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 Thirty-Five: Fugitives
Wedneday 17th November – 7:32p.m.
Ashlands, Sovereign Level
Rika and Taomon let out twin sighs of exhaustion as they set the Taijitu disk down and pulled free of their link. They had landed at the mouth of a well-hidden cave at the bottom of a deep ravine, which had been recommended by Ryo and Kazu as a good hiding spot. The kitsune allowed the disk to fade away as she de-Digivolved to Renamon in a flash of light, while her Tamer leaned heavily against the wall outside the cave, fighting for breath.
"You okay, Wildcat?" Ryo asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"I'm fine," the girl gasped in reply. "You sure…this cave is…safe?"
"As sure as I can be. We hid out here the last time we were in the Digital World and Zhuqiaomon and the Devas didn't spot us then."
"Very reassuring," Gaomon muttered sarcastically. "We'd better get inside quickly, just in case there's somebody in the area. We don't want to be spotted."
"Agreed," Ryo nodded, placing a hand on Rika's shoulder. "Come on, you should si-"
"Get. Your hand. Off me!" the redhead snarled and he withdrew his hand quickly as she stood up straight and stomped into the cave. "I'm fine."
"You'd think he'd have learned by now," Kenta whispered to his girlfriend, and she giggled quietly.
"Yeah, right. They're both as stubborn as each other!"
Fifteen minutes later, the Tamers had set up a rudimentary camp inside the cave, though they dared not risk a campfire. Sam and Suzie were fast asleep at the back of the cave thanks to a quick restorative meal, Lopmon watching over their slumbering forms. They had been in a similar condition to Steph when she had been rescued – covered in cuts and bruises, but otherwise fine. The rest of the group were sat in a circle chatting away, with the exception of Leomon, Jeri, Kenta and MarineAngemon, who were hidden just outside the cave mouth and were keeping watch for Zhuqiaomon's forces.
"I can't believe we did it!" Takato cheered with an ear-to-ear grin. "We just launched a breakout from the most heavily-defended prison in the Digital World!"
"Not to mention the fact that we pretty much destroyed the place in the process," Kazu chuckled. "Zhuqs sure is gonna be pissed off when he finds out…"
"Hmmm, that reminds me," Rika said thoughtfully. "How did you guys manage to do it? I mean, I know Lopmon said that Makuramon managed to screw up half the defence, but how did you manage to tear those giant holes in the first and second walls?"
"Oh, it was easy!" Guilmon laughed cheerfully, flinching when he saw the glare aimed at his Tamer.
"Gogglehead…what did you do?"
"Uh, well…" the begoggled boy began, shifting nervously under Rika's gaze. "Something very, very stupid…"
"I'm too tired for this…okay, how stupid was it? On a scale from 'one' to 'Kazu'?"
"Hey!" the visor-wearing Tamer complained, folding his arms with a 'humph' when he realized that he was being ignored.
"He and WarGrowlmon went all-out berserker and launched a head-on charge into enemy fire," Gaomon began, paying no attention to Takato's frantic motions for him to stop. "Then they tore a chunk out of the first wall and used it to batter a great big hole in the second wall, all while acting as a shield from enemy fire for the rest of us."
"Well, when you put it like that…" the brown-haired boy muttered with a small blush.
"Gogglehead…" Rika sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "That has got to be…the stupidest thing you have ever done."
"Is that including the time I decided to see what would happen if I took a Bunsen burner and-"
"Way stupider than that."
"Wait, took a Bunsen burner and did what?" Kazu asked, his interest peaked. "This I gotta hear."
"Let's just say that fire, acid and calculators don't mix," Steph giggled.
"I do not…how…how is that…" Andromon stammered as he struggled to imagine how those three items could possibly be mixed. "I do not want to know, do I?"
"Probably not," Takato admitted.
"And you wonder why I don't let you use my computer," Henry chuckled.
"Anyway…" Ryo began with a grin. "We should probably plan our next moves while we still have a chance. So, where are we gonna go from here? I mean, we have at least three routes open to us."
"Three?" Cam asked with a puzzled frown.
"Yeah. There's the portal to the Hub, the portal to the Mountain Level, or the portal to the Garden Level – the way that we came last time we were here."
"The Garden Level doesn't sound so bad," Terriermon suggested with a thoughtful look.
