Kell Shock:
Yep, I'm a fan of D&D computer games. Have you ever played Neverwinter Nights or any of the other games?
AnT:
Yeah, I heard of it. Personally, I'd prefer new games to remakes, but I guess you need a legit way to get the old Pokemon into Ruby/Sapphire. ;) Unfortunately, they don't have a vulture-like Pokemon quite yet. I used "vulture" to describe May's opportunistic (in Misty's view) attempt at getting Ash.
KingofCrossovers:
A)Misty's love will play a role in the resolution of this part.
B)Not exactly.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 16: Marilith's Resentment
Lance snuck out of the lab. After witnessing Sebastian's experiments, thoughts of that girl lingered in his mind. He wondered who she was, and how she came to be an experimental subject. No matter what, this experiment would change her life forever, and a similar fate awaited others so long as this place existed. Lance combed through several metal corridors, eluding Rocket guards all the way. He came upon a pair of guards seated in a lounge, drinking coffee and having a casual conversation.
"I heard these kids were caught snooping around," said the first guard.
"Yeah," confirmed the second. "We put them in the brig."
"What's the boss gonna to do with'em?"
"He says he's gonna to put'em to good use. They're already using one of the girls in an experiment. They call her 'Marilith,' and turned her into this sexy snake woman..."
Lance was intrigued by those two clowns conversation. Those kids might be able to provide some useful information. He decided to locate the brig, and came upon a hallway lined with doors. Each door had a window at its top and centre made with some kind of hard plastic. Each door was made of solid steel and looked impossible to break down. Beside each door was a keypad meant for entering a numeric password.
Lance looked into the first door on his right, and determined it to be a storage room for confiscated items. There were four unknown handheld devices and several Pokeballs lying beside examination and diagnostic tools on a desk. He continued his search, eventually finding a cell with children locked inside. He scanned around vigilantly before zapping the keypad with his scrambler. A jumble of symbols flashed by on the LCD, and the indicating light turned green. As Lance entered, the children took notice.
"Who are you?" asked TK.
"A friend," replied Lance, as he took off his shades to reveal his face.
Ash recognized him after a brief recollection. "Why you're... You're Lance of the Elite Four!"
Lance nodded affirmatively. "I'm also a Pokemon G-man. I'm here undercover to shut this place down. Hold on, I'm taking out the keypad!" Lance directed his scrambler to the keypad and the lock clicked open.
"Where's Misty?" asked Ash.
"Well... I heard these Rocket guys talking about some experiments on a girl. She might be the Misty you're looking for," replied Lance as he zapped the restraining ring on Ash's body. It fell to the ground with a clang.
"Where are our Pokemon and Digimon?" asked May.
"What about our Digivices?" asked Mimi.
Lance continued to zap the rest of the restraining rings. "Try the storage area down the hall. As for your monsters, they would be in the specimen room, but it's very heavily guarded. Get your stuff first, then come back and I'll tell you the plan."
The Johto Team retrieved their belongings and ran back to meet Lance. "What's the plan? There isn't much time!" urged Ash.
"Okay, okay. In order to get in, we need to get rid of the guards," replied Lance. "I'll create a diversion, and when I return, I'll show you to the lab."
****************************************
Back in the lab, Jessie, James, and Meowth were busy preparing the Medusas for transport out of the lab. Despite being comatose, the Medusas were unnerving to behold. The fear of them suddenly waking up and going berserk was always in the back of their minds. Helming a crane, Meowth pulled one of the Medusa out of the vat. The green fluid dripped down with a light pitter-patter. Being the unlucky one, James got stuck with the job that actually required touching them. He quickly pushed it into a capsule, not wanting to touch that thing for too long.
"Why do I always get stuck with the dangerous jobs?" asked James. He rolled the capsule gently towards his co-worker, Jessie.
The two of them loaded it onto a truck and pulled the capsule upright. "Meowth's working the crane, and I have to oversee everything."
"Oh I get it now, you two are too scared to touch those Medusas."
Before Jessie could reply, Tyson approached. "Are you done loading them?"
"Yep, that was the last one," replied James.
"Good. Take care of the lab while we're gone. I'm going to ship those canisters out."
"Yes sir!" replied Jessie and James.
Tyson and Sebastian boarded the truck as other Rocket grunts boarded humvees. After a few minutes, the convoy disappeared into the distance. Jessie, James, Meowth had some free time, so they decided to look around. James peered in the vat that contained the large, demonic Balrog. He was a fearsome creature indeed, even while in suspended animation within the tank. James cringed at the thought of Balrog chasing him.
"He looks mean even when he's asleep," James remarked.
"Check this one out." Jessie pointed at Marilith. "There's no way she can compare to me!" boasted Jessie, as she struck a pose to show off.
"There's something oddly familiar about that snake girl..." said Meowth. "I get the feeling we've seen her before."
"I don't see how, but yeah, I get the same feeling too," admitted Jessie.
"I'm hungry. What are we waiting here for? Let's get the food!" exclaimed James.
The trio stormed the mess hall for dinner. They proceeded to wolf down mountains of food with the worst table manners the staff had ever seen. Jessie shovelled a whole plate full of spaghetti into her mouth as quickly as she could. It left her lips surrounded by a ring of red sauce. James spilt drops of gravy from his turkey, leaving several brown splotches on his bib. Meowth got a white moustache of milk on his upper lip. The three piled up dirty plates by the dozen to the shock of the kitchen staff.
"Mmmm!" muttered Jessie between bites. "This stuff is good!"
"A meal fit for a king!" added Meowth.
All of a sudden, the lights out! After a second, the lights turned on, but not as brightly as before. An alarmed blared through the building like a hammer hitting a bell at a machinegun's rate. James wiped himself clean on a napkin. "What's going on?"
Meowth smelled smoke in the air. "Fire!"
The trio rushed out of the room to see a small wisp of smoke in the air. Several Team Rocket grunts were scrambling for equipment to extinguish the fire. Jessie stopped one of the grunts for information. "Where's the fire?"
"The electrical room! There's a big fire and smoke everywhere!" replied the alarmed grunt.
"Tyson's not going to like this when he comes back!" noted Meowth.
"What caused the fire?" asked Jessie.
"Something must have shorted out. I'm sorry but I gotta be going!" The grunt ran off into the midst of the chaos.
The trio checked the electrical room, and found several grunts aiming a hose inwards. The smoke was now thicker since they were close to the fire's source. Tongues of flame seemed to dart out of the door, as though reaching out of the room. The foam hissed as grunts sprayed it into the room. After a few minutes, they extinguished the flames, but the stench of burning remained, as did the scorch marks on the walls inside. Fortunately, no one was injured, though many were still agitated from event.
Since there was nothing left to see, Jessie, James, and Meowth returned to the lab, to find an alarming sight. The twerps and their buddies were raiding the room! "Hey you! Those are Team Rocket's!" cried James.
"You stole them first!" snapped Sora.
Jessie noticed Lance and began to realize what had truly happened. "You! You must be the one who started that fire! Who are you?"
Lance took off his sunglasses and hat, and tossed them aside. "You got that right! I'm Lance, the Pokemon G-man, and I'm here to shut this place down!"
"I don't care if you're a he-man or a tree-man!" In a flash of crimson light, Jessie released her Pokemon. "Get'em Arbok!"
Similarly, James released a Pokemon of his own. "Go, Victreebel!" The moment the Flycatcher Pokemon appeared, it swallowed James whole. "EEEE! Not me! Them!"
"Patamon, Digivolve to Angemon!" Angemon assumed a combat stance, ready to take on the Rockets.
