It's time to see how the other kids on File Island are doing with their respective missions! I do want to thank everybody who has shown their support for this story so far and I would like to see more of that from now on to the future. And by that, I mean I would like more than three reviews. Seriously, what happened to you guys? Enjoy!
-X-
December 21: Shady Grove – 9:50 AM
Jeri and Kristy peeked over Aquilamon's wings and noticed the thicket underneath them, covering up their view of what was down there. So they didn't have much of a choice but to land and scout the area. That is, if they wanted to find the enemy and take him down.
It was their job to take care of NeoDevimon but the problem was that none of them had ever faced this enemy before so what was he like? What was he capable of? Without that kind of knowledge, could the two teenage girls really succeed in defeating him? They could only hope that since he was an Ultimate Digimon that two of those kinds would be more than enough to win in a match against him.
Aquilamon flew downwards and his riders watched TK and Pegasusmon fly higher, towards the peak of Infinity Mountain where he would fight Devimon. They couldn't help wondering if he was going to be okay too, he was on his own against his opponent.
"He'll be fine," Kristy said. "TK's got the most experience when it comes to fighting evil Digimon."
Jeri couldn't deny that. "But what if he gets blinded by rage? I saw a glimpse of it earlier when I bumped into him."
Before Kristy could answer, Liollmon sensed something evil coming towards them. "Look out!" he roared as Aquilamon told them to hang on. He swerved out of the way of black strings shot out from the cover of the trees underneath them and nearly pierced them. "NeoDevimon is definitely down there."
"He was trying to shoot us out of the sky!" Aquilamon cawed disdainfully.
The avian started making his descent but the closer to the ground they got, the more shadows started tearing their way into the sky, trying to bring them down. The passengers tried to hang on as tightly as they could but it wasn't long before a whip of black energy pierced into one of Aquilamon's wings, causing him to accidentally fling his partner right off.
"Liollmon!" Jeri shouted.
The Tamer's partner leapt off at the same time she evolved him into Leomon. The bipedal lion grabbed onto the falling girl and Jeri used Takato's signature Hyper Wing card to give Leomon a way to keep themselves from crash landing.
"Kristy!" Aquilamon squawked. "Are you okay?! I didn't mean to–."
Kristy brushed her hair out of her face. "Don't worry," she said breathlessly. "I'm a little shaken up but I'm okay. It's not your fault."
Leomon took Jeri in his other arm so that he could hold on to the girls tightly; it was easier than having them hang on to the feathers on Aquilamon's back. This also allowed the giant bird to concentrate on keeping himself safe from harm.
They landed in the Shady Grove and almost immediately, they noticed that the attacks had stopped which meant NeoDevimon was definitely trying to shoot them down. Still, they all stayed away from the shadows for fear that they would come to life and attack again. It was beyond nerve-wracking, to be so cautious of every dark spot on the ground which left barely any room to step on in a forest.
Aquilamon was especially nervous. It might've been due to the fact that he nearly had his partner killed. And even if no one blamed him, it was still frightening for him. "There's not a lot of space here," he remarked. "Garudamon will have trouble moving around."
"Then let GrapLeomon handle the heavy lifting," Jeri advised.
Kristy nodded. "There's no doubt that he's really strong."
"But we should not underestimate the likes of NeoDevimon," Leomon reminded them.
Aquilamon paused a few feet behind them, spreading his wings to their full wing span. He flinched when his left wing hit a branch, causing a loud rustle. There was no way that he would be able to fly through the grove but walking on his talons was not something he was used to in his Champion form. He couldn't help feeling envious of Leomon who was not only able to move freely on his own two feet but was stronger than most average Digimon his own level.
"Aquilamon?" Kristy called, stopping. "What are you doing?"
Aquilamon looked up. "Huh? Sorry. I'm just having trouble keeping up with my feet."
"Maybe you should return to being Biyomon," Kristy stated.
"N-No. What if we're attacked? I should be at least this high enough level to protect you."
The teenager wasn't as sure but she couldn't tell her partner otherwise. So instead, she held out a hand towards the three-times-as-tall Digimon. "Give me your wing. I don't want to get separated from you or leave you behind."
