I am afraid that my schedule this spring is busier than in the fall, which is cutting into my writing time. And since my out-of-control imagination sparked off another extended story that is now in progress and stealing half of my attention… I have to take even more time in order to not rush through the story's development.
I suppose you are now eagerly awaiting to see what the Diaboromon monstrosity is up to, right? I'm afraid that you'll have to wait a little longer. Those who want to know what DemiDevimon turned into (though a few have guessed), you're in luck. This chapter will be checking back in with the tamers in the other universe. There is a lot of jumping around to various viewpoints to cover a very short period of time, but it should be clear enough what is going on. I hope that the wait was worth it.
If Kazu had paid attention in class, he might have learned the name of the enormous geometric shape now inhabiting most of the sky overhead instead of DemiDevimon. Still Biomerged, Guardromon helpfully identified the purple and yellow object as a polyhedron, but the boy was more concerned with the fact he had seen the thing before. The strange, twisted, long chains, shaped like DNA with claws, burst out of the dark holes scattered across the shape and the humanoid figure on top that was dwarfed by the rest of object were all images engraved in the tamer's mind from watching every episode of the digimon television show dozens of times. He could quote entire episodes perfectly from memory without effort, he could recite the number of digvolutions that occurred during the Christmas World Tour, and he could identify every enemy that ever appeared. He knew exactly what he was looking at and, unlike Puppetmon, he did not experience a rush of excitement and fan-boy glee before reality set in. Kazu instantly felt the gravity of the situation. The digimon was too powerful for that.
With a loud bellow as he finished his digivolution, he announced, "…Apocalymon!"
"We are so toast," the boy muttered insided his brown mental bubble before repeating, "Ryo, what did you do?"
"I…" the Digimon King's voice gasped in shock. "I didn't…" His tone switched to anger, "He used me. Like a pawn in his game. Lies and tricks… just to turn me into a tool. No more. This is my life. I am more than their pawn."
Justimon leapt into the air, aiming for the closest clawed chain and shouted, "Justice Kick!"
Even with his incredible capacity for jumping, Kazu half expected him to fall short of his target. Apocalymon met his leaping strike with his claw, the larger being's impact knocking the mega to the ground and slamming the limb right on top of Justimon, crushing the cyborg into the ground with enough force to shake the ground slightly and leaving a crater behind. When the massive entity removed the claw from the newly-created depression, HiAndromon could see that their friends had split into separate beings again. Ryo and Cyberdramon, both looking battered, began struggling to their feet as the large digimon laughed cruelly.
"Such power," Apocalymon commented, his voice creepily silken. "More than I could have ever imagined. Such raw unrestricted strength. I could do so many things. I could cast down the Sovereign and rule this world in his place. I could enslave all digimon as my personal army and conquer the human world. I could make both worlds in my image. Nothing can stop me. I am invincible!"
"Classic, egotistical psycho," the human component of the Crest-empowered mega remarked. "Which means it's time for the heroes to knock him down to size. You know what that means, Guardromon?"
"The dynamic duo are about to attack?" his partner suggested.
"Exactly," the tamer smiled within the mental orb. "But we need some speed."
At his words, an excited engine roar emerged from Behemoth. The sentient vehicle still lay where it landed after losing Puppetmon as its rider. HiAndromon yanked it upright and climbed on. The motorcycle shot forward as the Biomerged mega transformed his arm.
"Okay, Apocalymon," the boy muttered under his breath. He couldn't use his D-arc to check the creature's information, but he could use the memories of the television show. "Giant enemy at the end of season one, responsible for the Dark Masters and practically all the evil in the Digital World in that season, could dedigivolve others and potentially self-destruct to destroy the whole world." He frowned, "I hope he can't do that." Continuing with his mental listing of his enemy's possible capabilities, he described, "Apocalymon could also copy the attacks of several evil digimon, at least the ones he is supposed to be connected to somehow. Maybe this one's selection will be different since I don't think he has anything to do with Machinedramon or MetalSeadramon."
As the bike brought the Biomerged mega to the edge of the clearing (and out from directly beneath the planetoid-sized creature), HiAndromon aimed his transformed arm towards the entity and shouted, "Ion Cannon!"
The green orb of energy managed to hit the polyhedron, but there was no sign of damage. It did, however, get the mega's attention. His enjoyment of his new amount of power interrupted, the giant digimon directed his gaze towards the motorcycle-riding android.
