DIGIMON
ADVANCED
Book IV: A Very
Crestful Adventure
By Thunderboom
DISCLAIMER: The characters and events featured below are purely fictional. Any relation (or lack thereof) to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental
Note: See the footnotes at the end of the book for translations.
PROLOUGE
The Digital World:
Soon, very soon…… It is almost time…… My day of reckoning is at hand… The day I finally crush the Digidestined once and for all! ……
CHAPTER 1
The Human World:
"Well, here we are, the start of a new year."
"Yep."
"So, did you make any new year's resolutions, Jonathan?"
"Nope. Never do, Melissa. I am very exited, however, as the next Solar Eclipse takes places seven days before my next birthday, and the next Lunar Eclipse takes place seven days after my birthday."
"Yep, pretty neat coincidence. Did you make any resolutions, Alistair?"
"Yes. To never watch Firefly ten times a day with my sister again."
"Hey!"
The Digidestined were watching the very first sunrise of the year MMVIII (2008). For their time zone, that is.
"Did you make a new year's resolution, Aurelia?" Melissa continued asking.
"Yes. Mine is to watch more Firefly and other Joss Whedon television shows and movies." replied Aurelia, smiling at her twin, Alistair.
"Did you make any, Amity?" Melissa asked.
"No, I never do either." she answered, "But I'm pretty excited, because my 16th birthday is in 16 days."
"You, Tobias?"
"Yes, to fight less bad guys this year." Tobias answered unkiddingly.
"Did you, Loretta?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. I resolved to attempt to discover a law of reality that will get my name in the history books, next to Einstein's and Newton's." replied Loretta, also unkiddingly.
"Did you, Lucian?"
"Yes, unfortunately. Lucilla is making me have one."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"To not translate for her as much. She says that she can just write stuff down if she needs to say it."
"Really? And did you make a new year's resolution, Lucilla?"
Lucilla wrote something down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Melissa.
"'To get Lucian to stop translating for me.'" Melissa read aloud. "Well, that's very good for you, Lucilla."
Lucilla nodded her head.
"So, what's yours, Melissa? You never told us." Jonathan asked.
"Mine is to try to get the autographs of every actor to ever appear in an episode of Battlestar Galactica ever."
"Oh." said Jonathan, not sure whether or not his friend was kidding.
"I'm kidding, Jonathan. I'm aiming just for the stars this year. Next year, I'll start working on the extras, then the year after that, the crewmembers."
"Melissa, has anyone ever told you that you're a fanatic?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes, my little sister, Denise, tells me that every day."
"Well, she's right."
"Well, Battlestar Galactica is my favorite Sci-Fi show, and I already have the autographs of the stars of Firefly, Stargate, Star Trek: The Next Generation…"
"Okay, okay. We get it, already." said Amity.
"You… you have the autographs of the stars of Firefly?!" Aurelia asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, why?"
"May I see them, please?" she asked.
"Aurelia's just a Firefly fanatic, not a full-blown, anything Sci-Fi fanatic, like you." Alistair said.
"它會是更好如果我是?" 1 Aurelia asked her brother.
"不, 它不會." 2 Alistair answered.
"Moving along, can I get to the point I was trying to make earlier?" Jonathan asked.
"Sure, Jonathan, go right ahead." Melissa told him.
"Thank you. Melissa, why did you bring us all out here at the break of dawn on January 1st"
"Because I think it does you some good to see the start of a new year." Melissa answered, then she smiled, "Also, the look on all of your faces was priceless."
CHAPTER 2
The Human World:
Lucilla wrote something down. She handed it to Melissa, who read it aloud.
"'I almost forgot something. When we were in the Digital World last time, I found this.' What did you find, Lucilla?"
Lucilla pulled something out of her bag, and held it up so everyone could see. It was a golden pendant on a thin chain. It had a small window in the front, and a small space where something might be able to slide underneath it.
"So, what is that?" Tobias asked no one in particular.
Lucilla shrugged, and wrote something down.
"'I was hoping one of you would know.'" read Melissa.
None of the Digimon or other Digidestined knew either
"Well, why don't we go to the Digital World, and find someone who can tell us what it is?" Jonathan suggested.
"You know, Jonathan, I'm starting to notice a pattern. Whenever you suggest we do something, we always end up…" Amity began.
"…On a grand adventure?" Jonathan finished.
"No! In a dangerous situation!" Amity concluded.
"Well, on this trip, I pledge to take full responsibility."
"For what?" Amity asked, suspicious.
"I was really hoping I didn't have to be more specific. I was going to write it off as 'responsible for having suggested that we go there in the first place', but if I have to be more specific, then fine: I, Jonathan Clark, pledge to be held fully responsible for anything that might possibly happen while we are in the aforementioned Digital World."
"Wow. That was one of the longest statements you've ever said, Jonathan. I'm impressed."
"Why, thank you, Melissa."
"Alright, if you're willing to take the blame, then I'm in." Amity said.
"I really don't like the way you just worded that." Jonathan said.
"I was not intending to insinuate anything." replied Amity
"And, I'm impressed at your newfound vocabulary, Amity." Melissa commented.
"Well, even if you weren't insinuating something, it sure sounded like it." Jonathan said.
"Personally, I hope that this time nothing will go wrong for once." Amity said.
So, soon they were back in the Digital World, and looking around, trying to find someone who could possibly tell them what this thing that Lucilla found was.
CHAPTER 3
The Digital World:
The Digidestined eventually found, in a nearby village, a Digimon who could tell them what the pendant was. Duftmon, one of the 13 Royal Knights, was there overseeing the construction of something (the Digidestined didn't ask), but he was glad to inform them of what the pendant was.
"Why, it appears that you have found a Tag." he said.
"A Tag?" Alistair asked.
"Yes. A Tag. There are many, many tags, but only a handful of Crests. Nine, to be exact."
"Crests?" asked Melissa.
"Oh, pardon me. I forgot to explain that to you." Duftmon said.
"There are nine Crests," Duftmon started, "And each of them represents a trait of each of the nine Chosen Digidestined."
