Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Another chapter! Now, Falconmon (a digimon in this chapter) is not to be confused with Falcomon, a rookie who already exists. Falconmon is an ultimate I created, and a different digimon. I thought I'd say something to avoid confusion. Now, I looked back and realized I didn't explain Ryoko's name. I'd forgotten that I'd mentioned I would, but I hadn't actually done it yet. So, Ryoko. His name means 'child of Ryo' , and yes, because of the 'ko' female ending on his name it is a female name. I chose it because I think it makes a better boy's name than a girl's name, and I wanted something different. Besides, names in North America that were once considered only a 'boy's' or a 'girl's' name have developed into names for both. I'll be the first to do it for a Japanese name. I did know all of this before I chose the name. (three years ago now) when I started this fic, so it was not an error. Just to make things clear. Now, onto the new chapter!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 88: Rescue Team
Ryoko Ishida
Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World
Ryoko frowned at the D-3 in his uncle's hand and turned to gaze at the scenery around him. They had left the sandy shore behind them several minutes ago only to find themselves travelling down a well-worn path that appeared to be following the edges of a thick, dark forest. The tall trees were located on their right, and on their left the ground seemed to stretch for miles without encountering any unusual or interesting landmarks. The most unsettling thing of all was the fact that, with the exception of their partners, there was not a single digimon in sight. The only thing the Western Hemisphere had to offer at the moment was a large, open valley which was completely deserted.
This place feels...empty. I wonder if it's because the digimon who live here are hiding from Vampiramon and her evil buddies. I know I'd want to stay out of their way if I was a digimon who lived in the Western Hemisphere.
"The crests must be around here somewhere," Dai said, glancing impatiently at the forest.
"Yeah, but how do we know that for sure?" Matty complained. "It's too bad the D-3s can't tell us which direction they're in."
Mickey nodded in agreement and reached down to stroke Halomon's ears. "That's one good thing about the D-Coders. They were able to lead us directly to our digimon because the arrows told us exactly where to go."
"Come on, guys, we can't give up now," Celestimon said urgently.
Ken sighed and glanced helplessly at T.K. "Now what?"
"How about a break?" Veemon suggested.
"Already?" Alopemon snorted. "You're even lazier than Embermon!"
Embermon elbowed the little fox digimon in the ribs and rolled his bright green eyes. "Like partner, like digimon. Right, Alopemon?"
"That's for sure!" Dovemon muttered.
Alopemon stuck his nose in the air and promptly stalked away from the grinning trio, his icy blue gaze flashing with anger.
T.K. studied his D-3 for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Mickey asked.
T.K. smiled at his son and gently pulled the older twin against his side. "I don't think it's going to be that hard to find the crests after all."
"What do you mean?" Ken asked, looking confused.
"The light coming from my D-3 is very faint. That means the crests must still be a good distance away from us. All we have to do is follow the light. The closer we get to the crests, the stronger the glow coming from our D-3s will become."
"Really? I never knew that," Ken said quietly.
T.K. nodded sympathetically and placed a hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's arm. "It doesn't matter, Ken. It took a lot of pain and suffering, but you found yours eventually. That's all that matters."
"What?" Sam gasped, his dark blue eyes growing wide with horror.
"Nothing," T.K. said quickly, avoiding Sam's eyes. "Come on. Let's keep going."
Ryoko lifted and indignant Alopemon into his arms and sent Embermon a dirty look before turning his attention to Ken.
He's hiding something, and Uncle T.K. knows what it is. I wonder how long Sam's going to be able to handle being kept in the dark about the Emperor...
"Dad-"
"Come on," Ken said shortly, giving Sam a gentle push to get him moving.
They started down the path again, and Ryoko found himself walking next to Dai. "We have to do something about Sam."
Dai wrinkled his nose and let out a frustrated sigh. "I know, but what?"
