Digimon Adventure Tamers
Chapter 7
Before we begin, a thank you to Kronus18, PiccolaLilly17, OPIv2, Saalejandra, destiny chosen and piccolamania for the reviews and support. Enjoy the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon
(Play The Biggest Dreamer TV Size)
(Play Digimon Tamers: Aban)
The new Digidestined returned to the Digital World, where the Digimon Emperor attacked them with a group of Tyrannomon and his partner Stingmon. While Davis and Flamedramon fought Stingmon, Yolei and Cody were overwhelmed by the strength and numbers. However, TK and Kari found Digimentals of their own and their Digivices became D-3s, allowing their partners to become Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, and win the day. However, the Digimon Emperor remains elusive…
(Play Digimon Tamers: Subtitle 2)
Power of the Spires
In an area of the Digital World, a tall black obelisk stood, towering over all of the Digimon in the area. This was a sign of the Digimon Emperor's dominance over the control. Several Digimon at the Champion level, who the Emperor considered the strongest among his slaves, prowled around the area, Dark Rings on their bodies. The place they were guarding was a prison the Emperor had constructed for Digimon that he considered not strong enough or not useful enough to be his slaves. The prisoners mostly consisted of Gotsumon, Rookie Digimon whose bodies were made out of rocks, and Mushroomon, Digimon shaped like poisonous mushrooms and arms and legs.
On this day, Tai and Sora had come with the new Digidestined with Agumon and Biyomon to help out in any way they could in freeing the prisoners. Despite their partners being unable to Digivolve, the older Digidestined refused to sit on the sidelines as the younger ones fought. Plus, Matt, Mimi and Joe hadn't been reunited with their partners yet, and the Digidestined's trips were also searches for Gabumon, Palmon and Gomamon. To the surprise of the children, there were no Digimon guarding the prison at all, which enable them to rescue the Digimon with no problems at all.
"VEE-HEABUTT!" Veemon ran forward and rammed his hard head into the bars of one cell, shattering them and releasing the Gotsumon inside.
"DIAMOND SHELL!" Similar to Veemon, Armadillomon freed several Mushroomon by crashing into the bars. The difference was instead of attacking with a headbutt, the yellow Digimon curled up into a ball and rolled into the bars at a fast speed.
"FEATHER SLASH!" Pulling the feather on his head off of his headband, Hawkmon threw it like a boomerang. The feather whirled around as they sliced open the bars of another cell. Agumon, Biyomon, and Gatomon also assisted in breaking open cells with their attacks, while TK and Patamon kept an eye out for any attacking Digimon.
"Man," Yolei said as she watched the breakout happen, "we've been at this for a week now, and we've gotten next to nowhere in the Digital World!"
"Don't say that Yolei," Hawkmon assured his partner. "We have been able to free several Digimon today."
"Yeah, but…is it just me, or did this seem…too easy?" inquired Cody.
"Yeah, I'll say!" Armadillomon said cheerfully, missing the point of Cody's question. "None of us needed to Armor Digivolve!"
"No, I don't think that's what Cody meant," said TK. "Did you notice that there were no guards around here at all? It's like the Digimon Emperor wanted us to perform this breakout. I think he may be up to something."
"Exactly my point," said Cody. "I think the Emperor may be planning something."
"Davis, what do you think?" Kari asked, looking over to the burgundy-haired boy, who was looking off into the distance with a faraway look, snapped out of it when Kari asked her question.
"Huh? Sorry, I was lost. Did Cody say something about the Emperor letting this happen?"
"Yes," said Tai. "Cody and TK both think this whole thing was something the Digimon Emperor let happen since he may be planning something. What do you think?" Davis remained quiet, thinking it over. It did seem suspicious that Ken wasn't around to prevent them from rescuing the Gotsumon and Mushroomon, nor did he have any Digimon guarding the area. Just thinking about this made him think about all the times Millenniumon let Davis, Ryo and Ken win a number of battles, making them confident in their abilities, until he fought them himself and kicked them to the next week.
"Yeah…I have to agree. If the Emperor is planning something, then we need to get back home or else we will be ambushed again. We may have five Armor-level Digimon, but there's no telling what the Emperor will throw at us." The rest of the Digidestined nodded in confirmation, deciding that returning home would be the best choice right now.
"Hang on, what about the Gotsumon and Mushroomon?" asked Biyomon, motioning to the group of Digimon that were rolling around in the dirt and soaking in the sunlight, enjoying their regained freedom.
"Well…" Tai said, getting looks from everybody.
"That is a terrible idea," Sora said, suddenly realizing what her best friend was thinking.
"You have any other bright ideas?" asked Tai. Sora sighed, as well as Davis, Kari and TK, who realized as well what Tai's idea was.
"Well…let's get going!" Gatomon said, motioning for everyone to follow her and Veemon. As the Digidestined hurried back to the Digital Gate, Yolei noticed something shining in the distance. Turning around and looking at it, she noticed a giant black tower in the distance. The lavender-haired girl frowned. She had seen those towers before her last few trips into the Digital World, and she was confused. Were they a part of the Digital World?
"Hey, I have a question," Yolei said, getting everybody's attention. The glasses-wearing girl pointed to the tower and said, "What's the deal with those towers? I've been seeing those everywhere I go."
(Play Digimon Adventure: Hirogaru Fuan)
"Those are Control Spires," said Gatomon, her ears dropped and her eyes narrowed. "Those are also the Digimon Emperor's doing. The presence of that tower means this area is under the Digimon Emperor's control. It emits an aura of darkness around the area."
"It's the reason why we've been unable to Digivolve," Agumon said sadly, referring to himself and Biyomon, the pink bird also looking down as well.
"Well, why don't we just destroy it then?" asked Cody. "If it's the cause of this whole Anti-Digivolution nonsense, then maybe destroying it will make the dark aura go away."
