Bonus Short 5: IceLeomon's Legacy
According to legend, the very first IceLeomon was born on Mount Freeze.
A mischievous Leomon who played prank after prank amongst the other villagers was banished from his home. Because of a wrong turn, he ended up climbing the cold mountain that sent chill through his fur and into his veins. In his distress, he shouted in frustration and he turned to head back. But by then, he was buried in the avalanche he had caused.
Decades passed until he was finally freed from his icy prison. But he had changed. His body had attained a crystalline sheen and no matter how much snow touched upon his skin, he couldn't feel the cold anymore. However, despite the changes he had gone through, the only thing he could think of was that his exile must've been over. He could return home!
IceLeomon hated that story.
"Every IceLeomon has such a bad reputation in Digital World history, why is that?" IceLeomon huffed.
Leomon, the brother of the village chief, watched as his friend poured himself another saucer of sake. "Don't you think you've had a little too much?"
The frozen counterpart took a long sip from the saucer before slamming it back down on the table, making the Champion jump a foot in the air in surprise. He wiped away the remaining alcohol from his lips and made to grab the bottle and drink the rest directly. Well, that was the plan anyway.
"Give it back," IceLeomon slurred.
"You realize that if you get drunk, you'll only worsen the reputation of your kind," Leomon chastised.
The pair was hanging out in the dimly lit den of the chief's hut. Sitting across from each other at a low table where they sat cross-legged, listening to the leafy ceiling fan spin round and round above their heads. It was supposed to be a peaceful night, until some young ones, who had recently heard the stories of the prankster IceLeomon or the criminal one in the origin of Leviamon, pointed out the modern version and bluntly accused him of being a bad Digimon.
Suddenly, the two of them found themselves drinking booze late at night.
"It amazes me that such a noble warrior could reduce himself to such a pitiful state," Leomon shook his head. The Ultimate Digimon had attempted to make a comeback at his younger companion but instead, burped and fell asleep. "Brother? Do we have a spare futon?"
IceLeomon sighed deeply, squatting so that his butt was right above the snow and with his elbows stuck to his knees; he rested his chin on the back of his right hand. After waking up that morning, he was suffering from an awful hangover and he still felt exhausted. But he trudged up Mount Freeze anyway. Not only was the weather better for his complexion and health, he preferred the isolation.
"Achoo!"
"Bless you."
"Thank you."
"You're…," IceLeomon trailed off as he realized that no one on the mountain sneezed like that. For the most part, the only other Digimon around were the Mammothmon and they tried their hardest to never sneeze lest they be buried three feet deep in snow. He drew his blade and turned on the voice. "Who's there?"
"Ah!" a Leormon yelped. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me IceLeomon, sir!"
IceLeomon blinked before sheathing his weapon. "You're… from the village, aren't you? What are you doing way up here? It's dangerous."
The Leormon looked up at the bigger Digimon. "Because my friends told me that if I climbed to the peak of Mount Freeze, I would be able to digivolve into you one day!"
"Into me?"
"Yeah! You're the coolest Leomon evolution ever!"
IceLomon was rendered speechless but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't flattered by what the little one had said about him. And as IceLeomon carried the quadruped down the mountain, he asked why he was the best in this youngster's opinion. To which, he was told about all the hard work he puts into making the village a happy place despite not living there.
"The chief trusts you a lot too and it's hard to get his approval," Leormon chuckled.
"That it is," said IceLeomon. "Still, there is no myth that states you can evolve into an IceLeomon by climbing up to the peak of this mountain. No one has ever even reached the summit on foot anyway. So why would your friends say that?"
"Well, they don't really like you because they say you're just an old drunk."
"I… I see."
"But no one drinks more sake than you!"
IceLeomon slammed his palms on the table, once again, scaring the scars right off of Leomon which is quite the feat seeing how many of them there are. "I've decided! I am going to quit drinking alcohol completely! Leomon, take these jugs away from me!"
Leomon pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes on his companion. "I can guarantee that this will only last a day at most."
-X-
Ravaged Trail – 8:36 PM
It's been about two days since they left that cave of refugees. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to lead them to a camp but they did stick around long enough to fix the wounds of the injured. With any luck, they would be able to stay safe until the downfall of Apocalymon.
After an uneventful but long day of walking, they finally decided to set up camp for the night. The humans were roasting fish from a nearby lake over a fire made by Candlemon while the Digimon used their senses to scan their surroundings. Ever since the ambush back at the ruins of Heaven, they were far more cautious than before.
