Another day, another chapter. I hope you haven't waited too long for this one. I'd hate to think that I'm being slow or something... am I? But hey, a new chapter is better than no chapter.
Recap: Last chapter, Noire, Uni, and Dracomon decided to go on a mountain hike, but Devidramon had other ideas, as he was sent by SkullSatamon to stall them just so Linda could get away from the group unseen. Meanwhile, Neptune, IF, and Dorumon have caught word that something was attacking the main shopping district in Planetune and are on their way to check it out. And that yellow eyed figure might have something planned for the Sharicite crystals the CPUs keep in their nations, but what could it be?
Well then, let's see what the CPUs will face this time as we enter the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. Both franchises belong to their respective companies.
Chapter 15: Battle On Two Fronts
At the main shopping district, people were running in a panic. Neptune, IF, and Dorumon could everyone running past them.
"Woah, where's the fire? Anyone here ever heard of 'single file?'", asked Neptune.
"The monster's definitely been through here, judging by looking at all of this damage", IF stated.
Dorumon smelled the air around him and then growled a little.
"I definitely smell a Digimon around here", the purple Digimon said.
"Well put that snout of yours to work, purple buddy! Where is it?", inquired the lilac haired girl.
Suddenly, they saw a far off fruit stand get blown away in a dark blaze of fire. Most of the fresh fruit was either smashed or burning to a crisp.
"Uh, nevermind", said Neptune.
"Here it comes. Get ready", IF said, pulling out her katar daggers.
Neptune nodded, pulling out her wooden katana. Dorumon stood at the ready as well, waiting for the Digimon to come around the corner.
At last, a shape could be seen coming around the corner. It had a black dragon-like body with a white chest. It's body arms, legs, tail, and head were covered in red markings. There were blade-like protrusions on the arms, and its claws on both the hands and feet were white with black tips. Two horns were just above the monster's yellow eyes, and white hair could be seen on the back of the head. On the shoulders were three red triangles pointing at a fourth triangle surrounded by a ring. Lastly, red rings with yellow symbols could be seen on the arms, legs, and the tail.
"Burn! Smash! Demolish!", the black dragon roared.
"There's our culprit!", exclaimed IF.
Neptune pulled out her purple Digivice and activated its scan mode. After a few seconds, a holographic projection of the black dragon appeared from the small screen.
"Says here that his name is 'BlackGrowlmon.' His Black Exhaust Flame can cover anything in dark fire", said IF.
"You don't suppose he has a thing against fruit, do ya? There was a good sale on those oranges", said Neptune.
BlackGrowlmon turned and looked at the group standing nearby. He growled and roared at them.
"Yikes! Was it something I said?", the lilac haired CPU jumped.
"Little girls! I will break you!", BlackGrowlmon roared.
"Just because we're 'little girls' doesn't mean we'll go down so easy", IF retorted.
"And I'm no girl! I'm a Digimon!", added Dorumon.
BlackGrowlmon looked down at Dorumon and laughed. The purple Digimon tilted his head in confusion.
"Ha! I thought I smelled another Digimon around here, but I see its just a small purple furball", the black dragon Digimon said.
"Hey, that's not nice! You don't see me calling you names, now do you?", Dorumon said.
"I don't think you look like a furball do much as you look like a dog", said IF.
"I am NOT a dog!", Dorumon snapped.
"So, uh, big guy! Why are you, like, trashing my favorite shopping place for various foods and stuff?", Neptune inquired.
"I've been given orders to destroy anything that gets in my way. And that includes you if you don't beat it", BlackGrowlmon said.
"Sorry buster, but no can do! For in the name of Planetune, I will punish you!", Neptune rhymed.
"Neptune, I bet he's with that SkullSatamon guy you fought against", said IF.
"Yeah, he sure does look like it. I say we beat him down and make him confess", added the lilac haired girl.
"And makes you think I'm just gonna surrender just because you say so?", said BlackGrowlmon.
The black dragon Digimon reared up and his mouth started to glow. The group looked at each other and prepared to dodge whatever was coming for them.
"Black Exhaust Flame!", BlackGrowlmon roared, blasting a stream of dark fire at the group.
Neptune, IF, and Dorumon moved out of the way just before the flames could reach them. The fire hit an eggplant stand, burning the purple vegetables and the storefront that they were displayed on.
"And nothing of value was lost!", Neptune joked.
"Nep, c'mon!", exclaimed IF.
"Sorry, Iffy, but you how I can't stand eggplants", Neptune replied.
"I swear, if we don't stop this guy, I'm going to tell Histoire to feed you nothing but eggplants for a whole year", the brown haired girl threatened.
