Final Destiny, New Beginnings--Part 3a
Authors notes!!
It's done!! At last I was able to finish the story! I sincerely want to thank EVERYONE who left such nice reviews and I hope and pray you enjoy the conclusion as much as I enjoyed writing it! Again, a whole bunch of thanks to Chris McFeely for proofreading and creating yet another GREAT sketch of one of my characters! At the bottom of part 3b (the conclusion) there are the links for each of my six new characters, and one for the new /new/ character appearing in the next chapter!
Okay..standard fanfic stuff.
1) I still don't own Digimon. Wish I did, but I don't. All copyrights to original creators/dubbers/etc
2)There is cussing folks. Some heavy at time but I felt it was called for so that's why I'm going with the rating I did.
3) Please review! I love getting review alerts in my Inbox! It makes all the late nights worthwhile!
4) Last time on part two I screwed up the title and Joe's Digivolved name. Sorry. I was tired and got stupid. My bad.
5) That's it! Enjoy!!
Final Destiny, New Beginnings--Part 3a
The story thus far:
The DigiDestined returned to the Digital World but were captured by a reborn Myotismon! Draining both the life force of the DigiDestined and the digivolving energies of the Digimon, Myotismon was set to use the energy to rule the Digital World. Gatomon was able to free the captured Digimon and rescue their human friends but not before the mixed energies merged with the DigiDestined to grant them wondrous abilities of their own! Routing an attack by Myotismon and a small army of Vilemon, the DigiDestined were set to return home when Myotismon digivolved into VenomMyotismon! Seeking to save their Digimon friends, the eight humans' desire triggered the digital energy in their bodies and they digivolved into new, more powerful forms to combat VenomMyotismon.
However, the powers they had acquired before digivolving would not activate now and the Dark Lord used their confusion to launch a powerful attack of his own, scattering and stunning the transformed DigiDestined and their Digimon. Joe, now called Medamon, was able to recover from his dazed state and find his trigger that allowed him to activate a protective shell around the other DigiDestined as they recovered. Agumon had recovered as well and pointed out that since digivolving, their powers were still intact, but in different forms. Just as they started to figure out the best way to find their individual triggers, VenomMyotismon launched another attack, shattering Medimon's shield and the resulting feedback changed him back into Joe who collapsed from the strain. Moving to protect their friend, the 7 remaining DigiDestined faced off against VenomMyotismon for what looked to be the last time.
But could they find their triggers in time to stop the nightmare that threatened to consume two worlds?
Final Destiny, New Beginnings--Part III
"Powerless fools! Since you rush to embrace death, let me speed you on your way!.." and with that VenomMyotismon unleashed a new attack, granted by the addition of the black gear of Devimon.
"Disks of Deletion!"
As the attack cry faded, the Dark Lord's right palm opened to reveal a jagged gash right down the center. Without warning, 4 black gears short forth like rolling saw blades, each cutting deep into the ground as the razor sharp teeth sped towards the DigiDestined.
"Scatter!"
Not needing any clarification of Knightmon's suggestion, the group dove for whatever cover was handy as the gears tore past, leaving deep troughs in the soft earth as they collided with various rocks and trees. It was then that the true power of these new weapons were seen; as they impacted with the landscape, both the gears and their targets erupted into streams of code and dispersed into the air leaving the DigiDestined with shocked looks on their faces.
"Everyone be careful! If those disks touch your Digital bodies, there's no telling what might happen!" shouted Pentamon as his own close call with a disk still making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
"We noticed!" shot back Lupismon as he kept a watchful eye on the towering Digimon in front of them. "Any clue on how to stop them or do we just wait here 'til we get to play speed bump!?"
"He's just trying to help Lupismon!" scowled Elitamon as she still stood protectively in front of the unconscious Joe, not having yet a spare moment to move him somewhere safer. "I don't see you doing any better!"
Lupismon's less-than-polite reply was cut short by Venusmon's warning. "Head's up everyone!"
"Disks of Deletion!"
Again, the cogs of destruction shot forth and again the DigiDestined scattered, but this time VenomMyotismon got lucky. Angewomon dodged and the gear struck the tree behind her and dispersed. The problem is that the other tree who had grown at an angle on the hillside had been using the deleted tree for support. Now with that support gone, the tree teetered and before anyone could shout a warning the heavy branches crashed down onto her.
"Angewomon!" cried out Knightmon as he saw the tree impact on her.
A muted cry of 'Kari!" filled the air as Angemon stood horrified at the sight of Angewomon trapped under the tree, stunned and unable to defend herself.
A baneful laugh again filled the air and VenomMyotismon looked down upon his opponents, the smugness readily apparent on his face. "How utterly fitting that the first to die is the one who caused my downfall on your world! And how equally pleasant to know that with her gone, Gatomon will never digivolve again! Disks of Deletion!"
All at once there was a flurry of activity as each DigiDestined raced towards the rolling death that all too rapidly approached Angewomon. But despite their efforts, each knew they were too far away to do any good. To far away to even take one of the disks for her.
Refusing to give VenomMyotismon the satisfaction of seeing her cringe and hide in the last moments, Angewomon glared defiantly at the disks as if by sheer willpower she could stop them in their tracks.
Deep inside Angemon, T.K. cried out in grief as he knew he would be too late to save her. Too late to tell the woman inside how much he truly cared for her. For even though in a hundred ways he had told Kari how much he loved her, he never said those three words that said it best. Now she would be gone forever and his world would shatter.
*I and I alone hold the fate of your friends in my hands and I have decided that they must die!*
Myotismon's words echoed in Angemon's mind over and over as if to further mock the young man inside the warrior. **I can't let this happen! I don't care what happens to me as long as she's safe. I won't let him control her /fate/ like this!**
Deep inside his mind, a key turned; a lock released, and a door opened. On pure instinct alone, Angemon drew back his right fist and over the din of battle, three words cut through the chaos with crystal clear clarity.
