Zero Unit: *Folds hands* I believe you're all wondering why I called you all here. You see… We only got two reviews to the last chapter.
Rika: *Mock gasps* Big deal. Zero, you write because you love doing it so why does it matter how many reviews you get.
Zoey: Still, when you create something that you worked really hard on, don't you want to hear what people think? When people don't tell you anything, it makes you feel discouraged and less active. I don't understand how audiences can't understand something like that.
Kiriha: And Zero is one of those introverted, nervous wreck types so he constantly needs reassurance that his work is decent.
Zero Unit: I'd retort if it weren't true. So… What do you guys think we should do in order to get people to review more often?
Osomatsu: Guest stars and cameos, like me!
Zero Unit: Are Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu with you?
Osomatsu: Uh…
Zero Unit: *Takes out baseball bat* Goodbye. *Hits him out of the park* Hustle, hustle! Muscle, muscle!
Natsu Dragneel: What you need is sexy fan service!
Happy: Aye sir!
Natsu Dragneel: May I present… the Fairy Tail swimsuit girls!
Zero Unit: *Swings the baseball bat again and knocks them both away* I'm not doing that to any of the female characters nor would I do it to the male ones. Now, does anyone have any better ideas that I could actually use?
Tamaki Suoh: *Sparkles* You should just keep doing what you always do! *Kisses the back of Zero's hand* Is that not what makes your story special?
Zero Unit: That's nice… But you have a hittable face and since Haruhi and Kyoya aren't here to do it… *Smack!* Anyway, I'll be taking the sparkly host's advice so please continue on to today's chapter. Also, don't forget to review.
Matt: Uh… Who were all those people?
-X-
December 21: Shibuya Wreckage — 10:13 AM
"Diamond Machine Gun!"
Ren took cover behind a particularly large concrete chunk while his partner attempted to deflect as many of the crystal shards as he could with his two swords. Thankfully, Yasyamon had the speed and eyes to keep up with the onslaught of ammunition but the diamonds were tough. Without an iron grip, the swordsman would be easily disarmed.
The Hunter scanned through his Digimon partners to see if there was anyone that could give his partner a defensive advantage. But a sudden crashing sound caught his attention and he popped his head over his cover to see his partner flying through the air. Blastmon had charged forward while firing his gems until he crashed his jagged shoulder into Yasyamon's chest.
"Yasyamon, are you okay?" Ren called out.
The swordsman coughed but gave him a small nod. The boy's partner was never much of a talker but the pair didn't need words to communicate what the other wanted to say. As for Blastmon, even without having to hear him speak, they knew what he wanted, their destruction.
"Where are those pesky Generals?" Blastmon snarled. "I want to get my revenge on them!"
Ren rolled his eyes at the single-minded bloodthirst of this Digimon. "You're one world away from them! Yasyamon! Hyogamon! Digi-Xros!"
The undead Digimon took on a pale blue sheen as ice crystals protruded from his shoulders, knees, and elbows. Both his blades became thicker as they too, became covered in ice which he stabbed into the ground, freezing up the field. Blastmon nearly slipped and fell onto his face when he found himself standing on the frozen battleground.
"Is that all you got?!" Blastmon snapped.
Yasyamon pushed himself across the ice with his weapons raised. "Double Ice Strike!"
A smug smile appeared on the large Digimon's face. "I can melt this easily! Crystal Breath!" He exhaled a concentrated laser beam that not only vaporized the ice, but it also had enough destructive force to move the rubble like waves. When the beam hit Yasyamon square on the chest, Ren had to cover his eyes to avoid watching his partner get burned and scratched up.
"Y-Yasyamon!" Ren gasped as Hyogamon returned to his X-Loader. "We're going to need even more speed to win this fight. Yasyamon! SkullSatamon! Digi-Xros!"
The masked warrior; already classified as an undead Digimon, wrapped skeletal armor around his body while trading in his blades for his fusion counterpart's staves. Blastmon didn't seem to care about this new form as evident by the fact that he was charging towards his foe with the intention of crushing him. After taking four earth-shaking steps, the hardened general curled up into a rolling boulder.
"Diamond Hedgehog!"
Ren's knuckles had taken on the color of porcelain as he gripped onto his X-Loader. "If Yasyamon gets hit with that, there's no way he'll stand back up!"
Yasyamon leapt over the ball but as soon as he landed, his foe made a U-turn and came charging back in. Well, if he couldn't dodge this attack, then he might as well try to control it instead. "Bone Puppet Master!" From the orbs on the staves, energy strings popped out and connected with the rolling enemy, now Yasyamon could lead the opponent crashing into a wall or something similar. That is, if he could control the enemy.
"What's going on?!" Ren gasped. "Why can't Yasyamon manipulate his movements?"
