Yolei: Learn
by Silver
*Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I have no rights to the characters and creatures.*
Author's Note: I should have mentioned the full title of this three-part story last chapter. The full title of this story arc is "Yolei: Rise, Learn, Grow." If you've just started to read this story, it will make more sense if you read "Walkabout" first, otherwise you'll be somewhat confused.
I had to do a lot of guessing when it came to Ken's history and Stingmon's attack. I basically drew deductions from what I read and saw on the Internet. Please don't flame me for inaccurate, it's all guesswork.
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The digiport's light faded, giving Yolei a chance to assess her surroundings. Her clothing had changed to her Digital World getup. The same was true for Cody and Davis. Poromon, Upamon, and Demiveemon had all digivolved into Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Veemon, respectively. Minomon had digivolved into Wormmon, but Ken's outfit hadn't changed. Yolei had half-expected him to be in his Digimon Emperor clothing.
Davis cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Vee? Where are you, Vee?"
There was silence for a moment, and then a loud voice boomed, "Davis! Veemon! It's good to see you again, my friends!" A huge blue Digimon that looked like a cousin of Greymon came running up. He had two scars, one going across his forehead, and another on his left arm. Davis and Veemon ran up without hesitation, but Yolei and the others hung back. All of them looked at the large Dinosaur Digimon with a little foreboding, except for Ken, who looked on nonchalantly.
Yolei said, "Jeez, I'd hate to meet that thing in a dark ally."
Davis spun around, "Yolei! His name is Vee, and he's a really nice guy!"
Yolei arched an eyebrow, "Then where'd he get those scars?"
Davis said, "The scar on his head was from when he hatched from his digiegg. He got that scar on his arm when he was helping me get the Digivolution Crystal. Satisfied?"
Yolei said defensively, "Hey, I was just saying-"
Davis said, "Well, don't be so rude next time!"
Kari whispered in Yolei's ear, "Davis is a little touchy when it comes to his friends. It's not a good idea to poke fun."
Yolei sighed, "I noticed."
The Veedramon stepped up, "Thank you for defending my honor, Davis, but I can speak for myself." He looked at Yolei, "Young lady, I assure you that you'll never find me hiding in a 'dark ally.' I don't attack unless I am forced into a confrontation, and I try to avoid those situations." Yolei blinked, this Digimon was very well spoken.
Davis said, "Vee, let me introduce my friends." He began to point everyone out, "That's Cody and Armadillomon."
Cody bowed, "Hello."
"That's TK and Patamon."
TK smiled, "Hi."
"That's Kari and Gatomon."
Kari gave a slight bow, "Pleased to meet you."
Davis muttered, "You've already met Yolei, her partner is Hawkmon."
Yolei nodded, "Hi, how's it going?"
Vee smiled, "It is going well."
Davis finally said, "And that's Ken and Wormmon."
Vee frowned, "I've smelled him somewhere before…"
Yolei said, "Ken's known around here as 'The Digimon Emperor.'"
Something dangerous flashed in Vee's eyes. "THE DIGIMON EMPEROR?" He bared his teeth at Ken, "I should rip you apart for what you have done, tyrant!" Ken took a step back and Wormmon jumped forward to defend his friend.
Davis interposed himself between Vee and Ken. "Vee, hang on! Ken's not the Digimon Emperor anymore! He's sorry for what he did."
Yolei opened her mouth to dispute that, but Kari placed a hand on Yolei's shoulder and shook her head. Kari didn't trust Ken either, but she knew that no good could come out of what was happening.
Davis continued, "Ken came to help us find your friends. He knows where they were last so it'd be a bad idea to eat him!"
Vee scoffed, "I wouldn't dare eat the likes of him. He's too fowl for consumption!" He took a deep breath. "But if you trust him, Davis, then I will at least tolerate his presence."
Davis visibly relaxed, but then he glared at Yolei. "Anything else you'd like to try and mess up?"
Yolei said, "I still don't like having him around."
Ken said, "I could just point you in the right direction and leave."
Cody nodded, "Yes, why don't you?"
