You will be surprised to hear! It's time to get back into the story of the strongest braves in history, the DigiDestined! If you guys understand this reference, then you must realize… I have been watching way too much Super Sentai. I basically have no life at this point. So I hope you guys enjoy this newest chapter and as always, thank you, all the supporters. But I would love more reviews please. Also, welcome to 2016, I hope it's a good one.
-X-
December 21: Sapporo, Hokkaido – 10:48 AM
Yoshino sent a Voilding flying, crashing into a cluster of others and toppling them over like bowling pins. "An avatar?" she blinked.
Daisy nodded as she cut down a few other Voidlings. "Right. Believe me, I wish I could move and fight like this but in reality, I'm just a bunch data, materialized and converted into physical matter to a point in my life before my hips started aching. As you see me now, I'm how I looked in my college days."
"Aw, so it's not some new anti-aging cream?" Mimi pouted.
"Do I really have that many wrinkles ordinarily?" Daisy mused.
Sora pulled her friend away from the deadly Voidlings as well as trying to make sure that the brunette didn't strike a nerve in the lady wielding a dangerous weapon that could potentially cleave them in half. But it was a surprise to hear though, that the middle-aged programmers sitting in Hypnos were clusters of data that resembled their college selves and currently fighting across the nation.
But the biggest surprise was the fact that they could fight like that at all. Were they really able to jump from roof to roof without hesitation? Did they really fight Digimon with weapons or even their own bare hands? It's true that Marcus did that but this time; they were referring to kids that were aged nine to eleven. And judging from the elaborate dance and skill that Daisy portrayed, it was a rather scary thought when it came to thinking about what the other five were capable of.
"What about your partners?" Sora inquired.
Daisy sliced a Voidling from his head down to his crotch before addressing the redhead. "We don't have our keys, without them, our partners can't fight. Like Shibumi said and Gennai confirmed, they were used to seal the Demon Lords and now they're lost somewhere. We plan on going on a search for them sometime after we take care of this madness."
Garudamon started grappling with one of the MetalTyrannomon and with her superior strength; she was able to push the metallic dinosaur back a few meters. Or at least, she was until a second one backed up his comrade. The one up front was lifted off the ground by the other and he used both of his feet to kick Garudamon in the chest, sending the bird-man off into the sky.
But that wouldn't be enough to stop a Chosen Digimon. "Wing Blade!"
That was one down and three more to go. Hopefully, Lillymon was having better luck than her friend.
"Why don't you guys be like DarkTyrannomon and be nice?!" the fairy snapped as she put a flowery wreath around her two foes. But it didn't matter much, not only were they not infected by a virus, but they weren't even real Digimon to begin with! Just empty, mechanical cases controlled by a little, liquid blob.
"Nuclear Laser!"
"Flower Cannon!"
Lillymon's own attack was made in an attempt to deflect the energy shell that was coming at her but it didn't do a very good job. Both attacks collided with each other but the force from the opposing side was so strong that it blew Lillymon back, right through the window of some office building behind her.
"Giga Destroyer II!"
Lillymon slowly crawled over to the hole she made and screamed when she saw the fast-flying missile. No one could deny that she was strong but as a speed-type, she didn't stand much of a chance against two power types. The most she could do was flutter out of the way as the upper half of the building exploded, sending cement chunks and shards of glass flying everywhere.
This time, Mimi saved Sora by yanking the redhead into an abandoned convenience store, just as a piece of a metal beam landed on the sidewalk, leaving a huge crater. Daisy danced around the falling debris and still managed to impale a Voidling while she was at it. Yoshino was the only one that wasn't as lucky as a cement chunk grazed her leg, leaving a bloody gash behind and a few glass shards embedded themselves into her punching arm.
Lillymon's wings were also marred with scars from the fallen debris. It left her flying a bit unevenly as she tried shooting some of her Flower Cannons at the robo-dinos. But her attacks weren't even strong enough to leave a scratch on either one of them.
"Uh-oh," Lillymon whimpered. It looked like she would just have to stall until Garudamon was done.
From a few streets down, Rosemon and Splashmon was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, shooting blasts of energy and high-pressure water at each other. They didn't do much to each other, but the buildings on that street were certainly taking a serious beating. They were crumbling like crushed granola bars.
Akari, mounted on the back of Dorulumon, followed from the streets down below, dodging falling blocks while she looked through her team for a good combination. Akari wasn't as knowledgeable on Digi-Xroses as the others but she had to try.
