The transport beam passed over the lake. Its riders, on the other hand, landed right in the lake.
"Gahh, MY HAIR!" Lillymon was the first up, making a beeline for the shore, shaking off all the water she could. "And I thought that cave was humid. My hair will be ruined!"
"Speak for yourself," Gabumon growled, helping Jeri up. "I guess I'm sleeping downwind tonight."
Jeri opened her mouth, then closed it. "Ahh, wet fur! Gabumon, that's horrible!" She looked around. "Guilmon? Takato?"
"Over here!" Henry called, a very muddy Terriermon pulling his face out of the ground. Takato and Guilmon were bent over a closer patch of mud, pulling on something.
"Little help? Guardromon sank again!" Takato's hands slipped off, sending him backwards into the mud. "I'm glad mom's not here to see this."
-Tokyo
"Nami? How're you doing?" Rumiko Nonaka wandered over, carrying a small cup of tea for the teacher. "Here, you could use this." A few meters away, Takato's parents were pacing back and forth in the small presentation room at the Hypnos building.
"Thanks," Nami Asaji answered quietly, taking the tea and taking a large gulp. She winced as the heat burned her throat a bit.
"No, you're supposed to sip it." Rumiko took the cup away and held the teacher as her coughing fit gave way to a few sobs. "You miss her a lot, don't you? I panicked when mom told me about Rika, but...I know she'll be alright." She sighed a bit. "At least it's not boys. I don't know what I'd do if she started sneaking off with someone at her age."
Nami stared at her friend, caught the mischievous expression in her eye, then laughed. "Thanks," she managed.
"Oh, forget it. Say, how about after all this is finished, I introduce you to a few people I know, and you try modelling?"
"But...but I'm already..."
"Oh, I don't mean give up teaching," Rumiko insisted. "Didn't we both dream of being models when we were their age? Come on, you look great, you could do it!"
"I'll think about it," Nami finally answered. Privately, she dreaded that 'after all this was finished', as Rumiko had put it, Hitomi would be going home. "Maybe...maybe I will."
"Great! I'll make some calls!"
"No, wait, I..." Nami groaned. "Why do I let her talk me into these things?"
-
Digicross Tamers 27
Tears of a Phoenix
-
Loss. And pain. Oh yes, always the pain.
The giant bird, once feared by many, stalked around its castle, muttering.
Santiramon and Pajiramon, lost to the all-consuming chaos. Indramon, leaving and leaving his former master all alone. One by one, his subjects, the very land he controlled and watched over, was slowly devoured by the creeping rot that had been with this world, almost from the start.
"No more. No MORE! I shall leave this place and find my own fate, rather than wait for it to come to me! Beware, 'True Sovereign'! For Zhuquiamon shall burn you to the ground, and feast on your ashes! Yours and all those who have betrayed me!" With that, the massive phoenix's wings spread, and he flew through the wall of his once-elegant castle, the entire structure collapsing behind him. "One way or another, I shall never return to this place again, unless it is with the corpse of my enemy in my beak."
-
Yamaki had to admit it; Rika was an experienced digimon...tamer, did they call themselves? And Renamon, no, Kyuubimon it was called now, had a certain grace.
Impmon gave a wild whoop of delight as he piloted Behemoth, dodging between Renamon's attacks. So far, Indramon had held back; Impmon's smaller size, even on Behemoth, made the massive Deva's size a liability. He was a bit torn; as much as he wanted to grind Renamon under the wheels of his new 'ride', as he referred to it, he also wanted a shot at Yamaki, standing near the other human. Chatsuramon seemed content to stay off to one side, letting Impmon do all the work. To Impmon, that was just fine.
"Chatsuramon, cease this madness!" Indramon glared at the dog Deva angrily. "Can you not see that the whole of the Digital World is threatened?"
"All I see is two human vermin and some digimon that must be eliminated," Chatsuramon rumbled. "But if you wish to settle our...debate...now, old friend, come, face me."
"Wait here," Indramon grumbled, stepping around the running battle. "If I fall, get the Catalyst out of here."
"My name is Calumon! Ca! Lu! Mon!"
Indramon looked at the tiny white digimon, and smiled. "Of course. Forgive me, Calumon. Human," he said to Rika, "Calumon is your responsibility. Please, ensure nothing happens to him."
