Man, so many papers are going to be due soon. Because of that, it may be a while before my next update. Hope you like it and I'll keep the stories coming.
Now, I have a few notices to relay to you. Linkmaste already drew a lovely picture of Fatemon that is currently my icon. Another reader, MoonlitInuko, has also drawn a couple of pictures for my story. To find them (and one I drew of the crests), you'll need to look on Impkat's deviant art page and there is a link on my profile page. Beware, there is a spoiler in the description under the tamer's crest picture I drew (that picture also demonstrates that I have no visual art skills whatsoever). Feel free to check them out because MoonlitInuko can draw beautifully. Also, someone called cassie ryan is apparently extremely impatient for this chapter since they sent two reviews in two days asking for it. I update as quickly as I can and I ask that you be patient with me. I do my best on the speed.
That out of the way, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
P.S. It is extremely hard to think of appropriate attack names. Especially if I don't want them to sound corny or stupid.
The ring of white-hot fire slammed into Marsmon, undeflected by his attempt to backhand it away like previous attacks. But the crest-enhanced mega didn't stop there. Sakuyamon swung her staff around and the flaming shape turned and struck the vaccine type again. Another movement and the fiery ring changed course to crash into him again.
"This one is interesting," Rika's voice commented within the Biomerged mega. "You can't really miss. As long as the fires burn, we can steer it."
Renamon's voice cautioned, "But they do extinguish more quickly the more they strike the target."
She was right. By the time the ring slammed into him the fifth time, it was just a thin sliver of fire. Marsmon managed to slap the weakened attack out of the way at that point, frowning as the flames vanished. He wasn't nearly as overly egotistical acting now. The pelt on his back was singed and his chest was streaked with soot. He cracked his knuckles.
"Very well, female," he growled. "No more games. I shall face you as a warrior."
"That was his idea of games?" T.K. commented from the sidelines. "He should try playing with Puppetmon."
"About time," smiled the data type. "We can handle whatever you throw at us."
The flames around his wrists flared as he called out, "Mugen Hadou!"
Before he could strike, she announced, "Elemental Kitsune!"
Four colorful foxes sprang into existence in a similar fashion to her earlier "Spirit Strike," but each one was larger and more solid-looking. Their eyes glowed bright orange and as they snarled fiercely, their sharp fangs glistened white. Two of the creatures, one reddish-pink and one sky-blue, pounced at Marsmon. The pair dodged his fists and snapped at his face. Forced to change his focus towards the four-legged beasts, his fire-enshrouded hand struck the pink one. The fox absorbed the flames easily, seeming to grow with contact. The blue one collided with his other fist and soaked it in water. At this point, the green fox-like spirit struck at his chest like a hurricane, blowing the mega back. The final creature Sakuyamon had summoned crackled with electricity and glared skyward. Instead of attacking Marsmon like its siblings, it leapt off of the vaccine and shot through the air like a bolt of lightning to collide with Valkyrimon's golden falcon that circled the battlefield.
"Flare," called out the stunned avian vaccine as the bird crashed to the ground.
MagnaAngemon remarked, "I think you should be focusing on us, Valkyrimon. Excalibur!"
Sakuyamon didn't bother watching further. He and Angewomon would handle it. And Marsmon might be down, but he wasn't out. He was already struggling to his feet again.
"Okay, since we don't want to tick off the local kids, we need to try a nonlethal way to stop him," Rika muttered in her sphere of awareness. "Any ideas?"
Renamon's voice and awareness gave the tamer a possible option that caused her to grin. It was one of the forms new attacks and it was too perfect.
Concentrating on her new power, the five orbs on her body began to glow softly. The gemstones placed like eyes on her golden mask began glowing after a moment as well. Holding her staff in front of her, the data type summoned up large amounts of power into her form.
"Purifying Flame Protection!" she cried out, releasing the stored energy as a wall of blue flame.
Rather than stopping at a simple defense like the attacks most obvious purpose, Sakuyamon slammed it into Marsmon and pinned him to the ground. The vaccine type struggled for a few minutes before surrendering to the fact that he was trapped. The golden fox-lady waited patiently for the other mega to speak.
"…Very well," he sighed slowly. 'You are the victor, fem… Sakuyamon."
