Zero Unit: Quick question to Yusaku-Playmaker, do you read my PMs? Because I've responded to some of your reviews but since I never get a reply, I have no idea if you see them. This is especially important because you're the sender of most of our questions.
Yoshino: Speaking of which, we should try to cover as many of them as possible. Starting with one that is addressed to Momoe and Chizuru.
Momoe & Chizuru: Us?
Lalamon: "We know what your partners are but what is Mantarou's partner? I'd ask him myself but I don't think he's even appeared in story yet."
Mantarou: Because I'm attending Kyoto College.
Momoe: Whoa, where did you come from?
Chizuru: More importantly, to answer your question, Mantarou doesn't have a partner. I think Kari can go more in depth on it.
Kari: Right, well, Zero chose Yolei's sisters, Motomiya Jun, and Kido Jim to have partners because they were the ones I mentioned in the 02 Drama CD, Original Story: 2003 -Spring-. In it, I explain that multiple people started getting partners after we defeated MaloMyotismon including those four. However, I make no mention of Mantarou because he is not one of the people that becomes a Chosen.
Mantarou: Which I'm fine with since I can focus on school and my girlfriend.
Momoe: You're going to have to. Something's not right with her if she's dating you.
Mantarou: Hey!
Renamon: Not to interrupt your sibling squabble but we do have more questions.
Terriermon: So we can't be wasting time! The next question is for Tagiru. "Do you still have all the Digimon you hunted before battling Quartzmon in your collection? Also, did you actually hunt SkullBaluchimon or was it Barbamon's data that you ended up with?"
Tagiru: I do still have all of them!
Fugamon: Here I am as proof!
Ogremon: Me too!
Kotemon: Don't forget that MetalTyrannomon also showed up earlier. If the first Digimon that Tagiru Hunted is with us then it's safe to assume that we're all here.
Yuu: As for that other question, we did hunt SkullBaluchimon and he is viable for use. Now, at least. We had to separate his data from the Demon Lord's. We wanted to analyze the data on its own but it broke down soon after.
Airu: By the way, this question about Tagiru's collection inspired much of this chapter. And you'll see why when you read!
Zero Unit: Well, that's all the time we have for today but before I go…
Gatomon: Another shameless plug?
Takuya: He, uh… put the regular schedule on hold to post a story for Boku no Hero Academia...
Zero Unit: It's for eighteen and up only due to sexual content and is a ship you'd only really get if you've read the manga though my reason why will probably be animated in season 3. Anyway, if you're interested, go check it out!
Davis: But more importantly, please enjoy today's chapter!
Zero Unit: I also want to post another fic for BNHA soon.
Everyone: What?!
-X-
January 24: Kingdom Town, Ruins — 6:21 PM
A large cauldron sat in the center of what used to be the king's courtyard. A Pumpkinmon stirred the ingredients inside, a piping hot gruel that smelled heavenly. Beside him was a Gotsumon, rapidly manufacturing bowls out of stone. There were other pairs like them working parallel to each other with massive lines leading up to them. The Chosen Children was facilitating the lines and passing bowls of pumpkin bisque out to hungry citizens.
Nene and Minervamon were handling the center line. As they caught up with each other, they also chatted with the workers. As it would turn out, they weren't just servants of Shoutmon, but Digimon that had met the very first DigiDestined, Robert McCoy's group, in the past.
"I ended up getting caught by a Dark Chain," said Pumpkinmon. "If it weren't for Rai and Candlemon, I don't know what would've happened."
Minervamon couldn't help smiling. "The more I hear about the things they did, the more I want to live up to their legacy."
"Yeah," Nene agreed. "And I'm sure we can do it."
Nearby was a large, white relief tent where the wounded went to get treatment from Cutemon's parents and others of their species. There were, of course, other healers that were moving back and forth to make sure everyone was okay. But while the injured Digimon were healing at an incredible rate, the humans that took a beating were a different story.
Henry, Rika, and Zoey were the worst cases. The male had several ugly bruises all over his body, the negative after effects from using the Uranus Cosmic Card. The blonde also suffered many burns and a couple of cuts on her limbs. In comparison, the redhead was the picture of peak health. Which wasn't to say she wasn't badly bruised.
Renamon narrowed her eyes on Zoey's companion. "What are you doing here?"
"To observe," Vulpemon replied coolly. "It was the Legendary Warrior of Wind's suggestion."
Zoey wanted to shrug but her shoulders were wrapped up tight in gauze. "Well, I figured you must've seen something good to have left her alive."
"Well," said Rika, glancing back at their enemy. Former enemy? Regardless, it was true that all Rika had done last time was seal her magic. Did she really see a chance for redemption in this fox? When her mind wandered to the thought of Impmon, she found her answer. "I guess it can't hurt us that much for a Rookie to follow us around a bit."
Zoey grinned before looked over at Henry. He hadn't spoken a word since coming back but it didn't seem like he was all too moody like he was before either.
"You okay?"
Henry took a deep breath. "Yeah… it's just hard, you know?" The raging storm had subsided inside him, replaced by a drizzle. After seeing Suzie again, he came to this realization that the strongest feeling inside of him was sadness. "But I'll definitely save her."
Wisemon and his team of scientists were working in the remnants of the laboratory. They made a rather astonishing discovery when checking the overall status of the transporter. To their shock, after they had reconnected the cables to the machine, they found some unnecessary additions. As soon as they consulted with their blueprints and removed the unwanted bits, the transporter buzzed to life. It didn't lead to Earth as of yet but now they understood why they were stalled for so long.
"Unbelievable!" Yolei huffed. "Weeks without progress and suddenly, it turns out that it was some stupid mistake!"
"At least we've figured it out," said Ken.
