DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon or any video games, books, films, TV shows or pieces of music referenced in this story. Original characters owned by me are stated in my profile.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Sanctuary
Sunday 14th November – 12:32p.m.
Digital World, Swamp Level
Ryo let out an exhausted sigh as his odd "hyper-link" with Cyberdramon finally broke off, returning his senses firmly to his own body. Taking a brief look around, the boy nodded in satisfaction as he saw that all of their enemies had been eliminated. A confused frown passed across his face as he saw Takato and Guilmon stood with Kazu, Cam and Henry looking equally exhausted.
Takato's back? Does that mean that Rika's…
The boy's expression quickly switched to an exuberant grin as he caught sight of the redhead stood with Jeri, Kenta and MarineAngemon, the latter of whom was currently unleashing a stream of healing bubbles on Leomon's wounds. A flash of light drew his attention to a newly-de-Digivolved Renamon, who made her way over to her Tamer with what looked like a smile, the two standing there in conversation for a few seconds before embracing each other in a sudden hug that left Kenta in open-mouthed shock.
I always knew she had her softer side… Ryo chuckled to himself, allowing the partners a few seconds to enjoy their moment before he called out to the girl.
"Hey there Wildcat! Mind if I join in?"
"Bite me, Akiyama!" she snapped in reply, her voice muffled by her partner's fur. A few seconds later, she pulled her face out of the kitsune's shoulder and fixed her nemesis with a glare as he walked slowly towards her.
"Good to have you back, Rika," he said with a genuine smile, knocking her off guard.
"Sarcasm from Mr Perfect?" she snorted and shook her head. "I never thought I'd see that happen…"
"I wasn't being sarcastic," he replied seriously, holding her confused gaze for a few seconds before flashing his trademark perfect grin. "Without you around I was stuck arguing with Kazu, and he doesn't share your razor-sharp wit!"
Rika snorted and shook her head again, apparently satisfied with the boy's answer. Without another word, she turned and began walking back towards the rest of the Tamers.
"Good old Rika," Ryo whispered to himself as he gazed at the swiftly-departing redhead.
"Don't push your luck," Jeri warned him with a brief giggle as she set off after her fried. "Rika may be a little clueless sometimes, but she's not stupid."
Ryo merely nodded and flashed her a tired smile as Kenta watched on oblivious. I, on the other hand, am not so oblivious, the older boy thought and leaned in to whisper to Kenta as he walked past.
"You sure picked a good one there," he chuckled as the green-haired boy's face turned red with embarrassment. "A word of warning, though – don't try sneaking off when it's my turn on watch if you don't want to be noticed."
"Rika, welcome back!" Cam shouted to the redhead as she approached the main body of Tamers and Digimon. "So, did you and Takato have fun while you were stuck out in the wilderness, all alone…?"
"Do you want me to break your arm?" She asked with a cold smirk, wiping the suggestive grin off of the tall boy's face. "And don't even start, Rabbitmon."
"Me?" Terriermon asked innocently. "What makes you think that little old me would ever mock you?"
"Experience?" Gaomon suggested with a nod to the redhead. "Good to see you again Rika, Takato. So, where have you been?"
"It's a long story," Rika replied with a sideways glance at Kazu, who was currently looking at the floor sheepishly. Is that…does Kazu have a black eye? she asked herself with a tiny smirk. I'll have to ask Jeri who to give the medal to…
"We should probably get moving," Takato suggested as he pulled himself to his feet. "We know a safe place where we can rest for the night. I'll tell you about it on the way."
"Then let's go," Cyberdramon growled from behind the group, Ryo stood by his side. "We should try to be clear of here before more of Zhuqiaomon's minions show up."
Forest Level, Sage's Valley – 5:01p.m.
"No way…" Kenta breathed as the Tamers passed through the entrance to Sage's Valley and were greeted by the breathtaking view of the perfect landscape.
"It's…it's beautiful…" Jeri whispered, subconsciously gripping his hand in her own. The brunette let go as soon as she realized what she had been doing, but fortunately, nobody apart from Rika, Renamon, Leomon and MarineAngemon (who had all been let in on the secret) had noticed.
