[Sorry I'm a day late, but certain circumstances made it unavoidable. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's probably not my best work, but it's necessary to moving the story forward. Also, don't forget to go see my pictures, which now include Stormdramon's line in full color, as well as color pictures of Jack.]
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A short time later, the DigiDestined and their digimon companions found themselves running down one of the many seemingly identical hallways within the base. They were having a hard time keeping up with the digignome. Although small, the creature proved very quick, and it paid little heed to the requests that it slow down. Still, the digignome obviously knew exactly where it was going. It was as though some unseen hand was guiding its path, drawing it forward with great urgency.
"Where do you think this thing is taking us?" huffed Davis.
"Beats me," said Veemon. "But we're sure to be there in a hurry."
"I don't know how much of this I can take," wheezed Ogremon. "It feels like all I've done today is run back and forth. I don't know about you guys, but I'm in the mood to plow through some evil minions."
"All in due course," said Wizardmon, who had chosen to fly rather than run. "That time will come, but right now we must strategize. Don't forget that we are still vastly outnumbered. Add in the fact that we have to deal with both the Emperor and that virus, and I'm sure even you can see how vital it is that we be careful."
"They may be smart," said Ogremon. "But they're still just humans. I could crush them both between my thumb and index finger."
"Don't be so sure," warned TK. "I'm still dizzy from when Geno tossed me."
Without warning, the digignome suddenly came to a dead stop. Everyone following it tried to skid to a stop, but this of course caused the whole group to trip over each other. What followed was a mixture of groans, grumbling, and head rubbing. The digignome was, of course, indifferent to all this as it softly landed on the cold, steel floor. It stared straight ahead into the darkness.
"What's up with him?" asked Davis.
"He must sense something up there," said Cody.
"What do you think it is?" asked Armadillomon.
"Undoubtedly another evil digimon bent on sending us to an early grave," said Hawkmon.
"So are just gonna' stand here?" asked Patamon. "C'mon! Let's go kick some butt!"
Patamon flew forward as TK chased after him. Kari, Gatomon, and the digignome quickly followed suit, but all the others seemed a bit more reluctant. Suddenly, Kurisarimon's eyes went wide.
"Danger!" shouted Kurisarimon.
The armored digimon threw his weight against the remaining DigiDestined in order to push them back to safety from some unseen enemy. His efforts had knocked Davis, Willis, Yolei, Cody, Joe, Izzy, Wizardmon, and Meramon back a few steps. This happened just before a pair of heavy doors slammed down, encapsulating Sora, Mimi, Ogremon, Veemon, Lopmon and Terriermon, Biyomon, Palmon, Gomamon, Tentomon, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon.
"Guys!" shouted Willis.
"Mimi!" yelled Michael. "Are you alright in there?!"
"Don't worry!" said Joe. "We'll get you outta' there!"
"I don't think so," said a rather sinister voice from behind them.
The DigiDestined and three remaining digimon quickly looked back to see who it was. Floating menacingly a few feet off the ground was a Giromon. He had an evil glint in his eye, and backing him up were half a dozen Mekanorimon.
"Oh dear," said Meramon.
"This can't be a good thing…" said Wizardmon.
"Ah, these guys are nothing," said Davis. "Hey Veemon! Digi—Uh… where's Veemon?"
"I'm in here, Davis!" shouted the muffled voice of Veemon from behind the heavy door.
"Oooooooooookay…" said Davis. "Maybe this will be a problem."
"Mmmmm… Data!" said Kurisarimon as he twitched hungrily.
"I'll make you a deal," said Willis. "Beat all theses guys and you can eat every last one of them."
"Deal!" said Kurisarimon as he, Wizardmon, and Meramon all rushed forward.
Meanwhile, things in the small room holding Sora, Mimi, and the digimon were getting tense. Veemon was head-butting the wall repeatedly, but without success. All he'd accomplished was giving himself a bad headache. Even when Ogremon stepped up to the plate and took a few whacks with his club, the wall was unaffected.
