Hello readers! Finally a new chapter for Drowning Memories! This will conclude this week's mass of updates.
This chapter got rather long and I had to split it into 2 separate chapters, so I warn you that this does end in a cliffhanger of sorts. I hope it's not too confusing because this is in Koji's POV for the most part. You'll understand what I mean after you read this. Enjoy this latest chapter and PLEASE review! ^_^
I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON 02, FRONTIER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!
Chapter 11: The Child of Miracles
Even though he knew that he was still dreaming, Koji couldn't stop himself from believing that it was really Takuya and not some figment of his imagination. As he made his way over to his "old friend" he noted how nothing ever changed with the boy. Even in dreams Takuya wore the same clothes, the same goggles and his ever present smile. But this Takuya seemed a little different from the Takuya that Koji usually dreamed of. This one seemed more… sad and worried even though he was smiling. Koji frowned. Usually Takuya was annoyingly happy and cheerful. This one was much more subdued.
"Hello Koji," Takuya greeted him when he finally reached the dream illusion of his dead best friend.
"Takuya," Koji managed to nod curtly.
"It's been a while," Takuya sighed, scanning the empty train station platform.
Koji only nodded, noting the preoccupied glances Takuya cast about the station. Not only was this dream version of Takuya more subdued, he was on edge, which put Koji instinctively on his guard.
"What's wrong?" Koji demanded softly so that his voice wouldn't echo.
"…Don't take this the wrong way Koji," Takuya chuckled nervously, "but to be honest I wasn't expecting to see you."
"Oh?" Koji blinked, surprised. "Who did you expect?"
"…Davis," Takuya frowned worriedly. "He's not here yet even though he's been asleep for an hour now. I don't know if your being here is Lobomon's doing, Koji, but this isn't one of your usual dreams."
"I figured out that much," Koji snorted when what Takuya had said suddenly clicked in his head. "...This isn't even my own dream, is it?"
"Nope," Takuya smiled grimly. "Since Davis isn't here to say it I suppose I will… Welcome to our nightmare."
Koji wearily cast one of his analytical looks around the station.
"…Doesn't seem so bad," Koji said slowly, but still kept his guard up.
"That's because the nightmare part hasn't started yet," Takuya frowned. "This is just the calm before the storm, as they say. It always starts out this way. …Although last time I think it nearly killed Davis. That's why I'm worried about why he's not here yet. Your presence alone is comforting enough though. Tonight shouldn't be too bad if we've got the Warrior of Light with us."
Koji rolled his eyes, but Takuya seemed dead serious and that was never a good sign, even in dreams.
"…Well we're not going to find Davis by just standing around here now are we?" Koji sighed, heading off down the platform they were on.
"Nope," Takuya grinned, jogging to catch up with Koji in three easy strides before falling into step beside him.
"…So if this is Davis's nightmare…" Koji started, but couldn't seem to form the rest of the words. "Are you…?"
Koji stopped walking while Takuya continued on for four more steps before coming to a halt with his back to Koji.
"Am I really Takuya? …Am I real and not just some illusion dreamed up by Davis to coincide with his delusions?" He questioned, lifting his head up to the ceiling. "Is that what you want to know, Koji?"
Koji stared sadly at the other's back.
"…Yes," Koji whispered softly, suddenly wondering if he wanted to hear the answer anymore.
It was quiet for a moment as the silence hung deafeningly between them. When Takuya finally turned around, it was with a sad and regretful look on his face.
"No," he said. "I'm not. Takuya Kanbara died eight years ago shielding Davis and Jun from the collapse of the Shibuya Train Station. That's a fact that you know to be true, so tell me how I can possibly be the real Takuya, Koji."
Koji looked away from the boy before him, his heart aching and internally berated himself.
"I'm not real Koji," Takuya continued softly. "Not in the sense you want me to be, anyway. This is a dream. Your dream. It's yours now as much as it was Davis'. …I'm not the living breathing Takuya Kanbara you once knew. …But I am all that's left of him."
Koji looked up sharply.
"So which is it?" Koji glared. "Are you or aren't you?"
"Both," Takuya laughed, sending a wave of irritation and comfort through Koji. Typical cryptic contradictory Takuya.
