Well, I hope this new system is working for you all, cause it's a pain for me T_T My baby wasn't meant to be butchered this way! Well, heres part two then...
A twig snapped behind them, causing Sora to cling tighter to Tai's arm. His heart jumped in speed at the sudden contact. He squeezed back to reassure her of his presence. Neither of them was afraid of the dak, nor the woods, but being in the moments they had, in the dark and alone, they were already jumpy, adrenaline pumping.(Lemme just step right in. If you have not read my first story, No Way Out, I highly encourage you do now, for the key reason that there will be things you will miss if you don't. For example, why Tai and Sora alone in the dark makes them jumpy. And no, nothing like that, gutter brain. You won't miss much plot, but there will be jokes and references that you will not get. Sorry, I will try not to make this a habit, but this is my story, so I might anyway.) They pressed on, safe with the knowledge that their other was there. Their true partners had stayed back. The instrumental showdown between Ken and Chip and the prospect of food was too enticing for them to ignore. So they walked alone, through the woods and the night. Happy just to be alone.
Soon, they broke the woodline and were presented with an astonishing sight: A lake, a mirror, still as the night itself, with the image of a digital moon above and below them. The inverted sunlight from the moon and the water illuminated the scene surprisingly well, giving them a private paradise. They stood in awed silence at the beauty before them. Sora glanced over at Tai and was drawn to his eyes. Like the lake, the light of the moon shone out of them, illuminating a tense sadness within them. It stung to see him distracted.
"What's wrong?" she asked, taking both his hands in her own, turning his gaze to her. He sighed, staring into her ruby eyes.
"I can't remember." he smiled. She knew he was lying, but she let it go. Instead of pushing the point, she pulled him in closer, wrapping her arms around his back and laying her head on his chest. The music from the party drifted to them and they started to sway as the slow beat entered their ears. At this point, Tai truly did forget about his problems.
-/-
Matt was stunned. Everyone was stunned. They knew Chip was good, but this display brought him higher than their highest ideas, and they all knew Ken was amazing at everything he did, but again, he smashed their expectations to pieces.
Song after song, they went. What one would do, the other would match perfectly, building onto the next level of playing. On and on. Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Clapton, Zeppelin, Skynyrd, Hendrix, Triumph, Quiet Riot, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Van Halen, Avenged Sevenfold, Battle Beast, Hammerfall, Megadeth, Dream Theater, and finally landing on the biggest songs they knew. It was Ken's turn, and he decided to end it, breaking out the most difficult things he knew in DragonForce's Through the Fire and the Flames. Everyone's jaws dropped, but Chip didn't even blink. He smiled as Ken stood there, out of breath and confident that he had the last laugh. But Chip wasn't done. He took his place, and one-upped Ken, starting the solo from Fury of the Storm, by the same (A/N I play guitar, and believe me when I say this stuff is impressive XD but I will admit its pretty cheesy).Ken laughed as Chip shredded, hopping up on stage and shaking his hand. Ken knew that was all he could do.
"You, sir," Chip said to Ken, "You are very good."
"You're not so bad yourself."
Shortly after, Matt apologized to Ken for never inviting him to play sooner. Ken laughed and happily agreed to join the Teenage Wolves. The rest of the band as well as cody and Davis' date all decided to butt out shortly after the duel. It was late and they frankly were feeling uncomfortable. Cody had to be there for his grandfather tomorrow and followed them with Armadillomon and his mother; Brandi just didn't like Davis that much. Tai and Sora found their way back to the party feeling much better about themselves and were happy to see everyone getting along so well. Tai couldn't remember the last time they all looked this happy. He only wished he could be happy with them...
-/-
...one year ago...
Tai and Matt step off the Trailmon and onto the forest platform. A little pink ball is waiting for them.
"Hello there," Piximon says. "It's wonderful to see you again. Genai tells me you have a problem you need help with."
They nod, and he smiles. "Then lets get started."
They follow him to his dojo, where they sit in his study and tell him their story.
"Yes, Genai mentioned something about counter-crests when we spoke." he said when they had finished. "I believe you are right for coming here. We can't risk anymore uncontrollable digidestined." He stood up,walked to the door and opened it. He turned to face them. "Let's begin."
In the next digital weeks,they do a combination of housework and physical training. Off and on, Matt and Tai spar with each other, while Agumon and Gabumon the same. Piximon repeatedly tests their patience by making fun of them; their hair, their lifestyle, their families. But he does not get much reaction from either of them. Until he brings up Sora.
They are both still sore at each other from the happenings not two weeks ago, when they first discovered these powers. Matt had never fully given up on Sora, even though he was with Mimi now. He attributed it to her crest's power. She would forever hold control over his heart. Tai, on the other hand, has always loved Sora, and has made that point clear to Matt many times before. He was crushed to see his best friend go behind his back with the girl of his dreams. They had fought it out with power the digital world had scarcely known, and it is because of these powers that they are here, training with Piximon, cleaning his home twice a day.