"Hand of Fate!"
In a brilliant burst of light, the beam shot forth. Washing over the Black Gears, the glow shattered them and proceeded onto VenomMyotismon, striking the Dark Lord squarely in the chest.
The sudden scream of pain shocked the DigiDestined into turning towards the monstrous Digimon just in time to see him clutch at the seared skin of his torso.
"Miserable..angel....I'll..."
"You'll do nothing evil one! Your shadow of terror shall cover the Digital World no longer! Hand of Fate!"
Again the blast erupted, this time striking VenomMyotismon in the right shoulder eliciting another scream of otherworldly pain.
*This can't be possible!* cried out Tai from deep inside Knightmon as he and the others freed Angewomon from the downed tree. *Angemon's never been this powerful before! Could T.K.'s crest of Hope be causing this??*
Drawing back to unleash another blast, Angemon scowled at the weakened VenomMyotismon. Deep inside the warrior, it was not just Hope that fueled Angemon's attacks, but one born of powerful need to protect the young woman inside Angewomon to the full extent of his abilities. He would never let her be hurt again.
Perhaps it was because of his divided focus that Angemon didn't see the warning signs; a tensing of muscle, a clenching of claws. Whatever the reason, the savage backhand from VenomMyotismon's uninjured left arm caught him unawares as he was slammed into the hill.
"Angemon!!" shouted Elitamon as the winged Digimon crumpled into a heap at the bottom of the hillside. Deep inside, Mimi was deeply torn between rushing to save Angemon and staying to protect Joe. Frozen by the mental paralysis, Elitamon stood there for a long moment as within her Mimi cried out.
*Please..someone..anyone..help me.. .I can't..do this....*
~~Of course you can Mimi. You just have to believe in yourself. I always have.~~ echoed one voice from her past; Calm..reassuring. And a voice she never expected to hear again.
~~Same here Mimi. Sure your scared but that's nothing compared to taking a bath! Now that's scary!~~ added another voice, this one more boisterous and good-natured but no less filled with respect.
**Leomon...Ogremon??**
~~Of course Mimi~~
~~Well it had better be us or someone's going to be in trouble for using our voices!~~
**But..but..you..your both....**
~~Dead? Yes Mimi..we are.~~
~~And belive me, death isn't nearly as fun as the brochures make it sound!~~
**But...how?**
~~Does it really matter how Mimi? You asked for help and we are here.~~
~~Yea Mimi. I was enjoying a nice game of checkers when Leomon dragged me here! I though he was just mad because I was winning but when I heard it was you...~~
~~You wern't winning Ogremon. You can't jump backwards unless you've been kinged!~
~~Sure..change the rules since your loosing!~~
~~Ogremon, we'll continue this later. Right now we have to help Mimi..~~
~~Oh yea..right. So Mimi, why don't you use this new body of yours and take this Digijerk down?~~
**I..I can't! I'm not a warrior like you Ogremon! And I'm not as brave as you Leomon! I'm...**
~~Of course you are Mimi! Look at all you've done. You helped Palamon become Togamon and later to digivolve into Lillymon. These things wouldn't have been accomplished if you were not confident and strong both inside and out.~~
~~What the furball is trying to say with all those big words Mimi is that you'd have to be pretty tough to get this far! So quit feeling sorry for yourself and get out there!~~
**You think I don't want to Ogremon?! He's hurting my friends and I want to make him pay! He hurt Joe! The kindest, gentlest soul in the world! But ..I..if I had been as strong as I should have been then Leomon wouldn't have.. wouldn't have....**
~~Been hurt battling MetalEtamon?~~
There was a pause in the air, as Mimi couldn't bring herself to answer.
~~Mimi, I did then what you have to do now; what needed to be done. I have no regrets on what happened, and you should not feel weak because of it. You were needed to end the threat of the Dark Masters and you /did/ that. And now I can finally tell you how proud I am..how proud both of us are.. of you.~~
~~Yea Mimi! You kicked some major butt. Don't ever think you can't when push comes to shove!~~
**Leomon..Ogremon..I... . ** another pause filled the air, but this time it was not of regret or sadness but more as if a giant weight was lifted from the soul of the young woman. **I ...** as she tried to find the words
~~You need to hurry Mimi, there's not much time left. They need your special kind of strength more than ever.
~~And tell Joe he really did a good job! And that I'm glad his hay fever finally cleared up!~~
**I wil..OH! How can I stop VenomMyotismon?..I don't know how my powers work!!**
~~You will find the way in your heart Mimi. Search both.... the ..bright... places...~~
~~And the dark ones. Not every shadow is something you gotta... be... scared... of..~~
The voices began to fade, drifting back to wherever secret place they came from. Feeling them nearly gone, Mimi called out a final time.
**Leomon, Ogremon, I'll never forget you! I promise!**
From somewhen, their voices blended in reply ~~Thank you Mimi. We will never forget you too...~~ and with that they were gone.
A long respectful silence filled the air until Mimi focused and took their final words literally to heart. **Search the bright places and the dark ones. Don't be scared of the shadows...** repeated Mimi to herself as memories from the past trickled, then rushed, through her mind. Memories of her first meeting with her Digimon partner, how scared she felt in the battle with Devimon. Of finally returning home to her parents after the defeat of Apocylamon and how wonderful that first hug felt. The sadness of learning of Leomon's and Ogremon's death...
** Your shadow of terror shall cover the Digital World no longer!**
Angemon's words cut through her mind like a lighting bolt. Stunning her momentarily with its intensity, Mimi felt a gentle tug at her soul and followed it.
**Shadow of evil...shadows..I don't have to be scared of all the shadows. They can't hurt me if I don't let them..The shadows..can't..hurt....me?.....**
Suddenly, Elitamon's eyes flew wide open, fixing VenomMyotismon with a glare that would unnerve the bravest of warriors. Pulling herself to full height, a broad grin spread under her face mask.
