"New Gennai Order" -- Episode 04: Legend of the V-Mon
September 2002, Ryan Berke
Email me at RyanBerke2@hotmail.com. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them--but let me know first!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it?))
((SHAMELESS PLUG: At the beginning of the summer, my band The Federalist Papers* recorded our first CD. We've got one of the songs available for download on mp3.com, so if you don't mind, please give Escape** a look.))
And since Xing stripped my link codes: * http://federalistpapers.cjb.net/ ** http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/443/the_federalist_papers.html
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Previously, in "What If?":
Mimi, cast out of Izzy's rebellion for insubordination, joins the visiting 02 digidestined. She tells them of a nearby town, where the resistance has no contacts. Miyako, Hawkmon, Takeru, and Patamon are sent as reconnaisance to scout out the town for resistance or Gennai supporters.
Miyako, hurt by Izzy's downright cruelty towards her, re-evaluates her choice in crushes. She turns to Takeru as her next love object. Hiding at the town's outskirts, they sort out their feelings while their digimon roam the town.
The digimon narrowly escape a close encounter with Gennai-supporters and round up their digidestined to go back to camp. They're pursued by two of the digimon they encountered, who chase them through the forest until Daisuke arrives, single-handedly scaring them away...
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The digidestined sat around their camp, reviewing the previous day's battle. Kami and WarAgumon sat farther back than the others, as did Miyako, who stayed to one side and kept mostly to herself, nursing her pride. In the middle of the group, Iori led the discussion to evaluate the outcome of the skirmish.
"I just don't understand," he said, "They had you cornered and overpowered. And why would they run from Daisuke, of all people?"
"Hey!" the goggle-boy protested.
"Of course they'd run from Daisuke!" V-mon defended his partner, "He had me with him!"
Daisuke was more offended than defended. "Oh, and what would you have done? Headbutted them to death?"
"Hey! I'll have you know we V-mon have been known for centuries for our strength and fighting abilities!" he replied.
"Well you sure weren't known for your knock-knock jokes, that's for sure," Armadillomon said.
Everyone but V-Mon laughted.
"The V-mon warrior clan was legendary!" he fumed, "There was a time when anyone would've run from one of us, not to mention a coupl of crackpots like yesterday."
"Only if they remembered they had something better to do!" Patamon teased.
Another round of laughter.
V-mon scowled, "They'd find something better to do."
"With a face like that, who wouldn't?" Armadillomon said.
Still another bout of laughter at V-mon's expense.
"What's wrong, Takeru?" Patamon said, "You're not laughing."
"It's because he actually has the sense to believe me!" V-mon said indignantly.
"You said the V-mon were legendary?" Takeru asked suddenly. V-mon nodded. "Could you tell us one of your legends, V-mon?"
"Certainly!" said V-mon. He paused for a moment to remember, and began.
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"A thousand years ago, the digiworld wasn't the same as it is now. For example, we know now that our world was created by humans, using leftove data from their telephones and the internet. But back when we didn't know any better, we gave all credit to the four gods. No one had ever gone overseas, unable to cross the vast oceans, so though there were several continents, whichever you were on was your entire world.
We V-mon lived on the Western continent, the one known now as Server. It was a land ruled by warlords and feuding tribes, a world where peace was naught but a dream. There was fighting everywhere, where the only rule was kill, or be killed.
The V-mon were nomads, travelling the continent in hopes of finding peace, living by our code. We were mon of honor; we protected the innocent, battled tyranny, promoted peace and unity, and only fought when there was no alternative. Over time, our deeds became well-known, and the innocent knew there were those--us--that'd defend them. But at the same time, we V-mon made some powerful enemies.
There was a V-mon in particular whose courage is still spoken of today. Being a digimon, he had no individually given name, but out of respect for how well he symbolized V-mon society, he's come to be known simply as "Vee."
As the story goes, Vee was sleeping in the forest when a small, child-level digimon approached him. He was hiding from a warlord who'd taken control of his village, tryinmg to find and bring help. Vee vowed to save the child's village, and evacuate the citizens from the warlord and his tyranny.
But the warlord found out about the child's escape, and sent troops into the forest to recover him. Together, Vee and the child hid in the forest, trying to resue the town without picking a fight.
The troops pressed on, finally surrounding and trapping Vee and the child. Vee told them that he meant no harm, and asked them to back down. They refused. He gave them one last chance, and instead they attacked. The child in danger, Vee jumped in front of him to protect him. Then something extraordinary happened.
In a brilliant flash of light, Vee digivolved to protect the child. He grabbed the attacker, countering the initial blow, and destroying him with one hit.
The other troops pressed in, swarming Vee, until he was outnumbered twenty-to-one. He faced them all fearlessly, and in the coming melee, defeated them all. They were all deleted, their data left to go back to primary village.
Vee de-digivolved, exhausted. The child was trembling, but okay. Back then, there were no digidestined, and digivolution served only as a progression through life. Startled, the child looked at Vee with new respect, and Vee took him by the hand. The two left into the forest to find and rescue the town.
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"And that's the legend of the heroic V-mon." V-mon looked up, crossing his arms in a pride-filled stance. All eyes were on him.
"That's--that's horrible!" Iori stuttered, "He killed all those digimon..."
"He had no choice!" V-mon defended his hero. "He saved that child--the child would've died if Vee hadn't stepped in."
"And twenty others died because of it."
"But he had to stop them!"
"But did he have to kill them in the process?"
"He was a hero."
"A murderer."
"Enough!" Hikari exclaimed. All eyes turned to her in surprise; while she was always one for keeping the peace, it was rare that they'd seen her shout. "Whichever he was, he was an excellent fighter. If those digimon in the forest yesterday had heard of the story before, that might explain why they were so scared: they didn't want to die like the goons in the legend did."
"What we need to worry about now," Takeru agreed. "Is whether or not they'll be coming back. Because if they do, they'll be bound to have reinforcements. And when they do, it'll be enough of them that they won't back down."
"Nobody goes into the forest alone," WarAgumon ordered, taking charge. "Those with digimon or digidestined partners, stay together at all times, and if possible whenever you leave camp, take another pair with you. For these purposes, Kami will stay with me."
"Is that fine with everyone else?" Mimi asked, double-checking to make sure the plan wasn't being forced onto anyone who wasn't comfortable with it. Everyone nodded.
She smiled. "On that note, Daisuke, V-mon, Iori, and Armadillomon have foraging duty today."
V-mon and Iori glared at each other, and the four left to find food.
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Run, run. Gotta get away. Can't let myself be caught. Have to warn them.
Chuumon's little heart pounded in his chest, beating violently as he bolted through the forest. Urgency pulled him along, but fear rode behind him pushing him faster.
He burst into a riverside clearing, and knew he'd come to the right place. He was surrounded on three sides by water, the fourth side (and the only way out) being behind, from where he'd came. There were hoof, talon, and paw marks all over the ground, but the way they were laid out resembled a fight. If by only that sign alone, he knew he was in the right place.
Chuumon's panic rose, knowing his pursuit couldn't be very far behind. He began to sweat uncontrollably, yelling hopefully across the river, "Help, help!"
C'mon, c'mon! Where were they? They had to be nearby. They had to be.
He called again, "Help, hel--"
"Poison Ivy!" a girl's voice cried, cutting him off. Long purple vines streamed towards him, coming from the other side of some bushes across the stream. The vines closed around him, and Chuumon felt himself being lifted over the stream.
The vines set him down on the other side, gently placing him on the ground so the bushes would hide him from sight as well. He looked up, seeing who his rescuers were: two human girls, backed by two rookie digimon. The girl on the right, purple-haired and dressed in most notably a vest and a helmet, was accompanied by a bird-like digimon Chuumon was unfamiliar with. The bird matched the description of the one from the tavern, so he wasn't too worried.
The girl on the other side was unmistakably Mimi Tachikawa, the girl from the resistance movement. Reward posters were put up everywhere for her in the past four years, but as time passed, the posters were more and more ignored. She looked just as she had in the poster, though her cowboy-themed garb was much more worn, and obviously had been subjected to various alterings as the girl wearing them had grown. Brown-haired, fair-skinned, and backed by the Palmon, there was no mistaking her either.
"Are you okay?" Mimi asked, with a sincerity rare in the digiworld these days. "We heard you calling for help."
"I'm fine, now," Chuumon said. "Thanks to you guys."
"What happened?" the other girl asked.
"I've just come up from the village," Chuumon said. "I need to talk to the resistance right now."
"Woah, wait," the other girl said. "What makes you so sure we'll just trust you? What's to keep you from turning us over to Lord Dramon?"
"Not everyone in my village is on Lord Dramon's side," Chuumon said gravely. "And I need your help to save the ones that aren't."
---------------
"Okay, this is everyone," Miyako lied. They'd led Chuumon back to their camp, stopping just far enough away to send Mimi in to plan while Miyako guarded their charge. It'd been decided okay to show him WarAgumon and Kami, who he'd recognize from the old reward posters. Similarly, Takeru and Patamon, who'd already been seen by the town, were okayed. The others had been sent to find Daisuke and Iori, to make sure they didn't come back into camp prematurely. Once everything was ready and the camp made to not look like it had extra people staying in it, Mayako led Chuumon into camp.
