CHAPTER 17
"Sao, I've got to protest on the grounds that . . . this is CRAZY!"
"And when have you known me to be sane?" Sao shot back.
"Sao, I'm serious . . . you could get yourself killed!"
Sao turned harsh eyes on Lisa. "Listen, if you don't like my plan, don't come. I can do this alone."
"But Sao, I-"
"Just back off, Lisa!" Sao snapped, turning on her heel and taking off down the street.
Lisa stood in the street stunned for a moment before she turned and headed in the opposite direction Sao had taken.
'If I'm going to get to the Digital World without getting creamed first, then I've got to open my own portal.' Sao thought to herself, clenching her D-Tector in her hand.
"Lisa! You'd better have a good excuse for this!" Koji grumbled as the group of Warriors ran after Lisa.
"Trust me . . . if I know Sao, she'll open her own portal to save time." Lisa called over her shoulder.
"Um, why are we going to the Digital World again?" Takuya asked.
"Duh! Sao's gonna try and get revenge for Leonard and most likely get herself creamed!" Zoe snapped.
"Don't let her hear you say that!" Lisa called.
Lisa and the Warriors reached the clearing where Sao had opened the portal just in time to catch a glimpse of Sao passing through to the Digital World.
"Sao! Wait!" Lisa screamed, running through the portal after her comrade.
The Warriors exchanged looks and shrugs before passing through the portal after Sao and Lisa.
The Warriors emerged on the Digital side of the portal and soon noticed that something was definitely wrong with where they'd come though: the ground was about ten feet below them.
"Oh man!" Takuya exclaimed, looking down nervously.
"This just keeps getting better each time, doesn't it?!" JP exclaimed as the group began falling towards the Digital World.
Takuya landed stomach-down on the hard dirt and groaned with pain from the impact. he slowly pulled himself to his feet and looked around. All the other Warriors were lying on the ground, sore from the fall. All but Zoe. Sao and Lisa were also absent, but they were not his top priority at the moment.
"Zo-" Before Takuya could finish calling her name, he was hit from above, knocked to the ground once more, and then pinned down. "What the?" Takuya gasped from beneath-Zoe.
"Heh. Hey Takuya. Thanks for breaking my fall." Zoe stuttered, blushing slightly.
"Yeah, no problem. Mind getting off now?" Takuya groaned from beneath her.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Zoe said quickly, stumbling off the gogglehead's back, blushing quite a bit.
"Hey! How come Takuya got knocked down by Zoe?!" JP grumbled, unnoticed by the other Warriors.
"Where's Sao and Lisa?" Zoe asked, looking around, her blush still not gone.
"Oh how lovely." A familiar, sarcastic voice drawled from above them.
The Warriors looked up and found Sao and Lisa suspended freely in the air.
"How are you guys doin' that?! We fell down here!" Tommy called up to them.
Sao and Lisa pointed their fingers down at the ground and were suddenly released and allowed to drop to the ground. They landed on their feet near the Warriors neatly.
"Simple. We can control Wind, remember?" Lisa replied.
Sao suddenly tensed. "Get ready."
The others looked at Sao questioningly.
Lisa tensed as well. "Right. They're coming."
"What are you guys talking about?" Takuya asked.
"Yeah, who's coming?" Koji added.
"Fangmon." Sao and Lisa replied as one, taking their D-Tectors off their belts.
"Beast Spirits." Takuya said to the others, who nodded. "Koji, you're with me. Fusion time."
"Right." Koji replied.
"Execute . . ."
"No! Wait!" Sao called.
It was too late.
The Warriors dropped to their knees, gasping for breath.
"What's . . . going on?" Kouichi asked between breaths.
"Yeah, why can't we Beast Spirit Evolve?" JP added.
"There's some sort of dampening energy field here." Lisa replied. "It'll be impossible to fight with anything, save for our Pico forms-which aren't much help."
"Pico forms? What're those?" Zoe asked. "Do we have them?"
"Of you Warriors, only Takuya and Koji have Pico forms." Sao replied. "Naturally, Lisa and I have them as well."
