Chapter 16: The Surprise of the Door
Hearing the news about a kidnapped child, Ash dashed off, ahead of his teammates, to confront La Mortua with the disturbing news. "Ash, wait up!" the rest yelled, struggling to keep up with Ash. Koga, with the shikon jewel shards embedded in his legs, caught up to Ash with ease, thus stopping the angered trainer.
"Slow down, champ," he ordered. "I know you didn't want to hear about that thing with the kidnapped princess, but let me explain the rest."
"Look, from what you're telling us, you're saying that she's still alive," Ash retaliated.
"Well...I wanted to say that without a proper strategy, we'll all end up like the queen." Back to his senses, Ash knew Koga was right. As soon as everyone caught up, they continued as the group. An hour later, they arrived at a large golden door with ancient carvings at the top, like hyroglyphics, attached to a tall mountain.
"This must be the door to Queen Pandora's light," Rin pointed out.
"And you can tell because of the moon overhead," Asuka added after she peered upward. Everyone looked up and saw a moon hanging over the mountain.
"You'd think it was just a metaphor with the whole 'mountain of the moon' bit," Sasami joked.
"Maybe, there's a distinct reason for the moon placed over our heads," Rin pondered. Junpei didn't think the door was much of an obstical, when he was cracking his knucles.
"Let me check if someone's home," he sneered.
"Junpei, don't!" Ash tried to warn, but was too late as the brute in white crashed his fist at the door. However...the door still stood up, and Junpei was hurt. He shook his hand, hoping to loosen the damage to his knuckles. "I tried to warn you."
"Shows you what happens when you think with muscle," Asuka mocked.
"What was that, you little bitch?" Junpei roared.
"Any smart-ass man would know you can't break a door with your fist."
"ENOUGH!" Kari screamed, trying to stop the two from arguing. Both Asuka and Junpei, peered over to the digidestined, still angry at each other.
"He/She started it," they growled in unison as they pointed at each other.
"Does it matter who started what? We're trying to get through this door, and they way you two are acting, we're only winding up in each other throats." The two calmed for a bit. Ash had examined the door for some time, hoping to find an answer. When he brought out his key, it started to glow, as did the moon.
"Ah, the keys of Queen Pandora are here," a voice rang out. "Present thy keys, now." Everyone was looking for where the voice was coming from, when Ash told them to pull out their keys. As soon as they did, the keys were glowing brightly as eight keyholes, formed in a circle, emerged. "Place the key into the hole and call out thy names of thy chosen." They presented theirselves individually as they placed their key in a hole, and turned it.
"I am Ash Ketchum, Pokemon trainer."
"I am Asuka Langly Soryu, Evangelion pilot."
"I am Alphonse Elric, alchemist."
"I am Rin Kamishiro, magician and swordswoman."
"The name's Junpei, martial artist."
"I am Kari Kamiya, digidestined of light."
"Just call me Koga, leader of the Demon Wolf Tribe."
"I am Sasami, princess of Jurai."
After the last key was inserted, the door glew as the keys disappeared into the door. Then the door splited open and moved apart from each other. "If we're going in," Al started as he clapped his hands, ready to turn into his armor self. "Let's get prepared." Everyone nodded as they entered, Rin and Koga with their swords unsheathed, as well as the game faces. "Say, I know you seem tense about facing La Mortua, but ease up. It's not like you know the guy."
"...Alone," Ash added to Al's speech. Al wasn't sure how to respond to that remark. Ash walked up to Rin, wanting to know if she was ready for him. "The way La Mortua appeared in Kari's nightmare, I'm still a little rattled and steamed about him."
"I feel the same way," Rin assured. "It was brief, and I did lose my temper, back then." Koga wanted to know what the two were talking about.
"Sounds like there was a little history between you and La Mortua," he sneered.
"If you saw him, you would know." They proceeded to a large opening, where the roof had the moon hanging overhead. The large room, however, didn't sit well for the group, as an evil aura swarmed around the room. "You feel it?" Everyone gave Rin a slow nod, before a black piece of fabric floated down from the roof.
"That's him," Kari pointed out. The fabric turned into a human-sized cucoon, before it became a cape, worn by the man, dressed like a magician. Ash, Kari and Rin had fear running through their veins. The others were clueless to the danger.
"So, this must be the party, eh?" La Mortua questioned.
"I was expecting someone a lot bigger," Junpei said with a disapointed look. La Mortua peered over to the group with those evil green and violet eyes, exposing a goatee on charcoaled skin, emitting a dark aura, growing bigger.
"I feel the evil," Koga noted in a psuedo-sarcastic mood. Suddenly, La Mortua wiffed his cape, making a dead Myotismon appear. Everyone was surprised to see the passed Digimon once more.