"Explain," Koji growled.
"I just did," Takuya snickered. "You're the smart one. Figure it out."
"How does Davis put up with you?" Koji sighed.
"He's gotten used to it I suppose," Takuya smiled before his features became worried again. "Speaking of Davis, we should keep looking for him."
Koji nodded, moving to join Takuya.
"You really are Takuya you know," Koji muttered after they walked down the next platform. "Only the real Takuya could be this irritating."
Takuya cracked a smile, but he never lost his worried look.
"…So what did you mean when you said that you're not?" Koji pressed.
"…I'm just a voice and a bunch of memories that were somehow inserted and stored in the back of Davis' subconscious, Koji," Takuya said sadly. "I have no solid form outside of Davis's mind and dreams. I'm a specter. A ghost. I'm only a sliver, a piece, of what was once Takuya Kanbara."
"…Maybe so," Koji said softly, "But you're still Takuya."
"Davis once said something along those lines not too long ago," Takuya smiled sadly.
"What did he say?" Koji asked.
"He told me that I was more than some stupid voice in his head," Takuya smiled. "That I was still his cousin and friend. That with me chatting away inside his head, he could never say that he is ever truly alone. I can be annoying sometimes, but I make things interesting for him. …He said that I also have a presence of my own. He knows what I'm feeling and that sometimes those feelings affect him. Back when he made that first trip with his friends to the Flame Terminal ruins, he felt sad and depressed because that's what I was feeling instead of being excited like his friends were about the discovery."
"Sounds about right," Koji smiled, recalling what Davis had told him earlier. "…He doesn't blame you, you know. For the accident, I mean."
"I know he doesn't" Takuya's smile turned sad. "Apparently I blame myself enough for everyone."
"You sure do!"
Koji and Takuya whirled around and saw Davis leaning against a pillar they'd just passed.
"Miss me?" Davis grinned.
"Damn it Davis!" Koji growled, but Takuya laughed.
"Well I'll be damned," Takuya smirked. "We go looking for him and end up walking right past him."
"He could have said something sooner," Koji frowned at Davis.
"And interrupt your serious conversation?" Davis gasped as if the idea was unheard of.
Takuya snickered, but let out a relieved sigh.
"At least your safe," he said softly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Davis blinked. "The nightmare part of this dream hasn't even started yet."
"Koji just got a warning from Lobomon," Takuya said, all traces of humor now gone.
"I was wondering what Koji was doing here," Davis frowned. "I mean, he's been a part of these dreams before, but only as part of the memory segments. Wait a minute… Lobomon? The Warrior Spirit of Light?"
"Yeah," Koji frowned. He still wasn't used to the idea of Davis being a DigiDestined and that he knew about Takuya's adventures as part of the first group of DigiDestined.
"It was the usual end of the world crap," Koji shrugged, "foretelling Millenniummon's return, and something about needing to protect the Child of Miracles or life as we know it is done for. The usual Armageddon stuff."
Davis paled.
"…What?" he gasped.
"Now don't freak," Takuya said worriedly, taking Davis firmly by the shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Koji blinked.
"…Davis is the Child of Miracles Koji," Takuya said grimly. "He carries the Digi-Mental of Miracles. This unknown enemy of ours is after him."
Koji felt his stomach drop and his heart jump into his throat.
"…Why?" he gasped. "Why him?"
"I don't know," Takuya said sadly.
"So I'm their target?" Davis asked numbly.
Koji looked up at Takuya alarmed, but his friend wouldn't look at him. Takuya's only reply to Davis's question was to wrap his arms protectively around his shaken cousin and hold him close.
"Yes, that's right child," a dark voice said, sending chills down Koji's spine. He knew that voice. It used to haunt his nightmares in the Digital World during their first adventures there and it sometimes continued to haunt Koichi's even though nine years had passed.
"Duskmon?" Koji gasped, whirling around to face the specter Digimon.
Takuya was quick to angle his body between Davis and the dark nightmarish entity. Davis's eyes grew wide at the mere sight of the evil Digimon. He'd heard of Duskmon, but Takuya had managed to block out any images of the tainted versions of Koichi's spirits of Darkness.
"Hello young Warrior of Light," Duskmon acknowledged Koji. "It's been a while."
