While he and Jeri followed his mother through the school building, Takato's mind slowly started to wonder if somehow his game could have caused all of this...
But, more important, he wondered how his mother would fit into the driver's seat of her car, with such a long tail.
As soon as she entered the car, he realized that there was a special contraption built in her seat, complete with an opening that allowed her to loop her tail elegantly around her backrest.
"Hurry and get in, kids! You probably won't know how pesky a beaten Digimon that hasn't been deleted can be. I bet that the little creep will try it soon again, and when that happens, I want to be back home."
Jeri and Takato quickly climbed in, and Mie Matsuki accelerated.
While they were driving through the city, she let out a growl, combined with a sigh. "I would have preferred to run, because that would be much quicker than using this old jalopy, but well, it's not like you kids can run as fast as Digimon, right?"
Jeri looked like she wanted to say something to this, but one side glance at Takato convinced her to stay silent.
Shortly after the wild drive (Mie seemed intent on ignoring traffic lights and speed limits), they arrived back at Takato's home.
And several minutes later, they were all sitting together around Takato's computer, together with Guilmon, Kai and Takato's father, Takehiro.
Takehiro stared at the flickering screen of the computer in disbelief. "A computer game?"
"Yes, Dad!" Takato sighed.
Mie raised her index claw. "And you say it can somehow change reality?"
"Afraid so!"
Takehiro shook his head. "Takato, you can't be serious. You tell me that you don't remember for all purposes everything that has happened during the past few years regarding human and Digimon society, and you say it's just because of a game? A game that we can't even see?"
"I know it's sounding weird," Kai spoke up. "But I've seen it with my own eyes. Yesterday, Takato has shown me the picture of the very same Digimon Guilmon has turned into... and he created it."
"This is ridiculous," Takehiro groaned. "I know that until now, no humans that had Digimon partners had born children with the ability to digivolve, but you can't tell me that only happened because of a little mouse click. Besides, Guilmon is the only one I've seen so far. What's that gonna prove?"
"Um, actually..." Jen raised her hand. "This is starting to make some sense, Mr. Matsuki. You know, Guilmon is not the only one who discovered this new Hybrid Digivolution... Rika, Harmony and I were able to do it as well."
Takato gasped. His mother simply stared. "You gained the ability to digivolve?" she wondered.
Jeri nodded and stood up. Then, she concentrated on the D-Power, that was still lying within her backpack. She could feel its powers, no matter how far she was away from it.
"Jeri Hybrid Digivolution to... Cubmon!"
And within seconds, the transformation was complete.
Takato sunk back on his bed. If he had needed further proof that his game was the reason for reality to be screwed up like this, Jeri's transformation into Cubmon was the last straw.
"All of this..." he murmured. "All of this happened because of me."
"Don't be silly now," Guilmon intervened. "You're just feeling a little guilty because of that game you played, but what if it's just a big coincidence? The weird thing is, I clearly remember the game, but I can't see it now."
"That's what I wondered too," Kai nodded. "Why are Takato and I the only ones that can see the game?"
"That's not entirely true," Cubmon spoke up, fidgeting with her tail between her paws. "Rika and Renamon also seem to remember a different reality... just like you two."
"Of course..." Takato stood up. "It must be because I made Rika the main character of my story. But still..." He sat down again. "If it weren't for me, DemiDevimon would have never attacked Kai..."
"Takato, calm down!" his mother said gently. "Even if the Hybrid Digivolutions and your and Rika's memory loss would somehow be connected to that game, what would that have to do with that bowling ball with wings?"
"Don't you understand?" Takato nearly yelled. "I did not only create the heroes for my game, but the villains too. DemiDevimon was the helper of the story's main villain, who... wait a minute!" He gasped. "That must mean... that Yamaki is..."
"What about Mr. Yamaki?" his father asked curiously.
Takato gulped. "I might have... created a monster..."
