Gayathri gazed down the slopes of greenery before her, observing the tea plantation which seemed to stretch over many hills. It was a vast change from the city where she lived in; the greeneries were so soothing to the eyes, complimented only by the breezes that caught her long curly hair. Workers could be seen plucking tea leaves, filling them in the basket they had on their backs. They worked in a relaxed pace, not rushing into anything. A tea-processing factory was within eyesight, humming distinctly.
Her eyes shifted towards the kiosk set up just a few meters by the edge of the slope, where souvenirs and light foods and fruits were sold, though their specialty was fresh-brewed tea. The kiosk also operated as a small café, with several circular cemented tables set up near it. At the table beside her, a Caucasian couple were enjoying their teas and strawberries while enjoying the scenic view; their teenaged son, she presumed, could be seen somewhere within the tea gardens snapping photos. She'd seen them before – they were staying at the apartment hotel where they were, for she'd ran across them during breakfast the previous day and today.
The other table occupied was their own – that consisted of her, Mak Mirah, and Anding who was by the kiosk right now, talking with the young woman who worked there.
She took a sip of her tea, enjoying its warmness as it was a rather chilly afternoon. The sun shone its light upon the lush greenery, but it was pleasant instead of warm as it was at the city. It was however, to be expected of Cameron Highlands, where she was at, and had been, for the past two days.
"How was the tea, dear?" asked Mak Mirah.
"It's fine," said Gayathri absently. "Thanks."
Mak Mirah gave her a perceptive gaze, but didn't say anything else. It was obvious that the girl was not in the mood to talk. Mak Mirah could only wonder when the mood would return.
Away from the city where the tragedy that had taken Bel's life, Gayathri was slowly moving on. It was difficult, but her family was there for her. At times, she was moody and her parents let her to be alone to sort things out, but not without having Anding or Mak Mirah, or both of them altogether, to watch over her from afar. Such example was this day, when her father wanted to go golfing, and her mother wanted to look for some souvenirs. Anding had suggested for him to take his mother and Gayathri for a drive towards the tea plantation sites simply to enjoy the scenery before they'd have lunch together, and her parents had agreed.
I wonder how's everything back home, Gayathri thought as she plucked one fresh strawberry out from the plastic container on the table. So far nothing had gone wrong. She didn't have a chance to watch the news – her parents had insisted that this would be a stress-free vacation for them. They didn't even buy newspapers, but Gayathri had gotten the gist of what was going on from Manny.
Her boyfriend had merely told her that there was trouble, but they had taken cared of it. She thought that there was more to it, from the way he spoke on the phone the previous night he'd called her, but she'd decided to take his word for it for the time being. She'd know eventually when she went back home in another two days.
Dina had messaged her just a few minutes back, wishing her well and that she'd missed her already. They had spoken the previous night as well, before Manny called her. Gayathri was glad that at least one of them was able to move on better than she was. She still sounded sad whenever they talked about Bel – usually it would be a three-way phone conversation between the three of them. Now it had become a regular two-person call. However, Dina didn't cry anymore when Bel was brought up. She suspected that a certain DigiWira leader played a crucial role in this.
Adam in the meantime, had brought the best news she had that day – they had no homework from school. At least, she'd have less homework to complete when she got back. Adam had promised to lend her his notes and corrected homework so that she could breeze through them without difficulty.
She supposed she shouldn't worry too much. Her friends had assured her that they'd call her if they really would need her help. She was however, concerned still; though Puspamon was able to inflict serious damages against both Astamon and Shawujinmon that day, they had escaped. Gayathri had no doubt that they would be back later for revenge. She didn't want history to repeat itself – Bel had died, and she was just beginning to come to terms with it.
Oh, Bel, she thought, watching the teen who had been snapping pictures returning to where his parents were seating. She however wasn't actually looking at the boy. Her mind was only on Bel, and how much she was missing her best friend. She was getting better at controlling her emotions, perhaps attributed to the peacefulness of the highland. Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling it, the pain slowly dulled.
The boy saw her gazing at him, and gave her a courteous nod and a smile before taking his seat, his back facing her.
Gayathri was amused. Bel would've teased me about that now, if she's still around…
Thinking about her deceased friend now made a small smile appear on her face. Liu Ying's right, she thought, watching as the teen who had been snapping pictures returned to where his parents were seating. The pain remains…but life has to go on. She can do it, Adam can do it, and Dina is doing her best too.
"Almost a week has passed since Bel's death," Mak Mirah said with a gentle motherly tone, placing a hand on Gayathri's own hand. "Perhaps it's time for you to resume your normal life, dear. Bel wouldn't want to see you like this."
"I know you're right, Mak Mirah," Gayathri replied softly. She saw the Caucasian boy turning his head back, right when Mak Mirah spoke to her. However upon meeting her gaze, the boy turned away back front, resuming to drink his tea. She decided to ignore it; perhaps the boy was just curious of what they were speaking about. "I'm feeling better now, actually," she told the cook.
"That's good to hear."
The elderly woman studied the girl, one whom she had thought as her own after the years she had spent looking after her in her parents' stead. Gayathri was only a small toddler when she came to work with the Nadarajah family – her maternal grandmother, the one who had taken care of her, had passed away and the busy Nadarajah couple needed someone who could take care of their daughter as well as their house. She took the job after losing her husband in order to support her son, and it was a job she had not regretted to take. She had grown attached to the family, and to the young girl before her. Seeing her looking so subdued made her sad as well.
"I'll be alright," reiterated Gayathri, noticing the long look Mak Mirah was giving her. She was feeling better, but the words didn't come out right from her mouth. It was so easy to see that she was still depressed about it, though it wasn't as bad as before. She stood up and cast a glance towards Anding, who was still by the kiosk. "I'm going to see what's keeping Anding there."
She sauntered off, partly to avoid Mak Mirah questioning her. She noticed the blond boy giving her another look again and frowned.
This time, the boy didn't look away. He was looking at her and directly into her eyes too, as if trying to discern what she was thinking. His expression was of curious wonder. It made her uncomfortable, since the boy was a stranger.
What's his problem? Gayathri grumbled inwardly, and turned away.
xxx
xxx
WIRA DIGITAL
Chapter 60 – Reflections
xxx
xxx
"Hey, I knew it. We do live in the same hotel."
Gayathri looked up from the magazine she was reading, and saw the same boy who had been staring at her back at the tea plantations. He was grinning at her so widely that she thought that his face would split in half if he remained grinning for another minute. Then, without even asking he took a seat on the chair beside her, much to her annoyance.
It was only natural for him to turn up at the same place where she was at this time of the day. It was warm enough at the hotel's indoor swimming pool for people to swim. The pool had mainly attracted children and teens her age, but Gayathri didn't feel like swimming. She didn't however feel like staying in her room. Her parents had gone antiquing, and Anding and Mak Mirah had gone out to buy dinner from other restaurants – her father had said that he'd gotten tired of the hotel's foods and wanted to try other things.
