as he leapt up, avoiding Gennai’s sword, and shoved a pitch black marble into his back. Gennai cried out in pain, then grit his teeth and dove to avoid a Mechanorimon. He clambered up its back, prying open the glass dome atop its body with his katana, and jumped in, quickly taking control of the machine. He scooped up the eight eggs, cradling them to the Champion’s chest, and took off, bursting through the ceiling as the Guardromon opened fire. “FOLLOW HIM, FOOLS!” Piedmon shouted. “Don’t let him out of your sight!”
Drasil lifted into the air, taking the time-displaced group with him. They followed, flinching as missiles and lasers passed through their bodies, and watched as one got a lucky hit on Gennai’s exo-suit, knocking it about and sending an egg falling to the forest below. “THAT’S MINE!” Gatomon cried, moving as if to dive for it, only for Kari to grab her and hug her tight while the pink egg vanished under the canopy. “That’s why I was alone…” She sniffled, tears running down her cheeks.
“But you’re not alone anymore!” Agumon smiled toothily as he doggy-paddled next to her, making her chuckle and wipe her eyes.
“No, I guess not…”
“File Island, dead ahead!” Gomamon shouted, pointing to the towering spire of Infinity Mountain.
“Here’s our stop!” Joe said as they landed outside a cave in the woods, where Gennai set the eggs down.
‘Gennai soon departed, worried that if he stayed, Piedmon would track him down once more and destroy the eggs. Time passed, and soon…’ The orange egg with blue clouds suddenly shook, then cracked open, revealing a fuzzy black cat head with yellow eyes.
“Oh hey, it’s me!” Agumon grinned, dropping to his front to stare his past self in the eye. One after another, the other eggs hatched, and soon the babies were bouncing out of the cave and into the sun, Digivices held in their mouths.
“I remember this.” Biyomon smiled, sitting down as the babies bounced their respective devices off their heads in a game of Keepy-Uppy. “It felt like forever waiting for Sora.”
“Or Mimi.”
“Or Joe!”
“You guys were impatient! I could handle waiting for Izzy just fine!”
“Oh really? Because I remember a few nights where you were rehearsing your introduction to him!” The other File Island Digimon laughed, nudging Tentomon as he blushed in embarrassment, while the babies became In-Training.
“We didn’t know if you guys would ever come.” Patamon admitted, turning to the humans with a smile. “Then, you did!” The digivices bounced a bit higher than usual, and kept going up, up, up, fading into the wild blue yonder. After a minute, the digivices began to come back down, but this time, there were humans holding onto them and screaming. All seven In-Trainings watched with growing smiles and brightly sparkling eyes as their partners approached, scattering to meet up with them.
‘And you all know the story from here.’ Drasil said as the group floated into the sky, watching as the In-Trainings digivolved to Rookie to battle Kuwagamon. ‘All that remains is how the tale ends. I can only hope that you all succeed.’
“My King, you’re talking like you won’t be around for it.” Veemon gulped, shifting his weight nervously. “Are you implying…?”
‘When the Dark Masters attacked, my physical form was gravely damaged.’ Drasil explained with a weary sigh. ‘What you see before you is what remains of my power. Once you all leave here, I may not be able to aid you as much as either of us would like. Luckily, there still remains enough power in my core to aid you on your journey.’ Drasil lifted up into the air, shimmering every color of the rainbow as the cracks began to grow larger and more pronounced, entire chunks of crystal falling away. ‘I will transport you to Machinedramon’s City. Seek out the destroyer, deep under the ground. He will be able to help you on your quest.’ The cracks spread more and more, reaching Drasil’s face, and making the serene, peaceful expression look like it had a smile. ‘Go now, Digidestined. With my Knights gone, the Digital World turns to you for protection.’ The crystal exploded into a storm of prismatic sparkles, which began to swirl around the children. ‘And Magnamon, my loyal Knight, remember your oaths, shoulder your burdens, uphold your honor, and wear your armor with pride in the defense of the children, but never, never forget that under it all, lies a heart even purer than your armor.’
‘Drasil, I promise, I’ll be better. A better ally, a better fighter… a better Knight.’ Veemon nodded, eyes closed as the wind whipped around the group, who shouted in surprise. When it finally died down, they were stunned to see themselves on a huge suspension bridge, overlooking a city with towering skyscrapers, massive cargo ships at port, and streets lined with cars on the curbs.
“No way…”
“We made it.”
“Is that America!”
“I guess you’ll fit in, huh?” Davis snickered, nudging Veemon, who blinked back at him in confusion.
“Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you know, since you’ve got a New York accent and all!”
“I dunno what you’re talkin’ ‘bout, pally.” Veemon hummed, walking towards the city with his hands behind his head, hiding a snicker as Davis ran after him, followed by the others.
“Oh come on, it just got even stronger!”
Chapter 8: Robot Riot
Summary:
“SIR, WE JUST LOST CONTACT WITH PATROL SQUAD DELTA-BRAVO-NINER-!”
“Cease your babbling and get to the point.” Machinedramon hissed.
“R-right!” The Kokuwamon gulped, turning back to the console and pulling up a video. “This is the last log provided by Mamemon-1823!” He hit play, and the video began.
It started normal enough, with fifty or so Metal Empire digimon marching in perfect rows down the streets, before suddenly the Tankmon on the front lines were frozen solid, then shattered into particles. Chaos descended upon the ranks, the camera blurring as attacks were thrown and orders were shouted, then countered on all sides. The Mamemon turned just in time to see a titanic behemoth, shrouded in heavy, frozen fog that left it only as a dark silhouette, save its icy blue blue eyes that seemed to glow as it raised its maces up. The last thing the video recorded was the Mamemon’s terrified reflection in the heads of the bludgeons as they were brought down on it, freezing at the second just before impact.
Chapter Text
“Okay, let’s run through our to-do list.” Tai said, uncapping a dry erase marker in the grocery store meeting room they’d broken into and slept in. “First up, we have to take out Machinedramon, duh.”
“That’s our main goal, but there are also smaller steps leading up to it.” Izzy nodded, while the digimon- and youngest kids- all chowed down on snacks they’d managed to find in the store. “For example, Drasil mentioned a “Destroyer” underground that could give us a hand.”
“Any of you guys know what that could be?” Sora asked, turning to the digimon. “Veemon? You know a lot more than the rest of us when it comes to recognizing digimon.”
The draconic rookie looked up, snout smeared with chocolate, then gulped the candy down. “Underground destroyers? Ehhh… I can think of a couple, but they don’t really fit the bill for “sewer dwellers”, y’know? Gogmamon prefer mountain caves because it’s easier to get ore, Drimogemon aren’t high enough up the ladder to be “destroyers”. Could be a LoaderLeomon, though. They’re usually employed for making tunnels, but that’s buildin’, not destroyin’…” He hummed, then shrugged. “Yeah, I got nothin’. Sorry, kids.”
“Well, I guess that would make things too easy if we knew what to look for…” Tai sighed, putting a large question mark next to “Destroyer” on the whiteboard.
“We also need to find out where Machinedramon set up shop.” Matt mentioned, sitting backwards in his chair with his arms across the top of the backrest. “Unless we want to keep poking the nest until he comes out to face us himself.”
“That might not be a bad call.” Joe offered. “Gomamon and Palmon both need to practice with their Mega forms now that they aren’t running off instinct. What better way than handling Machinedramon’s goons?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Mimi worried. “After all, MetalSeadramon and Puppetmon tried to take the fight to us right away.”
“Call it a hunch.” Joe admitted. “I’m just thinking back to how he attacked us back when we first encountered the Dark Masters. He waited for Angemon to make a move before hitting us.”
“Don’t remind me…” Patamon grumbled, rubbing his chest.
“He was more reactive…” Izzy muttered, nodding as he began to follow Joe’s line of thinking. “Good call, Joe! He’s likely more logical, and thus plans things out farther than “Find the Digidestined!” That means as long as we keep our cards close to our chest, we’ll be safe for now.”
Tai looked to the board, tapping his chin in thought, before nodding. “Right, how about we divide and conquer? Matt, can you two take the little kids and go underground to look for the Destroyer? Since MetalGarurumon’s one of our smallest Megas, he’d be able to move around better, and they could ride on him if you need to run. While you guys do that, the rest of us can keep Machinedramon’s army busy, and if worst comes to worst and the big toaster himself shows up, we have the Dramon Destroyers.”
“You got it.” Matt nodded, before turning to Kari, T.K. And Davis with a grin. “Who wants to go on a field trip?”
As they cheered, Veemon’s eyes had unfocused, staring blankly at the floor in thought. “Dramon…” Veemon muttered, setting his fifth chocolate bar down.
“Vee?” Davis looked over, nudging him. “You good?”
“H-huh?” He looked up, a bit startled, before shaking his head. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just… suddenly got a feeling in my gut. I’ll tell ya later.”
The littles waved down the alley behind the store as Tai, Sora, Izzy, Mimi, and Joe headed deeper into the city. “Do you think they’ll be alright?” Kari asked once they were out of sight.
“You kidding? Of course they will.” Matt smiled. “You remember what Drasil said, don’t ya? Our strength is our teamwork.”
“Yeah but now they’re going at it with just over half our team.” Gatomon pointed out as she and Veemon lifted a manhole cover. “That means just over half our strength.”
“You know, for being the twin of Hope, you can be a bit of a downer sometimes, Angelface.”
“And you sure seem to want me to beat you up if you keep calling me that.”
“Wait, what do you mean, ‘twin’?” Patamon asked, flapping over. “Does that mean you know where our Digieggs came from?”
“Talk on the way.” Matt requested, hopping onto the ladder and beginning to descend. “We’ve got an entire city to check out, which means a lot of walking and a lot of free time.”
“…fine.” Veemon sighed, waiting for the others to climb down, then slid the two inch thick disc of steel over his head as he vanished underground.
Above the store’s back door, unnoticed by all, a security camera with a blinking red light caught the entire scene.
“Movement in sector M-3! Targets Blue, Pink, and Yellow have gone underground!”
“Orange, Red, Purple, Green, and Grey are staying on the surface! They’ve left sight of our cameras, but it looks like they were headed down Broadway to the Washington Monument!”
“What about the Unknown Variable?”
“Eh, fuggedaboutit!”
“Silence.” Machinedramon growled, interrupting the Haguramon and Kokuwamon under his command. “You will continue to monitor the Digidestined, as well as the Royal Knight and his pet human. There are still too many uncertainties at play to make a move now.” He shifted in his command throne, which was perfectly crafted to fit his body, to the point it looked more like he was a gunmetal grey head emerging from a block of steel.
“YESSIR, LORD MACHINEDRAMON SIR!”
“Is that Big Ben?!”
“Well it’s big, but why would a clock tower be named Ben?” Palmon scratched her head. “Is that one named Jenny?” She asked, pointing at the distant form of the Eiffel Tower, which was next to the Taj Mahal.
“We really need to give you guys a crash course on Earth once everything’s wrapped up here.” Tai sighed, peeking around the corner. “Ok Izzy, you ready?”
“Analyzer’s ready.” The boy nodded, sitting atop a dumpster with his laptop open.
“Alright.” Tai nodded back, putting his telescope up to his eye as he scanned the gathered patrol of Metal Empire Digimon down the street.. “Let’s see… we got Guardromon, Mechanorimon, big green guys that look like tanks, tiny ball dudes with arms and legs, with some having lightning bolts on their faces and others packing cannons for arms.”
“Ok…” Izzy’s fingers clacked on the keyboard as he scanned through the catalog. “Gottem. Tankmon, Mamemon, Thunderballmon, and MetalMamemon. All of them Champion except for MetalMamemon.”
“Ultimate?”
“Got it in one.”
“Alright then.” Tai grinned, turning to Joe and Mimi. “Who wants to go first?”
“SIR, WE JUST LOST CONTACT WITH PATROL SQUAD DELTA-BRAVO-NINER-!”
“Cease your babbling and get to the point.” Machinedramon hissed.
“R-right!” The Kokuwamon gulped, turning back to the console and pulling up a video. “This is the last log provided by Mamemon-1823!” He hit play, and the video began.
It started normal enough, with fifty or so Metal Empire digimon marching in perfect rows down the streets, before suddenly the Tankmon on the front lines were frozen solid, then shattered into particles. Chaos descended upon the ranks, the camera blurring as attacks were thrown and orders were shouted, then countered on all sides. The Mamemon turned just in time to see a titanic behemoth, shrouded in heavy, frozen fog that left it only as a dark silhouette, save its icy blue blue eyes that seemed to glow as it raised its maces up. The last thing the video recorded was the Mamemon’s terrified reflection in the heads of the bludgeons as they were brought down on it, freezing at the second just before impact.
The control room was silent, every digimon within having turned to their Master for guidance as he stared back at the screen. “...Initiate Plan Eradic-8. No mercy, no survivors. Only trophies. ”
“Yessir! Initiating Plan Eradic-8!” Haguramon saluted with his gears, turning back to his console and slotting his cogs into specifically designed slots.
“Initiating Plan Eradic-8!” A Kokuwamon repeated, pulling levers and flicking switches.
“Initiating Plan Eradic-8!”
“Initiating Plan Eradic-8!”
“If they wish for war, we shall give them war…” Machinedramon growled, while three hangar doors opened in the wall behind him. “Go. Find them. Destroy them.”
“YES, LORD MACHINEDRAMON!” Three mechanical voices shouted before they began to stomp their way to the streets.
“I want Megadramon and Gigadramon over every street. If the humans so much as sneeze I want to know where and when it happened, do you understand?”
“Yes Lord Machinedramon sir!” A Kokuwamon saluted. “Scrambling Megs and Gigs now!” A screen above its station showed an image of the Empire State building, where alternating ten story tall hatches began to open along its sides, releasing red-skinned Megadramons and their grey-skinned counterparts, totalling twenty in all. “They’re in the air!”
“Good… Now, contact the Factories. Let them know to sweep the tunnels for any rats .”
“It smells like butt down here.”
“Well yeah, Davis.” Matt sighed. “It’s a sewer. Where do you think the toilet goes?”
“...gross.” The boy stuck his tongue out in disgust, stepping away from the water that filled the center of the tunnel next to the stone path.
“Oh relax.” Patamon chuckled. “If the water was bad, it’d be pink, not clear!”
“Pink? Don’t you mean brown?”
“No, pink. Like what the Garbagemon were shooting at us!”
“You mean they were firing- OH GROSS!”
“This is a mess…” Veemon grumbled from the front of the group, kicking a rock ahead, skittering and clicking as it bounced off the ground. “We’ve been wandering for hours, and everything’s the same. We go right, it’s stone and water. We go left, stone and water. And take a wild guess at what’s ahead of us? ”
“...stone and water?” T.K. offered.
“STONE AND WATER, AND NOT A SIGN OF THE DESTROYER!” Veemon nodded, eye twitching. “If we keep going the tunnels are gonna do more damage to me than that jumbo sized hood ornament of a Dark Master!”
“Veemon, are you claustrophobic?” Kari asked, tilting her head.
“Eh? Isn’t that the big guy with the red suit?”
“Claustrophobic means you’re afraid of small spaces.” Gabumon explained.
“Oh. No. I’m just booooored! ” He kicked another rock into the darkness ahead, then froze as no noise came bouncing back down the tunnel. “Everyone, hold up.” He whispered. “Something ain’t right…”
“Bored, you say?” A baritone voice chuckled, the rock slowly skipping back out, followed by a massive digimon in a brown body suit with a bull-like head and a robotic left arm. “Well, how about I shake things up?! DARKSIDE QUAKE!” The digimon slammed the cybernetic arm into the ground, where a jackhammer inside began to beat against the stone, shaking the tunnel.
“CRAPBASKETS! GO, NOW!” Veemon shouted, turning and grabbing the nearest wrist, before the ground gave out under them and spilled them all into the water way, where they were swept back the way they came by the current, yelling in shock and fear.
The Minotarumon snorted in delight, raising his left arm and speaking into an attachment. “This is Labyrinth-7, calling High Command. I’ve located the infestation and washed them out.”
“Solid copy, Labyrinth-7. Lord Machinedramon says to keep the pressure on while the rest of the forces head to your position. We don’t want them slipping through our fingers.”
“Understood, Command. Labyrinth-7 out.” He lowered his arm and began to stomp down the tunnel, nose huffing as he tracked their scent.
“Izzy, what was that?” Sora asked, looking over to the boy as the short earthquake came to a halt.
“Give me a second. I’m going to see if I can get into the city's seismometers.” He pulled out a cable and plugged it into the wall of the convenience store they’d set up shop in, chewing his lip. “Huh… whatever it was, it doesn’t appear to be natural.”
“What if it was an attack?” Mimi fretted. “What if something happened to Matt and the others?”
“If they’re in trouble, we wouldn’t even know where to start looking for them.” Joe agreed, petting Gomamon’s head as the seal recharged on junk food.
“Not necessarily true.” Izzy corrected. “According to the seismometers, the epicenter was somewhere around St. Peter’s Square.”
“Great!” Tai grinned, putting a hand on Izzy;s shoulder and leaning in to look at the screen. “How far away is that? A mile?”
“According to this map…” The redhead pulled up a street view of the city, then winced. “It’s halfway to the other side of the city.”
“CRAP!” Tai turned, throwing his hands up in the air. “So they could be buried under who knows what all the way on the other side of Spiral Mountain?! What else could go wrong?!”
“And you jinxed us…” Tentomon sighed, antenna drooping as the other digimons’ heads snapped up.
“DOWN!”
“VULCAN ARMS!” A wave of bullets suddenly ripped through the front of the store, and if not for the fast reflexes of their partners tackling them to the floor, the humans would have been torn to pieces.
“OUT THE BACK!” Agumon shouted over the gunfire, crawling to the Employees Only door behind the register.
“Let me disconnect first!” Izzy yelped, pulling the plug and scrambling after the others, with Joe holding the door open for him. It slammed shut just as a Tankmon busted through the front of the store, barrels smoking.
“Targets have evaded me, sir!” He reported, speaking over the comms system.
“ They won’t for long. ” Machinedramon growled lowly. “ Not with my Special Forces on the field. ” The sound of thudding steps had the Tankmon turn, then pale in terror at the trio of digimon before him. “ And as for your failure to await for your squad, consider yourself… discharged. ”
“N-NO, WAIT!” He screamed just before a red energy blade separated his head from his shoulders.
Veemon gasped for air as he pulled himself out of the water, one hand firm on Davis’s wrist. He lugged the child up behind him, gasping for air, before looking around in the dim light. “Damn… no sign of the others…” He grumbled, before looking back at his companion as they groaned, pushing themself up enough for Veemon to make out more of their details. “...you’re not Davis.” He said intelligently.
“And you’re not Gatomon.” Kari nodded. “...we should probably go look for them.”
“Good call.” Veemon agreed, standing up and pulling her to her feet. “You alright?”
“I’m ok.” She smiled. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Ehe, no problem.” The Rookie grinned as they began to follow the current downstream. “So, Davis. What’s he like?”
“Oh, he’s loyal and brave, but you knew that already.” Kari hummed, looking over. “Why do you ask?”
“I dunno.” Veemon sighed. “I just… Before I went to the Human World being Magnamon was a twenty four-seven deal, but now I’m willing to give this kid my one of a kind ancient artifact that holds all my power whenever I’m not using it. My gut’s telling me it’s a safe bet, but I’m just tryin’ to wrap my head around how it happened.”
“Ah. Well, I think that’s just because Davis wears his heart on his sleeve.” Kari explained. “Like I said, he’s loyal, and the thought of being selfish makes him feel sick sometimes. That’s no joke!” She assured Veemon, seeing his brow rise in disbelief. “One time he found a dollar bill on the ground, and almost cried because he thought he was stealing someone else’s money.”
“Huh…” Veemon muttered, looking ahead with a thoughtful expression. “You’ve known him a while, then?”
“Yep! The first time we met was a day after we moved to Odaiba, and his family came up to visit our apartment and welcome us to the neighborhood…”
“Ok, what the HECK was that?!” Tai panted, leaning against a counter in the pharmacy they’d run into. “One minute we’re all good, next thing I know we nearly get more holes than Swiss cheese!”
“Security cameras, maybe?” Sora offered, slouching in one of the chairs.
“Unlikely.” Izzy shook his head. “The streets are crawling with Machinedramon’s troops and we’d been there for nearly an hour already. If they knew we were there from the moment we entered, why wait so long and attack with only a single Tankmon? There’s some other variable at play.”
“What are you doing, Joe?” Agumon asked, tilting his head as the teen examined items on the shelves and put most back, though some were slipped into his medical bag.
“Resupplying. Between the Ocean and Forest strands, my kit’s starting to run low.” He took a couple wraps of bandages, holding them in his hands as he recalled who he used most of his stock on. “Hey, do you guys think Ogremon and Leomon are alright?” He asked, looking towards the others.
“I’m sure they’re fine.” Biyomon chirped, sitting atop a shelf. “Leomon’s able to reach Mega, remember? And if we know anything about Ogremon, he’ll refuse to sit back and let Leomon have all the fun!”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Joe sighed, shaking his head gently. “Mimi, can I borrow your bag for some of this? And Izzy, can you look for Tylenol and Aspirin? I’m not seeing it on the shelves.”
“I’ll take a look in a minute. Right now I’m just setting up a program to get me into the city’s traffic system.”
“Brilliant, Izzy, brilliant!” Tentomon cheered, clapping his two pairs of hands. “What will that do, exactly?”
“Well, with any luck, it’ll let me do that !” Izzy grinned, turning his laptop to show a map of Machine City, now with just over a hundred dots moving throughout, with some of the largest dots appearing to pass through buildings- or over them. “A live map of our enemies positions, as well as their numbers!”
“Well, that’s great and all,” Gomamon nodded. “But uh, they all just turned towards us.”
“What?” Izzy blinked, looking at the screen and turning white as a sheet as every dot suddenly began to bee-line for their position. “ What?! How? Why would they-?! ” He froze, staring at the cable connecting his laptop to the city’s network with horror and betrayal. “Oh, no… ” He whispered, before the front of the pharmacy began to disintegrate under a storm of Mechanorimon Twin Beams.
“Getting real sick of running!” Tai shouted, throwing open the back door only to blanched as he stared down the barrel of a Tankmon’s cannon.
“Knock knock!” It cackled. “HYPER CANNON!”
“AGUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO WARGREYMON!” The Mega, still glowing as his data solidified into his new form, dove in front of his partner, shield sections combined and digging into the tile floor. With no way forward, the explosion was only able to go backwards, knocking Tankmon into the wall behind it and vanishing in a cloud of data. “Let’s go!” He shouted, breaking out of the side of the building in an explosion of bricks and dust.
“PALMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO ROSEMON!”
“GOMAMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO VIKEMON!”
The three Megas burst around the corner, weapons raised for conflict, only to skid to a stop as they stared down the full force of Machinedramon’s army, from the basic ground infantry to his aerial support of ten Megadramon and ten Gigadramon. The most menacing, however, was the trio of cybernetic digimon at the head of the force.
The smallest at ten feet was green, with what looked like a toothed arch stretching from one shoulder to the other as its silver, box-like arms released a pair of triangular blades made of red energy with a snap-hiss.
On the other side of the formation was a twenty five foot titan reminiscent of a gorilla in posture, putting most of its weight on a giant pair of silver arms with wide hands, while fours cannons the same model as Machinedramon’s were attached to the shoulders of his red armor. A long, thick tail slowly swung behind its centaur-like body, as four feet stomped deep craters into the pavement.
Finally in the center was a warrior in pale yellow armor with giant drum shaped shoulders marked with a plus sign on the left and a minus on the right, cracking the knuckles of his silver gauntlets as he glared down at the Digidestined from his height of seventeen feet. The pair of smaller drums affixed to the tops of his shoulders began to pulse and beat as energy started to race through them, crackling down his arms and into his fists.
In perfect sync, WarGreymon, Rosemon, and Vikemon muttered “Ah, crapbaskets…”
“So, what’s Kari like?” Gatomon asked, wringing her gloves out as she and Davis walked down the darkening tunnels.
“What do you mean?” Davis blinked, looking over at her. “Aren’t you… I don’t know, reprogrammed to know her?”
“I knew of her.” Gatomon corrected, shaking her head. “But we only really met the night before Myotismon was destroyed. Between running from Myotismon’s goons, then preparing for VenomMyotismon, and now the Dark Masters, I haven’t really gotten a chance to bond with her. Not like Agumon and the others with their partners.” She sighed, ears drooping. “You’re her best friend, and known her the longest behind Tai. I figured if anyone could tell me more about her, it’d be you.”
“Course I can!” Davis grinned, chest puffing up with pride. “Well, it started about four years ago. Mom and Dad took me and Jun upstairs to meet our new neighbors, since they had two kids and would probably like someone their own age to talk to after that whole Highton View Terrace thing…”
WarGreymon let out a pained shout as he was slammed into the side of a building by a high pressure geyser of water, then let out another gurgling yell as a second steam blasted him in the face. Across the street, the giant red form of Suijinmon chuckled dopily, while the lightning-fast electrical boxing of Raijinmon swept past Vikemon’s guard, struck at him, then darted out of range, slowly whittling him down.
The only one of the Mega’s standing on even ground was Rosemon against the green figure of Fujinmon, though it was still skewed as the multiple Champions and Ultimates attacked her with such force that her attention was split between two fronts.
“We gotta do something!” Biyomon flapped her wings, ready to take off and join the battle, which she would have if not for Sora grabbing her and hugging her tight.
“Oh no you don’t! You aren’t running into a three-on-three Mega battle royale!”
“But Sora-!”
“NO!”
“This is my fault…” Izzy whispered, flinching as Vikemon took an electrified uppercut to the chin that had him stumble backwards and trip over a car. That moment of imbalance was all Raijinmon needed to burst forward and tackle the larger Mega to the ground, beginning to whale on him. “They were able to track my connection… I led them right to us…”
“Play the self-blame game later, Izzy!” Tai shouted, gripping his Digivice as he tried to send power to WarGreymon. “We need you here and now!”
“I- I don’t- I can’t-!”
“Izzy…” Tentomon sadly muttered. “You can do this. You’ve always been able to pull something out of your bag of tricks and save the day when the pressure’s on, so why is this any different?”
“Because Devimon, Myotismon, heck, not even Etemon or Datamon were tech-savvy! Now they’re running circles around me!”
“Doesn’t matter! We don’t need your computer, we need you , Izzy!” Mimi urged, stepping forward. “Remember Centarumon’s maze? You laptop didn’t help save me, you did! Your laptop didn’t beat Vademon and activate your Crest!”
“She’s right!” Sora nodded. “Now, get that big brain of yours to work and find a way outta here!”
Izzy gulped, looking around the battle. ‘That doesn’t change the fact I don’t know what to do… Suijinmon’s water cannons are dousing WarGreymon’s attacks before he can get them up to full power, Fujinmon’s getting backed up by the rank-and-file, and Raijinmon’s… electricity… wait!’ “Joe, Vikemon needs to get Raijinmon between Suijinmon and the infantry!”
“Oh, uh, okay! Vikemon?!” Joe turned back to his partner, who had managed to unsteadily rise to his feet and swing his maces to force Raijinmon back.
“I heard it!” The Mega nodded, stepping backwards and luring Raijinmon into position.
“Tai, we need a Great Tornado!”
“Right down the middle?”
“No! Take it over to Raijinmon!”
Tai blinked, then his eyes lit up as he figured out Izzy’s plan. “Oh, you genius! WarGreymon!”
“Right!” It took a few moments, but eventually he was able to push through the weaponized geyser and begin to spin, getting faster and faster as the resistance grew less and less. When the water cannons became a fine mist as they were dispersed on his armor, he leveled out and spun around behind Suijinmon, who in turn rotated on the spot, not letting up on the rivers.
Raijinmon looked over just as WarGreymon blew past him, followed soon after by the water spouts. He thrashed as his electricity began to run wild along the pressurized stream, which in turn threw him backwards into Machinedramon’s forces. Seeing her opening, Rosemon spun and delivered a backwards roundhouse to Fujinmon’s side, knocking the green cyborg into his yellow brother. The streams only died down as the electricity going back along the current became too much for Suijinmon, who collapsed with a mechanical, pain-filled groan.
The Digidestined blinked in shock at how quickly the tables had turned, then grinned. “Alright Izzy!” Tai whooped, giving the redhead a noogie. “There’s that big brain!”
“I don’t want to rain on our parade, but they’re still alive!” Sora pointed out, gesturing to the twitching and scorched forms of the three cyborgs.
“ARCTIC BLIZZARD!” Vikemon bellowed, a rushing of subzero air freezing the water and completely immobilizing them. “There. That cool?”
“Ice cold, actually.” Joe chuckled, patting his partner, only to yelp as the residual static in his fur zapped him.
“I don’t know how much longer we can hold these forms.” Rosemon admitted, wincing as she held her scraped shoulder. “They gave us a heck of a beating.”
“If you seek shelter, I know of a place.” They all turned to a nearby alley as a small digimon in a red cloak and hood stepped out, a set of lenses covering his eyes. “Though you must move swiftly. They will be back up and running soon.”
“Should we trust him?” Mimi asked, glancing between her friends and the newcomer.
“Well I like him!”
“That’s just because he has goggles, Tai.” Sora sighed.
“Yeah, which means he has excellent style.”
“It’s better than sticking around here.” WarGreymon groaned, glowing and shifting back to his Rookie form. “Besides, I’m getting hungry.”
“What, from all that water you drank?” Gomamon snickered, only to moan in pain. “Oh, it hurts to laugh…”
“Fine, we’ll go with you.” Tai nodded, stepping forward. “Got a name, stranger?”
“I go by many names.” The digimon admitted, appearing almost hesitant as he led them into the bowels of the city. “But you can call me… Huckmon.”
T.K., Matt, and Patamon rubbed their arms beside the burning oil drum, the taller boy rubbing the completely covered form of his partner through the painter’s cloth they’d found while his coat dried. “Thanks for fishing us outta there, Andromon.” T.K. smiled up at the robotic Ultimate across the campfire.
“Of course, T.K.” The guardian of Factory Town smiled back, his snaggletooth glinting in the light. “You spoke of four others, yes?”
“That’s right.” Matt nodded. “Tai’s little sister Kari, her friend Davis, Gatomon, and Veemon.”
“A Veemon, you say?” Andromon blinked in surprise. “I had thought that line of code extinct.”
“Extinct?” The brothers shared a glance. “Is that even possible? I thought digimon just… get reborn?”
“In most cases, yes.” The cyborg admitted. “However, a long, long time ago, there was a great conflict between the forces of good and evil.”
“Oh yeah, we’ve heard about this!” T.K. smiled. “Drasil told us about it!”
“King Drasil?!” Andromon gaped, before shaking his head. “No, wait, questions for later. Well, was it mentioned that Veemons were one of the tribes that supplied armor and weapons to those pursuing balance?”
“Can’t say it was.” Matt muttered.
“Then I shall do my best to explain. It was long before I was hatched, so I do not know the specifics exactly, but they needed a “magic bullet” to help drive back the forces of evil, and crafted sets of mystical armor, forged in the light of the Crests, imbued with the elements, and blessed by the Celestials. Apparently, Veemons were able to mesh almost seamlessly with the armor, granting new, powerful forms besides their Champion level. This data was then extracted and used to craft their greatest weapon: A suit of armor that focused on absolute defense and overwhelming attack power, and could
absorb
energy to recharge itself.”
“Whoa…” T.K. and Patamon breathed, sparkles of wonder in their eyes while Gabumon grabbed his coat and pulled it under the cloth, before crawling out as he adjusted how it sat on his head.
“Ok, so that explains how they helped, but what about them going extinct?” Matt asked.
“Near the tail end of the war, the forces of Evil finally found the location of the tribes crafting the armors, and sent out their greatest, most vile troops to destroy the workers, and permanently delete their data. This harsh execution was the catalyst for the forces of Balance to bring about the final assault, as most of them had been close friends with those who lived in the village. No sources ever spoke of anyone surviving, though perhaps that was intentional.” Andromon concluded on a rather somber note.
“Man…” Matt said softly, while T.K. grabbed onto Gabumon and Patamon as tears welled up in his eyes. “That’s intense…”
“Yes.” Andromon nodded solemnly, poking at the fire with a clawed finger. “Many clans have been wiped out at one point or another, yet managed to eventually return, save those four tribes.”
“The other tribes, what were they like?” Patamon asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Please hold.” The Ultimate requested, eyes glowing light blue as he combed his database. “Records are spotty, yet there are references and etchings of red birds, yellow turtles, and green insects working alongside blue dragons, who are most likely the Veemons.”
“And none of them ever appeared again?” Matt inquired. “Not a one managed to digivolve itself back into existence?”
“No such sightings have been mentioned in thousands of years, which makes it quite interesting that one could suddenly appear.”
“Well, technically he was a Royal Knight.” T.K. clarified. “Not a Veemon.”
“A Royal Knight?! Is that how you got an audience with Drasil?!”
“DARKSIDE QUAKE!” Minotarumon bellowed, suddenly leaping out of the shadows as his jackhammer began to piston back and forth.
“SPIRAL SWORD!” Andromon leapt into action, hand spinning into a drill-like blade that clashed with the other Ultimate’s prosthetic arm, sparks illuminating the tunnel. The two grunted in strain, then Andromon screamed as his weapon shattered, revealing his fingers to be cracked stumps.
“ANDROMON!” T.K. cried out.
“Do it!” Matt ordered, hand clenched around his Digivice as it turned dark blue.
“GABUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO METALGARURUMON! ICE WOLF BITE!”
As Minotarumon was blown to bits from the icy blast, Andromon fell to a knee, cradling his destroyed hand. “Thank you for the aid.” He said, as close to breathlessly as a cyborg could get. “But we must leave now. Machinedramon’s troops are swift, ruthless, and worst of all, coordinated. They likely already know of Minotarumon’s destruction, and will be heading here.”
“Crapbaskets…” MetalGarurumon let out a low snarl, cybernetic nose sniffing the air. “Do you know a place where we can be safe? Or at least lie low?”
“I know of a place.” Andromon nodded, pushing himself up and walking further into the tunnel system, away from the sewer. “I shall lead the way.”
“Garurumon, watch our backs?” Matt asked his partner, who nodded.
“Motion sensors are online. Anything bigger than a Ponimon twitches, I’ll know.”
“Then let’s get moving.”
“How exactly did we end up in this scenario…?” Veemon blinked, looking around what looked like an empty warehouse with hamster wheels and giant hand-mills covering the walls and floor. He then turned to Kari, who was perched upon a massive hastily built throne of scrap metal and tarp while an army of Numemon bowed up and down before her.
“Queen Kari! Queen Kari! Queen Kari! Queen Kari!” The slug Champions chanted in sync.
“Thank you for your kindness.” Kari smiled softly, bowing back to them from her seat. “We need your help with something, though.”
“Of course, Queen Kari!”
“Anything for you, Queen Kari!”
“Well, we were traveling with some friends, but when we fell into the water we got separated from them. Do you know where they could’ve ended up?” The Numemon huddled up, conversing and pitching possibilities, before one inched forward.
“If they got out upstream of you, then they’re probably in the old maintenance tunnels. If they made it downstream, they’re in… the Sweatshop… ” The Numemon shuddered in sync with their brethren at the mere mention of the name.
Kari and Veemon shared a concerned look, then turned back to the Numemon. “The… Sweatshop?”
Davis panted, wiping his brow of sweat in the heat as he looked around at the hundred or so Rookie levels wandering about. “So, lemme get this straight. You guys just… spend all day pushing crud into that giant pit?” He pointed towards the bottom of the shallow, upside down conical chamber, where a fifty foot wide hole cut off the end..
“Yeah.” Neemon nodded, fur streaked with grime as he shoveled scrap onto a cart attached to a Junkmon. “We’re not sure what’s down there, really. Some of us think it’s just a bottomless pit, others believe it’s what powers the city. There’s even a rumor that there’s something at the bottom even Machinedramon’s scared of, so he has us constantly burying it.”
