Chapter 11 - Showdown
"Maybe we could try and sneak in somehow?" The suggestion was Breddy's, and like so many other hopeless ideas was soon rejected. "No. There is no way in, not one we can use at any rate. If there was it would not be a Dark Fortress." The gang fell back into silence. Jake sighed heavily - they had sat through the night, and the next morning, and still had managed only one remotely feasible idea. He was unwilling to use it, since it stretched them very thin and relied on him finding the Dark Lord almost instantly; and he was determined not to leave without KT. "I'm sorry, Jake." Falmon came to sit beside him consolingly. "She wouldn't stay out this long unless something. happened. She's probably just gotten lost or something." She trailed off. Jake stared straight ahead, motionless. He knew she was right, but. "Look, sitting here all day isn't going to get us anywhere." Ali stood, speaking boldly for the first time. "For all we know, the Dark Lord could be fitting a perfected Dark Gem on his water beast as we speak -" "Or sit and not speak, anyway," Paul muttered as he stroked Mossmon - " - and we're doing nothing about it! We have a plan. Now let's go!" Jake turned his head to see her - she evidently had hidden leadership qualities. "Wodemon will bash us a way in. Zappamon and Amparamon will hold back the Dark forces, while Oramon will try to find the Dark Lord. When she does, she'll give us some sort of signal, and we'll all gang up on him and defeat him. Right?" Paul nodded. Breddy agreed, though with a worried frown. Their plan was hopeless, but there was no other. Ben was sitting gazing out across the inlet at the Fortress, seemingly oblivious to their debate. They all turned to Jake. Jake thought harder that moment than he had yet on their quest. Upon this decision rested their lives, and possibly the fate of their worlds. He hoped it was the right one. He closed his eyes and, barely perceptibly, nodded.
KT woke up to a throbbing skull and bruises all over. Dazed, she looked about. She had not been moved from where she last was - a metal cage in the Dark Lord's central chamber. A flood of memories came back to her, and she hugged Leviomon tightly to her for comfort. The servants of the Dark Lord had questioned her closely, using methods both physical and mental to extract answers. They had gained none, however, and the last thing she remembered was a furious blast of dark energy filling the room and knocking out everything inside it. Interestingly enough, she still had not seen the Dark Lord. She remembered Leviomon saying at one point that he must be very ugly, since he was so reluctant to show himself. She looked down at her digimon now - filthy and wounded, but gazing up at her with the same trust and love he had always had. "You done thinking yet?" He asked croakily. "Only I think we should get going. We can get better accommodation elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone else, no way! Those bars are weak from the Dark Lord's attack." "You think it was the Dark Lord, then?" "Well, I certainly hope so - no other digimon I know has that amount of power. And did you see the way he controlled those minions of his?" KT shuddered - his minions were all creepy and red-eyed, with simple, twisted minds and long claws. Leviomon was already squirming his way across the floor towards the bars to inspect the bars, verifying that they were indeed weak and wondering which attack would work best on them. "Wait, wait!" Said KT, laughing. Leviomon turned to her blankly. "Why?" He asked. KT opened her mouth, but couldn't think of a reply. In the stories, it never happened like this, just get up and bust out. Surely there was a catch. "Leviomon, just how are you planning to break through those bars? Do you have enough energy to digevolve?" In answer, Leviomon struck his show pose and cried out, "Leviomon digevolved to." And several seconds later, opened his bright eyes. It was an effort, and he was still Leviomon. He yawned disappointedly, and said to KT (who was sitting with a smug if crestfallen smile), "Perhaps I'd better get some sleep first. Do you have any food? I'm." KT shook her head, her eyelids already drooping. Before long, the pair were asleep again.
Less than two hours later, KT sensed it was time to go. Leviomon was already awake and ready, and she held out her digivice. "Leviomon digevolved to. Mermon!"
Oramon stood in the exit tunnel of the cave, watching the rain squalling over the crashing waves. The sky was a whirl of dark clouds, the occasional silhouette of a winged watcher spiralling among them, in its natural element. She looked out at the young boy sitting right at the entrance, drenched to the skin by rain and spray, straggly hair blowing in the gale. His dark blue eyes reflected the stormy weather outside. For some reason, Oramon was almost afraid to approach him. Something was going on deep down inside him, and it scared her. Behind her, Jake was running through their plan once more. She shook her head sadly - they all knew privately that this was going to be their last few hours as free peoples, possibly even living peoples. But maybe, just maybe, there was a chance they would strike lucky and pull this one off. She stared harder. What was that? For a moment, she thought she'd seen a black, smooth hump rise out of the sea. there it was again, but much bigger this time! It disappeared, and a second later reappeared half the size again - or rather, as she saw now, closer. Whatever it was would reach them in less than a minute, and in this place it was unlikely to be friendly. "Quickly! Jake, everyone, come look at this!" She shouted down the tunnel. There was a shuffling and scrabbling, then the whole gang appeared round the corner. Jake stood beside her. "What is it, Oramon?" He asked. "Zappamon, be ready," she said quietly to the electric digimon. If the object in the water was decidedly unfriendly, Zappamon would easily electrocute it, surrounded as it was by water. "Wait. you see that?" She answered Jake, pointing out. There was no need to point, however, for now it was only a couple hundred metres away, and as large as a horse. They watched nervously. At roughly one hundred metres, it was as big as an elephant. Ben stood up slowly, his troubled gaze fixed on the thing. At about fifty metres, it rose to about twice the height of Oramon, then sank beneath and did not reappear. The tension in the air, the nervousness, was enough to make a weaker kid bolt. But they stood still, hardly daring to breathe, waiting. Then it rose. Right in front of their entrance, with a deafening roar, water flooding everywhere, washing over them and filling the cave behind them. It was huge and brown, rounded. Waves rolled down it and collided with the chaos of the sea below. It rose, higher and higher, until it towered over them, dripping gigantic droplets all over them. Jake gaped up at it, only to get a mouthful of seawater. The brown object rose even further, to