Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. But with the power of the Internet on my side, I can sure as heck pretend. :P
Author's Notes: Ah...some of you readers can remember when I first started this rewrite. I had said that the number of episodes of the rewrite would be shorter than my intended list. Now look: the Emperor saga has taken up 21 episodes like in the show, I didn't show Wizardmon's ghost like I had intended to a couple of years ago, and I'm spelling Chimeramon with 'Ch' instead of 'K' (what to do the dubbers think this is; Mortal Kombat?)!
Looking back on my old writing style nearly makes me sick now (no, seriously; I got dizzy when I looked back on my old writing style).
I originally started this fic as the New Digi-Episodes in 2001...but I continued it in late 2003...as Zero 2: A Revision.
Well...here's to many more episodes folks. Now to the reviews!
Anthony1: Well, you'll just have to read on. And have you noticed that your reviews often sound like something the announcer would say?
SR71will: You are correct! Here's a coupon to Ultra's House of Cookies, which is located in Antarctica. Have fun getting there! :P
Now...begin the climax!
Chimeramon, the Hybrid Digimon of Darkness.
Magnamon, the Armored Champion of Gold.
Who will win?
"This is Shaun speaking. Wormmon risked a lot to send some important information to the Digidestined, which we used immediately to plan one last strike on the Emperor's base. We disabled the turrets and cut off his generator, rendering his base flightless! But Chimeramon is one tough customer...he was able to reflect an attack that MagnaAngemon had trouble with! Just when things start looking bleak, Davis found a golden digiegg and used it to golden armor digivolve Veemon into Magnamon. Now we have a real fight on our hands!"
Episode 21: Chimeramon Vs. Magnamon
/01-000-ALPHA, Emperor's Fallen Base, Saturday October 9th, 9:42 PM/
Davis looked back as Magnamon flew back into the Emperor's Base to deal with Chimeramon. "Man...a third Digiegg..."
In all actuality, he was astounded. If what he had learned thus far was true, that meant that a crest would have to exist for the digiegg to exist...
But...would that mean that a Crest of Miracles existed?
"Davis!!!"
Davis turned around to see the others run for him, with the exception of Shaun. TK reached him first and asked, "Davis...what was that bright light?"
Davis looked back at the base and answered, "It was my partner..."
Yolei sighed out of exasperation. "Come on Davis, even you know that none of your partner's forms have a golden glow!"
In response to this, Davis said, "I...I found another Digiegg...a golden Digiegg."
Everyone gasped out of shock. Nefertimon exclaimed, "Another Digiegg?!" Pegasusmon then retorted, "But...how can that be?! I thought we found all of them!"
Cody suddenly found himself in deep thought. This must mean that another crest exists somewhere out there...somewhere. "Where did you find it?"
"Believe it or not...in there." He pointed at the Emperor's Base.
Before the others could gasp/double-take/retort at Davis' answer, a loud explosion destroyed the base's flight deck.
Magnamon flared brightly as he charged for Chimeramon. "Alright you freak! LET'S DANCE!!!"
Chimeramon roared at Magnamon as he charged for the small, golden fighter. The hybrid Ultimate reared all four arms and prepared to smash his fists into the tiny golden Digimon.
Magnamon's thrusters – which lay under the pads of armor around his hips' sides and his shoulders – flared brightly as he suddenly hurtled upward a couple of dozen feet, completely avoiding the incoming punches. He curled his three fingers into a fist as a golden aura surrounded his right hand. "Magna Punch!"
The punch connected with Chimeramon's chin, sending the giant Ultimate into the wall. Without pausing for even a moment, Magna charged forward as he locked his left leg and aimed it for Chimeramon's chest. "Magna Kick!"
The foot was covered over in golden energy by the time Magnamon's attack connected. Chimeramon grunted as his body was pushed even further into the wall...but he quickly countered with a surprisingly quick strike by his left Skullgreymon arm. This time, Magnamon grunted as his body was sent into the opposite wall. Wasting no time, Chimeramon freed himself from the new hole in the wall and flew at Magnamon.
Meanwhile, Shaun's rapt attention was focused on the battle taking place above him.
Magnamon.
Chimeramon.
Unreal...Chimeramon's more powerful than he should be...I don't know if Magnamon will be able to beat him...unless HE'S changed in some way as well...
"You're a fool..."
Shaun whirled around to see the Emperor holding...his Desert Eagle pistol?! No! He must've picked my pocket when I wasn't paying attention!!! Shaun grimaced as he looked down the barrel of his own weapon. "What do you plan to do Ken?"
The Emperor's two hands shook as he squeezed the gun's handle tightly. "I'm not Ken...I'm the Digimon Emperor. I am the ruler of this world! All Digimon are mine to command...and you Digidestined are nothing but weaklings fighting a useless battle! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!!"
BLAM!!!
Ken's first shot went off to the side, missing Shaun completely. The Child of Wisdom smirked at this. "I see now...you've finally realized your own weakness."
