Author's Note: I am terribly sorry for the long, long, long wait, but my computer had to be reformatted, and I still don't have Internet. So I'm using my dad's laptop, and he'll only let me do it for a little while. *sigh* My updates will be random, though I'll try to update every three to four weeks. Gomen, gomen…
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Chapter Sixteen
Return of the Devil
It was around twilight when the Tamers were two-thirds of the way up the mountainside. They were still walking steadily, but Mikara and Daiki were lagging behind.
"Guys, I think we should stop and rest," Riki told the others, stopping suddenly.
"Jessie, my paws hurt. We Digimon should rest and recuperate," Terriermon complained, adding to Riki's suggestion.
Jessie gave Terriermon a strange look. "You've been sitting on my shoulder all afternoon."
Terriermon stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine. Be that way."
"But the rabbit's correct," David said. "We're all fatigued. We can't refute that fact."
Lina pouted and looked to the peak of the volcano. "But we're almost there… I can sense it…"
Riku put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "Listen. If we rest now, we'll get to the top faster."
Everyone else nodded his or her agreement.
Lina paused for a moment, then started to say something. A sudden rumble stopped her, though, and caught everyone's attention.
"What was that?" Wormmon wondered, looking around.
"An earthquake?" Patamon suggested.
"A huge, lumbering Digimon?" Riley chimed in.
"An eruption about to take place…?" Nekomon and Mikara said slowly, fear evident in their eyes.
Josh clung to his sister's shirtsleeve. "I hope not…"
Compass started to walk off on a wide ledge. "There's a cave over there." She pointed to a slightly darker area on the mountainside. "At least, I hope it's a cave."
"What if it isn't?"
"Then we're all in big trouble," Gabumon answered.
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"Wow! Remarkable!"
The Tamers and their Digimon watched David walk excitedly around the small cave, examining the rock paintings on the walls. There were many types of Digimon drawn on the walls. Some were Vegetation-type hiding from predators. Some were aquatic Digimon swimming in lakes and streams. Some were Virus Digimon battling Vaccine Digimon. But the biggest and most spectacular rock drawing was of two beings—a devilish sort of creature with blood red horns and blood red wings and a blood red tunic, and a red Minotaur creature cloaked in black.
"These are remarkable specimens!" David said to no one in particular. "I never knew Digimon could exemplify such elaborate works of primordial art. Look—this is so realistic. I knew ancient cave people like the Cro-Magnons did rock art, but not Digimon! Wormmon, do you know of any primeval Digimon who could have done such works?"
Wormmon blinked his huge eyes at his Tamer. "Um… no?"
Jessie peered at the drawing of the devil and the Minotaur. "Where have I seen that before…?"
"You've seen that before?" Riley asked skeptically.
"Once. Terriermon and I were going through Jijimon's library and pulled out a big book. I was eight then… Terriermon was just a little Gummymon. We saw this picture of a rock painting and it had two Digimon on it. I think this was it."
Terriermon sniffed the rock wall. "Ew, smells horrible."
"Horrible? How?" Josh wondered.
"It smells like a Vegiemon."
Gabumon wrinkled his nose. "Ew, yuck!"
"I wonder why…"
But all conversation was interrupted when the mountain rumbled. Cracks flew across the rock walls and ceiling. Chunks of the cave started crumbling and falling to the floor.
"Everyone, out!" Lina ordered, gesturing to the cave mouth.
No one needed a second bidding. They scrambled out of the cave, terrified, alert, and wary. The cave suddenly collapsed, burying the rock drawings with it.
"What's… going on?" Mikara whispered.
"Something bad," Daiki told her.
Then, when the rumbling died down, the air was filled with a shrill laughter. "Ahah… hahahahah… HAHAHAHHH!!! YOU FOOLISH CHILDREN!"
Riki took a step back. "That voice!"
Jessie and Terriermon exchanged slightly confused looks for a moment. Terriermon then jumped down from his Tamer's shoulder, his ears standing on end. "What do you want?"
"REVENGE!"
LadyDevimon erupted from the heap of rocks. Three Devidramon joined her, screeching.
"Geez, they're huge!" Lina yelled in shock.
"No kidding!" Patamon squeaked, flattening his wing-ears.
LadyDevimon laughed again. "You foolish children! How dare you trespass on this mountain? Do you not realize this is mountain belongs to Satanmon and VileDevimon?"
"Yeah, we realize that!" Sytamon snarled. "That's why we're here!"
The devil lady sneered at her. "Insolent fool, thinking you can take down the Masters. You'll have to destroy us first!"
"Jessie…" Terriermon whispered.
"What?" the girl asked.
"Look… she's not wounded… not like last time."
It was true. LadyDevimon's wounds were healed. She was no longer injured. She was ready to fight again.
Lina looked to her older brother. "Let's win this fight."
David nodded. "Sure thing." He turned to face his enemy. "Ready when you are."
The brown-haired girl adjusted her goggles on her head, then pointed at LadyDevimon. "Sytamon, go get her!"
