Had she not agreed to meet with the others during lunch, she would've raced to the library to escape into Omnia for a bit.
Milo's reveal of Dawson's disappearance was like getting run over by an 18-wheeler. She was tense for the last three hours, and her anxiety wouldn't turn off for anything. The morning announcements over the loudspeaker—delivered by Principal Richardson herself—brought up the situation and directed students and faculty with information to the Principal's Office, where Detective Howard of AEGIS was. Old rumors evolved from this, implying that Mr. Dawson ran away with a student. That made Riley's stomach sour as she just got done convincing herself it was a sick joke by immature students. For all they knew, the man could've been dead, yet they wanted to make disgusting jokes. It went to show how much these kids cared about their teachers…
Then again, she was in no place to say that, was she? After all, she thought it was worth failing his class over a baseless rumor.
Moving down the lunch line, Riley grabbed a food tray and tuned Milo back in, who was conversing with Nico. They didn't know each other long but seemed to get along well. She apologized for snapping at him the day before but still felt strained. That could be her anxiety, but she didn't know.
"What do you think, Riley?" Milo asked, bringing her into their conversation.
"What?"
"I heard Ms. Odetola is taking over for Dawson," Nico explained. "She's still a new teacher, so I haven't taken her personally, but I heard she gets along with students well."
"She's the one with that strong accent, right?" Riley asked, forming a mental image in her head.
"Mhmm," Nico confirmed.
"Oh, I know who she is," Riley noted. "Did you guys know that she used to be a child actress back in South Africa?"
"Seriously?" Milo was surprised to hear.
"Yeah, I think I heard of that," Nico added. "Her parents pulled her out because the industry was crazy toxic, though."
"The entertainment industry is like that, unfortunately. Sure, it's not the greatest over there, but she said she was exposed to a lot once she came to the States. That's why her parents had her retire before she ended up like a lot of other cases…."
Nico looked away from Riley briefly upon her saying that, which Milo noted. Before he could process that, he suddenly felt a rugged grip on his shoulder, which robbed him of calm thought.
"What're y'all talking about…?" Barry's voice came through their airspace, shaking both Milo and Riley.
Nico looked up, saw the brute hovering, and gave a slight glare, "What's up, bro?"
Barry snickered, turning to him briefly, "I ain't your 'bro.'"
"Oh, thank god," Nico breathed. "now I won't have to feel bad when I say—!"
Before Nico could get the words out, Barry's hand was smacked back by Milo. "Get your hands off me!"
The room fell silent, and Milo's sudden declaration caught Barry off guard. He stood silent for a moment and stared at Milo. He looked over to the hesitant Riley, and a scoff escaped him. "Ah…well, now."
"Did you hear what I said? I said—!"
"Oh, I heard what you said, twerp," Barry confirmed. "What? You decided to have the guts to stand up to me to impress the cutie behind you?"
"What?! That's not true!" Milo blushed.
Riley hesitated and felt her cheeks flare involuntarily, with Nico keeping quiet, scanning the room. Kaden should've arrived by this point, so where was he…?
"Come on, tell the truth," Barry taunted. "You like her, don't you?"
"I said stop!" Milo tried pushing Barry, but he shoved him back onto the floor.
"Milo!" Riley exclaimed, dipping to the floor reactively. She then looked up and stared daggers into Barry, who shrugged it off.
"Yo, what's your problem?!" Nico stepped in.
"Stay out of this!" Milo snapped back up.
Barry ignored Nico in favor of Milo's courage. "You heard him; move it!" he shoved Nico, but Nico shoved back. Barry growled and grabbed Nico's shirt, only for Milo to attempt to climb onto Barry in an erratic charge. Barry was forced to let go of Nico to deal with the feral boy, being able to pry him off and take a step back while pulling his fist back. As he went to launch, his wrist was grabbed mid-flight.
Barry angrily turned and saw Kaden standing there, grip tightening. Barry grinned. "About time you showed up."
"I can handle this!" Milo hissed. "I don't need help!"
"Milo shut up for a second." Kaden snapped.
"Don't tell me to shut up!" Milo shot back, surprising everyone around them.
That brief hesitation on Kaden's part caused Barry to land a sucker punch in Kaden's face, sending him back into the crowd of students. A wave of "oooooh" reverberated in the open cafeteria, followed by the racing security guards and lunch monitors coming to break things up. As the five were apprehended and the realization of their actions took root, Barry's cackling was the only sound that they couldn't block out.
Chapter 7: The Awakening Part 1
Principal Richardson eyed each of the four that sat before her. She was rubbing her temples aggressively, trying to calm herself, as the last thing she needed was some nonsense concerning Kaden Grant, Barry Marshall, or both simultaneously; the former was in the nurse's office trying to stop a nosebleed. And to make it worse, her son was the catalyst for this whole mess, according to eyewitnesses. Detective Howard recently left to head back to the nearby precinct. The Dawson situation was already stressful, but it seemed she wasn't allowed a break from the nonsense.
"Explain yourselves…I don't care who starts." She eyed each of them, though she focused on Milo more than the other three.
Barry scoffed and crossed his arms while Riley's anxiety and Milo's guilt kept them quiet. Nico looked at them and back at Principal Richardson, who furrowed her brow. With a reluctant sigh, Nico began, "So what had happened was—!"
"I'm responsible, not them…." Milo interjected, surprising Nico.
Principal Richardson turned to her son, "I know you're responsible. I want to know how you ended up in this position."
"Barry provoked him into reacting." Riley supported. "Nico and I tried to stop them, but it escalated."
"Is this true, Mr. Marshall? Were you bothering them despite our previous conversations?"
"I overheard them talking about Ms. Odetola and wanted in the conversation, that's all," Barry stated. "Milo assumed I was targeting him and reacted."
Riley and Nico glared, calling bullcrap on his words.
