"Man, this place is freaking ridiculous," Shizuka commented.
There was a grunt from Daiki. "Yeah, no kidding."
"It's making me tired…," followed, accompanied with a sigh.
"Hey, what you three waiting for? Come on!"
Snorting, Shizuka covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter. "She is still pissed at you."
"She was talking to you two too, you know."
"I don't know about you, but I could basically hear the anger in her voice," Judai said.
"Just drop it already! I don't want to be reminded about it!"
"You were the one who slapped her. Just sayin'."
"You say that like I freakin' wanted to slap her!" Daiki roared, stopping in his tracks. "That what you think? Huh?"
Shizuka stopped, staring at the frustrated young man, who had mustered up a glare. Stuck in between them, Judai glanced at them back and forth, wondering what was going to happen. The two had gotten into arguments before back home, which quickly turned into fist fights. Ones that Daiki always lost. If the duo got into one of their usual fights, something told him it would not go well.
With a flippant sigh, Shizuka put one hand on her hip and waved the other. "No, that's not what I think."
"Then what do you think?"
"I think," she said, leaning forward to poke him roughly in the chest, "that you're taking it too hard. Listen, I get it. You hurt Mikami, and you feel guilty about it. I can't blame you; she our friend, and you care about her a lot."
"Yeah, well—"
"But," she interrupted him, "that doesn't mean that you should act the way you are. Being upset with yourself isn't going to fix the problem. Give her some space and some time. She'll cool off, and then you can talk to her. Just don't be a suck up."
His face burning, Daiki could feel the blush appearing on his face. Judai found himself laughing at the older male's face, but was quickly silenced by a glare.
"Seriously, if you three don't get a move on, I will drag you by your ears!"
"You only have two hands!" Shizuka replied.
"I will find a way!"
"Jeez, she can be scary when she wants…"
Shizuka laughed. "You think she's scary?"
"You don't have to worry about her, do you?" Daiki muttered, annoyed. "She goes for low blows if she's mad enough."
"Really? Huh. Learn something every day."
Daiki shook his head, trying to ignore the amused girl. Ahead of them, Mikami, Tadashi, and Yoko were making their way up a series of small ledges that led up to the top of a rather steep hill. The brunette made it up first and helped Yoko to reach the top. Both girls leaned over to grab Tadashi's hands and drag him up. Renamon grabbed Salamon and Dorumon, leaping up to the top swiftly. Biyomon flitted up to the top, and watched as Dorumon and Impmon climbed to the top.
At least tried, in Dorumon's case. Judai was about to run ahead to help when Renamon jumped back down to carry him up.
A roar echoed through the valley. Most everyone covered their ears while Daiki glared up.
"That's the fifth freaking time in the past hour."
"It's called the Dragon Zone for a reason."
"Didn't think it would be this annoying though."
"Can't do much about it."
"Come on, grannies!" Mikami shouted. "Do I have to drag you up here?"
Daiki rubbed his right temple. "This is gonna a long day."
Placing a hand against his back, Shizuka roughly shoved him forward. Even though it annoyed him, Daiki knew they needed to pick up the pace, and jogged alongside the younger girl. He was quick to climb to the top, and spun around to offer Shizuka a hand. She smirked and took it, letting him pull her up. Mikami, arms folded, turned around to look to where they were heading. The valley widened near the bottom from the spot they were at while it curved inwards close to the top, offering nothing but a thin line of sunlight to filter through. The path split into two farther down, with one being even darker.
"Any idea which way we should go?" She asked Tadashi.
"Heh. No."
"You guys know?"
"Never been to the Dragon Zone," Impmon replied. "Don't think anyone else has."
"Fun."
Shizuka walked ahead. "Then let's take the right path," she said, raising her hands and pointing at Mikami as she turned around to look at the brunette.
"Not sure following you is a good idea."
"Could be worse. You could be following Impmon."
"Hey!"
Rolling her eyes with a smirk, Mikami motioned to the others as she headed after Shizuka. One by one the others followed until Daiki was standing alone, Renamon paused after a few steps in order to glance at her partner. He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, walking forward. The bipedal fox fell in step beside him. The group continue on down the path, which was slowly beginning to open up the farther they went. Eventually it led to an open ledge where they stopped, Yoko letting out an amazed gasp.
Open plains, tall rock pillars, valleys, and deep chasms were scattered across the view in front of them, accompanied by flowers, plants, and trees that seemed to be as tall as skyscrapers dotted the landscape. Three giant rivers, so large that they were visible from such a far distance, conjoined to form a gigantic lake. In the center of the lake sat a city larger than any other they had seen in their journey. For as far as the eye could see, Digimon roamed the ground and soared through the air.
"Amazing," Tadashi said softly.
"Looks like this as far as we can go this way," Mikami said.
"So, how come we can't ride on Birdramon?" Impmon asked.
"Do you not see the massive number of Digimon literally everywhere?" Biyomon replied.
"Heck, we can take them…" The skepticism was clear in his voice, though.
"Go ahead and try if you want, but I'm not bothering with it. There's too many. We're going down the left path."
Yoko stood there for a few moments longer, staring at the sight, until Daiki herded her to the others. They had stopped just in front of the tunnel, staring down the darkened path.
"If you ask me," Impmon mumbled, "going down this way is a worse idea. It's almost pitch black."
"Afraid of the dark?"
"No."
"Don't antagonize him, please," Biyomon whispered.
"Can any of you see in the dark?" Mikami asked.
"I can, to an extent," Renamon answered. "I will take the lead."
They made their way through the tunnel, though it was slow going. Various unseen obstacles halted their progress numerous times, and if it wasn't for Renamon, they most likely wouldn't have made it through. Once they began to reach the end, enough sunlight filtered through from the exit that they didn't have to rely on Renamon to warn them of rocks or sections they had to climb up. Yoko, Judai, and Dorumon ran ahead when the end was in sight, bursting out into the sunlight with a cheer.
"Sheesh, they make it sound like we haven't seen sunlight in years," Gabumon commented.
Shizuka shrugged. "They get excited."
Daiki snorted. "That's an understatement if I've ever heard one."
The sunlight nearly blinded them once they stepped out, Impmon covering his eyes with an annoyed shout.
"Holy crap, that is bright as hell!"
"It is not that bad," Renamon replied with deadpan expression.
"Says you! My eyes freaking hurt!"
The fox was about to reply when an earsplitting scream made her cover her ears. A shout came from Yoko, Judai, and Dorumon, who were ahead of them, and soon they came running back while screaming in fright.
"What the—holy shit!" Shizuka exclaimed.
Four Digimon were chasing them, and another smaller blue Digimon was running alongside them. They skidded to a halt as they reach their friends, Yoko nearly falling flat on her face before Mikami caught them.
"I hope you're happy!" The redhead shouted at the small Digimon.
"I'm sorry!" The little dragon cried out. "I didn't mean it!"
"Yeah! About time we got to fight!" Impmon said, running forward.
"Can't you ever wait for a few seconds?" Mikami asked with a groan, pulling out her Digivice.
The others grabbed their Digivices, and soon four of their Digimon partners were Digivolving into their Champion levels.
Dobermon tackled the Strikedramon, sending both himself and the humanoid tumbling head over heels. The dog landed on top, prompting the Strikedramon to kick Dobermon off. The hound was sent rolling away, but quickly recovered, scrambling to his feet. The humanoid hopped to his feet and leaped at Dobermon, spinning around to deliver a kick. Growling, Dobermon jumped out of the way, shooting off several fireballs. The attack hit, sending the humanoid flipping backwards. He landed on his feet, bent over, and looked up at the grinning dog.
"Smug, aren't you?"
"Hard not to be when I have such a weak opponent. Heck, that kick was nothin'."
Sneering, the Strikedramon launched himself at Dobermon. The dog simply smirked.
"Schwartz Strahl!" The black beam shot out of Dobermon's mouth, piercing the Strikedramon's chest. As the humanoid exploded, Dobermon absorbed his data. "Thought that'd be more fun."
