Hi all! I know the last chappy was really long…I believe it was something like 17 pages on your computers…wow…uh, yeah. Anywho, hope you enjoy this one too. Fanks for the reviews! And on wif de show!
P.S- It's pronounced: When-tuh-mon; Thor-hu-mon; In-fer-nuh-mon.
P.P.S- I know its probably rather inconvenient, but I'm changing Alexander's name to Alexis. Her nickname will still be Alex though. So it shouldn't be too much of a biggie. ;)
Chapter 12Battle of the Elements
Rika woke up later that morning feeling rather stiff and hurt. Her back was aching a little and her neck felt like someone had twisted it 360 degrees. She sat up…or at least, tried to. She was being held down, yet again, by Ryo's arms. This should probably have explained the reason she was so uncomfortable, but Ryo's shoulder made a nice enough pillow.
So why in Heaven's name was she so sore! A loud snore made her jump and she looked around. So…that was the reason more her discomfort was it? Rika frowned and pulled Monodramon out from where he was wedged in between her back and the sofa.
The fins on his arms had been poking her in the spine and his feet had been pressing against her neck, putting her in a very awkward position.
Tossing the Digimon onto the couch beside her, Rika settled back against Ryo, not having the will or the strength to fight him. It was still daylight outside, but the wind had picked up during her late morning nap.
The rest of the Tamers were sitting in the living room in front of the fire, discussing their next moves. Rika watched them as they talked quietly together. Suzy, who was sitting at Rika's feet, said something about the Devas and Rika instantly felt more awake.
"But if they're after Rika, then we have no choice but to destroy them," Ryo said, in reply to her question.
He's awake? Rika thought incredulously. Hadn't he felt her trying to sit up? Maybe he had thought that she had still been sleeping… She decided not to let them know of her awakening so that she could listen.
"There has to be a simpler, less violent way," Henry said.
"Like what? Oh, of course. I'm sure they'll stop attacking us if we ask them nicely," Alex said scathingly. Rika smirked. A girl after her own heart.
"Alex is right," Takato said from where he was sitting on a one-seater sofa with Jeri. "We can't just ignore them and hope they go away. We have to do something."
"Yeah, but if we're gonna keep fighting them, then we're going to have to come up with a new plan," Ryo exclaimed. "I don't exactly agree with Rika's idea to start loading data again, but if it's the only plan we've got, I'm going to stick to it." Rika felt a twinge of penitence in her chest. Sure, she wasn't too happy about loading data again either, but what else was she supposed to do? The Devas were getting stronger and they needed all the strength they could get. She pushed her thoughts aside so that she could listen again.
"The Devas are stronger than even the D-Reaper was. We are going to have to find a new way of Digivolving or we won't be able to beat them, let alone the sovereign," said a voice Rika didn't recognize. It was gruff, but sweet at the same time, sort of like a puppies bark.
It must be Labramon, Rika thought.
"A new way of Digivolving?" Jeri asked curiously. "But what other way could there be?" They all looked at Calumon and his eyes widened.
"Well, don't look at me! I don't know how to make you stronger…" He looked down at his feet and sighed. "I'm sorry, I wish I could help you more…"
"But you do help us." The Tamers all jumped and looked at Rika. She had sat up and was rubbing her neck painfully. Smiling down at Calumon, she continued. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to Digivolve at all. You help us all the time." Calumon smiled happily.
"Do you really mean it?" He asked excitedly. The Tamers all nodded at him and he jumped up joyfully. "Thanks Rika-Rika!"
"No problem, Calumon," she said, stretching her back a little. "Hey, Ryo. Did you know that Monodramon snores?" Ryo laughed and nodded.
"Yeah, it's getting him to stop that's the trick. He also has a tendency to crawl into the smallest space he can when he wants to sleep." Rika massaged her neck and grinned.
"I'd noticed…" The Tamers all laughed and for a moment, the Devas and loading Data was cast from their minds.
Henry was the only one to stay silent. He was watching Rika with an almost angry look in his eyes. Ryo stopped laughing in time to see this and he sat silently, watching Henry cautiously. What was Henry up to?
He continued to watch Rika for a while before he finally decided to speak.