“Well, I’ve finished looking around.” Gatomon said, walking around a pile of what looked to be old hubcaps, though most were half-melted and the ones that weren’t looked to be little more than rusty drink coasters. “Looks like Neemon was right. Only way out besides the chutes above is the gate.” She glanced up at the ceiling, where a hundred tiny dots ringed the edge of the circle, though they knew from first-hand experience that each was the size of a monster truck wheel, and scattered all over the tunnels. The cat Champion then turned towards the far side of the chamber, where a bank vault’s door was attached to the wall. “I’m pretty sure it’s Chrome Digizoid, so unless we manage to find some in here, we’re only leaving if someone opens it up from the outside.”
She looked towards the two, and the fur on the back of her neck stood on end as she noticed Davis staring at the hole, where several Junkmon were dumping their carts. “Davis, what are you thinking…?” She asked hesitantly, almost dreading his answer.
“Well if we can’t go up, and we can’t go out, what about down?”
===
“This is such a bad idea…” Gatomon muttered, holding onto a cable alongside Neemon, a Kotemon, a Bearmon, and two Labramon as Davis was slowly lowered down into the pit. “If I get Kari’s best friend killed, she’ll hate me forever…”
“Oh relax, Gatomon!” Davis’s voice echoed up from the hole, looking over his shoulder into the depths. “You guys just need to hold onto the rope, and I’ll be okay!”
“This kid’s either braver than most, or dumber than everyone…” Kotemon muttered to Bearmon, who nodded.
“How deep does this hole go…?” Davis wondered aloud a few minutes later, the bottom still nowhere in sight and the top now far enough away to appear only as large as a dime. The only reason he could see at all was thanks to the single fluorescent light directly over the pit, acting as a sun for the chamber. “I should be able to see the end by now, especially if they’ve been throwing stuff down here for over a year…”
For a moment, he imagined descending more and more, trying to find the bottom, until it was just a bearded skeleton hanging by the cable. He blanched at the mental image, then shook his head, putting a resolved look back on his face. “No, I can do this… I gotta find a way out… gotta help the others…” He screwed his eyes shut as he continued to descend, and missed the way his pocket began to shine, slowly wrapping entirely around him, until he was a glowing dot of golden light in the pit.
It was only then that he opened his eyes, confused as the darkness behind his eyelids seemed to lessen. “Whoa…” He murmured, watching as wisps of aurum light wafted across his arms. “I look like Magnamon…”
“Magnamon…?” A deep voice rumbled from the darkness around the boy, making him yelp in shock and cling to the cable even tighter. “You know Magnamon…?” The being asked, accompanied by the hiss of hydraulics and the booming clicks of giant gears, the golden light catching the edges of his mechanical body.
“Y-yeah.” Davis nodded, looking around as he tried to find where the titan’s face was. “We’re uhm… well we’re not partners since I don’t have a Digivice, but we’re definitely friends! Wait, you know Magnamon?”
“Know him?” The voice let out a raspy, crackling chuckle that spoke of disuse. “In a sense, yeah.” The head of the digimon finally moved into the light, revealing a boxy skull with what looked like an excavator’s scoop for a helmet, a drill-like nose, and three giant pieces of rebar sticking out of the top of its head like horns. “What’s your name, byte-size?”
“D-Davis. Davis Motomiya.” The boy gulped, staring in awe at the head that was bigger than a pickup truck.
“Well, D-Davis,” The digimon grinned, showing sharp, serrated teeth. “Call me Breakdramon.”
“So, what’s your deal, exactly?” Gomamon bluntly questioned as they followed the red cloaked Digimon through the underground tunnels.
“ Gomamon!” His partner hissed, mortified at the seal’s lack of tact, only for Huckmon to chuckle.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Honestly, I’d be skeptical in your place, too.” Huckmon gave them an easy smile over his shoulder. “Truthfully, I need your help. I’ve been trying to fight back against Machinedramon and the other Dark Masters, but I can’t risk going out and doing some real damage. But you guys, you’re the Digidestined. In two days you beat two of the Dark Masters, and beat back his Special Forces squad.”
“Careful, we don’t want Tai getting a big head.” Sora chuckled, teasingly bumping her elbow into her friend’s arm.
“It’s true! We’ve seen what can happen!” Biyomon giggled.
“What’s wrong, Izzy?” Mimi asked near the back of the group while the others bantered.
“It’s Machinedramon.” The shorter boy explained, eyes never leaving his screen as he typed. “He was able to track us down and nearly take us out because he could track my computer.” Tentomon nodded, hands up and acting as a desk while they walked along. “I think I’ve got a way to get him off our tail, but the only way to know for sure is if I plug back in.”
“And you’re nervous that if you get it wrong, you’ll lead him straight to us.” Palmon hummed, practically skipping alongside them.
“Correct.” Izzy sighed. “High risk, high reward. Do I chance him finding our location, or do I play it safe?”
“Well, I’m not sure how much this means, but maybe for once, the smart move isn’t the safe move?” Mimi offered.
Izzy opened his mouth to respond, only for their guide to raise a clawed foot, drawing everyone’s focus. “Everyone, quiet…” Huckmon hissed urgently, leaping to the side of the tunnel, followed soon after by the others. After a few moments, they heard it. Heavy steps that seemed to crack the concrete, while voices murmured and hissed around the corner.
“Get ready…” Tai whispered to Agumon, then froze as the noises went silent.
“I thought I heard something…” A deep voice, distorted by the echoes, growled. Tai exchanged a wide-eyed look with the others, then nodded to Agumon urgently.
“WARGREYMON! GREAT TORNADO!” The Mega bellowed, leaping around the corner and carving a trench in the ground as he raced towards his foe, only for his eyes to widen in shock.
“ICE WOLF BITE!” MetalGarurumon howled, reacting on instinct to the sudden attack, then tried to clamp his jaws shut when he realized who it was.
“MATT?!”
“TAI?!”
“SIR, WE HAVE AN ALARM FROM THE PIT!”
“What is it now?”
“B-BREAKDRAMON’S FREE!”
Silence swallowed the command room, before Machinedramon rose to his full height of fifty feet, steam gushing from his vents. “Every soldier is to head to the Pit now . They are to hold the door shut until I arrive.” He snarled deeply, turning and leaving the room. ‘If this is how the humans wish to play, unleashing my oldest foe, then so be it. I’ll simply have to remind that outdated piece of junk who’s top of the line.’
Chapter 9: The Frontline
Summary:
“It is alright, no harm has been done. Tell me, friends, who is this “queen” you speak of? I was not aware Numemon practiced monarchism.”
“We didn’t, originally.” One of the others spoke up, this one wearing a conquistador’s helm. “Before, we just went by who was smelliest, or slimiest, or had the coolest spot pattern!”
“And then they arrived…” A third sighed, wearing a samurai helmet. “They spoke of freedom and fairness, but above all, showed kindness to sewer-dwellers like us! We revolted against our master, WaruMonzaemon, in the name of the queen! HAIL QUEEN KARI!”
“HAIL QUEEN KARI! HAIL QUEEN KARI! HAIL QUEEN KARI!” The other Numemon chanted, lifting their spears in salute while the Digidestined stared in shock.
“Hey, Tai?”
“Yeah, Matt?”
“I think we just found out what Kari’s been up to…”
Chapter Text
“So, why are you down here?” Davis asked, looking up at the robotic dragon. “The ‘mons up top think this hole is just empty, or it’s haunted.”
“Haunted by me getting my trunk beat by Machinedramon, maybe…” Breakdramon muttered, a clawed scoop coming around and tilting so Davis could sit inside it. “This is basically my jail cell, byte-size. Nearly absolute darkness in a tiny hole for the crime of trying to stop that toothy toaster.”
“But you have a drill.” Davis tilted his head. “And couldn’t you yell for help?”
“That was my game plan at first.” Breakdramon admitted. “But the mech-head plugged a cable into me that disabled my legs’ motor controls, and made sure to disable my roar. Listen.” He reared his head back and opened his maw, but instead of a booming roar or a ear-shredding grind, all that came out was a high-pitched beep. “See? The sicko turned me, Breakdramon, Destroyer of Mountains into a smart car, constantly getting showered in scrap metal!” In the darkness, something went boom. “But the idiot didn’t take something into account.” He grinned, lowering Davis to see the patchwork of metal plates covering his chest, held together by nails and messy welds. “His little attempt at humiliating me has given me access to enough metal to patch my wounds. Now I’m almost ready for our rema- are you even listening to me? ”
“Destroyer…” Davis muttered, looking up at the Mega with wide, shining eyes that didn’t have to do with his golden aura. “YOU’RE THE ONE DRASIL SENT US TO FIND!”
“...run that by me one more time?”
===
“Ok, there should be a cable somewhere around my back right leg.” Breakdramon instructed a few minutes later after getting a rough explanation from the boy. “You see it?”
“Hold on…” Davis grunted, climbing over piles of thin sheet metal. “Wait, yeah! It looks like it’s wrapped around your knee!”
“I was wondering what that itch was… ok, you’re gonna want to climb up and find where they attached it to me. There should be a handle that’ll undo the anchors and free me!”
“Question!” Davis shouted over to the other side of the giant. “Why don’t I just fix your voice, then you can call up for help?”
“Because there’s a difference between turning a crank and trying to rewire a voice box, kid, and I’d rather not have you fry yourself by touching the wrong wire.”
“Oh, good idea.” Davis nodded, shimmying up the cord. “And you’re sure you’ll be able to crawl outta here? It’s pretty steep.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you worry too much? I’ve climbed steeper cliffs in my time.”
“How can it get steeper than a flat wall?”
“You know how hills are slanted?”
“Yeah?”
“Imagine those, but upside down.”
“Oh… whoa… ”
“Ah, now you’re impressed.” Breakdramon snorted, looking up at the coin-sized hole. “It’s nice to be able to talk to someone after being stuck down here, honestly. What’s the surface like?”
“Well, the sun’s still there, and I think the Digital World’s going back together now that Puppetmon and MetalSeadramon are gone. Other than that I couldn’t tell ya.”
“The sun…” Breakdramon sighed wistfully. “Been so long I barely remember how it feels.”
“Hot, probably.” Davis offered helpfully, reaching the underside of Breakdramon’s torso and grabbing the rusty valve of the cable.
“And the water around my legs, and the grass under my feet…”
“I can’t believe this…” Davis muttered. “I’m trying to break him out, and he’s in la-la-land…” He grunted in exertion, yanking on the round handle, and it finally broke loose. “HAHA! I did it! I- OH CRUD!” He screamed, now falling as his only form of handhold came loose. He wrapped his arms around his head, trying to cushion the fall, only for it to end much faster than he expected, and a lot less painfully. He slowly peeked one eye open, then the other as he realized Breakdramon had spun in an instant and scooped him out of the air.
“Thanks for the assist, byte-size.” He chuckled, feet groaning as they finally moved after years of stillness. “Now, let’s bounce. I’ve had about as much as I can stomach of this place.” He waddled over to the wall, then reared up, planting his front legs against it. There was a pair of thunderous booms as metal anchors shot out of his soles and into the surface, then he lifted his back legs, repeating the process. Soon, a steady beat of boom-hiss-boom echoed up the pit as he began his climb to the light.
“CRAPBASKETS!” WarGreymon swerved to the side, barely avoiding the blast of ice and his friend, and instead slammed his head directly into the wall, sliding down and groaning as his metal helmet rang.
“OH CRAP-!” MetalGarurumon flipped backwards as his attack was suddenly cut off by his jaws,the pressure blowing up in his mouth. “Ow…” He whimpered, frosty vapor rising from between his fangs.
“GUYS!” T.K. laughed, running forward and hugging Sora and Tai. “We found you!”
“It’s good to see you again, Digidestined.” Andromon stepped forward, smiling.
“Andromon!” They cheered, only for Joe to gasp as he noticed the sparking remains of the Ultimate’s hand. “Your fingers… what happened?”
“We ran into a nasty piece of work called Minotarumon.” Matt grumbled. “He jumped us a while back, made an earthquake. Next thing we know we’re getting flushed. It was only thanks to Andromon that me and T.K. got out.”
“That explains the earthquake…” Agumon grunted, rubbing the top of his head as Gabumon sat up, lips covered in frost.
“So then… Kari and Davis…?” Mimi asked worriedly.
“No clue.” Matt sighed, turning to Tai. “I’m… I’m sorry. You told me to protect them, but I-”
“It’s alright, Matt.” Tai smiled, though it was tight and his eyes held worry for his sister and her friend. “I’d have to be a real jerk to go off on you for this. I’m guessing you guys were already on your way to find them?”
“Yep! Andromon says he has some friends nearby who can help us out!” T.K. nodded.
“Correct. There is a colony of Numemon which is a part of Machinedramon’s power system approximately half a mile to our south.” Andromon reported, eyes blinking with blue light.
“Oh, who are you?” Patamon asked, flapping forward towards Huckmon, who blinked under his hood and goggles.
“Uh, Huckmon. I was helping them escape the Special Forces, and hopefully spring everyone in the Sweatshop.”
Izzy hummed, rubbing his chin, before he snapped his fingers. “Ok, I’ve got a plan.” He announced, drawing everyone’s attention. “First, I’m going to need a connection to the city’s servers.”
“But then Machinedramon will just track us down like before!” Joe fretted, making the newcomers of the group blink in shock.
“Wait, what?”
“Long story.” Tai waved. “But Joe’s right. What’s stopping him from hoofing it not only to us, but also the Numemon when we get there?”
“I’ll explain on the way, but if this works, we’ll have the advantage.”
“ If ?” Sora repeated, dubiously.
“Sometimes the smart move isn’t always the safe one.” Izzy shrugged, sharing a grin with Mimi.
“SOMEONE CONTACT LORD MACHINEDRAMON! WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM!” A Haguramon screamed, zipping through the air.
“Eleven… twenty… THIRTY FIVE BEACONS ACROSS THE CITY AND GROWING!”
A Mamemon screamed, then self-destructed as it attempted to make contact with Machinedramon.
“What is it?” The Mega hissed, irritation clear in his voice at being bothered.
“Sir, there are nearly a hundred markers showing that the Digidestined have figured out how we’ve been tracking them!”
“Do I need to spell it out for you, fools? DESTROY THEM ALL!”
“That should buy us some time…” Izzy sighed. “Thanks, Andromon. I didn’t even realize you had a connection.”
“Of course.” The cyborg smiled, a cable sticking out of the side of his head into Izzy’s laptop. “Wireless connections are the way of the future, after all. With that in mind, I’ve upgraded your laptop.”
“Thanks, Andro!” Izzy grinned, sliding down off his shoulders and turning to the others. “Now would be the best time to go, before they realize which marker is the source.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tai nodded. “Let's beat feet, people! Double time!” With that, they began a sharp jog down the tunnel, Andromon holding onto the laptop so the program would continue to run.
It was when they were about three hundred feet out that they were suddenly ambushed, with Numemon falling from the pipes that ran along the ceiling and slithering out from under sheets of metal, wielding spears that appeared to be little more than sharpened rebar. “HALT!” One of the Numemon shouted, wearing a crude hoplite helmet with pink yarn for a plume. “YOU ARE INVADERS! BY ORDER OF THE QUEEN, ALL INVADERS ARE TO BE TAKEN BEFORE HER TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE FRIEND OR FOE!”
“Uh, Andromon?” Joe whispered out of the corner of his mouth, hands up as a spear got close enough to his face he had to go cross-eyed to see it. “What’s with this Queen they’re talking about?”
“I am uncertain.” Andromon admitted, stepping forward. “Greetings, Numemon!”
“Oh, Andromon!” The glares lightened and spears were pulled back. “Apologies, we didn’t realize you were among them.”
“How’d they miss him? He’s like nine feet tall…” Gomamon muttered incredulously, only to get shushed by Biyomon.
“It is alright, no harm has been done. Tell me, friends, who is this “queen” you speak of? I was not aware Numemon practiced monarchism.”
“We didn’t, originally.” One of the others spoke up, this one wearing a conquistador’s helm. “Before, we just went by who was smelliest, or slimiest, or had the coolest spot pattern!”
“And then they arrived…” A third sighed, wearing a samurai helmet. “They spoke of freedom and fairness, but above all, showed kindness to sewer-dwellers like us! We revolted against our master, WaruMonzaemon, in the name of the queen! HAIL QUEEN KARI!”
“HAIL QUEEN KARI! HAIL QUEEN KARI! HAIL QUEEN KARI!” The other Numemon chanted, lifting their spears in salute while the Digidestined stared in shock.
“Hey, Tai?”
“Yeah, Matt?”
“I think we just found out what Kari’s been up to…”
“FREEDOM!” Breakdramon yelled, head rising above the lip of the pit.
“Hi, Gatomon!” Davis waved to the cat, who just stared in slack-jawed amazement.
“Ok, so it’s one thing to hear it being described from down below in the darkness.” She said, stepping back as Breakdramon crawled out, revealing his sixty foot tall green and tan metal body, which had the occasional patch of purple, blue, red, or even pink metal to cover wounds. “It’s another thing to see it in person.”
“So, you’re the guys that have been throwing scrap onto my head several times a day for over a year?” Breakdramon snorted out twin jets of steam, leaning down to give the prisoners a long look.
Neemon gulped, then stepped forward. “Y-yes. That’s right. We’re… we humbly apologize!” He bowed on his hands and knees, soon joined by all the others.
“Whatcha got to say sorry for?” Breakdramon snorted again, this time in amusement. “You gave me enough metal to put my sorry chassis back together and let Davey down there to break me out. And as the saying goes…” He turned to the vault-like door and approached the wall next to it, nose drill spinning up. “You scratch my back, I scratch yours.” With that and a staticy bellow, he brought his head forward, the drill kicking up a wave of sparks as it began to burrow into the hinges. “IT’LL TAKE A BIT TO BUST THROUGH THE DIGIZOID! MAKE YOURSELVES COMFORTABLE!” He shouted over the loud scream of his nose cone.
“WHERE?!” Gatomon shouted back, hands covering her ears, only to blink as she noticed Davis riding on the Mega’s wide back, waving at them all. “Of course…” She muttered, her voice completely drowned out in the commotion.
“KARI!” Tai shouted, running to his little sister as she stood up from her throne, a tiara made of what looked to be files and a leather belt sitting on her head.
“Tai!” She giggled, leaping forward and landing in her brother’s arms as he spun her around. “You guys are alright!”
“‘Course we are! We should be saying that to you!” Tai laughed, setting her down and looking her over. “No cuts, scrapes, anything? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
“No, Tai.” She sighed. “I got a bit bumped around in the water, but I’m alright. Veemon dragged me out.” She pointed over to the dragon, who was staring in shock at Huckmon. “...Veemon?”
“YOU GUYS FOUND HACKMON?!”
“Wait, what? No, his name’s
Huck
mon, with a U.”
Veemon slapped his face, growling as he stomped over to the cloaked rookie and pulled his hood back, revealing a draconic, canine head. “No, this is Hackmon! You know, Gankoomon’s apprentice? THE GUY I TOLD YOU ABOUT!”
“Well how were we supposed to know that?! You never told us what he looked like, and going off of names that are different by one letter doesn’t help!” Sora threw her hands in the air incredulously while everyone else just looked on. “Or do you want us to think Yokomon and Tokomon are the same, next?!”
Veemon’s eye twitched, before he turned to Hackmon, silently conceding. “YOU!”
“Me?” Hackmon squeaked, his collected calmness suddenly disintegrating, then outright vanishing as Veemon wrapped him in a hug.
“At least you’re safe…” The blue rookie sighed, stepping back and keeping a hand on the squire’s shoulder. “You’re alright, kid?”
“Y-yes, Sir Magnamon.” He nodded.
“Cut that “Sir” stuff out. You’re a Knight.” Veemon paused as Hackmon shifted from one foot to the other, eyes shifting away. “...Hackmon?”
“I uhm… I never managed to reach Mega.” He admitted, lowering his head. “I can achieve Ultimate, but the strength of a true Royal Knight remains out of reach. Until then, I can’t claim my place at the table.”
“...that’s it?” Veemon blinked, then chuckled. “If being Mega was the requirement, then I never would’ve been part of the order.”
“What?” Hackmon raised his head, confused. “But you-”
“Only have the strength of a Mega.” Veemon smirked, rolling his eyes. “Besides, at this point the criteria’s loose as hell, considering it’s just me and Dynasmon of the old guard left.”
“Not true.” Hackmon spoke up. “I came here to find one of the Knights, following rumors that had been circulating around Spiral Mountain for quite a few years.” That got Veemon’s full, laser-focused attention as he grabbed Hackmon’s shoulders.
“What do you
mean
there’s another Knight here?!”
“ALERT!” Andromon straightened up suddenly. “All of Machinedramon’s forces are heading to the Sweatshop! Chatter indicates a breakout!”
“We’ll talk later.” Hackmon assured Veemon, bouncing forward.
“Then we gotta go!” Tai shouted, standing up. “What’s the fastest way there?”
“Using the maintenance tunnels would take too long.” Andromon noted, having pulled up a map of the tunnels and compared it to the distances of the enemies. “By the time we would arrive, the battle would likely be over with.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re not using those.” Veemon said, walking over to a corner of the room and knocking on a tile in the wall. After a moment, it slid away, revealing a Numemon with an obviously drawn-on curly mustache. “It’s go-time. Everything ready?”
“Oui, Mister Veemon!” The Numemon nodded, carrying a heavy French accent. “Ze tunnel ends just outside ze Sweatshop’s door, as ze Queen requested.”
“Good. Get the dig team out of the way, then. We’re coming in hot.” He turned back to the others, then grimaced as he looked at the five foot square passage and the nine foot tall form of Andromon. “Sorry, but I think you’re gonna have to sit back. We didn’t expect anyone big to come through.”
“I’m just amazed at how fast you managed to make an entire tunnel!” Izzy marveled, running his hand along the wall. “You’ve only been here for what, three, maybe four hours?”
“Numemon are fast workers when they want to be.” Veemon shrugged, smirking as dozens of spear-wielding Numemon charged into the tunnel, crawling along the walls and ceiling and leaving the floor open for them. “Let’s go!”
“Status report.” Machinedramon growled as he rolled up to the door of the Pit, a few dozen of his infantry standing alongside the remaining nine Minotarumon of the Labyrinth Patrol squad in the two hundred foot wide, one hundred foot tall tunnel.
“SIR!” A MetalMamemon saluted, leaping forward. “The Guardromon outside says that the noises began about ten minutes ago, and have been getting louder!”
“No breaches?”
“No, sir! The only way in or out are the trash chutes, but those were sealed shut a few hours ago after the daily dump!”
The Dark Master growled lowly in his chest, glaring at the vault door. ‘First the Digidestined run rampant through MY city, then they knock out my elite guard, and now the sensors are picking them up from all over the city while Breakdramon gets free? It’s just one thing after another…’ He halted, processor racing as the events began to line up. ‘Unless… it wasn’t all just a coincidence… did they… could they have known about Breakdramon? Was this all planned from start to finish? They take out Raijinmon, Fujinmon, and Suijinmon with the first team, while their second team searches the underground. But how were they in coordination? How did they manage to time things so-! PURPLE!’ He roared in rage, turning and crushing the MetalMamemon into data. “I WANT MY ELITE FORCE HERE NOW !”
“Well someone’s testy…” Tai muttered, peeking out of the tiny crack in the panel while the Numemon and the rest of the Digidestined were lined up behind him.
“Ok, let’s hit it before the cavalry arrives.” Matt suggested, pulling out his digivice.
“Hang on, guys…” Izzy whispered, tapping away at his laptop. “I’ve almost… oh darnnit. ” He swore, seeing his coding suddenly get blasted apart by an almost chibified Machinedramon, who began to eat what remained.
“What are you doing?” Mimi quietly asked, peeking over his head while Palmon and Tentomon looked over his shoulders.
“I’m trying to get into Machinedramon’s computer systems. If I can disrupt his command network, then I can keep him from calling in backup, and scramble the troops that might be heading our way.” Izzy glared at his laptop screen, where several red blips indicating Machinedramon's forces were moving towards their location. "Alright, you overgrown lawn-mower. You wanna pick a fight? You got one. "
"Alright, Izzy, let's get busy!" Mimi, Tentomon, and Palmon cheered, while the boy began to rip into Dark Master's network.
“You do that.” Tai nodded in approval. “Mimi, you and Palmon stay here in case one of those Megas shows up and tries to get him. T.K., Sora, Kari, Veemon, Hackmon try to get the door open. Joe, Matt? We’re going loud.”
“Got it.” The two nodded, their digivices beginning to hum and shake.
“GOMAMON!”
“GABUMON!”
“AGUMON!”
“WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
The wall exploded outwards as three glowing figures bulldozed through the front line of Machinedramon’s defenses, taking up a position in front of the door. “VIKEMON!” The fur covered giant bellowed, pulling his maces from his back and slamming them together.
“WARGREYMON!” The warrior shouted, Dramon Destroyer claws making an eerie, raspy noise as they slid out of their sheathes.
“METALGARURUMON!” The cybernetic wolf howled, hatches opening along his body to reveal his full array of ordinance. “METAL WOLF CLAW!”
Breakdramon paused, pulling his head back from the four foot deep hole in the door. “You guys hear that?” He asked, though the response from his passengers wasn’t as informative as he’d’ve hoped.
“WHAT?!”
“WHAT WAS THAT?!”
“DID SOMEONE ASK SOMETHING?! YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEAK UP, MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING FROM THE DRILLING!”
A sweatdrop of black oil ran down the side of Breakdramon’s face as he realized his folly. “Er, right…” He sucked in a breath,revving his nose cone again, only for the door to hiss, tumblers tripping and pneumatic locks releasing as it began to open from the other side. He reared back again, pupils narrowing into slits as he prepared for combat. ‘I guess they were sick of waiting and decided to take the fight in here, huh? WELL BRING IT ON!’ The drills along his back and on the tips of his tails began to spin in preparation, yet as the door swung open, it wasn’t the gunmetal skull of Machinedramon, nor the cybernetic forms of his minions. It was a blond boy, a red-haired girl, a brown-haired girl, a Patamon, a Biyomon, and- “VEEMON! HACKMON!” Breakdramon laughed, while the Rookies’ jaws dropped.
“BREAKDRAMON?!”
“You two know this guy?” The taller girl asked, to which they nodded rapidly.
“Of course we do! He’s half of Examon!”
“What do you mean HALF ?!”
“No time!” Veemon shouted, running forward and waving up towards Breakdramon’s back. “DAVIS!” He shouted, as the sounds of battle waged behind him.
“GATOMON!” Kari yelled, joining him as she raised her digivice.
“RIGHT!” The two riding the mechanical dragon shouted, with the boy throwing the armor. For but a moment, barely a tenth of a second, the Crest of Light and the Golden Armor made contact. Suddenly, the world lit up, blinding everyone in the massive tunnel.
The Numemon screamed, not out of pain, but raw, primal adrenaline, as power they hadn’t felt since their time as Rookies rushed through their data. “NUMEMON, SLIDE DIGIVOLUTION!”
“MAGNAMON!”
“ANGEWOMON!”
“AIRDRAMON!”
“TYRANNOMON!”
“MONOCHROMON!”
“GRIZZLYMON!”
“DOBERMON!”
“APEMON!”
“NINJAMON!”
“GAWAPPAMON!”
“UNIMON!”
“DRIMOGEMON!”
“DINOHUMON!”
Several of each suddenly filled the tunnel, making things even more cramped. “ALRIGHT, LET’S MAKE SOME ROOM!” Breakdramon roared, rearing up on his hind legs as his front ones began to glow green. “GRAVITY CRUSH!” He brought his weight down on the floor, and suddenly reality twisted and warped as the land equalized. Buildings crumbled into dust and metal while the tunnel system collapsed in on itself, forcing everyone and everything to the surface.
Davis burst out of the dirt, coughing as he rubbed his eyes clear of irritation. “Maybe… maybe I should get goggles like Boss.” He hacked, eyes watering as he looked around the area. Rather than several dozen feet below ground, they had somehow managed to make it to the surface in a shallow, bowl shaped valley nearly half a mile across. “Wh-what just…?”
“Gravity Crush.” Magnamon explained, rising to his feet from next to the boy. “Breakdramon’s the dragon of Earth, and second only to the Warrior of Earth in command of the element. He basically just played with the localized gravity until everything leveled out into a single plane. Probably for the best, too. Would’ve been a pain trying to fight with so many friendlies in such a cramped area.” He rolled his shoulders and looked around, seeing the others and their new allies rise out of the dust nearby, while the Metal Empire troops stood on the other side of the bowl. “Now this is more like it.” He chuckled, picking Davis up and jetting over to Izzy and Mimi. “Hang onto him for me, will ya? Things are about to get dicey.”
“Ok, that worked a lot better than I was expecting…” Breakdramon coughed, shaking clods of dirt out from between his armor. “You with me, Hackmon?” He asked, looking down between his legs, where the red-cloaked Rookie popped up like a gopher.
“Here, Sir Breakdramon!” He shook himself clear of dust, then began to glow in preparation for the coming battle. “HACKMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOOO…! SAVIORHACKMON!” The white and black Ultimate shouted, bladed legs not touching the ground as his sword-like tail swung under his large red cloak.
“Get ready…” WarGreymon growled, stepping forward and lowering himself into his combat stance, joined by MetalGarurumon, Vikemon, Angewomon, MagnaAngemon, Garudamon, and Magnamon, while the army of Champions lined up behind them.
“I don’t get it…” Kari asked, blinking at the former Numemon as the Rookies from the Sweatshop joined up around them. “What happened to them all?”
“They likely reverted to their proper forms.” Izzy informed her. “The location, as well as their low morale and malnourishment, probably forced them into being Numemon rather than what they should have become from Rookie level.”
“Got it in one.” Neemon nodded. “Whenever one of the workers in the sweatshop digivolved to Numemon, they’d be dragged off. We thought it was to be destroyed, but I guess not.”
“ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!” Breakdramon bellowed, stepping forward and turning to face his ragtag troops. “You see that big pile of spare parts over there?!” He pointed his tails in the direction of Machinedramon, who growled.
“YES SIR!” The Champions all shouted.
“I DON’T WANT TO!”
“UNDERSTOOD SIR!” They saluted- or as close to saluted as some could get without the proper limbs- and charged forward, with some of the Apemon, Dinohumon, and Ninjamon even leaping atop the Unimon, Grizzlymon, or Dobermon.
“C’mon! We gonna let them have all the fun?!” Magnamon smirked, blasting off into the air and towards the Dark Master’s forces, swiftly joined by the others while Vikemon ran along the ground next to Breakdramon.
Machinedramon let out a mechanical roar in challenge, gesturing with his left claw as Raijinmon, Suijinmon, and Fujinmon leapt down the side of the bowl, running forward to join their comrades, while Megadramon and Gigadramon dove down from above, only to be intercepted by the flyers of the Digidestined.
“MIMI, PUT ME IN!” Palmon shouted, leaping from one foot to the other.
“Me too, Izzy!” Tentomon pleaded. “I know I can’t reach Mega, but I-!”
“You can reach Mega.” Izzy interrupted, making the gathered humans blink in surprise.
“Er, say what?” The beetle buzzed, tilting his head.
“Think about it. All instances where our digimon reached Mega were moments where our Crests were pushed to the limit! Tai and Matt standing together, willing to get shot if it meant a chance of victory! Joe jumping in the way of MetalEtemon’s attack to protect Kari and Davis! Mimi’s speech about how she was tired of battle, but would keep going until she didn’t have to! Friendship, Courage, Reliability, Sincerity! All brought about by the Miracle in that old prophecy!” He grinned, turning to Tentomon as his Crest began to glow, the wisdom and knowledge shown resonating with the artifact. “I’ve been trying to battle Machinedramon over the computer, but maybe it’s time we take things to a more physical fight. And if there’s one thing I know , it’s that you’ll have my back.”
“You say jump, I say how high!” Tentomon audibly grinned, before his exoskeleton peeled away into a purple wireframe. “TENTOMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” He grew to a height of thirty feet tall, with three massive horns and four powerful arms while his carapace turned a shimmering sandy gold. “HERCULESKABUTERIMON!” He roared, arms flexing as his mandibles snapped.
“Whoa.”
“Awesome!”
“Nice job, Izzy and Tentomon!”
“Prodigious.” Izzy smiled, reaching out and putting a hand on his partner’s leg as they looked at each other. “Instead of jumping, I have a different request.”
“Name it, Izzy.” The Mega beetle chuckled, following the boy’s finger as it was pointed towards Machinedramon and his army.
“Take them down.”
“RIGHT!” He lifted off into the air on blurring wings that produced a low drone, while his horns crackled with purple lightning. “TERA-SHOCKER!” He yelled, before a beam of dark purple electricity blasted out like a railgun, carving a trench through a line of Tankmon.
“Well someone’s eager!” Magnamon whistled, grabbing a Megadramon by the tail and swinging it into its Gigadramon counterpart.
“VIKEMON, KABUTERIMON!” Izzy shouted up. “GO FOR SUIJINMON! WARGREYMON SHOULD GO FOR RAIJINMON, AND MAGNAMON AND METALGARURUMON GET FUJINMON!” He turned to Mimi and Palmon, and grinned. “You two ready?”
“You know it!” Mimi shouted.
“PALMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO ROSEMON!” The nine foot tall woman joined WarGreymon in his battle against the yellow cyborg, while Izzy turned to Sora, T.K., and Kari.
“Can you have Garudamon and the angels focus on Machinedramon’s Ultimates? With the skies basically cleared, we just need to focus on the MetalMamemon.”
“Sure, but what about Machinedramon?” As if on cue, Breakdramon and the Dark Master slammed into one another with an earth shaking crash, the shockwave alone sending nearby Champions flying as pistons roared and metal screeched.
“I think Breakdramon called dibs.” Tai noted with an impressed whistle.
“I’ll aid you!” SaviorHackmon floated forward, red swords unsheathing from the backs of his arms.
“Go ahead, Super Soaker!” Vikemon goaded as HerculesKabuterimon hovered next to him, the two staring down Suijinmon. “Make our day!” The red armored Digimon looked between the lightning crackling along the beetle’s horns, and the ice puffing from the warrior’s mouth, and wisely decided to put the safety on on his cannons to avoid getting frozen or short circuited, while his gigantic arms began to rumble with power.
“Smartest move you’ve made all day.” Kabuterimon chuckled. “Wanna know the dumbest? Picking a fight with our partners. ”
“Eh, I don’t know, Kabu!” Vikemon snickered. “I think him waking up is topping it!”
“Then let’s put him to bed! TERA-SHOCKER!”
“ARCTIC BLIZZARD!” The electrified snowstorm blasted into Suijinmon, leaving him a twitching, frosted over mess. “Ya know, it’s a lot easier with two Megas.”
“Most likely due to elemental advantages.”
“But he’s buds with another lightning element. Wouldn’t he be able to handle you?”
“Not when super cold air boosts the conduction. At that point he was basically an armor-plated water balloon.”
“Huh… pretty cool .”
“Stop it.”
“MAGNA-PUNCH!” The golden knight shouted, swinging his fist to intercept one of Fujinmon’s arms, while MetalGarurumon bit into the other one. “Take him down!” Magnamon grunted, grabbing the cracked and sparking arm.
“Wh’ d’ y’u thi’k ‘m d’in’?!” MetalGarurumon growled around the cybernetic.
“Not blasting him, that’s for sure!” The knight yelled, yanking on the robotic arm.
“IC’ W’F CLA’!” Pale blue light glowed along the gap between fang and arm, before the entire mechanism frosted over and began to crack, before shattering it entirely.
“My turn! MAGNA-HEADBUTT!” His helmet’s horns glowing in a luminescent V, Magnamon reared his head back, squared his shoulders, then threw it forward, slamming into Fujinmon’s face hard enough to crack one of the Mega’s optical sensors and dent the entire faceplate while throwing the green cyborg back several yards into Suijinmon’s body.
“HIT ME!” WarGreymon taunted, raising his arm and blocking a punch. “C’MON, HIT ME!” He quickly spun, backhanding his claws against Raijinmon’s torso and leaving a trio of gashes along his chest that sparked from within.
“IVY HUG!” Rosemon shouted, driving her spears into the ground and making a dozen thrashing vines suddenly erupt, racing towards Raijinmon as he brawled with WarGreymon.
The yellow cyborg leapt forward, lightning crackling along his silver arms, only to suddenly be wrapped in vines and pulled to his knees, hands yanked down into the ground. He thrashed for a moment, servos screaming as he tried to fight his bonds, only for an orange and green glow to draw his attention.
