Digimon: Silver Star Story
Episode Sixteen: Water's Might
Racc stood before the device, his hand stroking the strange controls with an almost reverent touch. It was a device that a civilization had built eons ago, and had put it on Lunar for the people there to use. And, imagine his surprise when he discovered that it still worked.
It was truly a magnificent device. It had taken their best scientists five hundred years to figure out all of the hieroglyphs that were on it, and what they meant. And the control panel could have been mistaken for a work of ancient art. Similar symbols were adorned on it, and a giant orb in the middle acted as the ENTER button.
The Uruk-Hai's face split into a maniacal grin. This device would be the doom of the Digi-Destined/ Sailor Scout Alliance, as well as their aspiring Dragonmaster and his friends. It would eventually spell the end of humanity's dominance over the Silver star as wellAnd all he had to do was dial.
In a blaze of energy that blasted from the device, then retreating back into itself, a portal of pure white was opened, rippling like water in a pond. With a smirk still on his hooded face, he sent a signal through it with his communicator. Then he let the device shut down, and waited for it to reactivate. He had to, as the wormhole was only one way.
Almost two minutes later, the device exploded into life once again. Racc checked his scanner. Something was now in transit. 'Excellent,' he thought in triumph, 'Kuwaguamon was the first, though he failed. Now these creatures shall be the second. And this time, I shall not fail.'
Kamiya's team was doomed. And he would finally lay claim to the Katana, as he had been trying to do for five thousand years. It was his by right. It had been his, until the Goddess stripped it from him, and for what? For understanding that he was superior to almost all others?
He began laughing. And to think, almost fifteen years ago, all of the plans of the Vile Tribe had almost been derailed due to their previous queen. But he should have known better. And now, with the help of their new allies, nothing would stand in their way.
Until he saw what came through. And then he yelled in exasperation, "Oh, you must be joking!"
He wanted an army, and all he got was… fish?! Fish, with tanks on their backs?! What good would they do?
-
Gomamon yelped as a fishing hook flew by his nose, barely missing him. He resurfaced, a little irritated at whoever it was, only to discover that he had been attacked by his own partner smiling guiltily. "Joe, watch it!" he shouted. "I'm trying to swim here, which I can't if I get hooked!"
Joe shrugged. "Sorry, Gomamon."
"Uh huh." The aquatic Digimon dove back underneath the water, once more riding the currents a ways, then swimming back towards the boat. This was the thing he loved the most, because it gave him a challenge that he knew wasn't insurmountable. It was also one of things that made him…him. That, and the fact that he was everything Joe was not. He was carefree, while Joe wasn't. Or should he say, not carefree. Lilika had helped change him somewhat.
Agumon's line grew taut, and he pulled up. "I've got one!" he shouted, showing a decent sized fish, wriggling madly on the hook.
Mars looked it over, grinning. "You're one hell of a fisher, Hot Breath," she noted approvingly. "You ever think of doing it professionally?"
"… You know, I never thought about it, period. I've only fished once, and that was when we were fighting Metalseadramon."
"Didn't catch much then?"
"To be honest, most of 'em were running for their lives."
Tentomon, who was ill equipped for fishing, simply popped one of them in his mouth raw. "You know, it's times like this that I am grateful that our appetites decrease when we digi-volve to rookie level, and that we really don't need to cook our food."
"Ditto." Gabumon dropped another one into the boat. "At least we can get enough food for the night."
"So long as the rest of us have something to eat," Tai amended, checking over what they got. "There's enough here for each of us to have two fish. If someone can hold back Mimi and Serena, that is."
"Don't worry," Mimi informed him. "I caught seven fish for myself, so I'm good."
"And we're allergic to fish," Rini informed, diving into her mom's food bag for a bag of salad. "How do they do that?" she asked. "Make a bag of salad, I mean."
"Welcome to Lunar, where anything is possible," Jessica said. "Now we need a fire to cook the fish."
"I agree." Alex turned to Rei. "Want to take a whack at it?" he asked.
"Only if you want the boat burned down," Rei replied, straightening her tiara a little. "My powers are set to one mode only; Attack."
Tai sighed. "Guttle's Maw. I'll do it." He stepped up to the fire pit on board, and pointed a single finger at it.
That was all that was needed.
"Nice," Agumon commented as a nice fire began crackling merrily, grinning. "I guess that it's a side effect to having that katana."
(Your Digimon partner is very perceptive.) The sword chose that moment to say.
'Tell me about it. He gets more perceptive every day.'
Venus looked at the small pile of fish in front of them. "Well, we have enough food for supper. And that Dragonmaster hasn't attacked us." She turned to the others. "Anyone else see something wrong with this picture?"
Lilika nodded, her striped bangs swishing a little. "One would think that he would be lying in wait, ready to attack."
"Which means," Nash supplied, his customary smug expression on his face, "he's not really a Dragonmaster. He doesn't know we're in the area."
"Or he saw the fact that it was one lone boat, with monsters on it, and decided to leave us alone." Pluto leaned back against the rail.
Kari nodded. "Which adds to the conclusion either way." She frowned. "This Dragonmaster is a very bad man!"
Gatomon chuckled. "Haven't heard you say something like that in a while."
The little girl giggled. "Well, I've been sounding like mommy for so long, it surprised me too."
Tai gestured. "And there you have it, folks." He looked out over the water. "We are about four hours away from the island. So how about we have dinner, then get some shut eye."
"Mmmm…delicious." Mimi finished off her last piece of fish, which was her fourth. After the fishing came the tedious task of preparing each fish for human consumption. This meant opening each one and removing their innards, then removing their scales. Normally, this was something that took over half an hour. Luckily, after the first incision, Nash informed them that they were spells for that, so it was over in a flash. "Boy, fishing sure can make a girl hungry."