"Hmm…that could be an idea," said Tai, liking what Cody just said. "We bring these Control Spires down, and our Digimon could Digivolve again!"
"That would be good," agreed Sora. "I've really been hating this whole 'sitting on the sidelines' for us older kids."
"The next time we come here, we can try that theory out," said Davis. "Let's get back to the school for now. Izzy must be worrying about us." The Digidestined nodded and headed for the Digital Gate. Unknown to them, they were being watched by Wormmon, who was hiding in the trees. Sensing a great need of urgency, Wormmon crawled back to the base quickly and told Ken about what had happened.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Ankoku no Hohoemi ~Digimon Kaiser no Theme~)
"So, the prison in that area has been liberated," Ken recapped, a small smirk on his lips. "No matter. I had no need for those Digimon. Besides, it's best to let Davis and his friends relish in this victory before I finish them off."
"Ken, there's something else you need to know," said Wormmon. "Davis and the others have gotten on about the Control Spires. They're planning to destroy one the next time they come here."
"Ha!" Ken laughed at Wormmon's statement. "Let them try." Ken turned around in his chair, looking up at a map on screen. The map was filled with squares, mostly colored black and white. The map was mostly filled up with white, but it was a close call with the black ones.
"The next Spire should be in place soon," Ken said, watching one square in particular. "Are you sure he's still there?"
"I am sure," said Wormmon, who thought to himself, 'though I'm hoping he'll be gone when we get there.'
"Good," Ken smiled. "The Digidestined never ignore a call from one of their own." Seconds later, the white square turned black, indicating Ken now had control over the area.
"Now we go!" Ken stood up from his chair and left the room, Wormmon at his heels.
In a matter of minutes, the Digimon Emperor and Stingmon appeared before Santa Geria, a small town at the base of some rocky hills, the tallest hill housing the Control Spire that appeared moments ago. The two had not come alone, for they had brought a number of Vegiemon, foul-smelling yellow plant Digimon, with them.
"Hear me!" the Emperor announced to the villagers, all gathered up. "As you can see from that Control Spire up there," he motioned to the obelisk, "your village is now under my control. If you think you can resist me, you will only fall to my Vegiemon soldiers." The villagers, mostly consisting of Gazimon, gray rabbit-like Digimon, said nothing as the Vegiemon led them to the town prison. One Digimon among the prisoners was not a Gazimon. He was a yellow reptile Digimon with a horn on his head, and wore a silver and blue fur pelt. This Digimon was Gabumon, and he had only one thought going through his mind.
'Matt…where are you?'
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Izzy shouted at the Digidestined when they came through the Digital Gate, each carrying a Gotsumon or Mushroomon under their arms.
"Well…there wasn't any choice," Tai said sheepishly.
"This is absolutely insane!" Izzy said, running a hand through his short red hair. "You can't bring the Digimon here!"
"But what about us?" Tentomon asked, buzzing near Izzy.
"No, I'm not talking about you, Tentomon," Izzy said, realizing he said it wrong. "I'm talking about the Gotsumon and Mushroomon!"
"You wanted them to be captured again?" asked Cody. Izzy stayed quiet, realizing the younger boy had a point.
"But what should we do with them?" Sora asked worriedly. "What if a teacher comes in here?"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Wonderland)
"I talked it over with Tai, and we came up with an idea!" Cody turned to the group of Digimon. "All right, poses!" The Gotsumon and Mushroomon all froze in place, each one in a different position.
"Well?" Upamon asked excitedly. "Don't they look like statues?"
"Good grief," Tentomon muttered. "I think I see what Izzy's going on about. We can't bring every Digimon here to the Human World!"
"This is only a temporary thing," said DemiVeemon. "We may have an idea about keeping them safe in the Digital World!"
"And that is?"
"Those black towers called the Control Spires," said Davis. "They not only prevent the Digimon from Digivolving, but they also mark the Digimon Emperor's dominance over an area. We figured if we destroy one, the area will be free and our Digimon can Digivolve again!"
"Hmm…" Izzy thought this over, realizing this could be beneficial to the Digidestined. "I suppose if that happened, we could send the Digimon back…but what should we do with them until then?"
TK thought for a moment…and then it came to him.
"Let me talk to Matt; maybe he can hide them in some of his music cases until tomorrow." As TK raced out of the door, Davis could only look out the window, deep in thought.
'What are you up to exactly, Ken?'
"Stingmon, let's move out!" the Emperor said to his partner. "We have more areas to take over!" Stingmon nodded and flew off with his partner on his back. Gabumon watched from his cell window, several Gazimon occupying the cell with him. The moment Stingmon became nothing but a black speck in the sky, Gabumon turned to the other Gazimon.
"All right, now's our chance to escape!"
"Escape?!" One Gazimon looked at Gabumon like he had just lost his head. "Are you insane?!"
"The Digimon Emperor's taken over our whole town!" said another Gazimon.
"Yeah, with Vegiemon!" noted Gabumon, looking at the Gazimon with a stern expression. "All those guys do is fling poo! I know it smells bad, but you can bear it, can't you?"
"Well…he does have a point," said a third Gazimon, mulling it over. "Vegiemon may be Champion levels, but they are relatively weak."
"Plus, this is our town!" said a fourth Gazimon, a fire burning in his eyes. "That Emperor thinks he can take over our town and get away with it?! We'll show him!"
"That's the spirit!" said Gabumon, admiring the Gazimon that wanted to escape. "Besides, the Digidestined have also returned, and they'll be able to help us!"
"Well, when you put it that way…" the first Gazimon said slowly before breaking into a grin. "…let's get out of here!"
"All right!" Gabumon turned around and breathed deep, his sight on the door. The Gazimon also aimed their attacks as well.
"BLUE BLASTER!"
"ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!"
Gabumon's attack, a stream of blue flames, and the Gazimon's attacks, a blast of electric energy blasted the prison door off its hinges, flattening the Vegimon guarding it.
