Devil's Advocate
Chapter Seven: Tag Team
In a room lit only by glowing screens, the Kaiser chuckled.
"Another one becomes mine, hm?"
On a map like screen that had captured his attention, a white square turned black.
XxXXxX
"They're called Dark Towers." Takato said, standing with the Chosen.
He'd met up with them the day after he took down the Coliseum and had asked them to follow him. He first took them to the remains of the Coliseum which, as he expected, was empty. Daisuke had a laugh out of his handiwork and the others chuckled, but Takato was more interested in bigger things.
He'd used the directions he'd gotten the day before to find the Dark Tower in the area, using the Coliseum as a starting point. From there, he led them to the Dark Tower.
They now stood atop a nearby hill, looking at it. Takato was taking this opportunity to explain.
Though, it was more like manipulating; he was very careful with what he did and did not say. Lucemon had helped him prepare this speech, actually.
"I don't really understand everything, but…they're how the Kaiser claims an area. I think…I think they're also how he controls all the Digimon he captures with his Rings." Takato said.
"So, then…" Hikari began, starting to frown. "These Towers…are our targets?"
Takato nodded.
"I think so, yeah. The Kaiser himself…I don't think we can track him reliably. If we were in range, maybe our Digivices could find his, but unless we're lucky enough to happen to be in the same area, we pretty much have to wait for him to come to us. I'm trying to find out if he has a base or something, but until I do, we have to leave defeating him as an important but secondary goal."
Takeru nodded.
"If these Towers can free entire areas if destroyed, they're more important. Curing the symptoms isn't as good as dealing with the cause, but until we can find a way to do the latter, we'll have to settle for the former."
"So then, what's the plan?" Miyako asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Daisuke retorted. "We destroy this tower right here!"
Miyako frowned at him.
"I know that! But what about the Towers in general?"
"About that…" Takato began. "I wanted to ask if you and Takeru could help me with something."
She turned away from Daisuke and blinked at his words.
"Ara? Takeru and I?"
Iori seemed to catch on quickly.
"Of course; your partners…"
"Yeah." Takato said, nodding. "Pegasmon and Holsmon are the only ones capable of flying. I wanted to see if you two could scout the surrounding areas for Dark Towers. Guilmon and I have destroyed a few, but it takes awhile to locate the exact location of each Tower. If you can find the Towers then we can all start to deal with them."
Takeru nodded, removing his Digivice from his pocket.
"Got it. Digimental Up!"
"Patamon, Armor shinka! Pegasmon!"
Takeru quickly got onto his partner's back.
"Pegasmon and I will scout the nearby areas right now, since there are enough of you here to take down a single Dark Tower."
Miyako nodded.
"Holsmon and I will join you when you're done."
"Hold on one sec." Takato said, lifting a hand to stop them. "In addition to this Tower, I know of at least one other one. One of the Digimon I freed yesterday, a Gekomon, said that his area had been captured. Guilmon and I will do some scouting ourselves, but if you see anything, could you tell me? I promised I'd help free that area."
"Sure thing." Takeru said as his partner took to the air.
Takato watched him go, feeling satisfied.
Things were going as planned. He'd convinced the Chosen that weakening the Kaiser's hold was the most important issue; easy enough since everything he'd said was true. As a result, they'd be dealing with the Towers, allowing him to accomplish more than if he worked alone.
Honestly, they probably would have found out sooner or later, but this way he could earn a little more trust by giving useful information while also speeding things along.
In addition, Takeru and Miyako would now scout the surrounding areas for him, allowing him to deal with other things rather than gather information himself.
Perfect.
XxXXxX
"Hey, Takato. You haven't met the others yet, have you?" Hikari asked an hour later.
The others?
Takato quickly searched his mind, trying to figure out who she was talking about.
The answer hit him like a lightning bolt it was so obvious.
"Oh, you mean the older Chosen?" Takato replied finally. "No, I've never met them."
Not face to face, at least. He'd watched the show, though.
He'd even tried to kill three of them.
Took a pretty good stab at it in one case, too.
"Then why don't you come meet them today? You always vanish after everything's over, so we've never gotten a chance to introduce you to them?"
"Ah, yeah, sorry about that." Takato said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
He used his act to buy time as his mind raced.
Was there a problem with meeting the other Chosen? He didn't see one, but…
He hadn't actually avoided them; not really. It's just that he usually logged out of the game after everything important was done.
Had he been acting suspiciously without knowing?
No, he told himself, calming down. He'd met Koushiro face to face already and there hadn't been any problems. Besides which, it's only been a few days; he could pass off not seeing them in that time as needing to head home so as to not arouse suspicion.
In that case…
There shouldn't be a problem?
He'd have to avoid making more people suspicious, but…
"But you're right; I haven't met them yet. I should do something about that…" Takato said, trailing off. "And there's no time like the present…Why not? Let's go after we finish up here, okay?"
What could go wrong, after all?
XxXXxX
Takato felt his heart nearly stop and he wanted to eat those words.
'What could go wrong' indeed.
Quite a bit, apparently.
He now stood facing a television screen. It was just like the ones he used to create his own portals.
And that was the problem.
The older Chosen were apparently waiting in the 'Real World.'
A world that didn't exist.
So what would happen if he tried to go through the gate?
Most likely…nothing.
Or maybe what happened every time he went through the gate; he'd end up back in the Dark Area.
Either way, he'd show for his absence.
And how would he explain that?
'You're video game characters; I can't go to your world because your world doesn't exist.' – No.
'For some reason, I can't go through the gate.' – No. That would lead to questions that he couldn't answer.
'When I go through the computer, I log out of the computer I logged into.' – That had potential…They said they always exited out of the computer in their school lab, didn't they?
Takato took a deep breath, his alibi now ready. If they passed through the gate and he was left behind, he'd just enter the Dark Area. Then he'd wait a few minutes, pass through the portal, find the Chosen, and feed them a lie.
Sadly, that wasn't the end of his problems.
That was the main problem and he was glad that he had a solution to it, but…
What if they asked him to open the gate?
Unlike the uncertainty involved with the first problem, he was well aware of what would happen in that case; he'd be sucked into the Dark Area.
But…
Would they be taken with him?
How would he explain that?
