An Audience with the King
"So what's it gonna be?",Masaru called out, "You gonna let us through like your companion wanted or not?"
"I stand behind my words: turn back now while you still can"
Craniamon sent forth another blast of wind: "That was your final warning"
"Fightin' Time! Dorumon?"
"Right!"
"DNA full charge!"
Dorumon double warp digivolve toooo …
… DORUGORAMON!
"Let's back him up", Thomas said.
"DNA full charge!"
Gaomon double warp digivolve toooo …
… MIRAGEGAOGAMON!
Lalamon double warp digivolve toooo …
… ROSEMON!
Falcomon double warp digivolve tooo …
… RAVEMON!
"Doru Djinn!"
"Double Crescent Barrage!"
"Thorn Whip!"
Craniamon began spinning, creating that tornado that deflected the Doru Djinn and the Double Crescent Barrage. He stopped spinning as he caught the Thorn Whip, and whipped Rosemon. Ravemon caught her.
"If that's your best, you've already lost. You had your chance for mercy, and now you shall receive none! Arise my Duo Solar Spear"
This gave him a double bladed sword.
"Terra Flame Sword!", Masaru called for this weapon. Dorugoramon plunged a paw into the ground, creating a ring of fire around hum, as he pulled the sword from the ground.
He charged, Craniamon blocking the sword with his own.
"By attacking a Royal Knight, you attack the throne of King Yggdrasil", Craniamon said. "We gave sworn a sacred oath to protect out beloved King, and that oath will not be broken by the likes of you!", as he pushed Dorugoramon away.
"Shock Ringer!"
This involved Craniamon's holding his Duo Solar Spear over his head while spinning. This time, he created an even more powerful vortex. It drew in the digimon and would gave done the same for their partners, who were golding onto trees for dear life.
"Rosemon!", Yoshi called out as she went to her partner lying on the ground.
"He's too strong", she said, "we can't fight him at this level.
"You will now be deleted as a lesson for anyone inclined to follow in your misguided footsteps".
His first target was Dorugoramon, as he raised the spear above his head for a killing blow. Dorugoramon rolled aside at the last second.
"Can't beat him at our level", Masaru said, "then power up!"
"Charge! DNA Burst Mode!"
… DORUGORAMON BURST MODE!
"Now show him what you're made of!"
Dorugoramon took another swing with the flaming sword of the Burst Mode. Again, he blocked with his Duo Solar Spear, but this time, he was pushed backwards, falling on his back.
"Who cares about the Royal Knights!", Masari called out. "Two worlds are in the brink of destruction and I don't see your 'beloved king' doing a goddamn thing about it! If he doesn't care about his world, he doesn't deserve the title of King!
Finish this asshole off!"
"Huh?"
There was a light in the sky, and four columns of light appeared all around them, as the remaining Royal Knights arrived.
"Garuru Cannon!", Omegamon fired at them, sending the digimon back to Rookie level, and taking everyone off their feet.
The expected follow up attack didn't happen, and Masaru looked up. Each Royal Knight was lined up, on bended knee as a lone figure was strolling forward at a leisurely pace.
"I guess they're gonna finish us off... I'm not gonna let that happen", Masaru thought to himself.
"This fight's not over until I say it's over!", he challenged as he rushed forward at the figure clad in a flowing green robe, face concealed behind a hood.
He deflected his punch at the last moment, momentum carrying him past. He looked back.
"Hi... Dad", he said, surprised. "It's me, Dad, Masaru".
"HUH?", everyone asked themselves.
"His... Dad?", Thomas said.
"Noway!", Yoshi called out.
"You shouldn't scare me like that. I almost knocked you out with one of my hay makers", he apologized.
He stepped forward, hands out: "C'mon let's go home. Mom has been waiting for you for ten years, and Chika hasn't met you yet, but has dreamed of this day all her life".
Instead of the hug he was expecting, his hand was slapped away, and he received a glare of pure malevolence. "Dad..."
"You insolent Outworlder!", Omegamon called out, "Have you no idea who you are addressing?"
"Sure, my father..."
"You're addressing King Yggdrasil, the Ruler of the Digital World".
"Dr. Daimon is the King?", Yoshi asked herself.
"My Dad is the king of the Digital World?", Masaru asked himself.
"Noway!", Noguchi said.
"How can his father be King Yggdrasil?", Yoshi asked.
"I... I... don't get it", Masaru said, "We were sent here to meet King Yggdrasil and now I find out you're him? C'mon, let me in on the joke. Tell me what's going on here".
"King Yggdrasil doesn't explain himself to anyone, let alone Outworlders", Omegamon said.
"The King has made his decision", Magnamon said, "in order to save the Digital World, His Majesty has decreed the destruction of the Material World".
"Destroyed", Gaomon said.