Gatomon dodged out of the way of a clawed hand, dropping down so that her stomach was against the ground. The BlackGrowlmon changed his course of action, reaching down to grab her with his other hand. She shot forward and then leaped up into the air, punching the reptile in the jaw sharply. He stumbled back, holding his chin with a whine. The cat landed, her ears twitching as BlackGrowlmon let out a string of curses.
"No need to talk like that," Gatomon scolded him.
The reptile glared and spit fire towards her. She moved aside and ran towards him, avoiding more fire until she was right up on him. She lunged, her claws piercing his chest. He roared, swinging his hand at his chest. She dropped down, causing him to smack himself, and kicking him square in the stomach. As he began to topple over, Gatomon gathered energy to extend her claws. Just as he was almost on the ground, she landed on his chest and tore into him with the huge claws, effectively destroying him.
The cat fixed her gloves. "I guess you should've been more polite."
Garurumon rolled out of the way of a Monochromon, who charged at the wolf. Turning, the wolf lunged and bit into the dinosaur's tail. A roar followed as Garurumon slowly dragged Monochromon backwards. However, the dinosaur pulled his tail free and spun around to run at Garurumon. The wolf leaped up, kicking the dinosaur in the face with his back paws. A frustrated yell followed, but despite his attempt to snag the wolf's tail, Monochromon was unsuccessful.
"Stop moving and let me smash you!"
"Not gonna happen," Garurumon replied.
Annoyed, the Monochromon ran at him. Lowering himself, Garurumon built up flames in his mouth. When the massive dinosaur was a few feet from him, he released the stream of azure flames, which engulfed his enemies. However, the dinosaur burst out, slamming the wolf into the ground and pinning him. One foot was raised, poised to stomp on him, but Garurumon snapped his jaws around the dinosaur's neck, biting in as deeply as he could. Ice spread out from the wound, encasing most of Monochromon's upper body. The wolf kicked him off and released around bout of flames, shattering him.
A Devidramon charged Kyubimon from above, forcing the fox to jump out of the way. The demon landed and spun around, its tail lashing out towards her. Kyubimon hopped to the side, only for the tail to turn and shoot towards her. Growling, the fox moved at the last second and pinned the appendage down before cutting it off with her claws. Screeching, the Devidramon lunged, swiping its red claws at her. She ducked and dashed to the side, flaring her tails.
"Fox Tail Inferno!"
The flames exploded in the demon's face, causing him to attempt to wipe away the fire. Kyubimon ran forward, electricity sparking around her head, and rammed her head into Devidramon. With the creature momentarily stunned, Kyubimon bit into his arm and tossed him aside. He slammed into a rock, but got back up with seconds in order to reach towards her with both hands. The fox ran forward and jumped into the air, spinning around and gathering blue flames are her. A fiery dragon emerged from the flames, wrapping around Devidramon and annihilating him.
The four Digimon let themselves revert back to their Rookie forms and rejoined their friends. Yoko scooped up Salamon, hugging her tightly.
"Finally," Tadashi said with a sigh. "That seemed to take forever."
"You," Mikami grunted, staring at the small blue dragon that was still cowering near a rock. "Explain yourself."
"I-I'm so sorry about that," the dragon stuttered. "I didn't know anyone was around here, I swear. I just—"
"Why were they chasing you?" Renamon asked.
"Um…because I was trying to steal food," he whispered. "Ever since Ginryumon and his forces came here, any Digimon that doesn't cooperate gets targeted. The group I'm with has been trying to free the zone of Ginryumon's rule, but…we're not strong enough. And we were running out of food, so I was trying to get some…"
Impmon scratched the back of the head. "Damn. Sorry to hear about that, bud. Typical, though. Can't ever stand anyone who stands up to 'em."
"Sounds like they need to be knocked down a few pegs," Shizuka said.
"No kidding." Mikami looked down at the dragon and crouched. "We'd be happy to help."
Red eyes sparkling, the dragon let his mouth drop open. "Really?"
"Really."
"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" He exclaimed, hugging the surprised brunette. "My name is Dracomon. You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"Sure we don't," Daiki muttered, earning a glare from Mikami.
"Alright. Take us to your friends."
"Okay. Just follow me! This place is a bit hard to get around if you've never been here before."
"Really? Here I thought it was easy," Shizuka whispered, causing Daiki to smirk.
"Our base is that way," Dracomon continued, pointing to the northwest. "It's underground, so I hope none of you are claustrophobic or anything, 'cause the passage is a bit small."
"They'll have to deal with it."
"Heh. Make sure you follow me closely, okay? It's really easy to get lost. There's all kinds of different paths, twists and turns, valleys and other stuff. You could end up on the other side of the zone without realizing it!"
"I doubt that," Daiki muttered under his breath.
~0~
"Can we stop for a bit? I'm getting tired," Yoko asked with a groan.
"Seriously? We came all the way from the Toy Zone and now you're tired?" Impmon shook his head.
"Impmon, shut up. No one asked you to be an ass," Mikami said, smacking the back of the imp's head. "Dracomon, is there anywhere we can rest?"
"You bet there is! There's tons of places along the paths. Mostly use them for hiding, y'know, 'cause of Ginryumon's forces, but there nice to rest in. See that big boulder over there?" The little dragon pointed to it, indicating the one that was against the rock wall. "It's not really a boulder, just a big thing of metal made to look like one. We can push it to the side, get into the cave, and pull it close from the inside. Easy peasy."
"How heavy is it?"
"Um…a bit heavy, but we can all—hey, where you going?" Dracomon protested, watching Daiki and Shizuka stroll over to the metal door. "There's no way you can move that thing by yourselves."
They both waved him off and took positions on either side. Shizuka pushed while Daiki pulled, and it didn't take long for them to have it moved enough to everyone to get inside. Everyone slowly entered, Mikami shooting a displeased look at Daiki as she went inside. He threw up his arms with an exasperated sigh, and Shizuka gave him a sympathetic look.
"There is no pleasing her!" He growled angrily, kicking the metal door.
"Daiki, don't do that. You'll attract attention and I don't want another battle for a while."
"Tell that to her," he replied, motioning forward as they headed inside. Luckily the brunette in question was sitting against the far side of the wall.
"Getting mad about her being mad isn't gonna fix things."
"But why in the heck is she pissed off by me opening a freaking door!"
Shizuka shrugged, helping him to slide the metal back into position. The cave dimmed considerably, but various lamps attached to the walls kept the space lit. The purple-haired girl turned to look at Daiki, placing her hand against the wall while leaning to the side.
"Like I would know. I can't read her mind, y'know. Just try not to piss her off too much."
"Hard not to piss her off when I don't know what's gonna make her go off."
"Just try," Shizuka repeated. "You're all gonna make me go nuts," she whispered, sitting down.
Mikami watched the duo with a frown, her cheek resting against her palm, until Yoko sat down beside her. Turning, the brunette looked at her, wonderin why she had such a strange expression on her face. The redhead cleared her throat, twiddling her thumbs.
"Hey, um…can you please just forgive Daiki already?"
"No."
"May I inquire as to why you refuse to acknowledge the fact that he is sorry?" Renamon asked.
Impmon glanced at them from the corner of his eye. "Her pride has been hurt. Kinda obvious."
"My pride has nothing to do with it," she objected.
"Sure it doesn't," the imp said. "Listen, I get it, but it's kinda stupid."
"Looks who's talking."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Somebody hurts your pride and you act like a baby about it."
Impmon glowered. "Hey, I didn't insult you."
"Really."
She clearly thought otherwise, causing the imp to stand up with a huff.
"Whatever. I'm done talkin' to you."
"Proving my point," she told him as he stomped off to sit with Salamon and Dorumon.
"That…was uncalled for," Yoko sighed. "I think this is making me more tired than walking was…," she mumbled, standing up and walking away.
"Your group seems a bit…" Dracomon trailed off, looking at the expression on Yoko's face.
"We're usually not this bad," she said with a slight smile. "Usually…" She sat down beside him.
"Aw, cheer up! Me and my friends get into arguments all the time."
"That doesn't help."
"Sorry."
"No, it's not your fault." She rested her head against the wall. "Thanks for trying."
"Have they always been like that?"
"Not really. We've all been stressed out since coming to the Digital World. With everything that's happened so far, well, it's not surprising."