"Run now!" Gabumon and the Gazimon immediately sprinted for the town exit, surprised at the lack of guards stopping them…
…until a spiked green bulb flew from out of nowhere and smacked Gabumon in the chest. The fur-wearing Digimon was knocked off his feet and fell into the Gazimon, knocking them off their feet as well.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Arata no Teki)
"Nice try, but did you really think the Digimon Emperor had only Vegiemon in this town?" asked the owner of the bulb. Gabumon and the Gazimon looked up, and saw the Digimon was a RedVegiemon. As his name suggested, he was a red version of Vegiemon, as well as more powerful.
'Damn it…' Gabumon cursed in his thoughts. Vegiemon he could handle with the Gazimon, but RedVegiemon was in another league. If he had Matt with him and the Control Spire wasn't in place, he could Digivolve to Garurumon. But in his current form, he had no chance of winning.
"Trying to escape is an offense to me in this town!" RedVegiemon said, raising up his arms. "So for that, you get one hundred hits, fur boy! SPIKE PUNCH!" The red vegetable Digimon stretched out with his arms, and began striking Gabumon over and over again, counting each hit. The Gazimon could only watch in horror as they were surrounded by Vegiemon. They closed their eyes and attempted to cover their ears to block out Gabumon's yells of pain, but their ears were more advanced, and they could hear everything.
"Seventy-three!" RedVegiemon continued his beatings, but on number seventy-three, Gabumon was sent off the cliff and into the water with a pained yell.
"Oops, I guess I hit too hard," said RedVegiemon, looking down to see no sign of Gabumon.
"Should we go get him?" asked a Vegiemon.
"Nah, I doubt he's still alive," RedVegiemon said, grinning nastily at the Gazimon. "And let that be a lesson to anyone who opposes the Digimon Emperor!" The Gazimon slumped in defeat, hoping that Gabumon was right and the Digidestined would be here soon to free them.
As much as RedVegiemon believed Gabumon was dead, the fur-wearing reptile did not go down easily. Pulling himself out of the river with whatever strength he had left, Gabumon noticed a television set several feet from him, recognizing it from his time in the Human World. He had heard rumors that the Digidestined used it to travel between worlds. If that was true, then he could use it to send a distress message to Matt.
"I…I can't die…" he gasped, dragging himself towards the television. "I have to…tell them…Matt…everybody…"
When he was three feet away from the television set, Gabumon collapsed, losing the strength to go on, and fell unconscious. Fortunately, the screen came on with static as it sensed Gabumon's status as a Digidestined Digimon, sending a message out to his partner.
(Play Digimon: Walk on the Edge)
Back in the Human World, a rock concert was happening in a small stage, the audience mostly consisting of teenage girls, though there were some boys in the crowd. On the stage was a band consisting of four boys, and one of them was Matt, who was the bass player and the lead singer of the Teenage Wolves. It was funny how Matt formed a band in the first place. It had been a month after Omnimon's battle with Diaboromon on the Internet, and Matt had been feeling lonely without Gabumon and TK. Deciding to cope with his loneliness, Matt took up playing guitar. While playing one day, he met another boy playing his own guitar.
Both boys had complimented each other on their playing, and they met up several times to play together. They later met two more boys who played drums and piano. Matt eventually decided they form a band of their own. Calling themselves the Teenage Wolves, the band had started out small, eventually growing a huge following in Odaiba. Even the school principal was a fan of their music, and had asked them to play for a summer festival the school was having in the coming months. Matt and the band accepted, and were waiting for the announcement to be made official.
After the concert ended, Matt went out into the hall with TK, who had been among the crowd.
"I'm not sure if I can hide the Digimon for that long," the older boy said once his brother was done explaining the situation. "Plus, there's ten of them. You sure you can't split them amongst yourselves?"
"Maybe, but we don't know if splitting them up or keeping them together will make the chaos worse or not," said TK, remembering how one Gotsumon nearly broke a window by tapping it, and the Mushroomon tried to play football with Poromon, earning the plant Digimon Yolei's wrath.
"Hey Matt!" a voice rang out. The two brothers looked around to see a girl Matt's age run up to her. Her spiky hair reminded TK a little bit about Tai. "Good concert as always."
(Play Digimon Adventure: Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni…)
"Thanks Jun," Matt said with a light smile. He had known Jun Motomiya ever since they met at a music camp three years ago, and they had been in contact ever since then as close friends. The blond-haired boy was surprised when he learned that Jun's brother Davis was not only Tai's soccer protégé, but a Digidestined as well.
"Hi there," TK said, introducing himself to the red-haired girl. "You said your name was…Jun?'
"Yes, my name is Jun Motomiya." The girl's usage of her last name made TK's eyes widen a bit.
"Motomiya…are you related to Davis Motomiya?"
"Yes, I happen to be his sister," said Jun, earning a surprised look from TK. He had known Davis had a sister, but he didn't know it was a girl Matt was friends with.
"Hey, you're one of Davis's friends, aren't you? Has he been…doing well?" Jun then asked. TK and Matt were surprised that Jun's cheerful face was now one of worry.
"Yeah…he has been," said TK. "Why do you ask?" Jun looked hesitant for a moment before answering.
"Because…I know about the Digital World…and the Digimon," the teenage girl answered, earning surprised looks from Matt and TK. "Three years ago, I saw my brother get sucked into his computer, and he returned a few hours later completely different. Ever since this whole thing began again, I've been wondering how he's been doing. He came home one night with a nasty gash on his arm from the Digital World." TK flinched, knowing that Jun was talking about the injury Davis received during one of TK's not-so finest moments.
"Well…he seems quite energetic," said TK, thinking slowly about Davis's behavior from the last week. "And he seems to take his duties as Digidestined leader seriously." TK still didn't know what to think about Davis yet. It had been two weeks since the incident, and even though he apologized to Kari, he still had yet to apologize and talk with Davis.
