Author's Notes: And here's the first bonus chapter! Mainly because I feel not putting up the Great Challenges and Demon Lord cases makes it feel incomplete. The way I altered the epilogue at least lets Takumi take them on in a way that makes sense... I know I made a year pass in the story, but really at that point, a year doesn't really make a difference. The only thing that wouldn't make sense is Rina, but she doesn't really make sense anyways...
~SHINOMIYA~RINA'S~CHALLENGE~
"Takumi!" Rina excitedly greeted the Cyber Sleuth as he answered his phone.
"R-rina!?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise. "What are you still doing here? I thought Mirei-san sent you back to your world a long time ago!"
The girl ignored him as she bounced up and down in excitement. "Where are you and what are you up to right now!?" she asked.
"I'm on my way to work," the redhead replied with a frown on his face as he was still confused by Rina's presence. "But seriously, why are you still—?"
"Me, I'm raring for a fight something fierce over here!" Rina cried. "I feel like I've gotta have one or else I'll go out of my mind! Seriously!"
"W-wait… W-what—?"
"I wanna have a scrimma—no, that's not it. More like a rou—aaaaaugh, my brain's running way too fast for my mouth to catch up!" the tamer stated. "I want your Digimon to spar off with my Veevee!" she finally managed to say.
"You're challenging me… to a match…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.
"Oh, hey, that's it! Yeah, that's what I want!" Rina nodded. "A match! Between you and me! But we can't have it at just any old place…" she smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "It's gotta be somewhere special. You know, to set the right mood for the occasion!"
"W-what—?"
"I've got it!" she grinned. "Let's do it at that one 'memorable spot' of ours! You know the one!"
"W-where…?"
"Yeah, it'll be perfect!" Rina nodded. "I'll go on ahead there! You better not make me wait long, 'cause this is super important, you know!"
"W-wait—"
"I already filed it as a case with your agency," she brightly grinned, "so now you can't say no! See you soon, all right? All right!? Yeah!?" She began maniacally laughing but it soon turned into a coughing fit as Takumi guessed she had been eating while she made the call.
Takumi sighed as the girl already hung up on him. "I guess she'll leave once she's done exploring this world…" He smirked to himself as he went over his team of Digimon. "I know it's been a while since we've battled alongside each other and you all recently just returned, but what do you all say? Should we go?" Takumi's smile widened when he noticed they were ready for anything he asked. "Alright, let's do this!"
Client: Shinomiya Rina
Place: Scenic spot
Details: I want a match with you! I want to show you my passion! My morning soup keeps me strong! Ahaha!
Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked at her very confused assistant. "Ooooh, a case with that girl from the Parallel World. If that's not a sign you've come a long way as a detective, I don't know what is," she chuckled.
"You think so?" Takumi smiled. "I still can't believe I didn't notice she was still here after a whole year."
"Well, you have been busy," the detective pointed out. "So what did you two talk about? What does she want from you?"
"She wants me to meet her somewhere for a fight… but I don't really know where…"
"Huh," Kyoko looked at the request note again. "She wants you to go back to a 'memorable spot' you two share? I don't really know what she could be referring to myself, but…" she shook her head. "At the very least, when it comes to stuff like the Parallel World, nobody's more of an expert than our one and only Mirei. Go visit her and see if she has any advice for you on how best to approach this."
"Understood," Takumi nodded, glad to be working under Kyoko once more.
"Mirei-san, how are you?" Takumi smiled at the woman as he entered the DigiLab. "Can you help me with something? It's about Rina…"
"You're working on a case for Rina?" Mirei curiously raised an eyebrow at him. "My, you two detectives have really extended your reach, I'd say."
"W-well…" Takumi sheepishly scratched his cheek.
"I take it you must be here because you need to ask me about something, then?"
He nodded as he showed her the request note. "I have no idea where Rina wants me to meet her."
"Hmm? You're trying to figure out where this 'memorable spot' of hers is?" Mirei studied the note for a while. "Well, if it's someplace that connects both of you, surely you should know where to go, no?"
Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his mouth. "A place that connects us?"
"Are you really sure you can't think of anything? Nothing rings a bell?"
"It could be Shinjuku…" Takumi answered as he opened his eyes.
"What sort of memories do you two have of there?" Mirei asked.
"That's where I landed in the Parallel World."
"That's right…" the woman nodded. "Shinjuku is where you two first met." She pushed up her glasses and smirked. "It was Shinjuku in the Parallel World, but it was still Shinjuku nonetheless. But she can't have gone back to the Parallel World. You would need the power of my Mastemon to facilitate such a journey. Where else could she be, then?"
Takumi frowned and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, where…? Also… why didn't you send her back after I finished my last case regarding the Digital World?"
Mirei ignored his last question as the boy continued to think it over. "So, you couldn't figure it out. I knew that's how it would turn out, though."
"Eh?" Takumi opened his eyes and blinked at her.
"Did you forget that I'm a fortune teller?" she reminded him. "Of course, I'd know. That's my job."
Takumi brought his palm up to his forehead. "So you didn't send her back… because you foresaw this case… and I guess this is also my fate…" He groaned. "You know… you were a lot easier for me to deal with when Kyoko-san was gone… Also…" he placed his hands on his hips and frowned. "Why didn't you just give me the proper answer sooner?"
"That's… a fair point, I'll give you that," Mirei nodded, "But the future is ever-changing, so I stayed quiet just in case."
"So this isn't fate?" Takumi asked, a bit confused. He paused though as his Digivice began to ring.
"Hey, Takumi!" Rina frowned at him. "What's the big idea!? What's so important that you gotta keep a girl waiting this long!? I've been waiting for you here this whole time. That didn't mean you had permission to take your sweet time! Don't tell me you're standing me up!" she gasped. "You are, aren't you!? I bet you weren't even gonna tell me, huh!? You just said yes to shut me up, I bet. What other reason could you have to—?"
"Rina, calm down!" Takumi shook his head. "I don't even know where I'm supposed to go!"
"Huh?" Rina blinked at him. "You don't remember the spot I'm at?" She began sniffling and brought her hands up to her face. "Awww, that's so mean! How could you forget our special spot, Takumi? It's Asakusa! You hear me!? Asakusa! Where else would it be!?"
"Asakusa…!?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together.
"What?" Rina continued to fake cry. "That doesn't ring any bells!? I can't believe you! It'd be one thing if you just forgot why it was Asakusa, but not even knowing! I can't even! I CAN'T EVEN!" She shook her head and frowned at the boy. "Whatever! Now you know! Get your butt over to Asakusa so we can fight already! Got it!?"
"A-ah…" Takumi frowned as the girl hung up.
Mirei pushed up her glasses and seriously looked at him. "I… predicted this would happen too," she stated.
Takumi closed his eyes and scratched his cheek. "Somehow… I doubt that… Only because Rina is in no way 'predictable' by any means…"
"Hmm?" Mirei smirked at him. "What's with that expression? I'm merely telling you the truth."
"Really?" the boy opened his eyes.
"Listen. To get results in life, there's a process one must go through and that process is already set in stone," Mirei explained. "Indeed, history itself, the ebb and flow of each soul's lifespan is all predetermined. Humans are merely walking along the path laid before them."
"Eh…?" Takumi placed his hands on his hips.
"Granted, sometimes you can take a more proactive role in these proceedings and when faced with a critical juncture, go along one of several paths," Mirei nodded. "The end result is that multiple potential futures can exist. Go right and there's one future. Go left, another one. Where you are right now is decided in those pivotal moments. Such choices even revise the past itself."
"Oh… that's right…" Takumi seriously thought it over. "It's like I was trying to tell Suedou-san about the world's limitless future…"
"The choices we make in life are profoundly powerful and mustn't be disregarded entirely as machinations of mere fate," Mirei nodded. "As a result, nobody can be truly certain of what comes next until a choice has been definitively made one way or the other. It's true for everyone. Even I'm subject to those limitations, alas," she chuckled.
"That explains why I still exist too, I suppose," Takumi mused.
"Enough philosophizing though," the woman stated. "Rina is waiting for you in Asakusa. Go forth and see what sort of fate awaits you in her making that choice."
"R-right…" Takumi sighed.
"I've said all that I can here," Mirei chuckled. "All you can do now is head for Asakusa and meet with Rina. Whatever happens from here on out, happens."
Rina laughed diabolically as Takumi ran towards her. After a while she began to cough, but that was enough taunting, she supposed. "You've finally made it, Takumi!" she smiled. "I've so relieved!" She blinked at him. "Wait, why did I ask you to come out here again?"
