"Upamon, get out of there" Cody hissed. "Grandpa might hear you!"
"I can't, I'm stuck" Upamon said, voice muffled. The digimon was trapped inside Cody's Kendo helmet, and Cody was madly trying to get him out before his grandfather entered. Preferably without ripping the helmet to shreds in the process. With a final grunt, Upamon was pulled free. "Thanks. I don't know how I got stuck in there!"
Cody sighed. "You've been snacking again. I can't let grandpa find you, you know that!"
"Why not? You could just tell him."
"I don't want him to worry about me. If he knew about you, I'd have to tell him about what I've been doing in the digital world."
"Uh, Cody-"
"I can't lie to my grandfather, I hate what I'm doing as it is."
"Cody" Upamon started to say.
"Look, I don't want to tell you how to run your life, but you have to be more careful-" At that point, Cody became aware of a presence behind him. Slowly he turned to face his grandfather, standing at the entrance to the dojo, small smile on his face.
"I trust" he said calmly, "there is quite a story behind this."
Digimon: Digicross Episode 13
'Change of Enemies'
==Digital World
Gatomon sat outside the edge of Primary Village, somewhat downcast. With the excitement of the last few days, she had completely forgotten to check if any new digimon had hatched. Or re-hatched, she hoped.
"Waiting for someone?"
Gatomon looked at the speaker. It was about her height, had wings, and looked like a baby dragon. "No. I think I missed him. You new here?"
The digimon nodded. "Yeah, hatched a few days ago. Name's Monodramon, I'm a rookie digimon."
Gatomon eyed the digimon. "Rookie already? That was quick."
"Yeah. Everyone that's hatched ever since the Emperor was defeated has digivolved at a faster rate. My friend said that there was some threat coming and the digital world was preparing for something." Monodramon shrugged. "Ah, he gets like that. Always saying some sort of darkness is coming."
Gatomon smiled a bit. "Sounds like someone I used to know."
"I had no idea I was in a rut," a third voice said, stepping into view.
Gatomon recognized the voice instantly. "WIZARDMON" she yelled.
==Not the Digital World. Boy, is this guy in for a shock...
Ukyo Oikawa wandered around. "Is this..." he started to ask, unsure of where he was. He had been all ready to chew out Arukenimon, when she had simply said 'Here's the portal you've always wanted', waved a hand, and a hole simply appeared. And, the resistance he had felt the prior times he had tried to enter the digital world was not there.
Arukenimon nodded. "It is the place you've always longed to be."
"Well, it's taken long enough. Where were you, anyway" Oikawa asked, a bit suspicious. He hadn't heard from Mummymon for ages now, and Arukenimon seemed to vanish, almost for days on end. When questioned, she only evaded it, promising that she was working on a way to bring him to the Digital World.
"Oh, here and there." Arukenimon stopped, as if listening to something. Oikawa didn't notice.
Oikawa looked around. "I'm finally doing it," he said. "I'm going to the digital world...oh, Hiroki, if you could be here..." As he walked, he saw the end to the long tunnel he was walking through. "Is that-"
"It is just where you wanted to go" Arukenimon repeated. "Don't wait for me, please, go on ahead, it'll still be there when I arrive." As she spoke, a small black shape detached itself from the end of the portal and moved towards them. As Oikawa watched, the figure became more resolved as it approached. It was black, catlike, and had long white claws on the ends of its paws.
"Is that...a digimon?"
Arukenimon smiled. "Of a sort. What have you to report, Sneasel?"
The creature stopped at the feet of Arukenimon, bowed, and spoke. "All is in readiness, mistress. Our lord waits the return of your creator."
Oikawa's eyes went wide. He did not know why, but this place was suddenly familiar to him. "You...you betrayed me!"
"Not at all" Arukenimon replied sweetly. "I merely arranged your return to the fold. I thought you'd be happy, Oikawa. Or should I say Myotismon?"
Oikawa, feeling fear for the first time in a while, turned and tried to run. Somehow, he knew exactly where he was. Sneasel, seeing the opportunity, jumped to the attack. "ICE CLAW!" Ukyo felt a wave of cold come over him, then nothing more.
==Digital World
"When did you make it back?"
Wizardmon smiled a bit, sitting down next to Gatomon. "Just after Ken was freed from the darkness. Have you seen him?"
Gatomon shook her head. "No. Yolei said he saved her and Hawkmon in the pokemon world, though."
"So Kaiser-boy's gone good now," Monodramon asked.
"He did manage to activate Yolei's digiegg" Gatomon said. Monodramon waved his hands, trying to show he didn't mean offense. "Sorry. Been through a lot."
"So Gennai told me. Has anyone figured out how Diaboromon made it to this alternate world?"