"I think Suzy should go home." His voice was loud, clear and deadly calm. He had made it sound like he was talking to everyone, but his eyes never left Rika. "She should never have come in the first place." Rika returned his angry gaze without so much as a bat of the eye. He didn't intimidate her one bit, black belt or no.
"And how exactly do you want me to do that? I don't have magical powers that let me open portals to different worlds whenever I please you know." They glared at each other angrily.
"I don't care how you do it, Nonaka. You were the one that said she could come, even after I explicitly said she couldn't." The Tamers all fell quiet. Henry had never called Rika by her last name before…
"Look, Wong. I'm not going to send Suzy home. If she wants to stay, I'm not going to stop her. She's not four anymore," Rika snapped.
"I don't care how old she is! She's my sister and I think she never should have come in the first place! She's to young for things like this!" Rika shot out of her chair and glared down at Henry.
"You are the most pathetic, most selfish person I've ever met! Is Suzy the only person you care about? Or have you forgotten that there are two other kids here that are her age. None of us should be here, Wong!
"I asked you to come; you never had to do it! I don't know why I'm the one they're after, but I do know that that's what's really bothering you, isn't it. You don't want Suzy around me because you think I'll get her killed! Is that right!" Henry was on his feet now too, bearing down on Rika, who didn't so much as blink.
"Rika…calm down," Ryo said, trying to put a pacifying hand on her shoulder. She wrenched it out of his reach.
"Don't tell me to calm down, Akiyama!" She yelled. Ryo looked hurt and taken aback. Rika hadn't called him that since before they were friends. He sat back down and looked away, angry with himself and her…a little. Rika ignored his hurt look and looked back at Henry.
"If you don't want your sister around me, then fine! Leave and take her with you! Or would you rather I left? After all, it would make all of you safer if I was gone!"
"Rika…no," Jeri whimpered. Rika turned her harsh gaze to Jeri, who fell silent and shrank back against Takato. Henry was breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on Rika as she glowered at him.
"If anyone here is selfish, Rika, it's you." He turned away from her and sat back down, hugging Suzy to stop her from crying. Rika was so angry she had actually started shaking slightly. Just as she was about to burst, a hand came to rest on her arm and she looked back.
Alex was standing behind her, her face calmingly stern. She shook her head very slightly and Rika relaxed a little. Looking around, Rika noticed just how much damage she had done in her blind rage.
Henry was trying to calm Suzy down next to Takato, who was cradling a crying Jeri. Kazu and Kenta were cowering away from her and even Alice looked shocked. The Digimon were standing by the fire most of which were shocked and confused. Renamon was the only one who looked different. Her expression held nothing but disapproval. She turned her head away from Rika and disappeared. Rika gulped - her chest feeling oddly tight as the familiar stinging erupted deep within it - and turned around.
But Ryo was gone…
She looked back at Alex, who seemed oddly calm and relaxed, despite the situation. Rika shook her head in disbelief, astonished by what she had done. Pulling away from Alex, Rika ran out of the room and down the stairs. She knew Ryo was still here because Monodramon was by the fire with the rest of the Digimon. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Rika looked around for her friend.
"Ryo…" she called, almost apprehensively. There was no answer. "Ryo…" She repeated. "Please answer me. I'm sorry, I…" She lost her voice and took a deep, shuddering breath. Her face fell at the lonely silence she had created, the stinging in her chest intensifying.
"Ryo…" she whispered sadly. Folding her arms across her chest defensively, Rika walked to her room and shut herself inside. No one would bother her here…she could be alone for as long as she wanted.
Falling face down onto her bed, Rika exhaled into her pillow and a single tear ran down her cheek and into the fabric. Maybe she was better off alone…without anyone around her who could get hurt. Even Renamon wasn't safe with Rika as her partner anymore. She slipped her arms under her pillow and hugged it closer to her face. A quiet sob escaped her lips and another tear freed itself from its prison.
Why did things like this always happen to her? Why did she hurt the people she cared about? Why had she yelled at him like that?
I'm sorry, Ryo. She thought sadly, knowing he couldn't hear her anyway. The door opened and shut without her hearing it, so when the person reached down and touched her shoulder, Rika jumped in surprise. Looking back, Rika's eyes met Ryo's and they stared at each other. The lone tear on her cheek was glistening in the pale light as he gently wiped it away.
