Duo:
Yeah, it was my inspiration for the Army Ant. I liked Metal Gear Solid and I have the original Metal Gear for the NES.
Ninetalesuk:
Anything, eh? Well, you could review my other fics. You used Digimon World 3 in your Legend of the White Whamon story so I assume you've played those games.
Also, review Wolf-ODonnell's Digimon EXE 3. I think it's a good AU fic where the Tamers are in a world and situation like Megaman Battle Network's. It's a shame so few people are reviewing it, especially since its prequels had more.
If you need anymore information, just ask.
Gijinka Renamon:
A ninja/thief? Sounds like a good guy to have in military intelligence. I can get him in, but I'm not sure if anymore characters can get in after that. I'll have to see later on.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 18: The Cursed Soldiers of Mephistomon
Somewhere in the southern parts of Kanto, morning dawned on the facade of a building. It was a clean, sterile structure, a product of high technology. Security was tight around this facility. Guards scanned for intruders from their monolithic lookout towers, and a chain-link fence ran around the perimeter. Every few seconds, a surge of electricity would produce a dangerous and clearly audible crackle.
Within this building was a laboratory filled with esoteric, capsule-shaped machines. Workers in fully sealed white suits brought in the corpse of a muscular, black-haired soldier. He was retrieved directly from the battlefield and was still wearing the camouflage uniform of the Hoenn military. His flesh was lifeless blue and grey in colour, marred only by the bullet wound punctured into his chest. One of the scientists stripped his clothing, pausing only to read the name on his dog tag; "Samuel."
"Where should I put this one?" asked one of the workers.
"Put him into number three," replied his superior.
With a hiss, capsule number three opened and the workers placed Samuel's body inside. Upon resealing the capsule, a scientist recorded the event. He walked over to a black gemstone statue that resembled a spiked gauntlet crushing the world in its hand. In a way, the gauntlet looked like it was squeezing juice out of an orange. It was located on a nearby pedestal-like machine that was connected to each of the capsules by tubes.
After his inspection, the scientist started the machine and an inky liquid oozed from the globe and collected into a wide funnel below the statue's platform. The tubes turned black as the liquid flooded the interior of the capsules. A miraculous change took place behind the capsule's viewing ports. Samuel's bullet wound began to reseal itself! His body began to regenerate with his skin returning to its original healthy beige colour. After more than two hours of work, Samuel was alive once again, but in a state of dormancy.
The scientists rolled his capsule into a sterile metal room for the second phase of their operation. Lining the edges of the pearl white walls were small emitters that resembled fluorescent light tubes. The tubes lit up with lavender light as they flooded the room with UV radiation. The room opened and the scientists rolled Samuel's capsule into a gathering room where other revived soldiers were waiting. It opened with a hiss and workers clothed Samuel.
He joined the other soldiers in listening to a message from a distinguished military leader. "Greetings soldiers! You have been chosen to bring the glory of Kanto to the world. We will train you and provide everything you need. Report to the garage in 1530 hours. Dismissed!"
Soldiers transported Samuel and the other new recruits westward to a camp and give them dorms to stay in. Three months had passed and Samuel woke up to the sound of a whistle and a screaming drill sergeant. He put on his uniform and a black ski mask before lining up with the others. They jogged southward out of the camp in a straight line. Their instructor followed behind in a jeep, barking orders at his troupe every few seconds.
"Come on you maggots!" screamed the instructor. "Not even my grandma gets tired this soon!"
In a cave overlooking the road, a red light blinked off. It belonged to the video camera of a concealed agent. As the day went on the Samuel and his peers moved on to the obstacle course. Hand over hand, Samuel and the other men and women used monkey bars to cross over a small mud pit. They reached a wire mesh and crawled underneath. The agent followed with his camera and recorded as each man and woman took their turn. Samuel went on to more advanced training and boarded the back of a motorcycle for his next exercise.
The driver started his bike and sped towards a cluster of dummies made from used potato sacks and clothed in suits. All of them had firearms with the exception of the central dummy. As he approached, Samuel drew a concealed automatic weapon and opened fire. It was over quickly, but in that small time frame, he landed all of his shots on the dummies with the central one getting hit the most. His instructor congratulated him on a job well done.
****************************************
On a TV screen in the Liberators base, the Kanto Team watched the devastation of Lilycove on the news. "Yesterday, the world was shocked by the destruction of Lilycove City by a trio of nuclear strikes. Capitalizing on these attacks, Kanto's land forces push forward into Fortree while their marine forces move in on Mossdeep City."
The launch of Kanto's nuclear weapons was a huge blow to their morale. To take his mind off their failure, Tracey decided to paint a picture of his Smeargle. Smeargle assumed a pose in which he was stroking his chin thoughtfully. Casey watched each skilful stroke that Tracey made while he painted. Kenji and Yuki scanned through the Nakamura Diary to see if they had missed any clues that might lead them to the real Army Ant.
Tai found the door to Kari's room ajar. She was sitting on her bed having a chat with Gatomon. "Kari, are you alright?" asked Gatomon. "Your look worried about something..."