"Hey, there are nine of us…" Tobias noticed.
"Actually, teams of seven to nine Digidestined is quite common." Duftmon said.
"Now, back to my story. These nine traits are Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Kindness, Hope, and Light." Duftmon continued, " Each Crest fits into the small slot on a Tag. Once inserted, it is nigh impossible to remove a Crest, as it melds together with the Tag." he paused, "Hmm… Please excuse me for a moment. I must go consult Yggdrasil about something."
Duftmon seemed to fade out of existence, but he really was just leaving the main Digital World to go to wherever Yggdrasil was.
After a few minutes, he returned.
"Yggdrasil has agreed to let me send you each on a quest to find the Crests. You should most likely split into three groups of three, so that way you will cover the most ground. Choose your teams, and then I shall give you each a direction to go in. When you all find your Crests, come back here, and I shall explain the purpose of this quest. Oh, and due to the nature of this quest, your Digimon will have to remain here." Duftmon then gave them each a Tag (except for Lucilla, who already had one).
They were split up as follows:
The first trio consisted of Alistair, Aurelia, and (at Lucilla's insistence) a very reluctant Lucian.
The second one included Amity, Tobias, and Loretta, who were all siblings.
And the third, and final, group was Jonathan, Melissa, and Lucilla.
"Excellent. This will do perfectly! Alistair, your team shall go northwest, Amity, your team shall go southeast, and Jonathan, your team shall go due north. The best of luck to all of you." instructed Duftmon, and he returned to supervising the project.
"Well, Amity, it looks like it's a 'grand adventure' this time, and not a 'dangerous situation.'" Jonathan said.
CHAPTER 4
The Digital World:
The First Crest
"So, what are we looking for, exactly?" Lucian asked.
"Well, Duftmon said that they fit into these slots on our Tags, so I guess we're looking for very small things, roughly an Inch by a half-Inch." Aurelia said.
"Well, anyway, we need to start looking. Are we going the right way?" Alistair asked.
"As far as I can tell. I'm not a compass, you know." Aurelia replied.
Soon, they came to a dense forest. After a small hesitation, they decided to go into it.
"Alistair, do you see anything that could possibly be a Crest?" Aurelia asked.
"不, Aurelia, 我不。您, Lucian 嗎?" 3 Alistair replied.
"Nope, I don't either." answered Lucian.
"我認為我發現了它!" 4 exclaimed Aurelia.
"You found one?" asked Alistair.
"One what? A Crest, I hope." said Lucian.
"Yep, and here it is." Aurelia held out her hand. There, resting in her palm, was a small, rectangular metal object that was colored a very deep pink. On it was a symbol that looked like a circle inside of two leaf-like shapes.
Wondering if anything would happen, Aurelia handed the Crest to Alistair. It immediately dimmed, yet still retaining a vaguely pinkish tint to it. Alistair handed it to Lucian, and it got a little bit brighter. Lucian handed it back to Aurelia, and the Crest resumed its full color.
"Well, it looks like this one's mine." Aurelia said, and she slipped it into the slot on her Tag. It fit perfectly. She then put the Tag around her neck, lest she lose it.
"So where did you find it, anyway, Aurelia?" Alistair asked.
"Right there." Aurelia answered, and she pointed to a small notch in a tree, which was the right size and shape for the Crest.
"So at least now we have a good idea of what we're looking for." commented Lucian.
"Yep, that's good." said Alistair.
Aurelia started to say something, but just then, they heard something moving thorough the underbrush behind them. They turned around, just as a Digimon came running through, tripped, and fell facedown on the ground. It looked somewhat like a bipedal reptile, with a mane of red petals, and a petal-like helmet on its head. Its hands looked like flowers, with the petals being its fingers. It seemed to be in pretty bad shape.
Aurelia knelt down next to the Digimon, and helped it up.
"How did this happen?" she asked.
"It was Arkadimon. He said that if he could beat me, he could absorb my data to make himself stronger. I'd never heard of anything like that before, and I'm not sure if he was right, but he did a lot of damage before I was able to escape." the Digimon replied weakly.
Aurelia starting examining the Digimon, seeing if there was anything she could do to help it.
"You know, I don't particularly appreciate it when my prey runs away from me." said a harsh, cold voice. From the underbrush, a large Digimon leaped into view. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, but it had large wolf-like legs, ending in three clawed toes. It had a small pair of feathery wings, a long, thin, black tail, and a large extra eye in the middle of its forehead.
"Arkadimon!" the first Digimon gasped out in disgust.
"Hello, Floramon. I don't believe I was done with you. However am I going to digivolve to Ultimate, if my prey keeps running away from me?"
"You could just wait, like the rest of us!"
"Wait?! I'll tell you about waiting! I've waited for decades for a partner, but what do I get? I get stuck taking orders from Millenniummon! I am through with waiting. No more shall I wait, for I am Arkadimon, and I shall rule the Digital World!"
"It seems like everyone wants to." Lucian muttered under his breath.
Arkadimon turned his head to look at him, "Silence, human! I have no need for human data, so why don't you all just go and save the world or something?"
"No, I really don't think so."
"So be it." spikes protruded from Arkadimon's eight stubby fingers, and he drove one hand's worth straight into Floramon's chest.
"Ack!" gasped Floramon. The Digidestined were horrified at what Arkadimon had done.
Floramon started glowing, beginning to revert back into a Digi-Egg, but Arkadimon absorbed its data through his fingers. Light glowed around Arkadimon for a moment or two, and then faded.
"Excellent. So what am I at now? Ah, yes. Seven down, fifty to go." Arkadimon tallied.
"為什麼您正義不去模子, Arkadimon? 不, 您是很有罪的至於該當一千死亡, 妖怪." 5 Aurelia told Arkadimon, getting very angry and upset over this whole ordeal.
"你必須是冷酷是偉大的, 珍貴."6 replied Arkadimon.
"Well I won't let you be, then." Aurelia said, her voice full of determination. As she said this, her Crest began to glow.
