Episode 3: Not Your Average Humon
You all have been wanting something original. Well, here you will see the start of something new. It might seem rather mundane, but like I said, it's the beginning.
Random was almost to the Shinbaya complex - in fact, it was directly ahead of him - when he noticed it. Something wasn't quite right around him - his enhanced senses told him that much. He glanced at his watch. I've already been here an hour and a half. The portal won't stay open for too much longer...
His surroundings were dark - not surprising, since it was the dead of night. The apartment complex loomed in front of him, but something was blocking his path. And yet, not blocking it, because as far as he could see, the way was clear. He was standing within a grassy park, trees that had been planted almost three years ago dotting the landscape. The park was square, surrounded by sidewalk, paved road, and then tall buildings. An occasional bench lined the square as well, along with street lamps here and there, and in the center of the whole thing resided a newly-dug pond.
There it was, right in front of him. He could see it clearly now - or at least, the outline, since it wasn't really visible in most senses of the word. To the naked eye, it would look like heat rising off pavement, except for a few particulars. First, it wasn't anywhere near pavement - it was on the grass itself. Second, it rose higher, and had a more viscous quality to it. Looking directly at it was like looking through a mass of water. The thing towered over him, no more than fifteen feet away, shimmering in the lamplight. Then suddenly, the lights went out - all of them, leaving the full moon as the only source of light.
Jenrya recoiled as the door vibrated under a heavy knock. Hesitating for a moment, he whipped open the door and raised the heavy hard-cover book in one hand, ready to bash whatever was on the other side.
"I can't believe your family lives in this dump. That's, what, the sixth time the electricity has gone out in the last month?" Ruki stood on the other side, arms crossed, a slightly miffed expression painted on her face. "Is he here yet?"
"Yeah, nice to see you too, Ruki." He stepped back and opened the door wider. "Come in." Having been friends with Ruki for more than three years, he was never surprised at her nocturnal habits. If she wanted to show up in the dead of night for this or that reason, then not only was it to be expected, but also impossible to stop. Closing the door as she entered, he remarked on the last part of her statement. "Who's he?"
"Random." It was hard to tell anything in the darkness, but in the moonlight coming from the balcony windows, her movements and motions exposed her nervous and tense mood. "He's a guy about this tall," She raised her left hand to about six feet off the ground. "Has brown hair, wearing all black. Has he been by?"
This explanation confused Jenrya. "Nobody like that's been here. Friend of yours?" He strode past her into the open kitchen and opened the cream-colored refrigerator, pulling from it a bottle of water. His family got into the habit of keeping these sort of necessities around the house in case of a power outage, a thing that had been happening all to frequently with the city-wide reconstruction.
"Not really. Just... someone who showed up." Ruki pushed past him and reached into the fridge for a water of her own. "He... he mentioned Renamon, and then told me to meet him here." The naming of her partner brought a gloomy look to her face... She took a swig from the bottle. Relief flooded through her - she had run the entire way. "I think Takato and Juri are coming, too."
Jenrya brushed a hand through his wavy hair. He kept it longer now than he used to. "Okay, hold on. What do you mean he 'mentioned Renamon?' That's not exactly a common household name. And why are Takato and Juri-"
He was interrupted as a new voice called from the hallway. It was Jenrya's father, Janyuu. "Jenrya, what's all this noi-" He turned the corner and spotted Ruki, and at the same time flipped a nearby light switch. "Oh, Ruki, hello. Power's out again, huh?" He didn't wait for a response, and instead asked another question. "What are you doing up so late?"
About to reply, Jenrya was interrupted by a thunderous crack followed by a boom coming from the street below. Ruki, Jenrya, and his father all ran to the balcony window and peered outside.
The loss of light hadn't helped the situation much. Random could no longer see the cloaked thing that awaited, undoubtedly prepared to tear him to shreds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relying on his enhanced senses of feel and hearing.
Whatever the thing was took that moment to strike. It hurdled through the air at meteoric speeds, striking Rand full in the chest like a sledgehammer. He flew backwards several feet and impacted with a small oak. Something snapped, sending pain coursing through his body. Not good. If this is a digimon... He pushed himself up and staggered to one side. Then it's not a rookie. Champion. Maybe even Ultimate. He fished in his pocket for something as he ran, trying to put distance between him and the thing while he thought up a plan.