Palmon sighed. "Mimi, in your case, everything makes you hungry."
"Oh, sure, remind me of something I already know."
"You have excellent cooking skills, Mimi?" Lilika suggested.
"Why, thank you, Lilika. At least someone," at that, Mimi speared Izzy with a good natured glare, "knows how to complement the chef."
Predictably, Izzy started blushing and stammering, much to the delight of everyone else. It was so fun to watch him as he tried to say something to that degree.
Mimi took pity on the poor boy. "Relax, I don't really care. The fact that you ate it all is enough for me. Still, a girl does like to b complimented once in a while."
"Well, it's good, and that's what counts." Gomamon finished off his fish, then jumped onto the rail. "I'm going to swim for about an hour," he said.
Joe nodded. "Don't be too long." He had no doubt that his partner didn't hear him, of course, but it certainly made him feel better.
Matt grinned. "So!" he called out cheerfully. "Who wants the Captain's Quarters?"
-
"And this time, Matt wins," Sora said quite grumpily. "I really wanted to sleep in something with four walls again."
Joe shrugged as he got his pad out. "We're used to this, Sora," he reminded her, though not unkindly. "Besides, I thought you'd want to be near Tai more."
"Not to the point that it seems like stalking. I'm thirteen, not crazy." Her gaze narrowed. "Why do you say that?"
"You mean, besides the fact that you've been staring at him almost every single spare moment you can," Palmon informed her as she approached. "By the data stream, you're worse than Mimi sometimes. You should just tell him how you feel."
"Except her crush isn't the leader," Biyomon reminded them. "He's the brains of the group. If they have a fling and it ends badly, it's not the end of the team."
"No, things just get awkward for a while, before one of us leaves so we can work out whatever issues we have," Mimi said, laying down. "Digimon, you really need to brush up on human psychology a little bit."
"We have. It's called watching you lot stumble through life."
"I'll ignore the stumbling part. I don't stumble."
Palmon snorted. "No, you just charge through."
Sora let out a giggle. "She's right."
Mimi huffed. "See if I ever do anything with you again, Sora," she said in mock indignation, while the others laughed.
Jessica observed them for a moment, before laying down. It was obvious that they had had time to grow closer together, while she was an outsider. But then again, that wasn't surprising in the slightest. It would take time before she came even close to that.
In the meantime, she would keep her mind focused on their mission, and worry about the rest of it when the time came.
-
After the others were asleep, or were busy on the other side of the boat keeping an eye out for trouble, Serena remained awake, looking out into the distance. She was pensive, almost confused.
"Serena?"
The young girl smiled as she turned to look at Amy and Greg as they joined her at the rail. "Hey, guys. Can't really sleep at the moment."
"What's going on?"
"Well..." Serena gestured in the direction she had been looking. "I have this urge, this... yearning, to head in that direction for some reason. I don't know why, and it's not overpowering... but I still feel that I have to go in that direction."
Greg frowned at that. Whenever anyone had a sudden desire to go somewhere, and not know why, that just set off alarm bells for him. And considering the fact that they were essentially visitors to this land, that meant they needed to be extra careful. "You're not planning on going there... are you?" he asked.
Serena shook her head at that, smiling. "No Greg, I'm not. Besides, how would I get there? I'm a fair swimmer, but seriously, I wouldn't know where to go, and I'm not swimming out there while we're in the middle of a mission." She started chuckling. "Also, I'm not going to follow some sort of pull without some back up."
Amy nodded. "Good to see that you aren't going to go in without giving it some thought, Serena," she complimented. "Though I guess the question is now; what is calling you?" She looked out in the same general direction. "Want to me to see if I can detect something out there?"
"I could always look into the future and see if there's a threat to you or the others," Greg offered. "It's not always clear, but it's better than nothing."
Serena laughed at that. "Thanks for the offers, guys, but I don't think that'll be necessary," she replied. "I don't think it's dangerous, just... ambiguous. Who knows, maybe it's just something that only certain people can sense."
"You're probably right. Still, if that pull starts growing stronger, or you suddenly feel the need to swim in that direction..."
"I'll let you know, Ames. Don't you worry."
"I am worrying, though. You used a big word."
"Ha, ha, ha. I've been around you long enough that I did pick up a few. Besides, you've learned how to be slightly more... risque."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, really?" Serena's eyebrow arched skeptically. "So that wasn't you I saw at the beach four months ago, wearing a barely there swimsuit that should have been illegal for a girl our age."
Amy blushed, though she didn't deny it. "It was the one time, as I don't get out that often," she replied. "Besides, you know my tendencies, Serena. They didn't change from the old days. I just let them out once in a while."
Greg looked between the two of them for a moment, at a loss with the conversation. "Uh..." was all he managed to get out.
"Closet exhibitionist," Amy explained. "I like showing off to people... but in a way that doesn't get me arrested."
"Usually around her home, or mine," Serena added, giggling as Greg's face grew redder. "And just those two places, though she does toe that invisible line every once in a while."
Greg nodded, face now as red as a tomato. "Got it," was all he got out, as visions of what Amy might look like naked began swirling in his brain. "I think I'm... going to go get some sleep now. Yeah... that's a pretty good idea, yeah." He beat a hasty retreat, as the two girls started giggling behind him.
"I think we broke him, AMes," Serena noted happily.
"Probably," Amy replied, still giggling.
-
From his position on Lann Island, Racc observed the boat with a rather surly air. He wanted a damn army of invincible soldiers. What he got were very little in stature, though numerous. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of their great victory.
Shaking off his mood, he roared, "Bara!"
A shadow, female in shape, appeared behind him, bowing. "Yes, Master?"
