Impmon stared at the large dog, waiting for it to make the first move. "Well, pooch? I'm waiting' here. You gonna attack, or should I just go find a fire hydrant for ya?"
Dobermon glared back. "If you want Calumon that badly, then you will have to go through me, pup." He glanced at Alice. 'Get Calumon and Unown out of here. I will deal with this one."
"Hey, no one gave ya permission to leave, blondie!" Impmon snarled, hurling a fireball at Alice. Unown shot up and blocked the attack. "Why leave, when you can see me grab your pet's data?"
Dobermon growled, a low, menacing sound that made Impmon step back. "No one threatens Alice. DARKNESS-" There was a sudden rush of wind, and the area around the two digimon was wrapped in darkness.
"AND LIGHT!" Out of the darkness, there was a white flash, as Impmon was sent flying out of the darkness. Dobermon charged out of the field a second later, white flame trailing from his mouth and claws. He advanced on Impmon, muscles tensing for the next attack.
"So, you like playing with the lights out, huh?" Impmon muttered, staggering to get up. "Night...OF FIRE!" He summoned several black spheres, which shot away from him and circled Dobermon, then exploded in a cloud of fire.
"Aegis!" Alice yelled, slashing a card through her digivice. There was a slivery glow, and Dobermon stepped out of the conflagration, only mildly singed (B0-265; It's really a card, I'm not making it up! -ed)
"If you're so eager to stay, bring it on!" Impmon yelled, running towards Dobermon, fists clenched, a wild war-cry on his lips.
Digicross Tamers episode 17
'Don't die, Calumon! Unown's fateful merger!'
Kyuubimon, carrying Rika and Hitomi, ran as fast as she could towards the park. Rika resisted the urge to look back; she knew (though she'd never admit it) that she had to go after Makuramon; Kyuubimon was much faster than any of the other digimon. She just hated to run from a fight. Kyuubimon shouted a warning; Rika felt Hitomi tighten her grip a bit. "Relax," she said to Hitomi, "we won't fall off."
"Sorry." Hitomi replied.
"Don't mind her." Eevee said, as he came by, riding Noctowl. "She's like this all the time. Doesn't help that Arcanine's such a show off in the speed department."
"Hey, about Akira...what's she like?" Rika asked, curiosity spurred by Eevee's comment.
"I haven't seen her in a few years; her parents are really skilled pokemon trainers and battlers, so they travel a lot. But Akira wasn't really into battling, she just liked to dance. I guess she just stuck with it."
"Did she always have Renamon for a partner?"
Hitomi nodded. "Yes, just like her mom; but Akira and her Renamon feel the same about fighting; I don't think I've even heard of Akira's Renamon digivolving. Eevee, can you and Noctowl go on ahead? Try to warn Calumon and Unown. We'll be there soon."
"See ya there, 'Tails!" Eevee called, as Noctowl flew up and over the trees.
"I'll take that as a challenge, plushie." Kyuubimon growled in reply, increasing her pace.
==
Both Impmon and Dobermon had discarded their attacks and had switched to simple tackling, biting, and punching. Impmon was surprisingly strong, Dobermon realized. Loading all that data had increased his power, to a degree.
"Don't go checking out on me yet, Benji." Impmon gasped. "When I'm...through with you, the little creampuff is gonna be dessert." He glared at Alice, still standing in front of Calumon and Unown, card in hand, ready to power up Dobermon if needed.
A long staff landed between the two combatants, driving itself into the asphalt a few inches. Everyone there looked up, wondering who had thrown it.
"A digimon serving a human." Makuramon spat, staring at Dobermon. "How pathetic. And your human is clinging to the Catalyst as if it were some toy. Give him here, girl!"
"Noooo!" Calumon whined. "Don't let him get me!" He turned and ran, Unown following him. Alice turned to go after the two, but she was knocked over by Makuramon, as he retrieved his staff and gave chase.
"Come back here, you little freak!" Impmon yelled. "No one's loading your data but me!"
"Pathetic!" Makuramon yelled. "Primal Orb!" A small steel sphere flew at Impmon, who was caught by it and sent flying. The small orb returned, along with Dobermon, growling a challenge. Getting annoyed, Makuramon swung his staff, which Dobermon ducked under, then dashed ahead, going for Makuramon's throat. The jaws clamped down, only Makuramon's hands holding Dobermon's mouth open, keeping the teeth from sinking in. The staff clattered noisily to the ground. "Get off me you beast! I will not be humiliated by some worthless lapdog to a human!" With an effort, he got his legs under Dobermon, and started kicking. This caused the dog to loosen its death-grip, giving the Deva a chance to use another Primal Orb to push Dobermon away. Makuramon grabbed his staff, and brought one of the metal-tipped ends down on Dobermon's back, knocking the digimon out.
