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Chapter 20

We Happy Few

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"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Coyomon shouted out as Shibumi was finishing his explanation. "So, you're telling us this thing has evolved from a simple piece of software that you wrote to delete programs that exceed their original parameters?"

"Well, yes-- but it's a bit more complex than--"

"And you also helped to write the code that lets us all digivolve?" Coyomon steamrollered on.

"Um-- yes, but I don't--"

"So let me get this absolutely clear," Coyomon had a definite growl in his voice now, "You designed two bits of software-- one that would let us digivolve and one that would try to kill us for digivolving? Are you frikkin' stupid or what?"

"Ah-- I-- " Shibumi was looking a bit pale. In fact, he was looking a bit transparent. The digignomes were swirling around him in an agitated manner. The whole group of tamers and digimon had become nervous and uncomfortable about the confrontation.

"And this D-reaper thing is going to keep coming back unless we eliminate each and every tiny piece of it that is spread out all over the Digital Dimension?" Coyomon continued, "Is that right? Just let me know if there's anything you've left out, because I'm trying to get a handle on how well and truly screwed we are!"

"Please, Coyomon, calm down," Renamon said as she caught hold of her mate's shoulders from behind and pulled him back against her chest, "Losing your temper won't help the situation."

Coyomon went stiff in Renamon's grasp and then let out one shaky breath and closed his eyes. "Alright-- you're right. But it's just so unbelievably dimwitted--"

"YOU VILE HUMAN FILTH!" Yasuramon roared out with the force of an open blast furnace, "YOU DARE TO TOY WITH OUR LIVES LIKE THIS?"

The group gasped and turned to see the Sovereign's face twisted with fury and hatred. Kayamon looked back and forth between the Sovereign and Shibumi and then asked the enraged Yasuramon in a perfectly sweet and reasonable voice, "Do you want me to kill him for you?"

"Please, everyone!" Takato cried out, "I'm sure Mr. Mizuno didn't mean for things to turn out this way! We have to work together if we are going to have any hope of defeating the D-reaper!"

The Sovereign turned her furious gaze on the boy and he cringed but stood his ground. Guilmon stood at his shoulder, frowning up at the huge fox. "That's right. Don't be mad. We'll help you fight it."

While Yasuramon stared at the pair in amazement, Coyomon turned back to Shibumi. "Can we do it? With all of us fighting together, can we defeat this Chaos?"

Shibumi shook his head sadly. "I don't think so. There just aren't enough of you to hunt down and destroy every last bit of it and it seems to have learned-- oh-- I--" Suddenly a lot more of the landscape was showing through him. "Not yet! I haven't--" He faded away into nothingness and the digignomes scattered.

"Oh no!" Takato said.

"Feh!" Coyomon snorted. "Good riddance! The guy doesn't know better than to write destructive, self-evolving software-- what good would he be to us?"

"Hey," Terriermon called to Coyomon, "As a destructive, self-evolving piece of software, I resent that!" Coyomon made a rude hand gesture in his direction and Terriermon laughed.

"But--" Takato began but was interrupted by a huge rumbling sound that shook the ground. From the ragged edge of the Digital World there was an eruption of red particles that coalesced into a column of gleaming ooze. The group moved quickly away from the vicinity of the edge and watched in despair as the D-reaper renewed its destructive efforts.

"Damnit!" cursed Coyomon, "That old transparent guy was right-- how can we fight something that can regenerate that fast? It would take an army of Megas!"

"Then," rumbled Azulongmon, "that is what we will use-- if Calumon is willing."

"Huh?" Calumon said from where he rested in Rika's arms, "Me? What can I do?"

"You carry the Shining Digivolution. We need you to release the true light within you."

"Well-- okay, if you think I can help." Calumon said doubtfully.

"It is your duty as the catalyst. But you are more than that-- you are also a digimon. As Calumon you have earned the right to choose your destiny."

Calumon looked fearfully up at Yasuramon. "She made me help her. She hurt me. She hurt me a lot."

