Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: It took a while, but I finally have another chapter up! Well, before I say anything else, I want to congratulate CrestOfHealing for being the winner of the FTFOD contest! Her story, My Brother's Keeper, was the clear favorite and earned her her own OC character in this story! Her character Renmi Igawa (Ren for short) will be appearing in the story after the gang gets back to the human world. She is the daughter of Yolei's sister Chizuru and is Sam's cousin. Also, I always try to do my best to make the attacks of the digimon as accurate as I can (especially for the digimon we all saw in the show) but for others like Soulmon, who didn't have a chance to do much in Savers, it's very hard to find an accurate description of their attacks, so please forgive me if anything is out of place. Happy reading!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 139: A Noble Heart
Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"Enough talk!" Tai shouted, clenching his hands into fists. "You might know what we're planning, but don't think we didn't count on that! It doesn't matter what you do. We're still going to find the Spirit Chips, and when we do, there's no way we're going to hand them over to you! Get her, Greymon!"
"You too, Garurumon!" Matt added.
"Now, Soulmon!" Vampiramon shrieked. "Scarlet Lightning!"
Several bolts of bright red light suddenly shot out of the sky and streaked towards the ground straight for Garurumon. Ignoring the barrage of electricity raining down around him, Garurumon began to weave through the bolts of lightning at a run in an effort to reach Vampiramon. Tirimon raced up behind the wolf digimon and the two of them began to circle Vampiramon, their eyes focused intently on her every move. Vampiramon slowly backed up, trying unsuccessfully to keep them both in view, and let out an angry hiss. "Try all you want, but your pathetic attempts to stop me aren't going to work!"
"We'll see about that," Garurumon growled. "Stay away from Ryoko! Ready, Tirimon?"
"Ready! Arctic Blast!"
"Howling Blaster!"
Tirimon's snowy blast and Garurumon's icy stream of energy shot at Vampiramon in opposite directions, but before either attack could hit, the vampire digimon turned herself into a bat and launched herself into the air. Garurumon's and Tirimon's attacks collided beneath Vampiramon and exploded on impact.
"Don't worry, I'll get her," Greymon shouted, charging forwards and launching his attack at the vampire digimon. "Nova Blast!"
Vampiramon easily dodged the huge fire ball, wings flapping furiously to keep her airborne, and swooped between Greymon's legs out of reach. By the time Greymon turned to face her, she had already switched back to her human form, and immediately she sent bolts of lightning raining down on the dinosaur digimon's head. Greymon disappeared in a huge explosion, and by the time the smoke cleared, Vampiramon had already sent another attack at Tirimon and Garurumon, which they barely managed to avoid.
"Hey, not fair!" Greymon growled, struggling to stay on his feet. Wisps of smoke drifted into the air around him and he shook his large head to clear his vision. "Stay put so I can hit you! Nova Blast!"
"Lamia Transformation!" Vampiramon shouted.
Once again, the vampire digimon turned into a bat and launched herself into the air. Greymon's attack slammed into the ground where she had been standing a split second earlier, and the blast left a huge smoking crater in the earth.
"You're not going to get away that easily!" Dragermon growled, swooping around the vampire digimon in a circle. "Dragon Fire Spin!"
A swirling beam of fire shot out of Dragermon's mouth straight for Vampiramon, but she quickly swooped under the large dragon's body and the blast missed her by several feet. Growing frustrated, Dragermon tried to hit her with his tail, but she darted out of range and sped back towards the ground.
"It's no use!" Sora moaned, gazing helplessly at Tai. "Greymon and Dragermon are just too big for their attacks to have any effect. Vampiramon's small and quick, especially when she turns into a bat. The chances of their attacks hitting her are slim at best."
"In that case, I won't be much use either," Birdramon grumbled, hovering anxiously in the air above Sora's head.
"Great, so now what do we do?" Tai groaned, making a face. "Any ideas, Izzy?"
"I'm working on it. Some of our smaller champions might be able to slow Vampiramon down and give the larger ones a chance to attack. If not, our partners will have to digivolve again."
"Vampiramon's the same size as Ibismon," Takara said quietly, glancing hopefully at her father. "My partner was able to hold Vampiramon off once before. She can do it again. I know she can!"