"No. From what we know, a boy named Tycho found a digiegg just lying in the forest." Wizardmon stayed silent, thinking. "Monodramon said you told him that some darkness was threatening the digital world. Is that connected with it?"
Wizardmon looked up. "It may be. Since I have returned, the feeling of menace has remained, even grown stronger. And..."
"What?"
Wizardmon had an unpleasant expression on his face. "As you know, when a digimon is defeated in the digital world, he reincarnates at Primary Village. Any digimon beaten outside of the digital world is trapped on that plane, unless someone brings the 'spirit', if you will, of that digimon back home.
"Phantomon's data was never returned here."
==Tokyo
Cody had told the entire story to his grandfather; as he said to Upamon, he couldn't lie to his grandfather (truth be told, the little guy's a ROTTEN liar. Part of his charm ^_^ -ed). "Interesting," his grandfather said. "It sounds much like the stories your father told me when he was your age."
Cody stared, dumbstruck. "My father...?"
"Yes. Your father told me stories about little monsters on the computer screen. I thought he was playing too much 'Pong' at the time, myself." His grandfather looked at Upamon. "So, Upamon is his name, yes?"
Cody nodded to his grandfather. "I wanted to tell you about him, but I promised..."
"As I said, I understand. And your mother would no doubt worry. Upamon...yes, that is what your father called one of the creatures he saw. I remember now. If he were here now, I imagine he would be having quite a laugh at his gruff old father's expense."
"You...knew...?"
"I'm old, not stupid" Cody's grandfather replied, smiling. "And when the sky tore open four years ago, I immediately thought of all those stories your father and his friend told me. Though I never imagined that my own grandson would get involved. I assume your friends are also involved with this 'digital world' you speak of?" Cody nodded. "Now don't act like I am going to forbid you from being with your friends. Ever since the school year started, I have noticed a change in you; you have become more open and willing to have fun. I like that in a student. Whatever experiences you have had have made you a better person."
Cody didn't know what to say for a minute. Then, "Grandpa, you said dad had a friend?"
"Hm? Ah, Oikawa, I think. Yes, Ukyo Oikawa. Ukyo was a quiet man who did not make friends easily. Even when he was visiting here, I barely saw him. But he and your father were nearly inseparable. They did everything together; I think I might have gotten a little jealous."
"Where is he now" Cody asked.
"To be honest, I have not seen him since your father's funeral. I do not think he took it well. If only..." He noticed Cody's inquiring look. "I could have accepted him, tried to make an effort. Even after the funeral, I always had something else to do, rather than track down your father's friends." He got up, walked over to a bookcase, pulled out an album. Paging through it, he stopped at a set of pictures. "Here he is." Cody looked at the picture his grandfather indicated.
"He looks..." Cody was not sure how to describe the picture. His father looked happy, but Ukyo was...darker, in a way.
"Ukyo always had a hard time making friends. I still wonder whatever happened to him."
==Dark Ocean.
Oikawa woke up, found himself wrapped in a chain. As his eyes opened, he saw a hooded digimon watching over him, large scythe glowing gold in the darkened room. "So, my former master awakens" Phantomon said sarcastically. He floated off into another room. A minute later, he came back in, with Arukenimon, Sneasel, and another creature he did not recognize...wait, he did. A name came to Oikawa's lips.
"D...Demon." Oikawa blinked several times, confused. "How...how..."
Arukenimon smiled, this time letting the evil show through. "As I said, he remembers nothing." The figure nodded once, and stepped forward, clawed hand outstretched.
"Then I must truly apologize" the figure said insincerely. "You see, you have an...old friend of mine living within you. But if he's too scared to come out, I suppose I shall have to drag him out of you." Demon walked over to Oikawa, and added, almost conversationally, "you may feel some discomfort."
For a moment, Oikawa felt nothing. Then the sensation of having his soul ripped out of his body hit him, and he screamed in pain. "Please, you should be thanking me" Demon said casually. "Myotismon was doing a lot of damage to your body. Nice guy, but never the best houseguest. Must have been from that time he never got a 'Tickle me Bakemon' when he was an Infant digimon. Ah, here we go." Demon pulled his hand back, a long trail of purple mist coming from Oikawa's head. Oikawa, the pain having finally proved too much, passed out. The mist in Demon's hand took form, and resolved into another humanoid figure, dressed in blue, with a dark purple cape. Fangs could be seen in his mouth, and he wore a red mask over his eyes.
"Whuu...how..." Myotismon tried to speak.
"Ahh, welcome back, old friend" Demon said. "It has been a while hasn't
it?"
==Digital World
Gatomon blinked. "But he was sent back at the same time you were! I saw it!"
"Yes. But as I was returning to the digital world, I felt a presence, something reaching for me between the worlds. It got Phantomon."
Gatomon felt a sudden chill. "Myotismon was beaten in the human world. Did he...?"
