Standard Disclaimer: The Monitor says that I don't own Digimon. Better listen!
Author's Notes: Bah. I couldn't get Crisis off my mind long enough to fully concentrate on FFX-3. o.o
Anyhow, here's a free chapter of Crisis. Just to clarify to those who might be confused, the Nexus is NOT the Dream Dimension. At all.
BIG NOTE: I will accept fan characters for cameos in Crisis. SSJ4Takeru has already given me permission to use one of his characters. Post them in the 'Crisis Fan Character' thread on my Digimon forum!
Begin!
xxxx
Issue #2: Wild Wild West
xxxx
/The Desert, Unknown World/
Davis and Veemon didn't quite know how they had gotten into this situation.
After all, it wasn't every day you were handcuffed.
Davis grimaced as the Digimon Sheriff kept a steady eye on him; this whole thing stunk! He couldn't risk donning his Holy Armor of Miracles, and Veemon couldn't digivolve. That would leave only Armor Digivolution, and he didn't know if Flamedramon or Raidramon alone could handle two Champions. In any case, he'd get shot before he'd even get a hand on his blue D-3.
Bleh. This sucks.
Veemon tilted his head up, looking at Stingmon. This Stingmon was a tad taller than the Stingmon he knew, by about 20 feet…and he was more black than green. "So…why does he look so dark?"
"Cus' black is in," joked the Digimon Sheriff. "All joking aside, my partner's the only one unaffected by that there Control Spire, as he's my partner. Only my personal servants like Centarumon can get blasted with my Dark D-3 and become unaffected by the power of the Control Spire. It's a nice system to work with."
Centarumon grunted.
Davis Inoue and Veemon frowned as they stopped in front of a rickety old jailhouse. A tumbleweed just happened to blow by at that moment, signifying how 'dead' the place was. Veemon, to his credit, merely wondered how the dead bush was moving.
His conclusion was hardly surprising.
"AAAAH! ZOMBIE BUSH!"
Veemon tried to run. But since Veemon's handcuffs were linked to Davis'…
POW!
Davis and Veemon both fell down.
Stingmon and Centarumon sweatdropped at the sight. The Sheriff sighed. "What a couple of idjits…" He turned toward the jailhouse and hollered. "STARMON! GET OUT HERE, YA VARMINT!"
"Comin', comin'!" A star-shaped silvery Digimon with blue eyes walked out of the jailhouse, his purple and orange cowboy hat – complete with matching gloves and boots – hiding the ruby on his forehead. Two yellow ribbons coming out of his head fluttered in the wind as he raised his hat by a few inches, gazing at the newcomers. "Hot diggity doggie! I never thought I'd see another human with a partner in these parts!"
"Well you're lookin' at em'," grumbled the Sheriff as he shoved Davis and Veemon towards the Champion. "Lock em' up tight and good with the others if you know what's good for ya. I'm gonna hole up in the saloon for a little while before headin' on to the next town."
Starmon hastily saluted. "G-Gotcha Sheriff!" He turned his attention to the two prisoners. "Now come'ere you two!" He got behind them and started pushing them into the musty jailhouse. "Hurry up, I don't got all day!"
Davis snorted. "You don't have to shove!"
Veemon innocently asked, "Davish, is this some kind of game?"
"No."
"Good. Cause I don't really know the rules."
"Shut up you two!" roared Starmon as he grabbed a key hanging on the wall and opened the only cell – which was quite large – in the jailhouse. "In ya go!"
A respective boot to the foot sent both Davis and Veemon tumbling onto the dusty floor.
CLANG.
"Now stay put! I'm gonna resume my little nap!" Starmon grumbled as he pulled up a chair and moved outside, preferring the warmth of the desert at dusk to the stale jailhouse.
Veemon grumbled. "That guy was rude Davish!"
"No kidding," growled the Child of Miracles.
"Huh. Never thought I'd see another human with a partner around here…"
Davis and Veemon blinked. "Eh?"
They turned around to see none other than Tai Kamiya, sitting next to Agumon. TK and Patamon were sitting next to him, along with Matt Ishida and Gabumon. All of them were dressed in cowboy attire; Tai had a taste for orange, whilst Matt and TK stuck with more natural yellows, browns, blues, and golds. In the far corner of the room sat a Unimon, sans wings.
Tai looked up under the brim of his orange cowboy hat and muttered, "Well, welcome to Gulch Town. Get cozy, cause you ain't leavin'."
xxxx
/Mysterious Station, the Nexus/
The atmosphere felt as oppressive as a monsoon.
It's to be expected, after all; the Digidestined were face-to-face with one of their closest allies.
They had known him for less than three months…and yet his effect on them was utterly astronomic. He had sacrificed so much to come back in time to save them from death at the hands of Demon…and in so doing, had given his own life on the field of battle against BelialMyotismon.
But he was here.
He was HERE.
RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.
The excitement in the air suddenly ignited.
"SHAUN!"
Shaun Kamiya said nothing as he was suddenly mobbed, his body being hounded with hugs, embraces, pats on the back, and playful nudges. The Digidestined were ecstatic to see their old friend back.