Koji merely glared.
"What do you want?" Takuya glowered.
"I am merely confirming the child's conclusion," Duskmon chuckled.
"Why me?" Davis demanded, his fear replaced by anger.
Duskmon merely chuckled and began to fade back into the shadows.
"Answer my question, damn it!" Davis growled, struggling against Takuya's hold that prevented him from chasing after Duskmon. "Why me?"
"Davis stop," Takuya huffed. "We'll figure this out together!"
"Takuya oni-chan?"
Takuya stiffened and Koji let out a soft gasp. The distraction allowed Davis to free himself of his cousin's hold on him, but Duskmon was already gone so he turned grimly to face Shinya. Seeing his other cousin didn't affect him as much anymore, but he knew that no matter how many times this part of the dream reoccurred, it was like a fresh slap in the face for Takuya. The only thing he could do for Takuya during this part of the dream was stick close to him and offer support.
"Why?" Shinya asked, saying what he always said during this part of the dream. "Why didn't you stop this? Why did you let it happen Takuya oni-chan?"
Koji was shocked to hear those words of blame spilling from Shinya's mouth, but what really got to him was the look of despair that was spreading across Takuya's features.
"Why didn't you stop it?" Shinya screamed one last time before the ground suddenly heaved and began to shake violently.
Koji cursed as he stumbled hard into a support pillar.
"Damn it!" Takuya growled. "It's begun."
"AHHHHHH!"
Koji jumped and looked around wildly, shocked to see that the once empty train station now had hundreds of people milling about screaming hysterically as the structure of the building began to waver and cracks formed in the ceiling, walls and floors. Koji's own memories of the accident came flooding back and he looked around wildly for Takuya, fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"Takuya!" Koji called out, but could hardly hear himself over all the other screams and noise. This dream was beginning to feel all to real. He had to find Takuya. He couldn't loose his best friend again, even if this was a dream.
Suddenly he was dragged along backwards and found himself pressed against another pillar next to Davis by Takuya. Koji's fear lessened momentarily and his usual calm kicked in now that he knew where Takuya was. He grimly watched as the station began to fall apart around them.
"Some dream, huh Koji?" Takuya gave a shaky laugh.
"Some dream," Koji muttered.
"Why didn't you stop Millenniummon?" Shinya's voice echoed around them.
Takuya flinched at the accusation, but Koji quickly placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on the distressed boy's shoulder. Was this how Takuya had spent the last eight year? Reliving this moment over and over again with nothing but his own self-blame?
The scene suddenly changed and it took Koji a while to regain his bearings. They were now standing in the middle of a wide dark hallway that appeared to be part of some steel industrial structure. It was like something out of a Sci-fi movie like Star Wars' Death Star.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"Usually this part of the nightmare is a bad memory of mine, but not this time," Takuya frowned. "I think it might be one of Davis' for once."
"Where is Davis?" Koji gasped, looking around but not finding Davis anywhere in the corridor they were in.
"He's somewhere around here, living out his part of the memory," Takuya grinned. "I've been waiting for my turn to see him in action as a DigiDestined."
"I thought you have through his subconscious," Koji frowned.
"I was out of it most of the time," Takuya admitted. "I've never really been this awake inside of him before. I'm usually my most active around the time of the anniversary of the accident, and then I just sort of fade away with the memories until the next anniversary. It's how Davis has kept his sanity for so long, I suppose."
Takuya frowned.
"I'm not sure why I'm here now or why the memories of the anniversary won't fade like they have before, but I bet it's got something to do with Millenniummon's return."
Koji nodded.
Suddenly the floor beneath them began to vibrate.
"What the?" Koji gasped just as Takuya shoved him up against the nearest wall.
"Move it!" Takuya hissed just as a group of five Digimon came tearing past their position.
Koji noticed that all five Digimon had a DigiDestined rider. He didn't recognize any of the Digimon except for the Nefertimon, but he did recognize the DigiDestined that were riding them as some of Davis' friends that had been over earlier that night. Davis himself was riding the leading Digimon.
"Common!" Takuya grinned, grabbing Koji's wrist and tugging him along.
"Didn't they see us?" Koji huffed indigently.