"SHUT UP!!!"
BLAM!!!
This shot went wild as well; Ken couldn't seem to stop his hands from shaking! Shaun continued on. "Look around you; your base is crippled. Your defensive turrets are no more, and Chimeramon has turned on you. Any other Digimon you attempt to call will just be freed by my friends' partners...or destroyed by Chimeramon. Either way, you've lost control, Ichijouji."
"FOR THE LAST TIME! I'M NOT KEN!!! I'M THE DIGIMON EMPEROR!!!"
BLAM!!! BLAM!!! BLAM!!! BLAM!!!
The first one missed. The second one hit the railing. The third one whizzed by Shaun's head, barely clipping off a part of his hair. The fourth one hit the catwalk floor harmlessly. Shaun quickly ran forward and gripped the Emperor's wrists, pointing the pistol into the air as he glared into the Emperor's eyes. "Chimeramon's rebellion has really shaken you. Face it Ken...you've lost this war."
"NEVER!!!" Ken let go of the pistol as he ran in the opposite direction toward the doorway. He turned left down another corridor and disappeared from sight. As Ken ran, he pulled out his Dark Digivice. It's simple...I'll just give Chimeramon a direct blast of energy from my Dark D-3! No Digimon can emerge from that without becoming my slave!
Back on the catwalk, Shaun silently holstered his pistol as Wormmon worriedly said, "Oh Ken..."
"Don't worry Wormmon." The little Rookie looked upward at Shaun, who looked back at him with a reassuring smile. "The look in his eyes said it all...he's fighting himself. The Emperor is fighting the real Ken for control right now."
Wormmon seemed to smile at this. "Oh goodie...I know Ken'll win. He always wins!"
Shaun smiled at the small insect. "Yeah...I know he will." As Shaun turned his attention back to the battle, Wormmon couldn't help but wonder. Boy, he sure is confident...it's as if he's known Ken for years with the way he talks about him!
Suddenly...
"Magna Kick!"
The sudden downward thrust kick sent Chimeramon into the catwalk, breaking it apart like a twig. Shaun quickly grabbed Wormmon and leapt into the nearby doorway before the catwalk completely fell away. "Man...that was close."
Enraged, Chimeramon turned his mouth upward as green fire coalesced into his maw. "Heat Viper!"
Magnamon crossed his arms as the green stream of fire came for him. The push behind the attack sent him upward through several floors...but he finally reared one of his arms back. "Magna Punch!"
The punch caused a reaction that resulted in a tremendous explosion. The explosion tore through the flight deck, which was right above Magnamon.
As green and gold energy plumed upward from the ruins of the flight deck, Sonocomon turned to the others. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not just going to sit around while Magnamon fights Chimeramon on his own. Anyone coming with me?"
Shurimon silently disappeared...then reappeared beside Sonocomon. "I will assist."
Then Nefertimon stepped forward. "As will I...but we need someone to stay behind and protect the children."
Pegasusmon and Digmon both stepped backward toward the children. The flying horse quickly said, "I will stay behind with them. And I assume you will as well Digmon." The driller nodded. "You bet! Besides, I'm not really the kind to fight airborne creeps like 'Uglymon' over there."
Obviously, Digmon was referring to Chimeramon, who zoomed out of the hole in the flight deck towards Magnamon. Sonocomon turned to Shurimon and Nefertimon. "Let's go." Sonocomon dashed off toward the fallen base with a flash of blue light. Shurimon ran quickly along the ground towards the base, while Nefertimon flapped her wings and took to the air. As the three Digimon went to aide Magnamon, Kari sighed. "I hope they'll be okay."
"They'll be fine Kari," reassured TK.
It wouldn't occur to any of them until much later that – despite the fact Davis had not told them the name of his partner's new form – Sonocomon knew Magnamon's name.
/Odaiba, Ishida Apartment, 10:01 PM/
Hiroaki Ishida was a tired man. He was currently in charge of security detail at the local TV network station (which had been repaired since the Odaiba Fog Incident, not to mention the battle with VenomMyotismon), and a job like that required a lot of things; constant checks on the security measures (key card locks, ID card locks, and the like), constant maintenance of the security cameras, etcetera, etcetera. It was a tiring job, and he had gotten home from a busy day no more than thirty minutes ago.
That's why he was less than pleased to open the front door (a steady knock on the door had resulted in his rising from the couch; he didn't like rising off of the comfy couch after a tiring work day) to see...none other than Jun Motomiya, one of the many girls on Matt's list of fans who were not allowed into the apartment. "Jun...please go home."
Jun sweetly smiled as she asked, "Is Matt in?"
Hiroaki shook his head. "No; he's at one of his 'vacation' spots. He's away for a break, so go away. I'm tired."
Jun sighed. "Okay then...can I have the address? I want to see him."
Despite his tiredness, Hiroaki was still aware enough not to fall for that. "Sorry. You won't get it."
"Okay then," sighed Jun out of exasperation. "Actually...I just want to see my brother, Davis."
