In the deep, deep blackness, the blackness of the void, 'neath the parched,
thirsting lands where no thing remains free. the Dark Lord sensed it. Every
digimon has a human counterpart. and for the greatest stage (in his
darkened view) of digevolution to occur, the specially formulated Dark
Rings must bring them together. Now, finally, he felt the arrival of the
human that would change the life of every other creature; the being upon
whose shoulders rested the fate of both worlds. The Dark Lord gazed once
more down at the beast below, the most powerful digimon in existence. Who
would have thought that a mere human could have a partner like this? He
must be great indeed. but not as great as himself, thought the Dark Lord.
Yes, soon he would send out the particular Duo-digevolved slaves he had in
mind. once he had caught them.
Chapter 6 - Journey
"I'm tired", Breddy said in a whiny voice. "Me too", Paul agreed. "When are we gonna stop? We can't just go on walking for ever and ever." "We can't stop", Jake said resolutely from in front of them, without turning round. "We'd lose precious time. C'mon, you think the Dark Lord's gonna let you stop and have a sit-down in the middle of fighting him?" Breddy and Paul sighed in unison. "No, wait." KT stood in Jake's path. "Look, it's getting dark. And although I agree, we need to get there fast - wherever we're going - but it makes no sense to arrive worn out. And besides, we don't really wanna travel at night." Jake looked like he was about to send back an angry retort, but Breddy interrupted. "I don't like to sound an idiot or anything, but. where are we going?" Jake and KT stared at each other, mouths open poised for an argument. Ali snorted from behind them, whether with laughter or derision or both. "So there you are," KT said smugly, "we have to stop anyway to figure out where we're actually going." And with that, she marched past him with a smirk on her face and her nose in the air. Jake gaped at her retreating back, recovering himself only when the others followed her. "She is just unbearable when she's won!" He muttered, just loud enough for everyone but KT to hear, and stifle their chuckles.
Ali gazed out at the view. It was a beautiful sunset, a warm golden glow rising from the earth and fading through rosy hues to a deep, mottled night sky of purple and blue, dotted faintly with the first bright stars. They had seen this place from afar - it was an ideal campsite, situated on a high hill but ringed at the summit with thick trees and bushes which hid them from view. Now Ali sat comfortably on a thick purple sweater which had appeared on her along with her jodhpurs and boots when she had first entered the Digital world. but that seemed like a long time ago now, even though it was only earlier on that same day. Jodhpurs. she wondered if it was just coincidence that she had ended up with them, since she owned a horse and loved horse-riding. It must have been - KT too loved horseback riding, but had ended up with skin-tight clothing more suitable for swimming. Then again, KT loved the water. Her thoughts abruptly changed direction again. She had never really thirsted for adventure in the same way that the others seemed to. Now she wondered just how long they were going to be stuck here - days? Weeks? Months? Forever?
"I'm hungry." Paul's voice dragged her out of her reverie. He was talking louder than usual to get his meaning across; otherwise she would not have heard him. She was sitting alone several metres away from the others, on watch duty. She didn't mind - at least she hadn't picked one of the short straws, and had to sit up awake and alert while everyone else was still asleep. In fact. "Hey," Breddy greeted her drowsily as she came crawling through the bushes. "Ow, these twigs are sharp!" Kittamon padded delicately along, checking each space carefully for thorns before she put her paw down on it. Ali smiled wryly. "At least the view's pretty," she said in a falsely optimistic tone. Breddy glared at her. "I'm sure I'd appreciate it. if I was awake!" Ali shook her head with a grin and left her friend muttering to her digimon, who curled up with a laugh. "Come on, Aramon," she called. The bright pink head of her digimon poked out from behind a tree. It was quickly followed by a chuckle of glee and the rest of the body, scampering ahead of her and showering her with leaves that she kicked up. KT admitted to herself that there should have been a flickering camp fire waiting for Ali as she returned. It would have fitted more with the scenery. However, none of them had matches, and Falmon was worried about using her power in case it started a forest fire - she was only a rookie, and had not learned well how to control her powers. So they were seated on piles of moss and leaves, huddled up close together as the night chill began to set in. "Why are we even doing this?" Paul's muffled voice moaned through chattering teeth. "I'm sure the digimon can take care of themselves!" No- one answered - they were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Mossmon draped himself over his partner's back, offering what comfort he could. Paul smiled gratefully up at him, feeling immediately guilty - his digimon was sacrificing his warmth for him. But Mossmon gave him a reassuring nudge, and Paul settled down. "Let's just try and get some sleep," KT sighed. "I'm sure we'll be able to think much better in the morning when our heads are clear." She lay down, and Leviomon crawled up to lie next to her. He felt far more exhausted than the rest of them, since he was reptilian, and needed the heat to live. Falmon positioned herself on his other side, knowing this weakness. Mossmon and Paul curled up in such a tight ball that one was almost indistinguishable from the other; but Jake sat up still against a tree, alone. Well, thought KT, if he wants to wear himself out so he has no strength left for fighting, that's his problem. And after that, she was aware of no more as she drifted into a deep sleep.