"Of course not!" Takuya laughed. "This is a memory. We weren't here when it was actually happening. Well, I was, but not physically. Hell! I don't even think I was conscious. None of this is familiar to me."
Koji scowled.
"What about Davis? Shouldn't he have seen us?" he pointed out.
"Well yeah, but there's not much he would have been able to do," Takuya laughed again. "He's kinda gotta go along with how things happened. Besides, they would have just passed through us like ghosts if we had just stood there."
Now Koji was irritated.
"Then why did you push us out of their way?"
"To psych you out," Takuya grinned.
"Takuya!" Koji roared, but suddenly they came to a halt behind the stopped memory versions of Davis's group of DigiDestined who were now standing in front of an opening doorway.
"Wow!" they heard Davis gasp. "This place is huge! I betcha Ken plays soccer in here!"
"With who?" the girl riding the Nefertimon giggled. "He doesn't have any friends."
"This must be before Ken joined them," Takuya mused.
"Ken?" Koji frowned.
"He kinda looks like you and Koichi, but with Kari's haircut," Takuya told him, pointing the girl who'd just spoken.
"Very funny, Takuya. …Do you mean the one who was talking about soccer with Davis and that Tai guy?" Koji blinked, recalling someone who would have fit Takuya's description.
"That's right," Takuya nodded. "He's kinda got a story similar to Koichi's… Wait! I think I know what event this is! This is when-!"
Suddenly the chamber they'd followed the memory into began to quake.
"What's going on?" Davis gasped just as a section of the ceiling caved in ahead of them and a horrible looking Digimon floated down.
"Looks like a Digimon jigsaw puzzle," Koji muttered at the gruesome patchwork Digimon.
"Kimeramon," Takuya said grimly. "I think I remember some things about him."
"You mean you don't know?" Koji blinked. "I thought you and Davis shared memories."
"Well yeah, but it's involuntary and we can't help what we see from each other, although I've managed to block him from seeing some of mine. This is one thing he must have unconsciously blocked out. Not that I'm surprised. He doesn't like thinking of his best friend's darker days."
Koji was about to ask Takuya something when Kimeramon finally landed on the chamber floor, shaking it.
"Oh no!" Davis gasped. "It's Kimeramon!"
Suddenly hundreds of ghost Digimon came out surrounding the DigiDestined and the partner Digimon.
"More Bakemon," Davis said through gritted teeth. "What did Ken do? Buy them by the dozen?"
Takuya chuckled.
"He gets more like you every day," Koji sighed.
"Not if you keep corrupting him," Takuya joked, easily slipping back into their old routine. "He's more serious these days."
"I can't believe it," the blond boy wearing a hat that was riding the golden armored horse Digimon said grimly. "We were almost in the engine room."
"Davis you and the others go and hide," Davis' mount ordered.
"Huh?" Davis blinked.
"Kimeramon is really strong," the Digimon said reasonably. "It's going to take all of us to fight it, it might get ugly."
"I agree," said the horse Digimon. "You need to stay clear TK."
"You guys be careful," TK nodded, dismounting.
"Don't worry Kari," Nefertimon said to the girl riding her.
"I'll try," Kari said uncertainly.
"Save us some snacks for when this is all over," the tall yellow beetle Digimon with drills said to the small boy riding him.
"Let's go guys," the other girl that was riding a bird-beast Digimon said.
"We can hide over here!" Davis called out and Takuya and Koji followed the dismounted DigiDestined as they raced to duck down behind some nearby crates for cover.
As soon as the DigiDestined were relatively out of harms way the partner Digimon launched their attack against Kimeramon and the Bakemon.
"Alright!" Davis cheered when he saw how easily the partner Digimon took out the Bakemon.
Koji noticed that the Bakemon were wearing some sort of dark ring around their middle and that that's what the partner Digimon were aiming for to take them out.
"What are those things?" Koji asked Takuya.
"They must be those Dark Rings Ken used to use," Takuya muttered. "They control the Digimon wearing them and turn them into mindless slaves for the Digimon Emperor."
"Digimon what?" Koji frowned.
"Look!" the small boy with brown hair gasped.
Takuya and Koji looked up and saw a ring of Bakemon heading right for them.