The cloaked beast wasn't going to have any of this, however, and cut Rand off seconds later, unleashing another blow, which sent him flying yet again. This time, he didn't slam into a tree - he crashed into a bench. The bolted-down structure barely gave against his weight, which meant that his own body absorbed much of the collision. Nothing snapped this time, but something crunched. Sickened and knowing that something was definitely broken, he rolled to one side and withdrew from his pocket the item he had been fishing for. A card.
Pushing himself up for at least the third time that evening, he barely managed to duck and avoid a horizontal cleave from the beast. He could feel the attack whistle over him. He's toying with me. He suddenly new that as truth - an Champion or Ultimate could easily unleash a deadly blow that would obliterate him... in this form.
Straightening from the crouch, he raised his left arm in a defensive motion and brought his right arm across it, the card he had retrieved held between two fingers. In a single fast motion, he swiped the card through a slit on what we had mistakenly believed to be a simple watch.
"DNA Modify - Elecmon activate!"
A blaze of light spewed forth from the device - a D-Chrono - enveloping Random in a bright aura. The D-Chrono squealed as it's power levels reached maximum as it utilized the data from the card. The light obscured him entirely from view now, covering the entire park and most of the nearby buildings with a brilliant light. A hand pushed through the white curtain, a human hand and not at the same time, followed another hand and finally the rest of the body.
The form was that of Random's, and not in that was surrounded by a flux of electrical energy which pulsed through his very skin. The white light faded away as the D-Chrono powered down, plunging the park once more into darkness, but Rand had already caught sight of his target, which was apparently preparing for a much stronger attack than before. Oh, no, you don't. Raising his hands and bringing them down again, thumbs together and hands level , he cried out. "Jamming Thunder!"
A bolt of pure electricity, a surge of lightning lanced from his hands with a loud crack, lancing toward the nearing blur. It struck with a resounding boom, halting the digimon's charge and sending staggering backwards several feet. Veins of electricity coursed through the things body, showing visible through the cloak, which then disappeared as the energy overloaded it. The attack finished, the flux faded, finally revealing in full Random's attacker.
It was huge. No, huge wasn't the right word. Massive worked better, not in size, but in visible power. The digimon was crouched over like a Greymon, but wasn't nearly the size, and was covered in black scales. Red gems, now cracked and broken (probably the sources of the cloak), dotted the creature's frame here and there - on a hand, the forehead, the feet, torso, and so on. It had a tail about ten meters long, much too large for it's comparatively smaller body, laying flacidly on the ground. The things head was sizable as well, with large, gleaming fangs protruding from its gaping maw, as well as red-irised eyes and a twin horns sprouting on either side of the head. The whole beast was very reptilian, much like a black dragon without wings. It simply stood there, the electrical attack (which was specially designed to stun and interrupt systems and attacks) still affecting it.
He knew what the digimon was called - he had run into several times before in his time in the digital world. Exedramon was an executioner dragon monster, sporting several lightning-quick and powerful attacks that had ended many a digimons existance. He was an Ultimate, all right, but not just any Ultimate. Rand knew for a fact that this digimon could slay a variety of Mega levels with minimal complications - he had seen it with his very own eyes. This is bad. He knew exactly why the digimon was there, but not who had sent it or what to do. But he was thinking. Quickly.
Exedramon snapped out of his reverie seconds later, and was about to kabob Rand in one of its razor-sharp claws when a voice called from behind him. "Rand!" The digimon whirled.
Takato and Juri, both panting from a bout of energetic running, stood about twenty meters distant. The had just come to within visible distance of the fight, and Takato had spotted Random in just enough time to call out his name, but hadn't seen the Exedramon in time enough to stop himself. When the digimon turned and faced him, he gulped. "Whoops." Juri, running up behind him, saw it in reverse order - Exedramon in enough time to cry out, Rand seconds later.
The Ultimate started to race toward Takato and Juri without a single word. This had been his mission, his errand, his mark, and victory was so close, he could smell it.
"Super Thunder Strike!" Rand's hands were up again, this time in at a higher angle. Clouds formed instantly in the sky, launching a flurry of lightning bolts upon Exedramon's position.
