Digifan:
Thanks for the review. I'm curious to know if you're still writing. I noticed that you only had two stories, but neither of them had been updated in awhile.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2 and Digimon World 3. This story was not written for profit.
Guard Tamer: Associates of Anarchy
By: RB3
Chapter 8: Jeri's Confession
As Byakko Leader told them, the Tamers attended the meeting at three pm sharp. The meeting was about team assignments for raids on AoA troops and patrols. The teams had been split so that Takato, Rika, Jeri, and their Digimon were with Byakko Leader's raiding team. Esmeralda, Henry, Amar, and Terriermon went with a group led by an Online Tamer named Haruka. This was done to balance out the power levels since only a handful of Online Tamers had Megas.
This handful consisted of the hardcore, dedicated players. Not even Byakko Leader had a Mega. Unfortunately, this meant the Resistance had very few Megas in their own ranks; five in fact. Three of them were assigned to raiding duty, and the others were defence in case the AoA attack Mirage Tower. This left a few of the raiding parties without Megas to deploy against an enemy Mega. The enlistment of the Tamers was a great boon, adding four more Megas to the Resistance's ranks.
Takato listened as Byakko Leader referenced each of their Megas. He noted three Digimon; Hercules Kabuterimon, Valkyriemon, and Murmuxmon. The former two were the Mega forms of Tentomon and Hawkmon; two Digimon belonging to the Digidestined. On the other hand, Murmuxmon was an unknown to Takato. Takato had not seen him in any Digimon material, and passed him off as a new Digimon made exclusively for Digimon Online.
The night came quickly and the Resistance hit the dark desert of the night with the goal of capturing vehicles for the coup on Byakko City. It was extremely cold, but the Tamers' exoskeletons kept them warm. As they travelled, Amar looked around at each of the heavily clothed rebels. He wondered if most of the weight on them was from their clothing. They stopped at the foot of a sandy dune, and one of the rebels climbed up and scanned everywhere with binoculars. He saw nothing out of the ordinary until he noticed a cloud of sand.
It seemed to be blown into the air by an unknown moving object. As it moved closer, it revealed itself to be multiple objects in the form of a convoy of humvees. Each of the humvees had been painted a sandy beige colour as a form of camouflage. These humvees were heavily armed. Each had a machinegun and a rocket launcher mounted on its roof. They also had a blue, dome shaped emitter on the roof, which was meant for releasing Digimon into the field.
"We've got three AoA humvees moving our way!" cried the rebel.
"Perfect! Okay guys, you can do whatever you want to the Digimon and the soldiers, but leave the humvees as intact as possible. They may be shielded, but continuous attacks can easily punch through, so go easy on them," requested Byakko Leader.
"Ok!" answered Takato, Rika, and Jeri.
"Good. When I give the word, you Digimon go to Champion and rush the humvees!" After a few moments of watching, the convoy entered attack range. "Now!"
Each Digimon ascended to the Champion level, and charged at the humvees. Growlmon made the first move by spitting a Pyro Blaster at the rear right tire of one a vehicle. Upon impact, the explosion rocked the humvee, but didn't do any noticeable damage. The humvee had been protected by its invisible energy shield. The enemies' return fire irritated Growlmon's skin, holding him at bay. The AoA promptly released Digimon onto the field.
The battle lines formed, with Kyubimon in combat against a Devimon. He resembled Ice Devimon, the Digimon who tried to tempt Rika into partnering with him. Unlike Ice Devimon, Devimon was black in colour. Despite that, both Digimon had the same malice-filled crimson eyes. Guilmon had denied Kyubimon her vengeance by killing Ice Devimon, but she decided to vent her frustration on Devimon instead. His appearance caused both Rika and Kyubimon great disgust, and served as a reminder of that unpleasant experience.
The Kitsune Digimon extended her tails and at the end of them appeared nine flickering, ethereal blue flames. Each had the face of an evil spirit. They shot out at the devil, which dodged all but the last one. This flame had clipped his left wing. Kyubimon tackled Devimon onto the sand and began to gnaw his right arm painfully. It required a struggle before Devimon was able to connect with a Touch of Evil attack. The darkness sent pain coursing through Kyubimon's body, and she released her grip.
She leapt back to safety. "Digimodify! Speed activate!" cried Rika as she slashed a card through her D-Power.
A burst of speed accelerated Kyubimon's movements. Devimon lobbed a negative energy fireball. As it soared, it rumbled as it devoured ambient energy. This move was called "Dark Matter," a generic Darkness element ability of Online Digimon. Kyubimon dodged and the fireball sailed past her harmlessly. She rammed Devimon onto his back again, and roaring blue flames consumed her body as she somersaulted into the air. The Dragon Wheel's flaming dragon head burned Devimon to a crisp, leaving nothing behind but fragments of data.
"Aim for the tires, don't let the humvees get away!" cried Byakko Leader.
Takato, Rika, and Jeri's shots pitter-pattered against the shielded tires of a humvee. Sparks flew with each impact. The shielding failed and the tire hissed as air gushed out of it. The humvee's machine gun rained return fire, but the three ducked behind the safety of the dune. A rocket soared into the dune, and the explosion knocked the three onto the ground. Rika ended up straddling Takato from above. She was looking directly into Takato's face.
Inside their helmets, Rika and Takato's faces turned beet red. "Uggh, get away from me Gogglehead!" Rika cried as she got up. Jeri watched the whole event with the curiosity of the cat.
"Dragon Wheel!"
The dragon head scorched the roof of the vehicle, detonating the missiles still in the launcher. A loud boom burst through the air, and a fiery explosion killed everyone within the cabin. Growlmon charged the second humvee, ignoring the irritation from the shots striking his body. The three frightened AoA soldiers bailed out moments before he toppled the humvee onto its side. The rebels surrounded the third humvee, which had also been toppled. The soldiers got out of the cabin and raised their arms in surrender.
