Standard Disclaimer: I am the very model of a modern Digimon author! I write many episodes, but there's little doubt that I won't finish! In ev'ry single episode, I say a stupid disclaimer! Even though everyone knows that I don't own Digimon!
Author's Notes: If I just mangled Gilbert and Sullivan, I apologize.
Er, anyhow…50th EPISODE! W00T!
To the reviews (of which there are almost thirty…)!
Digi fan: Read on, dear reader…
Anthony1: Well…my answer to your hypothesis will be answered in UKHoneyB's review.
Cloud-821: Well, Etemon was a villain for only eight episodes. Darkheart's going to be around for thirteen (as long as Devimon, even though he didn't actually show up until episode 8). As for the death of Elizabeth…that shall be answered in Past Journeys.
SPECULATION! WHERE! (looks around…then frowns…then turns around, finding Cloud to be gone) Ah crap. (And THAT is an RvB reference for you. If you have a good eye, you'll see another one later on. :P )
ficmaster: I've been thinking about that…Endgame was around 560000 words before it was taken off. Where will Zero 2 end?
SR71Will: Heh heh…speculate all you want about her. But let me tell you this; remember how Shaun was speaking of how Nega was created in episode 43? Remember how he said that he lost a loved one roughly 300 years before entering the Dark World, where Nega was brought into being? Connect the dots.
Speaking of dots…
Dot Cubed: Well…my answer (if you can call it that) to your confusion about Elizabeth Ishida will also be answered in UKHoneyB's review.
masamune: Me? Original? Surely you jest…I'm merely revising a season of a Japanese cartoon. :P
Ninetalesuk: Your partner just won't give up, will he? Fine then…he gives me no choice. Anubismon? Meet Yugi Mutou, who has a card known as 'Winged Dragon of Ra'. Enjoy getting your tush kicked.
UKHoneyB: No large review? (gasps) IT'S THE APOCALYPSE! X.X
I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the latter is not true. As for how the former is true…well, remember in Episode 38: The Future's Past? Remember how Shaun was telling the others of his last minutes before going back in time? Remember the three people who – more or less – came to wish him well? Remember the only girl that came?
What was her name?
(smiles) I'll let you, Anthony, and Dot Cubed speculate. For the true answer, you'll have to wait until Past Journeys…
Dark Qiviut, Jeremy, Qeiqka, and Darren: Hmm…well…this is…interesting.
I'm not sure whether to believe you're all associates of one guy (DQ), or just one guy typing in several names for fun. Oh well, who am I to complain? BUT…I must clear up some misunderstandings. But before I begin, I'm glad you liked how Episodes 21 and 22 made you so emotional.
First off, Yolei's treatment of Ken shortly after he stopped being the Emperor. Let's think about this logically; YOU – the reader – may know what Ken went through, but NO ONE else does. To Yolei, Ken was still the Emperor in her eyes because humans are not one to actually relinquish their past lives so quickly OR willingly. Come on, it's natural to distrust your former enemy…after all, he BIT her in the ear in episode 5. Think about it. Oh, and did you really have to call her a 'wench'? Seems a bit harsh, don't you think?
What makes you think Demon is the Dark Ocean Master? DRAGOMON is. Demon is the ruler of the land, ruling from Archfiend Castle. And what made you think Dragomon digivolved into Demon? They are MORTAL ENEMIES. And Dragomon's Dark Spore? DEMON put the Dark Spore into Darkheart, not Dragomon. Me thinks you're getting confuzzled a bit…and Silphymon was NOT absorbed by Darkheart.
And Ten Ancient Warriors? Que? O.o
As for the Gravemon, they are strong…but their strength does not merely come from their hosts. It comes because of their ability to continue on, no matter what happens…and they will fight like a wild animal against the ropes at all times…
Oh, and one more thing; Davis DOES know what Darkheart's been doing. And an interesting name…Dark Association…hmm. Interesting. Makes UmbraDevimon's group of villains sound like a business than an evil conglomerate of bad guys. :P
Also, technically the Outcast didn't say the Great Journey was false; he just said that the tides of fate were turning against the Hierarchs, and they couldn't stay idle for long. In a way, he was telling them 'Go on the Great Journey ASAP'. Or something like that. :P
Oh, and I wasn't THAT big of a fan of Digmon 02: Endgame; I just keep mentioning it because it was the very definition of an epic for the Digimon section of FFnet. But I'm not really a petition person. Even so, I've heard that Psycho G (Endgame's author) is actually working on Endgame and revising it so that it won't get kicked off for the script format thingy.
Oh, and since you're all 'associates'…you ALL get booted off the cliff! (boots Dark Qiviut and his associates off the cliff eighteen times) Bwa ha ha ha ha…
Silver Warrior: Uh…you reviewed more than once last time. O.o As for your question about Elizabeth, look at my answer to UKHoneyB.
Bluesv20: Welcome to Zero 2 BSV20! To answer your question, no; Ken will not get a digiegg.
Rikui: Ooh! Thank you. :D
Begin the 50th Episode!
-
Darkheart has crossed the fourth threshold.
He seeks to reach the highest echelon of power…
That echelon is the sixth threshold…
And to reach it, he must first cross the fifth…
-
"Hello everyone, it's your lovable villain-at-large: Darkheart. As you can tell by my deeper and huskier voice, I've crossed the fourth threshold; I am now in my Dark Dragon mode. And whom do I have to thank? Why, none other than Tai, Sora, and Garudamon! Heh heh heh…can't wait to absorb more…I'll become the strongest in no time…"
-
Episode 50: The Fifth Threshold
-
/11-110-CHI, 9:02 PM/
Magnificent.
Such power that coursed through his veins…it was almost beyond comprehension. It wanted to escape…it wanted to be used. To be wielded.
Darkheart – now a tremendous dragon – smiled as his muscles bulged. It was going to be a pleasure using his great might…and he could scarcely imagine what would happen once he reached his highest level of power…
But then again, as he changed levels, his tolerance for power increased. Had he possessed the power he wielded now whilst in his first form, he wouldn't be surprised if he had exploded. As his body changed, so did his tolerance for power.
Even so, he still couldn't wait…
Darkheart, nevertheless, consigned himself to wait. As much as he detested the idea, he felt like taking a little nap of sorts. The night sky was completely black, and his body was covered by a cloudbank that obscured him from view. He hovered in midair in silence, his blood-red eyes staring down at the plateau in silence.
He could barely suppress the glee that he felt. The Digidestined were going to be in for one RUDE awakening.
-
/Dome of the Gravemon, Odaiba, 9:04 PM/
The massive dome that had been formed by the Mind's tentacles had been up for the better part of two-and-a-half hours. Even though there were large spaces between the tentacles (some as large as fifty meters), the barrier that had been erected by the Mind's mental powers prevented anyone within from escaping…and it kept all others out.
Even so, the barrier was completely translucent…and one could see inside.
And inside, the mother of all battles was being waged.
Since this battle is far too large in scale to detail every single happening, we will simply look at a few scenes from this horrific struggle of life or death.
Demon lashed out with his two arms, which extended outward as he became a massive windmill that slashed through any that came close to him. Of course, due to the relative lack of space within the dome, every single Digimon had – at maximum – a space of twenty feet to fight in. And when you consider the fact that most of these Digimon are taller than buildings, that's saying a lot. As a result, Demon tore down quite a few enemy Digimon.
