Zero Unit: Hey Keenan, I've got a question for you. After returning to the human world to stay, what was it like?
Keenan: What do you mean exactly?
Zero Unit: Well, not only did you have to get used to all of the things in the human world that were not in the Digital World, but you had to learn a bunch of stuff to be on the same grade level as other ten year olds, right? What was that like?
Keenan: It wasn't so bad. I had Thomas to tutor me in his free time and Kristy was always around to help me out. I admit, I did suffer from homesickness a lot despite technically being home. Oh, but Kristy did take me to my first festival one summer.
Yolei: Now that I think about it, I can't remember my first festival…
Kiriha: That's true, for most of us; we've probably gone to our first ones in our toddler years. It's no wonder we wouldn't be able remember it very clearly.
Davis: I remember getting my first taste of takoyaki at a festival. Oh, and winning a goldfish.
Jun: I won it, not you.
Zoey: Well, we don't do festivals in Italy the same way we do it in Japan. So for me, my first official festival was the one that Takuya and the others took me to. I had a lot of fun with everybody and even though the Welcome Festival wasn't too long ago, I kind of want to have another.
Tai: With all this talk about festivals, it can't really be helped. How about we have one after we save the worlds?
Veemon: Will there be food?
Davis: I can work a ramen stand!
Hideaki: I'll handle a takoyaki stand!
Guilmon: Oh… now I'm hungry.
Terriermon: You're always hungry!
Keenan: I'm sure it'll be lots of fun. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, it's about the readers enjoying a brand new chapter. We hope you all enjoy it!
-X-
December 21: Earth Area – 10:23 AM
Takuya found himself in a place that was all solid dirt, rocks, and boulders. He had asked Glare to keep Risa safe while he went to face the Warrior of Steel. If it was anything like last time, then he would find Mercurymon waiting for him at the top. But this time, he shouldn't have Seraphimon's data so that should be a plus.
But the Warrior of Fire was also heavily fatigued from all the battling he had already done to get to this point. He wasn't good with math nor did he know how many Areas his comrades had conquered but if the ones outside each took out one or two like him, then after this barren wasteland should be the Light Area.
"Well?" the teenager called out. "I know someone's out here waiting! Come out so I can beat you!"
The boy jerked his head to the side when he heard slow steps walking towards him. They sounded heavy and they dragged across the dirt. Judging from the intervals between each step, Takuya could tell that whatever it was, it was bipedal and taking large steps.
Takuya pinpointed his foe with his heightened eyesight, seeing the dark, grotesque form of an anthropomorphic lion approaching him from several meters away. The creature's eyes were red and held absolutely nothing in them, as if they belonged to a body with no soul. Bones protruded out from his shoulders and his chest while his dark mane spread out like a bushy mess on his head, down to his back.
All in all, the only word Takuya could use to describe this creature was mad. And not of the emotional variety.
Digital Analyzer: MadLeomon is an undead Digimon who sacrificed all of his intelligence in order to increase his combat skills. As a Leomon, he heaped modification after modification until he developed this horrid appearance, even losing his own level in his quest for power. While he has lost his ability of conscious thought, be wary for his bloodlust is enough to drive him forward and back any opponent into a corner. The deadly poison in his claws aide him in this as well.
"I never thought I'd say this," Takuya grimaced. "But I wish I was staring at an Ogremon at this moment." The boy reached for his D-Tector when he saw MadLeomon suddenly throw a punch that caused the air to ripple in his direction. "Whoa!"
"Beast Blaster!"
This must've been MadLeomon's version of the Fist of the Beast King. Takuya had no time to evolve so instead, he jumped over the energy blast.
"What is with that speed?" Takuya muttered.
In response, MadLeomon stampeded forward, shaking the ground that the brunet no longer stood upon but he could see it trembling in the lion's wake. With a single leap, MadLeomon closed the distance between himself and the airborne human, ready to slash with his poisonous claws.
"Not good!" the Warrior grunted as he produced some flames in his hands. He was able to simultaneously use his blazing fists to knock himself out of harm's way and singe his opponent's fur. And while this may seem like a good thing, MadLeomon seemed to only get angrier.
The pair landed on the ground opposite of each other. Takuya knew that this creature was significantly weaker than his previous enemy, Darkdramon, and probably easier to take down than the cunning Mercurymon. Yet, compared to those other two, this one just made the boy feel more cautious than usual.
Was it this foreboding sense that something bad would happen if he let his guard down? No, almost every powerful enemy he fought gave off that vibe.