reveal a jagged lower edge like sharp rocks. For some reason, they reminded Jake of teeth. Finally, as the last rivers of water drained off it, he spotted two areas of movement, one on each side of it. The brown surfaces cracked apart, opening wider and wider. until they revealed two huge, shiny eyes. "Wam! Wam!" Ben cheered, leaping to his soggy feet and waving his arms in the air. At last, Jake understood. It was like the lightbulb had been switched on in his brain. "Whamon?" He asked the beast. The eyes turned to him, then a vast, deep, bass voice growled at them: "It is I." For a moment, they all stood in awestruck silence, Whamon regarding each of them in turn. Then he spoke again. "Rauruben-rah, I am thy humble servant, and thy companion. I have long awaited this meeting, though had I the chance I would not have waited quite this long. Yet it appears I have come just in time. That is good." Jake was looking around, but could not see who the leviathon was actually talking to. "Um. Whamon?" He called up to the beast, as loud as he could while trying to seem polite, "Who is this. Rarubinra? And what do you mean, "just in time"? I don't understand." The eyes peered down at him, and the answer came soon. "This child mine partner is, Rauruben-rah by title. He is ruler of the seas. But we do not have long to talk. We must leave, and fast - Maludarymon is angry, and he prepares to make his move. This cannot be allowed to happen, or his wilt be the last." Whamon lapsed into silence and closed his eyes pensively. "What is he talking about? How do we know we can trust him?" Jake hissed to Oramon. She narrowed her eyes and said thoughtfully, "We can trust him. He is Whamon, after all. He is saying we need to get a move on. I don't know who Maludarymon is, but. wait, what's Ben doing now?" The boy had clambered back to his feet and was holding something in the air, towards Whamon. There was a high-pitched whistling noise, faint but distinct, in the air. Jake stared. "Is that. a digivice?" Breddy asked incredulously. As one, their gaze moved upwards. And with perfect timing, Whamon's eyes snapped open.
The leviathon of the waves was in the digevolving universe, in the matrix, amid the colours. "Whamon digevolved to." He cried, his voice powerful and deep enough to shake the foundations of the earth. For a moment, his shape was nothing but bright light, shifting and changing like the reflections from water. Then it solidified again, only this time in a humanoid form. Fin-like blades sprung from the creature's arms, heavy yet stylish armour covering his body. His face was wise yet fierce, courageous yet dignified. His eyes were of the brightest blue, and broad, flat flukes grew from his shoulders as wings. He used both hands to hold a massive, curved-bladed sword. He was the image of power and leadership. ". Warriorwhamon!" He cried, with a deep but now more human voice.
The children gazed in awe at the warrior before them. He stood at least twice as tall as Angemon, and looked much fiercer. Ben's blue eyes welled up with joyous tears - after so long alone, it was wonderful to have such a powerful and majestic partner. Warriorwhamon just smiled briefly, then turned and frowned at the Fortress. "We do not have much time," he said simply. "I must fight the Dark Lord. You others, follow me. This will be a tough battle." He turned and looked at them. "But we will win it. We must, or our worlds are doomed." Jake nodded determinedly in agreement. He was fed up with endless planning, debating, talking. They needed to take action. With movements as graceful as a dolphin leaping from the waves, Warriorwhamon took to the air, the flukes spreading wider than the kids could see in the rainy mist. He soared out, barely above the surface of the waves, the backdraught from his flight ploughing through the sea. Like a gigantic bird, he pivoted on one wing, reaching out towards the children. and then he was off again, Ben on his shoulders, laughing and screaming at once. Jake stared after them, and shook his head in bewilderment and amazement. It was all happening so fast. "Come on, guys. There's no way he can do this alone." Oramon said. Jake looked up at her, and she grinned back. "Coming?" He nodded - yes, it was a whirl of big things all happening at once. but his task was simple. He climbed onto her shoulders, above her white wings, and looked back. Amparamon had withdrawn her spikes in order for Ali to nervously mount; Zappamon was giving Breddy a piggyback ride; Paul was almost lost among Wodemon's thick green fur. Jake sighed - their gang was incomplete, and he did not like going into battle this way. But they had no choice, and with a grim delight on his face, he yelled out the most satisfying words a leader can yell: "Let's go kick some Dark Butt!"
KT scampered around another corner, breathing heavily, looking fearfully around. This kind of thing was not her forte - sneaking around, hiding, watching. Yet again she wished heartily that she was with her friends, in the battle above. Another crash shook the foundations of the Fortress. KT made a grab for the wall, nearly falling over Leviomon, who had curled tightly around her ankles in panic. Dust and grit flaked down around her, and she closed her eyes and spluttered as it entered her mouth. This was how she knew there was a battle - the Fortress was falling, and though this gave her new hope, it was only the building. Presumably it was her friends up there, unless they had been killed or captured already; but she tried not to think about that. She cautiously opened her eyes as she felt Leviomon slide away from her, and followed him. Neither of them had any idea which way to go, but she had assumed they were fairly near the centre, therefore any direction would get them out eventually. A chunk of rock landed just inches from her foot, and she thought she heard a faint roar far above. Blindly, she ran on, terrified and desperate, trying hard to turn from the path of panic. She would get out. Wouldn't she?
Up on the surface, Jake had leaped from Oramon's shoulders upon entering the courtyard, so she could move more freely. He, Ali, Breddy and Paul had all grouped together, trying to stay out of trouble as much as possible and yelling encouragement and advice to their digimon. "Watch out behind you, Oramon!" "That's it, Amparamon!" "Go for the big guy! No, the other one! No. never mind!" Jake glanced over at the big, decorative archway through which the aquine warrior had flown. There was no sign of him yet; they would just have to keep battling until he won. "Jake, duck!" Oramon cried from across the yard. He followed her order almost without thinking, and a boulder went flying over his head to crash into Leomon. The lion digimon rumbled with an enormous growl from beneath the rock, and then opened his eyes wide. They were a normal colour again - the Dark Ring was fractured into a thousand black shards. He roared and rose to rejoin the fight, this time on the other side.