"GOLD RUSH!" cried the beetle Digimon as he fired his drills at the offending ghost Digimon.
"Great job! Thanks a lot Digmon," the boy said to his Digimon.
"Don't mention it," Digmon said as he watched the other four partner Digimon take off to confront Kimeramon.
"Heat Viper!" the evil Digimon roared before spitting out molten yellow-green fire at its attackers.
The attack deleted all of the remaining Bakemon and even though the four partner Digimon had managed to avoid the blast itself, the preceding heat waves sent them flying. Even Digmon, who hadn't been a part of the assault, was driven back. The DigiDestined, Takuya and Koji had to hunker down behind the crates to stop themselves from flying like their Digimon.
"If we're not part of the sequence of events then why are we still affected?" Koji groaned.
"Told you this was a nightmare," Takuya moaned back. "We can't be seen or touched directly by those present, but we can still be affected by outside forces."
"He's too powerful!" Davis cried, brining them back to the situation at hand.
"And they weren't even hit!" Kari gasped from beside him.
"He doesn't care who he hits," TK growled. "He's totally out of control!"
The partner Digimon regrouped and launched another attack, this time managing to land a direct hit on the evil Kimeramon.
"We got 'em!" Davis cheered, but when the smoke settled, Kimeramon was unscathed. It looked like the attack had only served to anger the Digimon.
"It had no effect," Kari despaired.
"That's impossible," Davis said through gritted teeth.
"They used their best attacks and he doesn't have a single scratch on him!" exclaimed the girl wearing glasses.
"Now what?" said the little boy next to her. "What else can we do?"
"There's just nothing we can do right now Cody except watch," TK said grimly.
Kimeramon now had the upper hand as he launch attack after attack on the poor partner Digimon, making the chamber they were in begin to crumble around them.
"They can't take much more! He'll destroy them," cried Kari.
One stray blast from Kimeramon suddenly hit Digmon full in the chest sending him crashing into a crate.
"I got that shrinking feeling," Digmon groaned before he began to glow yellow and shrank, dedigivolving back into what must have been his In-Training form.
"Upamon!" cried Cody.
The same thing was happening to all the other partner Digimon as they too began to revert back to their lower levels.
"Poromon!" cried the tall glasses girl.
"Davis!" cried Davis's partner before reverting back into its In-Training form.
"DemiVeemon!" Davis cried out as his the diminutive form of his partner slid down the wall.
"Gatomon!" Kari cried as Nefertimon was reverted to her Champion level.
"Patamon!" TK cried as the horse Digimon turned back into its Rookie form.
Koji raised an eyebrow.
"How come TK and Kari's Digimon retained higher levels than the other three?"
"I think it's because they were part of the group of DigiDestined that had come before this one," Takuya informed his friend. "I'm just surprised that you're not asking me about TK's Patamon."
"It's not like Patamon's an uncommon Digimon," Koji shrugged.
Takuya just snorted, before something caught his eye.
"Something's happening," he said grimly.
Koji looked up and noticed that Kimeramon had halted his stream of attacks.
"He stopped moving!" they heard TK gasp.
"What's going on?" Davis growled.
"Now's our chance, let's go!" Kari declared.
Everyone was quick to race out from behind the crates and make a break for it. Where they were headed, Takuya and Koji didn't have a clue as they simply went along with the memory versions of the current group of DigiDestined as they quickly gathered up their exhausted Digimon partners and took shelter behind another stack of crates on the opposite of the room away from Kimeramon.
"Lets get out of here," TK declared.
"You mean leave?" Davis cried incredulously.
"Our plan didn't work because our Digimon weren't strong enough," TK pointed out. "Sometimes you just have to fall back, come up with a new plan and try again."
"Besides, they don't have enough strength to keep going," Kari added.
"I'm with TK," the little boy Cody said as he cradled his Upamon in his arms.
"Well I'm not!" Davis declared, making every gasp and look up at him. "Look guys, we can't just give up and leave now. We might not ever get a chance like this again. And how do we know he won't start attacking again?" he added looking up at the frozen Kimeramon. "Common! He's just standing there like a big ugly stuffed animal! Lets finish what we came here to do!"
Koji saw Takuya swell with pride out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but allow himself a small smile as well. Davis was defiantly a Kanbara.
