Akari: Today, we're playing karuta, a traditional Japanese card game played on New Year's. We basically lay out the cards on the floor and the caller, Shoutmon, tells us the one we need to get and we go for it. The one with the most cards by the end, wins.
Shoutmon: That was the plan anyway but…
Kouji: I can't believe you mixed your deck with the karuta cards!
Takato: *Bowing dogeza style* I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
Yoshino: Looks like we have no choice. *Grabs his deck* We'll just play with these! Shoutmon will call out the description and we go for them!
Izzy: But won't the Tamers have an advantage?
Henry: We can just sit this one out if you'd like.
Renamon: Before we start, allow us to explain what kind of deck Takato uses.
Terriermon: Our resident goggle-head depends a lot on powerhouse monsters accompanied with ordinary power boosts. It's mostly composed of dragons like Guilmon and his personal favorite is the Hyper Wing card.
Guilmon: It helps me fly!
TK: Found it! Dragon's Wingbeat, right here! Sounds pretty cool. Knocks away the opposing Digimon right back into the deck.
Rika: Unfortunately, it's useless in real battle. It only works on dragon Digimon and you need wings which Guilmon doesn't have in any of his forms except Gallantmon Crimson Mode. But by then, he's not even a dragon anymore.
Ryo: So he needs to use Hyper Wing first but in a real fight, every second counts. Not to mention, it only blows back the enemy a few feet.
Shoutmon: Next card! This one armors your Digimon in heavy metal, making physical moves near impossible to affect them.
Kristy: Here it is! Formation Beta: Iron Shell! That sounds super useful.
Henry: Well… Not exactly. Even for a muscle-bound Digimon like Growlmon, the armor is too heavy for him to lift. And it doesn't work on Digimon that are already armored like he is in his forms afterwards. We haven't found a single Digimon able to lift it. So in real life, it's another dud.
Shoutmon: This card revives an old party member that was already deleted. It gives them twice the amount of power from before.
Takuya: Got it! Bigger and Better! *Puts his hand down* But that sounds way too good to be true. Let me guess… another dud?
Suzie: Yup. In real life, it literally does nothing.
Tai: Wow Takato, for someone who's ranked in the top 100 Digimon players in the world, you sure do have a lot of terrible cards.
Takato: Sh-shut up! They're useful in the game…
Shoutmon: Next… We hope you guys enjoy today's chapter and have a happy new year!
-X-
December 25: Caravan – 9:14 AM
"One, two. One, two."
The caravan was parked beside a crystal clear lake, ironically hidden in the thick trees surrounded in heavy fog. The sound of a teenage boy's chanting as he stretched out his body could be heard amongst the falling leaves and lightly lapping waters. Nearby, other humans and their digital partners were refilling their canteens and trying to curb their hunger with fish and fruits.
"Takuya," said Risa. "Are you sure it's okay to be moving around so much?"
The brunet reached for the skies before bending over, fingers wrapped around his toes. "Don't worry," he grinned, flashing her an upside down, Kanbara-patented, lopsided grin. "That medicinal ointment that Glare and Ophanimon mixed up did wonders!"
Risa smiled. "That's good to hear."
For the last few days, the teenage girl had been feeling guilty about the whole thing. Had she not followed them, she wouldn't have gotten in Takuya's way. But the other human would remind her that he might not have been able to defeat the Meramon horde as soon as he had. Even worse, he could've lost BurningGreymon's spirit to Darkdramon.
"It's good to see you guys up and active."
Risa turned around from her perch at the oak tree's base, looking up at Glare who seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere. But she knew that he had scaled down the tree her back was against. From day one, it was decided that Yutaka and Risa would sleep in the caravan while the others stood guard. Some would actually sleep in the trees. Needless to say, they, Yutaka and Ross, both reacted rather ungraciously towards the whole ordeal.
Last night, feeling tired of feeling sorry for herself, she decided to broach Glare on how to get a Digimon partner herself. It was never something she considered until coming to this world. Mostly because it sounded terrifying to be a Chosen. But it couldn't be any scarier than it is now.
"You can't just become a Chosen," Glare had replied. "For some of us, we were already connected through our soul. For others, they form a bond and they're gifted with a digivice."
Risa inquired, "What are the chances that I'm already connected to a Digimon?"
The answer was not one she wanted hear. All humans had a partner according to ancient digital lore. But the problem was that some Digimon would reach the end of their life span or get deleted permanently some other way before ever meeting their partner. The same could be said about humans. Oftentimes, one will reach their untimely demise and never get to meet their partner.
It was sad. But noticing that, Ophanimon assured her that since humans and Digimon don't usually know of the other even existing, they usually live happily. Just because they never got to meet their partner, didn't mean they couldn't live out their days in glee.