KT was sprinting for her life, in sheer panic, running like she would never stop. and then she was falling, and something cold was against her ankle, and her face hit the hard cold ground. Leviomon peeked from beneath her ankle. He had tripped her up. "Owwmmmm...!" She screamed. Now, he had slithered to her side and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her breathing slowed, her heart stopped thudding as if it was trying to escape her ribcage, the pain faded fast. "You're not hurt, just please don't scream, and for heaven's sake stop running," Leviomon whispered urgently. "I sense a very very evil presence behind those gates, and I hear a lot of loud noise. I don't think it's something we want to get involved in, in fact we should avoid it. I'm hungry, are you? Must be all that running, I guess, really takes it outta." KT recovered herself and shoved the irrepressible reptile off her. "What gate? Noise. oh," she said softly. A furious roar had boomed around them, followed by a painfully high-pitched shriek. She righted herself and made some attempt at getting the dirt out of her clothes and hair, then poked her head around the next corner. Twin gates stood there, ornate and black, smashed wide open by some unseen force. Behind them was only darkness, and cries of battle. Suddenly, there was a shout. "Shadow wave!" The voice was deep and evil, yet high-pitched enough to hurt the ears, like a very bad radio signal. Leviomon dived into KT when he heard this, knocking her down once again; this time, he held her there. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the matter was; then the world went silent. She waited, not knowing what to expect, feeling the suspense grow almost unbearable. Then, the darkness came. A black tide, like a sped-up onset of night, flowed above her head, casting a shadow on her and her partner and scoring strange dark lines on the walls. It was eerie, like a ghostly being set free upon the world, and it carried on down the passage, far beyond her line of vision. Leviomon snuggled up closely to her, his bright eyes wide with fear as he witnessed the evil passing right over their heads. The silence was broken by a scream of agony, and the horrible laughter of an evil ruler. Then the world came crashing down.
Outside, everyone had heard the scream. Everyone had stopped, perfectly still, wondering who had won. Then deep cracks appeared in the very centre of the courtyard. Digimon had no time to get away, save those who could fly - Oramon and Zappamon bowled into their friends and sent them all tumbling to the outer wall. The crevices split wider, gaping ravines, splintering the very rock. Jake peered closely at their source, a spidery mass of cracks that could not possibly hold for much longer. CRASH! Something huge burst from the centre of the courtyard, a white-and- blue something with rugged, beaten armour. It fell as fast as it had shot up into the air, and landed with enough force to slam some of the newly- jutting rocks back below the surface. There it lay, and diminished until it was a beached Whamon. Jake stared. It was a mistake, it wasn't real, that couldn't be him. but it was, and as the multitude of possessed monsters realised the same thing a cheer went up, nasty and foul - they had won. Jake could do nothing but gaze at the defeated leviathon, listen to the grunts and roars and growls. Then he felt the pressure of his friends' bodies against his, and he looked up fearfully. The digimon were closing in.
KT coughed and choked as the dust filled her lungs, wiping her streaming eyes. Something heavy was weighing down her legs, trapping her in the heap of rubble. Light streamed down, glorious sunlight; though it was accompanied by a cacophony of fierce noise. "Levio." She croaked, and burst into another fit of coughing. The bright blue head of her digimon appeared in the clouds, then disappeared again. The weight was shortly removed from her legs, and something rolled to a standstill a metre away. "Come on, come on, get up!" Leviomon's squeaky voice encouraged her. She sat up and squinted at him. "Why? What's going on?" "Well, the Dark Lord just defeated Warriorwhamon - that is, the main warrior on our side! Our friends are in grave danger!" "I don't see what we can do about it." "Fight, of course! The Dark Lord is tired and has spent much of his energy. This may be our only chance! And if we don't, we'll end up fighting for him!" KT closed her eyes and processed all this information slowly and carefully - it was a lot to take in after being nearly killed by a boulder. "He's through that way," Leviomon said pointedly. KT frowned. This was a big decision - fighting could result in getting her killed. But then, she heard a scream from far above. The sound stopped her heart momentarily, and clogged her throat. It was Breddy who had screamed, and now she heard the cry of a fallen digimon - Zappamon. They were in trouble, before she even had time to reunite with them. They could not last alone. She glanced down in the direction Leviomon was gesturing, an entrance with only shadows beyond. She could feel the malevolence flowing from it. Another scream rent the air, and she set her face grimly. Suddenly, it was all clear.
She saw Leviomon in front of her, laughing delightedly, saw the digitised world whirling around them. Grinning, she said with her partner, in perfect unison: "Leviomon." "KT." "Digevolved to." And then she was on four legs, hooves hard as diamonds where her hands and feet were, flowing into Leviomon's smooth, long, streamlined body, arching her strong neck. Armour rose up her limbs and washed down her back like water; the reptilian spikes had to multiply to reach the end of her long tail. Her blue body was decorated with white swirls, and Mermon's helmet, now resized and coloured, was upon her head. ".Aquinequamon!" She cried in a voice as pure as crystals, beautiful and lilting. She was no seahorse, but a horse of the sea. She was elegant and streamlined, but right now. she narrowed her bright blue eyes. She was filled with wrath, hurt. her friends were in danger, and all their troubles were the fault of one being. She glared at the dark opening. From the midst of the shadows, she thought, for a moment, she saw two red slits glaring back. That did it. She reared, striking out with her hooves, whinnying - though it was more like a song - and charged at the entrance. It seemed for a moment almost as if foam was spraying all around her, a wave bearing her along, galloping faster than any land horse ever could. She was the white horse of the waves, unstoppable, destructive, and yet enchanting. The red eyes opened wide, staring right at her, and a huge purple maw opened wide beneath them. "White charger!" She shouted in the Dark Lord's face; her best attack, and her only hope. Then the surf hit the sand, and all was chaos.
