Author's notes: *grin* Feeling much better now.
Digimon Levels:
Child : Rookie
Adult : Champion
Perfect : Ultimate
Ultimate: Mega
Also, the term 'Biomerge' does not exist in my vocabulary. In the Japanese original, the one I base Dark Wing on, to evolve to Ultimate/ Mega they just say 'Matrix Evolution', except they don't have to slash a card.
Author's notes: ********* means a scene change.
Digimon Tamers: Dark Wing
Howl of the Behemoth! Beelzebumon!
Disclaimer: Digimon Tamers and related elements are registered trademarks of Toei, Bandai and their respective owners and are used without permission.
Shuichon gasped as Piemon threw a sword at her. Antiramon screamed in Metal Seadramon's grasp. Then, just before the sword hit, Alice suddenly leapt in front of her, wrapping her arms around the younger girl protectively, using herself as a shield.
A dull thunk echoed through the air, and Shuichon screamed. She slowly opened her eyes, realising she had shut them instinctively. The girl was reluctant to look, afraid that she would see Alice impaled on the sword. Instead, the girl was still hugging her but was looking over her shoulder at something. Piemon's sword was inches away from her, held in the air by what looked like a floating head shaped like that of a large dog's. "Wha-wha?" the little girl whispered. "A g-ghost?"
Alice didn't seem afraid, just surprised. "D-Dobermon?!" she gasped.
The floating dog's head still the sword between its jaws. "I will not let anything happen to Alice!" it growled as spat the sword out.
"I don't know what you are," Piemon spat angrily. "But I'll send you to Hell!"
"Don't forget about me!" Mummymon yelled, hurling Piemon's sword back at him.
The clown growled angrily as he caught the blade between his fingers. "No more games!" He turned to the other Dark Masters. "Kill them all!"
"Mugen Cannon!" MugenDramon roared, his cannons moving into firing position.
"No, you don't!" HiAndromon yelled, bringing his hands up, palms pointing at the huge mechanical dragon. Energy gathered in the air as his hands entered his arms, transforming into cannons. "Atomic Laser!" The black humanoid Digimon fired a crimson energy beam at MugenDramon, knocking him back and making his blast go wide.
"Ghh!" growled Metal Seadramon as he watched his fellow Dark Master stagger. "Looks like I'll have to go help." He looked down at Antiramon, who struggled to get free of his coils. "But first I'd better finish you off!"
"Aagghh!" gasped the former Deva as the Dark Master began increasing pressure to squeeze the life out of him. The rabbit-like Digimon flexed his muscles, trying to break free.
"Antiramon!" Shuichon cried. She held out her D-Ark, taking out a single card. "Card Surrashu!" She slid the card through the D-Ark, calling out, "Queen Device!"
"Eh?" Metal Seadramon glanced down at Antiramon as the Perfect became covered in a pinkish light. "What in the world?"
"Kyaaaah!" Antiramon screamed, suddenly breaking free of the Dark Master's coils.
"Agh!" the golden serpent yelled. "How?"
"Never underestimate the power of a Digimon and his partner," Antiramon told the larger Digimon as his hands morphed into axes. "Ashvatotabara!"
"Arhhh!" roared Matel Seadramon as the empowered Perfect's attack slashed through his armour. "You little insect!" Energy began charging around his nose cannon. "Ultimate Strea-!"
"Spider Thread!" Archnemon dived down from a building, webbing from her hands wrapping around Metal Seadramon's eyes.
"Archnemon!" Muumymon turned to his love, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Pay attention, idiot!" Archnemon screamed at him. "Fight first, mush later!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the mummy nodded, turning back to an enraged Piemon.
"No one turns their back on me!" the Dark Master roared, drawing his swords.
Mummymon didn't reply, instead raising his energy rifle and firing at him. Meanwhile, HiAndromon was doing his best to hold off Pinnochimon and MugenDramon, while Culumon stood protectively in front of Masahiko, Alice and Shuichon. "Bullet Hammer!" Pinnochimon yelled, swinging his mallet. As he did, six huge bullets shot out of it, aimed at HiAndromon, Culumon and the Tamers.
"Watch out!" Hirokazu yelled as HiAndromon moved to deflect the bullets.
"Protect!" Culumon cried, the triangle on his forehead glowing as a crimson force field materialised around them.
"So..." MugenDramon growled as Pinnochimon's bullets bounced off the shield. "You are the one who deflected my Mugen Cannons." His cannons moved into firing position as he took aim. "You stopped a blast over a long distance. Let us see if you can survive one at close range!"
"Culumon," HiAndromon said. "Drop your shield!"
"What?" Alice gasped. "Are you insane?"
"Trust me!" Culumon nodded and let his shield drop. HiAndromon charged forward, yelling out, "Copy Paste!" His outline became blurry and suddenly the others were blinded by a brilliant flash of light. When it receded, two identical figures stood in his place. "Copy Paste!" both HiAndromons yelled.
"Wha-what's happening?" Pinnochimon blurted out as the four HiAndromons used another Copy Paste. "What's he doing?"
"Four Ultimates against one Ultimate, two Perfects and Culumon just isn't fair," replied the HiAndromons in unision. "We're just evening the score!" The eight HiAndromons reached out at the Dark Masters, their arms transforming into cannons. "Atomic Laser!"
"Ahh!" Mummymon yelped as a blast barely missed him as he leapt away from Piemon. "Watch it!"
Antiramon disengaged form his battle with Metal Seadramon, leaping gracefully over the cybernetic sea serpent and landing beside Shuichon just as the HiAndromons' attack struck the Ultimate, driving him back. "Shuichon, are you all right?"
"I'm okay," Shuichon replied, looking up at her partner. "How about you, Antiramon?"
"I'm a little tired," the former Deva admitted as he tried to catch his breath. "But I'll be fine."
"Good," the little girl said, fixing him with a worried look. "I was so, so worried about you!"
"..." Antiramon grinned internally. Though the Devas had been somewhat close, to the extent he had mourned their deaths, he had never felt anywhere near as much affection as he did for Shuichon. "Thank you, Shucihon."
Meanwhile, the Dark Masters were staggering as they were mercilessly blasted by the HiAndromon barrage. MugenDramon growled angrily as he tried to stay on his feet. "Mugen Cannon!" he roared, firing at the ground in front of them.
"Uhh!" The counterattack had the desired effect, knocking the HiAndromons off their feet. Seven of them faded away, leaving behind the real HiAndromon dazed on the ground. "Urrrghhh..." the black armoured Ultimate moaned as he tried to rise.
"Guardromon, are you okay?" Hirokazu asked, sensing his partner's exhaustion.
"I'm...not...finished yet!" Guardromon's voice echoed through the data sphere Hirokazu was floating in. "Not...by a long shot!"
"Hirokazu-kun!" Shuichon cried as MugenDramon moved towards the fallen Ultimate, the sound of his hydraulics echoing through the deserted streets as he drew closer. Antiramon charged forward, his axe-hands ready. He prepared to leap into the air, but suddenly he was struck by a ball of condensed air and thrown back a good distance, crashing into a group of wrecked vehicles. "Antiramon!" Shuichon cried as the tall, humanoid rabbit rose to his feet then collapsed to his knees.
Piemon smirked, bringing his hands down from using his Clown Trick technique. "Finish it, MugenDramon!"
The mechanical dragon nodded as he stood over HiAndromon, who, despite exhausting himself with his abortive Copy Paste attack, tried heroically to get up and defend himself. However, just as he had gathered enough strength to rise, MugenDramon brought his foot down on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Hirokazu cursed. "Guardromon! We have to get up! Shuichon, Culumon and the others need us!"
"I hear that!" HiAndromon replied as he put his hands against MugenDramon's foot, trying to push the larger Digimon off. "No...good!" he told his partner. "Not enough...energy!"
"Chikuso!" Hirokazu swore as he felt HiAndromon's strength ebb away. "We can't give up!" Taking a breath, he reached out, adding his strength to HiAndromon's.
As the two cyborgs engaged in a battle of strength, Mummymon and Archnemon attacked, trying to help. However, Pinnochimon leapt into the way. "Hold it!" he said. "You'll have to get through me first!" He began swinging his hammer, grinning. "Let the games begin!"
"Playtime's over!" yelled a voice. Pinnochimon looked up as two missiles flew through the air.
"Hey!" he yelled as leapt back, just as the missiles exploded in the spot he was just standing on. "No fair! I was just getting started!"
Rapidmon hovered in the air, his hands pointed at the puppet. "Rapid Fire!" He launched more missiles, forcing the Ultimate to fall back.
"Shuichon!" Shuichon turned and saw her brother run towards her, followed by Takato, Ruki, Juri and Kenta. Leomon and Digmon ran beside them as Megalo Growmon, Fladramon, Holsmon and Taomon flew above them. Lee came to a halt, panting. "Shuichon," he gasped as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"
Shuichon shook her head. "No, but we have to help Antiramon and Hirokazu-kun!"
"Hirokazu?" Takato repeated. "Where?"
"Over there!" Shuichon said, pointing at HiAndromon, who was slowly weakening.
"Wow," Takato murmured, checking his D-Ark. "HiAndromon. Hirokazu and Guardromon must have Matrix Evolved!"
"This is not the time to complement them!" Ruki told the boy as Taomon leapt over her.
"Right!" Takato agreed. "Megalo Growmon!"
Taomon drew her huge brush as Megalo Growmon charged his chest cannons. "Atomic Blaster!" "Buddhist Brush Brandish!"
MugenDramon recoiled in surprise as a symbol appeared on his face, burning him. As he did so, Megalo Growmon's blasts struck him while he was off-balance. "Now!" HiAndromon yelled as he unleashed a surge of strength, throwing MugenDramon's foot off him. As the Dark Master tried to regain his footing, Rapidmon power dived him, succeeding in toppling him to the ground.
"Pile on them!" Hirokazu yelled. "They're weakened!"
"You heard him!" Takato told the others. "Attack!"
"Atomic Laser!" "Buddhist Brush Brandish!" "Rapid Fire!" "Fist of the Beast King!" "Knuckle Fire!" "Big Cracker!" "Mach impulse!" "Atomic Laser!" MugenDramon fell back under the barrage. Piemon brought his hands up, preparing to counterattack as he avoided the attacks.
"Piemon," Metal Seadramon growled. "We have to pull back!"
"What?" exclaimed the masked Dark Master, looking up at his comrade. "And flee from battle?"
"We must have suffered more damage than we thought from the humans' weapon," the serpent told him. "We can't win under these conditions!"
"Auugh!" Pinnochimon yelled as one of Taomon's symbols appeared on his arm, the burning pain forcing him to drop his hammer and clutch at the wound.
"Withdrawl is advisable," MugenDramon intoned as he moved in front of his fellow Dark Masters, taking most of the blasts as he used his size to protect them.
"Piemon!" Metal Seadramon begged.
The clown-like Dark Master fell silent. "Grrrhhh!" he growled. "Let's go!" He leapt onto MugenDramon's head, calling to the Tamers. "You win this round, Tamers!" he told them. "But when we meet again, it will be your end!" He brought his hands together. "Clown Trick!" A bright flash of light blinded the Tamers and as they tried to clear their vision, MugenDramon suddenly fell apart.
"Get on," the gigantic dragon told the others as his head hovered in the air. "This is the fastest way back to Devimon's temple."
"Not the most comfortable way to travel..." Piemon commented as he settled himself on MugenDramon's Metal Greymon arm.
Metal Seadramon coiled himself around MugenDramon's main body, then wrapped his tail around the injured Pinnochimon, who yelped in protest. "Hey, let me go!" he whined. "I can take them!"
"Shut up, runt!" Metal Seadramon growled at him. "We're getting out of here before you get us deleted!" He swiveled his serpentine head to face MugenDramon's floating visage. "Ready!"
"No, you don't!" Hirokazu yelled. "HiAndromon!"
"Atomic..."
"Booster Claw!" MugenDramon's spike arm turned and launched itself at him, forcing him to abandon his attack and leap to safety.
"Until next time, Tamers!" Piemon laughed as MugenDramon's parts flew off, leaving the Tamers and their Digimon behind.
"Let's go after them!" Hirokazu yelled.
HiAndromon started running, then suddenly stumbled and fell face-first onto the ground. "Auugh!"
"Hey!" Takato and the others ran up to him and helped him up. "Are you okay?"
"I...must've used up too much strength..." HiAndromon said. He looked at his hands in surprise as he began glowing. "Huh?"
"Owww!" Hirokazu yelped as he suddenly dropped out of HiAndromon's glowing form, landing on his behind. "HiAndromon, you okay?"
The light receded and Guardromon stood in HiAndromon's place. "I'm all right. I just devolved."
"Hey, Hirokazu," Kenta said to his friend, helping him up. "How'd you manage to get Guardromon to evolve?"
"That would've been my doing," Mummymon told him.
"We can talk about it inside," Lee told them. "We could all use a rest."
"Wait!" Fladramon said. "What about Ryo?"
Holsmon nodded in agreement. "BlackWarGreymon is still missing too."
"None of us are in any condition to do any more fighting for today," Lee reasoned with them. "We're no good to anyone if we get killed."
"He has a point," Oikawa agreed. "Your Digimon are exhausted."