Nodding, the shaman digimon replied, "You were a worthy opponent and an honor to fight."
Glancing across the battlefield, the Biomerged mega could see Valkyrimon in a similar state of surrender. It seemed the pair of angelic ultimates succeeded in disarming the avian digimon. Of course, Rika had trusted they would.
"You are way too patient with me sometimes, Renamon," the girl smiled within the blue sphere. "You kept waiting for me to figure out that I couldn't keep distrusting people."
"I had faith you would eventually come to terms with it," her partner answered.
The tamer chuckled, "I can't believe my crest is 'trust.' It's almost as strange as the fact I gave a goggle-head, the 'power of friendship,' sappy speech. You're never allowed to tell the others I said any of that."
Chuckling softly, she answered, "You have my word, Rika."
Within her bubble of consciousness, the human sighed, "I guess this means I have to try trusting Destiny too."
Turning their attention outwards once more, Sakuyamo began to address the group's captives, "We need to have a little chat about why you feel the urge to split humans and digimon apart. And we need a better reason than 'our master said to' or the classic 'humans are evil.' Start at the beginning and keep talking."
Eventually realizing that wandering around without a plan or direction, Davis decided to submit to Henry's and Ken's suggestion of choosing a target destination. Terriermon, after climbing to the forest canopy to survey the landscape, reported a mountain in the distance perpendicular to their current direction. If they'd turned that way earlier, the group would have been crossing a plain. Now, if they chose to head for the only major landmark in sight, they would still be moving through the forest.
"Come on, it's a mountain," pointed out Davis. "At least some of the creeps that Tai and the others faced were connected to mountains somehow. Devimon was supposed to be on a mountain on File Island and then there was the whole Dark Masters and Spiral Mountain thing. It's not like we have a better target."
"If nothing else, it'll give us a decent view of the area," Henry sighed. "And I don't have any better ideas."
Smiling, the goggle-head laughed, "Yes! And we're going in style. Ready, Veemon?"
"You bet!"
"Veemon Armor digivolve to… Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"
As Ken, Wormmon, and Davis climbed on the black armored quadruped, Henry selected a pair of cards from his deck.
"Digi-Modify! Matrix Digivolution Activate!"
"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon! Gargomon Matrix digivolve to… Rapidmon!"
For the final touch, the tamer slid the second card through his green-ringed D-arc, "Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed Activate!"
"Race you," laughed the robotic rabbit, his partner perched on his shoulder, as they weaved through the trees.
"No fair," Davis called after them, his own digimon sprinting along the ground with the three passengers. "You've got way too many advantages."
"Can't help that," Rapidmon replied cheerfully. "I guess I'll win."
Henry, rolling his eyes, reminded, "This isn't a contest."
"Momentai," remarked the vaccine ultimate. "We're just having some fun."
The dark-haired boy sighed, shook his head, and resigned himself to the good-natured competition between his partner and the digidestined. At least they were making a better connection than Davis and Impmon. Or Davis and Rika. Or Rika and Destiny. Or Rika and… well, practically anyone beyond their close group of tamers. Making friends with strangers was always difficult. It generally required some understanding on both sides and it can be hard to sympathize with those you don't know.
Henry, or the other hand, always tried to see the other person's view. He could see why Zhuqiaomon hated humans, especially when he saw the damage the D-reaper caused to the digital world. He could understand why Yamaki once viewed digimon as lifeless pieces of data and mindless monsters to be destroyed, though Henry knew that view was completely wrong. And the boy could even see why his father and the other Monster Makers placed that program in Terriermon that defeated the D-reaper (for a time), but also resulted in the tamers losing their friends temporarily. He hated the fact he could see what logic his father used and that he could even empathize with the decision, Henry knew it was part of who he was. He was the one who always saw both sides of the story.
And now, he could see how a race could be a fun bonding experience between is partner and the digidestined. Smiling, Henry took a better grip on Rapidmon and watched the trees fly by and Raidramon sprinting along the ground. After all, he should be able to "momentai" from time to time.
"Thank you, come again," called Ren Yukimura towards his departing customer.
