Chapter 1: Infinite Tragedy
The August day was bright and sunny, with only a few clouds in the sky. The clear blue air stretched from horizon to horizon, with only a little of the heat summer usually brought to Odaiba. The day was absolutely perfect, Kari decided.
"Hey Kari!" The brown-haired girl turned to see a familiar pair of silhouettes barreling down out of the sunlight. She shaded her hands and smiled.
"Hi Davis! Hi, Veemon! How are you?" She smiled at her two old friends. Davis had changed little in the year since the big battle with MaloMyotismon: a few inches taller, the old blue goggles, and for today, a button-down shirt and jeans to go with his flame-patterned fighter-pilot jacket. Veemon was unchanged naturally, and was tugging lightly on Davis's sleeve as Davis, per usual, went tongue-tied at seeing Kari.
"Uh-heh-heh. Hey Kari. Ummm...nice weather, huh?" Davis was rubbing the back of his head with his hand and staring. Although he'd seen her plenty of times, he always seemed dumb-struck at the sight of her, even when she was in casual jeans and a t-shirt like today. For her part, Kari tried not to giggle.
"Yep, sure is! Are you ready?"
"Uh...huh?" Davis grinned suddenly. "Oh yeah, I'm ready! Why don't I help you with that?" He took the picnic basket Kari was holding. "Wouldn't want you straining yourself!"
"Wait for me Davish!" Veemon took off, leaving Kari and Gatomon to exchange amused giggles. Gatomon's mood quickly sobered, however, as the two walked towards the park where they were to meet with the others. The lump that always developed in her throat and the scars on her paws that itched this time of year always reminded her, better than any calendar, of her friend Wizardmon. The friend that had risked his life to free her from enslavement to Myotismon and then sacrificed that same life for her and Kari to survive the vampire digimon. She was glad to feel Kari's warm hand on her shoulder and to see her friend's smile, reminding her that she wasn't alone.
The park the group traditionally went to was large, but created on a series of hills and embankments, creating a beautiful green territory around a sparkling lake. As Kari walked into the forested park, she could see groups of people, kids and adults, wandering around with their digimon partners. That brought a smile to her face. There had been mass confusion, even fear, when every person in the world had suddenly received a digimon partner a year ago. The original and second sets of Digidestined had spent quite a large amount of time traveling around the world, speaking before world governments and in the press, convincing people that the digimon were, by and large, not evil. As news of what had happened in Odaiba had spread, the Digidestined had begun an outreach program, now funded and staffed by Digidestined from around the world, to help people and digimon learn to trust each other. The side-effect, of course, was a certain celebrity that Davis, Matt, and a few of the others had lapped up, but which kind of embarrassed the Digidestined of Light. She was used to the stares, the admiration (not just of the beauty that was beginning to emerge as she grew older) and the excited murmurs.
Ahead of her, she saw the small shrine where the others were gathering. This space had been reserved for today by special request, so only the original and second sets of Digidestined were allowed in today. As she entered the shrine, she saw Davis speaking with Ken, Joe, Yolie, and Mimi, who'd flown out from America for this. Tai was speaking with the most of the original Digidestined in one corner, the digimon were in another. As she walked in, a familiar voice called to her.
"Hi Kari." T.K.'s voice was solemn as he took Kari's hand, ignoring the sudden glare from Davis. Kari herself nodded sadly. It often seemed like T.K. knew how she really felt, even when she hid it from her friends and family. She gave him a melancholy smile and let him lead her inside, while Gatomon went over to speak to Wormmon and Patamon. Soon enough, the gang was all assembled before the small cairn of rocks with the wizard's hat and staff propped up to next to it. As the group knelt in a moment of silent prayer, there was a commotion outside.
"Hey, put me down you freak!" The voice was high and frightened, and very young. The group looked up in mixed alarm and irritation, that something would interrupt this day. As the group got to the door, they saw a boy in goggles and a sweatshirt and jeans, maybe nine or ten, being held off the ground in a firm grip by an older boy in his teens. The older boy was decked out in black everything: silk slacks, socks, formal dress shoes, mirrored sunglasses, a casual business jacket, a tie, and an ankle-length cape done in golden trim. The only other colors on him were a white shirt and a silver wristwatch. The black-haired teenager had an irritated frown on his face as he squeezed the boy's neck.
"Tell me where it is!" He shook the boy and held up the wristwatch, which was projecting a holographic image of the streets of Odaiba in a circular pattern.
"Put him down, jerk!" That was from Davis, naturally. The teen turned and gave Davis a smug, condescending smile.
"Oh? And what will you do if I don't, boy?" He squeezed harder, forcing the kid to gasp. "He and his detachment attacked me this morning. He owes me information for the mercy I showed him."
"Whatever! Put him down now or I'll make you!" Davis's fists came up, and Tai, Matt, and T.K. weren't far behind him. The digimon bristled threateningly.
