Author's Notes: Here we go with the second last chapter of the book. I'm so excited!! I never thought that I would be able to finish the first book!! Lots of stuff to cram in here before the big finale! By the time this gets out, I'll already be freaking out about university next year. Anyways, I'm pretty sure the Digimon Sekai is at www.megchan.com/digimon and that is where you'll find the link to the Digimon card photo index.
Disclaimers: Digimon belongs to Fox, Saban, Toei Animation and whoever else owns it.
Beyond The Other Side - V 4.9
"Man...you've grown so much, Ken. The last time I saw you, your hair was a lot shorter!!" The next thing Ryo knew, Ken's hands were clutching his shoulders. "Ryo?!? Is that really you?!? How did you get here?!? I have so many questions...what do you know about me? How did you beat Millenniumon in the first place? Can you help us stop him?"
The legendary tamer gave a fond smile. "Ken, slow down!! If we can find a gateway back to where you came from then maybe we can make a difference in your battle." Their conversation was interrupted when Cyberdramon leaned in close to Ken, as if examining him. He gave a growl. "I don't believe this...Millenniumon has been able to digivolve into Lunarmillenniumon."
"What? How do you know this, Cyberdramon? Can you be sure?" The ultimate Digimon turned to his partner before giving a small snarl. "I'm sure of it!! When you fuse with Millenniumon, then you can determine whether or not he has digivolved! I can sense that aura...it's all over Ken. We've also got another problem. Do you remember where the spore struck Ken?" Ryo turned the other boy around to take a look and stiffened when he saw the mark.
"Yeah...Lunarmillenniumon did something to me. The back of my neck felt like it was on fire or something." The other boy did not answer due to his mind being filled with a horrifying possibility. 'The amount of dark energy created by Ken increased over the years and powered up the spore. From these markings, it was at the point where the energy that the spore had collected could be used to allow Lunarmillenniumon to transform to his final form...Zeedmillenniumon.'
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It used to be so simple...just me in some big red void and Guilmon. But now, everything's all jumbled." Takato looked around for some sort of sign but had no luck. His essence has taken the form of a knight with white armour and a red tunic, covering the front and back parts of the vertical midsection (AN: What I mean is the part between the arms and legs. Also, it may be easier if you think about the knights in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie). The hazard sign was in white on the red tunic.
"That's because I'm here as well." The boy froze as he heard a chilling voice. Much like his own but dark and dangerous. 'That sounds almost like-' He didn't have time to finish the thought as he became the recipient of a powerful blow. When he looked up again, he saw an unconscious Guilmon behind some sort of force field...and himself.
His other self had the same features except his armour was black and his tunic was blue. "What's going on?!?" demanded the boy. Dark Takato gave a sadistic grin. "Don't you get it? Lunarmillenniumon placed us here to settle this out. Whoever emerges from this will be the one who gets Guilmon's power. I would say by the digital data and power merging along with the two halves of the essence...his power has probably tripled. Quadrupled even. It's just one big jackpot prize!"
Takato quickly got up. "Don't you dare talk about Guilmon like he's a prize to be won!! He's my best friend and I won't let you corrupt him!!" His doppelganger just snorted. "Don't give me all of this crap. He's just a way to gain power. That's what being a tamer really is. Once you become a tamer, the world is right there, ready to be plucked. All you gotta do is reach out. Don't be a fool. Submit to the darkness and unleash chaos upon the world!!" Takato started to charge towards his dark half. "Never!!!!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Dammit...of all the times you have to blitz out on us. You have a real lousy sense of timing, gogglehead," muttered Sakuyamon as she kept her eye out for enemies. Megagargomon and the others were trying to figure out a way to halt the countdown to doomsday initiated by Lunarmillenniumon. Anf if that wasn't hard enough, try doing that while battling an army.
"We've got to find a way to get Ken out of wherever he went!!" Imperialdramon dodged another attack before firing again. Shakkoumon deflected another attack. "Unfortunately, his rescue will have to take a back seat on our agenda! Our top priority is stopping Lunarmillenniumon...which is nearly impossible."
The other Digimon attacked another one of the creatures viciously. "Easy for you to say!! Your partners aren't trapped in another dimension!!!" Before Shakkoumon could make a reply, he noticed a red object flying towards their position. "What in the digital world is that?" As it came closer, it fired a strange blue beam that seemed to destroy several units of Lunarmillenniumon's army.
"What's this? A new toy? It looks like that it was created by the humans to stop me...very interesting." As soon as the object got close, the dark God activated his telekinetic field. "How rude...it vaporized a part of my army just like that!! This is obviously no ordinary piece of machinery."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So far, so good. We're getting readings and pictures of all the Digimon involved in the battle. This could be useful in the future...no way!! Sir, we got a problem! Grani has been immobilized!! I can't get any response from it!!!" Yamaki came up from behind. "Is it still possible to detonate the unit?"
Matohiro kept typing as he performed a quick diagnostic. "Some sort of external force is stopping Grani. Everything else seems to be fine. The force that's holding Grani doesn't seem to be affected by the weapons." Yamaki punched in his authorization code for detonation. "One way or another, this ends now!!!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another problem? Geez...the list keeps growing and growing," grumbled Baihumon. Ebonwumon gave the other holy beast a glare. "This is serious, Baihumon. Millenniumon has evolved to the form where he can cross quantum planes. After he has destroyed all of our realms, he'll go to another quantum plane to destroy it. He has to be stopped now before other innocent beings die from his destructive rampage."
"How can we stop him? The only person that could have had a chance of stopping him is trapped in the Dark Ocean. Even if he did make it out and confronted Millenniumon, there's no guarantee that he could do anything," stated Zhuqiaomon. Azulongmon began to speak. "Still, we have to get him out of the Dark Ocean. At least that way, there's some hope."
