Digimon Adventure Tamers
Chapter 23
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon
(Play The Biggest Dreamer: TV Size)
(Play Digimon Tamers: Avant)
The Digidestined and Tamers have split up in the Digital World, with Davis's team going to aid the Gekomon in the village of Little Edo, where they confronted the warrior Ninjamon, working for Millenniummon of his own will. Ninjamon escaped, and is preparing to return stronger than before. Meanwhile, Yolei and a few others have gone to have a day of relaxation, but the peace won't last long…
(Play Digimon Tamers: Subtitle 2)
The Sincere Wind Blows! Shurimon!
(Play Digimon Tamers: Umin-chu)
"Wow…" Yolei said with a sigh, relaxing in the booth she was in with Mimi, Palmon and Hawkmon, while eating a bowl of chicken alfredo that she ordered. "I have to admit, this restaurant is quite luxurious, I'll admit. And this food's not bad, either."
"Yeah, it is pretty good," Kazu said from the booth he was in with Kenta, Kokuwamon and Betamon. "The breadsticks may be a little too soft, but it's still good." While the boys continued eating their lunch in silence, the girls continued talking to each other.
"So Yolei…have you been doing better since yesterday?" Mimi asked, looking up from her shrimp fried rice.
"Yeah, I am a little better," said Yolei. "I just wish I could smack Millenniummon around for what he's done…but then I'm forced to remind myself that he could kill me with a simple thought, and I'm just left with being angry…"
"Yeah, Millenniummon has a tendency to do that," said Mimi.
"But I feel like I am at peace a little with my family," said Yolei. "I've been honest with them ever since last night, and I feel like things are better now with us."
"That's good to know," said Mimi, "but how are you in general?"
"Honestly…" Yolei sighed, "I may be a little better, but I'm still a bit of a mess. After what happened yesterday, I've been a little scared out of my mind of facing Millenniummon again and his minions. I do want to still help, but…"
"But what?" asked Mimi. "You're saying you don't want to fight again?"
"No, it's not that," said Yolei. "I know I have to fight, but I don't want to fight unless it's a very important fight."
"Yolei, I know how you feel, but as of now, every fight we'll be having will be important fights. You have to be very honest with yourself if you do want to fight or not," Mimi replied firmly. Yolei remained silent and looked down at the food on her plate, letting things mull over in her head.
"Well, we're done," Kazu said, standing up from the booth with Kenta and their Digimon partners. "You girls going to keep talking, or are you finished?"
"Yeah, we're done," Yolei replied, getting out of the booth. "Hey waiter! Check, please!"
"Hold on a minute!" Digitamamon called from the kitchen. "I'm the only one here, you know. Geez!" A moment later, the giant egg Digimon walked out of the kitchen and behind the counter, where Yolei was at. "Okay, your total is…" Digitamamon muttered to himself as he looked down at the cash register. "eighty-seven in total."
"Eighty-seven?!" Yolei asked in surprise as she checked her purse. "I don't have that much money on me!"
"What?! I thought you said you had enough to pay!" Digitamamon said angrily. "You're not trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?!"
"No, she isn't," said Kazu. "All of us put together have enough to pay. Yolei, how much is in your purse?"
"Uh…twenty-five," Yolei said, checking her purse again.
"I've got twenty myself," said Kenta. "What about you Kazu, Mimi?"
"I have twenty-five myself," said Kazu. "That makes it seventy. Mimi, do you have enough?"
"Yeah," Mimi said, digging in her own purse. "Throw in my own twenty, and that's eighty-seven, plus three for a tip."
"Good!" Digitamamon said, sounding slightly cheerful again. "Thank you for your patronage, and come back when you can."
"We will," said Mimi. "You know, it's nice to see you be a nice guy…sort of. I heard about you from my friends, Matt and Joe."
"Ah…yes, those two," Digitamamon said, suddenly deflating slightly.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Iya na Yokan)
"Yeah, from what Mimi and Kazu told me, you were a bit of a money-hungry jackass who kept Joe and Matt here because you were being paid," Yolei said, making Digitamamon glare at her.
"I don't need you to remind me!" the egg Digimon snapped bitterly. "Besides, you think I had much of a choice back then? I knew who DemiDevimon was, and I knew the power Myotismon possessed. Anybody who crossed him would die instantly. So, I did what I had to do." Digitamamon's eyes then dropped down to a sad expression. "And then the Dark Masters began tearing things up, and my restaurant wasn't even immune to the damage being done."
"Yeah, I remember seeing this place before," said Mimi, looking around the restaurant. "Joe and I used it as a hiding place for a while with Leomon and Ogremon."
(Play Digimon Adventure: Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni…)
"I was one of the few Digimon that managed to survive the slaughter and stay in hiding," Digitamamon continued, looking down. "Ever since they were defeated, I decided to make an honest living." He sighed sadly. "I don't like thinking of those days at all. And now we have Millenniummon back…"
"Hey, don't worry!" Mimi assured Digitamamon, a cheerful expression on her face. "That's all in the past now! You've been making an honest living over the last four years, and you've definitely been doing good at it."
"Yeah, just keep it up!" Kazu added while Kenta nodded.
"Well…thank you," Digitamamon said, sincerely. "It's encouraging to hear you say that…unlike certain people who don't understand me." The egg Digimon gave a quick glare to Yolei, who suddenly looked a little guilty of what she said to Digitamamon earlier.
"It's not like that at all!" Kenta insisted, knowing what Digitamamon was talking about. "Yolei…tends to judge people based on first impressions."
"Yeah, just because some people don't understand you, it doesn't mean you should stop believing in yourself," Mimi continued.
"You are right…I should keep believing in myself, even if some people don't," said Digitamamon. Yolei just looked guilty and confused. Digitamamon sounded like he meant it when he said he wanted to make an honest living, but his past as an enemy of the old Digidestined made her slightly suspicious of him.
"Well, if we're all fed now, perhaps we should depart…" Hawkmon began until the sound of an explosion was heard from outside, and the restaurant began shaking like crazy.
"What is that?!" yelled Hawkmon.
"My sensors indicate two Digimon signals coming from the forest across the lake!" said Kokuwamon. "And they appear to be very powerful!"
"Outside, now!" Kazu ran out the restaurant with Kokuwamon right by his side. The rest of the group were close by as they heard the explosions and tremors continue towards them.
"Be ready for anything guys," Kazu cautioned, D-Arc in one hand and Digimon card in the other. Kenta, Mimi and Yolei pulled out their own devices and their partners prepared to Digivolve. Across the lake, the trees were destroyed in an explosion of fire. A small figure walked out of the fire, revealed to be a small red Digimon with a silver helmet and a clawed gauntlet on his right hand. His left arm was a metal blaster, smoking pouring out of the barrel.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Arata no Teki)
"That little guy is the cause of those powerful explosions?!" Mimi asked, seeing the cause of the attack.
"It's MetalMamemon!" said Kenta. "He's an Ultimate level Digimon, said to be the strongest of the Mamemon-species!"
"Then you'll have to go Ultimate as well, Palmon!" Mimi said, getting a nod from Palmon. "And we better hurry, he looks like he's getting ready to attack!" This was true, as MetalMamemon had was aiming his cannon arm right at the four humans, and it was slowly charging up with energy.
"Ultimate level…" Yolei said, looking at MetalMamemon in worry. "What could I do against him?"
"Yolei, don't worry, I'll be all right," said Hawkmon. Yolei looked down at her partner, and then her D-3, wondering if she could be able to fight.
"Hey, wait a minute, it's just one Digimon," said Palmon, noticing MetalMamemon still charging up his weapon. "Kokuwamon, didn't you say there were two Digimon?"
"Yes, and I can still sense it," said Kokuwamon. "But I don't exactly…know…" the robot trailed off as he looked at the ground in front of them, his posture suddenly slacking in panic. "Get back! He's…" the ground suddenly began shaking like crazy, causing everybody to be thrown off their feet by the tremors. The ground suddenly split open, revealing a giant brown Digimon resembling a minotaur, his left arm encased in a drill-like object.
"What is that?!" yelled Yolei.
"That's Minotarumon!" said Kazu. "He's Ultimate level like MetalMamemon as well! We have to Digivolve our Digimon, now!"
"DARKSIDE QUAKE!" Minotarumon slammed his drill arm into the ground, which began shaking again like crazy. The four kids yelled as the tremors, stronger than last time, struck them and knocked them off their feet, causing their Digivices and D-Arks to fall out of their hands.
"Finish them, MetalMamemon!" Minotarumon roared to the Digimon across the lake. "Lord Millenniummon commands you to do so!" MetalMamemon said nothing as he fired the massive red energy orb that had been building up for the last minute.
"Gotta…get…D-Ark!" Kazu grunted, struggling amongst Minotarumon's tremors to get his D-Ark and power up Kokuwamon before the orb struck.
