Part 1: Attack on Kyoto

Sathariel:

"Their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning."

Otsu Prince Hotel

Kyoto, Japan

Tuesday April 3rd, 2018

8:00 A.M

Mr. Motomiya, the noodle cart salesman, dragged his noodle cart into the large convention center hall. He pulled up to the side, some distance away from the entrance, and began to set up shop. He looked around inside, noting the large masses of people that were piling in. Half of Otsu must be in here, he thought to himself, gazing out over the crowd of people. They had been moving people inside all night, after the area was designated clear of any of the invaders. Some eyewitnesses had reported some fighting in the area, but it had long since moved on. Mr. Motomiya listened to the murmurs throughout the crowd as they began to congregate around him, attracted to the sounds and smells of his noodle cart as he began to prepare food for the hungry masses. We may all be trapped in here for a while, he thought as he worked, but at least we won't go hungry.

He continued to listen to the conversations of the people around him. One couple was worrying over their children, who were still unaccounted for. Others were talking about what they had seen in Kyoto, where the fighting was much worse. Still others made some large claims that a number of the monsters had actually saved them, fighting off some of the forces and giving them the opportunity to run away. Mr. Motomiya smiled when he heard these stories, which seemed to ease a lot of the worry in the room. Conversation was rampant over what the invaders actually were. Some said they had seen only small creatures in the shapes of animals and plants, while others reported giant monsters roaming the skies, like dragons that brought death down upon whoever was below.

"How can this happen here?" He heard someone exclaim. "This isn't Tokyo."

"I heard something similar happened there eight years ago." Another person continued. "They say a bunch of monsters attacked the city, but the government blamed it on terrorists."

"I heard about that too." Someone else concurred. "Some say there was a group of kids there who were leading another group of monsters that fought the invaders off."

"I saw the fight that happened outside the hotel yesterday," Said another, "A big cactus thing fought off a flying snake, and then drove it down south. There was a bunch of kids with it too." A wave of murmurs rushed over the group. Mr. Motomiya listened carefully, absorbing all of the information being thrown around. He looked up near the ceiling, where a row of windows was letting light filter in from above. The city skyline could be seen in the distance. Could it be… Takuya… His thoughts trailed off as a larger influx of hungry patrons gathered around him.

9:00 A.M

"Hey Takuya, wake up." Takuya Kanbara lay on a soft mattress in a room on an upper floor of the Otsu Prince Hotel. Dracomon stood above him, shaking the boy's leg. "We're losing daylight here, we have to go."

"Ugh, do we have to…?" Takuya groaned, pushing himself up to a sitting position. "This is the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on." The two were in a deluxe suite, overlooking the city. Having revealed the purpose of the digital army and the existence of Digimon to Mimi and Willis, the group had decided to settle in for the night at the hotel, opting to guard each other in a safe location.

"Come on, we've got work to do." Dracomon tugged on his shirt sleeve, urging him forward. "Or would you rather let all of Kyoto be conquered by the digital army?"

"Yeah, yeah, Dinoster, I'm moving." Takuya pushed himself off the bed, stumbling to his feet as he shook the drowsy feeling away. "Do you know if anything happened last night?"

"I'd imagine one of the others would have alerted us if something did." Dinoster reasoned. "But I guess we'll find out. Let's go see where everyone is." Dinoster led the way out of the spacious hotel room, passing the window as they moved. Takuya stopped to survey the surprising scene in front of him. Pillars of smoke streamed from the distant skyline of Kyoto, signifying that the battle was still brewing over there. The immediate surroundings of Otsu were free of signs of any Digimon, and as a result, the street below was bustling with people. Takuya watched as police officers waved crowds of people into the hotel while others patrolled the perimeter of the area.

"It looks like they're leading people inside, probably to get away from all the fighting." Takuya observed. "That's pretty cool. It means this area is safe; the digital army hasn't tried to take this neighborhood again."

"There's a problem though," Koji appeared in the room with his partner, having silently pushed the door open upon hearing they were awake, "With all of these police guarding the perimeter, it's going to be difficult to get past them, especially with Digimon by our sides."

"Oh man, I didn't even think of that." Takuya groaned.

"Come on, everybody else is waiting up on the roof." Koji waved him out into the hallway. Takuya and Dinoster followed the pair, out of the room and to the end of the hall, where an open door led them up the stairs to a door that had been broken open the night before. Koji, Takuya, Dinoster and Majester stepped outside onto the roof, where Mimi, Palmon, and Willis were waiting.