The vaccine mega Digimon decided that this was the time to discuss the other possibility. "Now with Millenniumon in his new form, opening a gateway to the Dark Ocean has gotten a lot harder. Normally, a select few chosen children can open a gateway to the Dark Ocean by tapping into their negative energy but that has become too risky for them. The only other option is for us to open a gateway by combining all of our strengths together. It would be powerful enough for Ryo's Digivice to detect. However, we can only hold the gate open for a few minutes. After that, we will have to retreat to our own realms to regenerate."
Azulongmon was about to protest but Ebonwumon cut him off. "Yes, I know that this will mean leaving your chosen in Zhuqiaomon's realm and allowing the Undead Lord to rise again but this is a desperate time. There are other Digidestined children in your realm that will be able to hold him off, perhaps even defeat him. Plus, you still have six of the special chosen children in Japan." The dragon gave a small sigh. "I sincerely hope that will be enough."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What must I do to get you to see the truth? Man, you are one seriously messed up kid. So optimistic...having lots of faith in every single damn thing and all." Dark Takato tossed his twin for a strong shoulder throw. The other boy landed on his back. "Why are you so obsessed about getting me to see your point of view? It's because you want Gallantmon out of the picture and Shadowgallantmon taking control permanently!!"
"I'm just trying to give you a new sense of perception about the world and life itself. What I want is irrelevant." Takato got up before speaking. "Irrelevant, my butt. This whole situation is revolving around what you want. And the point is that you want everything to be-" He was cut off as a wave of dizziness hit him hard.
"What is going on out there? Am I getting pounded by those wacky creatures in Lunarmillenniumon's army?" Dark Takato was also feeling the effects of the dizziness. "You're asking me?!? How the hell am I supposed to know? But I think it's safe to assume that in a few moments, Lunarmillenniumon is going to vaporize the world into space dust or something. And there's nothing that can be done to stop him."
"Don't talk like that!! He may be a dark God but he's still a Digimon and each Digimon has some sort of weakness! I just have to figure out what it is!!" Takato tried to think but his head was still spinning from the effects of the mysterious shockwave. "Well, if you are going to do something then you need to be back in reality. If you allow me to take control, then I should be able to give you a plan that you would never have thought of considering," stated Dark Takato.
The other boy gave a laugh. "I may not be the sharpest guy around but I'm smart enough to keep you from winning!! I won't let you drag me down into a world where ethics and morals have no home!!" Dark Takato crossed his arms. "Fine then. We'll both die right here...and then Kai, mom, dad, Guilmon, Rika, Jerri...the whole gang...and let's not forget billions of people around the world and billions of Digimon in the digital world!" (AN: I think the song "Drag You Down" by Finger Eleven would suit this little scene)
Takato froze as he heard the words come out from his dark doppleganger's mouth. Dark Takato continued to speak. "You know this is why being a hero really sucks. Heroes are always placed in paradoxal situations like this. Suppose we have a half decent villain who gives you a choice of which hostage to save...do you save someone you care about or do you save twenty people you don't know? Whatever choice the hero makes, there will be consequences and repercussions. That's opportunity cost, the cost of taking one action over another."
He paused for a moment. "Let's talk about your current predicament. As a holy knight, you stand to fight against the forces of darkness until you die. At the same time, you have taken an oath to preserve life on earth and the digital world. Right now, those two rules are contradicting each other. If you continue to fight me, then the whole world is doomed. If you decide to save the world along with your loved ones, you must surrender to me. The choice is yours but I would suggest that you surrender. Saving the world is a higher priority than being true to yourself."
Takato started speaking again. "The fact is that you represent a part of me that I was afraid to face. You came alive when Arukenimon used that control spire to create the dark creature from the back of my head. I didn't want to accept you because I was afraid that I would turn out to be like you. But now I realize that the choices that I make determines the type of person I will become. And now my choice is this...I'm not going to keep fighting. But rather than submitting to you, I embrace you as part of me." His dark counterpart raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"
"I know that thinking like a holy knight can only get me so far in battles. Sometimes, one must be deceitful, sneaky, cunning and willing to do what it takes to win. That's what I've been missing...a balance between personal ethics and chaotic tendencies. One day, I will have to solely rely on you to win a battle." Dark Takato stayed silent. Takato gave a shrug. "But not today, I'm afraid. In fact...we really should be getting back to reality."
As the boy spoke those words, his dark counterpart started floating towards him. He was trying to get free but something bound him together. "You're going to have to realize the fact that you can never dominate me unless I allow it. And that's never going to happen. This is my domain and in here, what I say goes!!" Dark Takato vanished into thin air and the red tunic on Takato changed from red to blue.
He was about to walk over to Guilmon when he heard the voice of his dark counterpart. "So you've accepted the fact that you can't get rid of me. Eventually, you will be worn down by constant fighting, both physically and emotionally. Your thoughts of despair will invigorate me...and I will rise again. Mark my words. The voices of darkness shall never be silenced..."
Takato gently started to shake Guilmon. The rookie Digimon got up groggily. "What's going on, Takatomon? I feel a bit funny." The boy narrowed his eyes. "It must have been that weird thing that caused my headache. We'll have to find out when we get back. You up to it?" Guilmon nodded enthusiastically.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Silphymon, talk to me!! Just what happened out there?!?" Right in front of Yolei's eyes, the ultimate Digimon appeared to be fading in and out. "It was weird...one minute, we were all fighting those agents. Then they freeze up and disappear. A split second later, I feel like my insides are tearing me apart!"
