Part 1: Attack on Kyoto
Herab Serapel
"I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him."
South Kyoto
Saturday, April 28, 2015
8:00 A.M
The ruins of South Kyoto were smoldering. Pillars of smoke drifted into the air, wavering with the wind. Dozens of homes, offices, and shrines had been torn apart, the fires of the previous battle finally waning. From the rubble, a lone Sharmamon poked his head out of a collapsed shrine, wiping his brow with his swollen, green bicep. The ogre Digimon stumbled out of the obliterated building, flopping onto the street and dropping his club, which clattered across the asphalt.
"Am I…" The Digimon wheezed, "Am I the only one left?" He tried to look out across the battlefield, but the muscles in his neck had not the energy to lift his head. He struggled to push himself back up to his feet, wobbling as he finally became upright once more. Just as he regained his balance, a whoosh of air alerted him to an attack from behind, but he couldn't stop the mechanical creature from bashing into his back, throwing him onto the ground once more.
"Eliminate… Enemies…" The Gizumon hovered over him menacingly, his tubules flailing wildly over the rookie.
"Why are you all… so strong?" Sharmamon grunted as the last of his energy and willpower left his body.
"Eliminate!" The Gizumon groaned once more before thrusting his tubules towards the defeated rookie.
"Spiral Flower!" A razor-sharp blade suddenly burst from the Gizumon's chest. The mechanical creature was caught in the shuriken's momentum, and its body was thrust forward, crashing into the street. Sharmamon breathed a sigh of relief as a massive creature, body of vines and head of a flower, slithered over to him.
"Colonel…" The rookie smiled.
"Rest easy soldier," Blossomon continued on, arriving at the Gizumon's limp body. The projectile had been more than enough to disengage the monster, but Blossomon's rage consumed him. He wrapped his vines around the disappearing creature, constricting the appendages tightly, as the metal shell of the Gizumon cracked and buckled under Blossomon's enraged grip. Blossomon clenched tightly, and the monster shattered into a storm of data particles.
"Colonel," Blossomon turned around at the voice of the Sharmamon, who had struggled to his feet once more, "Did we win?"
"Nothing about this can be considered a victory." Blossomon growled. "The Gizumon annihilated us." Blossomon watched as other members of the digital army began to congregate, noting the decimated size of his regiment.
"But the Gizumon… are defeated, yes?" The rookie struggled to stay balanced.
"The ones down here, for sure," Blossomon nodded. "Regardless, we are done here. We need to return to headquarters without delay."
"Command central isn't responding sir." A Pipismon, a large bat-like Digimon who wore a communication device on his back, appeared before the ultimate-level Digimon. "The communication lines are down."
"Then we need to get back there immediately." Blossomon looked over the 10-or-so troops that remained in his company.
"With all due respect sir," Sharmamon breathed in deeply and stood up straight, his willpower returning, "Asuramon's last orders were to investigate Otsu, were they not?"
"I'll not put you all in danger when you've just been through such a battle. We'll reconvene with HQ for now until you've all recovered."
"None of us are hurt that badly sir," A Renamon said as he licked the blood off his fur, "None of us remaining, anyway." A series of nods showed agreement.
"I think I'm the only one who's really hurt right now," Sharmamon continued. "And last I heard, humans had taken Otsu from Airdramon's company, correct?"
"They need our help out there." Monochromon, the lone surviving captain, argued. "We survived our battle: can we say the same for them?"
"You'd all put your lives on the line, after such a dreary battle, in order to try and save Airdramon and his soldiers?" Blossomon looked out across the field of Digimon, who all nodded.
"Well, maybe after a day-or-so's rest." Sharmamon shrugged.
"Very well," Blossomon smiled, "Far be it from me to reject the will of my soldiers. We'll rest for the day, and come tomorrow, we'll burst into Otsu and take it back from those human scum!" Blossomon's voice boomed across the open battlefield, and the Digimon around him cheered with thunderous applause.
Otsu Prince Hotel
6:09 P.M
Mimi shivered as a gust of wind washed across the surface of lake Biwa and against her exposed arms, which became covered with goosebumps. The girl quickly began rubbing her hands on her arms, fighting the biting cold, continuing to lean against the railing as she overlooked the massive lake in the shadow of the Otsu Prince Hotel.