Turning her face away from him, Rika shut her eyes tightly and took another deep breath.
"I…I'm so sorry, Ryo…" she whispered, her voice quivering slightly. "I never meant…"
"Shush, it's okay, Rika," Ryo said gently. He had been angry at first and had come in here to get an explanation. But seeing what the argument had done to her, Ryo had felt bad about his anger. It really wasn't her fault that the Sovereign wanted her dead. She couldn't do anything too change it. And now the Tamers were taking their frustration and worrying out on her because 'it was her fault they were in danger'.
"Alex told me you were upset so I thought you might want someone to talk too." Rika looked up at him and smiled weakly. He really did care about her… For a brief moment, she had thought that she had lost the loving friendship she had with him, all because she had lost her temper under a stressful moment. But here he was, trying to comfort her as he always did.
Ryo, on the other hand, was gazing at Rika almost worriedly. The emotional, physical and mental strain this was putting her under was starting to get too her. He didn't want to see her hurt herself, but there was little he could do. Rika pushed herself up, whipping her bangs behind her ears.
"I'm going to go take a bath," she said, glancing at him before standing up. "Thanks, for coming, Ryo." He nodded and watched her go; silently making a promise to her that he would make sure she wasn't bothered. She needed to be alone right now, as much as Ryo didn't like it.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rika sank deeper into the warm water until only her eyes were dry. She stayed under for as long as she could, before slowly raising her nose out and taking a breath. The water was soothing and she felt more relaxed than she had in a long while. When she sank back under, all sound disappeared and it felt almost like she was in a different world. She allowed a single bubble to escape her lips and watched as it rose slowly to the surface in a delicate swaying motion. It popped gently when it reached the top and a small ripple creased the waters smooth edge.
Shutting her eyes, Rika rose for another breath and then sank back down again. She loved water. Lying in it felt like floating on a cloud. She felt weightless and invisible. Letting a few bubbles of air out of her mouth, Rika released an inner sigh. So peaceful…so calm…
Her vision suddenly flashed and before Rika knew what was happening, she was flying in the air over the frozen Digi-Phirmha. Three huge Digimon were walking far below her and they seemed to be discussing something. Allowing her body to do as it pleased, Rika quietly drifted down so that she could listen to them from above.
"The Sovereign are angry. None of the Devas have even damaged the group of humans yet." Said the first one. This Digimon was a tall, yellow dragon that had single black rings around its neck, tail, wrists and legs. It had red, flame-like markings around its green eyes and fire sprouted from its tail and out of the back of its head like a horn. On its feet, it had three toes pointing forwards and one pointing back. Its hands had only three fingers each. It looked like a cross between a raptor and a dragon.
"Yes, Infernumon. It is true; our own fates now rest entirely on our success. If we do not fulfill our Masters' wishes, we will face the wrath of Zihuralamon," said the second one. This Digimon looked like an oriental, Chinese dragon. Its body was long and snake like, but its head was clearly reptilian. It had two braided beards and long purple markings on its crimson face. Half way down the body, the red coloring stopped and became yellow via a fiery pattern. The lower half of his body was bright yellow and his tail ended with a blue fan that looked like frozen flames. It had two legs on its upper, red body and two on its lower, yellow body. Each clawed foot had two toes pointed forwards and one pointed back. His eyes were bright green and he had two horns on the back of his head, both turned slightly backwards.
"Are you sure we must destroy the humans? Wouldn't it be easier to send them back to the real world?" Asked the last Digimon. This one was different from the other two. It was a huge snow wolf Digimon with a thick coat of white fur. It had a 'collar' of white, triangular outgrowths around its neck, each tipped with a different shade of blue. It also had a mane of pale yellow hair around its neck, much like Renamon's only thicker. Its eyes were a bright orange, which shown against the blue marking around its muzzle. The mark moved back over its head and onto its back, branching off three times along its spine in jagged spikes. The blue line moved right down to the tips of her tail, spreading out when it got there. Her ears were tipped with blue and her strong paws had black claws on the ends of them.
"Do you pity the Humans, Whentuhmon? Your emotions make you weak. There is no point in sending the humans back. The girl will simply keep destroying our kind!" Infernumon growled.
"Do you intend to let her free if you can?" Thorumon asked. Whentuhmon hung her head slightly, but then frowned at her two companions.
