DISCLAIMER: I don't own Monodramon and all his forms, but I do own their personalities and this plot.

Digimon Continuity

Mystery of Cyberdramon

Chapter 7

All Goes to Chaos

:. Digital Plane - Unknown Plane

Underground

10:16 PM JST

"How long are we going to be following this trail to nowhere for anyway? My feet are hurting!" Terriermon groaned.

"I wonder how that can be…" Impmon muttered, putting one foot in front of the other. "When you are riding on Pineapple Head…"

"Really! They are!" Terriermon said, trying unsuccessfully to convince his fellow Digimon. Impmon had decided to walk himself and only allow the two bunnies and Calumon to ride Guilmon. The white In-Training was, of course, sound asleep. The events of the entire day alone could do that to one. Impmon did not ride Guilmon as he did not want to tire the saurian out too much, even if he had an infinite amount of stamina that must have somehow came from all the bread he ate. Guardromon was behind them, his metal feet clanging against the hard ground of Drimogemon's tunnel. In his arms nestled MarineAngemon, peaceful and seemingly unaffected by the rhythmic clanging that was causing small earthquakes with each step.

Impmon rolled his eyes and simply continued. "Not to mention that you are sitting on poor guy…"

Terriermon merely crossed his little arms and pouted. "I never knew that Guilmon was poor! He could eat all the bread he ever wanted! I get only the leftovers! And with Henry, those leftovers aren't a lot!" Guilmon, the ever-willing Mon-Taxi, was oblivious to the conversation and sniffing the walls of the tunnel. Drimogemon and Grizzlymon were ahead, leading the entire group into the maze of tunnels while casting cautious glances back at Impmon... or maybe it was at Guardromon, afraid that his steps were about to cause a cave-in anytime. Of course, Impmon preferred the former possibility.

Admittedly, Impmon liked being feared. Ah… if only I was my Mega form…He thought with a smirk. That'll really give them a reason to be afraid. It was an instinct, something that he enjoyed… though not much so after Leomon's death. He now just did it for fun, only poking a bit here and there and never going for a full-out stab.

They had been underground and following Drimogemon for what seemed like days. They had encountered so many forks that Impmon had lost count and it was impossible to keep up with the directions. Impmon wondered how Drimogemon found his way around the labyrinth. And he also wondered if this trail truly lead to the one that could help them find Renamon. Or would it lead them to an enemy that couldn't wait to take their heads off?

Impmon kept on wondering. The silence of the tunnels made everything seem so big and made him feel small and uncomfortable. Wondering about things was something that was unavoidable with nothing to do and nothing to listen to but Terriermon moaning and groaning.

"Impmon… I'm hungry," Guilmon abruptly announced.

And now that included Guilmon too…

It must have been Terriermon's talk of food… or bread in particular. Impmon mentally swore he was going to join any scheme that either Rika or Renamon conjured to give that bunny some payback…

Because now Impmon had to answer to Guilmon's hunger pangs yet again.

"Guilmon, how many times must I tell you?" Impmon repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time. "We'll-"

"Get there when we get there," Terriermon finished. "Yeah, I know. I've heard it so many times I lost count."

"See?"

"But I'm still hungry, Impmon…" Guilmon continued to groan. "And I can't smell anything but sand and dirt…" Impmon rolled his eyes yet again.

"Hey!" A voice exclaimed from the front. "Sand and dirt are the only things that are worth smelling, you hear me," Drimogemon said, offended, though his question was more of a statement than question. "They are what saved me from losing my data to a bunch of data suckers!!"

"Don't blame him," Lopmon counselled from the top of Guilmon. "Everyone has their preferences."

"Pipupupi!" MarineAngemon said.

"Yeah!" Guardromon echoed. It seemed he finally found someone other than Kazu to mimic… though it was highly likely that Guardromon didn't know a word of what MarineAngemon said either. Only Kenta knew that.

And now, thinking of Kazu and Kenta lead Impmon to think of his Tamers as Drimogemon muttered some reply. How are they dealing with it? Are they all right? Is Mom comforting them? Are they in bed yet? Or are they still thinking of me? I wish I were there.

With reluctance and difficulty, Impmon pushed the thought of his Tamers away. It was no use dwelling on them at this point in time. It would only drive him crazy to keep up with all the 'What ifs'. And he had enough on his hands already.

Impmon returned his attention to the conversation again…

To find them all looking positively perked up and stunned.

"What's up?" He inquired. "I'm pretty certain that I'm about to get blinded by all your beaming."