"Oh! That's completely different." Hiroaki quickly rummaged through a nearby coffee table drawer and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Here. This is the address."
Jun grinned as she said, "Thanks!" Then she quickly departed.
Five seconds later, Hiroaki realized his blunder. "GAH!!!" Hiroaki contemplated chasing her down...but he knew he was too tired to catch up with her now. He would've normally caught such a trick...but the rigors of work had done too much to his wits that day. "Matt's going to kill me when she gets there."
Jun giggled as she walked away from the apartment, the address tucked away in her pocket. "That was pretty easy!"
Despite what Matt or Davis perceived, Jun was not stupid. She had known something was up when Davis and his friends from school caught a ride in Matt's van. It was a van she knew well; despite the recent paint job, she had known it to be the Teenage Wolves' old travel van.
So she quickly called her folks. Her mom had said Davis was going with his friends to some log cabin for a weekend of R & R.
Jun knew something was up. Matt wouldn't just drag out the old van for something as simple as a weekend vacation.
The next step involved finding Matt. To do that, she had to wait for Mr. Ishida to get home from work.
And you know the rest.
Jun quietly waited at the bus stop until a bus came up. She showed the driver the address and sat down as the bus drove off for Mt. Fuji.
Thankfully, she had enough money to pay for the trip.
"Heat Viper!"
With a quick kick, Magnamon deflected the ray away before panels on his armor opened up. "Magna Ray!" Golden rays of light emerged from underneath the panels and struck Chimeramon, who shrieked as the light burned at his skin. Chimeramon quickly flew upward to avoid the attack.
Once he was out of the attack's range, Chimeramon swung his spiky hair around. "Needle Spray!"
Magnamon winced as some of the needles snuck past his armor and embedded themselves into his skin. "Okay pal...let's see if your needles can hold up to this!" He held his right arm forward; his golden gauntlet extended forward, covering his entire hand. Small barrels stuck out of the gauntlet, which were aimed directly at Chimeramon. "Magna Gun!"
Bullets coated with a golden aura shot out of Magnamon's gauntlet; he used his left hand to help steady his aim, because the kickback was rather strong. Chimeramon roared as he held his arms up to ward away the bullets. However, he was too large a target; a lot of the bullets hit him anyway.
With a tremendous bellow, Chimeramon aimed his horn at Magnamon. "Harpoon Torpedo!"
The one difference between this attack and Ikkakumon's was simply this: rate of fire. Literally dozens of the spike projectiles zoomed toward Magnamon, who quickly tried to dodge each and every one.
Unfortunately, one hit. The explosion was to the other torpedoes what a match was to a forest...except in this case, the forest was completely doused in gasoline. The resulting chain reaction of explosions lit up the entire night sky.
Before anyone could scream in fear at the explosive cloud of fire, Magnamon charged out of the cloud as more panels in his armor opened up. "Here's my response to that! Magna Missiles!"
Golden missiles were launched out of the slots under the panels, streaming toward Chimeramon quickly. He yelled in pain as the missiles exploded against his body. Out of rage, Chimeramon began prepping another Heat Viper. "Heat-"
"Blue Dash!"
Chimeramon's attack was cut off as a ray of blue energy struck the side of his face. He immediately turned to Sonocomon, who prepared to fire another one. Chimeramon growled as he prepared to fire on his new target. "Heat-"
"Swirling Shuriken!"
"Rosetta Stone!"
Chimeramon grunted as two tablets hit the back of his head and the metallic shuriken sliced across his leg. His eyes burned with a black fire as he roared. "ENOUGH!!! SHADOW VIPER!!!"
The shadow of Chimeramon roared as it flew at high speed towards Magnamon, who had no time to dodge or evade before he was consumed. Moments later, the shadow compressed into a tiny sphere.
"MAGNAMON!!!" shouted Davis as he quickly ran for the base...only to be held back by TK and Yolei. "Let me go! I need to help Magnamon!!!"
Yolei shook her head furiously. "Are you crazy?! If Magnamon couldn't beat him, what makes you think you can?! Don't commit suicide!"
Meanwhile, Chimeramon stared maliciously at the black orb in his left Devimon hand. He would enjoy crushing his troublesome prey.
Just when he was about to crush the sphere, its black color was completely washed over by a golden color. Chimeramon looked at the orb curiously.
Then it rammed into his forehead, sending him crashing. Metal and rock went flying as Chimeramon landed on the remains of the base's flight deck.
The surreal sight of the small, golden orb attack Chimeramon was too much for everyone.Especially Shaun. He had just walked out into the open to see the golden orb ram Chimeramon in the head. "Wha, bu...huh...?"
Chimeramon winced as he stood back up, only for the orb to hit him once more in the head. Chimeramon tried to swipe away the little orb, but he continued to get bruises on every spot the orb hit.
Finally, it flew back a bit as it started to crack...