"Yeah, too bad Ibismon's a little tied up at the moment," Matty replied, pointing at something beyond Vampiramon.
Dai turned to see what Matty was looking at and spotted Ibismon, Gabrielmon, Kabuterimon, and Meramon attempting to subdue Soulmon.
Kabuterimon and Ibismon were hovering above the other three digimon, but unlike the Bakemon guarding DarkAngelicmon's castle, Soulmon didn't look the least bit concerned about being surrounded by four strong digimon who were attempting to delete him.
"Let's see how smart you are compared to those Bakemon we fought earlier! Feather darts!" Ibismon shouted, spreading her wings and sending a barrage of pink feathers straight at Soulmon.
"I'm right behind you!" Kabuterimon called out, swooping beneath Ibismon and aiming his attack at Soulmon's back. "Electro Shocker!"
Soulmon managed to duck under Kabuterimon's electric blast, but some of Ibismon's feathers embedded themselves in his hat. Unlike the Bakemon, though, instead of running away, or even pulling his disappearing act, he let out a triumphant cackle and rushed straight towards Ibismon.
"Stop him!" Meramon ordered, motioning for Gabrielmon to move ahead of him. "You take the right and I'll take the left. Magma Blast!"
"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon shouted, launching himself into the air and pointing his sceptre at the top of Soulmon's head.
Soulmon managed to avoid Meramon's fiery blast, but Gabrielmon's attack made contact with the back of his head and he nearly lost his hat. The force of the blast should have sent the ghost digimon flying through the air, but unfortunately it did not seem to have any effect. Instead of taking a tumble, Soulmon shot towards Ibismon and knocked the bird digimon off her feet.
"Leave her alone!" Gabrielmon cried, diving out of the sky and swinging his sceptre at the ghost digimon's back.
"Soul Cry!" Soulmon countered, shooting into the air and flying over Gabrielmon's head.
"Look out!" Ibismon shrieked.
Ghost-like creatures resembling spirits shot out in all directions and sent Kabuterimon and Gabrielmon crashing to the ground. Ibismon threw her arms over her head just as several of the spirits flew through the air towards her and they just missed the pink feathers sprouting from her long, emerald green hair. Two of the ghosts knocked Meramon off his feet and he narrowly avoided falling on top of Gabrielmon.
"Hey, why aren't you two helping out?" Matty asked, glancing between Angelicmon and Birdramon.
Angelicmon raised his eyebrows and gently placed his hand on Matty's shoulder. "Someone has to protect Dai and Ryoko."
"That's what we're here for," Birdramon added. Dai glanced up at Sora's partner and rolled his eyes. Birdramon was circling slowly above their heads and her gaze was focused intently on Vampiramon and Soulmon. Clearly she wasn't about to give Vampiramon a chance to capture either himself or Ryoko. Angelicmon and Birdramon should be helping the others instead of standing, or in Birdramon's case hovering, here acting like babysitters. Dragermon and the rest of the digimon need their assistance. If Vampiramon wants to capture me, then I say let her try. I'll teach her what happens when you mess with the leader of the Digidestined!
Angelicmon must have guessed what he was thinking because the angel digimon suddenly looked at him and frowned in disapproval. "Don't even think about it, Dai. You stay where you are. The only reason Vampiramon bothered to confront us today is because she wants to get her hands on you and Ryoko. This whole fight is merely to cause a distraction while she comes up with a plan to separate the two of you from the rest of our group. The minute we take our eyes off you, she'll put her plan into action, which is why we're not going to leave you on your own, even for a few minutes."
"But the others need your help!" Ryoko insisted.
"Let go!" Ibismon suddenly squealed, her voice carrying above the sounds of the battle.
Dai jerked around in surprise and let out a loud gasp. Soulmon's ghost-like creatures had somehow managed to pin Ibismon to the grass and she was struggling furiously in an attempt to free herself. Meramon, Kabuterimon, and Gabrielmon were all trying to avoid more ghost-like creatures circling around them, but at Ibismon's shout Gabrielmon managed to break away from the group and he fluttered towards Ibismon.
"Let her go!" Gabrielmon shouted, twirling his sceptre in a large circle. "Heavenly Vortex!"