"My ambitions are nothing you need to concern yourself with, child."
"Ambitions?! What about murder is ambitious?"
"Everything."
"Well, I have to disagree with you on that subject, I'm afraid." Aurelia's Crest now shone brighter than ever before. Seven beams of light shone forth from it and hit Arkadimon.
"What are you doing?!"
Wherever a beam touched, it glowed, and from those seven spots of light, came seven figures sheathed in light. One of them was Floramon.
"Thank you, Aurelia, for your kindness. That Crest was right in choosing you. I will never forget this, and I thank you once again." Floramon told Aurelia, before taking off with the other resurrected Digimon.
"Now, what were you saying?" Aurelia asked Arkadimon.
"I was saying that I am getting out of here!" and, like the first time he and the Digidestined met, Arkadimon left at an unimaginable speed.
"Well, so now we at least know what Crest that is. I'd say it's a pretty good bet to say that that's the Crest of Kindness." commented Alistair.
"我會總計."7 replied Aurelia.
Crestholder: Aurelia
CHAPTER 5
The Digital World:
The Second Crest
"I think we're lost, Jonathan."
"No, we're not, Melissa."
"Why didn't you ask someone for directions?"
"Um, gee, let me think… Because there's no one to ask?!"
Jonathan, Melissa, and Lucilla were wandering around in a bog, as they had been for the last fifteen minutes. Throughout it all, Jonathan and Melissa had continued doing what friends do best: bantering. (Which greatly amused Lucilla, who had been giggling for the last five minutes.)
"You know, I don't understand why we're in a bog in the first place. I mean, one moment we're in a field, and the next, we're in a foggy, murky bog." commented Jonathan.
"Well, maybe we should all work together, to get out." suggested Melissa.
"Oh? And why might that be?" asked Jonathan.
"'Cause I'm your gorram partner, Jones!"
Lucilla burst out laughing hysterically.
"Wow. I've never seen a line from you make someone laugh like that before." Jonathan said.
"Why, thank y- Hey!"
"Well, its true."
"And I've never heard a line from you make anyone laugh at all."
"I'm a very solemn person."
"Right."
Lucilla had stopped laughing long enough to scrawl something down quickly, and hand it to Melissa.
"'Would you please stop it? It's getting a bit hard to breath.'" she read, "Okay, I'll stop. Jonathan, I'm not so sure about."
"I heard that, I'll have you know."
"I'm not sure if there's anything we know how to say besides witty banter."
"Perhaps it would be best, then, to refrain from speaking at all."
"Wow. Impressive vocabulary usage."
Suddenly, a snapping sound. (Jonathan jumped up about a foot in the air.)
"I think Lucilla's found a way out." Melissa informed him.
They followed Lucilla's snapping, which led them out of the fog. Upon stepping out, Lucilla immediately handed a piece of paper to Melissa, who read it aloud.
"'While the two of you were talking, I was busy finding a way out, which I obviously did.'"
"Good for you, Lucilla." Jonathan said, and patted her on the shoulder.
Melissa's cheeks reddened.
"Um, yeah, good work, Lucilla." Melissa said, sounding annoyed.
"What's with you?" Jonathan asked, his eyebrow raised.
"Nothing." Melissa quickly answered, "Can we just get back to finding these Crests already?"
"My thinking exactly." replied Jonathan.
So they started looking around, and walked away from the bog, lest they get stuck in it again. Unfortunately, they soon found themselves lost in it again.
"How did this happen again?" Jonathan asked.
"Whoa. Déjà vu." Melissa commented.
Lucilla laughed again, then wrote something down, and handed it to Melissa.
"'Maybe one of the Crests is in here.'" she read, "Good thinking, Lucilla. We ought to look in here first."
"Hey, I just noticed something." Jonathan said, "Ever since the day started, when you've wanted to say something, you've always written it down, and handed it to Melissa. Every time. How come?"
She wrote something down, and handed it to Melissa. (She giggled as she was handed it to her.)
"'Because I think that she reads them best.' Why, thank you, Lucilla."
"You know, I've also noticed that you seem extra-giddy and giggly today." commented Jonathan.
Lucilla wrote down, "It's the first time in three years that I've gotten Lucian off my back, so I'm in a pretty good mood today."
"Oh."
The Digidestined continued looking around, trying to find a Crest.
"Do either of you feel like you're being watched?" Melissa asked the other two, looking around.
Jonathan shook his head, but Lucilla closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them, and pointed in a direction. From that direction, there now came deep, evil laughter.
"Ha, ha, ha… I see that you have finally noticed me. I've been stalking you three for a good hour now. I always thought that Digidestined were supposed to be observant." a dark shape stepped out from the surrounding fog. It was a gigantic skeleton, whose legs and skull were black, and its torso and arms were blood-red. It had large, shredded, black bat wings, and was wearing metal boots and gauntlets. It was carrying a long black/crimson staff, the very top of which looked like a crimson claw clutching a golden orb.
"I am SkullSatamon, one of the Dark Masters. But I am more commonly known as 'the last thing you'll ever see'."
"Well, unfortunately, we can't really take on this guy by ourselves, now can we?" asked Jonathan.
"No, you cannot. But I will tell you this: The item you seek is already in my possession." SkullSatamon held up his hand. There, between two long fingers, was a tiny rectangular object that glowed only the faintest blue.
"A Crest!" Melissa exclaimed.
Lucilla quickly wrote down, "Yep."
Jonathan bravely stepped forward.
The Crest began to glow brighter.
SkullSatamon stopped sneering. "What?"
Jonathan stepped closer still.
The Crest glowed brighter.
Closer.
Brighter.
Closer.
Brighter.
Closer, brighter.
Closer, brighter.
Until the Crest shone with the intensity of the sun.
"Augh! The light!" SkullSatamon dropped the Crest like a vampire dropping a cross, and started running away, yelling as he did so, "I'll get you for this Digidestined, you mark my words!!"
Jonathan reached down, and picked the Crest up. He then slid it into his Tag.
"Hey, how do you know that one's yours?" Melissa asked him.