He was no longer smelling victory. Instead, he was inhaling the fumes of his own scales being cooked under the lightning barrage. It didn't hurt, since the attack was so much weaker than he, but in this case the attack was not aimed to injure - it was aimed to impede. The bolts of lighting struck in a continuous rain, blocking off Exedramon's advance and occasionally striking him a stunning blow. He wasn't going to go anywhere for the moment - in fact, the attack had been so brilliantly executed that he was having a hard time breathing between strikes.
Rand knew that Exedramon's rage was legendary, and it would only be so long before the Ultimate finally shrugged off the assault and came for his throat. He yelled over the repetitive booms of lightning. "Takato! Juri! Go around!" He waved both hands an jumped up and down, attempting to grasp their attention.
Takato took one look at Random's frenetic motions and grabbed Juri's hand. They both took off around the stunned digimon, arriving in Random's vicinity about the same time the entrance doors to the Shinbaya complex flew open, ejecting both Jenry and Ruki. Within seconds the five teens were together once in one place.
"Takato! Juri!" Jenrya and Ruki cried out upon sighting their friends at the same time Takato and Juri did. "Jenrya! Ruki!" There was no time for hugs or hand shakes, however. Exedramon was rapidly growing more and more outraged - soon he would be free. Jenrya, fast thinker and brilliant mind that he was, took the whole thing at face value and grasped the reality of their peril. He and Ruki had seen the beginning attacks from the balcony window and had rushed down to help - although, what two digimonless Tamers could do at this point was debatable.
Ruki was less thought oriented and more action oriented - hence, she caught on almost as quickly, but did something about it. She spoke the first idea that came to her mind. "We gotta get out of here! The digimon isn't going to be happy when he pulls free."
Takato layed out the problem before them. "Where? I don't think we'll be safe anywhere in the entire city from that thing."
"He's right." Rand brought the D-Chrono to up so that he could... speak into it? "We're not going to be safe if we stick around much longer. I'm getting us out of here." Keying the D-Chrono with his other hand, he paused, pressed another button, and then spoke. "Guys! We have a problem!"
"We know." The reply was gruff, loud, and high-pitched. "Valkyriemon's working on getting the portal moved to your position. Get ready, all!"
Before any of these things could be explained - the odd watch-looking device, the voice it emitted, or the portal it spoke of - Exedramon finally broke free from his electrical chains and spun to face them. He roared, the sound so loud that most of them had to cover their ears - save Rand, who was too busy coordinating their position through the D-Chrono to bother. The digimon hurdled directly for Rand, mouth open, claws extended.
He should have moved, but for a variety of reasons, he physically couldn't. Doing so would have interrupted the signals he was digitally sending, for one. However, before Exedramon tackled him, a circle of light appeared in the ground and at the same time spat out a bluish-white blur. The blur smacked into Exedramon, sending both it and the other digimon flying through the air. Rand smiled. Perfect timing. Damned perfect timing!
The bluish-whitish blur turned out to be yet another digimon. Unlike Exedramon, this one was fully dragon-like, wings included. Most of it's lower half was white and bone-like, whereas the rest was monotone blue scale - save for it's beaklike mouth and bone-white front claws. Its wing membranes were red, and a large blade protruded from the top of its head. AeroVeedramon. Rearing, unleashed a lightning-fast attack at Exedramon. "V Wing Blade!"
Unfortunately, Exedramon wasn't fooling around anymore. His Ragemight ability was fully activated - to put it mildly, he was incredibly pissed off. He deflected the shot without so much as a wince and lunged foreward, grasping AeroVeedramon by the neck. The two grappled furiously.
The fight gave Random some time, however. Despite the seemingly ignored attack, AeroVeedramon was a fighter with millennia of battle experience. He would give Exedramon one hell of a challenge. Rand turned to face the Tamers, who, overwhelmed with everything that was happening, stood mutely, eyes moving back and forth between the fight, the portal, and Rand.
"I know this is going to sound ludicrous, especially since none of you four know who I am, what I am, where I come from, or why I am here. But trust me when I say that your lives are in extreme danger - as if tonight weren't evidence enough." He increased the speed of his words, attempting to spit them all out before Exedramon finally overcame AeroVeedramon. It would happen, not quickly, but it would happen - Exedramon was that strong. "I think you all know exactly where this portal goes."
