A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited or alerted. You really are the best…and I apologise for the long wait.
Story is NOT abandoned and never will be. May take me some time to update but I will get to it. Times are just a bit tough and I hope you can be patient with me while I sort my messy life out ^-^ Happy reading.
Digimon Frontier: The Return
Chapter Eight: Legends and Roaring Flames (Pt I)
Previously…
Armour animated by fractal code and his own dark energy, it truly was one of the Lord's greatest inventions…Why hire or enslave digimon to fight for you, when you could simply create your own? In addition, even if destroyed, all you had to do was reincarnate the armour repeatedly.
"Shall we begin, Dokugumon?" He inquired softly while eying the soldiers appreciatively. The spider merely hissed and leapt forward with no other reply.
"Ah, partnership at it's finest." Devimon sighed before addressing the stationary armour. "Destroy everything in sight, but do try to leave me something to play with."
With a salute, the armour departed and Devimon took off in to the air. From the sky, the demonic digimon's smirk turned in to a more predatory grin that promised nothing but ill intentions.
"Evil Wing!" He yelled and the ground below him exploded, mingling with the terrified screams of the Flame Village residents.
…
"Don't worry Ren, you wont have to wait long to meet a digimon." Zoe said, grinning slyly. "In fact, I'll even introduce you to the train when we finally reach whatever terminal he's taking us to."
The dark-haired teen narrowed his eyes. Meanwhile, Saya glanced around the compartment looking faintly disgusted and muttering something that sounded like "We're in its insides", while Haru shifted nervously in his seat.
Tyler merely stared at the floor, inwardly sighing. After recent revelations, a sentient train was not impossible to believe, though the calmness with which he accepted this fact, certainly made him worry for his sanity…or whatever reason he still had left.
"You really expect me to believe this train is some sort of creature?" Ren scoffed, but Zoe didn't answer and just began to hum a tune, turning to stare out the window with a large grin upon her lips.
"This is so unreal." Saya whispered looking exceptionally pale. The pink-haired girl had been having a hard time dealing with all this before, but sitting within an apparently, living train, had rattled her composure completely.
"I'd get used to it quickly I were you." Zoe suddenly announced, her tone having turned serious yet at the same time, kind and sympathetic. "There are going to be much stranger things and you're going to have to be careful. Trust me."
Saya nodded even though she still looked a little sick and Haru bravely took hold of Zoe's hand in need of comfort, which the blond was very happy to give.
"What a drag." Ren mumbled, seemingly unable to say anything else after what he had heard.
Tyler glanced at the device still held in his hand before pocketing it and turning to gaze out the window, mentally organizing his scattered thoughts.
Logic and rationality aside, they were four teenagers and one child in a world that carried many mysteries and unknown dangers. He could not be certain of what lay ahead or even what was out there, but the redhead did believe that Zoe was right.
There was no room for carelessness in a place of infinite possibilities.
…
"Flame Terminal." Worm announced loudly. "Everybody off who's getting."
"Why don't you all move at once?" Koji said flatly, when no one attempted to leave. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and then sighed.
"Well?" He asked expectantly, his cobalt eyes intense. "We're going to have to get off sooner or later."
Koichi stood and smiled encouragingly at the others.
"My brother's right. We can't start a journey if we don't even take the first step."
"Yeah." J.P nodded and glanced at the two girls. "Come on, it'll be fine."
"Let's do this." Takuya said, leading the way to the exit with Tommy close behind him and the others only a few steps away.
Yoshiko stood after a moment's hesitation, and then turned towards Caede, who was twisting her hands together and looking worried.
"Stay close to me and it'll be fine."
Caede blinked, nodded and then stood as well, linking arms with the taller girl to stop from fidgeting.
"We'll get through whatever this is together. Okay?" Yoshiko said with a warm, cheering smile.
Caede smiled weakly in return, not feeling as confident or as hopeful as her friend was.
"Together." She agreed anyway.
They both took deep breaths before following the group of boys off the train, steadying themselves for the world that lay just outside. It was safe to presume that none of them, not even the boys, was prepared for the gigantic tremor that shook the ground, just seconds later.
Now…
The ground rumbled loudly once again and Koji swore as his legs gave way beneath him, forcing the raven-haired teen to grab hold of a bench railing to keep from going down.
"What the hell…"
He heard his friend's utter similar curses as the two girls cried out in stunned surprise, while he glanced around quickly in an effort to find the source of the quake.