The boy grinned, showing his teeth. "Very well." He shifted his grip and flung the cut-up ex-gang member towards the Digidestined, then pulled a gun in a fluid movement and a shot rang out. The young boy landed in a bloody mess at the feet of the Digidestined of Courage and Friendship. "He was uncooperative anyways."
The park erupted into pandemonium. People fled in all directions as a stunned Joe knelt to try to assess the wound. The Digidestined gaped in frightened amazement at the bleeding boy and the dark boy with the gun. It was Yolie who whispered "Who...what...are you?"
The boy blew smoke from his pistol and then spread his arms in an elaborate, sweeping bow. "Tadao Minamizawa, at your service, my lady." He made the introduction sound superior, even in his fluid, melodious voice. He straightened, tapping two fingers to his forehead in salute.
"I don't care who you are! You're going down, creep!" T.K. charged past Davis and ran at Tadao, only to run smack into...something. A something which appeared out of thin air and flung T.K. back like a rag doll. The something was tall, six feet at least, clad in armor forged to resemble mandarin robes (AN: the robes of an advisor to a Chinese Emperor) done in lavender, and a cape of a deeper purple with slits in it to allow a pair of scaly dragon's wings free play. A shield in the shape of a clock rested on its' left arm, and a wide-brimmed black hat with a purple feather sat atop the creature's blue-scaled, dragon-like head, concealing most of the face except for a pair of slitted eyes that were an impassive deep gold.
"Ah, you've met my partner, Sagemon." The dragon digimon nodded politely.
"A pleasure." The British-accented digimon inclined his head. "I pray you will forgive my partner's actions. He is a little rash and we have a mission that cannot wait. We would be happy to make reparations if possible."
"Actually, no we wouldn't, Sagemon. We're not going to be in this place very long."
Tai raised his digivice. "You'll be here a lot longer than you thought, jackass! You're going to jail for this! Agumon!" The little orange dinosaur ran forward. He was joined seconds later by all of the original and second set of Digimon, who ran forward to surround the dark boy and his partner.
"Oh, this should be entertaining, for about ten seconds. Go ahead." Tadao yawned and shrugged.
"Pepper Breath!"
"V-Headbutt!"
"Super Shocker!"
"Spiral Twister!"
"Boom Bubble!"
"Sticky Net!"
"Blue Blaster!"
"From out of the sea...Marching Fishes!"
"Diamond Shell!"
"Feather Strike!"
"Poison Ivy!"
"Lightning Paw!"
Sagemon stood over Tadao and raised his shield, blocking the worst of the attacks. He grabbed Veemon by the head and swung him right into Wormmon's Sticky Net, then swung him back around into Tentomon's Super Shocker and dropped him. A three-taloned hand was snagged by Palmon's vines, but the caped digimon jerked his arm and flung her behind him, then swung her back around and slammed her face-first into the dirt. Armadillomon got kicked so hard that he flew into Cody and knocked them both over. The only attack which seemed to affect him was Gatomon's Lightning Paw, which forced him back several steps and opened a gash across his chest.
"What an amazing rookie. She broke right through my defense, Tadao." He turned to look at the feline in a new light.
Tadao snorted, but raised his wristwatch. The holographic map disappeared, replaced by an image of Gatomon. A pleasant female voice spoke from the device.
"Gatomon. Champion level. Attacks: Lightning Paw, Cat's Eye Hypnotism. Extinct digimon once believed to have been able to achieve digivolution to various angelic forms. Forms believed possible: Angewomon, Ophanimon, Nefertimon. All Gatomon disappeared circa 1743-1815 A.D. in the Purge of the Angels."
Tadao raised an eyebrow. "Kind of short for a Champion." He ignored Gatomon's irritated glare. "Oh well. One good champion deserves another, but first. Clear out these rookies, would you Sagemon?"
Sagemon nodded and leaped high, folding his cape across his body. "Chronal Barrage!" His cape opened and released blast after blast of purple energy beams that left the rookies sore and cut, decked out on the ground before the shrine, while Gatomon stood barely fazed. When he landed, he nodded to Tadao. "Ready." Tadao nodded and raised his watch, the image of Gatomon disappearing to be replaced by one word, spoken by the same female voice:
Digivolution
"Sagemon digivolve to..."
Sagemon stood stock-still, his entire body turning into a 3-D grid outline. Purple flame raced through the outline, consuming him. His form lengthened and changed rapidly, growing to a height of twelve feet. Purple flame raced through the new outline, filling in the changed grid.
The frame the flame filled was that of a gigantic, mythological dragon, with black scales that reflected the sunlight. The dragon's six-foot tail ended in the barrel of an energy cannon. A clock face appeared on the mighty chest. Purple flame surrounded the form for a moment, then exploded outward in a sudden shockwave, revealing a snarling, horned face and burning eyes of golden fire. A snort of superheated steam blasted from the dragon's large nostrils.
"...CHRONODRAMON!"
The black dragon flared his massive wings and released a blast of jet-black flame into the sky as the light from the device faded.