"Beautiful doesn't begin to describe it," Ryo muttered as he gazed around at the verdant forest and breathtaking waterfall.
"It would certainly make for a pleasant hunting environment," Cyberdramon growled, drawing a surprised look from those Tamers and Digimon who dared to do so.
"Somebody's awfully talkative today," Gaomon remarked with a small grin.
"So, where's this Sage guy?" Kazu asked as he looked around, seeing no sign of the odd Digimon.
"Right here," a baritone voice replied with a hint of amusement as the hooded Digimon emerged from the forest. "You arrived earlier than I expected. Should I assume that your battle went well?"
"We kicked some butt, took some names – overall I'd say it went pretty awesome!" Terriermon cheered from atop his exhausted Tamer's head.
"You could have warned us using our bonds like that would tire us out so much," Rika growled, glaring tiredly at the dark-skinned figure from atop Kyubimon's back.
"I would have done if I had known it would happen," Sage responded with a wide grin. "But that's enough chatting! Let's get you something to eat."
After the mile-long walk down the path to Sage's Tree-house, the Tamers and Digimon sat down to a lavishly-prepared meal consisting of various meats, fishes and vegetables. The general atmosphere in the massive dining hall was overwhelmingly positive, the children and their partners in an excellent mood despite their exhaustion. Rika and Kazu, however, were pointedly not talking to each other, as were Kazu and Ryo. As the last of them finished their meal, the children and their broke up into small groups and began talking amongst themselves. Kazu dragged a reluctant Kenta away from his secret girlfriend to talk to him, Jeri and Leomon moving towards Rika and Renamon. Takato, Cam, Gaomon, Henry, Terriermon and Ryo formed into another group, seating themselves on a rug in front of the roaring fire. Guilmon and MarineAngemon lay down next to them, loud snores quickly emerging from their forms as they drifted into sleep. Meanwhile, Cyberdramon and Andromon (the latter of who still hadn't de-Digivolved) went outside for a breath of fresh air and some exercise.
"So, Kazu, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Kenta asked as he glanced at the entrance to the tree-house, desperate to return to Jeri.
"It's, uh…it's about Rika…" the taller boy said quietly. "I feel kinda…really bad about what I said to her and I, uh…don't know what to do."
"Oh, come on Kazu!" Kenta complained, eagerness to get back to his girlfriend's side making him much more terse than usual. "You need to man up and apologize to her!"
"Yeah, but how?"
"You just walk up to her and tell her you're sorry, you didn't mean what you said and ask her to forgive you. It's simple!"
"Really? Thanks, chumley!" Kazu cheered and clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "Where would I be without you?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"So, you and Kenta," Rika said quietly with a small smirk, enjoying her friend's discomfort. "You finally got together."
"Um, I thought you didn't go for all the 'girl talk'…" Jeri mumbled, blushing lightly.
"Normally I don't, but it's too much fun watching you squirm."
"Yeah, well…" the brunette's mouth snapped shut quickly as she saw Kazu approaching them hesitantly.
"Uh, h-hey Jeri, hey R-Rika," the boy stammered nervously, wincing as the redhead fixed him with her Number One Death Glare.
"What do you want?" she spat, using every ounce of her self-control not to leap on him and start breaking bones.
"I, uh…I just wanted to, um…" he mumbled, looking at the floor before meeting the girl's glare with a guilty look. "I wanted to say sorry for what happened back in the jungle. I mean, I was angry and I just said the first thing that came to mind – I felt so bad about it afterwards and I…I wanted you to know I didn't mean it."
Rika's glare softened slightly, downgrading to something closer to the 'normal' glare she used on the boy.
"So, uh…can you ever forgive me? I mean, I don't blame you if you can't, and I don't really deserve it, but-"
"No," the redhead said tersely, drawing a small gasp from Jeri and a sad shake of the head from Leomon. "At least, not yet. I might be able to forgive you one day, but…"
"Okay," Kazu nodded. "Thanks, Rika. I, uh…I'm sorry."
"One last thing," the girl called as he turned and began to walk away. "Who was it that gave you the black eye?"