Mentally, Rika groaned, wondering how much longer she'd be stuck with the annoying little cry-baby. "Crystal Fire, ACTIVATE!"
Yamaki just glared at Impmon, wishing he had some way to take down the beast that had taken his son away.
-
"You're sure you're OK?"
"Ryo, I'm fine," Hitomi replied, becoming a little exasperated.
Ryo stopped. "I...gahh. Sorry," he muttered. A few feet behind him, Cyberdramon grumbled but said nothing.
"Is everything alright, Cyberdramon," Hitomi asked, looking at the massive digimon. As she spoke, Noctowl looked off to one side, then flew away.
"He's fine," Ryo answered. "Just a little edgy since that red stuff attacked you. I've seen it before, but it never did anything like that. It just sat there." He glanced in the direction Noctowl had flown. "Where's your friend headed?"
"I don't know. Maybe he found something." A bit worried, Hitomi ran off after the pokemon. Curious, Ryo followed.
-
Guilmon stiffened, looking around, sniffing the air. "What is it, boy?"
"Smell Impmon!" Guilmon...bristled, for want of a better word.
Henry looked around. "Is he close?"
"No. Far, but not too far. Smell Rika too and Renamon. And...Calumon?"
"You mean...RIKA FOUND CALUMON?" Takato just stared at Guilmon. "Then...then...WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ALL THAT WANDERING AROUND?" Jeri winced at Takato's volume.
"Hey," Lillymon complained, "you DID save me, you know. Maybe that's why you came my way?"
"Come on," Henry told everyone. "We'd better get going." Privately, he did find the whole situation a bit amusing. Must be Terriermon rubbing off on me, he decided. "What is it?"
Gabumon stared ahead, in the direction Guilmon was heading, half-dragging Takato with him. "That direction...Zhuquiamon's castle is near. I hope he has not fallen under the same spell that took Baihumon."
"Moumantai, furball," Terriermon drawled. "We'll just clobber the big bird the same way we did Baihumon. What could go wrong?"
"Plenty," Henry answered grimly.
-
Zhuquiamon felt it, felt the surges of power. Felt the...wrongness?
"Humans! Humans have been brought to this world! Very well then, I shall purge the chaos from the land by myself!"
-
Hitomi had been running for a few minutes when she spotted Noctowl flying back towards her. Carrying..."Eevee," she gasped. Eevee, riding on the back of Noctowl, saw Hitomi and leaped off, landing in her arms.
Ryo caught up just as Hitomi caught her partner in her arms. "Hmm. Cute girl, cute partner. Figures." He watched as Hitomi held the small pokemon tightly.
"Great to see you again," Eevee whispered. "Are you OK?" Hitomi nodded. Then, squirming free of Hitomi's embrace, he caught sight of Ryo. "We met?"
Hitomi looked at Ryo. "Eevee, this is Ryo Akiyama."
"Huh? But..." Eevee caught on. "Right, got it. Nice to meet ya, thanks for taking care of her. Unless you tried something..."
Hitomi's face went red. "Eevee!"
Ryo caught the tone in Eevee's voice, and laughed. "Perfect gentleman, I assure you." Cyberdramon growled at that, getting a glare from Ryo.
Eevee did catch that, and resolved to keep an eye on him. There was something..."Rika! Hitomi, Rika's in trouble, we gotta go help her!"
"Eh?"
Ryo looked startled. "Rika? Rika Nonaka? She's near?"
"Yeah," Eevee replied. "Come on, let's move!"
Hitomi nodded, taking a card out of her pack. Ryo watched, fascinated, as the card turned blue. "Digi-modify! Matrix Digivolution activate!"
"Eevee, Matrix Digivolve to...Karatenmon! Hitomi, hop on!" Hitomi clambered onto Karatenmon's back, and the two flew off, following Noctowl.
"Matrix...evolution..." Ryo stood there for a few more seconds, then snapped out of his daze. "Well, come on! Sounds like there's a fight happening." Cyberdramon growled again, this time in anticipation.
He hadn't been in a really good fight in months.