"Dobermon!" Alice called, running over. Makuramon readied his staff, intent on finishing the human off, when he heard Impmon attacking Unown and Calumon. "There is no peace in this wretched world! Do not touch the catalyst, you depraved rodent!" He shouted, running after Impmon.
"That's MISTER Rodent to you! Bada Boom!"
Angrily, Makuramon batted the fireball away with his staff. "That will DO, worm! Kneel before the power of the Devas!" In his left hand, he hefted a small green sphere. "Treasure Ball!" He hurled it, and Impmon was trapped inside an emerald crystal, unable to move. "Stay back, churl, or you shall share his fate!" he snarled at Dobermon. Dobermon growled, not backing away. "At least you have some pride, even if you do serve a human. Treasure-"
"Foxtail Inferno!"
"Zap Cannon!"
The two attacks struck Makuramon, both incinerating and electrocuting him. "Who dares?" Makuramon shouted, recovering.
"We do." Jolteon growled. "We still have unfinished business."
==New Bark Town
Kari rocked her baby, Emiko, to sleep. "Time for your nap. Just rest now." she whispered. Emiko kicked a few times, then nodded off. Gently, Kari placed Emiko in the crib. "It won't be long before you're too big for that crib." she said, looking at her daughter. Beside her, a small pink blob slept beside her. Motimon had appeared as Emiko's partner just after she had been brought back from the Dark Ocean after the digimon there had tried to capture her.
She heard voices outside. She glanced out the window in Emiko's room, and saw several digimon there, along with their trainers. Tai and Sora were visiting again, and their children, Sakura and Yamato. Sakura and her partner, Koromon, was practicing against Kotemon, and Tai's Agumon. Yamato was off to the side, watching the fight with his partner, Palmon. She went to the lab, wondering where Kyoko was.
Kyoko wasn't there, but Izzy, Tai, and Sora were, still working on trying to establish a stable portal to the digital world where Hitomi was trapped. "Izzy? We do have company." She was about to go on, but stopped when she saw Izzy's expression. He tried to say something, but couldn't.
Tai nodded to Izzy, and walked over. "Kari, there's been a problem." He took a deep breath, then went on. "Izzy's been checking the digital world that's linked to the world that Hitomi is trapped on. The digital world there is really messed up, worse even than the one that Ryoko's on...Unless things change, the Digital World there will collapse and Hitomi will be trapped on the other earth forever."
"Do...do Kyle and June know yet?"
Sora shook her head. "No. So far, it's just us. I think we should wait until we're sure. Ken and Seth are in the Human World, doing some consulting there."
Two others did hear that. Houndour stepped back from the doorway, frowning. "So, that's what's going on." Grimly, she went outside.
On the other side of the hallway, out of sight of everyone, Kyoko shook her head. "No..." she whispered.
==Tamers world
Jolteon howled, firing bolts of lightning at Makuramon, while Kyuubimon launched wave after wave of fireballs. Dobermon moved in, and the three champion digimon kept attacking the Deva in what looked like a never-ending wave of energy blasts.
Still trapped in his emerald cage, Impmon fumed, struggling to get out. He could see those other humans leading Calumon and Unown away. That blonde girl. The weird redhead. And Rika...
Rika Nonaka...
The one who said he was harmless....Him, Impmon, HARMLESS!
"No....No, I won't...ACCEPT IT!" Impmon shouted, and kept on screaming, willing the prison he was in to let him out. The emerald walls began to crack.
==
Miles away, Isao Akiyama, a.k.a. Yamaki, was sitting in a private government 'rest facility'. Suddenly, he looked up, sudden feeling of dread filling him.
==
The combat stopped as soon as Impmon started shouting. Of the fighters, Makuramon was the most surprised by Impmon's surge of power. "No...no one can break my Treasure Ball attack..."
"I have had ENOUGH!" Impmon roared. With a final surge, the cage holding him shattered, sending green shards of crystal everywhere; Rika, Hitomi, and Alice took cover, while the digimon all dodged to the best of their ability.
Impmon took a slow, thunderous step towards Makuramon. "No one...and I mean NO ONE calls me weak. EVER!" As he walked, a black aura formed around Impmon. It was hazy and hard to make out, but it suggested something tall, humanoid, and winged. "DIE!" he shouted at Makuramon, launching a wave of fire. The humans wrinkled their noses as the stench of brimstone hit them. The fire blast hit Makuramon; though not lethal, the Deva was badly injured, and quickly ran for cover, terrified by the power Impmon had shown.
Impmon stood there for a few seconds, fearsome aura still surrounding him. He fixed Renamon and Rika with a gaze, whispering "You're next." then passed out.
"What was that?" Alice gasped.
"It looked like he was about to digivolve." Hitomi replied. "But he didn't have enough power to do it." Rika said nothing, shaken by Impmon's display.
"He was all scary." Calumon said, walking over to Rika. "I don't think he's as harmless as you and Renamon said he was."