Kouichi nodded in agreement. "By tomorrow night, we should be able to freely move between worlds."
Now that he said it out loud, another thought occurred to them. The castle was supposed to be their stronghold so that was where they were originally planning to stay. But now that it had been blown to smithereens, it would mean that they would have to vacate the premises, especially now that their location had been compromised.
"We're going to have to take this with us wherever we go next," said Wisemon.
Ken shifted his weight to one side. "We'll have to remake the connectors then."
Keenan and Kazu had a lot of catching up to do with their friends but at the moment, they were reporting their findings to the two former Chiefs of CITY. Apparently, the duo ended up finding a human settlement far in the east although it didn't stay in one spot. It was known as the Grand City of Restart.
"They said they'd be willing to take in refugees," said Keenan. "How many, we're not sure."
Falcomon looked over the lines of people getting their dinner. "We certainly weren't expecting this many to lose their homes."
Glare rubbed at his chin in thought. "Maybe we should send a group in advance to ask."
"True," Julia nodded. "I think we have enough provisions in our storage houses to last us a bit."
ChaosGallantmon looked back at the lines. "And so long as the Pumpkinmon can continue creating pumpkins…"
Everyone would eventually get sick of eating the same old thing. Kazu knew that he did at home when his mom refused to add some variety to their meals because she was too tired to try something new. But at that very moment, he wanted so desperately to eat some of her home cooking. Even if it was the same old chashu don that she likes to make.
The brunet preemptively wiped at his eyes. "I wonder… how things are going on Earth."
January 25: Kyushu — 8:45 AM
Immediately after breakfast, Tagiru marched out of his grandparents' suburban house and to the family SUV. Gumdramon chased after his partner, stumbling down the steps a bit as he tried to keep up with the human's long and forceful strides. Without pausing for a second as he heard his parents yell from behind him, he yanked open the trunk and tossed his small leather suitcase inside.
"Tagiru," huffed Gumdramon. "Wait up, you're going too fast."
"Tagiru!" his mother called after. "Grandpa and Grandma are just worried!"
Tagiru slammed the trunk closed. "They were talking about us moving in!" he shouted back at her. "You drove us down here to get me away!"
His parents had thought about that and they knew their son wouldn't take the news very well but they weren't expecting this kind of blow up. He packed his stuff, swiped the car keys, and marched right out of the house. Now the entire neighborhood was curiously glancing out their windows and whispering to each other about what was going on.
"I thought you understood how much Gumdramon means to me!" Tagiru continued to yell. "I thought you understood how much I want to protect this world!"
Maybe his mother didn't. But… "Don't you understand how much we want to protect you?!"
"Of course I do!" Tagiru had never felt this furious before.
"Then why—!"
"Because—AGH!"
Tagiru squatted down on the street, his head hitting the bumper of the car. He knew he could get a little hyperactive at times but to actually raise his voice at his parents like this… Maybe it was because he already lost someone important to him.
"Nowhere is safe," he said. His mother was just close enough to hear. "So at the very least, let us be in the same place as my friends. I can't protect you guys by myself."
"Hm?" There was a light tap like a pebble against concrete coming from somewhere. "You're more noble than I first thought."
Gumdramon was standing up straight and his eyes were darting around in every direction. He could sense something strong scurrying about, jumping from front yard to front yard. Finally, whatever it was, somersaulted through the air, a spinning blur of red and white before landing on top of the car.
"A Digimon?" Tagiru gasped.
There was no preliminary fog, no signs of intimidation, and nothing to imply that this Digimon was a threat. But at the same time, there was nothing implicating that this was an ordinary friendly visit. Not to mention, when his X-Loader analyzed him, it identified the creature as Hackmon. In other words, the very same Digimon that had attacked Takuya's group at some point in the Digital World.
"A Royal Knight?" Gumdramon muttered.
Tagiru raised his X-Loader as he backed away from the car. "Mom, go back inside."
"I would never hurt a bystander," said Hackmon, sounding genuinely insulted. "I want to see just how strong you are… Hero."
Tagiru frowned. "Hero?"
"Isn't that what you are?" Hackmon jumped down and landed in front of Gumdramon. "Although I can't imagine a puny guy like you to be capable of saving the word."
The rubber Digimon took a step forward and bared his fangs. "Hey! I'm stronger than I look!"
"Then why don't you prove it?"
"Why you… Jacked Hammer!"
Gumdramon flipped around, enlarging the hammer at the end of his tail to an enormous size and coating it in flames. But as it came rushing down, Hackmon vanished into thin air, using his incredible speed to avoid getting hit. Instead, the partnered Digimon ended up making a brand new pothole in the street and sent hot asphalt up into the air. A little bit hit Tagiru in the face, burning his skin.
"Ow!" the boy yelped. "Gumdramon, we can't fight here!"
His mother peeked out from the doorway. "Tagiru! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine!" Now where did Hackmon go?
The Royal Knight was laying on the front hood of the car, chin resting on top of his claws like he had been asleep this entire time. But the way his tail swished back and forth told the true story. He was already bored with the Hunter-partner duo.
"This guy's really getting on my nerves," Gumdramon grumbled.
"Okay, we'll fight you seriously," said Tagiru, surprising his partner. "Let's just take this somewhere else."
Hackmon stood up. "Fine by me. I'm curious to see just how strong you really are."
"Mom, can you drive us out to the countryside?"
Mrs. Akashi couldn't believe what she was hearing from her own son. He wanted her to give a ride to him and an unfamiliar but clearly dangerous monster. And he asked of this favor as if he was asking if a friend from school could stay over. How could he be so casual about this? Did he not understand or was he just that desensitized to the absurdity already?
