Reviews:
Music Chick: Yup, the little guy is coming into his own.
Ackbarfan5556: Yes it is.
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: You'll find out soon. Glad that you like what I do every week.
Super Saiyan 3 Odd 1: You'd be surprised at what people can do when faced with difficult situations.
Super Saiyan 3 Odd 2: You will just have to stay tuned to find out ;-)
Hey guys. Sorry for the extra week between chapters again. I had final papers to do and such. I'm done now, so nothing is going to take away from writing for the foreseeable future, especially since we are getting into the best arc of the story pretty soon. Hope the chapter is worth the wait for you all. Just a fair warning: the last part of the chapter is some pretty intense sh*t. There is also a moment I'm sure many of you have been waiting to see as well :)
On with the show!
The Digimon Emperor sneered in victory as he looked down on his newly conquered territory. Though the darkness kept him from seeing all of it, the pale moonlight outlined the village's silhouette. A large castle stood at least ten stories high at the far edge of the village, standing out among the traditional houses and buildings straight out of the Edo period of Japan.
The only surprise for him was the fact that no resistance force came to stop him from conquering the village. It was left almost completely unprotected. Oh well, he thought, at least he didn't have to spill a drop of blood for it. Why couldn't more of these conquests be like this? Creatures that knew how to respect their masters and allow him to bring them security. Ken hated having to destroy Digimon in order to take territory. He did enough killing after he first came to the Digital World and forces from both sides of the civil war tried to drive him out.
The Emperor took one last look at the village before jumping off the ledge of the cliff, where an Airdramon waited for him below. He landed on its back and the dragon started to flap its wings and fly above the ground below.
'It won't be long now before those pesky Jedi will try to come back,' he thought. 'And when they do, I won't hesitate to destroy them for good this time. Nothing will get in my way.'
"My lord, when am I going to get have some fun around here?" a squeaky voice pleaded with impatience. "This is boring!"
Ken snickered. The creature was a pint-sized ninja with a red cap and garish ninja attire. A small sword was in a sheath strapped to its back.
"Patience, Ninjamon," he placated gently. "You'll get your chance soon enough."
Ninjamon stomped its feet. "But that'll take too long! I want some action now!"
"If everything goes the way I think it will, those kids will walk right into my trap."
"That pervy sage!" Davis cried, splashing some water out of the tub when he threw his head back in hysterics.
The water had become lukewarm, but the boy was so invested in the story that he didn't notice. He brought his copy of that week's Shonen Jump back down and made sure it didn't get wet. There were no drops of water on the pages. Davis sighed in relief.
'That Jiraya, man,' he snickered to himself, flipping to the next page. 'What can you say about him?'
Davis laughed again at what he saw next. This time, his laughter carried outside the shut door.
Jun peeked her head out the door to her bedroom, wondering what was going on. She looked down the hall to the living room and saw her parents laughing at whatever show they were watching.
'My family's weird,' she rolled her eyes and shut the door to her room.
"Our top story tonight: boy genius Ken Ichijouji still has not been found after he disappeared back in May," the news reporter said. "Police have no leads, and there have been no sightings of the boy as of today. It is unknown why he ran away from home, but the authorities have floated several theories."
TK rolled his eyes and turned off the TV. If only they knew the truth.
He looked out the sliding glass doors nearby. The lights of the Rainbow Bridge were the only colors against the dark backdrop. Everything was becoming weird lately. TK thought back to when the Jedi were stuck in the oil platform, how he freaked out on Davis for their circumstances.
"Why didn't you listen to me, TK? I knew that there was something waiting for us, and you led us right to it!"
"Shut up."
TK took the goggles off of his hat and looked down at them. What was happening to him lately? Was it the leadership position going to his head, or was it something else?
"TK, I'm home!"
The blonde turned his head around and saw his mother come into the living room. She looked tired from a long day in the newsroom with dark circles under her exhausted eyes. Her body language spoke of a woman that was working too hard.
"Hi, Mom," he returned as she walked over and bent down to kiss him on the cheek.
"How was your day today?" Nancy asked.
TK shrugged. "It was fine. How about you? Long day?"
The woman sighed heavily, giving her son his answer. "You don't know the half of it. Ever since he disappeared, that Ken Ichijouji has been all my editor is wanting us to write about. I've been assigned to the beat on discovering his whereabouts, but we still haven't found anything. I'm starting to think we will never know where he is."
TK wondered if he should tell her what he knew. His mother had been so busy lately that he didn't have the chance to tell her what he and the others knew.
"Eh, I'm sure he'll turn up at some point," he said with a shrug. "I've never seen a manhunt of this scale before."
"It was worse after the gas attack on the subway a few years ago," Nancy replied. "When somebody's of public interest, it's my job to feed the fire until that story is no longer useful."
"That's why you do what you do, Mom."
TK got up from the couch and went to his room. A big poster of Kobe Bryant spread across the wall above his bed, with other basketball posters surrounding it. Another one for the popular anime Slam Dunk was placed on the ceiling. He put the goggles on his desk and picked up his D-Terminal.
