Chapter 17: A Hero's Trial (Part 2)
The story's back! So sorry for the EXTREMLY LONG hiatus. I didn't think I'd leave this story on one for almost a whole year. A whole year!
The truth is, I've been paying too much attention on my more recent fics and, as always, college. I'm not really the best when it comes to management.
But now, finally after a long while, a chapter is uploaded! I hope anyone who has been following this story is still holding on to it. Again, I'm really sorry for the long wait.
To be honest, I don't really think I'm doing well with the flow of this story. As I do better in writing my stories, I now focus on story and character development, and I'm not sure if this story is doing well in that. Well, it's my very first fanfiction story, so there were a lot of messy bits at the start. But in time, I shall improve on it with the lessons I have picked up on.
But now, let us continue from where we left off! Enjoy!
Ash looked on, viewing the entire construction site in search of two certain hostages. On his shoulder, his trusty partner, Pikachu was by his Trainer's side, joining him in the search. The two had spent almost an hour trying to locate the whereabouts of Bonnie and Fennekin.
~Come on, guys.~ he thought. ~Give me a sign, anything.~ He was losing valuable time. For all he knew, the battle was gradually showing signs of slowing down.
Down on the battlefield, Star Saber and Starscream were still duking it out at on the construction site. The mighty blade of the Autobot leader's sword, coming to blows with the equally lethal sharp claws of his Decepticon foe. The two robots began to wear down due to the extent of their seemingly-even battle. Both robots had visible scars and deep dents and even exposed circuitry all over their exo-structures. Despite the external damage done and the drained energy, the two continued to burn fire within their Sparks, determined to continue on with the duel.
Star Saber pointed his blade at his battered foe. Sure he was aware of the considerable amount of damage sustained from slashes and missile fire, but the battle was far too important for him to lose. The fate of the world was resting at the hands of the Autobot leader and one little screw-up could spell doom to everyone around him and Earth would be Starscream's for the taking. He took the time to calm down and slowly recuperate through a brief meditation.
As for the Decepticon Seeker himself, he seemed to have fared no better. Even his wings have been torn and broken after being sliced at by Star Saber's sword multiple times throughout the duel. However, Starscream was not taking any care of the many wounds on his body. He was simply staring at Star Saber, claws ready to strike again, looking as if he wasn't aware of the injuries. It was probably to preserve his self-claimed high ego by pretending he had not sustain any high damage at all. But from the state of damage done by his enemy, he wasn't doing a good job at it.
Then, after five minutes of rest, the two combatants bent down and made another mad dash upon one another. Once in range, their two weapons were swung at and their sharp edges collided into each other, resuming the epic clash between the two equally-matched warriors.
"Those two just won't stop, will they?" The girl with the pink and white sleeveless shirt and yellow shorts pressured as the battle down below the crater resumed. Kari was probably, out of all of the group of supporters watching Star Saber's fight, the most worried. She constantly clasped her hands together, praying for the best that Star Saber could pull the battle off safely. Gatomon looked up at her Digi-Destined partner with the same amount of concern, holding her hand with her paw.
At the same time, T.K. watched the battle like any other of his comrades. But his eyes were switching sights between the fight at hands and his nervous female companion next to him. He couldn't help but wonder if Kari was feeling okay from all the tension that was happening around them from just watching the duel. He noticed Kari was also eyeing away from the fight to elsewhere behind her, looking at the distant city district over the hill.
"Gee, Kari." he called. "I didn't think you'd be this worried since we defeated MaloMyotismon." Kari snapped out of her thoughts and responded to her friend's call. "Star Saber is doing his best to stop Starscream before he does any more harm." Kari then looked again back to the city with the same face of worry.
"That's partially what I'm worried about." she responded.
"Then what's bothering you more?" asked T.K again. The brunette turned back to her friend.
"Well, look at this." She then pointed towards the construction site. T.K looked at the direction and saw the devastation caused by almost an hour's worth of fighting. "How is no one going to notice this? I'm surprised that no one even heard the battle going on now." T.K. took Kari's concern to consideration. Indeed, the damage and the noises should have been loud enough to cause to arouse suspicion. Why no one seemed to react to the situation other than him and his friends just puzzled him. "Not even the National Guard is doing anything to stop this. I really want this fight to be over before anything happens to the city."
"Just stay positive. Saber knows what he's doing." T.K gave Kari a calm smile, but the brunette still maintained her concerned expression. "And what's with you and the National Guard anyway?" Kari shrugged.
However, there was a more puzzling question for TK. While everyone was busy worrying and cheering for Star Saber, one person among the group was sticking out like a sore thumb. And the question remained:
Why is Ash Ketchum, an energetic and reckless young boy, being so silent and stiff? What could possibly be distracting him from such an exciting battle?
One person does know of what was going on in his mind.
"Ash must be that determined to save Bonnie and Fennekin." wondered Serena with a sense of concern. "I hope I wasn't asking too much from him."
~Last night~
-Autobot Warehouse-
"…could you do the same for Bonnie and my Fennekin…?"
Serena couldn't hold it in. She was every bit worried for her friends as she was for herself when she was held hostage by Starscream. Seeing Ash going through the trouble to save her while a deadly battle ensued. She was thinking, could Ash do the same for the other captives? Was he as daring and reckless as the others said he was? However, some part of her felt foolish to ask him such a daunting task. That part of her made her sort of wished she didn't ask him the favour. It was crazy enough to save someone in the middle of a clash of the titans. Eventually, the feeling of guilt overcame her and when she was about to tell Ash to forget about it…
"Sounds like a good idea!" Her eyes opened wide open in complete surprise. The honey-haired girl could not believe her ears after hearing the sudden words of Ash, actually agreeing to help her.
"R-really?" Serena asked again. "You would do that?"
"Uh, yeah. Why not?"
"I… Don't you think it's going to be a bit too dangerous?" Serena stuttered, still shocked by Ash's sudden answer.
"Yeah. You know, I was thinking the same thing too. Don't you remember I did the same thing to save you?" Ash stated, snapping sense to the surprised girl. It was then that she remembered something from the day before. She remembered how dastardly the situation was back then when she was the hostage of Starscream. How she was tied up for days. How poorly Starscream had treated her. How she had to endure days without food or water. Finally, she had to witness the horrendous defeat of Star Saber at the hands of her captor. But despite the odds, Ash went right ahead and swooped her to safety. Now that she thought of it, it was now Bonnie and Fennekin's turn to be captured. So if Ash was able to rescue her under such destructive circumstances, then he could do the same for Bonnie and Fennekin. But part of her was still feeling guilty over putting the boy she had just met into more trouble. And who knows if this escapade could be done the same way.
But there Ash stood, confident with his bold acceptance to the task at hand. His friends had always tried to figure out; whether he was brave or just plain reckless. But that was Ash. Always facing adversaries he couldn't possibly take on. In many cases, however, he was able to emerge victorious. Could he face a war between robots and rescue two innocent lives right from under Starscream's nose? He was sure acting like he could.
"You really sure? Like really really sure?" Serena asked again. Ash answered the question with a firm nod.
