Chapter 38: You can't, but I can
Two days after the duel between Monodramon and Agumon, Millenniumon felt something and said in his mind: I felt a disturbance in the force- In the Digital world. What was I thinking a second ago? Anyway, the Erasers are striking again at...four locations.
Millenniumon stood up and looked at Devidramon.
"They are striking again my lord?" Devidramon asked standing up. He adjusted his tuxedo and added: "We are going to follow Ryo right?"
"Yes. We have to make sure nothing bad happens to my partner," Millenniumon replied.
"Understood my lord. I'm ready," Devidramon replied.
"Take your tuxedo away this time," Millenniumon suggested, not wanting his servant to complain about his dirty tuxedo another time.
"As I said before my lord, I will not undress myself. I like my tuxedo," Devidramon replied with his lord before saying: "Did they divide into teams?"
Millenniumon sighted as he heard his servant refusing to wear his tuxedo. He focused on the question of his servant and walked near the village to observe the chosen children at the village. He watched them dividing into teams. He wondered how it would be and only focused to Ryo. He didn't care for the other's. He was once again unsatisfied with the division of the team this time. He was with Mimi and Koshiro this time.
He's with Mimi again. He can't be with her. He's starting to fall in love with her! He's my beloved! Millenniumon said in his mind, hiding his rage and his murderous though under his poker face.
"My lord, did you hear where they are going?" Devidramon asked.
Millenniumon listened to them and heard from Mimi that they were going at the beach, near the cliff where the chosen children felt. Millenniumon thought of the past when he heard about the beach and the ocean. He remembered MetalSeadramon, the other Darkmaster who was partially mechanical. He will forever remain dead. Millenniumon thought. He saw Ryo moving to his destination: "Come on Devidramon, we are going now."
They followed the chosen children to their destination.
The team Ryo was with walked at the direction of the beach of the Island. Ryo knew why they were three in their team because Monodramon couldn't evolve above adult form for now. As the chosen children walked closer to the beach, they saw that the water was missing and also a part of the beach.
"I guess the Eraser body will be made of water and sands. The good thing is that we could already guess his weakness," Ryo said thinking about it.
"You think it's electricity?" Tentomon asked.
"Yes," the boy replied.
"Not so sure," Koushiro replied. He looked at the holes and said: "It depends on how much sands the Eraser is composed."
"I think it's a lot. Look at how much of the beach is mission," Monodramon said, pointing at a location they weren't looking.
They turned their head and saw a big part of the beach absent.
"It would have been a big hole if the water wasn't covering it now," Palmon said.
"That's much more than before," Mimi commented.
They were silent for a few seconds, they knew what that meant.
"The Eraser is a stronger one. I wonder if the other's will face a stronger one, or it's only us," Koushiro asked himself.
"This isn't going to be an easy fight. We will have to be careful. Remember what Millenniumon said," Ryo spoke to the other's.
"Their claws are dangerous and pierce any of our defenses, but it is uncertain for armor," Monodramon said.
"The other thing is that it could be around us and watching us," Tentomon said.
"They are smarter than they let appear," Ryo said, remembering what the dark god told them.
"We should be ready immediately," Mimi said.
The three chosen children raised their digivice and their partner evolved to their perfect form except for Strikedramon.
Tentamon evolved into AtlurKabuterimon. He was a giant beetle with red exoskeleton that covered his eyes, a large mouth ending with sharp teeth four arms ending with claws and two feet ending the same way. He had a red head with a long horn at the top of it.
"We just need to find where the Eraser is," Strikedramon said looking around. They inspected the beach and they found nothing around them.
"Do you think he's underwater?" Mimi asked.
They looked at the water and wondered if they should check on it or wait for it to come out. They hesitated a few seconds when the water splashed in the air. They raised their head and saw a beast coming out of the water and landed on the sand.
The chosen children observed the enemy. They knew it was clearly an Eraser. It had the head and the body made of water while his arms, claws and legs were made of sands. His tail was long and entered with a sharp sting of water. It didn't have a face like the other Erasers.
It looked at the chosen children and moved closer, ready to strike.
"You won't hurt them!" Strikedramon shouted.
He rolled on the ground when the sting aimed his head. He continued his charged and used his claw to slash the face of the Eraser. The claw didn't pierce the water shape of his face. Strikedramon spun and kicked the face and used the momentum to jump away.
Lilimon appeared in the air and fired a blast of energy at the digimon. It hit the face and left a small mark on it. The Eraser opened his mouth and threw a powerful blast of water right at the face of Lilimon.
AtlurKabuterimon came and grabbed Lilimon in his hands and let her go. He charged at the Eraser and strike with his horn at the chest. The Eraser grabbed the horn and threw AtlurKabuterimon in the water.
"AtlurKabuterimon!" Koushiro shouted.
AtlurKabuterimon jumped out of the water and shouted: "Mega Blaster!" He summoned electric ball in his hands and threw them.
The Eraser was hit where his body was made of water. The electricity spread on the body and the Eraser screamed in pain.
"Now's my chance," Strikedramon said charging. He jumped in the air and when he was closed, he kicked the skull of the digimon. Strikedramon grunted when he realised he didn't hurt the Eraser. I'm useless.
"Look out!" Ryo shouted.
Strikedramon raised his head and crossed his arms in front of him when a wave of water hit his arms and threw him away. He spun on the ground and stopped when he was near the chosen children. Dammit!