"Nepu?! Anything but that!", exclaimed Neptune, now worried for her life.
"Then focus, Nep! Even Dorumon's got the right idea", IF said.
Neptune looked over and saw that Dorumon was rushing towards BlackGrowlmon. The black dragon Digimon swiped one of his claws at Dorumon, but the purple Digimon jumped up and charged an attack.
"Metal Cannon!", he exclaimed, firing a volley of iron balls at BlackGrowlmon's face.
The black dragon Digimon's face became covered in a cloud of smoke, unable to see Dorumon as he went for the monster's tail. Dorumon bit into the tip and gripped hard, making BlackGrowlmon roar in pain.
"You little runt! Let go of my tail", he yelled.
BlackGrowlmon swinged his tail around, eventually tossing Dorumon towards Neptune and IF.
"Are you okay?", asked IF worriedly.
"Yeah, I'll be fine", Dorumon replied.
"Now you're in for it!", cried Neptune.
She charged towards BlackGrowlmon, her wooden katana gripped tightly. The black dragon Digimon smirked as he raised one of his arms up. The blade-like protrusion on his arm started to glow and his arm became electrified. IF noticed this and was alarmed.
"Nep, look out!", she called out.
Neptune stopped as she saw that she saw that BlackGrowlmon was about to strike at her.
"Dark Blade!", the black dragon Digimon exclaimed as he slashed at the lilac haired Goddess.
Neptune was knocked back as, getting back up a few seconds later. She grunted in pain as she felt her arm hurt.
"Neptune!", Dorumon cried.
"It's okay, everybody. I'm alright!", said Neptune.
"Here he comes again!", said IF.
Both Neptune and the purple Digimon looked up and saw BlackGrowlmon towering just above them, raising his claws to strike at the two again.
Neptune and Dorumon were now nervous. They wanted to move, but they couldn't. A sense of nervousness and fear kept them in their place. BlackGrowlmon laughed as he looked at them.
"Say goodbye, you wimps!", he said.
But just as he was about to swing his claws down at the pair, a silhouette suddenly appeared out of nowhere and bashed into the black dragon Digimon's head. BlackGrowlmon yelped in surprise, stumbling away from the group.
"Huh?", They all said as they looked to see what happened.
The unknown figure landed right in front of BlackGrowlmon. When the dust cleared, the group could see who the newcomer was. It was a creature who was just as big as Dorumon. It had green eyes and looked like it was wearing black armor that resembled that of a samurai, its fur was orange, and it had a red gem stone on its head. It also had three small claws on its hands and feet, purple ridges on it's armor, black gauntlets on its wrists, and a bronze crest on the front of its helmet.
Everyone looked at the newcomer. They were shocked and surprised to see the creature come out of nowhere. They only had one thing on their mind:
"Who is that?!"
In the Lastation Basilicom, Noire, Uni, and Dracomon had rested up for a bit. They had hoped that their trip to the mountains would go smoothly, but their brief encounter with Devidramon appearing out of the blue proved to be uneventful. Noire sighed as she sat down.
"Gosh... I thought for sure we'd have a good time without having to worry about anything today", she said.
"Yeah. I was just starting to enjoy it too", added Uni.
Dracomon looked down at the floor and sighed. He thought about how Devidramon immobilized him with a single glare of his red eyes. He thought how useless and helpless he felt when he could not move away from the dark dragon Digimon's vicious attack. Noire looked at her partner.
"What's wrong, Dracomon?", she asked.
"I just can't help but feel like I was useless", the small dragon Digimon said.
"Nonsense. From what I seen, you were doing pretty well until you froze up for some reason. What happened?", Noire inquired.
"It's just that... When his eyes glowed and flashed, I couldn't move for some reason. It was as if he paralyzed me with just a look", Dracomon explained.
"Paralyzed? With just a look?", the raven haired CPU pondered.
"Yeah. I think it was when I looked at him, my body just froze up", said Dracomon.
"Maybe we just have to fight him without looking at him directly?", Uni suggested.
"Do you really think that would work? He could just immobilize us all the same, for all we know", said Noire.
"Maybe. I heard a time traveling doctor used that trick against living statues once", said Uni.
"I don't know. Guess we'll have to try", Noire said.
"Yeah! I want another shot at that Devidramon!", exclaimed Dracomon.
"Glad to see you haven't lost that spirit of yours", said Noire, smiling at her partner's attitude.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded off from the distance. The group felt the rumble all the way from where they were. Looking out the balcony, they could see rising smoke just a few blocks away. They looked at each other and nodded.