"Okay," Chuumon said with a quick look around, satisfied by what he saw, "I'm here in part to apologize on behalf of the village. We wish to make it known that the actions of some do not necessarilly reflect the opinions of the entire community. The two digimon who chased you were Banditmon and Robbermon--not exactly some of the more preferable people to hang around."
"We noticed," Miyako said gruffly.
"They belong to the Loyalist movement, a faction currently splitting our town," he explained, ignoring or choosing not to acknowledge her reply. "While in number, they make up only a minority of our populace, they also make up a majority of the higher-evolved digimon--most of the Loyalists are either Champion or in a few cases, Ultimate. They look down on us "lower forms," and tend to boss us around."
"Why doesn't anyone stop them?" Patamon asked.
"They're Loyalists," Chuumon repeated, as though the one word explained everything, "And it's no secret the Loyalists run the town. That tavern you guys went into was one of their favorite hangouts. Bad choice on you guys' parts, I guess."
Takeru's and Miyako's lips tightened at their edges, drawing their mouths into flat lines, as they both grimly nodded their agreement.
"They way I see it," Chuumon said, "Was that you guys went in there as rookies. I know there must be something you could've digivolved into and commanded more respect as."
"We thought it best to keep a lower profile, and thought that'd be easiest as Rookies," Hawkmon explained.
"And you would've been right," Chuumon agreed, "Anywhere but in that tavern. In the tavern, all you could hope to do was offend them." His eyes shifted to the floor, suddenly ashamed for his town.
Hawkmon changed the subject, as if sensing Chuumon's discomfort, "There was another guy there too," he said, "He seemed to be leading the other Loyalists. A big guy at a back table."
"Oh, that'd be Automon," Chuumon said, "He's an ultimate-level, cyborg digimon. Besides leading the Loyalist movement, he also serves as a village mechanic. He doesn't much like the tavern itself, but tends to drop by to keep an eye on his flunkies."
"Anything we need to know about him?" Mimi asked.
"Just watch out," Chuumon said, "Now that he knows you're here, he'll probably come after you. I'm just glad I warned you in time; now you know to watch your backs."
Kami silenced him with a hand gesture. All eyes on her, she explained calmly and logically, "If we already know he's coming, then we need to actaccordingly. We should be ready to leave before he gets here." When everyone nodded their understanding, she turned to WarAgumon, "Go find Iori and Hikari. Tell them it's safe, and that Chuumon can be trusted."
WarAgumon noticed she hadn't mentioned Daisuke, but he wasn't about to say it in front of their guest. "I'll get them," he said, looking to her for explanation.
She looked back, somehow telling with only her eyes, We'll make sure we keep at least one trick still up our sleeves.
WarAgumon looked back to her, agreeing, If they're afraid of V-mon, it'd be wise to keep him in reserve. He melted into the foliage.
She gave a slight nod, then turned to the others, "Until they're back, let's start getting those packs together."
---------------
Once WarAgumon was out of sight, Kami assigned more tasks. It was clear that Daisuke would be kept secret, his pack given to WarAgumon, the only other plausible pack-bearer, due to his large-enough frame. When Mimi finished packing her personal gear, Kami asked her to take Chuumon up a tree and watch for Loyalist trackers, and to make sure that their new ally wouldn't be able to sabotage anything if he wasn't really what he appeared.
They settled in, Palmon setting them gently on a branch strong enough to support their weights. Palmon then proceeded to a different tree, to watch a wider range of forest. Sitting in silence, they watched until Mimi grew uncomfortable and impatient, and turned to her companion. "I knew a Chuumon once," she said, breaking the silence.
"Y-you did?" Chuumon stammered.
"It was a long time ago," Mimi added. "Back on File Island."
Chuumon watched her nervously, waiting for her to continue.
"He was with a Sukamon," she continued, "They seemed like best friends..." her voice began drifting off, as though she were somehow lost in the memory. "It was so long ago--our first year in the digital world, I think. I must've been, what, ten? They thought I was pretty, but I was too young to understand. I thought they were gross--I flat out hated them for wanting to talk to me!"
Chuumon was shaking.
"What's wrong, Chuumon?" she asked, "That was seven years ago. I don't hate you."
"I remember you too, Mimi," Chuumon said suddenly, softly. "I was that Chuumon you saw so long ago. Only for me it was more than seven years. A lot more."
"VenomMyotismon." Mimi nodded. "There was a time difference while we were busy fighting him."
"Yes," Chuumon agreed. "And a lot of time has passed since then. I, myself, have died several times over, only to be reborn at Primary Village."
"You don't have to worry about that now." Mimi calmed him. "We're here to protect you."
"Only until Lord Dramon catches up to us," Chuumon said, "People in the village are saying you guys killed Piedmon--"
"We did kill Piedmon," Mimi said.
"--and knowing that, Lord Dramon won't let you live." Chuumon's voice was urgent, and his heart was beating quickly again. "Lord Dramon is Gennai's favorite of his Knights, and it's because he was the strongest. You might've been able to beat Piedmon, but it'll take a lot more to beat him."
Mimi stared calmly, protectively, into Chuumon's eyes. He gazed back, and almost immediately felt better for it. No one had felt such pure, mothering protectiveness in the digiworld for years--probably since Sora had been swept away, fighting MetalSeadramon.
Mimi clenched a fist. The Gennai Knights had taken too many friends from her to let them take any more. They had a lot to answer for, and Lord Dramon was no exception.
She took a deep breath, "But we're safe from him too," she explained, "WarAgumon is a Dramon Destroyer, just like WarGreymon was. He killed Machinedramon on his own, and he was right in there fighting with us when we killed Piedmon too. Lord Dramon doesn't stand a chance against him."
Chuumon looked up at her, tears drying in his eyes. With a newfound, aweing respect, he said, "You're really gonna do it. You're gonna take on Lord Dramon."
"Yes," Mimi said. "That's why those Loyalists want us so badly."
"And it's driving them crazy," Chuumon said. "They want to look good in front of Lord Dramon. They're all stumbling over each other to find you--that is, the ones who believe Robbermon's story and know you're out here."
Mimi stopped for a moment. "Chuumon," she asked, "What would happen if we went away? Would the Loyalists stop picking on everyone else and give up trying to catch us?"
"I don't think so," Chuumon said. "The only way they're gonna back down is once they've proven themselves to Lord Dramon."
"And what would happen if we did leave?" Mimi asked.
"Then the Loyalists would still run the town," Chuumon said, "And nothing around here would change."
"No. That's not an option," Mimi said, determined, "We can't just leave things how they were, knowing how they've been treating you."
"So what're you going to do?" Chuumon asked.
"I'm not sure," Mimi replied honestly, "But we'll think of something. The way the Loyalists treat everyone else is unnacceptable."
"Y'know, you don't have to do this," Chuumon offered, "You don't need to stick your neck out for us."
Mimi looked him once more in the eyes, "I know."
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"Stay here until we need you," Daisuke grumbled, repeating his instructions. He knew why, of course--they couldn't afford to let V-mon to be seen, whether Chuumon was to be trusted or not. And naturally, as V-mon's partner, he'd be expected to wait too.
He kicked a small stone. It went skipping off, bringing itself to a settled landing only after bouncing off V-mon's forehead.
"Hey!" his partner protested.
"Sorry," Daisuke said. He honestly hadn't remembered that V-mon had been standing there.
V-mon gave him a look.
Suddenly, he could hear sounds--voices?--coming from nearby. They peered through the trees, and saw a group of digimon headed his way, maybe a dozen or so of them. At the lead were two champion digimon that could only be Banditmon and Robbermon.
"What should we do, Daisuke?" V-mon asked.
"What else?" Daisuke replied, "We hide."
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"They're here," Hikari reported in a low whisper, out of earshot of their visitor. She carefully pocketed a walkie-talkie--another toy Izzy had thought to include in her communications pack. "Daisuke reports approximately twelve loyalists, lead by two Champion's he's identified as Banditmon and Robbermon."
"And what of Daisuke?" Kami asked, equally quiet.
"He and V-mon are keeping hidden. Reportedly," she made sure to add.
"Reportedly?" Kami asked.
"He didn't sound like he was keeping hidden," she explained, "If anything, he and V-mon sounded like they were moving, not hiding."
"Moving farther away?" Kami suggested.
"He'd be stupid not to." Hikari frowned at her statement.
"Go get Mimi," Kami ordered, "Tell her it's time to go, but don't tell her why. Let's just hope Daisuke isn't, in fact, doing something stupid."
"That would be a first," Hikari said.
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"I hope this doesn't turn out to be something stupid," Daisuke thought to himself, pocketing his walkie-talkie.
He took the rock he'd hit V-mon with and threw it into the foliage behind and on the other side of his opponents. They turned at the noise, looking around suspiciously. Daisuke ducked out of sight.
V-mon opened his mouth to ask, but Daisuke silenced him with a finger to his lips. Silently, he lowered his lips to the side of V-mon's head.