".....but they can hurt you.."
Venusmon blinked as a flurry of motion caught her attention as she and the others helped Angemon to his feet, though it taken several seconds to get him to that position. Turning, her eyes widened in shock as Elitamon began running full speed towards VenomMyotismon.
"Mimi..don't!"
Shocked by the sudden outcry, both the DigiDestined and the Dark Lord turned to see Elitamon fade into a inky blackness as her voice rang out, carrying her attack cry to the heavens.
"Shadow Whirlwind!"
Another horrible scream of agony erupted from VenomMyotismon, chilling the blood of each DigiDestined as they looked around, unable at first to see what was causing him such pain.
"There!" shouted Lupismon.
"No..over there!" said Venusmon.
"There..to the left!" yelled Pentamon.
In actuality they were all correct. One by one, numerous cuts started to appear over the Dark Lord's skin as Elitamon drifted in and out of every dark spot cast by VenomMyotismon's body; her power allowing her to teleport from shadow to shadow until finally a shimmer of darkness drew Knightmon's attention to the spot at Joe where Elitamon had been standing moments ago. It was then the DigiDestined saw the two green glowing sais held firmly in her hands. As the Dark Lord shivered at the result of her attack, Elitamon simply turned her back on the creature and with a confident flip sheathed each sai back to their hiding place within her outfit. Gently she picked up Joe and carried him to safety as the battle paused momentarily.
"Angewomon..can you hear me??" called out Knightmon as he started to run towards her.
"I'm..okay..Tai.." answered the woman, her voice more Kari's than Angewomon's. "I just..need a second...."
Ignoring the massive pain his body was in, VenomMyotismon staggered to his feet, the look on his face one of disbelief that these mere children were actually able to hurt him. HIM! Growling, he again crossed his arms and focused his energy at the closest target.
"Darkness Wave!"
Venusmon turned to warn Knightmon but it was too late as the dark orb impacted only a dozen feet or so from him! Tossing the armored figured like a toothpick in a tidal wave, Knightmon slammed into an outcropping of boulders, a sick sounding CLANG filling the air as his armor impacted hard against the stones.
Her gut twisting into a dozen knots, Venusmon fixed a unforgiving glare at the Digimon who dared to strike the man she loved. Balling her fists in rage, she screamed out at VenomMyotismon as her love for Tai and anger at that love being hurt exploded outwards, unable to be contained any further.
"STOP IT!"
VenomMyotismon just laughed.
That same gut churning, mind numbing laugh that the young woman inside Venusmon hated with every ounce of her being. The image of Myotismon using his Crimson Lighting against Birdramon suddenly filled her mind, repeating as if stuck in some sadistic loop. Time after time it played, with the lighting shoved deep in her friends' body; the scream of pain Birdramon released as she plummeted. Then, another more horrible picture filled her mind; this one of Tai. Beaten and battered at the feet of Myotismon, his clothes bloodied and the skin underneath ripped open by the repeated savage strikes of crimson lighting. Dull, lifeless eyes stared out into space.
It was more than Sora could stand and her yell of terror now even gave VenomMyotismon pause. Deep within her, a wall crumbled and enlightenment poured through.
"You want to see power, you bastard?!" Venusmon yelled as a golden glow began to surround her form... "DO YOU!? Well..behold MY power you son of a BITCH!"
Before the Digimon could even start to reply, Venusmon's attack cry cut through the air like thunder.
"Lighting Spikes!"
Gesturing with her hands, 10 glowing shafts of pointed light erupted and flew towards VenomMyotismon as they quickly imbedded in various places upon his skin. Although irritating, the spikes were not painful; perhaps akin to a mosquito bite to a human.
Both the Dark Lord and the other DigiDestined watched as nothing happened, but it was VenomMyotismon that spoke first. "Is /this/ supposed to hurt me girl?" as he began to laugh again.
"No..but THIS is!"
With that, a beam erupted from Venusmon's pendant and shot into the sky above. The clouds darkened and swirled, highlighted from behind by flashes of golden light. It was then a massive bolt of lighting arced through the air and split into 10 smaller shafts that were immediately drawn to the spikes in VenomMyotismon's body!
Writhing in agony as millions of volts surged through his body, VenomMyotismon couldn't even manage a scream as the golden electricity raced across his body. For long seconds the attack continued until finally Venusmon's concentration flickered, fatigue taking it's toll on the young woman who was not used to controlling such powerful forces.
In ironic symmetry, both VenomMyotismon and Venusmon collapsed; him onto his knees as the sickening smell of charred flesh filed the air and her into Pentamon's arms, drained but still awake. "Izzy..did..I...?"
"I think you did Venusmon. Now all that's left is too..."
"All that.. is left.... for you, child, is... to... die!"
Jerking around, the DigiDestined watched in horror as VenomMyotismon somehow started to stagger to his feet despite all the wounds on his body.
"This can't be happening!" shouted Knightmon as he watched the Dark Lord reach his full height again. "He can't be /that/ powerful!"
"Of course I can be fool! When I absorbed the Digital artifacts I gained not just their evil power, but the strength and stamina of all those you defeated before. You may give me pause DigiDestined, but I can never be truly stopped!"
0
"I'll stop you VenomMyotismon and bring piece back to the Digital World!" shouted Angemon. "Hand of..."
"NOT this time my little angel. Viral Web!"
Suddenly, the Dark Lord's wings began to glow a sickly green and a blast of unexpected energy shot forth, trapping Angemon like a fly in a spiders' web. Then without warning a fragment of the web shot off and before any of the DigiDestined could react, it had wrapped around Angewomon and pulled her into the sky beside Angemon.
"He's got them! Let them go you creep or I'll...!"
