Chapter 8: A New Set of Wings! Dorugamon Takes Flight

With the fight against BlackGabumon behind them, Nero and his group finally arrived at the city. The sun was already setting in the sky by this point, turning the sky a beautiful variety of red and orange colors. Some of the buildings in the city were already starting to turn on their lights.

"Welcome to Neon City, everyone!" Nero announced. "The busiest city in the eastern quadrant of the Digital World, apart from the capital itself."

"If that's true, where are all of the Digimon?" Aimi questioned, noticing that the city had only a small amount of Digimon wandering the streets.

"Well, this is more of a nightlife city," Nero replied. "During the day only the standard supply shops are open, and it's rather dull. However, at night the streets light up with a variety of colors, and several stands open, most consisting of valuable items players have put up for sale or trade. There are also several mini-games that Digimon here can participate in, and they occasionally offer cool prizes. Within the hour, the streets here will swarm with Digimon belonging to players worldwide."

"So, we'll be staying here tonight I assume," said Alex.

"You got it," Nero confirmed. "We'll probably meet up with a couple others while we're here, and we won't have to worry about an attack at night. The virus seems to try and avoid drawing attention, and it's way too overpopulated here at night."

Nero was right. After about 50 minutes had passed, the city streets were crowded, several Digimon crowding around stands in an effort to get their hands on whatever items they could. Nero and the others walked down the street in a less crowded part of town. They passed by what looked like a large gymnasium. A large display board outside advertised a basketball game going on. Sign-ups were going on now and would close in about half an hour.

"Yggdrasil, can we play?" Dorumon requested.

Nero looked at Dorumon, who looked back with wide eyes and a wagging tail. He knew how playful Dorumon was. Since it wasn't a game that required strength, he didn't see the harm in letting him play.

"Sure, why not?" he replied.

"If Dorumon's playing, then so am I!" Veemon declared.

"Oh brother," Alex sighed, knowing that Veemon just wanted to try and beat Dorumon.

"I'll just watch," Agumon stated, more interested about getting snacks.

As the group entered the building, they failed to realize that another human was approaching just approaching the town. None of them had checked their Digivices since the morning.

On the outskirts of the city, Ana and Guilmon were slowly approaching. Ana glanced at her Digivice and saw three signals within the city limits.

"I guess we're lucky they were headed in our direction, huh?" she asked Guilmon, whom nodded in response. "I just hope we can find them."

Meanwhile, in a mysterious yet familiar looking castle, one that could actually be identified as Maze Castle, BlackGabumon was finally waking up. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up in the middle of a large room, looking around holding the top of his head.

"Where…am I?" he asked himself, continuing to look around. "I remember fighting Dorumon, but everything else is a blank."

"Finally awake?" an angry voice growled.

BlackGabumon turned to his right and saw Belphemon looming over him.

"Don't tell me…" BlackGabumon muttered in a low voice, turning away from him after figuring out what happened.

"You idiot!" Belphemon roared. "Honestly, I don't know why the master cares about you! He even told me not to punish you, seeing how the knowledge of your actions should be punishment enough. You could've gotten killed, or even worse, killed Yggdrasil! If DemiDevimon hasn't warned the master of your actions, you would've undoubtedly destroyed yourself. Devidramon barely showed up in time to save you."

BlackGabumon didn't turn around to face the Digimon, he only squinted his eyes. His body twitched with every comment, as much as he hated Belphemon, he was right.

"Just shut up!" he cried out. "I was doing fine. I just, for some reason…"

"You lost control, just like the master said you would," Belphemon stated, knowing that BlackGabumon wouldn't admit the rest aloud. "Tell me, were you really doing just fine?"

BlackGabumon didn't answer. He didn't want to admit it either, but Dorumon was stronger than he was.

"Perhaps maybe now you have some incentive to listen to me," Belphemon sighed. "Anyway, I've already gathered up the forces I need. I don't need an extra day! Now watch, tomorrow my first plan should work out so well that the other plans won't be needed."

"You sound a bit overconfident," BlackGabumon retorted.

"Coming from you, that's rather funny," Belphemon responded, causing BlackGabumon to pout. "Just watch! We'll capture Yggdrasil with as little confrontation as possible. Then Dorumon should be easy to dispose of."

