Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
The DigiDestined had flown most of their trip in silence, until Tai suddenly called a halt. "Is it just me, or does it look like we are about to hit a wall?" Sure enough, approaching the edge of the DigiDestined's field of vision was what could only be described as a dark mass blocking their progress. "I know we are on a tight schedule, but no matter how much I want to run and save the world I can't really justify us running into anything this dangerous without a plan. How are we going to do this?"
"Leave it to me," Izzy answered. "This seems like the perfect time for me to try out my newest program. I've tried increasing the range of the Digimon Analyzer, both in terms of things it can analyze and actual range of effectiveness. If we want to see what we're up against, it'll be our best bet." Typing away on HerculesKabuterimon's back, Izzy managed to pull up the program before he suddenly gasped in shock and closed his laptop. "Well, it isn't technically a wall. Judging by what I came up with, this must have been the army Lilithmon was talking about."
"So," Matt asked, "what kind of army are we talking about?"
"Other than the obvious answers of big and evil, I can't give a full description. My computer just consumed all of its power trying to run that program to completion. Apparently, I tried scanning too many Digimon at once. However, the names I found before the crash are enough cause for concern. They're mostly Fallen Angel Digimon, but there are a few others. I recognized Devimon, IceDevimon, LadyDevimon, and Mephistomon. As if that weren't enough, there are quite a few Mega levels in there as well. And since I estimate that I only scanned a tenth of the army at most, there are probably plenty of nasty surprises waiting for us. Even if we were at full strength, we wouldn't be able to beat them. There are just too many."
"Well," Mimi answered, "I'm sorry Izzy, but I'm not going to sit here and worry about that. So what if we can't beat the whole army? We need to stop that gate from opening, and we don't have enough time to try to find a way around this army. I hate to say it, but we have to fight."
"I'm with Mimi," Joe answered. "Sure, we can't beat the whole army, but if the army is spread out that far, we might have a chance to punch through the line. Then, we have some of us stay back to hold the army off as long as possible while the others go on to face the Demon Lords."
"But that sounds like a suicide mission," TK protested. "We can't just leave someone behind to die!"
"Well," Matt answered, "we either do this or have millions of people and Digimon die because we failed to get to the gate. I'll stay back. Omnimon has the best chance of survival, and he also has some experience mowing down an army of enemies. We should be able to clear a lane right through the army and you can all take out the Demon Lords."
Sora started to protest, but Tai cut her off. "Matt's right. Omnimon is the best choice. Of course, he's my Digimon too, so I'll be staying with him. After all, if we can handle being shot by arrows of Hope and Light to save the world, we can handle this army. But just in case we can't, TK, you better take good care of Kari, or I'll haunt you until the day you die and then beat your soul to death."
Kari started crying at her brother's plan to sacrifice himself, but she was startled out of it when Izzy suddenly yelled out. "Everybody, listen! We can go on and on about how we all plan to sacrifice ourselves, but we have to think this through logically. Sure, Omnimon has the best chance against the army, but what happens to the rest of us when we fight the Demon Lords? Lilithmon was well beyond the power of even our Mega Digimon, and there are six more Demon Lords. We need to focus on getting our most powerful group to that fight instead of the army. For that, I think we should operate in three different cells. The most important cell will be the one that makes it to the Demon Lords and fights them. That unit should consist of Omnimon, Ophanimon, and Seraphimon. We'll need Omnimon's power in that fight, and Ophanimon's healing abilities will allow Omnimon to fight much longer than he normally would. I don't know if two Digimon will be enough, so Seraphimon is also in that group. He may not be as strong as Omnimon, but just like Angemon his attacks are most effective against evil Digimon, and we'll need that advantage. Besides, Angemon and MagnaAngemon both came through when we needed a win against Devimon and Piedmon, so he has a history of saving us when we don't appear to have a chance."
"Now, ideally we would have more people in the primary cell, but we might need everybody else to work against the army for the primary cell to get to their battle. That's where the other two cells come in. Joe and I will compose the first cell. Since we are the only two here who haven't at least accessed the Mega form through Dark Digivolution, we wouldn't be able to fight on the island anyway due to what Lilithmon told us about the concentration of dark energy. So, Plesiomon and HerculesKabuterimon will work on clearing as much of the path as possible in front of Omnimon before turning around and holding off any followers.