Meet at HQ tomorrow after school.
He sent the message out to the rest of the younger Jedi. After a few minutes, his D-Terminal buzzed with responses.
Davis: Got it.
Yolei: Okay.
Kari: Roger. Tai said he can come with us.
Cody: Okay.
TK smiled and put the device back on his desk. He took off his clothes and changed into a tank top and boxer shorts to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was a new chance to set things right with everybody. He was not going to freak out on anyone again.
"LORD SHOGUNMON! LORD SHOGUNMON!"
A small Gekomon ran through the halls of the palace, pushing itself on despite gasping for air. This was a DEFCON 1 emergency if there ever was one. The frog went past other Gekomon until it reached the royal chambers.
A large red frog-like creature was sleeping in its futon on the tatami mat floors. It had two horns perched onto its shoulders and a long purple topknot. ShogunGekomon was the ruler of the Gekomon and was known to be temperamental when his sleep was interrupted.
"LORD SHOGUNMON, WAKE UP! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" The Gekomon yelled. "THE DIGIMON EMPEROR IS HEADED THIS WAY!"
The overgrown frog murmured with a groan, flickering his eyes open and shut as he tried to wake up. He turned over on his side and released a loud yawn.
"Say that again," ShogunGekomon groaned as he stretched his limbs and rubbed his eyes. "What's all the commotion about?"
"THE DIGIMON EMPEROR IS HEADED THIS WAY, MY LORD!"
That snapped the creature out from his haze. Any mention of the most feared being in the Digital World made the fine hairs on his mucus-covered body stand up on end. Not to mention what happened the last time the Gekomon encountered the Emperor.
"MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS! EVERYONE, MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!" ShogunGekomon roared, jumping straight out of bed.
He pulled a purple rope nearby. The platform underneath it began to rise up toward the ceiling. The tiles above it parted, allowing for an unobstructed view of the entire town.
The Gekomon raised a telescope it had up to its eye and surveyed the entire landscape. So far, everything looked okay with no signs of the Emperor. The frog turned the telescope to the right and almost dropped it with a scream.
"He's coming! Oh, this is horrible!" it cried, running around in circles while speaking in gibberish. "What are we going to do, my lord?"
ShogunGekomon slammed his fist down on his subject's head, stopping the display of terror instantly.
"Thank you. I needed that."
From far below, the Digimon Emperor stopped at the castle entrance and looked up to where ShogunGekomon was.
"Noble ruler of this castle," he yelled. "The village has been taken. There is no use trying to fight any longer. However, I am willing to take pity on you and your subjects. If you just come down, we will negotiate a settlement. No tricks."
ShogunGekomon was surprised. From what he heard, the Emperor would just take territory by force and make every single creature in it his slaves. This was an unusual tactic for him, so the creature did not know what to think.
"What should we do, my lord?" the Gekomon asked.
ShogunGekomon scratched his chin in deep thought. Maybe this was a trick designed by the Emperor to catch them off guard so that when they did try to negotiate, he would use those Dark Rings to make them all his slaves. The king frog cared for his subjects and did not want them to endure the bonds of servitude to anyone but him. It then came to him. There was only one way they could get out of this.
"Distract him while I send out an emergency signal to the Destined Jedi," he said to the Gekomon.
The creature's eyes bulged out of its skull. "Are you crazy?!" it shrieked. "I'm not going out there with the Digimon Emperor!"
But ShogunGekomon didn't listen as it already started its way back down to the communications room of the palace. A few Gekomon and a couple of Otamamon were in there. All were surprised to see their master standing there with a frightened look on his face.
"Send out an emergency signal to the Destined Jedi," he ordered. "Tell them that we need their help in dealing with the Digimon Emperor. Someone send out a delegation to keep him distracted until they get here."
"Yes, my lord," they all replied as they got to work.
'May the Force be with us.'
A message shot up on the screen just as Izzy turned it on. The subject box was labeled 'URGENT' so he opened it without hesitation.
Destined Jedi, please come help us! The Digimon Emperor has captured the town and now he wants to negotiate a settlement with us. We need your help dealing with him.
Yours sincerely,
-The Office of Lord ShogunGekomon
"That can't be good," Izzy muttered as he pressed a few keys to find where the message originated. A red dot blinked several times on the map, indicating the location. He noted the coordinates and wrote them down on a notepad.
"Izzy!" TK cried as he and the other members of his party came into the computer room. In addition to the main team, Tai, Sora, and Mimi were with them as well.
"You guys are right on time," Izzy replied with a smile. "I just received this message from the Gekomon. It seems as though the Digimon Emperor has taken over their territory and they need our help."
The group gasped, but Mimi was especially affected. She was very fond of the creatures that she had once made call her their princess and hated seeing anything bad happen to them.
She stepped forward with a determined look on her face. "Then let's go!" she said with a clenched fist. "The Gekomon need us."
"I'll watch over you guys from here," said Izzy. "Be careful."