"Try saying that after being chased by an army of Vegiemon and Blossomon," Kazu snorted. "I'll never eat vegetables again…"
"You don't eat them anyway," Andromon noted with a confused frown.
"That's not the point!"
"The Garden Level may not be the best route," Ryo admitted. "So, that leaves the Mountain Level or the Hub."
"Well, there's no guarantee that the gates sealing the portal on the Mountain Level are even still open," Henry pointed out. "And there's no way we could open them on our own if they're closed. We could end up being trapped between the gates and Zhuqiaomon's forces."
"The Hub it is then," Gaomon nodded.
"There's a problem with that, too," Takato piped up. "The portal to the Hub was guarded last time we were there, and it'll probably be guarded even more heavily now that Zhuqiaomon knows we wanna leave his realm. Plus we'd have to pass pretty close to Gear to get out of there."
"We can probably break through any defences they have if necessary," Ryo countered. "We can just slap a Goliath card on WarGrowlmon or Cyberdramon again if we have to."
"Yeah, remind me why you didn't do that back at the fortress?" Kazu asked with a confused look.
"Great, because I didn't take enough bullets as it was," Cyberdramon grumbled, surprising the others with his rare (at least in his Ultimate form) display of an emotion other than rage. "With the weight of fire they had there, we would have been torn to shreds."
"And Cyberdramon nearly was anyway," Andromon added.
"Well, I guess that settles it," Ryo declared. "We'll head for the gate to the Hub and then head for the Forest Level where we can rest up and plan our next moves." The boy paused for a few seconds, expecting a sarcastic remark from Rika on his sudden leader-like behaviour, and was about to comment on the girl's silence when he saw the reason for it: she was slumped against her partner's shoulder fast asleep, and Renamon didn't look far behind her.
"I think it is time for us to go to bed," Renamon chuckled quietly when she saw that Ryo had noticed her Tamer's state.
"Wow, you two really are exhausted," Takato noted with a small smile. "See you in the morning, then – me and Guilmon can cover for you on watch tonight."
"I…appreciate it. Thank you."
Renamon gathered her Tamer up in her arms, being careful not to wake her, and carried her to the back of the cave. She set the girl down as gently as she could, placing her in the sleeping bag next to Sam's, and gazed at their slumbering forms with a surge of oddly-maternal protectiveness.
They are…my family, the kitsune thought with a sense of pure contentment as she curled up next to the girls, draping her bushy tail over them to help keep them warm. I have a family.
Thursday 18th November – 1:20a.m.
Henry suppressed a yawn as he gazed up at the muddy red sky, Terriermon sat with him on a rock just beside his head. The two partners had been on watch for a little over an hour, and Henry hadn't said a word the whole time. Eventually Terriermon decided that something needed to be done to pull his Tamer out of his melancholic mood, or whatever was bothering him would probably fester until the end of time.
"A burden shared," the rabbit said quietly, making the blue-haired boy jump. "Come on, Henry – you haven't said a word since we got out here, and you've got your worrying face on to boot! What's up?"
"Nice to know I'm so easy to read," he chuckled mirthlessly. "I, um…it's about Suzie."
"Suzie?" Terriermon asked with a thoughtful frown. "Oh, I get it. You're worried that she's gonna be totally messed up over being captured and stuff. I wouldn't worry about it Henry – kids are tough, and she's not the type to dwell on stuff. She'll be fine."
"That's not what I'm worried about. But thanks for giving me something else to worry about."
"Uh, oops?" the diminutive Digimon winced. "So…what is up?"
"It's…it's about Suzie…and Lopmon," Henry began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "When I became a Tamer, I knew what I was letting myself in for. I knew that I was gonna have to fight against evil Digimon and even though I hate fighting more than anything else, I was willing to do it to protect my family. But now Suzie…"
"You're scared that because Suzie's become a Tamer she'll have to fight too?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I know me and the others are pretty young by anybody's standards, but Suzie's seven years old – she really is just a kid! She shouldn't have to go through all this crap!"
"Momentai, Henry," Terriermon said softly. "Just 'cause she's a Tamer doesn't mean she has to fight."
"That didn't exactly go so well when we tried it," the boy pointed out.
"Doesn't mean it can't work for her. Part of the problem with us was that we had different opinions – you didn't want to fight, but I thought it was necessary. And guess who got proven right…"
"Yeah, yeah…" Henry muttered and rolled his eyes.