Still, she didn't try to convince her son not to follow through with this. After all, who knew what that caped dragon could do if his demands weren't met. Granted, they weren't really demands but it was still a safe idea to do what Tagiru wanted for the moment. In situations like these, he knew best.
It took them about thirty minutes to reach the open fields and rolling hills so in that span of time, Tagiru and Gumdramon talked strategy. It was actually Hackmon's suggestion for them to do so while he stayed on the roof of the car. It seemed as though the Royal Knight believed there needed to be a handicap of sorts so he was giving the Hunter this chance. And it seemed like a smart idea to take it.
"Okay," said Mrs. Akashi, putting the car in park. "We're here."
Tagiru stepped out of the vehicle, leaving the door open for Gumdramon to hop out. "Stay in or near the car. If things look bad, drive away."
How could he even ask that of her? But when she opened her mouth to protest, the words got caught in her throat. She found herself staring at her son's back.
'When did he… grow up so fast?'
Gumdramon immediately squared up. "Alright, let's do this!"
The pair stared at each other with three meters of distance between them. Even though they were tiny in comparison to the latest threats that have shown up on Earth, they were both highly skilled. The level of power they exuded was also impressive for their diminutive stature. If they fought in an urban area even in their current forms, they would cause a lot destruction.
"Ran-gum Break!"
The way Hackmon moved seemed to involve all four of his claws leaving the ground at once. He jumped around quickly, easily evading the strike of the hammer. At some point, he jumped high up into the air and once he was directly overhead, produced flames in his mouth. "Baby Flame!"
"Whoa!" Gumdramon yelped as he rolled out of the way. He then leapt up, swinging his tail around. "Try and dodge this! Jacked Hammer!"
"Fif Slash!"
Tagiru took a step back in shock. "He blocked it!"
The blunt weapon was blocked by the Royal Knight's claws. They propelled each other backwards, landing on the ground with their claws digging through the dirt as they slowly came to a halt. But as they settled down, they noticed that they weren't as okay as they each thought. There were claw marks on Gumdramon's tail and dents in Hackmon's nails.
"You're not bad," admitted Hackmon. "Guess I'll have to get a little more serious." He covered himself in a data cocoon and came out in his Champion form. "BaoHackmon!"
Digital Analyzer: Through intense training, BaoHackmon has honed his skills technically, mentally, and physically to become even more fearsome than he had been in his previous form. His species can only grow into this Champion form after gaining a lifetime of combat experiences which can only be done after fighting countless powerful foes.
"We figured this would happen," smirked Gumdramon. "Tagiru!"
The Hunter raised his digivice but instead of evolving, he brought Gumdramon back. In his place, Ogremon popped out, fusing together with Fugamon as he made his appearance. "Ogremon! Fugamon! Digi-Xros!" And a new Digimon was born.
Long, grisly white hair covered his face, going down his back and partially covering his eyes. He had a wide, square jaw with a heavy underbite, his sharp canines popping out of his lips. Even though he was hunched over, he stood at least three times taller than his partner, wielding a heavy spiked club in his hand. The only thing covering his green, muscular body was a black and orange striped fur kilt with a skull buckle. "Orcmon!"
"Oh?" BaoHackmon let out a chuckle. "Does Gumdramon not want to fight me?"
"I'm conserving energy, you jerk!" Gumdramon shouted from the inside.
"If you evolve to your true form," said Tagiru, "then we're going to need Gumdramon's full strength to take you on."
"How smart," BaoHackmon chuckled.
Orcmon raised his club, saying in a gruff voice, "You better not ignore me."
Digital Analyzer: Orcmon are Ultimate level Digimon that boast extraordinary brute strength. They can crush Chrome Digizoid with their bare hands and depend only on their physical abilities to completely obliterate their enemies. It is said that any two ogre Digimon fusing together can evolve into this humanoid beast, the only difference being their skin tones depending on the combination.
This was one of Tagiru's best fusions. It wasn't even made because of Taiki, Yuu, or Ryouma suggesting it. They all believed that two Digimon that were similar in ability, strength, and functionality couldn't possibly add more than a power boost for each other. But Tagiru wanted to test it out for himself and discovered Orcmon of all things. Strength-wise, he far surpassed Arresterdramon.
"Hmph," BaoHackmon scoffed. "Then I'll blow away your whole collection. Teen Blade!"
"He's copying my movements!" Gumdramon snapped.
Orcmon raised his club and blocked the slash from the enemy's tail. Then he raised his leg high and fast, nearly catching the Champion with his foot. But BaoHackmon managed to jump off the very air like it was a kickboard, soaring backwards and away from the impending impact.
"Orcmon!" Tagiru called. "Do what you do best!"
Even though Orcmon was strong, his speed, technique, and intelligence were remarkably low. So the best way for him to win battles against smarter opponents was to overpower them as quickly as possible. "Ballistic Berserker!" The club made contact with the ground and suddenly, an entire expanse of earth was uprooted, tripping up BaoHackmon. "Dynamic Crush!"
BaoHackmon could see his foe approaching, each step over the jagged stones seeming to make the ground quake. Since he couldn't get stable footing, it was impossible for him to get a clear jump. And before long, he would get smashed by the club which was coming down for his head.
"Fif Cross!"
Unlike before, when their attacks had clashed, they weren't evenly matched. The Royal Knight felt like his claws had been shattered.
Orcmon raised his weapon once more. "Dynamic Crush: Part Two!"
Enveloping himself in a data cocoon once more, BaoHuckmon instantaneously changed into his Ultimate form. He was a bipedal warrior with blades coming out from every single one of his limbs, including his tail. A shining fighter that was even taller than his opponent. And he blocked the club with one of his blade-like claws before slashing with the other.