"Leading them away," Daisuke whispered as quietly as he could, not daring to say more.
Judging it safe, he grabbed another rock and hurled it again.
"I hope," he added quietly, though he doubted V-mon heard.
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Packs distributed and Chuumon safely hidden, the rest of the digidestined party walked single file in the direction opposite from where they'd left Daisuke--logically also the direction of their would-be pursuers. Periodically, WarAgumon would scout ahead, only to slip back silently and usher them along.
"Where are we headed? What's our objective?" he asked, hoping to clarify just what he was scouting for.
"We need to find a way to help the village," Mimi said, "We can't just let the loyalists push everyone else around."
"I hate to be the one to point this out," Iori said, "But they chased us out before. What's to stop them from doing it again?"
"I will," War Agumon replied.
"If we bully them into being on our side, we're no better than the Loyalists are," Iori argued.
"If you honestly thought that, you would've been better off staying with Izzy," WarAgumon growled.
"Maybe," Iori surprised everyone by agreeing, "It's rather fitting that the digidestined of Knowledge are the only ones around here who can actually think."
WarAgumon snarled, only to be calmed by Kami's hand on his shoulder. Kami then returned Iori's sting with one of her own, "It doesn't require intellegence to be able to claim having it."
Iori glared, but the jibe had it's intended effect--he shut up. He might've expected someone else to get involved, but he'd never have guessed it'd be her. He looked inquisitively at her, as though trying to puzzle her out. Kami smiled darkly.
"Of course," she added, the very air charged by her intensity, "You brought it on yourself, WarAgumon. It'd almost serve you right if we did let you be killed for your arrogance."
The situation was resolved, but far from diffused. If anything, Kami had buried it to fester awhile until a wrong word would make it boil up again. And when it did, it would only be worse. She'd silenced them all to brood on the dislike growing in their stomachs.
Kami smiled, then said, "But our time is short. We still need to know what we're going to do."
Takeru was the first to shake off the stunned silence. "Actually, whether they meant it or not, they both have a point."
"What do you mean, Takeru?" Patamon asked.
"We need to make sure the loyalists don't come after the people we're helping," he explained. "But WarAgumon can't stay here forever to do it. We need him to help against Lord Dramon."
"So someone else has to keep them in check," Armadillomon grinned, picking up the idea. "But if all of us are needed, then none of us can stay, which just leaves..."
His voice trailed off. All eyes turned to Chuumon.
"Me?" he asked, his voice squeaking.
"We can't stay around forever. We can only get you started," Takeru said, "But if we set up a resistance cell, you'll be able to work together with others like you to fight back."
"And Mimi has connections to Ground Zero," Hawkmon added, "If anyone can get you connected back to the resistance, she can."
"Could you, Mimi?" Chuumon pleaded through teary eyes.
"Okay," she said, "But first we'll need a safehouse--someplace hidden, like a cellar or something. From there, we can tunnel back to Ground Zero."
"Then I can dig a drop shaft like the one we went through to get there our first time!" Armadillomon said, excitedly.
"And I think I may know a good place," Chuumon offered eagerly.
"Good," Mimi said, "Show us how to get there."
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"I hope this works," Daisuke repeated to himself for what must've been the thousandth time.
Thrown stones could only be used so much before they'd catch on, so he'd made a point of running ahead, leaving things for them to find, maybe occasionally making little noises. After a while of this, all he had to do was watch--they were all so alert, they were doing the work for him. They were tripping over each other, overreacting to the slightest sound. The only thing he had to worry about was that he had them going the right direction, and hope he didn't get careless.
He picked up another stone and let it fly. It took a high arc, intended to fly over and land on the other side of the hunters. Unexpectedly, it instead hit a low-hanging tree branch. The misjudged throw fell, landing squarely on Robbermon's head.
"Oops," Daisuke winced.
"Who did that?" Robbermon roared.
"Did what?" Banditmon asked.
"Someone threw a rock at me!" Robbermon bellowed angrilly.
"Like who?" Banditmon asked, "That little Chuumon we're looking for?"
Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief. They still weren't quite sure what they were chasing after--yet.
"Or those humans we saw yesterday," Robbermon said.
Or maybe not. Again, he held a finger to his lips, and saw V-mon motioning the same to him, as if in agreement.
"Honestly, Robbermon," Banditmon reasoned, "Do you really think we'd be chasing one of those kids, and not know it was them?"
Robbermon ignored his comrade, choosing instead to look around. After a quick surveyal, he made his decision. "They went this way!" he concluded, pointing in the direction exactly opposite where Daisuke had intended to lead him. Daisuke winced as Robbermon hastilly stomped off, followed one at a time by the others in his party.
Banditmon frowned. He was pretty sure they hadn't been following digidestined. If nothing else, there weren't enough of the right tracks on the ground. He looked around one more time to be sure, catching a glimpse of--blue? No, it was gone. But was it a sign?
"You two," he pointed at the last to leave, keeping his voice low, "Stay here." The two confused trackers obeyed.
He looked around some more. He knew he'd seen a flash of blue; something had to be nearby.
Daisuke winced again. Robbermon had gotten exactly the wrong message, and couldn't be stopped. But since Banditmon had stayed behind, there was no way he could warn his friends of the incoming danger, either. He hoped Banditmon would give up soon, but that didn't seem likely.
All he could really do was sit still and silent, try not to be seen, and hope Banditmon passed over him. And hope that his friends would be okay without him.
---------------
Robbermon's pace quickened as he went, spurred on by the hunt. There were nine others behind him, and Banditmon wasn't among them.
Fool, he sneered. Robbermon knew that he wouldn't be the one to let these new digidestined escape. He almost felt sorry for Banditmon; Automon wouldn't take such cowardice lightly.
Too bad for him, Robbermon concluded.
---------------
"Stop here," Takeru said, realizing where they were. This was the clearing where he and Miyako had stopped the first time they'd been to the village. It had the same river running through it, flowing under a bridge before bending and trailing off. To one side of the bridge lay the town, the other the clearing, ending once again in forest. He pulled his friends back into the cover the forest provided, looking to Miyako for the confirmation that this was, in fact, the place he thought it was. She nodded in agreement.
"Okay," Hikari said, unloading her pack from her shoulders, "Here's the deal. We'd give you the walkie-talkie if we had it, but we don't, because Daisuke still does. Instead, we'll have to make do with a signal flare. Use it if you run into any trouble and need us to bail you out. But also remember that if you use it, it'll give us away; so if at all possible, please try first to just hide, instead."
Chuumon frowned. "You mean, you're not coming with me?"
"Not yet," Mimi said, "But we will. First, we need you to find a place we can smuggle into."
"There's a restaurant with a wine cellar under it," Chuumon said desperately, as though begging not to be forced to go on alone. "It's run by a Tapirmon--he's a rookie, just like me. He doesn't much like the loyalists either."
"Check it out, and come back to us," Mimi said, then added calmingly, "We'll still be here when you get back."
"And if you think the place'll work out," Iori added, "Armadillomon and I can come and dig there. We won't be able to drill our way back to ground zero just yet--we don't want to compromise their position--but we'll at least be able to establish a safehouse for your resistance cell, while we try to get back in touch with him."
"And hopefully when it's time to dig, we'll have the walkie-talkie back," Hikari said, "We can give you that, and you'll be able to keep in touch with us until you've got yourselves under way."
"That should be enough for now," Mimi said, "Go ahead, Chuumon. We'll be right here. It'll be okay."
Chuumon was shaking. A sudden crash to their left sent him next to spasming.
Takeru bit his lip at Patamon summed up his concern: "I've got a bad feeling about this..."
There was no place to hide. Safely hidden from the town and clearing, this was supposed to be their place to hide. All they could do was keep perfectly still as the crashings became closer and more numerous.
Suddenly, a face Takeru knew all too well burst into sight. He grinned darkly.
"Banditmon!" Robbermon called out across the forest, "I found them!"
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Daisuke was in a very bad position, he decided. He was separated from the others, trying to lead their chasers away. But thanks to his own bungling, most of his charges had run off--and crediting their stupidity, they'd gotten exactly the wrong message and weren't running in anything close to the right direction to get him. They were, however, headed in the perfect direction to take them exactly where he didn't want them to go.
And he couldn't do anything about it. Somehow they'd seen him and left three behind to deal with him. He couldn't run after the others, or these guys would find him. He couldn't warn his friends, or these guys would hear him. And if they found him, he didn't think he and V-mon would be able to hold up.
A very bad position, indeed.
Banditmon was still searching, and beginning to look his way. If he saw Daisuke, there'd be no mistaking the telltale, flame-licked jacket.
Daisuke couldn't afford to let himself be seen. Again, he picked up a rock--there was no time to think of anything better. As subtly as he could, he tried to throw is past Banditmon, and maybe distract him that way.
Banditmon's eyes flicked to it as he let it fly. His hand reached for it in midair. As though knowing that Daisuke was watching, he turned to where the rock's trajectory had come from, and made a show of crushing the rock in his hand.
This was it--nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. All Daisuke could do was brace against this inevitable fate, and go down fighting. He rose to his feet, and urged V-mon to do the same.
