Episode 21 is here, guys~ Hope you enjoy~
Beelzemon: "We finally got to the Digital World and decided we were gonna take the kids to our old castle. Me and Chiharu went up ahead to clear the place out, and I'm sure glad we did. Myotismon and a small army of Bakemon had decided to move in. We got rid of 'em pretty easily, but that Myotismon was pretty damn delusional. He thought that takin' over our territory would get Millenniummon to make him a general. Yeah, right. Course, who knows how many more nuts we'll have to deal with that think the same thing?"
"So, what really happened while we were on our way here?" Lucemon asked after the children and the other Demon Lords had fallen asleep.
"What do you mean?" Chiharu asked, playing dumb.
"When we first got here, you acted like nothing interesting happened," Mayu explained for her partner. "We leave this place alone for ten years, there's no way no one tried to take it over."
"Looks like you caught us," Chiharu replied sheepishly. "Myotismon and a group of Bakemon made themselves at home."
"But we took care of 'em," Beelzemon said. "And it wasn't too hard, so it wasn't worth mentioning, right?"
"At least not in front of the kids," Chiharu added. "We didn't want them to worry this early on. Here in the Digital World, you don't really have a place of safety. We wanted to make sure they have some feeling of security before we head out."
Mayu smiled. It was true, in the Digital World, there was no closing the Gates to prevent more attacks. There was no evacuation procedure. Everywhere was fair game for the enemy, so they had to constantly be on their guard. But after walking for days, the kids deserved a much needed, restful sleep, and they wouldn't get it if they were worried about being attacked in the middle of the night.
"We'll take first watch," Beelzemon offered. Mayu and Lucemon, like the students and their partners, had been walking for quite a while. Chiharu and Beelzemon had just been clearing out the remaining Bakemon.
"You need your rest," Chiharu told the blonde.
"Alright," the woman conceded quickly. Any other time, she may have argued, but she was exhausted. "Wake us up when it's our turn, got it?"
"Sure," Beelzemon said, but once Mayu and Lucemon turned away, he shared a look with his partner. There was no way they were waking those two up.
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"I told you to wake us up…" Mayu grumbled, rubbing her eyes as the sun poured through the large windows. It had been the consensus that even though there were enough rooms for each Digi-Destined and partner to have their own, they'd all agreed to share one to stay together as a group. They'd decided on Leviamon's since it was one of the largest. Due to the fact that he was usually much larger than Tsucasa's D-Agent shrunk him down to, the be alone was large enough to be a small house.
"You looked like you were having such a nice dream," Chiharu told her.
"Liar," the blonde muttered, sitting up. "Stop trying to be the hero. I'm here to help you, you know."
"Ya needed yer rest," Beelzemon said, rolling his eyes. "If we woke ya up, ya'd be tired today. And we're heading out, so ya gotta be on yer toes."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Mayu relented. "Just… don't do it again, got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" the brunette replied with a smile. She glanced over at the students. "We should probably wake them up."
"You're right," Lucemon agreed. "We have to get moving soon."
"Rise and shine, kids!" Beelzemon yelled loudly, startling everyone awake except Belphemon. The Demon Lord of Gluttony rolled his eyes and drew one of the Berenjena. Aiming just to the left of the Demon Lord of Sloth, he fired. Most people would have replied with anger, but Belphemon simply opened his eyes and yawned.
"Morning already?" he asked sleepily. "Five more minutes…"
"No way, sleepyhead," Rei told him, lightly bopping him on the head. "Wake up."
"I don't wanna…" the Mega replied childishly.
Rei shook her head, deciding to just ignore her partner's stubbornness for now. "So, what's the plan?" she asked Chiharu, voicing the question she and the others had all been wondering. Now that they'd had their rest, it was time to really start.
"Well," Chiharu started. "We've got to figure out who's on the other side."
Mayu nodded. "Right. We should take out the subordinates first. That way, there won't be any distractions when it's time to fight Millenniummon."
"But doesn't that mean we have to fight… him?" Lilithmon asked tentatively. She knew Chiharu's feelings on the subject, but it had to be addressed.
"I know," the brunette replied, closing her eyes, trying to keep herself composed. She couldn't break down in front of the children. She was supposed to be the leader, and the leader was supposed to stay strong. "But there's nothing to be done about that. If we have to… we'll fight him with everything we have." She sounded a lot surer than she felt.
Mayu glanced at her friend, seeing right through the façade. This was affecting Chiharu much more than she let on, but she was quickly becoming a good actress.
"So, where to first?" Karuto asked.
"We're only a day and a half from the village that saved Wizardmon," Beelzemon suggested.
