Author's notes: After my account was deleted accidentally, I rewrote some parts of Dark Wing. There is another version, Dark Wing Type 2, that I'm writing that follows the anime more accurately. But for now, I'll focus on finishing the original Dark Wing since I want to wait and see what happens in the Japanese Tamer series. I'll upload the other chapters once I've finished double-checking them. Thanks for your patience.
Author's notes: After some consideration, I've decided to use the Japanese levels, since I'm already using the Japanese names, cards and attacks anyway. Therefore:
Digimon Levels:
Child : Rookie
Adult : Champion
Perfect : Ultimate
Ultimate: Mega
Author's notes: ********* means a scene change.
Digimon Tamers: Dark Wing
Clash of three Dark Digimon! Akiyama Ryo in danger!
Disclaimer: Digimon Tamers and related elements are registered trademarks of Toei, Bandai and their respective owners and are used without permission.
"Ryo?!" Ruki cried as the line went dead. "Ryo?! What happened?! Ryo!"
"What happened?" Takato asked worriedly, trying to sit up.
Ruki slowly lowered the phone. "I...I think we're too late..."
"What?" Hirokazu said in disbelief. "You mean..."
"Vamdemon is already there..."
**************
Ryo coughed as he ran through the dust and rubble caused by Vamdemon's attack. "If I'd been any slower..." he gulped, looking over his shoulder at the huge gaping hole in the wall he'd been standing before seconds ago. Fortunately for him, months in the Digital World had helped hone his reflexes, otherwise he would never have been able to dodge Vamdemon in time. As it were, the Perfect stood in the corridor, straining to see if he had hit his target. Looking down, Ryo realised he was still holding the telephone receiver, the severed wire hanging down uselessly. "..." Keeping low, he tossed it away from him, watching as Vamdemon's head snapped in the direction of the noise. Seeing his chance, the boy ran past the surprised vampire and fled into the kitchen.
"Death Claw!" Ryo ran through the door to see Devimon and Monodramon clashing in a whirlwind of violence, both hurling attacks and trying to find a weak spot in their opponent's defense.
"Crack Bite!" Monodramon's jaws clamped shut, barely missing Devimon's hand as he pulled it back. The Dark Digimon swiped at the small purple dragon, who ducked and yelled out "Beat Knuckle!" Suddenly speeding up, Monodramon launched himself forward, his fist striking Devimon's chest and sending him crashing into the dinner table.
"Monodramon!" Ryo called, running over.
"Ryo!" Monodramon chirped happily. "Are you okay? I heard an explosion!"
"That would be me, little dragon," Vamdemon said, appearing behind Ryo. who scrambled away.
"Come on!" the Tamer said, scooping up his partner in his arms. "I think it's time we made ourselves scarce!"
"You aren't going anywhere!" Vamdemon roared. "Night Raid!"
Ryo gritted his teeth as the horde of bats zipped through the now-devastated kitchen on the way to him. Moving quickly, he made a running jump, smashing through the window in a cresendo of broken glass. Rolling to cushion the impact of hitting the ground, the spiky-haired boy continued moving, clutching Monodramon protectively to his chest.
The small purple dragon squirmed, trying to get free. "Let me go!" he growled. "I can fight them!"
"Not now, you can't!" Ryo told him as he ran through the streets, trying to lose Vamdemon and Devimon. "If we fight here, someone'll get hurt!"
"But if I don't, WE'LL be hurt!" Monodramon pointed out.
"We'll just have to risk it!" Ryo replied, not even slowing down as he fled through the street, pushing his way past people who had come out of their houses to see what the noise was about. "We need to find some place where we can fight back without hurting anyone by accident!"
**************
Devimon rose to his feet, kicking away the splintered remains of the table. "You missed?" he said to Vamdemon.
"I had forgotten how resourceful he is," Vamdemon admitted. "But he only delays the inevitable. Besides," the lordly Digimon smiled. "it's been a long time since I've had a good hunt."
