A/n: Only one more part to go until the anime filler chapters begin. So here is Tatenashi and Monodramon's chapter, and after that, it's the final part with Kanzashi and Palmon and Hyperdimension Neptunia, so here is Chapter 8!
Chapter 8: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 6 of 7: Tatenashi and Monodramon
Hours later after stopping Izami and saving their school, our heroes all arrived back at the agency in Nakano and were taking a break. They were glad to have saved their friends and school from Izami getting her revenge, but at the same time also feeling bad for her for going off the deep end and wished they could've helped her before it was too late.
"Ya know, I kinda feel bad for Izami when we fought her..." Ling said while lowering her head despondently. "I know she almost tried to get her revenge on us, but I still wished we could've helped her. I just wished we could've helped her out before she wanted to get revenge on us."
"Maybe, but it was her own fault for going off the deep end." Houki said with an angry frown. "She let her ego go to her head and thought she was unbeatable to the point where she was thought to surpass Chifuyu-sensei. She had her downfall coming when she tried to mess with Ichika's head and tried to attack him from behind after he defeated her until Chifuyu-sensei stepped in." Her friends all nodded in agreement as she sighs and calms down. *Still, I suppose you're right, Ling. We could've helped her and prevented this from happening, but I suppose it couldn't be helped."
"Perhaps, but we can't change what had happened." Kyoko stepped in with a frown. "Izami made her choice by getting her revenge on you for stopping her rise to fame and wants to take it out on you. We'll just have to live with the fact that she's behind bars and will be there for a long time." Everyone nodded in agreement as she decided to cheer everyone up. *But let's not think about that, let's focus on more positive things. How about I make some coffee for everyone?" That made everyone gasped in terror.
"No thank you, Kyoko! We're good!" Ichika panicked. "There's no need to make us some coffee, we don't want to die-I mean, drink it all up! Right, guys?" Everyone nodded in agreement while sweating bullets.
"Oh, are you all sure about that?" Kyoko asked as she scratched her chin. "I'm sure I could make some more, if you guys want."
"Don't worry, we're just peachy keen, Kyoko." Houki answered with a nervous smile. "We don't want to come between you and your favorite coffee break. We'll just head for the arcade and be far away from the coffee as possible." Suddenly, everyone all ran out of the office while leaving a dust cloud in their wake.
"Huh, I thought they would've wanted some to calm their nerves." Kyoko said before shrugging. "Oh well, can't really win them all, I suppose. I'll just have some for myself then." She walks over to the coffee maker and turns it on to make some coffee.
With Ichika and the gang
"Whew, that was a close one." Ling sighed in relief. "I thought we weren't going to make it when she decided to make some coffee. There's no way in hell I'm going through that again." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Still, I'm sure she was just wanting us to calm down after what happened back at the academy." Ichika said with a smile. "She was just worried and we should thank her later for helping us when we needed it." Everyone nodded in agreement. "And since we're out of the office, let's head for the arcade. I've been wanting a rematch with Satoru for a while and this is the perfect opportunity for it."
"We'll see about that, Ichika." Satoru said with a smirk. "I won basically every round in the arcade, so are you sure you're ready for another beatdown? You had better prepare yourself because I'm not planning losing my winning streak."
"Don't worry, I've been prancing for the last week now." Ichika said as he gave him a thumbs up. "You may have won that round last week, but I'm more than ready for your next surprise. And by the end of this week, you'll be treating me to ice cream!" Both boys glared sparks at each other as a fiery aura appears around them and they raced to the arcade on the fourth floor.
"Wow, those two sure are fired up today." Kanzashi said with a smile. "Ichika must've been wanting to have a rematch with Satoru-kun for a week now. They were so fired up, I can still feel the heat from them even after they went to the fourth floor."
"Well, boys will be boys." Twoearle smiled "Let's just leave them to their fun and we can have some time for ourselves." She looks at her friends. "So, anyone feel like for some shopping? You guys should really check out the stores here and see what they've got to offer." The IS girls all nodded as they walked around Nakano for some shopping with the boys were having their rematch.
