"Flower Canon!"
"Naiad's Attack!"
"Springtime's gust!"
All three attacks hit Myotismon but he merely shrugged them off with a single swipe of his hands.
"It would've been preferable if you'd remained still." He said with a grim smile.
The vampire then held the edges of his cape and opened it, so that it look as though he had wings. "Death Scream!"
Some sort of dark gargoylish shadow shot out and struck Lilymon causing her to scream before her colors dimmed completely until she was all grey.
"LILYMON!" Mimi screamed in distress.
"What did you do to her?!" Theo snapped, turning to face Myotismon.
"Grisly wing!" The swarm of bats charged the three fairies and the petrified Lilymon.
"Lilymon! Hang in there!" Mimi ran right up to the stairs towards them.
Sara and Theo recovered long enough to fly over and grab the plant-fairy digimon by the arms.
"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon's attack destroyed several of the bats before picking them up in her talons.
The Bakemon within the Big Sight attacked, but this time there weren't any hostages around to make the guardians hold back from attacking. Against what looked to be more than a hundred Bakemon, several spells wasn't enough.
"Sora! You and the girls, take Lilymon and get out of here!" requested Mimi.
"We need back up, we can't do this alone!" Haruna added.
Sora's mother urged her daughter, as she faced the Bakemon herself, pushing for time. "What're you doing?! Hurry!"
Poor Sora. Both her mother and friends were urging her to escape, but they had a point. They needed more help. With teary eyes, Sora got up on the railing of the bridge before jumping onto Birdramon's left talon.
She clung to Birdramon's claw, and when she turned around to look, her mother was already surrounded by the Bakemon. There was no way to retrieve her or Mimi now.
"Mom! Mimi! I'll make sure to save you!" Sora promised as they flew further and further away.
Sara poked her head out from one of Birdramon's talons, "You can count on it!"
That was when the remaining Bakemon grabbed both Sora's mother and Mimi.
Meanwhile in the warehouse where they were hiding out, Matt informed his friends about what his father had uncovered the previous evening.
"What!?" Tai questioned. "The entire area of Odaiba is isolated?"
"That's right. Myotismon must be behind all of this." Matt assumed. "If not ordered by Lady Despair herself."
"There's no doubt about it. He's blocked out everything in Odaiba just so he can get the eighth child and Kylie!"
Matt added. "He and Lady Despair have captured both adults and children alike without a care."
Beth walked up to them. "It gets worse, Despair has brought the Garthim here to Earth. We can't get ahold of anyone else in the other realms and as you probably noticed, all the electronics are on the fritz." She glared at the gathering fog outside. "They've cut us all off on purpose!"
"Damn it all!" Tai angrily kicked a soda can that rolled all the way to a somber Kari's feet.
"Is this my fault?" Kari asked. "Is it my fault that everyone's suffering? They caught my mom because of me?"
"No, it's not, Kari!" Tai put his hands on her shoulder trying to reassure her. And he paused uncomfortably, "And it's not yours either, Kylie."
Kylie looked at him questioningly. Even if they say it isn't, in a small way it was.
"It's Lady Despair's! Listen, just leave everything to me and Beth here. But I need you stay with Kylie in this place."
Beth, Tai and Agumon had left their siblings with Matt and come to do some enemy surveillance. Tai was also worried about his parents.
When the Bakemon began kidnapping citizens, Izzy was the first to realize it. He was online when his internet connection shut down, and looking up, he saw Bakemon approaching the condo from the first floor window. Remembering one of the programs that Gennai had installed into his laptop computer, he immediately copied it onto his desktop computer and booted it up both his parents had inadvertently joined him in his own room. He had no idea how effective it was going to be. It was a gamble. The software, called 'Digimon Barrier,' worked wonderfully.
When the Bakemon broke down the door, they couldn't see Izzy and the others inside the room and promptly left to check other rooms. After verifying the source of where the fog was coming from Izzy knew something had to be done.
"Do you really have to go?" Masami said just as Izzy was about to leave the room. Even though he knew his son couldn't be stopped, he tried anyway.
"Yes. You two should stay here until I come back. Quietly though, this barrier doesn't seem to be able to mute sound."
His mother, Yoshie, couldn't stop herself from speaking up either. "You must return to us safely."
"Don't worry. I'll be with Izzy and protect him."
Although it had been explained to them, hearing a ladybug who was almost as big as a toddler talk to her had made Yoshie faint the moment he first spoke before them.
Meanwhile, Zaira had taken a bike and was already headed for the Hinode Passenger Terminal at full speed only to almost crash into one of her fellow guardians.
"Aah! Yui, you nearly scared me right out of my skin!"