Shaun was much less so.
"Get your hands off of me."
Short. Blunt. To the point. And laced with a cold edge.
It was sufficient enough to force the Digidestined to stop their mass hug. Looks of confusion crossed their faces. "Huh?"
"HANDS OFF!"
Everyone backed away. Shaun Kamiya sighed with apparent relief; his entire frame had been shaking. But now it stopped; the time traveler grimaced as he stared at the ceiling. "So…which world are you from?"
Everyone blinked. "Which world?"
"You know? The specific universe you reside from? Designated by whatever your world's binary code is?" Silence. Shaun sighed. "So you haven't met Arbitermon yet I take it."
"Arbitermon?" asked MegaKabuterimon.
Izzy frowned as his mind made the connection. "So Arbitermon is the master Revemon spoke of?"
"Yeah," replied the Child of Wisdom, his eyes gazing at the window. He refused to make eye contact. "You'll get the basic gist of everything once you speak with him…now if you'll excuse me." The boy calmly walked through the group, his green eyes now focusing on the floor. As he walked, a silent realization hit the Digidestined.
This was not their Shaun. This was a different Shaun…an alternate Shaun, from another world.
That fact made them more than a little sad; they were so excited with the impossible possibility that Shaun was back. But he was still dead…at least, the one they knew.
Before Shaun could fully walk away, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
It was Tai's. "Hey man, what's with the cold treatment? I realize now that you're not the Shaun we know…but still, that's no excuse for yelling at us."
Shaun Kamiya had to restrain himself from snarling. He just wanted them to leave him alone! As it was, he managed to calm himself down enough to ask, "Your Shaun…where is he?"
Silence was his answer…but it was more than enough.
"So he's dead, huh?" The time traveler didn't turn around. Cody suddenly frowned at this fact. Shaun continued, "How?"
Angewomon was the first to answer. "He died in battle against a villain called BelialMyotismon."
The Digidestined expected a reply of some sorts.
They did not expect a brief chuckle.
This made them angry. Some more than others.
Tai growled as his hold on Shaun tightened. "You find something about that FUNNY?"
"I'm just laughing at the irony of it all…" Shaun sighed again. He had to get away. This was just getting to be too much. "Now if you'll let go, I'll head to my quarters and be out of your way."
"Not until you answer me!" yelled Tai. Even though this was Shaun Kamiya, this wasn't the Shaun they knew (which is why he didn't feel guilty about yelling to his son from the future). "What is the deal with you? Why do you find the death of our friend so humorous?"
Shaun Kamiya's jaw clenched. It took everything he had to not slug Tai in the face for his foolish remarks. Instead, he forced himself to growl out, "Did your Shaun ever tell you the truth…? Did he tell you why he was…there? Did he tell you what he went through?"
Everyone frowned; they remembered Shaun's story.
15 years after the events of the Odaiba War, Shaun had been born; he was the second child of Tai Kamiya and Sora Kamiya.
27 years after the events of the Odaiba War, Shaun had been tricked into freeing Demon from the Dark World. Demon had immediately sought vengeance, killing all twelve Digidestined.
Ken. Yolei. Mimi. Matt. Izzy. Joe. Cody. TK. Tai. Sora. Davis. Kari.
Shaun had been crushed by guilt. The only way for him to right this wrong was to go back in time. The time warp that Milleniummon had unleashed on Ryo and himself had been preserved by Gennai, in the hopes that Ryo would one day come back.
Shaun used it. Unfortunately, something went wrong.
He ended up in the Digital World in 1995, little more than one year before the events of 1996, where the battle in Highton View Terrace between Parrotmon and Greymon had occurred.
The defeat of XeedMilleniummon had wrought a terrible price; the two worlds, thanks to that monster's time-altering powers, were now chronologically off-track.
One day in the Digital World was one minute on Earth.
60 days in the Digital World were one hour on Earth.
1,440 days in the Digital World were one day on Earth.
525,600 days in the Digital World were one year on Earth.
2,103,840 days in the Digital World were four years on Earth.
So this meant that by the time four years had passed on Earth…roughly 5764 years had passed in the Digital World.
Add the one year before XeedMilleniummon's warping of the time stream, and add the four years after the battle with Apocalymon recalibrated the chronological barriers…and you get 5,769 years.
Shaun had been alive for 12 years before going back in time.
He was, technically, 5,781 years old.
To live that long…had to be unbearable. It WAS unbearable. It was a Hell unlike any other.
"Yes. He did," answered Tai. "What does that have to do with your chuckling?"
SLAM!
Tai fell to the ground, grimacing as he brought a hand to his face. The others just stared at Shaun in shock; he had punched Tai.
In the face.
Shaun Kamiya had punched Tai Kamiya in the face!
It was unthinkable.
Shaun seemed to think that as well; he glanced down at the guilty fist, looking at it as if it were a foreign object. Yet…it didn't look like he cared. "Hmph…" He muttered quietly to himself. "Looks like I've fallen a long way…"
"WHY'D YOU PUNCH TAI?" yelled Sora and Kari.