He quickly bolted back to the computer. "But perhaps it isn't too late... maybe I can delete all the changes I've done so far."
"Takato, don't do anything hasty now..." Jeri was very unsure of the whole situation.
Takato didn't listen. He opened the character menu and looked at Jeri's status: 'Human, able to digivolve into a Hybrid'.
He moved the cursor over that message and tried changing it into just 'human'. But when he pressed the 'Save Changes' button, a new window with a flashing red bar appeared.
'ERROR! ERROR! Can't correct changes of bigger proportions! Wait until the next edition of the game arrives on the market!'
Takato looked back at Jeri's Digimon form and grimaced. "That... that cannot be..."
----
DemiDevimon was hidden in the shadow of a big tree and grasped the branch he was sitting on tightly.
"Lord Yamacus will probably punish me for this failure. I can't take on two Digimon by myself, and he said he won't let me call for reinforcements any more." He sniffed. "But I guess the only choice I have is to report to him anyway and hope he is merciful..."
He shuddered. "Even... if he would delete me..."
All of a sudden, he found himself sitting in a sphere made of darkness. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, my winged friend. There's another option, you know?"
"Wh-what?" DemiDevimon looked around, but saw nothing but blackness. "Who are you?"
A pair of glowing eyes appeared in front of him. "Call me... a friend."
DemiDevimon laughed bitterly. "Yeah, as if! I never had any friends..."
"Well, then consider me an ally. I know you desire strength to accomplish your master's orders, is it not so?"
"What is it to you?" the Rookie yelled. "Don't tell me you can help me."
"Oh yes, I can. I can help you by lending you a bit of my power... so you'll be strong enough to beat your enemies."
"But why would you do that for me? I don't even know you! There has to be a catch somewhere, right?"
The glowing eyes seemed to squint for a second. "Well, we all need a helping hand every now and then, isn't that right? We can agree that some time, when I feel that I'm in the need of an additional ally, I might call upon you."
"I see..." Slowly, hope started to well up in DemiDevimon's small body. "And... is there something I have to do first?"
"No," the enigmatic voice exclaimed. "You just have to agree... and embrace the power I'm going to bestow upon you."
DemiDevimon giggled evilly. "Well, that sounds too good to be true... but okay, you sparked my interest. It's a deal!"
"Very good..." The stranger gave off a dark chuckle. "And now... prepare yourself for the darkness! The everlasting darkness that your digivolution line is one with. Become one with it!"
DemiDevimon cackled as his voice took on a lower tone. "Yeees, I can feel the power. YEEEEEESSS! AHAHAHAHAHAH! And first, I will use it to catch that blasted fox-girl that humiliated me by beating my followers!"
----
Yui wanted to scream. That darned furball had done it AGAIN. If it weren't for her unquestionably great athletic skills, she would never taken her into her team.
Renamon looked down at the mass that had once been a volleyball as it shrunk even more and released the rest of the air that had been stored within with a loud 'PFFFFFSSSSHHHH...'
"Renamon, for the Souvereign's sake," Elecmon almost pleaded. "RETRACT YOUR GODDAMNED CLAWS WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO HIT THE BALL!"
Renamon sighed. "Look, I'm sorry... I just didn't pay attention at the moment, okay?"
"That's the fourth volleyball she has wrecked this afternoon..." Yui groaned. How was she gonna explain this to the coach?
Rika, who was sitting at the sidelines, together with Harmony, had to suppress a chuckle. She originally wanted to head for Takato's home right after class was over, but... she couldn't resist to watch at least part of Renamon's volleyball training.
Although she somehow felt sorry for her partner.
Finally, she stood up. "Harmony, I have to go now. Tell Renamon I went to Takato's place, okay?"
"No problem! And watch yourself, who knows if those creeps that attacked us show their faces again."
"I wouldn't talk about your enemies in such a manner if one of them is standing right above you..." a dark voice hissed.