KT shivered. She was cold; she reached out, groping for her duvet. But. all she felt was hard, damp earth. Of course. She was not in her warm, comfy bed now. Her eyelids snapped open. A noise. carefully, she sat up. Her back was stiff and she ached all over. It was dark, but her eyes quickly adjusted. To her right, Leviomon lay stretched out - he seemed dead but for the slight rise and fall of his ribs. Falmon huddled next to him, and beyond her Jake was sleeping propped up by the tree. A dark mass about half a metre off proved itself to be Paul and Mossmon. "Breddy? Kittamon? Everything all right?" She whispered as loud as she dared without waking the others. There was no sound from the gap in the trees where the pair sat on watch duty. A wave of guilt washed briefly over her - she was supposed to have relieved them of their post before midnight. The moon was well on its way back down towards the earth - it could be no earlier than a few hours before dawn. Still, she reasoned, Breddy should have come to wake her up. There it was again! It sounded like a call of some wild beast; it was coming from the other side of the hill. KT hesitated a moment, unwilling to leave the warmth and safety of the camp; but the sound had progressed to small, regular throbs. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she carefully rose to her feet. It was slow going through the thickets of brambles and trees, trying not to break branches or step on twigs. The noise became louder and louder as she got nearer and nearer - but it seemed also to dwindle, from an unearthly, intermittent whine to a whimpering series of snorts. It sounded almost like a young animal, in pain or, or just alone, and scared, thought KT. Now she moved with more urgency, in case it was a young wild animal; but just as quietly in case she frightened it. At last, she came across a mound of thick gorse bushes, through which a pale light was shining. Carefully, she parted the twigs. The sight which met her eyes was simply breathtaking. A large square of brilliant white light towered over a natural glade in the woods, almost blinding her at first. Silhouetted against it in perfectly-defined blackness was the shape of a young boy, sitting on the ground and wailing desolately. Perhaps he was magic, just an illusion created by a greater power. Perhaps he was merely a figment of her imagination, and she was only dreaming after all. She pinched herself quickly to find that this was not the case. "What is he?" An awe-struck voice said beside her. She jumped in fright before realising who it belonged to. "Leviomon! Aww, you gave me a fright. whadd'ya mean, what is he? I'd ask something more like: who is he, and what is he doing here?" The bright light reflected in Leviomon's eyes like huge, shining stars, as the scaly brow creased in thought. Then, he suddenly appeared to reach a decision. "Well, we won't find out anything just by sitting here." He said. He lifted a foot in preparation for advance, but another thought seemed to strike him as he did so. "Besides," he said, "what if he's like, one of those magical creatures that disappears when the sun rises?" KT only just managed to stifle an outraged squeal as her digimon scurried out of their cover at lightening-speed, making a beeline for the crying child. All at once, the boy stopped. The glade echoed with a deafening silence. Leviomon was a long, black shadow on the grass, hesitantly waiting halfway to the child. KT mentally cursed him, but she could do nothing else now. If it was a trap, it was bound to be sprung - at least she would be with her digimon, rather than separated from him. KT took a deep breath to steel her nerves, and plunged forward. Thorns and twigs scratched her bare arms and legs, and she could not avoid making more noise as she rustled about than she believed possible. When she finally emerged, breaking free of the prickly grasp, the boy was staring wide-eyed and fearfully at her. He had deep, gray-blue hair and big eyes to match; he wore an enormous sweatshirt and shorts underneath. He looked like a perfectly normal kid, unsure and afraid in a strange and scary world. For a long while, they remained stock-still in this position. Then KT took a step forward. "Come on," she said gently, "I'm not gonna hurt you." She was amazed at what she was saying - normally she was no good at all with young children, and would have stood there awkwardly before making an excuse to herself to wander off. But it seemed to be working; the child narrowed his huge, adorable eyes suspiciously, cocking his head on one side to study her. Then he appeared to reach a decision, and scrambled to his feet. A broad grin was on his face, and he tottered forward to gaze up at her. "We go now," he said firmly, taking her hand in one of his small, podgy ones and shoving the thumb of the other into his mouth in a manner that suggested it would not be taken out again in a hurry. KT shrugged and led him back to the bushes. Here she did not even pause before using her own body as a shield for him, making him a safe passageway through the brambles. "It's this way", she said, but he was already making his way in a perfectly straight line to her leaf pile in the camp. How did he know where it was? She thought, but her mind was suddenly arrested by something else entirely. "Where have you been?" Jake was standing in front of her, barring her way. "Um. er, through there." she spluttered in confusion. "What, just to use the toilet? KT, it's dawn already, Breddy was asleep when you were supposed to be on watch anyway, I woke up to find you and Leviomon gone - Falmon sensed no body heat, so you'd been "through there" for at least an hour! And that was half an hour ago!" KT gaped at him. An hour and a half? Had it really been that long? "Hey, little guy!" Falmon's voice drifted over to her from the other end of the campsite. "Who are you?" "Where did you come from?" "Do you have a digimon?" Mossmon, Aramon and Kittamon joined in. "I found him," Leviomon boasted. Before he could elaborate further, KT stepped in with a worried frown. "Hey hey, you guys, don't crowd him, he might get scared!" They all stared at her. Then she realised what she'd just said, and blanched. "What is going on here?" "First things first," said Jake, stepping in with outstretched palms. "Look, this is getting a bit chaotic. We don't even know if we can trust this little guy"- KT's face turned red with anger, but she contained it - "and we still have to keep moving on here. Let's all get together and discuss things properly." They could all see that it was a sensible plan, so the three other digimon went to find their partners, while Jake, KT, Falmon and Leviomon cleared a space big enough for all of them to sit in a circle. Jake sat himself on the highest position on a protruding tree root, Falmon yawning and slouching by him. KT gently set the new boy down next to Leviomon, who looked at him curiously, and sat herself on his other side. Before long, all of the others had arrived, and were seated in a ring, all looking with puzzlement at the youngster. The boy hid his face shyly beneath the arm attached to his mouth via his thumb. "OK, we've got a lot to talk about and not much time to say it in," Jake started. "First of all, I can see no-one - myself included - will be able to concentrate until we get the mystery of this newcomer sorted." He nudged KT to prompt her, and she told them (with a few exaggerations and minor changes of her own, of course) about her experience in the woods. When she was finished, Paul said bluntly, "So all the info we have is that KT found him, at night, crying in the woods. And we're expected to trust him. I mean, he could be a digimon in disguise, working for the Dark Lord. He could be the Dark Lord in disguise." "Well, there's only one way to find out," Breddy said. "We'll ask the boy himself." "I will," KT interrupted, before anyone could stop her. Jake shrugged and gestured for her to get on with it. Hesitantly, she turned to the boy, gazing solemnly up at her over his thumb. "Um. hi," she said awkwardly. Leviomon tittered quietly. She glared at him before returning to the boy. "What's your name, boy?" At first, it looked as though no response was forthcoming; but then he withdrew the thumb just long enough to say: "'Mben." "So your name's. Ben, right?" The child made no motion. KT gave up - Ben would do. "How did you get here?" KT asked. Ben took a while to think this one over. At length he said: "'Puter. Bigbig. Playingame 'puter." Suddenly his eyes welled up with tears. "Mommy!" He snivelled. KT turned to the others. "OK, so Ben here was playing on the computer and got sucked into the Digital World." "Which you can't, by the way, enter without a digivice," Leviomon pointed out. "Wan' ma wam!" Ben cried. Breddy hurried up to comfort him - despite misgivings at first, KT was actually quite relieved to let her. "I know, you miss your mam." Breddy said soothingly, but Ben interrupted her with furious floods of tears. "Wam! Wam! 'S Wam, not Mam!" KT sighed and looked at Jake helplessly. They were getting no-where. "OK, so the boy doesn't have much relevance." Jake admitted quietly to her. Even as she opened her mouth in objection, he calmed her. "But I know we can't just leave him here." He stared thoughtfully into a middle distance. "Doesn't that child even have a digimon?" KT nudged him pointedly, and spurred him into action. "C'mon Ben, you'll need some sleep, I bet."