Shaun sighed before speaking. "You all know what he went through…what I went through…but to see your faces…to hear that he died…God, what luck. What LUCK." He glared at them, his green eyes closely guarded now. "Your Shaun died in battle. He was lucky. I…wasn't quite so fortunate."
"What do you mean?" asked Garudamon.
"Simple. I failed."
That answer was enough to silence them.
Shaun Kamiya turned away before they could ask any more questions. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be on my way…because being with you all again is rather…'detrimental' to my health." His last words were spoken in a whisper. "So stop reminding me…"
Mimi frowned; what had he just said? "Stop what?"
What happened next was rather shocking.
Shaun whirled around, revealing eyes that – for a moment – looked out of place on his face.
They were wide. Angry. Crushed. Revealing everything. The sheer amount of emotion in those eyes…was only matched by his voice.
"STOP REMINDING ME!"
The Digidestined impulsively recoiled. Even the Digimon took a step back.
Shaun Kamiya grumbled as he stomped towards one of the doors, stepping inside with an angry huff.
Everyone stared at the door, stunned into silence.
"Eesh," muttered Zudomon.
xxxx
Shaun's angry stride slowed down to a forceful walk.
Then he stopped entirely.
His frame relaxed as his tense musculature finally stopped quivering.
He shouldn't have lost control like that. He shouldn't have. He had stopped doing that sort of thing a long time ago…hadn't he? No…he was just a human. Like the Digidestined were. He was fallible too; he wasn't an omnipotent warrior just because of what he had been through.
In fact, he'd argue that it made him even more vulnerable.
He should've expected it, really…when Arbitermon had told him the truth regarding the existence of the other Digital Worlds, he should've figured that he'd eventually see counterparts of the Odaiba Digidestined.
But still…to see them again…
Shaun grimaced as he placed a hand against the silvery wall, letting his head sag. It doesn't matter what I do…I'm still in my own little Hell…
He could still remember it all.
xxxx
/Shaun's Flashback/
The battle was nearly over.
Shaun Kamiya growled as he burst his way out of a pile of rubble. Despite the protection offered him by the Armor of Wisdom, he was still scratched and bruised. Parts of the armor were on the verge of falling off.
But he was still fighting.
He couldn't afford to give up now.
Not when the Digiknight was at a deadly standstill against BelialMyotismon.
The Child of Wisdom frowned as he watched the giant draconian BelialMyotismon – fully utilizing the power of Huanglongmon's orange Digicore – continued unleashing his Great Darkness of the Abyss on the smaller, yet tremendously powerful Digiknight. In turn, the Cannon of Destiny was proving to be on equal grounds with BelialMyotismon's ultimate attack. White and rainbow fought with black, neither one relenting or yielding.
Hmm…I wasn't even buried that long. Shaun growled as he took to the air. So BelialMyotismon's transformed…and the others have apparently fused. His eyes turned toward the orange Digicore. "Seems like a weak point to me." He poured on the speed, rushing towards BelialMyotismon.
BelialMyotismon's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the approaching Shaun. "Hmm?" The dark Mega cursed; he was using all of his power just to hold off the Digiknight's Cannon of Destiny! He couldn't afford to do anything to ward off the approaching Child of Wisdom…and he knew that the boy's target was the Digicore.
If the brat broke the Digicore and freed Huanglongmon, he was finished.
BelialMyotismon grimaced; he was in a bit of a pickle.
Finally, he came to his solution. Oh, how he had been looking forward to ruling the universe…but this would be a small consolation prize.
"DIGIDESTIIIIIIIINED!" roared BelialMyotismon as his body began to decompose. He was utilizing the energy of his soul, his data core, to fuel the Great Darkness of the Abyss to even higher levels. "AS YOU GO TO YOUR GRAVES, REMEMBER THIS! IN THE END, DARKNESS CONQUERS ALL! GREAT DARKNESS OF THE ABYSS: FULL POWER!"
As data particles floated away from BelialMyotismon, the Great Darkness of the Abyss doubled in its intensity.
The eyes of both the Digiknight and Shaun widened as the Cannon of Destiny was overwhelmed.
For the briefest of moments, the Digiknight was enveloped in dark energy.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion rocked Odaiba, creating a concussive shockwave that spread throughout Tokyo. Shaun yelped as he was sent hurtling backwards into the ground. The glass in buildings throughout Shinjuku, Shinagawa, and the other districts shattered from the shockwave. Dust and rubble mushroomed into the air; in the minds of those watching, it was as though the mushroom cloud of Little Boy had struck again.
Shaun Kamiya grimaced as he pulled himself off the ground. He hadn't expected BelialMyotismon to actually utilize the data from his own soul! Then again, he had proven to be quite capable at utilizing the power of souls…and at crushing them (as he had proven so malevolently with (Wargreymon's) soul, thought Shaun with a grimace). I hope the others are okay…
He refused to think about the alternative. That's why he wasn't worried as much as he should have been; he simply did not think of the worst option. He'd be insane with worry, otherwise.
The Child of Wisdom arrived at the epicenter of the explosion.
The Digiknight was standing there, arms limp. Parts of the armor were broken, falling off in pieces.
