Digimon: The Pre-Series

Chapter Three

Gabriel ran through the forest as fast as her fox-like legs could carry her. 'I shouldn't have left him behind' she thought to herself. She stopped when she heard a primitive yell. She ran towards where the yell came from. Gabriel climbed into a tree and observed the scene before her. A large, white and black gorilla-like creature was pounding its chest in triumph.

"Say it again." the creature said.

"You are the most awesome digimon to walk the universe." sighed a familiar voice. The creature danced out of the way and Gabriel saw Zach, in Guilmon form, tied up against a tree. Zach noticed Gabriel before he noticed that he had turned back into a Guilmon. "Hey Gorillamon, come here, I've got a secret to tell you." Zach said. The creature came closer to Zach and he moved his mouth to its ear. He blew a fireball into the side of Gorillamon's head. As Gorillamon ran around trying to put the fire out, Zach covered his claws in fire and slashed his way out of the ropes. Renamon jumped down next to Zach just as Gorillamon put out the fire.

"You're gonna pay for that lizard-man!" he roared as he charged at Zach and Gabriel.

"Mister Lizard-man to you." Zach replied as Gabriel jumped out of the way. Zach stepped out of the way and tried to trip Gorillamon, he just got his foot crushed. "AW SHIZNICKLES THAT HURTS!" Zach screamed. Gorillamon punched Zach in the face and he flew to the ground, but because Gorillamon was standing on his foot, he bounced straight back up into Gorillamon's fist. Gabriel winced every time Zach smashed his face into Gorillamon's fist before she remembered one of her attacks.

"This is the easiest fight ever." laughed Gorillamon. Several small diamond shards flew through the air and hit Gorillamon, making him stumble back off Zach's foot. Zach collapsed from the repeated smashes. Gorillamon glared at Gabriel as she prepared another Diamond Storm. The shards flew at Gorillamon again. He raised his right arm which Gabriel realized was a cannon.

"Uh oh." Gabriel said as she dived out of the way just as Gorillamon fired a plasma blast, decimating the diamond shards. She jumped into a nearby tree and darted around the forest canopy. Gorillamon aimed his cannon all around searching for her. Gabriel snuck into a tree behind Gorillamon and jumped. In mid-air she glowed with a ghostly blue light before her hands and feet were covered in blue fire, Gorillamon turned just in time to get a face full of magic-fire-fueled punches and kicks. Gabriel wasn't letting up and was just attacking as fast as she possibly could. Gorillamon reached up and grabbed Gabriel and pulled her away from his face. He growled as he aimed his cannon at her. He charged it up but Zach quickly ran up and redirected the blast at Gorillamon's face. He threw Gabriel behind him and clutched his face in pain. Zach ran after Gabriel to check on her.

"Are you okay?" Zach asked as Gabriel stood up. She tackled him to the ground just before a plasma blast flew over them. Gorillamon roared and ran at them. They rolled out of the way and Gorillamon crashed into a tree. Gabriel covered her hands and feet in blue fire and Zach covered his claws in fire, they both ran at Gorillamon before he could get up and started slashing, punching and kicking at his back. He spun around and stuck his cannon in Zach's face. Instinctively, Zach spat a fireball into the cannon. The fire and plasma in the cannon caused an explosion and sent Zach and Gorillamon flying. Gorillamon's weight, combined with the blast force caused the tree he hit to collapse on top of him. Gabriel ran over to Zach.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked. Zach chuckled.

"Two minutes and our places are reversed." Zach said. "Yeah, I'm fine, and I think I know how to beat him."

"A tree just fell on him, I think he's beaten." Gabriel replied. Zach tripped her without standing just before a plasma blast flew past and left a hole in the tree just above Zach's head.

"If I had taken your word for it, well just picture yourself in that tree's place." Zach said.

"Okay, how do we beat him?" asked Gabriel as Gorillamon charged at them, albeit slower due to his injuries.

"Just distract him and I'll do the rest." Zach said.

"Sounds risky." Gabriel replied.

"What good plan doesn't?" Zach asked rhetorically. Gabriel ran at Gorillamon and jumped up and over his head.

"Hey big, fat and ugly!" Gabriel shouted. Gorillamon turned and glared at her.

"Are you talking to me?" Gorillamon growled.