In a way, that made the Legendary Warriors extremely lucky. The Ancients were connected by soul to ten humans. Even though those humans weren't born yet, they were still able to meet.
Risa had to wonder if this was where the concept of soulmates came from. It didn't have to do with two people who were true loves but partners that would make the other smile no matter what situation they were in. As pleasant as a thought this was, Risa had to wonder if she had missed out on her chance.
"Why the long face?" Takuya asked.
"Hm?" Risa blinked before shaking her head. "Oh, it's nothing, really." She stood up, dusting off her skirt, knowing that there were probably some unpretty grass stains on the back. But honestly, her clothes have suffered worse. Like the burns from being in the Flame Area. It was a good thing that Julia had some spare clothes on her. "I'm going to do some more foraging."
As soon as she was earshot, Glare stepped closer to the younger boy. They had all talked about it. At first, Julia was livid that two people without partners had jumped through the portal. Glare had to say that he was a bit angry as well. There was no need for people not involved to get involved. But each of the Chosen made it clear that they would protect them.
Somehow, Takuya, the one who was lying on his back the whole time, was the most convincing. "If you're going to keep treating our friends like crap, then I'll drag everyone out of the caravan and lead them to the rendezvous point myself."
"Eh?" Yutaka had blinked. "First of all, you can't even sit up and second, you have a horrible sense of direction."
A laugh escaped from Glare's lips as he quickly covered his mouth with a hand. Takuya raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" Takuya asked.
"Just thinking about what you said a few days ago," Glare replied. "You remind me a lot of Robert. And your friend, Yutaka, kind of reminds me of Daisy. A stubborn but passionate leader and a rational voice of reason."
Takuya could hear the tone of admiration that the adult had taken on when he said that so he knew it was a compliment. "Thanks," the boy smirked, before holding out his fist. "But remember, I'm Kanbara Takuya. Which means I do things my way."
"Another thing Robert would've said," Glare sighed, shaking his head. "But you're right. You two are different people. But I'll be putting my life in your hands just as I had in his."
Takuya smiled as the older male bumped his fist. "Then I'll trust my life in yours."
Risa returned to the others near the caravan to ask someone to go with her since it was a group decision that no one should head out alone. It didn't matter how strong they were. Since Yuu had already handed off cooking duty over to Yutaka, he decided to be her bodyguard.
The sound of an electric guitar ringing out caused Yutaka to nearly drop the ladle into the cauldron of boiling soup. The teenager glared back at the golden star holding said instrument in his gloved hands. Strumming it a few more times, the shining Digimon posed and the world seemed to darken as a spotlight fell upon him and only him.
"I…," he began to sing.
"No! No more songs!" Yutaka snapped.
SuperStarmon let out a sigh as he flopped down onto his back. "It's so boring when it's just you…"
"Eh?" Yutaka blinked. Now that the Digimon mentioned it… "Where are Cody and Julia?"
The pair that he mentioned was deeper in the woods, somewhere where no one would be able to hear them talking. Julia, like her star pupil, had been curious about a mysterious Chosen Child though she didn't know whether to feel threatened or not. Cody's secret supposedly wouldn't put them in danger but… it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I took note of your wording," said Julia, stopping. "Your secret won't lead to betrayal… But what can it lead to?"
Cody paused briefly to think about it. "I'm not quite sure. Perhaps the self-destruction of someone I know."
The child seemed to be naturally adept at making vague answers though it seemed pretty clear that he was incapable of lying outright. The things that left his mouth were either blunt or too sincere to be false. So that made quite the confusing character.
"Sakkakumon mentioned a crime that you committed," Julia reminded him.
"...Yes… He did."
The woman crossed her arms. "Would you be willing to tell me the nature of this crime?"
Another pause. And then… "Murder."
Surprise barely registered on Julia's voice when their special communication devices, given out by the chiefs, started blinking. Yuu was calling everyone to meet him a little ways away from the caravan. He and Risa had discovered something.
December 25: Temple of Eclipse – 9:26 AM
"It's like an ancient Mayan pyramid," Yuu breathed.
Everyone stood at the edge of the crater staring at the temple down below. At the base of the structure were two statues, almost as if they were decorative pieces leading to the entrance. One was shaped like the sun while the other was a crescent moon.
Julia stood up from where she was snapping pictures of the place with some high-tech camera. "Glare, isn't this…?"
"If you're getting the same signatures that I am…," Glare replied, staring at the screen on the back of his own camera. "Yeah, I think so."
The group descended into the crater where they cautiously crept inside the temple. The pair of chiefs explained that this place used to be part of their world. But it disappeared when the Digital Worlds all merged back into one.