It was then that Koji noticed the eerie emptiness of the terminal and saw smoke in the distance, rising from what appeared to be rooftops, the familiar mushroom-type he remembered from all those years back.
A loud crash sounded and the raven watched as trees toppled to the ground, causing even more smoke.
"Looks like we got trouble." He murmured and was relieved to find that he was not the only one to have noticed the commotion.
It would be rather stupid if no one else noticed…
"Think it's some kind of battle?" Takuya asked, moving forward to stand beside the raven as his dark eyes raked carefully across the scenery. Meanwhile, Koichi dealt with the task of reassuring the girls who had panicked at the word 'battle', while J.P and Tommy stood attentively nearby, eyes expressing their own concern.
Koji frowned. "I can't really see anything from here, so not too sure, but it definitely sounds like one."
"Your arrival might have been noticed." A voice grumbled and they all jumped slightly, having forgotten the Trailmon's presence. "Or expected."
"Noticed by whom?" Koji asked turning away from the smoke to look at the red creature curiously. "Do you know why we've been brought here?"
"The train is talking. Why is the train talking?" Yoshiko asked in a strained whisper while Caede stared on with wide eyes, but Koji ignored them in favour of listening to Worm's reply.
They could answer questions later. Time was precious…
"Of course." The bulky Trailmon answered in a gentle tone so vastly different from his usual deafening octave. "A great darkness beset the land a few months ago, stealing fractal code and digital essence, while its forces raid, pillage and destroy any village or digimon who defy them."
Takuya frowned as he listened half-heartedly, absently rubbing at his left shoulder.
There was a strange sound ringing in his ears and every time he moved, something warm caressed his skin. He shrugged it off and decided to pay attention to what was going on rather than his weird phantom imaginings.
"Essence?" Tommy questioned, not understanding what the digimon meant by the term and having not heard of it before.
"Essence is..." Worm began to explain only to be cut off by another loud rumble that shook the station walls and caused the girls to shriek in surprise.
"What the hell is going on?" Yoshiko demanded while she took hold of her friends trembling hand.
"Was that an earthquake?" J.P asked with frown, brown eyes narrowed as they peered into the distance.
"Your first guess was most likely right..Sum'in probably attacking the Flame village." Worm announced roughly. "Common occurrence nowadays, what with dark armour and all those shadow agents taking over…I know Axle Town an Commonfair are gone."
Dark armour? Shadow agents? Towns he had never heard of…
Koji and Takuya both shared a glance of concern that mirrored the uncertainty they both felt.
"We had better find out what's going on." Takuya then declared slowly, rubbing awkwardly at his neck when a gentle heat brushed across it. "I don't like how this is starting to sound."
"I agree." Koji murmured, watching Takuya curiously and wondering why his friend looked a bit distracted. He figured it could wait as he noticed Tommy approached the Trailmon to look into it's large yellow eyes.
"Do you know exactly what dark armour is?"
"Is this really the time to gather information Tommy?" J.P asked and the smaller teen scowled.
"We might not get the chance later and then wish we had asked."
"Tommy's right J.P." Takuya added. "We can't do much if we're clueless and I kinda would like to know what it is myself."
J.P reluctantly nodded and Tommy repeated his question.
"Never seen it myself." Worm grunted in reply. "Word is that it's living metal that cant be destroyed and if it can, well, you'll be hard pressed to find a way."
"Just perfect…" Koji sighed with a roll of his eyes.
"What about the Celestial Digimon?" Koichi questioned. "Surely they would have been able to prevent this all from occurring?"
"Yeah…" Takuya continued with an agitated huff. It was starting to feel hot! Was he the only one noticing these changes?. "Why didn't they stop all this before it got so out of hand?"
"Last I heard, they had been captured when the Forest Kingdom was beseiged…" Worm mumbled then his large eyes widened when the station trembled dangerously from another explosion. "Sorry kids, I'm gonna get out of here before it all goes under."
…Captured.
"Sure." J.P answered for them all seeing as Worm's statement had been a bit of a shock. "Travel safe."
The group watched as the Trailmon pulled forward and began chugging away, wishing them luck and to seek him out if they needed any help, then he soon disappeared from sight.
"Now what?" Yoshiko asked quietly, having watched silently with Caede as the boys talked and now staring at where the smoke still rose in steady clouds. "Are we going to go help out?"
The boy's exchanged surprised glances.
"What?" Yoshiko snapped, hands propped onto her hips as her blue eyes narrowed. "You thought we were just going to sit back while innocents got hurt?"