"Do you have the 'package' that came through the portal?"
"Yes, Master. All are present and briefed as to the objective."
Racc nodded, irritated still and unable to take it out on anyone, especially one of his one. "I wanted a very powerful force, but no… we have to be silent for now! Royce's command's. So we get these pathetic creatures!"
Bara, a slim, beautiful Uruk-Hai demon wearing an orange dress that clung tightly to her figure, chose her words very carefully. She had to, lest he strike at her. "What did you expect, Master?" she asked. "Courage was able to survive against you long enough for help to arrive. Our usefulness is being questioned now by the Queen herself." When he didn't strike at her for her boldness, she continued on. "Perhaps we are to gather information about them, so we can better handle them in battle. And these creatures, despite their size, are at the champion level. They might be able to do some damage, and they can get closer than the massive bug like digimon."
The Uruk-Hai leader nodded again, appeased slightly. So appeased that he didn't even slap Bara for speaking out of line. "Kuwaguamon has failed," he muttered. "I have suffered a setback, which I am eternally annoyed about. This ends here, if these creatures are up to the task." He turned around. "Let them loose."
"As you command."
-
Gabumon, who was taking first watch, suddenly stood stiff, his ears perking. He thought he had heard something, but it couldn't be... could it? It was too far off. "What the-?" he muttered, then, louder, "Hey, Gomamon!"
The aquatic Digimon surfaced immediately, as his hearing was just as impeccable. Besides, he had at least ten minutes before his allotted hour ran out. "Yeah, Gabumon?"
Gabumon looked across the water for a moment, trying to hear more. " I thought I heard something. It sounded like a group of splashes, like something had just entered the water. Now, I may be acting a little paranoid, but I think something may be coming this way. Could you check, please?"
Gomamon dived without replying, looking in the same direction as Gabumon, though under the water. He understood the need for caution. If you weren't careful, someone might just come up behind you and stab you in the back. And, considering the fact that Tai had been attacked while in the midst of his trial, and Gabumon had good reason to be paranoid.
His eyes caught several shapes in the water immediately, more behind them. He strained his eyes to get a better look, saw one of them become more focused as they moved closer, and felt his blood grow cold. 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!' The furry blur digimon's paranoia was, in this case, well founded. Because this was not something they wanted.
He quickly resurfaced. "Divermon on the attack!"
His warning quickly shook everyone out of their dozes, their hands reaching for weapons before the full reality of his warning had sunk in.
Joe shot up like a tree, making his way over to the edge of the boat. "Repeat that, Gomamon!" he called down. "Did you say Divermon?"
"Yeah, and there's a whole lot of them!" Gomamon replied. "Close to a hundred and fifty by the looks of it! Maybe a hundred and eighty! And I don't think they're coming for tea and cookies!"
Alex raised a hand. "Question from all of us that know very little about digimon... what are Divermon?"
Izzy turned his computer back on, bringing up the creature in question. Without saying a word, he handed it to Alex to read.
Divermon: A Digimon at the Champion Level, Divermon are among the deadliest hunters in the oceans. In massive numbers, they are a match for any Ultimate level Digimon, as they use a gang mentality to defeat their opponents. They use an attack called Striking Fish, as well as a chain to tie up their prey, and drag them into the ocean.
Serena paled a little at the description, before looking out over the water. "How long?" she asked.
Mercury activated her visor, scanning the surround. "About twenty minutes," she replied. "Maybe a little longer due to the current."
"Shit," Mimi swore quietly. "Someone wake Matt. When he falls asleep, he's harder to wake up than me."
-
About ten minutes before this, Matt was watching as Ginny tried to capture a furry creature that neither of them had ever seen before, though it did have four legs. Tried, but failed repeatedly. The creature was simply too fast for her. "Come on, Gin!" he finally called out, grinning. "It's just a tad faster then you, and much smarter than the two of us put together."
Ginny was laughing, not even frustrated in the slightest by her failure. She had never just had fun before, and chasing that creature was fun. "Well, I think it's cute, and this place is so… new. I mean, talking to you is fun, and I'm learning a lot about you and your friends, but-"
Matt looked at her. "But what?" he asked. "You look like you want something else." His brow furrowed. "Gin?"
Ginny looked at him hesitantly, not sure on how to answer that without revealing the events of her First Year…
Divermon on the attack!
Matt sighed as he recognized Gomamon's voice, muffled though it was. He could hear Alex and others talking as well, though he couldn't understand them. He should have seen this coming. It always happened when they slept. "Ginny, I'm going to have to wake up. I think there's a problem on my side."
"So I'm hearing," Ginny replied, looking up sadly. "You better get going, then."
Matt closed his eyes… and opened them again, some grit stinging his eyes. 'Yup, I'm awake,' he thought, getting off the hammock and opening the door. 'And I'm going to kill the creeps that woke me up!'
"Shit!" he heard Mimi swear. "Someone wake up Matt. When he goes to sleep, he's harder to wake up than me."
"Don't bother," Matt grumbled irritably. "Did Gomamon say that we're under attack by Divermon? If so, I'm going to kick their butts!"
"How'd you hear that?" Sora asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, even as she grabbed her weapons.
"I heard it. I was… dozing."
(You call me dozing?) Ginny asked incredulously.
(Now's not the time, Ginny. Wait until after we've won, then ream me out.)
(Taichi, did you notice how Matt seemed to lose some focus there?) Tai's blade inquired.
'Yeah, but that's something to figure out later.' "Alright, Tentomon, Biyomon, digivolve to champion. Gomamon, try to digi-volve. Everybody else, stand by at the sides of the boat. Remember to give one another enough room to maneuver and be ready for a boarding attempt. Lilika, take the wheel, and try and get us moving. Rini, do you have any way to fly, and have room for two passengers?"
