DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.
Digimon Continuity
Quest for the Digimon
Chapter 23
The Trick to Biomerging
:. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane
DRAGOON
04:51 PM JST
DIGIVOLUTION
"Renamon! Digivolve!!..."
"Guilmon! Digivolve!!..."
"Terriermon! Digivolve!!..."
Three orbs of blue, red and green surrounded each Digimon respectively. Strikedramon suddenly let out a feral roar, and light consumed him as well. Almost unwillingly, Cyberdramon emerged, just as the other Digimon did.
"Kyuubimon!!"
"Growlmon!!"
"Gargomon!!"
"Go Kyuubimon!!" Rika told her partner. "Let's show him!"
There may have been a hint of doubt in Kyuubimon's eyes, but Rika knew that she had the very same one. How were they supposed to defeat the Sovereign with only Champions and one out of control Ultimate? Even with three Ultimates at that time, none of them stood a chance. Even with SaintGargomon, the Sovereign still stood. It was next to impossible.
But not impossible. And even if it is, we have to try! Rika thought in determination. Kyuubimon, following her orders to the letter, leapt at Zhuqiaomon.
"Alright, Gargomon, you heard her!" Henry agreed.
"Say no more! Gargo Lasers!!"
"Growlmon!-" Takato began.
"Right, Takato! Pyro Blaster!!"
"Fox Flame Dragon!!"
"Desolation Claw!!"
Multiple bullets, a giant fireball, a blue dragon, and a lot of data-erasing attacks shot from the four Digimon... all of them impacted on Zhuqiaomon with no effect at all. Rika bit her lip.
"HAHAHA! Even though I am injured, such puny attacks can do not harm to me!"
"He's right, guys. What do we do?" Henry asked in worry.
"We fight!" came her reply.
"We Modify," Ryo said. Rika thought she heard anger in the tone, but brushed it away. She was feeling the same way.
"Okay Growlmon!" Takato told his partner. "Try this. Digi-Modify! Devil's Chip!! Activate!!"
"... Boost Chip!! Activate!!"
"... Offence Plug-In A!! Activate!!"
Ryo however, did not take his own suggestion. He merely stared at his D-Power, unmoving. What the hell is he doing?!
Ryo stared at his D-Power, only half aware of what was going on around him. All his attention was inward. In the recesses of his heart.
Ryo was angry. Angrier than he had ever remembered. Ryo felt as though some part of him were missing, and without that part, concentrating on the battle was impossible. Everything seemed blurry to him, even the prospect of death. He did not understand. Why was he feeling this way? What had suddenly sapped the determination to fight, to survive out of him?
Ryo looked up, where the enhanced attacks of the other three were being dished out on Zhuqiaomon with no effect whatsoever. Cyberdramon was simply thrusting Desolation Claws everywhere, hitting practically everything in front of him but Zhuqiaomon. He seemed to be in a rage. It was easily explainable by the presence of the Sovereign. But what was not explainable was why he was so inaccurate. Especially in a rage, Cyberdramon was next to a hundred percent accurate. It were almost as though he reflected what Ryo was feeling inside, the unwillingness to commit his everything into the battle...
... In a sense, he is...
Cyberdramon was a part of him, as was he a part of Cyberdramon. Ryo could feel Cyberdramon's frustration at missing. He could also feel that he was the cause of it. Nothing else. A part of Zhuqiaomon's Crimson Blaze attack exploded against the ground beside him, fragments flew and barely missed him. He heard someone shout his name. He wanted to reply, but found himself cut off from his body. He could not move, he could not do anything... but one thing.
Ryo had to solve what was wrong inside. Something inside was very, very wrong. He had to find out what that was.
Ryo ventured deep inside himself, where he was cut off from everything around him, completely oblivious. If he died at that moment, he wouldn't have noticed. But Ryo pushed that thought aside, and continued to venture deeper into himself.
It felt like exploring something new. He had kept so many things locked inside that he had forgotten them. Now he watched them again, recent scenes that he deemed embarrassing, or some that he thought as irrelevant while roughing it out in this world during his year here alone with only Cyberdramon. Ryo had already forgotten that he was in the midst of the battle, so engrossed in his own mind was he.
