Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter is here! Now, I was hoping for more time to post throughout January, but it looks like I'll be pretty busy so I may not get a chance to, but as usual I will post again as soon as I have a chance. Hope you all had a Happy New Year!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 168: The Catalyst
Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
Trying unsuccessfully to put a smile on his face, Daichi entered the small room his parents used for an office, Takara and his friends trailing along behind him, and smiling in amusement, he found there was barely enough room for him to make it through the door. With the exception of Ken and Yolei, all the other adults had come to see them off, along with Noah, Miya, Ami, and the six younger children, all of whom were crowded around the computer. Most of the adults and their digimon were either leaning up against the walls or sitting on the carpet, except for Izzy, who was sitting in front of the computer and Mimi who was sitting on a chair next to the bookcase. The third and final chair in the room was occupied by Taniko, and as usual the dark-haired female was sitting next to her father, her deep brown eyes studying the computer monitor.
Forget about the Digital World. I bet the real reason everyone showed up today is because they want to see Sam.
Rolling his eyes, Dai stepped over DemiVeemon, but before he could make his way safely over to the computer, Nao suddenly flew past him, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"Sam!" the younger boy cried, flinging his arms around the raven-haired Digidestined's waist.
To Dai's complete surprise, instead of pulling away, Sam chewed anxiously on his lower lip and gently he ruffled his little brother's lavender hair. "Hey, Nao. Listen, I...I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have been so mean to you."
"It's okay, Sam. I'm just glad you're here."
"We were worried about you," Miya said quietly, watching the raven-haired Digidestined closely.
Blushing furiously, Sam shrugged and he muttered, "Don't you remember what I said yesterday? I told you I'd be here."
"You're only here because Dad isn't here. You still haven't forgiven him, have you."
"Have you?"
Miya lifted her chin and frowning she crossed her arms over her chest. "Dad's past doesn't just affect you, Sam. I hope you realize that."
"I forgive Daddy," Nao mumbled, burying his face against Sam's ribs.
Conscious of so many people looking at him, Sam ducked his head and he slipped his arms around Nao's thin shoulders in a tight embrace."Can we please go now?"
"Why, so you can avoid us?" Miya demanded, shaking her head. "I won't deny I was upset, but...if you live in the past forever, you'll never appreciate what the future holds."
"I really missed you, Sam," Nao said shyly. "You'll come home with us tonight, won't you? I don't want Mommy and Daddy to be sad anymore."
"I don't think I really have a choice."
"He'll be there," Mickey assured the younger boy, without even glancing at Sam. "Are we ready to leave?"
Dai held up a hand and shaking his head he turned to look at Izzy. "Wait, before we go, there's something you should know. Sam told all of his cousins about the Digital World last night. If you want to know the details, ask Mickey and Matty, since they were sort of there. They can explain it a little bit better."
"We already know," Mina interrupted. "Miya told us just before you got here."
"Huh?"
"Taka and the others confronted me at school today," Miya mumbled. "It happened just as Noah, Ami, and I were leaving to come here."
"You can imagine my surprise when I ran into Makku and he told me he already knew all about the Digital World," Noah said dryly.
"Izzy, now that Taka and the others know, it isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Takara asked anxiously.
Turning away from the computer, Izzy glanced at her and smiling he quickly shook his head. "I don't think so. As long as they don't go around telling the whole world, we should still be fine. Miya already told us about what happened at her house last night, including Mickey's talk with Sam and Ken's theories about DarkAngelicmon, but-"
"What theories?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"Well, if you hadn't been hiding in your room all night you would know," Ryoko said shortly, tossing his head.
Sam glared at Ryoko, but before he could come up with a rude insult, Mickey grabbed the raven-haired Digidestined's arm in a firm grip, effectively cutting off his nasty retort. Frowning, Mickey gave Sam a hard look, and studying the raven-haired Digidestined closely he said, "Do you remember what I said to you last night? When you're ready, we'll tell you."
"Fine, it's not like you guys haven't kept secrets from me before!"
"That's not what we were doing!" Ryoko snapped. "You heard Mickey! When you finally decide to stop acting like an idiot we'll tell you."