Meanwhile in an unknown part of Kowloon, two men were walking down the pathway and seems to be searching for something or someone as they looked around their location. The men stopped for a moment and sat down to take a break.
"Damnit, not a trace of that blue haired brat or the two runaways." The first man snarled in fury. "We've looked everywhere in this damned cyberspace, but still can't seem to even find her, the traitor or our weapon! Seriously, just where the hell are they"
"One of them should be around here in this general area." The second man answered him. "There's been several rumors going on about a couple of kids stopping a bank from being robbed and even had their own school attacked by their own classmate, but still managed to stop her." The second man looks around their location. "But from what I'm seeing, we're not even getting nowhere fast. How are we going to find that brat or even those two runaways?" As he sat down next to his associate, two shadowy figures were walking towards them.
"Then perhaps we can be of some assistance to your dilemma." The first figure said darkly. "We couldn't help but overhear you two about your problem, so we thought you two could use some help in finding these people.* The figures stepped out of the shadows to reveal two Digimon standing before the men. One resembled an ape with a bone strapped to his back while the other was a humanoid of living fire.
"What the hell?! What are those things?" The first man gawked "They must be some kind of monsters roaming around here!"
"Hold on, where have I seen these before?" The second man asked in wonder. "Are you two perhaps those Digimon programs used by hackers we've heard about?"
"Yes, but I can assure you we're more than just mere programs." The ape Digimon answered "My name is Apemon and this is my associate Meramon. Perhaps we could help you two find these people you're looking for." Meramon just stayed silent while nodding in agreement and crossing his arms.
"Wait, how can we be sure to trust you two?" The first man asked skeptically. "What makes you think that you're telling us the truth about helping us find them? This could all be a trick."
"Believe what you want to believe, human." Apemon sneered. "But if you have a better plan of finding them, I'd like to hear it. And unless one of you know your way around cyberspace, you'll be wandering around until the end of your days." Meramon just nodded in agreement.
"Hmm…you have a point there." The second man agrees "Neither of us are skilled in handling computers, so we'll need some guides to help us out of here." He turns to the two Digimon who were waiting for his answer. "Very well, we'll take up on your offer. Lead us out of this area and help us find them."
"Very well, now follow us." Apemon said with a smug smile. "We'll take you two to Kowloon where many human hackers hang around. If we're lucky, we might run into one of the people you're both looking for." The men nodded as they followed him and Meramon to another part of Kowloon.
Unknown to them, a small dragon Digimon peaks out from his hiding spot and watches the four leave. "Those guys say they're looking for some people, but who? Who are these people they're looking for and what are they going to do to them once those guys finds them." He thinks for a moment before shaking his head. "I have to follow them and find out for myself. I can tell they're up to no good." He steps out from his hiding spot and follows the four behind.
Back at Nakano
Not long after splitting up with the girls, Ichika and Satoru were at the arcade on the fourth floor and played Street Fighter V. Ichika was playing as Ken Masters fighting against Satoru's character Guile and the two were evenly matched that even attracted a crowd watching them play. They were on the final round and time was running out as they were on their last inches of the life bar as they now planned out their final moves.
"I gotta say, you sure weren't kidding, Ichika." Satoru said as he showed his game face. "You definitely were practicing this past week and have me in the corner. Remind me to never underestimate you next time."
"Yep, and I've got plenty of surprises in store for you, buddy." Ichika said, showing his game face as well. "You won last time because I left myself open, but I'm not letting that happen again. I'm going to win this time and you'll be the one buying me ice cream!* The boys continued playing the game as the crowd watched them.
The match continued on as the boys made every counter to each other's attacks until it was only a sliver of health left on the bars and less than 20 seconds remaining, it was now or never. Guile tired to attack Ken with his Sonic Hurricane finisher, but Ken was able to jump over the attack and saw an opening as he pulls off a Shinryuken on Guile and wins the game for Ichika.
"Yes! I won! Sorry, Satoru, but you'll be getting me ice cream for next week!" Ichika cheered in victory as the crowd cheered for him.