Jake had seen none of this, but he had heard the reptilian whinny, and instinctively known who it was - you can't avoid thinking like that when you're that close to a person. Instantly, he had disregarded all danger, and ran to the gap in the courtyard. "KT!" He screamed, frantically looking into every dark corner. A flash of white caught his attention, and he saw Aquinequamon go flying backwards into the centre. "Shadow wave!" The horrible voice roared. The air was silent and still, there was no way out for the water horse. In sheer recklessness, all sense lost, Jake leaped from the edge. Suddenly the ground was nearing much faster, the wind was blowing in his ears - not whistling, for the attack had cancelled out all sound, all the blood was rushing to his head.
And the next thing he knew, he had stopped falling, the landscape had changed, and Falmon was standing in front of him. "Falmon." "Jake." "Digevolved to." He watched in amazement as his hair grew to his shoulders, boots appeared on his feet, leather strips were wrapped around his hands, which were now paws, his legs were those of an animal, he was covered in golden fur. a breastplate finished the effect, and he reached out and snatched a giant two-handed sword as it came flying down out of no-where. ". Heroarimon!" He boomed.
With enough force to shake the tormented earth yet again, he landed on two feet, perfectly balanced and not at all hurt. For a brief second, he shared a silent glance with Aquinequamon. then, in the silence, both of them turned and charged. It was extremely weird: they were roaring and gallpoing and pounding and yelling out their attacks, yet it was all done in slow motion, and complete silence. The black shadow that was the Dark Lord seemed to be darkening somehow - they assumed this was in preparation for his ultimate attack. But the final blast never came - as one, Aquinequamon and Heroarimon struck with a dual blast of fire and water, and sheer strength as they cannoned into him. The Dark Lord burst like a popped balloon. Waves of shadow emanated from him, spreading past the walls, up to the clouds, far down the tunnels, knocking down everything in their path. In the lower reaches of the structure, Tai, Matt, the girls and their digimon had de-digevolved back into their old selves, and fortunately had run away beforehand. The wave swept them off their feet. and they did not return to the ground. Up on the surface, Breddy, Ali, Paul and their partners had all but given up on a losing battle, when the darkness came and swallowed them. Normal sunlight shone done on the wreckage of the Fortress, which now looked as deserted and crumbling as it had before the Dark Lord moved in. The strangest thing was, it was deserted - no digimon, humans or shadow remained. Only the Airdramon wheeled high up in the sky, now cloudless, surveying the landscape which at last was the truth.
KT opened her eyes. A ceiling faced them, at a distance. It was warm and comfortable where she was, except painfully bright sunlight streaming in through a gap in. the curtains, she saw. Blue curtains. She knew where she was - in bed, at home. She frowned. What about the Digital World? "KT, time to get up, or you won't have time for breakfast!" A cheerful voice called up to her. Her mom. "Yeah, and you'll make me late for school!" Siathuri? But. surely not.
Working on Autopilot, KT dressed and ate breakfast, all the while furiously denying the possibility of the Digital World being a dream. It was just too huge, it was impossible. "What's the matter? You're not whinging as much as you usually do," Thir said teasingly on the way to school. KT wasn't even listening - there was someone she had to see.
"KT!" Boy, was she glad to hear that voice! It was Jake, and she ran over to him without even saying a word to her elder sister, who said something mean about romance. "Jake, it wasn't all." "It can't have just been." They both started at the same time, then stopped and stared at each other. "Jake," said KT, slowly and carefully, "did you go to the Digital World, get stuck there for the past few days, meet Falmon your digimon and defeat the Dark Lord?" Just as deliberately, Jake nodded. They both sighed in relief, but then Jake frowned in consternation. "I've already talked to the others. They can't remember a thing, and both think we're nuts. I mean, no-one can. They haven't even noticed we've been missing or anything. It's strange, and I was getting kinda worried about my sanity, to tell you the truth." KT agreed with him. "There's one way to find out what's happened - I bet the digimon will know, if they even exist. We can go now, before school starts. Let's hurry!"
It is hard for the younger generation to get anywhere fast in a school like theirs, for the older kids are the ones who barge past them and shove them out of the way. But Jake and KT shouldered and elbowed their way up to the computer room, which was nearly deserted - it was not exactly a cool hangout. The only other boy in there was Izzy, who did not give them the slightest sign of recognition. Right now, though, they were not worried about that. KT skidded into a chair, her fingers typing even before she'd landed. Jake saw Izzy glance up at them curiously, but he probably assumed they had late homework to finish. Looking back at the computer screen, he noticed the lightbulb. It was red. "Come on, come on!" KT urged it. They both bent their wills furiously against it, creating tension so tight it seemed solid. The lightbulb blinked, and went green. The screen showed the usual grassy scene. "Leviomon!" KT called into it, not caring about the attention she might draw. Nothing. But then. a blue, sinuous figure slithered towards them, growing larger as it got nearer. The long, reptilian face of Leviomon appeared right in front of the screen. "How did you know my name?" He asked in puzzlement. KT gaped, distraught. But then he laughed, and shook his head. "Don't worry, KT, I know who you are and what you've been through. And." He added quickly, seeing Jake's mouth open questioningly, "Falmon's right." "Here! Hi Jake! I thought you two might be wondering what's going on, why only you can remember. It's from when we destroyed the Dark Lord. The blast of darkness spread all around, even leaking into your world. It caused amnesia, but it also sent things back the way they were before. at least, that might have been the blast. It might have been a Guardian, or it could have been Gennai. but it doesn't matter, anyway," she finished hastily, seeing the kids' forlornly bewildered expressions. "So how come we're the only ones who can remember?" KT asked. "We were right at the centre of the blast," Leviomon replied. "It was like the eye of the storm. From that small area, the darkness radiated out. But in the very middle was a spot of normal nothing. That's where we were. We still got sent back, though - that suggests that it was Gennai, or some other outside force." Jake nodded, not understanding a word of it but happy that there was an answer. KT let this sink in. So they were the only ones who knew what had happened. What about all the other digidestined around the world? Was everything normal again for them? Did they still know about their digimon? Her friends certainly didn't. but they must still exist, surely? Jake put his arm around her, and she smiled. At least now it was safe to come and go as they pleased between worlds - she could introduce Breddy and Ali to their digimon then. For now, she was happy just being with her partner, and knowing that it was real.