"I see…" Jun muttered before turning to the elder of the two boys. "Matt, can we talk…in private?"
"Um…sure," Matt said in surprise, following Jun outside.
Jun had a flurry of emotions going through her head as she led Matt outside where they could talk in private. Ever since Davis revealed to her that his best friend Ken Ichijouji was the Digimon Emperor threatening and taking over the Digital World, he had been coming home most nights absolutely exhausted from dealing with threats in the Digital World. Even though Jun told Davis he didn't have to do everything alone, she had a feeling Davis was taking this harder than the other Digidestined, as it was his best friend he was fighting.
"So what did you want to talk about Jun?" Matt asked, standing behind a tree. Jun sighed before talking.
"Matt, I'm worried about my brother," she said with a sad look. "I know what's going on in the Digital World right now with this 'Digimon Emperor'. Davis has been telling me everything. He told me everything about his adventures in the Digital World from three years ago…and I may have spied on your meeting from last week."
"Wait, you did what?!" Matt asked in shock.
"Hey, can I help it if I worry about my little brother?" Jun asked with a light glare. "Besides, I haven't told anyone about all of this, so your secret's safe with me!"
"No, I…I can understand where you're coming from," said the blond haired boy. Four years ago during their original adventures in the Digital World, Matt had been fiercely protective of TK. Even though Matt had let up on some of his protectiveness, he still worried now and then every time his brother entered the Digital World.
"The thing is…I'm really worried because I think Davis is taking this worse than any of the others," said Jun.
"Why would he be taking it worse than us?" Matt asked with a raised eyebrow. Jun hesitated. She really hated going behind Davis's back, but somebody deserved to be in the loop besides her. Plus, if she didn't use names…
"Because…Davis's friend, the one who helped him and Ryo fight Millenniummon is the Digimon Emperor." This revelation made Matt's eyes widen in complete shock.
"Wait, what?! Are you serious?"
"I am serious," said Jun, the look in her eyes matching the serious tone in her voice. "Davis told me last week. He's taken it really hard because he was really good friends with this boy, and now he has to fight him."
"Why hasn't he told any of us about this?" asked Matt.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Namida no Yukue)
"Because Davis blames himself for what's happened to his friend," Jun said, her face now crestfallen. "He thinks that if he stayed in contact with his friend, after his friend's brother died, then maybe none of this would be happening. He's solely set on taking out the Digimon Emperor himself. I've told him that he's not alone, but I'm not sure if he understands. I may not be in Davis's position, but I can understand that friends should never fight…especially best friends."
Those words made Matt freeze up and remember a time when he was lost and didn't know how to change. This led to a tree-like Digimon called Cherrymon to show up and manipulate Matt to fight and kill die, telling him that fighting Tai would make him stronger and change. However, the fight only caused the Digidestined to fracture and Matt to question his friendship for a while. It was one of the darkest moments of his young life. The blond-haired boy realized that what Davis was going through right was similar to his situation, but it was much worse: Davis had no choice but to fight his best friend, whereas Matt could have backed away and not fallen for Cherrymon's manipulations to fight Tai.
"I see…" the blond musician said sadly, before thinking of something. "Jun…why exactly are you telling me this?"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Kage no Yasashisa)
"Well…I've known you for several years Matt, and you've proven yourself to be a good friend," Jun answered with a small smile. "Plus, when Davis told me about you guys, he said you have the Crest of Friendship."
"Uh…well, yeah, I do," Matt said, surprised that Jun that until he remembered Jun just said that Davis told her about the Crests and who owned what Crest.
"I figured you better than anyone could keep a secret," said Jun. "Davis needs someone to help him, and I figured you could help him. I want to help him, but I can only help him here in our world. The Digital World…it's different. I wish I was one of you…a Digidestined." Jun sat down on a bench, her face broken. Feeling a pang, Matt sat down and pulled Jun into a one-armed hug. It was nothing romantic, but rather, it was one of comfort.
"I'll see what I can do," he finally said after a moment. "It may be difficult since I don't have my partner, and the Digimon Emperor can prevent him from Digivolving."
"Just as long as you can help him," Jun said, then cocking her head to one side. "By the way, who's your Digimon partner?"
"His name is…" Matt's answer was cut off when his Digivice suddenly started beeping loudly. Pulling out his Digivice, Matt looked at the flashing red screen in sudden worry, breathing one name.
"Gabumon…"
"Gabumon?" asked Jun, who looked down at Matt's blinking Digivice. "By the way, what's that flashing red light mean?"
"Matt!" Both teenagers turned to see TK run towards them with his D-Terminal open. "I just got a message from Yolei! It says 'Emergency! Return to school as fast as you can!'"
"I think I may have an idea what the emergency is." Matt showed his Digivice to TK, who immediately knew what the red light meant and nodded in understanding.
"Listen, Jun. TK and I have to go. My Digimon partner is in trouble."
"I understand. Go," said Jun. "And Matt…"
"I promise I will," Matt said, running towards the middle school with TK on his heels, leaving Jun behind.
"Please be careful Davis…" Jun whispered.
"So…what were you promising Jun back there?" TK asked with a teasing grin. "Dinner Saturday?"
"Now's not the time for jokes!" Matt yelled over his shoulder. "Gabumon needs me!"
"Right, sorry," TK said, getting serious again. Gabumon was his brother's partner, and woe betide anyone who harms him. TK would hurt them badly for messing with his brother in any way.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Saa, Digital World e Ikou!)
"Give me a minute, you guys! You're making me nervous!" said Yolei, typing frantically on her keyboard as the new Digidestined and Matt stood over her. Matt crossed his arms, drumming his fingers on his left arm impatiently. If he was younger, he would have complained about the amount of time it was taking. But he was older now, and he learned from working with Izzy that rushing the tech expert of the Digidestined only put more pressure on them, leading to mistakes.