Impmon's jaw dropped as turned to what they were all staring at. They had finally reached the end of the underground tunnel. Beyond the entrance of Drimogemon's tunnel stood a castle that refracted light like a diamond, taking Impmon's breath away. Drimogemon and Grizzlymon grinned at his reaction.

"Welcome…" Grizzlymon said dramatically. "…To the our new home!"

:. Digital Plane - Desert Plane

10:19 PM JST

"STRIKE FANG!!"

Renamon's insides were still paralysed with shock at what Strikedramon had just done… and at what she had just done. However, years of battle-honed instincts reacted, continuing the spin that she had used to dodge Strikedramon's first attack to dodge this one.

She managed to do so, but barely. Strikedramon's feet skidded on the sand as he about-faced, one of his claws digging into the ground to balance himself. His eyes narrowed, pure anger radiating from them. He showed his sharp teeth in a growl. "I dare you to say that again."

Renamon's own anger flared. However, she was still numb from how this could have happened. She could not think. Even though her anger urged her to do so, she could not retort. The yellow vixen shook, trying to comprehend what she had, on impulse that was uncharacteristic of her, just did. Although she had been trying to convince Strikedramon to continue to help her to follow the clue that would lead them to the others, her untimely insults had lead to the one thing that she least wanted: A battle.

She recalled the last battle, where Strikedramon had easily swept the floor with her. But now, she was at a slight disadvantage, as her injuries from the previous battle still have not recovered. Her chances of being able to fight a proper battle with him and win were slim to none.

Who cares?! Her anger shouted. I'll still give him a beating anyway! He's the most idiotic Digimon I have ever met!

The part of her that did not want to fight Strikedramon quickly argued. No! This is my fault! I shouldn't fight him! It will only make things worse!

Big deal! Like they aren't already bad enough. Her angered side retorted.

No! Furthermore, if I fight him, I will get deleted! I must listen to reason!

You threw reason out the window when you chose to insult him! Her anger continued to taunt. And now you blabber on like a fool. You should have thought of this before you chose to insult him!

Guilt hit her like a Locomon. It's my fault… She thought. She shut her eyes tight. What am I going to do?!!

The sound of the spray of sand alerted her that Strikedramon had launched another attack without waiting for the reply to his taunt. "Strike Claw!!"

Renamon's eyes snapped open as she leapt into the air to avoid his attack. Determination surged through her digital veins as the answer to her question came to her. Quickly, she flipped over Strikedramon and landed behind him, sliding her arms under his to restrain him and interlocked her fingers behind his head, hoping to be able to hold him.

"Strikedramon! Stop! Regain control of yourself!!" She said in hopes that he would come to his senses. Of course, it was of no use.

"I am in control," Strikedramon snarled. He used his heel to hit one of her feet, causing her to lose balance. Strikedramon then proceeded to use leverage and toss her over his shoulder. While the sand under her softened the impact with the ground, she had no chance to retaliate even if she wanted to as Strikedramon drew his arm back. "Strike Claw!!"

The flaming claw impaled where her head had been as she rolled aside. However, before she could get out of range, Strikedramon took hold of her wrist and pulled her back to him. His other set of claws ignited and he once again attacked. "Strike Claw!!"

Renamon grind her teeth as she kicked his legs from under him before the attack even came close. Rolling to her feet a safe distance away, Renamon took a battle stance, ready to counter his attacks in an instant's notice while she tried to find a way to hold him down long enough for him to calm down.

Strikedramon also got to his feet, his eyes still radiating anger at her insult. She took advantage of this lull in the battle. "Strikedramon! Please… I'm sorry!" She apologised. "I didn't mean what I said!"

"I know what you meant!" Strikedramon snapped. "You were trying to somehow make use of Ryo to convince me to follow you." His red hair seemed to burn with its own fire and flared as he snorted. "I already told you I didn't like your manipulation. You have crossed the line yourself."

Even though he did not directly state it, Renamon knew that he was still stinging from her insult about wishing that Ryo had a different partner. "Please," she pleaded. "I'm sorry. Can't we-"

"No!" Strikedramon interrupted. "I have had enough with you and your mind games! I have my own mission. And now it is time to do what I should have done instead of letting you use me. DIE!!" At that, he lurched forward at her. The anger that he had clearly been holding back had built up and was exploding out in one burst. "Strike Fang!!"

Renamon tried to dodge him by jumping, but Strikedramon caught her foot halfway up and pulled her down, a burning claw already flying toward her. She quickly parried by swatting the claw aside.