Kyuubimon glanced at Impmon's still form. "We'll have to be careful around him. Even without Yamaki, he was strong enough to injure a Deva."
"Okay, what IS a Deva?" Jolteon asked. "That's all that Planet of the Apes reject could talk about."
"I think we should ask Gabumon." Kyuubimon answered. "He seems to know what all this might be about." She glanced at Calumon and Unown, watching Impmon. "And what Calumon's role in this is."
"The Catalyst is our final answer!" Makuramon cried, appearing out of nowhere. Jolteon, Kyuubimon, and Dobermon tried to grab him, but he was too swift. Driven by desperation, Makuramon pole-vaulted over the three digimon, and made a run at the humans. "Primal Orb!" At that range, there was no time for any of the girls to dodge.
Calumon jumped, and instantly threw up a protective field to block the attack. "No!" Makuramon shrieked as his attack struck the wall. Calumon screamed in pain, the symbol on his forehead flaring with red light. Unown shrieked, and let off a massive blast of energy. It did little damage to Makuramon, but it did create a distraction allowing Kyuubimon, Jolteon, and Dobermon to attack Makuramon. Rika picked up Calumon, barely unconscious.
"P...Pathetic..." Makuramon wheezed, dodging a strike from Jolteon. "No one...can defeat the Devas. Even now, Vikaralamon is destroying your pathetic friends and their traitorous digimon...you cannot win..."
"You're wrong..." Calumon whispered. "You're...wrong..." He struggled to get up.
"Don't move." Rika whispered.
"No...I can....CRYSTAL MATRIX ACTIVATE!" The red triangle on Calumon's head flared to life, blinding everyone with a bright red light.
"A...Alice..." Dobermon gasped.
Still half blinded, Alice used another card, hoping it would power up Dobermon somehow.
"Dobermon, Matrix digivolve to...BLACK WERE GARURUMON!"
"Evolution..." Makuramon gasped. "But....No, they can't use the power of the Catalyst!"
The black-furred digimon responded by punching Makuramon in the face, sending the Deva flying. Before he could recover, Black Were Garurumon jumped into the air, left leg glowing silver. "Crescent Moon Kick!" He made a kicking motion, and a silvery arc of energy shot out, striking Makuramon and destroying him. The victorious digimon landed, glowed, and changed into a small dog that staggered over to Alice.
"Labramon?" Hitomi wondered. "But...Calumon!" She heard Rika calling Henry on her cellphone but paid no attention. Jolteon and Kyuubimon switched back to their rookie forms, and ran over to check on Calumon.
"Why?" Alice asked Calumon, now lying very still in Rika's arms.
"'Cause you're all my friends, and I wanted to help, silly. But I'm really tired now, I think I need a nap." Unown hovered by Calumon, making squeaking noises. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere, really." More noises from Unown. "But if you do that..." Calumon nodded, smiling. "If you're sure. Thank you Unown. I love you..." Calumon's body went limp. Rika gasped, but then looked up as she saw Unown hover over Calumon, its own body going blurry.
"They're merging." Renamon whispered, stunned. After a few seconds, Unown's body vanished, and Calumon sat up. "Calumon?"
"Yes? Why's everyone looking so...huh? Oh, okay, I'll tell her. Hitomi, Unown says he's sorry he can't help you go home right now, but this was the only way to save my life. Huh? Oh, right. And he says that he's glad you're alright, and that we won't be like this forever. He thinks. You're not sure? But once he's out, he'll be glad to help you get home, as long as he can stay here and play with me. Well, gee, that sounds fair. Doesn't it?"
"Umm...why am I missing half the conversation?" Eevee asked.
Hitomi indicated the small symbol on Calumon's forehead. The central triangle had faded a bit, and a small picture of Unown was superimposed on it. "Unown's inside Calumon now." she explained.
"I thought voices in your head was a bad thing..." Eevee said. The ground started to shake. "Now what?"
The pathway a few yards from them exploded, and a giant red-and-silver lizard surged out of the ground, a boy hanging onto its head. "Alright, where is he?" Wargrowlmon roared.
"Subtle, goggle-head. Real subtle." Rika moaned.
==
An hour later, everyone had calmed down, Janyu had arrived, along with Dolphin, and explanations were exchanged; the tamers realized that both digivolutions had happened when Calumon had used his power. It was there that Renamon turned to Gabumon and, rather harshly, demanded an explanation.
"Very well." Gabumon said. "I had hoped this day would not come-"
"It has." Renamon cut him off. "Why have the Devas come here?"
"Perhaps if we knew who these Devas were?" Janyu suggested.
"Very well. First you must know about how the Digital World is constructed." Gabumon traced a series of circles in the ground. "There are several layers to the digital world; the outermost one is where digimon go to try to come to the Real World. The deeper you go in, the more powerful digimon there are.
