Chapter 4: The Real One
Disclaimer: I own a serious case of writer's block, but not Naruto and Digimon.
Mellra: So, my faithful viewers-
Dracmon: Get him!
Mellra: Wha-?!
(The following revenge scene has been censored due to several of the following acts being illegal just to mention in most sovereign nations. We now return to your shitty pre chapter banter. Thank you.)
Naruto: Sorry about that folks, we just felt that due to Mellra being FOUR F**KING YEARS late in updating, that myself and Drac here needed a serious kick in the ass.
Dracmon: And the head. And the balls. And the liver. And the-
Naruto: You get the picture. Anyway, despite the STUPIDLY LONG hiatus, we're back and ready to wow you with our awesomeness once more.
Dracmon: And now, as Mellra gets out of traction, we present to you the latest chapter of Virus Digidestined.
Mellra: OH GOD, WHY IS MY FOOT SHOVED UP MY OWN-?!
Chapter 4: Night on Infinity Mountain
"Ah-AHCHOO!" Naruto sneezed.
"Nice one!" Dracmon laughed.
"Don't you mean 'Bless you?'" Patamon asked.
Dracmon gained a flat look as he looked at the winged Digimon, pointing a clawed finger at his undead face.
Patamon looked confused for a second before cringing and said, "Oh, right. Sorry."
"You're not catching a cold, are you Naruto?" Matt asked worriedly. While the younger blonde might be a pain most of the time, he was still Matt's cousin and he felt as responsible for him as he did his own brother.
Naruto waved the older boy's concerns off as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket before blowing loudly in it. "Ah, its probably this sudden chill we're getting. Plays havoc on my sinuses," Naruto explained. He then grinned cheekily up at the older boy and said, "Besides, you're probably colder than I am, since you're wearing a sleeveless and all."
Matt rolled his eyes at that before affectionately ruffling the boys already messy hair. "I have jeans on, you twerp. Besides, I'm older than you and can handle the cold better than you."
"Well what does that say about Joe, seeing as he's shivering more than Agumon in a snowstorm?" Gomamon snarked.
The group then started talking about what they'd do if it started snowing, with only Joe looking at the situation in a 'half empty' kind of way.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Joe lectured the other kids, "Safety first!"
"Wow Scruff McGruff, got any other words of wisdom for us?" Naruto asked sarcastically.
Joe gained a sour look on his face as he snapped, "You should listen to me the most, Naruto! You and Dracmon are always going off on your own looking for trouble! Don't you have any common sense, or are you seriously incapable of looking before you leap?"
Naruto gained an annoyed look, but before he could argue back, the group got sidetracked by the fact that the forest they had been walking in suddenly gave way to a snow covered field. As the younger minded members of the group (TK, Mimi, Naruto, and their Digimon) began running gleefully through the snow, the rest of the group began wondering what their next course of action should be. It was then that Agumon detected a strange scent in the air. Following the smell, the Digidestined found that there was a nearby hot spring. The bad new; the waters were much too hot to even think about swimming in. The good news; there was a refrigerator sitting innocently at the edge of the clearing.
Joe urged caution, remembering all of the other close calls they had with apparently convenient human contraptions turning out to be traps. Despite Joe's worries, the group opened the refrigerator to reveal dozens of eggs. The group was ecstatic at the discovery of food, but Joe kept worrying about the dangers of eating food found in the middle of nowhere.
"Think of it this way, Joe," Naruto rationalized as he started tossing some of the boiled eggs into a happy Dracmon's open mouth. "If the Digimon get fed, that'll keep their strength up. That way, if another Digimon comes along and tries to eat us, we'll at least be able to fight back."
"Yeah!" Dracmon happily agreed before cracking two raw eggs into his mouth. His pale gray skin quickly turned a sickly green as he clutched his stomach and groaned, "Oh, that was a bad decision!"
"I knew I shouldn't've told you about the Rocky series," Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his heaving partner's back.
Joe just sighed at the duo's antics as he began picking at his eggs. This led to a moment of melancholy among the group as they realized that they couldn't have their favorite egg toppings here in the Digital World. This of course made them all homesick even as Sora tried her best to keep spirits up. The children then went around talking about their favorite egg recipes.