"Make this fast, Chronodramon." A bored Tadao gestured skyward and the dragon took flight, the wind from his wings pushing over the Digidestined and some small trees.
"Oh yeah?!" That was from Yolie. "Two can play that game!" A bunch of digivices were held up, glowing with light.
"Agumon digivolve to....Greymon!"
"Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon!"
"Hawkmon digivolve to...Aquillamon!"
"Patamon digivolve to...Angemon!"
"Gomamon digivolve to...Ikkakumon!"
"Veemon digivolve to...Exveemon!"
"Armadillomon digivolve to...Ankylomon!"
"Palmon digivolve to...Togemon!"
"Wormmon digivolve to...Stingmon!"
"Gabumon digivolve to....Garurumon!"
"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon!"
Chronodramon's eyes widened as he looked at Angemon. "Tadao, that's...that's..."
For once, Tadao's smirk was gone, his voice soft with wonder. "That's an Angel. A real angel." Both of them were so busy staring that Angemon had a clear shot.
"Hand of Fate!" The blast of holy energy nailed Chronodramon in the chest and sent him flying back, skidding onto the ground and taking out the trees by the small lake nearby. T.K. cheered while Tadao looked stunned.
"Yeah! Keep him down, guys!"
"Meteor Wing!"
"Blast Rings!"
"Electro Shocker!"
The rain of fireballs, rings of explosive energy, and electric blast shoved the dragon down into the dirt, forcing him to remain grounded while the other Champions rushed over. Davis turned and tossed a smirk back at Tadao.
"What now, tough guy?!"
Tadao forced a smile, then raised his gun and fired. Aquillamon suddenly fell from the sky, his wing bleeding. Garurumon grabbed him and made for the shrine while Yolie screamed and charged the black-clad boy in a blind fury, only to be sent spinning by a shot to the shoulder and a kick to the gut. Davis and Kari caught her and rushed her towards a sweating Joe, but the spectacle had a side-effect.
Chronodramon took advantage of the confusion to break free and rise into the sky, over Ex-Veemon's V-Laser and Greymon's Nova Blast. Ignoring the screams and curses of the Digidestined and their digimon, Chronodramon's tail snapped forward.
"Temporal Pulse Cannon!" A blast of lavender energy lanced from the cannon on the tail's end, exploding and scattering Ankylomon, Birdramon, and Exveemon.
"Eat this, jerk! Harpoon Torpedo!" The explosive came from Chronodramon's left and threw him for a loop. While he reeled, the other nasty surprise came in. Before he could even blink, Stingmon rushed him out of the smoke of the explosion, with a snarling Gatomon on his back.
"Spiking Strike!"
"Lightning Paw!"
The energy blade tore a gash along the dragon's side. The claws raked his face, but did little damage against the hard scales. Chronodramon head- butted her and sent her flying, but Angemon caught her. A moment later, Stingmon was knocked into both of them.
"Super Thunder Strike!"
The dragon wasn't even fazed, but his attention was drawn behind him, to a girl with an Elecmon standing on the hill. Other children and adults were gathering around her, with their digimon. Most of them were rookies, but there were a smattering of Champions and even a couple of Ultimates in the group.
"Needle Spin!"
"Tail Hammer!"
"V-Laser!"
"Electro Shocker!"
"Super Thunder Strike!"
"Nightmare Syndromer!"
"Scissor Claw!"
"Nova Blast!"
"Spiking Strike!"
"Howling Blaster!"
"Harpoon Torpedo!"
"Cherry Bomb!"
"Meteor Wing!"
The wave of attacks sent the dragon hurtling back and to the side, to the cheers of the children and the Digidestined. Wounds gaping from its' scored hide, smoke rising from his battered frame, Chronodramon glared at the growing crowd, and Tadao's lips tightened.
"Exterminate them. You know what to do." Chronodramon nodded and flew up even higher, almost out of sight, and certainly out of range of most attacks. Then he power-dived, the air cracking with his speed. A scream of primal rage echoed from the heavens as the dragon stormed down on them. A few attacks were readied, but then Chronodramon opened his mouth.
"Flames of Entropy!" A jet of purest black flame blasted from Chronodramon's mouth, washing over the park in a wide wave. Several rookies were deleted in the single blast, including the Elecmon. The Champions were scorched, while the Ultimates took little damage. But the damage was not limited to the digimon.
Joe was forced to duck and roll as the wooden shrine and the grass around it went up in flame and smoke, the wood aging and splintering before falling apart in fire. Ankylomon and Ikkakumon charged back and grabbed Yolie, Aquillamon, and Joe, carrying them through the flames to safety. The goggled boy Joe had been tending did not fare so well. Despite Stingmon's best efforts to reach him, the boy let out a choking moan and expired.
"You okay, Joe?" Ikkakumon looked down at his partner with concern. Joe could only shake his head, choked with anger, pain, and fear. The great walrus narrowed his eyes and turned back to where Chronodramon was wheeling in the air, aiming his Temporal Pulse Cannon towards an unsuspecting Stingmon's back. Everyone stopped as a shriek tore through the air, catching all the combatants and the onlookers who were rushing to help off- guard.