"Ah man! And I thought I had you there!" Satoru moaned before sighing and smiling. "Oh well, you win some, you lose some." He holds his hand out to Ichika. "Great game, Ichika. You had me backed into a corner and finished me off with that move. Seriously, where did you learn how to do that?"
"You can thank Ling for helping me." Ichika answered with a sheepish grin. "Whenever we finished with a case or school, I asked Ling to help train me for our rematch and she taught me all kinds of combos and counterattacks. I've lost a couple of times by either pulling off my combos too early, leaving myself open or not reacting fast enough. But after a couple of tries, I was able to pull off a win and was ready to challenges you to a rematch. But we both know what happened earlier and I don't need to explain."
"Yeah, Izami tried to get her revenge on you guys for ruining her chances at being the best IS pilot since your sister." Satoru agrees "Still, I can say your training with Ling really payed off and won. Looks like I'll be buying ice cream for the week now." Just then, the boys heard their stomachs growling. "But first, let's get something to eat. All that playing has made me hungry." Ichika nodded in agreement as they left the arcade to have lunch while the crowd went back to their business.
With the girls
Around the same time, the girls were on the third floor doing some shopping at a clothes store to browse through some outfits and try them on in the changing room. After finding the outfits to try on, Houki, Char, Cecilia and Ling went to the changing rooms while Laura, Twoearle and the Sarashiki sisters waited.
"I gotta say, you weren't kidding about the stores here, Twoearle." Houki said with a smile. "The stores have all the same items from others, but the cost here is a fraction of other stores so I don't have to worry about breaking my wallet. I'll be coming here again to buy some clothes whenever I can.
"See, I told you guys. It's all part of Nakano's charm." Twoearle said with a smile. "The stores and restaurants here are a lot cheaper than the ones you'd normally go, but still delivers on everything else. That's also the reason why Nakano's so popular around here and it's usually gets busy here during the holidays like Golden Week or Christmas."
"Wow, those are the best times where the stores all start making prices drops." Ling whistled in awe. "And since we work here with Kyoko, that'll make us the first in line for all the best sales." Her friends all nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which, there's something else I'm wondering. Hey Char, when do you plan on telling Ichika how you feel? Are you going to tell him today or some other day?" Her friends all turns to Char as she blushed.
"W-Well, I haven't really thought about when I'm going to tell him yet." Char answered with a stutter. "I want to wait until the right time to tell him how I feel, but not right now. I want to wait until either of us are ready and then I'll tell him how I really feel."
"Then you can count on us to be right behind you, Char." Laura smiled "We'll make sure you and Ichika end up together and support you two all the way, you can count on it." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, everyone. That means a lot to me." Char smiled back "Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day I'll tell him how I really feel. And I hope you're all there to see it." Her friends all smiled and nodded as they finished with their shopping and payed at the cashier before heading back to the office.
Back at the office, Kyoko was sitting at her desk while having one of her special coffees and reading a magazine. She was looking through different articles for potential cases from celebrity marriages to finding people being reported missing for a long time and some of them were even considered vanished without a trace. As she turns the page, her cellphone started ringing and she picks it up.
"Matayoshi, again? If he's calling me for a second time, then something must be up." Kyoko mumbled as she answered her phone. "Yes, this is Kyoko Kuremi of the Kuremi Detective Agency. How may I help you?"
"Kyo-chan, thank goodness I was able to reach you." Matayoshi said in relief. "I was worried that something might've happened to you and your assistants, but I'm glad that's not the case."
"What do you mean, Matayoshi? What's going on?" Kyoko asked with a serious frown. "You're making it sound like there's some kind of attack going on."
"Unfortunately, there is an attack going throughout Tokyo." Matayoshi said seriously "We've been getting reports of people being brutally attacked by two men inside EDEN, but it's not related to the EDEN Syndrome. Some of the victims we've interviewed were saying the men were looking for three people and were trying to force information out of people, but none of them knew who the men were talking about. So as punishment for not giving them answers, the men attacked them and now are being treated at the hospital."
