"John doesn't believe me," Mike greets Shinsuke with the first time he sees him after his conversation with his tag partner. "I think he's decided I've officially lost it."
Shinsuke seems nonplussed by this. "Have you tried showing him your digimon partner?" he wonders, idly playing with the zipper on his wrestling gear as he peers expentantly at Mike.
Mike gapes at him, then rolls his eyes. "No, I haven't tried showing him my digimon partner! Do you think John will feel better about things if he sees a miniature dragon just randomly appear before him!?"
"Yes?" Shinsuke says, lips twitching as Mike groans and throws his arms up in frustration, storming away from where Shinsuke is standing.
Shinsuke shrugs and turns his gaze back onto the world around them, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. It's gorgeous here, a small mountanous region with lakes and geysers scattered around, and he's always enjoyed these sorts of places. Even if the digimon around here could be some of the most aggravating to battle.
Aiden, Carmella, Miz and Ziggler are nearby, each doing their own thing, and Shinsuke looks up at the mid-afternoon sky, exhaling slowly before he approaches the others. The digivice is still flashing repetitively, and he decides now is the time to move. "Let's go find this village," he says, watching Miz roll his eyes. The others, however, respond without issue, surrounding him as he walks towards the dot.
It's a pretty village, bright and airy, but they can tell when barely within view of it that things are not right. It's too quiet. Lifeless. They all exchange glances before walking faster towards its outer limits, determined to get to the bottom of this, figure out why things seem so empty within its walls. "What's happened here?" Mike wonders, finally shrugging off earlier to truly consider what they're seeing. "Where is everyone?"
"Good question," Aiden murmurs, brows furrowed as he rests a hand on the outer wall of the village. "Did everyone leave, or...?"
They venture inside, needing answers to what exactly this is, lingering between one abandoned house and the next. "This is creepy," Carmella mutters, rubbing briskly at her arms as she peers around.
"It is," Aiden agrees, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he gazes around. "Where should we start?"
All eyes turn to Shinsuke and he mulls it over as he looks around thoughtfully, trying to find some sort of hint, something. Anything. "Let's go to the center of the village," he finally says. Usually away from the houses, where there may be some sort of a trading area, or something to do with commerce, easily accessible by all. They follow him quietly through the maze of houses, and he senses it immediately- how the thick sense of data in the wind grows with each step, hinting towards one final, terrible outcome.
He thinks the others know too because Mike looks grim, and Carmella's hand is fluttering near her mouth as she looks around, wide eyed and sad. "They're all dead, aren't they?" she finally asks and Shinsuke stops, turning to look at them.
Before he can speak, however, everything grows shadowed around them and Aiden looks up, gasping sharply. "Guys, move!" There's no time, none of them are prepared as a massive insect Digimon looms over them, blocking out the sun which had just been warming the village.
Ancient Beetlemon stares down at them, electricity bristling over his body, and the Digidestined fall back a few steps, Carmella instinctively reaching out for Shinsuke's sleeve. "What do we do?" she breathes.
He weighs their options quietly. Fight, or run. Either way, their chances are poor, he knows this. A powerful digimon such as one of the ancients could easily wipe them out like he had this village. So Shinsuke stands his ground, stares up at Ancient Beetlemon. "You destroyed this village," he speaks in simple, calm Japanese.
The digimon's demeanor changes, ever so slightly. "You are one of them," he snaps back. "The original digidestined, who wreaked so much havoc on this world and then left, never to be seen again."
Shinsuke shakes his head. "No, I am not," he says. "I come from their country, yes, but I am not part of the core group of Digidestined." He glances at the others, eyes dark and calm. "I am one of their successors, yes, but I have never met them. Merely know of them."
Ancient Beetlemon's wings bzzzt wildly as he lowers himself to stare closer at Shinsuke. "It truly does not matter," he informs him. "I am determined to rid this world of all of the digidestined. Return us to the way we were before, when no human touch defiled our lands." There's a warning crack of thunder overhead, a truly distressing sound when the day is so bright and beautiful, and Shinsuke stretches his arms back, pushing the others back even further.
"Everyone. Digivolve now," he hisses, turning to Coronamon. His partner listens quickly, as do the others, the line of ultimate level digimon before him a comfort. Only Dezipmon is the odd man out, but even then, Shinsuke is relieved to have him to help as much as he can. "GO!" he commands, and Apollomon dashes forward, flames circling around him.
The battle is brutal, everyone attacking ferociously, flames dancing around Apollomon, Rosemon whipping at Ancient Beetlemon, Dezipmon blitzing around, landing whatever blows he can. Beelzebumon and Justimon keep circling, alternating blasts of pure light and bullets, but no matter how they attack, in what combination, Ancient Beetlemon seems more bored than anything else. Finally he flies high, electricity crackling throughout his skin, and before Shinsuke can even yell to warn them all, there's a huge discharge of power and everyone is struck by destructive electricity, hitting the ground as their skin crackles and burns with the strength behind the attack.