--
As Kyuubimon dodged around another hail of fireballs, she reflected that she might have been underestimating Impmon all this time. Back on earth, he had been little more than a nuisance. Even when it was revealed that he was actually partnered with Yamaki, she had still given the small demonic digimon little thought.
She had to allow a certain grudging respect for Impmon now; He handled the massive motorbike, comically oversized for him, like a master. And the range of powers he now displayed, including the rather spectacular Deva Clone ability he had apparently seized from Khumbiramon, splitting himself and the bike into multiple copies, confounding hers and Indramon's attacks. Then there was the Deva, Chatsuramon. Seemingly content on watching the action from the sidelines.
She leaped back as Impmon made another pass, landing near Rika. "We need to leave. I cannot win here."
Rika glanced at Kyuubimon. "What about digivolving to Taomon?"
"Impmon's power is...weird. Between the motorbike and the power he's absorbed from other digimon, his power level is nearly that of an ultimate digimon; it's certainly enough to keep me at bay, as well as Indramon."
Rika frowned; she hated running from a fight, much as she agreed with her partner's observation. She had found Calumon, and Eevee was probably with Hitomi already. She'd even managed to track down Yamaki, as uncomfortable as the thought made her; Rika had never really forgiven the man for what he'd tried to do to Hitomi. The one bright point was that, as she had expected when this whole mission had started, she had wound up doing everything. Which was only natural, she being the best digimon tamer around. "You think he'll let us leave?"
Kyuubimon stared hard at Impmon, who was waiting for her to make the next move. "Not likely. You and Calumon, yes. Indramon and...that man," Kyuubimon muttered, sharing Rika's opinion of the former Hypnos commander, "they'd slow us down."
"Go then," Yamaki whispered to Rika. She shuddered a bit; she hadn't noticed him approach. "That...thing is my responsibility."
"You don't get to play martyr until I say so," Rika snapped back. Okay, she decided. I'll power up Kyuubimon with a Metal Garurumon card, and then-
"Shadow FLASH!" Two beams of ebony energy slammed into Behemoth, flipping the bike over and forcing Impmon to leap off. Swords already drawn, Karatenmon landed near Kyuubimon.
"Karatenmon," Rika gasped. "Then..."
"Rika!" Hitomi ran over to Rika, waving. Unexpectedly, Rika threw her arms around Hitomi, holding her tightly. Just as abruptly, she released her bear-hug, embarrassed at the display.
"Don't hold back on my account," Kyuubimon whispered, just loud enough for Rika to hear.
Glaring daggers at her partner, Rika tried to recover. "Umm...I'm glad you're alright."
Hitomi started to say something, then saw Yamaki. The man winced a bit as she saw a trace of fear cross her expression. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life, Yamaki thought, trying to find something to say to Hitomi.
"D...Dad?"
Yamaki stopped, forgetting everything else as he heard someone he'd never expected to see again. Slowly, he turned around, the stalemate between Impmon, Kyuubimon, and Karatenmon seemingly obliterated by the sight of his son, virtually unchanged since the last time he'd seen him. "Ryo," he breathed.
A scream broke the scene. Cyberdramon, tired of waiting, leaped from behind Ryo and dove at Impmon and Behemoth, his claws carving deep gashes in the side of the bike as Impmon forced the vehicle clear of the attack. "You'd better hope I can buff that out!"
Cyberdramon's only reply was a snarl.
Chatsuramon growled. "Face me, beast! Treasure Mallet!" The dog Deva charged, reshaping himself into a large hammer, flying at Cyberdramon. He impacted on something large and silvery, shattering it and sending him backwards.
Indramon watched with a bit of regret as his Treasure Shell was shattered by Chatsuramon, depriving him of his one weapon. "This is not our battle, minion of chaos."
"Every battle is our battle, traitor," Chatsuramon replied. "We thrive in the chaos of conflict. You can feel it, can you not? You are a part of this world."
"Not by choice, Chatsuramon."
Impmon, now outnumbered and out-gunned, looked around, rage building. He saw Cyberdramon, recognising his former friend. Who had also been able to digivolve. Everyone around him had been able to reach their Ultimate level, leaving Impmon behind. Laughing at him.
