"Push!" the doctor yelled, "Push!"
Yuuko Yagami panted heavily as she strained with all of her might.
"The head's crowning!" the doctor exclaimed, "You're almost there, push!"
Yuuko's legs strained against the raised platforms as she felt her child pass through, then she collapsed, panting heavily. She held her breath, waiting, but all she heard was silence. Why wasn't her baby…?
A loud cry suddenly erupted through the room, she gave a sigh of relif and laughed slightly when the nurse appeared holding a child in her arms. "It's a boy," she announced.
Yuuko was grinning with happiness as she held her child in her arms for the first time. "My little boy," she grinned.
Susumu was laughing as well as he placed his hand on her shoulder, then looked down at his son. "Taichi, my son…."
They were moved to their room, and Yuuko lay back in her bed, exhausted. Susumu sat in a chair next to her bed, watching her sleep peacefully. He was feeling tired himself and was ready to doze off himself. He got up to close the door, but saw that an older man was standing in the doorway.
"Can I help you?" he asked quickly.
"Sorry," the man replied, "I was...looking for someone else, I apologize."
Susumu studied him curiously as he walked back into the hall. He shut the door, stared at it for a moment, then sat back down in his seat.
Outside, the man smiled to himself as he walked down the hall, "Good news for all the Digital World, born this day, a savior. Now to wait for the second…"
---
My name is Hikari Yamaki, and DATS, and the Chosen at large, are close to collapsing. Dagomon has taken control of my family and friends and forcing them to attack cities around the world. While we were fighting the Royal Knights, trying to save innocent people in those cities, the two Ancients began to completely destroy other cities to kill as many Chosen as possible. At the last estimate, only 1/3 of the Chosen population is left, and since there were only a few thousand, we are the closest to being extinct in our history, when the Second Black Death hit us, we at least had the X-Chosen, now…now we have nothing.
But maybe we still have hope: Masahiko, the son of my cousin, is about to confront Dagomon…
-----------------
The Fall of the Chosen:
Chapter 3
---------------
When Masa's small group stopped in front of a collection of buildings encompassed by a well-trimmed lawn, Bolades gave him a strange expression, "This is Dagomon's base? It looks like a college."
"It is," he replied. The teenage girl had known him long enough to at least somewhat understand his moods; his way of speaking told her that the conversation was over.
Yet, Yasu pressed the question."Why's it here? This is really weird."
Eliane nodded in agreement, as did their partners. When Masa did not respond, Yasu narrowed her eyes, "Are you not telling us something?"
"He doesn't know," Asami interrupted, "None of us know…." She frowned, "W…when we were under Dagomon's control…w…we don't really…."
"We can't really remember too much," her Leormon clarified.
Yasu huffed and crossed her arms, "Why didn't you just say so?"
Masa glanced over his shoulder to the group. "Are you guys finished? Or do you want to keep talking so loudly that he knows we're here?"
Yasu began to blush,"I…I…."
Dorumon stared at his partner, "Masa…"
He took a deep breath, "Let's go."
Bolades smiled apologetically, "I think he has always been like that…at least as long as we have known him."
"It's only been, like, six months," her Bearmon spoke up.
"Yes…yes," the African woman chuckled.
"So why does he have to be so….cold like that?" the blond girl continued.
Asami walked over to her, "I think he is worried about the battle that's about to happen. If he can't win this, then our friends will be under his control forever, and the world's probably going to come to an end." She took a deep breath, "He has to win this, or the world is doomed."
--------------
The selected cities were still the battleground between the DATS agents and the Royal Knights. In New York City, Dynasmon X was still standing strong against Megaseadramon X and Lillymon X. Nothing these two did seem to stop the Royal Knight The serpent positioned himself in the air, his horn glowing brightly."King's Javelin!"
Dynasmon X batted aside the bolt of electricity, sending it crashing into a vacated apartment building. Lillymon X fluttered around the side and fired a Flower Cannon into the Royal Knight's side. If he was injured, he did not show it. He whipped his arm around, back-handing her into a building roof.
"Lillymon!" Mimi shouted. She glared at Dynasmon X, "Gabe! Stop this right now!"
He responded by stamping his foot so hard it created a small quake that sent the middle-aged woman tumbling onto her back. Michael quickly pulled her back onto her feet. She sighed deeply, "Oh, this is hopeless!"
Michael stared at his wife, "Mimi, how can you even say that?"
"Look at this!" she screamed, almost hysterical, "Our son is trying to kill us!"
He shook her forcefully, "Listen to me!" he screamed, "This is not hopeless! We'll save our son, do you hear me, we'll save him!"
"How!?" she screamed back.
He was about to respond, but could not, he had no answer for her.
----------
In Moscow, Alforce V-dramon X swung her wrist-based blade as hard as she could, sending a wave of air cutting through Anomalocarimon X and Hippo Gryphomon's combined offensive. They both darted to the side, but the Royal Knight grabbed the Wind Guardian, throwing him into the Deep Saver. Both digimon tumbled along the ground before Hippo Gryphomon grabbed Anomalocarimon X and took to the air seconds before Alforce V-dramon X's blade would have slice them in two.
Hippo Gryphomon twisted in the air and dove straight at the Royal Knight. Anomalocarimon X cross his front pincers and fired a Tail Blade attack. Alforce V-dramon X blocked with her right hand, then slashed the air with the blade on her right. The Wind Guardian had to release his grip on the Deep Saver. "Heat Wave!" he shouted, exploding a blast of hot air. Alforce V-dramon X crossed her arms to protect her face, then whipped them open, sending the blast of heat back at Hippo Gryphomon. He spiraled into the ground, crashing loudly.
Jyou winced loudly at the sight of the two digimon lying on the ground, yet, just when he thought they could not possibly handle anymore they jumped back from the ground and attacked together, actually catching the Royal Knight off guard. Yet, it was not enough, as she easily batted them to the ground once again.
"They will not give up," Anna said.
"No they won't," Jyou said in agreement, "I just hope Kasumi and Yuki Agumon knock themselves out of it before they do something they're really going to regret.
----------
In Beijing, Duftmon X swung his rapier like a skilled marksman; it was all Waruseadramon and Gesomon X could to do keep from becoming skewered.
