Author's Note: I am VERY sorry for taking such a long time to post this chapter. Originally, the third and fourth chapters were going to be a single chapter that I was planning to post by April 25. Unfortunately, I was unable to meet that deadline…and the chapter kinda swelled to twice as long as I wanted it to be. ^_^() Anyways, here is chapter three. I hope you enjoy it!
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Third Piece: Survive
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"HYAH!!" shouts Sakuyamon, diving in towards Pentamon and kicking it in the face. Flying out of the way, Imperialdramon takes her place, ramming the monster from behind and allowing Vikemon to get a few swipes at him with his hammer. From his vantage point within the floating screen, Penn grins.
"Humph. Do you simpletons really believe you can defeat Pentamon this way?" he says mockingly. As if on cue, Pentamon spins around and tries to punch Imperialdramon, but misses.
"SEVEN HEAVENS!!" yells Seraphimon, swooping in and launching a multitude of energy spheres at the artificial Mega, enveloping it in clouds of smoke and flame.
"Useless…" mutters Penn, shaking his head at the pointlessness of this battle. From within the cockpit of his Mekanorimon, Gennai glares at the young man.
"What do you expect us to do? Stand around and let you kill us all?" he shouts angrily. Penn looks directly at him.
"That…that is EXACTLY what you should do!" the author replies, "Pentamon! Kill them all!" The beast raises its grotesque head and stares blankly at its opponents with glowing eyes of crimson.
"Yes…master…"
"N-no…" Kari whispers, her eyes widening in absolute shock, "…Tai?!"
"Kari…?" says Valkryimon, somewhat confused.
"I…I heard Tai…it was like a faint echo within Pentamon's voice, but it was there…" she replies quietly, "Pentamon…Pentamon is…"
"Are you saying that Tai is in there?!" yells Imperialdramon, quickly realizing what she's trying to say.
"What?! But that's…!" Seraphimon yells, too shocked to even finish the thought.
"I heard it too," says Sakuyamon, interrupting her comrade, "It was more than just Tai…I heard Bakura as well…and Takato…"
Pentamon suddenly soars towards the group, attempting to ram them, but they are able to dodge the attack.
"Wait…that's it! The hybrid of five!" Gennai yells suddenly, "This is what the prophecy meant!"
"Gennai…what are you talking about?" asks Cody, but the digital human ignores him. Pentamon comes around again, except this time the Digidestined are ready for him.
"POSITRON LASER!!" howls Imperialdramon, firing the beam of energy directly into the monster's face. Pentamon roars in pain, but the attack doesn't slow it down at all and the monster rams the ancient dragon.
"Penn…you monster! How could you do this?!" growls Gennai, "You fused the children into a single horrific Digimon!"
"Heh, it took you this long to figure that out? You really are pathetic…" the young man replies. Gennai growls at the large screen, his teeth grit tightly as the fury envelops him.
"I swear to the sovereign that I will kill you if those children cannot be saved!" Gennai roars furiously, but Penn simply smiles at him innocently and replies:
"You know what? I'm tired of you. I'm going to delete you now. Goodbye!"
"Wha-?!" Gennai is barely able to mutter before he is enveloped in a bright light that swallows his essence whole.
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"GENNAI!" screams Seraphimon, watching almost helplessly as Pentamon hurtles towards the Mekanorimon, "WATCH OUT!!"
With a single swift stroke, Pentamon's claws slice through the Mekanorimon's metallic armor, deleting the Digimon and its pilot almost instantaneously. For a moment, there is stunned silence as the Digidestined slowly realize what had just happened. That silence is quickly broken.
"Finally! That guy was really getting on my nerves," says Penn with a smirk.
"You heartless son of a…" growls Valkyrimon.
"Well, it's been fun, but I believe it's time for me to end this game now. Pentamon, delete the Digital World and everything in it!" orders Penn.
"What?!" yells Sakuyamon, surprised by this sudden change of tactics, "This universe will cease to exist without the Digital World!"
"You think I didn't know that? I already have a back-up copy. Deleting all of you will bring no sorrow to me," Penn replies coldly, "Pentamon!"
"Yes…" growls Pentamon, starting to glow brightly. Suddenly, the space around the artificial Mega seems to distort and twist.
"What the…?" mutters Penn as his creation suddenly disappears, "Where did he go?!"
"Between the worlds," answers ExMilleniumon, flying up behind the Digidestined, "I believe your scientists call it the 'Multiverse'."
"Milleniumon…" says Sakuyamon, "Where's Ryo?!" The Dark God glances at her, but his face is unreadable.
"My partner has departed from this world," he replies. Inside her Digi-Sphere, Rika's body goes limp.
"No…no…NO!" she cries, grabbing her head and starting to scream. Not a feeble scream of agony, but a scream of utter fury. The girl is on the verge of going berserk and killing everything in sight. Only Renamon's equally strong will is able to hold her back.
"Ah! So you actually did it. After reading your personality profile, I wasn't sure you would if given the chance," says Penn, happily surprised, "Bravo! I believe I have underestimated you."
"That is an understatement," ExMilleniumon replies as space once again warps, signaling the reappearance of Pentamon.