"I don't think so!" a voice rang out. Digitamamon leaped out of his diner and towards MetalMamemon's attack, drawing his legs in his shell and covering his eyes. The blast struck Digitamamon, who was sent flying into Minotarumon. The beast Digimon roared as he was struck in the face. His arm was dislodged from the ground, ceasing the earthquakes.
"Insolent pest! You shall pay for your interference!" Minotarumon snarled and kicked Digitamamon, sending him flying far into the forest.
"Digitamamon?!" Yolei asked in shock over what she just saw. "He…he protected us! But…but why?"
"Perhaps he really does have a change of heart," Hawkmon said, making Yolei look confused and guilty.
'Maybe I was a little hard on him…'
(Play Digimon: SLASH!)
"DIGI-MODIFY! MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!"
"KOKUWAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…ANDROMON!"
"PALMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…TOGEMON!"
"TOGEMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…LILLYMON!"
"DIGI-MODIFY! DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!"
"BETAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…DOLPHMON!"
Taking advantage of Minotarumon and MetalMamemon being distracted, Kazu, Kenta and Mimi quickly Digivolved their partners, Andromon charging for Minotarumon and knocking him off his feet with a powerful punch, Lillymon flying for MetalMamemon and firing her Flower Cannon, and Dolphmon leaping into the water.
"I don't see a Dark Spiral on Minotarumon!" Andromon said as he backed away from Minotarumon's fist and looked up and down on the beast's Digimon.
"MetalMamemon has one, though," Lillymon said, wincing as her smaller opponent leaped into the air and sliced her leg with the claws on his right arm, which was adorned with a Dark Spiral.
"What does that mean?" asked Yolei.
"It means Millenniummon must be getting some Digimon to join them of their own free will, while others he's brainwashing," said Kazu. "We have to destroy Minotarumon and free MetalMamemon, then."
"Guys, I need some backup!" Lillymon yelled as she dodged MetalMamemon's Energy Bomb attack.
"Yolei, I have to go in!" Hawkmon insisted. Yolei hesitated slightly before making a choice.
"Okay," she held up her D-3. "Get up there!"
"HAWKMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…AQUILAMON!" The giant bird flew into the air and for MetalMamemon, whose attention was focused on Lillymon, the fairy Digimon continuing to dodge the red energy blasts.
"GLIDE HORN!" The bird's horns elongated and rammed into MetalMamemon. While it didn't hurt him very much due to the difference in level between Aquilamon and MetalMamemon, the attack was still strong enough to knock the small cyborg away from Lillymon. Turning around and glaring at Aquilamon, MetalMamemon chose to switch targets, his cannon aimed at the giant bird.
"ENERGY BOMB!"
"BLAST LASER!" Aquilamon's energy rings flew into the air and collided with MetalMamemon's bomb, the explosion sending both Digimon flying away from each other. Being the larger Digimon with wings, Aquilamon was able to regain his composure in the air while MetalMamemon was still spiraling in the air, allowing Lillymon to continue her attack on MetalMamemon.
"FLOWER WREATH!" The flower-covered vines appeared in Lillymon's hands and were thrown into the air, wrapping themselves around the small Digimon's feet. With a mighty pull, Lillymon sent MetalMamemon falling towards the ground.
"Aquilamon, get ready!" Lillymon called out, another vine appearing in her hand, this time covered with sharp spikes. MetalMamemon yelled as collided with the ground, creating a small crater in his wake. Pulling himself up, MetalMamemon glared at Lillymon and began firing his Energy Bomb attack, but the fairy Digimon swerved and dodged the blasts, her vine outstretched to strike.
"VICIOUS VINE!"
"GLIDE HORN!" As Lillymon was heading for MetalMamemon, Aquilamon flew down right behind MetalMamemon, his horns extended again. MetalMamemon turned, seeing Aquilamon coming for him, and raised his right arm up, blocking Aquilamon's horn with his claws. However, he could only focus on one target for so long, allowing Lillymon to go for the final blow.
"Got you now!" Shooting down from the sky, Lillymon swung her vine down and struck the Dark Spiral, making cracks appear around it. The electricity that coursed from the Spiral shocked MetalMamemon, making him step back in pain.
"BLAST LASER!" Taking advantage, Aquilamon fired his rings again, colliding with MetalMamemon's weakened Spiral, finally destroying it.
"DEMON ARM!" Nearby, Minotarumon continued fighting Andromon, striking at him with his metal arm. Andromon raised his arms up in defense, his armor taking the brunt of the punches.
"Fall, you pathetic machine, fall!" Minotarumon roared, raising his left arm again. "DARKSIDE…"
"GATLING MISSILES!" Acting quickly, Andromon opened his chest plate and fired his missiles, blasting Minotarumon in the face and making him stagger back. Snarling in anger, Minotarumon charged for Andromon again, but the cyborg Digimon rolled out of the way and kicked Minotarumon towards the lake. Snarling again, Minotarumon prepared to slam his arm into the ground, when Dolphmon suddenly burst out of the water from behind and opened his mouth.
"SHAKING PULSE!" The sonic blasts that erupted from Dolphmon's mouth struck Minotarumon, who yelled in pain from the attack and covered his ears, dropping to his knees in the process.
"Andromon, get him in the water!" Kazu called out. "He won't be able to cause earthquakes there!" Andromon nodded and charged for Minotarumon, both combatants colliding with each other and falling into the water.
"You're in my element now, Minotarumon!" Dolphmon said, swimming for the beast Digimon. "Which means you're finished!"
"DIGI-MODIFY! MAMMOTHMON ACTIVATE!" Kenta yelled, swiping a card through his D-Ark for Dolphmon to use.
"FREEZING BREATH!" Dolphmon opened his mouth to attack, but instead of sonic waves, it came out as a giant blast of ice that connected with Minotarumon's left arm, freezing it solid. Andromon quickly followed up the attack with a Spiral Sword that shattered Minotarumon's left arm. The beast man could only release a garbled scream of pain from having his arm blown up.
"Now to end this battle!" said Andromon. "GATLING MISSILES!" Two more missiles flew out and hit Minotarumon, engulfing him in an explosion that sent water flying out of the lake and up into the air.
"Woah!" Yolei yelled in surprise. "Who did that?!"
"Judging from the size of that water, I'd have to say Andromon," said Kazu. A few moments later, Andromon came out of the water with Dolphmon, the latter turning back into Betamon.
"Where's Minotarumon?" asked Kenta. "Did you guys get him?"
"We did," said Betamon. "He's toast!"
"You mean he's…dead?" Yolei asked in shock.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kanashimi 2)
"Had to be done," Kazu replied. "Minotarumon wasn't being controlled by Millenniummon like MetalMamemon was. He was just plain evil and wanted us dead."
"I know he was evil, but…" Yolei said, slightly uneasy about Minotarumon's death.
"I hate it as much as you do Yolei, believe me," Mimi said, placing a hand on Yolei's shoulder. "I'd like to think every Digimon we meet isn't evil, but in my experience, that's just not the case."
"I suppose you're right," Yolei said softly as she remembered what Rika and Jeri said to her and Cody about killing Digimon if necessary. "I suppose it has to be done…but it still doesn't feel easy."
"Try imagining losing the fight, then it will be easy," said Kenta, picking up Betamon in his arms.
"I guess so…" Yolei said, looking over to the forest Digitamamon was sent flying into, her thoughts now on the egg Digimon.
'Even after I called him a jackass, he still protected me and the others…maybe I should apologize to him…if he's all right, that is.'
"Oh, my shell…" Digitamamon groaned as he pulled himself out of the crater that he created from being sent flying into the air by Minotarumon. "I need a better way to protect my restaurant…"
"You won't be able to protect it…when you'll be destroying it!" a dark voice said from behind. Digitamamon turned around to see a dark shadow standing before him.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Hashiru Senritsu)
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Your new master," the shadow said, raising an object that made Digitamamon's eyes widen in horror.
"No…it's you! Stay back! NOOOO!" Digitamamon could only scream as the shadow threw the object at him, before an eerie silence rang over the forest.
In his throne room in Little Edo, ShogunGekomon slept peacefully, snoring as he took a nap. After he fell asleep, his subjects had left the room with the Digidestined so he could be alone.
Supposedly…
(Play Digimon Adventure: Hirogaru Fuan)
"Ah, there you are, ShogunGekomon. I had a feeling this is what you would be doing." Ninjamon dropped down from the ceiling of the throne room, having crept into the palace after being given his new task by Millenniummon. The small Digimon crept forward until he was close to the slumbering frog, and he pulled out the Dark Spiral.
"You shall be Lord Millenniummon's newest servant!" Ninjamon threw the Spiral and it latched to the antennae on ShogunGekomon's head. Moments later, ShogunGekomon grumbled loudly as he opened his blood-red eyes.
