Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait... But exams aren't helping to speed up my writing.
Chapter 2: A New Threat
The army of digimon continued their march into the city's downtown area, undeterred by the hoards of people who are screaming and shouting in fear. It is certainly something that they don't see in the digital world often, but their curiosity and slight fear isn't getting the best of them.
Behind the huge army of digimon were three small figures. They look totally alike any of the other figures in the sea of people scrambling to get out of the vicinity. However, the three figures seem to be following the army rather than running away from it.
In front of a majestic building that towered over many others, one which dominated the city's skyline, the digimon halted, followed by the three small figures.
"This is... Oh my..." the small figure with goggles stated with shock.
"We must stop them from entering no matter what." the other two stared at Jianliang as he said that and all three nodded in agreement.
The trio then sped towards the entrance of the Hypnos tower.
Within Hypnos
"Sir, we have a problem!" the woman shouted into her speaker attached to her headphone as her eyes stared at the humongous screen in front of her.
"What is it again?"
"A large number of Wild ones just realized in Shinjuku Park and they are now…" she paused suddenly as she was to shocked to speak on.
"Well?"
"They are now just outside of this building."
"What!" A sound of metal hitting the ground could be heard clearly in the sudden silence. "I thought the border between the Digital World and Earth is sealed shut for good?"
"Sir… So what do we do now?"
"…" Silence enveloped the huge room filled with state of the art equipments for use to detect anomalies in the digital network.
How did this happen? How? "I'm leaving." was all Yamaki said as he ran out of the room to further investigate the situation.
Entrance to Hypnos
What do we do now? We can't possibly beat them all, can we?
Without our digimon, we are helpless. Guilmon… Are you coming to help us?
Renamon… Why haven't you show up yet? I need you… I miss you.
"Kids?"
"Yamaki-san?"
"Why are you all here?"
The trio silently pointed at the army of digimon staring at the Hypnos building, curious with what it actually was and waiting for an order from their leader.
"Oh my…"
"Exactly. And without Guilmon and the others here, we can't do anything but watch."
"Hey, couldn't we use the D-arc just like what we did just now?" suggested Jianliang.
"Well, try it. I believe you children can settle this crisis."
"Thanks." The trio said as they pulled out their D-arcs and points it towards the massive army. Unfortunately, nothing happened.
"This is weird. I thought the plan would have worked." said Takato.
"I guess it didn't then, huh. It seemed to work after we were almost vapourised by IceDevimon, though. I guess it could mean that we are safe for now."
"Probably so, but what do you suggest we do now, Jian?"
"Can you two stop chit-chatting over there and do something?"
"Argh. Ruki, you can't always act without thinking you know…"
"Are you calling me hot headed? Don't you remember that it was my impulsive actions that saved Culumon."
"Yes… but…"
"Jian, Ruki, can you two just stop arguing? We have an urgent situation here."
"Hmpf…" Ruki crossed her arms and looked away from Jianliang.
Jianliang shook his head and sighed. I thought she really did change after our adventures but still… she kept some of her attitude from the digimon queen, still too vain to accept criticism. Putting that aside, how can we ever hope to defeat such a huge army without our digimon? "Any other ideas, guys?"
"Yamaki-san, could you still use the portal thing you created two years ago?" asked Takato.
"Shaggai? It's not a bad idea but…"
"It could work, couldn't it?"
"Yes…"
"Yamaki-san, then you should go in now and activate it as soon as you can. We'll try to find a way to stall them." agreed Ruki.
"I'm worried… What if…"
"Jianliang! This isn't a really good time to worry about 'what if'. If we don't act now, the world would be at risk." said Ruki as she stared angrily at him.
"…" Jianliang remained speechless as he stared into the skies.
"Okay, kids. I'll go set up Shaggai. You have to get out of the vicinity after Shaggai is activated." Yamaki said as he rushes back into the Hypnos building.
"Got it." Ruki and Takato said simultaneously as they faced the large army of digimon.
"Any bright ideas, Takato? Jian?"
"Jian?" Takato called.
"Not for now. I'm just still worried. Remember the two times when the Shaggai portal was activated?"