An infected Tyrannomon snarled as it stampeded toward a possessed Metalgreymon. The Metalgreymon – under the control of a Bakemon – quickly fired his Metal Claw at the Gravemon. The infected Tyrannomon, with unnatural quickness, quickly sidestepped to avoid the Metal Claw. With a ferocious snarl the Warrior Gravemon jumped into the air and landed against the possessed Metalgreymon, knocking him off balance. The moment that the Metalgreymon fell to the ground – back first – the infected Tyrannomon howled and immediately leapt onto the possessed Digimon, tearing into his neck with its teeth. Even though the teeth seemed brown and rotting, they were still extremely sharp…and the infected Tyrannomon used them to tear through the fragile flesh of Metalgreymon. The Bakemon that had possessed the Metalgreymon quickly abandoned his host in favor of survival. The infected Tyrannomon roared as it tore more flesh away from the Metalgreymon's neck before moving on to its next target. But before the Metalgreymon could even go through deletion, a Spore hopped onto his immobile body and bored into the bloody tissue of his neck. Moments later, the Metalgreymon burst into particles and reformed into an infected Metalgreymon.
Twelve possessed Gazimon stood together in a tight circle, their backs to each other. Surrounding them were four-dozen Spores. The Spores all charged at once, and the possessed Gazimon retaliated by throwing numerous orbs of static electricity at the Spores. Even though a good number were popped, the Spores were upon them in moments. And then, before the Spores could reach the twelve Gazimon, the Bakemon that possessed them immediately abandoned their hosts and flew away from the small skirmish, yelling, "NOW!" In response to their shout, a Megadramon high above them immediately fired a Dark Side Attack. Two missiles erupted from the flying Ultimate's cybernetic hands and crashed in the midst of the Spores popping them all immediately. Of course, the Gazimon were destroyed, but the twelve Bakemon didn't care; they would just inhabit new bodies.
One Saberdramon – under the influence of a Black Gear – roared as it charged toward an infected Airdramon. The Airdramon's skin was sickly and rotting, and its wings were full of holes. The Saberdramon snarled as it rushed forward and used its talons to rip through the body of the Airdramon, letting its bisected body fall to the ground before dissipating into particles. The one side effect of being infected by the Gravemon was the fact that the body was completely broken darn in terms of overall durability. Even though the body's internal composition was still strong, it was easy to tear through the outer shell. That was the one weakness of the Gravemon…but their massive numbers more than made up for it. As for the Saberdramon, it immediately charged for the Mind itself.
"Arrogant one. You so eagerly surrender yourself to death…very well. You shall have your wish granted." With that said, the Mind opened its maw and inhaled the Saberdramon. After several seconds, the Mind regurgitated the Saberdramon…and the Saberdramon had become a Gravemon Warrior. With a pale shriek, the infected Saberdramon flew on to battle to fight alongside its fellow Gravemon.
It was truly a free-for-all fight; with so many Digimon fighting at once, one would be hard-pressed to differentiate between the three different sides (with the exception of the Gravemon…I mean, seriously.). Even so, it was as deadly a fight as any.
"GENOCIDE MISSILE!"
KABOOM!
As evidenced by a pair of Gigadramon's missiles that just destroyed a building.
Anyhow, we now turn our attention to UmbraDevimon. For you see, the mighty Mega Digimon was trying to break out of the Gravemon Dome.
UmbraDevimon was no fool…but when it came to matters concerning Digimon that were his rivals or posed a threat, his pride would sometimes get in the way of logical thought. Such was what had happened when Demon had considered him less of a challenge than the Gravemon.
But oddly enough, in the heat of a frenetic battle, UmbraDevimon had regained his common sense. In all honesty, the Gravemon WERE a more dangerous foe than he was. Their tenacity was unrivaled, and – when the Mind truly wanted something accomplished – they could outmaneuver you in a heartbeat.
That was why UmbraDevimon wanted to escape now. He still had a naval force fighting in the bay. If he could escape, then he would let all of the Digimon in the Gravemon Dome fight until none remained (in all likelihood, the Gravemon would still win, although their numbers would be greatly reduced). In the meantime, he would crush all opposition on the outside, and then he would quickly return to the Digital World to amass another invasion army; after all, his Dark Obelisks continued to spew out Black Gears, and his Black Gears had been seeking out more victims. He would return with another army…and once he neutralized any remaining enemies in the Real World, he would make Archfiend Castle his own using the Black Gears. Then, the territory it corrupted would empower HIM. Conquest would immediately follow.
All he had to do was break out.
That was why UmbraDevimon was pounding against the barrier with all of his might. That was why five Metalgarurumon and twenty Devidramon under his control were watching his back.
"DARK VIPER!"
The blast of dark energy that UmbraDevimon spewed from his mouth did nothing. Scowling, the hybrid Digimon began coalescing dark violet energy into his two horns.
"APOCALYPTIC VIPER!"
The two bolts of dark violet energy collided into the energy barrier, dissipating into nothingness. The tentacles that formed the dome quivered a bit, but nothing else. UmbraDevimon scowled. "Fine then…I'll resort to EXTREME measures…" Without hesitation, UmbraDevimon stretched his four arms out as dark orbs crackling with red electricity formed in his palms. Once they grew the size of his head, he growled, "DOOMSDAY…"
Demon suddenly frowned at the utterance of that word. He tilted his head back to see UmbraDevimon…and the moment he saw the four orbs, he paled. "That fool!" Without even bothering to telepathically give out the order, Demon roared, "ALL FORCES, DEFENSIVE MANUEVERS! TO THE GROUND!"
His voice reached the ears of all members of the Demon Corps. LadyDevimon immediately yelled, "You heard Lord Demon! GET ON THE GROUND!"
As the Demon Corps immediately hit the ground, UmbraDevimon smashed his orbs together and onto the barrier. "…VIPER!"
A tremendous shockwave of white energy erupted from the four smashed orbs, washing over the inside of the Gravemon Dome with a tremendous ferocity. Demon clutched onto the ground as the energy wave washed over him and his Demon Corps. The Mind gurgled as it assembled an energy barrier around itself, using its mental powers to do so.
-
/Sphere Observation Deck, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 9:15 PM/
The arrival of the Gravemon Dome had aroused the interest of those on the Sphere Observation Deck. Since the battle had become localized into two spots – the bay and the dome (with the exception of the relatively small numbers of Gravemon that scoured the city), the battle had actually turned into something that could be watched without worrying. After all, the risk of danger to humans had become increasingly minimized.
Then, the where was that bright flash of light from within the dome itself. Everyone shielded their eyes from the flash before it subsided moments later.
Jun, Jim, and Natsuko quietly stared at the dome quietly. What had just happened in there?
"Good lord…what in God's name is going on in there?" asked Dietz out of bewilderment.
"Whatever it is, be glad that it isn't out here," muttered Inspector Macarthur.
Natsuko sighed as she stared at the dome, barely making out a small hole that had been blown open in the translucent barrier. Oddly enough, she found herself thinking about Hiroaki. "…"
"You okay Mrs. Takaishi?" asked Jim out of the blue.
Natsuko gave the boy a weak smile. "Oh…I'm just thinking about someone…I just hope no one we know is actually in there."
"No kidding," replied Jun as she stared quietly at the Gravemon Dome. She couldn't imagine being stuck inside there…with all of those Digimon.
-
/Dome of the Gravemon, Odaiba, 9:18 PM/
Demon grumbled as he got to his feet and looked around; most of the buildings that were in the dome had been completely leveled by the Doomsday Viper attack. Most of his forces had survived the attack, whilst UmbraDevimon's tremendous force had nearly been cut in half. The demonic Mega growled. "That fool…is he trying to destroy his own army?"
He glanced around to find UmbraDevimon…and, to his eternal shock, saw his devilish opponent stepping out through a small hole in the Mind's barrier. No…it can't be! How could he have broken a way through the barrier!
You see, the Mind had been forced to use part of its mental power that it had been using to erect the barrier to protect itself from the Doomsday Viper. Otherwise, UmbraDevimon would not have been able to break through.
But he had.
And Demon immediately flew towards the hole. "Oh no you don't!"
The Mind quickly concentrated once more.