"Really…?" Takumi asked.
"Oh, duh! Of course!" she grinned. "I wanted to have a bit of a spar with you and your Digimon!"
Takumi brought his hand up to his chin. "Okay, but why here exactly?"
"Huh?" Rina blinked at him as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Why Asakusa? That question again! I told you, it holds a lot of memories!"
"What memories?"
"I… think of this area really fondly," she seriously told him.
"Oh… you do?" Takumi blinked at her, surprised she could be so genuine. "But… that doesn't really involve me, does it?"
"What? What do you mean it's just me?" Rina asked, shaking her head. "You don't feel the same way?"
"Of course not…"
"Well, for me," Rina grinned, "Asakusa is an important place I'll always remember because that's where I first had me some dozeu!"
Takumi stared at her in disbelief. "Dozeu…?"
"Don't give me that look!" Rina continued to brightly smile. "Dozeu! You know, dojo! Not the martial arts place, pond loaches! Fish! I ate one, in a hot pot! Asakusa's famous for it!"
Takumi closed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips as a frown settled on his face. "That's not… what I meant…"
"Huh?" Rina knit her eyebrows together as she crookedly smiled at him. "That's not what confuses you?" She shook her head and shrugged. "Oh, hush! You're worrying too much now! Water under the bridge! Let's just move on already!" She placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "We have some fighting to do! Fight, fight, fight! Yeah! I'm so pumped up! Let's do this!"
"Okay, but what's the point?"
"Jeez, what's with all the questions?" she complained. "Now you wanna know why I wanna fight you to begin with? How many times am I gonna have to repeat it all!?" she asked. "I just wanna! I feel it! Down to my bones! I need to do this or else I'll keep feeling restless!" she shouted.
"Huh!?" Takumi tensed up.
"Let's just shut up and fight now, okay!? Ready!? 3… 2… 1… GO!" Rina cried as she sent Veevee forward without warning. "Veevee!"
"Okay, Rina!" the UlforceV-dramon nodded as he extended his beam sword from his V Bracelet. "Ulforce Saber!"
Takumi jumped back as he sent out three of his Digimon to defend himself. "Chaosmon!"
"Tyrant Bisection Sword!" the Jogressed Digimon used his BAN-TYO Blade to deflect Veevee's attack.
Veevee backed up and immediately charged up his V-shaped chest plate. "Shining V Force!" All of Takumi's Digmon flinched so the blue Royal Knight used the opening to land another attack as his body became encased by a dragon aura. "Dragon Impulse X!"
"He's too fast!" Takumi frowned as he knew Veevee's speed was going to be an obstacle. He didn't expect it to be this overwhelming though. "Imperialdramon Fighter Mode! Ion Blaster!"
The large Dragon Man's dragon-headed chest plate opened as he fired bolts of energy at Veevee. The shots missed but they soon exploded, indirectly damaging the speed demon.
Rosemon Burst Mode's mantle glowed as she amplified it before wrapping it around Veevee. "Charité!" She snapped her thorn whip at the blue Holy Knight but Veevee freed himself with his sword.
"Ulforce Saber!" Veevee circled around his opponents before charging up his strongest attack again. "Shining V Force!"
"End of Paradox!" Chaosmon countered it with his strange beam.
Takumi shook his head as he tried to come up with a good plan to seal the UlforceV-dramon's speed. His blue eyes darted around the battlefield as he was still a bit unfamiliar with his Digimon's new forms and attacks. That added on top of it being a while since he was in a battle made the situation a bit more hectic than he would have liked.
"Ion Blaster!" Imperialdramon Fighter Mode tried attacking again. Takumi watched as Veevee avoided each shot before they exploded behind him. Imperialdramon jumped up and stabbed his claws forward. "Imperial Crusher!" He then tried to kick Veevee away, but the blue Digimon raised his left arm.
"Tense-great Shield!"
"Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!" Takumi called out. "Hikari no Barrier!" His Digimon obeyed by raising his right arm. The Positron Laser glowed with energy as it also created a shield. But instead of using it for defense, Imperialdramon sealed Veevee within the barrier, trapping him. "Xros Combo!"
Imperialdramon Fighter Mode didn't hesitate as he fired his cannon as a weapon. "Positron Laser!"
"Dark Prominence!" Chaosmon fired his Gigastick Cannon after his ally dropped Veevee from the barrier trap.
"Aguichant Lèvres!" Rosemon Burst Mode blew a kiss at Veevee, releasing hearts to overwhelm the Royal Knight with lasers.
Rina frowned as her partner crashed into the ground in front of her. "Man," she looked up at Takumi, "you're strong… Wow. That was a really great fight. I… have nothing left to pass onto you, my… student." She sighed. "Now you're… the master. Go, leave me…" she coughed a few times and closed her eyes.
"Rina…" Takumi placed his hands on his hips and stared at her. "I still don't get the point of this fight."
The girl smiled up at him. "You still wanna know why I challenged you today?" She laughed and shook her head before giving him a shrug. "Who cares? Don't think so deeply about it. It's boring to give a reason for everything, isn't it?"
"But I'm a detective," Takumi pointed out. "It's what I do!"
"I just wanted to test my strength against you and see who's stronger," she finally told him. "That's all! That's what fights are about and what getting stronger's all about too! Comparing yourself to others and seeing who's really better!" She grinned at him and shook her head in amazement. "Whewwww, you really are one tough customer, Takumi. Seeing that for myself is all the reward I need!"
"I'm that strong, huh?" Takumi managed to put on a crooked smile.
"Well, that's all the time I have for today!" Rina exclaimed. "I'm gonna go now! Catch you later!"
Takumi watched her leave and blinked a few times in confusion. "Was that seriously it?"
Rina soon ran back to him and smirked. "I see that look on your face. You're wondering what the point of it all is. There is one, but I'm not telling!" she diabolically laughed as she placed her hands on her hips.
Takumi closed his eyes and sighed as he scratched his cheek. "So… did you figure out when you would be going back to your own world yet?" he asked. As he expected though, Rina didn't answer as she continued to laugh at him.
"Ah, so she was after a fight with you to see which of you is stronger," Kyoko crossed her arms and nodded. "Hmm… You know, deep down, I bet she's worried about how our own world is doing these days and was looking for her own way to express that. Maybe she wanted to test you to see if you were up to the job of helping keep this place in one piece." The detective chuckled as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Well, I might be a little biased here given the present company, but you kids have really turned out to be quite something."
"But I've already proved that," Takumi pointed out with a frown. "I think you're thinking a bit too deeply into this, Kyoko-san. Rina is pretty much the most straightforward, if not most random, person I've ever met."
"That being said, I agree with her thoughts on trying find a reason for everything," Kyoko stated. "I'm not too fond of dwelling on such stuff, either." She fondly looked up at her assistant. "The world's just too full of things that can't be solved with pure reason to value it too highly in my book," she chuckled.
"That's true…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he smiled at his boss.
"Now, if only we could all be as unabashedly encouraging as Rina…" Kyoko smirked at him. "Let's be grateful she's on our side. Good work as always, Takumi."
"Ah… It's been a long time since I've heard that from you," Takumi grinned. He raised his right fist into the air and let out a cheer. "Alright, Kyoko-san! Ever onward into the limitless future with a promise of an unseen tomorrow that can't be erased by today!"
"Just what are you going about now?" Kyoko asked with a chuckle.
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~1~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: You won against Rina. You're definitely getting stronger! Do you want to test your strength again?
"I hear you beat Rina and UlforceV-dramon," Mirei raised an eyebrow as she watched Takumi reorganize his DigiFarms.
"Yeah, I did," Takumi nodded with a crooked smile on his face.
"It seems you're much stronger than before…" the woman noted with a nod. "I might have a few pointers for you."
"Pointers?" the boy curiously looked up from his terminal.
"I have fought so many powerful Digimon now…" Mirei smirked. "I have tried to make a 'copy' that goes beyond even their strength. How would you like to try a battle to test out your skills?"
"Hmm…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he stared at the ground.
Mirei chuckled at how serious he was. "Well, the choice is yours, but if you win, there could be an awesome prize in it for you…"
The Cyber Sleuth looked up at that. "Alright, then. I'm in," he nodded.
Satisfied with his decision, Mirei sat back in her seat and pushed up her glasses. "The first person you should talk to is in the Zaxon Forum. If you are interested, by all means make your way there."