A few minutes later, Ben was fast asleep, curled up between Mossmon and Kittamon. "So we take him with us - somehow -" Paul was saying heatedly. They had disintegrated into a huge argument about everything in general; though they had between them thought up many more problems they would have to overcome, they had found no solutions. "That's a point," said KT, "He's too little to walk at our pace, but I'm certainly not strong enough to carry him, and although I know Jake would try, I don't want him to break his back - we'd end up carrying him too!" "Look, all of this is pointless if we don't even know which way to go!" Ali burst out. "But we can't just sit here arguing all day!" Jake yelled. "We have to get going! For all we know, the Dark Lord could be taking over our own world tomorrow!" A noise like an air raid siren from a world war wailed into painfully loud existence. "Oh, look what you've done now!" KT scolded the others. Ben was screaming his head off. Kt looked at him with concern. "Guys. I think something's wrong." The boy's eyes were wide, and as they approached him he dug beneath the digimon for cover. "Maybe we scared him." Breddy started to suggest; but she was cut off by a faint boom. Everyone stopped talking, and even Ben became mysteriously silent. Two seconds later, they heard it again, slightly louder. Boom. "Was it just me.or did the earth just tremble?" Breddy said shakily. They all automatically looked down at the ground. As a third boom, louder still than the others, sounded, Leviomon gave a squawk of surprise, and Kittamon hissed gently. The earth had indeed quivered. As one, they slowly raised their heads to stare at each other, then turned in the direction the sound seemed to be coming from. Another boom sounded, and then there was a silence that seemed to stretch for ever. The noise that followed was like the starting of a great engine, a deep roar accompanied by shrill shrieking, as of metals scraping together. And at the same time, a huge, dark something rose out of the trees and blocked out the morning sun. No, thought KT - lots of huge, dark somethings. Breddy screamed, and Kittamon jumped into her waiting arms. Aramon hid behind Ali, and even Leviomon slithered up KT in a spiral, finally coming to rest on her back, peering fearfully over her shoulder. "Gardromon", he whispered. The monsters were huge and square, made of brown and grey, dull metal. Emotionless eyes showed through slits between breastplates and helmets, staring down at the gang. "Falmon, quick!" Jake shouted suddenly. She turned to him and nodded once to show her agreement. With that, the digivice in his hand began to glow and whistle, and in a shower of sparks and beams of light the graceful majesty of Oramon towered over them once again. Well, thought KT grimly, if they're up to it, we certainly are, sleep or no sleep! And before she'd even given the command, Leviomon had leaped grinning into his own digivolving universe. "Quickly, let's run!" KT heard Jake shout. She shook herself from her awestruck trance at seeing Mermon again, and sprinted after the others, who were heading down the hillside. As she was above them, she was the first to spot the trap. "Look out!" She cried; then she realised that it was Mermon and Falmon who were in the most danger. Torn between her friends and her digimon, she hesitated for a split second. But in the end, she did not have to make that decision - Jake, panting heavily, was running sraight back up towards her. Evidently, he too had seen it. Wordlessly, the pair ran on, until at last they re-entered their camp. Oramon knocked the heavy metal feet out from under a Gardromon with her staff, blasting a Pure Ray attack at another at the same time that Mermon shot a Spiral Wave at it. The Gardromon exploded in a shower of orange, white and blue beams of light. "Oramon, watch out!" Mermon cried in his deep voice, jumping into her and dragging her to the ground just as a Gardromon shot bright red, laser-beam bullets at where her torso had been. Yet another Gardromon stomped forward for the kill, but Mermon swept it and a friend away with his thick tree trunk of a tail. "Kids! What are you doing? Run, now!" Oramon cried, seeing the gang re- enter the newly-formed clearing. Jake scrambled over a fallen tree, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling at the top of his lungs: "Oramon, behind you!" The golden digimon turned her head, but it was too late - four giant machines, white and grey with square bodies, blue domes on their heads and only one rolling eye each, were charging towards her. (Mekanorimon, thought KT, looking at the large red jewels in the centre of their squared bodies.) Oramon could not avoid them; instead, she crouched low in a fighting stance, protecting the humans. At the last instant, just as it seemed impact was imminent and lethal, a blue blur shot past, filling the area like a watery comet, and smashing side-on into all four machine digimon. It was Mermon, surrounded by a shield of foaming water. They crashed into each other in one huge pileup and finally finish up in a heap of crushed metal beneath a tree. Just then, a smaller shape rose from the trees. It looked like a white horse with a red, horned mask and feathery wings. A red jewel was embedded in its chest. "Unimon!" Cried KT in surprise. Surprise, because sitting astride it, glasses flashing and cape flying, was the Evil Emperor. With a whoosh of air that knocked all the humans to the ground, Unimon flapped his powerful wings once and lowered his muscular body to the ground. All the machines were suddenly still, creating an eerie silence. Wisely, Mermon and Oramon used this respite to get their breath back. "So," said the Emperor with a sneer, "you're still here." He looked at Ben, who hid his face behind KT in fright. "And I see you've found another recruit. I understand why you chose him - I'll bet he's cleverer than all of you lot put together." "Enough talk!" Shouted KT in anger, moving to shelter Ben. "Mermon, attack!" Mermon bellowed with the full force of a typhoon; Oramon joined him with her own, more musical roar. As one beast, they leaped at Unimon and his rider, covering whatever distance was needed with the aid of Oramon's wings and Mermon's tail. But before they were even halfway, two rows of Gardromon closed ranks in front of the horse digimon. Before they realised what was happening, the pair found themselves fighting for their lives. Oramon dodged a laser bullet aimed her way and ducked over to Jake and the others, protecting them. "I wish we could do something to help!" Kittamon mewed as they watched the giants battle above their heads. A determined frown settled on Mossmon's face. "Why can't we?" He said, before spreading his large ears and pushing off from Paul's shoulder. With a delighted laugh, Aramon followed. "Hehe, I guess we've got nothing to lose!" Before Kittamon joined them, she rubbed herself briefly against Breddy's legs, departing with a flick of her yellow-tipped tail. The humans watched them enter the fray without protest, though they all could not help feeling an immediate sense of loss. Five Gardromon and a row of Mekanorimon seemed to have decided to target Oramon. The feline angel dodged blows and attacks from several of them, shooting her own whenever she could. But Jake could see that she was tiring, and there would soon come a time when a blow would hit home. When that time finally came, he knew. He could see the Gardromon that fired the laser beam, knew it was going to hit its mark. Oramon slashed a Mekanorimon with the sharp claws protruding from her fingers on the hand that did not hold the staff, turned with a roar to whack another. But she did not see the third firing. and then Jake felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, and Oramon collapsed, gasping, on the ground. Her staff rolled from her hand, and the light at its end dimmed. Meanwhile, Mermon had been faced with three Gardromon. One of them he took out with a thrust of his horned skull, another with his tail - the third lunged for him, and he did not have enough time for a proper attack. Instead he was forced to lock arms with it and wrestle, each trying to push the other to the ground using sheer strength. Sweat dripped from beneath the skull helmet as the giant digimon grunted with exertion. "Come on, Mermon!" KT's small voice cried from far below. It brought him the power he needed; with one last shove, he sent the metal monster sprawling in the dirt. He did not hear the Evil Emperor's chuckle as he did so, and did not see the danger until it was too late. Only KT saw the huge shadow looming over her partner, and she was powerless to stop it. With a crash that sent a force five tremor through the earth, a new squadron of Mekanorimon arrived out of no-where. One landed squarely on Mermon's back, winding him and forcing him to the ground beneath its weight. The others surrounded him, then as if on an inaudible command reached out with their big metal claws opened wide. Within seconds, Mermon was pinned helplessly by the Mekanorimon, each of them holding on with iron grip to his horned skull, arms and heavy tail. In one mass movement, like ants programmed by one mind alone, they reshuffled themselves, and managed to turn Mermon over, so that he was lying on his back. "Mermon, no!" KT cried as she saw the Emperor raise his hand, a red jewel glinting in his grasp. It seemed he had learned his lesson at last - gloating wasted valuable time. But then she felt a slight tugging at her wrist. Though she wanted with all her heart to stay in the hope of helping her digimon, and could barely tear her eyes from him. something compelled her to look down at Ben, thumb still in mouth, gazing up at her with big, sincere eyes. And something overpowered her own will, so that she followed him when he gently led her from the scene, stopping only when they reached the cover of the trees. Then and only then was KT free to turn back and look, horror-stricken, at Mermon.