"Let's go!", Noire exclaimed.
The three ran through of the room and eventually out of the Basilicom, hoping to reach the area of the explosion before another one might occur.
After five minutes of running through the streets, they could see people running away from a large black dragon with long limbs, four red eyes, and tattered wings.
"It's Devidramon again!", exclaimed Noire!
"Good! Time for round two!", added Dracomon.
Devidramon picked up a car with his large limbs and lifted it up over his head. The group was shocked at how he was able to pick up something like a car with ease. He tossed it at a random direction, the car hitting a lamp post and exploding into a fireball. The CPUs and Dracomon were thankful that nobody was inside the car, nor were there any bystanders near the lamp post.
"Okay, now this is personal! I won't forgive those who go and try to cause destruction in my city!", exclaimed Noire.
Devidramon turned and looked at the group, growling at them when he recognized who they were.
"I remember you. The CPUs of Lastation. This time I plan on finishing what I started", the dark dragon Digimon said.
"Not this time. And this time you're not getting away", said Noire.
"We'll take you down no matter what!", exclaimed Uni.
Devidramon laughed, feeling confident that he would have no trouble dealing with the CPUs.
"Well, come then, and face your destruction!", Devidramon roared.
Noire and Uni suddenly became engulfed in a white light. Their outfits became black suits, her hair changed white, their eyes turned from red to green, armor pieces and wings formed around them, and their respective weapons formed in their hands.
After the Lastation CPUs had transformed, Black Heart pulled out her black Digivice and faced it towards Dracomon.
"You too, Dracomon! Digivolve!", exclaimed Black Heart.
A blue stream of light shot out of the Digivice and engulfed the small dragon Digimon, surrounding his body in the blue light.
"Dracomon, Digivolve to...!", he exclaimed.
His body became bigger and his color changed to a blue hue, his tail and wings grew larger, and his horns grew longer, along with a third that grew on the snout.
"Coredramon!", the blue dragon Digimon shouted.
"Okay then. Let's do this!", Black Sister yelled.
Devidramon moved a few feet forwards towards the group, readying his black claws. The CPUs and Coredramon stood at the ready as well, preparing for the confrontation that stood before them. The black dragon Digimon roared and soon charged at the group, the Goddesses and their Digimon ally doing the same, starting the beginning of a battle in Lastation.
Back in Planetune, Neptune, IF, and Dorumon stood next to each other, shocked and surprised at what had just transpired before them. A small creature clad in samurai style armor had just rammed into BlackGrowlmon head-on. They didn't know who or what the creature was, but they hoped that it was on their side.
"Guys, did you just see what I think I just saw?", Neptune asked.
"Did that thing just attack BlackGrowlmon?", IF inquired.
"I saw it too. I think he's a Digimon just like me", said Dorumon.
Neptune pulled out her purple Digivice again and scanned the newcomer. A holographic screen soon popped out of the small screen.
"You're right! It says his name's Ryudamon, a Rookie Digimon with a fighting spirit", the lilac haired Goddess said.
BlackGrowlmon shaked his head and looked down at the samurai armored Digimon. The black dragon Digimon growled at him before roaring, thinking he could intimidate the small creature. But this only prompted Ryudamon to uppercut BlackGrowlmon in the lower jaw, knocking the black dragon back a few feet. Ryudamon then jumped up into the air and opened his mouth.
"Katana Attack!", Ryudamon exclaimed, firing a metal blade from his mouth.
The iron blade impales itself into BlackGrowlmon's shoulder, causing the black dragon Digimon to roar in pain.
"Raaaagh! You're dead meat!", BlackGrowlmon exclaimed.
IF looked at Neptune, who was just looking on with awe. They had never seen a small Digimon other than Dorumon fight a large opponent like BlackGrowlmon.
"Hey, do you think we should help him, Neptune?", asked IF.
"I'm hear ya, Iffy! Time to transform and roll out!", Neptune exclaimed.
"Go for it, Nep!", Dorumon cheered.
Neptune briefly became engulfed in a white light, but suddenly the light had quickly faded. The lilac haired girl was still in her normal form.
"Huh?", Neptune said in confusion.
"What gives, Nep? Hurry up and transform already!", IF yelled.
"I'm trying, but...Hurrrgh!", said Neptune.
She became surrounded in the white light again, but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared again. Neptune looked all over herself trying to figure out what was wrong.
"I think we raised a death flag, Iffy! I can't transform for some reason!", the lilac haired CPU panicked.
"What? How? Is there something wrong with the Sharicite connection?", IF inquired.
"I hope not! I call foul play at work here!", Neptune ranted.