"Orcmon, dodge!" Tagiru called out.
His partner tried but was much too slow. His side was torn open and loose data poured out from him. In that fraction of a second, the fusion broke apart.
Digital Analyzer: After living through many years of scenes of mass carnage, BaoHackmon was finally able to evolve in SaviorHackmon. For those that he has seen suffer, he reaches out to them in order to alleviate their strife. The results may not always end well but the tears he shed in failure is what makes him strong. He earnestly comes to the rescue of those who cry for help next no matter how many times he is unable to save someone. The crystal in his chest is proof he has refined his power with all his endless efforts.
Ogremon landed on the ground with a thud. Now that he was in his original state, he was no longer able to flatten the jagged ground underneath him. "Oof… sorry Tagiru," he grumbled. "No matter how strong I am, I'm no match for a Royal Knight."
"It's fine," said Tagiru. "You did great to bring him up to Ultimate. Goldramon Reload!"
The golden dragon appeared with his hands together. Out of respect towards the Royal Knight, he bowed low to him. "It is an honor to meet." He straightened himself up. "However, I regret to inform you that our first meeting will end with you being beaten by me."
SaviorHackmon lowered himself. "Hmph, we shall see."
Tagiru's eyes were drawn to the pair of goggles that were around the Royal Knight's neck, situated just above his crimson mantle. They were on the previous forms as well. So the entire time, he kept thinking about the day he had inherited Taiki's goggles. A symbol of his worth and efforts as a hero. Could that be what he meant when he called the boy that?
Tagiru looked back towards his mother who was watching with worried eyes. In order to be truly worthy of the title, he had to protect people. That's why he couldn't fool around when his opponent was someone as strong as a Royal Knight.
"He was fast in his previous forms," said Tagiru. "Which means we'll need to match up. Goldramon! Harpymon! Digi-Xros!"
The dragon grew the powerful hind legs of his counterpart and feathers sprouted from his muscular underarms. There was a certain sheen to his six wings now as well. If he so wished, he could probably tear off the roofs of cars just by flying past. "Xros-Up Goldramon!"
From inside the digivice, Gumdramon was also watching closely. 'Tagiru… you're really thinking about this, huh.'
The two fighters circled each other slowly, trying to figure out just what the other's first action would be and assessing their strength. They crouched low before lunging forward at an incredible speed. Goldramon covered himself in golden light energy which acted as armor every time he struck and parried against SaviorHackmon's blades.
"Trident Saber!"
The Ultimate started spinning at an incredibly speed, the blades on his arms thrusting outward in hundreds of direction. At the same time, his tail spun around his entire body like a twister made from the slashes of a sword. Just being near it would probably cut you to shreds.
Goldramon increased the output of his energy, putting up a thicker shield than before while crossing his arms and legs in the air for added defensive measure. The blades hacked away at it and it did push the dragon back a bit. There were a few cuts left behind on his arms and legs.
With a flap of his golden wings, the partnered Digimon launched his counterattack with six blades made of golden light. "Heavenly Wind Seeker!"
SaviorHackmon made a downward slash, repelling the blades. Without missing a beat, he spun around with his tail slicing through the air. Goldramon narrowly avoided the cut by flying over the attack and as soon as he could, began firing condensed balls of energy at the Knight.
"Too slow!" SaviorHackmon scoffed. With all of his blades, he blocked every single shot.
"Tagiru," said Gumdramon. "Those moves are similar to mine as Arresterdramon."
The boy nodded. "I noticed that as well."
This kind of thing would be an advantage since they could use what they know to predict the next move. But it wasn't like Tagiru could pit the two dragons against each other in a mock battle or a sparring match even if he wanted to. And it wasn't like he could yell out the enemy's next move when they were too fast to be seen with the untrained human eye.
However, Goldramon was separate from the rest of his collection for one particular reason. The battle between him and Arresterdramon lasted five whole hours when they first met. Thus, the golden dragon became familiar with the way these types of enemies move. Especially since he always kept close watch on Arresterdramon later fights to see just if he would ever be capable of winning.
There were just two major differences between SaviorHackmon and Arresterdramon. The number of weapons they had at their disposal and their speed.
"Rage Streit!"
SaviorHackmon tucked in his body and zipped forward. Goldramon put up another shield but this one was completely blown away in an instant.
"He's really fast," Goldramon grunted before covering himself in the golden light once more and stabilizing himself. "Gold Flame!"
"Meteor Flame!"
They both burst into raging fires that took the shape of ferocious dragons. They launched at each other, burning viciously as the world around them grew bright and hot. It was much too difficult to keep your eyes open if you were close. Even worse was that inside the fire, the two dragons were duking it out, claws and fangs and even tails. Each collision seemed to create a small big bang.
In the end, it was SaviorHackmon who came out victorious which wasn't much of a surprise. He had the superior weaponry and speed, after all.
"Tch," Goldramon coughed, falling to the earth. "He's too fast to keep up with."
Gumdramon swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Tagiru, what do we do?"
There was only one plan that came to mind. They would have to restrict their enemy's movements by cornering him in some way. There were many methods to achieving that but there was someone in their arsenal that was probably best suited to the job.
"So," came Dorbickmon's voice. "The little Hunter needs a little help from a General?"
Tagiru sat in the back of the car, looking through the list of Digimon he had in his collection. Right beside him was Gumdramon who was making suggestions. Although his best ones were about fusing him with the strongest and fastest. Not that they could find an appropriate Digimon that fell under both those categories.
FlameWizardmon's magic would definitely be useful to them but his undying recklessness might make Gumdramon lose sight of the smart decisions. On the flip side, there was Kotemon who was intelligent and resourceful. But he didn't have the speed to counter the enemy's. For that, perhaps Sagomon would be the best option.