The third and final cell will be Sora and Mimi. Now, Sora may not have mastered the Mega level for Dark Digivolution, but with Puppetmon's help even if Ornismon makes an appearance it shouldn't hurt us too much. That means if all goes perfectly, Sora and Mimi will be able to reinforce the primary cell. However, if that isn't the case, they will take over the role Joe and I are playing once we have already been forced to make our stand. However, until the point that Joe and I leave, it would be best for you two to stay at the back of the group. After all, none of our Digimon can attack behind them with any sort of accuracy while they are flying forward without slowing down, so we need a rear guard. That's where Puppetmon comes in. Since she's riding on Phoenixmon anyway, she'll be able to face backwards and hold enemies off with her Puppet Pummel."
"Wow," Puppetmon responded, "and here I was feeling worried because I could only sort of hover instead of actually flying. Never thought that would become an advantage. Still, Izzy's plan sounds like the best bet for success. Anybody have any objections to it?"
TK shook his head. "I guess we don't really have any other choice. Just promise you'll all be careful. I don't want to celebrate saving the world with four funerals."
Sora gave a grim smile. "Hey, it's not like any of you have a great chance of survival either. Still, there isn't another way, so let's just get this over with. I'm not going to let the world end without knowing for sure that I did everything I could to stop it."
As the grim knowledge that they were embarking on a suicide mission gripped the DigiDestined, they got into the formation Izzy had suggested. Though they didn't talk about it, all of them were thinking the same thoughts. They all wished they had a chance to say goodbye to their families and the people they cared about, but knew they didn't have the luxury. A stronger wish was the desire that each one could do it alone so the other seven didn't have to face danger, but they knew it couldn't happen any other way. They had been drafted to save the world nine years ago, and they had long since outgrown the delusion that any one of them could sit out the fight. They flew out to face what was sure to be the final battle of this conflict, one way or another…
By the time the DigiDestined got close enough to the opposing army to make out some of their identities, they were engrossed in a firefight as numerous dark energy projectiles shot at them from the crowd. Luckily, Plesiomon was able to counter most of them with his Shaking Pulse attack, but that came with the drawback of cancelling any retaliatory strikes the DigiDestined launched as well. For a time, they managed to get by on the strength of HerculesKabuterimon's Giga Scissor Claw and Phoenixmon's Mach Wing, but the numbers began to take their toll. Eventually, a Phelesmon managed to break through their defenses and strike at Plesiomon with his pitchfork, knocking the Plesiosaur Digimon down almost to the surface of the ocean, where he was suddenly swarmed by a group of MarineDevimon from below while Phelesmon prepared to attack him with his Black Statue attack and send him plunging to the bottom of the Dark Ocean. Luckily for Plesiomon, HerculesKabuterimon intervened with his Mega Electro Shocker, but it was too late for Plesiomon to rejoin the group as he was cut off by too many enemies. Sticking to the plan, Izzy went down to help Joe and then hold off all of the enemies they had already passed on their charge in here.
With Izzy and Joe no longer with them, Sora and Mimi were now the only ones left to clear a path for the other four. Omnimon, Seraphimon, and Ophanimon wanted to help out, but knew they had to save their energy for the fight ahead of them. Luckily, Plesiomon staying behind allowed Phoenixmon and Puppetmon to use their full range of attacks, and as Puppetmon provided a wide range of coverage by firing her Puppet Pummel attack from Phoenixmon's back, Phoenixmon was free to incinerate the enemies in front of her with her Crimson Flame attack. By continuing on like this, they managed to get within sight of the island, but at that moment a Ghoulmon managed to hit Phoenixmon with its Explosion Eye attack, sending Mimi, Sora, and Puppetmon falling towards the ocean. Puppetmon managed to catch the two girls with her strings before they hit the water, and managed to keep them aloft until Phoenixmon recovered enough to catch the two humans. However, this left Puppetmon vulnerable, and before she could defend herself she was assaulted by a LadyDevimon, losing her hammer in the process. Seeing the forces currently surrounding them, Phoenixmon decided she could no longer afford to save any energy, and launched her Starlight Explosion attack.
When she heard her partner call out the name of this attack, Sora expected to see a giant fireball, but instead, golden sparkles spread from Phoenixmon's wings and coated all of the Digimon in the area. Expecting something more dramatic, Sora was about to complain when suddenly all the affected Digimon began changing. The Ghoulmon changed color from black to white, while the Devimon and LadyDevimon shifted to Angemon and Angewomon. However, the sudden recruitment of the enemy army proved too good to be true, as they shifted back into their corrupted forms after a few seconds. Despite this, Sora still couldn't stop herself from smiling: while she and Mimi would still have to fight those foes, Phoenixmon's attack had at least stalled all the enemies blocking the way to the island, and before they had shifted back the others had managed to get through. Their mission had been a success, and the attack force had entered the enemy base. Now, all she could do was hope they succeeded and fight to make sure she survived long enough to congratulate them.
