Hey Everyone. It's not taken me so long to upload this time haha! Hopefully the times between the updates will be shorter from now on. I won't be leaving it two months or so at a time. That is unless I get a serious case of writer's block. Anyway, thought I'd better get this uploaded before I get to bed. Hope you enjoy!
Aldamonburst: Thanks ^^
TKariinlove: thanks. I am thinking about it. It may happen near the end of the story
jjb88: Thank you :)
Sync The Dragon Tempest: Hehe sorry I kept you waiting. I'm trying to get back into updating regulary
Rykami: thank you! :)
oxXMidnightSunXxo: hehe thanks ^^
FFnetfanHANNAH: Thanks. Im glad it cheered you up :)
LoneWolfVzampire13: Thank you very much! :D
DigiRocker1.0: Thanks. Yeah I like her too, so I had to fit her in somewhere.
Dragongirl19510: Thank you ^^
ShadowEeveelutions: Thank you. It took me ages to figure out how Margaret was going to get her crest, then it suddenly came to me haha. Those Digital ring ideas are good :) and you'll just have to wait and see to see what Garurumon digivolves in to hehe.
Saskia Wolf: Thanks. Stacey will get into trouble but it won't be the way Dawn goes looking for it hehe.
Keyblade King 12: Thank you. I hope this chapter wasn't too long a wait!
AnimeCupid2-0: Thank you :)
Sonicmixtfr: Thank you :) I'm glad you're enjoying it. That would be really cool if it did end up on TV. I couldn't believe how they ended 02!
Digimon Season 2.5 "Digimon Adventure 03"
Episode 21: "A Fish Out of Water"
.:Fuji TV Station, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
"What?!" Matt's voice almost boomed throughout the TV station. He slumped down in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk, his face in his hands.
Sora was stood just in front of his desk. She had stopped by on her way to work. She was dressed in a pair of black pants, a white shirt that was covered up by her brown coat and a scarf that was loosely wrapped around her neck. She held her A3 Folder in both arms across her chest whilst her small black handbag hung from her right shoulder. "Matt, just calm down."
"Calm down?" Matt stood up from his desk abruptly. "You're telling me you just let my daughter walk away from you yesterday and you want me to calm down?!" he exclaimed. "That was your chance to bring her home and you just let her walk off!"
"Matt, Stacey didn't want to come home. Not yet anyway. She said she's not ready." Sora replied a little softly. "She did promise she would return home one day. Just not now."
"B-but that... that thing is after her... the Undead King is it? He wants her dead. I'm not having my only daughter wandering around when someone is out to kill her."
"She's got Garurumon and SnowAgumon with her. Garurumon won't let anything happen to her, and SnowAgumon has done a good job in protecting her during Garurumon's absence. They'll be fine."
Matt sighed and turned around and gazed out of the window across Odaiba bay. "How can you be so sure?" he muttered.
Sora remained the other side of his desk. "Because I trust and have faith in them. Stacey's done alright for herself so far. She's a smart girl. She has been living with the Undead King for the past six months and come out unscratched. I'm sure she knows a few tricks to avoid him and how his mind works."
The bearer of friendship continued to look out of the window. "You don't understand what it's been like for me. These past six months have been the worst of my life. Ever since she disappeared I had no idea whether she was alive or not. Every day that past just made me believe more and more that she wasn't ever going to come home. But once I finally found her I just wanted to bring her home where she'll be safe."
Sora walked around his desk and stood next to him. "I do know what you've been going through. Okay, not to the extent of six months... but when you, Davis and the children came back and told me Tai and Dawn were missing, and then later on we found out Dawn had been kidnapped by Datamon.... deep down I was scared. I knew what that Digimon was capable of and didn't know what he was doing to my daughter. But I also knew she could take care of herself. Just like Stacey can take care of herself now. She wouldn't have stayed there if she thought she was putting herself in danger."
"But she is putting herself in danger!" Matt snapped. "That monster is out to get her. And without her digivice how is Gabumon going to digivolve to protect her? There's no way she can stand up against him."
Sora sighed and turned to head for the door. "Just trust your daughter Matt. She's grown up a lot, like the rest of our children. They're the new DigiDestined now and they need to learn to fight for themselves. They can't keep running back to us whenever they feel they're in danger." She said before walking out.
Matt sighed as he heard his office door close behind him. He waited a few moments before turning away from the window and picking up the phone that was on his desk. He dialled a few numbers and held the receiver up to his ear, waiting for an answer... "Hey Iz', could you do me a favour?"