The shriek came from a slit-eyed Gatomon, diving from Angemon's hands through the air towards the black dragon. As she flew, she radiated pink light...the same light coming from a stone-faced Kari.
"Gatomon digivolve to...Angewomon!"
The white-winged angel soared out of the light, one hand already forming into a bow-shape while the other formed an arrow of blazing white energy. Tadao saw the danger, took aim, and fired, but the bullet did little more than draw blood from Angewomon. She turned and aimed towards him.
"You're the monster responsible for this! Celestial..."
"Stroke of Midnight!" The hands on the clock-face embedded in Chronodramon's chest fast-forwarded to midnight and when the clock struck twelve, a sonic boom ripped through the area, forcing everyone to cover their ears. Chronodramon dived past the angel and flew in front of his partner, who suddenly raised his hand.
"That's enough. I will not be delayed any longer by the likes of this. It is time." He snapped his fingers and Chronodramon de-digivolved to Sagemon. Tadao's watch-device filled with white light. Two words appeared on the face.
Biomerge Digivolution
"Sagemon."
"Tadao."
Then in tandem. "Biomerge Digivolve to...."
The human and the digimon both seemed to...dissolve into each other, with Tadao falling into Sagemon. Both forms swirled together in the blink of an eye. Then Sagemon's hand emerged, breaking into the image of a hand filled with space and stars. The body and feet broke apart similarly became an outline filled with vastness of space. The head was the weirdest though. Sagemon's head blurred into Chronodramon's, then into a green, Chinese dragon's head with red eyes, and finally into dragon's head composed of pure blue energy with a flowing white beard and wise eyes hidden behind a deep blue face-mask. The image lasted but a second before emerging as a hooded cowl with nothing but space inside of it. That and two glowing purple eyes.
The figure that emerged was a hooded cape filled with nothing but space, complete with stars, suns, and galactic dust. A halberd with a blade of purple energy surrounded by electric-green flame descended from nowhere to appear next to him.
"...INFINIMON!"
Matt looked at the weird figure before him, then at Izzy. "Izzy, what the hell is that?! And did I see who I thought I saw in that light?"
The genius teenager was already on his computer, typing frantically. "Infinimon....Infinimon...what?! No data?!" The Digidestined of Knowledge stared up and gave a blank look to his friends, who hesitantly turned back to the apparition before them. It was Angewomon who broke the silence.
"Whatever he is, he's dead! Celestial Arrow!" The arrow of energy shot out...and disappeared into the space under the dark cloak with absolutely no effect.
Infinimon rose through the air, looking at the Digidestined, digimon, and various onlookers that had crowded around the area and the more that were pouring into the area, including what had to be law enforcement. It was time to clear out the riffraff. From the interstellar void within, a hand emerged, forming into a massive cannon-like blaster. Suddenly, a sun exploded within the being's starry frame, the light nearly blinding the onlookers. The energy and light of the explosion flowed into the blaster, which was suddenly pointed towards the streets just outside the park.
"Supernova Pulsewave!" The sound of the attack alone was enough to deafen, but the sight was even more spectacular. A massive burst of purple-white energy that was blinding to look upon fired from the cannon, launching out in a wave. And where the wave traveled, life...ended. The area filled with white light. Dimly through the sound, before all faded to white, two words could be heard:
"Primal Orb!"
When the light cleared, the Digidestined looked upon a changed world. Much of Odaiba was simply gone, obliterated. The sea was rushing in to fill the void left where much of a city of several million had just stood. Dust formed of vaporized buildings filled the air. The bodies of those who had lived and worked in that place were just gone, and the data of their Digimon flowed into the black-cloaked figure that had been their destruction. Only the park seemed to have been spared the full effects of the destruction.
As the children gaped, it was Upamon who noticed something. "Wait. Why aren't we...like that?" He bobbed towards the dead city. "The last thing I remember is being Ankylomon, and then getting hit with light."
"I can explain that." The voice came from a boy, twelve years old, who stood before them with tears in his eyes, holding up a dull digivice whose monitor was filled with static. "My partner, Makuramon, he...he gave himself." Tears fell from the boy's eyes. "His Primal Orb...saved us."
"Yes well, he's not here anymore, is he?" Infinimon's voice, a strange doubling of Sagemon and Tadao's voice, was cold.
"You! You did this you....MONSTER!" Kari's fists and voice were raised. She did not quail as the cannon was pointed at her.
"Yes. Now good-bye, Oblivimon scum!" A sun exploded within him again, the energy flowing towards the cannon. "Supernova Pulse..."
"WAIT!" The voice was high, sharp, and female, and Infinimon turned in surprise.
"Chiaki?"
Author's Note: That took longer than I thought. At any rate, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I intend on throwing in some more twists next chapter, and hopefully less fighting. I just needed to establish Sagemon and Tadao here. I'm making this up as I go, and though I have a broad outline, I welcome your reviews and ideas. :)
The August day was bright and sunny, with only a few clouds in the sky. The clear blue air stretched from horizon to horizon, with only a little of the heat summer usually brought to Odaiba. The day was absolutely perfect, Kari decided.