"When it comes to friends, I won't stop until they are reunited. No one likes being separated from their Pokemon, let alone their first Pokemon, right? I know what it was like." He faced his trusty mouse Pokemon on his shoulder, remembering the many times the two have indeed been separated. But every time they tried, the two always have found a way to return to each other. The unbreakable bond between Trainer and Pokemon had never been stronger in the eyes of those who witnessed such heroic actions. "Pikachu and I have always had our fair share of troubles. But once we give it our all and never give up, we made it through thick and thin."
"Pika Pika!"
And those words struck Serena. Words that seem to give her a sense of nostalgia. 'Never give up'. She had heard such words lots of times, but them coming from someone like Ash? What had given her this tingling feeling? She shook her head lightly, shrugging off her thoughts for now. She had other things to worry about. She clasped her hands together and gratefully looked at Ash.
"Oh, thank you so much, Ash." She thanked with all her heart. "I didn't think you'd accept my request. But you did and you're really willing to help me out here."
"No biggy. I do this stuff most of the time."
"Right."
"BEEP! BEWW!" Suddenly the conversation is interrupted by a very curious little Autobot behind the sheets.
"Hey, Bee." Ash called. "Were you eavesdropping on us?"
"Pika Pika?"
"BEEP BWEEP!" The Autobot beeped, but no one seemed to understand him. Except one…
"Pi? Pika Pika?" Pikachu perked his ears up.
"Pikachu, you understood him?" Ash asked.
"Pikachu!"
"Wait, how?" But as Ash brought up the question and Pikachu told him, Ash just raised an eyebrow. "I… don't get it, buddy." Pikachu could slap his head. If only he had paid more attention to Jazz from what he had told Ash yesterday. He then turned to Bumblebee to continue on asking.
"BEEP BEEP BWERP BWOOP." Bumblebee told Pikachu and the yellow Pokemon turned to his partner.
"Pika Pika Pi Pikachu!"
"Wait." Ash was shocked, turning to Bumblebee. "You're saying you want to help us, Bumblebee?"
"BWEEP!" Bumblebee responded with a thumbs up.
"Really? That's great!" The Autobot bent down to hear out any plan Ash had in mind. The boy was more determined than ever now to save more lives from the clutches of the evil Decepticon. He would be ready to start his plan once he and his friends were there.
~Present~
-Construction Site-
Serena walked up to Ash and Pikachu. The two were still looking around at the building.
"Are we ever going to get moving, Ash?" Serena grew a little impatient. "Who knows what happened to them?"
"Relax, Serena." Ash assured. "We will get going. We just need to wait for Bumblebee." At that moment, Serena had just realized something. She looked at the crowd and she then noticed that someone was missing.
"Wait, he's already on it?" She asked, noticing the absence of the yellow Autobot.
"Like I said. Just wait for his signal." Ash and Pikachu continued to look on. It was either Bonnie and Fennekin, or at least a sign from Bumblebee.
Meanwhile, the duel between the Transformer leaders raged on. Their weapons now locked into one another. Their faces were close to each other as they pushed and pushed their weapons.
"Given up, yet?" Star Saber taunted.
"Hmph! Don't let your guard down, Autobot." Starscream ranted back. "Don't you know that death by Starscream is an honour?" Then, the two weapons dislodged and the duel continued again. A swipe to the head by Starscream had barely been blocked by Star Saber's sword.
However, the two were unaware that there was a sneaking little bot snooping around. From behind scaffolding, Bumblebee was hiding, searching for Starscream's hostages. He went under one of the buildings and looked from under there. He scanned the other building next to the one he was under, using his right eye to survey the building. The rays beamed from the eye and streamed through the building up and down. For a long minute, the building was being scanned, unknown to the two combatants duking it out on the open sandy arena.
Back at the crowd, Ash was still watching the scene, with his eyes on the battle at one point and the buildings at another. For a while, there had been no sign of Bonnie or Fennekin. Not even Bumblebee was in sight.
Then, suddenly, there was a blinking light coming from the building on the right. Pikachu's eyes squinted as he noticed the light.
"Pika? Pika!" The Pokemon quickly tugged at his trainer's hair.
"Ow! Pikachu!" Ash's face cringed at the pain.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu, still holding onto his hair, pointed out at the building. Ash took a look and then, he noticed what Pikachu was trying to point out. "Huh?" He caught sight of a blinking red light. Ash smiled; his eyes wide open.
"That's it! There's the signal! He's found 'em!"
"Huh?" The three looked at the light. They could faintly see Bumblebee giving them waves.
"Alright. Here we go, Pikachu."
"Pika!" And so it began. Ash decided to begin climbing down the cliff and head on to Bumblebee.
"Wait!" Then, he stopped at the sound of Serena standing by the edge above him.
"What's up, Serena?" he asked. The girl seemed to be trembling with nervousness and hesitation. But she took a deep breath and bent down to Ash.
"I wanna come with you."
"Huh?" Ash had his mouth open and his face filled with surprise. It was bad enough that she had been traumatized by the whole ordeal being captured by Starscream. But now, she wanted to go back to the dragon's lair. "You sure, Serena?" She gave a firm nod. She wanted to help.
"It's the least I can do after all. Let me go with you on this. Fennekin needs me. And Bonnie needs her brother. They have to be free." She looked at the duel going on and then back to Ash. "And this fight is going to end fast and well."
Ash knew what she meant. Star Saber was bent on ending this fight and saving the two young beings, but at the rate he's going all out against Starscream, there was simply no time to wait. Besides, the more the merrier. He thought it would be good to have extra hands in his escapade. So, with a small smile, he decided to bring her along for the ride.
"Then let's head off!" Serena could only smile and nod thankfully. Soon, she too began her descent. Ash had decided to go slow and steady to help her on the way down. However, as he was about to lend a hand to her, he looked up and saw that she was gone! Confused, he looked everywhere, but still no sign of her.
"Hey!" Suddenly, he was caught by a voice coming from down below him. To his surprise, he saw the timid-looking girl from a few seconds ago actually traversing down the cliff by herself. "Wha-? How?" Serena could only giggle.
"You'd be surprised on what a little Rhyhorn training could do. Now you comin' or what?" Ash and Pikachu were just dumbfounded. Was that really the shy little girl he just met a day ago?
"Pikachu, do remember to shock me once we get down there." But there was no time for thinking. It was time for action. Collecting himself, Ash, along with Pikachu, made the trip down, while Serena was doing the same well on her own.
Up in the skies, a large red bird, with two human passengers on his back were spectating the battle down below. At the back, Clemont was continually getting fidgety. Throughout the entire duel down below, he was constantly worried sick of his beloved little sister who was held hostage by the menacing Decepticon down below. Then, in a frantic state, he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"What am I going to do?!" He pulled his blonde hair in anxiety. "I can't just stand here! Bonnie needs me! Oh, Dad will kill me if I…" As he leaned back in distress, suddenly…
"WHOAH! WAAHH!" Clemont bent back too much that he eventually lost his balance and began to fall off the big bird.
"YIKES!"
