Hey guys, guess what! Starting from this chapter onwards, you guys will be getting a special bonus feature beginning each chapter. You guys can send me questions you have about the characters or for me through review or PM and they'll answer! For example, I have a question for our lovely Yolei. How did you end up with your non-Japanese nickname?
Yolei: Uh… I don't remember. Come to think about it… how did I get Yolei out of Miyako? Momoe, do you know?
Momoe: I was studying French because we were going to France for the summer when you were three years old. I called you "jolie" which means "pretty," but you couldn't pronounce it right and just ended up chanting "Yolei" really happily. It ended up sticking to you though.
Kari: Aw, what's really cute!
Yolei: Well, naturally, I'm a cute person!
Davis: Since when?
Yolei: Why you little–! Get back here!
We… uh… apologize for technical difficulties. But yeah, that's how it works. So if you have questions to ask them, then they'll answer. If not, I'll work in a mini-skit for them. *Evil smirk* but that's enough comic relief, time for the chapter! Enjoy!
-X-
December 21: Ruins of Light – 10:17 AM
Silphymon and Pandamon were both speed-type Digimon and with their enhanced senses, they didn't need their eyes to see. The slightest whirring from a blade moving through the air was enough to signal them that their enemy was near. But unfortunately for them, their first double kicks, were blocked by Duskmon's blade.
"If you think plunging a room into darkness will stop me from seeing you, that's where you're wrong," Duskmon scoffed, pushing them both backwards.
Duskmon had the speed and skill to evade and deflect the attacks from his enemies, but no matter how you looked at it, he was at a disadvantage. Against fast moving Digimon like his enemies, they could use the wide open space of the dome to their advantage by standing on the sidelines. Unfortunately for them, he could see just as well in the dark as he could in the light. He just couldn't manipulate the shadows where there were none.
"Deadly Gaze!"
Yolei flinched when she saw red beams fly out from the center of the dome, illuminating Duskmon's body for just a fraction of a second in red light. The laser beams exploded against the wall he was aiming at and while it hadn't hit Silphymon, her partner caught sight of the birdman's foot.
"I wish I could see what was happening," she muttered.
Kouichi suddenly hissed in pain. "Ow!"
"What's wrong? What happened?" Relena whispered into the darkness. She reached out and touched her classmate's shoulder. She knew it was him because he was obviously taller than her so it ruled out Mako and she had been next to him when Silphymon dropped them off on the ledge. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Kouichi sighed. "I just cut my hand on something sharp."
Though no one could see, Mako was reaching around in the smallest pouch of his backpack before pulling out a keychain flashlight. He flicked it on but made sure to point it down to the floor so as not to alert Duskmon of their location and use his shadows to nab them. It was close enough to the ground to slightly illuminate their faces as the youngest pointed it towards a ninja shuriken of sorts.
"What's this doing here?" Mako wondered aloud.
Relena shrugged. "Maybe some Ninjamon and Kogamon were having a sparring match?"
Yolei looked back and let out a small gasp upon seeing the weapon shine from the light. She quickly crawled over to them and pulled out the projectile before crawling back. "Turn of the flashlight," she hissed. "We can't let him notice us."
"What are you doing?" Kouichi whispered.
"Just do it."
Yolei held up the ninja star as her mind flashbacked to October, after the events that had taken place at Rika's house. She had climbed onto the roof of the Nonaka household because she wanted to prove that she and her group of friends weren't just cheerleaders. So ever since that day, she had asked a favor of Shurimon, to teach her how to throw ninja stars. She kept a small pouch of the deadly weapons in her bag but they had gotten lost somehow when they landed in the Digital World. The throwing star she was holding, was it one of them?
"Static Force!"
From the top corner of Yolei's field of vision, a ball of hot energy flew down towards the center of the dome, implying that Duskmon hadn't moved from that spot. The whizzing of a blade through the air reached her ears as the energy-based attack exploded on contact with the weapon, temporarily sending sparks flying.
"Animal Nail!"
From behind the Warrior of Darkness, there was a small gleam of four little lights coming down on something. Duskmon turned and blocked the deadly claws of Pandamon and that's when Yolei saw her chance. In one second, the star was flying out of her hand and spinning through the air.
"Silphymon!" she yelled.
Her shout prevented Duskmon from hearing the sound of the weapon coming close behind him. Instead, he looked away from his foe and up at the bespectacled teenager above, not that he could see her in the first place. But as he turned around, the star wedged itself into his neck, exactly where Yolei had been hoping for.
"What!" he choked. He stumbled, falling over Pandamon who made an uppercut, right under Duskmon's chin and sending him soaring skywards. "I-Impossible!"