Taking note of his very blond hair and cerulean eyes, Gayathri relaxed. Perhaps the boy - a foreigner - was lonely and just wanted to strike up a conversation with her, seeing that they had met before.
Apparently, judging by the boy's attire – which consisted of a long-sleeved gray shirt under a red sweater vest, and a pair of dark gray khakis shorts – he wasn't going to swim either. Her eyes stopped short, and narrowed when they saw a familiar-looking device clipped on his belt.
A D-4 Digivice? Instantly, her annoyance evaporated. If this foreigner had a Digivice, then that must mean that he was a DigiDestined too.
"Sorry," said the boy, extending his hand towards her. "I'm Willis. Willis J. Johnson, from Colorado, America. Friends call me Willis, or Will."
Gayathri took his hand, and shook it once before letting go. "Gayathri. I'm from…Kuala Lumpur." Thinking that this foreign DigiDestined wouldn't have any idea of her hometown's name, she decided to just say that she was from the nation's capital.
Willis nodded, grinning. "Pleasure to meet you, Gayathri."
"Same here," said Gayathri politely. She wondered whether to reveal her identity to Willis. The DigiWira were very well-known in Malaysia. If Willis is a DigiDestined, then he might already know of her. He might reveal her to the public, who was in the dark. She wasn't looking forward to that – this retreat was the thing she needed to recuperate from her recent emotional trauma.
Willis leaned in closer to her, and she was at first inclined to pull away, before he whispered, "Hey…I know about you. My Digimon partner tells me that there's another DigiDestined staying here."
Gayathri froze. Then she shot Willis a suspicious look.
The boy in return gave her an assuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna rat you out to everyone. If I were you I'd like some privacy too." He contemplated on what to say next, before clearing his throat, and said, "How about we get some sandwiches from the hotel café and step out to the secluded part of the hotel garden near that fountain?"
Gayathri scowled. Willis raised his hands in a surrender-like gesture.
"Hey, relax. I'm not gonna do anything to you. Do I look like a jerk to you?"
If you are, then I have no qualms in blasting you with my supersonic scream, thought Gayathri. She actually gave Willis a look-over once again, now noticing that he was tall, slightly on the thin side and was somewhat good-looking. Not as handsome as JD, she thought wryly, but definitely quite an attention-grabber himself. Bel would've loved to get to know you.
Willis lowered his hands. He looked at her hopefully. "I just want to talk with a fellow DigiDestined, and we can introduce our partners to each other. We can't do it here, and Terriermon's been dying to get out from the Digivice. He doesn't like it in there."
"Terriermon?"
"My partner. So…how about it?"
"Hmm…"
"Come on. I admit, I'm dying to talk with someone my age. My mom and step-dad are both out exploring the town and I didn't feel like joining them, because I planned to look for you. From what I heard at the tea garden this afternoon…" Willis gazed into Gayathri's eyes. "You sound like you need someone to talk with, too."
"Oh, so you were eavesdropping!"
"Hey, chill!" Willis raised his hands in the surrender-gesture again. "I just caught some bits of it. Didn't know what you and your…umm…aunt?"
"No. Try cook and caregiver."
"Cook and caregiver, huh? You must be pretty rich," commented Willis. Gayathri scowled again. "Hey, I'm just saying. Me and my folks live in a farm back at Colorado. My step-dad's involved in agricultural stuffs, but I won't bore you with the details." He smiled again. "Anyway, how 'bout it?"
Gayathri considered Willis's offer. The magazine she was reading was an old one, and pretty boring anyway. She supposed that a company of one her age might be the thing she needed. And it was a plus that Willis was a DigiDestined too; she could talk more freely with him, and she had the feeling that Willis might want to grind a lot of information from her about the Malaysian DigiDestined.
"Alright."
"Really? Cool. Hey, tell you what? The sandwiches are my treat."
Gayathri smiled. "Be my guest."
Ten minutes later, they walked along the flower bushes which trailed towards a lush forest behind the hotel, following the tracks provided. Willis had been right – there was no one else. It wasn't a holiday season, and it was also a usual tourist season when she thought of it. The air was fresh outside; the late afternoon was a bit warmer and they had about one and a half hour before dusk.
Gayathri released Floramon. Willis whistled. "Pretty. Like her partner, I have to say."
She scowled at him; Willis turned out to be quite a charmer. And she didn't like it.
"It's a compliment, Gayathri," said Willis and reached out for his Digivice. He released his partner, and suddenly heard Gayathri and Floramon gasps. His arm was clutched tight, and he saw Gayathri looking somewhat shocked.
Seeing Terriermon reminded her greatly of Lopmon, and that triggered a chain reaction of bad memories once more. She wasn't aware that she'd been clutching Willis's arm, nor did she realize that tears were trickling down her eyes. Her knees grew weak.
"What's wrong with her, Willis?" asked Terriermon.
Willis shrugged. Gayathri let go of his arm, and was wiping her tears. He frowned. "Is everything okay, Gayathri?"
Gayathri sighed as she managed to calm down. She thought she was able to control her emotions now, but seeing Terriermon – who resembled Lopmon a great deal, except for his cream fur and light green linings, as well as one horn – had crumbled the wall of defense she'd been constructing in her mind. Looking at Willis and Terriermon, she supposed she owed them an explanation.
Willis gestured towards a nearby bench. They sat there, and Gayathri told him about what happened and the reason for her sudden emotional outburst. All the while, Willis listened without interrupting, though his face had darkened considerably as well. What Gayathri had gone through reminded him of what he'd gone through.
"Hey, listen," said Willis, after Gayathri had done telling him the story. "I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't know. But I can say that now that I know, I can relate with you."
"Really?"
"Uh huh. Actually, Terriermon here once got a twin. Had he digivolved normally, he'd have become Lopmon, just like your late friend's partner."
Gayathri's curiosity was piqued. "What happened?"
Willis cast a faraway look towards the hills visible from in between the trees. "He got infected with a virus, and was driven mad. It was quite a mess that it required me and the Japanese team teaming up to stop him, who by then had digivolved to his Mega form. We managed to take him down…but unfortunately at the same time we were forced to delete him too."
Gayathri gasped. Willis was forced to kill his own partner. Terriermon was forced to delete his own twin. They must've felt terrible. "I'm sorry."
Willis smiled. "It's for the best, I think. I kept hoping that we'll be reunited again one day." Then his eyes widened in alarm. "Gayathri, I'm sorry. About…"
"It's ok. Actually, I'm beginning to move on, too. That's the whole purpose of my family and I being here. I suppose I'm not doing quite a good job still, but I'm trying my best."
"It takes time." Willis looked at her. "It took me a while to get myself together when my dad died when I was little. But eventually, I managed. Luckily my mom married a decent guy. My step-dad now is as good as a real dad to me. At first, I felt guilty for trying to replace my dad with my step-dad, but later I found out that it's not so. My step-dad, Ryan, wasn't really taking my dad's place. And he told me he wasn't planning too. My dad and Ryan were good friends. My dad will always be special to me, but Ryan's special too in his own ways. I'm happy to have him as my step-dad."