"But anyway, I don't think Lopmon's the type to enjoy fighting, and she definitely won't want to drag Suzie into it. And besides, it really was necessary for us to fight, but with Suzie it isn't. I mean, apart from her, there's like four other Tamers living in England now! She won't have to fight unless she wants to, and I think it'll be snowing in hell before that day comes."
"You're probably right," Henry sighed, frowning as a series of mild tremors ran through the ground. "What the…is it an earthquake?"
"I didn't think the Digital World got them," Terriermon replied with a confused frown of his own. "Slash a Hyper Wing card, I'll fly out of the valley and see what's happening."
Sovereign's Palace – 1:05a.m.
"Damn that filthy, no good rabbit!" Makuramon snarled as he stormed moodily up the near-endless staircase leading up to Zhuqiaomon's tower, the jagged structure rising out of the peak of an enormous mountain like an enormous, elongated clawed hand grasping for the sky. She made me look like a fool! Plus she killed Caturamon – I wanted to be the one to do that! The 'Divine Lord' Zhuqiaomon is not going to be happy…
A few minutes later, the monkey was stood in the entrance hall of the enormous tower, waiting for the ForgeTankmon he had sent to inform the Sovereign of his presence to return. Several minutes after that, the tank-like Digimon returned, its right arm reduced to a small lump of softly-glowing, misshapen metal.
"The Divine Lord Zhuqiaomon will see you now," it intoned. "Caution: the Sovereign does not appreciate being woken at this hour. Please note the damage to this unit's right arm. There is a strong possibility that He may inflict His divine wrath upon…"
"Yeah, yeah," Makuramon grumbled and absent-mindedly launched a fireball at the tank, completing what the irritable Sovereign had started and melting the unfortunate Digimon down into a pile of molten slag.
"I trust that you have a good reason for waking me," Zhuqiaomon growled as Makuramon lay prostrated before him on what had been dubbed the 'grovelling platform' that encircled the massive Sovereign. "I can only think of a few scenarios would cause you to be foolish enough to interrupt my rest – I am hoping that our experiments with the human children have finally borne fruit…"
"Not…exactly, my Lord," the monkey began hesitantly, wincing as the phoenix's aura of heat suddenly increased dramatically in temperature. "I bring news of a terrible betrayal by one of my dearest brethren, one of your most trusted servants. A betrayal that strikes deep into my h-"
"ENOUGH OF YOUR THEATRICS!" the Sovereign roared and grabbed Makuramon in his massive talons, hopping forwards and slamming him against one of the chamber's walls. "Tell me what happened. Now."
"Y-yes, holy one," Makuramon gulped, writhing in his master's burning grip. "Antylamon has betrayed us – not only did she slay Caturamon and join the humans, she allowed herself to form a link with one of the humans! She has become an Abomination!"
"You LIE!" Zhuqiaomon screamed and slammed the Deva against the wall again. "My favoured daughter would never forsake me!"
"My deepest regrets, Lord, but it is true. Her betrayal wounds me, too. It cuts me deeper than any blade could ever h-"
"If you do not shut your snivelling mouth, I shall prove you very wrong indeed on that point," the phoenix growled with barely-restrained fury. "Now, I order you to tell me the truth! Where is Antylamon?"
"She is with the Tamers, Lord. She betrayed us," the monkey insisted. "Your sacred prison fortress stands as a testament to her betrayal…or, rather, it doesn't stand at all because of it."
"WHAT?" Zhuqiaomon bellowed, flames billowing off of his form and washing across the specially-reinforced walls of his temple. "You lost the fortress?"
"It was not I, oh sacred one, but Caturamon who failed you!" Makuramon lied. "I placed him in command of the walls, reasoning that his superior experience as a commander in war would allow him to lead a more effective defence than I ever could. However, things…did not go to plan."
"If I have to tell you one more time about your theatrics…"
"Apologies, Lord. I beg your forgiveness. But yes, Caturamon was ordered to watch over our defence forces. When the enemy mounted the second wall, however, he ordered our units to open fire on the enemy much earlier than he was supposed to."
"Am I supposed to believe this…nonsense?" Zhuqiaomon sneered. "Caturamon was my most experienced General! He would never have made such a ridiculous mistake."
"I believe that it was not a mistake, Lord, but an attempt to make me look foolish and regain the position of Commander of the Devas. He may even have intended his plot to end with my death. Look into my mind if you doubt me, oh holy one!"