“THORN WHIP!” Rosemon declared, lashing out with a glowing green vine.
“TERRA FORCE!” WarGreymon followed with an orb of fire the size of a soccer ball, both attacks striking Raijinmon, breaking apart his damaged armor, and sending him flying back to impact his brothers.
“BOOSTER CLAW!”
“DESTROY RUSH!” The melee attacks of Breakdramon and Machinedramon met in the middle, kicking up dust from the shockwave while blowing away the clouds already in the air at the same time. “It’s over, Machinedramon!” Breakdramon bellowed, his voice crackling and popping. “Your army is being overrun, your elite goons have fallen, and you’re out of aces to pull out of your sleeves!”
Machinedramon growled, chest panels opening. “GIGA DESTROYER!” A pair of energy missiles roared out, blasting the ground at Breakdramon’s feet and knocking the giant back, while the Dark Master skated back on his wheels and thrusters.
Looking around, he mentally scowled, seeing the sparking, heavily damaged forms of his Special Forces laying on the ground, while the Megas of the Digidestined surrounded him, soon joined by the Ultimates, the white dragon with the red cloak, and the army of around a hundred Champions, all with hate in their eyes and energy pooling in their mouths. While he may have been one of the strongest Megas in the Digital World at the moment, even he knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance under such an onslaught.
‘Unless…’ His gaze went back to his former Elites, while his sectioned tail began to extend out, revealing numerous glowing circles. His eye sockets blazed yellow, while dark smoke began to billow out from the discs, obscuring the Mega and his unconscious minions.
“Get back!” Magnamon shouted, glaring at the fog. “Don’t let it touch you!” He warned a moment too late, as a Gawappamon who had strayed too close was grazed by it and was suddenly pulled into the shadow, screaming.
Those screams were suddenly silenced by a loud crunch as Machinedramon bent down, jaws open wide, before they snapped shut like a hydraulic press. “O-oh god…” Mimi whispered.
“I’m gonna hurl…” Joe heaved, hands over his mouth.
“He’s eating them…” WarGreymon said gravely, glaring at the silhouette of Machinedramon as he chewed on what looked to be Fujinmon’s remaining arm.
“MACHINEDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TO…” The silhouette in the fog became smaller- only about twenty five feet tall- and more rounded while it stood up straighter. A large, bladed horn sprouted from his dome-like head, and the cannons flipped backwards into a large backpack. “CHAOSDRAMON!” A smaller version of the Dark Master’s right arm, now with a red forearm, lifted up, claws spread wide as the barrel embedded between them hummed with a toxic yellow light. “DESTROYER DART.” An organic missile that looked almost like a squid rocketed out, arms and tentacles spread wide as it latched onto Breakdramon’s chest. No one had time to react before the cone of the cephalopod extended out, then pushed back in like a plunger.
Instantly, Breakdramon let out a scream of pain, falling onto his side as his torso flickered and glitched, his tails and legs exploding into particles. “BREAKDRAMON!” Magnamon and Hackmon shouted, rushing to his side while the eight Partners of the Digidestined began to open fire on the evolved Dark Master and the Champions ran, scattering into the city and away from a foe they stood no chance against.
“No no no…” Magnamon muttered, grabbing the missile and crushing it into data. He couldn’t hide a flinch as he saw the warped metal below, as well as a three foot wide hole that seemed to have melted its way through the armor plating. “ Shit . MAGNAANGEMON!”
“You’ll be alright, sir!” Hackmon said, hands hovering over the robotic dragon, but unsure what to do to help. “You’ve- you have to be! ”
“N-nah. This is my last rodeo in this life…” Breakdramon coughed, a pile of noxious yellow fluid getting spat onto the ground. “Probably for the best… my body’s still too beat up, my roar’s on the fritz, and now Blue can finally start reforming…”
“But… but Drasil said we needed to find you!” Magnamon shouted, trying to flip him back onto his stomach. “That we needed-!”
“You needed me to find the ones who were enslaved underground.” Breakdramon interrupted, a small grin on his face. “You needed me to level the playing field, so to speak. Drasil works in mysterious ways, Mags. No one knows that better than the Knights.” He twisted his head to face Hackmon, just as everything below the neck vanished. “And you, you’ve gotta quit holding yourself back.”
“Wh-what? I don’t-”
“Yes, you do.” Breakdramon interrupted, gaze turning stern. “I can see it in your eyes. You think just because you were never given a ceremony, you’re not a true Royal Knight.”
“I tried telling him that.” Magnamon said softly.
“Then you’ve had two Knights vouching for your skill, and you still claim to be too weak to help?” Breakdramon snorted. “A Royal Knight doesn’t go into battle because they know victory is theirs. They go into battle because otherwise the innocent will lose.” By then, all that remained was his head, nearly half the size of the two. “Gankoomon knew you had it in you, and the rest of us did, too. Now, show them who you truly are, Knight…” He closed his eyes, let out a gentle sigh, and fully disintegrated, leaving the Knight and Squire staring at the empty space, now only occupied by a glowing, crystalline bundle of code.
“...He’s right, you know.” Magnamon muttered, rising to his feet. “We all were waiting for the day you’d finally figure it out and join us at the table, even Crusadermon and Duftmon, the jerks. You gonna keep the pity party going, or are you gonna make the Order proud?” He turned to Hackmon, eyes blazing as tears ran from under his helm. “Are you gonna let there be only two Knights, or will you make there be three?” He grabbed the code, then held it out to the Ultimate.
SaviorHackmon looked between the crater left by Breakdramon, the steadfast form of Magnamon, then the battle waging on between Chaosdramon and the Digidestined. He hesitated for but a second, before his eyes sharpened to match the Knight’s. “By my blade and my Core, I shall see this monster vanquished for all the Digital World!” He declared, slashing his sword through the code, absorbing it, and began to shine.
“Then rise, Royal Knight, for the security of our world! Long Live the King!”
“LONG LIVE THE KING!” The Ultimate shouted, becoming a golden wireframe with fire burning below. “SAVIORHACKMON MEGA-DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” He spun, becoming wrapped in his cloak as it expanded, and left him as a sixteen foot tall, rail-thin bundle of red fabric. The cloak then exploded open, revealing sandy armor plating, a glowing blue gem in his chest, and golden claws with black and silver swords with red digimoji. “JESMON!” He shouted, as three constructs made of fire burst to life around him, each shaped like a dragon head with long, rapier-like tusks.
“GET BACK!” Magnamon shouted, flying towards Chaosdramon and landing several yards away, glaring at the Dark Master while Jesmon hovered beside him. “He’s ours. ”
“Machinedramon.” Jesmon said in a matured tone, matching the intensity of Magnamon’s glare as they stared down the yellow-eyed cyborg. “You stand guilty of attempted hostile takeover, slavery, mass murder, terrorism, and torture not just on your own city, but the entire Digital World. Your destruction has been ordained by the will of King Drasil. Prepare yourself, fiend!”
“HYPER GIGA CANNON!” Chaosdramon screamed, the cannons on his back swinging up and around to point over his shoulders as misty grey and dark purple energy gathered in the barrels.
“AURA BARRIER!”
“UN POUR TOUS!” A shimmering golden forcefield sprang into existence, reinforced by the flaming dragon heads creating a triangular energy wall, with each one at a corner.
“JES, I’LL HANDLE DEFENSE!” Magnamon shouted, armor glowing as bright as a star as he kept up the shield. “WHEN YOU FIND AN OPENING, GO FOR IT!”
“RIGHT!” Jesmon nodded, leaping back while the golden knight charged forward, arms crossed in an X in front of his face.
“MAGNA-PUNCH!” The barrier exploded into stardust as Magnamon delivered a right-left-right combo to Chaosdramon’s snout, making the crimson cyborg snarl. “Ok, ow. ” Magnamon grunted, leaping back and rubbing his knuckles. “Guess that’s not just a paint job, huh? That’s all Red Digizoid.” Chaosdramon let out a twisted, guttural chuckle, and Magnamon rolled his eyes, cracked his neck, and sunk back into his combat stance. “Fan- tastic. ” He muttered, before launching himself forward again.
“We can’t just let them do this on their own!” Rosemon shouted, turning to the others. “Justice or not, it was able to handle all of us at once! ”
“You’re right.” Garudamon nodded, eyes never leaving the duel as Magnamon danced around claw strikes that ripped apart the very wireframe of the ground. “But we lack the power to aid them.”
“Or do we…” WarGreymon muttered, looking over at HerculesKabuterimon’s horns, which still sparked with energy.
===
“There’s a difference between bravery and stupidity. You know this, right?” Garudamon asked, watching as Kabuterimon rested his horns on Vikemon’s back while WarGreymon got between them like an arrow in a crossbow.
“If I had a digi-dollar for every time I’d seen someone do something idiotic today, I’d have two digi-dollars.” Angewomon grumbled, crossing her arms. “Which isn’t a lot, but I hate that it’s happened twice.”
“Now we just have to wait for an opening…” MetalGarurumon murmured, his vision in targeting mode while he acted as their spotter.
“Davis?” Sora asked the boy, who was still staring at the place Breakdramon had fallen. “You alright, buddy…?”
Davis didn’t respond. Not verbally, at least. The way his eyes ran with tears when he turned told them all they needed to know. “I… I promised I’d help him get out and enjoy the world again.” He sniffled, wiping his face with his forearms. “B-but now he’s…”
“Hey, it’ll be alright…” Tai whispered, kneeling in front of him. “Breakdramon’ll be back one day, remember? Then you can hang out with him again.”
“I-I know that… but it still h-hurts…” He choked out. “I-is this what it was like with Whamon…?”
“Yeah, buddy…” Sora nodded sadly, kneeling next to Tai. “It sucks, and I wish none of us had to deal with this, but we need to keep powering through. Can you do that?”
Davis blinked the tears from his eyes, sniffed again, then nodded. “Ok, Sora…”
The girl smiled, giving him a hug. “You’re tougher than Tai sometimes, y’know that?” She chuckled, looking at the boy that was almost like a brother to her.
“Hey!” Tai squawked. “Don’t turn my apprentice against me!”
“MAGNA-MISSILES, FIRE!” Their attention was drawn back to the battle, where Magnamon had just launched a salvo of explosives at Chaosdramon and knocked him back a few steps, roaring in pain as his eyes screwed shut. “NOW!”
“NOW!” MetalGarurumon shouted.
“TERA-SHOCKER!” HerculesKabuterimon yelled, horns lighting up before WarGreymon was launched forward like a slug from a railgun, his armor conducting the energy and making his glow purple as he held his claws forward.
“TEKKEN SEIBAI!” Jesmon intoned, spinning at high speeds like a massive buzzsaw and carving furrows in the dirt. Magnamon leapt back, hand-springing into a backflip as Chaosdramon brought his glowing, dark purple claws up, howling.
“CHAOS CRUSHER!”
He screamed, wildly swinging his arms like a berserker right in the paths of the two. There was a booming clash of metal, and a flash of light, and suddenly Jesmon and WarGreymon had their backs to Chaosdramon. Jesmon grunted, falling to one knee, while WarGreymon flinched as purple lightning crackled along his body, before both reverted back to their Rookie forms.
“Pathetic…”
Chaosdramon snarled, turning to glare at the two.
“Even after all that build up, you cannot best me.”
“Guess you missed what we did as Megas.” Hackmon coughed, rising to his feet as blue data ran down a cut on his shoulder.
“We sliced ya like an onion!” Agumon smirked, one eye closed as the gash on his brow oozed life-data.
Chaosdramon winced as his right arm suddenly fell apart into segments, followed by his left. He howled in rage and fury, charging at the two wounded Rookies on just his legs, maw open wide. “I’LL KILL YOU, YOU INSOLENT-!” He screamed, only to fall into pieces as most of the internal systems disintegrated and left the armor behind.
“Huh, I guess he broke down in more ways than one.” Vikemon snickered, even as numerous boo’s and groans met his joke. Meanwhile, Magnamon glared down at the last remnants of Chaosdramon, standing over the red helm. If he squinted, it was like he could still see those sickly yellow eyes gleaming out of the eyeholes, finding joy in the way Breakdramon writhed. Before the knight knew what he was doing, his foot came down on it, shattering it into scraps.
“Magnamon…?” The knight turned, looking down at Davis while the boy stared at the shards of Red Digizoid.
“Davis.” He hesitated, looking back at the object of his anger. “I- I’m sorry, I just…”
“I get it.” Davis interrupted, putting his hand on Magnamon’s greave. “I’m gonna miss Breakdramon, too.”
“One Dark Master left.” Tai muttered, looking towards the tip of Spiral Mountain as the distant end of the city section slowly drained away. “Watch out, Piedmon, cause we’re coming to take you down!”
“Oh, by all means!” Piedmon laughed from his observatory, swirling a glass of Pixel noir. “It’s gotten so dreadfully boring simply watching! But alas, the final curtain draws near for our intrepid Digidestined!” He stood, raising his glass to the shadows around the chamber. “WHAT SAY WE GIVE THEM A GRAND FINALE?!”
Vilemon cackled as they flapped through the air, while Fangmon prowled the floor, wide, eerie grins on their long snouts. Devidramon perched on ledges along the walls, and the capped forms of Soulmon passed right through them. At the center of it all, six digimon stood out, their presences refusing to be ignored as they bowed to their Ringleader.
Piedmon let out an ear-piercing laugh, dropping his glass and letting it shatter on the floor. As the red puddle spread, he felt as though he could see the future, picturing the humans impaled upon his swords, laying in a pool of their own crimson blood while their vacant, horrified faces reflected off each shard of glass.
Chapter 10: Achilles Come Down
Summary:
“Piedmon knows where we are.” Magnamon began without any preamble.
“What?!”
“Ok I guess we’re just throwing out bombshells, huh?!”
“How’s that even possible?”
“We haven’t had a connection to the internet since the City! How could he-?”
“Because,” Magnamon growled, glaring off in the direction of Piedmon’s lair. “Laughing Boy’s built his castle right on top of Yggdrasil."
Chapter Text
An endless, rocky expanse. That was all that covered the peak of Spiral Mountain. Grey stone and dust, with jagged spires and zig-zagging canyons crossing the otherwise flat landscape. At the very edge of the plateau, a clawed hand reached up and gripped a ledge. “Remind me.” Vikemon grunted, heaving himself up. “Why don’t we just hitch a ride on Kabuterimon or Garudamon and fly up there? Or bring Jesmon with us?”
“Because, fur ball,” Magnamon said from a few feet to the side. “Piedmon’s probably on high alert. He’ll be expecting us to try and fly in, so he’ll have anti-air defenses that are likely tailored for those two, and Jesmon’s busy rounding up all the other digimon who got scattered when the City fell.”
“I like this idea because it means I don’t have to worry about getting shot out of the air.” HerculesKabuterimon contributed, scaling the cliff like a bug crawling up the wall of a house.
“Plus, it’s a good workout!” WarGreymon chuckled, gauntlets sheathed at his hips so his hands were free. “How you hanging up back there, Tai?” He asked, his partner grabbing his horns as Tai sat on his shoulders.
“This is awesome!” The boy whooped, arms in the air.
“I just wish it wasn’t so bumpy.” Mimi groaned, sitting with Izzy and Palmon on Kabuterimon’s back, while Joe rode with Sora and Biyomon on Vikemon. “At least they’re having fun.” She pouted softly, seeing WereGarurumon leap around the ledges while T.K. and Matt rode piggyback, with Patamon hovering next to the Ultimate.
“How much longer to the top?” Davis asked, sitting on Magnamon’s shoulder pad. On the other pad, Kari giggled, while Gatomon stood on the knight’s head and held onto his helmet’s horns.
“Relax, Davis. I’m sure we’re almost there!” Sora called. A minute later, the climbers peeked up over the side of the plateau, slowly scanning the area, before rising the rest of the way and depositing their passengers.
“Welcome to the end of the world…” Gatomon muttered, ears drooping as they all looked around the seemingly infinite wasteland.
“I hate this…” Sora muttered, fists clenched. “The Digital World shouldn’t be so empty and lifeless.”
“Don’t worry, Sora.” Biyomon cooed, nuzzling against Sora’s arm. “It’ll be better soon, you’ll see.” The girl smiled, rubbing the bird’s head.
“Oh, no…” T.K. suddenly muttered, before taking off with Patamon.
“Wait, what the heck?!” Matt gaped, running after his brother. “T.K.! What’s gotten into you?!”
“Anyone see what’s wrong?!” Izzy asked over the sudden stampede.
“No clue!” WarGreymon shook his head, then skidded to a stop as they rounded a hill and were met by a massive, cracked building block. “...oh…” He murmured, as the eyes of everyone widened in shock.
“Is this…?” Mimi gasped, hands over her mouth.
“Primary Village…” Tai gulped.
“Piedmon’s got a sick sense of humor.” Magnamon growled. “Putting the Village of Beginnings in his own backyard like this.”
“Elecemon!” T.K. shouted, running between the fallens blocks, eyes wide in worry. “Elecmon, where are you?!”
“Elecmon!” Patamon called out, flying above. “Marco!”
“Crap, this isn’t good!” Magnamon grunted, lifting a block out of the way for the taller children and digimon to follow after T.K. “I’ve never seen Primary this bad, and I was there after a Titamon nearly flattened Infinity Mountain!”
“A what ?!” Davis gaped, momentarily running backwards as Magnamon followed after them.
“Later!”
“You always say that, but stuff happens that makes “later” become “never”! You notice that?!”
“Oh, Drasil…” Magnamon paled under his helm as he gazed out over the field of darkened digieggs, all the vibrant and excited life seemingly drained away before they even hatched.
“What happened to them all…?” Kari whispered, kneeling and rubbing her hands over the shell of one.
“Evil is getting too strong.” Magnamon realized. “The light of life can’t break through the shadows and fill these eggs with the strength to live. Unless that changes, all that’s here are empty shells and broken dreams…” He knelt, pressing a hand onto the top of an egg and bowing his head. “I’m sorry, kid…” He muttered to the unborn digimon.
“ELECMON!” T.K. shouted from a distance, followed shortly by a gruff, yet fond voice.
“T.K.! Patamon!” The red and purple Rookie smiled, standing up on his hind legs and spreading his arms out to wrap the boy and digimon in a hug. “How have you two been? Eating alright? Do you need to rest?”
“We’re alright!” Patamon chirped, only for his ears to droop as he looked back at the lifeless eggs. “We should be asking you that…”
The electric Rookie’s ears fell as he shut his eyes, holding back tears. “It… it all happened so fast… One moment it was a normal day, and then suddenly the ground shook. One of the towers collapsed on me, and when I crawled out, all the eggs were like this and my babies… my babies… ” He let out a sob, burying his face in his hands.
“Elecmon…” Sora whispered, gritting her teeth at the pain such a kind and selfless digimon had to go through.
“I’m sorry this happened, Elecmon.” Tai said, walking over to the Rookie. “Do you know anything about how to beat Piedmon, or where he is? If we take him down, then the Digital World can go back to normal.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know any way to help.” The Rookie shook his head, then pointed towards a tower of blocks to the northern edge of the village. “But from there, you should see the mountain Piedmon built his castle on.”
“Got it, thank you.” Tai smiled, while WarGreymon grabbed him and flew him up to the tower, followed by Magnamon and Davis. “Now, let’s see what I spy with my little eye…” He hummed, putting his telescope to his eye.
“I spy something gray.”
“Is it the rocks, Davis?”
“No, it’s the clouds.” The boy stuck his tongue out at WarGreymon, who snapped his fingers in irritation.
“Dangit!”
“Hey, Magnamon?” Tai asked, brows furrowing as he pulled his scope away.
“Yeah? What is it?” The knight turned, kneeling next to him.
“Am I crazy, or does that mountain not look like a mountain?” He continued, handing Magnamon the telescope.
“What, like a mountain’t?” Davis tilted his head, momentarily distracted from the game of rock-paper-scissors he was in with WarGreymon.
The blue scaled knight took it, a brow raised in confusion at the phrasing, and followed Tai’s gaze, where his shoulder pads shot up and out in agitation.
A few moments later, he gently and deliberately lowered the telescope, set it down next to Tai, turned around, and hopped off the tower. “I’m going for a walk. If anyone needs me,” He began, walking past the others in a way that would have seemed at ease, if not for the scorching golden corona radiating off his armor. “ DON’T.” He snarled, reaching the edge of the village and blasting off like a rocket.
“Should we go after-?” Joe asked, only to be cut off by an earth-shaking boom as a distant mountain was cut in half by a golden explosion.
“If you wanna get in the way of him venting, be my guest.” Matt chuckled uneasily. “But I’d prefer to live long enough to become a teenager.”
“Do you think Magnamon’s cooled down?” Agumon asked a bit later, watching the smoking crater that had replaced the peak of a mountain several minutes ago, and appeared to be the last of over a dozen pulverized mountains.
“Probably, considering he hasn’t gone for another one.” Gabumon shrugged. “What do you think set him off like that?”
“Don’t know. He just looked at the not-a-mountain- or mountain’t as Davis is calling it- and left.”
“So, the mountain’t is the issue?”
“I guess.” It was Agumon’s turn to shrug as they stared at the hazy bump in the distance, which would have appeared to be just another mountain if not for the rounded, glass top. “Hey, Gabumon? Do you ever… dream?”
Gabumon blinked, turning towards his friend. “Everyone dreams, Agumon. A couple days ago, I even dreamed about this big cheeseburger that-“
“No.” Agumon shook his head. “I don’t mean things like that- but tell me about it later. I mean dreams that don’t feel like dreams.”
Gabumon froze for a second, eyes widening minutely, before slowly nodding. “Ever since I first became MetalGarurumon.” He admitted in a whisper. “Whenever we’d take naps or get knocked out, I’d see… I don’t know, flashes. A forest, other Gabumon and Garurumon, but mostly…”
“A big tree.” Agumon finished. “And a digimon with black and gold armor, and a giant in white with a sword.”
“Yeah…” Gabumon nodded. “Then the sword’s gone, and suddenly things get hazy.”
“What do you think it all means?” The saurian asked, tapping his claws together in a nervous tick.
“I don’t know.” Gabumon sighed. “Do you think the others have the dream?”
“Maybe, but-” Agumon was cut off as a golden sparkle began to fly back from the smoking mountain. “Talk later? It looks like Magnamon’s back.”
“Sure.” The coat-wearing Rookie agreed.
“Piedmon knows where we are.” Magnamon began without any preamble.
“What?!”
“Ok I guess we’re just throwing out bombshells, huh?!”
“How’s that even possible?”
“We haven’t had a connection to the internet since the City! How could he-?”
“Because,” Magnamon growled, glaring off in the direction of Piedmon’s lair. “Laughing Boy’s built his castle right on top of Yggdrasil. Or what’s left of it, at least.” The digimon all paled, while the humans blinked.
“Wait, so it’s plugged into Drasil’s physical form?” Izzy asked. “Is that even possible?”
“It is when they’ve cut the World Tree down and built a palace on the stump. Now Piedmon has direct access to every root across the Digital World.” The knight clenched his fist in anger. “No wonder King Drasil was so damaged!” He snarled, turning and punching a crater into the cliff face behind him. “DAMNIT! I should’ve known! I should’ve been here! I could’ve stopped this!”
“But you also could’ve ended up just like the other Royal Knights.” Tai argued, stepping forward. “If you were here instead of on Earth, do you honestly think things would have changed? You saw what happened when you tried to fight Piedmon last time! He knocked you back into Veemon with one attack!” Magnamon whirled around, glaring down at the boy as his eyes flashed gold.
“Are you saying I’m weak ?” He growled. “That I can’t stop this threat?”
“I’m saying you need to calm down!” Tai shouted back as Agumon moved to stand in front of him, ready to defend against the knight. “We try and do this without working together, we’re gonna fail, and we can kiss both our worlds goodbye!” His glare matched Magnamon’s, while everyone stared in shocked silence.
After a tense minute, Magnamon stepped back, nodding. “Fine. But I’ve got dibs on Chuckles.”
“Deal.” Tai nodded back, holding his hand out, where it was wrapped in Magnamon’s larger grip for a handshake.
“Here’s what we know.” Magnamon said an hour later, kneeling around a bowling pin taken from one of the Village’s toy boxes. “The castle’s here, perched right on top of Yggdrasil’s stump. Chances are, Piedmon has a room dedicated to tapping into the security system of the Digiworld, which means he has an almost perfect array of cameras across the land that exists.” The knight placed a clown peg doll beside the bowling pin.
“I can’t help but notice you said ‘almost’.” Izzy noted.
Magnamon nodded. “He doesn’t have total control. Not while Omegamon, Dynasmon, Jesmon, and myself still live.”
“Wait, what?” Joe blinked. “How does that work?”
“Whenever a Royal Knight was inducted into the order, they were given a section of a key.” Magnamon explained, holding his hand up as a spinning barcode of blue, purple, and white light materialized. “In the event that Drasil became corrupted or unable to function, the key would be reassembled from the fractal code and allow access to the Core, where the Royal Knights could then take over until things were repaired.”
“Prodigious…” Izzy muttered, looking at the band in awe. “I’ve never seen digicode do that before!”
“It’s old Digiworld stuff.” Magnamon explained, clenching his fist and making the circle dissipate. “But since one Knight is missing, two of us were off world, and Breakdramon managed to hide half of Examon’s inside his own data before handing it off to Jesmon, Piedmon only has the sections belonging to Alphamon, Gallantmon, Crusadermon, Craniamon, Duftmon, Gankoomon, UlforceVeedramon, Kentaurosmon, and the blue half of Examon.”
“Which means he doesn’t have complete access to the Core!” Tai realized while Izzy typed it all down. “So, what can and can’t he do?”
“Well, he knows where we are, roughly.” Magnamon admitted. “But he shouldn’t be able to listen in. He also doesn’t have access to the defense grid, so he’s likely packed his fortress full of his goons.” He set down a dozen or so bat-like stickers around the pin. “Not to mention he likely has elites, like Lotusmon or Fujin, Raijin, and Suijinmon.” He put down a few troll dolls surrounding the clown. “What we don’t know is the numbers or who exactly he has waiting to roll out the red carpet.”
“I have a question.” Davis raised his hand from next to T.K. and Kari, where they were sitting cross legged. “If Piedmon knows where we are, how come he hasn’t come after us?”
“He’s probably twisted and wants us to come walking to our destruction instead of hunting us down.” Magnamon grumbled. “Luckily, that means we’re all playing by our timeline. That gives us time to train and prepare for the battle.”
“Alright, then what do we do first?” Matt asked, crossing his arms.
“First, we rest.” The knight said, pointing to the distance, where the sun was creeping over the horizon. “We’ve had a long day, and we need to recharge. I’ll go check things out and try to get a read on what we’re up against.”
“Whoa, we just got done agreeing to go at this as a team. You can’t just-”
“Oh, relax. It’s just scouting. But if it bothers you that much....” He stood, then flashed as he reverted to Veemon. In a manner that seemed to be muscle memory, he handed the Armor to Davis. “There, happy?” The Rookie spread his arms, then turned to walk towards the stump of Yggdrasil.
“Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed…” Gomamon muttered.
“Can you blame him?” Mimi asked. “In just a couple days he’s lost his friends, his world, and now what he promised to protect. I’d be testy too.” They all looked down at that, while Davis stared at the sleeping Armor.
Veemon scowled, kicking a rock across the floor of a canyon as the stars began to peek out from the gloomy clouds. ‘What do they know about me? Nothing, that’s what! They don’t get to tell me how I should or shouldn’t act! I’m a Royal Knight! I’ve seen more battles than they ever will!’
“And yet here you are, acting more childishly than they. I didn’t spend over a decade teaching you how a Knight should carry yourself, only for you to throw a tantrum as soon as we left.” Veemon whirled around at the ghostly, disembodied voice that whispered through the jagged canyon, yet left not even an echo off the walls.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” He lifted his fists up, an uneasy feeling in his gut as his glaring eyes went back and forth. Eventually, he sighed, hands dropping as he stood up. “I must be losing it… I’m hearing things…” He turned, then slammed into something solid, when just a moment before there had been nothing in his way. “Ow! What the-?!” He looked up, rubbing his snout, then gawked at the scene before him.
Sitting against the canyon wall was the armored form of Craniamon, one leg flat on the ground while the other was bent at the knee. Though the eyeholes of his helmet were dark, Veemon swore the disciplined knight was staring directly at him. The Rookie shut his eyes and shook his head, and when he looked, it was just a pile of rocks, with the bent leg being a distant mountain. “Yeah, definitely losing it.” He decided, continuing his trek, though now his body carried a stiffness of unease.
“Losing it? That implies you ever even HAD it!” Veemon whirled, seeing a streak of blue and grey out of the corner of his eye, yet was only met by the wall of the canyon and not the chortling form of UlforceVeedramon.
“Jumping at shadows now, are we?” He spun again, seeing a pillar of spire of rock that almost matched Crusadermon’s figure perfectly.
“Can you blame him? I’d be freaked, too!” Veemon looked around, trying to find the source of the heavy hoofbeats accompanying the latest voice, but there was no sign save a flicker of red at the edge of the canyon.
“What the hell’s going on…” He hissed, grabbing his head as the voices of the dead sounded out around him. “YOU’RE DEAD! YOU’RE ALL DEAD!” He shouted, eyes darting to every flash and flicker. Lightning in the sky, illuminating a titanic, winged form in the clouds. Emerald eyes gleaming from the shadows of an outcropping under a pair of pure ruby eyes. The tail of a white coat flapping in the wind as the wearer walked around a bend. A quartet of crimson triangles on a silver and gold blur.
Again and again these images appeared at the corner of his eyes, making him spin around in circles before Veemon finally fell to his hands and knees, kicking up dark water that had begun to fill the bottom of the canyon, then lifted his head and froze as he stared up at the imposing form of Alphamon. The black Knight’s arms were crossed at the edge of the canyon as he looked down at the Rookie, his eyes unreadable from such a distance, before he turned and vanished from view. ‘What do you all want?! Did I fail so bad you came back to taunt me?’ Veemon grit his teeth, pupils sinking into his irises as they turned a murky red.
“Veemon!” Davis’s voice called out through the haze that had draped over the Rookie like a heavy blanket. “Veemon!” He repeated, kicking up the water as he ran to the digimon, dropping to his knees beside him.
“…Davis…?” Veemon murmured slowly, sounding almost confused. “What’re you…?”
“You’ve been gone for hours!” He said, picking him up. “TAI, I FOUND HIM!”
“Hours…?” Veemon blinked slowly, snout scrunching up as he tried to understand. “But… I just left…”
“You’re worse with time than me!” Davis grunted, throwing Veemon’s arm over his shoulders. “It’s almost midnight!” Tai ran over and grabbed the Rookie’s other arm, Agumon close behind and launching fireballs into the sky.
“Night…” The Rookie repeated, head hanging limply to stare at the water below. “Is it raining…?”
“What? No, it hasn’t rained at all.” Tai grunted, supporting him. “ Davis, are you even lifting? ”
“But… if it’s not raining…” Veemon’s brows furrowed as clarity returned to his eyes and they shot open wide. “GET OUT OF THE WATER!” He screamed, moments before several geysers erupted, cutting them off from the approaching forms of Birdramon, Kabuterimon, Garurumon, and Togemon. The waterspouts twisted and writhed like serpents, before suddenly turning around twenty feet up and slamming down onto the two boys and the pair of reptilian digimon, becoming a pulsing cylinder of dark blue water.
“TAI!” Kari screamed, held back by Sora . “DAVIS!”
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Matt shouted, hoping off Garurumon’s back while T.K. remained tucked between the blades on the wolf’s back.
“DID THE WATER JUST SWALLOW THEM?!”
“IZZY, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!”
“I don’t know! Nothing in Gennai’s database of “Digiworld Phenomena” mentions living puddles!”
“Because that’s not a phenomenon…” Kabuterimon offered with mounting dread as the water began to reshape, lifting itself up on four thick legs while a massive maw with two rows of sulfur yellow teeth split it almost completely in half. “It’s Splashmon.”
The fluid tiger let out an ear piercing scream as its body thrashed and rolled like the surface of a stormy sea. “Something’s off…” Garurumon growled deeply. “Splashmons are meant to be light blue with purple stripes, not dark purple with blue stripes.”
“You wanna tell him that?” Gomamon shouted, before yelping and ducking back down on Kabuterimon’s back as Splashmon turned its glowing red eyes to the seal. “Just a suggestion.” He squeaked, peeking over Joe’s shoulder.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s blue or purple or yellow with polka dots!” T.K. shouted, raising his Digivice. “Let’s kick his butt!”
“Easy, Rambo!” Matt scolded. “Tai, Davis, Agumon, and Veemon are in there, remember? If we try to fight it now, we could hurt them!”
“Then what are we supposed to do?!”
“I have a suggestion: DUCK!” Patamon screamed, tackling T.K. down as Garurumon hit the deck, barely avoiding a high-pressure beam of liquid that carved through the wall of the canyon like a hot knife through butter.
“Tai! Tai!” Agumon urged, shaking his partner by the arm and letting out an anxious whine as it did nothing to break him from the ball he’d curled into. “What’s wrong with them, Veemon?” He turned to the other Rookie, who was leaning against Davis with an anxious expression, trying to rouse him.
“It’s water from the Dark Area.” The knight explained in a whisper, looking around the dim, almost pitch black bubble they were in, where the only light shimmered and shifted high above on the surface of the water. “It’s one of the ways Evil managed to break digimon to its side. It rips away at the one submerged until only wickedness remains.”
“Well that won’t work!” Agumon argued, huffing out curls of smoke from his nostrils. “Not to Tai and not to Davis! They’re nothing but good!”
“I know.” Veemon nodded shakily, looking at the humans. “That’s the part that scares me the most…” He reached into Davis’s hoodie, and wrapped his hand around the angular form of the Golden Digiegg.
“TIGER TYPHOON!” A narrow whirlpool burst from Splashmon’s maw, filled with fangs and claws.
“ICE WOLF BITE!” MetalGarurumon’s sub zero steam froze it solid, with the change in density making it fall to the ground and shatter. “We can’t keep playing defense like this…” The wolf growled, while the other seven digimon circled the tiger.
“It’s not like we have a choice!” Rosemon shouted, spinning her whip like a fan and slashing a jet of water into a fine mist. “What do we know about him, Izzy?”
“Splashmon, Mega level. Uses small multicolored drones called “Splashers” to lure or weaken prey, then ambushes them from a body of water!”
“And does it mention anything about glowing?” Vikemon asked, too nonchalantly to be casual. “Because…” He pointed a mace towards the now twitching form of the sixty foot tall Mega, where a light was seen in the depths of its stomach and getting brighter with each moment.
“What are you doing?” Agumon blinked, looking up at the shining form of Magnamon as the golden glow filled the space.
“Hopefully, I’m about to cut a hole through him for us to escape!” He grunted, straining to push his light through the shadows.
“…why does it matter…?” The glow flickered for a moment as the two digimon turned to Davis, surprised he was talking after being so quiet.
“Davis…?” Magnamon muttered, worriedly.
“Are you ok…?” Agumon reached out and shook the boy’s shoulder, only for him to shake his head.
“It’s my fault…” He said, voice tight and strained as tears began to swell in his eyes. “I… I got Breakdramon out of the hole, and he died… Maybe Puppetmon and Lotusmon were right… maybe I should have been remo-“
“DON’T YOU DARE FINISH THAT!” Agumon shouted, while Magnamon stared in silent horror at the boy’s words. “You’ve been helping us out so much! You got us food to re-energize, then distracted Myotismon from focusing on Kari, remember?!”
“And then I just kept getting in the way…” He muttered. “I snuck along to fight VenomMyotismon, but couldn’t do anything to help. I ran into the Gate because I wanted to join, but all I’ve done is take up space…” He buried his head behind his knees, much like Tai was doing. “And when I finally think I can help, I get a ‘Mon k-killed. ”
“Davis-” Magnamon began, only for Tai to speak up.
“No, it’s my fault…” The Bearer of Courage whispered. “I should’ve told you to stay back on Earth. I was too stupid to realize how dangerous it’d be for you. How the others stand me, I don’t get…”
“Tai!” Agumon shouted, offended by his partner’s self-deprecation, then gasped as the two boys began to darken, slowly turning to shades of dark blue and purple and matching the colors of the water.