"Hey Kari!" The brown-haired girl turned to see a familiar pair of silhouettes barreling down out of the sunlight. She shaded her hands and smiled.
"Hi Davis! Hi, Veemon! How are you?" She smiled at her two old friends. Davis had changed little in the year since the big battle with MaloMyotismon: a few inches taller, the old blue goggles, and for today, a button-down shirt and jeans to go with his flame-patterned fighter-pilot jacket. Veemon was unchanged naturally, and was tugging lightly on Davis's sleeve as Davis, per usual, went tongue-tied at seeing Kari.
"Uh-heh-heh. Hey Kari. Ummm...nice weather, huh?" Davis was rubbing the back of his head with his hand and staring. Although he'd seen her plenty of times, he always seemed dumb-struck at the sight of her, even when she was in casual jeans and a t-shirt like today. For her part, Kari tried not to giggle.
"Yep, sure is! Are you ready?"
"Uh...huh?" Davis grinned suddenly. "Oh yeah, I'm ready! Why don't I help you with that?" He took the picnic basket Kari was holding. "Wouldn't want you straining yourself!"
"Wait for me Davish!" Veemon took off, leaving Kari and Gatomon to exchange amused giggles. Gatomon's mood quickly sobered, however, as the two walked towards the park where they were to meet with the others. The lump that always developed in her throat and the scars on her paws that itched this time of year always reminded her, better than any calendar, of her friend Wizardmon. The friend that had risked his life to free her from enslavement to Myotismon and then sacrificed that same life for her and Kari to survive the vampire digimon. She was glad to feel Kari's warm hand on her shoulder and to see her friend's smile, reminding her that she wasn't alone.
The park the group traditionally went to was large, but created on a series of hills and embankments, creating a beautiful green territory around a sparkling lake. As Kari walked into the forested park, she could see groups of people, kids and adults, wandering around with their digimon partners. That brought a smile to her face. There had been mass confusion, even fear, when every person in the world had suddenly received a digimon partner a year ago. The original and second sets of Digidestined had spent quite a large amount of time traveling around the world, speaking before world governments and in the press, convincing people that the digimon were, by and large, not evil. As news of what had happened in Odaiba had spread, the Digidestined had begun an outreach program, now funded and staffed by Digidestined from around the world, to help people and digimon learn to trust each other. The side-effect, of course, was a certain celebrity that Davis, Matt, and a few of the others had lapped up, but which kind of embarrassed the Digidestined of Light. She was used to the stares, the admiration (not just of the beauty that was beginning to emerge as she grew older) and the excited murmurs.
Ahead of her, she saw the small shrine where the others were gathering. This space had been reserved for today by special request, so only the original and second sets of Digidestined were allowed in today. As she entered the shrine, she saw Davis speaking with Ken, Joe, Yolie, and Mimi, who'd flown out from America for this. Tai was speaking with the most of the original Digidestined in one corner, the digimon were in another. As she walked in, a familiar voice called to her.
"Hi Kari." T.K.'s voice was solemn as he took Kari's hand, ignoring the sudden glare from Davis. Kari herself nodded sadly. It often seemed like T.K. knew how she really felt, even when she hid it from her friends and family. She gave him a melancholy smile and let him lead her inside, while Gatomon went over to speak to Wormmon and Patamon. Soon enough, the gang was all assembled before the small cairn of rocks with the wizard's hat and staff propped up to next to it. As the group knelt in a moment of silent prayer, there was a commotion outside.
"Hey, put me down you freak!" The voice was high and frightened, and very young. The group looked up in mixed alarm and irritation, that something would interrupt this day. As the group got to the door, they saw a boy in goggles and a sweatshirt and jeans, maybe nine or ten, being held off the ground in a firm grip by an older boy in his teens. The older boy was decked out in black everything: silk slacks, socks, formal dress shoes, mirrored sunglasses, a casual business jacket, a tie, and an ankle-length cape done in golden trim. The only other colors on him were a white shirt and a silver wristwatch. The black-haired teenager had an irritated frown on his face as he squeezed the boy's neck.
"Tell me where it is!" He shook the boy and held up the wristwatch, which was projecting a holographic image of the streets of Odaiba in a circular pattern.
"Put him down, jerk!" That was from Davis, naturally. The teen turned and gave Davis a smug, condescending smile.
"Oh? And what will you do if I don't, boy?" He squeezed harder, forcing the kid to gasp. "He and his detachment attacked me this morning. He owes me information for the mercy I showed him."
"Whatever! Put him down now or I'll make you!" Davis's fists came up, and Tai, Matt, and T.K. weren't far behind him. The digimon bristled threateningly.