Davis held up a hand, "Okay, time out! First off, Ken isn't going anywhere. He agreed to come along, so nobody can force him to leave. If anyone has a problem with that, then they can leave now. Second, Ken knows exactly where the Ancient Valley is, so it would be good to have him as a guide." He turned to Ken, "So, where is the Ancient Valley?"
Ken pointed beyond Vee, "It's in the middle of those mountains."
"Mountains?" Davis turned around, and his jaw hit the floor. A huge mountain range rose up from the ground. Some of those mountains could compare with Spiral Mountain in terms of size.
All of the Digidestined looked at the mountains with unhappy faces. Yolei looked at Davis and gave an impersonation of his voice, "'I've got it all planned out!' Where was this in your plans?"
Davis laughed nervously, "Uh… I guess I missed that part."
Kari pressed a hand to her head, "Oh, Davis!" Everyone shook their heads.
Davis shrugged, "Hey, it's no problem. We'll just fly over the Mountains and into the Valley!"
Cody frowned, "Fly? If you're thinking of Armor Digivolving, I don't think your plan with work. Digmon can't fly, and Raidramon can only jump real high. Halsemon, Nefertimon, and Pegasusmon can't carry the rest of us all of our Digimon. It'd be too heavy for them."
Davis smiled, "We'll just ride on Vee!"
Yolei said, "Davis, a Veedramon can't fly."
Davis said, "But AeroVeedramon can. Vee, can you still digivolve?"
Vee nodded, "Yes, I have gained some control over my changing form. Veedramon digivolve to… AeroVeedramon!" Vee's body flashed white, and he digivolved into his Ultimate stage. The other Digidestined's jaws dropped at the sight of a larger winged Veedramon-like Digimon.
Davis smiled, "Okay, so Ken, Cody, Veemon, Wormmon, Armadillomon and I can ride on Vee while the others fly on their own Digimon. Okay?" Everyone nodded to the plan, although it took little convincing for Vee to let Ken ride on him. TK, Kari, and Yolei armor digivolved their partners and mounted up to take to the air. Cody, Davis, and Ken mounted Vee with their Digimon. Within moments, four Digimon could be seen soaring above the mountain range.
Davis laughed, "See? This is fine. We'll be at the Ancient Valley in no time. Easy!" Suddenly, a V-shaped bolt of energy soared from a gap in the mountains and exploded just off to the group's left side. All of the Digimon rocked under the force of the explosion. Two more attacks came up and shook the Digimon even further.
Davis recognized the attacks. "Vee, those are-!"
Vee nodded, "I know. Those are V-Nova Blasts, a Veedramon attack. It could be that my brethren are now distrustful of outsiders, much like my clan in the Rock Maze was."
Kari called, "Should we land?"
TK said, "That might be what they want us to do. We should probably turn back." Another explosion jostled the group.
Cody said, "I don't think we'll be able to turn around and avoid these attacks! We'd better land!"
Davis nodded, "Vee, take us down!" The AeroVeedramon dove down, the Armor Digimon followed. The Digidestined and Digimon had several near misses, but fortunately no one was hurt, and they managed to land in a large passage. The Digidestined dismounted, and all of their Digimon, including Vee, reverted back to their previous forms.
Hawkmon's stance was wobbly, "My goodness! What a turbulent ride!"
Armadillomon nodded, "My shell's still shaking."
Gatomon said, "I haven't felt this wobbly since I ran out of cat nip."
Patamon asked, "What happened to 'flying the friendly skies?"
Veemon said, "This is what we get for flying economy!"
Davis looked at Vee, "If those really were Veedramon attacking us, why didn't they recognize you?"
Vee said, "They may have attacked without confirming our identity. If that is the case, I know a way to get them to stop attacking." Before anyone could ask what that way was, Vee opened his mouth and let out a high pitched roared that made the Digidestined teeth shake. Everyone covered their ears to keep from going deaf.
Davis shouted, "OW! Vee! What are you doing?"
