I'm sorry for the long delay. It's just, when my laptop decided to start wigging out on me, I just lost a ton of motivation for writing my bigger stories. But I'm not going to give up on them so don't worry about that. I hope you guys enjoy this newest chapter and don't forget to review. Also, I am feeling a lot better for those of you who read the notes in Children of the Present.
-X-
Desert West Town – 12:07 PM
"Still nothing?" Rai sighed.
Candlemon shook his head. "I can't get a feel of the others anywhere. If I could, then I could digivolve to Wizardmon and transport us there but without their data signatures, there's no guarantee that we'll appear in the right spot. I could accidentally take us to the middle of an ocean and that wouldn't be good for either of us."
"Yeah, I never did learn how to swim," Rai muttered. She squinted as she looked upwards, staring up at the hot sun, directly above them. "It's noon, we should probably go get some lunch and a cold drink or you're just going to end up tiring yourself out again, like yesterday."
"Yeah, good point," Candlemon agreed. "The melted look does not look good on me."
The two of them moved over to the local saloon and when they entered, they heard the upbeat piano playing into their ears. It was such a lovely melody, the kind you hear in the old west movies. However, unlike in those movies, everyone in this town is very friendly. There haven't been any showdowns at high noon at least.
"Good afternoon Etemon," Rai smiled as she and her partner sat at the booth.
"Ah, if it isn't Rai and Candlemon!" the monkey Digimon greeted them. He was wearing a bartender outfit while he was wiping a glass clean. The only part of him that was bare was everything below his torso which was as naked as every other Etemon. "I'm guessing the two of you had no luck today either, huh."
"Nope," Candlemon said with a heavy sigh. "Usually, I would've picked up four clustered Digimon signals. Well, only if I've been with them long enough and I have."
"Well, cheer up dolls," the waitress, a peppy Lillymon with a southern American accent giggled. "I'm sure you two will reunite with your friends eventually. You just have to hold on to the hope that you will." She gave the two of them complementary glasses of cold milk. "Here, on the house."
"Are you sure?" Rai asked. "I mean, you guys have been giving us rooms here and even food for free. I feel like we've been leeching off of you."
"Nonsense!" Etemon laughed. "You're the heroes of legend! We can't have our heroes starving and baking on the streets, now can we Lillymon?"
"No, no we cannot, darling," Lillymon giggled.
Candlemon lowered his tone and leaned in close to his partner. "They're so nice but sometimes, they creep me out."
"At least they're helping us out," Rai chuckled quietly.
For the past two days they've been in this town, things have gone relatively well for the young girl and her partner. They haven't dealt with any brainwashed Digimon and the Digimon they have met are pretty friendly, like Etemon and Lillymon. They're also strong so any 'bandits' that stroll into town are almost immediately kicked out. The food was between good and scrumptious and the temperature was never too unbearable.
Rai almost forgot that this world was in deep peril. The thing that reminded her was the doors to the saloon bursting open and a large star-shaped Digimon collapsing inside.
"Sheriff!" Etemon and Lillymon gasped when they saw the newcomer.
The song playing on the piano came to an abrupt stop and all the patrons had their eyes on the law enforcer on the floor. Hushed whispers traveled through the saloon while Lillymon was helping the sheriff onto her lap.
"Speak to us SuperStarmon, darling!" Lillymon pleaded as Etemon ran back and forth in panic behind the bar.
"W… Wa…," the injured Digimon croaked out weakly.
Lillymon looked to her employer. "Hon! He needs waffles! He clearly skipped breakfast this morning!"
"I'll cook them up right away!" Etemon shouted.
SuperStarmon shook his head in the tiniest of movements. "Wa… Wat…"
"Hon! He needs a watch! He clearly needs to know what the time is!" Lillymon snapped.
Etemon frantically looked around before ripping the clock off the wall and throwing it onto SuperStarmon's body. It landed with a clunk against his golden chest. "I don't have a watch!" Etemon panicked. "Will that big one do?"
SuperStarmon shook his head again. "Wat… Water..."
"Hon! He needs a watermelon! The heat makes him think that it's summer!" Lillymon snapped.
"But watermelons don't grow in the desert!" the bartender screamed back.
Candlemon groaned loudly. "Oh for Sovereign's sake, he's asking for water!"
"Really?" Lillymon tilted her head to the side. "Don't you think that sounds a bit unreasonable?"