Byakko Leader glanced at each of the humvees. "A good haul today," commented Byakko Leader. "We almost have enough for the Byakko City campaign." He turned to a rebel, who was inspecting the humvee that Kyubimon had torched. "Can we salvage it?"
"Yeah, the main chassis and engine are intact, but the cabin is out of commission. We'd need to make some serious repairs," replied the rebel.
"Alright, haul these babies back and give them a good check up," ordered Byakko Leader.
****************************************
The Tamers continued to participate in raids for over a week. The Resistance had accumulated a sizeable cache of supplies and vehicles. Jeri gazed into the storeroom to see a pile of crates filled with rockets. Several generators were lined up in a row along the centre of the room. Each had several ammunition magazines plugged into it for recharging their energy reserves. Along the wall were racks filled with military equipment of all kinds, from automatic rifles to suits of combat armour.
"Look at all those guns and missiles!" commented Jeri.
"Yeah, we've captured a lot of stuff!" said Rika.
"We'll need all of it if we hope to drive out the AoA from Byakko City," informed the Byakko Leader. "For now, let's have a little celebration."
The Tamers feasted on turkey to commemorate the success of the raids. They had acquired all of the supplies needed for the Byakko City invasion. Terriermon wolfed down a plate filled with turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn, all topped off with a thick, rich gravy. Guilmon finally got bread and peanut butter, and he couldn't be anymore happier. It was his favourite, Guilmon bread, a loaf shaped just like his head.
"Yeah! Guilmon bread, Guilmon bread; a loaf shaped just like my head!" chanted Guilmon joyfully as he held the bread in the air.
"Oh man, how does he expect to fit in the humvee after eating all that food?" commented Terriermon. "Maybe Byakko Leader can make one extra large."
"...And how much have you eaten, Terriermon?" asked Henry accusingly.
"Oh, not much," replied Terriermon meekly. "One, two, three... twelve plates of food..."
"Uhuh... I thought so."
"Momentai, Henry! Byakko Leader can get us airlifted to the city!"
"Yeah, just slap a sticker on you saying 'wide load.'" The Tamers and Digimon ate their fill.
That night, Jeri and Rika were in their bed room. After gathering her courage, Jeri began a conversation with Rika. "Um, Takato is free you know," admitted Jeri. "He's not seeing me."
Rika was surprised. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"I only like him as a friend. If you want to be with him, that's fine by me."
"Wait a minute. Are you suggesting that Takato and I are in love or something?"
"Well yeah, wasn't there something between the two of you? I saw you with him back in the desert, and when we were in the Guard Tamer prison you..."
Rika's eyes widened. "Hold on. What was I doing in the prison?"
Jeri had been put on the spot. "Uh well..." Jeri finally caved in and told the story about what really happened in the Guard Tamer prison cell.
****************************************
"Are you alright, Rika?" asked Jeri.
Rika had a huge, happy grin on her face that was very inappropriate for the situation they were in. "Never better!"
"What did they do to you?"
"My new friends?" asked Rika. "We had a nice long talk. They're such nice people!"
Jeri came to the conclusion that Rika had been drugged and was in a highly suggestible state. Rika was also hallucinating, and seeing things that weren't really there. The guards dumped Rika on her bed, and closed the cell back up so no one could escape. Rika put her around Jeri's shoulders affectionately, and began nuzzling her affectionately. Jeri was quite uncomfortable with Rika's act of "affection."
"Uh Rika, what're you doing?" asked Jeri shyly.
Rika giggled girlishly. "Now Takato! How's that anyway to treat your 'dream girl?'"
Jeri was surprised. "You like Takato?"
"Of course! I think he's a great guy!" Rika began to squeeze more tightly.
****************************************
"I did that?" asked Rika incredulously. Jeri only nodded affirmatively. "I'm sorry for making you feel so uncomfortable. It was just the drugs. I would never do something like that to you. I'm not seeing Takato; it's all a big misunderstanding."
Jeri seemed satisfied with Rika's explanation. A few hours later, the lights were off. The darkness of night cast a deep blue hue over the room. Jeri was sound asleep in her bed, but the same could not be said of Rika. She tossed and turned as dreams and visions filled her mind. It was though she was trying to tell herself something through her dreams and visions. The visions kept repeated themselves over and over again.
Takato ran out of the gate to Rika's house with satisfaction. "Bye, it's not every day you get to meet your dream girl." He chuckled. "Sorry, couldn't resist! Well, bye!"
"Bye bye!" said Guilmon as he waved to Renamon.
"Wait," called Rika. "You tell anyone about that dream and I'll send you off to dreamland for good!" Rika made a swift kicking gesture for emphasis.
The Tamers boarded a disc bound for Zhuqiaomon's palace. "I sent that E-mail to our parents letting them know we were okay," said Takato.
"What? When did this happen?" asked Rika.
"It happened a while back when we got separated and uh... okay, go ahead and hit me..."
"Why?" A moment silence followed, before Rika continued. "Thank you Takato." Rika suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute! You didn't put a girly heart on it did you?"
"Well I, uh..." Takato remembered the row of hearts on his message to Rika's mom.
"Uh oh!" muttered Guilmon.
By Takato's reaction, Rika already knew his answer. "You did, didn't you? A heart? Anything would have been better than that! Even a smiley face would've been better!"
"Uh yeah," replied Takato. "That's what I put!"
"You put a smiley face? Are you crazy?" asked Rika rhetorically. She soon found herself watching in horror as Beelzemon demolished the Tamers' Digimon. He prepared to finish off the unaware Takato for good. "Takato! What are you doing? Get out of there!"
Takato hugged Guilmon, in repentance for turning him into the monstrous Megidramon. His back was turned to Beelzemon, who saw this as his moment to strike. At that moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Beelzemon laughed maniacally as his handguns banged, but Takato was still drowned in sorrow. The bullets inched their way forwards, leaving circular ripples in the air behind them. The Tamers and their Digimon could only look on helplessly, for none of them could stand up to Beelzemon.
