SailorStar9: Chapter 24 goes up. This is Chapter 25. To all my non-reviewing readers, I love you all! Will love you more if you review! *hugs all round!*
Disclaimers: I do not own the animes, expect the pairing, I hope.
Chapter 25: The Battle With Belphemon!
"Kurata!" Marcus hissed when he saw the destruction Belphemon caused. "What have you done!?"
"Agumon." He pleaded with the digiegg as he ran towards the battlefield. "It looks like we may be too late. But as soon as you hatch from that digiegg, we're going to make Kurata pay. If that's not incentive, what is?"
Back in the battlefield…
"It's Thomas and Miragegaogamon!" Yoshi gaped when Miragegaogamon placed his partner on the ground.
"They must have come to help Kurata." Keenan noted.
"Miragegaogamon." Thomas turned to his partner.
"Sir, yes sir." Miragegaogamon nodded.
"Full Moon Blaster!" he fired his attack at Belphemon Rage Mode.
"He attacked Belphemon!" Megumi remarked in shock.
"Thomas is on our side!" Miki beamed.
"I always knew deep down that he would never betray the Data Squad." Megumi agreed as Duke and Dare sighed at their over-hyper girlfriends.
"Looks like our imoto's faith in him paid off." Duncan added. "I was really going to throttle him for making her upset like that."
"Guess our renegade has returned." Angel noted with a knowing smile.
"So then." Yoshi remarked. "Are you back for good?"
"Yes." Thomas replied. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Well, maybe if you buy me a box of manju, then I might forgive you." Yoshi remarked.
"My attack did nothing sir." Miragegaogamon reported.
"Thomas." Kurata sounded from Belphemon Rage Mode. "I treated you like a son, and you turned on me."
"Too bad." Thomas retorted. "I find it ironic that someone who despises Digimon as much as you has decided to fuse himself with one to get what he wants."
"I find it insulting." Miragegaogamon added.
"Well soon, the both of you will going to find it harmful!" Kurata shot back.
"Miragegaogamon." Thomas instructed. "Plan B!"
"Sir, yes sir." Miragegaogamon replied. Using his rapid speed, he encased Belphemon Rage Mode in a light rectangle.
"Gale Claw!" he unleashed his attack behind Belphemon Rage Mode.
Belphemon Rage Mode simply turned around, blocking the attack with his claw and swiping Miragegaogamon to the ground.
"This body is perfect." Kurata remarked. "Such speed and strength. Now that I have all the power of Belphemon, I will be able to take over both the Human and the Digital World and nothing can stop me!"
"Miragegaogamon, go to Plan B Plus!" Thomas told his partner.
"Sir, yes sir." Miragegaogamon replied, attacking Belphemon Rage Mode swiftly.
"I can block all of your punches with just one hand!" Kurata mocked, counteracting each of Miragegaogamon's fists with a claw.
Powering up a flame fist, Kurata then counterattacked with a fire punch, only to have Miragegaogamon jump over him. Back-flipping, Miragegaogamon then dived to meet Belphemon Rage Mode's flame fist with his claw.
"Miragegaogamon!" Rosemon gasped when the wolf was thrown back by the shockwave.
He has more power than all of us combined. Thomas thought. Attacking over and over again is useless.
Meanwhile, Marcus was rushing to the battlefield when he saw Miragegaogamon and Belphemon Rage Mode engaged in battle.
"Belphemon and Miragegaogamon." He noted. "That could only mean one thing!"
"Thomas!" he hollered, dashing towards the blond.
"Marcus?" everyone else chorused.
"Thomas!" Marcus yelled as he approached the younger Norstein.
Thomas turned to face the enraged teen as Marcus let out a war cry, his arm drawn to deliver a punch.
"Stubborn mules." Angel muttered after Thomas climbed back to his feet after receiving a blow from Marcus.
"Nice punch." Thomas remarked. "Real strong, like our bond."
"I'm sorry Marcus." He added. "I had to pretend so that I could gain Kurata's trust. Forgive me?"