At the center of the Digital World is the Core, which is guarded by the Digimon Sovereign; four ancient digimon of incredible power: Azulongmon, Baihumon, Zhuquiamon, and Ebonwumon. Immediately beneath them are 12 Ultimate level digimon, called the Devas by those digimon that know of them. They don't interact with the other layers of the Digital World too much, so I do not know their primary mission."
"So, why are they here, and why do they keep calling Calumon the Catalyst?" Hitomi asked.
"As I told Takato and the others, Calumon is the very essence of digivolution, given physical form; once he was created, no digimon could digivolve."
"But we digivolve all the time." Terriermon interrupted.
"Most digimon do not have humans as partners." Gabumon answered. "In fact, many digimon in the levels towards the Core don't like humans, and see them as a necessary evil only. Many of the Devas feel that way too."
"Ironic." Janyu muttered. "When we created the initial AI program that formed the basis of your digital world, we incorporated elements from human myths and legends. Didn't Curly think of using the Deva legends?"
Dolphin nodded. "Yeah. I'll never program a computer again."
"If we can continue?" Renamon asked. Rika glanced at Renamon, wondering why her partner was so edgy all of a sudden.
"Yes." Gabumon coughed. "About a year ago, your time, there was trouble in the Core-ward layers of the digital world. For no reason, digimon went crazy and started attacking and destroying everything in sight. The Sovereign sent most of the Devas in, but...well, you saw what happened today. Makuramon must have been sent ahead to try and open the way for the rest of the Devas to come through and attack this world."
Jeri looked up. "Vikaralamon said just that! But why would a digimon want to destroy the Digital World?" She glanced at Hitomi, who shrugged helplessly. "And why did he want to destroy this world? He said something about how since humans created the digital world, they would have to be destroyed to."
"I don't know. But the Sovereigns hoped to slow the chaos down by taking away everyone's power to digivolve, so they created Calumon. Then he came here and the Devas followed him."
"Are all the Devas evil now?" Renamon asked quietly.
"There are a few uncorrupted Devas left, and some digimon are fighting them, but it does not look good."
"So there's at most ten more Devas still to come here?" Henry asked, voice grim. Gabumon nodded. "Are they all that powerful?"
"Vikaralamon was, physically the strongest, and Makuramon the most cunning, but all of the Devas are very powerful. Antylamon and Majiramon-"
"What about Antylamon?" Renamon demanded.
"The two of them nearly destroyed me." Gabumon answered slowly.
"I see." Renamon said coldly, standing up. Without another word, she left. Silently, Rika got up and went after her partner.
"Umm..." Takato hazarded. "So, how'd you escape, Gabumon?"
"Ryo and Cyberdramon."
"Ryo and...You don't mean Ryo Akiyama, do you?" Henry asked incredulously.
"He's alive..." Takato gasped. "In the digital world."
==Hypnos headquarters
Once Vikaralamon and Makuramon were dealt with, the remaining staff was able to start rebuilding the Hypnos mainframe; they predicted that the Scanning Dome would be online in just under a week.
All that was driven from Reilly's mind as she sat in her chair, listening to Gabumon repeat his tale. "Y-You're sure it was him?" She indicated a picture on her desk.
"Yes." Gabumon replied. "That's him exactly."
"I see. Could you all excuse me? I have to make a phone call." The tamers nodded, and left the office. Hands shaking, Reilly dialed a number. "Hello? Yes, this is Chief Reilly. Room 1231, please?" There were a few clicks, then a familiar voice answered.
"Reilly." Yamaki's voice was flat, as if he'd never left. Reilly started to speak, nearly lost her composure, then got it back. "I trust there's a good reason for this call?"
"Ryo's alive."
==Next Episode
While taking a weekend trip Rika and Hitomi talk about the Pokemon world, and Renamon and Eevee talk about Antylamon. While they're gone, Henry is forced to fight against Sinduramon, unable to get help from the other Tamers. Next time, on Digicross Tamers, episode 18:
'Colonel Sinduramon, Original Recipe.'
(It's the best I could do for a title! Honest!)
Also, coming up (when I get around to it):
When Kyoko Kamiya runs away from home, she is accidentally transported to (wait for it) another digital world! It is up to Kate Evanick, daughter of Kyle (No, the OTHER Kyle) and Casey Evanick, and Yamato Takenouchi to save her. Their only source of help is Scott Evans, a player in the online Digital World computer game that the digidestined find themselves in. It's the first Digicross Special!
'Resist Parasimon!'
And, as if that weren't enough...
When Etemonkey (From V-Tamer) comes back to life, he manages to evolve himself to King Etemon, and goes after Taichi Yagami and his partner, Zeromaru! It's crossover madness as we meet Taichi from V-Tamer, and see Takuya Kanbara, Takato Matsuki, and Takeru Motomiya take on one of the nuttiest digimon ever! It's the second Tamers Special...
"Digicross: Forever Goggle-head!"
