Caring Hearts
Chapter 4: Captured
by Silver
*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of its characters or creatures. Poor me.*
Author's Note: I managed to get this out sooner than I expected. My grandmother has developed problems, so she's come to stay with my family while she rests up. This has canceled our trip to Italy. It's a disappointment, but as Agumon says, "If life gives you lemons, make lemon pie!" Therefore, I will use the time when I am not helping my grandmother to write more stories. So, here is the next chapter.
Paildramon returns once again in this chapter. It seems that whenever I use him I get at least one e-mail reminding me that Paildramon is the result of a DNA digivolution between XVmon and Stingmon. However, I had to adapt Paildramon to fit my story. If you're wondering how it is possible for Paildramon to digivolve directly from Veemon, please read the author's notes at the end of the chapter. A friend of mine came up with a very good explanation.
Anyway, that's all I have to ramble on about for now. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When one lived to be as old as Demon, one became more than accustomed to the occasional emotional upsurge. Demon had certainly gone through his own emotional roller coasters both before and after his rebirth. He was used to the feelings of anger and sadness, and there were even strange and ironic times when Demon had taken comfort in those emotions, for they were the only things that kept him from feeling nothing at all. Happiness was far more alien to him; he didn't have many reasons to be happy. But fear, fear was something he was not all that used to; and he was very afraid.
The Digidestined were coming, all five of them. How had the child of light recovered so quickly? Demon had been sure that she'd take at least a month to regain her fighting spirit, and he had always considered that to be an overestimation of her strength. Why was everything falling apart so suddenly? The child of light was stronger, Harpymon was weakening, and the Digidestined would soon be at his doorstep. Those children had toppled him once before, he held no delusion that they could not defeat him once again.
Demon looked over at the embryonic sack hanging in the pit. If I can just complete my creation, then I will have nothing to fear. If he could complete his plans, he would be very happy indeed.
Demon looked over that the Digidestined of hope, who still stood fixed in the corner. "Come here." The child did so. "Go and alert my strongest warrior, he will be needed soon." Demon allowed himself a small smile as he reflected on how wise he had been to have more followers than just Avatar, Cyclonemon, and Harpymon. He had at least one more follower to fall back upon.
The child of hope bowed robotically and walked into the darkness. Demon settled back on his thrown. The final conflict was about to begin.
* * * * * * * *
When one had been a Digidestined as long as Kari had, one came to realize that the feeling of fear before a battle just never went away. As the landscape soared by under XVmon, Kari couldn't stop her heart from pounding. She knew that negative emotions only made Harpymon stronger, but this wasn't the same kind of fear that she had felt when Harpymon had killed Greymon. This was the feeling of uneasiness before a fight. However, Kari was determined not to fail this time. She would get Gatomon and TK back, and then she'd show Demon what it meant to hurt her friends.
Kari felt a warm hand on top of hers, and looked over at Davis. Davis asked, "You okay?"
Kari nodded, "Just nervous. I don't know what's going to happen."
Davis said, "Don't worry. I promise that we'll get TK and Gatomon back. Nothing's gonna stop us!"
Kari smiled, "Thanks."
XVmon spoke up. "Harpymon's trail is pretty fresh. I think we're nearing Demon's home."
"Davis! XVmon!" Everyone in the group jumped as a loud voice boomed up from below.
Davis looked down, and then let out a laugh of sheer delight. "VEE!"
Vee the AeroVeedramon soared up right next to XVmon. Kari hadn't seen the Digidestined's newest friend since their adventure in the Ancient Valley. Davis called over, "Vee, what are you doing all the way out here?"
Vee blinked, "'Out here?' Davis, do you not know where you are?"
Kari frowned. She hadn't been keeping track of their location, she had been too nervous. "Where are we?"
Vee pointed down, "We are just passing over the Rock Maze now. I saw you approaching and decided to meet you."