Gesomon X pulled his tentacles back and began a barrage of jabs into the Knight's armor. Waruseadramon blasted him with bolts of lightning, ripping across his body. She slashed quickly with his blade, throwing both of them backwards.
"Damn it!" Lynna growled, "Shiro, man, listen ta' us! Ya don't know what ya doin!"
She was answered when Duftmon X swung his saber at her; the Australian woman jumped back just in time, the Knight's blade cutting into the ground. Waruseadramon whipped around, smacking his tail into Duftmon X's chest, causing him to lurch backwards. The serpent pulled his head back and blasted a bolt of lightning from his horn, "Thunder Javelin!"
The Knight allowed his blade to absorb the energy, then used his other hand to punch the serpent hard in the face. Gesomon slid in to take his place, "You're not making this easy! I really don't wanna hafta hurt you…"
Duftmon X kicked him with a simple swipe of his foot, he flew backwards in the air before smashing into the ground. Dingo stared at his partner, "Yeah, ya really scared 'em that time…"
-----------
The battle continued in Brasilia, as Dukemon blasted an intense beam of light from his shield, decimating the city street. Blossomon's razor petals shot from her flowers, skidding across the knight's body. He batted her aside with his javelin, then quickly raised his shield to protect himself from Nefertimon X's Curse of Queen attack. The Virus Buster flew to another position and fired again. Dukemon blocked once more, but was too distracted to notice Blossomon wrapping her vines tightly around his left leg. She yanked as hard as she could, but only succeeded in slipping and falling onto her back, the Knight was just too large. Dukemon kicked his leg to the side, flinging the Vegetation digimon through a building wall.
"Damn it!" Lizzie exclaimed, stamping her foot into the ground, "Damn it, damn it, damn it! We're not getting anywhere!"
Dukemon swung his javelin at Nefertimon X, but she shot to safety before firing a barrage of Rosetta Stones at him. He blocked with his shield, then swung again with his javelin.
--------
In Cario, Sleipmon was trotting through the city streets, firing arrow after arrow at his opponent. Shaujinmon was spinning his staff in an eye-breaking speed, so fast that it acted as a shield. Once the Royal Knight had paused, the Deep Saver went on the offensive. He swung his staff, sending a wave of water ripping across the street. Sleipmon fired a blast of cold air from his shield which froze the water into a massive block of ice. He jumped atop the newly-created bridge and trotted forward at lightning speed, whipping his bow around only to have it blocked by Shaujinmon's staff. The two became engaged in a power struggle, but ultimately, Sleipmon won, throwing him back. He was about to trample him with his horse legs, but the Deep Saver unleashed a tornado of water into his underside, sending him twisting through the air before crashing through the ice bridge, shattering it into a million pieces.
"Ya got 'em now!" Joey shouted, "Go, go, go!"
Shaujinmon charged to the fallen Knight and began to slash and bash with his staff, cutting and slicing again and again. This continued until the Knight simply kicked the Deep Saver with his horse legs, sending him into the air. Sleipmon fired an arrow at Shaujinmon; he was able to use his staff to block, but the force threw him even higher into the air before he landed back on his feet.
"We are barely holding our own," Aleksey frowned,"It is only a matter of time before he gets the upper hand."
"Yeah," the Austrailan boy nodded, "I know."
----------------
In Mexico City, Craniummon and Rizegreymon were still battling. Unlike most of the other battles occurring, the DATS digimon was not holding back. He was firing bullets in quick succession, however, each projectile was blocked by the Knight's spear. Craniummon whipped his weapon across the Cyborg Digimon face. He twirled the weapon around his head before swinging it around for a finishing blow. Rizegreymon ducked, then opened all of his gun barrels at once, "Rising Destroyer!"
The barrage of bullets smashed into his armored chest, and as he hovered in the air, the Dragon Man spun around quickly, knocking his tail into the Knight's head. Craniummon fell to the ground and used his blade to knock Rizegreymon's feet out from under him. When the Dragon Man landed on the ground, the Knight readied his spear once again, but the Dragon Man fired his Trident Revolver into his chest. The Knight was forced to step backwards.
"I think we got him on the run now," Akira nodded.
Adan just nodded, "Yes…yes…"
The redheaded boy placed his hand on the Latino boy's shoulder, "No worries, got it? We'll save him."
"How can you have so much hope?" he asked.
Akira flashed him a grin, "Because, my sister was turned to a Demon, but she went back to normal."
"And now she's Dagomon's slave too," he added, sadly.
"Yeah, but we saved her before, and we'll do it again. And we'll do the same for your brother."
Despite the circumstance, Adan could not help but smile. He nodded. "Yeah!"
-------------
So far, Tokyo had been spared the assault of the other cities, including those that were decimated by the two Ancient Warriors. Now, however, the capital of DATS's empire was about to confront a Royal Knight stronger then all the others.
Sora and Noriko were in the DATS control room, monitoring the crisis. Miayag had succeeded in adverted the two Ancients, and now they were waiting for her to return. "Shouldn't she be back by now?" Piyomon asked.
"Yes," the redhead nodded, "And I'm getting worried, what if they went back on their word and attacked her? She'd be defenseless."
"She's not defenseless," Noriko spoke up, "we all know that."
"Yeah…but…"
Noriko looked to the large monitor on the wall; the display had been split into seven sections, six displaying the battles between the Knights and the DATS agents, the seventh was for the Ancient Warriors, but since accepting Miayag's deal, they had vanished. Still, that was not even good news, she had only prolonged the crisis. The middle-aged woman focused on the six battles, "It's not getting any better, is it?"
"No," Sora answered, "I just wish we knew what happened to Masa, Asami, Yasu, Eliane, Bolades and Ines. It looks like the girls won their battles and saved Masa and Asami, but they just…disappeared."
Noriko's Plotmon huffed, "Masa probably went to fight Dagomon himself."
"Yeah, he's got a real lone wolf streak."
"But he could probably do it," Piyomon said, "At least…I hope he can…"
"Taichi and Yamato could do it," Sora said.
"Um," Reika spoke up,"I don't know if this helps but, I finally got a lock on Asami and Yasu's digivice signal, they're in Pennsylvania…"
"In America?" Noriko gasped, "What the hell are they doing there?"
"I don't know, but there are four other signals with them, one I'm fairly certain is Eliane, and I would be very comfortable saying that another is Masa's…"
"Is Dagomon there?" Sora asked, "W…why else would they be there?"