GRAB!
Clemont closed his eyes in sheer panic, waiting for the immediate inpact of the long fall he got himself into.
"Oh please!" he welped in desperation. "Don't take me now! Bonnie has only me and our father to look after her. Please don't let her be alone." At that moment, something grabbing onto his own. "I have so much to learn and do! Please don't send me up there, angel!"
"What angel?" a feminine voice is heard. "Why don't you just open your eyes? And just look up will you?" Clemont did open his eyes. For a moment, he could see the blue sky. Then when he looked up, he could see a hand with a white glove holding onto his hand. Looking up some more, he finally saw the saviour of his fall.
"Boy! What do you have in that big backpack of yours?!" yelled a very distressed Yolei.
"It feels like you've been packing for a three-day trip to Hawaii or something." added Aquilamon. Clemont let out a sigh of relief as Yolei gave it her all to hoist the still stunned boy back up. After a few seconds, he had carefully made his way back up to the back of the seat. Yolei had leaned back for a while, panting from exhaustion, before tending to Clemont.
"When you panic, you really let it all out, do you?" she mocked him. Clemont could only look down in sorrow.
"I apologize." he said. "I just... Bonnie has been the dearest person to me. I kniw for numerous times, she has tried to find me a girl to watch over me and I ended up pulling her off in embarrassment. But... I can't deny how devoted she is to me. There's just no stopping her when it comes to looking out for me. But I should be the one watching over her, not the other way around." Yolei held her chest with sympathy. She could feel the love between Clemont and his sister. How close the two must have been for Clemont to weep like this. "She's never left my side. Well, except for school. But what am I supposed to do if anything happens to her? What am I to do?" From the bottom of his right eye, a small tear formed and dropped down his cheek. He slowly wept as thoughts and memories of his sister flooded in his head, making him even more and more depressed.
"Hey." Suddenly, he looked up to hear the soft voice of Yolei. "I have siblings too who drive me nuts just every single day. But they're still family, and I will do what I can to protect them. But I couldn't have done so before without the help of my friends. And those friends down are the strongest, brightest, coolest and most dependable bunch of pals I'll ever have. So you can count on them to save your sister!" She showed a fist of determination to Clemont. The boy took a while to listen to Yolei, taking in the words that she let out to him. She too had siblings who used to bug her endlessly and she always thought they were trying to torture her. But in the end, when troubles get down serious, she'd snap out of those thoughts. And if anything was too big to handle, she could always count on her fellow DigiDestined to help her out. Plus, there were also the Autobots. Three giant robotic beings capable of towering and outgunning many threats. They were also able to even up the scores against Decepticons. With all of these assured, then why should he even be afraid? He has only met them for a little while, but at that moment, he had been given the best amount of trust from another person, let alone one from another dimension.
Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel touched enough to let out a thankful smile. Now, he had very little to worry about. Star Saber looked like a capable warrior in his eyes. He was giving it his all back there, all for the safe return of his beloved sister and Fennekin. That was more than enough to help Clemont realize, that he can trust everyone he had met in this weird world.
"Okay, Yolei. I trust you." said Clemont. Yolei was pleased with her brief speech and looked to Aquilamon who smiled back in return. With fears overcome and hope restored, the three resumed watching the spectacle down below. The battle to save Bonnie and Fennekin raged on.
"ARGH! When will you ever fall?!" The two duellists leapt away from each other as they broke out of the locking of their weapons.
"Beats me, Starscream. But you know the outcome of the battle is evident. Only one of us shall live to fight another day. For one shall stand and one shall fall!" Star Saber lifted up and made one high upper slash at Starscream. The Seeker tried to block the blow by raising his hands up to catch it. The blade then lodged right in between the palms, stopping midway. Starscream struggled to endure the force of the blow, with his teeth gritting and right knee bent down, pushing the blade up. Then, he managed to force it off and fired a missile from his wrist. The missile exploded and sent Star Saber reeling to the building. A web of cracks were made on the building's wall as the Autobot leader pummelled onto it. Star Saber crouched down to recover from the blow, supporting himself with his sword stabbed to the ground.
"Ergh..." he groaned in pain, trying to rise to his feet.
"Hahahaha!" Starscream let out a maniacal laugh. "Come, Saber! Who shall be the one to fall this day? Let us find out!" He then flew up, powered up his boosters, and charged right at his fallen opponent. Star Saber tried to react to the speeding Decepticon. He gave it all he could to stand up and take aim at his foe, but it was too late. The enemy crashed right at him, grabbing onto Star Saber and pushing right for a cliff wall. Then, it all happened in a painful instant.
"AAARRRGHH!" Star Saber felt a bone-crushing pain at his back, as he was dug deep into the rocky wall, and his opponent was still going at full throttle, adding more pressure to his chest and back. It was like he was being crushed by a trash compactor with claws, as Starscream's claws were able to stab into his chest, but not deep enough to pierce right through his inner circuits. Nevertheless, the combined pains from the front and back were simply crushing the Spark out of him.
Up at the sidelines, everyone was watching helplessly as their friend and leader was being crushed at the cliffs. While most of the crew were concerned, others were still in high spirits, putting in all their cheers for Star Saber.
"Come on, Saber!" yelled Davis. "Give that bucket of bolts a real slam!"
"Yeah! What he said!" added Veemon.
"Let's go!" cried out Iris.
"Axew!"
While everyone was watching the battle turn to the opponent's favour, someone had turned her attention towards something else.
"Huh?" Dawn looked around the crowd. At that moment, she felt a little odd. She looked on and on at her barren surroundings, figuring out what could be wrong. Then, without finding out anything, she realized something was missing. Or rather, someone...
She, with Piplup behind her, walked towards Cilan, who was surveying the battle with his natural judgement skills, evaluating the standoff as he would in a Pokemon battle. So far, his examination of the situation was slowly starting to disturb him, given the violence and the atmosphere of the fight. Soon, his evaluations were interrupted as he saw Dawn walking toward him. Already by looking at her puzzled face, he could predict something was bothering her.
"Something wrong, Dawn?" he asked. Dawn took another good look at her surroundings. Still finding nothing, she turned back to Cilan.
"Have you seen Ash and Pikachu anywhere?" Cilan also looked around. It was then that he noticed the same thing as Dawn had.
"That's weird. They're not here?" After that, everyone had heard Cilan's voice and soon, the mind-set on Ash and Pikachu's absence had been set on everyone's minds. And that was not all Cody had noticed.
"Hey. Where did that other girl go to?" he called.
"You mean Serena? Wait…" Dawn looked for any sign of the honey-blonde-haired girl, only to find no one as well. "She's not here too?"
"Where do you think they had gone to?" asked TK.
"Maybe they went to take a break somewhere." Suggested Davis. "With all this hostage business, you think that Serena girl would just stay cool about it?"
"Davis has a point!" cheered Veemon.
"Or maybe they went to look for a nice snack…" added Armadillomon. "Which reminds me, Cody, did you bring that lovely sandwich you have been keepin' since last week?"