Millenniumon and Devidramon watched the battle from the top of the cliff.
"Strikedramon is useless in this fight. I don't understand what Ryo could see in him," Millenniumon grumbled.
"Maybe it's because, from his perspective of course my lord, you are evil," Devidramon answered.
"He cannot protect Ryo. This one is at the level of a perfect digimon compare, but more powerful and resilient. It received damage that could kill him, but is still alive," Millenniumon commented. Millenniumon felt uneasiness in his chest. He put his hand on it and said, "I have a bad feeling about this fight."
"They are three against it, you don't have to worry about your partner," Devidramon said.
"It's the kind of words that doesn't appease me. I lived long enough to know when a battle is dangerous or if something wrong happen. I noticed that the Eraser head often turned at the Chosen children's direction," Millenniumon said.
"That's true," Devidramon said.
The three digimons dodged a blast of the Eraser and grumbled as the battle advance. AtlurKabuterimon charged at the Eraser, but it slashed the chest of AtlurKabuterimon.
The giant bug digimon flew backward and grunted painfully as he looked at his chest. He noticed that his chest was heavily damaged.
Lilimon used vines to grab the arm of the Eraser, but she was thrown away. She regained her balance and looked at it.
Strikedramon looked at the Eraser and noticed it was close of the chosen children than before. It has something in his mind. I think he will aim the chosen children eventually. I need to remain between him and them without alerting it.
Strikedramon saw a blast of water and jumped backward. He evaded the splash as he used his hands to jump back on his feet. He looked at the Eraser and thought about what the best course of action would be. He knew that no matter what he tried, he couldn't hurt it. He charged again at the same time than Lilimon and AtlurKabuterimon. They used their most powerful attack and the Eraser received it right on his back, skull and chest.
A powerful blast of sand and water threw the three digimons away. Strikedramon returned on his feet and looked around. He saw the Eraser charging at the chosen children.
"No!" Strikedramon shouted. He dashed as fast as he could.
He passed in front of the Eraser and grabbed the chosen children in his arms. He shouted in pain when he felt the claw of the Eraser slashing his back. He felt on the ground and panted painfully when he smelt blood. He heard a loud sound and looked behind him and saw the Eraser dragged toward the water by AtlurKabuterimon. Strikedramon looked at the chosen children and saw Ryo bleeding: "Ryo?"
Ryo had his eyes closed and wasn't responding to the voice of Strikedramon. The purple dragon saw there was a wound on the left side of his belly.
"No!" Strikedramon shouted: "Say something Ryo!"
"NO!" Someone yelled over them.
Strikedramon raised his head and saw Millenniumon coming from the air and landed on the ground. The dark god had a killer glared at the Eraser and Strikedramon.
"YOU HURT RYO!" Millenniumon charged his cannons and fired at the Eraser.
AtlurKabuterimon and Lilimon moved out of the way as the explosions created a large amount of dust in the way.
Millenniumon stomped loudly as he moved closer to the Eraser, "YOU HURT MY PARTNER!"
A claw came out of the dust and Millenniumon grabbed it with his claw piercing the arm made of sand. Millenniumon used his claw and pierced the chest of the Eraser and killed it. The data started to come out of it as the data cumulating returned to where they obtained it. The dark god watched it die slowly and surely until it was gone. He slowly turned around and watched Strikedramon with his enraged glare.
Strikedramon blinked and he felt there was something missing in his arms. He looked down and Ryo was gone. He glared at Millenniumon and saw Ryo on the palm of the dark god.
"Let him go Millenniumon!" Strikedramon ordered.
Millenniumon let out a loud grunt at Strikedramon before taking one loud step toward Strikedramon, "Why would I let him go worm? You claimed that you want to protect him, but look what happened to him! Ryo is injured because of you!" the amber eyes of the dark god pierced the core of Strikedramon, "I'm lucky it wasn't a fatal injury. He could have die because you are weak!"
"Millenniumon! You cannot take Ryo with you!" AtlurKabuterimon shouted coming behind him.
The dark god grunted and suddenly was more to the left. AtlurKabuterimon passed beside him and stopped his charge before he hit Strikedramon who let the other two chosen children go to safety.
"Worm. You are not the partner of Ryo and this is the proof. You cannot fight the Erasers or hurt them now. The other chosen children aren't useful except WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. It's only because they are ultimate digimon. If I let him with you, Ryo will die," Millenniumon said before looking at Ryo and saying, "I let you do what you want...and you almost die."
"I won't let you kidnap him Millenniumon!" Strikedramon said standing up. He grunted in pain when his injury came back to him. He lost his balance and couldn't stand up.
"None of you can protect my partner like I can. That's why he's coming with me," Millenniumon said before turning around.
"Millenniumon!" Strikedramon yelled. Millenniumon gave a side glance, "I'll become stronger and I'll be the one protecting Ryo because he's my partner! You hear me!"
The dark god looked at the digimon and saw the resolve in his eyes. He chuckled and replied, "Prove it to me then. The moment I believe you can truly protect Ryo. I might consider it. After all, you were procrastinating a lot before," I can't believe I said that, but this is surely what Ryo would want. "For now, I'll protect my partner."
Millenniumon disappeared from the chosen children and their partner's sight.
Strikedramon whispered, "Believe me. I will."
AC: This is the end of chapter 38.
Chapter 39: A God And His Partner.