"Sorry about that…." Milo said, further surprising Riley and Nico.
"No worries…" Barry shrugged. "I forgive you."
"Unfortunately, that holds little water where this is concerned…." Principal Richardson explained.
Barry turned to the principal, whose gaze was locked on him. She continued, "Though you at most provoked my son into attacking you, you still assaulted Mr. Grant."
"Wha—he grabbed me first, though!" Barry barked.
"To stop you from beating down, Milo!" Riley snapped reactively.
"Of course, you'd defend your boyfriend."
"Screw you! And he's not my boyfriend!"
"So why are you defending him so hard then?"
"Why do you even care?!"
"Maybe he's jealous," Nico shrugged.
"That's rich…" Milo muttered.
"Huh? Dude, I'm on your side. What the heck?!" Nico gasped.
"Wait, what did he say?" Riley turned.
"It's not—!"
"ENOUGH!" Principal Richardson slammed her desk. "You three, detention. Mr. Marshall, you're going to be suspended."
"Are you kidding me?!" Barry argued. "Why am I being suspended?!"
"Be grateful I'm not expelling you—yet!" She barked back. "I'll be reaching out to your parents—!
"What parents?" Barry shot back, drawing attention to him.
Principal Richardson narrowed her gaze. "Don't interrupt."
Barry rolled his eyes, grabbed his bag, and stormed out, much to the principal's protest. After he slammed the door, she grabbed her nearby walkie-talkie. "Keep an eye out for Mr. Marshall; he may attempt to leave the school.
After confirmation from the Security Guard at the front desk, she sat down and took a deep breath. Milo cleared his throat, "…Mom…?"
"What?" she asked sternly. She was so annoyed that she forwent the fact that Milo was being informal with her.
"Don't punish the others. This is my responsibility, and I'm owning up to it. If anything, they were trying to keep me out of trouble."
"They're guilty by association. That's why you all are present." Principal Richardson explained.
"Still, it's not fair for them!"
"Bro, it's cool. Detention isn't the end of the world." Nico told him.
"And look at it like this…if we're together, we won't miss our tutoring session." Riley pointed out.
Milo blinked. "You're…still okay with that?"
"I promised Sierra to try harder," Riley explained. "And I need your help, so…yeah, Detention is a sacrifice towards that."
Milo felt tears from the guilt but also relaxed a little, coming to terms with the support he was receiving. The bell rang, causing Principal Richardson to lean back in her chair. "You three are dismissed."
"Oh, uh…what about Kaden?" Milo asked, hesitant to drag him down as well.
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's been more good than harm where you're concerned. That bloody nose he received is punishment enough for now."
"Okay," Milo agreed. With that, the trio took their leave, leaving the principal to turn her attention to her computer to pull up phone records.
She could tell this day was going to be a long one. Ninth-period math came, and while Riley would usually use this chance to cut class and leave, Milo, as somber as he was, was present to ensure she held up her promise, not that she would back out, given that she had detention.
The second the pair walked into the room, eyes were on them. The sight of Ms. Odetola and her smile left a bittersweet feeling in Riley. She had a pencil-like figure and braided hair held together by an orange scrunchie that complimented the orange sweater and brown skirt she wore a very autumn feel. Riley already felt comfortable, but of course, her guilt with Dawson kept her relief in check.
"So nice to see you, Ms. Ocasio. Your seat is still waiting for you." Ms. Odetola greeted them with her noticeable accent.
Light chuckles, and murmurs floated in the classroom airspace as Riley nodded and returned to her seat. It was in the middle by the window, giving a nice view of the students embracing the freedom she took for granted. Milo sat in the 2nd row on the other side of the room. There was another straggler or two, but soon the classroom was filled with exhausted students eager to cut out and enjoy what was left of their day. Ninth periods were rough, especially when one thought of it as the crossroad between school and after-school programs.
"Well, now that everyone is here, for those who don't know me, my name is Sarauniya Odetola, and I will be taking over Mr. Dawson's class for now. Does anyone have any questions? Yes, your name is…?"
"Aaron," the student said. "Have there been any updates about Mr. Dawson?"
"I have yet to hear anything new." She answered. "Like you, the news shocked me, and as I've told my other classes, the student body will receive updates when deemed appropriate. Now, any other questions? Yes, Kaitlyn in the back."
The girl known as Kaitlyn went to speak, "He left us homework last night. Are we going to go over it?"
"Ah yes…hmm." She walked over to the desk and reviewed the material Principal Richardson provided her. "We can go over it, but since all of this has been a quick shift, it doesn't have to be handed in….okay." She tapped on the holographic board and grabbed a stylus from the side.
Riley watched as Ms. Odetola began transcribing the math problems from the homework. Sierra received the problems from Mr. Dawson, so Riley attempted to do some of them before she called it a night. It proved difficult, both due to the unfamiliarity and also the stress from the day's events. Had she known today would be worse, she would've tried harder to work on it. She looked across the room, taking note of how focused Milo was. It was like he was never upset in the first place by the way he looked. Either the things didn't get to him for long, or he just knew how to hide his emotions when needed.
Either way, she felt like she could learn something from that…
Nico met Riley and Milo in front of their classroom about a minute after the final bell rang. The three, stuck with detention, looked at one another with determination. The hallways fell silent as if it was just the three of them present.
And then…
"Rock, Paper Scissors says Shoot!"
Two rocks and scissors. Nico groaned, spinning back while Riley and Milo high-fived one another. With a reluctant sigh, Nico straightened and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he approached one that said "blue-boy-wonder."
After a few seconds, Kaden's image appeared on the screen.
"Bro, where are you guys?"
"Yeah, so…remember that whole mess at lunch earlier?" Nico reminded.
Kaden paused, realizing immediately what he was implying.