With a sound that sounded like breaking glass, Magnamon broke free of his orb. "Man...that was unpleasant." Davis whooped with joy as his partner broke free. "Booyah! Kick his butt Magnamon!"
Shaun looked at the Golden Armored Champion in awe. Magnamon's definitely more powerful...he might be able to pull this off after all!
"CHIMERAMON!!!"
Everyone turned their attention to the figure stepping out of the door that led to the balcony overlooking the flight deck. The Emperor stood there, holding his Dark D-3 up high. "Chimeramon! I am your master!"
Chimeramon sneered as he prepared to attack his creator.
"As your creator, I order you to destroy the Digidestined! And to aid you against Magnamon...HARNESS THE POWER OF MY DARK DIGIVICE!!!" At that, a dark ray of energy erupted from Ken's Dark Digivice and merged with Chimeramon's body. The hybrid Digimon howled as dark energy began coursing through his body.
As the ray continued to pour energy into the monster, Digmon nervously pointed out, "Uh...is it my imagination, or is Chimeramon getting bigger?"
Digmon wasn't seeing things; Chimeramon's body slowly became larger as more dark energy poured into the artificial Digimon.
Suddenly, the Dark Digivice stopped giving forth energy. If it wasn't so dark, one would've seen that the dark gray body of Ken's D-3 was gone, replaced by a white body. The only dark color on the digivice now existed on the sidebars, which were still colored pitch black.
Perhaps it was a sign that the Dark Digivice had given away all of the dark power it contained to Chimeramon. The Emperor smirked as Chimeramon looked at his larger and stronger body. "I have given you a gift Chimeramon...now oblige your creator and destroy my enemies!"
Chimeramon turned to the Emperor...and malevolently smiled as his eyes gleamed in the darkness of the night. "Thank you...for the extra boost."
The Emperor paled at Chimeramon's reply. Even after that...he still wanted to kill him! Impossible! He can't possibly still have free will! Devimon came to mind at the moment...and he suddenly realized what Devimon had meant.
His control over the powers of darkness was not as great as he had thought them to be.
Chimeramon held his four arms out as orbs of dark energy crackling with red electricity formed in each hand...and they continued to grow in size.
When each orb became as large as his own head, Chimeramon roared, "DOOMSDAY VIPER!!!"
Then he brought his arms together, smashing the four orbs together.
Suddenly, the entire sector was consumed by white.
All-destroying, all-consuming white.
/Unknown Sector, Gennai's House, 10:34 PM/
Gennai put on a pair of sunglasses as the flash of the Doomsday Viper attack came in from all the cameras surrounding sector 01-000-ALPHA.
As for the cameras in 01-000-ALPHA themselves...they had been completely vaporized.
The wizened old man sighed as he muttered, "...I hope they somehow survived..."
The Doomsday Viper was like a white dome the size of sector 01-000-ALPHA.
And it had completely leveled EVERYTHING. The entire desert floor in that sector had been completely melted into a flat sheet of glass. The Emperor's Base was now a blackened husk, a mere shadow of its former self.
And Chimeramon hovered above it all.
After such an attack, one would have to be shocked to see any survivors.
But there were.
Surrounding every single Digidestined (Ken included) and Digimon (Chimeramon excluded) was a protective golden aura. A small lifeline of golden energy connected each protective aura with Magnamon, who was charging those auras with his own.
Pegasusmon blinked in astonishment. "Magnamon...he used his energy to form protective barriers around all of us!"
As Magnamon continued to show new abilities, Shaun couldn't help but be impressed...but he was also upset as well. Chimeramon's gotten stronger, and so has Magnamon...when will the changes ever end?!
The protective aura around faded as Magnamon stopped glowing.
Then he unceremoniously slumped to the ground. "Man...used too much power..." Magnamon looked up as Chimeramon stepped over to him. The hybrid Digimon grinned as he grabbed the golden fighter in his right Devimon hand and started crushing him.
Shurimon exclaimed, "Our ally is in danger! Quickly! Swirling Shuriken!"
"Blue Dash!"
"Ruby Claw!"
The metal shuriken, the blue laser, and the two jewel-like projectiles zoomed toward Chimeramon...
"Heat Viper!"
...who promptly incinerated the attacks. Sonocomon sweatdropped. "Okay, that didn't work." Chimeramon turned back to Magnamon and resumed the crushing.
Davis growled; not at the situation, but at his own helplessness! Magnamon was their best hope now...and Chimeramon was crushing him. No thanks to the Emperor's power up.
Power up... "Hey guys...I've got an idea."
Everyone in the vicinity turned to Davis. Digmon quickly asked, "Don't hesitate! Spill it out!"
"You know how the Emperor used his Dark Digivice to power up Chimeramon?" As Davis explained his idea, he pulled out his blue D-3. "How about we do the same thing to Magnamon?"
Everyone looked at him silently. Then, Yolei turned to the others and nervously said, "Guys...I think this is a sign that the apocalypse is coming; this is the second time in ONE day that Davis has come up with a good idea!"
"HEY!"