And thus did Demon slam into the barrier. The Mega yelped as he crashed into the barrier. With an angry growl, Demon glared at UmbraDevimon, who stared at him with a malevolent smile.
Then, UmbraDevimon spoke, his voice coming through the barrier. "Ha ha ha…and you considered me second fiddle to the Gravemon. I told you it was a big mistake."
"And you are retreating from battle, you coward," said Demon, venom dripping from his voice.
UmbraDevimon smirked at his demonic rival. "Maybe. At least I'm a smart coward." And thus did UmbraDevimon walk away from the Gravemon Dome.
Demon angrily pounded the barrier; UmbraDevimon was free.
Now he had no choice…he had to confront and destroy the Mind if he were to get out of here.
Demon snarled as he turned around to glare at the Mind. The Mind seemed to know what Demon was thinking; after all, it immediately said, "You seek to destroy me? Fool…we shall infect your corpse."
"WE SHALL SEE." And with that, Demon extended his palms. "Chaos Inferno!"
-
Meanwhile…
One of the few buildings that still stood inside the Gravemon Dome was a bank.
And in the basement of that bank were humans, using it as a protective shelter (after all, earthquakes were common in Tokyo, and this building had been built with earthquakes in mind) against the Digimon outside.
Two of the few dozen bank employees were familiar figures; the brown-haired man that was Hiroto Motomiya, and the creamy orange-haired woman that was Anzu Motomiya.
Yes; this was the bank that both of the Motomiya parents worked at. And right now, they were hiding along with their fellow employees.
Anzu shuddered as sounds of battle echoed through the ventilation pipes in the ceiling. "Man…I hate this."
Hiroto nodded heartily. "You and me both." The male Motomiya angrily kicked the wall beside him; he, his wife, and their fellow employees had been cramped up in this basement for the better part of the day with limited food and water. He was irate, he was tired of the battles constantly taking place outside, and the freaking irritating sound of water dripping from a leaky pipe. Oh, for crying out loud, shouldn't they have FIXED THAT BY NOW!
"I'm worried…"
Hiroto paused his session of mental anger to look at his wife. Anzu continued on, "If things are this bad here…what about our son? Judging by what that Gennai person said, things are far worse for him…"
Hiroto grimaced as he thought about it. "Man, now I've got another reason to be upset. Thanks a lot honey."
Anzu giggled at her husband's remark. "You're welcome."
Thump.
Everyone suddenly froze; what had been that sound?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
All of the bank employees got to their feet. One of them fearfully pointed a hand at the door that led upstairs and squealed, "It's coming from the door!"
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Then, with a terrifying crash, the metal door was broken down. Several dozen Spores immediately poured into the room, their unearthly chitter echoing through the basement.
The employees screamed with shock. Anzu backed away out of shock. "Wha-wha-wha-what…what are those things!"
"AAAAH!"
Anzu froze at that sound: the sound of her husband. She whirled around…and saw one of those putrid Spores boring into his chest. It had broken out of the same leaky water pipe that Hiroto had been complaining about…and more were coming.
Anzu stared in shock as her husband gagged; the creature continued to dig into his chest, using a sharp tentacle to tap into his spinal cord.
Hiroto howled one last time before he burst into particles. Anzu screamed, "NO! HIROTO!"
The particles immediately converged on each other once more…and the sight that now greeted Anzu nearly made her faint out of sheer fright.
Her husband's skin was now a sickly white in color, with a green tint here and there. Sharp, bony tentacles protruded from his right wrist, and several sensory appendages protruded from his hand and chest. His black business suit, which had once been well pressed and wrinkle-free, was torn and in tatters. His brown hair was mostly gone save for a few clumps, and his eyes were completely gone. However, the most horrifying thing to her was that all of the skin and tissue from the bottom of his rib cage down to his hips was gone; it was as if his stomach and skin had been completely erased. All that was left in that area was the spine and the spinal cord.
Anzu stared at the infected Hiroto out of utter fear. "Hi…Hi…Hiroto?"
At that moment, a Spore landed on her back and jabbed her spinal cord with its penetration tentacle.
Her scream joined the screams of the other employees, who had been utterly helpless against the onslaught of the Gravemon Spores.
-
/11-110-CHI, 9:28 PM/
Darkheart suddenly grumbled; a strange, tingly feeling arose in the pit of his heart. Gah…blasted kid. If he's trying to tick me off, I swear I'm going to rip his heart out…
With an angry snarl, Darkheart tried to sleep in midair.
-
/Realm of the Entrapped Souls, 9:30 PM/
Sora suddenly opened her eyes. "Huh…what the…?"
"Hey, the last one woke up!"
Sora turned her head to see Matt on the opposite wall; he had been the one to speak. "Now it's a regular Digidestined reunion. Wish we could've booked a more luxurious spot though…"
Joe couldn't help but sigh. "Gee Matt, you sure know how to make light of a situation like this."
"Yeah Joe! Now tell him to lay off the jokes; I'M the joke master here!" exclaimed Gomamon. Joe sweatdropped in response. "Uh…sure…"
Sora looked around confusedly; to her right was Garudamon, her body wrapped in black tendrils. To her left were Tai, Dinobeemon, Omnimon, and the Shadow Mallet. On the opposite wall were Mimi, Matt, Joe, Izzy, Lilymon, Gomamon, and Tentomon. "Huh? Where are we?"
"Like I've said before, I think we're inside Darkheart," replied Izzy, who was clearly getting a bit tired saying the same thing to every person that arrived.
"And like Matt said, this place isn't exactly four-star. Do you know how hard it is to sleep like this!" yelled Tentomon.
Sora blinked out of confusion. "…huh?"
"It's okay Sora," said Garudamon; due to her massive form, the column of fleshy tendrils that held her was rather large. "I don't quite understand any of this either…"
"…mmrm…"
Everyone suddenly paused; they turned their heads towards Davis – who had fully healed ever since Darkheart's last torture session – who was silently twitching in his sleep.
Sora suddenly realized who she was looking at. "Wait! Davis!"
"Don't try talking to him Sora. He won't talk," said Mimi out of the blue. Then, she huffily added, "It's rather rude too; and you'd think that he would want to talk!"
"Pardon me for saying, but I don't think he can HEAR us, much less respond to us," commented Dinobeemon.
"What he said," added Omnimon.
Suddenly, a strange aura filled the room…and an image suddenly came into being. It was that of a soccer game between the Odaiba Overlords and the Tamachi Titans…it was late in the fourth quarter, and the score was 11 to 4 in favor of the Titans.
Tai blinked. "Hey, I remember this…this was that soccer game where Davis and the Overlords hosted Ken and the Titans. Why are we seeing this?"
"Must be an image that Davis' subconscious is conjuring up," replied Izzy.
"Layman's terms?" asked Lilymon.
"…he's dreaming," tiredly answered Izzy.
Tai frowned as he watched Ken prepare to kick the ball to a winger. "Why'd he want to dream about this though? It's about to get real unpleasant…"
Sure enough, Davis leapt into the air to try and block the kick…but unlike real life, the ball stopped in midair…and so did Davis.
"Huh!" yelled everyone out of shock.
All of a sudden, the image seemed to pan around as Davis slowly positioned himself in midair…and then, with a blazing fast kick, he launched the ball into the Titans' goal before landing deftly on his feet.
Tai blinked. "What the! How the!"
"Remember Tai, this is a DREAM. Davis can do anything he wants!" explained Matt.
As Davis stood up – and the Overlords' score went to 5 – he pulled out a pair of shades from his shorts' pocket and put them on his face. Moments later, an electrical green aura surrounded the rest of his fellow teammates…and when they faded, all of them looked like Davis, shades included.
Mimi blinked out of surprise. "Wow. Didn't know Davis saw the Matrix…"
Within the last few minutes of the game, Davis (Agent Davis. :P ) and his clones completely overwhelmed Ken and the Titans. When the final whistle was blown, the score was 17 to 11: victory for the Overlords.