Davis scratched his head. "You mean we're back near Meadow Town and the Rock Maze?" He looked over at Kari, "You ever notice that we always seemed to get pulled back here?"
Kari nodded. Meadow Town had been a source of trouble for the Digidestined. Aside from its hero-worshiping populace, Meadow Town had also be a target for Okuwamon and one of Avatar's sources for the anti-Digidestined movement. Davis had had his fair share of problems in the Rock Maze as well.
Vee said, "I am glad you are all here. My clan is facing a crisis, and we would value your help."
Aquillamon pulled up next to Vee. "I am afraid that we are facing a crisis of our own."
Vee nodded, "I'd wager that our two crisis are intertwined. My clan has changed much from when we last met. We have left the Rock Maze to explore the surrounding territory, and we discovered a growing darkness gathering in the Dark Forest."
Kari could see Davis tense up, and XVmon shuddered. The Dark Forest held one of the most unpleasant memories for Davis on his walkabout. In that black forest, Davis had been attacked by Palmon's evil twin, Alraumon. Alraumon's attack had left Davis emotionally wounded, and had prevented him from using the digiegg of friendship for a time.
Vee continued, "We've set up a perimeter around the forest to confront whatever evil emerges, yet nothing has happened. However, I suspect that the evil is using teleportation to bypass us."
Ken asked, "Have you tried to enter the forest?"
Vee shook his head, "No. The evil we sense is too powerful for a direct confrontation. I had hoped to contain the evil and then send out some of the younger Veedramon to find all of you. We are in desperate need of your help."
Yolei asked, "Just what does this evil feel like?"
Vee replied, "It is the darkest manifestation of hatred and evil that I have ever sensed. It reeks of anger and maliciousness, and I can also sense the power of control spires behind it."
Davis nodded, "It's gotta be Demon. Gennai said that Demon was probably the guy who stole all the control spires."
Kari agreed, "And his base is in the Dark Forest."
Davis shook his head, "I walked right through that guys home and never even realized it."
Kari placed a hand on his shoulder, "You had no idea he even existed at the time. At least we have the advantage that you're familiar with the territory."
"Yeah, you're right." Some of the guilt left Davis' face.
Kari could see the Dark Forest now. A long line of blue, the Veedramon clan, could be seen encircling the forest. The Veedramon were spaced far apart due to their somewhat limited numbers, but they were still an impressive force to see. Several loud roars erupted from the Veedramon.
Vee said, "Some of my brethren are reporting that a strange Digimon broke through their lines and entered the forest. The Digimon was so fast that they didn't even have time to fire at it. Fortunately, no one was hurt."
Kari whispered, "Harpymon…"
Davis said, "Vee, we'll go in first. We have to rescue some friends. We'll give you a call if we need your help."
Vee nodded, "Understood. Good luck, my friends." He broke off and dove towards his clan.
Davis called out, "Let's do it, guys!" XVmon and Aquillamon headed strait towards the Dark Forest.
* * * * * * * *
Ten minutes later, the Digidestined found themselves deep within the Dark Forest. They had spread out to look for an entrance into Demon's domain. Kari shivered as she stepped through the black grass. This place was cold, like a tomb. She hadn't been this uneasy since her accidental visit to the dark ocean. She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She jumped and spun around, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw Davis.
Davis said, "Sorry I startled you."
Kari replied, "It's okay. This place is just a little creepy." That was the understatement of the millennium.
It was clear that Davis wasn't enjoying this either. His face was tense and his muscles were bunched up. Kari asked, "How are you handling things?"
Davis forced a shrug. "I'll handle it. Tai once told me that having courage isn't a lack of fear; it's controlling your fear so that it doesn't rule you. I'm trying to do that right now."
Kari nodded, "Same here."
Yolei called over, "Guys! I found something!" The others ran over to where she stood. Yolei was next to a small crack in the ground. She was on her hands and knees and looking down into the ground.