"What's it like? Your world? There's all kinds of stories and legends, but most Digimon never believed it was real."
"Earth has legends about it?" She asked with a laugh. "Never thought I'd hear that. Earth is pretty boring compared to here."
"Really?"
"Oh, you bet. We have to go to school for most of the year, and there isn't too much to do during summer vacation."
"School? Summer vacation?"
"Ah…it's hard to explain. School is a place where you go to learn about stuff. You don't have schools here?"
"We have something like it, but we don't call them schools."
"Huh. Maybe here and Earth aren't as different as I thought."
The few moments of quiet that followed were interrupted when Mikami shouted, "Hey, you all rested up?" Murmurs and mutters of affirmation followed while everyone began to stand up. Dragging herself up, Yoko stretched, and then found Mikami standing right in front of her.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah," the redhead answered. "We should get going."
~0~
"Alright, here we are!"
Staring, Tadashi thought the dragon was joking. In front of them was nothing but a crack in the rock of a dead-end. Surely this couldn't be the entrance to the path that Dracomon was talking about? It was barely big enough for Daiki to fit into, if the eighteen year-old even could. The small dragon turned around and grinned sheepishly, pawing at his horns. There was a look of disbelief on Impmon's face, and a glint in his eyes that warned he was getting annoyed.
"Like I said, it's a tight fit, but a few feet in it widens up. It's a safety precaution."
"Will I even be able to get in that?" Daiki asked with a hint of skepticism.
"Sure! Just turn sideways. Uh…I think."
"You…think."
"Lay off him," Mikami said. "Only thing to do is try."
Dracomon nodded and dashed into the crack, being small enough to where he could fit without turning. Salamon and Dorumon followed, and Biyomon walked through. Yoko, pulling Judai along, headed into the crack after their partners. Renamon momentarily glanced down at Impmon before shifting sideways and sliding inside. Impmon, grumbling under his breath, did the same. Soon enough the only two not making their way through were Mikami and Daiki.
"Since we're alone for a bit," Daiki said, "I wanted to say that if you want to hit me again, you can."
She scowled. "Think that's gonna make it up to me?"
"No. Just saying that if you wanted to, you could." He ruffled his hair a bit. "Heck knows I should've thought of something else. Since I don't know what you want from me, I figured I'd offer."
She scoffed. "We're gonna get left behind." With that said, she slid her way into the rock.
"I tried," the teenager muttered to himself in disappointment.
He turned sideways and carefully maneuvered his way in, trying his best not to get stuck as he made his way through. It seemed like an eternity when he finally popped out into the tunnel, where everyone else was waiting.
"What took ya so long?" Impmon asked with a smirk.
"Nothing you need to know about." That earned a partial glare from the imp, who turned away.
"Kay, fair warning, when we get to the base you guys just might get bombarded with a lot of questions," Dracomon stated.
Judai blinked. "Why?"
"Unlike most of the other zones, tons of stories about Earth are passed down. Almost every Digimon here has heard them."
"Why would there be stories?"
"Haha, good question! Never found that out. Might be a good idea to ask the elder sometime." Dracomon spun around, dashing off. "Let's go!"
They trudged on, making their way through the dimly lit tunnel as they trailed after the small dragon. It took some ten minutes for them to reach the end, which was marked by a giant metal door. The sight surprised Tadashi, who thought that the "base" would be a crudely crafted location. Dracomon disappeared behind a rock for a moment, during which a loud 'click' could be hear. He poked his head up over the rock and moved to stand in front of the slowly opening door.
The group was greeted by a few dozen shouting Digimon, all of whom appeared to be in their Fresh and In-Training stages. Dracomon was quickly surrounded by excited and happy Digimon. He laughed and attempted to calm them down, though he had to point to the humans and their partners to do so.
"I found some help."
"Are those humans?" One asked, mouth agape.
"They look so strange!"
"You guys are the DigiDestined, right?"
Just as Dracomon have predicted, the small Digimon asked question after question as the group made their way into the building. The door closed with a bang behind them, startling Yoko and Judai. Dracomon showed them into another room, telling them to sit down as he left to go find someone. Shizuka covered her face with her hand, listening to the sounds of all the young Digimon in the other room. Renamon looked less than pleased as well, her ears lowered.
"Could they be any louder?" Shizuka hissed.
Sitting on the far side of the room, Impmon raised his head. "Please don't jinx us."
"Probably too late for that."
"Don't even say that…"
The door opened, and Dracomon, along with another Digimon, hurried inside. Dracomon closed the door, cutting off some of the sound.
"Sorry about them being so excited," Dracomon said. "Trying to get them calm is impossible. Anyways, this is Baromon."
The green robed Digimon bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, DigiDestined. Dracomon told me that you agreed to help us."
"Yep," Mikami said, sitting up. "Though we need to know how we can help. Besides deleting Ginryumon, that is."
"Defeating Ginryumon will not free us. He has loyal followers who would rise up to take his place."
"How many are we talking about who could?" Tadashi asked.
"Five in total."
The group exchanged glances with their partners. Tapping her foot on the ground, Renamon raised her head enough to look at the others.
"That is good."
"Huh? Why?" Impmon asked, looking at her.
"Six main targets."
"Basically, one of us takes out Ginryumon and the others beat those five," Biyomon explained.
"I knew that," the imp muttered.
Mikami couldn't help but roll her eyes at her partner. "We'll figure out the finer details once we get into the city. We just need a guide."
"You've got one," Dracomon stated with a grin. "I know every inch of the city."
"We should figure out what we're gonna do now," Daiki said. Despite the look he received from Mikami, we continued. "Having a plan now is better than rushing in and having things go terribly wrong. That's one thing I've learned from all the crap we've been through. Baromon, what information do you have about those five Digimon?"
"I am afraid that I do not know much about them, but I do know their names: Arresterdramon, Cyclonemon, Saberdramon, Dinohumon, and DexDorugamon."
Dorumon froze upon hearing the last name, and Judai looked down at him in concern.
"All five of them are powerful, Arresterdramon being the strongest. To what extent their powers are, I do not know, as I have only heard stories of their strength. Of course, they are weaker than Ginryumon."
Tadashi wrinkled his nose. "Well, if Ginryumon is the strongest overall, then either Mikami and Impmon or Daiki and Renamon should fight him, and the other go after Arresterdramon. How would you rank the other four based on strength from what you've heard?"
"Hmm…Cyclonemon, Dinohumon, DexDorugamon, and then Saberdramon."
"Salamon and I can fight Saberdramon," Yoko said, blushing.
Shizuka folded her arms, "Cyclonemon is ours."
Tadashi looked at Judai. "I think it would be best if you—"
"DexDorugamon," Dorumon said.
"Really?" Judai whispered, looking at his partner. The small Digimon nodded. "Alright. Then we're gonna take him."
Tadashi nodded. "Well, that leaves you two. Do you know who's gonna fight who?"
"Impmon and I—"
"We're taking Ginryumon," Daiki declared, standing. Renamon glanced at him, a slight smirk on her face.
"I don't think so," Mikami replied, getting to her feet.
"Come on guys, does it matter?" Impmon asked, only to shut his mouth when Mikami glared at him.
His patience wearing thin, Daiki walked over to the door. "Guess what? I'm not debating it. Dracomon, we're going on."
"You can't just-!" Mikami growled, only to stop when Renamon placed a paw on her shoulder.
"Trust him," the fox whispered. "And if you won't trust him, then trust me."
"Are you sure about this?"
The fox nodded her head. "Yes."
"…Fine."
Chuckling slightly, Renamon joined her partner and the anxious Dracomon. Mikami motioned to the others, and they followed.
Dracomon led them through the base and to another tunnel. They made their through it, eager and ready to battle, but taking enough time to plan what they were going to do. Renamon was alongside her partner, eyes forward.
"You got something to say?" Daiki asked.
"No. I very much agree with your decision." She paused. "We must be careful, though, if we wish to make it back."
"You're as perceptive as always. Think it'll work out?"
"Always does in the end, does it not."
"Maybe you've got a point."
When they reached another door they slowed, letting Dracomon open it.