Takuya brushed his fingers across the intricate patterns on the wall as Cody flicked on his flashlight. "So... what makes this place so special?"
"It's where we found Sunmon's and Moonmon's eggs," Ophanimon explained. "They would later evolve into two members of the Olympos XII."
The scientists of Digital City were still researching the world at the time. They traveled to various continents, issuing jobs with the government to get strong Tamers to travel with them. One day, Glare and Julia noticed a request specifically asking for them, the strongest that City had at the time. So it was obviously an important and difficult mission.
The expedition was to the Temple of Eclipse. It was a rather long and arduous journey to get there but the real challenge was making it to the center. Booby traps that somehow re-engaged once you left, Golemon that prowled the hallways, and hostile statues that magically came to life. At the end of the ordeal, were two stone pedestals. One held a golden egg with a crimson sun on it while the other was silver with an azure moon. The traps deactivated and the monsters went into slumber as soon as there was nothing left to protect.
Yuu had to cough several times to let out the dust he inhaled. "How did the eggs end up with Koh and Sayo?"
"As shocking as it may sound, those two were born at the exact same time," ChaosGallantmon explained, walking up steps. "And the eggs both started glowing warmly as soon as their births were registered into City's files."
Julia took over for her partner as they made it to the top. "We took it as a sign." They stared at the pedestals in the center, crumbling and moldy with time. "And as we bestowed the eggs to the two infants, they giggled happily as the eggs hatched."
"So they were connected by soul," Risa realized.
Glare nodded fondly. "How do you think our scientists figured that out? But none of us could've predicted that they would become gods."
The Digital World, just like Earth, was still full of mysteries to be discovered. Talking about what laid in the deepest oceans and hidden in the mythical forests seemed to excite the chiefs. It was almost amusing to see this side to them.
"The world is fascinating," said Ophanimon. "And that's just one reason to protect it."
Julia smiled, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "There are still so many adventures we have yet to take part in."
"And we'll definitely have them," Glare promised.
The two of them were usually so serious. They commanded armies and regulated the laws of Digital City. They protected the citizens and established union quests for their toughest Tamers. But more than anything, they were adventurers. Getting into danger was thrilling, almost getting killed was exhilarating, and making it to your final destination after conquering those trials was the best feeling ever. These two didn't want to let go of that.
"We'll definitely protect the Digital World," Takuya stated.
"Even I want to," Yutaka chuckled. "And I have minimal obligation to."
Risa couldn't agree more. "I see now why Rika was so adamant about protecting this place. The Digital World is to the Chosen as the Earth is to us."
"Not doing something would make us selfish."
"Exactly!"
Yuu placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Right, but this doesn't mean you two can charge into battle. You guys are smarter than Takuya."
"Hey!"
The group had a good laugh about it before turning back. The Temple reignited their feelings for defending the Digital World, so now, it was time to eat breakfast before it got too cold. Hopefully, SuperStarmon was watching over the pot like they told him but somehow they doubted it.
A stone dropped from the ceiling and clinked against one of the pedestals. The others didn't think anything of it but Glare and Julia suddenly froze. They both pulled out pistols hidden in their belts and pointed them at the ceiling, causing everyone to get into defensive positions. Looking up, they were met with a pair of gleaming, menacing eyes.
"Who's there?" Glare snapped.
"Come out where we can see you," Julia added.
A blur of white and red dropped down to the floor. It remained hidden for a few seconds, as if contemplating whether or not he had been seen. ChaosGallantmon held up his lance and took a few tentative steps forward when a golden burst of fiery energy whizzed past his head and was heading straight for his unprepared partner.
"Julia!" he called out.
Ophanimon got in the way of the blast and erected a wall of light. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't enough to keep it at bay as it struck through and hit directly in the stomach. She doubled over in pain and collapsed into a motionless heap.
Glare and Julia were stunned for just a second before directing their anger at the invisible assailant. They spun their pistols around their fingers, readjusted their aim, and fired together while ChaosGallantmon lunged forward. Everyone else watched as a hidden, humanoid Digimon rolled out of hiding in order to get out of the way of the flying bullets and a smaller figure leapt out from behind the pedestal, kicking off the dark knight's head.
"Gankoomon!" Glare gasped.
"And Hackmon too…," Julia gaped.
"They sound shocked," Risa yelped, peeking out from behind Takuya's shoulder. "Why? What's so important about those two?"
Aside from the human chiefs, all the Digimon were in a state of awe as well. Gankoomon and Hackmon, as it was well known in the Digital World, were two of the strongest Royal Knights. Some would say that these two were on their own level which was probably why they're barely ever seen with the others. But at the same time, all the Royal Knights should've been destroyed by the Demon Lords so…
"How is this possible?" ChaosGallantmon shuddered.