Kari sighed. "I've been thinking. The only reason why Mephistomon launched those missiles was because we kept destroying his Stones and disrupting his plans. What is he going to do once he has only one or two left?" asked Kari. "I'm afraid of what might happen. I really am."
Tai knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"
"Were you listening to us Tai?" asked Gatomon.
"Yeah," replied Tai softly. "Everyone's so down about yesterday."
"It's more than just that. We have to take some of the blame. I know Mephistomon only launched the nukes because we were ruining his plans," said Kari. "With every Stone we destroyed, we were only asking him to do even worse things to win! What is going to happen once we leave him with only one or two Stones left?"
"I don't believe it would matter whether we destroyed his Stones or not," observed Tai.
"How can you say that?" asked Kari accusingly.
"...Because I know that if Mephistomon didn't launch the nukes at Hoenn, he would have launched them somewhere else, sooner or later. He is not going to stop at Hoenn. He's going for the entire world, and he doesn't care what he has to do to succeed!"
"I know. Everything you said makes sense but..."
"We can't give up, not now! We're in too far. We have to look past Hoenn, Kanto, and Johto. It's too late for Lilycove, but there are still many more people in other countries that we can still save. We have to find where the Army Ant is and destroy it before it can launch any more missiles."
Kari was still unconvinced. "...But what about the mistake we made?"
"We'll learn from it," promised Tai. "Just like I did when I came face to face with Skull Greymon for the very first time. Mephistomon won't fool us again. I know that the intelligence people are going to make sure that we find the real Army Ant and not a fake like we did the first time."
Kari began to see the wisdom of Tai's speech. "You're right Tai, you're right."
In the mess hall, Brock was cooking delicious treats for the Pokemon and the Digimon. He placed a heaping bowl of food before Agumon and Geodude. "Food!" chimed Agumon.
Geodude popped a morsel into his mouth. "Geodude! (Yummy!)"
Brock ran around the hall, unloading food into each dish. "Each as much as you want! There's plenty of food for everyone!"
"I know you must hear this a lot, but I'll say it again. You're a great cook Brock! I never get food like this back home," commented Agumon.
"Thank you, Agumon. I always keep my Pokemon healthy and well fed," replied Brock. Surge entered the mess hall. "Hey Lieutenant, looking to grab a bite?"
"Eh, no thank you, I'm fine. I'm here to tell you we've just got some new information on a Stone of Doom. Get to the meeting room in half an hour." As Surge commanded, the meeting room filled up with rebels who were anxious to hear the situation. "Okay, let's begin. We've received confirmation of the location of a new Stone of Doom."
Surge played a video of several soldiers training for military service. Each person had his or her identity hidden behind a black ski mask. In single file, they ran an obstacle course, crossing monkey bars, crawling under a wire mesh, and running through a set of tires. Another segment showed a pair of terrorists practicing drive-by shootings. As the motorbike passed a group of dummies, the passenger in the rear opened fire on them with a concealed gun.
Surge stopped and removed the tape. "What we just saw was a video of a Kanto Nationalist training camp over at Seafoam Island. To the east of this camp is a lab these use to revive dead soldiers. Here's live feed from within the lab itself."
Surged punched in commands on a remote control. The image opened with a video of a sterile lab with capsule-like pods lining the walls of the room. The screen swivelled left and right, indicating that the footage came from a wiretap on a security camera. A scientist was in the room, checking the read outs from the computers and logging them on a hand held device. A worker in a fully sealed suit rolled in a cart bearing a coffin.
At this point, the worker turned his back to the camera to open a pod. He placed what appeared to be a human corpse inside before closing the pod and moving off-screen to retrieve something. The scientist logged the event on his handheld computer. Surge switched the feed, and the screen showed the worker wheeling the statue of a gauntlet. The statue was clearly a Stone of Doom from its odd, obsidian-like appearance.
"They use that Stone to revive those corpses they keep hauling in. Their system is so good that it can convert enemy soldiers to fight for Kanto," warned Surge.
"How will we attack this place?" asked one of the Liberators.
Surge put up a map of the Seafoam compound on the screen. Surge and a team of rebels would enter the lab to retrieve the Stone of Doom while another team set up bombs to destroy the lab. The others didn't have to worry about it. All they had to worry about was the camp itself. They were urged to be careful as Surge pointed to several blips on the map. They represented gun emplacements or lookout towers that would open fire upon enemy attack. Surge went into further detail about the camp assault.
This attack had two high priority targets. He moved his pointer to the first target, a fairly large shed at the centre of the camp. This was the camp's weapons cache, and destroying it would cripple the fighting power of the soldiers severely. The second major target was the communications building, a structure with a reception dish at the north end of the camp. Once this building was destroyed, the soldiers would have no way of calling in further reinforcements. After the briefing, the teams mobilised for the attack and suited up.
****************************************
Back at Silph Town, two weeks had passed since the heroes had left the city to fight the war in Kanto. The town was still damaged from the attack by South Sector Digimon. However, the authorities had cleaned up much of the wreckage and tore down many of the unstable buildings. There work had made enough progress to allow a safe, straight path into the heart of the city. Though there was still more work to be done, the city had been reopened to allow people to come and go as they please.