"Detention?! All of you guys?!" Kaden paused, realizing immediately what he was implying. "Detention?! All of you guys?! But Barry—!"
"Got suspended," Riley answered, "and about time too."
Kaden still couldn't wrap his head around Principal Richardson's judgment. "Still, that's not fair. If only I acted sooner, I would've—!"
"Woulda, coulda, shoulda," Nico shrugged. "Listen, bro, just be grateful you escaped."
He says that, but truth be told, he didn't. In Barry's arrogance, it was luck that he punched him into a bloody nose that sent him in the opposite direction of the others towards the nurse's office. Being the victim for a change wasn't a great feeling in itself, either.
"Yeah, and besides, the three of us are just gonna study, so it's not that big a deal," Milo reassured. "Plus, we can head to the store afterward…or actually, I can't…" he sulked a little.
Kaden raised a brow, allowing Riley to chime in, "he got grounded on top of it, so no TCG Tower or Omnia."
"For how long?!" Kaden reacted.
"…a month…"
His eyes widened. "But my match with Gurenmaru is in two weeks! What good am I battling him without you guys supporting me?!"
"Well, now, isn't that touching?" Nico sarcastically sniffled.
Kaden regressed a little before an idea sprouted, "You think Sierra be okay if I was running—!"
"Go to work!" Riley snapped. "Don't even try to skip, even for our sakes."
Kaden stood frozen in mid-sentence but sighed his proposal away. "Guess I'll catch you guys whenever then."
"Don't miss us too much," Nico waved. He hung up and turned to his companions, "Shall we?"
Riley and Milo nodded and began walking in the direction of the library, with Dexter watching them from a distance. He tugged on his bottom lip, veins filled with anxiety and anticipation for what was to come.
"Don't let me down…" He said before in the direction of the front exit.
[Central District, Omnia…]
"Once again, it seems that Alphamon is nowhere in sight…." The Persian man dressed in flaming red garbs said, leaning on the table. Aside from the permanent sneer on his face, his thick but neat black beard added definition to an otherwise pale complexion. Homura, as Gurenmaru, stood behind him along with a slack-jawed Fugamon, an orange variation of an Ogremon native to the hot climate of the Southern District.
"Lady Azurena is also running late as well…" the young cat-eared girl, Lady Onyxa, added, dressed in a black outfit best described as "Steampunk Lolita." Behind her was a tall individual dressed in similar steam-punk aesthetics, his brown hair matching his Victorian-style butler uniform. Beside him were a Strikedramon, bipedal Dragonoid Digimon with indigo scales, reddish-black hair, cargo pants, and armor plating covering its joints, from its shoulders to feet.
As Lord Emeron, Doctor Woods sat down with a brown button down, green vest and tie, and a brown newsboy cap, resembling one who grew up in the early metropolitan areas of the 1900s. Without Nico present, he called upon Woodmon and Stingmon to serve as his guards for this brief event. He didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation, more interested as to why they were summoned so abruptly by the Central government. As for Sierra's lateness, he could figure out the reason behind it; it was the same reason why he just arrived.
Sierra, Gorillamon, and Leomon finally came through the doors, them taking their positions in the room. Lord Vermil couldn't help but quip, "Nice of you to finally show up."
"Apologies," she said. "Something unexpected came up at the last minute that needed to be addressed."
"It's no matter," Doctor Woods waved off. "I was running a bit tardy myself."
Sierra nodded and looked over to Homura, who returned the look. They gave one another small smiles, easing the tension in the room. Moments later, the doors opened again, and from them came notable members of the Omnian Defense Force, including Sistermon Blanc, Sistermon Ciel, Jesmon, Gankoomon, and Omnimon Alter-S, all of whom were in their respective Saibatar forms—a man with spiky black hair and a scar down his left eye. The representative was paying particular attention to him, not recognizing him as compared to the others.
"I take it everyone is here…?" a voice asked as one final figure made it passed the doors. The guards on the outside finally shut the doors behind them as the final member of this meeting made his way to the table towards the seat typically reserved for the king himself. His blonde hair shimmered from the lighting above, and his gold eyes scanned the room to ensure all who were meant to be here were here. "Very good."
"Yet again, the king must be too busy to grace us with his presence?" Lord Vermil commented.
"Very much so." The golden-eyed Saibatar, Ryusei, shot back, "For we have a situation on our hands that if left unchecked, may spell grave danger for Omnia and Earth.
Hearing that put a lock on Vermil's tongue. Sierra smirked a little.
"What kind of danger, may I ask?" Doctor Woods raised his hand.
"One that may require the revitalization of Project X-Stream…."
A set of gasps, followed by blanket silence, befell the representatives and their subordinates. Doctor Woods was the first to react. "Are you insane?!"
"If by insane, you mean desperate, then yes. If sources prove true, then the Zenith and Nadir Districts have already—!"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" He barked. "I put a stop to that project for a reason! There must be an alternative!"
"There may not be one. Trust me when I say I agree with you, but…"
"But what?"
"Alphamon has fallen…" the new individual spoke, stepping forward. "Which means only one thing…."
Doctor Woods went wide-eyed and slumped back into his chair. Sierra was also at a loss for words, trying to process what that meant. "That's impossible…"
"Why haven't…the Sovereigns revealed this to us?" Lady Onyxa spoke up.
"That should be obvious," Lord Vermil scoffed in frustration. "They blame us for this."
Lady Onyxa looked on in curiosity. Ryusei chimed in from there, "Information is scarce, but Vantus is our scout assigned to monitor the Nadir District. Meanwhile, Lady Venusmon recently returned from her trip to the Zenith District. It's mostly rumors and heresy, but it doesn't take much to spark something. Until we know for sure what's going on, no one is to know about Alphamon; is that clear? I can aid in appeasing the Sovereigns, but given my state, I'm not sure how much influence I'll have over them."
