And here is the epilogue I promised. I want to go over this event from the game's extra missions before going into the fourth arc for reasons I can't explain now at the risk of spoiling what I have in mind for the fourth arc, so I'm holding off on that explanation until we get to that part of said arc. But in any case here we are. The true conclusion to the third arc of Cyber Ranger.
It had been two months since the battle with the Pinchers and the Societea concluded. Kyoko, Takumi and Ami stepped into Rand's house with their Digimon. Leanne and Nema were waiting for them. Calumon and Tokomon were sitting on the table.
"Oh, Kyoko! Takumi! Ami!" Nema said.
"I'm sorry to call you for something so strange." Leanne said.
"Why all the secrecy?" Terriermon asked from atop Takumi's head.
"If Rand were here, he might get angry…"
Nema glanced at her. "Good thing Papa's out with Matayoshi and Date, huh, Mom?"
"Why?" Takumi asked. "What's going on?"
Nema grinned. "Guys, don't get too surprised. My mom received a love letter!"
"A what?" Ami asked.
"It's not a love letter!" Leanne scolded her daughter. "It's a fan letter."
"What's the difference?" Calumon asked.
"Yeah!" Nema nodded. "Either way, they're pretty much the same thing."
Leanne sighed. "Oh, Nema, would you stop teasing? It's not a love letter, okay? If you think I'm lying, just read it."
"So, what do you want us to do about this?" Takumi asked.
Leanne pointed to the other end of the room. "Look in that drawer. The love…I mean…fan letter's in there."
Kyoko retrieved the letter. "Here it is. Let's see… "Oh, my admired Leanne, I remember when I first met you as if it were yesterday." The detective giggled. "Fan letter" indeed."
"Oh yeah." Takumi muttered. "Good call not letting Rand know about this. He'd explode."
Nema grinned. "See? It's a love letter, right?"
Leanne sighed. "Enough already. Kyoko, read the rest."
"At the time, I couldn't do anything to help you, and I was so ashamed that I couldn't meet your gaze."
"Sounds like we got a shy guy here." Ami giggled.
"But a nice man, don't you think?" Nema giggled.
"We don't need the commentary!" Leanne scolded.
Kyoko shook her head. "I heard you are an archeologist. I wanted to meet you again and have an actual conversation, so I started studying archeology from the ground up."
"I'm sorry, I still don't see what you need us for." Palmon said.
Leanne turned to her. "The problem starts right about here."
Kyoko continued. "When I did, I found it to be very interesting. I actually started visiting ruins by myself…Then I made a huge discovery! Leanne! I definitely want to get your opinion. I'll be waiting in our Oblivia Ruins, where we first met… I will go in the same outfit that I was wearing then!"
"We first met…" Ami pondered. "Just who is this guy?"
"Mom told me she doesn't remember that person at all." Nema replied. "It's totally unrequited love on his part."
"Nema!" Leanne yelled. "Would you knock it off!"
"Hee, hee!"
The woman took a deep breath. "I'm interested in the big discovery he wrote about in the letter. But that place…"
Takumi looked down. "That's where you, Nema and Kyoko were taken after being kidnapped by Purple Eyes."
Nema nodded and frowned. "Just thinking about that place is scary."
"I still have nightmares about that place." Leanne muttered. "That's a little embarrassing for an archeologist, though."
"So that's why you called us." Ami said.
"Exactly. Kyoko's been doing a lot of research with me. And you two have learned a good amount yourselves."
Nema nodded. "Could you guys be my mom's bodyguard and chaperone her date with the "letter boy?"
Leanne glared at her. "This isn't a date. It's an investigation!"
Nema giggled. "Okay, okay."
Kyoko's eyes stayed on the letter. "The danger may be greater than you think."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Leanne asked
"Think about it. You first met this guy at Oblivia Ruins. And we've only been there once."
Takumi thought for a moment. "Wait…You think one of the Pinchers wrote that letter?!"
"Is this a trap?" Ami asked.
"I don't know." Kyoko replied. "If it is a trap, it's not a very crafty one. It's easy to tell a Pincher wrote it from the obvious clue."
"Hey, come to think of it." Terriemron said. "When we found them, didn't one of the Steelhead tell Purple Eyes he was against the whole hostage thing to begin with?"
"Hey, you're right." Ami replied. "He even said he felt sorry for Kyoko, Leanne and Nema…Maybe this guy turned a new leaf?"
"Maybe…" Kyoko said. "Leanne, do you still want to do this? Even if this guy might be a Pincher?"
"Only if you will accompany me. I know your memories of that place aren't any better than mine, but I thought you might be able to help with the investigation."
Kyoko turned to Takumi and Ami. Seeing the eager looks on their faces already told her their opinion. "Alright then. We'll take this case on." She smiled.
"Thank you! Let's leave immediately, then!"
"With the famous Cyber Sleuths as bodyguards, mom doesn't have anything to worry about!" Nema smiled.
"We should have someone look after Nema as well." Kyoko said. "Just in case this is a trick, and someone tries to attack her while we're away."
Ami nodded. "Let's see, Rand, Date and Matayoshi are on patrol, Arata, Yuugo, Yuuko and Fei are at the tower, seeing if they can contact Mr. Kamishiro again…Not that that's going well, last time was a sheer miracle. But anyway, I don't think Nokia's doing anything right now. Let's call her." She dialed the girl on her Digivice. A blue screen appeared in front of her.