Banditmon, with obvious difficulty, managed to keep his face composed, even as one of the others behind him gasped. Immediately, the trio fell to their knees, bowing submissively.
"Forgive me, sir," Banditmon addressed Daisuke, "I had no idea it was you." He began to stutter fearfully, as his resolve weakened, "W-when w-we saw y-y-you in the f-forest the other d-day, w-w-w-we a-assumed that y-you were only p-p-p-p-passing through."
Daisuke did his best to look undaunted, and live up to intimidating expectations. "What lead you to believe that?" he asked, authoritatively.
"F-f-forgive me, s-sir," Banditmon begged, "I'm at your s-service. D-do w-with me as you w-wish." He lowered his head, offering his neck.
Daisuke declined wordlessly, and Banditmon relaxed.
Daisuke opened his mouth to speak, and everyone looked to him expectantly. But before he could form any words, the forest rang with Robbermon's call: "Banditmon! I found them!"
Daisuke's heart caught in his chest. He swallowed, then said weakly (hoping he didn't sound too weak), "Take me to them."
Banditmon nodded his assent.
---------------
"Get out of the way," WarAgumon growled.
"Oh, I don't think so," Robbermon refused, "I think I'm going to stay right here."
"I was giving you a chance to do it WILLINGLY," WarAgumon said, "Not a choice of yes or no."
"And who's going to make me?"
"We all will," Hikari said. She stood behind Gatomon, as all the others flanked their Digimon. Arrayed in a semi-circle behind WarAgumon, Hawkmon, Palmon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Armadillomon all stood in fighters' stances; their digidestined held digivices at the ready.
Robbermon sneered, his trackers similarly arrayed behind him, "You DARE to threaten me with Rookies?"
As if in response, the digimon evolved in turn:
Hawkmon, armor digivolve to... Shiyurimon, the Samaurai of Sincerity!
Gatomon, armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!
Patamon, armor digivolve to... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!
Armadillomon, armor digivolve to... Digmon, the Drill of Power!
Robbermon took a step back. "They digivolved!" he gasped. His jaw dropped, but he composed himself quickly--after all, he still outnumbered them.
"You!" he ordered, choosing his fastest hunter, "Go into the village and get help. Bring Automon; tell him we've got a gift for Lord Dramon."
"The only gift you'll have to offer," WarAgumon said, "Is that he be permanently spared of your presence."
"Ooh, clever. Did you think that one up all by yourself?" Robbermon jeered.
"Run, Chuumon!" Mimi whispered urgently, "While they're too busy taunting each other to notice you."
"Oh no you don't!" Robbermon said, lunging as Chuumon began to run.
His dive never reached the ground. In midair, he found himself impaled through the chest by WarAgumon's claw. His face froze open-mouthed in shock, as his data dissipated into a black cloud before scattering into deletion.
And then all hell broke loose.
---------------
"They're right up there," Banditmon indicated, pointing ahead. Though Daisuke had offered to run, Banditmon had insisted he ride on his back. Despite the added weight, Banditmon still ran ahead of his companions.
"How can you be so sure?" Daisuke asked.
"You hear those voices?"
Daisuke strained his ears, and realized he could hear voices. "They're close," he said.
Banditmon grunted an affirmation.
"Stop us just a few yards away," Daisuke said, "Keep us just out of sight. We'll watch what happens."
"Aye, sir."
They stopped several feet from the conflict. Daisuke saw his friends with what he knew to be armor-digimon on one side, and the trackers on the other. Robbermon and WarAgumon taunted each other, until he watched Robbermon dive for Chuumon...
"No!" Banditmon exclaimed, dropping Daisuke. Daisuke sat up from his place on the ground; V-mon had similarly dropped next to him.
"Forgive me, sir," Banditmon said, "But I'd rather do what I must and be killed for it after, than live knowing I didn't and could've."
He glanced sideways, where his two friends nodded back.
Yelling battle cries, together they rushed headlong into the clearing.
---------------
Iori could do nothing but watch the chaos unfolding around him. Loyalists charged from everywhere--the nine from behind Robbermon, three more from the woods; another ran towards the town, Shiyurimon hot on his heels. Chuumon sprinted desperately across the field, a flying digimon diving at him from above--Nefertimon and Pegasusmon were handling him, but Digmon had to stop a Loyalist on the ground from handling them.
And in the middle of it all was WarAgumon. completely surrounded and massively outnumbered, he fought on. Where one digimon punched for his head, he'd duck; when another kicked for his legs, he jumped. And when a digimon farther out tried to shoot it's special attack at him, a simple dodge made him shoot an ally instead.
Amidst the maneuvers, WarAgumon attacked only Banditmon. Together, they fought a deadly dance of melee, so close together that Banditmon found himself dodging his companions almost as often as WarAgumon did. The two fought with the ferocity of mortal enemies, both intent on revenge--though in truth, only one of them truly sought that revenge.
Dodge, duck, jump, jab, kick. They fought still more, weaving between blows, planting their own.
Finally, WarAgumon stepped on Banditmon's foot, pinning it to the ground. Banditmon tried to wrench it away, but found it wouldn't budge. His eyes locked on WarAgumon's in fear, knowing there was no escape.
WarAgumon grinned viciously, staring ruthlessly back into those fearful eyes. His head bobbed intuitively to one side, their dance not quite complete. Then, like a madman, he raised his other foot, sending it as hard as he could into Banditmon's shin. The bone gave way into a sickening bend, until there was no way anyone could dare claim the bone wasn't snapped in two.
WarAgumon let up on the foot, leaping off effortlessly over a low kick from behind him. He carried his jump forwards, landing squarely on Banditmon's ribcage, shattering it on impact. Banditmon's howls of pain stopped as his punctured lungs could no longer hold the air to make the heart-wrenching sound. Spasming in pain, he brought his eyes to Daisuke. Unable to speak, he mouthed his final words, "I'm sorry." Banditmon shattered into digidust.
Iori gasped, watching in horror as WarAgumon turned to his other attackers. Nowhere nearly as talented as Banditmon, they stood no chance as WarAgumon methodically eliminated them one by one.
Shocked, Iori whispered to no one in particular, "It's just like V-mon's legend..."
---------------
Days later, tucked safely in the cellar of Tapirmon's restaurant, Chuumon heard the door creak open at the top of the stairs. He dove quickly into the hole Digmon had duck, hidden safely under a floor rug. He tensed as he felt the rug moved aside, but relaxed when he realized who it was.
Mimi took off a hooded cloak, one she'd used to get into the town. She sat next to Chuumon on the ground, offering him some food.
"It's not much," she apologized, "Just some crackers Tapirmon had upstairs."
"It's okay," Chuumon said, nibbling at the edge of one.
"So," Mimi asked, when it appeared he was finished, "You're a fugitive now?"
"Yeah," Chuumon sighed. He stared off in another direction, regretful. "But it's not too bad," he added, "They don't know I'm here. I can do all sorts of stuff for the resistance without anyone ever finding out."
"I bet it's lonely, though."
He said nothing, choosing to ignore her.
She felt sorry for him. He'd ruined his life to warn them about the Loyalists. Things would never be the same for him. She almost wondered what could make a person so mad they'd throw everything away for the smallest chance to fight back.
"So," he asked, drawing back her attention, "How's Iori doing? He seemed pretty torn up when he and Digmon visited me."
"He's a little shaken," she admitted, "But I think he'll be fine. No one takes it well the first time they've been made to see death, and the way WarAgumon showed it to him was particularly gruesome. What I'm more worried about," she explained, "is Kami."
"That creepy girl who yelled at him?"
"That's her," Mimi said, "She's never been too friendly. Not very talkative, always very dark."
Chuumon didn't know what to say.
"It's because of her that Sora died," Mimi said, "She's ruthless. Doesn't care who gets hurt, so long as the job gets done. You saw how little she worried about the town, instead just pushing us along to have it over with."
"If she makes you so uneasy, then why is she with you guys?" Chuumon asked.
"She has powers," Mimi explained, "Powers we need. Desperately. She was the one who forged WarAgumon."
"Then what're you going to do?"
"I don't know." Mimi bit her lip. "But she's becoming more and more manipulative, and though I can't prove anything, I think she may be trying to warp Daisuke."
"But what're you going to do?" Chuumon pressed.
"I don't know," she said again, louder, harsher. She composed herself, then, "I suppose I'll go where they go. I promised I'd be their guide, and I will. And I'll just have to keep an eye on Kami."
"And what about us?" Chuumon asked, quietly.
Mimi didn't say anything, finding the robe's pockets suddenly more interesting. Her hand closed on something she found in there.
"Here," she thrust it at him. "It's the walkie-talkie Daisuke had. We'll come back for it before we leave. But for now, this is your link to us, as long as we've got this resistance cell to set up."
Chuumon accepted it sincerely. "Thanks."
"Anytime," Mimi said. "I promised I wouldn't let the Loyalists kick you around anymore, and for as long as I can stay, I plan to work to keep that promise. Hopefully, this can be the first step."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued
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Email me at RyanBerke2@hotmail.com. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!