Rai came over to SuperStarmon with her glass of milk. "It's not water but it'll quench your thirst," she said to him as she helped him up. SuperStarmon had enough strength to take the glass from the human and took a sip which was good because Rai had no idea where his mouth was.
"Thank you," SuperStarmon wheezed as he sat onto one of the chairs. "I'm glad there was someone sensible here."
"Sorry," both Etemon and Lillymon murmured.
"But what happened to you?" Lillymon asked. "And where are…?"
"Deputymon and Starmon were both destroyed during our mission," SuperStarmon said bluntly. Things became very silent then. "They were both equally my right hand mon and they worked so hard. Only to be deleted by some filthy minion of Apocalymon. That Digimon puts the word monster back into Digital Monster."
"So even this town has been ravaged by Apocalymon," Candlemon grumbled. He clenched his fists so tightly that they became even whiter than before. "That guy… I'm definitely going to give him what for when I see him!"
SuperStarmon stared at Candlemon for a while. "Well, you're a new face. And now that I've shaken off that woozy feeling and my vision is returning, I must say…" He turned to Rai. "You don't look like any Digimon species I'm familiar with."
"I'm not" Rai said. "My name is Rai, I'm a human."
"Oh, a human," SuperStarmon said before his eyes bugged out from underneath his sunglasses. "A human?! That's it! You two can defeat that flaming menace whose been terrorizing our town! You must be a DigiDestined of legend, correct?"
"Um… Well, yeah, I guess," Rai shrugged.
"Whoa! Now hold on a minute!" Candlemon quickly said, bringing his hands up. "Rai, you don't even know who this enemy is! But he's obviously powerful to have defeated two Champion level Digimon and even give an Ultimate a run for his money. I don't stand a chance on my own."
"I understand why you'd be worried about that," SuperStarmon sighed. "But the Digimon is only an Armor level Digimon. He's not as powerful as an Ultimate but he can certainly bring his power up to that level. He just did this thing, like, disappearing in one place and then reappearing somewhere else without even having to move. But the thing you really have to watch out for is how he can manipulate you. He tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel like you're the most special Digimon in the world, and that's when he strikes!"
"Pulls at your heartstrings?" Rai repeated.
Etemon and Lillymon were nodding in agreement. "It's true, we've both been victims to it," said Etemon.
Candlemon stood there, on the chair as he thought about this. There was something resembling fear in his eyes. "Wait, you said he was a flaming menace? And an Armor level Digimon? Disappear and reappear? Pulls at your heartstrings?"
"Yes, those are all things I said," SuperStarmon nodded.
"What's wrong?" Rai asked.
"FlaWizardmon," Candlemon breathed. "That fits FlaWizardmon's description exactly! Rai, he's my friend from Magic Village! I can't believe it… He's actually here. And he's Apocalymon's minion?" Candlemon shook his head desperately. "No! There's no way I could fight him. And even if I did, there's no way I would be able to beat him. He's the only Digimon to have ever officially defeated my brother in a magic duel. I could never defeat him."
"You don't have to beat him," SuperStarmon told him. "You just have to subdue him. I could barely get close to him because I could risk having been infected with the Dark Chain virus. But you just have to subdue him and then Lillymon can shoot a Flower Cannon at him and destroy him into bits of data!"
"The Dark Chain works like a virus?" Rai blinked as she took in this new information. That would explain why it spreads to others the way it does.
"No!" Candlemon snapped. It wasn't an answer to his partner's question. "I can't! I won't let you destroy him! Can't we just destroy the Chain like always?"
"We don't know where it is," Etemon confessed. "We only know that he has a Dark Chain on him because it spread to a few other townsfolk but we were able to set them free. But without knowing where the virus is on FlaWizardmon, we can't just pinpoint it and destroy it."
"Even so… He's still an innocent Digimon who's being controlled by an evil force," Rai reminded them calmly before directing herself at SuperStarmon. "You enforce the law here as the sheriff. Would it be right to execute a Digimon with no control over his own actions?"
"No… I guess not," SuperStarmon sighed. "Curse my law abiding integrity! But what do you suggest we do if we can't terminate him?"
"We can try to reason with him first," Rai suggested.
"Don't you think we've tried?" Lillymon sighed. "But the thing is, he doesn't even care for destroying our town or spreading the Dark Chain virus like Apocalymon seems to desire. All he seems to want is food and chances to flirt."