Takato looked to Megalo Growmon, who had devolved into Guilmon already. "I...guess he's right..." He walked over to Guilmon, who sat on the ground with his tongue hanging out, panting. "Sorry, Guilmon. I didn't realise you were so tired."
"I'm okay, Takato!" the dinosaur-like Digimon told his partner. "Let's go help Ryo and Cyberdramon."
"Rrrrraaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhh!" A terrifying scream echoed through the city, making the Tamers and their allies whirl around in fear, looking for the source.
"Look!" Ruki cried, pointing towards the battle-ravaged part of Shinjuku. Cyberdramon towered over the buildings, his hands clenched.
"Ryo-san must've used King Device," Takato deduced.
The others nodded as the raging giant began moving.
**************
Ryo lowered his hands, one holding his D-Ark, the other his King Device card. Cyberdramon, though powerful, had been losing ground against Marine Devimon and Lady Devimon's combined might. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," the Tamer had said to himself as he slashed the card. Now, Marine Devimon and Lady Devimon backed off, intimidated by the cyborg's sudden size increase.
"Wha...what?" Marine Devimon whispered. "How did he get so huge?"
"Don't worry about that now," Lady Devimon scolded. "Worry about what he's going to do!"
Cyberdramon growled as he looked down at them. Suddenly, his fist flew down at them. The impact shattered the ground, sending broken pieces of gravel and tarred street flying through the air. The two Demon Corps members were knocked away, crashing back on to the ground, stunned. As Cyberdramon stalked towards them, eager to finish the job, they tried to get to their feet. Lady Devimon brought her hands together. "Darkness Flare!" She spread her arms sending a swarm of flame bats at the approaching giant. They exploded on his chest, but if they did any damage, Cyberdramon showed no sign of it. "What kind of monster is he?"
"Guilty Black!" A large ball of solidified darkness fired out of the diving meter on Marine Devimon's chest. As it bounced off Cyberdramon's armoured chest, Marine Devimon growled angrily and gritted his teeth. "Grraaahhh! I can't lose to you!"
"We haven't time for that!" Skull Satamon suddenly appeared in the air before them, the orb at the end of his staff glowing. "Lord Demon has ordered a retreat!"
"Retreat?" Marine Devimon repeated. "But I'm not finished!"
Skull Satamon pointed the tip of his staff at him. "It is not our place to question Lord Demon!" The skeletal Digimon grinned. "Besides, he has a plan I think you will like."
"You won't escape!" Cyberdramon roared, reaching towards them with outstretched claws.
"That's what you think!" Skull Satamon quickly whirled around and aimed at the gigantic cyborg. "Nail Bone!"
"Arrrhhh!" Cyberdramon stumbled as the orb on Skull Satamon's staff flashed, blinding him.
"Haaaah!" Marine Devimon lunged at the stunned Perfect, wrapping his arms and tentacles around his leg. Flexing his muscles, he managed to lift Cyberdramon's foot, causing the dragon to go off-balance. "Now!" Marine Devimon yelled to Lady Devimon. "While he's disoriented!"
Lady Devimon's eyes began glowing as she lifted her claw-tipped hand and moved it in a circle, a mystical symbol appearing in the air as she did so. "Puwazon!" A black flame roared out of the circle, hitting Cyberdramon under his jaw and finally making him lose his balance and crash into a group of buildings behind him, reducing them to rubble. "Hahahahaha!" she laughed, taunting the fallen Digimon. "Some hero! Are you trying to protect this city or help us destroy it?"
"Enough," Skull Satamon told her. "Lord Demon is waiting." The other two demonic Digimon nodded and the three of them disappeared, leaving behind an enraged Cyberdramon.
**************
"What happened out there?" Ruki asked Ryo as the boy and Cyberdramon landed on the roof of the Hypnos building, where they found the Tamers waiting.
"Skull Satamon showed up and helped Marine Devimon and Lady Devimon knock Cyberdramon down." Ryo looked up at his partner, who was seething, his fangs bared and low growls escaping his throat. "Let's not mention it. Cyberdramon is a bit...upset about it."
"You can talk about it later," Reika said, arriving on the roof and joining them. "But for now, you must be exhausted."
Takato yawned, making the woman smile as he blushed. "Sorry," the boy apologised. "I guess I must be more tired than I thought."
"That reminds me," Lee said, turning to Ruki. "How's Renamon? Is she okay?"
"She was pretty tired," Ruki told him. "She's resting."
"Takato," Guilmon moaned, making his partner look down at him with concern. The little red dinosaur sat on the floor, looking forlorn. "I'm so hungry! Don't we have any bread?"
A growl sounded from among the Tamers, making Reika's smile become somewhat smug. "See?" she told them. "You've done enough for one day. Come on, your families are waiting."
**************
Meanwhile, in Devimon's temple...
In a huge chamber, lit by torches which blazed on the walls, Skull Satamon kneeled on the ground, his head bowed as he spoke. "Lord Demon, I beg your forgiveness. We have failed."
Sitting on a massive thorne in front of the Black Gate, Demon waved a hand dismissively. "Do not worry. There will be other chances to redeem yourself. But for now, listen well."
The Demon Lord nodded at Devimon. The bat-winged Adult spoke. "Firstly, I accept full responsibilty for our failure today. I was careless in not observing the Tamers with enough scrutiny." He walked forward. "However, your efforts today are not in vain." He raised his hand and a Black Gear appeared. "We now know where the Tamers are based." The Gear shimmered before displaying the Hypnos Towers. "It safe to assume that this building houses the humans' most powerful technology and was meant to fight off Digital invasion. However," he added, changing the picture to now show Demon's Flame Inferno engulfing the building. "Demon's counterattack has severely damaged their primary weapon and your attacks have no doubt exhausted the Tamers, leaving them weak."
"In case you haven't noticed, Devimon," Metal Seadramon interrupted, "we aren't in much better condition!"
"Ah, but we have something they don't," Devimon smiled. "Sheer weight of numbers. I suggest an all-out strike to finish them off now, while they are weak and before they can rest."
Piemon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We have more than enough Perfects and Adults to get the job done..." he mused. "But what if they manage to bring the weapon on-line?"
"To prevent such an occurance, I will enter the building during the attack." Devimon turned to the others. "I intend to claim the weapon for our use. If I cannot, the weapon will be useless if there is no one left alive to use it."
"So while the Tamers are outside fighting off the attack..." Marine Devimon realised.
"I will be inside, destroying their last hope," Devimon finished, a sinister smile on his face.
"I approve of your plan, Devimon," Demon rumbled. "But who will lead our forces? Piemon and the Dark Masters are still recovering from that weapon and my Demon Corps need time to rest."
"I have the perfect candidate in mind," Devimon replied. He spoke into the shadows. "I trust you will have no problems?"
"Nope," said a loud, slightly arrogant voice from the shadows.
"You're sending him?" Pinnochimon shrilled incredulously. "Why him?"
Devimon smiled. "He is more than capable of doing the job," he said. Addressing the shadowed Digimon, he spoke again. "I trust you are ready to...'rock the house'?"
"Heh, don't worry, Devimon," a monkey-like Digimon said as he walked out of the shadows, his metallic body reflecting the torchlight. A pair of wrap-around sunglasses hid his eyes and tiny keychain shaped like a WaruMonezaemon hung over his hip. "This is gonna be the concert of a lifetime!" His eyes glinted evilly from behind his shades. "Or in the Tamers' case, the LAST concert of a lifetime!"
"Lord Demon!" Marine Devimon knelt before his master. "Please, Master! Let me face the one they called Cyberdramon and erase the shame of my loss!"
Demon glared at him, his blue eyes glowing from under his cowl. "Marine Devimon."
"Yes, Master!"
"Who is leader here?" The massive Dark Digimon's eyes didn't leave his subordinate as he spoke.
"You are, of course!" the tentacled Perfect said, not daring to look up.
"Then you will wait until I give you permission." Demon sat back, raising a hand to his head. "Not before."
"Yes, Master," Marine Devimon said, bowing his head.
"Patience," Demon added. "You will have your turn soon enough." Turning his head, he spoke to Devimon. "Devimon, what of the remaining Digimon Vamdemon summoned using the cards?"
Devimon waved a hand dismissively. "They will run amuck, no doubt." The Dark Messenger allowed himself a smile. "In fact, I dare say the Tamers will eventually have to leave to engage them." He clenched his fist. "And that is when we strike!"
**************
Alice sat apart from the others as they ate, glancing around as if she was looking for something. "Dobermon..." she sighed. She had fully expected to die during the battle against Piemon, but the sudden appearance of Dobermon has save dher. But then the apparition had vanished, leaving her alone with the other Tamers and their partners.
"Alice..." whispered a voice.
Alice looked around, her eyes wide. "Dobermon?" she breathed, not daring to hope.
"Alice..." Dobermon's voice echoed quietly. "Do not fear. I will always watch over you."
The blonde girl smiled. "Thank you." Hirokazu, walking past, overheard her and raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, shrugging and passing it off as stress.
**************
Night had fallen on the besieged city. The Tamers and their families tried to make themselves comfortable, though with varying degrees of success. One Tamer, however, found he wasn't sleepy. "Can't sleep, Jenrya?" Lee looked up and saw Renamon perched on a nearby aerial, looking down at him.
The blue-black haired boy stood up from where he was sitting on the roof of the Hypnos towers. "You're looking better, Renamon," he commented.
The fox-like Digimon leapt off the aerial, landing beside him. "I've been through worse." She peered at him. "What troubles you?"
Lee smiled slightly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not to everyone." Renamon fell silent, waiting for him to speak.
Lee sighed, looking up at the night sky. "Something's making me nervous about this whole business." He looked at Renamon. "Devimon's been one step ahead of us since the start. It feels like he's building up for something. Something big."
Renamon nodded in understanding. "And you are unnerved because you have no idea what it may be."
"Exactly." Lee looked out at the city. "Shucihon could've been killed just now because we weren't ready. I'm just worried we might not be so lucky next time."
"Moumantai."
Lee looked at Renamon, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. "What?" he blurted.
"You're worrying about things beyond your control," Renamon told him. "You should focus on being ready for the next battle, not angsting over something so trivial."
"But..."
"Jenrya, have faith in yourself and the others. Shuichon was brave out there. She's a Tamer too." Renamon looked him in the eye. "She can handle herself."
"I suppose..." Lee said, not sounding very convinced.
"It will be all right in the end," Renamon tried to assure him. "Don't worry too much about it."
"I'll try." Lee yawned as he began walking to the door. "Thanks, Renamon."
The fox nodded and watched as the boy left the roof before glancing to her right. "I'm impressed," she said. "I didn't think you could be so stealthy."
"I can be silent if I need to," growled Cyberdramon as he appeared out of the shadows.
"What are you doing here?"
"I smelt something," the cyborg told her. "The scent of an oncoming battle is in the air."
"As long as you're quiet," Renamon told him as she vanished, leaving the black and silver dragon alone on the roof.
**************
"Yamaki!" Megumi called, banging on the door to her superior's office. Yamaki had left a support crew and told her and Reika to get some rest, but one of the relief had called her, telling her something was wrong. "Yamaki! Open the door! Please! It's an emergency!" She stepped back as the door opened.
Yamaki stood in the doorway, his hair ruffled and his normally sharp suit was wrinkled, as if he had been sleeping in it. "What is it?" he asked, his voice crisp and attentive, contrasting with his appearance.
"Digimon attack!" Megumi told him.
Yamaki digested the information before giving his orders. "Right. Get to your post. I'll go get Reika and meet you there."
"Understood, sir!" Megumi turned and dashed in the direction of the command centre.
"And I was just getting comfortable," Reika sighed as she sat on a chair in his office, a steaming mug of coffee in her hands.
"I warned you not to get too relaxed," Yamaki told her as he took the mug from her and sipped it. "Come on, we have work to do."
Reika shook her head as she took the coffee back from Yamaki. Mock-saluting him, she said, "Understood, sir." She smiled slightly as she sipped from the mug and put it on a table. "I hope it's nothing serious..."
Yamaki nodded. "I agree."
**************
"What's the situation?" Yamaki asked as he walked into the command centre, Reika behind him. As the redhead took her place, Megumi turned to Yamaki.
"A group of Digimon are rampaging through another part of the city!"
"What? Why?"
"Could it be some sort of diversion?" Shibumi mused.
"No, I don't think so." Reika pointed to one of the screens. "According to this data, those Digimon aren't the same kind as we've been fighting. Their composition seems different."
Ruki brought her fist down onto her hand. "The Card Digimon!"
"You mean the ones Vamdemon summoned?" Takato asked.
"Exactly," the female Tamer nodded. "Remember, some of them were left over after Belial Vamdemon was killed."
Yamaki's eyes narrowed. "They must be just wandering around, destroying things at random!"
"We have to stop them!" Takato said, making for the door.
"Wait, Takato-kun!" Yamaki grabbed the boy's arm. "We must be careful. The Dark Digimon might take advantage of this by launching an attack while you go stop the Card Digimon."
"Then let us go," Fladramon told them, stepping forward. "I hate to admit it, but we can't fight guys like the Dark Masters or the Demon Corps as we are."
"Uh oh." Megumi looked at the others. "Something just launched from the roof."
"What?" Yamaki said, quickly appearing at her side. "What is it?"