"I'm the one that activated, was I not?" Jonathan answered.
"噢, 射擊。但我真正地想要一."8 Melissa said.
Lucilla wrote down, "Oh, don't worry, Melissa, I'm sure the next one will be for you."
Crestholder: Jonathan
CHAPTER 6
The Digital World:
The Third Crest
"Loretta, are we still going the right way?" asked Amity.
"I believe so, Amity. As far as I can tell, we are still traveling approximately southeast, according to my compass." replied Loretta.
"Well, I haven't seen anything that could possibly be a Crest so far." commented Tobias.
The three Digidestined were walking through a meadow, looking around.
"Um, what's that?" Tobias asked, and he pointed to something in the horizon.
"It looks like a house, Tobias." his older sister, Amity, replied.
"For clarification, it appears to be a mansion." added his little sister, Loretta.
"Well, maybe that's where a Crest might be." said Tobias.
"I guess it's worth a shot." commented Amity.
"I estimate that there would be a higher probability that a Crest would be there, rather than in this meadow, but in the Digital World, the illogical is more often true than the logical." commented Loretta.
"So let's go take a look, then." suggested Tobias.
"Um, there's nothing in here, much less a Crest." commented Amity.
They had reached the old, in-ruins mansion, but had found not a single thing inside of it.
"Well, we haven't looked in this room, yet." said Tobias, and he opened up a very large door.
The room was very dark, with lots of shadows, and, lo and behold, inside it, there was also nothing (as far as they could tell at the moment), but when they stepped into it for a better look, they heard a voice call out.
"Pyro Barrage!"
A large stream of fire shot out from somewhere, and flew into more shadows. From the spot, the Digidestined heard a high-pitched yelp, and then a small purple Digimon stepped out from the shadows.
"What'd ya do that for, Burnin'Greymon?!" it asked.
"I am tired of your trickery, Impmon, and so is the rest of the Digital World. I have come to send you back to a Digi-Egg, so that the rest of us might rest for a while." said a large Digimon that was flying near the ceiling.
"Oh yeah? Well, two can play at that. Bada-Boom!" Impmon snapped his fingers, and a small fireball appeared on his fingertip, which he then hurled at BurningGreymon.
BurningGreymon easily dodged the attack.
Impmon tried again, and this time he hit one of BurningGreymon's arm shields, which was unscathed by the attack.
"Ha ha! See? You're not so tough! I can beat you any day!" Impmon taunted.
"Wildfire Tsunami!" BurningGreymon shouted, and he fired a tornado of fire at Impmon, who wasn't as good at dodging as BurningGreymon was.
Impmon reverted back into a Digi-Egg, which BurningGreymon picked up, and carried away.
"Well, there's something you don't see everyday." commented Tobias.
"You can say that again." added Amity.
"No thanks, once was enough." said Tobias.
And so the Digidestined continued searching for a Crest, though it was harder to do here, due to the darkness.
Suddenly, another Digimon scurried into the room. It looked like a small white cat with an extraordinarily long tail. Also, it was wearing clawed gloves.
"Oh? Humans?" the Digimon stopped and stood up, at seeing the three Digidestined.
"Hello. I'm Amity, and this is Loretta and Tobias." Amity said, gesturing towards each one.
"I'm Gatomon. What are you doing here?"
"We're on a mission from Duftmon to find the Crests." Tobias answered.
"Oh? Then I suppose you'll want this one." Gatomon walked over to a dark corner, rummaged around for a bit, and then came back.
Gatomon held out its paw, and opened it. Resting in its palm was a small orange object. A Crest.
"Tobias reached for it, but then a new voice called out,
"Diamond Storm!"
A swarm of small, green diamonds made of light fell down on them, and they only just got out of the way in time.
A medium-sized Digimon stepped out of the shadows. It looked like a large, bipedal, yellow fox.
"I am Renamon. I am on orders from Cranniummon to secure that Crest. Give it to me now, and I may let you four go unscathed."
"Never! The last thing we need is these Crests in Cranniummon's claws." said Tobias.
"You really think you can stop me, pitiful human?" sneered Renamon, "I am the great Renamon, champion of many regions of the Digital World. None can stop me!"
"Well, I'm gonna try, if I have to."
The Crest started glowing a fiery orange.
Renamon started walking towards the Crest, which Gatomon had dropped on the floor, but Tobias leaped in its way.
"Out of my way, human!" Renamon snarled, and knocked Tobias aside with an arm. Gatomon decided to try to stop Renamon as well.
"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon tried punching Renamon, but Renamon easily dodge the attack, and then used an attack of its own.
"Power Paw!" Renamon punched Gatomon so hard that it reverted back into a Digi-Egg.
"Now, I shall take what is rightfully ours." Renamon reached down to pick up the Crest, but Tobias snagged it out of his reach.
"You dare defy the awesome might of Cranniummon? I shall personally see to it that you suffer as we delete you!"
"Well, I don't have any intention of being deleted, I'll have you know." Tobias replied, and he quickly slid the Crest into his Tag.
Immediately, the Crest shone like a star, and sheathed the entire room in a golden-orange glow.
"No, you fool! You've activated it!" Renamon yelled at Tobias, and then scolded himself, "Oh, Cranniummon is going to delete me for this!"
And so Renamon decided that it would be a good time to leave, which he did in a hurry.
"Well, we found a Crest. I don't have a clue as to which one it is, though." Tobias said.
"Yeah. I hope the others have had the same luck at finding them." said Amity.
"For their sake, I hope they're having better luck than us." commented Tobias.
Unfortunately, they weren't, and everyone's luck was about to get a lot worse.
Crestholder: Tobias
CHAPTER 8
The Digital World:
The Fourth Crest
"噢, 多麼可愛."9 said Aurelia.
"Yep, it is that." replied Alistair.
"I guess." said Lucian.
The three Digidestined were looking at an adorable little Digimon that had hopped over to them for a few moments. Soon, however, it seemed to be done watching the Digidestined, and hopped away again.
