I don't own Digimon
Operation: 52 Pickup
888
"This way," called Brendan loudly as he walked forward.
"Two days, Two days we've been walking," grumbled Amy loudly.
"You could always go back to the Guilmon," ribbed Steven.
"Don't you dare think about that!" yelped Amy loudly.
"Shh," Jason and Janet hissed as they broke over a hill. They peered over the ridge and saw a vast city.
"Ok, so what exactly are we looking at?" asked Kevin as he scratched his head.
"The Village of Origins, I think," said Brendan quietly.
"The Village of the What?" Mark looked at Lucemon. The angel looked around at everyone else.
"What? Do you think I know everything?" yelped the angel.
"Well…yeah," replied Mark.
"The Village of Origins is where all the digi-eggs are created," said Ryuudamon as he walked forward.
"What about the Primary Village?" asked Michelle.
"That's where we are sent to grow up," replied Labramon quietly.
"Yep," said Tapirmon. "Blimpmon come in and pick up crates of ready to hatch digi-eggs and new babies and flies them to File Island."
"So why are we here?" asked Otamamon quietly.
"Down!" hissed Kevin as he dropped behind a bush.
The others huddled under the other surrounding bushes. A large black dragon glided over their heads. Its shoulders held Bastemon. The children poked their heads out of the bushes.
"Oh, Miss Undress is here," grumbled Labramon.
"Yeah…" replied Brendan.
"Didn't we just get our butts kicked two days ago?" asked Jason. He looked at the others. "Gennai wants us to get our butts kicked again?"
"Gennai says that Bastemon and Karatenmon are trying to make a break for the Human World," said Brendan loudly.
"WHAT?" The others yelped.
"That must have been what that guy said when he said people were playing with the barriers between this world and the next," whispered Kevin.
"What guy?" Brendan asked. The shorter boy looked at the taller.
"When I went home, after I met with Yashamon, and Snow Agumon got zapped, this guy came out of nowhere and said something about someone was messing with the barriers," replied Kevin. The others looked at him in shock. "I told you guys, didn't I?"
"Umm…no," replied Janet before the others could explode.
"Oh…" Kevin blushed bright red. "Right, well, that thing that Assaultmon became got its butt kicked by Cyberdramon but when he went kablooy; it sucked us into this thing that must have sent us home. We got home but we kept seeing digimon, and then Brendan talked to us through the TV."
"You got my message?" yelped the shorter boy genius.
Kevin nodded and then continued, "And then I was chased by Yashamon and then the sky went all funny and started to zap digimon that were walking around and it got Snow Agumon, and that's when the weird dude came, and well, I went back here."
"How long were you home?" asked Steven. He looked at Kevin; his eyes were not really pleased.
"Maybe an hour or two, that's the thing. Back home, it's only been about an hour or two," said Kevin. He blinked and then looked to Janet. "Oh, Janet, your mom may be a tad bit overprotective when you get back."
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" yelped the brown haired girl.
"Uh…maybe gave her the idea that you weren't at the school with us…" gulped Kevin. Janet's eyes flashed with hellfire and brimstone. "But, but…I didn't mean to!" yelped Kevin defensively.
"RrRRRRrrr," growled Janet loudly.
"Crest of Love; CREST OF LOVE!" yelped Viximon in hysterics.
"Just this once…can't we over look that," grumbled Janet loudly. "Can't you digivolve to some Skull Kickhisassmon or something…?"
"Uh…I don't think that would be wise," said Lucemon. Janet flashed a glare at the angel and Lucemon retreated back into his bush with Mark.
"Nothing is as dangerous as a girl that's mad," whispered Brendan.
"Especially if she's the Chosen of Love," said Tapirmon loudly.
Janet glared at Tapirmon. Brendan snapped his hands over the purple digimon's mouth with lightning speed and pushed him down into the foliage. "Umm, I think he said, 'Especially if she got pooped on by a dove'!"
Janet narrowed her eyes.
"I think we're getting off topic," murmured Steven. He walked from his bush and sat down on the ground looking at the city in front of him. "So why exactly are we here?"
"This city is where the portal between worlds is," Brendan replied. He walked forward and sat next to Steven. "They must have taken it over to gain access to the portal."
"And so why are we here?" asked Jason. The brown haired boy sat next to Brendan on the boys other side.
"To try and stop them…" whispered Brendan. "Supposedly, they have the means to open the portal."
"If those two get to the Human World," started Amy.
"Yeah I know," said Brendan, "Unfortunately it's not just them, their taking a small army with them it seems."