"And now I make my exit," Ninjamon said, darting up to the ceiling and sneaking out of the palace, pleased with himself. Now that ShogunGekomon was under Millenniummon's control, Ninjamon was guaranteed to be given new strength by Millenniummon to fight the Deva…
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Ie ni Kaerou ~Target Instruments~)
"Some lord this ShogunGekomon is!" Impmon huffed in frustration. "His village is in danger, and he thinks the best solution is sleeping like Rip Van Winkle!" The Digidestined and Tamers sat together in another room in the palace, discussing their plan for defending the village from whatever forces Ninjamon would bring with him.
"Well, I'm not going to sit here in this palace!" said Davis. "If we're going to defend this village, then we need a plan. We don't know where this strike will come from, so we'll have to split up and take a different direction of the village to protect."
"Agreed," said Rika, looking at a map of the village that was provided to the children by the Gekomon. "Four of us will have to each take a different direction, and it should be best that one of us takes to the skies, and another goes underground, in case of an underground strike."
"Okay, here's the plan," said Davis. "I'll take north with Veemon. Rika, you go west with Renamon. Kari, you'll take east, and TK will provide air support. Ai and Mako, go south with Impmon. Cody, you'll go underground since Digmon has the ability to do so, and Suzie, take west with Lopmon." Davis looked up from the map, only to see that Cody was absent in the room. "Hey, where did Cody go?"
"I saw him walk out of here a few minutes ago with his partner," said Impmon. "I don't think he wanted to be in the same room with Suzie."
"What?" Suzie asked indignantly.
"Well, you did bring up his dead dad while insulting him," said Impmon, "and I think it put him off a bit."
"Yeah, seriously Suzie, what possessed you to say that?" Rika asked the younger girl sternly. Suzie sighed and rubbed her forehead before answering.
"Okay, maybe I did go a little too far mentioning his father like that, but he seriously needs to know that some Digimon have to be killed. You told him that, didn't you Rika?"
"Yes, I did," said Rika. "And I do agree that Cody's making a mistake sparing Ninjamon."
"Look, it's just…Cody's dad was a cop, and don't they usually kill people if there's no other choice left, and if it's to protect someone?" asked Suzie.
"Suzie, we don't know for sure if Cody's dad ever killed someone," said Kari, getting up and heading for the door. "And even then, that's not just something we can ask…him…" The bearer of Hope trailed off when he opened the door, and his eyes widened when he saw Cody standing in front of him, a hurt look on his face.
"Cody!" Kari gasped in surprise. "How long have you…"
"Long enough," Cody said, a frown on his face. "And you're wrong. My father would never kill anyone! He…he wouldn't…"
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Seijaku)
"All right, that's it!" TK said, standing up and walking right up to Cody, looking down at him with a glare. "I think Rika and Suzie have already said everything they need to say, so now I'll say my piece on this: Grow up and see reality, Cody! The reason we survived our adventures four years ago is we had to kill a number of Digimon just so we could stay alive and prevent this world from being taken over by darkness! Every Digimon we struck down, we did it without hesitation! Devimon, Myotismon, Etemon, the Dark Masters, Apocalymon, Diaboromon, Millenniummon! They're the worst of the worst, the types that will slaughter innocent Digimon and laugh about it with no remorse, all while spreading darkness throughout the Digital World because they can. And the same goes for those who work for them of their own free will, like Ninjamon. In sparing Ninjamon, you've just given the enemy another chance to destroy this village and everybody here. If anybody dies here today…it's on you." Cody could only stare at TK in complete shock and horror.
"All…on me? But…" Cody was suddenly interrupted when the room began to shake, along with the rest of the castle.
"What is this? An earthquake?!" Patamon asked as dust fell from the ceiling.
"I hope it's not an earthquake! I hate those!" Ai shrieked, dropping to her knees and holding her head in her hands.
"Don't worry Ai, it's okay," Impmon reassured his partner, Mako giving his sister a small hug of comfort. Moments later, the castle ceased shaking, but loud crashes could be heard from outside.
"I don't think it's an earthquake…" Veemon started when a Gekomon suddenly burst into the room, a look of panic on his face.
"Come quickly! Our lord is out of control! He's attacking our village!" The green frog Digimon quickly led the group outside, where they could see ShogunGekomon stomping through the village, crushing buildings underneath his feet. A quick look at his antennae showed everybody the reason for the rampage. The sounds of screaming indicated that many Digimon in that part of the village were running in fear from the rampaging Digimon.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Aku no Butai ga Yatte Kita)
"He's got a Dark Spiral!" said Davis. "How did that get on there?"
"Never mind how, we have to stop him before he causes any more damage!" Rika said as ShogunGekomon performed his Musical Fist attack, the shockwaves causing more buildings to crumble.
'All this damage he's done so far…' Cody thought, staring at ShogunGekomon's rampage in horror and thinking about what TK said to him just moments ago. 'Is this…my fault?!'
"Veemon, get ready to go Ultimate!" Davis pulled out his D-3 to enable Veemon's Digivolution, when a loud crashing noise, accompanied by more screaming, from the other side was heard.
"Now what?!" Impmon asked, turning his head to the sound of the crashing.
"I'll check it out!" Leaping into the air, Renamon landed on the roof of a nearby building, her eyes sweeping the area until she found the cause of the noise: A giant purple flower-like Digimon with countless thorny vines making up her body, four of them tipped with small black flowers sporting sharp teeth.
"Tremble, you weaklings, for Lord Millenniummon has ordered for your village to be destroyed!" the flower Digimon yelled, lashing out with her vines and attacking the fleeing Mushroomon and Floramon.
"Rika, are you seeing this?" Renamon asked her partner.
"I am," Rika answered, looking at the destruction through her D-Ark.
"Who is that Digimon?" asked Kari.
"Blossomon," Rika identified the Digimon. "An Ultimate level Plant type Digimon, Data attribute. Her special move is throwing the small flowers attached to her vines like shuriken, Spiral Flower. They can cut through anything, no matter how hard they are!"
"Why is it attacking the village?" asked Mako. "Aren't Blossomon usually docile Digimon?"
"She could be working with Millenniummon willfully, or she's being controlled," said Ai.
"We'll have to split up then," said Davis. "TK, take Ai, Mako and Suzie with you, and confront Blossomon. The rest of you, you're with me against ShogunGekomon!"
"Let's do it, then!" Veemon said, pumping his fist in the air as he began glowing brightly with Patamon, Armadillomon and Gatomon, and the Tamers pulled out the Digivolution cards from their decks.
(Play Digimon: Brave Heart)
"VEEMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…EXVEEMON!"
"PATAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…ANGEMON!"
"GATOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…ANGEWOMON!"
"ARMADILLOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…ANKYLOMON!"
"DIGI-MODIFY! DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!"
"RENAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…KYUBIMON!"
"LOPMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…TURUIEMON!"
"IMPMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…WIZARDMON!"
Once the Digivolutions were complete, all the Digimon except Ankylomon and Turuiemon took off with their partners, heading for their designated opponents.
"Hold on, Suzie!" Turuiemon scooped her partner into her arms and prepared to leap on the rooftops when a flash of silver dropped out of the sky and imbedded itself in the ground in front of the rabbit Digimon.
"It's a shuriken!" Cody gasped, recognizing the object. A closer look alerted the two to a piece of paper tied to the shuriken. "That must mean…"
"Ninjamon," Suzie said, walking over to the shuriken. "He must have been the one to put the Dark Spiral on ShogunGekomon." The girl pulled the paper off the shuriken and unfolded it, looking it over with a glare.
"What does it say?" asked Ankylomon.
"Ninjamon's challenging Turuiemon to a duel, south of here," Suzie said, crumpling the paper in her hands. "Change of plans, then."
"Wait, you're actually going to fight Ninjamon again, right now?" Cody asked in surprise. "But what about TK, Ai and Mako?"
"They can take care of Blossomon easily," said Suzie. "Angemon and Wizardmon are very powerful Digimon that can go to the Mega level if necessary. Blossomon won't be much of a problem for them. Ninjamon has to be stopped before he causes any more damage."
"Then let's get moving," Turuiemon said, picking up Suzie in her arms and ready to start jumping on the rooftops when a call from Cody caught her attention.
"Wait! Suzie, are you…"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kuroi Inbou)
"If you're going to ask me if I'm going to kill Ninjamon, then yes," said Suzie, narrowing her eyes. "He's too dangerous to be kept alive Cody. Look at the damage he's caused already by unleashing Blossomon and ShogunGekomon. And the worst part of it is, like TK said…this is on you as well. Turuiemon, let's go!" Turuiemon nodded and began jumping for Ninjamon's location, leaving Cody and Ankylomon alone, the former looking at the rampaging ShogunGekomon with a look of shock, horror and regret.
"Cody…?" Ankylomon asked, seeing his partner standing still. "Shouldn't we get going and help our group?"