.:Misty Trees, File Island, Digital World:.
Garurumon, Stacey and SnowAgumon had long left the Freezeland. They were now travelling through a vast stretch of wasteland that separated the Freezeland from Toy Town, known as Misty Trees. It was a large landscape that was always clouded in thick fog that never shifted and stretched for miles.
Although it used to be a forest, over time the trees had died and most had fallen, opening up the landscape further. The few trees that still remained standing were withered and leaves no long grew on them. The ground that used to be covered in grass was now completely dry, cracked and dusty. Back when the forest was in full growth, Digimon who wandered into the Misty Trees often got lost in the fog and never made it back out.
At the other end of the Misty Trees, eight miles away from the Freezeland, was a steep cliff that looked over the small Toy Town run by Monzaemon. That's where the fog suddenly stopped at the edge of the cliff.
Stacey glanced to her left and right as Garurumon trudged across the dry land. The place was rather spooky. It was morning, but the place was still rather dark and dull. "This place is giving me the creeps. How much longer is it?"
Garurumon continued on his slow and steady pace. "Toy Town is at the other end of here. But I'm not sure how far away it is."
SnowAgumon looked around his surroundings. "Do you even know if we are going in the right direction?" he questioned. "I'm sure we past that dead tree already."
"They all look the same SnowAgumon, how can you tell?" Stacey asked.
"It had a distinct marking...." he then spotted another tree. "Or was it that tree there..."
Garurumon chuckled under his breath. "Just ignore him." He joked to his human partner.
SnowAgumon huffed and crossed his arms. "You won't be laughing if we end up stuck here for the rest of our lives!" he retorted. "We could be going around in circles!"
Stacey sighed and lowered her head. "Maybe I should have gone home with Mr and Mrs Kamiya..." she murmured.
"Are you saying you want to go home?" Garurumon asked, not stopping walking.
"I Uhhh.... I don't know." The ten year old girl sighed again. "I... I want to. But... I don't feel the time is right just yet. Besides, no one will want to see me after what I've done."
"Your father does." Garurumon replied.
"Just him? What about my friends?" she then paused. "Well, if they still are my friends. Even before I ran away I was always distant from them. Dawn made it quite clear how she thinks about me when we ran into each other the other day."
"Since when does what Dawn think bother you?" Garurumon asked. "It may be difficult at first, but once you settle back in they'll come round. Certain ones may take a little longer to persuade." He said with a small chuckle.
Stacey smiled a little before looking ahead of them. "So what's the plan anyway? How come we're heading to Toy Town?"
"Toy Town is closest place where we can eat and rest properly. It's also in the opposite direction to the Undead King's base. The further we are away from him the better."
"Do you..... do you remember everything that happened?" Stacey asked, a little hesitant.
Garurumon remained silent at first. He sighed and lowered his head. "Yes." he paused again before continuing. "The Undead King's power had a really strong hold on me... I knew what I was doing but the power was so strong I couldn't think and free myself from his power....like the time when we fought your father outside Zepp Tokyo. I knew what I was doing but the power was so strong I couldn't get past it to realise what I was doing was wrong."
Stacey also lowered her head. "I didn't exactly help. I wasn't under his control... but at the time I was so angry with my Dad and the Undead King had filled my mind with so many reasons to hate everyone I guess I didn't really realise what I was doing was wrong too."
SnowAgumon peeked his head out from behind Stacey. "Hey, lighten up. This place is already depressing enough without you two dampening the mood. So you did a couple of bad things? So what? It's in the past now. All you've got to think about now is making amends with everyone."
"Does that include all the innocent Digimon we captured and transformed into X antibody Digimon?" Stacey questioned.
"You haven't seen how many X antibody Digimon he has in his possession." Garurumon added. "His army is huge. If he ever was to attack the real world with that army all of us would need to be at full strength."
Stacey remained with her head down. Over the six months she spent with the Undead King she had helped collect most of the Digimon. So if the Undead King ever attacked earth it would be all her fault.....
.:Rainbow Bridge, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
Fernanda gazed out of the window of the family's Toyota Verso as it remained stationary in the middle of Rainbow Bridge. She gazed out onto Tokyo Bay and watched as a boat passed by underneath.
The Hida family were returning from a morning shopping trip at Aqua City in Odaiba that was right next to the Fuji TV Station. They lived in a small housing estate in the heart of the Mita area in the Minato Ward.
