Hey folks! Thanks for the reviews!
For this chapter, if you read the original, you'll notice that I have mixed up two chapters to create this one. Originally, it was called ''A Tamer's Task'', while the second one was ''History Of A Demon Lord''. Also, the first version didn't have a cliffhanger. Otherwise, they're pretty similar.
I hope you'll enjoy it!
(Opening Song: Der größte Träumer by Digimon Tamers)
File 5.
History Of A Demon Lord
''You wanted to see me, Akaiyame-sensei?'' Arisa asked as she and Impmon approached their teacher. They were in her office, with Black PawnChessmon guarding the door.
Megumi lift her head from the papers.
''Yes, I requested your presence.'' She looked at them, frowning. ''I am not satisfied with your results.''
Arisa and Impmon stared at her in surprise.
''B-but, we have decent results in class, don't we…'' Arisa muttered.
''Your results are passable. However, I was speaking about your level.'' Megumi glared at Impmon. The latter frowned, glancing away. ''I expected you two'd put more effort into getting stronger. Especially you, Demon Lord.''
Impmon narrowed his eyes, avoiding Megumi's gaze.
''Well, since you two still need training, I will send you off to the DigiWorld today.''
''Woaaaa!''
Arisa and Impmon stared at her in surprise.
''Just like Fuji-san and Tatekawa-san before, you two will go to the DigiWorld and have a little practice,'' Megumi continued. ''Considering it as an exam that tests your survival skills.''
''Understood,'' Arisa muttered.
''You'll come to the portal room at 1 PM and I'll send you off. Till then, you should prepare yourselves for the trip. Now, off you go.''
''Okay…'' Came a half-hearted answer.
xXx
''What the hell is she thinking, commanding us like that?!'' Impmon growled, slamming his fists on the desk and turning to Arisa.
''She really had to rub salt on our wounds,'' Arisa pouted, arranging her deck. ''I don't think that there's anything wrong with our situation at all!''
''Exactly,'' Impmon grinned. ''Tsk, only coz the others reached their Champion Level doesn't mean that I can't keep up with them. It should be more impressive if I, as a Rookie, am able to take down a Champion Level Digimon all by myself – Ba-Boom!''
''Oi, don't forget that I'm still here. As your partner, I should make sure that you don't get yourself into trouble,'' Arisa replied.
''As if… Say, when did I get myself into trouble?''
''Let me see…'' Arisa narrowed her eyes, causing Impmon to sweatdrop. ''You annoyed half of the Hackers Organisation with your pranks, and I received a lot of complaints about you. Also, I believe that Lilith's at your throat. Do I need to continue?''
''Uhm, that's enough,'' Impmon sweatdropped, waving his hand. ''That's nothing…''
''And I bet that in the DigiWorld, you'll do something that will get us chased around,'' Arisa concluded.
''No way!''
''Not to mention, whenever you get psyched up for a battle, you become really reckless,'' Arisa added.
''Hey, now it's enough!'' Impmon yelled back angrily. ''Maybe I am reckless and maybe I do cause trouble, but I do give my best to win any kind of battle. Therefore, you don't have to worry about it.'' Impmon jumped down on the ground, putting his hands on his hips, grinning. ''You do know whose partner you are.'' He clenched his fist, pointing with his thumb at himself. ''I'm a Demon Lord after all. I may have lost most of my power while being in the DigiEgg state, but I still have my memories and, therefore, my experience.''
''I know,'' Arisa smiled and glanced at him. ''We'll show them what we're capable of.''
''Right!'' Impmon nodded.
xXx
It didn't take them long to land in the DigiWorld. Arisa checked her surroundings, finding herself in a forest. She was holding a small tracker. It would signal her position back to the HQ and by pressing the white button on it, she could request to return back. Of course, after she completed her task first.
Looking above them, there was a large orb with Data Streams floating. This orb represented the Real World and the Data Streams represented it's networks. Getting caught in one of those things could bring you anywhere in the DigiWorld. However, you couldn't choose your location, so you had to be wary.
''So, where are we supposed to go?'' Impmon asked.
''I have no clue,'' Arisa replied. ''I've never been in the DigiWorld before actually. How about a stroll?''
Impmon shrugged.
''Eh, whatever…''
''Though… Akaiyame-sensei told us to figure out a way to make you digivolve,'' Arisa added.
''Tsk, who cares about what she says. She's not here!'' Impmon grinned. ''Besides, I choose on my own if I want to digivolve or not.''
''You're right. Besides, I never really wanted to be a Hacker, but I guess we cannot quit so easily,'' Arisa said, sighing. She then fist-pumped, a confident expression on her face. ''Right! So let's explore first and then see what we're gonna do!''
xXx
''Hmmmm…'' Akari peeked into Arisa's room. ''Seems like they're really gone.''
''They went to the DigiWorld, according to Akaiyame-sensei,'' BlackGatomon said, looking up at Akari. ''Wonder how they're gonna do.''