"We will, Izzy," Davis beamed while flashing a thumbs up. "You can count on us."
Izzy typed in the coordinates of where the distress signal came from and in a few clicks, the gate was ready to go.
"Let's go!" Yolei cried, using the Force to open the gate. In a flash of light, the group were whisked off to the Digital World.
Ken tapped his foot impatiently while waiting outside the castle gates. It had been twenty minutes since he made his presence known to the occupants of the castle and there was still no response. This was quickly becoming a waste of time. Maybe diplomacy was not the best move to make after all.
Finally, a group of Gekomon emerged from the castle entrance and walked towards him. Ken sneered as he smelled their fear taking over their tiny bodies. This was going to be fun.
"Open the gate," the lead one ordered.
The iron bars opened two seconds later, allowing Ken to come through and meet the delegation halfway.
"G-Good day, your Emperorness," the lead Gekomon said nervously. Its voice shook with every word. "T-To what honor do we owe this visit?"
"I have just spent twenty minutes waiting for you little slime balls to get out here," Ken said in a calm voice with dark undertones. "Now, I do not like having my time wasted. Where is your master? I very much desire to speak with him."
"L-Lord ShogunGekomon will be here," the Gekomon replied. "He's just getting himself proper. You interrupted him while he was sleeping, and it takes quite a while for him to get ready."
Ken could tell he was not being truthful. The eyes darting to the side was a dead giveaway. He moved closer to the small creatures, his shadow looming over them. The Gekomon quaked in fear.
"I want to make this as quick and painless as possible for you little cretins," he said darkly. "I do not take kindly to those who waste my time. You can either tell this big fat ball of slime to get his fat ass out here now, or I will destroy all of you. Capeesh?"
Before the Gekomon could reply, a shuriken wedged itself on the ground between them and Ken. The Digimon Emperor turned to look at Ninjamon with annoyance. The small ninja stood on top of the guard tower.
"Must you keep doing that, Ninjamon?" he hissed.
"Master, we have some new arrivals," the ninja said. "I think it's those Destined Jedi. Shall I go welcome them?"
Ken glared down at the Gekomon. So, this was a distraction to buy time until the Destined Jedi came, was it? He shrugged. It was a boring conversation anyway. The Destined Jedi were more fun.
"Well, I guess that concludes negotiations," he muttered before saying, "Go ahead, Ninjamon. Go have your fun, and get the others too. Let's send those Jedi a little welcome party."
"Woohoo!" Ninjamon bounced with excitement. Its moment had finally come. Fast as lightning, it jumped from rooftop to rooftop.
Ken stayed behind and sneered once more at the Gekomon. They scattered like cockroaches being exposed to light, which only amused him. He could sense the Jedi's presence not far off.
"Come and get me, kiddies," he snickered, clutching his lightsaber close. "It'll be the last thing you ever do."
The Destined Jedi couldn't believe what they were seeing. It looked like they had been taken back in time to the Edo period of Japan. The houses and shops were of traditional architecture from the period and everything they saw breathed an aura of authenticity.
"This is amazing," Tai breathed in awe. "It's like we're really in the Edo period."
"Yeah," Davis nodded. "I feel like I'm in my own samurai movie."
TK looked around and used the Force to sense for any unusual activity going on. A whole gaggle of life forms were nearby, but he couldn't tell whether they were friendly or unfriendly. Then he sensed Ken's presence in the village.
"Stay on your guard, guys," he said, taking his saber into his hand. "I've got a feeling we're not alone."
Just as he said that, animalistic noises filled the air around them. From the traditional houses and under the quaint wooden bridges, creatures with Dark Rings around them emerged to surround the Jedi. There was a group of mushrooms with purple tops and beady black eyes that were now blood red from the Dark Ring's control. The other Digimon looked like sunflowers with red petals around their heads.
"What are these things?" Cody activated his saber and pointed it out to keep the Digimon at bay. The others had followed his example with an array of lightsaber colors. Mimi's stood out the most from the blue and green sabers with her purple blade.
"They're called Mushroommon and Floramon," TK said. "Judging by the Dark Rings, I would say that Ken is indeed here."
"What do we do, Tai?" Davis asked.
Tai looked around at the Digimon that now encircled them. There were no gaps in their formation, so they couldn't just run in the opposite direction. They could fight their way out, but that would mean killing innocent Digimon that he knew were usually harmless. They were stuck in a hard decision.
"Tai!" Izzy said through his earpiece.
Tai pressed his fingers against it. "Izzy, are there any ways for us to get off this street? We're surrounded."
Before he could get a response, the large group of Digimon began their attack. The Mushroommon threw smaller mushroom bombs at them while the Floramon shot blaster fire from the Dark Rings. The Jedi blocked the bolts but there were so many that it was getting hard to track.
"It's a stand off," Tai said. "Everybody split up."
They all quickly broke apart and took off in separate directions.