Before anyone could respond, red lights began to blink. "Oh, what now?" Noriko shouted, "Don't we have enough fucking problems?"
"Is it the Ancients?" Sora asked.
Reika shook her head, as she studied her computer monitor, "No, i…it's a Royal Knight…"
"A Royal Knight?" the redhead asked, "Who's le…." She trailed off.
"Y…yes," Reika continued, "It's Omegamon."
-----------
Sora and Noriko, along with their partners, quickly made their way to Omegamon X's position. Reika tried to convince them to stay behind, but both women refused. They were the only ones left, besides, this was the fusion of their husbands, they had to face the digimon, they had to save the ones they loved.
Omegamon X had arrived in city the same way that the other Knights had, by landing abruptly in the center of the city. Thankfully, the streets had long been deserted, as DATS realized they could very well be targeted, so they ordered an evacuation. The Royal Knight would have begun to decimate the buildings, but his orders had been clear, destroy DATS. He began his march towards the water front, flattening cars beneath his feet and smashing through buildings that were in his way. Sora and Noriko found him about halfway to the DATS building. Despite knowing it would do no good, they still could not help but call out.
"Yamato!" Noriko shouted.
"Taichi!" Sora screamed, "Taichi, please, Taichi…"
Omegamon X stared down at them, studying them carefully.
"Yamato," Noriko nodded, "Y…you recognize us…?"
The Royal Knight swung his arm quickly, sending a wave of air that would have toppled the two women if their partners had not quickly rushed to their sides.
"Piyomon evolve to Birdramon! Birdramon evolve to Garudamon!"
"Plotmon evolve to Black Tailmon! Black Tailmon evolve to Ladydevimon!"
The two digimon grabbed their partners and took them to safety. They deposited their partners on a sidewalk and all turned to stare at the Royal Knight. "We have no choice," Sora sighed.
Noriko nodded, "Yeah, we have to fight them."
"There's no other way?" Garudamon asked, "I don't want to fight Agumon…"
"You think I want to fight Gabumon?" Ladydevimon exclaimed, "But what else are we gonna do?"
"Just stall for now," Sora ordered, "And let's hope Masa can take care of Dagomon."
"But we don't even know if that's what he's doing," Noriko said.
"We've gotta hope," the redhead replied.
Garudamon and Ladydevimon nodded at one another, then hovered into the air. They stared at Omegamon X. "We don't want to do this," the Bird Man said.
"But you leave us no choice," Ladydevimon nodded.
There was a pause for a moment, then the battle began. Garudamon lead the attack, swinging her fist at Omegamon X's face, but he sent her tumbling back with a simple hard punch in her chest. Ladydevimon shot from beneath, ready to scratch his chin with her claws, but he spotted her at the last second. He swung his Wargreymon X arm around, catching her on the top horn and throwing her into Garudamon. He kicked into the base of a lamppost and caught it in his hands. He whipped it around at high speed, hitting both digimon, sending them crashing into a building.
----------
Dagomon growled. "I see you don't learn your lesson, do you? You've come back for more?"
"What are you talking about?" a voice questioned.
The strange digimon blinked, "You are not that one with the gun…" He turned slowly to see Masa's group standing in the doorway. "You!" He looked over to Asami, "And you! I had wondered where you had disappeared to; why have you returned here?"
Yasu pushed her way past Masa and looked around, "My Dad's not here!"
"Where's Omegamon?" Masa questioned.
"He is attacking Tokyo as we speak."
"T…tokyo?" Asami gasped.
Yasu snorted, "Yeah, while my Mom's there, and so's Mrs. Yagami!"
Eliane glanced at Masa, "And his Mama as well."
Dagomon chuckled, "And what does that mean to me?"
"You don't have to worry about that," Masa replied, "What you need to worry about is me!"
"Wait!" Bolades called, stepping forward, "I…I want to know something…"
"I don't think this is the time!" Ines's Hagurumon shouted.
"I do not think anyone else can answer this question," she replied. She looked back to Dagomon, "How is it that the Digital World that exists now is the second Digital World, yet holds information that is far older then the original Digital World?"
"The face of the Digital World has changed many times since it was first created by the Gods, bit-by-bit, little-by-little, until the original configuration had been changed-it was still there, Yddrasil, the base configuration on which all else was built. When the Demon Lords destroyed the Digital World, it reconfigured itself to its original configuration; as paradoxically as it sounds, the Second Digital World is the original Digital World."
"Base configuration?" Bolades questioned, "How?"
"Through manipulation by your world, your…'innovations…"
"Innovations? Which altered Yddrasil, the creation of your Gods? Then Yddrasil is…"
"The master control of the entire Digital plane of existence."
"Everything?" Ines exclaimed, "It controls everything?"
"And if you can control the Digital World," Asami added, "Then you can control all of Earth's digital...digital communications!"
The group gasped loudly, and Bolades turned to Masa, "I…if that is what Lord Sentry has been after all this time…"
Masa clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, staring at Dagomon. "He wanted you freed so you could show him Yddrasil."
"I would not."
"You spoke with him? He was here?"
"Briefly, but I would have nothing to do with him."
Ines shook her head, "But he won't give up, he's too smart, he's probably thought this through already! He's got a plan or something…which means you've got to go."
"You would destroy me because of something I haven't done?"
Dorumon snickered, "Considering that you're about to destroy Earth, that's an added bonus."
Masa looked to the others, "Let us handle this."
"Alone?" Leormon asked.
"You can't do it all by yourself," Eliane's Mushmon protested.
"Asami can't evolve because he can control Rhodo Knightmon, and your Fully Evolves would just get in my way...no offense," he quickly added.
"Just be careful," Asami nodded.
Yasu crossed her arms, "And if you get in trouble, we jumping in, got it?"
He did not answer as he and Dorumon stepped forward. "This is what my father created me…created us for," he said to his partner, "He wanted me to open Dagomon's seal, free him, then defeat him…the key to all of his plans…."
"So won't fighting him just be doing what he wants?"
"Yes, but we've got no other choice, unless we finish him off right now, the other Knights are probably going to kill those DATS agents fighting them, and then probably the whole planet. We'll worry about stopping the Hunters later."
"Right…gotcha."