"Hmmm…" the Sovereign mumbled thoughtfully and glared at his Deva. "That will not be necessary! In my omniscience, I can quite clearly see that your faith is strong and your words are true."
"A thousand times a thousand thanks, oh benevolent Sovereign," Makuramon grovelled, bowing as best he could while still remaining gripped in his Sovereign's talons.
"Yes, yes. Now, continue with your account."
"Of course, Lord. When I realized what Caturamon had done, I rushed to the walls and attempted to salvage what I could of the defences. Seeing that our position was untenable, I ordered a retreat of our forces inside the prison and left the ForgeTankmon as a rearguard. I then went in pursuit of Caturamon to make him answer for his crimes, but Antylamon had beaten me to him.
"She had met up with Caturamon near the cells and followed him to the humans' cell, where she murdered him and set the prisoners free. I arrived too late to prevent her treachery, however, and found myself outnumbered by the Abominations who had joined her. I was gravely wounded in the battle, but our retreating Goblimon forces saved my life – they launched a suicidal attack on the Abominations and begged me to escape, that I might inform you of the horrifying events that had occurred at the fortress."
"My, you inspire such loyalty from your troops," Zhuqiaomon marvelled, completely taken in by his manipulative subordinate's tall tale. "It truly was a wise decision to appoint you as leader of my Devas."
"I learned from the greatest of teachers, oh divine one," Makuramon replied. "Unfortunately, the Abominations annihilated the entirety of our retreating forces before leaving the battlefield themselves."
Makuramon had to suppress a giggle as he saw the furious expression that crossed the Sovereign's face. In reality, the Deva had caught up with those elements of his forces that had fled their posts and annihilated them all in a fit of indignant rage, the Goblimon and Ogremon providing easy targets for him to vent his frustration upon.
"This insult shall not go unpunished!" the phoenix snarled and dropped the monkey. "It is obvious to me that these Abominations have embraced some dark, unholy source of power. It is the only explanation for how they were able to defeat my invincible armies!"
"It is the only logical conclusion, Lord."
"Therefore, I can clearly see that it is necessary for them to be struck down with the holiest of weapons!" he declared, drawing himself up to his full height and spreading his wings dramatically. "They shall be purged with the holy fires of divine wrath! I shall smite them with the full force of my righteous fury! I SHALL BURN THE ABOMINATIONS MYSELF!"
A circular hatch on the ceiling of Zhuqiaomon's temple irised open, and he leapt into the air, soaring through the opening atop a column of fire.
The Abominations will regret the day they crossed me! the phoenix thought furiously. As will Antylamon…the traitor…
No! She could never have betrayed me – Makuramon must be mistaken. She must have…she must have infiltrated the Abominations to destroy them from within! Yes, that must be it. Now, I wonder where she is…
With a thought, the Sovereign sent a signal out through the Digital World that reached deep into the minds of his remaining Devas, activating a secret locator program that even Caturamon hadn't known about. He sensed three distinct signals – one, larger and stronger than the others, inside his tower. One in the Hub – that would be Majiramon, who was overseeing the reconstruction of Phoenix Tower. One out in the wastelands of his domain, where there should be nothing but ash and dust.
"I see you…"
Terriermon did a couple of barrel rolls to get used to his new Hyper Wings before soaring gracefully up out of the chasm. He landed noiselessly atop a rock pillar a few metres away from the ravine and began looking around cautiously as his wings disintegrated into data.
What he saw terrified him almost to the point of insanity.
"I see you…"
"HENRY!" the rabbit screamed as he glided back down into the ravine, using his ears as a makeshift parachute. "Henry, wake everybody up! We gotta move NOW!"
"What, why?"
"He's here! Zhuqiaomon is here!"
Seconds later, the pair's frantic shouts had woken the rest of the group and they quickly started debating what to do while Cyberdramon kept watch outside.
"We have to get out of here," Kenta blurted, on the verge of panic. "We gotta try and outrun him, or else we're-"
"There's no way we can outrun him! He moves faster than I thought anything could ever move," Terriermon moaned.
"We'll split up, then," Ryo declared. "That way he shouldn't be able to chase all of us down. Rapidmon and MachGaogamon are the fastest, so they can take Steph, Suzie, Sam, Lopmon and Hawkmon while the rest of us try to distract him. Everybody else meet back at Sage's place as soon as possible, okay?"
