Alright, so before I begin, I have a few notes about last episode: Someone mentioned how there should be six of them, not five. While this would normally be the case, this is a special situation. All of the Demon Lords have been called, making five new Digi-Destined, plus the added support of Chiharu and Mayu. Also, it was mentioned how funny last chapter was. I knew I'd been spitting a lot of angst at you guys lately, so I thought I'd give you a little break and add in some of my usual humor. And regarding Mikage, I've just stopped mentioning that he talks using his puppet. He always does (though there's a possibility that he will, on very rare occasions, speak on his own). So, unless he doesn't use the puppet, I'm not going to bother. So… On to episode 7~
Mikage:"A few days ago, my grandmother took me away from my home and brought me to Digimon Academy, something I really appreciate. Things weren't going so well at home with my father, so my grandmother decided to give me the opportunity at a better life. She wants me to make friends, but I don't have the time for that. I'm more interested in my studies. When I arrived, I made the Egg of the last of the Demon Lords hatch, Lilithmon of Lust, although at the moment, she's a tiny white marshmallow called YukimiBotamon. I became a Digi-Destined, meaning that I'm where I'm 'supposed to be', but I know that one day, my father will come to retrieve me. I can only dread the day, but I know that the Academy won't give me up so easily."
Mikage sat at the desk in his room, reading through his science textbook, but his mind wouldn't absorb the information on the page. He was too preoccupied, and he hated it.
His father. He knew the man would come for him, soon. His grandmother had told his father a story about sending him to a study camp, but that excuse would only hold up for so long. He was on a business trip, but when he got back and saw that Mikage still wasn't home, the boy knew he'd get suspicious.
"Is something the matter?" YukimiBotamon asked her partner. She'd asked every time he looked down, but every time, he gave her the same answer.
The brunette looked up and stared at her for a moment before lifting his left arm, which, as usual, held his puppet, Mr. Froggy. "Mikage is fine," he reported. "He needs to study." And with that, he put his arm back down, causing YukimiBotamon to frown. She could already feel the natural bond that was forming between her and the human, though she was sure that the boy hadn't felt it, yet. From what she understood, the others hadn't bonded this fast, but perhaps it was because she was the only female. She couldn't be sure, though. All she knew was that she was worried about Mikage, and he wasn't telling her what was on his mind.
"Alright…" she replied, which was her constant response. She just hoped that he'd open up to her soon.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" Chiharu asked, standing in the office. Classes were over for the day, and Beelzemon, having been ticked off enough by YukimiBotamon again, went to let off some steam in the Team Battling room. So, when Chiharu was summoned to the Headmaster's office, she went alone.
"Yes," the old man started, motioning for the young woman to sit. She complied. "As you know, the new Digi-Destined will be going to the Digital World as soon as they are ready. You and Mayu are to accompany them. And again, you will lead them."
The brunette froze. She was supposed to lead these children in the Digital World, after what happened last time? They'd lost so many friends, and she couldn't stop any of it. She adored her students, even her new ones. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost someone again. "I… I don't think I can, Sir…" she started as her eyes began to water. "I don't think I can go through that again…"
"We're not giving you a choice," Dynasmon told her. "Despite the loss of Hideaki, you led the Digi-Destined to victory. Thanks to your leadership, both worlds were saved from total destruction. And now we're relying on you again."
The teacher closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself. She knew she had to do this. Dynasmon was right. But that didn't make it hurt any less. "Alright…" she said softly. "When they're ready…"
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
Tsucasa, with Bukamon in his normal place of hanging off of the human's shoulder, stood in front of the Team Battling room. He tried to open the door, but found it locked. The room was open to students at all hours until curfew, so someone must already be inside. Tsucasa then walked to the door to the observation room. This door was unlocked, so he took the handle and opened it, stepping inside.
He stepped over to the window to see a beach. There were four Digimon, one of which was familiar. The other three were much larger than him.