"Kristy…"
"Come on, we don't want to keep the others waiting."
Jeri had actually paused as well and smiled as Aquilamon placed the tip of his massive wing into Kristy's comparatively small hand. But the smile disappeared when her partner suddenly took up a defensive stance and his mane started bristling.
From up ahead, a claw suddenly shot out from the cover of tree trunks, ready to plunge into someone's chest and rip out their heart. Leomon drew his sword out with his backhanded grip and blocked it but whoever was attached to the claw was strong. Leomon was pushed back several meters and his back collided with a tree, but he was at least able to block the lethal claw.
"Digi-Modify! Matrix Digivolution Activate!" "Leomon Digivolve to… GrapLeomon!"
In his new form, GrapLeomon blocked the claw with the turbine on his right arm. He then swung his leg around and kicked the offending limb into the air which was quickly retracted back to wherever it had come from. But they knew who the owner was.
"Show yourself, NeoDevimon," GrapLeomon commanded.
From out of the shadows, stepped out a tall, ghastly figure with arms that reached down to his feet, forearms as long as his legs. His blood-colored wings tattered and foreboding against the pale skin of his lean, exposed torso. He wore a mask on his face with six beady eyes, attached to two protruding horns on either side of his head.
Digital Analyzer: NeoDevimon was born from a dying Devimon. Devimon wished for more strength and was consumed by the powers of darkness, artificially enhanced so that his wish could be granted by Apocalymon. The mask he wears restrains him and suppresses his own power. It is said that he wears it in order to control his own will.
"An artificial fallen angel?" Kristy shuddered.
Jeri did not like this. "And he was created by Apocalymon of all evils. That cannot be good."
NeoDevimon took two slow, purposeful steps towards them and then stopped, much to their confusion. He seemed to be eyeing them, was he possibly assessing them before they had even fought? Either way, GrapLeomon and Aquilamon did not let down their guard.
Suddenly, without warning, Jeri screamed. In the same moment they turned their heads to look at her, NeoDevimon's body was gone and his face was directly in front of the Tamer's. GrapLeomon used his speed to get between them and he tried to do a roundhouse kick on the demon who blocked it with his forearm without even looking.
"How sad," NeoDevimon sighed. "Both of the pathetic humans… sad."
GrapLeomon was stunned, the turbine on his leg was definitely spinning at full speed but NeoDevimon didn't seem to notice no matter how much friction and heat it caused. On most foes, it would probably burn the victim and send them into agony.
"…What are you?" GrapLeomon growled.
NeoDevimon sighed again, disappearing and reappearing behind the four of them. "I fought the very first Chosen Children and the humans back then proved to me that their species weren't as weak as I had assumed. But these two little girls are sad. Just like how the first Chosen were when they first entered the Digital World. Sad."
"Enough!" Aquilamon snapped. "I won't let anyone insult my partner! Blast Rings!"
NeoDevimon scoffed and blocked the thunder-like roar with a flick of his hand. "Guilty Claw!" Like before, his claw stretched but this time, instead of being deflected, it enclosed itself around Aquilamon and sent him flying through the thicket, sending trees to fall over until Aquilamon's body exploded against a boulder.
"No!" Kristy screamed in distress. "Aquilamon!" She ran off in the direction of her fallen partner.
Jeri knew she couldn't be distracted by what Kristy was doing. If she was, then her own partner may suffer worse injuries from her lack of focus. "Digi-Modify! Formation Delta: Attribute Change Activate!" A holographic circle appeared in front of her and she quickly touched one of the center options, which was the icon for the element of light.
"Lion Cyclone Leg!" The turbine wasn't just spinning now but emitting a strong bright light, the counter for dark attributed Digimon like NeoDevimon. The demon immediately took flight using his tattered wings and shot straight up.
"He can fly from that position?" Jeri gaped before trying another card. "Digi-Modify! Hyper Wing Activate!"
Six shining, angelic wings grew out of GrapLeomon's back as he gave chase to the airborne demon. The two figures settled for combat in the air, trading blows but it didn't seem like much was affecting NeoDevimon while GrapLeomon was trying hard to hold in his grunts of pain from getting slashed by his opponent's long claws.