Akari grinned.
''Tsk, I bet they're gonna come back running with their tail between their legs,'' she laughed.
''You know, as much as I and Beelze cannot stand each other, you shouldn't underestimate him,'' BlackGatomon said. ''He's a tough fighter and is even able to keep up with Lucemon.''
''If you say so…'' Akari muttered. ''Say, what is the probability that Impmon's gonna tick off some overpowered Digimon?''
BlackGatomon took a second to think about it. She sweatdropped with a sour expression on her face.
''Too high,'' she muttered.
''Just what I thought,'' Akari sighed. ''They're gonna return in pieces.''
xXx
''It's pretty quiet here.'' Arisa looked down at her D-Power. She noticed dots on the screen. ''There are Digimon around us, but nobody approached us.''
''They probably don't want to risk a fight with a Demon Lord,'' Impmon chuckled.
''Yeah, a Demon Lord Rookie.''
''Say what?''
Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks as they heard a powerful roar emitting from nearby.
''What the-?!'' Impmon's jaw dropped as a green dragon emerged, breaking down some of the trees that were in it's way.
''I think I now know why we didn't see any other Digimon,'' Arisa sweatdropped, looking at her D-Power. ''Coredramon, the green variant of Dracomon's Champion Level. Type: Dragon, Attribute: Virus. It's not good at flying, but it can run pretty fast. Having a dragon DNA ratio of 100%, Coredramon is a pure-blooded Dragon Digimon.''
''Hey, enough of the Digipedia, already! Can't your device tell me how to delete that lizard?'' Impmon asked.
The two got startled by Coredramon's roar.
''Eh, no idea!'' Arisa gulped. The Coredramon glared at them. ''RUN!''
She grabbed Impmon's hand and, ignoring his protests, started to run away.
''But didn't ya say it's fast runner?!''
Arisa felt cold sweat dripping down her nape. Coredramon was after them and his steps were growing louder.
''Yeah, I know!'' she replied, frantically searching for cover. Being in a forest, they were surrounded by thick bushes. Arisa promptly jumped into one, pulling Impmon with her. However, as she jumped, she felt something slipping out of her pocket.
The two ducked their heads, waiting for Coredramon to pass and it's steps to become to disappear. Once the coast was clear, Arisa looked up.
''The tracker device…'' she muttered, staring at it's shattered pieces. Coredramon apparently stepped on it.
''How are we gonna return back?'' Impmon asked. His partner shook her head, sighing.
xXx
"What?! What happened?" Megumi muttered to herself as the red dot suddenly disappeared on her screen. She had been monitoring Arisa and Impmon via the tracker, but now the signal was completely gone.
xXx
''I think we lost that Coredramon,'' Arisa sighed in relief.
''You should've let me fight it,'' Impmon said, frowning. ''I could've beaten it! Ba-Boom!''
''You gotta be kidding me. You saw how big that Digimon was!'' Arisa replied. ''One step and we'd turn into pancakes.''
''Tsk, and what was that about showing people how strong we are?'' Impmon frowned. ''You just ran away!''
''I panicked, okay?!'' Arisa yelled at him. ''I understand, it's my fault! I chickened because I just wanted to make sure we both stay alive till we figure out a way how to beat Coredramon.''
''What?'' Impmon blinked in surprise.
''I don't want to leave without battling it either,'' Arisa bit her lip. ''But I want to make sure that we both get out alive. Not to mention, the tracker is broken, so there's no way to contact the HQ to get us back. We'd have to find one of those portal hot-spots, but considering just how good my sense of orientation is, we're screwed.''
''Then, what do you suggest to do now?'' Impmon asked.
''I have a feeling that we'll run into Coredramon again at some point, which is why we'll should figure out how to beat it,'' Arisa said. ''Also, we need to search for a way back to the Real World.''
''Tsk, and I thought you didn't want to return back to the Hackers,'' Impmon commented.
''I don't want to go back,'' Arisa said. ''If anything, I hope that one of those portals will bring us as far away as possible from them.''
''I doubt that's possible. We're now part of this weird organisation and I doubt they'll be happy if we quit. I mean, they don't seem to be particularly happy with us there and they still insist on keeping us,'' Impmon remarked, starting to walk away, with Arisa following him.
''Yeah…'' Arisa frowned as she thought about what Impmon told her. She wondered if she could really quit being a Hacker. She didn't want to stay there anymore, yet every day, she came back only to get ridiculed by both her classmates and her teacher. Although, it wasn't like it was better at her old school.
(Insert Song: Dance With The Devil by Breaking Benjamin)
''Say, Impmon…''
Impmon rose his head, looking at Arisa.
''I was wondering if you could tell me more about your life as a Demon Lord,'' she said. Impmon's eyes widened in surprise.
''Why do you want to know that?'' he asked, stunned.
''I'm just curious. You always brag how you're a powerful Demon Lord, but you never tell me the whole story,'' Arisa said in a deadpan tone.