"The best eggs are the ones in ramen," Naruto stated firmly with closed eyes and crossed arms. This surprised absolutely no one. It didn't take long for Joe to nearly have a nervous breakdown when some of the kids' ideas got fairly weird. His motto of K.I.S.S didn't seem to be for everyone, least of all the carefree Gomamon. After another argument with his laidback partner about caution, Joe just seemed to give up and left the group to sulk.
Not long afterwards, Matt and Tai started to have a heated argument about their next course of action. Tai believed that they should try to climb Infinity Mountain to get a better look at the island, whereas Matt believed it was too dangerous for the group. Meanwhile, the other kids and their partners watched on in concern. Joe, hearing the arguing preteens, came over to see what the fuss was about.
"Oh, Tai and Matt are having another dick measuring contest," Naruto casually stated, only to get a slap upside the head from Sora for his language. Grumbling as he rubbed his noggin, Naruto continued, "Though in this case I'd have to agree with Matt. That mountain is a bit too big to be used for casual sightseeing. Plus, none of us have any mountain climbing gear, or the experience to use it. Not to mention if one of us gets hurt trying to climb that thing, there's no doctors around to help out and we'd be in serious trouble," he then paused when he noticed everyone was staring at him, including Tai and Matt who put their argument on hold. "…What?"
"N-nothing! Just, surprised you'd make a logical argument for safety is all," Joe coughed awkwardly.
Naruto huffed and pulled a pouty face. "Just because I like to live life on the edge at times doesn't mean I'm some kind of danger seeking moron," he stated. Noticing the shifty eyed looks that the others had, Naruto huffed again and turned away grumbling to himself.
Joe coughed again to regain the groups attention. This turned out to be a poor decision because the argument just escalated again once Joe tried going over both Tai and Matt's points. Eventually, the group decided that they'd set up camp in a nearby cave and decide on how to carry on in the morning.
Naruto looked over to where Joe was going to sleep and looked as if he was struggling with something. An unusual look for the normally carefree boy. Eventually, the young Digidestined shrugged his shoulders before lying next to his partner. Dracmon, despite his main eyes being hooded, looked at Naruto with a worried frown on his face. He considered asking the blonde what was wrong but decided it could wait for later. After all, Naruto tended to wear his heart on his sleeves and the two didn't have secrets between them…right?
The next morning, the two were woken by the sound of Sora waking the others up. Apparently when everyone else had been asleep at night, Joe and Gomamon had snuck off to scout Infinity Mountain on their own. Naruto seemed annoyed at Joe, which was odd considering most of the other kids privately thought he'd be the one to sneak out and climb the mountain. Dracmon, meanwhile, was torn. A part of him worried for Joe and Gomamon (the former for his nervous nature while the later wasn't the strongest Digimon out of water), while the other part was impressed that the seemingly spineless Joe would make such a ballsy move. It was quickly decided by the group that Sora, Tai, and their respective Digimon would go ahead and make sure the other two were okay. The former because of Birdramon's ability to fly quickly, while the latter would act as backup in case a fight occurred. A couple hours passed as the other kids and their Digimon waited anxiously for them to come back, hopefully with their missing members.
It was rough for awhile, especially after they started hearing what sounded like explosions echoing from up the mountain. Shortly after the explosions stopped though, the group relaxed as they saw Birdramon flying back with Joe and Gomamon in tow. The news they brought wasn't good. Apparently, after fighting off a Unimon who'd had a Black Gear embedded in him, they had found out that they were in fact on an island with no other land in sight. On the plus side, Gomamon had managed to Digivolve into his Champion form Ikkakumon in order to save Joe, who apparently had the smart idea of jumping onto Unimon's back to try and remove the Black Gear from it.
As the others talked, Joe noticed Naruto motioning for him to follow. Curious as to what the younger boy wanted, as also wanting a distraction from his still racing heart, the glasses wearer followed Naruto while their Digimon partners followed at a safe distance. The quartet ended up close to the hot springs from earlier, with Naruto taking a seat on a log next to the bubbling water.