"Set 'em straight, Dad, you wouldn't destroy the Material World. That would mean destroying Mom and Chika. Tell 'em: you would never do that".
"Silence!", Yggdrasil said in a voice that was not any sort of human accent. More like synthesized voice, and pretty bad at that. "My decision is final. You Outworlders have brought your destruction on yourselves".
"What are you saying? That makes no sense".
"You came uninvited to our world and you persist in meddling in affairs that don't concern you. First, it was that meddling Outworlder, Dr. Daimon, who ruined the X-Program by developing the X-Antibody. That delayed Project Ark for ten years, and for my revenge, I used you Outworlders to complete the project. I used your weaknesses against you.
"I recognized Kurata for what he was during his first visit to the Digital World. He was a coward, he was without a trace of honour. I knew what it would take to make him my cat's paw: the promise of unearned wealth and power: the promise that he would be the ruler over the Material World. We supplied him with financial support by manipulating financial transactions to fill his hidden bank accounts. We gave him technical support until he started believing in his own brilliance. He proceeded to do what comes naturally to Outworlders. He helped Project Ark by deleting many digimon, and eliminated Merukimon. I led him to Belphemon.
"We supplied him with willing minions: the feeble minded and desperate Ivan. Nanami was a bit more difficult. In her case, it took the efforts of soulmon to drive the mother over the edge. Nikki, who made his hatred of the world and the society he lived in crystal clear over social networking sites was another easily manipulated Outworlder. At no time did Kurata ever question anything he did. He didn't understand until the very end that he was the expendable useful idiot. When he was no longer useful, he was discarded.
"Outworlders lust for more than they can spend in ten lifetimes and it's never enough. Outworlders are not content to let others live in peace, but constantly try to exert power over the weak for no other reason but that they can. We see the news feeds here in the Digital World. Outworlder cruelty towards the other intelligences you share with the Outworld is exceeded only by that directed towards other Outworlders. You are not worth saving. It's time for the human race to go. Your interference with the Digital World ends now".
"That's not true!", Noguchi called back. "I used to believe pretty much the same. I suffered a great loss due to them. Then I learned different. There are Outworlders worth saving!"
Masaru said nothing as he dropped to his knees.
"This can't be true. How can you say such things?"
"Get a hold of yourself!", Dorumon called out.
"What shall we do with this bunch?", Omegamon asked.
"Eliminate them".
"Is this how it ends?", Thomas asked as the Royal Knights charged their attacks.
"Goodbye Yoshi", Lalamon said.
There was another light in the sky.
"Kentarosmon!", one of the knights called out.
"What are you doing?!"
He scooped up everyone, and took off.
"Plasma Shoot!", Magnamon fired, but Kentarosmon dodged the fireballs.
"WAIT! DORUMON! WEHAVETOGOBACK!", Masaru called out as he realized Dorumon wasn't with them.
Kentarosmon didn't listen.
"You missed!", Omegamon reprimanded.
"Guru..."
"Let them go", Yggdrasil said, "it doesn't matter. Soon, there will be no place for them to call home".
The Material World
Kentarosmon landed by the river, near where the DATS headquarters used to be.
"GODDAMNYOU! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE DORUMON!", Masaru yelled at him.
"I am sincerely sorry I was unable to bring him back. I couldn't risk losing all of you".
"Stand down, Masaru"
"Commander!", Yoshi called out. "I thought we lost you!".
"You almost did. I barely escaped that digital portal ahead of its collapse. But since it was so unstable, it dropped me into some other part of the Digital World. If Kentarosmon says he couldn't save Dorumon, then I have all the confidence in the world to believe he tried his best".
"Then Kentarosmon is...", Noguchi was saying.
He dedigivolved to Kudamon to prove his point.
"I didn't know you could reach Mega?", Gaomon said.
"I'm sorry for keeping it a secret for so long. We really should be getting back to our base", he said.
The Hidden Base
"You mean Kudamon is King Yggdrasil's spy?! How can we possibly trust him! Why bring him here?!"
"Calm down, Megumi", Miki told her after Kudamon revealed his true identity.
"Ten years ago", Kudamon explained, "King Yggdrasil sent me here to the Material World to assess whether the human race was a potential threat to the Digital World. Yes, I swore the same oath of loyalty as did every other Royal Knight. However, my conscience will not allow me to go along with Yggdrasil's plans. Especially not the planned destruction of the Material World. This is unacceptable".
"I don't understand", Masaru asked, "why is my father claiming to be King Yggdrasil? Why is he saying he wants to destroy the Material World?"
"I don't know", Kudamon said. "Yes, I was a Royal Knight, but that doesn't mean he ever saw fit to appear to me in any recognizable form. That's how Yggdrasil operates all the time: indirectly, through the Royal Knights. This is the first I've heard connecting Yggdrasil with Dr. Daimon".