The explanations were cut short as a large group-fifteen or twenty at most-surrounded the group of Warriors and Keepers.
"Don't try to Spirit Evolve again-any of you. The dampening field could produce enough energy to kill you." Lisa cautioned.
Takuya stepped towards the circle of Fangmon, D-Tector clutched tightly in his hand. "Alright, how do we get into these Pico forms?"
"Remember when you fought Flamon and Strabimon?" Sao questioned.
Takuya and Koji nodded.
"Those were dark replicas of your Pico forms. Flamon was Flame and Strabimon was Light." Lisa explained. "Think of your element and mold your data into those Digimon."
Lisa and Sao closed their eyes and a few moments later, they had transformed into what appeared to be their Pico forms. A dark dog-like Digimon stood in Sao's place-FlaDiiamon she was called, they remembered from their last encounter with the powerful Rookie. And a horse-like Digimon stood in Lisa's place.
"Whoa, who're you?" Tommy asked the horse Digimon.
"Folamon." The horse Digimon replied.
"What the-the humans turned into Digimon?" One of the Fangmon questioned from the circle.
Takuya and Koji closed their eyes and concentrated for a moment before they too transformed into Flamon and Strabimon.
The two new Rookies opened their eyes.
"Wha?! I'm that freaked out mutant again!" Flamon exclaimed.
"Whoa, so weird." Strabimon said, looking at his hands.
"It doesn't matter, humans." A Fangmon snarled as the circle began moving.
"He's right. Level and experience-wise, we're at a disadvantage. Folamon, if I lead a good portion of them off, can you three destroy the rest?" FlaDiiamon whispered.
"I believe so." Folamon replied quietly with a nod.
"Good." FlaDiiamon said quickly, turning to face the Fangmon. "Flaming Diamond Blast!"
The attack landed just inches from the one of the Fangmon's paws and scorched the ground where it had hit. The Fangmon looked at FlaDiiamon and snarled.
FlaDiiamon smiled slyly and trotted a few paces to each side, drawing the attention of all the Fangmon.
When she knew the Fangmon all had their attention on her, she made her move. She quickly jumped over the back of the Fangmon that had snarled at her and landed neatly on the other side of him.
"C'mon boys. Can you catch me?" FlaDiiamon taunted, trotting a few steps away.
The Fangmon she had jumped, which also appeared to be the leader, bared his teeth. "After her!"
The majority of the Fangmon pack broke the circle and began the chase. FlaDiiamon broke into a light canter, keeping just ahead of the Fangmon pack.
The Warriors watched them go with confused looks.
"Did she just . . . uh . . ." Flamon stuttered, then trailed off.
"Save our necks?" Strabimon finished, in as much shock as the others.
"All she did was buy you time. She will be destroyed for her foolishness." A Fangmon snapped.
"Blast Coffin!"
The three Pico Digimon jumped out of the attacks' way.
FlaDiiamon ran as fast as she could into the gorge, hoping to lose the pack of Fangmon following her. She soon came to the last part pf the gorge, only to find it was a dead end. She wheeled around on her haunches to face the approaching Fangmon, teeth bared, fur bristling.
The Fangmon soon circled her, and kept their circle moving. FlaDiiamon tried to watch all of the Fangmon at once out of the corners of her eyes, waiting for the first strike.
"Warrior, just give up. You know you can't win." One of the Fangmon snarled from behind her.
FlaDiiamon anticipated the strike, and side-stepped. The Fangmon shot past and rejoined the circle, which continued moving.
"Guess again, flea bags." FlaDiiamon snapped.
The Fangmon growled. Three of them suddenly lunged at FlaDiiamon as one from different directions, making it impossible for her to dodge them all. She managed to dodge the first two, but the third slashed her right shoulder as he passed.
The Fangmon circle continued moving, leaving a highly alert FlaDiiamon in the center. Blood began trickling from the wound on FlaDiiamon's shoulder.
"Blood?" One of the Fangmon asked aloud. "But how-"
"She's part human." Another whispered to the one who had questioned.