Devimon snorted. "We shouldn't waste time like that. Ryo is too much of a threat to treat with such disdain."
The other Digimon's smile grew wider. "Ah, but this time there aren't any Chosen or Digimon to aid him, except that strange dragon creature. There is no risk involved." Raising his hand, the Dark Aristocrat blasted a wall, sending dust and broken glass through the air, making the spectators who had gathered flee in a panic. He walked to the hole and stepped out of the house, looking up at the darkening sky. "It's so relaxing to hunt at night..." he mused.
"Do whatever you want," Devimon said, walking up beside him. "I still think we should finish him quickly."
"How about this then," Vamdemon suggested, glancing at the slightly shorter Dark Digimon. "If I find him first, I get to...play around with him before the deathblow. If you find him first, you can just kill him."
Devimon's lips curled into a sneer. "As you wish." Without another word, the two Dark Digimon flew off into the evening sky.
**************
"The Messenger is moving rapidly through the Real World," Zhuqiaomon noted from his pedestal. "I cannot discern what he is planning."
"Is there no pattern to his chaos?" Baihumon asked.
Zhuqiaomon shook his head. "None I can sense. He seems to be moving completely at random."
Qinglongmon shifted, peering quizically at the other Holy Beasts. "The Messenger never does anything without a reason." The giant blue dragon's four eyes narrowed. "We must find out what that reason is!"
"Until he makes his move," Xuanwumon told the others, "all we can do is watch...and wait."
**************
"Ruki!" Juri called. Ruki turned to see her friend running down the street to cathc up to her. "What are you going to do?"
"What else?" Ruki said, turning away. "I'm going to Fukuoka."
"But..."
Ruki fixed Juri with a glare that would have made a Deva cringe. "But what?"
"You're not going alone." Juri folded her arms and glared back. Ruki raised an eyebrow.
'I never thought I'd see Juri glare like that.' The redhead smiled to herself. 'I guess I'm finally rubbing off on her.' Out loud, she said, "Are you offer to come along? Fukuoka isn't exactly nearby."
"If you can go, I can go," Juri told her. "Just give me a few minutes to get Leomon."
"That's a problem," Lee interrupted. Both girls looked to see the olive-skinned boy coming. "Leomon won't be able to move about in public without causing some sort of panic. We need to someone whose Digimon can move without being seen."
"That's Renamon," Ruki said with a hint of pride.
"True. Leomon would kind of stand out, Katou-san," Lee nodded. "That's why Terriermon and I will go."
"I don't need a baby sitter, Jen," Ruki growled.
"Well, Takato's in no condition to move, Guardromon's out of the question and Leomon would be difficult to move around." Lee raised an eyebrow. "Unless you'd like to bring Kenta and Marine Angemon?"
"NO!!" Ruki said, shaking her head rapidly. "I want my sanity intact!"
"So I'm the best candidate," Lee reasoned.
"But, Lee-kun," Juri said thoughtfully. "What if Devimon attacks while you and Ruki are away? With Takato-kun sick, we've only got Hirokazu-kun and Kenta-kun."
"She's right, Jen," Ruki agreed. "We need someone like you to stay behind and keep an eye on things."
"We can't let you go alone!" Jen said, aghast.
"Then I'll go with her." The Tamers looked up to see Impmon standing on the wall, looking down at them.
"You?" Ruki asked.
Impmon snorted. "Yeah, me. Is there a problem with that?"
Renamon appeared behind Ruki. "Impmon would be easier to hide than any of the others." Ruki fell silent, thinking.
"Okay." The girl turned to her two friends. "Jen, Juri, the two of you stay here in case something happens. Impmon, Renamon and I will go help Ryo."
"I don't like letting you go on your own," Lee told her. "But you're right. If you need any back-up, let us know IMMEDIATELY."
Ruki grinned, giving the boy a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I will." The redhead spoke to Impmon and Renamon. "Let's go!"
"Lee-kun," Juri said as they disappeared in the direction of the nearest train station. "Do you think they'll be okay?"