Yolei ran as fast as her legs could carry her through the alleyways, jumping to avoid blaster fire that came her way. She ran down different alleyways in hopes of taking the controlled Digimon off her trail, but they followed her every time.
She jumped into an open doorway nearby and hid in the shadows. The group of Digimon ran past it. Yolei sighed in relief and stepped out from the doorway. Before she could take a step, a shuriken fell dangerously close to her toes.
"Who did that?" Yolei demanded, bringing her lightsaber to life once more.
A high-pitched laugh came from the trees. A piece of bark lifted up until it was torn completely off, revealing the assailant beneath it.
"It was I, Ninjamon," the creature said with a smirk. He spun his sword around in circles. "And I challenge you, Destined Jedi, to a duel. That is, if you think you're brave enough to fight me."
Yolei snickered and raised her saber above her head.
"Big mistake, shorty," she said. "You're not the only tricky warrior in this town."
Tai and Sora turned into an alley and hid in the shadows as the group of controlled Digimon ran past the entrance to the alley. The two Jedi stepped out and looked around to make sure no more were coming.
Tai sighed in relief. "I think we lost them," he said.
"Where's everybody else?" asked Sora.
Davis and Cody rounded the corner at that moment. They were blocking lasers being fired at them from the Dark Rings. On the other side of the street, TK and Kari were running to get away from the mob of Digimon that was chasing them.
"PSST! PSST!"
The two Jedi jumped at the noise. It was so unexpected. They slowly turned themselves around, sabers gripped tightly in their hands. A flash of pink caught their eyes. Mimi peeked out from beneath a manhole cover.
"Guys!" she whispered hoarsely.
Tai smiled. "Mimi, it's you. What are you doing down there?"
A Gekomon popped up beside Mimi to look at them.
"We've found a way for you to get out," it said. "Come down this way."
Tai and Sora weren't sure what to think. Traveling in the sewer was not something they wanted to relive again after their first adventure. Even so, it was the most viable option of escaping undetected. They made up their minds.
"Guys, come on!" Tai cried, ushering for Davis and Cody to run towards them. "We've found a way out. Get over here!"
The two young male Jedi used the Force to push their assailants back into the alleyway before running to him. TK and Kari pushed themselves a bit harder to avoid the wave of blaster fire whizzing over their heads.
"Get in the manhole! Get in the manhole!" Tai urged, pushing them towards it.
TK, Kari, and Cody jumped in without a second thought, but Davis was surprised that there was one. He didn't remember there being any manholes in his history lessons on the Edo period.
"Doesn't this seem-" he started to say, but was cut off.
"NO TIME!" Tai pushed him into the hole before jumping in himself.
Sora looked around the street. Where was Yolei?
"Come on, Sora," Tai called to her. "Let's go!"
"Not without Yolei," the Jedi of Love replied. "There's still no sign of her anywhere. I'm going to go find her. You guys keep going."
"I'm sure she's fine. She can handle herself."
The sounds of a lightsaber colliding with another weapon reached their ears. The two looked up at the rooftops across the street and saw the missing girl. She was currently battling a small ninja-like Digimon. Sweat dripped down her face from the ferocity of the battle.
The two combatants slammed their weapons together. Ninjamon's sword was made of a special metal that was resistant to lightsaber blades so he was able to match Yolei's offense without trouble. Yolei was most thrown off by the speed the creature had as they locked blades.
"Yolei!" Sora yelled, snapping the girl out of her battle-induced haze. "Quit fooling around with that ninja and let's get out of here."
The lavender-haired Jedi looked down at the call of her name and saw the Jedi of Love looking up at her like her mother would when it was time to go home. She looked back at Ninjamon with a smirk.
"Sorry, but my master calls," she said, breaking their lock and leaping off of the roof to join the others.
Ninjamon could only watch as his opponent disappeared down the manhole with the other Jedi. He gripped his sword tightly, infuriated at having his fun interrupted.
"This isn't over, Jedi!" he yelled. "You may think you've won the battle, but you are going to lose the war." A small smirk worked up his face before muttering, "My master will see to that."
"On behalf of all the Gekomon, we thank you for coming to our aid in these desperate times, Destined Jedi," said ShogunGekomon. "The Digimon Emperor has been giving us so much trouble."
Another Gekomon spoke directly to Mimi. "Princess Mimi, we knew that you would come back to save us," it said. "We owe everything to you and your friends."
Mimi blushed in embarrassment at being referred to by her former title.
"Oh, it was nothing," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "We wouldn't let that bully that calls himself the Digimon Emperor terrorize you anymore. Right, guys?"
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. They were now in the throne room of the Gekomon's palace. All of them had gone underground to hide from the Emperor, even if it was just for a little while.
Tai stepped forward to speak. "No matter what happens, Ken will not rest until we are all found. He hasn't come this far only to lose to us again. He's going to pull out whatever stops he can."
"That's right," Sora agreed. "He might destroy the entire village if he has to."
The Gekomon and Otamamon gasped in horror. Even ShogunGekomon looked like he was gravely concerned with that possibility. If they couldn't live here in peace, then he and his subjects would have nowhere else to go.