Harmony yelped while Rika gasped. The two girls jumped away from the benches and looked up at the wall that surrounded the sports field of their school.
In the shadow of the trees, long, black arms stretched outward while they saw the outline of a demonic figure that spread its wings threateningly.
Renamon quickly felt the presence of an evil Digimon. "Rika's in danger!" she shouted and jumped away.
"H-hey! You can't simply abandon your team like that!" Yui shouted.
"Oh my gawd!" another girl screamed. "What is that thing, up there?"
The tall and thin Digimon stepped into the daylight and they recognized its species instantly.
"A Devimon..." Renamon growled.
Devimon smirked. "I know! Great isn't it? Not anymore am I a 'bowling ball with wings'... I am an entity that spreads fear and chaos wherever it goes."
"You're not that strong!" Harmony shouted. "You're just a Champion, there are many Digimon that don't have to fear you."
Devimon snarled. "Why you... I'll teach you the meaning of fear, little Hybrid!"
"Aw, shaddup!" Elecmon yelled. "THUNDER STRIKE!"
A lance of electricity jolted out from the red-furred Rookie and hit the devil Digimon right into the face.
He winced. "That stung a little... that's all! But, what should I expect from frightened, little girls like you?"
He grinned and stretched out his insanely long arms to grab her.
Elecmon eeped in fright. "H-help me..." she squeaked.
"Now that's enough!" Rika yelled. "RIKA HYBRID DIGIVOLUTION TO... KITSUMON!"
Harmony didn't hesitate either. "HARMONY HYBRID DIGIVOLUTION TO... DACHSMON!"
Rika cupped her hands. "Flare Bullet!" The fiery projectile hit Devimon's arms. He growled in pain, and Elecmon had enough time to scoot out of his reach.
Kitsumon, Renamon and Dachsmon confronted him. "You three... you will get a taste of my revenge!"
"Ah, shut up, DemiDevimon!" Kitsumon mocked. "Once a coward, always a coward! You should have stayed a little Rookie, that suited you better."
The other girls watched their three school mates in awe.
"Wow..." one of the girls whispered. "Did you see that? Harmony and Rika can digivolve, too!"
"And did you see how awesome Renamon looked when she jumped into battle?" Yui mumbled. "How beautiful... "
----
"What's up, fish-breath?" Impmon mocked and raised his fists. "C'mon, put'em up! Ya scared to lose or what?"
"Oh cool, a fight!" Mako said excitedly. "Go get him, Impmon!"
"Oh no, you'll hurt each other," Ai said in a worried tone of voice.
Betamon just smirked at the purple imp. Then he closed his eyes. "I see. If my appearance has offended you or the children, I offer you my apologies. I merely asked them if they were interested in any sort of game. We could have always played together, you know? But if you prefer not to include me in your activities, I will simply retreat..." And he started to turn around.
"Hey, I'm not done with you!" Impmon yelled. "Come back you big wimp!"
"No! Impmon, don't!" Ai shouted. She quickly jumped off her swing and fluttered over to Betamon. "Please, don't go! I would love to play with you. We can always play together, the four of us?" She smiled back at her purple friend. "Right, Impmon?"
Impmon sighed. Dang, every time that girl was showing him the puppy-dog eyes, he grew weak. But he couldn't bring himself to resist the cute smile of that girl. "Fine, fine..." he grumbled. "We'll play with the tadpole..."
Ai beamed back at him. "Great!" She turned back to her new 'friend'. "So... what was your name again?"
Betamon grinned. "My name is Betamon, and who are you?"
Ai smiled. "I'm Ai, that's my brother Mako and our friend Impmon."
"Hiya!" Mako waved.
"I am pleased to meet all of you!" the amphibian Rookie nodded.
"So, Betamon, what do you want to play?"
"Well..." Betamon thought about it for a while. "How about hide and seek?"
"Great!" the female Cupimon shouted with joy. "That's our favorite game!"