Ken said, "That's far too small for us to fit through."
Yolei looked up, "I know, but there's something down there." She backed up so that everyone could see.
Cody looked down. "She's right. There's a small shinning object far below. I can't see what it is though."
Suddenly, a loud rumble reached up from the ground. The Digidestined braced themselves as the soil began to rise and fall rapidly. "EARTHQUAKE!"
Kari stumbled and reached of something to hold onto as she lost her footing. Another loud crack deafened her ears, and then Kari could feel herself falling. A fissure had opened up directly beneath her, and she was tumbling into the abyss. Kari only had time to let out a brief scream before everything went dark.
* * * * * * * *
"KARI!" Davis ran over to the fissure as soon as the quake subsided. He was just about to jump in after when Ken grabbed him and held Davis back. Davis struggled, "Let go! Kari's down there. She could be hurt!"
Ken held on tight. "How are you going to help her if you simply dive in and get yourself killed? Settle down. We'll go after her." Davis let out several deep breaths and forced himself to remain still.
"Okay. What should we do?"
"For starters, you can worry about yourselves." Everyone turned around as a new voice came from the trees. "Metal Fireball!" Blue flames leapt from the darkness. Digidestined and Digimon dove out of the way as the fire set everything in its path ablaze. Davis looked up at their attacker. It was humanoid Digimon with medium gray skin and bulging muscles. He wore black leather pants with a flame patter, and chains encircled his body and arms. A metal mask covered his face, leaving an opening at the top for his blue hair. Flames poured off his body, and his eyes were beady red.
Armadillomon identified the Digimon. "Uh oh. That's SkullMeramon. He's one toasty critter. His Metal Fireball attack is hotter than 10-alarm chili. He's an Ultimate and he feeds off of fire."
Davis got to his feet. "I don't have time to mess with you. Back off!"
SkullMeramon twirled a chain over his head. "Now, now, don't be rude. I just showed up. Let's have some fun." He lashed out with his chain. Davis dodged to the side just in time as the chain went sailing by his head and broke a nearby tree in half. The bark sizzled from the intense heat of the chain.
Davis looked at his partner. "Veemon, teach this guy a lesson!"
"Right! Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!"
Cody said, "You too, Armadillomon!"
"Armadillomon digivolve to… Ankylomon!"
The two champions rushed SkullMeramon. XVmon led off with a right hook, but he burned his hand on contact with the evil Digimon and had to back off. SkullMeramon laughed, "You're no match for my flames. Lord Demon wants me to destroy all of you, and I'm happy to oblige."
"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon brought his tail slamming into SkullMeramon's jaw and sent the Ultimate Digimon staggering backwards. Ankylomon smiled, "My shell can take a lot more heat than just that!"
SkullMeramon snarled and lunged at Ankylomon. He lifted the Dinosaur Digimon up over his head and threw him against a set of trees. SkullMeramon then ran over and kicked Ankylomon in the head. "I guess your shell isn't so great against my fists!"
"X Ray!" An X-shaped beam struck against SkullMeramon's back. Rather than damage him, the blast only intensified SkullMeramon's flames. SkullMeramon looked over at XVmon. "Is that all you have to offer?"
Yolei stood up, "Hawkmon, you'd better join in."
"No." Ken held up a hand. "SkullMeramon is too strong for our Digimon. Aquillamon and Stingmon won't make a difference against him. Davis, we have to use Paildramon. Fight Ultimates with Ultimates!"
Davis nodded, "Right!" He took out his d-terminal and activated the Ultimate command. The crests of courage and friendship burst from the screen and sent their dual power into XVmon.
"XVmon digivolve to… Paildramon!" Paildramon stood across from SkullMeramon. "Ready for round 2?"
"Gladly. Metal Fireball!" Paildramon jumped above the small river of fire.
"Dragon Strike!" Blue energy surrounded Paildramon's body, and he dove in at SkullMeramon. The other Digimon managed to dodge the blow, but the ensuing explosion staggered SkullMeramon backwards, right towards Ankylomon.