"I will do no such thing! I would never let you or our Masters down my brothers!" She said defiantly.
"Yes, after all, we are the Digimon elements! We are the truth of all matter. Its origin!" Infernumon said.
"Fire, Ice and Lightning! The power we possess will crush those pathetic creatures!" Thorumon yelled.
"Then onward to Tornado Valley! We cannot keep our Masters waiting." Infernumon and Thorumon sped forward with Whentuhmon running almost half-heartedly along behind them.
Rika watched them go before she suddenly felt her chest contract and before she could so much as blink everything went black around her. Gasping for air, Rika sat up in the inset, pool-like bath tub that lay underground in the home of the late Digimon couple: Jijimon and Babamon. She spluttered and choked, desperately trying to take air into her water logged lungs. Staggering out of the water, Rika collapsed onto the floor, taking in deep, calming breaths to ease the pain in her chest. She had almost drowned in there… Had she fallen asleep…or fainted again? Were the three Devas she had seen…only a dream? Or a premonition? Like the one she had had about the river. Shivering slightly, Rika stumbled a little as she stood and gave herself a once over. Nothing seemed injured and she could breathe easily again, so she dried herself off, got dressed and left the bathroom, feeling thoroughly confused and a little afraid. Was she going mad? Or was she psychic?
Slipping quietly into her room, Rika sat on the bed and fell back onto her back. Rolling over, she lay on her side and shook her head. It was also confusing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So the three Devas you saw are headed this way?" Ryo asked. Rika nodded and sighed, leaning back into the sofa. She, Ryo, Alex and their Digimon were sitting in the living room, discussing Rika's premonition. Yes, she was sure that was what it had been now. The vision had been too vivid for it to be a dream.
"I still don't understand why you're having theses premonitions, Rika. You can't possibly be psychic. That's just way too…sci-fi!" Alex folded her arms and looked at Rika curiously. This was definitely something new to her. Rika shrugged and looked into the fire thoughtfully. Was it really possible? She glanced at Alex and Ryo before looking back at the fire. They were the only two people who had forgiven her for her outburst, despite the fact that it hadn't been her fault. She was glad Renamon wasn't angry with her. She had only been slightly disappointed.
"Perhaps Rika is psychic. There is no way of telling. But the idea is highly improbable," said the Fox Digimon, her arms folded like her Tamer's.
"Why not?" Rika asked. "After all, I've been communicating with you psychically ever since we met." Renamon made a soft noise of confusion and shut her eyes. It made no sense, but what Rika was saying was true. Renamon wasn't a psychic Digimon and she had no powers of telepathy…so perhaps it had been Rika all along with the powers.
"I still can't imagine Rika with psychic abilities," Ryo said quietly. The thought scared him a little to tell the truth.
"It scares me too, Ryo. But there's nothing I can do about it. Maybe this is the real reason they're after me in the first place." Rika frowned in thought as she spoke.
"It is possible. But what use would the Sovereign have for a clairvoyant?" Cyberdramon growled.
"They don't want her alive. Maybe her powers, if she had any at all, threaten them."
"Alexis has a point," Koronamon agreed. "If the Sovereign wanted her for her powers, then they wouldn't be out to destroy her."
"Koronamon…please, its Alex!" She sighed in frustration. Getting rather irritated with the fact that they were talking about her like she wasn't there, Rika decided to step into the conversation again.
"Look, we don't even know if these visions mean I'm psychic or not! For all we know, it could be a fluke!" She snapped.
"Yeah but…twice in a row, Rika? It seems a little unlikely, don't you think?" Ryo asked. "Remember the one you had on Digi-Phirmha?" Rika fell silent. Ryo was right. If these visions were flukes, she wouldn't have had more than one. They had to be real…but how? They all jumped when they heard a small sound towards the stairs.
It was Henry.
He walked up to them and stood, rather awkwardly, in front of Rika. He took a deep breath and Rika knew he was about to apologize. But, oddly enough, she didn't want to hear it.
"Forget it, Henry. It doesn't matter. I lost my temper too," she said, looking back at the fire.