Rini created a pink disk with her fingers, then made it larger by a factor of three. "Now I do."
"Nice," Alex said. "You, T.K., and Kari are going to be our aerial support. Jessica, get ready to hoist anchor."
"You got it, Alex." Jessica ran over to the anchor brace.
BIYOMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…BIRDRAMON!
TENTOMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…KABUTERIMON!
GOMAMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…shit, I still can't do it!"
Joe nodded. "Well, you're still the best in the water, and you're much more agile this way! So start swimming!"
Gomamon sighed. He had seen that coming. "If I'm deleted, I'm coming back to haunt you, Joe." With that, he dived… and propelled himself through the water like a torpedo, heading for the attacking force. Not difficult, as he was going with the current. He had speed at his disposal.
He also had the desired effect he was looking for. The Divermon scattered in every direction, immediately fighting to right themselves so they could attack.
Gomamon, remembering everything he ever learned about water combat, managed to grab one of them by his oxygen tank. "How ya doing, creep?" he asked pleasantly.
With a little effort, the Divermon dislodged one of his fins, so he could turn around, harpoon raised. "Just fine, punk," he replied, then tried to stab him. "Now, delete!"
Gomamon managed to dodge in time, then grabbed the harpoon with his mouth, and pulled. Surprised by this move, his opponent wasn't fast enough to tighten his grip. Now armed, Gomamon took advantage this, and jabbed him in the stomach.
The Divermon looked down at this newest addition to his abdomen in surprise. "Crap," was all he time to say, before disappearing.
The little aquatic Digimon breathed a huge sigh of relief, then turned around to get another one.
-
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
"Check this out! Thunder Thrust!"
"Lightning Blade!"
"Lightning Strike!"
Four attacks, each striking the water in the same exact spot, caused a huge gout of water to rise to the sky. In it, four Divermon flailed about, trying to escape from certain destruction. Four arrows, each fired in rapid succession, signified the end of said attempts.
"Nice shot, Izzy!" Jessica shouted, clubbing another one with her mace, and crushing its skull in. It fell back towards the water, though it disintegrated before it actually hit. No remains for the world of Lunar to get out of the water. No reason to decontaminate.
Mimi electrocuted another one, though she had to duck as a third one tried to decapitate her. Taking advantage of the slight lessening of the impenetrable wall, four Divermon climbed on board, harpoons at the ready. As one, they charged.
Matt, Tai, and Tuxedo Mask met them head on, swords and a cane meeting a fisherman's version of the spear.
Rini roared past with T.K. and Kari, pink energy blasting from her fingers like bullets out of a gun. T.K and Kari were using their weapons with deadly precision, striking any Divermon stupid enough to come into range. They also acted as rudders, evading Striking Fish attacks like they were missiles.
Tai's Katana, stronger than any known metal out there, sliced through his opponent's harpoon like it was a stick. Another slash, and that Divermon joined his compatriots.
Mask was having a little more trouble. His weapon, unlike the others, was blunt and straight. As such, all he could do was use as a baton. However, he was a skilled fighter, and held his own rather well. He knocked the harpoon out his Divermon's hands, then finished it with a roundhouse kick. It flew off the boat, unconscious. 'Hopefully, it'll drown,' he thought.
Matt managed to get the upper hand in his fight, slicing the Divermon's hand off, which was currently holding the harpoon. As both items disintegrated, the Divermon looked at him in shock, then jumped back into the water. Matt turned around…just in time for the other Divermon to jump him…or, should we say, try to.
The second his hand touched Matt's arm, he vanished into thin air. He wasn't hit or anything. He simply…vanished in a slight burst of light.
Matt was confused for a second, but realized that this wasn't the time or the place to think about it. He returned to his position, knocking another one out with the hilt of his sword.
He didn't think about it for a moment until he 'felt' Ginny's fear. Then, he heard Ginny go, (Umm, Matt?) In that moment, he realized where the Divermon had gone to. It was the one place that he didn't want him to be.
(Ginny!)
(Matt, help!)
-
"Did you see that?" Bara asked, amazed.
Racc nodded, once again not hitting her for speaking out of term. "So, Dreamscape still exists," he mused quietly. "And Friendship is capable of entering it." He knew of Dreamscape, of course, but had never had the chance to meet someone who could enter it. Of course, considering what was happening here, he wasn't going to get the chance to for quite a while.
He paused, thinking about it for a moment, curious despite himself. He knew that the only way someone could enter the Land of Dreams was if they entered it with someone else, operating on their wavelength. If that was the case... "I wonder who is in there with him when he sleeps?"
"Whoever it is, he…or she…won't be there for much longer. In fact, I think that person will be nowhere in a few minutes."
Racc laughed at that. Though there was no glee in her voice, the fact that she said that at all was enough for him. He was going to eventually turn Bara into a true Uruk-Hai some day.
Even if he had to beat it into her.
Ginny had finally caught the creature, and was currently petting it behind its ears, waiting for Matt to return, cooing gently. If there was one thing that would never change, it was that there were always cute, fuzzy, harmless creatures that responded well to a loving. And those same cuddly creatures did not judge people, did not try to tell them that what they did was wrong. They just gave you comfort, just like the little fellow was doing right now, purring gently.
A bright flash of light suddenly caught her attention, and she quickly stopped her petting. Looking up, she was startled to see something that hadn't been there before. Something that wasn't supposed to be there, in fact.
"What the-?" Divermon turned around and around, trying to get his bearings. He literally had no idea what in the hell happened. One second, he was about to stab Matt Ishida through and through, the next; he was in the middle of some forest.