"Crimson Lightning!" Apocalymon announced, using Myotismon's deadly attack.
Behemoth reacted to the assault, weaving around the red electricity at high speed. His passenger continued to fire upon the large digimon from his mobile position.
A loud, high-pitched cry captured everyone's attention and announced the arrival of newcomers on the far side of the clearing.
"Wyo!"
The anger that sprang up by the bat's betrayal, fueled more by the still fuzzy memories of previous instances of where he was used, was interrupted as the crushing force of Apocalymon's claw broke the connection between the boy and his partner, leaving both of them battered, tired, and lying in a newly formed crater. The smartest idea would be to remain still at least long enough for his head to stop pounding. What he and Cyberdramon were actually doing was climbing to their feet, still trying to fight back.
A part of the tamer asked why. Why was he trying to get up, to face this impossible enemy, to win? The creature was so large and so powerful that he could rush their mega form without trying. The boy could hear Apocalymon boasting about his power and how much he could accomplish with it. Ryo knew he couldn't win against such power. So why did he still try?
Something deep down and forgotten, the same something that fed the earlier anger, answered. He would always try. No matter how impossible, how powerful, or how intimidating an enemy might be or as hopeless a situation might seem, he would always face it. No matter how many times he was knocked down, he would climb back up. No matter how dark and difficult the path became, he would keep marching towards his goal until it was reached. Unstoppable, unbeatable, all-powerful beings with control of fundamental forces would be met with unyielding determination. Apocalymon had nothing on Milleniummon…
"Wait, who?" asked the boy, surprised by the name.
…Various forms of the same entity flashed through his head. A mixture of many components with two heads, four arms, twin cannons, and equal parts flesh and light. A crystal with something evil lurking within, red eyes glaring out. A two headed dragon of a twisted nature with strange pieces of code floated around it, orbiting the creature.
Accompanying the scattered images was a sense of invincibility and unimaginable power. No matter how the creature changed, something always seemed constant. He couldn't be trusted, couldn't be underestimated, and could never be defeated permanently. There was no chance of escaping his shadow for long. But he would always face that changing, dangerous foe. He rarely had a choice in the matter; he and Milleniummon were destined to continue their unending encounter regardless. The fact he couldn't break the pattern did not stop him from trying.
The final image of his eternal foe was, surprisingly, Cyberdramon…
"Apparently I've always been too stubborn for my own good," Ryo muttered, seeing the Biomerged android opening fire on the giant creature overhead out of the corner of his eye. "No matter how impossible, even if that creep knocks me down, memories or no memories, I'm not giving in to that overgrown bat."
With that final stubborn assertion, the tamer was surprised to see a bright glow erupting from a source around his neck and a high-pitched ringing. Grabbing at the white rectangle around his neck, he saw most of the surface gaining a shade of blue identical to that of his D-arc. The color spread across the card-like crest, leaving only a starburst pattern in the center retaining the original white color. The light show reminded him of what happened to Kazu. The ringing, however, was a new addition to the experience. Distantly, he was aware of red lightning erupting from Apocalymon, but most of his attention was pulled to the ringing sound that was morphing into words.
Determination. Having one's mind made up and possessing the resolve to keep the choice. Firm and unyielding. Equal parts courage, stubbornness, and unbending purpose. Knowing that impossibility is not a true hindrance. Understanding there is always a chance of success and it is only necessary to remain steady and strong until that slim chance is found. Unstoppable willpower in the face of adversity in all forms.
Recklessness and determination are both born from stubbornness, but one leads to foolish decisions. Just because you do not back down does not mean that wisdom and sense should be ignored. Unyielding fortitude should be tempered by a flexible and adaptive mind. There are many paths to reach a goal, but the best is not always the clearest at first glance. Determination is the strength of mind and everything that implies.
The firm support of your desired result may waver in the face of adversity. Obstacles of great power or great difficulty can block the paths. Those of weaker conviction may stray, bend, or break under the pressure. Bravery, an unwillingness to change course, and belief in the value of your goal will strengthen that conviction into a force that nothing can alter or stop.
Determination.
Before he could react to the event, another voice captured his attention. This one was of a far less supernatural-seeming and mysterious nature than the earlier speaker. It was a young, high-pitched voice that his fragmented memories were able to identify immediately.