Row upon row of machine digimon surrounded Breddy, Jake, Paul and Ali. The foursome grouped together, standing back-to-back as they faced the mechanical creatures. "Don't worry, they won't kill us," Jake assured them. This was in fact true - as he had guessed, the Emperor wanted them alive for some purpose or another. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done so before." "Why is that not comforting?" Breddy growled. The first row of Gardromon lowered their square bodies into position, ready to shoot. "Mossmon." Paul whimpered. And then the digimon attacked.
High up in the air, Mossmon had just released a Hedge Cutter attack at a random Mekanorimon. His attacks did barely any damage to the evil digimon, but he felt that he had to at least make an effort. But then, he heard the cry. It was not heard by his large ears, but rather was a voice in his head, an instinct he never knew he had that told him his partner was in trouble. Before he knew what was happening, Mossmon saw the computerised world of colour and noise, where data was at last let loose. "Mossmon digevolved to." He began. He knew what to do here. And at last, he was no longer puny and insignificant - he was growing taller and taller. Thick green fur grew over a sturdy, muscular, humanoid body; a breastplate, boots and gauntlets of hardened leather and metal studs, fastened themselves over his new, powerful body. And for the final touch, a perfectly-fitted helmet with enormous, stately antlers came to rest over his squat head, almost meeting with his black, slightly canine nose. ".Wodemon!" He cried, his voice carrying with it the might of a storm in the forest. Having lost the power of flight, he fell to earth - a surprisingly short distance now - and flattened a few Gardromon. He looked beneath his boots with satisfaction. This was only the beginning - his friend needed him.
The force of Mossmon's landing catapulted Kittamon and Aramon into the air. They were actually rather glad of this, since at that precise moment two Mecanorimon had charged them from opposite directions. Now these two robotic monsters crashed headlong into each other with enough force to wipe out an oak; the girls landed safely on top of them. Then Aramon's head snapped round with a pained expression. "You sense it too?" Kittamon sounded fearful. Aramon nodded. "Let's go." And a few seconds later, two new digimon erupted in showers of pink, purple and yellow sparks. "Kittamon digivolved to. Zappamon!" One cried, in a shrill, crackly voice. She was a huge, elegant white cat standing on two legs. Purple patterns adorned her body, and two bright yellow wings curled over her shoulders and met in the centre of her breast. Not three, but five tails waved behind her, sparks grounding from tip to yellow tip. The other was not as big as Zappamon, standing on four legs and being about the size of a draught horse. She was purple, with some simple armour, an ornate bridle, spurs around each ankle and long, flowing ears and tail which streamed behind her as she ran. "Aramon digivolved to. Amparamon!" She said cheerfully. These three new creatures leaped into the mass of machines, tossing them left and right with ease and crushing them underfoot, in Wodemon's case. They made straight for the monsters aiming at their friends, hurling attacks at them. Luckily, Jake recognised the digevolving signs early on, so had time to tell the others to duck. Bits of metal whirred over their heads as they lay on the floor; several times, whole Mekanorimon flew by.
But KT, crouching tearfully beneath the hedge, was blind to all of this. All she saw was the Evil Emperor mount Unimon from where he had been standing on her digimon's chest, and take off. "Come back, you coward!" She screamed, knowing that he was too far away to hear but yelling anyway. The Mekanorimon let go of Mermon at last, to go and join the fray. They were soon dashed to bits along with all the others. And finally, she was free of the spell that had taken hold of her. She sprinted across the barren earth, avoiding ruptures and burns in its surface, at a speed she never knew she could make. "Mermon." Was all she would say. He was lying with his head thrown back as the Mekanorimon had left him. Even as she approached, he began to shrink, grow back legs. and then Leviomon giggled nervously, rolled over and shook himself thoroughly. Then he appeared to notice KT, and a delighted grin lit his reptilian face. The red stone lay beside him on the ground. It had malfunctioned.
All around, similar scenes of happy reunion were taking place. Oramon had survived and was determined not to de-digivolve, since then she would lose her wings. Breddy, Ali and Paul were admiring their new digimon. "Come on, let's take advantage of this while we can!" Jake called them together. "While our digimon have wings, let's ride them - we'll cover much more ground that way!" They agreed it was a good idea, but. "We still don't know which way we're going," pointed out Paul. KT, walking up to them with a new spring in her step and her digimon beside her, felt a tiny hand tug at her wrist. "Tha' way," said Ben. "Look, the clouds look darker over there," said Breddy. "That's just what he wants you to think," Jake disagreed. "He'll really be over there." "Tha' way," said Ben. His voice was so small that only KT could hear him. "But the trees thin out through these, look, and I thought that the Dark Lord lived in a barren wasteland," Paul gestured in another direction. "How did you know that?" "They always do." "Well, we can't go on assumptions like that!" "They're all assumptions! We have nothing solid to go by!" "Tha' way!" "Um. guys?" KT interrupted their argument. "How about that way?" She looked to where Ben was pointing. It did not look like a special place in particular, but she was growing to trust more and more Ben's sense of navigation. The others stared at her, waiting for an explanation. When he saw that one was not forthcoming, Jake opened his mouth to protest; but KT shut him up. "We have no rock-solid evidence to go on anyway. I'd rather trust a child with an unusually good sense of direction, than a bunch of landscapes the Dark Lord has conjured up for our benefit, none of which are likely to be real." Jake gawped for a moment, then closed his mouth into a smile. "You got me there, girlfriend!" KT let out a squawk of anger, and began chasing him round the wrecked camp, while the others stood and laughed. Leviomon moved unconsciously closer to Oramon, and wound himself around her leg. Still laughing at the antics of her partner and his, she gently put an arm around his shoulders. Amparamon snorted at this display of affection, but did not give them away. The gang had nothing concrete to go by; they were going to trust their lives in the hands of a four-year-old boy. But it was something.