"There's nothing we can do," Embermon grumbled. The little rookie was walking next to Dai at a brisk pace, and his emerald eyes were focused on the back of Sam's head. Apparently Sam did not sense Embermon's gaze on him because he continued to stare straight ahead and refused to leave his father's side. "Ken's the only one who can help him now."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, if I were you," Davis interrupted, glancing over his shoulder to smile at them.
Dai made a face at his father's back and glared impatiently at the ground. "What about Mickey?"
"What about him?" Alopemon asked.
Ryoko set his partner on the ground next to Palmon and turned to look at Mickey and Matty who were bringing up the rear. Somehow the twins had ended up walking side by side, and every so often they would glance at each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. Each time their eyes met both of them would jump in surprise and quickly look away again.
"Not exactly encouraging, is it," Dai muttered.
Ryoko turned his back on his cousins and frowned at the goggle-headed leader. "I know what you mean. I wish..."
"What?"
"I don't know. I just wish there was something we could do for them."
"Me, too."
Ryoko gasped at the sudden feel of Dai's hand on his shoulder, and he slowly looked up at his goggle-headed friend.
"Don't worry, Ryoko, we'll find a way to help them. We always do."
"Spoken like a true Digidestined!" Palmon said cheerfully.
Ryoko was about to answer when the sound of someone screaming captured his attention. It was very faint, almost as if the cry had purposely been muffled by a hand or a gag, but the fear he sensed in that voice caused a shiver to race down his spine. "Daichi, did you hear that?"
Dai stared at him and slowly shook his head. "Hear what?"
"I heard someone screaming."
"Really? I didn't hear anything," Alopemon said slowly.
"What's going on?" Takara asked, turning around to look at them. "Why did you guys stop walking?"
"Ishida says he heard someone screaming."
Ryoko suddenly found himself surrounded by his friends, and he gave the goggle-headed leader a dirty look. "I didn't ask you to tell the whole world, did I?"
"Well then why did you bother bringing it up if you didn't want anyone else to know?"
"Do you ever actually listen to yourself because you sound like an-"
"Ryoko, are you sure you're not just imagining things?" Matty asked, his eyes glittering with amusement.
Even Mickey looked skeptical.
Why are they staring at me like I've gone crazy or something? I know what I heard. Someone was definitely screaming, and we have to help them!
"I don't hear anything," Ken said quietly, glancing nervously at the forest. "Maybe it was just the wind you heard. You'd think we'd hear the sound again if someone were really-"
"I'm not imagining things! Someone's in trouble, and if we don't do something they're going to get hurt!"
"We're did the sound come from?" T.K. asked, his hand tightening on his Digivice.
Ryoko stared at his uncle in surprise, and his spirits lifted immediately. "You mean...you believe me?"
T.K. pulled him close and gently ruffled his hair. "Of course I believe you. You're not the kind of person who makes up stories just to cause trouble."
"No, that would be Dai!" Celestimon said cheerfully.
"Keep your opinions to yourself," Dai grumbled, poking the little rookie in the stomach.
Celestimon promptly burst into giggles and cuddled his face against Matty's neck.
"Don't worry, Ryoko, I believe you, too," Palmon said loyally.
Ryoko pressed his cheek against his uncle's chest and frowned at the landscape. "I think it came from the forest, but I'm not really sure."
"If you think I'm going to go wandering through that forest, forget it!" Sam snapped. "The last time we were surrounded by trees I got stuck having a chat with DarkAngelicmon, and I don't know about you guys but I'd rather not meet up with him again, thank you very much!"
"Sam!" Ken scolded, glancing uneasily at the forest.
"Sam, DarkAngelicmon isn't anywhere near us," Matty said, looking extremely impatient. "Patamon, Celestimon, and Halomon would know if he was."
"Only if he was practically on top of us!"
"DarkAngelicmon's not here. Whatever Ryoko heard has nothing to do with him," Patamon said firmly. The little rookie stroked his partner's cheek with one of his long ears, and T.K. smiled up at him.
"Thanks, Patamon. We could all use a little bit of reassuring right now."
"DarkAngelicmon might not be here, but someone else is," Halomon said slowly, his sapphire eyes flicking calmly towards the forest.