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September 2002, Ryan Berke
Email me at RyanBerke2@hotmail.com. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them--but let me know first!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it?))
((SHAMELESS PLUG: At the beginning of the summer, my band The Federalist Papers* recorded our first CD. We've got one of the songs available for download on mp3.com, so if you don't mind, please give Escape** a look.))
And since Xing stripped my link codes: * http://federalistpapers.cjb.net/ ** http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/443/the_federalist_papers.html
Previously, in "What If?":
Mimi, cast out of Izzy's rebellion for insubordination, joins the visiting 02 digidestined. She tells them of a nearby town, where the resistance has no contacts. Miyako, Hawkmon, Takeru, and Patamon are sent as reconnaisance to scout out the town for resistance or Gennai supporters.
Miyako, hurt by Izzy's downright cruelty towards her, re-evaluates her choice in crushes. She turns to Takeru as her next love object. Hiding at the town's outskirts, they sort out their feelings while their digimon roam the town.
The digimon narrowly escape a close encounter with Gennai-supporters and round up their digidestined to go back to camp. They're pursued by two of the digimon they encountered, who chase them through the forest until Daisuke arrives, single-handedly scaring them away...
The digidestined sat around their camp, reviewing the previous day's battle. Kami and WarAgumon sat farther back than the others, as did Miyako, who stayed to one side and kept mostly to herself, nursing her pride. In the middle of the group, Iori led the discussion to evaluate the outcome of the skirmish.
"I just don't understand," he said, "They had you cornered and overpowered. And why would they run from Daisuke, of all people?"
"Hey!" the goggle-boy protested.
"Of course they'd run from Daisuke!" V-mon defended his partner, "He had me with him!"
Daisuke was more offended than defended. "Oh, and what would you have done? Headbutted them to death?"
"Hey! I'll have you know we V-mon have been known for centuries for our strength and fighting abilities!" he replied.
"Well you sure weren't known for your knock-knock jokes, that's for sure," Armadillomon said.
Everyone but V-Mon laughted.
"The V-mon warrior clan was legendary!" he fumed, "There was a time when anyone would've run from one of us, not to mention a coupl of crackpots like yesterday."
"Only if they remembered they had something better to do!" Patamon teased.
Another round of laughter.
V-mon scowled, "They'd find something better to do."
"With a face like that, who wouldn't?" Armadillomon said.
Still another bout of laughter at V-mon's expense.
"What's wrong, Takeru?" Patamon said, "You're not laughing."
"It's because he actually has the sense to believe me!" V-mon said indignantly.
"You said the V-mon were legendary?" Takeru asked suddenly. V-mon nodded. "Could you tell us one of your legends, V-mon?"
"Certainly!" said V-mon. He paused for a moment to remember, and began.
---------------
"A thousand years ago, the digiworld wasn't the same as it is now. For example, we know now that our world was created by humans, using leftove data from their telephones and the internet. But back when we didn't know any better, we gave all credit to the four gods. No one had ever gone overseas, unable to cross the vast oceans, so though there were several continents, whichever you were on was your entire world.
We V-mon lived on the Western continent, the one known now as Server. It was a land ruled by warlords and feuding tribes, a world where peace was naught but a dream. There was fighting everywhere, where the only rule was kill, or be killed.
The V-mon were nomads, travelling the continent in hopes of finding peace, living by our code. We were mon of honor; we protected the innocent, battled tyranny, promoted peace and unity, and only fought when there was no alternative. Over time, our deeds became well-known, and the innocent knew there were those--us--that'd defend them. But at the same time, we V-mon made some powerful enemies.
There was a V-mon in particular whose courage is still spoken of today. Being a digimon, he had no individually given name, but out of respect for how well he symbolized V-mon society, he's come to be known simply as "Vee."
As the story goes, Vee was sleeping in the forest when a small, child-level digimon approached him. He was hiding from a warlord who'd taken control of his village, tryinmg to find and bring help. Vee vowed to save the child's village, and evacuate the citizens from the warlord and his tyranny.
But the warlord found out about the child's escape, and sent troops into the forest to recover him. Together, Vee and the child hid in the forest, trying to resue the town without picking a fight.
The troops pressed on, finally surrounding and trapping Vee and the child. Vee told them that he meant no harm, and asked them to back down. They refused. He gave them one last chance, and instead they attacked. The child in danger, Vee jumped in front of him to protect him. Then something extraordinary happened.
In a brilliant flash of light, Vee digivolved to protect the child. He grabbed the attacker, countering the initial blow, and destroying him with one hit.
The other troops pressed in, swarming Vee, until he was outnumbered twenty-to-one. He faced them all fearlessly, and in the coming melee, defeated them all. They were all deleted, their data left to go back to primary village.
Vee de-digivolved, exhausted. The child was trembling, but okay. Back then, there were no digidestined, and digivolution served only as a progression through life. Startled, the child looked at Vee with new respect, and Vee took him by the hand. The two left into the forest to find and rescue the town.
---------------
"And that's the legend of the heroic V-mon." V-mon looked up, crossing his arms in a pride-filled stance. All eyes were on him.
"That's--that's horrible!" Iori stuttered, "He killed all those digimon..."
"He had no choice!" V-mon defended his hero. "He saved that child--the child would've died if Vee hadn't stepped in."
"And twenty others died because of it."
"But he had to stop them!"
"But did he have to kill them in the process?"
"He was a hero."
"A murderer."
"Enough!" Hikari exclaimed. All eyes turned to her in surprise; while she was always one for keeping the peace, it was rare that they'd seen her shout. "Whichever he was, he was an excellent fighter. If those digimon in the forest yesterday had heard of the story before, that might explain why they were so scared: they didn't want to die like the goons in the legend did."
"What we need to worry about now," Takeru agreed. "Is whether or not they'll be coming back. Because if they do, they'll be bound to have reinforcements. And when they do, it'll be enough of them that they won't back down."
"Nobody goes into the forest alone," WarAgumon ordered, taking charge. "Those with digimon or digidestined partners, stay together at all times, and if possible whenever you leave camp, take another pair with you. For these purposes, Kami will stay with me."
"Is that fine with everyone else?" Mimi asked, double-checking to make sure the plan wasn't being forced onto anyone who wasn't comfortable with it. Everyone nodded.
She smiled. "On that note, Daisuke, V-mon, Iori, and Armadillomon have foraging duty today."
V-mon and Iori glared at each other, and the four left to find food.
---------------
Run, run. Gotta get away. Can't let myself be caught. Have to warn them.
Chuumon's little heart pounded in his chest, beating violently as he bolted through the forest. Urgency pulled him along, but fear rode behind him pushing him faster.
He burst into a riverside clearing, and knew he'd come to the right place. He was surrounded on three sides by water, the fourth side (and the only way out) being behind, from where he'd came. There were hoof, talon, and paw marks all over the ground, but the way they were laid out resembled a fight. If by only that sign alone, he knew he was in the right place.
Chuumon's panic rose, knowing his pursuit couldn't be very far behind. He began to sweat uncontrollably, yelling hopefully across the river, "Help, help!"
C'mon, c'mon! Where were they? They had to be nearby. They had to be.
He called again, "Help, hel--"
"Poison Ivy!" a girl's voice cried, cutting him off. Long purple vines streamed towards him, coming from the other side of some bushes across the stream. The vines closed around him, and Chuumon felt himself being lifted over the stream.
The vines set him down on the other side, gently placing him on the ground so the bushes would hide him from sight as well. He looked up, seeing who his rescuers were: two human girls, backed by two rookie digimon. The girl on the right, purple-haired and dressed in most notably a vest and a helmet, was accompanied by a bird-like digimon Chuumon was unfamiliar with. The bird matched the description of the one from the tavern, so he wasn't too worried.
The girl on the other side was unmistakably Mimi Tachikawa, the girl from the resistance movement. Reward posters were put up everywhere for her in the past four years, but as time passed, the posters were more and more ignored. She looked just as she had in the poster, though her cowboy-themed garb was much more worn, and obviously had been subjected to various alterings as the girl wearing them had grown. Brown-haired, fair-skinned, and backed by the Palmon, there was no mistaking her either.
"Are you okay?" Mimi asked, with a sincerity rare in the digiworld these days. "We heard you calling for help."
"I'm fine, now," Chuumon said. "Thanks to you guys."
"What happened?" the other girl asked.
"I've just come up from the village," Chuumon said. "I need to talk to the resistance right now."
"Woah, wait," the other girl said. "What makes you so sure we'll just trust you? What's to keep you from turning us over to Lord Dramon?"
"Not everyone in my village is on Lord Dramon's side," Chuumon said gravely. "And I need your help to save the ones that aren't."
---------------
"Okay, this is everyone," Miyako lied. They'd led Chuumon back to their camp, stopping just far enough away to send Mimi in to plan while Miyako guarded their charge. It'd been decided okay to show him WarAgumon and Kami, who he'd recognize from the old reward posters. Similarly, Takeru and Patamon, who'd already been seen by the town, were okayed. The others had been sent to find Daisuke and Iori, to make sure they didn't come back into camp prematurely. Once everything was ready and the camp made to not look like it had extra people staying in it, Mayako led Chuumon into camp.