Laughing, VenomMyotismon ignored Knightmon's threat and with a savage jerk pulled the entrapped angels level with his gaze. "You'll do nothing, for with the slightest though I can..and will..crush these flying pests to nothing! But first...."
Suddenly, the web seemed to spring to life and the sound of Angemon and Angewomon's screams pierced the air.
"What's he doing to them!?"
"This is just a hypothesis Lupismon, but I think he's draining their digital energy!"
"But why?!"
"There!" shouted Venusmon.
The group looked towards where their friend was pointing and blinked in horror as across VenomMyotismon's body all the damage they had inflicted was slowly negated. Gashes began to mend as the charred spot on his chest began to close and seal. At the same time, both Angemon and Angewomon started to..flicker..as if they were light bulbs about to go out. Knightmon winced in shock as he could even seen the faint outline of Kari's form showing through Angewomon's now semitransparent figure.
Lupismon balled his fists as he watch the same happen to Angemon. Even now, T.K.'s form began to show more and more with each passing second as his digital body was drained. "We've got to do something Tai!"
"We are Matt I promise! Here!" and with that Knightmon deftly tossed his friend one of his swords which Lupismon caught.
"Tai, you can't! If he sees you out in the open..!"
Turning, Knightmon looked at Venusmon. "I've got to Sora! Matt and I have to save them and this is the only way!"
"But Matt..without your powers...." started Elitamon.
"We can't wait to find out how our powers work Mimi! We have to do this now!"
Wanting to argue their points, both Venusmon and Elitamon tried to find a better way but there truthfully wasn't one. Sadly they both nodded and stepped back to let their friends do what they had to. Venusmon recognized that look in Knightmon's eyes and knew that he could not be swerved from his plan.
With a final apolagitic look at Venusmon, Knightmon took off over the landscape with Lupismon right beside him.
"Not much of a plan Tai."
"Hey..it's the 'no plan' plan'! It always works!"
"Famous last words..."
Grinning at the look on his friend's face as he made the comment Knightmon shook his head. "You just can't please some..."
Another pair of screams stopped the conversation as both looked up to see their siblings writhing in agony as VenomMyotismon looked almost healed and the two angels looked nearly gone.
"We're almost out of time Knightmon!" growled Lupismon as his voice slowly drifted from Matt's to that someone..or something...the DigiDestined had digivolved into.
"Go for his left foot, the tendons! I'll go for the right one!" suggested the armored figure as they approached VenomMyotismon.
"I do not think so little gnats!" sneered the Dark One as he firmly brought his foot down in a horrendous stomp!
The 8.0 shock wave ripped across the surface , tearing asunder in seconds what had taken years to create. Deep fissures crackled over the ground as trees toppled and boulders shook loose and tumbled out of control down inclines. Caught off guard, Knightmon and Lupismon fell hard against the now-devastated terrain, their swords lying discarded several feet away.
A final scream of unholy agony erupted from Angemon and Angewomon as with a sadistic glint VenomMyotismon drained them of their digital energies and tossed them away like used tissues, sending them careening through the air to certain death on the ground far below.
"Poision Ivy!"
"Marching Fishes!"
Venusmon and Elitamon jerked around in time to see Palamon and Gomamon use their abilities to bring the near-unconscious Kari and T.K. safely to the ground; Patamon with her vines slowly lowering Kari while Gomamon's bed of fishes eased T.K. to earth and dispersed. Agumon and Gabumon ran over to the younger DigiDestined as fast as they could with Pentamon and the others keeping watch over Joe who was only just now starting to come to but it was clear it would be a while before he could rejoin the battle.
"T.K...Kari...can you hear me?" Gabumon pleaded with them, shaken by the fact that both Angemon and Angewomon's figures were now totally gone from view.
Agumon added his voice to Gabumon's. "Kari..T.K...please..wake up!"
After long seconds T.K. started to stir, slowly at first until he managed to set up to some degree. Wincing as he opened his eyes, the young man paused and tried again as his friends slowly came into focus.
"Gabumon..I.." stuttered the young man.."I..Kari..how..how's Kari!?"
Looking over, Gabumon saw Agumon gently shaking the young woman with no luck. "Kari..Kari wake up`"
"Kari!"
Stumbling over on his knees, T.K. gently took Kari's limp hand into his own. "Oh God..Oh God..is..is she...?" he squeaked out unable to say the last word.
"She's alive T.K., but...but she won't wake up!"
"Kari..!!" shouted T.K. again as he saw the gentle rise and fall of Kari's chest in breathing, but there was no response from the young woman. Sobbing, tears rolled down the young man's cheek until the pain and exhaustion became to much for him and T.K. collapsed unconscious beside her, his hand still wrapped around hers.
Staggering to his feet moments ago, all Knightmon could see from his angle was the image of Kari and T.K. being tossed into the wind as their final screams played over and over in his heart and ears. Time and again the sounds cut him to the core as he realized she was dead. Because of him. Because he wasn't strong enough his sister was dead. Tears started to fall from his eyes as he shakily picked up his discarded sword.
**I'm so sorry Kari! I tried. I really did! But it wasn't good enough! I wasn't good enough!!** Feeling anger, the rage, building up inside of him, Knightmon was about to toss the useless weapon away when a sliver of sun glinted off the sword hilt, highlighting the image of his Crest of Courage. Catching his attention, the image cut through the hate and despair to imbed itself deep in his soul.
**I can't bring you back Kari, but I promise you he will pay for EVERYTHING!** swore Tai as deep within the young man, the symbol of his Crest burned brighter and brighter, blazing like a sun.
**Oh God T.K.! What have I done!?** screamed Matt at himself as the final glimpse of his little brother and Kari disappearing over the treetops seared into his mind; their final yells of agony forever etched into his memory. Shaking with grief and anger, Lupismon pounded his fist against the ground beneath him.