Kristy found Biyomon covered in bruises at the foot of the boulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry… Kristy," Biyomon groaned. "I was completely helpless. I guess I really should've left it up to GrapLeomon, huh."
"Biyomon…" Kristy's bottom lip quivered as she tried to keep herself from crying. But what was the point on putting up a cold front there? "Were you worried about being useless? Because you're not, you know. You're strong too, just like GrapLeomon. But this is a case of the right time and place. It just wasn't for you."
Biyomon chuckled weakly. "That's my partner. Kristy is so smart. Always knowing when something would be disadvantageous for someone. Heh…" He smiled at his partner, extending a feathered wing to wipe away her cold tears. "I'll be fine, Kristy."
Kristy slowly took hold of the wing near her eyes. "Your wing! This was from…"
There was a cut there, an ugly gash, most likely from when Aquilamon got hit in the air and had thrown off Kristy. They hadn't even noticed the injury because Aquilamon hadn't said anything about it when he landed. Not only that, but he was flying normally enough but was it possible that since Kristy was in GrapLeomon's care, below, they hadn't noticed her leaning on one side?
"Oh… yeah. Don't worry about it."
"When you stretched out your wings and flinched," said Kristy. "It wasn't because it touched a tree."
Biyomon sheepishly looked away. "You saw that?"
"Of course, you're my partner," Kristy told him. "You should've said something if you were hurt, don't keep it to yourself." She stopped there because she knew that she probably would've done the same. "I worry about you, you know. You're one of my closest friends and my partner. We need to look out for each other."
"I know," Biyomon nodded.
Kristy helped Biyomon into her arms, grateful that five years had passed before this adventure began because when the pair first met, Biyomon was her size and heavier. Now, she was bigger but the pink bird was still heavy. Still, she put everything she had into lifting Biyomon and carrying her back to the battlefield. But even from where they were, they could see the two flying Digimon above the tree line, in full combat.
"Great, now they're in open air," Biyomon huffed.
Just then, NeoDevimon was able to get a hit in, a quick swipe, digging right across GrapLeomon's stomach. If he was a human, that attack would've been fatal but it was still intensely painful as evident by his sudden roar that filled their ears. Before his wings disappeared and he fell back to the ground, he became suspended in midair, he went black and a data ring surrounded his waist.
"No!" Jeri tried to scream but it ended up being a heavy fit of coughing.
Kristy ran over to the other girl and froze when she noticed that Jeri's hand was covered in a crimson liquid. "Jeri… You're bleeding! What happened?!" Jeri slowly looked up wiping away the rest of the blood from her mouth and keeping her other arm over her stomach. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. "You're like Takato…"
Back in the air, NeoDevimon didn't bother taking the fractal code so GrapLeomon just degenerated into Liollmon and fell to the ground with a thud. Jeri took a few steps toward the Rookie before collapsing onto her knees, going into another coughing fit.
"Jeri…?" Liollmon wheezed. "Why didn't you… say anything?"
Jeri smiled weakly. "I didn't want to be seen as a burden. I'm… sorry."
NeoDevimon slowly floated down until he was over the immobile lion cub. "This will be your second time visiting hell, won't it?" The fallen angel raised one of his claws, ready to finish the deal. "You should've never left in the first place!"
Jeri could barely move. For the past five years, Takato, Henry, and Rika had undergone their own form of training to bring up their stamina and they had done well. By releasing the power of the Zero Unit, they had gotten even better. But for Jeri, she never did any of that. She never even imagined that she would even possess the same powers as the trio would. So she couldn't do much of anything at that moment.
"No…," she choked out. But even though she couldn't move, the girl was desperate to keep her partner alive. When Kristy had gone off to check on her partner, she tried to get a green card, she tried to harness that curse to bio-merge. But no matter what, only the blue card showed up in her trembling hands. "Liollmon! I can't lose you again!"
Kristy saw the desperation in the girl's eyes and she flash backed to five years ago at that power plant when Garudamon had forgotten her. He went ballistic and Marcus was trying to stop him. She tried too but was blown away from the bird man's power. She remembered crying, begging Marcus to stop Garudamon and she also remembered an egg that showed up once it had stopped raining.