"Masaru", Satsuma said, "I know you won't want to hear this, and it will be hard for you to accept, but he's not the man I knew as Dr. Daimon. When I was trying to find my way to you, we were granted an audience with the King. He told us much the same thing he told you. I reminded him that he would also be destroying your mother – his wife – and his daughter. I told him about how you were fighting to save both worlds. He said that was no concern of his. He refused to even hear our case for not destroying the Material World. Then he sent the both of us back.
"The man you knew as your father no longer exists. Dr. Daimon has become King Yggdrasil"
There was a crash. Chika dropped the teapot she was carrying.
"No! No! No! It can't be true... YOU'RE LYING!"
"I wish he was", Masaru conceded.
Masaru was sitting on a grass embankment by the river. Chika sat next to Sayuri higher up. For the longest time, they said nothing.
Masaru was remembering the last time he saw his father. It was the day he left on the expedition. Masaru ran after him, down the street: "Bye Dad!", he called out. "Come back soon!" Suguru waved back.
(He recalled the afternoon before. They were playing toss in the front yard. His father threw some slow pitches which Masaru caught easily with his baseball mitt.
"Fast ball!", Masaru called. "Gimme all you got!"
"Are you sure?", Suguru asked.
Sayuri was watching, holding an infant Chika. She nodded, "OK", she said.
"Are you ready?", Suguru asked.
"Ready!", Masaru agreed.
"Keep your eye on the ball... Here she comes"
He went through the motions of a fast ball wind-up. He threw the pitch, though not so hard as he could.
"Got it!", Masaru called out as he caught the ball.
"You did great!", his father congratulated, "an all star catch".
That was when he took off his dog tags, and draped the ball chain necklace around the four year old's neck.
"This means you're all grown up now, Masaru"
Masaru's eyes grew very large.
"Reeeealllly?"
"That's right. While I'm away, you're the man of the house, and it's your job to take care of your mother and baby sister until I return".)
"I can't believe my father would turn his back on our family like that. I mean, he has to have some sort of plan, right?", he asked in hopeful desperation.
"I was always looking forward to finally meeting Dad some day. I was too little to remember... What happened? Did you have a fight or something? Did he forget all about me? Doesn't he love us any more?"
"No, Chika, we didn't have a fight. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten and that he loves us. Regardless of what this is all about, somewhere inside is still the man I married".
"You remember when Dad left for the Digital World?", Masaru asked.
"Like it was yesterday. It was a day pretty much like this one, actually..."
"Except there wasn't a gigantic digigate over head".
"That's true", she agreed.
"Remember the game of catch? It took me several years to figure out he really didn't throw it as hard as he could".
"Nevertheless, he was so proud of you. He believed in you and now we have to believe in him. That's what family is all about: believing in each other no matter what".
Masaru was fingering the dog tags.
He dug his fingers into the grass.
"I want to believe in him too, so much it hurts... But after the way he looked at me..."
"I don't know who or what you met in the Digital World, but I do know this: I married Suguru Daimon and not some King Yggdrasil".
The Daimon Residence
"I have to go back", Masaru was explaining, "I have to see my father. I have to look for Dorumon".
"We'll come too", Thomas said.
"No, not this time".
"You can't handle the Royal Knights by yourself", Thomas objected.
"I have to do this alone, just me and my father. I'll make him remember".
"Masaru is right. Like when I talked with Merukimon, father and son, I always felt better", Noguchi said.
"Without your partner..."
"I still have Shadowkitsumon, and I'm sure I can rely on him".
"I'm coming too...", Chika announced.
"No you're not. It's too dangerous"
"Need I remind you, he's my father too. And Shadowkitsumon is my partner. If we both confront him together, he's more likely to remember who he is. Isn't that right?", Chika explained.
"Please come back", Sayuri said.
"You bet", Masaru agreed. "The next time you see me, I'll be with Dad!"
"Well, I can't stop you", Yoshi said. "Just use common sense out there".
"Good luck, Masaru", Thomas offered his hand. "We'll take care of your Mom until you get back safe".
"That goes for me too", Relena told him.
"Thanks Thomas, Yoshi"
"Are we ready?", Shadowkitsumon asked.
"Yeah"
"Stand clear for the take-off", he said.
Shadowkitsumon digivolve toooo …
… YOUKOMON!
Masaru climbed onto the kitsune's back, and offered Chika a hand. Masaru had her sit in front.
"Hold on", he warned as he began galloping down the street. A blast of foxfire like a rocket propelled them up towards the Digital World.
The Digital World
"You captured the Outworlder's partner?", Magnamon asked.
"I returned it to its rightful owner", Omegamon replied.
Dorumon was unconscious as he was briefly transformed back into pure data. Copies were being made. No longer needed, Dorumon dropped down a long dark vertical shaft.
Digieggs were forming from the copied data.