"Hey Ami-Whammy! What's up?"
Ami groaned. "Not that nickname again…"
Takumi grinned. "Yeah, not so funny now, is it Ami-Whammy?"
Ami ignored her brother. "Nokia, can you come by to Rand's place? We need to ask you a favor."
"Sure. On my way."
"But listen, don't tell anyone!" Takumi said. "Especially not Rand!"
"Huh? Did something happen?"
"We'll tell you when you get here." Ami replied.
Shortly after the chat, Nokia arrived with Agumon and Gabumon. "Hey! Sorry for the wait. So, what's happening here?"
"Well…" Takumi handed her the letter. "Here. Maybe you should see for yourself."
"Hello, what do we have here?" Nokia read only a few words before commenting. "Oh! A love letter to Leanne!"
"Fan letter!" The archeologist said trying to ignore the chuckling from everyone in the room.
"Same difference!"
"Now do you see why we don't want Rand to know?" Palmon asked.
"No kidding, I don't even want to picture how he'd react." Nokia continued reading quietly. "Okay, so he wants to meet you in the Oblivia Ruins right? What's the big issue?"
"Nokia, isn't that where she was taken to by Purple Eyes?" Agumon asked.
Nokia gasped. "That's right! How could I forget?! Sorry, Leanne!"
"It's fine. But that might not be the biggest issue." The archeologist replied.
"Eh?"
"Nokia." Ami stepped forward. "This guy might be a Pincher."
"A P-P-Pincher?!"
"He said the Oblivia Ruins is where they first met, right?" Palmon asked.
"Oh. That makes sense…So you want me and my best Digimon friend the Royal Knight himself to protect Leanne from this guy, right?"
"Actually, my assistants and I have that covered." Kyoko replied. "We want you to stay here and protect Nema in case the objective of the trap is to kidnap her again while we're away."
"Oh. Okay! We can protect her if any of those Pinchers come by!" Nokia chirped. "Right boys?"
"That's right!" Agumon said. "We can't let Calumon fall into their hands again either!"
"We'll protect Nokia, Nema, Calumon, and Tokomon with all our might!" Gabumon added.
"Yay!" Tokomon cheered. "Thank you!"
"Just leave it to us!" Nokia smiled. "You guys just watch Leanne! You never know what boys are thinking these days!"
"Okay…?" Takumi raised an eyebrow but shook his head. "Be carful Nokia. Sorry for putting you on this alone."
"Hey, quit worrying! You and Ami aren't the only strong Digimon Tamers Oblivia has to offer, ya know!"
The boy smiled. "That's true. Well, let's go." He walked towards the door with Terriermon, Leanne, and Kyoko.
Ami was the last one to pass by Nokia. She leaned into her ear and whispered. "What do you mean "quit worrying"? The knight in shining armor's supposed to worry about his little princess."
"Will you just can it?!" Before Nokia could take a swing at her, Ami ran for the door laughing, with Palmon hurrying to catch up.
Takumi awkwardly glanced as his laughing sister, then turned to Nokia. "Did she say something?"
As soon as Takumi was looking at her, Nokia turned away so she wouldn't see her red face. "Nothing! Just get going already!"
"R-right."
Nokia sighed as she heard the door close. "Dang it…why did I say it like that? Whenever Takumi's around, I feel so…uneasy…"
Outside the house, Takumi looked at Ami. "What was that about?"
"Let's just say our mysterious letter-writer isn't the only shy lover in Obivia." Ami snickered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. But that's pretty ironic coming from the girl who's been nervously crushing on Arata, don't you think?"
Ami froze and blushed a bit. "T-that's not-
"Alright, that's enough you two." Kyoko said. "Let's focus on the job at hand."
"Right." The twins nodded.
Leanne giggled. "Just like a mother."
Rosemon carried Ami to the outdoor area at the top of the ruins. MegaGargomon followed behind with Kyoko, Takumi and Leanne. Once they all got down, the Digimon returned to their Rookie forms.
Leanne looked around uneasily. "Coming back here is bringing back the fear from before…But, I'm an archeologist. I'm going into the ruins."
"I guess we should start at the murals where you were held." Ami said.
Kyoko nodded. "Agreed. Shall we?"
As soon as they returned to the murals, everyone examined the old paintings. "Just looking at this brings me back to our adventures." Takumi said.
Leanne stared intently. "I didn't notice it before, but some ancient script is faintly…" She walked over to another painting.
"Uh…You gonna finish that sentence?" Palmon asked as the archeologist moved to another.
"Something important is written out mysteriously."
"What does it say?" Ami asked.
"It will be hard to decipher it immediately, but it's very interesting."
Terriermon tilted his head. "Uhhh…Guys? The guy?"
Takumi looked at him. "What guy?"
"The one we're supposed to meet?"
"Oh my, I'm sorry." Leanne said. "I completely forgot I was going to meet someone." Suddenly the room became pitch black dark then returned to normal in an instant. "What?"
Then it happened again. "Is someone messing with the lights?" Takumi asked.
"I very much doubt the ancient Oblivians had light switches." Ami replied.
The room slowly got darker. "Well, something weird is going on." Kyoko said. "It's getting darker and darker…"
"Be carful!" Takumi warned. "We might be under attack!"