And just like that, everyone's attention had shifted from Star Saber's lone struggle against Starscream, to the sudden disappearances of their three friends. Everyone had gathered around in discussion as to where they were. All but one…
Kari took notice of Jazz not tending to the meeting. She and Gatomon walked right towards his foot. They then looked up to see Jazz's face. It seemed the Autobot too had stopped watching the battle at hand. However, he wasn't paying attention to the meeting of his smaller organic companions either. Instead, he had his arms crossed, and his head was facing down, as if he was in a deep state of a trance. Something seemed to bothering him.
"What's wrong, Jazz?" The giant robot soon snapped out of his thoughts and looked down to face the owner of the feminine voice who called out his name. There, he found Kari and Gatomon next to his foot, looking at him with curiosity. He then looked back at the battle.
"You say Ash, Pikachu and Serena are gone, eh?" he asked.
"Well, I guess that's what happened." answered Kari.
"Like a litter of kittens hunting for a mere mouse." added Gatomon. "Just went off without even tellin' Momma Kitty."
"Oh boy…" Then, Kari snapped at the sudden low sigh of Jazz. It appeared his thoughts about something had to do with Ash, Pikachu and Serena as well.
"What is it?"
"You noticed that Bumblebee ain't here either?" Kari surveyed her surroundings yet again. And once more…
"Bee too?"
"Let me tell 'ya this, that Bee has a very terrible habit of running off to do things his way without letting us know of his whereabouts." After that, Kari was shocked when she thought of a very plausible theory in her mind.
"Don't tell me those four went off to save the hostages behind Starscream's back!" exclaimed Kari. Her voice was quiet, with the rest of the group unable to hear her, but it made Gatomon gasp in horror.
"No doubt about that." Jazz then stomped his foot gently on the ground, with frustration visible on his face. "Space dust! Bee always does this. The last time he bailed out on us, he went behind enemy lines and caused an entire tower to fall down right upon both ally and enemy forces at the same time. We won the battle of course, but we suffered thousands of casualties back then. That was probably Bee's worst mistake ever." It was a horrible thing to hear from Kari and Gatomon. She couldn't imagine that a being like Bumblebee, so innocent, playful, strong and loyal, could still cause major mayhem despite his good intentions. It was almost unbelievable. But hearing from a war veteran like Jazz, there was no point doubting him. But then Kari's mood went from fearful to hopeful.
"But Jazz. Has any of escapades ever work to your advantage?"
"Well, yeah. Sometimes. But his lack of discipline becomes a very hot topic among our leadership. It's these types of 'bots that could mess things up when they don't follow orders." Kari then placed a gentle hand on Jazz and placed a fist to her chest, smiling softly but showing a face of determination as well.
"Then we'll just have trust him. Sure he can be a little rebellious, but sometimes, learning from Davis, you gotta know when to bend the rules every once in a while."
"I dunno about that." protested Jazz, with a voice of hesitation.
"Come on." Gatomon groaned playfully, while licking her paw. "What are you being a scaredy-cat for?"
"Hey. I'm a Lieutenant, remember? I go by the book. It has become my habit of making sure other Autobots know their place."
"Well, I'm still hoping for Bumblebee that he would pull it off. Ash, Pikachu and Serena as well." Jazz couldn't help but smile at the hopeful words of Kari. For as long as she had been with the crew, the Autobots had grown very curious of her care for them, even though they were a terrifying sight for her and her fellow humans and their Digimon.
"Man. These humans, Digimon and Pokemon sure are somethin'. I guess they are like us. More than meets the eye…"
As the battle and the conversations continued, down at the base of the cliff wall, Serena was able to descend the horrendously steep cliff all the way down to the base of the cliff wall. Once there, she let go of the wall and jumped down onto the ground. She adjusted her pink and red fedora and let out a breath of exhaustion.
"Phew! Maybe those Rhyhorn lessons do pay off after all." She said to herself. "Don't you think, Ash?" She then focused her speaking on Ash, but when she turned around, there was no one. "Huh?" She turned and turned, looking for that brave raven-haired trainer and his loyal Pikachu. "Ash? Pikachu? Where are you guys?" She tried to call out for them. Then…
"Be down in a minute…" A sudden distressed male voice prompted Serena to look up the cliff behind her where the voice came from. At that moment, Serena's mouth dropped, dumbfounded at the dumb sight of Ash Ketchum, stuck halfway down the wall. Pikachu was also holding on for dear life onto Ash's right shoulder. Both had their eyes closed, trembling in fear of slipping. Serena could only slap her forehead and shake her head in disappointment.
"I asked him if he could save Bonnie and Fennekin and he said yes with such enthusiasm." She said to herself, clasping her hands together while looking in the other direction, and her face dreamily looking up in the sky. However, that melodious face had transformed into a face of ironic bafflement. "But then I got this instead… It's a wonder how he was able to rescue me back then. Oh wait, that's right. He had his Charizard. Now, he's just like a little scaredy-Meowth without it…" She turned around and walked towards the wall, looking up to see Ash barely able to go down and place his foot on a big crack on the wall.
"Come on, Ash!" she yelled. "It's not that hard, is it?"
"Hey!" He exclaimed back. "I've never rode on the back of a Rhyhorn before, you know."
"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu cried as he was trying not to let go of Ash's shoulder, but that probably didn't make it any easier for Ash.
"Put your back to it! Come on! Just a few more steps." But her encouragement didn't seem to budge. She sighed before crossing her arms and said, "Boys…" Having had enough, Serena had decided to get the frightened boy herself. She rubbed her dirty and scratched hands and began to ascend the cliff again. But as she was about to make way…
CRACK!
"YAARGGHH!" An unfortunate occurrence, as the rock supporting Ash's left foot suddenly gave away and crumbled, causing the boy and his Pokemon to fall right down from the cliff. Pikachu could only hold on as his partner lost his grip.
"YIKES!" Down below, Serena saw before her eyes the falling duo as she braced herself for what might befall her, literally. However, the moment she shut her eyes, she did not notice that Ash had instead dropped past her. All the while, she could hear the screams from Ash and Pikachu. Once she heard the screams passing her down below, she finally opened her eyes and realized that she was still hanging onto the cliff unharmed. However, it was also then that after a while, the screams had stopped. Nothing but a small thud. She looked down to where the sound came from. There, she found Ash and Pikachu, somehow safe and sound on the ground. Their backs were buried down on a big white sack of sand which shielded their fall.
All Ash and Pikachu could do was lay motionless on the soft sack, raising their heads up afterwards.
"Ohhh…." Ash moaned. "A-are… Are we alive, Pikachu?"
"Pi…" Pikachu added. "Pika…"
"Do use Thunderbolt, will 'ya?" Pikachu charged up for the wake-up call.
"Pika…" But only small sparks were seen at his cheeks. Pikachu had seemed a little woozy from the fall, unable to fully comply with his Trainer's command. Until…
"CHHHUUUU!"
"DDAAARRGHHHH!"
Serena had climbed down the cliff and quickly rushed to wherever Ash and Pikachu had fallen. Suddenly, right in front of her eyes, she was met with a large streak of lightning bolts blitzing from a pile of large white sacks. Judging by the yellow-coloured electricity, she instantly knew that it came from a very peculiar little critter.
