Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Back with another chapter! Part of this one takes place in a new POV. Hope you all like it! Also, this chapter is dedicated to digi-cata for giving me such an awesome review, and don't worry, I definitely don't plan on giving up on this story any time soon!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 199: Thinking Ahead
FireDragermon
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Hovering in the air above the battlefield, his sharp gaze focusing on the vampire digimon stalking him down below, FireDragermon held his right fist into the air and shouted, "You guys heard Dai! Let's clean up here and move out!"
"Let's show these jerks what happens when you mess with the Digidestined!" Ibismon called out, spinning in a circle and stirring the air around her into motion. "Cyclone Fury!"
"Here, let me help!" Sabirdramon offered, swooping up behind Ibismon and spreading his wings. "Nitro Arrow!"
Together, Ibismon's pink feathers and Sabirdramon's black arrows combined to form a huge, deadly tornado, and caught off guard by the sudden joint effort to attack her, Spritemon was swept right off the edge of the cliff, her small body disappearing from sight.
"Our turn!" Angelicmon said firmly, waving his hand at the angel digimon hovering in a half-circle behind him. "Aim for my blast! Celestial Star!"
"Understood!" Gabrielmon shouted, pointing his staff at the glowing comet streaking towards Jestermon. "Holy Sceptre!"
"My turn! Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon added, aiming directly for the heart of Angelicmon's attack.
Not surprisingly, seeing as Jestermon was normally the first one to call himself a fool, it took a moment for the mega digimon to figure out what the angels were trying to do, and staring at the huge blast heading towards him he let out a yelp and shouted, "Shadow Spheres!"
"Your tricks aren't going to work this time!" Angelicmon said confidently, nodding his head in satisfaction.
"You think you can stop me with such a waste of an attack?" Jestermon cackled, facing the blast heading towards him without so much as flinching, despite the fact that the blinding white comet of holy light had completely engulfed his black spheres.
He looked more than a little confident, but so did the angels, and hovering between Angewomon and Gabrielmon, Angelicmon pointed his finger right at the sun hanging high above them in the sky and said quietly, "I do. Zenith Point!"
"And so do I!" Angewomon shouted with authority, pointing an accusing finger at Jestermon. "Now witness the true power of the Digidestined! Heaven's Charm!"
Streams of brilliant gold light, courtesy of Angelicmon, rained down around Jestermon, who was unable to avoid Angewomon's attack, and letting out a gasp of surprise, he was swept right off his feet by the force of her pink blast. As a result, he had no chance to avoid the pink and gold comet speeding towards him, and covering his wrinkled green face with his hands he disappeared in a flash of pink, yellow, and orange light, obscuring him from view.
As far as FireDragermon could tell, it looked as if the angels' combined attacks had managed to temporarily subdue the jester digimon, and watching the streams of light raining down upon the fallen mega, he smiled in satisfaction.
When will they ever learn? It's not about strength. It's about having the will to fight and the determination to protect something you care about. And when the strength of our bodies eventually equals the strength of our hearts, then we'll finally see the true strength of a mega.
"That was for Mickey!" the three angels shouted simultaneously in satisfaction, beaming at each other and turning to wave in the direction of the twins.
"Two down, two to go!" Tirimon growled, his sapphire eyes narrowing in determination. "You're next, BlackWidowmon!"
"I don't think so! Web Shackles!"
Leaping over the spider digimon's sticky threads, Tirimon rolled to the side to avoid BlackWidowmon's venomous darts, which she had used in an effort to make up for her missed attack, and tackling the female digimon, Tirimon shouted, "Winter Inferno!"
"No!" BlackWidowmon shrieked, unable to counteract the icy blast.
Engulfed in a huge blizzard of snow and ice, BlackWidowmon was unable to escape, and taking advantage of the situation, Dracomon shouted, "Now, Zudomon! Lightning Spark!"
"I'm on it! Vulcan's Hammer!"
"Don't forget about me!" ExVeemon called out, coming up beside Dracomon. "Vee Laser!"
Together, Dracomon's blast and ExVeemon's attack pierced through the storm surrounding BlackWidowmon, creating another small explosion deep within the icy inferno surrounding the female mega, and the massive wave of energy from Zudomon's hammer sent her careening over the cliff after Spritemon, a trail of melted snow marking her descent.
"Fools!" Vampiramon shrieked, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Can't any of you do anything right?"
