Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the delay, but I do have another chapter done! After this one we'll finally get to the big stuff. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 193: Old Tricks

Sam Ichijouji

File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

"Sorry, but dying isn't on my to do list today. Vee Laser!" ExVeemon shouted, darting behind the vampire digimon and shooting his attack at her from the air, aiming for her back.

Taking the hint, Dracomon launched a barrage of purple needles at the vampire digimon's head, but before either of their attacks could hit her, she turned herself into a bat and quickly darted out of the way, escaping easily without acquiring a single scratch on her body.

"We can't win this fight," Noriko said quietly, shaking her head in despair. "The best we can hope for is to wait for an opportunity to escape, only...I don't know if our digimon will be able to distract Vampiramon long enough to give us such an opening."

"I'll help fight," Penguinmon insisted, giving his partner a pleading look. "Please, Noriko?"

"But...you're still hurt from the last battle. Will you even be able to digivolve again?"

"I have to try!"

"Penguinmon..."

"My energy is slowly being restored little by little. It would go a lot quicker if I had something tasty to eat, but without food I guess we're just going to have to make due. It's not like we really have much of a choice."

Letting out a deep sigh, Noriko held out her D-3, and giving the little bird digimon a stern look, she said, "Just...be a little more careful this time, okay?"

"I will be. Penguinmon digivolve to, Sabirdramon!"

"You'd better get in there too, Gomamon," Joe advised, holding out his Digivice. "You might not be a mega, but an ultimate is still better than nothing."

"I'm on it! Gomamon digivolve to, Ikkakumon!"

As soon as the light died away, Joe's crest began to glow and wrapping his fingers around it, he said to his partner, "You ready?"

"Bring it on! Ikkakumon digivolve to, Zudomon!"

Waiting only long enough for Vampiramon to turn back into her human form to take aim, Sabirdramon shouted, "Nitro Arrow!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon growled, the destructive wave of energy from his weapon speeding after Sabirdramon's arrows.

Unfortunately for the two digimon, Vampiramon somehow managed to sense their attacks coming straight towards her, and immediately taking action, she quickly dived behind the boulders blocking the path up ahead to avoid the blast and as a result her efforts to avoid being hit caused a large explosion, which sent small jagged chips of rock flying in all directions. It was quite a scare, and to avoid injury, Sam quickly covered his face with his hands, the backs of his palms taking the worst of the damage caused by flying debris. Not to be deterred, though, he lifted his head to peek through his fingers, and as he result he managed to look up just in time to see bolts of red lightning shoot up miraculously from the barren ground, a jagged line of electricity that erupted right beneath Zudomon, causing him to cry out in pain.

"You fools aren't even worth my time," Vampiramon scowled, "Scarlet Lighting!"

Immediately, several more bolts of red lightning shot up into the air, just barely missing Sabirdramon and ExVeemon.

"Be careful!" Dracomon cried in warning. "She can shoot them from the air as-"

"Look out!" ExVeemon shouted.

Dracomon wheeled around, a gasp escaping his throat, but he wasn't quick enough to dodge the lightning shooting down from the sky all around him.

Crying out, he crashed down into the debris where the line of rocks, which Zudomon and Sabirdramon's attacks had destroyed earlier, used to be blocking their path, and as Sam watched in horror, more lightning continued to crackle out of the sky, streaking across the ground and forcing the rest of their digimon to take cover.

"If we're going to get out of here we're going to have to do it fast," Davis said firmly, his dark eyes flashing angrily as he glared in Vampiramon's direction. "As much as I hate to admit it, without our digimon being at a higher level, I don't know how much longer they'll be able to stand up to her attacks."

"Davis, are you feeling okay?" Joe asked pleasantly, raising his eyebrows. "You worrying about levels? That doesn't sound like the Davis I know!"

Smiling sheepishly, Davis said, "Maybe I'm just getting old. Now that you mention it, being cautious was never one of my strong points, was it."

"Either that or you've finally learned how to use your head!" Noriko grumbled.

"Maybe, but...I've gotten us through worse before by throwing caution to the winds, haven't I?"

"That's true," Joe agreed. "Just like Tai."

"More luck than anything else," Noriko muttered, but despite her words she too was smiling.