No more. "No MORE!" Impmon screeched, flinging his arms out. In each hand, a crossbow appeared, scale sized imitations of Pajiramon's weapon. He took aim, and fired. One bolt slammed into Indramon's side, causing the Deva to scream in pain.
The second struck Chatsuramon, who reacted similarly. "TRAITOR!"
"I don't care who I have to go through. I will be the STRONGEST!" The arrows pulsed again. Incredibly, the two Devas were felled; everyone watched as Impmon drew the power out of them, into himself.
"With one shot," Karatenmon gasped. "That's not..."
"Possible," Kyuubimon completed, similarly stunned. "Impmon's power level...Yamaki, he's your partner? Can you control him?"
Yamaki glanced at Kyuubimon, Ryo wondering who 'Yamaki' was. "My D-Arc...it was taken from me by..." he gestured to where Chatsuramon was, now drained and slowly fading out of existence. "Ryo?"
Ryo nodded. "On it, dad. Digi-Modify! Brave Shield and Knight Device, Activate!" Howling, Cyberdramon leaped again, slamming the just-formed shield into Impmon's face, throwing the small demon digimon off of Behemoth. The shield bash was followed by a hurled lance, which Impmon was only barely able to avoid. Cyberdramon summoned up the second lance, ready to attack and finish off Impmon.
"You're not stopping me that easily, bub," Impmon panted. With a shout, he practically ripped the remaining energy out of the two injured Devas, absorbing them fully into his small frame.
--
As he flew through the skies, Zhuquiamon felt the death-throes of his last servant.
Indramon had left him. Betrayed him. Abandoned him. But, to Zhuquiamon, the former Deva still was, in a way, Zhuquiamon's child.
And Zhuquiamon fully intended to avenge his servant's demise.
--
Impmon staggered back, body wracked with pain as it tried to assimilate the data of the last two Devas. To him, it felt like they were still fighting him, trying to take him over.
Ryo saw it differently. "Hit him now! Before he can power up again!" Cyberdramon obeyed, hurling his shield, then the other lance at Impmon. Kyuubimon and Karatenmon followed suit, Shadow Flash and Dragon Wheel slamming into Impmon seconds later. The small demon was sent flying. "I think we got him," Ryo sighed.
"Why..." a weak voice asked. "All this data I absorb...and I can't digivolve. What am I missing?"
"No way," Rika breathed. "After all that, he's still alive?"
What she said next was lost in the wave of flames that seemed to swallow everything.
--
"Hurry," Henry yelled. "I-" he stopped as the area the group was running to suddenly seemed to ignite. "What the..."
Gabumon stared intently at the inferno, then spotted the one responsible. "Zhuquiamon. Everyone, we'd better digivolve now. We face another Guardian. And Zhuquiamon is even stronger than Baihumon was."
"Story of our lives," Terriermon sighed.
--
Karatenmon's wings opened up, allowing Hitomi and Rika to see; several feet away, Ryo and Yamaki, Calumon paradoxically in Yamaki's arms, stepped out from behind Cyberdramon, who had covered the two boys. Kyuubimon, too far away to help Rika, had taken cover as soon as he had seen Hitomi's partner move to cover both girls.
All of them beheld the massive form of Zhuquiamon, several licks of flame coming from his wings. He glared balefully at Impmon, struggling back towards the massive motorbike, sensing Indramon's essence in him, as well as that of his other servants. "I will take pleasure in your demise, worm."
"Yeah? YEAH? Well get in line, pal, 'cause there's lotsa jerks who want a piece of me." Impmon waved a fist at the guardian. "I ain't gonna fall over 'cause some flyin' turkey says so."
"Hmph. You talk bravely for one who is about to die."
Ryo, energy leash around Cyberdramon, struggled to keep the massive digimon under control. "Zhuquiamon," he explained to his father. "He's the southern guardian of the digital world. I'd heard rumours that the loss of his servants had driven him over the edge, but nothing like this..."
"Can you beat him," Yamaki asked.
Ryo glanced at Karatenmon and Kyuubimon. "Against Zhuquiamon? He's second only to Azulongmon in power, and I'm not too eager to call another guardian for help." Ryo smiled grimly. "Maybe they'll forget about us."
"Not likely, human," Zhuquiamon snarled.