It would be. But Yolei's worked with computers and mainframes her whole life, every time she took it apart, she would do a quick once-over all the parts and automatically memorize where everything was. Not only that, but she was also a pro at taking inventory at her family's convenience store. Nothing was ever stolen because she knew exactly how much of everything was left when bought. And she always remembered their license plates and faces, just in case they ever needed to report a robbery.
So when the Static Force attack illuminated his body, she immediately took in his entire form, where every part of his body was, head, torso, neck, arms, legs, feet, etc. And in her mind's eye, she could visualize the way he turned, knowing where his neck would be depending on how he did it. If Yolei had to say one thing was her specialty, it was memory.
"Silphymon! Finish him!" Pandamon called out.
Yolei could remember it. Her partner's graceful form and every turn she made with her arms and waist as she charged up for her signature move. It was almost like a dance. Except if you didn't watch carefully, you'd miss it because it took only three seconds to perform.
"Static Force!"
The flash of light caused by the impact of the blast caused the humans to squeeze their eyes shut. When they opened them again, they could see a glowing data ring spinning around in midair. In the center of the ring was the silhouette of the corrupted Warrior, frozen. Kouichi patted around his waist for his D-Tector before Yolei handed it to him.
"I was still holding on to it," she grinned.
"Right," he chuckled before point it at the data ring. "Fractal Code Digitize."
As soon as the ring disappeared, the silhouette faded away, particles of black data flying upwards, but for just one moment, they believed they saw someone was left behind. It was a girl around their age, in dark purple clothes, violet hair, and goggles hanging around her neck, falling from where Duskmon was. A host?
Dracomon scraped along the ceiling and soon, light began filtering into the room once again, revealing the girl, unconscious, in the arms of Pandamon at the bottom of the dome. None of them recognized her; they had no idea who she was. But then the digivice that Relena had found started beeping erratically before a small, feminine voice rang out, bouncing along the walls.
"Sayo!" the voice said.
December 21: Bokomon's Mansion – 10:49 AM
Henry and Kiriha soon came back into the large manor. The former was letting Kazemon use his shoulder for support while the latter carried Ken on his back and Wormmon on his head. They placed Ken on the bed beside Sayo, the former host of Duskmon.
"I'm glad everyone's okay," Kazemon chuckled. "Now I can feel better about turning back to normal."
The fairy Digimon became enveloped in a data cocoon and when it disappeared, all the guys quickly turned their heads while the girls covered their mouths and eyes bugged out. Bokomon had to turn both Neemon's and Mako's heads away though.
All of this succeeded in confusing the Italian before realizing that the acid rain had melted her clothes off a little, revealing much more skin that she would've liked. So with a tint of crimson to her cheeks, she yelped and ran into the adjoining room, the kitchen, where the other two girls quickly followed, bringing their friend's bag with her.
"What happened to your hair?" Yolei asked as Zoey changed clothes.
"Acid rain," Zoey grimaced, combing her fingers through her golden locks. Some strands were shorter than others while other parts of her hair were burned completely. "I'm going to need to buy more clothes and hit the salon when we go back home."
After Zoey had gotten a new shirt on, she was pushed down into a wooden chair and before she could do anything else, she saw a piece of her hair fall to the floor. She could hear a pair of scissors clipping away behind her head. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the girls were cutting her hair for her, trying to at least make it even.
"You guys don't have to," she started.
"Can I confess something to you?" Yolei interjected. "Zoey, when I first met you, I was really jealous because you're so beautiful and you hold your head so high. I told myself that you must be prissy but you proved me wrong there too when you got into a fight. I was envious of you."
"Envious?" Zoey blinked. She had no idea.
Yolei nodded. "It got to the point when I thought about shaving your head and maybe you'd look less pretty." For most people, they probably would've moved away from their hairdresser if she said that. But Zoey sat still, hands in her lap, listening carefully. "And then I saw your hair, after the effects of your battle with Ranamon, and I just thought, 'that doesn't suit her'. She deserves to be beautiful. And here I am, trying to make you super pretty again."
"You know…," Zoey giggled. "You're really pretty too, Yolei. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't envious of your smarts, your passion, your brutal honesty, and I heard from your partner about what you did. How much more awesome can you be? Throwing a ninja star like that?"
Relena watched this exchange between the two girls and she couldn't help smiling to herself. Yolei, standing behind the younger girl, couldn't see the smile that was on Zoey's face. And Zoey, facing away, was unable to see the smile on Yolei's face.
"Is there anything you're jealous of about me?" Relena decided to ask as a joke.
