-------------------
The Digital World
Nearly Midnight
-------------------
Cody looked grimly at all the wounded digimon in the shelter they had borrowed during the current crisis. With the entire city evacuated, the digidestined and their digital companions were the only inhabitants, so finding a free space was easy. This shelter had been chosen for its proximity to the battlefield- the forest near the dam, essentially.
Of all the digimon in the room, only a few were actually awake. Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Gomamon and Biyomon were more or less unharmed, so they were helping the kids tend to the less luck digimon. Agumon, Tentomon, Palmon, and Gatomon were barely able to stay in Rookie form, and were currently in a deep sleep as they healed. Gabumon were battered and bruised, but he was awake at least. He watched Cody and Armadillomon as they tended to Tentomon.
"I guess this wasn't such a good idea," said Cody as he finished applying the salve to Tentomon's burned areas, although they probably wouldn't do much good on an insect exoskeleton. "Sending you guys to fight Missingo, I mean."
"We would have done it anyway Cody," said Gabumon reassuringly. "That's what being digidestined is all about." Cody noted how Gabumon referred to himself and his fellow digimon as Digidestined. It sounded kind of weird to him...but on the other hand, it made sense somewhat.
"I think we've done all we can for Tentomon," said the boy. "All he needs now is time to heal." Cody stood up and looked around at the other digimon again. "I still can't believe this. Only a few hours ago, this thing was an egg. How could it have done all this?"
Yolei walked over to the small group. "Cody...could I talk to you for a second?" Cody's eyes focused on Yolei's, adding more discomfort to the situation already. Cody stood up and walked past Yolei without saying a word.
"Cody?" said Armadillomon, but the boy didn't answer as he left the shelter. Yolei frowned and dropped her gaze to the floor as a wave of pain seemed to pass through her as he walked by. Gabumon and Armadillomon looked at each other, but neither one knew what the deal was. Armadillomon stepped into Yolei's line of vision.
"What was that all about?" asked the yellow digimon.
Yolei sighed. "It's nothing..."
"Cody doesn't ignore his friends for no reason," said Gabumon. "You guys are fighting about something."
Yolei grew angry. "We aren't fighting! Cody's just a stubborn little kid!"
Armadillomon looked at her cock-eyed. "Sounds like he said something you didn't like..."
Yolei was about to yell again, but nothing came out. She calmed down quickly. "...Actually, it was the other way around." Yolei sat guilt-stricken on the ground, lost in her thoughts.
"What happened?" asked Gabumon, also sitting down, although he made a lot of groans of pain on the way down.
Yolei sighed again as she remembered the situation...
****
Flashback sequence...
----------------
Inoue Residence
June 5th, 2001
(2 days ago)
----------------
Ring...Ring...
Moments later... "Yolei, pick it up, it's for you!" yelled her older brother in the living room.
Yolei calmly picked up her cell. "Hello?"
"Hello Yolei, it's me Cody."
Yolei smiled. "Hey Cody, what's up? Is your computer acting up again?"
"No, it's not that. I need to ask you something...about the dance in a few days."
Yolei's happy smile was replaced with a nervous smile, although she was the only one who noticed. "Eh heh heh...yeah, what about it?"
Cody cleared his throat on the other side. Obviously, he was nervous too. "Yolei...uh...w-would you...*ahem*...would you go to the dance with me?"
Yolei sighed. She was afraid he would ask her that. "I'm sorry Cody...but I'm already going with Ken."
"...Oh. I see." Cody's voice remained as monotonous as ever, but a hint of sadness was evident.
"Don't be sad, Cody. You're still too young for dances anyway. I didn't go to my first dance until I was eleven...well, last year."
"I'm not too young to go to a dance," said Cody defensively.
"Cody, you're nine years old," said Yolei. "You shouldn't even be thinking about girls yet."
"Just because I'm nine years old doesn't mean I'm not as mature as the rest of you!"
"Cody, take my word for it. All the girls my age are tall, and you haven't hit your growth spurt yet. Dancing with you would be like... dancing with their little brother."
"That's not funny Yolei! Look, all you had to do was say no, okay! You don't have to explain the whole reasoning behind why you don't want to dance with me! *click*"
"Cody, I-" She wasn't sure if he heard the rest of it, but at that point it didn't matter. The damage had been done.
End Flashback...
****
Yolei leaned her head on her curled up knees. "As usual, I let my big mouth get me into trouble."
"It's not your fault Yolei...well, not entirely," said Armadillomon. "Cody did seem to take it a little too personally."
"No, he didn't," said Yolei with yet another depressing sigh. "He could have asked another girl out if he wanted to, but I took what confidence he had and crushed it. There are girls his age at the school."