**I can't let it end like this! I can't let T.K. die for nothing!!**
~~Then don't.~~ suggested a voice Matt had never heard before. A low voice; almost a growl actually. A voice that rumbled with power; of that much Matt was sure.
**Who??* * as he looked around but saw no one.
~~ I am a... friend. Consider me..the one who gave you your powers Matt Ishida.~~
**How do you know who I am??**
~~I know a great many things young one. You are just one of the more..interesting....pieces.~~
**Who are you? What do you want?**
~~To help. And as a gesture of my good intentions....~~
Matt blinked as before his mind's eye was a simple skeleton key. **What does this....**
~~It is what it is...a key . Take it.~~
**What does it unlock?**
There was a long pause, seemingly lasting for an eternity until the voice answered back.
~~You.~~
Matt blinked. **But why now..and why not tell me who you are!?**
~~Now because I so wish it young one. And my identity..? Well..you will find that out when the time..is...right...~~ and with that the voice started to fade and was gone without another word.
For long moments Matt looked at the key before him and weighed the risks of accepting this supposed gift versus what could happen if he did so. It was then that T.K.'s final scream echoed once more in his ears and in a moment of rage and despair, Matt Ishida made his choice.
VenomMyotismon looked down upon the scene of desolation and despair he had caused and was happy. Two of the DigiDestined dead, their elder siblings grief-stricken. The others might attack again but they were no concern; two human girls, a runt boy with no powers and 7 rookie Digimon were no threat to him. Even adding a champion level Gatomon to the mix did them no good. The DigiDestined were brok....
"Hey..ASSHOLE!"
"Yea..you! In the big wings and with the really stupid face!"
Looking down, VenomMyotismon blinked as both the armored DigiDestined and his wolf-like companion were glaring up at him. Standing side by side, the two transformed humans looked as if they actually considered themselves a threat!
"So little ones. You still have fight left in you? Excellent! It shall make your deaths all the more delicious to savor!" and with that he started to cross his arms in order to launch a Darkness Wave.
He never saw it coming.
"Savor the taste of this you bastard!" shouted Knightmon, the twin swords back firmly in hand. Leaping aside, he dove into a fighting stance as Lupismon unleashed his attack.
"Cry of the Wolf!"
As the attack trigger faded, four micro-sized antennas- shaped much like the one Myotismon had used to spread his debilitating fog on Earth- emerged from the gauntlet Lupismon wore on his lower left arm. Focusing his will, rage, and anger Matt unleashed it all as a powerful sonic blast radiated out , stunning VenomMyotismon with it's ferocity.
"AAAAAAAAA!!"" screamed the Dark Lord as he stumbled back, massive claws reaching to his ears as if to block the horrendous sound.
"This is for my brother you walking hairbag!!"
"And THIS" yelled Knightmon as with a running jump he leapt into the air as if propelled by some unseen force powered by his own will..."is for my sister!"
Even though VenomMyotismon could not hear Knightmon's yell, he could see the end result and that was more than enough.
"Blazing Sword!!"
In one fluid move, Knightmon slammed his twin diamond swords together and from the resulting explosion of light and sound a new weapon emerged. As if forged from liquid fire, the new blade shimmered and glowed with an intensity that could not be ignored.
Still engulfed by the sonic attack, VenomMyotismon could muster no defense against the enraged knight. With no hesitation and driven by the image of Kari's death, Knightmon swung with all his might and as the arc was completed, the Dark Lord was minus one right arm below the elbow!
It was impossible to tell what part of the unholy scream VenomMyotismon unleashed was from the sonic attack or the loss of his lower arm. But for a hundred miles in every direction Digimon of all types heard the scream and felt chilled to the core.
Landing beside Lupismon, Knightmon stumbled as his feet touched the earth. His blazing sword flickered once, then separated into the twin swords from which it had been forged. Falling to one knee, he wearily looked up at his friend and saw the same look of exhaustion mirrored on Lupismon's face.
"T..Tai..you okay..?"
"Other than..wishing..someone would stop the world so I could... get off..yea.."
Nodding in agreement, Lupismon looked up at VenomMyotismon who had staggered back away from the DigiDestined, the look on his face one of pure surprise as he stared at the nub his arm now ended in.
**These children..are..more powerful, than I could have imagined. Even with two of their strongest gone they still fight on regardless of the risk! I /must/ strike back while they are weak!**
Focusing all his remaining dark power, VenomMyotismon mentally mapped out the location of the still conscious DigiDestined and slowly so as to not waste an ounce of his remaining power, sent that energy down deep into the earth. He then energized his final and most powerful attack.
"Dark Network!!"
Five heads jerked around as the attack cry sliced through the air but none had time to even react as black tendrils shot up from the ground wrapping them tightly in their obsidian grip. Pentamon tried to shout a warning but was quickly cocooned from head to toe. Venusmon and Elitamon both started to use their powers but the ribbons of darkness were faster than either and they too were soon encased in blackness. Knightmon and Lupismon, although drained from their attack, tried to fight their way back towards their foe but it was no use. For every one tendril they cut, two more took its place and soon both were imprisoned in the Dark Lord's grasp.
Agumon and the other Digimon watched in terror as everyone but Joe, T.K. and Kari were engulfed by the attack. Even though they had swore to let their friends do this battle on their own, now they just could not stand by and hope for the best. Racing forward, their attack cries rang out, but as before their current power levels were not strong enough and the attempt merely caused VenomMyotismon to laugh once more.
"Foolish Digimon! Have you not learned by now that I can not be stopped!? Your precious DigiDestined have failed...you have failed! There is on force on this world to stop me for I am VenomMyotismon; and now..and forever more.. ruler eternal of the Digital World!!"
And as if to prove his boast, the Digimon began to tighten the cocoons and soon the muffled sounds of crushing pain escaped each one.
But despite all his power, all his planning, the Dark One made a simple yet potentially fatal flaw..