“ENOUGH!” Magnamon shouted, armor reigniting in a glorious blaze. “MAGNA RAY!”
Splashmon howled, then suddenly went silent as the upper half ruptured like a water balloon. The Digidestined on the outside stared in horror as Magnamon struggled against a seemingly elastic sphere that stretched with his punches, while Davis and Tai were little more than grey-scaled silhouettes.
“Magnamon?!”
“What’s happening to them?!”
“GUYS!” Magnamon shouted, digging his claws into the bubble and trying to find purchase where the beams of energy had split, only to find it repaired.. “THEY’RE FADING! THEY NEED HELP, OR THEY’LL BE LOST TO THE DARK AREA! CRA-!” He screamed, as Splashmon suddenly reformed, now radiating a furious aura and drooling slobber that steamed and ate at the rock below.
“The Dark Area? Like the one from Drasil’s story?!”
“What have we gotten ourselves into this time?!”
“No, it’s what are we getting those two out of .” Kari corrected, face set in steely resolve.
“Kari?” Sora asked, looking over from Garudamon’s other shoulder.
“My big brother and my best friend are stuck inside there, and they’re all alone!” Kari shouted, turning to face the taller girl. “I’m not about to leave them like that! Not when I have the Light! Angewomon!”
“Kari, are you sure?” The Ultimate asked, even as the girl leapt onto her back and held onto the bases of her uppermost wings.
“I’m sure.” She nodded. “Let’s go save them.”
“WH-KARI!” Sora screamed, watching as the Angel suddenly tucked her wings, twisting past the fangs of another Tiger Typhoon, and dove into Splashmon’s body.
“KARI?!”
“NO!”
“CRAPBASKETS!”
Sora stared at the weakening ripples that spread across Splashmon’s back in shock, mind filled with a loud hum as she tried to make sense of it. Then, she grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes, coming to a decision. “After her, Garudamon!”
“Right!” The Ultimate of Love flapped into the air, grabbing her partner from her shoulders and cradling the human in her giant hands, then dove, piercing right into Splashmon’s body.
Sora thrashed as she was suddenly engulfed in freezing cold water, blindly grabbing for her partner, only to find Garudamon had shrunk to Biyomon. She had barely wrapped her arms around the pink and blue bird when a hand grabbed onto the back of her shirt and dragged her through the chilling murk.
There was a momentary pause, then suddenly she could breathe, gasping for air as she coughed up purple water. “Wh-what was- where are we?” She gagged, looking around.
“The belly of the beast.” Magnamon explained, stepping back from her. “Literally.” He looked over to Kari, who was glowing pink as she gripped her Crest tight, and trying to shake Tai and Davis out of their curled up positions. “She’s been at it since I dragged her in a minute ago, but she’s made more progress than Agumon or I.”
“What’s happening to them?” Sora asked softly, seeing the dully-colored forms of the boys. “You said something about the Dark Area?”
“Right.” Magnamon nodded. “This Splashmon is made of Dark Ocean water, so unless you manage to keep yourself in a positive mindset, the shadows will seep into your soul and rip away all the good until only evil remains.”
“That’s horrible…” Biyomon tweeted softly, hopping over to where Kari and Agumon were reminding Tai of all the good he’d done.
“You don’t know the half of it.” The Knight sighed. “For most, it’d be torture. But for these two? It’s a death sentence. They don’t have an evil bone in their bodies, so if all the positive gets removed and the negative is left…”
“There’ll be nothing at all…” Sora realized in a horrified whisper.
“One minus one is zero.” Magnamon agreed. “If we don’t get them out of this mindset, they’re done for.”
Sora stared at them, then set her face. She marched over, knelt next to Kari, and grabbed Tai by the shoulders. “Look at me, Taichi Kamiya!” She barked, glaring at the bushy-haired boy until he raised his downcast face, normally bright and sparkling brown eyes now as blank as a clod of dry dirt. “Get a hold of yourself! Where’s all that optimism you’ve always had? That confidence to go charging at Etemon with your bare hands?!”
“And look what happened…” He sighed. “Everyone scattered because I had to run headfirst into things, and Myotismon almost tore us all apart…”
“And then you fixed it as soon as you came back! You got T.K. and Patamon to iron things out! You helped Mimi stop being a spoiled princess and join us again!”
“But what about before that, huh?” He asked, not aggressive, but just tired in a way that felt bone-deep. “I made Agumon Dark Digivolve to SkullGreymon because of my pride, and he could’ve hurt you guys, and it would’ve been my fault...”
“That’s not-!”
“And before that, the only time I ever really helped was that first day against Shellmon, and even then all I did was get captured…” Tai closed his eyes and bent his head, hiding his face behind his knees. “Just leave me here, Sora…”
“Why you-!” Sora growled, putting her plans on his cheeks and forcing him to look at her, before slapping him with a crack like a whip and knocking his goggles from his head.
“Whoa…” Gatomon blinked, while Biyomon and Agumon gasped. Davis looked over, eyes widening at the bright red handprint on his role model’s face, while Kari and Magnamon continued to mutter their own encouragement to him.
“Sora…?” Tai muttered, gingerly touching his cheek.
“You’re not a quitter, Tai!” She screamed, hopping to her feet as her Crest began to glow under her shirt. “Not now, not ever! So what if you tripped up a few times? You’re still our leader! You’re still my closest friend! We’ve had each other’s backs for years, and I’m NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND LET YOU BEAT ON YOURSELF!” She reached down, hauled Tai to his feet, and wrapped him in a steel hug, shoulders shaking. “ No one’s allowed to bully my best friend, not even my best friend. ” She swore, as the red light reached a crescendo, mixing with Kari’s pink aura and exploding into a nova.
“Sora…!” Biyomon gasped again, her feathers swirling away to reveal a red wireframe. “BIYOMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!
“TIGER TYPH-!” Splashmon’s attack was cut off with a choked gurgle as its midsection began to bubble and steam, a red light growing at the core.
“Oh, now what?! ” Vikemon shouted, fur soaking wet and matted from the constant barrage of water attacks.
“If he ruins my hat next, I’m going to bottle him!” Mimi screamed, wringing out the bottom half of her dress.
“I think we’ve got bigger things to worry about!” Izzy warned, his laptop screen showing a thermal image of Splashmon, and how the center of the Mega was white-hot. “EVERYONE DOWN!” He dove away from the edge of the canyon, laptop over his head and joined swiftly by Mimi, with Tentomon covering the two and Rosemon covering him. MetalGarurumon and MagnaAngemon flew up to the other side of the chasm, hunkering down, while Vikemon leapt behind a turn in the canyon, hunched over to protect Joe.
Just in time, too, as Splashmon let out a final roar, then exploded into a mushrooming cloud of steam, revealing a yellow, four winged bird with several tails and just as many metallic ribbons trailing behind it. “PHOENIXMON!” The twenty five foot tall digimon cried, wings extended and launching rivers of flame from the tips, while Sora, Kari, Tai, and Davis rode on her back.
“Well, that’s one way out of there.” Magnamon chuckled, a touch incredulously, as Agumon and Gatomon sat on his shoulder pads.
“Fascinating…” Izzy said several hours later, laptop on Tentomon’s shell. “In a twisted kind of way. To think that a digimon could not only be corrupted by the Dark Area, but even mix with it to create a new subspecies!”
“Yeah.” Veemon sighed, crossing his arms. “I’ve been a Knight for over a thousand years, and even I have to admit that’s a new one. But what concerns me the most is the fact that this is hard evidence of the Dark Area returning.” He rubbed his chin, glaring towards Piedmon’s castle in the distance. “First that evil power the Dark Masters had, now this? There’s more at play here than any of us realize.”
“Well, I think you’re about to have a chance to ask him.” Mimi gulped, holding Tai’s telescope. “I think he’s tired of waiting.” She handed it to Veemon, who bristled as he witnessed the leisurely approaching form of Piedmon.
“He wasn’t waiting.” Tai grunted, slowly sitting up from where Joe and Sora had been hovering over his sleeping form. “Splashmon was a trap. Chuckles was waiting for it to handle us, and either we’d be toast, or we’d be too beat up to fight back.”
“How do you figure that?” Matt asked, helping the brunette to his feet.
“Why else would it mess with Veemon, but not go for the attack until more of us were there?” Tai grinned weakly.
“So, he turned me into bait?” Veemon glared at the red, green, and yellow blob of color in the distance.
“Well, joke’s on him.” Davis snickered. “Now we’ve got one more Mega than before!”
“He’s right.” Kari nodded, a confident smile on her face. “Six Megas, two Ultimates, and a Royal Knight?”
“I like our odds.” Agumon pumped his arm with a toothy smile. “You ready to go, Tai?” The others turned to the goggle-head, grinning at him.
Tai blinked, looking at the others one by one, and not seeing a trace of doubt, not even from Matt. “You guys really want me to…?”
“Of course we do.” Sora smiled, grabbing his hand. “You’re our leader, so get leading.” She held his discarded goggles out in her free hand, and he smiled, cheeks coloring slightly.
“Thanks, Sora.” He chuckled softly, grabbing the eyewear and situating it back on his head before smirking to the others. “Now, LET’S MAKE PIEDMON REGRET PICKING A FIGHT!”
“YEAH!” Eight Digivices and the Golden Digiegg began to glow with energy as their users powered up for the final Dark Master.
“WARGREYMON!”
“METALGARURUMON!”
“PHOENIXMON!”
“HERCULESKABUTERIMON!”
“ROSEMON!”
“VIKEMON!”
“MAGNAANGEMON!”
“ANGEWOMON!”
“MAGNAMON!”
The nine glared out over the wasteland, feet shifting in the gravel and drawing faint scraping noises as Piedmon became close enough to see the reds of his eyes. “Well well well!” The clown chuckled, arms outstretched. “I must admit, I had fully expected you to perish on the trip here. Maybe not to Puppetmon or MetalSeadramon, but to escape Machinedramon? Bravo!” He clapped, tapping his fingers against the heel of his hand.
“Well we have a lot of practice taking down dirtbags who think they can get one over on us.” Vikemon smirked, pulling his maces from his back.
“Next up on the list: You. ” WarGreymon growled, stepping forward as his claws slid out of his gauntlets.
“Oh my, are you sure you want to play this game?” Piedmon gasped in fake shock, hiding his grin. “After all, you and Fido over there were felled by a sneeze last time!”
“We’ve had a lot of practice.” MetalGarurumon snarled, stepping forward as icy vapor hovered around his maw and his missiles primed themselves. “Plus, we have backup.”
“That you do!” Piedmon cackled. “Two pairs of extra spicy chicken wings, a fur rug wearing a fur rug, an overgrown roly-poly and the one I’m certain he’d like to pollinate with, two Ultimates, and dear Magnamon! The final true Knight left in the Digital World! The runner! The coward!” Piedmon grinned, then blinked as, instead of leaping onto the offensive, spitting with rage, Magnamon simply crossed his arms and glared, joined by the other digimon.
“...Are you done?” Magnamon asked, raising a brow. Piedmon blinked again, baffled by the shift in demeanor, and was verbally steam-rolled over as the Knight continued. “Because if you’re going to stand there and insult us, then think again, Bozo. These digimon and their partners have done more than you’ll ever accomplish in all the lives you’ve had or will have. They outgunned MetalSeadramon’s navy. They outplayed Puppetmon’s forest. They outwitted Machinedramon’s city. They’ve fought all the way to the top of Spiral Mountain, and now the only thing standing in their way- our way- is a Clown College dropout.” Magnamon let that sink in, then smirked behind his faceplate. “Plus, none of us have a corn muffin for hair.”
Piedmon scowled, hate burning in his eyes as the Digidestined and their digimon snickered. “Oh? So you think you can outjoke a clown now? Well, you’re not the only ones with back up, brats!” He snapped his fingers, and they boomed like a gunshot over the wasteland. The Digidestineds’ partners fell into their battle positions while the ground began to rumble slightly, a cloud of dust appearing at the base of Yggdrasil’s trunk while dark wings blackened the skies over the distant castle. A massive pack of red-furred Fangmon appeared from the dust, while Devidramon and bat-like Vilemon swarmed overhead and Soulmon arose from the rocky ground, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other in a sea of black, red, and white
As if that wasn’t enough, six figures stepped forward from the hundred- maybe even two hundred- Champions, standing beside Piedmon. “AND NOW TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR MERRY TROUPE! IN THE RING TO MY RIGHT, WE HAVE THE LORD OF SPIRITS, METALFANTOMON, AND THE GRIM BEASTS FOR LANDS AFAR, SKULLMAMMOTHMON AND SKULLBALUCHIMON! IN THE RING TO MY LEFT, WE HAVE THE FEMME FATALE LADYDEVIMON, MASTER OF VILEMON, BOLTMON, WITH THE STRENGTH OF FIFTEEN ULTIMATES, AND GHOULMON, THE ‘MON OF THREE EYES!! And taking Center Ring, of course, IS YOURS TRULY, PIEDMON! NOW, send in the clowns. ” Suddenly, four pitch black Volkswagen beetles the size of go karts with skulls, spiders, flames, and smoke painted across them in dark reds, blues, purples, greens peeled up, swerving around craters and bumps in the wasteland. Their tires screeched and kicked up smoke that reeked of burning rubber as they came to a halt in front of the Mega.
In sync, the doors opened, and legs black, curly toed shoes with purple socks and teal leggings stepped out. Soon the rest of the digimon followed, revealing five jesters in purple tailcoats, black and red jester hats, and wielding ominous, garnet-bladed scythes. They stepped to the side, and a new batch of five stepped out, then another, and another, before ending with a fifth set. The twenty jesters lined up, ten on each side of Piedmon, who clapped. “Oh, bravo! Bravo! I do so love it when my Jokermon are all in a row!”
“Five Megas, twenty two Ultimates, and who knows how many Champions against our ragtag group?” Magnamon wondered aloud, a gleam in his eyes. “I like our odds.”
“Are you sure? Because we're seriously outnumbered and-!” Rosemon was cut off as Magnamon grinned at her.
“Come on, I just got done telling Chuckles there how strong you all are. Have some faith in yourselves. Besides, you guys have the easy part. I’m the one who’s squaring up against Piedmon.”
“If we’re calling dibs then the skank is mine.” Angewomon scowled, glaring at the smirking form of LadyDevimon, who made a taunting kissy face.
“I’ve got SkullMammothmon.” HerculesKabuterimon offered.
“And if Piedmon wants a circus, I’ll give lion taming a go with SkullBaluchimon.” Rosemon nodded.
“I’ll take Boltmon.” WarGreymon decided.
“And I’ve got MetalFantomon.” MagnaAngemon chimed in.
“I’m big enough to hold Ghoulmon off.” Vikemon cracked his knuckles, glaring at the black and grey winged triclops.
“Then we’ll take the fodder.” MetalGarurumon growled, sharing a nod with Phoenixmon.
“Let’s do it!” She crowed, taking off in a rain of ember.
“BREAK!” Magnamon rocketed forward, beelining for the grinning face of Piedmon.
Chapter 11: Let the Sparks Fly
Summary:
Magnamon gagged, doubling over as he held his abdomen, and was left wide open as Piedmon spun the sword like a baton, then brought it down on his head.
Magnamon looked up, eyes widening as the blade descended, before it cleaved through golden armor and electric blue data splashed against the dusty ground.
“MAGNAMON!”
“MAGNAMON!”
“MAGNAMON!”
Chapter Text
“STARLIGHT EXPLOSION!” Phoenixmon screamed, racing above a handful of Jokermon and the dozens, if not hundreds of Fangmon below while raining golden dust from her feathers, which exploded in her wake like a bombing run.
“METAL WOLF CLAW!” Several missiles trailing ice blue energy lines darted through the air, leaving geometric patterns as they struck the Devidramon and Vilemon in the sky.
“You’re not so tough!” WarGreymon bellowed, claws locked with Boltmon’s battle axe as the two humanoid Megas pushed against one another.
“Back!” Rosemon shouted, jabbing at the skeletal form of SkullBaluchimon, which towered at twice her height. “Back!” She repeated, lashing her whip at it and carving a furrow across its skull.
HerculesKabuterimon roared, charging forward and locking his horns with SkullMammothmon’s tusks, the loud and heavy clonk of carapace against bone shaking the teeth of those nearby while they began to wrestle.
MagnaAngemon leapt backwards, grimacing as the energy scythe of MetalFantomon swung close enough to his neck for small bolts of lightning to crackle between his throat and the blade. “Alright, metal head. Let’s dance.” He frowned, glaring as the cybernetic ghost as he brought his right arm up, then swung it down sharply, making his energy blade emerge with a snap-hiss. MetalFantomon said nothing, and instead pointed at the Angel with his scythe, making the dozen or so Soulmon sitting back suddenly race forwards, chanting spells in Digimoji.
“C’MON, BOZO! Let’s see what you got!” Magnamon shouted, flying past and avoiding several Clown Tricks and throwing knives from Piedmon. He glanced over his shoulder, then flipped forward, head pointing towards the ground as an Aura Barrier the size of a hubcap flickered into existence and caught a dagger, reflecting it back at the Dark Master and shearing off one of his ribbons. The golden Knight finished his front flip, boots digging trenches into the moon-like wasteland as he spun, lowering his center of gravity and bringing his arms up for combat.
Piedmon scowled, rubbing the frayed end of his ribbon as he unsheathed his Sword of Clubs and Blade of Hearts. “That was six hundred and sixty six thread count Digiberry Silk, I’ll have you know.”
“Oh well good for you.” Magnamon rolled his eyes, then jerked his arms up to block the sudden pair of swords being brought down on his head, sparks flying as the edges grinded against his bracers. “Nice try, Muffin-Mon! But you’re going to have to move a lot faster than that!”
“Yes, I suppose I will.” Piedmon hummed in thought, then smirked. “Or perhaps I’ll go after someone not as fast! CLOWN TRICK!” He spun in a corkscrew, throwing a pair of translucent spheres at the humans.
“BASTARD!” Magnamon growled, launching himself towards them and shielding them with his body, arms and armor plates outstretched. “Everyone alright?”
“Y-yeah!” Mimi nodded, eyeing him worriedly. “What about you?”
“Hey, cut me some slack.” He chuckled. “It’s gonna take more than a couple magic tricks to bring me down.” His head jerked up suddenly as the sound of a battle moved directly over the gathering, the content of it making his eyes widen while he attempted to cover the eyes and ears of T.K., Kari, and Davis.
“BIMBO!” LadyDevimon snarled, yanking on Angewomon’s hair.
“WITCH!” The female Angel yelled, slapping her foe across the face.
“HUSSY!”
“SKANK!”
“Now that’s a cat fight!” Vikemon snickered, clasping his fist with his other hand and slamming it into the bottom part of Ghoulmon’s head in a devastating volleyball serve.
“Not in front of the kids!” Magnamon shouted, fingers unmoving even as Davis tried to pry at them to see the fights.
“PEEK-A-BOO!” Piedmon suddenly lunged at them, fingers twisted and stretched to wield two swords in each hand like a pair of massive claws.
“Oh, CRAPBASKETS!” Magnamon released the smallest children, planted his hands in the ground, and spun, delivering a pair of heel-strikes to the clown’s chest and knocking him back. “You kids need to go!” He ordered, gaze not leaving the Dark Master as he flipped and spun, then landed on his feet.
“What?!” Davis shouted, looking at the Knight’s back. “We can’t just leave you guys-!”
“You can and you will! It’s safer for you to be away from this mess and not- DAMNIT!” Magnamon glanced over his shoulder and spun a roundhouse kick, shattering a Fangmon into particles just before its jaws snapped shut on Joe. The Golden Armored digimon looked around, growling in his throat as he realized that, while he’d been engaged with Piedmon, the beasts had managed to circle around, now close enough to the children to stave off any further bombing runs by Phoenixmon. “And this is why you guys needed to not stick around…” Magnamon grumbled, stepping back to hover over the children.
“MetalGarurumon!” Matt shouted. “Could use some help over here!”
“Right!” The Mega’s paw-based thrusters roared as he took off, only to immediately be swarmed by Devidramon. While their claws and fangs chipped and bounced on the metal alloy forming his hide, the mass of half a dozen thirty foot tall Champions was enough to drag him down. “GRRRRGH! GET OFFA ME! METAL WOLF CLAW!” Underneath the bulk of the Devidramons, several hatches opened. A massive cloud of smoke and frosty vapor exploded out from the center of the dogpile, and when it cleared, MetalGarurumon was panting and covered in scrapes and dents, mechanical fluid leaking from under his helm and down the side of his snout. “I hate those things…” He growled, before running towards his partner. “I’m coming, Matt!”
“I don’t mean to hurry you, WarGreymon, but…” Tai yelped, ducking under a crackling beam of purple energy that had erupted from a Fangmon’s jaws. “HURRY!”
“KIND OF BUSY, TAI!” WarGreymon shouted apologetically, ducking and weaving to avoid the wild, rapid swings of Boltmon’s axe.
“MAGNA-BLAST!” Magnamon spun, launching a barrage of golden lasers in a ring that vaporized the front line of Nightmare Soldiers, and dissuaded the ones behind them. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” He muttered to the children, even as MetalGarurumon leapt into the circle to join them. “But I think I might’ve underestimated how well trained these goons are. We’ll run out of energy long before they run out of bodies to throw at us.”
“And Piedmon knows it.” The lupine Mega growled, noting the wide smirk on the clown’s painted lips.
“So what do we do?!” Davis yelped, ducking as a Vilemon darted in, only to be grabbed and crushed by the Knight’s hand. “We can’t just give up!”
“And we won’t!” Tai urged, expression steadfast as he gripped his orange Digivice. “We’re going to keep going, right guys?!”
“RIGHT!” The other Digidestined nodded, clutching their own colored Digivices close as if to send their emotions directly to the machines.
“Oh please!” Piedmon scoffed, crossing his arms. “Do you brats honestly think you stand a chance against my minions?! Even now your precious partners are getting torn limb from limb!” He waved his hand, gesturing to the digimon.
MagnaAngemon, clothes covered in scorch marks and his visor and arm shield cracked and heavily chipped from MetalFantomon and the Soulmon.
Vikemon, grappling with Ghoulmon, but unable to look away to handle the Fangmon that had latched onto his limbs and were slowly drawing digital blood.
Rosemon, panting and shaking with exertion in a jungle of thorny vines while SkullBaluchimon tore at it from one side with claw and fang, and Soulmon burned at it from the other end with cursed flames.
HerculesKabuterimon, laid out on his back, barely managing to hold off SkullMammothmon’s stomps with his limbs as half a dozen Devidramon tried to grab onto them and restrain him.
Phoenixmon, whimpering as a puddle of glowing blue data grew under her grounded body from a gash in her side, while WarGreymon defended her with his shield from Boltmon’s bloodied axe.
Angewomon, who was faring the best of them all, but only because LadyDevimon threatened to flay any Vilemon that attempted to interrupt her fun.
“Don’t you get it?! You lost!” Piedmon laughed, bending backwards as he cackled. “Now, be good little boys and girls and hold still!” He pulled out his Sabre of Diamonds and Cutlass of Diamonds, dragging the blades against one another in an eerie screech and a shower of sparks. “I want to see if I can get a strike!”
“Like hell…” Magnamon growled, stepping between them as his armor flared up. “We haven’t lost. Not yet! Not while we still live!” Golden energy pulsed around his fists, charging them. “UNTIL WE DIE, YOU HAVEN'T WON!”
“WELL SAID!” A booming voice sounded from somewhere above. “BARRAGE SWEEPER!” A series of cracks sounded out as gunfire rained, ripping through the Devidramon holding HerculesKabuterimon down before digging into Boltmon’s back, distracting him. The mechanical form of HeavyLeomon slammed into the rocky ground, kicking up dust as the end of his shoulder-mounted cannon smoked. “I hope we’re not too late?” He asked, turning to the Digidestined.
“No, you’re right on time…” Mimi smiled, then blinked. “Wait, “we”?”
“Darn right “we”!” A gruff voice shouted, accompanied by the roar of an engine as a green skinned digimon with an orange mohawk and mechanical arms leapt over a hill, the motorcycle wheel replacing his legs spinning. “You think I was gonna let that Hairball Dispenser have all the fun?!”
“Ogremon?!” Joe gaped, only to be met by a glare.
“Hey, pal! The name’s Rebellimon, so don’t forget!”
“Wait, time out!” Matt shouted, baffled. “Where did you guys even come from?!”
“A mutual friend.” Leomon smiled, looking up as a colossal shadow swallowed the battlefield.
“No way…” Sora gaped.
“Not possible…” Izzy muttered.
“Is that…?” Tai began, an incredulous grin growing on his face.
“WHAMON!” Mimi shouted, tears in her eyes as she looked up at the underbelly of their apparently alive friend.
“That’s not just a Whamon…” Magnamon stared in awe as the floating whale grew larger and larger the closer he got. “That’s a King Whamon!”
“And that’s not all!” The cloaked form of Jesmon leapt from the front of the goliath’s head, landing with only a pair of small divots left by the tips of his bladed legs, followed soon after by a familiar white and gold figure.
“Dynasmon?!” Magnamon’s eyes widened. “When did you-?! Why are you-?! HOW?!”
“A few minutes ago by Earth time, I received a faint signal from King Drasil, demanding my return.” The mystical knight explained.
“That probably lines up with when Drasil talked to us after we beat Puppetmon!” Izzy concluded.
“Hey, hi, hello?” Davis interjected, waving his hand in the air. “We’re in a fight?! ”
“Oh, right.” Dynasmon nodded, turning to the stunned and frozen army of Piedmon as ethereal white flames began to burn in his palms. “Shall we, then?” He chuckled, while KingWhamon landed and opened his cavernous maw, letting dozens of Champions climb out, while more leapt from the island atop his back, all seemingly from Machinedramon’s city, as well as their old friends from File Island and the Gekomon from ShogunGekomon’s palace.
“Let’s!” Jesmon cheered, raising a blade as the three dragon heads flared to life. “FOR THE DIGITAL WORLD!” He roared, pointing his sword forward as the newly arrived army bellowed.
“SYMPHONY CRUSHER!”
“WING CUTTER!”
“BLAZE BLAST!”
“VOLCANIC STRIKE!”
“CRESCENT DAWN!”
“SCHWARZ STRAHL!”
“BONE STRIKE!”
“NINJA STAR BURST!”
“DJ SHOOTER!”
“AERIAL ATTACK!”
“DRILL SPIN!”
“LIZARD DANCE!”
Suddenly, the tide changed. What had seemed an uphill battle to the outnumbered Digidestined now became an even playing field, as Airdramon and Unimon charged through the clouds of evil digimon circling in the sky, scattering them, and making them easy targets for the long-range attacks of the ground forces.
“Yikes.” Rebellimon rumbled, skidding over to Phoenixmon as WarGreymon battled Boltmon with renewed vigor nearby. “You ain’t lookin’ too hot, birdy.”
“Tell me something I don’t know…” The Mega groaned, trying to push herself up only to let out a yelp of pain as her wound was tugged at.
“Easy there!” Rebellimon said, before his eyes looked upwards. “Can you fix it?” He seemingly asked no one, before his mohawk shook and two pink bunny ears sprung up. Phoenixmon stared as a tiny pink rabbit crawled out of the mohawk, a magenta scarf around their neck as they hopped over to her side.
“It’s long, but not deep.” The digimon reported, nodding. “I can help. Healing Glow!” Their hands shined with a soft green light, and Phoenixmon stared as the gash sealed up in seconds. Tentatively, she lifted herself up, stretched her wings, and let out a pleased trill at the lack of pain.
“Thank you, little one.” She nodded, leaning down to look at the rabbit. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Cutemon!” They smiled, running back over to Rebellimon and hopping up onto the machinery that made up his lower half, smiling as a robotic hand patted them on the head.
“When did you become a parent?” Phoenixmon asked the Ultimate, baffled.
“The hell’s a parent?”
“GATLING ATTACK!”
“SUB-ZERO ICE PUNCH!”
“FIREBALL!”
Andromon, Frigimon, and Meramon battled their way through a crowd of Nightmare Soldiers alongside a dozen other Champions, all to reach Rosemon through her walls of thorns. Behind them, HerculesKabuterimon bashed his head against SkullMammothmon, horns crackling with purple lightning that made the undead Mega trumpet in pain.
“Keep moving!” Andromon shouted, striding forward as both his hands spun and ripped through a Fangmon. “Don’t stop!” He urged, trying to block out a Monochromon’s cries as a pair of Devidramon grabbed them and lifted them into the sky, then pulled until the dinosaur exploded into particles, or a Geckomon who was ripped apart as a Soulmon reached up from the ground with its necrotic blue claws. With a final slash, he carved through the barricade of vines, then knelt next to Rosemon as a thin trickle of blue data ran down from under her flower to her lip. “Are you alright, Rosemon?” He asked, helping her to her feet.
“Yes. Thank you, Andromon.” She nodded, wiping the leaking data away with her thumb. “Will you all be able to keep the Champions off me while I handle this sorry bag of bones?”
“You know it!” Meramon grinned, forming a pair of fireballs in his hands while the air around Frigimon’s fists crystallized from the cold.
“Do what you gotta do! SUB-ZERO ICE PUNCH!”
“SPIRAL SWORD!” One of the remaining Jokermon, who had scattered amongst the army, was frozen solid, then shattered as it attempted to cut through Rosemon’s neck.
“Oh, you think you’re all so cute? ” Piedmon sneered, unconcerned even as the Solar Ray of Centarumon blasted MetalFantomon, which, while it didn’t destroy the spirit, distracted it long enough for MagnaAngemon to go on the offensive.
“We’re adorable!” Mimi stuck her tongue out with a wink, mocking the clown.
“Three of us against one chucklehead?” Jesmon smirked, floating forwards to stand beside Magnamon and Dynasmon. “Time for payback.”
“For all the innocent lives you’ve taken.” Dynasmon rumbled, claws flexing as he glared at the Dark Master.
“For our fellows in the Royal Knights, struck down by your hands.” Jesmon continued.
“It’s time for justice, Muffin-Head!” Magnamon shouted, blasting forward as a comet of gold, followed by red-orange and purple-white.
“Oh dear!” Piedmon gasped, a hand held up to his mouth. “Three Royal Knights attacking little old me? Whatever shall I do?! HOW ABOUT THIS?! ” He formed a Clown Trick in his palm, then crushed it. A split second before the fists of Magnamon and Dynasmon would impact, joined by the slashing blades of Jesmon, a new weapon sprung into existence, accompanied by a chain of multi-colored scarves and confetti. There was a slash, and suddenly the Knights were thrown backwards, plowing a trio of long craters into the landscape.
“Did anyone get the number of that Komondomon…?” Magnamon asked woozily, slowly sitting up as chunks of the ground fell from his armor. “Ugh…” He groaned, before looking at Piedmon and freezing.
“It can’t be…” Dynasmon murmured in horror, eyes wide as he gazed upon the weapon being swung like a child’s wiffleball bat.
“Oh, crap…” Jesmon squeaked, earlier confidence gone in the face of the weapon.
“What?” Tai asked, looking between the two. “What is it? It’s just an axe!”
“That’s no axe…” Magnamon corrected, staring at the black and gold blade in Piedmon’s hands. “That’s one of the deadliest swords in the entire Digital World. Every strike has the total, concentrated power of a high-end Mega behind it.”
“How do you guys know so much about it?” Sora asked nervously.
“Because it belongs to a Royal Knight.” Dynasmon said, slowly standing. “That’s the strongest sword in our arsenal, the Ouryuken.” Piedmon smirked, twirling the massive broadsword like a baton and making a show of examining the edges for damage.
“So, on a scale of how screwed we are…?”
“Let’s put a pin in that, shall we?” Jesmon offered, though the erratic twitching of his tail did little to hide his nervousness.
“Get the humans on Whamon!” Magnamon shouted, stepping forward as his verniers began to roar. “He’s mine!”
“Wait, we need to- and he’s gone.” Dynasmon sighed, staring at the golden blur. “I thought we’d managed to make him tone down the impulsiveness, but apparently not.”
Magnamon slammed into Piedmon, grabbing the handle of the Ouryuken and trying to pry it away from the demented jester. “Ouryuken doesn’t belong to you!” The Knight grunted, while Piedmon cackled and a dark miasma began to pour from his sleeves.
“Actually, it does! You see, I believe in finders keepers! I found this little bauble, so I got to keep it! It’s been a wonderful coat rack!”
“Bauble?! COAT RACK?! ” Magnamon bellowed, his righteous fury channeling into power that made his armor flare with energy, burning at the miasma. “THE OURYUKEN IS A RELIC OF THE ROYAL KNIGHTS! YOU WILL TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT!”
“Hmmm…” Piedmon closed his eyes in thought, then snapped them open as a twisted smile stretched from ear to pointed ear. “NAH!” He suddenly pushed it against Magnamon, knocking the Knight off balance, then kneed him in the stomach. Magnamon gagged, doubling over as he held his abdomen, and was left wide open as Piedmon spun the sword like a baton, then brought it down on his head.
Magnamon looked up, eyes widening as the blade descended, before it cleaved through golden armor and electric blue data splashed against the dusty ground.
“NO!” Jesmon shouted, lunging forward while Dynasmon held him back, while screams of shock came from all over the battlefield.
“MAGNAMON!”
“MAGNAMON!”
“MAGNAMON!”
Numbness. Weightlessness. Nonexistence. That was all that he felt.
‘You can’t beat him like this.’
Who was…?
‘He’s using my key fractal to trick Ouryuken into remaining in his grasp. No matter how hard you pull, it won’t move. To take the sword, you’ll need the same data.’
There was a sudden flash and the image of a black Digicore with two golden rings in an X flickered in his mind.
‘There. Now, show him who you are, Magnamon.’
The wide grin on Piedmon’s face flickered and faltered as he realized, rather than splitting the Knight’s helmet in half, all he had done was slash a deep gouge through his bracer that bit into his forearm. “I already told you…” Magnamon growled, slowly turning his arm and forcing the Ouryuken to turn with it. “They’re. Not. YOURS! ” His uninjured arm swung into a devastating uppercut, knocking Piedmon flat on his back. Magnamon glared at the Dark Master, wrenching the sword out of his arm by the handle and grabbing it, bowing his head to the blade as it pointed towards the sky. “I know I am not your true master, but please, let me guide you to the foes of Drasil.” He whispered, almost in prayer. After a moment, Ouryuken felt lighter and easier to wield, while new strength flowed through the Knight’s body.
Piedmon pushed himself up, then paled under his sheet-white makeup as a ghostly, serpentine dragon reared up behind Magnamon, its two wings appearing as giant axe blades while a pair of notched scimitars were grasped in its claws.
“What- what are you…?” The Dark Master whispered as Magnamon’s eyes flashed gold, then returned to their normal garnet coloration, glaring at Piedmon as the dragon faded away. “WHAT ARE YOU?!”
“ Justice.” Magnamon rumbled, voice layered over with something more bestial and warlike as he pointed with the sword. “And your undoing.”
“My undoing? My undoing?!” Piedmon snarled, leaping to his feet as the dark clouds began to gush from the openings in his clothes, sweeping across the ground like a fog. “THE ONLY THING BEING UNDONE HERE IS OUR WORK BY YOU GOODY-GOODY KNIGHTS AND THOSE BRATS! A DECADE OF WORK, TORN DOWN IN LESS THAN A WEEK AS I LOST THREE OF OUR BODIES!”
“ …Our? ” Magnamon’s already intense glare sharpened like a razor at the term. “ What do you mean 'our?' ”
Piedmon- or the thing wearing a Piedmon’s body- grinned, broken and jagged like it had never seen a smile before and was trying to copy the expression, eyes turning a sulphuric yellow as his shirt turned pitch black and his pants and boots became white as snow. The torn ribbon mended, and faded from blue to blood red in sync with its twin. “That’s for us to know and you to die wondering!”
By then the dark fog had stretched as far as the eye could see, hiding the pale grey ground under a blanket of shadow, ghostly tendrils reaching up and wrapping around the limbs of Piedmon’s forces while the clouds seeped into their skin. Half of them puffed up, muscles growing and veins bulging through their skin as their eyes turned pure yellow. Half of what remained began to grow, too, but they didn’t stop. They kept expanding, bloating into hideous, misshapen blobs of flesh, before exploding into particles. Rather than float off into the sky, however, the data was instead sucked into the last quarter of the Nightmare Soldiers, fueling them as they began to glow, with trios of Fangmon meshing together until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.
“SOULMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… SKULLSATAMON!”
“VILEMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… MEPHISTOMON!”
“DEVIDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… SKULLGREYMON!”
“FANGMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… CERBERUMON!”
“Oh, that’s not good.” MagnaAngemon grunted, panting as he leapt away from MetalFantomon, who was now missing his cloak while one eye socket was dark and the electrical sphere at his pelvis was cracked and leaking energy. “You got a plan?” He asked, looking over towards Magnamon.
“ Hit them. ” The Knight said, glare never leaving Piedmon, even as over a dozen of each type of Ultimate stepped up behind the Dark Master, while the battles between the Megas- as well as Angewomon and LadyDevimon- raged on. “ Hard. Get a Gate of Destiny ready. Make it a big one. Have MetalGarurumon cover you while Phoenixmon guards Whamon. ”
“What are you going to do?” The angel asked, finally drawing Magnamon’s eyes away as he answered.
“ I’m going to destroy Piedmon. ”
“So, you have a new toy.” The Not-Piedmon chuckled, eyes wide as green veins crossed them like cracked glass. “Big whoop! We have four!” The quartet of swords slid out of the X shaped sheathed with a single rasp of metal on leather., revealing the points of the blades to have morphed to take the shape of the card’s suit while the metal had changed in color, the spade and clubs a glossy jet black while the swords of diamonds and hearts were bloody red. “CARD CUTTER!”
Magnamon tensed, then began his dance, leaping forward, backwards, and to either side as the swords darted about like swooping falcons. He spun the Ouryuken like a staff, knocking aside the sword of spades, before leaping and twisting his body, shoulder pads tucking against his biceps as he spun between hearts and clubs. He stamped a foot on the ground, then ignited the verniers on that side, sending him into a rocket-powered roundhouse heel kick that deflected the sword of diamonds back towards Not-Piedmon, who didn’t react, save pinching the end of the blade less than an inch before it split his head down the middle.
“How about a different game?” The Thing asked, its grin just as unnatural, but somehow even wider than its head while the four swords hovered behind it in an X.
“What, like Old Maidmon?” Magnamon asked, his voice losing the bestial growl for the moment as he rest the sword over his shoulder. “52 Pickup?”
“I was thinking 52 CUT-UP! DECK OF SWORDS” The swords darted out and swung through the air, leaving copies of themselves behind, though each had different pommels, each corresponding to a number on a card.
“Shhhhhhhit…” Magnamon groaned, sinking down and spinning the Ouryuken just as the first of the barrage began.
“This is crazy…” Davis muttered in awe, peeking over the edge of KingWhamon’s colossal form as the Mega rose into the sky. Down below, he could see Vikemon freeze Ghoulmon solid, then finally shatter him with a swing of his maces. To the right, Rosemon speared SkullBaluchimon through the head, while HerculesKabuterimon drove his horns into the giant amber orb in SkullMammothmon’s chest and obliterated it with a Tera-Shocker. Turning to look to his left, he saw WarGreymon run Boltmon through, then explode the green-skinned Mega with a palm-sized Terra Force.
A white and gold blur drew his attention, as MagnaAngemon began to trace the second half of the mile-wide Gate of Destiny, with MetalGarurumon and Phoenixmon flanking him and shooting down the pursuing cloud of SkullSatamon, Mephistomon, Devidramon, and Vilemon.
“I don’t wanna count our chickens before they hatch,” Tai said, a grin spreading on his face. “But I think we’ve got this!”
“Of course we do!” T.K. smiled widely, leaping at his brother and wrapping his arms around Matt’s waist. “Our friends are the greatest!”
“I just wish they didn’t have to get hurt…” Mimi sobbed, wiping at her eyes as two Tyrannomon were trampled by a SkullGreymon, while a third was grabbed in its bony hands, brought up to its gaping maw, and was relieved of its head by massive fangs.
“Don’t cry, Mimi.” The slow, land-shaking baritone of KingWhamon sounded from under their feet. “They all knew the risks, but chose to come up here because you needed help.”
“Thank you, Whamon.” Sora smiled, patting the grassy ground. “But, how did you survive?”
“It was thanks to Magnamon!” The living island said, a smile in his voice.
“Thank you, Whamon.” Veemon nodded, kneeling on his left knee and crossing the matching arm over his thigh while pressing his right fist down against the ground- or in this case, Whamon’s head. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, and whispered a soft chant in old Digicode. The energy from the Armor flowed from the pockets of Davis’s hoodies, through him, and into the whale, making him glow so faintly it was hardly noticed in the bright noon sun.
“D-Digidestined…” Whamon coughed. “P-please… save this world, won’t you? I miss the way it was…” Water began to trickle down from the gap between the brown and blue sections of the whale’s body, and as his next words came out choked and wet, everyone realized he was crying. “I remember the joy and freedom of the seas, but now, it’s lawless and savage… I just… I just wish things were back to normal…”
Magnamon’s vision flashed blue as he looked towards the Ultimate, but saw so much more than usual. ‘ Whamon v1252.25.734. Structural Stability: 1/52949. Subject has reached parameters. Activate? ’ Before he even knew what he was doing, Magnamon nodded, raised his hand, and fired a beam of golden energy at the whale.
Everyone screamed in shock and horror at what seemed to be the sudden betrayal, only to stare in wonder as the wound healed and the pain seemed to melt away, even if the slow dispersal of particles continued on. Magnamon lowered his arm, then shook his head with a groan, holding it as his armor dimmed and reformed into the Golden Digiegg. “Wh-what just…?”
“Somehow, he managed to give me enough strength to live on. Even though my physical form had gone away, my Digicore stuck around, and was able to draw in enough data to Digivolve! Pretty cool, right?”
“I think Izzy passed out!” Kari reported, looking down at the Bearer of Knowledge, who had a wide grin on his face even as his eyes rolled up into his head.
“Yeah, big guy. Pretty cool.” Tai chuckled, kneeling next to Sora. “But I think it might be a bit too cool for Izzy.”
Magnamon slashed through the blade of the seven of clubs, then looked around, huffing for air. The ground was covered in the scattered, broken remains of the rest of the Deck of Swords, and as he turned his glare back towards Not-Piedmon, the Knight winced, all too aware of the wounds covering his exposed flesh, be they small scrapes or sizable gashes that turned his white front the same blue as the rest of his scales.
The abomination grinned, each passing moment making it seem less and less like a Piedmon, but also less like a digimon at all. “ What are you, fiend? ” Magnamon glared, pointing the Ouryuken at his foe, who merely summoned his last sword- the king of hearts- back to his side. “ You have a Core, yet it’s unnatural. Foul. ”
“You just don’t listen, do you?” It asked, tutting as the white half of Its mask turned black and streaks of dark gray ran through the hair. “That’s for us to know, and you to die screaming about!” Magnamon’s eyes flashed gold with anger, before an even brighter flare came from above, making all the battlers look up.
“GATE OF DESTINY!” MagnaAngemon bellowed, while the circular gate rotated in its frame. “OPEN!” The lines unsealed, and a great force began to pull at the Nightmare Soldiers. A pair of SkullGreymon let out roars of shock as they were dragged back, claws digging trenches in the ground before they became airborne and slammed into over a dozen Devidramon, SkullSatamon, and Vilemon, knocking them all into the oblivion beyond the ring.
Soulmon, whose lack of density was their greatest aid in flight and phasing through surfaces, now became their greatest weakness as they had no way to resist the pull. Even hopping into the bodies of their comrades only offered a few moments of reprieve before their hosts began to get sucked up as well. Fangmon and Cerberumon tried to outrun the pull of the vortex, but even they couldn’t escape as their feet left the ground and they were dragged back, yipping and howling.
LadyDevimon screamed in fury as she was suddenly yanked away from Angewomon, her fingers flexed into claws as she tried to lunge at her foe. Angewomon, her suit ripped and disheveled, spat a glob of blue data off to the side as she formed an arrow, glaring at her evil counterpart. “GO TO HELL! CELESTIAL ARROW!” LadyDevimon screamed again, this time in fear and pain as the bolt of holy lightning tore a hole through her chest, disintegrating her before she even reached the Gate.
As his army was sucked into the Gate, darkening the sky with their bodies, Not-Piedmon scowled, then roared as it drove the blade into the ground, anchoring itself to the ground as its minions flew by. Holy winds ripped at its body, peeling away monochrome vestments and even its skin, until all that was left was a dark, shapeless mass with glowing yellow eyes.
“C-CLOSE!” MagnaAngemon waved his arm, unable to maintain the colossal Gate any longer, yet he nodded in satisfaction at seeing the only foes left were swiftly mopped up by the remaining allied digimon, who then turned towards the center of the battlefield, circling the two fighters.
DIGIMON, WE FIGHT TO WIN! WE FIGHT TO WIN!
“ And now we see your true form, monster. ” Magnamon spat, eyes never leaving the oily mass as it lurched upright, twisting and stretching itself into a vaguely humanoid form with bony arms, sabre-like claws, and noxious yellow eyes. The dark fog that had become unfortunately familiar roiled and fell from its shoulders like a cape, the end drifting around the trunk that replaced its lower body. “ For your crimes, in the name of King Drasil, I sentence you to annihilation!” He held the Ouryuken out in front of him, then slowly rotated it, tracing a gold circle in the air.
Change into Power! We got the Power!
The abomination howled and thrashed, scratching at its own body and spilling black liquid onto the ground. “NO! NO! NO NO NO NO! YOU BASTARDS! WE’LL KILL YOU! YOU DID THIS! YOU RUINED IT!” To the shock and disgust of the digimon, it twisted and warped its body, appearing as the serpentine form of MetalSeadramon one second, then the hulking build of Machinedramon, before shrinking into the round, clockwork limbs of Puppetmon.
We got the Strength Within! We always Fight to Win and-!
“Oh, man… ” Tai muttered softly, cheeks green and tone thick with horror as he spied through his telescope from high above.
“What? What is it?!” Davis bounced up, grabbing at his mentor’s arm and trying to pull the spyglass away. “Lemme see!”
“Trust me, Davey, you don’t want to…”
Change into Power! We got the Power!
Magnamon finished forming the golden ring, which then flared as lines and digicode began to cross the inside, forming a Magic Circle with the stylized M on his waist armor in the very center. “ DIVINE SWORD GRADE MAGNA! ” He roared, bringing the Ouryuken back, then driving it forward in a lunge, diving through the circle. There was a flash of energy, and suddenly he was a shining golden lance, rocketing forward and running the Thing through before it could do more than widen its eyes. A moment of stillness covered the plateau, then the world erupted with light.
Together you and me, will Win the Victory!
“GUYS?!” Matt shouted, hopping down from Dynasmon’s hand as the two Knights ferried them from KingWhamon’s back. “Where are you?!” He coughed, waving away the dust and smoke that still lingered.
“Here!” Gabumon’s voice called out, before the coat-wearing Rookie limped out of the clouds, holding one arm and wincing as he walked, but smiling widely. “Hey, Matt!”
“Gabumon…” Matt’s voice wavered, before he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around his partner. “You’re ok…”
“Palmon!” Mimi cried, running forward and grabbing the plant Rookie, swinging her around. “Oh, you were amazing!”
“Thanks, Mimi!” She smiled widely, wrapping her Poison Ivy vines around the girl in a hug. “We couldn’t have done it without you guys, though!”
“I don’t know about that.” Sora chuckled, scratching her cheek. “We weren’t throwing explosions and punching the bad guys.”
“But you were giving us the strength to keep going!” Biyomon countered, nuzzling against her partner.
“We probably wouldn’t have lasted half as long if we were going on our own power.” Agumon nodded, smiling toothily up at Tai.
“Then let’s just call it a team effort, sound good?” The goggle-wearer grinned.
“Yeah!”
“Wait, where’s Magnamon?” Davis asked, brow furrowed.
“Right here.” The Knight spoke, his voice back to normal as he walked through the smoke. One hand held the Ouryuken’s handle as the blade rested on his shoulder, while the other had the aurora-like strip of Fractal Code, though now it was larger and more defined. “Just had to get these back.” He looked towards Jesmon and Dynasmon, then held out the Fractal Code. With but a single nod, the two extended their own hands, which were soon wrapped by their own rings. There was a moment of sparks as the three barcodes ran against one another, but when they separated each was identical. “There,” Magnamon nodded as he squeezed his fist shut and banished the Fractal Code. “The Key is scattered as much as it can, now.”
“Ok, but what about that?” Gatomon asked, pointing towards the massive black and gold sword. “Is it yours, now?”
“Mine?” Magnamon blinked, then chuckled. “The Ouryuken isn’t anyone’s.” He twirled the sword, then stuck the end in the ground, kneeling before it and putting a hand on the blade. “Thank you for your help, great one. You’ve shown your strength in the defense of the defenseless.”
“ Of course I did. ” The ghostly dragon snorted, rising out of the sword and curling its serpentine body around it. “What good is power if it’s wasted on one’s self?"
“As wise as ever, Lord Ouryumon.” Jesmon saluted, tail wagging.
“ Darn right, whelp! Now, leave me! I’m going to go find a rock to sleep in until Alphamon returns. ” The Ouryuken flared, turning a spectral yellow, before disintegrating into stardust and getting carried away on the wind.
“Well, he was…” Joe trailed off, looking for a polite word.
“A jerk?” Magnamon snorted, standing up. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. Usually he stays quiet, but that’s when Alphamon’s using him. If anyone else wants to take a swing with him, they’ll have to wake him up and ask for permission.”
“I recall when Duftmon first joined.” Dynasmon chuckled, even as the Knights began to glow and shrink. “He had thought Oryuken was just another sword, and treated it not as gently as the blade would’ve liked. It took myself, Craniamon, Omegamon, and Alphamon himself to hold Ouryumon back, while the others simply watched, the bas- er, jerks.” Wizardmon hummed.
“I hate to cut in, but…” Joe raised his hand. “If all the Dark Masters are defeated, why is Spiral Mountain still here?”
At that, everyone paused, looking down at the wasteland under their feet. Unlike the Ocean, Forest, and City strands, the plateau hadn’t dissipated and returned to the Digital World proper with the death of its Master.
“Something’s not right…” Veemon muttered in realization, glancing about.
“We won, right?” Patamon asked, perched atop T.K.’s head. “Shouldn’t things be back to normal?”
“It appears we haven’t destroyed the true threat, then.” Wizardmon concluded.
“The Dark Mastermind…” Davis nodded sagely, only to get bopped by Tai.
“Ok, do you have these set up? Between that and “Mountain’t” I feel like you’re just waiting for it.”
“I’m asking Gennai right now.” Izzy reported, his laptop perched on Tentomon’s back while the beetle nibbled on a bag of chips from Mimi’s bag.
“Perhaps Drasil holds something?” Hackmon asked, looking towards the now empty castle in the distance.
“Best not.” Wizardmon spoke, a pained grimace on his face as he gazed at the desecrated stump. “Yggdrasil is damaged more than it ever has been. The History Logs are likely corrupted, and the security systems will have been compromised. Even with eleven parts of the Key, we’d have to get inside to use it.”
“Great…” Veemon sighed, crossing his arms. “So we have the thing in charge of the Dark Masters running around somewhere, and we can’t even get back into Yggdrasil to rest and gather intelligence. Is this what you humans feel like when you lock yourselves out of your homes?”
“Kinda, but we don’t usually have to worry about the fate of the world.” Kari admitted, walking over and patting the blue dragon on the head. “It’ll be alright, though. Things will work out.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure, Kari.” Izzy gulped, voice tight with nervousness. “Gennai just got back to me. He found an ancient tablet talking about a “Wall of Fire” and some evil that was sealed behind it.” At that, all three Knights froze, eyes wide and arms limp in fear.
“Did he just…?” Hackmon stammered, grabbing his hood and pulling it over his head.
“Not good.” Wizardmon shook his head as he tried to pick his staff up with trembling hands. “Very not good…”
“Oh, great. ” Veemon chuckled a bit hysterically. “ AWESOME! ”
“Last time they reacted like this, Myotismon came back looking like the new villain in a Godzilla movie!” Tai noted nervously.
“The Wall of Fire is part of the Dimensional Divide.” Wizardmon said gravely, gripping his staff with both hands. “After the ancient war, the greatest powers in the Digital World came together and channeled their strength to reinforce the barrier between realities- specifically the Dark Area, and lock it away from all other planes of existence. If something has managed to slip through and found its way here, then we are in greater danger than we realize.”
“You have no idea…” A deep voice rumbled across the wasteland, before the ground suddenly opened up under the children, dropping them into the emptiness in the center of Spiral Mountain
“DAVIS!” Veemon shouted, leaping after the boy as they fell into the shadows.
“NO!” Leomon yelled, running forward. “DAMMIT ALL!”
“WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HELP THEM LATER!” Ogremon shouted, stumbling a bit as the ground began to shake. “BUT ONLY IF WE’RE STILL AROUND TO DO IT!”
“ALL ABOARD!” KingWhamon shouted, opening his maw and letting the couple dozen remaining Champions climb inside, taking off just as Spiral Mountain finally gave out, leaving a bottomless pit with swirling clouds of blood red and acidic green in its place.
Chapter 12: Digital World
Summary:
“I think we just found our big bad…” Tai gulped as the sides of the dodecahedron extended into three-tiered ziggurats, with the roofs then extending out on chains shaped like DNA helices and sprouted wicked looking claws.
“More like it found us .” Rosemon corrected while the top side- the only one not to sprout a claw aside from the bottom, which had a single giant spire- suddenly opened to reveal a small figure, only about as tall as Magnamon. The dark cloak wrapped around it suddenly flared open, revealing a being with blue-gray flesh, long arms, and a domed helmet that ended with a point over its nose, while noxious yellow eyes glared out.
“That thing look familiar to anyone else?” MagnaAngemon asked, while WarGreymon stepped forward with a growl.
“How could it not? That’s just a colored version of what was wearing Piedmon like a finger puppet.”
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“EVERYONE STAY TOGETHER!” Tai shouted over the screams of the others as they fell into the darkness, linking arms with Joe and Mimi, while Agumon latched onto his back.
“So, I have a question.” Davis asked a minute later, after the fear and panic had begun to die. “Do you guys always fall into bottomless pits of evil, or is that a new thing?”
“It’s new.” Tentomon nodded. “Before, we just got scattered all over the place.”
“Wait, are we slowing down?” Sora blinked, seeing the strings of her hat begin to fall back into her view instead of constantly flap upwards.
“I think we are.” Gabumon nodded, peeking over Matt’s shoulder in the void.
“Trippy.” Gomamon snickered, going into a backstroke from Joe and circling the group.
Izzy blinked as his laptop buzzed. “Hang on. Tento, can you?” He didn’t even need to finish before his partner passed the folded up computer over his shoulder.
“Here you are.” The beetle said with an audible smile, wings lifting him out of the way as the others crowded around to look at the laptop.
“Hope no one needed a barf bag on the way down.” The elderly face of Gennai chuckled as he appeared on the screen. “Where you are now is the lair of the thing that formed the Dark Masters from normal digimon. Whatever it is, it’s angrier than anything the Digiworld has seen in thousands of years! Its mere existence in the Digital World is the reason for the time dilation!”
“Then it didn’t just sneak through the Wall of Fire…” Veemon realized. “It must’ve managed to avoid being banished in the first place, and after five thousand years, it’s strong enough to try breaking the Divide open like a walnut.”
“Exactly.” Gennai nodded. “The rifts in Earth’s atmosphere are merely side-effects of its true goal.”
“Then we need to stop it.” Veemon glared, squaring his shoulders. “If it forms a way from the Dark Area to every world, then the armies of Chaos will run rampant.”
“Correct. What comes next, only you kids can do. I wish you lu-!” The screen, which had been fading in and out of focus, suddenly fritzed and went black, cutting Gennai off.
“Crud!” Izzy hissed, closing the computer. “Sorry guys.”
“It’s fine, Izzy.” Tai sighed, before looking at the gathered team. “Alright, this is going to be our toughest fight yet!”
“So what?” Matt smirked, punching his fist into his opposite palm. “It doesn’t matter how tough this creep is. As long as we’ve got the Crests and each other’s backs, we’ve got this!”
“Is that so…?” A deep voice groaned from the darkness, making everyone bristle and look around.
“What is that?” Kari whispered, grabbing Sora’s hand as Gatomon’s ears twitched.
“It sounds like it’s coming from every direction.” She reported.
“Let’s skip the introductions.” Agumon grinned. “Ready, Tai?”
“Oh yeah!” The boy grinned back, his Digivice flashing orange. In a rainbow of colors, the six Megas, two Ultimates, and single Golden Armor digimon were back, circled up with the kids in the middle.
“Anyone see anything?” Vikemon asked, hands audibly tightening on his maces.
“Nothing.”
“Nada.”
“Whole lotta emptiness.”
“Emptiness… yes…” The voice spoke again. “ That’s exactly what we are! Empty! Empty of joy and positivity, yet full of sadness! ” It suddenly began to laugh, though the deranged edge to it made the speaker’s tenuous grasp of sanity clear.
“What’s this thing’s deal?” Angewomon glared, an arrow nocked against her outstretched index finger.
“Why don’t you ask it yourself?” Phoenixmon asked, gesturing with a wing as a planetoid appeared out of the murk. “Look!” The digimon all turned to face the two hundred foot tall, dark blue dodecahedron as the laughter seemed to flow from around them to concentrate on the single spot.
“I think we just found our big bad…” Tai gulped as the sides of the dodecahedron extended into three-tiered ziggurats, with the roofs then extending out on chains shaped like DNA helices and sprouted wicked looking claws.
“More like it found us .” Rosemon corrected while the top side- the only one not to sprout a claw aside from the bottom, which had a single giant spire- suddenly opened to reveal a small figure, only about as tall as Magnamon. The dark cloak wrapped around it suddenly flared open, revealing a being with blue-gray flesh, long arms, and a domed helmet that ended with a point over its nose, while noxious yellow eyes glared out.
“That thing look familiar to anyone else?” MagnaAngemon asked, while WarGreymon stepped forward with a growl.
“How could it not? That’s just a colored version of what was wearing Piedmon like a finger puppet.”
“We are the Ultimate Evil… Sorrow and negativity incarnate… COMPLETE WITH HOT AND COLD RUNNING WATER! ” The thing’s voice cracked into something beyond its deep grumble, holding a manic edge that made it seem like a totally different entity. “We are Apocalymon! I am the herald of Nothingness, and the creator of Emptiness! Let’s start with Earth! MWUHAHAHA! ”
“This tool sounds like a Saturday Morning Cartoon villain…” Davis muttered to T.K. and Kari, who giggled.
“YOU THINK OUR SUFFERING IS FUNNY?!” Apocalymon screamed, having heard the soft laughter from so far away. “LET’S SEE IF THEY FIND IT AS HUMOROUS!” The claws lashed out, grabbing onto the void, and ripped it apart, revealing scenes from all over the globe, including their families in Odaiba.
“What the heck?!” Tai gaped, staring at his mom and dad as they stepped back in shock. “Izzy, what’s going on?!”
“He just broke down the Dimensional Divide even more!” Izzy gulped. “Before we came to the Digital World, we could see it from Earth. Now, both worlds can see us!”
“Oh, crud…” Davis whispered, seeing the still fuming and worried forms of his family as they suddenly paled. “I’m grounded until I die…”
“ So only a few more minutes! ” Apocalymon yelled, before suddenly composing itself. “Are you repulsed by our appearance? Don’t be afraid to hurt our feelings, they’re already crushed. That’s what happens when you’re all the digimon lost due to digivolving.”
“Lost…? Matt asked.
“Indeed. If a digimon attempts to change their form before they’re ready, or try to become something they can’t, their Cores can’t take it. They deteriorate, and the data of those dead digimon eventually found their way…”
“To you.” Magnamon glared, armor humming. “You figured that would be the easiest way to gather power with the Dark Area cut off, so you committed one of the worst crimes imaginable and turned yourself into a Loader.”
“ WHO’S TELLING THIS STORY, US OR YOU?! ” Apocalymon screeched, claws whipping in agitation. “Now tell us, even despite all that, do you think we deserve to still be called a digimon, even though we’ve survived for thousands of years off the sorrow and crushed dreams of other digimon?”
“That’s so sad…” Sora whispered, holding a hand up to her mouth.
“ Rub it in, why don’t ya? ” Apocalymon grumbled.
“In any other world, you could have.” Magnamon decided, hovering forward. “You could have released the data you consumed back into the cycle of rebirth and tried to become another digimon in the crowd, but this isn’t that world. You’re too far gone, too busy wallowing in self-pity to drag yourself out. The only thing to do now is to lay you to rest!”
“No, not yet…” Apocalymon whispered. “We watched you all from the shadows as you laughed and played in the light. But now, after so many centuries, IT’S OUR TURN TO SHINE!” The claws lit up and streaked forward, striking the digimon with lightning and knocking them back towards the humans, screaming in pain.
“GUYS!” Joe gasped, doggy-paddling over to Vikemon as the raider put his helmet back on his head. “Are you ok?”
“We’re alive.” HerculesKabuterimon coughed, rubbing his singed carapace.
“Which is a lot more than what he’s about to be!” MetalGarurumon howled, frosty vapor puffing from between his fangs.
“Oh, but we already have our living hell!” Apocalymon announced, spreading its arms. “Is it fair we live with all this agony?! Why do you get to laugh while we’re forced to cry?!” Its voice crackled and shook as its eyes darted about wildly, caught up in its emotions as the children winced. “WHY CAN YOU SAVOR THE BEST OF LIFE WHILE I’M FORCED TO CHOKE ON THE LEFTOVERS?!” Its claws began to scratch at its own body, slashing through skin and spilling dark green data that ran down its arms to pool on the platform, then dripped off the sides in small waterfalls. “ WHY DO YOU GET THE PIZZA, WHILE WE GET THE CRUST?! SHUT UP!” It screamed, striking itself across the face and smearing its own life data.
“I can’t watch this!” Mimi sobbed, burying her face in her hands as she turned away, where Rosemon then wrapped her arms around the girl.
“WE WILL RULE THE WORLD AND OPEN THE PATH TO THE DARK AREA! THEN, ALL WILL BE AS TORTURED AS WE ARE! AHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! WAIT, WHAT ARE WE LAUGHING AT?!”
“This thing’s even nuttier than we thought…” WarGreymon growled.
“RIVER OF POWER!” One of the claws snapped together, then darkened and morphed into a jet black facsimile of MetalSeadramon’s head, which fired out the familiar blue laser aimed right at Kari.
“KARI!” Angewomon shouted, grabbing her partner and turning around so her back faced the attack.
“LOOK OUT!” Magnamon shouted, launching himself past the two and crossing his arms in an X to create his forcefield. “AURA BARRIER!” He grunted in pain as he was pushed backwards and the shield cracked under the shot. “You two alright?” He asked, looking over his shoulder to the Angel and Kari, who nodded.
“Thank you, Magnamon.”
“That was MetalSeadramon with his classic River of Power! Now here’s Myotismon’s number one hit: CRIMSON LIGHTNING!”
“THIS GUY AGAIN?!” Matt shouted as another claw formed the lean form of the vampire, who lashed out towards Joe.
“Not on my watch!” Vikemon yelled, pulling the shields from his shoulders and using them to block the strikes, though deep trenches were melted into them from the plasma.
“Next, Machinedramon! GIGA CANNON!” The upper body of the mechanical Dark Master fired off a pair of blasts, which was blocked by HerculesKabuterimon’s shell.
“What, did he take the playbooks of all the guys we’ve fought?!” Tai shouted.
“So now we have to fight them all over again, and at the same time?!” Sora gaped in shock. “Someone wake me up from this nightmare!”
“Hey, you guys managed to beat them all once!” Davis yelled, arms and legs thrashing as he tried to stop spinning. “Just do it again!”
“Davis is right!” T.K. nodded, his Crest glowing bright. “Let’s get this jerk, MagnaAngemon!”
“Right!” The Angel darted forward, leaving a streak of light from his sword, only to let out a cry as he was trapped within one of Apocalymon’s claws.
“You fools! You haven’t even seen our true power!” The clawed tentacles froze, then suddenly lunged forward, snapping shut around each of the digimon, though they couldn’t completely seal Phoenixmon, Vikemon, or HerculesKabuterimon in their grasp. “DEATH DIGIVOLUTION!”
“Wait, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! ” Magnamon yelled, making his cocoon jump a bit, before light burst out from between the claws. One by one, the claws drew back, revealing the confused forms of Agumon, Gabumon, Biyomon, Tentomon, Palmon, Gomamon, Patamon, Gatomon, and Veemon, who was holding onto the Golden Digiegg and shaking it, a wide-eyed and terrified look on his face. “C’mon… C’MON!” He pleaded, though the artifact only let out a few weak flickers before turning dim.
“ Ahhhh, what’s wrong? Did your little night-light run out of batteries?! Why don’t I take that off your hands? In fact… GRISLY WING! ” A swarm of pitch black bats suddenly burst out from one of the claws, racing towards the Digidestined and yanking the Digiegg and Crests away, before returning and depositing them in Apocalymon’s green-stained hand. It smiled manically, then squeezed its fingers shut with a loud and ominous crack. When the hand opened, all that was left was chunks of gold and a few shards of the multicolored tablets, though even those disintegrated and scattered.
“THE CRESTS!” Tai shouted, eyes wide in horror.
“The Armor!” Davis yelped, while Veemon had paled enough to almost appear completely white.
“ No… ”
“Yes! You should have saved your receipts! The warranty was probably still good! Be silent!”
“If anyone has a good idea…” Izzy whimpered as their massive foe loomed over them. “Now would be a good time.”
“Usually that’s your department, Izzy.” Matt gulped, grabbing T.K. and pulling him close while Patamon and Gabumon floated in front of the brothers, as if they could halt Apocalymon’s advance.
“How are we supposed to beat him without the Crests?” Mimi asked, eyes watering as she hugged Palmon tight.
“We can’t.” Joe murmured weakly, his entire body trembling. “It took three of them to fight off a Champion. All of them combined couldn’t handle a Mega like this…”
“Quit that kinda talk!” Tai shouted as he grit his teeth. “There’s gotta be a way!”
“Nomodugo…” Apocalymon chanted, fingers jerking and contorting as his eyes began to glow red. “Nomodugo! NOMODUGO!”
To the people of Earth, it was horrifying. One moment, the images of the children and their strange creatures were there, but the next, they had exploded into particles, scattering on the nonexistent wind.
“NO!” Yuuko screamed, lunging forward. “NO! NOT MY BABIES!”
“MIMI!”
“SORA!”
“MATT! T.K.!”
“JOE!”
“IZZY!”
“Davis…?” Jun blinked, though all that did was make her vision worse as tears spread across her eyes. “D-DAVIS!” She cried, beginning to bawl as Apocalymon’s victorious, deranged laughter boomed across the world.
“Wh-where are we?” Tai’s disembodied voice sounded in an empty void.
“Are we… GHOSTS?! ” Davis asked, his voice thick with hysteria.
“Fascinating… it appears we’ve been turned into raw data!” Izzy responded, only to flinch as Mimi screeched in panic.
“This isn’t fascinating! We just exploded!”
“Apparently too much information can be a bad thing!” Joe’s voice sighed, before Kari jumped in.
“Can we get back?”
“I don’t know, Kari…” Sora admitted. “Nothing like this has ever happened to us before!”
“Did we… lose?” T.K. whimpered.
“I hate to say it, but I think we did.” Matt muttered.
“Come on you guys!” Agumon butted in. “Don’t quit now!”
“Why not?” Tai said dejectedly, his voice seeming to fade as his spirit weakened.
“We can’t stop!” Gabumon urged. “Not because of a little setback!”
“So what if we can’t go beyond Champion Level and we’ve been taken apart byte by byte by our strongest enemy ever?” Biyomon harrumphed. “I don’t see what the problem is!”
“Well you guys have a great attitude about this, but let’s face it, it’s over.” Sora responded, her voice heavy with sorrow. “No amount of positivity will get us back.”
“Look on the bright side, Sora!” Izzy chuckled weakly. “By being digitally processed, we’re pioneers! Like Marco Polo!”
“Oh hey, I know that game!” Tentomon buzzed. “Marco!”
“Polo!” Patamon chirped.
“Marco!”
“Polo!” Palmon giggled.
“Marco!”
“...”
“You’re supposed to say Polo!”
“...why bother…” Veemon muttered, his voice so soft and weak it was almost inaudible.
“In every battle, we’ve faced countless unknowns!” Gabumon continued.
“Yeah! Like the Dark Gears on File Island, or Etemon’s Network, or whatever goon Myotismon had up his sleeve next!” Gomamon laughed. “It didn’t matter what they had in store, you fought anyway, didn't ya?”
“Yeah…” Joe realized. “Yeah, we did fight! When I first got to the Digital World, I was a nervous mess! But I had to put on a brave face because I was the oldest. It was my responsibility to make sure we all got home safe!” As he recalled the battles against Unimon, MegaSeadramon, and MetalEtemon, and each Evolution they granted Gomamon, two spheres of grey light formed in the blankness.
“Don’t forget about Mimi!” Palmon chimed in. “I remember for the first week she kept crying, but then she got so much stronger as we all started to work together!”
“I’ll never like fighting.” Mimi admitted with a sniffle in her voice. “I hate having to hurt others because it never seemed to help, but I’ve learned that sometimes, you need to be willing to fight to protect the ones you care for!” She remembered the battles with ShogunGekomon, DarkTyrannomon, and Lotusmon, and a pair of glowing green balls of light appeared alongside the grey.
“I didn’t care about Digivolving.” Patamon chuckled. “I just wanted to meet T.K. and be his friend, but when Devimon went to nab him, I realized I was more than just Tokomon or Patamon!”
“And I’ve realized I’m more than the kid of the group!” T.K. giggled. “I got so used to having to rely on you guys to fight I forgot I could stand next to you! I’m just as much a Digidestined as anyone else!” As the images of Devimon and Puppetmon’s mansion ran through his memory, a duo of yellow lights began to shine, adding to the growing collection.
“Sora, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” Biyomon admitted, her voice sounding a bit choked up. “I made friends easily, but none of them were my best friend like you.”
“Oh, Biyo…” Sora whispered, sounding just as thick and watery. “You got me to open up about how I felt because I didn’t want people to think I wasn’t tough, and then made me understand that sometimes the people who care about us need to show tough love. You’re more than my friend, you’re the sister I never had.” Twin red orbs pulsed into view as the girl remembered Meramon on Mihirashi Mountain, Myotismon in the moonlit clearing, and most recently, having to shake the doubt out of Tai within Splashmon’s belly.
“You’re a computer geek, Izzy.” Tentomon said with a warm voice. “I knew it from the moment we met, but more than that, you’re my computer geek! Our computer geek! Without you, we wouldn’t have made it half as far!”
“Thanks, Tento.” Izzy chuckled. “But it was thanks to you and the others my ideas could even happen. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be turning myself into letters in Vademon’s basement!” The reminder of the conflicts against Andromon, Vademon, and Machinedramon brought two glowing balls colored purple to life.
“Matt…”
“I know, Gabumon. You don’t have to say a word.” Matt laughed, memories of Seadramon, Digitamamon, and VenomMyotismon passing through his mind while a pair of dark blue spheres flashed into existence.
“We knew from the moment we met, we’d be an unstoppable team! Right, Tai?” Agumon’s grin was audible.
“Right! You even introduced yourself as a “Brave Little Warrior,” but now you’re a pretty big warrior! And through it all you’re just as brave as when you picked a fight with Kuwagamon!” As Tai remembered that eventful first day against Kuwagamon and Shellmon, then later against Etemon and MetalSeadramon, two orange suns exploded into view.
“If we give up now, we might as well have let Myotismon win! I spent so long in the dark, but now I found Kari and her light, but also the light of you all!” Gatomon smiled softly.
“Gatomon…” Kari sniffled, remembering the battle atop the TV station, as two pink lights grew. “If I never met you, I never would have found out I had so much potential…”
“If I had never come to the Digital World…” One of the gray orbs flashed with Joe’s words.
“And if none of us became friends…” Mimi continued as a green ball pulsed.
“Then we wouldn’t have become who we are today!” Izzy realized as one of the purple lights jumped.
