I know you're all been waiting awhile for the next update (in truth, I might have rushed the final draft a bit and may go back and reedit later), so I have only one subject to note before we get to it:
Regarding Evolutions: Antylamon is a bit of a grind in the gears, because he's technically a Perfect Level, but at the same time, an Evolution from Lopmon, a Child level. This is, of course, primarily based on the evolutions shown to us in Tamers, since the movie had several underlying evolutionary challenges, with the whole being corrupted etc etc. There is technically an Adult level in between the two, but I don't believe Turuiemon appeared in the anime pre-Fusion (which I have yet to watch beyond those amazing crossover episodes), and I have very little experience with the games. So we're going with Tamers rules on this one.
(Not that Wallace would seem to know either, considering he still calls them Chocomon and Gumimon regardless of level/form.)
o
DIGIMON TRI: BALANCE
o
The tea shop was closed. A sign on the street level door indicated the owners were away on vacation. Unusual for that time of year, given the high level of tourism, but also extremely convenient for Taichi to slip, unseen, past the singularly knotted rope blocking the stairs to the upper deck. Hidden by the shadows of the night, he took them two at a time before sliding into a low crouch behind the wooden railing and held his breath.
Seconds later, the trio of suits came into view; he watched them through a crack in the weathered planks as they paused just shy of the street lamp's illuminating glow.
Murmured whispers were exchanged.
Taichi felt his heart pounding in his chest.
They were hovering. They had to be. He knew he had never been known for subtlety or stealth. His hair was too distinct a feature. Too easy to spot. There was no way they hadn't seen him. And in yet another one of his genius moves, he'd climbed up onto what was essentially a dead end. The sliding doors behind him were locked. There was only one way in and out. It wouldn't be long before his cover was blown, and he would end up—
Music rang into the air.
"Oh, my Julia! Oboeteru kai..."
But it cut out almost as soon as it began, and Taichi heard a sharp, feminine voice speak up.
"Reiko." Silence. The mobile was pressed firmly to her ear at too far a distance for him to hear anything. "Negative. No signs since the okonomiyaki shop."
Taichi felt his knees go weak from a mixture of relief and partial disbelief. After all that...they really hadn't been seen? Not once? Unless…
He steeled himself and risked another peek. The two men seemed fixated solely on the woman on the phone. Somehow, they appeared completely oblivious to his presence one story above their heads...and to Koushiro's, sitting by the front window of that 24-hour internet cafe across the street...and Iori's, whose head was just barely peeking out from the adjacent underground train stairwell...and...okay, in Daisuke's defense, Taichi might not have even known he was up that tree if he hadn't witnessed the younger boy climbing it.
Still.
What were these people, Bakemon in disguise?
"Acknowledged." The mobile clicked shut. Reiko took the time to tuck it back in her jacket pocket before filling in her companions. "There's been another attack. Four targets engaged with an anomaly down by the harbor."
A chill ran down Taichi's spine before he paused to furrow his brows. Four targets?That didn't make sense. Yamato was with Hikari and Takeru. Sora was with Mimi and Jou. Their respective messages confirmed as much. Even if the two groups had since rejoined, the math still didn't add up.
"Just call them what they are, Reiko-san," One of the men heaved an unexpectedly uncharacteristic sigh. He then proceeded to dispelso many prior notions of professionalism as he shifted his weight, slouched, and scratched at the back of his neck. "A bunch of kids with no idea how in over their heads they really are." He sounded tired. And annoyed.
"I wouldn't rule them out, Hiashi-kun," the other spoke in a far lower and more cautious tone. "You read the same reports I did, and if even half of what's in them is true—"
"Unconfirmed reports. The first of which cites an anomaly appearing when half of them were barely old enough to run their first errand."
Taichi's eyes widened. They're talking about Hikarigaoka!
"Or are you really expecting me to believe a normal 3-year-old would have casually gone for a joyride on some giant dinosaur-like creature, or watched that same dinosaur fight an even more giant bird without once bursting into frightened tears?"
"Maybe she's not a normal 3-year-old?"
Anger began to rise from deep inside Taichi's chest. That was his baby sister they were insulting! He felt his arms tremble and had to bite down on his lip and dig his nails into his palm to keep from jumping up and screaming at them for implying anything remotely negative about a girl they probably had never even met.