Ginny felt a spurt of very justified fear run up and down her spine. This was obviously not a person, and she knew that it wasn't a magical creature of some kind. In fact, she had a feeling that it was one of those Digimon things Matt had told her about. And, judging from how it was acting, it wasn't a friendly one. "Umm, Matt?" she called out, hoping that he was going to come back soon.
The Divermon's attention focused on her as soon as she said that. She could almost hear the neurons of his brain put the pieces together. She took a step backwards, the little creature hissing at the intruder.
The Divermon was indeed putting the pieces together, and realizing something important. He smiled somewhat leeringly. "So," he mused to no one in particular, "you're a friend of Matt Ishida's."
Ginny looked around, trying to find a way out. "Umm, yes?" she managed, trying to find a way out.
"Good. STRIKING FISH!"
Ginny yelped in shock, ducking as the harpoon flew overhead, embedding itself into the nearest tree. She turned around again, just in time to dodge another attack. The creature quickly leaped off her shoulder, running up the nearest tree.
(Ginny!)
(Matt, help!)
(I can't be in two places at once, and we're in the middle of a siege!)
(Well, I don't know how to fight!) Ginny dodged again. (Any ideas on how I can get out of this alive and with all four limbs attached?)
(Well, just the painfully obvious; Don't get hit!)
(Great, just great!) Ginny didn't bother him again, as she understood that he was busy. Then, so was she, as she was trying to survive. She quickly dodged an overhead swing, hoping she could keep doing so.
Divermon, becoming rather frustrated by the fact that this little girl was evading him, decided to try something new. He did a side swipe maneuver, almost catching Ginny in her gut. She managed to get out of the way, though the attack sliced through her pajama shirt. She stumbled, tripped, and fell to the ground. She scrambled backwards, trying to get some distance between her and her opponent…
…and her hand brushed something very familiar. Startled, she looked down at what her hand had hit. 'My wand!' she thought, a desperate plan forming. She had no idea how it had shown up her, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Divermon easily reached her, and had his harpoon at her throat before she could get out of the way. He smirked. "Geez, kid, what were you thinking? An ordinary kid, trying to take on a Digimon?"
Ginny jabbed her wand into Divermon's chest. "I'm not an ordinary kid!" she hissed. "Stupefy!"
Now, it should be noted that Ginny Weasley is not the tallest girl in Hogwarts School. She barely passed Five foot Five, but she was still at the beginning of her growth spurt. She was also not the strongest girl, though she was tough.
But, magically, she was among the top most powerful students, with enough power to destroy a training dummy. And, while Divermon is considerably tougher than a training dummy, he could still be hurt.
The Divermon was thrown back several feet, and hit the ground, feeling like he had been hit with a sledgehammer. He gasped for a moment, trying to get his senses back under control. What the hell was that? What did she just do?
Ginny, for the first time that year, was grateful for trying to learn a spell that was set for fifth year. After the Chamber, she wanted to be prepared. And at that moment, she wanted to be armed with something other than a wand.
Spotting the harpoon still embedded in the tree, she went for it…just as the Divermon got back up. His eyes had instant realization all over them as he caught sight of the wand in her hand. "Witch!" he bellowed.
Ginny pulled the weapon out of the tree, holding it like a sword. "So glad you noticed! How about you come here and I show you?"
With a high pitched screech, the little Digimon charged forward.
-
Underwater, several Divermon went into a triangular formation, harpoon's pointed up and ready. "At my command!" the lead Divermon ordered. "And…now!"
"STRIKING FISH!" Several voices sounded off as one. Simultaneously, eight harpoons shot out of the water, reaching a good height in the air, before angling downward to the ground, as sharp, pointy things are wont to do. And, like sharp, pointy objects are wont to do, the sharp, pointy end was pointing down.
Alex looked up, saw the falling objects heading for them, and knew that, considering the limited space they had to move around, they were going to hit something no matter what. In that moment, an idea formed in his head. "Darien!" he shouted. "Can your roses stop those things?"
Darien looked up as well, noting the distance of the weapons. "We're about to find out." He stepped away from the edge, and drew his hand back to him. With a slightly dramatic flick of his wrist, he sent over a dozen roses into the air on a collision course.
It seemed almost idiotic. These little, ordinary roses deflecting several very large, very heavy objects that were the fisherman's idea of a javelin. However, Tuxedo Mask's roses were anything but ordinary. They were twenty times stronger than original, due to the magic that flowed through his veins.
The roses connected, diverting the harpoon's enough so they would miss everyone in the boat. Four fell back into the water, while the other three embedded themselves into the boat's floor.
"Alright!" Rini shouted gleefully, blasting another one in the face. "Way to go, Darien!"
Matt caught another in the chest as it tried to board the ship, jarring his arm up to the shoulder. He shook the limb out a bit, trying to get the pain out. "We can't keep this up indefinitely!" he shouted. "We need Ikkakumon!"
"No shit, Matt!" Joe retorted. "But for some reason, we're not getting him!"
Racc nodded in satisfaction as the Divermon laid siege on the boat, not backing off for even a second. He had to admit; he hadn't really expected them to be this impressive in battle, coordinating their attacks in a way that it forced their enemies to remain forever vigilant.
He watched the Digi-Destined and Sailor Scouts as they defended themselves admirably, watched as the priestess they had joined up with using her mace like a club, bashing the Digimon like they were balls. "Well, I do have to respect their spirit," he said. "They fight, even when they know there is no way to hold them off forever."
Bara nodded, keeping her gaze focused on the battle, and not her master. "They can only have two champions out there, and their rookies are already reaching the limits of their endurance." She frowned she took note of something missing from the scene. "I do not see the aquatic one, though."