"May I be... how do you say... 'it'?" Betamon asked.
"If you must..." Impmon grumbled, not happy about having to play with that Rookie.
"All right, then go to that tree, close you eyes and count. And we will go and hide."
"Yaaaayyy!" TinyDevimon shouted while fluttering through the air. "Bet he'll never find me?"
Betamon leaned against the trunk of the tree, closed his eyes and started counting backwards. Inwardly, he chuckled.
'It all is working according to plan, Fifth One!'
'Excellent work, Second One!' another voice replied in his head. 'Continue gaining their trust until even the Sixth One will see you as your 'friend'.'
'Understood...'
----
"If what you said about Yamaki is true, we should be extremely careful about how we operate," Takato's mother said while pacing through her son's room. "His spies might be anywhere..."
Takato was surprised. His mother had never spoken like this before. Then again, she had never been a fighter before... and every Digimon develops into a fighter sooner or later.
Suddenly, his father's cell phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket. "Yes? Yes, they're all here. What do you... WHAT?" His voice suddenly sounded extremely alarmed. "At your daughter's school? All right, they will come right over."
"What happened?" Takato asked his father. "Did something happen?"
Takehiro sighed. "It's Harmony's mother... The principal of the school her daughter and Rika are attending has called her. It looks like they are fighting an evil Digimon. And from what they told me... it is a Devimon."
"A Devimon..." Mie gasped. They were infamous throughout the Digital World for their ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness. Only their cousins, the IceDevimon, surpassed them in that category.
"Harmony and Rika still aren't used to fighting Digimon," Guilmon said. "We have to help them."
"And we will..." Mie growled with determination. "Takehiro, tell her to call Tadashi as well. If Yamaki wants to start a war by attacking our children, then I'll give him one."
"You don't mean...?"
She nodded and bared her teeth in a feral snarl. "We'll break out the old weapons... and fight alongside our children!"
----
The Matsuki's car stopped in front of the Kato residence with screeching tires.
One after another, Jeri (still in her Cubmon form), Mie, and her sons Takato and Guilmon left the car and approached the front door.
Before they reached it, it opened, and Jeri's parents stood in front of them.
Leomon towered over his wife and smiled when he saw the orange-scaled form of Takato's mother. "Mie! It has been a long time!"
"Good to see you again, Tadashi," Mie nodded. "Has Mayumi already arrived?"
Jeri's mother nodded. "Yes, right after she made sure that Lopmon would be able to take care of her little daughter."
Leomon was going to say something else, but then his gaze fell past Mie and on his little daughter. A smile parted his furry muzzle as he stepped past the other adults and put a big paw on Cubmon's shoulder.
"So... you managed to digivolve, Jeri?"
Jeri smiled up at her father nervously. "Yes, Dad... and I have to say, I really like it."
"And... aren't you afraid when you think about going out to fight? I mean, it's pretty dangerous..."
"It's true, I have been scared at first," Jeri admitted. "But now that I had my first battle, I can say that I am glad to be able to protect myself like this... just as you have done it up to now."
Leomon nodded. "I'm very proud to hear that, Jeri."
They all went inside, where Harmony's mother was already waiting for them. The canine Digi-woman greeted her saurian friend with a hug.
Leomon gestured behind him with his thumb. "The weapons are in the dojo... I suppose you children wait here until we get ready. It will only take a moment."
"All right, Dad," Jeri nodded, and Leomon, Compsomon and Sheperdmon vanished inside the dojo.
"I don't believe it..." Takato murmured. "They act as if they have fought Digimon together before..."
"Why, they did!" Jeri's mother said in surprise. "After all, your mother was the one who accompanied you and your brother into the Digital World, after those Deva had captured poor little Calumon."
"Takato has a small... memory problem," Jeri explained. "I'll explain everything later."
"Okay, if you say so... well, I can't possibly help you very much, so I'll just go into the kitchen..."