BelialMyotismon grinned evilly at the mighty fusion warrior. His body was already disintegrating. "Heh…I'm finished…oh well…but at least I…have the last laugh…hmm hmm hmm…heh heh heh…HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The dark Mega's laughter echoed through the air as he vanished.
The orange Digicore was all that was left of him.
The Digiknight grinned. "Heh…don't know what he's talkin' about…"
Blood erupted from the Digiknight's mouth.
It was at that point that the worst option became reality.
Shaun Kamiya could only stare as the Digiknight fell backwards. The power behind BelialMyotismon's last blow had taken its toll; the rest of the armor quietly shattered into a million pieces.
The Digiknight glowed brightly and split off into the twelve components that made him up.
Tai Kamiya. Sora Takenouchi. Matt Ishida. Mimi Tachikawa. Izzy Izumi. Joe Kido. TK Takaishi. Kari Kamiya. Davis Motomiya. Yolei Inoue. Cody Hida. Ken Ichijouji.
They all lay there in a neat fashion, side-by-side.
Shaun could only stare as he trudged towards them, his eyes dulled with shock, horror, terror, fright, anger, fear, and every other emotion one could think of, rolled up together into a murky stew that couldn't be defined.
The Child of Wisdom looked at their faces.
The faces of those he had tried to save.
Of those…he had given up everything for…
Their faces. Their eyes, vacant of the spark of life. Nothing at all.
The Child of Wisdom collapsed as the strength left his knees. He ignored the Digicore cracking behind him. He ignored the emergence of the Guardian God. He ignored the coming of the four Guardian Beasts.
All he could do was clutch the head of the one he called father…and cry.
Everything…all of it…time, blood, hardship, everything…wasted.
WASTED.
The thought of it drove him to scream. It was a sound that the human throat should not be capable of. Yet it was.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
It was the sound of a man who had lost everything.
/End Flashback/
xxxx
/Hallway, Arbitermon's Station, the Nexus/
"…wasted…" Shaun whispered to himself.
He removed his hand from the wall, unknowing that he had just spent the last ten minutes just standing there. "All of it…a big waste…I go back to save them…and I end up getting them killed sooner…"
The sheer irony of it all was actually amusing. He had gone back in time to save his loved ones, only to condemn them to death at an even earlier time.
Everything he had suffered and endured through…it had all been all for nothing.
Shaun Kamiya sighed once more as he continued walking, his shoulders sagging and his arms limp. All for nothing…that pretty much sums me up.
All the while, he had been watched from behind by the other Digidestined. Shaun had even noticed them.
The children were now less angry at Shaun…and for good reason.
Cody frowned. "So Shaun failed…that explains a lot."
"Just looking at us…was reminding him of those he had failed to save." Ken grimaced at the thought of the horrible anguish that would result in. "Now…he has nothing left to live for…yet he keeps on living."
"Poor guy," muttered Yolei, her heart aching for the boy. "It's not fair! Why do some people have to suffer so much? I mean, like us! We do what we can to save the world from evil Digimon, and all that happens is that we end up fighting someone else! And then there's Shaun! He lived for over 5,000 years just to save us! And we ended up dying anyway! Where's the justice in that? WHERE??"
Matt Ishida could only shake his head as he stared at Shaun's retreating back. "Tragedy isn't picky with its punches…and it decided to hit him the hardest."
"Excuse me."
Everyone turned towards Revemon, who had come back out of the same door he had entered. "My master will see you now. Follow me." He placed a hand on the wall, touching an invisible panel. A translucent monitor floated down from above, easily over 100 feet in diameter. "For those too immense to enter, you can watch from here."
And so Zudomon, MegaKabuterimon, Garudamon, and Dinobeemon remained behind while the others followed Revemon.
xxxx
/Jailhouse, Gulch Town, Unknown World/
"So the Digimon Sheriff rounded up all humans with partners and locked them away?" asked Davis.
Tai nodded as he messed with his black denim jeans. His orange jacket was coated with dust, a fact that irritated him. "Yeah…after all, with these here digivices, we can have our partners digivolve whenever we want."
"That's why he built them there Control Spires," finished Matt as he chewed on an old toothpick. "With that thing transmittin' the power of his Dark D-3, none of us can digivolve. There's a Spire for every city under the Sheriff's control."
Davis nodded; it was almost like a redux of the Digimon Emperor…without the Emperor part, of course. And the Dark Rings.
"One question," asked Veemon. "If the Control Spire blocks your ability to digivolve from Rookies into higher forms, then how come he's still like that?" Veemon pointed a thumb at Unimon.
The unicorn seemed rather bashful. "Well…I was once a slave of the Sheriff." The Unimon's face – etched into a pain scowl – seemed to telegraph the shame in his eyes, hidden by the azure visor though they were. "I was freed by a human with a Gomamon for a partner. Using his digivice, he removed the taint of the Sheriff's Dark D-3 from my being. And yet despite this, the Control Spires still recognized the energy signature of the Sheriff's digivice within me. That energy, removed of its taint, is what allows me to remain digivolved despite the Control Spire."
Davis and Veemon both nodded, mentally noting that Unimon was probably speaking about Joe.