"I've got you now!" Ankylomon head-butted SkullMeramon from behind and used the curve of his shell to flip the fiery Digimon over. SkullMeramon landed flat on his face. "He's all yours, Paildramon."
"Thanks!" Paildramon's blasters snapped to the front. "Dramon blasters!" Streams of blue energy shot from Paildramon's cannons and raked the ground and SkullMeramon, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process.
Paildramon stood ready with his blasters as the dust began to settle. SkullMeramon was still standing, but just barely. His pants were torn, and several of his chains had broken. He battered and bruised from head to toe.
Paildramon said, "Surrender. I don't want to have to kill you, but the lives of my friends are on the line and I won't hesitate."
SkullMeramon chuckled, "I'll never surrender to the likes of you. Metal-"
"Darkness Void!" A blast of dark energy hit SkullMeramon in the back. He dissolved into a dispersing cloud of data before he even had the chance to scream.
"Harpymon!" That was all Paildramon could say before another Darkness Void slammed into him and forced him back to Veemon.
Harpymon chuckled, "I finally get the chance to finish our fight before we were so rudely interrupted. This time, I will not falter."
Davis ran over and helped is partner back to his feet. This didn't look good. Out of the frying pan…
* * * * * * * *
The cool touch of earth was the first thing that Kari felt as she opened her eyes. It was dark, but Kari could see that she was inside a small tunnel. She looked around. The ground was rock, but the sides of the tunnel were black and smooth. Kari walked over to the wall and pressed her hand against it. Kari instantly recognized the material. "Control spires…" The ceiling and walls were made out of control spires.
Kari heard a footstep behind her. She spun around expecting to see another evil Digimon, maybe Harpymon herself. What greeted her vision was far more surprising. "TK!"
TK stood in front of Kari, his gaze as fixed and empty as Kari remembered. Kari stood there, trembling. She hadn't seen her friend since he had been captured. Suddenly, TK lunged forward and grabbed Kari's arm. Before she could react, TK grabbed her other arm and pinned them behind her back. "OW! TK, you're hurting me!" His gaze did not change.
TK forced Kari to walk forward towards what appeared to be the tunnel's exit. Kari walked along without struggling. She knew it wouldn't do her any good to break free of TK's grasp. Where would she go? S still, Kari instantly recognized the situation she was in. The damsel in distress; captured by the forces of evil. I'll probably have to rely on Davis and the others to save me. Why couldn't she ever be strong enough to stand on her own?
TK and Kari entered into a huge cavern. There was a small pit on the other end of the cavern with two controls spires bordering some kind of sack that hung from the ceiling. In the middle of the cavern was a thrown, and on that thrown sat Demon. Kari's eyes narrowed at the sight of the evil Digimon.
Demon stood up. "Welcome, child of light. I've been expecting you." He walked up and gazed down at Kari. "It's amazing how you humans change form over time. I still remember you when you were as sort as an Agumon."
Kari stared strait into Demon's eyes. "Let TK go, now."
Demon laughed, "You presume to order me? Very amusing."
Kari could feel her frustration building. This monster had caused her enough grief already. "Just who are you anyway? Where did you come from?"
Demon said, "I'm so glad you asked that question. You and I have met before, as have the older Digidestined."
Kari shook her head, "I'd remember something as evil as you."
Demon replied, "Oh, I looked much different when we first met. Let me give you a hint." Demon leaned in close to her face. "Not even your power was enough to eliminate my loneliness and sorrow."
There was something about that phrase that made Kari's blood run cold. Her face paled to nearly pure white. "Apocalymon?"