MadLeomon sniffed the air before baring his fangs and snarling at Takuya. Was it homicidal or simply territorial? Takuya prayed it wasn't both. "You reek like the Red General that destroyed me in my past life. I will be sure to rip you apart piece by piece." Oh, okay, so he was vengeful as well.
But wait, this meant that this guy was the same enemy that Taiki had fought three years ago. As a matter of fact, it was the first enemy that Taiki ever fought three years ago. That didn't make much sense since, according to Wisemon, after collecting all the Code Crowns, most of the Bagra Army should've been reborn to start a new life as good guys. Did something go wrong or perhaps… the Demon Lords had something to do with this.
"The best kinds of opponents for a Chosen Child would be one with a grudge against us, after all," Takuya sighed, reminded of Izzy's theory as to why the Demon Lords were going to all the trouble of bringing back their old foes. "But if Taiki can take you down at the start of his journey, I can defeat you after the end of mine."
This statement should've been true but every time he reached for his D-Tector, he was interrupted by MadLeomon either firing an energy blast from his fist or lunging forward at mind-blowing speeds. This guy's scary looks weren't just for show. He was legitimately terrifying.
"If you can't spirit evolve, you won't stand a chance against me," MadLeomon smirked as Takuya dodged another fist.
"I'm done for if just one of those hit me!" Takuya yelped as he rolled out of the way. "But I don't plan on getting clobbered today!"
That was a nice thought, but he wasn't strong enough in his human form to take out this Digimon. Not to mention, the amount of flames he could produce was enough to light the way through a dark tunnel, not enough to do a reasonable amount of damage to a Digimon higher than a Rookie level.
MadLeomon finally landed a kick to Takuya's chest, sending the poor boy flying. "Is running all you're good for?"
"Execute Spirit Evolution!"
Takuya had taken the hit on purpose despite the five or six broken ribs it cost. If he was knocked out of the way by his own enemy, he could digivolve. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure it was worth it as he found himself in the form of Agunimon, but with an aching chest.
"That measly armor won't do much!" MadLeomon smiled maliciously. "Beast Blaster!"
Agunimon reacted fast, surrounding himself in a flaming twister. "Pyro Tornado!" It was definitely his unlucky day as the blast was strong enough to blow away his defenses, and once again, send him flying away and into a stone pillar.
"So this is all that a Legendary Warrior is capable of?!" MadLeomon roared as he was in front of Agunimon in mere seconds.
The Warrior of Fire could feel his armor shatter as a fist, the size of his torso, came crashing into his body. It wasn't just the hard material on his body that was breaking, but the bones of the human host felt like they were being crunched as well. The boy had never felt this much pain before and he took a moment to wonder if this was even close to the level of pain that a novice MMA fighter would feel against a pro in the ring.
"This is bad," the spirit of Agunimon grunted.
"Quick, slide evolve into me!" BurningGreymon shouted.
The physical form of the Warrior was unable to answer though as Agunimon was being pelted by a flurry of fists, hitting every single one of his body parts. It was like he had become this lion's personal punching bag and there was no way out as he felt every part of him break. But after a while, MadLeomon began to slow down, even his wide smile was beginning to disappear.
"What's going on?" MadLeomon growled, jerking his head around. "That scent…" Suddenly, he jumped backwards when he felt something boiling touch his toes. "Wh-What?"
Agunimon slowly took a step forward, away from the stone pillar he had been held up against. The dark bipedal creature could only stare in shock when he saw that instead of solid rock, there was molten lava oozing down from the pillar and onto the ground.
"This may not be my domain," Agunimon huffed, trying to force his body to listen to him. "But simply by melting every rock here, I can change that."
MadLeomon didn't take this threat very seriously though. "Do you really think I'm scared of a little lava? I can still hit you without having to reach you! Beast Blaster!"
Agunimon rolled sideways, biting down on his teeth when he felt pain coursing through his entire body. But he was going to have to bear it as he changed into his beast spirit while rolling. In this new form, he was much faster so without wasting even a fraction of a second, he flew off behind the pillar and slammed his foot into it, causing it to tip and fall in MadLeomon's direction.
The hunk of rock was probably over one hundred meters tall with a diameter of maybe ten meters. But as it tipped, MadLeomon clenched his fist and shattered the pillar in a single punch, having only jagged stones harmlessly rain down on his furry body. But thankfully, this was enough time for the Legendary Warrior to change into his strongest form, EmperorGreymon.
"Just because you change your costume doesn't mean you can beat me," said MadLeomon. "You're already at death's door thanks to me."