"Yeah, both ended in failure."
"Both ended because of interference by Deva."
"No, I mean remember the first time Shaggai portal was activated? It allowed Mihiramon to enter. I'm afraid… Since none of the realized digimon we saw are stronger than Adult level and they don't seem to be attacking Hypnos but rather threatening it just by standing in front of Hypnos, I think it might be a trap."
"You mean the purpose of the digimon realizing is so that we would activate Shaggai?" asked Takato.
"Yeah. Then, the Perfect or Ultimate level can come through to the real world after Shaggai is activated."
"But, wouldn't the digimon here become scapegoats?" asked Ruki.
"I guess maybe they might have no idea that they'll be sacrificing themselves."
"I wonder who the mastermind behind this attack is. If the mastermind is still in the Digital World, I hope Guilmon and the others can stop it from coming here."
"Me too."
"You two, did the nice talk do us any good? No. So now since you're done, care to think about what to do now?"
"Ruki…" both boys sighed in unison.
"What?"
"Nothing…" cowered Takato.
"All we can do now is wait… At least until Shaggai is activated."
All three of the tamers stared at the horde of digimon and lowered their heads. Memories of their adventures two years ago were rushing through their heads. As the army of digimon continued to hold their positions, more memories are flooding back as a rush of loneliness overwhelm each of them. There was silence amongst the group as opposed to the bickering earlier on.
Suddenly, a flash of white light blanketed the entire area around the Hypnos building. As the tamers uncovered their eyes from the blinding light, they were stunned.
Oh no… It's happening again.
"You guys see that?"
"Sure Takato." the other two said out.
As they looked, they couldn't believe that everything around them was replaced by a single colour: grey. The buildings that once stood were now out of sight. They could only see the army of digimon in front of them and behind the huge army is a grey background.
Who's going to be realized now?
That was the only thought going through the minds of the three tamers.
The trio stood, with every ounce of their attention on the figure that was beginning to form in front of their eyes. As the pseudo-protein from the digital field continue to cluster together to form a figure, the realizing figure now has a basic shape… The shape of a man.
"A human?" queried Takato.
The other two are still speechless at their first sight of the process of realization. As the human figure continued to form in front of them, they were stunned. They had never expected that a human would realize in front of them.
How is this even possible?
As they continue to watch the figure in front of them, they could make up some basic features of the human-shape that was still forming.
"I guess so…" replied Jianliang. The human… He's so short… Is he… a child? A human child?
"No way…" cried out Ruki.
As the realization process continues, more distinct features could be seen. As the human figure stood, a piece of white cloth starts to form as it slings across his right shoulder and wraps itself across his waist, with an excess length extending down to his feet. The trio was awed by this as the figure took on the looks of not only a child, but one that probably was from the past.
Another mass of pseudo-protein started to cluster together just beside the child. As that happened, the trio heard beeping coming from their D-arcs. All three of them instantly pulled out their D-arcs. As they tried to figure out what was causing their D-arcs to beep, the D-arcs floated up from their hands. All three D-arcs turned and faced the new cluster of pseudo-protein. The three tamers are totally shocked and were completely speechless.
Each of their D-arcs shot out their respective hues of light towards the pseudo-protein. The beams of red, blue and green combine and hit the mass of pseudo-protein. However, nothing seemed to happen as the beams of light continue to hit the mass. It was as if the beams were absorbed into the mass, just like light is seemingly being absorbed by black holes.
Before the trio had time to comprehend or even try to comprehend whatever just happened in front of them, two new beams of light came down from the sky. One golden, one pink. The two beams intertwined with each other and hit the pseudo-protein mass dead on. The pseudo-protein mass seemingly absorbed all five beams as it started to glow with an array of bright colours, like that of a rainbow. The five beams then dissipated and the D-arcs fall back into the waiting hands of their respective tamers once again.