Gayathri took in what Willis was saying, and saw that he was giving her a message. She'd been scared, all this while, that she'd find someone to take Bel's place. Now that she thought of it, it became clearer to her.
Her mind drifted back to a conversation she and Liu Ying had that day after Bel's burial.
---
"Listen, Gayathri." Liu Ying grasped both her hands as they looked at the picture with her, Dina and Bel together. "I know I'm not Bel, or that I'm gonna be as good as her to you, but if you need a friend to talk too, or maybe a third person to go to places…I'm just a phone call away."
"You want to replace Bel?" asked Gayathri, amidst her subdued sobs.
"No, I'm not planning to," said Liu Ying softly. "Bel will always be special to you. I'm just saying, if you need another friend…."
"You're a good friend, Liu Ying." Gayathri cried again. "But you're just not Bel."
---
"You're right, Willis," said Gayathri. She was beginning to feel a lot better. "What you've just said opened my eyes. I'm glad that I've met you."
"Always happy to help," said Willis. "You're the second person actually who I've told this in detail."
"Oh? Who's the first?"
"A kid, Blake, back home. He lost his mom a year ago. Cancer. It was horrible. I happened to volunteer in a big-brother program somewhere near home, to help those who are like me," explained Willis with a wistful smile. "Took me a lot longer to get through him, but he was eight that time. That was a year ago. Now," he grinned toothily, "we're like a pair of brothers."
Gayathri smiled back. "Sounds like a pair of friends I know."
"Y'know," said Willis. "Now that I've met you, I'm kinda bummed that we're leaving tomorrow morning. We still haven't got to the part where you tell me about your experiences as a DigiDestined, or as you call it here DigiWira, and I haven't told you my other adventures."
"You're leaving? So soon?"
"Actually, I've been here longer than you. My folks are doing this tour around Malaysia thing – kinda like their second honeymoon, only they chose to drag me and Terriermon along. We've been in this country for a couple of months already. I'm home-schooled, if you're wondering - that's why I get to come here when other kids my age have to go to school. So far, we've visited some of the major attractions around here. We're heading to Sabah next, my step-dad wants to trek up the mountain…what's it called…"
"Kinabalu Mountain: Malaysia's highest peak, tallest mountain," supplied Gayathri. "My boyfriend's from the city around there."
"Boyfriend, huh?" Willis smiled good-naturedly; perhaps this local girl had misinterpreted his friendliness. "We still can keep in touch, right? I mean, your boyfriend, he's not the jealous sort of guy?"
Gayathri laughed at Willis's apprehension. It was the first time she had laughed after Bel's death. She had to admit that it was a refreshing change. "Manny? No, I don't think so. And of course we can keep in touch. I'd like to stay in touch with the guy who has opened my eyes a bit." Her expression became more sober. "Thanks, Willis. I really owe you on this one."
"Cool. Hmm…" Willis took out a camera-phone from his pocket and grinned at Gayathri. "How about a picture?"
"Sure, Willis."
"Great! Hey, Terriermon, take one photo of me and Gayathri, will ya?"
They ended up taking lots of photos together, before deciding that it was getting dark and they had better return to the hotel before their families tried to look for them. Gayathri had found a way to really move on, and had gained a new friend as well. An international, American DigiDestined – not someone she could meet in any day.
She was beginning to feel more than ready to return home in two days time.
"Hey…umm…" Willis looked at her, grinningly. "How about we tell our experiences over dinner? My treat. As new friends who're parting tomorrow? What do you say?"
Gayathri smiled back. "That's a great idea. But it'll be my treat. You helped me a lot today. It's only fair if I treat you to a thank-you dinner in return."
"Awesome!"
xxx
xxx
Opie watched curiously as Debbie arranged a set of pink plastic kitchen utensils before her, wondering what she was doing. Everything was smaller than the ones he'd seen on the house kitchen, when Debbie's mother was cooking. Next, he saw Debbie taking out two slender dolls in bright pink and purple dresses and long blonde hair, making them seat by them, joining the company of a fluffy white teddy bear, a dark green alligator miniature, and an adorable, wide-eyed tiger cub. Everything looked so bizarre to him, but he kept silence.
Debbie poured imaginary tea out from a small plastic teapot. "It's tea time, Opie."
Opie wrinkled his face. "I don't see any tea," he pointed out, confused, staring at the empty small cup Debbie was handing towards him.
"It's make-believe. You're supposed to think that there's tea."
"Oh…"
From the corner of the living room, Manny and Penguinmon were both watching the exchange. For Manny, it was slightly amusing to see his sister treating the Muchomon the same way she'd treat the plush toys she had whenever she conducted her tea party. At least, with Opie around, he and Penguinmon wouldn't be coerced into joining the tea party, which they had done at times when Debbie got bored of the silent company of her plush toys. Yet, while his eyes were on his sister, his minds were far away.
He'd been thinking about JD a lot lately, of how his time was running out. Now that Liu Ying knew about it too, he'd found other person to discuss about it. Penguinmon was and had been a good company, but he'd spent weeks talking about the cursed tattoo to the Digimon, and he'd longed for a human company to discuss about it. Other than that, his mind also constantly wondered to his girlfriend who was recuperating at the Cameron Highlands.
When he thought about JD, he ended up pretty stressed out. No cure had yet to be found for JD's curse tattoo, and he had no doubt that Liu Ying was stumped as well. Seeing the way she was at school these two days – she hadn't been concentrating and dark bags could be seen under her eyes – Manny knew that she was trying her best to look for the cure as well.
JD in the meantime, maintained his stoic demeanor while Adam appeared to be suspicious of something, but still was left in the dark. The same was true for Gayathri. He thought that he'd spare Gayathri the knowledge while she was recuperating, but it made him sad whenever he saw Adam trying to coax JD in telling him what was wrong, and how JD avoided telling his cousin the truth. He couldn't imagine how Adam would react when he realize about the dire condition his cousin was in. He saw the pain in JD's eyes whenever he was around the cousins, and he doubted that Adam had missed it, but JD had insisted that Adam was spared from knowing about the curse.
Is JD right in trying to keep Adam from knowing? The curse would only spare JD when it was transferred to another person, by an act of unconditional love, and said person must be aware of the risk they were taking while undergoing the transfer. If these three conditions were fulfilled, JD would be spared, but the one who'd take his place would die. The good Persiamon was right; the cure is as cruel as the curse. The curse was practically unbreakable. Manny doubted that JD was willing to let any other person die in his stead.
Something told him that telling Adam was a good idea, for all these times Adam was the one who'd managed to pull miracles out of his hat. The DigiWira leader had survived several near-death experiences, one of them had been thought as actually fatal. While trapped in the Dark Ocean dimension, he had released enough power of light which not only driven the lord of the ocean away, but the power also crossed dimensions and ended up powering the losing Wira Digital who were up against Lilamon. The power boost was even enough to initiate Puspamon's digivolution for the first time.