"TA-KA-TO!" shouted Rika and the other Tamers. The bullets continued their unwavering flight towards the Red Tamer.
At that moment, Rika woke up and bolted upright. She looked around to find herself inside her room. Jeri was still asleep in her bed. Renamon was snoozing with her back pressed against the wall. She lied back on her bed slowly, still shaken up about the dream. She had never felt so terrified for someone else in her life. She was beginning to wonder if she was deluding herself. Did she really did have feelings for Takato after all? She stared at the roof, thinking about everything.
She soon found herself in Takato's arms. Their lips moved closer and closer, but before they touched, Takato pulled back. "Rika, wake up!" he cried.
"Wha...?" muttered Rika as she awakened.
"It's morning already! We're going to take back Byakko City today!" proclaimed Jeri.
Rika was so disappointed to wake up moments before got to the good part. She was about to embrace Takato, feeling the tenderness of his body, the warmth of his lips. For a moment, she was caught up in her fantasy until she suddenly realized something. Oh the horror! She was about to kiss Gogglehead! She never felt more disgusted in her life. After she recovered, she began her morning routine.
The rest of the day went by quickly, before she found herself in the strategy meeting. "Our Megadramon will make heavy air strikes on the south and east." Byakko leader pointed to the corresponding locations on a map. "Their goal is to take out the gun emplacements at these locations to allow our forces to enter the city unhindered."
The meeting continued with troop assignments and movements. The groups were the same as the raiding groups, only this time, they had to hold territory. Byakko Leader's group was to assault Byakko's central office. Takato was the flag bearer who was to place the flag on the roof to indicate victory. Haruka's group contained Esmeralda, Henry, and their Digimon. They were to capture the radio station and ensure that it remained intact as possible. Upon knowing what everyone had to do, the Resistance geared up and began the mission.
****************************************
It was night and the city of Byakko was ominously quiet. AoA troops milled about in the arch-shaped gateway above the road to the city. In a watchtower was an AoA on the lookout for enemies. He scanned left and right with binoculars. The vacant desert took on an emerald hue through the effects of night vision. His binoculars warned him of several objects moving rapidly towards his location. He activated a higher magnification level to see them more clearly. They turned out to be a squadron of dragon-like Digimon with cybernetic implants.
He identified them as Megadramon and became alarmed. "Incoming bombers!" he cried.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Megadramon
Attribute: Virus
Level: Ultimate
Element: Metal
This dragon Digimon is a close, but less powerful cousin of the Gigadramon species. The Guard Tamers and other forces with Digimon employ him in air strikes against enemy targets.
Attacks:
Darkside Attack - Megadramon's arms have been replaced by implants that launch biological missiles. This attack will put the shock and awe into his foes.
Parry Force - Megadramon's powerful wings can send a gust of wind forward. It is strong enough to deflect certain attacks back at the attacker.
An air raid siren blared with a sound that rose and lowered in pitch. In an instant, the squadron of Megadramon was upon the city. They rained missiles on the stone gateway of Byakko City. In an instant the gateway was reduced to smouldering rubble. The missiles killed the soldiers inside instantly. Each explosion sent deafening bangs and booms soaring through the air. The night sky was lit ablaze by the glowing energy of automatic weaponry returning fire.
The Megadramon sped away from the city, evading fire every inch of the way. They turned around and flew back at Byakko City for a second pass. Their Darkside Attacks left a wall of fire in their wake, annihilating countless AoA Digimon and soldiers. Their vehicles had been totalled, and all that remained of them was flaming scrap. Several corpses littered the streets and wisps of smoke rose into the air from the multitude of charred potholes.
The Resistance sped to the entrance of the city. An attractive, sixteen year old brunette emerged from one of the humvees. Her khaki uniform made her look all the more distinguished and noble. She had a thin, but slightly muscular build from all the physical exertion she had to make as a rebel. This woman, Haruka, gave her troupe orders to attack. Henry Biomerged into Mega Gargomon, and Amar ascended to Mega level.
"Asuramon, Mega Digivolve to..."
Amar found himself on a desert world, and became wracked by burning pain. The heat within him began to grow uncontrollably until he exploded in a blaze of glory. A new Digimon smashed through the stone ground underneath. He was a muscular humanoid with flaming red skin and crimson boots. He head was that of a spotted grey cougar, and his tights were made from the fur of the same animal. A pair of Chrome Digizoid bracelets formed on his wrists, before he sprayed fire in all directions and assumed a heroic pose.
"Marsmon!"
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Marsmon
Type: Vaccine
Level: Mega
Element: Fire
Like the god of war himself, Marsmon is a consummate warrior whose weapons are the martial arts and flame. He is one of the physically strongest Digimon ever to exist, able to lift an object with a weight exponentially greater than his own.
Attacks:
Corona Sanction - Marsmon can throw a giant sphere of super hot plasma that brings fiery destruction to everything in its path.
Infinite Surge - Marsmon can project a destructive crimson energy beam by cupping his hands and gathering energy.
Amar, Mega Gargomon, and a squad of Digimon advanced into the city, passing piles of rubble and craters. "Okay, we're going for the radio station. Keep your eyes peeled in case of attack," warned Amar.
After a few minutes, the troupe made visual contact with the station. The station was a product of high technology. It was a clean building with a coat of white paint. On its roof was a massive reception dish made of shiny grey metal. In front of the building were several sandbagged nests for machine gunners, and between each of them was a barbed wire fence. A few soldiers lurked within the station itself, and could be seen peering out of the windows with automatic weaponry.
"There's the station! Looks like we're in for a fight!" said Henry, noting the Digimon advancing to meet him.
"All right guys, take out that AoA garrison, but make sure not to damage the station too much," directed Haruka over the radio.
"Damn, they have Megas! Watch out!" cried a worried AoA soldier.
The machine gunners opened fire, filling the air with deafening bangs. The rebels took cover in a nearby abandoned restaurant and returned fire. A hail of energy bolts pelted Mega Gargomon's body, but made no dents or scratches. His Chrome Digizoid chassis made him effectively immune to attack. The cylinders of his arm machineguns spun with each shot he returned. He pelted a sniper until he fell out of the station's window to his death.