EmperorGreymon reached for his back and drew his broadsword, stabbing the ground with it. "Is that what you think? You know, I've gotten stronger in the past three years. No matter what injuries you may inflict upon me, I will be sure to defeat you."
MadLeomon was about to make a comeback when he realized that the whole place had gotten warmer and his fur was starting to get sticky due to the humidity. "What's going on?!" The entire Area was starting to waver and unless there was something wrong with his eyes, every rock was slowly melting. "This heat, this pressure, how did you attain the power to do this?!"
"It's as I said," stated EmperorGreymon. "I will make this place my domain. Additionally, this place will also be made your grave."
The leonine Digimon's fists were so tight that if he were human, he would be bleeding. "I haven't lost yet! Poison Claw!"
Like a hunter, he pounced, but the Legendary Warrior was ready. "Dragon Crusher!" His weapon exploded in a blaze in the shape of a dragon's head as he countered his enemy's claw, smashing right through and cutting MadLeomon in two.
"I've lost… again…," were the creature's last words as his data dispersed into the air.
"The air reeks worse than before," EmperorGreymon sniffed. The fact that there was no Fractal code meant one thing for certain, this deletion was permanent. Whatever the Demon Lords had done, there was no turning back for this Digimon. "I won't die… Not until I defeat you again, Lucemon."
December 21: Darkness Area – 10:23 AM
For the last couple of minutes, the best they could do was keep NeoMyotismon from killing them as he sent volleys of LadyDevimon to attack from the shadows. They couldn't defeat the main boss without destroying Suzie's partner and they could barely protect themselves at this rate. At this point, all of Yuu's partners had gone back into the X-Loader except for Tsuwamon. But there were only so many combinations to run through.
"What do I do?" Yuu huffed.
Tsuwamon, at the current moment, was forced to move into the defensive. So while he was fused with RookChessmon, he was creating golden walls with electrified thread covering the gaps that could protect them from the seemingly endless waves of enemies. The best this was going to do was buy them some time.
"Oh?" NeoMyotismon laughed. "Are you going to abandon your friends? I can't kill the female Tamer or else the Deva will return to her base form, but unless you come out in the next sixty seconds, I will be sure to erase the other two humans from existence!"
"Don't you dare!" Tsuwamon snapped.
Yuu looked at the screen on his digivice and knew that everyone else was too tired or injured to continue fighting let alone moving. The best choice might be SkullGreymon since he had the most power and he was the most rested. But how long would that last them?
The teenager whipped his head around while his partner tried to gather his breath. The boy stopped when he noticed a space through the electrified web. Through the lines and past the batty ladies, he could actually see what appeared to be a window to the outside.
"Is that… the others…?" he murmured to himself.
Cody, Keenan, and two others stood up in the snow with the digivices raised to the sky and glowing. It was like they were trying to send him a message through the lights but he just wasn't quite sure what that message was supposed to say.
The Dark General brought his attention back to him. "Twenty seconds left."
There was a clue as to how he could come out victorious in his allies' message; he just had to decipher it but how? That's when his eyes landed on Cody again. There were several times in the brunet's adventures when there was at least one Chosen Child holding up their digivice and assisting that way. Was that it? A bright enough light to dispel the darkness? After all, if there was any General that embodied darkness, it would be NeoMyotismon, right?
"We're running out of time!" Tsuwamon snapped, trying to get his partner to do something.
NeoDevimon's claws were closing in around the vulnerable necks of Kazu and Yutaka, ever so slowly. "Ten seconds left…"
Yuu didn't know what to do and he would've shouted out some random command if Kazu's voice hadn't just boomed through the darkness. It startled everyone, including NeoMyotismon who reeled back in surprise, effectively keeping the two high school boys from getting beheaded by him.
"Take their partners to use as your own!" the Tamer bellowed.
"As my own?" Yuu repeated before realizing what he had to do.
Tsuwamon tossed one of his sickles over to the boy so that he could cut through the threads before lunging forward, swiping left and right with the weapon to keep the fallen angels from sinking their nails into him. Once he was at the window, showing him the outside, he pointed his X-Loader at it. Four bright lights shot out from below and into his digivice before he pointed it back out towards NeoMyotismon.
The vampire was about to lose his chance at deleting a human so he reached forward to impale Kazu's skull when a bird-man flew in, kicking him in the chest. The rest of the enemy Digimon were beaten back by more allies by the names of Shakkoumon, Ophanimon, and ChaosGallantmon.
"Ravemon!" Tsuwamon gasped. "You came to save us!" Just in time too, his Xros just broke apart which meant the defensive walls were crumbling down.