-Special guest appearance by Kouta and Dorumon from Digimon Chronicle.
Dobermon glared back. "If you want Calumon that badly, then you will have to go through me, pup." He glanced at Alice. 'Get Calumon and Unown out of here. I will deal with this one."
"Hey, no one gave ya permission to leave, blondie!" Impmon snarled, hurling a fireball at Alice. Unown shot up and blocked the attack. "Why leave, when you can see me grab your pet's data?"
Dobermon growled, a low, menacing sound that made Impmon step back. "No one threatens Alice. DARKNESS-" There was a sudden rush of wind, and the area around the two digimon was wrapped in darkness.
"AND LIGHT!" Out of the darkness, there was a white flash, as Impmon was sent flying out of the darkness. Dobermon charged out of the field a second later, white flame trailing from his mouth and claws. He advanced on Impmon, muscles tensing for the next attack.
"So, you like playing with the lights out, huh?" Impmon muttered, staggering to get up. "Night...OF FIRE!" He summoned several black spheres, which shot away from him and circled Dobermon, then exploded in a cloud of fire.
"Aegis!" Alice yelled, slashing a card through her digivice. There was a slivery glow, and Dobermon stepped out of the conflagration, only mildly singed (B0-265; It's really a card, I'm not making it up! -ed)
"If you're so eager to stay, bring it on!" Impmon yelled, running towards Dobermon, fists clenched, a wild war-cry on his lips.
Digicross Tamers episode 17
'Don't die, Calumon! Unown's fateful merger!'
Kyuubimon, carrying Rika and Hitomi, ran as fast as she could towards the park. Rika resisted the urge to look back; she knew (though she'd never admit it) that she had to go after Makuramon; Kyuubimon was much faster than any of the other digimon. She just hated to run from a fight. Kyuubimon shouted a warning; Rika felt Hitomi tighten her grip a bit. "Relax," she said to Hitomi, "we won't fall off."
"Sorry." Hitomi replied.
"Don't mind her." Eevee said, as he came by, riding Noctowl. "She's like this all the time. Doesn't help that Arcanine's such a show off in the speed department."
"Hey, about Akira...what's she like?" Rika asked, curiosity spurred by Eevee's comment.
"I haven't seen her in a few years; her parents are really skilled pokemon trainers and battlers, so they travel a lot. But Akira wasn't really into battling, she just liked to dance. I guess she just stuck with it."
"Did she always have Renamon for a partner?"
Hitomi nodded. "Yes, just like her mom; but Akira and her Renamon feel the same about fighting; I don't think I've even heard of Akira's Renamon digivolving. Eevee, can you and Noctowl go on ahead? Try to warn Calumon and Unown. We'll be there soon."
"See ya there, 'Tails!" Eevee called, as Noctowl flew up and over the trees.
"I'll take that as a challenge, plushie." Kyuubimon growled in reply, increasing her pace.
==
Both Impmon and Dobermon had discarded their attacks and had switched to simple tackling, biting, and punching. Impmon was surprisingly strong, Dobermon realized. Loading all that data had increased his power, to a degree.
"Don't go checking out on me yet, Benji." Impmon gasped. "When I'm...through with you, the little creampuff is gonna be dessert." He glared at Alice, still standing in front of Calumon and Unown, card in hand, ready to power up Dobermon if needed.
A long staff landed between the two combatants, driving itself into the asphalt a few inches. Everyone there looked up, wondering who had thrown it.
"A digimon serving a human." Makuramon spat, staring at Dobermon. "How pathetic. And your human is clinging to the Catalyst as if it were some toy. Give him here, girl!"
"Noooo!" Calumon whined. "Don't let him get me!" He turned and ran, Unown following him. Alice turned to go after the two, but she was knocked over by Makuramon, as he retrieved his staff and gave chase.
"Come back here, you little freak!" Impmon yelled. "No one's loading your data but me!"
"Pathetic!" Makuramon yelled. "Primal Orb!" A small steel sphere flew at Impmon, who was caught by it and sent flying. The small orb returned, along with Dobermon, growling a challenge. Getting annoyed, Makuramon swung his staff, which Dobermon ducked under, then dashed ahead, going for Makuramon's throat. The jaws clamped down, only Makuramon's hands holding Dobermon's mouth open, keeping the teeth from sinking in. The staff clattered noisily to the ground. "Get off me you beast! I will not be humiliated by some worthless lapdog to a human!" With an effort, he got his legs under Dobermon, and started kicking. This caused the dog to loosen its death-grip, giving the Deva a chance to use another Primal Orb to push Dobermon away. Makuramon grabbed his staff, and brought one of the metal-tipped ends down on Dobermon's back, knocking the digimon out.
"Dobermon!" Alice called, running over. Makuramon readied his staff, intent on finishing the human off, when he heard Impmon attacking Unown and Calumon. "There is no peace in this wretched world! Do not touch the catalyst, you depraved rodent!" He shouted, running after Impmon.