"I see, that does sound serious if these men are looking for someone." Kyoko frowned seriously. "If these men are left unchecked, more innocent people will get hurt and there's no telling what they'll do next once they find these people they're looking for. I'll let Ichika and the others know what's going on and we'll handle it from here." Matayoshi nodded and ends the call just as our heroes entered the office.
"Hey Kyoko, we're back from our break." Ling greeted "Sorry we had to run out like that, but we didn't want to die-" Laura elbows her side. "I mean, we had to see what other surprises Nakano had for us." Her friends all nodded in agreement until they've noticed Kyoko was serious. "What's wrong, Kyoko? Is there something bad happening?"
"Unfortunately, there is. I've just got done speaking with Matayoshi and he explained everything to me." Kyoko answered her, still frowning seriously. "Gather around, everyone. It's best if you all know what you're up against." Everyone nodded and walked over to her desk as Tatenashi heard something.
"AUGH!" A voice screamed.
"What the? What was that?" Tatenashi asked in shock. "Was that someone screaming?" She looked around before stopping in front of Kyoko's desk.
"From what Matayoshi told me, there are these two men going around inside EDEN and attacking people." Kyoko said "He said they're looking for three people and are trying to get information out from everyone they meet. But because no one knows who they're talking about, the men just attack them as punishment for not giving them any information and are now in the hospital. For the past hour, more than 40 people are hospitalized and there's no telling who's going to be their next victim."
"What?! I can't believe those guys!" Ling fumed. "They've got some nerve attacking innocent people like that! Who are these jerks trying to find anyway?"
"I'm not to sure myself, but we can't let any more people get hurt." Kyoko answered her. "Their last known location was Kowloon and I'm positive that's the first place you all should investigate."
"Okay, then we'll head for Kowloon now." Ichika said with a serious frown. "If those guys keep searching for these people, then more innocent lives are in danger. We can't let them have their way or else there's no stopping them." Everyone nodded in agreement as their Digivices started ringing and they've answered them. *Agumon, what's up? Is there another Digimon in trouble?"
"Yeah, and this one's in serious trouble, Boss." Agumon answered him. "We were able to sense three Digimon in Kowloon and one of them seems to be fighting the other two. I get the feeling those other two Digimon are with those two guys you were all talking about." The other Digimon all nodded in agreement.
"Got it, we'll be heading to Kowloon now." Ichika nodded. "We'll save the Digimon and stop those men from harming anymore people." He and his friends ends the call and walks over to the TV set until Tatenashi steps forward.
"Wait, let me go with you guys." Tatenashi interjected. "I want to make sure that Digimon's safe from harm. I don't know why, but I've heard a scream and I believe it came from the Digimon that's in trouble. So please, let me come with you."
"That's just like you and the others, Houki." Satoru said as he figured out what's going on. "The Digimon was calling out for help and she's the only one who heard it. That must mean this Digimon's going to be her destined partner." Everyone all nodded in agreement.
"Okay, you can come with us, Tatenshi." Ichika agreed. "But make sure you stay close to us, there's no telling what these men or those Digimon can do. We don't want you getting hurt and making Kanzashi worried." Tatenashi nodded as he extends his hand to the TV screen and activated his Connect Jump and everyone entered into cyberspace as Twoearle and Kanzashi stayed behind and turns on Satoru's laptop.
(Meanwhile… in Kowloon.)
"For the last time, you Digimon runt, where is Katana Sarashiki and those two runaways?!" The first man growled as Apemon held the dragon Digimon up by the throat.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Even if I did, I will never tell you since you attacked those innocent humans!" The dragon Digimon growled.
"Tch." Apemon sneered. "This little one doesn't know about the people you're looking for. I'll delete him right here and now." Just as Apemon was about to finish the dragon Digimon off.
"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon's attack hit Apemon, letting the dragon Digimon guy as Tatenashi rushed up and picked him up.
"Whew! Talk about a close one!" Tatenashi sighed before smiling at the dragon Digimon. "You alright there, little guy?"
"Yeah." The dragon Digimon smiled. "I'm Monodramon by the way. Who are you?"