"That is definitely FlaWizardmon," Candlemon groaned. "I guess the Dark Chain didn't change his personality at all as it would seem."
"Maybe that means his heart hasn't changed," Rai said vaguely as she paced around the saloon. "Perhaps we really could talk him out of it. But I think the only one capable of doing that would be you, Candlemon."
Candlemon wasn't so sure and he was about to voice out his worries when a sudden explosion sounded from outside. A hearty laughter reached their ears as they all ran out to see a wizard Digimon, similar to Wizardmon except his clothes were flaming red and it was very clear that he had the base element of fire. He was also less calm in comparison to other mage Digimon they've met; he seemed a lot more excitable and energetic.
"Didn't I tell this dusty old town to lay out a feast whenever I come to visit?" FlaWizardmon laughed. "Geez, you guys can't even follow a simple order!" He tossed a couple of fireballs at some Ponchomon who fled before their sombreros could get caught in flames. He laughed joyfully as he watched them run. "Pathetic! I can't believe that you guys are Armor Digimon like me!"
"FlaWizardmon!" Candlemon shouted as he hopped over to his old friend. "Stop this at once! What would Sorcerymon think if he saw you? What would your own sister think if she saw you behaving this way?"
FlaWizardmon stopped laughing and he turned to look at the Rookie level Digimon. At first, he just seemed really pissed that someone was actually interrupting him but when he saw who it was, he seemed genuinely shocked. It quickly glossed over, returning to his pissed expression.
Digital Analyzer: FlaWizardmon is the Armor level flaming wizard Digimon. His defensive and attack power are far more powerful than other mage Digimon. They tend to have dreams to be the strongest so their training regimen is much more intense compared to most Digimon.
"I don't have a sister and I certainly don't like anyone talking to me as if they know me," FlaWizardmon spat before taking on a completely different tone. It sounded flirtatious and casual at the same time. "Even if it is from a cutie such as yourself."
Etemon, Lillymon, and SuperStarmon all gasped, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. "Those are the same words he used to lasso my heart!" they all said.
"Yup, he hasn't changed…," Candlemon muttered before putting his focus on what was really important. "FlaWizardmon, don't you remember me? It's me, Candlemon! I'm your friend and you always acted as a mentor to me! I can't stand knowing that you're on Apocalymon's side! Weren't you the one who wanted to show me a world without darkness? Without Apocalymon ruling our world? I thought… I thought you wanted to take me to a world bathed in light!"
"He said such things?" Lillymon squealed.
"He has such a way with words!" Etemon wailed.
"Don't tell me that you two were lovers!" SuperStarmon gasped.
"We were not!" Candlemon shouted indignantly, loud enough to push their fantasies back into their heads and their bodies into the saloon.
Rai would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about the nature of her partner's relationship with this old friend of his but this was no time for that. "FlaWizardmon… You don't know me but I'm a friend of Candlemon and he's told me a lot about you."
"Yeah?" FlaWizardmon cocked his head to the side. "You don't say? Let me guess, he's always saying how much of a pain I am, how too energetic I am, and how I'm always bothering him when he's busy. He's always blaming me when I try to brighten up his day."
Rai shook her head. "You're wrong. Candlemon didn't say any of those things. He always said that no matter how depressing things got, you would always be able to cheer him up. He tells me about how he had so much trouble trying to evolve when everyone else around him was already at the Champion level. He told me how you believed in him and tried to help him out. He told me about how much you support him and how much you make him feel wanted no matter what."
FlaWizardmon seemed genuinely surprised by this but he wasn't about to be swayed so easily. "Well, if he thinks so fondly of me, then why did he leave without telling me?"
"Because!" Candlemon quickly shouted. Was FlaWizardmon really upset when he did that? The Dark Chain takes one's emotions and amplifies them. Was his sadness and anger over Candlemon's sudden departure enough to have FlaWizardmon manipulated like this? "I didn't want you to worry about me! I thought you might stop me from going… But that's why I left that note specifically for you! I still wanted you to be the one to know before anyone else. But I just couldn't say out loud that I was actually leaving! Because… It would've made leaving you feel all too real…"
"You… You really mean that?" FlaWizardmon blinked. He took a step towards his old friend but suddenly, black lightning coursed through his body from his stomach and he lurched forward as if he was in pain. "Gah! S-Stop!"
"FlaWizardmon!" Candlemon shouted as he tried to get closer.
