Children of the Future

by Zero Unit RGB

A group of 32 kids find themselves against the greatest evils in the multiverse as they sojourn through the Digital World in an attempt to free it from the chains of darkness. The rest of the Chosen Children remain on Earth where they must fight to protect their world from devastation and evil. How will they fare against the cruel Demon Lords? Sequel to Children of the Present.

6. Up the Frozen Palace

Okay, we will get to Rika soon enough because I know you guys all want to know what is happening with her. But first and foremost, we have to see how her rescue squad is doing. So please keep your hands and feet inside the ride and enjoy. Oh, and as always, thank you, everyone who has supported this series. It means the whole multiverse to me.

-X-

December 21: Frozen Palace 1st Floor – 9:32 AM

"Seismic Sledge!" "Thunder Fist!"

The Legendary Warriors clashed against each other in a test of strength, when they were both sent backwards, it seemed like they were evenly matched. But Grumblemon wasn't finished as he smashed through the crystal ice floor with his hammer and then dug through the sand underneath. The floor fixed itself though as a new layer of ice coated it.

"Oh, well that's convenient," Beetlemon drawled as he cautiously looked around.

From behind, Grumblemon shot out of the ground with his hammer ready to smash. "Jack in the Box!"

Beetlemon moved a little to the right, allowing the weapon to crash into his shoulder but grabbing onto it before Grumblemon could retract. "I got you now!" the Warrior of Thunder smirked, flipping the dwarf over with a judo toss. "Lightning Blitz!"

Beetlemon, coated himself in lightning from head to toe and then pushed Grumblemon into the floor, causing ice shards to fly about everywhere. But it didn't seem like the humanoid insect had done much damage to his foe who was suddenly larger than he was.

"Slide Evolution… Gigasmon…," the beast form cackled. He rose out of the ground while holding onto Beetlemon's body. "Now who got who?"

"Still me! Slide Evolution!" Beetlemon changed into MetalKabuterimon but Gigasmon tossed him away when his victim started getting heavier. It wasn't the best idea as MetalKabuterimon used the momentum from the throw to turn and point his barrel at Gigasmon's nose. "Electron Cannon!"

"Quagmire Twister!" Gigasmon started spinning erratically before the blast struck him, it dulled the shot and he snuck back underneath the floor. This time, he didn't stay under for more than a second as he jumped out behind his foe, clasping his hands together and smashing them down onto MetalKabuterimon's head. He then spun around and made a back kick that sent the electric tank tumbling away.

Lobomon would've lent his assistance to his comrade if he wasn't so distracted by another one of their old enemies, IceDevimon. The Warrior of Light could barely get close to the fallen angel because frozen stalagmites kept protruding out of the ground and lethal stalactites fell from above. The best that the humanoid could do was use his light sabers to defend himself.

"Why don't you fight me one-on-one instead of hiding like a coward?" Lobomon accused.

"I believe you have me mistaken for that other IceDevimon," his opponent laughed. "You see, I'm at least fighting my own battles, he plans on having others do it for him."

Lobomon flipped over a stalagmite that popped out of the ground and pointed his fist at IceDevimon. "Howling Laser!" A ball of light gathered around his wrist and fired towards the demon who only blocked it by raising a wall of solid ice between himself and the attack. "What does that mean? What does that other IceDevimon have planned?"

"Let's just say that he's putting a ring on your abducted Tamer," IceDevimon chuckled.

Lobomon frowned before moving out of the way of more falling icicles. "A ring?"

There was only one implication that came to Kouji's mind but that obviously couldn't be right, it didn't make much sense at all. Then again, Renamon didn't say much about what happened when the Tamers encountered IceDevimon. Could that mean he was creep that wanted Rika as his bride, the same way that the king of the Dark Ocean wanted Kari to be?

"We'll think about it later," the spirit of Lobomon stated in his head. "We need to focus on one devil Popsicle at a time."

KendoGarurumon made some sort of growling noise in agreement. "Slide evolve into me, I can get you past those obstacles and up close and personal with that guy."

Kouji nodded before coming back to reality. "Slide Evolution! KendoGarurumon!" He landed on his now four feet and he rocketed through, past the stalagmites, and right for IceDevimon. The Warrior of Light leapt over the wall that had been erected between the fighters and once he was directly above IceDevimon, he opened his mouth. "Lupine Laser!"

A wide smirk appeared on IceDevimon's face as he walked right through the ice wall he had made, effectively avoiding the laser. KendoGarurumon was stunned as he landed, figuring that he should probably just bust through. But when he charged at the wall at top speed, something stopped him just one foot short of hitting solid ice.