"We can't use Alphamon, he'd just take control of us again. Dorughoramon's gonna half to do."
The digimon nodded, then took a deep breath, "Well, I'm ready."
Masa summoned the Staff of Fate, "Let's do it!"
"Dorumon warp evolve to Dorughoramon!"
The dragon exploded forward, swinging his fist at the squid digimon's head, but he ducked, the dragon swinging through air. Dagomon's tentacles squiggled through the air, wrapping tightly around Dorughoramon's body. He began to swing from side-to-side, smashing the dragon into the floor again and again. Dorughoramon flung open his wings and attempted to fly higher into the air to escape his grip.
"You won't leave that easily!" Dagomon laughed as tightened his grip and yanked Dorughoramon into the ground once again.
Dorughoramon shot into the air once again, blasting out an explosion of flames from his mouth. "Doru Djinn!" The flames erupted across Dagomon's face, and he was forced to release his grip, and the dragon flew to safety. He hovered in the air, watching as Dagomon's skin rippled under the intense flame. "Looks like you weren't so tough after all."
The flames died down and Dagomon rose to stare at the hovering dragon, his body boiled and blistering. He then began to laugh.
"Oh great!" Yasu exclaimed, "When they start to do that, you just know something bad's about to happen!"
Dagomon held open his arms, as his skin began to ripple once more. Yet, instead of his injuries growing worse, then began to move in reverse! His blisters shrunk and disappeared beneath his gray, slithering skin.
"Healing powers?" Bolades questioned.
"I am the High Priest of the Gods!" he snapped, "I will not fail so easily!"
Dorughoramon gave a slight chuckle, "Yeah, well, neither will I! I was created to stop you!"
Dagomon was surprised. "Truly? Who knew of me enough to create you?"
"Nothing you need to worry about!" he shouted, swinging his fists at the creature.
Dagomon dodged each jab, using his tentacle arm to slap into Dorughoramon's body, "I ask only because I wonder if it is the same one that created you Chosen."
"Created us?" Eliane questioned.
"Who?" the dragon demanded, "Who are you talking about?"
"Defeat me, and perhaps I shall reveal that to you."
"Do not listen to him!" Bolades shouted, "He is only trying to confuse you, to keep your mind off of the battle!"
"That is not true, I am afraid," the squid chuckled, dodging a kick from the dragon, "True, I am attempting to distract his concentration, but I know who it is that created the Chosen…or rather, I have my suspicion…"
Dorughoramon glared at the squid. As he watched him laugh, his anger rose, until he swung with all of his might, actually managing to hit the side of his jaw. Dagomon's head twisted a full 90 degrees, but suddenly whipped back around, smacking into the dragon's chest.
"Damn it!" he swore, "It's like his whole body's a weapon!"
The creature smirked, "You have not yet seen a fraction of my power. Tentacle Flapping!" His tentacles suddenly came to life, whipping across the dragon's body. Dorughoramon tried to bat them aside, but he could only move so fast, and was only able to stop the first hundred or so before he was overpowered; the tentacles enveloping him. He dropped to the ground, and those on the sidelines exclaimed.
"No!" Asami cried.
Dagomon slithered over to the fallen digimon cautiously, but he remained motionless.
Leormon looked to his partner, "Is he…?"
Dorughoramon suddenly leapt back to life with a deadly uppercut to Dagomon's chin, then swung his tail around to smack him in the head. While Dagomon was still recovering, he jumped back slightly and fired a barrage of metal shards that ripped into the squid's body. "Blade Storm!"
Dagomon stumbled backwards, then flexed his muscles, sending the metal shards flying back out of his body; Dorugoramon narrowly avoided the rebound.
"You gotta be careful!" Ines's Hagurumon exclaimed.
"Yes, he is correct," Bolades nodded, "You cannot evolve to Alphamon, you are not as strong in that form as you were before."
"I'm fine!" he snapped back, "Stay there, you'll just get in my way!"
"You should not act so arrogant," Dagomon chuckled, "You will not last much longer against me."
He snorted a laugh, "I'm just getting started!"
--------
Across the globe, the battles were continuing in fierce intensity. Dynasmon X swung his claws at Megaseadramon X, while Lillymon X fired her Flower Cannon at his arm. Hippo Gryphomon maneuvered through Alforce V-dramon X's swinging arms to fired a beam of energy into her face, but she counted by whacking him with her other arm. Duftmon X bashed Gesomon X aside, but Waruseadramon blasted him in the back. Dukemon's lance hit Nefertimon X in the side, while Blossomon threw spinning flowers blades at his side. Sleipmon's arrows blocked out the sun and Shawujinmon struggled with all of his might using her water attack to deflect the projectiles into the ground. Craniummon's every footstep shook the ground so violently that Rizegreymon could not get a clear shot from his gun arm.
----------
Omegamon X swung his sword with a sharp whip, forcing Garudamon and Ladydevimon to duck for safety. He swung around his Metalgarurumon, pointing it directly at the two digimon. His arm tensed slightly and a blast of energy fired from the barrel.
"Look out!" Ladydevimon shouted.
Garudamon twisted, the energy blast skidding across her back before exploding in the sky. "Are you okay?" Sora screamed.
Her partner winced, panting, "Y..yes, I think so…"
Omegamon X suddenly appeared, punching the bird man's face with his Wargreymon fist, then twisted tightly, striking her stomach with his foot, then finishing his combo by slamming both of his fists into her back. He was about to continue his assault, but Ladydevimon flew to the rescue, "Darkness Wave!"
While the Royal Knight was busy swatting aside the screeching bats, Ladydevimon swooped in and grabbed her friend, hoisting her to safety. "I gotcha…"
"Look out!" Garudamon screamed.
Omegamon X had fired another blast from his Metalgarurumon arm. Garudamon threw Ladydevimon to the ground, then unleashed a Shadow Wing attack that struck the blast, exploding on contact. Both digimon were thrown backwards, but Omegamon X recover first and shot back into battle. He swung his sword at the bird man, but Ladydevimon came to her rescue once again, throwing the bird to safety as the blade slicing through her left wing. She yelled out in pain, and Garudamon embraced her tightly.
"Ladydevimon!" Noriko screamed, "No!"
"I…I'm fine," she answered, hovering in the air. Yet, it was clear that her left wing was injured, as she flew wobbling to the side.