A large golden gateway sharing the same symbol as Mickey's pedestal appeared in the sky above the spirits, and one by the one they were sucked into its shining depths. The last one disappeared in a blaze of light, and before the gate had even closed all the way, Gabrielmon was kneeling next to Ibismon's side. "Are you okay?"
Ibismon slowly sat up and gave one of Gabrielmon's gold and white wings a fond tug. "I am now, thanks to you."
"You won't be for long!" Soulmon cried gleefully, his slimy blue arms shooting out and wrapping tightly around Meramon. "Energy Drain!"
"What's happening?" Meramon gasped, sinking to his knees and letting out a soft groan. He tried to struggle free, but he didn't seem to have enough strength to overpower Soulmon.
Kabuterimon landed on the ground next to the flaming digimon and nearly lost his balance in an attempt to help Meramon escape. "I don't know. Hey, let go, you puny floating bed sheet!"
Soulmon immediately pulled away from Meramon and turned his attention to Ibismon and Gabrielmon. Before either one of them could move, he reached out his slimy blue arms and caught both of them in his large, ugly hands. Both digimon tried to struggle free, but it was no use. "He's draining our energy!" Gabrielmon groaned, sticking his arms between Soulmon's fingers and holding onto Ibismon's shoulder for support. "We can't stop him!"
"At this rate we're going to turn back into rookies!" Ibismon moaned, her emerald green eyes falling shut and her pink wings drooping behind her back. "That's so not fair!"
"Gabrielmon, no!" Angelicmon cried, taking a few steps towards his fellow digimon. "If they don't get some help, Soulmon's going to win!"
Dai raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Matty's partner. "Why don't you go help them?"
"But..."
"Go and help our friends, I'll watch Dai and Ryoko," Birdramon interrupted. "It doesn't look like Dragermon's group will be able to help. They're too busy just trying to keep up with Vampiramon."
"We're so going to lose!" Matty groaned.
"What do you expect with that kind of attitude?" Tai snorted, frowning at his nephew.
Dai found himself gazing into Angelicmon's green eyes, and the angel digimon stared back at him for a moment before turning to glance anxiously at Ryoko. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
"I won't, but I can't speak for Daichi," Ryoko smirked.
Dai glared at the golden-haired Digidestined and waved Angelicmon away. "Go on, we're not little kids, you know. We can take care of ourselves. This really stinks! What's the point of being the leader of the Digidestined when nobody ever listens to you?"
"Welcome to my world," Tai said dryly, glancing at Matt.
Dai grinned at the former leader and turned to face Angelicmon. "Well? Get going!"
Angelicmon bowed and gave him a salute, but before the angel could launch himself into the air, Vampiramon, in her bat form, suddenly swooped over Tirimon and Garurumon and grabbed Ryoko by the back of his shirt.
"Ryoko!" Matt shouted, staring at his son in horror.
"Birdramon, do something!" Sora cried.
"I can't, I might hit Ryoko!"
"Let him go," Angelicmon commanded, pointing his spear at Vampiramon in a threatening manner.
"I don't think so! That Spirit Chip is mine, and blondie here is going to help me get it!"
Dai clenched his hands into fists and glared at the vampire digimon. "Leave Ishida alone or you're going to have to deal with me!"
Vampiramon turned back into her human form and wrapped her arm tightly around Ryoko's neck. Dai found himself staring into Vampiramon's angry green eyes, and smiling evilly, she tightened her grip on the golden-haired Digidestined and poked him roughly in the side with her small knife. "Really? What could a human possibly do to me?"
"Get your hands off my son!" Matt snarled, advancing towards Vampiramon.
Izzy and Tai grabbed onto Matt's arms before the golden-haired Digidestined could do anything drastic, and he glared defiantly at them, his sapphire eyes narrowing into angry slits.
"Calm down, Matt. Don't do anything stupid," Tai warned, keeping a firm grip on the former musician's arm. "You don't want Ryoko to end up getting hurt, do you?"
"There's no way I'm going to let her make my son a prisoner!"
"Putting your son's life in danger isn't going to help him," Izzy blurted out, tugging anxiously on Matt's other arm.
"Yeah, well what do you suggest I do?"
"Give me a moment. Even geniuses need some time to think!"
"How about I make a decision for you?" Vampiramon snarled, glaring at Izzy.