"Guys!" FanBeemon buzzed, flying down from his vantage point in the sky.
Janyu stood up, wondering if his partner caught wind of something urgent. "What's wrong? Are there enemies nearby?"
"Well… not nearby," the insect answered once he was eye level with the humans. "But I encountered an Airdramon while I was up there. She warned me to get away from here as soon as possible because there's a monster at the end of this trail."
Daisy frowned. "A monster?"
"That doesn't sound good," Candlemon muttered.
Robert stood up, taking a bite from his fish while he was at it. "Do you have any more information on this monster? Is it just a rumor flying about or is there some credibility in what this Airdramon said? You never know, after all."
This was when FanBeemon grew silent, his eyes suddenly gaining interest in the ground. After a while, he looked up again, deciding that it would be better for them to know. "She described him to be a mechanical dragon with shovel arms and drills."
The group instinctively glanced over at Shibumi, knowing exactly what this flying dragon had been referring to. The Japanese boy didn't say anything though; he just balled up the end of his mantle, making his knuckles white. They could tell this was hard for him but it needed to be addressed some time.
"I know the damages on this trail are fairly recent, but Breakdramon should've been long gone by now," Ryudamon pointed out.
Salamon nodded in agreement. "Why would he bother sticking around?"
There was an explanation for this, as well. "At the end of this trail is the Lost Woods," FanBeemon told them, reciting what Airdramon had told him. "AncientGarurumon's refugee camp and supposedly, the most difficult to break through because of something called the 'photon barrier'. It's highly probable that the task that Breakdramon has been assigned is to break that barrier."
"That's true," said Babel. "I can't think of a Digimon better designed for breaking the unbreakable."
Rai's brow was set with worry and it was no wonder. "They're really trying to get into a refugee camp?"
Daisy thought back to AncientTroiamon's refugee camp back at Floral Terminal. A Champion Digimon like Musyamon alone was able to infiltrate it and enslave thirty percent of the population overnight, without anyone even realizing it. If AncientGarurumon's stronghold is broken through, then it might as well be over.
"The Warrior of Light," Candlemon mumbled.
"What was that?" Betamon blinked.
The magic Digimon closed his eyes and crossed his arms to think about something for a brief moment but everyone wanted to know what he had to say. "Most of the refugee camps are protected due to their environment. Like AncientMermaimon's being under the ocean, AncientVolcamon's underground, AncientMegatheriumon's harsh blizzards, or even AncientBeetlemon's perpetual thunderstorms."
"And there are some protected by mystical properties," Salamon added. "Like how AncientTroiamon's is in Magic Village surrounded by an enchanted fog or how no one actually knows the exact location of AncientKazemon's mythical Forest of Faeries."
"Right," said Candlemon. "But not only is AncientGarurumon's Lost Woods out in the open, but it's so close to Apocalymon's hideout."
"That does seem pretty dangerous," Daisy nodded, understanding where this was coming from.
"He must be pretty confident then," Babel remarked. "I know I wouldn't want to set up a camp so close to enemy lines."
Robert suddenly stabbed the ground with his spear, bringing their undivided attention to him. "As interesting as this discussion is, it doesn't really matter where each refugee camp is. What really matters is that we defeat Breakdramon before he succeeds in his mission. So tomorrow, I say we finally confront him. For Shibumi's sake as well."
It was then that Shibumi finally spoke. "I would like that. The sooner we slap some sense into my partner, the better." Which was an odd thing to say since Dracomon always had more sense than the human. "For now, we should eat and revitalize our energy."
When everyone had gone to sleep to rise early in the morning, Shibumi stayed awake to keep watch for an hour or two. Earlier, Janyu had set up sound traps that could wake them up if someone set them off and Wizardmon cast magical barrier that would wake them if an unknown being passed through it. So there was no need for a sentry but nobody argued.
"Hey," said Ryudamon.
Shibumi glanced down from his perch on the tree branch. "You need your rest."
"And you don't?" the dragon countered. Shibumi was struck by how this was exactly something his own partner would've said once. "You're worried about Dracomon, right?"
On their first couple of nights together on that pirate ship, the group had shared information with each other that they thought would be valuable. For example, Shibumi put their minds at ease when he told them that time moved differently. If anything, they had only been gone from home for a little over an hour rather than over a year.
Ryudamon shared stories about how he and Dracomon depended on each other once upon a time. They had been together for many of their reincarnations in Dragon Valley. They even formed a bond that couldn't be called a friendship, but as brothers.