The Light had not been eclipsed just yet.
"Where am I?"
"Hello? Tai..Gatomon..T.K...anyone?!"
There was no response from the bright sky blue and white streaked void Kari found herself in other than a distant echo.
**It's almost like walking in the clouds..** mused the young woman as more than once she had to quell the innate fear of falling most humans had and remind herself that for the moment she seemed to be safe on solid..well, air. But, despite how unnerving it was, this featureless void had one decent thing going for it.
"At least it's not the beach...."
Smiling softly at having at least that bit of good luck, Kari continued waking what she though was a straight line until a strange tingle ran down her spine. Whirling around she looked to see who..or what..was there.
There was nothing.
At least that's what her eyes told her. But, on some level even Kari didn't know she possessed, she could feel..something..there. Very slowly she began to back up.
"Who's there!? Please..show yourself!"
~~Do not worry child. I will not harm you...~~
Another tingle ran down her spine. "Who..who are you!?"
~~I forgot you may not remember me child. Please forgive me as I did not mean to scare you.~~
**I know..I know that voice....** thought Kari as from the recesses of her mind an image filled her mind; an image of twinkling lights suspended in midair.
"Your the voice Tai told me about! The one that explained why we were picked as the DigiDestined!"
~~Very good my child! I am glad that you remember. I do not know how much your brother told you but I hope that you can forgive me for..borrowing...your body like I did and that you can someday forgive me for doing so.~~
Kari smiled softly. "It's okay. Tai told me that I was the only one you could communicate with and that you had to borrow me to tell everyone what you did. I'm really kind of glad you did that because it stopped Tai and Matt from fighting." Pausing she sighed softly.."Tai never really explained why he just didn't talk to Matt instead of fighting..."
~~It is okay Kari. Their fight was something that had been building for some time, but please do not blame Matt for starting it on his own. There were outside forces at work that even he did not know about..~~
Kari blinked at that and nodded as she watched the space carefully. "Uhm..ma'am?" she asked softly, not sure what else to call a disembodied voice.
There was a slight smile in the reply. "Yes Kari?"
"Is there anyway I can, unless it's bad manners, kinda see you?"
A gentle laughter filled the void as slowly a group of twinkling lights came into focus a few feet in front of Kari. ~~Is this better child?~~
Kari nodded. "Thank you."
A quiet pause filled the air as Kari stood watching the entity for a long moment before turning away, sighing quietly. "I'm dead, aren't I?"
If the entity could show shock at the suddenness of such a question it would have been impossible to miss. As such, the lights flickered dimly for a long moment before the voice answered.
~~No my child, you are not dead. You are...elsewhere..for a moment.~~
"But why am I here? I have to get back to my friends. They need me!"
~~More than you know young one. Observe.~~ and with that a dark circle appeared, hovering in midair until it quickly brightened to reveal the DigiDestined and their captivity in VenomMyotismon's cocoons.
"NO! Tai! Sora..Mimi..Izzy....oh God..T.K.! " Kari whispered as she felt her blood turn to ice. "Please..send me back!"
~~It would do no good chi~~
"Dammit, send me back!" cussed Kari for the first time in her young life as the tears welled up in her eyes. "Please, I can let hi...them be hurt. Please!!"
The entity shimmered for a moment before settling beside the distraught Kari. ~~My child, I know this upsets you, but you must believe me. Even if you were to go back there would be nothing you could do at the present.~~
"I can digivove back to Angewomon! If I try hard enough them maybe..."
~~Maybe you might be able to child, but then what? One or perhaps two attacks before your energy is gone and you too are trapped by VenomMyotismon? How will that help your brother or T.K. and the other DigiDestined?~~
Kari shook her head as the hopelessness began to build. "But I've got to do /something/!"
~~Of course Kari. But we must make sure it is the /right/ something...~~
"What..what do you mean?"
"Look. Look closely. Does what you see not look at all familiar?"
For a long moment Kari tried her best to not gaze further at the horrible sight in the air before her but slowly, she started to look.
There in the opening Kari could see VenomMyotismon laughing as he held the cocoons in front of him as shields should the Digimon attempt anything to harm him. Gabumon and Agumon stood directly in front of the Dark Lord, glaring at two cocoons in particular which Kari knew was those containing Tai and Matt. Slowly the view drifted further back showing the other Digimon with worried looks as they each knew time was running out. Then at the bottom edge of the window T.K. drifted into view, still unconscious with a worried sick Patamon right by his side. But what shocked Kari the most was the young man's hand still wrapped around her right hand despite his condition as Gatomon stood watch over Kari's physical form.
Slowly, Kari looked down at her hand, flexing as if some part of her could almost feel T.K.'s gentle touch. The tears escaped down her cheeks as she looked at the young man on the screen for the longest moment, torn between being relieved he was not in a cocoon and the fact that he was so still. So unmoving. As still as the grave. **I promise T.K. if we survive this, if I can get back to you, I'll tell you how I feel. I swear it!**
It was then a gentle nudge in her mind told her she was missing something important. Something...right in front of her. Wiping the tears, she stared at the scene as slowly the pieces started to fall into place as her mind finally realized what it was seeing and put a frame of reference with it.
VenomMyotismon. Agumon and Gabumon ready to do whatever it took to stop him. All the Digimon ready to give everything to defend their friends. Her and T.K. in the back, as if watching..waiting..for..a..
"No..it can't be..." she whispered before spinning around to face the entity.
~~Do you remember the last line of the prophecy Kari?~~
The question caught her off guard for a moment before the ancient prophecy came into focus. "Uhm..'Angels will shoot their arrows of light and hope and a miracle will occur..?'" Kari said softly, not completely sure of the exact wording from so long ago. "But it already happened! Me and T.K....." she paused suddenly, catching herself..."Angemon and Angewomon shot Tai and Matt and Agumon and Gabumon were able to digivolve into their Mega forms!"