"Okay," Chuumon said with a quick look around, satisfied by what he saw, "I'm here in part to apologize on behalf of the village. We wish to make it known that the actions of some do not necessarilly reflect the opinions of the entire community. The two digimon who chased you were Banditmon and Robbermon--not exactly some of the more preferable people to hang around."
"We noticed," Miyako said gruffly.
"They belong to the Loyalist movement, a faction currently splitting our town," he explained, ignoring or choosing not to acknowledge her reply. "While in number, they make up only a minority of our populace, they also make up a majority of the higher-evolved digimon--most of the Loyalists are either Champion or in a few cases, Ultimate. They look down on us "lower forms," and tend to boss us around."
"Why doesn't anyone stop them?" Patamon asked.
"They're Loyalists," Chuumon repeated, as though the one word explained everything, "And it's no secret the Loyalists run the town. That tavern you guys went into was one of their favorite hangouts. Bad choice on you guys' parts, I guess."
Takeru's and Miyako's lips tightened at their edges, drawing their mouths into flat lines, as they both grimly nodded their agreement.
"They way I see it," Chuumon said, "Was that you guys went in there as rookies. I know there must be something you could've digivolved into and commanded more respect as."
"We thought it best to keep a lower profile, and thought that'd be easiest as Rookies," Hawkmon explained.
"And you would've been right," Chuumon agreed, "Anywhere but in that tavern. In the tavern, all you could hope to do was offend them." His eyes shifted to the floor, suddenly ashamed for his town.
Hawkmon changed the subject, as if sensing Chuumon's discomfort, "There was another guy there too," he said, "He seemed to be leading the other Loyalists. A big guy at a back table."
"Oh, that'd be Automon," Chuumon said, "He's an ultimate-level, cyborg digimon. Besides leading the Loyalist movement, he also serves as a village mechanic. He doesn't much like the tavern itself, but tends to drop by to keep an eye on his flunkies."
"Anything we need to know about him?" Mimi asked.
"Just watch out," Chuumon said, "Now that he knows you're here, he'll probably come after you. I'm just glad I warned you in time; now you know to watch your backs."
Kami silenced him with a hand gesture. All eyes on her, she explained calmly and logically, "If we already know he's coming, then we need to actaccordingly. We should be ready to leave before he gets here." When everyone nodded their understanding, she turned to WarAgumon, "Go find Iori and Hikari. Tell them it's safe, and that Chuumon can be trusted."
WarAgumon noticed she hadn't mentioned Daisuke, but he wasn't about to say it in front of their guest. "I'll get them," he said, looking to her for explanation.
She looked back, somehow telling with only her eyes, We'll make sure we keep at least one trick still up our sleeves.
WarAgumon looked back to her, agreeing, If they're afraid of V-mon, it'd be wise to keep him in reserve. He melted into the foliage.
She gave a slight nod, then turned to the others, "Until they're back, let's start getting those packs together."
---------------
Once WarAgumon was out of sight, Kami assigned more tasks. It was clear that Daisuke would be kept secret, his pack given to WarAgumon, the only other plausible pack-bearer, due to his large-enough frame. When Mimi finished packing her personal gear, Kami asked her to take Chuumon up a tree and watch for Loyalist trackers, and to make sure that their new ally wouldn't be able to sabotage anything if he wasn't really what he appeared.
They settled in, Palmon setting them gently on a branch strong enough to support their weights. Palmon then proceeded to a different tree, to watch a wider range of forest. Sitting in silence, they watched until Mimi grew uncomfortable and impatient, and turned to her companion. "I knew a Chuumon once," she said, breaking the silence.
"Y-you did?" Chuumon stammered.
"It was a long time ago," Mimi added. "Back on File Island."
Chuumon watched her nervously, waiting for her to continue.
"He was with a Sukamon," she continued, "They seemed like best friends..." her voice began drifting off, as though she were somehow lost in the memory. "It was so long ago--our first year in the digital world, I think. I must've been, what, ten? They thought I was pretty, but I was too young to understand. I thought they were gross--I flat out hated them for wanting to talk to me!"
Chuumon was shaking.
"What's wrong, Chuumon?" she asked, "That was seven years ago. I don't hate you."
"I remember you too, Mimi," Chuumon said suddenly, softly. "I was that Chuumon you saw so long ago. Only for me it was more than seven years. A lot more."
"VenomMyotismon." Mimi nodded. "There was a time difference while we were busy fighting him."
"Yes," Chuumon agreed. "And a lot of time has passed since then. I, myself, have died several times over, only to be reborn at Primary Village."
"You don't have to worry about that now." Mimi calmed him. "We're here to protect you."
"Only until Lord Dramon catches up to us," Chuumon said, "People in the village are saying you guys killed Piedmon--"
"We did kill Piedmon," Mimi said.
"--and knowing that, Lord Dramon won't let you live." Chuumon's voice was urgent, and his heart was beating quickly again. "Lord Dramon is Gennai's favorite of his Knights, and it's because he was the strongest. You might've been able to beat Piedmon, but it'll take a lot more to beat him."
Mimi stared calmly, protectively, into Chuumon's eyes. He gazed back, and almost immediately felt better for it. No one had felt such pure, mothering protectiveness in the digiworld for years--probably since Sora had been swept away, fighting MetalSeadramon.
Mimi clenched a fist. The Gennai Knights had taken too many friends from her to let them take any more. They had a lot to answer for, and Lord Dramon was no exception.
She took a deep breath, "But we're safe from him too," she explained, "WarAgumon is a Dramon Destroyer, just like WarGreymon was. He killed Machinedramon on his own, and he was right in there fighting with us when we killed Piedmon too. Lord Dramon doesn't stand a chance against him."
Chuumon looked up at her, tears drying in his eyes. With a newfound, aweing respect, he said, "You're really gonna do it. You're gonna take on Lord Dramon."
"Yes," Mimi said. "That's why those Loyalists want us so badly."
"And it's driving them crazy," Chuumon said. "They want to look good in front of Lord Dramon. They're all stumbling over each other to find you--that is, the ones who believe Robbermon's story and know you're out here."
Mimi stopped for a moment. "Chuumon," she asked, "What would happen if we went away? Would the Loyalists stop picking on everyone else and give up trying to catch us?"
"I don't think so," Chuumon said. "The only way they're gonna back down is once they've proven themselves to Lord Dramon."
"And what would happen if we did leave?" Mimi asked.
"Then the Loyalists would still run the town," Chuumon said, "And nothing around here would change."
"No. That's not an option," Mimi said, determined, "We can't just leave things how they were, knowing how they've been treating you."
"So what're you going to do?" Chuumon asked.
"I'm not sure," Mimi replied honestly, "But we'll think of something. The way the Loyalists treat everyone else is unnacceptable."
"Y'know, you don't have to do this," Chuumon offered, "You don't need to stick your neck out for us."
Mimi looked him once more in the eyes, "I know."
---------------
"Stay here until we need you," Daisuke grumbled, repeating his instructions. He knew why, of course--they couldn't afford to let V-mon to be seen, whether Chuumon was to be trusted or not. And naturally, as V-mon's partner, he'd be expected to wait too.
He kicked a small stone. It went skipping off, bringing itself to a settled landing only after bouncing off V-mon's forehead.
"Hey!" his partner protested.
"Sorry," Daisuke said. He honestly hadn't remembered that V-mon had been standing there.
V-mon gave him a look.
Suddenly, he could hear sounds--voices?--coming from nearby. They peered through the trees, and saw a group of digimon headed his way, maybe a dozen or so of them. At the lead were two champion digimon that could only be Banditmon and Robbermon.
"What should we do, Daisuke?" V-mon asked.
"What else?" Daisuke replied, "We hide."
---------------
"They're here," Hikari reported in a low whisper, out of earshot of their visitor. She carefully pocketed a walkie-talkie--another toy Izzy had thought to include in her communications pack. "Daisuke reports approximately twelve loyalists, lead by two Champion's he's identified as Banditmon and Robbermon."
"And what of Daisuke?" Kami asked, equally quiet.
"He and V-mon are keeping hidden. Reportedly," she made sure to add.
"Reportedly?" Kami asked.
"He didn't sound like he was keeping hidden," she explained, "If anything, he and V-mon sounded like they were moving, not hiding."
"Moving farther away?" Kami suggested.
"He'd be stupid not to." Hikari frowned at her statement.
"Go get Mimi," Kami ordered, "Tell her it's time to go, but don't tell her why. Let's just hope Daisuke isn't, in fact, doing something stupid."
"That would be a first," Hikari said.
---------------
"I hope this doesn't turn out to be something stupid," Daisuke thought to himself, pocketing his walkie-talkie.
He took the rock he'd hit V-mon with and threw it into the foliage behind and on the other side of his opponents. They turned at the noise, looking around suspiciously. Daisuke ducked out of sight.
V-mon opened his mouth to ask, but Daisuke silenced him with a finger to his lips. Silently, he lowered his lips to the side of V-mon's head.