Suddenly a purple void opened up in the center of the room. A large creature slowly rose out of it. A dragon with a grey body, black wings with red spikes, six legs, a tail, and a gold half rings around it's neck complete with a gold, grown like object with horns on its head with red eyes. "Gugyaaaah!"
"What the heck is that thing?!" Terriermon asked. "I don't think it's a Digimon!"
"Look out!" Leanne warned.
It fired spheres of ominous smoke at them. As everyone got out of the way, Ami and Takumi put their googles on. "Palmon!"
"Terriermon, you gotta Digivolve now!"
DIGIVOLUTION
"Terriermon Double Warp Digivolve to…MegaGargomon!"
"Palmon Double Warp Digivolve to…Rosemon!"
Ami stared at the Pokemon through her googles. "I'm scanning it now! It looks like analyzing is going to take some time though…"
The Pokemon roared as chunks of the stone floor came off around it. "I don't think it's about wait for it!" Takumi replied. "Look out!" The stones went flying towards them. Megagargomon broke them apart with punches and kicks, while Rosemon charged towards the Pokemon and swung her whip forward. "Thorn Whip!" The attack bounced off the Pokemon. "It's strong…"
The Pokemon opened its mouth and A black laser, fired from it and bounced off the walls. It struck through both MegaGargomon and Rosmeon at once. Takumi and Ami looked at them in shock. "MegaGargomon!"
"Rosemon!"
MegaGargomon growled as he got up. "Burst Shot!" He fired a missile barrage at it. The smaller rockets exploded but failed to do much damage. Before the big missiles on his arms could hit it, the Pokemon disappeared instantly. "Wha-Where is he?!" MegaGargomon looked around. Then out of the blue it reappeared and rammed into him from behind. Rosemon tried to attack it from behind, but the wings sandwiched her, and threw her to the ground.
"Gugyaaaah!" It let out another roar, that blew the humans off their feet and threatened to do the same to the Digimon.
"What's going on?" Leanne asked.
"What is this thing?!" Takumi trembled.
The Pokemon prepared to fire another laser. "Look out!" Ami yelled.
Just then another Digimon rushed in with incredible swiftness. He grabbed the Pokemon, stopping it from attacking and wrestled with it. "UlforceVeedramon!" MegaGargomon gasped.
"Lighting Joust!" The blue Royal Knight moved aside so a beam of light could strike the Pokemon. It slid back slightly on its feet but brushed it off. Another Digimon entered the room.
Rosemon stood up straight. "Gallantmon too?!"
"Good. We've made it in time." UlforceVeedramon said.
Ami looked at the knights. "What are you two doing here?!"
"Nokia called us for help." Gallantmon replied. "She was concerned about what this man may try to pull. If this creature is his doing, I would say she made the right call."
"We have no idea!" Rosemon replied. "We just found it here while looking for the guy!"
"This might have been a trap. If that man is indeed one of the Pinchers, he may be controlling it from somewhere."
"But to what end?" Leanne asked. "To eliminate us?"
"Or maybe to distract us." Kyoko said.
The Pokemon let out another roar. "If that is the case, you'd best look for him!" UlforceVeedramon said. "Gallantmon and I will stay here and hold back this beast!"
"Are you sure?" MegaGargomon asked. "That thing's pretty tough…"
"Fear not." Gallantmon replied. "We are Royal Knights. We've been though many fierce battles in the past."
"Guys, we should do as they say!" Leanne said. "Maybe we can find a way to weaken it if we look around!"
"I hope you're right…" Takumi sighed. "Alright. Sorry to do this to you guys. Good luck!" He and the others ran out of the room and Gallantmon and UlforceVeedramon faced the Pokemon.
Once they were out of the room, they stopped to catch their breath. Takumi and Ami's Digimon went back to Rookie form. "Phew…That was close." Leanne said. "Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah…" Takumi replied. "But Gallantmon and UlforceVeedramon…"
"What was that Pokemon?" Kyoko asked.
Ami heard a beeping sound and put on her googles. "Finally!"
"Did the analyses finish?" Takumi asked.
"Yes! The Pokemons name is…Giratina. A legendary Pokemon"
Leanne's eyes widened. "Giratina?!"
"You know of it?" Kyoko asked.
"Usually that Pokemon lives in a different world, so why did it come to the Oblivia Ruins? Also, compared to the pictures of Giratina I've seen in history books, the shape looked somehow different…"
"So, what now?" Takumi asked.
Kyoko thought for a moment. "Hmmm…Maybe the big discovery mentioned in the letter has something to do with Giratina."
"Assuming it wasn't just a rouse to lure us." Ami muttered. "What if Gallantmon is right? The sender might be controlling Giratina."
"If that is the case maybe taking him out will stop that thing." Kyoko replied. "Either way, our only hope is finding the sender of that letter. He wasn't at the murals, so he's got to be somewhere else in the ruins."
"Then we better find him fast!" Takumi said. "Gallantmon and UlforceVeedramon are counting on us!"
They went down some stairs from the outside area. "Hey look!" Ami pointed to the far west side of the room. A lone Steelhead stood near the doorway and spotted them.
"Those googles…and red hair…are they…the Cyber Sleuths?! Why did they come here?! They couldn't be here to arrest me, could they? Oh, man! I wasn't expecting this! I won't let them get me!" He then ran off.
"That must be the guy!" Takumi said.
"There are still Pinchers that haven't taken off their armor." Leanne said. "That's kind of scary…"
"So, he's still up to no good?" Palmon asked.