"I do not know. When I was trapped in your world, I never felt his essence as I could Phantomon's."
"Eh, no need to worry" Monodramon said. The two other digimon looked at the rookie. "Hey, from what Wizzy told me," Wizardmon frowned a bit at the nickname, "Those two were bad news. Maybe they got sucked off to Digital Hades or something."
"The powers of darkness should never be taken lightly," Wizardmon said, "or dismissed out of hand." Monodramon shrugged, apparently unconcerned.
Sighing, Wizardmon changed the subject. "So, how is Kari these days?"
==Dark Ocean
"It seems that your plans have failed again, Myotismon" Demon said. "But, for the benefit of our new converts, let's have a quick recap, shall we?" Myotismon shuddered in pain, as Demon's grip on his throat tightened.
"In a way, you were always my favorite. Devimon was...so full of himself, and Etemon couldn't carry a tune in a dump truck. And the Dark Masters, please. But you always had a...style I admired.
"But you couldn't settle for number two, could you? As soon as Ken and Ryo beat Milleniumon, you panicked and made plans to take Earth. In a way, I should be grateful. Those annoying kids were out of the way long enough for me to set the Dark Masters loose on the Digital World. And you would have had a share of it all, your own little domain to call your own. Well, you would have had to fight Devimon for it, had that useless idiot survived. Ah, Myotismon. The greatest of my lieutenants, giving in to his own ambition. And once you were beaten, even after digivolving all the way to Mega, you didn't have the decency to dissipate like a good little dead digimon. You had to invade the body of this poor fool here," Demon indicated Ukyo Oikawa's unconscious body, "spend the last four years tearing him up from the inside, and then, to top it all off, you actually want to -destroy- the digital world."
"I...I only..."
"Please. 'Weaken the barriers so that I can enter'? We both know what that would entail old friend. And I have invested too much time in planning my takeover of the Digital world to see it reduced to a barren waste. I prefer enslaved subjects to not be deleted before I have a chance to gloat over them, thank you. So when your 'creation' came to me and explained everything that had happened," he took a moment to nod to Arukenimon, "I felt the need to set up this little talk." Myotismon started struggling again, sensing what was about to happen. "Myotismon, you were always an amusing 'mon to have around, but frankly, you bore me now. Farewell, old friend." Demon's grip tightened, and Myotismon, managing a strangled scream of pain, disintegrated into a field of small particles. The bits shimmered, and then were drawn into Demon's body. Demon exited the room, saying "well, that was fun. If you will excuse me, ladies."
==Human World, Hida Dojo
"Are you sure about this" Kyle whispered to Cody.
"I have practiced kendo most of my life, young man" Cody's grandfather addressed Kyle. Cody's grandfather was dressed in his full kendo outfit, shinai held in the ready position. At the other end of the mat, Marowak stood silently, bone club held loosely in one hand. "Cody told me all about this...pokemon?" Kyle nodded. "I am curious about his style of fighting."
"Uh...sure" Kyle said. Then, the trainer turned to Marowak. "No throwing or Earthquakes, got it?" Marowak nodded.
Pokemon and human faced each other, waiting for the first move. Mr. Hida took note of Marowak's stance. "Reverse left hand" he said quietly, "almost like he's holding a dagger..." With a grunt, he charged, making the first strike.
Marowak blocked the attack with his club, and the two dueled. Marowak's shorter weapon was offset by his smaller size, meaning he could (and did) get inside the reach of Mr. Hida's shinai, forcing the instructor to back off. At the same time, Marowak had a hard time getting close enough to actually launch an attack; Mr. Hida was quite good at keeping the pokemon out of range, and on the defensive.
After several minutes of dueling, the two combatants nodded to each other, signaling that it was time to end the fight. Mr. Hida lowered his shinai until it was level with the floor, at waist height. Marowak held his bone club in both hands, like a sword. For an eternal second, the two stood motionless...
Kyle and Cody blinked, and almost missed it. The two fighters charged each other. At the last second, Marowak leaped up, swung as he passed Cody's grandfather, and rolled. Mr. Hida stopped short, not moving for a second. Kyle feared that Marowak had injured the kendo teacher; then, seemingly in slow motion, Kyle and Cody watched as Mr. Hida's shinai fell to the ground, cut cleanly in two! From behind the mask, Cody could hear his grandfather laughing.
"Excellently played" Mr. Hida said, pulling the mask and helmet off. He turned, and bowed to Marowak, who returned the gesture.
"Umm...sorry about the sword..." Kyle stammered.
Mr. Hida waved him off. "It is easily replaced. Come, you must tell me how he was trained."
==Digital World
After several hours of reminiscing, Wizardmon looked up, searching for something. "It seems I have to go now." He looked over at Monodramon, who had dozed off. "Up with you, lizard. It's time."