"Hey, Joe?" Naruto called out before gesturing for the older boy to sit down next to him.
"What is it, Naruto?" Joe asked while taking a seat, weary on what the hyperactive blonde would say. After the stressful day he'd had, the glasses wearing boy was in no mood for the younger boy's antics.
Naruto seemed to think for a second before saying, "Look…I get it, okay?"
Joe, surprised by the melancholy tone the boy was using, said, "Get what?"
"Why you're trying to be responsible for all of us," Naruto explained. "A few years back, my dad disappeared. No one knows where he is or if he's even still alive. My Mom practically shut down after that. I tried to grow up fast, be the man of the house, ya'know? It…didn't really go great. Turns out, you can't be an adult at six no matter how much you pretend.
"Anyway, about three months after Dad disappeared, I had the bright idea on going to find him by myself. Took the bus and everything. Except the only thing I found was the bad side of town. Nearly had a run in with the Yakuza there, and I was sure I was a goner when my older brother showed up."
Joe, who until this point had been enraptured by the story, blurted out, "You have an older brother?"
Naruto gave a shrug as he said, "Kakashi was my dad's top pupil until he graduated. Then he started working under him as an assistant until dad disappeared. He was always coming over to our place and would hang out with me whenever he could. Kinda became my official older brother when Matt's not around.
"Anyway, once Kakashi caught up with me, he helped me out of a sticky situation and then nearly tore me apart with the lecture he gave me." At this Naruto chuckled as he seemed to be reliving a fond memory instead of a possibly traumatic experience. "But one of the things he told me then really sticks out to me: 'Everyone has burdens, Naruto. But no one has to face them alone. Otherwise, we end up being consumed by them, and cause more burdens to people who are precious to us.'" Naruto turned and gave a grin to a still listening Joe. "Afterwards, he took me back home and just told my mom that he'd taken me out for a walk on the road of life, but we'd gotten lost along the way."
At this, Naruto took out his Digivice and started fiddling with it as he continued, "After that, I took up pranks and jokes to help take my Mom's mind off of Dad. It worked, and though she lectures me whenever I prank other people, I know she finds them hilarious." He then turned back to Joe and concluded, "So yeah, I know what it's like to want to be responsible for everyone else, Joe. But we shouldn't have to carry that burden alone. Just do what we can to help out, and we can get through anything together." (1)
At this, Naruto put his Digivice back into his pocket, stood up, and stretched. "Well, with that sage bit of wisdom, I'm heading back. Just think about what I said, huh?" he cheerfully called out to the older boy, who could only numbly wave back at the info bomb that was just dropped on his head. It was clear to the glasses wearing kid that, despite Naruto's goofy and (quite frankly ridiculous) behavior, he's got more layers than one would think. Joe was left with his thoughts as Naruto went back to the group with Dracmon, Gomamon heading over to where the older boy was.
As Naruto walked back to the group, the Undead Digimon turned his hooded and asked in a quiet voice, "Was all that true, Naruto?"
The blonde was silent for a second before saying, "…Yeah."
Dracmon paused before saying, "Do, do you want to talk about it?"
Quiet for a few seconds longer, Naruto shook his head. Dracmon, in a rare show of maturity, decided that he shouldn't push the subject right now. Instead, he said, "…Okay. Just let me know when you wanna talk about it, huh?"
Naruto was quiet once more, and Dracmon was beginning to worry for his friend, when he felt Naruto place an arm over his shoulders. Turning, Dracmon saw Naruto's whiskered face grinning at him. "Sure thing, buddy. And thanks."
Dracmon grinned back, making sure not to point out the dried tears that were on the boy's face. "Anytime."
…
"So can someone please explain to me why we're back on the mountain if we've already established that this is an island? And with the rest of the group as well?" Naruto asked as the kids and their Digital partners walked up the mountain path.
"We might've missed something earlier when we were up here, so I wanna take another look around," Tai explained as he lead the group with Agumon at his side. "Besides, is there really any other better options right now?"
"Fair enough. Hopefully with Unimon out of that Black Gear's control, we won't have any more unforeseen attacks on us while we'd be more likely to fall to our untimely deaths," Dracmon mused.
