Disclaimer: Although the severely warped and twisted imagination is my own, Digimon Xros Wars and its characters are the property of Akiyoshi Hongo, Bandai, Toei Animation, and TV Asahi.
Author's Notes: I've been contemplating how I was going to arrange for a chapter like this for quite some time now. I realize that a Snow Zone was featured in the Xros Wars manga, but it was never visited in the anime and considering how wildly different the Sweets Zone was between the two media, I think I can afford to take some creative liberties for the purposes of this fanfic.
| Digimon Xros Wars | Xtra | Part 13 |
The Snow Zone was a region of ice and snow. It was cold to begin with and bad weather was making it even colder. Naturally, the human members of Xros Heart were severely under dressed to be standing around in a Zone like this. And that was before they got ambushed by the Bagra Empire's army of Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon residing in the area.
Shoutmon emerged from Taiki's Xros Loader to combat the icy digimon, but he quickly began hopping up and down, shivering as his feet touched the frozen, snow covered ground. Ballistamon didn't fair any better because his mechanical components began to lock up from the cold once he emerged to join the fight. Dorulumon wasn't troubled by the cold and he could hold his own against the enemy digimon, but he was still outnumbered and the weather was getting worse by the minute.
Crystal's team fared slightly better with Gururumon, Black Fladramon, Ryuudamon, Yuki Agumon and Dorumon able to tolerate the cold well enough to fight. Unfortunately, with the core members of her primary Digi Xros combination refusing to emerge from her Xros Loader, there wasn't much else Crystal could do.
Omekamon appeared out of nowhere and attempted to scribble on one of the Hyougamon with his marker, but it turned out that the ink was frozen solid so it couldn't write. "Omeka," Omekamon pouted in disappointment.
"We can't stay out in this blizzard," Taiki had already realized that the cold would beat them well before the Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon managed to finish them off.
That was when Grappleomon appeared. With the turbines on his arms and legs turning rapidly he swiftly smacked down the icy digimon in the vicinity causing them to leave deep indentations in the densely packed snow. Once he had taken down the Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon, Grappleomon waved for the humans and assembled digimon to follow him. "This way," he raised is voice so that it would carry over the noise from the storm. He began leading them away from the battlefield.
Grappleomon brought them to a cave that would shelter them from the blizzard that was raging over the frozen wasteland. It was definitely warmer inside and they were able to build a fire to help them recover the heat they had lost by standing out in the icy wind. Crystal was huddled against Gururumon with Dorumon curled up on her lap. Taiki, Akari and Zenjirou were huddled against Dorulumon who wasn't exactly thrilled with being utilizing as a canine space heater, but if he complained he would undoubtedly be faced with a pleading look from Cutemon and that would be even more embarrassing. Cutemon, for his part, was situated on Akari's lap.
"I can't believe we were beaten by a blizzard," Zapmon complained even as she refused to emerge from Crystal's Xros Loader.
Crystal shrugged. "It can't really be helped," she spoke softly. "If we had been out there any longer we could have been in much worse trouble. Personally, I've never been particularly fond of winter, but at least back home I would have had my winter coat so it wouldn't feel so cold."
Crystal didn't like being cold. She was practically cold blooded. She didn't function well when it was cold outside. She held onto Dorumon to soak up some of the warmth through his fur.
"That's the first time I've heard you mention anything about your life in the human world," Akari observed. Then again, Crystal barely mentioned anything about herself beyond her strategic relationship with her digimon.
"Is it?" Crystal hadn't really given her old life too much thought after she had been in the Digital World for awhile. "I guess I've just had so much else on my mind that it didn't seem that important." She sounded thoughtful. "I suppose my parents must be worried. Some of my friends are crazy enough that they might be scouring the woods by my house trying to find me in my usual hangouts. I'm not sure any of them will be able to find their way here though. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how I'm going to get back either. I don't really know how I actually got here in the first place."
"There was a voice when you received your Xros Loader, wasn't there?" Taiki certainly remembered hearing a voice when he received his red one.
Crystal nodded vaguely. "Yeah, but that happened after I arrived. I saw all those young digimon from the resort hiding while some of the older ones fought to defend them, but it seemed so one-sided I wished I could help somehow. Then that voice gave me the power to protect them."
"It was kind of weird," Zapmon's voice interjected from inside Crystal's Xros Loader. "I was right there standing next to her and the next thing I knew she was holding a Xros Loader. I didn't see where it came from and she didn't seem to know how to use it, but I guess she must have figured it out pretty quick because she saved all of us."