"Yeah, 'cause I'll have ya done up for thanksgiving," Impmon growled, getting back on Behemoth. "Hope you got a long neck, pal. You're about to kiss-"
"SILENCE! CRIMSON BLAZE!" A massive wall of fire lanced out at Impmon, who drove Behemoth right at it.
"Yeah...Yeah...YEAH!" Impmon screamed in delight as he used his powers to absorb all the flame he could, boosting his own strength. "You think you're something? You're NOTHING, sparrow-face!" There was a sharp shaking noise as the back of Behemoth detonated. Impmon leaped off the dying vehicle, hurling fireball after fireball at the red guardian.
They splashed uselessly against Zhuquiamon's belly. A claw flashed out, catching Impmon and sending him back to the ground, wounded. "Pathetic," Zhuquiamon snorted, turning his attention to the humans.
Unnoticed, Impmon twitched, the guardian's last insult burning at his soul.
--
Ryo saw the fight, saw how it had to turn out. He leaned very close to Cyberdramon, voice barely even a whisper. "Can you take him?" Cyberdramon nodded. "Good. Nothing happens to Hitomi. Or her partner." The digimon started to growl, then cut off as the energy leash tightened. "Understand?"
"...yes." The leash vanished, and Cyberdramon shot skyward.
"Hey, Rika," Ryo called in a louder, lighter voice. "Finishing blow gets the crown."
"Shut up," Rika replied. Digimon Queen, that's what everyone called her. Yeah, the inevitable reply came, only because the King vanished.
Fine, Rika decided. Once they were out of here, they'd settle this. "Digi-modify! Matrix digivolution activate!" A part of her watched as Kyuubimon digivolved to Taomon, and joined Cyberdramon and Karatenmon in their attack.
Rika watched, satisfied, as they fell into a rhythm; Cyberdramon and Karatenmon took turns alternating attacks at close range, while Taomon hit Zhuquiamon at range, preventing the massive guardian from making any accurate attack.
Still, Rika hated playing support..."Digi-modify! Positron Laser activate!"
Hearing this, Hitomi nodded and followed suit. "Digi-modify! War Greymon's Gaia Force activate!" Both affected digimon yelled out the appropriate attacks, striking the face of Zhuquiamon; Cyberdramon followed up with his Cyber Nail attack, both claws tearing long furrows along the neck of the guardian. Despite the situation, Hitomi felt ill, seeing the sheer violence being displayed.
Yamaki looked a bit worried too, as Zhuquiamon batted Cyberdramon away with a wing buffet, and his beak lashed out at Karatenmon. There was a feeling, something crawling inside his gut, presaging some danger.
Suddenly, Zhuquiamon was wrapped in flames. "Enough! Will no-one challenge me? Must I endure the infantile flailings of these pathetic worms?"
"No..." a voice whispered. "No..."
Yamaki heard it, and went pale. "Impmon," he whispered. Hearing that, Ryo spun around, shaken by the fear in his father's voice.
Pulling himself out of his self-made crater, Impmon forced himself to his feet. As he staggered up, a black aura started to pulse around him. "No-one...calls me...PATHETIC!" He shot up, -flying- at Zhuquiamon.
Karatenmon and Taomon felt it; they pulled back, sensing something terrible was about to happen. Caught up in his assault, Cyberdramon ignored the attacker.
Zhuquiamon ignored it too, calling up another wave of flame to hurl at the oncoming rookie digimon.
--
It was Lillymon who stopped first. She had been flying a bit ahead of the rest of the group, keeping up with Gabumon. a moment later, Gabumon felt it too, and also skidded to a stop. They were close enough to the battle to hear the explosions and make out Zhuquiamon, and several smaller figures; Jeri, with a relieved cry, spotted Karatenmon first, seconds before Gabumon and Lillymon sensed something was terribly wrong.
At once, something massive and wrapped in black miasma rose up, seeming to grab the massive Zhuquiamon by the throat, and pull it down from the sky. There was a sharp roar of thunder, then the massive phoenix digimon vanished, data pulled into the attacker.
Guilmon watched this, silent, nose twitching. Then...
"Impmon?"
--
Next Episode -Rage, vengeance and tragedy.
Digicross Tamers 28: Megidramon