"SkullScorpiomon, Ultimate Level," he read the data on the first of Beelzemon's opponents quietly. "Attacks: Poison Pierce and Black Out." He looked at the next one. "Vikemon, Mega Level. Attacks: Arctic Blizzard and Viking Flare." He turned to see the last one. "MarineDevimon, Ultimate Level. Attacks: Dark Deluge and Evil Wing."
"Poison Pierce!" SkullScorpiomon yelled, thrusting its deadly tail at the Demon Lord. Beelzemon jumped out of the way at the last minute, wearing a grin that was all too familiar to Bukamon and terrified Tsucasa.
"Double Impact!" the Mega yelled, firing at his first opponent. The bullets hit their mark and sent SkullScorpiomon sliding back through the sand. "Oh, please," Beelzemon said, rolling his eyes. "Yer makin' this too easy. Is that the best ya got?"
"Arctic Blizzard!" Vikemon called out, attacking from behind.
"So, ya wanna play dirty?" Beelzemon asked, never losing that cocky smirk. "I can do that." He holstered the Berenjena and appeared to be waiting for something.
"Dark Deluge!" MarineDevimon called out, shooting a dark, ink-like substance from its mouth.
"Arctic Blizzard!" Vikemon yelled again.
Beelzemon simply stood there as the attacks headed for him on either side, but at the last minute, he jumped up to dodge the moves. MarineDevimon and Vikemon were each thrown back as the attacks hit each other. "Double Impact!" he yelled, once again drawing the Berenjena in midair. One was aimed at Vikemon, while the other was aimed at MarineDevimon. MarineDevimon, being an Ultimate that had just suffered a Mega's attack, fell to the ground. As Beelzemon began to fall from his place in the air, he used MarineDevimon as a springboard and holstered the guns yet again. "Darkness Claw!" he yelled once he was directly over SkullScorpiomon. The Ultimate was further weakened, but it wasn't down for the count yet.
"Poison Pierce!" it tried again, and this time, because Beelzemon was in the air with no way to dodge properly, he took a little damage, though it wasn't very serious. It was just enough to piss the Demon Lord off.
"Darkness Claw!" Beelzemon attacked again as he got even closer. This final attack was able to destroy the Ultimate. He turned to the remaining opponents. "Who's next?" he asked with the same deranged smirk as earlier.
"Dark Deluge!" MarineDevimon yelled, charging forward to get in closer. Beelzemon was able to dodge this attack as he had the others, enraging the very realistic simulation.
"Double Impact!" the Mega yelled, attacking again. His Ultimate level opponent had taken severe damage from the blow it had been dealt by Vikemon, so this final attack destroyed it, as well.
"Looks like it's just you and me, fuzz ball," the Demon Lord said with a laugh.
"Viking Flare!" Vikemon yelled in response, removing the large weapon from its back and charging Beelzemon with a roar.
"Double Impact!" Beelzemon attacked again, firing continuous shots at his final opponent. The giant Mega was slowed slightly, but it was not deterred. Beelzemon managed to jump out of the way of the attack, but the shockwave when the weapon hit the ground sent him flying many feet in the air.
That was a close one, Tsucasa thought.
"Cut it a little close there, huh?" Bukamon commented, unknowingly voicing his partner's thoughts. The human merely nodded slightly in response.
As the cloud in the sand cleared away, Beelzemon stood, dusting himself off. "Now ya've pissed me off," he warned his furry attacker. "Darkness Claw!" The Demon Lord lunged forward, striking the other Mega right in the chest. It stumbled back a few feet, having been hit so hard that it was knocked off its feet. While it was dazed, Beelzemon walked over and stood on its chest. He drew one of the Berenjena and stuck it right in Vikemon's face. "It's been fun," he sneered. "Double Impact!"
Tsucasa was still staring when the beach scene faded away to reveal the classroom again. The door leading from the classroom to the observation room opened, and the Demon Lord of Gluttony stepped inside.