Vee stopped roaring and said, "Please pardon the noise. That was a recognition call used by Veedramon. We should hear a reply any moment." Everyone listened, but a reply never came. Vee frowned, "I know that they heard me. They must of heard me."
TK rung out his ear, "I think half the Digiworld heard you."
Just then, there was a low pitch rumble farther down the path. It sounded living, but it was nowhere near the sound that Vee had made. Vee sniffed the air, "Something is coming, but it isn't a Veedramon."
Everyone tensed up and pulled out their digivices. A large creature walked into view.
TK blinked, "A Triceratops?"
Patamon said, "You're close. That's Triceramon. He's an Dinosaur Digimon, and his attacks are Mega Dash and Tri-Horn Attack."
Cody asked, "Is he strong?"
Armadillomon said, "He's tough, but usually he's pretty friendly."
TK said, "Every time you guys say a Digimon is usually friendly, they end up attacking us."
Kari said, "Yeah, and I don't like the look in his eyes."
Davis looked at Kari, "His eyes? I'm more worried about the look of his horns!" Triceramon roared and charged forward. Davis and Veemon stepped up, "Looks like he's not too friendly after all. Veemon, let's do it!"
"Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!"
"Mega Dash!" Triceramon's speed increased, and he lowered his horns as he charged. XVmon came forward and braced himself. Triceramon slammed into XVmon, but the Dramon-type Digimon caught his attackers horns and stopped his charge. The two of them stood struggling against one another. XVmon smashed his knee against Triceramon's jaw, and pushed him backwards.
"X Ray!" XVmon shot a beam on light at Triceramon. The attack slammed into Triceramon's head and took a chunk out of the crest running along the back of the Digimon's head. The Dinosaur Digimon roared in pain and fell back. XVmon powered up again, "X-"
Yolei ran forward, "Stop! XVmon, don't kill him!"
XVmon paused and look back. That was when Triceramon attacked again. "Tri-Horn Attack!" His horns flashed yellow and he lunged forward. XVmon tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough. One horn punched into XVmon's left arm, causing a massive wound. XVmon shrieked and fell backwards.
"XVmon!" Davis ran forward, but he'd never make it in time. Triceramon got up and prepared to finish off XVmon.
Ken looked at Wormmon. "Your turn."
Wormmon nodded, "Right!" Ken's D3 shrieked, "Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!" Stingmon, Wormmon's Champion form, looked like a cross between a human and a fly. He had dark green and black body armor covering him from head to toe. Four insectoid wings sprouted from his back, and red hair stuck out from under his helmet.
Stingmon flew over the heads of the children and came down on Triceramon with a swift kick. The Dinosaur Digimon was taken aback and knocked down by the sudden attack of the new Digimon. Stingmon held up one arm. "Spiking Finish!" A silver spike shot out of a blaster on the top of Stingmon's hand. Triceramon rolled to the side and dodged the attack. He quickly got to his feet and ran away from his new challenger.
XVmon and Stingmon reverted back to their rookie forms. "Veemon!" Davis knelt down next to his friend. "Veemon, speak to me!"
Veemon said, "I'm okay, really." He winced, "Ooh, no I'm not." His arm was bleeding badly.
Davis took off his coat. "Hang on." He began to tear his jacket sleeve into strips. He then tied those strips around Veemon's wound.
Veemon said, "Hey, you're ruining your jacket."
Davis rolled his knees. "Come on, you mean more to me than some stupid jacket. Hang on, this'll stop the bleeding, I think." He head snapped up at Yolei, "Why did you tell XVmon to stop? He got hurt because you distracted him!"
Yolei's face was crestfallen, "I-I didn't want him to kill Triceramon."
Davis snarled, "Why not?"
Yolei said, "He wasn't under the control of a Dark Ring! We couldn't just kill him! It wouldn't be right!"
Kari cut Davis off before he could reply, "Guys, stop it! We have to worry about getting Veemon some medical attention!"
Davis nodded, "Okay… We have to turn back."
Cody asked, "But we have no idea where the nearest town is, and we might be attacked again before we can escape."
Ken spoke up, "The Ancient Valley has many medical herbs. We could use those to help him."
