Starting Point_

Part 7

'The Pyramid of Darkness'

by: JC Maxwell-Yuy

JC: Part 7! Wow, this one was on the backburner for a while!

Daisuke: Cruel! Cruel!

JC: Well, I had other projects going.

Ken: That's no excuse!

JC: You guys aren't going to let me get away with this, are you?
Daisuke: Nope!

Ken: Not a chance!

Lee: Then let's begin!

V-mon: JC doesn't own Digimon Adventure 02/Tamers or the characters, so there!

JC: Disclaimer done. Anything else?
Yamato: Let's start!

With darkness fast approaching, the Chosen Children headed out towards the largest collection of Dark Towers in the city.

"The darkness is so thick… it's getting harder to just breathe!" Iori coughed as he and Takeru trudged through the thick, swirling, black mist that had begun to blanket Tokyo.

"Just keep going. We're almost to the place where the Dark Towers have created the biggest rift." Koushiro gasped.

"Once we destroy that, then it should get a little easier to move around." Tentomon said.

"It's not going to be easy though." Ken shivered. Through the mist, he could see the silhouettes of hundreds of Dark Towers.

Meanwhile, Demon lay in the shadows of the Dark Tower cluster. With each step the Chosen Children took towards him, shadows began rushing outwards from his form.

"It is time…"

BADOOM! A section of Dark Towers crumbled to dust as the Chosen Children's second generation blasted their way in, knocking down every tower in their path.

"So, you have all come." Dagomon oozed out of the shadows.

"KUSANAGI!"

"CURSE OF THE QUEEN!"

"SHOOTING STAR!"

"GOLD RUSH!"

"BLUE THUNDER!"

Dagomon's tentacles easily deflected all the attacks. As the armor digimon advanced, Takato, Lee, Ruki, and their digimon where right behind the charge.

"Let's go! CARD SLASH!" 3 cards were swiped simultaneously as evolution's light burst from Culumon's forehead.

EVOLUTION_

"I don't believe it!" Dagomon growled. "Even with this many Dark Towers, evolution is still possible?!"

"GUILMON SHINKA!"

"What's that light?" Taichi shielded his eyes as Culumon's forehead burned brighter with red energy.

"RENAMON SHINKA!"

"That light… it's aiding evolution and blocking out the Dark Towers' effect?!" Demon sneered. "Well, this is an unexpected turn of events. No matter, those three children are still all I need to complete my ultimate power."

"TERRIERMON SHINKA!"

"Enough of this! FORBIDDEN TRIDENT!" Dagomon attacked the three digimon while they were still evolving, shattering the evolution shells and knocking them to the ground.

"GUILMON!" Takato ran towards his partner, only to be snatched up along with his digimon by one of Dagomon's tentacles.

"Takato!" Lee shouted, but he and Ruki soon wound up the same situation as their friend. The six struggled to get free from the sliming clutches of the demon digimon, but to no avail.

"Finally, I have all 3!" Demon announced as he descended. He signaled Dagomon, who threw the Tamers and their digimon at the Dark Tower cluster.

Upon impact, the Dark Towers glowed bright red and absorbed all six beings into its mass. Juri covered her eyes in horror, her screams echoing through the air.

Demon was laughing. For beneath him, the Dark Towers began to shift into a new formation… A red, transparent, triangle-based pyramid. Resting upon the apex was a small orb.

"What is that thing?" Yamato stared in utter shock.

"They… they're still in …" Sora gasped as she raised a shaking hand towards the corners of the base. As everyone followed her gaze, the same silence fell over them.

Takato, Ruki, and Lee, bound with their digimon, lifeless and pale, sealed into each corner of the base.

"Let's see… ah!" Demon gestured with his hands, and a burning fire ignited within the transparent walls of the pyramid.

The Chosen Children could only watch helplessly as Demon's fire licked at the Tamers, before rushing up the sides of the pyramid to the top, where the orb began to grow.

THUMP!

THUMP!

"Yes… but first… Allow me to reveal my true self!" Demon's robes shredded, revealing the horrible beast creature that was hidden beneath the hood.

"EEEEEWWWW!" Mimi gagged.

"I think you'll all find this next trick familiar! Come to me…" Demon pulled a handful of his fur, and tossed it at the remaining Dark Towers within the area that didn't get fused into creating the pyramid.

Red rings of energy charged the hairs as they pierced the towers.

"But this is…" Ken gasped as the towers suddenly began to rise from the ground.

"Like Archnemon!" Palmon finished.

"A simpleton like that witch could never do this!" Demon laughed, as the towers exploded into dark data, and reformed into a army of various Dark Tower Digimon.

"Guess we've got no choice." Koushiro muttered.

"But there's no Dark Towers anymore! Evolution should be possible now!" Miyako shouted.

"That's right!" Hikari agreed.

"Let's show em' what we got!" Daisuke said.

"Culu!"

Shining

Evolution_

"OMEGAMON!"

"IMPERIALDRAMON FIGHTER FORM!"