Azulongmon shot an angry glance at his fellow Sovereign before he answered the tiny digimon. "We will not force you now and I will not allow Yasuramon to harm you again, no matter which path you choose. But without your aid I fear the Digital World is doomed. Will you help us?"

"Will it hurt?"

"No, little one, it will feel wonderful. All you have to do is find the light within you and release it."

"Okay," Calumon said slowly, "Of course, I'll help you. I couldn't let my friends down." He smiled up at Rika briefly before closed his eyes. The circling digignomes spiraled in around him as he concentrated.

Coyomon glanced at Yasuramon and didn't like what he saw. She was far too quiet and had lowered her body in a half crouch. The energy that flowed from her metallic fur swirled in ragged, disturbed spirals. Everyone else had their eyes locked on the straining Calumon who was now floating upward out of Rika's arms, followed by the circling digignomes. Coyomon took advantage of their distraction to slip over to Yasuramon. He placed a hand on her forepaw and she flinched as if she had been stabbed.

"Easy!" Coyomon whispered to her, "What's gotten you so upset?"

To his surprise, her answer formed as a powerful voice in his mind. She didn't speak aloud. Your friends can merge with their tamers to become Megas at will-- more powerful than I would have ever imagined-- and they have good reason to hate me. Now an unknown number of new Megas will be created by this little digimon-- this little digimon who I tortured and enslaved just as Zhuqiaomon did to me. Do you think I will survive this day, whatever else may occur?

Coyomon blinked. "Ah--" he said, unhelpfully.

I will not go easily, I promise you. I will fight the Chaos with all my strength but I will do the same when your friends turn on me.

"Oh, you stupid bitch," Coyomon murmured fondly under his breath, "You still can't believe that everyone isn't as vicious and ruthless as you used to be! They're not going to turn on you. And if they did, they'd have to get through me first! Oh, they're never going to love you, that's for sure, but it just isn't in their nature to seek vengeance. They're good-hearted souls, every one of them." He cocked his head consideringly for a second. "Except for maybe Impmon but I don't think he's much of a threat anymore."

You're serious?

"Oh yeah, I took every ounce of that special energy out of him when I--"

No, not that. What you said before-- about-- about-- protecting me. Would you really do that?

Coyomon frowned as he thought back over what he'd said. "Oh, that." He considered silently for another moment. "Yeah-- yeah I would. Even in spite of those 'dog tags' you hung around my neck! 'Small reward', my furry ass!" He chuckled and shook his head at the memory of Beelzemon reading off the runes on his armor. "Maybe even because of that. I do appreciate a good joke, even at my own expense. But it will never come to that-- you'll see."

At that moment, Calumon gave out a little "Oh!" of surprise, as a small child might at unexpectedly finding a coin on a sidewalk. The digignomes packed tightly around him and he began to radiate a brilliant white light that soon became too bright to look at directly.

There was a sudden nova of energy that caused all the watchers to flinch away, except for Coyomon who squinted through his fingers, trying to see exactly what was happening. To his surprise, the energy streaming from Calumon's head tore the surrounding digignomes to shreds and carried their fragments away as it condensed into beams that shot away into the distance.

"Um--," Coyomon said, "The digignomes--"

"They sacrificed themselves to carry the Shining Digivolution to the outermost regions of the Digital Dimension." Azulongmon said. "They carried the call to arms to all who would listen."

"How long will it take them to get here?" Kazu asked nervously eying the roiling D-reaper.

"Here come the first ones now." The group looked up to see Mega digimon approaching from every direction. Kazu began reading stats from his digivice and the others joined in but couldn't even call out the names as fast as the Megas were ariving.

Azulongmon turned to the tamers and spoke to them earnestly, "This is not your fight. Thanks to you we now have the forces we need to fight the Chaos. You should return to your own world."

"We are not cowards," came a rough and vaguely familiar voice from the rear of the group. Several of the group started with surprise and all turned to see a very disturbing sight.

"We will fight along side of you." Jeri said, holding out her little dog hand puppet in front of her and making its mouth move in time with her words. She had torn the cloth around its neck into triangular bits and pulled them outwards to frame its head very like a lion's mane. Her face was stern and frowning and her voice was a very creditable imitation of Leomon's. "It is the honorable thing to do."