"Yeah, but I start…"
"I don't want to hear it, Henry," she said, and meant it. She wasn't in the mood. Taking this as forgiveness, Henry sat down on a sofa of his own to join the conversation. Ryo and Alex filled him in on the details while Rika reflected on her vision. It had seemed as if the Devas had been pretty close to them. At least from what she had been able to make of the surroundings. And she had had the premonition about what…two hours ago maybe? They had been moving really fast, which meant that they would be here soon. Very soon.
She looked at her friends and then turned back to the fire. One Deva at a time had been bad enough…but three Devas who claimed to have power over the elements seemed damned near impossible to beat. They needed time to prepare, but where could they find that kind of time? When she looked up again, Henry was sitting quietly contemplating the facts he received. He always was the type of guy who worked with the facts and nothing but. He was logical and that was exactly what she needed right now. Logic.
"What do you think, Rika?" She started and looked to her left. Ryo was watching her questioningly, but she had no idea what he had said.
"Sorry…I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"
"We were saying that if the Devas are on their way here, then that means that they know were we are. We should have guessed they knew when Jarimon attacked us," Alex said.
"So we figured we should get everyone outta here and find a new place to stay," Henry added.
"And we might want to go out and meet the Devas before they arrive so that the younger kids won't be in any danger of getting hurt," Ryo said from where he was sitting beside her. "What do you think?" Rika thought for a while, weighing her options.
Fact: The Devas knew where she was.
Fact: They were on their way and probably quite close.
Fact: If they got here, everyone stood a very good chance of being killed.
Fact: There was only one choice…
"We're leaving," she said simply. "It's too dangerous to fight in a place that has such unpredictable weather. We need somewhere we can hide Suzy, Ai and Mako and still be able to battle without a lack of space." The other Tamers all nodded in agreement.
"Ryo, what about that distorted castle we found?" Cyberdramon growled. Ryo smiled at his partner.
"That's a great idea. We could put the kids in the castle and still be able to get to Digi-Phirmha to battle! There's a spiraling staircase that takes you to the different levels of the Digital world in that area," he exclaimed.
"Hey, yeah! I remember that place!" Alex said. "Knightmon told me you guys stayed there for a night." Ryo nodded and flashed Rika one of his trademark grins.
"All of us except Rika," he said mischievously. "I made her mad the first time we met here and she lost her temper and left." Rika grinned back at him.
"Well if you hadn't acted like such an arrogant hotshot, maybe I wouldn't have left at all," she replied.
"Are they like this all of the time?" Alex asked, leaning closer to Henry so that Rika and Ryo wouldn't hear. They were still throwing playful comments at each other.
"Yeah, they never stop. I guess it must be their way of showing affection," Henry smirked. Alex rose and eyebrow at him and looked at Rika curiously.
"They're dating?" She asked. Henry laughed and shook his head.
"No. But like I told Alice, they should be. I mean, come on!" He exclaimed, waving a hand at them in a frustrated sort of gesture. "It should be obvious even to them." Alex chuckled at Henry and nodded.
"You're right. It should be," she replied. Then she turned to the others, settling back in her original position. "Hey you two. We have more important matters to discuss here. You can flirt with each other later." She grinned at the glare she received from Rika and the snigger she got from Ryo. Henry laughed and shook his head at them.
"Okay, that's enough. I'll go get the others." He stood up and left the room to find the rest of the Tamers. Rika sat back and folded her arms angrily.
She had no right to say that, she thought angrily, glaring at Alex, who just smiled. That girl is more annoying than Ryo is.
Now, now, Rika. Be nice. Alexis was only joking, Renamon said.
Yeah, I'll bet, Rika growled, grinning inwardly at Renamon anyway.
"Okay, everyone's here. Let's get going." Henry had come back with the rest of the Tamers, all of which looked ready to leave. "The wind is still blowing outside, but its calm enough for us to leave." Rika stood up with Ryo and Alex and looked around at her friends. She turned towards the door, walked up to it and without a word, left the house. The Tamers watched the empty doorway before Ryo stepped up to it and left too. Alex, Renamon, Cyberdramon and Koronamon followed and this led to the rest of the Tamers and Digimon leaving too. Kazu and Kenta were the last to leave. They turned back and closed the door.
"Goodbye, Jijimon," Kazu said.