But I suppose JD's right about one thing, Manny thought sadly. JD had told him his reason for keeping Adam out of this. He'd killed both VenomDevimon and himself that night. It's only a miracle that the White DigiSphere and the Digivice managed to reconstitute their scattered data particles back into one being, thanks to his power of teleportation. That night, Adam has shown them what he's truly capable of, in times of crisis. If it means that his friends are safe, he won't hesitate to put himself in line of danger, even fatal ones.
Agumon's idea fits the bill as well, he was reminded. The previous day, JD had told them what Agumon had offered to do. He doesn't even want to risk losing Agumon, despite Agumon pointing out that it might be the best way. His eyes darted towards Penguinmon. I understand how he feels. I don't know if I can stand losing Penguinmon.
Manny sighed, pressing his back on the back of the sofa. What should we do?
In the meantime, Penguinmon still received weird vibes from his orange-feathered self, but couldn't discern what was wrong. Digimon could sense other Digimon to a degree, depending on their maturity and experience. He hadn't been able to do so before being partnered to Manny, but after Digital Accessing for the first time he'd found his senses heightened and physically he'd become stronger. It was at that time when he realized that he was able to sense other Digimon, recognizing their data patterns when at close range.
He'd sensed this Muchomon before meeting him the first time, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly when. There were differences, yet there was also something curiously familiar about Opie. It was as if he had met him once. It was like perceiving a familiar but forgotten scent, and it was annoying him.
Opie too seemed to be afraid of both him and his partner, and Debbie had chastised them for scaring her friend. She had made them maintain a distance away from Opie, which had evidently relaxed the orange penguin. He gave Penguinmon the impression of not understanding why Penguinmon and Manny didn't seem to like him as much as Debbie and the siblings' parents. And frankly, so did Penguinmon; Opie's behavior was nothing but perfect. He was polite to everyone, even to them despite being uneasy around them. The parents liked him, which was why they had agreed to him staying there, and they especially took pity of his amnesic state.
"Dinner's ready!" announced Kimberly, as she placed down two last side-dishes over the dinner table. "Let's eat, everyone!"
"Yaay!" Debbie enthused, while Opie too got up on his feet, equally enthusiastic.
"Coming!" Manny was still somewhat distracted, but joined his family nonetheless. "Penguinmon," he said, when noticing his partner still in deep thoughts, "you coming?"
"Yeah," Penguinmon responded, pushing his doubts about Opie to the back of his mind. But when he did that, a nagging feeling rose, telling him of something…dangerous?
"You don't sound too excited about it," noted Manny.
"Speak for yourself," muttered Penguinmon, ignoring the nagging feeling by focusing on his partner. "Thinking about your girlfriend again?"
"Partly."
"And JD?"
Manny nodded quietly. Penguinmon sighed. "And I bet you're thinking about Opie too. I know I do."
"Maybe," Manny said quietly, casting a sidelong look towards his sister and Opie, who were both excited upon witnessing what his mother had prepared for dinner. Soon his father came out from the kitchen, and took his customary seat and his mother sat opposite his father. "We should give Opie a chance, Penguinmon," he said, trying to divert his thoughts from thinking about JD and Gayathri. "That guy is nothing but decent, and a good company to Debbie."
"I suppose you're right," returned Penguinmon, just as quietly as they made their ways towards the dinner table. However, he abruptly stopped. His eyes narrowed.
Similarly, from the dinner table, Debbie's surprised cry was heard. "Opie, what's wrong? Why you're looking like that?"
Penguinmon and the Muchomon traded looks which unnerved their human companies. Penguinmon was glaring, Opie was cowering in fear. The orange avian had his feathers stood on ends.
Manny shifted his gaze between his partner and his sister's friend. "Penguinmon?"
Penguinmon cast a look around the house. His eyes stopped by the windows, where the curtains were still drawn to the sides. Outside, the car porch was illuminated by lights, and nobody was there. Yet he felt as if there had been somebody there. Digimon? He thought, thinking that he'd picked up a new data signal. It wasn't Opie's, and from somewhere nearby. The signal's still around here…
"Something wrong, Penguinmon?"
"I thought…" Penguinmon stopped himself. Nobody was outside – he had a clear view of the window and the porch outside, and he could see nobody.
"Opie? What's wrong?" cried Debbie. "What's the matter?"
They saw Opie growing considerably pale, and his feathers and hairs stood up. His eyes reflected alarmed looks and he'd gotten down from the chair, backing away towards one corner the dining area. He wasn't just scared – he was utterly terrified of something.
"Danger!" Opie clutched his head and slumped down, as Debbie went towards him. The orange bird was shivering as Debbie hugged him. "Danger!" he cried out.
"What danger?" Penguinmon asked, coming closer at them.
Opie whimpered, and Debbie released herself from the embrace. Debbie quickly blocked Penguinmon's path, spreading her arms to her sides. She was positively scowling
"Stop right there, Penguinmon! I thought I've told you not to scare Opie!"
Penguinmon blinked. "But I wasn't…"
He was interrupted by a crashing sound. The metallic grills which had been installed covering the windows from the insides were sent flying as well following the crashing sound, slamming against the walls by the stairs leading to the upper floor of the house. It had caused a huge crack there, and instantly there was a glaring hole from where the window had been while shreds of glass scattered over the floor. Then something rushed in with the speed of lightning, and a gust of wind resulted from the invader, lifting over the lighter items as well as frazzling the household.
The invader was a bird. With a flap of its wings, the bird maintained its airborne position. It had brown feathers with light green linings, teeth lining its beak, claws at the end of each wings. He gazed upon them wildly until his gaze fell on the shivering Opie.
"I've found you!" the invader exclaimed. He sounded profoundly relieved. "I knew that you're not dead, here in the human's world!"
"Who…what…?" Abah flustered, shocked upon the sudden attack. His wife clutched his arm fearfully. "Manny? Penguinmon?"
"That's a Falcomon!" Penguinmon cried out. "Hey! What are you doing here?!"
"Quiet, filthy partner of the DigiWira!" Falcomon shouted. "This is all your doing! Look at what you've done to me, and to him!"
Without any warning, Falcomon glided towards them with a shriek and attempted to scratch them with his claws, but was stopped when Penguinmon launched himself upon him with his Endless Slaps. Falcomon was forced away, but he remained hovering near the ceilings, flapping his wings.
"It's all your fault!" screeched Falcomon, and with one flap of his wings he sent another gust of wind towards the dinner table.
Kimberly and Debbie screamed as the winds pushed them against the wall. Abah clutched both of them and pulled them towards him, his back facing the attacker. The dishes were blown away, shattered into pieces upon crashing against the wall. The foods spattered on the wall and on the floor. The tablecloth was sent flying. The dinner was ruined.
"We've never met you before!" shouted Manny, charging his water power in one hand. "We've done nothing to you! Why are you here?!"