"Sounds good," Chiharu said with a nod.
"Some old friends might have some information for us," Beelzemon agreed. "So that's where we're goin'."
"What village?" Barbamon asked.
"The one near the Data Tree," Lucemon explained. "Wizardmon got very sick when he was poisoned by Dokugumon's webs, so we took him there to get healed."
"Hopefully they'll be willing to help us again," Mayu added.
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"Maybe we should see if the village is still there," Leviamon commented after they'd reached the bottom of the mountain.
"What do you mean?" Chiharu asked, slightly startled at what the question may have been insinuating.
"It's been ten years," Leviamon replied. "And since Millenniummon's been getting stronger…"
NeoDevimon decided to pick up where the Demon Lord of Envy left off. "Especially with Makuramon running around, they might have been targeted for allying with you in the past."
Chiharu turned away from all of them. She'd been able to block the negative thoughts for the last few hours, but now they swept over her again. "Beelzemon," she said softly. "Call Behemoth. We're going on ahead."
The Demon Lord looked down at his partner, taking in her distressed appearance before nodding. "Right." And with that, he whistled, and the large bike approached a few seconds later. "C'mon," he said, mounting the bike, and Chiharu was right after him.
"We'll see you all tomorrow," she informed them, her voice sounding completely dead. After that simple sentence, they took off.
"Is Mikage the only one that thinks they'll be on their own on that bike for most of this?" Mikage mused, but got no reply. Everyone silently agreed.
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"Ya can't keep runnin', ya know," Beelzemon warned his partner as they headed for the village and wasteland slowly turned to forest.
"From what?" Chiharu asked dully.
"From their questions," the Demon Lord replied. "And from everythin' else. I know it ain't easy, but they all got good points." He sighed. "Ya can't run from it all. The Chiharu I know ain't a coward."
"Then I guess you don't know me as well as you thought," Chiharu whispered, but Beelzemon still heard, though he didn't replied. In a situation like this, it was best to just drop the subject entirely.
"We're almost there," Beelzemon said as the village became visible. "See? Everything's fine."
The woman let a small sigh of relief out. "Okay," she said with a small smile. "Let's wait here for the others. We'll go in together."
"Got it," the Mega replied.
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"Mi—I mean, Chiharu's really sensitive, huh?" Tanya asked, still feeling a bit odd, calling her teacher by her first name.
"What do you mean?" Mayu asked, though she knew perfectly well what the purple haired girl was talking about.
"Every time one of us mentions Hideaki, or that anyone she knows here might be gone, she shuts down, and if she can, she leaves," Tanya explained. "She has to face up to it someday, right?"
"Stop," Mayu said, cutting her off from whatever she may have had to say next. "You have no idea what Chiharu's going through. You weren't there to see her break down time and time again. You didn't see her trying to put herself back together." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Chiharu Miura is a lot stronger than any of you give her credit for." If it had been anyone else, she added silently, they would probably be in a straightjacket by now. To put that much death on her shoulders…
"I'd also suggest backing off from the subject," Lucemon advised the students. "She's our leader, and because of that, we have to support her, understand? If she falls apart, we fall apart. And we have to be at full strength for what's ahead of us."
"Right…" Tanya said. "Sorry…"
"So, what's this village we're headed for, anyway?" Tsucasa asked. "You said it was where Wizardmon got healed, but…"
"It's a village of plant Digimon, and they specialize in medicine, primarily," Lucemon explained. "They're very welcoming Digimon."
"Didn't we destroy that village once?" Belphemon asked curiously.
"Yes…" the Demon Lord of Gluttony reluctantly admitted. "But after seeing that Beelzemon and I were partnered with Digi-Destined, they were willing to dissolve that grudge. I'm sure they'll do the same regarding the rest of you."
"I hope so," Mayu commented. "They might be able to help us stock up provisions."
"What do you mean?" Rei asked.
"We didn't bring much food with us," Mikage pointed out. "And Mikage doesn't know about you, but he doesn't want to be stuck in a desert without food or water."
"Okay, I see your point," the girl replied with a nod.
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Chiharu smiled softly as she saw the others approaching. She and Beelzemon had set up for the night in the forest, so they were well rested. "Hey, guys!" she called. "Over here!"
"We thought we'd wait fer ya," Beelzemon told them.
"Well, we're all here now, so…" Tsucasa began. "Should we go inside, then?"
"Right," Chiharu said with a nod before leading the kids and their partners to the village.
As they arrived, a Digimon that looked like a tree stump with arms turned to look at them. "Ah, hello again." He smiled. "It's been a while."
"Woodmon," Chiharu said with a smile. Then she noticed the wooden cane. "What happened?"