“We wouldn’t have even made it one day without each other.” Matt chuckled, while a blue light matched him.
“I feel so grown up now!” T.K. giggled, while one of the yellow lights spun in a circle.
“We all do.” Sora agreed, a red ball dipping in a nod.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not ready to quit! Not now, NOT EVER!” An orange orb flared with power at Tai’s words, before the almost blinding glow began to race through the circle.
The energy began to race between the eight pairs of human and digimon like a circuit, each pass making the spheres grow more and more and morph into wireframes of their respective color.
“I’m with you, Tai!” The red humanoid wireframe nodded, while Biyomon flew around Sora’s head.
“I am, too!” Matt’s wireframe punched a fist into his palm while Gabumon smiled toothily. “We’re a team! We’ve got this!”
“And besides, both worlds are still counting on us!” Izzy nodded while Tentomon hovered behind him.
“Let’s fight!” T.K. threw his arms in the air as Patamon did a quick loop.
“We’re ready!” Joe pumped his fist while Gomamon clapped.
“It’ll be tough without our Crests.” Mimi noted, but her tone held nothing but resolve as Palmon hopped from one foot to another.
“Crests? We don’t need no stinkin’ Crests!” Kari shouted, while Gatomon snickered.
Glowing circles appeared on the chests of each wireframe, then rippled out, coating the humans and digimon in their clothes, scales, fur, and feathers, while their respective Crests hummed in place of the circles.
“The Crests! You don’t need to carry them anymore!” Agumon gasped, glee in his eyes as he looked up at the glowing, sun shaped emblem on his partner. “They’ve been with you the whole time!”
“Prodigious!” Izzy realized. “Drasil said it themselves, remember? We were chosen because we already exhibited the Crests! Of course we already had the power inside us!”
“But what about Davis and Veemon?!” Kari cut in, eyes wide as she looked around. “They don’t have a Crest!”
“We’ll be fine, Kari!” Davis’s voice audibly grinned. “We’ll find another way!”
“And I can’t help…” Veemon muttered. “My armor’s shattered. I’ve lost my strength. I couldn’t even beat a Tyrannomon…”
“Hey, quit that kinda talk!” Davis barked. “I may not have a Crest, and you might not be able to reach Champion, but we can still fight! We can still help!”
“But I’m not Magnamon anymore! I’m no longer a Royal Knight!”
“Oh boohoo! You’ve been changing back and forth between Magnamon and Veemon ever since we met, but you were always a Knight in both forms! Drasil didn’t pick that shiny hunk of metal, they picked you! If Apocalymon wants a piece of Earth, they’ve gotta go through us!”
“GRAAAGH!” Veemon shouted, clearly irritated. “You’re so stubborn! You’re stubborn, and headstrong, and you don’t know when to not stick your nose into things!” He panted from the outburst, before continuing in a calmer voice. “But… I guess that’s why we get along so well.”
“Darn right!” Davis laughed, before a brilliant golden star exploded to life in the center of them all, two forms fading into view.
“WHAT THE-?!”
“WHAT’S GOING ON?!”
“I don’t believe it…” Veemon muttered, looking down at the golden squares and black lines of his wireframe, before looking up at Davis, who matched him. The boy’s eyes were squeezed shut as he grunted, the corona shrinking into a single spot on his chest.
“No way…”
“He has a Crest too?!”
“Gennai has some explaining to do!”
“No, this isn’t a Crest like yours.” Veemon shook his head as the ripple crossed Davis’s body, revealing an M with three geometric shapes below and one above, just like the one from his armor. “This is a symbol of good luck, meant to ward off evil and make sure everything works out in the end. It’s not a virtue, it’s pure chance….” Veemon stared in awe as Davis’s eyes opened, a wide grin on his face as he looked down at the emblem. “I had a gut feeling you were important, but I never knew you’d have the Crest of Miracles, Davis.”
“No, this isn’t my Miracle.” The boy shook his head, grin never wavering. “Don’t you remember the whole thing with VenomMyotismon?”
The two arrows ripped through the sky, going through the boys and into their Crests. At the same time, Magnamon let out an ear-piercing scream, golden energy exploding from his body as his eyes went wide. Bolts of gold lightning crackled, striking Tai, Matt, Agumon, and Gabumon, then spread out, hitting Kari and Angewomon as well as T.K. and Angemon, then further still to Sora and Garudamon, Joe and Zudomon, Mimi and Lillymon, and finally Izzy and MegaKabuterimon, all of them shouting at the sudden rush of energy. The golden bolts crackled on their bodies, before changing to match the colors of the Crests, then died away.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!”
“Anyone else feel tingly?!”
“DID WE JUST GET HIT BY LIGHTNING?!”
Magnamon panted, energy spent, then fell from the sky, landing in front of Davis. “MAGNAMON!” The boy shouted as he ran forward, even as Agumon and Gabumon flashed orange and dark blue behind him. “Are you alright?” Davis asked worriedly, reaching out to the knight, only to yelp as a bolt raced up one arm, through his body, and down the other, back into Magnamon, who groaned.
“That Miracle was for everyone ! This is OUR Miracle!”
“Like what Drasil said.” Izzy recalled. “All eight Crests combined can make Miracles happen!”
“It’s all of us. All our Friendship, all our Courage, all our Sincerity, Love, Reliability, Knowledge, Hope, and Light.” Matt nodded. “And, apparently, one big Miracle to bring us all together.” He snickered, ruffling Davis’s hair.
“Then my Love is everyone’s Love.” Sora smiled, her Digivice shining a bright ruby.
“BIYOMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! PHOENIXMON!” The firebird screeched, wings billowing flames.
“And my Knowledge is all of our Knowledge!” Izzy grinned as his Digivice flashed a shocking amethyst.
“TENTOMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! HERCULESKABUTERIMON!” The giant beetle shouted, lightning crackling along his horns.
“ Our Sincerity!” Mimi’s Digivice turned a vibrant emerald.
“PALMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! ROSEMON!” She lashed her whip as rose petals spun around her like they were caught in a whirlwind.
“ Our Reliability!” Joe’s darkened to a shiny onyx.
“GOMAMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! VIKEMON!” Snow and frost puffed off his body as he rotated his wrists, twirling his maces.
“ Our Friendship!” Matt’s turned a deep sapphire.
“GABUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! METALGARURUMON!” He howled, missile hatches snapping shut as vapor puffed from his maw.
“ Our Courage!” Tai’s became a blazing orange.
“AGUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! WARGREYMON!” Molten energy coated his claws as he roared.
“ Our Hope!” T.K.’s turned a brighter yellow than ever before.
“PATAMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! SERAPHIMON!” The new Mega shouted, his blue and gray armor gleaming while the Crest of Hope shined on his abdomen and ten golden wings sprouted from his back
“ Our Light!” Kari’s turned such an intense pink that it appeared almost white.
“GATOMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…! OPHANIMON!” Her green armor shined as eight gold wings hovered behind her, matching her single pair of yellow feathered ones while she brandished a gold lance and a shield with a gold unicorn head.
“And one last Miracle!” Davis laughed, holding his hands in front of him as the words suddenly popped into his mind. “GOLDEN ARMOR, ENERGIZE!” A ball of aurum light formed, then solidified into a familiar shape.
“VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” His eyes narrowed in determination as he was engulfed into the wave of the Golden Armor, his entire body becoming a mass of golden energy. His torso and limbs grew, while the Digiegg of Miracles exploded into segments that began to orbit him, before freezing and darting towards his body as green-gold streaks. Parts separated, then locked back together across his body with gold lighting, starting from his feet and working up. He looked straight ahead as the helmet flew into place, before he turned and pumped his fist as the golden aura scattered and revealed his blue and white scales. “MAGNAMON, THE GOLDEN RADIANCE!”
“Oh,” Tai grinned, looking at the nine Mega level powered digimon. “Apocalymon is screwed! ”
“Huh, that answers some questions.” Magnamon noted, looking at the eleven foot tall Angels. “And raises a few more…”
“What do you mean?” Ophanimon asked, tilting her head as she leaned on her javelin.
“After we finish up here.” Magnamon assured her, turning as golden energy concentrated in his palm, then was compressed even more as he squeezed his fist shut. “But for now, it’s time for round two! MAGNA-PUNCH!” He turned, punching the air, and smirked as the fabric of reality cracked, then shattered, revealing a jagged window to Apocalymon’s domain.
“Where to attack first? France? Hong Kong? New York? Perhaps Moscow? Or Sydney? Maybe even Acapulco? What are we saying?! Tokyo’s right there! Of course!” Apocalymon loomed over the Gate to Odaiba, relishing in the fear on their faces as its claws began to press against the Dimensional Divide, puncturing it in places.
“NOT SO FAST!” An explosion launched by a golden beam suddenly tore the chains apart, making Apocalymon howl in pain and whirl around, shocked to see what faced it.
“No, NO THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE! YOU DIED! YOU ALL DIED!”
“Yeah, it’s a Miracle, alright!” Davis snickered, hanging onto Magnamon’s shoulder pads as the Knight lowered his arms from the Magna-Storm.
“Nothing’s impossible!” Matt smirked, sitting atop MetalGarurumon’s back. “Not when we’re together!”
“You’re dealing with the new and improved Digidestined!” Tai grinned from WarGreymon’s back as the Mega clashed his claws together. “Now, time to fight!” He punched the air, joined by the fists of the other children.
“YEAH!”
“LET’S GO!” WarGreymon shouted, flying forwards while MetalGarurumon ran alongside him and Phoenixmon soared overhead, the Bearer of Love holding onto the armored plate on her head. Vikemon roared, darting forward as Joe hung onto his helm’s horn and Izzy and Mimi sat atop HerculesKabuterimon’s back, while Rosemon stood on the beetle’s head. Magnamon, Seraphimon, and Ophanimon glared at the giant, while Davis, T.K., and Kari hung onto their shoulders as they charged at Apocalymon.
“YEAH! GET HIM!” Jun yelled. “KICK HIS ASS!”
“Jun!” Megumi Motomiya gasped in shock at the sudden swearing, though the fact that her husband, Hiroki, was just as excited as he punched the air did little to convince Jun to watch her language.
“Get him, Joe!” Shin whooped.
“Be careful!” Toshiko shouted, both to her daughter and the bird digimon that could only be Biyomon.
“LOOK AFTER ONE ANOTHER!” Yuuko screamed, eyes watery with fear as the battle began.
“GRISLY WING!”
“ARCTIC BLIZZARD!” Vikemon froze the bats solid, then shattered them apart with his maces.
“We gotta get the claws!” Izzy yelled, watching as the one Magnamon had destroyed began to regenerate.
“Right!” Tai shouted. “Everyone, scatter!”
“Tento, hold onto Mimi for me?” Rosemon asked, kneeling and patting the insectoid Mega’s head.
“Of course!”
“Thanks.” She smiled, before leaping off and swinging her whip. “THORN WHIP!”
“TERA-SHOCKER!” Two of the clawed tentacles exploded under their attacks, with Izzy and Mimi cheering for their partners and hugging each other.
“STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!” Seraphimon shouted, punching forward and sending several orbs of power rocketing through the abyss and destroying a fourth claw.
“EDEN’S JAVELIN!” Ophanimon declared, going through the motions of throwing her lance like a spear, though rather than releasing the weapon, she instead fired off a spike of pure light, obliterating the fifth claw.
“We’re halfway there!” Joe shouted. “Nail that one, Vikemon!”
“On it, Joe!” The fur-coated Mega bellowed, aiming the maces on his back like cannons. “VIKING FLAIL!” The giant spiked balls of Chrome Digizoid shot forward on chains, meeting a claw halfway and ripping through it.
“Wait, since when could you do that?!”
“CRIMSON FLARE!”
“GREAT TORNADO!”
“METAL WOLF CLAW!”
Red fire and an orange drill annihilated the seventh and eighth claws, while MetalGarurumon’s missiles got the ninth.
“THIS IS BETTER THAN ANY VIDEO GAME!” Tai whooped, hopping from Phoenixmon and back onto WarGreymon.
“I’LL SAY!” Matt cheered as his partner raced by.
“YOU THINK THIS MATTERS?! VIRUS BARRAGE!” Hundreds of football sized rockets tore from the now empty holes and began to race across the empty expanse.
“INCOMING!” Magnamon shouted, bringing his arms up in front of his chest as lightning jumped between his palms, before he spread his arms out wide. “MAGNA-BLAST!” Golden lasers met red, shark-toothed missiles, and a chain reaction shook the void as they began to detonate so fast, it seemed instant.
“NOW!” Tai shouted.
“TERRA FORCE!”
“ICE WOLF BITE!”
“FORBIDDEN TEMPTATION!”
“STARLIGHT EXPLOSION!”
“TERA-SHOCKER!”
“ARCTIC BLIZZARD!”
“EDEN’S JAVELIN!”
“STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!”
“MAGNA-STORM!”
Apocalymon screamed as the humanoid body was destroyed, and the entire dodecahedron began to close back up. “OH YEAH!” Davis whooped, punching the air from Magnamon’s back. “WE KICKED BUTT!”
“You think you’ve won?!” The angular monolith flashed a toxic purple, which began to flash faster and faster. “You may have defeated our physical body, but if we’re going down, WE’RE TAKING BOTH EARTH AND THE DIGITAL WORLD WITH US! ”
“Anyone else get the feeling there should be loud, ominous beeping?” HerculesKabuterimon asked, wings twitching nervously.
“He’s gonna self-destruct!” WarGreymon shouted.
“ BIG BANG!” The monolith suddenly erupted into a ball of pure energy.
“This can’t be how it ends!” Mimi yelled.
“It won’t be!” T.K. declared.
“There must be a solution!” Izzy agreed.
“We won’t give up!” Matt barked.
“We’re stronger than he is!” Tai nodded.
“We’re a team!” Joe shouted.
“We’ll win!” Sora said in a tone that brokered no arguments.
“Because we’re the good guys!” Kari yelled.
“But more than that!” Davis grinned.
“ WE’RE THE DIGIDESTINED!”
The eight Digivices screamed with power, shaking as they fired out three beams of their respective colors in three directions, making the eight corners of a massive cube. As the lasers connected, they flashed to a brilliant gold, solidifying into a shield, yet Magnamon grit his teeth. ‘It’s not enough… It’ll stop the explosion from destroying the worlds, but at this close a range, the kids will be…’ He squared his shoulders, glaring at the explosion as it pushed against the walls of the cube. “Hold this.” He said, turning to Ophanimon and plucking Davis from his back.
“Wait, what are you…?” Ophanimon blinked, though she still took the boy.
“Davis, play nice for Angel Face, alright?” The knight requested, tapping the boy between the eyes with one large finger. “I’ve gotta go kick their a-er, butt, all the way back to the Dark Area.”
“ What are you doing, knight light? ” The Angel hissed, her voice taking the electronic buzz of digicode.
“ Well, I’m about to blow Apocalymon into dust with an attack so strong it has a non-zero chance of permanently destroying my Core, and I’d rather not have him anywhere near the splash zone. ” Magnamon hummed casually, as if discussing the weather as he turned to the asteroid-sized body of Apocalymon.
“ Wait, WHAT?! " Ophanimon lunged forward, grabbing his arm with her free hand. " Are you insane?! "
" It's the only option we've got. " Magnamon said, though now she could see the tenseness in his muscles. " Like I said, it's only a chance. "
" Yeah, of you going away forever! Do you understand what that'll do to us?! To Davis?! "
" He's not my partner... " The Knight muttered, giving the boy a quick glance.
" No, but he's still your friend. " The Angel glared at him.
“ I know… that’s why I have to do this. ” Magnamon sighed. “ Just… can you look after him? I won’t be there to bail him out anymore. ” He chuckled, patting Davis on the head.
“Magnamon?” He blinked, growing worried at the irritated tone Ophanimon’s voice had taken, even if he couldn’t understand the words.
“You’ll get an amazing partner one day, kid. And they’ll be lucky to have you at their back, but this is my last ride.” His verniers began to glow while his armor shined brighter than ever before, to the point it was almost blinding to look at the Knight. “This one’s for both worlds!” He blasted off, crossing his arms into an X as he dove into the cube. “FOR DRASIL! FOR THE ROYAL KNIGHTS! FOR-” He winced as the wicked energy of Apocalymon burned and ripped at his exposed skin, even while his armor tried to absorb and purify it. “FOR MY FRIENDS! YOU WANT THEM? YOU GO THROUGH ME, FIRST! MAGNA-EXPLOSION!”
“MAGNAMON!” Davis shouted, lunging forward and almost flying out of Ophanimon’s arms as a bright flare of gold appeared in the shield, warring with Apocalymon’s suicide attack. “NO!” The Megas turned and darted away, while the explosions reached critical mass. Though they were contained, the light of the attacks swallowed them all up, leaving their vision completely blank.
“Tai? Yoo-hoo! Tai!”
Tai groaned, slowly opening his eyes. “‘M up, I’m up…” Then he blinked as he realized he was staring right into Agumon’s grinning face. “...huh. Deja vu.” He chuckled, sitting up and looking around. “Wait, is this…?”
“Welcome back!” Elecmon laughed, waddling over the vibrant, quilted ground of Primary Village. “You kids gave us quite the scare when you suddenly crash landed!”
“Crashed…?” Tai asked, then winced as he looked up and saw one of the building block towers had a massive hole carved in it. “Oh… sorry, Elecmon.”
“Don’t be sorry! Just think of it as a new place for my babies to play! Besides, we’d all rather have you here than lost!”
“Yeah, cause if you lose, we all lose!” Ogremon snorted, walking over as Cutemon rode atop his head. “How you feelin’, Bush-Boy?”
“Like I got hit by a bus…” Tai admitted with a chuckle, accepting the Champion’s hand as he was lifted to his feet. “Are the others…?”
“They’re fine.” Elecmon smiled. “Woke up a bit before you did. They’ve been talking with everyone who decided to stick around.” He gestured towards the distance, where several of the Champions who had joined the final battle walked about. “Whamon would’ve been here, but he can’t use the inlet, what with him being seven times the size he used to be.”
“Besides, that big Blubber-Butt is dropping off all the other digimon who made it through on Server and Folder.”
“Folder?” Tai tilted his head, walking with them over towards the Digiegg Field. “Never heard of it.”
“Not surprising.” Elecmon chuckled. “It’s the opposite direction of Server. Great big continent that makes up the other half of the Digital World. Maybe you could visit some time, now that everything’s calmed down!”
Before Tai could answer, Sora suddenly shouted from the field. “Hey! Tai!” She waved, smiling and running over, joined by the others. “Good morning, sleeping beauty!” She grinned, punching him in the arm. “Come on, grab a Digiegg and help out already!”
“Really.” Matt chuckled. “We were taking bets on how far into the hatching we’d get before you finally stopped taking a nap.”
“I had faith in you, Tai.” Kari smiled. “I thought we’d only be about halfway through.”
“Gee, thanks.” Tai rolled his eyes, then realized something. “Wait, where’s Davis?” The others grimaced, and his stomach sank.
“He’s taking it pretty hard…” Joe admitted, standing with Tai a couple minutes later as they watched Davis almost robotically walk to an egg, hatch it, then move onto the next, while T.K. and Gatomon hovered nearby. “Dynasmon and Jesmon took off to do some Knight thing, but couldn’t bring Davis with them. That was a few hours ago…”
“It’s like T.K. all over again, but this time there’s no Digiegg…” Tai realized. “I’ll… I’ll handle this. You guys just, hang out.” He said, walking over to the boy and putting a hand on his shoulder.
Davis flinched, blank eyes gaining recognition as he looked at his mentor. “Boss…?”
“C’mon, bud.” Tai smiled, though there was a sad edge to it. “Let’s take a walk.”
“So…” Tai began, sitting on a log next to Davis. “Magnamon saved our butts, huh?”
“Yeah…” Davis nodded. “He blew up and managed to stop Apocalymon’s explosion…”
Tai nodded, looking out over Primary Village. “I know you two weren’t partners, not like me and Agumon or the others and their digimon, but you were still friends. It’s ok if you…”
“I’m not gonna cry.” Davis interrupted. “I… I shouldn’t cry. He saved us. If he didn’t do it, we’d be d-dead, for real this time. If I cry, then…”
“...then you feel like you don’t appreciate what he did?” Tai filled in, making Davis look up at him in surprise.
“H-how did you…?”
“T.K. went through the same thing against Devimon.” Tai admitted. “He tried to bottle it up, but on the trip to Server he finally couldn’t take it anymore and broke down.”
“Oh…” Davis realized, looking down at his dirty and nearly destroyed shoes. “Wh-what should I do, then…?”
“Simple.” Tai ruffled his protege’s hair with a small smile. “You keep moving forward, like he told you to. You can remember him, and how he was your friend, but don’t let that drag you down. And hey, who knows? You could see him again someday.” He wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulder, and pretended not to notice the way Davis buried his face into his side, nor the way his shirt slowly got wetter.
Slowly, sensation returned to him. He could feel pain wracking his body, taste the data in his mouth from numerous wounds, smell the taint of evil on his skin, hear the unsteady pulse of his Core in his ears, and finally, crack his eyes open to the deep chamber of Yggdrasil’s core. “Is this… the realm of the Deleted?” He rasped, looking up the massive silo, with its spiraling ramp and numerous landings.
“Not quite, but you gave it a hell of a shot.” A figure in blue armor suddenly leaned over him, dimming the bright light high above. “Wakey wakey, Magnamon.” UlforceVeedramon grinned, then pouted as the smaller Knight shut his eyes with a groan. “Hey, rude.” He scoffed, nudging him with a foot. “Come on, get up.”
“Leave me alone…” Magnamon grumbled. “This is just another illusion conjured by Splashmon…”
“Splashmon’s unable to craft illusions.” Came the voice of Dynasmon, making Magnamon’s eyes snap open. “Even when enhanced by the Dark Area.”
“Dynasmon…?” Magnamon gaped, sitting up.
“In the flesh.” The magical Knight nodded. “Unlike most of the others here.” He chuckled, gesturing to the holographic forms of the other Royal Knights.
“Nice work kicking Machinedramon’s ass.” Examon chuckled, one eye a light blue while the other was a verdant jade. “My Green half gave me a hell of a headache from how hard he was celebrating.”
“Then… you all were…”
“With you every step of the way.” Gallantmon laughed, stepping forward. “From the moment you returned to the Digital World, we sensed your presence. When Piedmon presented you with our weapons, the braggart simply made finding you easier.”
“You had us worried for a bit near the end.” UlforceVeedramon snickered. “You were close enough to Yggdrasil to start seeing our old code, but you were so out of it we thought you were losing your mind.”
“Then, that was really you all?”
“Indeed. Though, once Splashmon began to emerge, we swiftly let you focus.” Alphamon admitted. “It’d be a poor decision to distract you in the face of such a foe.”
Veemon finally fell to his hands and knees, kicking up dark water that had begun to fill the bottom of the canyon, then lifted his head and froze as he stared up at the imposing form of Alphamon. The black Knight’s arms were crossed at the edge of the canyon as he looked down at the Rookie, his eyes unreadable from such a distance, before he turned and vanished from view. ‘What do you all want?! Did I fail so bad you came back to taunt me?’
“So, that wasn’t you turning your back on me…?” Magnamon asked, slowly standing up.
“No.” The Knight of the Empty Seat shook his head. “Why else would I give you a fragment of my Core data to override Piedmon’s usage of my Fractal Key? Before you left for Earth, you were named our Champion, were you not? That title has held up, even now.”
‘You’ve done me proud, my Knight.’ The Royal Knights parted, kneeling on their right knee while crossing their left forearm over their left thigh, bowing their heads in respect while Magnamon was given an unobstructed view of a crystalline orb.
“King Drasil…?” Magnamon blinked.
‘Indeed. Now that Apocalymon has been defeated, I may begin to repair myself. What you gaze upon now is a stage not unlike your Digieggs, where all but the most basic of functions are unavailable. ‘But enough about that. Tell me, what are humans like?’
“My Lord?”
‘I wish to hear it from you, directly. Tell me of them, and your journey alongside them.’
And so he did. For what felt like hours, he described his adventure, starting in the depths of Myotismon’s castle, and leaving not a detail unsaid.
“...I couldn’t let them die.” Magnamon finished. “They had already gone through so much, and they were so young. They were brave, kind, noble, and wise, yet still so innocent. They became more than just allies in the battle against the Dark Area.”
‘Then you find them worthy?’
“Worthy, My Lord?”
‘Indeed. Are they worthy to walk this world alongside digimon? Are they worthy to be allies to our people?’
Magnamon froze, stunned by the suggestion, then nodded, recalling every tear shed and battle cry roared by the children for the denizens of the Digital World. “They are, My Lord. But beyond that, I believe them to be worthy to guard our world, shoulder to shoulder with us.” He had expected to hear mutters of disapproval from at least one or two of the other Knights, and had braced himself to argue his point, but was surprised when no denials or dismissals emerged.
‘Very well, then. Alphamon?’
“You have a new quest, Magnamon.” Alphamon spoke, stepping forward as his ghost-like figure flickered. “While the Dark Area's grip on our home weakens and slips, it will still be some time before we are able to reform, and even longer until our strength is returned to us. That leaves the Network with no security.” His hand rested on the smaller knight’s shoulder pad, and even despite a lack of lips, the proud smile was clear in his eyes. “Your quest is to work alongside the humans and defend the Digital World from threats. Do you accept it?”
Magnamon didn’t even hesitate as he nodded, resolve in his eyes. “I accept.”
“Good.” Alphamon nodded back. “Then that means we didn’t waste time making this.” He held his other hand out and curled his fingers open. Magnamon’s breath got caught in his throat as he stared at the item, then up at Alphamon and the phantom Knights.
“This is-!”
“You’re still a knight.” Gallantmon assured him, smiling. “But who said the two were mutually exclusive?”
“But I-!”
“Hey, Mags.” UlforceVeedramon stepped around Alphamon as the black Knight stepped back. “Quit overthinking it, alright?” He chuckled, lightly rapping his knuckles against the golden helmet. “Do what you want to do, not what you’re honorbound to do.”
‘However, the Digital World is heavily damaged from the Dark Master’s violation of it. Already it has begun to quarantine itself in preparation for a reboot.’ Drasil’s orb pulsed faintly. ‘Go with the blessing of not just your fellow Knights, but myself.’
Magnamon nodded slowly, gulped, then reached out and took the item, as the world became awash in gold light.
Veemon gasped, sitting up in shock and cradling his aching chest, breaths coming out ragged and heavy. “Wh-what was- did… was it a dream?” He muttered, disoriented, then froze as he felt something in his palm. He slowly opened his fingers, and stared at the object with wide eyes. “Well… I guess that answers that…”
‘Hurry north, Magnamon…’ The faint voice of Drasil spoke in his mind. ‘The Gate closes. They depart for the human world. You’ll be too late if you delay any longer…’
The Knight nodded, standing and nearly falling onto his face, if not for the tree next to him that he grabbed onto. “Whoa…” He groaned. “Dying sucks…” He shook his head, then charged into the forest, almost running a familiar face over in his rush. “What are you doing here?!”
“We never got to say goodbye… Davis stared down at the floor, leaning against Mimi as she cried into her hands and the others waved out the back to the digimon.
“MIMI!” A familiar voice drew Mimi’s attention with a gasp.
“Look!” Sora gasped, turning to the other girl, who smiled, turning to look out the window, then blinked in shock at what she saw.
Palmon was waving her arms in the air, feet pounding against the ground as she ran, yet next to her was a familiar Rookie, red eyes shining as he waved a fist high above his head. “Palmon! VEEMON?!”
“VEEMON?!” Davis whipped around so hard he winced, then threw the window open and nearly fell out of the trolley as he leaned forward. “VEEMON!”
“DAVIS!”
“MIMI! I’M SORRY!” Palmon cried, still running along the shore.
“IT’S OK! DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT! GOODBYE, PALMON! I LOVE YOU!”
“I LOVE YOU TOO- WHOA!” Not looking where they were going, the two Rookies tripped over each other, making Davis yelp and Mimi gasp, her hat flying off her head and into the air.
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon! Monster Friends to the Boys and Girls!
Agumon and the others caught up and yanked the two to their feet, joining them as they ran along the edge of Dragon Eye Lake and waved to their friends.
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
“DAVIS!” Veemon shouted, pulling his arm back. “DAVIS, CATCH!” He chucked the item as hard as he could, which from so far away appeared to just be a glowing gold ping pong ball.
Champions of the Digital World!
“What the-?!” Davis yelped, leaning forward and grabbing it, then screamed as he nearly fell overboard if not for Tai and Mimi yanking him back inside.
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
“SEE YOU AROUND, PARTNER!” Veemon laughed, eyes turning watery. “SORRY I COULDN’T SAY GOODBYE PROPERLY!”
Ultimate Friends to the Boys and Girls!
“Partner?!” Davis shouted, looking down at the glowing object and having his eyes widen as he stared at a golden Digivice with black buttons and a blue circle in the center of each. “VEEMON?!”
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
“SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I THINK IT GOT LOST IN THE MAIL!” Veemon laughed, wiping his eyes.
Champions of the Digital World!
“Like heck!” Davis shouted, then poured all his willpower into his new Digivice, eyes squeezed shut.
Veemon’s eyes widened as a sudden rush of energy flowed through him, stronger and more potent than anything he’d felt before as his body flashed and became Magnamon.
Seven young kids go to camp for the summer, and wind up living in a Digital Land! Where everybody gets to meet their own Digi-Monster, a digital companion, a digital friend!
The others, seeing what he did, smiled, then gripped their own Digivices, which had seemingly become permanently stuck in the colors of the Crests.
A digimon In-Training will digivolve to Rookie, then digivolve to Champion and Ultimate too! They’re gonna save the Digital World for me, and gonna save the Digital World for you!
“LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER, OK?!” Tai shouted as they all waved to their Partners Mega level forms.
“DON’T LET ANYONE PUSH YOU GUYS AROUND!”
“WE’LL NEVER FORGET YOU!”
“THIS WAS THE BEST FEW MONTHS EVER!”
“FEEL FREE TO CALL IF THOSE PAYPHONES EVER GET FIXED!”
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon! Monster Friends to the Boys and Girls!
“GOODBYE! WE’LL NEVER FORGET YOU, EITHER!” WarGreymon waved, skidding to a halt as the shore gave way to the river.
“JUST GIVE US A COUPLE YEARS TO FIX THINGS UP, THEN YOU CAN STOP BY AGAIN!” Magnamon grinned under his helm, making everyone stop and look at him.
Hey Digimon, Hey Digimon!
“Wait, WHAT?! I THOUGHT THIS WAS FOREVER!” The last thing the children saw was the Royal Knight suddenly getting swarmed by the others, hounding him for information.
Champions of the Digital World!
“Bye, mom! I’m heading out!” Davis shouted, closing the door of the apartment behind him as he scurried down the steps, looking out over Odaiba. The city, which had been left in ruins by VenomMyotismon, had miraculously been repaired along with the Digital Divide over a month ago, in sync with Apocalymon’s defeat according to their families.
He ran past Rainbow Park, heading north to the landbridge to Daiba Park, and grinned at Tai, Kari, Sora, and the others, waiting down the street. Kari noticed him, and beamed, waving, which made the others notice him and wave, too. He smiled, running over, while the gold Digivice on his belt let out six almost musical beeps.
From a nearby store, a lavender haired girl grumbled about how her siblings still didn’t believe her tales of a golden ball of light while repairing a radio, which began to play an american rock song.
“HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALLSTAR STAR! GET YOUR GAME ON, GO PLAY!
HEY NOW, YOU’RE A ROCKSTAR! GET THE SHOW ON, GET PAID!
(And all that glitters is goooold!) Only shootin’ stars break the mold!”
In the Digital World, lying forgotten and discarded, Myotismon’s digicore faintly pulsed with dark crimson light. That light was swiftly snuffed out as a slimy gray tentacle from a nearby pond reached out and crushed it, before sinking back into the depths, where two glowing red eyes glared up, then slowly faded into the murky water.
“No loose ends…”
Notes:
Sorry for being a couple days late! Was busy with school and work and barely had time to go home before I had to go to sleep!
Next time: Our War Game!
Chapter 13: Our War Game
Summary:
Magnamon went to open his mouth when the world shook, the very air pressing down on them while the Rookies screamed and ran for their houses. “What’s happening?!” The Knight shouted instead, gaze sharpening.
“Not sure, but-!” The chief began, only to look up as the sky began to crack open. There was a moment of stillness, then a roiling purple comet blasted out, streaking across the sky and vanishing beyond the horizon. “Where’s Chicken Little when you need him?” Vikemon muttered, staring off into the distance. “It would’ve been nice to know that the sky was falling!”
“Get to Gennai!” Magnamon barked, lifting off. “I’ll follow it!” He blasted after the comet, turning into a golden streak of light across the sky. ‘Why do I get the feeling our vacation just got cut short?’
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Another day, another turf war.” Magnamon sighed, brushing his hands of snow as he looked between the groaning herd of Mammothmon and the tribe of Panjyamon. “Now, are you boys going to learn to share the hot springs, or am I going to have to keep kicking your butts?”
“We’ll…” The Panjyamon’s leader coughed, rubbing his black eye. “We’ll share if they will.”
“Agreed…” The herd leader of the Mammothmon trumped weakly. “Just… stop beating us with each other.”
“I wouldn’t have had to if you punks didn’t nearly cause an avalanche down at Snowman Village.” Magnamon crossed his arms. “You’re lucky I’ve got a pal who lives down there, otherwise the entire town would’ve been wiped off the map. Now, I’m going to leave, and if I catch any of you causing trouble, I’ll have to come back, and I’m sure none of you want that to happen.”
With his piece said, the Knight took off, flying down the slope of the snowy mountain to the seaside settlement at the base, where a furred behemoth awaited. “Everything should be handled, Vikemon.” He reported, landing next to the Digimon of Reliability.
“Thanks, Mags.” Vikemon chuckled. “Again, sorry about calling you up here, but…”
“But you had to make sure the village was safe in case of another avalanche. No problem.” Magnamon smirked softly, looking out over the town of Gomamon, Betamon, Gizamon, Penmon, and numerous other Deep Saver Rookies. “Hard to believe it’s almost been a year, huh?”
“No kidding.” Vikemon snorted. “Time flies when you’re suddenly one of the main defenders of the Digital World.”
Nearly ten months ago, the Digital World faced a dire threat. Apocalymon, a warrior of the Dark Area, nearly ripped apart the Dimensional Divide and sent all worlds crashing into one another. It was only thanks to the assistance of the Digidestined, human children from Earth, that the danger was stopped.
“How are the others doin’?” Vikemon asked a couple minutes later, sitting beside Magnamon at the communal bonfire, each housing a flagon of hot chocolate.
“Well, WarGreymon’s working on training the village on Server’s coast into proper fighters with the help of the Tyrannomon and Monochromon. Last I heard most of the Koromon had digivolved into Dragon’s Roar Rookies. Monodramon, Dracomon, Guilmon, and of course Agumons, no surprise there. MetalGarurumon claimed a nice forest over in Folder’s southern hemisphere. Nice flat topped mountain in the middle with rivers surrounding it. Good place to set up shop for his Gabumon, Gazimon, Gaomon, and Gotsumon.”
“Lotta G’s, huh?” Vikemon huffed, a grin on his lips as he took a drink.
“Yeah, no kidding. Phoenixmon’s still over in Mihirashi Mountain. She managed to set up an entire hot spring staffed by her Wind Guardians and Meramon.” Magnamon chuckled, recalling his own trip there a few months ago and the polite Biyomon, Falcomon, Tinkermon, and Muchomon that had been running the place. “HerculesKabuterimon and Rosemon have their jungle on the equator, not far from MetalGarurumon’s, and it’s packed full of Jungle Trooper Rookies.”
“How long until they realize the other is crushing hard?”
“At this rate? I think we’ll have somehow managed to die of old age.” Magnamon snorted. “Ophanimon and Seraphimon finally managed to level Myotismon’s old place. I managed to visit just before they wrapped up the demolition work, so I got to fire a few missiles.”
“Feel good?” Vikemon smirked.
“Oh yeah. Like I got to punch the creep in the jaw all over again.” Magnamon grinned. “But yeah, they’re doing good. They should have started up the sanctuary by now. After that they just need to find the other Celestials.”