"You're worried too, right?" Shibumi countered. "He's your brother."
"He's your partner."
The human had so many more questions for this armor-clad dragon. After all, he was curious to learn more about the past that his partner had forgotten. Now that he thought about it, this was probably the first sign of evidence that Apocalymon had lied and really was tampering with Dracomon's code.
"Lying's not part of his program," Shibumi quoted himself before throwing his head back, hitting the tree trunk hard. "I'm such an idiot."
Ryudamon shook his head. "You're not an idiot. You're just a jaded boy who was lied to. Besides, if someone told me that they could turn my ideals into a reality, I'm sure I would be tempted to do what they said as well."
"But the things I had done," Shibumi croaked out. "I forced Digimon to attack each other, to destroy their own homes."
There was a sudden change in Ryudamon's expression and it scared Shibumi for a second when he saw the slits for pupils and bristling fur. "I can never forgive those crimes. No one here can," said the dragon. "But if we were to leave a lost soul alone to fend for himself, we would never be able to forgive ourselves."
Dolphin: Sure, bullies, oppressive teachers, and hardheaded family member suck. But you just got to power through it.
Tao: This world is full of mean people who try to do selfish acts and pass them off as benevolent. It hurts sometimes. But I'm willing to wait until it gets better.
Margaritka: Just because no one ever helped me when I needed it, doesn't mean I'll be like them. Besides, as someone who has gone through, I should know the feeling of loneliness best. That's why, if anyone, even my bullies, needed assistance, I'd help.
Babe: It's true that I always draw the short straw but you know what, nowadays, I can't help but feel responsible whenever someone needs help.
Curly: My parents may be robotic and I may be lonely at times, but that doesn't mean I would want to force change. I'm sure things will change by themselves if I just keep smiling. I mean a real one, not the fake one that my mother taught me.
When asked if they had the chance to forcefully change the attitudes and personalities of the people who oppressed, ridiculed, and laughed at them, these were their answers. Shibumi had used their tragic tales as part of the justification for his actions. But that was ridiculous. They didn't feel like they had deserved better, if anything, it sounded like they actually pitied the people who hurt them more than themselves for being hurt.
Not to mention, their traits really did fit them, willpower, patience, empathy, responsibility, and compassion, huh. But Shibumi was dedication. Dedicated to destroying the way of life of an entire world? Sure, he was now dedicated to fixing his mistake but did that reverse of even excuse his past actions? He didn't think so.
"I want to save Dracomon at the very least," said Shibumi. "I've made so many Digimon suffer, but I really don't want him to be one of them."
How could beings that have suffered, be so kindhearted? This included Dracomon who was destroyed over and over again yet never held a grudge against any of his murderers. How did the other humans and his partner turn out this way while he went down another path?
"You know, Robert told me that he and the others don't know much about you," Ryudamon told him suddenly.
Shibumi stitched his eyebrows. "What does that mean? We talked all the time."
"They had someone to spill their hearts out too, whether it was a real person or someone behind a computer screen," the Rookie explained. "Did you have someone to talk about your problems? Did you ever want to talk about your problems?"
Now that he thought about it, he didn't. His own partner always showed interest in learning about his past but he would never reveal anything.
Was that the different? The two partnered dragon Digimon always had each other despite getting deleted countless times and all the humans had him to talk to. If he had just cleared the air about what was bothering him, would he have turned out different?
"Talking about my issues doesn't fix anything," Shibumi argued.
Ryudamon couldn't disagree there. "But you at least don't have to suffer in silence anymore."
"And if the other person makes it worse?" the boy retorted. "If they tell you to 'just get over it' or that it's not a real problem?"
The Digimon cocked his head to the side, his eyes hooded by his eyelids to show his discontent with this response. "You know Rob and the others pretty well, right? You could've spoken to any one of them? Do any of them seem like the type of people to say things like that?"
No, they didn't.
"What if… they're unable to relate to my situation?" Shibumi asked.
"They don't have to," Ryudamon replied. "But if they try to, then that's when you know you've got a good friend."
Not for the first time, Shibumi wondered just how close his own partner had been to Ryudamon in all of those past lives. These were all things that Dracomon would've told the young boy had he just opened up to the dragon rather than sulk and mope about in silence. It made him regret the times when he made Dracomon walk around sensitive areas.