"Aaaahhhh…" Ash groaned in pain. "Thanks…"
"Pika Pika…"
Serena couldn't really grasp what she had seen, but she was relieved that Ash and Pikachu were still alright.
"So… where do you think they went?" asked Davis, with almost everyone unaware of the whereabouts of their missing friends, the group of spectators gathered around, hoping to find some answers. They were all discussing on possible theories, but those coming out from Davis did not really help much. The discussion went on for a good minute until someone had decided to interrupt.
"I know where they went." Everyone had stopped talking and turned to see Kari and Gatomon. Kari didn't say anything, but only gave them a hint by pointing at the battlefield down below.
"They're down there?! In the middle of the duel?!" exclaimed Iris.
"Axew?!" added Axew. Everyone else was astonished. Dawn, however, seemed to have noticed that Kari was pointing at something a little more specific, seeing that she was pointing at the cliffs, away from the battlefield.
"Not exactly there." she said. "But they're somewhere nearby?" At this point, Kari decided to give a proper answer.
"They're on a rescue mission. To save the hostages themselves." Panic had ensued in everyone's minds.
"Why did they go?" asked a distressed Dawn.
"Couldn't they just sit here and watch the battle with us? They're going to get themselves killed!" added Davis. "Or worse!"
"Um, Davis?" Veemon called. "What's worse than being killed?"
"You know... Um... Ehhhhh... I dunno."
"Either way, it's too dangerous out there." said Cody.
"Besides, the only sure way we CAN save them is by doing what a crowd like us partners should be doin'." Armadillomon said. "And that is to stand by and root for our desperado of a duelist." Mostly everyone agreed with Armadillomon and Cody's statements. All they could do was support Star Saber from above, doing nothing more than intervene directly into the fight. However, Kari begged to differ.
"I dunno, guys." she quietly said. "I think we should just let them rescue them." Everyone except Jazz and Gatomon when Kari actually stood up to defend Ash's rescue efforts.
"Are you out of your mind?!" yelled Iris in disbelief.
"In case you haven't noticed, Kari…" said Davis, innocently. "But there are two giant robots battling each other to the death down there. Not to mention one of them is a bloodthirsty killer of a… a… a race of more bloodthirsty killers. And you think they should just go and play hero?"
"In case you haven't noticed…" defended Gatomon. "But we also seem to be missing another important member of our team." The crew looked around.
"Huh? There's no Bumblebee either?" pondered Cilan, finally noticing the absence of the yellow Autobot.
"Man, just what were they thinking?" added Dawn.
"Piplup!" agreed Piplup.
"We should call them back." suggested Cody.
"Yeah." acknowledged Patamon. "They're going to be in a real rotten pickle if they go there. And you know how much I hate pickles."
"But this isn't the first time Bumblebee has done this kind of thing…" Suddenly, a cool and calm voice interrupted the conversation. Everyone had turned towards the voice. There, they were joined by Jazz, who was watching the battle while Kari went off to talk to her friends. "You know, I was just as hesitant as you guys are. I know Bumblebee's antics from the back of my hands. And I know well enough that his little errands can cause a lot of trouble. And judging by how those other kids and Pikachu followed him, it seems they too have their fair share of mischief."
"Oh boy." sighed Iris.
"However, that doesn't really mean he fails a hundred percent. Sometimes, even if he did mess up, he saved the day at the end. As troublesome as he may be, I'm willing to listen to Kari on this one. Just for now."
As Jazz finished his statement, the others have begun to change their minds about the rescue mission their friends decided to embark on. Hearing from Jazz had made feel a little more relieved. But their concerns were still high as they thought about the duel between Star Saber and Starscream. Could they still be able to make the rescue mission possible?
"For now, let's keep our Sparks on them and may Primus help us."
"Whatever that meant…" said Davis. "But I'm with 'ya on that!" Davis cheered on. His enthusiasm lifted the spirits of his friends as they went on to use that energy to support their friend down below. Kari was about to join them when she was suddenly stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see her friends, T.K and Patamon behind her. The boy's face had seemed a little worried.
"You sure they can do this?" asked T.K. Kari responded with a confident nod. All her confidence in the yellow Autobot had come from the moments she was with him. He was the first Autobot she met. He protected her when the Autobots had their first battle against corrupted Digimon. He was the one who drove her from home to school on several occasions.
"I've been with him since day one. Whatever he's done so far, he will save the day." Her hands had touched her chest, putting all her faith in the Autobot. T.K, understanding her resolve, gave her a small smile before the four of them went on to watch Star Saber, while hoping to find the rescue group.
At the battle, Star Saber was high up in the air, dodging a barrage of missiles that were fired by Starscream before lunging right at him from above; the missiles exploded in the air. His sword had hit Starscream, but the sharp Decepticon was able to catch the sword and pushed it off. Saber made a recovery and back-flipped to the ground. He then pointed his weapon at his opponent.
Star Saber was visibly getting weaker and weaker from overheating, and Starscream was still ready for more.
"It seems your Energon levels are getting really low, Star Saber." he taunted. "Maybe it's time to call this quits and just surrender." However, his chuckles were only just making Saber a little more infuriated. His Energon levels were starting to surge a little more, causing him to tighten his grip and the desire to strike at Starscream grew. But he tried his best to hold in his anger. He would not let his rage get the best of him again. Starscream very well knew of this and kept on taunting him, hoping to make him break.
"I can't… let my anger… control me." he told himself on and on. He struggled to stand up, using whatever energy or strength he had and charged right at Starscream again.
"Still standing, are we?" Starscream quietly said, readying himself to resume the fight.
Meanwhile, the rescue team of Ash, Serena and Pikachu were well on their way. Just behind a trailer, someone was awaiting their presence.
"There he is." Ash signalled. "Let's go." Serena and Pikachu acknowledged as they followed Ash behind. They ran towards the trailer to find Bumblebee crouching down behind it. He peeked over, watching the battle between his leader and the enemy rage on. When the kids arrived, he turned back down at them.
"BWEEP BEEP BREW!" he quietly sounded.
"Pika Pika!" answered Pikachu.
"So what did he say, buddy?" asked Ash.
"Pi Pika Pika Chu Pi."
"So, they're up there on the 26th floor?" he groaned. "Aw man, why couldn't he put them on a lower floor?"
"Relax, Ash." assured Serena, feeling hopeful and confident. "This will be a breeze." But when she looked up the tall towering building, her hopes had suddenly shrunk down to a pulp. "Or maybe not…"
"Why not? Can't you climb up like how you climbed down the cliff?"
"It was a rock cliff. And my mom had only taught me how to climb down a cliff." Ash grew a little more impatient.
"So does that mean we have to take the stairs?"
"Pika Pika." Pikachu responded, defeated, causing Ash to sigh as well.
"BEEP BEEP!" Then, Bumblebee had called for their attention as if he was clearing his throat. "BEW BEWP!" He gave himself a thumbs up. This gave Ash a sudden sense of realization.