"Cyndaquil, I choose you!" Ash lobbed a Pokeball and the Fire Mouse Pokemon materialized, ready for battle. "Flamethrower!"
Flames gushed out of Cyndaquil's mouth, but Victreebel dodged. Instead, the flames scorched the see-through plastic of a specimen column. Victreebel struck back with a lash of Vine Whip, tagging Cyndaquil across the cheek. The Fire Mouse was not about to quit so early in the fight. He leapt back onto his feet, and confused his opponent with Agility-enhanced speed. His body was like a streak as he rammed Victreebel into the ground with a Quick Attack.
Arbok locked his gaze upon Angemon, who was hovering in the middle of the air. Arbok opened with a Poison Sting, spitting out several needles. Angemon spun his staff in a circle, forming a protective wall of Holy energy, which dissipated the needles harmlessly. Jessie changed attacks, this time ordering a Wrap Attack. Arbok coiled his body around his foe, and the two dropped onto the ground. After a roll, Arbok was on top trying to Bite Angemon, but being held at bay by the Angel Digimon.
"You can beat him Angemon!" encouraged TK. "Go for the neck!"
Angemon suddenly got a suffocating grip around Arbok's throat. Arbok weakened and released his hold on Angemon. He threw the Cobra Pokemon away, and returned upright to see his foe do the same. Arbok charged in for a new Bite attack, but Angemon was ready. He countered by firing a golden beam of Holy energy from his fist. Arbok landed on the ground beside Victreebel hard.
"It's up to Meowth now! Fury Swipes!" As he charged, Meowth slashed the air rapidly. He was met by a Flamethrower and a Hand of Fate, and landed right beside Arbok and Victreebel.
Team Rocket grunts stormed the room from the rear. "They're coming from behind!" cried Lance. "Go Dragonite! Hyper Beam!"
A powerful energy beam erupted from Dragonite's mouth, and slammed the first grunt into a wall. His buddies stepped up and began sending Pokemon into battle. The Johto Team turned their attention to the grunts, forgetting Jessie, James, and Meowth in the chaos of the battle. The three watched the grunts and Johto Team fight, but didn't like the way the battle was going. Team Rocket was being steamrolled.
Jessie watched as Torchic incinerated a Blastoise with Flamethrower. "This is not good!"
Togemon jabbed a Graveler and knocked it into a specimen tank. The column collapsed and the fluid spilled all over the ground. Meowth was panicking. "We got to do something!"
"Well, what do we do?" asked James. "I'm all out of ideas!"
Meowth remembered the two experiments in the lab. "Ah! We can send Balrog after the twerps!"
"Yeah! Good idea!" said Jessie.
The three snuck into the back unnoticed amidst the chaos. They proceeded to operate the controls near the vats. The height of the fluid gradually lowered as it drained into a hole on the bottom of the vats. Once his vat was emptied, Balrog began to stand up groggily. He stretched his muscles and flapped his massive wings. With a strong leap, Balrog leapt out of the vat and landed with a thud.
"Get those twerps in the other room!" commanded Meowth.
Instead of using the door, Balrog simply smashed his way through the wall. The trio was not too thrilled to see that. Upon sighting his targets, Balrog wreathed his body in roaring flames. The flames cast such a bright light that everyone took notice. Balrog's blood began to boil, and he felt a deeply rooted compulsion to fight and to kill. He formed a massive flaming sword in his hand, and charged at the Johto Team with preternatural speed.
"Dragonite, get out of the way!" called Lance.
Balrog's sword swooshed as it came down on Dragonite, narrowly missing its mark. His chest swelled as he inhaled massive amounts of air for a follow up. He spit out the most powerful Shadow Ball that anyone had ever seen. It exploded in a burst of negative energy that blew down the wall separating the hall from the specimen room. Everyone in the area dove for cover as part of the roof collapsed.
"Watch it! You're supposed to attack the enemy!" cried Meowth. Balrog turned around and sent a Flamethrower Meowth's way. "YEAAAAAH!" With his feline reflexes, Meowth narrowly avoided being roasted.
"Hey, not us! Get them!" James pointed in the direction of the Johto Team, but received a blast of hellish fire for as a response. Fortunately, he ducked at the last minute.
Jessie could only watch as Balrog turned his fiery breath on the Team Rocket grunts. She began panicking. "He's not listening to our commands! He's out of control!"
Meowth was panicking. "What do we do? Tyson's gonna kill us if Balrog doesn't first!"
"We could send Marilith after him," suggested James.
Jessie was shocked. "Are you crazy? What if she goes crazy on us too?"
"Do you have any better ideas? Team Rocket, the twerps, and their friends are getting creamed! I don't think our Pokemon would stand a chance against him!" admitted James.
The trio glanced over at the battle. Balrog locked swords with Magna Angemon. The Archangel Digimon was clearly weakening under the immense strength of his foe. Balrog broke the lock and slashed his opponent onto the ground. A Hyper Beam from Lance's Dragonite and a Solar Beam from a Team Rocket Venusaur toppled Balrog from behind. However, he simply got up and retaliated with a jet of flames.
Out of desperation, Jessie finally caved in. "Alright, let's get going!"
The trio hit buttons on the controls and drained the fluid out of Marilith's vat. The creature got up and took a stretch. "Stop Balrog before he..." said Meowth, before an explosion rocked the building and collapsed the roof!
Team Johto and Team Rocket were buried alive underneath all the rubble. Balrog punched his way out of the lab and the building. Once outside, he levelled the last remnants of the Team Rocket headquarters with Shadow Balls. He roared triumphantly at the devastation he had wrought. Though he felt a deep sense of satisfaction, he still hungered for more. He followed the river southwards, annihilating anything and everything that stood in his way.
An hour passed, and signs of movement came from the rubble. The first to get up was Lillymon, who had shielded Mimi with her body. TK and Magna Angemon crawled out of a pile of smashed plaster. They began to search for other survivors. Mimi found Joe, Ash, and Pikachu being shielded by Ikkakumon, and Sora under Birdramon. TK looked underneath a fallen cylinder and found Lance being shielded by Dragonite.
Lance coughed to clear his throat. "Uggggh! What a monster!"
Mimi and Togemon found a gloved hand jutting out of the rubble, and could hear light groaning underneath. They dug the person out to find out she was Jessie, still dazed from the ordeal. TK found James and Meowth in a similar condition just a short distance from Jessie's location. They cleared the rubble and found the Fires of Hatred buried under some rocks and plaster. The Johto Team excavated the Stone of Doom, and Joe set up shop beside the Lake of Rage to help the injured.
"You okay there?" asked Joe to Jessie.
Jessie let out a pained groan as she rubbed her head. "I'm shook up, but fine."
****************************************
A few minutes later in the depths of the Lake of Rage, several drops of off-coloured water slithered out of a grating. It coalesced into an amoeba before forming the torso of a beautiful woman with three pairs of arms. Her skin was a lifeless grey, and her hair a deep shade of violet. The water stretched from the torso and formed the tail of a violet-scaled serpent. Marilith's gills fluttered with the motion of the water as she swam around the edge of the lake.
She heard a familiar male voice speaking on the shore. "You're looking a lot better."
"Yeah Ash, I'm okay," replied the voice of a girl. Marilith recognized the voice, and it made her blood boil.
"That's great!"
Their conversation distorted into a mocking laughter, and Marilith flew into a jealous fury! "Sneaking around behind my back? Grrrrrrrr!"
Marilith popped out of the surface of the water, splashing water everywhere and scaring everyone. Ash was surprised. "Misty?"