Demon nodded, "Yes. I am Apocalymon, reformatted and reborn!" He straitened up and loomed over Kari. He apparently saw the disbelief in her eyes. "Digimon do no die, they are merely reformatted; and I am a Digimon, am I not? After my death at the hands of you Digidestined, I returned to a void of nothingness. My data was scattered and broken, but I refused to fade into nothingness again. Instead, I managed to pull myself together into a new form, Demon. But the experience left me weak. I was in no shape to make a play for power yet. Instead, I waited and watched as the Digital World began to change. From the shadows, I saw the Digimon Emperor rise and fall, and I found a loyal servant in Avatar."
Kari said, "But, Avatar was made from the lost souls of Digimon babies that were killed by the Dark Masters, and Apocalymon-"
Demon nodded, "The Dark Masters smashed digieggs, which created Avatar, and I created the Dark Masters. Therefore, I created Avatar, indirectly. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a creature that had been born form similar conditions to those of myself. I was created from Digimon who failed to digivolve and Avatar was created from Digimon who never had the chance to live. Rather amusing, don't you think?"
Kari looked at him in utter disbelief. "Avatar was so full of pain and sorrow. How could you use him like that?" The idea that Avatar served the very creature that created his suffering was sickening.
Demon waved dismissal, "Avatar thought he had a hard life as a mind without a permanent body, but what did he really know? I have had to endure the loneliness of total darkness while watching everyone else from afar for years. Avatar had a much easier life compared to that of my own."
Demon continued, "Even though Avatar hated the Dark Masters, he remained ignorant of my former life and served me faithfully. He became my right hand and helped me to establish a base of power upon which to build my new rule. He was also instrumental in searching for you and the child of hope.
Kari asked, "What do you want with me? Why did you kidnap TK?"
Demon smiled and held Kari's chin. He sifted her view over to the sack hanging over the pit. "That organic sack holds the future of the Digital World. It is my creation, my child, ArcaDemon."
"ArcaDemon?" Kari didn't like the sound of that.
Demon released Kari's face and smiled. "Yes, ArcaDemon, a Super-Mega Digimon. His power will be beyond anything in existence. Even the great Omnimon wouldn't be able to stand against him."
Kari said, "Than neither will you. You're creating something you can't control."
Demon waved a hand. "On the contrary, I am perfectly in control. I had intended for Avatar to control ArcaDemon's body, but you Digidestined ruined that plan. Now I shall have to use the remaining dark spirals that the Digimon Emperor had left over to control ArcaDemon."
Kari protested, "The dark spirals can only control Ultimates and Champions, Ken never tried to control a Mega!"
Demon replied, "I am not the Digimon Emperor, I have much more power. I will boost the power of the dark spirals to a new level. That has always been my contingency plan. It's a shame, really. Avatar was so enticed with the idea of a perfect body."
"Perfect body?"
Demon nodded, "ArcaDemon is made up of data from my own body that has been modified to reach even higher levels of power. His strength is unimaginable." Demon reached under his wing and produced the Digivolution Crystal. "And this bauble will increase his powers ten-fold!"
Upon seeing the Crystal, Kari lunged forward to try and grab it but TK held her back. Demon laughed, "You can't stop me now. I have planned too carefully to be stopped by mere children."
Kari demanded, "Just how much have you planned? How long have you been manipulating people and Digimon?"
Demon said, "Longer than you can imagine. Do you remember SkullMammothmon and GrandKuwagamon? Those two were unintentional servants of mine."
Kari shook her head, "But SkullMammothmon was created from the dark power of a control spire."
Demon gave her a humoring look. "Really? A control spire just happens to fall into the river of the Ancient Valley and a dying Mammothmon just happens to be infected with its power? Doesn't that sound a little too coincidental? I ordered Avatar to knock the control spire into the river so that it would infect at least one or more Digimon."
Kari paled even further. "You did that to Mammothmon? Why?"
Demon seemed to take great pleasure in explaining. "ArcaDemon's body is perfect, but he is not at full power yet. Before I can unleash him upon the Digital World, I must satiate him first. The power of SkullMammothmon would have been perfect for feeding ArcaDemon and energizing him."