Mickey's face turned pale, and he pulled Matty behind him, away from the forest. "What do you mean?"
Halomon was about to answer when the air was split by an ear-piercing scream.
I knew it! Someone really is in trouble. What are we going to do?
Ryoko felt his uncle stiffen in his arms, and the two of them glanced frantically at Dai.
"Embermon, you and the others had better digivolve right away!" Dai said sharply, his dark eyes surveying the forest with suspicion.
"It's not fair! I want to help, too!" Glowmon cried.
"You're not the only one," Palmon muttered.
"You got it, Dai! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"
"Dovemon digivolve to, Ibismon!"
"Don't forget about me! Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"
"Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"
"My turn! Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"
"You remember what to do?" Davis asked, looking down at his partner.
"Just watch me, Davis! Veemon digivolve to, ExVeemon!"
"Your turn, Wormmon!" Ken shouted, holding out his D-3. "Are you ready?"
"For you, Ken? Always. Wormmon digivolve to, Stingmon!"
"Oh, Sam! I want to be just like him!" Glowmon gasped, gazing up at the large champion in awe.
"Come on, T.K., let's help out, too! Patamon digivolve to, Angemon!"
Ryoko huddled next to Mickey and glared angrily at the forest, but his cousin did not even notice him. The older twin and his brother were too busy gawking at Angemon to waste time paying attention to anything else.
"Follow me!" Dragermon shouted, leaping into the air and diving towards the forest.
Another high-pitched scream broke the silence, and Ryoko spotted a sudden flurry of activity near the edge of the forest. Something darted out of the trees, and Ryoko gasped when he realized it was a beautiful female digimon who seemed to be running for her life.
I wonder what she's running from.
"Look!" Matty cried, pointing at the fleeing digimon. "She's an angel!"
Ryoko took a second look and nodded in agreement. The female angel had long, blond hair, pale blue eyes, pale skin, and eight, white wings. She was dressed in a two-piece toga, which showed off her midriff, and large, gold bracelets circled her wrists and ankles. There were strange markings all over her body, including her left cheek, which resembled tattoos, and two, large feathery ears stuck out of the top of her head. At the moment she looked absolutely terrified, and she kept glancing over her shoulder as if checking to see how much distance she had put between herself and her attackers.
"Why doesn't she just fly away from whoever's chasing her?" Takara asked, frowning in confusion.
"Maybe the digimon who are attacking her can fly, too," Davis suggested. "If that's the case then she wouldn't have much of an advantage over them. They could snatch her out of the sky faster than I could say Digi-Armor Energize!"
"You're right. In that case it probably would make more sense to run. At least that way she'd have the trees for protection."
As if on cue, two digimon burst out of the forest and tackled the female angel to the ground.
"Who are those two digimon?" Ken gasped.
Ryoko held out his D-Coder and brightened when the screen lit up with the information he needed. "The one on the left is Vulturemon, and the one on the right is Falconmon. Vulturemon's a champion level virus type digimon, and his special attacks are Vulture's Eye, and Wing Turmoil. Falconmon's an ultimate level data type digimon, and his special attacks are Feather Tornado and Dual Lasers."
"And the fun begins," Davis muttered. "We'd better get ExVeemon and the others to take them out before they end up hurting that poor angel digimon."
"Sounds good to me," Dai replied. "Dragermon, you guys know what to do!"
"Leave her alone, you flying beasts!" Gabrielmon shouted, darting forward and hovering protectively over the smaller angel. "Holy Sceptre!"
Falconmon dived under the blast and came up beneath Gabrielmon before he had a chance to fly out of the way. The angel digimon was knocked to the side, but luckily Angelicmon was hovering close enough to take his place.
"Celestial Star!" Matty's partner shouted, holding out his hand and shooting the bright yellow blast at Falconmon's stomach. The bird digimon tumbled backwards, and Ibismon landed a good solid kick on his beak. She fluttered out of his way to avoid his large wings and pointed her fist at his back. "Emerald Flare!"