"What're you doin' in here?" he asked.
"W-We… we wanted to train in here, but…" Tsucasa started, but trailed off, unable to gather the courage to speak to a Digimon who he had just seen mercilessly kill three others, even if they were just simulations. Beelzemon had had a little too much fun with that for Tsucasa to feel comfortable.
"You got here and decided to hog it!" Bukamon complained.
"Would ya rather I take it out on you?" he asked. Bukamon appeared to think for a moment.
"We're fine, thank you… Take the room all you want."
"Coward," Beelzemon muttered with a laugh. "Alright, you kids wanna train? Go ahead, I ain't gonna stop ya." He walked over to the control panel. "Level Three alright with you?"
Tsucasa nodded after a short pause. The Mega started messing with the controls, changing the level and setting. "Get in there," he said, pointing to the door. The boy and his In-Training Demon Lord partner complied.
As soon as the door closed behind them, the scene turned into a plateau. A single Digimon stood about ten meters away from them.
"Armadillomon, Rookie Level," Tsucasa read in his usual quiet tone. "Attack: Diamond Shell."
"Shouldn't be too bad," Bukamon said with a smirk. "Bring it on!"
"Diamond Shell!" the Armadillomon yelled, curling up into a ball and rushing at them both. Tsucasa jumped out of the way, pulling Bukamon with him.
"Bubble Blow!" Bukamon retaliated from his partner's shoulder. The attacks hit the Rookie, but due to its hard shell, it didn't take much damage.
"Digital Ability. Birdramon's Meteor Wing: Connect!" Tsucasa just hoped the little In-Training could handle the Champion's attack.
Bukamon jumped into the air from the boy's shoulder and folded both flippers. "Meteor Wing!" he yelled, and twin fireballs appeared, growing rapidly until they were about twice Bukamon's size each. They flew at Armadillomon, each a direct hit. Bukamon dropped to the ground, obviously exhausted. A Champion's attack was supposed to be too strong for just an In-Training level Digimon, so Tsucasa, as well as Beelzemon in the observation room, were surprised that the little guy was able to even pull it off. But now, it looked like the move might cost him.
Armadillomon had been thrown back many feet by the fireballs. Had they been from a Champion, as they were originally, it quite possibly would have been destroyed immediately. As it was, the attack's strength was greatly diminished, so while it damaged the Rookie, it didn't destroy it.
"Diamond Shell!" it yelled as soon as it recovered, charging straight at Bukamon, who didn't have the strength to escape.
"Bukamon!" Tsucasa yelled, concerned for his partner. The little grey Digimon wasn't moving. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. "Maybe we should have gone with Level Two… and now I might lose you…"
"You… can't get rid of me that easily…" the boy heard a voice say. He looked up to see Bukamon's form glowing and changing. As soon as the glow subsided, a green Digimon that looked like a mix between a reptile and a fish stood in his place.
"Betamon, Rookie Level," the black haired boy read. "Attacks: Electric Shock and Water Tower." He smiled. "I knew we could do it…" he whispered.
"Uh-huh, definitely sounded like it a minute ago," the newly Digivolved Rookie replied, rolling his eyes. "Electric Shock!" he yelled, and electricity visibly gathered around his orange dorsal fin. The force kept growing until if fired at Armadillomon. The Rookie was thrown backwards again, but stood up again defiantly.
"Diamond Shell!" he yelled, once again charging. But this time, his target was Tsucasa.
"Water Tower!" Betamon yelled, and thick spirals of water shot up from the ground right in front of Tsucasa, protecting the human from assault. When Armadillomon hit the water wall, it bounced off, right in Betamon's path. "Electric Shock!" he attacked again. This final attack managed to destroy his opponent.
"We did it!" Tsucasa said with a smile as he walked over to his partner. The plateau faded back into a classroom.
"Not bad," Beelzemon commented, leaving the observation room. "But it ain't always gonna be that easy. Remember that."
