Chapter 6: Regrouping the Group
"I see something!" Alexis shouted, pointing at the section of sky lit up by BladeKuwagamon.
"I'm willing to bet that light's a sign," Max said. "That's it! Jen's signaling us."
"Let's hurry up and get to the city!" Akira said excitedly, but this soon can to a halt as they saw a gigantic figure flying toward them on the same trail they were on. Max and Alexis had no idea who this was, but Akira could tell just from where they were.
"Kimeramon…"
Max and Alexis looked at Akira confused. "Who what huh?" Max asked stupidly.
"Look out!" DemiMeramon said as he floated to the side of the street and the others did the same.
Kimeramon seemed to continue to approach them, but stopped. He jerked his head up a bit, as if he sensed something. He then turned around to fly the other way, ignoring the others.
"I think he's going after our friends! We gotta stop him!" Tsunomon yelled. She jumped out of Alexis' arms and DemiMeramon floated next to her. They both shined a bright light.
"DemiMeramon digivolve to… Candlemon!"
"Tsunomon digivolve to… Penguinmon!"
Tokomon watched them attack the Kimeramon from behind. "You fools! Don't do that!"
But the two ignored Tokomon and attacked. "Flame Bomber!" "Power Slap!" they each shouted. Candlemon threw a small fireball at Kimeramon while Penguinmon jumped up in the air and smacked him swiftly multiple times.
Though, these Rookie attacks did not phase him and he fought back, knocking the two partner Digimon to the side and landing in the street. "A fight is what you get!" Kimeramon said in a deep, hoarse voice.
- - -
Jen noticed something in the far distance behind them. "I see a silhouette over there…"
Jared and KoKabuterimon turned around. "Whoa… it looks much like Kimeramon. Max and Alexis and the new kid must still be over there!"
"They might be in trouble… but how will we make it there in time?!" Jen looked at the DemiVeemon in her arms. "Hey, dude… you think you're up for a little ride?"
DemiVeemon opened his eyes. "Yeah, I'm up for anything to get us out of here."
"Alright." Jen tossed DemiVeemon into the air and pulled out her DigiCell. "Initiate Digivolution Matrix!"
- - -
"Candlemon!"
"Penguinmon!"
"Patamon!"
The kids, in combat against a Mega level Digimon, were being easily beaten by the giant Digimon's superior attacks.
"Scissor Claw!" Kimeramon shouted as he used his Kuwagamon arm to slash at the Digimon. This knocked them backwards but none of them gave up, and they didn't de-digivolve.
"We have no choice, guys! It's Champion time!" Max ordered as he pulled out his DigiCell prepared to use it. "Initiate Digivolution Matrix!" each of the three kids shouted, using their DigiCells once again.
"Candlemon digivolve to… Meramon!"
"Penguinmon digivolve to… Dolphmon!"
"Patamon digivolve to… Starmon!"
Now before them were not three Rookie Digimon, but three Champions.
"Fireball!" Meramon shouted, tossing a deep red flame at Kimeramon.
"Dolphin Kick!" Dolphmon shouted as she flopped into the air and smacked Kimeramon with her tail fin.
"Meteor Stream!" Starmon shouted, raising his arms into the air and sending several small meteorites at Kimeramon, knocking him to the ground at last.
Kimeramon then recovered from the attack, but seemingly gave up. He hopped into the air and flew away to the east.
"I think we got him for now," Alexis said proudly as her Digimon as well as Max's de-digivolved. Starmon remained the same.
"We don't have ANYTHING for now," Starmon said, walking back to the kids. "Kimeramon was just weak for the moment, and we got lucky."
When all was said and done, Max and Alexis spotted a few silhouetted figures in the distance. These were their friends. "Jen! Jared!" Max shouted at the gang.
The figures then became visible, and they could see Veedramon carrying Jen and KoKabuterimon flying with Jared on his back. When they came close enough to them, they came to a stop and the kids got off their Digimon.
"Hey, you guys alright?" Jen asked as she jumped off of Veedramon's shoulder.
"Never better," Max sarcastically remarked. "Couldn't you have come any faster?"
Jen looked at Max angrily. "I'm lucky Veemon could digivolve to Veedramon to get me here! There was no way I was gonna run over here to get YOU!"
"Nice of you to put your feet in front of your friends' safety!"
"Who says you're my friend?"
The group fell silent at that moment, as Max looked surprised, but quickly shifted his look to seem careless. "Not that I need a friend like you anyway!" The silence continued for several moments before Jared said something.
"Ooookay then, let's get on our way to the forest, eh?"
- - -
"How much further until we get there?" Akira asked, whining.
"Yeah, my feet are tired!" Alexis also whined.
Jen scoffed. "Not like I can measure in digi-feet, can I?" She adjusted her wristbands and looked over at Jared. "This is about time for an 'according to my calculations' moment, Glasses."