The twelve year old girl glanced at her parents in the front seats. They were talking casually about the traffic jam and various other stuff. In the back seat next to her was Armadillomon who was curled up sleeping peacefully. Fernanda sighed and resumed to looking out at the bay.
The sky was mainly bright but a few dark clouds could be seen in the distance. Fernanda's mind cast onto the others. Even though her and James and Katie lived further away from the other children, they had gotten word about what had happened over the past week.
"I wonder what the Digital World is like.... I wish I could have gone with them. It beats sitting here stuck in this traffic jam."
Her thoughts were broken when the car began to move. It moved a few yards before coming to a stop again.
Cody sighed and leaned back in his seat. "It's gonna take us all day to get off this bridge. What's the hold up?"
Akina smiled at her husband. "We're in no rush to be anywhere. Don't be so impatient." She said with a little giggle.
"But I have a big court case first thing tomorrow morning. I need to make sure I have everything prepared for it."
Fernanda smiled a little. "Maybe you should have stayed at home Dad."
Akina laughed and glanced at her husband again. "Oh just ignore your father Fernanda. He just hates being stuck in traffic."
"Well, did you really need to buy a new dress and shoes?" Cody asked. "You already have a closet full at home." The last part he added with a smile.
Akina just smiled. "I needed a new outfit for the Lawyers state dinner next week."
Fernanda rolled her eyes playfully. "Mom's just as bad as Mrs Kido with new clothes."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the car shuddered startling the family. The shudder lasted a few seconds before stopping.
"W-what was that?" Fernanda asked looking around.
Akina glanced at her husband. "Is there something wrong with the car?"
Cody checked over the dashboard, looked down at the gear stick and the handbrake before sitting up straight to glance out at the hood of the car. "No I don't think so."
Just then, there was another shudder that was stronger and lasted a little longer this time. Fernanda almost jumped from her seat. She turned behind her to see the car behind theirs was also shaking. "Mom, Dad, I don't think it's the car that's shaking... it's the bridge."
The shuddering stopped once more. People were now getting out of their cars and looking around trying to figure out what was happening.
Fernanda turned to her right and shook her Digimon partner. "Armadillomon wake up."
Armadillomon mumbled something before cracking an eye open. "Huh? Are we home yet?" he asked sleepily as he stretched his front legs forwards and yawned loudly. There was another jolt on the bridge that woke the rookie up with a jump. "W-what was that? An earthquake?"
"No, it's not an earthquake." Cody replied. He took off his seatbelt and opened his car door.
"Sweetie, be careful." Akina called after him as he walked around the car to the edge of the bridge.
Cody stepped up off the road and leaned over the guard rail. He looked down at the water below. It was calm with a few small waves crashing against the steel pillars that held the bridge up. "Hmmmm..." everything was silent apart from the sound of the water and the sound of people muttering around him.
Akina wound down the car window. "Cody, get back in the car." She called to him a little worriedly.
Cody looked once more at the water before turning around to head back to the car. As he walked back around the front of the car, a woman let out a piercing scream that echoed across the bay.
Cody spun around at the sound of her scream. He gawped in horror at what he saw. "S-Seadramon....?"
Emerging out of the water was Seadramon. But this Seadramon looked a little different from the usual one. His eyes were more small and narrow; his teeth were razor sharp and he had a long thick red stripe running down his entire back until it reached his tail. His body was a deeper shade of blue and his head was more orange than yellow.
The sea monster had slithered up the side of Rainbow Bridge and wrapping his long body around one of the steel pillars and suspension cables. He hissed as he lowered his head a little and watched the sea of people leave their cars and make a dash for the exit of the bridge.
Cody remained still staring at the champion Digimon as people ran past him, some even bumping into him. He ran round to the passenger side of the car and opened up the back door. "Fernanda, give me your digivice."
Fernanda obeyed her father and took out her brown digivice from her small bag. She handed it to Cody before unbuckling her seatbelt so she could turn around and look out of the back window to see what he was doing.
Cody held his daughter's digivice up before pressing the middle button, which brought up a profile of the sea monster. "Seadramon X....." he muttered.
Seadramon X slowly moved, breaking a few of the suspension cables as he did. The cables snapped loudly as some crashed into the water and onto the bridge. One cable crashed down onto the front of a car, smashing the windscreen to pieces.
Cody ran back to the car where his family was watching. "Armadillomon you have to stop him."