The three remain silent, along with the entire digimon army, as they continued to stare at the child and the mass. The mass… It looks like a mix between D-Reaper and its core… It couldn't be back again… Could it? As Jianliang continued to speculate, the mass split itself into four entities. The four separate clumps of pseudo-protein gradually take shape. Rings? Bracelets? What's going on around here? Those look like the one MarineAngemon has… Wondered Takato. The four entities did indeed form four rings, but each were too big to fit onto a finger. It was more like a bracelet. As it takes its final shape, the four golden rings could be seen with a row of digital text on its exterior, encircling the entire ring.
The four rings then flew in front of the child. The four rings then slid itself onto different parts of the child: right wrist, left wrist, right ankle and finally the left ankle. The hair of the child is now completely formed. From the looks of the short blonde hair, one would agree that the child is most probably a boy.
As the process is complete, the child opens its eyes. The pair of azure blue eyes met that of the tamers. The eyes were those of a heavenly figure as the tamers could feel warmth and hope radiating from the eyes. None of the four uttered a single word or even made a single sound as the confrontation occurred.
The silence in the air was killing the three tamers as they waited for the child to make its move. They didn't dare to act yet as they have totally no idea who the child was and what is its purpose here. Was it a foe or an ally? No one knew at that time. However, the innocence radiating from the pure blue eyes and the fact that it was a child would make anyone believe that he was there for the side of the tamers, or one taking a neutral stand.
Being unable to cope with the silence anymore, the impatient girl spoke up. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The half-chinese and half-japanese boy then continued the interrogation. "Are you responsible for this army of digimon?"
"Hey, he's just a kid. How can he be a part of this mess?" questioned Takato.
"Well, for starters, he realized from a digital field in front of an army of digimon. Moreover, the digimon don't seem like they are going to attack him. Isn't that kind of suspicious?" answered Jianliang.
"You may be right but…"
"Why don't we just ask him directly?" interrupted Ruki as she cracked her knuckles. "We'll get our answers one way or another."
"H-Hey, Ruki… We really don't need to resort to that now." said Takato as he grinned nervously.
"He's right, Ruki. There's no need to act rashly."
Ruki shook her head. "You two sure are naïve. Can't you take a simple joke?"
"Ruki, this is no time for jokes." reprimanded Jianliang.
"Fine… You win…" said Ruki in defeat. "Then in that case, what do you suggest we do?"
"Continue to question him."
"Who are you?" shouted Takato as he repeated the earlier question by Ruki. "Why are you here?"
As silence once again begun, the three was back to square one. The two parties now once again stared at each other.
"Hey! We're talking to you! Can't you answer?" shouted the impatient Ruki.
"Ruki, calm down!"
"Argh! I can't take it anymore!" Ruki marched forward towards the child as the boys followed her, trying to stop her.
"Hi." This was a simple word, a simple word that shocked the three tamers. They stood absolutely still. After all that silence, they did not expect the child to utter a single word at all. It was as if they thought he was dumb.
"H-Hi. Who are you?" asked Takato.
"…" He continued to be silent again.
This time, however, he started to move towards the tamers. As if on cue, all the other digimon moved forward, following the movement of the child.
"No way… The child… He's their leader?"
"I can't help but agree with you, Takato."
"Me too."
"Wha-What do we do now?"
As he said this, the child stopped right in front of the tamers. He tilted his head upwards and looked towards the tamers. Although the heavenly blue eyes are able to provide warmth and hope for the tamers, they still had an overwhelming fear as they started backing away.
"Hi. It's been ages."
"D-Do we know you?"
"Earth. It's been years since I came here."
"Who are you?" asked Ruki, who is currently more annoyed than calm.
He smirked.
"Hey, what's that for?"
He continued to smirk.
Ruki clenched her fist tight and aimed straight at the face of the child.
"Ruki!" cried out the two boys as they saw the fist made contact with the child's face. They were concerned of the well-being of the child.
Ruki gasped in shock as her fist connects with the child's face. The fist clearly didn't affect the child at all. It didn't even make him budge a single bit. Ruki and the boys staggered back in shock.
The child smirked again. He continued forward.
"What?" cried Ruki as she banged into the door behind her.
There was nowhere for the tamers to run now. They knew that they couldn't afford to enter Hypnos and risk endangering Hypnos before Shaggai was started.
Once again, the child stopped right in front of the tamers. He smirked.