"Yeah!" Gumdramon nodded enthusiastically. "We haven't fought together in a while!"
Tagiru agreed that it sounded like a safe choice. "Smart, fast, and good technique. Maybe he should be the base."
"Hey!" Gumdramon pouted.
Even though his mother accidentally got involved in this situation and it was no laughing matter, Tagiru was still amused by his partner's reaction. But they should continue looking through the collection in case they found someone better.
"I've never used Sakakkumon with you," Tagiru brought up.
Gumdramon shuddered. "That guy gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, I agree with you there," said the Hunter. "He works best with Jokermon anyway. Blossomon? We could restrict his movements with the vines."
"I'm too clumsy with those," said Gumdramon.
"Right… GigaBreakdramon? He's super strong."
"Do you want me to destroy everything?"
"Fair point… Phelesmon?"
They both considered the demon man for a moment. After all, he was capable of rendering his foes motionless with a horrid scream and even turn enemies into stone. There was no doubt that any fusion with this Ultimate would surely bring about victory for them. But at the same time, neither human nor Digimon could forget the trouble he gave them.
"I hate to admit it…," said Gumdramon, "but our best options are between this guy and Sagomon…"
Tagiru scrolled down to the end before agreeing and that's where they found their latest addition to the team. "Dorbickmon…"
"No," was Gumdramon's immediate answer. "The guy is awful in every sense of the word! I refuse to fuse with him!"
Tagiru thought back to MetalTyrannomon, the only partner he ended up losing. The memory was still fresh so it was still painful. But he chose to Hunt the Dark General that did it anyway. It would be a waste not to use his grandiose abilities and talents. Although he couldn't force his partner to fuse with him.
"We're starting with Phelesmon," said Tagiru. "Gumdramon Reload and Super Evolve!"
SaviorHackmon smirked. "So the main event is here."
"Arresterdramon! Phelesmon! Digi-Xros!"
"Xros-Up Arresterdramon!"
The end of Arresterdramon's blade-like tail changed into the three sharp prongs of a devilish trident. The small wings sprouting from his back extended, becoming larger and more flexible. The final touch was black leather covering up his hardened body.
"Don't waste a second!" Tagiru commanded. "You'll lose sight of him if you do!"
Arresterdramon nodded as his tail lashed out. "Right! Prism Statue!"
SaviorHuckmon knew that if he were to be impaled by all three prongs, his body would instantly turn into stone. So he ducked underneath the strike, raised an arm, and looped the tail around his forearm before yanking on it. Arresterdramon came flying towards him and the Royal Knight prepared a powerful front kick. Since his leg was a sword, it would be lethal to fall victim to such an attack.
So the dragon had to think fast to counter. "Spiral Shredder!"
SaviorHackmon was forced to let go when he saw the rapidly rotating Digimon coming at him. So he quickly took off in another direction, barely avoiding get cut. They were now back to back with each other, having just missed their respective strikes.
"You really aren't bad," the Royal Knight chuckled. "I am thoroughly impressed."
Arresterdramon turned around to face his opponent head on. "Does that mean you plan on taking me on at full force?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself… Meteor Flame!"
"Dragon's Shout!" With a mighty roar, SaviorHackmon's flames were blown away as he covered his ears in pain. While he was immobile, Arresterdramon came in close and unleashed a blinding flurry of punches on his foe. "Mach Flicker!" The last one shooting the Royal Knight into the only tree in the field, toppling it completely.
"If I were you," Tagiru called out. "I wouldn't underestimate my partner."
SaviorHackmon slowly got back onto his feet, wiping at his face with the underside of his wrist. "Yes, I suppose so… Well then…"
'Here it comes,' thought Tagiru.
A data cocoon coiled around SaviorHackmon but not even a fraction of a second afterwards, the entire thing exploded into a bunch of bright shards. The cause was the newly formed Mega immediately rocketing out of it the moment his entire body had changed forms, giving birth a new and far more imposing warrior. And in that short span of time, this new Digimon slashed at Arresterdramon just once.
"A definitive blow," said the warrior, "is all it takes."
Phelesmon separated from the base with a pained scream, returning to the Xros-Loader. When Tagiru tried to talk to the demon, there was no response.
"He's not dead," Kotemon reported. "But badly damaged and unconscious."
Arresterdramon felt around his own body for a bit before coming to the realization that he was left completely unharmed despite being the base. With a look of horror, he looked at his new enemy in his periphery. Somehow, the Royal Knight was able to strike only at the Digimon he was fused with. Not only that, but he was able to practically destroy that Digimon's entire body without actually deleting him.
Brilliant platinum and golden armor along with a shredded, but still glorious mantle, this was the true form of the Royal Knight. One possessing the highest rank of Network security, armed with blades for arms, legs, and a tail just like in his previous form. On the flat surface of each was a different line of Digi-Code written on them. Surrounding him were three spirits, each with their own set of swords, made entirely out of pure energy.
Tagiru swallowed nervously. "What's with this guy?"
"The power he's emanating is completely different from Magnamon or Omnimon," Arresterdramon remarked. "Even though they've all got the same rank."
"Je suis Jesmon!" the Knight stated, commanding their attention. "My power far exceeds that of the other Knights and you will soon see why."
Digital Analyzer: Jesmon was tempered and trained by Gankoomon, a fellow Royal Knight who saw the potential in him as Hackmon. His physical abilities are unbound by the laws of the Digital World, allowing him to overpower virtually any enemy without taking a single scratch. However, the only opponents he will give his all to are those he deems to be truly evil. Furthermore, each of his swords serve a specific purpose as written on them.