"I'll have a word with Azulongmon and Slayerdramon," Sierra stated. "Until then, I request that we hold off on Project X-Stream for now and leave it as a last resort if anything. Until we gather more information, that is."
Ryusei nodded. "Very well. I also encourage you all to appeal to your Sovereigns and rulers of your districts. If war is indeed on the horizon between the Zenith and Nadir districts…
…then we best go into this by hitting the ground running.
"…Minus 5X on both sides…divide and…X=3?" Riley looked to Milo for confirmation.
"Yeah! Exactly!" Milo happily answered to Riley's excitement.
"Oh my god, this is so easy!"
"See what happens when you push yourself?"
"Yeah and…I have an awesome tutor to boot."
Milo nodded before understanding what she said, to which he then turned red some. "A-anyway, what was the next one?"
Nico, roaming the bookshelves, overheard them from a distance and quietly smirked, glad they were getting along despite the previous day. Riley was obviously not for this tutoring stuff, yet in 24 hours, her opinion about it seems to have completely flipped. He figured they talked over the situation from before at some point and squashed whatever was between them, so it was nice to see them acting as they were; it certainly would give Sierra some peace of mind, he was sure of.
He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, so he popped his head out of the shelves of books to ensure that neither the librarian nor the teacher assigned to oversee them noticed him. He then disappeared between the shelves again and pulled it out. Looking at the ID, he was surprised to see his grandfather calling him.
"Hello…?" Nico tried to whisper.
"Nico, listen closely; I need you to do me a favor…"
Nico sensed concern in his grandfather's voice and listened intently to what he had to say. In the meantime, Riley was jotting down the answer to the Homework assignment's last problem and leaned back to stretch. Milo was doing the same but paused momentarily as a thought crossed his mind. Before he could get it out, Riley turned to him.
"Hey, I was wondering about something…."
"Yeah?"
"I remember," she sat up, "you said you came from a family of academics; do you have any siblings?"
Milo blinked, "Just two half-siblings from my mother's previous marriage."
"Mhmm…" Riley nodded, understanding. "Are they nice?"
"My older Sister is…My Brother, though… the thing is, I never met my Dad. He died when I was about 2 or 3 years old. Because of that, my Brother has filled that role to help my Mom out. He's very strict and aggressive, claiming it's for our good. I'm sure he does it because he's a control freak…and has to have things his way.
Riley listened and reflected as Milo spoke about his family. She was prompted to speak, "My family…my parents were just like that when it came to my sister and me."
"You have a sister?" Milo turned.
"Had a sister…." Riley replied. Before continuing, she felt her throat tighten a little. "She…" she cleared her throat. "y'know…"
Milo nodded, understanding what she was trying to say. "Sorry for your loss…"
"Yeah…" Riley wiped away an escaped tear, "Same to you…."
After a moment or two, Milo asked her again, "Is that the reason why you're living with Sierra…?"
"Long story short, it's a favor from my uncle. He didn't have the means to care for me and my parents…it was either Sierra or a mental facility." She chuckled when she saw Milo's face go pale. "TMI?"
Milo hesitated and quickly shook his head. "No-no-no, it's just…I never imagined you had it so rough…."
"Can I be honest about something…?" She asked.
Milo nodded, unsure what she was going to say.
She bit her lip, feeling her nerves getting to her. She took a deep breath and took the plunge…
"Freedom!" Nico exclaimed as the trio made their way out of the library. Even though detention was only an hour long, the librarian allowed them to hang out a bit longer to study. Though now that it was 5 PM, the faculty were beginning to leave and lock up save for Milo's mom.
"Don't you still have to go to work?" Riley pointed out to Nico.
Nico's enthusiasm flipped upon her mention of that, his cheers turning into groans. "You'll keep me company, though?"
"Ha!" She exclaimed. "Yeah, no. Miranda's lurking, so I'll pass."
"And you know my story so…" Milo shrugged. "I'll catch you guys later."
"You sure you'll be okay waiting by yourself?" Riley asked.
"Yeah, I'm going straight to her office. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Milo waved.
Riley nodded and gave a smile back. "See you tomorrow. And thanks for your help."
Milo smiled with his rosy cheeks. "Anytime."
Nico smirked and put his arm around Riley. "Come on, before we end up in more trouble."
"Personal space, idiot!" she reacted, pushing him off.
Nico chuckled as they walked on while Milo's smile slowly regressed into a neutral expression. He turned and headed to the next floor above them, where his mother's office was. He couldn't help but notice the dead silence in the hallways, starkly contrasting with the bustling hallways during regular hours. The hallways seemed so much broader and longer. The setting sun didn't help things either in terms of lighting.
As he got closer to the office, he stopped upon hearing a buzzing sound. Looking behind him, he saw the spacious hallway he'd just walked through. Senses heightened, he slowly took more steps forward, and just as slowly did the buzzing grow. He stopped short, just barely passing a classroom door.
The buzzing also stopped.
Taking a deep breath, his gut-directed legs about faced.
Step.
The classroom door behind him suddenly blew past behind him, crashing into the wall adjacent to him, stirring sawdust and coating the floor in window glass. Like a signal, he sprinted as fast as he could, giving his brain one single command to adhere to:
Run!
From the ruins of the doorway came Snimon, its scythe-like appendages hooking along the door frame while its feet crunched along the glass beneath it. Barry followed behind it, looking in both directions. Snickering, Snimon hissed in the direction that Milo escaped, changing his mood. "After him." he began to run, Snimon following obediently behind him.
Though the safety of his mother kept trying to pry into his head, Milo kept focused on his objective. He got back down to the second floor and raced all the way to the end of it, where the cafeteria was. As he got closer, the buzzing grew, motivating him to push his aching legs further.
Getting in, he quickly formulated a plan and dove beneath a lunch table. As he figured after a minute, Barry blew the doors down once again, taking the chance to have his monster bug scan the room.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are~…" Barry taunted. "There's no one to save you, so make it easy on yourself!"