"Maybe we could try and sneak in somehow?" The suggestion was Breddy's, and like so many other hopeless ideas was soon rejected. "No. There is no way in, not one we can use at any rate. If there was it would not be a Dark Fortress." The gang fell back into silence. Jake sighed heavily - they had sat through the night, and the next morning, and still had managed only one remotely feasible idea. He was unwilling to use it, since it stretched them very thin and relied on him finding the Dark Lord almost instantly; and he was determined not to leave without KT. "I'm sorry, Jake." Falmon came to sit beside him consolingly. "She wouldn't stay out this long unless something. happened. She's probably just gotten lost or something." She trailed off. Jake stared straight ahead, motionless. He knew she was right, but. "Look, sitting here all day isn't going to get us anywhere." Ali stood, speaking boldly for the first time. "For all we know, the Dark Lord could be fitting a perfected Dark Gem on his water beast as we speak -" "Or sit and not speak, anyway," Paul muttered as he stroked Mossmon - " - and we're doing nothing about it! We have a plan. Now let's go!" Jake turned his head to see her - she evidently had hidden leadership qualities. "Wodemon will bash us a way in. Zappamon and Amparamon will hold back the Dark forces, while Oramon will try to find the Dark Lord. When she does, she'll give us some sort of signal, and we'll all gang up on him and defeat him. Right?" Paul nodded. Breddy agreed, though with a worried frown. Their plan was hopeless, but there was no other. Ben was sitting gazing out across the inlet at the Fortress, seemingly oblivious to their debate. They all turned to Jake. Jake thought harder that moment than he had yet on their quest. Upon this decision rested their lives, and possibly the fate of their worlds. He hoped it was the right one. He closed his eyes and, barely perceptibly, nodded.
KT woke up to a throbbing skull and bruises all over. Dazed, she looked about. She had not been moved from where she last was - a metal cage in the Dark Lord's central chamber. A flood of memories came back to her, and she hugged Leviomon tightly to her for comfort. The servants of the Dark Lord had questioned her closely, using methods both physical and mental to extract answers. They had gained none, however, and the last thing she remembered was a furious blast of dark energy filling the room and knocking out everything inside it. Interestingly enough, she still had not seen the Dark Lord. She remembered Leviomon saying at one point that he must be very ugly, since he was so reluctant to show himself. She looked down at her digimon now - filthy and wounded, but gazing up at her with the same trust and love he had always had. "You done thinking yet?" He asked croakily. "Only I think we should get going. We can get better accommodation elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone else, no way! Those bars are weak from the Dark Lord's attack." "You think it was the Dark Lord, then?" "Well, I certainly hope so - no other digimon I know has that amount of power. And did you see the way he controlled those minions of his?" KT shuddered - his minions were all creepy and red-eyed, with simple, twisted minds and long claws. Leviomon was already squirming his way across the floor towards the bars to inspect the bars, verifying that they were indeed weak and wondering which attack would work best on them. "Wait, wait!" Said KT, laughing. Leviomon turned to her blankly. "Why?" He asked. KT opened her mouth, but couldn't think of a reply. In the stories, it never happened like this, just get up and bust out. Surely there was a catch. "Leviomon, just how are you planning to break through those bars? Do you have enough energy to digevolve?" In answer, Leviomon struck his show pose and cried out, "Leviomon digevolved to." And several seconds later, opened his bright eyes. It was an effort, and he was still Leviomon. He yawned disappointedly, and said to KT (who was sitting with a smug if crestfallen smile), "Perhaps I'd better get some sleep first. Do you have any food? I'm." KT shook her head, her eyelids already drooping. Before long, the pair were asleep again.
Less than two hours later, KT sensed it was time to go. Leviomon was already awake and ready, and she held out her digivice. "Leviomon digevolved to. Mermon!"
Oramon stood in the exit tunnel of the cave, watching the rain squalling over the crashing waves. The sky was a whirl of dark clouds, the occasional silhouette of a winged watcher spiralling among them, in its natural element. She looked out at the young boy sitting right at the entrance, drenched to the skin by rain and spray, straggly hair blowing in the gale. His dark blue eyes reflected the stormy weather outside. For some reason, Oramon was almost afraid to approach him. Something was going on deep down inside him, and it scared her. Behind her, Jake was running through their plan once more. She shook her head sadly - they all knew privately that this was going to be their last few hours as free peoples, possibly even living peoples. But maybe, just maybe, there was a chance they would strike lucky and pull this one off. She stared harder. What was that? For a moment, she thought she'd seen a black, smooth hump rise out of the sea. there it was again, but much bigger this time! It disappeared, and a second later reappeared half the size again - or rather, as she saw now, closer. Whatever it was would reach them in less than a minute, and in this place it was unlikely to be friendly. "Quickly! Jake, everyone, come look at this!" She shouted down the tunnel. There was a shuffling and scrabbling, then the whole gang appeared round the corner. Jake stood beside her. "What is it, Oramon?" He asked. "Zappamon, be ready," she said quietly to the electric digimon. If the object in the water was decidedly unfriendly, Zappamon would easily electrocute it, surrounded as it was by water. "Wait. you see that?" She answered Jake, pointing out. There was no need to point, however, for now it was only a couple hundred metres away, and as large as a horse. They watched nervously. At roughly one hundred metres, it was as big as an elephant. Ben stood up slowly, his troubled gaze fixed on the thing. At about fifty metres, it rose to about twice the height of Oramon, then sank beneath and did not reappear. The tension in the air, the nervousness, was enough to make a weaker kid bolt. But they stood still, hardly daring to breathe, waiting. Then it rose. Right in front of their entrance, with a deafening roar, water flooding everywhere, washing over them and filling the cave behind them. It was huge and brown, rounded. Waves rolled down it and collided with the chaos of the sea below. It rose, higher and higher, until it towered over them, dripping gigantic droplets all over them. Jake gaped up at it, only to get a mouthful of seawater. The brown object rose even further, to reveal a