"Yeah," Takuya agreed, stepping forward before pointing a finger at the imposing pair, specifically at Hackmon. "How is the little one a Royal Knight?"
Yuu rolled his eyes and slapped the older boy's head. "That's what you're focusing on?"
Digital Analyzer: Despite only being a Rookie level Digimon, Hackmon is one of the strongest warriors in the Digital World. In order to take his place as a Royal Knight, he sojourned throughout all of cyberspace, taking on several rigorous trials designed to test his strength and willpower by Gankoomon. He has a masterful sense of combat and is easily distinguishable thanks to his shiny white fur and flowing red cape, they say he can hold his own even against an Ultimate.
"Unbelievable," Armadillomon gaped. "That tiny thing doesn't even need to evolve to fight an Ultimate?"
Digital Analyzer: Gankoomon is revered by the denizens of the Digital World, hailed as a hero, recognized in every sky, ocean, and continent. He is quite active in interacting with the physical realm compared to his fellow Knights. And his kindness knows no bounds as he will drop anything and everything to assist a Digimon in need.
"They sound nice," Risa remarked. "Dangerous… But nice."
"Table Flip!"
A chunk of the earth was torn right out of the ground with Gankoomon's tremendous strength. The Chosen Children and their partners all rolled out of the way of the falling block. Well, except for Yutaka and Risa who were kind of yanked out of the way by their athletically gifted comrades. As soon as they were out of danger, they watched and listened as the chunk took on the density of Chrome Digizoid and crushed everything underneath, including the pedestals, flattening it.
"Well," Takuya muttered. "Would you look at that…"
Without wasting another second, the ones that were able, produced their digivices as they filled the room with their glow. Glare, Julia, and ChaosGallantmon kept the enemies at bay with their ranged attacks in the meantime. Gankoomon created a golden offshoot of himself that was used as a shield while Hackmon maneuvered through the bullets and beams like they were going at one meter an hour.
"Armadillomon Digivolve to… Ankylomon! DNA Digivolve to… Shakkoumon!"
"Unity Execute Unified Spirit Evolution… EmperorGreymon!"
"Damemon Super Evolve to… Tsuwamon!"
As soon as their evolutions were complete, Hackmon dashed through and slammed into Shakkoumon. The giant clay doll was shoved backwards, crashing into their one exit and caving in the hall. So that meant they couldn't escape this battle even if they wanted to unless they wanted to risk busting out of the ceiling.
"Tekken Seisai!"
Gankoomon nabbed their attention once more when he unleashed a flurry of punches at ChaosGallantmon. The knight attempted to protect himself using his shield but it only deflected some of the fists. The rest got him directly in the face, arms, and legs. It left him feeling numb in all those places.
"Dragonfire Crossbow!"
The Legendary Warrior fired his flaming arrow, causing Gankoomon to reel back for a moment from his assault. Afterwards, both he and ChaosGallantmon slashed with their blades, causing the Royal Knight to move even further back to avoid their range. But that was where Tsuwamon was waiting, right over his head.
"Digi Ninpou: Furoshiki Wrapping!"
The ninja instantly tied up their opponent in a cloth sack, immobilizing him. He tumbled into the spot between his comrades as the three of them readied their individual weapons.
"Damaging Pierce!"
"Dragon Soul Sword!"
"Mantis Dance!"
The cloth sack inflated a bit before exploding with a loud BANG. Pieces of fabric littered the room as the golden, spirit-like offshoot burst through, beating back all three fighters before their actual opponent dashed past. It was difficult to see but with Glare's and Julia's trained eyes, they were able to witness Gankoomon landing at least three punches each on his enemies before stopping directly behind them.
"He's even faster than I am," Tsuwamon grunted as he skidded across the floor.
"And he punches harder than I ever could," EmperorGreymon added before standing back up. "But we've got to keep going."
ChaosGallantmon nodded, clutching at the injuries on his stomach. "Agreed. We shan't fall here!"
At the speed of light, Tsuwamon took off with the other two following close behind. Gankoomon spun around to face them, just in time to see sickles coming down for his face. Backhanding the attacker out of the way, he was faced with the horizontal arc of a broadsword and the forward thrust of a sharp lance.
Clang!
"Tch," EmperorGreymon scoffed. Both hands were pushing down on his blade but it wouldn't budge no matter how much it trembled, trapped between Gankoomon's fingers. "You've… got to be kidding me! This guy… is tough!"
"To be able to hold back our attacks with his bare hands…," ChaosGallantmon grunted. "Truly a formidable foe."
