Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Another chapter. This one reveals their master plan to get into the castle!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 92: Luciamon's Discovery
Davis Motomiya
Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World
Davis stared at his D-3 in astonishment and held it up for the others so they could get a better view of its glowing surface. "I hope one of you guys can tell me what's going on here because I'm totally lost."
"You're not the only one," Alopemon grumbled.
Tirimon had reverted back to his rookie form because he could not fly, and although he seemed a little annoyed at being the only one other than Palmon and Glowmon who could not soar along side Dragermon, he was quite content to curl up in Ryoko's lap and catch a quick nap.
Well, he would have been taking a nap if I hadn't opened my big mouth!
"I'm confused. Davis doesn't have a crest and neither do Dai and the others. How can their Digivices possibly be glowing?" Palmon asked, shaking her head and making herself comfortable next to Ryoko's side.
T.K. frowned at his own Digivice and shrugged. "I have no idea. What do you think, Ken?"
"I'm sorry, T.K., but I'm just as confused as you are. Maybe one of us should e-mail Izzy and let him know what's going on. He might be able to figure it out."
Sam suddenly sat up straight and turned to gaze curiously at T.K. "What ever happened to the Digi-eggs?"
T.K. studied Sam's face for a moment and slowly pulled out his D-Terminal. "Actually, that's a good question, Sam. We still had our Digi-eggs even after the gates to the Digital World closed, but one day they suddenly just disappeared. In fact, it happened the year Mickey, Matty, Dai, Ryoko, Kara, and you yourself were born. I never really thought about it until now. Strangely enough we still have our D-Terminals even though we don't have the eggs they were originally meant to store. That was the whole purpose of them in the first place."
"You're not serious, are you?" Angemon asked, fluttering over to T.K.'s side and keeping pace with Dragermon. "Veemon, myself, and the others just assumed all of you still had them. How could they have just disappeared like that?"
"I don't know, but I would sure like to find out."
"Well, the fact that it happened after the gates closed explains why we didn't know," Palmon commented.
"I can't believe it! They're really gone?" Dai gasped.
Davis opened his D-Terminal and held it out to his son. "See for yourself."
The place where his Digi-eggs had once been stored no longer showed the images of two small eggs. Instead they found themselves staring at a blank screen.
"Great, what else could go wrong?" Dai muttered.
"Do you think it's just a coincidence the Digi-eggs disappeared the year Mickey and his friends were born?" Gabrielmon asked quietly, landing lightly on Dragermon's back and crouching next to T.K.
T.K.'s golden eyebrows narrowed into a frown, and he slowly shook his head. "No, Gabrielmon, I don't. It must have happened for a reason."
"Yes, if only we knew why."
"We'll find out eventually," T.K. replied, patting the angel digimon's arm.
Gabrielmon nodded before leaping back into the air again, but the look on his face suggested he had his doubts.
"None of this explains why all of our Digivices are glowing," Takara sniffed, waving her green D-Coder impatiently in the air. "It can't be because of the Spirit Chips. Centaurumon said we need the crests in order to find and use them."
Davis nodded in agreement and grinned at the female Digidestined. "Well, maybe Gennai will know."
"He'd better because I'm tired of waiting for answers!" Matty said sourly. The younger Digidestined was clearly in a lousy mood, and not even Mickey's sympathetic smile was enough to cheer him up.
"We're here!" Luciamon sang out, gesturing ahead of the forest below them. Davis was pretty sure it was the same forest Luciamon had run out of earlier, and he shook his head in disbelief. This forest must stretch for miles across the Western Hemisphere. I hope Luciamon didn't have to run the whole length of it from her attackers!
"This way," Luciamon instructed, pointing towards the edge of the forest. "We're going to have to land in the trees otherwise the guards will spot us. Don't worry, you'll have an awesome view of the castle, and it'll give you a chance to make up your minds about what to do next."
"Let's go," Stingmon said shortly.
Dragermon landed them neatly at the edge of the forest, and Davis helped Takara drop to the ground. They joined the others in a group around Luciamon behind a large clump of bushes, and the female angel pointed to a huge castle nestled at the base of a rocky cliff. It had been built out of grey stone, and its tall structure looked very menacing, but the most fearful thing about it came in the form of a large group of digimon who were patrolling the castle walls.