The four nodded. They all knew, of course. Actualy, they knew a good bit more than Rand gave the credit for. Juri took a step foreword. "You're Rand, right? I never got to thank you for saving our lives earlier." She bowed slightly, then continued. "You all know us, I think."
Jenrya was next. "We haven't been introduced. I'm Jenrya Lee." He strode foreword and extended a hand, which Rand shook. Then, pausing to glance at the fight, he withdrew a pair of... sunglasses... and put them on. He had never once put them on since losing Terriermon, but this seemed like a prime opportunity. "Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a long night?"
"Because it will be." Ruki had already placed her own violet-tinted sunglasses on. "I don't know exactly who you are, but you've already gained my trust - for now. Lead on."
"Mine too." Takato had strapped on his goggled. They looked odd on his wide face, and yet fit perfectly. "You saved my life, too. I don't think I could go home without repaying you."
An explosion halted the conversation as Exedramon's Sonic Crusher smashed into AeroVeedramon, sending him flying across the park and into a brick building. Voices cried out from various structures surrounding the park. Rand had one final thing to say, however, and nodded. "I appreciate this. We all do. I saved your lives, Juri, Takato, because without you - all of you - the digital world is doomed. A new threat has arisen since the D-Reaper was defeated three years prior. In fact, mainly because of it." Another Sonic Crusher boomed past them, crashing into another building. The fight was quickly growing out of control - it was time to leave.
With a single cry - "Follow me!" - Rand flipped into the circle of energy and was gone. Without hesitation, the Tamers followed after, first Takato (Didn't we do this once?), then Juri (The digital world...), Jenrya (Glad I brought my D-Power...), and finally Ruki (Renamon... are you out there?).
Light flared around the five, and they were gone, streaking through a digital wormhole, a series of loops and corkscrews composed of purplish- gray digital matter. As they hurdled through, they were each in turn converted to digital data.
And so, their next new adventure had just begun. There would be trials, sorrow, and uncertainty, but there would also be new friends, new challenges, and hopefully satisfaction at the end.
But would they survive?
TBC in the next... DIGIMON!
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You all have been wanting something original. Well, here you will see the start of something new. It might seem rather mundane, but like I said, it's the beginning.
Random was almost to the Shinbaya complex - in fact, it was directly ahead of him - when he noticed it. Something wasn't quite right around him - his enhanced senses told him that much. He glanced at his watch. I've already been here an hour and a half. The portal won't stay open for too much longer...
His surroundings were dark - not surprising, since it was the dead of night. The apartment complex loomed in front of him, but something was blocking his path. And yet, not blocking it, because as far as he could see, the way was clear. He was standing within a grassy park, trees that had been planted almost three years ago dotting the landscape. The park was square, surrounded by sidewalk, paved road, and then tall buildings. An occasional bench lined the square as well, along with street lamps here and there, and in the center of the whole thing resided a newly-dug pond.
There it was, right in front of him. He could see it clearly now - or at least, the outline, since it wasn't really visible in most senses of the word. To the naked eye, it would look like heat rising off pavement, except for a few particulars. First, it wasn't anywhere near pavement - it was on the grass itself. Second, it rose higher, and had a more viscous quality to it. Looking directly at it was like looking through a mass of water. The thing towered over him, no more than fifteen feet away, shimmering in the lamplight. Then suddenly, the lights went out - all of them, leaving the full moon as the only source of light.
Jenrya recoiled as the door vibrated under a heavy knock. Hesitating for a moment, he whipped open the door and raised the heavy hard-cover book in one hand, ready to bash whatever was on the other side.
"I can't believe your family lives in this dump. That's, what, the sixth time the electricity has gone out in the last month?" Ruki stood on the other side, arms crossed, a slightly miffed expression painted on her face. "Is he here yet?"
"Yeah, nice to see you too, Ruki." He stepped back and opened the door wider. "Come in." Having been friends with Ruki for more than three years, he was never surprised at her nocturnal habits. If she wanted to show up in the dead of night for this or that reason, then not only was it to be expected, but also impossible to stop. Closing the door as she entered, he remarked on the last part of her statement. "Who's he?"