"Acting like a complete idiot is better than acting like a complete jerk!"
"As I was saying, " Izzy interrupted, his tone neutral and his voice surprisingly mild, "Ken's theories are certainly interesting and I'd love to hear more, but I'd also like to hear what Mickey and Matty have to say about last night."
Glaring at both Sam and Ryoko, Matty quickly told the adults about what had happened at Taka's apartment, much to Sam's embarrassment, and with Mickey's encouragement, Matty also told the adults about what had happened at the Takaishi residence, as well.
"Your story matches the one Taka and the others told Miya," Sora said quietly.
"They told you?" Sam gasped, rounding on his sister.
"Yes, I pretty much said that already. Weren't you listening? I mean really, what did you expect? You never told them to keep quiet."
Much to Dai's amusement, Sam turned a deep shade of red, and twisting his hands together the raven-haired Digidestined muttered, "Can we please please go now?"
"Of course, if everyone is ready," Izzy said cheerfully, ignoring the blush on Sam's face. "Now remember, your goal is to get the Spirit Chip of Bravery, not to fight."
"So, in other words, we're not aloud to have any fun," Tai joked, grinning at the computer expert.
"Maybe not, but you can bet Vampiramon will be looking for a fight. I think it's pretty safe to assume she'll be waiting for you guys on Infinity Mountain and more than likely DarkAngelicmon and the others will be with her, despite the Lucemon issue. That was certainly the case last time. Avoid them at all costs, and don't pick a fight with them unless you have to. If you get into any trouble, let us know immediately. Taniko and I will be watching your progress on the computer."
"As if you'd be doing anything else," Matt snorted. "I take it Gomamon and the others are waiting for us at the gate?"
"Yes, I spoke to them last night after Mina, Taniko, and I got home from Davis' house. If we're lucky they may have spotted Vampiramon making her way up the mountain. The last time I talked to them, which was just before you came, Matt, they hadn't seen anything, but you never know. Things could have changed since then. Even just knowing exactly where they are at the moment could prove to be a huge advantage."
"No kidding," Matty mumbled.
Motioning for the others heading to the Digital World to gather around him, Daichi held out his D-Coder Digivice and with a flourish he pointed it at the computer. "Well, it's now or never. Digiport open!"
With a flash of light, Dai felt himself disappear into the computer, and catching one last glimpse of Sam's face, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit nervous. If their mission turned out to be as hopeless as the look in Sam's eyes then they were going to be in serious trouble.
Vampiramon
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Long, red hair and inky black cape streaming out behind her in the wind, Vampiramon stood at the very edge of the narrow, rocky path that would eventually lead the Digidestined to the peak of Infinity Mountain, and glaring at the thick forest spreading across the landscape below her, she wrinkled her nose, her eyes closing suddenly to take in the cool breeze swirling around her body. At the moment, she was standing about halfway between the bottom and the top of the mountain, but unfortunately, thanks to her master, she wasn't alone.
"What's taking them so long?" an angry voice behind her complained. "They should have been back by now."
What was my master thinking? It was a foolish idea to send all of us here today. The others are going to ruin my plans, especially DarkAngelicmon.
Clenching her hands into angry fists, Vampiramon whirled around in a fit of rage, and glaring at the digimon who had spoken she let out a sound of disgust. "Honestly, BlackWidowmon, do you want Gomamon and the others to miss spotting us, or not? If we want to be in position before the Digidestined show up then we need to be inconspicuous. If that means we have to wait a little longer for Jestermon and Spritemon to return then so be it."
"Indeed, if they're not going to do their job properly then they might as well not come back at all," a quiet male voice interrupted, catching Vampiramon off guard.
I wish you would leave and never come back.
Muttering to herself, Vampiramon sent the fallen angel a nasty look, her bright green eyes studying the unreadable expression on his handsome face. Unlike BlackWidowmon, DarkAngelicmon didn't seem to be in any hurry to put their master's plan into motion, and judging from the way he was leaning casually against the rocky cliff towering above his head, he was clearly quite content to remain exactly where he was. Obviously he was willing to wait for something to happen, but for what exactly he was waiting for, Vampiramon did not know. Beside the fallen angel, BlackWidowmon was sitting on a large boulder, glaring at her hands, and from the way she kept glancing suspiciously at DarkAngelicmon, it was obvious she too thought he was being unforgivably casual about their upcoming mission.