"It's impossible," Kari sighed.
"Kari's right," Cody said softly.
"Davis look around!" the still nameless lavender haired girl with the glasses cried. "Most of our Digimon have returned to their In-Training forms!"
"We didn't mean to," whimpered the DemiVeemon in Davis' arms.
Davis gritted his teeth.
"I just can't forget what happened," Davis said sadly. "Having to sit back and watch this mix and match monster destroy everything. It didn't matter who got in his way. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't stand by and let it happen again. And if none of you wanna go with me, then I'm going in alone because I refuse to give up until this thing is completely destroyed once and for all!"
Takuya and Koji shared a small smile with each other as they watched Davis try to rally his group. Frankly Koji was just impressed that Davis still had the drive to keep going when his group seemed to have given up so easily. Now of course he didn't know about all of the things that Kimeramon must have done, but he knew that it was a Digimon that needed to be taken out.
"I'm going with you Davis!" DemiVeemon declared after scampering up Davis' arm to lie on top of the goggle head's head.
"Are you sure?" Davis asked.
"Common, do you really have to ask?" the little blue Digimon laughed.
"Alright then," Davis said, turning away from his other friends. "Let's go!"
Takuya and Koji took off after Davis, following him over the edge of some kind of platform and down a chain. They were lowered into a larger connecting cylindrical chamber with a suspended platform and connecting walkway in the center.
Davis jumped, aiming for the walkway, but he slipped a little and hung above empty space. Takuya and Koji managed to land on the platform all right, and just as Koji rushed forward to help Davis up, Takuya stopped him.
"What are you doing?" Koji cried. "He's going to fall!"
"You keep forgetting that this is a memory!" Takuya grunted. "Besides, you wouldn't even be able to touch him. You and I are practically ghosts so long as this part of the dream keeps playing out!"
"Kimeramon! Don't let them get away!" a voice suddenly called out, echoing around the chamber.
"It's the Digimon Emperor!" TK's voice called out.
Takuya and Koji ceased their struggle and looked up to see a royal blue and yellow clad figure with spiky hair in one of the alcoves above them.
"Kimeramon! Where are you going!" the figure called. "Kimeramon!"
Takuya and Koji couldn't see anything from where they were standing, but they guessed that Kimeramon was going somewhere that he shouldn't.
An eerie laugh then began to echo around the chambers.
"What's that voice?" Koji wondered, looking around for the source of the laugh.
"Something's wrong with him," Takuya muttered, drawing Koji's attention back up to the figure above who was now kneeling on the ground.
They both heard a grunt and turned around to see that Davis had finally managed to hoist himself up onto the walkway.
"Next time you climb and I'll sit on your head," he groaned to his partner Digimon. "That looks like the engine room."
Suddenly Davis took a fight ready stance, looking at something ahead where Takuya and Koji spotted a green caterpillar looking Digimon.
"Get out of the way!" Davis demanded. "I know who you are."
The caterpillar Digimon simply stared at him before turning around to face the engine of whatever structure they were in.
"…This way," it said.
"Huh?" Davis blinked.
"The engine room is over here," the Digimon said. "Follow me."
"Do I look stupid do you? Never mind," Davis growled. "This is some kind of trap!"
"No! Listen, you have to believe me, this isn't a trap!" the Digimon pleaded. "I'm trying to save my master. He created this awful Digimon, Kimeramon, but now he can't control it anymore."
"Created?" Koji growled, eyes narrowed.
"Shh!" Takuya hushed him up.
"I'm afraid this has gone too far and I'm loosing him!" the Digimon continued. "I hope that if you destroy this place I may be able to get him back. I'm willing to help you if you'll help me! What do you say? Is it a deal?"
"Alright I'll do it," Davis sighed, smiling, finding no fault in the Digimon before him.
"You will?" the caterpillar Digimon gasped, eyes shining with hope.
"Sure," Davis smiled. "I'm not as big a jerk as people think."
"Thank you," the Digimon smiled. "Common!"
They then took off for the structure before them on the suspended platform and entered through a door.
"Do you feel that?" DemiVeemon asked. "It's like the whole room is full of some kind of energy!"
Takuya and Koji looked around, feeling it too.