"The same thing must be happening to me too...this all started when I saw that red object come out of the sky. I think it short circuited and sent out some big pulse to disrupt our digital patterns," murmured Shakkoumon. TK took out his D terminal. "It's probably disrupting our D terminals too. I can't get this to work!"
"What about Imperialdramon, Omnimon and the tamers? How did this pulse affect them? Did Lunarmillenniumon get affected too?" asked Kari. Davis took a look at the gigantic figure before them. "I can't tell but it seems like the guy's still ready to blow up the world!! This majorly bites!!!"
Cody saw their two allies preparing for another attack. "Imperialdramon and Omnimon don't seem to be suffering any of the symptoms that Silphymon and Shakkoumon are experiencing. Or at least it doesn't look like it...perhaps the symptoms are less severe in their case since they're mega Digimon. I'm not sure about Henry, Rika and Takato though but they should be fine now that they're mega Digimon as well." Yolei gave a small gasp when she looked up. "Actually, you should scratch that statement about Rika being fine...Lunarmillenniumon has got her!!" Hovering in front of the dark God was a small yellow and black figure.
A wave of bitterness swept over Henry. "I should have fought harder to stop the enemy skirmish!! If it wasn't...she didn't have to help us!! Thanks to me, she was positioned in a way that the pulse would send her flying straight into Lunarmillenniumon's clutches! I could have stopped them myself so that she wouldn't have to enter the battle!!" Terriermon gave a groan. "Speak for yourself...they were pounding us like crazy..."
Omnimon flew up towards the dark God. "Release her at once, you fiend!!!" At this moment, if Lunarmillenniumon had visible eyebrows, they would probably be twitching with pure disgust. "That has got to be one of the lamest heroic lines I've ever heard...even for a holy knight. It's just as corny as 'you won't get away with this!' Good grief...Death Crystal!!" He fired his attack which hit the holy knight square in the chest. The momentum sent him plowing straight into Imperialdramon before the both of them crashed to the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hey...Ryo? Are you in there? What's wrong?" Ken waved quickly in front of the other boy's face. The legendary tamer blinked. "Sorry...I was just thinking of the time when you pushed me down to prevent the Dark Spore from infecting me. You got infected instead...I wish I could have done something to help you through your recovery, Ken. I should have been there to guide you out of the darkness when you became the Digimon Emperor!!"
"There are better things to do than listen to you berate yourself, Ryo!!" snapped Cyberdramon. Before the ultimate vaccine Digimon could continue, a flash of light erupted several metres behind them. It was blinking in and out as a vortex started to form. Ken had to shield his eyes. "What is that?"
Ryo narrowed his blue eyes. "It looks like a dimensional portal or something! Judging by the way it's fluctuating, I would assume that one person can cross through safely!! Any more and they'll be trapped in dimensional limbo...I think." Cyberdramon straightened himself. "The portal leads straight to the battle!! I can sense Lunarmillenniumon's power!!"
A look of hope made its way to Ken's face. "Now's your opportunity to make a difference in the battle, Ryo!!" The other boy looked at his old companion. "I don't think that-" Before he could complete his sentence, Ken was right behind him. "There's no time!! Get going!!" He gave a mighty shove, forcing the legendary tamer towards the portal.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"You have always been a dominating character throughout your entire life. Isn't this ironic that you no longer possess that feeling of dominance? Must be scary...knowing that you have to submit to a far superior being. Oh, well. That fear will soon be removed when this world is destroyed in about two minutes." Sakuyamon chose to remain silent in front of the dark God.
"Mega Barrage!!" Several green missiles flew past Sakuyamon to hit Lunarmillenniumon. "Oh, please." Megagargomon soon found himself ensnared by Lunarmillenniumon's telekinetic field. The dark God simply tossed him aside somewhere else. "Your struggle is pointless. You can't stop me."
Down below, Gallantmon had awakened with his internal conflict resolved for the moment. He shook off his headache before checking out the battle scene. All of the creatures in Lunarmillenniumon's army had vanished without a trace. 'At least that's one less thing to worry about.'
That thought of relief quickly vanished when he saw Sakuyamon trapped in Lunarmillenniumon's telekinetic field. 'Rika!! I gotta help her!!' Before he could go rushing in, he paused for a moment. 'But rushing in head first won't help. I need some sort of a sneaky plan...wait a second! I don't usually use sneaky plans!! Must be that dark side or something. But sneaky plans are useless when it comes to dealing with Gods!!'
A loud mechanical noise interrupted his thoughts. It appeared to be originating sixty metres away. Gallantmon quickly moved to the source of the sound and found a red object shaped like a dragon. Smoke and sparks were coming out of it. The machine made several more mechanical noises (AN: like that smart bomb in Voyager) that would be nothing but random noise to normal people but the holy knight could feel its plea for help.
"Who are you? What are you?" Time seemed to slow down for Gallantmon as he listened to the story told by the machine before him. "I am called Grani. I originally came from the digital world and emerged here to be used as a weapon to stop the chaos that is occurring now. They placed an electromagnetic pulse to trigger when my self detonation sequence is activated. However that was not enough to bring down the giant crystal entity. My sacrifice was for nothing. Help me, please. I do not wish for my existence to end like this."
The holy knight wasn't sure of what to do. There were many questions that had to be answered concerning this being from the digital world. Is this even a Digimon? "Takatomon!! We have to help Grani!" The boy gave a sympathetic look. "I wish I could help. But I don't know what to do."
"You have to believe you can do this, Takatomon. We have all sorts of weird powers,.from Shadowgallantmon to the crazy powers of that scary demon we carry. Maybe there's another power that we can use to save Grani," stated Guilmon. Takato gave a small sigh. "Well, since I'm a holy knight and all, maybe I got super heavenly powers or something. Hopefully Grani can help us in our fight. Here goes nothing..."