And what if they were left behind? That would raise questions, too…
Hell, even ignoring the Dark Area problem…
What about his Digivice?
He'd seen the other versions, both in the game and the show. And his Digivice didn't look like either version of theirs.
And it made sense; he was the protagonist of the game! It wasn't strange that he was unique! A unique partner, a unique Digivice…
But the thing about being unique?
It makes it hard to look normal.
The easiest way to handle that problem would be to simply not let it become an issue.
Hikari and the others stood by him and he smiled at her.
"Could you open the gate, please?" He asked.
"Sure."
That was simple.
She lifted her Digivice to the screen. Takato prepared himself for whatever came next. Whether he was left behind or sucked into the Dark Area, he was prepared.
Surprisingly, the one thing he wasn't prepared for was the simplest option.
The gate working as intended.
XxXXxX
The first thing he realized was that it felt different.
Travelling to the Dark Area always felt…cold? That wasn't the right word. It felt…like the opposite of the Digital World. That was a better example. And travelling from one to the other was always like stepping from a hot room to a cold one or vice versa.
But this was different. It was like going from 'hot' to 'cold;' it was more like going from 'wet' to 'dry.' Like he had gone from swimming in the ocean to walking in the desert.
Yes, without a doubt, something was gone. Something that had always been in both the Digital World and the Dark Area.
The feeling of the game, Takato thought. He'd noticed that the game world felt different from the real world. In fact…
This is what the real world felt like, he realized.
Had he logged out?
"So, this must be Takato." A voice asked.
"Yeah, that's him all right." Another replied.
It was only then that Takato noticed he was on the ground. Not only that, but he was feeling dizzy.
He never felt like this when he logged out. And why would he be on the floor.
Takato quickly scrambled to his feet.
He saw Taichi first and then Koushiro. They were the only older Chosen he saw, but all the younger ones were still on the floor in a pile. The other Digimon were off to the side but he didn't see Guilmon.
He was still in the game.
He tried to recover.
"Ah, yeah, I'm Takato. And you're…Taichi?" He asked as if he didn't know. "Hello again, Koushiro."
"Yo." The Chosen of Knowledge replied.
"That'd be me." Taichi answered. "We didn't know you were coming."
"Ah…Hikari sorta sprang it on me, too. And I realized that besides Koushiro, I haven't met any of you."
Taichi looked thoughtful.
"Well…Mimi's probably not coming today. She's still…recovering." Taichi said as he and Koushiro exchanged looks.
"Jyou's having a hard time avoiding suspicion; I told him to take a few days to come up with something." Koushiro offered, changing the subject.
Taichi winced.
"Yeah, well, that's probably my fault. I've had him working overtime watching Sora."
Takato knew what had happened to Sora, but he also realized they didn't, and shouldn't, know he knew.
"What's wrong with Sora?" He asked.
Taichi's smile tightened and became a little less real.
"Sorry." Takato said, realizing that it was probably a sore subject for them.
He'd forgotten that he was supposed to actually care.
"Not your fault." Taichi waved off. "Sora's just…injured."
Koushiro came to the rescue again.
"But Yamato should be here by now…I wonder what's taking him…"
There was a groan behind him. Takato looked back and realized why he hadn't seen Guilmon. He'd somehow ended up underneath the others.
That couldn't have been comfortable, which was probably why he was lifting all of them in an attempt to extract himself.
"Oh, I'm being rude." Takato said. "We haven't been formally introduced, huh? I'm Matsuda Takato and this is my partner Guilmon."
Taichi chuckled.
"Yagami Taichi; my partner Agumon is in the Digital World."
"Izumi Koushiro; Tentomon's with Agumon."
Takato had a sudden thought.
He glanced again at the Younger Chosen and then at their partners.
Patamon and Tailmon had been unaffected by the shift in worlds, but the other Digimon had reverted to their Baby forms. Taichi and Koushiro didn't have their partners with them at all and if Yamato was coming as well, he might not either.
None of them are expecting an attack, he realized.
He glanced back to Guilmon. If he evolved him, Growmon could probably kill everyone present, no problem. The damage he'd cause just by his massive increase in size alone might do it; the damage to this building and the resulting rubble might kill everyone in here.
But it might kill him, too, he thought before something struck him.
Only if he was in the same room.
Which he didn't have to be to evolve Guilmon.
"Um, excuse me, but if we're waiting for Yamato, I'd like to go to the bathroom." Takato said, going for a classic excuse. "Do you know where it is?"
"Down the hall to your left. Ow." Daisuke said, as he stood up. Ignoring Guilmon, he'd been at the bottom of the pile and the last to stand up. "We have got to work on those landings, guys. Seriously."
Takato had looked at the goggled teen while he was talking, but now he was ignoring him utterly.
He had eyes only for what was behind him.
As if in a trance, Takato walked to the window of the computer lab and gazed out.
A city's skyline greeted his eyes. He could see cars in the streets, people milling about, and birds in the air…
Odaiba, he thought. The home of the Chosen.
But…
Why did it look so real?
"Ah…thanks Daisuke. I'll…be right back." Takato said distractedly before leaving.
He had to talk to Lucemon.
XxXXxX
Takato opened the bathroom door and ducked in quickly. He immediately stuck his head back out and looked both ways down the hall, making sure no one was in sight or coming.
No one.
Perfect.
He pulled back into the room and looked around; making sure nobody else was inside.
Once again, there was no one.
Well, it was after school…
Takato was aware that he was acting really suspiciously. Anybody who saw him would think he was up to something, he knew, but he couldn't help it.
If one of the Chosen walked in on him…
As sure that he was safe as he had any hope of being, Takato pulled out his Digivice.
"Lucemon…Lucemon, can you hear me? Lucemon, can you hear what I'm saying from wherever I am?"
"Yes, Takato, I can hear you. Is something wrong?" Lucemon asked, seeming quite calm.
Takato, on the other hand, wasn't calm at all.
"I-I don't know. Hikari asked me to go with the others and meet the older Chosen-"
"As expected, really. You've know them for a few days and you've become part of the team, but you haven't met half the members? It'd be weird if they didn't introduce you eventually."
"Yeah, so I agreed, since I didn't want to seem suspicious. It's not like I was avoiding the older Chosen or anything, I just didn't think of it. So, I agreed and followed them. But then they led me to one of the gates; you know, the Television things."