"Maybe, maybe not." Kyoko replied. "But friend or foe, he's the only clue we have. We can't lose him."
Takumi nodded. "Right. Let's hurry after him."
They made their way through the room and into the hall the man fled to. The one lined with Steelhead armor. Leanne stopped them. "Wait a second!"
"What's up?" Terriermon asked.
Leanne looked around. "The Steelhead icons…One, two, three, four, five…There are five altogether."
"Okay…what about them?" Ami asked.
"They are very old. Let me look at them for a moment."
Kyoko nodded. "We'll help."
For the next minute and a half, the team spent their time examining the statues. "Notice anything?" Ami asked.
"It's just as I thought." Leanne took a step back from the one in the center. "These icons form some kind of device."
"Device?" Takumi asked.
Leanne nodded. "Another thing that interests me is…Only this icon is missing pieces of its armor."
"So, if we can find armor somewhere in fill in the missing pieces something will happen?" Kyoko asked. "Interesting. Find some armor…" She glanced at her assistants. "Are you two thinking what I'm thinking?" The twins smiled and nodded.
"Can we go after that guy now?!" Terriermon asked. "He's probably gone far off ahead by now! We're kinda on the clock, you know!"
"Calm down partner." Takumi replied. "For a detective, there's always time to analyze the situation."
"Analyze while we chase that Steelhead down!" Palmon said. The team ran to the next room.
Leanne looked ahead. "Hey, Steelhead!"
The man just ahead yelped and looked at them. "I'm not doing bad things anymore! And despite that, you brought the Cyber Sleuths along!" He started to run.
"No, wait!" Takumi yelled.
Two Claydol came in and grabbed the man. "Whaaaaagh!"
The team watched him as he was carried away. "Tried to warn him." Takumi sighed shaking his head.
"Hmmm…Did you hear that?" Kyoko said. "I'm not doing bad things anymore"."
"So maybe he did turn over a new leaf." Ami said. "So, he can't be controlling Giratina."
"Let's follow him!" Leanne said. "We won't find out from here!"
"Agreed." Kyoko nodded.
It took a few moments, managing through the maze while evading Claydol, but they made their way to the upper floor where the Steelhead stood panicking in the eastern room.
"Finally, we caught up to you!" Ami huffed.
The man gulped. "It's all over now. Do your worst, Cyber Sleuths." He then steeled his nerves. "But, before you take me away…there's something I have to say to Leanne!"
"So, you know my name!" Leanne said. "You are the person who sent me that letter, then?"
"That's right. I said I'd be waiting in the same outfit as when we met. But this is so mean, Leanne! Bringing the Cyber Sleuths along, and…"
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea!" Takumi said. "I mean, sure we knew the sender had to be a Pincher, and we did suspect this might be a trap, but we still want to hear you out. We're just bodyguards. For Leanne these ruins are a scary place considering your boss kidnapped her and forced her here while threatening her daughter."
"It's not exactly a place I'm comfortable with either." Kyoko added. "You should know that just as well as anybody."
"W-well, um…" The Steelhead bowed. "I'm very sorry about back then."
"I knew it!" Ami said. "It is you!"
"That Steelhead who tried to stand up to Purple Eyes before?" Leanne asked.
The man gasped. "You remembered me! That's right! I'm that Steelhead! I felt so sorry for you two and your friends at that time, but I was so afraid of my leader that I wasn't able to help."
"I see." Kyoko nodded.
"I didn't think about Leanne's or your feelings and I wore the same armor from that awful time…I'm sorry." He then gripped the helmet. "I'll strip this tin can off right now!"
"You do that." Kyoko replied. "Saves us from asking to barrow it from you."
Takumi and the others panicked. "W-wait! Don't do it here!" Ami said.
The man lifted off the helmet. "I'm wearing clothes underneath, so there's nothing to worry about!"
Takumi, Leanne, Ami, and the two Digimon sighed in relief. "Oh. Good." Takumi said as the man tore off the pieces and threw them on the floor. He wore the green Pincher uniform under his armor. "I'm a Pincher underneath, too! Well, actually I'm not a Pincher anymore. But these are the only decent cloths I have."
"I don't know if that or the armor makes me more uneasy." Terriemron sighed.
"By the way, what was the big discovery you wrote about?" Leanne asked.
"Wasn't there some hard-to-read ancient script on the walls in the Oblivia Ruins?" The Pincher asked.
"I noticed that, too, but it would take an entire day to decipher them."
"Only one day?! You're amazing, Leanne! It took me an entire week!"
"Wait a minute, you managed to decipher that ancient script?" Takumi asked. "The whole thing?"
The Pincher nodded. "Yes! I was so absorbed in it, I forgot to eat!"
"That's not healthy." Ami muttered. "Or…normal."
"How surprising." Leanne said. "That's really amazing. And what was written there, then?"
"The ancient Steelhead hid a certain item somewhere in this wide world. It's called a Griseous Orb."
"Griseous Orb?"
"That's right. The ancient Steelhead summoned Giratina from another world in order to defeat the young Hero who was trying to defend peace."
Everyone gasped. "Did you just say Giratina?!" Ami asked.
The Pincher nodded. "Then, in order to keep it from leaving, they stole the Griseous Orb from Giratina."
"So that's what Giratina's doing here!" Takumi replied.