"Bye, little guy." Aurelia said, and she waved goodbye to the little Digimon.
Unfortunately, Arkadimon chose that instant to fade into view, and crush the poor creature under his foot.
"That was an odd coincidence. Well, I might as well absorb its data." he muttered to himself.
"You 王八蛋!"10 Aurelia shouted angrily.
Alistair looked shocked.
"Whoa. I never thought I'd hear something like that from you, Aurelia." he commented.
"What? You three again?! I've got to learn how to look before I leap, so to say." Arkadimon said, and then he disappeared again.
"I can not believe that guy. How cruel, vicious, cold-hearted, deceitful, and ruthless can you get?" Aurelia asked.
"Quite a bit, apparently." answered Alistair.
They continued trying to find another Crest.
"I have an interesting hypothetical question I just thought of." said Alistair, thinking.
"Oh? And what's that?" asked Lucian.
"What if there was suddenly a major blackout, or a virus, or something else that crashed a bunch of computers at once while we were in here? Would the Digital World continue to exist, and us as well? Or would it and us cease to exist?" Alistair asked.
"您無法停止信號, Alistair 。您能從未停止信號."11 replied Aurelia.
"Yeah, listen to your sister." said Lucian.
"You think that, do you?" Alistair asked.
Aurelia nodded her head.
"Well, what do you think, Lucian?" Alistair asked him.
"I agree with Aurelia. I think the Digital World's progressed from depending on the Human World, and that an occurrence in one won't affect the other." answered Lucian.
"Well, I hope that's true." said Alistair, and they continued searching.
Soon, they found one, deep under water in a small pond.
"Now how the heck are we ever going to get that one?!" Lucian asked in bewilderment.
"Well, are any of us good enough swimmers to get it?" Aurelia asked.
"I'm not. I don't like going under water, anyway." Lucian answered.
"Aurelia, as my sister, you know full well that I can't swim to save my life." Alistair answered.
"And I can swim, but I couldn't go down there if that was the only safe place in the universe." Aurelia said, "I don't like going under water, either. In fact, I'm mortified at the very thought."
"Did I hear correctly that you need someone who can swim?"
The Digidestined turned around. There, strolling towards them, was a Digimon that looked like a large, blue frog wearing scuba diving equipment.
"I'm Divermon." said the Digimon, "If you need something under water retrieved, I can help."
"Thank you, Divermon. We need that little, bluish-gray rectangle down there." Aurelia said, pointing at where the Crest was lying on the pond bed.
"Why, of course." Divermon leaped into the pond, snagged the Crest, and rocketed out of water, doing several flips, and landing perfectly.
"Here you go." Divermon handed the Crest to Aurelia, who put it in her pocket till they could figure out who's it was.
"Thanks, Divermon." Aurelia said.
"No need, no need. I was glad to help." Divermon replied modestly, and continued on his way.
"Well, that was certainly one of the nicest Digimon we've met so far." Aurelia commented.
"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" Lucian said.
"Oddly suspicious, is more like it." replied Alistair, deep in thought.
The others looked at him.
"What do you mean, Alistair?" his sister asked him.
"What I mean is that it's just weird how Divermon showed up right when we needed it. Also, it was quite eager to assist us in getting it out, so I'm wondering now if there's someone behind all of this." Alistair replied.
"Well perceived, human." said a dark, cold voice dripping with evil.
The Digidestined spun around. There, appearing out of nowhere, was a tall, vampiric-looking Digimon wearing a long, flowing black cape that had a crimson inside, black gauntlets, and black boots. One of the boots had an embossed silver bat on it, and the other had an embossed silver skull on it.
"I am Myotismon, one of the Dark Masters. When we heard that you were finding the Crests, we were all willing to volunteer to, how should I put it? Ah, yes, "accompany" you." said Myotismon.
"You mean the others have been being trailed, too?" asked Aurelia, in shock.
"Yes, of course. I believe SkullSatamon already found one of the Crest, in fact. Also, I think Devimon's been following a group of three of you."
"Why do want these Crests, in the first place?" Lucian asked.
"I suppose it won't hurt anything to tell you. We Dark Masters have been trying to find the nine Crests for a long time now, but we've only found one so far, the Crest of Light, which, ironically, none of us can approach. But if we have all nine Crests, then we will be able to bend the very fabric of the Digital World to our will, and soon, we would be the rulers of both worlds!" Myotismon informed them, ignoring the continual warnings Armageddemon had given them, specifically instructing them to never reveal their plots to their enemies, as it was bad form and bad security.
"And so, I'll be taking that Crest now." Myotismon said, and he held out his hand, palm facing upwards.
"No, I don't think so." said Alistair.
Hmm… This one must have the Crest, as he is the one that defies me. thought Myotismon, I know how these do-gooders think. If I offer to trade the Crest for the safety of the others, he'll have no choice but to comply.
Myotismon watched the Digidestined very closely, observing their movements and calculating angles. At last, he was ready to strike.
"I'll make you an offer, human." Myotismon said, "Crimson Lightning!"
Long whips made of crimson light shot out from Myotismon's hands, tying up Lucian and Aurelia. Then Myotismon pulled the whips back, and the two Digidestined, as well, who landed behind him.
"Now, give me the crest, or I shall be forced to delete these two." Myotismon said vilely.
"Even if I did have the crest, I wouldn't give it to you, Myotismon!"
"My dear child, you do not have a choice in the mat-" Myotismon said, then stopped. "Wait, what? If you had it? You mean to tell me that you do not?!"
"Nope, sorry. We don't have it."
"Ah, now that is a lie. I can tell by how you say it. So that must mean that one of the other two must have it."
"Myotismon turned to Aurelia and Lucian.
"I don't have it." Aurelia said.
"My, my, you and your twin are awfully bad liars, now aren't you?" Myotismon said, "Give it to me!"
"Alistair, catch!" Aurelia said, and she threw it to Alistair, who caught it and inserted it into his tag.
The crest began glowing.