"Let's go with a new combination," she stated. "Dorulumon! Megadramon! Digi-Xros!"
Dorulumon's color scheme became a little darker as the drills on his head and tail changed into something similar to the claws on Megadramon's hands. Tattered wings also made an appearance on the lion's back which allowed them to take flight.
"Tornado Slicer!"
Dorulumon's tail extended and started cutting into Splashmon just as Rosemon pulled out her thorn whip and did the same. However, contrary to the Death General's massive bulk, he was flexible and agile as he evaded their attacks with ease.
"I'm not done yet!" Dorulumon growled as his horn started spinning. "Let's try an attack that won't miss. Genocide Buster!"
The attacks fired out like Ikkakumon's Harpoon Torpedo though they were dodged just like the whips causing a smug smirk to appear on Splashmon's face. But as the projectiles lodged themselves onto the floor, they exploded like bombs, sending the General flying.
"What?!" Splashmon gasped.
"Let's end it!" Rosemon shouted. "Charité!"
Rosemon flew up to Splashmon and her mantle became enshrouded in a powerful aura. But before she could perform her finishing move, Akari could hear what sounded like a zipper. A second later, there was a loud roar and claw tore out from Splashmon's body and crashed into Rosemon, sending her on a rocket express for the rooftop they were on.
"Rosemon!" Akari gasped as the Mega Digimon went down a few floors.
"This is it," Dorulumon grimaced. "The reason for why he's known as the Water Tiger General."
The Dark General that had been in love with his own beauty yet truly despises his true form that lied underneath. A hideous form that always looks like it is melting, with a head too big for his body and teeth that have no lips to cover the gums. This is a beast that will destroy anyone who has seen this form.
"Lord Leviamon revived me, he understood my pain!" Splashmon snarled in a distorted voice. He was absolutely huge and Dorulumon could feel his partner quivering in fear as the beast made his slow approach towards them. "A Digimon born like this is ridiculed, laughed at, turned away from, shunned, and looked at with disdain! A Digimon like Dorulumon or Leomon, such Digimon that are born with an ancestry of beauty and heroes are put on pedestals! It's unfair!"
"We'd stop treating you like the bad guy if you'd just stop acting like one!" Dorulumon growled.
"Liar!" Splashmon bellowed.
Water whipped out from his body as they charged towards the lion who immediately started evading them. Akari clung tighter to his mane so that she wouldn't be thrown off but while she didn't get hurt, Dorulumon was tripping up from the onslaught.
"Akari," Dorulumon whispered as he landed on another building's rooftop. "Dismount."
The girl blinked a couple of times. "What?"
"You're afraid, right?" her partner continued as he started running again to avoid the geysers aimed for him. "You don't have to fight him if you're too scared to. Let me fight on my own. I'll be alright."
Akari shook her head; she didn't want to leave her partner on his own. But then again, wasn't she a liability? If she was going to be hanging on to him like a toddler on his mother at the supermarket, then not much would be accomplished. She'd just be in the way.
This was probably Dorulumon's nice way of putting it. After all, she was a novice Hunter and she wasn't nearly as brave enough to try out combinations that hadn't been confirmed to be good ones by more experienced Chosen Children. It probably would be a good idea to get off before something terrible could happen.
But right before she could give Dorulumon an answer, a blast of water exploded behind them, sending them flying forward and crashing. Akari nearly rolled right off the edge and she could feel her heart pounding erratically because she was just a meter away from plummeting several hundred feet to the solid ground. As she attempted to get back up, she fell back down. Her body could not stop quaking.
"Dorulumon? Are you okay?" Akari called.
Dorulumon was fine but it seemed like the Xros was deactivated when he skidded across the rooftop. He was back to normal, if a little worse for wear. "I'm fine. But what about you?" He could smell the blood that was coming from the scrape on her arm.
And Akari knew he could. "It's just a scrape. I get them from tripping on the sidewalk, don't worry." But he was still going to worry and she knew that, of course. Dorulumon was supposed to be focusing on the battle at hand, on Splashmon, yet he still took the time to show his concern for her. "I'll find a place to hide so I don't burden you."
"What?" Dorulumon blanched. "No, Akari, I didn't mean…"
"Don't ignore me!" the Water Tiger snarled from three buildings away. "Tiger Typhoon!" His body swelled and generated a massive flood that charged at them at an alarming speed, wrecking everything in its path. Akari couldn't even scream as she was taken underwater.
"Are you okay?" someone asked breathlessly.