"There is no way we're going to make it in there without getting caught!" Sam gasped, gazing wide-eyed at the two DarkTyrannomon who were guarding the doors.
He's right. Our digimon are strong, but they're not strong enough to take on that many digimon at once!
"Actually, Sam, the castle isn't as impenetrable as it seems," Luciamon giggled, interrupting his thoughts.
"You're kidding, right?" Matty snorted, moving unconsciously closer to Mickey for reassurance.
Luciamon shook her head and pointed to a group of Vilemon who were patrolling the left side of the castle. It was the side they had the best view of since they were looking at the fort on an angle. "That wall is how we're going to get inside the castle. One day when I was spying on the fort, I was able to distract the Vilemon long enough to get right up to the castle wall. I put my hand up against the stone to catch my breath, and would you believe it? My hand went right through the structure! I tested the rest of the wall, but there was only that one spot where I could walk right through the stone and step right into the castle. I set a rock about the size of my hand in front of the spot so I wouldn't forget where it was. All we need to do is cause a diversion to distract the guards long enough for us to get inside. It really isn't going to be as hard as it looks, you know. Now are you guys willing to go along with my plan?"
T.K.'s whole face lit up, and he beamed at the female angel. "Weak spots! The castle has weak spots! You're brilliant, Luciamon!"
"T.K., what are you talking about?" Davis asked, frowning in confusion.
Does he really think Luciamon can get us inside?
"Davis, did Tai ever tell you about the time when Sora was captured by a digimon named Datamon?"
Davis glanced at his son, whose dark eyes were beginning to sparkle with excitement, and nodded slowly. "Tai blamed himself for what had happened because he'd been afraid to go back through the firewall. He was scared, but somehow he managed to find his courage again, and after that he was able to rescue Sora. Why do you ask?"
"Do you remember what Izzy had discovered about Etemon's pyramid?" T.K. asked, ignoring his question.
"Of course, he-" Davis broke off and started to smile. "You're kidding, right?"
T.K. laughed and quickly shook his head. "I've never been more serious in my life! All we have to do is find the weak points in order to make our way through the castle without getting caught, and Luciamon just happens to know where the first weak point is!"
"We'll have the crests back before Vampiramon even knows they've gone missing!" Matty cheered. "Agumon told us all about Etemon's pyramid and what happened to Aunt Sora. I can't wait to see the look on DarkAngelicmon's face when he finds out we stole the crests back right out from under his nose!"
"And you had the nerve to tell me to be careful!" Dai muttered.
Matty blushed and gave the goggle-headed leader a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Dai. I know we have to be careful, but it does feel good to finally be getting somewhere, doesn't it?"
"No!" Ryoko snapped. "Vampiramon's master is in there somewhere, and he's probably a lot stronger than DarkAngelicmon and the others combined! Besides, we don't even know for sure if the crests are in the castle. I know the glow coming from our Digivices has increased, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. This isn't a time for jokes, so keep your eyes open and pay attention."
Everyone fell silent, and Davis winced at the sudden tension Ryoko's words had caused. The golden-haired Digidestined was right. They could be walking into a death trap.
"I know that," Matty finally mumbled, glaring at his cousin and avoiding Mickey's eyes.
"You'd better," Mickey said sharply.
"Look, Matty, just...stay safe, okay?" Ryoko said in a softer tone.
Matty placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder and nodded. "I will."
Davis rolled his eyes at the group of arguing Vilemon and sighed. "There's only one problem. How are we going to find the rest of the weak points?"
"Good question," T.K. muttered, gazing uneasily at his sons.
Dai's face fell, and Davis wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders.
"Somehow we need to get this information back to Izzy," Ken said slowly.
"Maybe our D-Coders can help with that," Takara suggested.
Matty beamed at her and nodded. "It's worth a shot. Let's see what else these things can do!"
The younger twin held out his yellow D-Coder and pointed it at the castle. At first nothing happened, but then it let out a sudden loud beep and started to glow even brighter than when it had first started reacting to something in the Western Hemisphere. An image of the castle began to scan slowly onto the screen, and after the data had finished processing Matty hit several buttons on his D-Coder before one worked to his satisfaction. "See?" the younger twin said, holding out his Digivice for everyone to study.
A tiny window had popped up on the screen, and the message said: Sending data.
"Way to go, Matty!" Dai cheered. "How much do you want to bet that information is being sent to Izzy right now!"