"Yeah." Marcus gave him a thumbs-up.
"Marcus." Thomas told the teen. "Kurata has fused himself with Belphemon. It looks bad."
"No, that's good." Marcus corrected. "Because now it's fighting time!"
The rest of the DATS team looked at each other, before breaking into a smile.
Back in the fight…
Belphemon Rage Mode dodged Miragegaogamon's claw.
"Those attack of yours do nothing but annoy me like a little bug." Kurata scoffed. "Maybe I should just squash you like one!"
After kicking Miragegaogamon off, Belphemon Rage Mode proceeded knock the wolf to the ground with his claw.
"See what I mean?" Kurata mocked. "Reminds me of pulling wings off a fly when I was young."
"So, you were always the same coward you are now." Marcus remarked on top of a building.
"Marcus?" Miragegaogamon echoed.
"Kurata!" Marcus shouted, jumping off the building, his fist drawn.
"Do you really think you can beat me with your bare hands?" Kurata scoffed. With a flap of its wings, Belphemon Rage Mode blew Marcus off.
"Miragegaogamon!" Thomas told his partner.
"Sir, yes sir." Miragegaogamon responded, jumping up and catching Marcus before he crashed into the building he leapt off from.
"Marcus!" Thomas ran to his friend.
"Thanks dude." Marcus looked at the blue wolf.
"Marcus!" Thomas knelt by him. "This guy's way too strong to attack like that. Especially without a Digimon partner. I'm afraid you'd better stay out of this one."
"Miragegaogamon!" he turned to his partner. "Use Plan C!"
"Sir, yes sir." Miragegaogamon responded.
"Double Crescent Mirage!" the blue wolf unleashed his attack, sending the energy blades crushing into the building behind Belphemon Rage Mode.
"Where are you aiming at?" Kurata mocked.
"Double Gale Claw!" Miragegaogamon took Belphemon's moment of distraction to attack.
Belphemon thrust its claw at the blue wolf through the smoke, only to have him disappear.
"Too slow!" Miragegaogamon said behind the Demon Lord. "Full Moon Blaster!"
Belphemon counterattacked with an energy beam from its mouth.
"Look out!" Thomas shouted a warning.
Miragegaogamon guarded himself from the shockwave, only to be blown away, the energy ripple tearing up the surrounding buildings.
Meanwhile, in the sky…
"Ophanimon, hurry!" Ami urged once the two saw the sudden burst of light.
On the road, Mr. Norstein's sedan skidded as the aftershock hit them.
"You okay Relena?" Yushima asked the girl.
"My brother…" Relena looked to the direction of the battle.
Back in the battlefield…
"Where is he?" Miragegaogamon asked after the smoke cleared.
"Above you!" Thomas shouted when Belphemon's shadow appeared over Miragegaogamon.
"Miragegaogamon!" both Marcus and Thomas gasped when Belphemon crashed the blue wolf under its foot.
"How sad for you to be weak." Kurata scoffed. "You're not even worthy of my best efforts. Look, why not take a rest for a while."
"A long while!" he added, thrusting his claw at the wolf under his foot.
However, his attack was stopped by Rosemon's vine whip.
"When will you finally understand? You can't win." Kurata informed the rest of the combatants.
"Never say never." Dare retorted, the rest of his family nodded in agreement.
"Smiling Face!" Marineangemon smiled and released a pink beam from his face.
"Metal Wolf Snout!' Metalgarurumon fired four energy beams from the four laser sites on his snout.
"Summon!" Goldramon unleashed Amon of Crimson Flare, the dragon sealed within his left arm and Umon of Blur Thunder, the dragon sealed in his right arm on Belphemon.
"Strike of the Seven Stars!" Seraphimon released her seven balls of holy energy.
"Screaming Darkness!" MaloMyotismon fired his spheres of darkness from the living cannons on his shoulders.
The five combined attacks knocked Belphemon back several feet.
"Rosemon!" Yoshi turned to her partner.