Akari coughed up the water as she blinked rapidly before realizing that she was in the arms of a badly bruised Rosemon. The flower Digimon lost her Burst Mode though, unfortunately, and it didn't seem like she had the energy to even maintain her Mega form for much longer either.
"Dorulumon!" Akari gasped. "Where is he?!"
Rosemon shook her head as she shakily landed onto the wet sidewalk. "I don't know. I flew out of the building right after the tsunami hit and I could only save you a second before it struck you. I'm really sorry, Akari."
It wasn't Rosemon's fault so she didn't have to apologize. Besides, there was only one thing that Akari wanted to do right at that moment and it was to find Dorulumon and make sure he was okay. It seemed like Splashmon had the same idea except he wanted to confirm that the lion was dead.
The Water Tiger was close and he was walking over to a demolished building. Actually, a large portion of the city was gone thanks to that flood, it was all leveled. Everything was so flat that Akari could actually see the battle that was going on several blocks away. It seemed like Sora and Mimi were running towards them, probably because they were worried after they saw the tidal wave.
"Found you!" Splashmon snarled.
Akari followed the sound and saw the beast standing over the flickering form of her partner who looked about ready to burst into a million data particles. The Hunter nearly stopped breathing when Splashmon raised a claw, ready to bring it down and end the life of the lion. And without caring about what would happen to her, she ran out of her hiding spot.
"Akari wait!" Rosemon called as she turned back to Lalamon.
The Hunter didn't listen as she got right in between the two wild cats, arms stretched out. The claw didn't stop as Splashmon knew that he had the power to crush them both in his attack. So he kept going, but the one thing he didn't account for was Dorulumon suddenly yanking Akari and himself out of the way, despite his injuries.
Splashmon's claw missed, getting stuck into the ground. "What?! You shouldn't even have the strength to stand let alone move that burden!"
Dorulumon bared his teeth and growled threateningly at Splashmon. "You're wrong! My partner is not a burden. It is because of her that I have enough strength to continue resisting you. By wanting to protect her this badly, I can keep fighting, no matter what you throw at me!"
Just being there for Dorulumon, showing that she is willing to go the distance for him, that is exactly what makes Dorulumon strong and proves that Akari isn't a burden. As matter of fact, the same goes for any Chosen Digimon and their partner. Their bonds make them strong but not even that would be enough to defeat Splashmon.
But even so…
"Akari," Dorulumon continued. "That's why you aren't a burden. As long as you are protected and safe, then–."
"Stop right there," Akari interrupted. "If I had stayed hidden like you asked me to, you would've been deleted just now. It is because I wanted to protect you that made me go up to you. And because of that, you protected me which saved your life. So don't tell me to hide when we both know, we're stronger together."
Dorulumon was stunned into silence but after a few seconds, he chuckled. "Okay, you got me there."
Before Taiki and the others left for the Digital World, Akari made them promise her something. She made them promise that they wouldn't try to be a hero and get themselves killed for anything. Their response was that they would either die together, or not die at all. Together didn't just include the humans, it meant the Digimon too and Dorulumon understood that part now.
"Fine!" Splashmon roared, still unable to pull his claw out of the ground. "If you want to die together, then so be it!"
A ripple went down his spine and a moving geyser of water gushed out, slithering like a snake as it blasted in the direction of Hunter and partner. They closed their eyes in anticipation of the crushing pressure but it never came. Instead, they heard two female voices call out their names and what sounded like a high-pressure hose hitting a brick wall.
Akari opened her eyes to see Sora and Mimi standing in front of her, both with their arms splayed out but it didn't seem like they were acting as the shield. Rather, there were glowing lights in front of their chests, in the shape of their crests. The glowing red of the crest of love and shining green of the crest of sincerity. In any other situation, Akari would've brought up the close proximity of Christmas.
"Are you okay, Akari?" Sora asked, a little strained and breathless.
"Sorry for our sweat," Mimi winked. "We had to run all the way here."
Akari slowly pushed herself back up. "I'm fine. But what about you two?"
Neither could even answer as the end of the geyser finished its spray but Splashmon hadn't finished his attack. "Insolent fools!" he snarled before swiping at them with his now free claw. It broke through the barriers protecting the girls and sent the two older ones flying off, crashing into the concrete rubble.
"Mimi?" Sora gasped.
"I'm okay," Mimi huffed. "But my designer snow coat is in shreds."