IceDevimon's claw had shot through the wall and latched onto the wolf's throat, choking him. Then, with a powerful yank, the claw went back through the wall while KendoGarurumon crashed into it, realizing much too late how thick it was. The demon wasn't finished yet as he held the beast to eye level.

"Have a nice trip," IceDevimon cackled as he tossed KendoGarurumon into the aside and his wings splayed out. "Icy Shower!" Icicles shot out from his wings and collided into the Warrior of Light, sending the wolf sliding across the ice.

MetalKabuterimon returned to just being JP just like how KendoGarurumon turned back to being Kouji and they both stopped skidding across the uneven floor when they crashed into each other. They slowly pushed themselves up as they sat on the cold floor, back to back, while their opponents sluggishly approached them.

"What? Am I not worthy enough to be pummeled by Gigasmon's fists?" JP scoffed when he saw it was the human form of the Earth Warrior coming at him.

"This is not the time for jokes," Kouji chided.

JP grinned weakly. "Oh come on, lighten up."

Kouji glared at the older boy. "Really? I can't believe I'm going to die with those being your last words to me."

"We're not going to die."

"Even if we survive, I'll still kill you."

"Now there's the spiteful Kouji I know and tolerate."

Grumblemon and IceDevimon were now directly upon the two humans and it was clear that they were greatly amused by their infighting. But their job was to delete the two of them and that was exactly what they planned upon doing.

"Seismic Sledge!" Frozen Claw!"

Kouji pushed off of JP, sliding right past IceDevimon and avoiding the claw that crashed into the floor. The boy then spun around on the ice, sweeping IceDevimon's feet out from under him, as an added measure, Kouji stood back up and sent a spine-cracking chop down on IceDevimon's back, causing the fallen foe to howl in pain.

As for JP, once his friend pushed off him, the teenager clapped his hands over the hammer, not minding the bruises that came along with it. The important part was that by using strength, he was able to disarm the Warrior of Earth and with his own hands free now, he sent three powerful punches right into Grumblemon's stomach.

"W-What?! Grumblemon got hurt by human fists," Grumblemon stammered as he staggered.

IceDevimon quickly got off the ground and joined his ally, though he wished he could see a chiropractor at that moment. "How is this even possible? I shouldn't have taken so much damage from a single attack from a puny human."

The spirits of the two humans were shocked as well though thoroughly impressed. It did make sense though, JP recently became a certified black belt in judo and he was the first ever second-year to become captain of the boxing club. As for Kouji, the boy had been taking karate for years, long before he even started his first Digital World adventure, he was even told that he could start teaching his own class of students if he wanted to.

"We figured that there would be times when we would need a surprise tactic to beat bad Digimon," JP grinned.

"Unfortunately, neither one of us possess affinity to use a DigiSoul effectively," Kouji added. "So instead, we used another power instead."

In Kouji's hand, it was coated in a bright light while JP's fists crackled with electric energy. Takuya wasn't the only one with mild control over his element; these two could do just as much as their unofficial leader. Not to mention, their opponents were the wrong ones to pick a fight with them in their civilian forms. Out of all the Legendary Warriors, Kouji and JP were by far the strongest.

Still, even being the strongest physically didn't mean they possessed the power to defeat their enemies in their human forms. But they were glad that they could demonstrate their capabilities to their spirits, it meant that they no longer had an adequate reason to hold back.

"If we combine our skills with your powers, we can win," said JP.

"So don't hold back for our sakes, just go wild like you used to," Kouji nodded.

After all, that's the only difference between the human and the beast spirits. MetalKabuterimon and KendoGarurumon don't want orders but they level themselves so that they could be put to use in combat. What they really want is freedom, to be able to do what they want when they want. Since the beginning, the human spirits worked together with their hosts, it was time for the beast spirits to do the same.

"Let's unleash hell on them," MetalKabuterimon droned.

"No more holding back, huh," KendoGarurumon chuckled.

"Execute Beast Spirit Evolution… MetalKabuterimon!" "Execute Fusion Evolution… BeoWolfmon!"

BeoWolfmon shot forward at a speed that could put jets to shame, and as he approached, IceDevimon and Grumblemon started leaping backwards in an attempt to avoid the fused Warrior of Light. The latter foe slide evolved into Gigasmon and together with IceDevimon, they protruded ice walls and rock walls but to their disbelief, those obstacles would explode almost as soon as they appeared thanks to MetalKabutermon firing at them before BeoWolfmon reached them.