Tai couldn't help but laugh. "Heh…a team full of nothing but Davis. Imagine an entire team of me!"
"More than one Tai? Heaven forbid!" cracked Gomamon.
Matt laughed heartily at that. "For once Gomamon, that was a good joke."
"Thanks!" said a beaming Gomamon. All of a sudden, he realized Matt's words…and frowned out of indignation. "Hey, wait a minute!"
The image changed…and now it was nighttime, and Davis – wearing the clothing of a medieval prince – was scaling up a tower using a ladder.
"Didn't know he knew Romeo and Juliet either," commented Mimi.
"I don't think he knows much OF it," said Joe. "I still remember the school schedule from my days at Odaiba Middle School, and we didn't actually learn about Shakespeare until high school. I think he knows ABOUT it though."
'Prince' Davis reached the tower's balcony, yelling, "Kari! It's time for our date!"
"…yep. He's only heard about it," quipped Izzy, wincing at Davis' unintentional mangling of Romeo and Juliet's script.
Prince Davis blinked; Kari wasn't there. "Hey, where'd she go?" His eyes looked around in confusion…and he paled at the sight he saw in the distant sky.
Flying away on the wing of a Boeing 747 was Kari, wearing the clothing of a princess…and she was being held by a knight in shining armor: TK. Prince Davis' mouth dropped. "HEY! THAT'S MY GIRL!"
"Huh…I think this is an older dream," commented Matt. "Judging from how things were going, TK and Davis were pretty good buds before this whole Darkheart mess."
"Wait a minute…DAVIS HAS BEEN DREAMING ABOUT KARI!" yelled Tai, threatening to slip into one of his protective brother modes again.
Sora couldn't help but sweatdrop. "Tai…Davis has a crush on Kari. Of course he's been dreaming about her!"
Suddenly, Prince Davis yelled into the sky. "KARI! COME BACK TO ME!" He suddenly reached behind his back and pulled out…a blueberry muffin. "I BAKED YOU A MUFFIN!"
Everyone sweatdropped. They also would have facefaulted if the fleshy tendrils didn't tie them down. Lilymon suddenly said, "Now, I'm not knowledgeable about human dating practices…but I don't think muffins are a usual gift."
"Well, muffins are…well, unorthodox, to say the least," replied Izzy.
"Hey, it's the thought that counts, right?" suggested Dinobeemon.
The image changed again…and it was dark. Only two figures could be seen. Tai suddenly blinked. "Hey, those are Davis' parents."
Although no one noticed, this new image came with one more thing; Davis – the real Davis, the one who was trapped in the black tendrils – started squirming. The dream was switching to a nightmare.
Anzu and Hiroto Motomiya smiled…but they suddenly looked shocked and frightened as two strange, rotting pods fell upon them…and then they were submerged by darkness. When the darkness cleared, they had become the most horrible looking things the Digidestined had ever seen.
They shrieked a horrific howl that caused the Digidestined to wince…but the scream that emerged from Davis infinitely outdid it.
"AAAGGGH! NO! DON'T GET NEAR…LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
Davis suddenly sagged, and the image disappeared. It was a few seconds before Sora fearfully said, "What…what was that all about…?"
Suddenly, an enraged voice pierced the air. 'Oh, for the love of God, you just can't shut up, CAN YOU!'
A flash of light.
Now Darkheart was standing in their midst. He was human-sized now – as his Dark Dragon mode was too large to fit in there – and his tail had split off into two muscular legs, allowing him to walk towards Davis.
One thing was evident from his stride and the look in his blood-red eyes; he was ANGRY.
Omnimon muttered, "Oh no…don't tell me he's doing it again."
"Doing what?" asked Sora.
"Tai! Sora! Please don't look!" screamed Mimi.
That only made them look.
-
Davis was barely aware of Darkheart's draconic fist clutching his chin and lifting his head. The Dark Dragon mode of Darkheart glared angrily at Davis. "You know, for once, I'm trying to get some shut-eye…but you just had to scream and wake me up, didn't you?"
Davis didn't answer.
Darkheart snarled at Davis. "Ah…NOW you want to be a smart aleck? Fine then…don't say you didn't have this coming."
He reared his right fist and plunged it into Davis' chest.
Davis' eyes bulged at the sudden tightness that gripped his chest…and to his horror, Darkheart ripped his very heart out. Of course, it was only superficial – he was only a representation of the untainted portion of Davis' soul – but the pain was still real.
Darkheart smirked as he swallowed the heart in one gulp. "Mmm. Tasty. Nice late night snack." With that done, Darkheart turned around. "Make one more peep, and I'll rip your eyes out."
In a flash of light, Darkheart was gone. Davis only remained there…limping and unmoving.
As for the others…
Sora couldn't help but cry at the sudden scene of cruelty she had just seen. "Oh…my…how…how could he…?"
Tai could only scowl in response; nothing could describe the terrible rage he now wanted to unleash against Darkheart.
Suddenly, Matt answered Sora's question. "Simple. He's a monster."
And he meant it in the truest sense of the word.
-
/11-110-CHI, 9:50 PM/
Kari couldn't help but yawn from her hiding spot; she had been watching Shaun from the end of the pathway, which was marked by two trees. She had been watching Shaun from this spot for the better part of almost two hours, and – after his little outburst – he had done nothing but sit there in front of the grave.
Kari sighed as she closed her eyes for a moment to think. Who was in that grave…? It had to be someone Shaun had cared deeply for, concerning how upset and angry he had been…but who? It couldn't have been a Digimon, because they didn't leave a body after they died. They were simply deleted and reformatted before being reborn. Unless Shaun did it in honor of the Digimon, even though there had been no body…but still, something about it didn't seem right to Kari. He seemed to be far too upset for a Digimon friend…then who? Who could it be? It couldn't have been a human…could it?
"Hello Kari."
"WAAAH!" yelped Kari out of surprise, her eyes opening to see Shaun standing right in front of her. The Child of Wisdom had walked away from the grave and stopped in front of Kari the moment her eyes closed. Kari sputtered, "Oh…h-hi Shaun."
Shaun couldn't help but chuckle at the Child of Light. "So…I guess this is what it feels like to have a stalker," cracked Shaun, obviously attempting to lighten up the mood.
Kari saw right past it. "Shaun…who's in that grave?"
Shaun immediately frowned before subconsciously flexing his right fist. "No one you know."
Kari looked at Shaun with an offended look in her eyes. "Hey…you don't have to be rude about it. I just asked who was in that grave."
"Please Kari…just don't ask," replied Shaun as he looked at her with a cross look in his eyes. "Let's head back to the camp…we all need to get some shut-eye."
As Shaun walked down the path, Kari looked back at the grave in silence. She began to take one step towards the grave…and paused.
No…I shouldn't. Shaun cared about whoever was in that grave…and he didn't want anyone else to look. She had no right to intrude, despite her curiosity. Sighing, Kari turned around and followed Shaun down the pathway.
-
Futa glanced up to see Shaun and Kari Kamiya walking back into the valley. Shaun looked dour – and a little sad – while Kari just looked plain tired.
The Elitemon remained silent as Shaun advanced toward him; he was sitting beside his Shadow. Ken and Hawkmon had fallen asleep beside Yolei, whilst TK and Patamon were sawing logs beside a small tree. Cody was leaning on Armadillomon; both of them were catching some 'Zs'. Gatomon was curled up and slumbering amongst a patch of glowing rainbow flowers, where Kari joined her moments later. (Agumon) was still sleeping inside the Shadow's right prong…and even Paildramon had surrendered himself to sleep, his body laying on the Shadow's left prong.
Only Futa and Shaun were still awake.