"Okay, obviously I'm not gonna be able to show all of you where to go. But, the house this door leads into is where we store a lot of stuff. We've gotta plenty of extra maps, so I hope you know how to read one. Just be really careful. The city is full of Digimon that'll fight you if they know you're not on their side. I'll be taking Daiki and Renamon to the city hall in center of the city since it's harder to get there."
They filtered into the room, waiting for Dracomon as he dashed off. He returned and handed the humans their maps, quickly explaining what was what and the best routes to follow. The dragon ushered them upstairs and turned to Daiki as soon as they were gone.
"You're gonna have to follow me, 'cause it's really easy to get lost once you start getting farther into the city. And it's super easy to get caught near the city hall."
"I believe you."
"That means no attempting to deviate or do as you wish," Renamon stated.
"I know," Daiki grumbled. "How long will it take to get there?"
"Depends on how fast we go. If we go fast, maybe an hour. If it's slow going, could be much longer."
"Then let's get a move on. The quicker we defeat Ginryumon, the quicker we can set this zone straight."
"Thanks again for all this. It must be troublesome to have to do this kind of stuff."
Daiki kneeled, placing a hand on the dragon's head. "Listen, Dracomon. We're the DigiDestined for a reason. Helping this world is what we're supposed to do, and it's the right thing to do."
"You guys are so cool," Dracomon whispered, causing Daiki to laugh.
"Don't get your hopes up," Renamon said. Daiki shot her a glare, only to realize that she was joking.
"Alright! To the city hall we go," Dracomon said, dashing up the stairs. "Come on!"
"Wait up!" Daiki yelled, running after the dragon. "Ready and raring to go, isn't he?"
"Who can blame him? This is his chance to save his home and his friends."
The trio burst out into a street where they could see a few Digimon walking past. No one paid any attention to them, going about their business. That made Daiki wonder why they weren't surprised by the sight of a human. There was no way that they were used to it considering that there were only five other humans there. Were they just so disconnected that they didn't notice? Or did they just not care? His attention was grabbed by Dracomon, who shouted his name and waved at him from down the street. He didn't even want to know how the dragon had gone that far in the span of a few seconds.
Daiki and Renamon hopped down the steps. Navigating the city through the sea of Digimon was going to be fun. They stuck close to the wall, steadily making their way over to the waiting dragon. Once they reached him, they could see that he was pulling a piece of round metal up and off to the side. Daiki had a sneaking suspicion of what it was.
"The aqueducts are the easiest way to get through the city and get close to city hall," Dracomon stated.
"Why do you have lead us through?"
"'Cause the aqueducts are hard to navigate. Trust me."
Once the lid was off, he climbed down. With no other choice, Daiki and Renamon did the same. The boy grabbed the lid and pulled it closed. He let go and dropped down once he was a few feet from the floor. Dracomon and Renamon were already standing at the corner of the path, the fox watching the flow of the water.
"Might as well be sewers," he whispered, walking up to them.
Dracomon turned to his right and began walking. "Do not fall into the water. It'll sweep you away so fast that you won't know what hit you."
"Thanks for that image."
"No need to worry, Daiki. I would catch you if you fell," Renamon said.
"I'm sure you would."
"What do you know about Ginryumon?"
"Besides the fact that he's scary strong?" Dracomon replied. "Not much, honestly. I never got the chance to see him in action, and I'm kinda glad. Baromon faced him in a fight and barely escaped alive. He even said the only reason he survived was because Ginryumon happened to get distracted by something." The dragon shuddered.
"Well, you don't have to worry, because we'll finish him," Daiki said. "I promise you that."
Dracomon grinned at him.
"How exactly will this lead to city hall, by the way?"
"There's spots where bridges connect the paths. It's safer than jumping across, because if we did that, well…hehe. But city hall, just like most of the other buildings, is connected to these waterways."
"We will end up inside city hall?"
"Yep. Getting through city hall to Ginryumon? That's a whole 'nother story."
"Nothing that we can't handle."
The dragon's tail twitched. "I want to help you guys more than just being a guide though."
"Like how?"
"Fighting with you! I don't want to stand on the sidelines and make you guys do everything! This is my home, you know. I'm tired of running away."
"No offense, but you're just a Rookie. I don't think—"
Beside him, Renamon roughly cleared her throat, cutting him off. She grabbed his shoulder, stopping him mid-step, and leaned over to whisper in his ear. His eyebrows raised as he listened, and by the time she pulled away, he was grinning. The male punched his fist into his open palm, startling Dracomon. It was clear the dragon was curious about what the fox told him.
"That'll work, I think. Alright, Dracomon, listen up. I'm only gonna say this once."
~0~
"It's the right."
"It's the left, you idiot."
"The right! See?"
"Can you not read at all? Look, we're here. Arresterdramon's station is there. Going to the right would take even longer."
"…Oh."
An infuriated sigh came from Mikami as they walked through the alleyway. Normally Impmon's denseness wouldn't bother her, but she was frustrated enough without him arguing with her. If it hadn't been for Daiki and his nonsense…just thinking about him made her angry! It wasn't even about the stupid slap! Yeah, she had been mad about it right after it happened, but she had gotten over that. No, it was because he thought she was still mad about it. That, and she felt ridiculous for punching him in the stomach, and was taking her anger towards herself out on him…but she would never admit that.
"Oi, pay attention," Impmon snapped, smacking her hand.
"I am paying attention." She turned left. "Could this city be any freaking bigger?"
"I wouldn't say that. Knowing our luck, the city might magically double in size."
"Shut up."
"Yeah." He scrunched up his face. "What's your home like?"
"A lot like this city," she answered, chuckling. "Not as confusing though. My city's got street names. Wish this place did."
"Street names?"
"It's stupid."
"Place doesn't sound too bad, if it's better than here."
"You'll get to see it someday, I'm sure."
They stopped at the end of the alley, staying in the shadows while looking up at the tower in the distance.
"That's it, isn't it?"
"Looks like it."
"We still gotta way to go…"
"Yep."
Impmon walked out, weaving through the crowd. Folding the map in half, Mikami followed him, refusing to look at anyone who bumped into her. She had a mission, and she was going to see it through. Then she was gonna chew Daiki out, because he was being ridiculous by taking on Ginryumon.
But…she had wanted to, so she really wasn't one to talk.
"Shit," she muttered, running a hand through her hair.
She took off running, tapping Impmon on the back as she did so. He might've been less than half her size, but he was able to keep up well enough.
~0~
"I was not expecting to be the one to go to the opposite side of the city."
"Well, I could always Digivolve and carry you."
"That's tempting," Tadashi said. "Probably wouldn't be a good idea."
"It would be faster though," the reptile pointed out.
The boy sighed, shaking his head while placing his palm against his forehead. "I know that I am going to sincerely regret this, but we shouldn't. We would draw unnecessary attention, which could lead to disastrous results."
"You're right." Gabumon exhaled noisily. "How do you think the others are doing?"
"They'll most likely reach their destinations before us."
"Didn't Dracomon say something about city hall being hard to reach? We might get to Dinohumon before Daiki and Renamon get to city hall."
"I suppose it's possible, but I doubt it. At any rate, we need to have a plan for when we face Dinohumon." He pulled out his Digivice and looked at it. "Hmm…display information on Dinohumon," he said with a hint of uncertainty; he had never tried to have the device search for information regarding a Digimon he had not seen. When the screen projected the file on the Digimon, he found himself pleased. "He appears to be a close combat fighter. That works in our favor."
"Can I see?" Gabumon asked. Tadashi lowered the device enough for the reptile to see. "Oh, wow. Those are some big swords."
"No worries. You'll be fine if you keep your distance."
"You sound worried."
"Hmm? I guess I am, but not about us."
"Then who are you worried about?"
Swiping his bangs from his eyesight, Tadashi glanced over his shoulder. "Judai and Dorumon."
"Huh? Why?"
"Something about the way Dorumon reacted when hearing DexDorugamon's name." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sure it's nothing and that I'm worrying for no reason."
~0~
"…I didn't think we'd get here so quickly…"
Salamon, who had been peeking out from the alley, backed up a few steps and looked at her partner. "It wasn't far from the building, you know," she said.