"Now is our chance," MetalGarurumon said quietly, nodding his head at the vampire digimon.
While ExVeemon and the other digimon had been fighting, FireDragermon, along with his two mega companions, had been stalking Vampiramon from the air while she'd been stalking them from the ground, and glancing towards the group crowded around Matty, he said quickly, "Go. Now is your chance."
Without a word, Matty broke away from the rest of the Digidestined and raced towards Dai's group, completely disregarding his safety in the process, and scolding his brother quite vocally, his disapproving shouts following Matty, Mickey quickly hurried after the younger twin, the rest of the group following along behind.
"Matty!" Dai shouted, hurrying to meet the younger twin.
Flinging himself at the goggle-headed leader, Matty hit Dai hard in the chest before collapsing against him in a kind of awkward hug, and turning to look up at his partner, the younger twin said in a choked voice, "Let's go home."
"Let's," Angelicmon agreed, smiling fondly at his partner.
Time to make our exit, but first...
Whirling around, FireDragermon waved his hand to get Zudomon's attention, and nodding his head towards the Digidestined, he said, "Those of you without wings, de-digivolve and join with your partners."
"Right," Zudomon responded, glancing meaningfully at Tirimon. "That means us. Let's go."
"You don't need to tell me twice!"
"As for us three, it's time to take out the garbage!" WarGreymon shouted, diving towards the vampire digimon. "Terra Force!"
"Giga Missile!" MetalGarurumon growled, following his fellow digimon's example.
Knowing already that the attacks would miss, thanks to Vampiramon's speed, FireDragermon shouted, "Serpentine Blast!"
"What now?" Vampiramon snarled, looking up in irritation.
Performing a move that was similar to MetalGarurumon's earlier attack, FireDragermon launched an arsenal of heavy artillery from various hiding spots in his armour, which consisted of flaming bullets and missiles in several sizes, and together the separate shots quickly merged together to create a long coiling blast of fire and metal. It twisted and turned like a flaming snake, and swirling through the air at an incredible speed it exploded into Vampiramon, knocking her right off her feet.
"Ready?" MetalGarurumon shouted.
"Now!" WarGreymon called back. "Terra Force!"
"Giga Missile!"
And one more...
Spreading his arms and legs, his chest cavity opening to reveal a weapon similar to that of MetalGreymon's, FireDragermon shouted, "Fire Meteor!"
"You'll pay for this!" Vampiramon shrieked as her small form disappeared in a huge eruption of fire caused by the combined blast of the three deadly attacks.
"I'll get you! All of you! The Ruler of Darkness will have not only your Spirit Chips but your very souls! If you think your pathetic attacks will defeat me, you are wrong! A minor inconvenience. Darkness will claim your hearts and when it does, I will deliver you all to my master personally. You will see!"
Tired of listening to the vampire digimon's rant, FireDragermon shot at her with the pistols on his golden gauntlets, sending her flying over the edge of the cliff, and watching her disappear from his field of vision, he said softly, "No, you will see. As long as we fight together, the darkness will never claim us."
"Are we ready to go?" WarGreymon asked quietly, clearly waiting for instructions.
Glancing at all of his digimon companions, minus Alopemon and Gomamon, who had crowded around him in a circle without him even noticing their sudden approach, he nodded his head and said firmly, "Come, let's leave this place. Vampiramon and her allies may be down, but they're not out. We must get our partners to safety before they recuperate and try to make a second attempt to stop us."
"Indeed," Gabrielmon agreed, giving him a warm smile. "Let's go."
Motioning for the others to follow him, FireDragermon quickly flew towards his partner, and gathering all of the humans into his large hands he looked at the leader of the Digidestined and said simply, "I'm proud of you, Dai."
"I couldn't have done it without you," Dai replied, smiling at him in return. "You're awesome, FireDragermon."
"I'm glad you think so, but don't forget we had a lot of help."
Dai nodded in response and glancing at the female Digidestined, who sat cuddled against his chest, he said softly, "I know. I won't forget."
"We're all proud of you, Dai," Davis said cheerfully, gently ruffling his son's hair.
"All of you?" Dai mumbled, clearly trying to avoid the eyes of his friends.
Placing a hand on the goggle-headed leader's shoulder, Mickey said firmly, "All of us."
"All of us," Sam agreed, blushing a deep shade of red. "Maybe if I were more like you I wouldn't be where I am now."