"Yes, Takato; I did program the game, after all. So then what?"
"So, for a minute there, I was worried. I wasn't sure what would happen when they opened the gate. I thought I might be left behind or sent to the Dark Area like when I usually open gates, but I made plans for that, just in case."
"Uh-huh. And?"
"And I convinced Hikari to open the gate so I wouldn't have to reveal my Digivice. I didn't want them asking question and I didn't know what would happen. I was worried I might suck them into the Dark Area, too."
"And…?"
Takato took a deep breath, ready to drop the bomb.
"And now I'm in the Real World of Digimon Adventure."
The was a silence after his words before Lucemon spoke, sounding impatient.
"…And?"
"And! And…what the hell is going on! I'm in the Real World! And the Chosen are with me! And I'm not in my house!"
"…Are you going somewhere with this?"
Takato took a deep, aggravated breath and forced down his panic.
"Lucemon, what's going on?" He demanded.
"I don't understand the question."
Takato grit his teeth.
"Where am I right now, Lucemon?" He asked instead.
"Currently, you are in the 'Real World' level."
Now they were getting somewhere.
"So I'm still in the game?"
"…Takato, you thought you weren't in the game? You said you weren't in your room; what did you think happened? Did you think you teleported to Odaiba? Wait, no…" Takato couldn't see the angel, but he could almost hear the frown in his voice. Lucemon was quiet for a minute as he seemed to mull something over and when he spoke, his voice was dubious. "Let me get this straight; you thought that, what? You thought you'd been sucked into your computer, out of your room, and sent into another Dimension in which an Angelic Overlord had been trapped and he'd drawn you there, seeking aid from a young Japanese child? And that from that dimension, you then traveled into another one, the one that you'd seen on your favorite TV show? From which you then travelled into an alternate 'Real World,' which is inhabited by the characters of that show?"
Takato felt his face flush, but said nothing.
"Oh my God, you totally did!" Lucemon said with glee, laughing at him.
"Shut up!" Takato retorted. "It's because everything in this game looks so real!"
"I'll take that as a complement to my skills." Lucemon said before his voice became more serious. "Takato, this is just another level of the game. You haven't seen it much, because it hasn't really been relevant to you, but I'll try to explain. In the actual game, when it comes out, players will take the role of humans in this 'Real World.' Shortly after the game begins, I will summon them to the Dark Area and give them their mission like I gave you yours. When they exit the Digital World, they'll return to the 'Real World' rather than entering the Dark Area like you do. A large part of the game would be focused in the Real World itself as players interact with the Chosen, try to keep their identities hidden from the enemy, and more. There are even a few sports based minigames and it's possible to start relationships with the Chosen."
Takato hadn't heard about that and was understandably surprised.
"Then why aren't I doing that?"
"Honestly, the main reason is because we wanted you to test the game-play and mechanics of the game more then we wanted you to test the character interaction stuff; we wanted to make sure we hadn't screwed something up or made things too broken before introducing you to the character building portion. That's why you don't even have a house or family in the 'Real World.' Since you're there anyway, though, I guess now would be a good time to start."
Takato nodded, but…
A part of him still doubted.
This game…everything in it was so real.
He had to ask, just to make sure, even though he knew Lucemon was going to mock him for it.
"…This is just a game, right? I'm still in the game, aren't I? Right, Lucemon?"
He heard Lucemon sigh.
"You still think your favorite TV show characters are real?"
"No!" Takato immediately protested. "It's not the people in it; it's how real this place looks."
"I'll tell you what. How about you go find a phone. There is one in the principal's office; I'll guide you there. It's locked, but I know where a spare key is, because I programmed the game. This will be part of a little mini-quest in the actual game. I'll get you into the office, okay? And then, call your parents. Your friends. Your…I don't know, your teacher. Everyone you want. They won't be there, though, because this is a game. I'll just have random 'people' speak to you on the other side. After you do that, will you be convinced?"
Takato was silent for a minute before speaking.
"Yeah. Yeah, I will be." He said.
"Good. Let's go, then."
XxXXxX
Takato looked silently at the phone in his hand for a minute before closing his eyes.
"Hmph."
He put the phone back where it belonged.
As Lucemon had said, he'd been acting irrationally. He'd called his house and then Hirokazu, Kenta, and, after the partner of not reaching his intended target became clear, even Juri.
None of them had answered. Instead, there had either been no answer at all or someone he didn't know had picked up.
This was just a game. No matter how real it looked, it wasn't real.
In that case…
"I better get back to the others, Lucemon; given how long I've been gone already, they're probably suspicious by now."
"Probably. What do you intend to do now?"
Takato sighed.
"I apologize again for my sudden loss of sense, but now that it's passed, I'm going to get back to work."
"How so?"
"First things first; I'm going to kill the Chosen."
"…You know, I've already noticed that you seem completely incapable of sticking to a plan, but sure, I'll bite. Why are you abandoning your original plan to set the Kaiser and the Chosen against one another this time?"
"Hey, no need to sound so bored; this time, I actually have a good reason." Takato protested.
"Oh, this should be good."
Takato ignored him.
"You see, the original plan was based on one important assumption: that I could not defeat both the Chosen and the Kaiser alone. And this was correct, with emphasis on was."
"Oh?"
Despite himself, Lucemon sounded interested.
"You see, currently, the Chosen are scattered and weak. The partners of the Newer Chosen, with the exception of Tailmon and Patamon, have all reverted to their Baby forms after they entered the Real World. The two present Older Chosen, Taichi and Koushiro, don't have partners at all right now. Sora is out of the picture due to her injuries, Mimi is drowning in grief, Jyou is being cornered be real life, and I can deal with Takeru and Hikari. If I were to evolve Growmon right now, the destruction his sudden growth alone would cause will probably kill most of the Chosen, or at least badly injure them. At that point, he could just deal with whoever is left behind."
"Hm…and the Kaiser?"
"The Kaiser also lives in this world, right? His name is Ken; I know that much. All I have to do is find him and I can deal with him, too."
"A good plan, but it has some flaws." Lucemon was quick to point out. "First of all, you're not going to be dealing with him if he catches wind of you killing the others."
Takato frowned for a second.