"Plan B!" IceDevimon shouted. "Tundra Freeze!"

"Tectonic Slam!" Gigasmon shouted as he stomped onto the ground.

BeoWolfmon watched as the ground beneath him crumbled and rise to try and hit him while lasers were shot at him from the front. He may have been a strong Digimon, but that would've left more than just a scratch upon his armored body.

"Cleansing Light!"

But the Warrior of Light did not hold back as he fired a flurry of missiles whilst still flying forward like a rocket. The artillery exploded to counter the other attacks and in the smoke that BeoWolfmon used as cover, he was able to get in between the two enemy Digimon, slashing them both with his blade.

IceDevimon and Gigasmon slowly turned to face their assailant, forgetting that there was one other Legendary Warrior to worry about as the smoke cleared behind them. MetalKabuterimon stood, both his arms charged with orbs of lightning as he let them loose upon their foes.

"Bolo Thunder!"

In a huge explosion that sent debris flying in every direction, they could see the silhouette of Gigasmon as well as the two spirits of earth, hanging onto the spinning Fractal Code. MetalKabuterimon returned to his human spirit form so that he could take Grumblemon's spirit while BeoWolfmon took Gigasmon's spirit.

"That's weird," Beetlemon remarked. "Where's IceDevimon?"

"His stench is still in the air," BeoWolfmon huffed. "He must've escaped through the floor. After all, he seems to have the ability to pass through ice now."

"Should we look for him?" Beetlemon questioned.

BeoWolfmon shook his head. "It'll be too much trouble; we should join the others as soon as we can. We'll worry about our IceDevimon some other time."

"Right."

The two of them headed up the stairs but BeoWolfmon paused for a moment. "One more thing," he said before punching the armored beetle in the shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. "Never make a pun like that again."

December 21: Frozen Palace 2nd Floor – 2:35 PM

The halls on this floor were like a magic mirror maze, they couldn't tell which path was the quickest way to reach Rika. Ryo, who had somehow managed to be more impatient than Davis, accidentally set off a trap that caused the ceiling above them to collapse. Renamon was able to save the boys from getting crushed while Mervamon did the same for the girls. But they became separated in the end.

They didn't have much of a choice other than to keep on moving in different directions since trying to dig their way through the cave in could send the whole ceiling down on them. But with every step they took in the opposite direction made Kari more and more worried. Davis and Ryo were strong but they didn't exactly get along swimmingly according to what Ken told her. Not only that but as Ryo was now, they were both super reckless. Hopefully, she and Nene would make it to Rika first but there was no guarantee.

"Hey," Mervamon frowned as she pointed down the hall they were going through. "Are the walls getting… golden?"

Now that she mentioned it, they were. As they continued down the hall, the walls took on a golden, honey-like shine reflecting off the ice. Did that mean they were getting close to the next staircase? That was the hope but as they turned the corner, they saw honeycombs lining a massive room and HoneyBeemon mulling about like factory workers.

The girls quickly took cover near the entrance as they watched everything that was happening in there. For two of them, they couldn't make sense of anything while the other two had a sneaking suspicion crawling up their backs.

"What is this place?" Gatomon muttered.

"Those HoneyBeemon…," said Mervamon, an unsettled tone to her voice. "Nene, you don't think?"

Nene knew exactly what her partner was referring to. "Zamielmon, the Dark General of the Wood-Spirit Army. But… Why would he be here? This palace didn't even erect itself until after Ryo, Rika, and I landed in this desert. It's just too random."

"I'm guessing Zamielmon would be an enemy in this case," said Kari. "But why make honey in here?"

Nene shook her head. "It's not ordinary honey. You see, Zamielmon has the ability to shrink his size down to the point where he can't be seen with the naked eye. However, he can only use that ability after eating some of this honey. Taiki and the rest of us wouldn't be able to beat him if he remained tiny though so we had to destroy his supply."

Kari took a few steps inside, very cautiously, as if one of the workers would turn away from the assembly line and point their stingers at her. She's never been stung by a bee so she had no idea if she was allergic but then again, what sane person wanted to be stung by a bee as large as a HoneyBeemon? "Then hopefully, he's not here and this is just one of his–."

"Snipe Headshot!"

Gatomon leapt out and pushed her partner to the floor. "Kari, look out!"

An arrow came flying through and lodged itself into the wall, right next to Nene's head, causing her to swallow nervously at the near-death experience. She and Mervamon quickly moved forward to check on Kari, making sure she wasn't too shaken up by the almost headshot. But as soon as they left the doorway, a wall slid up, closing their escape route.