"Your wealth," the two girls responded automatically.
The rich girl fell out of her seat and onto her hands and knees, head down. "I see… So it's not a trait of mine you envy…"
The other two burst out laughing at the overreaction. "We're just kidding, Relena," Zoey laughed. "We envy your levelheadedness, that's one thing for sure. Yolei and I get way too fired up at the wrong times and we're well aware that we can get on people's nerves."
"It's true," Yolei nodded. "Not to mention, you're also gorgeous and super nice."
"Like you two aren't?" Relena giggled.
By the time the trio of girls reentered the living room, Ken and Sayo had both awoken. In the latter's bed was a small Digimon with a crescent shape on her forehead, their digivices identified her as Lunamon. Sayo was looking through her digivice and she was wondering where her Gatomon data was. Out of all the things to question, like why was she there, how did she get there, who were these strangers, but instead, she'd rather inquire about the data of a white cat which was now in Yolei's D-3.
Before they could question the mystery girl, everyone had to do a double take on Zoey. For a brief moment, they had believed that Sherry Birkin from Resident Evil showed up because her hair was cut that short. But it wasn't unflattering on her. As a matter of fact, it might've made her face even cuter than before.
"Sayo, can you tell us what happened to you? How you got here?" Henry broached cautiously.
"I'm from City," she said matter-of-factly. "The floating citadel filled with humans such as myself. Born and raised in the Digital World with both blood and data running through my veins from all my time spent here." The others were stunned except Bokomon who was bouncing up and down in excitement.
"I thought it was just an urban legend! To think City and humans that live in the Digital World are real!" the scholar said.
Lunamon seemed to looking all over Sayo for injuries. "We don't remember how we ended up here. I think we were on a mission to go exploring because after the worlds merged, we had no idea what the other versions of the Digital World had in store for us. City exists on Baihumon's world, on the hemisphere that was largely avoided by outsiders until a man names Marcus Damon showed up."
"Marcus?" they all gasped.
"So he even met other humans in his five years in the Digital World…," Kouichi breathed.
"He claimed to have been looking for a digital being by the name of Rhythm," Sayo continued. "And after befriending us, he asked us a favor. He asked us to look out for her and if we find her, to tell him. I went out searching for Rhythm to pay my debts to him."
"Your debts?"
"He saved my life," was all Sayo would say concerning about that.
There was a long moment of silence before Yolei finally decided to address a question that everyone else seemed to have ignored. "Um… Who's Rhythm?"
They all shrugged before looking over to Relena since she was the only person there from Marcus's team. Unfortunately, she was just as clueless as the rest of them were. According to Sayo though, Rhythm was supposedly a digital being that looked like a human, just like her. Though they were certainly human, through and through.
"Duskmon must've taken me as his vessel at some point during my travels," Sayo sighed. "I bet Dorothy and the others are really worried about me." She pulled out a communicator of sorts from her jacket pocket and dialed a number. After a few beeps, someone finally picked up. "Dorothy? Yeah, it's me…" Judging from Sayo's facial reactions to the words being said on the other line, there was apparently a lot of bad news. "The Demon Lords did what?!"
Zoey suddenly felt a chill run up her spine as her head jerked to look out the window. Her green irises widened at the sight of a tall building in the distance suddenly sinking into the ground. She could hear it all, terrified shrieks coming from all directions, massive structures being reduced the rubble, and hollowed places caving in on themselves.
"We have to get out of here!" the Warrior snapped at them. "Now!"
It was only when they were outside the town's limits that they could see what had Zoey so on edge. One by one, buildings were being crushed by the increased force of gravity and hundreds of civilians were evacuating with only the fur, feathers, or scales on their back to avoid the brush with death. The last thing to fall was the United Xros Heart Army's flag, flapping and falling with the rest of the debris. What was left, was nothing but flattened earth where Fire Terminal used to be.
A Gazimon, nearby, fell to his knees. "Our… Our home…"
"It's gone," a Poyomon whimpered.
A Pagumon turned to the Chosen Children with his red eyes slanted and wet, a frown set in his face. He tried hopping towards them with his ears flailing about wildly. "You guys were supposed to protect us and our home! We were supposed to count on you guys!"
A Gazimon held the little one back. "Stop that! Whether they were here or not, this still would've happened! Don't blame them for this tragedy!"
"It's okay," Zoey said to him.
"It's easier to blame someone than to feel hopeless," Sayo added, crossing her arms. "How does this sound? We'll take all the citizens to refugee camps."
"Refugee camps?" Kouichi repeated.