Snimon smacked a table out of its way, sending it crashing on one end of the room. Milo scurried beneath another table as Snimon knocked another one aside.
"Oh, come on!" he growled. "Don't you dare punk out on me! I know you're in here!" He grabbed a chair and flung it angrily. "Getting me suspended…you thought I'd let that slide? Learn your place on the food chain!"
After Snimon knocked over another table, Barry halted it. Scanning the room, there was nothing but silence present. If threatening him wasn't going to work, he thought maybe baiting him would. "Fine then. If you won't come out, I'll just go after your girlfriend."
Milo hesitated, nearly reacting. He anchored himself in place. Nico was with her, so there was no issue there. Plus, he was confident that she could handle Barry. He was nothing but hot air underneath his ugly scowl, after all…
Barry gritted his teeth, realizing that didn't work.
"MILO!" Principal Richardson's voice echoed, contracting Milo's stomach and giving Barry an incredible idea. "Milo, are you in here?!"
"Mom, don't!" Milo screamed, scrambling from underneath the table. He made direct eye contact with Barry while Snimon turned its attention to the unsuspecting Principal, who froze in place upon entering the vast space.
"Gotcha!" Barry exclaimed, charging Milo, while Snimon went after Principal Richardson.
A mix of terrified screams was followed by an intense wind expelled from the center of the room. Snimon was blindsided and immediately turned to data, while Barry was knocked on his butt, his face cut by the razor-sharp wind that did in his bug. Confused and angered, his gaze snapped forward, with Milo standing, a fire in his eyes, tears down his face, and his D-Streamer raised and ready. Barry stood and took Milo's challenge head-on, activating his device. He grew excited, as he could tell that Milo was angry.
And what prey is better than one who thinks it's angry enough to escape?
"DIGI-GATE: OPEN!" They both exclaimed, triggering their devices to set the destroyed cafeteria as their battlefield…
"I'll start by hatching Minomon!" Barry declared, summoning the bagworm Digimon to his side.
Minomon (BT3-004)
Color: Green
Level: 2
"Minomon will then digivolve into Kokabuterimon; then I will play Ken Ichijoji from my hand and end my turn."
Minomon followed its appearance by transforming into a blue child-sized insectoid Digimon with a yellow scarf around its neck. In addition, a teenage tamer with a navy-colored bowl cut and grey uniform appeared.
Kokabuterimon (ST9-07)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Ken Ichijoji (BT3-094)
Color: Green
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change: Milo)
"You're move, punk…." Barry egged him on.
Milo drew and immediately went into action, "I hatch Koromon, who'll then digivolve into Agumon!"
Agumon appeared in a stream of yellow binary, hissing and growling, imitating Milo's budding fury.
Koromon (BT4-003)
Color: Yellow
Level: 2
Agumon (BT2-033)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 3000
"Next, I play Hawkmon, revealing the top 4 cards of my deck to take one two-colored red card from among them!" Milo continued, summoning Hawkmon onto his side.
Hawkmon (BT8-009)
Color: Red
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
4-1
Hawkmon spread its wings, summoning the four cards: Halsemon, GeoGreymon, Static Force, and Salamon. Milo took Halsemon and swiped it almost immediately. "Hawkmon, Armor Digivolves into Halsemon!"
Hawkmon, upon receiving the red and blue streams of binary, leaned forward and transformed into a muscular griffin-like Digimon armed with a winged-white helmet. Rather than screeching like a bird, it roared like a lion, further exciting Barry.
Halsemon (BT8-026)
Color: Blue/Red
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
1-1 (Turn Change: Barry)
"Let me guess; you're copying Kaden, right? Using Armor Digimon?"
"What's it to you what I use?" Milo snapped as Ken set Barry's Memory to 3
MEMORY
1-3
"Learn to stand on your own feet, kid. Like I told you before," he drew and moved Kokabuterimon forward, "You ain't going to have them to hide behind forever! I digivolve Kokabuterimon into Kabuterimon and Security Attack!"
Kokabuterimon embraced the green binary and transformed into a giant, blue, almost skeletal bug Digimon with a grey-horned helmet and tattered bug wings.
Kabuterimon (EX1-035)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
3-1
To Milo's surprise, Kabuterimon flew up close to the room's ceiling and hissed as a ring of green binary expanded around it.
"Kabuterimon's effect: When attacking, it can digivolve further into an Insectoid type Digimon from my hand. Kabuterimon digivolves into MegaKabuterimon and continues its attack!"
Kabuterimon dove as the green binary ring encased it like a cocoon, breaking apart to reveal crimson armor plating covering it now. It charged its electrical attack and crashed into Milo's side, stirring up digital smoke around him.
MegaKabuterimon (ST4-11)
Color: Green
Level: 5
DP: 7000
Milo
Security: 5-4
MEMORY
1-2 (Turn Change: Milo)
From the digital dust came Cody, standing before Milo in a protective stance against MegaKabuterimon. The gesture of the tamer made Barry crack up. "Leave it to one punk to protect the other…."
Milo gritted his teeth and stood straight. Cody took note and moved beside Milo. "Is that all you've got…?"
Barry stopped laughing to focus on Milo as he drew. "What did you say?"
"Agumon moves out…." Milo said as his Digimon moved ahead. "I said, is that all you've got?"
"I heard you the first time." Barry snarled, "My question is, why do you still think you can just—!"
"It's my Mother, isn't it…?" Milo looked at Barry. "That's why you've been targeting me? Because I'm her son, right?"
Barry didn't answer, his glare only tightening. Milo exhaled sharply and threw a glare back at him. "You're dead! Halsemon attack MegaKabuterimon!"
Barry grinned, "You idiot, I'm stronger!"