The redhead was fidgeting, rubbing her arm. "Yeah, but…"
"What's wrong?" Salamon asked quietly. "You haven't acted like this in a while."
"I don't know…Maybe it's because of the fact that this is the first time it's been just you and me." Yoko laughed softly. "Don't worry about me. Let's go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. We can't just not fight because I'm uncomfortable," the girl muttered. "Let's do it."
The pup ran across the street, heading for an alley closer to the tower. Yoko followed, and they made it before any of the guards turned in their direction. While Salamon watched the guards, Yoko grabbed her Digivice. All they had to do was get through the guards and head up to the tower. Then they'd fight Saberdramon. It sounded easy, but Yoko knew it wasn't going to be. The duo hadn't fought any hard battles by themselves, and the thought of losing worried Yoko to no end.
"We'll win. Don't worry," Salamon whispered.
Yoko nodded. "Of course we will." I hope, she added silently. The screen of the Digivice glowed as Salamon scooted closer to her.
"Salamon Digivolve to…Gatomon!"
The cat dashed out into the street and headed straight for the guards, leaving Yoko only a few seconds to catch up with her. Leaping into the air, Gatomon kicked one of the Devidramon in the head. When the other lunged towards her, she pushed off, causing the first guard to topple over, and nailed the other in the face with her fist. He collapsed on top of his ally, and Gatomon landed near the tower door. She dusted off her gloves.
"That was strangely easy."
"They weren't nearly as strong as that one Kyubimon fought earlier," Gatomon said, waving off her partner's concern. "Stand back."
Once the redhead had moved away, Gatomon kicked the door inward, snapping one of the hinges off in the process.
"That's a lot of stairs."
Gatomon grinned at her. "Not as bad as Block City."
Though she couldn't help but smile, she faked a shudder. "Don't."
She followed the cat as Gatomon began rushing up the stairs. The higher they went, the more anxious Yoko began to feel. Trying to calm herself, she thought back to the conversation she had with Judai in Block City. While caution was a good thing, fretting too much over something wasn't a good idea, warranted or not. She really did need to take her own advice; how could she expect to be strong when she doubted herself? She was even doubting her partner, who had never once let her down. The cat believed in her, so she needed to believe in herself!
We can do this, she thought to herself.
Gatomon slowed once they reached the top of the tower. Yoko, who was still climbing, could see the cat simply standing there.
"What's wro…?" She trailed off, staring.
A deep voice boomed, "Welcome," which was followed by the flapping of wings. "I was wondering who dared to climb my tower."
"He looks like Birdramon," Yoko whispered, "but…black."
"You're Saberdramon, aren't you?" Gatomon asked, stepping forward. "We're here to fight you!"
"Oh?" The bird let out a cackling laugh that made Yoko cringe. "Do you really think a runt and a puny human can beat me?"
"You would be surprised," the cat stated defiantly. "I may be small, but I'm stronger than I look."
"Somehow I doubt that," Saberdramon replied dismissively. "I'm going to be nice and give you a chance to leave."
Folding her arms, Gatomon glared. "That isn't going to happen."
"Good," the bird hissed, "because I was wanting to kill someone today."
Yoko inhaled sharply, suddenly afraid for her partner. With a loud caw, Saberdramon quickly ascended, sending out a gust of wind that nearly made Yoko topple over. A burst of flames sped from the bird's mouth, but Gatomon quickly hopped to the side. Having missed its mark, the fire splattered against the stone. The cat ran off, avoiding flaming orbs that rained down from above. By the time Saberdramon stopped, scorch marks were scattered across the stone. The bird let out a frustrated squawk, glaring down at the cat.
He spread his wings out and then flapped. Feathers burning a bright amethyst shot out, forcing Gatomon to dance around to keep from getting hit. The sharp feathers buried themselves halfway into the stone. Eyes widening, Yoko turned her gaze to her partner. The cat lithely jumped and stepped out of the way, further frustrating Saberdramon. The number of feathers increased, making it difficult for Gatomon to avoid them.
A yowl made the redhead jump, and she found herself watching Gatomon hit the floor. The cat got up onto one knee and reached down, placing her paw near the plumage that was sticking out of her leg. Glancing up, Yoko felt her heart clench at the sight of Saberdramon preparing another round. She swallowed and ran forward, grabbing Gatomon as she did so. She was fast enough to keep ahead of the attack until she stumbled. Pain flared in her leg as a feather cut her calf.
The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, partially on top of Gatomon. Wincing, she slid off of the cat, who stared at her. A stinging sensation ran up her leg as Yoko twisted around to look at it. It was pretty deep, all things considered.
"Yoko! Are you okay?" Gatomon asked. "What were you thinking?"
"I couldn't just let my partner get beat."
"How sickening," Saberdramon growled. "Prepare to say goodbye!"
He swooped down, heading right for them even as Yoko halfway sat up. When Gatomon stood, Yoko glanced at her, only to see a furious expression of her face that caused a chill to run up her spine. Right as the bird was on top of them, the cat leapt into the air, swinging her fist with an enrage shout. The punch hit Saberdramon square in the jaw, halting his progress. She dropped down and then sprang forward. Her claws slashed through one of the bird's legs, earning a screech.
"No one," the cat hissed, "hurts my partner."
Saberdramon landed shakily on the ground and then turned, preparing to attack. Yoko watched as energy surrounded the cat's claws, extending them. As Saberdramon charged, Gatomon dived down, avoiding the bite, and then jumped upwards. Her claws sliced through the bird's neck with ease, beheading him, and she landed behind him seconds before he shattered. She absorbed his data, feeling particularly satisfied.
When she looked up, she found Yoko staring at her with a horrified expression.
"Yoko—"
"No," the redhead said quickly, causing the cat to recoil. "It's okay, really."
Shaking, she pushed herself to her feet, only to grimace when trying to put weight on her injured leg. Concerned, Gatomon rushed up to her and carefully grabbed her leg so as not to hurt her partner. Narrowing her eyes, the cat closely examined the wound.
"It's gonna be hard to get down the stairs," Yoko joked.
Gatomon huffed. "You shouldn't be joking about this! This doesn't look good at all!"
"I can just slide down the steps, you know. It's not that bad."
"Yoko," the cat groaned, rolling her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Yoko simply smiled. "Because you're not one to talk right now. I can see the way you're standing."
~0~
"Dorumon, why do you want to fight DexDorugamon?" Judai asked again. The small purple Digimon had yet to answer him, and he was beginning to worry. He had a feeling he knew the answer, but still, he wanted to hear it from Dorumon.
"I just want to know."
"Know what?"
"I…I'm not sure…"
"Come on…you don't really think he's anything like you, do you?"
"No, but…"
The blond rubbed his head. "Can't rest until you know for sure, huh?"
Dorumon nodded quickly.
"Alright, well, it's not like I can really do anything about it. We gotta face him anyways…No matter what he's like, you gotta keep you're guard up, 'kay?"
"I know."
In front of them was the building that had been marked on their map. Judai was surprised to see that there weren't any guards. As a matter of fact, there weren't any Digimon in the area at all. Frowning, he glanced in each direction, but saw nothing.
"There's no one around."
"Then that means there's no one to slow us down."
Eyebrows raising, Judai noticed at the last second that his partner was walking off without him. Scurrying after him, the blond let out a breath. When they reached the door, Judai reached forward and hesitantly tried the handle. Much to his surprise, it was unlocked, and he opened the door up. Slowly the two entered, though they had no reason to worry at that particular moment since they saw and heard no one. Dorumon immediately headed up the stairs, and Judai groaned.
"Wonder if the others are having to deal with this."
"It sure looked like it when Dracomon marked our maps."
"Think any of them are already fighting?"
"Saberdramon's station was the closest."
"I hope she's alright…"
"Salamon will protect her."
"I know she will."
Dorumon glanced back at the blond to see him looking away at the last moment. The small Digimon laughed. In response, Judai folded his arms and passed by his partner, hurrying up the steps. Dorumon caught up with him, and both of them arrived at the top at the same time. Both of them froze, Judai taking a step back. They could only see the back of the Digimon, but even that made the duo nervous.
"I thought I sensed someone," a rough, gravelly voice stated. "What brings you here?"