"N-no." Takuya stammered, not really paying attention at the end, once again distracted by the ringing in his ears and the searing under his fingernails. "Of course you can help."
Yoshiko sniffed.
"Good. We might no get what's happening, nor truly understand exactly what we've gotten ourselves involved in, but that doesn't mean we're not committed, right Caede?"
The shy girl nodded, eyes wary but expression determined as she too spared the towering column of smoke a speculative glance.
"We'll do what we can." She said softly. "After all, this place seems important to you."
That's because it is…Koji thought.
"Right." The raven then interjected before the little impassioned heart-to-heart could go any further. "We're going to approach this carefully and take things one step at a time."
"Koji's right." Koichi said. "We don't want to end up in more trouble then we can handle."
"This is like our first time all over again." J.P sighed rubbing wearily at his forehead. "All action and no direction."
"You're telling me…" Takuya muttered.
"Try to be a little optimistic." Yoshiko smiled cheerily. "At least you guys actually have some understanding of this world compared to me and Caeds."
"That's true." J.P agreed and they all shared a small smile.
"Let's be off." Takuya said. Leading the way, the brunet fell in step with Koji while the rest followed behind.
"You okay?"
Takuya blinked.
"Yeah, why?" He asked a little confused at his friends worried frown.
"You seem edgy."
Takuya opened his mouth to assure the raven he was fine, but a shiver rolled down his spine and he wavered slightly. Koji reached out to steady him.
"You see?" He said with a roll of his eyes.
"I'm fine." Takuya muttered brushing off his best friend's concern and sparing the others a careful glance, relieved that no one else had seemed to notice.
"I'm fine."
Koji stared and eventually nodded.
"Okay."
Takuya smiled thankfully.
The rest of the trip across the terminal was quick and soon the sounds of rumbling grew more pronounced and the smell of fire and smoke hung in the air. Many of the small mushroom-like houses, had sections missing or shattered glass. Flower beds and trees appeared to have been uprooted…and small flames burned among the rubble.
"This sure is a mess." Yoshiko stated quietly.
"It's so quiet." Caede whispered, fingers hesitantly brushing a broken door that was barely being held by its last remaining hinge.
J.P nudged a piece of charred wood with one foot and glanced around.
"Maybe everyone evacuated?"
"Hello!" Takuya shouted, hands cupped around his mouth. "Anyone here?"
"Yes Takuya, alert everyone in the vicinity of our location." Koji muttered sarcastically. "Shout again, whatever's causing the earthquakes might not have heard you."
Takuya shot the raven an annoyed glance and on queue, the ground moved dangerously beneath them.
"It seems to be coming from over there." Koichi said when the shift had ended, pointing to the far end of the village where the smoke appeared thicker.
Takuya considered the area before making a decision.
"We'll have a look, but everyone stay on alert and be careful.
A hoarse cry, soft and almost lost among the constant booming tremors, had them all freezing.
"What's that?" Tommy asked and the younger teen suddenly took off.
"Tommy, wait!" Takuya shouted, quickly following.
"You shouldn't just run off." Yoshiko called after them and shook her head, turning to the rest. "Now what?"
"We better go after them." Koichi said.
Koji sighed and nodded, muttering the whole time about brash friends that always ran headfirst into trouble.
"We haven't even spent ten minutes here and there's already problems."
…
"Tommy! Come on wait up." Takuya called and silently thanked the heavens when the boy finally stopped. "Why'd you just run off like that?"
"Takuya…"
The brunet frowned when he heard the confusion and anguish in his friends tone and turned to look at whatever had caused it.
"What the-."
Before them was a section of the village, broken roof tops and walls, trees in between the small buildings and upturned earth…and though the destruction was just as all the other ruins they had passed, the difference was in their appearance.
The area was dull and grey, crystallized.
"Takuya." Tommy whispered, turning to face the older teen with worried green eyes. "Why is it like that?"
Takuya approached one building carefully and stretched out a hand to touch a grey patch. As soon as his skin made contact with the shining material, he retracted his hand in shock.
"It feels like glass and…" The brunet broke off with frown.
"And?"
"Dead…Tommy, it feels dead." Takuya said softly, backing away from the house. His eyes scanned the area and a growing dread built up within the brunet as he took in the expanse of crystal that stretched across the horizon, no visible end from what he could tell.
"I would guess the data was gone, but that would usually take everything, wouldn't it?."