"But once the Sheriff found out…" Patamon gulped. "He had Stingmon tear off Unimon's wings."
Davis and Veemon paled; apparently, the Sheriff was just as cruel as the Emperor had been. "That MEANIE!" yelled Veemon.
"Yep. And with Starmon always guarding the jailhouse, we can't do nothin' except sit here." TK sighed out of irritation. "The Sheriff's probably at the saloon now…hope he isn't doing anything to the girls."
Davis blinked. "Girls? What girls?"
Tai grimaced, a flash of anger entering his eyes. "All the human females like us – with partners – he makes them part of a little 'troupe' to entertain him whenever he makes a stop. Anywhere from two to five girls per town. I think the two in this town are my sister and her four-eyed friend, right?"
Davis' ears twitched at the mention of 'my sister'. Kari?
"Tai, you don't have to use the word 'four-eyed'," admonished Agumon.
Tai shrugged. "It's easier than remembering her real name. What wuz it again? Yo-lah?"
"Yo-lay?" suggested Matt.
"Yolei," corrected TK. "Dang, you two are horrible with names."
"So Yolei and Kari are in the saloon next door?" asked Davis.
"Yep." TK suddenly frowned. "Hey…how do you know Tai's sister?"
Davis froze at Tai's penetrating glare. He quickly sought out an explanation. "Uh…she's famous?"
"That's true," replied Patamon. "Kari and her partner combined were called the Angels of Light before they were captured by the Sheriff. If Angewomon weren't affected by the Control Spires, she'd kick Stingmon's tushy in a heartbeat!"
Davis stood up, reaching for the blue D-3 in his pocket. "Well, guess Veemon and I will have to bust out then."
The others, save Veemon, looked at him as if he were crazy. "How? We can't beat Starmon. Unimon isn't as strong without his wings, and he won't last against Starmon. With the Control Spire up, none of our partners can digivolve…yours included. And with the Sheriff here, we'd get our tails whipped twice as fast."
Davis grinned. "Well, good thing that my partner isn't affected by the Control Spire. At least not this form of his." He pulled out his D-3. "Ready Veemon?"
The blue Rookie grinned. "Ready Davish!"
"Then Armor-Digivolve!"
Veemon armor-digivolve to……Flamedramon: The Fire of Courage!
Everyone in the jailhouse gaped at the sight of the taller Digimon, his lean, lithe body clad in the fiery-looking armor of the Digiegg of Courage. The Armored Champion grinned as he flexed the three, razor-sharp talons on both hands. "Been a while since I've been Flamedramon."
Davis smiled. "Yep! And now let's bust out!"
Meanwhile, outside…
The snot bubble sticking out of Starmon's nose popped.
"Huh…?"
He heard bars being bent.
"What in tarnation"? The Champion grumbled as he got out of his rickety chair, glancing inside. "Are you all behav-?"
Flamedramon's fist slammed into his face.
xxxx
/Saloon, Gulch Town, Unknown World/
The Digimon Sheriff grinned as a player piano effused toe-tapping music. "I love my work."
In the musty – and empty – saloon, Centarumon and Stingmon stood silently in the background as the Sheriff sat in front of the stage. A lavender-haired girl in glasses was dancing on the stage, clad in a red and black can-can dancer uniform. She seemed utterly embarrassed by the fact that she was dancing on-stage in a frilly red skirt, complete with pantyhose, black high-heels, and net stockings. Dancing for the Sheriff…in this outfit…it was just plain humiliating!
"More whiskey!" cried the Sheriff. Apparently, he didn't care about being a minor.
Kari Kamiya – also clad in a similar saloon girl uniform – frowned as she handed Hawkmon a shot glass and a bottle. "Go on."
The Rookie grimaced as he walked towards the Sheriff's table, momentarily glancing at the windows; Salamon was washing them rigorously. What a dreary time we live in. He placed the bottle and the shot glass on the table. "Here you are sir."
The Sheriff just grabbed the bottle and drank. He clapped for Yolei, yelling, "Don't be so shy, come on now!"
That was it.
Yolei stomped her foot on the ground, roaring, "NO! I'M DONE!"
Kari, Hawkmon, and Salamon froze.
Stingmon and Centarumon frowned.
The Digimon Sheriff glared.
Yolei gaped as she brought a hand to her mouth.
SLAM!
Yolei yelped as the Digimon Sheriff leapt onto the stage and slammed her against the wooden stage floor. The lavender-haired dancer whimpered as the Sheriff's eyes glared balefully at her from behind his purple shades. "Ya know I don't like that kind'a talk…looks like I'll have to add another scar to that back of yours." With his free hand, he reached into his jacket…and pulled out a whip.
Yolei shrieked.
CRASH!
Everyone blinked as Starmon came crashing through the saloon walls. His form fell amongst the wooden tables and chairs, shattering them into pieces and splinters. "Doh…oh dear, falling unconscious now. Blurgh." He fell unconscious.
Centarumon yelled, "What's going on!"
The wooden doors suddenly swung open.
In walked Unimon, with Davis on his back. Following him were Tai, Agumon, Matt, Gabumon, TK, and Patamon.