Having made it to the island, Matt, Tai, Kari, and TK were all thoroughly unimpressed. Instead of a grand castle or other such sign this was an evil hideout, all that could be seen were bare rocks and a few mountain peaks. Judging from previous experience, main villains tended to show off on their home bases: Devimon had a palace on top of Infinity Mountain, Etemon had a train that had every gadget needed for a rock concert, Myotismon had his castle and chariot, and the Dark Masters had twisted the entire world into a new shape and built a palace on top of that. Seeing a completely barren island, Tai and Matt were beginning to doubt if Lilithmon had been truthful when she had claimed this was the proper location, but a sudden pillar of dark energy blasted upward from the center of the island and put any doubts to rest. Fearing they might already be too late, the Digimon quickly flew to the source, and were confronted by a solid black barrier. Omnimon tried cutting through it with his Grey Sword, but the blade merely bounced off.
"Well," Kari said, "it looks like we're in the right place, but how are we supposed to stop them if we can't get in there? It's not like they'll just lower the barrier so we can win. Even though Lilithmon sort of looked like she was on our side at the end there, the other six wouldn't allow it."
"That's easy," Tai responded. "In order to get in, we just have to knock. Really, really loudly. Everybody, hit it with your best shot!" As all the Digimon nodded their heads, they prepared their most damaging attacks. Ophanimon conjured ten crystals for her Sefirot Crystals attack, while Seraphimon created seven glowing orbs of light for his Seven Heavens. Omnimon merely extended his Garuru Cannon and fired it as soon as the others were ready to fire their attacks. The three attacks crashed into the barrier at the same point, causing it to splinter apart. With the barrier gone, the DigiDestined could now see exactly what they were facing. Lying in the ground where the center of the barrier had been was a giant set of double doors with the appearance of a strange skeleton. Carved into this gate were seven different circles, one for each color of the rainbow. However, it wasn't the gate itself that caught the DigiDestined's attention, but the Digimon standing within the circles. While they all recognized Lilithmon standing in the green circle, only Tai and Matt could recognize the other six, since Daemon had removed his cloak and revealed his bestial form within his orange circle. However, even TK and Kari could guess that these were the seven Digimon they had to stop, so they prepared to attack when a smug voice began addressing them.
"Ah, so these are the DigiDestined who have caused so much trouble for our forces. I must admit, it was enjoyable watching you carve a path through those inferior fools, but I still find myself rather disappointed. The last time I came into conflict with a group of humans, they were so much stronger than you are now. I was hoping to prove my superiority, but you just aren't worth the effort."
Matt and Tai growled at the insult, but Omnimon decided on a much more active approach and fired his Garuru Cannon directly at the half angel, half demon figure standing within the red circle. However, as soon as the blast hit and exploded, the voice continued as if nothing had happened.
"Why do some beings just refuse to see that I am far superior to them? Did you honestly expect a blast like that to hurt Lucemon, leader of the Seven Great Demon Lords? You might think it strange that I hold my position, given that I am only an Ultimate level while my associates are all Megas, but I assure you I do not need my Mega form to dominate my brethren. Just ask your friend Lilithmon about my special abilities. You may have thought her treason had given you all the information you needed to beat us, but she had yet to see my particular skills. She became the victim of the first of these skills when I trapped her consciousness within her body. Now, she will be forced to watch helplessly as her body acts against her will and opens the gate. After all, treason deserves something much worse than death, wouldn't you agree? You just demonstrated my second trick of being able to still fight while opening the gate, even though an attack of that level really didn't warrant me defending myself. And now, you shall get to see my third trick!"
As Lucemon shouted this out, all seven demon lords began rapidly pulsating black and white before they suddenly deformed, turning into a large black leg anchored to the ground with red claws. Each of these legs had a single eye on top, and the legs came together into a giant mouth. Resting on top of the legs was a red platform that supported the grotesque beast's purple head, which featured an eighth eye inside what appeared to be another mouth. Not wanting to see what this monstrosity could do, Ophanimon, Seraphimon, and Omnimon all fired at the creature, but their blasts all dissipated on contact with the beast's skin. Suddenly, Lucemon's voice addressed the shocked group.