TK said, "I hate to admit it, but that's probably the best option right now."
Davis finished tying off Veemon's wound. "Okay then, let's get to the Valley." He looked at XVmon's saviors. "Ken, when did you find out that Wormmon could digivolve?"
Ken said, "I came to the Digital World a few times after finding Wormmon. We got into a few 'situations' and he bailed me out. That's when I found out he could digivolve into Stingmon."
Cody said, "We have to get going. Triceramon could be back any time." Everyone nodded. Davis helped Veemon limp along while glaring daggers at Yolei, who was looking very ashamed.
* * * * * * * *
The Digidestined had been walking for over an hour. Things were tense enough with Veemon being hurt and the threat of another attack, but Yolei had apologized to Davis on just about every possible occasion, and then some. "Davis, I am so, so sorry. I never meant for Veemon to get hurt."
Davis sighed. His anger had died down, but his annoyance at Yolei's constant apologies hadn't. "Yolei, for the hundred and thirty-fourth time, it's okay. I forgive you. But next time, don't get in the way!"
Yolei protested, "But we've never killed a Digimon before, it just isn't right."
Davis said, "Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean 'we?' I've had to kill a Digimon before."
Yolei blinked, "Really?"
Davis nodded, "A Digimon called Darklizardmon was attacking a place called Meadow Town. Raidramon and I had to knock him into a lake to stop him, and that killed him. I'm sorry I did it, but it had to be done!"
Kari nodded, "We've had to destroy Digimon too. When TK and I were fighting against an Airdramon on the beach, Angewoman had to destroy him. Plus, TK and I had to fight against a lot of evil Digimon when we fought the Dark Masters. Not all of them were pure evil like Piedmon was, but we had to destroy them."
Yolei asked, "How could you do it? I mean, to be willing to kill a Digimon?"
TK sighed, "It had to be done. They would have destroyed us before we could have talked them out of it. We didn't want to kill them, but they didn't leave us any choice. That's something we had to do."
Cody said, "I guess that Yolei and I have been softened up by the fact that we never had to kill Digimon, we just had to destroy the dark rings controlling them. It's not something we ever really thought about."
Vee said, "There is no shame in fighting to protect those you care, even though it can lead to unfortunate consequences. You were left with no choice, and so you did what you had to."
Yolei was silent. Would I be willing to kill in order to protect someone. Am I capable of doing that? I don't think I could hurt anyone. Yolei was reminded of Davis' fears of hurting MetalGreymon when he was being controlled by the Digimon Emperor.
Davis looked at his partner, "How ya hanging in there, buddy?"
Veemon looked a little feverish. "I don't feel so good."
Kari knelt down next to the blue Digimon. She placed a hand on his forehead, "Oh no. He has a fever. I think the wound might be infected."
"What?" Davis knelt down next to Veemon, "Why didn't you tell me you felt sick? We could have rested until you felt better!"
Veemon looked at Davis, "I-I didn't want to slow you guys down. Digimon aren't supposed to slow their partners down."
Davis placed his hands on Veemon's shoulder, "For crying out loud, you're not just my partner, you're my friend! Don't worry about slowing us down, worry about getting better!" He turned his back to Veemon, "Now, climb on. I'll carry you to the Ancient Valley. Okay?"
"O-okay." Veemon climbed onto Davis back and allowed himself to go limp.
Davis stood up, "Don't give up, Veemon. We're gonna make it through this, no matter what!" All the others watched Davis and Veemon. Yolei admired how close Davis and Veemon had grown. Yolei wished that she were certain if she could help Hawkmon like that, but Yolei knew she had a tendency to freeze up in a tense situation. It had been that way since her first arrival in the Digital World. After Davis had been captured, Yolei had cried that she wanted to go home again and again. Why can't I be stronger?
The group continued to walk until they came to a stone bridge. It spanned a large gorge. Veemon was getting worse by the moment, and his weight was pressing down on Davis.
TK offered, "I could carry him for a while."