"…" Cody was silent before speaking. "No. Suzie's right, Ankylomon. And TK was right as well. This is all my fault…all of this destruction, because I spared Ninjamon. I…I can't let this stand. We have to help Suzie and Turuiemon. This is my fight as much as it is Suzie's." The young boy climbed up on Ankylomon's back. Once he was sure his partner was situated properly, the yellow dinosaur began running to where he saw Turuiemon go to.
"Cody…what exactly are we going to do once we find Ninjamon?" Ankylomon asked as he ran. "Are we going to have to…kill him?"
"I…I don't know," Cody admitted. The young boy had always never wanted to harm, let alone kill, another living form in any way, but with everything that Ninjamon had done so far, could he possibly bring himself to kill him?
'What do I do…?'
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Sorosoro Yuuhan da ne…)
"We're sorry we had to be a little rough with you, but we had no choice if we wanted to free you," Mimi said to MetalMamemon. Several minutes had passed since the fight with Minotarumon and MetalMamemon, and the latter had finally woken up, looking confused about his surroundings.
"I…I forgive you, but…how am I a MetalMamemon now?" asked the small cyborg Digimon. "I remember…being a Tankmon…"
"Millenniummon had enslaved you with his Dark Spiral, and he used the power of a small Digimon called Calumon to Digivolve you to the Ultimate level," Kazu explained. "But we managed to save you."
"Well…thank you," MetalMamemon said, finishing his looking over of himself. "What should I do now?"
"You should probably go back to where you belong," Mimi said sweetly. "You probably have friends back home who are worrying about you."
"If they're still there," MetalMamemon said dejectedly. "What's not to say Millenniummon has enslaved them and Digivolved them like he did me?"
"Then go and find them," suggested Kenta. "And if you need our help, don't hesitate to call us."
"I will. Thank you!" With that said, MetalMamemon jumped into the air and flew off into the forest.
"He didn't really seem all that bad," Lillymon observed once MetalMamemon was gone. "He actually seems pretty nice!"
"I guess so," Yolei said, suddenly having a realization. "Wait a minute, where's Digitamamon?"
"That's right, he protected us…" Mimi said, suddenly remembering what happened to the egg-shaped Digimon. "And Minotarumon kicked him into the forest! He must be hurt! We should go look for him!"
"I doubt we need to find Digitamamon," Andromon said quickly, looking over to a small hill nearby. There, rolling down the hill, was a familiar looking egg.
"Digitamamon!" Mimi said, happy to see that he was safe. "Thank goodness you're all right!"
"Yes, I am…" Digitamamon said in a low voice. As Mimi approached him, Yolei began thinking again about what she said before to Digitamamon.
'I guess I really should apologize to him, and thank him for saving us…'
"I managed to get back here after flying far away," Digitamamon continued as his shell opened, revealing his eyes. Though Mimi and Yolei couldn't see it yet, Kazu and Kenta were quick to notice how different his eyes were looking right now.
"Thank you about earlier," Mimi said to the egg Digimon. "You were able to save us, and we managed to stop Minotarumon and MetalMamemon!"
"Good," Digitamamon said as his legs came out of his shell. "And now…I shall make you all pay!"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Panic)
"What?!" Mimi asked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Mimi, get back!" Kazu yelled. "He has a Dark Spiral inside of him! Look at his eyes!" Mimi did, and gasped, taking a step back as she did. Digitamamon's eyes, which were usually yellow, were now blood-red.
"A Dark Spiral?!" Yolei gasped, looking at Digitamamon good and hard, not seeing the sinister device anywhere on the Digimon. "But where is it?"
"It's inside his shell," said Kenta, getting a confused look from Yolei.
'Inside his shell? But, how do we get it from in there?!'
"This time, I'll make you all go far away!" Digitamamon snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "Starting with the one who's done nothing but insult me!"
"Wait, me?!" Yolei yelped, realizing what Digitamamon was talking about.
"Yes…you!" Digitamamon leaped for Yolei, closing his shell to slam into her.
"Yolei, watch out…UGH!" Aquilamon swooped down from the sky and placed himself in front of Yolei, taking Digitamamon's attack for himself.
"Aquilamon!" Yolei gasped as she watched her partner stagger from the blow.
"I'm all right!" Aquilamon said, flying off the ground and focusing his sight on Digitamamon. "BLAST LASER!" The rings flew down, but before they could hit, Digitamamon's shell closed over his eyes, and the attack merely bounced off the shell, leaving no scratch behind.
"What?" Aquilamon asked in surprise.
"Nice try, bird-brain, but nothing can penetrate my shell! NIGHTMARE SYNDROME!" Digitamamon's shell opened up and released a black blob with red eyes, arms and a mouth. Flying right for Aquilamon, the blob grew large and consumed the bird Digimon. A split second later, the orb shrunk before rapidly expanding and spitting out Aquilamon. The bird Digimon crashed into the ground, the pain of crashing making him turn back to Hawkmon. Kenta quickly slashed his Digivolution card again, allowing Dolphmon to help Andromon and Lillymon.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Shuugeki! Soshite…)
"Is there any way we can break his shell?!" Yolei asked as she helped Hawkmon up and watched Lillymon attempt to hit Digitamamon with her Flower Cannon, only to fail as the egg Digimon jumped back from the blasts, and his shell took the brunt of extra hits.
"Well, he is a Data attribute Digimon," Kenta said, "so if we hit him with an attack from a Virus Digimon…"
"GATLING MISSILES!"
"SHAKING PULSE!" Andromon and Dolphmon joined in the fight, hitting Digitamamon with their own attacks, only to be met with failure.
"SWING EGG!" Digitamamon lunged forward, ramming into Andromon and sending him flying into Lillymon, both Digimon falling to the ground. Digitamamon then turned to the lake Dolphmon was in and fired a red heart from his shell with a yell of "HYPER FLASHING!" The heart collided with Dolphmon and sent him flying out of the lake.
"There has to be a Virus card that can be useful," Kenta said, looking through his cards. "Let's see…MarineDevimon, SkullSatamon, Gesomon…"
"Wait!" Mimi yelled suddenly, running out on the battlefield and stood firmly, her back to Digitamamon as she looked at Lillymon and Andromon. "Hold on a second before you attack Digitamamon again!"
"What?!" Lillymon asked, confused. "Mimi, what are you doing?!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Ansoku)
"Trust me on this, Lillymon. I've got this!" Mimi reassured her partner before turning to the Digimon before her. "Digitamamon, listen to me. You're being controlled by Millenniummon right now. But I know you don't want it like this. Go back to your true self!"
"How do you know that this isn't my true self?" Digitamamon asked snidely.
"Mimi, what are you trying to do?" Yolei asked as she slowly approached Mimi and Digitamamon with Hawkmon, Kazu and Kenta.
"I'm sure he'll understand if we keep talking to him," Mimi explained.
"That's ludicrous! He's not going to listen when he has a Dark Spiral!" Yolei objected.
"Yolei, let her do this," said Kazu. "I'm sure Mimi knows what she's doing here. We just have to trust her. You have to trust her!"
"I know that the Digitamamon we saw in the restaurant was the real one, and not the one in front of me right now," Mimi continued talking to the controlled Digimon. "I just know it! You said that if nobody understands you, it doesn't matter as long as you believe in yourself and be sincere!"
"Ha! I just said that to let your guard down!" Digitamamon countered.
"That's a lie!" Mimi stated. "Even if nobody believes in you, I do!"
"Why? Is it because you're so naïve and so stupid?" Digitamamon sneered, making Yolei glare heatedly at him for insulting Mimi like that.
"That's not it at all," Mimi said. "I'm your friend, and I won't stop getting through to you, even if you beg!"
"And that's your problem! SWING EGG!" Yolei and Hawkmon gasped as they watched Digitamamon leapt up and rammed Mimi in the chest, making her fall to the ground. Kazu and Kenta both winced at the attack. They had a feeling it would happen, but it still hurt to see it happen.
"Mimi!" Yolei yelled as she ran over to the older girl, who was sat up by Lillymon and Andromon.
"This…this doesn't change anything," Mimi said softly as she winced from being struck. "I still believe in you. Please…go back to your true self."
"True…self…?" Yolei asked in astonishment. It amazed her how Mimi was still willing to believe and talk to an enslaved Digitamamon. As she thought about this, she slowly came to a final realization.
"Just shut up already!" Digitamamon snarled.
"How about you do us all a favor…AND SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH ALREADY?!" Yolei yelled at the top of her lungs, making Digitamamon take a step back in surprise and everybody else to look at her with equal surprise.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Yuukan ni Tachimukau zo!)
"Let me get something straight to you right now, Digitamamon!" Yolei said, stomping forward to Digitamamon. "I don't care if you're being controlled or not by Millenniummon, but it takes a real jerk to attack Mimi like that, somebody who thought you weren't a bad guy at all, unlike me! I absolutely hate your guts, I can't stand to look at you, and I can't tell what you're thinking! I thought you seemed like a total jackass from what I heard of you, but with how you were acting with Mimi and the others earlier, as well as saving us, I thought you were good. But now you attack the people who trusted and believed in you! You're just selfish and think little about anybody but yourself!"