With a howl, Strikedramon used the full extent of his speed to hail punches and kicks at her. "STRIKE BARRAGE!!" His limps were a blur as Renamon tried in vain to dodge or block as much of the strikes as she could. She saw a fist fly toward her head and raised her arms, but Strikedramon used his other fist to hit her stomach, causing her to double over. The first fist flew over the place where her head had been and Strikedramon used that momentum to spin, bringing his tail into play like he did the last time. The metal tip of the tail once again racked across her face.

Stars exploded in her vision as Renamon tried to rise. Her anger flared up again, wanting to make Strikedramon pay. However, Renamon clamped down on her anger. It had gotten her into this situation in the first place. She was not about to make the mistake of letting her anger cloud her actions again. The vixen shook her head slightly to try and clear her eyesight, but that only resulted in a worse headache. Still, she could see enough to know that Strikedramon was approaching her. Instinct took over as she swept her feet in an arc, hoping to trip him.

Unfortunately, Strikedramon was not consumed by his rage enough to not learn his lesson. He pulled his knees to his chest and her legs swept empty sand as he jumped towards her. His claws ignited once again with fire as cold as his heart. Despite her headache, Renamon flipped herself to her feet and caught his wrist with both of her paws just before the claws reached her. Strikedramon then kicked out his legs, hitting her full in the stomach once again. She lost his grip on him and skidded across the sand.

Her once dry and golden fur was now dirty and full of sand. Both their heavy panting filled the air. Renamon forced open her eyes once again to see Strikedramon towering over her. He gave her a sadistic grin when he realised that she was looking at him and used his knee and one hand to trap her arms. Renamon could not do anything but watch Strikedramon. She let her anger show in her eyes while she glared at him. She could see in his eyes that he was enjoying having power over her. Then, anger and hate filled his eyes and he lifted his arm to finish her off with a Strike Claw attack.

She closed her eyes to prevent her regret from showing. She had failed. It was her mistake to let herself to be controlled by her anger, against her better judgement.

How could I have been so foolish?

Now she would never be able to reunite everyone.

She would never be able to see Rika again.

:. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane, Crystal Palace

Entrance to Underground Tunnels

10:25 PM JST

"Someone pinch me…" Terriermon muttered. An instant later, he yelped. "OW! I didn't really mean it!!"

Guilmon tilted his head to the side. "But you said to pinch you…"

"I didn't mean it literally!" Terriermon exclaimed in reply.

Guilmon put a claw to his chin in thought, something that Impmon was certain that the red saurian picked up from Terriermon's partner. "Oh…" Then, his face lit up in a way that only Guilmon could. "I know! It must be one of the things that Takato says that he doesn't mean!"

"Took ya long enough, Pineapple Head," Impmon said with a slim smile.

Calumon looked from one mon to the next, before shaking his head. "I don't know what game you're playing but I want to play!!"

Before Impmon could reply, he noticed that Guilmon's bat-like ears drooped. His smile turned into a frown. Then, he realised why Guilmon was that way. It must have been being reminded of Takato…

"Cheer up, Guilmon," Lopmon said from the top of Guilmon's head, having apparently come to the same conclusion. "All will be well."

"Okay…" Guilmon replied uncertainly.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Grizzlymon shouted to attract their attention. "Come on! Let's show you around."

"But we have to bring them to the big boss first," Drimogemon protested.

Impmon grimaced. After much debating, the two finally decided to bring them to see their superiors before leading them to a place for them to rest. Good. Impmon thought when they finally agreed on an action. I want to see this Saviour and have him help me find Renamon so that I can finally take a break. He glanced at his friends. I don't want to be in charge any longer than I need to. After all, this is harder than it looks. Then, he grinned. I'd gladly admit that Fox Face can do this much better than I could.

With that thought, Impmon realised that he had changed… even if only a little. In the past, he would never admit anything that made him seem weaker than the others. His pride didn't allow him that. But maybe I'm so tired and irritated now that I don't care much for pride for the moment. Impmon mused.

No matter the case, the group continued to march towards the crystal palace that Grizzlymon said the Saviour resided in. They entered a small village full of Digimon left, right and centre. There were many that Impmon did not even know the names of. Guilmon and the newly awakened Calumon grinned like idiots at everyone and waved at them. Those who noticed waved or smiled back.

What Impmon was surprised by was that they were not trying to rip each other's guts out. The whole lot of them seemed to have found a kind of harmony. It was so unnatural… at least to Impmon. The Digital World to him had always been a place of violence and never-ending battles for power or survival. It was indefinitely strange to see all kinds of Digimon co-existing. It seemed more like the Human World than what he knew of the world. Now, reminded of the Human World, Impmon's thoughts drifted to his Tamers.