The pain of losing your partner is something that no one should ever have to go through yet so many of the Chosen Children had been through exactly that. But what about losing that same partner twice? That kind of heartbreak would be deadly.
Kristy shot forward, enveloped in an orange Digi-Soul. She wasn't sure what had come over her but she knew that she was about to do something that was more characteristic of her fireball of an older brother. "Leave him alone!" she shouted as she jumped up and punched NeoDevimon right in the face who immediately flew backwards, colliding into a tree.
Biyomon had been dropped by Jeri's side and his jaw was left hanging when he saw what his partner had done. "Whoa! Kristy!"
NeoDevimon touched his cracked mask. "This power… Twice now I have experienced it."
Kristy slowly straightened herself out as NeoDevimon stared at the girl in shock. The Digi-Soul was still seeping out of her but when she inhaled deeply, that energy came back to her body and outlined her in a soft orange glow.
"I won't let you take away someone's beloved partner," Kristy stated before taking out her digivice. "DNA Charge Overdrive!"
In a flash of blinding light that caused the onlookers to cover their eyes, Biyomon began to change his form. "Biyomon Double Warp Digivolve to…" As expected, his Mega form was bird-like, but his skin became metallic and golden. His form was massive, not nearly as large as Garudamon but big enough to cause surrounding trees to shake in his arrival. "Eaglemon!"
Digital Analyzer: Eaglemon is a mighty and noble protector of the Digital World whose duty is to defend the world's citizens from harmful invaders. His golden armor is made from Chrondigizoit which is powerful enough to deflect almost any attack that comes his way.
"A Mega Digimon," NeoDevimon grimaced. "No matter… Guilty Claw!"
Just as the description said, his claw collided with the armor but the bird didn't even budge. There wasn't even a scratch on his beautiful metallic skin though sparks certainly flew when the attack collided with his chest.
"Mystic Break!" A white laser blasted out from Eaglemon's eyes, NeoDevimon faded out from the plane of existence in a puff of black smoke and it was a good thing for him that he did because the tree that the laser hit was rendered into ashes. "You cannot escape my eyes." The bird scanned the area before getting enveloped in a bright golden flame. "Kaiser Phoenix!"
In a full-body attack, Eaglemon launched himself at a black space that rippled and suddenly, he was body slamming NeoDevimon into a tree. Now that the combatants were out of the way, Kristy used that opening to gather Liollmon into her arms and bring him to Jeri.
"Hold on," said Kristy, reaching into her bag. "I know I packed a first-aid kit in here."
"Kristy… Shouldn't you pay attention to your partner?" Jeri inquired.
Kristy nodded with a smile on her face. "I am."
NeoDevimon was wedged between the tree trunk and the golden bird but he wasn't about to give up. If physical attacks won't damage this foe, then he would have to resort to more underhanded and malevolent tactics. "Deep Sorrow!" A wispy shadow enveloped Eaglemon and suddenly, he fell asleep and fell back to the dirt.
"Eaglemon!" Kristy gasped, turning around.
Jeri's worry for the avian Digimon overpowered her curiosity of how Kristy knew something bad happened. "Once he regains his breath, he'll come after you in order to try and break Eaglemon's evolution. You need to run, Kristy."
"I'm not leaving you or Eaglemon behind," Kristy frowned. "But what did NeoDevimon do?"
Liollmon explained. "NeoDevimon sent Eaglemon into a nightmare, most likely he'll be stuck in a memory of his which causes him deep sorrow, like the name of the attack implies. If he can't escape, then he will definitely die."
"A memory that causes deep sorrow…" Kristy nodded before shouting at her partner. "You remember me now, don't you? You've been reborn twice and you remember me! You won't spread chaos in the human world, not while I'm around! So snap out of it!"
NeoDevimon stepped over the motionless body, thinking that Kristy's attempts at awakening him were pointless but then a golden claw wrapped around his ankle. NeoDevimon froze up and he quickly raised his other boot, ready to stomp down on Eaglemon's injured wing.
"Mystic Break!"