"I'm glad you're back," he responded simply. "The Digital World needs you."
"Wait, Woodmon!" Mayu pried. "What happened?"
The Champion Digimon paused. "Please, ask one of the others. I'm tired, so I plan to retire early. These old branches aren't what they used to be." And with that, he left, leaving both women to stare at him, frowning.
"We're very sorry for the way the chief is acting," a Floramon said, walking over to them. "Times have been very troubling lately, with the return of Millenniummon and its growing army."
"So you guys know, too, then?" Rei asked.
"Everyone does," Floramon replied sadly. "Like so many other areas, we get attacked constantly. We've lost so many already… And the chief… he tried to protect us and they permanently damaged his right leg for it. He was lucky that was it, but only because…"
"Because what?" Chiharu asked, already fearing the worst.
Floramon looked away, knowing that Chiharu would take on the blame. "Cherrymon saved him. They were going to destroy the chief, but Cherrymon got him out of the way in time. He slowed them down long enough for the chief to escape."
"What about Cherrymon?" Beelzemon asked.
"We don't know," she replied softly, staring at the ground. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but someone had to tell them. "We don't even know if he's still alive."
Chiharu clenched her fists. If they had killed Cherrymon, that left so many baby Digimon defenseless…
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They were back near the Data Tree, where several Fresh and In-Training Digimon were looking very ill.
"A swarm of Dokugumon came through, from the direction of the Demon Lords' castle," Cherrymon said, giving the two in question a pointed look. "These Digimon need the root, or they'll soon succumb to the virus."
"Why couldn't you just get more at the tree?" Satoru asked.
Mummymon, who'd been circling the tree, walked over, shaking his head. "Impossible. The medicinal root is gone."
"Yes, a few days ago, a group of Digimon came through and nearly picked it clean," Cherrymon informed them. "That was the last root left."
"There's still some medicine left," Mummymon told the tree Digimon. He looked back to Beelzemon, who was still in Blast Mode. "Can you fly back to the village and get the rest of the medicine? It may be enough to save them."
"You got it," Beelzemon said.
"I'd better give you a little boost," Chiharu said. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"
"See ya in a minute!" Beelzemon called before taking to the sky and zooming back to the village.
Mummymon turned back to the small Digimon, and Degenerated back to Wizardmon. "It's alright," he told them. "Help is on its way. Just hang in there a little bit longer."
"I apologize for acting so rashly," Cherrymon apologized. "I am the guardian of all young Digimon in this forest, and was thinking only of their safety. I hope you understand."
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"We need to find him," Chiharu found herself saying. "And if he's…" she trailed off, not wanting to say the word. "We need to find the Fresh and In-Training Digimon he was protecting." She looked at Floramon. "Can we bring them here if we need to?"
"Of course," the flower Digimon said, "but I'm not sure how much good it will do. Our village is attacked constantly. We've only just finished rebuilding from the damage from the last attack."
"They're safer here than out in the wild," Tsucasa said. He smiled at Floramon. "But you can count on us to get rid of the problem completely."
"Thank you," Floramon said, voice filled with gratitude. "I can't thank you enough. And neither can the rest of the village, when they hear."
"Beelzemon and I will scout the area for a while." Chiharu turned to the others. "You guys get some rest."
"No way we're staying behind," Mayu protested. "Kids, take a break, but Chiharu, Lucemon, Beelzemon and I will be out in the forest."
"Let us know if you need us," Rei requested.
"Alright," the blonde agreed. "But I doubt it will come to that." She turned to leave, but then paused. "And don't try sneaking out after us. Get some rest," she said, knowing that that was exactly the kind of stunt they would pull, especially Rei and Karuto.
"Yes Ma'am," they all said with varying degrees of irritation.
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"So, think they'll stay put?" Beelzemon asked as the four walked through the forest.
"I hope so, but I have my doubts," Chiharu confessed. "Anyway, let's keep looking. I hope we find Cherrymon, but just in case, keep an eye out for the little Digimon that might have gone into hiding."
"Perhaps we should…" Lucemon began, but trailed off when they all heard the groan hidden in the trees.
"I'm not seeing anything," Chiharu said, disappointed. "All I see are leaves, branches, and..." She stopped when she saw the red fruit among the leaves. "Cherrymon!" she yelled, and once she realized this, she was able to see that it was indeed the Ultimate.
Large eyes opened slowly, and he appeared a bit wary, though he relaxed a bit once he saw who it was. "It's been a long time, Digi-Destined," he said weakly. "I'm glad you're here."