jagged lower edge like sharp rocks. For some reason, they reminded Jake of teeth. Finally, as the last rivers of water drained off it, he spotted two areas of movement, one on each side of it. The brown surfaces cracked apart, opening wider and wider. until they revealed two huge, shiny eyes. "Wam! Wam!" Ben cheered, leaping to his soggy feet and waving his arms in the air. At last, Jake understood. It was like the lightbulb had been switched on in his brain. "Whamon?" He asked the beast. The eyes turned to him, then a vast, deep, bass voice growled at them: "It is I." For a moment, they all stood in awestruck silence, Whamon regarding each of them in turn. Then he spoke again. "Rauruben-rah, I am thy humble servant, and thy companion. I have long awaited this meeting, though had I the chance I would not have waited quite this long. Yet it appears I have come just in time. That is good." Jake was looking around, but could not see who the leviathon was actually talking to. "Um. Whamon?" He called up to the beast, as loud as he could while trying to seem polite, "Who is this. Rarubinra? And what do you mean, "just in time"? I don't understand." The eyes peered down at him, and the answer came soon. "This child mine partner is, Rauruben-rah by title. He is ruler of the seas. But we do not have long to talk. We must leave, and fast - Maludarymon is angry, and he prepares to make his move. This cannot be allowed to happen, or his wilt be the last." Whamon lapsed into silence and closed his eyes pensively. "What is he talking about? How do we know we can trust him?" Jake hissed to Oramon. She narrowed her eyes and said thoughtfully, "We can trust him. He is Whamon, after all. He is saying we need to get a move on. I don't know who Maludarymon is, but. wait, what's Ben doing now?" The boy had clambered back to his feet and was holding something in the air, towards Whamon. There was a high-pitched whistling noise, faint but distinct, in the air. Jake stared. "Is that. a digivice?" Breddy asked incredulously. As one, their gaze moved upwards. And with perfect timing, Whamon's eyes snapped open.
The leviathon of the waves was in the digevolving universe, in the matrix, amid the colours. "Whamon digevolved to." He cried, his voice powerful and deep enough to shake the foundations of the earth. For a moment, his shape was nothing but bright light, shifting and changing like the reflections from water. Then it solidified again, only this time in a humanoid form. Fin-like blades sprung from the creature's arms, heavy yet stylish armour covering his body. His face was wise yet fierce, courageous yet dignified. His eyes were of the brightest blue, and broad, flat flukes grew from his shoulders as wings. He used both hands to hold a massive, curved-bladed sword. He was the image of power and leadership. ". Warriorwhamon!" He cried, with a deep but now more human voice.
The children gazed in awe at the warrior before them. He stood at least twice as tall as Angemon, and looked much fiercer. Ben's blue eyes welled up with joyous tears - after so long alone, it was wonderful to have such a powerful and majestic partner. Warriorwhamon just smiled briefly, then turned and frowned at the Fortress. "We do not have much time," he said simply. "I must fight the Dark Lord. You others, follow me. This will be a tough battle." He turned and looked at them. "But we will win it. We must, or our worlds are doomed." Jake nodded determinedly in agreement. He was fed up with endless planning, debating, talking. They needed to take action. With movements as graceful as a dolphin leaping from the waves, Warriorwhamon took to the air, the flukes spreading wider than the kids could see in the rainy mist. He soared out, barely above the surface of the waves, the backdraught from his flight ploughing through the sea. Like a gigantic bird, he pivoted on one wing, reaching out towards the children. and then he was off again, Ben on his shoulders, laughing and screaming at once. Jake stared after them, and shook his head in bewilderment and amazement. It was all happening so fast. "Come on, guys. There's no way he can do this alone." Oramon said. Jake looked up at her, and she grinned back. "Coming?" He nodded - yes, it was a whirl of big things all happening at once. but his task was simple. He climbed onto her shoulders, above her white wings, and looked back. Amparamon had withdrawn her spikes in order for Ali to nervously mount; Zappamon was giving Breddy a piggyback ride; Paul was almost lost among Wodemon's thick green fur. Jake sighed - their gang was incomplete, and he did not like going into battle this way. But they had no choice, and with a grim delight on his face, he yelled out the most satisfying words a leader can yell: "Let's go kick some Dark Butt!"
KT scampered around another corner, breathing heavily, looking fearfully around. This kind of thing was not her forte - sneaking around, hiding, watching. Yet again she wished heartily that she was with her friends, in the battle above. Another crash shook the foundations of the Fortress. KT made a grab for the wall, nearly falling over Leviomon, who had curled tightly around her ankles in panic. Dust and grit flaked down around her, and she closed her eyes and spluttered as it entered her mouth. This was how she knew there was a battle - the Fortress was falling, and though this gave her new hope, it was only the building. Presumably it was her friends up there, unless they had been killed or captured already; but she tried not to think about that. She cautiously opened her eyes as she felt Leviomon slide away from her, and followed him. Neither of them had any idea which way to go, but she had assumed they were fairly near the centre, therefore any direction would get them out eventually. A chunk of rock landed just inches from her foot, and she thought she heard a faint roar far above. Blindly, she ran on, terrified and desperate, trying hard to turn from the path of panic. She would get out. Wouldn't she?
Up on the surface, Jake had leaped from Oramon's shoulders upon entering the courtyard, so she could move more freely. He, Ali, Breddy and Paul had all grouped together, trying to stay out of trouble as much as possible and yelling encouragement and advice to their digimon. "Watch out behind you, Oramon!" "That's it, Amparamon!" "Go for the big guy! No, the other one! No. never mind!" Jake glanced over at the big, decorative archway through which the aquine warrior had flown. There was no sign of him yet; they would just have to keep battling until he won. "Jake, duck!" Oramon cried from across the yard. He followed her order almost without thinking, and a boulder went flying over his head to crash into Leomon. The lion digimon rumbled with an enormous growl from beneath the rock, and then opened his eyes wide. They were a normal colour again - the Dark Ring was fractured into a thousand black shards. He roared and rose to rejoin the fight, this time on the other side.