Davis smiled, "Thanks, but I want to be keep going a little longer. He's saved my life more times than I can count, I want to help him this time." Davis hefted Veemon a little, "But when we get home, I'm not going to let him have thirds on dinner anymore."
TK laughed, "Okay, but let me know if you need help."
Davis said, "And give you the chance to upstage me? Never." They both laughed.
Kari shook her head. She'd never seen those two getting along so well. Things really have changed.
A roar sounded from the other side of the bridge. A Veedramon stepped into view. But this Veedramon's coloring was different. What should have been blue was red, and what was normally white was black. Vee stepped forward, "A-are you one of my clan? Are you one of my brethren?"
The Veedramon smiled, "Long time no see, Scar."
Kari frowned, "Scar?"
Davis said, "That's a nickname given to Vee because of his birthmark. He hates it."
Vee said, "I am called Vee now. Brother, why have you not returned home?"
The Veedramon sneered, "What's there for me?"
"You're clan."
"HA! That's a good one! Me and the others go back to a bunch of pathetic fools who want to live their lives in a rock prison! I've change, Scar. I like the new freedom that I've been given. So do the other two Veedramon. We've seen the outside world, and this is our new home! We have no wish to go back to the life you lead."
Vee stepped up, "Things are changing. Our clan is soon going to venture out into the world. We could use your guidance."
Davis whispered, "What's with this guy's color?"
Cody whispered back, "Remember MetalGreymon's color change? I think this means that this Veedramon has gone viral."
Yolei hissed, "You mean we came all this way for a virus?" Everyone shushed her. Ken stood at the back of the group, watching the events unfold with wrapped interest.
TK asked, "Does this mean that all the missing Veedramon are viral?"
Cody said, "We shouldn't jump to conclusions. It could be just this one Veedramon that's been corrupted."
The red Veedramon said, "It's been nice having a family reunion with you, Scar, but it's time to end this. V-Nova Blast!" He sent a blast of fire right into the bridge. The ground was destroyed. The entire group began to fall.
Vee shouted, "Traitor! Veedramon digivolve to… AeroVeedramon." He digivolved into his Ultimate form and began scooping up the Digidestined and their Digimon, but he missed two. Ken and Yolei fell away from the main group, and Vee could not catch them among the falling rocks.
Ken didn't wait for someone to rescue him. "Wormmon! Digivolve!"
"Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!" Stingmon danced between the falling debris and caught his partner, then he swooped down and caught Yolei and Hawkmon. Together, the four of them descended into the gorge. Vee could only fly higher with the other Digidestined. He could not reach Ken and Yolei
Ken shouted over the noise of the rubble. "Head west! We'll meet you in the Valley!"
* * * * * * * *
"WHAA! I wanna go home!" Yolei sobbed from her spot on the ground.
Hawkmon was doing his best to calm Yolei down, "Yolei, please! Don't cry. Everything will be alright."
"Alright? How will everything be all right? This whole stupid trip has been a disaster from the beginning! First Davis invites the Digimon Emperor, then we have to fly over a bunch of mountains, then we get shot down, then Veemon gets hurt, then we find out that a Veedramon have gone viral, and now we're lost and separated from the others! I WANNA GO HOME! WHAA!" Hawkmon had to cover his ears to keep from going deaf.
Ken, who had been discussing the situation with Wormmon, walked over to Yolei and kneeled down in front of her. For a moment, he held her with is gaze, forcing her to look into his eyes. Then he slapped her across the face. "OW! Hey!"
Ken stood up and looked down on Yolei, "Stop whining! Life doesn't always go the way we planned, and crying about it doesn't help a thing. How far do you think you'll get if you just keep crying about what you want? Grow up! If you want to make it out of this alive, then you're going to have to adapt to what's happening around you!"
Yolei snapped, "Easy for you to say, Digimon Emperor!"
Ken was furious, "Will you stop calling me that? I'm not the Digimon Emperor any more!"
"Prove it!"
"I can't! I don't know how!" Ken's shoulders slumped. "I don't get it. Your friend accepted that I wasn't evil anymore without so much as a second glance, but the rest of you never miss a beat to come down on me. What's going on here?"