"The School is empty right now. If we kill the Chosen, I'll devolve Guilmon and we'll escape. Even if someone sees, what are they going to say? A giant dinosaur did it and then shrunk and escaped?" He said after a moment's thought.
"Second of all, what if it doesn't work? Everything you've worked for will go down the drain."
Takato hadn't thought of the first question, but he had this one covered.
"Even if Growmon's evolution doesn't kill the others, his massive increase in size will crush all the computers in the lab for sure. We just have to kill everyone before they find another one and we're golden. Hell, even if they find another computer, we just have to destroy it before they escape."
Lucemon continued on as if he hadn't said anything.
"And third of all, you have forgotten to account for one thing."
Takato blinked in surprise at that. He searched his brain for whatever it was that he was missing, but couldn't think of anything.
"What?" He finally asked.
"Yamato. Also, duck."
"Wha…?" Takato said, not understanding.
Suddenly, his eyes widened against his will and he dropped to the ground.
"Shit!" He swore.
Ishida Yamato rushed down the hall, breezing right passed the Principal's office without glancing inside.
Takato was pretty sure he didn't see him, but…
Why was he here?
"Didn't you wonder where Yamato was? Takato, your plan was okay, but you can't forget to account for variables." Lucemon chided after he was gone. "In this case, a missing Chosen and an angel that's trying to make you suffer."
"Damn it, Lucemon! I'm not surprised you got overthrown!"
XxXXxX
Takato had to force the disappointment off of his face as he approached the computer lab.
Technically, he could still go through with the plan and evolve Growmon and see what happened.
But Lucemon was right; he'd neglected to account for an important variable. He no longer knew the exact details of the situation.
Well, he doubted they would leave without him, so they were still probably in the computer lab…
He entertained that thought for a moment before dismissing it. It was probably true, but it was still risky to try. He hadn't told Guilmon about his plan, knowing that he could just evolve his partner and tell him to kill everything in sight. But what if Guilmon had moved, then? What if he was right next to a wall or a window? What if the Chosen had moved to the other side of the room? If Guilmon evolved, the walls near him would break and his growth would have less effect on the Chosen; it might not even crush all the computers.
Unlikely, he knew, but Lucemon was right; he hadn't accounted for all the variables. And now the only way to do so was to look inside the room.
Of course, if he looked in, he would likely be seen and if he was seen, he couldn't really just fade away afterwards.
No, he'd just postpone the plan for now, he decided. At this point, it would be easier to just wait until he had a better chance than it would be to try and force this situation to work without giving himself away.
With that in mind, Takato opened the door without any hesitation and walked inside.
"Sorry I'm late guys, but since we were done for the day, I decided to take a look at your school." Takato said, which was kinda true. "But I saw someone rushing this way. Is everything okay."
Taichi glanced his way and nodded at him.
"Yeah, it's fine. Takato, this is Takeru's older brother Yamato." He introduced his friend.
"Matsuda Takato. I've heard about you, but I didn't think you were coming today." Takato said, carefully keeping his irritation out of his voice.
"Ah, yeah…" Yamato said sheepishly. "I got roped into band practice and I couldn't figure out how to escape without sound suspicious. But…"
"Is it about the SOS?" Takeru asked.
Takato very nearly asked 'What SOS' but managed to keep his mouth shut just in case it was something he should know about.
Yamato nodded.
"Gabumon's in trouble." He said grimly.
Koushiro frowned.
"But how did the Kaiser figure out that Gabumon was your partner?" He asked.
Takato decided to point out the obvious.
"Well, you guys did save the Digital World, after all. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to find out some stuff about you guys, even if it was just rumors." He said. "I mean, that's how I heard about you guys."
Well, actually, he'd just watched the show.
Taichi nodded after a moment.
"In that case, we can't consider the Digital World a safe place for our partners, anymore. We had them working in the Digital World whenever we were forced to return to the Real World, but if the Kaiser knows about them…"
Takato realized he'd just shot himself in the foot. He hadn't even thought about it, but the Chosen leaving their partners in the Digital World gave him a huge advantage; he could pick off both the Chosen and their partners, one by one.
"Well, I guess we don't know that for sure." He said, thinking fast. "I mean, the Kaiser has been taking over entire areas; it was only a matter of time before he got to one with one of your partners."
Wait, that doesn't help…
Hikari spoke up then.
"At this point, we really can't say why Gabumon's in trouble, only that he is and that we need to do something about it." She said.
"And we can't do anything about it in the Real World." Her brother added.
"In that case…" Miyako lifted her Digivice. "Let's roll."
XxXXxX
"Gabumon!" Yamato shouted the moment he landed in the Digital World.
Takato was busy wondering why he'd managed to land on his feet this time, but not in the Real World. That lead to him wondering why he hadn't landed on his feet in the Real World in the first place.
"Y-Yamato?" Gabumon asked weakly as he struggled to stand.
Yamato rushed towards his partner. The others followed him after a moment of surprise while Takato and Guilmon stayed back.
He had a reason.
The Tamer frowned as he looked around. Gabumon looked injured but…it didn't make sense.
"Oi, Guilmon, do you smell any Digimon around here?" He asked.
The red Digimon gestured vaguely at the others. Takato kept himself from rolling his eyes.
"Besides them."
Guilmon began sniffing the air before turning towards the forest. Takato followed his eyes.
The forest was pretty far away…why would Gabumon be here if the only Digimon nearby were in the forest? Was he escaping from the forest?
"The river." Takato realized.
"I was thinking the same thing." A voice behind him said, nearly causing Takato to jump.
He turned around, facing the TV screen once more. And on that screen he saw…
Koushiro?
The Chosen of Knowledge obviously noticed Takato's confusion.
"I'll be backing you up from this side, for now. Tentomon isn't in the area and he wouldn't be able to evolve even if he was."
Takato nodded slowly at that.
"Ah! Koushiro!" Hikari said, attracted by her friend's voice. Even without looking, Takato could tell that the others were coming, too.
He glanced back at them, pass them, and looked at the river. It seemed to be coming from…
"Koushiro, can you tell me anything about the areas in that direction?" He asked.
Koushiro's eyes shifted as he began to type; Takato guessed there was something else on the screen that he was looking at.