"You're going to fail," said BlackGabumon, his tone giving him a know-it-all attitude. He stood up and began walking down a hall. "Where am I staying in this dump?"

"Outside if you don't knock it off," Belphemon growled.

"I'm telling the truth," BlackGabumon replied with his back still turned. He was almost out of hearing range. "I fought him, so I can tell you that from personal experience."

Back in Neon City, Nero, Aimi, Alex and Agumon all sat in the stands as they watched Dorumon and Veemon play basketball with other Digimon. Dorumon was on a team with a blue and white wolf-like Digimon named Gaomon. Gaomon, although he was more of a wolf, resembled a walking, talking dog. A purplish miniature dragon-like Digimon called Monodramon was also on his team. Monodramon had yellow markings on the top of his head, shoulders, back of his hands, and embedded into his forehead.

Veemon's team consisted of himself and an anthropomorphic brown bear-like Digimon called Bearmon. Bearmon had blue cap that he wore backwards on his head and had a strap run down his left should across his stomach. A belt was also rolled around each of his hands. Also on Veemon's team was a Goblimon. Though it looked identical to the ones that had attacked Sandra, it was clearly a different one.

Though the game was technically basketball, Digimon were allowed to use their attacks on both other players and the ball. However, should the ball be destroyed as a result, or should a Digimon be badly injured, the Digimon responsible and their team would be disqualified.

The orange ball came flying in Veemon's direction. Veemon took a battle-ready pose and raised his arm.

"Vee Punch!" he shouted as he punched the ball, hurling in the direction of the hoop Dorumon's team was defending.

Gaomon leapt into the air, spinning like a tornado and knocking the ball away from the hoop. Bearmon ran up to the ball, but Monodramon quickly intercepted it. Monodramon dribbled the ball as he darted across the court. As he jumped into the air to hover and take a shot at the basket, Goblimon threw his club upward and knocked the ball out of Monodramon's hands. Dorumon caught the ball and dribbled it, making his way to the basket. Veemon intercepted him in the path, ready to try and take the ball. Dorumon immediately jumped, leaping over Veemon and slamming the ball into the hoop. The crowd of spectators cheered wildly as the game came to an end. Dorumon's team won with 44 points, while Veemon's team had only 31 points. Dorumon's team was award with 1,000 Digidollars and a bunch of healing discs, items used in the game to restore health points. Nero looked at the menu on his Digivice, now noticing that he had ten discs available for use.

"It's not fair!" Veemon grumbled as he returned to the group. "Dorumon can fly and I can't!"

"That's the poorest excuse I've ever heard," Nero replied with a small laugh. "Sure, Dorumon has wings, but I can assure you that he cannot fly. Dorumon's wings are specifically designed to increase the height of his jumps. By flapping his wings at the right moment, he can increase the force of his upward motion, allowing him to jump even higher. Now, before you blame that as an excuse, let me say that Dorumon never used his wings once. Had he used them, he would've probably hit his head on the ceiling."

Veemon looked back and grumbled to himself.

"Hey, it was a good game," Alex told him in an effort to cheer him up. "You were great!"

Veemon looked up and her and gave a faint smile. Though he knew Dorumon was better, compliments from his partner cheered him up a bit. After chatting with his teammates for a short while, Dorumon rejoined the group as well. He was unaware that the player who owned Monodramon had caught glimpse of Nero, Alex and Aimi in the crowd.

"Weird," the player thought to himself. "I didn't know there were humans in the game. Maybe they're testing out some sort of avatar players will be able to use, or maybe it's some kind of special event."

The player looked away from the events and replied to a message in his game mailbox. By the time he finished and looked back, Nero and the others had already gone. He wondered if any other players saw them.

Shortly after everyone left, Ana and Guilmon entered the complex. They looked around, but didn't see them anywhere. They were both panting pretty heavily, chances are they ran to the location.

"We must've just missed them," Ana said.

"Aw, I wanted to meet the others," Guilmon whined.

"There can't be many other humans around here," Ana replied. "Surely another Digimon saw them."

She looked at her Digivice and saw that she was near the signals. However, the Digivice couldn't pinpoint exactly where in the city they were.

Nero and his group saw that all of the shops were completely crowded. They decided that it would be best to come back in the morning. They sought out the nearest inn, which was actually a hotel with at least 15 floors. A small calico-colored cat-like Digimon named Mikemon was in charge. Mikemon recognized Nero as Yggdrasil as soon as he approached, even before anyone said anything.