The Sheriff growled. "I locked you up."
"Can't hold us down," cracked Davis.
"We'll see bout' that." The Sheriff snapped his fingers. "Centarumon. Stingmon. Sic em'."
"With pleasure boss," growled the two Champions as they advanced upon the small group.
Davis grinned. "You forgot someone."
A red and blue blur leapt through the hole Starmon had come through, bounding off the walls…and landing on the stage behind Stingmon, Centarumon, Yolei, and the Sheriff.
"FIRE ROCKET!"
A fire-coated Flamedramon rocketed into Stingmon's back. The insectoid Champion howled with pain as the impact sent him through the front of the saloon, creating aneven bigger hole.
Unimon opened his mouth, charging up a turquoise ball of energy. "Horn Blaster!"
Centarumon, the Sheriff, and everyone else dove for cover as the orb blasted the stage into oblivion. As Unimon turned around and began running, Davis yelled, "To the Control Spire!"
The tyrant grumbled as he jumped onto the centaur Digimon's back. "After them!"
Centarumon growled as he leapt over the rubble and out of the saloon, bursting into the dry air of the desert. Unimon and Davis were already nearing the black monolith. "Not if I can help it! Solar Ray!"
The blast of solar energy erupted from the Champion's arm cannon, crashing into the sand in front of Unimon. The unicorn skidded to a stop, moving off into another direction.
"Keep on their tails, or I'll shoot ya!" ordered the Sheriff.
Centarumon grunted wordlessly as he took off after Unimon. The Sheriff kept a hand on one of his revolvers, ready to shoot to kill.
The chase was on.
Meanwhile…
"STRIKING SPIKE!"
Flamedramon dodged to the side as the spike nearly skewered him. "Hey, watch it! Flaming Fist!" A fiery punch connected with Stingmon's face, sending him backwards. The insectoid Champion couldn't help but feel angry; it had been a long time since he had fought an enemy of equal caliber. "GRR! STAND STILL YOU MIDGET! STRIKING SPIKE!"
Flamedramon leap up, avoiding Stingmon's downward strike. A grin came to his face. "I'm not a midget. Just a small package with a lot to offer! BLAZING CYCLONE!" Flames coated his body, and he rocketed towards Stingmon. He began spinning at the last moment, resulting in Stingmon's body being twisted around in midair.
"GRRRAAAAGH!"
Flamedramon landed lightly on his fist as Stingmon went flying, eventually crashing into the Control Spire. Moments later, it collapsed into a fine pile of disintegrating particles. "Heh. That was too easy. Guess it's been a while since I've actually fought someone who isn't an Ultimate or higher."
As Flamedramon started contemplating when the last time he fought a Digimon of Champion level was, he didn't see that the disintegrating Control Spire…was disintegrating into 2s and 7s.
Further away from Gulch Town…
BANGBANGBANG!
Davis yelped as he ducked, avoiding the three shots aimed for his head. "Watch where you're shooting!"
"Solar Ray!"
Unimon leapt over Centarumon's attack. "Horn Blaster!"
Centarumon moved to the side as the energy orb hit the ground, creating a geyser of sand. The Digimon Sheriff grimaced as he pulled some bullets out of his pocket, reloading his revolver.
This brief lapse allowed him to gaze back towards the town.
His eyes widened. What the!
The Control Spire was gone.
"HAAAAA!"
The Sheriff turned back just in time for Davis – who had leapt off of Unimon – tackled him, sending them both to the ground.
And they slid.
Slid down the sandy hill, which was littered with tiny rocks and jagged rubble.
The Sheriff grimaced as the rubble dug into his back. "Darn it, stop this nonsense! You're just mussing up my good clothes!"
Davis Inoue grumbled as he kept the Sheriff pressed into the ground. He had to say something. "So tell me! Are you proud of all that you've done?"
The Digimon Sheriff looked at him oddly. "Say wha?"
"Do you believe that what you're doing is right?"
"Fool! What kind of stupid talk is that?" protested the Sheriff as they both kept sliding down the hill. "This here desert world is a rough place filled with outlaws! The worst kind! Especially the partner dynamic; why do ya think I had em' all locked up? To keep down crime and restore the order!"
"Does it excuse the bad things you've done? Like tear off Unimon's wings? Not all humans with partners are bad people!"
The Sheriff coldly snorted. "Don't make me laugh punk. Idealism like that'll get a man killed here; you have to be forceful and MEAN to keep the order! And I don't care what I have to do!"
"Even if you imprison all of the good people?"
"Can't take no chances!"
Davis nearly felt like tearing his hair out. Where was the sense in that kind of thinking? Imprison everyone – good and bad – to make things safer or better? Where was the logic in that (and Yolei was always calling him an 'illogical doofus'. How come so many people thought he was an idiot? So what if he didn't care for math; math was boring!)?
At least he now had a point to make.
Davis looked ahead. "We're about to fall."
The Sheriff blinked.
And then he paled. "Wait…we're…" He tilted his head around. "WE'RE ABOUT TO FALL INTO THE GULCH YOU IDJIT!"