In the grassy backyard of Oak's lab, Gennai and the professor held a conversation with a third person, a Digimon. This Digimon towered over both Gennai and Oak. He was a half-man, half-jackal hybrid clad in Egyptian style robes. He had a pair of sandy hawk wings and twelve violet orbs encircling his head like moons. These orbs were Digicores, which stored a portion of the nearly infinite energies of their Sovereign. This Digimon was the Sovereign Anubismon who presided over the dead to stop the formation of any new Apocalymon.
Anubismon removed one of his bracers and gave it to Oak. "Professor, please test Anubismon's bracer on your Pokemon," requested Gennai. "We want to make sure this power works on Pokemon before we hand it over to Ash and his friends."
"Make haste, for the battle with Mephistomon is quickly approaching. They'll need this power to defeat the Evil One," said Anubismon.
"Of course, I'll hop to it!" replied Oak. Anubismon was satisfied and vanished into a portal of darkness.
Gennai took a seat in front of a table with the Stones of Ignorance and Hatred on it. He put a golden lens in front of each of them before shining the light of one of Lucemon's golden Digicores through the lenses. Upon passing through the lens, it separated the light into the different colours of the rainbow. The Stones began to hiss as though they were burning under this light. A dark miasma began to ooze out. The holy light continued to purge the Destiny Stones of Mephistomon's corruption and return them to normal.
Gary, Whitney, and Ritchie took advantage of the improving situation in the city to return to Oak's lab. "Hi, grandpa!" called Gary as he came in.
"Hi Gary, it's good to see you again," replied Oak who was studying the bracer under a microscope.
"Gennai, you're here too?" asked Whitney. "How's the war going on in our world?"
"Good so far, the Digidestined and their friends have returned two Stones of Doom back to me for purification. However, things just got worse very recently..." replied Gennai.
"What happened?"
"I got word that Mephistomon has just launched nuclear weapons at the Hoenn region of your world." Whitney gasped in shock.
"I felt the same way," said Oak. "As a scientist, I know exactly how dangerous radioactive fallout is to the health of humans and Pokemon alike."
"Your friends have succeeded in finding half of his Stones of Doom," informed Gennai. "They're going after more, but Mephistomon and his followers are certainly going to fight back even harder to keep the remaining ones safe."
"Ash is out there fighting a war for all of us and we're just standing here talking about it. I say we go there and help him!" said Gary. Whitney and Ritchie agreed boisterously.
"Glad to see you're so eager to help, Gary, but I think you would be better off working in the Digital World," said Gennai.
"What do you mean?" asked Ritchie.
"Mephistomon also has assets and strongholds here in the Digital World. Team Rocket and the Kanto Nationalists are running them while he directs the troops over in the Pokemon World."
"So you want us to help you get rid of them?" asked Whitney.
"Yeah, you catch on quick," replied Gennai. "War is very expensive and we can put a big wrench into his plans by depriving him of vital resources. Talk to Officer Jenny and Vajramon for more details."
"Okay guys," asked Gary. "Let's go then!"
****************************************
Darkness blanketed the sky as night fell on Seafoam Island in southern Kanto. The stars twinkled with a cold but bright white light. The soldiers continued practicing even in the darkness of night, since a soldier's duty extended beyond daylight hours. These men wore night vision goggles during their training. It was an exercise to acclimatize the troops for combat during the twilight hours. The world was cast in various hues of green as the soldiers glance around.
They spotted their last target pop up and gunned it down posthaste. The soldiers were returning home from their nightly exercises when trouble started. A missile descended onto a building from out of the sky's darkness. This building, a shed, exploded in a massive vibrant blaze. The soldiers dove for cover before spotting a cybernetic tyrannosaurus hovering overhead. The missile ignited the ordnance stored in the shed, producing several deafening secondary explosions.
Due to the abruptness of the attack, the enemy camp was unable to retaliate. By the time they got their act together, Metal Greymon had already launched a second missile at a building to the north. The communications centre ruptured and the reception dish burst off the building and shattered upon impact with the ground. The soldiers opened fire on Metal Greymon, but it was a futile gesture since his magical, scaly skin protected him like armour.
As Surge came upon the lab, he could he the sound of explosions and gunfire. "Right on time! Okay boys, move out!"
Surge's five man team advanced on the rear of the compound. Each of them had gas masks and chemical suits on as protection. The place was heavily guarded, with electrified chain-link fences and watch towers at each corner. Most of the guards seemed somewhat preoccupied with the fighting in the distance. The sound of a high-pitched finger snap whispered through the air and the lookout slumped onto the ground dead. Surge's team melted the fence open with a laser cutter and entered the lab's garage.
It was filled with humvees and jeeps painted for camouflage. The building's interior was a labyrinth of metal corridors and doors. As the squad moved forward, they encountered an enemy patrol, which they promptly gunned down with silenced weapons. They continued on their way passing the decontamination room before finding the room depicted in the security footage. The squad surrounded the three scientists inside, who raised their arms in surrender.
"Please don't hurt us!" begged one of the scientists.