KT was sprinting for her life, in sheer panic, running like she would never stop. and then she was falling, and something cold was against her ankle, and her face hit the hard cold ground. Leviomon peeked from beneath her ankle. He had tripped her up. "Owwmmmm...!" She screamed. Now, he had slithered to her side and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her breathing slowed, her heart stopped thudding as if it was trying to escape her ribcage, the pain faded fast. "You're not hurt, just please don't scream, and for heaven's sake stop running," Leviomon whispered urgently. "I sense a very very evil presence behind those gates, and I hear a lot of loud noise. I don't think it's something we want to get involved in, in fact we should avoid it. I'm hungry, are you? Must be all that running, I guess, really takes it outta." KT recovered herself and shoved the irrepressible reptile off her. "What gate? Noise. oh," she said softly. A furious roar had boomed around them, followed by a painfully high-pitched shriek. She righted herself and made some attempt at getting the dirt out of her clothes and hair, then poked her head around the next corner. Twin gates stood there, ornate and black, smashed wide open by some unseen force. Behind them was only darkness, and cries of battle. Suddenly, there was a shout. "Shadow wave!" The voice was deep and evil, yet high-pitched enough to hurt the ears, like a very bad radio signal. Leviomon dived into KT when he heard this, knocking her down once again; this time, he held her there. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the matter was; then the world went silent. She waited, not knowing what to expect, feeling the suspense grow almost unbearable. Then, the darkness came. A black tide, like a sped-up onset of night, flowed above her head, casting a shadow on her and her partner and scoring strange dark lines on the walls. It was eerie, like a ghostly being set free upon the world, and it carried on down the passage, far beyond her line of vision. Leviomon snuggled up closely to her, his bright eyes wide with fear as he witnessed the evil passing right over their heads. The silence was broken by a scream of agony, and the horrible laughter of an evil ruler. Then the world came crashing down.
Outside, everyone had heard the scream. Everyone had stopped, perfectly still, wondering who had won. Then deep cracks appeared in the very centre of the courtyard. Digimon had no time to get away, save those who could fly - Oramon and Zappamon bowled into their friends and sent them all tumbling to the outer wall. The crevices split wider, gaping ravines, splintering the very rock. Jake peered closely at their source, a spidery mass of cracks that could not possibly hold for much longer. CRASH! Something huge burst from the centre of the courtyard, a white-and- blue something with rugged, beaten armour. It fell as fast as it had shot up into the air, and landed with enough force to slam some of the newly- jutting rocks back below the surface. There it lay, and diminished until it was a beached Whamon. Jake stared. It was a mistake, it wasn't real, that couldn't be him. but it was, and as the multitude of possessed monsters realised the same thing a cheer went up, nasty and foul - they had won. Jake could do nothing but gaze at the defeated leviathon, listen to the grunts and roars and growls. Then he felt the pressure of his friends' bodies against his, and he looked up fearfully. The digimon were closing in.
KT coughed and choked as the dust filled her lungs, wiping her streaming eyes. Something heavy was weighing down her legs, trapping her in the heap of rubble. Light streamed down, glorious sunlight; though it was accompanied by a cacophony of fierce noise. "Levio." She croaked, and burst into another fit of coughing. The bright blue head of her digimon appeared in the clouds, then disappeared again. The weight was shortly removed from her legs, and something rolled to a standstill a metre away. "Come on, come on, get up!" Leviomon's squeaky voice encouraged her. She sat up and squinted at him. "Why? What's going on?" "Well, the Dark Lord just defeated Warriorwhamon - that is, the main warrior on our side! Our friends are in grave danger!" "I don't see what we can do about it." "Fight, of course! The Dark Lord is tired and has spent much of his energy. This may be our only chance! And if we don't, we'll end up fighting for him!" KT closed her eyes and processed all this information slowly and carefully - it was a lot to take in after being nearly killed by a boulder. "He's through that way," Leviomon said pointedly. KT frowned. This was a big decision - fighting could result in getting her killed. But then, she heard a scream from far above. The sound stopped her heart momentarily, and clogged her throat. It was Breddy who had screamed, and now she heard the cry of a fallen digimon - Zappamon. They were in trouble, before she even had time to reunite with them. They could not last alone. She glanced down in the direction Leviomon was gesturing, an entrance with only shadows beyond. She could feel the malevolence flowing from it. Another scream rent the air, and she set her face grimly. Suddenly, it was all clear.
She saw Leviomon in front of her, laughing delightedly, saw the digitised world whirling around them. Grinning, she said with her partner, in perfect unison: "Leviomon." "KT." "Digevolved to." And then she was on four legs, hooves hard as diamonds where her hands and feet were, flowing into Leviomon's smooth, long, streamlined body, arching her strong neck. Armour rose up her limbs and washed down her back like water; the reptilian spikes had to multiply to reach the end of her long tail. Her blue body was decorated with white swirls, and Mermon's helmet, now resized and coloured, was upon her head. ".Aquinequamon!" She cried in a voice as pure as crystals, beautiful and lilting. She was no seahorse, but a horse of the sea. She was elegant and streamlined, but right now. she narrowed her bright blue eyes. She was filled with wrath, hurt. her friends were in danger, and all their troubles were the fault of one being. She glared at the dark opening. From the midst of the shadows, she thought, for a moment, she saw two red slits glaring back. That did it. She reared, striking out with her hooves, whinnying - though it was more like a song - and charged at the entrance. It seemed for a moment almost as if foam was spraying all around her, a wave bearing her along, galloping faster than any land horse ever could. She was the white horse of the waves, unstoppable, destructive, and yet enchanting. The red eyes opened wide, staring right at her, and a huge purple maw opened wide beneath them. "White charger!" She shouted in the Dark Lord's face; her best attack, and her only hope. Then the surf hit the sand, and all was chaos.