Ai… Mako… Don't worry. I'll come back soon.

The rest of the trip was completed in silence, as it seemed that even the loudmouthed Terriermon was, for once, tongue-tied. It was a lot like a refugee camp, full of Digimon in all kinds of conditions and moods. Impmon caught a glimpse of a group of several severely injured Digimon that were leaking data in countless places, while another Digimon gave out what was unmistakably data packets. In another part of the 'camp', Impmon saw a couple of grim Digimon standing around, not knowing what to do. He also saw a Digimon that was herding Baby and In-Training Digimon around, trying to keep them out of trouble.

Impmon blinked in surprise, not expecting that there were still Baby and In-Training Digimon around. He thought that they had ceased to exist here long ago, deleted and loaded by other Digimon already. He found the sides of his mouth tug up slightly as he noted their resemblance to Guilmon and Calumon in terms of enthusiasm.

Finally, they reached the entrance to the castle. It was a lot bigger than Impmon thought, with its height matching that of three MegaGalgomons standing on each other. The entrance itself was a medieval gate that had half of MegaGalgomon's height. Once they reached the entrance, Lopmon decided to comment.

"Strange," she said with a frown. "In all my days as a Deva, I don't recall anything resembling this castle anywhere…"

"Well," Terriermon said, seeming to having finally untied his tongue. "Maybe you don't get out enough… and you still don't," he said as an afterthought.

"Whoa… big shiny castle…" Calumon said in awe for the umpteenth time. Impmon rolled his eyes. Then, he added something new. "Hey, the big doors are opening."

True enough, the gigantic 'doors' began to swing open, revealing two Digimon radiating authority and power standing behind it, talking to each other and oblivious to the presence of the group. Each stood the height of Dukemon, with one slightly taller than the other.

Impmon's eyes widened at the sight of the two. Immediately, he knew that the taller one of the two, wielding a gigantic broadsword in his hand as though it was a toy, was the more powerful, more important one. Impmon didn't need either Drimogemon or Grizzlymon to know that the one with the broadsword was probably the Saviour that they had been talking about. The said duo, on seeing the two, did not hesitate to kneel before the two figures and bowing their heads as far as they would go.

However, the power that Impmon felt radiating from the Saviour was so much that it set practically all of his instincts on overload. It was so much. The power the Saviour was radiating felt even more than his Blast Mode or Dukemon's Crimson Mode ever having. All his instincts were screaming at him to do something. He was torn between wanting to run, wanting to fight, and wanting to stand there like a statue until the Saviour walked away. The others seemed to feel the same way he did.

Guilmon, on the other hand, began growling at the two. Grizzlymon and Drimogemon quickly cast furtive glances at Guilmon in hopes to silence him. Not only did Guilmon not stop, his growling increased in volume.

That also caused the Saviour and his companion to notice the group at last and halt in their conversation. The Saviour's eyes widened slightly in surprise while his companion glared at Guilmon.

"What is this?" The companion of the Saviour, clad in yellow striped purple armour, barked angrily.

Grizzlymon, attempting to clamp Guilmon's mouth while still bowing, quickly replied, "Sorry, lord. We're just…" He gave up bowing and simply pulled Guilmon's mouth to him and pressed it shut, "…passing by."

Startled by both Guilmon's growling and Grizzlymon's actions, Impmon snapped out of his indecisive trance. Information that had been suspended by the presence of the Saviour flowed into him faster than his brain could process. But one thought stood out above all the rest.

Pineapple Head's growling… Pineapple Head's growling… Guilmon's growling… The only problem was, Impmon didn't know whether it was simply the red saurian's way of reacting to the Saviour's aura of power or was it because he was detecting danger. If it was the former situation, Impmon had to help Grizzlymon keep Guilmon's growling to the minimum for fear of the Saviour taking offence. If it was the latter situation, he had to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible.

However, before he had time to make his decision, Impmon found the answer… or rather, Guilmon did.

And it was none of the above.

"Pyro Sphere!!"

:. Digital Plane - Desert Plane

10:29 PM JST

Rika… The thought echoed throughout her mind. The very mention of her Tamer's name in her mind suddenly embedded her with an incredible urge to live.

No! I cannot let this happen! I cannot give up like this! I still haven't seen Rika! And until then, I swear upon everything the exists that I will live!!