All of a sudden, gun shots rang through the corridors of the lab! The bullets felled one of Surge's men and one of the scientists before the squad took cover behind the pods. Surge peered from behind his pod and returned fire. His target returned to safety around the corner of the decontamination room door. The guard peered out and fired, forcing Surge to take refuge behind the pod again. Surge recognized his attacker as being his old friend Watts.
"Damn! Watts is here," said Surge, before turning to one of his team mates, who was tending to the wounded man. "How is he?"
"Not good," replied the man. "The bullet seems to be lodged between his ribs."
After several exchanges of fire, the squad managed to hit one of their attackers. "This isn't good. We're taking too much time here!" said a rebel in frustration.
"We're low on ammo too!" warned another rebel.
The firefight hit a brief break. Watts pulled the pin from his grenade only to get hit as he was about to throw. It slipped out of his hand and landed inside the lab area. "HIT THE DIRT!" cried Surge.
The grenade exploded before anyone else could react. Only Surge was able to make it to cover. Once the smoke cleared he found that two of his men had been killed. Another had been severely injured and there was still the man felled by a gunshot. Fortunately, the injured men would live if given proper medical attention. One of the scientists had been killed, and the other two cowered behind the pods at the back of the room.
For several moments, it was eerily quiet. Surge peered out from behind his cover, but no one attempted to shoot his head off. He glanced over at the Stone of Doom only to find a pile of shards instead. The cursed artefact had been destroyed after being struck by stray bullets and the shrapnel from the grenade. The terrified scientists made a run for it. This mission turned out to be costly and somewhat of a failure with his squad down and the Stone destroyed.
Surge pulled out his radio. "Beta Team, this is Alpha one. My squad is down, and need extraction from the lab."
"This is Beta one," replied Beta Team's leader. "We copy; we're en route to the lab."
In a few minutes, five rebels entered the room. "Did you plant your bombs?"
"That's affirmative," replied Beta Leader. "We only need to plant one here."
"Take my men home," ordered Surge. "I'll plant the bomb."
The rebels picked up the downed members of Surge's squad and carried them away. Surge pulled out a brick of grey plasticine and attached it to the resurrection machine. After arming the explosives, he walked away only to be tripped on the way out. He glanced at his assailant, who turned out to Watts, apparently still alive. Surge gave a swift kick to the man's face, breaking his grip and infuriating him even further.
Watts pulled out a knife, and pinned Surge onto the ground. "So Max, how does it feel to be so close to death?"
"Why?" said Surge. "Why are you doing this?"
"Why? I'll tell you why. Lord Mephistomon has given me new life and new purpose. I can hear his voice. It speaks to me; guides me in my actions. You know what he's saying? He says he'll reward those who serve him handsomely. Why don't you join the winning side, Max? You can have everything you've ever dreamed of! Riches, beautiful women, power; all of these can be yours if you serve him!"
Surge was aghast by what he just heard. "Don't be a tool for the devil, Greg! Nothing good can come out of this!"
"You're right, old friend. Nothing good will come out of this, but only in your case. After I kill you, I'll get everything I've ever dreamed of."
After a few more moments of struggling, Surge moved out of the way and jammed the knife into a nearby wall harmlessly. He smashed Watts' jaw with his fist, forcing him to roll off in pain. The two got up and went at each other mano a mano. Surge made a thrusting kick only to have Watts catch his foot and trip him. Surge dodged Watts' follow up stomp before leaping upright and tackling his foe into the decontamination room. He grabbed one of the light tubes and shattered it over Watts' head.
With Watts on the ground and dazed, Surge made a run for safety. As soon as he rounded a corner, Watts recovered and gave chase. The two ran down several hallways before Surge reached an office room. He dove through the glass window and landed in the courtyard. Before he could get away, Watts pounced on him. The two exchanged several punches and kicks. Eventually, Watts got the upper hand and knocked Surge onto the ground. He pinned Surge down and began to strangle him.
"This is the part where you die, 'old friend!'" taunted Watts.
Surge began to asphyxiate and had only a few precious seconds to break free. Watts continued to squeeze with the look of sadistic glee and joy on his face. He was enjoying the moment far too much. After a seemingly long struggle, Surge managed to get feet onto his attacker's stomach. With a powerful kicking motion, Surge sent Watts into a section of the electrified fence. The results were deadly for Watts, who could only scream with abandon.
Bolts of electricity jumped and danced along his body, crackling loudly and dangerously. Watt could only convulse rapidly and painfully. His hair stood on end and his body began to char, releasing a foul odour similar to that of smoke. It was over in an instant and Watts became deathly silent. A small flash of electricity arced from his body into the ground. Surge's heart still beat rapidly from the adrenaline brought on by being in such a life threatening situation.
Once he calmed down, Surge made a solemn promise. "Mephistomon will pay for this! Rest in peace, old friend..."
He regrouped with his Liberator allies and boarded speed boats to leave Seafoam Island. Surge hit the detonator and multiple explosions wracked the lab. The cursed place went up in monumental fireballs visible for miles around. The crimson glow of the flames loomed in the distance even as Seafoam sank beneath the horizon. Surge gave a final farewell salute to honour his friend's funeral pyre.