An arrow of holy energy struck Mega Gargomon in the back, drawing his attention to the Angewomon that launched it. She was flanked by a Paildramon and a Shakkoumon. Paildramon and Shakkoumon attacked with Desperado Blaster and Justice Beam respectively, but Mega Gargomon blocked the attacks. Mega Gargomon returned fire with his machinegun arm, to find that Shakkoumon simply absorbed the energy into his body. Having gotten nowhere, Mega Gargomon entered into a combat stance as he studied his opponents.
"I've always wondered how well we'd do against the Digidestined's Digimon," remarked Henry.
"Well, looks like we're about to find out!" noted Terriermon.
"Yeah, looks like we will," agreed Henry. "That Shakkoumon is going to be a pain. Let's use our fists instead."
The Paildramon restarted with the Sting Strike attack, charging into Mega Gargomon with sharp spikes extended from his arms. Mega Gargomon blocked once again, but this time, he caught Paildramon with a backhand swipe. Angewomon fired a Celestial Arrow, but Mega Gargomon leaned backwards and avoided. She received a retaliatory kick to the abdomen as her reward. With two of the AoA Digimon groaning and sprawled on the ground, it was just Shakkoumon and Mega Gargomon.
Shakkoumon was not too thrilled to fight Mega Gargomon alone, but did so anyways. He launched a deadly volley of Kachina Bombs; disks with retractable, razor sharp knives. They simply bounced off the armour of Mega Gargomon, who then charged at his opponent. The Cybernetic Dog Digimon pummelled Shakkoumon with a flurry of punches. Mega Gargomon finished him off by driving a swift palm strike into his chest.
Mega Gargomon glanced over at Amar, who was fighting off several Digimon. "Looks like Amar is fighting the rest of them," observed Henry. Amar blasted a Silphymon out of the air with a crimson energy beam. Silphymon landed on the ground with a thud.
"Yeah, and he's kicking butt big time!" noted Terriermon. Amar's Corona Sanction melted all in its path. The plasma sphere swallowed a Magna Angemon whole and melted him into bits of raw data.
A missile came straight at Amar, who suddenly caught it with his bare hand. Two more came at him, but he caught them just as easily. It was always better to give than to receive. Graciously, Amar returned the missiles to the AoA soldiers that fired them. Despite that, they weren't too receptive and leapt for dear life as the missiles exploded behind them. He spotted a line of AoA Digimon advancing on Resistance Digimon. He torched a nearby APC and tossed it into the enemy ranks.
The AoA line around the station had fallen, and Esmeralda, Haruka and the other rebels prepared to enter the station itself. Amar took point as they stormed the building, taking fire so the humans would be unharmed. The AoA fired countless rounds of energy and explosives into his body, all without having any effect whatsoever. Amar ended the battle by projecting roaring flames upon the enemy.
****************************************
From a distance, Byakko Leader gazed upon the central office from where he used to preside over Byakko City. Gallantmon, Sakuyamon, and other rebels were with him, looking at the historical structure together. It was an ancient, monolithic structure that looked like a bump on the ground. Its main body was constructed from sand-coloured stone. There were several circular openings sealed by glass and used as windows. Like the radio station, the AoA had occupied this building as well.
A dark Digimon and his Online Tamer approached Byakko Leader. The Tamer was clothed in a khaki military uniform, and had his face concealed by head coverings. His Digimon was a blue skinned humanoid with green cloth covering around his face. His armour was golden and moulded to have the effigies of a griffon's head on his shoulder pads and chest. His crimson wings and blue tail made him look less human and more demonic.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Murmuxmon
Type: Virus
Level: Mega
Element: Darkness/Fire
This Demon Lord is feared for his ability to discover secrets. He is a rival of the Daemon species and like them; he has great command over the elements of fire and darkness.
Attacks:
Gehenna Flame - Murmuxmon can channel hellish flames which gush forth from his hands.
Necro Interrogation - This attack surrounds the victim with cackling negative energy skulls. They can tap into a person's mind to acquire information.
"Secure the area around behind the central office," ordered Byakko Leader.
"Yes sir!" replied the Online Tamer. "Let's get going, Murmuxmon!"
Byakko Leader turned to Gallantmon and Sakuyamon. "Sakuyamon, you're taking point while my team storms the office. Use your shield to provide cover for us. Gallantmon, guard this area and don't let the enemy follow us. Once we secure the office, go to the roof and raise the flag to let everyone know we've won!"
"Okay," replied Takato and Rika.
Gallantmon remained behind to guard the area. Sakuyamon erected a pink, globular barrier of nature-aligned energy. The door to the office was made of fortified steel. Instead of opening it with conventional methods, Sakuyamon waved her staff. A mystic force opened the door and the AoA soldiers within opened fire immediately. The barrier completely stopped every shot and bomb they lobbed her way.
"Spirit Strike!" called Sakuyamon.
Mystical foxes of fire, water, wind, and lightning pierced through the bodies of three soldiers and an armed Hagurumon. The enemy continued to fire, futilely exhausting their ammunition on Sakuyamon. The rebels swept through the building, gunning down anyone who resisted. The group was greeted with a panoramic view of Byakko City on the roof. The sounds of faint booms and bangs could be heard sporadically. Small bolts of light and plumes of smoke filled the sky. There were still sections of the city being contested, but most of the fighting had ended.
Byakko Leader pulled out his radio and made a call. "Takato, we're ready for the flag!"
The rebels lowered the AoA flag from the pole. It was an inverted "V" with a circle in the middle. The AoA emblem was on a blue background. Gallantmon entered the scene and reverted back to Guilmon and Takato. The Red Tamer fastened his Tamer's flag onto the rope, and it rose higher with each tug. Once it reached the top, the rebels cheered with a joyous fervour and the news spread throughout the city. The wind picked up and blew the flag triumphantly.