"Was that Zamielmon's attack?" Kari asked.

"Unfortunately for us, yes," Nene nodded.

Every Digimon in the factory turned towards them and from crevices lining the walls, FlyBeemon buzzed out of there, creating another swarm of insects to avoid. At the far wall on the other side of the room, a large door opened up and three Blossomon joined the party, along the Zamielmon's right hand, GrandisKuwagamon.

"Ah, so the foolish girl General returns," GrandisKuwagamon laughed. "And the traitor's sister is here as well."

Mervamon unsheathed her broadsword and swung it around to show how much she didn't like them calling her brother a traitor. "Hey, at least my partner and I don't have to return from the dead. Speaking of which, how about I give you another one-way ticket back to the underworld?"

Nene already figured out that the rules of the Hunt didn't apply in the Digital World which suited her perfectly, even if she had one of the smaller armies. "Reload! Sparrowmon, Beelzemon, Monitamon, Butterflymon, Etemon!"

Etemon popped out his microphone and tapped it a few times before bellowing into it. "Please welcome to the stage, the almighty, the benevolent, the all-round superstar, Etemon! And with him is his gorgeous co-star, the beautiful Nene Ama–!"

Butterflymon snatched the microphone out the monkey's hands. "Not the time."

"Interesting teammates," Kari remarked.

"You don't get many chances to go Hunting when your schedule is always packed," Nene sighed before smiling a little. "But Etemon means well."

GrandisKuwagamon uncovered his ears when Etemon was finished. "Hmph, it doesn't matter how many of you there are! FlyBeemon, Blossomon, wipe them out!"

"I'll take on the small fry," Butterflymon stated before turning to the HoneyBeemon. "Sweet Pheromone!" Now that she had them confused, they were easy picking for her. "Nothing personal, I just don't like bees. Sweet Kick!"

"Alley-oop!" Etemon grinned as he hopped up onto some of the honeycombs as if they were a stage. He ran around the room, taunting the FlyBeemon until they started aiming their stingers only at the primate. "Take this, my pretties! Concert Crush!"

"Monitamon! Digi-Xros!" "Hi-VisionMonitamon!" "Mervamon! Beelzemon! Digi-Xros!" "Xros-Up Mervamon!" "Gatomon Digivolve to… Angewomon!"

The three Blossomon charged forward, vicious plants chomping away wildly. But they were each occupied by a different Digimon as Sparrowmon, Hi-VisionMonitamon, and Angewomon took the initiative against them. This left the fused Mervamon and Beelzemon to fight against GrandisKuwagamon though she wouldn't alone for very long.

"Wingtip Laser!" "Flame Blast!" "Celestial Arrow!"

For three strong Digimon that were experienced in combat, it didn't take much to defeat some Blossomon, their battles were over before it began. They were ready to assist Mervamon when arrows came flying down from an unseen sniper.

"Urk! My wing!" Angewomon grunted when she was hit.

"Nene!" Etemon gasped when an arrow was sent flying towards their partner. "Watch out!"

He covered her with his own body as the deadly weapon lodged itself into his back, piercing right through him. Nene was stunned as she slowly pushed Etemon away from her, to see the sharpened point of the arrow protruding out of the monkey's chest. "You're hurt! You have to go back to the X-Loader!" she said in a panic.

"First… I know where Zamielmon is," Etemon huffed, clearly close to losing consciousness. "I'll take him out now." He weakly turned around at the same time Nene pulled out her pink X-Loader. A black ball of energy swirled in his hand before he threw it "Dark Network!"

"Snipe Headshot!"

The Dark General's attack was much stronger than Etemon's own as the arrow shattered the ball of energy and struck Etemon's forehead, right between his eyes much to Nene's horror. The General's scream was what caused everyone to turn to her and gave GrandisKuwagamon a chance to kick his opponent in the back before flying up to the ceiling.

"He's not going back to the X-Loader," Nene yelled as Etemon slowly disintegrated. "Etemon, you need to go back and heal yourself!"

"It's… too… late… Nene…," Etemon breathed unevenly. Kari and Angewomon quickly pulled the two of them into cover as arrows rained down on them. Once that was done, Angewomon joined the others in trying to finish off GrandisKuwagamon while searching for Zamielmon. "But… I'm really glad to have… met you. Do you… remember? How we… met?"

Of course, Nene could remember, how could she forget?