"Thanks for putting that mental image in my head, Dracmon," Joe stated irritably. "Now I know Murphy's going to rear his ugly head soon."
"Is Murphy a Digimon?" Gomamon asked his partner.
Joe sighed as he knew explaining Murphy's Law to the seal like Digimon was going to lead to nothing but headaches. The group walked in relative silence the rest of the way until they reached the edge of a cliff overlooking the entire island. Beyond the sea of trees below, there was only the blue expanse of ocean before them. The kids and their Digimon looked at the sight in melancholy silence.
"RRRIIICOLAAAA!" a voice echoed. Eight guesses who's.
"Naruto!" Matt chided the younger boy who had his hands cupped around his mouth and a shit eating grin on his face.
"Matt!" Naruto called back after an eyeroll.
"Dracmon!" Dracmon finished with a hand raised.
"Wrong franchise," Naruto told his partner.
"Could you please be serious for one minute?! We're stranded on an island full of monsters who want to kill us and there's no way off in sight!" Matt hissed at his cousin.
"I know that, Mr. Buzzkill. I'm just trying to lighten the way too heavy mood. Besides," at this Naruto took on a lecture pose, which might have been more impressive if it wasn't being delivered by a short eight-year-old boy with whisker birthmarks. "When we were first brought to this place, we were swept up by a giant wave. Way I see it, if there's any way back home, it's probably somewhere near or on the ocean. Worst case scenario, we'll have to build a boat or something to get off this island."
"And how do you expect to do that, Gilligan?" Sora asked with a quirked eyebrow. "We don't know the first thing about building boats, and we'd need a big one for all of us to cross an ocean. We don't even know how far we are from any mainland!"
Joe sunk to his knees with an almost visible cloud of depression hanging over him. "We're doomed," he moaned. "Trapped on an island…I knew I wouldn't like camp, but would my folks listen to me? Nooo. I wanted to go to summer school!"
"I don't know what that is, but hearing you say that makes me want to give you a wedgie," Dracmon hummed with a tilt of his head.
"Trust me, that is the natural response to a comment like that," Tai agreed before going off towards the cliff with Agumon while pulling out his pocket telescope and a piece of paper. Apparently, the groups fearless leader wanted to make a map of the island to keep track of where they are and have been to already. It was a fairly solid idea, but the execution needed some work. Namely the fact that Tai couldn't draw anything but modern art. In other words: a mess of scribbles. Tai defended his cartography skills (or lack thereof) by saying he could read it just fine and that's all that matters.
Joe and Mimi meanwhile bemoaned their current predicament. Although the latter was more concerned with how parts of her outfit weren't matching. Suddenly, a loud growling noise came from the path they'd used to climb up the mountain. The source of the noise came from a bipedal lion man with a tribal necklace and a short sword strapped to his back. The lion's eyes were currently blank, sending chills of warning up the children's' spines, yet their digital friends seemed to know him.
"Don't worry, that's Leomon," Patamon began. "He's-"
"If you say he's a friendly and/or harmless Digimon, I'm going to punt you like the winged football you are," Naruto stated plainly.
Patamon looked away with an awkward cough as Dracmon stepped forward, "C'mon Naru, just 'cause most of the Digimon we've met tried to kill us doesn't mean all of them-"
"I want the children!" the blank eyed lion Digimon growled menacingly as he bared his sword.
"…Never mind," Dracmon deadpanned as the group tensed.
"Call me paranoid, but I think it's time we run!" Joe called out while Leomon started to lunge forward.
"Ya'know, Joe's got a point. This seems like a good time to make like a banana and get the hell out of here!" Naruto called out to the others as he started to make his way down the opposite path.
"I'm pretty sure that's not how the saying goes, but I concur. Let's – LOOK OUT!" Izzy cried out to the younger boy.
Naruto yelped as a green hand closed tightly around his arm, pulling him up into the air.
"NARUTO!" the other's cried out in a panic as the menacing form of Ogremon was revealed to have the whiskered boy in his clutches.
"Heh, better back off kiddies, or I'll practice my swing on this brat's skull!" the brutish Digimon sneered as he held his club up menacingly.