Sayo nodded. "According to Dorothy, City was demolished. But they've all been welcomed into the United Xros Heart Army's main base, King Shoutmon's Kingdom Town. We should be safe there for the time being. Then we can sort out everything that's been happening."
Despite the fact that they had only just met her, Sayo was already taking charge of the group. Instructing all the Digimon to follow her to a Trailmon station where they will wait for a cargo vehicle to take them to a safe haven. Since enemy Digimon would most likely target the humans, she told them that they would be making it to the Kingdom Townseparately, to ensure their safety en route.
As for Kiriha, he was looking at the crater that had been left behind. He bit down on his teeth and his hands were balled up into tight, shaking fists. Henry easily figured out what was going on through his schoolmate's head. Gravimon made it into Fire Terminal, regenerated, and destroyed it, crushing everything with his powers. In Kiriha's mind, this meant they failed. So he probably agreed with Pagumon even if the accusation was made in blind rage.
"There must've been casualties," Relena mentioned.
They glanced at her before looking back at the town to notice data particles floating upwards, slowly reconfiguring as they made their ways back to either the Tree of Beginnings or Primary Village. But suddenly, they got sucked in a completely different direction, shocking them all before they saw that it was being vacuumed into machine Digimon with a camera lens eye.
"What is that thing?" Yolei gasped.
"I've never seen any Digimon like that!" Sayo blinked.
Terriermon hopped off of Henry's shoulder. "It's absorbing the data! They'll never be reborn if it does that!" The rabbit Digimon was on the case before his partner could even stop him. "Take this, you glorified toaster! Terrier Tornado!"
The unknown creature spun around at Mach speed, smacking the Rookie away with one of its metallic flaps. Henry caught his falling partner and by then, the machine had already finished cleaning up the data so it flew off, faster than the naked eye could see. Everyone was left with their mouths agape and their bodies frozen. The silence was only broken by Relena.
"That was… a Gizumon…," she shook. "Professor Kurata's creation. They have the ability to permanently destroy any Digimon."
"Permanently?!" the others gasped.
"You mean my sister will never come back?"
"My parents were deleted in there!"
"I'll never see my best friend again?"
The devastated cries of the evacuated civilians reached the ears of the DigiDestined and they all couldn't help feeling responsible. If they had only acted faster, noticed the hiding Gizumon right after the destruction of Fire Terminal, then maybe they could've at least saved the souls of the dead Digimon. It's true that after rebirth, they probably won't remember their past life. But their bonds and connections usually live on so long as they keep coming back.
"In war, there are casualties," said Sayo.
"She's right, we can't let this hold us back," Kiriha agreed.
They may have sounded cold but there was no disagreeing with them. They were just going to have to try harder to prevent more deaths from occurring on their watch. It was their duty as DigiDestined to protect the worlds, after all. And that meant protecting everyone that inhabits those worlds as well.
September 21: Aokigahara Forest – 9:58 AM
The suicide forest is supposedly filled with hanging men and women. And a rumor floats around from Japan to the rest of the world that once you enter, you are never able to leave. Tai and Matt, rash in their own ways, still have logic running through their veins. So despite the fact that they're only rumors and myths, they still felt chills running up their spines as they flew over it while on the back of Tagiru's Goldramon. The other two boys on the other hand, up front, were rubbing their hands in anticipation.
"They wanted to go to the Digital World and fight that badly, huh," Matt muttered.
"I guess so. But I wonder if they realize how serious this is. People are dying left and right," Tai sighed before freezing up. He hadn't meant to remind himself of that fact but forgetting about it didn't make it a false statement. "The only good thing is that there aren't any people in the forest so if anyone gets hurt, it'll be us or them."
"We can hear you!" Marcus called back.
Tai and Matt jolted from the sound of his voice. "Sorry!" They're used to throwing punches at each other, but this guy threw punches at twenty-foot tall dragon monsters. There was no way they planned on getting on his bad side and being punched right off their ride and plummet down to earth.
"Anyway, it's not like I'm excited to fight," Masaru sighed. "How do I put it…? It's more like a test that I thrive upon. The thrill of a brawl, the challenge it brings along. Fighting…" He flexes his fingers a couple of times. "…is a passion of mine. Like sports or music is for other people."
When he puts it that way, it's easy for the two younger males to understand his sentiment. Before either could apologize for referring to him as if he didn't understand how dire the situation was, Tagiru called them to attention. They were right above a cluster of dragon Digimon rampaging, running through the forest and towards the city.
"We have to stop them!" said Tai's Agumon.
"Then let's not waste any time!" Gabumon added.