"Are you sure?" Garudamon asked.
"Yes!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes at Omegamon X, "Gabumon…I can't believe you'd…"
"They don't know what they're doing," Garudamon answered, clenching her fist.
On the ground below, Sora sighed deeply, "Come on Masa, you're our only hope…"
Omegamon X fired another blast, which the two avoided quickly, however, he fired another blast in such quick succession, that they could not avoid in time. Both Garudamon and Ladydevimon were hit and they spiraled into the ground. The Royal Knight leapt into the air and landed beside the two fallen digimon, pointing his gun barrel arm directly at them.
"No!" Sora shouted. She ran towards the knight. Noriko ran after her.
"Sora, what are you doing?"
The redhead grabbed her best friend and held her tightly, staring up at Omegamon X. "Don't do this," she said, her voice breathing heavily, "Please, Taichi, Yamato…you've got to know who we are, don't…"
---------------
Dagomon's tentacles shot violently at Dorughoramon. The dragon twisted through the air, narrowly avoiding the appendages before exhaling a blast of flame, "Doru Djin!" The flames leapt across Dagomon's tentacles, and he winced in pain. The dragon was not about to lose his advantage, so he began to brutally punch and kick the squid with such ferocity that it seemed he had lost himself in rage. He punched and bashed again and again before firing a massive spiked ball from his mouth that tore through Dagomon's stomach, splitting the evil digimon in two, the upper half hanging from the side by a thread of sinew.
Yasu and Eliane cheered and Ines smirked. "Looks like it's the end."
Dagomon suddenly began to laugh as his body healed itself-reformed itself as if Dorughoramon's attacks had never happened. "No…" Asami sighed deeply.
"As you can see," Dagomon continued to chuckle, "There is simply nothing you can do, I am indestructible. My connection to Yddrisil is absolute, nothing can come between us!" He smirked, "Now, prepare yourself for the power of the Gods of the Digital World! Forbidden Trident!"
He held up his hand and a glowing trident appeared directly above it. He threw his arm forward and the trident shot through the air. Dorughoramon twisted out of the way, but Dagomon's continued to form tridents, which he flung forward in quick succession. Dorughoramon rolled and dodged through the air as best he could, but one trident clipped his ankle, throwing him off balance. Another trident tore through his leg, and another jabbed him in the back. He was soon overtaken, his sides sliced through by the three-pronged projectiles. The dragon simply could not stay afloat any longer and he crashed to the ground.
"Masa!" Asami screamed.
"That's it!" Yasu shouted, "We're jumping in now! Labramon…"
"No!" Dorughoramon shouted back as he rose to his feet, tridents hanging from his body "Stay there!!"
The girls blinked in surprise. "Are you fucking insane!" Yasu argued back, "You look like my grandmother's pin cushion!"
"Do not do this alone!" Bolades exclaimed.
Eliane and Ines nodded in agreement.
"No!" the dragon roared back.
Yasu grabbed her blond pigtails and started pulling, "Arg! Why are boys always so fucking pig-headed? Son of a bitch, it pisses me off so much!"
The others stared cautiously at her. Labramon's eyes were open wide, "Yasu…you sound like your mother…"
"It just pisses…"
"…you off, yeah, we got it," Ines sighed, crossing her arms.
Yasu glared at the older girl. "You know…"
"Don't," Eliane's Mushmon said, "We have enough to worry about right now without you two fighting."
The blond girl hesitated for a moment, and then turned back to the battle. Dorughoramon had jumped into the air and fired a barrage of shards of metal from his wings, which Dagomon managed to destroy with a barrage of tridents. As the two attacks met, they exploded, sending up a wave of light that Dorughoramon attempted to use as cover to launch an attack. He jumped forward to punch the squid in the face, but Dagomon hit him first, wrapping his tentacles around the dragon's fist. He whipped his arm around, sending Dorughoramon crashing into the left wall, then the right wall before he threw his arm to the ground, throwing the dragon into the floor.
Yet, Dorughoramon rose again, but, it was clear he could barely stand. His armor was cracking, his wings were in shards, he was panting heavily, and he could not lift his right arm. Dagomon chuckled amusingly, "Why not simply give up? You have lost."
The dragon struggled to stand, "S…shove it up your…your ass!"
He chuckled again. "Defiant to the very end. So be it. Thousand Whips!"
The tentacles from his left arm leapt forth, ripping across his body. Pain erupted through his entire being. A tentacle struck his left knee and he fell onto his right leg.
-
"One more thing," Hinkon called.
Masa slowly turned back around and saw that the mysterious man was grinning wickedly at him. "Duck!"
Masa heard the shot and fell to his knees. It was only through the grace of divine intervention that he was able to avoid the projectile, which shattered into a street light hanging over them. Masa stared with horror at Hinkon, yet could not see any sort of firearm in his hands. Another shot fired, this one striking the ground, inches in front of the teenager. He jumped to his feet and began to run. A few more shots sounded, but he fought past his fear and kept running. About a mile later, his legs simply would not move any more and he ducked into an alley. He slid to his knees, his back against the outside of the building.
He pressed his back against the fence and stared at the approaching man. "W…why are you doing this?"
"I've got my orders," he smirked, "I just hope you're better then the others." He raised his arm once more as another projectile shot at Masa, this one hitting landing between his legs. The teenager could now see the horrible truth, he could not see a firearm, because Hinkon was not holding one, the forefinger on his right hand was a firearm-a sliver gun barrel.
Another shot blasted near Masa's feet, "Come on, kid, let's see that power of yours!"
"What power?" Masa shouted back. Hinkon responded with two more shots, these coming dangerously close to his shoulders.
"And he said you were the one," he muttered, "What a waste! A sniveling little brat!"
Another shot fired only inches above Masa's head. "You're running out of chances," he said, "I'm not as good as that bitch with the crossbows, so I can't keep accidentally missing you. Sooner or later, I'm gonna hit you, and it's not gonna be pretty. I want to see that power!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Something snapped within the teenager, and he screamed as loud as he could. Suddenly, a column of light erupted from the ground between him and Hinkon. The mysterious man smirked. "Finally."
Masa stared with awe as the light dimmed and a figure appeared before him. It was a creature that resembled a dragon/dinosaur amalgamation, with purple fur, a long, fox-like tail, and triangle-shaped jewel in its forehead. It stared at Masa before smiling. "Hello."