James found the whole situation terrifying. "Waaaah! That's the orange-haired twerp?"
"No wonder she looked so familiar!" muttered Meowth, finally realizing the truth.
Jessie gasped. "What did they do to her?"
"How could you?" asked Marilith with sadness and anger. "How could you choose her over me?"
Ash was stunned. "What do you..."
"Shut up! You had to go to her, to that bitch... And then laugh at me behind my back!"
"Misty, what are you talking about?" asked May.
Marilith became raving mad. "You'll feel all the pain I've felt! I'll make you pay! DIE!"
"Run for it!" cried Meowth.
Everyone dove to safety once Marilith shot a powerful column of pressurized water. With Joe, TK, Mimi, and Lance chasing Balrog, their numbers had diminished greatly. Marilith fired a Shadow Ball, and like Balrog, it was extremely powerful. It impacted the ground behind Team Rocket, and exploded in a burst of negative energy. Despite Marilith being Misty in truth, they had no choice but to fight back.
"We have to stop her!" cried Birdramon.
"We can't! We'll hurt Misty!" objected Ash.
"We're just going to knock her out. Birdramon, you know what to do," said Sora.
"Right!" replied Birdramon. "Birdramon, Digivolve to... Garudamon!"
Compared to Marilith, Garudamon was a giant and easily twice as high. The Bird Woman Digimon began the fight with a Wing Blade attack. The fiery, bird-shaped blast scored a direct hit to her abdomen, knocking Marilith down, but not out. Being a Water type, Marilith was resistant to fiery attacks like Garudamon's Wing Blade. She countered with a Hydro Pump which shot her foe out of the sky.
Sora was deeply concerned for her Digimon's welfare. "Garurdamon!"
"Pikaaaa! (That's enough!)" stated Pikachu.
"You said it!" cried Meowth.
Jessie and James unleashed Arbok and Weezing, and the two Pokemon flanked Pikachu with Meowth. "What are you doing?" asked Ash.
"We've going to help you!" replied James.
"Team Rocket crossed a line once they turned the orange-haired one into that... that 'thing!'" replied Jessie.
Ash returned his attention back to the task on hand. "Okay! Let's save Misty together! Thunderbolt!"
"You too Torchic, Focus Energy, then Flamethrower!" commanded May.
"Arbok, Poison Sting!" called Jessie.
"Attack Weezing! Use Sludge!" ordered James.
Torchic's body glowed crimson as a surge of energy flowed through her body. The Poison Sting and Sludge struck as Meowth hacked away at Marilith's base with Fury Swipes. Pikachu's lightning surged through Marilith's body, keeping her stunned until Torchic finished with a jet of empowered flames. Marilith screamed in pain as these powerful attacks hammered her into submission.
"Ash, why?" Marilith cried in anguish. She fell to the ground and laid there motionless.
"Stop hurting her!" ordered Ash. Everyone ceased their attacks and Ash went to check on Marilith.
Suddenly, Marilith's tail lashed out, pulled him down, and coiled around his body! Pikachu, James, and Meowth gasped in shock. "Pikapi! (Ash!)"
"No!" cried May.
"No fair!" cried Jessie.
Marilith returned to a vertical position with a smug grin on her face. "Let's play a little game... I want to see how much pain can you watch him endure?" Marilith began to crush Ash with her tail, muffling his screams of agony.
****************************************
The scent of burning trees and grass filled the air. Balrog's path of destruction had led him to the dam north of Mahogany Town. Several flashing red lights awaited him, and his blood boiled in anticipation of battle. The lights came from police cars and vans parked so as to create a barricade. Several heavily armed SWAT officers were stationed behind the barrier in preparation to take on the rampaging Pokemon-Digimon hybrid.
"There he is! FIRE!" cried the SWAT commander.
In synch, the officers rained bullets on Balrog with their assault rifles. The air was filled with deafening bangs and the flash of fire from the guns' barrels. Though scoring thousands of direct hits, the SWAT teams soon realized just how ineffective their weapons truly were. Balrog didn't even flinch at all, even with so many bullets striking him at once. They lobbed tear gas and grenades at him only to find they were just as useless as the assault rifles.
"He's not going down!" cried a panicked officer.
Balrog's fiery breath made a swooshing roar as it left his mouth. The SWAT officers fled the barricade as the heat melted the vehicles' chassis. A violent, fiery explosion rocked the barricade as the fuel tanks ignited. An expression of pure joy crept onto Balrog's inhuman face. He leapt onto a car and Stomped it flat. He turned left and fired a Shadow Ball which burst and shot officers and vans several feet into the air. Once Balrog had his fill of the slaughter, he stormed away to Mahogany City itself.
Minutes later, Mimi and the others approached the destruction. "How horrible!"
"What a disaster!" commented Lillymon.
"He's nearby," noted Lance. "We have to hurry, or Mahogany will be like the police below!"
"Even if we find him, how do we beat him?" asked Joe. "He took us and several Team Rocket men out! He's as powerful as a Mega Digimon, and we don't have War Greymon or Metal Garurumon to fight him."
"Well, even if we don't have a Mega, we still have to try," observed Gomamon. "The city is counting on us."
"There he is!" cried TK, as he pointed below.
Magna Angemon pointed to an empty lot north of Balrog's location. "We'll land there to get ready for the fight."
The squad landed in the very lot Magna Angemon pointed to. It was filled with burning cars, and others were flipped over. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Balrog had been in this area. He could be seen in the distance as a small red humanoid figure flinging fire and Shadow Balls around. Once Lance and the others got onto the ground safely, the monsters charged into the fray with their partners following close behind.
"Gomamon, Digivolve to... Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon, Digivolve to... Zudomon!"
The Walrus Warrior, Zudomon, rushed Balrog with hammer poised to strike. The infernal hybrid suddenly turned around and parried with his flaming sword. Their weapons locked and each struggled to overpower the other. The intense, blistering heat from Balrog's flames caused Zudomon great discomfort. This trait gave the demon the advantage, allowing him to break the struggle and cut Zudomon down.
Magna Angemon threw several slashes with his holy sword Excalibur. Balrog parried each hit until one broke through. It caught him across the chest, causing him to recoil back and scream in pain. Lillymon and Dragonite snuck behind and launched a Flower Cannon and Hyper Beam into Balrog's exposed back. Balrog collapsed forward with a thud and the three monsters regrouped with Zudomon.
"You okay Zudomon?" asked Lillymon.
"Yeah," he replied. Balrog began to recover from the three pronged attack. "He's getting up, let's combine attacks and finish him off!"
"Magna Angemon, let's do it!" called TK.
Magna Angemon led the charge by slashing Balrog with Excalibur. The other three monsters initiated their own attacks. At the same time, Balrog was smacked down by a Hyper Beam, Flower Cannon, and a Vulcan's Hammer blast. The demon collapsed and remained on his back for a few minutes. Everyone thought they had won until Balrog's second wind shattered their celebration.
He was furious and came at them with a vengeance, spitting several Shadow Balls. Their explosive force clocked Zudomon and sent him back to Rookie form. Magna Angemon evaded futilely until one finally caught him, and then a second, returning him to Patamon. Lillymon and Dragonite successfully evaded the attacks, thus Balrog switched to Flamethrower. The flames scorched Lillymon and Dragonite into crash landing on the ground with a thud. Balrog roared triumphantly and continued his Mahogany rampage.
****************************************
Marilith continued to crush the life out of Ash. Garudamon grabbed the Fires of Hatred. "Let him go or I'll destroy it!" she threatened.