Owner of an antiques store was not exactly the future he envisioned as a boy growing up, but the reddish-blond couldn't complain. For all that he inherited the property from his uncle, he actually ran it effectively. The twenty-three year old possessed great business sense and turned a struggling corner shop of junk into a thriving trade. Luckily, traditional pieces of furniture and ornaments were gaining popularity again in interior decorating. By partnering with some professional interior decorating agencies for an exclusive deal and participating in selective advertising, he could turn a nice profit for the collection of junk while still maintaining his stock at a reasonable level.
Forced to adopt glasses in his teen years, Mr. Yukimura gave every impression of being an easy target for any assertive individual as he peered over his financial records. His pale blue eyes and gangly build seemed unintimidating at first glance, but this man would face down anyone without blinking. No one, neither bully, larger companies hoping to buy out his business, nor trouble-making teenagers, retained the misconception for long that the man in a navy polo shirt could be pushed into something after he grew angry. He'd faced worse things than humans in his life.
Not to say he was a mean or aggressive person. Quite the contrary. He generally acted easy-going and courteous. There was simply a point that one did not cross with him. At that point, he switched from his nice guy personality to a slightly-terrifying force. The only ones that could order him to do anything were those who gained his respect. And the last person to do that was a sandy-brown haired thirteen years old boy wearing a pair of goggles with a green strap…
Glancing up from his bookkeeping, Mr. Yukimura noticed a girl in jeans and a lavender t-shirt staring back from among the vases and the knick-knacks. Strangely, he did not remember her entering. Possibly, he'd been too absorbed in his work to hear the front door.
"May I help you?" he asked.
She nodded, "Yes, you can help. And not just me, Ren Yukimura. Just as you did in the days of your past, I come to ask you to take on a great responsibility. A danger threatens, as it did when evil crossed the Wall of Fire long ago. I come to call to arms those who fought before when such things threaten. I come to rejoin the humans who first aligned with digimon years ago."
Rather than denying any knowledge of what she'd described, as he first felt inclined to, the man stared at her for several minutes before asking, "How do you know all this? I… never told anyone about my encounter with digimon as a child. I was… afraid they'd think I was crazy at the time."
"And yet, you still hide this even today when their existence is known to the world," reminded the child. "They will not claim you are mentally ill now if you claim that you once knew digital creatures."
He ran a hand through his reddish-blond hair, "But they aren't necessarily well-liked. And it happened so long ago. I've not seen or heard from any of the others since then, let along my own partner. I guess… I just figured that part of my life was over and that I should move on."
"Partners are partners forever," she sighed softly. "And neither time nor distance may keep them apart. Even death is not enough for some pairs." Her deep blue eyes held sadness in their depths before she shook her head. "Surely you don't think Psychemon would simply pretend that you never met?"
The antiques dealer reached into his khaki pants to pull out his old grey digivice with the magenta buttons. "I really do miss her. She kept a smile on my face with her presence, even with all the danger we faced. I guess I didn't think she'd forget me. And I… never really forget her. You never really leave your past behind. Once a DigiDestined, always a DigiDestined."
"The responsibility remains, even if you're not with your partner. But I'm here to reunite old friends," remarked the dark-haired girl.
"It'll be nice to see Riku again and I wonder how little Jay is growing up," smiled the man, turning his sign to "closed." Locking the door, Ren smiled, "He used to be so adorable. Even if his little blue partner was a pest. I would kind of enjoy a reunion with everyone, especially Psychemon. Doesn't matter to me if our reunion is during a crisis to save the world. Again."
Though his posted hours clearly listed that the store should be open currently, his next few customers found the interior dark, the doors locked, and the premises empty.
After they got off the phone, the young pair of children ceased their loud shrieks almost instantly and simply seemed to ignore everyone and everything. They wouldn't even look at each other. Though Mizutani didn't have any siblings of her own, she could guess they were sulking. Whatever they'd heard over the phone must have been effective on controlling them, but they also revealed nothing about the DADP employees in the household. Overall, it sounded like the call had done no harm and might have even done some good.
Unfortunately, it was about the only thing going right. The mission was supposed to be a quick one: in and out with as little interaction with other people as possible. Instead, they were standing around in the apartment with Mrs. Kamiya and the unknown twins for a prolonged period of time. And now one of her brainless idiots, the one who accepted the mother's offered cookie, was clutching his stomach and moaning softly. Apparently the woman's cooking didn't agree with him.