Looking closer, one would be able to see that the puppet strings would get close to Blastmon's body and then just bounce right off. Not only was his body too hard for the strings to penetrate into his data stream, but he was spinning too fast for the strings to even find a spot to stay on. Yasyamon attempted to block the blow by crossing his weapons, but he ended up getting smushed underneath the barreling enemy anyway.
"This guy is way too tough!" SkullSatamon groaned when he returned to the X-Loader.
Hyogamon couldn't agree more. "Sorry Ren, but you're going to need a lot more power in order to beat this guy!"
Power? Ren always hunted Digimon based on their level of rarity or difficulty to capture which usually resulted in searching for smart or fast Digimon. The few strong opponents he came across were often handed over to Ryouma for hunting. Even for the two years that his friend was no longer participating in the hunt, it was Tagiru and the others that caught the really strong foes.
However, brains might be preferable in this situation seeing as Blastmon didn't seem to do a lot of thinking. Perhaps they could outsmart the rocks-for-brains Digimon or at least stall until backup arrived like Samson and Yamaki had promised.
"Yasyamon! Chamelemon! Digi-Xros!"
The swordsman didn't even give Blastmon the chance of seeing this new form as he immediately used his counterpart's powers to blend in with the background. This left Blastmon in a rather confused state as he looked around, searching for the invisible opponent.
"Where'd you go?" Blastmon roared. "I won't let you run away from me!"
Meanwhile, Ren was turning on his phone and contacting Hypnos, hoping to get some assistance before Blastmon could target him instead of his partner. But just as the call was trying to connect, a diamond hit the concrete chunk that he was hiding behind, somehow shattering the larger piece of rock into several pieces. If just one of those gems hit him, he'd probably have a hole in him and a popped organ.
"Not good," the boy murmured.
Blastmon started charging at the teenager while swinging his arms wildly. "If I can't find you, then I'll just pulverize your partner!"
Yasyamon shot forward and threw his blades into the ground in front of Blastmon. As soon as the weapons left his grasp, they became visible again and Ren watched as Blastmon tripped over the swords and fell flat on his face. This was the time to get a few blows in before he got back up.
"Yasyamon!" Ren called out. "MameTyramon! Digi-Xros!"
The partnered Digimon was no longer invisible and he gained the tough armor of his new counterpart along with sharp claws. His mask was exchanged for a gladiator's helmet though his eyes remained covered underneath the armor. As he landed, he picked up his blades once more and charged forward.
"Mame Strike 1000!"
Blastmon was hit hundreds of times in a span of under a minute with the dual wooden swords but it didn't do much. Blastmon was definitely getting injured since parts of him were breaking off, but unless they defeated him in one blow, those parts would just regenerate later on.
Blastmon rolled onto his back while bearing the flurry of blows. He slammed the soles of his feet into Yasyamon's stomach, sending him reeling backwards. Using the momentum of his kick, he brought himself back onto his feet, spun around, and made Yasyamon fall onto his back by using his tail to trip him up.
"Let's see how you like getting beat while you're down!" Blastmon smirked. "Janken: Gu!" Ren squeezed his eyes shut and turned away as Blastmon punched Yasyamon's face into the ground. "Janken: Choki!" Ren could feel the chop send shockwaves through his body. "Finally, Janken: Pa!" An open palm strike left a Yasyamon-shaped indentation in the rubble while Blastmon stood victorious.
The human found himself trembling as he tried to stand up. "No… Yasyamon, it can't be."
Blastmon turned to Ren with a smug expression. "Now that just leaves—."
From the sky, two figures dropped to the ground and to Ren's relieved surprise, one of them was Yasyamon. As for the other figure, he didn't know who it was. He appeared to be a Chinese adult male wearing a green martial arts gi and metallic gauntlets and shin-guards. But his jaw dropped as he witnessed the pair place their hands to their ground and lift their feet in the air, slamming them into Blastmon's face.
"Yasyamon, you're okay!" said Ren.
The Digimon nodded before gesturing to the other human there. "He saved me," Yasyamon stated quietly.
"I also switched him out with a dummy so Blastmon wouldn't realize that he was gone," the man added.
"Thank you so much," Ren bowed before frowning a little. "But… Who are you, exactly?"
Blastmon stood back up after shaking the disorientation from the surprise assault. "Yeah, I'd like to know the name of the man who made a fool out of me." He rubbed the bruises on his cheeks. "I also have to pay you back for ruining my beautiful face!"
"I am the Martial Artist of Patience," the man said. "Janyu Wong!"
Ren's eyes widened. "Your Henry's dad?! But your hair is short and black! And you're thinner!"
"Did I really put on the pounds after college?" Janyu muttered before getting back into an offensive position. "I'll explain later. For now, we've got a Digimon to defeat."