"Uh, well, after you left I kinda thanked Ryo for stopping you from hitting me and…called you a psycho bitch, so he…um…"
"Ryo hit you? Ryo Akiyama, Mr Perfect – that Ryo?" Rika asked incredulously, a frown crossing her features as the boy nodded. As Kazu walked away, Rika glared out into the night, her face twisted into a mask of fury. "What the hell is wrong with Akiyama? Does he think I can't fight my own battles or something?"
The girl was so absorbed in her own outrage that she didn't see the odd look that flashed across Jeri's face – a look that said she knew the answer to all of those questions. Somebody else, however, did notice – a certain Digimon who was watching from across the room and possessed large enough ears to overhear the entire conversation.
Interesting… Terriermon thought as he switched his gaze between Jeri, Rika and Ryo. Very interesting…
About half an hour later, Takato had managed to convince Sage to retell the story of Nova Ragnarök for the benefit of the rest of the group, his own recollection of it being more than a little confused. As the hooded Digimon spoke, the Tamers and Digimon listened intently, Ryo and Henry obviously desperate to begin questioning him on certain aspects of the story. Most of their questions were similar to the ones asked by Rika, Takato and Guilmon, but some of them were a little more original.
"So, what happened to this X-Virus when Yggdrasil died?" Henry asked, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow.
"The destruction of Yggdrasil caused the X-Virus to deactivate," Sage replied. "The X-Antibody, however, is another matter. It still exists in many Digimon in varying levels of concentration. Andromon, for example, holds a rather high level of it."
"I do?" the android asked with a puzzled look. "Are you sure? How can you tell?"
"The X-Antibody causes a low level of mutation in a Digimon when it is present in high concentrations. Your Lightning Blade attack, for example, is very different to that of other Andromon. The structure of your missile launchers and the missiles themselves also show some slight variation. Gaomon also possesses a slightly-lower concentration of the antibody that only manifests itself at higher levels of Digivolution, and even then with only minor effects."
"Are there any dangers to having the X-Antibody?" Cam asked with a concerned glance at his partner.
"None at all. There are occasionally some advantages to carrying X, but mostly it has very little effect on a Digimon's life."
"Where did the antibody come from?" This was Ryo.
"We have no idea, but as with all things of this nature, there are theories. Some say Alphamon introduced it into the Digimon population, others that it was created by the last shreds of Yggdrasil's sanity as they tried to reassert themselves. Most tend to believe that it was a chance code mutation, however, as do I."
"Um, Sage?" Jeri began nervously. "What did you say that thing Zhuqiaomon used to make his army was called?"
"The Catalyst of Digivolution, but most people just referred to it as the Catalyst," the hooded Digimon replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Um, it's probably nothing, but when me and Leomon were being chased by Caturamon, he said something about 'the Catalyst is ours, now' and 'you can't have him back'."
"Pipipuhpipuhpipipipuhpi?" MarineAngemon squeaked as he floated into the air above his Tamer's shoulder.
"You think?" the green-haired boy asked with a frown. "I mean it's possible, but-"
"You wanna try filling the rest of us in?" Rika grumbled at the boy.
"Oh, right, sorry," Kenta replied sheepishly. "MarineAngemon was suggesting that when Caturamon was talking about the Catalyst, he could have been referring to Calumon."
"What?" Kazu spluttered and broke into laughter. "That's ridiculous! I mean, the cream puff being the power source of all Digivolution? Gimme a break!"
"What else could he have been talking about?" Leomon asked rhetorically. "The Devas knew that we came to the Digital World looking for Calumon. There is nothing else that I can think of that he could have been referring to."
"And it would explain the enormous power readings we detected when Calumon Bio-emerged," Henry mused as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Fascinating," Sage murmured and mirrored the boy's action. "Where is this 'Calumon' now?"
"He Bio-emerged in England a little while back," Takato explained. "He kind of drifted around the town where we lived and popped up every now and again. Huh, come to think of it I wonder how he's doing. I hope he's okay…"
"He'll be fine," Renamon chuckled. "Rika made her grandmother promise to look after him if he ever came to the house."
"Awww," Ryo sighed with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Does Rika have a soft side after all?"
"Not so soft I couldn't beat you to death with it…" the redhead growled, blushing slightly.