The Rookie Digimon stopped when FlaWizardmon started laughing again. "You really are a pathetic little wax figurine, aren't you? Do you really think you can stop me from messing with this town?"
"This isn't you!" Candlemon tried one more time.
"Shut up!" FlaWizardmon shouted angrily. "Magic Ignition!" Blue flames appeared on each of his fingertips and he shot them out towards them as if they were bullets.
Rai was one step ahead though as she jammed her bronze key into her D-Sync right before he used his attack. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"
"Candlemon Digivolve to… Wizardmon!" As soon as his evolution was complete, he used his Magical Game attack to cast a firewall spell. It was able to protect himself and the wooden saloon behind him from catching fire.
"It looks like conversation won't get through to him," Rai told her partner.
Wizardmon nodded gravely. "I know. But this is like his old self too. Actions always did speak louder than words for him."
Rai felt like she was watching another magical duel as the two mages launched flames and lightning bolts at each other. Wizardmon was at a clear disadvantage considering he had to watch out for his surroundings and make sure that none of the innocent townspeople got hurt. Rai saw this and she turned to the Ultimate Digimon hiding in the saloon.
"Quick! Help me get the townspeople out of here or at least to a place where things aren't as flammable!" Rai ordered and they complied. "Good luck, Wizardmon!"
"Thanks…," Wizardmon muttered as he leapt over another burst of flame which hit the sand underneath him. "Thunder Ball!"
"Magic Ignition!"
Etemon covered Rai from the explosion as they ran past. She was worried about her partner but she had to hope that SuperStarmon had done some damage to the Armor Digimon before he got here.
"Thunder Cloud!" Wizardmon raised his staff above him which summoned dark clouds to gather overhead and lightning to wildly strike down.
"I see you've gotten a lot stronger," FlaWizardmon smirked as the lightning struck down around him. "But you don't have much control over your elemental storm, now do you? Allow me to show you how it's done. Fire Cloud!" The storm clouds seemed to have switched masters as they began targeting Wizardmon but instead of launching lightning bolts, balls of fire began pouring down.
"Magical Game!" Unfortunately, the barrier this time was not strong enough to protect him.
Rai knew something was wrong when the dark clouds from a few buildings away started shooting fireballs. But she couldn't focus on that right now as her main priority was to make sure that the civilians didn't get hurt. This was evidently necessary as houses started bursting into flames.
"They really should've built them out of mud instead of wood," Rai muttered to herself. "Being in this heat alone makes them a fire hazard." Why was she even thinking about fire safety at a time like this?
"No time to gather your precious possessions, you just have to get to safety!" Etemon ushered.
"As sheriff of this here town, I command you all to listen to the bartender's advice!" SuperStarmon added.
Rai estimated that about two minutes had passed since they left Wizardmon alone and she knew that he was going to try everything to bring his friend back no matter how many times he was going to get knocked down. She wondered why she always ended up in situations like these.
"Rai!" Lillymon called as she fluttered down. She chose to patrol the skies so that she could see if there were any other Digimon who needed to be moved from the moving wildfire. While she was at it, she was keeping an eye on the battle to see if they were making any progress at pushing FlaWizardmon down but her current tone implied the opposite. "This is really bad! The saloon is on fire and all of the milk is going to spoil! Oh, and also, it looks like Wizardmon needs some help."
"That was your second thought?!" Rai blanched, fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, sigh loudly, and agree with her partner's sentiment that these Digimon weren't very bright. "Lillymon, take me to the battlefield!"
"Are you sure about that?" Lillymon inquired even though she was already grabbing the human girl by the waist. "It's like a miniature warzone out there."
"I'm sure," Rai nodded as they took off.
The two of them made it to the match quickly just as Wizardmon crashed into the wall of the saloon, breaking wood and possibly getting splinters into his body. "Rai?" he moaned when he saw the blurry silhouette of his partner.
Rai helped him up. "Are you okay?"
"Not going to lie… I've had better days," Wizardmon groaned.
FlaWizardmon walked towards them with a smug look on his face as he got more flame bullets at the ready. "So, are you going to quit, Wizardmon? If it was the old me, I would've been proud of you just for getting to your Champion level but as the new me, I find it sad that you needed a lowly human to help you reach it."
"…You can't… You can't say that about Rai!" Wizardmon uttered weakly. "She's been there for me through everything since I met her! She's been nothing but good to me just like you were."
There was a long pause as FlaWizardmon contemplated these words but they weren't going to stop him from releasing the bullets. "Then I guess you don't need me anymore."
