Zero Unit: Week two of being back in college… suffering…
Joe: I can relate. But we don't have time for that right now. We, more specifically you, have a question to answer. And that is, "if you had to ultimately choose pairings for each digimon season, what would they be?"
Zero Unit: Oof, that's a tough one. I'll… start from the beginning. I watched Digimon as a kid and back then, I thought, "as canon as possible." So I suppose the first ships would end up having to be Sora X Matt and Yolei X Ken. I've stuck by those ships ever since.
Yolei: Okay, but you can change them now… So why don't you?"
Zero Unit: Because I'm stubborn. Anyway, my other ships happen to be my OTPs for both Adventure seasons and they are Izzy X Mimi and TK X Kari. But this does not mean I will allow for any Davis bashing of any kind!
Takuya: Wait, what does that mean?
Ryouma: He's referring to the fact that many Takari fics end up putting Davis in a negative light. As a matter of fact, you'll find that the same thing happens to TK in Daikari fics and Kari in Daikeru or even Daiken fics. This is simply a phenomenon caused by writers thinking that the third party in any ship is a "homewrecker" and therefore deserve to be "bashed."
Sora: Well that sounds stupid. Wait… do I get bashed in stories where Matt is shipped with… anybody else?
Ryouma: I've seen it happen in Mimato stories and a few Taito ones.
Zero Unit: Ugh, I hate it so much. They're all friends. As if they wouldn't be happy if one of them got into healthy relationships with each other.
Gatomon: Uh… Maybe you should move on to your Tamers ships before you go into rant mode.
Zero Unit: Right, well, my Tamers OTP is Henry X Rika. I know you guys don't have a lot of "moments" but I'm a sucker for opposites attract pairings. And the fact that you guys are loners for different reasons fit so well together. Henry doesn't want to get close to people for fear of hurting them while Rika fears of getting hurt.
Rika: ...Why did you get so in depth with us but no one else?
Henry: Probably because he used to read fics and watched AMVs about us when he was younger.
Terriermon: *Shakes head* That's just sad.
Zero Unit: Shut it. Anyway, the other Tamers couple has to be Takato and Jeri and before anyone scoffs, no it is not because of "knight in shining armor saves damsel in distress, they must be in love." Takato already had a crush on her because of her kindness. And Jeri is not as weak as people think of her because I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty traumatized after the deaths of two people close to you, thinking your dad didn't love mom as much (she's ten, what do you expect her to think?), and being in the D-Reaper and nearly slaughtering your friends. She's strong in a different way.
Takato: Jeri… are you… crying?
Jeri: *Wipes away tears* Yes, well, if Zero hadn't just dug up my entire childhood trauma like that…
Zero Unit: For Frontier, usually, I would say Kouji and Zoey. But since the asker was inquiring about this story specifically, I might've gone down the Takuya and Zoey route. Or more likely, I would've just left her as friends with the boys. I guess the only real ship from Frontier that would see the light of day would be Tomoki X Shinya.
Tommy: Considering you said my Japanese name, I'm guessing…
Zero Unit: Yes, it's because of Love or Lust! I really want to write a sequel titled Love at Last but the material just isn't enough for it! Anyway… I digress.
Izzy: We're running low on time for this skit!
Zero Unit: The last ones are Thomas X Yoshino, Keenan X Kristy, Taiki X Akari (I'm a sucker for childhood friend loves too), and Tagiru X Yuu.
Akari: Wait, if you like childhood loves, then why don't you ship Tai and So—?
Zero Unit: And that's all the time we have for this skit! Please enjoy today's chapter!
-X-
January 24: Kingdom Town, Grand Dining Hall — 8:15 AM
Origami letters shaped like cranes, the United Xros Heart Army's main means of communication, flew in from the windows and settled down in Ophanimon's hands. Every day, she and the other Celestial trio would read them silently amongst themselves before deeming whether or not it should be shared with the rest of the table. This was how their mornings went.
They received news from the frontlines which would be reported to the Chosen Children. If there was some bad news, then a couple of troops would be mobilized. This time, the three angels looked rather troubled as they read the contents of this particular crane.
"Is something wrong?" Taiki asked.
"We may have to mobilize some DigiDestined this time around," Seraphimon confessed. "Black Gears and Dark Rings, any Digimon can handle. Even Dark Chains for the especially skilled. But it appears that there are two settlements to the north and south that have been nearly conquered."
Control Spires had started appearing in the truck loads, giving off this oppressive aura that hadn't been felt since Digimon Emperor times. To make matters worse, the Demon Lords have been dropping powerful guardians to protect those looming towers. It seems there were finally enemies strong enough for the human kids to be sent out.
"We'll send out five Chosen and their partners to each of those two locations," Taiki explained to the rest of the DigiDestined while Yolei collected names into a hat. "Everyone who is okay with going out to the frontlines may add their name and if you're chosen, you'll be placed in a troop to be sent out to the battlefield."
"Remember, you don't have to participate, if you're not feeling up to it," Shoutmon reminded them.