~~Yes, that's true Kari. But that is not the last line...~~
Blinking, Kari searched her memory further. "But the only other thing was what Gennai said was not forgetting to recycle but that didn't make any sense!"
**Still doesn't, but then again a lot of things Gennai said was kinda weird.**mentally added the young woman.
~~Then you do remember.~~
Kari was confused. "But, what's that got to do with.." she started to question but trailed off as suddenly a light bulb went off in her head as again her mind started to piece some things together. "Wait..what's happening now is just like before! In a different way but..."
~~But?~~
"The miracle the prophecy promised already happened! Agumon was able to warp digivolve into WarGraymon and Gabumon was able to become MetatGarurumon! But since Matt and Tai has their energy, they can't digivolve!"
~~That is true my child. Agumon and Gabumon can't digivolve. But neither could your brother and Matt before today...~~
A nova went off in Kari's mind as the pieces finally locked into place as the rest of the prophecy started to make a sort of sense here and now. VenomMyotismon's hour of victory. The hour of the beast. A prophecy fulfilled, or so she thought. But....
Jerking her head up, she went to ask the entity if what she was thinking could even begin to be right but instead of the featureless void she was met by a blinding rush of light and the slowly coming-into-focus sight of Gatomon staring at her.
"Kari!" yelled the Digimon as she hugged her human friend tightly.
"G..Gatomon??"
"We were so worried Kari!"
"W..we..?" she stammered as the cobwebs cleared.
Nodding, Gatomon motioned over to the still unmoving T.K. and a sad Patamon.
Struggling to her knees, Kari forced herself to ignore the towering monster that filled the clearing and without breaking the fragile link between her and T.K. she gently spoke to him. "T.K...please..you've got to wake up. T.K...please..I /need/ you!"
Patamon looked at Kari and shook his head, his ears drooped in worry. "I've tried Kari but he won't..."
"K..Kari....??"
Patamon trailed off as unbelievably T.K. started to stir and before too many seconds had passed he had struggled to a half-sitting position, his hand still in Kari's. As if he had just need to hear her voice to come back to the world around him, the young man looked at Kari like he was seeing a dream given form. Realizing where his hand was, he blushed as he started to pull it away but the young woman's grip closed around it and T.K. found himself unable to break the hold.
"Kari, I.."
Tender fingers played over T.K. lips as Kari smiled softly, silently making sure to keep her promise. "T.K...I..we..need to talk about..a lot of things..but right now I need your help" she said, the urgency in her voice only dwarfed by the tone of regret for putting such affairs of the heart off again. But there was just no time.
"What? Do you have a plan Kari?"
Kari nodded towards Patamon and drew him, T.K. and Gatomon in closer. "I know this is going to sound crazy but..."
Several long moments passed as Kari told her of the conversation with The Entity. Of how events were playing out again like so long ago. Of what The Entity had said, /not/ said and what was the inevitable conclusion she came to.
A concerned glance passed between Gatomon, T.K. and Patamon before all three turned towards Kari. Then Gatomon walked over and patted her friend on the shoulder. "It's okay Kari. It was just a bad dream. Like when I found out what earth catnip does to feline Digimon..."
"It wasn't a dream Gatomon! I know what I heard..saw..you know! We've got to try it!"
"But Kari! Even if it works, Matt and Tai won't be in any shape to..."
"I know T.K.! But we don't have any other choice."
"But Kari..."
"T.K. please! If you love me, trust me!"
A stunned silence passed over the small group as Kari's face first took on a look of shock as the words had emerged before she could stop them, then to one of sad regret.
T.K. looked at her and after a few moments nodded. "Of course I trust you Kari. I would with my life!"
Kari blinked as what T.K. was saying sank in. Since he trusted her that much, did that mean he..loved..
Patamon's voice pulled Kari and T.K. back to reality. "So what do we do first?"
"Well, we've got to distract VenomMyotismon so T.K. and Kari can digivolve.." as Gatomon paused, blinking at how less than a day ago she would have never dreamed of saying such a thing..."but what would get his attention that completly to give them the time they needed?"
A soft giggle interrupted their thoughts as Patamon quivered in laughter. Raising an eyebrow T.K. looked over at his friend. "Patamon...?"
"How about this T.K..?" and he told the group of his plan, which after a few seconds thought got the nod of approval from the humans and Gatomon.
"Do you really think it'll work Patamon?" asked Kari as she watched T.K. take the Digivice from the sash that had materialized on Patamon when the DigiDestined first gained their powers such a short time ago, then rearranged the sash to be more like a belt around the brownish Digimon.
"Well, if I was an evil Digimon HIM showing up would scare me!"
Gatomon smiled. "Then we go for it?"
"Yep!" grinned Patamon. "But you need to come with me Gatomon."
The feline blinked. "What good will I do?"
"You'll see! Hop on!"
Trusting Patamon but not sure of what was cooking in his head Gatomon jumped on and wrapped her paws around her friend. Glancing up she looked at Kari. "Do you think this will give you enough time to digivolve?"
"I hope so Gatomon, cause if it doesn't...."
The pair of Digimon nodded, not needing Kari to point out what would happen if this didn't work. It was just too sad to think about.
T.K. broke the silence. "I just wish we could tell Agumon and Gabumon..."
Kari nodded. "Me too . but if we tried and VenomMyotismon saw us before Patamon and Gatomon get into position..."
"I know Kari. I know.." as T.K. sighed and nodded after a second to Patamon. "Take care buddy!"
With a slight 'oof' Patamon took off carrying Gatomon on his back, swerving between rocks and trees, staying out of the line of sight of VenomMyotismon. Catching a slight updraft the Digimon arced through some tall trees. "There..those branches are perfect Gatomon!"
"I see them Patamon! Lighting Paw!"