The solemn way he said it, Wizardmon just knew that his old friend was in there, somewhere! "Please!" he begged. "Don't do this! I know you don't want to delete me! Don't you want to see Witchmon again? She needs you! I…" He hesitated, but now was not the time to be embarrassed by the truth. "I need you! Please!"
The Armored Digimon froze up again. "You… need me?"
"Of course I need you, you idiot!" Wizardmon snapped. "I thought you promised me that world bathed in light but now you're acting like that never happened! Well, I need you to remember that promise and take me there!"
FlaWizardmon shook his head and dark lightning started running through his body again. The flame bullets vaporized into the air as he started screaming in agony, falling to his knees. "W… Wizardmon!"
It was the old him, Wizardmon knew he was in there! "What is it?"
FlaWizardmon grabbed the fabric on his stomach and tore it off, revealing his skin but also, the glowing Dark Chain wrapped around his abdomen. It was continuously sending black electricity throughout the body of its victim. "The Dark Chain! Destroy it while I'm still in control!" FlaWizardmon grunted.
"R-Right!" Wizardmon nodded as he directed his staff at the target. Energy began gathering at the sun, creating a ball of lightning for his Thunder Ball attack. But when he launched it, it was clear that it wasn't nearly enough power to destroy the Chain as it all it did was push FlaWizardmon back a couple of feet.
"Hurry up!" FlaWizardmon snapped, he could feel himself losing control, slipping back into the brainwashed version of himself.
"I used up too much of my magical energy!" Wizardmon moaned. "What do I do?"
Lillymon put her hands together and got herself ready for a Flower Cannon attack. "Then allow me to handle this!"
"No!" Wizardmon protested. "You're too strong! You'll destroy him with that attack!"
"That's true…," Lillymon visibly drooped. "I don't really know how to hold my own power back."
Rai looked at the two Digimon before placing her hand on her partner's forearm, the one holding the staff. "But Wizardmon does! Lillymon, do you think you can give Wizardmon some of your power so he can charge up for one more Thunder Ball? One that's strong enough to destroy that Dark Chain?"
Lillymon nodded at the request and placed a tender hand on Wizardmon's other arm. Wizardmon felt the Ultimate's energy surging through him as he charged up for another attack. But the process was much too slow, FlaWizardmon was going to lose control and start attacking against his will soon.
"You can do this, I know you can!" Lillymon cheered him on.
"We know you can," Etemon corrected as he joined in on the energy transfer. "I'll give you some of my energy as well."
"Same here!" SuperStarmon nodded as he put a hand on Wizardmon as well. "I don't have much energy left but as long as I speed up the process."
Rai watched as the ball got brighter and much more powerful, her grip on her partner got tighter. "We're all here for you!"
"Then let's do this," Wizardmon smiled once he had enough energy. "Ultimate Charge: Thunder Ball!"
The attack was launched and it made contact with a massive explosion against FlaWizardmon's body. When the smoke cleared, Wizardmon ran in and found his friend unconscious on the sand. Rai helped them into the saloon to rest while the other Digimon went off to bring back the townspeople. During all this, the storm clouds from earlier started gathering again, all over the desert and suddenly, it started raining. The weather phenomenon doused the flames and wetted the sand, leaving them all feeling refreshed.
It felt like it was a completely new day on the desert with yesterday having been washed away with the rain.
Meteor Mountain – 8:43 AM
Babel's eyes fluttered open as he stretched his sore bones out. He wasn't about to complain, it was just luck that they were able to get out of the desert before night fell. If they were still in that desert, the sun would've been mercilessly beating down on them, waking them up in a pool of their own sweat like the previous day.
"Good, you're awake," Daisy huffed. "I was going to go down to the river and splash water onto your face."
"Good morning you too sunshine," Babel yawned. "So… Where are we headed now?"
"Where do you think? We're looking for the DarkTrailmon station," she reminded him.
"But we don't even know if it exists," Salamon pointed out.
Daisy rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, that's our best bet if Babel and I want to go home. I don't usually like depending on myths for hope but as of right now, we don't have much of a choice." She tossed a couple fruits and vegetables they had collected the night before at the other human. "Breakfast, eat while we walk. We're headed to the top of that mountain to get a better view of our next destination."
"You're as irritable as always," Babel muttered as he peeled a banana.
"You're eating it wrong again," his partner warned.