While Ravemon kept the Dark General occupied, ChaosGallantmon and Ophanimon were beating back LadyDevimon from every direction while simultaneously doing battle with Andromon and Antylamon respectively. Shakkoumon was doing his best to assist everyone while Yuu and Tsuwamon dove through the mess in order to free the captives.
"Are you okay?" Yuu asked as he broke Kazu's chains with the sickle. "How did you know what they were trying to tell me?"
Kazu fell off the crucifix and into the younger boy's arms. His cuts stung like crazy but this was no time to whine about it. "I didn't. But as a Digimon super-fan, I was able to remember that the X-Loader has the function of accepting other Digimon inside so long as they're willing. And I was certain that someone as smart and resourceful as Cody would've figured that out too."
So there were benefits to being an otaku. "Thanks, you saved our skin."
"It can't always be Kenta," Kazu grinned, wiping the blood leaking out of his nose. "People will start to think I'm his sidekick or something. But more importantly…" The boy looked up at his partner, clashing blades with ChaosGallantmon. "Andromon! Snap out of it!"
The robot didn't listen to his own Tamer though. "Lightning Blade!"
ChaosGallantmon lifted his shield and deflected the attack. The dark knight knew he shouldn't destroy the Ultimate, of course. But if this kept up, he was going to lose his temper. It was hard enough just trying to keep a bunch of undead off his back. Lucky for him, they were incapable of regenerating like the ones the Generals had to face three years ago. It seemed Antylamon's quick healing properties were only selfishly being used by NeoMyotismon.
"I can't keep this up forever," ChaosGallantmon huffed. "Well, I can. But it's better not to test my patience."
"I don't even know who you are," Kazu muttered. "Yuu, can you get my D-Power and my deck? I think NeoDevimon left them inside his coffin."
Yuu blinked, glancing around the room. "His coffin?" His eyes landed on the rectangular box that was maybe one meter away from NeoMyotismon's fight with Ravemon. It was going to be dangerous, but if it meant freeing Andromon from mind control, it would be worth it. "Got it."
NeoMyotismon overheard this so obviously, he was going to stop the Hunter from getting close but Ravemon had heard as well. "I won't let you get past me!" Ravemon huffed before expanding his wings and creating a partition between the Dark General and the human. "Crimson Formation!"
"Out of my way!" the undead Digimon glowered. "Nightmare Leeches!" The intimidating creature summoned his familiar spirits which attached themselves onto the bird-man, sucking away at his life energy. However, no matter how much it hurt, Ravemon was not about to budge, he had to resist this pain until Yuu reached the D-Power and the cards.
"Thank you, Ravemon," Yuu breathed, grabbing the objects he needed and returning to Kazu at top speed. "Here."
As Kazu slid a card through the device, Ravemon returned to being Falcomon, tumbling to a stop at Yuu's feet. "Digi-Modify… Hard Drive Wipe… Activate…" Andromon stopped mid-attack and abruptly shrunk down in size, turning into a little black dragon made up of Lego blocks. "ShadowToyAgumon… This is… probably the worst time to see your Rookie form for the first time…"
NeoDevimon's claws shot forward, nearly striking the two defenseless humans if Tsuwamon hadn't dropped Yutaka and blocked them with his sickle. Unfortunately, the power difference was far too great, making deep cuts into the mantis Digimon. Since he had already expended much of his energy earlier, he returned to being just Damemon.
"Well, this isn't good, not good at all!" Damemon moaned.
"We need to get out of here!" Falcomon added. "Firecracker Smokescreen!"
NeoMyotismon waved his arms around to blow away the smoke but in the midst of the confusion, Yuu was able to free Suzie from her chains. But here came another unfortunate problem. They didn't have enough arms to carry them all to safety.
NeoMyotismon grabbed Suzie and Antylamon, pulling them away from the bloody mess. "I'll be taking these two!"
"No, Suzie!" Yuu shouted just as the Dark General disappeared into a portal.
Ophanimon, ChaosGallantmon, and Shakkoumon quickly joined the rest of the group before facing the hordes of LadyDevimon once more. "Sephiroth Crystal!" "Judecca Prison!" "Kachina Bombs!" With those explosions, there were no more enemies to face within the Area.
"Why did he escape?" Kazu frowned. "And why did he take Suzie with him?"
Ophanimon answered that question. "It is because ChaosGallantmon and I are here. I do not mean to say this to be cold, but due to the circumstances; our best course of action would've been to destroy Antylamon. However, she and her partner, are important to NeoDevimon because it would allow him to regenerate an indefinite amount of times."