"No need." Gabumon said in a faint voice. "I know the entire area. I'll take you there."
Takato looked at him. He looked…
Beaten. Badly beaten. As if someone had pounded him and pounded him and thrown him around.
He didn't look like he was in any condition to lead anybody anywhere.
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Yamato asked.
"He's right, Gabumon." Takeru said, looking worried. He obviously cared a great deal for his brother's partner. "No offense, but you don't look so good."
Gabumon shook his head, panting.
"I'm okay." He said, though he obviously wasn't okay. "The town is called Santa Geria. It's…it's a place that I want to protect. It's a peaceful town, but when the Kaiser appeared, all the Digimon in the town were imprisoned."
It was easy to tell that Gabumon felt strongly about saving the town, but…
Takato weighed his options.
On one hand, having someone who knew the area and could guide them through it was always better than going in blind.
On the other hand, having such a badly beaten Digimon with them could be a liability.
Well, it's not like he really cared whether Gabumon was hurt or not, but could he really guide them? He looked like he could barely walk.
Takato sighed.
"Guilmon, do me a favor and please carry Gabumon."
XxXXxX
"A Dark Tower." Takeru said, nodded towards where the spire rose into the sky.
"It's to be expected." Takato said, shrugging it off. "Dark Towers and the Kaiser go hand in hand, after all."
Hikari frowned as she looked up at the Kaiser's monument.
"Gabumon, when did the Kaiser build it?" She asked.
"Earlier today." The carried Digimon replied. "He came, took over with his slaves, erected the tower, and then left."
Takato had a thought.
"How long did it take him to build the tower?" He wondered.
Gabumon looked thoughtful for a moment.
"A few hours, maybe. Two?"
Takato frowned at that.
"What's up?" Daisuke asked him.
"I'm just thinking. If the Kaiser can construct a Dark Tower in two hours and, assuming these conditions allowed for average building speed, that can be taken as a usual amount of time to build a tower, then…"
Iori looked up at him.
"He might be able to build them faster then we can destroy them."
Miyako shook her head.
"We managed to bring down those towers earlier without too much trouble." She disagreed.
"Yeah, but didn't you notice?" Tailmon finally spoke up.
"What?" Daisuke asked.
V-mon glanced at his partner.
"It was basically deserted, Daisuke." He said.
Takato nodded.
"What he said. That area was the same one we dealt with the day before." He said. "You freed five Tyrannomon and I freed all the Digimon at that Coliseum. Sure, he still had the Dark Towers up, but that area was basically worthless to him."
Takeru looked at him.
"Do you think he withdrew from that area?"
Hikari frowned.
"But then, what about the areas around it; they were nearly empty as well. There were just some token guards."
Miyako, whose head had tilted in though, suddenly widened her eyes.
"It was a trap." She said. "Well, no, not a trap. It was a…"
"Diversion." Daisuke growled.
"He withdrew from that area and the areas around them, taking everything valuable with him, including all the Digimon he'd enslaved." Takeru said in dawning understanding. "And then he'd used them to conquer this area while we were busy wasting our time."
"Then maybe…was he really after Gabumon, then? Attacking a weak point while we wasted time?" Iori wondered.
Takato squinted.
"Even ignoring Gabumon, this makes sense as a target. It's not just a random area; it's an actual city of Digimon. It's small in size, but I bet it has a higher population density then most areas of its size…"
Daisuke clinched a hand into a fist.
"Damn it! We got played!"
Yamato, who'd been silent up until then, finally spoke.
"Yes. We did. We got tricked and, quite frankly, we lost that round utterly. I suppose the question is…what are we gonna do about it?"
Daisuke and Takato looked at each other in perfect unison.
Takato was surprised to realize something.
Daisuke had looked to him as if he was the leader…and he'd done the same, looking at Daisuke. He'd thought of Daisuke as the leader of the Chosen unconsciously; he couldn't say why exactly, but now that he was thinking about it, he could come up with all sorts of reasons. Because he had gotten his Digivice and partner first. Because he was so much like Taichi. Because of the goggles.
But Daisuke had looked at him, too, and that he didn't quite understand.
He'd helped out, sure; he'd saved Iori and Miyako. He'd confronted the Kaiser personally. He'd given information. But he hadn't realized how that would look to someone who didn't know that he was an enemy.
But…
Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
"Daisuke, could I speak with you for a minute?" He asked.
XxXXxX
"Daisuke, there are some things we need to talk about." He said as the two of them went off to the side. Their partners followed close behind, but respectfully kept their distance.
"What about?"
"About this place. Santa Geria. The main goal of this mission is, of course, to save the people the Kaiser has captured. That comes before anything else; that's the most important thing. No matter what, we have to take down that tower. But…"
"But?" Daisuke urged on.
"We have to do this as quickly as possible." Takato said seriously. "If we can't destroy the Towers at least as fast as he makes them, we'll always be a step behind. We have to move fast and to move fast, I think we need a leader."
"Yeah. I, uh…I agree. And I think-"
"And I think that leader is you, Daisuke." Takato continued, cutting him off.
"That- wha-what!"
"I saw your face a minute ago, Daisuke, when you looked at me for leadership. But you are the leader here, Daisuke. I'm the new guy who just strolled in one day and I don't want to make it seem like I'm stealing your place."
"What do you mean…?"
"I mean that, basically, I think that if I was the leader of this team it would do more harm than good. I'm the new guy. I just waltzed onto the scene a few days ago and got involved. But at the end of the day, they don't know me. They don't know anything about me. And I don't think they can really trust me, yet. And I don't think I have any right to try to make them trust me; that's something that comes with time."
"But…the same is true for me." Daisuke said. "Just a few days ago, I'd only known Hikari and Taichi; I'm new to the group, too."
"Yes, but only to a point. They know you; maybe only a little, but all of the younger Chosen go to the same school as you and Taichi is the leader of the older Chosen. More than that…" Takato made himself look serious. "I'm not sure why, it could just be because I enter the Digital World through a different computer, but…I'm pretty sure you've noticed that I usually show up separately from you guys and we have to meet up. And I'm always late to the party, because I have to go all the way home because of my family. If things get serious, that could be a liability."
Daisuke slowly nodded so Takato continued.