"You think you can climb us up?" asked Ash.
"BWEEP!" answered Bumblebee with a nod. Now, Ash was feeling jubilant, for he and his friends didn't have to ascend a large flight of stairs and kill his legs. All they had to do was ride the Bumblebee Express.
"Yes!" Serena and Pikachu could only giggle sheepishly at Ash's excitement. But they too were relieved with how fast climbing on Bumblebee would be.
Up above one of the top floors of the building, Bonnie was still tied up to the supports, sitting on the floor, while a barking Fennekin was trying her best to escape the impenetrable box she was trapped in. It tried another blast of her Ember attacks, but it did not even make a scratch. The little girl, on the other hand, had finally settled in for some sleep. The time she spent being tied up tired her out.
However, her nap time was interrupted with a sudden sound.
"Psst!" A hissing sound woke her up. Her eyes still halfway-closed, she looked towards to where the sound came from. It was at that moment she saw a hand hanging on a ledge nearby. Seconds later, that hand became an arm. And that arm became a full human body. Looking at that person, Bonnie's expressions of fear and tiredness had been replaced with pure happiness and excitement after seeing the person climbing up to reveal herself.
"SERENA!" Bonnie yelled with all her heart.
"Fennekin!" The Fox Pokemon also felt elated by her Trainer's arrival, tears coming out of her eyes. Then, Serena was joined by her new companions, Ash and Pikachu, as they too climbed up onto the floor. With everyone present, Serena ran towards the hostages. She was also getting teary-eyed after seeing her friends tied up in cruel captivity. A mixture of emotions flooded her mind as she rushed to untie the hostages. Bonnie was first. Once she was freed, she instantly gave Serena a quick hug, crying out her relief to see her.
"Serena!" she yelped, digging on her chest. Serena could feel the tears wetting her clothes as she comforted Bonnie.
"It's alright, Bonnie. We're here." She said as she hugged Bonnie back. Then, when she looked up, she saw Ash and Pikachu by Fennekin's box. The box was cut open and out of the box, the little Fox Pokemon had jumped up and landed right on her Trainer, joining in the hug. It was at this moment that Serena could start sobbing as well, having been separated from Fennekin for days. "Oh Fennekin. I'm so glad you both are okay."
Ash and Pikachu looked on in contempt as they spectated the dramatic reunion of friends, smiling away. The first phase of his rescue mission was complete.
"Gosh. I was so worried for you two." Serena uttered. "What happened?" Bonnie freed herself from the embrace and wiped her tears off.
"We… went out of Mr. Ichijouji's house. Fennekin was running away… and I wanted to go after her. She ran into the streets and then… we got… kidnapped…" Bonnie explained between sniffles. Serena was a little shocked to hear that Bonnie and Fennekin ran away from the safety of the older teenagers.
"Why didn't you stay with your brother? He could've helped you." Serena asked.
"I don't know. I just… wanted to show him that I'm a big girl now. I am always taking care of him, but he never seems to appreciate it. He pulls me out every time I want to help him. I'm not sure he even thinks of me as a strong sister."
"Now, don't say that." Bonnie was then called by the raven-haired boy behind him. After listening to what Bonnie had to say, he wanted to assure Bonnie that what she said was not the case. "Clemont was probably just worried about you. He loves you, and you should be happy he's protecting you. I don't have a brother or sister, but having Pikachu on my side, it might have helped me explain my point." He tickled his partner down at the chin, much to Pikachu's delight.
"Chhaaa…" he squealed. Bonnie then thought about what Ash said, now realizing how much her brother truly cared for her, causing him to drag her out of affairs, sometimes literally. He was willing to protect her, as any big brother would. She hugged Serena even harder; her wanting to see her brother again intensified. But now, was not the time to celebrate. There was still a fight going on down below. They needed to make a run for it.
"Okay!" In one instant, Bonnie returned to that bubbly cheerful self. Everyone else was feeling kind of awkward, as if Bonnie had not been captured at all. Regardless, they moved off to re-join Bumblebee, who was resting on the floor below the one they were at. Although they were well on their way, little did they know that they were not alone on that floor...
"Fenne?" Suddenly, Fennekin paused; her ears perked up to hear the faint sounds of "tick-tack-tick-tack" at rapid succession. She looked around to look for anything that might have made the sound. Then...
"Grrrr..." Her fur straightened; her fire burning in the mouth, and her posture turned for attack.
"You okay, Fennekin?" Serena heard the fox Pokemon growl. She could also see Fennekin facing the other way. Turning around to that direction, she found nothing. Just the cut rope and empty box. There was just nothing that could startle a human being, but she knew something was scaring Fennekin. Whatever it was, she was not about to take any chances. Quickly, she picked up Fennekin and rushed to join Ash, Pikachu and Bonnie. But the thing that startled the little fox wasn't just watching. It was following them.
Then, at that moment...
RRRAARRGGHH!
"AAAAHHHH!" A loud screeching sound got the jump on the group. Everyone sharply turned around to see a horrid sight; a mechanical crab-like robot with metallic spikes all over its body. It also had a pair of small pincers for arms and a single red eye in the middle of its body. The sight of it was almost too surreal for the Trainers and the Pokemon. Acting upon instinct, the two Pokemon jumped in front of their human companions, powers at the ready.
"What in the world is that?!" exclaimed Serena.
"WAAAHHH! Please don't let it hurt me!" screamed Bonnie.
"Whatever it is…" Ash uttered, poised for battle and clenching his fists. "It's not going to hurt any of us. Not on my watch! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"PIIIKKAA… CHUUU!" At his command, Pikachu shot out a powerful lightning bolt at the sentry. It managed to hit it with incredible force. However, much to their dismay, the attack didn't even scratch its spiked armour. It continued to make intimidating body movement at them, swaying its body as if it was looking for the right opportunity to strike back.
"Not a scratch!" cried Bonnie.
"Then, we'll have to hit harder. Iron Tail!"
"CCHHUU… PIKA!" Pikachu's zigzag tail flashed in a bright white light before jumping up and slamming the robot right on its head. Its thin legs bent down from the power, but then, it was able to shrug off the blow and stood back up, pushing Pikachu away.
Ash tried his best to fight the sentry drone, tasking Pikachu to deal with it. However, he then noticed that there was no movement from Fennekin. The fox Pokemon was ready to attack, but her Trainer was not giving any instructions. Fennekin's head slant back a little to hear from her Trainer. But when Ash looked at Serena, a face of uncertainty was seen.
"Serena?" he called. "What's wrong?"
"I…" Serena could barely say a word. It was like she did not know what to do. In truth, it was exactly that. It was her first time having Fennekin battle something, but the thing that she always thought she would fight first was another Pokemon, not an evil robot. "I don't know what to do."
"What? You don't know how to battle?"
"It's my first time battling. I just don't know what to tell Fennekin to do." Once again, Serena was in panic. She did not have a clue on what move Fennekin could use. If only the portal that trapped her and Bonnie had comer later; she would have been able to retrieve a PokeDex from Professor Sycamore to teach her of her Pokemon. Now, she was clueless. Fennekin remained in a stationary position while Pikachu continued to launch his attacks to no avail.