Tail-Sword: FORCED TERMINATION
Left Arm: INITIALIZE
Right Arm: OVERWRITE
Left Leg : TRANSFER
Right Leg: COMPRESSION
Tagiru felt his body trembling. He'd never been this scared of an enemy before. Then again, this was the first time he went up against one this strong alone. Even Quartzmon couldn't count because at the time, everyone was still close enough for him to see. He saw them needing him. So he responded the way he knew how. This time was different.
Still, he couldn't falter. "Arresterdramon! Sagomon! Digi-Xros!"
"Vous n'allez pas gagner," Jesmon scoffed. (You're not going to win.)
Arresterdramon immediately shot forward once the dark mantle appeared and his counterpart's weapon made its way into his grasp. "I don't know what you just said but I'll make you eat those words! Crescent Moon Spiral!"
Jesmon raised his right arm. Tagiru remembered that that one was for overwriting. Was that the blade that he used on the other fusion. No, that couldn't be right. If that were the case, then Phelesmon wouldn't have been damaged as much as he was. The weapon that was used then… had to have been the tail.
"Overwrite!"
The two blades crashed into each other and all of sudden, Arresterdramon's body started breaking up and crackling. He was immediately separated into his two components. But because of the rules, there was no way for both of them to be out at the same time. However, just before Sagomon could return to the X-Loader, the right leg was raised and swung out, hacking at the Ultimate.
"Compress!"
Using the momentum from the swing, Jesmon spun around. For a moment, his cape hid Sagomon but when he finished his turn, Sagomon was gone.
"Wha—?" Tagiru gasped.
Arresterdramon stabilized himself and glared at the Royal Knight. "What did you do, you bastard?"
One of the golden entities was holding something tiny in between the two blades it was armed with. It looked like a microchip of sorts. But upon closer inspection they could see the face of Sagomon looking back at them. Of course, Tagiru couldn't see it from where he was.
Dorbickmon's cackle escaped from the X-Loader. "Oh man, this is rich! Hey Hunter, if you don't choose your next fusion wisely, your partner will really die!"
"Il a raison," said Jesmon. "Vous ne pouvez pas gagner." (He is right. You cannot win.)
Arresterdramon was starting to get even more frustrated. "Gah, at least insult me in a language I understand! Flog Shot!"
Jesmon blocked the blade at the end of Arresterdramon's tail with his own. They both had expert handling over their weapons, it wasn't even like they were being used as whips. They were like two professional fencers trying to get a hit in. The problem, just like before, was the difference in the quantity of weapons.
"Why do you try?" asked Jesmon.
At first glance, they looked to be evenly matched. But Jesmon was moving at an incredible speed so small incisions were made here and there on Arresterdramon's body. To make it worse, there were still those three entities to worry about even if they hadn't made a move yet. The mere fact that they hadn't just showed that Jesmon wasn't even taking this battle seriously.
"Because I have to win!" Arresterdramon shouted. "Tagiru… Tagiru has lost his fire! So I plan on bringing it back!"
The human paused before looking up. "My… fire?"
"Hm?" came Dorbickmon's voice. "Now that I think about it, you do seem different compared to when I first fought you."
"Fighting smart is great!" Arresterdramon huffed, trying his best to stay on the defensive. "But that's not your style! Fight with the passion you always had!" The dragon thought back to the day when he first met the Hunter. "Fight with the passion…" And their first battle with MetalTyrannomon and their final one with Quartzmon. "...that made me want to be your partner! Arresterdramon Superior Mode!"
"Oh?" Jesmon almost let the mode change catch him off guard but he ducked under the swinging axe-tail just in time. "So you do have more tricks."
Tagiru took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, there a big smile on his face. "Arresterdramon!" he shouted. "We will definitely win this! And to do that… I need you to trust me on this." He then raised his X-Loader. "Dorbickmon, you're going to help us out here."
There was a pause before Dorbickmon replied with, "And why would I do that?"
"Because you hate to lose more than anything else," was the response.
"Hmph," Dorbickmon looked out of the digivice and up at the battle. It was clear that Arresterdramon was losing but… "That tiny gummy bastard has really gotten strong, huh. And it's all thanks to you. I wonder… if you can even make me stronger than I already am."
Tagiru's smile managed to get wide as he understood the translation. "Arresterdramon!"
The dragon nodded. "I trust you!"
"Dorbickmon!"
The Dark General let out a resigned sigh. "Might as well."
"Digi-Xros!"
Arresterdramon made one final push as he became covered in a bright light, repelling the enemy for a few seconds as he changed. Crimson-hued armor along with azure covered his entire body as half his face changed into Dorbickmon's. Everything was a cross between the pair except for their conjoined head. It was like they had both become the base for this fusion.
"Sharing a body…," Arresterdramon bemoaned.
"Is unpleasant, I know," agreed Dorbickmon.
Tagiru was completely stunned by this odd transformation, it had never happened before. Both of the components were somehow able to communicate with each other beyond just a mental conversation. It was as if neither one wanted to be overtaken, swallowed up by the other, so they ended up finding this compromise even if they were unsure of it being able to work.
"How unprecedented," Jesmon remarked. It was clear that he was utterly fascinated by this sudden development. "Mais c'est très incroyable. Even a Royal Knight, Omnimon, never reached this level of mutual understanding. You two must love each other deeply."
"We do not!" Arresterdramon and Dorbickmon shouted in unison.
"Wait," said Tagiru. "Mutual understanding is all it takes? So then those two…"
"We hate each other," was the unified response.
Jesmon was even more fascinated now. "Well then, you require a new name. I shall refer to you as… Detesdramon!"
"Don't go around naming people, you bastard!" the new half-and-half Digimon snapped. "We'll call ourselves whatever we want!"