Marilith was unmoved. "Go ahead. It means little to me, anyways."
"You're bluffing!" Garudamon began to crush the Stone of Doom lightly in her claw.
"I don't depend on a silly work of art for MY power. You're just wasting your time!"
Ash's expression was of complete agony. "Pikapi! (Ash!)" Electricity began to crackle on Pikachu's cheek.
Marilith waggled her figure to scold Pikachu. "Uh uh uh! If you shock me, you'll hit your trainer too. Now you don't want that to happen, do you? Considering how 'tied up' he is now, it just might do more harm than good..."
Pikachu begrudgingly relented, and a smug grin reformed on Marilith's face. Team Rocket was growing frustrated. "We got to do something!" said James.
"You heard her! If we try anything, the twerp's a goner!" warned Meowth.
"That's right! What can you do? Hmmm..." mocked Marilith. "You can just stand there and watch him die, or you can attack me and I'll just use him as a shield. Tough choice..."
With time running out and Ash being crushed to death, Sora attempted a final, desperate gambit. "Will you let frustration and resentment harden your heart?" she cried to Marilith. "Do you want to see Ash die without ever telling him how you feel, how you love him, Misty?"
Sora's poignant question elicited an immediate, but unexpected response. Marilith was stricken with pain that coursed through her body. It was so unbearable that it forced her to release Ash. It was as though Misty was screaming in anguish from the deepest recesses of Marilith's black heart. A warm pink light began shining from the centre of her chest. At the same time, a similar light shined through Sora's shirt. Each transformed into an abstract emblem resembling a heart.
Sora gazed at the all too familiar emblem on her and Marilith's chest. "The Crest of Love?" Sora could feel warmth radiating from within her body. It was almost overwhelming. It was as though the two Crests were resonating with each other.
Garudamon suddenly reverted to Biyomon. "What happened?" she asked, noticing what happened. Biyomon could a feel a warm strength beginning to surge through her body. "I feel the power flowing through me! Biyomon, Warp Digivolve to..."
A raging fire burned in Biyomon's eyes, as the power of Love propelled her past her Birdramon and Garudamon forms. It swallowed her whole in a ball of blazing flame. As the fire died down, wings of gold protruded outwards. The helmed head of a bird emerged, followed by the rest of her body. Once the new Digimon had fully formed, she fanned out her wings, let out a shrill screech, and released a brilliant flash of golden light.
"Phoenixmon!"
Everyone was in awe of the sight of glowing golden bird hovering overhead. "Pika! (Incredible!)" was all Pikachu could say.
"So beautiful!" commented Jessie.
"I'll say. The light is melting my heart!" added Meowth.
Sora was amazed. "Biyomon Digivolved? To Mega? How?"
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Phoenixmon
Type: Vaccine
Level: Mega
Attacks: Starlight Explosion, Crimson Flame
The power of Love bought this holy bird into existence. She is a symbol of rebirth. Her divine flames sear the very soul of those who are evil.
====================================================
"Yes. This is the Sovereigns' work. They removed the seal, and the power of Misty's love brought me into existence," replied Phoenixmon. "Time to save Misty!"
Marilith was still wracked by pain when Phoenixmon swooped down and snatched her off the ground. After gaining some height, Phoenixmon invoked her Starlight Explosion attack. A small globe of golden, Holy energy gathered about her, and then burst in a blinding flash of light. Once the light cleared, Marilith's body rested limp and motionless on the ground. From the look on her face, she almost seemed content...
Sora checked for her pulse. "She's alive... just barely. I'm going to get Joe and Magna Angemon. We need the two of them to heal her. May, please take care of Ash, and Misty while I'm away."
"Okay, but please hurry," replied May.
Phoenixmon raced for Mahogany as fast as she could carrying Sora on her back. It wasn't long before they came upon the sight of a decimated city. The smell of smoke was strong in the air, and fires still burned in some of the buildings. Others had been completely levelled, and all that remained of them was rubble. Phoenixmon descended beside Lance and his group. The Digimon and Lance's Pokemon were beat from fighting Balrog.
"Are you guys okay?" asked Sora.
"We're fine," replied TK. "...But we would feel better if that Balrog was out of the way. Is that Biyomon?"
"Yeah. It's a long story, but I need Joe and Magna Angemon to go back to the lake. Marilith attacked us, and we were forced to defend ourselves," informed Sora.
Joe was shocked. "Is she alright?"
"Yeah, barely," replied Sora. "You and Magna Angemon need to go there right away. She and Ash need your attention."
"Okay, we're on our way," replied Joe, not wanting to waste time. "Let's go TK."
"Right behind you," replied Patamon. He transformed into Magna Angemon and ferried Joe, Gomamon and TK back to the lab.
"What about you?" asked Lance.
"Phoenixmon will take care of that hot head!" replied Sora. "Right?"
Phoenixmon nodded silently before taking to the air. She scanned below for Balrog's whereabouts. She found him heading southward, demolishing anything that got in his way. He was unaware of her presence since he was having a ball, and his back was turned. This was the perfect opportunity to strike. She swooped from the sky and pulled Balrog into the air like she did with Marilith. Using maximum power, Phoenixmon unleashed a massive burst of Holy energy.
In his room in the hospital, a bright flash of light blinded Pryce and his nurse. Once it cleared, a massive explosion shook the foundations of the hospital. The nurse was terrified and nearly lost her balance. Lance, Sora, and the others looked on and cheered, for they realized that Phoenixmon was victorious. The charred fragments of Balrog tumbled back to the earth. His flaming sword crashed onto a vacated street, cracking it with a loud clang.
****************************************
Joe made a check up on Ash and Marilith. "Are they going to be alright?" asked Jessie.
"Ash is going to be fine. He just needs some rest," replied Joe.
"What about the snake girl?" asked Meowth.
"Magna Angemon will take care of that," replied Joe.
Magna Angemon spread his wings and channelled rays of purifying energy onto Marilith's limp body. Instantly, a black miasma began to seep out of her body. The unholy visages on the fog were tortured and unwilling to leave their host. After a few seconds of exposure, the miasma had been exorcised and vanished into thin air. Marilith's tail and hair turned a beautiful sapphire blue, and her skin became an olive green reminiscent of the sea. Two pairs of her arms returned into her body, leaving only one remaining.
Magna Angemon ceased using his Magna Antidote. "She's hasn't returned back to old self!" scolded James.
"I can't do anymore," replied Magna Angemon. "I've already removed all of the evil possessing her."
"Why isn't she waking up?" asked Jessie. "She's not going to stay half-human, half-snake forever, is she?"
"She's in a coma, but she'll come out eventually," replied Joe. "Her mutation is another matter, because it's not the evil that made Misty this way. It is the result of Team Rocket's genetic alterations. It's really advanced stuff, and I don't think anyone can cure her. I'm sorry. She'll probably be like this for the rest of her life."
Just that moment, Lance and the others came back. "How is she?" he asked. Joe explained the situation to everyone's dismay. "So no luck making her human again... At least Ash is okay. As for these three..."
Team Rocket was alarmed. "Wait!" requested Sora. "Lance, these people helped us fight Marilith." The trio began to nod, liking where this was going.
Lance looked at the trio. "Hmmm, the police will be coming here very soon. How about this; you tell us everything you know about the lab, and help Sora and the others get the Stones of Doom. In exchange, I'll let this slide. Do we have a deal?"
The trio began grovelling at Lance's feet. "Oh thank you, thank you!" said James.
"We have a deal! We'll help in anyway we can!" added Meowth.