"I hope so." The blue-black haired boy cupped his chin thoughfully. "Come on, we'd better let the others know." Juri nodded, and the two Tamers began walking back to the Matsuda Bakery.
**************
Ryo panted as he leaned against a wall. "Do you think we lost them?" he asked Monodramon, his breath coming in short bursts.
"Not sure," his partner replied. "Is this far away enough yet?"
"I guess so," Ryo said, looking around. The two had not stopped running until they managed to find a good-sized field that Ryo hoped would provide plenty of space for a battle if it came to it. "After all that chaos those two were causing I guess most people would've run by now."
"A pity you were not among them."
Ryo yelped then looked up to see Vamdemon hovering in the air, smiling down at him. "Vamdemon!"
"Hello, old friend." Vamdemon slowly lowered himself to the ground, his eyes never leaving Ryo's face. "I've been waiting for this moment for sometime..."
"What are you talking about?" the teenage boy asked. "I've never met you in my life!"
"Lying won't do you any good, boy!" Vamdemon hissed. "Now I'll carry out my promise!" His teeth glittered in the fading sunlight. "I'll cut off your head and dedicate it to Millenniumon!"
"Millenniumon?" Ryo repeated. "Who's that?"
"!" Vamdemon actually took a step back, surprise and shock on his face. "You...you actually forgot about Millenniumon?!"
Ryo's puzzled expression told him the answer. "I...think you have me confused with someone else."
Vamdemon glared at the boy. Then he began laughing. "Clever, Ryo, clever!" He smiled at the boy, almost impressed. "I never thought you would be capable of such a convincing deception! I almost believed you had no idea what I was talking about!"
"But I don't..."
Vamdemon's laughter finally died down. "Ah...I needed a good laugh." The smile still plastered on his face, the Perfect took a step towards Ryo, causing Monodramon to move in front of his partner protectively. "But I'm afraid it's time to die..."
****************
Devimon watched silently from above, thinking. "..." His mind flashed back to when he first met Ryo...
****************
File Island, not so long ago...
Devimon stalked through his temple, his eyes closed in thought. His Black Gears had warned him a boy accompanied by Agumon, one of the Chosen Digimon, was approaching. Agumon had been the only one to escape when the Chosen had been totally crushed by the overwhelming dark power of the Evil Digital God Millenniumon. Even the combined power of the Crests that had been the downfall of Vamdemon, the Dark Masters and Apocalymon had failed to scratch the Dark God.
Devimon looked up at a crystal that hovered at the centre of his temple. Inside, he could make out the shapes of the Chosen Children of Knowledge and Purity as they and their partners tried to break out of their crystalline prison. For some reason known only to himself, Millenniumon had divided the Chosen up amongst the revived Dark Digimon. The Chosen of Knowledge and Purity had been entrusted to him, while Etemon guarded the Chosen Children of Love and Hope. Vamdemon held the Chosen of Friendship, Faith and Light hostage, while Millenniumon himself imprisoned the leader of the Chosen Children, the Chosen of Courage.
"Ogremon." A green-skinned Digimon with a huge gaping maw lined with giant teeth walked out of the shadows and kneeled before the Dark Digimon. "Take Andromon and Unimon. Slay the boy and the Digimon with him." Ogremon nodded and signalled to the other two Digimon, the three of them marching out of the temple to meet Ryo and his friends on the way.
**************
Devimon scoffed. "I should have killed him myself..." he said bitterly, remembering what happened. Not only had Ogremon and the other tow failed to kill Ryo, they had actually JOINED him! Against such overwhelming odds, Devimon appeared and battled them personally, having the satisfaction of at least giving them a hard battle before he was finally defeated and cast into the Dark Area once more.
The Dark Messenger looked down at the scene below, where Monodramon had engaged Vamdemon. "...Odd..." The little purple Child was giving Vamdemon a surprisingly hard time, weaving and dodging the Perfect's attacks and countering with kicks, punches and the occasional bite. Devimon's eyes saw something else though. "That dragon...something is strange about him..." The demonic Adult shook his head. "No matter. Time to end this!"