"She didn't deny it," Terriermon noted with a smirk, receiving a knuckle-rap to the head for his efforts.
"Terriermon…"
"I think we should call it a night," Sage suggested, deciding to step in before a certain rabbit ended up in a coma. "I've got rooms set up for you all on the next floor. There are separate ones for the boys and girls, since I'm told that that's apparently the norm in human society."
Kazu had to exercise every ounce of his meagre supply of willpower not to crack a joke as he saw Rika and Takato both flush bright red. Must…not…make joke…must not…make…joke…
Sovereign Level, Zhuqiaomon's Prison – 7:23p.m.
"Antylamon!" Caturamon barked as he approached the larger Digimon, the unconscious form of Suzie clamped none-too-gently in his massive jaws. "This human fainted during its last bonding session. You are to clean it up and ensure it is ready to resume its sessions by tomorrow."
Antylamon was an intimidating, though rather odd figure. She was approximately six metres tall and had the basic shape of a brown-and-white rabbit. Her arms and legs were almost freakishly-long and thin, the former ending in strange, claw-like fingers. Three short, conical horns adorned her forehead and a purple scarf was wrapped around her neck. The rabbit Deva was wearing what appeared to be a pair of baggy purple pants with matching fabric shoes. Her abdomen was encased in strange scale armour made of a red metal, while a white mantle sat on her shoulders.
"What did you do to her?" Antylamon asked, a hint of concern working its way into her voice. The child was quite literally covered in small cuts and bruises, her clothes were ragged and filthy and her right hand was covered with blood.
"It cut itself on a piece of metal in the assault course and fainted when it saw the blood. Filthy, weakling humans…" Caturamon sneered contemptuously.
Antylamon accepted the unconscious form of the girl without comment, suppressing an angry retort as the canine padded away down the long corridor leading to the children's cell. When she was sure her former commander was out of earshot, she muttered to herself under her breath.
"It is a she!"
Antylamon carried the unconscious girl down the long, winding corridors of Zhuqiaomon's prison and set her down in an enormous Roman-style bathhouse, the walls and floors covered with large, dark blue tiles. At the centre of the room was a colossal, square-shaped public bath, several dozen metres wide and five deep. Antylamon clapped her hands twice sharply and the bath was instantly filled with crystal-clear water. Picking Suzie back up, the rabbit climbed into the bath and lowered her charge into the water until it was at neck-level. Before she could begin her task, however, the child began to stir.
"Hmmm…what…?" Suzie mumbled as she slowly came around, frowning in confusion when she realized that she was currently neck-deep in warm water, fully clothed and being held up by an enormous pair of brown-furred hands.
"Hello, little one," Antylamon said gently as she began looking around, letting out a yelp of surprise as the girl somehow managed to slip out of her hands and sink straight to the bottom of the bath. The Deva moved quickly, reaching down to pull a coughing Suzie back above the water level. "You need to be more careful – you could have hurt yourself! What were you doing?"
"Twying to get away fwom you!" the terrified child squeaked in reply as she cowered in the palms of Antylamon's hands. "You'll hurt me! You're one of those bad monsters – the Dee…Day…"
"Devas?" the Digimon asked hesitantly, wincing when she received a firm nod in response to her question. Is that what the Devas have become known for? The kidnap of innocents? Frightening small children?
"Um, hewwo?" Suzie called hesitantly and Antylamon realized that she had been stood there in silence for several minutes.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied and shook her head to clear it of her thoughts. "I…you don't need to be afraid of me, little one. I'm not going to hurt you."
"You…you pwomise?"
"I promise."
"How did I get here?" the little girl asked as she looked around at her surroundings. "This doesn't wook wike the big awena."
"You got a nasty cut on your hand and fainted. Caturamon brought you here to be cleaned up," Antylamon replied softly. "I was going to give you a bath before I sent you back to your…cell. That's what I was doing when you woke up."
"You were giving me a bath…with my cwothes on?"
"Erm, yes," the Deva stammered, her charge's puzzled frown conjuring one onto her own face. "Why, is that not how humans do it?"
"No!" Suzie exclaimed with a firm shake of her head. "We take baths without our cwothes on so they don't get all wet and yucky!"