They fell off the hill and into the open air.
Next stop: bottom of the gulch.
Distance: 1,000 feet.
Time: Not a lot.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" shrieked the Sheriff. "YOU MORON! YOU'VE KILLED US BOTH!"
Davis smirked. "Not really." The Crest of Miracles embedded within his chest started to glow. "Holy Armor Energize!"
The Digimon Sheriff could only blink as the boy was suddenly clad in armor of gold.
He could only gape as the boy slowed to a stop.
He could only scream as he kept falling. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
He suddenly stopped.
Davis was holding him by the arm.
Mere feet away from his death.
"It's different on the other end, isn't it?" asked Davis with both a questioning and authoritative tone.
The Sheriff could only gasp and pant heavily before fainting.
Davis sweatdropped. Well that was anticlimactic. He took back to the air, with the Sheriff in tow; moments later, he was back at the town. Apparently, the others hadn't taken any chances once the Control Spire had gone down; Greymon, Garurumon, Angemon, Gatomon, and Aquilamon were all keeping watch over both Stingmon and Starmon. Flamedramon was passing the time by balancing on one hand (maybe being in the Armor of Courage made a bit more impulsive?).
The other humans cheered as Davis set down beside them, his golden armor vanishing with a thought. "Fancy trick there," drawled Tai, a warm grin on his face. "How'd you start floatin' like that?"
Davis grinned. "Trade secret."
Then a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. "Bless my stars; you helped save us all!" And so Kari Kamiya smiled warmly at Davis. "Here's my thanks."
It was just a quick peck on the cheek; nothing special either.
But it made Davis' face light up like a light bulb. A red light bulb. A 5,000,000,000 watt light bulb at that. Kari just…kissed me.
Sure, it wasn't the Kari he knew, loved, and adored, but it was still a kiss from Kari!
Davis grinned as his mind floated up to Cloud Nine…no, wait, make that Cloud Ten!
TK grinned as he elbowed his old friend in the ribs. "I think he likes you."
Of course, someone ELSE wanted to show their thanks as well. "You stopped that slimy Sheriff in no time flat!"
Yolei kissed Davis on the other cheek.
And just like that, Davis' elation fell all the way down to Cloud –24…well, negative clouds don't exist, so I'll just say the ground.
"AAAAAAAH!" Davis cringed as he backed away, rubbing his cheek furiously. "EEWEEWEEWEEWEEWEEWEEW!" He accusingly pointed a finger at Yolei. "DON'T EVER KISS ME AGAIN YOU FREAKISHLY UGLY WEIRDO!"
Considering Davis' history with Yolei – one of pranks, insults, and whatnot – his response was natural. That, and Yolei – the Yolei he knew, that is – was his sister.
Of course, this Yolei happened to have the same temper, judging from her angry eyes…and the fact that everyone else (save for the unconscious Sheriff, Stingmon, and Starmon) had cringed away from the site of impending doom.
Flamedramon clutched Davis' shoulder. "Bad move."
"I'M NOT UGLY!" roared Yolei as she charged.
Suddenly, the light around Davis and Flamedramon seemed to dissipate…
CHOOM.
…and it bent inward at a single point. The two could only blink as they disappeared as quickly as the thunderous sound had come and gone.
Yolei's punch hit nothing but air, resulting in her subsequent fall.
Matt blinked out of surprise. "Huh?"
"Where'd they go?" asked Greymon.
Meanwhile, outside of town…
Unimon looked down at a struggling Centarumon confusedly. "Now…enlighten me as to how exactly you managed to trip on sand?"
"Shut up!"
xxxx
/Elevator, Arbitermon's Station, the Nexus/
Everyone was quiet as the silvery platform descended further into the station…which, apparently, belonged to someone named 'Arbitermon'.
"So what's Arbitermon like?" asked Lilymon.
"He's a powerful Digimon," remarked Revemon, his black eyes showing no fear or worry. "Very powerful. But he's a good fellow. I can attest to that."
"Really now? How so?" asked Yolei, a distrusting look in her eyes.
The centaur suddenly frowned. "Five months ago, Arbitermon came to my world and saved me from destruction. He took me to his world…to this station…and gave me the power to transcend dimensions." An odd smile came to his face. "He told me that one who destroyed my world – my whole UNIVERSE – was trying to destroy all of the others. He said that in order to combat this threat…an alliance spanning multiple worlds would be needed."
Everyone froze; who was this beast that would require such a force to bring it down?
Revemon continued on as the platform began to slow its descent. "One day after Arbitermon finished teaching me how to properly handle my new power…that beast came and tried to destroy Arbitermon's universe." The centaur sighed out of regret; he had come to like the Digital World that had been under Arbitermon's care during those few short months. "Arbitermon utilized his last resort, and he managed to bring this entire station into the Nexus, which serves as the focal point for the barriers of the worlds." The Mega Digimon turned towards the children and the few Digimon with them. "According to your world's time-table, we arrived in the Nexus in June. Since then, I've been traveling from world to world, seeking out allies."
The silver elevator stopped. They were now in front of a door that read 'Monitor Room'.
"So Arbitermon's really a good person?" asked Kari.