Tai and Matt raised their digivices at the same time Marcus leapt off of Goldramon. Down below, Dorbickmon, leader of the Fire-Fury Army, looked up to see a falling human, coming down like a meteor. He raised his palm and blocked the fist that blasted itself into his palm, pushing him down into the ground which came as a surprise to him. No human should have that much power in his bare hands.
"Incoming!" Tagiru warned the remaining passengers as several Devidramon, Gigadramon, and Megadramon started flying in.
"Mega Claw!"
MetalGreymon looped his claw like a grappling hook around one of the Gigadramon while his partner hung onto his back. The dragon swung off from Goldramon's back and using his non-metallic claw, he expelled his Powerful Flame attack which burned down many of the flying menaces. Before landing on the ground, he let go and spinning in midair, released his Giga Destroyer attack from his chest, annihilating the Gigadramon he used to help him down.
"Garuru Kick!"
A Devidramon received the honor of receiving the werewolf's foot to his face, effectively deleting him before the partner Digimon somersaulted through the air, kicking down foes along the way. Once he was on the ground, Matt still clinging for dear life on his back, the wolf spun and slashed the opponents he dragged with him to pieces with his Wolf Claw attack.
"I think I might puke," Matt groaned.
"I told you it would be better to ride MetalGreymon down," WereGarurumon chuckled.
Back in the air, Goldramon vanished into the crimson X-Loader and was switched immediately with Arresterdramon who shot down to earth before making it directly in front of a DarkTyrannomon. "Mach Flicker!" In a blur, he sent dozens of invisible punches into the virus-loaded Digimon's skull, pushing him backwards and into a legion of Flarerizamon.
"What a nuisance," Dorbickmon snarled. "I didn't think that so much of my army could be destroyed by such a pitiful group of humans and traitorous Digimon. No wonder the Demon Lords advised me not to underestimate you puny creatures."
"Are those your last words? Because I'll make sure you swallow them whole!" Marcus smirked. "Agumon Realize! DNA Charge Overdrive!"
"Agumon Double Warp Digivolve to… ShineGreymon!" As soon as he finished evolving, he was right up in the Dark General's face with his fist charged up with glowing light energy. "Shine Hammer!" Unfortunately for him, it was blocked almost easily by Dorbickmon's claws.
"Do you really think you can underestimate a Dark General?" Dorbickmon growled.
Digital Analyzer: Dorbickmon leads a multitude of dragons in his army in perfect order and he destroys his enemies with overwhelming battle strength, in any kind of combat situation. He excels in both power and speed and with his massive wealth of combat experience and intuition; he has the ability to adapt to any given situation. Because of his naturally violent personality, Dorbickmon likes to bring destruction wherever he goes and would even take pleasure in seeing the world be incinerated.
"With enemies like him, who needs the apocalypse?" Tai huffed.
"Marcus, Tagiru, we'll handle the lackeys!" Matt called out.
"Understood!" Marcus grinned, giving them a thumbs-up before turning back to his partner. "Let's do this ShineGreymon! It'll be good practice for when we go up against a Demon Lord again!"
"You got it! Sparkle Shoots!"
Bullets of light energy fired out from ShineGreymon's palms but to their surprise a wall was erected in between the two dragon Digimon, protecting Dorbickmon from the attack. Another wall rose out of the ground from ShineGreymon's behind and both began closing in on him, with the intention of crushing him into a sandwich. Luckily, the dragon spread his wings and flew skywards before getting flattened.
"Careful," Arresterdramon advised, flying in. "Dorbickmon can manipulate his surroundings any way he pleases! Flog Shot!"
Dorbickmon watched as this new opponent spun around with his tail anchor ready to cleave him to pieces. But the much larger dragon grabbed the spade as it was coming down on his head and with three quick rotations, flung Arresterdramon into a couple of trees, mowing them down.
"Shining Blast!"
Speaking of mowing things down, ShineGreymon was charging at the general with his wings shrouded in golden energy, leaving sparkles in his wake. If Dorbickmon couldn't dodge or block this attack, he would be chopped into two. But with a few stomps, the ground underneath Dorbickmon started rising until he stood upon a thick pillar which ShineGreymon crashed headfirst into. Unfortunately for the general, ShineGreymon was strong enough to just break the stone pillar, causing Dorbickmon to fall towards the ground.
"Alright!" Marcus cheered. Then Dorbickmon landed on his feet, safely. "Aw, man."
From one end of Dorbickmon's tightly balled up fist rushed out a blade made of fire. "Dragon's Fury Blade!" He kicked off the ground with so much force that he was practically gliding through the air, on his way to slice off ShineGreymon's wings.
"GeoGrey Sword!" Masaru shouted.