The bouncy haired girl sighed with relief. "Same here. I couldn't get a hold of anyone by phone or by magic, so my only chance was to find you or anyone else. What's your story?"
"Well you made good decision," Zaira informed. "All of Odaiba's covered in the fog and within Lady Despair has got Myotismon rounding up all the citizens at the Big Sight convention in search of Kylie and the Eight Chosen child."
"What?! We got to get there and fast!"
"Let's not transform just yet, I had a premonition on the way here. Looks like we're not the only ones planning to do so."
She wasn't wrong.
T.K. Takaishi and his mother, Natsuko, took the Setagaya Line from Sangenjaya to Goutokuji station. An avenue that led off from the main street into a residential road had a small French restaurant among the private houses. When Natsuko had returned home late last night, she was surprised to find T.K. at home before her. "I'm so sorry about yesterday. I never thought that camp would be cancelled. If I had known, I would have made you dinner."
Upon hearing that Matt had made dinner for him, she decided that the two of them should eat lunch at a French restaurant the next day as a small penance.
"But Brother's spaghetti was delicious. Besides, you were busy with work."
"But I ended up waiting for nothing on one of them, and it pushed back the rest of my plans. That person said he could only meet me on a Sunday, and since that was a camp day, I thought it worked out perfectly and made time for him. And in the end, he stood me up. Isn't that horrible?"
Because her father was French and she herself had lived for a long time in France, Natsuko worked as both a French translator and a writer of non-fiction. Most of her work involved being a reportage writer for physics and chemistry research. Although she couldn't say that she was paid well for it, she felt that this suited her better than a regular desk job. Among her usual jobs, a side project that she was working on involved investigating the 'Hikarigaoka terrorist bombing incident' four years ago.
It was an incident that occurred in the very place where they had lived. Not only did it capture her interest, but as she kept investigating it, she found many aspects about it that weren't acceptable explanations to her. It still wasn't enough information for her to put into an article or a book, but someone, somehow, had managed to find out that she was working on it and had contacted her wanting to talk. But when the time of their appointment came, the man she was supposed to meet didn't appear.
What was that man's name? Oikawa? I think? Well, I'm never going to set up a meeting with him again.
She crunched into an artichoke from their appetizer dish, and heard a stomach growl from across the table. T.K. couldn't tell her that the stomach gurgles were coming from Patamon, who he'd placed on the seat next to him. Patamon was pretending to be a stuffed toy. Because T.K.'s mother was with them, he hadn't been able to eat anything since waking up that morning.
I can't believe it's harder to find food here than in the Digital World…
Patamon suppressed his tears. Last night, he had eaten his fill of Matt's spaghetti, but that energy had been spent evolving to Angemon. Patamon continued to be hungry until T.K. pretended to eat bread and secretly nudged it in Patamon's direction.
By the time Yui, Zaira, T.K. and his mother arrived in Shinbashi, the Yurikamome had stopped working. Ships were also prohibited from leaving port, so there was a crowd of people at the Terminal. Odaiba was covered in fog, and there could be no doubt that it was already in a state of chaos.
T.K.'s mother worried. "Not even the ships are working."
"I have to get to Odaiba by the afternoon!" A man shouted.
"Yurikamome Station and the Rainbow Bridge are closed, too!"
"Do something!"
"Calm down, everyone! Please don't push!"
By this point the crowd had gotten unruly, so much that T.K. was unintentionally separated from his mother.
Meanwhile at the Big Sight by this time the children have been separated from their parents as a result of the breakout attempt.
"What are you going to do to us?!" Mr. Kamiya demanded standing up.
"Give us back our children!" shouted one of the women.
DemiDevimon only sniggered at their indignant demands. "All of you are going to be Lord Myotismon's meal. Go to sleep until then."
Red rings began to shoot from his bat's eyes and soon all the adults in the convention center have fallen into a deep asleep.
The captive children in the meantime were lined up and forced to walk up to Gatomon, who had to say whether or not they were the eighth child. Many of the young ones were crying or close to tears.
"No, it's not him." Gatomon shook her head sadly yet again.
"All right, next."
"It's not her." Again Gatomon shook her head
Myotismon's voice suddenly rang out. "You understand, don't you?"
Immediately, the gathered children began to whimper or wail in pure terror once the vampire materialized from a dark portal. "If you lie to me, I will kill all of the children!"
Gatomon shivered at the thought. She could only pray and hope that both Kari and Kylie have escaped somehow.
It didn't help when Lady Despair emerged from the shadows with the Garthim, a sight that made the children's fear grow.
Gatomon now looked worried, as if Myotismon's anger needed to be further tested.