"Random." It was hard to tell anything in the darkness, but in the moonlight coming from the balcony windows, her movements and motions exposed her nervous and tense mood. "He's a guy about this tall," She raised her left hand to about six feet off the ground. "Has brown hair, wearing all black. Has he been by?"
This explanation confused Jenrya. "Nobody like that's been here. Friend of yours?" He strode past her into the open kitchen and opened the cream-colored refrigerator, pulling from it a bottle of water. His family got into the habit of keeping these sort of necessities around the house in case of a power outage, a thing that had been happening all to frequently with the city-wide reconstruction.
"Not really. Just... someone who showed up." Ruki pushed past him and reached into the fridge for a water of her own. "He... he mentioned Renamon, and then told me to meet him here." The naming of her partner brought a gloomy look to her face... She took a swig from the bottle. Relief flooded through her - she had run the entire way. "I think Takato and Juri are coming, too."
Jenrya brushed a hand through his wavy hair. He kept it longer now than he used to. "Okay, hold on. What do you mean he 'mentioned Renamon?' That's not exactly a common household name. And why are Takato and Juri-"
He was interrupted as a new voice called from the hallway. It was Jenrya's father, Janyuu. "Jenrya, what's all this noi-" He turned the corner and spotted Ruki, and at the same time flipped a nearby light switch. "Oh, Ruki, hello. Power's out again, huh?" He didn't wait for a response, and instead asked another question. "What are you doing up so late?"
About to reply, Jenrya was interrupted by a thunderous crack followed by a boom coming from the street below. Ruki, Jenrya, and his father all ran to the balcony window and peered outside.
The loss of light hadn't helped the situation much. Random could no longer see the cloaked thing that awaited, undoubtedly prepared to tear him to shreds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relying on his enhanced senses of feel and hearing.
Whatever the thing was took that moment to strike. It hurdled through the air at meteoric speeds, striking Rand full in the chest like a sledgehammer. He flew backwards several feet and impacted with a small oak. Something snapped, sending pain coursing through his body. Not good. If this is a digimon... He pushed himself up and staggered to one side. Then it's not a rookie. Champion. Maybe even Ultimate. He fished in his pocket for something as he ran, trying to put distance between him and the thing while he thought up a plan.
The cloaked beast wasn't going to have any of this, however, and cut Rand off seconds later, unleashing another blow, which sent him flying yet again. This time, he didn't slam into a tree - he crashed into a bench. The bolted-down structure barely gave against his weight, which meant that his own body absorbed much of the collision. Nothing snapped this time, but something crunched. Sickened and knowing that something was definitely broken, he rolled to one side and withdrew from his pocket the item he had been fishing for. A card.
Pushing himself up for at least the third time that evening, he barely managed to duck and avoid a horizontal cleave from the beast. He could feel the attack whistle over him. He's toying with me. He suddenly new that as truth - an Champion or Ultimate could easily unleash a deadly blow that would obliterate him... in this form.
Straightening from the crouch, he raised his left arm in a defensive motion and brought his right arm across it, the card he had retrieved held between two fingers. In a single fast motion, he swiped the card through a slit on what we had mistakenly believed to be a simple watch.
"DNA Modify - Elecmon activate!"
A blaze of light spewed forth from the device - a D-Chrono - enveloping Random in a bright aura. The D-Chrono squealed as it's power levels reached maximum as it utilized the data from the card. The light obscured him entirely from view now, covering the entire park and most of the nearby buildings with a brilliant light. A hand pushed through the white curtain, a human hand and not at the same time, followed another hand and finally the rest of the body.
The form was that of Random's, and not in that was surrounded by a flux of electrical energy which pulsed through his very skin. The white light faded away as the D-Chrono powered down, plunging the park once more into darkness, but Rand had already caught sight of his target, which was apparently preparing for a much stronger attack than before. Oh, no, you don't. Raising his hands and bringing them down again, thumbs together and hands level , he cried out. "Jamming Thunder!"
A bolt of pure electricity, a surge of lightning lanced from his hands with a loud crack, lancing toward the nearing blur. It struck with a resounding boom, halting the digimon's charge and sending staggering backwards several feet. Veins of electricity coursed through the things body, showing visible through the cloak, which then disappeared as the energy overloaded it. The attack finished, the flux faded, finally revealing in full Random's attacker.