Takuya nabbed the note that Shinya was about to add and tore it up. "You're staying here. You're not strong enough to go out there yet."
"What?" his little brother whined. "That's not fair. How do you expect me to get stronger if I don't fight?"
"You'll train. With everyone else that stays."
Zoey placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Takuya's just worried about you. This is a war. And we know better than most how dicey that can get."
The town to the north was doing fine up until they woke up yesterday morning to find a hulking beast wrecking their village. They tried to hold him back but he just continued advancing and destroying. The team that was chosen to be sent there was Davis, Jeri, Kenta, Takuya, and Kiriha.
"Are you guys sure you want to do this?" Takato asked his fellow Tamers.
"They need medics and I'm the one who's most qualified to do it," said Kenta.
"Pu pu!"
"And MarineAngemon, of course."
"Don't worry," Liollmon assured Takato. "I'll be sure to keep Jeri safe."
The town to the south ended up retreating due to the constant air raids so they relinquished their stronghold. But they were prepared to storm the village to take it back. Unfortunately, they were lacking leadership and the enemy was strong. So being sent there was TK, Takato, Kouji, Kristy, and Taiki. The General having been specifically asked to be the much needed leader.
"You sure you're okay with me going?" Kristy asked. "I can stay if you're scared."
Relena smiled gratefully before hugging the brunette. "Thank you. But the world is counting on the Chosen Children to save it. I can't hold you back just because I'm scared."
Everyone that was left behind had their own work to do. Whether it was working on the transporter that connects Earth and the Digital World or doing some training. Others, like Henry, marched back to his room after he finished eating. Rika, being the only other partnered Tamer there, couldn't help but worry about him. She just wished he could talk about his problems instead of hiding away.
"Does he ever play the role of talker instead of listener?" Zoey asked.
Rika glanced over at the blonde before really thinking about it. If there was anyone the Tamers consistently confided in, it was Henry. They would dump every problem, lay out all the issues, and recount every detail of a trying moment to him without ever asking how he was doing. How many times had they actually done it? Once. Maybe twice a year. And his answer was always that he was fine.
"It never occurred to me that a guy like him could be suffering in some way," Rika confessed. "He's always so… collected. Well, unless Suzie's in danger. But even then… I've never seen him shut everyone out before or self implode like this."
"So…," Zoey ran her fingers through her hair, starting to become accustomed to the new length. "Does that make us terrible friends?"
"It certainly makes me one," Rika sighed. "You've only known him for a few months."
Knowing this wasn't going to change anything though. Henry wasn't going to just start spilling his guts the moment Rika realized how selfish she and the other Tamers had been. But there was still something else she could try.
She knocked on his door. "Hey… It's me. I was just wondering if you wanted to play a game of cards."
There was a short pause before he replied, "What kind?"
It was a silly thing between the Tamers. It was actually Henry that started it. Back when Jeri was still beating herself up over what happened with the D-Reaper, everyone was trying their best to get her to smile like she used to. When Henry suddenly pulled out a deck of playing cards. The next day, he brought Uno. And then he got Yu-Gi-Oh. And then slowly worked his way up to Digimon where she no longer bawled at the sight of Leomon's card.
"Your choice," Rika replied. "I brought… a lot of different kinds. Just in case."
"Cards Against Humanity?"
The redhead laughed. "You can't be serious."
"I'm not," he chuckled. There was a click and the door creaked open. Henry was finally smiling again, even if it was a tiny bit. He saw his fellow Tamer and Zoey standing there. "How about we just play Chinese poker. Zoey, you know how to play?"
"No, but I'm a fast learner," she replied.
"Great!" Terriermon cheered. "I'll deal our first hands!"
Down in the basement, the academic geniuses and mechanics were hard at work at trying to figure out how to complete the transporter. They were close, Yolei could just feel it. Pulling down her helmet, she flicked on her blowtorch without warning and the others jumped back in surprise.
"Uh… Are you sure you know how to operate that thing?" Ken asked.
Yolei turned to him, the flame causing him to jump back again. "How hard can it be?" Noticing that it made the others a little more nervous, she turned it off and pulled up her helmet. "I'm joking. It's not my first time using one of these and I'll be careful."
"I feel like you're leaps and bounds ahead of us on this project," Kouichi remarked. "I still haven't figured out this equation here."
"We will though," said Ken. "We just need more time." He looked up at the six different screens, each with one Monster Maker on it. "Plus, we're not alone on this."
In the courtyard, Knightmon guards roamed the outskirts, their eyes peeking out of their visors in search of possible threats. While the Kingdom Town was unanimously thought to be an impenetrable fortress, the knowledge that the Deep Ones from the Dark Ocean could get in through sources of water was enough to put everyone on high alert. No one more than Kari.
"How about we try to get your mind off of it?" Relena offered. "The chefs need some people to run errands."
The brunette nodded. "That's… fine. I'm just… I feel like something else is off. It could just be the paranoia but recently, I've been hearing what sounds to be a giant... marble rolling down the halls in the middle of the night."