"That's giving me too much credit," Crystal added hastily. "You were the one who told me to use Digi Xros. We were lucky the Xros Loader was so intuitive or it might not have been so easy. I'm still kind of amazed by the fact that my initial guess at how it was supposed to work turned out to be correct. I guess it figures that all those crazy games and stories we subjected ourselves to back home would contribute vital survival skills the one time I actually got myself thrown into some other world."
"It sounds to me like you were tempting fate," Akari observed.
"Fate cheats at cards," Crystal responded automatically. "I didn't expect anything like this would ever actually happen, but now that it has I can't really object to it. Especially not when it feels like I'm meant to be here."
"Even when it means sitting in a cave freezing your butt off," Zapmon chimed in again.
"Alright, so I'm not too much use in a blizzard," Crystal rolled her eyes. "Then again, those of us who aren't made of ice or covered in fur aren't exactly built for this climate."
"If you're cold, I could help you warm up," Zenjirou volunteered.
"That really isn't necessary," Crystal told him off gently and leaned back against Gururumon. The large, pale blue wolf and the accompanying fuzzy, purple dragon curled up on her lap were doing a fine job of restoring the warmth to her body. "These guys are already doing wonders for me."
The storm passed. It was a welcome relief for everyone because the passing of the blizzard meant that it was slightly less cold in the Snow Zone. Not that it was too much of an improvement, but it was definitely a little bit better than before.
"Why don't we just transfer to another Zone for now and come back for the Code Crown during a warmer season?" Zenjirou suggested.
"Because we can't just leave this Zone under the Bagra Empire's control," Taiki answered automatically. "I know staying is going to cause us all some discomfort, but if we try to get through this quickly it won't be so bad."
"I'm afraid that's easier said than done," Grappleomon interjected. "The Code Crown for this Zone is being guarded by a fierce digimon called Waru Seadramon. And, even if you manage to get past him, the Code Crown itself is encased in a glacier."
"And the enemies that attacked us when we got here will probably block our way there," Dorulumon added.
"At least we stand a better chance of fighting them now that the blizzard is over," noted Taiki.
"But we still won't be able to fight at full power since a lot of the digimon we have with us don't have much tolerance for the cold," Crystal observed. And it was still cold. Just slightly less cold than when they got there. What they needed right now were combinations of fast moving digimon that could withstand the cold while combating enemies with lethal efficiency. She already had a combination in mind that seemed well suited to exactly this kind of situation. As soon as she thought ot if she started inputting the desired configuration into her Xros Loader as she held it out in front of her. "Black Fladramon, Yuki Agumon, Digi Xros!"
"Digi Xros!" The two digimon came together. Black Fladramon's form remained unchanged, but the coloration of the scales beneath his armor shifted from black to white. "Yuki Fladramon!"
"Wait," Zenjirou was staring. "Did you seriously just combine ice with fire?"
"More or less," Crystal confirmed. "Although technically, Yuki Fladramon specializes in attacking with cold fire."
"What exactly is the point of doing that?" Zenjirou didn't seem to get it.
"Trust me," Crystal responded. "You'll understand once you see him in action."
"You got the idea from a video game didn't you?" Akari succeeded at exposing her.
"Several different video games, actually," Crystal admitted. "They were really good games though."
Taiki and Zenjirou just stared at blankly at the two girls.
Taiki managed to snap himself out of it because he knew now wasn't the best time to get distracted by trivial details like how many gamer girls were in the party. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Most of the core members of his team didn't tolerate the cold too well and he didn't want to push them too hard while they were still recovering from the severe chill they had suffered upon their arrival. Dorulumon was the exception. And, while Dorulumon was plenty strong enough on his own, it certainly wouldn't hurt to figure out some way to give him an improvised power boost to make the journey to the glacier a little easier for everyone.
His eyes fell on Grappleomon. The beast man had demonstrated considerable combat ability when he had rescued them from the army of Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon during the blizzard. Based on appearances, Taiki guessed that it was the constant rotation of the turbines on Grappleomon's arms and legs that must have shielded him from the cold which was why he could still fight strongly even during a terrible blizzard. As such, Grappleomon definitely struck him as a strong ally.
"How well does the rotation of those turbines block out the cold?" Taiki finally asked.
"It works great," Grappleomon assured him. "As long as my sense of justice remains strong they can rotate fast enough to distort gravity. The weather doesn't even touch me."