"Huh?" Babel blinked. "Oh, right." He almost forgot, bananas didn't have their edible insides in the Digital World, if you peeled them, you'd just end up with nothing but the peel. Luckily, Betamon found out that the peel itself was edible and as it turned out, it didn't taste that bad. Babel still wouldn't recommend eating a banana peel from his world though.
As the small group continued their arduous trek up the steep mountain, silence befell them. Something that both Babel and Betamon were not used to but the girls seemed perfectly fine with the mute atmosphere.
"And I heard that girls talk more than guys," Babel said with a full mouth.
"I don't want to hear any sexist jabs from you," Daisy snapped back. "It's the late twentieth century; you can't really get away with that! If it was still the mid-twentieth century; then that might be a little different."
"I personally don't see much of a change," Babel grumbled.
Betamon looked from his partner to Daisy before settling his eyes on the other Digimon. "What are they talking about?"
"Human world stuff most likely," Salamon shrugged. "I don't really get it."
"We're talking about gender equality," Babel told the Digimon before saying louder to Daisy. "Which I totally support, by the way!"
"Doesn't sound that way to me!" Daisy shot back.
"Gender equality?" Betamon repeated.
"You know, treating men the same way they treat women," Daisy said.
"Which neither of us are," Babel added. "I'm a boy and you're a girl. Can't we leave that fight for after African Americans don't have to face discrimination anymore in my home country?"
Daisy rolled her eyes but then she noticed the confused expression on Betamon's face. "What? Do you not know what 'gender' means?"
"We know what it means," Salamon replied for the amphibious monster. "But Digimon haven't been concerned with something that trivial in a long time. Whether or not someone is male or female simply doesn't matter."
"Eh?" Babel blinked. "But what about finding a husband or a wife? Well, since you're Digimon, I guess a better word would be mate."
"Ah, a mate," Salamon nodded. "Well most Digimon don't care what the gender is so long as the personality is a good match for them. Though there is a large percentage of Digimon that still put gender into account as they simply aren't attracted to one. We mostly choose mates based on species, for example: humanoid, amphibian, avian, plants, beast, insect, dragon, and so on. But many of us don't even care about species much anymore."
"So, two male Digimon and two female Digimon can be together?" Babel asked. He seemed genuinely curious whereas Daisy appeared to be a little uncomfortable with the topic.
"That's right," Salamon nodded.
"But if you don't care about gender anymore, how do you tell?" asked Daisy.
"Usually by voice but mainly through our excretory parts," her partner replied. "You two have gone to the bathroom before so I would assume that humans are the same."
"I think we should change the topic now," Daisy said quickly, not wanting to talk about… that.
Suddenly, they heard what sounded to be an extremely loud bird squawking above them. They looked up and noticed two similar looking birds made out of fire in the same nest on the mountainside. They had the same body shape and size but they were different colors and the one they had heard was the orange bird.
"Oh! So now it's my fault that your massive butt is taking up all the room in our nest?!"
"Quit shouting, you old hag! Do you really think that expelling air out of your fat beak is going to make you any prettier?"
"Hmph! You're just jealous that my wingspan is far larger than yours!"
"How dare you! My wingspan is clearly wider than yours! A blind Digimon would be able to see that!"
"My talons are sharper than yours too!"
"We can't say the same about your eyes!"
"Or your brain!"
The small group couldn't help staring at the two giant birds arguing with each other, they looked like a bickering, old married couple and because of their previous conversation; that may be the case. They weren't sure if they should interrupt of just stand there.
"Who are they?" Daisy hissed.
"The brighter one is Birdramon and the darker one is Saberdramon," Betamon answered.
Digital Analyzer: Birdramon and Saberdramon are known to be the firebird avians. Their entire body is composed of fire and other than their color; most aspects about them are generally the same. Talons, wingspan, eyesight, attacks, and even mental capacity are all alike. Despite this, they will tend to argue over which is better. Though, like every species, there are individuals that vary from others.
Babel's face was covered by his hand. "That description felt incredibly ironic somehow…"
Just then, Birdramon noticed the small group of travelers and pointed them out to Saberdramon. "Hey you!" Her voice caused the four of them to visibly jump up in surprise. "We must ask; which of us do you think is stronger?"
"Um… Well, we can't really tell by just looking," Babel chuckled nervously.
"Out of curiosity, are you two mates?" Daisy asked.