Fei crossed her arms and frowned at the two golden Digimon speeding around the Zaxon base. "Y'all are makin' a right mess o' things," she sighed as TigerVespamon couldn't keep up with them. She shook her head and was about to call Yuuko for backup but noticed someone entering the forum room. "Huh?" she blinked at the red-haired boy. "Why if it ain't the Cyber Sleuth…"
"Hey, Fei," Takumi smiled at her before looking up at the copy of a golden Royal Knight coming to a halt. "Eh!? I'm supposed to fight Magnamon!?"
"What's this about a fight now?" Fei frowned at him. "Don't tell me it's yer fault these Digimon are here," she narrowed her eyes.
"I guess it is," the Cyber Sleuth nervously chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this myself. Although…" his blue eyes scanned over the golden Rapidmon standing at Magnamon's side, "I've never seen that version of Rapidmon before… Armor level, huh?"
"Y'all better hurry up before they wreck the place," Fei stated as she decided to leave this fight to him. "If ya don't, I'll thrash ya'll myself before handin' yer hide over to Yuuko-han."
"Well, I can't have that now," Takumi smiled. "Okay!" he cried out as he had SaintGalgomon, Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, and SaberLeomon out. "Let's get this battle started!"
Magnamon flexed his body and nodded. "I accept the challenge!"
Rapidmon (Armor) pointed his arm cannons at SaintGalgomon. "I will show you just how big a difference there is between us!"
"We won't lose!" Takumi exclaimed.
"Rapid Fire!"
"Burst Shot!"
Both dog-based Cyborg Digimon took off into the air to host their own firearms battle. Imperialdramon made to join them, but Takumi quickly called for him to focus on Magnamon instead. "Use your Ion Blaster!"
Magnamon summoned a swarm of glowing spheres around him. "Plasma Shoot!" he countered the exploding shots.
SaberLeomon pounced on the low flying Armor Digimon. "Nail Crusher!"
The golden Digimon blocked the attack as best as he could with his tough armor before attacking again. "Magnum Kick!" With the lion Digimon thrown off of him, he took off higher into the air to rejoin Rapidmon (Armor).
Takumi studied both Digimon carefully before calling at tactical retreat. "They're about to attack! Put up your guards!"
The Armor Digimon glowed in an intense gold light as they released all of their power into a huge explosion and laser beam. "Extreme Jihad!"
"Golden Triangle!"
Imperialdramon Fighter Mode brought his arms up to cover his eyes as he tried to dig his feet into the ground. SaintGalgomon did the same as SaberLeomon hid behind the two great warriors. Takumi shielded his vision using his goggles and when the light finally cleared, he had SaberLeomon use his other senses to quickly take down Rapidmon (Armor). "Infinity Arrow!"
The gold cyborg fell to the ground while Magnamon brushed off the sharp hairs. His body began to glow again as he performed another attack to wipe out Takumi's team. "Shining Gold Solar Storm!"
Takumi flinched as his team was swept away by the explosively expanding space. Golden laser beams also surrounded his Digimon and the Cyber Sleuth quickly reached into his bag for a recovery spray. "Everyone!" SaintGalgomon and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode slowly rose to their feet and resumed fighting, but SaberLeomon winced as he tried to join them. "SaberLeomon, switch out with Rosemon!" While he waited for his Digimon to load, the boy knit his eyebrows together as he tried to figure out a way to skirt Magnamon's high defenses.
"Positron Laser!"
"Giant Missile!"
Takumi shook his head as Magnamon easily brushed aside the shots and summoned more glowing orbs. "Plasma Shoot!"
Finally Rosemon was out and Takumi checked her arsenal again. "Use Forbidden Temptation!"
The Fairy Digimon smirked as her Tifaret jewel shone as it grew, overtaking her body. A large blooming rose surrounding her and when it opened up, destructive pollen drifted out of it and towards Magnamon. The Armor Digimon became slightly paralyzed as the pollen corroded his data but SaintGalgomon and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode quickly used his weakened defenses to their advantage.
"Burst Shot!"
"Giga Death!"
Takumi let out a sigh of relief when Magnamon collapsed to the ground in defeat. "Alright, team!" He laughed as his Digimon returned to him. "You all did great."
Fei applauded the boy's efforts. "Well, y'all ain't half bad…" she smirked. "I guess I can see what Yuuko-han sees in y'all."
The Cyber Sleuth sheepishly chuckled and scratched his burning cheek. "Aw, thanks, Fei."
"But I still can't say I approve," she frowned at him. "Now git out of our base before I kick y'all out," Fei told him. "I need to make this place presentable for when Yuuko-han visits."
"Yikes!" Takumi dodged back as TigerVespamon prepared her Royal Meisters. "A-alright then… I-I'll catch you around, Fei!" he cried as he left the Zaxon Forum. "Sorry for the mess!"
Kyoko smirked at the file Takumi handed her. "That was some pretty stiff opposition you were up against," she nodded.
"Y-yeah…" Takumi nervously chuckled.
"Rest well now," the detective told him. "You've earned it."
"Right," the boy nodded.
"Although…" she chuckled as she crossed her arms, "Mirei sent in another case, if you're interested. It looks like a follow up, so once you're ready, get to it."
"Ah…" Takumi worriedly looked up at his case board. "U-understood…"
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~2~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: You easily defeated Magnamon… The next one won't be so easy!
Mirei chuckled at the Cyber Sleuth returning to the DigiLab. "Looks like you beat Magnamon," she stated in satisfaction. "Right then, next up… go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. You definitely won't be disappointed!"
"Eh…?" Takumi frowned. "A-alright then…"
The Cyber Sleuth blinked at the lobby of the Metropolitan Government Building. "Huh… I'm surprised people aren't really freaking out about how the place is in a constant shift. Well, Yuugo did buy out the building so that we can keep a close eye on the entire city's Digital Line… It's also a good place to build that terminal connecting the Digital World to our world. But anyway…" He looked around for the Digimon he was to challenge but flinched when a brown Royal Knight with white-feathered wings descended before him. "Duftmon!?"
"I am a master of strategy," the Holy Knight stated, swinging his rapier down. "Have a taste of this!"
Takumi jumped back as Darkdramon emerged from his Digivice. "Gigastick Lance!" The navy-blue Cyborg deflected Duftmon's blade before charging his lance with dark matter. "Dark Roar!"
Duftmon winced as he was blasted backwards. "Extinction Wave!"
Omegamon Zwart D and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode countered the wave with their cannons. "Garuru Cannon!"
"Positron Laser!"
Darkdramon weaved between the two large Digimon before stunning Duftmon. "Terrible Gaze!" With the Royal Knight unable to move, he quickly thrust his lance forward. "Demon Stab!"
Duftmon staggered backwards but got into a defensive stance before the three Digimon could finish him off. Charging his sword with explosive energy, he suddenly stabbed it forward. "Ernste Welle!"
Imperialdramon Fighter Mode took the beam head-on as Omegamon Zwart D darted forward from his side. "Grey Sword!"
Duftmon deflected the great blade with a swift flick of his wrist before cutting an arc again. "Aussterben!"
Darkdramon ducked the energy wave as he charged up his Gigastick Lance. "Dark Roar!" Both attacks collided, resulting in an explosion that kicked up the lobby's furniture.
When everything finally settled, Takumi cautiously looked around for any sign of Duftmon. He knit his eyebrows together as everything seemed clear. He jumped back though as the ground underneath him erupted into pillars. "Wolkenkratzer!"
Takumi rolled to the side and spotted a four-legged Digimon darting around the lobby. "Over there! Omegamon Zwart D, stop him!"
"Double Torrent!" The Black Berserker slammed both his arms into the ground to disrupt the Digimon's movement.
As their opponent tripped over the shockwaves of fire and ice, Takumi quickly scanned the Digimon. "Duftmon Leopard Mode…" He knit his eyebrows together as the brown Royal Knight quickly regained his balance and made to pounce on him.
"Blockade!"
Darkdramon quickly intercepted the lion-like Digimon before Duftmon Leopard could harm Takumi. "Gigastick Lance!" He threw the four-legged Digimon off of him and made to charge into the Royal Knight. He stopped through as his opponent's tail began to glow.
"Eroberung!" Globe-shaped mines appeared in the air and they detonated when Darkdramon got near.
Imperialdramon Fighter Mode quickly projected a shield from his arm cannon. "Hikari no Barrier!"
"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D fired at the rest of the mines to dispose of them. He tried aiming for the Royal Knight but the speedy lion-leopard dodged every attack.
"He's too fast!" Takumi cried out. "Imperialdramon Fighter Mode! Reload! Omegamon Zwart D! Partition!"