"Why is it so cold?" The girl asked herself, peering across the lake as she pondered, "It's almost May, shouldn't it be warming up around here?" Her eyes flickered upwards, noting the expansive grey fog enveloping the city. "Though I suppose that could have something to do with it…"
"With what?" A voice cheerily sounded behind her. Mimi turned to see Palmon strolling towards her with a smile on her face.
"I was just wondering why it's still so cold," Mimi explained, "It's supposed to be warming up right about now. I think the digital field might have something to do with it."
"Maybe," Palmon shrugged, "It is blocking out a lot of the sun," She sighed, "I tell you, it's a really bad time to be a plant Digimon in the big city."
"Oh Palmon, the cold is getting to you more than any of us, isn't it?" She watched the rookie stare up into the air, a look of longing in her eyes.
"I do miss the sun," She said solemnly, "Back where I lived the sun shone every day. It was terrific." Palmon turned back to her, a smile on her face. "Hey, maybe after all of this is over you'll be able to come visit."
"You really mean it?" Mimi cheered. "Do you have a big family where you come from: lots of other Veggie-mon?"
"No not really," Palmon laughed, "I do have lots of friends though. I'd love to see them again."
"I haven't seen any of my friends since this started either," Mimi and Palmon became solemn once again, "My best friend, Yuno, didn't make it to the Hotel. I hope she's doing okay."
"I'm sure there are other places where humans have holed up. The digital army and the Gizumon sound like they're fighting way too much to even really bother with humans anymore." Palmon looked past the hotel towards the hills, where she could still see pillars of smoke climbing into the air.
"I wonder…" Mimi began to drift off in thought, staring at the thick fog in the distance once again.
"What is it Mimi?" Her partner inquired.
"I was just thinking that it's possible some of the people inside the city were able to make it outside," She explained, "And if so, maybe there's a way for people on the outside to get in."
"Unfortunately, I don't think so," Palmon shook her head, "I'm not exactly sure how it works, but my former superiors in the digital army explained that the digital field has a high…um… electric density, or something like that, that completely shuts down any electrical system that goes inside. Even a person who tried to walk through it would pass out from the intensity of the field."
"So there's absolutely no way?" The girl whimpered slightly.
"Not from what I know," Palmon shook her head, "Which is why we're just going to have to beat the digital army at their own game, then we'll be able to shut down the digital field ourselves!" Palmon tried to encourage her partner.
"Speaking of the digital army, I've been thinking a lot about that too." Mimi was unfazed by her partner's attempts at cheer. "Specifically, about Koji, Tommy, and their partners."
"They have been gone a really long time, haven't they?"
"It's been over two weeks Palmon," Mimi replied worriedly, "I'm afraid something's happened to them: why else would they have been gone for so long without trying to contact us?" Palmon had no suitable answer to the girl's worries.
"Oh Mimi…" The rookie sighed.
"I wish this would just end," The girl shook her head. "I'm so tired of all the senseless fighting. Why does everyone have to get hurt: humans and Digimon alike? I wish we could all just… stop." Mimi wiped a tear from her eye.
"That's just not possible Mimi," Palmon shook her head, "The digital army won't stop, we have to make them. But it's okay to feel this way. Being angry at them is natural."
"I'm not angry at the digital army," Mimi shook her head, "I just want the fighting to go away, and for everything to go back to normal." Mimi began walking back to the hotel. "I'm sorry Palmon, I can't right now."
"But… Mimi…" Palmon watched her walk away. "No one could go through what we've gone through and not be even a little angry at the digital army…"
Otsu Prince Hotel
Sunday, April 29th, 2018
6:00 A.M
Takuya yawned as he sluggishly dragged his feet up the stairs, towards the roof. Dinoster wobbled behind him, the two having just awoken to relieve Willis from watch duty.
"Should have… taken the first watch…" Takuya said through deep gasps of air as he pushed the door open at the top of the stairs and into the misty morning air.
"Hey Takuya," Willis waved from his seat next to the edge of the roof, "Ready to switch?"
