Sorry this came so late, folks. (That is the last time I watch all of Nostalgia Critic's Disneycember special in one go). Anyways, it's here now, so enjoy.
Disclaimer: Digimon is a franchise I respect heavily. To say I own the series would be the ultimate of disrespect.
LAST TIME:
ISAMU: Getting into Castle Drac would be tricky. Daichi decided to go the Trojan Horse route, using GranKuwagamon to present us as prisoners to GranDracmon. Basically, we're supposed to stay in this dungeon until Dracomon and Gatomon come get us while GranKuwagamon poses as GranDracmon's latest stooge. This had better work.
Chapter 33
Rescue
GranKuwagamon was walking down the halls of Castle Drac, under orders from GranDracmon to patrol the castle for any sign of the humans' Digimon. He looked left and right when he reached an intersection.
"Go," he whispered. Both Dracomon and Gatomon went out from under him and stuck close to the wall. They waited for GranKuwagamon to pass before making their first move.
Gatomon looked above them and saw a molding that acted like a thin shelf close to the roof. It looked just wide enough for her to walk on. "Dracomon," she whispered, "think you can get me up there?" Dracomon lifted her up by her paws and perched her on the molding. "Stay close to me," she said. "Cats are natural at sneaking around, so I can get you into places you normally wouldn't. And stay quiet."
"Like I didn't already know that," Dracomon muttered to himself.
Gatomon ran along the molding with nimble and silent movements. Dracomon flew behind her, his wings making little noise, not that it would have been heard while high above everything else.
"So, where are we headed?" Dracomon whispered.
"You heard GranDracmon," Gatomon answered. "Everyone is in the dungeons. We need to find some way to the lower levels."
"And what do we do when we get there?" Dracomon asked. "Not to put a dampener on any optimism you may have, but with these big castles, even the first floor can be a maze. And everyone knows that the downstairs parts are the worst."
"We'll just have to wing it," Gatomon replied. The two continued to move along the ceiling, switching sides from time to time to better explore the area. Finally, the two found a large door. They found a spot where they could observe it and waited. A Bakemon went to the door and when it opened, Dracomon and Gatomon could see stairs leading down.
"There's our path," Dracomon said. "Now what?"
"Just watch," Gatomon said smugly. She and Dracomon went to the area above the door and, once again, waited. Gatomon held her hand up to prevent Dracomon from moving away from their perch. Soon, the door opened and the Bakemon from before came out, mumbling about the things he had to go through during the day.
"Perfect," Gatomon whispered. She jumped off the windowsill, which surprised Dracomon, and landed in between the door and the edge of the doorway as it was about a foot from closing. She held her paws out and held the door open. Dracomon immediately understood and, after making sure no one was coming, quickly flew down into the opening Gatomon was keeping. Then Gatomon lowered herself down and slowly and carefully shut the door.
The two Digimon looked up to the ceiling. Unfortunately, there were no ledge-like structures they could use to avoid the sight of any Bakemon. "Dracomon," Gatomon whispered. "How long do you think you could carry me?"
"I guess we'll find out," Dracomon said. He lifted Gatomon by her paws and started flying down the stairs, staying as close to the ceiling as possible. Surprisingly, despite the added weight, Dracomon felt no need to touch down until they found another door, left slightly ajar. Gatomon inspected the room behind it by looking through the crack. When she gave the all clear signal, Dracomon flew in and let Gatomon down gently. She looked back through the door and checked for anyone else in the hall. She saw no one and closed the door.
The room they were in was not the dungeon. Instead, it was filled with furniture covered in ratty-looking sheets. But in the back of the room, they found a large computer. It was turned on and the screen showed its home page.
"What's this doing here?" Dracomon asked.
Gatomon walked up to the computer. "I think he uses this to keep an eye on the Digital World and his Agents."
"That must be how he knew we were coming," Dracomon said. "Hey, you think we could use this to find the dungeons?"