With the most quiet attack she could summon, Gatomon soon pulled four wide branches full of smaller branches and leaves and held onto them. She was about to say something but blinked as she spotted a familiar object.
"Patamon, two o'clock!"
"Gatomon, how do you know what time it is? Your not a watch cat!"
Sighing, she resisted cuffing her ride. "I mean look over there to the right and up a bit!"
Patamon blushed slightly then looked where she indicated. Blinking, he swerved up and
spotted the item. Slowly down just enough for Gatomon to lift the thing from the tree, the brownish Digimon again speeded up as he banked and swerved as he finally got into position.
"Ready Gatomon?"
Nodding, she finished putting some of the branches in the belt Patamon wore around his midsection and attaching the others to his front legs with the whistle cord Kari had gave her so long ago so he could raise and lower them. With a soft smile, she slipped the item they had just got over his head. "Yep. But I still don't know what I can do other than get the branches in place..."
"Well..I'm not going to pass as him unless I'm taller right?"
Gatomon blinked and sighed, refusing to comment further as she got that sinking feeling in her stomach.
A few moments passed as the two Digimon looked at each other and with a slight nod they readied themselves for T.K.'s signal.
"You ready Kari?"
"As ready as I'll ever be T.K."
"Kari..?"
"Yea T.K...?"
Taking a deep breath, T.K. gently tightened the embrace his hand had with hers as he turned to look into her eyes. **It's now or never...**
"I..love you Kari..."
Kari blinked, stunned for nearly a full half second. Not at the emotions the words meant; for she knew he had already said their meaning a hundred other ways before, but at the words themselves.
"I love you too T.K. " Kari found herself replying but unable to stop the words even if she wanted to.
T.K. looked into Kari's eyes and for a brief second he saw a universe of possibilities for them.
Kari must have saw the same in T.K.'s eyes for hers began to water; a soft smile tugging at her lips. Slowly, tenderly, she leaned in and meeting the young man halfway, kissed him with a gentle passion that had been a long time building.
Holding the kiss for a momentary eternity, the two young adults felt their hearts fill with a sense of 'rightness' that no matter what happened to them now, the truth was out there in the open for all to see.
T.K. loved Kari.
Kari loved T.K. .
And for that love to grow and thrive, VenomMyotismon must be stopped.
No matter the cost.
Gently pulling away from Kari, T.K. summoned his courage and as he clutched the Digivice close he stepped out from the partial cover that had sheltered the small group and stared directly at VenomMyotismon.
"Hey...you reject from a glue factory! Let them go or else!!"
VenomMyotismon blinked as he turned, shocked to hear a voice that should not be. Glaring towards the sound of the voice, he scowled after a moment.
"You are dead child!"
"It'll take more than a Digimon the likes of you to finish me off jerk! Let them go or I'll be forced to destroy you!"
In the bushes, Patamon and Gatomon got ready....
The Dark Lord frowned at the threat. "You are a fool child! You have no power to harm me! I am VenomMyotismon, I can not be stopped by the likes of you!"
A sudden flash of motion caught the evil Digimon's attention as an object appeared in the sky, blotted out from being clearly seen by silhouetting itself against the sun.
"Maybe not VenomMyotismon! But /HE/ can! Do it Patamon!!" and with that T.K. held the Digivice out, his face focused on the moment.
Smiling as he felt Gatomon grasp his hind legs, Patamon shouted out as loud as possible as he tried his best to pull VenomMyotismon's full attention his way.
It was his normal voice at first, but deepened as he got to the last part. And in his heart, Patamon prayed that this worked.
"PATAMON..........WARP DIGIVOLVE TO............MAGNA ANGEMON!!!"
"No..NO! Not HIM!" shouted the Dark One as he stepped back, sheer terror at the though of having Manga Angemon appear now!Turning away from the human, he raised his clawed arm up to shield his eyes. Internally, VenomMyotismon readied to defend himself against the Digimon he was about to face. Thus, his concentration lessened, the cocoons opened slightly as the sounds of the entrapped DigiDestined became less of crushing pain and more of sighs of relief.
"I won't be defeated by the likes of you Manga Angemon! I shall destroy y...?"
Suddenly a shadow passed over the battlefield as a cloud passed between the DigitalWorld and the sun giving VenomMyotismon his first clear view of who he truly now faced.
Patamon and Gatomon hovered there, the branches she had taken looked almost like feathered wings as Sora's hat gave a vague impression of a helmet. Hanging from Patamon's rear legs, Gatomon grinned as VenomMyotismon fell for their plot hook, line and Digivice.
"What is this!?" screamed the Dark Lord as he stared in disbelief.
"It's called a diversion, and you just fell for it!" sneered Gatomon as she reveled in the moment.
A sickening feeling churned in VenomMyotismon's stomach as he turned back around to face the humans, but it was too late.
Just as Patamon had started to 'digivolve', T.K. and Kari had focused with all their might, trying to find the last vestiges of their new powers. For long seconds they searched until both the young man and woman found a small reserve of that power; as if an ember surviving on a extinguished fire. With every bit of Hope and Light, they fanned that small amount into a roaring flame.
Taking advantage of VenomMyotismon and his distracted focus, Patamon and Gatomon shed the branches and swooped back towards their friends and landed beside them, each Digimon with their repective human. One some level T.K. felt Patamon beside him and slowly the Digivice slipped from his hand and was caught by Patamon with his two front hooves.
At that second, the link between Digimon, Human and Digivice was once again established.
And in that moment, T.K. and Kari digivolved.
"TK Takaishi........Digivolve to..............ANGEMON!!"
"Kari Kamiya.........Digivolve to.........ANGEWOMON!!"
Filled from within by the blinding energy, T.K. and Kari slowly vanished as the digital forms of Angemon and Angewomon started to solidify around them. As the light faded, the two angels stood reborn and ready to do what needed to be done.
To Be Concluded.....