(Even if...so maybe there were times when...occasionally, he would wonder…)
But brotherly honor aside, what disturbed him even more was the fact that these people apparently couldn't find a goggle-wearing teen in a tree and yet they somehow knew about him. About them all. Their involvement with the digimon. The attacks by Vamdemon would have been one thing, given how public they'd been, but how could they possibly have known about something only eight young children had ever claimed to witness?
"Look," The first man spoke again. "Kids can sometimes be weird, but not that weird. I'm telling you right now, if my sister's little girl came upon anything bigger than a shiba inu, you'd hear her screaming all the way in Kyoto."
"I thought your sister had a tosa?"
"If you two are done arguing over mere speculation, maybe we should head back to the rendezvous point." The woman finally cut in, audibly unamused. She deliberately cut between them on her way down the sidewalk, not bothering to wait for either to catch up before adding: "We got what we came for."
...they did?
Taichi was more confused than ever. Confused and pissed and...uneasy. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but there had been something about the two men's argument that left him a little on edge. Enough to haunt his thoughts long after the trio disappeared down the main street, when he finally stood. To occupy his mind as he absently made his way back down the stairs, so oblivious to his surroundings that he didn't notice the figure coming up behind him until something brushed against his back.
Biting back a yelp, he reflexively jumped and spun on his heels...only to find himself staring back at Sora's wide-eyed gaze. His hand had somehow found its way to her mouth. Hers had done the same to his. Together, the childhood friends were left blinking at one another in a moment of awkward silence until, in sync, they lowered their hands.
"How did you know where we were?" was his first question.
She shook her head, looking as taken aback as he felt. "We didn't. We've been running from that van for, like, the last twenty minutes or so until, all of a sudden, it hit the brakes one block back that way—" she indicated down the side street she had just come from with a thumb over one shoulder "—and did a complete U-turn. It was weird."
"Mimi-kun spotted you while we were trying to figure out what to do next." Jou came up behind Sora. Mimi was right beside him, looking vindicated. "We would've gone up to meet you, but we heard those two guys talking. I don't suppose you heard what they were saying?"
Fresh anger returned to his features at the memory, and he nodded once. "It's worse than we thought. They're not just following us. They know. Everything."
"You mean about the digimon." Jou tried to clarify.
Koushiro chimed in then, shaking his head as he rejoined the group. "Not just the digimon. They know about the Hikarigaoka attack. I'll bet they know about Vamdemon and even Diablomon."
"Wait, " Taichi turned to him in question. "You heard them?"
"Of course I did. I was listening in the whole time."
"How…?" He began, before thinking better on it and shaking his head. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know."
"What was that about Diablomon?" Daisuke wanted to know as he and Iori finally caught up.
Mimi raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are there leaves in your hair?"
"More importantly," Iori cut in, his low tenor drawing the attention of everyone. His eyes were inquisitive as he stared down the main street. There was a faint glow in the distance coming from the boardwalk, and an even fainter sound of... "Does anyone hear screaming?"
o
o
Megadramon let out another roar as his tail whipped around, slamming hard into the twin digimon and sending them straight into the waters below. It would be several seconds before their heads resurfaced, coughing and sputtering and Gargomon moaning something about forgetting his swim trunks in America.
Hikari's knuckles were white as she clenched the fist over her heart that much tighter.
Takeru risked a glance Wallace's way, noticing the boy growing more and more uneasy the longer the fight went on. And, to his surprise, he couldn't decide if he felt more nervous or relieved at the thought.
"How much fighting have they done since last time?" He kept his tone gentle, knowing it was a delicate question. One he wouldn't have asked at all if it hadn't been important.
"Enough. At least...I thought..." The American blonde shook his head, eyes glazing over as he seemed to be recalling something in his mind's eye. "They've sparred together ever since Chocomon re-hatched. Gumimon insisted. He said...after meeting you guys, he knew it was important that he get stronger. So he could protect me..." A flash of sadness Takeru recognized all too well appeared, only to replaced by a smile Takeru knew even better. "But they're fighting together. With those odds, I'll just have to trust that they'll be okay."
Sure enough, Takeru found himself habitually mirroring the expression. "Right."
"Unfortunately, it's not always that simple."