"I doubt any of them go to dances though," said Gabumon. "I remember TK and Kari when they were Cody's age. They didn't act the same way around each other as say, Tai and Sora did. They just hadn't started thinking about girls and boys that way yet."
"I hadn't thought of that..." said Yolei. She hugged her knees tighter. "Why did I have to say that to him? I feel so horrible."
"Did you try appologizing?" asked Gabumon.
"Yes, hundreds of times. I've tried calling him on the phone, e-mailing him, and I even tried talking to him just now, but you saw how that turned out. He just won't listen to me."
"I'll try talking to him," said Armadillomon. Yolei and Gabumon watched as the digimon left the shelter.
"Cody?" he called out. "Cody?...Co-dy!" After some searching, Armadillomon found the young lad on one of the city streets, swinging a stick around in his usual Kendo kata. His swings were punctuated by grunts of anger, and his eyes showed the emotion raging inside him, while his face was fixed in an expression of calm. Armadillomon stood nearby and watched as Cody practiced.
"Hey Cody, how's it going?"
"..."
Armadillomon frowned. "Listen Cody, I'm here for you. I know you're angry and all..."
"Ha!" he yelled, swinging the stick forcefully before him. Armadillomon jumped a little; Cody tended not to be angry.
"...but you know that Yolei was just trying to-"
"I don't care what Yolei was trying to do!" yelled Cody as loud as his voice would let him. He threw his stick on the ground forcefully, causing it to rattle all the way down the nearby sidewalk. "I don't need her to explain to me that I'm a little kid!"
"Cody..." said Armadillomon sympathetically. Cody clenched his fists angrily at his sides. He stood there, boiling with rage, but unsure what to do with it. He wasn't a violent person normally. Inside, he wondered if perhaps Yolei brought out the worst in him. They had been friends a long time...but they never really fought about anything. This was their first real fight, and it wasn't looking too good.
"Armadillomon...I...I just need some time alone," said Cody softly. "I need some time to calm down."
Armadillomon walked over next to his human friend. "Are you sure?"
Cody nodded. "I'll be fine. I know that Yolei was just being sincere like she usually is. *Sigh*...I guess the first rejection is always the hardest." Armadillomon frowned empathetically, and despite what Cody had said about needing to be alone, he remained by his side. However, Cody didn't seem to mind.
Davis ran out to where the two were. "Hey you two! Let's go!"
"What's going on?" Cody asked quickly.
"Patamon is telling us to retreat. Magnamon is fighting Missingo."
****
---------------
The battlefield
---------------
Magnamon threw punch after punch, kick after kick at Missingo, and each attack rang loudly through the air. Every time Magnamon hit the pokemon, a little bit of the pokemon's aura was destroyed. Missingo seemed unable to defend effectively- perhaps due to the element of surprise being on the digimon's side. Missingo wasn't expecting to fight a digimon that could hurt him.
"This one's for Gatomon...Magna Blast!" Missingo tried his best, but couldn't stop the Magna Blast. The attack overwhelmed him, and the black marble-like dots scattered on the ground.
"Game over, pokemon," said Magnamon.
"Think again, digimon." Magnamon stared in shock as the dots began to vibrate and glow again. "You cannot kill me that easily. As long as I am part of the Memory Bin, my strength is more than a match for your own." Within moments, the dots got up again, and glowed with renewed power.
Magnamon grunted angrily. "Memory Bin?"
"Yes...the 'free space' to which your kind goes to be reconfigured." Missingo again formed a roughly humanoid shape, surrounded by distorted digital energy. "I have become a part of it. As more of the Digital World becomes warped by my presence, more of it loses its consistency and becomes 'free data' again, thus returning to the Memory Bin, and feeding my power."
Magnamon was on the verge of another fit of rage. "...Your databytes come from the digimon who have died."
"Yes. My base code could not be reconfigured properly since I was a digital pokemon rather than a true digimon, yet the Memory Bin tried to do so anyway. It was partially successful- part of me is still in the Memory Bin, while the part you see before you exists as well. I still remain as one being however, so my powers are at work in the Digital World and the digital afterlife. The more data I collect in the Memory Bin, the stronger my powers."
"Why? Why are you doing this? What have we done to you? Mewtwo told us that pokemon aren't hostile unless their master is."
"Mewtwo? Hmm...Mewtwo. I know that name."
"He's a pokemon just like you! He's told us that pokemon aren't evil, but here you are, trying to destroy us all!"
"Then he knows so little about me. I'm not the same as normal pokemon...I'm a glitch."
"A glitch?"