"Nep, send me in! I'll stop that BlackGrowlmon!", Dorumon suggested.
"Guess we have no choice. Go for it, Dorumon", said the brown haired Guild agent.
"Alright. I'll just cheer on from the sidelines then!", added Neptune.
Meanwhile, Ryudamon continued to engage in battle with the larger BlackGrowlmon. The black dragon Digimon swiped his claws at Ryudamon, but he jumped away and attacked again.
"Katana Attack!", the samurai armored Digimon yelled, launching another iron blade from his mouth.
BlackGrowlmon batted it away with his claws. His arm blade then began to glow and electrify.
"Dark Blade!", he exclaimed as he swiped down at Ryudamon.
The samurai armored Digimon tried to dodge the attack, but he could not react in time. The force of BlackGrowlmon's attack knocked Ryudamon in the air and towards Neptune and Dorumon.
Neptune raised her Digivice and a purple light started to glow from it. She face the device towards Dorumon.
"Digivolve!", the lilac haired girl exclaimed.
But as the purple light started to shoot out of the Digivice, Ryudamon could not stop himself from flying into Dorumon. The two Digimon fell on the ground and grunted. Suddenly, both of them were engulfed in the purple light.
"Huh?!", said Neptune and IF.
Dorumon and Ryudamon soon moved away from each other as they began to Digivolve.
"Dorumon, Digivolve to...!", exclaimed Dorumon.
His body, tail, and wings became bigger, his fur color became a darker hue of purple, and claws became a pinkish-red color.
"Dorugamon!", the winged beast Digimon shouted.
"Ryudamon, Digivolve to...!", cried the samurai armored Digimon.
His body became longer and a little bit more streamlined and became covered in more armor from head to tail. All four of his limbs were shaped differently, two claws forward and one claw on the back. His limbs also had metal bracelets and armor pads attached to them. His neck was also a little longer ,and, much like Dorugamon, the red gem stone on his head remained.
"Ginryumon!", the armored Digimon yelled as his Digivolution completed.
Everyone was shocked to see that Ryudamon had Digivolved along with Dorumon. They had never seen two Digimon become stronger via one Digivice.
"Nep, they both Digivolved!", exclaimed IF.
"I can see that, Iffy! Even the author explained it!", Neptune replied.
Dorugamon looked at Ginryumon, who was surprised to see that his appearance had changed, but he didn't stay surprised for long. The two Digimon stared down BlackGrowlmon and charged towards him.
"Doesn't matter if you're my size or not, I'm still tougher! Black Exhaust Flame!", the black dragon Digimon shouted as he blasted a blaze of dark fire from his mouth.
Dorugamon and Ginryumon both dodged out of the way and then swiped their claws at BlackGrowlmon, causing him to grunt in pain.
The black dragon Digimon tried to attack Ginryumon with his arm blade, but Dorugamon bit down on his arm and dragged him away from the armored Digimon a few feet. BlackGrowlmon yanked his arm free and tried to hit Dorugamon with his tail, but the winged beast Digimon flapped his wings and jumped into the air.
"Way to go, Dorugamon!", cheered Neptune.
While BlackGrowlmon was distracted, Ginryumon was ready to make his move. The moment the black dragon tried to swing his claws at Dorugamon again and missed, Ginryumon seized the opportunity.
"Metal Armor Blade!", Ginryumon exclaimed as he fired a metal spear from his mouth.
The spear hit BlackGrowlmon in the back and exploded, causing the black dragon to fall over in a stunned position. He tried to get up, but Dorugamon saw a chance to attack him.
"Power Metal!", he shouted as he fired an iron sphere from his mouth.
The sphere exploded the moment it made contact with BlackGrowlmon, damaging him further. Unable to stand, the black dragon Digimon fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ugh... I can't believe this... The boss is gonna kill me", BlackGrowlmon groaned.
Neptune, IF, and the two Digimon had surrounded the black dragon, ready to defend themselves should BlackGrowlmon try to fight again.
"That's a K.O.! Not a bad days work, even if I couldn't transform myself", said Neptune.
"Alright then. I'm guessing you're working with SkullSatamon. Why don't you start tell us everything you know", IF interrogated.
"Yeah! Where is he now?", Dorugamon demanded.
"Why, he's right here, that's where!", said a voice from behind the group.
Everyone turned around and saw someone standing behind them. It was a red skeletal figure with black wings, metal hands and boots, a bone-like staff with a yellow orb attached, and a black skull for a head.
The group recognized who the skeletal creature was. It was SkullSatamon, grinning at them...
"Haaaa!", yelled Black Heart.