ShineGreymon fist broke through the earth underneath him and he pulled out a double-sided sword which he used to block his opponent's weapon. The two of them clashed like samurai on the battlefield, their blades brushing against each other as flickers of flames and golden sparks rained down to the soil they stood upon.
Arresterdramon soon came flying back to assist his comrade while entering Superior Mode. "Spin Caliber!" In a single revolution, he swung his super-sized tail blade but Dorbickmon evaded it easily by ducking under the attack. The Dark General then took advantage of taking on two opponents by slipping in between them and then ducking when they tried to cut him with their perspective weapons, unintentionally breaking each other's skin and spilling crimson data particles.
"The GeoGrey Sword can break Arresterdramon's specialized rubber armor?" Tagiru gasped.
"And that Tail Anchor sure does pack a punch," Marcus grimaced. "Come on you two! Show that wannabe what a real dragon can do!"
MetalGreymon stabbed a DarkTyrannomon through the chest with his metal claw while WereGarurumon smashed the finishing blow onto a Flarerizamon's head. They hadn't completely finished off the army they were up against but they figured the sooner they took down the leader, the easier it would be to finish off the underlings. But as they ran towards their comrades with the intent of helping them, they were intercepted by the rumbling ground and a colossal wall rising in between them.
Marcus and Tagiru fell to their knees as they suddenly found themselves trapped in a stone-made enclosure, keeping them in and everyone else out. On the outside, Tai and Matt gaped at the earthen structure that could probably be seen back in the city. For just a moment, Tai looked back towards Tokyo, eyes widening when he saw an eruption of fire in the distance.
"Dorbickmon, he's trying to burn everything down!" Tai gasped.
Matt turned around as well, in time to see the sea of trees get engulfed in flames. Some Flarerizamon or possibly another fire-breathing dragon must've slipped past them and set the forest ablaze. And it was spreading fast. Before long, the arsons responsible will make it to the skyscrapers and industrial buildings, bringing mass chaos along with them.
"Marcus! Tagiru! We're leaving him up to you guys!" Matt shouted.
"Don't underestimate him!" Tai added before running off.
The two teenagers ran into the flames with their partners following close behind. They both pulled out their digivices which had been installed with the same functions as the Tamers' D-Powers so a compass appeared. Granted, it wasn't a hologram and it wasn't as cool-looking, but it was practical, pointing them in the direction of Dorbickmon's other goons.
But as they stepped into the smoldering haze, they felt their feet sink into the ground. The four of them, humans and partners suddenly vanished into quicksand before they could even utter a scream for help. And no one was around to see them gone.
Back with Marcus and Tagiru, they were trying to get back on their feet but that was hard to do when it felt like they were standing on the ocean. The ground, inside the walls, were rippling like a lake on a rainy day. Actually, it was more of a hailstorm. Thankfully, both ShineGreymon and Arresterdramon could fly so they were unaffected by this manipulation of the earth but unfortunately, it moved Dorbickmon so much, that not even their trained warrior senses could predict his next move.
"I don't know if I should puke from motion sickness or be impressed that the bad guy is so balanced," Tagiru groaned as he finally gave up trying to stand up. "Marcus, do you think we should go into Superior Burst Mode?"
"That's our trump card," Marcus grumbled. "If the fusion breaks before we defeat Dorbickmon, we're done for. We should at least weaken him first."
That was obviously going to be a difficult task as ShineGreymon and Arresterdramon couldn't land a single blow on the bipedal dragon. To make matters worse, the ground was shooting up pillars to stab the two dragons, causing them to double over whenever they got jabbed in the stomach and then punched right in the face by Dorbickmon's scaly fist.
"I'll make you two an offer," Dorbickmon grinned as his foes fell to the rippling ground for the seventh time since the fight started. "If you abandon your partners and swear loyalty to the Fire-Fury Army, I will spare you and even give you parts of the Earth for you to govern."
"Ha! As if we would ever do that!" ShineGreymon grunted.
"You must be scared, Dorbickmon! Does this mean you don't think you can defeat us?" Arresterdramon chuckled.
"On the contrary, I'm sure I could destroy the two of you and your pathetic partners in just one go," Dorbickmon smirked. "But I'm always on the lookout for new members to join my army. And you two are very powerful dragons. I guess I was just fooling myself though. You two have already made your decision, albeit a stupid one. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to dispose of the two of you. Burning the Dragon!"
He stabbed the ground with a claw and suddenly, a tidal wave made of earth rose up in front of him and swallowed up his howling enemies. The wave kept going and there was definitely no way to dodge it as it approached the stationary humans. Was it over for them?