NeoDevimon fell over, collapsing onto his back as he started screaming. His foot had gotten blasted by the white laser and was reduced to ash so he was writhing around in pain as Eaglemon rose back to his feet. His hand was still around NeoDevimon ankle so he started spinning around with the demon before letting go, sending their foe crashing into the same boulder that he had crashed into earlier. They waited a few moments and nothing happened so they could only assume that NeoDevimon had been deleted upon impact.
"He did it!" Kristy cheered.
"Thank goodness," Jeri sighed in relief.
Liollmon nodded approvingly to Eaglemon. "As expected from a Mega level Digimon."
Eaglemon turned away sheepishly, a blush creeping to his cheeks. "You weakened him a lot, I'm sure."
Liollmon and Jeri stopped smiling when they felt something ominous coming from the direction of NeoDevimon's body. Their suspicions were confirmed when a dark explosion could be seen, causing the wind to blow against them and forcing them to cover their eyes to keep debris from entering them.
"Interesting," NeoDevimon cackled. His voice was no longer deep and guttural anymore; it was crooked, high-pitched, and nightmarish. "So this is the power of a Mega Digimon. I've never actually had to fight one before." They finally saw him again and they gasped when they saw his face. Without his mask, his face was horribly scarred and distorted, his tongue long and forked and his eye sockets were empty and bleeding. "I want to taste more of that power. Guilty Claw!"
Eaglemon got in between the claw and his defenseless friends. Earlier, the claw did nothing to faze him but this time; it pushed him back and into the trees. The shadows came to life once more and wrapped themselves around Jeri, Kristy, and Liollmon, strangling them by entangling their necks. And there was nothing Eaglemon could do about it because NeoDevimon had enclosed both his claws around the giant bird and he was just swinging the body around carelessly, hitting every possible obstacle.
"Can't… breathe…," Jeri wheezed.
"Somebody… help…," Kristy added.
Liollmon was starting to lose his vision as were the others. Everything was going black and the ones captured by the shadows had no more air in their lungs while Eaglemon was just barely able to remain conscious. What could they do in such a situation? How could they defeat him?
"More! More! More!" NeoDevimon laughed raucously. "I can feel your despair and desperation! What delicious emotions!"
Eaglemon's vision wasn't spotted like his companions so when he was brought close enough; he could see his partner suffering. Just like how negative emotions spark power in evil Digimon, they did the same for heroic Digimon as well.
"Let her go!" Eaglemon bellowed, his body getting coated in flames.
"Eh?" NeoDevimon's smile dropped. "Hot…" He ended up letting go of Eaglemon which became a mistake for him.
"Kaiser Phoenix!"
Eaglemon's flames emitted such a strong light that it blew away the shadows that strangled the other three, causing them all to hit the dirt coughing as they tried to get air back into their systems. The bird man shot forward like a meteor and latched onto NeoDevimon, soaring right back for the same boulder and in an instant, a loud crack rang through the air as the boulder actually blew up into a thousand jagged pieces.
Kristy slowly got to her feet and she ran to check if her partner was okay. When she made it there, she found that Eaglemon was fine and NeoDevimon was still intact, thought missing a leg. The fallen angel laid there, laughing quietly as if everything he saw, looking straight up at the azure sky, was a hilarious joke.
"Sad! So sad!" he laughed. Their foe was clearly mentally unstable. "Humans are sad!"
Eaglemon took a step forward, nearly falling over from the various scratches all over his body. "It's time to finish this, once and for all." But before he could make the finishing move, the rubble underneath NeoDevimon rippled and a black hole appeared. "What the–?"
A faint smile graced NeoDevimon's deformed face. "Master's here."
A voice that Kristy remembered from the finale of the Digimon show came out from the darkness. "Again, your mask breaks, NeoDevimon. It looks like you are in dire need of upgrades and reparations once again." Chains slowly rose out of the pool of blackness and pulled NeoDevimon into it. "Chosen Child, you will suffer in the end. Remember my voice." With that, NeoDevimon was gone.
"What just happened?" Jeri asked from behind them.
Kristy wasn't one-hundred percent sure but she had a good idea. "I think we just got a glimpse of Apocalymon."