It had been forever since he had last reached into the realms of his mind and actually looked. There was so much that he had hidden, even from himself, so much that he had dared not face. The Chosen's betrayal, ENIAC's lies, Millenniummon were only a few of them. He looked, and remembered the good times he had as well. When he had pushed aside all memories of his past to start anew in the Tamer's world, he had also pushed away the good memories.
Memories of he and the other Chosen laughing together at just a silly joke, playing pranks. That was a part of him that he had locked himself from to maintain the image of the 'Legendary Tamer' and also to protect himself from the painful memories that were to follow. The part of him that truly knew what was the definition of fun, the part of him that didn't mind looking silly in front of his friends, so long as they were happy. Ryo realised that he missed that part of him.
Then, he remembered why he had ventured into his mind in the first place, and continued on, promising to return to these memories again. Suddenly, Ryo was pulled out of the trance he put himself in and thrust back into reality when something bumped into him.
His vision went black.
He could not see anything. Feel anything. Say anything. But he was conscious. Ryo still didn't understand what was going on. It had always been like this. He was always left in the dark... How ironic that I am in nothing but darkness now... Ryo thought sadly.
Suddenly, a voice spoke. An impossible voice. One that should not still exist. He turned around, and saw the very last thing he ever wanted to see in any world, even one full of darkness.
Millenniummon.
And he was smiling.
Ryo hated it when a bad guy was smiling.
"AKIYAMA!! Wake up you son of a-"
"RIKA! Now is not the time to curse!"
Rika Nonaka pulled her death glare away from an unconscious Ryo Akiyama, who had somehow became the way he was when she threw herself at him to get him out of harm's way. Why was he that way, she had no idea. But that did not stop her from doing the one thing she had always wanted to do for a very very long time.
She kicked him... hard.
...
No response.
"Ugh!" She turned to Henry. "Now is the perfect time to curse, Henry!! Akiyama is out and we are fighting a losing battle!-"
It was true in every sense. Growlmon and Gargomon were getting pummelled, while Kyuubimon was tiring from the amount of dodging she had to do. DRAGOON was doing all he could to help, but it was not much either. He could not use the Yuggoth Blaster too much, and the few times he did was countered by a Crimson Blaze. The attack was deleted of course, but before DRAGOON's blast could reach Zhuqiaomon, it was already out of power.
"Crimson Blaze!!" Fire shot from Zhuqiaomon's mouth, and Kyuubimon barely avoided the attack. Zhuqiaomon seemed to be taking pleasure in it.
"-See what I mean?!" As if her usage of his actual name weren't enough, she had a desperate tone in her voice. Her sounding desperate would be motivation enough.
Henry frowned, worry clouding his expression. "There's nothing we can do! If just we could find a way to Biomerge again!"
"Ugh!!" Rika exclaimed in frustration.
"Rika, please calm down..." Takato asked calmly, the strained effort to do so glaringly obvious.
The said girl wished she could, but that was practically impossible right now. Akiyama, the most experienced and powerful Tamer at the moment, was out for the count. Cyberdramon was, for some reason, out as well. He had simply fallen like a ragged doll when Ryo lost consciousness... not that he was much help earlier anyway...
Immediately, Rika cursed herself. She should not think of her friends that way. Cyberdramon may not be the friendliest, but he was still her friend, as were everyone else. But how are we supposed to get out of this mess?
Rika glanced up just as Gargomon tried to send a Power Pummel attack at Zhuqiaomon, standing on DRAGOON in a good liking of Dukemon on Grani while DRAGOON attacked with Yuggoth Blaster.
Both attempts, even combined, failed miserably.
Growlmon charged his attack next. Rika sighed. It was obviously going to turn out to be the same.
"Pyro Blaster!!"
"Crimson Blaze!!"
Takato watched as fire met fire in a powerful display of force... then, the Sovereign's attack overwhelmed Growlmon's and the fire storm came his way. Growlmon had nothing to block against it other than to raise his arms defensively. The fire surged over him, scorching him despite his thick skin. Growlmon fell to his hands and knees, severely weakened by the attack.
"GROWLMON!!" Takato cried out. Pumped full of adrenaline, he was instilled with a sense of fearlessness. At that moment, fear and worry for Growlmon outshined everything else, causing Takato to abandon his projection of calm and run to Growlmon's side, even against the latter's protests. He only needed calm to think. And thinking was something he was incapable of when Growlmon was very much in danger of being deleted.