"It's not that I don't still believe in our digimon," Davis quickly explained, sounding uncharacteristically concerned and looking more serious than Sam had ever seen him before. "It's just...my son is more important than a useless battle with Vampiramon and so is Kara. They're what we need to focus on right now, not some stupid battle that isn't going to get us what we came for in the first place."

"Davis..." Noriko whispered, burying her face against his shoulder and hugging him tightly around the waist.

"You've changed, Davis," Joe said simply, smiling at the former leader. "I think even Yolei would have to agree that you've finally grown up."

Slipping an arm around his wife and smiling at the cobalt-haired Digidestined, Davis said confidently, "Not as much as you might think. Some things never change."

"Like your stubbornness!" Noriko scolded, lifting her head to roll her eyes at the former leader.

Despite the playful banter between the adults, who were trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood, Sam was unable to keep his eyes off of Vampiramon, and nodding his head towards the female mega he said quietly, "That attack she uses...It wasn't like that before. She's always been able to conjure lightning, that hasn't changed, but now instead of just striking our digimon from the sky, it's coming from all directions. The sky, the ground, and even her hands. There's no telling where it will suddenly strike from next. How are our digimon ever going to be able to stand up to such a powerful attack when they can't even predict where it will strike next? It's like fighting an invisible enemy."

"That's true," Noriko agreed, shaking her head in fear. "What are we gong to do, Davis?"

Scratching the back of his head, the former leader said sheepishly, "Er...well...I'm not really sure. Any ideas, Joe?"

Joe jumped in surprise, clearly caught off guard, and smiling slightly, he said, "It's at times like this that I wish Izzy were here. If what we've heard about Vampiramon is true, then it means she wasn't lying when she said she wasn't using her full strength earlier. What we're seeing now is the result and as much as I hate to say it, the situation isn't looking too good for our digimon at the moment."

"Then there's only one thing we can do," Noriko said firmly, placing her hands on her hips and giving each of them a stern look. "The only way we're going to escape from here is if we fly ourselves out, but in order to do that we're going to have to find a way to distract Vampiramon long enough to ensure ourselves a safe retreat."

"And let me guess, you have some sort of a plan, do you?" Davis asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You could call it that. Remember what happened to Spritemon? The avalanche caused by all the fighting buried her long enough to give us all a chance to fly off in different directions, so why not use the same kind of tactic? Only this time, it won't be an accident. If we can get our digimon to cause an avalanche like the one that buried Spritemon, it should buy us enough time to get ourselves out of here."

"It'll be dangerous," Joe said slowly, looking a little bit uncertain, "and our digimon will have to be really careful or they might end up burying all of us alive."

"True, but it's the only plan we've got, and if we don't act soon our digimon are done for," Davis argued, nodding towards the path up ahead.

Turning to see what Davis was looking at, Sam let out a gasp of fear, and clutching his D-Coder Digivice tightly in his hands, he whispered, "Dracomon."

Vampiramon's blood-red lightning had managed to incapacitate all of their digmon except for Zudomon, but even though Joe's partner was still on his feet, he did not look as if he would last much longer.

"It's now or never," Davis shouted, waving his arms to get his partner's attention. "ExVeemon, wake up!"

"Sabirdramon!" Noriko cried.

They have to wake up! If they don't, we'll never be able to escape...

Taking advantage of the adrenaline running through his veins, Sam clenched his hands into fists and shouted," Dracomon!"

Dracomon, please!

To his astonishment, the insect digimon slowly lifted his head, and weakly fluttering his wings, he managed to gasp, "Sam?"

"Dracomon, hurry! To me!"

Dracomon must have sensed the sudden change of mood in the air because somehow he managed to get to his feet, and fluttering away from the battle field where Vampiramon was trying to stick her knife in Zudomon's throat, he said quietly, "What is it, Sam?"

Sam glanced at Davis, uncertain of how to explain, and stepping close to the insect digimon the former leader said in a low voice, "We've only got one chance to get out of here, but it's going to be risky. Do you think you guys can handle it?"

"Tell us what we need to do," Dracomon said simply, gazing into the former leader's dark eyes.

"Do you remember what happened to Spritemon earlier?"

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking I'll let the others know right away."

"Just focus your attacks on the cliff wall and be careful," Davis warned, nodding his head for emphasis. "We don't want to inadvertently end up burying ourselves."