He shouldn't even be here. He should be looking for Lucemon.
After heading back to Cyber the day before, Vampiramon had assumed instead of going after the Spirit Chips, DarkAngelicmon would be continuing his search for Lucemon, but unfortunately her master seemed to have other plans. After speaking with the Ruler of Darkness last night, DarkAngelicmon had come to her bearing their master's new orders and she had been shocked, to say the least. At first, she had not wanted to believe him, and taking matters into her own hands, she had gone to the Ruler of Darkness herself to confirm the fallen angel's words, but much to her disgust, the Ruler of Darkness had assured her that those were his orders. After that, there had been nothing she could do except to continue her plans for Infinity Mountain. Unlike DarkAngelicmon, she knew her place. If you were smart, you kept your head down and you did what you were told. One did not argue with the Ruler of Darkness. Even the idea itself was unthinkable.
Does this mean my master wants DarkAngelicmon to capture Lucemon and get all of the Spirit Chips?
If that were true, it would explain why the Ruler of Darkness had also included Jestermon and Spritemon in his plans for stealing the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but it did not explain how DarkAngelicmon could be in two places at once.
How can he even think about searching for Lucemon if he's stuck here on Infinity Mountain? The idea itself is completely ridiculous.
Unless, of course, Lucemon was somewhere close by.
Impossible.
Lifting her chin, Vampiramon gazed at the edge of the cliff looming above the heads of her fellow companions, but to her relief and slight disappointment, there was nobody peeking down at them from somewhere higher up on the mountain. A quick glance to her left proved there was nobody standing on the path ahead of them either, and another glance to her right confirmed they weren't being followed. On the surface, it certainly looked as if they weren't being watched or spied upon, but she still had her doubts.
It's highly unlikely that Lucemon would be here on File Island, and it's even less likely that he would be climbing Infinity Mountain just for the fun of it, especially at this exact moment in time. Unlike us, he has no reason to be here, and if he's really serious about defying the Ruler of Darkness then he should be going to Gennai and Azulongmon, not the Digidestined. The Four Guardians and their allies would certainly be able to make more use of him. Besides, he never had any courage to confront the Digidestined before. Why would he start now?
Still feeling slightly suspicious, Vampiramon turned to study the fallen angel's handsome face, but if Lucemon was anywhere near Infinity Mountain, DarkAngelicmon gave no sign that he felt the other angel digimon's presence.
Could DarkAngelicmon be hiding something from us? It's no secret the Ruler of Darkness gave him some sort of special mission, and other than the Spirit Chips, Lucemon is the only thing my master seems to be concerned about at the moment, though he hasn't actually admitted it in so many words. He doesn't have to, I can tell. There's just no other mission DarkAngelicmon could have been given. He has to be looking for Lucemon.
The fallen angel certainly looked innocent enough, but for a digimon like herself who was suspicious by nature, that was exactly the problem. He looked just a little too innocent in her opinion.
Perhaps my master has decided to put the search for Lucemon on hold for the moment. The Spirit Chips are clearly our first priority, and as long as Lucemon remains in hiding, he won't be an issue or a threat to our plans. If I'm right, then it's possible the Ruler of Darkness will wait to capture Lucemon until after we get the Spirit Chips, unless, of course, Lucemon decides to make a move between now and then, but considering what a coward he is, I highly doubt that will happen.
Her theory certainly made sense, but if she was right then that could mean only one of two things. Either the Spirit Chips were important enough to give up on Lucemon for the moment, or the Ruler of Darkness didn't trust her enough to fulfill his orders on her own. If the latter were true, it meant her master had only pulled DarkAngelicmon, Spritemon, and Jestermon from their current mission because he didn't believe she, Vampiramon, could get the job of stealing the Spirit Chips done without a little bit of help.
And after acquiring the Spirit Chip of Bravery, the Ruler of Darkness will most certainly order DarkAngelicmon and the others to resume their mission of capturing Lucemon, at least until Gennai confirms the location of the next Spirit Chip.