Splashmon laughed, now that there was no one else to protect his prey from his claws. But it died down when he realized that the floating crests were still there, much to everyone's surprise. However, they didn't remain in the air for long as they suddenly shrunk down and dived into Akari's X-Loader.
Akari stared at the symbol on the little screen, looking like a calligraphy letter J. "Is this… what I think it is?" Splashmon raised a claw and swiped at the same time Akari raised her digivice and let the glow shine bright. "Dorulumon! Super Evolve!"
The claw stopped short of Akari's head, blocked by a drill-shaped spear, held by the new form of a knight in shining armor. "Dorulumon Super Evolve to… JagerDorulumon!" The lion now stood on two legs, wearing metallic armor that could only be described as majestic, with a flowing cape to pull it all together. It seemed appropriate as the head of King Shoutmon's royal guard.
Digital Analyzer: JagerDorulumon takes on the appearance of a massive knight equipped with a gigantic, drill-shaped spear known as the Storm Stinger and the Mongrel Shield embedded into his non-weapon claw, though his shield has the dual purpose of both defending as well as slashing. His specialty lies in single-point penetration which is said that he is the best at, and also allows him to make single-unit charges on his enemies, breaking through them with ease.
"Whoa!" Sora gaped.
"Looks like someone is trying to take Leomon's title as coolest lion," Mimi giggled.
Splashmon was the only one who didn't seem impressed, as a matter of fact, he seemed rather distressed at the fact that the lion he envied for his natural beauty became even more beautiful. It angered him and he sent a legion of geysers at his foe.
JagerDorulumon raised his free claw and defended himself and his partner from every shot of water. "Mongrel Shield!" Once that was done, he spun his spear around and pointed it at his target. "Black Nail!" In the blink of an eye, he shot through the body of water, causing it to explode and sending droplets of the Water Tiger everywhere.
"You did it!" Akari cheered.
"Not yet," JagerDorulumon corrected as the droplets started gathering together again. "The only way to defeat him for good is to cause him to evaporate. But I don't think we have any fire power that's hot enough to do that in our army."
Sora pushed herself up and glanced over to where her partner was. She was able to watch as the last of the MetalTyrannomon fell at the bird's talons. "Akari, you're army doesn't just include the members in your X-Loader. Don't forget that if need be, our own partners are at your service."
Akari nodded just as Splashmon came back. "JagerDorulumon! Garudamon! Digi-Xros!"
To Splashmon's dismay, his revival came with the arrival of another new Digimon. "Xros-Up JagerDorulumon!" His cape was turned into bright crimson wings and tribal markings coated his brilliant armor and leonine face. The locks in his mane were now braided as they took on a golden sheen and in some angles; they almost looked like they were on fire.
"You can't defeat me!" Splashmon snapped. "I will not lose!"
"You lost the moment you made the Chosen Children your enemies," JagerDorulumon stated before his spear burst into flames. "Fire Storm Stinger!" Coated in flames and rotating at miles per second, he stabbed right into Splashmon's forehead and in a tornado of fire, vapor was all that was left behind.
"Digimon capture complete," Akari nodded affirmatively.
"You Hunted him?!" Sora and Mimi blanched.
Well, they supposed it didn't matter so long as the battle was over. So the girls and their partners regrouped and slumped down on a bench together, or as best as they could on a seat made for a maximum of four people. The avatar of Daisy disappeared though, her last words being that everything would be explained at Hypnos.
Yoshino couldn't take her eyes off the destruction of Sapporo though. This was the capital of her home island and it was in shambles thanks to one Digimon and his destructive army. There had to be a way for them to get stronger to avoid things like this again.
"The attack was happening for several minutes before we showed up," Yoshino muttered, knowing that none of them wanted to think about it. But they were going to be talking about it anyway in Hypnos later. "There's no way that all the citizens got out before Tankmon started shooting up the streets."
"We told the others that there would be no more casualties too," Yokomon wilted.
"It couldn't be helped," Lalamon sighed. "We did our best."
The others agreed though it still didn't make them feel good. Tanemon was taking it worst of all though. As it was, she was too weak to fight against machine-type Digimon. All she managed to do was keep them busy until Garudamon finished the job. She had been useless in this fight.
"Tanemon, is something wrong?" asked Mim, sounding concerned.
Tanemon shook her head. "No… I'm fine…" She feigned a smile. "Don't worry about me, Mimi!" As if her partner of seven years would fall for that.