The Ancient Dragon Man nodded as he returned into the Cyber Sleuth's Digivice. Omegamon Zwart D's body glowed as he split back into his MetalGarurumon (Black) and WarGreymon counterparts. Although the Digimon's size was quickly diminished, they made up for it with speed. MetalGarurumon (Black) let out a howl as he chased down Duftmon Leopard Mode.
"Eroberung!" The brown Royal Knight summoned more mines, but they didn't do much to deter the determined wolf.
"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"
While the Cyborg Digimon distracted the strategic knight, BlackWarGreymon and Darkdramon charged up their attacks. "Ankoku no Gaia Force!"
"Dark Roar!"
Duftmon Leopard Mode was bit by both large spheres of energy and matter before collapsing in defeat. Takumi carefully watched the Digimon for a while he finally relaxed. "Alright!" the boy jumped in triumph. "We did it!"
"I'm home!" Takumi grinned as he returned to the agency.
"Welcome home," Kyoko nodded at him before she noticed his satisfied smile. "Oh? Did you defeat another difficult opponent?" she smirked.
"Yeah, it was a copy of Duftmon this time," the boy chuckled.
"Copy or not, that was truly a fateful opponent to have…" she nodded. "Rest easy. You've worked hard enough for one day."
"Thanks…" Her assistant happily sank into the sofa. "Ah… I'm so tired and hungry…" He blinked as he smelled something burning in the kitchen. "Did you make more coffee?" Takumi asked with a smile.
"I just prepared a new batch in case you needed it," the detective chuckled. "Consider it a reward for a job well done."
"Awesome!" Takumi jumped to his feet before pouring himself a cup.
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~3~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: That was easy for you, too, huh? Just don't get too cocky… I'm not impressed yet.
"It looks like you beat Duftmon," Mirei nodded in approval. "Right then, next up… go to Cron's fifth level. You definitely won't be disappointed!"
"Cron's fifth level…" Takumi crossed his arms. "As I recall, I faced Craniummon there…" He nodded to himself before taking off. "Alright, let's go!"
Takumi blinked when he saw Sleipmon and Craniummon together. "Two at once…?" he worriedly frowned. "Well… let's give this a shot."
"Are you challenging me?" Sleipmon smirked at the approaching Cyber Sleuth. "This should be fun…"
"Show me this strength of yours!" Craniummon roared as he lifted his Claíomh Solais above his head. "End Waltz!"
Takumi brought his arms up to cover his ears as he sent his Data Digimon forward. "GrandLocomon! Keep him busy while Rosemon Burst Mode and SaberLeomon take care of Sleipmon!"
"Limited Express Attack!" The great train rammed into Craniummon, toppling the great knight over.
"Not here…" Sleipmon shook his head as he quickly raised his speed and took off.
SaberLeomon roared as he chased the six-legged Holy Knight down. "Nail Crusher!"
Rosemon Burst Mode flew after them too before snapping her thorny whip at Sleipmon, in the hopes of stopping him. "Tifaret!" More glowing jewels appeared to barrage the Royal Knight, but Sleipmon had prepared a counter to aid in his escape.
"Tactic-smear!" He jumped up and kicked his legs at his two opponents before retreating back a little. With the two Digimon still down, he pointed his holy bow at them. "Bifröst!"
GrandLocomon quickly intercepted the attack with his densely armored body before firing his spiked wheel into the air. "Destroyed Crash!"
Sleipmon flinched backwards but SaberLeomon was prepared for him. "Infinity Arrow!"
The speedy Royal Knight frowned as his body slowed down due to the hair's venom. SaberLeomon prepared to fire another layer of pointed hair from his mane, but Sleipmon struggled to raise his shield. "Odin's Breath!" A blizzard erupted from Niflhiemr, blowing away some of the poisonous needles. He raised his Múspellsheimr towards SaberLeomon and began charging it up. "Bifröst!"
SaberLeomon jumped back as Rosemon Burst Mode's whip wrapped itself around Sleipmon's arm, causing the Royal Knight to miss. "Aguichant Lèvres!" The Fairy Digimon blew a kiss and the resultant hearts surrounded the six-legged Holy Knight Digimon with lasers.
As soon as the hearts cleared, SaberLeomon pounced forward with his claws out. "Nail Crusher!"
With one opponent down, Takumi smiled as there was no way Craniummon could keep up with their speed. "Let's regroup with GrandLocomon and finish this!" Looking towards his train, he noticed Craniummon was doing his best to stop the charging Digimon with his spear.
GrandLocomon noticed SaberLeomon and Rosemon Burst Mode coming to his side so forcefully pushed the purple Royal Knight back. "Limited Express Attack!"
"Tifaret!"
"Infinity Arrow!"
Craniummon skidded to a halt before raising his Avalon Shield to block all attacks. "God Bless!" He was left without a scratch so quickly raised his spear above his head again. "End Waltz!"
The two smaller Digimon hid behind GrandLocomon and waited for the Royal Knight to lose his balance. Takumi nodded to them when Craniummon staggered back. "Xros Combo!"
"Aguichant Lèvres!"
"Destroyed Crash!"
"Nail Crusher!"
The Cyber Sleuth closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relieved he managed to clear yet another trial. "These battles will only get more difficult from here on out," he mused. "Well… we'll take them as they come."
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~4~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: You won again! You're getting really good. The next Digimon are those guys.
"Those guys…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.
Mirei chuckled at the curious boy. "It looks like you beat Sleipmon and Craniummon. Right then, next up… go to the Roppongi Underground Research Lab."
The Cyber Sleuth tensed up at that. "There!?"
"You won't be disappointed!" the woman reassured him.
"Disappointment has nothing to do with this!" the boy knit his eyebrows together as he could only imagine which Royal Knight copy was awaiting him there. He shuddered at such thoughts but sighed as his next opponent shouldn't be as bad as the real thing.
Takumi tensed up as he saw the familiar pink Royal Knight ahead of him. "As I thought…" he nervously chuckled. "It's LordKnightmon…" He blinked at the white draconic Digimon at her side. "And she's with Dynasmon…" He called out his team and nodded to both Royal Knights. "Alright, we're ready!"
"An unwise challenge…" Dynasmon chuckled. "I accept!"
"Have you any idea how foolish you are?" LordKnightmon sneered at the boy. "I will show you! Spiral Masquerade!"
Takumi jumped back and sent Chaosmon forward to keep her busy. "Counter her with your BAN-TYO Blade! Omegamon Zwart D! ChaosDukemon! Take care of Dynasmon!"
Dynasmon laughed as he unleashed his draconic aura against them. "Breath of Wyvern!"
Both dark knights blocked against the attack and watched the white Royal Knight damage himself in the process. Omegamon Zwart D revealed his blade as ChaosDukemon raised his Balmung. "Grey Sword!"
"Spiral Wailer!"
Dynasmon flinched as both Virus Digimon cornered him. His hands began to glow with energy and he fired energy shots at them. "Dragon's Roar!"
LordKnightmon also went to help him by charging her Pile Bunker. "Urgent Fear!"
ChaosDukemon caught her attack on his shield before charging up Gorgon. "Judecca Prison!" A corrosive beam erupted from his black shield, launching the pink Royal Knight back.
Chaosmon used this opening to quickly pull her away from Dynasmon. "End of Paradox!"
Dynasmon roared before charging towards the Vaccine. "Breath of Wyvern!" He growled as once again, but Takumi's Virus Digimon quickly shielded Chaosmon. The white Holy Knight Digimon winced as his attack used up more of his energy. He noticed though that all of Takumi's team was gathered in one area so began condensing the energy of the lab onto a focal point. "Dragon Collider!"
"Everyone, guard it!" Takumi called out as an explosion erupted in the center of the room. He flinched from the searing heat and quickly reached into his bag for a recovery spray. When the attack finally died down, he ran towards his team to check on their condition.
LordKnightmon had been waiting for this moment though so quickly rose up to attack the Cyber Sleuth. "Urgent Fear!"
Takumi ducked her arm before throwing a patch and speed booster at his closest Digimon. "ChaosDukemon!"
The Dark Knight Digimon let out a fierce yell as he thrust his javelin forward. "Cruel Balmung!" The pink Royal Knight was sent flying and ChaosDukemon made to go after her, but paused when he spotted Dynasmon coming towards him.
"Dragon's Roar!"
"Waking Dead!" ChaosDukemon surrounded himself in a sphere of protective energy. He smirked as Dynasmon tried to break through to no avail.
During that time, Omegamon Zwart D rose to his feet and raised his arm cannon at the white Royal Knight. "Garuru Cannon!"