"What about GrandKuwagamon?"
Demon replied, "His purpose was two-fold. I sent Avatar to make a deal with the dying Okuwamon after his battle with Flamedramon and the Digidestined of courage and friendship. Avatar offered Okuwamon the opportunity to gain more power by changing his body so that it would consumed control spire energy. Okuwamon agreed and instantly became my servant. Okuwamon gathered control spire energy and became GrandKuwagamon, who, like SkullMammothmon, would have been perfect fodder to throw to ArcaDemon. Additionally, GrandKuwagamon gathered the remaining dark rings and dark spirals for me and distracted you Digidestined while I transformed all the remaining control spires into my new base."
He continued, "I had also planned on feeding MagnaAngemon to ArcaDemon after all the evil Mega Digimon had been destroyed. That was why Avatar lead the attack on Primary Village, he knew that the child of hope would come. Sadly, you Digidestined foiled that plan as well. You really have been an annoyance to my plans."
Kari asked, "What about ExPiedmon? Did you manipulate him as well?"
Demon sighed, "I confess, I had not planned on ExPiedmon appearing. He was a rouge, a wild card. However, it was he who created the need for the Digivolution Crystal. When I learned that you Digidestined had the Crystal, I knew it was time for me to act. ExPiedmon was the signal to begin the dawning of my rule."
Kari demanded, "And what do TK and I have to do with all this? Why are you so eager to capture us?"
Demon said, "ArcaDemon is a viral Digimon, and viral-type Digimon have a weakness against light and holy powers. The crests of hope and light are the embodiment of such power. For ArcaDemon to be truly perfect, I had to find a way to build a defense against such powers." Demon looked over at the control spires. "Those spires are modified so that they will drain your power and feed it directly to ArcaDemon. He will feast upon the crests of hope and light, and will grow stronger because of it. Your power will awaken ArcaDemon and help him build strength against the sickening purity of your power. But first…" Demon walked towards the pit and held up the Digivolution Crystal.
"NO! Don't!" Kari struggled against TK's grip, but couldn't break free.
Demon casually tossed the crystal directly at ArcaDemon's sack. The organic mass glowed dark purple and began to pulsate with amazing speed as the Crystal neared. Tendrils of dark energy shot out and wrapped around the Crystal with greedy hunger. The Crystal began to vibrate and glow white, and cracks danced across its surface. Kari remembered what Gennai had said. If the Crystal was destroyed, its power would burst out and destroy almost everything.
The Crystal shattered. The world vanished in a brilliant flash of white. Kari closed her eyes and waited for the end. The end never came. Kari slowly opened her eyes and blinked to get ride of the after flash shadows in her eyes. The white energy of the Crystal was radiating from ArcaDemon's sack. He absorbed all of it? He absorbed that much power?
Demon laughed triumphantly. "And now ArcaDemon will become a dark crystal Digimon. Thank you, Digidestined, for making my victory possible." Demon turned back to Kari. "And now for you." He reached under his wing again and pulled out a small ruby. "This is one of the three rubies that adorned Avatar's headband. His body was contained in the headband, but his power to control other creatures came from these rubies. The large ruby attached to Harpymon has the power to control higher-level Digimon such as Ultimates and Megas. The ruby attached to the child of hope controls Baby and In-Training Digimon, as well as humans. And this ruby controls Rookie and Champion Digimon, so it is more than powerful enough to bend you to my will." He walked towards Kari with the ruby held high.
Kari struggled to break free of TK even more, but she couldn't get away. It suddenly occurred to Kari that Davis and the others would never make it in time to save her. She had to get out of this on her own or become Demon's slave, just like TK. What can I do? I don't know what to do. I'm…I'm… helpless." Kari felt a fresh stab of shame at her weakness.
Demon was upon her and was about to press the ruby to her forehead.