T.K. nodded in agreement and ruffled Matty's hair. "Your new D-Coders are turning out to be very useful. Now that Izzy's got the information on the structure of Vampiramon's base he can help us find the weak points. I better send him an e-mail and let him know what's going on."
"Does that mean we don't have to split up now?" Ryoko asked, glancing hopefully at his uncle.
Davis shook his head and motioned for ExVeemon to join him. "It wouldn't do us any good to split up. The guards won't spot us no matter how large our numbers are if we follow the weak points. Besides, if everything goes according to plan we won't need to look for the crests. Izzy might be able to lead us right to them. If that's the case then it would be pointless for us to split up."
For some reason Luciamon looked disappointed, but the frustrated expression on her face was quickly replaced with a smile. "Well, we might not have to split up yet, but you never know what could happen in the castle. Are we ready to steal some crests back?"
T.K. closed his D-Terminal with a snap and nodded. "Let's go."
Izzy Izumi
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
"Hey, Izzy, what's that?" Yolei asked, pointing at the screen.
Izzy glanced over Taniko's shoulder and frowned at the new window covering his map of the Digital World. It said: Incoming message. A moment later the image of a large structure filled the screen, and it was followed quickly by an e-mail from T.K. The e-mail said:
Izzy,
We think we've found out where the crests are! Matty scanned this image of the castle where we're pretty sure Vampiramon and her buddies are keeping our crests captive with his D-Coder, and somehow he was able to send the data to you. (We hope!) I know this is going to sound crazy, but we need you to help us find the weak points in the castle like you did with Etemon's pyramid. Luciamon (a new friend of ours we rescued from some of Vampiramon's flunkies) already knows where the first one is. Do you think you could find the rest? The crests have to be in there because my Digivice and Ken's, as well, have started reacting to something in the castle. I'm pretty sure that's where the signals are coming from because the strength of the light coming from my D-3 is stronger here than anywhere else, but there's one thing I don't understand. My sons' D-Coders have started reacting to something, too, and the same goes for Dai and the rest of their friends. Davis' D-3 is also reacting, but I'm not sure if their Digivices are reacting to something in the castle, as well, because none of the D-Coders or Davis' D-3 are reacting as strongly as my Digivice and Ken's Digivice. If you have an explanation we'd love to hear it! We haven't seen Leomon and his friends yet, but Agumon and the others have gone to join them so hopefully we'll hear from them soon. We're standing by for your instructions. Thanks!
T.K.
P.S. We know Gennai's definitely in the castle!
"Alright!" Noah cheered. "Way to go, Matty! The crests have to be inside Vampiramon's castle, and now Dai and the others have a perfect chance to get their hands on them!"
"So, Izzy, do you have any doubts about the New Digidestined team?" Miya asked, looking amused.
Izzy smiled at her and shook his head. "No way. They're using their heads and being responsible. I can't believe Matty was able to send me a map of the castle. What a brilliant idea! Those D-Coders really are powerful. They have so many functions! I must have a closer look at them as soon as possible."
"I guess some things never change!" Mimi giggled, rolling her eyes.
Izzy ignored the rosy-haired Digidestined and began to type out a message on the computer which he promptly sent to T.K.'s D-Terminal. "I can't believe T.K. remembered Etemon's pyramid! That was quite a long time ago."
"It's a good thing he did otherwise they probably wouldn't have had a clue how to get inside the castle," Yolei sniffed.
"You've got a point there."
"No kidding!" Ema snorted. "So, Izzy, what's the plan?"
Lucky for me I've already got one worked out!
He quickly pointed to a red stationary dot on the 3-D image Matty had sent him and beamed at the others. "That little light is the first weak point which Luciamon discovered, and hopefully it'll allow Dai and the others to get inside the castle without being noticed. Once they've gotten past the first line of guards they'll have to turn down two more hallways before they get to the next weak point. I'm going to take them on the shortest route possible to get them to the crests."
"But how do you know for sure the crests are in there?" Taniko asked slowly. "T.K.'s D-3 might be reacting to something near the castle instead of something inside it."
Izzy studied the skeptical look on his daughter's face and smiled slightly. "You know what, Taniko? I think you take after me more than you think you do!"
"What do you mean?"
Izzy pulled her into a hug and gently kissed her cheek. "You'll find out eventually. Just promise me you'll never stop asking questions, alright?"