"…" The trio was too shocked to speak or comment.
"Now I'll show you who I am!" the child spoke.
Impossible! How…
The boy now truly revealed his true looks to the tamers. Two wings lifted out from his hair. He also extended the eight angelic wings on his back.
"An an-angel?" muttered Takato silently, staggering in his words.
"Wh-What? How is this p-possible?" Ruki gasped.
"Yes. I am an angel. Nice of you to see that." He smirked at the terrified trio. "But I'm no ordinary angel."
"Wha-What are you d-doing here?" questioned Takato, who was so freaked out that he almost wet his pants.
"Have you seen my welcoming committee? I brought the army here. They're here for only one purpose. To serve me. To serve for my cause as I take over your world. First, however, I must rid myself of the pesky towers behind you."
"N-No! You can't!" shouted Takato as he held his hands out protectively. The other two tamers follow suit.
"Well… What do we have here? A tiny little human child trying to be a hero. Maybe I should give you three a chance to fight against me. Alone. I would not use my army. What do you say? If you win, I'll call off the plans for world domination. If I win, you're dead." said the angel as he toyed with the three terrified tamers.
"Ru-Ruki? Jian? What now?"
"We have no choice. We must try to stall time till Yamaki-san activates Shaggai."
"Right, so who goes first?"
The three tamers looked at one another as they couldn't decide the person who will duel with the angel first and most probably lose his or her life in the duel.
"We need to find a weakness of his."
As Jianliang spoke, he heard a sound coming from his pockets. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-arc. As he held his D-arc in front of him, a virtual screen appeared and it showed the angel on the screen.
"A digimon?"
"Huh?" the other two tamers cried out.
"Lucemon. Child Level with Vaccine Attribute. Angel-type digimon. Despite its appearance of a child, its power and intelligence exceeds normal ultimate level digimon. His special attack is Grand Cross." Jianliang narrated the information stated in his D-arc.
"A child level digimon… with the power of an ultimate? Impossible…" said the shocked Ruki.
"What? Lucemon?" said Takato, also shocked.
"So he's a digimon. A strong one. No wonder you punch didn't affect him, Ruki."
"So, have you all decided who to go first? Or will you three all take me on at the same time? I don't mind the handicap."
"All right, we'll take you on as a team." spoke Jianliang. "Right, guys?"
The two tamers nodded their heads. If they were to meet their ends with Lucemon, they will do so together, rather than one by one. They would not be able to bear seeing another tamer in pain when they themselves didn't help out.
"Let's gets started, shall we?" asked Lucemon politely, showing his angelic personality.
Yamaki… We believe in you… Activate Shaggai soon and save us… The three tamers hoped as they prepared for what may be the last few minutes of their lives.
Inside the Hypnos mainframe
"Yamaki Sir, we're almost ready to activate Shaggai. System booting 90%." said a brown hair female.
Hang in there, kids… Shaggai will be ready soon…
Entrance of Hypnos
Lucemon backs away from the tamer trio. The three tamers slowly followed along, knowing very well that one false move can very well cost their lives.
"Well, any last words before we start?"
"Jian, Ruki, good luck."
"You too, Takato." replied the other two.
The trio looked back at Lucemon.
"Let's start." said Lucemon.
The trio stood their ground, not moving an inch as they waited for Lucemon to make his move. Lucemon takes one step forward. The tamers start to panic. Lucemon then takes another step forward. Then a third one. With each step, Lucemon inches closer towards the tamers. With each step, the muscles in each of the tamers bodies become tenser. A rush of adrenaline courses through the bodies of the tamers as Lucemon came within striking range.
The real battle begins now.
Ruki, unable to bear the pressure mounted on her and out of fear, lashes out a punch at Lucemon. However, just like her last attempt at attacking the child, the fist once again makes contact with Lucemon's face, but he was not at all affected by it. Ruki withdraws her hands.
"My turn." Lucemon aims his fist straight at Ruki. Jianliang, who was standing beside her, pushed the shocked Ruki back as she fell to the ground. The fist of Lucemon only managed to strike air. "Not bad."