Kari couldn't help but giggle – even now, Yolei could find a way to tick Davis off – but she quickly regained her composure. "All joking aside, Davis has a good idea. We'll use the power of our D-3s to power up Magnamon."
As everyone pulled out their D-3s, TK shouted, "Let's do it! For Magnamon and every single Digimon the Emperor ever harmed!"
"RIGHT!"
The Digidestined pointed their D-3s at Magnamon before five rays of light sped through the air.
Blue.
Red.
Yellow.
Green.
Pink.Those five lights merged with Magnamon's being as he suddenly started growing stronger. "Whoa...what a rush!" As the power of the D-3s continued to empower Magnamon, Nefertimon, Pegasusmon, Digmon, and Shurimon dedigivolved into their previous forms.
Unfortunately, Gatomon was still airborne. "WHA!!!"
Sonocomon quickly caught her and placed her by Kari's side. "There we go."
Meanwhile, Shaun watched silently as the power of the D-3s continued to recharge Magnamon. "So...they're all chipping in." Shaun pulled out his orange D-3 and shrugged. "What the heck...every little bit helps." He held his D-3 out as an orange beam of energy erupted from the screen, merging with Magnamon as well. As this happened, Sonocomon dedigivolved to (Agumon).
Chimeramon quickly brought all four arms up to try and squeeze the life out of Magnamon...but unfortunately for him, Magnamon's new strength was proving to be too much for the hybrid. "Alright you freak! Let's see how tough you are NOW!"
Magnamon – with a quick, outward thrust of his arms and legs – broke Chimeramon's hold on him as he started glowing brightly. "MAGNA...EXPLOSION!!!"
Magnamon's response to Chimeramon's Doomsday Viper erupted to life quickly. Chimeramon wailed as the ever-expanding sphere of golden light push him away as the golden energy ate at him. Finally, Magnamon thrust his hands forward, concentrating the entire dome into a concentrated beam that sent Chimeramon crashing into the Emperor's base, creating another large hole in the side.
"WHOA!" Shaun nearly lost his balance as the portion of the flight deck no more than five feet away from him collapsed upon itself, creating yet another gap in the flight deck. "Man, I'd better get off of this base." With that, Shaun walked back inside and made his way for one of the exits.
Wormmon looked back at Shaun...then used a wad of web to swing downward into the hole. He had to do something.
Magnamon flew for the hole to try and find Chimeramon...after all, he couldn't hope for the monster's deletion just yet...
Could he?
"HEAT VIPER!!!"
Nope, he couldn't. Magnamon quickly held his hands forward as a beam of green fire collided with him, pushing backward into piece of wreckage before it exploded in his face.
Chimeramon stepped out of the hole...but he was much worse for the wear. His left Devimon arm was hanging limply at his side, and burns marked his wings, hands, body, and legs. Part of the carapace on his head was cracked, and – the most gruesome of all – his left eye was missing.
But he had survived the attack nonetheless. Chimeramon growled as he glared at Magnamon, who was digging himself out of the wreckage. "You're beginning to annoy me...I shall eliminate you once and for all!"
"Sticky Net!"
Chimeramon howled as a wad of webbing entered the hole where his left eye used to be, stinging his vulnerable insides. He whirled his head around to see Wormmon, glaring atr him angrily. "You've gone too far...I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
Chimeramon roared with rage as he swept Wormmon into the air with a sweeping downward swing of his right Devimon arm. "Heat..."
"NO!!!" Magnamon quickly pulled himself out of the wreckage as he switched his right gauntlet into the Magna Gun...but it was too late.
"VIPER!!!"
The Emperor was mortified beyond rational thought.
How had it happened? How?
Rewind to one-and-a-half months ago, right near the end of August. He had been feared. Digimon quivered and ran at the very sight of him or his slaves. Most of the continent Server was under his control. Even his own slaves feared him; for if they failed him, he would not hesitate to delete them. He had been unstoppable.
Then THEY came.
At first, it had been amusing; the Digidestined had returned to deal with him, much in the fashion that the original Digidestined team had. He had regarded them as little more than playthings. After all, they were nowhere near as strong as he was.
Then the five children had discovered their own Digieggs. They had become more than playthings; they had become a nuisance. Still, he did not regard them seriously, even after his Control Spires were discovered. He figured that a decent trap would finish them off.
He had been correct. He had forced Davis – their leader – into surrendering himself for the others' safety. But he had no intention of letting any of them live...
Then the sixth one had appeared. Shaun, the mysterious teen that had come out of nowhere. After his death trap had been dealt with, he had tried to exploit their distrust of Shaun. He would've succeeded had Shaun not figured him out beforehand.
Then, even after he had taken Agumon, they became stronger. Not as a whole...but individually as well. Motomiya had obtained the Digiegg of Friendship, and Shaun revealed to the others that he had his own Crest.