"No," Takuya groaned as he crawled forward, "It's too early to do things…" He rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the semi-darkness.
"Early for you," Squeaked a high-pitch voice from behind him, "The rest of us are going to sleep," Biyomon swept around him, having come from atop the stairwell.
"Time for bed," Monmon, who had been sitting against the roof's ledge, hopped down and groggily made his way towards the stair entrance along with the avian Digimon.
"Don't worry Takuya," Willis smiled, "The sun will be out soon enough: that ought to wake you up."
"Yeah, sure," Takuya waved him away as he slumped into the armchair Willis had been sitting in before, while Dinoster climbed into the second one. The two chairs had been dragged up to the roof for use by those on sentry duty, and faced opposite directions overlooking Otsu.
"See you both for breakfast." Willis smiled before heading into the stairwell and closing the door behind him, following Monmon and Biyomon down the stairs.
"You not going to sleep, Willis?" Monmon asked once they had reached the lower floor, and Willis kept walking past his room.
"No I'm not that tired," Willis shook his head, "I'm gonna head downstairs." He waved at the two Digimon as they parted ways, and then entered the elevator, which had been rigged by some refugees to run off an emergency generator. Though the lights didn't work and he had to fumble around to find the button for the first floor, it was better than the long trek up and down the stairs every day.
On the first floor, Willis made his way through the quiet lobby and towards the cafeteria, nodding to the various police officers patrolling the area as he walked by. He made his way into the former restaurant foyer, which was now the refugee cafeteria, noting that a large number of people had already awoken and were standing in line for food: fresh fish from Lake Biwa.
"Hungry, are we?" A hand dropped onto his shoulder. Willis looked up at the large, broad-shouldered man standing next to him.
"Hey Dad," Willis smiled at his father, "Yeah, I just got off of watch duty, so I thought I'd grab some food."
"How's it looking out there, son?" Robert Miyahara inquired as they made their way into the line.
"It's pretty quiet here in Otsu," Willis answered, "I haven't seen anything, and Takuya and Mimi stopped running into Digimon on their patrols a while ago."
"That's good to hear," Robert smiled.
"Yeah, I think it's making them a little stir-crazy, to be honest." Willis continued. "Mimi was talking about going into Tokyo, to look for Koji and Tommy."
"Your other two friends?" Robert raised an eyebrow, "They've been gone for over two weeks now, haven't they?"
"Yeah, Mimi's worried something might have happened to them, but Takuya thinks that they're probably just deeply involved with their mission: determining the location of the digital army's encampments."
"And if they decide to go out and look for them, are you planning on going with them?" Robert inquired.
"I don't think I'd be that much use," Willis shook his head, "Without a digivice and Digimon partner, I can't really contribute anything out there. If the digital field hadn't taken down all of the electrical systems, I could probably provide some good technical support, but as it stands I'm best suited to helping them out with sentry duty."
"Well, I won't pretend like I'm not glad to hear that. I wouldn't want you putting yourself in unnecessary danger. But you know what you're doing, and you kids have done a very good job of keeping this town safe thus far, so I'll continue to let you help them out in any manner you can."
"Thanks Dad, I appreciate your trust in me." Willis smiled. "I know it must be difficult for you."
"As hard as it is for me to let you stay up there, I can only imagine what those other kids' parents are going through."
8:30 A.M
Gazimon watched from afar as a pair of police officers circled in front of the massive tower. Reconnaissance had determined that the bulk of humans living in Otsu were located here, and Gazimon had been tasked with infiltrating the location, and determining whether or not the humans knew anything about what had happened to Airdramon's company. The grey, rabbit-like Digimon slunk behind a row of abandoned vehicles, being careful not to expose himself and gain the attention of the two officers. Once past the parking lot, the Digimon hunched down and scurried across the open lawn towards a service entrance, pulling the door slightly open and slipping inside.
Giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, he found himself in a kitchen. A small number of people were performing culinary tasks in the front of the room, leaving Gazimon unexposed. The rookie took no chances, however, and quickly darted behind a counter, keeping watch for any approaching humans. Once hidden, he looked around the room for an easy avenue out of the kitchen. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw one of the panels had been displaced, revealing an open space: convenient. He leapt up, latched onto the opening, and pulled himself inside to a small crawl space. Gazimon began scurrying through the ceiling, paying close attention with his finely attuned ears to hear where the majority of the people were within the building, training his path towards the source of all the talking. He removed one of the panels, revealing a large, open space with a number of humans seated around tables.