"Mom came with us... into the Digital World?" Takato wondered.
"Well, yeah... not only her, but Jeri's dad and Harmony's mom as well," Guilmon explained. "After all, the Digital World is their birthplace and they just wouldn't want us to go by ourselves." The red Rookie grinned as he remembered that day. "You were worried that it might be too dangerous for Mom, but then she told us how she, Leomon and Sheperdmon used to travel through the Digital World when they were younger, together with Rika's dad."
Guilmon chuckled. "Maybe Mom was also a little bit jealous that we were visiting her home 'country' while she had to stay at home. So that was an additional reason why she came with us."
All of those informations stunned Takato a bit. Where did all those events come from? Events from a past that shouldn't have happened, that DIDN'T happen from his own point of view. He did not come up with all those background stories by himself... how imaginative was that game?
His thoughts were being interrupted, when the door to the dojo reopened, and the three parents came out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," his mother smirked with a feral grin. "But now we're ready to KICK BUTT!"
Takato gasped when he saw how the three adult Digimon were equipped.
His mother was wearing a feminine-looking breast plate (with a neckline that made him blush) made of leather, and a medieval-looking leather skirt that was framed with two leather belts, draped over her hips. Hanging from those belts were two sheaths in which two nasty-looking daggers were placed.
Harmony's mother, Sheperdmon, was wearing a shirt and baggy pants that looked like they were made of a very sturdy type of cloth. It looked like she had used those garments in battle several times, as there were multiple tears visible in the cloth. A pair of thick goggles shielded her eyes. Strapped to her back was an impressive-looking miniature crossbow. Dangling at her waist was a small quiver filled with numerous bolts.
Leomon wore the traditional Leomon pants, and he was brandishing his trusty sword.
"I hope you are ready, kids," Sheperdmon grinned. "Because now we'll head out and see if we can help my little daughter and her friends."
----
Riley entered the big audience chamber deep within Hypnos Castle, and smirked as she saw her love, Lord Yamacus, peering down into her own pool of darkness.
She approached him and embraced him from behind. "What's so interesting in there, my lord?" she asked with a sultry purr.
"I'm using your pool to observe a battle that is occuring next to the school those brats Rika and Harmony are attending." he explained.
Intrigued, the LadyDevimon looked over her master's shoulder.
"My, my..." she grinned. "Who's that dark, handsome specimen of a man?"
"Do you think it's wise to say that when I'm right here?" Yamacus asked and raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I believe this 'handsome' Digimon is none other than my loyal servant DemiDevimon."
"What?" Riley was astonished. "That little brat? How did he manage to digivolve? I never saw him take part in any battle before."
"True, this is most puzzling..." the Dark Lord pondered. "But still, it is a nice chance to capture three Hybrids at once."
"Well, I believe he will have some problems subduing the three of them," Riley pointed out. "Even in his evolved form, he won't be able to endure for too long against three enemies at once. And if Renamon would evolve into a Champion..."
"Yes, I see your point," Yamacus said. "Go out there and help him out. Take every backup with you that you believe you might need."
"As you wish, my lord!" Riley said with a saucy wink and stood up. "Shall I take Tally along as well?"
The dark lord of Hypnos shook his head. "No, she has been assigned for chamber duty tonight. She won't have the time to join you in battle."
"Lucky bitch..." Riley growled angrily. "Very well, I shall leave right away... But still, Lord Yamacus, may I ask a question?"
"You may. What is it?"
Riley was extremely careful in the way she was putting her worries into words: "My lord... why do we need those Hybrids at all? I mean, after we found the Sleeping Beast, we will be an unstoppable force anyway. No one would dare opposing us. Why, even the Four Souvereigns will..."
"Riley!" Yamacus said in a sharp tone of voice.
The LadyDevimon realized she went too far. "I apologize, my master," she said while bowing down to the ground. "It is not for me to question your motives."