Gallantmon morphed his lance into a hand before placing it on the red machine. At first, nothing happened. Then a surge of energy went straight through the holy knight to the red machine. The electronic damage seemed to repair itself as Grani could feel itself being reborn. As soon as the light show was over, the machine felt renewed beyond belief. Gallantmon slowly backed away. "I think that did the trick. Rise again and...um...ah, nuts. I was never good at this type of heroic line stuff," grumbled the holy knight.
Grani made more noises that translated into speech when Gallantmon heard it. "I am in your debt. In return for giving me another chance, I offer you my services. I have been armed with several weapons.In addition, I can also enhance the abilities of one Digimon by acting as their steed. My original programmers did not know about this as it was inadvertently programmed into my systems." Takato approached the machine again. "So you can make me stronger?"
"There is little time. We must rejoin the battle...if it is still going on." Gallantmon nodded as he hopped on the red glider. As soon as he did, it started to lift off into the air. Gallantmon could feel the changes flowing through him. The machine's database was completely open so he could examine the changes for himself. 'Grani wasn't kidding about weaponry. He has the Yuggoth Blaster and something called the Dragon Driver. Those two attacks are becoming twice as powerful than my own because of our shared connection! The amount of aerial maneuverability and speed is at least-' "WHOA!!!" He never got a chance to finish his thought as Grani took off like a bullet.
"Next time you could have warned me!! Now let's go save Sakuyamon and rejoin the others!" Gallantmon lost the feeling of riding the glider. He felt like he was the machine doing the actual flying. "Let's see if we can make a difference. Arm Yuggoth Blaster and fire at Lunarmillenniumon!!"
Lunarmillenniumon had been too preoccupied with probing Sakuyamon that he didn't even notice the attack coming. Although there wasn't any damage, the attack disrupted his telekinetic field, releasing Sakuyamon. The next thing either of them knew, Gallantmon had swooped in, scooped Sakuyamon into his arms and blasted off. The dark God attempted to use his field but had no luck thanks to the attack.
"Are you alright?" The way he looked at her with concern in those lovable golden eyes of his made her feel like hugging him to death. Normally, she would have been disgusted by playing the role of the damsel in distress who had to be rescued by a knight in shining armour. But considering that this is a guy who she loves plus the fact that in every person's life comes a moment when for a brief period, they are more than what they are...she didn't mind being saved this time. In fact, the way he would look now with his cape flapping in the wind and a powerful glider as his transportation...he would look magnificent. Sakuyamon quickly regained her composure before anwering his question. "Yeah...thanks for the save."
"No problem...I guess that's all that you're gonna say?" Sakuyamon gave her boyfriend a strange look. "What else would you want me to say? Don't tell me you want me to swoon and scream 'My Hero!!' at the top of my lungs! All you goggleheads are the same...your male egos won't be satisfied until you hit a major point with your girlfriend, isn't that right?" The holy knight started to sputter uncontrollably.
She hopped out of his arms but held on tight with the speed they were going at. "What about you? You were fighting Shadowgallantmon inside...but now you seem to be normal and you found a new weapon in the process." Gallantmon looked relieved that the subject was changed. "I'll have to explain later. We should regroup with the others and go in for one last ditch effort against Lunarmillenniumon."
They heard a loud groan and saw Megagargomon with a dizzy look in his eyes. Gallantmon quickly directed Grani to fly in that direction. "Hey...how are you holding up?" The vaccine Digimon shook his head to wave off the dizziness. "After being tossed around by a God for the last little bit...Takato, Rika! How...? Never mind, I'm just glad you're alright!"
The trio approached the Digidestined but didn't get much of a reponse as they were too preoccupied. Before Sakuyamon could demand what was going on, they saw it for themselves. Omnimon was being encased in crystal as a result of the Death Crystal attack. His sword was lying a few metres away. Imperialdramon was trying to crack the crystal and free his comrade but his blows were having no effect.
"Omnimon, you've got to pull through! If you die, we're finished!!" The formation had reached the holy knight's neck. "Wrong. We're only finished if we believe it. As long as there are those who would stand and fight against monstrosities forged by the powers of darkness, there is always hope. Even with the odds against us-"
He was cut off as the crystal covered his head. A moment later, the formation disappeared, leaving only remnants of his data. "H-he's gone..." whispered Kari in a choked tone. The data started to go towards the fallen sword. "He may be gone but he will not be forgotten. I won't allow his sacrifice to go in vain!!" Imperialdramon grabbed the glowing Omega Sword before raising it high.
"Imperialdramon mode-changed to..." His black armour was replaced by a white colour. Three golden toes formed on the end of each foot. A white helmet with golden spikes at the top formed while white shoulder pads with more golden spikes appeared. The wings on his back changed to a grey colour. The blue skin on his arms and tail still remained. In fact, the Digimon did not change shape by much. He looked similar to his fighter mode appearance (except for colour of course) but there was an aura radiating, that similar to a holy knight. "...Paladin Mode!!!"
"That's Imperialdramon's most powerful form," stated Sakuyamon with awe in her voice. Megagargomon chose to remain silent. Gallantmon narrowed his golden eyes. "He's strong...I can feel it. I just hope that he can tip the battle in our favour." They watched as the Omega Sword changed shape as a result of the new user.
'How nice...they've all gathered in one spot so I can finish them off rather easily...' Lunarmillenniumon gathered some extra strength and began to channel his attack. "Death Crystal!!!" Soon several energy attacks were flying towards the group. Megagargomon's sensors beeped loudly. He quickly turned around and saw the attacks coming towards them with great speed. "Incoming!!!"