"Oh, my apologies. Do you want to take them off then?"
"NO!" The child's outraged shriek left Antylamon's ears ringing. "You're not supposed to take off your cwothes when there's other people awound!"
"Right…" the rabbit sighed and shook her head wearily. Humans are so confusing…
Eventually, Suzie and Antylamon came to a compromise: the girls would wash in the Deva-sized sink (approximately the same size as her bathtub at home) while Antylamon stood with her back turned at the far end of the room. This was undoubtedly the best solution, as it would allow Suzie some privacy while avoiding the risk of her drowning in the five-metre deep bath. Eventually, when she was satisfied with her own cleanliness, Suzie towelled off and got dressed, then allowed Antylamon to carry her back to her cell where Sam and Steph were waiting.
The two girls greeted her with tearful relief. They had not seen their fellow captive for more than two days, ever since Caturamon dragged her away for an extended bonding session as punishment for the Steph's defiance. As Antylamon left the trio alone to give them some much-needed rest, she could feel the elder girl's venomous glare boring into her back, sending a shudder of guilt down her spine.
Are we really doing the right thing? Antylamon asked herself as she walked down the long stone corridor leading away from the children's cell. I know Zhuqiaomon seems to think that the humans are dangerous to us, but is this really necessary? Kidnapping children?
"You should keep something in mind, sister," Makuramon chuckled from above the rabbit, and she looked up to see him suspended from a pipe on the ceiling just above her head. "We are Digimon. They are just humans. They are unworthy of your compassion."
"I don't know what you're-"
"Don't lie to me. I know what you're like," the monkey replied as he uncoiled his tail from the pipe, landing gracefully on his fellow Deva's shoulder. "Besides, I can see it in your eyes. You're having doubts about our recent actions, wondering if it's all really necessary, if we couldn't maybe leave the humans alone. You're too kind for your own good. Those humans are weak and pathetic, but they are still a threat to us. We need to harness the power available to Tamed Digimon if we are to defend ourselves from their tyranny, and these children are the only way to do that."
"So this has nothing to do with Lord Zhuqiaomon's desire for power, for a weapon to use against the rebels?" Antylamon asked sarcastically.
"That is…an added bonus. The humans are the real threat, however."
"But Zhuqiaomon hates them! His judgement may be-"
"ENOUGH!" Makuramon shrieked. "Zhuqiaomon is our master and god. He is infallible!"
"I know, I was just suggesting that-"
"I know what you were suggesting. If Caturamon still led us, he would have labelled you a traitor and had your head by now! Lucky for you, I am much more merciful." The monkey stood there in silence for several seconds before glaring at Antylamon. "Well? Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Thank you…" the rabbit muttered after a short pause.
"Ah, ah, ah! Is that any way to address your benevolent lord and commander?"
"Thank you, oh wise and benevolent Lord Commander Makuramon."
"Better."
That stupid chimp has gone mad with power, Antylamon thought to herself. Oh, what am I saying? He was mad all along. Zhuqiaomon is clearly not asinfallible as he would have us think if he was stupid enough to appoint him as leader of the Devas!
Forest Level, Sage's Tree – 8:11p.m.
Excellent… Terriermon thought with a mental chuckle as Jeri finally moved away from Rika, moving towards the balcony to get some fresh air. Now's my chance to do a little intelligence gathering!
The rabbit crept away from his Tamer as the boy was dragged into an in-depth debate with Ryo about tactics in the Digimon card game, making his way quietly towards the balcony. A grin appeared on the little Digimon's face as he saw that Jeri was alone, Leomon having gone to join Cyberdramon and Andromon in their exercises.
"Hey, Jeri!" Terriermon called and leapt up onto the balcony handrail beside the girl.
"Oh, hi Terriermon," she replied cheerfully as she looked out over the valley, which was illuminated only by the light coming from the strange Earth in the sky.
"Boy, it sure is nice to have some peace and quiet, huh?" he said conversationally.
"Yeah, the last few days have been kinda…"
"Tough?"
"I was going to say 'busy', but yeah," the brunette giggled as she gazed up at the sky. "There's been so much going on…"
"Yeah, I mean, that fight between Rika and Kazu was bad enough without her and Takatomon disappearing afterwards."