"What do you think it is?" Davis asked.
"I don't know but it's coming from that black thing," DemiVeemon said, pointing to the only object in the center of the space resting on a pedestal surrounded by a glass barrier.
"Ken found that," the caterpillar Digimon said. "Somehow the power from that is making this base move."
"Does this Ken kid watch way too much Star Wars or what?" Koji sighed, making Takuya snicker as they approached the center of the engine room.
"Ok," Davis muttered, "so all we have to do is take that away and the base will stop moving."
After analyzing the glass structure around the object Davis groaned, placing a hand against the glass.
"We'll never be able to lift it!"
Suddenly the object inside began to rise up from the pedestal.
"Huh?" Davis gasped.
In an instant, all the lights went out, plunging them in complete darkness.
"I gotta weird feeling about this," Davis gulped.
The room suddenly became filled with a golden light that came from the strange object.
"What's going on?" Davis gasped.
"Davish look at that!" DemiVeemon cried.
A weird purple symbol became illuminated on the object and DemiVeemon suddenly began to glow with the light of DigiVolution, leveling up to his Rookie form.
"Huh?" the newly evolved Digimon blinked, looking down on itself.
"You Digivolved!" Davis gasped. "How?"
The light suddenly got brighter, and when it dissipated, the entire room they'd been in was destroyed and only the floor had remained in tact. The now gold glowing object was hovering in front of Davis.
"Veemon, look at that!" Davis cried. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Me neither," said his Digimon.
"Oh man, it looks like a golden digi-egg," Davis said with awe.
The golden digi-egg quivered in the air for a moment before landing in Davis's waiting hands.
"Guess this means it's mine," Davis said softly before looking at his Digimon. "Veemon, think you can handle it?"
"Yeah!" Veemon grinned.
Davis paused for a moment as if listening to something before holding out the digi-egg and exclaiming, "GOLDEN ARMOR ENERGIZE!"
Veemon was then enveloped in the golden light radiating from the digi-egg.
"VEEMON GOLDEN ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO…. MAGNAMON!"
"Ah!" Davis gasped. "Dude, that's amazing!"
"How'd he do that?" the caterpillar Digimon asked.
Veemon had Digivolved into a larger golden armored clad version of himself with a golden facemask. Koji, as the DigiDestined Warrior of Light, could feel the holy powers of Light radiating off of him.
"He's a Royal Knight Digimon," Takuya gasped.
"What?" Koji cried, tearing his eyes off of Magnamon.
"Magnamon was listed in Bokumon's book as a legendary Royal Knight Digimon like Crusadermon and Dynasmon," Takuya explained.
"When did you read that?" Koji frowned.
"The night before we hid the book in Flame Terminal," Takuya sighed. "I was just leafing through it when I found Dynasmon's page. Apparently there are thirteen of them. I don't remember who all of them were, but Magnamon was definitely one of them."
"How the hell did Davis get a Royal Knight for a partner Digimon?" Koji asked softly.
"A miracle, perhaps?" Takuya mused jokingly, looking up at Magnamon.
"Hey Digi-fools!" someone shouted. "Do you honestly think you're new Digimon can beat me?"
Davis gritted his teeth, ready to make some kind of smart remark back when the structure shook again and Kimeramon came flying out of nowhere.
"Kimeramon!" the Digimon Emperor cried.
"Watch out!" Davis called to Magnamon, and then gasped when he realized that the rouge evil Digimon was coming for him and not his partner. Takuya grabbed Koji's hand and high tailed it across the walkway to safety while Magnamon grabbed Davis and flew him to a safer position.
"Davis, I'll take care of this," the golden armored Digimon declared.
"Go get him Magnamon!" Davis nodded. "Show him he's no match for you! But just incase he is, I'll go get the others."
Davis then turned around and made a break for the exit. Takuya and Koji were right behind him, heading up a strung out winding staircase.
"What's the point of this memory?" Koji asked.
"Don't you get it? Takuya huffed. "That digi-egg was the Digi-Mental of Miracles! This is when Davis became the Child of Miracles."
"Guys wait!"
Takuya and Koji looked ahead and saw the other four DigiDestined and their partners. Koji noted that the Golden Digi-egg must have given the other two In-Training Digimon a boost because they were now at the Rookie level like Patamon.