"There's a reason I have this specimen," La Mortua explained. "His powers have a potency that I desire." With a wave of his hand, Myotismon became mear particles floating in the air, before being absorbed by the magician. Rin charged at the wizard, hoping to end it before the dead Digimon was fully consumed, but when La Mortua peeked, he fired a beam from his eyes, striking Rin and pushing her back to Koga, who caught her. After he was done with Myotismon, La Mortua peered over and fired a larger beam, hitting everyone in a concussive effort.
"Man, that'll be there in the morning," Ash tried to joke. Then, Sasami saw a familiar large white feather desending from above. It was Kagura, ready with a fan in hand.
"Well, it seems you've met La Mortua," she bellowed."Too bad he has me here." She, then, unleashed powerful gusts at the gang, but La Mortua stopped her attack using a barrier. "What's the deal, La Mortua?"
"I need you," La Mortua replied as he fired a bolt, striking the reincarnation in the chest, knocking her out. When she was within reach, the magician lifted his hand and turned Kagura into particles and consumed her, too. Then, La Mortua's body began to glow as he was starting to morph. Before long, he became a large black, demonic being with dragon-like skin, orc-sized arms and legs, vampire head with urine-colored teeth, and three black unicorn-styled horns.
"That...is one serious hell we're seeing," Junpei sneered.
"We've got no choice, we need to fight," Ash issued. He hit the green emblem and turned into Grovyle. La Mortua didn't flinch as the team assisted their attack. Ash rushed in with Leaf Blade, and made contact, but bounced off without damage. Koga tried his Flame Scar attack, but this time, it drilled into the side, greatly harming him. La Mortua turned to him and swatted him to the wall. Sasami was itching to strike as she readied her arm cannon, and...
"Hopefully those two were an appitizer," she mocked, refering to Kagura and Myotismon. "Well, I have the main course." The giant turned to the princess, just as she fired a heavy white beam at the monster. The beam was a direct hit, as it pushed La Mortua to the wall behind him. While recovering from the shock, he failed to see Kari, ready to fire some light arrows.
"Good thing I worked on archery," she admitted before firing the arrows, nailing him in the abdomen. He landed on the ground, just as Junpei charged, fist cocked and ready to throw.
"Time to put you to sleep!" he yelled. He crushed his fist into La Mortua's head, making the monster flatten its head. Amazingly, it rose back up, and started to heal itself. The injuries it had were gone.
"No fair," Sasami complained. That's when Asuka appeared...with an RPG in hand.
"Here's a taste of what a rocket-propelled grenade is," she gloated as she pulled the trigger. The grenade was launched and, at first, it looked to be a direct hit. Suddenly, La Mortua swatted the grenade back at the group. Al, thinking fast, transmuted a wall which took the explosion, having a slab strike Kari, and knocking her to Ash. On collision, she accidently hit the other emblems, which started to glow ready to activate.
"Oh boy," Ash shuddered, wondering what could appear with all of them. La Mortua fired another beam, this time from his mouth, and shot it at Ash. Suddenly, a cucoon of light covered Ash, Kari and Rin, who had stumbled to Ash's side, and snuffed the beam.
"We're we...protected?" Rin wondered. The girls in the cucoon peeked over to Ash, who's body was glowing, along with the six emblems. Then, colored lights from the emblems jumped out and circled the glowing trainer while deciding where to spot: gray covered his arms, red was on his back, green was on his legs, blue covered his hands, white hovered the head, and yellow to his face.
"Is Ash...transorming?" Kari concernly questioned. Suddenly, black wings came out of Ash's arms, as well as black horns from his head, Grovyle's legs replacing his own, Corphish pincers disguising his hands, Torkoal's shell covering his back and red circles on his cheeks. The glow dimmed, showing Ash without his shirt and hat, but with parts of the Pokemon he had were attached to him.
"What-what did he turn to?" The cucoon broke in half, revealing the girls and Ash, in that new form. Ash came to his scentes and saw himself in the new form, scared at first.
"What just...happened to me?" he studdered. The others were amazed to see Ash's new form.
"Whoa...cool dreads, dude," Junpei complimented. Ash calmed down, and actually seemed to dig the new look.
"Let's see what this new body can do." He leaped into the air, and flapped his wings to gain air. La Mortua fired eyebeams at Ash, but he evaded each shot with ease. Then, Ash dive-bomed with his wings, now as Grovyle's Leaf Blades, but with the Leaf Blades on fire. La Mortua tried to defend, but got his face carved, and felt the pain. La Mortua swung his arm out, but Ash was nimble and jumped clear of the swing.
"How did he get so fast?" Sasami asked.
"I think he might be faster than me," Koga mulled. La Mortua was ready to shoot another beam from his mouth, when Ash flew into it, practically being swallowed alive.
"Ash!" the others shouted in a worried unison.
TO BE CONTINUED...
With Ash inside La Mortua, the others will work feverishly to free him. However, someone inside will surprise everyone, and its not just La Mortua. Can Ash emerge victorious from this battle?