December 21: Tokyo TV Station – 9:59 AM
Hiroaki Ishida wished he could be at Hypnos with the other parents but he had work to do. Thanks to his affiliation with Digimon, he had been faced with the opposition of Digimon haters, advocating for the complete eradication of Digimon. So they had their picket signs and protested right outside the station. They were incredibly obnoxious.
But the middle-aged man had to concentrate on his work and that included doing some PR stunts in favor of Digimon. He knew that his opinions of the digital creatures were biased but if they could have as many interviews and celebrity endorsements, they might be able to swing the opinions of some major dissenters.
Ryo's sob story was already pretty effective on its own. And the various press conferences that Tai held as the Chosen Children spokesman was doing a great job of showing the positive effects on the children that had to travel through the foreign dimension. But was that enough?
The main thing people were protesting concerned the children. Word had already gotten out when the kids of Yagami High walked into their classrooms to find that the DigiDestined in their classes had gone missing. The Legendary Warriors were all exposed now and they need as much PR as possible to make them seem like normal teenagers rather than hybrid beings with malicious intent to infiltrate the human world and destroy their way of life. Yes, this was something people actually believed.
People also believed that children were being forced to do something dangerous. It was so difficult trying to convince them that it was of their own accord that they did this.
He checked his phone and read the text that his ex-wife had sent him about their sons. It must've been the twentieth time he was saying those words under his breath but he couldn't help it, he was massively worried about their safety. What parent wouldn't be? Well, he supposed there was Mr. Akiyama who stated that if Ryo wanted to leave so badly and escape the family business, then he might as well not return at all.
"How cruel," Hiroaki sighed. "No father should say something like that about his own child, no matter what the reason may be."
"Did you say something, boss?" his subordinate inquired.
"Huh, oh, no," Hiroaki chuckled. "Just talking to myself."
"Stress getting to you?" he asked.
"Well my son is in a world that I know next to nothing about trying to save it and this one from destruction," Hiroaki huffed. "I think I've earned the right to be stressed at this point." What was worrying was the text Nancy had sent. TK was going to be fighting Devimon?
Hiroaki turned on his computer screen and took a look at the old files. He scrolled through the memories of the children from seven years ago before finding the clip he was searching for. It was their final battle against Devimon, when Angemon used up all of his energy and sacrificed himself to save TK and their friends. It was heartbreaking to see his own son cry like that.
MagnaAngemon had the power to remain on par with Mega level foes such as Piedmon and even the beastly BlackWarGreymon. So the father shouldn't feel so tense about this, right? But if Devimon was truly stronger than he was before, would they really be all right?
He looked back at his phone to read the text conversation he had with Nancy.
The last message she had sent was one saying that TK was going by himself to the top of Infinity Mountain. It's not that no one was going to help him but that they needed to take care of other business. And for his son, fighting Devimon was something personal.
Hiroaki rubbed his hands over his face. "Just please don't do something reckless."
When he uncovered his face, he jumped back in fright, his swivel chair clattering to the floor. The other workers nearby stopped whatever they were doing and looked to their boss. When they tried to ask him what was wrong, he didn't answer, he was too focused on his computer screen.
One of them tried to joke around. "Is that ghost back?"
Hiroaki slowly looked up and the teasing smile faded off the workers face. People started gathering around his desk while he called Hypnos. On the screen was the face of an old friend who was supposed to be dead but he always came back somehow. But unlike four years ago, he wasn't asking for a certain feline Digimon, he was asking for a certain person.
"She's not there?" Hiroaki frowned. "Well… Did she say where she was going?"
Just then, one of the technicians screamed and fell onto his butt. Hiroaki turned around and took a step back upon seeing the human-like Digimon standing there. She reminded him of a monk with the sutra beads in her hand and the silky robes dressing her from top to bottom.
"The woman you speak of… will come here," said the Digimon.
"I got to go," Hiroaki muttered into his phone before hanging up. He turned to face the tall figure while everyone else either stared in awe or tried to crawl away as stealthily as they could. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
The Digimon looked down at the computer screen where another Digimon's face could be seen. "I am Sanzomon."
"The one who attacked Shinjuku a few months ago?"
"That was my apprentice, Gokuwmon. Not I."