"So you think!" Milo countered. "Cody suspends to deplete MegaKabuterimon's DP by 2000!"
Barry's eyes darted to his bug monster as Halsemon launched itself into the air. Cody raised his arms, and a ring of yellow binary wrapped around MegaKabuterimon.
Halsemon: 5000 DP
MegaKabuterimon: 7000-5000 DP
"Go! Tempest Wing!" Milo shouted, causing Halsemon to spin rapidly in a drill-like motion, connecting to the immobilized MegaKabuterimon. As it drilled, MegaKabuterimon, with the last of its strength, conjured a ball of electricity from its horn and headbutted Halsemon, lighting the ceiling up and shaking the room. While no physical damage was done, the vibrations were accurate enough.
Hawkmon tumbled back down, weakened but successful in taking out Barry's lead. Milo, though, wasn't done. "Agumon digivolves into GeoGreymon, and then into RizeGreymon, whose effect will allow me to play the Dual Tamers Tai and Kari from my hand!"
Agumon roared, being able to embrace the yellow binary streams, transforming it into RizeGreymon. Following its grand transformation came the Tamers Tai and Kari, joining alongside Cody and Hawkmon. They all stood in defiance of Barry, who was too angry to feel overwhelmed.
GeoGreymon (BT2-035)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 4000
RizeGreymon (BT2-038)
Color: Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 7000
Tai Kamiya and Kari Kamiya (BT9-084)
Color: Red/Yellow
MEMORY
2-0
0-3 (Turn Change: Barry)
Barry drew and hatched another Minomon. "So what if that was true?"
Milo's eyes widened.
"Principal Richardson would never cut me a break…" he said, digivolving Minomon into the ladybug Digimon known as Tentomon. "No matter the situation, I was always the one getting thrown under the bus, always the one at fault…!"
Tentomon (EX1-033)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"Are you serious?" Milo was almost in disbelief, "you're upset because you got in trouble? For things you're responsible for?!"
"Are you kidding me?" Barry barked. "I'm talking about before you ever set foot in this place! Back when I was a naïve squirt like you, who let others drag me along in their stupid crap!"
Milo paused. "I'll never be like you!"
"Oh, but I'd say you're already on your way…" Barry chuckled tauntingly as his Tentomon digivolved into a grotesque red beetle called Kuwagamon. "I end by playing JP Shibayama from my hand and end," Barry concluded, summoning a hefty Tamer in a blue and yellow jumpsuit.
Kuwagamon (EX1-037)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 5000
JP Shibiyama (BT7-089)
Color: Green
MEMORY
3-1
1-2 (Turn Change: Milo)
As Cody ticked the counter up due to Rize's presence, Milo went to draw.
MEMORY
2-3
Barry, however, had more to say. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Figured what out?!" Milo snapped.
"That what I'm doing is for your own good," Barry stated.
"M-My own good—No! No, ju—shut up! Just shut up already! Nothing you say will make up for what you've done!"
"Trust me; it will," Barry insisted. "I'll save you from your demented way of thinking…"
"…SCREW YOU!" Milo roared angrily as his Koromon hatched. After it digivolved into Salamon, Milo took a card from his hand and slammed it onto his device, "BURN HIM DOWN, CRIMSON DRAGON OF LIGHT!"
RizeGreymon roared with as much fury as Milo had, ferociously into ShineGreymon.
ShineGreymon (BT4-020)
Color: Red
Level: 6
DP: 11,000
MEMORY
3-0
"Security Attack!" Milo declared. "Tai and Kari suspend to give your Security Digimon -2000 DP! And since my tamer is suspended, ShineGreymon gains Security Attack +1!"
Barry crossed his arms in defense of the dragon warrior. ShineGreymon conjured the sun-like orbs in its hands and cast them onto Barry, where his Security appeared to intercept. The first one to appear was MetalKabuterimon, who melted almost immediately.
ShineGreymon: 11,000
MetalKabuterimon: 6000-4000 DP
Barry
Security: 5-4
The second one broke and reformed, the Digimon diving down the masses of heat and diving directly for Hawkmon. Milo gasped in shock as Hawkmon was left paralyzed.
"Security Trigger: Snimon to the Battle Area." Barry declared as his partner Digimon returned to his side, buzzing about as before. The sight of it only made Milo angrier.
Snimon (ST9-10)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 4000
Barry
Security: 4-3
With no other options to attack, Milo digivolved Hawkmon into Dinohyumon and ended things there for the time being, on the notion that the 5000 DP would raise its survivability.
Dinohyumon (BT8-037)
Color: Red/Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 6000
MEMORY
0-2 (Turn Change: Barry)
2-3
Barry drew his card and took a moment to reflect on his situation. He looked to Milo to convey his thoughts, "I'm not the villain here…."
"Yes, you are!" Milo replied sharply. "You get off on terrorizing those around you, and you blame my mother for doing her job to keep everyone else safe!"
"If she actually did her job, do you think we'd be in this situation?!" Barry roared.
"YES!" Milo shot back. "Because you're a disgusting human being who doesn't deserve sympathy!"
Barry went quiet upon Milo's exclamation. Shock and realization sprawled across his face as reality set in for him. Milo was seething to understand how deep his words cut through Barry. Barry himself couldn't believe his reaction either.
Milo, though, was far from done.
"You understand? You're twisted thinking only hurts others. And you'll continue to hurt others as long as you act the way you do!"
"…What the hell do you know?!" Barry hissed.
"Yeah, that's true…what do I know?" Milo chuckled. "After all, I'm just a dumb kid who lets others string me along…
…Just like you, right?"
A tear escaped Barry before he roared voraciously. "KUWAGAMON!"
His large red beetle matched his ferocious tone as it stomped forward and clapped its pincers together. Barry's blood was racing, and the adrenaline was hijacking his system. As the tunnel vision developed, there was only one thing he wanted more than anything:
Milo's head.