Gazimon perked his ears up, trying to discern any information from the noises coming from below. The number of people speaking simultaneously came up to him as random gibberish, but he slowly began to make out the topics of conversation: the fish was good, Kyoto is in trouble, what's gonna be for lunch? Gizamon sifted through the inane chatter, trying to focus on the conversations pertaining to the situation in Kyoto: Digimon are bad; we're trapped here; why are those kids protecting us? Slowly he began to acquire useful information: Digimon above us; those kids and their monsters; watching from the top floor.
8:50 A.M
Willis leaned against the wall next to the open door, drumming his fingers in contemplation. He looked over to Takuya, who was staring out the window, and Mimi, who had her chin in her hands as she sat upon the bed. Mimi had asked them into her room to discuss the situation with Koji and Tommy, and the conversation was going nowhere. Takuya and Mimi could not agree on an appropriate course of action.
"We can't leave," Takuya shook his head, reaffirming his earlier comments, "It's too dangerous for all of the people here to expose them like that."
"Tommy and Koji have been gone for over two weeks, Takuya." Mimi protested.
"Not a lot of time has passed since the agreed upon deadline." Dinoster reasoned. He and Palmon sat at the foot of the bed while Monmon swung his feet back and forth from his seat atop the television set. Willis had invited the digital ally to the meeting, having taken a liking to him during their numerous times on sentry duty together.
"Yeah, for all we know, they just haven't gotten to it yet because they don't think it's been that long." Palmon reasoned.
"Well clearly, it was a mistake to not arrange for them to contact us after a certain point." Willis massaged his temple.
"We have to trust that those four know what they're doing." Takuya argued. "If we don't have faith in them-"
"Takuya, we messed up." Mimi interrupted him. "We didn't even think about how we would keep in touch with each other. We've got to find a way to fix that as soon as possible."
"But we can't just abandon everyone here who's counting on us to protect them." Takuya protested.
"Protect them from what?" Mimi growled. "We haven't seen a single member of the digital army or a Gizumon in over a week. They've clearly left this area Takuya!"
As Mimi and Takuya continued to argue, Willis noted Monmon's reaction to the debate. Instead of focusing on them, his eyes were closed, and his ears were twitching.
"Is something wrong Monmon?" Willis asked the simian, prompting the creature to open its eyes and jump slightly, startled.
"I thought I heard something." Monmon answered. His eyes then narrowed, staring at the doorway. "Oh, I guess it's just you." He grumbled. The other inhabitants of the room looked out the door to see Impmon leaning against the opposite wall.
"Oh, don't mind me, continue with your lively debate." Impmon waved them away.
"What are you even doing here?" Palmon groaned. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with our battle with the digital army."
"He still doesn't," Willis gave an exasperated glare, "He's just bored."
"You catch on quick, big guy." Impmon chuckled as he strolled into the open hotel room, and confidently hopped onto the bed, making himself comfortable amidst the sea of irritated stares. "So, what'cha fellas been up too lately?"
"Trying to save Kyoto," Takuya barked, "How many people have you managed to annoy since the last time we saw you?"
"For your information, I was exploring the city. It's a big place, especially with no people in it." Impmon yawned deeply. "Really boring-" Before Impmon could finish, Monmon jumped into the air, his fist sweeping upwards. Impmon quickly scrambled away with a look of terror on his face, but instead of coming down on him like the rookie had thought, Monmon smashed his fist into the ceiling, He came down towing a small grey form, which he slammed into the bed before landing on top of it, pinning the creature between his legs.
"Paralyze Breath!" The rabbit-like monster hissed out a cloud of black smoke, prompting Monmon to leap off of the creature and onto the floor. The hare took a dash for the door, but found Palmon and Dinoster standing in his way.
"Who are you?" Dinoster's voice boomed at the small Digimon.