Chapter 6 - Journey
"I'm tired", Breddy said in a whiny voice. "Me too", Paul agreed. "When are we gonna stop? We can't just go on walking for ever and ever." "We can't stop", Jake said resolutely from in front of them, without turning round. "We'd lose precious time. C'mon, you think the Dark Lord's gonna let you stop and have a sit-down in the middle of fighting him?" Breddy and Paul sighed in unison. "No, wait." KT stood in Jake's path. "Look, it's getting dark. And although I agree, we need to get there fast - wherever we're going - but it makes no sense to arrive worn out. And besides, we don't really wanna travel at night." Jake looked like he was about to send back an angry retort, but Breddy interrupted. "I don't like to sound an idiot or anything, but. where are we going?" Jake and KT stared at each other, mouths open poised for an argument. Ali snorted from behind them, whether with laughter or derision or both. "So there you are," KT said smugly, "we have to stop anyway to figure out where we're actually going." And with that, she marched past him with a smirk on her face and her nose in the air. Jake gaped at her retreating back, recovering himself only when the others followed her. "She is just unbearable when she's won!" He muttered, just loud enough for everyone but KT to hear, and stifle their chuckles.
Ali gazed out at the view. It was a beautiful sunset, a warm golden glow rising from the earth and fading through rosy hues to a deep, mottled night sky of purple and blue, dotted faintly with the first bright stars. They had seen this place from afar - it was an ideal campsite, situated on a high hill but ringed at the summit with thick trees and bushes which hid them from view. Now Ali sat comfortably on a thick purple sweater which had appeared on her along with her jodhpurs and boots when she had first entered the Digital world. but that seemed like a long time ago now, even though it was only earlier on that same day. Jodhpurs. she wondered if it was just coincidence that she had ended up with them, since she owned a horse and loved horse-riding. It must have been - KT too loved horseback riding, but had ended up with skin-tight clothing more suitable for swimming. Then again, KT loved the water. Her thoughts abruptly changed direction again. She had never really thirsted for adventure in the same way that the others seemed to. Now she wondered just how long they were going to be stuck here - days? Weeks? Months? Forever?
"I'm hungry." Paul's voice dragged her out of her reverie. He was talking louder than usual to get his meaning across; otherwise she would not have heard him. She was sitting alone several metres away from the others, on watch duty. She didn't mind - at least she hadn't picked one of the short straws, and had to sit up awake and alert while everyone else was still asleep. In fact. "Hey," Breddy greeted her drowsily as she came crawling through the bushes. "Ow, these twigs are sharp!" Kittamon padded delicately along, checking each space carefully for thorns before she put her paw down on it. Ali smiled wryly. "At least the view's pretty," she said in a falsely optimistic tone. Breddy glared at her. "I'm sure I'd appreciate it. if I was awake!" Ali shook her head with a grin and left her friend muttering to her digimon, who curled up with a laugh. "Come on, Aramon," she called. The bright pink head of her digimon poked out from behind a tree. It was quickly followed by a chuckle of glee and the rest of the body, scampering ahead of her and showering her with leaves that she kicked up. KT admitted to herself that there should have been a flickering camp fire waiting for Ali as she returned. It would have fitted more with the scenery. However, none of them had matches, and Falmon was worried about using her power in case it started a forest fire - she was only a rookie, and had not learned well how to control her powers. So they were seated on piles of moss and leaves, huddled up close together as the night chill began to set in. "Why are we even doing this?" Paul's muffled voice moaned through chattering teeth. "I'm sure the digimon can take care of themselves!" No- one answered - they were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Mossmon draped himself over his partner's back, offering what comfort he could. Paul smiled gratefully up at him, feeling immediately guilty - his digimon was sacrificing his warmth for him. But Mossmon gave him a reassuring nudge, and Paul settled down. "Let's just try and get some sleep," KT sighed. "I'm sure we'll be able to think much better in the morning when our heads are clear." She lay down, and Leviomon crawled up to lie next to her. He felt far more exhausted than the rest of them, since he was reptilian, and needed the heat to live. Falmon positioned herself on his other side, knowing this weakness. Mossmon and Paul curled up in such a tight ball that one was almost indistinguishable from the other; but Jake sat up still against a tree, alone. Well, thought KT, if he wants to wear himself out so he has no strength left for fighting, that's his problem. And after that, she was aware of no more as she drifted into a deep sleep.
KT shivered. She was cold; she reached out, groping for her duvet. But. all she felt was hard, damp earth. Of course. She was not in her warm, comfy bed now. Her eyelids snapped open. A noise. carefully, she sat up. Her back was stiff and she ached all over. It was dark, but her eyes quickly adjusted. To her right, Leviomon lay stretched out - he seemed dead but for the slight rise and fall of his ribs. Falmon huddled next to him, and beyond her Jake was sleeping propped up by the tree. A dark mass about half a metre off proved itself to be Paul and Mossmon. "Breddy? Kittamon? Everything all right?" She whispered as loud as she dared without waking the others. There was no sound from the gap in the trees where the pair sat on watch duty. A wave of guilt washed briefly over her - she was supposed to have relieved them of their post before midnight. The moon was well on its way back down towards the earth - it could be no earlier than a few hours before dawn. Still, she reasoned, Breddy should have come to wake her up. There it was again! It sounded like a call of some wild beast; it was coming from the other side of the hill. KT hesitated a moment, unwilling to leave the warmth and safety of the camp; but the sound had progressed to small, regular throbs. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she carefully rose to her feet. It was slow going through the thickets of brambles and trees, trying not to break branches or step on twigs. The noise became louder and louder as she got nearer and nearer - but it seemed also to dwindle, from an unearthly, intermittent whine to a whimpering series of snorts. It sounded almost like a young animal, in pain or, or just alone, and scared, thought KT. Now she moved with more urgency, in case it was a young wild animal; but just as quietly in case she frightened it. At last, she came across a mound of thick gorse bushes, through which a pale light was shining. Carefully, she parted the twigs. The sight which met her eyes was simply breathtaking. A large square of brilliant white light towered over a natural glade in the woods, almost blinding her at first. Silhouetted against it in perfectly-defined blackness was the shape of a young boy, sitting on the ground and wailing desolately. Perhaps he was magic, just an illusion created by a greater power. Perhaps he was merely a figment of her imagination, and she was only dreaming after all. She pinched herself quickly to find that this was not the case. "What is he?" An awe-struck voice said beside her. She jumped in fright before realising who it belonged to. "Leviomon! Aww, you gave me a fright. whadd'ya mean, what is he? I'd ask something more like: who is he, and what is he doing here?" The bright light reflected in Leviomon's eyes like huge, shining stars, as the scaly brow creased in thought. Then, he suddenly appeared to reach a decision. "Well, we won't find out anything just by sitting here." He said. He lifted a foot in preparation for advance, but another thought seemed to strike him as he did so. "Besides," he said, "what if he's like, one of those magical creatures that disappears when the sun rises?" KT only just managed to stifle an outraged squeal as her digimon scurried out of their cover at lightening-speed, making a beeline for the crying child. All at once, the boy stopped. The glade echoed with a deafening silence. Leviomon was a long, black shadow on the grass, hesitantly waiting halfway to the child. KT mentally cursed him, but she could do nothing else now. If it was a trap, it was bound to be sprung - at least she would be with her digimon, rather than separated from him. KT took a deep breath to steel her nerves, and plunged forward. Thorns and twigs scratched her bare arms and legs, and she could not avoid making more noise as she rustled about than she believed possible. When she finally emerged, breaking free of the prickly grasp, the boy was staring wide-eyed and fearfully at her. He had deep, gray-blue hair and big eyes to match; he wore an enormous sweatshirt and shorts underneath. He looked like a perfectly normal kid, unsure and afraid in a strange and scary world. For a long while, they remained stock-still in this position. Then KT took a step forward. "Come on," she said gently, "I'm not gonna hurt you." She was amazed at what she was saying - normally she was no good at all with young children, and would have stood there awkwardly before making an excuse to herself to wander off. But it seemed to be working; the child narrowed his huge, adorable eyes suspiciously, cocking his head on one side to study her. Then he appeared to reach a decision, and scrambled to his feet. A broad grin was on his face, and he tottered forward to gaze up at her. "We go now," he said firmly, taking her hand in one of his small, podgy ones and shoving the thumb of the other into his mouth in a manner that suggested it would not be taken out again in a hurry. KT shrugged and led him back to the bushes. Here she did not even pause before using her own body as a shield for him, making him a safe passageway through the brambles. "It's this way", she said, but he was already making his way in a perfectly straight line to her leaf pile in the camp. How did he know where it was? She thought, but her mind was suddenly arrested by something else entirely. "Where have you been?" Jake was standing in front of her, barring her way. "Um. er, through there." she spluttered in confusion. "What, just to use the toilet? KT, it's dawn already, Breddy was asleep when you were supposed to be on watch anyway, I woke up to find you and Leviomon gone - Falmon sensed no body heat, so you'd been "through there" for at least an hour! And that was half an hour ago!" KT gaped at him. An hour and a half? Had it really been that long? "Hey, little guy!" Falmon's voice drifted over to her from the other end of the campsite. "Who are you?" "Where did you come from?" "Do you have a digimon?" Mossmon, Aramon and Kittamon joined in. "I found him," Leviomon boasted. Before he could elaborate further, KT stepped in with a worried frown. "Hey hey, you guys, don't crowd him, he might get scared!" They all stared at her. Then she realised what she'd just said, and blanched. "What is going on here?" "First things first," said Jake, stepping in with outstretched palms. "Look, this is getting a bit chaotic. We don't even know if we can trust this little guy"- KT's face turned red with anger, but she contained it - "and we still have to keep moving on here. Let's all get together and discuss things properly." They could all see that it was a sensible plan, so the three other digimon went to find their partners, while Jake, KT, Falmon and Leviomon cleared a space big enough for all of them to sit in a circle. Jake sat himself on the highest position on a protruding tree root, Falmon yawning and slouching by him. KT gently set the new boy down next to Leviomon, who looked at him curiously, and sat herself on his other side. Before long, all of the others had arrived, and were seated in a ring, all looking with puzzlement at the youngster. The boy hid his face shyly beneath the arm attached to his mouth via his thumb. "OK, we've got a lot to talk about and not much time to say it in," Jake started. "First of all, I can see no-one - myself included - will be able to concentrate until we get the mystery of this newcomer sorted." He nudged KT to prompt her, and she told them (with a few exaggerations and minor changes of her own, of course) about her experience in the woods. When she was finished, Paul said bluntly, "So all the info we have is that KT found him, at night, crying in the woods. And we're expected to trust him. I mean, he could be a digimon in disguise, working for the Dark Lord. He could be the Dark Lord in disguise." "Well, there's only one way to find out," Breddy said. "We'll ask the boy himself." "I will," KT interrupted, before anyone could stop her. Jake shrugged and gestured for her to get on with it. Hesitantly, she turned to the boy, gazing solemnly up at her over his thumb. "Um. hi," she said awkwardly. Leviomon tittered quietly. She glared at him before returning to the boy. "What's your name, boy?" At first, it looked as though no response was forthcoming; but then he withdrew the thumb just long enough to say: "'Mben." "So your name's. Ben, right?" The child made no motion. KT gave up - Ben would do. "How did you get here?" KT asked. Ben took a while to think this one over. At length he said: "'Puter. Bigbig. Playingame 'puter." Suddenly his eyes welled up with tears. "Mommy!" He snivelled. KT turned to the others. "OK, so Ben here was playing on the computer and got sucked into the Digital World." "Which you can't, by the way, enter without a digivice," Leviomon pointed out. "Wan' ma wam!" Ben cried. Breddy hurried up to comfort him - despite misgivings at first, KT was actually quite relieved to let her. "I know, you miss your mam." Breddy said soothingly, but Ben interrupted her with furious floods of tears. "Wam! Wam! 'S Wam, not Mam!" KT sighed and looked at Jake helplessly. They were getting no-where. "OK, so the boy doesn't have much relevance." Jake admitted quietly to her. Even as she opened her mouth in objection, he calmed her. "But I know we can't just leave him here." He stared thoughtfully into a middle distance. "Doesn't that child even have a digimon?" KT nudged him pointedly, and spurred him into action. "C'mon Ben, you'll need some sleep, I bet."