"True, NeoMyotismon did say that," Yuu nodded.
"But… even though we're alive…," Falcomon started, staring at the spot where Suzie had been. "What are we… going to tell Henry and the rest of her family?"
They all knew the answer. Despite how bad it was, there was no choice but to tell the truth to the Wong family since they deserved nothing less. But that didn't make it any less heartbreaking. "This is really not good," said Damemon. "Not good at all…"
December 21: Earth Area – 10:39 AM
EmperorGreymon had to wonder why the Warrior of Steel was allowing him this five minute break to heal his wounds and broken bones by bathing in the lava he created. After all, it would be much easier to defeat him in the condition he had been left in after MadLeomon gave him a beating like that. So why?
"Do you think I'll be more fun to play with at full power?" the dragon asked.
The familiar laughter of Mercurymon reached his ears. "Grumblemon and Ranamon are willing to do whatever it takes to defeat their enemies. Arbormon just wants to do whatever his gluttonous self wants. But Duskmon and I? We still have our honor as Warriors."
"That's good to know," said EmperorGreymon, slowly sitting up. He could feel the hot lava travel down from his head and down his back. "But why go through all the trouble of setting up these bad guys inside you? Why couldn't you have just taken me head on?"
"Orders from the very top," Mercurymon's disembodied voice replied. "I can't disobey them."
EmperorGreymon stared into the giant eye looking down on him from above. "I suppose that's to be expected from you."
"Are you ready for our rematch?"
"That depends, are you?"
December 21: Light Area – 10:41 AM
The Warrior of Fire entered what looked to be the inside of a church, rows of pews in front of him and seated at the very front was a pointed head. There was an organ being played and if EmperorGreymon knew classical music, maybe he could identify it. But with his current knowledge, the only way he could describe it was creepy.
"You've gathered some impressive friends," Mercurymon stated. "But, I guess you could say the same about me."
EmperorGreymon drew his blade and kept it at his side. "Not really since I don't think you see MadLeomon or anyone else inside your beast form as your friend. They're more like allies or classmates that were forced to work together for a group project."
"I will never understand your human world analogies."
Neither Warrior dared to make a move. And since EmperorGreymon couldn't see the front of his opponent's face, who's to say that this wasn't a decoy? So the unified spirit kept his eyes wandering the room, trying to see if there was any place that another Mercurymon could be hiding. But the most intriguing thing he found was that the stained glass windows showed the outside world. It looked like Yuu had joined the rest and rescued the hostages except for… Suzie.
The dragon felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Wha-?"
The organ abruptly stopped playing its melody just as the pews were ripped from the floors, flying right for EmperorGreymon. The Warrior started swinging his sword around and smashing apart the wooden seats in order to protect himself. Once he had them all reduced to splinters, he saw the one sight he hadn't expected to see... ShadowSeraphimon.
"Shadow Shockwave!"
An invisible shockwave sent EmperorGreymon flying backwards, flying through the massive double doors and into another Area. This time, it was the Steel Area, which was basically just a sea of mirrors and other reflective surfaces. Before falling into that dangerous ocean of shattered shards, he stopped himself short by hovering an inch above it all.
"Impossible!" EmperorGreymon snapped. "Without Seraphimon's Fractal code, you shouldn't be able to become ShadowSeraphimon!"
The dark version of the Celestial Angel flew into the Area and sent seven dark orbs of energy down to demolish his foe. "Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!"
There was no time to think about the technicalities and besides, it wasn't like the fiery Warrior to think about these things in the first place. So he just turned his broadsword into crossbow mode, pointing the tip at the black energy spheres coming towards him. "Dragonfire Crossbow!" He shot down each of the stars before aiming more for his enemy, only to receive another surprise.
"Dark Reflection!" Mercurymon was somehow with ShadowSeraphimon, absorbing the arrows into his mirror before sending dark versions flying back.
EmperorGreymon blocked the attacks with his sword and then leapt backwards as his two foes landed on the broken glass without a scratch on their bodies. "How is this possible? And even with this being possible, what was all that talk about honor?! What Warrior fights two against one?"
"You mean like you do all the time when you're with your friends?" Mercurymon chuckled. "And this ShadowSeraphimon was created by an arachnid Digimon. I think she said that he's made from these black towers called Control Spires."
That explained it. "So Arukenimon's behind this," EmperorGreymon muttered. "But this means she can create other powerful enemies." What if she created a Demon Lord duplicate? One Lucemon was enough; two would be an endless nightmare. But then again, she barely had the power to control one Mega in the past. She shouldn't have enough to create multiple Demon Lords. Well, that was the hope anyway.