**************
Ryo was worried. He knew Monodramon was a powerful Digimon, even as a Child, but battling a Perfect was out of the question. "Time to even the odds," he said to himself, reaching down to his side. His eyes blinked as his hand closed on empty air. "Uh oh."
Meanwhile, on a table in his room back at the Akiyama house, a blue and silver D-Ark glinted in the evening light.
**************
As the Shinkansen bullet train flew over the tracks, Ruki sat silently in her seat, staring out the window. "Renamon."
Renamon answered, though without revealing herself. "Yes, Ruki?"
"Do you think we'll get there in time?"
Ruki felt, rather than saw the frown on Renamon's face. "I...I cannot say," her partner replied. "We can only hope Ryo-san can hold on until we get there."
Ruki nodded, going back to staring out the window, watching as the sun began disappearing over the horizon. "I guess you're right..."
**************
"Bloody Stream!" Monodramon leapt into the air, avoiding the attack as it struck the ground, causing a huge explosion.
Kicking himself off the wall, the purple dragon yelled out, "Beat Knuckle!". Punching Vamdemon in the nose, Monodramon leapt back. "Ryo! Why don't you use any of your cards!"
"I left my D-Ark behind!"
"WHAT?!" Monodramon glanced at his partner over his shoulder.
"D-Ark?" rasped a voice from above.
Ryo took a step back, his eyes wide with surprise. "...you're..."
"Devimon," the black-clad humanoid Digimon said, landing with a sweeping bow. "At your service."
"..." Ryo felt his pockets, looking for something, anything to defend himself. As he did, he took step after step back as Devimon walked toward him.
"Ryo!" Monodramon yelled, leaping at Devimon.
"Night Raid!" Monodramon yelled with pain as the swarm of bats hit, hurling him through the wall that ringed the field. Vamdemon smiled cruelly as he stalked across the field. "Never turn your back on your opponent, little dragon," he smirked. "Especially when your opponent is someone like me!" The Dark Aristocrat fixed his gaze on Ryo. "And now it's your turn, Ryo."
Ryo stepped back, his fingers wrapping around the switchblade he had brought with him to the Digital World. "..." He steeled himself as the two Dark Digimon drew closer. 'If I'm lucky, maybe I can blind one of them...'
**************
The sun had completely set by the time Ruki stepped off the train. "Let's see..." she muttered as she ran out of the station. "Ryo lives..."
"Ruki," Renamon called silently.
"Renamon?" Ruki replied in her mind. "What is it?"
"Up ahead. There are a lot of people gathering."
"I see them." The girl ran up to where she could see a huge crowd, and the numerous flashing lights of police cars. "What happened?" she asked a by-stander.
"Some monsters were running around blasting things," the man told her.
Ruki glanced to the side, but there were too many people in the way. "Was anyone hurt?"
The man thought for a moment. "Well, I don't know for sure. I just got here myself."
"Thanks." Ruki slowly made her way through the crowd. "Renamon," she whispered. "Do you see anything?"
**************
Renamon meanwhile was perched on a nearby building. "The lights are interfering with my vision. Impmon went ahead to check."
"Talking to your Tamer?" Impmon said as he climbed onto the roof.
"Did you find anything?" the fox asked, ignoring his question.
"Yeah," the bandana-wearing Child replied. "I think we're too late."
"What do you mean, 'Too late'?" Renamon asked.
**************
Ruki pushed her way through the crowd, finally reaching the police line. She gasped, her face pale with horror. The police had cordoned off a field of some sort which was covered with craters and smoking rubble. One of the walls had gashes ripped through it, with one or two large holes. The thing that horrified her was that nearby one of the holes was a large circular crater on the wall, like someone's head had been smashed into it.
"Oh...no..." she whispered, as her eyes focused on the blood around the crater and where it made a trail to the ground, as if something had slumped down. Fear clutched her heart as she looked around, but there was nothing else other than the police officers searching the area. Then, she noticed one of them pick something up. It was a bloodstained pocket knife, one that looked chillingly familiar. "Ryo..."