The Royal Knight didn't speak as he pulled their weapons in opposite directions before slamming his foot into EmperorGreymon's stomach. Without skipping a beat, he slammed his heel down onto the top of ChaosGallantmon's head, sending the paladin downwards. Finally, he pulled down on the broadsword so that it was wedged into the ground before using it to propel himself upwards and drop kicking the fiery warrior in the face. Both fighters crash landed as Gankoomon casually dusted himself off.
"That was so fast," Risa gasped. "I couldn't even see it."
Yutaka swallowed nervously. "And this guy was defeated by the Demon Lords?"
The three forces on their side were trying to get air back into their lungs as Gankoomon slowly approached them. Yutaka and Risa were nervously backing out when they noticed that Ophanimon was nowhere to be seen. That's when Yuu raised his X-Loader up to his face.
"You've figured it out?" Glare asked.
"Hopefully," the General muttered before consulting his digivice. "Ophanimon, have you healed enough?"
The angel's voice traveled out of it. "I think so."
Yuu took a deep breath before making a couple of booming commands, sending beams of yellow lights into the combatants on their side. ChaosGallantmon's armor took on a silver sheen as his cape burst into eight golden wings. A four-pointed star also appeared atop his helmet. EmperorGreymon felt a ribcage enclose around his torso as the rest of his body was enveloped in skeletal armor. Even his weapon.
Lastly, his own partner, Tsuwamon, hunched over, taking on a more reptilian form as feathers poked their way out of the back of his armor. To add to the Xros, a rotating, gatling gun appeared on his wrists as blocks formed around his hands and feet. There appeared to be three Digimon involved in this particular combination.
"ChaosGallantmon! Ophanimon! Digi-Xros!" "SaintGallantmon!"
"EmperorGreymon! SkullGreymon! Digi-Xros!" "EmperorSkullGreymon!"
"Tsuwamon! Allowmon! RookChessmon! Digi-Xros!" "Xros-Up Tsuwamon!"
The upgraded Legendary Warrior raised his broadsword, pointing it at the enemy like it was a firearm. "Dark Dragonfire Crossbow!"
Gankoomon took an involuntary step back as a black, flaming arrow was fired for the center of his chest. The Royal Knight crossed his arms to defend himself but the impact was strong enough to send him sliding into the wall. The negative energy that was produced afterwards also made his knees buckles and his head heavy.
"I figured that would be a good combination," said Yuu. "I remember Takuya saying something about how the king of dragons can get an extra power boost from anyone coming from his direct lineage. So I figured double the Greymon meant double the firepower. And since Gankoomon is a light-attributed Digimon, he'd be weak against darkness. Next part is…"
SaintGallantmon, being a holy Digimon like their opponent, was unable to step into the black mist that surrounded the Royal Knight. But he didn't have to. He split the two-sided lance in two before stabbing the air several times with it. "Chaos Sephiroth!"
Many nine-pointed patterns repeatedly sunk into Gankoomon's skin, causing him to scream out in pain. It was not only at random but they acted as tacks, pinning the enemy to the wall before Tsuwamon stepped forward, sickles in hand.
"Digi Ninpou: Mantis Walls!"
Gankoomon was still unable to move but he became more entrapped when he became boxed in as brick wall after brick wall appeared on all sides. The only opening was a hole, the size of a pinprick, at the top. Tsuwamon hopped up there and bent over, his mouth pointed inside.
"Immobilizing him and keeping him bound," Yuu smirked before turning to the chiefs. "And you guys did a great job identifying his pressure points; Chaos Sephiroth should've hit all of them."
Julia grinned in return. "Well, we can't get shown up by a kid tactician, can we?"
"Digi Ninpou: Ancient Blaze!" Inhaling deeply, Tsuwamon expelled a hot flame into the box.
"That should do it!" Glare huffed.
"Let's hope so," Julia muttered as Tsuwamon finished. "If he can survive being barbecued like that, I don't know how we'd be able to beat him."
Abruptly, from inside the box, Gankoomon's booming voice shook the ruins. "Quake!" The caverns shuddered a few times as everyone tried to maintain their balance before the walls blew off, nearly taking their heads off. "Blast!" Following immediately afterwards was an intense heat wave that singed their hair. "Fire!" Lastly, the golden offshoot shot forward and swung past the three Digimon foes, dealing a decisive blow to each of them in turn. "Father!"
Yuu took his forearm away from his eyes though he found it difficult to breathe in the sauna-like space. "The Xroses! They've all disassembled!"