“Good for them.” Vikemon smiled. “So, that’s them done, but what about you?”
Magnamon blinked, looking over. “What do you mean? I just said where I’ve been.”
“Yeah, I get that. But what do you want to do? You’re one of the last three Royal Knights, sure, but there’s gotta be more to you than running around like some folk hero.” Vikemon settled in, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “Humor me, would ya?”
Magnamon hesitated, thinking it over. He went to open his mouth when the world shook, the very air pressing down on them while the Rookies screamed and ran for their houses. “What’s happening?!” The Knight shouted instead, gaze sharpening.
“Not sure, but-!” The chief began, only to look up as the sky began to crack open. There was a moment of stillness, then a roiling purple comet blasted out, streaking across the sky and vanishing beyond the horizon. “Where’s Chicken Little when you need him?” Vikemon muttered, staring off into the distance. “It would’ve been nice to know that the sky was falling!”
“Get to Gennai!” Magnamon barked, lifting off. “I’ll follow it!” He blasted after the comet, turning into a golden streak of light across the sky. ‘Why do I get the feeling our “vacation” just got cut short?’
“Huh…?” Izzy muttered, slowly pulling the straw of his McDonalds cup out of his mouth with a squeak of plastic on plastic. “What’ve we got here…?” He mused, seeing strange readings on his computer. “That’s one nasty virus. But what’s it after?” A few keystrokes later, and his jaw dropped. “A… digiegg?”
Unbeknownst to Izzy, computers all over the world had the same image on their screens, all staring as a white and red digiegg was rendered. It cracked open, and a single orange eyeball peeked out. “HELLO!!”
‘Dear Sora, I’m sorry about what happened. I haven’t felt this bad since the time I accidentally used your hat as a barf bag and didn’t realize it until you put it on. I know our relationship has been a little stormy lately, but you say you love thunder showers, so hey, what’s a few raindrops between friends? Love Tai- wait, LOVE?!’ Tai read through his email, then boggled at the last line. “I mean from! I mean-!” He groaned, sitting back in the computer chair with his hands over his face.
He was so caught up in his own indecision he didn’t notice the intruder in the room until they were right behind him. “Whatcha writing?” Kari grinned impishly, peeking over his shoulder as he squealed in surprise.
“JUST A JOKE!” Tai stammered, covering the screen with his arms, before realizing his sister was dressed awfully nice for a day at home. “Wait, you going somewhere?”
“Yep! I’m going to a friend’s birthday party! I got her a Power Ranger!”
“Oh, isn’t that interesting.” Tai slowly turned back to the computer, hiding a devilish grin, then whirled around, reaching to snatch the present. “GIMME!”
“Too slow!”
“GIVE IT!”
“Nope!!”
“Let go!”
“Sorry!”
“Aw, who cares?” Tai grumbled, shutting his eyes and leaning back in the chair. In doing so, he missed Kari darting around him and grabbing the mouse.
“If you wanna send an email, you have to click this, see? Click!” Kari smiled innocently, scampering off as Tai gaped at the email getting sent.
“I WASN’T GONNA SEND THAT YOU LITTLE MENACE!” He shouted, whirling around as Kari exited the room.
“Then what’d you write it for?
“Oh, just go to your party!”
“Meanie…” Kari pouted.
“I can’t believe Sora’s gonna read that letter…” Tai whispered, mortified, before his computer let out an irritated sounding blurt. “What the- unable to deliver? Oh come on! You try and tell a girl you’re sorry and the internet goes ouUUAH!” Rocking back and forth in irritation, Tai went too far and spilled over backwards, legs kicking up in the air.
IT’S BEEN, ONE WEEK SINCE YOU LOOKED AT ME!
COCKED YOUR HEAD TO THE SIDE AND SAID “I’m Angry”!
Sora grumbled, walking down the street before noticing her reflection in a nearby mirror. She leaned in, taking her hat off and fiddling with the sun-shaped hairclip in her hand, before pouting and shoving her hat back on her head.
FIVE DAYS SINCE YOU LAUGHED AT ME, SAYING “Get that together, come back, and see me!”
THREE DAYS SINCE THE LIVING ROOM!
If she had stayed for just a moment longer, she would have seen the grid of televisions next to her change from a peaceful meadow to a giant pale blue jellyfish with a single eye.
I REALIZED IT’S ALL MY FAULT BUT COULDN’T TELL YOU!
YESTERDAY, YOU’D FORGIVEN ME, BUT IT’LL STILL BE TWO DAYS TILL I SAY I’M SORRY!
Joe stood on a train platform, reviewing his test booklet as he waited for the train. Out of his peripheral, he noticed it pull up, and took a step forward, only to startle as the doors didn’t open.
Hold it now and watch the hoodwink!
He blinked, staring at the man on the inside of the train, who appeared just as baffled as he was, before the train suddenly took off.
As I make you stop think!
You’ll think you’re lookin’ at Aquamon!
“Huh?!” Joe gaped, staring after it, then at his watch, then back at the train with mounting panic. “WAIT!”
I summon fish to the dish although I like the Chalet Swiss, I like the sushi cause it’s never touched a frying pan!
At an apartment, mail was stuffed into the mail slot while a heart shaped plaque with the name “Tachikawa” was hung next to the door.
I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve!
Izzy panted, running down the street with his laptop under his arm.
I have a history of losing my shirt!
Realizing he had overshot, his sneakers squeaked on the sidewalk as he skidded to a stop, then ran back towards Tai’s apartment building. Davis, who was balancing a soccer ball on his toe, blinked at the orange blur that streaked by, the sun reflecting off his new, rectangular goggles.
It’s been, ONE WEEK SINCE YOU LOOKED AT ME!
DROPPED YOUR ARMS TO THE SIDE AND SAID “I’m sorry”!
Matt and T.K. sat in their grandma’s house, watching a baseball game on TV as the batter slammed a home run.
FIVE DAYS SINCE I LAUGHED AT YOU AND SAID “You just did just what I thought you were gonna do!”
Their grandma came over, carrying a plate of what looked like ground beef mixed with rice that had T.K. amazed and Matt disturbed.
THREE DAYS SINCE THE LIVING ROOM!
As T.K. poked and prodded at the questionable cuisine, Matt noticed that, instead of getting just one run, the score was rocketing past thirty.
WE REALIZED WE’RE BOTH TO BLAME, BUT WHAT COULD WE DO?
Kari was chatting with some of her friends as they waited outside the birthday girl’s home, then turned as they heard her approach.
YESTERDAY, YOU JUST SMILED AT ME!
“Surprise!” They smiled, holding out their gifts as the girl smiled back, her mom and grandma watching from further inside the house.
‘CAUSE IT’LL STILL BE TWO DAYS TILL WE SAY WE’RE SORRY!
“Mom, can I make a complaint?” Tai groaned, mood soured as he looked in the fridge.
“What is it, Tai?” Yuuko asked, unpacking the groceries.
“How come Kari gets to have a cake and we’re stuck with veggie straws and tofu?”
“I can make you a cake.” Yuuko said. “Pass me an egg, please.”
“Oh no…” Tai groaned, realizing what he’d unleashed.
“Don’t sass me if you want free cake. Besides, I needed to use the last of the Wheat Germ anyway.” The ring of the doorbell, followed by loud and urgent knocking, took both of their attention. “Get the door, please? I’ll start on the cake.”
Tai yawned, grabbing an egg from the fridge and walking over to the front of the apartment, opening it to find the wheezing form of Izzy. “Whoa, Izzy, what’s with all the sweat? Did you just run a lap around Odaiba?”
“Well it’s…” He gasped, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s about the egg! The egg has already hatched” Tai blinked, slowly looking at the chicken egg in his palm, before Izzy slapped his hand against his face. “Not that egg! A DIGIEGG!”
“What is that?” Tai asked, peeking at the cycloptic blob on Izzy’s laptop screen while the two enjoyed popsicles in his room. “Looks like a jellyfish with a contact lens.”
“My analyzer doesn’t recognize it! We could be looking at a totally new species!”
“Well that’s great, because I get the feeling it’s looking right back at us. Where’d it even come from?”
“Apparently it was meant to be a sort of test to clean up bugs a friend of mine was doing over in America, but something went wrong.”
“So? Doesn’t seem so bad to me.”
“You kidding? It’s a newborn digimon with access to the entire world wide web! My pal, Willis, estimated it could destroy life as we know it!”
“You sure seem to put a lotta trust in this guy.”
“Well yeah, he’s smart. He’s only about Kari’s age but he’s already taking classes in Colorado State!”
“So what?” Tai squinted, frowning at Izzy. “I’m in junior high school and I take classes in junior high school!” A sudden series of beeps had both of them snap their heads to the screen, where the blob shifted into what looked like a clawed, blue hand with two antennas and a big orange eyeball.
“It's digivolved!” Izzy gaped. “That’s the fastest growth we’ve ever seen! Whatever that virus was, it’s making it develop abnormally fast!”
“We got mail.” Tai pointed out as a new window popped up. “‘I’m hungry’? What, does he want us to order takeout?”
“I think its already got an idea on what it wants for breakfast!” Izzy corrected as the In-Training suddenly pulled a giant maze full of letters and numbers on screen and began to skitter through it, consuming the symbols. “It’s eating computer data! And once it’s done in this buffet line, it’s gonna move onto a database with even more food!”
“More food?! Is it looking for a grocery store?!”
“Across the globe, grocery stores have gone on the fritz, displaying chocolate bars that cost millions of yen, or massive shopping carts packed with food that are a single yen, causing confusion and congestion at the registers! And now, the weather.” Yuuko blinked at the news report, before opening the door to her son’s room.
“Tai, I made Beef Jerky shakes!” She announced, only to gasp as the two boys darted past her and across the apartment. “What- where are you going?!”
“Gotta use dad’s computer!” Tai yelled over his shoulder, socks sliding against the hardwood floor and sending him thudding into the wall.
“What about the drinks?!”
Izzy skidded, then ran back, grabbing a glass and draining it in seconds. “Thanks Mrs. Kamiya!”
“Be careful with my dad’s stuff!” Tai said, gently moving books and papers off the bulky monitor.
“Get outta my way!” Izzy grunted, lifting the screen with a strength that belied his small and scrawny build. “The internet’s getting eaten, and you’re worried about this?”
“My dad likes his mess where it is…” Tai offered weakly.
“Whatever. Is this hardwired in?”
“Oh, uh… yeah, I think. ISDN or ESPN or something…”
“Good.” Izzy nodded, hitting the power button and connecting his laptop to the computer tower with a cable. “This should help.”
“Why don’t we just call up the digimon and hit delete?” Tai asked, only to flinch as Izzy glared over his shoulder.
“It’s not that easy! Besides, that was the first thing I tried.”
“Ok, then why don’t we call someone important and tell them how dangerous this is? Like… I don’t know, the Principal? Or… or Bill Gates!”
“They won’t listen!” Izzy rolled his eyes. “Willis tried to tell his internet carrier, and all they did was say “Great! Let’s sign it up and give it fifty free hours!” He pulled up the image of the digimon, but what appeared chilled him and Tai to the bone.
“Again?!” Tai gaped, staring at the blue digimon with a huge head, a spiky orange collar, massive hands, and dozens of tentacles.
“My name is Keramon!” It announced, its voice sounding almost cheerful, yet the blank look in its eyes spoke of nothing good.
“Rookie level already?” Izzy hissed, tapping at his computer and looking between the two screens.
“This is bad…” Tai agreed. “He must’ve found a fast food site! What can we do now?”
“I don’t know.” Izzy admitted, shoulders slouching. “It’s digivolving too quickly.”
“You mean we have to sit here and watch it eat the world out of house and homepage?!” Tai groaned, hanging his head. “I wish Agumon was here…”
“Tai!” Came a gruff voice from Izzy’s laptop, making the redhead blink and look over.
“I can hear him now… I mean, it’s WarGreymon, but close enough…”
“Tai, you can hear me now!”
“It’s like he’s here…”
“I am here!”
That finally got through to the Bearer of Courage as he leapt to his feet, eyes wide as he spun in circles. “What?! Wait, where are you?! I can barely hear you! Put me on speaker phone!”
“It’s a transmission.” Izzy reported, looking away from his laptop with a wide grin. “From Gennai!” Tai blinked, then dove over, putting a hand on Izzy’s shoulder as he stared at an almost video game rendering of Gennai’s yard, where WarGreymon, HerculesKabuterimon, and all the rest stood.
“WarGreymon!” Tai laughed, delighted, while his partner waved. “What, you guys having a party?”
“Tai!”
“Don’t forget about us!” HerculesKabuterimon laughed, wings buzzing.
“Of course not, Tento.” Izzy smiled.
“We need to talk.” Gennai said gravely. “Something’s threatening the internet.”
“We know. We’re tracking the digimon now.” Izzy responded, only for the pixelated head of Magnamon to shake from side to side.
“Whatever that thing is, it’s no digimon.” The Knight corrected. “Gennai, can you up the resolution?”
“Right. Give me a moment… tv… input… video 1… ah, here we are!” The pixelated forms of the digimon sharpened, going from 8-bit to lifelike, and revealing that all wasn’t quite as well as they thought. The knight’s armor was seared black in places and streaks of neon blue light from spilled data, while his white and blue scales were covered in black and blue bruises.
“Whoa, what happened to you?” Tai winced, looking at the singed and beat up image of Magnamon as Ophanimon wrapped a bandage around his bicep.
“Our little invader happened.” He grumbled, then winced as the wrapping was pulled tight. “It blasted a hole straight through the Dimensional Divide. I was tracking it down, and had almost caught up when…”
Magnamon raced through the skies over the continent of Server, the forest giving way to sandy dunes as he pursued the roiling mass of dark energy. He brought his arms together, lighting crackling between them as he prepared a Magna-Blast, only for the chaotic fireball to suddenly launch a dark, murky sphere backwards, striking the Knight in the chest. He shouted in pain, plummeting like a rock, while his target continued on its way.
“…it fed me a blast the size of Myotismon’s ego, shot me down over Server’s desert, then ripped a new hole directly into the internet.”
“That’s some firepower.” Izzy whistled. “To break through the barrier, beat Magnamon in one shot, then still have enough juice to break the barrier again?”
“Yeah, no kidding. It makes the Dark Masters look like cupcakes.” Rosemon nodded.
“Hey! Let’s not use words like “Beat”, ok? He just evaded me with a surprise attack! Besides, I owe that little creep a Magna-Storm to the faaaaiiiiiie!” Magnamon hissed, flinching as Ophanimon tugged the bandages tight, and based on the frown crossing her face, it was intentional.
“You aren’t going anywhere. Not when you’re leaking data like Agu drools when he’s offered a steak.”
WarGreymon whirled around, eyes wide at the mention of steak, then paused. “…ok, that’s a fair comparison.” He admitted with a defeated sigh. “But still, mean…”
“I’ll be fine!” Magnamon urged, hopping to his feet. “See? Look. Totally ready!” He threw two punches, then did a spinning roundhouse, then yelped as Seraphimon prodded him in the lower back.
“Uh-huh.” Ophanimon crossed her arms, unamused.
“The plan is to use the hole above Server to enter the Net.” MetalGarurumon explained. “It’s right over the old pyramid.”
“The Divide’s probably still weak from when Tai and MetalGreymon fell into it.” Izzy theorized.
“You all were willing to fight for our world again and again, so it’s only fair we pay it back!” Phoenixmon smiled.
“Guys…” Tai smiled, touched. “You’re the best!”
“Don’t get emotional, because if you cry then I’m going to cry!” HerculesKabuterimon said, sounding a bit choked up as Rosemon patted his arm.
“Izzy, digivice?” Tai asked.
“One step ahead of you.” The redhead smirked, pulling out his purple digivice.
“Alright!” Tai grinned, pulling his goggles up from around his neck to his forehead. “We’ll have your backs every step of the way! Now, let’s squash this bug! Er, no offense, Kabuterimon.”
“None taken.”
“But to enter the Internet, the digimon will have to revert back to their Rookie forms. Mega levels just have too much data to make the trip smoothly.” Gennai explained.
“Ain’t that the truth…” Magnamon grunted.
“That explains some things.” Izzy nodded in understanding.
“We’ll start heading out!” WarGreymon said, floating into the air with HerculesKabuterimon. “See if you can round up the others!” The two took off out of view, while the remaining seven digimon settled in to await the call to action.
“Hi, Mr. Ishida! This is Tai! Are Matt and T.K. there? …out in Shimane visiting their grandma? Can I get the number? It’s about the digimon. …Thanks!”
===
“Hello, Mr. Kido! This is Tai Kamiya! Can I talk to Joe please? …a test?!” As he hung up, Tai sighed. “Joe’s the only guy I know who volunteers for Summer School!”
“Any luck?” Izzy asked from the table, while Yuuko rummaged through the fridge.
“Want a glass of potato juice, Izzy?” She asked.
“I’d love some!” The redhead smiled.
“You’re the only guy I know who’ll drink that, Izzy. Well, you and-!” Tai’s eyes widened, and he hurried to the door to put his shoes on. “I’LL BE BACK IN A BIT!” He screamed, running down the stairwell, and not even noticing Sora as she stared at him with a mixture of anger and confusion.
===
Down on the sidewalk, Davis was juggling a soccer ball from his feet to his head, tongue stuck out in concentration. “Ninety eight… ninety nine… ONE HUNDR-!” His shout of victory over a new record was cut off as Tai suddenly ran up and grabbed him, before running back up the stairs and leaving the ball to thud against the ground.
===
“I’m going to end you.” The boy hissed, pouting as he drank his glass of potato juice next to Izzy.
“Save it for after we save the world!” Tai ordered, before turning back to the phone. “C’mon, Mimi…! ANSWERING MACHINE?!”
“Oh, right.” Izzy blinked. “She’s in Hawaii for spring break.”
Davis nodded in agreement. “She sent a postcard.” He stuck his tongue out as he fished into his pocket, before pulling out a crumpled picture of Mimi and her folks on a white sandy beach with a picturesque rainbow in the background.
“OH COME ON!”
===
“No no, I’m not selling ties, my name is Tai! I’m looking for Matt and T.K.! …ok, great! Can I talk to them?” Tai asked, a hopeful smile on his face before it suddenly dropped into one of anger at the tone that indicated he got hung up on. “I can’t take this anymore…”
“You’re a real natural, Izzy!” Yuuko smiled, whisking a bowl like Izzy shook out some flour and Davis munched on a few spinach cookies.
“Does Kari have your phone, mom?”
“Do I have enough…?” Izzy asked, unsure as he continued to shake out a mountain of flour.
“Beats me. First time I’ve ever used flour for a cake.” Yuuko chuckled.
“MOM, PLEASE?!”
“Of course, in case of emergencies!”
“Well she better come home because this is a pretty big emergency!” Tai grumbled, checking the notepad next to the landline.
===
“I can’t come home!” Kari whispered into the phone a minute later, smiling sheepishly to the other guests. “She hasn’t even blown out the candles! Plus there’s a magician coming over in a bit and I won the straw pull to get sawed in half!”
“Hi Kari!” Davis shouted, his voice loud enough to carry over the phone.
“Hi, Kari.” Izzy said, much more restrained.
“Hi guys! Sorry, gotta go!”
“KA-!” Kari hung up and turned back to the other girls with an embarrassed smile.
“Sorry about that!”
===
“Should we be concerned?” Izzy asked, watching as Tai slammed his head against the wall hard enough to make the pictures on it shake.
“Nah, he has a thick enough head. He’ll be fine.” Davis shrugged, unbothered. His nonchalance was quickly disrupted as Tai turned and chucked the phone at them.
“Call Sora!”
“What?!” Izzy blinked, fumbling with the device. “But you two are good friends. Why don’t you-?”
“Just DO IT!” Tai grumbled, marching over and pulling out a seat, only to groan as the doorbell rang. “Oh, what now?!” He groaned. He stomped over to the door and yanked it open, steam practically boiling from his ears. “WHAT?!” He began, only to choke on his own words as he noticed who was on the other side. “Sora?!”
“What’s the big emergency that had you kidnap Davis?” She asked, crossing her arms and raising an unamused eyebrow.
“I- er- well-” Tai stammered eloquently, while the younger boy peeked around the corner behind him.
“Hi, Sora!” He waved, a spinach cookie still in hand. “The internet’s blowing up, apparently!”
Sora blinked at that, and turned to Tai with a more concerned expression. “Ok, explain.”
Tai didn’t answer her, too busy staring at the Daikanransha behind her as it began to spin faster and faster until the carts were pointing out from the centrifugal force.
Izzy peaked around the corner, and sighed. “Yeah, that’s probably Keramon. Get in here, Sora. I’ll fill you in.”
“Thank you for visiting MEOW!.com!” The computer jingled as Tai waved Miko away from it, sitting down in front of it with Davis.
“So, what’s with you two?” The younger boy asked, sipping from a Beef Jerky shake as Izzy spoke to Sora across the room. “I thought you said she’d like the thing?”
“I thought she would.” Tai sighed, head hanging low.
“WE’RE ONLINE!” Agumon shouted, making the four turn and look to the computer screen, where Agumon and Tentomon were racing through an ever changing tunnel of light and metal.
“Does this information superhighway have an off ramp? I gotta use the little digimon’s room!” Tentomon yelled over the sound of rushing data.
“You shoulda gone before we left! Just hold it!” Agumon sighed.
“Excellent!” Izzy grinned, running over to his laptop. “Gennai, are Phoenixmon and Magnamon ready? We managed to get Davis and Sora!”
“We’re ready, Izzy!” Phoenixmon cheered, waving her wings. “Hi, Sora!”
“Hey, girl.” Sora smiled, fingers brushing against the screen. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Hate to cut the reunion short, but if we wanna help, we gotta go now!” Magnamon yelled, walking through the background, arm and midsection still wrapped in bandages. “Davis, be seeing you in a bit!”
“See ya in a few, Magnamon!” Davis grinned as the two took off from Gennai’s dojo.
“Ok guys, try and sneak up on it quietly!” Izzy urged. “It doesn’t know we’re here yet!”
“Right!” The two shot out of the tunnel into a massive white chamber filled with ferris wheels and carousels. “So this is the internet? Mon, they need new wallpaper!”
“There!” Agumon pointed to the bottom of the chamber, where Keramon was slurping up the girders of a ferris wheel like noodles. “Shall we?”
“Let’s get to it!” Tentomon nodded, lightning crackling between his elytron. “SUPER SHOCKER!”
As Keramon screamed and was charred by the electrical attack, Tai facepalmed. “That was quietly?!”
“PEPPER BREATH!” Agumon shot out a trio of fireballs, bombarding the Virus and covering him in smoke.
“DIRECT HIT!” Davis whooped.
“Don’t celebrate just yet!” Tai interrupted. “There’s not a scratch on him!” Keramon slowly turned around, an eerie giggle spilling from its lipless, frog like maw.
“So you like to play games, huh?” He cackled, wide and blank eyes holding an edge of malice.
“I got a bad feeling about this!” Izzy furrowed his brow.
“Veemon, where are you guys?!” Davis asked urgently, head darting between the Kamiya computer and Izzy’s laptop.
“Working on it! Agumon and Tentomon left a trail, but it’ll be a minute!”
“Ok fellas, time to digivolve!”
Across the world, everyone in front of a computer leaned forward in shock as the screens of the orange and purple digivices shone with power.
“AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… GREYMON!”
“TENTOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO… KABUTERIMON!” The two Champions roared, tail thrashing and wings beating.
“You take the high road, I’ll take the low road!” Greymon shouted, slamming into the bottom of the chamber and charging towards Keramon.
“On it!” Kabuterimon buzzed high above, clasping his two pairs of arms together and firing a barrage of small Electro Shockers.
“BUG BLASTER!” Keramon cackled, mouth opening to a hundred and eighty degrees and launching out pink and red fireballs that exploded against the electrical attacks.
“NOVA BLAST!” Greymon roared, launching a massive shot of flame that exploded on top of the fleeing Rookie.
“You guys make this stuff look easy!” Birdramon laughed, Veemon hanging onto her leg as she darted into the chamber. “Did we even need to show up at all?”
“I’d hold off on celebrating just yet, guys!” Izzy interrupted, pointing.
“KERAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOOO…!” The smoke cleared, revealing a streamlined white and red spider with eerie green and yellow eyes standing on six legs. “Infermon.” He rasped deeply.
“Oh, come on!” Veemon shouted as the three Champions circled around their foe. “He gets to go past Rookie already?!”
“That Virus is putting in work.” Izzy muttered. “Luckily he’s only at the Champion level.”
Infermon chuckled, then began to jump around on his cable-like legs, bouncing between floating ferris wheels and carousels, and vanishing in them all.
“Where’d he go?” Kabuterimon asked, looking around.
“ABOVE!” Sora shouted, making the Champions dart to the sides as Infermon suddenly rocketed between them, head and legs tucked into his body and making him look like a giant battering ram as he crashed into the wall of the chamber.
“NOVA BLAST!”
“ELECTRO SHOCKER!”
“METEOR WING!”
A barrage of electrical blasts and fireballs streaked towards Infermon as he tried to pry himself out of the crater, once more covering him in smoke. “COCOON CRASH!” He burst out again, glaring at the Champions.
“Crapbaskests! Open it up, guys!” Tai shouted, prompting the three to launch more of their attacks, only for them to splash harmlessly off the virus’s carapace.
“If this is Champion, I’d hate to see Ultimate!” Davis gulped.
“SPIDER SHOOTER!” Infermon bounced off a wall and strafed them, his puppet-like mouth sliding open to reveal a cannon barrel that launched a burst of energy rounds. Most missed, but the last one clipped Kabuterimon’s leg and exploded.
“KABUTERIMON!” Greymon, Birdramon, and Veemon shouted, just before Greymon took one to the head and Birdramon was blasted between the wings.
“NO!” Sora gasped.
“Vee!”
“Damnit!” Izzy cursed, slapping the floor. “I was wrong! He isn’t a Champion! He bypassed it straight to Ultimate!”
“Then we’re just gonna need to go Ultimate, too!” Tai set his face.
“Our turn, Veemon! GOLDEN ARMOR, ENERGIZE!”
“GREYMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“KABUTERIMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“BIRDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“Not so fast!” Infermon cackled, launching himself forward. “SPIDER SHOOTER!”
“THEY NEED TO DIGIVOLVE FASTER!” Izzy shouted, standing up in shock.
“METALGREYMON!”
“MEGAKABUTERIMON!”
“GARUDAMON!”
“MAGNAMON!” The four had barely gotten the names out before they were bombarded by the attack, screaming in pain as smoke filled the chamber.
Infermon giggled maniacally, landing on the other side of them and crawling out of the website.
“Agumon, say something!” Tai begged.
“Don’t take me out, coach!” The saurian said, a bit deliriously.
“Biyomon, are you ok?!”
“Aside from a headache and some ruffled feathers, I’m fine.” The bird assured Sora with a wince and a smile.
“Tentomon!”
“I’m fine! Just one question? Who’s Tentomon?”
“Haven’t been that smashed since the time I went to Digi-Juana.” Veemon grumbled, flipping right-side-up.
“You expect us to believe you’ve gone drinking?” Ophanimon’s voice came from the connection to Gennai’s house, her tone saturated in doubt.
“Hm? Oh, no, I mean literally.” He cracked his back and sighed in relief as something popped. “You mention that a guy’s tusks are impractical, and suddenly he’s punching you through a mountain. Bottom line? Marsmon’s a jerk.”
“You guys rest up…” Izzy sighed, turning to his laptop. “I’ll try to track Infermon down.”
“Attacking while we’re digivolving…” Tai growled, punching the ground. “Not even Myotismon was that low!”
“That’s because it’s a major taboo.” Veemon explained. “This thing either doesn’t know, or doesn’t care.”
“Whoa, check it out!’ Davis grinned, looking over Izzy’s shoulder. “Fanmail!”
“I guess when you throw down in the middle of the internet, people are gonna learn your email.” Sora sighed. “There goes any chance of staying under the radar.”
“Here’s one from Willis! ‘Izzy, I’m sorry. This is my fault. Find a way to slow him down.’”
“I guess he blames himself for trying to turn a bunch of scrap data into a digiegg.”
“Wait, this kid tried to do WHAT?!” Veemon gaped, turning to look at the children through the screen.
“Here’s one from a kid named Derek in Austrailia! Says it’s the first time he’s ever seen a Digital Monster! Oh, and here’s one from Singapore!”
“‘Three against one and you still lost. You guys are pretty weak.’” Davis read aloud, face twisting in anger. “HEY, SHUT IT, PAL! IT WAS FOUR AGAINST ONE!”
“You’re not helping the case, buddy.” Tai sighed. “Plus, that’s an email.”
“Whoa, wait a minute, guys.” Izzy gulped. “We’ve got one from Infermon…”
“It’s just him saying hello over and over?” Sora blinked as Izzy clicked it open. “What, is he trying to annoy us on top of beating us up?”
“That’s not what’s got me worried! The address is the phone company! If he takes out our connection, we won’t have any way to fight him!”
“Izzy, try and keep us in the game! Sora, Davis, get to your houses and try to call the others!”
“Right, Boss!” Davis yelled, running out of the room.
“Fine.” Sora stood, nodded to Izzy, then left without giving Tai another look.
“...so, what was that all about?” Izzy asked Tai a few moments later.
“Nothing.” Tai said, much too quickly to be nothing.
“Are you sure, because…”
“Shouldn’t you be making sure we don’t get cut?!” Tai shouted, stomping out of the room and going to the landline. “Ok, Joe! Tell me you’re finished!”
“All circuits are busy, try again later.”
“Oh, come on! How about Mimi?”
“All circuits are busy, try again later!”
“Crapbaskets!” Tai swore, dialing the Ishida number.
“All circuits are still busy!”
“Kari?!”
“DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME?!” The operator on the other end screamed, clearly fed up with the constant attempts.
“But-”
“IT’S BUSY!”
“I’m sorry, lady…” Tai whimpered, setting the phone on the rest and trudging back into the office. “All the phones are dead!”
“Infermon probably ripped it apart from the inside out!” Izzy cursed, sweating as he tried to figure out a work around.
“No calls can get through!” Tai worried, only for both of them to look at the phone as it suddenly rang. Tai grinned, thinking one of the others had picked up. “Hello, this is Tai!” He said cheerfully, only for his face to drop at the eerie laugh on the other end.
“Hello, did you program me?” Infermon cackled, only going silent when Tai hung up.
“He’s after the phones!” Tai realized. “His long distance bill will be insane!” Izzy let out a shocked noise as he jumped in his seat, making his leader look at him with nervous anticipation. “Wh-what? What is it?”
“Connection…” Izzy said slowly, turning around with a haunted look on his face. “Terminated.”
“What next?” Tai moaned just as slowly, matching Izzy’s expression.
“Half an hour to cake!” Yuuko called from the kitchenette.
“What the-?!” Biyomon gaped, looking around for the screen that had been following them. “Where’d they go?!”
“Infermon just cut us off.” Veemon cursed, clenching his fist. “We’re flying blind.”
“Nothing else we can do but wait, then?” Tentomon asked, fidgeting with his antenna.
“Seems like it.” Agumon nodded, doggy-paddling by. “That and hope they’re finding a solution on their end.”
“Phones have gone dead citywide! If your telephone is dead… please call your phone company.”
“Can’t believe this…” Davis grumbled, crossing his arms as he sat on the Kamiya’s couch, watching the news as Jun helped Yuuko in the kitchenette. “I DON’T NEED A BABYSITTER!” He yelled back to his sister, who didn’t even deign to glance at him as she retorted.
“When you break down the door screaming how you need to use the phone for Digidestined business, you lose your say in if you need someone to make sure you don’t do something stupid! Anyway, Mrs. Kamiya, are you sure you don’t need to use sugar for a cake?”
“Great…’ Tai sighed. “Sora’s still up at her apartment, and Izzy’s gone doing who knows what while the digimon are stuck in cyberspace.”
“We interrupt this programming for a special bulletin!” The news anchor reported, making the boys glance over. “The phone companies have set up an emergency voicemail system!” If their attention wasn’t grabbed before, it certainly was then. “Simply dial One-Seven-One! With this, you can leave a voice recording, even if the lines are down or busy!”
“VOICEMAIL!” The two boys shouted in sync, Tai vaulting the arm of the couch for the landline while Davis jumped over the backrest, landing on the ground with a winded thud.
“OOF!” He picked himself up and ran into the kitchenette, practically tackling Jun. “I need your phone!”
“WHAT THE-?! GET OFF ME, DAVIS!”
“MATT, T.K.! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! CALL ME BACK WHEN YOU GET THIS!
“Kari if you want to see any of your toys again you’ll get your butt back here!”
“Joe, pal, I get that entrance exams are important, but so is saving the world!” Davis shouted into Jun’s phone before handing it back to her. “Thanks!” He grinned innocently.
“You’re so weird.” Jun bemoaned. “Why couldn’t I have gotten a brother like Joe who’s on track to be a doctor, and not a maniac who jumps head first into alien portals?”
“Because you’re already boring enough!” Davis blew a raspberry at her, then screamed as she put him in a headlock and began to ruthlessly noogie him.
Yuuko, used to the Motomiya siblings after having known them for nearly five years, simply sighed fondly and requested, “Please don’t do this in the kitchen. There are a lot of sharp corners.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Kamiya!” Jun chirped, sweet as sunshine as she dragged her brother out and dumped him on the floor by Tai’s.
“Save me, Boss!” Davis cried, scampering around the older boy’s legs and using him as a shield from the approaching storm.
“Ten minutes ago you said you wanted to end me, now you’re asking me to be a human shield?!” Tai asked incredulously.
“Well… yeah!”
“…Jun, hold him steady. I’m getting a pillow.”
That was the scene Izzy and Sora returned to, the latter now dressed in more casual clothes- sweatpants and a t-shirt with her classic blue sock hat- instead of a sweater and jeans with a woolen hat. Jun held Davis in a full nelson, while Tai held a pillow in one hand and punched his opposite fist into it.
“Save me!” Davis begged the two.
“Tai, quit it.” Izzy rolled his eyes as he stepped by them. “You can beat him with a pillow later, but right now, we need him alive.”
“Fine.” Tai tossed the thoroughly fluffed pillow back onto the couch, while Davis squirmed out of his sister’s grasp.
“Hi, Sora.” Jun smiled, sharing a hug with the orange haired girl.
“Hey, Jun.”
“So, what’ve you got, Izzy?” Tai asked as the kids went back into the office. “Hopefully a fix?”
“Hopefully.” Izzy nodded, leaning over the computer tower and beginning to adjust the cables. “Any word from the others?”
“Mimi’s still out of touch, and nothing from the others.” Tai sighed, laying on the floor spread eagle. “What happened to the good old days when we were a team?”
“We are a team.” Sora rolled her eyes. “We just didn’t know we’d have to clear our schedules to save the world again.”
“What’s that doohickey?” Davis asked, leaning over Izzy and watching as the techwiz hit a few buttons on what looked like a calculator with a cable coming out the bottom. “Some kinda universal remote?”
“It’s a satellite uplink.” Izzy grinned, putting it down and going back to the computer’s keyboard. “We can bypass the landlines by tapping directly into the military’s satellite system!”
“Oh, oh that’s illegal.” Jun paled, hovering near the door. “That is so illegal.”
“Only if we get caught!” Davis argued.
“You’re a genius!” Tai whooped, shaking the redhead. “How does it work?”
“Well, do you know what a semiconductor is?”
“A guy who works part time on a train?”
“Nevermind…”
Davis groaned, laying across Tai’s stomach a minute later. “Why does it take so long?”
“You either get it fast, or you get it good!” Izzy shouted, fingers racing across the keyboard. “Make yourself busy and check the phones to see if the others got back to us!”
“You have, ONE, new message!” The phone beeped, while Tai, Sora, Davis, and Jun leaned over it.
“Hey Tai, it’s Matt. What’s the big emergency? Call us back.” A loud thud sounded in the background, followed by a high-pitched scream of surprise. “Oh, man. Nana fell asleep on T.K. again.”
“Good old Matt!’ Tai sighed, a smile on his face as he dialed to send the next voicemail. “We’re finally getting some back up!” Once it was ready, he spoke into the device. “Did you and T.K. bring your digivices?”
A minute later, T.K.’s voice came through. “Of course we did! Why? What’s goin’ on?”