It was about a year ago, she was doing a Hollywood movie that was filming in New York which was where she ended up reuniting with Kiriha who was still trying to revive the Aonuma group. During the shoot though, some nasty rumors were being spread about her through gossip sites and magazines, it wasn't until later that they realized that other idols were being targeted as well, mostly the actors that were part of the movie.

Kiriha theorized that a Digimon had to have been behind it all. So the pair hit the main branch building of the gossip magazine that started it all.

In the DigiQuartz version of that building, they found all the workers and employees tangled up in black cables, unable to move, not that they could've since none of them were conscious. The pair followed the cables until they reached the roof, to find that the cables were connected to massive speakers that were blasting some awfully repetitive music with cliché lyrics.

The culprit behind it all was an aspiring idol. He couldn't make music because he was bad with writing lyrics and he was told that his voice wasn't unique by so many agencies. But he still wanted to be a star so he tried his hand in acting.

The movie that Nene was supposed to be in was the one-hundredth audition that the young man failed. So out of spite, he tried to ruin the movie by ruining the actors' reputations. The more lies he spit out, the more he wanted to destroy the whole industry.

As for Etemon, well, he was lost in the DigiQuartz when he heard the boy's sad song after the one-hundredth rejection. As a Digimon, he was attracted to human emotion, this boy's sadness at being unable to achieve his dreams and his anger towards the industry corrupted Etemon into helping create those rumors.

Kiriha fought against Etemon himself while the boy challenged Nene to a music battle. While the boy played his sad song, which was admittedly, so much better than what was being played before, Etemon was powered up. The monkey Digimon was beating ZeekGreymon to a pulp.

And then Nene sang her song which was the first one she wrote herself, never released anywhere. It made Etemon pause and wonder what it was for a moment because he had never heard anything like it before.

Kiriha sent his partner back into the X-Loader to heal up before addressing Etemon. "That's the music of the person you're trying to ruin. Someone who's worked hard and never gave up trying to put herself into the world of idols. And there are more people like her… Do you really want to shut down music like that?"

Etemon scowled at the boy. "It doesn't matter what you think! It only matters what my partner thinks!"

"Partner?" Kiriha repeated before Etemon jumped off the ground and back onto the roof.

Etemon landed to see Nene trying to communicate with the lost boy. "That song Etemon heard you sing… Can I hear it?"

"Why? So you can make fun of me for it?" he shot back.

"No… I just want to hear you sing it," Nene prodded.

"I… can't."

"Why not?"

In the end, he did let her hear it and Nene enjoyed it, the same way Etemon did. The boy was always afraid to sing his real feelings so he locked away the songs he wrote expressing himself. But once he opened it up again, he was scouted and in one year's time, his single reached the top one-hundred, peaking at sixty-three, on the charts.

As for Etemon, the monkey released the boy of his hold and asked Nene why she supported him when he tried to destroy her career. Nene's only answer was that she could tell he wasn't bad all the way around, not if he could write a song with that much meaning. She then asked Etemon why he was so attracted to the boy.

"Other Digimon… They make fun of my music," Etemon admitted. "I once tried to hold a concert and not even my friends showed up. One day, I had enough and ran away, only to fall through some hole and find myself here… in the DigiQuartz. When I heard that song… it… it… I don't know what it did!"

Etemon sat down on the makeshift stage he had built, holding his head in his hands in frustration. Nene joined him by sitting beside him.

"My guess is that it described exactly how you were feeling, frustrated, upset, and angry, right?" Nene asked.

Etemon didn't say anything at first and when he did, he didn't respond to her. "Can you… sing that song again?"

"Can you sing it with me?" Nene asked.

"You sure my voice won't ruin it?" Etemon retorted.

She nudged him gently before handing him his microphone. "Just sing it."

"I wish I could… sing with you… again," Etemon coughed. He gave her a weak smile and Nene started sobbing because he was only a head and an arm now. He slowly reached up and tried to brush her cheek, but his hand was gone before he could. "Wipe away those tears… Nene. It was… an honor being… part of your entourage… even if it was short."

"Please don't go," Nene whimpered.

"Hey… We… went on tour didn't we?" he remembered.

"Stop talking," she sobbed.

Etemon let out a little chuckle at the memories. "We'll always have riding in the London Eye. Or what about the Eiffel Tower? I really wish we could visit Moscow or Berlin again."

"We can! Just stay!"

"Do you remember how nervous you were during your first concert on the tour?" Etemon inquired, arm completely gone at this point. "You were having trouble sleeping so you walked out onto the balcony to watch the city lights of Paris. And then I asked you to sing me a lullaby. How did it go again? Can you… sing it with me?"