"You may be able to defeat us individually, but you can't beat us together," Mercurymon laughed before disappearing into a mirror.
If it was anything like last time, then Mercurymon would be able to show up anywhere so long as there was a reflective surface to appear in. This meant that EmperorGreymon had to stay on his toes while fighting ShadowSeraphimon at the same time.
EmperorGreymon stabbed the ground with his blade. "Don't forget that I was Aldamon the last time we did battle. It would be wise not to underestimate me."
"You say that as if you've forgotten who I am," Mercurymon laughed. "I am the wisest of the Warriors."
ShadowSeraphimon shot forward and unleashed a flurry of blurry fists towards EmperorGreymon who was forced to sheathe his weapon before blocking the blows with his martial arts. If this was the game that they were going to be playing then it would be bad news to the fire-user if he accidentally left an opening on him. Mercurymon could pretty much show up anywhere and attack if he wasn't too careful. He had to keep an eye on his blind spots.
That was easier said than done. His eyes were good enough to keep up with the incredible speed of ShadowSeraphimon's fists but it's not like he could see what was happening behind him. With Mercurymon's laughter flooding his eardrums from every direction, it showed that he couldn't depend on those senses either.
"You're open!"
EmperorGreymon fell to one knee as he felt someone's foot slam into the back of his head. He was able to absorb one of ShadowSeraphimon's punches with his own palm at the very least though. So the dragon twisted his head around only to find that Mercurymon was nowhere in sight.
"Tch, he went back into the mirror!" EmperorGreymon grumbled.
Mercurymon jumped out of a mirror from underneath the other Warrior's arm, striking it with the reflective shield on his forearm. It forced EmperorGreymon to let go when he felt the sudden burst of pain in every single nerve point in his arm.
"Takuya!" Agunimon's spirit gasped. "Your bones haven't fully healed yet!"
BurningGreymon was more concerned with another issue. "In front of you!"
Before EmperorGreymon could do so, ShadowSeraphimon was already on the offensive once more, producing more of his dark energy orbs. "Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!" There was no time to block the attack so instead, he took to the skies. But looking down below, he saw Mercurymon sucking up the stars into his mirrors and then pointing them up.
"You've got to be kidding me!" EmperorGreymon grunted as he tried to change direction.
"Dark Reflection!"
"Shadow Shockwave!"
As EmperorGreymon attempted to fly out of the way, ShadowSeraphimon's attack blew him back in the direction of the very thing he was trying to avoid. If this attack hit, things would not be good for the Warrior of Fire so he quickly drew his sword and it ignited in flames.
"I won't lose here!" EmperorGreymon roared. "Dragon Crusher!" With one wild swing, he was able to get rid of the energy balls before they hit him. As he attempted to catch his breath, he saw the dark angel flying towards him, ready to go another round of close combat and the dragon was forced to oblige unless he wanted to fall to the ground where Mercurymon was waiting again. "I'll take care of this one first!"
"Oh?" Mercurymon chuckled. "So you think I won't be able to hit you while you're up there, eh?"
That was the plan. After all, Mercurymon didn't have the ability to fly like he and ShadowSeraphimon did so it would be a better idea to take out this fake Digimon first before defeating the Legendary Warrior. But while ShadowSeraphimon was the one without a weapon, he was able to produce multiple energy bombs and waves that kept the dragon on the defensive.
"I can't win like this!" EmperorGreymon grunted. But losing isn't an option here either. "So what do I do?"
EmperorGreymon swung down his blade but it was blocked by ShadowSeraphimon's gauntlets, which allowed him to smash his foot into the Warrior's gut. It didn't hurt him as much as he expected, but then dark energy flowed into the foot and exploded. EmperorGreymon flew out of the dust cloud covered in bruises but that wasn't the end of the attack as more dark stars were sent towards him, one for his head, one for each of his limbs, and the remaining two for his torso.
"If we get hit with this, we're done for!" Agunimon's voice called out. "It'll aggravate all of his wounds!"
Even his own spirits were worrying about him when they were supposed to be working together in order to defeat this enemy. First though, he had to defend himself from these attacks which he did by spinning his broadsword around and blocking all the bombs. Unfortunately, the dust from the explosions filled his lungs, making even breathing more difficult for him.