FINALLY!!! I knew this was going to be long but...whew! A combination of writer's block, FanFiction.Net being down and laziness is why I took longer than usual getting chapter 39 out. The next one's the big finale!! Until next time!!
Disclaimers: Digimon belongs to Fox, Saban, Toei Animation and whoever else owns it.
Beyond The Other Side - V 4.9
"Man...you've grown so much, Ken. The last time I saw you, your hair was a lot shorter!!" The next thing Ryo knew, Ken's hands were clutching his shoulders. "Ryo?!? Is that really you?!? How did you get here?!? I have so many questions...what do you know about me? How did you beat Millenniumon in the first place? Can you help us stop him?"
The legendary tamer gave a fond smile. "Ken, slow down!! If we can find a gateway back to where you came from then maybe we can make a difference in your battle." Their conversation was interrupted when Cyberdramon leaned in close to Ken, as if examining him. He gave a growl. "I don't believe this...Millenniumon has been able to digivolve into Lunarmillenniumon."
"What? How do you know this, Cyberdramon? Can you be sure?" The ultimate Digimon turned to his partner before giving a small snarl. "I'm sure of it!! When you fuse with Millenniumon, then you can determine whether or not he has digivolved! I can sense that aura...it's all over Ken. We've also got another problem. Do you remember where the spore struck Ken?" Ryo turned the other boy around to take a look and stiffened when he saw the mark.
"Yeah...Lunarmillenniumon did something to me. The back of my neck felt like it was on fire or something." The other boy did not answer due to his mind being filled with a horrifying possibility. 'The amount of dark energy created by Ken increased over the years and powered up the spore. From these markings, it was at the point where the energy that the spore had collected could be used to allow Lunarmillenniumon to transform to his final form...Zeedmillenniumon.'
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It used to be so simple...just me in some big red void and Guilmon. But now, everything's all jumbled." Takato looked around for some sort of sign but had no luck. His essence has taken the form of a knight with white armour and a red tunic, covering the front and back parts of the vertical midsection (AN: What I mean is the part between the arms and legs. Also, it may be easier if you think about the knights in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie). The hazard sign was in white on the red tunic.
"That's because I'm here as well." The boy froze as he heard a chilling voice. Much like his own but dark and dangerous. 'That sounds almost like-' He didn't have time to finish the thought as he became the recipient of a powerful blow. When he looked up again, he saw an unconscious Guilmon behind some sort of force field...and himself.
His other self had the same features except his armour was black and his tunic was blue. "What's going on?!?" demanded the boy. Dark Takato gave a sadistic grin. "Don't you get it? Lunarmillenniumon placed us here to settle this out. Whoever emerges from this will be the one who gets Guilmon's power. I would say by the digital data and power merging along with the two halves of the essence...his power has probably tripled. Quadrupled even. It's just one big jackpot prize!"
Takato quickly got up. "Don't you dare talk about Guilmon like he's a prize to be won!! He's my best friend and I won't let you corrupt him!!" His doppelganger just snorted. "Don't give me all of this crap. He's just a way to gain power. That's what being a tamer really is. Once you become a tamer, the world is right there, ready to be plucked. All you gotta do is reach out. Don't be a fool. Submit to the darkness and unleash chaos upon the world!!" Takato started to charge towards his dark half. "Never!!!!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Dammit...of all the times you have to blitz out on us. You have a real lousy sense of timing, gogglehead," muttered Sakuyamon as she kept her eye out for enemies. Megagargomon and the others were trying to figure out a way to halt the countdown to doomsday initiated by Lunarmillenniumon. Anf if that wasn't hard enough, try doing that while battling an army.
"We've got to find a way to get Ken out of wherever he went!!" Imperialdramon dodged another attack before firing again. Shakkoumon deflected another attack. "Unfortunately, his rescue will have to take a back seat on our agenda! Our top priority is stopping Lunarmillenniumon...which is nearly impossible."
The other Digimon attacked another one of the creatures viciously. "Easy for you to say!! Your partners aren't trapped in another dimension!!!" Before Shakkoumon could make a reply, he noticed a red object flying towards their position. "What in the digital world is that?" As it came closer, it fired a strange blue beam that seemed to destroy several units of Lunarmillenniumon's army.
"What's this? A new toy? It looks like that it was created by the humans to stop me...very interesting." As soon as the object got close, the dark God activated his telekinetic field. "How rude...it vaporized a part of my army just like that!! This is obviously no ordinary piece of machinery."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So far, so good. We're getting readings and pictures of all the Digimon involved in the battle. This could be useful in the future...no way!! Sir, we got a problem! Grani has been immobilized!! I can't get any response from it!!!" Yamaki came up from behind. "Is it still possible to detonate the unit?"
Matohiro kept typing as he performed a quick diagnostic. "Some sort of external force is stopping Grani. Everything else seems to be fine. The force that's holding Grani doesn't seem to be affected by the weapons." Yamaki punched in his authorization code for detonation. "One way or another, this ends now!!!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another problem? Geez...the list keeps growing and growing," grumbled Baihumon. Ebonwumon gave the other holy beast a glare. "This is serious, Baihumon. Millenniumon has evolved to the form where he can cross quantum planes. After he has destroyed all of our realms, he'll go to another quantum plane to destroy it. He has to be stopped now before other innocent beings die from his destructive rampage."
"How can we stop him? The only person that could have had a chance of stopping him is trapped in the Dark Ocean. Even if he did make it out and confronted Millenniumon, there's no guarantee that he could do anything," stated Zhuqiaomon. Azulongmon began to speak. "Still, we have to get him out of the Dark Ocean. At least that way, there's some hope."