"What's with this guy?" EmperorGreymon coughed. "Dynasmon was nowhere near as tough as him…"
"That's why Gankoomon is at the god-tier level compared to the other Royal Knights," ChaosGallantmon grunted. "Only half of the Royal Knights fall under that category. Gankoomon, Jesmon, Gallantmon, Examon, Alphamon, and Omnimon. However, the last two are only at this level when they don't hold back and when they're together."
The Legendary Warrior stood up. "I don't know what that means and I don't think I want to." He took a deep breath and inhaled the remaining heat until the room returned to its previous temperature. Much to everyone's surprise. Even some his wounds started healing over. "But it doesn't mean I plan on losing."
"ChaosGallantmon!" Julia called out, running over to her collapsed partner.
"Tsuwamon can't move either," Yuu grimaced. "But I don't like it. There's no way for you to take them on alone, Takuya!"
EmperorGreymon didn't break eye contact with Gankoomon, not even when he returned to his human form. "A Digimon that stands on the same level as the gods." His entire body was engulfed in red-hot flames. "I think I know a guy."
Gankoomon frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "You seem like an interesting fellow. But can you really defeat me by yourself?"
"I'm not by myself," Takuya smirked. He gestured to everyone beside him. "Though it may seem like it, I'm always one of many!" All the fire became concentrated around his hand. "And I have five friends in particular that would give me a ton a flack if I lost here. So let's see you deal with this!" He raised his D-Tector to his fist. "Legendary Execute! Ancient Spirit Evolution…"
Once again, the chamber became hot but it wasn't unbearable. Rather, it was comforting and warm, like they were being covered in a thick, fluffy blanket. They watched as a tower of fire erupted where Takuya stood and as it slowly vanished, a new beast was in his place, one that rivaled Gankoomon in his massive height though overall, he was probably five times as big. The bystanders were up against the wall to keep from getting crushed by him.
The creature stood on four legs plated in the same armor worn by Agunimon. He had the head of a ferocious dragon with terrifying horns to match. A long, lizard-like tail and wings made of fire; this was a beast that could only be described as legendary.
"Impossible…," Glare stared.
Julia looked about as dumbfounded as he did. "But… it really is…"
"AncientGreymon!"
While this battle was going on, Shakkoumon was having his own brand of trouble. It was small, white, wore a red cape, and refused to sit still long enough to get blasted by a Justice Beam. Not to mention Hackmon had some ability to cling to the walls and ceilings like a spider. And it only took just one jump to get from one flat surface to the other.
Cody had tried a few times to catch the speedy dragon with his Japanese sword but it was as if the creature would rebound off the weapon and fly elsewhere. To make matters worse, the boy was receiving multiple cuts all over his body from Hackmon's sharp claws. It was as if he was trying to humiliate the teenage boy by showing just how agile he was.
"Kachina Bombs!" Shakkoumon decided to try a different approach to his assault, firing explosive discs to cover a wider range but still in his enemy's approximate location.
"Hmph," Hackmon scoffed before rebounding from the wall. "That won't be enough. Baby Flame!"
The fireballs he shot out from his mouth detonated the discs long before they hit him. And using the smoke as cover, Shakkoumon no longer knew where to aim.
Cody heard the lightest tap as Hackmon fell down from the dust cloud and onto the floor. The boy had believed that the dragon was going to continue shooting through like a cannonball but that wasn't the case. It was just part of the miniature Royal Knight's ploy.
"He's down–!"
"Teen Ram!"
Hackmon gave him no time to even finish his statement before flying past and butting his head into Shakkoumon's chin. And as he fell, he dug his claws into the Ultimate's stomach, tearing right through with a horrifying screech.
"Shakkoumon!" Cody shouted, seeing the deep gashes in his partner. Sending a glare in Hackmon's direction, he closed the distance between the Rookie and himself in seconds. Raising a hand, he grabbed onto Hackmon's cape before the dragon could hit the ground, making it difficult for him to run around. "Enough!"
"Don't think that you can hold me back like this!" Hackmon snapped. "Fif Slash!"
Cody parried the claws with his sword before slamming the hilt down on the little guy's face. At the same time, he punted Hackmon across the room before throwing his weapon to follow suit. Suddenly, Hackmon found himself pinned to the wall from his cape, the sword acting as a pin.
"That should hold you," Cody huffed. "Shakkoumon!"
Hackmon struggled to try and wriggle himself free but to no avail. "Not good…"
Luckily for him, the damage he had done and the acrobatics he performed were enough to tire out Shakkoumon. The behemoth shrunk down to his In-Training form and tumbled over to Cody's feet. Looking frustrated and pitiful, Upamon rolled into a tight little ball, trying to hide from his partner.
The brunet kneeled down, touching the top of the little one's head. "Upamon?"