Revemon smiled warmly. "You'll see for yourself."
The door opened, and they all stepped in.
"Welcome to the Monitor Room." Revemon's words echoed through the massive expanse.
The Digidestined's jaws dropped out of shock. Ken actually felt somewhat put down; this place put his old Monitor Room from his base in the Digital World to shame.
The entire room was spherical, as far as they could tell. Everything was dark, save for the single catwalk stretching out towards the center of the room…and the monitors.
Translucent, flat-screen monitors that hovered in the air, showing images.
Images of Digimon fighting.
Images of multiple Digidestined doing different things (one of the monitors showed Tai playing an accordion, which made the Child of Courage do a momentary double-take).
Images of a terrible whiteness enveloping everything…followed by those monitors switching to footage of a new world.
And all the while, someone stood at the very end of the catwalk, staring at all of them at once.
"Arbitermon, sir, I've brought the fellows from Universe-01 here," said Revemon, his hooves clattering on the metallic catwalk.
Arbitermon turned around.
All of the Digidestined froze. It wasn't out of fear; it was out of sheer awe.
Arbitermon was a downright imposing sight…and yet so majestic.
His entire body, from head to toe, seemed to be made out of a universe.
No joke. His entire body…was an amalgamation of planets, stars, nebulas, GALAXIES…all constricted into a humanoid form. An entire universe of shining lights amongst black, sealed and molded into a human form. The eyes were composed of the two largest galaxies, each one seeming to be like two bright orbs of pure light. Around his body, shimmering white armor covered him, forming a protective breastplate, pauldrons, and culets. A long, flowing cape of dark blue flowed from the back of the pauldrons, coming to down to his ankles. Greaves of white metal covered the leg from the knee down, while protective armored shoes – sabatons – covered the feet. Finally, a white helm covered his head.
Arbitermon spoke. His voice was deep, noble, and utterly overwhelming in its sheer intensity…and the scary thing was that he was only talking. In a way, he was like Siara in the regard that he inspired a deep feeling of wonder within the Digidestined…except that it was Arbitermon's ethereal body and power that awed them, as compared to Siara's grace and beauty.
His power…his essence…despite his impassive gaze or the sheer might in his body, his energy was just so benevolent that he couldn't possibly be mistaken for a villain. Revemon hadn't been joking. "Greetings…Digidestined of Universe-(0)(1). I am Arbitermon of Universe-(5)(4). I am the Arbiter of Order who Judges the Deeds of Chaos, created by the Five Holy Beasts to Protect the Digital World." The mighty Digimon – of at LEAST Mega-level – suddenly frowned. "Unfortunately…all universes are now threatened with the possibility of utter annihilation."
xxxx
/Odaiba, Unknown World/
CHOOM.
Davis and Flamedramon blinked as they emerged into an alley. "Where are we now?"
"Don't know." Flamedramon dedigivolved into Veemon. "Should we ask for directions Davish?"
Davis shrugged. "Guess so. At least we're not in a desert anymore."
They both stepped out of the alleyway.
Davis Inoue immediately blanched. "It's Odaiba…are we home?"
A quick look around indicated otherwise. Davis frowned as he realized that he was standing in Odaiba as it once was; the higher skyline of Tokyo could be seen from here Oh well. Almost got it…what the heck's going on though? Why were we taken away like that?
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Davis and Veemon immediately turned around.
A gigantic dinosaur with charcoal-colored scales stomped through the city, its tail smashing through a number of buildings. Running down along its back and tail were bone-colored dorsal fins. Also, the whole thing looked like a rubber suit.
Davis sweatdropped.
Veemon cheered. "WOOHOO! We're in a Godzilla movie!"
Naturally, people were screaming and running.
A sigh came out of the Child of Miracles' mouth. "Man, looks like we have to save the day again…ready Veemon?"
Veemon suddenly seemed shy. "I don't know if I can beat him…"
"WHAT? YOU CAN DIGIVOLVE INTO IMPERIALDRAMON AND CREAM HIM!"
"But Davish…!"
"What?"
"He's Godzilla!"
Davis grumbled. "Man Veemon…" That's when he suddenly noticed five teenagers – all looking decidedly similar to Tai, Matt, Ken, Kari, and Yolei – standing in the middle of the streets, their hands holding regular digivices. Huh. Where are their partners?
Then they held their digivices in the air, and Tai yelled.
"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"
Davis sweatdropped. …you've GOTTA be kidding.
xxxx
To be continued…
Next time…
Issue #3: Of Infinite Worlds and Power Rangers
xxxx
Author's Notes: Well, here's a longer issue for you folks. How's the portrayal of Shaun? And you just have to wonder whether or not Veemon's gonna geek out now. ;D
Remember, I'm excepting fan characters!
See you soon, and please review!
EDIT: Fixed a couple of typos (hats off to Nolaquen!); also, I need to clarify that in my previous calculations of how long Shaun's been in the past, I neglected that there's a leap year in every four years...thus adding some years to Shaun's total time within the Digital World. I plan to eventually go back to Revision and rewrite a lot of the earlier segments to make them easier on the eyes.