To make things worse, Ash couldn't help either. He did have a PokeDex, but it was not registered to scan Kalos Pokemon. He too could not find a way to identify what this new Pokemon could do.
"This is not good." he muttered.
Pikachu continued to assault the machine. It struck back at him with slashed of its thin but sharp claws and pincers. Eventually, the little Pokemon was hit by the last swing and was sent flipping back to his Trainer.
"Think Ash. Think." he wondered. "What kind of moves would a Fire-Type beginner know? I got it!" Then, he had an idea. "Serena, try telling Fennekin to use Ember."
"Ember?" asked Serena.
"All Fire-Types I know always have Ember in their move list. Try it now!" Without hesitation, she quickly looked towards her Pokemon. Listening to Ash, she gave the command.
"Fennekin… use Ember!"
Then, as if it was a miracle, Fennekin bent back, inhaled with all she had, and, with one breath, launched a mild but sure fireball right at the robot. Remarkably, the shot hit precisely at the very eye of the bot, causing it to back away.
Fennekin then delivered a victorious bark at it. Serena couldn't believe her luck. She successfully gave an order for Fennekin to battle. Her very first. And what a lucky shot that was.
"I did it. I DID IT!" She couldn't help but jump for joy for Fennekin. But her delight was short-lived. Remembering that this was no Pokemon battle, she immediately snapped back to the battle against the maniacal-looking machine.
"Don't celebrate just yet." said Ash. Immediately, the drone retaliated. Its eye, somewhat still intact from the blast, started to glow even redder. Then, all of a sudden, the eye fired a mediocre laser blast, zapping it right at the group. Everyone quickly dispersed to avoid being hit by the projectile. The beam past right through them and exited from the opening behind them. They knew that this was not going to be an easy match. "Now, try a Tackle."
And things were heating up just as much down at the duel.
"Huh?" As Starscream was about to jump into action again, he suddenly noticed a random laser beam blazing right out of the top floor of the building above him. But he wasn't the only one who noticed the occurrence.
"What the-?" Star Saber wondered as he looked up to see the same trail zoom right by.
Even the crowd above saw the laser blast. They wondered if it had anything to do with the disappearances of their friends.
"Did you see that?" Cody pointed out.
"You mean that strange bolt of laser fire shooting right out of that building?" said Davis. "That's kinda hard to miss, Cody." Meanwhile, Kari was clasping her hands together, fearing the worst.
"What do you think is going on there?" she uttered, worriedly. "You think… No way. They can't…"
Star Saber kept on staring at the sky from their mysterious shot. Then, to his bafflement, he spotted a very unpleasant sign on Starscream's face. As suspicious as the rescue was for everyone, it would have been thought that Starscream would have at least displayed the same amount of confusion. But instead, there was the same old evil smirk.
"Hang on." Star Saber pondered, staring at his foe. "Why does Stascream look like he knows something?" He then raised his voice aloud. "What's that look on your face, Starscream? You seem to be up to something."
"You Autobots sure are naïve." Starscream sneered back. "Did you really think I would not suspect your little 'rescue' mission?"
"What rescue mission?" He further questioned, unsure at what Starscream had mentioned.
"I suppose you think I would leave my hostages undefended, didn't you? Well, guess what. I left a little parting gift for those who dare disobey the Conduct of Honour."
"PIKA!" Another whack on the head with Pikachu's Iron Tail as the 'parting gift' retreated back. Fennekin followed with a swift but mild tackle from underneath it. But the robot attacked back with its claws; the two dodged the strike. The two Trainers continued to guide their Pokemon in engaging the attack drone.
Every time Fennekin attacked or moved away, Serena did her best to maintain her otherwise clumsy battle style. She tried to battle harder, but being her first time, it was not an easy task.
Bonnie still hid behind Ash's legs while watching the battle, providing herself great courage in spectating the action.
But then, just as it seemed they had the edge, the robot suddenly shifted its focus; its eye now zooming in on the two Trainers behind the Pokemon. Picking up on its feet, it ran towards the crowd. The Pokemon prepared for whatever it may do, but the robot scurried right past them, and headed right for the humans.
It was in an instant, Serena froze in absolute fear as the robot's glaring look as it charged right for her.
"Serena! Get out of the way!" Ash yelled.
"Fenne!" Her Pokemon added. But nothing could be done to shake her off. She stood absolutely still. Her fright far supressed her newfound battle confidence. Then, when it was about to attack, Serena screamed at the top of her voice, closing her eyes.
BWARM!
When she opened them, all she could see was the robot. However, the robot was now nothing more than a pile of obliterated scrap heap. It had a huge gaping hole on it, as small flames blazed from it.
Despite her luck, Serena paused for a moment. Ash came to her side to see to her condition; Bonnie close behind.
"You okay?" He asked, grabbing her shoulder.
"Y-yeah." Serena managed to shake off her fears, but only dully. Now the question was, who fired on the robot? Everyone looked behind to where the shot may have come from.
"Oh no! Another robot!" Bonnie screamed, running back behind Ash again when she saw a huge machine hanging onto the ledge outside the opening, with a big cannon pointed right at them.
"Hey!" But Ash was lively, at the sight of the robot. A friendly face. "Glad you could make it, Bumblebee!"
"Pika Pika!"
"BEEP BWEEP BWERP!" Everyone, except Bonnie and Fennekin, were ecstatic to see their Autobot friend coming to the rescue. Serena noticed the opposite reactions of her Pokemon and Bonnie, who were not so trustful of the young robot. She went on and bent down to comfort them, reassuring them that Bumblebee was no threat.
"Don't worry, Bonnie." She tended to the little girl first before her angrier Pokemon. "You too, Fennekin. Bumblebee is a friend."
"R-Really?" Bonnie asked, still paranoid of the presence of the yellow Autobot. "He sure looks…"
"Come on." Ash joked. "Does this face look scary to you?" Surely enough, Bumblebee's metallic face showed a very welcoming face. A smile so evident that everyone would know that he was a good-natured fellow. Serena led Bonnie right for him. She was still feeling a little bit timid, but with Serena to back her up, she started to feel a little safer.
"BEEP BWRM!" A few beeps from Bumblebee and Bonnie took the courage to approach him. She eventually tried to reach he had out and touch his face. Coming to contact, she gently stroked the rusty metal cheek. After a few brushes, finally, she smiled. Again, her bubbly nature returned to ease everyone off. As she got used to Bumblebee, Fennekin jumped up in her Trainer's arms, seeing that the giant robot can be a great friend.
"Look! Up there!" Now, everyone on the cliff could see a rather surprising turn of events. At the top of the buildings, they could see Bumblebee hanging on to the top floor. This gave them the notion that with him, Ash, Serena and Pikachu were with him.
"Thank goodness they're alright." thanked Kari.
"What do you think they're doing up there?" wondered Dawn.
"I'm not sure, but if you ask me, I guess they're up to no good." Jazz said. "And I'm afraid no good is what they'll get. We better make our move."