Yamato stepped forward, drawing both their attentions. His eyes remained fixated on the battle for a moment longer before turning to face Wallace directly. He gave the newcomer a once-over, peripherally taking note of his little brother's body language all the while. Takeru was the second best judge of character of anybody he knew. The best was standing less than two meters away, back to them as she kept an eye on the digimion. Both had recognized Wallace immediately. Wallace had certainly recognized Hikari. And Yamato remembered the name from past stories. An American Chosen. A friend. Or at least someone who was very friendly.
But there would be time for that later. Right then…
"What do you mean?" Wallace had his near undivided attention, eyes wide and curious.
"What level are they?"
"...level?"
"One's an Adult." Takeru offered, recognizing Wallace's unfamiliarity with the terms. "I'm not sure about the other, but they're either the same or one level higher."
Yamato nodded, unsurprised. "And Megadramon's a naturally evolved Perfect." He turned back to Wallace with a small frown. "You could be right. They have every chance of winning. But even if they were both newly-evolved Perfects, they could still be at a bigger disadvantage than you think. Especially the way Monodramon's fighting. You need to take that into account."
"Perfect...Adult..." Wallace's confusion was palpable as he alternated between the brothers. "I know digimon get stronger each time they evolve, but...how do you know all this?"
Another large splash interrupted before either of them had a chance to explain; Gargomon and Antylamon had since recovered, and the former sat atop his brother's shoulders, rapidly firing blasts as Antylamon hopped literal circles around Megadramon. The dragon digimon struggled to follow the movements, head swirling around and around as one rabbit focused on the offense and the other on defense. Twice, Megadramon attempted to swipe at them. Twice, he missed.
And several times more, Gargomon's wild aim ended up sending splashes of water up onto the pier.
"Hey!" Yamato exclaimed as cold water struck his face. "Could you try...I don't know...aiming that thing?"
"Sorry!"
The next shot hit Megadramon square in the chest, stunning him so badly he was unable to block the next four in a row.
Wallace's smile reappeared, more genuine than before. "There! I knew they could do it!"
The pair were now moving in near perfect sync, each attack coordinated with the other like a dance routine. The second Megadramon hit the surface of the water, one was bouncing off his head while the other delivered a series of blasts to the chest. A combined effort that fully submerged the Perfect level digimon until only his tail hovered above the surface.
Even Takeru had to admit they made a pretty great team, especially if they were as inexperienced as Wallace claimed.
"They're actually winning." He felt his shoulders start to relax, coming up to stand beside Hikari. "At this rate, they'll—"
"It's not right." she whispered.
Takeru heard her all the same. "Huh? What's…?"
He trailed off, brows furrowing as looked up in time to see Megadramon's tail swinging blindly. Gargomon was bouncing back and forth between his brother's shoulders and the tail, using the last jump to propel himself high up into the air. When Megadramon resurfaced, he went straight for Antylamon, only to find himself blocked by a wall of shots aimed directly into the water. This gave Antylamon enough time to circle back around...but not before accidentally running directly into the tail, flying backwards.
"Aniki!" Gargomon called out.
"I'm okay! Keep firing!"
It was far from a completely one-sided battle, but Takeru couldn't see anything more wrong than usual. Yet when he turned back to Hikari, he was shocked to find her eyes glistening. She had always seemed so much more adapted to battle than he, so for her to be so visibly upset could only mean one thing: she was seeing something he couldn't.
Gargomon hit Megadramon's shoulder just as a flash of pink flickered between them. The split-second contact was enough to send them both flying back in a burst of light and painful cries.
Hikari's eyes glazed over.
"...'kari..."
Another burst of light. This time, from behind.
Yamato, Wallace, and Takeru all spun around, and the latter was hit by a sudden wary nostalgia at the sight.
He had seen that light before. Three years before. Standing on the edge of a cliff by the ocean, he'd watched as it manifested in the air. A portal. A tear in the wall between worlds, bursting open through raw power. The image of his best friend had stared back at him then, but this time…
Little more than a shadowy speck at first. Growing larger and larger until it took shape. Tall ears. A thin tail, shimmering just below the tip. Fierce, blue eyes. White fur. Feline.
"Hikari!"