"Somehow I don't think we'd be able to escape very easily if we did that," Joe said mildly, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Davis is right. Distracting Vampiramon is really our only option but...what if something goes wrong? What if our digimon do cause an avalanche, but somehow our plan ends up backfiring on us?

Glancing at his digimon partner, Sam tried to smile, but Dracomon must have sensed what he was thinking because the insect digimon suddenly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said reassuringly, "We'll be careful, Sam. I assure you, when it comes to target practice I have excellent aim."

"Just...don't take any unnecessary risks, okay?"

"I won't and I'll make sure the others understand clearly what we need to do."

Dai...where are you when we need you?

Launching himself into the sky and quickly fluttering over to ExVeemon and Sabirdramon, who had managed to lift themselves into the air again, Dracomon quickly explained what it was they needed to do, and together the three digimon began to shoot their attacks at Vampiramon, their efforts giving the vampire digimon no choice but to fall back. As a result, Vampiramon was forced to cease her relentless attack on Zudomon and taking advantage of the female mega's confusion, Dracomon quickly swooped in and relayed the plan to Zudomon.

"If you're trying to organize a cooperative attack on me it isn't going to work," Vampiramon smirked, running her fingers over the small, yet deadly, knife in her hands. "No amount of scheming will allow you to defeat me. I will certainly be able to withstand all of your attacks, whether you try to destroy me on your own or as a group, without fail. Why do you continue to fight a battle you know you cannot win? Is complete stupidity part of the criteria for digimon who are fated to become partners with humans? If that is the case, I think the guidelines need to be rewritten. Then again, I suppose it does make sense. Humans are also stupid in their own way, as Daichi Motomiya has proven rather spectacularly today, so I suppose it makes sense that they would gravitate towards stupid digimon."

"You're not exactly all that smart yourself!" ExVeemon shot back, swooping over Zudomon's head and placing himself into position to fight. "Vee Laser!"

Caught off guard, Vampiramon was sent flying into the cliff wall, and dusting herself off, she sneered, "Really, that's it? And here I actually thought you were going to try and hurt me."

"Now, everyone!" ExVeemon shouted. "All together! Vee Laser!"

"Lightning Spark!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!"

"Nirto Arrow!"

As Sam watched anxiously, all four attacks exploded into the cliff wall above the female mega's head and glancing up in confusion, Vampiramon said irritably, "What was that? You fools weren't even close. Depleted of your energy already, are you? Such weak digimon. How disappointing. You pathetic excuses for our species can't even aim properly, let alone defeat me."

"Again!" ExVeemon shouted, ignoring the vampire digimon. "Vee Laser!"

"Get ready, Sam!" Dracomon called out, his violet eyes narrowing in concentration. "Dragon Stingers!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon growled.

"Nitro Arrow!" Sabirdramon cried.

Realizing at the last second what they were trying to do, Vampiramon let out a scream of rage, but unfortunately, even with her incredible speed, it was already too late for the vampire digimon to even consider making an attempt to escape. Within seconds the female mega disappeared beneath an avalanche of rocks and squinting in the air Sam spotted the edge of Vampiramon's black cape just barely peeking out from beneath the intended landslide, the dark spot plainly visible against a backdrop of barren landscape.

"Hurry!" Sabirdramon shouted, diving out of the sky and landing next to Noriko. "We don't have much time! She won't stay down for long, which means we need to get out of here fast."

Racing over to his partner, Sam allowed Dracomon to scoop him up as easily as if he were a small child, and wrapping his arms tightly around his partner's neck he glanced over the insect digmon's shoulder just in time to see Joe and the newly devolved Gomamon catching a ride with Noriko on Sabirdramon. Davis was quickly scooped up by ExVeemon and pointing at the sky the former leader shouted, "Take us to the peak of the mountain, ExVeemon!"

"I'm on it!"

Sabirdramon and Dracomon quickly flew after ExVeemon and glancing down at the pile of rubble obscuring Vampiramon from view, Sam let out a small whimper of fear. Once she was free, she would follow them, and with all the players assembled in DarkAngelicmon's little game of capture the Spirit Chip, there was no telling what might happen once they reached the peak of Infinity Mountain.

Dai, please be okay. You have to be. I still need to tell you about my dream...