After a series of Matrix Digivolution cards were slashed, the Digimon tore out of the cave and began climbing, jumping or flying out of the ravine as fast as they could move. Taomon and Andromon emerged first, their Tamers clinging onto their backs as the two Ultimates launched a barrage of fire that simply bounced off of the Sovereign's shield of pure heat as Rapidmon and MachGaogamon rocketed out of the canyon, heading for the portal to the Hub as fast as their engines could carry them. MarineAngemon, Leomon, WarGrowlmon, Cyberdramon and their Tamers soon joined them, unleashing volleys of their most powerful attacks before scattering in completely opposite directions. A cry that was something between ecstasy and rage tore from Zhuqiaomon's throat as he gave chase, bearing down on Andromon and lashing out with a whip of fire that emerged from one of the Digi-cores orbiting his neck. The android was sent crashing face-first into the ground, narrowly avoiding crushing his Tamer beneath his considerable bulk as the whip came around for a second strike. Instead of slicing him in half, however, it wrapped around the android's silver form, encasing him and his Tamer in a spherical cage of fire that somehow managed not to burn them.
A mad cackle escaped the phoenix's beak as the cage rose into the air, carefully selecting his next victim as the fiery prison started hovering next to his magnificent form. Spying the distant form of Taomon encased in a shield-dome, her Tamer cradled in her arms, he let out another cry and gave chase, catching up with the kitsune in less than half a minute. The first strike from his flame-whip popped her bubble like an oversized balloon, the second strike slamming into the vulpine Digimon's robed form and sending her plummeting towards the ground. Taomon managed to regain some semblance of control over her fall just in time to roll over so that she landed on her back, cushioning the impact for Rika and preventing her bones from being reduced to jelly. A second flame cage appeared around the duo as Taomon reverted to her Rookie form of Renamon in a flash of brilliant white light.
As they saw Taomon so casually torn out of the sky, Ryo and Cyberdramon immersed themselves in their link and let out a furious roar as the black-armoured dragon executed a snap-turn and tore towards the insane Sovereign, flinging a Desolation Claw attack at his enormous frame. Zhuqiaomon countered with a flick of his wing, sending a wave of fire washing over the dragon's form and launching him into an uncontrolled dive. A flame cage materialized around the dragon and his Tamer as they fell, catching them like a giant safety net.
WarGrowlmon was the next to fall, his massive bulk making him easy to make out against the horizon. A pair of flame whips restrained his arms as a third battered against his armoured torso repeatedly, beating him into submission despite his Tamer's frantic slashing of practically every card he had. MarineAngemon and Leomon, who had fled together inside one of the fairy's heart-shaped bubbles, were quickly run down and encased in separate cages, their Tamers crying out in agony as their respective links were flooded with pain.
Two to go, Zhuqiaomon cackled mentally as he set off in pursuit of his remaining prey.
"Come on, come on," Cam muttered as he spared a quick glance over at Rapidmon. The rabbit-like robot was cradling Henry, Suzie and Lopmon in his arms, while Cam, Steph, Hawkmon and Sam were huddled together in the arms of his lupine counterpart, hanging on to his long fur for dear life.
"I'm scared," the boy heard Sam whimper. "What happened to Rika? Is she gonna be okay?"
"Everything's gonna be fine," Steph reassured her, her voice quavering quite noticeably and her assurances sounding hollow even over the roar of MachGaogamon's engines. "Rika can take care of herself – she's been through worse than this."
Any chance for further conversation was brutally cut short as a massive bolt of fire slammed into Rapidmon's back, sending him cartwheeling towards the ground with a deafening bang. A second bolt quickly followed the first, wrapping around his form suddenly to form a spherical cage around him and his charges as the rabbit de-Digivolved before rocketing back in the direction the attacks had come from.
"NO!" Sam wailed as she saw her friends so brutally captured.
"Hold on!" MachGaogamon warned his own passengers as he launched into a series of wild evasive manoeuvres, barely managing to dodge two separate fireballs that tore massive craters in the earth below him. A sudden feral shriek assaulted the werewolf's eardrums as he felt something strike him hard between the shoulder blades, and he let out a strangled cry as his engines spluttered and died. A second blow struck him just below the kidneys, sending him spiralling towards the ground before a flame cage finally appeared around his pain-wracked form.