Angry at the direction her thoughts were taking, Vampiramon gave the large boulder on her left a hearty kick, trying unsuccessfully to control the sudden spark of rage surging through her veins. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the fallen angel, who was gazing calmly back at her, and making a face she snapped, "Where are those two? Can't they do anything right?"
"And you had the nerve to yell at me for my attitude!" BlackWidowmon muttered.
"Pipe down and keep your comments to yourself! I'm tired of listening to-"
"Maybe you should take your own advice," a female voice coming from the path they had travelled earlier snorted loudly, a hint of malice in her tone. "Keep your fangs on, would you? We're right here."
Startled by the sudden interruption, Vampiramon whirled around just in time to see Spritemon and Jestermon coming up the path behind her, and judging from the looks on their faces their mission had been a complete success. Despite their earlier complaining, having been annoyed with taking such a pitiful job, as Spritemon had called it, both mega digimon were now smiling and they looked mighty pleased with themselves. "Well, did they see us?"
In response to her question, Jestermon quickly shook his head. "Nope. As far as we could tell, Gomamon and the others have no clue we've already started making our way to the top of Infinity Mountain. They're still waiting at the gate for the Digidestined to arrive. Although I will point out it's a good thing we had Airdramon fly us halfway up on the opposite side of the mountain from Gomamon and his friends otherwise they would have spotted us."
"Now that we've got that settled, what's our next move?" Spritemon asked curiously.
Vampiramon motioned for the other four digimon to gather around her and huddling together in a tight circle she proceeded to tell them the details of her plan. "First of all, now that we're on the same side of Infinity Mountain as Gomamon and his friends, we need to be extremely careful they don't spot us, which means no flying! If you have wings, you're not to use them, understand?"
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Spritemon grumbled.
"As soon as the Digidestined arrive here today, they're going to immediately make their way to the top of Infinity Mountain, and when they do finally arrive at their destination, we need to already be there waiting for them. Unfortunately, in order to be ready and in position, one of us needs to follow the Digidestineds' progress up the mountain."
"So, in other words, one of us needs to keep tabs on them and communicate what we've learned to the group waiting at the top of the mountain," Jestermon said slowly. "That way we'll know where the Digidestined are at all times and we'll know exactly when they'll arrive at their destination."
"I see, that way they won't be able to surprise us or catch us off guard," BlackWidowmon smirked.
"Exactly. The little DemiDevimon I brought with us can carry messages back and fourth between the one watching the Digidestined and those of us who remain on the mountain top. I've left him with Airdramon until we need him."
"I think I'm starting to like this plan," Jestermon cackled, doing a little dance to vent his excitement. "It'll be a little game of hide and seek, or capture the flag, if you prefer."
"Yes, there's only one problem. As soon as the Digidestined arrive here in the Digital World they're already going to know we're waiting for them, unless they're even more stupid than I thought they were, and as a result, they're not going to just come charging up the mountain. They're going to be cautious, and if we don't hurry them along a little, they may lose their nerve to confront us."
"I see," Spritemon murmured, "In that case, we need to give them a good reason to come to us."
"Precisely. We need to make sure they retrieve the Spirit Chip and the best way to motivate them into getting it is to give them no other choice. In other words, we must give them a reason to need the Spirit Chip."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" BlackWidowmon demanded.
"It's simple really. We're going to attack them where it hurts."
"Huh?"
"Their friends," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, speaking for the first time. "Why not hold one of the Digidestined as a hostage? If we take one of the humans and bring them to the top of Infinity Mountain with us, the Digidestined will have no choice but to follow. If they feel their fellow Digidestined is in danger, then they will probably try to use the Spirit Chip to defeat us and retrieve the hostage."
Glancing at the fallen angel, Vampiramon nodded in agreement. She would not let his presence get to her, nor was she going to let him get in the way of her plans. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Any human would probably do, other than the one the Spirit Chip belongs to, but I think it would be best if we captured one who is especially important to the owner of the Spirit Chip. That would give our prey even more incentive to come and find us. Obviously the Digidestined know we can't kill their friend yet, but they also know we can still hurt our human hostage very badly."