"We will leave the Digital World alone," Yamacus said firmly. "Opposing the Four Souvereigns is much too risky. Even with most of their loyal Deva dead, we wouldn't stand a chance against them. The only goal I have is to conquer the human world. But of course you are right: Once we have found the Sleeping Beast, no human or Digimon living here or elsewhere on Earth will dare to oppose us."
He sighed. "Still, we are not sure where to search... I have assembled capable teams of explorers and strong fighters to search all over the world, but I still need strong defenders for my fortress. And that is why I need those Hybrids. Understood?"
"Of course, my lord!" Riley exclaimed.
Yamacus seemed satisfied for now. "Good. Now go and help that 'Devimon'... and watch him closely. I want to know if he can actually use those new powers he gained competently."
----
"DEATH CLAW!"
Renamon cursed under her breath as Devimon extended his long arms once again, slashing at her with his deadly claws.
"You're quite nimble," he chuckled as he soared through the air. "But you can't evade me for all eternity, you know?"
"You're just big talk!" Kitsumon shouted as she appeared out of nowhere. "Dive Kick!"
Devimon winced as he felt the Rookie's kick on his arm, then he shrugged her off. "You're starting to annoy me..." he grumbled.
"Oh yeah? Well, you can't concentrate on three of us at the same time, can you?" Dachsmon shouted as she stepped out from behind a tree and aimed with her boomerang weapon. "Air Cutter!"
Devimon ducked underneath the curved blade, but it smacked into him from behind as it returned.
"This is getting boring..." he mumbled and aimed his hands at the two Hybrids. "HELL CONTRACT!"
Blasts of dark energy flew out of his palms, towards the two young Hybrids. Kitsumon managed to evade with her natural speed, but Dachsmon got caught in the blast.
"Aaaaaah!" the canine girl screamed. "Damn..."
Devimon chuckled as he slowly descended from above. "The darkness hurts, doesn't it? I wanted to bring you all alive to my master, but you shall be the first to taste my new power..." And he extended his claw again, intent on sucking her life energy out of her body.
"DIAMOND STORM!"
Having totally forgotten about Renamon, Devimon had no chance of dodging the attack, and dozens of sharp shards bombarded his backside. He screamed in pain, while Kitsumon jumped over to her friend, grasped her, and used her powers to turn the two of them invisible.
Devimon looked around the court, but couldn't find a single trace of them. "Curses..." he muttered. "Looks like I'll have to settle for you."
"Don't be so sure of yourself," Renamon glared back at him. "It's not like them to run like this. They might not be used to battle, but they are no cowards."
Devimon gave her an arrogant grin, but inwardly, he was quite worried. Dealing with those three Rookies was harder than he thought it would be, even with his new power.
Well, intimidation would be the best strategy for now.
He gave Renamon another grin and extended his claws while spreading his wings. "If you give up now, I'll just might let you live."
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Renamon huffed. She then stood straight, raised an index finger in front of her muzzle and closed her eyes. "Kohenkyo..." she whispered.
A swirl of leaves seemed to surround her, and then... she was gone.
Devimon looked around with his crimson eyes. "What? Where are you? Stop hiding and fight me!"
His sense of danger warned him that something was heading his way from behind, so he threw his body sidewards.
"HYYYYAAAAHH!" Kitsumon's kick missed his head just barely, but then again, he got into the way of Dachsmon's attack.
"Rush Tackle!" the dog-girl shouted as she rammed directly into Devimon's backside, and the impact hurled him up into the air.
In another swirl of leaves, Renamon appeared in mid-air, directly in front of the still falling Devimon. "Let's end this... DIAMOND STORM!"
Devimon closed his eyes as he saw the shards heading his way and braced himself for the impact... but nothing happened.
Devimon blinked, still expecting at least a little pain, but still, he was perfectly fine.
Then he saw the deliciously evil-looking female floating in front of him, with smooth, pale skin and wings as dark as the night.