"What?" both Armadillomon and Fernanda exclaimed in unison. "But Dad..." the girl began to say.
"Fernanda, you have to. You and Armadillomon are the only ones right that can do something."
Fernanda looked up at her father wide eyed. "But Dad, Armadillomon can't even digivolve yet."
"You have to try!" Cody exclaimed. "We can't let Seadramon X get away. If he jumps back into the water he could escape to anywhere."
Fernanda's mind suddenly flashed back to that night when Dobermon had attacked her. The image of the Digimon's face before he died in front of her was stuck in her head, and she couldn't shift it. She was still uncomfortable with killing Digimon that had just wandered into world. She knew her father was right, but Seadramon X wasn't attacking them.
.:Misty Trees, File Island, Digital World:.
SnowAgumon yawned loudly and stretched his small arms out. "Can we take a break?" he asked. "I'm exhausted."
"You're exhausted?" Garurumon questioned. "You're not the one doing all of the walking here."
Stacey smiled a little. "It's probably all the sitting around doing nothing that has tired him out."
"Hey! In case you've forgotten it's been non-stop for the past couple of days. I'm not used to all this action." SnowAgumon protested.
"I suppose we could take a break." Garurumon said. He looked up ahead. "Let's take a breather over by that large rock."
SnowAgumon and Stacey both jumped off Garurumon's back once he reached the rock. The wolf Digimon then laid down on the ground as the human and rookie both stretched their arms and leaned back against the rock.
"Man I'm starved." SnowAgumon groaned. "I can't remember the last time I ate."
Stacey remained silent as she leaned back, tilting her head upwards and closed her eyes. She let out a long sigh. Everything was so quiet. "Maybe I should go home when we get to Toy Town...But who says it won't be just as easy for the Undead King to find me back home than it would here.... He's not going to quit until he finds us."
Just then, the silence was broken by a low grumbling sound. The blonde haired girl sat up straight and looked down at SnowAgumon next to her. "Was that your stomach growling?" she asked him.
SnowAgumon shook his head. "Nuh uh."
Garurumon lifted his head off the dusty ground. "Then what was it?" he asked.
All of a sudden, the rock began to move. Stacey and SnowAgumon jumped to their feet and leapt away from it in surprise. The rock suddenly rose from the ground and turned to face them.
"That's not a rock, it's a Digimon!" Stacey exclaimed backing up. "What is it a Monochromon?!"
The Digimon growled as his eyes fell upon the three friends. He looked exactly like Monochromon, but his skin was red instead of grey.
"That's Vermilimon." Garurumon muttered as he stood in front of Stacey and SnowAgumon. "He's an ultimate Digimon. Very much stronger than Monochromon."
SnowAgumon gulped and shifted behind Stacey. "He looks mad." He stated. "Maybe he doesn't like being used as a
Vermilimon snarled, blowing air through his nostrils like a bull and scraping his foot against the ground preparing to charge. He roared before thundering towards them, the ground shaking beneath his weight.
Garurumon leapt forward as Stacey and SnowAgumon ran for cover. "Howling Blaster!" he blasted his blue fire attack.
Vermilimon lowered his head and destroyed the attack using the large horn on the front of his face. The horn completely ripped through the champion's attack and Vermilimon slammed into Garurumon sending him flying through the air.
"Garurumon!" Stacey cried out as she watched her Digimon partner briefly disappear in the thickness of the fog.
Vermilimon growled and focused his attention on her and SnowAgumon. He opened his mouth, a large ball of energy forming at the back of his throat. He was about to release it when Garurumon suddenly slammed into him and sent him crashing to the ground. His attack flew from his mouth just missing Stacey and SnowAgumon before disappearing up into the air.
Garurumon tried to sink his teeth into Vermilimon's body but his skin was very tough. The wolf Digimon gave up and jumped away from the ultimate Digimon. He was about to release another Howling Blaster when Vermilimon responded first.
"Volcanic Strike!" he fired two large balls of red energy from his mouth, which slammed into Garurumon head on.
The champion Digimon was thrown back. He skidded across the ground before coming to a slow stop. He groaned, unable to get to his feet.
"Garurumon!" Stacey and SnowAgumon both rushed to his side and knelt down beside him. "Garurumon, get up!"
Vermilimon growled and charged once more, his head lowered and horn pointing directly at them.
Stacey gasped and shut her eyes tight, clinging to Garurumon's fur. All she could hear was the thunderous steps of Vermilimon as he grew closer and closer.....