"Thanks for everything, Babamon," Kenta added. Then they ran after the Tamers, calling for them to wait.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rika looked around the valley, wondering how on earth they were going to get out of it without flying. They needed to conserve every last drop of their energy of they were going to beat the three Devas that were on their way.
"So, what now? Do we fly or climb?" Alice asked, stepping up beside Rika. Her blonde pigtails were blowing around in the wind and her eyes were squinted against the harsh whiteness of the snow.
"We'll lose less energy if we fly," Henry said. He was standing to Alice's right and he seemed oddly closer to her than need be. Ignoring the fact, Rika looked up at the oh-so-far peaks of the mountains that were her current point of interest. Henry had a point. They had no choice. To find a way around the mountains would take to long and to climb would definitely take to much energy.
"I say we fly," Ryo said, folding his arms thoughtfully. Takato nodded.
"Yeah, there's no way around or under so we might as well go over," he agreed.
"Well then, it's settled. We fly." Renamon walked up to Rika and looked down at her.
"Are you okay with that, Rika?" She asked. Rika glanced at her partner briefly before shrugging lightly. She had too much to think about for the moment. Let the others handle transportation and she was free to think about her own problems.
"Okay then. How's this gonna work?" Ryo asked, looking around at the Tamers and their Digimon. "Takato, do you have a flight modify card with you?" Takato started and then nodded, producing the card from within his pocket.
"Great," Ryo said, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. "Combine it with a Digivolution card and we're all set for about four people and their partners." Takato nodded again and did as Ryo had suggested. Once Guilmon had digivolved to Growlmon, Takato, Henry, Terriermon, Suzy, Lopmon, Alice and Labramon climbed up onto his head and into his arms.
"You okay, Boy?" Takato asked, patting Growlmon's head.
"Uh-huh. No problems here, Takato," he said in his sweet-gruff voice. Kazu, Kenta and MarineAngemon hopped onto Guardromon's back while the rest of the Tamers decided who was going to ride where.
"Koronamon and I can take one person," Alex said calmly, her arms folded and her expression somewhat bored. "Jeri? Would you like to ride with us again?" Jeri smiled at her appreciatively.
"Thanks Alex." Alex shrugged and used a Digivolution card on Koronamon. Within minutes, she and Jeri were seated comfortably on Bueramon.
"Okay, that just leaves AI, Mako, Rika and I," Ryo said.
"Ai and Mako can ride with me," Growlmon said kindly, lowering him self so that the youngsters could climb up on his shoulders.
"Hey, thanks Pineapple-head, I owe ya one," Impmon grinned, leaning against one of Growlmon's horns.
"Right, so I guess you're with me again, Pumpkin," Ryo smiled. Rika sighed and walked with him towards Cyberdramon, who gave them each a leg up before lifting Renamon into his arms.
"Okay, are we all set?" Takato called. The Tamers called out a collected "Let's go already!" This, of course, caused Takato to face fault into Growlmon's horns. Cyberdramon, Bueramon and Growlmon all lifted off the ground, getting slightly battered by the wind.
"We don't have much time. Let's make this a quick trip, okay?" Rika said to Ryo. He turned his head back to look at her and gave her a reassuring smile.
"No problem. Cyberdramon and I know the way, so if everyone follows us, we should be fine." Rika shook her head at him, tightening her grip around his waist when Cyberdramon put on an extra burst of speed. They flew for what felt like hours, well…to Rika anyway. But the more they flew, the more everything below them seemed to start looking the same.
"Akiyama! Are you sure you aren't lost?" Rika called. Her face was numb from the cold already and she had buried it into the back of his neck to shield her self from the wind.
"Well, Rika. Since everyone's following me, if I got lost, so would they." Rika let out an exasperated sigh and turned her face away from her shelter to look around. She could see nothing but white. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, like someone had hit her from the inside. She yelped in pain and grabbed her head.
There they are!
Soon our masters' taste for revenge shall be satisfied! What the…? Rika looked around again, her head spinning slightly from the pain. What had that been about? Those voices…they had sounded like Thorumon and Infernumon. Her eyes widened and she looked around frantically. The Devas could see them but they couldn't see the Devas. This put them at a terrible disadvantage.
"Ryo!" She cried. "The Devas! They can see us!" Ryo looked back at her in hock and then, like she had, looked around quickly.