Reviews, comments, suggestions and criticisms (constructive or otherwise) are welcome and can be sent to Withoutmorals@antisocial.com
Author's notes: After some consideration, I've decided to use the Japanese levels, since I'm already using the Japanese names, cards and attacks anyway. Therefore:
Digimon Levels:
Child : Rookie
Adult : Champion
Perfect : Ultimate
Ultimate: Mega
Author's notes: ********* means a scene change.
Digimon Tamers: Dark Wing
Clash of three Dark Digimon! Akiyama Ryo in danger!
Disclaimer: Digimon Tamers and related elements are registered trademarks of Toei, Bandai and their respective owners and are used without permission.
"Ryo?!" Ruki cried as the line went dead. "Ryo?! What happened?! Ryo!"
"What happened?" Takato asked worriedly, trying to sit up.
Ruki slowly lowered the phone. "I...I think we're too late..."
"What?" Hirokazu said in disbelief. "You mean..."
"Vamdemon is already there..."
**************
Ryo coughed as he ran through the dust and rubble caused by Vamdemon's attack. "If I'd been any slower..." he gulped, looking over his shoulder at the huge gaping hole in the wall he'd been standing before seconds ago. Fortunately for him, months in the Digital World had helped hone his reflexes, otherwise he would never have been able to dodge Vamdemon in time. As it were, the Perfect stood in the corridor, straining to see if he had hit his target. Looking down, Ryo realised he was still holding the telephone receiver, the severed wire hanging down uselessly. "..." Keeping low, he tossed it away from him, watching as Vamdemon's head snapped in the direction of the noise. Seeing his chance, the boy ran past the surprised vampire and fled into the kitchen.
"Death Claw!" Ryo ran through the door to see Devimon and Monodramon clashing in a whirlwind of violence, both hurling attacks and trying to find a weak spot in their opponent's defense.
"Crack Bite!" Monodramon's jaws clamped shut, barely missing Devimon's hand as he pulled it back. The Dark Digimon swiped at the small purple dragon, who ducked and yelled out "Beat Knuckle!" Suddenly speeding up, Monodramon launched himself forward, his fist striking Devimon's chest and sending him crashing into the dinner table.
"Monodramon!" Ryo called, running over.
"Ryo!" Monodramon chirped happily. "Are you okay? I heard an explosion!"
"That would be me, little dragon," Vamdemon said, appearing behind Ryo. who scrambled away.
"Come on!" the Tamer said, scooping up his partner in his arms. "I think it's time we made ourselves scarce!"
"You aren't going anywhere!" Vamdemon roared. "Night Raid!"
Ryo gritted his teeth as the horde of bats zipped through the now-devastated kitchen on the way to him. Moving quickly, he made a running jump, smashing through the window in a cresendo of broken glass. Rolling to cushion the impact of hitting the ground, the spiky-haired boy continued moving, clutching Monodramon protectively to his chest.
The small purple dragon squirmed, trying to get free. "Let me go!" he growled. "I can fight them!"
"Not now, you can't!" Ryo told him as he ran through the streets, trying to lose Vamdemon and Devimon. "If we fight here, someone'll get hurt!"
"But if I don't, WE'LL be hurt!" Monodramon pointed out.
"We'll just have to risk it!" Ryo replied, not even slowing down as he fled through the street, pushing his way past people who had come out of their houses to see what the noise was about. "We need to find some place where we can fight back without hurting anyone by accident!"
**************
Devimon rose to his feet, kicking away the splintered remains of the table. "You missed?" he said to Vamdemon.
"I had forgotten how resourceful he is," Vamdemon admitted. "But he only delays the inevitable. Besides," the lordly Digimon smiled. "it's been a long time since I've had a good hunt."
Devimon snorted. "We shouldn't waste time like that. Ryo is too much of a threat to treat with such disdain."