"Uh, right."
"You're going to defeat me?" Blastmon scoffed. "What a laugh!"
It's not like Ren didn't trust the older man or anything, but they were fighting a colossal monster made of supposedly indestructible material and Janyu was only human. No matter what kind of martial arts training the bespectacled man has gone through, it won't matter against someone who could destroy a building with a single punch. How did Taiki and the other Generals beat this guy in the past?
Janyu glanced over to the younger male and noticed that Ren was shaking. As hard as it might be to admit, the Hunter was most likely scared out of his mind. After all, his partner had nearly been deleted right before his eyes.
"Ren," Yasyamon said quietly, placing a gloved hand on his partner's shoulder.
Something passed between them when they locked eyes and Janyu wasn't quite what it was. But Ren stopped shaking. It was probably similar to the silent communication he would have with his own partner, FanBeemon. The bond between Digimon and human was one that couldn't be explained.
"You take the lead, Janyu," Ren nodded firmly. "I'll follow."
Janyu returned the gesture before giving the pair a thumbs-up. He then leaned in closer to Ren and lowered his voice. "Blastmon's weak point is his legs but don't strike just because you see an opening, you've got to watch out for his tail as well."
This was a surprise. Did Janyu know this because of some encyclopedia entry on the enemy that Ren didn't know about? But when the boy really thought about, compared to the rest of Blastmon's body, his legs were much smaller. Not to mention, tripping him up was actually a really easy task. Still…
"How do you know that?" Ren asked.
"While I was making a Yasyamon dummy, I was observing your fight," Janyu explained. "As a martial artist, I tend to watch the enemy's body as they fight and I was able to figure out which ones he used more in comparison to the others. Furthermore, don't be fooled by his brutish behavior and vanity, Blastmon is a lot smarter than he lets on. Have you noticed that not once during this battle, he has yet to make a reckless move despite all his gung-ho and charging?"
That's right! Blastmon was constantly barreling forward but it wasn't overconfidence that fueled his battle style. His tank-like body allowed him to cover up several weaknesses while his brainpower defended the rest. The biggest clue to the fact that he was hiding a big brain, however, was the fact that he was able to remain calm despite the humans whispering.
"I've effortlessly overpowered massive militaries in the past!" Blastmon bellowed. "I'm supposed to be scared of you weaklings? Diamond Machine Gun!"
"Take cover!" Janyu snapped to Ren before breaking into a sprint in the other direction.
Ren took off as far from the battlefield as he could without losing visual of them. He could only gape in awe as he watched Janyu maneuver through the bullets with the speed and grace to rival his own partner. But it was only a given that he was fast, how else could he save Yasyamon then?
"Man, the very first Chosen Children are leaving us in the dust," Ren murmured.
Blastmon seemed more concerned with Janyu than he was with Yasyamon, perhaps he saw the human as a bigger threat. Or maybe someone ordered him to take out the very first DigiDestined if they showed their faces. Either way, that was where his concentration was on. "Dazzling Crystal Volcano!"
Janyu halted as Blastmon launched himself in his direction. But while the human combatant couldn't match it in speed, his eyes was able to keep up with the rocketing general with ease. So by flipping into the air, he was able to land on Blastmon's back, hanging onto the behemoth's cape to keep from falling.
"Ren, Xros with a speed type!" Janyu snapped.
"That's my specialty!" the boy grinned. "Yasyamon! Centarumon! Digi-Xros!"
As Yasyamon was running forward, his legs underwent a sudden change so that his lower half belonged to that of a horse. "Jet Gallop!" With each hoof that hit the ground, he began to accelerate until he was right behind Blastmon. All this was done in a few seconds as he stabbed his blades through Blastmon's cape and nailed them to the ground, catching Blastmon's tail along with it.
"Wh-What?!" Blastmon roared. "H-How did you?!"
Janyu and Yasyamon now stood in front of him as the latter was aiming his new laser cannon hand at Blastmon's legs. With a few energy blasts, Blastmon was brought down to his knees.
"While he's immobile," Janyu called out. "Finish him!"
Yasyamon changed his target to Blastmon's torso, charging up the cannon once more with everything he had in him. Ren was able to run to his partner's side in that amount of time while Blastmon struggled to get out of this pinch. Together, Ren and Yasyamon fired, "Solar Flare Strike!"
December 21: Shibuya Wreckage — 10:13 AM
With each swing of the rocket rake, indentations were made into the ground and the rubble underneath was practically pulverized into dust. But Laylamon was light on her toes as she floated across the battlefield like a ballerina on stage. This succeeded in frustrating Cho-Hakkaimon because like the Demon Lord they once faced, this Digimon wasn't taking their fight seriously.