"I like the name Detesdramon though," admitted Tagiru to himself.
Digital Analyzer: No Information Available
The newly formed Digimon was trying to figure out what they should call themselves. They were constantly trying to talk over the other, increasing their volume as they yapped. The best thing about this fusion was that they couldn't face each other and do it, therefore, nothing more dangerous than their venomous words were being thrown at one another. Finally, they just settled on Detesdramon.
Jesmon didn't even have a movable mouth and he was smirking triumphantly. "Vous aimez le nom?" (You like the name?)
"Hm?" Arresterdramon blinked. "I… understood him then."
Dorbickmon was feeling rather triumphant himself. "Probably because I know French, unlike you, you troglodyte."
"Hey!"
The Royal Knight was starting to grow tired of waiting for his foe to stop bickering amongst themselves. For once, he'd make the first move. "Judgment of the Blade!" His arm blades shined as he flashed forward at phenomenal speed.
"Dodge—!" Tagiru called out.
Detesdramon tried to move in two different directions at once, going nowhere. But they had to do something so they bent over backwards at the waist like they were in a limbo competition. It was less than graceful but they evaded the double slashes. But then Jesmon slammed his knee down on the dragon's abdomen, striking him downwards.
"Damn it!" Arresterdramon growled.
"Hang on!" Dorbickmon snapped.
The Dark General half quickly threw down what looked to be a vein from his wrist. It stabbed itself into the ground, changing the composition into sand. This was never something that Dorbickmon was able to do before although he had thought about it before and was certainly thinking about it then. Did their fusion increase his terrain manipulation powers?
The fused Digimon landed into the soft sand, sending up fine grains everywhere. But they were safe at least.
"You guys are completely out of sync," said Tagiru.
They had assumed that since the pair was both super strong individually, then they would create an unbelievably powerful force when together. But because of this never-before-seen version of a fusion, they were just getting in each other's way. Maybe it was a bad idea after all.
"Tch," Arresterdramon was starting to get huffy. "Dorbickmon, you… that power's not bad."
Dorbickmon was also getting annoyed. "Your mobility is impressive as well. I wouldn't have reacted as fast without it."
Eh? Were they actually getting along? Somewhat?
Detesdramon let out a singular breath before glaring up at Jesmon. "We will win! Infernal Shredder!"
"Weitgeist!"
The three spirits spread out and charged forward with their swords blazing. But they couldn't get near Detesdramon who repelled them easily with several quick rotations whilst covered in dark red flames. Then he got in close to Jesmon, prepared to strike him down.
"Furious Gallet!"
Jesmon quickly crossed his blades to block the blow. To his surprise, he could feel the reverberations made from the impact of the axe against his body. Never before was he unable to absorb a blow so just like the form he was fighting against, this was unprecedented.
"C'est impossible!" Jesmon gasped as he pushed back. "To think you could muster this much strength with this fusion?"
"Of course!" Detesdramon snarled. "Furious Caliber!" His tail anchor grew in size as he prepared to cleave the enemy in two.
Jesmon quickly flew backwards, avoiding the brunt of the attack. But the wind generated from the slice hit him full throttle, blowing him back a bit. Without wasting a beat, Detesdramon coated his body in flames and shot forward, colliding bodies and like a meteor, crashed into the earth together with the Knight's body up front which softened the crash on the fusion's body.
The Royal Knight recovered quickly, bouncing back onto his feet and hopping backwards. A shape made of energy materialized in front of him, looking like a giant lock although the keyhole looked more like a coin slot. With the left arm, the Knight inserted his sword. "Initialize! OS Generics!"
There it was, the one thing Tagiru read in the encyclopedia that seriously worried him. According to the entry, it rewrites the user's own data to transcend the laws of nature and physics. And they could tell from the lines of holographic code that passed over Jesmon's body that they were about to witness something unbelievable. As in, they wouldn't believe it themselves if they weren't there to witness it.
In an instant, Jesmon was behind his enemy, doing a roundhouse kick. The blade whizzed through the air at great speed.
Detesdramon couldn't even register the movement. However, due to Dorbickmon's exceptional instincts and Arresterdramon's incredible reaction time, they were able to create a stone wall in between them. But immediately, Jesmon vanished once more before even hitting the barrier.
"Think you can escape?" Detesdramon roared.
No matter where Jesmon appeared, the earth became his enemy. It rose in spikes and pillars, trying to stop his movement or at least slow him down.
"They're both good at radically different things," Tagiru realized. "But because of that… they can fill out one another's weak spots."
Jesmon noticed that as well. He also noticed that his enemy hadn't budged an inch since using his terrain manipulation. This time, they were depending on their combined observation skills and natural instincts. If he wasn't careful, he really would be crushed.
"To lose against this guy," said Jesmon to himself. "Would be a grand disgrace. Je doit gagner! Un Pour Tous!" (I must win! One For All!)
The three spirits joined up once more, meeting in front of the Royal Knight who found himself hovering high above the scene. They formed a triangle and a ray of golden light connected them. From the center burst a powerful beam of energy that scorched the land and rapidly approached the still unmoving Detesdramon.
For a moment, Tagiru worried that two of his partners would be destroyed right then and there. But he felt it in his gut. They would be just fine.
"You think that'll beat us, you bastard!" Detesdramon bellowed. "Chaos Prism Burning!"
Tagiru pivoted around on his heel. This might actually be worse than if Detesdramon just took the hit. Because if that were the case, then not everyone in this area would be blown to bits. The moment those two attacks collided, everything in the immediate vicinity would go up in flames.
"Mom!"