Even after resorting to the mighty MagnaAngemon, the Digidestined had defeated him (no thanks to a little trickery on Shaun's behalf). Even after declaring total war on the Digital World itself, the Digidestined continued to defeat him. Even a full-scale nuclear strike on Little Edo failed to destroy even ONE of his Digidestined foes. Not even a trip to his first base (what with Alienmon, the Terminator Units, and all) had been able to do them in.
But he had his trump card with Project Chimera...but now; the mighty behemoth had turned on him. With Wormmon's help, the Digidestined had been able to permanently cripple his base. He was broken, weakened, and completely outclassed. As much as he hated to admit it...he'd lost this war. The Digidestined were the victors.
No! I can't think like that! I will simply retreat for a while. I'll let the Digidestined destroy Chimeramon for me...then I'll regroup my forces. I'll build a new base and redouble my efforts! If it comes down to sneaking into their homes at night and slitting their throats, then so be it! I'll come out on top again no matter WHAT!
...no.
Huh? The Emperor turned his head. "Who said that?"
Ken, you ignoramus.
YOU?! Ha! This is my body. Ken Ichijouji no longer exists! Only the Digimon Emperor!
I've let myself be consumed by you and the powers of darkness for too long! If it hadn't been for Wormmon...
What? Do you actually feel sympathy for that weakling?!
He's the reason I still exist! And he's also the real reason behind your downfall!!!
That is why he shall burn!
No...no more. I am not the Emperor. I am Ken Ichijouji! AND THIS IS MY BODY!!!
"Heat..."
The inner battle between the Emperor and Ken halted as the tyrant turned his head to Chimeramon. Why was he aiming at the air?
Then he saw the small figure in the air.
"WORMMON!!!"
Wormmon looked back at the Emperor sadly. A single pair of tears fell from Wormmon's blue eyes as he gazed sadly at the Emperor. Bye Ken...I hope that when I see you again that you'll be back to the boy I became friends with.
"VIPER!!!"
Wormmon's form was lost from view as the green ray incinerated him. Ken's eyes adopted a blank look as he looked at the small, blackened shell that was once Wormmon fall from the sky. "WORMMON!!!"
Without wasting any time, Ken's mind took over the body as he slid down the side of the crippled base, not even caring about the tremendous friction burn. He landed on the glassy desert floor with a hard thud, causing the glass underneath him to break as he broke off into a run towards the small Rookie.
Wormmon opened his eyes one last time as Ken ran towards him, desperation easily evident in his eyes, even with the shades on...
He smiled. I knew you had it in you Ken...
Then he thought no more.
Ken leapt for Wormmon as he deleted into nothing but free-floating particles. "No!!! WORMMON!!!" Ken couldn't hold his tears back as he watched his partner float away into the sky. Ken roared with anguish as he pounded his fist into the glass, breaking it apart. No...don't leave me Wormmon...you've never left me before...I don't want you to leave...DON'T LEAVE!!!
Meanwhile, Magnamon was furiously battling Chimeramon. Chimeramon tried to punch at him as best as he could, but Magnamon was too fast, too quick...and too angry. He was angry at Chimeramon for killing Wormmon – who had proven himself to be a good friend – but he was also angry at himself for being unable to do anything about it. "Magna Punch! Magna Kick! Magna Gun! Magna Ray!"
The assault of punches, kicks, bullets, and energy rays was overwhelming Chimeramon, and the hybrid knew it. He had to use the Shadow Viper attack...and this time, he would waste no time in crushing the orb. "SHADOW VIPER!!!"
The shadow Chimeramon howled out of eager anticipation as it flew at high speed towards Magnamon. The golden Digimon's eyes narrowed as he contemplated his next course of action. It's risky...but it'll definitely end this battle. "MAGNA PUNCH!!!"
Both of Magnamon's fists glowed brightly as he folded them together. The shadow beast roared as it neared him...
And then Magnamon swung his fists, hitting the shadow in the head. Amazingly...the blow reversed the shadow's course...and now it was on a collision course with Chimeramon himself.
"No! No!!! NO!!!" Chimeramon's cries were drowned out as the darkness overpowered and imprisoned him. The shadow compressed itself into an orb, which fell harmlessly to the ground.
Magnamon slowly set down beside the orb and picked it up, staring at it as a chuckle escaped his lips. "He was done in by his own attack..." Casually, he threw the orb into the base, causing a pile of debris to fall on it. "Magna Missile!!!" Panels opened up on his arm as missiles collided with the debris, completely destroying it.
The battle was over.
Sighing, Magnamon dedigivolved all the way to the first step...Baby.
The Digidestined blinked in astonishment as they saw Chimeramon fall prey to his own dark attack. As they watched Magnamon calmly eliminate the orb, Davis numbly said, "Guys...did we just win?"
TK nodded. "Yeah...Magnamon just beat Chimeramon...he did it!"
Gatomon smiled widely as she realized what this meant. "That means that the war's over! We beat the Emperor!"