Tsucasa nodded, and he and Betamon began to leave. The human, however, stopped in the doorway. He turned back to Beelzemon. "What level were you on?" he asked curiously. While it was true that the boy was very shy, he had grown somewhat accustomed to the Digimon, considering that he was the partner of one of Tsucasa's teachers. And he was curious. Level three was a little difficult for an In-Training, but it wasn't too bad for a Rookie. So, doing the math, Tsucasa would have guessed that the Demon Lord was on eight or so.
"That was Level Ten," he told the boy with a smirk, who stared at him, dumbfounded.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"Well, we've got a pretty interesting team," Tanya commented to Devimon that night, lying in her room. She should be trying to sleep, but she had too many things on her mind at the moment. "I mean, there's Onogi and Higurashi, who I'm pretty sure will never be able to work together, Simorna, who barely ever talks to people, and now that creepy new kid, Azumimaya…" she shook her head. "You and I are the only normal ones here."
Devimon laughed, lying in his own bed. These would be interesting times to come. He and the other Demon Lords never would have imagined themselves working together with humans, yet here they all were. Even Beelzemon, who always preferred to fight alone. Looking at him now, one would never guess how he used to be. Being partnered with Chiharu for many years had certainly mellowed him out. As was shown during their last battle together, it was obvious that he still had a temper, though it wasn't nearly as bad nowadays. "And then there's the question of if we'll ever be able to work together," the Champion added.
"Yeah, there's that, too," Tanya agreed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
Mikage sat alone at breakfast the next morning, with no one at his side other than YukimiBotamon.
"If you keep acting like this, you're not going to have any friends," she told him in a huff.
"Mikage doesn't need friends," the boy replied. "Friends will just slow him down."
The small white marshmallow sighed. There was no getting through to this kid. "What about me? Are we friends?"
Mikage paused. Was she? He knew that she was destined to be his partner, and thus there was supposedly a bond that was growing between them. But could that be called friendship as well? The human didn't know. Thus, he answered the only way he could think to: with silence.
YukimiBotamon frowned. She wanted to think that they were becoming friends, but evidently, Mikage didn't feel the same.
Meanwhile, Karuto sat with the friends that he had made, Elijah and Michael. They were in the same morning classes, so they had come to be decent friends.
"So, what's Azumimaya's deal?" Michael asked casually. The three boys had their morning classes with him, so both Tamers knew what he was like.
"I'm not sure," Karuto replied. "He's just… creepy."
"I feel bad for YukimiBotamon, being stuck with that kid," Veemon commented.
"Shouldn't their bond start forming already?" Wormmon asked.
"I would think so," Sangloupmon said. "But you never know…" He shrugged. "It's not our problem, anyway."
"I thought it would be," Elijah started. "You know, since you're all supposed to be a team and everything."
"He already told us he's not going to fight with us," Karuto muttered, sending a harsh glare the boy's way. It went unnoticed by it's intended target.
"Maybe one of you guys should go talk to him first?" Michael suggested. "You know, show him that you want him here?"
"You think we haven't tried?" the Digi-Destined asked.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"Hey, Azumimaya," Karuto said, walking over to the newest member of the team, Sangloupmon in tow.
"Leave Mikage alone, Onobi," the strange student replied. "Mikage has no interest in whatever you have to say. He needs to do his homework, and you're disturbing him."
"Okay, one, it's Onogi. And two, look," Karuto argued. "You're a member of this team whether you like it or not. So start acting like it and at least try to be nice."
"Like you are?" Mikage asked, not looking up from his homework. "Yelling at someone is definitely a good way to get them to join you."
"He does have a point," Sangloupmon reluctantly pointed out. He may not like this kid any more than his partner did, but he knew what they'd be up against. He knew how difficult this battle would be, and he knew that they would need everyone to work as a team just to survive, much less actually defeat Millenniummon.