"Don't worry," Mimi assured them with a smile. "We aren't going to let that happen. The Digimon Emperor is not going to get this whole area without a fight. Your princess will protect you."
"Oh, thank you, Princess Mimi!" The Gekomon and Otamamon cried, laying themselves down at her feet. "We don't know where we would be without you."
ShogunGekomon yawned. "If you'll excuse me, I must retire for a while," he said before leaving the room to go take a nap.
Yolei's eyes glimmered at Mimi. She thought the girl was cool before, but now that admiration was borderline worship. The group gathered in a circle, waiting to hear what the Jedi of Sincerity had to say.
"What's the plan, Mimi?" she asked.
"Here's the plan…"
Ken peeked through the crack in the ceiling tiles to look down at the monstrosity sleeping below him. Now that the Gekomon had enlisted the Destined Jedi's help, he had to make a move as quickly as possible. It would not be long before they started looking for him.
"Master," Ninjamon whispered. "What are we doing next?"
Ken glared at him. "Who's 'we', you little pipsqueak?" he asked darkly. "You failed me yet again when you failed to destroy the Inoue girl."
"B-But, boss," Ninjamon stuttered nervously, raising his hands defensively. "She escaped before I could do anything. You told me just to have some fun."
That did not seem to satisfy Ken's anger. He lifted Ninjamon into the air with one gesture of his hand.
"It was implied that you destroy the Jedi before they could get to me," he growled. "What are you, so small-minded that you can't follow orders?"
"I'm sorry, my lord," Ninjamon pleaded. "Please forgive me! I will not mess up again. I promise!"
The ninja shut his eyes. His body shook with terror as he waited to see what Ken had in mind for him.
Two seconds went by and nothing happened. Hesitantly, he opened one eye and saw the Emperor with a pleasant smile on his face. He was surprised by the total change in the human's demeanor.
"Don't worry, Ninjamon," he said. "I'll let you have another chance."
"H-Huh?" Ninjamon squeaked.
"Maybe I was a little too harsh on you. I know you did your best."
Ninjamon relaxed slightly. "T-Thank you, Master. I won't disappoint you again, even if it means the Jedi end up taking this town back from you."
Ken's kind smile evaporated. Before Ninjamon could react, a flash of blue entered his vision followed by the searing sensation of the lightsaber being slashed through his body. The next moment, Ninjamon was nothing but data.
The Digimon Emperor gave barely a passing glance at the spot Ninjamon was just at before turning his attention to ShogunGekomon.
'The only person you can trust to do something is yourself,' he grumbled, a sick smile rising up his face. He took a Dark Ring from his pocket.
"Alright, you big pile of phlegm, time to wake up!" he cried, throwing the device right at ShogunGekomon. The ring darted straight for its target and latched on around his topknot.
"Are you sure this will work?" Cody asked after Mimi explained what her plan was.
The Jedi of Sincerity nodded. "Positive. It's the only way that we'll be able to win this battle."
"Yeah, come on, Cody!" Yolei exclaimed energetically. "There's nothing we can't do!"
The boy, however, was not so sure about it. After everything that happened that day, he wasn't sure if using someone as bait to draw Ken out was a good idea. He was ruthless in his pursuit of them that dangling "meat" in front of him would be too much to pass up.
"Be fast, be quick, and keep your wits about you," Tai advised. "Let's get this guy, team."
"Right!"
The entire palace rumbled loudly. The ground shook like it was an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, throwing everyone and everything around like rag dolls. A loud roar echoed through the palace. The Jedi and Gekomon ran out of the building to see what was going on.
TK's eyes widened. "Oh, we have a big problem here."
ShogunGekomon was on the rampage, destroying everything in sight. His eyes were red with a Dark Ring around his topknot. All of the buildings close to the palace were completely flattened, and the large king frog looked like he would not be stopping any time soon.
An Otamamon gulped nervously.
"We're in trouble," it squeaked.
Before anyone could move, the group of Mushroommon and Floramon returned, blocking off any escape route. The Jedi were stuck with nowhere to go. It was either risking being flattened by ShogunGekomon, cornered by the controlled Digimon, or the possibility of running into Ken. Neither were good options.
Tai gritted his teeth, determined to fight his way out despite the odds against them.
"Alright, here's what we'll do," he said. "Sora, Kari, you two come help me deal with Jumbo. Mimi, get the Gekomon and Otamamon out. TK, you take the others and deal with these guys. Let's go!"
"W-Wait!" Cody exclaimed, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Mimi left with the Gekomon and Otamamon while Tai, Sora, and Kari took off in the direction towards ShogunGekomon. TK and the others went off down the street to lure the group of Digimon away. He was now completely alone.
A snicker came from above him.
"Alone at last," the owner of the laugh teased. "I honestly thought they were never going to leave."
Cody's lightsaber sprang to life as he turned to look up.
"Ken," he hissed.