Shaun sat down in front of Futa Ishisamee and asked, "So…who's your partner?"
"…you want an answer?" said Futa with a serious tone. "I was once a member of the Forbidden City's spy agency; I know that you've been around for about 5765 years…although the circumstances surrounding your sudden appearance in the Digital World did cause some confusion among the upper ranks of our intelligence community. So I'll answer your question with a question; how did you arrive in the Digital World?"
Shaun blinked once out of surprise…and then he chuckled. "Touché. Alright then, let me rephrase my question: how long have you been the partner of a Digidestined?"
"Almost thirty years in Real World time," replied Futa. "After all, my partner was part of the original group."
Shaun's eyes widened out of astonishment; his knowledge on the original Digidestined was jack-squat…probably because he had never seen or heard any information about them. Then again, Gennai HAD prevented him from seeing some of the oldest records in his many years of staying with him…so it wasn't really that surprising. "Wow…a pleasure to meet you then."
"The pleasure is mine," replied Futa with a smile. "Sure, I've experienced deletion a few times…and it was an absolute pain working all the way up to Mega level again after rebirth."
Shaun nodded; unlike normal Digimon, Digimon in the Forbidden City only ascended in level when their rank in the military increased. To do that, they had to go through relentless training sessions and countless military exercises. "Man. Sounds like a pain."
"It is," replied Futa with a groan. Sighing, the Elitemon glanced at Shaun. "You need rest. Join your comrades in slumber."
"Nah, I've gone without sleep before. Besides, you look like you could use some company on the night watch," offered Shaun.
"Tempting. But no…even if you have developed your mind and body to a level higher than most humans, you still need rest. I am a Digimon…and an Elitemon, no less. We can stay up for three whole days without rest if need be…and if you tried the same, you would be in shambles. I will handle the night watch."
Shaun grumbled. "Fine then…with a grumble, Shaun walked over to the right prong and hopped in, taking the seat right next to (Agumon).
And thus, did Futa Ishisamee keep watch over the remaining Digidestined over the rest of the night.
-
/Sphere Observation Deck, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, Tuesday, October 26th, 5:32 AM/
Several policemen and policewomen were using the floor of the deck as their bed. Jun and Jim were slumbering beside each other, their backs leaning a large glass window. As for Natsuko, she had gone to one of the official designated sleeping areas that had been set up by Inspector Macarthur downstairs. They had all been sleeping in relative (if slightly uncomfortable) peace…
"AHHH!"
Jim sat up like a shot at Jun's startled shout. He had actually been having a somewhat enjoyable sleep (which was saying something considering how bad things were going in the Real World). He quickly looked over at Jun, who was perspiring on the forehead. The elder Kido child quickly embraced and soothingly said, "Ssssshhh…it's okay. You're safe…"
"It's not me," muttered Jun, her voice fearful and panicked. "It was my parents…I had this horrible nightmare…they were turned into Digimon…evil and horrific Digimon…they looked so pained…"
Jim remained silent as he quickly processed the information he had just gleaned. For disaster victims – and this invasion of Digimon was a disaster in the truest sense of the word – it was common for them to think about relatives some time after they had gotten to safety. And, to be honest, Jim was in the same boat as her; even though his dad acted like a big jerk and a control-freak (at least when it came to their futures) at times, Joshua Kido was still his dad.
I hope he's okay…Jim just sat there in silence as he held Jun in a quiet embrace. "I can't make any promises…but all I can offer you is consolation." There was no use in sugarcoating anything…if he did, it would lead to false hope. And if the worst turned out to be true, then false hope was a very dangerous thing to possess; it could lead to an emotional and mental breakdown of epic proportions.
As Jun slowly let her fears eke away, a familiar Junsa-cho was sleeping in the corner of the room…that is, until a female Junsa-cho walked up and nudged him in the ribs.
The male Junsa-cho – Dietz – grumbled as he opened one eye. "Ilene? Why the heck did you wake me up…I need the sleep."
Ilene looked down at him…with relief. "The Inspector's gotten word from the outside. A whole fleet of American ships are resting outside of Tokyo Bay…once that typhoon of fire goes away, we'll have American naval and aerial support busting in and backing us up."
Yes; the American fleet had finally arrived at Japan. Two carriers, six destroyers, and four cruisers, as well as the Shreveport, which carried the Marine Force Reconnassaince Units. The carriers were filled with F-16 fighters and H-92 SUPERHAWK helicopters; it was truly a fighting force to be reckoned with…of course, it would be useless until Demon's barrier of hellfire was extinguished.
"Whoopty-doo…remind me when I'm fully awake. Too tired to cheer." And with that, Dietz went back to sleep.
And all the while, the battle inside the Gravemon Dome continued on. The fighting outside in Tokyo Bay had slowed down with the advent of night – even though it was still as bright as day – but once UmbraDevimon stepped into aide his troops…things would take a turn for the worse for the Demon Corps.
-
/11-110-CHI, 5:35 AM/
Futa cursed; his eyes were drooping.
The sun was slowly beginning to rise, its top edge nothing more than a slim line on the horizon. Soon, they would have to be on the move…but even so, Futa wondered why Darkheart had not attacked yet. Was it possible that he too had fallen asleep?
Then again, he shouldn't be surprised…at heart, Darkheart still had the soul of a human…and humans needed sleep.
And so did he; his worry for his partner's well-being was affecting his ability to stay awake.
Futa yawned once more…a little shut-eye…wouldn't…hurt…
He silently dozed off.
Moments later, an earth-shattering roar awakened them all.
"BLOODY INFERNO!"
Everyone woke up with a startle as bloodstained fire erupted from above, surrounding the valley in a ring of fire. Gatomon leapt to her feet, her fur standing on edge. "What the! Where did it come from!"
Paildramon immediately looked upward and paled as a dragon emerged from the sky. "UP THERE!"
The massive dragon flapped its wings once before coming to a stop in the air; the dragon's tremendous body hovered in midair, a feral grin on his face. "Hello Digidestined…you may know me as Darkheart, but I've gotten a new set of clothes. This is my fourth level: Dark Dragon mode."
Kari froze; every time Darkheart ascended in power, the dark chill that emanated from him grew and grew. She dreaded to see Darkheart at his highest level of power.
Yolei grumbled as she glared at Darkheart. "Don't you have anything better to do than tormenting us!"
"Nope." With a flashy grin, the cybernetic parts on his arms began glowing white. "Go ahead and digivolve your partners…I'm eager to begin our little soirée."
The Digidestined really didn't have much choice; it was either fight or fall. They had no choice. As Shaun hopped out of the Shadow's right prong, everyone pulled out their D-3s.
Gatomon digivolve to……Angewomon!
Hawkmon digivolve to……Aquilamon!
Aquilamon digivolve to……Silphymon!
Armadillomon digivolve to……Ankylomon!
Ankylomon digivolve to……Stegomon!
(Agumon) warp-digivolve to……(Wargreymon!)
Patamon digivolve to……Angemon!
Angemon digivolve to……MagnaAngemon!
MagnaAngemon…Stegomon…DNA Digivolve to……MetalAngemon!
Before Angewomon could jump into the sky, a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked around to see Paildramon…and he had a strange look in his eye.
Angewomon immediately protested, "No. OH no. We are NOT DNA Digivolving again!"
"And who stands more of a chance against Darkheart?" asked Paildramon.
Angewomon groaned out of submission. "Fine…but the instant we're out of Darkheart's sight, we split apart again!"
"Deal," muttered Paildramon. Moments later, he was bathed in a golden light, and Angewomon was bathed in a white light.
Paildramon…Angewomon…DNA Digivolve to……Aetherdramon!
Once the digivolution process was complete, Shaun and TK pocketed their D-3s before roaring, "Holy Armor Energize!" In respective flashes of blue and bronze light, Shaun and TK were donned in the Armor of Wisdom and the Armor of Hope.