"We've got to help them!" said Gomamon.
"But how can we?" asked Tentomon.
"I don't know, but we'd better do it fast!" said Gomamon.
Without warning, the floor below them jolted to life and began to slowly move upward to the already low ceiling.
"Well this doesn't look very good," said Armadillomon.
"Someone think of something!" said Palmon.
But then, the ceiling opened up for them, the two large panels that made it up sliding out of the way. The floor continued to push them up, locking into place once it had reached the same level as where the ceiling had been. The group now found themselves in a very expansive, utterly empty room. Dull blue lighting flooded down from the high ceiling, but still, the distant parts of this arena-like room were left in darkness.
"What now?" asked Ogremon.
"Now you die…" said the unmistakable voice of the Emperor over a loudspeaker.
"You…" said Palmon angrily.
"What is this place?" demanded Biyomon.
"This is what's known as the Dramon's Roost," explained Ken. "It's where two of our strongest digimon reside. I certainly hope you like how it looks, since it's going to be the last place you ever see!"
The Emperor cackled evilly for a moment before the room went silent again.
"I don't like the sound of that," said Veemon.
"Oh, Ken…" said Wormmon. "How could you?"
"We'll deal with him later," said Ogremon. "Right now, we just need to survive."
"Easier said than done…" said a hulking, brutish voice from the darkness.
"Which ones do you want?" asked a second voice.
"Let me take the humans," said the first. "The rest are yours."
"That's not fair!" said the second. "I don't see why you should be the one to kill two DigiDestined."
"Fine, fine," said the first. "You take one and I'll take one. We'll get the digimon together."
"Sounds like fun," said the second.
There was a sudden gust of wind as a pair of very large figures could be seen moving about in the darkness, spreading their large wings. Their snakelike bodies coiled away from each other as they prepared to strike.
"Now would be a good time to come up with a plan," said Gomamon.
"I think I have one," said Veemon. "Charge!"
"We're with you," said Palmon and Biyomon.
"Hold it," said Armadillomon. "You two should stay back to protect the girls. They'll need your help."
"Are you sure?" asked Palmon.
"Don't worry about us," said Wormmon. "We'll finish with these guys faster than you can say pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."
"Alright," said Biyomon. "Good luck."
"Uh, Veemon?" whispered Wormmon. "Just how ARE we going to beat these guys?"
"I think we've got plenty of time to figure that out," said Veemon. "It's gonna' take them a while to say new-munum-cobalt-sony-osis, or whatever that word was."
"Let's just do this thing," said Wormmon.
"Right!" said Veemon, Lopmon, Terriermon, Ogremon, Tentomon, Gomamon, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon.
The eight digimon rushed forward just as Megadramon and Gigadramon sprung into the light, weapons armed and teeth bared. Megadramon started things off by firing a missile directly at the group of charging digimon. They quickly dove away from the attack in separate directions, sustaining no significant injuries. As debris from the explosion rained down all around them, Tentomon and Hawkmon launched their Super Shocker and Hawk Beam attacks at the nearby Gigadramon. Of course, the Super Shocker just fizzled out and Hawkmon's feather just bounced off once the attacks came in contact with Gigadramon's impervious underbelly. Gigadramon smiled viciously just before slamming the tip of his powerful tail into Hawkmon and Tentomon from the side, launching them over a hundred feet before they came skidding to a stop.
"Bullseye…" chuckled Gigadramon.
Meanwhile, Terriermon and Lopmon were firing Bunny Blasts one after another, creating an almost machine-gun-like affect as they pounded into Megadramon's head and upper torso. Despite all the dust and debris being thrown out by the explosions, Megadramon was still moving forward, completely unfazed. He lifted his arm up and brought it smashing down on the spot where Lopmon and Terriermon stood. The twin digimon managed to avoid the heavy blow in time, but just barely. However, they weren't able to avoid it when Megadramon swung his massive arm in a big sweeping motion. They were both knocked to the ground.