"It's a Gazimon," Monmon observed, "He must be with the digital army."
"Answer us," Takuya stared sternly at the creature, who was in a guarded position on the bed. "What are you doing here: spying on us?"
"So…" Gazimon growled, "This is what's been going on over here," He swept his eyes across the room, "A group of traitorous Digimon making nice with the humans. Are you the reason we've lost contact with Airdramon's company?"
"I'll have you know we took that bastard down already," Takuya leered, "Just like we'll do with any more of you digital army thugs!"
"Takuya," Palmon hissed, "Don't tell him that."
"Paralyze Breath!" Gazimon spat out another cloud of black gas, which hit Palmon directly in the face. Dinoster quickly caught her as the rookie slumped to the ground.
"Palmon!" Mimi cried. Gizamon took advantage of the confusion and jumped over the two Digimon, darting into the hallway.
"Monmon, you can't let him get away!" Willis exclaimed, but the simian Digimon was already on the move, chasing the hare down the corridor.
"Willis, go with him: we'll be right behind you once we make sure Palmon is okay." Takuya commanded. Willis nodded and quickly jumped into the hallway. He spotted Monmon disappear into the stairwell and jump down the stairs.
"Looks like you guys really messed up this time." Impmon stood in the hallway once again. "Hope that Gazimon doesn't tell the digital army all about your secrets."
"Take a little less pleasure in this why don't you," Willis scoffed, "Or need I remind you that the digital army labels you a traitor as well. If they come for us, they'll come for you, too." Willis ran down the hallway and towards the elevator, leaving Impmon behind to contemplate his words.
"Hmpf…" Impmon grunted.
Inside the elevator, Willis took a moment to take in what had just happened: Gazimon had been at the hotel for an undisclosed amount of time. He was sure to know at least about the police officers guarding the area, and the existence of Monmon, Palmon, and Dracomon. Fortunately, the Digimon was most likely unaware of the three Aururumon and Floramon guarding the roof, the Biyomon who was currently asleep in a room on the lower floor, and Palmon and Dracomon's ability to digivolve. Were the digital army to act on the information given to them, they would be severely unprepared for the digidestined's true strength.
"We should follow him…" Willis murmured as the elevator reached the ground floor. As the doors opened he saw Gazimon speeding by, leaping through the lobby as a number of terrified individuals lunged out of the way. One of the police officers jumped in front of the creature, his hand on his holster, but the hare pounced into the air, flipping narrowly over the man, and landed safely behind him, continuing on his way. Monmon scrambled around the officer, following closely behind Gazimon who had kicked open the lobby doors and scrambled outside.
"Monmon, wait up!" Willis called to the primate, but the monster had already slipped through the closing door and into the courtyard.
"Willis, what happened: what was that?" The officer asked as the boy ran by.
"Don't worry about it, we've got it under control." Willis assured him before pushing the door open himself. Outside his eyes adjusted to the light and he saw Monmon and Gazimon circling each other, their eyes locked together. "So much for that idea," He sighed, running up to the two Digimon.
"You're not going anywhere." Monmon commanded as he stared down the enemy.
"You're in no position to stop me." Gazimon smiled.
"Have you forgotten where you are?" Monmon cocked his head. "You're knee deep in our territory," He pulled the giant slingshot off his back, preparing to aim, "And you're outnumbered."
"I think you miscounted." Gazimon said cockily. Before Monmon could respond he and became overcome by a horrid screeching. Both Monmon and Willis clasped their hands over their ears and dropped to their knees as the sound pounded at their eardrums. The sound stopped moments after it began, and a new creature flew into view: a purple bat with red wings, scythes capping its feet, tail, and wings, and rows of sharp teeth. The monster landed next to Gazimon, twice the rabbit's size.
"Good save." Gazimon complimented his ally.
"Did you get the information we needed?" The armored Digimon inquired.
"There's at least three humans and four Digimon working together. They defeated Airdramon's forces including Airdramon himself, and I believe they have the power to digivolve."
"Impressive." Pipismon noted as the Monmon struggled back to his feet, quickly grabbing at his slingshot. "I'll get rid of this one now." The bat-monster shot into the air and began diving towards the stumbling monkey, when a burst of hot, blue fire washed over him. Pipismon barely noticed the pain before a hulking creature slammed into his back and knocked him back into the street.