Hackmon used his tail to inch his way towards the sword, latching onto it with his sharp claws. He was able yank the blade out of the wall, causing him to fall to the ground. Not even a beat later, he was already dashing out of there when the room shook and heat filled every corner. The pillar of fire caused by Takuya's legendary evolution had opened up a hole in the ceiling which Hackmon used to escape.
"AncientGreymon," Gankoomon chuckled, a bemused grin on his face. "A fight between the two of us would go down in the history books."
The great beast spread his wings, producing a gust of hot air to blow past the humans down below. "Then I hope you're recording this."
The two of them flew through the hole in the ceiling as everyone else tried to figure out their own way out. It was a good thing Glare and Julia had grappling hooks in their bags. But while they made their way back to the outside, the world was trembling as the two powerful fighters clashed.
Gankoomon was forced to use his golden offshoot to defend against the endless streams of fire that attacked from all directions. If that wasn't enough, AncientGreymon would charge in as well and cut into the physical warrior with his claws. The Royal Knight's attention was being split in too many places at once.
The bipedal fighter reached out and grabbed onto AncientGreymon's horns, keeping the dragon from moving around too much. Then he somersaulted off the beast's face. As he flipped back around, he fired several charges of golden energy at the Legendary Warrior, trying to weaken him.
"Weak!" AncientGreymon roared before summoning the energies of the earth to surround him. "Gaia Tornado!" Spinning in a blazing twister, he defended himself from the attack and sucked in the Royal Knight as well. Everyone could only watch as the warrior spun around and around before being spat out, far, far away, until he was just a twinkle in the distance.
"EH?!" everyone else blanched.
Yutaka slapped his forehead. "You're not going to destroy him?"
"Well…," AncientGreymon chuckled awkwardly. "To be honest... I didn't think I would throw him that far…"
Everyone let out a defeated sigh before noticing a white blur taking off after Gankoomon. No doubt that was Hackmon. They supposed it was fine since that meant they weren't in any danger. Well, not from other Digimon anyway. The Temple was shaking so much, they were certain it was about to collapse, so they all got onto AncientGreymon and took off before it crumbled to pieces.
December 25: ? – 10:12 AM
The steady, rhythmic click, click, click of heels on the floor echoed through the cobblestone halls. The Digimon with the false appearance of a human woman was navigating her way through the dark tower, searching. She stopped when she heard someone following her. Flicking her white hair over her shoulder, she spun around and…
"H… Hello… darling," Mummymon swallowed, Arukenimon's foot was just a millimeter away from crushing taking his one visible eye out.
"It's only you," Arukenimon huffed, putting her foot down. "What do you want?"
The other human-like Digimon looked down to the floor, twiddling his thumbs. "Um… Well… You see…"
"Ugh, out with it, already!"
"I was… just hoping… that you'd join…"
Abruptly, Arukenimon lunged forward a slapped a hand over his mouth, putting a finger over her own red-glossed lips. Despite the confusion that Mummymon was feeling, the fact that his love was so close to his face made him blush profusely. His head was spinning so much that he didn't even hear the sound of fluttering fabric that seemed to be getting closer.
"Over here," the spider-lady hissed, pulling him into a dark crevice in the wall.
They silently waited as a humanoid figure cut a corner and stepped into view. Both Ultimates felt as if their breaths had caught in their throats as they saw the man down the hall. Skin as white as snow, slicked back hair, blood-red lips that contrasted with his sparkling white fangs, and a winged mask over his eyes. This man… was both their beginning and their end.
Arukenimon had been searching for his room in this tower, where the Demon Lords had decided to keep him. Why? She wasn't sure. Was it to take revenge on her killer? It couldn't be. He would just be revived again and she would be given a punishment far worse than death.
A voice that was smooth like silk escaped from the murderer's lips. It came out in the form of a laugh. As gentle as it seemed to be, the silk seemed to wrap around the hiding pair's throats and strangle them, robbing them of their air.
"So that traitor is back as well," the man chuckled. "That just makes this game more fun."
"Traitor?" Arukenimon mouthed.
He continued down the hall, flourishing his cape as he walked. "I should really clean up the place. Unsightly spiderwebs and corpses seem to be everywhere." He paused close to the crevice when he said that. "I wonder how long it will take before everything falls into place."
Even though the figure disappeared, Arukenimon and Mummymon just couldn't relax. The former was visibly shaking while the latter was trying his hardest not to fall to his knees. But why did they feel such fear? It's not like their killer was any stronger than them in his current form.
"Let's… Let's get out of here," Arukenimon murmured. Her legs felt like lead. All six of them.
Mummymon nodded numbly. "Right."