Lucemon turns to face Jianliang. Jianliang held out his hands in a martial arts pose, just like what his sensei taught him. Lucemon uses his right arm to go for a slash towards Jianliang. Jianliang uses his right arm to block the attack. Their arms meet but Jianliang was no match for Lucemon. Lucemon's arm pushes past Jianliang's and hit him on his shoulder. Jianliang clutches his shoulders as he screamed in pain and backs away.
Takato, who was by the side, take the chance to punch straight at Lucemon, hoping to catch him off guard. However, Lucemon smacks back his right arm to hit Takato's arm and cause him to fall to the ground.
"Now, to finish you off." He smirked.
Within Hypnos
"Shaggai system booted 100%. Prepare for activation." cried out one of the two ladies in the Hypnos mainframe.
"Systems ready, awaiting your orders and authorization, Yamaki Sir." said the other lady.
"Reika, Megumi, activate Shaggai immediately."
Outside Hypnos
As Lucemon slowly ascends into the air, preparing to make his final move that would seal the fate of the tamers. The three tamers tilted their face upwards, following the movement of Lucemon. As Lucemon stretches his hands and feet, he prepared to unleash his finishing attack: Grand Cross. Flashbacks of their lives and the friendship they share together starts playing in their minds as the lingered near death's doors.
Jian, Ruki… Do you still remember the adventures we had two years ago? The times we had… We've defeated the Devas, overcome Zhuqiaomon and finally, wiped out D-Reaper. Our friendship has grown from total strangers or even rivals to become the best of friends. Lee-kun, thank you for your help since the day I met you two years ago. You helped me a lot, especially when I was still immature. I had tough times with Guilmon but you were always there to aid me. Ruki-chan, at first, you and me didn't actually see eye to eye about digimon. However, we did accept each other's difference and became friends. Thank you. Guilmon, I'm sorry I am not able to keep my promise to play with you again. Katou-san, I… I… Thank you for being a nice friend to me and Guilmon. Dad, Mom, Hirokazu, Kenta, goodbye and take care. My life… It's ending soon. No. it cannot end this way. I believe and… Hope it'll not end this way. He took out his D-arc and clenches it tightly.
Jian, Takato… I still remember when I was still that ice cold digimon queen. I used Renamon as a tool to gain power, to become strong. You two… You helped me understand that Renamon is more than just a tool. She was… a friend. My partner. Takato, you are open-minded and thus I accepted you as a friend… or rather my first in a long time. I still remember you saying you dreamt about me… She smiled. How weird. But, nonetheless, thank you. Jianliang, you are a good friend. You were very against my idea of digimon as a tool and helped me to find my inner self… that I actually cared for others like Impmon. Thank you, Jianliang. Renamon, thank you, my dear partner. Ryo, I'm sorry that I treated you so coldly… I… just can't accept that you beat me in the finals. Mom, Grandma, I hope I can see you again. I wish… She took out her D-arc and clenches it in her hands tightly.
Takato, Ruki… You two have been great friends to me. Although at first, Ruki, we didn't get along well. We've grown together as a group, not forgetting Hirokazu, Kenta, Ryo, Juri and my little sister Shaochung. Our group sure has its ups and downs. I cherish those memories. Takato, you have shown me that we need to fight for what we believe in. You influence me to have courage, to have courage to let Terriermon battle, even if it means I might lose him if I do so. You made me believe that if there is a reason for us to fight, somebody for us to protect, we musn't walk away from the responsibility we have as tamers. Thank you. Ruki, our friendship has grown through the adventures two years ago and I must admit that you're a great friend. You just hide your care for others under that tough façade of yours but you indeed care for others. I must thank you for looking after my sister when we're in the Digital World. Terriermon, I hope to see you again but… No! Why am I being so pessimistic? There must be hope in such a time of despair. I hope… that the three of us will survive the ordeal… He took his D-arc and clenches it tight in his palm.
Lucemon took one last look at the tamers as he prepared to fire his attack.
A/N: Cliff-hanger! Okay, expect the next update to be somewhere in early/mid-August cause I'm going for an exchange trip overseas without my precious laptop... Finally, ...
Pls review!