"No! Do you have any idea what this means? We do not have the power or resources to remove a crest from its tag!" Myotismon exclaimed, and he decided to regroup. As he flew away, he muttered to himself, "Maybe Puppetmon has outsmarted Dagomon already."
Crestholder: Alistair
CHAPTER 8
The Digital World:
The Fifth Crest
"Hey! I found another crest!" Jonathan exclaimed, and he picked it up.
Melissa and Lucilla ran over to him. Jonathan held out his hand, and showed them the crest. It was colored a very dull pink, and had a symbol on it that looked somewhat like a heart.
Melissa reached out her hand and took the crest from Jonathan.
As soon as she touched it, the crest shone bright pink, and Melissa started glowing, as well.
"No doubt about it, this one is mine!" Melissa said, and she knew for certain which crest it was, but she wasn't going to tell the others. Instead, she slid it into her tag, and she and the crest stopped glowing.
Crestholder: Melissa
CHAPTER 9
The Digital World:
The Sixth Crest
"Um, where are we?" Amity asked.
"Like I'm supposed to know? What do you think I am, Amity, a map?" Tobias asked his sister.
"Tobias, I was asking Loretta, who's holding a compass."
"I only know the direction of where we are. I don't know where we are. A map of the Digital World would be handy, though." Loretta said, looking at her compass, "Oh, that's not good."
"What's not good?" Amity asked her.
"Apparently, my compass is broken."
"It's broken?!"
"Either that or we just stepped into an electromagnetic field."
"I hope it's the latter." Tobias said.
"Too bad your compass doesn't point to the next crest." Amity said, jokingly.
As if on cue, Loretta's compass needle spun around, finally stopping to point somewhere.
"I take that as a good sign." Loretta said as she turned to that direction, and headed that way. Her older siblings followed her.
They soon came to the edge of an enormous canyon-like expanse. Below them, and as far as the eye could see, there was dark fog that seemed to absorb all of the light in the area. They could just make out a large, winged, octopus-like shape in the distance.
"What is this place?" Amity wondered, feeling very cold, and as if the place was sucking the happiness out of everything.
"This is the Dark Area. Also known as the Dark Ocean and the World of Darkness." said a Digimon who came walking up beside them.
The Digidestined turned to face the newcomer. It looked like a small old man with large, hairy feet, and with hair and a beard that covered its head, making it impossible to see its face. It was also holding a staff with a large, yellow paw on the top.
"I am Jijimon." the Digimon said, "And I can tell you anything you want to know about this place."
"Okay, so what is this place?" Amity asked the Digimon.
"This is the Dark Area, where Dagomon rules. He is the ruthless, vicious leader of all evil Digimon, for he controls the Area from which they all come."
"Who's Dagomon?" Tobias asked.
"Do you see that large shadow in the distance?" Jijimon asked them, "The one that seems to draw every ounce of happiness from every fiber in your body? That's Dagomon."
"So why isn't he bothering us?" Loretta asked.
"You aren't interfering with his Area, so he isn't particularly interested in you now."
"Do you know if there's a crest in the Dark Area?" Amity asked him.
"Yes. There are two. One is hidden in this very cliff face, and Dagomon knows not of it, but the other one Dagomon keeps on his person at all times. He claims that if any can outsmart him, he will give them the crest. Unfortunately, if you challenge him and lose, as all others previously have, then he will delete you on the spot."
"And what makes you think he'd keep his promise, anyway?" Tobias asked him.
"Yeah, bad guys aren't usually terribly trustful." Amity said.
"Oh, Dagomon has a reputation for being true to his word." Jijimon replied.
"Now I've heard everything." Tobias muttered.
"So how are we going to get to the first crest, then?" Amity wondered.
Jijimon chuckled.
"Well, I'm afraid that's something you three will have to figure out yourselves." he said, "I can't assist you in that. I can only help you with information."
"Well, thanks, Jijimon." Amity told him.
"Anytime, anytime." said Jijimon, and he left them standing on the edge of the Dark Area.
"So, how are we going to get down there, Amity? The last I checked, none of us could fly, and I don't particularly want to go into that place." Tobias said.
"Who would?" Loretta asked, "It's full of evil Digimon, and it seems to suck all the happiness out of everything."
"Yeah, it makes me feel like I haven't felt since…" Amity trailed off.
"Since what?" Tobias asked her.
"Never you mind." Amity said defensively, "You two weren't around yet, and I doubt you could understand."
"Try us." Loretta told her.
"I don't think I will, thank you." Amity replied.
"Fine. Be that way."
The three Moores tried to figure out how to complete the task at hand, but they never could come up with something that might actually work.
That is, until Amity came up with the idea that they went with.
Amity volunteered to find the crest, as she was a better rock climber than her younger siblings. Loretta handed Amity her compass, which pointed to where the crest was. Using the compass, Amity figured out where on the cliff the crest was, and she started to climb down it.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Loretta asked her.
"Well, I am an excellent rock climber, Loretta, and I don't think it'll be down terribly far." Amity reassured her
"Well, just be careful. It wouldn't be very kind of you if you were to go and get yourself killed." Tobias told her.
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing anything of the sort."
"Well, free-soloing is exceedingly dangerous, Amity." Loretta reminded her.
"Yes, and it's even more so when someone is distracting the free-soloist by talking to them." Amity replied.
"Just be careful." Tobias told her once again, "Plenty of people have been killed doing this."
"And I've done it before, and here I am, still alive. Besides, all the adrenaline coursing through me right now is making me hyper-alert."
"Please be careful." Loretta implored her sister.
"I promise you I will. " Amity said, and she continued down.
Soon, she came to an outcropping beside a large opening. She carefully stepped through the opening, and into a small cave. She found, radiating dim green light, a small crest set into the far back wall. she took it out, and its light instantly faded.
She paid no attention to this, however, and she started making her way back up again.
By now, the general despair and dreariness of the Dark Area had begun affecting her, and she could barely keep concentrating on climbing, and could not help but remember some of the worst days of her life.
Suddenly, a evil-looking, ghoul-like Digimon with bat wings came flying up, and started trying to get the crest away from her. However, Amity kept her grip on the crest, and continued climbing.