"I'm-"
"Katana Sarashiki… We knew you'll come here." The first man sneered evilly.
Tatenashi tensed as she glared at the two men. "How did you know that name? Wait…" Tatenashi's eyes widen in shock as she recognized the symbols on the men's clothes. "You're from Phantom Task, are you?!"
"Phantom Task?!" Satoru gasped in shock. "Isn't that the same terrorist organization that used stolen ISes to commit crimes around the world?"
"How right you are, little boy." The first Phantom Task agent grinned evilly. "Now that we found the enemy of the Phantom Task organization, we'll finish her off and then look for those two runaways."
"Two runaways?" Kyubiimon frowned as she got ready.
"That's none of your concern, foxy! Now Apemon and Meramon, get ready!" The second Phantom Task agent ordered as the two Digimon in question got ready to brawl.
"Alright, there's two of them and we should be able to take them on." Ichika said as he got GeoGreymon ready for battle.
"So M's little brother is about to die huh? I heard rumors of some kid solving crimes in cyber-space. Never thought it would be the little brother of M." The first Phantom Task agent sneered. Ichika grunted as he glared at the two agents.
Tatenashi glared at the two agents and their Digimon before turning to Monodramon. "Hey, Monodramon. Listen. I need your help to deal with those two jerks and their Digimon partners. As you can tell, I have a history with the group they're working for. My family has been fighting them for years before EDEN came along. So I need you to help me. I know we just met, but please, be my partner."
"Those Phantom Task jerks sound like bad news…" Monodramon frowned seriously as he looked at Tatenashi before nodding in agreement. "You're right! We can't let then get away with this!" Suddenly, Tatenashi's Digivice which was a blue phone beeped and she checked it to see that the Digimon Capture has been installed.
"Just in time. Alright, Monodramon. Time to kick some tail!" Tatenashi grinned as she registered Monodramon as her partner. Monodramon stood up and glared at the Phantom Task agents. He started to glow.
"Monodramon, digivolve to…!" Suddenly, Monodramon grew in size until he was a humanoid dragon man with a symbol on his chest, metal armor on its arms and legs, green pants and a helmet covering his eyes. He pounded his fists together and yelled out "Strikedramon!" He then roared.
"W-What the hell?!" The Phantom Task agent gawked. "That runt changed shape!"
"That, is digivolving. To think that girl can help Monodramon digivolve." Apemon frowned seriously before he yelled out "Bone Stick!" He lashed his bone club at Strikedramon who swiftly evaded it with ease. Strikedramon threw a punch at Apemon, giving him medium damage.
Meramon glared at GeoGreymon before yelling out "Fireball!" He threw fireballs at GeoGreymon who was hit for medium damage.
"Horn Impluse!" GeoGreymon rammed into Meramon, giving him bigger damage. "Mega Shot!" He breathed out fireballs at Meramon, but to his shock, Meramon absorbed it. "What?!"
"I get it." Dorumon tensed. "Meramon is a flame typed Digimon and any flame attack that hits him, he absorbs it. GeoGreymon, we have to think up a strategy to beat him!" Meramon threw a punch at Dorumon, but he leaped out of the way and slashed him.
"Angry Spike!" Apemon yelled as he threw a punch at Strikedramon who ducked and gave him an uppercut.
"Alright, Strikedramon! That's the way to do it!" Tatenashi cheered as she punched the air in excitement. Strikedramon then rammed into Apemon and lashed rapidly at him, giving him bigger damage.
"Fist of the Beast King!"
"Lightning Paw!" Both Leomon and Gatomon launched their attacks at Meramon, giving him medium damage.
"Magical Game!" Wizardmon launched icicles at Meramon, who was hit by them. He screamed in agony as he was hit by them. Meramon growled in fury as he charged towards Wizardmon.
"Fire Fist!" He launched a flaming punch at Wizardmon, but the attack was blocked by Birdramon who took the hit for Wizardmon.
"Strike Claw!" Strikedramon roared as he lashed his claws at Apemon who was hit by them.