Jake had seen none of this, but he had heard the reptilian whinny, and instinctively known who it was - you can't avoid thinking like that when you're that close to a person. Instantly, he had disregarded all danger, and ran to the gap in the courtyard. "KT!" He screamed, frantically looking into every dark corner. A flash of white caught his attention, and he saw Aquinequamon go flying backwards into the centre. "Shadow wave!" The horrible voice roared. The air was silent and still, there was no way out for the water horse. In sheer recklessness, all sense lost, Jake leaped from the edge. Suddenly the ground was nearing much faster, the wind was blowing in his ears - not whistling, for the attack had cancelled out all sound, all the blood was rushing to his head.
And the next thing he knew, he had stopped falling, the landscape had changed, and Falmon was standing in front of him. "Falmon." "Jake." "Digevolved to." He watched in amazement as his hair grew to his shoulders, boots appeared on his feet, leather strips were wrapped around his hands, which were now paws, his legs were those of an animal, he was covered in golden fur. a breastplate finished the effect, and he reached out and snatched a giant two-handed sword as it came flying down out of no-where. ". Heroarimon!" He boomed.
With enough force to shake the tormented earth yet again, he landed on two feet, perfectly balanced and not at all hurt. For a brief second, he shared a silent glance with Aquinequamon. then, in the silence, both of them turned and charged. It was extremely weird: they were roaring and gallpoing and pounding and yelling out their attacks, yet it was all done in slow motion, and complete silence. The black shadow that was the Dark Lord seemed to be darkening somehow - they assumed this was in preparation for his ultimate attack. But the final blast never came - as one, Aquinequamon and Heroarimon struck with a dual blast of fire and water, and sheer strength as they cannoned into him. The Dark Lord burst like a popped balloon. Waves of shadow emanated from him, spreading past the walls, up to the clouds, far down the tunnels, knocking down everything in their path. In the lower reaches of the structure, Tai, Matt, the girls and their digimon had de-digevolved back into their old selves, and fortunately had run away beforehand. The wave swept them off their feet. and they did not return to the ground. Up on the surface, Breddy, Ali, Paul and their partners had all but given up on a losing battle, when the darkness came and swallowed them. Normal sunlight shone done on the wreckage of the Fortress, which now looked as deserted and crumbling as it had before the Dark Lord moved in. The strangest thing was, it was deserted - no digimon, humans or shadow remained. Only the Airdramon wheeled high up in the sky, now cloudless, surveying the landscape which at last was the truth.
KT opened her eyes. A ceiling faced them, at a distance. It was warm and comfortable where she was, except painfully bright sunlight streaming in through a gap in. the curtains, she saw. Blue curtains. She knew where she was - in bed, at home. She frowned. What about the Digital World? "KT, time to get up, or you won't have time for breakfast!" A cheerful voice called up to her. Her mom. "Yeah, and you'll make me late for school!" Siathuri? But. surely not.
Working on Autopilot, KT dressed and ate breakfast, all the while furiously denying the possibility of the Digital World being a dream. It was just too huge, it was impossible. "What's the matter? You're not whinging as much as you usually do," Thir said teasingly on the way to school. KT wasn't even listening - there was someone she had to see.
"KT!" Boy, was she glad to hear that voice! It was Jake, and she ran over to him without even saying a word to her elder sister, who said something mean about romance. "Jake, it wasn't all." "It can't have just been." They both started at the same time, then stopped and stared at each other. "Jake," said KT, slowly and carefully, "did you go to the Digital World, get stuck there for the past few days, meet Falmon your digimon and defeat the Dark Lord?" Just as deliberately, Jake nodded. They both sighed in relief, but then Jake frowned in consternation. "I've already talked to the others. They can't remember a thing, and both think we're nuts. I mean, no-one can. They haven't even noticed we've been missing or anything. It's strange, and I was getting kinda worried about my sanity, to tell you the truth." KT agreed with him. "There's one way to find out what's happened - I bet the digimon will know, if they even exist. We can go now, before school starts. Let's hurry!"
It is hard for the younger generation to get anywhere fast in a school like theirs, for the older kids are the ones who barge past them and shove them out of the way. But Jake and KT shouldered and elbowed their way up to the computer room, which was nearly deserted - it was not exactly a cool hangout. The only other boy in there was Izzy, who did not give them the slightest sign of recognition. Right now, though, they were not worried about that. KT skidded into a chair, her fingers typing even before she'd landed. Jake saw Izzy glance up at them curiously, but he probably assumed they had late homework to finish. Looking back at the computer screen, he noticed the lightbulb. It was red. "Come on, come on!" KT urged it. They both bent their wills furiously against it, creating tension so tight it seemed solid. The lightbulb blinked, and went green. The screen showed the usual grassy scene. "Leviomon!" KT called into it, not caring about the attention she might draw. Nothing. But then. a blue, sinuous figure slithered towards them, growing larger as it got nearer. The long, reptilian face of Leviomon appeared right in front of the screen. "How did you know my name?" He asked in puzzlement. KT gaped, distraught. But then he laughed, and shook his head. "Don't worry, KT, I know who you are and what you've been through. And." He added quickly, seeing Jake's mouth open questioningly, "Falmon's right." "Here! Hi Jake! I thought you two might be wondering what's going on, why only you can remember. It's from when we destroyed the Dark Lord. The blast of darkness spread all around, even leaking into your world. It caused amnesia, but it also sent things back the way they were before. at least, that might have been the blast. It might have been a Guardian, or it could have been Gennai. but it doesn't matter, anyway," she finished hastily, seeing the kids' forlornly bewildered expressions. "So how come we're the only ones who can remember?" KT asked. "We were right at the centre of the blast," Leviomon replied. "It was like the eye of the storm. From that small area, the darkness radiated out. But in the very middle was a spot of normal nothing. That's where we were. We still got sent back, though - that suggests that it was Gennai, or some other outside force." Jake nodded, not understanding a word of it but happy that there was an answer. KT let this sink in. So they were the only ones who knew what had happened. What about all the other digidestined around the world? Was everything normal again for them? Did they still know about their digimon? Her friends certainly didn't. but they must still exist, surely? Jake put his arm around her, and she smiled. At least now it was safe to come and go as they pleased between worlds - she could introduce Breddy and Ali to their digimon then. For now, she was happy just being with her partner, and knowing that it was real.