"Stay calm, Cho-Hakkaimon," Airu called out. "She's just trying to rattle you!"
"I know," her partner huffed.
Laylamon leapt backwards, landing on a large piece of rubble so that she could literally look down on her opponents. "I can't lose, not until I face those Generals again. And just so you know, a little girl such as yourself could never defeat me."
Airu wasn't about to let this foe get into her head. "Well, I made a promise to those Generals that I, and the others, would keep this world safe until they return! So I can't lose either."
"Promises break, kid."
"So do old lady bones."
"How dare you?!"
The blonde couldn't believe how easy it was to rile up the female general when she had been trying to do the same thing to them. Then again, if she remembered the stories of their adventures well enough, according to Nene and Mervamon, this foe would lose her temper frequently. However, while at times it could be amusing, one would actually not like to face her while enraged, unless you were confident in taking on her wild strikes.
Cho-Hakkaimon jumped into the air with her weapon high above her head. "Strike, Strike, Strike, Mince!"
Laylamon clapped her hands together and some sort of summoning circle appeared in front of her. As she placed her palm in the center of the shape, a giant, eldritch monster in the shape of a hand appeared. "Empress Emblaze!" Not only did the rake do nothing to the hand, but the hideous body part also wrapped itself around Cho-Hakkaimon.
"No!" Airu gasped.
"Your partner's bones seem pretty fragile too, you know," Laylamon cackled as she slowly squeezed the hand, causing Cho-Hakkaimon to scream.
Airu was never the smartest in her group and she always depended on the boys when it came to thinking up plans. But this didn't mean that she didn't have a brain of her own to use. In battle, it was best not to underestimate her. And because she could often be found hiding from bigger battles with her teammates, that's what most people tended to do.
"Cho-Hakkaimon, degenerate!"
Laylamon blinked as her captive suddenly shrunk down in size. The giant hand closed around thin air as Opossumon used her balloons to float upwards. She waved her tiny rodent hand which caused Laylamon to boil as she attempted to reach up and nab her once more.
"Why you little rat!"
A smirk appeared on Airu's face. "Opossumon, time to switch!"
Once again, Laylamon was struck by surprise as the tiny Digimon started glowing once more, but not to change form. Rather, she was beamed right back into the pink X-Loader and replaced by a new Digimon, one that was thousands of sizes larger than Airu's main partner.
Laylamon's eyes widened as her pupils shrunk. A cold sweat broke onto her brow as her perfect lips took on the shape of a rounded trapezoid in order to show her distress upon seeing a Whamon above her head. A scream was released as the aquatic mammal dropped, crushing the eldritch hand underneath as Laylamon got out of there before she could be smushed as well.
"Y… You're smarter than you look," Laylamon muttered. "The information I got from the Demon Lord Laylamon was that Suzaki Airu hid behind others and let them handle the heavy lifting. But you don't seem to be that way at all!"
Airu took on a cute pose as Whamon was replaced with Cho-Hakkaimon. "There's a reason why Ryouma added me to his team and it wasn't because of my looks. He saw me battling that very Whamon once and he underestimated me because of how I behaved. But when I successfully hunted Whamon, Ryouma was more than stunned to see how well I handled it."
"It can't be!" Laylamon gasped.
Airu targeted cute Digimon, never seemed to think things through, and always looked onto to Ryouma and Ren to do the hard work. As a matter of fact, if there was anyone else who could do the thinking, she hid, because Ryouma asked her to never show her true prowess. Her greatest skill was making foes underestimate her, and that was something she has nurtured for the last two years.
But with the appearance of the Demon Lords and after losing so much of Shibuya, she was asked to finally let loose by both Ryouma and Kuroku. Even Ren didn't know about this, her true self in battle, a professional huntress.
"The hunt isn't over until I hunt you," Airu smiled. "Cho-Hakkaimon! Bucchiemon! Digi-Xros!"
The pig costume changed color to red and the ears suddenly became longer, pointed with hearts at the end while a red ribbon wrapped itself around her neck, tying into a bow in the back. Her weapon took on a translucent glow as she pointed the five sharp points at Laylamon. "Rocket Love Arrows!"
The demon figured she could ballet dance through these whistling missiles but as they approached, she realized that they were flying around her rather than hitting her. Where was she supposed to go? As her head pivoted left to right, she almost didn't notice Cho-Hakkaimon jumping into the air until her opponent cast a shadow over her.
"What are you–?!"
"Strike, Strike, Strike, Beam!"
From the hole that served as an opening for Cho-Hakkaimon's human-like face, four powerful light beams rained down from the sky. At the same time, the five missiles took different vantage points before charging right for Laylamon. Unless she could dig underground, there was no place to run for her as all nine attacks connected at one point and exploded.