ShadowSeraphimon took this chance to fly right into his opponent's face and giving him a roundhouse kick to the head. There was a sudden ringing in his head and it became even harder to pay attention to the fight. EmperorGreymon attempted to use his advanced eyes to keep up with the punches coming towards him but that meant nothing if he didn't have the speed to physically do the same.
Mercurymon watched from below, a smirk on his face as he watched the enemy's weapon fall to the ground with a clang. "You've been disarmed. Now, what will your next move be?"
That was a pretty good question considering EmperorGreymon wasn't sure himself. He was just drop kicked into the sharp shards on the ground, some of them even sticking into his back as he pushed himself up. There must be some way to turn this battle around!
EmperorGreymon coughed and inside the body, the host was spurting out blood from his lips. "My injuries are acting up."
"You've lost, boy," Mercurymon chuckled. "ShadowSeraphimon, if you could end this?"
The Mega Digimon closed the distance between himself and the unified Warrior in mere seconds as he closed his hand on the dragon's skull. It wasn't like his head was being crushed in the palm but he knew what was going to come next.
"Shadow Starburst!"
Dark lightning coursed through his body and into his foe, not only exacerbating all of his wounds but it was sending a new kind of painful sensation through his body. EmperorGreymon couldn't help but release an agonized scream. It wasn't just the host that was getting hurt either; both of his spiritual counterparts were in deep pain as well.
Mercurymon was laughing as he watched his long-time nemesis scream. For him, this was almost as good as watching a five-star production of his favorite musical at a quality theater. "This will be the end of you, Warrior of Flame! And after this, the rest of your friends will perish at my hands!"
I can't lose. Not until I take on Lucemon again! Not until I've seen my family again! "Stay…," the Warrior grunted, slowly lifting up his leg. "…away from me!" All of his energy went into the kick that pushed ShadowSeraphimon away from him, but how could he win this match at this rate? There must be something in all his training history that could help him.
"What more can you do?" Mercurymon grinned. "I know your entire battle history and your limits thanks to all the fighting you've done inside Sakkakumon. The battles from three years ago and the ones from today have been compiled together in my brain. Last time, you defeated me because I hadn't known about Aldamon, but this time, I know it all."
That's it! The reason why he was able to beat the Warrior of Steel was because he had done something that had never been seen before!
But what could he do that was different now? Something that would trip up his foes?
Takuya had to pinch himself in order to make sure he wasn't dreaming because the prideful Zoey Orimoto was actually asking a favor from him while bowing. They were at their local park and it was the first time in a long while since it was just the two of them. It was very rare for them to be alone with each other because they had gone out for a few months but it didn't quite work out.
"Zoey, I'd like to help out but…," he wasn't sure where to go from here.
The girl sat down next to him on the wooden bench. "I know, it'll be awkward but I'm out of options here."
Zoey was volunteering at a dance studio that was closing down because they weren't getting enough students. She offered to be part of their last show but unfortunately, her partner broke his leg not too long ago and the doctors said that it wouldn't heal until the day after the performance. Zoey needed a replacement but there was no way she could find someone that could connect with her in two weeks' time.
Kouichi was busy helping out his mother that day so he was out. Kouji was in another town visiting relatives and it wasn't likely that he would want to dance in the first place. JP had a judo competition on the day of the show. And this routine required someone taller than Zoey so Tommy didn't quite fit the bill yet.
"I know nothing about Latin dancing though," Takuya huffed. "I mean, my mom's forced me to take ballroom dancing before but isn't this…"
Zoey finished it for him, "Completely different? Yes. But you're a fast learner, Takuya. If you practice with the class and with me in your spare time, I'm sure you'll be able to pick it up in no time at all."
Takuya still wasn't sure about this idea. He really did want to help out his friend but this was completely new territory to him and there was a myriad of other problems as well. They used to date so dancing together would be awkward, he had no experience in this style, and truthfully, he was a little scared of screwing up the routine when the spotlight hit him.
Before he could voice out any of these worries, the blonde took his hand and pulled him out of his seat. "Eh? Zoey, what are you-?" She ignored him as she suddenly turned around and lifted her shirt up, causing his cheeks to go red when he saw her bare back.
"Takuya, keep an eye on my muscles when I move," Zoey told him.
"Huh?" Takuya blinked before realizing this was the first lesson.
"Unlike ballroom dancing, in Latin dancing, you've got to move your whole body," Zoey explained as she began dancing in place. He watched as the rotations moved up from her hips and ascended her spine. The arm that wasn't being used to hold up her shirt was moving with the rest of her body as well, from the shoulder, to the elbow, to the forearm, to her hand, and then her fingertips. "This is essential to all kinds of Latin dancing because the whole point of it is to be passionate and sexy."