''There's not a lot to tell…'' Impmon muttered.
He could still remember the dark corridors he would often walk through, listening to the screams of numerous Digimon that became the victims of the Dark Area; the victims of the Demon Lords. Anyone who was familiar with this demonic group knew for sure that they won't survive if they ever invoke the wrath of the Demon Lords (especially Daemon's wrath).
''I don't really know why we even became a team,'' Impmon muttered. ''We were powerful, yes, but we couldn't really stand each other.''
''I didn't know that,'' Arisa muttered. ''I mean, I know that you cannot stand Lilith, but the rest…''
''Actually, they couldn't stand me. I was a sort of oddity in the whole group,'' Impmon explained. ''They'd keep talking about conquering this and conquering that and all the other boring stuff you'd probably expect from an evil Digimon. It was a pain in the ass and I tried to skip those meetings as much as I could.''
''What did you do instead?''
''I would roam around in the Dark Area, trying to find myself a worthy opponent, then battle them and load their data. At least, that's how I spent most of my days when not clashing with the Royal Knights,'' Impmon explained.
''So, no attempts of conquering anything?''
''Why should I? I could stand on the top of the Nightmare Soliders, if I cared. However, I often felt that I'm better off on my own instead of pretending to be some sort of general. I did have a certain amount of respect, but some Digimon were quite idiotic and would often challenge me in order to prove I wasn't worth my status,'' Impmon grinned darkly. ''They had no idea what they got themselves into.''
Arisa gulped. As much as she cared about Impmon, she had to constantly remind herself that he was a Demon Lord; a hazard for everyone around him. There was a good reason why it was forbidden to partner up with a Demon Lord, as they were dangerous and some even said that it's impossible to be a Demon Lord's Tamer – instead, you'd end up as their victim. She still wondered what Yung was thinking when he gave her and Akari the two DigiEggs.
Impmon noticed the upset expression on Arisa's face. He wondered if he said something wrong.
''A-anyways, what about the other Demon Lords? What would they do?'' Arisa asked, trying to shake off the dread she felt. Impmon observed her carefully, not buying the fake smile she had.
''You already know Lilith, so there's not much to talk about her. She also the youngest of our team,'' Impmon said. ''Now, about the rest… Well, Belph loved to sleep. Seriously, you couldn't wake him up at all. If you did, he'd instantly go into Rage Mode and be this close to killing whoever woke him up. I'd usually tip-toe whenever near his room.''
''Speaking of rage, there's also Dae. He has quite a short fuse and considering how I loved to play pranks, I could expect a hell of a tantrum from him whenever he became my target. Although, I did keep in mind to not overdo it, as he could get quite creepy. He really enjoys cold-blooded tortures.''
Arisa shuddered.
''Then, there's Levia. He'd spend his time inside the Dark Ocean and could get quite envious and resentful at anyone who'd find out his secret hidding spots. He'd swallow any intruder, after roasting them first.''
''Barb is quite a treasure hunter and very covetous. Geez, you should've seen him when he went mad after he found out that one of the Pumpkinmon touched one of his 'precious' stones made of DigiZoid. He burned the poor fool.''
Impmon frowned.
''And of course, there's also Luce, our leader. Despite being an Ultimate, he was the most powerful of us. Speaking of his leadership, he was always cold, calculated, manipulative and merciless, even towards those who'd follow him. Sometimes, he'd be quite unpredictable and reckless. He was blinded by his own pride, never noticing that there were other beings in the shadows, manipulating him.''
''What do you mean?'' Arisa asked.
''I…'' Impmon shook his head. ''I don't want to talk about it.''
''About Lucemon being manipulated by some sinister power?''
Impmon clenched his fists.
''They all were at some point manipulated, but they never noticed it,'' he explained.
''And you did,'' Arisa added.
''I…'' Impmon sighed. ''It's complicated.''
''I understand.''
Impmon rose his head, looking in surprise at Arisa. He expected her to keep on pressing for answers.
''When you're ready to talk about it, you can turn to me. I promise, I won't tell anyone, if it's okay with you.''
''I…'' Impmon's frown turned into a small smile. ''Thanks.''
''Alright! Now, let's find a way out of this forest!'' Arisa fist-pumped.
The two froze when they heard a roar behind them. Arisa's D-Power was glowing red. The two turned around, only to see the green Coredramon glaring at them. They gulped.
''Well, here goes nothing,'' Arisa muttered. She then grinned. ''So, let's battle!''
''Ba-Boom!'' Impmon stepped in front of her as Coredramon roared.
This time, they won't run away.
(Ending Song: Keep On by Digimon Adventure)
Impmon here! Next time, I and Arisa are going to prove that Coredramon that he messed with the wrong team. While I doubt we'll have any trouble, I am aware that our other teammates won't really get along with us during their own mission…
Stay tuned for File 6. Divided They Stand
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