Chapter 8: Uneasy Tease

Ryo, MetalGreymon, Mimi and Lilimon saw Millenniumon tapping his arms with his fingers.

"We meet again Ryo. As you can see, I was waiting for you," Millenniumon said with a smile. The four saw blood in Millenniumon teeth and also some data coming out of it. "If you are searching for Etemon. Don't bother. I got rid of him. Now, let's talk."

"Talk?" Ryo asked unsure about his intention. He wondered why he would talk to them.

Millenniumon didn't reply immediately. He observed the chosen children and their digimon partner. He noticed that Ryo was braver than when he faced Etemon at a specific moment.

"First thing first. Congratulation in your victory Ryo, you defeat Etemon," Millenniumon said sarcastically. He only tried to appear sarcastic in front of Ryo, but inside, he was glad he defeated Etemon, but he ran away and had to finish the job. The good thing for Millenniumon was that he could talk to Ryo again. "I had to finish the job for you thought."

"What do you want with my friend?!" MetalGreymon shouted.

Millenniumon glared at MetalGreymon: "I thought I told you that if you annoy me too much, you will never see your partner again. I'm...Personally keeping an eye on him," Millenniumon chuckled while MetalGreymon hatefully glared at him before he fired missiles at Millenniumon. The evil god used his cannon to obliterate the missiles. He wanted to fire at MetalGreymon, but Ryo was on his palm: "Pitiful. Now shut your mouth. I have only interest in the one whom stand in my way," Millenniumon looked at Ryo.

"Why did you kill Etemon?" Mimi asked.

"He couldn't beat you and chose to run away. I didn't tolerate it human. Now let's go to what's important. Ryo...I'm disappointed in you. So much that I don't fear you at all. You couldn't kill Etemon even with the help of another chosen child. If it wasn't from me, he would escape you." Millenniumon said without emotions.

"I-" Ryo was cut.

"You are also trying to find an excuse Ryo? That's pitiful," Millenniumon said. He knew Ryo wasn't searching for an excuse. "I have one question for you Ryo. My ex minion told me that he killed you, but you are here. How is that possible Ryo? I'm...curious."

"I have no reason to explain it to you," Ryo replied.

"Answer me Ryo, I might give you a...little reward," Millenniumon said with a small smile.

"Don't listen to him Ryo," the three others said in different ways at the same time.

Ryo looked in the eyes of Millenniumon and wasn't sure what he could see. He couldn't see pure hatred against him. There was something else.

"You are lying about the reward," Ryo replied.

"Don't let the other influence you Ryo," Millenniumon said. He snapped his fingers and time stopped once again.

Ryo felt something different and looked around him. He saw that his friends weren't moving; only him and Millenniumon were.

"This is a small taste of my power Ryo. We are now truly intimate. Nothing's in my way. No one can talk to you or protect you," Millenniumon said with a grin.

Ryo couldn't say anything to reply. It was true. The power was fearsome, but Ryo refused to show it.

Millenniumon noticed it and one thing appeared in his mind, why Ryo feared Etemon more than him at a specific moment. He cut his thought and walked closer to Ryo, still on the palm of MetalGreymon. Millenniumon moved his head closer to Ryo and the boy started back in the amber eyes of the evil god. He opened his mouth and said:

"Ryo. You are a torn in my foot; a torn that stand in my way to control the entire digital world. You are the last chosen child. I should be infuriated by you and trap you in the darkness called despair, before sending you to your death," Millenniumon stayed silent for a few seconds. I would never do that to you. Come on. You have to say it as if he wasn't your destined partner. Millenniumon continued: "But I enjoy seeing you struggling against me. The more you resist me, the more excitement awakes in me Ryo. Because in the end, you will realise that all of this will be meaningless. You know why Ryo?"

"It won't be meaningless. We will defeat you!" Ryo shouted to hide his fear.

"We? Who's we? If you mean the other chosen children, I can defeat them all by myself. Just look around you, they cannot even move or help you right now. I stopped time for the entire digital world twice today. The only reason you can move right now is because I let you move. Ryo...You are the ninth chosen child, but I have a question for you. Why weren't you in the digital world when needed?" Millenniumon asked.

Ryo couldn't reply. He said nothing for a while. Millenniumon was about to answer when Ryo prevented him by saying: "Because I was chosen to defeat you Millenniumon. I might not have found my real partner yet Millenniumon, but I will find him and stop you from conquering the digital world."

Millenniumon said nothing and watched Ryo. The evil god said nothing and Ryo wondered if Millenniumon started to fear him. Millenniumon amber eyes were lightly trembling. It was fear, but no the fear Ryo was expecting. He...He believes he was chosen to defeat me with his destined partner. The...The worst part is that my question create that answer. This is the opposite of what I was expecting. I just push him to the light and away from me. Even so, he said it would be with his real partner. The irony is that he cannot use me to stop myself from conquering the digital world: "You will need to find your destined partner first Ryo. That is...If he's still alive. I can destroy the core of the digimon Ryo. I can kill them forever Ryo."