The green blast sent Falconmon spinning towards the ground, and he landed on his back with a loud crash.
"Too easy," Ibismon snorted.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Angemon said quietly, diving out of the sky and hovering beside her. "Something doesn't feel right. Where's Vampiramon, and what about Jestermon and the others? Shouldn't one of them be here to supervise this battle?"
"No time to worry about that now. Our new evil buddy is starting to wake up," Angelicmon interrupted, pulling on Angemon's wing to get his attention.
The female angel sprawled on the ground below them let out a moan and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, please help me! I don't want to become one of Vampiramon's servants!"
"What do you think she means by that?" Matty asked, frowning in confusion.
T.K. wrapped his arm protectively around the younger twin's shoulders and shook his head. "I have no idea, but somehow I get the feeling we're going to find out. Angemon, you'd better get her out of there before Falconmon has another chance to grab her!"
"Dragermon, you and the others keep Vulturemon occupied while Ibismon and the angels deal with Falconmon!" Dai shouted.
"No problem," Stingmon replied, diving over ExVeemon's head and landing an elbow right in Vulturemon's right eye.
Somehow Falconmon managed to get into the air again, but he did not get very far before he was intercepted by Ibismon and Gabrielmon.
"I don't think so, buddy! Feather Darts!" Ibismon shouted.
"Holy Sceptre!"
The pink feathers slammed into Falconmon's body and were followed by a blinding orange blast.
The large bird digimon barely seemed to notice. Instead of falling to the ground, he turned his black eyes on Angemon and Angelicmon and swerved towards them. "You will die for interfering with our orders! Dual Lasers!"
Angelicmon managed to stop their descent and they hovered several feet below Falconmon, their wings beating in unison.
"Listen, Angemon. Ibismon, Gabrielmon, and I will take care of Falconmon. You concentrate on getting our new friend to safety, alright?"
Angemon stared at Angelicmon for a moment and smiled slightly. "Alright, be careful."
"You're not going anywhere!" Falconmon snarled, diving out of the sky towards them.
"Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted, hitting Falconmon in the face with his blast. Angelicmon threw his spear at the bird digimon, and it ripped through Falconmon's left wing. Luckily Ibismon and Gabrielmon were close enough to stop the evil ultimate from making any more attempts to get his hands on his prey, and that gave Angemon the perfect opportunity to fly the female digimon to safety.
"You'd better go help the others," Angemon said, nudging his fellow angel in the ribs.
After a brief hesitation, Angelicmon reluctantly joined Ibismon and Gabrielmon, and Angemon quickly fluttered towards the ground. He scooped the female angel into his arms, and without a word he quickly flew out of the battle before Falconmon could try to intercept him.
"Bring her here, Angemon!" T.K. called out, waving his hand to get his digimon's attention.
Angemon gently set the female angel on the ground in front of T.K., and she gave her rescuer a grateful smile. "Thank you for saving me. I thought they were going to capture me for sure."
Angemon smiled at her and gently squeezed her hand. "You're welcome. Look after her, T.K. I better get back to the others before someone gets hurt."
"Alright, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Which isn't much," Angemon muttered, leaping into the air and heading for Falconmon.
"Are you alright?" Palmon gasped, giving the female angel a sympathetic look.
Ryoko smiled slightly and shook his head. Unlike Angemon and the others, the female angel was rather short for a digimon. Even standing she would only just barely reach T.K.'s chin.
"Now I am," she said quietly, her blue eyes shining with relief.
Mickey shyly placed his hand on her arm and gave her a warm smile. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"
The female angel fluttered her eyelashes at Mickey and gently brushed her fingers against his cheek. There was a curious expression on her face, and the look in her eyes suggested she found Mickey's angelic features to be rather fascinating.
"You're a human," she said softly after a brief moment of silence.
Mickey blushed and slowly nodded. "That's right."
"Obviously," Matty snorted, clearly amused by the female angel's sudden interest in his brother. "So, what's your name?"
The female angel fluttered her wings and beamed at them. "My name is Luciamon."