Thanks for the review. I'm curious to know if you're still writing. I noticed that you only had two stories, but neither of them had been updated in awhile.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2 and Digimon World 3. This story was not written for profit.
Guard Tamer: Associates of Anarchy
By: RB3
Chapter 8: Jeri's Confession
As Byakko Leader told them, the Tamers attended the meeting at three pm sharp. The meeting was about team assignments for raids on AoA troops and patrols. The teams had been split so that Takato, Rika, Jeri, and their Digimon were with Byakko Leader's raiding team. Esmeralda, Henry, Amar, and Terriermon went with a group led by an Online Tamer named Haruka. This was done to balance out the power levels since only a handful of Online Tamers had Megas.
This handful consisted of the hardcore, dedicated players. Not even Byakko Leader had a Mega. Unfortunately, this meant the Resistance had very few Megas in their own ranks; five in fact. Three of them were assigned to raiding duty, and the others were defence in case the AoA attack Mirage Tower. This left a few of the raiding parties without Megas to deploy against an enemy Mega. The enlistment of the Tamers was a great boon, adding four more Megas to the Resistance's ranks.
Takato listened as Byakko Leader referenced each of their Megas. He noted three Digimon; Hercules Kabuterimon, Valkyriemon, and Murmuxmon. The former two were the Mega forms of Tentomon and Hawkmon; two Digimon belonging to the Digidestined. On the other hand, Murmuxmon was an unknown to Takato. Takato had not seen him in any Digimon material, and passed him off as a new Digimon made exclusively for Digimon Online.
The night came quickly and the Resistance hit the dark desert of the night with the goal of capturing vehicles for the coup on Byakko City. It was extremely cold, but the Tamers' exoskeletons kept them warm. As they travelled, Amar looked around at each of the heavily clothed rebels. He wondered if most of the weight on them was from their clothing. They stopped at the foot of a sandy dune, and one of the rebels climbed up and scanned everywhere with binoculars. He saw nothing out of the ordinary until he noticed a cloud of sand.
It seemed to be blown into the air by an unknown moving object. As it moved closer, it revealed itself to be multiple objects in the form of a convoy of humvees. Each of the humvees had been painted a sandy beige colour as a form of camouflage. These humvees were heavily armed. Each had a machinegun and a rocket launcher mounted on its roof. They also had a blue, dome shaped emitter on the roof, which was meant for releasing Digimon into the field.
"We've got three AoA humvees moving our way!" cried the rebel.
"Perfect! Okay guys, you can do whatever you want to the Digimon and the soldiers, but leave the humvees as intact as possible. They may be shielded, but continuous attacks can easily punch through, so go easy on them," requested Byakko Leader.
"Ok!" answered Takato, Rika, and Jeri.
"Good. When I give the word, you Digimon go to Champion and rush the humvees!" After a few moments of watching, the convoy entered attack range. "Now!"
Each Digimon ascended to the Champion level, and charged at the humvees. Growlmon made the first move by spitting a Pyro Blaster at the rear right tire of one a vehicle. Upon impact, the explosion rocked the humvee, but didn't do any noticeable damage. The humvee had been protected by its invisible energy shield. The enemies' return fire irritated Growlmon's skin, holding him at bay. The AoA promptly released Digimon onto the field.
The battle lines formed, with Kyubimon in combat against a Devimon. He resembled Ice Devimon, the Digimon who tried to tempt Rika into partnering with him. Unlike Ice Devimon, Devimon was black in colour. Despite that, both Digimon had the same malice-filled crimson eyes. Guilmon had denied Kyubimon her vengeance by killing Ice Devimon, but she decided to vent her frustration on Devimon instead. His appearance caused both Rika and Kyubimon great disgust, and served as a reminder of that unpleasant experience.
The Kitsune Digimon extended her tails and at the end of them appeared nine flickering, ethereal blue flames. Each had the face of an evil spirit. They shot out at the devil, which dodged all but the last one. This flame had clipped his left wing. Kyubimon tackled Devimon onto the sand and began to gnaw his right arm painfully. It required a struggle before Devimon was able to connect with a Touch of Evil attack. The darkness sent pain coursing through Kyubimon's body, and she released her grip.
She leapt back to safety. "Digimodify! Speed activate!" cried Rika as she slashed a card through her D-Power.
A burst of speed accelerated Kyubimon's movements. Devimon lobbed a negative energy fireball. As it soared, it rumbled as it devoured ambient energy. This move was called "Dark Matter," a generic Darkness element ability of Online Digimon. Kyubimon dodged and the fireball sailed past her harmlessly. She rammed Devimon onto his back again, and roaring blue flames consumed her body as she somersaulted into the air. The Dragon Wheel's flaming dragon head burned Devimon to a crisp, leaving nothing behind but fragments of data.
"Aim for the tires, don't let the humvees get away!" cried Byakko Leader.
Takato, Rika, and Jeri's shots pitter-pattered against the shielded tires of a humvee. Sparks flew with each impact. The shielding failed and the tire hissed as air gushed out of it. The humvee's machine gun rained return fire, but the three ducked behind the safety of the dune. A rocket soared into the dune, and the explosion knocked the three onto the ground. Rika ended up straddling Takato from above. She was looking directly into Takato's face.
Inside their helmets, Rika and Takato's faces turned beet red. "Uggh, get away from me Gogglehead!" Rika cried as she got up. Jeri watched the whole event with the curiosity of the cat.
"Dragon Wheel!"
The dragon head scorched the roof of the vehicle, detonating the missiles still in the launcher. A loud boom burst through the air, and a fiery explosion killed everyone within the cabin. Growlmon charged the second humvee, ignoring the irritation from the shots striking his body. The three frightened AoA soldiers bailed out moments before he toppled the humvee onto its side. The rebels surrounded the third humvee, which had also been toppled. The soldiers got out of the cabin and raised their arms in surrender.