Takuya and Tommy turned to the approaching figures.
"Do you think only part of the data is gone and that's why it looks like that?" Takuya asked Koichi who had his hand on a grey tree trunk and was eying it with a strange expression.
"I don't know…it feels sorta empty."
"Dead?" Takuya asked and Koichi nodded.
"This is beginning to look very bad." Tommy murmured.
It was quiet among them and Koji frowned.
"We all heard someone crying…that means there's a survivor." He said quietly. "Let's find them and then find out what's going on."
"Come on, times wasting." J.P said, spurring the rest into action and they began picking their way carefully through the diamond-like scenery.
"Koji!"
The raven turned in surprise at the sound of his name, surely not coming from anyone in their group and his breath hitched in recognition.
"Gotsumon…"
The rock creature was grinning widely and on his shoulders sat a familiar long-eared rabbit.
"You don't know how glad we are you're here." Gotsumon exclaimed once nearby and peering happily at each of them.
"We gotta help Bokomon before they eat him!" Neemon cried mournfully.
"Give us the short version of what's happening?" Koji asked, placing a hand on his old friends shoulder. "We'll get into the details later."
Neemon clambered down and through himself at Tommy and the smaller teen comforted him softly.
"Show us where he is." Koichi said.
"You'll help."
"There was never any option not to." Koji said with a smile and Gotsumon cheered. The girls giggled.
"Absolutely." Takuya nodded, hands clenched tightly, the sensation of grief and death overwhelming his senses.
Someone was destroying his home…extinguishing the flame and he wasn't going to let them get away with it.
The brunet's eyes sparked with a raging glow that no one noticed. In answer, the land hummed quietly in tandem with the chaotic earth tremors awaiting its warrior's discovery of truth, so he could be blessed with flame's true power.
It was only matter of being patient.
"This place is incredible!" Saya exclaimed with wonder, her pink orbs fixed upon the passing green world that lay beyond the glass of her window. There are so many colours, I've never seen such variety in one place!
"It's just trees and fields." Ren muttered with a roll of his eyes. He had a headache and the pink-haired girls constant bouncing was beginning to grate on his very agitated nerves. "Exactly like the ones we have back home. Nothing amazing."
Saya simply stuck her tongue at him in reply, causing Haru to giggle, though he stopped when Ren shot a glare his way and buried his face in Zoe's arm.
"Well I happen to think it's great." Saya declared. "And leave Haru-chan alone. You're like a grumpy old man being denied his pudding cup at an old age home."
"And you're like a little kid in a candy store." Ren snapped in return.
At least he's not in denial anymore, Zoe thought absently, cringing internally at the mild argument she had earlier with Ren and how he had refused to tolerate her wild stories and hallucinations.
I guess anyone would change their mind once they actually saw a real digimon…Then again, maybe it was just her luck that a couple of Piximon, had chosen that moment to fly past…You cant really deny something once everyone has seen it.
"When do you suppose this…train will be stopping?" Haru quietly asked, interrupting Zoe's mental escapade.
"I suppose it will stop whenever we reach our destination." The blonde replied, smiling kindly at him. "Only the Trailmon knows where we are meant to be."
"Well, isn't that encouraging." Tyler whispered acerbically to himself in his little corner, not having moved or said much since their initial meeting.
"You have something to say?" Zoe asked and the redhead snorted.
"Not to you."
Zoe's eyes narrowed and she huffed irritably. There was just no winning with him.
"You know, some people actually grow up when they pass sixteen." She hissed and didn't look away when Tyler threw her a cold glare, continuing even though Saya and Ren had fallen silent to watch the exchange. "Apparently, this wasn't the case when it came to you."
"Yeah, cause you're so mature all the time." Tyler muttered in reply.
"At least I make an effort."
Saya and Ren exchanged curious glances, while Haru watched nervously but no one interrupted.
Whatever friction there was between the two step siblings, was their business and it wouldn't be right to interfere. However, any reply Tyler was about to make, was cut off as a lilting voice echoed throughout the compartment, the German accent thick and making the words a bit hard to hear. Saya squeaked and blushed furiously when everyone's attention was drawn her way.
"I was taken by surprise." She defended, willing the blood in her face to go away. How embarrassing.
"Rain Terminal approaching…Make ready for departure."
Rain Terminal? Zoe frowned. Never been there before.
Standing with Haru still clutching her arm, the blond decided it was time to find out exactly where they were headed.