"I can guess," Ryo moaned.
Sure enough, as Megumi activated the external cameras, the familiar figure of Cyberdramon became visible as he winged his way to where the Card Digimon were. "Cyberdramon!" Takato said aloud. "What's he doing?"
"He mentioned something about a coming battle when I met him on the roof," Renamon offered, appearing out of the shadows as usual.
"I'm going after him," Ryo told the others, turning to leave.
"We'll go with you," Hirokazu said, going after him. "Guardromon can fly us over to the battle."
"We'll go too," Fladramon added. "You might need help."
"We shouldn't divide our forces like this," Oikawa protested.
"But we can't let those Card Digimon run around loose out there, either," Yamaki mused. "Ryo-san. Hirokazu-kun. You go on ahead. Take this with you." He handed them a couple of headsets. "These will allow us to keep in touch. Let us know if you need backup."
"Got it," Ryo nodded. He turned to Hirokazu. "Let's go."
As Ryo, Hirokazu, Guardromon and the armoured Digimon left, Ruki called out to them. "Be careful!"
"No worries," Hirokazu grinned. "Between me and Ryo-san, we can take any old Card Digimon!"
"He's certainly not lacking in self-confidence," Archnemon commented as they left.
"You don't know the half of it," Kenta told her.
**************
"Ai, Makoto!" Impmon yelled, running through a crowd of fleeing people. "Where are you?"
"Impmon!" called a little girl as she burst out the crowd, followed by another child. "What's going on?" She came to a stop, a purple D-Ark hanging around her neck like a pendant.
"Yeah," her brother Makoto said, "Why are those Digimon picking on us? We never did anything to them!"
"They're just jerks," Impmon growled as he saw a Mekanorimon swoop down on the crowd. Leaping onto a nearby wall, he yelled, "Night of Fire!" A fireball struck the Mekanorimon, forcing it to pull up to avoid it. Suddenly, a missile flew threw the air and struck the flying Adult, exploding and deleting it in a flash of light. Impmon and the humans looked up to see a JSDF helicopter hovering in the air, with more on the way.
"Do not panic!" boomed a voice from the helicopter. "Proceed in an orderly manner to the nearest evacuation point. Armoured Personnel Carriers are waiting to take you to safety. Please do not panic!"
"Okay, Ai, Makoto," Impmon said. "You'd better go there now."
"What about you?" Ai asked worriedly.
"Don't worry," Impmon grinned. "I'm just going to make sure those Digimon don't get too close." He hugged the two children. "I'll see you later!" With that, he hopped onto another wall and began running to where he could see JSDF copters engaging the Card Digimon.
"Impmon!" Ai yelled. "Be careful!"
"Yeah!" Makoto added. "You have to come back!"
Their partner turned and gave a cocky grin, his scarf billowing in the wind as he raised a gloved hand in a thumbs-up gesture. Then he was gone.
**************
"They're too manueverable!" yelled a JSDF pilot as he banked his helicopter to avoid a charging Airdramon.
"Just buy the civilians a few more minutes then we can get out of here!" yelled back another pilot as he launched missiles at a group of Devidramons. "Aahh!" A Guardromon fired at him, but before it struck his helicopter a fireball destroyed it. "What the?" Risking a glance, the pilot saw Impmon on the ground, throwing fireballs at the swarming Digimon.
"That must be one of those kids' monsters," a pilot said to the others. "Can't let him get all the glory, can we?"
A chorus of agreeing statements crowded the radio as the JSDF forces rallied to drive the invaders back.
**************
"Heh," Impmon smirked as he watched the JSDF helicopters battle the Digimon. "These humans aren't so bad..." Suddenly, he felt the ground shake. "What the?" Looking down the street, he saw a trio of shadows stomp in the direction of the evacuation zone.
One towered over the others, resembling a humanoid triceratops. Its tri-horned face ended in a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Its green scaly skin reflected the light from the explosions that lit the air as it continued on its way. Beside it was a smaller white Digimon that vaguely reminded Impmon of Tyrannomon. This Digimon however had a metallic jaw and numerous cybernetic body parts. The third member of the group was a huge green Digimon that had two giant tusks growing out of its hunched back. A single gigantic horn decorated its reptilian head, which ended in a snout lined with serrated teeth.
"I don't know what those things are," Impmon said to himself, "but they're not going anywhere near Ai or Makato!" He ran down the streets, using his knowledge of the backalleys to good effect. Leaping out of the shadows, he landed on the main street, where he knew the three Digimon would be headed. "Hold it!" he yelled as they rounded the corner and came into his view. "You aren't going anywhere! Go back, before I have to hurt you!"
The three Digimon paused for a moment and exchanged a glance. Then they turned to Impmon and charged. Impmon gulped. "Maybe I should've thought this through more carefully..."
"Erase Claw!" Diving out of the sky, Cyberdramon blasted the ground in front of the charging dinosaurs, forcing them to halt as the cyborg landed in front of a surprised Impmon.
"Cyberdramon!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"
The Perfect glanced at the smaller Digimon. "I'll deal with this. Take care of your partners."
"I don't need your help!" Impmon yelled at him, clenching his fists. "I can handle myself!"
"I saw a large group of Adults headed for where the humans are gathering. Your partners were there as well." Cyberdramon glared at Impmon through his visor. "Will you stay here against enemies you can't defeat at your current level? Or will you go protect your Tamers from enemies you can defeat?" He turned away, going into a fighting stance. "We don't particulary care. We just want to fight."
Impmon unclenched his fist. "Fine. I'll protect the humans. You handle these guys."
"..."
"Good luck." Impmon turned and headed for the evacuation zone as Cyberdramon allowed a feral grin to appear on his face.
"Omae wa ore no teki ka?" he asked the three Digimon. His eyes flashed as his claws began glowing. "ERAAAAASE CLAW!"
**************
"Can't you go any faster, Guardromon?" Hirokazu asked as the robotic Adult carried him through the air. Holsmon flew beside him, carrying Ryo while Fladramon flew at a lower altitude, carrying Digimon.
"This is as fast as I can go without accidentally dropping you," his partner replied.
"We could go on ahead," Holsmon suggested to Ryo.
"No, I think it's better if we stick together," the Tamer replied. "No telling what could be over there."
Hirokazu sighed. "Let's just hope the army can hold those Digimon off long enough for us to get there..."
**************
"Fall back!" yelled a JSDF officer as a Deltamon burst through a wall. He looked to the APCs, which were still loading civilians. Cursing, he raised his handgun and took aim. "Hold them off until the transports are loaded!" Rallying a group of men, he began firing on the attacking Digimon, but their weapons didn't seem to do any damage.
"Summon!" Hundreds of razor sharp ice darts suddenly rained down on the Digimon, making it roar in pain and fall back. Impmon dropped out of the air and landed in front of the men, panting. 'Never tried using a Summon that big before...' he thought to himself as he tried to catch his breath.
"Another one?" a soldier said, quickly aiming at the back of Impmon's head.
"Hold your fire," the officer ordered. To Impmon he said, "Who are you and why are you helping us?"
Impmon faced the man, meeting his suspicous glare with a defiant one. "I'm Impmon. And I'm not helping you, I'm helping my friends!"
"Impmon!" called Ai's voice from the rapidly thining crowd. The little girl broke free of her mother's grasp and ran to Impmon, her twin Makoto behind her. "You made it! I was afraid you were going to be left behind!"
"Ai! Makoto!" their mother screamed. "Watch out!" The two children looked up as a Devidramon dived at them out of the sky.
Reacting quickly, a nearby JSDF trooper brought up his hand-held rocket launcher and fired. "Duck!" he yelled. Ai and Makoto froze, too scared to move as the huge black dragon began landing.
"Ai!" Impmon yelled as he ran towards them. "Makoto!" He tackled them, keeping their heads down as they hit the ground. The missile struck the Devidramon square in the chest, knocking it down. "No, you don't!" Impmon quickly got up and leapt into the air as the Devidramon roared and tried to rise. "Night of Fire!" He hurled two balls of flame at the Adult as it roared. His aim was true and the fireballs exploded inside its unprotected mouth. With a final scream, it exploded into data, joining the data already in the air. "Are you two all right?" Impmon asked as his two partners got up.
"Yeah," Ai sniffed, trying to hold back tears. "I'm okay. You, Makoto?"
The boy nodded. "Uh-huh, I'm fine."
"Good," Impmon said as their mother ran up and hugged them both. "Huh?" Sensing something, he looked up.
Noticing, the JSDF officer followed the Child level's gaze. "What in the world?" he gasped as a huge shadow appeared in the sky above. It soon materialised into a huge black Digimon, with a large muscular body that ended in a long serpentine tail. Its arms ended in cruel-looking spikes and its head was protected by a metal helmet that covered all but its lower jaw.
"Gigadramon..." Impmon whispered as the giant cyborg roared.
**************
Cyberdramon kicked at the triceratops Digimon's unarmoured belly, knocking it back. Before he could move in for the kill however, he was distracted by Gigadramon's roar. Turning to see, the cyborg growled angrily as he decided to try to finish off his three opponents as quickly as possible.
**************
"That's a Gigadramon!" Hirokazu gasped. "Hurry, Guardromon! The JSDF can't hold that thing off for long!"
"What's wrong?" Yamaki asked over the radio.
"A powerful Digimon is among the Card Digimon," Ryo reported. "We're going to engage it as soon as we land."
"Where are we going to land, Ryo-san?" Holsmon asked.
Ryo pointed to the evacuation area, where they could see the transports leaving under a protective umbrella of JSDF copters. "There."
**************
"Ai, Makoto, go with your mother and get to safety," Impmon ordered as he prepared to run off. "I'll join you later!"
"But..."
"Ai, Makoto, let's go," their mother said, urging them to hurry.
"Don't worry," Impmon told them. "I can handle this guy." The two kids nodded reluctantly and boarded the last transport. The JSDF officer nodded to his men, who boarded their jeeps and tanks to evacuate.
"Are you sure you want to stay here alone?" the officer asked Impmon.
"No worries. I promised Ai and Makoto I'd be back." The imp grinned. "And I'm not about to disappoint."
"Then good luck to you," the officer said, saluting. Climbing onto a jeep, he gave the order to withdraw and in seconds a convoy of JSDF vehicles was leaving the area.
"Now," Impmon said as Gigadramon fixed him with a glare. "It's just you and me..."
**************
Meanwhile, Devimon showed no emotion while he watched through a Black Gear as Gigadramon attacked the convoy, Impmon trying to stop him. Looking to another Black Gear, he saw Ryo, Hirokazu and their team headed for the area. And in another, Metal Etemon's forces moved into position. "Devimon," called a voice. "Lord Demon calls for a status report."
"Hn." The Dark Messenger turned to face Skull Satamon. "Tell him everything is going according to plan. Metal Etemon will be ready soon."
"When will you give the order to attack?"
"Once Ryo and his friends engage the Card Digimon. That way we can be sure they will be too occupied to help the others."
Skull Satamon nodded and left to report to his master, leaving Devimon in his chamber. The demonic Digimon remained silent as his gaze fell on a Gear which displayed the Hypnos Towers. Slowly, a sinister smile spread across his face.
**************
"Night of Fire!" Impmon threw multiple fireballs at Gigadramon, only to watch the Perfect shrug them off like they were raindrops. "Ghhhh," the purple Child level snorted, bringing his hands together. "Summon!" A shimmering circle appeared in the air, glowing with a pale blue light. Dozens of tiny razor-sharp ice darts shot out but did no more damage than the fireballs. Disregarding him, Gigadramon flew overhead, chasing the convoy. Impmon was livid. "Don't ignore me!" he yelled, running after the dragon. Suddenly, he tripped over something. "Oooof! What the?" Looking down at the ground, he saw what had tripped him. It was a rocket launcher, no doubt discarded by a panicked soldier during the first enemy wave. "Hey...maybe this will get his attention." Reaching down, the little Digimon tried lifting the weapon onto his shoulder, the way he'd seen the JSDF troops do. Sweat began appearing on his brow as he took aim. "Here goes nothing..." His finger curled around the trigger and he squeezed.
"Raaaaagggghhhhh!" Gigadramon's roar of pain let Impmon know his aim had been true. Unfortunately, it also enraged the giant cyborg, making it turn to him.
"Uh-oh," Impmon dropped the rocket launcher to make a break for cover, but it was too late. Gigadramon's spike arms opened and launched dozens of missiles at the fleeing imp. Impmon felt the ground explode around him, then a missile struck the ground underneath him, sending him screaming into the air. Then everything went black.
**************
Gigadramon turned around to continue its pursuit of the convoy. "Destruction Grenade!" Recoiling from the surprise attack, the dark dragon looked around for its attacker. All it saw was a Guardromon hovering some distance away. The cybernetic dark dragon was confused, since it recognised Guardromons as its comrades. As it was thinking, a yell interrupted it.
"Down here!" Holsmon yelled as he flew up at it. "Tempest Wing!" Whirling, the four-legged flier drilled into Gigadramon's stomach, then disengaged and flew off before it could react. "Digmon!"
"Big Cracker!" Digmon attacked next, jumping off Guardromon and firing his drills on the way down, pepperring the dark dragon Digimon's body on the way down. "Fladramon!"