"Fools! I was Valdurmon, before you stripped me off my powers!" Falcomon angrily yelled back, and pointed one clawed wing towards Opie. "And that is Valkyrimon, my fellow Avian Shine!"
"WHAT?!" Manny and Penguinmon both looked at Opie, astonished. They didn't expect that the visitor to their house was actually an enemy.
Opie backed away, confused and surprised of the sudden revelation.
"I knew something's off with you!" Penguinmon pointed an accusing wing towards Opie. "You were Valkyrimon! I'd never thought about it being possible. Get away from them!"
"For once, I agree with him," said Falcomon. "Get away from those humans! You are an Avian Shine. Don't stoop so low in associating with them!"
"But…I…" Opie cast a look at the humans who had cared for him for the past two days. He saw them looking at him with mixed feelings – there were doubt and confusion etched on their faces. His heart sank; he didn't want them to lose their trust on him. Not when he was beginning to feel like he belonged to them. "I don't know what that bird's talking about. Honest!" He clutched his head, which was beginning to ache.
Manny stared at Opie for a moment, before shifting his gaze towards the airborne Falcomon. "We thought Satriamon and Aldiyamon managed to finish him off that day?"
"Hah! It would take more than one Mega and one Mega-powered Ultimate to finish off an Avian Shine!" Falcomon snorted. "Or for that matter, two Mega-powered Ultimates against me!" He dived towards the family, towards Opie. "Muchomon! Why are you associating yourself with these humans?! Have you no pride as an Avian Shine?"
Opie was dumbstruck. This attacker had claimed him to be his associate, from the way he was addressing him. Yet he couldn't recall anything that Falcomon was saying. Avian Shine? Valkyrimon? Those words didn't ring any bell to him. Yet, the prospect of Falcomon knowing about his past self had some allure to it.
"He's not Valkyrimon, or Avian Shine, or anything you're saying!" Debbie shouted. "He's my friend, Opie!"
Opie snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing the declaration. He saw Debbie standing by him, and instantly his earlier curiosity evaporated. Suddenly he didn't feel like he wanted to know what his past self was like. Falcomon could be speaking the truth, or he might have fabricated the story. Truth be told, Opie realized that he didn't care. Let the past remained in the past; he had a good thing going with Debbie and her family. He didn't want to lose that now.
However, Falcomon didn't take too kindly of Debbie's declaration.
"Silly human! Scratch Smash!"
"Debbie! Ardent Flame!"
Falcomon's attempt to attack Debbie with his talons was stopped when a blast of spiraling orange flames hit him. It wasn't a particularly strong attack, but it managed to stop him nonetheless. Sputtering in shock, he saw that it was the Muchomon who'd attacked him. The Muchomon had placed himself before the humans, glaring at him. Sparks of dying flames were seen by his short wings. A pang of hurt soared from his heart; he was attacked by his own kind?
"Muchomon…why?"
"You're trying to hurt Debbie," said Opie, now venomously as he stepped before Debbie, protecting her wholly.
"But…but…she's human!" Falcomon squawked in disbelief. "We are both Avian Shines! Proud and mighty, we commanded the skies of the Digital World together! You can't seriously…"
"She's my friend," said Opie. "She and her family are my friends, and they've sheltered me when I'm close to death. I don't know of any Valkyrimon or Avian Shine that you speak of, but I do know that I want to protect Debbie and her family."
Manny saw and heard this, and was fascinated. He kept a wary hand, ready to unleash his water power whenever necessary, but now his attention was solely fixed on Opie and Debbie. He saw that Opie was protecting his sister from Falcomon. He might have been an Avian Shine – the enemy – but if Opie truly was willing to turn away from that for his sister, Manny was more than willing to accept Opie in the family now. After all, weren't he and Penguinmon too had been in the same kind of situation?
"I don't believe this!" Falcomon roared, pointing a wing towards Debbie whilst glaring at Opie. "She…she's tainted you! An Avian Shine, swearing allegiance to a filthy human? Preposterous!"
"You say that I'm an Avian Shine," said Opie, "but I can't recall any of it. I don't know whether you're speaking the truth."
"Oh, so you want the truth?" Falcomon sneered. "Here's the truth!" He flapped his wings mightily, generating squalls that were focused upon Muchomon. The orange penguin was lifted off his feet and was slammed against the wall with a loud thud. That knocked him unconscious as he slid down the wall. He watched as the humans went to Muchomon. "If you're willing to betray our long-forged alliance, then you don't fit to live," he whispered. "It's such a shame. You were so proud and powerful. But now, you're pathetic." Another flap of the wings and the focused winds knocked the now-former Avian Shine to the wall again, causing the small girl to scream.
"OPIE!"
"But perhaps, it's not too late to save you from being fully tainted by the humans," continued Falcomon, silently. He raised his wings and prepared to attack again. This time, he was aiming for the girl.
Unfortunately for him, someone wouldn't just stand by idly to let him do so. Narrowly avoiding a blast of water, Falcomon found himself being intercepted.
Penguinmon's wings glimmered with light blue aura. His eyes glinted menacingly. "Not so fast, buster! Endless Slaps!"
Falcomon shrieked as Penguinmon delivered flurries of slaps upon him, but to his surprise the Digimon was quick to withdraw back. Then he was splashed by a jet of water, which drenched him so thoroughly that his body felt three times heavier. Angrily he looked at the perpetrator, and his eyes widened upon seeing the DigiWira charging a navy blue electric sphere in his hands. Anger gone, Falcomon realized what could have happened when the DigiWira boy released the electric sphere, when he was drenched.
"You've gone too far," said Manny, his tone low and dangerous. With a loud grunt he launched the electric sphere upon him, but Falcomon was quick to generate squalls that sent the thunderbolt crashing against the stairs. Debris flew out, some of the walls were chipped – the attack had been strong.
Taking advantage of the situation, Falcomon sailed out through the broken window and out to the night. Manny and Penguinmon were about to give chase, but they couldn't see Falcomon anywhere amidst the darkness of the night. Penguinmon growled angrily, until Manny placed a hand on his head.
"We'll get him next time."
Manny made a quick assessment of the damages in their houses due to Falcomon's attack. All in all, the damages were minimal. His electric sphere – a new attack he'd received while at the alternate dimension – had caused the most damage, ironically. Falcomon's wind-based attack did nothing more than destroying the dinner set, and dinner itself. Then he heard his sister whimpering, and saw that Opie was unconscious. Debbie was crying by him, urging the orange penguin to wake up.
"Opie…Opie…" Two drops of tears fell on Opie's face, and everyone let out a soft gasp as Opie glowed in soft white light.
Then, the unconscious bird opened his eyes. The eyes appeared disoriented, at first. They rolled up and down, then left and right, as if discerning the location. Then they were locked on Debbie, then at Abah and Kimberly, subsequently to Manny and Penguinmon, before finally returning to Debbie again. Opie blinked once, twice.