Deciding to try and improve their relationship with the children, Mizutani stepped over to where the pair huddled. Mrs. Kamiya paused in her movement, holding her baking pan half-way in the act of placing it in the oven, and glared at the blond woman. The parent was clearly uneasy with the proximity to the twins, but unable to think of a way to prevent the DADP employee from speaking to them. But the look promised that if Mizutani tried to harm them, the baking pan would be slammed across her head.
"Hey guys," the blond-haired woman greeted the pair. "I think we started off on the wrong foot."
The girl met her gaze and muttered, "Go away or we'll glue you to the floor."
"That wouldn't be very nice," she gently scolded.
"You aren't very nice," the child's brother pointed out. "And you want to hurt our friend. But we won't let you."
"So leave us alone, big meanie," added the other twin.
Sighing, the adult tried again to reason with the young siblings, "I know you don't understand now, but this is for your own good. Sometimes, you have to do things you don't like to do in order to help others. I don't like scaring you like this, but I know what's best for..."
The girl shook her head, "We know that sometimes you got to do hard and mean things you don't like to do to help people. But you're not helping. You're just making everything bad and wrong because you don't think digimon and humans can be friends."
"And you want to take that away," mumbled her brother sadly. "You want to make everything wrong. And now everything's ruined."
Mizutani felt a little uncomfortable as tears began to roll down their faces. She couldn't handle upset kids, though she could almost recall comforting a frightened young boy with black hair…
Once more, her thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt distraction. This time, it was a knock at the front door.
Gesturing at three of her minions, she urged them into place near the hallway to the main entrance. They would still be out of sight of those at the door, but could easily move into capture the new arrivals if they were their target.
Glancing at Mrs. Kamiya, the grey-eyed woman instructed, "Answer it. If it is the children and digimon, let them inside. If not, get rid of them. Either way, don't breathe a word about our presence."
Nodding slowly, the brown-haired parent left her kitchen and went to the door. As she reached for the handle, Mizutani gripped her DD-gun tightly. She was ready for whatever horror lurked beyond that door.
Two shapes raced through the forest at high speed. One was green, robotic, and flew above the ground while a human boy crouched on his shoulder. The other was black and blue and ran after the first creature, bearing two humans and a small, green insect on his back. It was a disgusting insult, lowering themselves to the level of pets and mere steeds to their human masters.
Dianamon glanced at her current teammate beside her, perched on a thick tree branch along their targets' path. While they weren't as fast and agile as Valkyrimon, they should be able to handle these traitorous digimon. They had orders to deal with the humans and their partners in the digital world. Besides, she warned them to sever their ties with their bound digimon and to return to their world. If they would not listen to her words, they would pay.
"Are you prepared, Minervamon" the data type mega asked. "They might be traitor, but they are skilled fighters."
Shorter than Dianamon, the maiden-like mega seemed fragile in comparison to the white-and-blue-armored female. Minervamon wore a large snake-skin on her head that concealed her upper face and a tan skirt around her waist. Bluish braids stuck out from under her snake-head mask and she wielded a round shield and a great sword as large as her own body with intertwined snakes etched along the length. Along the sides of her head were feathery adornments that would have been appropriate on Valkyrimon and she seemed to possess an incredibly cheerful grin.
"It'll be alright," she giggled sweetly. "We can take care of them easy. After all, good always conquers evil."
Dianamon sighed at her companion's childlike innocence. While half of her own personality often aligned with the cheerful virus type, the lunar mega was currently in her cynical and more ill-tempered personality and found it annoying. On the other hand, she wouldn't want to suffer one of Minervamon's "tantrums."
"Very well," she replied. "You may have the first pick of which of these treacherous beings you wish to dispose of."
Smiling cheerfully, she leapt off of her perch and cried out, "Strike Roll!"
Just when one battle is over, another begins. I hope you enjoy Dianamon's new companion. She's described as being cheerfully innocent, but can become emotionally violently unstable. Sort of like "temper tantrums…"
And now I have introduced the Matt-looking character to the story. Ren is also the last of the group to have a previously created digimon. The other partners will be my invention. Wish me luck on that.
Reviews are always appreciated and hope to hear your opinions. Now, I will head back to do my school work. To many projects…