"Only…," she sniffed. "Only if you… sing it with me."

She touched his cheek, thankful that at least his mouth was still there as he opened it to sing.

Kira kira hikaru~

Osorano hoshiyo

Mabataki shite wa

The last of Etemon's data rained upwards as Nene's tears fell to the ground, onto her knees where Etemon's head just was a moment ago. "Minna o miteru…"

"Never lose your sparkle, Nene…"

Kari was familiar to losing friends in battle, this wasn't the first time and she knew for a fact that it wouldn't be the last. But they didn't have any time to grieve for Etemon yet, not until they took care of Zamielmon. And in order to do that, Nene needed to focus on the battle at hand, there was no way Angewomon could defeat a Dark General by herself.

"Butterflymon! Monitamon!" Nene called out when she saw them crash into the ground. She quickly pointed her X-Loader at them and brought them back into it, just before some arrows struck the ground where they were. "I'm not going to lose you guys as well."

"We can't even get close to GrandisKuwagamon!" Mervamon shouted.

"There are too many arrows keeping us at bay," Angewomon reported.

The remaining three Digimon flew around in what appeared to be a figure 8, they were only able to avoid getting struck by arrows because they were so fast and accustomed to battle. But if they weren't careful, they could lose a wing or possibly more. And to make matters worse, three HoneyBeemon flew out of the woodwork, it seemed like Butterflymon hadn't finished them all off.

"Paralyze them to keep them still!" GrandisKuwagamon ordered them.

The trio of insects flew higher though, until they were right above GrandisKuwagamon before releasing their poisonous powder. "Sweet Spray!" It came as a huge surprise to GrandisKuwagamon but he had no time to register the betrayal as he became woozy and crashed down to the ground, soon followed by another Digimon who turned back to a normal size.

"Ugh, more traitors?!" GrandisKuwagamon snarled.

"We can't be traitors if we were never on your side!" one of them buzzed.

"That's right! We're part of the United Xros Heart Army!" another chimed in.

"But more importantly!" the last one said before they all pulled out paper fans with Zoey's face on them. "We're the founding members of the Kazemon fan club!"

The bees quickly pointed their fans at the fallen bugs while looking over to the Chosen partners. "Quick, get them before our poison wears off!"

"Celestial Arrow!" "Sexy the Cannon!" "Lightning Lasers!"

The three attacks came crashing down on the two Digimon, destroying GrandisKuwagamon instantaneously, but Zamielmon was able to escape. Even with the effects of the poison, he was still able to move at alarming speeds. He then pointed his crossbow at the HoneyBeemon and fired, causing them to panic but Mervamon protected them with her sword.

"Nene, since the rules of the Hunt don't apply, you can Xros more than two Digimon, right?" Kari asked.

Nene nodded before raising her X-Loader. "Xros-Up Mervamon! Sparrowmon! Angewomon! Digi-Xros!"

"Xros-Up JetMervamon!" The three female Digimon collided into each other and took on a brand new form, one with the shining golden armor of Sparrowmon, the brilliant angelic wings of Angewomon, the powerful broadsword of Mervamon, and the remaining cannon of Beelzemon. The three HoneyBeemon quickly took cover with Kari and Nene before the fight would begin between the fused Digimon and the Dark General.

Zamielmon wasn't the least bit fazed by the new Digimon. "No matter how many Digimon you put together, you still will not be able to beat me."

"We'll see about that!" JetMervamon glared before pointing her firearm at him. "Celestial Cannon!"

Zamielmon smirked before vanishing, using his superior speed to his advantage as he avoided the cannon and reappeared right behind his foe. Thankfully, with Mervamon's senses and Sparrowmon's speed, they were able to avoid getting cut by his bow. But he wasn't done yet as he pointed in a random direction and fired. "Arrow Blizzard!"

The arrows vanished before hitting the wall and they reappeared at random. Though the one thing that wasn't random was the fact that they were all aimed for JetMervamon. The female warrior used both her blade and her cannon to defend herself while Zamielmon watched in amusement.

"I can't win without Taiki, after all," Nene murmured.

Kari gripped the other girl's arm. "Don't say that. We're not going to lose."

"Final Heartbreak Charm!" JetMervamon shot forward with her sword swinging and coated in a bright light, eliminating the rest of the arrows and going for Zamielmon. But when she turned to look at him, he was gone. "What?"

