AC: Here's the final part of the first Arc.
Chapter 22: Bargain
Millenniumon looked at Ryo and was silent while VictoryGreymon tried to pierce the shield protecting the dark god. He watched his destined partner and only saw fury and hatred toward him. He felt his core cracking inside of him as he lost himself in the gaze of the boy. As everything felt apart, he wondered if he had to live his personal tragedy once again. He thought about his interactions with the previous Ryo and this one. He wasn't sure which Ryo hated him the most right now.
Come on. You have more wisdom than before. You know Ryo and you know you have to find something to turn this around. Think Millenniumon. There must be something I can do to turn this to my average.
"Prepare to die Millenniumon!" VictoryGreymon shouted.
Millenniumon looked at the shield and saw it was starting to crack. He looked at Ryo and saw some hint of satisfaction in his eyes. That put knifes in his core and cracked it even more.
"Do you really want me to die Ryo?" Millenniumon asked.
"Of course. You destroy everything around you Millenniumon," Ryo said with hatred.
"Ryo. Do you realise what will happen when I die?" Millenniumon asked.
Ryo eyes expended for a few seconds before returning to normal. He wasn't sure what Millenniumon meant.
"You will return to your world and you'll have to face whoever's hurting you," Millenniumon warned.
Ryo grunted for a few seconds, but he didn't reply. Millenniumon saw a hint of fear in his eyes and Millenniumon had something snapping in his mind. He had an idea, although he had little hope of it to work. He looked at Ryo and tried what he thought was his last hope.
"Ryo. I have a proposition for you, to show you that I am not lying to you," Millenniumon replied.
"No matter what you said. I won't believe you," Ryo replied.
Millenniumon closed his eyes and heard the sound of his shield cracking even more. He looked at it and knew it wasn't long before it broke.
"I'll say it anyway Ryo. My proposition is simple. I want you to accept the true that I am your real partner and to stay with me in the Digital world. You will be safe from the one who hurt you. In exchange, I'm ready to give up everything for you. I am ready to renounce the control of the digital world and free Taichi. I am really ready to do everything for you Ryo," Millenniumon said with some despair in his voice.
"You really thing Ryo will believe that? You are crazy Millenniumon!" VictoryGreymon shouted.
"If you refuse..." Millenniumon thought about it and knew what to say: "I will still release Taichi and disappear, but you will be trap in the Digital world. There is no way I'm going to let you return in your world with whoever did this to you."
"Another thing even crazier," VictoryGreymon commented.
"You have to believe me Ryo," Millenniumon said.
Ryo glared at the dark god and replied: "I cannot trust any words coming out of your mouth Millenniumon. What you are saying are lies and only lies. You are not my partner and you will never give up your desire to control the digital world for me."
"I am ready to do this Ryo. I am ready for anything to be with you Ryo. I reached that point. You said that I don't know you, but you also don't know me Ryo. You know me through the words said from the others. If you only give me a chance," Millenniumon said.
"I will never stay with you in the Digital world. I have no reason to accept you as my real partner Millenniumon. Everything you said are lies," Ryo replied.
"You heard him Millenniumon. He won't accept your lies," VictoryGreymon said.
Millenniumon closed his eyes and lifted his head. Ryo saw a tear falling out of his eyes. Millenniumon noticed he let out a tear; the only sign of how much his core was hurt by the denial. I've grown soft because of you Ryo. A tear, to show you that you actually hurt me. For you and no one else.
He opened his eyes and looked at Ryo: "Is this your final choice?"
The shield protecting Millenniumon was about to break.
"Yes," Ryo replied.
The shield broke and Millenniumon dodged the sword at the last second and grabbed Taichi.
"Release him!" VictoryGreymon ordered.
Millenniumon delicately put Taichi on the ground near VictoryGreymon and backed away. He looked at Ryo before walking away.
He looked at Ryo and said: "As you wish. But we will meet again: My partner."
"You won't escape Millenniumon!" VictoryGreymon shout.
He was about to strike with his sword when Millenniumon suddenly disappeared.
"Where are you?!" VictoryGreymon shouted furiously.
Ryo and VictoryGreymon searched around for Millenniumon, but he wasn't anywhere.
"Hum," a voice grunted.
VictoryGreymon and Ryo turned at the source of the sound and saw Taichi putting his hand over his face and grunting.
"Taichi!" VictoryGreymon shouted joyfully. He ran by his side and picked his partner and hugged him: "Taichi! You're alright! You're back!"
"W-" Taichi stopped saying his sentence when he didn't recognise the form of his partner. Even so, he smiled and said: "I'm alright my friend."
Taichi turned his head and looked at Ryo: "You are the one who saved me Ryo. Thank you."
"I only did what was right," Ryo replied looking at the spot where Millenniumon was before escaping.
"Where is Millenniumon?" Taichi asked.
"We don't know," Ryo replied. He looked at VictoryGreymon and smiled: "This is it my friend. I rescued your partner."