The boy grinned, showing his teeth. "Very well." He shifted his grip and flung the cut-up ex-gang member towards the Digidestined, then pulled a gun in a fluid movement and a shot rang out. The young boy landed in a bloody mess at the feet of the Digidestined of Courage and Friendship. "He was uncooperative anyways."
The park erupted into pandemonium. People fled in all directions as a stunned Joe knelt to try to assess the wound. The Digidestined gaped in frightened amazement at the bleeding boy and the dark boy with the gun. It was Yolie who whispered "Who...what...are you?"
The boy blew smoke from his pistol and then spread his arms in an elaborate, sweeping bow. "Tadao Minamizawa, at your service, my lady." He made the introduction sound superior, even in his fluid, melodious voice. He straightened, tapping two fingers to his forehead in salute.
"I don't care who you are! You're going down, creep!" T.K. charged past Davis and ran at Tadao, only to run smack into...something. A something which appeared out of thin air and flung T.K. back like a rag doll. The something was tall, six feet at least, clad in armor forged to resemble mandarin robes (AN: the robes of an advisor to a Chinese Emperor) done in lavender, and a cape of a deeper purple with slits in it to allow a pair of scaly dragon's wings free play. A shield in the shape of a clock rested on its' left arm, and a wide-brimmed black hat with a purple feather sat atop the creature's blue-scaled, dragon-like head, concealing most of the face except for a pair of slitted eyes that were an impassive deep gold.
"Ah, you've met my partner, Sagemon." The dragon digimon nodded politely.
"A pleasure." The British-accented digimon inclined his head. "I pray you will forgive my partner's actions. He is a little rash and we have a mission that cannot wait. We would be happy to make reparations if possible."
"Actually, no we wouldn't, Sagemon. We're not going to be in this place very long."
Tai raised his digivice. "You'll be here a lot longer than you thought, jackass! You're going to jail for this! Agumon!" The little orange dinosaur ran forward. He was joined seconds later by all of the original and second set of Digimon, who ran forward to surround the dark boy and his partner.
"Oh, this should be entertaining, for about ten seconds. Go ahead." Tadao yawned and shrugged.
"Pepper Breath!"
"V-Headbutt!"
"Super Shocker!"
"Spiral Twister!"
"Boom Bubble!"
"Sticky Net!"
"Blue Blaster!"
"From out of the sea...Marching Fishes!"
"Diamond Shell!"
"Feather Strike!"
"Poison Ivy!"
"Lightning Paw!"
Sagemon stood over Tadao and raised his shield, blocking the worst of the attacks. He grabbed Veemon by the head and swung him right into Wormmon's Sticky Net, then swung him back around into Tentomon's Super Shocker and dropped him. A three-taloned hand was snagged by Palmon's vines, but the caped digimon jerked his arm and flung her behind him, then swung her back around and slammed her face-first into the dirt. Armadillomon got kicked so hard that he flew into Cody and knocked them both over. The only attack which seemed to affect him was Gatomon's Lightning Paw, which forced him back several steps and opened a gash across his chest.
"What an amazing rookie. She broke right through my defense, Tadao." He turned to look at the feline in a new light.
Tadao snorted, but raised his wristwatch. The holographic map disappeared, replaced by an image of Gatomon. A pleasant female voice spoke from the device.
"Gatomon. Champion level. Attacks: Lightning Paw, Cat's Eye Hypnotism. Extinct digimon once believed to have been able to achieve digivolution to various angelic forms. Forms believed possible: Angewomon, Ophanimon, Nefertimon. All Gatomon disappeared circa 1743-1815 A.D. in the Purge of the Angels."
Tadao raised an eyebrow. "Kind of short for a Champion." He ignored Gatomon's irritated glare. "Oh well. One good champion deserves another, but first. Clear out these rookies, would you Sagemon?"
Sagemon nodded and leaped high, folding his cape across his body. "Chronal Barrage!" His cape opened and released blast after blast of purple energy beams that left the rookies sore and cut, decked out on the ground before the shrine, while Gatomon stood barely fazed. When he landed, he nodded to Tadao. "Ready." Tadao nodded and raised his watch, the image of Gatomon disappearing to be replaced by one word, spoken by the same female voice:
Digivolution
"Sagemon digivolve to..."
Sagemon stood stock-still, his entire body turning into a 3-D grid outline. Purple flame raced through the outline, consuming him. His form lengthened and changed rapidly, growing to a height of twelve feet. Purple flame raced through the new outline, filling in the changed grid.
The frame the flame filled was that of a gigantic, mythological dragon, with black scales that reflected the sunlight. The dragon's six-foot tail ended in the barrel of an energy cannon. A clock face appeared on the mighty chest. Purple flame surrounded the form for a moment, then exploded outward in a sudden shockwave, revealing a snarling, horned face and burning eyes of golden fire. A snort of superheated steam blasted from the dragon's large nostrils.
"...CHRONODRAMON!"
The black dragon flared his massive wings and released a blast of jet-black flame into the sky as the light from the device faded.
"Make this fast, Chronodramon." A bored Tadao gestured skyward and the dragon took flight, the wind from his wings pushing over the Digidestined and some small trees.