Yep, I'm a fan of D&D computer games. Have you ever played Neverwinter Nights or any of the other games?
AnT:
Yeah, I heard of it. Personally, I'd prefer new games to remakes, but I guess you need a legit way to get the old Pokemon into Ruby/Sapphire. ;) Unfortunately, they don't have a vulture-like Pokemon quite yet. I used "vulture" to describe May's opportunistic (in Misty's view) attempt at getting Ash.
KingofCrossovers:
A)Misty's love will play a role in the resolution of this part.
B)Not exactly.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 16: Marilith's Resentment
Lance snuck out of the lab. After witnessing Sebastian's experiments, thoughts of that girl lingered in his mind. He wondered who she was, and how she came to be an experimental subject. No matter what, this experiment would change her life forever, and a similar fate awaited others so long as this place existed. Lance combed through several metal corridors, eluding Rocket guards all the way. He came upon a pair of guards seated in a lounge, drinking coffee and having a casual conversation.
"I heard these kids were caught snooping around," said the first guard.
"Yeah," confirmed the second. "We put them in the brig."
"What's the boss gonna to do with'em?"
"He says he's gonna to put'em to good use. They're already using one of the girls in an experiment. They call her 'Marilith,' and turned her into this sexy snake woman..."
Lance was intrigued by those two clowns conversation. Those kids might be able to provide some useful information. He decided to locate the brig, and came upon a hallway lined with doors. Each door had a window at its top and centre made with some kind of hard plastic. Each door was made of solid steel and looked impossible to break down. Beside each door was a keypad meant for entering a numeric password.
Lance looked into the first door on his right, and determined it to be a storage room for confiscated items. There were four unknown handheld devices and several Pokeballs lying beside examination and diagnostic tools on a desk. He continued his search, eventually finding a cell with children locked inside. He scanned around vigilantly before zapping the keypad with his scrambler. A jumble of symbols flashed by on the LCD, and the indicating light turned green. As Lance entered, the children took notice.
"Who are you?" asked TK.
"A friend," replied Lance, as he took off his shades to reveal his face.
Ash recognized him after a brief recollection. "Why you're... You're Lance of the Elite Four!"
Lance nodded affirmatively. "I'm also a Pokemon G-man. I'm here undercover to shut this place down. Hold on, I'm taking out the keypad!" Lance directed his scrambler to the keypad and the lock clicked open.
"Where's Misty?" asked Ash.
"Well... I heard these Rocket guys talking about some experiments on a girl. She might be the Misty you're looking for," replied Lance as he zapped the restraining ring on Ash's body. It fell to the ground with a clang.
"Where are our Pokemon and Digimon?" asked May.
"What about our Digivices?" asked Mimi.
Lance continued to zap the rest of the restraining rings. "Try the storage area down the hall. As for your monsters, they would be in the specimen room, but it's very heavily guarded. Get your stuff first, then come back and I'll tell you the plan."
The Johto Team retrieved their belongings and ran back to meet Lance. "What's the plan? There isn't much time!" urged Ash.
"Okay, okay. In order to get in, we need to get rid of the guards," replied Lance. "I'll create a diversion, and when I return, I'll show you to the lab."
****************************************
Back in the lab, Jessie, James, and Meowth were busy preparing the Medusas for transport out of the lab. Despite being comatose, the Medusas were unnerving to behold. The fear of them suddenly waking up and going berserk was always in the back of their minds. Helming a crane, Meowth pulled one of the Medusa out of the vat. The green fluid dripped down with a light pitter-patter. Being the unlucky one, James got stuck with the job that actually required touching them. He quickly pushed it into a capsule, not wanting to touch that thing for too long.
"Why do I always get stuck with the dangerous jobs?" asked James. He rolled the capsule gently towards his co-worker, Jessie.
The two of them loaded it onto a truck and pulled the capsule upright. "Meowth's working the crane, and I have to oversee everything."
"Oh I get it now, you two are too scared to touch those Medusas."
Before Jessie could reply, Tyson approached. "Are you done loading them?"
"Yep, that was the last one," replied James.
"Good. Take care of the lab while we're gone. I'm going to ship those canisters out."
"Yes sir!" replied Jessie and James.
Tyson and Sebastian boarded the truck as other Rocket grunts boarded humvees. After a few minutes, the convoy disappeared into the distance. Jessie, James, Meowth had some free time, so they decided to look around. James peered in the vat that contained the large, demonic Balrog. He was a fearsome creature indeed, even while in suspended animation within the tank. James cringed at the thought of Balrog chasing him.
"He looks mean even when he's asleep," James remarked.
"Check this one out." Jessie pointed at Marilith. "There's no way she can compare to me!" boasted Jessie, as she struck a pose to show off.
"There's something oddly familiar about that snake girl..." said Meowth. "I get the feeling we've seen her before."
"I don't see how, but yeah, I get the same feeling too," admitted Jessie.
"I'm hungry. What are we waiting here for? Let's get the food!" exclaimed James.
The trio stormed the mess hall for dinner. They proceeded to wolf down mountains of food with the worst table manners the staff had ever seen. Jessie shovelled a whole plate full of spaghetti into her mouth as quickly as she could. It left her lips surrounded by a ring of red sauce. James spilt drops of gravy from his turkey, leaving several brown splotches on his bib. Meowth got a white moustache of milk on his upper lip. The three piled up dirty plates by the dozen to the shock of the kitchen staff.
"Mmmm!" muttered Jessie between bites. "This stuff is good!"
"A meal fit for a king!" added Meowth.
All of a sudden, the lights out! After a second, the lights turned on, but not as brightly as before. An alarmed blared through the building like a hammer hitting a bell at a machinegun's rate. James wiped himself clean on a napkin. "What's going on?"
Meowth smelled smoke in the air. "Fire!"
The trio rushed out of the room to see a small wisp of smoke in the air. Several Team Rocket grunts were scrambling for equipment to extinguish the fire. Jessie stopped one of the grunts for information. "Where's the fire?"
"The electrical room! There's a big fire and smoke everywhere!" replied the alarmed grunt.
"Tyson's not going to like this when he comes back!" noted Meowth.
"What caused the fire?" asked Jessie.
"Something must have shorted out. I'm sorry but I gotta be going!" The grunt ran off into the midst of the chaos.
The trio checked the electrical room, and found several grunts aiming a hose inwards. The smoke was now thicker since they were close to the fire's source. Tongues of flame seemed to dart out of the door, as though reaching out of the room. The foam hissed as grunts sprayed it into the room. After a few minutes, they extinguished the flames, but the stench of burning remained, as did the scorch marks on the walls inside. Fortunately, no one was injured, though many were still agitated from event.
Since there was nothing left to see, Jessie, James, and Meowth returned to the lab, to find an alarming sight. The twerps and their buddies were raiding the room! "Hey you! Those are Team Rocket's!" cried James.
"You stole them first!" snapped Sora.
Jessie noticed Lance and began to realize what had truly happened. "You! You must be the one who started that fire! Who are you?"
Lance took off his sunglasses and hat, and tossed them aside. "You got that right! I'm Lance, the Pokemon G-man, and I'm here to shut this place down!"
"I don't care if you're a he-man or a tree-man!" In a flash of crimson light, Jessie released her Pokemon. "Get'em Arbok!"
Similarly, James released a Pokemon of his own. "Go, Victreebel!" The moment the Flycatcher Pokemon appeared, it swallowed James whole. "EEEE! Not me! Them!"
"Patamon, Digivolve to Angemon!" Angemon assumed a combat stance, ready to take on the Rockets.