The two birds seemed appalled by the very idea. "Heavens, no! We're sisters!" Saberdramon gasped.
"How dare you plant such a horrid idea into our heads!" Birdramon continued. "We ought to teach you a lesson!"
"Wait a minute sis!" Saberdramon said. "That's a great idea! We'll figure out who's stronger by seeing how quickly we can delete them!"
"That's the best idea you've had a long time!" Birdramon nodded.
"What?!" the group shouted as the two winged beasts took to the skies. As they left the nest, their claws became visible and the group could see the Dark Chains wrapped around their ankles. This meant they were being controlled by Apocalymon!
The humans quickly took out their keys just as the birds came down, talons out. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"
"Salamon Digivolve to… Darcmon!"
"Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!"
Seadramon swiftly gathered up the two humans and moved away from the talons at the same time Darcmon drew her sword and aimed right for Saberdramon's wing but she was able to move away just enough not to get damaged too much.
"Meteor Wing!" both birds shouted as they both launched balls of fire at the angel Digimon.
Darcmon tried to avoid them all but there were just too many, her wings got singed and she crashed into the ground.
"No!" Daisy shouted as Seadramon let the humans off.
"Don't worry," Seadramon growled as he turned back around. "I've got this! Ice Blast!"
Birdramon's wings froze up in midair but her sister quickly thawed them out and they continued their soaring sky tricks. Their acrobatics made it difficult for Seadramon to catch them with one of his own attacks and they grabbed him by their talons, swinging him into the trees.
"Seadramon!" Babel yelled.
"How are those two working so well together?" Daisy murmured worriedly as she watched the partners attempt to fight back. But neither sea snake nor angel seemed to stand a chance against the birds' flawless aerial teamwork.
"Yeah," Babel agreed. "They were just arguing as if they hated each other a few moments ago."
Daisy paused and jerked her head to the older child. "Wait, say that again!"
"Say what again?" Babel blanched.
"The part about them hating each other!" Daisy clarified and judging from the look of recognition on Babel's face, she knew that he got it too.
"Dancing Sword!" Darcmon declared as she swung her magnificent blade around only to have it appear like an acrobatic decoration in the air. However, Birdramon and Saberdramon were just too quick for her to keep up with and when she neared one, the other would just brush her off her trajectory with a wing beat.
"Ice Winder!" Seadramon growled as he tried to wrap up one of the birds but the other simply slashed through his scales with her claws, causing him to let go. The two foes then moved back a bit before releasing their double Meteor Wings, causing several collisions against his body.
"These two are tougher than they look," Darcmon huffed.
"No kidding…," Seadramon groaned before noticing their human partners in the nest. "What are you two doing?"
Birdramon and Saberdramon turned to their nest and noticed the humans.
"What do you two nasty beings think you're doing?" Birdramon chirped.
Saberdramon nodded in agreement. "Get out of there before we tear you to shre–!"
"I say!" Daisy gasped happily while keeping her gaze only on Babel. "This is quite the luxurious nest! Such a wonderful breeze you can feel at this height and such a lovely view from this position! This is like a deluxe penthouse! Obviously, the smarter of the two sisters, Birdramon, chose this location!"
"Who cares?" Babel scoffed, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the other direction. "Even if Birdramon has the brain, Saberdramon is the one who does all the work! It's clear that she was the one who built the nest which is so extravagantly made that only a true professional such as herself could've done it! That is what will get you far in life!"
"Well, Birdramon clearly has sharper talons!"
"Well, Saberdramon has the wider wingspan!"
"Well, Birdramon is stronger!"
"No, Saberdramon is stronger!"
The humans stopped themselves from acting out their little charade and turned to the sisters in question. "Which one of you is stronger anyway?" Daisy asked.
"Can you prove it to us in a fight?" Babel added.
There was a long pause here, as if everything had frozen before Birdramon turned to her sister.
"Heh, did you really think we would fall for that?" Birdramon scoffed.
Saberdramon nodded in agreement. "That's right. Such poorly executed theatrics would never fool beautiful intellectuals such as us. Though the boy human is right, I am definitely the stronger one between us."
A vein popped out of Birdramon's forehead as she glared at her sister. "You're wrong! The girl human is correct, I'm the stronger one!"
"Do you want to prove it, sis?"
"Of course, I do!"
The two of them splayed out their wings for the other to see before releasing their signature attack. "Meteor Wing!" There was a massive explosion, almost sending the humans flying out of the nest but once the smoke cleared, the two birds were still and fried.