The other Digimon's smile grew wider. "Ah, but this time there aren't any Chosen or Digimon to aid him, except that strange dragon creature. There is no risk involved." Raising his hand, the Dark Aristocrat blasted a wall, sending dust and broken glass through the air, making the spectators who had gathered flee in a panic. He walked to the hole and stepped out of the house, looking up at the darkening sky. "It's so relaxing to hunt at night..." he mused.
"Do whatever you want," Devimon said, walking up beside him. "I still think we should finish him quickly."
"How about this then," Vamdemon suggested, glancing at the slightly shorter Dark Digimon. "If I find him first, I get to...play around with him before the deathblow. If you find him first, you can just kill him."
Devimon's lips curled into a sneer. "As you wish." Without another word, the two Dark Digimon flew off into the evening sky.
**************
"The Messenger is moving rapidly through the Real World," Zhuqiaomon noted from his pedestal. "I cannot discern what he is planning."
"Is there no pattern to his chaos?" Baihumon asked.
Zhuqiaomon shook his head. "None I can sense. He seems to be moving completely at random."
Qinglongmon shifted, peering quizically at the other Holy Beasts. "The Messenger never does anything without a reason." The giant blue dragon's four eyes narrowed. "We must find out what that reason is!"
"Until he makes his move," Xuanwumon told the others, "all we can do is watch...and wait."
**************
"Ruki!" Juri called. Ruki turned to see her friend running down the street to cathc up to her. "What are you going to do?"
"What else?" Ruki said, turning away. "I'm going to Fukuoka."
"But..."
Ruki fixed Juri with a glare that would have made a Deva cringe. "But what?"
"You're not going alone." Juri folded her arms and glared back. Ruki raised an eyebrow.
'I never thought I'd see Juri glare like that.' The redhead smiled to herself. 'I guess I'm finally rubbing off on her.' Out loud, she said, "Are you offer to come along? Fukuoka isn't exactly nearby."
"If you can go, I can go," Juri told her. "Just give me a few minutes to get Leomon."
"That's a problem," Lee interrupted. Both girls looked to see the olive-skinned boy coming. "Leomon won't be able to move about in public without causing some sort of panic. We need to someone whose Digimon can move without being seen."
"That's Renamon," Ruki said with a hint of pride.
"True. Leomon would kind of stand out, Katou-san," Lee nodded. "That's why Terriermon and I will go."
"I don't need a baby sitter, Jen," Ruki growled.
"Well, Takato's in no condition to move, Guardromon's out of the question and Leomon would be difficult to move around." Lee raised an eyebrow. "Unless you'd like to bring Kenta and Marine Angemon?"
"NO!!" Ruki said, shaking her head rapidly. "I want my sanity intact!"
"So I'm the best candidate," Lee reasoned.
"But, Lee-kun," Juri said thoughtfully. "What if Devimon attacks while you and Ruki are away? With Takato-kun sick, we've only got Hirokazu-kun and Kenta-kun."
"She's right, Jen," Ruki agreed. "We need someone like you to stay behind and keep an eye on things."
"We can't let you go alone!" Jen said, aghast.
"Then I'll go with her." The Tamers looked up to see Impmon standing on the wall, looking down at them.
"You?" Ruki asked.
Impmon snorted. "Yeah, me. Is there a problem with that?"
Renamon appeared behind Ruki. "Impmon would be easier to hide than any of the others." Ruki fell silent, thinking.
"Okay." The girl turned to her two friends. "Jen, Juri, the two of you stay here in case something happens. Impmon, Renamon and I will go help Ryo."
"I don't like letting you go on your own," Lee told her. "But you're right. If you need any back-up, let us know IMMEDIATELY."
Ruki grinned, giving the boy a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I will." The redhead spoke to Impmon and Renamon. "Let's go!"
"Lee-kun," Juri said as they disappeared in the direction of the nearest train station. "Do you think they'll be okay?"
"I hope so." The blue-black haired boy cupped his chin thoughfully. "Come on, we'd better let the others know." Juri nodded, and the two Tamers began walking back to the Matsuda Bakery.