"Leading them away," Daisuke whispered as quietly as he could, not daring to say more.
Judging it safe, he grabbed another rock and hurled it again.
"I hope," he added quietly, though he doubted V-mon heard.
---------------
Packs distributed and Chuumon safely hidden, the rest of the digidestined party walked single file in the direction opposite from where they'd left Daisuke--logically also the direction of their would-be pursuers. Periodically, WarAgumon would scout ahead, only to slip back silently and usher them along.
"Where are we headed? What's our objective?" he asked, hoping to clarify just what he was scouting for.
"We need to find a way to help the village," Mimi said, "We can't just let the loyalists push everyone else around."
"I hate to be the one to point this out," Iori said, "But they chased us out before. What's to stop them from doing it again?"
"I will," War Agumon replied.
"If we bully them into being on our side, we're no better than the Loyalists are," Iori argued.
"If you honestly thought that, you would've been better off staying with Izzy," WarAgumon growled.
"Maybe," Iori surprised everyone by agreeing, "It's rather fitting that the digidestined of Knowledge are the only ones around here who can actually think."
WarAgumon snarled, only to be calmed by Kami's hand on his shoulder. Kami then returned Iori's sting with one of her own, "It doesn't require intellegence to be able to claim having it."
Iori glared, but the jibe had it's intended effect--he shut up. He might've expected someone else to get involved, but he'd never have guessed it'd be her. He looked inquisitively at her, as though trying to puzzle her out. Kami smiled darkly.
"Of course," she added, the very air charged by her intensity, "You brought it on yourself, WarAgumon. It'd almost serve you right if we did let you be killed for your arrogance."
The situation was resolved, but far from diffused. If anything, Kami had buried it to fester awhile until a wrong word would make it boil up again. And when it did, it would only be worse. She'd silenced them all to brood on the dislike growing in their stomachs.
Kami smiled, then said, "But our time is short. We still need to know what we're going to do."
Takeru was the first to shake off the stunned silence. "Actually, whether they meant it or not, they both have a point."
"What do you mean, Takeru?" Patamon asked.
"We need to make sure the loyalists don't come after the people we're helping," he explained. "But WarAgumon can't stay here forever to do it. We need him to help against Lord Dramon."
"So someone else has to keep them in check," Armadillomon grinned, picking up the idea. "But if all of us are needed, then none of us can stay, which just leaves..."
His voice trailed off. All eyes turned to Chuumon.
"Me?" he asked, his voice squeaking.
"We can't stay around forever. We can only get you started," Takeru said, "But if we set up a resistance cell, you'll be able to work together with others like you to fight back."
"And Mimi has connections to Ground Zero," Hawkmon added, "If anyone can get you connected back to the resistance, she can."
"Could you, Mimi?" Chuumon pleaded through teary eyes.
"Okay," she said, "But first we'll need a safehouse--someplace hidden, like a cellar or something. From there, we can tunnel back to Ground Zero."
"Then I can dig a drop shaft like the one we went through to get there our first time!" Armadillomon said, excitedly.
"And I think I may know a good place," Chuumon offered eagerly.
"Good," Mimi said, "Show us how to get there."
---------------
"I hope this works," Daisuke repeated to himself for what must've been the thousandth time.
Thrown stones could only be used so much before they'd catch on, so he'd made a point of running ahead, leaving things for them to find, maybe occasionally making little noises. After a while of this, all he had to do was watch--they were all so alert, they were doing the work for him. They were tripping over each other, overreacting to the slightest sound. The only thing he had to worry about was that he had them going the right direction, and hope he didn't get careless.
He picked up another stone and let it fly. It took a high arc, intended to fly over and land on the other side of the hunters. Unexpectedly, it instead hit a low-hanging tree branch. The misjudged throw fell, landing squarely on Robbermon's head.
"Oops," Daisuke winced.
"Who did that?" Robbermon roared.
"Did what?" Banditmon asked.
"Someone threw a rock at me!" Robbermon bellowed angrilly.
"Like who?" Banditmon asked, "That little Chuumon we're looking for?"
Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief. They still weren't quite sure what they were chasing after--yet.
"Or those humans we saw yesterday," Robbermon said.
Or maybe not. Again, he held a finger to his lips, and saw V-mon motioning the same to him, as if in agreement.
"Honestly, Robbermon," Banditmon reasoned, "Do you really think we'd be chasing one of those kids, and not know it was them?"
Robbermon ignored his comrade, choosing instead to look around. After a quick surveyal, he made his decision. "They went this way!" he concluded, pointing in the direction exactly opposite where Daisuke had intended to lead him. Daisuke winced as Robbermon hastilly stomped off, followed one at a time by the others in his party.
Banditmon frowned. He was pretty sure they hadn't been following digidestined. If nothing else, there weren't enough of the right tracks on the ground. He looked around one more time to be sure, catching a glimpse of--blue? No, it was gone. But was it a sign?
"You two," he pointed at the last to leave, keeping his voice low, "Stay here." The two confused trackers obeyed.
He looked around some more. He knew he'd seen a flash of blue; something had to be nearby.
Daisuke winced again. Robbermon had gotten exactly the wrong message, and couldn't be stopped. But since Banditmon had stayed behind, there was no way he could warn his friends of the incoming danger, either. He hoped Banditmon would give up soon, but that didn't seem likely.
All he could really do was sit still and silent, try not to be seen, and hope Banditmon passed over him. And hope that his friends would be okay without him.
---------------
Robbermon's pace quickened as he went, spurred on by the hunt. There were nine others behind him, and Banditmon wasn't among them.
Fool, he sneered. Robbermon knew that he wouldn't be the one to let these new digidestined escape. He almost felt sorry for Banditmon; Automon wouldn't take such cowardice lightly.
Too bad for him, Robbermon concluded.
---------------
"Stop here," Takeru said, realizing where they were. This was the clearing where he and Miyako had stopped the first time they'd been to the village. It had the same river running through it, flowing under a bridge before bending and trailing off. To one side of the bridge lay the town, the other the clearing, ending once again in forest. He pulled his friends back into the cover the forest provided, looking to Miyako for the confirmation that this was, in fact, the place he thought it was. She nodded in agreement.
"Okay," Hikari said, unloading her pack from her shoulders, "Here's the deal. We'd give you the walkie-talkie if we had it, but we don't, because Daisuke still does. Instead, we'll have to make do with a signal flare. Use it if you run into any trouble and need us to bail you out. But also remember that if you use it, it'll give us away; so if at all possible, please try first to just hide, instead."
Chuumon frowned. "You mean, you're not coming with me?"
"Not yet," Mimi said, "But we will. First, we need you to find a place we can smuggle into."
"There's a restaurant with a wine cellar under it," Chuumon said desperately, as though begging not to be forced to go on alone. "It's run by a Tapirmon--he's a rookie, just like me. He doesn't much like the loyalists either."
"Check it out, and come back to us," Mimi said, then added calmingly, "We'll still be here when you get back."
"And if you think the place'll work out," Iori added, "Armadillomon and I can come and dig there. We won't be able to drill our way back to ground zero just yet--we don't want to compromise their position--but we'll at least be able to establish a safehouse for your resistance cell, while we try to get back in touch with him."
"And hopefully when it's time to dig, we'll have the walkie-talkie back," Hikari said, "We can give you that, and you'll be able to keep in touch with us until you've got yourselves under way."
"That should be enough for now," Mimi said, "Go ahead, Chuumon. We'll be right here. It'll be okay."
Chuumon was shaking. A sudden crash to their left sent him next to spasming.
Takeru bit his lip at Patamon summed up his concern: "I've got a bad feeling about this..."
There was no place to hide. Safely hidden from the town and clearing, this was supposed to be their place to hide. All they could do was keep perfectly still as the crashings became closer and more numerous.
Suddenly, a face Takeru knew all too well burst into sight. He grinned darkly.
"Banditmon!" Robbermon called out across the forest, "I found them!"
--------------
Daisuke was in a very bad position, he decided. He was separated from the others, trying to lead their chasers away. But thanks to his own bungling, most of his charges had run off--and crediting their stupidity, they'd gotten exactly the wrong message and weren't running in anything close to the right direction to get him. They were, however, headed in the perfect direction to take them exactly where he didn't want them to go.
And he couldn't do anything about it. Somehow they'd seen him and left three behind to deal with him. He couldn't run after the others, or these guys would find him. He couldn't warn his friends, or these guys would hear him. And if they found him, he didn't think he and V-mon would be able to hold up.
A very bad position, indeed.
Banditmon was still searching, and beginning to look his way. If he saw Daisuke, there'd be no mistaking the telltale, flame-licked jacket.
Daisuke couldn't afford to let himself be seen. Again, he picked up a rock--there was no time to think of anything better. As subtly as he could, he tried to throw is past Banditmon, and maybe distract him that way.
Banditmon's eyes flicked to it as he let it fly. His hand reached for it in midair. As though knowing that Daisuke was watching, he turned to where the rock's trajectory had come from, and made a show of crushing the rock in his hand.