"Behind you!" Kari shouted.

"Bow Cutter!"

JetMervamon raised her cannon arm just in time, blocking the slash as she swiped her sword, which he evaded by flying over her head. Once again, he was behind her and he made a round house kick which she effectively dodged. Unfortunately, a hidden arrow in Zamielmon's shoe shot out and struck one of her angel wings.

"Agh!" JetMervamon screamed out in pain.

"Foot Shot!" Zamielmon smirked before pointing his bow at them again. "Arrow Lance!"

JetMervamon was struck by a flurry of arrows, each lodging themselves into her torso before she crashed into the ground, returning as four Digimon. There was no doubt anymore that Zamielmon was stronger, but he appeared to be even smarter and faster than he once was before. No doubt he was looking to get revenge on the General and her partners as well.

"Say hello to that monkey in the afterlife," Zamielmon grinned. "Snipe Headshot!"

"No!" Nene screamed, holding up her X-Loader to return them.

Instead, Kari grabbed the pink X-Loader and made her own command. "Angewomon! Sparrowmon! Digi-Xros!"

"JetAngewomon!" The angel's wings resembled those of Sparrowmon's, giving her phenomenal speed though not enough to compete with Zamielmon. But the one thing Kari noticed was that the arrows Zamielmon fired weren't nearly as fast as their owner. Lucky for them, it was the arrow they were challenging at a speed contest. "Sonic Arrow!"

JetAngewomon fired her own arrows which was able to counter those of Zamielmon, much to his surprise. But he wasn't done yet as he flew straight for them, crossbow blazing as he fired wildly. Unfortunately for him, Beelzemon and Mervamon quickly acted as JetAngewomon's personal guards as they blocked the arrows, giving JetAngewomon the time to think of her next action before Zamielmon could reach them.

"Holy Air!"

A circle of light appeared above their heads, right as Zamielmon was a millimeter away from cutting into Mervamon's face. The light paralyzed Zamielmon, keeping him stunned and he struggled to move his numb limbs even a little bit further. But even if he could, he wouldn't be able to strike them down because Holy Air didn't just paralyze foes, but it healed her allies, giving Mervamon and Beelzemon the strength to move around more freely.

"We don't use this attack very often," Kari stated. "And usually, against a foe like you, you'd probably be able to dodge it. But we noticed that when you were fighting with Xros-Up JetMervamon, you kept trying to get close to them rather than keep your distance and fire arrows."

"So…" Zamielmon smirked, clearly impressed by the non-General's strategy. "You intentionally made me get closer so you could paralyze me… Not bad for a Chosen brat."

The HoneyBeemon cheered in unison for what looked to be the turning point. "Yay, Kari! Go, Kari!" Nene seemed to be the only one on the good guy's side that wasn't ecstatic about this sudden development. She was grateful to Kari for this plan of course, and relieved that her partners were safe, but she had been almost completely useless in this fight.

"Let's finish it!" stated Beelzemon, aiming his cannon. "Oblivion Cannon!"

"It's over Zamielmon!" Mervamon added before spinning up a tornado. "Madness Merry-Go-Round!"

"For Etemon!" JetAngewomon finished, drawing her bow. "Sonic Arrow!"

Right before the attacks hit Zamielmon, he smirked, not that anyone could catch it in that split second. But what they were able to catch was their attacks flying right past him and nearly hitting each other. When the initial shock wore away, Zamielmon was nowhere to be found.

"Arrow Blizzard!"

From above, a hailstorm of arrows rained down on them and they were all struck and pinned down, rendered unable to move. What Zamielmon had done was a precaution; he wore a special hidden tube that was on him, connected to a bottle of his special honey. He took a large gulp of it before the attacks struck him, causing him to shrink down and dodge the attacks.

"I know all about Holy Air, you know," Zamielmon smirked as he looked down on his enemies. From up there, they were the ones that looked like insects. "The one thing I know for certain is that unless you're fighting a dark-attribute Digimon, the effect doesn't last very long. So I knew that in just a few seconds, I would be able to move again. It seems the only thing it did was heal you guys enough to survive my attack. But it's over now."

Zamielmon pointed his weapon at JetAngewomon but before he could do anything, the wall exploded.

"What?" Kari blinked rapidly.

"Huh?" Nene added her own confusion.

Zamielmon was just as perplexed as they were as he turned to the new hole in the wall to see a lady's silhouette standing there. Her hair was tied in two thick braids while she wore a hat with little wings, it appeared. In one hand, she wielded a small, circular shield while her other hand was raised and holding a massive broadsword, about as tall as she was. Most likely, she had used that blade to break through the wall.