"Almost there…" Yolei muttered, eventually finding where the signal came from. "All right, I found it!"
"Then let's go," said Matt. "From the looks of the signal I got, Gabumon really needs help!"
"Then we have no more time to waste!" Davis held his D-3 up to the screen. "Digital Gate, Open!" The screen flashed and everyone entered the Digital World, ready for whatever was to come. The group landed near a river bed, where they were immediately greeted with the sight of a beat up Digimon that Matt, TK, Patamon, Kari and Gatomon recognized immediately.
"Gabumon!" Matt ran over to his fallen partner and began to shake him awake gently. "Gabumon, wake up!" The fur-wearing reptile groaned slightly, opening his eyes slowly, the first thing he saw being a very familiar face.
"Ma...Matt? Is…that you?"
"Yeah, it's me, buddy," Matt smiled, pulling his partner into his arms. "What happened to you?"
"Follow…follow me," Gabumon grunted, moving out of Matt's arms. The furred reptile took two steps forward before falling on his face again. It was clear he hadn't fully recovered yet from the beating he received from RedVegiemon.
"Easy buddy," Matt said, helping Gabumon up with TK's help. "Maybe you can show us where to go?"
"That way," Gabumon pointed to a dusty road. The Digidestined walked up the road before seeing a village in sight.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Iya na Yokan)
"What is this place?" asked Yolei.
"This is the village of Santa Geria," said Gabumon, now feeling much better and able to walk again after being carried for several minutes by Matt. "It was a peaceful town inhabited by Gazimon. But then the Digimon Emperor came in with a bunch of Vegiemon and took it over, placing a Control Spire up there." Gabumon pointed up and the Digidestined saw the Control Spire in the distance, sitting on the tallest hill. "I tried to bust out the Gazimon, but the Vegiemon got help from a RedVegiemon, and he punched me down into the river."
"Control Spire?" asked Matt. "What are those?"
"Those are what the Digimon Emperor erects every time he conquers an area," explained Patamon. "It's also the reason why we can't Digivolve normally."
"But not for long," said Davis. "Cody came up with a theory that if we destroy the Dark Tower, the aura of darkness it's emitting will disappear and Gabumon can Digivolve normally again!"
"But could that really work?" TK asked somewhat doubtfully.
"Of course! Let's get going then!" Davis and Veemon began heading out of the forest, but were stopped by Matt.
"Hold up there, hotshot! The Emperor may be there waiting to ambush us."
"I don't think so," said Gabumon. "He left a while ago with Stingmon to take over a new area."
"Which means all we have to really deal with are the Vegiemon and RedVegiemon," said Veemon.
"How dangerous are those guys, exactly?" asked Cody.
"Vegiemon are relatively weak, but they're dangerous with their bad breath…and their poop flinging," Armadillomon said with a grimace.
"Wait…they throw their own poop?!" Yolei declared with a scandalous look. "That's absolutely disgusting!"
"Tell me about it," Matt muttered, remembering the Numemon.
"It's RedVegiemon we really must be careful with," said Hawkmon. "He may not fling poop, but he's certainly much stronger than an ordinary Vegiemon."
"What's more, is the Gazimon are still prisoners," Gabumon said gravelly. "They may use them as hostages."
"Damn, that's a good point…" Davis said, looking up at the Control Spire with a glare. If he could destroy it, then he would be one step closer to stopping Ken. "All right, I have an idea."
"What is it?" asked Kari.
"We'll have to split up," said Davis. "Veemon and I will go up that mountain and take down the Control Spire, while the rest of you pretend to be prisoners and get into the village. If you do that, then you'll be able to free the real prisoners."
"Just yourself?" Kari asked worriedly.
"It would be too much trouble for all of us to go," said Davis. "Besides, Gabumon has a point when he says the guards may use the Gazimon as shields. If we take out the Control Spire, we avoid the fight altogether. I have a feeling the Control Spires not only inhibit Digivolution, but they also provide power to the Dark Rings."
"So if we destroy the Control Spire, not only will the Digimon Digivolve normally, but the slaves will be free?" Yolei asked in a quick summary.
"Yes," said Davis. "The other reason I need you to infiltrate the village is so you can not only free the Gazimon, but make a distraction and give me and Veemon enough time to destroy the Spire."
"Davis, are you sure about this?" asked Patamon, also worried as well.
"I am sure," Davis said, a determined look on his face as he turned to leave for the mountain. "Let's go, Veemon."
"Right!" Veemon went to follow his partner, when…
"Wait a minute," Matt said, putting a hand on Davis's shoulder to stop him. "Gabumon and I are coming with you guys. It's too risky to go it alone, you'll need someone to watch your back."
"Matt, I appreciate the gesture," Davis said with a sigh, "but…"
"That wasn't a question," Matt stated coldly, glaring at Davis. The burgundy-haired boy looked nervous under Matt's glare before turning away.
"All right. Matt, you'll come with me. The rest of you, find a way to infiltrate the prison." The other Digidestined nodded and broke away from Davis and Matt, the latter looking at Davis with an unreadable look.
'Well…this is where I put my promise into play,' the blond-haired boy thought, following Davis close by.
Davis and Matt had moved closer to the village, and watched from the bushes as the other Digidestined were tied up and marched up to the village by their partners, all wearing fake Dark Rings to trick the Vegiemon.
"They're in," whispered Davis. "Now's our chance!" Veemon, Matt and Gabumon nodded, walking up the mountain.
"Listen, Matt. It's not that I don't appreciate your offer to help me," Davis said to the older boy as they scaled the small mountain up to the obelisk, "but Veemon and I have been through worse and we can handle ourselves."
"I don't doubt that," said Matt, "but that still doesn't ignore the fact that Kari and the rest of us worry about you…even your sister."