"For someone with an IQ of 191, I sure am stupid," Shibumi stated. There was a faint smile on his face and he was no longer looking down at his conversation partner. Rather, he had his knees pulled to his chin and his arms were wrapped around his legs. "I've wasted over a year and a half trying to brainwash an entire race in an attempt to reach my flimsy ideals when I could've just talked to someone…"
Ryudamon didn't like the solemn turn this discussion talk, probably because he was partnered with the rowdiest human in the group. "You can still change. When they get home, Babel plans on reconciling with his parents and Daisy wants to try and alter the views of women everywhere. Janyu wants to stand up for himself and Rai wants to tell of her parents. Is there something you want to do when you go back home?"
The human wasn't quite sure how to answer this. What was he supposed to say? Confront Komaba about his broken promise? Talk to his dad about wanting to do something other than farm work? What sort of business was left unfinished?
"I want to… be a family again," Shibumi found himself saying, his eyes watering. "With papa…"
The last few years he had lived with his father, Hiroshi Yushima, he'd been miserable because he was transferred to an agricultural school and he lost his mother. But… Hiroshi must've been miserable too. Because every second he was home, he was locked in his room, except when he needed to use the bathroom and eat. What father wants that from his only son?
A voice other than Ryudamon's responded with, "That sounds like a good goal to me."
Shibumi looked up, turning his head around to find everyone standing below. Robert had been the one to spoken and he had the biggest grin on his face. "You look like a goof."
"So we tell him all the time," Daisy laughed.
"Shibumi, if you ever have anything that's bothering you, remember that we're here to talk," said Rai. "We made you into our personal therapists and that wasn't fair. We never asked you how you were feeling. So this time, let us return the favor."
Babel pointed a finger at the younger boy. "And don't put up a stony front like you usually do."
"We really do care about you," Janyu smiled.
FanBeemon flew up to the branch and dropped a little cloth which Shibumi used to wipe away his tears. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried so earnestly yet he felt kind of happy to know that there were these guys to pick him up if he fell down.
"Thank you," Shibumi whispered. "Really."
Photon Barrier – 2:14 PM
The group was absolutely stunned when they finally came across Breakdramon for the first time in weeks. But it wasn't the Digimon that gave them this reaction though the various dirt marks and scratches did show them that he hadn't received maintenance in a long while. No, the reason why they were so shocked was because there was no Lost Woods.
"So that's how AncientGarurumon's refugee camp has been flying under the radar," Candlemon gasped.
There was no doubt that there was some sort of shield in place but every time Breakdramon would try to make contact with it, he would just pass through and end up far, far away. In other words, the barrier acted as a shortcut. Passing through one way would lead you to the other side. Furthermore, the Lost Woods were completely invisible so most Digimon would pass it by, thinking nothing was there but dirt field.
The solution to breaking through this barrier was a simplistic one though. There was only one area that was solid, which meant it was the only spot in the entire invisible dome that could be touched and broken down. That was exactly where the Mega had stopped and started hitting with everything he got.
"This isn't good," Daisy muttered. "If we don't do something, he'll penetrate the camp and enslave every refugee there."
"Yeah, we got that part, Sherlock," said Babel, earning a smack to the head from the knight's sheath.
Shibumi and Ryudamon weren't really listening to the conversation when Janyu mentioned making a plan of attack. Rather, the pair was too focused on the injuries Breakdramon has sustained from going on his rampage, completely disregarding his own health and body. The wild look in the machine's eyes and the horrid roars he would release every time the barrier made him bounce backwards.
"He's slowly killing himself like this," Shibumi choked out. "Apocalymon… You really are a monster."
Ryudamon's claws dug into the dirt as he tried to control his rising anger towards the tyrannical Digimon that was trying to force his will upon others. "I want to be able to keep my promise of reuniting with my brother. There is no doubt that Dracomon is that brother."
"What?!" Daisy and Babel suddenly hissed.
Shibumi and Ryudamon were finally brought back to the conversation when they heard that. It seemed like Salamon had suggested for the humans to stay behind during this battle. They had agreed to protect each other, but this situation was a little different. After all, their enemy was a Mega Digimon who didn't care whether he was attacking friend or foe.
"It'll be our toughest battle yet," said FanBeemon. "And we don't want any of you getting hurt."
Robert shook his head. "How do you guys think we feel? We're not about to let you guys go on your own!"
"You saw what he did to Leomon and the others!" Candlemon countered, striking a nerve for each of them. "In one attack… They were gone. It would be too dangerous if we had to focus on protecting you guys too."
"But we're stronger together," Daisy retorted. "You can't deny that."