"Oh marvelous," grumbled Amy. "So we stop them, how?"
"Don't know," whispered Brendan. He looked down at his computer. "I can think of one way but I don't think you'll like it."
"What?" Kevin and Koromon wearily walked from their hiding places.
"We could destroy the portal, seal it up tight," replied Brendan.
"But, if we block up the portal…" Mark started.
"We won't get home," whimpered Michelle. The girl looked at Kevin. "I want to see mom and dad again!"
"I know," Kevin looked at Brendan, "Let's put that one off the stove and try and think of something else."
"Well, we could destroy the both of them," said Brendan quietly.
"That could work, I mean we almost beat them last time," said Kevin hopefully.
"If you define as almost beating as being forced to run away as soon as it was possible," whispered Amy with a little sarcastic lilt.
"Hey, we could've won…" Kevin stopped himself short; his eyes flicked up to Janet. "I mean we did better than what it looked like we did."
"He's right, if I could've digivolved to Cerberumon," said Tapirmon.
"And I could've digivolved to HishaRyuumon," said Ryuudamon.
"We would've had those dweebs asking us for mercy," chimed the two digimon in unison.
"So…" Steven looked over the city, "What are we going to do?"
"I think I need more information before applying a possible regiment of thought to the problem," whispered Brendan.
"So we're sneaking in?" asked Amy quietly.
"Yes," said Kevin.
"No," said Steven. Kevin looked at the blonde in shock. Steven cleared his voice, "You're staying here, You, Michelle, Mark and Janet stay here, the rest of us are going in."
"No, please no!" hissed Kevin into Steven's ear. "Don't leave me here with Janet!"
"I'm sorry bud, but you'll just slow us down," said Steven with a smile.
"We want another whack at that hussy of a piñata!" said Michelle, beside her Labramon was nodding furiously.
"No, just stay back here, you and Mark have to protect Kevin and Janet until we get back," said Steven sternly. The canine and her partner looked downtrodden and nodded in compliance. He smiled, "Don't worry; you'll get your chance."
888
"Have you gotten the others?" groused Karatenmon as he stood over the pillar. Bastemon was standing at his side.
"Yes, I have them," replied Bastemon irritated, "I had them an hour ago, and I had them five minutes ago when you asked last time. They are gathered and awaiting orders to come to this room."
"Don't get in a snit," responded Karatenmon quietly. He narrowed his eyes. "We must be prepared, I do not wish to enter a new world and be decimated."
"Who could decimate us?" growled Bastemon. "Those brats are as weak as the mud that we beat them into."
"Humans are very ingenious in the creation of war machines," replied Karatenmon. He narrowed his eyes, "You should know that…"
"I was a very shielded kitty cat," smirked Bastemon with a purr, "well, not completely shielded." The feline let out a chuckling purr.
"Now is not the time for your perversion," grumbled Karatenmon as he flicked through the cards and put them into slots. "Well that looks right, but…" Karatenmon flicked through the cards again. "Yes, this energy signature is the proper one." He looked up at Bastemon. "We'll move in the morning."
"Why the morning, why wait?" grumbled Bastemon.
"The barrier is still relatively strong, but it's been going through daily cycles of weakness and re-strengthening, if we move now, we will likely have a very bumpy transversal, may even lose a couple of our underlings," replied Karatenmon. He walked towards the shadows. "Be ready, I do not plan to stay here more than our position forces us, the digi-destined are more powerful than I had planned."
888
"Did you hear that?" hissed Amy into Brendan's ear.
The group of digi-destined had found it quite easy to sneak around the Village of Origins and with the map that Gennai had provided they had squirmed their way into the lower realm of the Palace of Origins, and now were secretly hiding in a small vent that was on a shadowy wall.
"I'd have heard more if you hadn't been giving me a play by play in my ear," replied Brendan hushedly.
"Both of you; please," whispered Jason quietly. He looked forward. Bastemon turned and left the room.
"Now what?" Steven asked quietly.
"Well, we could try and steal those cards," whispered Brendan. He looked at the others. "But that means taking out Karatenmon."
"Of the two, Karatenmon seems stronger than Bastemon," said Jason quietly. "Do we really want to go up against him?"
"We may not have a choice," whispered Brendan. He narrowed his eyes. "I just wish there was a way we could put a wrench in the monkey works without destroying the portal."
"If it comes between getting us home, and keeping the Earth from being subjected to these two," whispered Jason quietly. He looked at the others, "I think we know the choice we'll have to make."