"Look who's talking!" Digitamamon said, regaining his composure. "You didn't trust me! And yes, I can be selfish! But guess what?! Everybody is selfish deep down…even you! So, don't think you're better than me, missy!"
"I don't think I'm better than you!" Yolei yelled. "You're right, even I'm selfish! And you know what, I hate it! I hate being selfish! It does nothing good for me at all, or for the people that are close to me! And yeah, I didn't trust you at first because I usually judge people based on appearances and first impressions! And you know what, that's who I am…but even I can be disgusted with myself." The lavender-haired girl took a deep breath before she continued.
"And yeah, I'm stubborn. I have a hard time to admit when I'm wrong…but after everything that I've been through the last two days, I'm done with it! I'm done lying to others and to myself! While I'm at it, let me just say that Mimi and Sora are great friends to me, especially Mimi, Davis is a true friend and leader when it counts, TK is swell but he has some anger issues, Kari's sweet but could do with growing a backbone, Kazu is a great friend, and Cody is way too serious and really needs to lighten up! That's how I feel about myself and others! I'm through lying to everybody, and myself! From now on, I promise to be truly sincere and not let initial impressions become my full judgment!"
As soon as Yolei was done yelling, the ground between her and Digitamamon rumbled slightly before cracking open. A green light shot out of the hole, and a small object floated out before moving in front of Yolei. The light faded to reveal the object was oval-shaped and colored olive-green. A purple object with four sharp objects – a shuriken, Yolei guessed – was underneath the oval. And emblazoned on the front of the object was a tear-shaped drawing with a circle in the center…a symbol Mimi recognized immediately.
"My…my Crest! Then, that must be…"
"It's the Digimental of Sincerity," said Kazu. "Yolei! Take the Digimental! It's yours!"
"Mine…" Yolei said, looking at the object in awe. She held her hands up, and the Digimental floated down and landed in them. She took a long look at it before dropping her face down into a look of determination.
(Play Digimon: Break Up!)
"Hawkmon, get up! We've just got a second chance at this! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!" Yolei thrust the Digimental high in the air, and it glowed bright green. Hawkmon jerked back slightly, feeling the rush of new power enter him. The Digimental of Sincerity flew out of Yolei's hand and merged with Hawkmon, who changed size and shape.
"HAWKMON…ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO…!" A flurry of leaves was blown around the new figure, an imposing Digimon dressed like a ninja with white garb. Large green leaves rested on his shoulders, his headband bore the Crest of Sincerity, a large four-pointed shuriken was attached to his back, and his arms and legs were long green springs, ending with three-pointed shuriken for the hands and feet.
"…BURSTING SINCERITY, SHURIMON!"
"Wo…woah!" Yolei gasped, seeing Hawkmon's new form.
"So that's…Hawkmon's new form!" Mimi gasped in amazement as Kenta looked up the Digimon on his D-Ark.
"Shurimon. An Armor level Mutant type Digimon, Data attribute. He's skilled in the ways of the ninja and has the attribute of Plant. His special attacks are Double Stars and Kusanagi."
"DOUBLE STARS!" Shurimon wasted no time attacking Digitamamon. His arms extended towards the egg Digimon, who quickly closed his shell. Though the shuriken bounced off the shell, there was a loud screeching noise that came from making contact with the hard surface. Two scratches were left on the shell.
"You…" Digitamamon growled at Shurimon as he opened his shell again. "Nobody does that to my shell! NIGHTMARE SYNDROME!" The ninja Digimon lowered his eyes at the sight of the attack and crouched down.
"Andromon, Dolphmon, Lillymon! I'm counting on you to protect Yolei!" Shurimon jumped high into the air, the springs in his legs allowing him to jump high enough to dodge Digitamamon's attack, which continued towards Yolei.
"DIGI-MODIFY! WEREGARURUMON ACTIVATE!" Knowing what to do, Kazu quickly swiped a card with WereGarurumon on it through his D-Ark as Andromon placed himself between Yolei and the incoming attack, feeling the new power.
"WOLF CLAW!" Andromon raised his arms up before bringing them back down instantly, blocking the black blob and stopping it in its tracks. But it was not enough. Andromon grunted as he felt himself being pushed back by the attack.
"Can't…hold on…!"
"Hang on Andromon!" Lillymon flew towards Andromon and Dolphmon leapt out of the water, the two Digimon joining together with Andromon to hold back the blob. In the air, Shurimon looked down at Digitamamon and gazed long and hard into the crack that usually showed his eyes. As he did, Shurimon saw something glinting from inside.
"So that's where it is…" he said. Now was his chance since Digitamamon's shell was unable to close whenever he performed his Nightmare Syndrome attack. Grabbing the shuriken on his back, Shurimon threw it at Digitamamon with a yell of "KUSANAGI!" The shuriken spun down and impaled itself into Digitamamon's shell to prevent it from closing.
"GAH!" Digitamamon yelled as he staggered back from the blow before turning around and running away from Shurimon.
"You're not getting away so easily!" Shurimon declared and planted his feet in the ground. The earth rumbled briefly before vines burst out from underneath Digitamamon, wrapping around his ankles and holding him upside down.
"Now that I have you…" Shurimon started as he pulled his arm back. "DOUBLE STARS!" The arm extended and flew right into Digitamamon's shell, the shuriken spinning fast. The sound of something breaking was heard from inside Digitamamon's shell before Shurimon's arm came back out. Seconds later, pieces of black metal fell out of the shell and the blob the other Digimon were holding back vanished.
"Shurimon, that was awesome!" Yolei praised her partner. "How did you do that with the vines?"
"The Digimental of Sincerity gives me the power to control nature," Shurimon answered before shrinking back into Hawkmon, a green stream of light flying from him and into Yolei's D-3.
"So this is my second Digimental…" Yolei pulled out her D-Terminal to look at the new Digimental that was now displayed on the screen. "But how…"
"It's because you were being sincere and honest with yourself," Kazu said, helping Lillymon with getting Mimi standing up again. "The Digimental heard your sincere words, and that's why it went to you."
"R-really?" Yolei asked in surprise with a blush. The surprise soon faded when she realized that Kazu was right. Her entire rant to Digitamamon about him, her friends and herself really was the truth, right from her heart. She really was being sincere, and she had been rewarded for it.
'This actually feels good…' she thought to herself with a small smile.
Ninjamon sat on the roof of a building, cross-legged and eyes closed. He could hear the loud stomps of ShogunGekomon, the roar of Blossomon, and the crashing of buildings and screaming of Digimon. But those noises mattered very little to him. The only sounds that mattered to him were the ones he could barely hear. The sound of rushing air and…stomping? Opening his eyes, Ninjamon was greeted with the sight of Turuiemon and Suzie standing on the roof in front of him, and below on the ground, Cody and Ankylomon.
"Ah, I've been expecting you," Ninjamon said to Turuiemon before looking down at Cody. "But I wasn't expecting you. No matter though. You'll still fall to me."
"That's funny, considering the last time we fought, Turuiemon was very close to finishing you off," Suzie said with a smirk.
"Not this time, my dear," Ninjamon replied, leaping off the roof and to the ground. "I'm prepared for your partner this time, as well as any tricks you may have. This time, I shall truly win this battle!"
"Is that what this is about?" Cody asked in shock. "You put a Dark Spiral on ShogunGekomon and made him go on a rampage in his own village, and set Blossomon lose as well, just so you could get a rematch with Turuiemon?! Hasn't it occurred to you the number of innocent Digimon that are being hurt or killed because of your actions?"
"I care little about the residents of this village," said Ninjamon. "ShogunGekomon and Blossomon can annihilate it for all I care. All that matters to me is finishing my duel with Turuiemon. And it's not just my actions that have endangered everybody in the village. By sparing me, you have ensured the deaths of everybody here…as well as your own, boy."
"If you wish to finish our duel Ninjamon, then I shall happily oblige," said Turuiemon, claws pointed at the small Digimon. "But the results will be the same as before."
"They will…but not in the way you expect, Deva!" Ninjamon looked up into the sky and yelled upwards. "Lord Millenniummon! I have done as you requested! I ask of you now, my lord! Give me the power I desire!"
"What's he talking about?" asked Ankylomon.
"I think I know what he's talking about…" Cody answered grimly, dark clouds swirling in the sky, particularly above Ninjamon. "And I'm sure you do as well…"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Tatakai no Toki)
Turuiemon's face dropped into a frown as she held up her claws. "Suzie, you might want to get a Blue Card ready…" A red light formed in the dark clouds and came down on Ninjamon, the small Digimon glowing yellow. Ninjamon's figure grew to nearly twelve feet tall and it changed shape. When the light faded, Ninjamon had changed into a gray-skinned Digimon with four arms. His limbs were coated in flames and bore golden bands. More flames sprouted from his back, which sported a golden crescent, and his neck was decorated with beaded necklaces. But what caught the attention of his enemies were the three faces on his head: The middle face wore a red mask, while the left and right faces wore a yellow and purple mask respectively.