"Got it!" Fladramon hovered in the air, his body glowing red. "How about this? Blazing Fire Head!" Crossing his arms, the fire Digimon dived at Gigadramon, who was still reeling from Holsmon and Digmon's attacks. "Kyaaaaaaa!" He slammed into Gigadramon with enough force to drive the huge Perfect into the ground. Then he kicked away from the fallen Digimon, leaving behind a burning image of himself. "Brace yourselves!" he yelled to the others.
"Hang on, Hirokazu!" Guardromon yelled as he dived for cover.
"Eeeep!" the boy yelped as his partner landed and held him tightly, using his huge body as a shield. The Fladramon image suddenly exploded, engulfing Gigadramon in a sea of flames.
"Got him!" Fladramon grinned underneath his helmet. The grin quickly faded, however, when Gigadramon roared and flapped its wings, blowing the flames his way. As the red-hued Digimon dodged and began attacking the giant again, Ryo made his way through the streets, searching for Cyberdramon.
"Cyberdramon!" he called, running in the direction he had last heard his partner roar. He spoke into his headset. "Hirokazu, I'm going after Cyberdramon. Can you handle things here?"
"No problem, Ryo-san!" the other boy replied. "Don't worry, we won't let you down!"
**************
"Uhhh..." Impmon slowly came to, his head aching. "Wh-where am I..." The Child tried to stand but yelped in pain as his leg sent a jolt of pain through his small body. Looking down, he saw his leg bent at an unnatural angle. "Great," he groaned, dragging his injured foot as he looked around. "Hey...this is..." He found himself in a familiar garden. "Ai and Makoto's house?" The scarf-wearing Digimon chuckled. "Figures. One way or another I always find myself here." A roar interrupted his musing. "Gigadramon!" Impmon looked up to see the giant form of Gigadramon twisting and turning as it tried to shoot down Fladramon, Guardromon and Holsmon. As he watched in horror, the dark dragon Digimon roared and flapped its wings,the wind knocking the three fliers off-balance. "No!" he yelled as they were struck down by quick hammer blows. His foes defeated, Gigadramon began moving in the direction the convoy was moving in. "Ai...Makoto!" Impmon moved forward, then collapsed as his leg gave out. "Chikuso!" he screamed. "I can't die here! Ai! Makoto!" He pulled himself up and looked around to see if there was anything he could use. Various toys were scattered around the garden, but the only thing he could see that would be of any use was Makoto's old tricycle. Limping over to it, Impmon cursed. "Damn...why am I so weak?" He clutched a handlebar. "If I was Beelzebumon, I could kill that monster and protect Ai and Makoto..." He fell to his knees, cursing. "Damn...damn..."
**************
"?" Cyberdramon kicked Metal Tyrannomon, then threw the white cybernetic Perfect at the other two.
'What is this?' said the voice in Cyberdramon's head. 'Despair?'
"This feels like Impmon," Cyberdramon growled.
'Ah, yes.' A shadow appeared in the air. 'He despairs of protecting his Tamers.' The shade slowly took an ephereal form, giving it a ghost-like quality. 'He loves them greatly.'
"He lacks the power to protect them," Cyberdramon told the shadow as he noticed the three enemy Perfects getting up.
'I will change that.' The shade flew off, leaving Cyberdramon staring after it.
**************
Impmon wheeled the tricycle, using it to support his injured leg. "Ai, Makoto..." he said under his breath. "I'm coming!"
The shadow appeared in the air above him, but the purple Digimon didn't notice. "Hahahahaha..." Twin heads looked down at the injured Child, eyes glowing. "Do not fear, little Digimon. I return to you the power stolen by the D-Reaper."
Impmon suddenly came to a stop, sensing something in the air. "What the?" An energy bolt suddenly came down from the sky, engulfing him. "Aaaagggghhhhh!"
"I now return to you the power to evolve, Impmon." The shade smiled to itself. "Use it wisely." It began chuckling as it faded away.
The energy bolt subsided, letting Impmon fall to his knees. "Wha...what was that?" He looked at his hands, his gloves now smoking and singed. A rumbling shook the ground, making him look up. "What now?" A Tyrannomon appeared at the end of the street, roaring. Its eyes fell on the wounded Child and it roared again as it charged. "Aaggh!" The red Adult's charge missed, but its tail managed to whack Impmon through a wall.
**************
While battles took place all around, the convoy carrying the civilians made its way through ruined streets to safety. Inside one of the transports, Ai and Makoto sat beside their parents, dejected.
"Ah!" Ai suddenly looked up, surprised.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked.
"Didn't you feel it?" Ai shook her head. "It was Impmon. He's in trouble!"
Makoto's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
**************
"Uhh!" Impmon rolled underneath Tyrannomon as it brought its foot down to crush him. "Dashing Night of Fire!" Leaping up, he launched fireballs at the larger Digimon as he dashed backwards. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his wounded leg and collapsed. "Aaahh!" He fell and skidded across the ground. "Chikuso!" The Tyrannomon turned and stomped toward him to finish him off.
**************
"Hey! I felt him too!" Makoto yelped. "You're right! We have to help him!"
"But we have to stay with Mom and Dad," Ai reminded him. She clutched the D-Ark tightly. "Impmon..."
"Impmon, don't lose!" Makoto whispered, sinking into his seat. "You promised to come back!"
**************
"Ai, Makoto, I'm sorry..." Impmon could do little more than glare at the Tyrannomon as it raised its foot. Then, just as it was about to finish him, a light engulfed him. "Wha-what?"
The Tyrannomon stepped back, surprised. Roaring, the dinosaur stabbed at where Impmon was with its claws. But instead of tearing through Impmon's body, its arm was caught and held by something. A gruff, confident voice spoke. "Sorry, no easy kill for you today." The light receeded, revealing a tall humanoid figure standing in Impmon's place. He was dressed in a black biker suit, complete with bomber jacket. A purple helmet covered everything except his lower face, where his bluish skin was visible, along with his mouth which was currently curled into a confident smirk. A pair of leather biker gloves covered his hands and he wore boots which ended in three spikes. "My turn." He held up his other hand and stabbed the Tyrannomon in the gut. Pulling his hand out, the Digimon kicked the deleting Digimon away. "I evolved..." he said to himself, looking down at his hands. The sound of Gigadramon roaring drew his attention. "Damn! Gigadramon!" He turned to run towards the giant, but a low rumbling sound caught his attention. "What?" Whirling around, he saw Makoto's tricycle glowing. "?! The tricycle...is evolving?" He blinked. "It must have been caught in my evolution, like Makoto's gun!" The glow increased in intensity and the rumbling grew into a roar as the tricycle exploded.
**************
"Aaaaaarggh!" Fladramon screamed as Gigadramon's jaws closed around him.
"Fladramon!" Holsmon yelled as Gigadramon let go, allowing the armoured Digimon to drop all the way to the ground.
"Uhh..." the red-hued Digimon groaned, trying to get up.
"Hey!" Hirokazu said, running up to him. "You okay?"
Fladramon rose to his knees. "Don't think so..." He looked at his hands. "No!" Data was beginning to peel, floating into the sky.
"H-hey!" Hirokazu gasped. "Don't die on me!"
"Not dying," Fladramon said as data swirled around him. There was a flash of light and suddenly in Fladramon's place stood a small blue Digimon. A small yellow mark on his forehead was shaped like a V. "Just devolving."
"Oh." Hirokazu sighed with relief. "Hey!" he called as the little Digimon ran at Gigadramon. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I've got to stop Gigadramon!" he replied.
"That's crazy!" Hirokazu told him. "You don't stand a chance!"
"I've got to try!" The blue Digimon's eyes narrowed. "V-mon is no quitter!" Shaking free of Hirokazu's grip, he ran at Gigadramon.
"Guardromon!" Hirokazu called to his partner. "Get down here! We have to Matrix Evolve!"
"Right!" The brown robotic Digimon landed nearby. "Let's do it!"
Hirokazu nodded and raised his D-Ark. "Matrix...!" He paused when the roar of a loud engine cut through the air. "Who the?" The sound grew louder and soon round the corner came... "Beelzebumon?!"
"You're mine, Gigadramon!" Beelzebumon declared as he revved his motorcycle Behemoth's engine. Pulling back on the handlebars, the Ultimate and his bike leapt up into the air, headed for Gigadramon. "Here's repayment for the missile!" He leapt off the powerful machine, drawing a shotgun from his shoulder holster and another from a holster on his leg. "Double Impact!" He fired at point-blank range just as Gigadramon swiveled its head to face him. The bullets from the Demon Lord's shotguns tore through its head and with a horrific scream it fell to the ground, crushing the already badly damaged buildings nearby. As the giant Digimon broke into data, Beelzebumon landed, turning the gaze of his three green eyes at Hirokazu and the others. "The humans?"
"Safe, I think," Hirokazu told him.
"Hirokazu!" Ryo called through the head-set. "We've got trouble!"
"What's wrong, Ryo-san?"
**************
Ryo stood on the ruins of what was once a bank. His face showed worry and frustration that was reflected in his voice as his blue eyes followed the movement of the JSDF vehicles. "I can see the convoy from here," he said. "There's a large group of Digimon headed their way!"
**************
"What?" Hirokazu turned to the others. "The convoy's in trouble!"
"I'll deal with it," Beelzebumon told him, mounting Behemoth. "This won't take long." With a final smirk, the black-clad Viral Digimon rode off, leaving the others choking in his dust.
"Nice guy," Digmon commented, coughing.
"You should've seen him when he was a bad guy," Hirokazu replied.
"What happened to you, V-mon?" Holsmon asked, noticing his friend's devolved condition.
"Gigadramon's bite broke it," the little dragon Digimon said sadly. "How am I gonna tell Daisuke I got the Digimental of Courage broken?"
"Calm down," Holsmon told him. "It probably just used up too much energy and returned to Daisuke-san's D-Terminal."
"I hope so..."
**************
Meanwhile...
Metal Etemon grinned as his forces moved into position. A Black Gear hovered in the air beside him. "Hey, Devimon," he said as the Dark Messenger's face materialised. "When are we gonna get this show on the road?"
"You may begin, Metal Etemon," Devimon told him. "Good hunting."
Metal Etemon's grin became wider. "Okay, boys and girls," he said, snapping his fingers. "It's showtime!" His shades glinting, the Ultimate held up a microphone. "I'll let them listen to a perfect, invincible Love Serenade!"
**************
"Yamaki!" Reika called. "We have trouble!"
"What now?" Yamaki asked, turning away from the Wild Bunch as they tried to reboot the Shaggai System.
"A huge group of Digimon is assembling nearby!"
Yamaki turned to the others. "Takato-kun!"
Takato nodded. "Let's go, everyone! We have to hold them off until Ryo-san and Hirokazu get back!"
"Just buy us a little time, Takato," Shibumi told him. "Shaggai is almost back online."
"Got it." Takato and the others moved to the door.
"Takato, be careful," Mie told her son.
Makino Rumiko hugged Ruki. "Ruki, don't push yourself too hard."
"Don't worry, Mom," the redhead replied. "Renamon's with me. I'll be fine."
"Jen-nii-chan," Shuichon said, tugging on her brother's shirt. "Can Lopmon and I come too?"
Lee knelt beside his sister. "Sorry, Shuichon, I need you to stay here."
"But...!"
"If we lose, you and Lopmon will be the only ones left to protect everyone. That's why you have to stay here."
"You can't lose!" Shuichon said forcefully. "You and Terriermon have to win!"
Lee smiled. "Don't worry," he told her, ruffling her hair. "We'll be back after we take care of those Digimon."
"We'll go with you," Archnemon told the Tamers. "Is that okay with you, boss?"
Oikawa shut his eyes. "Keep out of trouble."
"No problem, boss!" Mummymon said, wrapping his arm around Archnemon's shoulders. "I'll protect her!" A vein popped up on Archnemon's head.
"Idiot!" she huffed, stomping to the elevator and leaving a battered Mummymon on the floor. "Be serious!"
"..." Juri looked at the unfortunate Perfect. "Is she always like that?"
Mummymon grinned. "Yes. That's why I love her."
"O...okay..."
"Here they come!" Megumi warned.
"Tamers!" Takato said, leading the charge to the door. "Let's go!"
"YEAH!" yelled the others as they rushed out to do battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Preview:
Shuichon: Jen-nii-chan, what do we do? Ryo-san, Hirokazu-san and the others are still fighting the Card Digimon!
Lee: We're not finished yet! I'm not going to let anyone hurt my family or friends!
Terriermon: Neither will I! Let's go, Jen!
Lee: Okay, Terriermon! MATRIX EVOLUTION!
Digimon Tamers: Dark Wing! The Fortress of Steel: Saint Galgomon!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes: "Omae wa ore no teki ka?" is the first thing Cyberdramon said when he first appeared. It translates roughly into "Are you my enemy?" and is often cited as his trademark line. In fact, it is even in his image song "DoD" or "Dead or Dead".
Author's notes: Sorry this took so long. I've been travelling overseas for a bit and haven't had time to work on Dark Wing for awhile. On the other hand, this chapter is longer than usual, so I figure that's a good trade, yes?