"SILPHYMON!"

"SHAKKOUMON!"

"GARUDAMON!"

"ATLUR KABUTERIMON!"

"LILLIMON!"

"ZUDOMON!"

"It matters not how high a level you reach! You will all fall!" Dagomon roared as the army charged forward.

"GREY SWORD!"

"POSITRON LASER!"

Explosions ripped through the frontline of the dark army.

"Come on! We have to get Takato and the others out of that pyramid!" Kenta shouted.

"Right!" Juri grabbed Culumon and dashed forward towards the structure, followed by a reluctant Hirokazu with Mimi, Sora, and their Digimon for support.

"Oh no you don't!" Dagomon launched another 'Forbidden Trident' at the group, but Zudomon countered the water wave with 'Hammer Spark', electrocuting Dagomon.

"Stop them you fools!" Demon ordered and started his 'Flame Inferno' attack, but he was distracted, and got rammed by Omegamon, stopping the attack.

"HORN BUSTER!"

"TOP GUN!" Silphymon and Atlur Kabuterimon teamed up and blasted Demon.

"FLAME INFERNO!" Demon countered, and the two digimon were knocked away easily. The fire continued, but Shakkoumon absorbed it and blew off the steam.

"We're almost there!" Mimi cried.

"FLOWER CANNON!"

"We'll get you out of there!" Sora forced herself to run faster for she'd begun to fall behind.

"SHADOW WING! Are you all right Sora?" Garudamon asked.

"Yes. I'm fine. Keep going." Sora gasped.

"Takato! Ruki! Lee!" Juri shouted as she stumbled among the shattered concrete to aid her friends.

"Take this!" Hirokazu picked up a stick and whacked the side of the pyramid.

"That's not going to work!" Kenta groaned.

"Well, at least I'm trying!" Hirokazu argued back.

"Will you two stop arguing and try to get them out of there." Mimi shouted. "I don't think we can hold them back any longer."

"UUGGGNNN!!!" Juri and Culumon pulled at Ruki, but she was completely sealed into the base.

"It's hopeless. The wall's unbreakable!" Kenta sank to his knees in defeat.

"Never give up! Garudamon!" Sora called. The bird digimon soared down from the sky and delivered a powerful punch to the pyramid wall, but it didn't budge.

"I can't have you keep interfering! CHAOS FLARE!" Demon fired his attack into the pyramid, causing it to give off a shockwave of negative energy, de-evolving every digimon and knocking the children down.

"This… this is it…" Taichi groaned. "Yamato…"

"… Taichi. It can't end like this."

"Wormmon! Wormmon!" Tears began welling up in Ken's eyes.

"Ken…" Daisuke murmured.

"The digimon fought their hardest but it still wasn't enough." Hikari clutched Tailmon in her arms.

"I won't lose hope!" Takeru said.

"I… I wish I could be that confident." Iori muttered as Demon and the remnants of the army advanced, with Dagomon in the lead.

"Someone… help us…" Miyako prayed. Despair had fallen over the Chosen, but they weren't ready to lose without a fight. But they weren't the only ones with a strong will.

"I don't like this game anymore! CULU!" Culumon buried his face in Juri's shirt.

"Hm?" Juri whispered as she felt the warm, pulsing light against her. "Culumon?"

'That light… it always helped in the past… maybe…' Juri forced herself to her feet.

"Culu…" The light began to flicker.

"Don't stop now Culumon. We need that light." Juri staggered to the Pyramid and collapsed to her knees.

"Come on Juri." Hirokazu extended his hand. Kenta helped the girl to her feet and the three continued walking to the pyramid.

"Now, it all ends!" Demon grinned, poison dripping from his fangs.

"CULU!"

"What's this?" Demon turned to see Juri, Hirokazu, and Kenta standing at the pyramid, with Culumon.

"We won't let it end." Hirokazu said.

"We all may be scared." Kenta fidgeted.

"But when our friends need us, we're there for them." Juri finished. The resolve of the three touched something in every one of the other children and digimons' hearts.

"What can you ants do?" Dagomon snickered. "You don't have partner digimon!"

"THIS! CULU!" With that, Culumon turned towards the pyramid and shot a brilliant sunburst of energy into it.

"What have you done?" Demon shouted in fury as the edges of the pyramid began glowing iridescent colors, obscuring the evil flame within. Three colors emerged from the lines, red, green, and blue. The light became three respective orbs, and buried themselves in the corners of the pyramid.

Matrix

Evolution_

To Be Continued

JC: Ooo… I know what's coming!

Takato: Demon's in trouble!

Ruki: When I get through with that winged freak, he'll be a turkey burger. I'll blast him! STRAIGHT INTO THE STRATOSPHERE!

Ken: So, what can we expect next time?
JC: Evolution power has been shot into the pyramid. Three powers are about to reach their limit.

Daisuke: Jiikai! Digimon Tamers Starting Point! 'Dream of Faith! Miracle in the Darkness Pyramid'!