"The Chosen need a leader that they can rely on, both as a person and to be there when it counts. Currently, I can't give them the former and I might never be able to guarantee the latter. But maybe you can." He said.
Daisuke looked back at the others and was silent for a moment.
"What about Yamato?" He said, nodding towards the Chosen of Friendship. "Or Taichi?"
"They could both do it." Takato admitted. "In fact, most of the older Chosen could do it. But they all share the same flaw; none of them can evolve while the Kaiser is around. They have the wisdom, but on the battlefield they are…it sounds cold, but they're a liability. If a fight breaks out, at least one Digimon has to waste time defending them. And it's not like we have any way of communicating with them at range except with the televisions. It has to be one of us."
"But then…why me? Why not Hikari or Takeru? They both have experience, too."
"Yes. Both of them might be able to do it, Daisuke." Takato said, putting a hand on his 'friend's' shoulder. "But I believe in you Daisuke. I think you're the best choice."
He was silent for a moment.
"Okay." Daisuke said finally. "I'll try on one condition."
"What?"
"You'll help me, right?" Daisuke pleaded. "Two is better than one, isn't it? Then, can't we just lead together."
Takato sighed but still smiled.
"Okay." He said. "Let's get back to the others."
XxXXxX
That went well, Takato thought to himself.
At first, the thought of becoming the leader of the Chosen had been attractive, but then he'd thought about what that had meant.
It meant leading the troops. As he'd said, amongst the Chosen, there wasn't any sort of long range communication. There was no 'leading from behind.' If he was the leader, he'd need to be in the thick of things every time something happened.
No thanks.
And he couldn't really abuse his authority. The Chosen were really an informal group; if he failed, he'd be replaced easily and that'd be it. Not to mention, any traps he lead them into would involve having to walk into them himself.
So then it came down to one thing. If not him, who should lead?
The older Chosen would have been best, since they couldn't evolve; he could exploit that weakness, forcing the others on the defensive…
But if he was smart enough to notice that, so were they. It wasn't possible.
It had to be someone who could evolve their partner, or whose partner was strong enough already. Basically, the new Chosen.
Iori was discarded almost immediately; it'd be hard to justify electing the youngest and most inexperienced of the Chosen.
Then came Takeru and Hikari. Daisuke was right; they would make good leaders. They had more experience than the others and if they could find a way around the Dark Towers, they'd have access to Angemon again. And if they got to Perfect again…
Takato didn't want them as leaders. They were the best possible choice for the Chosen and the worst for him.
So it came down to Miyako and Daisuke. He'd just decided that Daisuke would be easier to convince.
No…maybe that wasn't the only reason.
He'd seen the show and had been playing the game. The goggles, the partner, the Crest of Courage, all those things…
It was obvious.
Daisuke was meant to be the Taichi of the new group.
But…
How dangerous was he? He knew how dangerous the Older Chosen were; same for Hikari and Takeru.
But what about the remaining three?
How dangerous were they to him?
He wanted to know.
And there was only one way to find out.
XxXXxX
"Before we do anything, remember that our goal is to free the captured Digimon." Yamato said, repeating Takato's words.
"I know!" Daisuke said, looking and sounding determined. "It'll be easy with Armor Evolution!"
"We can't do that!" Takeru immediately disagreed. "If we do that, they could use the captured Digimon as shields."
Daisuke immediately deflated. Takato noticed and cut in.
He couldn't have people questioning Daisuke's leadership before anything had even started, after all.
"While that's true, I've actually had to fight my way to a Tower before and if this one is anything like it, it'll be surrounded by guards. As in, multiple Adult Digimon. Daisuke's right; if we go in there without using any evolutions, we'll get slaughtered. And it's not like it would make a difference even if we didn't evolve; we're a bunch of humans in the Digital World. There are literally only thirteen of us in this entire world and the Kaiser has seen our faces. Our Digimon probably aren't familiar sights around here, either, and the Kaiser has seen them too. No matter what we do, if we walk in there, we're going to be recognized. We might as well have our Digimon with us. And…"
Takato paused, wondering if he should say this; it seemed cold. That didn't really bother him, but would it give something away?
He wasn't sure.
But he said it anyway.
"Guys, I know this is going to sound really cold, but frankly, we can't let things like hostages get in the way."
"What!" Miyako asked, shocked.
"Wait! Let me finish!" Takato said, holding up a hand. "I know that the most important thing is saving the Digital World and the Digimon, but the only real way to do that is to stop the Kaiser. And we can't do that if we hesitate and falter every time he uses a hostage."
"What are you talking about!" Hikari demanded.
Surprisingly, it was Iori who realized it first. Takato made a mental note to keep an eye on that kid; he was smarter then he appeared.
"This world is his hostage." The youngest Chosen said.
"Huh? What do you mean, Iori?" Miyako asked, still not catching on.
"The Kaiser has already conquered massive swaths of the Digital World. He's taken control of this area, but it's nowhere near the only one. He already has thousands of hostages."
Takato nodded at him.
"If we're going to stop every time the Kaiser could use a hostage then we've already been defeated; there is literally nowhere in this world that he could not use a hostage. But it's more than that. Besides the captured Digimon in that town, which I don't think for a second were spared Evil Rings for any reason except to screw with our heads and force us into this situation, there are other Digimon the Kaiser could use."
Takeru's eyes widened in realization before narrowing dangerously.
"The enslaved Digimon." He snarled.
"He was using the Coliseum to force Digimon to battle each other. I don't know if he forced them to kill each other, but it's safe to assume that he has more than enough control over them to use them as hostages as well as soldiers."
"B-but then…" Hikari said, paling at the implications.
"We have to save the Digimon." Takato said, continuing his speech. "But to do that, we have to stop the Kaiser. And we can't do that if we stop every time someone is in danger. Maybe we could save everyone in here without anyone getting hurt. But even if we do, so what? Then he just wises up and uses them against us next time. If we stop, we've already lost! We have to keep moving forward or stagnate and die!"
"Then what do we do?" Yamato asked.
Takato glanced at Daisuke, silently telling him to do his job.
"That Tower." The goggle-wearing boy immediately said. "If we destroy that Tower, all the enslaved Digimon will be freed. Even if the Kaiser has a hundred hostages here, it doesn't matter if we can take away all control he has over this area before he can use it."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Takato said, backing him up.