"What?" Davis asked, stopping suddenly upon hearing his sister being mention. "What did you say?" Matt looked at Davis with a frown as he continued.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Run with the Wind ~Yamato no Theme~ #2)
"I saw your sister Jun today after my concert…and she told me about your friend being the Digimon Emperor. Don't worry, she didn't say any names," Matt said, holding up his hand to cut off Davis, who looked upset and was ready to shout.
"What would possess her to do something like that?!" the burgundy-haired boy said angrily. "She promised me she wouldn't tell!"
"Well, she told me," Matt said simply before his expression softened. "Davis, I get it. You don't like fighting your best friend, but that doesn't mean you should try and do this yourself. You have the rest of us to back you up. We're a team, Davis."
"Team," Davis said with a scoff. "Yeah, right. Kari's really the only one I've been able to work well with. Cody's all right, though he can be a stiff, Yolei can still be hyper and act to the beat of her own drum, and no offense, but your brother's a jerk."
"So was I," Matt sighed. "I get it. You don't trust TK or the rest of the Digidestined. You don't really trust most of us." Davis said nothing, looking down at the rocky ground as he knew Matt was speaking truth, and he couldn't really say anything to counter it.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Akogare)
"It's just…I was used to working with Ryo and my friend. We acted like a true team, and we were able to fight together. But now Ryo's missing in some other dimension, and my other friend is the Digimon Emperor, and I'm leading a group of new Digidestined, most of them I barely know…or trust." Davis slumped down on a rock, a clearly torn look on his face. Veemon could only feel Davis's pain, as he was taking it hard as well to fight Stingmon. He didn't like it, and he knew Stingmon didn't like it as well.
"I know how it feels to not trust people," Matt said, sitting down next to Davis and placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "It took me a long time to open up to Tai, Gabumon and the others my first time in the Digital World, but eventually they became my closest friends. I know you were close to Ryo and the Digimon Emperor, and I know it's heartbreaking to fight your best friend. But remember Davis, you're not alone, and I know you don't want to be alone. I learned about that as well, and now I have good friends. And you do as well. You just have to let them in and trust them."
Davis remained quiet, letting Matt's words mull over in his head. He did trust Kari, Tai and Sora, and they were his closest friends. But could he let the other Digidestined in, share his pain with them? He looked over at Matt, his cold eyes showing compassion. He did seem like someone he could trust, being someone with the Crest of Friendship. Perhaps he could trust the other Digidestined.
"All right," the burgundy-haired boy said, standing back up. "You don't seem like a bad guy Matt…which is more than I can say for your brother."
"I know you and TK haven't exactly been on the best of terms since this whole thing started," Matt said, standing back up and resuming his walk up the mountain with Davis, "but that's how Tai and I started out our friendship."
"And look at them now!" Gabumon said happily. "Besides, TK's not a bad boy once you really get to know him."
"I guess so, but still…" Davis trailed off, preferring to focus more on the mission than making friends with TK for now. Picking up the message, Matt continued on without saying anything else.
"Finally!" Veemon said once the group of four reached the top of mountain. Being up close to the Spire, they noticed the Spire was giant, possibly as big as the Washington Monument in America.
"Now we can tear down this Control Spire," Davis said, pulling out his D-3 to allow Veemon to Armor Digivolve. But before he could even say the words to activate the change…
"That won't be happening!" Gabumon gasped as he recognized the voice and whirled around to see a shocking sight that Davis, Matt and Veemon also gasped to upon seeing it as well.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Aku no Shutsugen)
Standing before them was RedVegiemon, flanked by several more Vegiemon. And behind them were Kari, TK, Yolei and Cody. All of them were still tied up with rope, but now their Digimon partners were tied up as well, and all of them had been gagged with cloth, preventing them from talking.
"The Digimon Emperor warned me about you when that Gabumon escaped," laughed RedVegiemon. "He knew you would try to sneak in, but when we didn't see you with your little friends, we decided to surprise you!"
"Damn it!" cursed Veemon. "Davis, activate the Digimental now!"
"I got it!" said Davis. "DIGI-ARMOR…"
"HAZARD BREATH!"
"STINK JET!"
The smelly plant Digimon released green jets of bad breath from their mouths, enveloping the two Digidestined and their partners. Davis and Matt both coughed and gagged, holding their arms up over their faces to block the smell. But this proved fatal as several Vegiemon bounced over and wrapped their long arms around their bodies, pinning their arms together and squeezing the air out of them. Gabumon tried to fight back, but he two was overwhelmed and bound by the Vegiemon.
On the other hand, Veemon was able to handily fight back against the two Vegiemon that attempted to subdue him.
"GYRAL PUNCH!" Spinning his arms around in circles, Veemon knocked down both Vegiemon and charged for RedVegiemon, knocking him down with a Vee-Headbutt.
"Grr! You little pest!" RedVegiemon said with a snarl, bouncing back up. "RED HOT SUBMACHINE GUN!" The red plant Digimon spat out hot peppers from his mouth that landed on the ground around Veemon's feet, exploding on impact. Veemon jumped out of the way of the attack, but was left vulnerable to RedVegiemon's next attack, which was a Spike Punch to the chest, followed by another one to the face. Veemon yelled in pain as he was knocked off the ground, only to be grabbed by RedVegiemon's arms and thrown back down to the ground.
"Veemon!" Davis cried in worry, attempting to break free, but it was useless. The Vegiemon were relatively weak Digimon, but the grip of their vines was not to be underestimated.
"If…if I could only Digivolve…!" Gabumon gasped in his captor's grasp. Matt gritted his teeth in anger, gripping his Digivice in hand.
"I'm…I'm sorry, guys…" Veemon groaned, pulling himself up slowly off the ground.
"You think you're so tough fighting me, dragon face?!" RedVegiemon said with a laugh. "We'll see how tough you are after a hundred punches! One! Two! Three!" RedVegiemon counted each punch as he struck Veemon, but the dragon Digimon withstood the strikes and pulled himself back up.