"Opie!" Debbie squealed delightfully and bent down to hug the awakened Digimon. "I'm so glad that you're alright."
Opie didn't say anything, but his eyes then went to Manny and Penguinmon. He looked troubled, and after Debbie had released him, he gave a steely look towards Manny and Penguinmon. His eyes had lost the innocent, oblivious spark that they had for the past two days. They now looked aged, filled with experiences beyond his Rookie form, and hardened as a warrior's.
"I remember," he said. "Everything."
xxx
xxx
Falcomon swore silently as he soared towards the open sky, flapping his wings with apparent rage. The night was peculiarly dark this day – with the moon hidden by the clouds – but he didn't care. His eyes were trained to be as able as they were during the day.
He saw shadowy figures lurking amidst the dark sky, and made his way towards them, having expecting them to wait for him.
"You've found what you're looking for?" asked one of the figures once Falcomon was near enough.
Falcomon snorted. "Yes, and no!"
"Oh? What does that mean?"
"He's devolved, just like me. But he's been tainted by the humans!" Falcomon made a wild snarl as he said that. "He's switched sides. He's now siding with the humans! It's just…I can't believe it!"
"Is that so…" Doumon calmly said. "Well, what are we going to do about that?"
"Muchomon has betrayed me," said Falcomon darkly. "I'm gonna make sure that he's gonna pay for it!"
"And how are you going to do that?" Doumon's voice carried a dark inviting tone in it. The way he asked Falcomon, it was as if he was hinting on something. "Surely, by allying himself with the DigiWira, Muchomon is well-protected."
Falcomon gazed at Doumon and his company, still remained in the shadows. He could make out the long hair, the curvy body and the two ringed tails, but couldn't make out the face. Despite that, he knew of this other general, and steered his gaze away. This general was twice as dangerous as the Shaman, Majin and Kappa Generals, he'd heard.
"I thought by coming to the human's world, I've sealed the deal you've made to me?" asked Falcomon. He knew very well what Doumon was hinting, but wasn't willing to admit accepting it.
"Yes, but I recall wanting both of you to serve me instead of only one?" Doumon inquired back. "And I am not particularly impressed of how you've gotten yourself defeated by merely Xianamon and Samudramon that other day, especially when they were only Ultimates."
"They launched Mega-class attacks on me, far stronger than any other attacks I've seen from them!"
"But alas," Doumon continued, as if Falcomon hadn't interrupted him at all, "I'm still interested to have you serve me. You've survived their onslaught, which is actually saying something. I recall Astamon and Shawujinmon both being driven away when Puspamon used the same method of attack against them."
A giggle was heard coming from the figure next to Doumon, but nothing was said.
"What should I do?" asked Falcomon, finally.
"Now, we're going to return to the Digital World and get you healed," said Doumon as he tilted his head sideways, towards his company.
"Oh, you two go along," said Persiamon, as she stepped out from the shadows, appearing as if she was cat-walking in the air. "I've got another business to attend to."
"Mysterious as a cat, as ever, Persiamon?" Doumon asked nonchalantly, noticing that Persiamon didn't explain what she had in mind. But it was to be expected from her.
"Nah, let's just say I'm here to tie some loose ends," said Persiamon, grinning. "Besides, I've mastered the art of shape-shifting thanks to Lucemon's Nine Negations Dark Arts book – I should be utilizing my new ability to the fullest, and what place better to do it than here, in a place where the people are so trusting, and unsuspecting? But I have a bigger plan in mind…and by tomorrow morning, the whole DigiWira team will have their morale lowered considerably more than before."
"I think, with that curse of yours their morale has already been low," Doumon pointed out.
"Oh yes…the handsome one is my ultimate prize," Persiamon confirmed, her grin became more wicked, "but there's no harm wanting to have fun along the way. I don't see why Astamon want to kill the human girl, but he did a pretty good job with that angel. In fact, he almost had me jealous since I have to wait a bit for my plan to fruit. That's why, I'm gonna have some fun tonight."
xxx
xxx
Opie quietly returned the stare from the five pairs of eyes before him. A lot of things were running in his mind.
Having been at the receiving end of Falcomon's strong gust of wind attack, his head had knocked upon the wall. It had knocked him out, but at the same time it also served as a trigger for his latent memory to resurface. He now remembered his times as an Avian Shine. He was formerly Valkyrimon, and before that, Silphymon, before Shawujinmon and Astamon granted him power to ascend to Mega. A battle between him and three Wira Digital had caused him to revert to Rookie level and caused him to have amnesia.
His past memories conflicted with the ones he'd recently acquired. He had a good time here, with Debbie and her family. The DigiWira Manny and his Penguinmon partner might not liked him that much before, he managed to gather, from the way they kept shooting suspicious looks at him these past two days, but now Opie realized that they had a valid point in doing so.
"Stop staring at me like that," snapped Opie with a hard voice, surprising everyone.
"You're evil," countered Penguinmon, undaunted, pointing one wing towards him. "What do you expect?"
The Muchomon sneered. "Oh? And you weren't?"
Penguinmon fumed. "Stop twisting this! You're evil and you know that! Why don't you join that Falcomon friend of yours and get lost?"
Given his way, Penguinmon would've attacked Opie when the latter revealed that he was indeed Valkyrimon, but Debbie had pleaded for him not to attack Opie. Manny had restrained him too, and had been gazing at the orange doppelganger of his for quite some time now. His partner had been quiet all this while, and Penguinmon didn't know what Manny was thinking. Penguinmon remembered that Manny was about to give Opie a chance, before Falcomon came and revealed that Opie was in fact an enemy of theirs.
"Opie?" Debbie stepped forward and held his wings gently. Instantly, the Avian Shine's hard gaze softened. "Are you still my friend?"
Opie nodded. "Of course. Nothing's changed, Debbie. I'm still your friend. I'm still Opie."
"You're not going to leave me?"
"If your brother and his partner won't finish me off when I'm least suspecting it, I'm staying."
Hearing this, Debbie instantly turned to face her older brother and his partner. "Abang! Penguinmon! Don't make Opie go away…please?" she pleaded. "Opie's my best friend. I don't want him to go."
"Debbie…you must know that he's a bad guy," said Penguinmon. "He nearly killed us back when he was all-powerful Valkyrimon! He's still a danger by being here. Look at what he'd done – his friend knew he is here and look what happened here?" He gestured around the house, which hadn't been cleaned up still after the battle.
The pigtailed girl shook her head stubbornly. "I don't care. Opie's my friend. He's not a bad guy!" Her eyes watered as she looked at her parents. "Daddy! Mommy! I don't want Opie to go…"
Abah and Kimberly shared one look, before deciding mutually that perhaps in this case, their son was a better candidate in deciding. Manny had been a DigiWira for quite some time; he'd know what exactly to do. Their son had been silent – they knew that he wouldn't make a rash decision. After all, having heard of his son's previous exploit before officially joining the DigiWira team, they knew that he was also experienced and compassionate enough to do the right thing.
