Author's Note: Before we start this off, let me address an issue that I'm sure many will want to complain about: the names of my Digimon. Yes, many of the names for my Digimon OCs probably exist, so I decided to give a preemptive rebuttal. Whatever, I do what I want! This is mah house! These are mah rules! Besides, it's not the first time the names and Digimon have been screwed up. Look at Fusion. Their Greymon is not a Greymon. Its a grey dinosaur.
Anywhoozle, ON VITH ZE STORY!
-Ze Awesome Prussia
The trees were flying past the black haired teen. Behind him, the small group of the remaining uncollared Digimon in the area followed him. His purple sweatshirt was remarkably in tact, the arms and stomach still decorated with black tendrils. Dirt stained his black boots and the hems of his black jeans. In the distance behind them, a tall black obelisk stood against the sky. "Dammit!" shouted the teen as he and the group ran. "Tentomon," he called over his shoulder, "when did the Emperor get that Control Spire here?"
"I don't know!" buzzed the insect. "We woke up and it was just there, in the middle of the forest!"
"Yeah," said Patamon as he flew along behind them. "That's about when those Dark Rings started hunting us."
Gatomon ran faster. "Speaking of Dark Rings, we've got some on our tails!" Looking over his shoulder, he saw four rings following them.
"Shit!" cursed the boy. Before he could do anything, a burst of black energy ripped through the pursuing objects.
Another Digimon came running out of the brush. He resembled a small version of Devimon without the helmet. In place of the regular arms, he had a pair of skeleton arms with black bands at the joints to hold them together. "Arius!" called the Digimon. "I finished escorting the other refugees to safety," he said as he ran up to his partner.
"Good job, Noctomon," said the running teen. "You really saved our necks there." Their happiness was short lived when they heard an angry roar followed by two screams.
Turning, he saw Gatomon was stuck under the hoof of a controlled Unimon and Agumon was trying to help her up. Cursing again, Arius ran over and picked the two up, not really noticing that Gatomon had lost her tail ring. As they ran, he was dimly aware of Agumon calling out for his Digidestined. "Sorry, Agumon. Your partner isn't here right now. We've gotta keep going!"
Looking to his Digimon partner, he held up his black Digivice. "Noctomon, you need to go Armor, now!" He got an affirmative nod from his partner. Looking down, he pressed the buttons on his Digivice and cycled through the crest symbols on the small screen until he came to a black heart-like shape. "Let's do it!" Holding out the device, a rosy glow came from the screen as Noctomon was shrouded in wind. "Digi-Armor: Energize!"
The wind spun around the demon as a quick glow enveloped him. "Noctomon Armor Digivolve to: Falcomon, the Soaring Hatred!" His new form was a large eagle-like Digimon in armor. His body was black with his armor being silver. His head had a helmet that covered the top of his head, and left the sinisterly curved beak exposed. The top of it was adorned with a black version of the Crest of Love. His wings had five blades on each side instead of feathers, with the colors alternating between magenta and silver with magenta being first, third, and last. Its tail was four Magenta and black feathers. The chest area was adorned with a silver breastplate that didn't cover the back. The Armor Digimon was a couple feet taller than Arius and fully capable of carrying him.
Slowing down, Arius set Agumon and Gatomon on the ground. "I want you all to run to safety. I'll find you when Unimon is taken care of." Hopping onto his now Digivolved partner, the two took flight, Unimon in pursuit.
"Alright bud, let's show him what we've got."
"Right!" Flying higher, they turned around and headed towards the charging mantis. Falcomon launched a magenta aura when he pulled up from his charge. "Valkyrie Aura!" The energy attack hit Unimon back when it struck. Flying up again, he flapped his wings. "Feather Arrow!" A series of arrows made of light flew from his feathers and struck Unimon. One of which scored a direct hit on the Dark Ring, and shattered the object.
Shaking his head, the Unimon flew off as the duo flew down towards the ground. After a quick flash of light, Noctomon and Arius landed on the ground. Dusting themselves off, Arius and Noctomon started back the way they came. After a minute of walking, the Digimon looked up at his teenaged human partner. "Hey Arius, why did you choose Falcomon's Digi-egg? Are you insinuating something about me and Biyomon?"
The boy let out a low whistle. "Wow, 'insinuating'. A five syllable word, that's a new one. I'm impressed," commented the black haired teen.
"Don't avoid the question!" shouted the Digimon.
"Why does it matter?" asked Arius. "I thought you were liked her? Why's it matter if I chose the Digi-egg that is best suited for aerial combat, and it just so happens to be the dark version of Biyomon's crest?" Feeling something off, he pulled out his black Digivice and started looking through the different scans.