Reviews, comments, suggestions and criticisms (constructive or otherwise) are welcome and can be sent to Withoutmorals@antisocial.com
Digimon Levels:
Child : Rookie
Adult : Champion
Perfect : Ultimate
Ultimate: Mega
Also, the term 'Biomerge' does not exist in my vocabulary. In the Japanese original, the one I base Dark Wing on, to evolve to Ultimate/ Mega they just say 'Matrix Evolution', except they don't have to slash a card.
Author's notes: ********* means a scene change.
Digimon Tamers: Dark Wing
Howl of the Behemoth! Beelzebumon!
Disclaimer: Digimon Tamers and related elements are registered trademarks of Toei, Bandai and their respective owners and are used without permission.
Shuichon gasped as Piemon threw a sword at her. Antiramon screamed in Metal Seadramon's grasp. Then, just before the sword hit, Alice suddenly leapt in front of her, wrapping her arms around the younger girl protectively, using herself as a shield.
A dull thunk echoed through the air, and Shuichon screamed. She slowly opened her eyes, realising she had shut them instinctively. The girl was reluctant to look, afraid that she would see Alice impaled on the sword. Instead, the girl was still hugging her but was looking over her shoulder at something. Piemon's sword was inches away from her, held in the air by what looked like a floating head shaped like that of a large dog's. "Wha-wha?" the little girl whispered. "A g-ghost?"
Alice didn't seem afraid, just surprised. "D-Dobermon?!" she gasped.
The floating dog's head still the sword between its jaws. "I will not let anything happen to Alice!" it growled as spat the sword out.
"I don't know what you are," Piemon spat angrily. "But I'll send you to Hell!"
"Don't forget about me!" Mummymon yelled, hurling Piemon's sword back at him.
The clown growled angrily as he caught the blade between his fingers. "No more games!" He turned to the other Dark Masters. "Kill them all!"
"Mugen Cannon!" MugenDramon roared, his cannons moving into firing position.
"No, you don't!" HiAndromon yelled, bringing his hands up, palms pointing at the huge mechanical dragon. Energy gathered in the air as his hands entered his arms, transforming into cannons. "Atomic Laser!" The black humanoid Digimon fired a crimson energy beam at MugenDramon, knocking him back and making his blast go wide.
"Ghh!" growled Metal Seadramon as he watched his fellow Dark Master stagger. "Looks like I'll have to go help." He looked down at Antiramon, who struggled to get free of his coils. "But first I'd better finish you off!"
"Aagghh!" gasped the former Deva as the Dark Master began increasing pressure to squeeze the life out of him. The rabbit-like Digimon flexed his muscles, trying to break free.
"Antiramon!" Shuichon cried. She held out her D-Ark, taking out a single card. "Card Surrashu!" She slid the card through the D-Ark, calling out, "Queen Device!"
"Eh?" Metal Seadramon glanced down at Antiramon as the Perfect became covered in a pinkish light. "What in the world?"
"Kyaaaah!" Antiramon screamed, suddenly breaking free of the Dark Master's coils.
"Agh!" the golden serpent yelled. "How?"
"Never underestimate the power of a Digimon and his partner," Antiramon told the larger Digimon as his hands morphed into axes. "Ashvatotabara!"
"Arhhh!" roared Matel Seadramon as the empowered Perfect's attack slashed through his armour. "You little insect!" Energy began charging around his nose cannon. "Ultimate Strea-!"
"Spider Thread!" Archnemon dived down from a building, webbing from her hands wrapping around Metal Seadramon's eyes.
"Archnemon!" Muumymon turned to his love, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Pay attention, idiot!" Archnemon screamed at him. "Fight first, mush later!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the mummy nodded, turning back to an enraged Piemon.
"No one turns their back on me!" the Dark Master roared, drawing his swords.
Mummymon didn't reply, instead raising his energy rifle and firing at him. Meanwhile, HiAndromon was doing his best to hold off Pinnochimon and MugenDramon, while Culumon stood protectively in front of Masahiko, Alice and Shuichon. "Bullet Hammer!" Pinnochimon yelled, swinging his mallet. As he did, six huge bullets shot out of it, aimed at HiAndromon, Culumon and the Tamers.
"Watch out!" Hirokazu yelled as HiAndromon moved to deflect the bullets.
"Protect!" Culumon cried, the triangle on his forehead glowing as a crimson force field materialised around them.
"So..." MugenDramon growled as Pinnochimon's bullets bounced off the shield. "You are the one who deflected my Mugen Cannons." His cannons moved into firing position as he took aim. "You stopped a blast over a long distance. Let us see if you can survive one at close range!"
"Culumon," HiAndromon said. "Drop your shield!"
"What?" Alice gasped. "Are you insane?"
"Trust me!" Culumon nodded and let his shield drop. HiAndromon charged forward, yelling out, "Copy Paste!" His outline became blurry and suddenly the others were blinded by a brilliant flash of light. When it receded, two identical figures stood in his place. "Copy Paste!" both HiAndromons yelled.
"Wha-what's happening?" Pinnochimon blurted out as the four HiAndromons used another Copy Paste. "What's he doing?"
"Four Ultimates against one Ultimate, two Perfects and Culumon just isn't fair," replied the HiAndromons in unision. "We're just evening the score!" The eight HiAndromons reached out at the Dark Masters, their arms transforming into cannons. "Atomic Laser!"
"Ahh!" Mummymon yelped as a blast barely missed him as he leapt away from Piemon. "Watch it!"
Antiramon disengaged form his battle with Metal Seadramon, leaping gracefully over the cybernetic sea serpent and landing beside Shuichon just as the HiAndromons' attack struck the Ultimate, driving him back. "Shuichon, are you all right?"
"I'm okay," Shuichon replied, looking up at her partner. "How about you, Antiramon?"
"I'm a little tired," the former Deva admitted as he tried to catch his breath. "But I'll be fine."
"Good," the little girl said, fixing him with a worried look. "I was so, so worried about you!"
"..." Antiramon grinned internally. Though the Devas had been somewhat close, to the extent he had mourned their deaths, he had never felt anywhere near as much affection as he did for Shuichon. "Thank you, Shucihon."
Meanwhile, the Dark Masters were staggering as they were mercilessly blasted by the HiAndromon barrage. MugenDramon growled angrily as he tried to stay on his feet. "Mugen Cannon!" he roared, firing at the ground in front of them.
"Uhh!" The counterattack had the desired effect, knocking the HiAndromons off their feet. Seven of them faded away, leaving behind the real HiAndromon dazed on the ground. "Urrrghhh..." the black armoured Ultimate moaned as he tried to rise.
"Guardromon, are you okay?" Hirokazu asked, sensing his partner's exhaustion.
"I'm...not...finished yet!" Guardromon's voice echoed through the data sphere Hirokazu was floating in. "Not...by a long shot!"
"Hirokazu-kun!" Shuichon cried as MugenDramon moved towards the fallen Ultimate, the sound of his hydraulics echoing through the deserted streets as he drew closer. Antiramon charged forward, his axe-hands ready. He prepared to leap into the air, but suddenly he was struck by a ball of condensed air and thrown back a good distance, crashing into a group of wrecked vehicles. "Antiramon!" Shuichon cried as the tall, humanoid rabbit rose to his feet then collapsed to his knees.
Piemon smirked, bringing his hands down from using his Clown Trick technique. "Finish it, MugenDramon!"
The mechanical dragon nodded as he stood over HiAndromon, who, despite exhausting himself with his abortive Copy Paste attack, tried heroically to get up and defend himself. However, just as he had gathered enough strength to rise, MugenDramon brought his foot down on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Hirokazu cursed. "Guardromon! We have to get up! Shuichon, Culumon and the others need us!"
"I hear that!" HiAndromon replied as he put his hands against MugenDramon's foot, trying to push the larger Digimon off. "No...good!" he told his partner. "Not enough...energy!"
"Chikuso!" Hirokazu swore as he felt HiAndromon's strength ebb away. "We can't give up!" Taking a breath, he reached out, adding his strength to HiAndromon's.
As the two cyborgs engaged in a battle of strength, Mummymon and Archnemon attacked, trying to help. However, Pinnochimon leapt into the way. "Hold it!" he said. "You'll have to get through me first!" He began swinging his hammer, grinning. "Let the games begin!"
"Playtime's over!" yelled a voice. Pinnochimon looked up as two missiles flew through the air.
"Hey!" he yelled as leapt back, just as the missiles exploded in the spot he was just standing on. "No fair! I was just getting started!"
Rapidmon hovered in the air, his hands pointed at the puppet. "Rapid Fire!" He launched more missiles, forcing the Ultimate to fall back.
"Shuichon!" Shuichon turned and saw her brother run towards her, followed by Takato, Ruki, Juri and Kenta. Leomon and Digmon ran beside them as Megalo Growmon, Fladramon, Holsmon and Taomon flew above them. Lee came to a halt, panting. "Shuichon," he gasped as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"
Shuichon shook her head. "No, but we have to help Antiramon and Hirokazu-kun!"
"Hirokazu?" Takato repeated. "Where?"
"Over there!" Shuichon said, pointing at HiAndromon, who was slowly weakening.
"Wow," Takato murmured, checking his D-Ark. "HiAndromon. Hirokazu and Guardromon must have Matrix Evolved!"
"This is not the time to complement them!" Ruki told the boy as Taomon leapt over her.
"Right!" Takato agreed. "Megalo Growmon!"
Taomon drew her huge brush as Megalo Growmon charged his chest cannons. "Atomic Blaster!" "Buddhist Brush Brandish!"
MugenDramon recoiled in surprise as a symbol appeared on his face, burning him. As he did so, Megalo Growmon's blasts struck him while he was off-balance. "Now!" HiAndromon yelled as he unleashed a surge of strength, throwing MugenDramon's foot off him. As the Dark Master tried to regain his footing, Rapidmon power dived him, succeeding in toppling him to the ground.
"Pile on them!" Hirokazu yelled. "They're weakened!"
"You heard him!" Takato told the others. "Attack!"
"Atomic Laser!" "Buddhist Brush Brandish!" "Rapid Fire!" "Fist of the Beast King!" "Knuckle Fire!" "Big Cracker!" "Mach impulse!" "Atomic Laser!" MugenDramon fell back under the barrage. Piemon brought his hands up, preparing to counterattack as he avoided the attacks.
"Piemon," Metal Seadramon growled. "We have to pull back!"
"What?" exclaimed the masked Dark Master, looking up at his comrade. "And flee from battle?"
"We must have suffered more damage than we thought from the humans' weapon," the serpent told him. "We can't win under these conditions!"
"Auugh!" Pinnochimon yelled as one of Taomon's symbols appeared on his arm, the burning pain forcing him to drop his hammer and clutch at the wound.
"Withdrawl is advisable," MugenDramon intoned as he moved in front of his fellow Dark Masters, taking most of the blasts as he used his size to protect them.
"Piemon!" Metal Seadramon begged.
The clown-like Dark Master fell silent. "Grrrhhh!" he growled. "Let's go!" He leapt onto MugenDramon's head, calling to the Tamers. "You win this round, Tamers!" he told them. "But when we meet again, it will be your end!" He brought his hands together. "Clown Trick!" A bright flash of light blinded the Tamers and as they tried to clear their vision, MugenDramon suddenly fell apart.
"Get on," the gigantic dragon told the others as his head hovered in the air. "This is the fastest way back to Devimon's temple."
"Not the most comfortable way to travel..." Piemon commented as he settled himself on MugenDramon's Metal Greymon arm.
Metal Seadramon coiled himself around MugenDramon's main body, then wrapped his tail around the injured Pinnochimon, who yelped in protest. "Hey, let me go!" he whined. "I can take them!"
"Shut up, runt!" Metal Seadramon growled at him. "We're getting out of here before you get us deleted!" He swiveled his serpentine head to face MugenDramon's floating visage. "Ready!"
"No, you don't!" Hirokazu yelled. "HiAndromon!"
"Atomic..."
"Booster Claw!" MugenDramon's spike arm turned and launched itself at him, forcing him to abandon his attack and leap to safety.
"Until next time, Tamers!" Piemon laughed as MugenDramon's parts flew off, leaving the Tamers and their Digimon behind.
"Let's go after them!" Hirokazu yelled.
HiAndromon started running, then suddenly stumbled and fell face-first onto the ground. "Auugh!"
"Hey!" Takato and the others ran up to him and helped him up. "Are you okay?"
"I...must've used up too much strength..." HiAndromon said. He looked at his hands in surprise as he began glowing. "Huh?"
"Owww!" Hirokazu yelped as he suddenly dropped out of HiAndromon's glowing form, landing on his behind. "HiAndromon, you okay?"
The light receded and Guardromon stood in HiAndromon's place. "I'm all right. I just devolved."
"Hey, Hirokazu," Kenta said to his friend, helping him up. "How'd you manage to get Guardromon to evolve?"
"That would've been my doing," Mummymon told him.
"We can talk about it inside," Lee told them. "We could all use a rest."
"Wait!" Fladramon said. "What about Ryo?"
Holsmon nodded in agreement. "BlackWarGreymon is still missing too."
"None of us are in any condition to do any more fighting for today," Lee reasoned with them. "We're no good to anyone if we get killed."
"He has a point," Oikawa agreed. "Your Digimon are exhausted."