Takuya had to admit, watching Zoey move like that was rather mesmerizing and if he had to call it anything, it would be sexy. When she put down her shirt and turned back around to face him, he vigorously shook his head to get rid of the redness on his face though it didn't seem like she noticed.
"I know it looks difficult," Zoey continued. "But I believe in you."
Takuya sighed; knowing how much of his free time was going to disappear after this. "What do I have to wear?"
EmperorGreymon stood up as his opponents were getting ready to strike again. The majority of his attacks depended on his weapon, so now that he was disarmed, there was no way he could actually use any of them. He had to depend on something else. Something that Mercurymon had never seen before.
The Warrior of Fire knew that this would be torture on his body but as soon as an upbeat song entered his mind, he found himself moving. Mercurymon's mouth was set into a frown when he saw that his opponent was no longer in any recognizable battle stance.
"What are you…?" Mercurymon questioned.
EmperorGreymon smirked, knowing that even his own spirits were confused as well. "Just doing something you've never seen before."
The dragon suddenly moved forward but sidestepped an energy bomb from ShadowSeraphimon. The pair of enemies had no idea what to expect nor did they know what EmperorGreymon was doing as he danced around them. Every single body part seemed to be in motion as he dodged their attacks with ease, barely having their fists or feet brush against his armor.
"Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!"
EmperorGreymon spun away from the attacks but since Mercurymon stood behind the dragon, he was forced to absorb the stars with his mirror. The attacks were sent back in a Dark Reflection but the Warrior grabbed ShadowSeraphimon's wrists in the same way Zoey had several months ago, and swung himself under and between the dark angels legs. The energy balls exploded against Seraphimon's body while EmperorGreymon was left unscathed.
"I don't understand!" Mercurymon snapped. "You shouldn't be able to read my movements so easily!"
"Do you know the phrase, 'it takes two to tango'?" EmperorGreymon grinned as he threw himself over ShadowSeraphimon and slammed three kicks into Mercurymon's head. "Well, one of the most important things in a dance as complex as that one is knowing your partner. I don't have a perfect memory but my eyes are enough for me to tell what you're going to do next."
Mercurymon glowered at his foe. "I won't lose again. Never again!"
"Shadow Shockwave!"
EmperorGreymon moved out of the way of the invisible energy wave, landing beside his fallen sword. The Warrior of Steel had been so focused and confused by EmperorGreymon that he had forgotten about the weapon essential for the dragon's victory.
"Pyro Dragons!"
Nine flaming dragons burst out from the ground, flying towards Mercurymon who held up one of his mirrors in an attempt to send them backwards. But the dragons never hit him as they danced around him and smashed into ShadowSeraphimon, leaving behind a trail of data bits.
"I'm not done yet!" EmperorGreymon bellowed as he skidded to a stop, swinging his sword around like a baseball bat. "Without your bodyguard, I can finally hit you full force with an attack you can't send back! Dragon Soul Sword!"
Mercurymon crossed his arms but when the blade struck the mirrors, a crack formed in them, shattering them to bits. As the sword passed through his body, only his echoing scream filled the Area and a silhouette of his form was left behind. The unified Warrior returned to being Takuya as he no longer had the energy to retain his strongest form.
"It's finally over…," Takuya huffed as he held his D-Tector up to the ring of data. "Fractal Code Digitize…" On the screen, the symbol for the Warrior of Steel briefly flashed as the boy fell into an eyeball that appeared underneath him. "All that's left… is Sakkakumon…"
The teenager could feel snow crystals hittin his face as he started plummeting downwards. No energy to evolve into one of his flying forms and barely enough stamina to keep his eyes open. He could see his friends down below, running over to catch him. They weren't the other Warriors that would always pick him up when he fell. But they were his friends nonetheless. And together, they were definitely going to save the multiverse.
"Takuya!"
-X-
Takuya had to fight numerous enemies in one day but it looks like he got through it with his determination and Zoey's dance lessons. But he's pretty much out of commission when the fight against Sakkakumon comes. Will the group be able to win without the Warrior? And what's going to happen to Suzie and Lopmon now that they've been taken deeper into enemy territory? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
Yuu's fight didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped but it's better than nothing. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it and don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought.
Also, I know many of you probably don't review because you don't have much to say. But even a little bit is enough for writers because we like to know that people are reading. Sure, we know how many people visit a chapter but we never know if they actually read it or if they're just "checking it out". It really helps, not just me, but all writers to get reviews. So please review.