Takato stared at her incredulously. "Jeri--" he began uncertainly but she ignored him and pushed to the front of the group to stand, staring impassively out at the distant D-reaper. Takato looked up at Azulongman in desperation. "She can't stay here! She's upset-- she's--"

The dragon Sovereign looked down at the tiny girl and studied her for a moment. "Would you do me the honor of riding on my back as we go into battle?" He asked her.

"The honor would be mine," Jeri said in Leomon's voice as she made the puppet's head incline politely.

"You can't do that! She's just a little girl!" Takato shouted at Azulongmon.

"Each must make their own choice," the Sovereign told him. "She has made hers-- and she is certainly more than just a little girl."

Takato opened and closed his mouth a couple of times and then looked over at Guilmon. The little red dragon smiled up at his tamer. "We can protect her, Takato!"

There wasn't much time to decide as the Megas gathered for battle but it was finally settled that Kazu and Kenta would go with Suzie, Lopmon, Impmon, and Guardromon to the South Gate. All they rest would stay and fight with the digimon.

"Where is Kenta, anyway?" asked Kazu looking around. His friend was found to be helping a tiny pink Mega out of the crater it had buried itself in in its eagerness to get to the battlefield. "C'mon, dude! We're getting out of here!"

Rika and Renamon biomerged first, followed by Takato and Guilmon.

"Alright, Henry!" Terriermon sang out, "let's do it!" Within seconds the towering Mega Gargomon joined the battle line. Everyone squared off facing the fast approaching tide of destruction.

"Oh great!" Coyomon sighed from behind the line of Megas, "What am I going to do? Hit the damed thing with a stick?" He twirled his bo staff for emphasis.

Yasuramon turned to him. I can give you the strength you need to join us. She told him silently, baring her immense, gleaming fangs in a frightening smile. No 'dog tags', I promise you.

Coyomon grinned back at her. "Thanks, beautiful! You'd better make it quick," he nodded in the direction of the D-reaper. "That thing will be here in no time."

Yasuramon's smile widened a bit. Yes-- a quickie for my Captain.

"Um--" Coyomon began but Yasuramon's huge tail had already swept around him and she had lowered her head until her nose was level with his chest. The golden energy of her aura swept over him as her tail pulled him tight against her muzzle and he gasped at the sensation that swept through him.

"Wait!"

No.

"You can't do this!'

I can.

Coyomon braced his hands against Yasuramon's huge muzzle but couldn't resist her strength. Uncontrollable tremors rippled through him as she pushed energy into his body. Her tongue slipped out between her fangs and circled his body, crackling and sparking against his fur.

"Stop--" Coyomon moaned, "I don't-- ahh-- Renamon is--"

At the mention of his mate's name, Yasuramon flooded Coyomon with shrewdly directed energy and his words disappeared in an incoherent moan of pleasure. He convulsed and dug his claws into her muzzle, instinctively channeling energy back into her in an effort to regain some small measure of control over the situation. Yasuramon responded by doubling the amount of energy she was pushing into him and he tried even harder to shed it until the pair of them went incandescent with circulating data and raw power.

When she could no longer keep the digivolution vortex from forming around him, Yasuramon released Coyomon and sat back to watch him change. She found that Sakuyamon was hovering above her, staring down, her expression unreadable.

"You joined with your tamer," Yasuramon said, sneering, "and you gave no thought for him."

Sakuyamon said nothing.

"He never comes first with you-- maybe not even second. Who was that little purple digimon you were tending to?"

Sakuyamon said nothing but her perfect lips tightened and turned downward slightly.

"You don't deserve him." Yasuramon spat.

"I have lost my love of killing," Sakuyamon said and slowly swung her staff around to point at the sneering fox Sovereign, "but I think I would enjoy destroying you."

"He would never forgive me if I harmed you-- either of you-- or we would see which of us--"

"HOLY FREAKIN' TESLA!" Yeii Coyomon's joyful shout cut through the tension between the two glaring Megas. "Get out of the way, I'm gonna kick some red, blobby ass!"