"We don't have a lot of time," said Steven. He waddled forward to the edge of the vent and knocked the grill out and then jumped to the floor. He waved the others down. "Come on, we gotta get a closer look at that thing."
Brendan, then Jason and Amy leapt down. The digimon hopped down after their partners.
"What are we going to do?" asked Otamamon.
"Hopefully, find a glitch," replied Brendan as he walked towards the pedestal. He looked around and then looked at the pedestal. "Oh…"
"What?" Amy was looking down at the slanted table top. Across the top were three carved images, one was a round little fairy, one was a heavy looking, quadruped dragon, and the last one was a centaur. Down the right hand there was a column of star-like emblems at the beginning of a row. The top row had one star, the second row had two stars and the third had three stars. "What does it mean?"
"They could be some sort of astrological thing, I mean there is a centaur and a dragon, but, Drago the Dragon is definitely not a heavy western dragon, and Sagittarius has a bow and arrow, and well I don't know any fairy constellations," whispered Brendan.
"That fairy looks a bit like Piximon," whispered Steven quietly.
"Yeah and doesn't that one kind of look like MailDramon?" whispered Brendan quietly.
"How would we know?" asked Jason.
"Oh sorry, Wizardmon described her to me after our fight with Phelesmon," whispered Brendan half-acknowledging Jason's question.
"And now that I think about, that centaur guy," Amy put her finger on its long arms, "looks uncannily like Assaultmon."
"Hmm," Brendan closed his eyes and put his fingers on the bridge of his nose, "If I remember correctly, when we first got here, we were told that digimon come in three kinds of attributes…"
"Yep, Virus, Vaccine and Data," said Tapirmon.
"So…" Brendan started to say. "What if, these things up here aren't stellar configurations, but digimon types, one symbol signifying Data, one signifying Vaccine and one signifying Virus?"
"Then what are the down rows?" asked Steven.
Brendan waved his hand fervently in an up and down motion, "One thing at a time…" He opened his eyes, "Maybe, if we knew what type each of the digimon were, we could have a starting point."
"Well, whatever it is; we'll have to wait," grumbled Jason as the sounds of footsteps echoed into the room. "Let's get out of here."
The four digi-destined and their digimon slunk back into the vent closing the grill behind them. A single monkey like digimon snarled into the room and hopped around. It had large ears and a huge mouth filled with fangs. It looked back and forth and then left.
888
Karatenmon looked out of his window. He smirked quietly as he held a small pendent over his heart. "Foolish children." The digi-destined ran from shadow to shadow. "None can stop me now; I will be reunited with my other half. Oh, yes, indeed I will. No one will stop me, not even that clown." Karatenmon's eyes flashed a bright red. "But we must be patient first, oh yes. When the morning has dawned we shall be safe from them, especially that despicable Taoist priest and her Talisman of Light."
The pendant glowed malignant purple and a soft laughter seemed to emanate from the chest of Karatenmon. He looked down at the stack of cards on his desk. He put his hand on them. A shadow flowed from his hand to the deck of cards and the stack split replicated, splitting into two. He smiled quietly, took up one stack and slid them into his vest.
"Now to tell Bastemon, of our plans," whispered Karatenmon as he disappeared into the shadows of his room.
888
"You want to what?" Bastemon snarled quietly.
"I wish to lure them in, using the cards, they know about them, they were watching us this evening," replied Karatenmon quietly. "They'll more than likely try to steal them."
"Then we'll destroy them when they try!" growled Bastemon.
"No, we must let them think they can get away, we must bring them in and then tighten the knot around them," replied Karatenmon quietly. "That way we get them all in one strike."
"Ah," Bastemon smiled quietly. She lifted her clawed hand up to her chin. "That does sound good…we should tell the others…"
"No, I wish to use the Vilemon, we won't need many they should still be weak from their fight with us a couple of nights ago," replied Karatenmon. Bastemon snarled at this but Karatenmon put up a placating hand, "No need to weaken our armies on these vermin, we don't want anyone oversleeping when we depart, now do we?" Bastemon frowned and then nodded and Karatenmon turned to leave. He stopped and turned his head. "Sleep well, mistress, I can deal with this alone."
888
"TOMORROW MORNING!" shouted Janet loudly.
"Yes," replied Brendan softly. "We have to do something now!"
"Well it looks like we're going up against Karatenmon," said Kevin quietly. "I mean it's the only plausible answer."
"We need to consider that it may be entirely possible that we may need to…" started Brendan.
"Brendan, no," said Kevin. "Just, no."