"Yeah, that was…horrible. I don't know why they keep doing that – both of them always say things they end up regretting."
"Heh, I'm pretty sure Kazu regretted it the most this time," Terriermon chuckled, a mischievous glint appearing in his eye. "I mean, I never expected Ryo to actually hit him!"
"Yeah, me neither…" Jeri replied, shifting uncomfortably.
She's a worse liar than Takatomon! This is gonna be a piece of cake…
"I wonder why he did it," the rabbit said thoughtfully. "I mean, I know why he did it, but I wonder why he reacted so strongly…"
"Terriermon…" a voice called out in a cautionary tone from behind the small Digimon and he turned to see his Tamer stood in the doorway. "What are you up to?"
"What? I'm just making conversation!"
"Well, I think you should change the subject," Henry said forcefully.
"Oh, momentai already! You have to admit it's pretty weird," Terriermon replied, turning back to face out toward the valley but keeping his eyes on Jeri. "I mean, anyone else would think Ryo was in love with her…"
Jeri's startled, panicked look told the rabbit all he needed to know.
"Terriermon, I cannot believe you!" Henry berated his partner as quietly as he could. He had dragged Terriermon up into the bedroom reserved for the male Tamers and Digimon so that he could rebuke him without announcing Ryo's feelings for a certain redhead to the whole world.
"What? This is perfect blackmail material!"
"Don't you dare," the boy growled. "I promised Jeri that I wouldn't let you tell anyone about this."
"Oh, come on! You can't expect me to keep this a secret forever, can you?" the rabbit complained. "Oh, the look on Rika's face when she finds out…"
"If you tell anybody, I'm making you Suzie's Christmas present for this year. Along with a full set of bright pink Terriermon-sized doll's clothes."
"You wouldn't…" Terriermon gasped with a horrified look.
"I'll handpick the tutu myself," his Tamer promised.
"You…have a deal…"
Sovereign Level, Zhuqiaomon's Palace – 8:57p.m.
"You summoned me, my lord?" Antylamon called as she bowed before the colossal figure of Zhuqiaomon.
"I did," the phoenix replied, the wall of heat emanating from his body intensifying ever so slightly. "Makuramon came to see me earlier."
Antylamon didn't reply, instead allowing the Sovereign to continue with his monologue.
"He told me that you were having doubts about our recent actions, about whether it was necessary to defend ourselves from the humans. He said that he tried to set you straight, but that my divine input may be necessary. Is this true?"
"It is, my lord," the rabbit replied, continuing hastily when she felt Zhuqiaomon's heat aura rise dramatically in temperature. "But the Lord Commander's words made me think and I realized the folly of my previous words and thoughts. I was wrong to doubt you, my lord, and I beg your forgiveness."
"The 'Lord Commander'? Did Makuramon tell you to call him that?" the phoenix growled angrily, receiving a quick reply in the affirmative from his servant. "Such hubris from a mere underling…I shall have to reprimand Makuramon for this."
"If my lord deems it necessary."
"I do. Now, Antylamon, you are free to go. Let it not be said that the divine judgement of the Lord Zhuqiaomon is unmerciful!"
"My eternal gratitude, oh gracious lord," the Deva thanked the Sovereign, a troubled frown crossing her face as she turned her back on him.
I lied to him, she thought with a sense of growing confusion. I lied to him and he did not know. He did not notice that I still had doubts…how is that possible? He is supposed to be all-seeing and all-knowing. Unless…
Could Zhuqiaomon be mortal?
Monday 15th November – 9:12 a.m.
Forest Level
The Tamers and their partners stood assembled at the mouth of a cave in the middle of the forest a few miles away from Sage's valley, Sage himself stood just behind them. The hooded Digimon had guided them to the cave when he discovered the Tamers' plan to split up, saying that it was a secret shortcut to the Hub Level that would bring them out very close to the city of Gear. According to Sage, Gear was a technological hub and the most likely place for them to find the items and expertise necessary to upgrade the D-Comms. Unfortunately, it was also crawling with Zhuqiaomon's spies.