Well, that's what Dorbickmon believed when the wave exploded on contact with the wall he created, causing stones and mineral to rain from the sky. But in the debris stood ShineGreymon in Burst Mode, arms and legs splayed out as he stood firm. Behind him were the two humans, lying on their butts and looking up at their savior's back and Gumdramon, lying on his stomach.
"Damn it…," Gumdramon huffed. "Even after so long, I still can't beat him?"
ShineGreymon fell to one knee as his breath came out slow and shallow. "And here I thought this guy was the weakest of those Dark Generals."
Dorbickmon ignored the jab to his ego when he saw Gumdramon, recognizing the Digimon to be a former denizen of Dragon Land, the part of the world he once ruled two years ago. The little bugger was constantly getting on the nerves of his minions and getting in the way of their duties. Every time they tried to go after them, he would bash their skull with the hammer on the end of his tail and then start running off in another direction. He was always a menace, now Dorbickmon could get rid of him for good.
"The Wild Child of the Digital World! No wonder I recognized Arresterdramon's feisty attitude!" Dorbickmon laughed, the bass bouncing off the remaining three walls. "You know, I always wanted to delete you. It's two years late but it looks like I'm finally getting my wish."
"In your dreams!" Gumdramon scoffed. "I won't be beaten by the likes of you!"
"Gumdramon, you should rest," said Tagiru. "Let someone else handle this for now."
Before Tagiru could send his partner back into the X-Loader, Gumdramon sank into the ground to the point where only his head was out so that he could breathe. The hole he was trapped in suddenly started moving until it was right at Dorbickmon's feet. So that Gumdramon, was right at Dorbickmon's feet.
"Gumdramon!" Tagiru shouted.
"Pee-yew! Have you thought about bathing anytime soon?" Gumdramon smirked.
Dorbickmon ignored the insult once again, raising his foot and lightly placing it on top of Gumdramon's head. If he wanted to, he could crush the rubbery Digimon right there, but he wanted to see the little guy beg for his life. "Listen here you little brat, if you admit to your inferiority, I might just let you live."
"Do you take me for a fool?" Gumdramon scoffed. "You'll kill me either way! I'd rather not throw away my pride along with my life."
"Marcus, what do we do?" Tagiru asked. "My partner will be destroyed at this point!"
Every time he went into battle, he was always excited. Even if it was for just one moment, he would be in the limelight, he would be the super star he always dreamed of being. A battle where there was going to be a loser and a winner, that got his blood running. It made his heart race. He always got excited because it was like a big game. Tagiru always knew the stakes, of course. But they never felt more real than they did at that moment.
For a while, Tagiru had assumed Marcus was the same. But there was something in the older boy that was different from him. It's true that a fight got the brawler's blood running too but in a fight, Marcus wasn't concerned over who would come out on top. The sole focus on his mind was being the one to come out on top. No matter what happened, Marcus had to win. Because the stakes were always real and in his face. Even when he smiles during battle because his partner got one good shot in, he's still thinking of the end result. The final blow. Who will deliver it?
In this case… Was it going to be Dorbickmon?
"You're panicking too much," Marcus hissed. "Take a moment to clear your head and think."
Tagiru took a deep breath and he thought about what more experienced Hunters would do. He'd never been in a situation like this one and while he's able to adapt to his situations fast, if things made it look like they were backed into a corner, then he sometimes thinks, 'What would a super star do?' In the case of his senior, Taiki, he would probably take advantage of the rules of the Hunt.
"MetalTyrannomon Reload!"
Gumdramon vanished right before Dorbickmon could crush him under his foot. A deep scowl formed on the dragon's face as he turned towards the mechanized Godzilla, who had his left arm raised and pointed at the Dark General's face. "Nuclear Laser!" An energy shell was fired out of the arm and exploded on contact with Dorbickmon leading to cheers from both Tagiru and Marcus.
"That won't be enough to finish him off! ShineGreymon, hit him with your best shot!" Marcus commanded.
"Right!" ShineGreymon nodded. "Final Shining Burst!"
The Mega Digimon charged forward, putting his entire body and soul into the attack as he disappeared into the dust cloud. The humans heard something solid smash into something else and then a massive eruption sounded through the forest, demolishing the remaining walls and smothering the air with ash and heat.
"Do you think that did it?" Tagiru asked.
"It better have," Marcus huffed.
ShineGreymon suddenly roared in pain and the boys looked at each other before deciding to run in there to find out what had happened. But just as they were a couple of steps behind the wall of smoke, ShineGreymon fell through, falling to the ground with an army of shadowy creatures crawling all over him. They were humanoid in shape but they didn't seem particularly solid. They also didn't have faces, just blank, white masks.