“An evil digimon is trashing the internet!” Izzy reported. “Agumon, Tentomon, Biyomon, and Veemon are trying to fight it, but it’s already reached Ultimate and took them down before they could level up! Get your digivices to a computer ASAP! We’ll let MetalGarurumon and Seraphimon know you’re in!”
“The closest thing our grandma has to a computer is an egg timer!” Matt’s recording informed them. “We’re heading into town to find one! Meet you on the net!”
“Uh, Izzy? The satellite thing’s makin’ noises.” Davis tapped the Bearer of Knowledge’s shoulder, making him grin and turn back to the computers.
“Alright! We’re back online!” Izzy whooped, then blinked as his computer had no trace of Infermon anyway in Tokyo. “Wait, where’d he go?!”
“He sent an email!” Tai opened it, gulping. “‘I’m close to him.’ Close to who?!”
“He’s in America!” Jun gaped, pointing to the address.
“He doesn’t even have a green card!”
“UNCLE AL!” Matt screamed, holding onto his uncle’s waist while the man zoomed through Shimane and T.K. laughed from the motorscooter’s foot space. “SLOW DOWN!”
“STILL CAN’T HEAR YOU!” Al shouted, the wind ripping Matt’s words away.
BUT YOU THINK IT’S STRANGE THAT THERE’S A WAY!
Infermon scurried through New York’s internet, glitching out traffic lights and disrupting GPS systems.
OF HOW YOU LOOKED, AND HOW YOU ACT, AND HOW YOU THINK!
PRETEND THEY’RE NOT THE SAME AS YOU!
As he took control of more and more systems, his face began to appear throughout the city, appearing on screens as small as TVs in store windows to taking over the electronic billboards in Times Square, drawing confused murmurs from the hundreds of people walking around.
KEEP US FROM SAYING ANYTHING!
Infermon found his way into JFK’s air traffic control, his visage appearing over every digital instrument and screen, even the in-flight movies.
CAN’T SEPARATE FROM EVERYTHING!
People waiting at their terminals were baffled as, instead of arrival or departure times, the screens showed a white, puppet-like face with a single red horn sprouting from its forehead, eyes scanning across every face.
AND ALL THIS REALLY MEANS IS,
Unable to find his target, he growled, then abandoned JFK, leaving the surface full of glitching electrical systems and confused shouts.
YOU’RE ONE IN A CROWD AND YOU’RE PARANOID OF EVERY SOUND!
“He just finished eating every bit of data in Kennedy Airport. Now it looks like he’s going for the subway.” Izzy reported, having managed to pick up their foe’s trail as he drank another of Yuuko’s shakes.
“That’ll slow him down for sure!” Tai nodded.
“I just can’t help but question what Infermon would’ve been like if he was never infected.” Izzy sighed, draining the glass and setting it down.
“I have a question, too.” Tai said nonchalantly, before whirling on the other boy. “WHY ARE YOU STILL DRINKING THAT JUNK?!”
“Because it’s good!” Davis protested, pulling his own glass close and chugging it, as if worried someone would try and take it.
“Just because you don’t appreciate healthy food doesn’t mean I don’t.” Izzy rolled his eyes, getting a nervous glance from Tai.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you…”
“There’s gotta be adults out there who know this isn’t a normal virus, right?” Jun asked Sora, who shrugged.
“Probably, but they wouldn’t know the first thing about how to handle a digimon like this. As much as it sucks, we’re the only ones who can stop it.”
“And now, we’ve got reinforcements!” Davis smiled, waving as a video call with Matt and T.K. popped up. “Heya, Teeks!”
“Hi, Davis!” The smaller blond laughed.
“Sorry it took so long! Finding a computer out here’s harder than you’d think!” Matt chuckled.
“Prodigious! Did one of the neighbors offer to lend theirs to you?”
“Sorta…?” Matt offered weakly, looking over his shoulder at Floyd the barber, who was working on Al in the chair, while an elderly couple smiled at the two boys.
“Kids today are so smart.” Barney smiled, while Bea nodded.
“I still can’t set the time on the VCR!”
“Matt?” Tai asked, tapping the camera. “Still there? Did we lose you?”
“No, we’re here!” Matt sighed. “Let’s get to work.” He pulled out his dark blue digivice, while T.K. reached up under his hat and retrieved his yellow one.
“I was gonna have an aneurysm if this thing crashed…” Tai exhaled in relief, while Izzy drained another glass of potato juice.
“Can I have yours, Tai?”
“You’re as brave as Davis. You keep drinking and your stomach’s gonna explode.”
“We’re back on the move!” Agumon whooped as the four digimon dove into another datastream. “This time, we know what to look for!”
“Oh, are we playing Eye-Spy?!” A voice called from the right, making them turn to see another datastream merge with their own and spit out Gabumon and Patamon.
“Hey, guys!” Tentomon waved.
“Sorry we’re late! I was surfing the net and I wiped out!” Patamon laughed.
“Six against one, huh?” Biyomon grinned.
“Let’s go loud!” Veemon smirked. “Davis?!”
“Right! Keep your legs, wings, and other parts inside the ride at all times!” The boy’s expression matched the Rookie’s as he brought his digivice up, the screen displaying the Crest of Miracles. “Now, one more time for the people in the back, GOLDEN ARMOR, ENERGIZE!”
As the news of the virus had spread, more and more people had tuned in to the internet, so as the digimon reached their highest levels, they were recognized as the figures that had battled in the rifts in the sky last August.
“VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO… MAGNAMON!”
“AGUMON!”
“TENTOMON!”
“PATAMON!”
“GABUMON!”
“BIYOMON!”
“WARP DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!”
“WARGREYMON!”
“HERCULESKABUTERIMON!”
“SERAPHIMON!”
“METALGARURUMON!”
“PHOENIXMON!”
The six burst into the next chamber, this one filled with hundreds of black ladders that zig-zagged through it like lightning bolts. “Are those train tracks?” Jun asked.
“Probably. We are in the subway.” Izzy shrugged.
“There he is!” Sora pointed, while Infermon turned to face the approaching digimon, chuckling as a big red arrow appeared over him.
“I’m busy, but if you want to fight, I’ll gladly put you in your places!”
“Oh, he wants to crack jokes?” Magnamon growled. “Let’s crack him instead!” He burst forward with WarGreymon, and together, slugged Infermon in the cheek, sending the Ultimate spinning. While the spider was stunned, Seraphimon and MetalGarurumon bounced off a track below him, and struck Infermon with an uppercut and shoulder tackle, respectively.
“Our turn!” HerculesKabuterimon shouted, horns crackling while flames gushed from Phoenixmon’s beak. “TERA-SHOCKER!”
“CRIMSON FLARE!”
The two attacks struck Infermon head-on, engulfing him in smoke and making him scream in pain.
“NICE SHOT!” WarGreymon yelled, pumping his arm in the air.
“INFERMON MEGA-DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!” The Ultimate’s cocoon form burst from the smoke, covered in dark light as it morphed into something grotesque. “Diaboromon!” The Mega growled, dark blue armor glinting menacingly as it rammed into Phoenixmon, who cried out in pain and shock.
“NO!” Sora cried alongside her, lunging forward.
“CABLE-CRUSHER!” Diaboromon’s murky green arms extended out, then wrapped around Phoenixmon like a spider wrapping up its prey. The firebird thrashed, bouts of flame gushing from the gaps of her mouth, though her struggles grew weaker and weaker, until they stopped and she began to shrink. Diaboromon let out a rasping, eerie chuckle as he turned away from the limp and pixelating form of Biyomon, whose face was screwed up in pain as she gasped for air.
“Biyomon…’ Sora whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes “What-what’d he do?”
“MADE A BIG MISTAKE IS WHAT HE DID!” Seraphimon bellowed, charging at the virus despite the shouts of the others to wait. The Mega Angel blitzed in front of his foe and began to deliver a rush of punches, while Diaboromon simply stood there and took it. After a few moments, however, he grew bored, and his arms stretched again.
“CABLE-CRUSHER!” As Seraphimon was squeezed so hard his armor cracked in places, Izzy paled.
“TELL THEM TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE!” He shouted. “DIABOROMON’S DRAINING THEM OF DATA!”
“SO NOW WE CAN’T EVEN TOUCH THE CREEP?!” Magnamon yelled back, leaping away as Diaboromon lunged for him and left an unconscious Patamon in his wake.
“PATAMON!” T.K. screamed, sniffling as tears ran down his cheeks. “Speak to me! Are you ok?! I’m coming! I’ll come get you!”
“You can’t…” Matt muttered, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder, before his glare sharpened on Diaboromon. “BUT THEY CAN!” He shouted, as MetalGarurumon’s hatches snapped open.
“WIPE HIM OUT!” Tai barked, while the other three charged in
“METAL WOLF CLAW!” The swarm of missiles raced out, exploding into jagged ice crystals that had Diaboromon darting side to side, barely avoiding it, until one struck him in the chest.
“WEB-WRECKER!” The cannon in the virus’s chest expanded, and an energy blast shattered the ice and exploded on MetalGarurumon’s flank, drawing a shout of pain from the wolf. Through the smoke, WarGreymon burst forth, arm reared back. “CABLE-CRUSHER!” Diaboromon’s arm extended again, knocking the gauntlet right off the Mega’s arm, though that did little to stop him. WarGreymon let out a wordless shout, driving his exposed fist into Diaboromon’s face hard enough to make his eyes pop out, before the true force sent him flying backwards into a track.
“Kabuterimon, circle around!” Tai ordered, gaze darting around the screen. “Magnamon, attack!”
“S-something’s wrong…” Izzy gasped out suddenly, face screwed up as sweat ran down the side of his face.
“What are you talking about? We’re winning!” Davis whooped, punching the air as Magnamon sent a roundhouse into Diaboromon’s chest, though his bicep was slashed in the process, ripping through the bandage and spilling new data.
“This- this could be it!” Izzy gasped, though Tai misunderstood what he meant.
“Yeah, great, isn’t it?
“NOT THE FIGHT!” Izzy groaned, pupils shrunken down to dots.
“Oh, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!” Tai asked, fed up with the strange noises his friend was making.
“I- I think it’s your mother’s recipes!” He shakily pushed himself to his feet, and swiftly staggered out of the room, aided by Jun, while the other three stared after him.
“I hate to say I told you so, but… WELL I TOLD YA SO!” Tai shouted after him.
“Something’s wrong!” Matt’s voice drew the attention of Tai, Davis, and Sora back to the screen, where the four digimon were moving noticeably slower than before. “What’s happening?!”
“Crapbaskets, what’s going on?!” Davis glanced between the older Digidestined, chewing on his lip anxiously while an Ice Wolf Bite, palm-sized Terra Force, Magna-Missile, and Tera-Shocker impacted the spot Diaboromon was nearly three seconds before, with the virus lunging towards HerculesKabuterimon, claws outstretched.
“Oh, COME ON!” Tai shouted, the day’s frustration bubbling over as he slapped the computer, making it bluescreen and leaving the trio to stare in horrified silence. “Oh no… oh no oh no!”
“TAI YOU IDIOT!” Sora screamed, snapping out of it as she urgently began to look the computer over, unsure what to do.
“WHAT DO WE DO?!” Davis cried, running in panicked circles as Izzy returned, Jun peeking in for a moment before going back to sitting with Yuuko.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Izzy corrected, pushing Tai and Sora to the side as he tried to get the computer back up.
“IT WASN’T MY FAULT!” Tai argued. “Besides, who goes to the bathroom in the middle of a battle?!”
“YOU’RE THE MORON WHO HIT THE SCREEN!” Sora screeched back, glaring at him.
“AND NOW IT HAS TO REBOOT!” Izzy threw in.
“IT’S NOT LIKE I DID IT ON PURPOSE!” Tai spat back.
“OH SURE, LIKE YOU IT WASN’T YOUR FAULT WITH SORA?!”
Everyone froze at that, feeling an invisible line had been crossed. “Wait, why are you mad at Boss?” Davis asked, looking at Sora, who harrumphed and looked away, arms crossed.
“I’d like to know, too, honestly.” Izzy chimed in, looking between the Bears of Courage and Love.
“It’s stupid…” Tai grumbled. “I gave her a really cool hairpin for her birthday, and suddenly she’s going off about how I don’t like her hair!”
“Wait, THAT’S what this is about?!” Davis gaped, looking between the two. “BECAUSE OF A STUPID SUN HAIR CLIP?!”
“THAT’S NOT-!” Sora began, only to blink. “Wait, how did you know what it looked like?”
“Because this jerk spent hours wondering which one he should get you!” Davis yelled, cheeks puffing up in irritation. “He drags me out of bed before seven on a weekend, says we’re going to play soccer, but doesn’t mention we’re stopping by a dang jewelry store first!” He clasped his hands in front of his chest, putting on a starstruck look as he did a (poor) imitation of Tai’s voice. “‘Oh, I don’t know which one to get Sora! Maybe the star because she is one? Or the water drop since she likes rain? Or maybe the feather for Biyomon?’” He dropped the imitation and glared at Tai, hands on his hips as he awaited the response.
“It wasn’t hours…” Tai protested weakly.
“THE SUN WAS BARELY UP WHEN WE WENT IN AND IT WAS PAST NOON WHEN WE CAME OUT, BOSS!” Davis screeched, lunging for his mentor. “I WAS SO BORED I STARTED READING THE PRICE TAGS!”
Sora, meanwhile, had froze, mind racing as the situation was recontextualized. ‘He spent so long trying to figure out what to give me, and I got mad at him for it… What’s wrong with me?’ She sniffled, rubbing her suddenly itchy eyes.
“Seriously? Why didn’t you try apologizing?!” Izzy asked Tai, baffled.
“I tried! But then the internet started getting all weird!” Tai choked out, trying to pry Davis off his back.
“TAI!” Matt’s voice suddenly shouted from the computer as the reboot completed, reopening the pages and showing an ominous sight.
“Oh, no…” Izzy gasped.
“WarGreymon…” Tai whispered, seeing the beaten and battered form of his partner, armor cracked and left in ruin as he limply floated amongst shattered train tracks.
“We were only gone for a minute!” Davis cried out as Magnamon groaned, his arm pixelating from damage as he held Tentomon against his chest, having shielded the weakened Rookie.
“You guys picked a lousy time for a lunch break!” Matt snarled, though none could blame him for his anger with the worried look he kept on the sparking body of MetalGarurumon, dents covering his plating as mechanical fluid and blue data leaked out like blood.
“WARGREYMON!” Tai pleaded, hands hovering on the sides of the monitor, terrified to touch it again. “COME ON, BUDDY!”
“T-Tai…?” The Mega grunted, eyes slowly opening in the shadows of his helm. “I… I can’t move…!”
“It’s like…” Magnamon coughed, droplets blue data slowly flying out from under his helm and the visor. “It’s like we’re stuck under a mountain…”
“I let them down…” Tai whispered, going limp like a puppet with cute strings. “I should’ve been there…”
“‘Your Digimon’s a loser.’” Tai and Davis froze, then turned to glare at Izzy while Sora gasped.
“Izzy…” She warned him, while Tai’s knuckles popped as he clenched his fist.
“What did you say?”
“‘You almost won. How’d you screw that up?’” Izzy continued, reading through his inbox, and not realizing the danger until Tai spun him around and gripped him by the collar.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“I was reading emails!” Izzy defended.
“You didn’t have to read them so well…” Tai hissed.
“Emails…” Davis repeated, brow furrowed, before Matt’s sudden shout disrupted his train of thought.
“QUIT IT, YOU TWO! We’re meant to be fighting Diaboromon, not each other!” Tai held his glare on Izzy for a moment, before letting go, scooching over to look at WarGreymon with blatant concern.
“Stupid emails…” He muttered, though the tension bled out of him as Sora put a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh, that’s creepy…” Davis murmured as a message from Diaboromon was typed out in real time, one character after another.
“‘Who can count backwards from ten?’” Tai read, raising an eyebrow. “What, is he doing a math test?”
“Worse…” Sora gulped, watching as the image of one Diaboromon became two. Two became four, then eight, then sixteen, and soon too many to count. “He’s making an army!”
“For what? He’s already kicking our butts without one!” Davis glared at the computer. “And what’s with the timer?”
“The USA just launched two nukes!” Izzy reported, scanning an email. “There’s no official explanation, but apparently Diaboromon managed to get into the Pentagon!” He whirled around, eyes wide in terror. “They’re gonna land in ten minutes!”
“That explains the timer, but where are they headed?!”
“One’s headed for Colorado, but the other… four carry the two, times three… IT’S AIMED FOR TOKYO BAY!”
“You mean that bay?!” Davis cried, pointing out the window where the water peacefully brushed against the sandy shores of Odaiba.
“We’re getting emails from all over the world.” Izzy gulped. “‘Please, you’re the only ones that can stop that thing.’ ‘You’re the only ones that can beat that monster.’ ‘Squash that computer bug!’ ‘You have to do something, please!’”
“We’re trying to save the world and you’re reading fanmail?!”
“Mail…” Davis muttered again, looking at the sluggish digimon on the computer, before his eyes widened. “CRAPBASKETS! IZZY, STOP GETTING MAIL!” He shouted, lunging for the laptop.
“DAVIS?!” Sora yelped, grabbing the boy as he squirmed. “WHAT ARE YOU-?!”
“It’s too much for our connection! It’s why we can’t use all the phones while the computer’s being used at our house! It goes too slow!” Davis explained in a rush.
“THEY’RE SLOWING DOWN OUR DIGIMON’S PROCESSING SPEED!” Izzy gaped. “Davis is right! We need to get them to stop!”
“Are you insane?! That’ll take too long!” Tai yelled. “And what are we supposed to do about all the Diaboromon?!”
“Theoretically, only one has control of the detonators.” Izzy said, sweating as he tried to shut his email off. “If we find and destroy it, we should stop the explosions!”
“Great, so process of elimination! How many are there?” The computer genius glanced at the total count for a moment, then froze in shock. “Izzy?”
“...There are over a hundred thousand and counting…” Tai stared at him in horror, then at the clock that had just reached seven minutes.
“We don’t have enough time…”
“T-Tai…” WarGreymon grunted, twitching weakly as he forced his beaten body to move. “Have faith… I’ll find the original…”
“WarGreymon…”
“We’ve got your back…” Magnamon hissed in pain, holding his shoulder where the armored pad had nearly been ripped off, electric blue data seeping between his fingers, while MetalGarurumon slowly flew over on his cracked wings.
“Where is he now…?” MetalGarurumon growled deep in his throat.
“Magnamon!”
“MetalGarurumon…”
“Guys…” Izzy said softly, before nodding, steeling his nerves. “Right, I’m getting the address now! You’ll have a straight shot to Diaboromon!”
“Thanks, Wiz.” Magnamon chuckled, rolling his arm as the exit opened before the three remaining Digimon.
Davis looked over at the screen showing the timer and the amount of clones, eyes wide in horror as he latched onto Tai’s back. “There are half a million clones and six minutes to beat them all?! Oh man, we’re-!”
“-just about-” Yuuko hummed, looking at the oven.
“-FINISHED!” The exam proctor declared, making Joe twitch and sweat with panic.
“It can’t… END LIKE THIS!” He yelped, forgoing neatness to get as many answers as he could. In his scramble, he didn’t notice the TV in the front of the room flicker to life, showing three figures dart into a technological tunnel
HERE WE GO!
Magnamon and WarGreymon flew through the datastream, their eyes having faded away in the shadows of their helmets while MetalGarurumon ran through the air below them, all three focused on following Diaboromon’s trail.
Hey what’s up Superstar? Looks like you’re goin’ far!
All across the world, from just a few miles away to the other side of the globe, kids sent in messages of well-wishes and support, never realizing they were causing more problems.
Now what’s up Wondergirl? You’re gonna change the woooorld!
Davis bit his lip, watching as Magnamon flew into the next battle with an almost single-minded focus, ignoring the wound that basically disabled his arm and left droplets of data behind him. Sora wrapped an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders and rocked with him, her other hand squeezing Tai’s tight.
So everything’s not perfect! Don’t matter ‘cause you rework it!
Izzy stared in horror at his growing inbox as more and more emails flooded in, gulping as it crossed into seven digits.
Nothing’s holdin’ you! Never stopping!
Tai and Matt gripped the sides of their monitors with white knuckles, sweat dripping down their foreheads.
Never stopping! Never stopping now!
“Matt… will they make it…?” TK asked, holding onto Matt’s shirt.
“I’m not sure, TK…” Matt answered, eyes never leaving the screen. “But they’re gonna try!”
“Don’t give up guys…” Tai said, his words finding their way to the two Megas and the Armor Digimon. “No matter what happens, don’t give up!”
“You can do this!” Davis shouted, wringing his goggles as tears welled up in his eyes. “We all know you can!”
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, here we go! Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-ohhhhhh…
WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, and Magnamon flew past the URL and Website sign, and were dropped into an army from the depths of Hell.
“I’M RIGHT HERE!” Hundreds of thousands of Diaboromon shouted, their voices overlapping and echoing in a chamber that had been so completely filled that the light that naturally came from the walls was blocked out by the skittering bodies.
“Izzy, how many copies are we looking at?” Matt gulped.
“I don’t know…” Izzy admitted, looking over at the webpage covered in tiny Diaboromon. “Maybe a million at most?”
All at once, the Diaboromon froze, and Magnamon, WarGreymon, and MetalGarurumon tensed, pupils shrinking as they burst into motion. “WEB-WRECKER!” was screamed from every direction, before energy blasts began to cross the spherical chamber like a deadly rainshower. The three began to dive, climb, and spin, dodging the blasts, before the lag caught up to them.
MetalGarurumon howled in pain as one shot struck him in the leg, making him falter, which in turn left him open for half a dozen more shots. “GABUMON!” Matt shouted.
WarGreymon was the next to fall, getting struck in his already damaged chestplate and shouting as the metal shards dug into his flesh, before he was wrapped in a cloud of smoke as more blasts struck home. “AGUMON!”
Magnamon lasted the longest, and even managed to fire a few missiles back, but it wasn’t enough as he was focused upon, screaming as the evil energy ripped into his exposed flesh. “Vee! No, NO!” Davis cried.
“THERE ARE TOO MANY EMAILS!” Izzy cursed. “They’re sitting ducks!”
“STOP WRITING, PLEASE!” Sora shouted, arms wrapped around Tai and Davis as they watched their partners get bombarded by dozens of Web-Wreckers, while T.K. held onto Matt’s hand on their side. “It’s putting them in danger!”
The onslaught stopped, and a dense smoke filled the chamber as it dispersed from the three, letting their damaged bodies be revealed to all. WarGreymon’s horns had broken into jagged spikes, while his armor was reduced to scrap held together with leather straps. MetalGarurumon’s wings and tail had snapped off, while the rocket pods on his shoulders had detonated and encrusted his front legs and back in frost. Magnamon weakly twitched, yet even that seemed to be more a reflex as his body pixelated, his Golden Digizoid covered in cracks and falling off, while his helm’s V crest was roughly broken.
“WarGreymon…” Tai murmured, eyes glassy as he leaned forward, while Sora closed her eyes and looked away, too in pain to watch.
“Magnamon…” Davis sniffled weakly, joining him. “We… we gotta help them…” Unnoticed, his digivice began to glow, the Crest of Miracles flashing on the screen.
“We need to help them…” Tai nodded, hands pressing against the screen, which seemed to ripple under his palms with a golden light as the timer reached five minutes.
“Any of you want drinks?” Jun asked, peeking in with a platter of glasses filled with water.
“Not now, Jun!” Izzy shouted, not looking away from his laptop.
“Alright, sheesh. No need to yell…” She grumbled, going to walk back to the kitchen, only to double take. “Wait a second, where’s Davis and Tai?”
“Whoa, dude! Check that out!” Mimi paused as she walked down the street Oahu, glancing over to see an tv store window display with a sight that made her heart stop and her ice cream slip from her hand.
“Tai? Matt? Davis?!” She gasped, running towards it as the boys floated down in a dark chamber and grabbed the beaten forms of their respective partner.
“I should’ve helped them…” Kari whispered, tears in her eyes as the party watched the boys shake their partners, voices cracking as they begged them to keep going, respond, wake up, anything. “I shouldn’t have ignored them…”
“Guys…” Joe muttered, test forgotten as his pencil rolled off his desk and onto the floor. Not that anyone paid it much mind, as the entire room of examinees were locked to the screen, with even the proctor staring, stunned.
“Get up!” Davis pleaded, shaking Magnamon’s shoulder pad and hiccuping out a sob as his hands sunk into the pixelating material like it was only half there. “Please!”
“Don’t quit now!” Matt urged, holding MetalGarurumon’s head before turning to the other two. “He won’t answer me!”
“Keep trying!” Tai said back, voice filled with desperation as he put his hands on WarGreymon’s back. “I… I know I don’t have a whistle to wake you up, but we’re here! You’re not alone! I’m with you!”
“Everyone’s with you!” Davis cried, burying his head against Magnamon’s chest. “People all over the world are cheering for you! Can’t you feel it?! MAGNAMON!”
There was a moment of silence, then the three began to move, jerkily twitching as they groaned. “I can… feel it…” Magnamon grunted softly.
“So do I…” WarGreymon coughed.
“Me three…” MetalGarurumon growled, while their eyes turned to solid gold.
Davis, Tai, and Matt pulled out their Digivices as they screamed with power, with the older boys staring as their respective Crests morphed into a fusion, with the Crest of Friendship surrounded by Courage’s triangles and a circle in the center, all in gold. The Diaboromon hissed and snarled at the light, yet were unable to do anything as the thousands of emails appeared around them, each message carrying the hopes and wishes from around the world.
The digimon groaned with mounting strength as they began to grow, nearly doubling in size, before WarGreymon’s shield segments locked together and MetalGarurumon’s wings and tail folded in. The two roared as their bodies digitized, then were sucked into their heads.
“Let’s go…” Magnamon muttered, squaring his shoulders as he floated behind the two heads, while mechanical arms sprouted from the necks. “All together! AS ONE!” He extended his arms and legs out in a spread eagle, armor shining, while the emails became spirits of gold light, each taking the shape of the sender as they began to coalesce. They washed over Magnamon, healing his wounds, repairing his armor, and reenergizing him, then moved on to the faint silhouette between MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon, taking the form of a body with long legs that ended in three-clawed feet.
“They combined…” Davis murmured from the now twenty-foot tall Magnamon’s shoulder pad, pulling his goggles over his eyes to look at the white armored body being forged in the light, while the Diaboromon’s recoiled in pain and disgust. The glow, which had taken the form of a digiegg, slowly faded away, revealing the thirty five foot tall being with his arms crossed over his face in an X, while his cape billowed behind him, white on the outside and deep red on the inside.
“Part WarGreymon…” Sora murmured as she gazed at the orange WarGreymon head and the shield mounted on the being’s shoulder.
“Part MetalGarurumon!” T.K. gaped at the rounded shoulder pad with three golden spikes on it at the top of an arm that ended with MetalGarurumon’s head.
“They digivolved together to become…” Izzy trailed off in awe, leaving the digimon to introduce himself.
“OMEGAMON!” He declared, in a voice that sounded as a mixture of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon as his arms snapped down to his sides and his blue eyes flashed into existence, while Tai and Matt held onto the thin golden horns sweeping backwards on his head.
“Good to have you back, sir!” Magnamon smirked, turning to float back-to-back with the last Royal Knight.
“Good to be back, old friend!” Omegamon chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. “How long have you known?”
“Eh, I had my suspicions…” Magnamon titled his head in amusement, before glaring out at the Diaboromon. “But we’ve got a bug to squash.”
“WEB-WRECKER!” The swarm screamed, firing out a fresh salvo at the motionless Knights, making the humans gasp.
“Time to shake the rust off.” Omegamon glared at the approaching barrage of red energy. “GREY SWORD!” He crossed his left arm- that of WarGreymon- across his chest, then snapped it out to the side, the blade of a longsword marked with digimoji sliding out.
“Might wanna hurry!” Davis urged, sliding down onto Magnamon’s back.
“AURA BARRIER!” Magnamon crafted his golden forcefield while Omegamon swung, deflecting half the Web-Wreckers back at the Diaboromon from the sheer pressure while the rest were absorbed into the shield.
LET’S KICK IT UP!
As the swarm was bombarded, a huge chunk of the timer’s webpage was wiped blank as it ticked over to one minute, fifty seconds.
AND SHOW THEM ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO!
The hive was thrown into pure panic as they began to scuttle about, while Magnamon and Omegamon shared a nod.
LET’S KICK IT UP!
“MAGNA-GATLING!” Magnamon crossed his arms into an X, then swung them out to the sides, making his bracers extend out over his fists while several hexagonal barrels the size of tennis ball tubes extended out.
“Wait, you have GUNS?!” Davis gaped.
TOGETHER!
Omegamon brought his right arm up, then snapped it down, making a massive cannon barrel extend from MetalGarurumon’s maw. “GARURU CANNON!” The Knight aimed straight up, firing a single, icy blue energy shot, while Magnamon floated below him and spun, unleashing a storm of golden bullets that ripped through any Diaboromon struck.
Nananana! Yeah! Nananana! Yeah! Nananana!
The Diaboromon tried to flee Omegamon’s shot, but only succeeded in tripping over one another in their rush. In the end, it didn’t matter, as the explosion wiped out any caught in its hundred foot radius. Slowly, Omegamon turned, cannon still outstretched, before it let out another booming shot.
LET’S KICK IT UP! AND SHOW THEM ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO!
Magnamon snapped his bracers back into place, passed Davis to Omegamon, then blasted off, arms and legs glowing as he began to dart around the chamber like a lightning bolt. He ripped through the Diaboromon with ease, and plowed right through the Garuru Cannon blasts, coated in a skin-tight Aura Barrier.
LET’S KICK IT UP! TOGETHER!
The two Knights- as well as the rest of the world- watched as the Diaboromons were eradicated under their assault, the timer ticking down as hundreds died at a time.
TOGETHER!
When the light from the explosions cleared, only two Diaboromon remained on opposite sides of the chamber, which was revealed to have numerous black lines with the occasional red arrow. “Two left!” Davis shouted, hopping back onto Magnamon as the Knight flew by. “Let’s go!”
“I’ve got this one!” The golden Knight shouted, darting by as Omegamon brought his cannon to bear on the second.
“Take the shot!” Izzy urged. “We’re running out of time!”
“MAGNA-PUNCH!” Magnamon shouted, slamming his fist into the wall of the chamber as his target bounced away at the last second. “DAMNIT!”
“They’re going too fast!” Omegamon reported, looking around as he tried to track the movements of the other Diaboromon.
“ONE MINUTE TO GO!”
“WHERE ARE THEY?!” Magnamon cursed, moving to float by Omegamon as his bracers slid down and the barrels popped out, the two constantly whipping around to try and spot their foes, yet always being just a second too late.
“Forty five seconds!” Sora gulped, grabbing the hairclip in her pocket tight. ‘Please, be safe…’
‘We have the power to beat them, but not the speed! Willis was right! We need a way to slow them down…’ Izzy paused, whipping his head over to the right as more and more emails poured in. “THAT’S IT!”
“THIRTY SECONDS!” T.K. shouted. “HURRY, GUYS!”
“Izzy?!” Tai urged.
“THE EMAILS!” He shouted, lunging for his laptop. “IF I FORWARD THEM ALL TO THE DIABOROMON, IT SHOULD SLOW THEM DOWN LIKE IT SLOWED THE OTHERS DOWN!”
“SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!” Magnamon yelled, head snapping back and forth at the slightest flicker of movement. “DO IT!”
“EVERYONE! EMAIL BOMB THESE CREEPS!” Omegamon ordered while Tai and Matt acted as extra sets of eyes.
“YOU’VE GOT MAIL!” Izzy shouted, hitting the enter key and grinning as his inbox emptied, all of it suddenly getting dumped on the viruses, who gagged and choked under the pressure. Shakily, they turned their heads to face the center of the sphere, pupils shrinking as, for the first time in their short lives, they experienced not hunger, but raw, primal fear.
“THERE!” Davis shouted, pointing to one, while Omegamon whipped towards the other.
“TEN SECONDS!” Sora screamed, leaping to her feet.
“NINE!” Izzy shouted as Magnamon’s rockets roared and Omegamon brandished his blade.
“EIGHT!” T.K. yelped, hands tugging his hat and nearly ripping it apart as the two Knights launched towards their foes.
“SEVEN!” Joe panicked, kneeling in front of the exam room’s TV and holding onto the sides.
“SIX!” Mimi cried, face pressed flat against the window as the two Diaboromon flipped themselves over to face them.
“FIVE!” Matt yelled as Omegamon brought his sword forward and Magnamon’s fist turned into a glowing ball of gold plasma.
“FOUR!” Kari screamed, party forgotten as the Web-Wrecker cannons in the Diaboromons’ chest expanded and hummed.
“THREE!” Davis roared, glaring at Diaboromon through his goggles as they got close enough to see the fear in its eyes.
“TWO!” Tai bellowed, mere feet separating the Knights from their quarry.
“ONE!” The entire world shouted in sync, as Omegamon’s blade went directly between his foe’s eyes and Magnamon’s punch liquified his Diaboromon’s chest and formed a wide crater behind it.
“Connection,” Omegamon growled. “Terminated.”
The two Diaboromons let out gurgling final breaths as they sloughed off the Knights weapons, revealing two almost cartoonish alarm clocks behind them. Omegamon’s blade had stopped the minute hand at 11:59, while Magnamon’s fist had shattered his at the same moment.
“I’m… about… to barf!” Izzy said queasily, leaning over the Kamiya balcony as he watched the missile slowly tip over into Tokyo Bay.
“Wait till you try the cake!” Tai panted while patting Davis’s back, the boy retching over the side.
Sora stared at the computer, or more specifically, the last page to have been open under all of Diaboromon’s pages. ‘Dear Sora… what’s a few raindrops between friends? Love, Tai…’
Have you ever been close to tragedy?
She wiped her eyes, then looked at Tai’s back with a soft smile. ‘Stupid Tai.’ She reached up for her hat, hesitating for a moment, then pulled it off.
Or been close to folks who have?
“So, how does it look?” Tai lifted his head at Sora’s voice, then turned and felt his jaw drop. She shyly brushed her hair behind her ear, then glanced at him, the sun-shaped hair clip in her hair.
“You uhm… you look great!” He squeaked, while Davis stuck his tongue out in disgust, whether from how sappy it was or from the bile on his mouth, none would know.
Have you ever felt a pain so powerful?
Joe leaned against the TV, eyes glazed over from the stress of the exam and now the world nearly ending.
So heavy you collapse?
Kari apologized and bowed to her friends again and again before racing home, kicking up a cloud of dust in her wake while Rika blinked.
No? Well…
Matt gurgled from the stress as T.K. fanned him with his hat, while Floyd began to get to work on the boy’s spiky, sweat-matted hair under Al’s supervision.
I've never had to knock on wood!
Jun sighed, putting a blanket over the four collapsed preteens as they napped on the floor of the office, the windows open to air out the smell of burnt cake. “I guess saving the world before lunch would wipe anyone out.” She sighed again.
Davis cracked an eye open, glancing over at Tai as Sora nudged his shoulder with her own, joining him at the balcony. ‘One day… I’m gonna be a hero like Boss…’
Three Years Later…
‘When I said I wanted to be a hero like Boss, this isn’t what I had in mind!’ Twelve year old Davis gulped, eyes wide as he glanced between the growling half dozen Monochromon and the sole armored dragon flying above, all with glowing red eyes while a shadowy figure rode atop the black armored beast’s back. He looked down at the red, flame-themed Digiegg in his hand, then at Veemon, fists raised next to him. ‘I really wish we had Magnamon!’
Notes:
Welp, this is it... the end of All That Glitters. Over 13k words for this chapter alone! A personal best if I do say so myself!
If any of you fine readers wanna come talk Digimon and see what I'm up to, come hang out in https://discord.gg/gR6Vr94mt3
Next up: Only Shooting Stars Break the Mold!
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Toantakeri on Chapter 4 Fri 06 Jun 2025 01:45AM UTC
Last Edited Fri 06 Jun 2025 01:47AM UTC
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Last Edited Sat 09 Aug 2025 03:44AM UTC
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NinjaFang on Chapter 12 Fri 29 Aug 2025 05:00AM UTC
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