"Metal Wolf Claw!" a thick beam of ice suddenly appeared from nowhere and struck Vermilimon freezing him instantly.
Stacey slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see the ultimate Digimon frozen inches away from her. She jumped a little when he suddenly burst into tiny pieces of ice and data...
SnowAgumon slowly peered up from behind Garurumon, his eyes wide and his body trembling. "W-what just happened?" he asked.
Stacey stood up. Without saying a word she turned around in the direction of where the attack had come from. She watched as two familiar figures appeared through the fog.
"D-Dad....?" She stuttered in disbelief. "What're you doing here?"
.:Rainbow Bridge, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
"Fernanda please. You have to do this, what's stopping you?"
"Cody, honey you can't make her fight if she doesn't want to."
"We have no choice. Izzy told us we have to deal with every Digimon that appears in the city. They can't be allowed to run loose and cause damage. We need to act now." Cody explained calmly.
"But is destroying that creature really the only way?" Akina questioned.
Cody was about to protest back when he suddenly stopped and his mind cast back to a childhood memory when Shakkoumon had destroyed MarineDevimon outside the hospital just before the defeat of MaloMyotismon. That had shocked and upset him greatly at the time as he found it hard to accept some Digimon had to be completely destroyed in certain situations. But now he was much older and had gotten over that.
He sighed before saying; "In other situations no, it wouldn't be the only way. But right now we have no choice. Armadillomon is back home and I don't have my laptop so I can't send him back to the Digital World. If we leave him here he could disappear somewhere else and if someone gets hurt, or even worse killed, it will be our fault. We have a responsibility as DigiDestined to protect the city from attacks. The government expects it from us."
"But he's not attacking anything right now. I don't think the government realise these monsters are living things, and destroying them for no reason is wrong." His wife retorted.
Fernanda remained still. Her eyes were closed as she listened to her parents behind her. She knew her father had a point but her mother also had a valid point. Seadramon X wasn't doing any harm at the moment. He was just remaining still wrapped around the suspension cables of the bridge. He didn't seem like he was here to hurt anyone. She opened her eyes and turned around to face her parents. "Dad, Mom's got a point. He's not harming anyone."
Cody stopped talking to his wife and turned to his daughter. "Sweet pea, I know he isn't but we can't leave him here. We can't risk the chance of anyone getting hurt. He's already damaged part of this bridge. We don't want him destroying anything else. If he jumps back into Tokyo bay he could escape out into the ocean and end up out of our reach."
Seadramon X growled under his breath as he looked around his surroundings. Many people on Rainbow Bridge had abandoned their cars while only a small few remained, watching him, and some even were taking photos. Seadramon X's eyes soon fell upon the Hida family. Seeing Armadillomon next to them he came to one conclusion. "DigiDestined." He muttered under his breath.
He roared loudly, causing a couple of people to run off. He moved his body breaking more suspension cables as he did. He slithered down onto the road, his tail breaking one last cable which smashed a few car windows. He weaved in between stationary cars heading straight for Cody and his family.
Fernanda gasped, pointing behind her father. "Dad... he's heading this way!" she cried out.
"Huh?" Cody turned around to see Seadramon X almost on top of them. "Look out!" he grabbed his daughter and wife and protected them from the sea monster as it lunged at them, just missing them and crashing into a few empty cars.
Akina clung on to her husband tightly. "What do we do now?" she exclaimed frightened.
Seadramon X straightened up his body and roared once more before slithering around in a half circle so he was facing the Hida family. "Must destroy DigiDestined..."
Armadillomon stepped up in front of them, as Fernanda took a step back and hid behind her father. She slowly lowered her hand down and placed it on her brown digivice that was clipped on the back of her belt. She brushed the buttons with her fingers but didn't remove it.
Seadramon X lunged forward at the family but Armadillomon attacked first. "Diamond Shell!" he curled up into a ball and rammed into the sea monster.
The small attack was powerful enough to move the champion Digimon away from Cody, Akina and Fernanda. Armadillomon kept pressing on until Seadramon X crashed into the guard rails on the other side of the bridge.
Seadramon X growled. "Puny rookie." He muttered before releasing his own attack. "Water Breath!" A steam of ice cold water shot out from his mouth. Armadillomon barely leapt out of the way before the attack struck an empty car and froze it instantly.
He repeated the attack over and over again as Armadillomon made a run for it down the bridge. The small rookie jumped and scrambled over abandoned cars, which were frozen a few seconds after as Seadramon X continued in hot pursuit firing his Water Breath attack.