Dai glanced at the computer expert, but Izzy just shrugged and scratched his head.
What in the Digiworld is Vampiramon talking about?
Frowning slightly, Dai crossed his arms and turned to look at the vampire digimon. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Daichi Motomiya, if you come with me quietly, I will refrain from hurting your little friend. If you refuse, he will experience a great deal of pain. I might not be able to kill you or any of the other Digidestined at the moment, but I can still make all of you suffer, and if you don't willingly come with me, Ryoko Ishida will most certainly suffer."
"Don't listen to her, Daichi!" Ryoko snapped, struggling in Vampiramon's grip. "She's just trying to trick you into coming with her."
Dai ignored his golden-haired friend and glared at Vampiramon. "If I come with you, will you let Ishida go?"
"Have you completely lost your mind?" Ryoko shouted, staring at him in disbelief. "Do you realize what you're saying?"
"Don't be stupid," Vampiramon said coldly, her green eyes narrowing into angry slits. "You're both coming with me. I can't afford to pick the wrong person when it comes to the Spirit Chip of Bravery. It just means your friend won't suffer too terribly at my hands."
What am I going to do? It's probably a trap, but if she really does hurt Ryoko...
"Well? What is it going to be?"
"I don't believe you."
"Oh, really?"
Before Dai could respond, Vampiramon pressed the sharp edge of her knife into Ryoko's side and the golden-haired Digidestined let out a gasp of pain.
"Ryoko!" Matt cried, struggling in Tai's grip and trying desperately to reach his son.
"You humans may be less vulnerable in the Digital World, but that doesn't mean you're invincible," Vampiramon hissed. "You still experience pain, and with enough effort you can be killed."
"Let him go!" Matt snapped.
Vampiramon ignored the former musician and pressed her knife even further into Ryoko's side. Dai stared at his golden-haired friend, unable to look away, and the fear in his heart finally exploded. "Stop! Fine, you win. I'll go with you. Just...just don't hurt him."
"Daichi, you noble idiot!" Ryoko moaned, wincing in pain.
"Oh, Dai," Takara whispered, reaching out and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
"You're just like your dad," Tai sighed, smiling slightly.
Dai gently let go of Takara's hand and slowly made his way towards Vampiramon. He could hear Matt shouting at him not to put himself in danger, but he ignored the former musician and kept his attention focused on Ryoko. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see Kabuterimon's group still fighting against Soulmon, who had resorted to using his disappearing act, but he stopped when he spotted Dragermon hovering in the air just behind Vampiramon. Greymon was standing below Dragermon, and in front of the large dinosaur digimon, standing silent and ready to pounce, were Garurumon and Tirimon. He caught Tirimon's eye and the digimon nodded ever so slightly.
"Now!" Garurumon shouted.
Dai raced forwards, and grabbing onto Ryoko's arm, he yanked the golden-haired Digidestined out of Vampiramon's grip just as Garurumon and Tirimon leaped onto the vampire digimon's back.
"Your turn, Greymon!" Tai shouted.
"Nova Blast!"
Garurumon and Tirimon quickly moved to either side of Vampiramon, and Greymon's fiery blast engulfed her in a cloud of smoke.
Taking advantage of the situation, Dragermon swooped out of the sky and shot a stream of fire at Vampiramon.
"Daichi, you jerk! How could you just offer yourself up as a sacrifice like that?" Ryoko said angrily, hitting him hard in the stomach and trying to squirm out of his grip.
Dai gazed directly into Ryoko's sapphire eyes and tightened his grip on the golden-haired Digidestined's arms. "You're more important than any stupid Spirit Chip."
Ryoko stared at him in shock, but before the blond could answer, Matt suddenly ran up to them and pulled up Ryoko's shirt. "Are you hurt?"
There was a faint line where Vampiramon's knife had dug into the golden-haired Digidestined's skin, but it didn't look too serious. "I'm fine, Dad."
Matt held his son protectively against his chest and shook his head. "No you're not!"
"Listen, Tai, we need to get Dai and Ryoko out of here, but more importantly we need to find Sam," Izzy interrupted, turning to the former leader. "I think Mickey's right about him being in danger."
"It's the ocean," Mickey whispered, gazing off into the distance. "Sam is losing himself to the darkness."