"Stronger doesn't mean stronger than him," FanBeemon drooped.
Shibumi didn't want to wait any longer to free his partner from Apocalymon's control, not that he knew how since there was no physical Dark Chain to break. Not to mention, the longer they talked about this without taking action, the higher chance there would be that Breakdramon would break into Lost Woods. So he decided to lead a compromise.
"How about this?" Shibumi suggested. "The humans stay behind but if we find an opening, we'll attack. We help in any way possible, including running in to push you guys out of the way if you get caught or cornered. How does that sound?"
They were going to have to settle for that. The humans pulled out their keys and turned them in their D-Syncs, inevitably bringing attention to them with the bright lights coming from their cover in the shrubs. However, as Breakdramon was turning around, Mistymon appeared in front of him using teleportation, swinging his blade downwards and striking the dragon right on the head.
"Quick, don't lose this chance!" Hisyaryumon roared as he soared into battle with the others right behind him. "Every Direction Wheel!"
"Nitro Stinger!"
"Sonic Voice!"
"Thunder Javelin!"
Breakdramon wasn't even fazed by the swordsman at his head as the drill on his forehead starting spinning wildly. Knocking his head back, the drill struck Mistymon's shoulder and sent the mage flying while he simultaneously struck the ground with his shovel arms, throwing up truckloads of dirt in order to block the wave of attacks.
From the left side, Daisy drawing her electrified arrow while Babel was aiming his gun from the right, and Rai was setting up a Thunder Ball attack from the front. They let go of their attacks the second that the protective dirt wall fell back to the ground but unfortunately, the arrow, bullet, and energy ball just harmlessly bounced off his metallic skin.
"Tch, should've known," Daisy muttered.
"They were all direct hits too," Babel grimaced.
Robert, who was paired up with Rai, shouted out an order for the humans. "Shuffle!"
They all broke into sprints, maneuvering through the trees while keeping their eyes on the battlefield. Their partners had the enemy surrounded but they had to keep flying around if they wanted to avoid gashes from the shovels and holes from the active drills. They were like flies buzzing around a piece of fruit, except this apple core could fight back.
"Gravity Crush!" Breakdramon roared.
A circle appeared with maybe a ten meter radius, with the construction piece as the point in the center. Everything inside the circle, aside from Breakdramon, suddenly dropped to the ground due to an abrupt increase in gravity, shocking the humans.
"They were flying too close to him!" Shibumi gaped.
The plan had been that if something went wrong, the Chosen Children would run in an save their partners but not only would they not have the time to reach them, but even if they did, they would just enter the gravity field and fall to the ground. It was a lose-lose situation but only one of those options didn't give away their hiding spots. So, were they supposed to just watch as their partners were about to get pummeled?
"Destroyed Rush!"
Every functioning part on Breakdramon hit the ground in millisecond intervals, sending shockwaves through the ground which pushed his five opponents back into the sky. Once they were up there, the Mega made one extremely fast rotation and smacked into each of the Ultimate Digimon with the tips of his claws and drills, firing them away in every direction.
Hippogriffomon staggered to her feet. "Even with those scratches, he's this strong?"
"I can't even begin to imagine how strong Apocalymon is," WaruSeadramon huffed.
Hisyaryumon was able to shake off his disorientation first as he flew back into the air, changing into his sword form. He tried to stab Breakdramon in the throat but was blocked by the horn on his head. "Forget about Apocalymon! That's not our opponent right now! We've got to beat this guy first!"
"Yeah, you're right," Mistymon huffed, squeezing one eye shut as he struggled to stay balanced. "If we beat this guy, then it'll prove that we're capable of defeating a Mega." He raised his blade in front of him as the temperature started to increase dramatically. "Hisyaryumon! Get out of the way!"
Hisyaryumon didn't need to follow the command as he was suddenly pushed away by Breakdramon's superior strength. But now there was an opening for Hippogriffomon and Mistymon to try and melt the behemoth's metal.
"Heat Wave!"
"Blast Fire!"
Breakdramon roared, but not in pain. It was that distorted, bestial kind of roar that made it seem like there was no part of his former self still in there. But there had to be! They didn't have much time to contemplate it though as Breakdramon broke through the flames, barreling right through and smashing into the still ground arsons with his bulldozer, dragging them across the open field.
"Hippogriffomon!" Daisy cried out.
"No, Mistymon!" Rai yelled.
CannonBeemon and WaruSeadramon found their way around Breakdramon and were currently floating right above the heavy machinery. From their angle, they had a perfect shot of their foe's back and so long as they didn't use their big shots, they wouldn't hurt their comrades.