"Hello, small fry," Ken returned the gesture by unleashing his own blue lightsaber. "I don't think we've ever had a moment to ourselves before. I'd like to have a talk with you, man to man."
Cody raised his lightsaber as he jumped up to Ken's position. Their weapons clashed with ferocity as they exchanged attacks. Ken may have seemed like he was on the defensive, but he was actually toying with the boy.
"Such anger in your form," he murmured. "Where does all this anger come from?" He then feigned surprise. "Oh, wait, I think I know why. It's because your daddy was gunned down in cold blood like a coward, right?"
Cody snapped. He jumped right at Ken, wanting to plunge his lightsaber deep into the Emperor's chest for saying that, but Ken was ready with a counterattack. Force lightning jetted out from his fingertips and engulfed the boy.
"Now, Cody, I do not want to get into this with you," Ken scolded like a mother would over Cody's screams. "We're civilized human beings. We should use our words instead of resorting to our fists."
The lightning ceased, and so did Cody's excruciating cries.
"Life is cheap and short," Ken continued. "My brother learned that the hard way when he bit off more than he could chew."
He pulled Cody up by the folds of his yukata and held him a couple inches above the ground. The boy was still recovering from the onslaught of Force lightning so he could not stop Ken from punching him straight in the face.
"You're as weak and pathetic as he was," the Emperor hissed, throwing Cody down onto the tiled roof. "Show me you're a man, Cody. Get up and fight me. End all of your suffering by striking me down with all the hatred you have for me."
Cody stumbled as he struggled to get up. His eyes were fixed solely on Ken as everything else faded from his detection. His green lightsaber roared to life again. Like two outlaws in an American Western movie, the two locked eyes and waited for the other to make the first move.
Cody bounced impatiently and finally ran straight for Ken. Their sabers clashed together in a flash of light. The Digimon Emperor dodged the next attack and knocked Cody's lightsaber out of his hand with a powerful strike. The saber fell to the ground below.
They both breathed heavily to get air back into their lungs after expelling most of their energy.
"You would have been better off joining me, Cody," Ken sneered. "But I can see now that it's a waste of my time. We'll meet again soon, my little friend."
He raised his hand and a Force wave erupted from it, sending Cody off of the rooftop and onto the dirt ground with a thud. The smaller Jedi picked himself up and called his lightsaber to his hand with the Force.
When he looked up, the Emperor was gone. He let out a sharp breath in disappointment. The last words echoed in his ears.
'Life is cheap and short.'
TK, Davis, and Yolei used the Force to give them an extra burst of speed down the street, kicking up dirt and dust from the ground. With their momentum, they jumped onto the nearest rooftop and hid on the other side to avoid attacks. Explosions went off around them from the Mushroommon's mushroom bombs and lasers whizzed past their heads from the Floramon.
"What's the plan, TK?" Yolei asked.
TK adjusted the goggles on his hat as a smirk rose up his face.
"We have to free them from the Dark Rings," he replied. "Davis, you take the section on the left. Yolei, you take the right, and I'll take the middle. Wait for my signal."
"What signal?" Davis started to ask, but TK had already slid down to the ledge and disappeared from sight. He sighed. "Always on the move."
He and Yolei waited for anything that could be interpreted as a signal for them to begin their attack. The sounds of explosions and lasers going through the air suddenly stopped.
"Get him!" One of the Digimon cried, followed by a lightsaber emerging.
Davis looked over the crease at the top of the roof and saw TK already slicing through Dark Rings below. That must have been the signal.
"Let's go!" he said to Yolei.
She nodded and the two brought their lightsabers to life before leaping from the roof to the ground below. They wasted no time jumping into action, blocking blaster fire and slicing through Dark Rings that were within arm's reach. Davis deflected a blaster bolt right into a Dark Ring, shattering it and freeing a Mushroommon from its control.
Between the three of them, the Jedi managed to destroy all the Dark Rings that once held the innocent Digimon at their mercy.
A representative from both groups of Digimon bowed before the Jedi in thanks for freeing them from the Rings' influence.
"Thank you for freeing us, Destined Jedi," they both said. "We owe you our lives."
TK smiled. "We're glad we could help you. Get out while you still have a chance. We'll go take care of the Emperor and stop ShogunGekomon before he destroys the entire village."
The Mushroommon and Floramon nodded. "Right," they said before running down the street to get out.
"Let's go help Tai and the others," the blonde-haired Jedi told his two comrades.
"Right behind ya, TK," Davis replied as the three jumped across the rooftops to where their friends were.
"MUSICAL FIST!"
A powerful gust of wind shot out the horns on ShogunGekomon's shoulders towards the three Jedi. Sora and Kari jumped out of the way, but Tai was blown through a wooden ladder behind them and into an open window.
"Tai!" Kari cried. She made a move to his position, but was stopped by another sonic wave from ShogunGekomon cutting in front of her.
"He'll be fine, Kari, just focus on destroying the Dark Ring," Sora assured her, trying to keep the younger girl's focus on their mission. Even so, she also was worried about Tai. Sora looked back behind her and saw the Jedi of Courage emerge from the window.