She swinged her longsword at Devidramon trying to get a hit on him, but the dark dragon Digimon either dodged her attacks or blocked them with his long arms. He then backhanded the CPU away, knocking her to the ground.
Black Sister got in front of Black Heart, trying to defend her as she got up. The Candidate fired away with her rifle, causing Devidramon to back off. Coredramon then charged towards the dark dragon Digimon, pushing him away from the CPUs. The two dragons then struggled to overpower each other in a grip lock.
"Are you alright, sis?", Black Sister asked the older CPU.
"Yes, I'm fine. But nevermind me. We have to help Coredramon", stated Black Heart.
The CPUs saw that the two dragon Digimon continued to struggle against each other. Devidramon reared his head back and then he suddenly thrusts his head forward, bashing Coredramon's head with his own, causing the blue dragon Digimon to become disoriented. Devidramon smirked as his four red eyes started to glow. The group saw this and tried to close their eyes, hoping that Black Sister's idea about closing their eyes would work.
"Red Eye!", exclaimed Devidramon as a bright red light flashed from his eyes.
Everyone had their eyes shut, but they now felt that their bodies could not move at all. Their plan to block out the paralysis had failed. They were now sitting ducks. Devidramon readied his red claws and charged the group.
"Crimson Claw!", the dark dragon Digimon roared, swiping his claws rapidly at Coredramon with ferocious intent.
Coredramon tried to move, but he couldn't get away from Devidramon's vicious onslaught. At last, the dark dragon Digimon knocked him to the ground with a swing of his tail. The blue dragon Digimon groaned in pain. Devidramon smirked and then looked at the Lastation CPUs.
"Face it, CPUs! You cannot hope to defeat me!", he gloated.
The CPUs tried to move, but their bodies were still paralyzed from the dark dragon's red eyes. Devidramon open his mouth as dark energy gathered around.
"Demonic Gale!", he shouted as he blasted a black bolt of electricity at the Lastation CPUs.
The force of the blast knocked the two Goddesses into a nearby shop. Black Sister impacted into the wall, while Black Heart broke through the glass display windows.
"Ugh...", Black Heart groaned.
She picked herself up and looked to see if any glass shards were stuck on her. Thankfully she avoided serious injury. Then Black Sister came inside.
"Well, I guess we can through that plan out the window. What can we do?", she asked.
"I'm not sure. Coredramon is paralyzed, and our weapons won't do any good if we can't move", stated Black Heart.
"There has to be a way to get past Devidramon's glare", said the white haired CPU Candidate.
Black Heart placed a hand on her chin, trying to think of a way to stop the dark dragon before he wipes them out. Then the two looked around and noticed that they were in a mirror shop. An idea formed in Black Heart's head.
"I think I have a plan!", she exclaimed.
"Fill me in. I'm all ears", said Black Sister.
Meanwhile, Devidramon approached the fallen Coredramon. The blue dragon Digimon still could not move from his prone position. He felt completely helpless.
"It's all over for you now. Your friends are next. Don't worry, though. I'll be sure to not be as messy with them as I will be with you", said Devidramon.
Coredramon looked on as the dark dragon Digimon raised his claws in the air, preparing to deliver the death blow. The blue dragon shut his eyes.
"Noire... Uni... I'm sorry I let you down...", Coredramon thought, waiting for the inevitable.
Suddenly, as he was about to finish of the blue dragon, Devidramon felt a great disturbance behind him. He roared in pain, halting his attack. When he looked behind himself, the dark dragon saw that half of his tail had been cut off by Black Heart, who had swung her longsword down on it. Devidramon growled angrily at her.
Coredramon looked on at the sight that had played out before him. His partner had turned Devidramon's attention away from him. Black had just saved his life, but now she was in danger of being defeated by the dark dragon Digimon.
"Okay, girl! I was going to make your death quick and painless, but now I changed my mind! You're dead meat", he said as he swiped his claws down at the Goddess.
Black Heart quickly dodges the attack as she moves away from the dark dragon Digimon. Then Black Sister got beside her and fired away at the monster with her rifle. Devidramon growled in pain, but shrugged it off quickly. His four red eyes started to glow.
The CPUs saw this and prepared to spring their trap. They sweated a little, hoping that their plan will work.
"Red Eye!", Devidramon exclaimed as his red eyes were about to flash.
Reacting quickly, the Lastation CPUs pulled out two large body mirrors, facing them so that Devidramon would stare at his own reflection. The red flash from his eyes reflected off of the mirrors and blinded the dark dragon.
"Aaagggh?!", he roared in confusion.