"Son," said Abah, placing a hand on Manny's shoulder. "Your mom and I think that this is your call."
Manny nodded, and walked past Debbie, towards Opie. He saw the bird tensed – Manny was tall, and Opie was a little bit smaller than Penguinmon who was half Manny's height.
"I just want to know a couple of things," said Manny with a low tone.
The Muchomon frowned.
"Are you still evil?"
"No," said Opie. "I don't think so. I have no wish to rejoin Falcomon or the Darkshadow Brethren, after staying here and becoming friends with your sister and your family."
Manny nodded. "Will you protect Debbie, and my family, from Falcomon should he return here?"
"Not just from Falcomon, but from any threat," replied Opie instantly. He gazed at Debbie, then at her parents. "All of you have been so good to me. I would've died if you didn't take me in and nursed me back to health. And the foods are really nice too," he added as an afterthought, cocking his head towards Kimberly, who beamed at his compliment.
"Good." Manny looked at his younger sister, and smiled softly. "Opie stays, Debbie."
"Really? YAAYY!!"
"WHAT?!" roared Penguinmon, just as Debbie embraced Opie. "Manny!" He stared at his partner incredulously. "You can't be serious!"
"I'm not saying that I trust Opie still," said Manny. He saw Opie tensing, and Debbie had released the orange avian from her embrace, now scowling at him. "I was evil once, and so were you, Penguinmon. After we turned good, we had to earn Adam, Liu Ying, and Gayathri's trusts – they weren't that trusting at us back then." He smiled grimly upon remembering that darker time, which he'd left as a bad memory and a nightmare. "But eventually, we gained their trust, and regained their friendship."
"You want me to prove myself?" demanded Opie. "How?"
"There's no rush," said Manny coolly. "For now, I'll just take your words for it. There'll be time when you can prove yourself to us that you're trustworthy and have reformed."
Penguinmon still didn't like having Opie in the house – he still couldn't trust him. But he had to admit; his partner was wiser in coming up with a solution for this matter. "Fair deal," he said finally.
Opie grumbled. Abah stepped forward and clapped his son's back. "Well said, son."
"YAAY!! Opie's here to stay!" cheered Debbie happily, and proceeded by hugging Opie again.
Kimberly smiled. "And as a member of the family, Opie will have to do his share of work," she said, and indicated the mess around the house caused by Falcomon.
Opie grumbled again. "Fine."
"Oh, I didn't say you have to do it on your own, Opie," said Kimberly. "All of us will do it together. As a family."
Family? Opie thought about it. Somehow he felt like he belonged here. A smile formed on his face; not even the cool gazes from Manny and Penguinmon could hamper his happiness of being accepted in this family. He'd kill for protecting this family, he thought, as Kimberly began dividing chores for all six of them. I'll make you two trust me, he swore to himself, staring at Manny and Penguinmon's retreating backs, before he was pulled by Debbie to assist with cleaning the dirtied walls.
xxx
xxx
"Oh, look at you!"
JD looked up from his plate, staring at the elderly woman who was looking out of the house's grilled back door, cooing towards something he couldn't see from the dinner table. He wondered what had caught Bibik's attention, especially when the woman proceeded by opening the door. She bent down to pick up something, and when she stood back up JD saw she was cradling a cat with shining black hair and green eyes. It was an adorable cat, but seeing it made him flinch. It only reminded him of the tattoo he had on his chest.
Agumon, who was sitting beside him, evidently was thinking about the same thing as well. The dino kept shifting gazes between the black cat and his DigiWira partner.
"Isn't she cute, Josh?" asked Bibik as the cat meowed softly.
JD wrinkled his nose. "Whatever. Right now, I don't like cats."
And that's an understatement, Agumon added silently.
"Oh, how come?" Bibik smiled. "Certainly you don't believe that black cats carry bad luck now, do you?"
"Long story." He stood up and eyed the cat. "I don't need any more bad luck."
The cat gave JD a meow. JD snorted and looked away from it.
Bibik shrugged. She was used to his moods by now. Besides, the boy didn't seem as happy as he was ever since Adam left, no matter how hard he was trying to deny it. With his cousin gone, Bibik suspected that JD was feeling lonely once again, since his parents were still busy and his siblings not staying at home. While things had certainly gotten better these days with the family – and Bibik was very glad for that – there were things Johan and Leeanna needed to attend to that night, which left the house to her, JD, and the not-so-talkative Agumon.
"Do you think your parents would let me keep the cat, Josh?" she asked, wanting to make conversation.
Great. As if it's not enough for me to see a damn cat on my chest everyday, now I get to see one even with my shirt's on, JD thought, but feigned indifference towards his caregiver. He could sense Agumon eyeing him, but chose to ignore him. Bibik would see them making eye contact, and would wonder what was up.
"Eh…as long as it doesn't crap around the house or anything, Mom and Dad won't say no for you to keep it."
"It's a she," said Bibik, smiling.
"Whatever. I'm going upstairs, Bibik. Meal's good, by the way."
Bibik nodded and watched as the sullen blond and his Digimon partner trudged back up to their room. At times she wondered what had caused the boy's moodiness – she'd thought that he'd changed for the better when Adam was revealed to be his long-lost cousin. But when the lively boy left the house, he seemed to have taken away JD's brighter personality with him as well, leaving JD only with his dark and brooding personae. She sighed, and gazed at the cat which she was cradling.
"Well, kitty, looks like it's you and me now," she murmured. The cat purred.
Hours later, when it was past midnight and everybody was asleep, the cat slinked across the dark kitchen and made its way past the hallway, heading towards the stairs. It crept up the stairs with apparent ease, and looked around for a moment at the second floor's living room and at the four closed doors. Satisfied that it was the only living thing there – it had been two hours since the masters of the house went to bed, and they'd been the last ones – it let out a dark red glow and transformed into a woman. The glow then subsided.
Which way now? Persiamon grinned, before her ears twitched. Ah…a Digimon, inside that room. Who else but his partner?
She tiptoed silently towards the door and placed a hand on the door knob. Twisting it a bit, she found that it was locked.
Hiding something now, aren't we? Smirking, she inserted the long, sharp tip of a claw inside the keyhole and twisted it around a little, before a soft click was heard and the door was opened. Purr-fect!
Cat-walking silently inside the room, and closing the door, she saw Agumon stirring on the bed closer to the walls. Her gaze shifted towards JD who was sleeping on the other bed, undisturbed by her entrance and partially covered by a blanket. One and half week left, boy. I bet you're out of ideas…but, after hearing what your partner's said that day, I realized that my plan has a flaw, and it's what I'm here for. To rectify it.
Extending one hand towards Agumon, she silently released streams of energy ribbons from it. The ribbons had been de-powered considerably so that it wouldn't harm Agumon. Instead, the ribbons wrapped around the rookie, cocooning him whilst placing him under a spell Doumon had concocted for her earlier. The spell would incapacitate Agumon until he was released from the enchanted energy ribbons. Then with a graceful flick of her hand – an energy ribbon remained connected between around her wrist and the cocooned Agumon – she retrieved the bundle and secured it between her right arm and right side of body.