Takato looked to Megalo Growmon, who had devolved into Guilmon already. "I...guess he's right..." He walked over to Guilmon, who sat on the ground with his tongue hanging out, panting. "Sorry, Guilmon. I didn't realise you were so tired."
"I'm okay, Takato!" the dinosaur-like Digimon told his partner. "Let's go help Ryo and Cyberdramon."
"Rrrrraaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhh!" A terrifying scream echoed through the city, making the Tamers and their allies whirl around in fear, looking for the source.
"Look!" Ruki cried, pointing towards the battle-ravaged part of Shinjuku. Cyberdramon towered over the buildings, his hands clenched.
"Ryo-san must've used King Device," Takato deduced.
The others nodded as the raging giant began moving.
**************
Ryo lowered his hands, one holding his D-Ark, the other his King Device card. Cyberdramon, though powerful, had been losing ground against Marine Devimon and Lady Devimon's combined might. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," the Tamer had said to himself as he slashed the card. Now, Marine Devimon and Lady Devimon backed off, intimidated by the cyborg's sudden size increase.
"Wha...what?" Marine Devimon whispered. "How did he get so huge?"
"Don't worry about that now," Lady Devimon scolded. "Worry about what he's going to do!"
Cyberdramon growled as he looked down at them. Suddenly, his fist flew down at them. The impact shattered the ground, sending broken pieces of gravel and tarred street flying through the air. The two Demon Corps members were knocked away, crashing back on to the ground, stunned. As Cyberdramon stalked towards them, eager to finish the job, they tried to get to their feet. Lady Devimon brought her hands together. "Darkness Flare!" She spread her arms sending a swarm of flame bats at the approaching giant. They exploded on his chest, but if they did any damage, Cyberdramon showed no sign of it. "What kind of monster is he?"
"Guilty Black!" A large ball of solidified darkness fired out of the diving meter on Marine Devimon's chest. As it bounced off Cyberdramon's armoured chest, Marine Devimon growled angrily and gritted his teeth. "Grraaahhh! I can't lose to you!"
"We haven't time for that!" Skull Satamon suddenly appeared in the air before them, the orb at the end of his staff glowing. "Lord Demon has ordered a retreat!"
"Retreat?" Marine Devimon repeated. "But I'm not finished!"
Skull Satamon pointed the tip of his staff at him. "It is not our place to question Lord Demon!" The skeletal Digimon grinned. "Besides, he has a plan I think you will like."
"You won't escape!" Cyberdramon roared, reaching towards them with outstretched claws.
"That's what you think!" Skull Satamon quickly whirled around and aimed at the gigantic cyborg. "Nail Bone!"
"Arrrhhh!" Cyberdramon stumbled as the orb on Skull Satamon's staff flashed, blinding him.
"Haaaah!" Marine Devimon lunged at the stunned Perfect, wrapping his arms and tentacles around his leg. Flexing his muscles, he managed to lift Cyberdramon's foot, causing the dragon to go off-balance. "Now!" Marine Devimon yelled to Lady Devimon. "While he's disoriented!"
Lady Devimon's eyes began glowing as she lifted her claw-tipped hand and moved it in a circle, a mystical symbol appearing in the air as she did so. "Puwazon!" A black flame roared out of the circle, hitting Cyberdramon under his jaw and finally making him lose his balance and crash into a group of buildings behind him, reducing them to rubble. "Hahahahaha!" she laughed, taunting the fallen Digimon. "Some hero! Are you trying to protect this city or help us destroy it?"
"Enough," Skull Satamon told her. "Lord Demon is waiting." The other two demonic Digimon nodded and the three of them disappeared, leaving behind an enraged Cyberdramon.
**************
"What happened out there?" Ruki asked Ryo as the boy and Cyberdramon landed on the roof of the Hypnos building, where they found the Tamers waiting.
"Skull Satamon showed up and helped Marine Devimon and Lady Devimon knock Cyberdramon down." Ryo looked up at his partner, who was seething, his fangs bared and low growls escaping his throat. "Let's not mention it. Cyberdramon is a bit...upset about it."
"You can talk about it later," Reika said, arriving on the roof and joining them. "But for now, you must be exhausted."
Takato yawned, making the woman smile as he blushed. "Sorry," the boy apologised. "I guess I must be more tired than I thought."
"That reminds me," Lee said, turning to Ruki. "How's Renamon? Is she okay?"
"She was pretty tired," Ruki told him. "She's resting."
"Takato," Guilmon moaned, making his partner look down at him with concern. The little red dinosaur sat on the floor, looking forlorn. "I'm so hungry! Don't we have any bread?"
A growl sounded from among the Tamers, making Reika's smile become somewhat smug. "See?" she told them. "You've done enough for one day. Come on, your families are waiting."
**************
Meanwhile, in Devimon's temple...
In a huge chamber, lit by torches which blazed on the walls, Skull Satamon kneeled on the ground, his head bowed as he spoke. "Lord Demon, I beg your forgiveness. We have failed."
Sitting on a massive thorne in front of the Black Gate, Demon waved a hand dismissively. "Do not worry. There will be other chances to redeem yourself. But for now, listen well."
The Demon Lord nodded at Devimon. The bat-winged Adult spoke. "Firstly, I accept full responsibilty for our failure today. I was careless in not observing the Tamers with enough scrutiny." He walked forward. "However, your efforts today are not in vain." He raised his hand and a Black Gear appeared. "We now know where the Tamers are based." The Gear shimmered before displaying the Hypnos Towers. "It safe to assume that this building houses the humans' most powerful technology and was meant to fight off Digital invasion. However," he added, changing the picture to now show Demon's Flame Inferno engulfing the building. "Demon's counterattack has severely damaged their primary weapon and your attacks have no doubt exhausted the Tamers, leaving them weak."
"In case you haven't noticed, Devimon," Metal Seadramon interrupted, "we aren't in much better condition!"
"Ah, but we have something they don't," Devimon smiled. "Sheer weight of numbers. I suggest an all-out strike to finish them off now, while they are weak and before they can rest."
Piemon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We have more than enough Perfects and Adults to get the job done..." he mused. "But what if they manage to bring the weapon on-line?"
"To prevent such an occurance, I will enter the building during the attack." Devimon turned to the others. "I intend to claim the weapon for our use. If I cannot, the weapon will be useless if there is no one left alive to use it."
"So while the Tamers are outside fighting off the attack..." Marine Devimon realised.
"I will be inside, destroying their last hope," Devimon finished, a sinister smile on his face.
"I approve of your plan, Devimon," Demon rumbled. "But who will lead our forces? Piemon and the Dark Masters are still recovering from that weapon and my Demon Corps need time to rest."
"I have the perfect candidate in mind," Devimon replied. He spoke into the shadows. "I trust you will have no problems?"
"Nope," said a loud, slightly arrogant voice from the shadows.
"You're sending him?" Pinnochimon shrilled incredulously. "Why him?"
Devimon smiled. "He is more than capable of doing the job," he said. Addressing the shadowed Digimon, he spoke again. "I trust you are ready to...'rock the house'?"
"Heh, don't worry, Devimon," a monkey-like Digimon said as he walked out of the shadows, his metallic body reflecting the torchlight. A pair of wrap-around sunglasses hid his eyes and tiny keychain shaped like a WaruMonezaemon hung over his hip. "This is gonna be the concert of a lifetime!" His eyes glinted evilly from behind his shades. "Or in the Tamers' case, the LAST concert of a lifetime!"
"Lord Demon!" Marine Devimon knelt before his master. "Please, Master! Let me face the one they called Cyberdramon and erase the shame of my loss!"
Demon glared at him, his blue eyes glowing from under his cowl. "Marine Devimon."
"Yes, Master!"
"Who is leader here?" The massive Dark Digimon's eyes didn't leave his subordinate as he spoke.
"You are, of course!" the tentacled Perfect said, not daring to look up.
"Then you will wait until I give you permission." Demon sat back, raising a hand to his head. "Not before."
"Yes, Master," Marine Devimon said, bowing his head.
"Patience," Demon added. "You will have your turn soon enough." Turning his head, he spoke to Devimon. "Devimon, what of the remaining Digimon Vamdemon summoned using the cards?"
Devimon waved a hand dismissively. "They will run amuck, no doubt." The Dark Messenger allowed himself a smile. "In fact, I dare say the Tamers will eventually have to leave to engage them." He clenched his fist. "And that is when we strike!"
**************
Alice sat apart from the others as they ate, glancing around as if she was looking for something. "Dobermon..." she sighed. She had fully expected to die during the battle against Piemon, but the sudden appearance of Dobermon has save dher. But then the apparition had vanished, leaving her alone with the other Tamers and their partners.
"Alice..." whispered a voice.
Alice looked around, her eyes wide. "Dobermon?" she breathed, not daring to hope.
"Alice..." Dobermon's voice echoed quietly. "Do not fear. I will always watch over you."
The blonde girl smiled. "Thank you." Hirokazu, walking past, overheard her and raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, shrugging and passing it off as stress.
**************
Night had fallen on the besieged city. The Tamers and their families tried to make themselves comfortable, though with varying degrees of success. One Tamer, however, found he wasn't sleepy. "Can't sleep, Jenrya?" Lee looked up and saw Renamon perched on a nearby aerial, looking down at him.
The blue-black haired boy stood up from where he was sitting on the roof of the Hypnos towers. "You're looking better, Renamon," he commented.
The fox-like Digimon leapt off the aerial, landing beside him. "I've been through worse." She peered at him. "What troubles you?"
Lee smiled slightly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not to everyone." Renamon fell silent, waiting for him to speak.
Lee sighed, looking up at the night sky. "Something's making me nervous about this whole business." He looked at Renamon. "Devimon's been one step ahead of us since the start. It feels like he's building up for something. Something big."
Renamon nodded in understanding. "And you are unnerved because you have no idea what it may be."
"Exactly." Lee looked out at the city. "Shucihon could've been killed just now because we weren't ready. I'm just worried we might not be so lucky next time."
"Moumantai."
Lee looked at Renamon, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. "What?" he blurted.
"You're worrying about things beyond your control," Renamon told him. "You should focus on being ready for the next battle, not angsting over something so trivial."
"But..."
"Jenrya, have faith in yourself and the others. Shuichon was brave out there. She's a Tamer too." Renamon looked him in the eye. "She can handle herself."
"I suppose..." Lee said, not sounding very convinced.
"It will be all right in the end," Renamon tried to assure him. "Don't worry too much about it."
"I'll try." Lee yawned as he began walking to the door. "Thanks, Renamon."
The fox nodded and watched as the boy left the roof before glancing to her right. "I'm impressed," she said. "I didn't think you could be so stealthy."
"I can be silent if I need to," growled Cyberdramon as he appeared out of the shadows.
"What are you doing here?"
"I smelt something," the cyborg told her. "The scent of an oncoming battle is in the air."
"As long as you're quiet," Renamon told him as she vanished, leaving the black and silver dragon alone on the roof.
**************
"Yamaki!" Megumi called, banging on the door to her superior's office. Yamaki had left a support crew and told her and Reika to get some rest, but one of the relief had called her, telling her something was wrong. "Yamaki! Open the door! Please! It's an emergency!" She stepped back as the door opened.
Yamaki stood in the doorway, his hair ruffled and his normally sharp suit was wrinkled, as if he had been sleeping in it. "What is it?" he asked, his voice crisp and attentive, contrasting with his appearance.
"Digimon attack!" Megumi told him.
Yamaki digested the information before giving his orders. "Right. Get to your post. I'll go get Reika and meet you there."
"Understood, sir!" Megumi turned and dashed in the direction of the command centre.
"And I was just getting comfortable," Reika sighed as she sat on a chair in his office, a steaming mug of coffee in her hands.
"I warned you not to get too relaxed," Yamaki told her as he took the mug from her and sipped it. "Come on, we have work to do."
Reika shook her head as she took the coffee back from Yamaki. Mock-saluting him, she said, "Understood, sir." She smiled slightly as she sipped from the mug and put it on a table. "I hope it's nothing serious..."
Yamaki nodded. "I agree."
**************
"What's the situation?" Yamaki asked as he walked into the command centre, Reika behind him. As the redhead took her place, Megumi turned to Yamaki.
"A group of Digimon are rampaging through another part of the city!"
"What? Why?"
"Could it be some sort of diversion?" Shibumi mused.
"No, I don't think so." Reika pointed to one of the screens. "According to this data, those Digimon aren't the same kind as we've been fighting. Their composition seems different."
Ruki brought her fist down onto her hand. "The Card Digimon!"
"You mean the ones Vamdemon summoned?" Takato asked.
"Exactly," the female Tamer nodded. "Remember, some of them were left over after Belial Vamdemon was killed."
Yamaki's eyes narrowed. "They must be just wandering around, destroying things at random!"
"We have to stop them!" Takato said, making for the door.
"Wait, Takato-kun!" Yamaki grabbed the boy's arm. "We must be careful. The Dark Digimon might take advantage of this by launching an attack while you go stop the Card Digimon."
"Then let us go," Fladramon told them, stepping forward. "I hate to admit it, but we can't fight guys like the Dark Masters or the Demon Corps as we are."
"Uh oh." Megumi looked at the others. "Something just launched from the roof."
"What?" Yamaki said, quickly appearing at her side. "What is it?"