"It's been searching these ruins the whole time for the Griseous Orb?" Terriemron asked.
"I don't think it has always been in the Oblivia Ruins." The Pincher replied. "I'm sure it has been searching the whole world. Wait..." He then looked at Takumi. "Did you say Giratina is here?! As in right now?!"
Takumi nodded. "We just had a scuffle with it in the room with the murals. Our friends are trying to fend it off while we look for a solution."
"Really? I just heard a really loud screech…So, that was Giratina!"
"Wow, that's a rotten thing your ancestors did to Giratina!" Terriermon said. "No wonder it's so angry!"
"They weren't any ancestors of mine! The five Steelhead who summoned Giratina and I aren't connected in any way!"
Leanne shook her head. "You were more than happy to wear that evil armor, so you can't say there isn't any connection at all…Take a hard look at what you've done." She then came to a realization. "Huh? Wait a minute. You just said…there were five ancient Steelhead, right?"
"That's what the ancient writing said." The Pincher replied.
"I have a feeling I know where the Griseous Orb is hidden." She smiled at the Cyber Sleuths. "You two as well, right?"
"Way ahead of you, Leanne." Kyoko replied. While they were talking, she was scavenging through the Pincher's Steelhead armor.
"Remember how one of those icons is missing some pieces?" Takumi grinned.
"Ah, I get it." Leanne smiled. "We can use his armor to fill in the missing pieces of the Steelhead Icon."
"Yup! That's the plan!" Ami pepped.
"That's the famous Cyber Sleuths and their teacher for you!"
The Pincher gleamed. "What a great idea! I'll carry the armor immediately!"
"We'll help." Takumi said as they all started picking up the parts.
"Let's go, everyone." Leanne led them out of the room.
They arrived back to the statues. Leanne started taking pieces the others were carrying and putting them into the statue. "If we take the pieces of armor that the Pincher took off…And put them in the missing places like this…" She inserted the last missing piece. "The device should move, but…"
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light. "Whoa! Did that do it?" Ami asked.
"Bingo!"
"Just as I thought." Kyoko nodded.
"That's incredible, Leanne!" The Pincher said. "I mean Professor Leanne!"
The woman turned around to respond when a sphere of light swallowed her up. "Hey!" Takumi ran into it along with his sister and their Digimon just before it closed up.
Kyoko sighed. "Just like them to run right in. That's my assistants for you."
"Ahhhh…Professor Leaaaaanne!" The Pincher yelled.
"Calm down." Kyoko said. "Takumi and Ami are with her. They may be reckless, but they get the job done. Leanne is in good hands."
The man took a deep breath. "Y-you're right. Those kids have no fear…After all, thanks to them I…Never mind."
Leanne, Takumi, Ami, Terriermon and Palmon dropped down in a hidden room in Oblivia Ruins. "Huh? Where are we?" Takumi asked. "Are we still in the ruins?"
Leanne looked around. "I can't believe there's a space like this! This must be a hidden room."
"So, what now?" Ami asked. "Is the Griseous Orb here somewhere?"
Palmon pointed ahead. "Looks like there's more to this room down that corridor."
"Let's see if something is there!" Leanne said.
They moved to the next room. It was an outdoor area that had a big black statue. "What's that?" Terriemron asked.
Leanne walked over to examine it. "I wonder if the Griseous Orb is here. We have to investigate…"
"Leanne, be carful!" Ami said. "Those Steelhead wouldn't leave something so important here without setting some kind of trap!"
"Magnezzzoone…"
Terriermon perked up and the sound as two Magnezone descended behind them. He turned around and saw them stare at them. "Guys, we got company!"
Takumi, Ami, and Palmon whirled around. "We may still have to fight Giratina after this." Ami said. "Let's not burn ourselves out too soon by going Mega."
Takumi nodded as he put his googles on. "I hear you."
DIGIVOLUTION
"Terriemron Warp Digivolve to…MachGaogamon!"
"Palmon Warp Digivolve to…Taomon!"
One of the Magnezone summoned a yellow orb that orbited around it. The other started to erupt with electricity. MachGaogamon moved behind one of them and timed his hit to evade the orb. "Winning Knuckle!"
"Talisman of Light!" Taomon drew a symbol with her brush that enveloped the other with light.
"Gale Storm!" MachGaogamon roared and a whirlwind sucked the two Pokemon up and flung them into a wall. They dropped down, unconscious.
"That's taken care of." Takumi turned around. "Leanne?"
The blue-haired woman held a diamond shaped, golden jewel. "How beautiful! I'll bet this is the Griseous Orb!"
"So, the Steelhead stole this to keep Giratina from leaving this world." Takumi said. "If we give it to Giratina, it might be able to get home…"
"Now we just have one little problem." Ami said.
"What's that?"
"How…do we get back?"
"Uh…" Just then another light swallowed the party.
They landed right in front of Kyoko and the Pincher. "Oh, look who's back." Kyoko grinned.
"Professor Leanne! Cyber Sleuths! I was shocked when you suddenly disappeared!" The Pincher said.
"Sorry about that." Takumi replied. "But look what we found!"
Kyoko looked at the gem in Leanne's hand. "Is that the Griseous Orb?"
Leanne nodded and looked at the Pincher. "Thanks to you, we obtained it!"
The man blushed a bit. "B-because of me?"