A general cry of joy and celebration came from the entire group. Even though their fight with the Emperor had lasted only around a month and a half, the experiences that came with it made it seem much longer. The struggle had been fraught with a number of life-and-death experiences, but so much good had come from it.
And now, it was over.
Davis cheered as he burst off. "Come on guys! Let's go congratulate my partner!" The Digidestined eagerly followed.
Shaun stepped out of a door – which was awkward, since it was tilted at a 45-degree angle due to the base's orientation after the crash – and fell to the glass of the desert ground quietly. He made sure not to get his hands onto the broken glass below him as he walked over to the small Baby form of Veemon. "You sure gave Chimeramon what-for, eh?"
The small little Digimon looked like a blue cowlick with tiny red, button-like eyes. "Yup. Name's Chibomon, and as you can see, I'm a tiny little guy!"
Shaun chuckled; even Chibomon shared his Rookie form's sense of humor. "Yes, I can see that." He also saw the Emperor several yards away, standing silently over the spot where Wormmon's body had been deleted. Man...looks like he realized what he's done...the hard way.
"Shaun!!!"
Shaun and Chibomon turned around to see Davis leading the others toward the ruins of the base. Davis excitedly picked up Chibomon as he exclaimed, "You may be smaller, but you're still the toughest mon around! Way to go buddy!"
Chibomon blushed at the praise. "Aw, you're too much!"
"Please...just be quiet..."
Davis blinked as he turned around at the sound of the quiet voice. To his surprise...it came from the Emperor. His expression turned dour as he glared at the Emperor. "So...looks like your reign's over."
"Please..." The Emperor let his shades fall to the ground as he turned to face Davis...and what Davis saw shocked him. The Emperor's eyes were filled to the brim with tears...and his eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. "Just leave me alone..."
As the others arrived behind Davis, the Emperor pulled a small PDA out of his pocket and pointed his black D-3 at it. "Digiport open." With a bright flash of light, the Emperor was pulled in to the PDA's screen. However, since his hand was holding onto the PDA, it was pulled into the Digiport with him. Once that happened, the Digiport closed automatically.
Cody cursed as he shouted, "Darn it! He got away!" He angrily turned to Shaun and Davis and demanded, "How come you let him get away?!"
Davis turned back to Cody and quietly replied, "Cody...Ken was...crying..."
That threw the others for a loop. Gatomon, however, sneered. "Let me guess; he was upset that his big plans were ruined."
"Didn't you guys see it?" Everyone turned to Shaun, who was looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "Guess not, judging from how far away you were...you see, Wormmon was killed."
Everyone gasped; not out of realization for why the Emperor was crying, but because Wormmon had proven to be a very helpful and friendly ally in the past day...if you don't count his time helping Agumon, that is. Kari sighed out of regret. Another friend...gone.
Yolei sighed. "Man, that stinks...but why would that have anything to do with Ken crying?"
Shaun sighed out of exasperation. "Think about it; your own partner was just KILLED. And the thing is, it was by your own CREATION. Ken's creation killed his partner...think about it like that."
TK remained silent as he thought over what had just been revealed. He had endured something similar when Angemon had died after destroying Devimon on File Island. The sadness he had to go through (even if it only took ten seconds before he got his partner's Digiegg) was great...so he could sympathize. Even if it was the Emperor.
Shaun sighed as he pulled out his orange D-3. "Come on guys...let's head to sector 01-001-ALPHA. We'll use the Digiport there, since the one in this sector was vaporized. (Agumon), digivolve!"
(Agumon) digivolve to......(Greymon!)
(Greymon) digivolve to......(Metalgreymon!)
Shaun smiled. "Now that the base is down, the darkness it exuded doesn't have the dampening effect anymore. Come on guys, the ride will be our treat." (Metalgreymon) lowered his metallic left arm for the others to climb up on. "Hop on kids!"
Everyone walked onto (Metalgreymon), and then he lumbered off to the south, his giant feet leaving giant imprints in the glassy ground of the desert. High above them, the full moon shined brightly, providing light in the darkness.
As the Digidestined left sector 01-000-ALPHA, they left the war-torn Valley of Death behind.
/Base of Mt. Fuji, Outside the Log Cabin, 11:44 PM/
Jun poked her out of a bush as she smiled. The cabin was right in front of her. "Bingo."
She quietly snuck over to a window and glanced inside to see Matt (Jun: My dream-hunk!!!) and his friend Tai hanging over a laptop computer where a red-haired boy was working on it. "That must be Izzy...Davis told me about him."
She turned away and snuck towards the front door. She would have to be quiet in order to do this.
Moments after she snuck around the corner of the cabin, a bright flash emanated from Izzy's laptop as the Digidestined fell on top of the three high school students.
/Ichijouji Apartment, Odaiba, 11:46 PM/
Ken sighed as he sat down on the bottom bed of the bunk bed. His Emperor's clothes were gone; all that remained was his Tamachi school uniform, his neatly combed hair, and his sorrow-filled purple eyes.
Wormmon...I'm sorry...Ken sniffled as he laid down. He needed to sleep...and think.