Sytamon led the army. She, Nekomon, and Morglormon charged a Devidramon. Wormmon and Vipomon attacked another Devidramon. The third Devidramon fought Patamon, Tetramon, and Gabumon. LadyDevimon faced Terriermon and Petalmon.
Terriermon leaped into the air. "Time to fight! Bunny Blast!"
"Energy Beam!"
"Blue Blaster!"
"Boom Bubble!"
"Eye Beam!"
"Sticky Net!"
"Prism Sun!"
"Fungus Crusher!"
"Tetra Blast!"
"Fireball!"
The Digimon's voices echoed throughout the darkened mountainside. The atmosphere was bright with fire, energy, and light as attacks flew through the air. But the Tamers' Digimon were weakening. They were mere Rookies, and they were tired.
"We better Armor digivolve them," Compass told Lina.
"Good idea." She pulled out her Digiegg, and the others followed suit. "Let's do—"
But before she could finish her sentence, black cables flew from LadyDevimon's hands and snatched the Digieggs. Flying high above her assailants, LadyDevimon crushed the Digieggs in her hands. She laughed, letting their pieces fall to the ground. And, in one swift movement, she knocked Patamon out of midair as he flew angrily at her.
Josh fell to his knees. "PATAMON!!!" He leaned over and clutched the pieces of his golden Digiegg.
"Oh, Josh…" Mikara knelt down beside her brother and tried to comfort him.
Tears were flowing down the boy's cheeks. "Mikara… she… that devil lady… she destroyed our Digieggs… she's so unfair!"
David picked up a piece of his Digiegg. It had the Crest of Knowledge on it. "Maybe… maybe…" He closed his eyes. "Maybe we don't require these. Maybe the real energy comes from within. Remember, Mikara, when Nekomon was being crushed by Antylamon?" Mikara nodded. "You misplaced your Digiegg… until you wished for it… and it became real."
Mikara's eyes widened. "You're right! The Digieggs only channeled the power! The real source was the heart!"
Riku watched as Petalmon was thrown against a huge boulder. She put her hand to her heart and felt the pendant from before that the Gekomon had given them. She looked at it and noticed the Crest of Sincerity emblazoned on its front. "We have to believe…" She closed her eyes and concentrated, gripping her pendant, focusing on a stronger Digimon, something able to beat LadyDevimon and her minions. "Please… digivolve…"
The other Tamers gripped their now-glowing pendants, and, soon, their D-Forces glowed with a light brighter than anything before. Each Tamer took their digivices in hand and held them to their hearts. Then, though bruised and badly beaten, the Digimon staggered to their feet.
Vipomon wiped the dirt from his mouth. He took a deep breath as he glowed with Riki's D-Force energy, then roared. "Vipomon digivolve to… Dragymon!"
"Nekomon digivolve to… Renokomon!"
"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"
"Tetramon digivolve to… Chagremon!"
"Petalmon digivolve to… Venumon!"
"Morglormon digivolve to… Woodmon!"
"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon!"
"Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"
"Wormmon
digivolve to… Stingmon!"
"Sytamon digivolve to…
Kelaramon!"
Yelling ecstatically, Riki held his D-Force high in the air. "GO GET 'EM, GUYS!!!"
Dragymon held out his hands as a ball of electricity formed in them. The electric beam shot out at a Devidramon as the mythical Digimon roared, "Zap Cannon!"
Stingmon shoved his fushia pink energy blade into the heart of the same Devidramon-"Striking Spike!"-and destroyed it.
"Glass Shard!" Kelaramon screamed, flinging razor-sharp splinters of glass at a second Devidramon.
Woodmon followed up with a vicious blow to the chin-"Woody Smasher!"
Chagremon slammed into the Devidramon's gut, sending the strange feather appendages on his shoulder into his opponent's stomach. "Ramming Charge!" The second Devidramon was defeated.
Venumon raised her Flower Staff into the air. It glowed and became a light emerald crossbow. She fitted a leaf-fledged arrow to it and let it fly. "Leaf Arrow!" The third Devidramon was hit.
Garurumon opened his mouth wide as blue fire exploded from it. "Howling Blaster!" This knocked out the last Devidramon. Its howling cry echoed eerily throughout the mountainside.
Kelaramon snarled at LadyDevimon. "Let's kick her ass! Glass Shard!"
"Striking Spike!"
"Howling Blaster!"
"Zap Cannon!"
"Hand of Fate!"
"Wind Cutter!"
"Gargo Laser!"
"Leaf Arrow!"
"Woody Smasher!"
"Ramming Charge!"
LadyDevimon's scream rang loud and clear, even after her data floated away. The Champion-level Digimon dedigivolved. The Rookies collapsed, beaten and exhausted. Their Tamers ran to their Digimon and held them tightly.
"Thanks, guys," Josh whispered to Patamon.
The winged piglike Digimon snored, as did a few others. They were all fast asleep.