Chapter 14: Rise of Cerberumon

Author's note: I wrote this chapter before I realized that there was a digimon called Cerberumon already in existence. The one in this story is slightly different, and has different attacks, but we'll blame that on the fact that the other is in a different season which doesn't have relevance to this one.

Hydramon and I both seemed to explode with light, and we suddenly began to twist and swirl into each other.

"Are they. . . ?" Tai couldn't finish the sentence.

"I think so," Sora said.

Gatomon, Hydramon, DNA digivolve to…..:Cerberumon!

I don't think I've ever experienced anything as strange as having three heads. It wasn't like any of them was particularly in charge, it seemed that my mind, or rather Hydramon's and my mind, were in all three, seeing and breathing and smelling out of them all. We had become a monstrous three-headed dog-like creature, and neither of us realized what exactly happened at first.

Tentomon explained what we had become. "Cerberumon is a legendary digimon who guards the entrance to the underworld. His Wall of Fire ability puts up a shield of flame that is almost impenetrable, and his Pluto's Bell attack sends a sonic blast straight through his enemies."

"Wall of Fire!" we roared, and a massive flaming barrier split the room in two, separating us from Myotismon.

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon yelled, but his attack couldn't get through our barrier. One of the Dokugamon tried to crawl through, but caught fire and fled the room. The barrier was very tiring to maintain, but it seemed all but invincible.

"That's amazing," Matt commented.

"This changes the situation a bit," Ken said.

"What just happened? I feel really weird," Will said. "There's something in my chest pounding and it's not my heart."

"It's mine, Will." Kari explained. "Our digimon DNA digivolved together. That connects the two of us so that they can share our power." She had a stunned smile on her face. Will turned back to Tai.

"Everybody else go through, then I'll close the gate from this side. If that barrier really is invincible, then Cerberumon can move it and I'll be able to get out of the castle," Will said.

Tai thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, we'll try to find you as soon as we can. Everybody, hurry, don't make them hold that barrier any longer than they have to!" Everyone began rushing through the portal.

"Kari, go, quickly!" Will said.

"I have to stay here, Gatomon's here and she needs me to be able to digivolve," Kari explained.

Will thought for a second, then agreed. As everyone disappeared through the portal, Will raised the Crest of Darkness to it. The light faded, and the door slammed shut.

"Climb on my back!" Hydramon and I yelled. The pair quickly obeyed.

"What is going on? What is the meaning of this?" Myotismon yelled. We ignored him, and began to move the Wall of Fire, rotating it around the room so that we had a clear pass to the exit. Myotismon didn't realize what we were doing until it was too late, and was trapped behind the wall, unable to prevent us from leaving. We dropped the wall as we reached the doorway and ran as fast as we could. Myotismon screamed in the background at his minions, but we could easily outrun them. We bolted through the castle, running past a few guards that were too slow to catch us, and ran straight for the door.

"Pluto's Bell!" We roared, and the bright blue rings of sonic energy smashed through the door. We bolted out into the half-sunlight of the digital world evening.

I'm not sure where exactly we ran, or for how long we ran. All I know was that night had long fallen by the time we stopped running by a river in a dense forest. Completely tired out, we finally split back into Drakamon and my champion form, Gatomon. Both of us fell down immediately, exhausted.

"Are you two okay?" Kari asked, very concerned.

"I'll be fine," I moaned. "I just need some rest. And food."

"I could go for a cheeseburger right about now," Drakamon said. "And maybe a nap, just for a little . . ." But he fell asleep before he finished. Rookies don't have very good endurance.

"I'm not sure we have very much food," Kari said, checking her pack. "I've got some candy bars, and a water bottle. Will, do you have anything?"

"Some granola bars, and an empty bottle of water," Will said as he dumped his pack on the ground. "Here Gatomon," he said as he tossed one to me.

"Thanks." I said. I unwrapped it and ate it. It tasted awful, but I was too hungry to care.

Will picked up Drakamon and set him down under a tree. He then pulled something out of his pocket, and pushed a switch on it up. A blade popped out, and he began to cut through the branches of some bushes in the forest.

"What are you doing?" Kari asked.

"I'm going to cut some branches to keep warm while we sleep. You want me to cut some for you too?" Will offered.

"I'll be fine," Kari said. "Do you always carry a knife?" It did seem like an odd habit.

"Yeah, but I'd never use it. It was a gift from a friend a few years ago." Will explained.

"Was it that Shark person?" Kari asked.

"Yeah, it was," Will said.

"What's he like?" Kari asked. Will stopped and turned to look at her. She had sat down on a log and was watching him closely.

"Why do you ask? You'll probably never see him." Will said after their brief staring contest.

"I'm just curious. He was obviously a really good friend to you," she said.

"Yeah, he was," Will replied with a sigh. "Alright, I guess it can't hurt. First off, his name's not really Shark, it's Flander Connors. He's a really good swimmer, so until he was about six, his family would sometimes call him Fish. He didn't like either name, so he began introducing himself to people as Shark, and now even his mother calls him that."

"That's funny," Kari laughed. "Does his dad call him that too?"

"His dad was arrested when he was seven," Will said bluntly.

"Oh," Kari said as she stopped laughing.

"Shark grew up in a bad neighborhood in New York City. His mom had to take a second job to support them after his dad went to jail. With nobody around the house, he just wandered around his neighborhood. He's been involved with gangs there, and he used to carry this switchblade and actually use it. For some reason he really works hard at swimming. He says it's because he's got nothing better to do, but he's top ten in the country in front crawl." Will said. Kari was quiet. "Shark's the one that told me that there's always a way to succeed, no matter what the situation. He was in my group of digidestined in America, along with Michael, Jesse, Laura, and Ricky. Shark's crest is serenity, I guess because he keeps his cool in tough spots. He's really not as bad as you might think. He, he helped me get through a really rough time in my life. Ever since we got sucked into the digital world, he's always been there for me." Will's eyes were starting to water a little, remembering some event long ago. "He's a tough guy, but he's a really good friend. I don't think I'll ever meet anybody quite like him." Will stopped quickly and went back to cutting the branches. Kari watched him silently. Will seemed to be more complex than she had realized at first. She knew she didn't have the whole story, but she didn't want to pressure Will any. He would talk about whatever happened when he felt like it.

Will piled the branches on top of Drakamon and sat down under the tree. He leaned back against it and stared up into the clear night sky. I walked over to Kari and climbed up into her lap.

"Gatomon, shouldn't you be getting some sleep?" she asked.

"I can stay up and keep watch for a while," I replied.

"Alright, but make sure to get some sleep eventually. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I will," I said, snuggling up against her. There was a long, peaceful quiet, during which only crickets could be heard, scraping their legs together in the branches above our heads.

Kari picked me up and lay down next to the log, and I snuggled up to her again.

"Hey Will?" Kari said suddenly. I looked up at her, wondering what she was asking now.

"What?" Will said, opening his eyes and looking over at us.

"Tomorrow, can you start teaching me English?" Kari asked.

Will stared at her for a few seconds, then replied with a slight nod, "Sure, just after we figure out what we're going to do. Get some sleep."

"Goodnight," Kari said as she closed her eyes.

"'Night," Will said, leaning back against the tree.

I had a brief notion that someone should keep watch, but I fell asleep before I really thought about it.