"We're here to fight, DexDorugamon," Dorumon stated.
"Oh?" Amused, DexDorugamon turned enough to look at the two. "What makes you think you can, Rookie?"
Judai swallowed. "We've made it this far."
"I commend you on that, but that does not mean you can defeat me."
Shakily pulling out his Digivice, Judai stared at the screen as he fumbled to get information on the Digimon to appear. When it did, his heart dropped into his stomach.
"He eats Digicores…"
"What?" Dorumon exclaimed, looking at Judai.
"That must be why no one else was around."
"Knowing that, do you still wish to fight me?"
"If it means stopping you from killing anyone else? Yes," the little purple Digimon growled, stepping forward. "Because that is inexcusable."
The screen of the Digivice came to life with a burst of light, and soon enough Dorugamon stood in front of Judai. Now that his partner was in his Champion stage, it was easy to compare him and DexDorugamon. The shape of their bodies might have been the same, but they looked drastically different. Their opponent was practically nothing but a mummy with nuts, bolts, and mechanical body parts. Just from listening to the sadistic Digimon, Judai could tell he was nothing like Dorugamon. In fact, Judai didn't even know why his partner was ever concerned.
"Devouring your core will be especially enjoyable," DexDorugamon hummed.
"Too bad for you, because I'm not letting that happen," Dorugamon snapped.
The undead Digimon lunged, swinging one arm around in around to strike with his claws. Dorugamon sidestepped the attack and whipped his tail forward, hitting DexDorugamon in the stomach. The hit barely affected DexDorugamon, who grabbed the tail tightly. He spun and sent Dorugamon sailing through the air. He landed harshly, head colliding with the stone wall. DexDorugamon ran forward and attempted to jump onto the downed Digimon, but Dorugamon rolled out of the way and hopped to his feet.
An iron ball shot out of his mouth, striking DexDorugamon in the chest, just as he turned, with enough force to make him skid back. Snarling, the undead creature shot several of his own. Dorugamon dodged most of them, only to be hit in the side by one. He stumbled but caught himself, and smacked one of the balls back to DexDorugamon by using his tail, though he winced. DexDorugamon leaned to the side in time, the iron ball going straight past him and taking out part of the wall.
"I must admit, I was not expecting you to be as strong as you are."
"I'm full of surprises."
He opened his mouth and spit out what looked like a seed. Confused, DexDorugamon realized too late what it was and found himself being thrown backwards by an explosion.
Wait, that looked like…that was one of Arbormon's attacks! Judai himself was confused. He can use that? Is it because he absorbed some of Arbormon's data?
DexDorugamon slid to a stop, growling. More seeds came flying, and the undead Digimon was forced to flee them as they detonated. Smoke covered the area, obscuring DexDorugamon from view. Narrowing his eyes, Dorugamon tried to see where his opponent was, but he couldn't even see an outline.
A sphere came out of nowhere, hitting Dorugamon's leg and causing him to fall. DexDorugamon charged out of the smoke, landing directly on the downed Digimon. Grinning, the psychopath pinned Dorugamon to the floor, and no matter how much he struggled, Judai's partner couldn't free himself. Panicking, Judai took a step forward, but stopped, knowing he would just get in the way.
"There. This is much better," DexDorugamon whispered.
"Get off of me!" Dorugamon shouted, wriggling around.
"I think not. I finally have you where I want you." Dorugamon looked up to see glowing red eyes staring down at him. "Now I merely have to decide how I am going to kill you. Perhaps I should rip out your core, like I have done to all the other Digimon I have destroyed. Or maybe I should tear your limbs off first."
Judai reached down, scooping up a piece of rubble. He couldn't think of anything else to do to help his partner, because he couldn't just wrestle the undead Digimon off of him. Without a second thought, the blond hurtled the stone at DexDorugamon. It bounced harmlessly off of the Digimon's head, but it was enough to make him turn to glare at Judai with an annoyed look.
Taking the opportunity, Dorugamon slid his hind legs up and then kicked DexDorugamon in the stomach. He fell back, rolling once before stopping on his stomach. Dorugamon scrambled to his feet at the same time as DexDorugamon, and the two lunged at each other, swinging their claws. Dorugamon shifted so that DexDorugamon stabbed through his shoulder, while his hit his mark: Right in DexDorugamon's chest.
"Time to get a taste of your own medicine."
"How ironic…"
Dorugamon ripped the undead Digimon's core out and crushed it. DexDorugamon faded, and the Dorugamon reverted back to his Rookie level.
"You okay?" Judai asked as his partner turned away.
"Yeah," Dorumon said. "I actually feel pretty great."
"Let me look at that shoulder," Judai mumbled, kneeling.
~0~
"Sometimes you're lack of subtlety is frustrating."
"So?"
"Right now, I'm enjoying it."
"See? It can be fun!"
Rolling her eyes, Birdramon landed on top of the tower, perching on the edge. Shizuka jumped down, grinning, and raised her hand in greeting.
"Yo."
The Digimon that was standing on the opposite of them turned, clearly annoyed by their intrusion. "And you must be one of the DigiDestined."
"Yep. Shizuka's the name, and this here is my partner." With the creature's full attention on her, Shizuka put her fists on her hips. "Simply put, we're here to kill you."
"Really?" Cyclonemon said, sneering as he looked at Birdramon. "You expect this chick to beat me?"
"Chick?" Birdramon hopped down, fluttering her wings. "Typical muscle-head!"
Shizuka waved towards him. "Go on ahead."
Nodding, Birdramon took flight and let out a stream of fire. Cyclonemon raised his massive arm to shield himself and was soon surrounded by flames. When the bird stopped, Cyclonemon lowered his arm long enough to glare with his single eye, and then flung the arm towards Birdramon. Shizuka was both disgusted and impressed to see the appendage extend, stretching farther than what its presumed reach would be. Birdramon drifted to the side and watched as the arm retracted.
"That's interesting," Birdramon muttered.
Soon she was maneuvering through the air, dodging the arm. Frowning, she spread her wings out just as it began to pull back and flapped, raining small meteors down on Cyclonemon. He jumped back, the meteors crashing into the floor where he had been standing. He lashed out, grabbing Birdramon's leg. Grunting, he pulled her down and swung her into the ground. He threw her back into the air. She spun before righting herself, squawking.
She swooped down, spinning to the left to avoid being grabbed again, and rammed into Cyclonemon. She forced him down onto the ground, only to be punched in her lower jaw. She took off into the air before he could hit her again, smoke billowing out from her tail feathers. She flew around the perimeter of the tower, listening closely to the sound of coughing and footsteps. Wheeling around, she positioned her above the cloud of smoke and used her Meteor Wing attack once again.
When the smoke cleared, Cyclonemon was shielding himself, but wounds covered his body that showed where he had gotten hit. Glaring, he opened his mouth and shot out a beam. Shizuka could see the heat coming off it and yelled at her partner in time for Birdramon to dodge it. The bird could feel the warmth around the beam and moved farther away. She waited until he attempted the attack a second time to release a stream of flames that caught the dragon off guard.
Keeping the flame steady, she swooped down, stopping the fire once she was on top of Cyclonemon. Since he had no time to react, she was able to grab him and throw him into the air. She stuck him in the stomach, sending him even higher, and then flew around to be above him. She folded in her wings and let herself fall, building up speed until she hit him, her beak stabbing him through the back, and then slammed him into the ground. His data scattered, and she quickly absorbed it.
Once done, she de-Digivolved and flitted over to Shizuka.
"Remind me not to make you angry!" The girl joked.
Biyomon smirked.
~0~
Deep breaths came from the dog, who had lowered his front half to the ground. A few feet away, the bipedal dragon was glaring, holding a wound on his side. Mikami's gaze drifted from one to the other. The two were evenly matched, having exchanged attacks blow-for-blow this entire battle.
"Gotta admit," Dobermon huffed, "that you're…stronger than I…thought ya'd be."
"You…as well," Arresterdramon muttered. "A truly worthy…opponent."
"Thanks," the dog said, grinning. "Guess this is a lesson for me not to underestimate my enemies."