"I don't care much for the technicalities," Hiroaki huffed, crossing his arms. Hopefully, this digital creature wasn't like Gennai and she could give him a straight answer. "What are you doing on Earth? After that initial attack, you and your allies did nothing. Yet you painted yourselves as an enemy of the Chosen Children. Just what is it that you're planning?"
Sanzomon understood why she would be under fire of such accusations and questions. "A test," she told the man. "In the Digital World, I command the United Xros Heart Army. Or at least, I am their temporary general. I came to this world to study the heroes that saved the Digital Worlds before. I wanted to decide which ones should go and which should stay. Once I figured that out, I asked one of them to make certain of who will go."
The explanation so far was easy to understand but somehow, it didn't make much sense at all. So she showed herself to one of the Chosen Children and asked him or her to make sure that the Chosen Children she chose to go to the Digital World, would go?
"You talked to Davis?" Hiroaki murmured.
Sanzomon nodded. "Out of all the DigiDestined leaders, he was the one most suited to go. Unlike the others, he does not worry about the future; rather he focuses solely on the present. When everyone's thoughts are on what will happen if the Demon Lords win, his are on how to beat them to prevent that future. His recklessness and in-the-moment behavior is exactly what the Digital World needs right now."
Davis stared at the screen of his D-3 which showed DemiVeemon's adorably sleeping face. He was just heading home from soccer club practice and the sun was setting already, but he was planning on making a quick pit stop at the park.
When he made it there, he dropped his duffel bag at his feet and sat down on the swings. As the chains squeaked, he took note of the emptiness there. Usually, there would still be a few kids being led home by their parents. But that evening, there was no one besides him. There were very few people at soccer practice too.
It made sense; this was the day right after the second Armageddemon incident, November 29. It was no surprise that people were afraid to leave their houses. The existence of Digimon had only just been re-exposed. How were they supposed to react other than fear repeat performances of events from the past?
Random people on the street were asked on their thoughts. Many were appalled by the fact that their minds were manipulated by their own government, as if trust in the nation's higher-ups weren't already at an all-time low. Other people were terrified by the monsters that demolished their stores, the buildings, everything. And many were stating that they wished for them all to disappear. Not just the bad ones, but the partners of the Chosen Children.
If Davis hadn't received the blue device four years ago, would he think the same? No, he was friends with the Kamiyas even before becoming a Chosen. If he saw them with their partners on the television screen, he would back them up one-hundred percent.
"It's not like you to be thinking this hard."
Davis didn't even look up. "Sanzomon… Were you the one who brought back my Digi-Egg of Miracles?"
The monk stepped forward and smiled. "Of course, a hero of the Digital World will need that much power and more if we hope to overcome the catastrophes that the Demon Lords have brought upon us."
"Where did you get it?" he inquired.
"From Azulongmon, he entrusted it to me to make sure I bring it to you," Sanzomon explained. "He also gave me one of his powerful Digi-Cores which I must use to bring back your fallen allies, though I have assessed that it is not yet time to fulfill that duty just yet."
"I see," Davis nodded. "Allies, huh. I guess you and Gokuwmon are our allies too then."
"We would like you to think of us as that."
Davis was not the brightest of the DigiDestined, not academically anyway, but he always trusted his gut instinct when it came to the more important choices as a Chosen Child. And at that moment, his gut was telling him to trust this monk despite the fact that she attacked the Wong siblings. Had it really been a test? He couldn't be sure. But he was going to trust her.
Davis hopped off the swing and turned to face her. "So, what brings you here now? Why me? Why not someone else?"
"I am a friend of King Shoutmon and my face is known to Gumdramon," Sanzomon stated. "I could've brought myself to either one of those Hunters. But Tagiru is not someone who needs to go and Taiki is someone who does not have the ability to succeed in the task I have for you."
"A task?"
"I want you to go to the Digital World with a select few others."
"And what makes you think that I will be able to complete this task?"
Sanzomon chuckled. "I've watched you for a long while. You're stubborn, obstinate, and you won't take no for an answer. In most humans or any sentient being, such traits would be unattractive and rather obnoxious, but they're almost endearing on you."