"Cyndaquil, I choose you!" Ash lobbed a Pokeball and the Fire Mouse Pokemon materialized, ready for battle. "Flamethrower!"
Flames gushed out of Cyndaquil's mouth, but Victreebel dodged. Instead, the flames scorched the see-through plastic of a specimen column. Victreebel struck back with a lash of Vine Whip, tagging Cyndaquil across the cheek. The Fire Mouse was not about to quit so early in the fight. He leapt back onto his feet, and confused his opponent with Agility-enhanced speed. His body was like a streak as he rammed Victreebel into the ground with a Quick Attack.
Arbok locked his gaze upon Angemon, who was hovering in the middle of the air. Arbok opened with a Poison Sting, spitting out several needles. Angemon spun his staff in a circle, forming a protective wall of Holy energy, which dissipated the needles harmlessly. Jessie changed attacks, this time ordering a Wrap Attack. Arbok coiled his body around his foe, and the two dropped onto the ground. After a roll, Arbok was on top trying to Bite Angemon, but being held at bay by the Angel Digimon.
"You can beat him Angemon!" encouraged TK. "Go for the neck!"
Angemon suddenly got a suffocating grip around Arbok's throat. Arbok weakened and released his hold on Angemon. He threw the Cobra Pokemon away, and returned upright to see his foe do the same. Arbok charged in for a new Bite attack, but Angemon was ready. He countered by firing a golden beam of Holy energy from his fist. Arbok landed on the ground beside Victreebel hard.
"It's up to Meowth now! Fury Swipes!" As he charged, Meowth slashed the air rapidly. He was met by a Flamethrower and a Hand of Fate, and landed right beside Arbok and Victreebel.
Team Rocket grunts stormed the room from the rear. "They're coming from behind!" cried Lance. "Go Dragonite! Hyper Beam!"
A powerful energy beam erupted from Dragonite's mouth, and slammed the first grunt into a wall. His buddies stepped up and began sending Pokemon into battle. The Johto Team turned their attention to the grunts, forgetting Jessie, James, and Meowth in the chaos of the battle. The three watched the grunts and Johto Team fight, but didn't like the way the battle was going. Team Rocket was being steamrolled.
Jessie watched as Torchic incinerated a Blastoise with Flamethrower. "This is not good!"
Togemon jabbed a Graveler and knocked it into a specimen tank. The column collapsed and the fluid spilled all over the ground. Meowth was panicking. "We got to do something!"
"Well, what do we do?" asked James. "I'm all out of ideas!"
Meowth remembered the two experiments in the lab. "Ah! We can send Balrog after the twerps!"
"Yeah! Good idea!" said Jessie.
The three snuck into the back unnoticed amidst the chaos. They proceeded to operate the controls near the vats. The height of the fluid gradually lowered as it drained into a hole on the bottom of the vats. Once his vat was emptied, Balrog began to stand up groggily. He stretched his muscles and flapped his massive wings. With a strong leap, Balrog leapt out of the vat and landed with a thud.
"Get those twerps in the other room!" commanded Meowth.
Instead of using the door, Balrog simply smashed his way through the wall. The trio was not too thrilled to see that. Upon sighting his targets, Balrog wreathed his body in roaring flames. The flames cast such a bright light that everyone took notice. Balrog's blood began to boil, and he felt a deeply rooted compulsion to fight and to kill. He formed a massive flaming sword in his hand, and charged at the Johto Team with preternatural speed.
"Dragonite, get out of the way!" called Lance.
Balrog's sword swooshed as it came down on Dragonite, narrowly missing its mark. His chest swelled as he inhaled massive amounts of air for a follow up. He spit out the most powerful Shadow Ball that anyone had ever seen. It exploded in a burst of negative energy that blew down the wall separating the hall from the specimen room. Everyone in the area dove for cover as part of the roof collapsed.
"Watch it! You're supposed to attack the enemy!" cried Meowth. Balrog turned around and sent a Flamethrower Meowth's way. "YEAAAAAH!" With his feline reflexes, Meowth narrowly avoided being roasted.
"Hey, not us! Get them!" James pointed in the direction of the Johto Team, but received a blast of hellish fire for as a response. Fortunately, he ducked at the last minute.
Jessie could only watch as Balrog turned his fiery breath on the Team Rocket grunts. She began panicking. "He's not listening to our commands! He's out of control!"
Meowth was panicking. "What do we do? Tyson's gonna kill us if Balrog doesn't first!"
"We could send Marilith after him," suggested James.
Jessie was shocked. "Are you crazy? What if she goes crazy on us too?"
"Do you have any better ideas? Team Rocket, the twerps, and their friends are getting creamed! I don't think our Pokemon would stand a chance against him!" admitted James.
The trio glanced over at the battle. Balrog locked swords with Magna Angemon. The Archangel Digimon was clearly weakening under the immense strength of his foe. Balrog broke the lock and slashed his opponent onto the ground. A Hyper Beam from Lance's Dragonite and a Solar Beam from a Team Rocket Venusaur toppled Balrog from behind. However, he simply got up and retaliated with a jet of flames.
Out of desperation, Jessie finally caved in. "Alright, let's get going!"
The trio hit buttons on the controls and drained the fluid out of Marilith's vat. The creature got up and took a stretch. "Stop Balrog before he..." said Meowth, before an explosion rocked the building and collapsed the roof!
Team Johto and Team Rocket were buried alive underneath all the rubble. Balrog punched his way out of the lab and the building. Once outside, he levelled the last remnants of the Team Rocket headquarters with Shadow Balls. He roared triumphantly at the devastation he had wrought. Though he felt a deep sense of satisfaction, he still hungered for more. He followed the river southwards, annihilating anything and everything that stood in his way.
An hour passed, and signs of movement came from the rubble. The first to get up was Lillymon, who had shielded Mimi with her body. TK and Magna Angemon crawled out of a pile of smashed plaster. They began to search for other survivors. Mimi found Joe, Ash, and Pikachu being shielded by Ikkakumon, and Sora under Birdramon. TK looked underneath a fallen cylinder and found Lance being shielded by Dragonite.
Lance coughed to clear his throat. "Uggggh! What a monster!"
Mimi and Togemon found a gloved hand jutting out of the rubble, and could hear light groaning underneath. They dug the person out to find out she was Jessie, still dazed from the ordeal. TK found James and Meowth in a similar condition just a short distance from Jessie's location. They cleared the rubble and found the Fires of Hatred buried under some rocks and plaster. The Johto Team excavated the Stone of Doom, and Joe set up shop beside the Lake of Rage to help the injured.
"You okay there?" asked Joe to Jessie.
Jessie let out a pained groan as she rubbed her head. "I'm shook up, but fine."
****************************************
A few minutes later in the depths of the Lake of Rage, several drops of off-coloured water slithered out of a grating. It coalesced into an amoeba before forming the torso of a beautiful woman with three pairs of arms. Her skin was a lifeless grey, and her hair a deep shade of violet. The water stretched from the torso and formed the tail of a violet-scaled serpent. Marilith's gills fluttered with the motion of the water as she swam around the edge of the lake.
She heard a familiar male voice speaking on the shore. "You're looking a lot better."
"Yeah Ash, I'm okay," replied the voice of a girl. Marilith recognized the voice, and it made her blood boil.
"That's great!"
Their conversation distorted into a mocking laughter, and Marilith flew into a jealous fury! "Sneaking around behind my back? Grrrrrrrr!"
Marilith popped out of the surface of the water, splashing water everywhere and scaring everyone. Ash was surprised. "Misty?"