"Are you sure you don't want to switch teams with me and Gaomon?" Cam whispered to Rika as their hooded guide launched into a detailed set of directions to the Sovereign Level. "I mean, you're missing out on a couple of days away from Kazu and Ryo."
"We already went through this, flyboy," the redhead muttered. "I don't trust Cyberdramon not to go on another rampage and I'd rather be there to stop him. Taomon's the best candidate for the job anyway."
"Yeah, but he seems to have…I don't know, mellowed out since the fight yesterday. Maybe the whole link thing with Ryo sorted him out a little."
"I doubt it."
Rika refused to say any more on the matter and Cam eventually let it drop. A few seconds later, Sage finished his directions and the boy began saying his goodbyes along with the rest of the scouting party. As the four Tamers and their partners faded into the distance, Sage turned to the remaining members of the group.
"Now, about your trip to Gear," he began, rubbing his hands together with a small grin. "Like I said before, Gear is on the southern edge of the Hub and is the closest city to Zhuqiaomon's realm. It is therefore crawling with his spies and you will all be captured or killed if you are seen in the city. You probably won't make it past the gates."
"Uh, so how are we meant to get in?" Takato asked with a worried frown.
"With these," the hooded Digimon replied, pulling a pair of backpacks that were practically as big as him seemingly out of nowhere. "Gotta love these Hammerspace pockets…"
"How are backpacks supposed to help us?" Kazu asked with a smirk. "I don't think they're gonna be much use unless you expect us to get inside them."
"I do," Sage replied, his grin widening as he nodded toward Andromon (who appeared to be stuck in his Ultimate form for the foreseeable future). "Guardromon and Andromon are both very common Digimon in Gear. Andromon can take one backpack, which should be large enough to fit two humans and a Digimon inside, and enter the city posing as a traveller."
"What about the other backpack?" Guilmon asked.
"That will be up to you. Cyberdramon will have to be the one to carry it, as he will obviously be unable to fit in one of these bags. There is a slight problem in that there are not many Cyberdramon around and the identities of the Tamed Digimon are widely known. You are likely to be stopped when you attempt to gain entry to the city."
"What if I de-Digivolve to my Champion form?" the dragon suggested.
"You can do that?"
"Yeah," his Tamer nodded. "I can use an Alias card to turn him into Monodramon and then Digivolve him to Strikedramon. He should be able to hold that form for a couple of days before he has to re-Digivolve to Cyberdramon."
"That may work," Sage mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Strikedramon are still rare, but even I was unaware that it was possible for Cyberdramon to de-Digivolve using a modify card. It is unlikely that our enemies know of this ability either."
"It's settled then," Takato said with a confident grin. "So, how do we get to Gear?"
"Follow this cave until you reach a fork and turn left. After that, just keep going straight until you reach the portal. It'll bring you out within sight of Gear, so you can just follow your eyes from there," the hooded Digimon replied and turned to walk back to his valley. "Oh, I almost forgot," he added, looking back over his shoulder at the group of humans and Digimon. "When you get to Gear, you will be contacted by a Hawkmon. He is an ally of mine who will direct you towards a safe place to stay."
"Right, look out for Hawkmon, do what he says. Got it," the begoggled Tamer nodded. "Thanks for everything, Sage!"
"Especially the food!" Guilmon added dreamily, his eyes glazing over and drool seeping from his mouth as he remembered the feast of the previous evening.
"As I told you before, it is no problem. Feel free to return if you need a place to stay, or hide out from angry Devas – or even just for a social call! Not that that ever happens in the Digital World…"
The eccentric old Digimon wandered off down the long, winding path, muttering to himself about "the state of the world today" among other things. When he had finally receded into the distance, Ryo shook his head with a short chuckle and pointed toward the cave mouth with his thumb.
"Shall we?"
"You okay?" Kenta asked Jeri, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. The two Tamers were sat on Leomon's shoulders, their hands entwined behind the concealing bulk of his lustrous mane. "You look a little…zoned out."
"Yeah…" the brunette replied quietly, gazing up at the sky. "I guess I'm a little worried about the others. I mean, they're heading into a city full of Zhuqiaomon's spies. They could be captured, or even…worse…"
"Don't worry about it," her boyfriend reassured her. "They've got four Digimon who are either at or can Digivolve to Ultimate stage. Plus, they have Rika and Ryo – probably the best tacticians in the world when it comes to Digimon. They'll be fine."