Meanwhile, Wormmon scored a lucky hit when he covered Gigadramon's eyes with his Sticky Web. Gigadramon was fighting blind, leaving Veemon an opportunity to attack with his V-Head-Butt. Using every ounce of strength he had, Veemon slammed himself into Gigadramon's torso, but the behemoth barely even noticed. Armadillomon tried a similar tactic, smashing into Gigadramon with his Diamond Shell, and Gomamon opened up a gate to bring in a wave of his Marching Fishes attack aimed right for Gigadramon's head. Of course, nothing the Rookies could throw at the Ultimates had any effect whatsoever. Gigadramon just smiled viciously before scattering his opponents across the room with a broad lash from his tail. Veemon got lucky, as he was thrown back at Ogremon, who caught him as gently as possible.
"That tears it!" shouted Ogremon, laying the wounded Veemon on the ground. "IT'S GO TIME!"
Ogremon charged at Gigadramon at full speed. He leaped into the air with his club ready to strike. Once he'd reached the right altitude, he brought his weapon down hard on Gigadramon's armored head, stunning the great dragon. He then proceeded to ricochet off Gigadramon's head and back towards Megadramon. Ogremon smacked Megadramon across the face with his Bone Club before landing hard on the ground. As soon as he did though, Megadramon wrapped his powerful tail around Ogremon's waist and began to squeeze. Ogremon let out a gasp of pain as his midsection was slowly crushed. Fighting with all his might to keep from screaming, Ogremon shakily grabbed Megadramon's tail in his arms and got a very firm hold. Using every ounce of the strength he had remaining, Ogremon let out a fearsome yell as he threw Megadramon at Gigadramon. Unfortunately, Ogremon had forgotten that Megadramon still had a good grip on him, which dragged Ogremon along for the ride. The two great dragons collided with incredible force and Ogremon was thrown clear, but he was wounded and completely out of power. After they had untangled themselves, it was clear that the two dragons were just fine.
"Victory is ours," said Megadramon.
"Easiest fight I've ever had," said Gigadramon.
"This is looking pretty bad," Biyomon said nervously.
"No kidding," said Palmon.
"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Biyomon. "We can't possibly expect to beat two Ultimates!"
"Well," said Palmon. "There's always surrender. At least we'll survive."
"I doubt they're looking to take prisoners," said Biyomon.
"Mimi, please," begged Palmon. "If you could just snap out of this mood you're in, I could digivolve."
"Don't tell me what to do!" said Mimi. "I'm not your servant."
"Oh, Mimi," said Palmon. "I wish I could've stopped that stupid virus from doing this to you. I wish I could turn back time. I wish I could save you, but I can't. You have to save yourself."
"I feel the same way, Sora," said Biyomon. "You know I'd do anything for you. That's what love is! I love you Sora, and I hope that you still love me!"
Sora just continued staring straight ahead.
"I'm going to prove it," said Biyomon. "I'm going to prove that I love you! If you can't remember what love is, then I'll show you!"
"Yeah!" said Palmon. "I'm going to make you remember how close you and I are! I'm going to save you Mimi!"
"Let's do this!" said Biyomon.
"Lead the way!" said Palmon.
The two Rookies charged fiercely, even though they didn't stand a chance. Megadramon and Gigadramon could only laugh at the attacking digimon. Biyomon did her best against Megadramon with her Spiral Twister attack and Palmon tried to entrap Gigadramon in her Poison Ivy. Both attempts proved fruitless though, as both digimon easily shrugged them off. One great flap of Megadramon's wings knocked both Rookies to the ground.
"I'm… not giving up!" grunted Palmon.
"Me either!" said Boyomon, struggling to her feet.
Both tried to attack again, but with similar success. Time and again they attacked, and time and again they were slapped down. Megadramon and Gigadramon were having a good laugh through their repeated beatings of the two digimon. And all the while, Sora and Mimi looked on, wearing expressions of increasing concern. Slowly but surely, what the virus had done to them was wearing away, and their true natures were starting to show through. Finally, it looked like Megadramon and Gigadramon were finished playing with their food.