"Armadillomon!" Fernanda watched helplessly as she walked a few steps away from her mother and father.
Armadillomon jumped up onto a roof of a car before leaping across onto the hood of a truck and scrambled up onto its trailer. He scurried the full length of the truck before he jumped up onto the metal structure of Rainbow Bridge .
Seadramon X roared as Armadillomon reached the highest point of the bridge. The sea monster lunged up the side of the metal structure, his mouth wide open.
Armadillomon jumped off the bridge and curled into a ball. "Diamond Shell!" he slammed his body into Seadramon X's face, causing his open mouth to slam shut. The little rookie then opened his body back up and slid down the back of Seadramon X's body. "Scratch Beat!" As he slid down, he slashed his claws through the serpent's skin, leaving deep marks.
Seadramon X screeched, his eyes twitching in pain. He waited until Armadillomon was on top of his tail before he flicked it upwards and hurled the rookie Digimon into the air.
"W-whoa!!" Armadillomon was thrown high into the air.
Seadramon X turned his body around and opened his mouth firing his attack. "Ice Spear!"
Shards of ice shot up and struck Armadillomon's body sending him a little higher in the air. Once he began to fall down, Seadramon X whipped his tail up and with one swift flick he sent Armadillomon flying down, landing painfully on a car hood, denting the metal and smashing the windscreen.
Armadillomon cringed and shakily stood up but he didn't have time to counter attack as Seadramon X once again blasted him with another strong attack.
Cody's eyes were glued on his daughter's Digimon as the little rookie started to attack less and got thrown around more. He turned to his daughter who was stood just in front of him to the side. "Fernanda, please you have to make Armadillomon digivolve. He's going to get killed out there."
Fernanda was visibly shaking slightly as she watched her best friend crash into the side of the guard railings. Her hand was still resting on her digivice.
"Fernanda, you have to help him." Her father said once more.
Armadillomon cried out in pain as for the countless time he was thrown into cars. He was battered and bruised, with a small cut below his left eye. He stumbled a little dizzily before collapsing to the ground exhausted.
Fernanda's eyes were shut tight as she couldn't watch anymore, and her fists were clenched tightly. She lowered her head and listened to the sounds around her. She heard her father speaking to her but couldn't hear what he said over the crashes and explosions of Seadramon X and Armadillomon's battle. "What do I do? I don't want to destroy Seadramon X... but if Armadillomon doesn't digivolve then he will be killed...."
Her father's words earlier then played in her mind. "We have a responsibility as DigiDestined to protect the city from attacks."
He was right. Even though Fernanda didn't completely agree, her father was right. If Seadramon X wasn't stopped he could escape and more people in the future could get hurt or killed, including at this point her best friend. It was their job to protect everyone. She opened her eyes and looked ahead just as Seadramon X struck Armadillomon with his tail, sending the small rookie up and over the guard rail.....
"ARMADILLOMON!" Fernanda screamed her voice echoing over the bridge. She yanked her digivice off her belt, grasping it in her hand. She bolted across to the edge of the bridge and watched in horror as her Digimon partner fell towards the water below...
That's when her digivice gave two loud bleeps and the screen illuminated into a bright white glow. Fernanda held her D-power up just as her Digital Ring was formed and released. It acted almost like a magnet as it was attracted to Armadillomon just as he hit the water....
Everything fell silent and the water returned to normal. Fernanda took a deep breath in as her green eyes scanned helplessly across Tokyo Bay.
Beneath the murky water, Armadillomon slowly opened his eyes and saw the Digital Ring float gently down beside him. He stretched out his paw and grasped hold of it......
"ARMADILLOMON DIGIVOLVE TO.... ARCHELOMON!"
A bright light shot out from the water, which startled the Hida family and the growing spectators that were beginning to crowd the edge of the bridge. The water began to ripple and bubble before Armadillomon's new form burst out from under the bay.
There floating in the water, was Archelomon. He resembled a turtle looking Digimon. His whole body was yellow, apart from his two front fins that were razor sharp blades. He had a pink tuff of hair and a pink beak. A large green shell, with three shark looking fins sticking out of the top, covered most of his body, only showing his fins and long tail.
People around began to whisper and mutter to each other. They were looking at both Seadramon X and Archelomon, all wondering where these two sea monsters had appeared from.