The Vilemon decided to stop trying to stop her, and flew away. Unfortunately, it soon came back with reinforcements.
Now there was a whole swarm of Vilemon surrounding Amity, all clawing and scratching at her, trying to make her fall, so they could retrieve the crest for Dagomon.
She was only a few yards away from the top. If she could just reach it in time…
"Amity, throw us the crest, so you can hold yourself steadier!" Tobias' voice came floating down to her. Although less than 30 feet away, it seemed as if he was calling to her from several miles away.
"Throw?" Amity thought aloud, "I can't throw anything. I used to try to throw balls, but I never could. I finally gave up when I was five. I couldn't throw something to someone who was three feet away."
Tears formed in Amity's eyes, and the crest began to glow.
The Vilemon, not used to such bright light, backed away, which allowed Amity to finish her ascent with little to no difficulty.
Once at the top, however, she collapsed to her knees and started crying.
"That's what you were talking about earlier?" Loretta asked her sister.
Amity replied shakily, between bawling, "Yes… That's what I remem… rem… remembered."
"So why are you getting so upset over it?"
"Beca… because I… I always wanted to… to play with balls, like m… my friends, but I ne.. never cou… could, because I could nev… never thr… throw them."
"But the important thing is that you finally told us, Amity." Loretta told her.
"I… I guess so." Amity said, and her crest shone brighter than before.
"Besides, you're great at soccer." Tobias reminded her.
"Why can't you throw anything, Amity?" Loretta asked her.
"I ju… I just can't pu… put the amo… amount of force into m… my… my arms that's r… that's required to throw someth… something." Amity explained between sobs.
The crest kept shining and Tobias and Loretta remained silent for the rest of Amity's sobbing, which lasted for about fifteen minutes. At that point, Dagomon himself came to them.
"What are you three doing in my realm?" Dagomon asked them, threateningly.
This made Amity stop her crying, gulp, and hiccup.
"Now, how am I going to delete you?" Dagomon pondered.
"Dagomon, I challenge you to a contest." Loretta told him, "If I win, you give me the crest you have, and you let us go. If you win, you may take all the time you wish in deleting us."
"I accept."
Crestholder: Amity
CHAPTER 10
The Digital World:
The Seventh Crest
"Well, so now I've got to find a crest." Lucian commented.
"How do you know you're one of the nine 'prophesized Digidestined?" Aurelia teased.
"What I want to know is what the prophesy actually says." Alistair said.
"I can help you with that." said a Digimon that came walking up to them.
"Who are you?" Aurelia inquired.
"I am Babamon." the Digimon said, "And I know almost everything there is to know about the Digital World."
"Well, do you know anything about this prophesy we've been hearing about?" Lucian asked Babamon.
"Yes, I do. It reads: From the Human World, there will come nine. These Nine shall each share a trait with one of the nine Crests. The Nine will be able to fully activate the Crests, a feat no others shall accomplish since the First Ones who originally had the Crests. The Nine shall retrieve the crests, and, by using them, they shall defeat a great darkness that plagues the Digital World. The Nine shall shortly afterwards be joined by a Tenth, who will have the traits of all nine Crests, and she shall appear twice to them. The first time, the Tenth will arrive from a great distance to assist the Nine, and prevent their destruction. The second time, the Tenth shall arrive from a considerably closer distance, and she shall join forces with them indefinitely. Together, the Ten will stop menaces, cure plagues, and restore the World to its former grandeur. Unfortunately, this will not last long, the Digidestined shall separate, and soon the World shall plunge into chaos once more. Then, from the darkness, there shall arrive One. The One shall reunite the Ten, along with every Digimon and Human in the Worlds."
"Wow. That's a lot of pressure we've got on us." Aurelia commented.
Babamon chuckled.
"Silly child, what makes you think you nine are the Chosen Ones? Just because you made the Crests glow, does not mean that you are the Nine."
"What do you mean?" Alistair asked.
"I mean that any Digimon or Human could make the Crests glow, and that alone is not enough proof to decide whether you three are members of the Nine Digidestined."
"Who are 'the First Ones'?" Lucian asked Babamon.
"The First Ones are the original nine Digidestined, who had the crests in their possession before they came to the Digital World. Together with Gennai, the First Ones infused the nine Crests with the essence of their Digivices, which were also the originals. This fusion changed each Crest to its present shape and size, and etched the trait symbols into them. Throughout the history of the Digital World, there have been many individuals and groups seeking the Crests, attempting to use their power for evil. The Original Ones hid each of the nine Crests in different locations, scattered across the Digital World. However, one, the Crest of Hope, has never been removed from its original hiding place."
"And where's that?" Lucian asked.
"With me." Babamon replied, "Hmm… As far as I can tell from looking at you, it appears that you're quite a hopeful young lad, now aren't you? Let me see something…"
Babamon held out her hand, and handed Lucian a bright yellow crest. He took it, and the crest started glowing.
"Yep, just like I thought." Babamon said, "I'm going to give you that Crest, Lucian. Be careful with it, though, and never set it down, lest you lose it."
Lucian agreed to do this, and he put the crest in his tag, and slipped the tag around his neck.
"Well, we've got all three of ours, now. Let's go head back to Duftmon." Alistair said, and they headed back.
Crestholder: Lucian
CHAPTER 11
The Digital World:
The Eighth Crest
Dagomon and Loretta had just begun their contest. Throughout it all, Tobias remained stonily silent and grim-looking, and Amity continued crying softly.
"I will start things off easy, young one." Dagomon said, "We shall each attempt to ask the other a question, hoping that they do not know the answer. Be warned, however, as my knowledge is great, and I have amassed the knowledge of many others. Now, for an easy one to test your worth: Where are you now?"
"In the Dark Area, also known as the World of Darkness and the Dark Ocean." Loretta replied.
"Hmm…" Dagomon said, "Your turn."
"Who told us the name of this place?"
"Jijimon. My structure is based off a fictional creature. Which one?"
"Chtuhlu, but you're named after Dagon."