"At last! I have finally achieved the Ultimate level!" Ninjamon's middle face said with a laugh. "Now I can truly fight the Deva on even ground!"
"Okay, what's the deal with that guy's faces?" Ankylomon asked, weirded out by the new Digimon.
"I don't know entirely," Cody said with a disturbed look of his own. "Suzie?"
"Hang on," Suzie said, checking her D-Arc. "Hmm…Asuramon, Ultimate level Demon Man Digimon, Vaccine attribute. He's a legendary Digimon with four arms and three faces, the faces each representing wrath, mercy and blessings. His special attack, Fist of Asura, releases fiery punches from all of his arms."
"Indeed," Asuramon's red face said. "Now you shall witness my full power, Turuiemon!" Suddenly, the four-armed Digimon's head turned to the yellow mask, which said, "However, I can be a being of mercy in this form, so I shall offer you a deal: Surrender now, and I shall give you, your partner and your friend a quick end." The purple mask then made itself known by saying, "Consider it not just a show of mercy, but my blessing as well." The red mask then took center again. "But if you deny me, then I shall strike you down with all of my wrath!"
"Uh, Cody…is this what humans refer to as multiple personality disorder?" asked a still-disturbed Ankylomon.
"Yes, but it's nothing like this!" said Cody.
"Asuramon, you must be pretty dumb if you think we'll just surrender," Suzie said as a card in her hand shone bright blue and she raised it up with her D-Arc. "I'm a Digimon Tamer, and my partner is a Deva. We don't give up that easily!"
"Do it now, Suzie!" Turuiemon declared, leaping into the air. Suzie swiped the card through her D-Arc's slot in a quick motion.
(Play Digimon: EVO)
"DIGI-MODIFY! MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!"
"TURUIEMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…ANTYLAMON!" The Deva landed in front of Asuramon, but she didn't stay still as she flew right for Asuramon with her fists clenched. Antylamon threw her fists forward, but Asuramon managed to catch them easily with his top arms before ramming his lower fists into the rabbit Digimon's stomach, sending her flying back.
"Do you see the power I now possess, Deva?" Asuramon asked with a strong laugh. "With it, I will achieve the victory that belongs to me!"
"Power is not everything, Asuramon," Antylamon said, standing back up. "You also need a good head on your shoulders in a fight."
"How fortunate that I have three heads!" Asuramon said through his face of blessings. "Come on, Antylamon! Show me the skills of a Deva!"
"If you insist," Antylamon said, her hands turning into axes. "BUNNY BLADES!" Antylamon charged forward and swiped at Asuramon with her axe hands, the demon Digimon blocking the attacks with his arms. But it was not without damage to him, as the axes left cuts on his limbs. Asuramon stepped back and looked at the cuts…and he laughed.
"I'm impressed. Just what I expected from a servant of the mighty Sovereigns!" he declared as he covered his hands with fire. "Now I shall show you my attack! FIST OF ASURA!" The four arms flew forwards and hit Antylamon, the forces of the flaming punches causing her to stumble back. Antylamon's armor and fur was singed slightly by the fire, but she was unharmed nonetheless. The Deva charged for another attack, but Asuramon acted fast, grabbing her arms with his upper arms and her legs with his lower hands. Antylamon grunted from the iron grip of the four hands. Smirking at his enemy's peril, Asuramon delivered a hard headbutt to Antylamon, dazing the rabbit Digimon. Asuramon tossed Antylamon into the air and ignited his fists in fire again.
"FIRE FIST OF SHIVA!" Four balls of fire flew from Asuramon's fists and collided with Antylamon. The rabbit Deva yelled painfully from the flame attacks and fell through a nearby roof with a crash.
"FIRE FIST OF SHIVA!" Asuramon released his attack again, this time on the house Antylamon crashed in, setting it on fire.
"Antylamon!" Suzie called out to her partner. Cody watched the scene before him with a tense expression.
"Cody, what should I do?" asked Ankylomon. "Do we just stand here?"
"No," said Cody. "Help Antylamon. You may not be able to Digivolve to the Ultimate level, but she's going to need any help that can be offered."
"Right!" Ankylomon prepared to charge when he stopped suddenly and looked at Cody again. "Wait, what exactly do you want me to do against Asuramon?" Cody thought for a moment, his face conflicted. He didn't want to have Asuramon killed, but everything TK, Rika and Suzie had said to him, along with Asuramon's cold dismissal of innocent lives lost, was coming back to haunt him…and it left him with one thought he didn't like, but had to take.
"Do what you have to. And don't hold back."
"All right then!" Ankylomon yelled and charged for Asuramon. "Take this, three-face! TAIL HAMMER!" The spiked ball rammed into Asuramon's face of mercy, the demon man yelling in surprise from the blow. But Asuramon was not fazed for long as he looked at Ankylomon, all three of his faces sneering at the dinosaur.
"No. I shall not have you interfering in my battle this time, boy!" Asuramon declared boldly. Ankylomon swung his tail again to strike Asuramon, but Asuramon was prepared this time, grabbing the yellow tail and throwing Ankylomon in the air.
"FIRE FIST OF SHIVA!" The fireballs flew again, this time hitting Ankylomon in the undersection and sending him falling with a crash.
"Ankylomon!" Cody cried out to his partner.
"The fire…it burns…" Ankylomon attempted to stand back up with a groan, but fell back with a thud.
"Ankylomon, hang in there!" Cody said to his partner before muttering, "How can Asuramon's fire hurt him that much? His skin is hard, right?"
"His underbelly isn't as hard as the rest of his body," said Suzie. "That's a weak spot right there."
"Such raw power!" Asuramon boasted with a laugh. "Nothing can truly stop me now!"
"I beg to differ," Antylamon stated, rising out of the burning remains of the house, parts of her body covered in burns from the flames. "It is true Asuramon. I am a Deva, and my power is much greater than most Digimon. But I do not use that power so recklessly and I usually hold back in fights unless it's necessary. But now…I think it's time I showed you what I can really do."
"Show me then!" Asuramon shot his fireballs again at Antylamon, who raised her arms up and grabbed the balls of fire that flew at her. The fireballs settled in Antylamon's hands, surprising Asuramon, Cody and Ankylomon. Suzie however, had a small smile on her face, having seen her partner do this before.
"MEDITATION CURE!" The orange fire suddenly glowed purple and flew around Antylamon, also glowing purple as well. The fire went into Antylamon and when the purple glow faded, the rabbit Deva's burns were gone and her armor was shining again.
"What is this?!" Asuramon shouted.
"That's Antylamon's Meditation Cure," Suzie explained. "Any energy attacks Antylamon absorbs can heal her injuries in an instant."
"And now we truly begin!" Stepping forward, Antylamon ran up to Asuramon in a brown and purple blur. Raising her arm up, Antylamon's fist connected with Asuramon's jaw, sending him crashing through a series of houses, leaving them in ruins.
"BUNNY BLADES!" Her axes released multiple energy blades that Asuramon attempted to dodge, but was overwhelmed by.
"You'll regret hurting me like that!" Asuramon bellowed, his Fire Fist of Shiva soaring through the air.
"The only one who will be regretting his actions today is you!" Suzie corrected, slashing a card through her D-Ark. "DIGI-MODIFY! HIGH SPEED PLUG-IN B!" An already fast Digimon, Antylamon's speed increased thanks to Suzie's card, and all that could be seen of her was a purple blur that sliced through the fireballs and slammed into Asuramon, pushing him back and out of the village to prevent further damage from being done.
'I will end you Asuramon…no matter what!'
"There she is!" TK exclaimed, seeing Blossomon from his place in the sky in Angemon's arms. The plant Digimon rampaged through the section of the village she was in, her vines swinging around and crashing through windows and walls. Numerous Digimon attempted to run, but small green vines burst out of the ground and wrapped around them, leaving them at Blossomon's mercy.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Aku no Shutsugen)
"POLLINOSIS SHOWER!" Mustard-yellow pollen spewed from Blossomon's mouth and covered the street full of captured Digimon. The Floramon and Mushroomon coughed violently before letting out a loud wheeze and collapsing on the ground, their bodies dissolving into data. The flying Digimon above and their partners were horrified at what they just saw.
"So…horrible!" Ai gasped, burrowing her head in Wizardmon's chest from what she just saw.
"I'm not sensing any dark force controlling Blossomon's mind in any way," Wizardmon said, holding onto Ai with one hand and his staff in the other with Mako on his back. "She's not being controlled at all. She's doing this because she wants to."