"Move?" Ken asked. "Are you saying we should act? I thought this was an honourable duel."
"I know, but knowing Starscream, things could change for the worse."
"What on Earth?" In the skies, Yolei could see the Autobot holding on to the building's floor.
"What? What's going on?" Clemont, just as curious as to know what was happening.
"It… It's Bumblebee."
"Who?"
"Down there." Yolei pointed out for Clemont. He now had, in his sights, a yellow winged robot on the top floor.
"What is he doing?" wondered Aquilamon.
"Do you think there's a chance my sister's down there?" Clemont muttered with worry about his sister.
"Good place as any. Come on, let's get a closer look." At Yolei's call, the giant bird Digimon swooped right down at the scene of the action. Little did they realize, that the situation was about to mount to a terrible ending.
Unfortunately, the sight of the yellow Autobot had not gone unnoticed by the combatants down below.
"Bumblebee?" Star Saber couldn't grasp on what his soldier was doing up there. But Starscream, in the same demeanour, did.
"Oh dear." he sarcastically said. "What on Cybertron is an Autobot doing up there? Attempting in the rescue as well?"
And now, Star Saber finally realized on what Starscream referred to as a rescue mission.
"Not again…" He quietly uttered; the memories of Bumblebee's antics in battle swimming in his mind.
"My, my. This is truly a disappointment." Starscream smirked. "You let your own soldier disgrace the Conduct by trespassing on the captives' grounds."
"If I didn't know any better, Starscream…" Star Saber relented, trying his best to defend his loyal companion, despite what Starscream had mentioned made sense. "You were never one to listen to the Conduct. So what made you one to respect it?"
"Ohh. Let's just say that, now that I'm the new leader of the Decepticons, I am forced to become an example to all my newfound followers."
"Pity. I don't see them anywhere."
"QUIET! It doesn't matter if I had some rough ends with the Conduct, it won't change the fact that you, Star Saber, had decided to go against it and launch this pathetic display of heroism!" He pointed up to Bumblebee, who was now looking down at the two.
"But I didn't give the order to…!"
"Lies! Don't bother trying to deceive a Decepticon, Autobot! We are the masters of deception!"
"Starscream! I'm not going to let you hurt Bumblebee again! Even if he did bend the rules!"
"Silence!" Starscream was starting to feel more annoyed now. All this talk about some honorary book of rules was beginning to bug him more and more. It now looked like his violent and egoistic nature was coming back to him. "Well, then, Star Saber. If you refuse to admit that you're wrong, then consider this duel over!"
WHARM!
Soon, a huge blast from Starscream's null-ray blaster fired right from it. A long purple-coloured energy blast surged at Star Saber's chest, causing the Autobot warrior to fall right down on the ground. He laid down for a while, sending shock to all who were spectating the battle. It seemed like a hopeless situation for them, but for Starscream, the duel was over.
"And now that our feud is over, let me make an example of this foolish attempt to save your friends!" The crazed Decepticon now set his sights on the yellow Autobot up above.
Star Saber, beaten down on the ground, was so badly damaged that he couldn't even bend his body to sit. He only had enough strength to turn his head at Starscream. And when he looked up to witness Starscream's new target, his fears overwhelmed the pain from his wounds. To make things worse, even his voice was badly affected.
"N… No…"
In a state of helplessness, Bumblebee was now at the mercy of Starscream's null-ray blaster, pointing right at him.
Everyone around the scene was now in a state of panic, fear and extreme worry. To see their dear companion now about to be shot down with cold blood or oil. Bumblebee himself was now frightened at the prospect of becoming another casualty of war.
But it all happened very fast. The Decepticon aimed his weapon, and pulled the trigger.
WHAM!
The shot brazed Bumblebee's chest, causing him to let go and descend to a heavy fall.
"Bumblebee!" Ash yelled, helpless to save him from the fall. The Autobot fell from the top floor, all the way down to the rocky ground down below. Hitting the ground, Bumblebee's back crashed down so hard that the rock cracked into a crater as big as he was.
Now, pinned down, Bumblebee was now in a mutual state of injury similar to Star Saber's. But for some reason, the wounds were not as bad, as he was still able to at least move his torso. He clutched the blast wound; the pain swelling through his circuits.
In front of him, Starscream was now stepping towards him. His weapon was charged again, bent on destroying the young robot.
Star Saber could do nothing but watch as his friend was about to become space dust. As much as he desired to get up and fight again, but the injuries sustained kept him down. Once again, the Autobot warrior could only feel defeat in his Spark. Failure was inevitable to him.
Bumblebee tried to move away, but his wounds were only pushing him down. He kept on holding his blasted chest, where his inner circuits could be seen.
Starscream was now a few inches away from Bumblebee. His weapon was now at full power. Once he stopped in front of his enemy, he aimed it directly at his face.
"It's time for you to suffer the consequences, Autobot." The weapon was energized and directed to the barrel, about to put an end to the poor Autobot.
But then…
POWWW!
"Dargh!" The beam fired. But when he opened his optic sensors, Bumblebee could immediately find that he was not in the Well of All Sparks yet. Instead, he saw Starscream, still standing at front, but with his weapon now pointing towards the sky. The fatal energy shot zoomed right out of the barrel and into the air, exploding into a purple fireball after a few seconds. "Who dares fire at me?!"
Starscream sharply turned around in frustration. And there, he found a most unfortunate scene. Behind him, a group of huge creatures and a white and black Autobot stood in front of their fallen leader. They were all poised to fight the Decepticon head on.
"What is this?" Starscream found this display rather amusing than intimidating. "Do you all seriously have what it takes to defeat me? Especially since your leader has fallen?"
Jazz went to Star Saber and picked him up, supporting him on his shoulder. The rest of the Digi-Destined, their Digimon, and Iris and her large Dragonite stood their ground.
"You know, you got a big mouth with an ego to match!" yelled Iris.
"Axew!"
"Star Saber hasn't fallen yet." T.K. determined.
"And we won't go easy on you this time." added Davis. "Jerks go where jerks go!"
"And where would that be, human?"
"Eer… I dunno. Jerksville?"
"Nice going with the anti-climactic speech, Davis." Iris smirked.
"Hey! It's the best I could think of." Davis defended.
"Uh, Davis?" X-Veemon called. "Maybe it's a good time to fight this buckt of bolts and not each other." While the group got ready to engage the Decepticon leader, Jazz placed the wounded Star Saber down at a boulder for him to rest on.
"You alright, sir?" Jazz checked on his condition.
"Drgh… Ye- Yeah." Star Saber weakly answered. Smoke rose from his body as he rested on the rock behind him.
"Just get recharging, sir. Teletraan-1's on the way with a repair drone to fix you up."
Back at the battle, the team was now ready to fight the larger Decepticon once again. But now, seeing their friends all wounded, their resolve had never been stronger.
"It's payback time!" Davis declared. The Digimon and Pokemon readied their attacks. Starscream did so with his as well. After an intense stare-down, the two groups charged. The honourable duel was no more; now replaced by yet another battle between good and evil.