A few minutes later, Ben was fast asleep, curled up between Mossmon and Kittamon. "So we take him with us - somehow -" Paul was saying heatedly. They had disintegrated into a huge argument about everything in general; though they had between them thought up many more problems they would have to overcome, they had found no solutions. "That's a point," said KT, "He's too little to walk at our pace, but I'm certainly not strong enough to carry him, and although I know Jake would try, I don't want him to break his back - we'd end up carrying him too!" "Look, all of this is pointless if we don't even know which way to go!" Ali burst out. "But we can't just sit here arguing all day!" Jake yelled. "We have to get going! For all we know, the Dark Lord could be taking over our own world tomorrow!" A noise like an air raid siren from a world war wailed into painfully loud existence. "Oh, look what you've done now!" KT scolded the others. Ben was screaming his head off. Kt looked at him with concern. "Guys. I think something's wrong." The boy's eyes were wide, and as they approached him he dug beneath the digimon for cover. "Maybe we scared him." Breddy started to suggest; but she was cut off by a faint boom. Everyone stopped talking, and even Ben became mysteriously silent. Two seconds later, they heard it again, slightly louder. Boom. "Was it just me.or did the earth just tremble?" Breddy said shakily. They all automatically looked down at the ground. As a third boom, louder still than the others, sounded, Leviomon gave a squawk of surprise, and Kittamon hissed gently. The earth had indeed quivered. As one, they slowly raised their heads to stare at each other, then turned in the direction the sound seemed to be coming from. Another boom sounded, and then there was a silence that seemed to stretch for ever. The noise that followed was like the starting of a great engine, a deep roar accompanied by shrill shrieking, as of metals scraping together. And at the same time, a huge, dark something rose out of the trees and blocked out the morning sun. No, thought KT - lots of huge, dark somethings. Breddy screamed, and Kittamon jumped into her waiting arms. Aramon hid behind Ali, and even Leviomon slithered up KT in a spiral, finally coming to rest on her back, peering fearfully over her shoulder. "Gardromon", he whispered. The monsters were huge and square, made of brown and grey, dull metal. Emotionless eyes showed through slits between breastplates and helmets, staring down at the gang. "Falmon, quick!" Jake shouted suddenly. She turned to him and nodded once to show her agreement. With that, the digivice in his hand began to glow and whistle, and in a shower of sparks and beams of light the graceful majesty of Oramon towered over them once again. Well, thought KT grimly, if they're up to it, we certainly are, sleep or no sleep! And before she'd even given the command, Leviomon had leaped grinning into his own digivolving universe. "Quickly, let's run!" KT heard Jake shout. She shook herself from her awestruck trance at seeing Mermon again, and sprinted after the others, who were heading down the hillside. As she was above them, she was the first to spot the trap. "Look out!" She cried; then she realised that it was Mermon and Falmon who were in the most danger. Torn between her friends and her digimon, she hesitated for a split second. But in the end, she did not have to make that decision - Jake, panting heavily, was running sraight back up towards her. Evidently, he too had seen it. Wordlessly, the pair ran on, until at last they re-entered their camp. Oramon knocked the heavy metal feet out from under a Gardromon with her staff, blasting a Pure Ray attack at another at the same time that Mermon shot a Spiral Wave at it. The Gardromon exploded in a shower of orange, white and blue beams of light. "Oramon, watch out!" Mermon cried in his deep voice, jumping into her and dragging her to the ground just as a Gardromon shot bright red, laser-beam bullets at where her torso had been. Yet another Gardromon stomped forward for the kill, but Mermon swept it and a friend away with his thick tree trunk of a tail. "Kids! What are you doing? Run, now!" Oramon cried, seeing the gang re- enter the newly-formed clearing. Jake scrambled over a fallen tree, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling at the top of his lungs: "Oramon, behind you!" The golden digimon turned her head, but it was too late - four giant machines, white and grey with square bodies, blue domes on their heads and only one rolling eye each, were charging towards her. (Mekanorimon, thought KT, looking at the large red jewels in the centre of their squared bodies.) Oramon could not avoid them; instead, she crouched low in a fighting stance, protecting the humans. At the last instant, just as it seemed impact was imminent and lethal, a blue blur shot past, filling the area like a watery comet, and smashing side-on into all four machine digimon. It was Mermon, surrounded by a shield of foaming water. They crashed into each other in one huge pileup and finally finish up in a heap of crushed metal beneath a tree. Just then, a smaller shape rose from the trees. It looked like a white horse with a red, horned mask and feathery wings. A red jewel was embedded in its chest. "Unimon!" Cried KT in surprise. Surprise, because sitting astride it, glasses flashing and cape flying, was the Evil Emperor. With a whoosh of air that knocked all the humans to the ground, Unimon flapped his powerful wings once and lowered his muscular body to the ground. All the machines were suddenly still, creating an eerie silence. Wisely, Mermon and Oramon used this respite to get their breath back. "So," said the Emperor with a sneer, "you're still here." He looked at Ben, who hid his face behind KT in fright. "And I see you've found another recruit. I understand why you chose him - I'll bet he's cleverer than all of you lot put together." "Enough talk!" Shouted KT in anger, moving to shelter Ben. "Mermon, attack!" Mermon bellowed with the full force of a typhoon; Oramon joined him with her own, more musical roar. As one beast, they leaped at Unimon and his rider, covering whatever distance was needed with the aid of Oramon's wings and Mermon's tail. But before they were even halfway, two rows of Gardromon closed ranks in front of the horse digimon. Before they realised what was happening, the pair found themselves fighting for their lives. Oramon dodged a laser bullet aimed her way and ducked over to Jake and the others, protecting them. "I wish we could do something to help!" Kittamon mewed as they watched the giants battle above their heads. A determined frown settled on Mossmon's face. "Why can't we?" He said, before spreading his large ears and pushing off from Paul's shoulder. With a delighted laugh, Aramon followed. "Hehe, I guess we've got nothing to lose!" Before Kittamon joined them, she rubbed herself briefly against Breddy's legs, departing with a flick of her yellow-tipped tail. The humans watched them enter the fray without protest, though they all could not help feeling an immediate sense of loss. Five Gardromon and a row of Mekanorimon seemed to have decided to target Oramon. The feline angel dodged blows and attacks from several of them, shooting her own whenever she could. But Jake could see that she was tiring, and there would soon come a time when a blow would hit home. When that time finally came, he knew. He could see the Gardromon that fired the laser beam, knew it was going to hit its mark. Oramon slashed a Mekanorimon with the sharp claws protruding from her fingers on the hand that did not hold the staff, turned with a roar to whack another. But she did not see the third firing. and then Jake felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, and Oramon collapsed, gasping, on the ground. Her staff rolled from her hand, and the light at its end dimmed. Meanwhile, Mermon had been faced with three Gardromon. One of them he took out with a thrust of his horned skull, another with his tail - the third lunged for him, and he did not have enough time for a proper attack. Instead he was forced to lock arms with it and wrestle, each trying to push the other to the ground using sheer strength. Sweat dripped from beneath the skull helmet as the giant digimon grunted with exertion. "Come on, Mermon!" KT's small voice cried from far below. It brought him the power he needed; with one last shove, he sent the metal monster sprawling in the dirt. He did not hear the Evil Emperor's chuckle as he did so, and did not see the danger until it was too late. Only KT saw the huge shadow looming over her partner, and she was powerless to stop it. With a crash that sent a force five tremor through the earth, a new squadron of Mekanorimon arrived out of no-where. One landed squarely on Mermon's back, winding him and forcing him to the ground beneath its weight. The others surrounded him, then as if on an inaudible command reached out with their big metal claws opened wide. Within seconds, Mermon was pinned helplessly by the Mekanorimon, each of them holding on with iron grip to his horned skull, arms and heavy tail. In one mass movement, like ants programmed by one mind alone, they reshuffled themselves, and managed to turn Mermon over, so that he was lying on his back. "Mermon, no!" KT cried as she saw the Emperor raise his hand, a red jewel glinting in his grasp. It seemed he had learned his lesson at last - gloating wasted valuable time. But then she felt a slight tugging at her wrist. Though she wanted with all her heart to stay in the hope of helping her digimon, and could barely tear her eyes from him. something compelled her to look down at Ben, thumb still in mouth, gazing up at her with big, sincere eyes. And something overpowered her own will, so that she followed him when he gently led her from the scene, stopping only when they reached the cover of the trees. Then and only then was KT free to turn back and look, horror-stricken, at Mermon.