"Tremble you little weaklings!" Blossomon shouted to more fleeing Digimon. "For Lord Millenniummon shall see you dead before the day is out! SPIRAL FLOWER!" The four flowers on Blossomon's vines flew forward and spun like shuriken, cutting down the Digimon and killing them. TK watched in anger at the sight of the slaughter.
"Unforgiveable…" the blond boy growled. "Any evil deed is unforgiveable! We have to stop her, Angemon!" Angemon nodded and flew down at Blossomon.
"ANGEL ROD!" The angel Digimon threw his staff and it hit Blossomon in the back of the head, making her turn at the new challenger.
"Oh, good!" Blossomon laughed at Angemon and Wizardmon. "I could use the rush! The weaklings I've seen so far haven't put up much of a fight!"
"You're biting off more than you can chew with us!" said TK. "Angemon, get her!"
"Wait!" Mako yelled too late as Angemon was already flying for Blossomon, knocking her vines away with his staff before flying right into the plant Digimon's face with a yell of "HEAVEN'S KNUCKLE!" The golden light hit Blossomon and she skidded back, but all the attack seemed to do was irritate her.
"You think you could strike me down so easily, angel?! I'm not a dark type Digimon!"
"But you still side with evil," said Angemon. "Therefore, you must be destroyed!"
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Kurihirogaru Battle)
"MAGICAL GAME!" Wizardmon was the next to strike, slamming his staff in the ground and creating a crack in the ground in front of Blossomon. Fire spewed from the crack and hit Blossomon.
"AAH! IT BURNS!" Blossomon shrieked, backing away from the flames. "You brats shall pay for this!" The plant Digimon slammed her vines into the ground, and they burst out from underneath TK, the twins, Angemon and Wizardmon, snaring their arms and legs.
"I'll choke you brats to death for that!" she snarled, her vines tightening around the quintet, all five of them choking and gasping from the lack of air. "Are there any last words that you'll be able to say?"
"Yeah…" Ai gasped, grabbing a card from her pocket and holding it up as best she could. "Mako…heads up!" The girl tossed the card to her twin, who held the D-Arc in his left hand. The card slid through the slot and a bright light enveloped Wizardmon. The vines holding him snapped apart, and the light faded to reveal Baalmon, the dark warrior immediately freeing Angemon and the human children.
"Angemon, Digivolve as well!" said TK. "Show Blossomon that evil will never win!" The Crest of Hope flared on his chest, and Angemon changed to MagnaAngemon, his sword held high with Baalmon's.
"Fine then," Blossomon growled. "If that's the way you want it…POLLINOSIS SHOWER!" The poisonous powder flew for Baalmon and MagnaAngemon, but the angel Digimon acted fast, using his beam shield to create a barrier that blocked the pollen, which flew back at Blossomon.
"How about a taste of your own medicine?" Baalmon asked, only to take a step back in surprise when he saw Blossomon come out of the pollen cloud with no damage on her.
"Nice try, I'm immune to my own pollen," chuckled Blossomon. "Now let's see if you're fast enough to dodge these! SPIRAL FLOWER!" The four flowers on her vines flew forward, spinning like deadly shuriken towards her two opponents.
"MagnaAngemon, make your move!" Baalmon said. "I'll take care of Blossomon's flowers!"
"Okay!" MagnaAngemon took flight as Baalmon stood his ground and waited for Blossomon's flowers to get close to him. Once they were a foot away, Baalmon swung his sword with one swipe, and the flowers dropped to the ground, each of them sliced in half.
"YOU FOOL!" Blossomon roared in anger. "Don't you know how long those take to grow back!"
"Longer than it will take for this to happen!" MagnaAngemon declared, falling out of the sky with his sword extended. "EXCALIBUR'S GRACE!"
"NOOO!" Blossomon could only scream at the sword came down on her head and went down vertically, slicing her in half. The two halves of Blossomon's body fell away from each other and burst apart, the broken flower shuriken following suit.
"We stopped Blossomon, but the Digimon she attacked…" Ai said, looking sad.
"It's all right," TK assured the young girl and her twin, who also looked sad over not succeeding in saving Blossomon's victims in time. "They'll be reborn eventually…and so will Blossomon."
"And when she does, let us hope that she chooses to do something better with her life," said MagnaAngemon.
"And what if she doesn't?" asked Mako.
"Then we'll stop her again," said Baalmon. "In the meantime, let's see if there are any survivors and help them. The others can handle ShogunGekomon easily."
"Yeah, let's go," TK said, heading for the houses to check for any surviving Digimon, when he suddenly noticed…
"Wait, where's Suzie?"
"Suzie?" Mako asked, looking around and noticing the absence of their friend. "Yeah, where is she? Wasn't she supposed to be on our team?"
"Do you think she went with Davis's group instead?" asked Ai.
"Let's go and see," TK said, climbing on MagnaAngemon's back. Ai and Mako climbed on after him and MagnaAngemon took off for where the fight with ShogunGekomon was happening.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Theme Action)
"MUSICAL FIST!"
"Heads up!" Paildramon and Angewomon dodged the soundwaves emitted by ShogunGekomon's horns and Kyubimon leapt out of the way, the waves mowing down the buildings behind them.
"Damn it…!" Paildramon cursed, seeing more damage being caused to the village.
"We have to get ShogunGekomon to turn around!" said Rika. "He won't be able to cause more damage that way!"
"Rika's right," Angewomon said, looking at the wrecked buildings behind the frog Digimon. "He's already caused damage to the houses behind him!"
"Kyubimon, block him with your fire!" Davis called out. Kyubimon nodded and released her Fox Tail Inferno, strengthened thanks to Rika's cards. The fireballs danced in front of ShogunGekomon, who was forced to step back thanks to the heat of the flames.
"Right this way, ugly!" Rika yelled, getting ShogunGekomon to look down and see her and Kyubimon running from him. Roaring at the duo, the giant frog began stomping his way to them, oblivious to Paildramon and Angewomon flying by his sides.
"Angewomon, catch! CABLE CATCHER!" Paildramon's fingers flew to the female angel, who grabbed the cables and pulled them taut. The dragon and angel Digimon landed on the ground and stood firmly as ShogunGekomon came up to Paildramon's cables, his feet, getting caught in them.
"Hey! What?!" ShogunGekomon yelled, stumbling as Paildramon's cables tangled up his legs, making him trip and fall to the ground with a loud crash.
"Now's your chance, Kyubimon!" yelled Kari.
"DRAGON WHEEL!" Kyubimon's attack struck the Dark Spiral and burned it away to ash. ShogunGekomon struggled a little to get up before slumping down, asleep once again.
"And that's that!" Paildramon stated, getting his cables free from ShogunGekomon's legs.
"Yes, but there is much damage that has been done here…" Kyubimon stated, observing the damaged buildings that were caught in the fight.
"We can rebuild," said Angewomon, "once Millenniummon is defeated."
"Yeah…we can," Davis said, looking around with a steely expression, noticing something almost immediately. "Uh, guys…where's Cody?"
"Cody?" Kari asked, looking around with Angewomon, noticing that the young boy was not with them. "Rika, did you see Cody anywhere?"
"No, I didn't," Rika said, her brow furrowing. "He was supposed to be with us, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, he was," Davis nodded. "Where did he go off to?"
"Hey, guys!" Davis, Kari and Rika looked up to see Baalmon and MagnaAngemon land down near them, the latter letting TK, Ai and Mako off his back.
"TK!" Kari exclaimed. TK ran up to the group and looked around for a moment before frowning.
"Suzie's not here," he said, getting the attention of Davis, Rika and Kari.
"Suzie? What are you talking about?" asked Rika.
"Suzie wasn't with our group," explained Ai. "We managed to beat Blossomon, though."
"We thought she was with you guys," said Mako.
"No, she wasn't," said Davis. "In fact, Cody wasn't with us either, and he was supposed to be with us."
"Cody?" asked a surprised TK. "Where did they go off to?"
"No idea," said Kari. "Maybe they noticed another Digimon attacking nearby and they decided to go and handle it."
"I don't think you're that far off Kari," Paildramon said, noticing something in the far distance and pointing to it. "Look." The rest of the group looked to where he was pointing, and saw a column of flames rise into the air before fading away, followed by Antylamon's figure leaping up and hacking away at something with her Bunny Blades.
"If Antylamon's there, then that must mean Suzie is there as well," said Kyubimon.
"And where there's Suzie, it's likely Cody is there as well," said Davis. "Let's go!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Concierto de Aranjuez)
"MULTIPLE FACES!" Asuramon's three faces glowed a multitude of colors, releasing a rainbow-colored beam that nearly hit Antylamon, but the rabbit Digimon rolled out of the way of the attack and towards Asuramon, delivering a powerful kick that connected with his chin, sending him stumbling back.
"Good…good!" Asuramon laughed again, making Antylamon sneer at the fact that he was finding joy in this battle, whereas she found none whatsoever.