"I believe in you." Davis' words found their way into Kari's mind. Davis believe in her, even though she didn't believe in herself. And the same was true for Ken, Yolei, Cody, and TK. They all believed in her for some reason. I won't fail them. I won't let them down. The future of the Digital World and the real world depends on me and my desire to not give up.
The ruby was centimeters from her head now. Kari shouted, "NO! I won't let you!" Kari could feel her body becoming hot. Something began to awaken inside of her. A bright pink flash erupted from her body and filled the cavern with light. Demon screamed and staggered back while the ruby in his hands shattered. Kari could also feel TK's grip slacken.
The light was blinding and too much for Kari to bear all at once. She felt her energy begin to drain away. The light faded and Kari slumped to her hands and knees from sheer exhaustion.
Demon flexed his burning hands. "So, you're powers are awakening again. I did not foresee this." He stood up to full high and shouted, "Well! If I cannot control you, I will simply use the direct approach!" He lunged forward and grabbed Kari around the throat. Kari choked and clawed at Demon's hand couldn't loosen his grip. Demon then grabbed TK around the waist and sailed over to the pit. He landed right in front of one of the control spires. "You will serve my needs, whether you like it or not!" He tossed Kari at the spire's side. Kari expected to bounce off the spire's surface, but instead of hitting hard minerals, Kari felt as though she'd landed in mud. The spire's surface mashed inward around her and she could feel herself being pulled in. The spire's surface crawled across her arms and legs, pinning her as it sucked her in even farther.
Demon set TK down. "Get in!" TK obediently walked over to the other spire and pressed himself against its surface. The spire began to pull TK in just as Kari had been.
No matter how hard she tried, Kari couldn't move an inch within the spire. She could feel her strength ebbing even more. Had she been free, Kari was sure she would have fallen flat on her back. It can't end like this. I won't let it end like this.
Demon laughed again and flew to the edge of the pit. "My triumph begins!"
* * * * * * * *
The battle began with an all-too-familiar war cry. "Digiarmor energize!"
"Veemon armor digivolve to… Flamedramon: The Fire of Courage!"
"Hawkmon armor digivolve to… Shurimon: The Samurai of Sincerity!"
"Armadillomon armor digivolve to… Digmon: The Drill of Knowledge!"
"Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!"
Harpymon laughed, "Oh, please. Haven't you gotten tired of those forms by now?"
Davis ignored her. "Remember, guys, aim for the ruby. If we destroy that, we'll free Gatomon."
"Right!" Flamedramon leaped into the air. "Fire Rocket!" Several fireballs streaked in at Harpymon. The dark crystal Digimon dove past them and skimmed close to the ground as she approached Digmon.
"Rock Cracking!" Digmon drove all of his drills into the ground, creating a massive fissure that reached towards Harpymon. As the fissure widened, several large rocks were forced up directly in Harpymon's path.
"Darkness Void!" Harpymon simply blasted the obstacles in her path.
"Digmon, watch out!" Shurimon jumped above his ally. "Double Star!" Harpymon broke off her attack to dodge the large shuriken blade. Stingmon was waiting for her.
"Spiking Finish!" He dove in at Harpymon with his energy stinger extended. Harpymon spun around and slapped Stingmon's arm away with amazing speed, then punched him in the chest. Stingmon tumbled away, but regained control of his wings and ceased his free fall.
Davis noted that Harpymon wasn't fighting at full power. She's lost some of her strength since Kari began to feel better. That means we still have a chance.
Flamedramon jumped at Harpymon. "Fire Rocket!" His body became encased in flame and he soared at his opponent like a roman candle.
"I have had enough of you!" Harpymon held up her hand. "Darkness VOID!" She threw a sphere that was twice the size of a soccer ball. The attack collided with Flamedramon in mid-air. An explosion blinded all the combatants. Flamedramon fell back and reverted to Veemon as he struck the ground, but Harpymon wasn't done yet. "Darkness Voids!" She threw sphere after sphere of dark energy, bombarding the landscape with her power.