**************
Ryo panted as he leaned against a wall. "Do you think we lost them?" he asked Monodramon, his breath coming in short bursts.
"Not sure," his partner replied. "Is this far away enough yet?"
"I guess so," Ryo said, looking around. The two had not stopped running until they managed to find a good-sized field that Ryo hoped would provide plenty of space for a battle if it came to it. "After all that chaos those two were causing I guess most people would've run by now."
"A pity you were not among them."
Ryo yelped then looked up to see Vamdemon hovering in the air, smiling down at him. "Vamdemon!"
"Hello, old friend." Vamdemon slowly lowered himself to the ground, his eyes never leaving Ryo's face. "I've been waiting for this moment for sometime..."
"What are you talking about?" the teenage boy asked. "I've never met you in my life!"
"Lying won't do you any good, boy!" Vamdemon hissed. "Now I'll carry out my promise!" His teeth glittered in the fading sunlight. "I'll cut off your head and dedicate it to Millenniumon!"
"Millenniumon?" Ryo repeated. "Who's that?"
"!" Vamdemon actually took a step back, surprise and shock on his face. "You...you actually forgot about Millenniumon?!"
Ryo's puzzled expression told him the answer. "I...think you have me confused with someone else."
Vamdemon glared at the boy. Then he began laughing. "Clever, Ryo, clever!" He smiled at the boy, almost impressed. "I never thought you would be capable of such a convincing deception! I almost believed you had no idea what I was talking about!"
"But I don't..."
Vamdemon's laughter finally died down. "Ah...I needed a good laugh." The smile still plastered on his face, the Perfect took a step towards Ryo, causing Monodramon to move in front of his partner protectively. "But I'm afraid it's time to die..."
****************
Devimon watched silently from above, thinking. "..." His mind flashed back to when he first met Ryo...
****************
File Island, not so long ago...
Devimon stalked through his temple, his eyes closed in thought. His Black Gears had warned him a boy accompanied by Agumon, one of the Chosen Digimon, was approaching. Agumon had been the only one to escape when the Chosen had been totally crushed by the overwhelming dark power of the Evil Digital God Millenniumon. Even the combined power of the Crests that had been the downfall of Vamdemon, the Dark Masters and Apocalymon had failed to scratch the Dark God.
Devimon looked up at a crystal that hovered at the centre of his temple. Inside, he could make out the shapes of the Chosen Children of Knowledge and Purity as they and their partners tried to break out of their crystalline prison. For some reason known only to himself, Millenniumon had divided the Chosen up amongst the revived Dark Digimon. The Chosen of Knowledge and Purity had been entrusted to him, while Etemon guarded the Chosen Children of Love and Hope. Vamdemon held the Chosen of Friendship, Faith and Light hostage, while Millenniumon himself imprisoned the leader of the Chosen Children, the Chosen of Courage.
"Ogremon." A green-skinned Digimon with a huge gaping maw lined with giant teeth walked out of the shadows and kneeled before the Dark Digimon. "Take Andromon and Unimon. Slay the boy and the Digimon with him." Ogremon nodded and signalled to the other two Digimon, the three of them marching out of the temple to meet Ryo and his friends on the way.
**************
Devimon scoffed. "I should have killed him myself..." he said bitterly, remembering what happened. Not only had Ogremon and the other tow failed to kill Ryo, they had actually JOINED him! Against such overwhelming odds, Devimon appeared and battled them personally, having the satisfaction of at least giving them a hard battle before he was finally defeated and cast into the Dark Area once more.
The Dark Messenger looked down at the scene below, where Monodramon had engaged Vamdemon. "...Odd..." The little purple Child was giving Vamdemon a surprisingly hard time, weaving and dodging the Perfect's attacks and countering with kicks, punches and the occasional bite. Devimon's eyes saw something else though. "That dragon...something is strange about him..." The demonic Adult shook his head. "No matter. Time to end this!"