"Sao, I've got to protest on the grounds that . . . this is CRAZY!"
"And when have you known me to be sane?" Sao shot back.
"Sao, I'm serious . . . you could get yourself killed!"
Sao turned harsh eyes on Lisa. "Listen, if you don't like my plan, don't come. I can do this alone."
"But Sao, I-"
"Just back off, Lisa!" Sao snapped, turning on her heel and taking off down the street.
Lisa stood in the street stunned for a moment before she turned and headed in the opposite direction Sao had taken.
'If I'm going to get to the Digital World without getting creamed first, then I've got to open my own portal.' Sao thought to herself, clenching her D-Tector in her hand.
"Lisa! You'd better have a good excuse for this!" Koji grumbled as the group of Warriors ran after Lisa.
"Trust me . . . if I know Sao, she'll open her own portal to save time." Lisa called over her shoulder.
"Um, why are we going to the Digital World again?" Takuya asked.
"Duh! Sao's gonna try and get revenge for Leonard and most likely get herself creamed!" Zoe snapped.
"Don't let her hear you say that!" Lisa called.
Lisa and the Warriors reached the clearing where Sao had opened the portal just in time to catch a glimpse of Sao passing through to the Digital World.
"Sao! Wait!" Lisa screamed, running through the portal after her comrade.
The Warriors exchanged looks and shrugs before passing through the portal after Sao and Lisa.
The Warriors emerged on the Digital side of the portal and soon noticed that something was definitely wrong with where they'd come though: the ground was about ten feet below them.
"Oh man!" Takuya exclaimed, looking down nervously.
"This just keeps getting better each time, doesn't it?!" JP exclaimed as the group began falling towards the Digital World.
Takuya landed stomach-down on the hard dirt and groaned with pain from the impact. he slowly pulled himself to his feet and looked around. All the other Warriors were lying on the ground, sore from the fall. All but Zoe. Sao and Lisa were also absent, but they were not his top priority at the moment.
"Zo-" Before Takuya could finish calling her name, he was hit from above, knocked to the ground once more, and then pinned down. "What the?" Takuya gasped from beneath-Zoe.
"Heh. Hey Takuya. Thanks for breaking my fall." Zoe stuttered, blushing slightly.
"Yeah, no problem. Mind getting off now?" Takuya groaned from beneath her.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Zoe said quickly, stumbling off the gogglehead's back, blushing quite a bit.
"Hey! How come Takuya got knocked down by Zoe?!" JP grumbled, unnoticed by the other Warriors.
"Where's Sao and Lisa?" Zoe asked, looking around, her blush still not gone.
"Oh how lovely." A familiar, sarcastic voice drawled from above them.
The Warriors looked up and found Sao and Lisa suspended freely in the air.
"How are you guys doin' that?! We fell down here!" Tommy called up to them.
Sao and Lisa pointed their fingers down at the ground and were suddenly released and allowed to drop to the ground. They landed on their feet near the Warriors neatly.
"Simple. We can control Wind, remember?" Lisa replied.
Sao suddenly tensed. "Get ready."
The others looked at Sao questioningly.
Lisa tensed as well. "Right. They're coming."
"What are you guys talking about?" Takuya asked.
"Yeah, who's coming?" Koji added.
"Fangmon." Sao and Lisa replied as one, taking their D-Tectors off their belts.
"Beast Spirits." Takuya said to the others, who nodded. "Koji, you're with me. Fusion time."
"Right." Koji replied.
"Execute . . ."
"No! Wait!" Sao called.
It was too late.
The Warriors dropped to their knees, gasping for breath.
"What's . . . going on?" Kouichi asked between breaths.
"Yeah, why can't we Beast Spirit Evolve?" JP added.
"There's some sort of dampening energy field here." Lisa replied. "It'll be impossible to fight with anything, save for our Pico forms-which aren't much help."
"Pico forms? What're those?" Zoe asked. "Do we have them?"
"Of you Warriors, only Takuya and Koji have Pico forms." Sao replied. "Naturally, Lisa and I have them as well."