James found the whole situation terrifying. "Waaaah! That's the orange-haired twerp?"
"No wonder she looked so familiar!" muttered Meowth, finally realizing the truth.
Jessie gasped. "What did they do to her?"
"How could you?" asked Marilith with sadness and anger. "How could you choose her over me?"
Ash was stunned. "What do you..."
"Shut up! You had to go to her, to that bitch... And then laugh at me behind my back!"
"Misty, what are you talking about?" asked May.
Marilith became raving mad. "You'll feel all the pain I've felt! I'll make you pay! DIE!"
"Run for it!" cried Meowth.
Everyone dove to safety once Marilith shot a powerful column of pressurized water. With Joe, TK, Mimi, and Lance chasing Balrog, their numbers had diminished greatly. Marilith fired a Shadow Ball, and like Balrog, it was extremely powerful. It impacted the ground behind Team Rocket, and exploded in a burst of negative energy. Despite Marilith being Misty in truth, they had no choice but to fight back.
"We have to stop her!" cried Birdramon.
"We can't! We'll hurt Misty!" objected Ash.
"We're just going to knock her out. Birdramon, you know what to do," said Sora.
"Right!" replied Birdramon. "Birdramon, Digivolve to... Garudamon!"
Compared to Marilith, Garudamon was a giant and easily twice as high. The Bird Woman Digimon began the fight with a Wing Blade attack. The fiery, bird-shaped blast scored a direct hit to her abdomen, knocking Marilith down, but not out. Being a Water type, Marilith was resistant to fiery attacks like Garudamon's Wing Blade. She countered with a Hydro Pump which shot her foe out of the sky.
Sora was deeply concerned for her Digimon's welfare. "Garurdamon!"
"Pikaaaa! (That's enough!)" stated Pikachu.
"You said it!" cried Meowth.
Jessie and James unleashed Arbok and Weezing, and the two Pokemon flanked Pikachu with Meowth. "What are you doing?" asked Ash.
"We've going to help you!" replied James.
"Team Rocket crossed a line once they turned the orange-haired one into that... that 'thing!'" replied Jessie.
Ash returned his attention back to the task on hand. "Okay! Let's save Misty together! Thunderbolt!"
"You too Torchic, Focus Energy, then Flamethrower!" commanded May.
"Arbok, Poison Sting!" called Jessie.
"Attack Weezing! Use Sludge!" ordered James.
Torchic's body glowed crimson as a surge of energy flowed through her body. The Poison Sting and Sludge struck as Meowth hacked away at Marilith's base with Fury Swipes. Pikachu's lightning surged through Marilith's body, keeping her stunned until Torchic finished with a jet of empowered flames. Marilith screamed in pain as these powerful attacks hammered her into submission.
"Ash, why?" Marilith cried in anguish. She fell to the ground and laid there motionless.
"Stop hurting her!" ordered Ash. Everyone ceased their attacks and Ash went to check on Marilith.
Suddenly, Marilith's tail lashed out, pulled him down, and coiled around his body! Pikachu, James, and Meowth gasped in shock. "Pikapi! (Ash!)"
"No!" cried May.
"No fair!" cried Jessie.
Marilith returned to a vertical position with a smug grin on her face. "Let's play a little game... I want to see how much pain can you watch him endure?" Marilith began to crush Ash with her tail, muffling his screams of agony.
****************************************
The scent of burning trees and grass filled the air. Balrog's path of destruction had led him to the dam north of Mahogany Town. Several flashing red lights awaited him, and his blood boiled in anticipation of battle. The lights came from police cars and vans parked so as to create a barricade. Several heavily armed SWAT officers were stationed behind the barrier in preparation to take on the rampaging Pokemon-Digimon hybrid.
"There he is! FIRE!" cried the SWAT commander.
In synch, the officers rained bullets on Balrog with their assault rifles. The air was filled with deafening bangs and the flash of fire from the guns' barrels. Though scoring thousands of direct hits, the SWAT teams soon realized just how ineffective their weapons truly were. Balrog didn't even flinch at all, even with so many bullets striking him at once. They lobbed tear gas and grenades at him only to find they were just as useless as the assault rifles.
"He's not going down!" cried a panicked officer.
Balrog's fiery breath made a swooshing roar as it left his mouth. The SWAT officers fled the barricade as the heat melted the vehicles' chassis. A violent, fiery explosion rocked the barricade as the fuel tanks ignited. An expression of pure joy crept onto Balrog's inhuman face. He leapt onto a car and Stomped it flat. He turned left and fired a Shadow Ball which burst and shot officers and vans several feet into the air. Once Balrog had his fill of the slaughter, he stormed away to Mahogany City itself.
Minutes later, Mimi and the others approached the destruction. "How horrible!"
"What a disaster!" commented Lillymon.
"He's nearby," noted Lance. "We have to hurry, or Mahogany will be like the police below!"
"Even if we find him, how do we beat him?" asked Joe. "He took us and several Team Rocket men out! He's as powerful as a Mega Digimon, and we don't have War Greymon or Metal Garurumon to fight him."
"Well, even if we don't have a Mega, we still have to try," observed Gomamon. "The city is counting on us."
"There he is!" cried TK, as he pointed below.
Magna Angemon pointed to an empty lot north of Balrog's location. "We'll land there to get ready for the fight."
The squad landed in the very lot Magna Angemon pointed to. It was filled with burning cars, and others were flipped over. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Balrog had been in this area. He could be seen in the distance as a small red humanoid figure flinging fire and Shadow Balls around. Once Lance and the others got onto the ground safely, the monsters charged into the fray with their partners following close behind.
"Gomamon, Digivolve to... Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon, Digivolve to... Zudomon!"
The Walrus Warrior, Zudomon, rushed Balrog with hammer poised to strike. The infernal hybrid suddenly turned around and parried with his flaming sword. Their weapons locked and each struggled to overpower the other. The intense, blistering heat from Balrog's flames caused Zudomon great discomfort. This trait gave the demon the advantage, allowing him to break the struggle and cut Zudomon down.
Magna Angemon threw several slashes with his holy sword Excalibur. Balrog parried each hit until one broke through. It caught him across the chest, causing him to recoil back and scream in pain. Lillymon and Dragonite snuck behind and launched a Flower Cannon and Hyper Beam into Balrog's exposed back. Balrog collapsed forward with a thud and the three monsters regrouped with Zudomon.
"You okay Zudomon?" asked Lillymon.
"Yeah," he replied. Balrog began to recover from the three pronged attack. "He's getting up, let's combine attacks and finish him off!"
"Magna Angemon, let's do it!" called TK.
Magna Angemon led the charge by slashing Balrog with Excalibur. The other three monsters initiated their own attacks. At the same time, Balrog was smacked down by a Hyper Beam, Flower Cannon, and a Vulcan's Hammer blast. The demon collapsed and remained on his back for a few minutes. Everyone thought they had won until Balrog's second wind shattered their celebration.
He was furious and came at them with a vengeance, spitting several Shadow Balls. Their explosive force clocked Zudomon and sent him back to Rookie form. Magna Angemon evaded futilely until one finally caught him, and then a second, returning him to Patamon. Lillymon and Dragonite successfully evaded the attacks, thus Balrog switched to Flamethrower. The flames scorched Lillymon and Dragonite into crash landing on the ground with a thud. Balrog roared triumphantly and continued his Mahogany rampage.
****************************************
Marilith continued to crush the life out of Ash. Garudamon grabbed the Fires of Hatred. "Let him go or I'll destroy it!" she threatened.