He tried to move, but he found that he couldn't. He could not believe what had just transpired. Devidramon was paralyzed by his own glare. He was now defenseless.
The CPUs smiled and rushed towards Coredramon's aid, helping the blue dragon up. Their plan had worked perfectly and they had saved Coredramon's life.
"Are you okay, Coredramon?!", asked Black Heart worriedly.
"Yeah... I can move again. Thanks for saving me", the blue dragon said.
"Thank goodness. That was too close", said Black Sister.
The group all looked at the paralyzed Devidramon, who tried desperately to break free from his own state of helplessness, but his attempts were in vain.
"He's wide open! Let's finish this guy once and for all!", shouted Black Heart.
"Right!", Black Sister and Coredramon said in unison.
Black Sister pointed her rifle at Devidramon and started to charge up with energy. After a few more seconds of charging, her rifle was ready to fire.
"EX Multi Blaster!", Black Sister yelled as she blasted her charged shot at Devidramon.
At the same time, Coredramon had powered up his own attack.
"Blue Flare Breath!", he exclaimed as he blasted a stream of blue fire from his mouth.
Both attacks suddenly started to spiral around one another, eventually combining into one. The combined attack sent Devidramon into the air, causing severe damage to the dark dragon Digimon. He still could not move a muscle.
"Now it's my turn!", yelled Black Heart.
She flew into the air and built up energy into her longsword. The white haired Goddess raced towards Devidramon at breakneck speed.
"Infinite Slash!", she exclaimed.
Black Heart dashed past Devidramon multiple times, slashing away at him with powerful strikes from her longsword. For the final strike, her longsword became covered in a rainbow of light. She dashed through the dark dragon Digimon one last time, her sword cutting through the monster. A couple of seconds later, Devidramon vanishes in a blinding flash of light, the explosion engulfing his entire body. When the smoke cleared, Devidramon was lying on the ground, his body severely damaged and unable to keep fighting.
Coredramon and Black Sister cheered for Black Heart. Their battle with the dark dragon Digimon was now over.
"Way to go, sis!", cheered Black Sister.
"We won! Yeah!", added Coredramon.
"Thanks guys. And now for some answers", said Black Heart.
The Candidate and Coredramon nodded, knowing that their job wasn't over yet. They still wanted to know why SkullSatamon had sent Devidramon to destroy them. They walked up to him, readying themselves should they have to stop the dark dragon again.
"Time for you to squeal. Why did SkullSatamon send you to have us killed?", the white haired Goddess demanded.
Instead of answering her, however, the dark dragon Digimon laughed weakly and slowly got back up. The group readied themselves, not knowing what he would do.
"I answer to no one but my master... I will never tell you anything", said Devidramon.
"You better start answering us right now, or we'll just have to make you talk", said Black Sister.
"Don't make this any harder than it has to. You're down to your last breath", added Coredramon.
"Never... I will never yield to you... I'd rather be destroyed than be taken alive...", said Devidramon.
He then raised his arm up, stretching his claws out. The CPUs raised their weapons, while Coredramon prepared to counter attack.
"I die at my own hand instead of yours!", the dark dragon Digimon exclaimed.
Suddenly, he quickly swinged his arm down and impaled himself with his own claws, roaring in pain. The group was shocked by Devidramon's action, unsure if he was sane or not. He quickly yanked his claws out of his chest, revealing an expanding hole where part of his body should be.
"The master will destroy you all!", Devidramon exclaimed.
Then his body started to disappear into lose data particles. First his legs disappeared, then his tail, next were his arms and wings, and finally his head. The dark dragon Digimon was no more. The particles scattered into the air before they too disappeared into nothingness.
"Did he just take his own life?", asked Black Sister grimly.
"Yeah. Looks that way to me", Black Heart replied.
"Why'd he go and do that to himself? We would've let him live", stated Coredramon.
"I guess he was either desperate or scared...", said the white haired Goddess.
The group looked at each other, transforming and De-Digivolving back to their normal forms. Noire sighed as she looked at the damage from the battle.
"Just look at this place. It's going to take days to clean this up", she said.
"Don't worry, sis. I'm sure it's not that bad", said Uni.
"Yeah. At least we stopped that Devidramon from causing anymore harm, right?", asked Dracomon.
Noire looked at the two and smiled.
"Yeah, you're right. We'll let the authorities handle the cleanup. For now, let's get back to the Basilicom", said the raven haired CPU.
They all nodded and started walking their way back home to the Lastation Basilicom. As they journeyed on home, however, Noire couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. Devidramon said he was sent to destroy them, but the CPU didn't believe that was his true objective. The way the dark dragon Digimon had fought felt off, as if he was holding back a little, even in the second battle with him.