"Magical Monkey Punch!" Apemon yelled as he threw a punch at Strikedramon who was hit by it, knocking him back.
Strikedramon growled as he rammed into Apemon, knocking him towards Meramon who was about to attack GeoGreymon. Strikedramon knew it was time to end this as he yelled out "Strike Fang!" All portions of the Metal Plate on Strikedramon began to burn red hot that Strikedramon's body becomes a mass of flames that rushed towards Apemon and Meramon, hitting them for large damage and ending the fight. Apemon and Meramon roared in agony as they were deleted.
"Damn it… They lost?!" The first Phantom Task agent gritted his teeth in anger.
"But we got the data we need on Digimon. M would like to see this. We'll deal with Katana and those two runaways another day. For now, retreat!" The second Phantom Task agent frowned as he and his cohort logged out.
"Damn, they've managed to get away from us!" Laura growled in fury. "To think they've had the nerve to show themselves again after two years, what could they want with the two runaways? Who are the runaways anyway?"
"We can worry about that later, Laura." Ichika answered her as she calmed her down. "Right now, we should be glad we stopped them before any more people were injured." Everyone nodded in agreement as the six Champion Digimon reverted back to their Rookie forms while Gatomon stayed in her Champion as both Tatenashi and Monodramon celebrated their victory together.
"Mondramon, you were awesome out there!" Tatenashi cheered. "I was worried we weren't going to make it to you, but I'm glad we did. Thank you for helping me dealing with those jerks before they could hurt anyone else."
"But I've couldn't had helped you without you helping me, Tatenashi." Monodramon smiled "If it wasn't for you becoming my partner, I might've been deleted by Apemon for sure. I'm glad to have found someone like you to be my partner." Tatenashi smiled back as she hugged him tightly and he hugged her back with everyone watching and smiling.
"Well then, I'd say this case is done." Ichika smiled "Let's head back to the office in the real world and report to Kyoko. I'm sure she and Detective Matayoshi would want to hear we've stopped them." Everyone nodded in agreement as they make their way back to the real world.
Meanwhile
Elsewhere in another part of Kowloon, a woman, a young boy and a Digimon resembling a bear cub were panting heavily after running for so long. The woman looked about at least in her mid 20s with shoulder length emerald green hair and eyes while also wearing a blue shirt, black pants and a blue hairband on her head. The boy next to her was around the same age as Ichika and the others with dark brown hair, green eyes and had a watch like device on his wrist. And finally, the bear cud Digimon had a blue baseball cap turned backwards with his ears sticking out, black fur, blue straps on his arms and around his shoulder.
"Okay, we should be safe here for now." The woman panted as she looked at where she and her group ran from. "Those two won't be able to find us here, now we can rest until we reach the lab." She turns to the boy holding onto her waist. *Just hang in there a little while longer, we're almost home free."
"But what if they managed to find us before we make it to the lab?" The boy asked in worry. "I don't want to go back to that place again! I don't want to be a weapon!" He holds onto the woman tightly while tears were coming down from his eyes.
"Don't worry, you can leave those bullies to me!" The bear Digimon said "I'll make sure none of them get close to you or your mom! I'll protect you two as long as you believe in me.* He turns to the boy and smiled. *After all, you're my partner and I won't let any bad people near you."
"Bearmon's right, we just have to believe in him." The woman agrees "You two became partners for a reason and I'm sure you'll be strong alongside him. You just have to believe in yourself and in Bearmon and I just know you two will be strong together." The boy calms down a little and wipes his tears as he nodded in agreement. "But right now, let's take a break. We still have a long ways to go before reaching the lab." The boy and Bearmon nodded in agreement as they rested with their Digimon friend standing guard.
To be continued…
Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 7 of 7: Kanzashi and Palmon, Enter the CPUs!
A/N: Well, we're getting to the last part of this mini-arc. Anyway, Kanzashi will befriend Palmon after fighting an Ultimate level Digimon and the final scene of this next chapter will be based on a scene from Final Fantasy X-2: Depend on You, an old fanfic of mine. So we'll see you Monday!