The dragon snorted, attempting to cover up his chuckle. "Perhaps that is a lesson I should follow as well."
Dobermon slowly pushed himself up. "Y'know…it's too bad you're on the other side. You'd make a great friend."
"I could say the same to you."
"Gotta ask…why ya fightin' for Ginryumon? For the Master?" Dobermon asked.
"They spared my life," Arresterdramon said. "Even if I wanted to, the people of the city would never allow me to help."
"Come'n, ya don't really think that, d'ya?"
"Prove me wrong."
"Never know till ya try."
He isn't trying to….he is, isn't he? I'll be damned, Mikami thought to herself.
Arresterdramon closed his eyes, contemplating the dog's words. The brunette had to admit that she impressed by her partner. Dobermon wasn't finished; he trotted closer to the dragon, who blinked open his eyes to watch. Pausing, the dog sat down for a moment and stared the dragon in the eyes.
"I'm making an offer," the dog stated. "All you gotta do is take it."
"And…if I were to do take your offer?"
"Then ya make it up to everyone. Thought that part was pretty obvious."
Arresterdramon let out a soft laugh before falling to his knees. "I think I would like that," he whispered, looking down at his wound. "Though, I am afraid I will not be of much help right now."
"Heh, that's just a scratch," Dobermon said.
Mikami lowered her Digivice, placing it into her pocket, and strode over to the two Digimon. Dobermon glanced at her, and Arresterdramon raised his head to meet her gaze. She placed a hand on his arm and then kneeled, gently pulling his hand down to see the injury. She looked at Dobermon, offering him a small smile that made his ears stand straight. The exhaustion finally catching up to him, the dog shrank until landing on his rear as Impmon. He stood back up, limping forward until he was directly in front of Arresterdramon.
"What d'ya say?" The imp asked, extending his hand. "Can we be friends?"
Hesitantly, the dragon reached out and carefully rested his hand on top of Impmon. "You are willing to trust me?"
Impmon glanced to his partner, who nodded encouragingly. "I am if you are."
Sighing, the dragon lowered his hand and placed it against the ground. With a loud groan, he pushed himself to his feet, stumbling. Impmon took a step back along with Mikami, both waiting to see what Arresterdramon would do. After swaying a bit, the dragon began to walk towards the steps.
"I will help you," he rumbled.
Impmon grinned and high-fived his partner.
"Sir Arresterdramon!"
The human and her partner's heads shot up, and they took shelter behind a piece of rubble, peeking around it. A small BlackAgumon had come running up the stairs and was gasping for breath.
"Speak," Arresterdramon growled.
"S-sir!" The reptile exclaimed, startled. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm here to report that Saberdramon, DexDorugamon, and Cyclonemon have been defeated and destroyed!"
"I see." The dragon turned slightly. "You may leave."
"Y-yes, sir, of course…" The BlackAgumon trailed off, eyes widening. "You're injured sir. Should I—"
"Leave," Arresterdramon snarled.
The reptile jumped and sped off, running down the steps. The footsteps faded, and Arresterdramon walked over to where Mikami and Impmon were standing.
"That just leaves Tadashi and Daiki," Mikami muttered. "I doubt Daiki is even where he's supposed to be. It's been awhile, so Tadashi probably made it to that tower…" She began pacing.
"Who is your friend battling?"
"Dinohumon." She looked up at him to see his gaze harden. "What?"
"We must go. Now."
"Why?" Impmon asked. "What's the matter? They can handle 'im."
There was no reply as Arresterdramon scooped up the duo, depositing both of them on either shoulder. Impmon nearly fell off when Arresterdramon jumped off the side of the tower, barely catching hold of a spike to steady himself. Mikami wrapped an arm around the dragon's neck carefully. The massive bipedal Digimon landed on the roof of a building and then took off, surprisingly quick when taking his wounds into consideration.
"Mind tellin' me why you're so worked up?" Impmon asked in a demanding tone.
"You must believe me when I say that your friends are in danger."
"Danger?" Impmon laughed. "Tadashi is practically a genius, when he wants to be. They'll be fine. Right, Mikami?" When she didn't respond, he leaned back to look at her. "Mikami?"
"Even if they aren't in trouble, we should still check on them," she said.
"They might be the strongest, but come on, they can beat him!" The imp frowned.
"I don't know, Impmon."
"Dinohumon may not be as powerful as I am, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. One cannot afford to underestimate him. You said yourself that you are the strongest of your friends. You barely surpass Dinohumon's strength."
"…Oh."
Traveling from rooftop to rooftop, it didn't take them but half an hour to reach the northern tower. When it came within sight, Arresterdramon bounded into the air and landed harshly, lurching to the side due to his injury. Garurumon, who was laying on the ground, slowly raised his head. The Digimon that was poised above the wolf with his sword pointed down stopped the weapon's descent to shift his gaze. The blue-haired teenager standing a few feet away let his mouth drop open in surprise. Impmon jumped down, landing beside Tadashi and causing the boy to jump, and soon Mikami joined her partner.
"You okay?" Mikami asked worriedly, looking up at their new ally.
"Fine," Arresterdramon hissed through clenched teeth.
"Wha—huh—" Tadashi attempted to form words, though his attempts were futile.
"Arresterdramon, what are you doing here?" Dinohumon asked, clearly suspicious. "Why are you with a human?"
"Stand down," the dragon growled.
"What? These intruders must be dealt with. We have our orders."
Moving to stand in front of the four friends, Arresterdramon glared down at the humanoid, who stared defiantly. Several moments passed when Dinohumon hefted up his giant sword and pointed it at the dragon. Sidestepping, Arresterdramon whipped his arm around and slammed Dinohumon into the ground, pinning him by the neck.
"It does not have to be this way."
"Why would you betray Ginryumon?"
"Because I have chosen to fight for the freedom of this world. I am done tormenting and suppressing innocent Digital."
"Turning your back on the Master will be the last thing you ever do."
The humanoid slammed his foot into Arresterdramon's wounded side, causing the dragon to let out a roar of pain and fall to the side. Grabbing his sword, Dinohumon prepared to stab the downed Digimon. Garurumon, finally having gotten to his feet, tackled the swordsman, knocking the massive sword away. When Dinohumon stood, Arresterdramon stabbed his tail forward, skewering the humanoid. He lifted up the Digimon and tossed him aside, barely offering a glance when the warrior disappeared.
"Why are you with Arresterdramon?!" Tadashi exclaimed, flinging his hands in the direction of the dragon. "Did you completely forget the fact that you were supposed to beat him?! Have you gone insane? What if he—"
"Bada Boom!" Impmon shouted, flicking a fireball at the teenager. Tadashi yelped and Garurumon attempted to help him put out his flaming pant leg. "Shut up for five dang seconds. Jeez! This guy's with us."
The teenager stuttered, clearly frustrated. "What?!"
"He's with us," Mikami repeated, covering her face with her hand. "Now let's go before Daiki and Renamon get themselves beat. Or worse…"
"Alright, but I want to hear how this," Tadashi grumbled, motioning once again to Arresterdramon, "happened."
"Yeah, well, you're not the only one who I'm gonna have to explain to."
Arresterdramon picked up Mikami and Impmon, while Tadashi climbed onto Garurumon's back. They took off, leaping off the tower.
"May I ask who he is battling?"
"He's heading into city hall to fight Ginryumon."
"He will never win with only his partner."
"Well, big guy, that's why we're goin' to help them," Impmon said.
"Think you'll have enough energy to Digivolve again?" Mikami asked.
"I dunno. That fight took a lot out of me, but the only way to see is to try, huh?"
"I don't want you pushing yourself."
"Arresterdramon and Garurumon can help them, y'know."
Propelling himself off of one of the building roofs, Arresterdramon dropped down and landed beside Garurumon just in front of city hall. Just as they went to take a step forward, the wall of a higher floor exploded outwards, stone raining down from above. A golden blur hit the ground, sliding to a halt several feet away. The dust cleared to show Kyubimon laying still. Impmon gasped and took off running to get to her, only for a massive shape to slam down in between him and Kyubimon. Arresterdramon grunted, instinctually taking a step back.
"How long have they been fighting?" Mikami jumped down.