"It won't be easy," Gatomon said, "but it beats wandering around just waiting to get caught." She hopped into the chair in front of the computer and began typing on the keyboard; at the moment, she could only move the cursor. "This could take a while," she whispered. She turned to Dracomon and said, "Watch my back."
Dracomon turned to face the door, ready to strike if something came through it. After several minutes of silence, Dracomon turned back to Gatomon. "Find anything yet?"
"I just got a map of the castle," she answered, "but I'm not sure how to move between floors yet."
"At least we're getting somewhere," Dracomon pointed out.
"Maybe we could get you there faster," a creepy voice said. The two Digimon looked around but saw no one. "Won't this interest Lord GranDracmon?" it said. Soon, the sheets surrounding the furniture lifted themselves up, revealing the faces of Bakemon on them.
"We've been had," Gatomon said. "They were here spying on us."
"Well, they won't leave to tell anyone," Dracomon said. The Bakemon started getting closer. "You try to get that map up on the computer. I'll handle these goons." As Gatomon started typing madly on the computer, Dracomon unleashed a Dragon Breath, destroying some of the Bakemon.
"Poison Breath!" The remaining ghosts shot a pink mist out of their mouths.
"Sorry," Dracomon said, "but I'm not a big fan of morning breath." He started flapping his wings and blew the mist back to them. Many of the Bakemon started coughing. "Apparently, neither are you. Dragon Breath!" While the Bakemon were incapacitated by their own attack, Dracomon's attack hit them all and they vanished.
"Those guys definitely should have gone to the dentist," Dracomon said, as if getting in the last word.
"I found it," Gatomon exclaimed. Dracomon went to her and looked at the screen. It displayed what appeared to be a labyrinth, with twists and turns in every possible direction. "The dungeons are right here," Gatomon said. She pressed a few more buttons and a red dot appeared.
"Can you show us where we are?" Dracomon asked.
"How about in trouble?" a voice behind them said. The two Digimon turned around and saw GranDracmon looking down at them.
"But I beat all the Bakemon!" Dracomon complained loudly.
"Yes, you did," GranDracmon said matter-of-factly. "But they did inform me of your arrival to this room before they even began their assault. It wouldn't look too favorably on me if I had idiotic minions. Now," he reached down and picked up both Dracomon and Gatomon, "since you seem to be so interested in going to my dungeon, it seems as though the best option is to take you there myself."
Kiyoko paced back and forth, waiting for their Digimon.
"Well," Isamu started, breaking the silence, "if this doesn't work out, maybe she'll just bore a hole through the ground." Kiyoko realized what she was doing and stopped.
"Sorry," she said. "It's just been a while since we first got here. How long has it been?"
"Not sure," Daichi said. "I noticed after we got to the Digital World that my watch stopped working." He lifted the cuff of his right glove and revealed his digital watch; the numbers were missing.
Kiyoko sighed. "I just wish they'd hurry up and get here."
"You won't have to worry about that any longer," GranDracmon's voice echoed through the dungeon. The three humans ran up to the door and looked through it. GranDracmon was walking toward them, holding two silhouetted objects in his hand. He reached the door and the kids saw more clearly what he was holding.
"Dracomon!" "Gatomon!" Both Daichi and Kiyoko shouted almost simultaneously.
"Yes, I figured you were lonely without your Digimon," GranDracmon said almost tauntingly. "Now step back, unless you'd rather be destroyed now." The humans, with no chance to fight back, complied reluctantly. GranDracmon opened the cell door and threw the Digimon inside. He shut the door before anyone could try to escape.
"I'd love to stick around and chat," GranDracmon said, "but I have another Digimon to find and a world to conquer." Without another word, he left.
The humans finally dared themselves to move toward their partners. "Dracomon," Daichi said with concern in his voice. "Speak to me. Say something."
After a short silence, Dracomon whispered, "Something."
Daichi sighed with a smile. "Glad to know you're okay."
"How about you, Gatomon?" Kiyoko asked. She noticed that her Holy Ring was missing.
"Sorry, Kiyoko," Gatomon answered. "We tried to find you, but GranDracmon…"
"Don't worry," Kiyoko reassured. She picked Gatomon up and hugged her.