Kari jumped to another rooftop and went around the area to distract ShogunGekomon. The frog took the bait and focused on her, launching sonic waves from its horns. Tiles were blown in all directions as each attack missed her.
"Keep running, Kari!" Tai yelled as he rejoined Sora. "It's working!"
The Jedi of Courage looked around for something they could do to help her out. With ShogunGekomon now turned away from them, they could attack from behind.
He and Sora made eye contact.
"You ready?" he asked.
She nodded. "Right with you."
The two sprang into action right away. Tai went for one of ShogunGekomon's legs, grazing his lightsaber along the flesh of its calf. The frog king roared in pain and turned his gaze onto the Jedi of Courage.
"Yeah, that's right," Tai snickered, backing up to dare ShogunGekomon to come after him. "Come and get me, ugly!"
"Tai, get out of there!" Kari cried.
Tai's attempt at distraction worked. ShogunGekomon followed him wherever he went. The frog kicked its legs at him, but Tai would dodge at the last second. It was quickly turning into a game of whack-a-mole with ShogunGekomon becoming more and more frustrated with every miss.
"Stop moving, you little insect!" he roared.
"Try and make me!" Tai shot back, blowing a raspberry.
ShogunGekomon shook with fury as it balled up one of its flippers into a fist. Tai was too busy making faces and teasing him to notice. Kari wanted to strangle him for getting distracted.
"Tai, watch out!" she yelled as ShogunGekomon sent its fist right at him.
Tai turned around, but it was too late for him to avoid the attack. He closed his eyes and waited for the fist to make contact with him.
"Look out!"
Tai didn't see who it was as he fell to the ground. ShogunGekomon's fist collided with something because a pained groan was heard, followed by a crash and the splintering of wood. He opened his eyes and looked up. A few feet away, a red yukata and auburn hair stuck out from beneath the wood.
Terror gripped Tai's heart.
"SORA!" he screamed, running straight for her as TK, Davis, and Yolei came onto the scene. The three of them went for ShogunGekomon while Tai went for the Jedi of Love.
TK avoided ShogunGekomon's foot and sent a Force Wave to the large frog. The wave was so powerful that it knocked ShogunGekomon off of his feet and fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"All yours, Davis," the blonde winked.
Davis nodded and brought his lightsaber to life as he ran to the top of the frog's head. He sliced the Dark Ring clean off with one strike, and ending the nightmare that plagued the village.
ShogunGekomon mumbled and flickered his eyes open as the effects of the Dark Ring started to wear off. His eyes returned to normal from the blood red they were before.
"Ugh," he moaned. "What happened?"
"You were under the Dark Ring's control," TK explained. "But it's all over now."
The frog slowly sat up and rose to his feet.
"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble, Destined Jedi," he bowed in apology. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just name it. We are forever in your debt."
Kari smiled. "Just the fact you're okay is enough for us. We know you didn't mean to do all of this."
"Yeah," Davis added. "No worries."
ShogunGekomon bowed one more time before leaving with a final, "May the Force be with you."
A few feet away, Tai was blinded by his emotions as he tossed away debris, focused solely on freeing Sora from beneath the rubble she was buried under. He pulled the beam off her stomach. Sora was covered in bruises, blood dripped down the side of her face.
"Sora, are you okay?" Tai picked her up in his arms. His whole body shook with fear, remembering what happened last time she was in this state.
Sora smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?"
Tai couldn't help but smile at her response. "Crazy girl," he softly chuckled. "What were you thinking?"
"My friend was in trouble."
Tai found he couldn't argue with that. Sora had a habit of doing that to him.
The rain came down in buckets as night fell on Tokyo. Luckily, the Jedi had the foresight to bring umbrellas with them in case it rained that day.
Tai dropped Kari off at home so that he and Sora could walk back to her apartment alone. Yolei quickly healed Sora's injuries after they got back from the Digital World, so the auburn-haired Jedi was able to walk without problems.
Tai had an arm around Sora's shoulders, his umbrella tilted to the side so he could reach her. The two talked about school life, and today's adventure, with snickers and laughter in between. It didn't take them both long to reach Sora's apartment.
"Well, here we are," he said, taking a breath in with an awkward grin and letting it out just as fast.
Sora smiled at him. "Thanks for walking me home."
Tai's cheeks turned red and removed his arm. "No problem," he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"Thanks for saving me earlier, crazy girl. Hey," he placed a hand on one of her shoulders with concern, "Are you sure you're all healed up? That's twice now, and I was…" Tai looked down at his feet to try and sum up his thoughts. "Scared. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."
"Like I said, my friend was in trouble, and I couldn't let anything happen to you. You mean more to me than you know, Tai."
It took a second for Sora to realize what she just said. She and Tai both turned red - redder in his case.
"Y-You know what I mean," she stuttered, then groaned, resting her forehead on a hand in embarrassment. "Good night."