"That's MISTER Rodent to you! Bada Boom!"
Angrily, Makuramon batted the fireball away with his staff. "That will DO, worm! Kneel before the power of the Devas!" In his left hand, he hefted a small green sphere. "Treasure Ball!" He hurled it, and Impmon was trapped inside an emerald crystal, unable to move. "Stay back, churl, or you shall share his fate!" he snarled at Dobermon. Dobermon growled, not backing away. "At least you have some pride, even if you do serve a human. Treasure-"
"Foxtail Inferno!"
"Zap Cannon!"
The two attacks struck Makuramon, both incinerating and electrocuting him. "Who dares?" Makuramon shouted, recovering.
"We do." Jolteon growled. "We still have unfinished business."
==New Bark Town
Kari rocked her baby, Emiko, to sleep. "Time for your nap. Just rest now." she whispered. Emiko kicked a few times, then nodded off. Gently, Kari placed Emiko in the crib. "It won't be long before you're too big for that crib." she said, looking at her daughter. Beside her, a small pink blob slept beside her. Motimon had appeared as Emiko's partner just after she had been brought back from the Dark Ocean after the digimon there had tried to capture her.
She heard voices outside. She glanced out the window in Emiko's room, and saw several digimon there, along with their trainers. Tai and Sora were visiting again, and their children, Sakura and Yamato. Sakura and her partner, Koromon, was practicing against Kotemon, and Tai's Agumon. Yamato was off to the side, watching the fight with his partner, Palmon. She went to the lab, wondering where Kyoko was.
Kyoko wasn't there, but Izzy, Tai, and Sora were, still working on trying to establish a stable portal to the digital world where Hitomi was trapped. "Izzy? We do have company." She was about to go on, but stopped when she saw Izzy's expression. He tried to say something, but couldn't.
Tai nodded to Izzy, and walked over. "Kari, there's been a problem." He took a deep breath, then went on. "Izzy's been checking the digital world that's linked to the world that Hitomi is trapped on. The digital world there is really messed up, worse even than the one that Ryoko's on...Unless things change, the Digital World there will collapse and Hitomi will be trapped on the other earth forever."
"Do...do Kyle and June know yet?"
Sora shook her head. "No. So far, it's just us. I think we should wait until we're sure. Ken and Seth are in the Human World, doing some consulting there."
Two others did hear that. Houndour stepped back from the doorway, frowning. "So, that's what's going on." Grimly, she went outside.
On the other side of the hallway, out of sight of everyone, Kyoko shook her head. "No..." she whispered.
==Tamers world
Jolteon howled, firing bolts of lightning at Makuramon, while Kyuubimon launched wave after wave of fireballs. Dobermon moved in, and the three champion digimon kept attacking the Deva in what looked like a never-ending wave of energy blasts.
Still trapped in his emerald cage, Impmon fumed, struggling to get out. He could see those other humans leading Calumon and Unown away. That blonde girl. The weird redhead. And Rika...
Rika Nonaka...
The one who said he was harmless....Him, Impmon, HARMLESS!
"No....No, I won't...ACCEPT IT!" Impmon shouted, and kept on screaming, willing the prison he was in to let him out. The emerald walls began to crack.
==
Miles away, Isao Akiyama, a.k.a. Yamaki, was sitting in a private government 'rest facility'. Suddenly, he looked up, sudden feeling of dread filling him.
==
The combat stopped as soon as Impmon started shouting. Of the fighters, Makuramon was the most surprised by Impmon's surge of power. "No...no one can break my Treasure Ball attack..."
"I have had ENOUGH!" Impmon roared. With a final surge, the cage holding him shattered, sending green shards of crystal everywhere; Rika, Hitomi, and Alice took cover, while the digimon all dodged to the best of their ability.
Impmon took a slow, thunderous step towards Makuramon. "No one...and I mean NO ONE calls me weak. EVER!" As he walked, a black aura formed around Impmon. It was hazy and hard to make out, but it suggested something tall, humanoid, and winged. "DIE!" he shouted at Makuramon, launching a wave of fire. The humans wrinkled their noses as the stench of brimstone hit them. The fire blast hit Makuramon; though not lethal, the Deva was badly injured, and quickly ran for cover, terrified by the power Impmon had shown.
Impmon stood there for a few seconds, fearsome aura still surrounding him. He fixed Renamon and Rika with a gaze, whispering "You're next." then passed out.
"What was that?" Alice gasped.
"It looked like he was about to digivolve." Hitomi replied. "But he didn't have enough power to do it." Rika said nothing, shaken by Impmon's display.
"He was all scary." Calumon said, walking over to Rika. "I don't think he's as harmless as you and Renamon said he was."
Kyuubimon glanced at Impmon's still form. "We'll have to be careful around him. Even without Yamaki, he was strong enough to injure a Deva."