"Where are they?" He called back.
"I dunno! I just heard them talking in my head!" The wind was screaming in her ears and it was all she could do to allow him to hear her.
"If we can't see them but they can see us then we…"
"Thor's Thunder!" A long whip of lightning flashed in front of Cyberdramon and he reared back so quickly that he almost threw Rika and Ryo off his back.
"Where did that come from?" Takato yelled from where he was holding onto Growlmon's horn.
"Down there," Cyberdramon growled, pointing directly below them. Three Digimon were rising in the air towards them with terrifying speed.
"You missed, Thorumon," Infernumon laughed. "Allow me to show you hoe its done! Infernal Fire Claw!" Infernumon's claws burst into flames and he started punching the air, his arms becoming blurs from the speed. With every punch, he released a giant ball of fire that hissed in the cold air.
"Scatter!" Henry yelled. The Tamers separated and the fireballs went directly past them.
"Now look who missed," Whentuhmon snickered.
"Silence you irritating wolf!" Infernumon snapped. Whentuhmon growled at him angrily and he snarled back at her.
"Enough! Our battle is with the Humans!" Thorumon raced upwards and collided heavily with Cyberdramon before he even had time to blink. He roared agonizingly and feel backwards, Rika and Ryo both being thrown from his back.
"Cyberdramon!" Ryo called desperately. He looked over to where Rika was falling, but in a flash of yellow, Infernumon flew past him and grabbed Rika in his claws. Cyberdramon, growling painfully, pulled out of his fall and managed to fly up to catch Ryo.
"You okay, Buddy?" Ryo asked. Cyberdramon just snarled and touched down to the ground. He was badly injured but the look he was giving Ryo could only mean one thing. Bio-merge.
"Right," Ryo said resolutely. "Let's go save Rika…again." He raised his D-Power and in a bright flash, accompanied by a yell of "Bio-merge activate!" he and Cyberdramon had become Justimon.
Infernumon was laughing maniacally as he tightened his grip on Rika, watching gleefully as she tensed with pain trying to free her self of his powerful grip. Growlmon and Taomon had both landed and ha de-Digivolved back to Rookies. Takato, Guilmon, Henry and Terriermon all bio-merged to their mega forms, leaving Renamon alone on the ground with the other Tamers.
"If we're gonna fight, we have to go to crimson mode, Guilmon," Takato said.
"Right!" Gallantmon started glowing bright white before his form started changing.
"Crimson Digivolution activate!" He yelled and the light around him formed a large dome. It exploded and Gallantmon Crimson Mode stood in the middle of a huge crater in the snow. He spread his ten angelic wings wide and took off to help the others.
"I wants to help too!" Impmon said angrily. He ran forward and Digivolved himself to Belezemon. "Wait for me guys!"
"Be careful, Impmon!" Ai called.
"Go kick some butt!" Mako added. Lopmon turned to Suzy and looked up at her seriously.
"Suzy, they're going to need my help too." Suzy gazed at her partner before nodding.
"Go help the, Lopmon!" She raised her pink D-Power and dragged a Digivolution card through it. "Digi-modify! Digivolution activate!"
"Lopmon, Deva Digivolve too…Antylamon!" Antylamon leapt up into the air and flew into the fray.
"Uh…we'll just hold down the fort back here!" Kazu called. Alice rolled her eyes and looked down at Labramon. Alexis and Koronamon had already Bio-merged to SacreAngewomon and were flying up too.
"Are you strong enough to battle yet, Labramon?" She asked. Labramon stood up on his hind legs and folded his arms.
"Let's go," he said simply. Alice smiled happily.
"Right. Shall we Bio-merge? We haven't done that one before, but I think we should be able to." Labramon shut his eyes thoughtfully.
"Hmm…yes, it would increase our odds."
"Okay!" Alice raised her own D-Power, like she had seen the other Tamers do. "Bio-merge Activate!" To her delight, a light burst from her D-Powers screen and it engulfed herself and Labramon.