"Alright! Now to take care of LordKnightmon!" Takumi called out. "Go! Chaosmon!"
"Dark Prominence!" Chaosmon fired his Gigastick Cannon a few times at the tenacious Virus Digimon.
"Spiral Masquerade!" LordKnightmon tried to attack but Omegamon Zwart D and ChaosDukemon countered her sash blades with their weapons. "Urgent Fear!" She tried striking them away but ChaosDukemon adamantly barred her. Looking between her three opponents, LordKnightmon frowned as she was completely surrounded.
"Alright, everyone! Let's go!" Takumi nodded.
"Grey Sword!"
"Demon's Disaster!" ChaosDukemon brutally jabbed his Balmung into their opponent with a barrage of blows.
"Tyrant Bisection Sword!" Chaosmon finished the battle by decisively slicing through LordKnightmon with his BAN-TYO Blade.
Takumi watched as the copies of both Royal Knights disappeared. "Another two down," he nodded to himself. He paused as he received a phone call on his Digivice. "Hello?"
"Oh, I finally got through," Yuuko sighed in relief. After a while, she glared at him and began scolding him. "Just what do you think you're doing disrupting Kamishiro with your battles against the Royal Knights?"
"Hm?" Takumi blinked at her. "Is something wrong?"
"Fei told me about how you fought Magnamon in the Zaxon Forum," the raven-haired girl coolly frowned at him. "And at the Metropolitan Government Building, Onii-chan found footage of you fighting Duftmon in the lobby. And now, I'm picking up your Digivice's signal in the Roppongi Laboratory." She narrowed her eyes on him. "You're not making a mess of the lab too, are you?"
Takumi nervously looked around at the ravaged lab. "Um… The equipment seems… fine… I think…" he meekly replied.
"Is that really so?" she asked him.
"I'm… positive…" he hesitantly nodded.
"Hmm…" a voice at his side made Takumi jump.
"Y-yuugo!" Takumi blinked at the boy who suddenly appeared in the room. He tensed up as he spotted Mugendramon locking his cannons on him. "H-hey! W-wait! I didn't do anything!"
"You fought a difficult opponent, didn't you?" Yuugo chuckled at the tired Cyber Sleuth and his team. "It must have been an exciting battle since you were able to win and see how much you've improved."
"Onii-chan!" Yuuko frowned at her older brother. "Don't be so lenient with him!"
"It's alright, Yuuko," the raven-haired boy nodded. "The terminal seems intact. Besides… Even if I wanted to teach Takumi a lesson, I doubt Mugendramon would want to fight him. And you know first-hand how strong he's gotten. I'd say he's long surpassed me at this point."
"R-really…?" Takumi blushed at his hero's praise. "That means a lot coming from you, Yuugo…"
"Well, it's true," Yuugo chuckled at the redhead. "It's also very reassuring to know that I can count on the person I'm entrusting my sister to."
"Ah…" the Cyber Sleuth goofily grinned as he scratched the back of his head. "Th-thank you…"
"Onii-chan…!" Yuuko's face went red at that before she glared at Takumi. "Don't you dare let that go to your head!"
The blue-eyed teen's smile never wavered as he let out a shaky laugh. "I won't…" He quickly cleared his throat that as he became serious again. "Well anyway, I'm finished here. I'd better report my results to the agency before starting up on my next case."
Yuugo nodded to him with a calm smile on his face. "You should tell us where your next fight will be, Takumi."
"Huh!?" Takumi blinked at him in surprise.
"I'm sure it will be a good show for both the hacker and tamers to watch," the older boy stated.
"Eh…?" the redhead knit his eyebrows together at the thought of being scrutinized in a fight.
Yuuko brought a hand up to her mouth. "Hmm… That's right… Perhaps then I can finally come up with a way to restore Zaxon's pride by defeating you…"
"Arata and Nokia would want to join in as well," Yuugo nodded, crossing his arms. "I'm also curious to see whose team is the strongest. Is it Zaxon, Rebellions, Jude, or the Kuremi Detective Agency's Cyber Sleuth?"
"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at both siblings before sighing at how he got into this mess. "Even when I'm not part of a hacker team, I somehow wind up in a hacking war…" he lamented.
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~5~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: You made that look like a piece of cake. I don't have much left to challenge you… How about a trip to Odaiba?
"Looks like you beat Dynasmon and LordKnightmon," Mirei smirked. "Right then, next up… go to Odaiba Bay. You definitely won't—"
"Yeah," Takumi nodded with a smile. "I won't be disappointed, I know." He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "I'm only halfway done with the Royal Knights and now I have to worry about my friends harassing me…"
"Oh, would you like to give up on your challenges?" Mirei teasingly asked.
The Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "At this point, Kyoko-san won't let me. She says me being this strong is great advertisement for the agency…" The teenager chuckled to himself as he prepared for his fight. "Well, work is work, so it's not that bad."
"I'm glad you understand," the woman chuckled as she pushed her glasses up. "Your fate has already been decided when it comes to these challenges, so hurry to Odaiba. I look forward to seeing your results."
"Whoa…!" Arata's eyes widened at the sight of Examon. "That's some monster! There aren't even any Eaters on it this time!" He lowered his gaze towards the small boy standing on the helipad. "You guys think Takumi can take it on all by himself?"
Nokia crookedly grinned as they watched from afar. "I remember the last time we faced it, it was too strong! And then you had to be an idiot, Arata!" she frowned at the older boy.
"Oh, shut up," Arata glared at her. "In the end, it was me and Takumi who defeated Examon."
"After Takumi and I weakened him," Yuuko pointed out.
"Now, now…" Yuugo nervously chuckled. "Aren't we all here to see Takumi's strength? It'd be better for him if we cheered him on instead of arguing amongst ourselves." He flinched as Nokia began yelling.
"Hey! Takumi! You'd better not lose!" she screamed at the red-haired boy.
"Yeah!" Arata shouted at the top of his lungs. "You beat me before, so you'd better not lose to anything, you hear?"
Yuugo brought his hand up to his head when he noticed Takumi sighing. "I said to cheer him on, but… maybe we're also a bit of a distraction… What do you think, Yuuko?" He blinked at the girl fixedly staring at Takumi's Digimon. "Yuuko?"
The quiet girl clenched her fists before calling out to Takumi. "After you win, let's go tour Odaiba's restaurants!"
Takumi perked up at that and waved to his friends. "You've got it!" He enthusiastically looked at his team and nodded. "Okay, now we definitely can't afford to lose!" Examon let out a roar before flapping his great wings and lifting himself into the air. Takumi raised his arm and sent his team of Virus Digimon after him. "Xros Combo!"
"Dark Roar!"
"Garuru Cannon!"
"Chaos Shot!"
Arata crossed his arms and smirked. "Already starting off with a bang," he nodded. "That's just like him."
"Hey, Arata, you're in my way," Nokia craned her neck to get a better view. "By the way, how come we're here on this rooftop and not where Takumi is?"
Examon fired a beam from the tip of his Ambrosius at the helipad. "Pendragon's Glory!"
"Oh…" Nokia crookedly grinned as Takumi dodged out of the way before ChaosDukemon used his shield to protect the boy. "That's why…"
"Judecca Prison!"
"Grey Sword!"
Examon roared as he rose higher into the atmosphere. Yuugo lifted his gaze and knit his eyebrows together as he couldn't see the large dragon anymore. "What attack is this?"
Arata shook his head. "This one's a doozy…"
Yuuko looked down at the battling Cyber Sleuth and noticed he was completely tense. "What's going to happen?"
"Everyone, scatter into the sky and guard yourselves!" Takumi cried out to his Virus Digimon. His blue eyes widened as he sensed Examon making his crash descent. "Here he comes! Data team, get ready for battle!" he fidgeted with his Digivice.
"Dragonic Impact!" Examon yelled as he rammed his body into the three Digimon, forcing them to reload into the Digivice. In their place, SaberLeomon, Rosemon Burst Mode, and GrandLocomon were forced into battle.
"Ah…" Yuugo nodded as Takumi's second team quickly fell into a good flow. "So he prepped his team accordingly so that when they were forcibly switched, his standby Digimon wouldn't be disoriented by the sudden battle arrangement. He's very good."
"Even if you say that, what's with him using GrandLocomon and SaberLeomon in what's essentially an aerial battle?" Arata frowned.
Takumi loaded a few recovery items into his Digivice so his Virus team could refresh themselves. "Data Team! Go all out! Xros Combo!"
SaberLeomon jumped onto GrandLocomon as the train picked up speed. The lion leapt into the air with his claws ready. "Nail Crusher!"