As they turned to go, they came face to face with a gleaming eye outside the window. They both let out a scream when they realized that it belonged to a colossal Digimon by the name of VenomMyotismon who laughed raucously when they fell to their butts. But it wasn't possible. They just saw him mere seconds ago!
From behind another glass frame, MaloMyotismon's face looked through, a sickening grin on his nightmarish face. "Do you two know what it feels like to be so deeply feared?" A silver tongue slid across his lips. "It's sweet."
With a laugh, they both vanished into thin air, leaving the Ultimates in their stunned silence. Swallowing the lumps down their throats, they stood back up and left the tower. They had enough fear to last them each a lifetime.
December 25: Caravan – 10:23 AM
As SuperStarmon was being caught up to speed, Takuya was heating up the pot that went cold. They all had some questions of their own. Some were asked in private, where both Glare and Julia were unable to receive the full story from Cody, but thanked him for sharing some of it at the very least. Next, was the question of how Takuya even became the ancient legend.
"You heard Ifrit's voice?" Glare repeated.
Yutaka held up his hands. "Wait a minute! Who is Eefereeto?"
"Ifrit," Julia corrected. "It's the name that AncientGreymon preferred to go by."
Takuya nodded. "I've actually been hearing him for a while. Ever since my fight with Mercurymon, it was like something… unlocked." The brunet crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side, scowling as if the answer was in his stressed facial muscles. "I don't know how I tapped into his power but… it just… happened."
Yuu leaned forward, almost spilling his broth. "Does this mean Kouji and the others can…?"
"Not sure," Takuya shrugged. "But if they can, it'll increase our firepower by a ton! Ifrit's body just has so much potential surging through his veins! Well, I guess they're technically my veins."
"Can you still hear Ifrit's voice?" Cody inquired.
There was a long pause as Takuya closed his eyes. Everything went quiet as everyone moved in closer to see if he was still breathing. There didn't seem to be any movement whatsoever until he unexpectedly opened his eyes, causing everyone to recoil in surprise.
"It's… gone…"
"Eh?!"
Julia shot up from where she was sitting. "What do you mean by 'gone'?"
"I mean, I can't hear it anymore!" Takuya huffed. "Hang on… Maybe one of my other spirits will know what happened. Even Mercurymon might be able to give me some information."
"You can talk to him too?" Cody frowned.
"What if he makes up lies or something," Risa muttered. "I mean, he is a bad guy, right?"
Takuya didn't answer as he took a deep breath, straightened his posture and closed his eyes. They could tell that he had entered a meditative state, one where he couldn't be bothered by outside forces. It was quite impressive for them to witness seeing how jumpy, active, and outspoken he's been over the last few days.
A few seconds of silence passed before his usual slouch returned. Takuya looked up at his friends with an unsure expression on his face.
"AncientGreymon is a part of them," said the Legendary Warrior. "As far as they know, it was them that spoke to me. Mercurymon… he had a different story to tell me."
According to the Warrior of Steel, after the Ancients had defeated Lucemon, their spirits were broken down to their individual components. The human, the beast, and the soul. It was that third thing that could never be found no matter how hard historians and archaeologists searched. And that was because it wasn't in the Digital World. So while the other two began to grow and gain sentience of their own, their original soul drifted into cyberspace.
"It's you," Ophanimon realized.
Takuya nodded. "Apparently, until I was reunited with my spirits and we were in sync with each other, the memories of Ifrit wouldn't come back to me. In other words, the voice that I heard was my own, being played back to me."
There were so many questions that none of them knew which to ask first. How did the soul end up on Earth? Why did it find a host in Takuya? Were they always connected in that way?
Glare had a theory. "Digimon souls and human souls are drawn to each other. Some, more so than others. So it's quite possible that after Takuya was born, Ifrit's soul broke through the barrier due to that compulsion. The same could be said about the other Ancients."
"So… like what happened between the eggs, Koh, and Sayo, right?" Damemon piped up.
The group didn't have much more time to spend dawdling and there was no telling whether or not the Royal Knights would continue chasing them. So it was best to keep moving. As soon as everyone was finished eating, Glare got into the driver's seat and the others clambered into the RV. They'd wasted enough time.
-X-
The Chosen Children seem to have learned a lot today, even if it wasn't the full story. Cody committed a crime once before. The Royal Knights are on their tail. The ancient Legendary Warriors live on inside of the human Legendary Warriors. And all three devilish forms of Myotismon exist at once! Though the kids don't know about that one yet. Will the DigiDestined be able to handle it? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
Wow, this team only took one chapter. Well, they are missing quite a few members. I hope you guys enjoyed and guess what, (almost) everyone in the Digital World is going to be reunited in the Kingdom Town next chapter so get excited! Let's get this 2017 party on! Happy New Year, y'all!