"Ha ha ha. A nerd cliché, how funny," he responded sarcastically. Max kept quiet during this whole ordeal. Now on a new trail just off of the one to the castle, the gang was on its way around the island to get to File Forest, where Kimeramon had come from and probably was now. This trail, like the one before, was lined on the sides with gigantic bones.
Though, KoKabuterimon stopped for a second. "I sense something is nearby…"
"Like what?" Jared asked, interested. Without word, KoKabuterimon jumped up into the air and quickly flew off into the sky.
"I wonder what's up with him," Jen wondered.
"I dunno, but that worries me. What's gonna happen to him if he goes off too far without me?"
"Let's keep going. KoKabuterimon's pretty smart, he'll catch up with us," Max said calmly.
Jared looked behind one last time. "You're right. Let's go." The gang continued on the trail for a few more minutes. They stop when they hear a loud, buzzing noise.
"Do you guys hear that?" Veemon asked. "It sounds funny."
"Yeah," Akira queried. "It doesn't sound friendly, either."
"Let's move faster, Jen, maybe we can outrun it." Veemon seemed calm in saying this.
"Wait," Jared stopped them all, but something interrupted what he was about to say. A shadow appeared upon their heads as a large, insect Digimon flew above them. It looked vaguely familiar to something from before.
The monster landed in front of them on the trail and growled a bit. Jen pulled out her Digivice to scan it.
"Okuwamon! An Ultimate level Digimon!" she read off the holo display. "He doesn't look too nice…"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Veemon exclaimed. "We can take him without KoKabuterimon, right?"
"Right!" each of the other partner Digimon replied. Each child pulled out their DigiCell reluctantly, prepared to fight.
"Wait, but guys---" Jared began, but he was quickly interrupted.
"Initiate Digivolution Matrix!" Jen, Max and Alexis shouted.
Akira looked at Starmon. "Initiate Hyper Digivolution!"
"Veemon digivolve to… Veedramon!"
"Candlemon digivolve to… Meramon!"
"Penguinmon digivolve to… Dolphmon!"
"Starmon hyper digivolve to… Mamemon!" Each Digimon was now charging at Okuwamon.
"V-Nova Blast!"
"Fire Charge!"
"Pulse Blast!"
"Smiley Bomb!"
Each Digimon attacked, but the blast isn't enough to neutralize Okuwamon. "Double Scissors Claw!" he shouted as he slashed at the Digimon, knocking each of them back and injuring them. Veedramon and Meramon hopped back up, ready for more.
"Hammer Punch!" Veedramon pulled his arm back and sent a forceful punch at Okuwamon.
"Roaring Flame!" Meramon ignited himself in more flame than normal, tossing himself at Okuwamon.
The evil bug Digimon was finally phased by the attacks and stumbled a bit. Jared, in the back of the group of kids, looked angry and helpless. "KoKabuterimon, where are you?!" he shouted.
"Alright, Jen, we should use tactics this time!" Max said as if he was ordering her.
"No way, buddy, we're doing my way: brute force! Show him, Veedramon!"
"V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon shouted again and spewed a V-shaped blue flame at Okuwamon, but he was not truly affected by this attack.
"Beetle Horn Attack!" Okuwamon shouted as he charged at Veedramon, encasing him in his clawed mandibles. Veedramon struggled but seemingly could not escape.
"Veedramon, you can do it!" Jen shouted from the sidelines. Meramon, tired from his attack, went in to help Veedramon.
"Fireball!" Meramon shouted, tossing a large ball of red flame at Okuwamon's mandibles, releasing Veedramon from his grip.
"See?" Max said to Jen matter-of-factly. "If we can come up with a group strategy, we can win this!"
Jen looked at Max and smiled. "You're right, you corn dog."
At this moment, two DigiChips materialized in front of Jen and Max. Staring at them a moment, they snatched them out of the air. Looking at each other, they ejected their original chips out of their DigiCells and attempted to insert the new ones. Though, when trying to do so, electricity surged from the slot and shocked their fingers. Since the old ones disconnected, Veedramon and Meramon de-digivolved to their Rookie forms.
"What the… why won't it work?!" Jen said in frustration. The two Rookies escaped from the battle as Mamemon and Dolphmon got back in the fight.
"Dolphin Kick!" Dolphmon shouted, leaping into the air and smacking Okuwamon in the head with her tail fin. This only slightly dazed him as he re-gathered his sanity.
After the hit, Okuwamon began to de-materialize into a rookie Digimon. It was KoKabuterimon!"
"I knew it!" Jared shouted, running to his injured partner. "Why is he doing this so much?"
KoKabuterimon lay on the ground in the middle of the trail. "Yeah… but maybe it didn't all go away," Akira said in his normal, quiet voice.
Mamemon quickly de-digivolved into his Rookie form, a metallic-silver version of Patamon.
"Hey, wait," Jen wondered. "Aren't you the new guy? You weren't around for Guardromon's arrival."
Akira was quiet for a moment. "I know. I think Patamon would like to speak with you all, though."