Matt bit his lip so hard it nearly bled, torn between calling upon his older brother instincts to rescue his cousin and worried that the enemy Digimon would hurt him if he tried. Things were made even more complicated as Leomon caught up to the group, ordering them to give up in a voice that offered no argument.
Surprisingly, Naruto just grinned as he called out, "Don't worry guys! I got this!"
Ogremon just laughed as he brought the child closer to his face. "Oh, you 'got this', huh? Not from where I'm standing, you little - !"
"POCKET SAND!" Naruto called out as he brought his free hand, which he'd quickly put into his pocket during the confusion, out and threw a handful of sand directly into his captor's eyes.
"GAH!" Ogremon howled in agony as he dropped the blonde to bring his hands up to his stinging eyes.
Naruto quickly scrambled back to the group and grinned at his surprised friends. "Ha, now I'm glad I haven't gotten rid of that sand from the desert!"
"Wait, we left the desert days ago. Why didn't you - ?" Izzy began.
"Is now really the best time?" screamed Mimi as Leomon and a now red eyed Ogremon leapt towards them, weapons bared.
Light started to shine from Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Mimi, and Joe's Digivices, and soon six more Champion Digimon were standing on the mountain path. Greymon, Garurumon, and Togemon faced against Leomon while Ikkakumon, Birdramon, and Kabuterimon faced off against Ogremon. The odds were now in the DigiDestined's favor, as their Digimon started using teamwork to push the enemy Champions back. However, before they could gain more ground, the mountain above them seemed to explode and an avalanche of boulders started making their way towards the group.
Thinking fast, the heroic Digimon launched their attacks against the incoming rock, saving the kids from getting nothing worse than a dust shower. This unfortunately had the side-effect of causing the Digimon to go back to their Rookie forms in exhaustion. The good news was that the two attacking Digimon had disappeared once the avalanche started. Of course, this did raise the question of HOW the avalanche started. While Izzy theorized that it was just caused by natural occurrences, Tai wasn't so sure. Naruto secretly agreed with the goggles wearing boy, as he felt that the avalanche occurring right as they'd gotten the upper hand was very suspicious.
Deciding to put those thoughts on the backburner for now, the group decided to continue their trek up the mountain, none of them aware of the evil red eyes watching them from afar. As the day dragged into the evening, the kids and their Digimon started to reach the end of their energy for the day. Agumon and the other five had it worse since they'd Digivolved twice in the same day. That was something that had the children wondering if the Digimon were getting stronger, or if some other factor was in play?
As the older kids debated on what to do for camp that evening, Joe suddenly spotted a large building through the trees. The design was that of a mansion or a fancy hotel, and without another thought, the children started running towards the building, the thought of warm beds and baths calling to them like a siren's song. Only Naruto and Dracmon held back, the former with a thoughtful look on his face (that made him look even more like a fox or a cat with his squinted eyes and whisker marks) while the later was wondering what his normally energetic and impulsive partner was thinking about.
"What's up Naru?" Dracmon asked after a moment.
Naruto hummed before answering. "It's just that…y'know how every time we've run into something that could help us, some Digimon pops up out of nowhere and attacks?"
"Oh good, I thought it was just me noticing that," Dracmon nodded.
"And then there was that attack from earlier with those two Digimon who suddenly disappeared," Naruto continued, cupping his chin with his hand.
"You think there's a connection?" Dracmon asked, turning back towards where the others were debating on who would enter the mansion first.
"That's a bet I'm sure even my grandma would win, and she's known as the Legendary Sucker in most gambling circles," Naruto stated with his blue eyes opened to give the building a scrutinizing look.
"…So if it's a trap, what do you think we should do?" Dracmon asked, his hooded eyes matching his partners.
"Well, as much as I don't wanna fall for an obvious 'Hansel and Gretel' scenario, I'm gonna say we play along for now and keep our eyes peeled. That said," Naruto continued as a wickedly mischievous grin spread across his face, "that doesn't mean we can't try and spring the trap on our terms."
A matching evil grin formed on the vampiric Digimon's face as he said, "What'd you have in mind?"