"Rose Spear!" Rosemon's attack flailed at the backing Belphemon.
"Go Crowmon!" Keenan told his partner.
"Savage Emperor!" Crowmon added in his attack.
"Bishopchessmon, Bishop Laser!" Miki instructed as Bishopchessmon fired a laser from its staff.
Belphemon simply summoned two whirlwinds from his hands to deflect the attacks before sending the hurricanes at the group.
"Castle Wall!" Megumi told her partner. "Now! Hurry Rookchessmon!"
Rockchessmon moved in front of remaining Digimon, summoning an energy screen to protect its comrades.
"Such fun!" Kurata laughed after Rockchessmon's shield proved ineffective against him. "I'm so strong. Yes, my power has exceeded both Digimon and human. There's no chance the likes of you can ever defeat me."
"Don't quit!" Marcus told his friends.
"I won't lose!" Crowmon declared, getting to his feet.
"Crowmon, no!" Keenan gasped, realizing his partner's intention.
With a cry, Crowmon flew towards Belphemon.
"I told you it's no use." Kurata mocked, crashing Crowmon within Belphemon's claw and tossing the bird away and causing him to devolve back to Falcomon.
"Falcomon!" Keenan screamed.
"Had I realized it was this entertaining, I would have fused with that Digimon years ago." Kurata cackled.
"Kurata!" Keenan shouted at the mad scientist. "Leave friends alone!"
"You really think Digimon are your friends?" Kurata scoffed. "They are nothing but vermin. They don't need friends, they need exterminators. And I would know since I exterminated so many Digimon. Of course, no one can accuse me of not recycling since I did use their Digital energy to awaken Belphemon. So I guess I owe some thanks for allowing me to cause so much destruction. Then again, they should probably thank me for putting an end to their miserable existence. Just useless bits of data without feelings or signs of life."
"What do you know about life?" Yoshi retorted. "You're the most heartless man I know!"
"She right!" Keenan added. "You don't know anything, Kurata! Digimon live! They same as us!"
"That right!" he added after Kurata's confused expression. "They just like hu-mon. they have big hearts and feel love! I know for fact, Frigimon had bigger heart than anyone. She raised me even though I was hu-mon, she keep me safe and she loved me. She was my mother and me, her son."
"You don't know!" he hollered. "Don't know about her or any Digimon! They good, they friends."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Kurata scoffed. "Digimon, having hearts. It's this kind of silly thought pattern that makes you and your pathetic friends weak. Just take a look at this magnificent body. Only through science could I fuse with a body like this. Do you think a Digimon could achieve this on its own? Of course not! Only a human could have accomplished something this advanced and superior."
"We are all same!" Keenan insisted. "We friends!"
"Keenan…" Falcomon looked at his partner.
"Are hu-mons best? Are Digimon best?" Keenan added. "No! Frigimon teach Keenan how to love others. Merukimon teach me discipline. Other Digimon teach me how to fight. Then I meet hu-mons and Marcus and the others teach me about friendship. They all friends!"
"Me have friends and you don't!" Keenan shouted, his D.N.A Charge flaring around him. "That's why I can't lose!"
"Keenan…" Falcomon muttered as the child's D.N.A Charge burst out, before he contained it within, thereby achieving his 'Overdrive' Charge.
"D.N.A Charge, Overdrive!" Keenan wasted no time in calling forth Falcomon's Mega form.
"Falcomon double warp digivolve to Ravemon!" Falcomon declared as he evolved.
"He digivolved?" Kurata was stunned at the appearance of the newest Mega Digimon. "To the Mega level?"
"Who is the man!?" Marcus whooped. "Keenan!"
"Ravemon!" Keenan told his partner.
"Spiral Raven Claw!" Ravemon did a rotating charge with the sharp claw of its left arm. Now wrapped in a whirlwind, he then charged at a high speed towards Belphemon.
"You can't beat me either." Kurata mocked. "No matter how much you digivolve."