"Angler, can you hear me?" She called out clearly green eyes fixed on a random spot above her head.
"Ya, ah kan hear yew human."
"Can you tell me where the Rain Terminal is situated in the Digital World?"
"Yew on the Water Kontinent, south west of the Earth Kontinent. Main lokations are East Village and near the south, the KaratsukiNumemon Mountain."
"Really?" Zoe asked, surprised and Angler hummed a yes and she thanked him for his help, then turned to address the others.
"This is good, I have a rough idea of where we are."
"Please be seated as wee enter the Terminal."
"Okay…" Ren drawled, crossing his arms over his chest with a scowl. "And then what? We arrive and go where exactly?"
Zoe smiled sheepishly. Really hadn't thought that far, she mused.
"You don't have a plan or any idea of what we should do next?" Ren asked, eyebrow raised disbelievingly. "We're gonna disembark and what; hope the solution is going to walk right up to us?"
"Just because Zoe's been here before, doesn't mean she knows what the Digital World's current situation is." Saya replied scathingly. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm not making any concrete plans until I understand exactly what's going on."
"We can always question Angler when we stop." Zoe added. "If he even knows anything."
"Sounds good to me." Tyler agreed quietly. "It wouldn't be wise to blindly travel this world and simply hope for the best."
Zoe couldn't help the laugh that left her lips and shrugged when they all turned to stare at her.
"That's kinda how we dealt with it our first time here…" At Ren's hard glare and Tyler's subtle eye roll, Zoe felt the need to defend herself "We were all under twelve and didn't know any better…I can safely say I learnt from the experience."
"Hopefully…" Tyler mumbled but Zoe chose to ignore him, instead she sat down and Haru moved a little closer.
"Zoe?" The little boy said, tugging at the hem of her shirt.
"Yes."
"Are you going to try find your friends?"
"Definitely. I cant imagine getting through this without them." Zoe said and ruffled the boys hair. "Just like they wont stop until they found me."
She then laughed and shook her head with a fond smile.
"Besides, they would get into too much trouble without me to bale them out."
"They sound like the best." Haru said with an oddly strained smile.
Zoe nodded, a little concerned but not sure if it was her place to question the small boy.
"I wouldn't trade them for anything." She whispered with a brilliant smile then glanced down into curious brown eyes. "If you ever find friends who mean the world to you, never let them go Haru…They'll be the greatest gift you ever receive."
Haru smiled shyly.
"I think I understand…"
"Maybe you should try contact them once we stop?" Saya asked and held up her beige and pink device. "You said these might be like communicators, right?"
Zoe nodded.
"Yeah, maybe."
"At least that's some kind of plan." Ren mumbled and closed his eyes. He hated not being prepared and this was the most ill-equipped position he had ever been in.
Tyler chose to remain silent as the train began to noticeably slow down, and stared out the window, watching as in the distance, a grey construct got larger as they moved closer.
No turning back now, he thought. Whatever this is, we're all here till the end it seems.
Bokomon was losing hope fast.
Devimon and Dokugumon had appeared suddenly, taking the small village inhabitants by surprise as they decimated house after house, with gleeful enthusiasm. Their mindless soldiers absorbing both fractal code and essence, their actions methodical and precise.
He had lost track of Neemon and Gotsumon in the rushing crowds, in a feeble attempt to help others escape the onslaught and now he wasn't quite sure where they might be…Hopefully safe.
The white digimon cast a glance in the direction of the Terminal wondering if he had failed. Had their message truly been sent? Was anyone even coming?
He had seen no Trailmon arrive. No inclination that they had been successful.
"There you are rat…" A dark voice hissed and Bokomon was suddenly suspended in the air, trapped between black pincers and staring into obsidian eyes.
"Oh dear…" He couldn't help whisper.
Devimon laughed wickedly from his place to the giant spider's left, his head tilted slightly to watch the scene unfold.
"There's no escape now." Dokugumon murmured, tightening her pincers just enough to have him gasping for air. "Tell us what you know and we'll make your stay at the Moon Tower as painless as possible."
"…which isn't very painless." Devimon smirked. "How about we simply offer you a quick death instead of the long, torturous one I'm longing to give you?"
Bokomon knew this was the end because he would never tell them anything, so closed his eyes and waited. He saw no shame in dying to protect this world.
He only hoped his message got out…that they were coming…
"Put him down!"
Bokomon blinked. That was Gotsumon's voice, but surely he had taken the chance to escape…
"Hey!"