"I can guess," Ryo moaned.
Sure enough, as Megumi activated the external cameras, the familiar figure of Cyberdramon became visible as he winged his way to where the Card Digimon were. "Cyberdramon!" Takato said aloud. "What's he doing?"
"He mentioned something about a coming battle when I met him on the roof," Renamon offered, appearing out of the shadows as usual.
"I'm going after him," Ryo told the others, turning to leave.
"We'll go with you," Hirokazu said, going after him. "Guardromon can fly us over to the battle."
"We'll go too," Fladramon added. "You might need help."
"We shouldn't divide our forces like this," Oikawa protested.
"But we can't let those Card Digimon run around loose out there, either," Yamaki mused. "Ryo-san. Hirokazu-kun. You go on ahead. Take this with you." He handed them a couple of headsets. "These will allow us to keep in touch. Let us know if you need backup."
"Got it," Ryo nodded. He turned to Hirokazu. "Let's go."
As Ryo, Hirokazu, Guardromon and the armoured Digimon left, Ruki called out to them. "Be careful!"
"No worries," Hirokazu grinned. "Between me and Ryo-san, we can take any old Card Digimon!"
"He's certainly not lacking in self-confidence," Archnemon commented as they left.
"You don't know the half of it," Kenta told her.
**************
"Ai, Makoto!" Impmon yelled, running through a crowd of fleeing people. "Where are you?"
"Impmon!" called a little girl as she burst out the crowd, followed by another child. "What's going on?" She came to a stop, a purple D-Ark hanging around her neck like a pendant.
"Yeah," her brother Makoto said, "Why are those Digimon picking on us? We never did anything to them!"
"They're just jerks," Impmon growled as he saw a Mekanorimon swoop down on the crowd. Leaping onto a nearby wall, he yelled, "Night of Fire!" A fireball struck the Mekanorimon, forcing it to pull up to avoid it. Suddenly, a missile flew threw the air and struck the flying Adult, exploding and deleting it in a flash of light. Impmon and the humans looked up to see a JSDF helicopter hovering in the air, with more on the way.
"Do not panic!" boomed a voice from the helicopter. "Proceed in an orderly manner to the nearest evacuation point. Armoured Personnel Carriers are waiting to take you to safety. Please do not panic!"
"Okay, Ai, Makoto," Impmon said. "You'd better go there now."
"What about you?" Ai asked worriedly.
"Don't worry," Impmon grinned. "I'm just going to make sure those Digimon don't get too close." He hugged the two children. "I'll see you later!" With that, he hopped onto another wall and began running to where he could see JSDF copters engaging the Card Digimon.
"Impmon!" Ai yelled. "Be careful!"
"Yeah!" Makoto added. "You have to come back!"
Their partner turned and gave a cocky grin, his scarf billowing in the wind as he raised a gloved hand in a thumbs-up gesture. Then he was gone.
**************
"They're too manueverable!" yelled a JSDF pilot as he banked his helicopter to avoid a charging Airdramon.
"Just buy the civilians a few more minutes then we can get out of here!" yelled back another pilot as he launched missiles at a group of Devidramons. "Aahh!" A Guardromon fired at him, but before it struck his helicopter a fireball destroyed it. "What the?" Risking a glance, the pilot saw Impmon on the ground, throwing fireballs at the swarming Digimon.
"That must be one of those kids' monsters," a pilot said to the others. "Can't let him get all the glory, can we?"
A chorus of agreeing statements crowded the radio as the JSDF forces rallied to drive the invaders back.
**************
"Heh," Impmon smirked as he watched the JSDF helicopters battle the Digimon. "These humans aren't so bad..." Suddenly, he felt the ground shake. "What the?" Looking down the street, he saw a trio of shadows stomp in the direction of the evacuation zone.
One towered over the others, resembling a humanoid triceratops. Its tri-horned face ended in a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Its green scaly skin reflected the light from the explosions that lit the air as it continued on its way. Beside it was a smaller white Digimon that vaguely reminded Impmon of Tyrannomon. This Digimon however had a metallic jaw and numerous cybernetic body parts. The third member of the group was a huge green Digimon that had two giant tusks growing out of its hunched back. A single gigantic horn decorated its reptilian head, which ended in a snout lined with serrated teeth.
"I don't know what those things are," Impmon said to himself, "but they're not going anywhere near Ai or Makato!" He ran down the streets, using his knowledge of the backalleys to good effect. Leaping out of the shadows, he landed on the main street, where he knew the three Digimon would be headed. "Hold it!" he yelled as they rounded the corner and came into his view. "You aren't going anywhere! Go back, before I have to hurt you!"
The three Digimon paused for a moment and exchanged a glance. Then they turned to Impmon and charged. Impmon gulped. "Maybe I should've thought this through more carefully..."
"Erase Claw!" Diving out of the sky, Cyberdramon blasted the ground in front of the charging dinosaurs, forcing them to halt as the cyborg landed in front of a surprised Impmon.
"Cyberdramon!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"
The Perfect glanced at the smaller Digimon. "I'll deal with this. Take care of your partners."
"I don't need your help!" Impmon yelled at him, clenching his fists. "I can handle myself!"
"I saw a large group of Adults headed for where the humans are gathering. Your partners were there as well." Cyberdramon glared at Impmon through his visor. "Will you stay here against enemies you can't defeat at your current level? Or will you go protect your Tamers from enemies you can defeat?" He turned away, going into a fighting stance. "We don't particulary care. We just want to fight."
Impmon unclenched his fist. "Fine. I'll protect the humans. You handle these guys."
"..."
"Good luck." Impmon turned and headed for the evacuation zone as Cyberdramon allowed a feral grin to appear on his face.
"Omae wa ore no teki ka?" he asked the three Digimon. His eyes flashed as his claws began glowing. "ERAAAAASE CLAW!"
**************
"Can't you go any faster, Guardromon?" Hirokazu asked as the robotic Adult carried him through the air. Holsmon flew beside him, carrying Ryo while Fladramon flew at a lower altitude, carrying Digimon.
"This is as fast as I can go without accidentally dropping you," his partner replied.
"We could go on ahead," Holsmon suggested to Ryo.
"No, I think it's better if we stick together," the Tamer replied. "No telling what could be over there."
Hirokazu sighed. "Let's just hope the army can hold those Digimon off long enough for us to get there..."
**************
"Fall back!" yelled a JSDF officer as a Deltamon burst through a wall. He looked to the APCs, which were still loading civilians. Cursing, he raised his handgun and took aim. "Hold them off until the transports are loaded!" Rallying a group of men, he began firing on the attacking Digimon, but their weapons didn't seem to do any damage.
"Summon!" Hundreds of razor sharp ice darts suddenly rained down on the Digimon, making it roar in pain and fall back. Impmon dropped out of the air and landed in front of the men, panting. 'Never tried using a Summon that big before...' he thought to himself as he tried to catch his breath.
"Another one?" a soldier said, quickly aiming at the back of Impmon's head.
"Hold your fire," the officer ordered. To Impmon he said, "Who are you and why are you helping us?"
Impmon faced the man, meeting his suspicous glare with a defiant one. "I'm Impmon. And I'm not helping you, I'm helping my friends!"
"Impmon!" called Ai's voice from the rapidly thining crowd. The little girl broke free of her mother's grasp and ran to Impmon, her twin Makoto behind her. "You made it! I was afraid you were going to be left behind!"
"Ai! Makoto!" their mother screamed. "Watch out!" The two children looked up as a Devidramon dived at them out of the sky.
Reacting quickly, a nearby JSDF trooper brought up his hand-held rocket launcher and fired. "Duck!" he yelled. Ai and Makoto froze, too scared to move as the huge black dragon began landing.
"Ai!" Impmon yelled as he ran towards them. "Makoto!" He tackled them, keeping their heads down as they hit the ground. The missile struck the Devidramon square in the chest, knocking it down. "No, you don't!" Impmon quickly got up and leapt into the air as the Devidramon roared and tried to rise. "Night of Fire!" He hurled two balls of flame at the Adult as it roared. His aim was true and the fireballs exploded inside its unprotected mouth. With a final scream, it exploded into data, joining the data already in the air. "Are you two all right?" Impmon asked as his two partners got up.
"Yeah," Ai sniffed, trying to hold back tears. "I'm okay. You, Makoto?"
The boy nodded. "Uh-huh, I'm fine."
"Good," Impmon said as their mother ran up and hugged them both. "Huh?" Sensing something, he looked up.
Noticing, the JSDF officer followed the Child level's gaze. "What in the world?" he gasped as a huge shadow appeared in the sky above. It soon materialised into a huge black Digimon, with a large muscular body that ended in a long serpentine tail. Its arms ended in cruel-looking spikes and its head was protected by a metal helmet that covered all but its lower jaw.
"Gigadramon..." Impmon whispered as the giant cyborg roared.
**************
Cyberdramon kicked at the triceratops Digimon's unarmoured belly, knocking it back. Before he could move in for the kill however, he was distracted by Gigadramon's roar. Turning to see, the cyborg growled angrily as he decided to try to finish off his three opponents as quickly as possible.
**************
"That's a Gigadramon!" Hirokazu gasped. "Hurry, Guardromon! The JSDF can't hold that thing off for long!"
"What's wrong?" Yamaki asked over the radio.
"A powerful Digimon is among the Card Digimon," Ryo reported. "We're going to engage it as soon as we land."
"Where are we going to land, Ryo-san?" Holsmon asked.
Ryo pointed to the evacuation area, where they could see the transports leaving under a protective umbrella of JSDF copters. "There."
**************
"Ai, Makoto, go with your mother and get to safety," Impmon ordered as he prepared to run off. "I'll join you later!"
"But..."
"Ai, Makoto, let's go," their mother said, urging them to hurry.
"Don't worry," Impmon told them. "I can handle this guy." The two kids nodded reluctantly and boarded the last transport. The JSDF officer nodded to his men, who boarded their jeeps and tanks to evacuate.
"Are you sure you want to stay here alone?" the officer asked Impmon.
"No worries. I promised Ai and Makoto I'd be back." The imp grinned. "And I'm not about to disappoint."
"Then good luck to you," the officer said, saluting. Climbing onto a jeep, he gave the order to withdraw and in seconds a convoy of JSDF vehicles was leaving the area.
"Now," Impmon said as Gigadramon fixed him with a glare. "It's just you and me..."
**************
Meanwhile, Devimon showed no emotion while he watched through a Black Gear as Gigadramon attacked the convoy, Impmon trying to stop him. Looking to another Black Gear, he saw Ryo, Hirokazu and their team headed for the area. And in another, Metal Etemon's forces moved into position. "Devimon," called a voice. "Lord Demon calls for a status report."
"Hn." The Dark Messenger turned to face Skull Satamon. "Tell him everything is going according to plan. Metal Etemon will be ready soon."
"When will you give the order to attack?"
"Once Ryo and his friends engage the Card Digimon. That way we can be sure they will be too occupied to help the others."
Skull Satamon nodded and left to report to his master, leaving Devimon in his chamber. The demonic Digimon remained silent as his gaze fell on a Gear which displayed the Hypnos Towers. Slowly, a sinister smile spread across his face.
**************
"Night of Fire!" Impmon threw multiple fireballs at Gigadramon, only to watch the Perfect shrug them off like they were raindrops. "Ghhhh," the purple Child level snorted, bringing his hands together. "Summon!" A shimmering circle appeared in the air, glowing with a pale blue light. Dozens of tiny razor-sharp ice darts shot out but did no more damage than the fireballs. Disregarding him, Gigadramon flew overhead, chasing the convoy. Impmon was livid. "Don't ignore me!" he yelled, running after the dragon. Suddenly, he tripped over something. "Oooof! What the?" Looking down at the ground, he saw what had tripped him. It was a rocket launcher, no doubt discarded by a panicked soldier during the first enemy wave. "Hey...maybe this will get his attention." Reaching down, the little Digimon tried lifting the weapon onto his shoulder, the way he'd seen the JSDF troops do. Sweat began appearing on his brow as he took aim. "Here goes nothing..." His finger curled around the trigger and he squeezed.
"Raaaaagggghhhhh!" Gigadramon's roar of pain let Impmon know his aim had been true. Unfortunately, it also enraged the giant cyborg, making it turn to him.
"Uh-oh," Impmon dropped the rocket launcher to make a break for cover, but it was too late. Gigadramon's spike arms opened and launched dozens of missiles at the fleeing imp. Impmon felt the ground explode around him, then a missile struck the ground underneath him, sending him screaming into the air. Then everything went black.
**************
Gigadramon turned around to continue its pursuit of the convoy. "Destruction Grenade!" Recoiling from the surprise attack, the dark dragon looked around for its attacker. All it saw was a Guardromon hovering some distance away. The cybernetic dark dragon was confused, since it recognised Guardromons as its comrades. As it was thinking, a yell interrupted it.
"Down here!" Holsmon yelled as he flew up at it. "Tempest Wing!" Whirling, the four-legged flier drilled into Gigadramon's stomach, then disengaged and flew off before it could react. "Digmon!"
"Big Cracker!" Digmon attacked next, jumping off Guardromon and firing his drills on the way down, pepperring the dark dragon Digimon's body on the way down. "Fladramon!"