"An accident. A mistake. Whatever you want to call it, I'm not supposed to exist, yet I do. I exist for only one purpose...to destroy other pokemon...all pokemon. That's what I was made for, that's what I'll do. But with no pokemon around...I'll deal with your kind instead. And since I'm a digital virus...it'll be easily to destroy you all."
Magnamon growled angrily and charged at Missingo with a "Magna Punch". Amazingly, Missingo stopped the punch- and Magnamon himself- without lifting a finger. Magnamon hovered motionlessly, trying to move but unable to do so. Missingo's warping effect had to be the culprit, thought Magnamon.
"So you see, digimon, I'm not evil. I just do what I was born to do..." Missingo lifted his hand, put his palm up towards Magnamon's face, and started to power up for a powerful blast of energy.
****
Hurry up Mewtwo, something's wrong with Magnamon!
I can't see him yet! What's wrong!
His processing speed has dropped to 1K; A snail can outrun him! He's wide open for an attack! As Izzy suspected, Missingo was powering up for a powerful attack that would fry the digimon. Missingo's attack is a Mega-level blast! Magnamon won't be able to survive it at that range! As hard as it was to imagine such power...somehow Missingo was doing it. Mewtwo made a quick burst of speed, and the instant he saw the golden armor digimon, he activated his teleport. He fizzled one way...
Missingo shouted, "Die!" His attack shot out of his hand, scant feet from Magnamon's face. Magnamon braced for impact, but was shocked to see a strange vibration in the air before him for a split second. Right in the path of fire, a purple shape took the brunt of the blast, which seemingly fried the guardian angel. Amazingly, none of it came through.
"Mewtwo!" Magnamon watched as the limp body of the pokemon fell to the ground. Mewtwo's body was smoking, and missing lots of cat hair on his upper torso. Missingo growled angrily and shot another attack, but Magnamon was able to move this time, and quickly avoided the attack.
"Stupid creature. I suppose it was better now than later that he meet his maker." Missingo wasn't aware of Mewtwo's past, so he didn't notice the irony in that statement.
Magnamon looked angrily at Missingo. "I've had enough of you! Magna Blast!"
Missingo avoided the attack this time, rather than try to block it, but the dodge took some time. With that time, Magnamon gained several free shots at the pokemon, who fell back as blast after blast rained down on him. Eventually, Missingo regained control of himself, and returned with his own hits on the digimon. The two shot back and forth, neither one having a definite advantage over the other.
"I don't care if I have to kill you a million times! You're not seeing the light of day again, unless it's from my Armor of Miracles!"
Missingo made a sound as close to laughing as the digital glitch could make. "Strong words. Your Armor is already becoming obselete as we fight. Simply floating here, you're digital energy is draining away...feeding me...increasing the free data in the Memory Bin. You're fighting a losing battle."
"So you say," said a voice. Missingo turned around, and he was amazed to see the pokemon he had just hit with his attack, floating up into the air. He looked like he had been through Hell...and as hot as that blast was, he practically was.
"You..."
"You can't win, Missingo," said Mewtwo evenly. "You may think you're something special, but in reality...you're nothing to me. I'm the original Doomsday pokemon...you're just the wannabe."
Missingo turned what was supposed to be his head towards Mewtwo. "Your boasts are likely to get you killed, feline," said Missingo. "Once I finish with this digimon, you will die as well." Mewtwo zipped instantly to the side of Magnamon, before Missingo was even completely turned around.
"You may be a pokemon, Missingo, but you know nothing about what that means. If you did you would understand that real pokemon will always defend those they call friends...with their lives if need be." Mewtwo's eyes started to glow blue, in a way that Magnamon (or rather, Veemon) knew all to well. Mewtwo was getting mad.
"Touching, to say the least, but ultimately futile." Mewtwo and Magnamon looked at the forest around them as it literally started to stretch, with Missingo being the center of that stretch. "Within moments, this area will be completely gone, and the rest of the Digital World will start to unravel. Nothing can stop this world's death."
"We'll see about that," said Mewtwo. He and Magnamon both powered up at the same time- Mewtwo with blue energy, and Magnamon with gold energy- and went on the offensive. Magnamon halted right in front of Missingo and unleashed a powerful Magna Blast attack, stunning him momentarily, while Mewtwo shot blast after blast of energy. Missingo countered with a violent counterattack on the Golden digimon, which knocked him to the ground. Mewtwo dashed to ground level and called on his psychic powers as he gathered energy in his hands. The attack started to look as huge as WarGreymon's Terra Force attack, and could be seen for miles around...
****
"We can't just leave them!" argued Biyomon for the tenth time. "What if they need our help!"