"Yes." Yamato said impatiently. "But how do we do that? As you said, we'll stand out if we try to go through the village."
Daisuke frowned in thought.
"Then we won't go through the village. Miyako, Takeru, can Hawkmon and Patamon carry us?" Daisuke asked.
Miyako did a head count while Takeru just replied.
"No. At least, not all of us. If they carried Miyako and I, then they could only carry one other passenger comfortably. Maybe a human and a Child Digimon, but it'd be a really tight fit and I wouldn't want to get in a fight while doing so." Takeru said.
Daisuke bit his lip.
"What about Tailmon and Guilmon. They're Adults, but they're pretty small."
Takeru looked at the two speculatively.
"I know Pegasmon can carry Hikari and Tailmon. Could you carry Takato and Guilmon, Miyako?"
Miyako opened her mouth to respond but hesitated, unsure.
Takato gestured dismissively.
"Don't bother. While we might be able to pull that off, it would involve sending only part of the group into the middle of an enemy stronghold and Holsmon and Pegasmon might be spotted at a distance. It's too risky. No, we can't go over the village and we can't go through it. So I guess we'll just have to go under it, huh? Iori, can you dig us a tunnel?"
The youngest Chosen already had his Digivice in his hand.
"Consider it done."
XxXXxX
Digmon's drills suddenly stopped spinning.
Takato could only see by the fight Fladramon cast down here, but that told him enough.
"Why have we stopped?" He asked.
They obviously hadn't broken through to the surface; if they had, they would be able to see light.
"We're near the Dark Tower." Iori said. "I asked Digmon to stop when we were close enough, but before breaking through. If something has gone wrong, this is our last chance to realize it before walking into it."
"Good thinking, Iori." Daisuke complemented.
"How close are we?" Takato asked.
Iori looked at his partner.
"About three feet up, but I'm drilling at an angle so you all can walk up it. So about…ten meters before we reach the surface?"
Takato frowned.
"I don't know about you, but I can't hear anything through three meters of dirt." He pointed out. "I can't see anything through it, either, for obvious reasons. Taste, touch, and smell are useless in this situation, too. Guilmon?"
Guilmon shook his head. He couldn't detect anything either, even with his superior senses.
Takato itched to just take out his Digivice. He could use the scanner on that to learn everything he needed to know.
But he suppressed the urge. Nothing said weird like whipping out strange new devices.
"Does anybody down here have a way to check out what's going on up there or shall we charge forth into the great unknown?" Yamato asked.
"Digmon?" Iori asked.
His partner had pressed his drills into the ground again, but he wasn't drilling.
"I can sort of sense things when they move." Digmon said. "I can't really explain it properly, but I can sort of tell where things are while I'm digging."
Miyako gasped.
"Of course! Vibrations!"
"What?" Daisuke asked.
"Digmon can sense vibrations; he can tell where things are by detecting their movements, even without seeing them." She explained.
"Well, what do you see, Digmon?" Iori asked.
"…There's something up there. A lot of somethings, actually." Digmon said after a moment of silence.
"Can you tell what they are?" Daisuke said.
Digmon shook his head.
"Maybe if they were underground and nearby I could tell their general shape and size, but my senses aren't good enough to determine something's shape based on the vibrations caused by its feet."
"It's fine; we already know who they are." Takato said.
Daisuke looked at him in surprise.
"We do?"
Takato nodded silently.
"This close to the Dark Tower, it has to be the Digimon the Kaiser enslaved." Takato stated. "Gabumon, who are they?"
Everyone's eyes turned towards the injured Digimon Guilmon still carried.
"Vegimon, probably. They're the Digimon the Kaiser left in charge of this area. The RedVegimon that leads them might be there, too."
"Vegimon? There were Vegimon at the Tower I attacked, too." Takato said, looking upwards speculatively.
He nodded to himself.
"We might as we play it safe, though. Daisuke and I will distract them." Takato said. "Digmon, carve us a path to the surface like you intended. Then circle around to the other side of the Dark Tower. Daisuke and I will deal with the Digimon; you guys deal with the Dark Tower. Agreed?"
"I'm up for it." Daisuke said. "Fladramon?"
"Good to go."
"Guilmon?" Takato mimicked.
"I'm ready."
"Guilmon, put Gabumon down." Yamato asked. "Are you up to walking, Gabumon."
"I'm strong enough for this." Gabumon said, and though he didn't look good, he stood on his own.
"Then here we go." Takato said. "Come on, Daisuke. Everyone else…we'll see you topside."
XxXXxX
The Vegimon never saw it coming. One moment, they stood in a ring around the Dark Tower, protecting it as they had been ordered.
And the next…
Guilmon and Fladramon exploded from the earth. Both creatures roared to the heavens as they returned to see the sky, drawing any attention that had not already been drawn. Red light spelt from between the razors of Guilmon's mouth as fire washed over the length of Fladramon's body.
And behind them, two creatures climbed from the earth.
The Vegimon had never seen humans before, and now that they did they could only think, through the binding fog over their captive minds, what strange creatures they were.
And as they stepped above ground, they looked around and one, the one without goggles, spoke.
"I hereby name this place the Santa Geria Mosh Pit!" He declared, pointing at them. "My will be done!"
Fladramon fell upon them a moment later. His thunderous crash was drowned out by the explosion Guilmon made before the red Digimon charged through the smoke the join the party.
As Fladramon's fist connected with his face, Vegimon had enough time to think only one thing.
What's a Mosh Pit?
XxXXxX
The other Chosen came to the surface a minute later, behind the Dark Tower as planned. Digmon broke through first, carrying Iori in on pair of arms. Takeru and Miyako rode their partners out immediately afterwards, while Hikari and Tailmon came up behind them for no reason other than the fact that Tailmon had shorter legs and couldn't carry Hikari.
Yamato stayed behind with Gabumon, something he was not happy about but couldn't help.
They erupted onto the surface, sprinting for the Dark Tower, unsure of what they would find above ground. Pegasmon and Holsmon quickly outpaced Digmon, taking to the air.
And then, all at once, they froze.
Every last one of them stilled completely at what they saw.