"A little bit of courage goes a long way, Sam," Matt said quietly, exchanging a look with Tai. "Take it from someone who's seen the results."
Even Sam can forget his misery long enough to forgive Dai, but what about the other two?
Neither Ryoko or Matty had volunteered any compliments, but looking at the two of them now, both of whom sat huddled between Joe and Kari, FireDragermon could tell it was only a matter of time before they, too, eventually gave in to their real feelings.
"I think it's time we headed for the gate," Tai called out, a smile on his face.
"Yes," Kari agreed, beaming at her brother. "Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon are probably really worried about us. We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."
"Wait till Izzy hears about this one," Joe sighed, shaking his head.
Laughing, Noriko shouted, "Let's go, FireDragermon!"
"Right!"
Holding Gomamon, Alopemon, and the humans securely in his hands, FireDragermon quickly made his way back down the mountain towards the gate, the rest of the digimon following along behind.
They had accomplished their goal of rescuing Kara, saving Dai from himself, and getting the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but glancing at the three angel digimon soaring around him, who kept turning to gaze at the peak of the mountain, FireDragermon knew the battle was far from being over.
If anything, it was only just beginning.
He's back there. Watching. Waiting. But for what? Why did he not join in the fight? Why did he stand back and do nothing when his companions could have used his help?
It was a question he did not have an answer to, but whatever the fallen angel was planning, somehow he had a feeling that DarkAngelicmon's goals were slightly different than Vampiramon's goals. Different even than the goals of the Ruler of Darkness himself, and in FireDragermon's opinion, whatever happened in the future, whether good or bad, it would be very interesting indeed, especially for the fallen angel.
And for us.
Lucemon
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"Lucemon, are you okay?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, his voice echoing faintly in the woods.
After confronting DarkAngelicmon, Lucemon had quickly made his way back to his hiding spot in the forest and gazing up at the impressive form of FireDragermon soaring past overhead, he smiled to himself, pleased with the Digidestineds' obvious success. "I'm fine, MarineAngemon."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, don't you see? The Digidestined are going home now. They did it. They really did it, MarineAngemon."
"I knew they would! Isn't it nice to finally hear some good news for once?"
Smiling at the little mega hovering next to his shoulder, Lucemon said softly, "It is. It's been too long since I've had a reason to celebrate..."
"Lucemon, I...What about DarkAngelicmon?" MarineAngemon said quietly, hesitant to bring up such a painful topic.
Angelicmon...
Glancing at the peak of Infinity Mountain, Lucemon silently shook his head, at a loss of what to say. During the entire battle, DarkAngelicmon had been there, watching and waiting, just out of sight, and not once had he even attempted to join in the fight.
I don't understand. Why did you sit back and do nothing? Why didn't you help Vampiramon?
Even after the debut of FireDragermon, DarkAngelicmon still had not tried to intervene in the fight. Instead he had continued to watch, and fate had taken its course.
You hide in the darkness because you cannot stand the light. Or is it the other way around? Perhaps you cling to the light because you fear the darkness. It makes no sense to me. Why do you hide in the shadows when you hate what you've become? You hate the very darkness that clings to your soul, but you cannot seem to let it slip away. One day we'll be free. I believe in Mickey and Matty, even if you do not.
"Lucemon?" MarineAngemon pressed, peering intently at him.
"Come, MarineAngemon, it's time for us to leave this place."
"Okay, but...um..where are we going?"
"To Server. I believe that is where we will find Gennai. If he has discovered the location of the next Spirit Chip, we need to know where it is."
"I guess. Just...try to be a little more careful next time, okay? I worry about you, you know."
"I apologize, MarineAngemon. I do tend to get a little reckless sometimes, don't I."
"Just a little."
Laughing, Lucemon quickly launched himself into the air, and glancing back once more at the peak he humbly bowed his head before setting off for the continent of Server.
There is hope for you yet, my friend. I will not rest until we're together again.
DarkAngelicmon
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Long after Vampiramon and the rest of his allies had left the peak, presumably to head back to the continent of Cyber, DarkAngelicmon stood staring at the stone pedestal that used to hold the Spirit Chip of Bravery, and running his hand over its rough surface, he murmured, "So...you passed the test after all, Daichi. I knew you would not fail me. That's one down and five more to go. Now, the real battle begins."