"Digimon, that's right," the creature bowed, "My name is Dorumon."
"D…dorumon?"
"That's right. Digital or Unknown Monster. DoRUmon."
"D…igital or unknown…W…where did you get a name like that?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, someone called me that once, but I don't remember who."
Dorumon looked him over and gently sniffed the air. "And you must be Masahiko, my partner."
"P…partner?" he gasped, "I'm…I'm your partner?" A smile spread over his lips, "I'm a Chosen? I've got a partner?!"
"That's right. Oh, I've got something for you…"
The small digimon handed him a rectangular device, with a small screen near the top, and a row of buttons beneath it. "That's your digivice, it connects me and you together."
Masa was staring in pleasant surprise. "How do you know this?"
"I don't know, just…somehow…"
The teenager suddenly remembered Hinkon. His head shot back forward and saw that the mysterious man was still standing before him. "Good job," he smirked, "But now it's time to go to level two!"
Masa gripped his digivice tightly. "You can attack, right?"
Dorumon grinned. "You betcha. Metal Cannon!"
-
Another tentacle whipped across his left shoulder and he yelled out in pain.
-
Hinkon laughed and raised his sword arm. "You weren't so tough after all!" He swung down, aiming for the Beast Dragon's head. Dorugoramon raised his un-injured arm….
Hinkon's blade stopped inches from Dorugoramon's head before his arm fell limply to his side. The mysterious human's face was shaking and his eyes rolled backwards into his head. The Beast Dragon stared in horror at his opponent's chest, where a long gold staff had been shoved through his chest and out his back, it was none other then the Staff of Yuushi.
Dorugoramon gasped. "I….I called that? But, I…I never meant to…"
Hinkon's body fell over onto his back. The skin then began to vanish, as if maggots and other flesh-eating organisms were devouring the organic components at an impossible rate. When the flesh and bone were gone, portions of a metallic skeleton were left. These metallic items soon vanished as well, turning bright red before transmogrifying into smoke that dissipated into the air.
Dorugoramon's body glowed brightly before returning to his previous forms of Masa and Dorumon. The Beast Digimon stared at his partner. "Humans don't normally do that when they die, do they?"
Before Masa could answer, the sound of clapping was heard echoing through the large room. The partners turned and saw a figure walking towards them, his hands clapping. It was the Man with the Half-Metal Face, the one whom Masa assumed was the leader.
"Well done. I wasn't sure that you were the one, but killing Hinkon was no easy task." He stopped and crossed his arms, a smile crossing his lips. "Dorugoramon, truly an impressive sight, the perfect combination of Yagami and Ishida."
He chuckled. "Four consecutive evolutions in a matter of hours for a newly-born digimon….that it quite impossible, yet, you did it without and trouble. Although, I was expecting something…different for your final form. But I wonder if you have the power to stand up to Omegamon X?" He shrugged, "But I guess it doesn't matter, you're still the key."
"What are you talking about?" Masa demanded.
"You'll learn all that, the more time you spend with us."
The teenager looked to his partner. "What if we don't want to spend any more time with you?"
"You don't have a choice, one false move, and your mother dies."
"You bastard," Masa growled.
He shrugged. "Perhaps, perhaps not. Now, will you come with me willingly, or must we force your cooperation with a serious injury to your mother?"
"We don't have a choice," Dorumon said.
Masa held his head low, sighing deeply. "I agree."
The Man with the Half-Metal Face grinned. "Excellent. Now, let the fun begin."
-
Another tentacle across his back, ripping his wings from his body.
-
"Dorugremon evolve to Dorugoramon!"
Kasumi and Orochimon both could not believe their eyes. "He bio-merged!" the Demoness gasped, "Just like Dad..."
Dorugoramon blinked, "Your father can do this?"
The Demoness waved her arms, and Orochimon's tail began to wag behind her, "Gathering Clouds of Heaven!" The rear appendage swung from around behind, the tip crackling with electrical energy. The Beast Dragon twisted around in the air to avoid the thrust, then grabbed the tail and pulled as hard as he could. Kasumi grabbed tightly to her partner as they were flung through the air, slamming into the ground, crashing through a sea of trees. Dorugoramon shot after her. Orochimon wiggled around before rightening herself. "Sake Breath!" she screamed.
Dorugoramon whipped his metal wings around, shielding him from the attack. When he flung them open again, blades of glowing energy exploded forth, slicing through the seven heads. Kasumi watched in horror as her partner's multiple heads fell to the ground, all except for one, which the Beast Dragon grabbed and yanked as hard as he could. The Demon Dragon was flung backwards, once she was close enough, he punched her as hard as he could, which caused her to smash into the ground in an explosion of dirt that shook that shook the ground. The dragon rose into the air and spread open his wings. He stared down at the demons in the crater and placed his palms together, a ball of gray energy appearing within them. "Brave Metal!" He fired a barrage of metal balls at his opponent.
Kasumi screamed from within the crater, "Get up Orochimon! Get up!" She stared at Dorugoramon, "You won't beat me! You can't! I am Kasumi Yagami!"
"Yagami?" Dorugoramon gasped. He jerked his arm to the right, and the balls smashed harmlessly into the ground.
-
A tentacle across his head ripped the armor from his helmet, exposing his dragonic face.
-
Kenji flipped open the lid, "It's from Eliane, but how'd she send us an e-mail? We tried to e-mail them, but never got a response…." His eyes shot open and he gasped.
"What?" Lizzie gasped.
"Yasu, Eliane and Asami are in trouble, we've got to move, right now!"
"How much trouble?" Masa asked.
"Two Demons are attacking them, Mega level! And Shiro and Gabe are unconscious…"
"Unconscious…?" Lizzie asked, a fearful look in her eye.
Masa nodded, "Well, I guess we'd better help them."
Kenji blinked, "You're coming with us?"
Mixcoatl gasped, "You're going with them?"
Masa mentioned to Dorumon, "Yeah, we are."
"Masa," his partner whispered, "What are you doing?"
Mixcoatl pointed at him, "We're here to destroy them, not help them! What the hell are you thinking?"
Masa shrugged. "I don't know…I just want to help them."
"If you go with them, you're a traitor, understand? And if you leave, you know what will happen to your mother!"