September 21: Barren Desert – 10:00 AM
Kenta shocked himself, nearly half an hour had passed by since he caught sight of the Control Spire and he somehow managed to keep himself alive while fighting these monsters. Well, no, not exactly fighting. It was more like running away from the exploding cherries and the giant ball of energy that would come flying down occasionally.
But he was tiring himself out. His original plan was to destroy the tower but MarineAngemon simply didn't have the power to do that on his lonesome. Not only that, but Kenta seemed to have exhausted his entire deck so far, none them gave his tiny partner the ability to even make the smallest of cracks appear in the Spire.
To make matters worse, he was actually wishing to be back in gym class, playing dodge ball where it was just him against his class. Not legions of evil trees and a dragon warrior with a bloodlust deeper than a serial killer's!
As Kenta ducked from another barrage of cherries, he found himself unable to move. He looked down to find his feet in Arukenimon's sticky web. To wrap things up, no pun intended, Mummymon mummified, again, no pun intended, him in his Snake Bandage attack.
"Now you can't miss!" Arukenimon huffed in exasperation.
"I'm amazed they all did," Mummymon added.
"Cherry Blast!" "Terra Destroyer!"
MarineAngemon stopped floating around the spire when he saw the dire situation that his partner was in. He flew right to his Tamer's side at top speed and blew a barricade of bubbles but anyone could see that not even that would be enough to protect them from this attack. It looked like it was going to be the end.
Kenta expected the feeling of thousands of bullets embedding themselves into his skin and then a nuke falling onto his head, blowing him to smithereens. He was at least proud to think that he was able to dodge the attacks for as long as he did seeing how physically disadvantaged he was compared to the majority of the other Chosen Children. Not to mention, he did technically save his friends twice from death so he felt almost like a hero. For someone like him, who was never at the center of attention, it was good enough.
The feeling of death wasn't as painful as he'd thought it'd be though. Although it kind of felt like he was being dragged underground, through the hot sand that covered the desert. One thing was for sure, he found it kind of hard to breathe.
Wait… Was he going to hell? But for what? He was a Chosen Child! Was that not a VIP pass into heaven?
"Open your eyes, child," a deep, gravelly voice said.
Oh no! It's Satan himself! Kenta didn't want to look into the eyes of the devil! "Please don't throw me into a cauldron of boiling water," he squeaked.
"Pu pua!"
Oh no, they got MarineAngemon too! Wait… MarineAngemon is a Digimon and he wasn't destroyed by a Demon Lord so by all logic, he should be reincarnated. And if not that, then he certainly shouldn't be in hell, not when he was an angelic Digimon full of innocence and purity.
Kenta opened his eyes to see another Cherrymon, sans Dark Spiral, staring back at him. Unlike other living trees, there was something soft in this one's eyes, a kindness and a gentleness that Kenta had never seen before. This one must've used one of his vines to pull him underground, safe and sound.
"Are you okay, boy?" the Cherrymon asked as he tore through the Snake Bandage. "You were practically delirious, saying some rather absurd things."
"Oh… sorry. I'm fine, I just thought that..." Kenta bit his tongue, refraining from confessing what he had initially believed. He couldn't say that! It was much too embarrassing!
"Thought what?" inquired Cherrymon.
Kenta shook his head. "Nothing."
The Tamer looked around the underground cavern to see that it was lit up by torches and that it had quite a cozy feel to it. There were tunnels leading elsewhere but as for where they were, there was a kitchen and a bed. Just how long had this Cherrymon been down here?
"Would you like some tomato bisque soup?" Cherrymon offered. "It will help you replenish your energy."
"Yay!" MarineAngemon cheered. Food was always a great idea to him, must've been Guilmon's influence. Not that there weren't times when Kenta was a pure glutton as well.
While they slurped on the soup, Kenta broached the questions that were on his mind, hoping for some straightforward answers, which he received. Cherrymon was a member of the United Xros Heart Army and an old friend to Daisy, one of the very first DigiDestined. He had gone underground to assist the Chosen Children that would destroy the Control Spire when the time came so he was only down here for a few days.
Apparently, while Kenta was running around like a headless chicken above ground, Cherrymon was subtly guiding him from the shadows. He would use his Vine Attack to lead Kenta by tripping him to duck Cherry Blasts and helping him stand up quickly so as to not waste any time. There was also a pipe connecting to the surface where the old tree could use his Illusion Mist, causing the enemy to see their target running in the opposite direction of where he really was.
So that meant… Kenta didn't do any of that. He had help from the shadows.
"Couldn't you use your Vine Attack to destroy the Spire from down here?" Kenta questioned.