"BOLLOCKS!" Cam shouted as his partner de-Digivolved in a flash of light. His initial anger faded into a numb horror as he realized that he and his friends were completely trapped. They had failed.
"What do we do?" Ryo asked from the next cage over, fighting to keep calm. "Come on, people – give me some ideas here!"
"I'm afraid there's nothing you can do, human," a voice that was overflowing with madness laughed maniacally. "The day has come when you will finally be judged for your sins! JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED!"
At this, the eight cages rearranged themselves on the ground in front of Zhuqiaomon, leaving the Sovereign to tower over the defeated children and Digimon.
"Come on, don't just stand there! Do something!" Takato shouted as he immersed himself in his link with his severely-weakened partner. "PYRO SPHERE!"
"BUNNY BLASTER!"
"GATLING ATTACK!"
"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"
Zhuqiaomon didn't even flinch as the barrage of attacks slammed into his massive form and bounced off without having any effect. A second and third volley managed to elicit a chuckle from the titanic Sovereign, and after a fourth volley he grew bored of his little game.
"ENOUGH!" he roared, the flames making up the cases encasing his captives flaring hotter and brighter. "Cease this pointless resistance or I shall kill all of you!"
The Digimon quickly complied as their Tamers were almost overwhelmed by the sudden increase in temperature, more than one of them coming close to toppling over and passing out.
"This is the great force that brought down my impenetrable fortress?" Zhuqiaomon sneered as he toned down the heat of his cages slightly, though not back to the original level – he was enjoying watching the children struggling to remain on their feet far too much to show such mercy. "How pathetic. I expected a bit more of a challenge."
"Stop this!" a voice cried out and Lopmon stepped forwards, glaring furiously at the phoenix. "Please, stop! The humans mean us no harm!"
"Is that…Antylamon? You de-Digivolved?" the Sovereign muttered thoughtfully and shook his head. "It is of no matter. You can drop the act now, my loyal servant. Your infiltration mission was a success!"
"Infiltration? What are you…?"
"I must say, you have done well!" Zhuqiaomon continued obliviously. "You have succeeded where Makuramon failed – you have managed to trick one of the humans into forming a bond with you. Ah, my dear, dear Antylamon – you always were my favourite. You will receive a promotion for this – you can replace that incompetent chimp as head of my Devas!"
"You really are a fool," Lopmon whispered to herself.
"WHAT?" the phoenix roared furiously.
"I said that you are a fool!" the little brown rabbit repeated. "You are a mad, delusional fool who bullies innocent people into submission! I used to be proud of being a Deva, of being a force for justice, before I realized I was nothing but a pawn for your ambitions. Well, this pawn will not be used any longer! I hereby renounce my membership in the Devas and from this day forth, I no longer recognize you as my lord or my god!"
"You…insolent…ungrateful…worthless WASTE OF DATA!" Zhuqiaomon screamed. "YOU WILL BURN FOR YOUR HERESY! YOU WILL ALL BURN! DESOLATION BLAST!"
As the wave of fire tore towards the group, time stood still for two individuals: one human, one Digimon.
Is this karma? Is this my just punishment? Hawkmon asked himself. Then so be it. I will accept my fate.
It can't end like this… Steph moaned mentally. Not after we got so far. We're so close…
No, this can't be karma. The humans – they shouldn't have to suffer with me!
I don't want to die…
Maybe it's part of my redemption – do I give my life to save them?
There has to be something I can do…
But how could I save them? There's nothing I can do. I'm too…
…weak. All I am is dead weight – I can't help them…
…fight, I can't do anything! They had to carry me away while they…
…fought to save my life. I'm just so…
…pathetic…
NO! I won't give up!
Renamon was right – I have to fight! I'm not gonna…
…give up! I'm not gonna let them win!
I
WILL
FIGHT!
"BIO-MERGE ACTIVATE!"
Seconds before Zhuqiaomon's attack hit, Steph and Hawkmon stepped forwards into the path of the fire, their flame cage disintegrating into data. Both of their bodies began to glow with a golden light as they rose into the air, their outlines blurring and merging as a sphere of pure, white light formed around them. In the space of a single heartbeat, the sphere expanded until it shielded the entire group of children and Digimon from Zhuqiaomon's attack, then shattered as soon as the flames had spent themselves to reveal a graceful, beautiful bird that was the polar opposite of the fiery Zhuqiaomon.