"Really?" Gatomon blinked. "I thought I was the only one."
"Perhaps we should ask Shoutmon about it when he comes back," Bearmon suggested.
As the small group of four left the premises, Tommy was finishing up speaking with the head Knightmon. The Legendary Warrior rubbed his chin in thought before continuing on his search throughout the castle. Cheery gossip came from the town and Chosen Children chatter echoed through the halls but the only thing he was concerned with was the thing he felt last night.
"Did it… come from here?" he wondered aloud.
Entering a colorful room filled with throw pillows and laughter, he found himself in the nursery where Elecmon was attempting to care for the hundreds of babies. Thankfully, he wasn't alone as a Swanmon and a couple of the castle's handmaidens were there to help as well. Most of the non-partnered humans and Cody had all decided to spend their day on babysitting duty as well.
"Oh, Tommy," Elecmon huffed. He was on a seesaw with an overexcited Koromon. "Are you here to help too?"
"Actually, I'm sort of investigating something," he replied.
"Investigating something?"
Cody had already deduced what that something was. "The rolling from last night? Did you hear it come from here?"
Tommy nodded though hearing wasn't quite the word. He had felt the vibrations in the wooden floor when it had happened. It wasn't loud enough to get anyone's attention unless they were as paranoid or overly cautious like Kari but for the Legendary Warrior of Ice, the rolling was practically a rumbling. But he had been tired and wrote it off as nothing concerning. However, with the guards and a few other DigiDestined talking about it, curiosity had gotten the better of him.
"Could it have been an egg?" Tommy asked. "Elecmon, none of them happen to be missing, right?"
The Rookie tumbled off the seesaw and landed on his head. "Boy, I hope not." Elecmon rolled back onto his stomach and dusted himself off. "Unfortunately, a head count isn't quite possible as a few eggs hatched this morning and I don't exactly know how many yet."
Suddenly, Armadillomon popped his head out of a pile of pillows, nearly giving Bokomon a heart attack. "Hang on… Where's Merukimon's egg?" While playing hide-and-seek with the babies (and Bokomon and Neemon) he had planned on using the Olympian's egg as cover, since it was larger than average, but he couldn't find it. "I didn't think anything of it until now."
Cody's eyes grew wide and as Risa tumbled out of the bounce house, he handed a baby Digimon off to her before sprinting out of the nursery. Tommy and Armadillomon quickly followed close behind him, thinking this had to be something serious for him to just spring into action like that. And they found themselves marching right into the Celestial Angels' boardroom.
"Wait, they're in a meeting right now!" said Tommy.
But Cody ignored him and pushed past the double doors where every face turned to him. It was a dark room with four spotlights, one shining down on the entrance and the other three on the angels, each seated in a high throne. Down below were Glare and Julia who were reporting to them.
"We have a situation," said Cody. "Merukimon's egg has gone missing. And remember when you guys were wondering why the Demon Lords would let us have him so easily?"
It took a moment but Glare realized, "Infiltration and espionage."
Julia immediately tapped her foot on the floor twice, bringing up a keyboard and a couple of holographic screens. She rapidly typed away before pulling up several images, except they were all of nothing. It was complete static. She inputted a few more commands before turning to the others.
"All security cameras have been shut off and I can't access anything else!" she reported. "I can only assume that our shields are down too."
Armadillomon gulped nervously. "You mean the ones that make the entire Kingdom Town invisible?"
"Yes." Julia was trying her hardest to get anything online but it seemed likely that the electric room, the place that powered almost everything, was trashed. "Can't get the P.A. system working either. We have to warn everyone that our location has been compro—."
Explosions rang out from outside and tremors were sent through the entire castle. The screams of the townsfolk reached their ears as the sound of an Airdramon raid seemed to be above their heads. Although looking outside would tell anyone that there were Megadramon and Gigadramon outside as well. Without saying a word, the humans took out their digivices and quickly brought their partners out and up to their highest level.
Seraphimon leaned over in his throne. "The civilians are our priority. If you find any that aren't brainwashed, send them to the nursery. It doubles as a bunker."
"Roger!"
Humans in Kingdom Town: Yolei, Cody, Kari, Ken, Henry, Rika, Ai, Mako, Risa, Zoey, Tommy, JP, Kouichi, Yutaka, Shinya, Relena, Nene, Yuu, Glare, Julia, Koh, and Sayo
January 24: Kingdom Town, Cobblestone Road — 10:48 PM
The first explosion happened over a bakery, when an energy shell was dropped by a Gigadramon. It was quickly followed by several others, ringing from all over the kingdom. The citizens dropped everything and anything they were holding before running for shelter, toppling over fruit stands, kicking over crates, and tearing down awnings to use as protection. Not that they would do much.
Kari and Relena somehow found themselves in the middle of it all. Since they were seen as heroes of legend, a Burgermon quickly pulled them into her restaurant where they could see everyone cowering behind or under something. The girls ducked down the moment a bomb fell outside, shattering the glass and sending shrapnel everywhere.