That was all the verification Taiki needed.
"Then Grappleomon, would you lend us your strength to make it through this?" Taiki had a feeling he probably already knew the answer, but it was still polite to ask.
"Absolutely," Grappleomon responded automatically. "I'll do whatever it takes to restore justice to the Snow Zone."
"In that case," Taiki held out his Xros Loader. "Dorulumon, Grappleomon, Digi Xros!"
"Digi Xros!" The two digimon came together. The result of the combination was a bipedal variation of Dorulumon adorned with Grappleomon's armor. Each of the turbines rotating on his arms and legs were, in turn, covered in multiple golden drills which were, themselves, rotating in different directions. "Were Dorulumon!"
After that it was decided that the four humans would head for the glacier on Gururumon. The arrangement placed Crystal at the front with Akari situated between her and Taiki, with Zenjirou hanging on for dear life in the rear. At least being all together in such close proximity on Gururumon would help to keep them warm as they traveled across the icy landscape.
It was left up to Yuki Fladramon and Were Dorulumon to clear the way by beating down the Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon that attempted to block the way. It turned out to be a highly effective strategy as the two Digi Xrossed digimon managed to support each other well in battle.
"Blizzard Knuckle!" Yuki Fladramon shot a barrage of cold fireballs at the Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon from the armor on his fists. The fire was so cold, in fact, that it still managed to cause a severe burning sensation upon impact with the icy ogres and goblins before they went numb from frostbite.
"Dorulu Backlash Hurricane!" Were Dorulumon projected rapid spinning tornadoes off of each of the independently rotating drills on his body. The Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon that were caught by the high speed twisters were quickly ripped to shreds while those that remained quickly backed away to keep out of range. Distancing themselves didn't do the Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon any good. Were Dorulumon was on them before they could even blink. Such was the speed with which he moved. "Drill Rotation Cutter!" He slammed into his opponents, cutting into them with the pointed ends of the numerous rotating drills covering the turbines on his body. They seriously didn't stand a chance.
However, even with the advantage provided by Yuki Fladramon and Were Dorulumon, the fact remained that a much stronger adversary still awaited them at the glacier. Yuki Fladramon leapt high into the air, moving like a skilled acrobat, as his body became surrounded by an aura of cold fire. "Ice Rocket!" Then, picking out a bunch of Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon that had become clustered together in the confusion caused by trying to evade Were Dorulumon's relentless assault, Yuki Fladramon dove so that he impacted several enemies at once.
Between the two of them they had no trouble picking off any of the Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon that happened to get in the way. However, as the number of Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon began to dwindle and they came closer to the glacier, Waru Seadramon's huge, serpentine body filled the sky. He posed a much larger threat, both in both a literal and a figurative sense, than his far less imposing subordinates.
"Evil Icicle!" Waru Seadramon exhaled an enormous block of ice with a sharp edge at the approaching digimon.
Gururumon narrowly managed to veer out of the path of the falling block of ice. Zenjirou might have been thrown off by the sudden change in direction if not for the fact that he was clinging so fiercely to Taiki. As such, all that happened was that he slid slightly so that he was dangling off to one side of Gururumon's back.
"Frozen Shield!" Yuki Fladramon surrounded himself in an aura of cold fire to block the attack as he stood his ground. The block of ice collided with his defensive aura, but it wasn't strong enough to hold and Yuki Fladramon was crushed beneath the ice so that he became partially imbedded in the snow. After taking such a massive hit, Yuki Fladramon split back into Black Fladramon and Yuki Agumon. Both were down for the count.
Gururumon circled back so that Crystal could restore the two injured digimon to her Xros Loader. This also gave Taiki a chance to help Zenjirou straighten out into a more stable position so he wouldn't fall off when Gururumon started running again. Once Black Fladramon and Yuki Agumon were accounted for, Gururumon started toward the glacier again.
"Evil Icicle!" Waru Seadramon exhaled another block of sharpened ice.
This time, Were Dorulumon rushed in to intercept the attack. "Dorulu Whirlwind Kick!" He struck the ice with a strong kick, causing a fracture to form. The fracture spread and branched into multiple cracks in the ice until the entire piece finally shattered. The rotation of the turbine and drills on his leg produced a whirlwind that spread among the broken pieces to deflect them back at Waru Seadramon at an accelerated rate. The shards of ice punctured Waru Seadramon's serpentine body so that it became riddled with holes.