"Hey guys!" Mimi waved at them as the two boys and two Dracomon approached. "Is everybody ready for today?"

"You're sounding awfully chipper this morning." Koji remarked.

"I'm just trying to keep positive." Mimi smiled. "Just because we're Digidestined that's no excuse to let our attitudes turn sour."

"You do realize we're going to war, right?" Takuya inquired.

"Yeah, I know," Mimi sighed, "And I really don't like fighting either, but I suppose the digital army hasn't really left us much choice, have they?"

"That's exactly right." Koji nodded. "The digital army hasn't left us any choice. Now on to business. First thing's first: how do we get away from the hotel without scaring the people down on the ground?"

"Mimi and I already checked," Willis announced, and began running over to one edge of the rooftop. "You can fly out over here, by the water." The group followed him to the edge, overlooking Biwa Lake. "There aren't any police officers guarding this side of the building because of the lake," He pointed down, where sure enough, no police officers were patrolling the perimeter. "The two Coredramon can fly out over Biwa Lake and then double back to the city once they're clear of the hotel.

"That's a great idea Willis!" Takuya cheered.

"The only problem," Majester spoke, "Is that means Dinoster and I have to carry everyone out. I could hold two people as Coredramon, maybe…"

"Aw," Takuya grunted.

"Don't worry," Willis assured them, "I'll stay here and man the fort. Besides, I don't have a partner like the rest of you, so I'd probably just get in the way."

"Are you sure Willis?" Mimi inquired.

"Yeah man, don't sell yourself short," Takuya shook his head, "We don't know how this Digidestined thing even works. You could be one too."

"Don't worry, if it turns out that I am one, I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to find out. Right now though the three of you have more pressing matters to attend to." He nodded towards Kyoto, where the pillars of smoke continued to billow into the sky.

"He's right." Koji nodded. "We can't waste time here. We have to secure the rest of Otsu and then make our way into Kyoto: Majester?" He looked to his partner, who nodded in agreement. Koji dropped his hand down to his digivice and clicked a button on it, sending a stream of energy from the device that surrounded the Dracomon. He emerged moments later as the large, green dragon Digimon known as Coredramon.

"Alright, fine." Takuya grunted. "But at least see if you can get down to where all the people they're bringing in are," He said as he activated his digivice as well, transforming his partner into the blue Coredramon. "We might be able to find some useful information, like where our parents are."

"I would like to know that my mom is safe." Mimi sighed. "I tried to contact them last night but all I got was a dial tone."

"The same thing happened to me," Takuya sighed.

"Don't worry Mimi," Palmon assured her, "Thanks to us this entire neighborhood is safe. I'm sure your family is fine."

"Aw, thanks Palmon." Mimi squeezed her partner tightly. The two had rapidly bonded over their short time together.

"We should get moving." Dinoster walked up to Mimi and her partner and grasped them both, surprising the girl. He tucked them in his arms and then spread his wings wide, preparing to take off.

"Off we go boys." Majester snatched up Koji and Takuya and then flew into the air as Dinoster did the same.

"Willis!" Takuya called to his friend as they flew off. "If anything happens, I have my cell phone on me: give me a call!"

"You got it Takuya!" Willis yelled after them. The two dragon Digimon then swooped away from the rooftop and into the air, soaring across Biwa Lake. "Wait, don't the phones…"

9:30 A.M

A quick discussion had detailed the Digidestined's next plan of action. The Coredramons' description of the northern landing zone had put it somewhere near Biwako Grand Hotel, from Koji and Takuya's understanding. They decided to approach from the north by moving past it to the bridge that connected Otsu with Moriyama, then make their way down through the city. This would throw off the Digimon that were there, as if they were aware of the Digidestined's presence (a likely outcome given Airdramon's retreat) then they would expect them to come in from the south. However they had to move fast, as after securing the northern side of Otsu, the digital army could be expected to retaliate.

"Hey, am I crazy, or is the fog getting thicker up ahead?" Takuya inquired, pointing forward. Indeed, the thick fog that had coated the Kyoto area seemed to congregate before them, becoming a dense wall.

"Oh shit!" Majester suddenly stopped, using his wings to catch the air. Dinoster slowed to a halt behind him.

"What is it Majester?" Koji looked up at his partner.

"We're at the edge of the digital field." He sighed. "I didn't expect it to be this soon."

"What do you mean by digital field?" Mimi yelled over the wind.

"The digital field is what allows us Digimon to function in your world." The green Coredramon replied. "Our superiors told us that in order to successfully breach the human world, they had to create a digital field that would encompass the area, creating a zone where we would be connected to the data streams of the digital world. It's what allows us to digivolve here. It also created a barrier where anyone who isn't used to the high energy field it creates would pass out upon contact."