"NO!! Takato!!"
Zhuqiaomon snorted in amusement at the display... before unleashing his next attack directly at them. "Blazing Helix!!"
Hurriedly, DRAGOON interfered. "Yuggoth... Blaster!!"
The Yuggoth Blaster attack managed to stop the single blast that would have killed himself and Growlmon instantly, but it did not stop the rest of the attack from reaching the area around him.
"Takato!!" Multiple voices shouted before flame blocked Takato's view of their owners. Fire surrounded him and Growlmon, circling around them and isolating them from the others. DRAGOON was nowhere in sight. Takato didn't know if the former was deleted, and did not want to think about it. Panic filled him rapidly. Growlmon placed a paw over him to cover him from the fire's raging heat. Outside the circle of flame, Takato heard his friends protest.
"Zhuqiaomon! You are a no good, backstabbing, law breaking Sovereign for a Sovereign!!" Gargomon said.
"Yeah!" Henry agreed. "How could you?!"
Takato could see Zhuqiaomon up above from Growlmon's protective arms laugh at them. "HA! What can I not resort to?! Have you forgotten that my goal is to delete you?!"
There was silence. Takato knew why. The guys who were trying to delete you weren't usually so direct in their approach in the shows... but then again, this was real life, not the shows.
Takato grind his teeth. If just we can Biomerge, we will be able to at least stand a chance...
Zhuqiaomon chose to turn to them again. "Time to end this... permanently," the Sovereign said, opening his mouth as he charged a Crimson Blaze attack. There was nothing he or any of the others could do with out a guarantee of deletion. Nothing. They stood no chance. Takato looked around frantically, but all he could see was fire.
Will it end like this? Us in a corner? Unable to fight back? Zhuqiaomon wouldn't miss. We're like sitting ducks in the centre of a fire bullseye.
Rika and Henry screamed his and Growlmon's names, but Takato barely heard them. He wanted to say goodbye, he wanted to see his mother again, he wanted to apologise to his parents for letting them down, he wanted to apologise to Jeri that she had to suffer the grief of the deaths of more of her friends. There was so much he wanted to do, but couldn't. There was no hope. Nothing was left. Nothing.
"Crimson Blaze!!"
"Pyro Blaster!!" Growlmon still had fight in him, still wanted to try. Takato admired his parter for that. Trust Guilmon to still persevere when everything was obviously going to be deleted.
Zhuqiaomon's fire easily overwhelmed Growlmon's, like the first time Growlmon fought fire with fire with devastating results. The Crimson Blaze attack was coming... Takato held Growlmon's leg tight. Goodbye everyone...
He hated it when a bad guy smiled. It always said that the bad guy knew more than he did. Ryo did not know which was more infuriating, the smile, the fact that Millenniummon probably knew more than he did, or the fact that he was even seeing Millenniummon right now.
"Ryo..." Millenniummon's voice echoed, making it sound eerie. As if he weren't eerie enough...
"Millenniummon..." Ryo growled in return, his eyes narrowing. "... how is it possible that you are here?"
Millenniummon at that moment seemed to change from an invincible, indestructible monster to a child who had just been told he could not have his favourite toy. Ryo didn't buy it for one second.
"Why? Do you still hate me... after all this time?"
"What do you think?! That I was just going to forget everything that you have done?! Everything that you made everyone go through?! Everything you made me go through?! You're asking forgiveness from the wrong person, Millenniummon," Ryo said the last word with every ounce of hate he could master. "How do you expect me to forgive you, Millenniummon?! Tell me that!!"
Millenniummon's Kabuterimon-like head looked down, giving Ryo a feeling of power over the synthetic god Digimon. The feeling passed, followed by one of extreme surprise, when Monodramon materialised from the darkness.
Not just any Monodramon. The Monodramon he knew before the jogress ever took place. The original Monodramon. Ryo felt his eyes water. The way Monodramon stood, the way he shifted uncomfortably, nervously, always leaning on one leg... It is definitely Monodramon... without a doubt.
"Monodramon..." A familiar grin flashed on Monodramon's face, one that made Ryo feel nauseous. He felt bile in his throat and swallowed it. "How can it be you?"
It was Monodramon's turn to look disappointed, and this time, he felt a pang in his heart. There was so much he wanted to say, and he had to say the one thing that made Monodramon sad. Ryo mentally kicked himself. "It is me, Ryo..."