Ryo replied: "You didn't kill my destined partner. You don't know who he is."

Millenniumon watched the eyes of Ryo and saw he wasn't buying the possibility he offered him. Millenniumon replied: "I'm one of the few who know who you're real partner is Ryo." Millenniumon heart suddenly busted out when he said: "The others who know it will lie to you! They will give you a false partner as your true partner! The light will lie to you because it is tainted!"

Ryo was taken aback by the evil god replied. He also felt it was out of his control. Millenniumon took a few steps back and breathed slowly.

"That's what you mean by beware of the light?" Ryo asked.

"Yes," Millenniumon replied. "If you want to defeat me Ryo, you have to find your destined partner. Without him, I cannot be defeated. Let me give you, your reward. It is one tip about your destined partner. He's in my temple and alive."

"I will find him," Ryo replied.

Millenniumon gave a big smile that creeped a little Ryo. The evil god managed to use his minor problem to his average.

"This is the last time I'm coming to you in person Ryo. Next time, I'll be waiting in my temple," Millenniumon turned around and started to walk away when he stopped. He turned his head and softly said: "You shouldn't grow too close to Mimi or any girls."

Ryo said nothing and wondered where this came from. That confused the boy: "What?"

"Girls are all bitch. The god has spoken," Millenniumon took another step and turned at Ryo once again.

Ryo watched the evil god and just didn't get it. He's just insane. He concluded.

Millenniumon walked away and snapped his fingers, time move forward once again. Ryo felt the small wind once again and the palm of MetalGreymon started moving again.

Millenniumon opened a hole to his home while MetalGreymon fired the missiles of his chest, but Millenniumon disappeared back in his temple before the missile hit him.

"What happened?" Mimi asked. She knew something was up since Millenniumon was suddenly somewhere else.

"He stopped the time to talk to me alone," Ryo replied.

"What did he say?" MetalGreymon asked.

"He said that my destined partner is in his temple," Ryo said.

"He said that?! Why would he say it to you alone?" MetalGreymon asked.

"He wanted you out of his way. He said that you were influencing me," Ryo explained.

"Is there anything else he told you?" Lilimon asked.

"Yes. He claimed that light is tainted," Ryo whispered. "I feel like he said that the light is corrupted or not trustable."

"He's trying to destroy the digital world with the power of darkness, spreading death, capturing my partner and my friends! He claims that the light is corrupted when he is the source of corruption!" MetalGreymon shouted.

"There's one last thing he said," Ryo put his hands over his mouth to shout himself.

"What did he say?" Mimi asked.

Ryo didn't reply for a few seconds: "I'm going to tell you Mimi, but I don't agree with what Millenniumon claimed."

Mimi smiled and said: "Go on."

"He said I should grow too close to you or any girls. He said that the reason was that all girls are bitch," Ryo explained.

Mimi said nothing, but her smile disappeared. Her eyes lighted up and screamed: "THAT-"

Ryo heard a powerful scream and a wave of insult against the evil god who surely didn't hear it.

Millenniumon smiled when he spoke with Ryo when he heard the voice of Mimi screamed at him.

"Argh! I never thought a human could scream so loudly!" Millenniumon heard something that enraged him. "I am not!"

Devidramon arrived in the throne room where Millenniumon was sitting: "My lord! A powerful beast awoke. We should deal with it right now and-"

"IT'S JUST A CHOSEN CHILD WHO SCREAMED!" Millenniumon screamed.

Devidramon mouth figuratively felt on the ground. Devidramon knee and asked: "If there is nothing wrong...I think I'll go away and deal with other issues. Oh yeah. Just before I go, we will prepare the « special breakfast » you ask my lord," Devidramon replied. He walked away and leaved Millenniumon alone.

He used his power to open a hole and watched Ryo and Mimi talking with Sora, Takeru, Piyomon and Patamon. Millenniumon grunted as Ryo didn't listen to him when he told her that girls were bitch. Mimi was mad and Millenniumon knew it was because of what he told Ryo.

Somehow, Millenniumon felt that Mimi hostility was scary. He didn't know why he feared her, but he guessed female wrath was very intimidating. He watched them talking and surely thanking them for saving them. Ryo face turned a little red as the chosen children thanked them. He wasn't that much interested about what they said, but the fact that Ryo smile made Millenniumon a little warm inside. The evil god would rather be the one who made him smile, but he had to bite his patience for the climax.

"I'm already building the great climax Ryo. Once you are in my temple, I know you will search for your true partner. I saw it in your eyes," Millenniumon smiled at that thought, He moved his claw next to Ryo and added: "It feels good to know you are searching for me, even if you are not aware of it partner."

Millenniumon felt the exhaustion coming to him again. His power to control time was tiresome, but he didn't mind. He saw the six walked away and saw from the blink of an eye Picodevimon flying away to warn Vamdemon. He watched Picodevimon and smirked.

"The little Picodevimon," he said putting his hand on his stomach.

He stopped watching Ryo and went to sleep.

AC: This is the end of chapter 8.

Chapter 9: Higher Will.