"Time's up," said Gigadramon, taking aim with both his arms guns.
"You're done," said Megadramon, doing likewise.
Biyomon and Palmon lay in a heap with their eyes closed and waited for the inevitable. Cruel smiles appeared on the faces of the dragons as their guns got ready to fire. In that instant, the virus' effects on the girls was shattered and its influence was thrown to the wind.
"NO!" cried Mimi, shedding a single tear.
"Biyomon!" shouted Sora. "Get up! I… I love you too!"
"Palmon!" screamed Mimi.
The two digimon opened their eyes just as the dragons fired. An instant later, the explosion flooded over them, filling the entire room with its terrible light. Mimi and Sora screamed. The vile laughter of Megadramon and Gigadramon could still be heard loud and clear. It was a terrible moment. Sora and Mimi felt completely crushed, but that changed very quickly. Within the fiery explosion, they could see two lights; one green and one red. Megadramon and Gigadramon saw it too, but that still wouldn't save them. As the light died down from the explosion and debris rained down all around them, everyone could see the great figure of Garudamon with Lillymon standing on her shoulder.
"Howdy, boys," said Lillymon, winking at the dragons.
Gardumon punched her fist and smiled. A second later, the attack began. Garudamon slammed her fist into Gigadramon's face and Lillymon booted Megadramon in the gut repeatedly until he was down resting on his hands. Once Megadramon was down, Lillymon flew up to his face and held him daintily by the chin. She gave a little smile just before booting him in the neck. Meanwhile, Garudamon had Gigadramon by the tail and was spinning him around and around over her head, gaining momentum with every pass.
"Pull!" shouted Lillymon, who was standing victoriously atop Megadramon.
Garudamon released Gigadramon and he went flying. Taking careful aim with her Flower Cannon, Lillymon let a shot go at just the right moment, hitting Gigadramon dead-on and dropping him like a ton of bricks. She smiled confidently, but this distracted her from Megadramon, who suddenly grabbed her by the waist with his tail and aimed his right arm at her at point-blank range. Garudamon reacted instantly, flying over and stomping on Megadramon's gut before he could get off his shot. With Lillymon freed, Garudamon picked up Megadramon and threw him across the room at his companion. Once the dust had cleared from the impact, the bruised and battered digimon were on their feet again and standing side-by-side.
"I got this one," said Lillymon.
She flew at the dragon digimon with incredible speed, dodging the shots they fired at her. She got in very close and started circling them faster and faster. After several passes around them, Lillymon completed forming her Flower Wreath, pinning the digimon together with their arms stuck. Both were growling viciously, but after a few seconds the look of bloodlust was gone from their eyes. Their muscles relaxed and their expressions became somewhat bewildered.
"What's going on?" asked Megadramon.
"Oh, nothing to worry about you two," said Lillymon sweetly. "I just saved you both from an evil computer virus."
"Oh thank you so much!" said Gigadramon. "How can we possibly repay you?"
"Just try not to get captured again," said Lillymon. "You guys are really strong."
"Lillymon!" called Mimi.
Lillymon looked down at the ground behind her to see Mimi running towards her.
"Mimi!" called Lillymon, quickly landing in front of her friend.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" said Mimi, hugging Lillymon tight.
"And you're okay too," said Lillymon. "That's what really matters."
Out of the corner of her eye, Lillymon could see Sora and Garudamon having a tearful reunion of their own.
"Everything's going to be fine now, isn't it?" asked Mimi, releasing Lillymon slowly.
"Not yet," said Lillymon. "There's still a few things that need taking care of."
"You're right," said Mimi determinedly. "And I'm going to be there the whole way through. You can count on me!"
"Glad to hear it," said Lillymon. "But right now we've got to meet up with the others."
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Mimi. "Let's go!"