"Wyo!"
The small group reached the edge of the forest as an odd vibration shook them slightly. They could finally see a reasonable distance again without tree trunks and foliage in the way. They could also see the unusual, digital horizon now that the canopy was no longer blocking the view. This meant Kenta could make out the enormous and disturbingly familiar digimon that was likely the source of the previous impact. It was also throwing around bright and deadly crimson jolts of electricity.
"We are so toast," he muttered.
"Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad," whimpered Calumon quietly, not even looking at the entity as he tried to hide his head from view. His freak out from a few minutes ago, which had been extremely unsettling due to the unexpectedness and the fact that it was Calumon that was shrieking in absolute terror for no obvious reasons as he clutched his head, had left the small white creature even less comprehensible than usual. Torn between the instinct to hurry towards the sounds of fighting in the direction of their missing tamer (an instinct that was certainly not related to survival) and concern for the upset in-training digimon, they had scooped up the small creature and broken into a run. Or, rather, Yamaki had picked up his partner. Calumon was now shivering, his ears squeezed tightly against his head, curled up in the adult's arm as they stared at the impossibly large entity in the sky, "No, no, no, no, no. It was wrong. No more."
"Wyo!" shouted Suzie suddenly, her high-pitched voice carrying over any other sound as she pointed across the torn-up landscape.
Kenta, his gaze ripped away from the sight of Apocalymon in the sky like the ultimate source of doom, saw a brown-metal humanoid on a motorcycle on the far side of the clearing, a familiar dragon-like creature, and… Ryo. The formerly-dead tamer was standing in a crater with his ultimate level partner. Both looked a little unsteady on his feet, but certainly alive. He was holding something tied around his neck, but his head had snapped up at the girl's shriek of happiness.
"Suzie, wait," shouted Lopmon abruptly, yanking the bespectacled boy's attention back to the small group.
The young child had picked up her partner and was now running straight towards the older boy. Kenta didn't know if she had somehow missed the planetoid-sized digimon overhead or simply didn't care. All that the girl seemed to care about was the fact her friend was here and she was going to go to him. Ryo, seeing her actions, had grabbed onto his own partner and they cyborg-dragon was now flying towards her. The tamer was waving with his free arm for her to turn around and run the other way, but that didn't seem to faze her.
"Get back here," someone yelled, but Kenta wasn't certain if it was him, Yamaki, or both.
Apocalymon seemed interested in the racing girl as well. One of his long, chain-like limbs was in position and, when Ryo reached Suzie, the claw shot down towards them, intending to crush the beings into nonexistence. Somehow, in the seconds between the creature's attack towards them and impact, Kenta saw the figures roll out from directly under the descending limb (Suzie seemed to have ended up in a gap between two claws) and swiftly sliding cards through D-arcs. Or what looked like cards, at least.
The power, the dark and twisted power that coursed through him, exceeded anything he'd ever felt before. Even the flood of strength from his old master paled in comparison. He crushed his former "helpers," Ryo and Cyberdramon, and shrugged off that bionic imbecile's blast without any effort. The lightning hadn't reached his target, but it didn't really matter. Nothing could get in his way. He was unstoppable.
"Wyo!"
The voice… As he realized who had shouted, Apocalymon felt a cold shiver of dread run up his humanoid portion's spine. The words of Destiny echoed in his mind.
"Be warned, however. 'The End shall end if he ignores the harmless. The small and meek is not the weak. The youngest of mind and form hold the power to stop the threat. Defeat comes from the least expected quarters.'"
Suzie.
The small girl with the rabbit for a partner. The fragile child that Justimon died to protect. It was her.
True, he knew she had the potential to be dangerous. Cherubimon was an angel digimon and her attacks were as unpleasant as Plesiomon's or HiAndromon's had been that fateful day. Still, her youth, her unthreatening size and appearance, and her sweet nature served to shift away any fear of her power. The young tamer seemed absolutely harmless and not a threat to him in any possible manner.
She would have to die.
The girl seemed intent on granting that desire as well. Her small figure was dashing across the field from the tree line with Lopmon firmly under one arm while various voices shouted for her to turn back. Ryo and Cyberdramon (who apparently survived being smashed under foot) were racing towards her. This was too perfect. It would be like killing two Biyomon with one stone.