"Because," ranted Noctomon, "you know full well that I have four other forms that can fly just as well as-"
He was cut off by a raised hand and Arius shushing him. "Quiet, my Digivice is acting up." Curious, Noctomon climbed up on his friend's shoulder. As the two looked at the screen a cluster of dots blinked towards the upper left corner. An orange one, light pink, green, and light blue. There was also a weird red dot in the mix. "From the looks of this," said Arius, "there are four other Digidestined, and I have no idea as to what that large red dot is."
Sliding the small device into his jeans pocket, Arius took off, his partner hanging on for dear life with his arms around his neck. "Arius! Where are we going?" cried the small rookie. It feels like my arms are getting more dislocated than usual.
"We need to see if these Digidestined are friendly," explained the High Schooler as he ducked around branches. "If not, we need to make sure they don't get their hands on that weird anomaly."
Following the screen's beacons, the duo came to a cave in the side of a mountain. Setting down his Digimon, the teen gave a signal to keep quiet. Walking into the cave, the two snuck along until they came to an opening to a large cavern where the two heard Gatomon talking about the Digimon Emperor. Half of the other voices were the Digimon he'd helped save. The other half were unrecognizable, except for one. No, it can't be. Taking a quick look around the corner, he confirmed his suspicions on the owner of the voice.
Looking down, he nudged Noctomon and leaned down to his friend. "Who's that blue Digimon?" whispered Arius.
"His name is Veemon, I've heard stories about him, but I thought he was a legend."
"Who's over there?" called a girl's voice. "We know you're over there, so come on out."
Sharing a look, the duo walked out from around their hiding place. Arius strode out with a confident smirk. "Hey Tai, fancy seeing you here."
The brown-haired boy was shocked. "Arius? You're a Digidestined?"
The boy's smirk grew into a grin. "As are you, I see. And this," he held up his black Digivice, "is all the proof I need to confirm my identity."
The brown haired girl gasped. "A black Digivice? That means you're that Digimon Emperor we've been hearing about!" Her appearance got Arius' attention. Why does she vaguely look like Tai?
Tai and the blonde boy were in front of the group of Digimon in a heartbeat. "You'd better stay away from our friends, you hear me?" shouted the hat wearing blonde. Why does he look like Matt? Wait, haven't I seen him before? Yeah, I have, that's TK, Matt's little brother. He looked over to the girl who was guarding the Digimon. Which means she's Kari, Tai's little sister.
Before he could comment, Gatomon and Patamon ran in front of him. "Wait!" shouted the cat. "He's not the Emperor! Arius has been protecting us from the beginning! He has nothing to do with the Emperor," explained Gatomon.
The boy Arius didn't know ran forward. Arius made a mental note about the kid resembling Tai. "Wait, then why did you assume I worked for the Emperor!" he shouted at the female Digimon.
"Because, kid," snapped Arius, "she knows that I work alone and have no human allies." Seriously! thought the teen. Who is this kid!?
The boy was about to respond when the cave started shaking. "Ahh! Veemon, what's happening?"
"I don't know Davis!" shouted the small blue Digimon.
Nodding with Tai, Arius took charge. "Everybody, follow me!" he called. "We need to get out of here!" As he followed the group, he noticed a small red and orange object in Davis's hands. Is that...a Digi-Egg? He didn't have long to think about the object, because once they got outside, they found themselves being attacked by a ring-controlled Monochromon. Roaring, he charged forward and made the group scatter.
Kari was scared. "Why's Monochromon attacking us? He's usually such a peaceful Digimon."
"It's that ring around his waist!" shouted Arius. "The Emperor uses them to control the Digimon. If we can get rid of it, he'll go back to normal!"
Veemon looked up at Davis. "Davis. You need to open the Digi-egg! That way I can show that guy who's boss."
The boy was confused. "What? How do I do that?" He searched the small object over frantically trying to find a way to open it. It was pitiful for the older boy to watch.
"Hey kid," he called over to Davis. "Say, 'Digi-Armor: Energize'. It'll activate the Digi-egg and make Veemon Digivolve!"
Not knowing what else he could do, Davis took the older teen's advice. "Digi-Armor: Energize!"
The Digi-Egg and blue Digimon became wrapped in orange light while Veemon covered in flames. "Veemon, Armor Digivolve to: Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!" The sight of Armor Digivolving was a familiar sight to Arius and Noctomon, but the others were all amazed at the sight of the Digimon.
Setting himself, Flamedramon charged Monochromon head on. "Fire Fist!" As he swung a punch, his hand became shrouded in fire, but did very little when it collided with the controlled Digimon's armored head.
Noctomon sighed at this. "Amateur," he muttered. He looked at his human partner. "Hey Arius, how about we show them what we're made of?"
The black haired teen smirked while he nodded. Cycling through the crests on screen, he settled for a black sun. "Alright. Digi-Armor: Energize!" shouted the Digidestined as an orange light shined from his Digivice.