Tailmon leaped high into the air, soaring over their heads as she somersaulted her way into a graceful landing atop the dock railing. She straightened, eyes locking with Hikari's for only an instant before turning towards the ensuing battle.
"Tailmon!"
But she wasn't the only one; less than a second later, Patmon came flying out of the portal at top speed, straight into a shocked Takeru's arms. The sheer force sent the boy flying onto his back with an emotional digimon wriggling in his arms
"Tailmon..." Her Chosen partner called to her softly. "...help him."
Beneath her clenched fist, another glow appeared. Pink at first, then white. The glow of evolution. It burst forth, bathing the Adult digimon in a surge of energy and power. Her form grew. Limbs stretching as paws became hands and feet. Fur replaced by soft skin and cold armor. Long, golden locks sprung from her head as a helmet appeared. Boots, too.
Angewomon rose up high into the night sky, surrounded by an ethereal light indicative of her Holy status.
Instincts kicked in, and Takeru sat up. His eyes fell to Patamon's, and it took less than a second for the two partners to agree:
"Go."
"Right!"
The light from Takeru's chest was softer than Hikari's, yellow instead of pink, but the end result was virtually the same. Patamon's form twisted and morphed into that of Angewomon's male counterpart, his six brilliant wings carrying him to her with lightning speed. The pair shared a warm smile between them; how long had it been since they'd fought together in these forms? Powerful and confident, with the serene knowledge of what needed to be done. And how.
"They really do look like angels," Wallace commented dreamily as he stared up at them in awe.
"Kinda fitting in a way," Yamato murmured, more to himself than Wallace. His eyes fell to where Hikari had knelt down by Takeru's side, momentarily taking herself away from the battle long enough to inquire about his well-being. For his part, Takeru seemed to be taking it all in stride, allowing her to help him to his feet before turning to watch their digimon fly off Megadramon. Their hands remained clasped for several seconds after.
Wallace turned to him, intending to ask what he meant by that, before noticing an oddly soft expression on the older boy's face. So he followed his gaze.
And saw the same thing Yamato saw.
Gargomon and Antylamon had just retreated back when they caught sight of the approaching angel digimon. The latter dropped his jaw, while the former's smile brightened at the familiar faces.
"Long time no see, guys!"
Their responses were simultaneous head nods before coming to a steady hover several meters above, positioned equidistantly from Monodramon while facing one another. It took less than a second to assess the situation, at which time they smiled.
"You two helped protect our partners." Angemon spoke first, his light tenor echoing into the night. "We are indebted to you for that."
"Now it's our turn," Angewomon added warmly.
She held up her hands, first positioning them over her head before bringing them in front of her. Arms outstretched and palms lightly touching. At the same time, Angemon rose a single fist. Energy swelled and power enveloped it in a ball of fiery light just as Angewomon's hands started to glow.
They attacked in perfect unison:
"Heaven's Knuckle!"
"Saint Air!"
But they weren't aiming at Megadramon; much to the twin digimon below's shock, the attacks instead were aimed directly at one another, meeting in the middle with a resounding crash of light. The result was a shower of glimmering particles that rained down upon friend and foe alike.
Antylamon appeared unaffected, lifting a bladed hand to catch some of the first particles only to watch them dissipate harmlessly into his fur.
Gargomon's nose twitched as one landed on it, and he let out a sneeze.
Megadramon, however, let out a hiss as the bulk of particles fell upon him. He writhed and thrashed in a futile attempt to avoid them, letting out one last weakened cry, before...slowly...with every passing second...as the light rain continued to fall...he began to settle. Roars and hisses gave way to low grows. Then snorts. Then quiet exhales. Lead lowing. Eyes closing. Sporadic flickers of pink appeared, but this time, they no longer seemed to cause pain.
The waters below started to glow just as Megadramon gave into the Holy cleansing, and his body slowly sunk beneath the waves.
Soon after, it all went dark. And still.
"Wow." Gargomon's eyes were like saucers.
"What did you do to him?" Antylamon wanted to know.
The angel digimon said nothing, sharing one last knowing grin between them before indicating their return to shore. The brothers followed suit.
Hikari let out a slow exhale as she stepped away from Takeru, a hand reaching for the railing as she felt her knees suddenly grow weak. Takeru reflexively reached for her, but pulled away at the last moment when he saw she could still stand under her own power.