"Alright," Taniko replied, hugging him back and looking extremely confused.
I almost wish Vademon would have had a chance to meet Taniko. She would have been more than a match for him!
Izzy gazed proudly at his daughter for a moment before turning his attention back to the computer screen. "There's a room on the fifth floor next to the main staircase filled with glowing dots. Nine dots, to be exact."
"Nine dots representing nine crests," Ami said quietly.
Izzy nodded in agreement and frowned at the monitor. "The main staircase leads all the way to the top floor of the castle, but I don't want Dai and the others getting anywhere near it because Vampiramon's probably posted tons of guards on every single landing. There's no way she would have left any of the castle's seven floors unguarded. "It'll be easier for Davis, T.K., Ken, and the kids to fight or sneak around the digimon guarding the back staircases because the back ones aren't out in the open like the main staircase, and the narrow corridors will prevent any of Vampiramon's servants from ambushing them before they have a chance to turn the situation around to their advantage."
"Bad guys never like to play by the rules," Rina said solemnly.
"What about Gennai?" Noah asked hesitantly.
Izzy sighed and placed a hand on the dark-haired boy's shoulder. "There's only one place he could be. Vampiramon must have thrown him in the dungeons which are located underground. I wish we knew where Leomon was. I'm glad Agumon and the others are helping them, but I'm still worried."
"What if Leomon and the others show up and accidentally end up ruining T.K.'s plan to sneak into the castle?" Ami gasped.
"They won't. Actually a diversion would help more than hinder us right now."
"Dad, I know that look on your face. What's wrong?" Taniko demanded, her eyebrows narrowing into a frown.
Izzy wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and managed a weak smile. "If Leomon doesn't show up soon, Dai and the others might have to rescue Gennai as well as the crests. I'll tell you one thing. If they do run into Gennai on their way through the castle they'd better make sure he comes with them. I really don't want to have to lead them all the way to the dungeons."
"I guess everything will depend on whether or not Leomon shows up and they can find the crests before Vampiramon realizes what's going on," Ema grumbled. "They won't be able to rescue Gennai if they get caught."
"Shouldn't they rescue Gennai first?" Ami asked slowly. "He's more important than any crests."
"Not according to Centaurumon!" Taysuke laughed.
Izzy gave Dai's sister a reassuring smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, Ami, Gennai would never forgive us if we didn't rescue the crests first!"
"He's right, you know," Mimi said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Ami in a tight squeeze. "Gennai has always been a little bit wacky. I wouldn't worry about him too much, if I were you. He knows how to take care of himself. Besides, Vampiramon and the others won't hurt him."
"Why not?" Nao asked shyly.
Izzy stared at Mimi in surprise and started to laugh. "Because they need Gennai just as much as we do! I can't believe I never even thought of that!"
"You're too smart for your own good sometimes," Mimi sniffed.
"This is just like old times!" Kari laughed.
"I know. We're saving the world, Tai and the rest of our leaders are giving orders, and Izzy's running the whole operation. Good times," Mimi said happily.
Izzy crossed his arms and gave the rosy-haired Digidestined a stern look. "I haven't finished explaining my plan, you know."
"Oh, sorry. Go ahead."
Izzy suppressed a sigh and waved his hand at the computer screen. "Like I said before, the computer can pick up the signals coming from the Digivices, and it can also pick up the signals coming from the crests. After all, the computers are linked to both worlds, and that's why we can use them as a convenient way to travel to the Digital World. They can also pick up digital information from the Digiworld like the signals coming from the crests and Digivices. The crests have appeared on the map of Vampiramon's castle, and the Digivices have appeared on my map of the Digital World. Once Dai and the others enter the castle, the dots representing their Digivices will show us exactly where they are in relation to the crests. All we have to do is watch them move through the castle and guide them in the right direction. We'll always know where they are at all times."
"It's like we're right with them," Kari said softly.
"Um...Izzy? Why are the D-Coders and Davis' D-3 responding to the crests?" Miya asked curiously.
Izzy shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure, but I'll do my best to come up with some sort of an explanation. Besides, like T.K. said, how can we be sure the other Digivices are responding to something in the castle? Whatever they're reacting to could be outside of Vampiramon's base."
I wonder if...unless...
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ema demanded, raising her voice to get everyone's attention. "Come on, Izzy, let's put your plan into action. We've got some crests to find!"