"Do not disturb Mikage again," the boy in question said tersely before grabbing his books and heading for the stairs.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"Somehow, I don't think you were doing it right," Veemon commented.
"Oh, I wasn't the only one who tried…"
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
Rei knocked on Mikage's locked door. It had been three hours since Karuto's attempt, and she had hoped that Mikage would have calmed down by now.
"Mikage said that he wanted to be left alone, Onobi," Mikage's voice said through the closed door.
Onobi? She thought. He must mean Onogi… "Actually, it's Rei," she informed the boy. "I'm sorry that Onogi was rude earlier. But we want you here, on our team. Please work with us," she pleaded. Onogi had created a mess, and she felt obligated to fix it, as Tsucasa was too shy to talk to anyone and Tanya wanted to stay out of these sorts of conflicts.
"You will all just slow Mikage down," he replied, repeated his words from his first day.
"What if we didn't?" she asked. "We're all at a higher level. We can all help you get stronger."
There was a pause that only lasted a second, but it was just long enough for Rei to catch it. "Mikage prefers to work alone."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"Okay, that was a little harsh," Veemon admitted.
"I wonder why he's got such issues…" Michael pondered, but all were drawn from their thoughts when the ground began to shake. "Looks like another Gate's opened up."
"Time for us to go," Elijah said, standing. "We'll see you later, alright?"
"Yeah, see you," Karuto told him, and with that, the Tamers left with most of the class. Mikage passed by Karuto on his way out, only to have his arm grabbed. "Where are you going?"
"The dorms," the boy answered plainly. "That's where everyone's supposed to go during an attack." Karuto really didn't like this kid's tone. He was treating Karuto like a child, when technically, he was Mikage's senior Digi-Destined.
"That's where the Tamers go," Karuto told him. "We go take care of whatever got through."
"Mikage thinks he's hardly able to do battle at the moment," the older boy replied, referring to how his partner was still at Fresh Level.
"Then you come and watch to see what you're supposed to do when you get strong enough!" Karuto growled, getting fed up with Mikage.
"Mikage doesn't have to listen to you," he replied stubbornly, breaking free of the younger boy's grip and walking away.
"That little shit…" Sangloupmon muttered.
"I can try to get him…" Tsucasa said quietly. It made sense. Both Karuto and Rei had pissed Mikage off, so he wasn't likely to listen to them. But maybe, just maybe he could get through to the idiot.
"Alright, go ahead," Karuto told him. "But be careful."
Tsucasa nodded before entering the fray of escaping students.
"Where's Simorna going?" Rei asked, walking over. The remaining Digi-Destined and their partners were currently the only ones left in the room.
"Getting Azumimaya," Sangloupmon reported. "That moron decided to go and leave."
"Doesn't he know we're supposed to take care of this?" Tanya asked.
"Oh, he does," Karuto told them. "He just doesn't care."
"Oh, yeah, this is going to be a fun adventure," Rei muttered to Porcupamon. The Champion nodded slightly before yawing. "Just stay awake long for this, alright?" Another nod. Another yawn. She laughed.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"Azumimaya!" Tsucasa called, looking for the boy and his small partner. "Azumimaya!"
"Over there!" Betamon yelled, looking in the direction of the other boy. Tsucasa looked over to see Mikage pinned to the wall. Too many people were rushing past him, and he wasn't given the chance to break through, leaving him stuck where he was.
"Emerald Blaze!" they all heard. The Tamers scattered in various direction as a green fire flew their way. Tsucasa ran over to Mikage in hopes of getting him out and then getting the others.
"Cerberusmon, Ultimate Level. Attacks: Emerald Blaze and Portals of Darkness," Mikage read from his D-Agent boredly.
"That's nice, now let's get out of here!" Betamon yelled.
"Emerald Blaze!" Both boys turned to see themselves now surrounded by a ring of green fire. "Two Digi-Destined…" Cerberusmon mused. "And their tiny little Demon Lord partners. They weren't lying when they said you were on your way back." It laughed. "How pathetic you are, at such weak levels." It smirked. "The Master will be pleased when I report of your destruction."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
A blue haired boy ran back into the room, flanked by a Centarumon.