"Lord Yggdrasil!" Mikemon gasped upon seeing him.

Mikemon had accidentally attracted the attention of the Digimon in the lobby. However, they didn't approach, mostly because of Dorumon. Dorumon looked at all of the Digimon with eyes so fierce that the Digimon knew there would be trouble if they made him angry.

Mikemon gave them the keys to two separate rooms, one for Nero and Dorumon and the others for the girls and their partners. Naturally, Mikemon didn't expect them to pay for staying. Everyone thanked the Digimon and took the elevator to their floor, where they entered their rooms. Nero's was a very large room with one large bed, furnished with things most hotels had.

The room Aimi and Alex were staying in was a bit smaller and contained two queen-sized beds. The two plopped themselves down. Aimi was happy to have such a nice bed after so long. Alex grabbed a bunch of blankets and threw them on the floor for Agumon and Veemon. Neither of them really complained about sleeping on the floor. The only reason they were really there was to keep an eye on their partners anyway.

Ana and Guilmon searched for another hour or so before giving up. Ana decided that the humans in the city would stay overnight, and it would be best to try and find them in the morning. They found a much smaller inn and spent the night there.

Morning arrived soon enough, and activity in the city had died down completely. It was even less crowded than when Nero and the others first arrived. Nero looked at his Digivice shortly after waking up and saw that someone else was in the city, and another person would probably arrive by nightfall. Elsewhere, he saw that in a couple locations other humans had gotten together. Still, he only counted twelve in all. He looked down at the end of his bed and saw Dorumon curled up. Dorumon's ears perked up shortly after hearing Nero stir, causing Dorumon to awaken as well. Dorumon saw that Nero was curious about something.

"What's wrong?" Dorumon wondered.

"Oh, it's nothing," Nero answered, a bit startled. "I'm just wondering where the last Digivice I sent out is. Could it still be out there somewhere, searching for someone who'll believe the message?"

Nero had no idea that Brandon was sill driving around his country with his family, visiting various relatives. Brandon would be returning by the next day though.

Ana and Guilmon exited their place of stay rather early, deciding it would be best to resume the search. They were both hungry, especially Guilmon, so they decided to stop and get some breakfast beforehand. As they walked down the streets, Guilmon came to a sudden halt and took a battle-ready pose. He began growling and the pupils in his eyes had shrunk in size, giving him a very fierce look.

"What is it, boy?" Ana asked.

"Something's here," Guilmon answered. "Something bad!"

Nero and the others had left their hotel already. Nero had told Mikemon that they would be returning that night, since he wanted to give whoever was nearing the destination a chance to catch up. Nero suggested getting breakfast, but Alex told him it wouldn't be necessary. They had bought a bunch snacks at the hotel with money Alex had in her account the previous night. Agumon and Veemon made quick work of it all, and Alex and Aimi weren't too hungry. Nero wasn't too hungry, and Dorumon assured that he wasn't either. As they walked through the big city, Dorumon couldn't help but feel uneasy about walking around in plain view. He sensed something dark within the city limits, though he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

Meanwhile, observing the group from atop one of the all buildings was Devidramon, the same one that had rescued BlackGabumon the previous day. He watched them intensely, as if he was waiting for something. Then, finally, after seeing the group walk down a narrow street towards one of the shops, Devidramon's eyes began to glow. The Digimon shot thick laser beams from it, striking the buildings on each side of the road.

Everyone looked up upon hearing the sound of something crashing, noticing that the buildings were now starting to topple over on each side, and preventing escape. Devidramon swooped down off the building and dragged his claws across the walls of a few, resulting in debris that plummeted down at the group. Just moments before it hit, Devidramon grabbed Nero and flew off, leaving Dorumon on the others behind.

"Metal Shoot!" Dorumon shouted, opening his mouth to release a shockwave that kept the pieces of building away from them.

However, he alone couldn't stop all of it, forcing Veemon and Agumon to help out best they could. Once everyone was safe, Dorumon looked up towards the sky and saw Devidramon getting away with Nero.

"Oh no you don't!" Dorumon roared, leaping into the air.