"Limited Express Attack!"
Rosemon Burst Mode blew a kiss at the large dragon. "Aguichant Lèvres!"
"Avalon's Gate!" Examon tried to knock them aside with his lance before rising into the air again.
"Guards up!" Takumi cried as he expected another Dragonic Impact. His eyes widened though as a laser beam came down from the sky.
"Pendragon's Glory!"
"What an unfair attack," Nokia frowned.
"No," Yuuko shook her head. "Using your environment and resources to your advantage is key to winning any battle. If I were Examon, I'd use the clouds for cover for as long as I can until Takumi and his Digimon are worn out. Then when he least expects it, I'd deliver the finishing blow."
"What a cowardly way to fight," Arata stated. "A dragon that powerful should take out Takumi in the flashiest way as possible! That means nonstop Dragonic Impacts!"
"It'd be a lot faster if Examon would just keep trying to poke the roof with his spear-thing!" Nokia exclaimed. "Eventually, he'd have nowhere to go!"
Yuugo knit his eyebrows together at his sister and friends. "I thought we were here to support Takumi… not come up with ways to torture him."
The three others blinked at the quiet boy. "But Takumi will be fine," Nokia shrugged.
Arata crossed his arms and nodded. "He always has something up his sleeve anyways."
Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth and chuckled. "I wonder how he'll exceed my expectations this time."
Takumi noticed the laser dissipating but he jumped out of the way as Examon stabbed Ambrosius into the roof. "Avalon's Gate!" Viruses leaked out from his lance and Takumi quickly had Rosemon Burst Mode take care of them.
"Aguichant Lèvres!"
Examon rose up into the sky again and Takumi rolled to the side as another laser dropped down on him. "Pendragon's Glory!" The laser was only short-lived though as Examon dive-bombed the three Data Digimon. "Dragonic Impact!"
"Virus team, get ready!" Takumi grit his teeth together as his Data team was forcefully swapped out.
"Terrible Gaze!" Darkdramon paralyzed Examon momentarily with his gauntlet, giving Omegamon Zwart D and ChaosDukemon the perfect opening.
"Garuru Cannon!"
"Demon's Disaster!" ChaosDukemon fired a beam from his lance's tip.
Examon roared as he collapsed onto the roof in defeat. Arata chuckled at the results. "Like we could have expected anything else…" He raised his voice to call over to the triumphant teen. "Hey! Takumi! Good job!"
"Thanks!" Takumi grinned at them. "Hey, hey, Yuuko! We can go eat now, right!? I'm star—" he suddenly passed out from exhaustion.
"Takumi!?" Nokia and Yuuko cried out in surprise.
Yuugo shook his head at the younger boy. "Oh dear… He must have overexerted himself…"
Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the group of teenagers dragging her assistant back to her office. "Oh? What happened?"
"I beat… the copy of Examon…" Takumi chuckled. He winced as Arata unceremoniously dumped him onto the couch. "Ow…"
"Wait, it was only a copy?" Yuugo asked.
"It seemed to be as strong as the real Examon though," Yuuko nodded.
"That's a pretty scary copy…" Nokia crookedly smiled.
"Even if that was a copy," Kyoko smiled as she crossed her arms, "not just anyone could take down Examon at full strength…"
"And he didn't even have assistance this time," Arata frowned at the crazy powerful Cyber Sleuth.
Takumi chuckled at that. "Nope…"
"You've gotten really strong, Takumi," Kyoko praised him before smirking at his friends. "I'd say it's about time you all sharpened your skills and Digimon too. We can't have anyone falling behind now. Like my father taught me. 'Reject not those who come. Chase not those who leave. Those who will not work will not eat.' That's our agency's motto, you know."
The four teenagers tensed up at the woman's unsettling smile as Takumi sighed. "No… that's not it… Not at all…" he muttered, looking up at the agency's proper motto.
"Hmm…" Kyoko looked over towards her assistant. "You're probably right. After all, I just made a new blend and with everyone here, now's a good time as any to try it out."
"I'll go get the cups!" Takumi excitedly got up.
Nokia began to weep at the turn of events. "Kyoko-san! Stop trying to poison us with coffee!"
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~6~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: Perhaps you haven't fought these guys? They are evolved and very strong. Have fun!
"Hmm…" Takumi crossed his arms as he considered the remaining Royal Knights he had to face.
"It looks like you beat Examon," Mirei stated. "Right then, next up… go to the Demon's Den. You definitely won't be disappointed!"
"Demon's… Den?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together. "Who could be there?"
Gankoomon roared as their opponent finally arrived. "I applaud your bravery in challenging us!"
"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at the coat-wearing Digimon in surprise. "Gankoomon and Jesmon!? You're both my opponents!?"
"All right," Jesmon stretched out his sword-like limbs, "let's go!"
"Omegamon Zwart D!" Takumi nodded to the black knight to strike first.
"Grey Sword!" He slashed his glowing red blade at the recently appointed Royal Knight, but Jesmon swung his tail up to deflect it.
"Darkdramon! ChaosDukemon! Support him!" Takumi called out.
Gankoomon let out a roar as he wasn't about to let himself remain on the sideline. "Striking With Fists!" he cried before his independent fire god spirit emerged behind him. Both Gankoomon and his Hinukamuy assaulted ChaosDukemon's shield with a barrage of punches.
The Dark Knight Digimon was pushed back before Darkdramon tried to aid him. "Gigastick Lance!"
ChaosDukemon brought his Balmung up. "Demon's Disaster!"
Gankoomon jumped back and let Jesmon charge forward. "Furrow-sword Judgment!" The young Royal Knight extended the blades on his arms.
"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D fired at Jesmon before the attack landed and ChaosDukemon rammed his Gorgon into their opponent.
"Judecca Prison!" The shield released a corrosive blast, knocking Jesmon back.
"Dark Roar!" Darkdramon finished off Jesmon before he could recover.
Gankoomon watched as his apprentice collapsed to the ground in defeat before he roared. "Jesmon!"
Takumi tensed up as the thug-like Digimon's fire spirit flared. "Uh-oh…"
"Earthquake! Lightning! Fire! Father!" Gankoomon exclaimed as Hinukamuy exploded out from the Digimon to punch one of Takumi's nearest team member.
"Omegamon Zwart D!" the boy's blue eyes widened as his black knight toppled backwards.
Darkdramon pointed his gauntlet towards Gankoomon. "Terrible Gaze!"
Taking advantage of their momentarily stunned opponent, ChaosDukemon charged into him with his glowing lance. "Duke Charge!" The Dark Knight Digimon pushed the Royal Knight back, giving Takumi the chance to reach Omegamon Zwart D's side.
The Cyber Sleuth quickly dug through his bag and took out a revival capsule. "What a devastating attack…" he knit his eyebrows together but shook his head. "Alright, Omegamon Zwart D, I think I have an idea on how to counter Gankoomon. For now though, let's get back into the battle!"
Omegamon Zwart D nodded as he stood back up and charged into the Royal Knight with his blade out. "Grey Sword!"
Gankoomon dodged the weapon before he lifted the ground beneath the great Digimon. "Flipping Table in Anger!" Omegamon Zwart D quickly took off into the air but the slabs of rock were suddenly launched past him, forcing Darkdramon and ChaosDukemon to scatter. Gankoomon used this chance to get close to the navy Cyborg with his fist pulled back. "Striking With Fists!"
"Gigastick Lance!" Darkdramon tried to deflect as many of the blows as he could but was unable to stop the barrage of punches.
"Darkdramon!" Takumi quickly reloaded him into his Digivice when he saw Hinukamuy preparing another attack. "ChaosDukemon, guard up! Omegamon Zwart D! Get ready!"
"Shield Destructer!" ChaosDukemon raised his Gorgon defensively while using it to support Omegamon Zwart D as the Black Berserker advanced while firing his cannon.
"Garuru Cannon!" When he was close enough, Omegamon Zwart D slammed both his fists into the ground to unleash powerful shockwaves to disrupt Gankoomon's upcoming attack. "Double Torrent!"
"Flipping Table in Anger!" Gankoomon used the attack to create a makeshift barricade before finally launching Hinukamuy forward in retaliation. "Earthquake! Lightning! Fire! Father!"
Omegamon Zwart D didn't flinch as he faced the attack again head-on. Takumi smirked as he quickly called out to the great knight. "Partition now!"
Hinukamuy missed as the Jogressed Digimon's main body split into his arms. MetalGarurumon (Black) howled and BlackWarGreymon roared as they started for the open Royal Knight. "Metal Fang!"