"Got it!" Fladramon hovered in the air, his body glowing red. "How about this? Blazing Fire Head!" Crossing his arms, the fire Digimon dived at Gigadramon, who was still reeling from Holsmon and Digmon's attacks. "Kyaaaaaaa!" He slammed into Gigadramon with enough force to drive the huge Perfect into the ground. Then he kicked away from the fallen Digimon, leaving behind a burning image of himself. "Brace yourselves!" he yelled to the others.
"Hang on, Hirokazu!" Guardromon yelled as he dived for cover.
"Eeeep!" the boy yelped as his partner landed and held him tightly, using his huge body as a shield. The Fladramon image suddenly exploded, engulfing Gigadramon in a sea of flames.
"Got him!" Fladramon grinned underneath his helmet. The grin quickly faded, however, when Gigadramon roared and flapped its wings, blowing the flames his way. As the red-hued Digimon dodged and began attacking the giant again, Ryo made his way through the streets, searching for Cyberdramon.
"Cyberdramon!" he called, running in the direction he had last heard his partner roar. He spoke into his headset. "Hirokazu, I'm going after Cyberdramon. Can you handle things here?"
"No problem, Ryo-san!" the other boy replied. "Don't worry, we won't let you down!"
**************
"Uhhh..." Impmon slowly came to, his head aching. "Wh-where am I..." The Child tried to stand but yelped in pain as his leg sent a jolt of pain through his small body. Looking down, he saw his leg bent at an unnatural angle. "Great," he groaned, dragging his injured foot as he looked around. "Hey...this is..." He found himself in a familiar garden. "Ai and Makoto's house?" The scarf-wearing Digimon chuckled. "Figures. One way or another I always find myself here." A roar interrupted his musing. "Gigadramon!" Impmon looked up to see the giant form of Gigadramon twisting and turning as it tried to shoot down Fladramon, Guardromon and Holsmon. As he watched in horror, the dark dragon Digimon roared and flapped its wings,the wind knocking the three fliers off-balance. "No!" he yelled as they were struck down by quick hammer blows. His foes defeated, Gigadramon began moving in the direction the convoy was moving in. "Ai...Makoto!" Impmon moved forward, then collapsed as his leg gave out. "Chikuso!" he screamed. "I can't die here! Ai! Makoto!" He pulled himself up and looked around to see if there was anything he could use. Various toys were scattered around the garden, but the only thing he could see that would be of any use was Makoto's old tricycle. Limping over to it, Impmon cursed. "Damn...why am I so weak?" He clutched a handlebar. "If I was Beelzebumon, I could kill that monster and protect Ai and Makoto..." He fell to his knees, cursing. "Damn...damn..."
**************
"?" Cyberdramon kicked Metal Tyrannomon, then threw the white cybernetic Perfect at the other two.
'What is this?' said the voice in Cyberdramon's head. 'Despair?'
"This feels like Impmon," Cyberdramon growled.
'Ah, yes.' A shadow appeared in the air. 'He despairs of protecting his Tamers.' The shade slowly took an ephereal form, giving it a ghost-like quality. 'He loves them greatly.'
"He lacks the power to protect them," Cyberdramon told the shadow as he noticed the three enemy Perfects getting up.
'I will change that.' The shade flew off, leaving Cyberdramon staring after it.
**************
Impmon wheeled the tricycle, using it to support his injured leg. "Ai, Makoto..." he said under his breath. "I'm coming!"
The shadow appeared in the air above him, but the purple Digimon didn't notice. "Hahahahaha..." Twin heads looked down at the injured Child, eyes glowing. "Do not fear, little Digimon. I return to you the power stolen by the D-Reaper."
Impmon suddenly came to a stop, sensing something in the air. "What the?" An energy bolt suddenly came down from the sky, engulfing him. "Aaaagggghhhhh!"
"I now return to you the power to evolve, Impmon." The shade smiled to itself. "Use it wisely." It began chuckling as it faded away.
The energy bolt subsided, letting Impmon fall to his knees. "Wha...what was that?" He looked at his hands, his gloves now smoking and singed. A rumbling shook the ground, making him look up. "What now?" A Tyrannomon appeared at the end of the street, roaring. Its eyes fell on the wounded Child and it roared again as it charged. "Aaggh!" The red Adult's charge missed, but its tail managed to whack Impmon through a wall.
**************
While battles took place all around, the convoy carrying the civilians made its way through ruined streets to safety. Inside one of the transports, Ai and Makoto sat beside their parents, dejected.
"Ah!" Ai suddenly looked up, surprised.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked.
"Didn't you feel it?" Ai shook her head. "It was Impmon. He's in trouble!"
Makoto's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
**************
"Uhh!" Impmon rolled underneath Tyrannomon as it brought its foot down to crush him. "Dashing Night of Fire!" Leaping up, he launched fireballs at the larger Digimon as he dashed backwards. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his wounded leg and collapsed. "Aaahh!" He fell and skidded across the ground. "Chikuso!" The Tyrannomon turned and stomped toward him to finish him off.
**************
"Hey! I felt him too!" Makoto yelped. "You're right! We have to help him!"
"But we have to stay with Mom and Dad," Ai reminded him. She clutched the D-Ark tightly. "Impmon..."
"Impmon, don't lose!" Makoto whispered, sinking into his seat. "You promised to come back!"
**************
"Ai, Makoto, I'm sorry..." Impmon could do little more than glare at the Tyrannomon as it raised its foot. Then, just as it was about to finish him, a light engulfed him. "Wha-what?"
The Tyrannomon stepped back, surprised. Roaring, the dinosaur stabbed at where Impmon was with its claws. But instead of tearing through Impmon's body, its arm was caught and held by something. A gruff, confident voice spoke. "Sorry, no easy kill for you today." The light receeded, revealing a tall humanoid figure standing in Impmon's place. He was dressed in a black biker suit, complete with bomber jacket. A purple helmet covered everything except his lower face, where his bluish skin was visible, along with his mouth which was currently curled into a confident smirk. A pair of leather biker gloves covered his hands and he wore boots which ended in three spikes. "My turn." He held up his other hand and stabbed the Tyrannomon in the gut. Pulling his hand out, the Digimon kicked the deleting Digimon away. "I evolved..." he said to himself, looking down at his hands. The sound of Gigadramon roaring drew his attention. "Damn! Gigadramon!" He turned to run towards the giant, but a low rumbling sound caught his attention. "What?" Whirling around, he saw Makoto's tricycle glowing. "?! The tricycle...is evolving?" He blinked. "It must have been caught in my evolution, like Makoto's gun!" The glow increased in intensity and the rumbling grew into a roar as the tricycle exploded.
**************
"Aaaaaarggh!" Fladramon screamed as Gigadramon's jaws closed around him.
"Fladramon!" Holsmon yelled as Gigadramon let go, allowing the armoured Digimon to drop all the way to the ground.
"Uhh..." the red-hued Digimon groaned, trying to get up.
"Hey!" Hirokazu said, running up to him. "You okay?"
Fladramon rose to his knees. "Don't think so..." He looked at his hands. "No!" Data was beginning to peel, floating into the sky.
"H-hey!" Hirokazu gasped. "Don't die on me!"
"Not dying," Fladramon said as data swirled around him. There was a flash of light and suddenly in Fladramon's place stood a small blue Digimon. A small yellow mark on his forehead was shaped like a V. "Just devolving."
"Oh." Hirokazu sighed with relief. "Hey!" he called as the little Digimon ran at Gigadramon. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I've got to stop Gigadramon!" he replied.
"That's crazy!" Hirokazu told him. "You don't stand a chance!"
"I've got to try!" The blue Digimon's eyes narrowed. "V-mon is no quitter!" Shaking free of Hirokazu's grip, he ran at Gigadramon.
"Guardromon!" Hirokazu called to his partner. "Get down here! We have to Matrix Evolve!"
"Right!" The brown robotic Digimon landed nearby. "Let's do it!"
Hirokazu nodded and raised his D-Ark. "Matrix...!" He paused when the roar of a loud engine cut through the air. "Who the?" The sound grew louder and soon round the corner came... "Beelzebumon?!"
"You're mine, Gigadramon!" Beelzebumon declared as he revved his motorcycle Behemoth's engine. Pulling back on the handlebars, the Ultimate and his bike leapt up into the air, headed for Gigadramon. "Here's repayment for the missile!" He leapt off the powerful machine, drawing a shotgun from his shoulder holster and another from a holster on his leg. "Double Impact!" He fired at point-blank range just as Gigadramon swiveled its head to face him. The bullets from the Demon Lord's shotguns tore through its head and with a horrific scream it fell to the ground, crushing the already badly damaged buildings nearby. As the giant Digimon broke into data, Beelzebumon landed, turning the gaze of his three green eyes at Hirokazu and the others. "The humans?"
"Safe, I think," Hirokazu told him.
"Hirokazu!" Ryo called through the head-set. "We've got trouble!"
"What's wrong, Ryo-san?"
**************
Ryo stood on the ruins of what was once a bank. His face showed worry and frustration that was reflected in his voice as his blue eyes followed the movement of the JSDF vehicles. "I can see the convoy from here," he said. "There's a large group of Digimon headed their way!"
**************
"What?" Hirokazu turned to the others. "The convoy's in trouble!"
"I'll deal with it," Beelzebumon told him, mounting Behemoth. "This won't take long." With a final smirk, the black-clad Viral Digimon rode off, leaving the others choking in his dust.
"Nice guy," Digmon commented, coughing.
"You should've seen him when he was a bad guy," Hirokazu replied.
"What happened to you, V-mon?" Holsmon asked, noticing his friend's devolved condition.
"Gigadramon's bite broke it," the little dragon Digimon said sadly. "How am I gonna tell Daisuke I got the Digimental of Courage broken?"
"Calm down," Holsmon told him. "It probably just used up too much energy and returned to Daisuke-san's D-Terminal."
"I hope so..."
**************
Meanwhile...
Metal Etemon grinned as his forces moved into position. A Black Gear hovered in the air beside him. "Hey, Devimon," he said as the Dark Messenger's face materialised. "When are we gonna get this show on the road?"
"You may begin, Metal Etemon," Devimon told him. "Good hunting."
Metal Etemon's grin became wider. "Okay, boys and girls," he said, snapping his fingers. "It's showtime!" His shades glinting, the Ultimate held up a microphone. "I'll let them listen to a perfect, invincible Love Serenade!"
**************
"Yamaki!" Reika called. "We have trouble!"
"What now?" Yamaki asked, turning away from the Wild Bunch as they tried to reboot the Shaggai System.
"A huge group of Digimon is assembling nearby!"
Yamaki turned to the others. "Takato-kun!"
Takato nodded. "Let's go, everyone! We have to hold them off until Ryo-san and Hirokazu get back!"
"Just buy us a little time, Takato," Shibumi told him. "Shaggai is almost back online."
"Got it." Takato and the others moved to the door.
"Takato, be careful," Mie told her son.
Makino Rumiko hugged Ruki. "Ruki, don't push yourself too hard."
"Don't worry, Mom," the redhead replied. "Renamon's with me. I'll be fine."
"Jen-nii-chan," Shuichon said, tugging on her brother's shirt. "Can Lopmon and I come too?"
Lee knelt beside his sister. "Sorry, Shuichon, I need you to stay here."
"But...!"
"If we lose, you and Lopmon will be the only ones left to protect everyone. That's why you have to stay here."
"You can't lose!" Shuichon said forcefully. "You and Terriermon have to win!"
Lee smiled. "Don't worry," he told her, ruffling her hair. "We'll be back after we take care of those Digimon."
"We'll go with you," Archnemon told the Tamers. "Is that okay with you, boss?"
Oikawa shut his eyes. "Keep out of trouble."
"No problem, boss!" Mummymon said, wrapping his arm around Archnemon's shoulders. "I'll protect her!" A vein popped up on Archnemon's head.
"Idiot!" she huffed, stomping to the elevator and leaving a battered Mummymon on the floor. "Be serious!"
"..." Juri looked at the unfortunate Perfect. "Is she always like that?"
Mummymon grinned. "Yes. That's why I love her."
"O...okay..."
"Here they come!" Megumi warned.
"Tamers!" Takato said, leading the charge to the door. "Let's go!"
"YEAH!" yelled the others as they rushed out to do battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Preview:
Shuichon: Jen-nii-chan, what do we do? Ryo-san, Hirokazu-san and the others are still fighting the Card Digimon!
Lee: We're not finished yet! I'm not going to let anyone hurt my family or friends!
Terriermon: Neither will I! Let's go, Jen!
Lee: Okay, Terriermon! MATRIX EVOLUTION!
Digimon Tamers: Dark Wing! The Fortress of Steel: Saint Galgomon!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes: "Omae wa ore no teki ka?" is the first thing Cyberdramon said when he first appeared. It translates roughly into "Are you my enemy?" and is often cited as his trademark line. In fact, it is even in his image song "DoD" or "Dead or Dead".
Author's notes: Sorry this took so long. I've been travelling overseas for a bit and haven't had time to work on Dark Wing for awhile. On the other hand, this chapter is longer than usual, so I figure that's a good trade, yes?
Reviews, comments, suggestions and criticisms (constructive or otherwise) are welcome and can be sent to Withoutmorals@antisocial.com