"So, how do you like my newest trick? I have to admit, I'm having the hardest time coming up with a name for it. It's similar to DNA Digivolution, but that would imply that I had become absorbed into a group consciousness instead of maintaining full control. It's more like I crossed together the six other Demon Lords and absorbed them into myself to become the Super Demon Lord Ogudomon. I am now a living monument to the sins of the universe! You cannot hope to harm me, as your sins and the sins of your partners have infused themselves into your attacks and thus only feed my power! You can only watch as I finish opening the gate and claim my rightful place as ruler of Earth and the Digital World!"
Izzy and Joe were not faring well in their battle. Sure, the majority of the demon army had chosen to ignore them and press on, but the enemies that remained behind still appeared to be endless. Even with two Mega level Digimon on their side, the continual barrage of champions with the occasional Ultimate was quickly wearing them down.
"Is there any end to this?" Joe asked as Plesiomon destroyed a pair of IceDevimon with his Water Tail Blaster. "Remember back when we first saw MetalSeadramon and he completely wiped out the eight of us at Champion level? Back then, you said there was no way eight champions could beat one Mega. Well, it looks like we're going to find out exactly how many it takes pretty soon if we don't do something." Joe sighed before continuing. "Still, at least we tried our best. It just looks like we're in the same boat as Piximon and Whamon against the Dark Masters, where our best only bought time for others to win."
"Whamon, that's it! I think I might have a way to get us out of this mess. After all, Plesiomon's Sorrow Blue attack is perfect for a situation like this, but we can't use it without taking HerculesKabuterimon out of the fight as well, and if that happened, Plesiomon would be alone against any enemy that was out of range. However, Sorrow Blue works as an assault with sonic waves, so if I could somehow temporarily block HerculesKabuterimon from sensing the vibrations that make up the attack, he shouldn't be affected."
"And how exactly did Whamon lead you to that idea when you hadn't thought of it before?"
"Well, I've been trying to think of a way to make HerculesKabuterimon immune to Sorrow Blue for a while, but I didn't want to mention it until I figured it out. That's where Whamon comes in. Remember when I managed to re-route all of his sensory information to my computer while we were trying to get away from MetalSeadramon? If I can access the sensory data, I might be able to code a way to block out certain information."
"Couple problems with that, Izzy," HerculesKabuterimon managed to grunt out as the fried a Mephistomon with his Mega Electro Shocker. "First, I'm an insect. I figure out where my enemies are more by feeling their presence than by actually seeing them, so eliminating incoming vibrations might severely reduce my effectiveness. Second, how exactly do you plan on accessing that data? I don't exactly have an external USB port for you to hook up your laptop."
"That's true, but neither did Whamon and I managed. You're just going to have to swallow me so I can access your nervous system from the inside. Please don't try to talk to me about it, since I am trying my best not to think about what is about to happen. Anyway, once I access your data, I am going to make absolutely sure I can restore your senses before I do anything to tamper with them. When I'm ready, I'll use my D-Terminal to contact Joe, have him answer back on if Plesiomon is capable of using Sorrow Blue at the moment or too busy fighting. As soon as Plesiomon has an opening, I'll flip the switch, and then Plesiomon will attack. Then, before any more enemies have a chance to close in, I'll restore power to your ears. Now, can we please do this before I change my mind?"
Joe had to avert his eyes as HerculesKabuterimon grabbed Izzy off of his back and brought his partner towards his mouth. Sure, he had personally travelled within Whamon's mouth numerous times in the past, but the thought of being eaten alive was still too much for him to sit back and watch. Still, if Izzy was willing to go through all of that in an effort to increase their chances of survival, Joe knew he would have to put that much more effort into this fight. "Alright Plesiomon, it'd be a shame if we just let Izzy get eaten for nothing. Let's make sure we can keep these guys busy until it pays off!"
Just as Izzy and Joe were facing a desperate situation, Sora and Mimi were also struggling. Phoenixmon's Starlight Explosion attack had severely depleted her energy, leaving her much less effective than she normally would have been. Likewise, Puppetmon had lost her hammer, forcing her to fight only with her strings and her Flying Cross Cutter. In order to ensure her wooden cross would keep hitting enemies and returning to her, she was using one set of strings to control it while the other set of strings was tied around the neck of a Ghoulmon in an attempt to redirect all of its attacks towards enemies. Unfortunately, this left both of Ghoulmon's arms open and free, and he used his Grey Claw technique to free himself while simultaneously firing a Death Arrow attack that severed the strings Puppetmon was using to control her own attack. This left Puppetmon defenseless, and she only managed to avoid the oncoming Explosion Eye attack thanks to Phoenixmon swooping in at the last second. Seeing the deplorable condition of her partner, Mimi was quick to plan a new strategy.