Fladramon grabbed the Vegimon's blunt, fingerless limb as it was swung at him. In one smooth, unhesitating movement, he twisted his arm under Vegimon's long, string-like arm and then back over on the other side and under again, wrapping it tight around his arm. In less than a second, Vegimon's arm was stretched taunt and Fladramon heaved back his arm, lifting the smaller Digimon from the ground and sending him sailing through the air.
Straight towards Fladramon himself.
Vegimon didn't even have time to widen its eyes in fear or realization before Fladramon slammed his hand into his face.
Vegimon sailed back through the air until he reached the end of his rope and was pulled back by the Armor Digimon for another blow.
Fladramon hummed in satisfaction after the second blow, nodded to himself as he confirmed something.
And then he turned his attention to the three Vegimon that had been approaching him. They stood, stunned by what he'd just done.
With narrowed eyes, Daisuke's partner took the initiative. Another blow to his unwilling assistant sent the yellow Digimon plowing into one of his companions before pulling him back for more. Two more blows knocked down the others as well.
Lifting his wrapped arm in the air, Fladramon began to rotate it in small circles, swinging the Vegimon around like a lasso. The circle's size quickly increased as the movement began to untie the Digimon from his arm until only his clinched fingers kept the enslaved Digimon from flying away.
Fladramon quickly used his increased reach to sweep the recovering Vegimon off of their feet before swinging his captive in a wide circle with his body as the center and tossing him into the downed group.
"Knuckle Fire!"
The blasts of fire connected with the Evil Rings with pinpoint accuracy, deleting them.
Guilmon caught the flung limbs of a pair of Vegimon, who had learnt to stay as far away from the red Digimon as possible in an attempt to avoid danger.
It didn't work, because they hadn't learnt to avoid attacking him.
A 'hand' in each of his, he jumped back, stretching the limbs taunt as Fladamon had, and pulled hard, dragging the Vegimon forward in the process.
Guilmon released their hands, allowing their momentum to carry them the rest of the way, before slamming a hand into each of their guts.
They crashed back to the earth a moment before Guilmon landed, their Evil Rings shattered.
Guilmon hit the ground running, dashing towards another enemy. The Vegimon tried to raise his arms in defense.
Guilmon grabbed both of them, stuck his head over them, and attacked.
"Fireball!"
The blast destroyed the Dark Ring and blew the Vegimon away. It stopped only when it reached the length of its arms, at which point Guilmon dropped him, turning to another Vegimon.
"Rock Breaker!"
The Ring broke and the Vegimon was thrown across the top of the mountain.
"W-w-what is this!" A new voice broke in.
Fladramon and Guilmon turned as one, barring their teeth.
RedVegimon had arrived on the scene.
Guilmon rushed towards him in a blur while Fladramon leapt into the air.
"Neck Stretcher!" Guilmon cried, upper-cutting the smaller Digimon with a flaming punch and launching him into the air.
And there, reaching the apex of his jump, Fladramon was waiting.
"Claw Express!"
The punch hit the enslaved Digimon like a train, sending him back to earth, breaking the Ring in the process.
Guilmon approached, sniffing the newly freed Digimon before wrinkling his nose and turning away. Fladramon landed beside him a moment later.
Neither of them said anything, but they didn't have to. They wordlessly bumped their claws together.
XxXXxX
Ken, still dressed as the Kaiser, looked upon one of his screens with vague interest.
Moments ago, one of his Towers had been destroyed, but he had no more interest for it then he'd have for a rerun of a TV show.
He'd expected it after all. When he'd allowed one of the Chosen's partners to escape with nothing more than a severe beating, it seemed obvious that he would return with the cavalry. He'd thought about killing the Digimon, but decided a test was more valuable, as it would allow for him to gather information.
Besides, with the Dark Towers, Gabumon was no threat.
"One hour, seventeen minutes." Wormmon reported dutifully. "They can destroy a Dark Tower with average guards thirty-two minutes faster then we could build it."
Ken frowned, but said nothing.
Wormmon took that as a sign to continue and did so.
"Of course, there were only average guards and it was to be expected for them to do so. Their victory wasn't surprising. However, it did raise several issues."
The Kaiser leaned back in his chair before speaking.
"Their partners." He stated. "With both Holsmon and Pegasmon, we no longer hold complete aerial superiority. More worryingly, they will dominate any attempts subterranean combat with Digmon. Both pose threats as they can potentially bypass our defenses, especially Digmon. Tailmon is not a major issue…well, no more so then any powerful Adult Digimon. She is both fast and strong, but she provides relatively little tactical advantage as she is restricting to the ground. The same could be said of both Guilmon and V-mon, but…"
Ken fell silent for a moment to ponder over his next words
"Those two have an enormous amount of raw power, even if they are unable to fly or dig past our guards. They have enough strength that they can simply roll over any opposition. In a one on one fight, I doubt we have any Digimon that can match them and they seem quite capable of working together. Well…maybe Stingmon?"
Wormmon made a noise of agreement.
"If you wish it, Ken, I will fight. I couldn't defeat both at once, however. Even just one would be a challenge."
His partner nodded, not really paying attention.
"To defend our Towers properly, we'd need to position troops at every Tower that could simultaneously defend against attacks from above-, below-, and on the ground. Not only that, but we'd need enough guards to defend against both Fladramon and Guilmon." Ken said.
He frowned and shook his head.
"That's not feasible. There's no way we could mobilize that many troops on each Tower. While we might be able to send enough Aerial troops to defeat their two fliers, we don't have enough fliers of our own to go around. Even then, I'd have to send dozens of ground troops as well if I wanted to deal with Fladramon, Guilmon and Tailmon. If I could draw all of them to specific areas then I could set things up in advance, but…I don't have any reliable way of making them walk into traps and I can't control where they appear in the Digital World. I might be able to draw them out with hostages again…but would they really walk into an obvious trap? No, that's not the issue…even if they walked into a trap, what would stop Digmon from getting them out? We have literally no one who can keep them from escaping beneath ground."
"We need to deal with Digmon, but that doesn't necessarily mean we need to go underground, Ken. What about a place he can't dig into? Or something that keeps Digimon from getting involved at all? And while we can't fight him while he's underground, the reverse is also true."
Ken pondered that for a minute before a smile grew across his face.
"You know, Wormmon? That gives me an idea."
XxXXxX