As soon as they were close enough, Apocalymon slammed one of his clawed limbs directly on top of them. Or where they had been seconds before. Instead of their deaths and preventing that prophecy from being possible, he head two voices shouting at the same time very similar statements.
"Digi-Modify! Crest of Determination Activate!"
"Digi-Modify! Cwest of Innocence Activate!"
On either side of the "foot" was now growing sources of powerful light. They were digivolving.
Not good.
He thought at first that the girl was either impossibly oblivious to Apocalymon's presence or ignoring the threat. Ryo didn't think she was that crazy, but he also couldn't think of an alternative reason why she would dash across the clearing like that. Only when he and Cyberdramon drew close did he see an expression of happiness, concentration, and her own brand of determination across Suzie's face. She knew what she was doing, how dangerous it was, but didn't care because she felt she had to do it anyway. Even more surprising was when she abruptly shifted directions and rolled just as Cyberdramon turned.
Barely missing either of them, the large claw slammed to the ground. She'd been watching out for danger, even while doing her dangerous stunt.
Not willing to wait and see if anything else might happen, Ryo decided to try his crest for help. He couldn't protect her as a human, after all. As he slid his card-like object, he heard another voice.
"Digi-Modify! Crest of Determination Activate!"
"Digi-Modify! Cwest of Innocence Activate!"
"Cyberdramon Crest Biomerge to…"
Time froze. There was no other way to describe it. He was in the middle of changing form, surrounded by light and power, and then… he was in a different place. It was dark, almost like being on an empty plain at twilight, and a gridline of white lines stretched forever to the horizon. It wasn't like he'd been transported somewhere else. He could still feel his connection to his and Cyberdramon's digivolving form. But part of him was here, in this strange place where time passed much quicker than in his normal reality. Wherever he was currently wasn't real. This odd location was in his mind only and everything was happening in that brief moment it takes to digivolve.
And he wasn't alone. A short distance away, Monodramon was glancing around curiously. Ryo's partner seemed to have no idea of the cause of this odd event either. Further away was… a figure. It seemed to have two dragonoid heads, but every other detail was blurred. The tamer couldn't be certain, but it felt like his eyes were trying to see three different shapes at the same time without ever allowing a clear view of any. A glimpse of a large cannon on one, a crystal around another, and orbiting symbols surrounding the third identified the strange being. It was the creature from his memory.
"Milleniummon," the boy glared, anger and distrust rising to the surface.
"So you remember my name, if not my identity," chuckled the smooth voice. "And you have managed to active your crest as well. I am very proud of you, Ryo. Your resolve has yet to fail, my partner."
"Who are you and why don't I trust you?" he asked, the entity putting him on edge. "And you're not my partner."
The creature shook his heads, "My poor tamer. Suspicious of my goodwill even when you remember nothing that would cause doubt. I have given you no reason to distrust me since we arrived in the landscape of your mind, have I?"
"If this is Ryo's mind, it seems a little empty," Monodramon muttered, but he was glaring at Milleniummon suspiciously even as he attempted a small joke.
"Your memories are returning slowly and will continue to do so until you regain your past, but you need some more quickly than others. You need to know your allies. All of them. Your crest, a mere trinket that reflects and channels your own inner power, will allow you to quiet me for a time," the mysterious creature explained. "Only natural since you have always been the only one who could resist my power and stop me. As a demonstration of my goodwill and desire to help my partner, I have a gift for you before that occurs."
Abruptly, two arms (which only existed in one of Milleniummon's forms) shot out and, gently, touched Ryo and Monodramon's foreheads. The surprising move caused the boy to want to jerk back, but a rush of images, sounds, and emotions froze him in place. Sensations that were both strange and familiar washed over him, threatening to overpower him. The fragmented flashbacks that had been plaguing him recently paled in comparison to these higher quality pieces of his mental landscape. The surge of new information felt overwhelming, his head pounding with the effort to sort everything. There was so much flowing into his mind, jumbling together as the scattered pieces were dragged out of the shadows and clumsily fitted into the gaps. When Milleniummon broke off contact, the tamer was left gasping.
His memory was back. He knew who he was, who the tamers were, about his family, about the human world, he knew why Cyberdramon's image was included in his earlier flashback of Milleniummon's various forms, and he had other answers to questions that he hadn't even wondered about yet. From the present moment to around a week before he defeated Rika at the card game was perfectly clear. Before that period of his life, it became less clear and there were still plenty of gaps as he progressed further back, but he could still remember enough to know why he distrusted this powerful manipulator of time and space. He was almost back to his old self.