Yeah, it was my inspiration for the Army Ant. I liked Metal Gear Solid and I have the original Metal Gear for the NES.
Ninetalesuk:
Anything, eh? Well, you could review my other fics. You used Digimon World 3 in your Legend of the White Whamon story so I assume you've played those games.
Also, review Wolf-ODonnell's Digimon EXE 3. I think it's a good AU fic where the Tamers are in a world and situation like Megaman Battle Network's. It's a shame so few people are reviewing it, especially since its prequels had more.
If you need anymore information, just ask.
Gijinka Renamon:
A ninja/thief? Sounds like a good guy to have in military intelligence. I can get him in, but I'm not sure if anymore characters can get in after that. I'll have to see later on.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 18: The Cursed Soldiers of Mephistomon
Somewhere in the southern parts of Kanto, morning dawned on the facade of a building. It was a clean, sterile structure, a product of high technology. Security was tight around this facility. Guards scanned for intruders from their monolithic lookout towers, and a chain-link fence ran around the perimeter. Every few seconds, a surge of electricity would produce a dangerous and clearly audible crackle.
Within this building was a laboratory filled with esoteric, capsule-shaped machines. Workers in fully sealed white suits brought in the corpse of a muscular, black-haired soldier. He was retrieved directly from the battlefield and was still wearing the camouflage uniform of the Hoenn military. His flesh was lifeless blue and grey in colour, marred only by the bullet wound punctured into his chest. One of the scientists stripped his clothing, pausing only to read the name on his dog tag; "Samuel."
"Where should I put this one?" asked one of the workers.
"Put him into number three," replied his superior.
With a hiss, capsule number three opened and the workers placed Samuel's body inside. Upon resealing the capsule, a scientist recorded the event. He walked over to a black gemstone statue that resembled a spiked gauntlet crushing the world in its hand. In a way, the gauntlet looked like it was squeezing juice out of an orange. It was located on a nearby pedestal-like machine that was connected to each of the capsules by tubes.
After his inspection, the scientist started the machine and an inky liquid oozed from the globe and collected into a wide funnel below the statue's platform. The tubes turned black as the liquid flooded the interior of the capsules. A miraculous change took place behind the capsule's viewing ports. Samuel's bullet wound began to reseal itself! His body began to regenerate with his skin returning to its original healthy beige colour. After more than two hours of work, Samuel was alive once again, but in a state of dormancy.
The scientists rolled his capsule into a sterile metal room for the second phase of their operation. Lining the edges of the pearl white walls were small emitters that resembled fluorescent light tubes. The tubes lit up with lavender light as they flooded the room with UV radiation. The room opened and the scientists rolled Samuel's capsule into a gathering room where other revived soldiers were waiting. It opened with a hiss and workers clothed Samuel.
He joined the other soldiers in listening to a message from a distinguished military leader. "Greetings soldiers! You have been chosen to bring the glory of Kanto to the world. We will train you and provide everything you need. Report to the garage in 1530 hours. Dismissed!"
Soldiers transported Samuel and the other new recruits westward to a camp and give them dorms to stay in. Three months had passed and Samuel woke up to the sound of a whistle and a screaming drill sergeant. He put on his uniform and a black ski mask before lining up with the others. They jogged southward out of the camp in a straight line. Their instructor followed behind in a jeep, barking orders at his troupe every few seconds.
"Come on you maggots!" screamed the instructor. "Not even my grandma gets tired this soon!"
In a cave overlooking the road, a red light blinked off. It belonged to the video camera of a concealed agent. As the day went on the Samuel and his peers moved on to the obstacle course. Hand over hand, Samuel and the other men and women used monkey bars to cross over a small mud pit. They reached a wire mesh and crawled underneath. The agent followed with his camera and recorded as each man and woman took their turn. Samuel went on to more advanced training and boarded the back of a motorcycle for his next exercise.
The driver started his bike and sped towards a cluster of dummies made from used potato sacks and clothed in suits. All of them had firearms with the exception of the central dummy. As he approached, Samuel drew a concealed automatic weapon and opened fire. It was over quickly, but in that small time frame, he landed all of his shots on the dummies with the central one getting hit the most. His instructor congratulated him on a job well done.
****************************************
On a TV screen in the Liberators base, the Kanto Team watched the devastation of Lilycove on the news. "Yesterday, the world was shocked by the destruction of Lilycove City by a trio of nuclear strikes. Capitalizing on these attacks, Kanto's land forces push forward into Fortree while their marine forces move in on Mossdeep City."
The launch of Kanto's nuclear weapons was a huge blow to their morale. To take his mind off their failure, Tracey decided to paint a picture of his Smeargle. Smeargle assumed a pose in which he was stroking his chin thoughtfully. Casey watched each skilful stroke that Tracey made while he painted. Kenji and Yuki scanned through the Nakamura Diary to see if they had missed any clues that might lead them to the real Army Ant.
Tai found the door to Kari's room ajar. She was sitting on her bed having a chat with Gatomon. "Kari, are you alright?" asked Gatomon. "Your look worried about something..."