Meanwhile, Bokomon's brown eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar voice, his heart skipping a beat when he caught sight of Takuya's blazing expression.
It worked.
"Hey ugly! Pick on someone your own size." Takuya shouted as slid down the hill, chucking a rock in the spiders direction. The rest of the group stopped at the hills precipice, alert and wary.
Bokomon cursed and commended the brunet's bravery.
Dokugumon turned slowly, eyes gleaming at the simpleton who dared interrupt. She blinked when she realized the new arrivals were not of the digimon variety but rather a child.
"Human…" She hissed. "Ssso, the call was answered…and here I was thinking the little pestsss had failed."
She shook the rat lodged in her pincers.
"Apparently that was not the case."
Devimon descended from where he had been sentinel in the sky, angry with himself for not noticing the boy sooner.
"Put him down!" The teen demanded.
"Or what?" Dokugumon asked silkily.
"Put him down now." Takuya growled, fury washing through him like a searing force.
"Takuya, be careful." Tommy warned.
Takuya growled. He didn't care if he had no spirits or that these two digimon could probably end his existence in a flash…Bokomon was in trouble and he'd be damned if he didn't do anything to help his friend out. The heat itched all around him, purring in his ears.
"I'll put him down…" Dokugumon considered. "…If you're going to take his place."
"Yeah, I'll take his place…it'll bring me a step closer to kicking you in the face, you ugly bug!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Yoshiko shrieked.
"If they don't kill him, I will." Koji promised, cursing his friends recklessness. He glanced around for a weapon of some kind, silently cheering when he noticed a short steel pipe.
"You gonna help out?" Gotsumon asked when the raven returned with his find.
"If he needs it, yes."
"Then maybe, you'll look better once I smash your face in." They heard Takuya respond to one of Devimon's comments.
J.P sighed. "Yeah, he's gonna need that help."
"Little human brat! I'll destroy you where you stand." Devimon roared. "Death Hand!"
Takuya barely had time to avoid the blast of sizzling dark energy. He rolled sideways, adrenalin pumping as he pushed himself back on his feet to avoid a sharp set of claws.
There was heat and fire and all he could do was act, no time to stop…just feel.
It's time…
Koji didn't waste a second sliding down the hill after his twin assured him they would stay out the way.
The raven then sprinted towards Dokugumon, pipe brandished and ready. The giant spider hissed a laughed and stood there with Bokumon in her clutches, obviously not concerned enough to think about moving.
Big mistake…Koji smirked.
'You were told to let him go." He said as he reached one of her great legs. "Im about to make you regret not listening."
"Really?" She asked in a bored fashion and took a lazy swipe at him.
Koji ducked and in two swift movements, hit her one pincer then jabbed up sharply into her abdomen. Dokugumon roared and coiled into herself, Bokomon dropping from her hold.
Koji dropped the pipe and caught him.
"Got you."
"And I got you!"
Koji hissed as Dokugumon's pincer connected with his ribs, while Bokomon's frantic cries and that of his brother, filled his ears. His body hit the floor with a thud and he lay there stunned.
A shadow loomed overhead and he watched Dokugumon's large pincers descend.
What a way to go…
…
Takuya saw Koji fall, he saw the spider approaching, he knew Devimon was near…The heat surrounded him in a great flare and his vision turned white. Only the heat mattered. And it was everywhere. Burning…
Alive and angry…
…
The end never came. A bright light, warm and brilliant, engulfed them and Koji heard Dokugumon curse.
"Get out of here."
Koji pushed himself up slowly, Bokomon still held carefully in his arms. Takuya was standing before him, but something was different…
"Takuya…"
"I said go."
Koji frowned but stood and did as asked.
"Be careful." He murmured as he edged away back to where the others were gathered. Koichi instantly inspected him and Koji brushed him off gently.
"I'll be okay."
Takuya watched his friends leave before refocusing on the two digimon now staring at him intently.
"You're going to pay for what you've done." He hissed.
Devimon laughed.
"And how do you suppose to make us pay?"
"How does your end sound?"
The heat surged up around him and he could sense something forming in his hand.
This was it. This was the answer.
Takuya closed his eyes and let the warmth envelope him completely, no longer ignoring the call.
'You are our chosen warrior son of flames…Wield our Sunstone and bring destruction down upon those who would douse our fire!'
With great pleasure…
Great red and golden flames sprung up around Takuya, burning hot and bright like the sun as his fingertips made contact with the glowing stone. Suddenly, an enormous feeling of warmth blossomed within him and filled his entire being with its passionate, radiant energy.