"We're all going to die!"
"Mommy, I'm scared…"
"Heroes, please save us!"
"Do you really think those two little girls can save you?" a familiar voice laughed.
The bombs seemed to have stopped for the time being. Probably for field agents sent by the Demon Lords to directly eliminate the Chosen Children. Looking up from their position, Kari and Relena found themselves looking right at LadyDevimon.
Gatomon lightly brushed herself off before standing up and hissing, "As if we'd lose to you."
"Right," Relena nodded. "Even if everyone here is scared, it's still all of us against you."
LadyDevimon tilted her head to the side, an evil smile on her face. Snapping her fingers, black snakes whipped out from her but they didn't attack the humans or their partners. Instead, they looped around the innocent civilians inside the restaurant, latching onto any body part they could. Suddenly, the crying and screaming had stopped as the Digimon stood up, red-eyed and fangs bared. On each of them was an ominously glowing Dark Chain.
"Storm the castle," LadyDevimon ordered. "I'll deal with these two personally."
Bearmon noticed that she had only addressed Kari and Gatomon. "I will not forgive you for ignoring the madam!"
The ursine Rookie took a step forward but jumped back when a magical bullet nearly hit him. As the now zombified Digimon left the restaurant, someone made an appearance from behind LadyDevimon. Blond hair escaped from the cap on his hand, covering his face. The rest of his body was hidden in a white mantle made entirely of pieces of paper. Although they could see some sort of melee weapon in his left hand.
Digital Analyzer: Reapmon is an enlightened Digimon that excels in all knowledge. All of this knowledge is recorded in the Red Book of Appin which he adorns upon himself as a mantle. Supposedly, each page of the book has a solution to any problem in the world. He will also allow anyone to read the page they seek so long as they can complete the ordeal he tasks them. If they are unable to, he will steal their soul using his weapon, the Dǎshénbiān.
None of them recognized this new Digimon but he didn't seem to have any mind-controlling material on him. Still, it was safe to assume that he was an enemy considering the fact that he probably could've deleted Bearmon on the spot. The encyclopedia entry for him was also a little unnerving.
So the girls got their digivices ready when Kari's abruptly lit up. Someone was trying to contact them via the still experimental communication function.
"Kari?" It was Ai. "Did you find Impmon? Our D-Power suddenly turned on and the compass is showing. It also says you're nearby! Did you find him?"
The brunette felt like throwing up as she looked back at the unfamiliar Digimon. "Oh no..."
LadyDevimon's smile grew wider at the sight of Kari's realization. "You remember my brother, right? Because I can promise he doesn't remember you."
"What did you to him?" Gatomon screeched.
"Reprogramming," LadyDevimon answered candidly. "We needed to. Whatever toxic hold you humans had on him was too strong for us to break without doing something… a little more forceful." For a split second, a somber expression replaced her smug one. "Had it been any other case, we wouldn't have resorted to it."
"Kari, are you okay?" Relena asked, noticing that her friend had gone pale. "Come on, I can't fight these guys alone."
The other Chosen Child furiously shook her head before looking back at their opponents. "I'm sorry, you're right." She then held the D-3 up to her mouth. "Don't worry Ai, I'll get Impmon back. I'll get them both back." Once again, she addressed Relena. "Let's do this!"
"Gatomon Digivolve to… Angewomon!"
"DNA Full Charge!" "Bearmon Warp Digivolve to… Pandamon!"
"If it's okay with you, I'll handle LadyDevimon," said the angel Digimon. "Do you think you can handle Reapmon?"
"I'll certainly try," Pandamon nodded.
January 24: Kingdom Town, Henry's Room — 10:49 PM
A handful of cards landed in the center pile as Zoey suddenly slapped her hands over her ears, nails digging into her scalp as she doubled over on the floor. The Tamers put a halt to the game as they asked her what was wrong. But then the ground shook tremendously, sending the three humans falling over in a painful heap.
"Invaders," Zoey groaned, sitting up. "And lots of them."
Taking a look out the window, they were able to watch the chaos commence. Bombs from above and possessed Digimon stampeding in through the broken down walls. However, standing on top of the double doors that lead into the town, two familiar human figures stood. The breath got caught in their throats.
"It's Ryo and Suzie!" said Rika.
"This is our chance to save them!" Henry nodded.
The Tamers sprinted out the door though the redhead paused when she noticed that Zoey wasn't following. "What about you?"
"I'll stay and protect the castle," said the Legendary Warrior. "Besides, I need to go back to my room and get the noise-cancelling headphones that Wisemon made me. I won't be able to do much fighting out there without them. So go!"
Once they were gone, the Legendary Warrior's brave face dropped from her face as she fell to the floor. She pressed one side of her head into Henry's bed, desperately grabbing the pillow to cover her other ear. The terrified screams were awful. It was just like when Trailmon had crashed and the civilians were being terrorized by Gravimon except magnified by so much more.