"Now's your chance!" Babel called out to their partners.
Seadramon used his sharp fangs to crush the Dark Chain on Birdramon's ankle while Darcmon slashed through the Dark Chain on Saberdramon's ankle. And with that, the two birds fell from the sky and into the mountainside below, crashing into solid rock.
"Hopefully, they won't blame us for that…," Daisy murmured.
After a few minutes of explanations and making sure that everyone was safe, they were given a free ride to the peak of the mountain as a show of gratitude from the bird sisters. Once they reached the top, they could see all around them and what they saw was both breathtaking and heartbreaking. It was such a beautiful landscape but there were large areas that were burned, destroyed, or gone completely.
"What in the world…," Babel breathed.
"Those are the areas ravaged by Apocalymon and his mindless minions," Birdramon explained in answer to their unvoiced questions. "Many innocent Digimon, controlled by the Dark Chain go and destroy their own homes and if they are released from their control, they find themselves without a place to return to."
Saberdramon showed them the other side of the mountain where there used to be a forest as evident by the burnt stumps and scent of burning lumber. "He made us destroy the forest there. Many of our friends are gone because of him, because of us, in some cases. We drove them away or we were forced to delete them."
"That's just horrible," Daisy muttered.
"Why don't you guys march up to Apocalymon and fight back?" Babel asked.
"His fortress is heavily guarded," Birdramon answered. "Even if we somehow manage to reach him, he is still much too powerful and will even threaten us with the lives of the Digimon he's enslaved. So instead of fighting back the old-fashioned way, we fight through our resilience. We try to live as happily as possible, making sure that we don't let his actions change our ways. We hold on to hope. We hold on to that one thread of light in this world of darkness."
"What's that?" Daisy inquired.
"You guys," Salamon answered. "You're that one thread of hope that everyone was holding on to. We know you guys think it's stupid to rely on children from another world but we didn't have much of a choice. And you've proven time and time again that you can stop Apocalymon. That it's possible!"
"But we cannot stop you if you want to go home," said Saberdramon. "We've placed a heavy burden on your shoulders and now it's time for us to relieve you of it. We know where DarkTrailmon's realm is, we can take you to him."
The birds were about to shift their direction when Babel called up to them. "Wait! Saberdramon! Take me in the opposite direction! I… I want to save this world!"
"You're not going to make me look like a wuss!" Daisy snapped at him. "I'm coming too! Besides, Rob is probably driving himself crazy without us."
"Are you guys sure about this?" asked Betamon.
The humans glanced at each other before nodding. "We're more than sure."
"Could you guys fly us to our friends?" Daisy asked. "We've got a lot unfinished business we need to attend to."
Birdramon and Saberdramon did as they were asked and took off for the desert. Betamon shifted the doubloon that his partner gave to him out of the pocket in his fur and gave it back to Babel. Babel looked between the coin and his partner in a small bout of confusion.
"You should hold on to it," Betamon said. "As a sign of your promise to Gizamon and… to me, that you'll protect this world…"
"I will…," Babel nodded as he put it in his pocket.
A few hours passed by and they could see the jungle where they had parted ways with Robert and Janyu but as they got closer, a light flashed in front of Babel's eyes, but it caught everyone's attention. In that moment, Rai and Wizardmon were there and unfortunately, they fell to the sand below.
"Whoa!" Daisy shouted as they landed on the ground. She helped the other girl up while Babel picked up Candlemon, who had degenerated when he fell. "Where did you guys come from?"
"An old western town…," Rai groaned. As soon as she dusted the sand off herself, she took the hat on the ground and gave it back to Babel. "Here… I forgot to give this back to you before all that craziness with NeoDevimon happened."
Babel chuckled lightly as he placed the hat on his head. "Rai… We're glad to have you back. And boy, do we have quite the story to tell you."
"I was going to say the same thing," Rai giggled.
-X-
Rai's rejoined both Babel and Daisy by some miracle but they still have to regroup with Robert and Janyu! Who knows what kind of trouble those two ended up in on their route, are they okay? And will they ever work together well enough to defeat Apocalymon? Keep watching, Digimon: Children of the Past, to find out!
There you have it! I was hoping to include a lot more but then it became super long so I decided to cut it into two separate chapters. I hope I didn't step on any land mines and don't forget to leave a review behind! Hope you guys had a Happy New Year! Until next we meet!