Tai let out an awkward grin, fidgeting with his umbrella handle. "Uh, yeah. Good night."
Sora walked to her front door as Tai waited for her to enter. Her hand rested on the doorknob, while the other dropped her open umbrella next to the door, then paused. She stared at her umbrella, then back to the hand that was resting on the doorknob.
She turned around facing her best friend. Pressing her lips inwardly together and taut, she took a deep breath in then quickly exhaled through her nose while studying Tai.
"Sora?" Tai asked curiously.
Before she knew it, Sora's feet acted on their own will as she walked over to the Jedi of Courage...and planted a kiss on his cheek. It happened so fast that neither had time to process it right away. The two stared at the other in shock at what just happened – Tai more so, allowing the umbrella to fall to the ground. The two were now completely exposed to the rain as it fell on their heads.
"See ya tomorrow," Sora said with a nervous chuckle after shaking her head, breaking from the shock.
She turned around quickly, and ran into to her apartment, shutting the door behind her.
Tai stood right where he was, his wet clothes stuck to his skin, staring at the metal door in a daze. His hand reached up to touch the spot on his cheek where Sora kissed him. Still in the daze, he picked up his open umbrella and held it to his side instead of using it to shield himself from the rain. He turned and headed home. After a few steps, his heart swelled with joy and he jumped in ecstasy with a shout to the sky. Life couldn't get better than this.
A loud crash echoed in the throne room of the Digimon Emperor's base. Another defeat suffered at the hands of the Destined Jedi. Ken could not believe it as he punched the back support on his throne. Why couldn't he defeat those annoying kids? What did they have that he didn't? He was the Digimon Emperor, the most powerful being in the Digital World! There was nothing he couldn't do.
"Why can't I kill them?" he growled. "This game is getting tougher all the time. I'm the ultimate being, they're nothing! NOTHING!"
Ken ripped the gauntlet from his left hand, revealing a black spot in the shape of a rosebud on his wrist. Whispers echoed in his ear. Ken thought for a moment that they were coming from the spot itself. It was taunting him.
"Stop that," he muttered. A finger rested on the spot and rubbed slowly. The whispers in his ears would not stop.
"Out damned spot. Out I say!" he yelled. "I will not fail. The Destined Jedi will eventually run out of luck, and when they do, I will be there to complete the objective. This is just a bump in the road. Eventually, I will clear it."
But the whispers still would not stop. Ken rubbed his finger a little faster along his wrist. The spot would still not come off.
"Why won't this stain be gone?" his voice weakened as his desperation grew. "LEAVE NOW! I BEG OF YOU!"
Ken's finger was a blur now, but it was no use. Nothing he did was going to remove the spot from his wrist. It was a stain that was forever marked on him. One that would haunt him until the day he died.
Lifeless eyes.
Ken's breath hitched.
Blood spilled all over the concrete sidewalk, staining it with the thick red liquid.
'No!'
Ken buried his hands in his hair and tightened it painfully. A blood-curling scream shot out of his mouth.
"GO AWAY!" he shouted, sounding like a frightened child who wanted to go home. "PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" His whole palm now started rubbing the spot. "I hate this game! I HATE THIS GAME! GET THIS CONTROLLER OUT OF ME!"
Ken finally got a grip on himself. His eyes were still transfixed on the mark on his arm as his other hand reached into his pocket. His fingers wrapped around the handle of the knife and pulled it out while unsheathing the blade. He pointed it straight at the spot on his wrist.
"GET IT OUT!" he screamed, thrusting the edge of the knife down to his wrist to cut the spot out.
But something grabbed his wrist, stopping it just merely an inch before the blade could sink into his skin. He gasped. It was the same presence he had felt many times before.
"No! Don't do this now. Can't you see I want this to be over?" he whimpered, fighting against the force that was holding his wrist back. Ken pulled his arm back and pushed it down to try and break free, but the presence stopped him before the tip of the knife could taste flesh.
"SAM! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, SAM! PLEASE, GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Ken's wrist twisted, causing him to drop the knife from his hand. The Digimon Emperor felt the sensation of being pushed to the ground. That did it for him. He burst into tears, loudly sobbing.
"PLEASE!" he screamed, tears streaking down his cheeks. "I BEG OF YOU! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Ken screamed with every bit of power in his lungs, the sound filling the entire base. He curled up in a fetal position and just laid there and sobbed.
'What's done cannot be undone.'
What is Ken hiding? Has he finally lost his mind? Find out next time on Attack of the Emperor.
I had been anxious to do this chapter for a long time, guys, as you can clearly see why. And it looks like Tai and Sora are well on their way to starting something special.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are excited for what is coming next time. The group celebrate the third anniversary of when they became the Destined Jedi and look back on how far they have come. Then, something happens at the TV station which leads to new information in their fight against the Digimon Emperor.
As always, leave a review and subscribe to the story if you haven't.
I'll see y'all next weekend. I promise it will be. You can quote me on it. You all have a very Digi-Christmas.