"Despite that, though, you are still powerless to stop me," yells the Author, "Pentamon, finish the job!"
"Yes…" the synthetic Mega snarls, just as something suddenly grabs its face and presses a sharp object upon its throat.
"Only I have the right to destroy this world!" roars ExMilleniumon, effortlessly beheading Pentamon and immediately absorbing the data from its severed head.
"…NO!" yells Penn, apparently jumping out of his seat considering the dull crash heard behind him, "How DARE you…!" ExMilleniumon sneers as the quickly deleting corpse of Pentamon suddenly begins to reabsorb the data it had just lost.
"I do not know what sort of idiotic delusions your civilization has coerced you into believing, but you are not a god. Fighting me will immediately prove this fact," the Dark God replies, "You authors were fools to create beings as powerful and intelligent as I."
"Powerful and intelligent…" growls Penn through grit teeth, his fury quite visible upon his face, "You are nothing! I am an author! I control the fabric of space and time itself!"
"Feh," ExMilleniumon retorts, "Any being of remarkable power such as myself is capable of such a feat. Your race is only able to do so through advanced technology, while this ability is my birthright!"
"You insolent…ungrateful…" roars the author, his rage so great that he can barely put it to words, "Pentamon! Crucify that bastard! Slaughter them all! SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!!"
With speed and power equal to that his master's fury, Pentamon charges forward and attempts to ram ExMilleniumon, but despite this the Dark God is still able to hold the synthetic Mega back with only a single hand. ExMilleniumon glances at the closest of the Digidestined Digimon, Imperialdramon and Vikemon.
"Are you going to just hover there gawking at me or are you going to attack?!" he yells, obviously annoyed at their lack of aggression.
Quick to respond, Seraphimon asks, "Why should we help you?"
"Yeah!" says Valkyrimon, "We should just let Pentamon delete you for what you did!" Swiftly, the Dark God throws Pentamon away and turns to face all of the Digidestined and Tamer Digimon.
"This is not optional!" he yells, "I am your ONLY chance to defeat Penn!"
"It's a lose-lose situation…" mutters Magnadramon.
"Listen, if you help me then at least this world will survive. If you do not, then everyone dies and Penn wins," says ExMilleniumon, just as Pentamon rams him from behind. The Dark God spins around and punches Pentamon, who quickly kicks back.
Silently, Davis looks away from the fight towards the floating "screen" that bears Penn's angry visage and then towards his hushed comrades. He tightens his fists and growls.
"Davis…?" says Veemon, somewhat confused.
"If we don't help ExMilleniumon…then Penn will kill everyone…" mutters the goggle-wearing Digidestined, "But if we do…"
"…Everyone will still die," Veemon says, finishing his partner's thought, "We have to choose the lesser of two evils, Davis."
"You're right," Davis replies, "Then…I choose…"
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"KILL HIM!!" howls Penn, his window reappearing behind Pentamon as the Mega charges at ExMilleniumon. The Dark God dodges the attack, quickly slashing Pentamon with his sword as it soars by…only to watch as the wound rapidly regenerates. He growls with frustration, readying himself as Pentamon turns to attack again, just as a massive blur appears and rams his opponent. ExMilleniumon smirks.
"Davis!" yells Vikemon, "What are you doing…?!"
"Taking a side…" growls Imperialdramon as energy wells up inside his beam cannon, "POSITRON LASER!!" The attack explodes in Pentamon's face, sending the monster flying backwards with a trail of thick smoke pouring from it.
"Pentamon! What the hell are you doing!? Kill them! Kill…" roars Penn, just as an arrow suddenly strikes his screen, shattering it.
"Shut UP already!" yells Valkryimon, readying another arrow and aiming it at Pentamon, who is now charging at Imperialdramon, "I cannot forgive ExMilleniumon for what he did…but the atrocities Penn and Pentamon have committed are even worse. Take this you freak! AURAVANDIL'S ARROW!!" A shrill howl of pain escapes from Pentamon's maw as the arrow strikes its wrist, knocking a punch he was throwing at Imperialdramon off course. Taking this opportunity, Vikemon slams one of his hammers across Pentamon's face, sending the beast's body flailing to the side and directly into ExMilleniumon's waiting sword. Penn's pet has barely a moment to scream before the Dark God slices it in half.
"We did it!" cheers Valkryimon, flying down beside Imperialdramon, while Pentamon's remains seem to discorporate into raw data.
"No…not yet," ExMilleniumon replies, just as Pentamon suddenly regenerates from almost nothing.
"How do we kill something that will regenerate no matter what we do to it?" growls Imperialdramon, powering up for another attack.
"We can't," answers the Dark God, readying his sword, "Not so long as Penn controls this Universe."
"Just GREAT," Valkryimon sighs, "Even with you on our side, we are still doomed."
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Digimon Shift: Initiation is written by Seth Turtle. Digimon Shift: Last Piece is written by Pkmatrix and has been written with Seth Turtle's permission. Any and all original characters in these two stories are copyright of Seth Turtle. For a disclaimer covering all other copyrighted material appearing in this story, please check my profile.