"Trust me Biyomon," said Davis. "Magnamon and Mewtwo are better off by themselves. Don't mean to insult ya, but a couple Rookies aren't going to make a difference in this fight."
"Davis is right Biyomon," said Kari, who was carrying a still-sleeping Gatomon. "We have to leave the fighting to them, and get the wounded digimon to safety."
Biyomon looked at the ground dejectedly. "But...I feel like we're abandoning them. I don't want to leave Mewtwo behind."
Gabumon put a reassuring paw on the pink digimon's shoulder. "Don't worry...he can handle this Missingo jerk. We, on the other hand, are a little less capable since we can't digivolve." Biyomon and the others looked up as they saw a massive globe of blue light in the sky, like a star over the forest. It swung violently through the air, before being sent down into the battlefield and exploding with amazing force. The ground shook from the strength of the vibration, and the forest seemed to burst into flames, causing an orange hue to appear in the night sky above the green of the trees, which were slanting oddly towards the forest center.
This was the last straw for Biyomon. "I'm going!" Biyomon took off and flew towards the forest as fast as her wings could carry her.
"Biyomon, don't!" shouted Hawkmon. "Drat...I'll get her," he said. Hawkmon flapped his wings and headed after the other digimon as fast as he could, leaving the others to wait for them, hoping they came back in time for them to reach safety before disaster struck.
****
Magnamon fell as another blast from Missingo hit him square in the chest. Despite the severe beating it was taking, the golden armor still shined brightly as the digimon continued to fight as best he could. As before, Missingo's distortion effect was starting to take its toll on him. He was losing too much energy too quickly, and soon he may not have enough energy to stay as Magnamon. Sweat dripped down the digimon's face as Mewtwo zoomed over next to him in a flash of light.
"You okay Magnamon?" said Mewtwo as he caught his breath also.
"...I'm not sure. I'm losing strength fast, and Missingo doesn't even look like he's getting hurt by our attacks. I think he's reached the equivalent of the Mega level." The two watched as Missingo gathered his energy below and prepared to resume his offensive against the two monsters. "I'm not going to give up...but at this rate, it doesn't look good."
Mewtwo closed his eyes in thought. "He said something about...the Memory Bin. That's his source of power. If we separate him from it, his power will return to normal levels, and he'll be easy to capture...although he'll be as strong in the afterlife as he is now...and we may have to borrow the pokeball I came here in to capture him."
Magnamon smiled underneath his mask. "I remember that day. I don't think I've ever seen Biyomon happier."
Mewtwo sighed deeply. "Yes...I don't think I've ever been happier either." The pokemon turned to Magnamon with a serious expression on his face. "That's why it's so hard for me to do this." Mewtwo grabbed Magnamon mentally, using his awesome psychic strength to good advantage.
"Mewtwo, what-!"
"The next time you see Missingo after he reintegrates himself, he should be weak if I succeed. Capture him then." Mewtwo geared up for a tremendous telekinetic toss into the upper atmosphere, with Magnamon as the ball. "Also...tell Biyomon...she was the light of my life." Before Magnamon could reply, Mewtwo literally threw Magnamon clear towards the horizon.
Missingo's power had reached a suitable level, and the pokemon was now initiating the last burst of energy that would tear the digital landscape in that area asunder. Mewtwo called on all the energy he could, and then some, as he powered up for an attack that would make Omnimon think twice...but unfortunately, it wouldn't come without a price.
"Say goodbye..." said Missingo menacingly as he sent his power earthward.
...Goodbye. The pokemon unleashed his power, and an explosion ensued like that of a newborn star, with Mewtwo at the core...
****
Hawkmon managed to grab Biyomon before she reached the forest. "Are you crazy?" said the younger digimon.
"Let me go!" Just as Biyomon was about to protest more, they saw a streak of golden light launch itself towards their general direction...then over their general direction. Both got a good enough look to tell who it was. They watched in horror as Magnamon literally crashed into the city they had been trying to protect. Luckily, all he really damaged was the sides of a few walls as he crashed through two multi-storied buildings before hitting the cement.
"Magnamon!" shouted Hawkmon. He tried his best to drag Biyomon back with him. "Come on Biyomon, we have to get out of here!"
"No!" she shouted authoritatively. The two heard a rumbling noise very closeby in the forest...the kind of rumble one hears before an impending avalance...the rumble of impending doom.
Then, it happened...an explosion of gigantic proportions that sent out a wave of fiery force in all directions. Trees were incinerated...the dam was burned and nearly shattered...and the two digimon were close to being barbequed unless they got moving!