Byakko Leader glanced at each of the humvees. "A good haul today," commented Byakko Leader. "We almost have enough for the Byakko City campaign." He turned to a rebel, who was inspecting the humvee that Kyubimon had torched. "Can we salvage it?"
"Yeah, the main chassis and engine are intact, but the cabin is out of commission. We'd need to make some serious repairs," replied the rebel.
"Alright, haul these babies back and give them a good check up," ordered Byakko Leader.
****************************************
The Tamers continued to participate in raids for over a week. The Resistance had accumulated a sizeable cache of supplies and vehicles. Jeri gazed into the storeroom to see a pile of crates filled with rockets. Several generators were lined up in a row along the centre of the room. Each had several ammunition magazines plugged into it for recharging their energy reserves. Along the wall were racks filled with military equipment of all kinds, from automatic rifles to suits of combat armour.
"Look at all those guns and missiles!" commented Jeri.
"Yeah, we've captured a lot of stuff!" said Rika.
"We'll need all of it if we hope to drive out the AoA from Byakko City," informed the Byakko Leader. "For now, let's have a little celebration."
The Tamers feasted on turkey to commemorate the success of the raids. They had acquired all of the supplies needed for the Byakko City invasion. Terriermon wolfed down a plate filled with turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn, all topped off with a thick, rich gravy. Guilmon finally got bread and peanut butter, and he couldn't be anymore happier. It was his favourite, Guilmon bread, a loaf shaped just like his head.
"Yeah! Guilmon bread, Guilmon bread; a loaf shaped just like my head!" chanted Guilmon joyfully as he held the bread in the air.
"Oh man, how does he expect to fit in the humvee after eating all that food?" commented Terriermon. "Maybe Byakko Leader can make one extra large."
"...And how much have you eaten, Terriermon?" asked Henry accusingly.
"Oh, not much," replied Terriermon meekly. "One, two, three... twelve plates of food..."
"Uhuh... I thought so."
"Momentai, Henry! Byakko Leader can get us airlifted to the city!"
"Yeah, just slap a sticker on you saying 'wide load.'" The Tamers and Digimon ate their fill.
That night, Jeri and Rika were in their bed room. After gathering her courage, Jeri began a conversation with Rika. "Um, Takato is free you know," admitted Jeri. "He's not seeing me."
Rika was surprised. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"I only like him as a friend. If you want to be with him, that's fine by me."
"Wait a minute. Are you suggesting that Takato and I are in love or something?"
"Well yeah, wasn't there something between the two of you? I saw you with him back in the desert, and when we were in the Guard Tamer prison you..."
Rika's eyes widened. "Hold on. What was I doing in the prison?"
Jeri had been put on the spot. "Uh well..." Jeri finally caved in and told the story about what really happened in the Guard Tamer prison cell.
****************************************
"Are you alright, Rika?" asked Jeri.
Rika had a huge, happy grin on her face that was very inappropriate for the situation they were in. "Never better!"
"What did they do to you?"
"My new friends?" asked Rika. "We had a nice long talk. They're such nice people!"
Jeri came to the conclusion that Rika had been drugged and was in a highly suggestible state. Rika was also hallucinating, and seeing things that weren't really there. The guards dumped Rika on her bed, and closed the cell back up so no one could escape. Rika put her around Jeri's shoulders affectionately, and began nuzzling her affectionately. Jeri was quite uncomfortable with Rika's act of "affection."
"Uh Rika, what're you doing?" asked Jeri shyly.
Rika giggled girlishly. "Now Takato! How's that anyway to treat your 'dream girl?'"
Jeri was surprised. "You like Takato?"
"Of course! I think he's a great guy!" Rika began to squeeze more tightly.
****************************************
"I did that?" asked Rika incredulously. Jeri only nodded affirmatively. "I'm sorry for making you feel so uncomfortable. It was just the drugs. I would never do something like that to you. I'm not seeing Takato; it's all a big misunderstanding."
Jeri seemed satisfied with Rika's explanation. A few hours later, the lights were off. The darkness of night cast a deep blue hue over the room. Jeri was sound asleep in her bed, but the same could not be said of Rika. She tossed and turned as dreams and visions filled her mind. It was though she was trying to tell herself something through her dreams and visions. The visions kept repeated themselves over and over again.
Takato ran out of the gate to Rika's house with satisfaction. "Bye, it's not every day you get to meet your dream girl." He chuckled. "Sorry, couldn't resist! Well, bye!"
"Bye bye!" said Guilmon as he waved to Renamon.
"Wait," called Rika. "You tell anyone about that dream and I'll send you off to dreamland for good!" Rika made a swift kicking gesture for emphasis.
The Tamers boarded a disc bound for Zhuqiaomon's palace. "I sent that E-mail to our parents letting them know we were okay," said Takato.
"What? When did this happen?" asked Rika.
"It happened a while back when we got separated and uh... okay, go ahead and hit me..."
"Why?" A moment silence followed, before Rika continued. "Thank you Takato." Rika suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute! You didn't put a girly heart on it did you?"
"Well I, uh..." Takato remembered the row of hearts on his message to Rika's mom.
"Uh oh!" muttered Guilmon.
By Takato's reaction, Rika already knew his answer. "You did, didn't you? A heart? Anything would have been better than that! Even a smiley face would've been better!"
"Uh yeah," replied Takato. "That's what I put!"
"You put a smiley face? Are you crazy?" asked Rika rhetorically. She soon found herself watching in horror as Beelzemon demolished the Tamers' Digimon. He prepared to finish off the unaware Takato for good. "Takato! What are you doing? Get out of there!"
Takato hugged Guilmon, in repentance for turning him into the monstrous Megidramon. His back was turned to Beelzemon, who saw this as his moment to strike. At that moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Beelzemon laughed maniacally as his handguns banged, but Takato was still drowned in sorrow. The bullets inched their way forwards, leaving circular ripples in the air behind them. The Tamers and their Digimon could only look on helplessly, for none of them could stand up to Beelzemon.