It was huge. No, huge wasn't the right word. Massive worked better, not in size, but in visible power. The digimon was crouched over like a Greymon, but wasn't nearly the size, and was covered in black scales. Red gems, now cracked and broken (probably the sources of the cloak), dotted the creature's frame here and there - on a hand, the forehead, the feet, torso, and so on. It had a tail about ten meters long, much too large for it's comparatively smaller body, laying flacidly on the ground. The things head was sizable as well, with large, gleaming fangs protruding from its gaping maw, as well as red-irised eyes and a twin horns sprouting on either side of the head. The whole beast was very reptilian, much like a black dragon without wings. It simply stood there, the electrical attack (which was specially designed to stun and interrupt systems and attacks) still affecting it.
He knew what the digimon was called - he had run into several times before in his time in the digital world. Exedramon was an executioner dragon monster, sporting several lightning-quick and powerful attacks that had ended many a digimons existance. He was an Ultimate, all right, but not just any Ultimate. Rand knew for a fact that this digimon could slay a variety of Mega levels with minimal complications - he had seen it with his very own eyes. This is bad. He knew exactly why the digimon was there, but not who had sent it or what to do. But he was thinking. Quickly.
Exedramon snapped out of his reverie seconds later, and was about to kabob Rand in one of its razor-sharp claws when a voice called from behind him. "Rand!" The digimon whirled.
Takato and Juri, both panting from a bout of energetic running, stood about twenty meters distant. The had just come to within visible distance of the fight, and Takato had spotted Random in just enough time to call out his name, but hadn't seen the Exedramon in time enough to stop himself. When the digimon turned and faced him, he gulped. "Whoops." Juri, running up behind him, saw it in reverse order - Exedramon in enough time to cry out, Rand seconds later.
The Ultimate started to race toward Takato and Juri without a single word. This had been his mission, his errand, his mark, and victory was so close, he could smell it.
"Super Thunder Strike!" Rand's hands were up again, this time in at a higher angle. Clouds formed instantly in the sky, launching a flurry of lightning bolts upon Exedramon's position.
He was no longer smelling victory. Instead, he was inhaling the fumes of his own scales being cooked under the lightning barrage. It didn't hurt, since the attack was so much weaker than he, but in this case the attack was not aimed to injure - it was aimed to impede. The bolts of lighting struck in a continuous rain, blocking off Exedramon's advance and occasionally striking him a stunning blow. He wasn't going to go anywhere for the moment - in fact, the attack had been so brilliantly executed that he was having a hard time breathing between strikes.
Rand knew that Exedramon's rage was legendary, and it would only be so long before the Ultimate finally shrugged off the assault and came for his throat. He yelled over the repetitive booms of lightning. "Takato! Juri! Go around!" He waved both hands an jumped up and down, attempting to grasp their attention.
Takato took one look at Random's frenetic motions and grabbed Juri's hand. They both took off around the stunned digimon, arriving in Random's vicinity about the same time the entrance doors to the Shinbaya complex flew open, ejecting both Jenry and Ruki. Within seconds the five teens were together once in one place.
"Takato! Juri!" Jenrya and Ruki cried out upon sighting their friends at the same time Takato and Juri did. "Jenrya! Ruki!" There was no time for hugs or hand shakes, however. Exedramon was rapidly growing more and more outraged - soon he would be free. Jenrya, fast thinker and brilliant mind that he was, took the whole thing at face value and grasped the reality of their peril. He and Ruki had seen the beginning attacks from the balcony window and had rushed down to help - although, what two digimonless Tamers could do at this point was debatable.
Ruki was less thought oriented and more action oriented - hence, she caught on almost as quickly, but did something about it. She spoke the first idea that came to her mind. "We gotta get out of here! The digimon isn't going to be happy when he pulls free."
Takato layed out the problem before them. "Where? I don't think we'll be safe anywhere in the entire city from that thing."
"He's right." Rand brought the D-Chrono to up so that he could... speak into it? "We're not going to be safe if we stick around much longer. I'm getting us out of here." Keying the D-Chrono with his other hand, he paused, pressed another button, and then spoke. "Guys! We have a problem!"
"We know." The reply was gruff, loud, and high-pitched. "Valkyriemon's working on getting the portal moved to your position. Get ready, all!"