"Is that…the best you've got?" asked the blue dragon. "I've been hit by worse!"
"Oh, I'm just getting started!" laughed RedVegiemon. "Four!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kanashimi)
"No!" Davis yelled. "Leave him alone!" It pained the child of Miracles greatly to watch his partner be struck over and over again as he watched bound and helpless. He hadn't felt this helpless since he saw Veemon die in front of him.
"I…I can't watch!" Gabumon cried, closing his eyes. The other Digidestined could only close their eyes as well, unable to block their ears from Veemon's pained cries.
"Leave him alone!" Davis attempted to move, but another Vegiemon jumped over and wrapped his vines around the boy's ankles, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Don't…don't worry about me, Davis…" Veemon gasped as he took Punch Thirty-six. The punches continued, RedVegiemon continued counting, and Veemon was becoming worse from the punches, but he would not quit for Davis or his friends.
"Eighty-nine! Ninety! Ninety-one!"
"Veemon, stop this!" Davis cried, his eyes beginning to water at the sight of his battered partner, who had begun bleeding from his injuries. "You can't take much more!"
"But…but I can't give up, Davis…" Veemon gasped, taking Punch Ninety-five. "Our friends…are depending on us…"
"They can't depend on us if you're dead!" Davis cried, unable to watch Veemon's mauling continue. "Please! I…I can't lose you again!" Upon hearing Davis's words, the other Digidestined looked surprised, but none were more surprised than TK.
'No…no way…Davis and Veemon…did Veemon…die before?' the child of Hope thought, his mind flashing back to Angemon dying battling with Devimon. Suddenly, TK felt truly guilty for getting on Davis's bad side.
"Ninety-six!" RedVegiemon's next punch knocked Veemon off his feet and accidentally hit the Control Spire, a chunk of it coming off.
"I have to admire your friendship and dedication to the Digidestined," said the red plant Digimon, "so when I'm done with you, I'll do the rest of them as well with one hundred punches, starting with your partner!"
"Not…while I'm still…breathing!" Veemon gasped as he was slammed into the Control Spire by Punch Ninety-nine.
"One more punch left," RedVegiemon chuckled evilly.
'No!' Davis thought, struggling frantically in the Vegiemon's grasp. 'Please…let this stop!' Unknown to Davis, the Crest of Miracles under his shirt began glowing faintly, as did Veemon. The little dragon gasped as he suddenly felt a new surge of energy that enabled him to pull up as RedVegiemon pulled back his arm.
"ONE HUNDRED!" Both RedVegiemon's arms stretched forward to strike Veemon, but the reenergized dragon Digimon jumped out of the way, and the arms struck the Control Spire instead.
"Wha…what the?!" RedVegiemon yelled in shock as the Control Spire began sparking and crackling with electricity. Davis and Matt's Digivices suddenly began beeping and Veemon and Gabumon felt a familiar energy fill up inside of them.
"This is…!" Davis gasped as Veemon and Gabumon changed.
(Play Digimon Adventure tri: Brave Heart)
"VEEMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…EXVEEMON!"
"GABUMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…GARURUMON!"
"Im…impossible!" RedVegiemon gasped at the sight before him. Gabumon had thrown off his Vegiemon captors, turning into a horse-sized wolf with silver and blue stripe on his body.
Where Veemon once stood was a massive blue dragon Digimon with a horn on his snout, muscular arms and legs, an X-mark on his chest, and a pair of wings on his back to enable flight.
"It's payback time!" ExVeemon growled, grabbing RedVegiemon's arm and lifting him off the ground. "STRONG CRUNCH!" Opening his mouth, ExVeemon bit down on RedVegiemon's arm, causing the plant Digimon to yell in pain from the bite. Releasing his hold on the arm, ExVeemon took flight with RedVegiemon in his grasp, going high into the air before throwing him down to the ground with a massive crash.
"FOX FIRE!" Garurumon turned his attention to the Vegiemon, scaring them off with his blue flames while Davis and Matt untied the rest of the Digidestined.
"Gabumon and Veemon…" gasped Kari.
"…were able to Digivolve to Champion level!" finished Gatomon.
"ExVeemon…" Davis whispered, looking at his partner's Champion level for the first time in three years.
"It looks Cody was right!" said Yolei. "Damaging the Control Spire must have lifted the Digivolution shield!"
"And destroying it should free the enslaved Digimon," said Hawkmon.
"Understood," Davis nodded, looking over to his partner, who was giving RedVegiemon a well-deserved beating, even if he was being controlled. "ExVeemon! Finish off the Control Spire!"
"You got it, Davis!" ExVeemon turned around and threw RedVegiemon into the Control Spire before crossing his arms over his chest in an X-shape.
"X-LASER!" Separating his arms, ExVeemon released a laser beam from the mark on his chest. The beam hit RedVegiemon and sent him into the Spire, which cracked in two and tumbled to the ground, crashing into pieces upon impact.
"You did it!" Garurumon cheered, watching as RedVegiemon and the Vegiemon's eyes turned back into their natural color and the Dark Rings fell off their waists, powerless.
"Huh? What's going on here?" RedVegiemon groaned, unaware of the damage he has caused with the other Vegiemon.
"Guys!" The Digidestined turned to see Tai, Sora and Izzy run up the hill with their partners, the Gotsumon and the Mushroomon, stopping when they saw the two Champion level Digimon before them.
"Garurumon!" Agumon gasped, looking up at his old friend. "You were actually able to Digivolve!"
"It was thanks to the Control Spire being damaged and destroyed," said the wolf. "Veemon was also able to Digivolve to his Champion form, ExVeemon." The Digidestined looked over and saw the big blue dragon off to the side, his massive arm holding Davis in a hug.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kanashimi 2)
"I was so worried that I would lose you again…" Davis whispered, a tear rolling down his face. "How did you survive that?"