A voice that was probably close but sounded far away reached her ears. "Zoey?!"
Through her hazy vision, the blonde could see the blurry face of a human male. He gently removed the pillow from her head and pressed something else to it. The noise cancelling headphones! Without wasting another second, she put it on and after a long while, her vision cleared enough to recognize Yutaka.
"Wha… Yutaka?" Zoey used her knuckles to knead her forehead. "How did you…?"
"I was on the training grounds with JP and Shinya when the first bomb hit," he explained. "And JP told me that you might faint if you were exposed to the noise for too long and asked me to get those for you. Are you okay?"
She didn't catch much of the first part since she was turning the knob on side of her headphones to allow her to hear some things. But she didn't need to know more than that last part. "Yeah, I'm fine. We should get you to the bunker though. Also… I owe you one."
Yutaka shrugged. "Well, I owed you first when you protected me during the Armageddemon crisis."
Turning the headphones down to one of the lower levels, Zoey's super hearing could still detect the sound of footfalls in the distance, down the hall. She knew that those belonged to the two Tamers, running to see if they could free their comrades from the evil grip that was holding them. But she was afraid they weren't going to be happy with what they saw.
Henry and Rika came to a screeching stop as they saw crowds of Digimon run past them. Some were screaming for help while others were already enslaved. Those that still had a sane head on their shoulders saw the two human teenagers and immediately started begging at their feet, pleading for them to save them from this cruel fate.
Renamon suddenly pushed her partner out of the way and coated her foot in flames. "Power Paw!"
"Beat Strike!"
The fox's attack countered that of another powerful Rookie's, sending shockwaves through the air and causing the female Tamer to fall backwards. Her red hair fell over her face, making it seem like a mirage stood in front of her. But she knew who it was and who had just tried to blow her head off her shoulders.
Rika forced herself onto her feet, shakily addressing the pair. "Ryo… Monodramon…"
Terriermon used his partner's shoulder as a kickboard to gain the high ground before spinning rapidly. "Terrier Tornado!"
"Tiny Twister!"
The force of the collision wasn't as strong as the other two but it did produce a breeze that blew debris into Henry's eyes, forcing them closed. But when he opened them again, he felt his mouth become dry and his heartbeat quicken. The very person he wanted to protect and save was standing there as his enemy.
"Suzie and Lopmon too," Henry said through clenched teeth. "What have the Demon Lords done to you?!"
Upon closer inspection, the pair noticed the black Hazard symbol glowing on Suzie's left hand and on Ryo's right forearm. The group had discussed this when the Zero Unit first appeared on them. They had believed that Hazard was the opposite. The yin to their yang. So the fact that these two Tamers now had that opposing power… just what were they capable of?
January 24: Kingdom Town, Chamber of the Celestial Angels — 10:50 PM
The doors flew open and Dark Rings started covering the area. They went right for the three high thrones but ended up passing through them like they were nothing more than air. There seemed to be nothing inside the room to take control of. Or so they thought. From the shadows, gunshots were let loose, blowing up each of the Rings and leaving them in pieces on the floor.
"What?!" Arukenimon screeched from the doorway.
She and Mummymon had snuck into the palace through a secret passageway that they were able to learn about through Merukimon's egg. Their mission was to capture the figureheads of the revolution but it seems they were a few minutes too late. Instead of the Angels, three humans stepped out, each equipped with a firearm.
"We expected you guys to target this room," said Koh.
Sayo reloaded her gun, having shot the most bullets, before aiming it at the two Ultimates once more. "So we had the Angels escape."
"Now we have you cornered," JP smirked.
The spider lady and the mummy slowly tried to back out of the room but the doors slammed shut on them as the lights flicked on. The two of them could now see that Sanzomon and Gokuwmon had been hiding there as well. So not only were they clearly outnumbered but definitely overpowered. Still, they were strangely calm despite their situation.
"We had been planning on taking on three Megas," said Arukenimon, snapping her fingers. On either side of the pair, the walls exploded and two dark angels floated in front of the holes they made. "Did you really think we would come alone?"
"They…," Gokuwmon's eyes widened at the sight. "...look like Seraphimon and Ophanimon."
"I know one of them is ShadowSeraphimon," said JP. "But…"
Koh answered for him. "The other one is Ophanimon Falldown mode. She's about as deadly as her male counterpart."
Digital Analyzer: Ophanimon Falldown Mode used to be a pure guardian angel like the rest of her species until she suppressed her anger to the point where she fell into madness. She swelled with rage at the world, where the number of atrocious sins piled on and on no matter how many times they were purged. In order to recreate a world of justice, she hunts down those who become an obstacle to her vision and cuts them down with her Flame Hellscythe.
"Sounds like how Chief Julia described the way Shibumi used to be," Sayo pointed out.
"He even used a scythe," Koh muttered. "Maybe one was based off the other?"
"Shibumi's not a fictional character in a legend, guys," JP sighed.