"Evil Icicle!"
"Nitro Stinger!"
The ice shattered, doing nothing more than wash away some of the dirt that Breakdramon had been coated in while the lasers just repelled off the metal. How were they supposed to take this guy down if they couldn't even harm him with any of their attacks?
"Wait a minute," Janyu gasped.
The humans had regrouped back at the front so they could come up with more strategies. Not to mention, they gave away their previous hiding spots so they had to come back together to rethink their plans. Things weren't looking good, on the battlefield and on the court of brains, that is, until Janyu's epiphany.
"You got an idea?" Robert asked.
The bespectacled boy nodded. "We have heat based and cooling attacks. And what happens when you fire up a solid object and the instantly cool it off?"
"You weaken it!" Daisy gasped.
"There are a couple of problems with that plan," Shibumi pointed out. "First of all, Breakdramon is designed to that he ignores pain and damage so that his sole focus is destruction." They could tell that it was hard for him to say that. "Second, he isn't going to stop his attacks to let us just weaken his body like that."
"No, but we can distract him," said Babel.
"That is what we agreed upon with our partners," added Rai. "That we would help in any way we can."
The samurai at the head of the group was starting to like this idea more and more so when he caught sight of his partner standing up from where he had fallen, the goggle-head went to meet him. "Since Hisyaryumon and CannonBeemon aren't exactly part of this plan, we'll have them occupy the enemy's attention as well."
"Wait, what now?" Hisyaryumon blinked.
Once the plan was relayed over to the dragon, he took off once more to take on the destructive force of man-made nature. Hippogriffomon and Mistymon had long since freed themselves from being dragged across the ground but they were clearly in bad shape. There were hundreds of feathers and shreds of clothing littering the soil and bruises all over their faces. CannonBeemon and WaruSeadramon were making figure eights in the sky in order to avoid the guided drill missiles following them.
"Don't get too close and don't try anything stupid," Daisy ordered before the humans flew out from every direction.
When Hisyaryumon had passed by the partners of the girls, he told them to keep their distance and increase the temperature on Breakdramon. After that, the dragon unleashed an Every Direction Wheel to blast the drill missiles and then cut in between his other two comrades, explaining the new strategy to them as well.
"Sounds good," CannonBeemon nodded before shooting back down to keep Breakdramon's attention away from the sources of fire and water. "Sky Rocket Inifinity!"
"Every Direction Wheel!"
As always, those attacks did nothing against the colossal beast but that didn't matter so long as the flames that were raining down could reach him. The humans used projectiles to keep Breakdramon from locating and attacking the source of the flames while those who didn't have that option, like Robert and Janyu, mounted their partners to share their energy with them.
"Strange Mist!" A debilitating fog covered only Breakdramon which made it even harder for him to search and destroy as he was surrounded by blaze and bullets. "Darkstrom!" As if things couldn't get any worse for, it was now raining. Well, not exactly. WaruSeadramon had created a dark whirlpool in the sky which dropped water down onto the steel deathtrap.
"Do you think he's weakened enough?" Hisyaryumon asked.
Robert shrugged. "Don't know, we've never done this before. But let's keep doing this a couple more times to be sure!"
"Keep wearing him down!" Hiyaryumon roared.
Breakdramon, in this form, didn't have the same amount of brain power he used to so he was completely unaware of what his foes were trying to accomplish by bathing him in fire and then dropping rain down onto him. His sole focus was trying to destroy them so nothing else mattered by where to target next. But all of the functions he usually used to detect life forms were going haywire.
That was because Rai asked to be taken up to WaruSeadramon's head, where she stood and released the machine jamming powder she had used last time. Granted, it didn't have the same numbing effect on a Mega as it did on an Ultimate, but it was enough to keep him confused which was their only task at the moment.
"Infinity Boring!"
Six drills, eleven targets, and a flashback to a time when they lost six friends because of those same drills. Everyone had to dive out of the way as the guided attacks were unable to follow them thanks to Rai's powder. The mage almost fell of her perch when WaruSeadramon jerked out of the way of the drill though, thankfully, Hippogriffomon was able to catch her.
When five of the drills were aimed at the grounded people, they all waited until the projectiles stopped spinning dangerously fast due to the friction with the ground. Before they could go flying back to the weapon of mass destruction, every human aside from Rai pinned them down to the ground with their weapons or armor.
"Blast Fire!"