Racc was about to tell her to be silent and allow him to enjoy the battle, when he did a double take. Now that Bara had mentioned it, he hadn't seen the creature either. Which meant… "He's in the water," he growled, suddenly seeing a potentially large problem in their carefully planned assault.
"And if he digi-volves…" Bara didn't even need to finish her sentence.
"…Then we lose." The Uruk-Hai leader pulled out his communicator, possibilities going through his mind. "Attention, all Divermon. Do not attack Reliability directly. Concentrate your attack's on Gomamon, first. We don't need him digivolving in the water!"
-
The Divermon were on another attack run when Racc's instructions sounded off in their earpieces. They stopped, listening to them.
That was a serious tactical blunder.
Gomamon barreled into one of them, knocking him into another's harpoon. Then, as the Divermon was decompiling, he grabbed the harpoon, using it to stab another one in the chest. "Here ya go!" he crowed, back pedaling out of range of the others.
The head Divermon, one with a series of scars intersecting his chest and head, turned around to glare at him. "Alright, boys!" he snarled. "New plan; Get the midget!"
"Oh, crap." Gomamon hurdled himself to the surface.
"STRIKING FISH!"
"MARCHING FISHES!"
Gomamon's many colored fish appeared out of nowhere, as they always seemed to do, giving him an additional boost of speed, allowing to break shoot out of the water and make like Free Willy. Though in his case, he was jumping over a boat, and not a cairn of rocks.
Almost twenty Divermon jumped up after him, harpoons ready to skewer him. After all, what went up, must go down as well.
That was their first mistake, following him out of the water. Their second mistake was not checking to see if there was anything up in the air already. And Birdramon and Kabuterimon were ready for them.
"METEOR WING!"
"ELECTRO SHOCKER!"
A deluge of electrical spheres and fire spears rained down upon the now helpless Divermon. None of them made it back to the water. At least, not in one piece.
Sora kicked another one back into the water, then punched a third in the face. "Lilika!" she shouted, panting slightly from exertion as she shoved him off. "Can you use your powers to force them back?"
Lilika shook her head, using her stave to smack another in his face. "I don't have precise control like that!" she replied. "If I use my powers, I could end up reversing the flow of water, or even halting it altogether! Either way would prove disastrous! And, more to the point, I am nowhere near strong enough to do much of anything!"
"Well, it was a thought!" Joe shouted from his position. "Hey, Gabumon! How are you doing?"
"I'm tiring, I'm cranky, and I'm a rookie! What does that tell you?!"
"I get the point!" He grabbed a rope, one with a blunt, metal object attached to one end. He quickly swung it around, catching a Divermon before he could climb on board, and knocked him several feet away from the boat. "Looks like I'm good with a weapon after all," he commented, amazed.
Mercury, with sword in one hand and computer in other, scanned their trajectory, the speed they were approaching, and how many were still coming at them. She blinked when a non-digital power signature came up. Swinging her blade and catching yet another Divermon, she turned around. "Guys, I found where all of the Divermon are coming from. I also found a very familiar energy signature."
"Where are they coming from?" Jessica asked, caving in one's head. "And what familiar power are you talking about?"
"Lann Island. And it's Racc."
"Racc!" Tai couldn't believe it. "Man, he really wants us dead!"
With this new information, Pluto looked down into the water. "Mercury, how many Divermon as still attacking us?" she asked.
"About a hundred and twelve."
"I count only sixty four of them surrounding us."
"Where are the rest of them, then?"
Like a well laid sequence, the realization hit them all quickly. "Gomamon!" Joe shouted.
-
Gomamon dodged another harpoon, slowing slightly to get his bearings. 'Geez, they don't like me at all!' he thought. 'And it's probably because of my sparkling personality!' He swerved to the right, as three Divermon blew by. 'Then again, it could just be that they're that mean! And what's with the overwhelming numbers against me?!'
While fifty Divermon remained to lay siege on the boat, the other eighty decided to play a little game; Pin the Spear on the Gomamon. So far, none of them were successful, which he found was very gratifying. However, they were clearly enjoying themselves.
He dodged another harpoon, coming up with a hair brained idea. Calling his fish friends to him, he sent them at the Divermon. They swarmed over them for a moment, blocking their view for a few seconds, then dispersed. The Divermon looked around, confused, then with a sense of concern. Where had the runt gone?
Then Gomamon plowed through their ranks from behind.
The one he rammed himself into slammed into another one's raised harpoon, deleting him instantly. His harpoon rammed itself into another one's leg. Gomamon grabbed the destroyed one's weapon before it could vanish, then slammed it into a third with extreme prejudice. 'Two out of three. Not bad!'
The leader growled again. "STRIKING FISH!" he roared, throwing yet another one at him.
"Oh, shit." Apparently, the games were over. Not that Gomamon minded too much. He was all ready to make his move.
The second it came within range, he moved, grabbing the spear in his mouth. It's inertia dragged him back a few feet, but he held on tightly.
One Divermon came in, harpoon driving forward in a stabbing motion. Gomamon dove underneath him, appeared behind him, and rammed his weapon into the oxygen tank. In a gout of pressurized air, the Divermon flew out into the distance, yelling in a panic.
The leaders eyes widened in surprise. 'How is this rookie doing this?!' he asked himself in surprise.
-
Racc stared in amazement as a Divermon suddenly shot out of the water, the remnants of a destroyed oxygen tank still strapped to his back. "Gomamon still lives?!" he exclaimed. "I have underestimated the runt!"
Bara smiled slightly. "So have the Divermon, apparently. He has taken out a number of them through strategic thinking."
"Brain's over brawn." The Uruk-Hai leader sounded impressed despite himself. "Never thought he had it in him."
"Neither did I. Still, the Divermon are at Champion level, and are much more numerous. Eventually, he will tire."
"Of that, I have no doubt."