"Who are you?" Zamielmon demanded.

She didn't answer him; instead, she took a step forward so that they could see her in a better light. "I found you~!" she sang before jumping down and landing in front of Mervamon. "It's been a long while, Mervamon~!"

"Eh? Do I… know you?" Mervamon inquired.

The smaller woman Digimon pouted. "How rude! You don't remember me?"

Kari and Nene both gasped when they realized something, this new Digimon had snakes all over her, on her wrists, her head, and her broadsword which resembled much like Mervamon's own blade. Not only that, but both of their hair were put up in braids. Was it a possibility that these two Digimon were related somehow?

Zamielmon seemed to have recognized her first though. "Snipe Headshot!"

The new Digimon blocked the arrow with her shield before jumping upwards, high enough to be eye level with the hovering bug. "Madness Merry-Go-Round!" There was another moment of stunned silence as they watched this Digimon perform the same move that Mervamon had moments ago. Zamielmon dodged the attack and landed near the gaping hole she had made.

"Minervamon," the Dark General muttered. "I never expected to fight a member of the Olympus XII."

Minervamon giggled, throwing her sword over her shoulder. "Then you better run before you have a taste of my real power."

Digital Analyzer: Minervamon is a member of the Olympos XII who is said to be the goddess that represents wisdom and strategy though her rambunctious personality would say otherwise. Contrary to her rather diminutive physique, she possesses superhuman strength which allows her to wield Olympia, the sword that is the same height as she. There is a childlike innocence about her but there are times when she becomes violently unstable, it would be best to avoid her in such moods.

"Hmph, I'm not scared of another little girl joining the fight," Zamielmon hissed.

"Oh, really?" Minervamon laughed. "I'm in a pretty bad mood as it is because my sweet Mervamon doesn't remember me. Do you really want to test my patience that badly? I can show you one of my infamous tantrums."

Zamielmon didn't look as confident as he had before so he knelt down and scooped up some honey in his hands. "Well, my job was only to stall them anyhow. By now, IceDevimon should already be done with his assignment so I guess I will spare you today." He ate some of the honey and shrunk down. "Goodbye runts, I'll be sure to destroy you another day."

Almost as soon as he was gone, another explosion went off near the entrance, destroying the door that was in the way. MetalKabuterimon and BeoWolfmon strolled in shifting into a sprint over to their comrades when they saw them.

"Is that the enemy we're facing?" BeoWolfmon inquired, referring to Minervamon.

"No, wait!" Kari called out, stopping them. "Minervamon isn't an enemy. She's on our side and she saved us."

Minervamon stuck her tongue out playfully. "I was only bluffing too. I can't go into tantrum mode anymore."

"Eh? You were bluffing?" Angewomon blanched.

"It was a rather convincing act then," Sparrowmon added.

Mervamon stood up with the help of BeoWolfmon. "More importantly, who are you exactly? Why do we look alike and how were you able to use that attack earlier? I want some answers and I don't think I have the patience to wait for them."

Minervamon giggled. "Easy~! The reason why we're so similar and why I can't go into tantrum mode is because you exist!" This caused even more confusion among them as they couldn't exactly decipher what that could mean. And it was obvious that they were looking for her to clarify and for the first time since they met her, she became serious. "What I mean is… Several millennia ago, I attempted to rid myself of my bad moods by becoming the transcendent form of Mervamon. But instead, I discarded my negative emotions and they manifested..." she pointed at Mervamon. "…into you."

"W-Wait… you mean?" Mervamon shook her head.

"You are a part of me," Minervamon swung her sword around and pointed it at Mervamon's throat. "And I've come to take you back."

MetalKabuterimon leaned in close to Kari and whispered into her ear. "Is she the enemy we're fighting now?"

-X-

Kouji and JP succeeded in taking down their foes, and in probably the best way possible though they seemed to have let their IceDevimon escape through the cracks. Nene just suffered the loss of one of her partners and might've lost more if Kari hadn't been there. But how will the General be able to deal with Minervamon popping in to take away Mervamon? But the biggest question is probably, what is happening with Rika? Hopefully, we'll find out in the next Digimon: Children of the Future!

I'll be on a plane in a few days again, going back to school. Ugh… I don't want to deal with real life yet! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and do not forget to leave a review for me down below, it'll probably make me feel better. Until next time! Wasshoi! Dang! I made another Super Sentai reference! Though it doesn't necessarily have to be.