"Bucchiemon is not only adorable but a combination with him and Cho-Hakkaimon is one of the best!" Airu grinned, grateful to Ryouma for teaching her that combination. It didn't last for very long though. "But I guess the hunt isn't over yet or else you'd be in the X-Loader already."
Laylamon's manicured hands popped out of the ground behind Airu and latched onto her ankle, causing her to yelp in surprise. "Little girls shouldn't be playing with weapons like that." One second before the lasers and the missiles struck, Laylamon used her Nazar Nail attack to corrode the ground underneath her and dive into the only safe zone. "To make things worse, you've ruined my makeup and dress!"
"Airu!" Cho-Hakkaimon gasped as she was about to go save her partner.
Laylamon jumped out from underground and tightened an arm around Airu's throat, causing the girl to drop her X-Loader. "Not so fast!" The General placed a pointy finger nail at the side of Airu's throat. "Make one move and the girl is dead."
"You fiend!" the pig growled.
Airu squirmed in Laylamon's grasp. While she was good with battling, she wasn't a fighter herself nor did she think she was brave enough to do something like bite the lady's arm like captives would do on TV. It was more than likely that Laylamon would just get angrier and pierce her windpipe.
"Just let me get a few hits in and I'll let her go," Laylamon stated, licking her lips in anticipation. "But if you try to defend yourself or attack me, your partner is dead."
Cho-Hakkaimon gritted her teeth as she slowly dropped her weapon, despite her partner's head shaking. Laylamon believed she had turned the tide of the battle but just when she was about to summon the demonic hand again, another human girl suddenly appeared beside her. She had black hair tied in a single braid that went down to her waist, dark skin, rectangular spectacles, and a golden staff with a moon as the head.
With an innocent smile on her face, the woman spun her staff and swung it hard into Laylamon's face with the flat side of the moon. With a loud screech of pain, she ended up letting go of Airu as the older human grabbed her elbow and yanked her away.
"Thanks!" Airu gasped. "But who are you?"
The woman smiled. "The Mage of Compassion, Rai Aishwarya."
"Ugh!" Laylamon screamed. "Compassion?! You just batted me in the face! And more wrong information! They had told me your surname was Tabassam!"
Rai shrugged, not quite sure why having a different last name was such a bother to the enemy. Furthermore, hitting Laylamon in the face was the best way to free Airu that she could think of. "Well, I got married and took my husband's name so…"
The deep scowl on Laylamon's face undermined the mesmerizing beauty she once held. Well, the new scar on her cheek did that as well. But she took a deep breath to calm herself before putting on a smug smile. "No matter…" For a moment, Airu thought she heard her heartbeat reverberate through the air and in the next, she was suddenly on her knees. "I've at least killed one of you."
Cho-Hakkaimon was by her partner's side immediately. "Airu!" She shot a glare at Laylamon. "What did you do to her?!"
"There's a scratch on her neck where my nail was," Laylamon answered. "Even something as small as that is enough for my poison to invade her system. In a matter of seconds, the virus will have spread to her whole body and she will be dead."
Airu's breathing became labored as the figures and objects in front of her were starting become abstract shapes. There was a burning sensation starting from her throat and moving into her head and chest, making her wish she could tear her skin off. But almost as soon as those feelings were there, they were gone. Had she already died and ascended the physical plane? But if that were true, why would her knees still feel like they were on rubble.
"Wha...?" Airu blinked. "I… I feel okay!"
The ugly scowl was back. "But how?!"
"I'm a healer," Rai answered. "The word 'Mage' isn't in my title to look pretty. This staff has copied so many healing techniques in the past that it just remembers by default, without having me to copy it again. You shouldn't underestimate humans, Laylamon."
"Why you… I'll get you both!" Laylamon screeched. "Phantom Pain!"
"Hold on to me!" Rai called to the other girls. As soon as they had some body part touching her, she raised her staff and a flash of light enveloped the area. "Magical Game: Teleport!" The rotting breath didn't even touch them as they disappeared and reappeared behind the female general.
"Cho-Hakkaimon! Floramon! Digi-Xros!"
Together, Rai and the Digimon expelled a yellow powder all over Laylamon's head, paralyzing her body and rendering her unable to even turn around to face her enemies. No matter how she looked at it, the battle was over for her.
December 21: Shibuya Wreckage — 10:21 AM
"Digimon Capture Complete!" Ren huffed, falling to his butt in an exhausted heap.
"You just beat him?" a familiar voice called out.
Ren and Janyu turned to see the girls approaching them which told them that they had defeated Laylamon a couple of minutes ago. But they didn't have the time to even greet them as more people started coming. This time, it was Ryouma and Kuroku, the former with his arm in a makeshift sling from supplies that the old man brought with him.