-
In the broad expanse of Dreamscape, the clang of metal against metal echoed through the air.
Ginny and Divermon fought viciously, both of them using their weapons like swords. And surprisingly enough, Ginny was still alive and unharmed. Her pajamas now sported several cuts in them, but thankfully, no blood.
However, she was sweating a great deal (how that was possible, she didn't really know,) and she was trembling from the Dreamscape version of exhaustion. She was also inexperienced, and knew it. Adrenaline could only take you so far before you finally collapsed.
However, the Divermon also had a disadvantage. On land, it wasn't as graceful. Its arms and limbs were designed more for combat in water than on land. Apparently, even in Dreamscape, the rules were the same.
Not intimidated in the slightest by this limitation, the Digimon suddenly went on a furious offensive, battering the young witch's weakening defenses. Desperately, Ginny held on, but her grip on her weapon was weakening. What was worse, she couldn't get her wand out of her pocket. If there was ever a time to take a chance, this was it. Unfortunately, she wasn't getting a reprieve at all.
And then, she received that reprieve, as the little creature she had been petting almost ten minutes before came flying out of the tree, landing on top of her opponent's head, scrabbling over his eyes as it screeched. Divermon flayed about madly before finally grabbing it and tossing it aside. He quickly picked his harpoon up, and charged forward.
Coming up with a desperate strategy, and emboldened by her little friend's courage, Ginny suddenly relaxed every muscle in her body, collapsing to the ground, just as the weapon cut right through where her head once was.
Taken by surprise, the Divermon had no time to change his strategy, as he quickly realized that he had been suckered.
Ginny brought her weapon up, driving directly into Divermon's chest. She quickly pulled back, leaving a gaping hole in her wake. "How about that for a new airhole?" she gasped, getting up to one knee.
The little Digimon looked down at his own chest, then at her in amazement. "Nice shot," was all he could up with as he was deleted. But before that, he hit a small button on his wristband, which projected an image directly into Racc's communicator. At least, he hoped that would be the case.
Ginny, unaware of this, simply stayed there, leaning on the harpoon to keep her upright. Her little furry friend came up to her, nuzzling her arm to get her attention. She scratched its head affectionately. "Now, that was different," she gasped, taking in deep breaths. "And thank you. You saved my life." Letting the creature climb up her arm, she rose to her feet. (Matt, I kicked his sorry butt... with a little help from my furry little friend here.)
(Nice. You did a great job,) Matt sent back.
Ginny wiped her brow off, pushing her hair out of her face. A grin emerged on her face. (I hope I did.)
-
The newly handicapped Divermon clutched the stump from which his hand once was part of, glaring up at the boat. He resurfaced, wanting some payback for it. "You'll pay for this, brats!" he hissed, a plan coming to him. "And I know just how to do it!" Reaching behind himself, he removed his chain from its place on his oxygen tank. Twirling it around for a moment or so until he had sufficient velocity, he let it loose, then grabbing the end part of it.
Lilika knocked one off the side of the boat, and was about to go after a second, when a long metal chain wrapped itself around her waist. With only enough time to let out a startled yelp, she was pulled off the boat, hitting the water. She surfaced briefly, getting a, instinctive breath of air, before being pulled under.
Joe looked up at her shout, and saw what had happened. "Lilika!" he shouted, heading over to the edge. Taking a deep breath, and thanking the gods for allowing him to take swimming lessons without having a panic attack, he jumped into the water after her, slamming his fist into one of the Divermon's faces, then dove.
Gomamon evaded another harpoon, and saw, directly in front of him, Lilika with a chain wrapped around her waist, being held under by a one handed Digimon. Realizing what what was happening, he immediately began swimming his way there, three Divermon in hot pursuit.
Joe looked around, spotted Lilika, and swam over to her. When he had reached her, he began tugging at the chain around her waist, trying to loosen it. Unfortunately, it was being held taut by the Divermon, and he didn't exactly have any experience working underwater. Nor did he have a reserve supply of oxygen, like he Divermon. And neither did Lilika.
Lilika stared at Joe, her eyes conveying her relief and thanks for coming in after her, then fear at the sight of a Divermon coming in, spear up and ready. 'Joe, save yourself! Don't worry about me!' she thought desperately.
It was as if he had heard her, as he turned around, his eyes locking onto the Digimon as he brought his weapon up. Making a decision, he placed himself in front of Lilika, eyes as hard as diamond. 'Goodbye, Lilika. And thank you for being a friend.'But there was no way in hell she was going to get hurt while he was still alive. No way!
Gomamon pushed himself as hard as he dared, watching the scene unfold as if it were happening in slow motion. There was no way he was going to get there in time to stop it, though. 'Come on Gomamon!' he told himself, unaware of the threat approaching him from behind. 'Digi-volve, even if it's only this one time, digi-volve!' He closed his eyes, and concentrated harder than he had ever concentrated before in his entire life.
His wish was granted, as Joe's digivice activated immediately.
GOMAMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…IKKAKUMON!
-
Racc's golden eyes widened in surprise as a burst of light exited the water, shooting towards the heavens. "He managed to digivolve!" he roared. "But how?!"
Bara's own eyes had widened as she shrank back from his fury, her surprise tainted with fear, and for good reason. Whenever he was this furious, he was liable to take it out on anyone near by. "I do not know, Master… unless Reliability deliberately put himself in danger to protect that young girl."
"And that triggered the digivolution process!" The Uruk-Hai leader threw his hands into the air. "Is there no creature that can stop them?"
"It would appear that there isn't, Master." She thought of something else. "We will need to separate the humans from their partners, before we can neutralize them," she added meekly, hoping to stave off her possible beating
Racc had to concede that one. "You are right," he growled reluctantly, deciding to hold back his disciplining for when she actually failed him. "Let us depart, Bara. We will need to come up with another plan."