"Digimon…" Keenan hissed.
"Have hearts!" Ravemon chorused with his partner.
"And now you'll see the power of friendship!" Ravemon shouted, diving towards Belphemon with his claw, slicing the Demon Lord's forehead.
"Alright!" Marcus cheered when they finally landed a hit.
"Don't start getting cocky just because you nicked me." Kurata scoffed and went at Ravemon with Belphemon's claw.
Ravemon jumped into the air to dodge the attack as Belphemon fired a blast from its mouth. Ravemon avoided the attack by leaping even higher. Belphemon countered by slashing at Ravemon who dodged every single one of the claw swipes.
"Ravemon, go!" Keenan told his partner.
"Blast Wing!" Ravemon landed another cut on Belphemon's forehead with his left wing.
"Impossible, he was able to get me again?" Kurata was shocked. "Where is this power coming from?"
"Bird King Sword!" Ravemon drew out his weapon.
"Now, you'll see power." Keenan told Kurata.
"The kind of power that could only come from friendship." Ravemon added.
"Celestial Blade!" he slammed his sword into the ground, making the blade shine and summoning violet lightning that clashed into Belphemon.
"Yeah Ravemon! Nice!" Marcus whooped after the attack hit.
"You little parasite." Kurata fumed. "How dare you even try such an attack? You will pay!"
At that, Belphemon's muscles grew more defined as the chains restraining him broke.
"What's this?" Marcus asked.
"I think he's digivolving." Thomas supplied.
"Ravemon, one more time!" Keenan told his partner.
"Celestial Blade!" Ravemon released his attack once more, shocking the morphing Belphemon who simply shook off the attack.
"It didn't work!" Ravemon was shocked.
"Those who dare to cross me don't live to tell the tale!" the now fully awakened Belphemon told the group as it fired a blast from its mouth at Ravemon.
"Ravemon!" Keenan gaped at his fallen partner.
"Taste judgment!" Belphemon declared, sending his mouth blasts at the surrounding buildings.
"Yoshi!" Rosemon gasped when the falling debris surrounded her partner.
"Keenan!" Ravemon added in worry.
"Thomas!" Miragegaogamon called to his partner after Belphemon engulfed both him and Marcus in its whirlwind. Thomas fell to the ground to avoid being blown off as Marcus grabbed onto Agumon's digiegg.
Both Thomas and Marcus shielded themselves as Belphemon released another of its whirlwinds at them, only to find that both Ravemon and Keenan had blocked the attack for them.
"Keenan? Ravemon?" Marcus was shocked.
"Keenan!" he rushed to the fallen boy's side. "Dumb kid! What are you doing trying to protect me?"
"I did it because we're friends." Keenan replied. "No?"
"Keenan." Marcus mumbled.
Turning to look at Thomas who too had rushed over, the two fourteen-year-olds nodded.
"Kurata!" Marcus hollered. "You are going down!"
"You wretched fool." Belphemon told him. "How dare you compare me to a lowly human!? I am not Kurata!"
"He's not?" Marcus echoed as he looked at Thomas in shock.
"I am the deadly Digimon, Belphemon, and you shall feel my wrath!" Belphemon declared before he blasted another building with his mouth blast.
"What's going on here?" Marcus asked.
"I think…" Thomas replied. "Kurata's consciousness has been swallowed up by Belphemon's Rage mode."
"But…" Marcus started. "Is Kurata still in there?"
Thomas nodded, "However, he's no longer in control of Belphemon whose true instincts have come out. All he cares about is destruction."
Belphemon roared as he fired another blast.
Back in the basement under Angel's Bath House…
"I hope Marcus is doing okay." Kristy remarked as the ground shook from the shockwave. "Do you think Agumon's digiegg hatched yet?"
"Don't worry." Sarah assured her daughter as she continued frying the egg in the frying pan. "You'll see. Soon Agumon will be back to his old self. Agumon loves Marcus with all his heart. And whether he admits it or not, Marcus loves Agumon just as much."