"Darkstrom!"
Robert stumbled a bit when he felt the drill he was holding onto, try to pull away from him. "We won't be able to hold these weapons back for long! Hit him now!"
"Every Direction Wheel!" "Sky Rocket Infinity!" "Sonic Voice!" "Maelstrom!" "Blast Fire!"
Absolute chaos erupted as the human were forced to let go of the drills in order to flee the scene. Beams of lights, a hailstorm of released ammunition, explosive rings made from one's breath, an electrified tornado, and the force of a volcanic eruption was enough to cause the bravest of humans to run and hide. They were forced to cover their eyes from the flashing lights or cling to the grass to avoid getting sucked into WaruSeadramon's disastrous attack. When it was over, they could only hope that Breakdramon would be too damaged to continue moving.
A few pounding heartbeats passed before they knew the results. Breakdramon roared, shaking the molecules in the air and causing them to vibrate uncontrollably. After everything they had done, it wasn't enough?
"So this is a Mega Digimon," Babel coughed.
"Unbelievable," Rai mumbled.
"No, look again!" Shibumi called out. "There are all kinds of injuries on Breakdramon! He just doesn't care!"
It was true, burns, scratches, dents, and even cracks were seen everywhere on the machine's metal skin. But the dragon truly didn't seem to care as he charged after his enemies with every mobile part of his body going ballistic.
"But if we go any further, we'll delete him," Robert stated. Not only that, but their own partners looked about ready to drop to the ground. "As a matter of fact, if this battle continues any longer, someone is bound to be destroyed."
Daisy rubbed her chin in thought but nothing was coming to that big brain of hers. "If only we had a gold key, we could digivolve one of our partners to Mega and hopefully restrain him. Oh, but I guess this isn't a good time to be thinking of the 'ifs'."
There was one other option. Shibumi turned away from the thinking, and obviously distressed, humans to look back at his raging partner. WaruSeadramon and Hisyaryumon were trying to used their serpentine bodies to holds him down Hippogriffomon and Mistymon pinned down the two massive shovel arms. CannonBeemon was using the rest of the openings to fire his Nitro Stinger, hoping to do some damage before his comrades let go.
"Breakdramon!" Shibumi yelled, bringing everyone's attention to him except the one he wants.
The boy took a few steps towards his partner despite everyone's warnings to not get to close. The dragon finally noticed the approaching human when the proximity became close enough to breathe on him. Breakdramon flung his opponents off of his body.
"Shibumi, are you crazy?!" Babel called out.
WaruSeadramon, like the others, flickered between destabilization and solidification. "I don't think we can hold our forms much longer."
"Your partner isn't in there anymore!" Daisy shouted. "He won't listen to you!"
Shibumi didn't want to believe that. Breakdramon was nothing like his old self. Once upon a time, he didn't want to hurt others or to force others into doing what he wanted. From that to this, this homicidal dragon with no comprehension of what the word stop meant? It was hard to believe it was even the same Digimon. But even so, Shibumi wanted to believe that some remnant of his former partner was still in there.
"Please, I know this isn't you," said Shibumi. Breakdramon didn't attack even though he could. He was actually… hearing the boy out? "I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything about me when you asked. I'm sorry I never listened to you when you said what we were doing was wrong. But I made a promise to change everything if the world I tried to create was a mistake. And I can't do that without you."
"Shibumi…," Robert whispered. He never told the other boy that he had seen Plutomon's trial for him. He heard about the promise.
The Japanese boy took a deep breath before continuing, tears starting to roll down his eyes. "You made a promise to me too. Do you remember what that was?" No response from Breakdramon. "You promised to stay by my side no matter what. So don't break it… Please. I need you."
For a moment, they could believe that Breakdramon was hearing Shibumi's voice and it was affecting him in some way. But that hope was dashed away when they saw the mechanical mountain lift one of his shovel arms, ready to dash out the daylights of his own partner. The other humans and their digital friends attempted to warn the endangered child but it was too late as the hand came crashing down.
"Legendary Dragon Blade!"
Shibumi could only stare at Robert jumped in the way of the attack, wielding his own partner in weapon form. The sword was cracked, nearly all the way through, and Robert wasn't strong enough to keep the sharp blade from cutting into his shoulder as he pushed back against the Mega with all his might. The pair was at death's door, one could be broken in half while the other could potentially die of blood loss, but they were holding firm.
"Robert, what are you doing?!" Shibumi gasped.
Robert jammed one end of the blade into the ground to keep himself from being pushed away. "Saving your life!"