Takuya grinned, his dark eyes echoing the moving flames that surrounded him, and in that single moment, he knew what he had to do.
Sunstone held firmly in one hand and his D-Tector in the other, light flared as he brought the two items together.
"Execute! Jewel Evolution."
Fire danced before his eyes and the world erupted in a flash of flames and swirling data. Ribbons of red and gold light wrapped around him and Takuya could feel his body stretching and reconfiguring to suit his new form.
In the next instant, the light and flames exploded, and an entirely different being had emerged.
"Suryamon."
Everyone stared on in amazement at the large figure and Koji scoffed lightly, though an amused twinkle shone in his cobalt eyes.
"Figures that the moron would be the first one to get a spirit."
"A what…?" Caede whispered in confusion.
"Well, that clears up your theory, Bokomon." Gotsumon announced looking mildly awestruck and prodding his white companion in the arm. "Because that is definitely no digimon I've ever seen."
"What theory is that?" J.P asked curiously.
"The theory that you'd all get different types of spirits this time around." Gotsumon answered. "After all, the Legendary Warriors did move on, merging with the land."
"Indeed." Bokomon replied softly, brown eyes laced with astonishment and wonder as he spoke to all present. "What you see before you is Suryamon, an ancient digimon of fire from long before the time of the Legendary Warriors…A jewel spirit formed from the first known flame…I never thought…I'd never imagined that I would see it with my own eyes."
"It's incredible." Yoshiko murmured, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
"I wonder if that fire burns his skin."
The old company barely blinked at Neemon's odd statement, but Caede threw a worried glance in Takuya's direction as if taking the yellow rabbits concern, into serious consideration.
"Don't worry Caede, the flames aren't hurting him." Koichi assured the pink-clad girl quietly.
She glanced at him through auburn bangs and bit her lip as if she wanted to protest before nodding hesitantly.
"I anything, it's good that he's on fire." Tommy piped up and J.P hummed in agreement.
"Why?" Yoshiko asked looking curious.
"Fire is a part of who Takuya is, just as light is for me." Koji answered without taking his eyes off his transformed friend. "We all have our connection to this world and without it, it's like we barely exist."
"It's the essence of who you are." Bokomon said with a smile.
Koji frowned slightly at once again hearing that term and made a mental note to get some answers once everything had calmed down.
Dokugumon and Devimon stood nearby, their expressions shocked yet unflinching at this unexpected occurrence.
The search for the elemental jewels had been a wide and highly important affair; something considered top priority by their Lord. So far, the constant searching had turned up nothing but legends, ghost stories and dead ends…Yet here was a mere human child who had not only located one of the twelve archaic gems, but had also fused with it to become a warrior of great power.
"Impossible. It's an abomination." Devimon hissed furiously. "There's no way this human brat should be capable of becoming something so revered."
Dokugumon regarded the situation with a thoughtful silence as her partner ranted.
The Lord had been insistent that the humans be dealt with immediately, and what she had once viewed as paranoia, she now saw clearly as strategic intelligence.
These humans were more equipped to trace the ancient jewels than any of their forces could ever be. Thus, they were a dangerous threat.
"Whatever happened to destroying me where I stand?" The flame-wreathed figure mocked with a feral grin, his golden eyes flickering with the glow of a flame. "Don't tell me you've gone and changed your minds? How boring…"
Dokugumon stiffened at the insult and Devimon barely suppressed a growl.
What insolence!
"You obviously have no idea who you are dealing with?" Devimon snarled.
Suryamon tilted his head thoughtfully.
"No, but you're most likely going to tell me, right?"
Devimon screamed in frustration and surged forwad.
"Evil Wing!"
Suryamon batted the attack away with a lazy motion of his hand.
"What, that's the best you got?"
"Dark Blast!" Devimon cried.
Suryamon grinned and raised his arms.
"Corona Blaster."
The balls of fire collided with the pulsating energy and immediately cancelled it out, then Suryamon breathed in deeply, ready to end this and done with playing.
"Mega Inferno!" Great flames poured from his mouth and the devil creature had no time to avoid the onslaught of fire. He hit the ground screeching while Dokugumon tensed.
"It's time to retreat…for now." She muttered, huge eyes glittering speculatively. "We have underestimated you humans."
"No!" Devimon hissed and the spider whirled on him. A great void of darkness opened up behind them and she pushed the bat into it.