With a new surge of strength that revitalised her, she extended her claws and buried them as deep as she could within the sand. Strikedramon's arm descended, but Renamon tilted her head to the side, leaving the flaming claws to impale into the sand instead of her. For some strange reason, everyone (including herself) loved to aim at the heads, thus giving the enemy an opportunity to simply turn the head to one side to avoid a deathblow. She grinned at his frustrated expression before flicking her wrist, resulting in sand flying into Strikedramon's eyes.

He howled in pain, releasing her and clawing at his eyes as though that way he could claw out all the sand she flicked into them. Screeches were emitted as the claws scratched against his metal helmet. With one hand free, she used it to retaliate. "Power Paw!!"

Strikedramon took the hit in his stomach and that sent the rest of him off her. She got to her feet and followed up with a kick. The purple dragon managed to hold his ground. With visible effort, he removed his claws from his eyes. At that moment, Renamon finally saw the effect her sand attack had on him. He had been forced to close his eyes, leaving him blind. But regardless, Renamon tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms to the sides as he tried to struggle against her hold in vain.

Strange how our positions are now inverted.

"Strikedramon!" Renamon said his name again. "What must I do for you to stop and forgive me?!"

The Champion stopped struggling and turned blinded eyes to face in the general direction of her face. "You can die," he said with such scorn that she flinched. But the confidence underlying his tone caught her attention. It was the confidence that was born of inevitable victory. Too late, she realised her mistake as the metal plates of Strikedramon's body began to heat up. "Strike Fang!!"

As Strikedramon's body burst into flames, Renamon was already pushing herself away from him. She felt its heat attempt to catch fire on her fur, and knew that a fire on her fur would be the least of her worries if Strikedramon chose to push his attack to its full power. The kitsune allowed instinct to act for her, forming a thin wall of shards in front of her to at least hold the heat of the blue flames away… even only temporarily.

That proved to be another big mistake.

The flames, like she expected, flared out in all directions. The shield of shards, also like she expected, held the flames back… but only for an instant. The flames pushed against her for control of the shards that was the only thing that held the fires back. Renamon continued to fight against the explosive kinetic forces that came from the flames with nothing but will alone.

As it turned out, Renamon was never a match for the raw power of the explosive attack. The shards that protected her from the fires so well turned against her, powered by the very force that she had been trying to hold back with them. They gained a speed that was impossible when Renamon controlled them, propelled to the speed of bullets in a nanosecond. The hailstorm rained on Renamon and she felt as though she was being ripped apart in every area of her body all at once.

She released an involuntary cry of pain as her body hit the sand yet again. A groan came from her lips when the sand made contact with her new wounds, wounds made by her own attack. Renamon tried to push herself up, but her body did not comply. The temptation of unconsciousness pulled at her. The initial surge of strength was already fading, leaving her feeling as though she was just one big bruise.

Painfully, she cracked open her eyes. Her eyes found Strikedramon, who was on his feet, but he made no effort to approach her. He was still on fire, making him look almost god-like. He seemed distracted. His eyes, blinded by her sand attack, flickered within his eyelids. It was as though he had entered a trance, fighting off an opponent of his mind.

Renamon, seeing this, forced herself to ignore the pains that plagued her body and tried to get up again, only to fall back down. She grind her teeth in pain as sand slipped into her wounds yet again.

At the sound of her body hitting the ground, Strikedramon opened his eyes and glared at her again. His jaw was clamped so tight she thought that his teeth might be starting to sport cracks. His upper body was tilting forward, but it looked as though he was trying to hold back for some reason. Half of him looked like he wanted to step forward and put a hole in her. Another half looked as though he wanted to stay there until the sky dropped.

For the first time in her life, Renamon saw panic begin to seep into his eyes, though his hatred burned as bright as before, if not even more so. Renamon was beginning to wonder what was happening when Strikedramon let out a roar.

The roar chilled her to the bone, for it was the roar… of Cyberdramon.

Strikedramon's form began to enlarge, sprouting enormous muscles from his lean ones. His skin tone began to grow darker. Rag-like wings sprouted from his back. Renamon felt utter dread. Another howl ripped through the air, one of pain and loss.

The howl continued to stretch, growing louder. The pain and loss in the howl began turning into rage, while the howl itself became a roar of challenge that seemed to drag on and on. Renamon watched the spectacle, horrified.

Once the transformation was complete, Cyberdramon gazed at her from eyes hidden within his visor…

…And charged.

To be honest, it was hard to decide which cliffhanger to put as the one for this chapter. Both are just so darn good…

Anyways, I have to thank Rubberman2025, nightdragon0 and Matt Lans for reviewing, as well as Crazyeight for Beta Reading this chapter.

Finally, all I have left to say is: Review!!