"No," Carmella gasps, seeing how badly affected Rosemon is. "Rosemon!"
Shinsuke's hands curl into fists and he looks up at Ancient Beetlemon, well aware that, if the Digimon had nearly been deleted with one strike, it would be so much worse if the humans felt that power directly. He is distracted, however, turning as Aiden creeps towards where Dezipmon is laying, his entire body trembling with the force of the electricity that had surged through it. "Aiden! Don't move!"
But it's too late, Ancient Beetlemon is honed in on the digidestined, and Aiden looks up with a gasp as he comes face to face with the evil digimon. "No," he breathes out, voice breaking as he realizes. "Dezipmon... I'm... I'm sorry..." He reaches out the few inches towards his partner and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to wait for the end to come... but it does not, and Aiden opens his eyes, perplexed, as a warm, fluctuating light pulses throughout his body. "What... what is this?" he whispers, pulling his digivice out and looking at the source of the energy. "I... Dezipmon!"
His partner reflects this glow, suddenly, and Aiden watches in amazement as Dezipmon floats, briefly, before shattering and reforming, Digivolving into a black skinned dragon type creature whose body purely seems to be made out of massive red claws, durable purple spikes, and large white teeth. "Revivemon," he announces himself to those still conscious enough to hear, and abruptly flies over Ancient Beetlemon, staring down at the destruction of the other digimon surrounding them. He glows, his dark body suddenly looking etheral, somehow, and pure energy washes over the downed bodies of the ultimate level digimon slowly dying on the ground around them.
"He's healing them," Carmella breathes, watching as Rosemon's eyes open and she sits up, a hand against her chest, where her data stops flowing from the massive wounds as they close. "Oh my God. Rosemon..."
Apollomon, Beelzebumon, Justimon, they all regain their strength as well, standing before Ancient Beetlemon. "I think you're done," Revivemon informs him coolly as he takes his place along his fellow digimon.
"Hardly," Ancient Beetlemon scoffs, unaffected by the show of power before him. "I have destroyed you all once, I shall do it again, and it will be my honor!" But something has shifted, when he tries to attack this time, Revivemon distracts him with a massive burst of power blasting from his chest and, while his focus is on that, Justimon parries him, sending him back a few feet. "What the-?!" Rosemon's attacks this time actually work, the poison slowly creeping through his plates of armor. "How! How are you all stronger, now?! How!"
"Good question," Beelzebumon says, but it's obvious he doesn't care as he flies closer and slams his pistol straight between Ancient Beetlemon's eyes, peppering him with bullets until he senses an attack coming and spirals away, landing smoothly next to the others.
Apollomon raises his fists, flames dancing around his fingers, before staring coolly at Ancient Beetlemon. "I am aware you are one of the eldest digimon on this world, but times are changing and I believe it's time for you to as well."
"Like hell weaklings like you will ever be able to even touch me-!" Ancient Beetlemon roars, barreling towards them, but before he can even get close, the digimon all form their attacks for one more go- Revivemon forming his blast, Apollomon's flames dancing around his skin, crackling and impatient, Rosemon's poisonous green energy formulating before her, Beelzebumon and Justimon's dark and pure energy opposing each other as it waits to be blasted towards the evil beast.
"Now," Revivemon says softly, and the five Digimon release their attacks, watching as they spiral, slowly joining together into one mass of destructive energy that tears into Ancient Beetlemon, stripping his body of its strength, leaving him screaming into the dark clouds as he slowly dies.
Data pours from various parts of his body and Shinsuke steps forward as he looks down, dazed and confused. "How... I was so strong..."
Shinsuke inclines his head, examining the empty village around them. "Perhaps. Perhaps in the next life, you will choose to use your strength for better purposes."
Ancient Beetlemon shudders and looks upwards, his teeth parting in one last, choked yell before his body shatters into finite pieces of data, slowly drifting away on the wind as the sky overhead clears, the sun once more warming them.
Revivemon drops first, returning back to its Pekomon form, and Aiden lunges forward, grabbing his partner before he can hit the ground. "Oh my God, Pekomon," he coos over the exhausted creature. "You're so badass!" He snuggles him close, watching with a smile as his fellow Digidestined regroup with their partners.
"We would have lost without you," Shinsuke says, surprising Aiden when he sneaks up on him, a small smile on his face. "Revivemon is incredible."
"He is," Aiden agrees softly, watching as Pekomon nuzzles into Shinsuke's touch with a smile. "One down, so many more to go."
"Yes," Shinsuke agrees. "We will accomplish it, though. One way or another. We always do."
Aiden chuckles, nods. Shinsuke's speech may be odd at times, but he is very good with encouragement when he wants to be. "Yes, we will."