Kari sighed. "I've been thinking. The only reason why Mephistomon launched those missiles was because we kept destroying his Stones and disrupting his plans. What is he going to do once he has only one or two left?" asked Kari. "I'm afraid of what might happen. I really am."
Tai knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"
"Were you listening to us Tai?" asked Gatomon.
"Yeah," replied Tai softly. "Everyone's so down about yesterday."
"It's more than just that. We have to take some of the blame. I know Mephistomon only launched the nukes because we were ruining his plans," said Kari. "With every Stone we destroyed, we were only asking him to do even worse things to win! What is going to happen once we leave him with only one or two Stones left?"
"I don't believe it would matter whether we destroyed his Stones or not," observed Tai.
"How can you say that?" asked Kari accusingly.
"...Because I know that if Mephistomon didn't launch the nukes at Hoenn, he would have launched them somewhere else, sooner or later. He is not going to stop at Hoenn. He's going for the entire world, and he doesn't care what he has to do to succeed!"
"I know. Everything you said makes sense but..."
"We can't give up, not now! We're in too far. We have to look past Hoenn, Kanto, and Johto. It's too late for Lilycove, but there are still many more people in other countries that we can still save. We have to find where the Army Ant is and destroy it before it can launch any more missiles."
Kari was still unconvinced. "...But what about the mistake we made?"
"We'll learn from it," promised Tai. "Just like I did when I came face to face with Skull Greymon for the very first time. Mephistomon won't fool us again. I know that the intelligence people are going to make sure that we find the real Army Ant and not a fake like we did the first time."
Kari began to see the wisdom of Tai's speech. "You're right Tai, you're right."
In the mess hall, Brock was cooking delicious treats for the Pokemon and the Digimon. He placed a heaping bowl of food before Agumon and Geodude. "Food!" chimed Agumon.
Geodude popped a morsel into his mouth. "Geodude! (Yummy!)"
Brock ran around the hall, unloading food into each dish. "Each as much as you want! There's plenty of food for everyone!"
"I know you must hear this a lot, but I'll say it again. You're a great cook Brock! I never get food like this back home," commented Agumon.
"Thank you, Agumon. I always keep my Pokemon healthy and well fed," replied Brock. Surge entered the mess hall. "Hey Lieutenant, looking to grab a bite?"
"Eh, no thank you, I'm fine. I'm here to tell you we've just got some new information on a Stone of Doom. Get to the meeting room in half an hour." As Surge commanded, the meeting room filled up with rebels who were anxious to hear the situation. "Okay, let's begin. We've received confirmation of the location of a new Stone of Doom."
Surge played a video of several soldiers training for military service. Each person had his or her identity hidden behind a black ski mask. In single file, they ran an obstacle course, crossing monkey bars, crawling under a wire mesh, and running through a set of tires. Another segment showed a pair of terrorists practicing drive-by shootings. As the motorbike passed a group of dummies, the passenger in the rear opened fire on them with a concealed gun.
Surge stopped and removed the tape. "What we just saw was a video of a Kanto Nationalist training camp over at Seafoam Island. To the east of this camp is a lab these use to revive dead soldiers. Here's live feed from within the lab itself."
Surged punched in commands on a remote control. The image opened with a video of a sterile lab with capsule-like pods lining the walls of the room. The screen swivelled left and right, indicating that the footage came from a wiretap on a security camera. A scientist was in the room, checking the read outs from the computers and logging them on a hand held device. A worker in a fully sealed suit rolled in a cart bearing a coffin.
At this point, the worker turned his back to the camera to open a pod. He placed what appeared to be a human corpse inside before closing the pod and moving off-screen to retrieve something. The scientist logged the event on his handheld computer. Surge switched the feed, and the screen showed the worker wheeling the statue of a gauntlet. The statue was clearly a Stone of Doom from its odd, obsidian-like appearance.
"They use that Stone to revive those corpses they keep hauling in. Their system is so good that it can convert enemy soldiers to fight for Kanto," warned Surge.
"How will we attack this place?" asked one of the Liberators.
Surge put up a map of the Seafoam compound on the screen. Surge and a team of rebels would enter the lab to retrieve the Stone of Doom while another team set up bombs to destroy the lab. The others didn't have to worry about it. All they had to worry about was the camp itself. They were urged to be careful as Surge pointed to several blips on the map. They represented gun emplacements or lookout towers that would open fire upon enemy attack. Surge went into further detail about the camp assault.
This attack had two high priority targets. He moved his pointer to the first target, a fairly large shed at the centre of the camp. This was the camp's weapons cache, and destroying it would cripple the fighting power of the soldiers severely. The second major target was the communications building, a structure with a reception dish at the north end of the camp. Once this building was destroyed, the soldiers would have no way of calling in further reinforcements. After the briefing, the teams mobilised for the attack and suited up.
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Back at Silph Town, two weeks had passed since the heroes had left the city to fight the war in Kanto. The town was still damaged from the attack by South Sector Digimon. However, the authorities had cleaned up much of the wreckage and tore down many of the unstable buildings. There work had made enough progress to allow a safe, straight path into the heart of the city. Though there was still more work to be done, the city had been reopened to allow people to come and go as they please.