"Don't get a big head," Kuroku stated. "Laylamon is weak compared to the other two generals. She's more of a manipulator than she is a fighter."
Airu nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. "Don't worry; my biggest strength is the fact that our enemies underestimate me. I'll make sure not to let it ironically become my downfall. But it still kind of stings that the Demon Lords think I'm nothing special."
"Still, I can't believe these guys were so bent on revenge that they would follow the Demon Lords' orders," Ren sighed. "Did they learn nothing from their past?"
Suddenly, Tactimon spoke up from inside Ryouma's X-Loader. "It wasn't because of vengeance. The Demon Lords just amplified those negative feelings to give us a bigger reason to fight you guys. In truth, given the choice, we wouldn't listen to them. But they implant viruses in us that can torture us, give us a pain worse than dying a thousand times, and the only way to relieve it is either to die for real or to become a partner of a Chosen."
"So in a way, you lifted our curse," said Blastmon.
"Doesn't mean we'll cooperate with you brats," Laylamon added bitterly.
That explained it. Most of their old enemies didn't seem like the type to follow orders from someone else but when that someone else had as much power as the Demon Lords, it was nearly impossible to resist them. They were death personified, and if they wanted, they could kill and kill and kill the same person as many times as they wanted without ever relinquishing them to death.
"How cruel," Airu muttered.
Ryouma nodded in agreement before taking in the sight of what was left of the Shibuya district once more. "Those Demon Lords, I can't forgive them!"
December 21: Primary Village — 4:16 PM
"This is Kristy, reporting in."
The teenager stood at the edge of Primary Village, telling the people of Hypnos and DATS what had occurred that day. It was a rather long story to tell as she watched Jeri and TK sleep soundly in their cots. They both received several injuries throughout the day so they were being bandaged up by Elecmon and their new friend, Koh.
Earlier that day, Tommy took down the Legendary Warrior of Wood, Arbormon. He received aid from Private Commandramon of the United Xros Heart Army.
Kristy and Jeri took on NeoDevimon, an old enemy of Robert McCoy's group. It was then that Biyomon evolved to his Mega form for the first time, Eaglemon, but just when the tides had turned, they did so again. NeoDevimon's mask broke and he went ballistic, attacking crazily, wildly, he was completely unhinged. Fortunately, before delivering the final blow, Apocalymon took him away. Afterwards, they found the Zero Unit marking on Jeri's stomach, the reason why she was injured as badly as she was.
During this, Takato and Taiki mounted a siege on Apollomon's fortress, or more accurately, Whispered's fortress. Koh Regulus showed up and saved them at the last minute. As it would turn out, Apollomon and Marsmon were both his partners. But the rest of his Digimon were destroyed along with City thanks to the Demon Lords.
Finally, there was TK at the peak. Devimon made the boy go through several illusions, each one worse than the last. He sustained many injuries while facing fake old enemies but thanks to Musyamon and Turuiemon, the mentors of Daisy and Janyu respectively, he was saved. MagnaAngemon was able to send Devimon running, but the fallen angel still lives.
"Tomorrow at daybreak, a fleet from the United Xros Heart Navy will pick us up," Kristy continued. "They will be led by CaptainHookmon, Babel's mentor."
Takato couldn't sit still. There was just something not right with seeing one of his oldest friends sleeping in the middle of the day with dried blood on her shirt. Leormon was curled up on Jeri's stomach, just as worried, and just as injured. But because he's a Digimon, he was healing a lot faster.
"This medicine should speed of the healing process," Musyamon stated, handing Takato the vial. "When she wakes up, make sure she drinks it."
The Tamer nodded. "Thank you."
The three youngest kids were sitting against the plush house that Elecmon lived in, their knees pulled up to their chests. Tommy already knew how dangerous this world was but the other two looked really scared. So when Kristy started walking back, the Legendary Warrior stood up.
"Any response yet?" he asked before lowering his voice. "Do they know if they can send people back?"
Kristy shook her head. "I just sent in a report. It'll be a while before we hear anything. Let's just rest until morning."
It sounded like a good idea. After all, they were all fatigued due to the events of the day, it was best if they rested up. Tomorrow was probably going to be exhausting as well. Now Shinya and Ai understood why the older kids were afraid of bringing anyone but partnered Chosen along.
Current Group: TK (Unconscious), Takato, Jeri (Unconscious), Ai, Tommy, Shinya, Kristy, Taiki, and Koh
December 21: Underground Tunnels — 4:16 PM
"Is this thing on? Yeah, okay, um, this is JP, reporting in."
After they got out of the Frozen Palace and Kenta told them why the Demon Lords were so desperate to get the Olympos XII, Cherrymon took them to an underground tunnel system. For now, they were resting in a large hollow space while JP recounted the day's events.