VictoryGreymon looked at Ryo and tears of joy felt out of his eyes: "Thank you Ryo. We save my friend. I'm so glad you came here and help me to defeat Millenniumon. I...I can't thank you enough."
"I did what was right," Ryo replied.
"Calm down my friend. You are hugging a little too tightly," Taichi said.
VictoryGreymon gasped and put Taichi on the ground: "Sorry."
Taichi walked at the direction of Ryo and smiled at him: "Thank you for saving me and surely my friends. Where are the other's?"
"They are still fighting the other digimons!" VictoryGreymon realised.
They heard footstep and they turned around. They saw the other chosen children joining them with their partner.
"They are here," Ryo corrected VictoryGreymon.
When they saw Taichi was there and alright, they smiled in relief while Hikari dashed to her brother and hugged him. Ryo smiled at the warming reunion between he siblings and listened to what the other chosen children said. They defeated the evil digimon standing in their way and searched for them. It took a while for them to come in the throne room.
"It wasn't easy to reach the throne room," Yamato commented.
VictoryGreymon reverted back to Agumon and Ryo took back the Victory egg. The Victory egg looked like an egg with a golden V painted on it. It didn't look like an ordinary egg because it didn't contain a digimon. Ryo put it back in his bag and said:
"The temple is a labyrinth. I took a while to come here too," Ryo said.
"Ryo, you manage to defeat Millenniumon?" Mimi asked.
Ryo didn't reply immediately. He thought back about what Millenniumon said and realised he held on his promise. He freed Taichi from his control and disappeared.
The other chosen children took his silence as a no.
"No. He escaped after trying to bargain a way out. I refused to listen to him of course. It was obviously a lie," Ryo finally replied.
"That means we haven't finished our battle against him then," Sora said.
"Maybe he will hide for now and strike back once he's ready again. We defeated a lot of his most powerful digimon after all," Yamato said, a little unsure in his voice.
"We should get out of here. I don't think he'll come back for now," Taichi suggested.
"True. He can see everything and it would be pointless to stay here. He'll wait for us to go away from here before coming back," Ryo nodded.
The group walked away from the temple while maintaining their guard in case of a surprise attack. Hikari held the hand of her big brother and smiled at him.
Ryo eventually grabbed the Digivice and looked at it. He said nothing for a minute until his mind told him: It's time to give this to the rightful owner.
Ryo looked at Taichi and walked closer.
"Taichi," Ryo said.
Taichi looked at him and asked: "What is it Ryo?"
Ryo picked up the Digivice and showed it to Taichi: "This is yours. I keep it under my care until you were rescued."
Taichi smiled before replying: "Thanks. You really take good care of it and my friend Agumon."
Ryo gave the Digivice: "I understand why Agumon like you so much."
"True. You must be a really nice guy if Agumon also likes you a lot. He was really defending you against Millenniumon after all," Taichi replied.
Ryo thought back to what Millenniumon said and VictoryGreymon and sighted with a small smile: "True."
"I'm sure Gennai knows the true. We should ask him once we go back," Taichi suggested.
Ryo nodded as they exited the temple.
Millenniumon looked at the chosen children exiting the temple and heard little of what they said. The dark god leaned against the wall of his temple. He said nothing. He felt that the temple had been deserted. All his servants escaped when they realised he lost the fight. He didn't really care about it. His thought moved to Ryo rejection.
"I was so close and yet, so far from you," Millenniumon said. He sighted loudly before saying: "It's not over yet my destined partner. You made your choice in the bargain."
Millenniumon used his power and cut the link between the digital world and the human world. It was a simple and unimpressive task. All he did was the close the gate between the two words. He felt his power dropping, but it was combined with the exhaustion of the battle against VictoryGreymon.
"I won't give up so easily Ryo. I am persistent," Millenniumon said.
"So this is what everything was about my lord," Millenniumon gasped and turned around and saw his servant, the Devidramon with a tuxedo looking at him. "You're interest with Ryo was because he was your destined partner."
Millenniumon looked at him and said: "You were listening to everything when Ryo was inside."
"True my lord. I was wondering what was going on with you since Ryo appearance. You were interested in him in a strange way," Devidramon said.
"Why are you here then?" Millenniumon asked.
"You are and remain my lord Millenniumon," Devidramon replied to Millenniumon surprise.
"That means you remain loyal even if I'm the destined partner of a chosen child?" Millenniumon asked.
"If it wasn't the case, I would have been gone. Saying no to you means my death," Devidramon answered. He looked at his lord and bowed: "Even if you are ready to give up on the control of the digital world for him. I have nothing else then serving you in the end. That is my fate as a dark digimon."
A small smile appeared on Millenniumon mouth. He was glad there was at least one good new in all this. Ryo. I will convince you that I am your true partner and I'll find a way to apology for what I've done. All will come in due time.
End of the First Arc.
AC: The second Arc will start at the next chapter.
Second Arc title: Partnership competition.
Chapter 23: Behind the lies