Yolei stood up, "Davis is a little on the naïve side. He doesn't understand that some people never change."
Ken protested, "I have changed!"
"Prove it!"
"Stop saying that!"
Wormmon looked at Hawkmon, "Think we can get a nap in before they're done arguing?"
Hawkmon said, "Probably."
Ken shouted, "Enough! This is pointless. We have to keep moving before the Veedramon comes after us!"
Yolei said, "So where do we go, Mr. Know-it-all?"
Ken tried to ignore that remark. "The Ancient Valley is due west of where we are. We can walk there. The others will probably walk as well to avoid being shot down." He started to walk, "If you don't come on, I'll leave you behind."
Yolei talked through clenched teeth, "Coming." Hawkmon and Wormmon followed behind the two humans.
* * * * * * * *
Yolei walked silently behind Ken, who hadn't said a word since their argument. Why did I think such a jerk was actually cute? He's more annoying than Davis! Still, the silence was getting to Yolei. She jumped every time a rock fell down the side of the mountains.
A question popped into Yolei's mind. It was question that she had had from the beginning. "Why?"
Ken turned around, "Excuse me?"
Yolei asked, "Why did you become the Digimon Emperor and start enslaving Digimon? Are you really so cruel that you didn't realize what you were doing was wrong?"
Ken's eyes became haunted, "Don't comment on things you don't understand."
Yolei said, "Try me."
Ken asked, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Two sisters and a brother, all of them are older." Yolei didn't understand how that was important.
Ken said, "Then you have felt as if you were beneath your siblings? That you weren't as good as they were, and that you didn't in your family?"
Yolei shrugged, "Sometimes I felt a little left out, but my parents always made me feel welcome. I've never felt like I never belonged in my family."
"You lucky. My family was different. I used to have an older brother, and he was even smarter than I. He could compute equations and solve problems that stumped everyone else. He was an unstoppable athlete, and perfect in every way. My mother and father lavished him with affection, and saw to his every need and desire." Ken's voice became hateful. "But they ignored me. Just because I wasn't on the same level as my brother, they ignored me. I would try so hard to be just like my brother. I would study mathematics and science late into the night, and train every day to become good at sports. But no matter what I did, it wasn't good enough. I was never as good as my brother."
"Then, one night, everything changed. There was an accident: a plane crash. My brother was killed. My parents mourned for a time, but then they simply focused on me. With my brother gone, I was now center stage. They praised me for all my 'natural skills' and my genius. They had no idea how hard I worked to become who I am!" Ken looked at Yolei, his eyes were pained. "I've been chasing my brother all my life, even after he was gone! That's why I became so smart. Not because of skill or drive, but because of envy! I envied my brother and I wanted to be like him."
Yolei was silent for moment. She was too stunned by what she had heard. "But… but how does that fit into you trying to take over the Digital World?"
Ken sighed, "It's a long story. When I saw that my parents had merely shifted their focus from my brother to me, I realized just how foolish they were. They couldn't show love for me because of who I was; they only loved me for what I did. The same was true for the love they showed for my brother. I came to the decision that they were fools, and that they were beneath me."
"It didn't stop there. I noticed how people were beginning to forget my brother. The man that they had praised as a genius was dead, but no one really cared. They just moved on to the next fad. That's when I decided that all people were fools; too busy focusing on their own lives to see the big picture. I thought that I was surrounded by fools." His voice rose to a shout, "Nothing but fools!" It took him a moment to compose himself, "That was when I met Wormmon. A portal to the Digital World opened on my computer. I was given a D3, and was dragged inside. I found myself in the middle of the desert, with one wounded Digimon as my companion. That Digimon was Wormmon. He had been hurt and was all alone in the Desert. I took him back to the real world with me and nursed him back to health. And then I began to study the Digimon. For years I studied them and discovered their origins. I watched as the Digidestined defeated all the Dark Digimon and gained new powers."