"Okay, what IS a Deva?" Jolteon asked. "That's all that Planet of the Apes reject could talk about."
"I think we should ask Gabumon." Kyuubimon answered. "He seems to know what all this might be about." She glanced at Calumon and Unown, watching Impmon. "And what Calumon's role in this is."
"The Catalyst is our final answer!" Makuramon cried, appearing out of nowhere. Jolteon, Kyuubimon, and Dobermon tried to grab him, but he was too swift. Driven by desperation, Makuramon pole-vaulted over the three digimon, and made a run at the humans. "Primal Orb!" At that range, there was no time for any of the girls to dodge.
Calumon jumped, and instantly threw up a protective field to block the attack. "No!" Makuramon shrieked as his attack struck the wall. Calumon screamed in pain, the symbol on his forehead flaring with red light. Unown shrieked, and let off a massive blast of energy. It did little damage to Makuramon, but it did create a distraction allowing Kyuubimon, Jolteon, and Dobermon to attack Makuramon. Rika picked up Calumon, barely unconscious.
"P...Pathetic..." Makuramon wheezed, dodging a strike from Jolteon. "No one...can defeat the Devas. Even now, Vikaralamon is destroying your pathetic friends and their traitorous digimon...you cannot win..."
"You're wrong..." Calumon whispered. "You're...wrong..." He struggled to get up.
"Don't move." Rika whispered.
"No...I can....CRYSTAL MATRIX ACTIVATE!" The red triangle on Calumon's head flared to life, blinding everyone with a bright red light.
"A...Alice..." Dobermon gasped.
Still half blinded, Alice used another card, hoping it would power up Dobermon somehow.
"Dobermon, Matrix digivolve to...BLACK WERE GARURUMON!"
"Evolution..." Makuramon gasped. "But....No, they can't use the power of the Catalyst!"
The black-furred digimon responded by punching Makuramon in the face, sending the Deva flying. Before he could recover, Black Were Garurumon jumped into the air, left leg glowing silver. "Crescent Moon Kick!" He made a kicking motion, and a silvery arc of energy shot out, striking Makuramon and destroying him. The victorious digimon landed, glowed, and changed into a small dog that staggered over to Alice.
"Labramon?" Hitomi wondered. "But...Calumon!" She heard Rika calling Henry on her cellphone but paid no attention. Jolteon and Kyuubimon switched back to their rookie forms, and ran over to check on Calumon.
"Why?" Alice asked Calumon, now lying very still in Rika's arms.
"'Cause you're all my friends, and I wanted to help, silly. But I'm really tired now, I think I need a nap." Unown hovered by Calumon, making squeaking noises. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere, really." More noises from Unown. "But if you do that..." Calumon nodded, smiling. "If you're sure. Thank you Unown. I love you..." Calumon's body went limp. Rika gasped, but then looked up as she saw Unown hover over Calumon, its own body going blurry.
"They're merging." Renamon whispered, stunned. After a few seconds, Unown's body vanished, and Calumon sat up. "Calumon?"
"Yes? Why's everyone looking so...huh? Oh, okay, I'll tell her. Hitomi, Unown says he's sorry he can't help you go home right now, but this was the only way to save my life. Huh? Oh, right. And he says that he's glad you're alright, and that we won't be like this forever. He thinks. You're not sure? But once he's out, he'll be glad to help you get home, as long as he can stay here and play with me. Well, gee, that sounds fair. Doesn't it?"
"Umm...why am I missing half the conversation?" Eevee asked.
Hitomi indicated the small symbol on Calumon's forehead. The central triangle had faded a bit, and a small picture of Unown was superimposed on it. "Unown's inside Calumon now." she explained.
"I thought voices in your head was a bad thing..." Eevee said. The ground started to shake. "Now what?"
The pathway a few yards from them exploded, and a giant red-and-silver lizard surged out of the ground, a boy hanging onto its head. "Alright, where is he?" Wargrowlmon roared.
"Subtle, goggle-head. Real subtle." Rika moaned.
==
An hour later, everyone had calmed down, Janyu had arrived, along with Dolphin, and explanations were exchanged; the tamers realized that both digivolutions had happened when Calumon had used his power. It was there that Renamon turned to Gabumon and, rather harshly, demanded an explanation.
"Very well." Gabumon said. "I had hoped this day would not come-"
"It has." Renamon cut him off. "Why have the Devas come here?"
"Perhaps if we knew who these Devas were?" Janyu suggested.
"Very well. First you must know about how the Digital World is constructed." Gabumon traced a series of circles in the ground. "There are several layers to the digital world; the outermost one is where digimon go to try to come to the Real World. The deeper you go in, the more powerful digimon there are.