"Labramon Bio-merge to…" He floated down to Alice and they fused into one being. "…Anubismon!" A huge dog-like Digimon landed on the ground, kneeled down on one knee. He folded his massive golden wings, which glinted beautifully in the sunlight. His body was a lilac-blue colour and it had darker purple markings along its arms and down its chest. It had a crimson and golden Egyptian collar around its neck and a pale beige tunic around its waist. Large bands of stiff material revolved around his wrists, each one decorated with red and gold triangles and a golden lining. It's head was a darker purple, like the markings on his body and his hair was a dark grey purple that was tied back with a low hanging, red cord. Two braided pieces of hair ran down by its shoulders and it had thick golden bracelets high up above its thin elbows. His arms were thin by the shoulders but thickened considerably below the elbows and down.
Jeri and the remaining Tamers stared at him in shocked awe. She lifted her D-Power and the screen opened out.
"Anubismon. A Vaccine God Man type Digimon. His special attacks are Amemit and Pyramid Power."
"Dude, that is so awesome!" Kazu gasped.
"Yeah…" Kenta said quietly. Anubismon stood up, a gentle wind blowing around him. He looked up at the other Digimon who were all flying towards the Devas, one of which was still having fun by slowly crushing Rika. Growling softly, he rose gently into the air and floated up after them.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Let her go you monsters!" Justimon yelled. He drew his blade and pulled it back, ready to strike.
"The only monster here is this pathetic little human!" Infernumon laughed, shaking Rika to emphasize his point. Justimon glared at him angrily and shot forward.
"I said let her go! Voltage Blade!" He tore his sword through the air and it connected with Infernumon's wrist, severing it from his arm. He wailed loudly in pain, holding the stub at the end of his arm as his hand fell away, the fingers releasing their grip on Rika, allowing her to free fall to the snowy earth. Megagargomon caught her and flew down to the ground again.
"Are you okay, Rika?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," she said, dusting herself off and wincing slightly. He had really put the squeeze on her…no pun intended.
"Rika!" Renamon ran up to her and Rika smiled reassuringly.
"I'm fine Renamon. But what do you say we go help the others?" Renamon nodded and they Bio-merged to Sakuyamon. Justimon and Gallantmon were already battling Infernumon and Anubismon and Belezemon were fighting off Thorumon with Antylamon. Rika joined Justimon and flew at Infernumon furiously.
"Let's see how you like it when I can fight back! Dragon Helix!" She held up her staff and traced a pentagon in the sky. At each point, a ball of lilac light shone brightly against the dark blue pentagon's lines. The balls got bigger and started taking the forms of dragons. Each dragon roared viciously and burst from its orb, flying towards Infernumon. The dragons flew in a spiraling motion until they had formed a long tunnel with their bodies. Sakuyamon moved out of the way and Justimon took her place in front of the pentagon.
"Justice Burst!" He punched his hand into the middle of the pentagon and a blast of red and yellow light shot down the tunnel like a cannon.
"Spiral Saver!" Gallantmon yelled. A field of electricity spiraled around his lance and flew burst forward in a blaze of light. The three attacks merged and crashed into Infernumon at his mid chest. He didn't so much as flinch. There was only the tiniest of scratch marks on his chest and he simply wiped it clean.
"Is that the best you've got? You're even weaker than I thought." Justimon and Sakuyamon blanched in fear and backed off slightly while Gallantmon simply stared in shock. They had all hit him full on and he wasn't even hurt? Now what were they supposed to do?
"Infernumon! This is getting tiresome. Let's dispose of these pests once and for all!" Thorumon yelled.
"I agree. Whentuhmon! Do you still wish to let the humans live or do you serve our master?" Whentuhmon looked at the Tamers almost sadly before moving over to Infernumon's side.
"Let's get it over with," she growled, her voice a husky sort of sweet tone.
"Excellent!" Thorumon threw off Anubismon's attacks and joined his partners. The shifted positions until they were standing in a triangle, each Deva making a point on the shape. They all inhaled deeply and shouted out in unison, their bodies glowing brightly.
"Delta Dragons!"
*~*~*~*~*~*
Oh no!!!! A cliffy!! HAHAHA!!!! I laugh at you! Uh…I guess you noticed that huh? Anywho. Sowy it took so long but I've been really busy. I have an art project due soon and I'm writing a physics test too! Oh how I wish 11th grade were over!!!!! So uh…review or I'll discontinue the story like I'm thinking about doing to my Harry Potter fic. Losin' interest ya know. Okay, bye-bye for now!!!!