Fernanda didn't hear a word anyone behind her was saying. Her eyes were fixed on Archelomon. "Is.... Is that Armadillomon?" she mumbled to herself.
Archelomon glanced at Fernanda and smiled at her before turning his attention back to Seadramon X. He chuckled a little under his breath. "Come and get me you spineless freak." He shouted up before diving under the water.
"Not so fast." Seadramon X growled before slithering over the guard rail and lunged into the water after him, showering the crowd of people with water.
Fernanda gasped and ran back, past her parents and towards the steps at the edge of the bridge that led down to the edge of the water where there were two small wooden piers.
"Fernanda come back here!" Akina cried after her daughter.
.:Misty Trees, File Island, Digital World:.
Matt remained still beside his mega Digimon. "When I heard what happened I had Izzy track your signal down.... I've come to take you home."
Stacey backed up a step and shook her head. "No!" she snapped. "I said I wasn't ready! Mr and Mrs Kamiya told you where I was! They told you to come here didn't they?" she clenched her fists.
"No. No they didn't." Her father stated. "Sora tried to stop me from coming here. She told me to let you come home on your own to show how much you've grown up. But I can't let you stay here when there's a crazed monster after you. Don't you realise if the Undead King finds you he will kill you?"
Stacey gritted her teeth and turned her gaze away from her father. "He won't find me. Even if he did I've got SnowAgumon and Garurumon here to protect me!"
"A champion and a rookie are not enough to protect yourself from that monster." MetalGarurumon spoke up. "You don't have a digivice with you so how is Garurumon going to digivolve once he reverts back to Gabumon?"
Stacey turned her attention back to her father and his Digimon. She just stared at them with an emotionless look.
Matt sighed and placed a hand in his pocket. "Well.... if I can't change your mind, then please take this." He pulled out her silver digivice. "The police found it on the night you went missing. My mind will be at ease more if I know you have it."
"O-okay."
Matt stepped forward to give his daughter her digivice when suddenly a black ball of energy flew in between Stacey and Garurumon and struck MetalGarurumon head on. The strike startled the mega Digimon he was thrown backwards and skidded across the dusty ground before de-digivolving back to Gabumon.
The blast had sent Matt falling to the ground and he lost his grip on his daughter's digivice. The D-power was thrown across the dusty land, landing fifty yards away from its owner.
Everything fell silent for a few moments before a little sniggering laugh was heard behind Stacey. She spun round to see who it was but couldn't see anything. Another snigger was heard in another direction. The blonde haired girl turned around again but still couldn't see anyone. She backed up a little standing in between Garurumon and SnowAgumon.
But then, five figures slowly emerged through the thickness of the fog. Their sniggering grew louder as they surrounded the father, daughter and Digimon.
Matt groaned and rubbed his head as he sat up. His blue eyes widened as he looked around him. "SkullSatamon...." he murmured.
.:Rainbow Bridge, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
Fernanda reached the edge of one of the wooden piers. She stood there, clutching her glowing digivice in her hand. She had no idea what was happening down there. The water was calm and there was no sign of Archelomon or Seadramon X.
Up on the bridge, Cody and Akina watched their daughter. Akina took hold of her husband's hands, trembling slightly. She didn't want her only daughter standing that close to the water's edge....
Underneath the water, the battle continued. Seadramon X opened his mouth and fired his Water Breath attack. But the pressure from the water only managed to push Archelomon back a little.
The newly evolved champion smiled. "Your water attack is useless underwater. That almost tickled me." He then lunged forward. "Fin Cutters!" With two quick slashes, he sliced his sharp fins across Seadramon X's skin.
The sea serpent bellowed in agony before he wrapped his tail around Archelomon's tail, holding him in place. He opened his mouth and blasted Archelomon away with a strapping sphere of energy that seemed to fly effortlessly through the water.
Archelomon regained his composure quickly. "I'd love to stay, but I don't have time for this. My plans for today weren't wrestling with you in these dirty waters." He swam up a little further to the surface but remained under the water. "Ocean Streamer!" he hollered....
.....Above the water, dark clouds began to appear in the sky. They formed together and began to morph in a large circle. Fernanda gulped and took a few steps back as a strong wind came out of nowhere and the water got a little rougher. Suddenly, three thick bolts of lightning appeared in the sky and clattered down into the water.
Below, Seadramon X managed to dodge the first two bolts but the third struck the top of his head sending surges of electricity ripping through his body. As he was temporally paralyzed, Archelomon opened his mouth and began to form a large ball of energy at the back of his throat.