"Jun! What are you doing in here?" Rei asked as the boy ran up to her.
"There's a Cerberusmon a few halls down, and he was headed this way the last time I checked," he reported. "I thought you should know."
"Thanks," the brunette replied. "We'll take it from here. Get back to your dorm, alright?"
"You got it," he said with a nod, and he and Centarumon exited the room.
"At least we know what and where it is," Devimon commented. "Now, let's go kick its ass!" And with that, the group ran out of the room and down the hall Jun had mentioned. They stopped short when they saw the green inferno.
"Guys, we got a problem!" Rei yelled unnecessarily.
"No, shit!" Karuto yelled back. Tsucasa and Mikage, along with their partners, were trapped in a ring of green fire, and Cerberusmon was circling them.
"We've got to save them," Tanya said. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"
Devimon began to move much quicker, suddenly behind the Ultimate. "Death Hand!" At point blank range, the attack was quite damaging, but not enough to stop the opponent.
"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon yelled, getting in behind the Cerberusmon.
"Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon called out, firing from afar.
"Electric Shock!" Betamon yelled, but the shock didn't get very far through the fire.
"Save your energy," Tsucasa said quietly.
Mikage stared at the scene before him. Fire surrounded him, and he had no means of escape. And these other students were risking their lives to save him and the other boy. Why? Why would they do something like this?
"Emerald Blaze!" Cerberusmon attacked, making the flames larger, making it impossible to get in close to the Ultimate. Evidently, it was immune to its own fire, making this a very difficult battle.
"GigaSeadramon's Giga Sea Destroyer!" they heard from behind them. They all turned just in time to see a giant gush of water shoot at the flames and Cerberusmon. When the mist created from the meeting of fire and water cleared, Beelzemon stood there, looking quite miffed. "Now, I know ya ain't attacking my students," he said.
"B-Beelzemon…" the large dog Digimon said. It hadn't realized that the cavalry would be coming.
"He's not the only one," a male voice said from the other side. "Grand Cross!" The attack forced Cerberusmon to the ground.
"I'm not the only one…" it said weakly. "There will be others. And they will be far stronger than me."
"Would one of you like to do the honors?" Chiharu asked.
"Electric Shock!" they heard before anyone else could react. A surprisingly strong blast of electricity shot from the direction of the two previously trapped boys, and once it hit Cerberusmon, it was destroyed instantly.
Externally, Mikage remained stoic. On the inside, however, he was fuming. These people had defeated this Digimon so easily, and he was still stuck at such a beginner level. It angered him. He had to get stronger soon. He had to show his father that this was where he belonged.
Next time:
Mr. Azumimaya: I will not stand for this! He should be at home, studying, not at some school with stupid creatures.
Beelzemon: Call us stupid one more time, I dare ya.
Chiharu: We can't just let him go. He was brought here, and now he belongs here, as a Digi-Destined, and there's nothing you can do to take him back.
Mikage: Mikage doesn't want to go back.
Mr. Azumimaya: Don't make me call a lawyer.
Headmaster: There's no need. Come, let me explain something to you.
Rei: We've got another Gate, here!
So… yeah. Sorry that last battle was kinda rushed, I had to hurry up with finishing this. A few things: Yeah…. Mikage's still a douche. And he will remain a douche for quite a while. Which leads to my other note: his brief hesitation when Rei was talking to him was not him considering being their friend. He's not nearly at that point yet. That was him weighing his options on whether or not he should use them to get stronger or not, but then decided against it. He thinks he'll surpass them quickly, and that they would only slow down his progress. And every time I wrote people talking to or about him… He pisses people off so much it took a lot to keep myself from dropping the F-bomb everywhere.
Anyway, please review, and I'll see you next week~