Upon arrival, Rika was kidnapped by IceDevimon and then enslaved by the Dark Spirals, once designed by the Digimon Emperor. Kenta was the only one in their group to not attend the rescue mission as MarineAngemon had caught sight of a Control Spire nearby. Thus, they ended up splitting from the group.
Inside the castle, JP and Kouji stayed behind on the first floor in order to fight the Legendary Warrior of Earth and the IceDevimon they had met on their own adventures. Working together, they were able to defeat their foes but the fallen angel escaped. A similar story to the group back on File Island.
On the second floor, due to Ryo's recklessness, a trap ended up separating the girls and the guys. Kari and Nene had the bad luck of running into Zamielmon and his factory workers. Etemon, one of Nene's partners, was destroyed there and if it hadn't been for Minervamon, the Olympian, things would've been much worse. As it would turn out, Minervamon and Mervamon were once one and the same. But the Olympian had performed a spell wrong that was supposed to split her personalities, it ended up splitting their power as well.
Davis and Ryo continued to the top floor where they were forced to fight Sakuyamon. If Kenta hadn't learned to bio-merge with his partner in order to become Neptunemon, thus sending Arukenimon and Mummymon running and destroying the control spire, Sakuyamon would've been captured. At this moment, it was only Ryo and Monodramon that were taken by IceDevimon.
Leaving the castle, Mervamon was no longer with them. She promised she'd meet them at Shoutmon's Kingdom Town after she discussed certain things with Minervamon. Now, Nene Amano was short two partners for the time being.
"I can't believe this!" Rika yelled, kicking up the sand.
"Calm down," said Kari. "What happened to Ryo wasn't your fault."
The redhead slammed the back of her fist against the wall. "But if I hadn't gotten captured…"
JP returned to the group before handing the device over to Kenta. "Here, tell HQ what you know about the Olympos XII."
Current Group: Davis, Kari, Rika, Kenta, Kouji, JP, and Nene
December 21: Trailmon — 4:16 PM
"This is Henry… A lot happened today. So this is my report."
The boy paused, wondering where to go from there as he looked out the window at the scenery passing by at several kilometers per minute. There was something churning in his stomach. He couldn't pin down what this feeling was but he knew something bad had happened.
Yolei, Kouichi, and Mako ended up in the Ruins of Light where they encountered Duskmon of all beings. They couldn't do much so they flew through the underground labyrinth while awaiting assistance from the others. But they were in as much trouble as those three.
Zoey had to fight Ranamon all over again but she succeeded in taking down the Legendary Warrior of Water. The only loss was her hair which was now in a pixie cut.
Henry and Kiriha found themselves fighting Gravimon and his massive army which had been approaching Fire Terminal to destroy it. After all, it was an important stronghold to the resisting army. Unfortunately, while they were able to temporarily eliminate him thanks to Kiriha's strategizing, they were unable to find him before he destroyed the whole town and several civilians. That's why they were on this train to get to the Kingdom Town.
Kazemon went into the ruins to find Ken and Relena, both of whom were already inside. But when direct confrontation with Duskmon came, Ken and Kazemon were knocked out cold. With Kouichi already unconscious and Mako without a partner, it was up to the girls to fight the corrupted Warrior. That was when Hawkmon evolved into Sylphimon using Gatomon data from a found digivice and Bearmon evolved into Pandamon. Together, they were able to beat Duskmon and free Sayo Centauri, the host of the Warrior and owner of the digivice.
Like Koh, she hailed from City though from the opposite faction known as Night Crow while he was from Light Fang. She explained that she had gone to find a friend named Rhythm for Marcus, whom she owed her life to, before she got captured.
"That about sums it up," Yolei nodded.
Bokomon and Neemon were both extremely quiet as they sat on their chairs, looking out the window and attempting to see what they've passed. It was as if they were trying to find their hometown but they would never be able to.
"When this is all over, let's work together to rebuild the Digital World," said Relena. "Fire Terminal, City, and every other place that was ravaged by the Demon Lords."
Kiriha nodded, wanting to do the same. "If anyone can fix everything that's been broken, it would be us."
"Henry?" Kouichi had noticed that the Tamer had gone silent after sending in the report. "You okay?"
The boy didn't answer right away. He just wished that bad feeling could just go away. But the fact that it was there meant something terrible happened. Back home? To Suzie? What was it? "I'm fine; I'm just a little preoccupied."
"Momentai," his partner murmured in his arms.
"Right… Momentai…"
Current Group: Yolei (Injured), Ken (Injured), Henry, Mako, Zoey (Injured), Kouichi, Relena, Kiriha, and Sayo
December 21: Blizzard Fields — 4:16 PM
"This is Cody Hida… I'm reporting in."