The small demon Digimon was wrapped in flames as he changed. "Noctomon, Armor Digivolve to: Dragomon, the Hellfire of Terror!" The new Digimon was a foot taller than the teen and stood on two legs. His body was black and his armor was red and orange. The helmet was like Falcomon's in appearance, only without a crest and in red. The chest plate was red with a black version of the Crest of Courage. His tail was covered in overlapping silver and red blades and the wings were similarly armored. Each foot had plating that allowed freedom of the toes and his hands had similar armor only with sinister talons om each.
The dragon Digimon roared as Arius stood behind him. "Let's do this!" Flapping, he took off to help Flamedramon. Diving down, he blasted a ball of fire to distract Monochromon. "Dragon Flare Burst!" The rhino-like Digimon roared at him. "Now Flamedramon! Take the shot!"
"Right." The fire lizard ran forward. "Fire Rocket!" A blast of fire flew from his hand and smashed the Dark Ring into data.
Davis ran to his partner. "Woah, Flamedramon. That was so cool!"
A yellow flash covered Flamedramon as he turned back into Veemon. "You bet, Davis! And you and I are partners, so we get to do that all the time!"
As they all started talking, Arius and Noctomon started walking off. "Arius," called Tai.
Arius turned to his classmate. "Yes, Tai? What is it?"
Tai fixed the black haired boy with a serious look. "You have a black Digivice, and know quite a lot about that weird Digi-egg. Just who are you, and how long have you been doing this?"
Arius gave the goggle-wearing boy a sad smile. "I'm a Digidestined, just like you. And I've been doing this for far too long." Turning, he and Noctomon walked off before Tai could ask any questions. After the two had been walking for several minutes, they came to a small television sitting on the ground.
The rookie-level Digimon looked up at his partner. "Arius, are you alright?" His concern for his partner was clearly etched on his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine Noctomon." He smiled at his friend, although it was strained. "C'mon, let's go." Holding up his Digivice, a glow came from both the TV and Digivice. "Digi-Port: Open!" The two felt the familiar rush as they were sent from the Digital World to the Real World. As the rush ended, the two landed on his bed as they were launched from his computer. Sitting up, Arius looked at his now in-training friend.
His partner, now a DemiDevimon, looked up with a huge grin on his large face as his wings furled up at his side. "So, snack time?" His eyes glinted as his in-training appetite took over.
Arius laughed at the small Fallen Digimon's mood change. "Sure, let's go grab some food. I could go for a little snack." Getting off the bed, he slid off his green uniform jacket as he and his bat Digimon walked out of the room into the empty apartment. Seriously, the only benefit to having absentee parents is being able to do whatever you want.
Getting to the kitchen, he put a bag of popcorn in the microwave for DemiDevimon while he started slicing up an apple. When the timer went off, he poured the bag into a bowl and set it in front of his drooling friend. "Dig in, buddy."
Cheering, the small Digimon shoved his face into the bowl and started devouring his snack. Chuckling, Arius sat down to eat his apple slices and peanut butter. As he finished, he heard his computer go off. Confused, he walked back to his room and saw he had an email. "Huh? Why did Tai email me?" asked the boy.
DemiDevimon flew up next to him. "An even better question would be how he got your email address."
Nodding in agreement, Arius opened the message from his Digidestined classmate. Arius, it read. Me and the other Digidestineds are meeting at the park tonight at 8 o'clock. We have a lot of questions for you.
The teen leaned back in his chair after reading the message. Feeling Arius' mood, DemiDevimon flew into his lap and let the teen pet him. "Well DemiDevimon, I guess you and I owe Tai some answers." Reaching under the neckline of his shirt, Arius pulled out two of his three necklaces, both with a similar design. The first was his crest in its case, the background being a light red with the symbol being a dark red yin-yang symbol without the dots or being filled on one side. The second was a pendant of the crest symbol by itself with a simple black cord tying it around his neck. "We're finally going to meet other Digidestined.
-That night-
Arius walked through the streets on his way to the park, DemiDevimon in his arms. He opted for a pair of jeans and a camouflage sweatshirt with his crest on full display. Soon enough, they arrived to find Tai talking to several of his classmates, as well as Kari, T.K., and their friend Joe. When he arrived, Tai was talking about the Digi-egg. "Even with the crest of Courage, I couldn't even lift it."
"Well of course not," said Arius, "the Digi-egg of Courage is a lot different from your crest." The others all looked at the new arrival.
"Hey," said Izzy. "Is that a Digi-crest?" The others followed his gaze to the red object around his neck.
DemiDevimon huffed in annoyance. "Sure, pay attention to the Crest but not to the adorable Fallen-Angel Digimon. Yeah, I see how it is."