"Mother?" Lizzie asked.
Mixcoatl continued speaking, "If you don't care what happens to yourself, at least care what will happen to her!"
Adan tugged at his older brother's arm, "Brother..please…"
"I'm not letting them…"
"Please…"
"Fine!" Mixcoatl spat, "But I am going to report this, and I'm going to say that you attacked us and knocked us out, so I'm not on Lord Sentry's bad side, understand?"
"Brother!" Adan shouted, "Masa has been our teammate, don't we owe him anything?"
Mixcoatl was silent for a long moment before pointing at the temple. "We are going back to examine that temple, I don't know how long we'll be, but when we get back out, I'm sending a message to Lord Sentry, you'd better do whatever you need to do before then, got it?"
The boy nodded, "Yeah…yeah…" He turned to Kenji, "We'd better go."
-
One tentacle hit his injured knee, while another struck him in the stomach.
-
Lizzie stared at the Demon Master, then over to Masa, "He…he does look…."
"Hmm?" Masanori questioned.
Masa slowly raised his arm to his helmet, his hand was shaking as he loosened it and let it drop to the ground. The others gasped when they saw his face; they looked to him, then to Masanori, then back to Masa again. They were silent as the ex-Hunter stepped forward.
Masanori chuckled, "Oh, it's you, I didn't think you'd be here."
"Who are you?" Masa demanded, "Why do you look like me?"
"I do? Maybe you look like me." He chuckled, "Well, I guess it's neither…or both, depending on how you look at it."
"What?"
"You and I, we are merely two sides of the same coin, we are opposites, yet, we aren't. Confusing, isn't it…brother…"
Masa suddenly tensed, grabbing his head. Images shot through his mind, strange images, and feelings, surreal and unworldly. There were two…two that were somewhere, together, they shared more then any other could share, then they were separated….
"Twins!" Masa gasped, "We're…twins?"
"Yes…we share the same father….and mother…."
"Who? Who's my father?"
"You mean you haven't guessed yet? Your father…is Lord Sentry."
He felt the color drain from his face, while his spine turned to ice. "No…no…!"
"Masa," Dorumon said, turning to him, "Lord Sentry's your father…?"
Masa looked to the ground, fists clenched tightly, "Mom….Mom, you knew all along!"
"What's going on?" Akira's Falcomon asked.
"I don't know," his partner replied.
Asami stepped forward, focusing on Masanori, "Y…you're father…is that who you inherited your Chance powers from? Is he…is he related to my father?"
"Yes," he said with a smile, "Your power came from your father, my power came from my father…and they both got their power from their grandfather….Juro!"
"You're related to Juro?" Lizzie gasped, "Asami, what's going on?!"
"That Lord Sentry guy?" Akira asked, mentioning to Yasu, "The one that our Dads fought is your father? And he's…he's got Chance power? Why didn't I sense that when we fought him?"
Yasu nodded slowly, "Yeah, my Mom didn't feel anything either."
Masa could only stare at Masanori, his cool, mature composure was shattered. "Mom…why didn't you tell me?"
-
Another tentacle gave him an uppercut to his chin, throwing his entire head backwards with enough force to break his neck, yet, he still had some strength left.
-
Masa began to walk towards the door. "Where are you going?" Miayag asked.
The teenage boy mentioned to the others, "I'm not part of their group, I'm not going to wait for their approval to do what I need to do. I'll stop my brother and my father myself."
"Really?" Gabe snapped, "From what I hear, you needed Mr. Yagami and Mr. Ishida's help to rescue your mother, now that she's here with the 'group-you-don't-need-to-wait-for-their-approval,' you're suddenly Mr. Attitude! Now what I think, you're a coward!"
He stopped at the door and slowly turned to face the other boy, "Coward?" He walked towards Gabe at a face pace, his face inches from Gabe's, "Why don't you say that now?"
"I'm not afraid of you," Gabe replied, staying calm, "You're a coward because you're too scare to admit that you're not the tough shit you think you are. You were probably the star of the football team, right? Straight A student? Girls wanted to be with you, guys wanted to be you. You're probably so used to being the 'star of the show," you can't stand it…stand it! when you need someone's help, huh?"
Masa grabbed his shit with his left hand and pulled back his right fist. The others ran to surround them, but Gabe shouted quickly, "I know what that's like! I'm the same as you!"
Masa's fist held in mid-air and he stared at Gabe. The other boy continued, "I was an arrogant piece of shit back home, go ahead, ask my parents or my sister, they'll tell you. I used to think I was the greatest in the world, hell, I was even the field leader of a group of DATS agents in America. But one day, we had a mission, it was going to be the first one where I lead the group completely by myself, without my parents there, and you know what happened? I was so focused on impressing a girl, that I let my arrogance get the better of me, and a team member betrayed us, killed the whole team. I was so cocky, I thought, I'm here, I can handle anything, well, I couldn't. You can't be so powerful that you don't need help! You know what? Better yet, talk to Kasumi, I'm sure she'll tell you the same thing, she's learned that lesson too, but she's lucky, she didn't have to lose people she cared about before she got it. You need to learn it the way she did, not the way I did."
Masa released his grip on Gabe's shirt. He turned and walked away, but stopped when he reached the door. He did not turn around, but did speak, "Come and get me when the team is ready to leave." He glanced over his shoulder at Gabe, "And just so you know, it's not arrogance, it's extreme loneliness."
-
Two tentacles impacted him in the stomach while another whipped across his face, throwing him onto his back. Yet, he rose once again, however, Dagomon's attack was far from finished. And as he brutally attacked Dorughoramon, around the world, the DATS agents were losing their battles against their Royal Knight opponents.
As Dagomon's tentacle ripped through Dorughoramon's right leg, in New York, Dynasmon X's Breath of Wyvern swallowed Lillymon X and Megaseadramon X before exploding in the sky. Palmon X and Betamon X crashed to the ground, not even enough strength to open their eyes.
As Dagomon's tentacle tore through Dorughoramon's left leg, in Moscow, Alforce V-dramon X's Shining V-force struck Hippo Gryphomon, forcing him to regress to Penmon. When Anomalocarimon X came to his rescue, the Royal Knight grabbed him by the tail and hoisted him into the air. With a quick swipe, the Royal Knight impaled him with her sword; he fell to the ground as Gomamon X.