"Oh yeah?!" That was from Yolie. "Two can play that game!" A bunch of digivices were held up, glowing with light.
"Agumon digivolve to....Greymon!"
"Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon!"
"Hawkmon digivolve to...Aquillamon!"
"Patamon digivolve to...Angemon!"
"Gomamon digivolve to...Ikkakumon!"
"Veemon digivolve to...Exveemon!"
"Armadillomon digivolve to...Ankylomon!"
"Palmon digivolve to...Togemon!"
"Wormmon digivolve to...Stingmon!"
"Gabumon digivolve to....Garurumon!"
"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon!"
Chronodramon's eyes widened as he looked at Angemon. "Tadao, that's...that's..."
For once, Tadao's smirk was gone, his voice soft with wonder. "That's an Angel. A real angel." Both of them were so busy staring that Angemon had a clear shot.
"Hand of Fate!" The blast of holy energy nailed Chronodramon in the chest and sent him flying back, skidding onto the ground and taking out the trees by the small lake nearby. T.K. cheered while Tadao looked stunned.
"Yeah! Keep him down, guys!"
"Meteor Wing!"
"Blast Rings!"
"Electro Shocker!"
The rain of fireballs, rings of explosive energy, and electric blast shoved the dragon down into the dirt, forcing him to remain grounded while the other Champions rushed over. Davis turned and tossed a smirk back at Tadao.
"What now, tough guy?!"
Tadao forced a smile, then raised his gun and fired. Aquillamon suddenly fell from the sky, his wing bleeding. Garurumon grabbed him and made for the shrine while Yolie screamed and charged the black-clad boy in a blind fury, only to be sent spinning by a shot to the shoulder and a kick to the gut. Davis and Kari caught her and rushed her towards a sweating Joe, but the spectacle had a side-effect.
Chronodramon took advantage of the confusion to break free and rise into the sky, over Ex-Veemon's V-Laser and Greymon's Nova Blast. Ignoring the screams and curses of the Digidestined and their digimon, Chronodramon's tail snapped forward.
"Temporal Pulse Cannon!" A blast of lavender energy lanced from the cannon on the tail's end, exploding and scattering Ankylomon, Birdramon, and Exveemon.
"Eat this, jerk! Harpoon Torpedo!" The explosive came from Chronodramon's left and threw him for a loop. While he reeled, the other nasty surprise came in. Before he could even blink, Stingmon rushed him out of the smoke of the explosion, with a snarling Gatomon on his back.
"Spiking Strike!"
"Lightning Paw!"
The energy blade tore a gash along the dragon's side. The claws raked his face, but did little damage against the hard scales. Chronodramon head- butted her and sent her flying, but Angemon caught her. A moment later, Stingmon was knocked into both of them.
"Super Thunder Strike!"
The dragon wasn't even fazed, but his attention was drawn behind him, to a girl with an Elecmon standing on the hill. Other children and adults were gathering around her, with their digimon. Most of them were rookies, but there were a smattering of Champions and even a couple of Ultimates in the group.
"Needle Spin!"
"Tail Hammer!"
"V-Laser!"
"Electro Shocker!"
"Super Thunder Strike!"
"Nightmare Syndromer!"
"Scissor Claw!"
"Nova Blast!"
"Spiking Strike!"
"Howling Blaster!"
"Harpoon Torpedo!"
"Cherry Bomb!"
"Meteor Wing!"
The wave of attacks sent the dragon hurtling back and to the side, to the cheers of the children and the Digidestined. Wounds gaping from its' scored hide, smoke rising from his battered frame, Chronodramon glared at the growing crowd, and Tadao's lips tightened.
"Exterminate them. You know what to do." Chronodramon nodded and flew up even higher, almost out of sight, and certainly out of range of most attacks. Then he power-dived, the air cracking with his speed. A scream of primal rage echoed from the heavens as the dragon stormed down on them. A few attacks were readied, but then Chronodramon opened his mouth.
"Flames of Entropy!" A jet of purest black flame blasted from Chronodramon's mouth, washing over the park in a wide wave. Several rookies were deleted in the single blast, including the Elecmon. The Champions were scorched, while the Ultimates took little damage. But the damage was not limited to the digimon.
Joe was forced to duck and roll as the wooden shrine and the grass around it went up in flame and smoke, the wood aging and splintering before falling apart in fire. Ankylomon and Ikkakumon charged back and grabbed Yolie, Aquillamon, and Joe, carrying them through the flames to safety. The goggled boy Joe had been tending did not fare so well. Despite Stingmon's best efforts to reach him, the boy let out a choking moan and expired.
"You okay, Joe?" Ikkakumon looked down at his partner with concern. Joe could only shake his head, choked with anger, pain, and fear. The great walrus narrowed his eyes and turned back to where Chronodramon was wheeling in the air, aiming his Temporal Pulse Cannon towards an unsuspecting Stingmon's back. Everyone stopped as a shriek tore through the air, catching all the combatants and the onlookers who were rushing to help off- guard.