Kari gasped. "You have a DemiDevimon as an in-training Digimon?" How can he have Fallen Digimon and not be the Digimon Emperor?
"Yup," he nodded. "But he wasn't always my partner." He sighed in sadness.
"What do you mean?" asked Matt.
Arius sighed again. "It was about three years ago, after your battle with Apocalymon. You see, I had already been to the Digital World several times and met my partner, a red male Biyomon, during my first trip. He and I were best friends, until my parents became much more clingy. So, my trips came to a complete stop for a whole year." A tear slid down his cheek. "Then they started leaving for several days at a time on business trips. Then weeks, and eventually months. When they left for two weeks, I felt so abandoned. So, I grabbed my Digivice and went to the Digital World and met up with Biyomon." A shudder wracked through him. As he continued his story.
Three years ago
The young boy walked along the shoreline of the ominous ocean. Tears ran down his cheeks as the red bird Digimon followed along in concern. "Why so sad?" asked a childish yet sinister voice.
The young boy looked around. "Who's there? Where are you?" he asked. Looking around, he and his Digimon couldn't find anyone but themselves.
"I'm down here," came that voice again. Looking down, they saw Arius' shadow smiling at them with eyes and a mouth showing the blue sand. "I'm here to talk. What's troubling you?"
Not caring about what he saw, the boy sniffed. "My parents abandoned me, and I'm so sad."
"Really? Well, you must feel horrible about that." The apparition got a nod while Biyomon hugged his friend. "Well I know what could help. Why not spread your sadness? Why should others be happy while you're so miserable?" The shadow's grin widened. "Hold out your Digivice. I will give you power to make this world feel your sadness."
Not even thinking, the miserable boy felt himself being filled with loathing. The talking shadow was right. Holding out his blue Digivice, the shadow launched itself at the device and Digimon. The device changed its shape and color while Biyomon screamed as he changed. When the screams stopped, Noctomon stood there while a D-Terminal appeared in his hand with eight egg shapes on the screen. "You can forget your Crest of Harmony, these Dark Digi-eggs are all you need to bring destruction to this world!"
Modern Day
Tai and the others were shocked at what Arius just divulged to them. "So, what happened after that shadow changed your Digivice and Biyomon?" asked Kari.
Arius sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. "I went on a rampage. Noctomon and I destroyed whole regions. During that time, I started becoming smarter. I started just knowing how the Digital World worked. Then it all changed when he and I fought a group of Digimon who tried to stop us." A new series of shudders swept through him.
"As the last one, a completely innocent Gotsumon, laid there I walked up to it with killing intent. I stared into its eyes and demanded to know why they fought me." Tears ran from his eyes. "He looked me and said, 'We were just trying to do your job since you're not doing it.' That really tore out what was left of my heart. We returned to that beach where I gained my powers and demanded an explanation. That dark being came back and said that everything I had done was what I signed up for." He took in a shaky breath. "I refused. I said I never wanted to hurt another innocent Digimon as long as I lived. I swore to use the power he gave me to protect the Digital World from dark beings like it. That's when this," he held up his crest, "started acting up. It called up another Digi-egg, the Digi-egg of Harmony. Using it, we left that place and set about fixing everything we had done. A couple years later, a new black Digivice showed up, and its owner is the Digimon Emperor. So, I've been fighting him for the past year."
The gathered Digidestineds stared at him. The shock of what he had been through shocking all of them. "So, all this time, the reclusive goth boy at school was like that because of what you've done?" asked Matt. "Is that why you stay away from us all the time?"
As Arius nodded, DemiDevimon snuggled into his partner's chest to comfort him. "I've met all of your partners at one point or another, and they've helped me through it all. You guys are THE Digidestined. I felt that if you knew what I'd done, you'd hate me because of everything that's happened."
"Well you can't assume that," said Sora as she wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.
"Yeah," said Tai. "It would be one thing if you were still like that, but you've changed."
Kari nodded. "You're Digidestined, Arius. That means you're one of us, no matter what you've done." She gave him a heartwarming smile. "You're a changed person. Now, you're on the side of justice, and fight the Emperor. The fact that you've been protecting the Digital World for so long shows how much you've changed."
The Child of Harmony was amazed at how the others were taking his story. "I... I don't believe it. You guys are the best. I just don't get it. How come you guys are taking this so easily?"
Matt patted the teen on his shoulder. "Because, we all know how tough it can be, but you actually brought yourself out of the Darkness. In our book, you've learned your lesson."
He smiled at the gathered Digidestined. "Thanks, you guys."
Author's Note: Okay, so my fellow anime fans should recognize where I got the whole talking shadow bit from. Hint: "I don't know how to handle this!" So what did you think? I recently got back into Digimon and felt like writing this. I just hope you guys like it.