Waru Seadramon let out a vicious snarl. He then proceeded to absorb the remaining Hyougamon and Snow Goblimon in the vicinity into his body to repair the damage he had sustained and to increase his destructive power. This caused the serpent's body to become an icy blue color as icicles emerged in the places he had been injured.
"Frozen Darkstrom!" An eerie tidal wave of dark, frigid water began to rise from beneath the newly enhanced Waru Seadramon Ice Mode.
"We definitely need to get off the ground now," Crystal reacted quickly. "Zapmon, I really hope the cold hasn't slowed down your reaction time too badly." Holding onto Gururumon's fur with one hand, she used the other to hold up her Xros Loader. "Zapmon, Gururumon, Digi Xros!"
"Digi Xros!" The color of Gururumon's fur changed from pale blue to black and his eyes turned silver. A series of dark and pale blue lightning bolt patterned stripes ran through its fur. Its paws transformed into scaled, draconic talons with metallic silver claws and its tail became serpentine. A pair of golden, draconic wings extended from either side of his back. "X-Okamidramon!"
X-Okamidramon quickly to the air with Gururumon's former passengers still hanging on for dear life. Zenjirou hung onto Taiki even more fiercely now that they were no longer touching the ground. They just barely managed to rise above the forming tidal wave.
"And you were worried," X-Okamidramon spoke with Zapmon's voice.
"Stay focused," Crystal stated simply. "We're not done here yet."
Below them, the dark wave washed over Were Dorulumon. The rotation of the turbines and drills on his body pushed the water away from his body as numerous swirling vortices began to form around him. The whirlpools spun violently as they spread through the water. Some of the raging torrents managed to break the surface of the huge wave to swirl haphazardly around Waru Seadramon.
Were Dorulumon threw a strong punch at the ground to launch himself upward, through the huge blanket of dark water, by riding on the resulting tornado. Then, once he got clear of the water, he quickly unleashed another frenzy of tornadoes from the numerous points of rotation on his body. "Dorulu Backlash Hurricane!" The high speed twisters projected off of the spinning drills on his body ripped into the icy serpent producing numerous points of impact before tearing Waru Seadramon to pieces.
With Waru Seadramon defeated, the dark water gradually receded until it became just another layer of ice on the already frozen ground of the Snow Zone. Once he was back on solid ground, Were Dorulumon split back into Dorulumon and Grappleomon.
After that they reached the glacier. The golden color of the Code Crown was clearly visible inside the thick, blue-green ice. It definitely wasn't going to be easy to break it out of there. Crystal, Taiki, Akari and Zenjirou dismounted X-Okamidramon once it was safe to stand on the ground again. Of course, since it was a new layer of ice, it was pretty slippery. Crystal seemed to have the most trouble standing on it.
"Alright, let's get this over with," X-Okamidramon was becoming rather impatient with being in this Zone. Hopefully the next one would be someplace warmer. "Lunar Fire!" X-Okamidramon exhaled a breath of pale, silver colored fire at the glacier to super heat the ice so it would fracture. Then, with a bit of effort and some luck, they might actually be able to punch through it to get to the Code Crown.
"Allow me to handle the rest," Grappleomon volunteered. The turbines on his arms began to spin even more rapidly as he struck the fractured ice of the glacier with his fists. "Lion Beast Killing Wave!" He left deep impressions of his fists in the ice as gravitational waves rippled from the point of impact and formed a narrow tunnel through the glacier leading straight to the position of the Code Crown within.
X-Okamidramon split back into Zapmon and Gururumon.
"Don't tell me someone has to crawl in there to go and get it," Zapmon grumbled. She didn't like the sound of that at all.
Fortunately, now that it had been freed from the ice, the Code Crown floated out of the passage on its own. Taiki reached out to grab it as it floated toward him, caught it, and promptly lost his footing on the ice so that he slid into Zenjirou and the both of them toppled onto the ice.
"Alright, we've done what we came here to do," Akari was ready to move on. "Let's get out of here."
"You know, maybe we should stop back at the Resort Zone to take a quick break at the hot springs," Crystal suggested. "I'm pretty sure after everything we've been through today we could really use the rest."
No one had any objections.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay. This chapter took a little bit longer than anticipated on account of things like Easter and the fact that I've been brainstorming what will take place in future chapters based on recent developments in the anime. With that in mind, from here on out things are just going to keep getting better. By the way, I spent about a month toying with the idea of creating a Were Dorulumon variant before my friend, unholy_blaze, recommended doing a Digi Xros with Grappleomon. I really like the way it turned out.