"Listen, Puppetmon, you can't keep fighting like you are now. You've lost all of your weapons, and you can only float instead of actually flying, so you're just a big target at the moment. You'll have to change into Lillymon. Sure, you'll be decreasing in overall power, but at least you'll be able to fight back instead of just sitting around." Nodding her head, Puppetmon began glowing, but instead of becoming the child-sized Lillymon, she quickly grew into the large tree form of Cherrymon, managing to send Phoenixmon plummeting towards the shallow ocean waters around the shore of the island. Luckily, Mimi realized her mistake and had Cherrymon revert back to Woodmon before reactivating her Crest without trying for a Dark Digivolution, allowing Lillymon to finally appear and fly off into the battle. However, the damage had been done, and Phoenixmon barely managed to make a safe landing on the shore of the island before reverting all the way back to Nyokimon and promptly passing out. Lillymon was glad the two humans had landed safely, but now she faced a much larger problem: she was exhausted and fighting as a lone Ultimate against an army that had worn two Megas down and showed no signs of letting up.
However, fighting alone did come with some advantages. Before, she would have had to worry about hitting Phoenixmon if she used any wide-area attacks, but now she could only hit enemy combatants. Using this to her advantage, she unleashed her Temptation attack and created a dense pink cloud of pollen that spread throughout the air in front of her. While the cloud eventually dissipated, any Digimon that became caught in it suddenly had its energy drained, resulting in numerous Champion level Digimon plunging to the ocean below as they lost too much energy and could no longer remain conscious. Unfortunately, the cloud's effect on Ultimate and Mega Digimon was much less severe, and Lillymon was suddenly grabbed from behind by a Phelesmon, restraining her arms in order to prevent her from attacking.
"You've fought well, my little flower, but I'm afraid your fight is now over. The humans who dared to interfere with the master's plan shall all perish, but I think I'll keep you alive. After all, it would be a shame to let something as delicate as you come to harm without enjoying your beauty first."
Lillymon suddenly stopped struggling and give a grinned. "What, you'd really let me live to be a little ray of sunshine in the Dark Area? How about you get a bit of a taste of that right now? Sunburst Vine!" Long thorns suddenly burst from Lillymon's body, impaling Phelesmon and destroying him before he even realized what had happened. However, the slight delay had allowed the rest of the army to close in on the defenseless DigiDestined, forcing Lillymon to skip out on the obvious quip about every rose having a thorn to fire her Flower Cannon and scatter the swarming Fallen Angels. However, before she could fly in and protect the humans, a second Phelesmon caught her by surprise and hit her with its Black Statue attack, petrifying her and sending her crashing into the ocean below. Seeing their last Digimon being taken out of the fight, Sora couldn't help but feel the weight of the end pressing down on her.
"We…we failed. After all that work saving the worlds, this is how it ends? Dying on a beach in the Dark Ocean while the world ends because we didn't stop it? I'll never get married, never have kids, never get to say goodbye to mom and dad… Why did it have to be like this? Couldn't somebody else just—"
Before Sora could continue to dwell on the depression, Mimi slapped her. "Listen, Sora, I get that this situation isn't the best, but you can't let yourself think like that. Sure, we lost, but that doesn't mean we failed. We came here to buy TK, Kari, Matt, and Tai the time they needed to save the world. For all we know, they're about to stop the Demon Lords and they only did it because they didn't have to deal with this army. Sure, we might not make it to see the world be saved, but we'll still know we saved it. We were chosen as DigiDestined for a reason, and we've made too many friends to just wish that all away! I don't know about you, but I've spent enough time crying and running away in my life. If this army thinks they can just stroll past me, they've got another thing coming!"
As Mimi shouted this out, a bright green light suddenly obscured everything in the area, blinding many of the opposing Digimon. However, even a dramatic showing from Mimi's Crest wasn't enough to deter the forces for long, and ten Digimon quickly flew in at the two girls. Despite her confidence, Mimi couldn't help but close her eyes at the sight of all the incoming claws, but after a few seconds passed without her being slashed or stabbed in any way, she carefully reopened her eyes to a stunning sight, as glowing pink rose petals were swirling around her and Sora. Looking around for an explanation, she was shocked to find a tall woman wearing a red jumpsuit, black thigh-high boots, and a green cape with a white underside held in place by a pink jewel. However, the giant rose flower she wore as a hat and the two thorny vines coiled around each of her arms added more of a plant theme to the rest of her dominatrix type outfit. Despite the interesting fashion choices, however, Mimi couldn't help but grin as she recognized the new form of her partner.