"I see you're a fan of Lovecraft's works."
"Not really. It's just that my knowledge is expansive, as well. What have I got in my pocket?"
"A tag. I see you're also familiar with Mr. Tolkien's work."
And so this continued for some time, until well after Amity and Tobias were on the verge of snapping under the pressure of all the despair and misery of the place.
At length, Loretta had also begun being affected by the darkness surrounding them.
Finally, Loretta asked Dagomon a question that stumped him:
"All right, Dagomon, I've got one more for you: What does my hair look like underneath my hat?"
"Before this contest began, it was similar is style to you sister's, whatever words may be used to describe it." Dagomon answered.
Loretta smiled.
"Wrong, Dagomon." Loretta said, and she took off her large straw hat.
Her hair was in a large ponytail.
"While we were partaking in this contest, I decided to see if I good change my hairstyle, just like how we all get different outfits and hairstyles when we come to the Digital World. I was successful in my experiment, and so that's why I now have a ponytail."
"What?! That's cheating!"
"So? I'm sure you cheated several times during the contest, but I beat you every time. I'll be taking that crest, now." Loretta said, and she held out her hand.
"I can't believe it…" Dagomon grumbled, "But I am true to my word. Here: take it. Then get out of my sight!"
Dagomon dropped the crest in Loretta's outstretched palm, and she led her siblings out of the Dark Area.
After walking for a while out of the Dark Area, Loretta stopped so they could all rest, and recover after the horrible experience of being in that horrific place.
Crestholder: Loretta
CHAPTER 12
The Digital World:
The Ninth Crest
Lucilla was examining Jonathan and Melissa's crests when she suddenly realized something. She stopped, looked around, and then went over to look at an odd boulder. She stood for a few moments, just looking at it.
Then, Lucilla climbed to the top of the boulder, and starting trying to pry something out of the top of it.
Jonathan and Melissa wandered over to her, and started trying to figure out what she was doing.
"I know what she's doing." Melissa said, "She's found a crest, and she's trying to pull it out. Right, Lucilla?"
Lucilla looked down at them and nodded her head. She then went back to trying to get the crest out.
She eventually got it out, and she held it triumphantly over her head.
She leaped down off the boulder, and held it out so that the other two could see it.
The crest had a star-like symbol on it, and was glowing a light pink.
"Good for you, Lucilla. You found the last crest. Now we can go back, and wait for the others.
"Not so fast." said a cold voice.
The Digidestined turned around to face the owner of the voice. It was a Digimon that looked somewhat like a person, but had five pairs of wings, one side bird-like and white, and the other side bat-like and black.
"I'm afraid you'll have to get past me, first. I've learned from Devimon, that he, Renamon, Puppetmon, Cranniummon, SkullSatamon, and Arkadimon have failed in trying to retrieve the crests before you. That leaves me, Lucemon, the second-in-command of the Dark Masters, second only to Armageddemon, himself."
Lucilla turned her head to smile slyly at the other two Digidestined.
She then pulled out her Digivice, pointed it at Lucemon, zapped him with a ray of bright pink light, and froze him in a crystal, much like what she did to Millenniummon.
Unlike Millenniummon, however, The crystal soon began to crack, and before Lucemon could free himself, the Digidestined were well on their way back to Duftmon and the others.
Crestholder: Lucilla
EPILOUGE
The Digital World:
"Excellent work, Digidestined." Duftmon said, "I am thoroughly impressed by how you all rose to the occasion, especially you, Amity, risking your very life to retrieve a crest."
"So what was the purpose of this quest, anyway? You said you would tell us when we got back." said Aurelia.
"That is correct. So now I shall: Each of you shares a trait with one of the Crests. Alistair, you have the trait of Reliability; Aurelia, yours is that of Kindness; Jonathan, yours is Friendship; Melissa, yours is Love; Amity, yours is Sincerity; Tobias, yours is Courage; Loretta, yours is Knowledge; Lucian, yours is Hope; And Lucilla, yours is that of Light.
"I sent you on this quest to see if you were indeed the Chosen Ones. There is still one test left for each of you, but I am afraid that it will have to wait for another day. Through the Crests, your Digimon should be able to digivolve to their Ultimate levels. If this happens, then we shall finally know if you nine truly are the Chosen Ones. However, these final tests will have to wait for now, as…" Duftmon continued.
Suddenly, Gallantmon appeared, and whispered something to Duftmon, before disappearing again.
"Nein, kann ich nicht ihm glauben."12 Duftmon muttered under his breath
"Come again?" Tobias asked.
"I am terribly sorry, Digidestined, but it appears that I must go. Someone has freed Millenniummon, and he has digivolved to ZeedMillenniummon, so I must go now, and join the other Royal Knights in their attempts to defeat him once again."
"And we're coming with you." said Alistair.
"But the danger…"
"Hey, you can use all the help you can get." said Amity.
"Very well. Follow me, and hurry!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
About the Author
Thunderboom has written many Fan-fictions, including the "Star Trek Paradox" and "The Decepticon Elite Force" series. He is now, however, taking most of his time to write this series, "Digimon Advanced", which he says is his favorite fanfic he has ever written. Also, this one book, "A Very Crestful Adventure", is the longest story that he's very written, at well over twice as long as the previous books in the series. He says he would be more than willing to write a series about the Firefly 'verse, but there's just not that much information on it. He'll continue collatin' data on the matter, however, and he may just come out with "Firefly: Tales of the 'Verse" someday.
Translations
1 "Would it be better if I was?"
2 "No, It would not."
3 "No, Aurelia, I do not. Do you, Lucian?"
4 "I think I've found it!"
5 "Why don't you just go die, Arkadimon? No, you're so guilty as to deserve a thousand deaths, monster."
6 "One must be ruthless to be great, precious."
7 "I'd reckon."
8 "Oh, shoot. But I really wanted one."
9 "Oh, how cute."
10 (Translation omitted due to censoring)
11 " You can't stop the signal, Alistair. You can never stop the signal."
12 "No, I can't believe it."