Gathering up all of his strength, he fired his attack. It flew through the water like a missile and struck Seadramon X, blasting him backwards and clouding the water up with bubbles.
Above, the water almost exploded into the air from the force of the attack. The spray fell over Fernanda and the pier shook a little from the strong waves that crashed against it.
Cody's eyes widened and he felt his wife's grasp tighten on him as he watched on. The bright glow from under the water faded and the water slowly returned to normal.
Archelomon fell limp. After using all of his strength firing that last attack, he began to glow, before he de-digivolved back to Armadillomon, completely drained of energy.
Once the bubbles and the remains from his attack disappeared, Armadillomon cracked one eye open to see the distant figure of Seadramon X swimming off into the depths of Tokyo Bay.
He watched as the sea monster disappeared completely before he began to swim back up to the surface.
At the edge of the pier Fernanda's eyes were glued on the spot where the water had exploded. There was still no sign of her Digimon partner and she was beginning to wonder if the worst had happened...
Suddenly, Armadillomon reappeared. He splashed about in the water as he made his way towards the pier.
"Armadillomon!" Fernanda cried out. She bent down and pulled her best friend out of the water, letting him rest on the wooden ledge. "I was so worried about you. I was beginning to think Seadramon X had destroyed you."
Armadillomon lifted his head up, panting heavily. "H-he...... he got away." He gasped out.
"W-what?" Fernanda stuttered, slightly hoping she hadn't heard him right.
"He got away." Armadillomon repeated again. "I thought I had destroyed him with my final attack. But when I opened my eyes I saw him swim away into the distance before just after I de-digivolved.
Fernanda was speechless. But then suddenly voices could be heard in the distance. She looked behind to see police were making their way down the steps and onto the small wooden pier. "Quick, in here!" she exclaimed jumping into one of the cargo boats that was moored.
They climbed in and Fernanda pulled a thick brown sheet over them. They stayed completely still as the footsteps from the police officers grew louder. They heard the officers talking.
"This is where the explosion was men."
"Everything's gone quiet. Do you suspect those monsters are still down there?"
"Let's take the boat out and search the bay!"
They listened as the policemen boarded the small boat that was moored next to the cargo one they were hiding in. The sound of the boat's engine started up before it slowly set off out onto the bay.
Fernanda remained silent and stared down at the ground, even though she could hardly see anything under the darkness of the sheet. Seadramon X had escaped, He was free to roam Tokyo Bay, and maybe even the ocean. The one thing her father did not want. She didn't know how to tell him. He had begged her to help and she had let him down. She waited a few moments before speaking; "U-uhhhhh.... I think the police have gone now. Let's get back to Mom and Dad."
The two friends climbed out from under the cloth and made their way along the wooden pier and back up the steps that led up to the top of Rainbow Bridge. Fernanda paused half way and glanced out across the water and watched the policemen for a few moments before continuing upwards.
Once Fernanda and Armadillomon reached the top, they firstly noticed the crowds had grown on the bridge, mostly people coming back to claim their cars. Armadillomon stepped back behind the wall, out of sight. A car horn peeped, making Fernanda jump a little.
Her father's car pulled up right next to them, and Fernanda and Armadillomon both quickly slipped into the backseat unseen. Fernanda fastened her seatbelt before glancing out of the window at Tokyo Bay once more. Armadillomon had collapsed on the seat next to her and drifted off to sleep, resuming his nap from before.
"Sweetheart, are you alright? The police didn't catch you did they?" her mother asked, her voice full of anxiety.
Fernanda shook her head, although her mother couldn't see. "N-no." she mumbled. "We hid in one of the cargo boats."
Cody glanced through the rear view mirror to see his daughter had her head down. "I'm really proud of you Fern." He spoke up. His daughter lifted her head up before he continued. "I know you were nervous about fighting your first battle and I pressured you a lot into doing it but you did the right thing. Even though destroying Seadramon X seemed harsh, in the bigger picture it was the only way."
"Ummm... Dad?"
"He's done quite a bit of damage to the bridge and most of the cars." Cody interrupted. "But hey, at least you destroyed him before he could cause even more damage right?" he smiled trying to cheer him up.
Fernanda opened her mouth to reply but paused for a second. "..... Yeah, he was destroyed Dad." She blurted out.
At first it didn't hit her. But after a few moments she finally realised what she had said. She had just lied to her father. What had she done?
To be continued....