Darkheart smiled as he stared at the group of one Ultimate, three Megas, and two energized humans that stood before him. "Good…now that you've all digivolved, your partners are expendable." Before the Digimon could even begin to wonder what that meant, Darkheart aimed his palms at the ground. "Magna Dragoon Ray!" The cybernetic components on his arms stopped glowing white, and black rays shaped like dragon heads erupted from his palms, crashing into the ground below.
Debris and rock was sent flying as the ground cracked…and one of the Digidestined was sent into the air as a result.
Cody.
The Child of Humility screamed as he tumbled head over heels…and before he knew it, Darkheart rushed at him. The dragon roared, "Since my mouth is big enough, now I can absorb you the old-fashioned way!"
Cody fell into Darkheart's maw…and with a ferocious snap, he shut his mouth.
Everyone gasped as Darkheart chewed a few times; even now, they could hear the gnashing of bones against teeth. Moments later, Darkheart swallowed. "Heh…tastier way to absorb them." He glanced down at the Digidestined before continuing. "Oh, he's still alive…it's just that it hurts a lot more this time around."
Yolei felt the blood rush to her face as an irrational burst of anger erupted within her. "You…HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY FRIEND! SILPHYMON, GET HIM!"
Silphymon immediately charged up toward Darkheart. "Sonic Force!" A blue aura tinged Silphymon as he charged past Darkheart, trying to rip open his skin.
No such luck. Darkheart chuckled. "You really think my scales could be pierced like that? You're almost a waste…but power is power!" With speed that seemed unfitting for such a large beast, Darkheart whirled around and snapped down on Silphymon. After a few chews, he swallowed Silphymon on the spot.
"SILPHYMON!" shrieked Yolei. The stress of seeing two friends be EATEN (both literally AND figuratively) in a span of ten seconds caused Yolei to do one thing: faint. Ken caught her before she fell to the ground.
"Man, this isn't good!" yelled TK as his wings twitched tentatively.
Shaun couldn't help but agree; Darkheart wasn't wasting any time now. He wanted to get to his next level, and he wanted to get there NOW. They had to try and do SOMETHING…but what? He was too powerful for ANY of them to stop.
"Golden Seeker!"
Aetherdramon suddenly aimed his gauntlets at Darkheart; out of the slot in the front of his two gauntlets came numerous golden energy discs…and all thirty of them began encircling Darkheart in random patterns. As they passed, they shot an energy bolt at Darkheart.
The Dark Dragon grumbled as he swatted at the discs. "Lousy…get away!"
"Well? What're you waiting for!" demanded Aetherdramon. "He's distracted; attack him!"
Everyone took this as the signal to attack.
Shaun aimed his palms at Darkheart and yelled, "Blue Dash!" Numerous rays of blue supersonic energy slammed into Darkheart.
TK flared his wings and yelled, "Star Shower!" A number of energy stars emerged from his wings with each flap, and they all pelted Darkheart.
(Wargreymon) quickly formulated an orb of orange energy in his hands. " Terra Force!" The orb of orange energy slammed into Darkheart with unmerciful force.
As for Futa Ishisamee, he was now piloting the Shadow…and he quickly turned on the automatic plasma turrets. The plasma turrets on the front tips of the prongs opened fire with a barrage of magenta-colored plasma.
Even so, the dragon regarded the attacks as little more than an annoyance. "You pests…Bloody Fireball!"
With a quick expulsion of breath, Darkheart launched a bloodstained fireball at the Shadow. It quickly veered to the right.
Darkheart launched another one at MetalAngemon, who was still on the ground. The DNA Mega quickly evaded the blast with a flying roll to the side. The fused Digimon quickly whipped out his staff and began twirling it around above his head…and the circular outline it formed glowed with a platinum shine. "GATE OF EXTINCTION!"
MetalAngemon leapt away as the platinum outline formed into a circular gate made of platinum. Etched onto the gate's door was the image of MetalAngemon…and when it opened, it revealed a terrifying realm beyond. Unlike the milky-white realm beyond the Gate of Destiny, the realm beyond the Gate of Extinction looked like a maelstrom of swirling gray clouds that crackled with lightning and thunder.
Darkheart suddenly paled as an immense force began pulling on him. "Hey…what gives?" He looked down to see the Gate of Extinction. "…ah poop."
Darkheart was suddenly pulled down into the gate; he quickly used his arms to prop himself up, using the ground outside the gate as handholds. His arms and everything from the chest up could still be seen. His blood-red eyes glared at MetalAngemon in anger. "You…you're NEXT!"
MetalAngemon smirked. "Tell it to the judge."
SMACK!"OW!" MetalAngemon turned to see Shaun. "WHY'D YOU PUNCH MY HEAD!"
Shaun glared daggers at MetalAngemon. "Um…I'm not one to complain…BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING! IF YOU KILL DARKHEART, YOU KILL EVERYONE HE'S ABSORBED!"
MetalAngemon suddenly sweatdropped. "Oh…right." He slapped himself in the forehead. "Gah…!"
Shaun tilted his head towards (Wargreymon). "Okay (Wargreymon); you get one arm, I'll get the other. We'll both pull him out."
"Uh…Shaun?" (Wargreymon) nervously pointed his right hand at the portal.
Shaun turned around to see Darkheart…and he only had his head and right arm sticking out. "……" Shaun really had no words to say.
Darkheart snarled as he suddenly released his grip on the ground…and raised his right arm. "FINE! I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!"
Then he slammed his fist into the ground.
As Darkheart fell into the deep maelstrom of the realm beyond the Gate of Extinction, the ground around the gate splintered and fractured into numerous pieces…pieces that were pulled into the air by the vacuum of the realm beyond the gate.
Shaun, TK, Aetherdramon, and (Wargreymon) instinctively took to the air. Futa backed the Shadow away from the gate's pull. MetalAngemon remained where he was; as he was the one who brought the gate forward, its pull did not affect him.
The same couldn't be said for Kari, Yolei, and Ken, who were suddenly sucked off the ground as the ground beneath was pulled towards the gate.
MetalAngemon quickly stood between the three and the gate. Ken latched onto his armored leg, trying to ignore the purple ribbon that slapped against his face (apparently, that was the only part of MetalAngemon that the gate's vacuum affected). MetalAngemon knelt down and grabbed Kari with his left arm. He reached for Yolei with his right hand.
And he missed.
She had gone by so quickly, that at first it didn't register. MetalAngemon suddenly realized what was happening by the time Yolei was right next to the gate. "NO!"
Yoleiawoke from her unconscious state just in time for her to go over the edge. She shrieked as her fingers latched onto the rim of the platinum gate, her hands barely holding out against the tremendous pull of the realm beyond the gate. "HELP ME!"
"YOLEI!" Against all logical thought, Ken did one thing he shouldn't have done: let go.
Everyone stared in shock as Ken used his right hand to clutch at the ground, causing his hand to slide through the loose soil. By the time he reached the gate, Yolei's grip slipped.
Ken's right hand grabbed onto the rim at the same time his left hand latched onto Yolei's right hand. The Child of Caring yelped at the sudden jolt, looking up to see none other the Child of Kindness. "Ken…?"
Ken quickly said, "Don't talk…you need to hold on…"
Yolei started trembling as her other hand latched onto Ken's left. Nervousness rattled her voice as utter fear stampeded to the forefront of her mind. She fretfully began chanting, "Don't let go…don't let go…"
Ken shook his vehemently. "Never…not after everything you've done. If I did…I'd be no better than the Emperor."
Those words caused an uprising of shame to well up in Yolei. Those words brought to mind her distrust and fear of Ken immediately after the war against the Digimon Emperor ended. Back then, it had seemed ludicrous to even TRUST him…but now…oh, she had been so misguided. Ken held one of the kindest and gentlest souls that she knew…and he had been manipulated and perverted by darkness. It hadn't been him that committed those atrocities against her and the Digidestined…it had been the Emperor.