"That's great and everything, but we still don't even know if the Spirit Chip belongs to either Daichi or Ryoko," Spritemon countered.
"Wouldn't it be better if we just captured the owner of the Spirit Chip?" Jestermon suggested.
"That won't work. We can't get the Spirit Chip until the owner of the Spirit Chip gets it first, and in order for him to get it, I suspect he'll have to have a reason to need it. That's normally how trinkets like the Spirit Chips and the crests usually work."
"And lucky enough for the owner of the Spirit Chip, we're kind enough to supply that reason for him," BlackWidowmon said gleefully.
"Yes, the best way to give him a reason to need it is to threaten someone who's important to him."
"But we still don't know who the owner is!" Spritemon practically shouted, rolling her eyes. "How many times do I have to say it?"
"It's Daichi," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, causing everyone to stare at him in surprise. "If we want to bend him to our will I suggest we hit him where he is most vulnerable. All of his friends are important to him, but there are two who are his greatest concerns at the moment. By that I mean he is uncertain of how he feels about them and how they feel about him."
"And who would they be?" Jestermon asked curiously, his ruby red eyes lighting up with sudden interest.
"The Ishida boy and the girl. If we want to hit Daichi where it hurts, we must capture one of those two."
"But what if we're wrong and the Spirit Chip really belongs to Ryoko? Capturing the Ishida boy will ruin our plans," BlackWidowmon pointed out.
"Then capture the girl. Problem solved."
"How can you be so sure the Spirit Chip belongs to Daichi?" Spritemon asked suspiciously, glaring at the fallen angel.
DarkAngelicmon crossed his arms, and frowning thoughtfully at the bright blue sky he turned his back on the group. "Because I know. The rest of you shouldn't be so quick to disregard the humans. I see things you do not see. That's why all of your plans have failed so far."
"So have yours!" BlackWidowmon cried indignantly.
Hating herself for what she was about to say next, Vampiramon clenched her hands together behind her back and taking a deep breath she snapped, "I believe DarkAngelicmon may be right about Daichi. He does seem to be the most logical choice, and judging from events I've witnessed earlier, capturing the girl would probably be our best choice. It also eliminates the complications with Ryoko, and if the Ishida boy really is the owner, it won't matter. The girl is also important to him, as well."
"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon murmured. "And as much as Daichi may be worrying about Sam at the moment, the little Emperor isn't the one he's doubting his feelings for. Now then, shall we proceed with our plans?"
The little Emperor? What is he talking about?
"Of course. BlackWidowmon and Jestermon, I want the two of you to go to the top of Infinity Mountain. You'll be waiting there for the Digidestineds' arrival. Spritemon, as soon as I give the order, you'll be our spy. Stick close to the Digidestined and watch them as much as possible. DemiDevimon will be your companion. You're to go pick him up as soon as you leave. Since he is small and less likely to be noticed, he is of course permitted to fly. We'll need someone who can move quickly between our two groups. Be sure to send him back to all of us with reports at regular intervals after we've captured our prey. DarkAngelicmon and I will take on the task of capturing the Kamiya girl. Once we have her in our possession we will be joining Jestermon and BlackWidowmon at the top of Infinity Mountain. There we will wait for the Digidestineds' arrival. Spritemon, as I said, your job begins after we capture the girl. Stay near that large cliff about a quarter of the way down from the peak and wait for us to meet with both you and DemiDevimon. After we have Takara, the rest is up to you. You'll report to Jestermon and BlackWidowmon on the mountain and also to DarkAngelicmon and myself once we get there. Understood?"
"Easy."
Turning in a circle, Vampiramon frowned at the four digimon standing around her. "Any questions?"
"None at all," DarkAngelicmon said softly. "Let's get moving. They'll be here soon."
With one more warning to Spritemon and the fallen angel about their wings, Vampiramon quickly took the lead, glancing once more over her shoulder to make sure Jestermon and BlackWidowmon were heading in the opposite direction. As much as she hated DarkAngelicmon there was a good reason why she had chosen him to accompany her.
If he's with me, I can watch him, and watch him I most certainly will. That way, if he even attempts to ruin my plans, I can finally get rid of him once and for all...