**************
Ryo was worried. He knew Monodramon was a powerful Digimon, even as a Child, but battling a Perfect was out of the question. "Time to even the odds," he said to himself, reaching down to his side. His eyes blinked as his hand closed on empty air. "Uh oh."
Meanwhile, on a table in his room back at the Akiyama house, a blue and silver D-Ark glinted in the evening light.
**************
As the Shinkansen bullet train flew over the tracks, Ruki sat silently in her seat, staring out the window. "Renamon."
Renamon answered, though without revealing herself. "Yes, Ruki?"
"Do you think we'll get there in time?"
Ruki felt, rather than saw the frown on Renamon's face. "I...I cannot say," her partner replied. "We can only hope Ryo-san can hold on until we get there."
Ruki nodded, going back to staring out the window, watching as the sun began disappearing over the horizon. "I guess you're right..."
**************
"Bloody Stream!" Monodramon leapt into the air, avoiding the attack as it struck the ground, causing a huge explosion.
Kicking himself off the wall, the purple dragon yelled out, "Beat Knuckle!". Punching Vamdemon in the nose, Monodramon leapt back. "Ryo! Why don't you use any of your cards!"
"I left my D-Ark behind!"
"WHAT?!" Monodramon glanced at his partner over his shoulder.
"D-Ark?" rasped a voice from above.
Ryo took a step back, his eyes wide with surprise. "...you're..."
"Devimon," the black-clad humanoid Digimon said, landing with a sweeping bow. "At your service."
"..." Ryo felt his pockets, looking for something, anything to defend himself. As he did, he took step after step back as Devimon walked toward him.
"Ryo!" Monodramon yelled, leaping at Devimon.
"Night Raid!" Monodramon yelled with pain as the swarm of bats hit, hurling him through the wall that ringed the field. Vamdemon smiled cruelly as he stalked across the field. "Never turn your back on your opponent, little dragon," he smirked. "Especially when your opponent is someone like me!" The Dark Aristocrat fixed his gaze on Ryo. "And now it's your turn, Ryo."
Ryo stepped back, his fingers wrapping around the switchblade he had brought with him to the Digital World. "..." He steeled himself as the two Dark Digimon drew closer. 'If I'm lucky, maybe I can blind one of them...'
**************
The sun had completely set by the time Ruki stepped off the train. "Let's see..." she muttered as she ran out of the station. "Ryo lives..."
"Ruki," Renamon called silently.
"Renamon?" Ruki replied in her mind. "What is it?"
"Up ahead. There are a lot of people gathering."
"I see them." The girl ran up to where she could see a huge crowd, and the numerous flashing lights of police cars. "What happened?" she asked a by-stander.
"Some monsters were running around blasting things," the man told her.
Ruki glanced to the side, but there were too many people in the way. "Was anyone hurt?"
The man thought for a moment. "Well, I don't know for sure. I just got here myself."
"Thanks." Ruki slowly made her way through the crowd. "Renamon," she whispered. "Do you see anything?"
**************
Renamon meanwhile was perched on a nearby building. "The lights are interfering with my vision. Impmon went ahead to check."
"Talking to your Tamer?" Impmon said as he climbed onto the roof.
"Did you find anything?" the fox asked, ignoring his question.
"Yeah," the bandana-wearing Child replied. "I think we're too late."
"What do you mean, 'Too late'?" Renamon asked.
**************
Ruki pushed her way through the crowd, finally reaching the police line. She gasped, her face pale with horror. The police had cordoned off a field of some sort which was covered with craters and smoking rubble. One of the walls had gashes ripped through it, with one or two large holes. The thing that horrified her was that nearby one of the holes was a large circular crater on the wall, like someone's head had been smashed into it.
"Oh...no..." she whispered, as her eyes focused on the blood around the crater and where it made a trail to the ground, as if something had slumped down. Fear clutched her heart as she looked around, but there was nothing else other than the police officers searching the area. Then, she noticed one of them pick something up. It was a bloodstained pocket knife, one that looked chillingly familiar. "Ryo..."
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