Yolei suddenly started sobbing uncontrollably, a combination of both the fear and the shame that gripped her. "Ken…"
Meanwhile, MetalAngemon quickly yelled, "GUYS! CATCH!" With that, he threw Kari towards Shaun, TK, (Wargreymon), and Aetherdramon, who were all hovering in the air a few dozen meters away from the Gate of Extinction.
Kari yelped as the vacuum that pulled on her from behind and her forward momentum caused her to spin…and by the time the four caught her, her eyes looked like swirly lines. "Eeegghh…"
TK glanced at MetalAngemon and yelled, "Be more gentle next time!"
MetalAngemon was already running towards the Gate of Extinction. He quickly made a diving leap for Ken's hand…only to have it slip.
MetalAngemon paled; he quickly peered into the realm beyond the gate and saw a giant dragon's fist wrapped around Ken and Yolei. He paled again: Darkheart had grabbed the two, determined to bring them down with him.
The two screamed as they and Darkheart disappeared into the maelstrom beyond the Gate of Extinction.
MetalAngemon looked on in awed silence. Moments later, he angrily closed the gate with a thought before pounding the ground in anger. "RAAAGGH! I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake…" He might as well have shot every absorbed Digidestined in the head; they were now beyond saving. MetalAngemon continued to pound the ground angrily as Shaun let his hold on Kari go; now that the pull of the realm beyond the Gate of Extinction was gone, his help was not necessary.
Shaun stared at MetalAngemon…not with anger…not with rage…but with pity. Pity…because MetalAngemon now knew what he had felt so long ago. It hurts…doesn't it?
It was probably the adrenaline or something that prevented him from feeling the shock…but Shaun now knew that he had failed. He had failed…
"Hey, I have a question…if they're all dead, how come you're still here?" asked Aetherdramon out of confusion.
Moments later, the Dark Dragon broke through the closed Gate of Extinction, which MetalAngemon had neglected to dismiss in his self-inflicted anger.
Everyone stared in shock at Darkheart, who flashed them a toothy grin…albeit a bloody one. Below him, the shattered Gate of Extinction dissipated into particles. Moments later, he began giggling an insane sort of giggle: the kind that sounds sort of high-pitched, giving the hint that the giggler is about to go off the deep end.
TK roared, "WHAT'S SO FUNNY!"
Darkheart replied, "Your gullibility. You really think I could've been done in so easily? Man, I'm such a high-octane actor I amaze even myself sometimes. You should've seen your faces!"
As Darkheart laughed, a disquieting chill came over the remaining Digidestined; he had faked being pulled into the Gate of Extinction. If he had wanted to, he could've simply ignored it…
This version of Darkheart wasn't like the last three. The first one would be like Davis if he were evil. The second was cocky to the extreme and loved to fight. The third one would toy with them in a casual sense…but this one didn't hesitate in the slightest. The Normal, Fighter, and Hunter modes had toyed with them…but the Dark Dragon didn't follow the same guidelines.
The Dark Dragon wanted results.
So it wasn't really surprising when Darkheart quickly aimed his palms at them. "Magna Dragoon Ray!"
Everyone leapt away from the two dragon-shaped rays of black energy, but it was only a ruse. Immediately after he launched the attacks, Darkheart quickly plummeted toward his nearest target: MetalAngemon.
MetalAngemon quickly brought his Metallic Angel Staff to try and parry Darkheart's charge, but it was too late. Darkheart plowed straight into him, his open mouth engulfing him and the ground he stood on. Darkheart continued plowing through the ground, his body digging through the torn up ground beneath the plateau's valley.
"METALANGEMON!" screamed TK, whose impulses screamed at him to fly down after the dragon-
Shaun put a hand on TK's shoulder, strongly shaking his head. "NO. You can't. He'll get you too."
Ironically enough, Shaun's feelings mirrored TK's moments later.
For you see, Darkheart erupted from the ground, his tooth-filled jaws preparing to snap together on (Wargreymon).
"(WARGREYMON!)" yelled Shaun as he quickly fired a round of Blue Dashes at Darkheart, for all the good they did.
Darkheart snapped his jaws shut.
Or at least, he tried to.
(Wargreymon) was using his Dramon Destroyer claws to keep the teeth from impaling his hands. His feet were pressed against Darkheart's lower gums. The muscles in his arms and legs bulged as he tried to keep Darkheart's jaw muscles from overwhelming his own.
The blood-red eyes of the Dark Dragon flared with anger as he pushed down harder with his jaws. Blast it all! How many more to I have to eat before I reach my next level! I want more…MORE!
Darkheart started thrashing his head around, trying to get (Wargreymon) to loosen his grip. He didn't even bother dealing with the Shadow, which was firing bolt after bolt of plasma at him. He didn't bother dealing with Shaun, who began using his Speed Spin attack to try and cut away at his underbelly. He didn't bother dealing with TK, who was pelting him with blast after blast of the Equis Beam. He didn't bother dealing with Aetherdramon, who was showering him with a continuous barrage of his Miraculous Light.
None of it even fazed him. Darkheart was a relentless machine with a goal: the absorption of (Wargreymon). When he wanted that goal accomplished, nothing stood in his way. He got it done, no matter what.
Finally, Darkheart roared with anger. "ENOUGH! BLOODY INFERNO!"
(Wargreymon) managed to look down Darkheart's throat as he tried to keep himself from being eaten. He looked past the bloody tongue and mouth of the dragon and saw a gout of fire erupt from his gullet. The Mega paled at the sight. Oh no…
Flames slammed into him, enveloping his entire body. Everyone could only watch in horror as (Wargreymon) was barbequed alive.
When the flames finished coming five seconds later, (Wargreymon) was the perfect epitome of a steak that had intended to be well done, but – instead of being cooked on the grill – it had been thrown into a volcano.
(Wargreymon) could only gurgle out of extreme pain…and then, his muscles wavered.
Darkheart swallowed him whole moments later.
And then it came once more: the burning feeling that had gripped his body and blood three times before. But as Darkheart slowly settled to the ground, his body coiling up like a snake's, that feeling came with another: a strange, unsettling coldness that was the harbinger of the great power he had just stumbled upon.
Darkheart grinned as his body began turning into stone from the tail up. "Heh…heh heh…victory is assured…you're all mine once I'm done…"
And with that, his mouth contorted into an open snarl as his head was petrified.
Now, the Dark Dragon was no more than a stone statue; a statue that possessed a penetrating glare.
Kari sank to her knees out of hopelessness: Cody, Yolei, Ken, Silphymon, MetalAngemon, and (Wargreymon) had all been absorbed in less than twenty minutes. TWENTY MINUTES. Darkheart had so completely and utterly outclassed them that it wasn't funny in the slightest.
Now only TK, Shaun, Aetherdramon, and herself were left…they were the last of the Odaiba Digidestined to stand against Darkheart.
And what would they be able to accomplish? Their best chance to save Davis had been when he had first attacked as Darkheart…but he had only gotten more powerful as he absorbed more Digidestined and Digimon…
Kari couldn't help but sob out of pure despair…what hope did they have of winning? The Real World was being torn apart by three dark forces, and the Digidestined were being completely obliterated by a merciless and implacable enemy.
There was no hope.
The Shadow set down beside the remaining Digidestined before Futa's voice rang out over the dropship's external speakers. "There is nothing more we can do here…we must leave."
Yes. Leave. That's all they could do…until Darkheart awoke again and began chasing them again. It had become their lot in life to be hunted…and there was nothing they could do to stop him.