"Calm down," the evil sorceress said to her glowering son, "I brought a surprise that may serve as further incentive to bring out the Heir from hiding."
The Garthim then tossed out Dana, who was bound in chains.
"You can't do this! You're gonna get in trouble! I'll tell the Council where you are!" the youngest of the guardians was yelling.
"Ahahaha! The Council!?" Lady Despair laughed, and made a mock scared face. "Oh no, not the council!" She leaned over Dana, and tapped the silver talon finger against her cheek. "I am old, child. Older than this world, and before it's Council. Let the Council come, I'd feast on their white magic, and extend my life by another billion years."
She steps back, her scary pink, cat like eyes narrowed on Dana.
"I want them to come, but the dome prevents all from leaving, or entering. But there is ONE person still here. One who will come to us," Lady Despair turns to frown at Myotismon. "You forget my child, even if the 8th chosen one appeared, the Sea Witch's spell would keep her from saying anything, and she'll lie. Whether she wants to or not."
Lady Despair suddenly appears in front of Gatomon, gabbing her with her psychic powers, so to levitate her up. Casing the cat digimon to writhe like her face was grabbed.
"NO! Leave her alone!" Dana shouts, and charged at the sorceress.
Lady Despair didn't look behind herself, as she points back at Dana, and a bright red flash of light engulfs her. The children scream and wail in fear and worry, Myotismon even shielded his eyes. When the light died down, Dana was gone, the only thing left as a strange, amber locket with a gold chain.
"NO! What have you done!?" Gatomon cried out.
Lady Despair hooked the necklace on her finger, and let it dangle in front of Gatomon, like she was trying to hypnotize her for on the front of the locket, was the image of Dana, banging on her prison as she tried to escape.
"We have no need for you, Gatomon." Lady Despair said. "With Dana we will find the Heir, and the others will come running to us. But I am a sentimental woman, so I'll spare you..."
She caressed the floating Gatomon's face, running her hands over her head and down her back, up her tail. Thou Lady Despair flinched her hand away, when the Holy Ring on Gatomon's tail glowed in warning.
"You'll look breath taking as a Lady Devimon, once you've been corrupted." Lady Despair laughed manically.
She steps back, letting Gatomon fall to the floor, the various children cowering, and hugging each other as the Garthim circled them.
"So, you did not get Kylie..." Myotismon asked, arms crossed and frowning at Sierra.
"Does that miserable chit's tramp daughter, really mean that much more to you than your own mother?" Lady Despair asked, clutching the locket holding Dana tightly in her hand with a growl.
"I intend to claim Kylie for my own, whether you approve or not."
As they quarreled, Gatomon watched nervously. She hoped more than ever that both Kylie and Kari have left before things escalate further.
Back at the terminal, Joe kept getting pushed side to side by the people storming to the front. Quickly, he was forced to push his way outside and take a deep breath.
"I thought I was gonna die in there!" He said to Gomamon, who was still in the bag.
"Joe!" T.K. was standing next to him with a smiling Patamon.
"T.K.!"
"Joe, weren't you in Odaiba?"
"This all happened while I was in summer school."
"Joe! T.K.!" Yui and Zaira ran up to them.
"Zaira! Yui!"
"You don't know how relieved we are to see at least two of you are okay!" Zaira panted.
Joe blinked, stunned. "Two of us, then…?"
The four turned to look at the fog.
"That fog you think it's…" T.K. wondered.
Joe nods. "Yeah. It's most likely Myotismon's work. Odaiba must be in big trouble right now."
T.K. looked very much worried for his brother.
Joe became grimly determined. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to Odaiba."
"And we're going with you!" Yui chimed in.
"Me too! But how?" T.K. turned to them.
Joe smiled and winked. "With this!" He held up his bag so that Gomamon could poke his head out.
"Gomamon!"
"I needed some air." The seal said.
"All right!" grinned Patamon.
"I'm counting on you, Gomamon." Joe urged.
"Okay! Leave it to me!"
At once the four headed for the docks. While everyone was focused on getting transport, it was needed for the two teenage girls accompanying the boys needed to transform.
"Gomamon, digivolve to… Ikkakumon!"
The sight of Ikkakumon, who was the size of a small truck bristling with fur and two human-sized fairies was enough to start drawing a crowd.
"T.K.! T.K.!" a woman's voice cried.
"Mama!" T.K. had turned around from his spot.
Joe, Yui and Zaira followed his gaze to see a blonde woman running down the docks, trying to catch up to Ikkakumon.
"It's dangerous! Get off that thing!"
"Its okay, Mama! This is Ikkakumon! He's a friend!"