Cherrymon shook his head gravely. "Just like how old foes return with more power than ever, the new Control Spires are made from reinforced materials. It would take a Mega level or a high Ultimate attack in order to actually destroy them."
Great, so it really was hopeless for someone who lacked power. "I see," Kenta sighed. "And if you showed up on the surface where your powers would be stronger…"
"I'd probably be either deleted or captured on the spot."
Kenta just had to throw himself into a precarious and impossible situation. He shouldn't have left the group and even if he still had chosen to, he should've asked one of them to come with him, someone who was actually strong, not someone who was just a lucky klutz. Like one of the Legendary Warriors!
The boy looked down at his soup and he could see his pitiful reflection staring back at him. "I'm an idiot."
"What makes you say that?" Cherrymon asked.
"I dived into this mess without even thinking about the dangers," said Kenta. "I'm absolutely hopeless too. Without you, I probably wouldn't even be alive right now. And it was because of my partner that my friends are alive, not me. All I'm good for is screwing things up…" No wonder Rika was always criticizing him. He couldn't beat any of the other Tamers in the card game no matter how many times he tried. Even Ai and Mako were getting good enough to beat him three times to one. "Why was I chosen to be a Tamer?"
MarineAngemon, for one of the first times in his life, puffed out his little cheeks in anger as he floated in front of his partner's face. The tiny angel slapped Kenta's forehead though it felt more like a wet poke. "Pu pua!" he shouted. Kenta, with the gift to understand his partner's 'words', translated it to, "Kenta, you idiot!"
"Eh?" Kenta blinked.
MarineAngemon continued his lecture which came out in real words in Kenta's ears. And with each sound that he made, a bubble would escape his mouth, with a different memory of them reflected on it. From the time they first met, to moments before when Kenta was being a little bit nutty, or the times after when he would try his hardest to compensate for his lack of power.
"It's true, I'm not strong and you're not very skilled," MarineAngemon started. "But despite that, you're always one of the first to say you want to help someone. And unlike most of the others, you're aware of your flaws and still look out for others while taking them into account. You're brave, Kenta. You're also kind, honest, and the reason you became a Tamer was because I saw these traits in you and chose you. So don't act like you're not worth anything!"
"MarineAngemon…" Kenta breathed. He had never heard the little guy talk so much.
"You also have a wonderful imagination," continued MarineAngemon.
"Imagination?" Kenta repeated.
"Haven't you ever wondered why the Tamers started their journey at the youngest?"
Now that Kenta thought about, for most teams, they were eleven or older, not counting outliers such as TK, Kari, or Tommy. But for the Tamers, the majority of their team was made up of ten year olds or younger when their journey began. Was it because of imagination?
Takato created his very own Digimon from art utensils and a notepad, Henry saw a video game character as if he was real, and Rika desired for something more than a game and even pictured the perfect partner for herself. Not only that, but using the cards sometimes required a creative mind for certain combos and the ability to know which modifications would be good support or a liability in different battlefields.
Kenta could get on board with that. "So we're Tamers because of our imaginations?"
MarineAngemon nodded. "Or at least that's my theory, anyway."
Kenta stumbled out of the bed and fell face-first onto the floor but he quickly got up and started laughing. "Well, it sounds like a good theory to me," the boy said, adjusting his spectacles. "Thank you, MarineAngemon."
"Pu!" he chimed in response.
Cherrymon looked between the two of them. "You understood all of that?"
Kenta wasn't sure how to explain that he did so he just reached up to MarineAngemon to give him a hug. Which was when he noticed something unusual, there were scratches on the Digimon despite the fact that he hadn't been hit at all.
"MarineAngemon," Kenta stated, pulling apart and reaching for his deck. "I want to use our imagination this time. I want you to envision one of your lowest forms while I envision you at your highest." They closed their eyes as Kenta pulled out one card which started glowing along with the Mega-level Digimon. "Can you see it?"
"Not only see it, I think I am it," said a new voice.
"Gomamon," Kenta chuckled. "That's your Rookie form, huh."
"I guess so."
"Do you know what I see?"
"What?"
"Our bio-merged form. I also see… us… back on the surface and kicking evil Digimon butt!"
Gomamon smiled, though Kenta could and could not see it. "Yeah… I see it too!"
Cherrymon's soft eyes followed another light, glowing on Kenta's left palm which had a Zero Unit on it like a tattoo. There were three black triangles surrounding every side of a rose-colored one. And when Kenta and Gomamon reopened their eyes, they saw it too, along with a Green Card.