Row upon row of machine digimon surrounded Breddy, Jake, Paul and Ali. The foursome grouped together, standing back-to-back as they faced the mechanical creatures. "Don't worry, they won't kill us," Jake assured them. This was in fact true - as he had guessed, the Emperor wanted them alive for some purpose or another. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done so before." "Why is that not comforting?" Breddy growled. The first row of Gardromon lowered their square bodies into position, ready to shoot. "Mossmon." Paul whimpered. And then the digimon attacked.
High up in the air, Mossmon had just released a Hedge Cutter attack at a random Mekanorimon. His attacks did barely any damage to the evil digimon, but he felt that he had to at least make an effort. But then, he heard the cry. It was not heard by his large ears, but rather was a voice in his head, an instinct he never knew he had that told him his partner was in trouble. Before he knew what was happening, Mossmon saw the computerised world of colour and noise, where data was at last let loose. "Mossmon digevolved to." He began. He knew what to do here. And at last, he was no longer puny and insignificant - he was growing taller and taller. Thick green fur grew over a sturdy, muscular, humanoid body; a breastplate, boots and gauntlets of hardened leather and metal studs, fastened themselves over his new, powerful body. And for the final touch, a perfectly-fitted helmet with enormous, stately antlers came to rest over his squat head, almost meeting with his black, slightly canine nose. ".Wodemon!" He cried, his voice carrying with it the might of a storm in the forest. Having lost the power of flight, he fell to earth - a surprisingly short distance now - and flattened a few Gardromon. He looked beneath his boots with satisfaction. This was only the beginning - his friend needed him.
The force of Mossmon's landing catapulted Kittamon and Aramon into the air. They were actually rather glad of this, since at that precise moment two Mecanorimon had charged them from opposite directions. Now these two robotic monsters crashed headlong into each other with enough force to wipe out an oak; the girls landed safely on top of them. Then Aramon's head snapped round with a pained expression. "You sense it too?" Kittamon sounded fearful. Aramon nodded. "Let's go." And a few seconds later, two new digimon erupted in showers of pink, purple and yellow sparks. "Kittamon digivolved to. Zappamon!" One cried, in a shrill, crackly voice. She was a huge, elegant white cat standing on two legs. Purple patterns adorned her body, and two bright yellow wings curled over her shoulders and met in the centre of her breast. Not three, but five tails waved behind her, sparks grounding from tip to yellow tip. The other was not as big as Zappamon, standing on four legs and being about the size of a draught horse. She was purple, with some simple armour, an ornate bridle, spurs around each ankle and long, flowing ears and tail which streamed behind her as she ran. "Aramon digivolved to. Amparamon!" She said cheerfully. These three new creatures leaped into the mass of machines, tossing them left and right with ease and crushing them underfoot, in Wodemon's case. They made straight for the monsters aiming at their friends, hurling attacks at them. Luckily, Jake recognised the digevolving signs early on, so had time to tell the others to duck. Bits of metal whirred over their heads as they lay on the floor; several times, whole Mekanorimon flew by.
But KT, crouching tearfully beneath the hedge, was blind to all of this. All she saw was the Evil Emperor mount Unimon from where he had been standing on her digimon's chest, and take off. "Come back, you coward!" She screamed, knowing that he was too far away to hear but yelling anyway. The Mekanorimon let go of Mermon at last, to go and join the fray. They were soon dashed to bits along with all the others. And finally, she was free of the spell that had taken hold of her. She sprinted across the barren earth, avoiding ruptures and burns in its surface, at a speed she never knew she could make. "Mermon." Was all she would say. He was lying with his head thrown back as the Mekanorimon had left him. Even as she approached, he began to shrink, grow back legs. and then Leviomon giggled nervously, rolled over and shook himself thoroughly. Then he appeared to notice KT, and a delighted grin lit his reptilian face. The red stone lay beside him on the ground. It had malfunctioned.
All around, similar scenes of happy reunion were taking place. Oramon had survived and was determined not to de-digivolve, since then she would lose her wings. Breddy, Ali and Paul were admiring their new digimon. "Come on, let's take advantage of this while we can!" Jake called them together. "While our digimon have wings, let's ride them - we'll cover much more ground that way!" They agreed it was a good idea, but. "We still don't know which way we're going," pointed out Paul. KT, walking up to them with a new spring in her step and her digimon beside her, felt a tiny hand tug at her wrist. "Tha' way," said Ben. "Look, the clouds look darker over there," said Breddy. "That's just what he wants you to think," Jake disagreed. "He'll really be over there." "Tha' way," said Ben. His voice was so small that only KT could hear him. "But the trees thin out through these, look, and I thought that the Dark Lord lived in a barren wasteland," Paul gestured in another direction. "How did you know that?" "They always do." "Well, we can't go on assumptions like that!" "They're all assumptions! We have nothing solid to go by!" "Tha' way!" "Um. guys?" KT interrupted their argument. "How about that way?" She looked to where Ben was pointing. It did not look like a special place in particular, but she was growing to trust more and more Ben's sense of navigation. The others stared at her, waiting for an explanation. When he saw that one was not forthcoming, Jake opened his mouth to protest; but KT shut him up. "We have no rock-solid evidence to go on anyway. I'd rather trust a child with an unusually good sense of direction, than a bunch of landscapes the Dark Lord has conjured up for our benefit, none of which are likely to be real." Jake gawped for a moment, then closed his mouth into a smile. "You got me there, girlfriend!" KT let out a squawk of anger, and began chasing him round the wrecked camp, while the others stood and laughed. Leviomon moved unconsciously closer to Oramon, and wound himself around her leg. Still laughing at the antics of her partner and his, she gently put an arm around his shoulders. Amparamon snorted at this display of affection, but did not give them away. The gang had nothing concrete to go by; they were going to trust their lives in the hands of a four-year-old boy. But it was something.