The caravan hit a pothole and everyone inside were airborne for just a few seconds before landing back into their seats. Julia and her partner were in the car up front, driving rather fast, but she had insisted on being behind the wheel.
"That woman is going to get us killed before the Demon Lords even have the chance to," Glare huffed.
When the group landed in the Digital World, Suzie, Kazu, and Yutaka were immediately captured by the enemy and taken into Sukkakumon. The beast spirit of steel was disguised as the Wicked Tower to catch them off guard when they entered. This way, it would be easier to separate the group.
Keenan ended up fighting Merukimon, the Digimon that took care of him after Frigimon died. If Julia hadn't shown when she did, he would have a knife as large as he through his torso. They defeated the Olympian and he turned into a Digi-Egg.
Cody and Yuu were together at first, but after taking down the enemies in the first Area, they were split up. SuperStarmon, one of Yuu's partners, ended up with the younger male though.
Cody was forced into battle with a copy of Neptunemon. There, using Angemon data that SuperStarmon carried around, Shakkoumon was formed. The brunet's partner was able to defeat the giant mermaid with the help of the humanoid star.
Yuu was in a more difficult predicament as he came face to face with NeoMyotismon and the three human hostages. The captives had been tortured and crucified. Suzie had taken the most damage for her resistance. With Antylamon's healing properties helping the Dark General's regeneration, the battle seemed impossible. But with Digimon allies from the other Chosen Children, they were at least able to save Kazu and Yutaka. Unfortunately, Suzie and her partner are still in the enemy's grasp.
Takuya and Risa went through the most Areas. The Fire Area, where the Legendary Warrior had to beat off countless Meramon. The Wind Area, where he faced off with a Darkdramon, a former enemy of the very first DigiDestined and where Glare showed to give the boy the power to become EmperorGreymon. And since Glare and Julia already went through the Thunder Area, that just left three more to go.
Alone, Takuya had to face off against a rampaging MadLeomon who Taiki once fought. He sustained multiple broken bones during the fight so he's currently resting in the back of the caravan but he also had to face ShadowSeraphimon and Mercurymon afterwards. Thanks to a lesson in Latin dancing in his past with Zoey, EmperorGreymon implemented that in battle and defeated the last two foes.
Unfortunately, Sakkakumon came to life after Takuya exited and the group was forced into one more battle before moving on. With Cody's quick thinking, they were able to keep him still enough to deliver the killing blow. In his last seconds before getting absorbed into the D-Tector, he revealed that Cody was hiding some sort of secret from the others.
All was not well after the fight though. Kazu made the decision to leave the group and Keenan followed to keep him safe. They were now short three Chosen Children.
"Glare," said Cody. "You said you knew what the Demon Lords might be planning."
The chief of Light Fang nodded. "There is only one reason that they would want to keep Merukimon alive. You see, there's a legend that when all the Olympians are gathered together, Mount Olympus will show itself. Anyone who can reach the summit of that mountain will be granted any wish. In other words, the ability to rearrange the universe in any way they wanted. Since there will always be a resistance to their hostile takeover…"
"They might plan on wishing everyone to follow them," Yuu concluded.
"We can't let that happen!" Armadillomon stated.
Ophanimon placed a gentle hand on the Rookie's shell. "Not to worry, we already have four Olympians in our custody, five if you include Merukimon's egg. As for the rest, well, they haven't been seen in several millenia, I doubt they'd reveal themselves now."
"Just getting one is nearly impossible," Glare continued. "But gathering all twelve?"
Cody leaned back in his seat. "The Demon Lords can simply destroy everything until there's no place left to hide though. If they get any wish possible, they can easily just bring back everyone they destroyed and then make them their loyal subjects."
"Oh, that will be not good, not good at all!" Damemon whined.
"But that's why we're here," Takuya groaned. Yutaka quickly tried to get his head back down on the cushion but even as badly injured as he was, he resisted. "To prevent that. We'll definitely beat the Demon Lords, I'm sure of it."
Current Group: Cody, Risa (Unconscious), Takuya (Injured), Yutaka (Injured), Yuu, Glare, and Julia
-X-
Ren and Airu have done their jobs, with a little help from the very first Chosen Children. As for everyone in the Digital World, well, we've seen everything that's happened up until now. But what comes next now that the immediate dangers are behind them? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
I'm sure many of you need a recap seeing as how this is an insanely long story. The recap will continue in the next chapter but there will be new developments happening at the same time. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed and don't forget to leave a review. But seriously, dozens of followers and favorites, but two reviews?
EDIT: Oh my lord, the spelling mistakes in this chapter were ridiculous? What was I doing when I was writing this?! Hopefully, I've fixed all of them.