Just as Dorumon reached the maximum height of his jumped, Dorumon gave a powerful flap of his wings, propelling him up about a quarter of the way to the top of a skyscraper. Dorumon quickly kicked the side of one of them and began jumping multiple times until he finally reached the top of one.

"Metal Cannon!" he yelled as he began firing projectiles at Devidramon.

Devidramon didn't bother trying to avoid them, as Dorumon's attacks already couldn't reach him. Dorumon growled more intensely, shouting "Yggdrasil!" as he pursued by use of building tops.

Dorumon skid to a stop as a gap even too large for him prevented him from continuing. He looked down and saw several unoccupied stands with sheets for tops.

"Maybe, if I time this just right," Dorumon thought. "If done correctly, I can defeat Devidramon and save Yggdrasil at the same time. But if I fail or time this incorrectly, then… No, I can't think about that! I have to succeed! I have to save him! I swore I would protect him!"

Nero looked back and saw Dorumon run to the back of the rooftop he was on. He took a running start and Nero knew what he was up to.

"Wait, Dorumon!" he cried out. "Don't do it!"

Dorumon leapt off the building as high as he could, letting out a loud battle cry. He flapped his wings to go even higher, the jewel on his forehead glowing very brightly.

"DAV Beam!" he shouted, releasing the anti-viral beam.

Devidramon looked back at the last second, his four eyes widening. He quickly tilted his body, barely avoiding the attack.

"No… I missed…" Dorumon thought as he body began to fall towards the ground.

Dorumon couldn't turn his body, he was plummeting to the ground in a vulnerable position. Chances are even he wouldn't survive the fall like this. He now regretted not asking for something to eat, he was too low on energy.

"DORUMON!!!" Nero cried.

Dorumon looked up at Nero and saw tears forming in his eyes. Devidramon had stopped and was now hovering in place, grinning at the sight. Dorumon closed his eyes tightly and tried to flap his wings. As much as he flapped, his wings wouldn't lift his body.

"Come on, fly for me!" Dorumon pleaded. "I can't let them have Yggdrasil! I must protect him! Please, let me fly! I don't care what happens to me, just please let me save him! Let me fly!"

Nero's Digivice began to emanate a blinding white light, releasing a beam that struck Dorumon just moments before he collided with the ground. Dorumon's eyes shot open as he felt his body begin to change.

"Dorumon digivolve to…" he said.

His size increased a bit, and his face took a more feral-looking form. His ears became a bit longer and more pointed, and his wings greatly increased in size, looking almost like the blade of a scythe. His wings were now blue, the underside white. His tail grew thick and resembled more a dragon's. His claws and nails grew incredibly sharp.

"Dorugamon!" the new form of Dorumon called itself, emerging from the light and darting into the sky.

"What?!" Devidramon gasped, turning around and flying away.

"Dorumon digivolved?" Nero thought. "But how? He doesn't have the experience."

It didn't take long for Dorugamon to catch up.

"Power Metal!" he shouted, firing metal orbs at Devidramon.

The attack struck the arm the Devidramon was holding Nero with, causing him to drop him. Dorugamon swooped underneath him and caught Nero on his back.

"Hold on tight, Yggdrasil!" Dorugamon stated, receiving a nod of the head in response. Nero wrapped his arms around Dorugamon's neck, keeping himself positioned on. The jewel on Dorugamon's forehead began to glow again. "DAV Beam!"

Dorugamon fired another beam at Devidramon, this time striking him. Devidramon let out a cry of pain as he was soon reverted to an egg. As the egg fell towards the ground, Dorugamon flew over and caught it. He safely landed on the ground and allowed Nero to get off. He set the egg down gently and reverted back to Dorumon. Alex, Aimi, Agumon and Veemon all ran over.

"See, told you he could fly!" Veemon said in a jealous tone, jealous at the fact that Dorumon could digivolve and he couldn't yet.

"Are you all right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, thanks to Dorumon," Nero replied.

Nero looked at Dorumon, who looked back with a face hoping for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "If I had told you I was hungry before, I wouldn't have had to cause you so much worry."

"There's nothing to apologize about," Nero responded with a smile. "You saved me, that's all that matters. Now, let's get you something to eat!"

Dorumon wagged his tail after hearing Nero's reply, rubbing his head up against him. He was glad Nero was safe. Meanwhile, Ana and Guilmon had observed everything from atop one of the smaller buildings. They smiled at the heartwarming sight.