"What happened to you?" Chiharu asked, taking in his full appearance. His leaves looked like they had been falling off, and the bark on some bits of his body were were peeling.
"They attacked the forest," the tree Digimon informed them. "I couldn't let them continue to hurt innocent Digimon."
"Where are the baby Digimon you were protecting?" Mayu asked, worrying about the well-being of the poor, helpless little creatures.
"I've hidden them in a safe place," he reported. "Just in case anything happens to me." He sighed. "I owe the village just as much as I owe you. It was their medicine that saved the baby Digimon when they were poisoned."
"That's why ya saved Woodmon," Beelzemon guessed. "Ya owe him."
The Ultimate nodded. "That's right," he confirmed.
"Where did you put the babies?" Chiharu asked. "We plan on taking them to the village, where they'll be taken care of and hidden safely."
"Just in case anything happens to me," he replied.
"That's not what I-"
"No, I understand," he replied. "I'm not as strong as I used to be. If I take them on again, I more than likely won't make it.
"Don't say that!" Chiharu said desperately.
"Why not?" he asked. "It's true. But if I'm going to go out like that, at least I know I gave everything I had to protect this forest."
"You're not alone anymore," Lucemon informed him. "We've returned, and there are five new Digi-Destined with us, each partnered with one of the other Demon Lords." He paused. "Who is it that's been attacking you?"
"It's only two Digimon, but they're both Megas. Their names are-"
"That's enough out of you!" a voice yelled from above, and both women and their partners looked up to see a tall Digimon with long arms, tattered wings, and a devilish smile. "Nightmare Claw!" he yelled, shooting an arm out and reached toward Cherrymon.
"Not so fast!" Chiharu yelled. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"
Beelzemon raced forward and aimed a well placed, powerful kick at the hand, knocking it just off course enough to avoid hitting Cherrymon.
"Let's see who this bastard is," Mayu said, pulling out her D-Agent. "VenomMyotismon, Mega Level. Attacks: Venom Infusion, Chaos Flame, and Nightmare Claw."
"I see you've forgotten about me, Cherrymon!" another voice yelled. "Crimson Mist!" A red mist surrounded them, making the air heavy and thick.
Chiharu covered her mouth and nose with her shirt to filter the air while reading from her D-Agent. "And this guy's MaloMyotismon, also a Mega. Attacks: Crimson Mist and Screaming Darkness." She turned to Cherrymon. "Are these the guys who have been attacking the forest?"
"Yes," the tree Digimon replied. "They've been playing with us, doing just enough damage to make our lives miserable, killing many, but leaving enough alive to suffer and mourn the losses."
Chiharu took a deep breath, knowing that anger would cloud her judgment, but she wasn't able to. For someone to think it was okay to do that to another living being... "Beelzemon!" she yelled.
"Right!" the Demon Lord replied. "Double Impact!" he yelled, firing at MaloMyotismon, who, despite his smaller size that VenomMyotismon, seemed to be the strongest. His armor, however, prevented the bullets from doing much damage. "Damn..." Beelzemon muttered before looking the Mega straight in the eye. "Tell me somethin'," he started. "Ya got any relation to a Digimon named Myotismon? Maybe one that took over the Demon Lord castle?"
"Indeed we do," VenomMyotismon answered. "He was our brother."
Beelzemon offered both Megas a fanged smirk. "Well, then, sorry ta break it to ya, but yer brother's dead." His smirk widened. "Killed him myself."
"Beelzemon!" his brunette partner hissed. "Are you trying to piss them off?"
"Yep," the Demon Lord of Gluttony replied simply.
"Are you nuts?"
"Probably." He raised the Berenjena again. "But I get the job done."
"Don't think you're the only one in this fight," Lucemon warned. "Grand Cross!"
"Guilty Claw!" the heard coming from the trees, and immediately saw an arm shoot through and strike VenomMyotismon.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Chiharu yelled. "Get out of here!"
"No way," Tanya argued, stepping into view. She glanced at Cherrymon. "Besides," she added, "We can't take the chance that you might lose."
Beelzemon laughed. "Oh, really?" he asked. "Ya think we might lose."
"If you get too cocky, it's possible," Tanya warned. "Digital Ability. Eaglemon's Kaiser Phoenix: Connect!"
"Kaiser Phoenix!" NeoDevimon yelled, firing the Mega Level attack at VenomMyotismon. One enemy at a time...
But the Mega ignored him entirely. His focus was on the Demon Lord that killed his brother. "Nightmare Claw!"
Beelzemon jumped out of the way. "What's the matter? A little sore that I killed yer brother? He was askin' fer it, tryin' ta get powerful enough ta be one of Millenniummon's generals. I mean, what're you guys, just lackeys? It's only got two generals, and you clowns ain't it."