Marilith was unmoved. "Go ahead. It means little to me, anyways."
"You're bluffing!" Garudamon began to crush the Stone of Doom lightly in her claw.
"I don't depend on a silly work of art for MY power. You're just wasting your time!"
Ash's expression was of complete agony. "Pikapi! (Ash!)" Electricity began to crackle on Pikachu's cheek.
Marilith waggled her figure to scold Pikachu. "Uh uh uh! If you shock me, you'll hit your trainer too. Now you don't want that to happen, do you? Considering how 'tied up' he is now, it just might do more harm than good..."
Pikachu begrudgingly relented, and a smug grin reformed on Marilith's face. Team Rocket was growing frustrated. "We got to do something!" said James.
"You heard her! If we try anything, the twerp's a goner!" warned Meowth.
"That's right! What can you do? Hmmm..." mocked Marilith. "You can just stand there and watch him die, or you can attack me and I'll just use him as a shield. Tough choice..."
With time running out and Ash being crushed to death, Sora attempted a final, desperate gambit. "Will you let frustration and resentment harden your heart?" she cried to Marilith. "Do you want to see Ash die without ever telling him how you feel, how you love him, Misty?"
Sora's poignant question elicited an immediate, but unexpected response. Marilith was stricken with pain that coursed through her body. It was so unbearable that it forced her to release Ash. It was as though Misty was screaming in anguish from the deepest recesses of Marilith's black heart. A warm pink light began shining from the centre of her chest. At the same time, a similar light shined through Sora's shirt. Each transformed into an abstract emblem resembling a heart.
Sora gazed at the all too familiar emblem on her and Marilith's chest. "The Crest of Love?" Sora could feel warmth radiating from within her body. It was almost overwhelming. It was as though the two Crests were resonating with each other.
Garudamon suddenly reverted to Biyomon. "What happened?" she asked, noticing what happened. Biyomon could a feel a warm strength beginning to surge through her body. "I feel the power flowing through me! Biyomon, Warp Digivolve to..."
A raging fire burned in Biyomon's eyes, as the power of Love propelled her past her Birdramon and Garudamon forms. It swallowed her whole in a ball of blazing flame. As the fire died down, wings of gold protruded outwards. The helmed head of a bird emerged, followed by the rest of her body. Once the new Digimon had fully formed, she fanned out her wings, let out a shrill screech, and released a brilliant flash of golden light.
"Phoenixmon!"
Everyone was in awe of the sight of glowing golden bird hovering overhead. "Pika! (Incredible!)" was all Pikachu could say.
"So beautiful!" commented Jessie.
"I'll say. The light is melting my heart!" added Meowth.
Sora was amazed. "Biyomon Digivolved? To Mega? How?"
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Phoenixmon
Type: Vaccine
Level: Mega
Attacks: Starlight Explosion, Crimson Flame
The power of Love bought this holy bird into existence. She is a symbol of rebirth. Her divine flames sear the very soul of those who are evil.
====================================================
"Yes. This is the Sovereigns' work. They removed the seal, and the power of Misty's love brought me into existence," replied Phoenixmon. "Time to save Misty!"
Marilith was still wracked by pain when Phoenixmon swooped down and snatched her off the ground. After gaining some height, Phoenixmon invoked her Starlight Explosion attack. A small globe of golden, Holy energy gathered about her, and then burst in a blinding flash of light. Once the light cleared, Marilith's body rested limp and motionless on the ground. From the look on her face, she almost seemed content...
Sora checked for her pulse. "She's alive... just barely. I'm going to get Joe and Magna Angemon. We need the two of them to heal her. May, please take care of Ash, and Misty while I'm away."
"Okay, but please hurry," replied May.
Phoenixmon raced for Mahogany as fast as she could carrying Sora on her back. It wasn't long before they came upon the sight of a decimated city. The smell of smoke was strong in the air, and fires still burned in some of the buildings. Others had been completely levelled, and all that remained of them was rubble. Phoenixmon descended beside Lance and his group. The Digimon and Lance's Pokemon were beat from fighting Balrog.
"Are you guys okay?" asked Sora.
"We're fine," replied TK. "...But we would feel better if that Balrog was out of the way. Is that Biyomon?"
"Yeah. It's a long story, but I need Joe and Magna Angemon to go back to the lake. Marilith attacked us, and we were forced to defend ourselves," informed Sora.
Joe was shocked. "Is she alright?"
"Yeah, barely," replied Sora. "You and Magna Angemon need to go there right away. She and Ash need your attention."
"Okay, we're on our way," replied Joe, not wanting to waste time. "Let's go TK."
"Right behind you," replied Patamon. He transformed into Magna Angemon and ferried Joe, Gomamon and TK back to the lab.
"What about you?" asked Lance.
"Phoenixmon will take care of that hot head!" replied Sora. "Right?"
Phoenixmon nodded silently before taking to the air. She scanned below for Balrog's whereabouts. She found him heading southward, demolishing anything that got in his way. He was unaware of her presence since he was having a ball, and his back was turned. This was the perfect opportunity to strike. She swooped from the sky and pulled Balrog into the air like she did with Marilith. Using maximum power, Phoenixmon unleashed a massive burst of Holy energy.
In his room in the hospital, a bright flash of light blinded Pryce and his nurse. Once it cleared, a massive explosion shook the foundations of the hospital. The nurse was terrified and nearly lost her balance. Lance, Sora, and the others looked on and cheered, for they realized that Phoenixmon was victorious. The charred fragments of Balrog tumbled back to the earth. His flaming sword crashed onto a vacated street, cracking it with a loud clang.
****************************************
Joe made a check up on Ash and Marilith. "Are they going to be alright?" asked Jessie.
"Ash is going to be fine. He just needs some rest," replied Joe.
"What about the snake girl?" asked Meowth.
"Magna Angemon will take care of that," replied Joe.
Magna Angemon spread his wings and channelled rays of purifying energy onto Marilith's limp body. Instantly, a black miasma began to seep out of her body. The unholy visages on the fog were tortured and unwilling to leave their host. After a few seconds of exposure, the miasma had been exorcised and vanished into thin air. Marilith's tail and hair turned a beautiful sapphire blue, and her skin became an olive green reminiscent of the sea. Two pairs of her arms returned into her body, leaving only one remaining.
Magna Angemon ceased using his Magna Antidote. "She's hasn't returned back to old self!" scolded James.
"I can't do anymore," replied Magna Angemon. "I've already removed all of the evil possessing her."
"Why isn't she waking up?" asked Jessie. "She's not going to stay half-human, half-snake forever, is she?"
"She's in a coma, but she'll come out eventually," replied Joe. "Her mutation is another matter, because it's not the evil that made Misty this way. It is the result of Team Rocket's genetic alterations. It's really advanced stuff, and I don't think anyone can cure her. I'm sorry. She'll probably be like this for the rest of her life."
Just that moment, Lance and the others came back. "How is she?" he asked. Joe explained the situation to everyone's dismay. "So no luck making her human again... At least Ash is okay. As for these three..."
Team Rocket was alarmed. "Wait!" requested Sora. "Lance, these people helped us fight Marilith." The trio began to nod, liking where this was going.
Lance looked at the trio. "Hmmm, the police will be coming here very soon. How about this; you tell us everything you know about the lab, and help Sora and the others get the Stones of Doom. In exchange, I'll let this slide. Do we have a deal?"
The trio began grovelling at Lance's feet. "Oh thank you, thank you!" said James.
"We have a deal! We'll help in anyway we can!" added Meowth.