As Dagomon's tentacle ripped through Dorughoramon's right arm, in Beijing, Duftmon X's One Trillion attack easily destroyed Waruseadramon feeble defenses. Gesomon X spurted his Deadly Shade onto the knight's face, but his attack was already well underway, so there was no way to stop it from skewering him.
As Dagomon's tentacle tore through Dorughoramon's left arm, in Cario, Sleipmon's Bifrost sent a flaming arrow flying at Shawujinmon. The Deep Saver demonstrated excellent maneuverability in dodging the arrow, but when he attempted to execute his Crescent Moon attack, the Royal Knight caught his spinning staff and threw it into the ground, where his horse legs destroyed it. Sleipmon only smirked before firing another Bifrost, this one piercing the Deep Saver's side.
As Dagomon's tentacle struck Dorughoramon's stomach, in Brasilia, Dukemon's Final Elysion enveloped Nefertimon X, reducing her to Plotmon X instantly. Blossomon threw her Spiral Flowers at the Knight, but he blocked with the same shield. Then, with a simple strike of his lance, subdued the wild plant.
As Dagomon's tentacle struck Dorughoramon's chest, in Mexico City, Craniummon's End Waltz's sonic explosion sent a wave blasting directly at Rizegreymon. The dinosaur dragon shot into the air to avoid the deadly blast, but the Royal Knight jumped after him. Rizegreymon fired his Trident Revolver, but the Knight deflected each blast with his spear. Then, using the same spear, knocked across the dragon dinosaur's head before slashing the point of the spear across his chest.
As Dagomon's tentacle ripped across Dorughoramon's back, in Tokyo, Omegamon X stood posed over the fallen Piyomon and Plotmon, the energy in his Metalgarurumon arm-cannon ready to fire, but, as he stared at the two women below, he felt himself freeze in place.
As Dorughoramon fell to the ground, he had only enough strength to slightly lift his head to stare at his executioner. Dagomon's last tentacle was already flying towards its target, Dorughoramon's head. The dragon only smiled slightly as he closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. "Mom, Asami, I'm sorry…"
On the sidelines, the girls and their partners were frozen in place. While Dagomon's Thousand Whips had happened in almost the blink of an eye, they had seen enough to know that the battle was over, they had lost. Yet, as Asami watched the last tentacle fly for its target, she felt a feeling rise up inside her, a mixture of sadness, desperation and rage, "Masa-Oniichan!" she screamed. Her body suddenly exploded with silver light, so intense that it filled the room.
Dorughoramon's eyes shot back open. Dagomon's tentacle, which was heading straight and true from the dragon's head, suddenly jerked away from its path, firing over the dragon's head with only inches to spare. The squid glared at Asami, "Juro's power! No! I will not be sealed again!"
The other girls were staring at their glowing comrade, "Asami…" Leormon said in awe.
She held out her hands, "Quick, give me your power, Masa needs it!"
They obeyed without question, Yasu and Eliane gripping her left hand, and Bolades and Ines gripping her right. She stared at Dorughoramon, "We are your friends, do not forget that."
"Big brother…" Dorughoramon thought to himself, "Big brother…"
Dagomon stared at the girls, then back at Dorughoramon, "No, I can't allow Fate and Chance to seal me again!" He raised his arm, "Forbidden…"
Dorughoramon leapt back into the air, his fist knocking into Dagomon's chin. The squid stumbled backwards. "Well, it seems you still have some life left in you, but how much longer I won-?"
"Doru Dinn!" Dorughoramon screamed, exhaling a blast of fire that struck Dagomon in the chest and leapt across his body, turning his slimy skin in boiling leather. He stumbled backwards, panting heavily.
"F…foolish, you know that will do you no good, not while my connection to Yddrisil will simply heal me."
He waited for the familiar sensation of Yddrisil's holy power, but…felt nothing. In his mind's eye, he attempted to locate that connection, but when he did, an image of Asami, Yasu, Eliane, Bolades and Ines filled his mind.
"No!" he shouted, "T…they are blocking the…"
Dorughoramon's fist punch the squid in the side of the face, then another punch to the other side of his head, then another. Every time Dagomon tried to call to Yddrisil, the girl's blocked his connection. "No!"
Dorughoramon continued with another punch, then another. He twisted around, kicking the squid with his foot. Dagomon raised his arm to attack, but suddenly felt an overwhelming pain in his abdomen. Glancing down, he saw the Staff of Fate had materialized in Dorughoramon's hand, the tip of the staff had gone through Dagomon's chest and out his back. The two stood motionless for a moment before the dragon whipped his weapon from the squid's body.
Dagomon began to stumble blindly, clutching his wound. "Y..Yddrisil…" He raised his hand to the sky, "Yddrisil!" he screamed, but it was no use. Starting from the tip of his outstretched hand, his data began to dissolve, flying from his body until he was completely gone, Dagomon, the Digital God's High Priest, the Agent of Destruction, was gone.
Dorughoramon stood for a moment before he crashed into the ground, exploding in a white light as he regressed to Masa and Dorumon.
--
Around the world, with Dagomon gone, the Royal Knights felt their sanity return to them, but it was short lived. With their connection to Yddrisil gone, they could no longer maintain their Mega forms, they had been in that form for well over 24 hours, and they simply could not hold it any longer. They all regressed to their human and Child digimon forms, collapsing in front of the DATS agents. They were all alive, though, if Masa had not defeat Dagomon when he did….It was not something they wanted to think about just yet.
In Tokyo, Omegamon X had regressed like the rest, and the unconscious humans and digimon were being cared for by the females that loved them more then any other. Sora gently rocked Taichi in her arms, tears of joy pouring from her face. Noriko was embracing Yamato as they both lay in the street. Piyomon covering Agumon X's head with her wing, and Plotmon rubbing her head against Gabumon X's chest.
---
Lord Sentry turned as he heard the door open. "What is it?"
Artemis gave a proud smile, "Well, looks like Masa killed Dagomon.
"Is that all?" he asked, annoyed.
"No sirh," she replied, "Just as ya thought, when Dagomon died, he called out to Yddrisil."
"And…?"
"Orion's tracing the signal, it won't be long now."
Sentry smirked, "Finally, after all this time, Yddrisil…"
Next: Twilight of the Heroes!