The shriek came from a slit-eyed Gatomon, diving from Angemon's hands through the air towards the black dragon. As she flew, she radiated pink light...the same light coming from a stone-faced Kari.
"Gatomon digivolve to...Angewomon!"
The white-winged angel soared out of the light, one hand already forming into a bow-shape while the other formed an arrow of blazing white energy. Tadao saw the danger, took aim, and fired, but the bullet did little more than draw blood from Angewomon. She turned and aimed towards him.
"You're the monster responsible for this! Celestial..."
"Stroke of Midnight!" The hands on the clock-face embedded in Chronodramon's chest fast-forwarded to midnight and when the clock struck twelve, a sonic boom ripped through the area, forcing everyone to cover their ears. Chronodramon dived past the angel and flew in front of his partner, who suddenly raised his hand.
"That's enough. I will not be delayed any longer by the likes of this. It is time." He snapped his fingers and Chronodramon de-digivolved to Sagemon. Tadao's watch-device filled with white light. Two words appeared on the face.
Biomerge Digivolution
"Sagemon."
"Tadao."
Then in tandem. "Biomerge Digivolve to...."
The human and the digimon both seemed to...dissolve into each other, with Tadao falling into Sagemon. Both forms swirled together in the blink of an eye. Then Sagemon's hand emerged, breaking into the image of a hand filled with space and stars. The body and feet broke apart similarly became an outline filled with vastness of space. The head was the weirdest though. Sagemon's head blurred into Chronodramon's, then into a green, Chinese dragon's head with red eyes, and finally into dragon's head composed of pure blue energy with a flowing white beard and wise eyes hidden behind a deep blue face-mask. The image lasted but a second before emerging as a hooded cowl with nothing but space inside of it. That and two glowing purple eyes.
The figure that emerged was a hooded cape filled with nothing but space, complete with stars, suns, and galactic dust. A halberd with a blade of purple energy surrounded by electric-green flame descended from nowhere to appear next to him.
"...INFINIMON!"
Matt looked at the weird figure before him, then at Izzy. "Izzy, what the hell is that?! And did I see who I thought I saw in that light?"
The genius teenager was already on his computer, typing frantically. "Infinimon....Infinimon...what?! No data?!" The Digidestined of Knowledge stared up and gave a blank look to his friends, who hesitantly turned back to the apparition before them. It was Angewomon who broke the silence.
"Whatever he is, he's dead! Celestial Arrow!" The arrow of energy shot out...and disappeared into the space under the dark cloak with absolutely no effect.
Infinimon rose through the air, looking at the Digidestined, digimon, and various onlookers that had crowded around the area and the more that were pouring into the area, including what had to be law enforcement. It was time to clear out the riffraff. From the interstellar void within, a hand emerged, forming into a massive cannon-like blaster. Suddenly, a sun exploded within the being's starry frame, the light nearly blinding the onlookers. The energy and light of the explosion flowed into the blaster, which was suddenly pointed towards the streets just outside the park.
"Supernova Pulsewave!" The sound of the attack alone was enough to deafen, but the sight was even more spectacular. A massive burst of purple-white energy that was blinding to look upon fired from the cannon, launching out in a wave. And where the wave traveled, life...ended. The area filled with white light. Dimly through the sound, before all faded to white, two words could be heard:
"Primal Orb!"
When the light cleared, the Digidestined looked upon a changed world. Much of Odaiba was simply gone, obliterated. The sea was rushing in to fill the void left where much of a city of several million had just stood. Dust formed of vaporized buildings filled the air. The bodies of those who had lived and worked in that place were just gone, and the data of their Digimon flowed into the black-cloaked figure that had been their destruction. Only the park seemed to have been spared the full effects of the destruction.
As the children gaped, it was Upamon who noticed something. "Wait. Why aren't we...like that?" He bobbed towards the dead city. "The last thing I remember is being Ankylomon, and then getting hit with light."
"I can explain that." The voice came from a boy, twelve years old, who stood before them with tears in his eyes, holding up a dull digivice whose monitor was filled with static. "My partner, Makuramon, he...he gave himself." Tears fell from the boy's eyes. "His Primal Orb...saved us."
"Yes well, he's not here anymore, is he?" Infinimon's voice, a strange doubling of Sagemon and Tadao's voice, was cold.
"You! You did this you....MONSTER!" Kari's fists and voice were raised. She did not quail as the cannon was pointed at her.
"Yes. Now good-bye, Oblivimon scum!" A sun exploded within him again, the energy flowing towards the cannon. "Supernova Pulse..."
"WAIT!" The voice was high, sharp, and female, and Infinimon turned in surprise.
"Chiaki?"
Author's Note: That took longer than I thought. At any rate, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I intend on throwing in some more twists next chapter, and hopefully less fighting. I just needed to establish Sagemon and Tadao here. I'm making this up as I go, and though I have a broad outline, I welcome your reviews and ideas. :)