The massive dragon standing in front of Impmon turned, briefly examining him. When Kyubimon groaned and tried to stand, he turned his attention back to her with a malicious grin. From the hole in the building, Daiki and Dracomon rejoined the battle. The silver-haired young man blanched upon seeing Arresterdramon.
"Great, now there's two?"
"It's alright, Daiki!" Mikami shouted. "Impmon, let's go!"
Ginryumon snorted and prepared to stomp on Kyubimon when Garurumon rammed into his leg, diverting its path enough for it to miss Kyubimon. The fox struggled to her feet and backed away alongside Garurumon. Dobermon joined the two, sliding in front of them.
"How amusing." He tilted his head to the side, eyes locking onto Arresterdramon. "I should have guessed that you would be the one."
"I am no longer afraid of you, Ginryumon. I have a real purpose now: To protect the innocent."
"Laughable. You spend most of your pathetic life working underneath me and suddenly think that you can just leave that all behind."
"I should have known that you would never understand."
While the two spoke, Daiki and Dracomon hurried over to where Mikami and Tadashi were standing. "Okay, what is going on? What have I missed?"
"Long story short, Impmon made friends with Arresterdramon and now he's on our side. Now stop asking questions and focus on the fight."
"Made friends with…" Daiki shook his head. "Whatever."
A snarl come from Dobermon as he bounded forward to attack. With the dog focusing on a frontal attack, Garurumon swung around the right, and Kyubimon headed to the left. Arresterdramon charged from the rear, pulling his arm back for a punch. There was a chuckle as Ginryumon smirked, his mouth barely tugging upwards. His left leg lashed out, striking Kyubimon. He followed by swinging his right forefoot into Garurumon. The two were sent sailing backwards, and the dragon rammed his head into Dobermon. When the trio landed, he whacked Arresterdramon in the side with his tail.
It happened so quickly that the humans weren't able to properly warn their partners.
"What the hell?!" The brunette exclaimed.
"He's just too fast!"
Daiki glared at the younger boy. "No shit. What made you think that?"
"No wonder we saw Kyubimon fly out of the building. Any ideas, Tadashi?"
"Sorry. Not this time."
Dobermon hopped to his feet and charged again, only to be knocked back down. Ginryumon stomped down, though Arresterdramon was quick enough to grab the dog and roll out of the way of the oncoming foot. Dobermon gave him a grateful look, receiving a nod. Garurumon let out a blast of blue fire that harmlessly hit the massive dragon's armor. Ginryumon turned, calmly walking towards the unmoving wolf. Kyubimon slid in front of him, using her Fox Tail Inferno attack in hopes of inflicting damage. However, Ginryumon shifted, and the flames missed their mark.
"Go for his legs," Arresterdramon whispered into Dobermon's ear.
"Got it."
The two rushed forward to attack, Arresterdramon breaking away to draw Ginryumon's attention. The armored dragon turned, clearly annoyed. Seeing his chance, Dobermon built up energy and let it exploded from his maw in the form of Schwartz Strahl. Ginryumon noticed from the corner of his eye and was preparing when a sudden flood of flames from above broke his concentration. The black beam of energy cut straight through the dragon's right back leg, earning a loud roar of pain.
"Where did that—"
"Yoo-hoo! Did someone call for a hero?"
Glancing up allowed them to see the shape of Birdramon swooping down over their heads. Yoko and Gatomon leaped off, the girl catching the cat in hers arms. Shizuka landed beside them just as Judai joined them. Yoko put Gatomon down, letting her dash over to where the other partners were gathered.
"You guys showed up at a good time," Daiki said, slapping Judai on the back. The blond winced and frowned.
"We saw a big dust cloud coming from this direction and figured it had to be one of you. Mostly Daiki."
"Hey."
"More insects?" Ginryumon hissed.
"Since you guys decided to join the party," Dobermon said, "let's have some fun, yeah? Focus on the legs. Attacks don't work on that armor."
"Shouldn't be too hard, right?" Birdramon grunted.
"He's fast," Garurumon warned.
"Good thing I am too," Gatomon replied.
Snorting, Ginryumon glared at the gathered Digimon. "No matter how many of you there are, you will still lose."
"Oh, is that right?" Shizuka shouted. "You really think that, don't you? We took out all your little buddies, and everyone else we've fought up until now."
"There hasn't been a single enemy we haven't beaten yet," Yoko added.
Judai held up his fist. "When we're fighting together, we always win!"
"A bit cheesy, guys," Mikami said with a smile.
Ginryumon sneered, disgusted by the display. Dropping down to all fours, Gatomon took off running towards him. His gaze swung around to look at her, and the others charged at that moment, circling around. Dorugamon was the first to reach him, making the dragon spin to attack him with his left forefoot. Gatomon took that moment to scratch his injured leg, throwing his attack off. Garurumon lunged forward to bite down on his opposite rear leg, causing the dragon to kick him off; he wasn't quick enough to avoid the freezing effects of the bite, however.
Just as Ginryumon kicked, Birdramon swooped down and slammed her feet into his side, making him tilt to the right. Knocked off balance, he was unable to avoid the azure fire dragon that Kyubimon released, which wound around his foreleg. Though it lacked its usual power, it was strong enough to burn the exposed areas of the leg. Finally regaining his balance, Ginryumon slammed his feet back down, grimacing in the process, and lunged at the golden fox.
Dobermon appeared in front of her and fired a fireball right in Ginryumon's face. This made him recoil, giving Arresterdramon an opening to slice his tail through the damaged leg, effectively cutting it off. After stumbling for a moment, Ginryumon caught himself and lashed out with his own tail. Arresterdramon jumped back, avoiding it. Gatomon launched herself upwards and successfully landed on the appendage. The armored dragon whipped his head around to look at her, but she leaped away.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Dobermon called. "Getting frustrated?"
"Silence, you—"
"Aww, poor little dragon is all angry."
The Digimon jumped back, confusing Ginryumon, and a moment later meteors rained down on the dragon. When they stopped, Birdramon dropped down onto his back. He bucked her off. The movement left him open for Arresterdramon to slug him in the throat. Coughing, Ginryumon swiped at Arresterdramon, but the bipedal dragon ducked sideways to avoid it.
"They sure are enjoying this," Judai mumbled.
Daiki snorted. "I don't blame them."
"Let's finish this," Kyubimon growled.
"Let's," Dobermon agreed. "Let him have it, guys!"
"Howling Blaster!"
"Dragon Wheel!"
"Fire Storm!"
Once the fiery attacks engulfed Ginryumon, Dorugamon shouted, "Power Metal!" The iron sphere hit the dragon in the chest, knocking him back and finally breaking a large portion of armor.
Gatomon followed the attack up using Lightning Claw, slicing the dragon's now exposed chest. Arresterdramon spun around, his tail stabbing into the clawed area.
"Schwartz Strahl!" Dobermon howled.
The black beam entered through Ginryumon's chest and exited out of his back. A few seconds later, the dragon exploded into a mass of data.
"About time!" Daiki exclaimed, throwing up both hands.
The Digimon all let themselves revert, each flinging themselves onto the ground in exhaustion. Arresterdramon crashed onto his rear with a tired groan.
"So…what now?" Dracomon asked, staring at the group of Digimon that were sprawled around on the ground.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think they need about a month of rest," Mikami said with a laugh.
Shizuka placed her hand against her forehead and dramatically cried, "You kidding me? I need a month's worth of rest!"
Tadashi paused. "Wait…what about the Dark Crystal that was here?"
"Oh, no," Yoko groaned.
This prompted a grin from Daiki. "Ah, heck, we took care of that."
"Good," Judai mumbled. "I'm gonna go over there and lay down with Dorumon."
Running his fingers through his hair, Daiki tilted his head sideways and glanced down at Mikami. The brunette flicked her gaze at him.
"I wasn't really mad at you."
"That punch to my gut said otherwise."
"I got over that." She smiled and gently pushed him. "I was just mad at myself for punching you when I knew you were trying to help…Sorry."
Reaching over, Daiki wound his arm around her shoulders. "Can we kiss and make—oomph!" The sound came when Mikami nailed him in the side, causing him to bend over.
"No," she told him with a grin.