"Davis run!" TK gasped.
Davis put on a burst of speed and so did Koji and Takuya only moments before Kimeramon's elbow came crashing through the wall on their left.
"We don't have much time," Gatomon said. "We gotta get out of here before this place takes a nose dive!"
"Sure would be nice to capture the Digimon Emperor while we're here," the round yellow armadillo looking Digimon said.
"Right!" Davis nodded. "Lets go get him!"
They all took off again, continuing up the stairs. It didn't take long before they came upon the Digimon Emperor who had a whip in hand and was staring angrily down at the caterpillar Digimon that had helped Davis.
"Ken!" Davis called out.
The Digimon Emperor turned his focus on the new comers.
"Well if it isn't the DigiDestined," the boy sneered. "I see that you have finally come to your senses and are ready to surrender to me and Kimeramon.
"Fat chance Ken!" Davis called back. "I think some of your hairspray must have leaked through into your brain again!"
"And another thing!" the lavender haired girl cried. Koji just wished that someone would say her name already so he could stop thinking of her as 'that girl with the glasses.' "Who said it was OK for you to go out and create a Digimon anyway?"
"Yeah, do you think you're Dr. Frankenstein or something, creating creatures just for your own cruel pleasure?" Cody demanded. "Kimeramon is not the monster Ken. You are!"
"Look at them!" TK cried, gesturing to the partner Digimon behind them. "Do they look like they are trying to hurt you? They're not your toys for some kind of sick game, they're alive! They're not just data in a computer, they're living creatures like you and I!"
"Huh?" the Digimon Emperor blinked.
"You're a DigiDestined too, just like us!" Kari exclaimed, taking a step forward. "You have a responsibility to both worlds. Like Wormmon. He's your friend, not someone you should kick around."
The Emperor looked down at the caterpillar Digimon Koji guessed was Wormmon.
"Master," it whimpered.
"There's only one Digimon that's suitable enough for me," the Emperor said softly before yelling, "and that's Kimeramon!"
A sudden explosion sent tremors through the base's structure and the light of the flames had everyone shielding their eyes.
"Don't be too proud that you destroyed my home base," the Digimon Emperor snarled before taking off. "Because you're going down with it!"
"Wait Ken!" Davis cried, stumbling forward a couple steps. "We wanna help you! Ken listen to me!"
But his plea went ignored.
Koji frowned.
"Hard to believe that that's the same nice kid you saw earlier tonight huh?" Takuya smiled sadly, noticing Koji's expression.
The floor gave another turbulent shake that almost knocked most of them off their footing.
"Umm," gasped the bird Digimon, "Pardon me, but it is getting a little hot down here."
"Right!" his human partner nodded. "But do you guys have enough energy to Digivolve?"
"Yes! Now lets leave before I'm a fried chicken!" the Digimon cried.
"The heat is on guys! Ready?" Gatomon called out to the other two Digimon.
"Ok, let's do it!" Kari said, clenching her fist.
"DIGI ARMOR ENERGIZE!" all four called out.
"ARMADILLOMON ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOOO… DIGMON THE DRILL OF KNOWLEDGE!
"HAWKMON ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOOO… HALSEMON THE WINGS OF LOVE!
"GATOMON ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOOO… NEFERTIMON THE ANGEL OF LIGHT!"
"PATAMON ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOOO… PEGASUSMON FLYING HOPE!"
"Armor Digivolve?" Koji muttered.
"Pretty cool huh?" Takuya laughed.
Suddenly the scene began to change and the two of them and Davis were back in the train station.
Looks like this nightmare wasn't too bad, but it's not over yet! Is the worst still to come? Find out next time on Digimon Digital Monsters!
Ok, so there wasn't too much of a cliffhanger, but it's a cliffhanger all the same. I hope this chapter didn't confuse you with all the lack of names for the memory versions of Davis's friends. Koji may have met all of the Odaiba DD, but to be fair there's 11 of them (not including Davis), and Koji's just not much of a people person and wouldn't bother to remember the names of people he thinks he won't be seeing anytime soon.
But all the same I hoped you liked this latest chapter. See you next Friday with Chapter 12! Please review!