/Matt's Log Cabin, 11:49 PM/
"So, Shaun stood behind?" asked Tai.
Patamon nodded. "Yeah. He said he was going to stay at Gennai's instead of spending the night here. Don't know why he would do that though."
"He must have his reasons," droned Izzy as he yawned. "The important thing is that Chimeramon's been destroyed, and that the war's been won!"
Cody shook his head. "Not quite. Ken managed to get away." Before Davis could retort, Cody continued. "However, he seemed upset over the death of his partner...at least, that's how Shaun put it."
It would never occur to anyone that Shaun had not actually witnessed Wormmon's death at the hands of Chimeramon and his Heat Viper.
Davis yawned loudly as he slumped against the couch. "Can we talk in the morning? I'm really tired..."
Matt smiled as he stepped over to the futon. "Davis is right. We can talk about this in the morning. Till then, let's just chill."
The others couldn't argue with that. Ten minutes later, everyone was in bed. Davis, Cody, Izzy, and TK took the first bedroom. Kari and Yolei took the second one. Tai took the sofa, while Matt slept on the futon.
/01-000-ALPHA, The Ruins of the Emperor's Base, 11:54 PM/
Something suddenly moved under the pile of debris that Magnamon had blasted into oblivion.
Out from under the pile of blackened debris came the sphere that held Chimeramon. It was cracked...but it still existed.
It floated into the air and slowly hovered all the way into the generator room. Despite the fact that the dark power no longer energized the base, the generator was still active.
All of a sudden, black lightning arched from the sphere and hit the generator, creating a large vortex where it had hit.
Out of the swirling black vortex stepped three large figures. A slender hand picked up the sphere and handed it to the horned, armless figure in the center. "I sense your data in this sphere."
"Excellent Arukenimon." Devimon chuckled as his eyes gleamed at the sight of the orb. "Ha ha ha...those Digidestined fools made it even easier for me!"
Devimon laughed as Arukenimon and Mummymon looked at the ruins around them. His plan had finally entered its next phase...now he just had to assimilate Chimeramon's data.
/Matt's Log Cabin, 12:04 PM/
Jun snuck quietly into the living room as her eyes fell upon Matt. Yes! He's asleep!
Tai snored loudly as Matt just slept soundly on the futon. Jun quietly tiptoed past the couch and knelt down beside the futon. This might be my only chance to do it before I get him to be my boyfriend...okay Jun, here we go!
She leaned down and kissed him.
As she did this, Matt was in the process of kissing Mimi in his dreams. In his dream, he wrapped his arms around Mimi and kissed her passionately.
In real life, he wrapped his arms around Jun and kissed her passionately. Jun couldn't help but giggle. Wow! What a kisser!
Unfortunately, this woke Matt up. He blinked once...then gaped at the girl he saw. It wasn't Mimi! "J...Jun?!"
Jun nodded excitedly. "Yup!"
Matt remained silent for a few moments.
Then he screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!"
Minutes later, everyone was awake. The Digimon were still in the rooms, while Matt was busy dialing Davis' phone number; his expression indicated that he was enraged and not amused. As for Jun, she was tied up with a bunch of rope.
Matt growled as Davis and Jun's mom picked up the phone. "Mrs. Motomiya, can you come to the log cabin? I need you to pick up Jun...yes, and when you get here, tell her to QUIT STALKING ME!!! Here are the directions..."
As Matt relayed the directions, Davis chuckled as he stuck his tongue out at Jun. "Busted."
Jun's eyes flared with fire as she roared, "SHUT UP DAVIS!!!"
"So Jun," asked TK with a sly smile. "How'd you find the cabin?"
Jun smiled sweetly as she answered, "Matt's dad gave me the directions."
Matt sweatdropped as he made a mental note to call his dad after Mrs. Motomiya hung up.
/Dragomon's Palace, City of Cthulu, Dark World, 12:15 PM/
Dragomon sat in his throne as he looked at what appeared to be a giant chessboard. On one side were four pieces; one of the Emperor, one of Devimon, and two of strange, unfamiliar beings. On the other side was a gray piece that looked like Dragomon. In the dead center of the board was a white piece looking like Kari Kamiya; she represented the Digidestined. Right now, the Emperor piece was right in front of Kari.
With a flick of his tentacle, Dragomon knocked the Emperor piece over. "The Emperor has fallen..." He pulled the piece off the board and placed it on the side as he moved the Devimon piece forward, placing it two spaces away from the Digidestined piece. "And now, Devimon makes his move."
To be continued...
Next time...
Episode 22: Soul Trip
Author's Notes: I beat my second-best record! 23 pages in TWO days! Booyah!!!
Well...the Digimon Emperor saga has ended. Ken has been crushed by Wormmon's death, and Devimon is making his move. Dragomon continues to keep a steady watch on the action from afar, and Matt will not be able to find enough mouth wash to clean the taste of Jun out of his mouth. :P
See you next time!