"That's great! You're back! After all this time! I missed you so much!!" Ryo exclaimed in happiness.
"I was here all along, Ryo. You just never noticed me. Both of us were here the whole time. You just ignored us."
"Monodramon... what are you saying?"
The said Digimon gave him a look that froze his insides. Monodramon was giving him the same cold stare that he gave enemies just when he was about to finish them off. "You know exactly what I am saying, Ryo. You don't trust me..."
"I-I don't understand."
"You know," was Monodramon's reply
"What do you mean? Monodramon, tell me!!" Ryo said in desperation.
Monodramon turned away from him, and began walking to Millenniummon. Ryo's eyes widened in shock. It completely went against what he knew of Monodramon. Monodramon's initial reaction would either be to run or to take a battle stance, not walk calmly toward their sworn enemy. All Ryo could do was watch, as everything he knew was flipped upside down.
...
Takato wondered what it would be like to be deleted. He remembered Leomon. Strangely, he felt at peace even though the thought of Leomon's death daunted him somewhat. To die peacefully... seemed like a nice idea...
"STUPID GOGGLEHEAD!! USE A DEFENSE PLUG-IN!!" Rika's voice cut through him like knife through paper.
His mind still drifted, wondering why Rika was disturbing his peace. But his body reacted to the words, grabbing a single card and swiping it through his D-Power. A hemisphere appeared around him and Growlmon, blocking the Sovereign's attack.
Takato snapped out of the state he was in, his mind going on full overdrive. It was like he had forgotten everything and was now remembering it bit by bit. He took everything that was happening back in again, and was finally thinking straight. What was I thinking, giving up like that?!
"Takato, we must Biomerge..." Guilmon said weakly. Guilmon? But I thought... Then he remembered. The Sovereign was relentless. With the extra power the shield needed to withstand that attack, he was surprised Guilmon wasn't his In-Training form.
"But we can't... Henry said-" He never got a chance to say what Henry had said.
"But why can't we try?!"
That was a very good question. Why couldn't they try? The shield wouldn't hold for much longer. He could already see the strain that the effort had on Guilmon. The latter was unable to stay on his feet, tripping sometimes while walking toward him. Plus, there was nothing left to lose.
Takato glanced outside the shield, where the fires raged and his friends called his name. Especially Rika. Takato heard her the clearest... mainly due to the fact that she was screaming insults at him, but that was her way to show worry. Her pride allowed her no other. He wanted to go out there. He needed to go out there and assure his friends that he was fine. He could not die today. He will not die today. Not if he still had something to say about it.
He turned to Guilmon, who offered him a goofy grin in return. Takato returned his gaze to the source of the fires, reassured.
What was it that allowed us to Biomerge anyway? Takato asked himself. It was true that he was not a deep thinker, but at these times... he was not really himself. It were as though everyone were part of him, Henry, Rika, Ryo, Terriermon, Renamon, Cyberdramon... and most of all, Guilmon. It felt as though he were god himself.
Was it Calumon? I don't think so... I think... that it is our bond with our partners... His past experiences with Guilmon flashed in his mind's eye, along with those of them being Dukemon together. I don't know why Henry and Rika couldn't... but I know... that we can. That is for sure.
"Guilmon!"
"Takato... I'm ready!" Guilmon answered, the eagerness in his voice overcoming the pain present.
Takato gave his partner a smile. "That's my boy." He turned back to the place where Zhuqiaomon was behind the shield. The protective hemisphere began to fade, and the fire began to slip in. But Takato wasn't faltered by that fact. He raised his D-Power, and shouted two words.
"BIOMERGE ACTIVATE!!"
Fire consumed the place he stood.
Ah... I love myself.
I am very proud of this chapter to be honest. Though I must also admit that exploring Ryo's mind like that was something I have never attempted before... nor thought of before. I never actually believed the day would come when I would write a scene like that.
And yes people who read B.C.'s works, I lifted the 'The Trick to (Something)' part from his Book Six.
Now, thanks to Winter-Skye-Phoenix and Matt Lans for reviewing. What do you think of Ryo's scene Winter? Take note that it is all in his head... And Lans... I myself honestly don't know what that 'something' is. XD Review again what you think of this chapter you guys!
Well, time to wrap this up. Read and review people!