"Stay away from him," Takuya ordered as he jumped off his partner's back, landing on the ground a few feet away from the still-recovering Monmon and Willis.
"So they can digivolve." Pipismon observed, struggling to a perched position on the opposite side of the parking lot. He eyed the new arrival: a bulky blue dragon who was much taller than he. "I think we've become outmatched," Pipismon eyed his ally rookie, who was slowly backpedaling towards him, "Stall."
"Paralyze Breath!" Gazimon suddenly lunged forward and unleashed a cloud of noxious fumes. Dinoster quickly responded by unleashing a gust of wind with his wings, blowing the fog back towards Gazimon, who rolled to the side to avoid being affected by his own attack. Pipismon turned around immediately as Gazimon launched his attack and let out a blood-curdling screech, aimed away from the hotel. Dinoster dashed towards the crying beast but Gazimon jumped in from the side and kicked him in the face. Dinoster rolled away from the blow and spun around to smash Gazimon in the gut.
"Ugh!" Pipismon suddenly stopped screeching as a spiral of green flames penetrated his back, knocking him onto his chest. As he fell to the ground a storm of vines burst from the concrete and wrapped around his appendages. The Digimon looked around angrily, spotting the Biyomon and three Aruraumon that now surrounded him. Gazimon's attacks also ceased when a vine wrapped around his leg and tossed him away, allowing Dinoster a moment to breathe.
"Good job guys," Takuya nodded to the Floramon who currently had Gazimon pinned to the ground.
"What should we do with them?" Biyomon inquired as she hovered above him.
"We need to find somewhere to contain them for now," Takuya answered, "Then we can find out what exactly how many more are out there."
"Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough!" Pipismon bellowed. Takuya wanted to inquire further, but before he could he heard a scuffle to his right. He turned to see Floramon being tossed into the air, her vine retracting from Gazimon's leg. A yellow-furred fox, standing on two legs and wearing purple gauntlets, stood posed for another attack.
"Everyone look out!" Takuya screamed, but as he spoke he saw the three Aruraumon fly away from their prisoner as well, as a trio of mushroom-shaped Digimon spewed a dark gas at each of them.
"Pipismon!" A voice boomed, drawing everyone's attention to the edge of the parking lot. There stood four more Digimon: a small warrior dressed in kendo gear, a living candle with wax arms, a massive triceratops, and the largest of the four: a towering vine monster with the head of a flower. Takuya's eyes immediately trained on the largest creature, who bellowed, "Who are these Digimon?"
"Traitors, sir!" Pipismon immediately flew into the air to escape the range of the Aruraumon's vines. "These are the ones responsible for what happened to Airdramon and his company!"
"I'm Takuya Kanbara!" Takuya barked at the monsters, "Otsu's under our protection: you need to leave, now!"
"That's some tough talk Takuya," Willis murmured next to him, "But somehow I don't think that will deter them."
"Takuya Kanbara," Blossomon growled, "You are the one responsible for harming my soldiers?"
"Your soldiers attacked us first: we were just defending ourselves!" Takuya boomed back.
"I see…" Blossomon's closed his eyes, "Be that as it may, we cannot ignore our fallen comrades."
"So you won't be leaving, then?"
"We came all this way," Blossomon looked back towards Kyoto, "I'm afraid we can't leave empty-handed."
"So that's how it is huh?" Takuya looked to his partner. Dinoster shared the same look in his eyes: a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
"Be careful Takuya, there's something different about that one." Willis warned. "The others I can tell just by looking, they're all rookies except for the dinosaur and the bat-thing, but that one," He looked up towards Blossomon, "He's so much bigger than the rest of them."
"You think he could be…?" Takuya gave a worried glance to Willis.
"He's one of the colonels," Dinoster answered for him as he cracked his knuckles, "That means he's an ultimate-level."
"Willis, as soon as you can, go check on Mimi and Palmon: we're gonna need them." Takuya instructed.
"Got it." Willis replied.
"Alright then," Blossomon growled with a grisly voice, "What do you say… we get started?"