"You...you don't think it's the Dark Ocean, do you?" Matty asked hesitantly, tugging anxiously on his twin's arm.
"I don't know, but...it could be."
"In that case, we're going to have to split up," Tai sighed, shaking his head.
"Why don't Izzy and I stay behind and keep Vampiramon busy long enough to give you guys a head start?" Mina suggested.
"Will two of you be enough?" Sora asked, looking concerned. "I mean, Vampiramon is a mega."
"I want to find Sam!" Mickey said stubbornly.
Takara hesitated and let out a deep sigh. "I'll stay."
Dai jerked around and stared at his female friend in surprise. "What did you say? You...can't...Tai, tell her!"
Tai smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I trust Izzy and Mina. They'll keep Kara safe."
"Of course we will," Mina said softly, patting Tai's shoulder.
"Mina's right," Izzy insisted. "Three of us are going to have to be enough. You guys might run into Vampiramon's other allies, and if you do, you're going to need a lot of digimon to fight against them, especially if they have Sam. Vampiramon only wants Dai and Ryoko. Killing or hurting the rest of us would take too much time, so she's probably just going to try and get around us. She said it herself. She can't kill us until her master gives the order. Besides, Kabuterimon, Meramon, and Ibismon seem to be holding their own now."
Dai glanced at Kabuterimon's group and let out a sigh of relief. Ibismon, Gabrielmon, and Meramon were all back on their feet again, and for once their attacks seemed to be affecting a now visible Soulmon. The ghost digimon was doing his best not to get hit, but some of the blasts made contact and sent him flying through the air. "They're doing fine now, but what will happen when Vampiramon joins the fight?"
"We'll be fine, Dai," Takara interrupted, rolling her eyes. "We're just going to distract Vampiramon long enough to give you guys a head start and then we'll follow you, okay?"
How am I supposed to protect everyone when we keep having to split up all the time?
Sighing loudly, Dai pulled his female friend into a fierce hug and hid his face against her shoulder. "Fine, but if you do anything crazy you're in big trouble."
"Yes, leader, I'll behave."
Dai pulled back and glanced suspiciously at the female Digidestined, but Kara just smiled at him and touched his cheek. Her own cheeks looked unusually pink, but despite the uncertainty in her hazel eyes, she looked pleased about something.
"Be careful," Sora whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead.
Dai turned and waved his arm to get Dragermon's attention. "Dragermon, come back! Gabrielmon, Greymon, Garurumon, Tirimon, you guys are coming with us!"
Almost immediately, Dragermon and the others abandoned their positions, and Dai blinked in surprise. Wow, they actually listened to me this time!
"Let's go!" Angelicmon shouted.
"This way!" Birdramon called out.
Tai hugged his daughter and whispered something in her ear before climbing onto Birdramon with Sora, and Dai quickly made his way over to his own partner's side. Ryoko dragged Mickey onto Tirimon's back, and the older twin's arms went around his cousin's waist.
"Hang on, Mickey."
"I'm scared, Ryoko," Mickey mumbled into his cousin's shoulder. "Sam's in danger."
"I'm scared too, but Sam's fine. I know he is. He'd better be or...or..."
"Come on, Matty," Matt said quietly, pulling the younger twin up behind him on Garurumon's back and frowning thoughtfully at his son.
"Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and I will cover your backs," Greymon called out.
"Get back here!" Vampiramon shrieked, attempting to follow them.
Luckily, Ibismon reached Vampiramon before the mega could turn into a bat, and Dai smiled as Takara's partner hurtled out of the air and landed on top of Vampiramon with a loud thud. "Now is our chance! Everyone, move out!"
They started off in the direction of Sam's signal, Garurumon and Tirimon leading the way, but Dai barely noticed the scenery zooming by on either side of him. Even the fact that he was one of Vampiramon's main targets didn't frighten him as much as it should have. At the moment, all he cared about was Sam, Kara's group, and what was going on inside Ryoko's head.
It's Sam. Ryoko knows something about Sam, or at least something that has to do with Sam. What could it be? Kara, you always have an answer for this kind of thing, but just when I need you most, you're out there fighting to stay alive. Please, please don't die. I could never live in a world that doesn't have you in it...