This was it--nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. All Daisuke could do was brace against this inevitable fate, and go down fighting. He rose to his feet, and urged V-mon to do the same.
Banditmon, with obvious difficulty, managed to keep his face composed, even as one of the others behind him gasped. Immediately, the trio fell to their knees, bowing submissively.
"Forgive me, sir," Banditmon addressed Daisuke, "I had no idea it was you." He began to stutter fearfully, as his resolve weakened, "W-when w-we saw y-y-you in the f-forest the other d-day, w-w-w-we a-assumed that y-you were only p-p-p-p-passing through."
Daisuke did his best to look undaunted, and live up to intimidating expectations. "What lead you to believe that?" he asked, authoritatively.
"F-f-forgive me, s-sir," Banditmon begged, "I'm at your s-service. D-do w-with me as you w-wish." He lowered his head, offering his neck.
Daisuke declined wordlessly, and Banditmon relaxed.
Daisuke opened his mouth to speak, and everyone looked to him expectantly. But before he could form any words, the forest rang with Robbermon's call: "Banditmon! I found them!"
Daisuke's heart caught in his chest. He swallowed, then said weakly (hoping he didn't sound too weak), "Take me to them."
Banditmon nodded his assent.
---------------
"Get out of the way," WarAgumon growled.
"Oh, I don't think so," Robbermon refused, "I think I'm going to stay right here."
"I was giving you a chance to do it WILLINGLY," WarAgumon said, "Not a choice of yes or no."
"And who's going to make me?"
"We all will," Hikari said. She stood behind Gatomon, as all the others flanked their Digimon. Arrayed in a semi-circle behind WarAgumon, Hawkmon, Palmon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Armadillomon all stood in fighters' stances; their digidestined held digivices at the ready.
Robbermon sneered, his trackers similarly arrayed behind him, "You DARE to threaten me with Rookies?"
As if in response, the digimon evolved in turn:
Hawkmon, armor digivolve to... Shiyurimon, the Samaurai of Sincerity!
Gatomon, armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!
Patamon, armor digivolve to... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!
Armadillomon, armor digivolve to... Digmon, the Drill of Power!
Robbermon took a step back. "They digivolved!" he gasped. His jaw dropped, but he composed himself quickly--after all, he still outnumbered them.
"You!" he ordered, choosing his fastest hunter, "Go into the village and get help. Bring Automon; tell him we've got a gift for Lord Dramon."
"The only gift you'll have to offer," WarAgumon said, "Is that he be permanently spared of your presence."
"Ooh, clever. Did you think that one up all by yourself?" Robbermon jeered.
"Run, Chuumon!" Mimi whispered urgently, "While they're too busy taunting each other to notice you."
"Oh no you don't!" Robbermon said, lunging as Chuumon began to run.
His dive never reached the ground. In midair, he found himself impaled through the chest by WarAgumon's claw. His face froze open-mouthed in shock, as his data dissipated into a black cloud before scattering into deletion.
And then all hell broke loose.
---------------
"They're right up there," Banditmon indicated, pointing ahead. Though Daisuke had offered to run, Banditmon had insisted he ride on his back. Despite the added weight, Banditmon still ran ahead of his companions.
"How can you be so sure?" Daisuke asked.
"You hear those voices?"
Daisuke strained his ears, and realized he could hear voices. "They're close," he said.
Banditmon grunted an affirmation.
"Stop us just a few yards away," Daisuke said, "Keep us just out of sight. We'll watch what happens."
"Aye, sir."
They stopped several feet from the conflict. Daisuke saw his friends with what he knew to be armor-digimon on one side, and the trackers on the other. Robbermon and WarAgumon taunted each other, until he watched Robbermon dive for Chuumon...
"No!" Banditmon exclaimed, dropping Daisuke. Daisuke sat up from his place on the ground; V-mon had similarly dropped next to him.
"Forgive me, sir," Banditmon said, "But I'd rather do what I must and be killed for it after, than live knowing I didn't and could've."
He glanced sideways, where his two friends nodded back.
Yelling battle cries, together they rushed headlong into the clearing.
---------------
Iori could do nothing but watch the chaos unfolding around him. Loyalists charged from everywhere--the nine from behind Robbermon, three more from the woods; another ran towards the town, Shiyurimon hot on his heels. Chuumon sprinted desperately across the field, a flying digimon diving at him from above--Nefertimon and Pegasusmon were handling him, but Digmon had to stop a Loyalist on the ground from handling them.
And in the middle of it all was WarAgumon. completely surrounded and massively outnumbered, he fought on. Where one digimon punched for his head, he'd duck; when another kicked for his legs, he jumped. And when a digimon farther out tried to shoot it's special attack at him, a simple dodge made him shoot an ally instead.
Amidst the maneuvers, WarAgumon attacked only Banditmon. Together, they fought a deadly dance of melee, so close together that Banditmon found himself dodging his companions almost as often as WarAgumon did. The two fought with the ferocity of mortal enemies, both intent on revenge--though in truth, only one of them truly sought that revenge.
Dodge, duck, jump, jab, kick. They fought still more, weaving between blows, planting their own.
Finally, WarAgumon stepped on Banditmon's foot, pinning it to the ground. Banditmon tried to wrench it away, but found it wouldn't budge. His eyes locked on WarAgumon's in fear, knowing there was no escape.
WarAgumon grinned viciously, staring ruthlessly back into those fearful eyes. His head bobbed intuitively to one side, their dance not quite complete. Then, like a madman, he raised his other foot, sending it as hard as he could into Banditmon's shin. The bone gave way into a sickening bend, until there was no way anyone could dare claim the bone wasn't snapped in two.
WarAgumon let up on the foot, leaping off effortlessly over a low kick from behind him. He carried his jump forwards, landing squarely on Banditmon's ribcage, shattering it on impact. Banditmon's howls of pain stopped as his punctured lungs could no longer hold the air to make the heart-wrenching sound. Spasming in pain, he brought his eyes to Daisuke. Unable to speak, he mouthed his final words, "I'm sorry." Banditmon shattered into digidust.
Iori gasped, watching in horror as WarAgumon turned to his other attackers. Nowhere nearly as talented as Banditmon, they stood no chance as WarAgumon methodically eliminated them one by one.
Shocked, Iori whispered to no one in particular, "It's just like V-mon's legend..."
---------------
Days later, tucked safely in the cellar of Tapirmon's restaurant, Chuumon heard the door creak open at the top of the stairs. He dove quickly into the hole Digmon had duck, hidden safely under a floor rug. He tensed as he felt the rug moved aside, but relaxed when he realized who it was.
Mimi took off a hooded cloak, one she'd used to get into the town. She sat next to Chuumon on the ground, offering him some food.
"It's not much," she apologized, "Just some crackers Tapirmon had upstairs."
"It's okay," Chuumon said, nibbling at the edge of one.
"So," Mimi asked, when it appeared he was finished, "You're a fugitive now?"
"Yeah," Chuumon sighed. He stared off in another direction, regretful. "But it's not too bad," he added, "They don't know I'm here. I can do all sorts of stuff for the resistance without anyone ever finding out."
"I bet it's lonely, though."
He said nothing, choosing to ignore her.
She felt sorry for him. He'd ruined his life to warn them about the Loyalists. Things would never be the same for him. She almost wondered what could make a person so mad they'd throw everything away for the smallest chance to fight back.
"So," he asked, drawing back her attention, "How's Iori doing? He seemed pretty torn up when he and Digmon visited me."
"He's a little shaken," she admitted, "But I think he'll be fine. No one takes it well the first time they've been made to see death, and the way WarAgumon showed it to him was particularly gruesome. What I'm more worried about," she explained, "is Kami."
"That creepy girl who yelled at him?"
"That's her," Mimi said, "She's never been too friendly. Not very talkative, always very dark."
Chuumon didn't know what to say.
"It's because of her that Sora died," Mimi said, "She's ruthless. Doesn't care who gets hurt, so long as the job gets done. You saw how little she worried about the town, instead just pushing us along to have it over with."
"If she makes you so uneasy, then why is she with you guys?" Chuumon asked.
"She has powers," Mimi explained, "Powers we need. Desperately. She was the one who forged WarAgumon."
"Then what're you going to do?"
"I don't know." Mimi bit her lip. "But she's becoming more and more manipulative, and though I can't prove anything, I think she may be trying to warp Daisuke."
"But what're you going to do?" Chuumon pressed.
"I don't know," she said again, louder, harsher. She composed herself, then, "I suppose I'll go where they go. I promised I'd be their guide, and I will. And I'll just have to keep an eye on Kami."
"And what about us?" Chuumon asked, quietly.
Mimi didn't say anything, finding the robe's pockets suddenly more interesting. Her hand closed on something she found in there.
"Here," she thrust it at him. "It's the walkie-talkie Daisuke had. We'll come back for it before we leave. But for now, this is your link to us, as long as we've got this resistance cell to set up."
Chuumon accepted it sincerely. "Thanks."
"Anytime," Mimi said. "I promised I wouldn't let the Loyalists kick you around anymore, and for as long as I can stay, I plan to work to keep that promise. Hopefully, this can be the first step."