In the grassy backyard of Oak's lab, Gennai and the professor held a conversation with a third person, a Digimon. This Digimon towered over both Gennai and Oak. He was a half-man, half-jackal hybrid clad in Egyptian style robes. He had a pair of sandy hawk wings and twelve violet orbs encircling his head like moons. These orbs were Digicores, which stored a portion of the nearly infinite energies of their Sovereign. This Digimon was the Sovereign Anubismon who presided over the dead to stop the formation of any new Apocalymon.
Anubismon removed one of his bracers and gave it to Oak. "Professor, please test Anubismon's bracer on your Pokemon," requested Gennai. "We want to make sure this power works on Pokemon before we hand it over to Ash and his friends."
"Make haste, for the battle with Mephistomon is quickly approaching. They'll need this power to defeat the Evil One," said Anubismon.
"Of course, I'll hop to it!" replied Oak. Anubismon was satisfied and vanished into a portal of darkness.
Gennai took a seat in front of a table with the Stones of Ignorance and Hatred on it. He put a golden lens in front of each of them before shining the light of one of Lucemon's golden Digicores through the lenses. Upon passing through the lens, it separated the light into the different colours of the rainbow. The Stones began to hiss as though they were burning under this light. A dark miasma began to ooze out. The holy light continued to purge the Destiny Stones of Mephistomon's corruption and return them to normal.
Gary, Whitney, and Ritchie took advantage of the improving situation in the city to return to Oak's lab. "Hi, grandpa!" called Gary as he came in.
"Hi Gary, it's good to see you again," replied Oak who was studying the bracer under a microscope.
"Gennai, you're here too?" asked Whitney. "How's the war going on in our world?"
"Good so far, the Digidestined and their friends have returned two Stones of Doom back to me for purification. However, things just got worse very recently..." replied Gennai.
"What happened?"
"I got word that Mephistomon has just launched nuclear weapons at the Hoenn region of your world." Whitney gasped in shock.
"I felt the same way," said Oak. "As a scientist, I know exactly how dangerous radioactive fallout is to the health of humans and Pokemon alike."
"Your friends have succeeded in finding half of his Stones of Doom," informed Gennai. "They're going after more, but Mephistomon and his followers are certainly going to fight back even harder to keep the remaining ones safe."
"Ash is out there fighting a war for all of us and we're just standing here talking about it. I say we go there and help him!" said Gary. Whitney and Ritchie agreed boisterously.
"Glad to see you're so eager to help, Gary, but I think you would be better off working in the Digital World," said Gennai.
"What do you mean?" asked Ritchie.
"Mephistomon also has assets and strongholds here in the Digital World. Team Rocket and the Kanto Nationalists are running them while he directs the troops over in the Pokemon World."
"So you want us to help you get rid of them?" asked Whitney.
"Yeah, you catch on quick," replied Gennai. "War is very expensive and we can put a big wrench into his plans by depriving him of vital resources. Talk to Officer Jenny and Vajramon for more details."
"Okay guys," asked Gary. "Let's go then!"
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Darkness blanketed the sky as night fell on Seafoam Island in southern Kanto. The stars twinkled with a cold but bright white light. The soldiers continued practicing even in the darkness of night, since a soldier's duty extended beyond daylight hours. These men wore night vision goggles during their training. It was an exercise to acclimatize the troops for combat during the twilight hours. The world was cast in various hues of green as the soldiers glance around.
They spotted their last target pop up and gunned it down posthaste. The soldiers were returning home from their nightly exercises when trouble started. A missile descended onto a building from out of the sky's darkness. This building, a shed, exploded in a massive vibrant blaze. The soldiers dove for cover before spotting a cybernetic tyrannosaurus hovering overhead. The missile ignited the ordnance stored in the shed, producing several deafening secondary explosions.
Due to the abruptness of the attack, the enemy camp was unable to retaliate. By the time they got their act together, Metal Greymon had already launched a second missile at a building to the north. The communications centre ruptured and the reception dish burst off the building and shattered upon impact with the ground. The soldiers opened fire on Metal Greymon, but it was a futile gesture since his magical, scaly skin protected him like armour.
As Surge came upon the lab, he could he the sound of explosions and gunfire. "Right on time! Okay boys, move out!"
Surge's five man team advanced on the rear of the compound. Each of them had gas masks and chemical suits on as protection. The place was heavily guarded, with electrified chain-link fences and watch towers at each corner. Most of the guards seemed somewhat preoccupied with the fighting in the distance. The sound of a high-pitched finger snap whispered through the air and the lookout slumped onto the ground dead. Surge's team melted the fence open with a laser cutter and entered the lab's garage.
It was filled with humvees and jeeps painted for camouflage. The building's interior was a labyrinth of metal corridors and doors. As the squad moved forward, they encountered an enemy patrol, which they promptly gunned down with silenced weapons. They continued on their way passing the decontamination room before finding the room depicted in the security footage. The squad surrounded the three scientists inside, who raised their arms in surrender.
"Please don't hurt us!" begged one of the scientists.