"Let's hurry back to where Giratina is!" Taomon said. "Even Gallantmon and UlforceVeedramon will be needing help by now!" Everyone nodded and ran back towards the depth of Oblivia Ruins.
"Victory Swords!" UlforceVeedramon's bracelets drew blades that he used to swipe at Giratina's head. It roared in pain before charging at the knight. He dodged the first claw swing but the second knocked him across the room.
Gallantmon hurried to his side. "Are you alright?"
UlforceVeedramon got up. "Yeah. I can take it. It's the endurance on this thing that's the issue."
"Wait!" Giratina looked behind it to see Leanne approach with the others. "Giratina, can you hear me? It's okay now! The Griseous Orb you've been searching for is right here!"
Giratina's eyes widened as it saw her hold up the orb. "Gugyaaaah! As it roared, the gem glowed purple and rose from Leanne's hand. It floated over to the Pokemon the room went dark. When the light returned Giratina had changed form. It had no legs and its wings split into six long tendrils with red spikes.
"Giratina…changed…" Ami gasped.
Gallantmon and UlforceVeedramon hurried to their side. "What's going on?" the blue knight asked.
"Long ago five Steelhead forced Giratina into this world to fight the Hero." Kyoko explained. "They then stole the Griseous Orb to keep it from returning to the world it came from."
Leanne stepped back. "Giratina has returned to it's Origin Forme with the power of the Griseous Orb. It looked like this in the history books." She looked at the Pokemon as it leered at them. "But it still seems to be enraged."
"Does it still loath humanity after all this time?" Gallantmon asked.
Giratina roared at them. "Gugyaaaaah…"
"Something is different about this form." UlforceVeedramon noted. "I feel its power has increased…but it doesn't look nearly as enduring as before. Perhaps now our attacks may actually damage it!"
Kyoko smiled at her assistants. "Well, my Watsons, I believe that's your cue."
Takumi and Ami nodded and put on their googles. "MachGaogamon…" A yellow aura formed around Takumi. "It's time to get to work."
"Taomon…" A green aura formed around Ami. "Let's go!" The Digimon nodded to their tamers.
DIGIVOLUTION
The aura around the twins swirled into their gloved hands and fired at the Digimon. Shells of light formed around them. "MachGaogamon Digivolve to…MirageGaogamon!" Takumi's Digimon appeared clad in blue and white armor. He had a red cape and gauntlets with three claws. His chest plate had red eyes and what looked like jaws.
"Taomon Digivolve to…Sakuyamon!" Ami's Digimon appeared in a black skin-tight suit with golden shoulder pads, breastplate and mask. She wore purple gloves and boots and wielded a gold staff with four rings that had a bigger ring trough them.
"Terriermon and Palmon Digivolved into new forms." Kyoko said.
Takumi scanned with his Digivice. "MirageGaogamon, Mega level Data Beast Knight Digimon. Its whole body is clad in Chrome Digizoid and it moves so fast it's enemies mistake it for a mirage."
Ami looked at her Digimon through her googles. "Sakuyamon, Mega level Data Shaman Digimon. It uses Onmyoudou techniques and has the ability to employ god Beast-species Digimon."
"Good timing. We'll need them to defeat Giratina." Leanne said.
The legendary Pokemon let out another roar. "Here it comes!" UlforceVeedramon said.
Purple smoke rose up in multiple parts of the room. The Digimon ascended to avoid them entirely and flew towards Giratina. "Wind Claw!" MirrageGaogamon swiped into it. The Pokemon roared in pain and backed up.
"That hurt it!" Takumi said. "UlforceVeedramon was right! Its defense is weak in this form!"
Trail of blue flames spewed from its mouth. MirageGaogamon shielded himself with his gauntlets as did Gallantmon with his shield, but the force of the attack blew them back.
"Its attack power is also a lot higher now." Ami said. "Be carful guys!"
"Shining Laser!" Sakuyamon fired beams of light at it from her staff. Giratina was blasted before it could shoot its thin tendril-like wings at her. They wrapped around wrists, ankles and middle to stop her from attacking or moving.
"Sakuyamon!" Ami shouted.
As Ami's Digimon tried to break free, UlforceVeedramon whirled around behind Giratina and charged towards its back. But the Pokemon roared and black razor blades came out behind it, knocking away the knight. Then they boomeranged back towards Sakuyamon and slammed into her, dragging her into the wall. While they didn't cut into her, the positioning of five of the curved blades had her torso, arms and legs trapped under them as they sunk into the stone wall. The impact made her drop her staff.
"Hold on!" Ami ran towards her Digimon.
"Ami, look out!" Takumi warned as he saw Giratina prepared an Ancient Power attack. Glowing rocks rose up. As they flew towards the girl, Gallantmon rushed in and blocked the attack with his shield.
Ami ran to Sakuyamon and picked up the Digimon's staff. She knocked the blade, pinning her Digimon's right ankle lose, then did the same to the one on her right ankle. Finally, she bashed off the one pinning her right arm and then her midsection. "Are you okay, Sakuyamon?"
"I am. Thank you." Sakuyamon replied as Ami handed her the staff. The Digimon knocked the last blade off her left arm and getting down from the wall.
"Burst Flame!" Gallantmon shot a fireball at Giratina, but the Pokemon vanished before it could hit.
"Look out!" Takumi warned. "It could come out from anywhere!" The Pokemon appeared behind Gallantmon and bashed him with Shadow Force, knocking him over.