Its body was covered in pale blue, almost-white feathers, a long, serpentine tail snaking away behind its slender upper body. Three pairs of massive wings, the largest with a span of around thirty metres, flowed from its body, their entire lengths blazing with golden light. The rearmost pair of wings emerged from where its legs should have been, and each wing was adorned with a single yellow-skinned foot that bore the razor-sharp talons of a bird of prey. Its head was adorned with a pair of grey-brown horns that curved gently back from the top of its head and a pair of small, ear-like wings fluttered just behind its eyes where they peered out from a red-tipped, yellow beak that covered most of its head. A mane of sea-green feathers protruded from beneath the beak and encircled the top of its long neck, a similar mass of feathers decorating the area between its leg-wings like an enormous, extravagant loincloth. When the enormous bird spoke, it spoke in two voices at once – two voices that were very familiar to the children and Digimon behind it.
"You will not hurt my friends!" it declared, a rainbow-like halo of light shimmering into existence around its body.
"Valdurmon…" Ryo whispered to himself in an awed tone.
"Is that…that sounded like Hawkmon!" Takato gasped incredulously. "And Steph?"
"W-what?" Zhuqiaomon spluttered. "A human and Digimon have…merged? This is…you…ABOMINATION! You will be purged! Blazing Helix!"
"Purge Shine!" Valdurmon cried in reply, a warm, golden light spreading from its wings all across its body. Zhuqiaomon's twin helices of fire slammed into the bird's glowing form, washing over it and failing to penetrate the shield of light. Suddenly, Valdurmon's halo shone painfully-bright and the remaining flame cages encasing its friends disappeared, the children and Digimon formerly imprisoned in them rising slowly into the air towards the massive Mega-level Digimon. "Grab hold of my feathers!" it called in its strange, male/female split voice. "I have a plan…"
The levitating humans and Digimon did as they were told, the barrier of light covering Valdurmon's feathers surrounding them as well as they grabbed onto its feathers. When they were all secure, Valdurmon rose into the air with a single, slow beat of its massive wings and glared at the Sovereign.
"Justice will be served," the glowing bird spat as its halo glowed ever brighter. "Jouka no Hikari!"
A colossal beam of pure white light tore from Valdurmon's rainbow-halo and slammed into Zhuqiaomon, sending him flying several hundred metres backwards. Unfortunately, his shield of heat still held, and apart from being severely dazzled and plagued by afterimages from the searing light, he was unharmed. The attack cleared an escape route for Valdurmon, however, and the massive bird soared past the dazed Sovereign, tearing away into the muddy red sky at speeds that put even Rapidmon to shame. By the time Zhuqiaomon had regained the use of his eyes, the Tamers and their charges were long gone.
Valdurmon flew perfectly straight for a little over two minutes, covering a distance almost equal to what the other Tamers and their Digimon could cover on foot in two days. Very soon, it reached the portal to the Hub Level and dove straight through with a victorious cry, ignoring the hail of fire from the ForgeTankmon guarding the far side as its aura of light washed over them, vaporising them instantly. Valdurmon let out another cry as it wheeled around towards the nearby mountains, keeping low so as to avoid detection from nearby Gear.
Hub Level – 1:44a.m.
Valdurmon stumbled as it set down on the side of the mountain, almost falling into the abyss that loomed behind it. The aura of light around the bird's feathers had grown incredibly faint, its halo had disappeared about a minute ago and it was obviously exhausted. It had still managed to stay airborne long enough to find a decent-sized cave for its friends to rest in, however, and had landed right outside the entrance. As the last of its passengers disentangled themselves from its feathers, Valdurmon was consumed by an intense white light that faded after a few seconds to reveal Steph and Hawkmon, both laid unconscious on the ground next to an all-white D-Arc.
"How…how is this possible?" Jeri whispered as her partner lifted the duo and carried them carefully towards the cave. "A human and a Digimon…fusing together…"
"Are…are they okay?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"I checked and they're both breathing, they both have a pulse," Kenta replied. "I think they're just exhausted."
"I wonder…what it felt like," Henry said as he gazed at the unconscious girl.
"Takatomon, will that happen to us when I Digivolve to Mega?" Guilmon asked.
"I don't know, boy," his Tamer mumbled and scratched the saurian absent-mindedly behind the ears.
"We should all try to get some sleep," Renamon suggested. "It's still over three hours until dawn. They may have woken up by then – who knows."