"The advantage of Biomerging: your mind is within my reach, Ryo," commented Milleniummon. "Your other memories, those connected to the life you left behind, can wait and return on their own. And I did not hide or alter any of your recollections concerning me."
Ryo edged closer to Monodramon. The purple reptile glanced between his partner and the creature who resided within himself, clearly remembering his own past once more as well. They couldn't show any weakness to this being. Not only was he powerful, but he could win without using a single attack. His voice, so reasonable and intelligent, could easily make you forget the owner's past actions and likely future intentions.
"I wouldn't be able to tell if you changed my memories even if you did," the boy pointed out. "I don't know what it is you think this will bring you. I'm not sure what your angle is or what you're planning, but I promise you that it won't work."
"I am your partner. That means I will help you and do as you ask, and no more than that. I remain out of sight, influencing your life as little as possible, because you want a normal life," reminded Milleniummon. "I only offer help now before the power behind your crest silences me further. And to remind you that you need only ask for my advice or power, Ryo. Eventually you'll accept my help. You'll face a foe too powerful to handle or simply decide to reconsider your harsh distrust of me."
"Never," he stated firmly. "I'll never trust you. I know you."
"Never is a long time. I know better than most how much can change in time. I can wait. I am always with you after all, Ryo."
With those final, ominous words, the tamer was launched back into reality.
Though HiAndromon had frozen at the sound of the girl's voice, he did reacted to her running across the uneven and torn-up battlefield.
"Looks like Ryo's grabbing her, so let's distract Apocalymon from them."
Rather than argue that the giant being had barely noticed his earlier attack (impossible since the motorcycle still didn't have a mouth), Behemoth revved its engine loudly and drove in a very noticeable serpentine pattern.
"Hey, over here," yelled the Biomerged mega. "I'm not finished with you yet. You're nothing but a surprise villain with no foreshadowing or build up before they tossed you in at the end of the season. The previous enemies were scarier. Half the viewers don't even remember you."
The demonic vehicle briefly wondered if that was their idea of insults before Apocalymon reacted. The planetoid-sized entity wasn't responding to them, however. He smashed his oversized claw into the ground, apparently crushing the girl, Ryo, and the two digimon.
"No!" yelled Behemoth's passenger.
The bike didn't need to be a mind reader to know that it should head towards the newest crater to join the collection of depressions formed today. His riders need to know if Apocalymon had succeeded now or else. Even with the motorcycle's impressive speed, it hadn't neared the claw before a pair of voices reached them and assured HiAndromon of his friends' continued survival.
"Digi-Modify! Crest of Determination Activate!"
"Digi-Modify! Cwest of Innocence Activate!"
"Suzie, you're brother would have killed me," Kazu's voice muttered in relief as two bright lights appeared.
"Cyberdramon Crest Biomerge to… Justimon Determination Mode!"
"Lopmon Crest Biomerge to… Cherubimon Innocence Mode!"
I figure that anyone who goes against the same, nearly all-powerful entity through numerous video games (each time, his enemy changing into a new form) with little to no help from dependable friends, they have to be pretty determined. Really, Ryo has to have nearly a goggle-head level of determination to keep going through all that. I figure that has to be the only reason he can keep going was because he is a very determined individual who never gives up or gives in (probably part of the reason Milleniummon is so intrigued). So, that is why he gets the Crest of Determination. And the color is reversed on the crest the same way the color on his D-arc is reversed.
And Ryo also has a majority of his memories back in some form or another. Some of his memories of his time in the Digidestined universe are still missing or fuzzy, but they are less immediately important and will return in time. He was trying to move on with his life anyway, so he shouldn't be too upset about it. The point is that he is, more or less, back to his old self again.
Yes, they are facing Apocalymon. He isn't necessarily as powerful as the one that tried to destroy everyone in Season 1, but he's worse than the one that showed up in that weird window of digimon who asked Rika to be their tamer before Renamon appeared to her. His boasts about kicking the Sovereign out of power? Who knows if it is possible, but he certainly thinks so. The tamers will have their hands full in both universes.
I enjoy reviews greatly. They are wonderful encouragement to me and make me smile. Thanks for reading and I hope to have feedback.