Before any of these things could be explained - the odd watch-looking device, the voice it emitted, or the portal it spoke of - Exedramon finally broke free from his electrical chains and spun to face them. He roared, the sound so loud that most of them had to cover their ears - save Rand, who was too busy coordinating their position through the D-Chrono to bother. The digimon hurdled directly for Rand, mouth open, claws extended.
He should have moved, but for a variety of reasons, he physically couldn't. Doing so would have interrupted the signals he was digitally sending, for one. However, before Exedramon tackled him, a circle of light appeared in the ground and at the same time spat out a bluish-white blur. The blur smacked into Exedramon, sending both it and the other digimon flying through the air. Rand smiled. Perfect timing. Damned perfect timing!
The bluish-whitish blur turned out to be yet another digimon. Unlike Exedramon, this one was fully dragon-like, wings included. Most of it's lower half was white and bone-like, whereas the rest was monotone blue scale - save for it's beaklike mouth and bone-white front claws. Its wing membranes were red, and a large blade protruded from the top of its head. AeroVeedramon. Rearing, unleashed a lightning-fast attack at Exedramon. "V Wing Blade!"
Unfortunately, Exedramon wasn't fooling around anymore. His Ragemight ability was fully activated - to put it mildly, he was incredibly pissed off. He deflected the shot without so much as a wince and lunged foreward, grasping AeroVeedramon by the neck. The two grappled furiously.
The fight gave Random some time, however. Despite the seemingly ignored attack, AeroVeedramon was a fighter with millennia of battle experience. He would give Exedramon one hell of a challenge. Rand turned to face the Tamers, who, overwhelmed with everything that was happening, stood mutely, eyes moving back and forth between the fight, the portal, and Rand.
"I know this is going to sound ludicrous, especially since none of you four know who I am, what I am, where I come from, or why I am here. But trust me when I say that your lives are in extreme danger - as if tonight weren't evidence enough." He increased the speed of his words, attempting to spit them all out before Exedramon finally overcame AeroVeedramon. It would happen, not quickly, but it would happen - Exedramon was that strong. "I think you all know exactly where this portal goes."
The four nodded. They all knew, of course. Actualy, they knew a good bit more than Rand gave the credit for. Juri took a step foreword. "You're Rand, right? I never got to thank you for saving our lives earlier." She bowed slightly, then continued. "You all know us, I think."
Jenrya was next. "We haven't been introduced. I'm Jenrya Lee." He strode foreword and extended a hand, which Rand shook. Then, pausing to glance at the fight, he withdrew a pair of... sunglasses... and put them on. He had never once put them on since losing Terriermon, but this seemed like a prime opportunity. "Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a long night?"
"Because it will be." Ruki had already placed her own violet-tinted sunglasses on. "I don't know exactly who you are, but you've already gained my trust - for now. Lead on."
"Mine too." Takato had strapped on his goggled. They looked odd on his wide face, and yet fit perfectly. "You saved my life, too. I don't think I could go home without repaying you."
An explosion halted the conversation as Exedramon's Sonic Crusher smashed into AeroVeedramon, sending him flying across the park and into a brick building. Voices cried out from various structures surrounding the park. Rand had one final thing to say, however, and nodded. "I appreciate this. We all do. I saved your lives, Juri, Takato, because without you - all of you - the digital world is doomed. A new threat has arisen since the D-Reaper was defeated three years prior. In fact, mainly because of it." Another Sonic Crusher boomed past them, crashing into another building. The fight was quickly growing out of control - it was time to leave.
With a single cry - "Follow me!" - Rand flipped into the circle of energy and was gone. Without hesitation, the Tamers followed after, first Takato (Didn't we do this once?), then Juri (The digital world...), Jenrya (Glad I brought my D-Power...), and finally Ruki (Renamon... are you out there?).
Light flared around the five, and they were gone, streaking through a digital wormhole, a series of loops and corkscrews composed of purplish- gray digital matter. As they hurdled through, they were each in turn converted to digital data.
And so, their next new adventure had just begun. There would be trials, sorrow, and uncertainty, but there would also be new friends, new challenges, and hopefully satisfaction at the end.
But would they survive?
TBC in the next... DIGIMON!
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