"That's what that big cloud was when we first met you." Takuya realized. "But Koji and I were able to pass through it just fine: although I did get a little bit of a headache when I first walked in."

"That field was smaller and less intense in energy." Dinoster answered. "As the field has expanded and combined with the other fields from the breaching points throughout the city, it has intensified, creating a barrier impenetrable to any human."

"But we haven't even reached Biwako yet." Mimi cried. "If this is the edge of the invasion area, then how can that be the where the northern landing zone is?"

"It's not." Palmon shook her head. "The field must have not gone far enough. They must have come in somewhere else in the city."

"We need to land now." Dinoster growled. "Wherever the northern landing zone is, it has to be south of this point. We'll land here and make our way down until we find it."

"I wonder what stopped the field from expanding further." Takuya contemplated as the two dragons flew back towards the earth.

"Maybe something else interfered with it," Koji speculated, "Something that the digital army didn't account for. Maybe our electrical systems interrupted it somehow."

"I wouldn't count on that." Majester shook his head. "The heads of the digital army accounted for human technology too. The digital field disrupts any electronic device. It won't work properly within the sphere."

"Wait, so my cell phone won't work?" Takuya exclaimed.

"If it is an electronic device then no, it will not be able to properly interact with the system that it is supposed to interface with."

"Oh man, that's what I told Willis to use to contact us." Takuya groaned. "He has no way of warning us if anything bad happens now."

"Shouldn't you have realized that after the phones weren't working last night?" Koji growled. "Anyway, we can't focus on that right now. We need to worry about finding the northern landing zone." They finished their conversation as the Coredramon's landed in a park on the beach, letting their passengers down. Mimi and Palmon stumbled nauseously for a moment while gaining their bearings.

"This area seems pretty secure," Dinoster commented as he surveyed the park and its surroundings, noting the lack of people or Digimon. "They must not have come up here yet."

"I wonder where all the people are though." Mimi pondered. "You'd think this would be the first area everyone would go to, given that there are no Digimon here."

"It might have something to do with our proximity to the edge of the digital field." Koji replied. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm a little nauseous just standing here."

"Koji is right." Palmon nodded. "It's not safe for you humans here. We should head down the beach as quickly as possible." A series of nods was Palmon's reply, and the team then made their way out of the park and down the street next to the beach. They didn't get very far, however, before something curious appeared before them. A large purple creature hovered in the air, its metallic body a large orb with a single camera-like lens protruding from it. Four appendages jutted out from its sides, while a series of tubes dangled from the bottom, dragging across the pavement as it floated across the street.

"Uh, what's that?" Mimi queried.

"It's another Digimon!" Takuya exclaimed. "So they were up here after all!"

"That's no Digimon I've ever seen before." Dinoster growled.

"Me neither." Palmon shook her head. Majester grunted a 'no' as well. However, as they pondered over its existence the strange creature suddenly stopped. It slowly began to rotate around, its camera-like eye focusing on them.

"Maybe it's friendly." Mimi proposed.

"Gizumon…" A robotic voice sounded from the machine.

"Gizumon?" Majester grunted. "What does that mean?"

"Maybe it is a Digimon after all." Koji suggested.

"Gizumon…detects…" The machine continued. "Gizumon…detects…enemies." Suddenly its eye began to glow. "Must…be…annihilated!"

"Everybody move!" Dinoster roared, snatching his partner and flying away just as the creature fired a destructive beam of energy at the group. Majester grabbed Koji and jumped into the air while Palmon dragged Mimi off to the side. The blast ripped apart the ground where they once stood.

"It's decidedly not friendly, Mimi!" Palmon shouted as the Digimon flew towards them.

"Stay back: we'll handle this!" Majester placed Koji off to the side with Takuya, and then he along with Dinoster jumped back into the road.

"Blue Flare Breath!"

"Green Flare Breath!" The two Digimon let out a burst of hot fire that washed over the metallic Digimon. The Gizumon was thrown backwards, crashing into the ground and rolling across the pavement.

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon shot out vines from her hands and wrapped them around the monster. She then lifted him into the air and smashed him against the ground.

"Enemy! Enemy!" Gizumon yelled, and then fired another laser blast from its eye, this one aimed towards Palmon. The plant Digimon quickly rolled to the side, and the blast tore into the wall of the building behind her.

"Strike Bomber!" Dinoster raced towards the monster and swirled around, smashing his tail into the creature. The monster's metallic body crunched under the weight, exposing his insides.