"When JP Digivolves, the digivolution cost of the card is reduced by 1!" Barry stated, signaling JP to get ready. "MetalKabuterimon also sets its cost to 2 when digivolving onto a Tamer! You see where I'm going with this, don't you?!"
Milo did and took a stance as such.
"JP Spirit Digivolves into MetalKabuterimon!" Barry exclaimed, causing the husky tamer to whip out his blue and yellow Digivice and hold it skyward. Green binary expelled from the small screen and wrapped around him, transforming him into a tank-like beetle Digimon akin to a Kabuterimon. Instead of bug legs, it rolled along the cafeteria floor on treads, claws were replaced with turrets, and its horn was a cannon.
MetalKabuterimon (BT7-047)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 6000
MEMORY
3-2
"MetalKabuterimon, blast Dinohyumon to smithereens!" Barry ordered, his Digimon locking in place and taking aim.
MetalKabuterimon: 6000 DP
Dinohyumon: 5000 DP
With no way of defending itself, Dinohyumon was left victim to the electrified plasma barrage unleashed upon it. Milo reactively shielded himself as his Digimon was torn apart. However, to his surprise, the barrage was so intense that his Security reacted, intercepting the barrage and revealing the Aquilamon hidden underneath, who was also eaten away at.
Milo
Security: 4-3
Barry cackled in triumph, "Did I forget to mention? JP gives my Digimon piercing!"
Milo wasn't pleased to hear that.
"Ken suspends since I defeated your Digimon in battle and survived, gaining back my spent Memory.
MEMORY
2-3
"Next, I digivolve Kuwagamon into MegaKabuterimon once more…and play the Option Card Hidden Potential Discovered!"
Milo tensed hard. That card could have his Digimon turn into something ridiculous for no cost whatsoever. With Snimon suspending per its effect, the transforming Kuwagamon briefly shifted into the MegaKabuterimon silhouette but continued to reshape and morph.
"Now then, tremble before the might of the Ancient Monarch of Insects: AncientBeetlemon!" He slammed the card onto his device, causing the room to ignite in green light. Milo was overwhelmed by the brightness and sounds, Barry's cackling barely audible due to the intense display. Once everything died down and Milo was able to refocus, his breath was taken away by the massive chimeric insect creature that nearly reached the ceiling.
Its top half resembled that of Beetlemon and MetalKabuterimon, the navy-blue and yellow kabuto beetle exoskeleton reminiscent of their kind, armed with large falx on each upper limb and spikes and wings across its back. Where it lacked eyes on its upper body, its lower, crimson-clad stag beetle body compensated and was lined with three armored legs on each side of its torso, it let out a distinct, insect-like hum that gave off a deep, otherworldly tone.
AncientBeetlemon (BT7-054)
Color: Green
Level: 6
DP: 13,000
MEMORY
3-0
Barry kept his eyes trained on Milo's speechless expression and counted the seconds it took for fear to fully encapsulate his opponent before raising his hand. "Crush him."
AncientBeetlemon's low hum turned abruptly into a loud screech, strong enough to shatter the remaining unbroken windows into shards. Setting its sights on ShineGreymon, it pulled its arms back, forcing the dragon to grab its flax on each side to avoid being crushed.
AncientBeetlemon: 13,000 DP
ShineGreymon: 11,000 DP
Once again, Milo was forced to watch as Barry overtook the situation. As hard as it tried, ShineGreymon's agonizing cries did little to empower it as the intense pressure won. ShineGreymon was cut clean in half and dispersed in an explosion of binary, leaving Milo's field barren sans the Salamon in his Raising and Tamers, who were just as powerless.
As if that wasn't enough, Milo's security unexpectedly appeared. "Not piercing…!"
"Nope," Barry clarified, "Y'see, when AncientBeetlemon deletes one of your Digimon, the top of your Security is trashed!"
"What?!" Milo reacted as his Security shattered instantly, making him topple back, revealing Wyvern's Breath.
"MegaKabuterimon's IE effect is the same thing!" Barry continued another Security of Milo's shattering apart, digging Milo deeper into a disadvantageous state.
Milo
Security: 3-1
Seeing Silphymon slide into his trash broke his heart. His emotions were turned upside down, and his mind was racing. How much longer did he have to suffer like this…?
When was this nightmare going to end…?
"I end by digivolving MetalKabuterimon into RhinoKabuterimon for a reduced cost of 1 since it's digivolving off of a Hybrid," Barry stated, transforming his bug tank into a Kabuterimon variant that had a distinctly prehistoric look to it, similar to its ancient variant without the chimeric appearance.
RhinoKabuterimon (BT7-051)
Color: Green
Level: 5
DP: 8000
MEMORY
0-1 (Turn Change: Milo)
Milo went to draw, but his shaky hand couldn't keep steady. Nerves shot, his arm limped on his side, and he collapsed onto his knees, defeated. He was done fighting…
MEMORY
1-3 (Turn Change: Barry)
"Heroes don't exist…" Barry stated, taking over the turn by drawing. "Only narcissists that get off on the praise they receive. They get to dictate how things are spun, propping themselves on pedestals while painting others as the villains…."
Milo kept his head down as AncientBeetlemon shattered his last security. He couldn't be bothered to look up at it.
Milo
Security: 1-0
"I became a villain not by choice but because I was forced into the role. Principal Richardson, Kaden Grant… all those who didn't give a damn to hear my side of the story!" Barry's voice broke as tears began to stream. So I decided…if they make me the villain, I'll play along! I'll crush anyone and everything they hold dear to prove their 'heroism' is nothing but crap! Snimon, Direct Attack!"
Milo looked up as Snimon began to approach. He didn't say anything, exhaustion taking control of his state. As Snimon overshadowed him, Milo saw the blade rise in the air, to which he closed his eyes and exhaled.