"Victory Swords!" UlforceVeedramon charged towards Giratina, but it disappeared again.
"Not this time…" Takumi said. "MirageGaogamon! On my mark, attack behind you!"
"Right." Takumi's Digimon stood still as Takumi counted seconds in his head.
"Now!" The exact moment Takumi spoke, the Pokemon appeared behind MirageGaogamon. His Digimon turned around and grabbed Giratina as it charged at him, stopping its attack even though he slid back while holding onto it.
"Nice one guys!" His sister cheered. "Sakuyamon!"
Her Digimon held up her staff. "Holy Light!" She summoned a bight flash that exploded in Giratina's face.
Gallantmon and UlforveVeedramon got at it's left and right. "Shield of The Just!"
"The Ray of Victory!" They fired at Giratina's sides, and it howled as it was damaged. When the attacks ceased it looked up at MirageGaogamon who stood in front of it and shot another burst of blue flames.
"Mirror Reflection!" He reflected the attack with his gauntlets, and it hit Giratina in the face. "Full Moon Blaster!" The mouth on his chest plate opened up and shot a brilliant golden beam that slammed Giratina and pushed it into the wall.
Sakuyamon leapt into the air whirling her staff. "Amethyst Mandala!" She slammed it into the ground in front of Giratina and a mysterious circle formed on the floor around her. Then a burst of light enveloped her and Giratina. Leanne, Kyoko, Ami and Takumi had to shield their eyes until the light died down and Sakuyamon jumped away from Giratina who slumped to the floor.
"Did that do it?" Takumi asked.
Giratina snarled as it raised its head. It slowly got up and roared. "I don't think it did." Ami muttered.
"Giratina, enough of this!" MirageGaogamon said. "We don't want to fight you and there's no reason for us to fight!"
"It's been decades since you were dragged into this world! The people that wronged you are long gone!" Sakuyamon added. "Your grudge is meaningless now!"
The Pokemon went silent.
Takumi slowly stepped forward. "Giratina…I know how you feel. All this time you just wanted to go home. The truth is…I'm not from this world either. Neither are Ami, Kyoko or the Digimon here."
"But unlike us, you now have a chance to go home." Ami said as she stood next to her brother. "You should take it. Isn't that why you have been searching all these years for the Griseous Orb?"
Giratina remained silent for a few more moments. Then it glowed a black aura as a purple hole appeared on the ground. That hole before a blue portal. Inside one could see a dark blue sky, and floating pieces of land. There was even a waterfall going upward. "Is that…Giratina's world?" Takumi asked.
"The Distortion World…" Leanne muttered quietly.
Giratina slowly sank into the portal, gazing at the young Cyber Sleuths the whole way down. After it passed through, the gate closed. "Professor Leaaanne!" The Pincher hollered as he ran into the room. "Are you okay?"
"Who is this?" Gallantmon asked.
"He's the ex-Pincher that sent that letter." Ami explained. "With his help we were able to retrieve the Griseous Orb."
Leanne smiled. "Thank you. I'm thanking you on behalf of Giratina."
"So that means Giratina took the Griseous Orb and went back to the world where it came from." The Pincher said. "That's great!"
"All of this is thanks to you, the Cyber Sleuths, and their allied Digimon."
"Well, that was quite the bizarre case. I wonder what Ben and Summer would say if they were here." MirrageGaogamon said.
"I know what they'd say right now." Takumi grinned. His sister nodded as they both raised a first into the air. "Mission Clear!" The twins shouted.
Kyoko and Leanne laughed. "Still…" Kyoko said. "To think ever since that battle with the Hero over a thousand years ago Giratina was searching all over this world for the Griseous Orb."
Leanne looked at the Pincher. "Well now, former Pincher. Do you know why Giratina, in its search for the Griseous Orb, reached these Oblivia Ruins? This is a test."
"A…test?" The Pincher asked nervously. "Well, as I see it…When that fortress rose from here, it was just like when Giratina was summoned to this world, and that gave it some sort of hint."
Leanne smiled. "…You might just have what it takes to be an archeologist. The Sky Fortress should never have been brought back into the world, but that was the only clue Giratina had about how to get back to its world."
The Pincher sighed. "That's kind of a tragic story, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I feel sorry for it…I'm glad it was finally able to go home." Ami smiled.
"Me too…By the way, Professor Leanne? What was that test about?"
"The test was to see if you would be good enough to be my assistant. And the result is…a passing grade, I suppose."
The Pincher nearly gasped. "M-me? Your assistant?"
"Thanks to you, I was able to overcome the fearful memories I had in this place. I'm grateful for that. Of course, this is only if you're interested…"
"I'm interested! I have interest to spare! Thank you!" He then turned to Takumi and Ami. "And I must thank you as well!"
"Us?" Takumi tilted his head. "What for?"
"When I saw how brave you and the Rangers were to come in here, I knew I had to speak up to Purple Eyes! It was you who gave me the courage to write that love letter! Uh, er, well…"
"Fan letter of course! That's enough silly talk. Let's start investigating these ruins right away." Leanne said walking towards the murals.
"Y-es! Thank you very much, Professor Leanne!" The man hurried after her.
Kyoko laughed. "She's got a lot to look forward to. Assistants can be quite a handful, but a companion always makes life better."
As Takumi and Ami nervously chuckled Gallantmon looked at the floor. "The Steelhead that summoned Giratina…"
"What's on your mind?" MirageGaogamon asked.