The vaccine mega Digimon decided that this was the time to discuss the other possibility. "Now with Millenniumon in his new form, opening a gateway to the Dark Ocean has gotten a lot harder. Normally, a select few chosen children can open a gateway to the Dark Ocean by tapping into their negative energy but that has become too risky for them. The only other option is for us to open a gateway by combining all of our strengths together. It would be powerful enough for Ryo's Digivice to detect. However, we can only hold the gate open for a few minutes. After that, we will have to retreat to our own realms to regenerate."
Azulongmon was about to protest but Ebonwumon cut him off. "Yes, I know that this will mean leaving your chosen in Zhuqiaomon's realm and allowing the Undead Lord to rise again but this is a desperate time. There are other Digidestined children in your realm that will be able to hold him off, perhaps even defeat him. Plus, you still have six of the special chosen children in Japan." The dragon gave a small sigh. "I sincerely hope that will be enough."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What must I do to get you to see the truth? Man, you are one seriously messed up kid. So optimistic...having lots of faith in every single damn thing and all." Dark Takato tossed his twin for a strong shoulder throw. The other boy landed on his back. "Why are you so obsessed about getting me to see your point of view? It's because you want Gallantmon out of the picture and Shadowgallantmon taking control permanently!!"
"I'm just trying to give you a new sense of perception about the world and life itself. What I want is irrelevant." Takato got up before speaking. "Irrelevant, my butt. This whole situation is revolving around what you want. And the point is that you want everything to be-" He was cut off as a wave of dizziness hit him hard.
"What is going on out there? Am I getting pounded by those wacky creatures in Lunarmillenniumon's army?" Dark Takato was also feeling the effects of the dizziness. "You're asking me?!? How the hell am I supposed to know? But I think it's safe to assume that in a few moments, Lunarmillenniumon is going to vaporize the world into space dust or something. And there's nothing that can be done to stop him."
"Don't talk like that!! He may be a dark God but he's still a Digimon and each Digimon has some sort of weakness! I just have to figure out what it is!!" Takato tried to think but his head was still spinning from the effects of the mysterious shockwave. "Well, if you are going to do something then you need to be back in reality. If you allow me to take control, then I should be able to give you a plan that you would never have thought of considering," stated Dark Takato.
The other boy gave a laugh. "I may not be the sharpest guy around but I'm smart enough to keep you from winning!! I won't let you drag me down into a world where ethics and morals have no home!!" Dark Takato crossed his arms. "Fine then. We'll both die right here...and then Kai, mom, dad, Guilmon, Rika, Jerri...the whole gang...and let's not forget billions of people around the world and billions of Digimon in the digital world!" (AN: I think the song "Drag You Down" by Finger Eleven would suit this little scene)
Takato froze as he heard the words come out from his dark doppleganger's mouth. Dark Takato continued to speak. "You know this is why being a hero really sucks. Heroes are always placed in paradoxal situations like this. Suppose we have a half decent villain who gives you a choice of which hostage to save...do you save someone you care about or do you save twenty people you don't know? Whatever choice the hero makes, there will be consequences and repercussions. That's opportunity cost, the cost of taking one action over another."
He paused for a moment. "Let's talk about your current predicament. As a holy knight, you stand to fight against the forces of darkness until you die. At the same time, you have taken an oath to preserve life on earth and the digital world. Right now, those two rules are contradicting each other. If you continue to fight me, then the whole world is doomed. If you decide to save the world along with your loved ones, you must surrender to me. The choice is yours but I would suggest that you surrender. Saving the world is a higher priority than being true to yourself."
Takato started speaking again. "The fact is that you represent a part of me that I was afraid to face. You came alive when Arukenimon used that control spire to create the dark creature from the back of my head. I didn't want to accept you because I was afraid that I would turn out to be like you. But now I realize that the choices that I make determines the type of person I will become. And now my choice is this...I'm not going to keep fighting. But rather than submitting to you, I embrace you as part of me." His dark counterpart raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"
"I know that thinking like a holy knight can only get me so far in battles. Sometimes, one must be deceitful, sneaky, cunning and willing to do what it takes to win. That's what I've been missing...a balance between personal ethics and chaotic tendencies. One day, I will have to solely rely on you to win a battle." Dark Takato stayed silent. Takato gave a shrug. "But not today, I'm afraid. In fact...we really should be getting back to reality."
As the boy spoke those words, his dark counterpart started floating towards him. He was trying to get free but something bound him together. "You're going to have to realize the fact that you can never dominate me unless I allow it. And that's never going to happen. This is my domain and in here, what I say goes!!" Dark Takato vanished into thin air and the red tunic on Takato changed from red to blue.
He was about to walk over to Guilmon when he heard the voice of his dark counterpart. "So you've accepted the fact that you can't get rid of me. Eventually, you will be worn down by constant fighting, both physically and emotionally. Your thoughts of despair will invigorate me...and I will rise again. Mark my words. The voices of darkness shall never be silenced..."
Takato gently started to shake Guilmon. The rookie Digimon got up groggily. "What's going on, Takatomon? I feel a bit funny." The boy narrowed his eyes. "It must have been that weird thing that caused my headache. We'll have to find out when we get back. You up to it?" Guilmon nodded enthusiastically.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Silphymon, talk to me!! Just what happened out there?!?" Right in front of Yolei's eyes, the ultimate Digimon appeared to be fading in and out. "It was weird...one minute, we were all fighting those agents. Then they freeze up and disappear. A split second later, I feel like my insides are tearing me apart!"
"The same thing must be happening to me too...this all started when I saw that red object come out of the sky. I think it short circuited and sent out some big pulse to disrupt our digital patterns," murmured Shakkoumon. TK took out his D terminal. "It's probably disrupting our D terminals too. I can't get this to work!"