"Hey!" Mummymon shouted, waving his cane around in order to get their attention. "How dare you ignore us and our beautiful handiwork?!"
Abruptly, Arukenimon slammed her heel into her companion's stomach, sending him crashing into the doorframe, leaving a giant dent in it. "Our handiwork?! It was my two-hundred hairs that brought these masterpieces to life!"
So that meant those two were Digimon made entirely out of Control Spires. That was a relief because they had been searching for any mind control devices on them but came up with nothing. They were starting to worry that the enemy found a way to reprogram and Dark Digivolve an innocent Angemon and Angewomon since they were common enough to find if you searched for them in the right places.
"Leave the Megas to us," Koh said to JP.
Julia nodded before taking out her digivice. "You can take care of dumb and dumber."
"He better be dumber!"
"DNA Charge Overdrive!" "Execute Spirit Evolution!"
The four enemies advanced in an attempt to interrupt the evolution process but Sanzomon threw her beads into the air. It broke apart into several hundreds of individual beads before bouncing off the walls at breakneck speed. For just a moment, their foes halted but just one second was all they needed for the evolution to be complete. Contrary to popular belief, it didn't take as long to evolve as people thought. Even if it did, the swirling data cocoon, the light of digivolution, the Matrix field, they were all excellent defense mechanisms that activated to protect them from interruption.
"Coronamon Double Warp Digivolve to… Apollomon!" "Lunamon Double Warp Digivolve to… Dianamon!" "Beetlemon!"
January 24: Kingdom Town, Nursery — 10:51 AM
Shinya felt like he kept getting shafted from the larger, more urgent happenings that occurred. First, his own brother had barred him from entering the frontlines, then he was being told that he had to guard the nursery and herd Digimon inside. He knew that it was an incredibly important job but he couldn't help feeling unimportant in comparison to the other Chosen Children.
At that moment, he felt something hit the end of his shoe. Looking down, he saw a Digimon egg. Perhaps one of the panicked Digimon accidentally knocked it out of the nursery and it rolled all the way to him? The boy reached down to pick it up and return it when he heard a shout from down the hall.
"Don't touch that!"
"Eh?"
The boy almost fell backwards when an enormous, white clay doll rounded the corner, the top of his head just barely scraping the stone ceiling. If it weren't for the fact that Shinya had seen the creature on television many times before, he might've assumed that he was an enemy. But the person who had yelled was the boy running alongside the Digimon, Cody.
With Shinya's head turned away, the egg suddenly turned white and changed shape. First it was an arm extending upwards with a blade appearing in the hand. Before long, a torso was there as well. Before Shinya could do anything about it, there was a knife the size of his body about to chop him cleanly in two.
"Shinya!" Commandramon pushed his partner down as the knife stabbed the wall of the nursery, causing the people inside to shriek in terror. "Nene! Put it into bunker mode!"
The female General leapt over the last of the fleeing Digimon and slammed down on the button directly outside the door. The shutters went down and there was a sound that was akin to that of an airlock being released in a space shuttle. Pivoting around on her heel, the three humans that were in the corridor watched as the Olympian took form right before their eyes, breaking through the ceiling and sending dust and rocks to the floor.
"Merukimon is still under enemy control," said Sparrowmon.
"This is going to be tough one," Commandramon grimaced. "Are we ready for this?"
Shinya knew that he had wanted to enter a big fight. To challenge himself and his new partner. But now that he was about to face off with a literal god, he was starting to have second thoughts. After all, this was the same Digimon that gave two powerful veteran DigiDestined trouble. Or maybe it was because of how abrupt this development turned out to be. Then again, since when weren't Chosen Children thrust into fights they hadn't prepared for?
"I… I can do this…," he whispered shakily.
Commandramon saw the way his partner was trembling but instead of pointing it out, he just moved a little closer to the human's front. "We will do this."
January 24: Kingdom Town, Basement Laboratory — 10:52 AM
The scientists were in a frenzy as they tried to save their hard work from being crushed underneath heavy bookshelves and falling rubble. Every tremor sent another one of them flying at their desk in order to preserve the information. The three humans inside were just trying to keep everyone calm and moving towards the exit that would lead them to safety.
"Wisemon, have you put the lab in lockdown?" Ken asked.
The hooded Digimon nodded. Unlike the rest of the castle, this section ran on a separate energy source. So it had been unaffected by the generator shutting down. "Nobody can get in here unless they blast a hole through the barrier. But I made sure no one can find the barrier in the first place so we should be fine."
As if scripted, a pitch black claw broke through the ceiling, crushing a table covered in blueprints underneath it's scaly palm. Everyone had ducked down on instinct in order to avoid getting involved with the wreckage. Through the smoke, they saw the silhouette of an anthropomorphic canine with wings, floating around her was a bunch of ethereal, square pyramids. To their horror, the scientists that were still inside were trapped in those pyramids.
"Who are you?" Yolei frowned.