"TA-KA-TO!" shouted Rika and the other Tamers. The bullets continued their unwavering flight towards the Red Tamer.
At that moment, Rika woke up and bolted upright. She looked around to find herself inside her room. Jeri was still asleep in her bed. Renamon was snoozing with her back pressed against the wall. She lied back on her bed slowly, still shaken up about the dream. She had never felt so terrified for someone else in her life. She was beginning to wonder if she was deluding herself. Did she really did have feelings for Takato after all? She stared at the roof, thinking about everything.
She soon found herself in Takato's arms. Their lips moved closer and closer, but before they touched, Takato pulled back. "Rika, wake up!" he cried.
"Wha...?" muttered Rika as she awakened.
"It's morning already! We're going to take back Byakko City today!" proclaimed Jeri.
Rika was so disappointed to wake up moments before got to the good part. She was about to embrace Takato, feeling the tenderness of his body, the warmth of his lips. For a moment, she was caught up in her fantasy until she suddenly realized something. Oh the horror! She was about to kiss Gogglehead! She never felt more disgusted in her life. After she recovered, she began her morning routine.
The rest of the day went by quickly, before she found herself in the strategy meeting. "Our Megadramon will make heavy air strikes on the south and east." Byakko leader pointed to the corresponding locations on a map. "Their goal is to take out the gun emplacements at these locations to allow our forces to enter the city unhindered."
The meeting continued with troop assignments and movements. The groups were the same as the raiding groups, only this time, they had to hold territory. Byakko Leader's group was to assault Byakko's central office. Takato was the flag bearer who was to place the flag on the roof to indicate victory. Haruka's group contained Esmeralda, Henry, and their Digimon. They were to capture the radio station and ensure that it remained intact as possible. Upon knowing what everyone had to do, the Resistance geared up and began the mission.
****************************************
It was night and the city of Byakko was ominously quiet. AoA troops milled about in the arch-shaped gateway above the road to the city. In a watchtower was an AoA on the lookout for enemies. He scanned left and right with binoculars. The vacant desert took on an emerald hue through the effects of night vision. His binoculars warned him of several objects moving rapidly towards his location. He activated a higher magnification level to see them more clearly. They turned out to be a squadron of dragon-like Digimon with cybernetic implants.
He identified them as Megadramon and became alarmed. "Incoming bombers!" he cried.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Megadramon
Attribute: Virus
Level: Ultimate
Element: Metal
This dragon Digimon is a close, but less powerful cousin of the Gigadramon species. The Guard Tamers and other forces with Digimon employ him in air strikes against enemy targets.
Attacks:
Darkside Attack - Megadramon's arms have been replaced by implants that launch biological missiles. This attack will put the shock and awe into his foes.
Parry Force - Megadramon's powerful wings can send a gust of wind forward. It is strong enough to deflect certain attacks back at the attacker.
An air raid siren blared with a sound that rose and lowered in pitch. In an instant, the squadron of Megadramon was upon the city. They rained missiles on the stone gateway of Byakko City. In an instant the gateway was reduced to smouldering rubble. The missiles killed the soldiers inside instantly. Each explosion sent deafening bangs and booms soaring through the air. The night sky was lit ablaze by the glowing energy of automatic weaponry returning fire.
The Megadramon sped away from the city, evading fire every inch of the way. They turned around and flew back at Byakko City for a second pass. Their Darkside Attacks left a wall of fire in their wake, annihilating countless AoA Digimon and soldiers. Their vehicles had been totalled, and all that remained of them was flaming scrap. Several corpses littered the streets and wisps of smoke rose into the air from the multitude of charred potholes.
The Resistance sped to the entrance of the city. An attractive, sixteen year old brunette emerged from one of the humvees. Her khaki uniform made her look all the more distinguished and noble. She had a thin, but slightly muscular build from all the physical exertion she had to make as a rebel. This woman, Haruka, gave her troupe orders to attack. Henry Biomerged into Mega Gargomon, and Amar ascended to Mega level.
"Asuramon, Mega Digivolve to..."
Amar found himself on a desert world, and became wracked by burning pain. The heat within him began to grow uncontrollably until he exploded in a blaze of glory. A new Digimon smashed through the stone ground underneath. He was a muscular humanoid with flaming red skin and crimson boots. He head was that of a spotted grey cougar, and his tights were made from the fur of the same animal. A pair of Chrome Digizoid bracelets formed on his wrists, before he sprayed fire in all directions and assumed a heroic pose.
"Marsmon!"
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Marsmon
Type: Vaccine
Level: Mega
Element: Fire
Like the god of war himself, Marsmon is a consummate warrior whose weapons are the martial arts and flame. He is one of the physically strongest Digimon ever to exist, able to lift an object with a weight exponentially greater than his own.
Attacks:
Corona Sanction - Marsmon can throw a giant sphere of super hot plasma that brings fiery destruction to everything in its path.
Infinite Surge - Marsmon can project a destructive crimson energy beam by cupping his hands and gathering energy.
Amar, Mega Gargomon, and a squad of Digimon advanced into the city, passing piles of rubble and craters. "Okay, we're going for the radio station. Keep your eyes peeled in case of attack," warned Amar.
After a few minutes, the troupe made visual contact with the station. The station was a product of high technology. It was a clean building with a coat of white paint. On its roof was a massive reception dish made of shiny grey metal. In front of the building were several sandbagged nests for machine gunners, and between each of them was a barbed wire fence. A few soldiers lurked within the station itself, and could be seen peering out of the windows with automatic weaponry.
"There's the station! Looks like we're in for a fight!" said Henry, noting the Digimon advancing to meet him.
"All right guys, take out that AoA garrison, but make sure not to damage the station too much," directed Haruka over the radio.
"Damn, they have Megas! Watch out!" cried a worried AoA soldier.
The machine gunners opened fire, filling the air with deafening bangs. The rebels took cover in a nearby abandoned restaurant and returned fire. A hail of energy bolts pelted Mega Gargomon's body, but made no dents or scratches. His Chrome Digizoid chassis made him effectively immune to attack. The cylinders of his arm machineguns spun with each shot he returned. He pelted a sniper until he fell out of the station's window to his death.