"What about Imperialdramon, Omnimon and the tamers? How did this pulse affect them? Did Lunarmillenniumon get affected too?" asked Kari. Davis took a look at the gigantic figure before them. "I can't tell but it seems like the guy's still ready to blow up the world!! This majorly bites!!!"
Cody saw their two allies preparing for another attack. "Imperialdramon and Omnimon don't seem to be suffering any of the symptoms that Silphymon and Shakkoumon are experiencing. Or at least it doesn't look like it...perhaps the symptoms are less severe in their case since they're mega Digimon. I'm not sure about Henry, Rika and Takato though but they should be fine now that they're mega Digimon as well." Yolei gave a small gasp when she looked up. "Actually, you should scratch that statement about Rika being fine...Lunarmillenniumon has got her!!" Hovering in front of the dark God was a small yellow and black figure.
A wave of bitterness swept over Henry. "I should have fought harder to stop the enemy skirmish!! If it wasn't...she didn't have to help us!! Thanks to me, she was positioned in a way that the pulse would send her flying straight into Lunarmillenniumon's clutches! I could have stopped them myself so that she wouldn't have to enter the battle!!" Terriermon gave a groan. "Speak for yourself...they were pounding us like crazy..."
Omnimon flew up towards the dark God. "Release her at once, you fiend!!!" At this moment, if Lunarmillenniumon had visible eyebrows, they would probably be twitching with pure disgust. "That has got to be one of the lamest heroic lines I've ever heard...even for a holy knight. It's just as corny as 'you won't get away with this!' Good grief...Death Crystal!!" He fired his attack which hit the holy knight square in the chest. The momentum sent him plowing straight into Imperialdramon before the both of them crashed to the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hey...Ryo? Are you in there? What's wrong?" Ken waved quickly in front of the other boy's face. The legendary tamer blinked. "Sorry...I was just thinking of the time when you pushed me down to prevent the Dark Spore from infecting me. You got infected instead...I wish I could have done something to help you through your recovery, Ken. I should have been there to guide you out of the darkness when you became the Digimon Emperor!!"
"There are better things to do than listen to you berate yourself, Ryo!!" snapped Cyberdramon. Before the ultimate vaccine Digimon could continue, a flash of light erupted several metres behind them. It was blinking in and out as a vortex started to form. Ken had to shield his eyes. "What is that?"
Ryo narrowed his blue eyes. "It looks like a dimensional portal or something! Judging by the way it's fluctuating, I would assume that one person can cross through safely!! Any more and they'll be trapped in dimensional limbo...I think." Cyberdramon straightened himself. "The portal leads straight to the battle!! I can sense Lunarmillenniumon's power!!"
A look of hope made its way to Ken's face. "Now's your opportunity to make a difference in the battle, Ryo!!" The other boy looked at his old companion. "I don't think that-" Before he could complete his sentence, Ken was right behind him. "There's no time!! Get going!!" He gave a mighty shove, forcing the legendary tamer towards the portal.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"You have always been a dominating character throughout your entire life. Isn't this ironic that you no longer possess that feeling of dominance? Must be scary...knowing that you have to submit to a far superior being. Oh, well. That fear will soon be removed when this world is destroyed in about two minutes." Sakuyamon chose to remain silent in front of the dark God.
"Mega Barrage!!" Several green missiles flew past Sakuyamon to hit Lunarmillenniumon. "Oh, please." Megagargomon soon found himself ensnared by Lunarmillenniumon's telekinetic field. The dark God simply tossed him aside somewhere else. "Your struggle is pointless. You can't stop me."
Down below, Gallantmon had awakened with his internal conflict resolved for the moment. He shook off his headache before checking out the battle scene. All of the creatures in Lunarmillenniumon's army had vanished without a trace. 'At least that's one less thing to worry about.'
That thought of relief quickly vanished when he saw Sakuyamon trapped in Lunarmillenniumon's telekinetic field. 'Rika!! I gotta help her!!' Before he could go rushing in, he paused for a moment. 'But rushing in head first won't help. I need some sort of a sneaky plan...wait a second! I don't usually use sneaky plans!! Must be that dark side or something. But sneaky plans are useless when it comes to dealing with Gods!!'
A loud mechanical noise interrupted his thoughts. It appeared to be originating sixty metres away. Gallantmon quickly moved to the source of the sound and found a red object shaped like a dragon. Smoke and sparks were coming out of it. The machine made several more mechanical noises (AN: like that smart bomb in Voyager) that would be nothing but random noise to normal people but the holy knight could feel its plea for help.
"Who are you? What are you?" Time seemed to slow down for Gallantmon as he listened to the story told by the machine before him. "I am called Grani. I originally came from the digital world and emerged here to be used as a weapon to stop the chaos that is occurring now. They placed an electromagnetic pulse to trigger when my self detonation sequence is activated. However that was not enough to bring down the giant crystal entity. My sacrifice was for nothing. Help me, please. I do not wish for my existence to end like this."
The holy knight wasn't sure of what to do. There were many questions that had to be answered concerning this being from the digital world. Is this even a Digimon? "Takatomon!! We have to help Grani!" The boy gave a sympathetic look. "I wish I could help. But I don't know what to do."
"You have to believe you can do this, Takatomon. We have all sorts of weird powers,.from Shadowgallantmon to the crazy powers of that scary demon we carry. Maybe there's another power that we can use to save Grani," stated Guilmon. Takato gave a small sigh. "Well, since I'm a holy knight and all, maybe I got super heavenly powers or something. Hopefully Grani can help us in our fight. Here goes nothing..."