Back in the battlefield…
Still holding onto Agumon's digiegg, Marcus looked on helplessly as Belphemon's whirlwind crashed Rosemon into a building.
"Rosemon!" Yoshi cried out.
"Spiral Rave Claw!" Ravemon released his attack on Belphemon who simply blocked it with its still whirling hurricane.
"Ravemon!" Miragegaogamon called out, coming in between Belphemon's attack and the falling bird.
"Miragegaogamon!" Thomas gasped at his fallen partner.
"Bishopchessmon!" Miki gaped.
"Rookchessmon!" Megumi exclaimed as the two Ultimate Digimon were engulfed in Belphemon's whirlwind.
"Soul Shield!" MaloMyotismon's barrier managed to guard the humans.
"Look Agumon." Marcus told the digiegg in his arms. "Everyone is tired but they are still fighting. We're the only ones left that could do anything now. I've never felt so useless!"
"Agumon!" he turned to the digiegg. "I can't do this alone. I need you. It's fighting time. Come on Agumon."
"Can't you feel it inside that lousy digiegg?" he sobbed.
As his tears dropped onto the egg, his D.N.A Charge encased both human and digiegg. The digiegg then cracked open, emitting an orange light as Koromon popped out.
Marcus' stunned expression was then swallowed up when Koromon tried to gobble up his head.
"I'm guessing Agumon's back." Ami joked as she landed beside the stunned Thomas, Ophanimon hovering beside her. "Just look at how Koromon tried to eat Marcus' head."
"By the way, welcome back." She grinned at the blond.
"Glad to be back." Thomas returned her smile, before frowning slightly at her stern expression.
The blond barely had time to react when the sound of a hand hitting flesh was heard. Thomas blinked in confusion and reached up to touch his face where the hand print was showing.
"That was for making me believe you broke your promise." Ami's voice was calm as she looked at the younger Norstein. "And this…" she took a step closer to him, closing the distance between them. "Is for coming back to me."
Thomas was surprised when he felt her lips on his own, but only for a moment. Oblivious to the others, he put his arms on the gentle beauty's waist and returned the kiss that she had started.
"Aw! Yay!" Yoshi was positively squealing.
"What are you doing Agumon?" Marcus fumed, pulling Koromon off himself.
"Who are you?" he blinked when he saw himself holding Koromon.
"You are not Agumon." He added, remembering what BanchoLeomon had told him about Agumon not having any memories of his pervious life.
"You don't know me." Marcus told the in-training Digimon. "I knew it. You forgot everything about me."
"What are you talking about?" Koromon asked. "Huh Boss?"
"Hey Boss, I'm hungry." The in-training Digimon whined.
"You mean, that you remember who I am?" Marcus sniffled.
"Hey Boss." Koromon remarked as Marcus' tears dripped on him. "You crying?"
"No way." Marcus replied, wiping off his tears. "That's just sweat. It's hot out here."
"I'll let you eat whatever you want a little later." He told his newly-born partner. "But right now, you and I have a fight to get to and we're late."
"That's great, Boss." Koromon beamed. "Fighting time?"
Marcus nodded.
At that, Koromon started glowing orange as he evolved.
"That bright light!" Yoshi gasped.
Up on top of a skyscraper…
Real power is in your heart and backed by an unwavering courage. BanchoLeomon remarked mentally.
Back in the battlefield…
Marcus and the newly evolved Agumon stepped out from the orange light, reunited at last.
"It's good to have you back, pal." Marcus told Agumon. "After we beat Kurata, we'll get some breakfast."
"Yum." Agumon agreed. "It'll be good to have your mum's fried eggs again, huh Boss?"
"It's fighting time again!" Marcus grinned at his partner as the two charged at Belphemon.
SailorStar9 Wee, the whole gang's returned and ready to take on Belphemon. In the next chapter, Marcus finally grasps control of the 'Burst Mode' while Ami reveals the reason why she retrieved the Sacred Flask. What will happen? Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, read and review.