"Wow, Palmon, you look great! Thank you for saving us, and you did it with such style too! Are those actually rose petals?" Mimi could see her partner blush at the compliment before she started to explain. "Really, Mimi, I should be thanking you. If you hadn't activated your Crest when you did, I'd still be a statue under the ocean. You freed me and allowed me to Digivolve into my normal Mega form of Rosemon. As for the rescue, the rose petals you see are part of my Forbidden Temptation attack. They may look like giant flowers, but each petal is sharp enough to cut through stone. When I spin them around like this they make a great defense, but you should see what happens when I use them to attack. Forbidden Temptation!"
Rosemon cupped her hands to the jewel on her chest, and a bright pink glow spread from the jewel throughout her entire body, causing her cape and vines to disappear. A giant rose suddenly bloomed from her hands, and with a blast of pink energy all the petals from this rose in addition to the petals still floating in the air shot forward and sliced right through the approaching enemies. When the glow faded, Rosemon's usual outfit had returned, and she turned towards the two humans, who were merely gasping in shock. "So, what do you think? Am I not the most beautiful Mega level Digimon you've ever seen?"
Before the humans could answer, the same Ghoulmon Puppetmon had been controlling came flying in seeking revenge for its temporary lack of freedom. Rosemon merely sighed and flicked out her left arm, causing the vine to whip out and wrap around Ghoulmon. Calling out "Thorn Whip", Rosemon sent an electric jolt down the whip, and the Ghoulmon immediately stopped attacking and landed next to the two DigiDestined. "Sorry if I scared you girls, but you won't have to worry about him from now on. Anybody who gets caught in my Thorn Whip is forced to obey me. Now, how about we start showing this army what happens when you mess with a lady?"
With that, Rosemon hopped on Ghoulmon's back, and the captive beast immediately took to the sky once again, but this time it began firing its attacks at the other members of the Fallen Angel army. Watching this play out, Sora snapped out of her shock and began questioning Mimi.
"Mimi, do you ever think something might be off with your Crest? Looking at everybody else, our Dark forms are a lot meaner than our normal forms, but it seems the other way around with you. Puppetmon and Cherrymon are really polite, but Rosemon is a bit more… sadistic for lack of a better term. Seriously, she's wearing a skintight outfit that leaves nothing to the imagination, said outfit disappears when she uses one of her attacks, and she seems to enjoy enslaving enemies. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was auditioning for the role of Demon Lord of Lust!"
"Sora, you need to stop putting so much stock in appearances. Maybe you can't see it, but I can tell most of that is an act. Palmon's actually really self-conscious about her new form, but she knows she doesn't have time to worry about it so she's putting on this persona to compensate for her insecurity. Sure, she has an attack that enslaves opponents and that sounds evil, but think about it this way: if there's ever a situation where some Digimon gets controlled by a Dark Ring or Black Gear, she could use that attack to immobilize the rampaging Digimon so somebody else could destroy the problem without hurting the Digimon itself. As for looks, it's not like she can control that. Can Biyomon decide she doesn't want feathers, or MetalGreymon decide he doesn't want a mechanical arm? The outfit is part of her very existence, and she can't control that any more than humans can control their biology."
Sora smiled at her friend's passionate defense of her partner. "I guess you're right. It's funny, back when we first came to the Digital World, who would have ever thought you would be able to lecture me about putting too much stock in appearances? Still, Rosemon really is amazing. Now I know exactly what to picture when somebody mentions a force of nature. I just hope all the others are doing as well as we are."
Author's Note: Well, second to last chapter right here. Can't believe I'm this close to finishing the story. Anyway, now everybody has unlocked both their normal and Dark Mega forms (except Izzy and Joe, who I can't figure out a good Dark evolution path for. Does anybody have any suggestions?) We've started the fighting, and each of the three groups has at least made it far enough that the goal is in sight. Still, despite the importance of the battle at the gate, I can't help but think Rosemon stole the show- I probably had a hard time turning down the awesome factor from the anime character that inspired much of what she does. See if any of you can figure it out. Leave your guesses along with any questions or comments in terms of a review or a PM. Hope you enjoy it as we head into the final chapter! It will be a shorter chapter- it was originally just a continuation of this, but I decided the chapter was too long and had to be split up.