Gallantmon morphed his lance into a hand before placing it on the red machine. At first, nothing happened. Then a surge of energy went straight through the holy knight to the red machine. The electronic damage seemed to repair itself as Grani could feel itself being reborn. As soon as the light show was over, the machine felt renewed beyond belief. Gallantmon slowly backed away. "I think that did the trick. Rise again and...um...ah, nuts. I was never good at this type of heroic line stuff," grumbled the holy knight.
Grani made more noises that translated into speech when Gallantmon heard it. "I am in your debt. In return for giving me another chance, I offer you my services. I have been armed with several weapons.In addition, I can also enhance the abilities of one Digimon by acting as their steed. My original programmers did not know about this as it was inadvertently programmed into my systems." Takato approached the machine again. "So you can make me stronger?"
"There is little time. We must rejoin the battle...if it is still going on." Gallantmon nodded as he hopped on the red glider. As soon as he did, it started to lift off into the air. Gallantmon could feel the changes flowing through him. The machine's database was completely open so he could examine the changes for himself. 'Grani wasn't kidding about weaponry. He has the Yuggoth Blaster and something called the Dragon Driver. Those two attacks are becoming twice as powerful than my own because of our shared connection! The amount of aerial maneuverability and speed is at least-' "WHOA!!!" He never got a chance to finish his thought as Grani took off like a bullet.
"Next time you could have warned me!! Now let's go save Sakuyamon and rejoin the others!" Gallantmon lost the feeling of riding the glider. He felt like he was the machine doing the actual flying. "Let's see if we can make a difference. Arm Yuggoth Blaster and fire at Lunarmillenniumon!!"
Lunarmillenniumon had been too preoccupied with probing Sakuyamon that he didn't even notice the attack coming. Although there wasn't any damage, the attack disrupted his telekinetic field, releasing Sakuyamon. The next thing either of them knew, Gallantmon had swooped in, scooped Sakuyamon into his arms and blasted off. The dark God attempted to use his field but had no luck thanks to the attack.
"Are you alright?" The way he looked at her with concern in those lovable golden eyes of his made her feel like hugging him to death. Normally, she would have been disgusted by playing the role of the damsel in distress who had to be rescued by a knight in shining armour. But considering that this is a guy who she loves plus the fact that in every person's life comes a moment when for a brief period, they are more than what they are...she didn't mind being saved this time. In fact, the way he would look now with his cape flapping in the wind and a powerful glider as his transportation...he would look magnificent. Sakuyamon quickly regained her composure before anwering his question. "Yeah...thanks for the save."
"No problem...I guess that's all that you're gonna say?" Sakuyamon gave her boyfriend a strange look. "What else would you want me to say? Don't tell me you want me to swoon and scream 'My Hero!!' at the top of my lungs! All you goggleheads are the same...your male egos won't be satisfied until you hit a major point with your girlfriend, isn't that right?" The holy knight started to sputter uncontrollably.
She hopped out of his arms but held on tight with the speed they were going at. "What about you? You were fighting Shadowgallantmon inside...but now you seem to be normal and you found a new weapon in the process." Gallantmon looked relieved that the subject was changed. "I'll have to explain later. We should regroup with the others and go in for one last ditch effort against Lunarmillenniumon."
They heard a loud groan and saw Megagargomon with a dizzy look in his eyes. Gallantmon quickly directed Grani to fly in that direction. "Hey...how are you holding up?" The vaccine Digimon shook his head to wave off the dizziness. "After being tossed around by a God for the last little bit...Takato, Rika! How...? Never mind, I'm just glad you're alright!"
The trio approached the Digidestined but didn't get much of a reponse as they were too preoccupied. Before Sakuyamon could demand what was going on, they saw it for themselves. Omnimon was being encased in crystal as a result of the Death Crystal attack. His sword was lying a few metres away. Imperialdramon was trying to crack the crystal and free his comrade but his blows were having no effect.
"Omnimon, you've got to pull through! If you die, we're finished!!" The formation had reached the holy knight's neck. "Wrong. We're only finished if we believe it. As long as there are those who would stand and fight against monstrosities forged by the powers of darkness, there is always hope. Even with the odds against us-"
He was cut off as the crystal covered his head. A moment later, the formation disappeared, leaving only remnants of his data. "H-he's gone..." whispered Kari in a choked tone. The data started to go towards the fallen sword. "He may be gone but he will not be forgotten. I won't allow his sacrifice to go in vain!!" Imperialdramon grabbed the glowing Omega Sword before raising it high.
"Imperialdramon mode-changed to..." His black armour was replaced by a white colour. Three golden toes formed on the end of each foot. A white helmet with golden spikes at the top formed while white shoulder pads with more golden spikes appeared. The wings on his back changed to a grey colour. The blue skin on his arms and tail still remained. In fact, the Digimon did not change shape by much. He looked similar to his fighter mode appearance (except for colour of course) but there was an aura radiating, that similar to a holy knight. "...Paladin Mode!!!"
"That's Imperialdramon's most powerful form," stated Sakuyamon with awe in her voice. Megagargomon chose to remain silent. Gallantmon narrowed his golden eyes. "He's strong...I can feel it. I just hope that he can tip the battle in our favour." They watched as the Omega Sword changed shape as a result of the new user.
'How nice...they've all gathered in one spot so I can finish them off rather easily...' Lunarmillenniumon gathered some extra strength and began to channel his attack. "Death Crystal!!!" Soon several energy attacks were flying towards the group. Megagargomon's sensors beeped loudly. He quickly turned around and saw the attacks coming towards them with great speed. "Incoming!!!"
FINALLY!!! I knew this was going to be long but...whew! A combination of writer's block, FanFiction.Net being down and laziness is why I took longer than usual getting chapter 39 out. The next one's the big finale!! Until next time!!