As the older kids debated who was going to open the door first, an orange and black blur suddenly rushed between them.
"FUCK THE POLICE!" Naruto and Dracmon yelled as they kicked the door open, rushing inside with airhorns going off. The two then ran around the main entrance area, tilting every painting they could find, including a particular portrait of an angle.
"NARUTO!" Matt yelled in frustration at his younger cousin's antics. The other DigiDestined and their partners just sighed and shook their heads, used to the duo's odd behavior by now.
The rest of the group followed inside, with Matt grabbing a giggling Naruto and Dracmon by the scruff of their neck. Joe mumbled about how those two were giving him such a headache as he went about trying to straighten out the paintings. As TK and Patamon stopped to admire the angle portrait, the other kids paired off with their partners to begin looking around. As Matt tried (and failed) to lecture the two troublemakers on their impulsive actions, Gabumon suddenly stopped and started to sniff the air. The wolf-like Digimon led the group to a large banquet hall with a table loaded with delicious looking food.
While most of the children were cautious about their sudden turn of luck, the Digimon were quick to sit at the table and began stuffing their faces, with Mimi commenting on their lack of table manners. It wasn't long before Joe broke, and soon the rest of the kids were enjoying their first decent meal in the last few days.
"Well, if it IS a trap," Dracmon began before shoving an entire pie into his mouth. He quickly chewed it up and swallowed before reaching for another, "it's most definitely the tastiest one I've ever been in!"
"Yeah. And besides, you'd have to be AWFULLY evil to make ramen a trap," Naruto agreed as he tucked into a bowel the size of a coffee table.
Bellies full, the children and Digimon headed to the baths, which were set up as a full hot spring. Which was weird considering the building was European in style, but the author digresses. There was some fun antics involved, such as Tai and Matt dragging Joe butt naked into the bath and Gomamon being thrown from the women's side. And of course, Naruto made a splash via cannonball while Dracmon was somehow able to find a shower cap to replace his hood. After they were cleaned, the group found freshly made beds that they quickly went to claim. Goodnights were said, and soon the group was sound asleep, exhausted from the day's events.
Unknown to the young heroes, evil was about to show his face. Down in the main entrance, the angle painting from earlier (remember that?) suddenly turned dark as a wicked looking shape emerged from it. Devimon, a malicious Digimon with devil horns and too long arms, smirked as his plan was coming together nicely. From his shadow, Ogremon and Leomon emerged, ready to do their master's bidding.
"The DigiDestined, while powerful, are more like children than I expected," Devimon mused with an evil sneer. Turning towards his minions, he ordered, "Go, and destroy those who would threaten my rule over the Digital World!"
"Yes, Master," the two Champions bowed. They then turned towards the stairs, ready to make their way to the room the children were sleeping in. Ogremon, eager to prove his worth to his new master and to one up his possessed rival, reached the stairs first and began to climb them. He didn't make it halfway before he tripped over the carefully hidden marbles. The ogre Digimon gave many a grunt and shout of pain as he fell down the stairs.
Leomon halted his advance and went to investigate the trap. If he wasn't being brainwashed by Devimon, he might have been able to avoid what happened next. A whooshing sound greeted his ears, and as the lion looked up, he was met with a face full of paint can. He was then sent tumbling down after his accomplice. Devimon was instantly on alert by this, spreading his ragged wings in preparation for a fight.
Hearing giggles, the dark Digimon looked up and saw both Naruto and Dracmon standing at the top of the stairs with Cheshire grins on their faces. "So, it seems that the DigiDestined are smarter than I thought," Devimon mused as his minions got to their feet.
"You did kinda make this trap a little too obvious," Dracmon stated as he waged a taloned finger at the larger Digimon.
"Yeah, I mean finding this place right after being attacked with said attackers vanishing? You'd have to be some kind of moron to not be suspicious," Naruto added as he gave a hand gesture that no eight-year-old should ever use.
Devimon's face gave an ugly snarl. "Impudent whelps! You have no idea what terrifying powers I have at my command!"
"Well so far, all's you've done is send your two boy toys after us while you stand there all menacing in your S&M outfit. Not really impressed," Naruto shrugged.