Hawkmon flapped his wings in a panic when he saw that the owner of the claw revealed his grotesque face. Gauze was carelessly wrapped around it, covering the eyes and parts of the forehead while his mouth was completely exposed. Meaning there wasn't even any skin to cover up the gums as rows after rows of razor sharp, dirtied, deteriorating teeth revealed themselves to them.
"And what is that?!" the avian squawked.
The winged canine bowed to them like she had just finished performing a drama. "I am known as Anubismon and this is my loyal servant, Shaytan. On behalf of our benevolent masters, we have come here to dispose of the Chosen Children. What I failed to do years ago, I shall complete now."
"Years ago…?" Wormmon repeated.
The Book, an important belonging of Wisemon's, opened to a page. "Ah yes, I do believe this was one of the enemies that the very first Chosen Children faced."
"So she's like Murmukusmon and Darkdramon," Kouichi muttered.
Anubismon looked over at the boy who spoke and said over the snarling of her servant, "Ah yes, I heard that those two were defeated by the Legendary Warrior of Fire. I wonder… will you give me a taste of that kind of strength?"
Kouichi already knew that he was nowhere near as strong as Takuya but that didn't mean he was going to give up before trying. After all, he was forced into the background during day one of the Digital World adventure. Forced to depend on Yolei and Relena to protect him. This time, he was going to fight with everything he had.
"Wisemon," said Kouichi. "Could you take care of Shaytan while I handle Anubismon?"
Yolei nodded before taking a step forward and taking out her D-3. "We'll back you up."
"Even Takuya needed help to take down the other two," Ken added.
"For the sake of our hard work," said Wisemon, "I shall dutifully protect our research!"
Anubismon flicked her wrist behind her and the pyramids went flying, sending the screaming scientists in that direction. She then looked over at the piles of research behind the Chosen Children and Digimon. Her specific mission was to retrieve it and bring it back to the Demon Lords. After all, they currently had no efficient method of moving between worlds as they pleased. Even Daemon found that he was having trouble doing so. But with those dossiers, it would be so easy.
"Execute Fusion Evolution… Rhihimon!"
"Hawkmon DNA Digivolve to… Sylphimon!"
"Wormmon Digivolve to... Stingmon! Digivolve to… JewelBeemon!"
Anubismon returned her focus on the three new Digimon before her. "All those who dare to bare their fangs against me… shall be punished."
January 24: Kingdom Town, Rooftops — 10:53 AM
Zoey had heard it before actually seeing it. The voice of a Hunter arguing with two children who were trying to run deeper into the chaos. Leaving Yutaka in the capable… flippers... of Daipenmon, who was shocked to find that his brother wasn't in the safe zone, she took off to find the source of the voices. And she was able to find them standing on the rooftop of one of the few buildings that hadn't been demolished.
"Yuu!" she called, leaping up to meet them. "Why are Ai and Mako out here and not in the bunker?!"
Yuu let go of the twins' sleeves, still surprised by how strong they were. "They said they know where Impmon is. So they were going to try and find him."
"What?!" the Warrior blanched. She turned back to the Tamers before kneeling down in front of them. "Look, I know you guys are worried about your partner but you can't just go running off like that! What if you guys got hurt? Or worse!" She reached out and touched their shoulders, only to find that they were convulsing wildly. Her tone softened considerably. "I… I didn't mean to frighten you."
"We just…," Mako sniffed, rubbing at his eyes. "We just want to see him again. We… We lost him once and we…"
Zoey nodded before pulling them closer to her. "I know. I know how much it hurts. But please… none of us want to lose either of you two."
"But we want to save them," Ai whimpered.
"And we will help you."
Being a Chosen Child meant growing up faster than your peers. Especially if you ended up in a strange world where the normal laws of nature don't apply. Where angry and evil and mind-controlled monsters lurked behind every corner, ready to pounce the moment they see an opening. But the worst part… was that you had to experience loss. Whether it was once, twice, or a hundred times, it was inevitable.
"I'll take them back," said Yuu.
"You kids need to stay safe," Damemon nodded. "If you got hurt, it would be no good, no good at all!"
As the duo were about to lead the siblings back, Zoey's eyes grew wide. She made a move as if to push the group but instead, a massive gust of wind blew them backwards, sending them flying off the building. A food cart broke their fall but Yuu used his own body to soften the impact for the kids. Before wondering what the older Chosen Child was thinking, the building she stood upon crumbled right in front of them.
"Zoey!" Yuu yelled.
Out of the dust, a fairy flew out, coughing from being inside the cloud. The humans all sighed, relieved to see that she was safe. But not for long as she was suddenly flanked by an Oriental dragon and the roundest chicken possible.
"The Deva!" Damemon yelped. "Not good! Not good at all!"
"We can handle the Deva," Yuu grunted, sitting up. "There are twelve—."
"Eleven!" Kazemon reminded him, whizzing past an electric bolt.
"Eleven of them," Yuu corrected himself, holding up his X-Loader. "And an army of us. Damemon! Super Evolve!"