"For what" Gatomon asked. Smiling, Wizardmon held out an arm. "Nothing up my sleeve" he joked, opening his palm. In it was a digivice! "You're..."
"Yes. It seems that I have a partner for me somewhere, as does Monodramon. We have to go to the Human world and find them."
"Can't we just wait here" Monodramon groused.
"Partners just don't fall out of the sky" Wizardmon retorted.
"Agumon's did!" Wizardmon had no answer for that.
==Dark Ocean
With a wave of his hand, the table that held Oikawa appeared before Demon. "Now, what to do with you" he asked the still unconscious human. "Can't eat him, can't drink him, can't spend him...I know." Muttering to himself in a foul sounding tongue, a mist appeared over Oikawa's body. "It's not the digital world, but you should enjoy yourself in the Pokemon world. Before I conquer it." Oikawa's body faded. "Now, what next...ah, yes. Arukenimon!" The digimon and her companion pokemon walked into the room. "Notify Dagomon that it is time. Is the...project...ready?"
Arukenimon bowed. "It is. The portal to the Pokemon world is weak; we can only send a few Ultimate digimon at best. The portal to the digital world is ready at your discretion."
"Good. Send Larvitar to the Digital World. He is to wait there until I contact him, then proceed as planned. As for the pokemon world...Ken seems to have taken an interest in that place, I should send him something...memorable." Demon chuckled evilly.
"At once" Arukenimon said, exiting.
Outside, Sneasel asked, "who is this 'Mummymon' I heard mentioned?"
Arukenimon frowned a bit. "Oikawa created him to be my partner; in reality,
he was an idiot who spent more time making passes at me than doing anything
productive. After I joined Demon's forces, Mummymon was dealt with." At
Sneasel's inquiring look, Arukenimon pulled out a small red and white sphere,
hung on a simple silver chain. Toying with the pokeball, she said "Still,
he got his wish; I keep him near my heart always."
==Human World. Canada (Where it ain't all snow. Large bits, granted, but it is nice and sunny in parts.)
Stuart leaned back, eyes a bit sore. He had been on the computer for some hours now, reading over the content of several newsgroups. "Too bad there's not a repeat of that battle I saw four years ago" he muttered to himself.
The monitor decided to humor his wish; at that moment, it glowed bright white, and the next thing Stuart knew, he had a double armful of Monodramon. The digimon looked up, glowed blue, and a D-3 appeared. It fell into Stuart's hand, beeping loudly for a second. "So, I guess I'm your partner" Monodramon said brightly.
"....."
==Human World, America (Midwest), about the same time...
Seth looked idly out the window. His family seemed to have no problem with pulling up stakes from New York, and haul everyone several day's worth of driving in an overcrowded minivan and U-Haul trailer to what his dad referred to as 'new digs'.
Seth hated it. He didn't know anyone, all his friends were back in New York. At least they had a computer and an internet connection; email wasn't much, but it was something.
"Wonder how Michael's doing" he wondered to himself. "Or Steve." He switched on the computer, deciding to let his old friends know where he was.
2 seconds after connecting to the Net, Seth had the odd sensation of taking a several seconds-long blink. When his eyes opened, there was a short humanoid standing beside him, dressed in a tattered cape and a pointy hat. In one hand was a yellow staff with what looked like a carving of a sun on it.
"Hello Seth, I am Wizardmon."
==Pokemon World
Crystal Melin sighed slightly. She was at the Celadon Pokemon center, having Espeon checked out. She had a gym battle to fight, and she wanted her pokemon in top form.
"Digimon" she said to herself, recalling the fight she had watched at Mount Moon. "I wonder if I'll ever see another one." Or TK, she added mentally. Sighing again, she walked over to the PC terminal, and accessed her mail. She blinked, as she saw one new message, with an attachment. Curious, she opened the mail.
The screen immediately filled with gibberish, and a low whining noise came from the computer. On the transport pad below the screen, a faint glow caught her attention. In the small recess where pokeballs were normally sent and received, there was a small teardrop shaped device, the grips colored green. "Just like the one TK has" Crystal said, holding the digivice in her hand.
"Miss?"
Crystal turned, startled. "Don't DO that" she yelped.
The boy smiled, pushing his had through his brown hair. "Sorry. Listen,
You wouldn't know someone else who has a device like the one you have now?
About my age, dark hair, had a small monster that looked like a Caterpie
but wasn't?" Crystal shook her head. "Nuts. Oh, sorry, I'm being rude.
Name's Ryo."
==Next Episode
Ken finally confronts the rest of the digidestined, and reveals what
he knows about the opponents they are facing. An old friend reappears,
and the Pokemon world faces its greatest threat yet. Next, on 'Digimon:
Digicross';
"Legendary Trainer, Ryo"