Devimon had no idea what S&M was, but he was overcome by a powerful urge to rip this particular DigiDestined's tongue out. He began to hover into the air to avoid the boobytrapped stairs and destroy the two who mocked him, when he was suddenly hit by a falling piano.
"You have NO idea how hard it was to get that up there without the other's looking," Dracmon cackled.
Just then, the door to the room the group was sleeping in opened with Tai and Agumon walking out. The pair had been making their way to the bathroom when they saw what was going on.
"Naruto?", "Dracmon?" they asked simultaneously.
"Oh, hey guys. Just a heads up, but you might want to watch your step," Dracmon commented nonchalantly as if he wasn't facing off against three powerful Digimon.
"Why?" Tai asked uncertainly as his brain struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
"We may or may not have been 'Home Alone'-ing the shit out of this place since we got here," Naruto answered.
"...WHY?!" Tai asked, louder still as Agumon began taking a defensive stance in front of him in case the other Digimon decided to attack.
The duo gave the supposed leader of the group a flat look before pointing down the stairs and saying in sync, "That's why."
Suddenly, Devimon decided to make his presence known once more as he obliterated the piano off himself with a shout. "ENOUGH!" he roared.
Suddenly, the manor began to fade as if it were a mirage. As it turns out, the entire place, from the food to the baths, was merely an illusion created by Devimon. Using his dark power, Devimon began levitating the beds holding the remaining members of the group (who managed to SOMEHOW stay asleep throughout the entire thing) and waking them up.
The island then began to rumble and break apart, with each chunk of land floating out to sea. Multiple Black Gears begin spilling out from the cracks, showing that Devimon had been the mastermind behind them. Both Agumon and Dracmon got ready for battle, but since the food they had eaten earlier wasn't real, their strength quickly failed them as Ogremon and Leomon went on the attack.
Leomon went after Tai and Agumon, while Ogremon went after Naruto and Dracmon. Naruto tried to dodge the incoming Digimon, but with the boobytraps vanishing along with the manor, the Champion was easily able to catch the blonde and pin him to the ground with his free hand. "This is for all the humiliation you've given me, you BRAT!" Ogremon seethed as he raised his club for a Pummel Whack.
Seeing his partner in danger, Dracmon summoned what strength he could and leaped at the enemy Digimon. "UNDEAD FANG!" the undead Rookie cried as he sank his teeth into the arm that held the whiskered boy.
"OUCH!" Ogremon cried out in pain as he flailed his arm around to dislodge the little pest. This had the side effect of sending both Naruto and Dracmon flying into the air. Fortunately, they landed on one of the beds Devimon was still levitating. The duo could only watch helplessly as Leomon went to attack Tai, only for Tai's Digivice to suddenly glow and expel some sort of darkness from the lion Digimon. Leomon was then freed from whatever control Devimon had over him and began attacking both the demon Digimon and Ogremon. Unfortunately, this caused Devimon to lose control over the beds and sent them flying in different directions.
The last thing Naruto and Dracmon saw before they went hurtling into the distance was Leomon helping Tai and Agumon escape before being attacked by Devimon. They were then sent to parts unknown. Who knows what fate will befall our heroes as they are separated from their friends in this strange new world? Tune in next time to find out on Virus DigiDestined!
1. Yeah, I know this info drop just seemed to come out of nowhere, but I wanted to start revealing some of the heavier plot points I have planned for this story. This brief look into Naruto's past seemed like a good way to do it. And the lesson learned is kind of a mashup IKakashi, Haku, and Itachi's canon lectures while trying to keep to real world themes. Hope I didn't screw the pooch on this, as I'm not one for or on deep, theological thought process. More bits and pieces of Naruto's backstory will be revealed throughout 01, but the real exposition is for 02, so look forward to it!
AN: So I know this is updating way later than I would have liked, all I've gotta say is I'm sorry and that writer's block is a bitch. That, coupled with real life issues and the fact that I've been binging other series means that updates are going to be sporadic from me at best. I promise though that I will try to do right by you, my faithful readers that have stuck with me for so long. Stay positive, safe, and healthy, and I'll see you next time!