Wallace alternated his gaze between the pair and Yamato. His mouth opened and closed twice before he could find the right words: "I have so many questions right now."
"You get used to that."
Yamato closed his eyes and smiled at Gabumon's response, shaking his head for a moment before realizing: "...Gabumon!?" He recoiled back, jaw dropping as he took in the sight of his digimon partner standing so casually at his feet. "When did you get here?"
The Child digimon dipped his head down in an attempt to conceal his blush. "We...uh...followed Patamon, who was following Tailmon."
"We?"
A glance over his shoulder was all it took. The portal had long since faded, leaving a small collection of Digimon in its wake. Agumon was smiling and waving. Piyomon hovered just above Palmon, who had a claw raised to her mouth as she looked around. Gomamon was trying not to be too obvious as he eyed the water just off the edge of the pier. Tentomon's expression was as unreadable as ever. Chibimon was laughing at something Poromon had said, while Upamon and Minomon looked incredibly embarrassed at having been noticed.
"Hikari!"
Taichi's voice rang out, distant but rapidly approaching. Yamato had to squint in the dark at the mob of brown hair heading for them, followed by about six more shadows he could only assume was the others.
Agumon had no such issue, and immediately starting running towards his partner with outstretched claws: "Taichi!"
The boy in question came to a screeching halt in shock. "Agumon?!"
"Sora!"
"Piyomon!"
"Oh my gosh, Palmon, is that really you?!"
"I think so!"
"Did you get taller?"
"Maybe a little."
"Daisuke! Daisuke!"
"GAH!"
"...maybe you shouldn't've jumped on him head first, Chibimon..."
Digital chaos reigned over the next several minutes as Child and Digimon were reunited, flooding the area with shouts of surprise, glee, excitement, and so much more. Palmon jumped into Mimi's arms, and was spun around over and over again until she grew dizzy. Piyomon had hopped herself straight into Sora's welcoming lap, and the two clung to one another in a teary-eyed display. Chibimon was still poking at a semi-conscious Daisuke, while Gomamon and Upomon, each standing beside their respective partners, were shaking their heads. Koushiro and Tentomon were already quietly exchanging information while Agumon was nuzzling Taichi's leg.
At some point, Hikari and Takeru made their way over to the group as well, holding Tailmon and Patamon respectively. Wallace lingered back, Terriermon perched contently on his head with Lopmon shyly hiding behind one ankle.
"...Ken-kun?" It was Wormmon's forlorn question that finally silenced the group, and they all turned to find him and Poromon looking around sadly. "I can't see him."
"I can't find Miyako either. Why isn't she here?"
It was deja vu as the majority of the Chosen all shared a look. Only this time, Mimi understood well enough to bite her lower lip in uncertainty.
"I knew we'd find you, Taichi. I just knew it." Oblivious to the shift in tension, Agumon looked to his partner with the closest thing to a smile his features could portray.
"Liar." Despite everything, Piyomon held back a faint giggle from Sora's arms. "You spent so long screaming that the giant hole in the air was going to eat us all, it nearly closed on you."
Agumon's response was to swiftly fold his claws over his chest, turning his head away. "I was just making sure the rest of you got in safely first. T-that's all!"
Laughter rant out among the group, dispelling some of the tension in the air.
A low grown emitted from Daisuke and, much to Chibimon's delight, he finally moved to sit up. The Child digimon was content to lingering in his lap as the young teen situated himself. Wincing as he rubbed at his chest, but unable to stay mad for long with that certain set of big eyes peering up at him. His face broke out into a grin, and he lifted Chibimon up before looking out onto the rest of the group.
And nearly did a double-take at the sight of two Takerus standing near Hikari.
He blinked.
Then rubbed his eyes.
No, that second boy wasn't Takeru. It was… "Wallace-san?"
"Ah! Daisuke! Hello again." To the American boy's credit, he did sound genuinely pleased to see him, although the sentiment might have gotten lost when he immediately proceeded to add: "Not the reunion I would have guessed, but I don't mind. And I'm sure it will be even better once I get to see Miyako again too."
Daisuke's expression immediate flattened. "You're as forward as ever, I see."
Mimi let out an ear-piercing scream, and everyone turned in time to see her hiding behind a very bewildered Jou. The oldest of the Chosen looked torn between blushing at the sudden indirect attention, and struggling to remain upright the way she was clinging to the back of his shirt.