"Yes, Master." She had caught the resignation in his tone, and inwardly cheered as they teleported. She wouldn't be disciplined tonight! She was so happy!
-
All of the Divermon turned around, temporarily blinded by the bright light that was emanating in the water. Their eyes narrowed as it vanished, then widened in absolute terror. And for good reason.
Where Gomamon, a small, pathetically weak though lucky rookie once swam, a large, walrus like Champion level Digimon now occupied. His fur, a pure white, covered his entire body. Two massive buck teeth were on either side of his mouth. The look in his eyes was far more predatory now, the look of one of the most powerful aquatic Champions in the Digital World. A horn, measuring three feet in height, was the only other discerning feature on him. And it was quivering.
"HARPOON TORPEDO!"
Just like that. No snarls, no attempt at bantering. Just two words, bellowed out there for all to hear-
and the enemy immediately found themselves on a first class ticket to Hell.
The horn actually served too different functions. It served as it was made to do; to stab at an enemy in close range during mating rituals or close range combat against equally massive opponents.
Its second function, on the other hand, was far more useful against multiple opponents.
It launched, emerging from the water, and soaring up into the air. Once it reached a certain height, it split open. Almost instantly, a barrage of missiles rained down upon the Divermon.
They never stood a chance. The majority were hit almost in the space of a minute. Several of them managed to dodge around for a time, but they also succumbed to it. The boat, surprisingly enough, wasn't touched. Talk about the luck of the devil, if not an excellent tracking system.
While this was going on, Joe finally managed to extricate Lilika from the now very loose chain. The Divermon that had been holding onto it had run the second Ikkakumon had appeared, so it was no longer as much of an impediment.
However, he had used up all of his oxygen doing that, and they were just hair too far down for him to make it back before succumbing to oxygen deprivation. 'Sorry, Lilika,' he thought, beginning his descent to the water bottom.
"Oh no, Joe. You're not getting out of it that easily."
-
Of the one hundred and eighty eight Divermon that had laid siege to the boat for nearly half an hour, only five, one of them the one handed one, had the capability to escape. And that was because they were at the edge of the battle, just beyond the missile's range. And it was a safe bet to say that they would never see the Digital World again in their current lives.
About ten seconds later, Ikkakumon roared to the surface with a magnificent explosion of water, laughing heartily. On his head, Joe and Lilika waved to them, both taking in great gulps of air.
"I'm back!" Ikkakumon roared. "And I ain't going nowhere!"
The boat erupted into cheers, hugging and clapping each other on the back. With six Digimon capable of digi-volving to Champion, or were already champion, there was nothing they couldn't take on.
Joe coughed, then sat up, looking around. "So, Gomamon digivolved?" he asked.
Lilika nodded, smiling. "And he's rather powerful, too," she replied.
"I like to think so. Are you okay?"
"I am." Her smile grew. "You save my life, Joe," she said, swooping down and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Of course I'm alright."
Joe blushed, but he was elated. "Just being 'Good Old Reliable Joe," he muttered.
"And I like 'Gold Old Reliable Joe.'"
(So, Matt, is this what your life was like in the Digital World?) Ginny asked, still sounding somewhat exhausted.
Matt grinned. "Guys, I'm going back to sleep. Wake me at your own discretion." (I'll tell you when I get back.)
(I can hardly wait.)
-
After everyone else had fallen back to sleep, Gomamon remained awake, surprisingly enough.
He was thinking back on the attack. He didn't think that it was a coincidence for some reason, and in fact, it fit in with Kuwaguamon's attack. It was too sudden, too well thought out. And after Mercury had found Racc, he began to get the sneaking realization that someone out there could open a portal to the Digital World.
If that were the case, then they could also open a portal to Earth. Now they had to figure out if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.
He was up for the rest of night, thinking about it.
-
Racc reappeared in the Stadius Zone, scowling. He had taken the time to check the image that had been sent onto his communicator at some point or other, a little surprised to see a red head appear on the screen. He took all of seven minutes to figure out who it was exactly. 'So, this is the little girl that opened that Chamber in the other target world.' It was certainly good to know. Now he had a third person to kill when they finally went there.
That did nothing to elevate his anger. Two damn attempts to destroy the Sailor Scout/ Digi-Destined Alliance, an utter failure due to something that could not be stopped. And now, they were almost to full champion level strength.
"Another failure?" a shadow hissed, one so terrible that it had most humans, and Digimon, cowering in fear.
All the Uruk-Hai leader felt was a minor irritation. He really didn't want to deal with this one right now. "Do not remind me of my failings, Digimon. And before you say anything, remember, I answer to the Magic Emperor, not you."
"You need me."
"Shall we see how much?" Racc's hand reached for his katana. A subtle reminder that he was quite a powerful individual himself, and more than willing to prove it. "Now leave. Your time is better suited in the Frontier, and I don't want to be seen here with you."
No answer was forthcoming, which meant that he had left. Satisfied, Racc turned his attention back to the device that he had used. He then summoned one of the demons on duty to him. "Make sure that nothing comes through this gateway unless I say so. Understand?"
The demon bowed. "By your command, my lord."
Racc looked at the device for a moment more, once more impressed by the level of technological achievement.
A rough circle, with alien symbols on them, and a device that acted as a DHL. It was a device that an ancient people had left. A device with the power to connect with other worlds, and the ability to allow people to go to those worlds.
The people of Lunar called it Althena's Gateway.
The people of Earth, and a dozen other worlds called it a Stargate.
Okay, here is Episode Sixteen. Again, not much has been added, and this will be another chapter I may eventually completely rewrite.