The explanations were cut short as a large group-fifteen or twenty at most-surrounded the group of Warriors and Keepers.
"Don't try to Spirit Evolve again-any of you. The dampening field could produce enough energy to kill you." Lisa cautioned.
Takuya stepped towards the circle of Fangmon, D-Tector clutched tightly in his hand. "Alright, how do we get into these Pico forms?"
"Remember when you fought Flamon and Strabimon?" Sao questioned.
Takuya and Koji nodded.
"Those were dark replicas of your Pico forms. Flamon was Flame and Strabimon was Light." Lisa explained. "Think of your element and mold your data into those Digimon."
Lisa and Sao closed their eyes and a few moments later, they had transformed into what appeared to be their Pico forms. A dark dog-like Digimon stood in Sao's place-FlaDiiamon she was called, they remembered from their last encounter with the powerful Rookie. And a horse-like Digimon stood in Lisa's place.
"Whoa, who're you?" Tommy asked the horse Digimon.
"Folamon." The horse Digimon replied.
"What the-the humans turned into Digimon?" One of the Fangmon questioned from the circle.
Takuya and Koji closed their eyes and concentrated for a moment before they too transformed into Flamon and Strabimon.
The two new Rookies opened their eyes.
"Wha?! I'm that freaked out mutant again!" Flamon exclaimed.
"Whoa, so weird." Strabimon said, looking at his hands.
"It doesn't matter, humans." A Fangmon snarled as the circle began moving.
"He's right. Level and experience-wise, we're at a disadvantage. Folamon, if I lead a good portion of them off, can you three destroy the rest?" FlaDiiamon whispered.
"I believe so." Folamon replied quietly with a nod.
"Good." FlaDiiamon said quickly, turning to face the Fangmon. "Flaming Diamond Blast!"
The attack landed just inches from the one of the Fangmon's paws and scorched the ground where it had hit. The Fangmon looked at FlaDiiamon and snarled.
FlaDiiamon smiled slyly and trotted a few paces to each side, drawing the attention of all the Fangmon.
When she knew the Fangmon all had their attention on her, she made her move. She quickly jumped over the back of the Fangmon that had snarled at her and landed neatly on the other side of him.
"C'mon boys. Can you catch me?" FlaDiiamon taunted, trotting a few steps away.
The Fangmon she had jumped, which also appeared to be the leader, bared his teeth. "After her!"
The majority of the Fangmon pack broke the circle and began the chase. FlaDiiamon broke into a light canter, keeping just ahead of the Fangmon pack.
The Warriors watched them go with confused looks.
"Did she just . . . uh . . ." Flamon stuttered, then trailed off.
"Save our necks?" Strabimon finished, in as much shock as the others.
"All she did was buy you time. She will be destroyed for her foolishness." A Fangmon snapped.
"Blast Coffin!"
The three Pico Digimon jumped out of the attacks' way.
FlaDiiamon ran as fast as she could into the gorge, hoping to lose the pack of Fangmon following her. She soon came to the last part pf the gorge, only to find it was a dead end. She wheeled around on her haunches to face the approaching Fangmon, teeth bared, fur bristling.
The Fangmon soon circled her, and kept their circle moving. FlaDiiamon tried to watch all of the Fangmon at once out of the corners of her eyes, waiting for the first strike.
"Warrior, just give up. You know you can't win." One of the Fangmon snarled from behind her.
FlaDiiamon anticipated the strike, and side-stepped. The Fangmon shot past and rejoined the circle, which continued moving.
"Guess again, flea bags." FlaDiiamon snapped.
The Fangmon growled. Three of them suddenly lunged at FlaDiiamon as one from different directions, making it impossible for her to dodge them all. She managed to dodge the first two, but the third slashed her right shoulder as he passed.
The Fangmon circle continued moving, leaving a highly alert FlaDiiamon in the center. Blood began trickling from the wound on FlaDiiamon's shoulder.
"Blood?" One of the Fangmon asked aloud. "But how-"
"She's part human." Another whispered to the one who had questioned.