"Run for it!" shouted Hawkmon as he and Biyomon jetted into the air. The two flew as fast as they could away from the blast, and managed to get a good distance away before being engulfed in the outer rim of the explosion. They cried out in pain as fiery energy surrounded them, making them black out almost instantly from the sheer force of the blast.
Mewtwo...
****
Mewtwo lifted an eyebrow suspiciously. "I don't have time to play."
"Pleeeease? I promise not to bother you anymore if you play for just ten minutes." the little digimon said as she smiled. Mewtwo stood silently for several seconds, until finally he relented.
"Very well. Just for ten minutes. Then you'll never bother me again." Mewtwo said, calling on his telekinetic powers to fly.
"If you want. Now for ten minutes, you're mine!" she said, ramming into him with surprising speed. "You're it!" she said, dashing away at high speed.
"Grr..." Mewtwo charged after Biyomon, who dashed through the massive fans that spun over the New Island lab. Her size and speed were enough to give Mewtwo a run for his money, but after a clever feint by Mewtwo, the pokemon managed to tag the little bird.
"Rrr!..." she growled playfully. Biyomon charged after Mewtwo, who dashed along the beach of the island, making water spray everywhere as he skimmed the surface, with Biyomon in hot pursuit.
Mewtwo smiled and shot upwards, creating a small geyser of ocean water as he raced higher and higher towards the sun-filled skies. Biyomon laughed as Mewtwo did a loop-de-loop through a cloud, catching some of the white fluff along the way in his whiskers. Mewtwo sneezed as the cloud fluff tickled his nose, making him falter in his flight.
"Gotcha!" cheered Biyomon, playfully smacking the pokemon. Biyomon laughed and dashed off as Mewtwo pursued her. Biyomon was amazed when she heard Mewtwo laughing with her. The two dashed through the clouds, oblivious to the rest of the world as their little game continued...
****
"Why do you have to leave?" Biyomon said finally.
Mewtwo looked at the little pink bird. "I don't belong here."
"Yes you do!" she said, looking up at him angrily through tear-filled eyes. "If you go back, you'll just hide from the world again, and you'll be sad again..."
"I'm a pokemon. I'm supposed to be in my world. You're a digimon. You have to be in your world."
Biyomon grabbed Mewtwo fiercely. "Please don't go..."
Mewtwo held Biyomon comfortingly for a while as she cried silently. Mewtwo floated silently into the air and slowly made his way back to the others. They watched the pokemon land gracefully, and he carefully handed Biyomon to Sora.
"Mewtwo..." Biyomon said, trying to get out of Sora's arms. "Don't..."
Mewtwo backed away, closing his eyes as he began to weep as well.
"Goodbye, Biyomon..."
Biyomon...
"Biyomon...Biyomon?"
"Is she okay?" asked Davis, who was holding a very tired Chibimon.
Hawkmon shrugged. "We didn't get hit that hard, relatively speaking. She should be okay."
Biyomon slowly opened her eyes. "Wha...what happened?"
"You were hit by some of that explosion," answered Kari, who was kneeled next to her. "Are you okay?"
Biyomon sat up, and groaned as she felt a jolt of pain in her side. "I think I broke something," she said dreamily. When her mind had shaken all the cobwebs out, Biyomon sat up again. "Mewtwo! Is he okay? Did he get hurt by that explosion?"
Silence.
Biyomon looked from face to face. "...Is he okay?" She looked over at Chibimon. "Chibimon?"
The baby digimon avoided her eyes, because he started to cry despite his best attempts to stay strong. "*sniff*...h-he said...that...you were the light of his life, Biyomon." Biyomon's eyes went wide. Instantly, she got to her feet and ran as fast as she could into the leveled forest.
"Mewtwo!" she cried as loud as she could. The little bird digimon ran up the hill that led to the battlefield, and went to the center of the forest, where the explosion occured. Destroyed, burning logs and uplifted earth lay everywhere. In the center, there was a deep pit where the base of the explosion was...and inside, there was a body.
Biyomon slid down the sides of the pit and ran over to the body. "Mewtwo! Wake up!" she cried as she shook the body. No change...his eyes remained closed, and his furry body remained still. Biyomon put her ear to his chest to try and listen for a heartbeat. Again...nothing.
Gabumon walked up next to her slowly and kneeled down next to her, offering her a reassuring paw. "Biyomon...he...he's..."
Biyomon didn't lift her head up. Rather, she let her head rest on his still body as she started to cry. She tried to feel the warmth in his fur that she had felt there before...tried to hear the heart that beat quickly in his chest. She wrapped her arms around the pokemon's head, and cradled it closer to her own as she let her tears fall onto his face.
"Mewtwo..."