"But if it comes between us and saving the world we have to…" Brendan started to argue.
"Then we won't let it come between us and saving the world," said Kevin defiantly. "Come on, let's go."
"Wait!" Steven grabbed Kevin by the arm.
"What?" Kevin snapped as he turned. Steven pointed down. A very pink and very small Koromon looked up at Kevin.
"You have to hang back, look, it won't be so bad, you'll be look out," said Steven with a smile.
"I'll lead you to his tower, but I don't know how to get there from the inside," said Lucemon.
"Who said anything about going inside the palace, we'll just crash into his tower and take those cards…" said Amy.
"Who says that he keeps them there," asked Jason.
"They're there," said Labramon. "He brought them into his room one day, I remember it quite clearly because he struck me with the flat of his sword." The dog growled loudly.
"So, we fly in, find the cards and then get out of there?" asked Jason quietly.
"That's the plan, simple as it is," nodded Brendan.
888
Saberdramon though the sky silently, trying to stay in the shadow of the city. The eight children and six digimon gripped her feathers. Lucemon glided below her and to her right. The twelve winged angel was more aerially agile since he could make multi-faceted adjustments with his several wings.
"That one!" called Lucemon as he pointed to a large round tower that jutted from the northern walls of the palace.
Saberdramon nodded and flew towards it. Lucemon dove ahead of her and broke a window, the very window that had been replaced only a few days ago after he'd broken it to escape. Saberdramon hovered shakily next to the window as the children leapt into the tower. Amy hung back with Saberdramon.
"Drive around for about an hour and we'll meet you back here," called Kevin loudly.
Steven whacked Kevin over the head, "Be serious."
"Jeesh," yelped the brown haired boy as he resituated his cap and moved further into the tower.
"Just be careful and don't get shot down," said Steven quietly. "When we want you, Lucemon will fire a blast out the window." Amy nodded and Saberdramon glided back into the shadows.
"Ok, Kevin, Janet, keep watch on that door," said Steven quietly. He looked around, "Michelle and Labramon, help us look around here; and Lucemon, stick by the window, incase we have an emergency."
"Ok, now where were the cards when he came in?" asked Brendan as he walked forward.
"He kept them in his desk," whispered Labramon quietly.
"Right…" Brendan and the others pulled on the drawers of the desk. "Uh…we have a problem…"
"Locked?" whispered Janet quietly.
Brendan nodded. Ryuudamon walked forward, "Let me do it!" He flicked hand out and a buzzing, white energy blade appeared in his hand. "Iai Blade!" The middle drawer dropped from its hinges and clattered the ground.
"OI!" hissed Jason.
"Sorry," whispered Ryuudamon.
888
Karatenmon smirked quietly as he heard the sound of a drawer clattering on the ground. "They're here…" He drew wings over his shoulders like a cloak and proceeded down the hall. His hands were on his sword hilts and he clicked them from their sheaths slightly.
He came to stairwell and turned looking up. He slowly walked up the spiraling staircase, moving up the tower.
888
"Uh oh, something is coming!" whispered Kevin as he saw a shadow roll up the stairwell.
"We can't find the cards!" yelped Brendan. He looked feverishly for those cards he's seen in the basement.
"Then look in the other drawers, but be quick about it!" hissed Janet loudly. She looked through the slightly ajar doorway and saw the shadow darken.
"Nightmare Syndrome!" Tapirmon blasted the side drawers from their hinges. Brendan and the others rushed to sift through the debris in the drawers.
888
Karatenmon turned the corner and smirked quietly. The door this room was slightly ajar. He had to make a decent show of this. He smirked, unsheathed his swords completely and rushed up the stairs.
888
"HOLY CRAP!" shouted Janet and Kevin as he fell backwards with Janet.
"RAVEN BLADES!" the door exploded off its hinges.
"Koromon, digivolve to Snow Agumon!" yelped the pink ball as it reflexively morphed into the white dinosaur.
"Viximon digivolve to Renamon!" the golden ball of fox followed suit.
The two Rookies jumped the avian swordsman. Dark tendrils flashed forward snapping the two digimon backwards crashing them down on the floor. Brendan and the others looked up in horror.
"Keep looking we'll deal with this guy!" shouted Tapirmon. The purpled elephantine digimon rushed forward as a golden light swept over him. "Tapirmon digivolve to Dobermon! Schwarz Strahl!" the spiked canine raged forward unleashing a black beam.
"Ryuudamon digivolve to Ginryuumon!" The little black lizard blazed before appearing again as the long necked dragon, Ginryuumon. "Armor Piercing Blade!" shining energy blades flashed forward.