"Silence, fool!" MaloMyotismon yelled.
"Beelzemon!" Chiharu yelled, annoying at her partner's instigation. "Less taunting, more fighting!"
Never thought I'd hear ya say that, Beelzemon thought, remembering her old policy of pacifism. But this was what war did to people. He knew that from experience. "Double Impact!" he yelled, though like his previous attacks, it didn't do much damage.
MaloMyotismon and VenomMyotismon looked at each other and grinned. They wanted revenge against Beelzemon, but perhaps they should take out the weakest link, first.
"Nightmare Claw!" VenomMyotismon yelled, aiming at the Ultimate.
"Screaming Darkness!" MaloMyotismon attacked, and both moves hit NeoDevimon full on.
The Demon Lord of Wrath braced his feet, but despite that, he was pushed back quite a bit. "Guilty Claw!" he yelled, determined to fight back.
"I grow tired of this game," VenomMyotismon said, annoyed. "Time to finish this! Chaos Flame!"
NeoDevimon raised his arms in an attempt to avoid the full force, but the hit never came. Dropping his arms, he stared, stunned, at the large figure between him and VenomMyotismon.
"Cherrymon!" Chiharu yelled.
"Digi-Destined…" the Ultimate whispered, already beginning to disappear. "Save this world…" And with those pleading words, he was gone, leaving just an Egg in his place.
"No!" Chiharu yelled. Her mind began to shut down. It was happening again. Those around her would begin to die…
Tanya stared in shock at the place where the Ultimate had once stood. She and NeoDevimon had never met Cherrymon in their lives, yet he gave his to save them. The teen was beginning to understand what Chiharu was feeling. She knew her teacher felt it on a much grander scale, but she was starting to get the gist of it, and felt so stupid for thinking Chiharu was weak for it.
NeoDevimon shook with anger. How dare they kill an innocent? His body began to glow.
"NeoDevimon Digivolve to… Daemon!"
"Daemon, Mega Level," Tanya read quietly, able to take out her Digivice, even in her anger and shock. "Attacks: Evil Inferno, Hammer Knuckle, Double Dust, and Slash Nail."
"You're going to regret what you've done," the now fully Digivolved Demon Lord of Wrath growled. "Evil Inferno!" The flames headed straight for VenomMyotismon and hit him straight in the chest, knocking him backwards.
"Be careful with that attack!" Mayu yelled. "You could burn down the forest!"
"Right, sorry," Daemon said, but in his anger, he didn't sound very convincing. "Hammer Knuckle!" he yelled, attacking again, this time knocking his opponent off his feet.
Lucemon, seeing that Daemon had VenomMyotismon pretty much covered, turned to MaloMyotismon, who appeared to be waiting, no doubt wanting them to be weakened before making his move. "Ultimate Sacrifice!" he yelled, knowing that even if it didn't completely destroy his opponent, Beelzemon would be there to finish the job.
The attack surrounded the Mega, but didn't destroy him. He did appear extremely weak, however, and Beelzemon took this chance to make his move.
Pushing off from the ground hard, the Demon Lord jumped into the air, pushing off from a few trees until he was right in front of his target. "Darkness Claw!" he yelled, slicing at the Mega, destroying him. He glanced over to see that Daemon had just finished with his own opponent.
"Alright," Beelzemon said once he'd landed. "Let's get back to the village."
"Wait," Mayu started. "We have to find the baby Digimon."
"Daemon and I will look," Tanya offered. She took in Lucemon's weakened form from his attack and Chiharu's almost catatonic state. "You guys should go back to the village. You look like you could use some rest."
Beelzemon nodded silently and put a hand on Chiharu's shoulder. She shrugged him off and walked about twelve feet, stopping in front of a Digi-Egg. Without a word, she bent down, picked it up, and headed back toward Beelzemon. Without looking at him, she whispered, "Let's go…"
The Demon Lord looked at his partner sadly. He hated seeing the girl like this. But there was nothing he could do about it at the moment, so he might as well do what little he could, and that was bring her back to the village safely.
Next time:
Kumbhiramon: Hello, humans!
Beelzemon: Not you again.
Mayu: So that's what Makuramon's little Easter Egg hunt was for, then…
Damn… it was not supposed to end this darkly. Hell, Cherrymon wasn't even supposed to be in this chapter until, like, yesterday afternoon. But you all know me. If I bring in an old friend, naturally, they have to die. I just can't give Chiharu a break. So… yeah. I hope you all liked it~
Any questions, feel free to ask. So please, review, and I'll see you next week~