Suryamon watched the portal close and internally, Takuya shuddered with the instant weariness that washed over him.
Light flared and he fell to the ground in his human body once more.
The last thing he heard was his friends worried calls and Koji's irritated exclamation of "I told you to be careful," before he lost himself to blessed darkness.
"What did you say!"
A crystal pillar shattered, the shards shooting outwards and scattering across the black floors with a tinkle of shimmering grey shards.
"You let them get it! A spirit lying right there, under your very noses and you let those human brats get their filthy hands on it. Worse! One of them even bonded with the spirit."
The spirit of flame, right there this whole time…after months of searching!
"They got lucky this time Milord, but I assure you it will not happen again." Devimon promised.
Darkus raised a clawed hand to silence the devil and continued to pace in thoughtful silence, his dark cloak billowing around like a black flame. The remaining occupants watched on, fully aware of their masters' thin temper and not keen to entice his wrath.
It was unfortunate…annoying…but he could salvage this inconvenience…After all, if you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself. Wasn't that the saying?
Eventually, Darkus stopped in his tracks and a quiet chuckle issued from his lips. He turned to face his minions, eyes glowing with unnatural light.
"I'll allow your grievous error to slide for now." He informed his two agents, sadistically taking delight in the way they trembled with obvious relief at not being punished while Meramon watched on impassively.
"Thank you Milord." Dokugumon murmured.
"Yes, thank you. Milord is most kind." Devimon uttered, bowing low.
"You'd do best to remember that…" Darkus smirked and turned away from them. "For now you can leave. I will have to meditate on our next plan of action."
The two digimon quickly left the crystal chamber and Darkus approached the three glittering statues near the centre of the room.
"So your little guardians have made it through the barrier, and thus far they are ahead in the game…but how far can luck take them? And do you honestly think they stand a chance against me, the lord of Darkness?"
Darkus chuckled and turned away.
"The answer is no but I'll amuse myself watching them try."
To be continued…
A/N: Please review. Comments are appreciated and any ideas are taken into consideration. The spirit scene definitely needs some work, so I will fix it up at a later stage, but for now it will have to do and I hope it was ok.
Extra Facts/Info: How the new Digi-evolution works: the D- Tectors have a scanner type-thing similar to their old versions. The jewel becomes data/pure energy when it encounters its destined and then, is absorbed into the device permanently.
The first time they evolve, and then whenever they evolve afterwards, data will appear as it did in the canon events along with the ribbons of light that represents 'Essence'.
Simply put, their new spirits reside within these jewels.
I most likely butchered Angler's accent but I'm not German nor can I write accents very well, so my end product will have to suffice.
Since there are no maps available for Digimon Frontier, I am taking liberties with locations and building my own map from what information I can find online and obviously memories taken from the series (which I last watched when I was thirteen- so roughly nine years ago). Any confusion, let me know and I will explain as best as I can and maybe later try to include a crudely designed map ^-^
And lastly I have a question; Am I giving everyone enough screen time? I don't want any characters to feel like extras of boring, so let me know if I should spend a little extra effort if their characterizations don't seem to be enough. Is this all making sense to you guys? Comments, thoughts and queries are important.
Suryamon (Jewel Evolution)
Type- Ancient Jewel Warrior of the Dragon species. Born from the first flame.
Jewel- Sunstone; a ruby type sphere that holds the essence of fire.
Appearance- Tall humanoid with dragon-like features. Crimson armour with black trim/edging and cream body suit underneath. Shoulder pouldrens with a protruding gold spike. Gold clawed feet. Red and black loin cloth and a giant gold broadsword with red and black hilt, strapped to back. Short yet wild burning orange hair that almost looks like flames. Most of face except for mouth, covered in a dragon-like mask that is crimson with black trim and two golden spikes above each eye. Golden eyes under mask and teeth are much sharper than humans.
(Suryamon is roughly based off Agunimon/Agnimon's appearance and a little of EmperorGreymon)
Attacks (and descriptions) - Flame-Storm Blade (blade covered in molten hot flames that can slice through almost anything), Corona Blaster (a mass of mini fireballs shot from hands), Mega Inferno (fire breathed from mouth) and Mega Flare (large burst of flames formed when two hands placed side by side).
***Spirit inspired by an Indian deity named Surya and said to be powered by the sun or known to wield fire. Mega Inferno was inspired by Iroh's, Dragon's Breath attack from Avatar the Last Airbender.