"Not again! They found us!" Mimi shrieked.
That sobered him up quickly, and he and the rest of the group turned in time to see a black van slowly pulling up to the edge of the pier. Sora went pale. Taichi instinctively placed himself at the front of the group. In response, Daisuke came up directly behind him, eyes narrowed and donning a glaring Chibimon on one shoulder.
"Should we run?" He asked the Original Leader.
Taichi spared a single glance his way, before shaking his head.
The engine cut. The headlights remained on. One of the doors opened.
Mimi let out a small eek. "We really are about to get kidnapped by the government—don't you dare look smug, Koushiro-kun."
Behind her, Koushiro recoiled at being called out. Unwarrantingly, in his opinion.
A sole figure stepped out, slamming the van door behind him. Features mostly obscured by the headlights, but otherwise distinctly male. He was not alone. Behind, about a dozen or so more figures had gathered on either side. They lingered back. The sole figure did not, taking his first few steps towards the Chosen.
Taichi tensed, teeth gritting as his body tensed. Sensing his partner's unease, Agumon too shifted into an offensive stance.
"Taichi, should we attack?"
"They're not digimon." Probably. "We can't attack humans." He murmured to his partner, eyes never once leaving the approaching figure. He looked for any signs of a weapon or indication of any impending threat. Besides the fact that the van was blocking their only feasible escape route. "...but they don't know that. Keep standing there, and try to look really menacing."
"Right!" Agumon held up both claws, bearing his full seat of teeth.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy there!" The figure raised both hands, sounding like he was holding back a laugh. He stepped in front of the headlights, illuminating part of a casual grin. "I think we can all agree there's been enough fighting for one day. We come in peace."
"Seriously?" Yamato asked flatly, before getting a better look at the man standing before them. The pressed suit was new, but that casual manner of speech...that uncombed bed of hair...that grin… "Nishijima-sensei?"
The name rang too familiar to Taichi. He straightened, squinting until the image of his (alleged) high school teacher came into view.
"Stand down, Yagami." Risking lowering his hands, Nishijima proceeded to tuck one into his pants pocket as the other hung limp at his side. "I assure you, I can explain everything."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
"Right. You're more of a visual learner, aren't you?" Chuckling to himself at what he no doubt thought to be a joke, he started to take his hand back out again. "Maybe this'll help."
A flicker of light shone off something metallic in his hands, and Taichi tensed. Behind him, he heard several of the others gasp.
Nishijima extended his arm forward, giving him a full view of the small object in his palm. Far too small to be any conventional weapon. It was dull and silver. Almost teal in tint, with a screen that reflected light as if it had been recently polished. Yet the wear on the buttons betrayed their true age, just as the scratches to its surface betrayed a lifetime of experience.
Taichi's breath caught in his throat, hands twitching as he reached for his digivice. Holding it in his own palm, he went back and forth between it and the one his teacher wielded. Around him, the others were doing the same. Sora, Yamato, Mimi, Jou, Koushiro...and the kid Daisuke had called Wallace. Takeru and Hikari and Iori and Daisuke's models were different, but the urge to reach for their respective D3s had been similarly irresistible. And if he took into account the fact that the only remaining digivices unaccounted for were also D3s...then that meant…
"Who's digivice is that?"
"Mine." Grinning, Nishijima tossed the device up into the air once before catching it, this time holding it up between his fingers as if to evolve some invisible digimon. "Got it shortly before my first and only trip to the Digital World."
A strong gust of wind blew off the ocean waves, waving their way through each of the Chosen. It blew at Hikari's wet bangs softly, caused Takeru to shiver in his damp clothing, prickled at Yamato's exposed skin, brushed the twins' ears against Wallace's cheek and leg, teased the hem of Mimi's outfit, tugged at Jou's glasses, ruffled Koushiro's collar, messed with the zipper on Iori's jacket, bounced off Sora's new haircut,swirled around Daisuke's goggles, and sailed passed Taichi to balloon Nishijima's unbuttoned suit behind him.
"Then...that makes you..."
His grin only widened.
"One of the Original Five Chosen. I'd add Children, but...well...apparently, fourteen years can fly by faster than you think."