"Green Flare Breath!" Majester leaped into the air and fired a burst of flames at the stunned creature, which consumed it with fire. The flames torched the insides of the monster's body, and as the smoke cleared the three Digidestined watched in awe as the monster disintegrated into small white flecks, which dissipated into the air.

"What just happened?" Mimi cried. "Did you kill it?"

"We had no choice." Majester replied. "He was trying to kill us."

"I understand, it's just…" Mimi's head dropped into her hands, "That was so horrible."

"Don't worry Mimi." Palmon patted her partner on the shoulder. "Digimon don't actually die. We get reconfigured and are reborn back in the digital world."

"As long as the virus has not followed us here," Dinoster warned, "Which is highly doubtful, given the very thorough recruitment process which the digital army underwent. Any Digimon that perishes in the human world will be reborn in Primary Village back on File Island in the digital world."

"That's…comforting I guess." Mimi whimpered.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Mimi, but you have to get used to it." Koji warned. "That's what we're going to need to do in order to free Kyoto."

"Hey lighten up would you?" Takuya growled at Koji. "Have some compassion!" Koji was about to respond, but Mimi cut him off.

"It's okay Takuya, Koji is right. I need to get used to this." She nodded. "Let's keep moving. We have to be near the enemy territory if we're running into their soldiers."

"She's right, let's keep moving forward." Koji marched ahead of the rest of the group, jogging down the street. Mimi picked herself up and followed after him with Palmon at her side.

"Err…" Takuya grunted and then followed. The two Coredramon didn't follow immediately, instead turning to each other.

"That Digimon was completely new to me." Dinoster said worriedly. "I'm sure I've never heard of a Digimon known as Gizumon in my life."

"I concur," Majester nodded, "Perhaps Koji was onto something when he speculated that something was interfering with the digital field."

"Hey, are you guys coming?" Takuya called back to the two dragons. They gave each other one last worried look, and then took off after the others.

Tofukuji Temple, Kyoto

10:00 A.M

Within the temple, three figures were positioned around a large table which was coated in a number of maps. The first of them stood by the table, placing pins on certain areas of the representation of Kyoto. The warrior had skin that was dark and gray, wearing golden bands around his ankles and four arms. Flames plumed from his arms and legs, and he had four faces, each of which wore a different colored mask, while flaming orange locks shot from his head.

"Asuramon, I'm told we're to expect a battlefield report shortly." The second figure was sliding towards the others after returning from the entrance. This monster was a towering plant Digimon, with a face like a blooming purple flower, with barbed vines coming down as its body. At the tips of some of the vines were smaller black-and-red flowers with rows of teeth on each one.

"It's about time, Blossomon." The flaming warrior replied, anxiously over viewing the documents in front of him. "It's been hours since we made first contact. We need to see the results from each landing zone."

"Relax, would you," The third figure said through a yawn. This one lay on a bench, lazily drumming his fingers against a Tommy gun leaning next to him. The monster was human-shaped, even wearing a purple three-piece suit, along with white gloves, a gray coat, and a red scarf. His eyes were covered with a beastly mask with horns protruding from the top and red orbs for eyes, with white hair flowing from the back. "The humans can't possibly have put up so much of a resistance that they're still fighting against our forces. We must have control over the entire city by now."

"Do not get ahead of yourself Astamon." Asuramon angrily replied. "We cannot underestimate the humans."

"The humans are weak and pitiful," Astamon yawned again, "They can't even handle the rookies we brought with us. Really the only problem we could possibly have right now is not having enough manpower to round up all these humans. Honestly, they're swarming around this city like insects."

"That is something we will determine once the battlefield report comes in." Blossomon snapped. "Until then…"

"Commanders!" An angelic Digimon flew into the temple, wearing a metal visor on his head and maroon cloth hanging from his belt. He held a long yellow rod in his hand.

"Piddomon, what news do you bring?" Asuramon inquired as the Digimon came before the three commanders of the digital army.

"Have all sections of the city been locked down yet?" Astamon lazily inquired.

"No sir, I'm afraid the news is not favorable." Piddomon shook his head nervously.

"What is happening out there Piddomon?" Blossomon growled.

"We've gotten startling reports sir, of intense resistance in all sectors." He answered.

"Resistance: how much damage could the humans possibly do?" Astamon groaned.

"No sir, you don't understand." Piddomon replied. "Humans have nothing to do with it. Our captains throughout Kyoto, Otsu, and Uji all report that their progression has been inhibited by other Digimon."