"You dare continue to laugh?!"
"Of course!" Asuramon said. "This is the fight I've always wanted and more! To fight the strongest Digimon to exist and prove that I am the stronger one!"
"You're about to be sorely disappointed, then!" said Suzie. Antylamon threw another punch that Asuramon caught easily, but the Deva managed to lift her foot up and kick him in the side, making him release his hold on the arm.
"FIRE FIST OF SHIVA!" The fireballs flew again from Asuramon's hands, but Antylamon ducked and dodged the flames, running right for Asuramon at fast speeds. Asuramon raised his arms to attack again, but Antylamon acted much fasted, getting closer to the four-armed Digimon and summoning her axe hands again.
"BUNNY BLADES!" The arms went up fast, and the sound of flesh being cut was heard as Antylamon's blades sliced Asuramon's lower arms off his body, the two limbs falling to the ground.
"GGGYYYYYYAAAAAAHHHHH!" Asuramon yelled, backing up in pain. "MY…MY ARMS!"
"I'm done playing!" Antylamon said, charging again for Asuramon. "It's over!" The Deva swung her axes again, leaving two deep cuts in Asuramon's chest. The demon man Digimon gasped as he dropped to his knees, his two remaining hands going up to the deep, and clearly fatal, wounds in his chest.
"You're done Asuramon," Suzie said, walking up to Asuramon, whose wounds were leaking data.
"Yes…I suppose I am…" Asuramon said, his head turning so his face of blessings was in the center and speaking. "I am…truly blessed to have died fighting such a strong opponent…"
"But did you have to cause so much damage just to have your battle?" Cody asked angrily. "So many Digimon have fallen here today…"
"That…hardly mattered…" Asuramon said, slumping down to his side. "But remember, boy…mine are not the only hands covered in the blood of the fallen Digimon here today…" The demon man let out one last chuckle before his body broke apart completely with his severed arms, the data floating into the sky. Cody could only watch the floating data, Asuramon's last words haunting him.
"We…we killed him…"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Setsunasa ~The Biggest Dreamer~)
"It had to be done," Suzie told Cody. "I know you don't like it Cody, but you'll have to get used to it."
"Besides, Asuramon won't stay dead forever," Cody turned to see TK approach him, the rest of the group behind him. "He died in the Digital World, so he'll be reborn eventually."
"Yeah, but it still doesn't feel right…" Cody said, looking at wrecked village. "None of this feels right to me…"
"You can't let this get to you Cody," Armadillomon said, knowing what his partner was thinking. "Yeah, you screwed up, but nobody's perfect. We just have to move on."
"He's right," said Davis. "You have to pull through, I know you can."
"The Digimon are counting on all of us to save them all," said Rika, "so we can't falter."
"Come on guys, let's get back home and regroup with everybody else," said Davis. The rest of the children and Digimon nodded and proceeded back for the Digital Gate. Cody was far behind, thinking about what had happened today, and how he played a part in the events. Nearby him, Suzie looked at him with a slight frown.
'I just hope Cody learns something from all this…' she thought to herself.
"Ugh…what?" Digitamamon groaned, opening his eyes slowly to see Mimi looking down at him.
"Digitamamon, you're awake!" Mimi said happily. "Are you all right?"
"Yes…I think so…" Digitamamon answered, sitting up. "Did you…save me?"
"Yeah…Yolei did," Mimi nodded, looking over to the lavender-haired girl.
"M-me?" Yolei asked, surprised at Mimi giving her the credit.
"Yes, you," said Kazu. "You and Shurimon did all the work to break the Dark Spiral. All the rest of the Digimon did was block his attack."
"Yolei…thank you," Digitamamon said, walking up to the girl, who actually blushed from the egg Digimon's display of gratitude.
"Oh! It…it was nothing at all. But…I am sorry about what I said before about hating you…"
"Don't worry about it!" Digitamamon reassured her. "I'm sure you've learned to be honest enough now."
"I have…" said Yolei. "I may not have the same level of power as Davis and Takato and the others, but I'll fight to my best from now on!" She then looked over to her sister figure. "And it's thanks to Kazu and your Crest, Mimi! I promise I'll take care of it!"
"I know you will," Mimi said with a big smile.
"Oh, Mimi!" a voice said near her. Turning around, Mimi's eyes widened when she saw Chuumon, a small pink rat Digimon, and Sukamon, a yellow Digimon shaped like a swirl, near her.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Itsumo no Seikatsu)
"Is there any chance we can have that date now?" both Digimon asked with a sheepish chuckle. Mimi paled slightly at the sight of the two Digimon, unsure of what to say. She remembered these two Digimon from years ago on File Island, when she was separated from everybody thanks to Devimon. They had a crazy crush on her, they were practically her first stalkers. Later on, when the Digidestined fought the Dark Masters, Chuumon, who had lost Sukamon to the evil Digimon, sacrificed himself to protect Mimi when Piedmon attempted to kill her, dying in her arms.
"Chuumon…Sukamon…it's good to see you again, but about that date…well…"
"I'm pretty sure she's seeing somebody else!" Kenta said quickly. "Right, Mimi?"
"Oh! Yeah, I am!" Mimi said quickly. "Sorry guys."
"Aww…" Chuumon and Sukamon groaned in disappointment.
"Oh, don't be so down!" Digitamamon said, walking over to the two Digimon. "I'm sure you'll find your own girls soon enough. In the meantime, why don't you come in to my restaurant and have something to eat?"
"Hmm…okay!" both Digimon said after a moment of thinking and hopped after Digitamamon into the restaurant. "See you later, Mimi!"
"Bye!" Mimi waved to them, watching them leave. Once they were gone, Kenta turned to the older girl.
"I'm sorry about saying that Mimi. I know you're not really seeing anybody right now, but I know Chuumon and Sukamon kind of creep you out, but they're still your friends, so you didn't really want to turn them down hard, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't," said Mimi. "I really am not seeing anybody right now…although there is someone I have been having eyes for lately…" The bearer of Sincerity walked off, leaving Kazu, Kenta and Yolei in confusion.
"Who do you think she's crazy for?" asked Yolei.
"I don't know," said Kazu. "Could be Izzy or Joe. In our dimension, a lot of fans usually ship her with one of those two."
"I'd say maybe Izzy," said Kenta, who began following after Mimi with Betamon, Kazu and Kokuwamon. "Her relationship with Joe always seemed like a sibling-like one."
"Hey, she may have eyes for someone else entirely…" Kazu voiced, the two friends continuing their talk as they walked back for the Digital Gate. Yolei walked close behind them, her face set in determination.
'You better watch out Millenniummon, because I'm coming for you. We all are!'
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Ankoku no Hohoemi ~Digimon Kaiser no Theme~)
In his base, Millenniummon watched the scene before him, intrigued with what he saw.
"Hmm…she's become stronger in a day already," he muttered. "Quite a shame really. It would have been fun to continue breaking her, although…" the dark Digimon brought up another screen, which showed Cody, his face full of conflict and self-doubt.
"…I might have some fun with this one, maybe more than I did with Yolei," he said with a chuckle, bringing up another screen. "And I'm so close now…so close to completing my goal…I already have one finished, thanks to MetalMamemon. Now I just need to find where the last piece is…"
Nearby, Calumon sat in the machine, sweat running down his face, a sign of exhaustion overcoming him as a result of Millenniummon using his power to Digivolve more Digimon. And he feared Millenniummon wasn't done yet.
'Please guys…come quickly!' he thought, groaning as he fell to his side.
In his cell, Ryo sat intently, his mind swirling with different strategies of how to escape, wondering how he could be able to get away and regroup with his friends so they could storm Millenniummon's base.
"I may be trapped now…but I swear, I'll find a way out and stop you, Millenniummon!" he said to himself, fists clenched tightly. "You're not succeeding this time…"
(Play Digimon: Days ~Aijou ni Nichijou~ TV Size)
END CHAPTER 23
Hello! I have finally returned! I apologize for the very long delay, but a lot had been going on for me lately, good and bad. Firstly, I saw Avengers: Endgame...twice. It was, in my opinion, the best movie yet for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and truly an epic finale for an eleven-year story arc. Hopefully I can see it a third time soon. Also, the place I work at has been getting renovations lately and it's been really busy. I'm usually dead tired when I get home and am unable to write much...but that doesn't mean I won't stop this story. As for the bad news, my second dog passed away eight months after my first one, so I've been having some time to mourn, remember and move on.
With that said, thank you to those who have been reviewing this story, and I hope you're still with me.
Next chapter: The Digidestined are trapped in an oil rig under the sea, and everybody is counting on Cody to get backup. But when Millenniummon comes before him to fill his head with memories of his dead father and his recent battle with Asuramon, can Cody pull himself together and prove himself to be reliable?
Coming soon: Reliable Waters Flow! Submarimon!