"By endangering yours?!"
"They're like two peas in a pod," Janyu huffed.
Robert and Shibumi disengaged from the monster as his other arm came crashing down. The humans quickly rolled out of the way and staggered back to their friends, at the same moment their partners returned to their Rookie forms.
"Guys, I think I have an idea!" Betamon chirped as Breakdramon started his approach towards them, kicking up dirt and leveling the ground. If they didn't do something quick, they were going to be flattened like pancakes. But what could the naïve amphibian be thinking? "Shibumi, your keys have a dragon's head on them, right? Robert's are the same! Maybe they'll work for each other?"
This was a stretch of an idea, even for Betamon. True, the dragons that made up the heads for their keys were identical, but that didn't mean that one's keys would work for someone else. Then again, they were pretty much out of ideas at this point.
"It's worth a shot," said Salamon. "If it works, Ryudamon will be on even standings with Breakdramon. If it doesn't… Well, let's not think about that."
Shibumi hadn't touched his keys in a while, not since he evolved his partner into the monster that now stood before him. But today, he reached for his gold key and placed it in Robert's hand. As one was passing it off to the other, there was a second where everything had gone still.
This key was used to bring a creature capable of destroying the entire world into existence. If this idea of theirs worked, then it could bring another powerful being into the world but would this one lose control or would he save everybody?
"Please," Shibumi whispered. "Save my partner." This was as much to Robert as it was to Ryudamon.
Ryudamon stood firm in front of the rapidly approaching Breakdramon. "You're not the only one he made a promise to. We made a promise to always stand together too. Even if I have to break off his drills and shovels, I'm making him keep his promises."
Robert held out his red D-Sync and the gold key, noticing how they shined in the orange sunlight. Something told him that this would work, but only once. He didn't know how he knew this but he felt like there was a mysterious voice that was speaking to him. It was like that time he had grabbed his silver key at that cavern on Mount Freeze, inquiring what he wanted from the key. The thing he wanted most at the moment, was to save Shibumi's partner, and that seemed to be the right answer.
"D-Locks 1, 2, and 3 Disengaged!" Robert bellowed, enveloping the area in a bright red glow. "Initiate Super Warp Digivolution!"
"Ryudamon Super Warp Digivolve to…" Breakdramon ceased his advance when another massive body crashed into his own. Shrouded in misty clouds was another serpentine dragon with giant, bladed wings and he wore magnificent Japanese armor. In his claws were massive curved blades known as the Armored Dragon Greatswords, legendary weapons that no one believed truly existed. "Owryumon!"
Candlemon's eyes bugged out. "Did he just say…?"
"Owryumon?" Salamon finished.
"That's impossible!" FanBeemon added.
Betamon was the only Digimon who wasn't in some state of shock, he was just cheering for the fact that they now had a fighting chance even if their ally was slightly damaged. The humans were notified of the reason for their awe when they checked out the encyclopedia page for this new Digimon.
Digital Analyzer: Owryumon was thought to be an imaginary Digimon having never been seen by anyone's eyes ever in history. A mighty dragon shrouded in mystery, equipped with the strongest blades including the Gairyū Sadaijin in his left, Gairyū Udaijin in his right, and the Gaiba Daimejin on his back. Clad in frightening, majestic armor, he is known as the Warrior Dragon with data on all the dragons and warriors of Digital folklore.
Breakdramon was not fazed by any of this information as he fired every drill on his body once more. "Infinity Boring!"
Owryumon crossed his blades and without moving a centimeter from his spot, deflected every single drill and sent them flying in all sorts of directions. Once he had finished protecting himself, he held his weapons out in front of him and for the first time, they could see the ferocious expression on his face. It was chilling and not at all comforting. Yet, knowing that it was Robert's partner was enough to put them at ease.
"Breakdramon, my brother…," the armored dragon stated, his voice was deep and reverberated through the air. "I will not allow you to break your promises."
-X-
Shibumi's still feeling his sins multiplying as time goes on but he hasn't given up just yet. And neither has Ryudamon who somehow found a way to evolve to Mega though it seems to be a one-time thing only. Will that be enough to defeat Breakdramon though? There's only one way to find out! Just stay tune to Digimon: Children of the Past!
Things have been moving pretty fast in these past few chapters, I know. I just hope you guys have been enjoying the right anyway. If you guys have, please let me know in the form of a review. I know some of you don't have much to say, but anything is better than nothing. Thank you very much for reading. Later!