An arrow of holy energy struck Mega Gargomon in the back, drawing his attention to the Angewomon that launched it. She was flanked by a Paildramon and a Shakkoumon. Paildramon and Shakkoumon attacked with Desperado Blaster and Justice Beam respectively, but Mega Gargomon blocked the attacks. Mega Gargomon returned fire with his machinegun arm, to find that Shakkoumon simply absorbed the energy into his body. Having gotten nowhere, Mega Gargomon entered into a combat stance as he studied his opponents.
"I've always wondered how well we'd do against the Digidestined's Digimon," remarked Henry.
"Well, looks like we're about to find out!" noted Terriermon.
"Yeah, looks like we will," agreed Henry. "That Shakkoumon is going to be a pain. Let's use our fists instead."
The Paildramon restarted with the Sting Strike attack, charging into Mega Gargomon with sharp spikes extended from his arms. Mega Gargomon blocked once again, but this time, he caught Paildramon with a backhand swipe. Angewomon fired a Celestial Arrow, but Mega Gargomon leaned backwards and avoided. She received a retaliatory kick to the abdomen as her reward. With two of the AoA Digimon groaning and sprawled on the ground, it was just Shakkoumon and Mega Gargomon.
Shakkoumon was not too thrilled to fight Mega Gargomon alone, but did so anyways. He launched a deadly volley of Kachina Bombs; disks with retractable, razor sharp knives. They simply bounced off the armour of Mega Gargomon, who then charged at his opponent. The Cybernetic Dog Digimon pummelled Shakkoumon with a flurry of punches. Mega Gargomon finished him off by driving a swift palm strike into his chest.
Mega Gargomon glanced over at Amar, who was fighting off several Digimon. "Looks like Amar is fighting the rest of them," observed Henry. Amar blasted a Silphymon out of the air with a crimson energy beam. Silphymon landed on the ground with a thud.
"Yeah, and he's kicking butt big time!" noted Terriermon. Amar's Corona Sanction melted all in its path. The plasma sphere swallowed a Magna Angemon whole and melted him into bits of raw data.
A missile came straight at Amar, who suddenly caught it with his bare hand. Two more came at him, but he caught them just as easily. It was always better to give than to receive. Graciously, Amar returned the missiles to the AoA soldiers that fired them. Despite that, they weren't too receptive and leapt for dear life as the missiles exploded behind them. He spotted a line of AoA Digimon advancing on Resistance Digimon. He torched a nearby APC and tossed it into the enemy ranks.
The AoA line around the station had fallen, and Esmeralda, Haruka and the other rebels prepared to enter the station itself. Amar took point as they stormed the building, taking fire so the humans would be unharmed. The AoA fired countless rounds of energy and explosives into his body, all without having any effect whatsoever. Amar ended the battle by projecting roaring flames upon the enemy.
****************************************
From a distance, Byakko Leader gazed upon the central office from where he used to preside over Byakko City. Gallantmon, Sakuyamon, and other rebels were with him, looking at the historical structure together. It was an ancient, monolithic structure that looked like a bump on the ground. Its main body was constructed from sand-coloured stone. There were several circular openings sealed by glass and used as windows. Like the radio station, the AoA had occupied this building as well.
A dark Digimon and his Online Tamer approached Byakko Leader. The Tamer was clothed in a khaki military uniform, and had his face concealed by head coverings. His Digimon was a blue skinned humanoid with green cloth covering around his face. His armour was golden and moulded to have the effigies of a griffon's head on his shoulder pads and chest. His crimson wings and blue tail made him look less human and more demonic.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Murmuxmon
Type: Virus
Level: Mega
Element: Darkness/Fire
This Demon Lord is feared for his ability to discover secrets. He is a rival of the Daemon species and like them; he has great command over the elements of fire and darkness.
Attacks:
Gehenna Flame - Murmuxmon can channel hellish flames which gush forth from his hands.
Necro Interrogation - This attack surrounds the victim with cackling negative energy skulls. They can tap into a person's mind to acquire information.
"Secure the area around behind the central office," ordered Byakko Leader.
"Yes sir!" replied the Online Tamer. "Let's get going, Murmuxmon!"
Byakko Leader turned to Gallantmon and Sakuyamon. "Sakuyamon, you're taking point while my team storms the office. Use your shield to provide cover for us. Gallantmon, guard this area and don't let the enemy follow us. Once we secure the office, go to the roof and raise the flag to let everyone know we've won!"
"Okay," replied Takato and Rika.
Gallantmon remained behind to guard the area. Sakuyamon erected a pink, globular barrier of nature-aligned energy. The door to the office was made of fortified steel. Instead of opening it with conventional methods, Sakuyamon waved her staff. A mystic force opened the door and the AoA soldiers within opened fire immediately. The barrier completely stopped every shot and bomb they lobbed her way.
"Spirit Strike!" called Sakuyamon.
Mystical foxes of fire, water, wind, and lightning pierced through the bodies of three soldiers and an armed Hagurumon. The enemy continued to fire, futilely exhausting their ammunition on Sakuyamon. The rebels swept through the building, gunning down anyone who resisted. The group was greeted with a panoramic view of Byakko City on the roof. The sounds of faint booms and bangs could be heard sporadically. Small bolts of light and plumes of smoke filled the sky. There were still sections of the city being contested, but most of the fighting had ended.
Byakko Leader pulled out his radio and made a call. "Takato, we're ready for the flag!"
The rebels lowered the AoA flag from the pole. It was an inverted "V" with a circle in the middle. The AoA emblem was on a blue background. Gallantmon entered the scene and reverted back to Guilmon and Takato. The Red Tamer fastened his Tamer's flag onto the rope, and it rose higher with each tug. Once it reached the top, the rebels cheered with a joyous fervour and the news spread throughout the city. The wind picked up and blew the flag triumphantly.