Joe called out to T.K.'s mother. "Hello, pleased to meet you, ma'am! I'm Joe Kido from sixth grade in the same Odaiba elementary school as Matt Ishida. We'll take good care of T.K., so please don't worry!"
Yui fluttered a little closer, waving to T.K.'s mother, "We'll look out for them!"
Was T.K. friends with them? The woman wondered, still unable to process what was happening.
"Mama, don't worry! I'll be fine!" T.K. called back to his mother.
"T.K.!"
"I'll tell Onii-chan and Papa you said hi!" T.K. waved as they started to enter the fog.
Back in Odaiba, a single Bakemon was resting on a bench when Tai, Agumon and Beth snuck up on it. They started beating up the ghost digimon demanding answers.
"Tai! Beth!"
"Up here!"
They looked up to see Birdramon with Theo, Haruna and Sara G headed their way. The Bakemon they'd ambushed then fled, scared out of his wits.
"They're all in the Big Sight center!" Sora yelled out. "That's where Myotismon is holding everyone upon Despair's orders!"
"They're in the Big Sight?" Tai questioned.
The three guardians landed right in front of them with Sora.
"That's right…" Sora answered. "Mimi is there… And both your parents too."
"What about Dana?" Beth inquired worriedly. "Did you see her there?"
"They got Dana too?!" Theo yelped, her eyes wide.
Tai shared their shock then recovered. "Sora, you and the other three go to Matt! He's with Kylie and Kari in Aqua City."
"I got it!" She nodded.
"Count on us!" Sara G replied.
But as they ran in different directions, they didn't know that they were being spied on. From atop one of the Ferris wheel cabins, Phantomon appeared.
As they approached the dome of fog, they realized that it wasn't just the thickness of the fog that made it unnatural. It had an invisible pressure as well that blocked them out. Something approached them from within the fog as they neared the Rainbow Bridge.
Something that looked like a giant snake's head surged through the water surface.
"It's huge…!" Zaira cried.
Even just the part alone that rose from beneath the ocean was as big as a three-story building. Its actual body span was probably over tens of meters in length. In the past, they had met an Adult level Digimon named Seadramon, but this Digimon was several times larger and wore a headpiece over its giant head. They could see that it was much stronger than the Seadramon they knew.
"It must be a Perfect level!"
Even so, Ikkakumon didn't hesitate on firing his horns nor did Yui with her spells. There was no doubt in his mind that this was one of Myotismon's minions. Zaira did not, knowing she would cause more harm than good with her power of Thunder.
"Harpoon Vulcan!"
"Starry barrage!"
However, unlike that time, the organic missiles that he was firing didn't give any damage to their opponent, no matter how many were fired into it. The Digimon— MegaSeadramon, fired a lightning bolt from the horn on its head. Ikkakumon quickly moved away to dodge the blow.
But the power of the lightning bolt when it hit the ocean surface was dreadful, and the sea swelled up as if it exploded. Yui and Zaira were blown back into the ocean. Ikkakumon was flown up into the air.
Joe and T.K. were also thrown down. MegaSeadramon, confident in its victory, approached them leisurely. The horn on its head glittered dangerously, ready to strike lightning at any moment. With a direct hit, Ikkakumon wouldn't stand a chance.
"T.K.!" Patamon cried.
The girls barely recovered their energy to figure out what happened. Yet even with their wet wings, they frantically looked round for the boys, only to see T.K. sinking.
Fortunately, Joe grabbed the little boy and pulled him up. Zaira pushed a wooden board towards them, which Joe handed to T.K. But the blast and the exhaustion from the previous night were sapping Joe of his strength.
"Joe!"
Joe smiled to T.K. tiredly. "I promised your mother… That I'll protect you… I have to… keep my promise…"
T.K. frantically kept calling Joe's name while Zaira and Yui dove into the waves to try and save him. As Joe's mind slowly faded to unconsciousness, he only had one wish in mind. 'I have to do whatever it takes to protect T.K. I have to get us all to Odaiba.'
Bathed in that silvery light of the crest, Ikkakumon evolved to Perfect level. "Ikkakumon, digivolve to… Zudomon!"
The hard shell of a turtle's. The long tusks of a walrus. The horn on his forehead as Ikkakumon changed into a different creature with more serrations. His whole body length grew twice as big in size, and he was now as big as MetalGreymon. What was even more different was that he was carrying a giant hammer in his right hand, the Thor Hammer.
At the same time, the digivice's light enveloped Yui. Rings of yellow swept up, giving her new red garments and set of wings.
Zudomon raised the Thor Hammer high, bringing it down on MegaSeadramon's head. The hammer, made out of chrome digizoid, the digital world's strongest metal, easily shattered MegaSeadramon's headpiece to smithereens.