The two Champions pounced the raven slamming him back through the doorway.
"Ballistic Feather!" There was an explosion; Dobermon rocketed through the doorway and crashed against a wall.
"GINRYUUMON!" screamed Steven as a cold night wind ripped up from the stairwell.
"Ginryuumon digivolve to HishaRyuumon!" there was a bright glow from out the window as a red and blackish-green dragon roared into the sky.
"I should go help," said Otamamon. Jason nodded, held up his digivice and Otamamon leapt out the window as he glowed. "Otamamon digivolve to Seadramon! Ok, bird boy; let's see how you like being double teamed! ICE BLAST!" The blue sea dragon swept around blasting a frost laden burst downwards.
"Juuouguruma!" HishaRyuumon glided past the window, opened his mouth and a swirling blast of fiery energy shot down.
"No way…" gasped Lucemon as the humanoid raven shot up through the blast and swung its sword unleashing a blast of dark energy into the two serpentine dragons.
"Little Blizzard!" yelped Snow Agumon as a group of furry monkey like creatures reached the door.
"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" Renamon fired hundreds of glowing, golden, leaves forward that exploded into the bat-eared monkeys.
"Retrieve Bark!" pink pulse pelted the small contingent knocking them back through the doorway.
888
"Hurry, Saberdramon!" yelped Amy as the large black bird swept around and whipped its wings up and down as it rushed through the air towards the explosions. Seadramon and HishaRyuumon were swirling into the air retreating from a smaller humanoid figure with wings. "Karatenmon!" Yelped the girl loudly.
"Yeah, I've got him in my crosshairs," growled the bird loudly as its wings glowed lavender. "Black Saber!" a large, black arc shot forward from the wings of the bird.
888
Karatenmon dropped back as the energy blade shot past and then dove away as the giant, black phoenix shot by.
"Grau Realm!" roared a voice above him as a black ball engulfed him. Karatenmon curled up and then slammed all of his limbs outward smashing the ball to bits.
888
"I got them!" shouted Brendan as he lifted the stack of nine cards aloft. He turned quickly, "Let's get out of here!"
"That'll be easier said than done," called Lucemon as Karatenmon swept back and forth in front of the window. "Wait…" Lucemon hopped up on the window sill and punched forward. "Divine Feat!" the stream of light struck Karatenmon in the back. The crow snarled as it was sent forward against its will.
"Juuouguruma!" a tornado of flames slammed the swordsman down like a fly being taken down by a flyswatter. The red and dark green dragon then swung beside the window, "Every get on!"
The others scrambled on to the scaly back of the dragon. Dobermon reverted to Tapirmon as he and Brendan scrambled onto the dragon. The large serpentine beast then curled to the south and glided away as fast as it could.
"Ballistic Feathers!" projectiles erupted from the grounds of the city. They exploded around HishaRyuumon, Saberdramon and Seadramon retreated into the remains of the night. A soft purple haze was building in the east.
888
"They got away," growled Bastemon as she appeared from the palace. She looked at the gaping hole in the northern tower and the growled. "You let them get away! They stole our key cards!"
"I know, it's a shame isn't it," said Karatenmon as he turned to the feline. He smirked and flicked his wrists up fanning out nine cards in front of her face.
Bastemon's eyes widened and then a sly smile cut across her lips, "Oh, you are much sneakier than I believed."
"I know," said Karatenmon as he walked past Bastemon, "We gave them quite a show, didn't we…"
888
"I don't know about this completely," whispered Jason quietly. They were now sitting in the forest making a camp. "Why didn't they chase us?"
"I don't know," whispered Brendan as he turned his computer on. The computer hummed and after it had finished booting he let out a gasp.
"What?" the others asked worriedly.
"Gennai just sent another email…" whispered Brendan quietly. "It's time for us to meet, face to face…come to my house, I shall give you a signal as to where it is…"
The others looked at him. "What kind of signal?"
Brendan looked up. He pointed up to the east. An aurora was spiraling up from the ground into the sky. It blazed bright orange and red. "That kind…"
888
Alforce: Yeah, Bastemon and Karatenmon played dirty, though Taomon did the do the voodoo that she do. Like I said I liked the last chapter, this one turned out better than I anticipated even though it was a linking chapter. Now you know I can't give away who digivolves into whom, I'm sure you can find out if you wished to…
Qiviut: That's good, I'm glad you understand… Miroku wannabe, guess I didn't think of Karatenmon like that.