"Black Tornado!"
Gankoomon let out a dramatic cry as he flew backwards. The Royal Knight skidded on the ground before coming to a halt and Takumi watched Hinukamuy disappear. When he was certain both Royal Knights were defeated, the Cyber Sleuth let out a relieved sigh. "That makes ten…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Only three Royal Knights left," he nodded to himself as he opened his eyes.
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~7~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: You must be feeling proud of yourself. I still have more challenges for you. Can you win against those guys?
"It looks like you beat Gankoomon and Jesmon," Mirei stated, noticing how serious Takumi appeared now. "Right then, next up… go to the Valhalla Server. You definitely won't be disappointed!"
"Under Zero…" Takumi clenched his right fist. "Dukemon, Omegamon, and Alphamon are the only ones who remain… Which combination of them will I face?"
"Eh!?" Takumi's blue eyes widened as he saw all three remaining Royal Knights lined up to face him. "Dukemon… Omegamon… and Alphamon…" He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Alright," he nodded as ChaosDukemon, Omegamon Zwart D, and Rosemon Burst Mode emerged behind him. "This is it, everyone!"
"As a knight, I cannot refuse a challenge!" Omegamon nodded, extending his Grey Sword.
The copy of Alphamon raised her right arm towards Takumi. "The honorable choice is probably to reconsider and step down, but…"
Dukemon chuckled as he prepared his Gram. "Even so, if you challenge us, we will show you no mercy. Attack us with all you've got!"
"We absolutely won't lose!" Takumi cried out as he signaled his team to charge.
"Duke Charge!" ChaosDukemon and Dukemon immediately went at it, charging at each other with their spears.
"Grey Sword!" Omegamon stabbed his blade forward as his dark decrepit counterpart jumped back.
"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D countered, keeping his distance from the Vaccine Digimon.
Rosemon Burst Mode flitted about as Alphamon summoned a glowing magic circle. "Digitalize of Soul!"
The Fairy Digimon quickly blew a kiss to summon her own lasers. "Aguichant Lèvres!"
"Omegamon Zwart D! Keep your distance until Alphamon or Dukemon is defeated! Rosemon Burst Mode! Use your Tifaret!" Takumi flinched when sparks began to fly from ChaosDukemon and Dukemon's duel. "ChaosDukemon! Demon's Disaster!"
ChaosDukemon roared as he repeatedly jabbed Dukemon with his Balmung. The contradictory Royal Knight blocked the blows with his shield before Aegis began to glow. "Final Elysion!"
ChaosDukemon quickly brought his Gorgon up. "Judecca Prison!" Both gallant knights pushed against each other before the Dark Knight Digimon began to let his attack weaken. The beam from Dukemon's Final Elysion collided into Gorgon, but Takumi smirked.
"Alright! Charge it up, ChaosDukemon!"
The black knight nodded as Gorgon began to gather more energy before channeling it into Balmung. "Chaos Shot!" Dukemon's eyes widened as his own attack turned against him. The defeated knight fell to the ground as ChaosDukemon triumphantly swung his lance in the air.
"No time to celebrate just yet!" Takumi cried. "Switch out with GrandLocomon!" The Cyber Sleuth flinched as Omegamon Zwart D fired his Garuru Cannon again. Glancing towards both Holy Knight Digimon, it appears that Omegamon was adamant about chasing down his dark shadow. Takumi shook his head before throwing a recovery patch and speed booster at his Digimon. "Keep it up, Omegamon Zwart D!"
The Black Berserker smirked as he forced Omegamon back with another attack. "Double Torrent!"
The white Holy Knight Digimon fell backwards but Alphamon quickly rushed to his aid. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"
Rosemon Burst Mode snapped her thorny whip at the blade and sharply pulled the Royal Knight back. "Charité!" she circled around Alphamon and prepared to annihilate her, but the legendary Aloof Hermit quickly freed herself.
"Digitalize of Soul!"
"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D quickly fired before pulling Rosemon Burst Mode towards safety.
Omegamon managed to rise from the ground and he prepared to charge forward again. "Grey Sword!"
"GrandLocomon!" Takumi finished loading his Digimon from his Digivice and called the train out in the air. "Let's go!"
"Limited Express Attack!" GrandLocomon dive bombed straight into the white Holy Knight, effectively becoming a falling meteor. When he landed, the Ultimate train swerved around, clearing the path for Omegamon Zwart D.
Using his Grey Arm to hold his right arm steady, Omegamon Zwart D roared as he charged up his attack. "Garuru Cannon!"
Takumi smirked as Omegamon could no longer get up. "Now that just leaves…" he gulped as he faced the final Royal Knight, "Alphamon…"
The black-armored Digimon smirked as she charged towards Omegamon Zwart D with her sword. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"
"Reload!" Takumi quickly recalled Omegamon Zwart D before the attack could land. "GrandLocomon! Rosemon Burst Mode! Go!"
"Tifaret!"
"Destroyed Crash!"
Alphamon easily avoided the attacks as she weaved between the jewels and fragmented wheel spikes. "Digitalize of Soul!"
Both of Takumi's active Digimon were knocked back, forcing the boy to apply a recovery spray. "Rosemon Burst Mode! Distract her with your Aguichant Lèvres!"
The Fairy Digimon nodded as she quickly circled around Alphamon, blowing a kiss at the black Royal Knight. GrandLocomon took his time getting back up before assisting his ally. "Limited Express Attack!"
Alphamon pushed against the speeding train as he rammed into her but noticed Takumi's third Digimon was finally ready. Takumi shook his head as he didn't want to give her the chance to retaliate. "Chaosmon! Tyrant Bisection Sword!"
Chaosmon rushed forward and tried to slice through her with his BAN-TYO Blade but frowned when Alphamon called for her own sword. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!" She quickly threw Chaosmon off before pointing her right hand towards GrandLocomon and Rosemon Burst Mode again. "Digitalize of Soul!"
Takumi flinched as all of his Digimon were blown back. "Everyone!" He tried to make his way towards them but gulped as Alphamon turned on him next. He clenched his fist and stood his ground as he called Omegamon Zwart D and ChaosDukemon back out. "This isn't over yet!" He pointed his right arm towards ChaosDukemon before calling out orders to Omegamon Zwart D. "Keep her busy while I prepare Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!"
With a nod, the Black Berserker rushed forward. "Double Torrent!"
Alphamon took off into the sky and swung her blade at Omegamon Zwart D. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"
"Grey Sword!"
When ChaosDukemon was back to his Child level, Takumi pulled out a full revival spray and applied it to his three fallen Digimon before hacking GrandLocomon. "Chaosmon, Rosemon Burst Mode! Help Omegamon Zwart D!"
"Garuru Cannon!"
"Dark Prominence!"
"Tifaret!"
With V-mon and Wormmon ready, Takumi let out a fierce shout. "Warp Jogress!" Both Child level Digimon quickly combined into Imperialdramon before setting out to change from Dragon to Fighter Mode.
When he was ready, Imperialdramon raised his right arm and pointed his arm cannon at Alphamon. "Positron Laser!"
The black Royal Knight leapt back to dodge it as Takumi's Digimon regrouped around their tamer. With the boy's strongest Digimon gathered in one place, Alphamon decided to end things by summoning a large magic circle, from which she pulled Ouryuken from. "Ultimate Battle Blade Ouryuken!" she cried, charging towards the boy.
Takumi sent his team forward to counter her. "Xros Combo!"
"Splendor Blade!" Imperialdramon slashed at Alphamon with his claws as Rosemon circled the final Royal Knight.
"Charité!"
"Grey Sword!"
"Tyrant Bisection Sword!"
Omegamon and Chaosmon pushed against the heavy axe blade with all their might as Takumi narrowed his eyes on their opponent. "I almost forgot…" he chuckled at himself. "You might look and fight like her, but you're not the real Alphamon… Your Ouryuken is proof of that," he stated as the sword copy cracked under the pressure of his four Digimon cornering the Royal Knight. The Alphamon copy pushed harder against them, but finally her blade snapped. Takumi shook his head as he wasn't surprised. "I admit you're a very good copy of her, but to go so far as to emulate that blade was foolish…" he clenched his glowing right fist. "Because the Ouryuken was a blade forged through the unbreakable connection between the real Alphamon and me!" he exclaimed as he once again hacked his team into becoming the Ouryuken for himself. "Ultimate Battle Blade Ouryuken!" The Cyber Sleuth charged forth and cut down the imitation of his boss. He closed his eyes and smiled as he held out the heavy sword. He opened his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Not only am I your reliable assistant, but I'm also your ever faithful sword. I wonder how much of my original data was compatible with Ouryuken to begin with… Although… I guess you'd prefer it if I didn't alter myself this much… It really is a bit too tiring for me to keep up with..." He reloaded the sword into his Digivice and began reversing his Digimon's codes. He softly smiled as he brought his gloved hand to his heart before lifting his head up high in triumph he was able to conquer all of the Royal Knights.