"Hey we've got a genius here." Gabriel taunted. Gorillamon growled and charged at her. She jumped over his head again, letting him crash into another tree. Gabriel noticed steam rising from Zach's mouth. He shook his head to show that he wasn't ready. Gabriel threw two sets of diamond shards as Gorillamon stood up.

"Ha! You missed!" Gorillamon laughed.

"Did I?" Gabriel asked. He glanced to both sides to see the two trees on his left and right had been cut through by the shards.

"Uh oh." he said as the trees fell down on his head. Gabriel turned to Zach to see flames poking out of the sides of his mouth. He motioned for her to move. She turned back to Gorillamon.

"Come on big guy, afraid to use your cannon are you?" Gabriel taunted. Gorillamon pushed the trees off him and stood up and aimed his cannon at Gabriel and started charging. She jumped out of the way just as Zach shot a giant fireball at Gorillamon. He tried to stop the fireball with his half-charged plasma blast but the fireball just canceled out the plasma blast. Gorillamon tried to run but the fireball had already caught him and started to burn him. He started charging his cannon in an effort to stop the fireball but as soon as he aimed at it, the fire mixed with the plasma and exploded. Zach and Gabriel walked over to Gorillamon's burned body and something unnatural happened. Gorillamon exploded into a series of ones and zeros which flowed towards the center of the forest. The devices that Zach and Gabriel carried started beeping just as they heard soldiers approaching.

"Uh oh." they said in unison.

"Leg it!" Zach shouted before they both ran. Zach ran just ahead of Gabriel, slashing the leaves and branches in his way before his claws disappeared. Gabriel considerably slowed down before she tripped on a root. Zach noticed and turned to get her but the soldiers were nearly upon them. "I promise on my life that I'll save you." Zach said before continuing to run. Gabriel rolled onto her back and pretended to have passed out just as she became human. She felt herself being picked up and carried, but she was being carried as fast as she could run as Renamon. She tried to open her eyes to see who was carrying her but the wind was beating against her face too hard and she couldn't open her eyes without them getting watery.

When Gabriel finally could open her eyes, she was in her room. She looked at her savior and it was a bluish-purple dragon-like creature wearing green pants and metal plates covering his ankles, feet, hands, shoulders, tail and face. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Safety." he replied.

"How?" Gabriel asked.

"Your excuse for being out there, a digimon kidnapped you, you wouldn't be able to leave this place, ever." the digimon replied.

"Wouldn't that make me safer?" Gabriel asked.

"Who said it was your safety?" the digimon replied with a smirk.

"Then who's safety?" asked Gabriel.

"That depends." the digimon replied.

"On what, Strikedramon?" Gabriel asked.

"On who you choose." Strikedramon replied.

"For what?" asked Gabriel, she wasn't easily annoyed but Strikedramon's constant half-answers were a real annoyance.

"That depends." Strikedramon repeated as he lent against her window.

"On what?" Gabriel growled.

"Time." Strikedramon said as his smirk widened. Gabriel had taken enough, she just pushed him straight out the window. "I'm telling!" he called after he hit the ground.

"Who?" she asked.

"That depends." Strikedramon replied cheekily with a broad smile.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." Castiel chuckled.

"I've told you before and I'll tell you again, don't say that." Gabriel growled.

"Fine." Castiel sighed.

"And tomorrow you're going to do the same thing." Gabriel said.

"You know me." Castiel chuckled before leaving.

"And that's one of the things I hate about you." Gabriel sighed before getting out of bed and getting dressed.

"So, what do you plan to do today?" asked Castiel as he and Gabriel walked down the hallway.

"Avoid you and my father, visit the villagers, maybe have some food." Gabriel replied.

"By the way, the wizard wanted to see you and your father didn't want you to see the wizard." Castiel said.

"Well, I'll just say you didn't tell me that last part." Gabriel said as she left Castiel.

"Oh gee thanks." Castiel said sarcastically.

"Why would the wizard want me to come see him?" Gabriel finally asked herself. She entered the wizard's lab and she was greeted by a surprising familiar face.

"Hey Gabby." said Strikedramon.

(A/N) HA ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER

Disclaimer: I own nothing except everything besides the digimon, FREAKING HELL IT'S STINGMON, STINGMON SAVED ZACH'S LIFE