"…damn this was a chore…."
As before, explosions of gusts suddenly erupted, blowing away the Snimon into binary once more and blowing Barry onto his back, along with any nearby debris. Stunned and confused, Barry forced himself up, head spinning, and took a minute to understand what he was staring at.
The low growl of the monster standing behind Milo radiated in the atmosphere; a giant foxlike beast with a black and navy-colored body lined with purple crisscross patterns all over it, its nine tails whipped loosely and flowed about while its silver mane and amethyst spiral fangs glistened. Barry took longer to process what the monster was, caught in sheer disbelief as Milo stood and rolled his neck.
"God…" Milo said, his mood suddenly shifting drastically. Gone was his timid and stressed persona, replaced by someone exhausted and nothing else. "Any more of your crappy sob story, and I think I would've blown it sooner."
Barry blinked. A twisted smile crossed his face, and he began to laugh hysterically. "So I didn't imagine things…! You have it, too, don't you?"
Milo raised his brow, looked at his monster, and back at Barry, "What do you think?"
Barry laughed, reflecting on the situation, "How does it feel? To have such power in your hands?"
"We're nothing alike," Milo reiterated.
"Oh? Then why—!"
"Because if we were…" Milo interjected, "Then I wouldn't be doing this favor for Dexter in the first place."
Barry's voice caught. "What favor?"
"Setting him free from you," Milo said plainly.
"…What?!" Barry was in such disbelief that he was too confused to be angry.
"Since this will be the last time we see each other, let me fill you in. "Just like you, Dexter gave me the program needed to pull Digimon from Omnia, and Rasenmon here craves negative emotions. So to pull this off, I've had to create a situation where he could grow strong enough to cross over on his own from Omnia."
Barry was able to come to terms with that. It explained why Milo lashed out against him during the lunch period and got him and the others in trouble, not to mention the situation they're in now…
"To be honest, I didn't think I had to push my acting skills as far as I did," Milo continued. I mean, the first time took some guilt on my part and a name to set Rasenmon off the first time around.
"What the hell are you on about—!" His eyes widened as another thought crossed his mind suddenly. "…Mr. Dawson…?"
Milo grew a sadistic grin upon Barry's realization, walking to the side and leaving a clear path for his beast to get to Barry. "I managed to get rid of Riley's issue, and now you'll be gone as well.
"W—what? You can't! You need me!" Barry exclaimed.
"Do I?" Milo glared. "Because from what I can tell, I'm sitting right where I need to be on the 'food chain.'" With a snap of his fingers, the mysterious Digimon known as Rasenmon lashed out, causing Barry to scream in terror. He stumbled to his feet and bolted out of the cafeteria door. However, the sight of Principal Richardson's unconscious body froze him. That allowed the monster to use one of its nine tails to retrieve Barry's ankle and yank him back into the room.
"NO! LET GO OF ME! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Barry's cries only left unanswered echoes as he desperately clawed the tiles underneath him.
Milo sat on a nearby table and watched as Rasenmon opened a digital gate behind it. "I don't need Kaden, or you for that matter. I have the power to be a hero on my own. I don't need saving…"
Barry's cries grew more desperate upon realizing what was happening. "NOOOO! GET THE HELL OF ME! NOOOO! PLEASE, SOMEONE!"
"This is goodbye, Barry Marshall," Milo told him, drawing his desperate victim's attention. "Your reign of terror ends here…"
Barry gritted his teeth as he lost feeling in his lower body. "No matter what you say…you're no different from me…."
Milo smirked as he kept insisting on that thought. "Die with that thought in mind…."
Barry uttered one more forceful cry as he was finally dragged through the gate into the unknown. Once it closed, Milo jumped from the table and felt the exhaustion ram him hard. It was finally over, for now. First Dawson…and now Barry.
Who would've thought a defective program would do him so much good when needed?
As he began to move, a slight fizzling sound reverberated behind him, grabbing his attention. From the building pillar of the purple binary appeared Dexter and Dracmon. Milo looked at the pair with a neutral expression while the pair were grinning from ear to ear.
"I can't believe you did it…finally!" Dexter ran up to Milo.
As he reached out, Milo smacked his hand away. "A deal's a deal. I held up my end of the bargain."
"And I'm still working on gathering that information!" Dexter stepped back, sensitive to Milo's intimidation. "Just need a little longer…"
"Yeah, kid, don't rush." Dracmon snickered. "STREAM Corp's security is heavily guarded. We would have to stage an actual assault on their servers to get the info you are dying to get."
"Yeah, well, the sooner, the better. I don't like hanging onto baseless theories."
"You have my word…" Dexter nodded.
"Now then, if you'll excuse me…." Dracmon cracked his knuckles, "That big oaf made a mess of things all over the school, so I need to really make this look like an accident."
"Just don't blow it up. The last thing I need is for my Mom to—!" Milo paused as he finally turned out towards the hallway. Seeing her lifeless body on the ground, the grim realization that she may've been caught in Rasenmon's winds sent him flying to her side. "MOM!"
He slipped and crashed onto the floor, feeling something wet beneath him. Ignoring it, he went to shake her awake, only to realize the deep red color covering his fingers. His heart sank into his stomach as he began to shake her forcefully. "MOM, MOM, WAKE UP! MOM!"
His mother was unresponsive, head thrown back, continuing to ooze blood; he was beside himself.
This wasn't happening; this couldn't be happening…!
Why was this happening?!
He didn't want to check for a pulse. Shaking violently, desperation on both ends of his psyche tugged at him until he pressed his fingers at the base of her neck and waited…
…And waited…
…And waited.
He didn't want to pull back. Once again, desperation tugged at him until he accepted the results. He pulled back his shaky, blood-stained hand and stared as revelations submitted him to a new wave of emotions…
…Until he finally broke…