"I guess…"
"And besides, we've got the harder job," Leomon pointed out with a wry grin. "We have to infiltrate the territory of the Digimon Sovereign, scout out one of his most secure fortresses and not let ourselves be detected by his endless armies of fanatical followers. Ryo and the others face a walk in the park compared to us."
"Great, now I'm nervous…" Kenta muttered half-sarcastically.
"We'll be fine," Jeri reassured him, checking to make sure nobody was watching before leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I won't let them hurt you."
"Uh, isn't it supposed to be me that says that to you?"
"If Rika was here, she'd tear your head off for making such a sexist comment," Leomon chuckled.
"She could try…" Jeri growled, doing her best impression of the redhead's voice.
"Sometimes I think you two spend too much time together…" Kenta sighed in mock exasperation, earning a small giggle from the brunette.
Hub Level – 9:20a.m.
"Sage sure wasn't kidding when he said we'd come out within sight of Gear…" Ryo joked with his trademark grin.
"You can say that again," Takato mumbled as he gazed down on the city. The portal from the Forest Level had brought them out on a plateau at the top of a gigantic, heavily-wooded mountain that provided them with a clear view of Gear, along with a substantial chunk of the surrounding terrain.
"My, what an ugly place," Renamon remarked with a frown as she too gazed down on the digital metropolis.
Her assessment was accurate. Gear was primarily comprised of blocky, grey, industrial-style buildings that varied in size from a few stories tall to enormous skyscrapers that rivalled anything built by humans. The city centre covered an enormous area, long roads lined with buildings stretching out into the surrounding countryside like the spreading tendrils of some malignant disease.
"You should probably get into the backpacks while we're up here and out of sight," Andromon suggested. "There's a sentence I never expected to say…"
"He's right," Kazu agreed. "So…who gets in which backpack?"
"We should all try to stay with our Digimon – you go with Andromon and I'll stick with Strikedramon," Ryo said as he slashed an Alias card, Cyberdramon de-Digivolving in a flash of light to the small, purple form of Monodramon. One Digivolution card later and the dragon was encased in a blue-black data sphere, which exploded to reveal the substantially-taller Strikedramon.
Strikedramon was about the same size as Cyberdramon, but they shared few similarities beyond that. Strikedramon's skin was purple across most of his body, except for a band of white running from his stomach to his lower jaw, which was adorned with an intricate, red tribal-pattern tattoo. The dragon wore a pair of baggy green trousers with a black leather belt, two more belts wrapped around his upper left thigh in a manner reminiscent of Rika's habitual attire. Studded metal plates protected his hips, shoulders, hands and feet, with similar studded metal rings protecting his ankles and upper arms. A strange metal helmet with a single, blade-like horn extending back behind it covered the upper half of his face, a mane of shaggy orange hair cascading out from under the helmet down to his lower back.
"Cool…" Takato breathed as the dragon rolled his shoulders, Kazu settling for a long, appreciative whistle.
"It has been a while since I adopted this form," Strikedramon growled and cracked his knuckles loudly. "I shall have to get used to it again."
"Uh, back to the issue of the backpacks?" Kazu called hesitantly. "I kinda took it as a given that I'd be staying with Andromon. What I meant was, who do Rika and Takato want to go with?"
"Hmmm…" Rika mumbled as she considered her options. Mr Perfect or Kazu…who am I less likely to kill? "Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place…Gogglehead, you got any preference?"
"Uh, nope."
"Hmmm…" she mumbled again, a look of intense concentration crossing her features. "Fine, I'll go with Akiyama. And don't look so smug," she sighed as a grin crossed the older boy's face. "It's just that I trust you to keep your hands to yourself."
"Hey!" Kazu shouted indignantly. "When did I ever-"
"Remember Jeri's friend Ayaka?"
"That was an accident!" the visor-wearing Tamer protested. "I was doing the long jump and I fell over. She just happened to…be in the way…and how did you know about that?"
"Leomon can be such an awful gossip…" Renamon chuckled with a small smirk.