Dorbickmon's laughter snapped them out of their shock as he brushed away the remaining debris with a swing of his arm. "How do you like my new minions?" he cackled. "These are Voidlings! Creations that feed off of negative emotions to grow! They are unaffected by the powers of ordinary Digimon and human beings so you can't defeat them!"
"We'll see about that," Marcus growled.
He ran forward and threw a punch at a Voidling that was on his partner's head. But his fist passed right through the unknown creature. Unfortunately for him, the Voidlings could still touch him as evident by how they turned around and slashed at Marcus with their hands. It tore through his jacket and his shirt, staining them with his blood.
"Marcus!" Tagiru gasped.
"What are these things?" ShineGreymon groaned.
Marcus took his hand off his chest to find that it stunk of iron and wet with his blood. From his dirtied palm, he glanced up at the creature that had swiped at him, to find a shining blade where the monster's hand should be. It was like the shadows that were there peeled back to reveal the lethal weapon underneath.
"I don't know," Marcus huffed before a smug grin appeared on his face. "But I bet I can touch that knife at the very least. It's fighting time!" He clapped his hands over the flat sides of the knife and while none of his kicks could do any damage to the Voidling itself, he used all of his strength to start swinging the creature, using it as the weapon to smack down its allies.
"You're starting to get on my nerves!" Dorbickmon snarled. "Dragon Infernal Fire!"
"Marcus! Get out of the way!" ShineGreymon shouted.
Marcus kept spinning with his living weapon. "Not until I save you first!"
The blaze could've enveloped them and roasted them alive if MetalTyrannomon hadn't stepped in to take on the attack himself. Tagiru watched as the front of his partner was being burned alive and pieces of metal were starting to melt, falling to the ground in a puddle of steam and lava. MetalTyrannomon was the first Digimon that Tagiru ever Hunted and while the big guy could never communicate with him coherently, Tagiru always saw him as his friend. But now he was watching as his friend fell apart, protecting them.
"MetalTyrannomon!" Tagiru shouted over the roar of the flames. "Stop this! You're going to kill yourself!"
The cyborg dragon smiled and a piece of metal, right underneath his right eye, melted, falling to the forest floor. The heat finally passed and the rest of MetalTyrannomon was sagging as he fell to his knees and let out a weak roar.
Dorbickmon seemed stunned because the foe he had burned looked absolutely grotesque with half him being in puddles. "To protect your partner… you'd go so far?"
The beast didn't speak, he just made a couple of growling noises and ShineGreymon, who finally got away from the Voidlings, translated the words. "Of course… Tagiru… is my friend."
The Hunter ran right through the crowd of Voidlings, taking scratches from their hidden knives until he made it to his partner's leg. A drop of melted metal fell onto his arm and it singed him, leaving a burn mark in his skin but he didn't care. He just reached over and hugged MetalTyrannomon's leg, wincing from the heat.
As metal droplets fell down, data floated up, and Tagiru could feel the waterworks coming on. His shaky hand tried to return MetalTyrannomon back into the X-Loader but it didn't work. Even when Gumdramon jumped out of the device to force the behemoth back, it didn't work. It was already too late for him.
"No… MetalTyrannomon, please don't go," Tagiru choked. "This can't happen! Not to you!"
MetalTyrannomon rumbled and Tagiru looked up to see his partner's face looking down on him. "Ta… gi… ru." His first and only ever Japanese word. And with that, he exploded into a flurry of data, making Tagiru fall to his hands and knees as he tried to grasp the last solid pieces of his fallen friend.
"Dorbickmon…," Gumdramon hissed. "You'll pay!"
He and Tagiru tried to lunge at the Dark General but they were held back by Voidlings. The shadowy creatures had all of them held down now and no matter how much they struggled, they just couldn't break out of the living prison cells. So all they could do was scream profanities and insults at Dorbickmon as MetalTyrannomon's data continued to float away.
-X-
Duskmon's been defeated and Zoey's got a new hairdo. But things are looking bleak as Fire Terminal has been leveled to the ground and none of the casualties will be reborn thanks to Gizumon. To make matters even worse, Tagiru just lost one of his partners to the Dark General, Dorbickmon. How will he and Marcus get out of this one? And just what happened to Tai, Matt, and their partners? Find out next time on, Digimon: Children of the Future!
Dark stuff. Don't forget to ask our cast a question if you have one you want answered and even if you don't have a query, be sure to leave a review telling me how you felt about this chapter. I hope to catch you guys in the next one. See you!