"Why do I have a feeling that something something bad is going to happen...?", Noire thought.
Neptune, IF, and the two Champion level Digimon stared down at SkullSatamon, who stared back at them with a sinister grin on his face. BlackGrowlmon looked up at the skeletal Digimon. The black was the who seemed the most terrified.
"Oh no! It's the boss! He's gonna kill me!", he exclaimed.
"Skull-whats-his-name! Skully! I think I'll call him Skully", said Neptune.
"Nep, I can't believe that you still can't get his name right", IF deadpanned.
"Look who's talking, Iffy. You never say my full name", the lilac haired CPU retorted.
IF sighed and said nothing more to her friend. They turned their attention back to SkullSatamon.
"So, have you come back for a rematch? If so, then bring it on!", Neptune said.
"Hehehe, a tempting offer. But unfortunately I do not have time for the likes of you", said SkullSatamon.
He raised his staff in the air and energy began to gather inside the yellow orb. The group didn't like where this was going. The skeletal Digimon then looked at Ginryumon and smirked.
"Nail Bone!", SkullSatamon exclaimed as a dark beam of light shot out of the orb and raced towards Ginryumon.
Dorugamon looked on with shock as he saw the attack coming for the armored Digimon. Worried that the attack might severely hurt or kill Ginryumon, the winged beast Digimon felt like he had to react fast.
"Get down!", Dorugamon exclaimed as he pushed Ginryumon out of the way.
They moved just before the attack could hit them. Neptune and IF also ran for cover. BlackGrowlmon saw that SkullSatamon's attack was now coming for him. The black dragon Digimon looked horrified as he could not bring himself to move in time. The dark beam of light hit BlackGrowlmon, causing him to cry out in agony.
"No, not like this! Aaaaggghh!!!", BlackGrowlmon exclaimed.
The black dragon Digimon was soon engulfed in an explosion of dark smoke. Everyone covered their faces as the smoke blew everywhere. When the dust settled, the group was shocked to see that BlackGrowlmon was now nothing more than data particles floating into the air.
"Woah...", said Neptune and IF.
Ginryumon looked up at Dorugamon, who had just saved his life. However, the armored Digimon growled at him and pushed him off.
"I didn't need your help", said Ginryumon.
Dorugamon was confused by Ginryumon's actions. Usually he would be thanked for helping someone.
"But he was going to destroy you. The least you could do is thank-"
"Save it for someone who cares", Ginryumon interrupted the winged beast.
Suddenly, the particles from BlackGrowlmon started to move past the group and towards SkullSatamon. In a few seconds, the particles were absorbed by the yellow orb on the skeletal Digimon's staff. He laughed deviously.
"Hey, that BlackGrowlmon may have been bad, but you didn't have to go and do that!", yelled Dorugamon.
"Yeah! How can you be so heartless!? You're cruel with a capital 'K!'", added Neptune.
"Ha! A Digimon like me has no heart to speak of! I'm bad to the bone, both figuratively and literally!", laughed SkullSatamon.
He cackled with delight as he was about to take flight. Dorugamon, however, wasn't about to let him get away. He charged at the skeletal Digimon, but SkullSatamon swatted Dorugamon away with his staff. The winged beast Digimon managed to stop himself from flying into a wall before going after SkullSatamon again.
"Power Metal!", exclaimed Dorugamon as he blasted an iron sphere from his mouth.
But SkullSatamon jumped into the air and dodged the attack. He started to fly away, but Dorugamon flapped his wings and took off into the air after him. SkullSatamon grinned as he pointed his staff towards the Digimon.
"Nail Bone!", the skeleton shouted as he blasted a dark ray of light at Dorugamon.
The winged beast was unable to react in time and was hit by the blast. He yelled in pain as he fell to the ground. SkullSatamon laughed as he got further away.
"Until next time! Hahahahaha!", he laughed as he flew off into the distance to parts unknown.
Dorugamon growled as he got back up. He wanted to go after SkullSatamon, but he knew it would be impossible to stop him with the little power he had. He sighed as he looked back at Neptune, who placed a hand on him and smiled.
"Don't worry, buddy. We'll get him next time for sure. He can't get away from us forever", she said.
Dorugamon looked at her and nodded. IF and Ginryumon soon walked up to them. Both Digimon started to glow and turn smaller. They had De-Digivolved back into Dorumon and Ryudamon. Neptune and IF looked at the samurai armored Digimon.
"Nice job helping us back there", said IF.
"Yeah! Who knew I could make two Digimon get stronger. How's about we shake on it?", added Neptune.