There was no explosion, no sound to indicate a collision, and nothing even close to the noise any form of destruction could make. So the Hunter turned back around to see a colossal ball of energy trapped inside a triangular pyramid made with the three golden spirits. It would appear that they were able to contain the massive force of the explosion within themselves. But it must've been a crazy amount of power.
"My, my, my," Jesmon sighed. "Vous êtes très dangereux maintenant." (You are very dangerous right now.)
"Says the guy that instigated it," Detesdramon barked back.
Jesmon sent the contained explosion skywards. "Well, right now, it would be stupid to finish this fight if all that will come of it is pointless destruction." He landed on the ground, the blades on his feet sinking into the dirt just a bit. "I will return when you have gained better control over your newfound power."
There was a sudden gunshot about two seconds after the spirits returned. All of a sudden, one of them jolted in surprise, dropping the microchip with Sagomon's data. It landed in Tagiru's waiting hand and in the other, the pistol that had been fired. It was created by Ekakimon who can bring drawings to life. And he practiced with the firearm in secret since he was told by the Monster Makers that he might need to protect himself at times without the help of a Digimon partner.
"Aim for the eyes," said Robert.
Daisy rolled hers. "Just because it worked on Frigus, doesn't mean it'll work for everyone. You'll need crazy good aim."
"She's right," Shibumi nodded. "Let's just hope he never actually has to use one."
All Tagiru wanted, was not to lose another partner. So even if his arms were trembling and his body felt stiff, he would protect them, just as they protect him. He held the chip close to him and said softly, "Welcome back, Sagomon."
"The young hero is impressive himself," said Jesmon. All of sudden, he returned to being just Hackmon. "Ca suffit! That's enough for today."
Detesdramon reverted forms as well. But just before they parted ways completely, still being connected by the foot, they were arguing with each other over which one got to stay on the physical plane. Neither wanted to go back to the X-Loader at the moment as they both had something they wanted to say to the Royal Knight's face.
"You two," Tagiru chuckled. "Arresterdramon, come back."
"What?!" Arresterdramon blanched before vanishing. "Why me?!"
Tagiru let out a short, one-syllable laugh. "I'd much rather face your rage than Dorbickmon's."
"Wise choice," Dorbickmon huffed before glaring at Hackmon. "And you! What was your purpose of facing us?"
The Rookie shrugged. "To test a hero? Who really knows?"
"You son of a—!"
Tagiru interrupted. "How do I turn Sagomon back?"
Hackmon glanced over to the human boy, contemplating whether or not he should answer. But another look at Dorbickmon's glare seemed to make him think it would be best to give a proper reply. "I can turn him back easily just by thinking about it. Don't worry, I would never kill an innocent Digimon. I would hate to do something the Demon Lords would do."
"What?" said Tagiru. "You're… not under their control?"
"No," Hackmon replied. "But my master is. So I follow along with him."
Now that the Hunter thought about it, based on how much power this small Royal Knight displayed, he probably could've easily blown away Takuya's group if he just went up to Mega. Or even one level higher. Yet he chose not to. Of course, that's just mere conjecture and not very concrete proof. But Tagiru decided to trust the caped crusader for the moment.
"So were you really testing me?" asked Tagiru.
Hackmon nodded. "You may not realize it but your power is important, hero. You are one of seven."
Seven. In other words, the very same heroes that Kuroko brought to their world in order to retrieve the Brave Snatcher, the one weapon capable of destroying Quartzmon. That would be Tai, Davis, Takato, Takuya, Marcus, Taiki, and himself. Seven.
"Like the number of Demon Lords," the boy realized.
Hackmon nodded again. "So you've figured it out. It is my personal belief that each one of you will be the ones to deliver the final attacks and bring down the Demon Lords." He paused here. "But I was most worried about you. The most inexperienced and naive of the seven. I had to make sure that you were truly the one."
"And not Ryouma or anything…"
Dorbickmon crossed his arms. "And? Did he make the cut?"
"No," was the immediate reply. But he continued. "I think you can be a true hero though. Just give it time, effort, and like your partner said, don't lose that fire."
Tagiru nodded, feeling a little more confident in himself than before. But it felt like he was going to forget something important. "Ah! Sagomon!"
Hackmon clicked his tongue and chip suddenly became too hot to touch so Tagiru dropped it. In a flash, it returned to being Sagomon and immediately afterwards, he returned to the X-Loader. But as the boy and Dorbickmon looked back up, they saw that the Royal Knight was gone.
Mrs. Akashi had been watching the fight the entire time. And over and over again, she looked away. But she kept thinking about how her son talked about his partners and old fights from the past on the car ride there. He had so many experiences that she didn't even know about. So many friends that he cared for even if there was a clash of differences between them. It was clear, that this was the reason why she was able to blink, and miss Tagiru's growth.
"Mom, are you okay?" asked Tagiru.
Mrs. Akashi tightened her hold on the steering wheel and turned to her son. "I'm fine, honey." As he reached for the car door, she continued, "After lunch, we'll drive right back to Tokyo. So… be sure to say goodbye to grandma and grandpa."
Tagiru was surprised. But happy to hear this. "Thank you Mom."
-X-
Tagiru ended up facing off with a Royal Knight! It seemed like he was in a tight spot more than once but he came out okay! Better than that, they were able to find a brand new fusion as well as discover that Hackmon is one of the few surviving Royal Knights. But we still haven't heard from the two separated groups in the Digital World! Find out what happened to them on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
One fight for a whole chapter again. Whoo, am I tired! But I'm glad I got this done before the month ended so I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave me a review down below! I'll be waiting to hear from you!
Jesmon, if he was a poor sport: Fusion is just a cheap tactic to make weak Digimon stronger!
Detesdramon: I am made of hate.
Zero Unit: *Whispers* You're supposed to sing it.
Detesdramon: No.