January 24: Kingdom Town, Front Gates — 10:54 AM
The four Tamers stood completely still, staring at each other as the entire town fell into shambles around them. Slowly, Ryo and Suzie reached into their back pockets and each pulled out a card. The other two recognized them immediately as Digivolution cards.
"You can't be serious," Terriermon laughed though it didn't reach his eyes. "Hey… I know we can be annoying sometimes but you don't really want to fight us. Right?" He held out his arms as a sign of peace and took a tentative step forward. "Momentai…"
Renamon got into a fighting stance when the opposing Tamers took out their D-Powers. "I don't think they'll listen to us right now."
"We don't have a choice," said Rika, pulling out her own card.
Henry took a few seconds before following suit. "Suzie… I'm going to save you."
"Digi-Modify! Digivolution Activate!"
"Terriermon Digivolve to… Gargomon!" "Renamon Digivolve to… Kyubimon!"
"Lopmon Digivolve to… Turuiemon!" "Monodramon Digivolve to… Strikedramon!"
Digital Analyzer: Strikedramon aims to be a Virus Buster like the famous WarGreymon who would later become one of the Royal Knights. While he is a naturally kind-hearted Digimon, the moment he lays eyes on a virus type, he will go berserk. The dragon won't stop his assault until his target is nothing but trash data. They say that when this happens, his red hair bursts into a scorching flame, colored in a bluish-white blaze.
"Good thing neither of us are virus types," Gargomon commented. "More accurately speaking, good thing Guilmon isn't here."
"Come to think of it, we never did see Monodramon's Champion form," Kyubimon remarked. "That must be the reason why."
The four Digimon seemed to be analyzing each other before Turuiemon and Strikedramon lunged forward. They both preferred close quarters combat unlike their opponents so it was no surprise when Gargomon and Kyubimon were forced onto the defensive and evasive immediately. The nine-tailed fox had excellent speed and grace so she was able to maneuver around the slashes and bites with ease. The fire-armed rabbit was not as lucky as he took punch after kick after punch after kick.
"Digi-Modify! Formation Beta: Rubber Body Activate!"
"Whoa!" Gargomon yelped when he felt Turuiemon's fist enter his stomach but not quite damage him. "Hey, that tickles! Bunny Pummel!"
Turuiemon back flipped out of the way and landed just a meter away before rocketing forward once more. This time, her own partner used a Hyper Chip card to increase her battle strength and a Hyper Speed card to make her faster than lightning. "Gauntlet Claw!"
Even though Gargomon still barely felt the pain from the attack, he was still launched across the town, destroying a few houses on his trip. Being buried underneath rubble had to hurt and Henry could feel each impact on his own body. The Tamer couldn't believe how quickly his own sister could overwhelm him.
"Henry!" Rika snapped. "You and Gargomon are holding back."
"Huh?"
"If you want to save Suzie, you have to fight her like she's actually the enemy," she told him firmly. "There is a chance you can save her with your pacifism but there is a certainty of losing her if you're beaten here. You can't lose. You hear me? So momentai and fight like you mean it."
"How can I?" Henry shook. "I couldn't even fight wild Digimon once. I'm supposed to fight my own sister?"
"Momentai," Rika repeated before pulling out a card. "Until then, let me and Kyubimon take care of this. Digi-Modify!"
-X-
The Chosen Children in the Digital World have split off into smaller groups in order to fight the armies of the Demon Lord. But the moment they leave, the final stronghold gets invaded by the enemy! Now the ones that remained in Kingdom Town are in trouble. Will they be able to protect the kingdom? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
Settlement to the North — Davis, Jeri, Kenta, Takuya, Kiriha VS ?
Settlement to the South — TK, Takato, Kouji, Kristy, Taiki VS ?
Cobblestone Road — Kari, Relena VS LadyDevimon, Reapmon
Chamber of Celestial Angels — JP, Koh, Sayo, Gokuwmon, Sanzomon VS Arukenimon, Mummymon, ShadowSeraphimon, Ophanimon Falldown Mode
Nursery — Cody, Shinya, Nene VS Merukimon
Basement Lab — Yolei, Ken, Kouichi, Wisemon VS Anubismon, Shaytan
Town Market — Zoey, Yuu, Ai, Mako VS Deva
Main Gates — Henry, Rika VS Suzie, Ryo
So I know this is a lot to take in, a bit of an information overload. But this is obviously very important to progress the story. You'll get to see a more focused structure in the next chapter as per usual. Also, just as note, not all of these fights and matchups were planned and even the members that left weren't set in stone except for a few. So it took me some time to figure them out. For those wondering what happened to Glare, Julia, and Tommy… they're fighting off the raids so don't worry too much about them. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and please leave a review!
Also, did you know that in one week, it'll have been two whole years since Future was first published? I am just blown away that there are those of you who have stuck by this story for this long. Even those I've never heard from but like to. Happy anniversary!
P.S. If you're in any of the areas that are going to be affected by the following hurricanes or have already felt the effects, then please stay safe.