Kari sniffled as she silently clambered into the Shadow's left prong. TK dismissed his armor and hopped in beside the younger Kamiya child. Aetherdramon – as according to Angewomon's deal – split into his two halves, and Angewomon dedigivolved into Gatomon so that she could sit beside Kari was well. Paildramon opted to remain as he was.
Shaun did not dismiss the Armor of Wisdom.
The Shadow slowly ascended into the air and set off to the northwest, with Paildramon flying adjacent to it. Shaun trailed behind them…because he had to think.
In all honesty, he was scared beyond belief. He was this close to losing everything he had worked so hard to save…and it was all the more infuriating because the enemy he was facing would not be satisfied until the Digidestined were all absorbed.
And what made the situation even more precarious was the fact that Darkheart could not be killed like previous enemies (with the exception of the Emperor) could. If he was killed, then Davis and everyone else that had been absorbed would die.
It was the ultimate Pandora's Box: do nothing, and your future is lost. Fight, and lose to an unstoppable foe, and your future is lost. Kill the enemy, and your future is lost.
Nothing could be done…but that was because he was still thinking conventionally. Shaun had to change his strategy…
And, unfortunately, there was only one other strategy he could think of.
Shaun grimaced as he stopped in midair, the Shadow and Paildramon flying on ahead of them. No one would note his absence until they landed wherever they decided to land.
Shaun had to go back and confront Darkheart.
There was no other way about it…this was a desperate situation…and it called for desperate measures.
And thus did Shaun turn around and fly back towards the plateau where Darkheart had battled them just minutes ago. Shaun quietly clutched his right hand…to be more specific, his wedding finger. Elizabeth…I hope I know what I'm doing…please…give me strength…
And as Shaun flew on, any telepaths that existed in the universe that had been eavesdropping on Shaun's mind would've heard a sinister chuckle.
-
/Tokyo Bay, Odaiba, 5:59 AM/
"RETREAT! FALL BACK TO THE CASTLE!"
At the command of the Black General MarineDevimon, the remaining Bakemon under his command immediately started retreating towards Archfiend Castle. They were immediately pursued by the naval portion of UmbraDevimon's army…and in the sky above the bay was UmbraDevimon himself.
"DARK VIPER!"
A possessed MetalSeadramon howled as his body – and the Bakemon that possessed it from within – was torn to shreds by the ray of unholy energy.
MarineDevimon grimaced as he reached Archfiend Castle and clambered through its main gate; things had immediately started falling apart once UmbraDevimon had appeared.
The devilish Mega was now free to act as he wished now that Demon was busy contending with the Mind and its kin inside the Gravemon Dome. And he had immediately begun tearing through MarineDevimon's outnumbered forces.
They had no choice but to retreat…and as the Demon Corps neared the castle, the Bakemon abandoned their hosts and phased through the walls of the bastion, seeking safety within its walls.
UmbraDevimon chuckled as the gate to the castle sealed shut. "FOOLS! I'll break it down with one stroke! DARK VIPER!"
The crackling ray of dark power roared towards the gate…but at that moment, the horns on the castle roof crackled with black energy.
The Dark Viper crashed into an energy barrier moments later. UmbraDevimon blinked out of surprise; Archfiend Castle had an internal safety mechanism. "So, it can defend itself from enemy attack…clever. But all defenses can be broken with time…I'll SHATTER IT!"
And with that, UmbraDevimon began attacking the energy barrier with all his might.
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/00-010-PSI, 6:21 AM/
The Shadow set down in the clearing quietly; they were right near the same rocky monolith in which Cody had uncovered the Crest of Humility.
Paildramon set down on the ground as the left prong opened. TK and Gatomon hopped out, whilst Kari remained in her seat. She was too sad to move…
All of a sudden, Gatomon blinked. "Hey, where's Shaun?"
"Huh?" Paildramon looked around out of astonishment. "But…he was behind me! Where'd he go!"
TK suddenly had a disquieting thought. Did he…stay behind…?
All of a sudden, the sky turned dark.
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/11-110-CHI, 6:30 AM/
A large, yellow egg was suddenly expelled from the mouth of the Dark Dragon statue. Upon its crash into the ground, the sky had turned dark.
Several minutes passed before the first crack appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
And another.
All of a sudden, the egg's shell burst outward, causing shards to go flying for dozens of yards. The figure that stood within the cracked egg was kneeling, and a dark red aura radiated from his body.
The figure stood. He was now as tall as Davis had been originally; a throwback to the height of the Normal mode. The angular black armor that covered his body was segmented like MetalAngemon's, allowing him to move with great flexibility. Over his segmented armor were hip pads, shin guards, gauntlets, a breastplate, and shoulder guards made of obsidian. The shoulder pads looked like the heads of demons facing to the side, and their mouths were open, revealing fanged maws. The shin guards and hip pads were sharp and angular, and they had a red rims. The gauntlets appeared to radiate with a dark energy, and – if one looked inside the front slots on the gauntlets – the sight of a murky darkness within them would confirm this fact. The helmet was a throwback to the design of the Normal mode, except the 'V' was more outward, resembling demonic horns. Buckled to his waist was a belt made of black leather, and a buckle made of silver held it together. There was a sheath on each side; the right one was three feet long, and the left was two feet long. In each one was a sword made of steel as black as midnight. The hilts were made of gold mixed with blood, and a red ruby adorned the bottom of the handle. The most shocking sight was that of a red eye protruding from the broad side of each sword. Red, pulsating flesh stretched out from each other, covering part of the surface of the swords. Finally, two pairs of wings extended from his back; dark gray feathers covered both of them. The top pair extended from his shoulder blades, and they were each four feet in length. The bottom pair extended from the middle of his spinal cord, and they were each two-and-a-half feet in length. Finally, a gray symbol adorned his obsidian breastplate: the Crest of Miracles…except it was upside-down.
Darkheart's blood-red eyes gleamed as he looked down at himself; the armor felt as light as air. His voice possessed a cold chill that made him seem all the more evil. "Yes…I am one step closer. Stage 5: Dark Angel mode is the precursor to the sixth threshold…I am so close…"
Darkheart – now in Dark Angel mode – smiled; he had crossed the fifth threshold. His wings twitched and flapped, shaking the egg white off. With a smile, he prepared to take off…and stopped at the sight of the one standing in front of him.
It was Shaun Kamiya, wearing the Armor of Wisdom.
Darkheart looked at Shaun with mild surprise; he hadn't expected a welcoming party.
In a quiet and deathly serious tone, Shaun said, "Have at you."
And then he charged.
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/Dragomon's Palace, City of Cthulu, Dark World, 6:34 AM/
Dragomon stared the two chessboards quietly. The right was a representation of the Digital World, while the left was a representation of the Real World.
The left board's bottom had a figure in the shape of Archfiend Castle standing on it. Right in front of that was a figure of UmbraDevimon. Near the top of board was a large, green dome in which sat two figures: the Mind and Demon.
The right board's left side had five figures. In the center of the five was, of course, Kari Kamiya, Queen of the Light. Standing around her were pawns: Gatomon, Paildramon, TK, and the golden Elitemon known as Futa Ishisamee. On the right side sat Darkheart the Dark Angel…and right in front of him was Shaun. However, Shaun's piece was colored black.
Dragomon looked at the left board. "UmbraDevimon has laid siege to Demon's castle…and Demon himself now contends with the Gravemon, one of the greatest plagues in the history of time…"
His gaze turned to the right board. "The corrupted child has ascended in level once more, and the Child of Light has begun to fall into despair…but the one who is not of this time is preparing to risk letting his darkness out…just to try and defeat Darkheart."
Dragomon leaned back and sighed; this day was going to be quite interesting,
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To be continued…
Next time…
Episode 51: Battle of the Egos
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Author's Note: The 50th episode is here…and next episode starts the four part Battle Mini-Arc! Hope you enjoy it!
See you soon, and please review!