The lilac haired CPU put her hand towards Ryudamon, but he suddenly slapped her hand away with his small claws, causing Neptune to yelp in surprise. The group was puzzled as to why he was being unfriendly.
"Um, if you were going for a high five, I don't think you did it right", Neptune commented.
"I don't know who you are or what you did to me back there, but I want no part of it", said Ryudamon.
"Huh? But you and Dorumon worked pretty well together", stated IF.
"I didn't ask for your help. I would've been fine on my own", said the samurai armored Digimon.
"Come on, I'm sure we can-"
"No! Just leave me alone!", exclaimed Ryudamon as he began to run off.
"Hey, wait! Come back!", Dorumon called out.
But Ryudamon didn't listen, and ran further away from the group until he was out of sight. The group was confused by his actions.
"Jeez, who put a bee in his armor? What's up with him?", Neptune pondered.
"I guess some Digimon aren't exactly trusting of people who live in Gameindustri", said IF.
"Yeah, but... I don't know why, but I felt we had a connection or something with him", said the lilac haired girl.
"Yeah, same here...", added Dorumon.
"Huh. You sure about that?", said IF.
"I'm sure of it! It's hard to explain, but it's like one of those bond things you see people have in those friendship animes and stuff", Neptune said.
IF placed a hand on her chin as she pondered on Ryudamon. She wondered if he would come back around one day.
Suddenly, the group heard a voice coming from behind them. They saw a figure running towards them. It was Nepgear, and it looked like she was worried about something. Neptune rushed over to her.
"Neptune! We have an emergency!", exclaimed Nepgear.
"Nep Jr., where's the fire?! Did Histy blow a fuse or something?! Talk to me girl!", asked Neptune.
"SkullSatamon broke his way inside the Basilicom! He took our Sharicite crystal!", Nepgear explained frantically.
The group was shocked to hear such news from the CPU Candidate. They stood there in a frozen-like state for what seemed like half a minute. At last, both Neptune and IF spoke up...
"WHAT?!?!"
In a dark room, SkullSatamon knelt down in front of a pair of yellow eyes, presenting a diamond shaped crystal with a power symbol on it.
"I have done as you requested. Planetune's Sharicite crystal is ours for the taking", he said.
"Excellent work, SkullSatamon. I did not see BlackGrowlmon or Devidramon return. I take it that they were eliminated?", the shadowed figure said.
"I'm afraid so. I could feel my pet taking his own life, and I was also forced to destroy BlackGrowlmon before the CPU could make him squeal", SkullSatamon explained.
"I see. Well it does not concern me wether they live or not. They fulfilled their roles. And we have the Sharicite", said the yellow eyed silhouette.
"Linda has yet to return. She may be taking too long", the skeletal Digimon said.
"I had a feeling she would fumble along the way. If she doesn't return with the item of interest soon, we may have no choice but to terminate her", said the voice.
"I never liked having her around to begin with. She failed countless times when she was with her previous organization", stated SkullSatamon.
The silhouette looked at the Sharicite crystal. The purple glow from the crystal revealed a dark grey armored hand. The yellow eyed figure chuckled as he gazed at the crystal.
"Still, perhaps we can make do with just the one Sharicite crystal if we play our cards right", the yellow eyed voice said.
A monitor turned on, playing a recording of Planetune's CPU and Dorugamon fight alongside each other. It showed them defeating the Machinedramon that had appeared in the Virtua Forest almost a week ago.
"Seeing as how it gave Planetune's CPU enough power to finish off that experimental Machinedramon, we may only require the one crystal. It'll be the perfect power source for our plan", the silhouette continued.
"When can we launch our operation soon? 'That' army grows impatient", SkullSatamon inquired.
"All in good time. For now, we must make the necessary preparations. And if Linda does not comeback soon... You know what to do", said the voice.
SkullSatamon cackled deviously. The thought of being rid of a slacking lackey made his bones rattle in excitement. He could not wait until his master's plan becomes a reality. And whatever that plan is, it will involve the usage of Planetune's Sharicite crystal...
Whew! This one was pretty long, but at least I got it out.
Things are not going well for Neptune. Looks like she won't be transforming for a while now. Now where do you think Ryudamon went? Will he be able to learn to trust the CPUs and their Digimon soon? And just what is SkullSatamon's master planning to do with Planetune's Sharicite? And what's this "army" he spoke of? All will be answered in due time.
For now, that's about it for this chapter. Don't forget to leave a review and follow this story for more if you haven't already. I will see you again in the next one. Until then, stay safe and have a good rest of your day!