"Eventually, I decided that the Digital World would be a fresh start for me. I would carve out my own niche in the Digital World, a big niche! I would do something that my brother never could, and I would finally show the world that I was truly great!" Ken's voice fell, "But I was wrong. So very, very wrong. In trying to conquer the Digital World, I gave up my soul, and if it hadn't been for Wormmon, who had stayed with me no matter how cruel I was, I would never have found my way back."
Wormmon snuggled up to Ken's leg, "You were my only friend, I could never leave you, Ken."
Ken knelt down and rubbed his hand against Wormmon's head, "Thank you. You've been my only real friend too." He looked at Yolei, "What I did was wrong, and I admit it. I was the fool. I let my arrogance and bitterness control me, and I lost myself in the process. I'd give anything to make up for what I've done, but that's not going to happen. I can't make up for what I've done. All I can do is keep going and hope that somehow people will forgive me."
Ken shook his head, "Why did I just tell you all that?"
Yolei's voice was barely above a whisper, "I don't know… Maybe you just needed to tell someone. I-I'm sorry. I didn't know that was how you felt. I always thought that you were just plain evil."
Ken laughed a little. "I certainly gave that impression. But the truth is, no one is ever completely evil, at least, not without some horrible reason." A roar echoed from above. Ken was suddenly serious again. "We'd better keep going."
Yolei nodded, "Right." The walked in silence again. Yolei felt horrible. She'd always brushed Ken off as evil, pure and simple. She had never asked why he was the way he was. Granted, the whole "I had a bad childhood" excuse wasn't the best of reasons to become a tyrant, but it was a reason, none-the-less. And I haven't given Ken the chance to prove that he's changed. I keep holding him to what he used to be, just like I keep comparing Davis to how he used to act. Yolei felt a pang of guilt at how annoying she'd been on this trip. Davis had set this up as a means to help some lost Digimon and to bring the team closer together, and all Yolei did was complain. It was her immaturity that had hindered the group and led to Veemon being sick. I have to do better than this!
There was a loud stomp behind the group. Yolei turned around, even though she knew that she'd find nothing but trouble. Triceramon was back. He looked at Ken and Yolei with hungry eyes.
"Tri-Horn Attack!" Triceramon dove at the group with his glowing horns. Yolei, Ken, Hawkmon, and Wormmon all scattered as Triceramon bore down on them. His horns struck the ground with a small explosion. The force of the blast sent the two Digidestined falling.
Yolei rolled to a stop and gave a quick thanks that she was wearing a helmet. "Hawkmon, are you alright?"
Hawkmon pushed himself off the floor. "I am… uninjured."
Ken was shouting, "Wormmon! Wormmon, wake up!" The insect Digimon was unconscious. Triceramon noticed that his previous opponent was now helpless, and that a ready meal was nearby. He turned toward Ken and Wormmon with drool hanging from his lips.
Yolei cried, "Ken, run away!" But Ken didn't have anywhere to run. Triceramon would catch him no matter where he ran. Yolei shouted at the Digimon, "Stop it! Leave him alone! Stop trying to eat us!" Triceramon ignored her and continued to advance on Ken. Yolei picked up a rock, "I said stop you idiot!" She threw the rock as hard as she could. It bounced off Triceramon's back harmlessly, but the Dinosaur Digimon did not seem to enjoy being bothered. He turned on Yolei with a growl and began to stalk towards her.
Yolei backed up a pace, "Uh… about that whole 'idiot' thing, I was just joking. You know, a little humor to lighten the mood?" Triceramon roared and began to move closer. Yolei said, "Just my luck, not a funny bone in his whole body!"
Hawkmon jumped in front of Yolei, "Have no fear, Yolei. I shall protect you from this ruffian."
"But he doesn't have a dark ring, you'd have to kill him!"
Hawkmon looked at Yolei, "We have no choice. It is either fight Triceramon or be destroyed. If we die now we cannot help the others find the Veedramon nor can we help save Veemon's life! You must choose, Yolei!"