"I think it's obvious," ExVeemon grinned, looking down at Davis's Crest of Miracles, which was pulsing a faint golden light.
"So this old thing still works well…" Davis chuckled, admiring the pendant. His Crest always did bring about a miracle when things didn't look good, and it pulled through again for them.
"So that's ExVeemon…" Tai said, looking impressed at the dragon Digimon.
"With the Control Spire destroyed, that means not only are RedVegiemon and the Vegiemon free from the Emperor's control, and we can Digivolve again, but this area is no longer under the Emperor's control," Tentomon buzzed, looking over the remains of the Control Spire.
"What's more, is that these towers can be destroyed, and we're one step closer to making the Digital World a safe place again," noted Gatomon.
"Then in that case, let's get the Gotsumon and Mushroomon back home by destroying the Spire that's there!" said Tai, running down the hill, followed by Agumon, Kari, Gatomon, the Gotsumon and Mushroomon.
"We're coming too!" Sora ran after them with Yolei, Biyomon and Hawkmon. "Perhaps we can destroy a few more Spires in the surrounding areas."
"Guys…I'm sorry about all of this," Davis said, walking over to the other Digidestined, ExVeemon by his side. "I thought I could do this alone…but without me, you were all captured…and Veemon was nearly killed…"
"Davis, don't," Matt said, gripping both the younger boys' shoulders. "You shouldn't keep beating yourself up over things that weren't your fault to begin with. Tai learned that, and so did I. We all learned that."
"Thanks," Davis lightly smiled. "And I guess I also learned that from now on, we do this together…as a team. Is that right?"
"That's right!" said everyone.
Back in the Human World, the Digidestined, who had also brought Gabumon back, were huddled around Izzy, showing them a grid map on the screen.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Sorosoru Yuuhan da ne)
"This grid map you see is the Digital World," said Izzy. "The black squares are areas the Emperor has control over are in black, and the free areas are in white. This one," he pointed to a flashing red square, "is Santa Geria. It was originally black, but after the Spire's destruction, it turned white."
"Which means it's no longer under the Emperor's control," Cody noted, looking at the map himself. "But there are so many black squares. It could take us months to take down all those Spires."
"And there's also the off-chance that the Emperor could make new Spires," TK said with a frown.
"Damn it…we really have our work cut out for us…" said Davis.
"But that hardly matters," said Gabumon. "Now that we know how to take down the Spires, we can Digivolve again."
"Even all the way to the Mega level, if it's necessary!" Tentomon said, getting a nod from his partner.
"Mega level?" asked Cody. "What is that?"
"It's the highest level of Digivolution," explained DemiVeemon. "After Champion level comes the Ultimate level, and then the Mega level."
"The Mega level is very powerful…and it can be…very destructive," Davis said, a dark look on his face as he remembered the last time Veemon became Imperialdramon. TK noticed the dark look, noting that it was the same look he saw earlier today. Seeing this look twice confirmed what TK suspected: Veemon had died before, and Davis was affected by it more than he was letting on.
"Hey, some of the squares just turned white!" Upamon said, getting everyone to look at the computer screen. Sure enough, six black squares had turned white in under a minute.
"I guess Tai's group is having some good luck," Izzy noted.
"Looks like Control Spires aren't made the way they used to be made!" Tai said with a laugh as he rode on Greymon's back again in nearly three years. Agumon had managed to Digivolve to the massive orange dinosaur with a horned helmet and blue stripes once Nefertimon damaged the Control Spire of the area they were in. All it took was Greymon's Mega Flame to finish it off.
In the skies above, Halsemon had flown down six different areas, damaging the Control Spires with his attacks, allowing Biyomon's Champion level Birdramon, a flaming orange bird to deliver her Meteor Wing attack, destroying them with her fireballs.
"Boo-yah!" Yolei cheered. "Seven spires in one day!"
"No more sitting on the sidelines for us anymore!" Sora said, getting a positive nod from her partner. Far in the distance, Stingmon watched the scene with worry before returning to the base to inform Ken. To the insect Digimon's surprise, his partner took the news rather well.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Digital Field)
"So…they destroyed seven Control Spires in one day. I suppose it was only a matter of time…"
"You don't sound that upset," said Wormmon, who had feared the worst.
"Like I just said, it was only a matter of time before they began knocking down my Spires," Ken said, sneering at the screen. "Fortunately, I can always rebuild. Plus, those areas weren't strategically important in any way. And they have yet to find my base…"
"How much longer until there are Control Spires everywhere?" asked Wormmon, a slight worry in his voice.
"At this rate, less than a year," Ken said, standing up from his throne and missing the worry in Wormmon's voice. "And who knows? Maybe I'll do Earth next…"
'What?' Wormmon thought. If he wasn't worried about Ken's state of mind, he certainly was now…
'Davis, I hope you can pull out some kind of miracle,' the green caterpillar thought, watching Ken leave the monitor room. 'We definitely need one right now.'
(Play Days: Aijou to Nichijou TV Size)
END CHAPTER 7
A few things I'd like to also talk about in this story. The new kids' clothes stay the same whenever they go into the Digital World. I never really did get what the deal was with the clothes-changing. Plus, what was the deal with Yolei's outfit? Davis's outfit fitted him well, as well as Cody's. But Yolei's looked like something from a third-rate Indiana Jones movie. I think Yolei looked better in her pink dress and blue bandana, as well as her summer clothes of t-shirt, shorts and a red beret.
Plus, as I'm sure you read in Chapter 4, Mimi moved back to Japan before the events of this story began. Mimi is one of my favorite Digimon characters, and it's sad she never got as much screen time as the older Digidestined in the anime because she lived halfway across the globe, and I was happy when she moved back in tri.
That's all for this chapter. Have you listened to some of the soundtrack pieces in the story on Youtube? And if you have, what do you think of the music?