At the center of the Digital World is the Core, which is guarded by the Digimon Sovereign; four ancient digimon of incredible power: Azulongmon, Baihumon, Zhuquiamon, and Ebonwumon. Immediately beneath them are 12 Ultimate level digimon, called the Devas by those digimon that know of them. They don't interact with the other layers of the Digital World too much, so I do not know their primary mission."
"So, why are they here, and why do they keep calling Calumon the Catalyst?" Hitomi asked.
"As I told Takato and the others, Calumon is the very essence of digivolution, given physical form; once he was created, no digimon could digivolve."
"But we digivolve all the time." Terriermon interrupted.
"Most digimon do not have humans as partners." Gabumon answered. "In fact, many digimon in the levels towards the Core don't like humans, and see them as a necessary evil only. Many of the Devas feel that way too."
"Ironic." Janyu muttered. "When we created the initial AI program that formed the basis of your digital world, we incorporated elements from human myths and legends. Didn't Curly think of using the Deva legends?"
Dolphin nodded. "Yeah. I'll never program a computer again."
"If we can continue?" Renamon asked. Rika glanced at Renamon, wondering why her partner was so edgy all of a sudden.
"Yes." Gabumon coughed. "About a year ago, your time, there was trouble in the Core-ward layers of the digital world. For no reason, digimon went crazy and started attacking and destroying everything in sight. The Sovereign sent most of the Devas in, but...well, you saw what happened today. Makuramon must have been sent ahead to try and open the way for the rest of the Devas to come through and attack this world."
Jeri looked up. "Vikaralamon said just that! But why would a digimon want to destroy the Digital World?" She glanced at Hitomi, who shrugged helplessly. "And why did he want to destroy this world? He said something about how since humans created the digital world, they would have to be destroyed to."
"I don't know. But the Sovereigns hoped to slow the chaos down by taking away everyone's power to digivolve, so they created Calumon. Then he came here and the Devas followed him."
"Are all the Devas evil now?" Renamon asked quietly.
"There are a few uncorrupted Devas left, and some digimon are fighting them, but it does not look good."
"So there's at most ten more Devas still to come here?" Henry asked, voice grim. Gabumon nodded. "Are they all that powerful?"
"Vikaralamon was, physically the strongest, and Makuramon the most cunning, but all of the Devas are very powerful. Antylamon and Majiramon-"
"What about Antylamon?" Renamon demanded.
"The two of them nearly destroyed me." Gabumon answered slowly.
"I see." Renamon said coldly, standing up. Without another word, she left. Silently, Rika got up and went after her partner.
"Umm..." Takato hazarded. "So, how'd you escape, Gabumon?"
"Ryo and Cyberdramon."
"Ryo and...You don't mean Ryo Akiyama, do you?" Henry asked incredulously.
"He's alive..." Takato gasped. "In the digital world."
==Hypnos headquarters
Once Vikaralamon and Makuramon were dealt with, the remaining staff was able to start rebuilding the Hypnos mainframe; they predicted that the Scanning Dome would be online in just under a week.
All that was driven from Reilly's mind as she sat in her chair, listening to Gabumon repeat his tale. "Y-You're sure it was him?" She indicated a picture on her desk.
"Yes." Gabumon replied. "That's him exactly."
"I see. Could you all excuse me? I have to make a phone call." The tamers nodded, and left the office. Hands shaking, Reilly dialed a number. "Hello? Yes, this is Chief Reilly. Room 1231, please?" There were a few clicks, then a familiar voice answered.
"Reilly." Yamaki's voice was flat, as if he'd never left. Reilly started to speak, nearly lost her composure, then got it back. "I trust there's a good reason for this call?"
"Ryo's alive."
==Next Episode
While taking a weekend trip Rika and Hitomi talk about the Pokemon world, and Renamon and Eevee talk about Antylamon. While they're gone, Henry is forced to fight against Sinduramon, unable to get help from the other Tamers. Next time, on Digicross Tamers, episode 18:
'Colonel Sinduramon, Original Recipe.'
(It's the best I could do for a title! Honest!)
Also, coming up (when I get around to it):
When Kyoko Kamiya runs away from home, she is accidentally transported to (wait for it) another digital world! It is up to Kate Evanick, daughter of Kyle (No, the OTHER Kyle) and Casey Evanick, and Yamato Takenouchi to save her. Their only source of help is Scott Evans, a player in the online Digital World computer game that the digidestined find themselves in. It's the first Digicross Special!
'Resist Parasimon!'
And, as if that weren't enough...
When Etemonkey (From V-Tamer) comes back to life, he manages to evolve himself to King Etemon, and goes after Taichi Yagami and his partner, Zeromaru! It's crossover madness as we meet Taichi from V-Tamer, and see Takuya Kanbara, Takato Matsuki, and Takeru Motomiya take on one of the nuttiest digimon ever! It's the second Tamers Special...
"Digicross: Forever Goggle-head!"
-Special guest appearance by Kouta and Dorumon from Digimon Chronicle.