Back on the surface, Arukenimon and Mummymon seemed satisfied when the Chosen Child didn't make a reappearance. They figured that BlackWarGreymon's Terra Destroyer had completely obliterated the young man into smithereens, leaving behind an enormous crater.
"Are we supposed to stay here?" Mummymon sighed in a semi-bored tone.
Arukenimon shrugged. "We didn't get any orders aside from protecting this Control Spire."
"I know!" Mummymon grinned. "We should have a picnic, Arukenimon! I can make you a delicious bento, we could be like a married coup–!"
Arukenimon shot a thick web strand to shut her companion's mouth, not wanting him to finish that statement. "I have a better idea. We should go to the Frozen Castle where that IceDevimon is taking care of things, and lend him some assistance. Maybe the Demon Lords will give us a promotion for eliminating more than one of those pesky DigiDestined!"
Her companion tore off the web. "Ooh, another brilliant idea from the beautiful mind of you!" Mummymon applauded.
They both clapped their hands together and nodded before turning in the direction of the Frozen Palace only to freeze up themselves when they saw someone heading towards them. Upon closer inspection, they could see that it was the deleted human and a Gomamon cradled in his arms.
"That entrance isn't cool like that!" Mummy blanched.
Arukenimon backhanded his chest, knocking the air out of him. "Who cares about that?!" She then turned her attention on the brainwashed minions and BlackWarGreymon. "And all of you, don't just stand there! Finish the job or I'll finish all of you!"
The Cherrymon army slithered forward. "Cherry Blast!"
Kenta wondered if Takato had felt this way, the first time he had bio-merged with Guilmon. The attack that should've been coming at them at unimaginable speed was now in slow-motion as he raised the Green Card in the air.
"Digi-Modify! Bio-Merge Activate!"
"Gomamon Bio-Merge to…" The two life forms joined together as their body became absolutely massive, along with the fusion came heavy rain upon the dry desert and a wave rose between their shining, evolving form and the cherry bullets. When the wave came crashing back down into the sand, having protected the new Digimon from the flurry of attacks, the enemies found themselves staring at what could only be described as the king of the sea. "Neptunemon!"
Digital Analyzer: Neptunemon is one of the members of the elusive Olympos XII who is thought to be the god of the sea and ruler of all aquatic Digimon though he has not been seen for many millennia. There have been rumors that the reason for this is because a large majority of his data was lost on the chunk of land that King Shoutmon rules. The Scalemail he adorns himself with allows him to excel in agility, giving him the ability to maneuver on dry land as fast as the swiftest of flyers.
"A member of the Olympos XII?!" Arukenimon gasped. She then addressed their strongest pawn on the field. "BlackWarGreymon, take care of this nuisance! While I hide!"
The arachnid turned and fled somewhere, leaving behind her counterpart who only realized it a moment after she was gone. "Wait, darling, don't forget about me!"
Kenta, inside his little data bubble, felt absolutely ecstatic. As far as he was concerned, he was the fifth ever Tamer to be able to bio-merge with his partner and that seemed like a pretty grand achievement if you asked him. He could only describe the feeling of being together with MarineAngemon like this to be transcendental and despite wearing that Gallantmon-like armor inside the bubble, it was like he was wearing nothing, it was that easy to move without the embarrassment!
But there was also something off. There was so much power surging through his veins, probably because he was a Digimon that exceeded the Royal Knight level but Kenta himself was physically weak compared to the others. Takato mentioned it before; the brunet had to take a special martial arts course with Henry's sensei to improve his stamina before he could compete with the others.
"Gomamon, we have to finish this quick," Kenta huffed. "There's no way I'll be able to maintain this form for very long."
"You got it!" Gomamon's detached voice giggled. "We just need to destroy the fake BlackWarGreymon and then delete that tower! Easy as–."
"Dodge!"
"Black Tornado!" "Vine Attack!"
As Neptunemon, they didn't need the assistance of that kind Cherrymon to save them from the high-speed twister coming at them or the dozens of vines coming out of the ground; they weaved through the attacks like leaves on the breeze. Kenta mostly relied on Gomamon's Digimon instincts to help with that since if it were up to Kenta to handle their movements, they'd definitely get struck down.
But Gomamon was a novice in battle as well so at some point, they were wrapped up in Cherrymons' vines. Surprisingly enough, Kenta didn't panic, instead he just moved his tail around and broke right through them at the same time a Terra Destroyer came flying down towards them.