"What about Wormmon?" Isamu asked. "Do you guys know if he's been found out?"
"Tall, big, and ugly didn't say anything," Dracomon said. "If he knows, he's not showing it."
"Then there's still a chance," Daichi said.
"Daichi," Isamu said sternly, "so far, everything about this plan of yours is going downhill. If we make it out of here alive, remind me never to listen to your plans again."
"What's with the hostility, Isamu?" Kiyoko asked.
Isamu sighed. "Sorry. I'm just a little worried about Wormmon. Right now, he's the only Digimon out there."
"Hey, I know Wormmon," Dracomon said. "He's definitely one tough cookie. And as a mega, he can take care of GranDracmon easily."
"I hope you're right," Isamu whispered, mostly to himself.
GranKuwagamon continued to walk around the halls of Castle Drac, pretending to look around for any signs of other Digimon. If Daichi's plan was working, Dracomon and Gatomon would have found the others by now and were on their way to reunite with him soon.
"GranKuwagamon, sir!" he heard one of the Bakemon say. GranKuwagamon turned toward the direction of the voice. The Bakemon that spoke was coming toward him. "Lord GranDracmon wishes me to inform you that two of the Digimon have been taken prisoner, so only one remains." GranKuwagamon mentally gasped; his friends were captured and now it was up to him to save everyone. "Also," Bakemon continued, "we have learned the identity of the third Digimon: Wormmon." GranKuwagamon felt his heart sink again.
Still, to avoid suspicion, he continued to act like GranDracmon's new hench-mon. "That may be good to know, but it doesn't help us find him any faster. It only took us this long to find those two." He paused for a moment to think about how to handle the situation. He knew that Dracomon and Gatomon would have gotten caught only if they stayed in one place long enough; for them to do that, they would have to be doing something important.
"Where were they captured?" he asked.
"In the head computer room," Bakemon answered, "where Lord GranDracmon obtains and stores his information."
"Let's head there, then," GranKuwagamon said. "It might provide a clue as to where this Wormmon is." Bakemon turned and led the way to the door that opened to the lower levels. The two continued until they reached the computer room. To GranKuwagamon's disappointment, the screen was in what looked like its default mode.
As Bakemon searched everywhere for a clue to lead him to Wormmon (not realizing that Wormmon was in fact right next to him), GranKuwagamon began to go through his options. At the moment, the only thing of any interest was the computer that took up most of the room. If only there was a way to figure out what they were doing with it, he thought.
"Bakemon," he said firmly. Bakemon snapped to attention. "Is it possible to access the last thing that was done on this computer?"
"I think so," Bakemon said, floating to the computer. He hovered over the keyboard and began typing a sequence. "Lucky for you I know how to work this thing," he said as he continued typing. Finally, the screen changed into what looked like a map.
"What is this?" GranKuwagamon asked.
"I may be wrong," Bakemon said, "but it looks like a layout of the castle's lower floor. And that dot," he pointed to a red dot on the edge of the map, "I'm pretty sure that's where the dungeon is."
GranKuwagamon studied the map. "Just so I'm clear," he said, "where exactly are we?" Bakemon started typing again and a blue dot appeared on the screen. What amazed GranKuwagamon was that it wasn't that far from the dungeon. "If those Digimon had known about this, they would have found their friends easily. Bakemon, send all available forces to scour this entire floor. I'll take the dungeon area and keep an eye on the humans."
"Sir!" Bakemon said and floated away. GranKuwagamon took one last look at the map and went back into the hall. Relying on his memory, he went down the halls trying to find the dungeon. Walking in this dark area made him feel nervous, like somebody was watching him.
After making one last turn, he found a row of caged doors. Realizing he'd made it, he began to search them for his companions. He soon realized that he and the others were probably the only ones who tried to break into Castle Drac, or at least the only ones GranDracmon wanted to imprison, because every cell he checked was empty. It wasn't long before he heard noises that sounded like speaking. Going on that alone, GranKuwagamon followed the sound.