"Hearing this reminded me of a similar foolish action."
"Yeah." Ami muttered in shame. "When we summoned the Eater's into the Digital World."
"Hey, we already told you, that wasn't your fault." Sakuyamon said.
"She's right. That was an accident." Gallantmon added. "I was referring to when Crusadermon opened the door between your world and ours, throwing so many Digimon into your world. So many Digimon stranded in a strange world and unable to go home…"
"Just like Giratina…" Kyoko said.
"Indeed. Crusadermon acted to eliminate humans. The Steelhead acted to eliminate the Hero. Neither considered what they put upon those they dragged through dimensions."
"It's just as you said when we first met, Gallantmon." Takumi said. "If you're a prisoner to your own hatred you pick the wrong path by mistake. It doesn't mater what your intentions are."
"Indeed." Kyoko nodded. "Still, these ruins did hold the key to helping Giratina. Perhaps we should join Leanne and her new assistant."
"I'm interested." Ami nodded.
"Me too!" Takumi added.
Kyoko smiled and looked at the Royal Knights. "Can you two let Nokia and Nema know that we'll be a bit longer? Tell them everything is fine now. They must have been worried."
Gallantmon chuckled. "Of course."
Takumi waved as they left. "Thanks for your help guys!" Then he, Ami and Kyoko went over to join the Pincher and Leanne.
"Mind if we join you?" Kyoko asked.
"Not at all." Leanne replied, not averting her gaze from the murals. "By the way, it must have been hard for you to come back here on your own as well."
"I'm used to scuffles with danger." Kyoko smiled. "I'm a detective, remember?"
"Right. Risks are required." Leanne giggled. She then turned to the Pincher. "It must have been hard for you too."
"Well, I didn't think I'd be coming back here so soon…But the truth is when I got that tip, my excitement overpowered my fear."
"Tip?" Ami asked.
"Yeah. Some guy told me that there was a story connecting Giratina to the Steelhead in these ruins somewhere."
"Who was it?" Leanne asked.
"I don't know. He had a mask on, so I didn't see his face."
Deep in a lab somewhere a man with light blue hair, a white scarf, and a blue coat with white boutons and a white pattern over his dark blue shirt and pants sat in a chair looking at a monitor. "The energy signal is completely gone. Giratina must have left this world. That means…it got it's Griseous Orb back."
Just then there was a beeping noise. He pressed a button on his keypad and a window on the screen opened up displaying a woman with pink hair in a ponytail who wore dark pink boots with lighter pink toes, gloves the same dark pink and a matching low-cut top with a skirt. "It's me. We got some more members and Pokemon. I think we meet our quota."
"That was fast." The man in blue said.
"Handy things these Digimon are! They're so strong!"
"They are handy." The man nodded. "And the boss is a master at figuring them out. Now we can make our comeback. I won't go down in disgrace like I did that day…"
Just then a new window opened. One with text that said. "sound only". "Progress report." A new voice said.
The man in blue stood up. "Sir! Giratina has obtained its Griseous Orb and returned to the Distortion World just as planned."
"We have our army ready over here." The woman added. "We can move out any time."
"Excellent." The mysterious caller cackled. "Now that Giratina's true power is restored, all the pieces are in place. Rally the troops. Begin preparations to depart for Oblivia!"
"Yes sir!"
In a dark area, a man in a black cloak closed his call with the man in blue and the woman in pink. "I have waited a very long tome for this day."
"Now you can retake the world that was stolen from you." A mysterious voice said.
"Yes…" The man picked up a white mask with two black rings around one of the eyes and put it on his face. "My new world awaits."
And with that we are now finished with the third arc. I was considering starting up that bonus arc I promised covering the quests and extra missions and put this there, but it would seem weird to make this the first chapter of this story and start that arc and leave it until I finished the next arc.
Anyway, three arcs remain, but I'm not so sure I would call this the halfway point if only because it's kinda hard to tell how long the last three arcs are going to be because with the exception of a few things at the start and end, almost all of arc four is going to be an original plot from Guardian Signs and all of arc 6 is going to be original plot that I'm still making plans for as I write the fourth arc.
But all that aside, I hope you all enjoyed the story so far. Special thanks to all those who favorited and followed this story, seeing your support keeps me motivated. With that said I hope you guys are looking forward to next week where I put up the first chapter of the fourth arc of Cyber Ranger Guardian Story: The Next Heroes!
Ben, Summer, Takumi, and Ami, along with many others stood in shock as they looked at the massive black silhouette in dark clouds. An orange light from it's head gazed down on them like a giant eye. A distorted voice laughed at them. "We are the pinnacle of humans, Digimon, and Pokemon! The perfect existence! The true Immortal Ruler!"
The monster roared so loud the party was nearly blown away. Ben dropped to his knees. "Is this…the end?"
"NO!" A cloaked man shot into an upright position. He was siting against a tree. It was the middle of the night. He breathed heavily and put a hand on his forehead. "Ah…that dream again…ever since I saw that future…" A small gold light floated in front of him. "Oh…sorry, partner. Did I wake you? Don't worry I'm fine…Yeah. I know. It's not much longer until the day of fate. But that's why we're here, right? To stop it from destroying everything." He looked up at the night sky. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Doggedly and with all my might, exabit endurance like a hard black iron."
To be continued...