"I'm home!" Takumi stated as he materialized out of EDEN and into the agency.
"Welcome home, Takumi," Kyoko smiled as she looked up from her computer. "So who did you face this time?"
"Omegamon, Dukemon, and…" he approached her desk proudly with a wide grin on his face, "you!"
"Oh?" the detective raised her eyebrow at him. "Judging from your expression, it looks like you emerged victorious."
"Of course!" Takumi nodded.
The blonde woman sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, all the while smirking at her assistant. "That was no pushover you just fought, but don't forget that the real thing is something else altogether now," she chuckled.
The boy's smile fell as he nervously tensed up. "D-don't tell me you want to challenge me yourself… I don't think I could…"
"Well, it wouldn't be beyond your ability," Kyoko fondly smiled at him, "but I agree that it would be too much of a hassle to prove that theory. It's much easier for us to combine forces than it is otherwise. Isn't that right, my dear Watson?"
The redhead straightened up and gave her a determined nod. "Of course!"
~GREAT~CHALLENGE~8~
Client: Mikagura Mirei
Place: DigiLab
Details: Actually… Can I ask you something? Do you know the Omega Blade? This is the last challenge!
"Omegamon, Alphamon, and Dukemon…" Mirei frowned at the Cyber Sleuth. "You're telling me you beat those three?"
"Of course!" Takumi nodded.
"That's amazing!" she smiled. "I'm sure you'll take Imperialdramon down no problem…"
"Imperialdramon?" He looked at the Digimon loaded into his Digivice.
She shook her head at him. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, the founder of the Royal Knights," she clarified herself. "He's in the Digital World. Go show him what you're made of!"
"The founder!?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected there to be another opponent beyond the thirteen knights he already defeated. He crossed his arms and quickly became serious. "Odds are he'll be a lot tougher than those Royal Knight copies. I'd better plan my team accordingly…"
Takumi stared up at the great knight clad in gleaming white armor. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode smiled at the human approaching him and quickly stabbed his large blade into the ground. "Do tell me of your fighting prowess, good sir," he nodded at the boy. "Please, show me this strength you boast of!"
The Cyber Sleuth quickly called out all nine of his Digimon. "Here we go!"
"Let our duel begin!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode nodded as he created two copies of himself. "Break my illusion!" He sent the copies forward as he watched the battle unfold before him.
"Xros Combo!"
"Forbidden Temptation!"
"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"
"Gaia Force!"
"Destroyed Crash!"
"Dark Roar!"
"Infinity Arrow!"
"Burst Shot!"
"Atomic Ray!"
"Judecca Prison!"
The combination of attacks quickly took out the copies with ease before Imperialdramon Paladin Mode charged forward, leaving his sword behind him. "Splendor Blade!" He used his claws to slash at Takumi's Digimon before shooting blades of energy from each blow.
"Rosemon, GrandLocomon, SaberLeomon! You three take the lead!" Takumi ordered. "All Viruses stay in the rear! Everyone else, do whatever you can!"
"Ivy Hug!" Rosemon used the jungle around them to her advantage and restrained the Ancient Holy Knight Digimon.
With Imperialdramon Paladin Mode trapped, GrandLocomon and SaberLeomon led the others in their assault. "Limited Express Attack!"
"Nail Crusher!"
"Saint Tackle!"
"Copy Paste!"
The founder of the Royal Knights didn't retaliate as he took the attacks. The large Ancient Dragon Man closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exploding in a burst of power, throwing Takumi's Digimon off of him. He narrowed his eyes on the boy as he returned to his sword, lifting it from the ground. "Prepare yourself against the forefathers' sword!"
Takumi's eyes widened as his noticed Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's strength skyrocketing with the weapon in his hand. "Everyone! Get back and prepare yourselves!" he cried out as he began digging through his pack for a full revival spray and recovery spray.
"Omega Blade!" The gleaming white weapon slashed through all of Takumi's team with one steady stroke.
As he had expected, more than half of his Digimon was felled so Takumi quickly applied the revival spray as the surviving members of his team continued to fight.
"Destroyed Crash!"
"Thorn Whip!"
"Giant Missile!"
Imperialdramon Paladin Mode brushed off the attacks though as he lifted his sword again. "Omega Blade!"
"Limited Express Attack!" GrandLocomon rammed his own body into the sword, taking the full attack himself. He crashed onto the ground as his body became pixilated.
"GrandLocomon!" Takumi knit his eyebrows together at his Digimon's sacrifice but at least the rest of his team was okay. The boy ran up to the pixilated train to heal him as everyone else scattered to avoid Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's deadly sword.
"Omega Blade!"
"Saint Tackle!" SaintGalgomon also attempted to stop the blade with his body, but although he successfully defended his friends, he couldn't take the attack so collapsed to the ground.
MetalGarurumon (Black) and BlackWarGreymon nodded to each other as their opponent lifted his blade again. The two quickly Jogressed into Omegamon Zwart D and went straight for the white Ancient Holy Knight Digimon.
"Omega Blade!"
"Grey Sword!" Omegamon Zwart D pushed his sword against Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's before raising his Garuru Arm. "Garuru Cannon!"
The Royal Knight founder didn't even flinch as he tried felling the Black Berserker again. "Omega Blade!"
Takumi finished patching up the rest of his team at this time so quickly called out to Omegamon Zwart D to partition back into MetalGarurumon (Black) and BlackWarGreymon, causing their opponent to miss.
Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's eyes widened at the strength the Cyber Sleuth and his Digimon carried as he stumbled forward. He dropped the Omega Blade and smiled at the power displayed before him. "Amazing…" He gave his challenger a nod as it was time the boy decisively ended the battle.
Takumi extended his right arm as he cried out to his team. "Xros Combo!"
"Roses Rapier!"
"Metal Fang!"
"Black Tornado!"
"Limited Express Attack!"
"Demon Stab!"
"Nail Crusher!"
"Saint Tackle!"
"Copy Paste!"
"Duke Charge!"
The Cyber Sleuth closed his eyes as their defeated opponent collapsed to the ground. He took in a deep breath before opening his eyes and grinning at his team. "We did it!" he cheered. He blinked though as Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's body began to break down. Takumi tried to load the data before it could disperse, but he found that the Digimon wouldn't allow him to. Instead, the dropped Omega Blade began to glow as the redhead realized he was being entrusted with the forefathers' sword. Takumi balled his right hand into a fist and nodded. "Alright, I understand… I'll keep using this strength of mine to evolve the world around me. Even now, the future continues to split into a million points of light." The boy lifted his gaze up at the Digital World's sky and smiled. "Isn't that right, Suedou-san?"
"I'm home," Takumi smiled as he returned to the agency.
"Welcome home," Kyoko looked up at him. She gave him a nod as she just finished watching the transmitted footage of his latest battle. "Great job today, Takumi," she proudly smiled. "You've really become an outstanding person, both as a detective and as a Digimon tamer."
"Even so," the Cyber Sleuth chuckled, "there are still ways for me to keep improving myself. Let's keep evolving together, Kyoko-san!"
Final Notes: Don't expect the Demon Lord cases to be up anytime soon. I have only Pride and Fanatic to deal with but Lucemon is a pain! I remember my first playthrough I gave up fighting against Slepimon and Craniummon because I didn't really pay much attention to typing and I never used buffs. Buffs really are important in this game... Maybe I'm so used to in Pokemon where buffs don't mean that much except for an added boost, but for Shin Megami Tensei and Cyber Sleuth... they really can make or break a battle. But yeah, me giving up on the post game cases at least allowed me to discover the whole programming oversight for the New Game Plus... In that way, you can counter Veevee's very broken Swiftness ability with your own UlforceV-dramon... The actual strategy I used for my own playthrough was MetalGarurumon boosting everyone's speed and acting as healer while Darkdramon or SaberLeomon Accelerated and attacked. My play style is usually to work with what I have because I'm too lazy to grind, and hey, it worked out for a long time! And then Lucemon came along to crush me... Damn pride... I don't know when I'll ever finish it, but the story is already considered complete anyways. Oh, and for anyone interested, I have some plans of novelizing Persona 4 Golden in the future but I set up a poll in my profile asking something I'm curious about.