And when she turned around her head to smirk at him, he recognized her: "Riley..."
"Hello there, tall, dark and handsome," the LadyDevimon purred. "I must say, I certainly prefer your new handsomeness over your old bowling-ball-looks. Did you miss me as well?"
"It can't be..." Rika murmured as she saw the face of the Ultimate Digimon that had shielded Devimon from Renamon's attack. "Riley... is that you?"
The evil Digimon sneered down at the Hybrid. "So we meet again, little girl. But I'm not the only one that looks different, right? Quite an impressive little digivolution you accomplished. Why don't you just come with me and show it to my master?"
"What happened to you, Riley?" Harmony asked. "I thought you helped us in the past. Why are you helping this Devimon? Have you always been like him... a dark Digimon?"
"Clever little girl," Riley grinned. "You know, I'd love to chat some more, but I've been ordered to bring the three of you to my master... alive. So, you would do me a favor now and surrender? Then no one will be hurt."
"Whoever your master is, you will have to disappoint him... because we won't just come with you because you say it," Rika yapped.
But inwardly, she was the one to be worried now. The three of them were able to deal with one Champion like Devimon, but Riley was an Ultimate Digimon... and that's a completely different story.
"Oh well..." Riley sighed. "I really wished you would have been good kids and joined me without making a big deal of this... but I guess I'll just have to teach you a lesson."
"What are you doing?" Devimon hissed. "Stay out of this! This is my battle!"
"Oh, shut it!" Riley snapped. "I'm not doing this to help you, I'm just acting on order of our lord, so either you fight alongside me or you stay out of my way... but I'd hate to report to our master that you are one big coward."
Devimon gulped down his pride and stepped next to his female counterpart. "I suppose we could look over our differences for this once..." he grumbled.
Riley spread her arms and wings. "Well, what are you waiting for, girls? I'll even be so generous and let you make the first move. Now isn't that nice?"
"I don't like this, Rika..." Dachsmon whispered. "We really aren't strong enough to fight her by ourselves..."
"I know," Kitsumon sighed. "I wish I had my D-Power, so I could help Renamon digivolve... but it's still in my bag."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine without it," Renamon tried to reassure her Tamer. But she didn't feel quite as confident as she wanted to make her new sister believe.
"Well, if you can't decide, then I'll just do it for you," Riley shouted and raised her arms. "DARKNESS WA..."
"VOLT LANCE!"
LediDevimon winced and stopped her attack, as a lance made out of dancing electricity hit her. "What the...? Who's there?"
A mature-looking Digimon-woman stood next to the school building, aiming at her with a crossbow. "Never lay your claws on our children, spawn of evil... or you'll regret it!"
"Mom?" Harmony shouted in surprise as she saw her Digimon mother. And then, more digital warriors stepped at her side. "Mrs. Matsuki? Mr. Katou?" But she smiled when she recognized the two younger Digimon standing next to the three veterans. "Jeri! Guilmon!"
Rika, on the other hand... looked like she was ready for another mental breakdown.
"Takato's mother...? Hen... Harmony's mother? LEOMON? What comes next, Grandma turning into a Frigimon?"
"You just HAD to crash this party, eh?" Riley grumbled angrily.
"So, what now?" Devimon asked her. "You feel powerful enough to take them all on?"
"Of course!" the LadyDevimon snapped angrily. "But the Hybrids might escape during the fight. So we just need some... reinforcements."
She made a commanding gesture, and suddenly, a big swarm of beings with leathery wings flew out of the nearby trees.
"Oh man..." Jeri muttered as she saw the numerous, winged imps. "What are those creeps called again?"
"Vilemon..." her father growled. "At least twenty of them... and every single one's a Champion. Daughter, I hope you are ready for this."
Riley smirked as her troops hovered around herself and her male counterpart. "And so, the fun begins..." she smiled smugly.