"Heh," Davis smirked. "Almost?"
"I don't give compliments out easily."
Davis combed his hand through his unkempt hair. "How much will I lose if I don't listen to you?"
"A human child once proved to me that my predictions are not always accurate," Sanzomon said. "So I leave it up to you. If you think that you should heed my words or not is all up to you. Although, I am willing to bet that you would've made it your own choice anyway."
"You really do know me well."
Hiroaki turned around to face the window and he watched as an Indian woman walked towards the front entrance. Like Sanzomon had stated, the woman he was speaking of would show up there. It was like she knew that the Digimon on his computer screen was calling for her. Well, he wasn't on the screen anymore.
"Has it really been seven years since I possessed a physical body?" the new Digimon in the room wondered out loud.
Hiroaki glanced at him. "I guess it has. Welcome back, Wizardmon."
December 21: Hypnos HQ – 9:30 AM
"Has anyone seen Rai?" Daisy asked. An entire conference room full of suits shook their heads. "Sorry to bother you. Keep up the good work."
The Russian woman closed the door and continued on her search for the younger woman. It wasn't like Rai to just disappear like that. No, that's not right, there was one time which she disappeared and Daisy had to search for her too. It had been decades ago though, when they were kids.
"Daisy, you okay?" Janyu asked.
Daisy nodded. "I'm fine. But have you seen Rai?"
"No," Janyu frowned. "But why are you so worried? She can take care of herself."
"I know. But right before she left, she got this frantic look in her eyes," Daisy explained as they headed back. "I tried to ask her what was wrong but then she fled the room. When I stepped out, there was no trace of her whatsoever."
The two of them remembered their own adventures in the Digital World from once upon a time. They had been especially close to Rai who acted as the team's glue when things got a little rough. And seeing their rather rocky relationships with each other, she had to do that often.
Before they were back inside the room with all the screens and the digital gate, Shibumi suddenly crashed into them. The three of them were sent falling onto the linoleum, groaning in pain. If they had been younger, maybe it wouldn't have hurt their weary bones as much. Before Janyu and Daisy could make any complaints though, Shibumi gripped both of their shoulders excitedly.
"What's got you so enthusiastic?" Daisy muttered.
"They're back," Shibumi stated breathlessly, a goofy smile on his face.
Janyu blinked, rubbing the bruise on his head. "Who's back?"
Suddenly a large buzzing insect flew out of the room and into Janyu's arms, sending the man right back onto the floor. As for Daisy, a little puppy-like creature bounded up and snuggled into her chest. The two Monster Makers were silent for a long time before tears started to uncontrollably spill out of their eyes.
"Salamon, you're back!" Daisy sobbed.
"FanBeemon, I can't believe you're here!" Janyu added.
Robert and Babel came over to the pair, each of them with their own partners in their arms, Ryudamon and Betamon respectively. The Digimon were in more teary-eyed states than their partners were, repeating the cheerful words that their partners remembered them.
"But how?" Daisy sniffed.
Robert knelt down to their eye level. "A visitor showed up on Rai's computer and that's why she ran out because she heard that her partner would see her somewhere else." He then stood back up and got out of their way to show them the young Gennai standing there. "He was the one who brought our partners to us."
"Gennai," Janyu and Daisy gasped.
"It's been a long time, original Chosen Children," the digital entity greeted them.
-X-
Kristy discovered the Mega form of her partner and Jeri may be next with her discovery of the Zero Unit. Hiroaki is worried about his son's safety as he should be; who knows how the rematch between TK and Devimon will go. And Robert's team is getting their own reunion with their partners but where is Shibumi's partner? What's happening with all the other Chosen Children? Find out next time on Digimon: Children of the Future!
Digimon Adventure Tri is out and one of my first ships is already one-sided canon, amazing! But if you're a fan of Digimon, then you know that it's about the adventure and the connections that the kids make, not the "romance". So let's focus on that. So far, I like the plot but I'd like some acknowledgement of the 02 gang. I have a theory that they fell three years prior which caused their partners to go back or something because of public outrage towards the quote-unquote death of four children. Wow, this got dark fast.
Well, either way, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to leave a review! Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for you guys!