"Remember how you wanted to try playing baseball but couldn't pick up the bat?" Kenta asked.
"Yeah?" Gomamon replied.
"Batter up!" Kenta grinned as a card and his rose D-Power appeared in his hands. "Digi-Modify! Formation Beta: Energy Field Activate!"
As the name implied, Neptunemon became covered in a powerful defense shield which was more like added insurance, just in case. The merman raised his trident as if it was a baseball bat and as the ball of destructive energy was upon them, he swung hard, changing the sphere's trajectory towards the Control Spire before pointing the weapon at BlackWarGreymon who had tried to evade, thinking that his attack would boomerang in his direction.
"It's over now!" Neptunemon bellowed. "Vortex Penetrate!"
He fired off a sentient part of his King's Bite spear which acted as a homing missile that BlackWarGreymon was simply incapable of avoiding as it pierced right through his stomach. It left behind a gaping hole through his armor and body as he started dissipating into dust particles at the same time the Control Spire exploded.
Kenta and Gomamon returned to normal, falling a few feet into the soft sand where they laid there, completely wiped out because their bio-merged form took so much of their energy. But as they had suspected, deleting the tower freed the Cherrymon from the evil influence of the Dark Spirals.
The Cherrymon seemed lost, a little bit confused, but they seemed to piece it together when they saw a human down below. They cheered for the Chosen Child as another Cherrymon, the one that saved them and gave them soup, showed up.
"You have done well, young one," Cherrymon smiled, like a kind grandfather. "I'm sure your friends would be extraordinarily proud of you."
"Heh," Kenta huffed breathlessly. "Thanks, Cherrymon." He propped himself up onto his elbows. "But do you know where Arukenimon and Mummymon went?"
The two Ultimates in question suddenly came back though it was obvious that they weren't there to stay. And both Kenta and his partner didn't have the energy to stop them if they chose to escape anyway. But the fact remained, there was an army of Cherrymon there, those two bad guys couldn't do much if they tried. But…
"Why are you two still enemies of the Chosen Children?" Kenta inquired. "MaloMyotismon betrayed you two! The Demon Lords could end up doing the same!"
Arukenimon and Mummymon returned to their human form, the woman crossed her arms and when the male noticed, he did the same.
"We were reprogrammed," Arukenimon answered. "Every single Digimon that was ever brought back has one more added line of code embedded into them. Do you really think independent souls such as Devimon or Etemon would want to do someone else's bidding? No! The Demon Lords can make us do whatever they want because if we do not obey, we will be tortured, destroyed, reborn, and the cycle would continue until we give in."
"That's… awful…," Kenta breathed.
"That's how they work," Arukenimon scoffed. "Though they didn't have to reprogram us, only a fool would disobey the Demon Lords. You've seen their power, they've made even your fearless leaders quake in fear, haven't they?"
She must've been referring to Marcus. "So? Why are you telling me all this?"
"It's just some advice," said Arukenimon. "If you continue down the road you're going, then you will regret ever being born. So, here's a simple solution, join our side and you will be spared, along with your partner."
Kenta could see some things while joined together with his partner. They were some of the memories belonging to his partner's past life as an Olympos XII. Those Digimon didn't just possess insurmountable power, but if you brought all of them together, supposedly, something legendary would happen.
"You don't want me, you want Mount Olympus," Kenta stated. "And for that, you need Neptunemon."
"Mount Olympus?!" Cherrymon gaped.
"So be it," Arukenimon sighed. "But you have been warned. Now that you have proven that your partner is a member of the Olympos XII, you will be a prime target of the Demon Lords. Until next we meet!" An Airdramon flew by, covering the two human-like Digimon and when he was gone, so were they.
Kenta fell back down onto his back, looking up at Cherrymon. "Hey… You were surprised when I said Mount Olympus… What do you know about it?"
Cherrymon hesitated for a second. "Well…"
-X-
Whoa, both Akari and Kenta found new evolutions though the latter can't last very long at all. And it seems like Mimi's partner is worried about her usefulness. Not only that, but there seems to be something important concerning the Olympos XII, but what exactly is Mount Olympus and why do the Demon Lords want it? Or maybe they want to destroy it. Either way, we'll only know more on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
I couldn't even get to Rika. But don't worry; the rest of her group will be coming up soon. I think you guys will finally see what happened to her at the end of the next chapter. So I hope to catch you guys then, and I hope you're all having a great 2016 so far! Don't forget to leave a review!