The resulting sparks were so big that it might as well be an explosion flew from the point of impact. That single strike obliterated MegaSeadramon's nervous system. MegaSeadramon slowly fell back into the ocean, not even given the time to scream, disintegrating into particles.
Zudomon brought Joe and the others to rest on his immense back, and stepped into the fog.
Ahead of the Odaiba Seaside Park was a place called 'No. 3 Battery.' It was the remains of a gun battery from the Meiji Restoration period, sitting on a square plot of land that jutted out from the water ahead of a long thin road. It was the place where Gatomon and Wizardmon had fought Myotismon the previous night. Wizardmon had sunk to the ocean depths right next to No. 3 Battery. Myotismon's herd of bats in his 'grisly wing' attack had wounded Wizardmon deeply. Since his body was like the composition of a stuffed doll, being permeated with water made his limbs drag down. He was unable to move with his own strength any longer. The only things he did not lose his grip on, even in unconsciousness, were his magic staff
"Take me to Gatomon!"
"Wh-Who's that?" Patamon looked around.
Zaira pointed to the water. "Look there!"
Of course, Zudomon scooped up Wizardmon as well. As a Perfect level, the pressure of the fog felt like nothing and he was able to enter into Odaiba.
Wizardmon's consciousness fluttered back faintly. He was able to register that he had been saved, and that he was gripping his staff and the Crest in his hands. However, there was something more important to focus on than that right now.
"It's the Crest of Light… I must give this to Gatomon… and Kari…"
The condominiums, recreational facilities, company buildings, and hotels in Odaiba were as empty as the Fuji TV office building. Not a single human remained. Myotismon's subordinates were scarily efficient.
But not even the Bakemon were aware that Matt and the others were hiding inside a building a few short blocks from the Fuji TV building that was under construction. The construction site, which was planned to be a comprehensive recreational facility called 'Aqua City' when complete, was still covered by cloth on the outside, while the inside was bare with steel beams.
Somewhere in the background was the sound of water dripping. A wind gently lifted up one end of the cloths covering the building under construction.
"Two hours are almost up." Matt looked at his Digivice. "Where are they?"
Kari was greatly worried as was Kylie.
"Matt! Kylie! Kari!" That was Sora's voice!
They ran out to greet her, Haruna, Theo and Sara. Once Birdramon gently set her down, Haruna and Sara G were hovering over Lilymon in concern.
"Sora!"
"Matt! Everyone is held captive at Big Sight!"
"Big Sight?" Matt asked.
However a sinister laugh filled the air. Standing on the bridge above them was Phantomon!
"Even if I don't find the eighth child or the heir, I'll still be rewarded for destroying you! Your lives will end here! Come on out!"
A giant praying mantis, Snimon, and a dinosaur with two giant horns like those of a bull protruding out from its shoulders, Tuskmon. Snimon's scythes easily cut through steel beams, and the power from Tuskmon's charges could easily bulldoze Digimon of the same level.
Garurumon and Birdramon rushed straight into battle as did the guardians.
Kylie was too shocked to move. Then Phantomon threw his chain around Matt's neck strangling him, Sora rushed over to help but she was thrown back.
It was more than Kari could bear. If they kept this up, Myotismon would kill them all.
Kylie stood rooted to the ground. So what if she would escape now? Lady Despair would always come after her, she and Myotismon would find her…unless they destroyed him. Kylie knew Myotismon was too dangerous to be left wandering free, but the thought of his death frightened her. She was afraid of losing the person she loved, she just didn't know what he was anymore. 'I can't avoid Myotismon forever…sooner or later he's bound to find me. . .'
Finally, Kylie made her ultimate decision. She lifted her head and cried, "Phantomon, STOP!"
At the sound of Kylie's order, the offending Digimon turned to look at her.
Before Kylie could even stop her, Kari walked right up and spoke: "It's me you want: I'm the eighth child. I'll follow you quietly. So please, stop hurting everyone."
"Kari, don't!" Kylie gasped.
"I praise you for your good intentions." Phantomon lowered his scythe. "Very well." He called off the opposing digimon and released Matt.
Kylie then stepped in front of Kari protectively. "I'm Sirene's heir. I assume your master gave orders that I was to be brought back to him; you have me, and I assure you that neither of us will run. You have my word."
"My Lady has given me strict instructions in regards to the Eighth child," Phantomon declared. "But Lord Myotismon had his own for you...I will take you, and let THEM be the judges."
"Thank you," Kari hung her head.
Phantomon engulfs the two girls in a floating purple sphere and takes them away.
To be continued…