It doesn't have to come to this, but then you go and declare your disgusting love to him…if I don't take action my plan will be ruined.
Her eyes then searched the room for the next thing she was looking for. She found it, shining in gold and crimson, laid on the bedside table. Plucking the Juara Digivice gingerly, she took it towards the computer, which had been left in hibernating mode. It was perfect; the computer wouldn't make noises as she proceeded with the next part of her plan.
"Digiport Open," she whispered. Tossing the Digivice towards the bed, she jumped into the lights that streamed out from the computer monitor, now not bothering to hide her gleeful laugh.
xxx
xxx
TobuCatmon's eyes snapped open when the television set he had in the sanctum buzzed. Usually, this would mean that a DigiWira was going to arrive from the human's world.
The glow from the TV illuminated the darkened sanctum and TobuCatmon got out from his sleeping hammock, tied between two sturdy trees. He saw a form appearing within it, and paled upon realizing that it wasn't the DigiWira, Cores or Honoraries. It was a villain, and a deadly one too.
"YOU!" he screamed. "Get out of here! You're not welcomed here!"
Persiamon snickered as the lights died down. "Wow. Just as I've thought," she sneered towards the guardian of Forest Sanctum. "The Forest Sanctum is protected by an invisible shield that prevents any evil from entering. But apparently it doesn't do anything if a villain so happen to inside it without crossing the barriers." She licked her lips. "Nice place."
"How did you get here?!" demanded TobuCatmon. "Only Digivices can open a gateway to here!" His eyes then fell over the dark red cocoon Persiamon had secured on one side of her body. The glowing sashes had fully-wrapped something which suspiciously bore the form of one Digimon he knew. "Agumon…" He instantly got his answer.
"I see I don't need to explain myself." Persiamon looked around the sanctum. "Quite a nice place, I've got to say. Better than what we've been expecting."
"If you think that I'm going to let you use this sacred place as your lair…"
"Oh, relax. I like the Onyx Pyramid more. However," she sneered, "now that I'm here, I might as well destroy this place. And you, too," she added as an afterthought. "This shan't take long."
Then, without waiting for TobuCatmon to response, she extended one hand forward and energy ribbons spewed out from between her claws. They sped towards the sanctum guardian with the speed of lasers, but to Persiamon's surprise TobuCatmon glowed with light yellow energy as he cut the ribbons with the sharp appendages jutting out from his back. Harmless they might appear to be, but apparently they were as sharp as blades, as TobuCatmon had proven.
"Spinning Flight!" TobuCatmon spun like an abrasive saw before launching himself towards Persiamon.
The cat goddess attempted her Sekhmet Shadow Sutra ribbons once more, but to her surprise the ribbons tore upon contact with TobuCatmon. She fired a stream of chilling energy to freeze TobuCatmon, but was further surprised when the champion cut through her attack. Seeing that the champion was getting nearer, she energized her claws and slammed them upon TobuCatmon.
A loud clang, and TobuCatmon was thrown away like a rag doll, slumping down a tree trunk.
Persiamon huffed. "You can actually fight," she noted. "Though, it's pretty pointless to stop me. We're both cats but I'm way ahead of you."
"Don't underestimate me," snapped TobuCatmon. "I'm not just a Champion Digimon; I'm the chosen guardian of this holy sanctum!" His eyes shone with gold lights. "Outside, I'm on par as regular Champions, but inside here the power of this sanctum flows inside of me, and with it, I will delete your heathen presence!"
TobuCatmon flew over the part which was covered by a rattan mat. A circular energy ring seemed to radiate underneath the mat, and released a pillar of golden energy which TobuCatmon absorbed. The pillar then vanished, and a digivolution cocoon burst forth from TobuCatmon.
TobuCatmon, Warp Digivolve to…
The cocoon exploded and a white armored knight appeared. His flowing crimson cape billowed against the winds that seemed to pick up following his digivolution. His golden lance – seemed to be a mix of a spear and a double-sided pollaxe – shimmered with power; the upper part looked deadly with two ax-blades attached on it side by side, while the bottom part ended in a shimmering jade tip, with what appeared to be a bow was fixed somewhere in between the middle of the lance and the jade tip. Spinning his lance, a pair of golden eyes flared with burning anger that matched the crimson bat-wings that jutted out from each side of his knight helmet. TobuCatmon had become a medieval knight, known as…
Medieval Gallantmon!
"Shiny," said Persiamon, dropping the cocooned Agumon on the marbled floor. "Perhaps I have underestimated you. This should be interesting…"
Medieval Gallantmon pointed his axe-bladed lance towards Persiamon. "With the power the sanctum has bestowed upon me, I shall banish you from this world forever! Then perhaps, the DigiWira you have infected with your curse will be spared from the grave outcome you have been expecting!"
"Dream on," snickered Persiamon. "Even if you kill me the curse will still finish him."
"Then, at the very least the human's and Digital Worlds will be spared from you!"
"All these knightly talks are tiring me." Persiamon giggled, and somersaulted backward and upwards with unrivaled agility, avoiding a thrust of Medieval Gallantmon's deadly lance. She landed on top of one of the marble pillars, and glowed with dark purple and crimson aura. "It's time for me to even up the score. You're not the only one who can become Mega."
Medieval Gallantmon let out a soft gasp, as Persiamon was enveloped with a digivolution cocoon as well.
Persiamon, Mega Digivolve to…
Author's Notes:
Not really a battle-intense chapter, but it does its job. I didn't think that this sub-arc would be this long – originally the sub-arc would have ended with this chapter, but while writing them lots of things still need to be explained, so I can't really be sure when exactly will this arc's finale be. And I really don't know what Medieval Gallantmon's weapon is called, so I just tried to describe it at the best of my ability. His evolution to Medieval Gallantmon is actually legit, according to Wikimon. TobuCatmon evolves to WarGrowlmon X and furthermore to Medieval Gallantmon. And I have a reason why I've specifically chosen TobuCatmon to be Medieval Gallantmon.
The Falcomon here is the regular one, not the black one from Savers.
Yeah…some part of this chapter is derived from Savers, I'm sure readers can easily notice where. But I've changed a few bits here and there to make it stand out on its own.
With so many subplots intertwined in one chapter I have quite a hard time figuring the chapter title. I've finally chosen Reflections as it implies on Gayathri's reflections of her past with her late friend, and that Penguinmon and Muchomon are almost reflections to each other. Not a perfect title.
Willis's guest appearance is something I considered omitting, but then decided to just go for it. According to Wikipedia, though in the movie he's shown to be reunited with Chocomon (Lopmon's In-training form), in the drama CD that followed the end of the Digimon 02 series revealed that he hasn't been reunited with his lost partner. I'm going with the latter for plot's sake. I've wanted to include a canon DigiDestined for quite some time now, and Willis takes the 'coveted' spot. :D