All of a sudden, gun shots rang through the corridors of the lab! The bullets felled one of Surge's men and one of the scientists before the squad took cover behind the pods. Surge peered from behind his pod and returned fire. His target returned to safety around the corner of the decontamination room door. The guard peered out and fired, forcing Surge to take refuge behind the pod again. Surge recognized his attacker as being his old friend Watts.
"Damn! Watts is here," said Surge, before turning to one of his team mates, who was tending to the wounded man. "How is he?"
"Not good," replied the man. "The bullet seems to be lodged between his ribs."
After several exchanges of fire, the squad managed to hit one of their attackers. "This isn't good. We're taking too much time here!" said a rebel in frustration.
"We're low on ammo too!" warned another rebel.
The firefight hit a brief break. Watts pulled the pin from his grenade only to get hit as he was about to throw. It slipped out of his hand and landed inside the lab area. "HIT THE DIRT!" cried Surge.
The grenade exploded before anyone else could react. Only Surge was able to make it to cover. Once the smoke cleared he found that two of his men had been killed. Another had been severely injured and there was still the man felled by a gunshot. Fortunately, the injured men would live if given proper medical attention. One of the scientists had been killed, and the other two cowered behind the pods at the back of the room.
For several moments, it was eerily quiet. Surge peered out from behind his cover, but no one attempted to shoot his head off. He glanced over at the Stone of Doom only to find a pile of shards instead. The cursed artefact had been destroyed after being struck by stray bullets and the shrapnel from the grenade. The terrified scientists made a run for it. This mission turned out to be costly and somewhat of a failure with his squad down and the Stone destroyed.
Surge pulled out his radio. "Beta Team, this is Alpha one. My squad is down, and need extraction from the lab."
"This is Beta one," replied Beta Team's leader. "We copy; we're en route to the lab."
In a few minutes, five rebels entered the room. "Did you plant your bombs?"
"That's affirmative," replied Beta Leader. "We only need to plant one here."
"Take my men home," ordered Surge. "I'll plant the bomb."
The rebels picked up the downed members of Surge's squad and carried them away. Surge pulled out a brick of grey plasticine and attached it to the resurrection machine. After arming the explosives, he walked away only to be tripped on the way out. He glanced at his assailant, who turned out to Watts, apparently still alive. Surge gave a swift kick to the man's face, breaking his grip and infuriating him even further.
Watts pulled out a knife, and pinned Surge onto the ground. "So Max, how does it feel to be so close to death?"
"Why?" said Surge. "Why are you doing this?"
"Why? I'll tell you why. Lord Mephistomon has given me new life and new purpose. I can hear his voice. It speaks to me; guides me in my actions. You know what he's saying? He says he'll reward those who serve him handsomely. Why don't you join the winning side, Max? You can have everything you've ever dreamed of! Riches, beautiful women, power; all of these can be yours if you serve him!"
Surge was aghast by what he just heard. "Don't be a tool for the devil, Greg! Nothing good can come out of this!"
"You're right, old friend. Nothing good will come out of this, but only in your case. After I kill you, I'll get everything I've ever dreamed of."
After a few more moments of struggling, Surge moved out of the way and jammed the knife into a nearby wall harmlessly. He smashed Watts' jaw with his fist, forcing him to roll off in pain. The two got up and went at each other mano a mano. Surge made a thrusting kick only to have Watts catch his foot and trip him. Surge dodged Watts' follow up stomp before leaping upright and tackling his foe into the decontamination room. He grabbed one of the light tubes and shattered it over Watts' head.
With Watts on the ground and dazed, Surge made a run for safety. As soon as he rounded a corner, Watts recovered and gave chase. The two ran down several hallways before Surge reached an office room. He dove through the glass window and landed in the courtyard. Before he could get away, Watts pounced on him. The two exchanged several punches and kicks. Eventually, Watts got the upper hand and knocked Surge onto the ground. He pinned Surge down and began to strangle him.
"This is the part where you die, 'old friend!'" taunted Watts.
Surge began to asphyxiate and had only a few precious seconds to break free. Watts continued to squeeze with the look of sadistic glee and joy on his face. He was enjoying the moment far too much. After a seemingly long struggle, Surge managed to get feet onto his attacker's stomach. With a powerful kicking motion, Surge sent Watts into a section of the electrified fence. The results were deadly for Watts, who could only scream with abandon.
Bolts of electricity jumped and danced along his body, crackling loudly and dangerously. Watt could only convulse rapidly and painfully. His hair stood on end and his body began to char, releasing a foul odour similar to that of smoke. It was over in an instant and Watts became deathly silent. A small flash of electricity arced from his body into the ground. Surge's heart still beat rapidly from the adrenaline brought on by being in such a life threatening situation.
Once he calmed down, Surge made a solemn promise. "Mephistomon will pay for this! Rest in peace, old friend..."
He regrouped with his Liberator allies and boarded speed boats to leave Seafoam Island. Surge hit the detonator and multiple explosions wracked the lab. The cursed place went up in monumental fireballs visible for miles around. The crimson glow of the flames loomed in the distance even as Seafoam sank beneath the horizon. Surge gave a final farewell salute to honour his friend's funeral pyre.