The Digidestined instantly began to scatter. Shurimon picked up Yolei and jumped between attacks. However, one explosion blossomed right in front of him, and Shurimon and Yolei were thrown back onto the ground. Shurimon reverted back to Hawkmon.
Stingmon seized Ken and tried to fly above the bombardment. "Don't worry, Ken, I've got you." He danced between the voids and someone managed to fly above Harpymon. All Ken and Stingmon could do was watch as their friends tried to survive as well.
Digmon, who was substantially slower than Shurimon or Stingmon, shielded Cody with his body and hoped that his armor was strong enough to survive the bombardment. Fortunately, none of the Darkness Voids hit Digmon directly, but several came close enough that the ensuing explosions pelted him with superheated pebbles and soil. Digmon's armor developed burn marks and dents, and with each shock wave his strength diminished. By the time the bombardment ceased, Digimon could only slump and regress back to Armadillomon.
Davis, meanwhile, ran deeper into the bombardment, towards Veemon. "Hang on, Veemon! I'm coming!" He held his arms up over his head as several explosions threatened to knock him down. Harpymon saw Davis running and targeted him specifically.
"Darkness Void!" The attack landed right at Davis' feet. The world vanished in a hail of dirt and smoke as Davis bounced along the ground. He rolled to a stop and tried to curl into a ball. He felt crippled with pain. The explosions and sounds of screaming energy faded. Davis forced one eye open and looked around. He felt terrible. He hadn't felt this bad since GrandKuwagamon had hit him with a Catastrophe fireball.
Davis looked up to see Harpymon smiling down at him. She held one hand out towards him and dark energy began to gather around her palm. "I think I'll finish you first, little man."
Davis tried to stand up, but his muscles felt as though they had been ripped apart from the inside. Stingmon and Ken were flying in, but they'd never make it in time. Hawkmon and Armadillomon were out cold, which meant that Yolei and Cody couldn't help either. Davis was going to die.
It can't end like this. I won't let it end!
* * * * * * * *
The darkness consumed her. As the light dimmed, she could feel her mind slipping away. Who was she? Where was she? I am… I am…Nothing came to her. It was a wonder she could even process thoughts at all.
One name rose to the front of her mind. ArcaDemon. It wasn't her name, but it was somehow important none-the-less. A full thought formed. ArcaDemon… ArcaDemon is awakening.
She slipped deeper into the darkness, away from the light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cliffhanger! Big fights are in store in the next chapter. The Crystal Digimon Saga come to an end in the final chapter of "Caring Hearts"!
Author's Note: No promises on when the next chapter will be out, but I hope to do it in under two weeks.
Now, some people have asked how XVmon can digivolve directly into Paildramon without Stingmon's help. My friend, Shkspr1048, has two theories on how XVmon digivolves into Paildramon on his own. The first theory is that it was Davis' will that forced the evolution, which makes sense considering his crystal Digimon is "The Strength of Will."
The second theory has to do with the fact that Davis' crests of courage and friendship combine their power to enable the digivolution. The power of two crests compensated for the lack of Stingmon, so XVmon was able to digivolve.
I think these are pretty good theories. They're a lot better than my explanation. My answer is that I didn't know about DNA digivolving at the time, so I just decided to change the rules. When I found out about DNA digivolving, I decided that I'd come too far to go back and change everything, so I'd just stick to what I came up with for the alternate timeline. It's a lousy answer, but that's the truth.
ArcaDemon comes from the Digimon manga (Japanese comic book) "V-Tamers," which stars Tai and the Veedramon Zero. However, my ArcaDemon will look very different from the comic book version of ArcaDemon, who is very insect-like. Please don't be surprised if there's a discrepancy.
That's it for now. I'll try and get the next chapter out soon. In the meantime, I'd appreciate any and all reviews.