Yolei looked at Hawkmon, at Ken, and at Triceramon. Hawkmon was right. Yolei couldn't reason with Triceramon, and if she tried, she'd be eaten. Ken needed help, and Davis needed Yolei's support if he was going to save Veemon. I'm needed, I can't let my feelings get in the way of what I have to do! Yolei said, "Fight, Hawkmon! Show him what you're made of!" Hawkmon nodded. Yolei's D3 began to shriek. A bright red light burst out from its screen.
Hawkmon began to glow as the red light played over him. He said, "Hawkmon digivolve to… Aquillamon!" Aquillamon looked like a larger, and slightly meaner, version of Hawkmon. He was a giant bird with red and white feathers and huge yellow talons. Two black horns curved up from Aquillamon's head."
Yolei stared at the giant Digimon. "He's a Champion now…"
Aquillamon flew forward with both talons outstretched. He grabbed hold of Triceramon's horns and lifted him up into the air. Aquillamon said, "Cease your attack before I am forced to harm you!" Triceramon only roared in response and tried to snap at Aquillamon's feet. "So be it!" Aquillamon let go.
Triceramon fell to the ground and smashed down. Aquillamon circled around for another attack. His horns began to glow red. "Horn Laser!" Red bolts of lightning shot out of his horns and streaked in at Triceramon and caused a huge explosion. Yolei shielded her face from the ensuing dust cloud.
When the dust finally settled, Yolei forced herself to look at Triceramon. The Dinosaur Digimon was burnt and wounded all over. He was moaning in pain, and its armor was peeling away in burnt chunks. Yolei staggered towards Triceramon in a horrified trance. She could almost feel his pain. Yolei stopped right in front of Triceramon's head. "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry. I didn't have a choice."
Triceramon gave one final moan of pain, then closed his eyes. His breathing stopped, and his body dissolved into a cloud of data that vanished into the sky. Yolei watched the data float into infinity, and then her legs became week. She slumped to her knees and looked at the ground. Tears were in her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She felt sick. She covered her mouth with both hands, but she couldn't stop it. Yolei began to throw up.
Aquillamon reverted back to Hawkmon and ran up to Yolei. "Yolei, are you alright?"
Yolei finished losing her lunch and just kneeled there, panting. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Ken was behind Yolei, looking at her with sympathetic and supportive eyes. Yolei's voice was haunted, "I… I…"
Ken nodded, "I know. I'm sorry. I know that it was hard for you to send your Digimon in, but it was the only thing you could do. Triceramon didn't leave you a choice."
Yolei said, "It still hurts."
Ken said, "I can't say that it ever stops hurting, but it does ease. It's a hard choice, but that's part of what fate sometimes requires. Thank you for saving my life and Wormmon's." Wormmon was just now waking up.
Ken helped Yolei to her feet. Hawkmon hugged Yolei around the waist, "Yolei, I'm sorry. I don't mean to cause you such pain."
Yolei smiled and patted Hawkmon's head, "You didn't, Hawkmon. You saved us all. Thanks." Hawkmon smiled up at Yolei. Yolei took a deep breath. I'll just have to accept this. I didn't have a choice. Triceramon was going to kill us; we had to defeat him. I couldn't spare Triceramon and save Ken, so I had to choose. It hurts, but that's something I'll have to deal with.
Yolei straitened herself out. "I'll be okay. Let's get going. We have to meet the others at the Ancient Valley. They'll need our help." Ken nodded. The four of them began to walk again.
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The next chapter is the conclusion of this story arc. Yolei and Ken make their way to the Ancient Valley, but even greater challenges will face them. Yolei: Grow is coming soon.
Author's note: Sorry if the whole throwing up scene offended some people, but I do think that Yolei would have felt that bad over the death of a Digimon.
Aquillamon is indeed Hawkmon's Champion form. I found out about it through Megchan's Digimon Sekai. His true attacks are Blast Laser and Glide Horn. However, I used some creative license to make the attacks sound more interesting. Isn't fan fiction grand?
As for Ken's past, I used DigiWorld Canada's episode list (the most comprehensive list I've seen so far) and images from "The 12th Child," which is a shrine to Ken. Both of these sites had information and images that helped me to develop a story about Ken's past. Most likely, the television's story for Ken will be much different than mine.