As he walked down one more row, he finally saw the humans and the other two Digimon. "GranKuwagamon!" Isamu nearly shouted. "Are you alright? GranDracmon hasn't found out yet, has he?"
"Relax, Isamu," GranKuwagamon reassured, "as far as I can tell, he doesn't even suspect a thing."
"Of course, 'as far as you can tell' doesn't account for much," a voice said suddenly. GranKuwagamon turned and found GranDracmon stepping out of the shadows. "I will say it was a good attempt, though."
"But how?" Daichi yelled.
"You really must think I'm so stupid as to not have a trick or two up my own sleeve," GranDracmon replied. "When I brought those two Digimon here, I only went to the nearest corner. When I heard that the final Digimon was a Wormmon, I mentally went through his Digivolution line, just in case. And when the loudmouthed dragon mentioned he was currently at mega level, it all fit together. I sent one of the Bakemon up to give him the news of his friends' capture and waited in a room next to the computer room. When he said he would go to the dungeon personally, I followed him, far enough away to remain hidden, until I could be absolutely sure of his motives."
"You seem to have everything figured out, don't you," GranKuwagamon said.
"Information is power," GranDracmon replied. "And I exude power."
GranKuwagamon grunted as if in disgust. "I think that's actually that cheap cologne you're wearing." He quickly turned to the Digi-Destined. "Stand back." When everyone moved back, his pincers glowed. "Dimension Scissors!" He closed his pincers together and shot out a purple energy X at the bars of the cell door. The X pushed itself against the door, but it disappeared, leaving only a purple afterglow on the bars.
"Ha!" GranDracmon laughed. "Did you really think that would work? The bars are reinforced with Chrome Digizoid. Mere force won't get them to open."
Daichi kept his gaze on the bars and the X; the glow had curiously extended to the other side of the bars. He thought about the name of GranKuwagamon's attack when something came to him. He took a spare card from his pocket and threw it at the door. The card touched one of the bars at the glow and passed through it effortlessly before landing on the other side.
With little time to waste, Daichi yelled, "GranKuwagamon, run at the bars. Now!" he added before the insect Digimon could protest. GranKuwagamon complied and pushed his head through the bars, much to the surprise of everyone, until his whole body was in the cell. The X on the bars then vanished.
"What just…?" was the phrase on everyone's lips before Daichi spoke.
"Your attack, it's not just an attack; it allows you to go between space and transports you anywhere."
"And in this case," GranDracmon said with a delightfully evil tone, "it brought you into this very cell."
"Not for long," GranKuwagamon countered, "not if what Daichi's saying is true. Hang on to me, guys!" The Digi-Destined and Digimon climbed on to GranKuwagamon's back. "Dimension Scissors!" He shot another energy X onto the wall of the cell. The X stuck to the wall and GranKuwagamon flew toward it. The group barely heard GranDracmon almost scream in surprise and anger before they hit the wall, only to quickly regain their sight of the outside world. They looked behind them and saw another X disappearing from the rocky ground.
"Yes!" Kiyoko shouted. "We're out!"
"But now we're worse off than before," Isamu quickly noted. "Not to sound pessimistic here, but our Digivices are gone, Gatomon's Holy Ring is gone, so all we have to fight GranDracmon with are our Digimon in their current forms."
"Okay, I admit," Daichi said, "he's better than I thought."
"You have that right," a voice below them yelled. "Crystal Revolution!" Several crystal shards the size of small boulders came flying at them. GranKuwagamon couldn't keep his balance and fell. He hit the ground, the Digi-Destined tumbling off his back. When they got up, they saw GranDracmon standing in front of them with scores of Bakemon behind him.
Well, this looks great. At their current power, do the Digi-Destined stand a chance? Let's hope so. To know for sure, though, tune in to the next installment of Digimon: Digital Monsters!
Ooh, climax time, ladies and gents. I guess it's a good thing I got this in so late, huh? Now we can get the next part in quickly, assuming work at my grandma's ends early.
This is CF signing out.