At the mention of her name, they both tense up. The dark clouds fly and the intensity of the combat increases into a real fight. Agumon and Gabumon start to grow, and in attempt to save his home, Piximon flies over head and knocks them both unconscious.
When they come to, he speaks with them.
"It seems that I have found your trigger. You both have great feelings for Sora." He smiles evily. "I can work with that."
This moment on, every day they train. They grow not only as digidestined, but as people.
Tai finds that his love for Sora is the cause of his dark power, and that true courage must have the power to push through love. He does not understand how fury is the opposite of courage, however, and must explain to him.
"True courage, as you know, is not just about facing your fears and leading the others. No, courage is really about mind over matter. Ignoring your fears is plain foolish and will hurt you in the end. Likewise, hiding from them will inhibit you to complete tasks. It is a delicate balance that only the truly courageous can find. You must have control over your fears while still respecting them. This is the fundamental concept of courage: complete control over your emotions. This is why fury is the inverse of courage. Fury is the complete loss of emotional control. Where composure once stood, blind rage and instinct takes over. No longer is the same man present. He is transformed into an unrelenting rage monster, hell bent on destruction and chaos." He smirks.
"A menace to all."
Tai is afraid. Not for himself, but for the ones he loves. Even the ones he isn't sure about. "How can I stop it?" he asks.
Piximon smiles. "That's what we're here to find out."
Tai focuses for days on end. He pushes himself and Agumon the very extremes of their bond. His mind strengthens, but at a price. He no longer feels like a human. Concepts blur together. He becomes hard and callous. He's the same boy, the same fighter, but with a sense of containment and strength that he has never felt before. He feels as if, however, he must separate himself from the other to keep them safe from the demons inside. This is not the case, but he feels this way anyways,
Finally, he finds a foothold. Sparing with Matt, he blacks out. When he wakes, he is surrounded by darkness and mist. He somehow can tell that he is within his own mind. He is not surprised by the vacancy.
Agumon Counter-warp Digivolves, but not into Black SkullGreymon...
This new form is black...almost evil. Red eyes shine out of a jagged mass of shadow. It is power, yet it is nothing. It exists where there is emptiness, nothingness. It exists in the mind and heart of those who are hurt, enraged.
It's power is almost unchallenged. It lives only to burn for the angered, the injured, the pained...
The mighty Furemon...
-/-
That light...
It is not natural to the digital world. It must be them...
It must.
Suddenly, the digimon all looked up. They were noticeably terrified, and rightfully so. A dark, yet familiar shadow quickly flew over head.
"Tai!" Agumon cried as all the others called to their partners. He looked and saw the form circling over head.
"No..." he whispered, quickly snapping into action. "Everybody move!" He wasn't the first, however to react. Little Biyomon had seen the form and tried to fly up to fight it. Sora was faster, though and chased after the bird, grabbing her and pulling her in close.
"No, B."
"But Sora-" She was cut off by a landing right in front of them. The large form of BlackWarGreymon stood not five feet from them, menacingly.
"You." He said to Sora, but before he could continue, something flew at him. Rather, someone. Tai had gone dark the second BlackWarGreymon had approached Sora and was now being propelled up at the level of the Mega's eyes, left fist back ready to strike.
BlackWarGreymon could have sworn he saw the boy wink at him as he approached. It was happening too fast for the dark one to care to move; this was a decision he would regret as his mass was thrown sideways by the force of the punch as it struck the side of his face. He flew into the forest and brought down a tree as he hit the ground hard, wind and composure knocked out of him. He quickly tried to regain his footing, but the heel of Tai's foot met his helmet, driving him further into the ground, making a crater about six feet deep. Everyone hurried over in shock and awe at the power Tai was displaying. Everyone but Chip that is. They huddled around the hole watching as Tai landed punch after devastating punch to the dragon's head. And to everyone's utter surprise, Tai was actually hurting BlackWarGreymon. The mega's head flew back and forth with each hit and his metal head started to show signs of denting. Suddenly, BlackWarGreymon's eyes shut as the concussion was proving too great for him.
Chip saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned as Blake nudged his shoulder, holding his fist to his chest. Chip nodded and jumped into the pit to break it up, rather excited that this might turn out to be what Blake had been looking for for so long.
"Chip, what do you think you're doing?!" Matt called after him, but he ignored him as he grabbed Tai's drawn arm by the elbow and threw him off the dragon.
"This is a brutal attack." he said, turning. "Besides," he smiled evilly. "You're not even giving him a chance to fight back."
"Because we can't afford to." TK spoke up, moving in front of Kari to discreetly protect her. Everyone noticed however, especially Blake and Davis, who both remained silent. "This monster has proved himself too evil to get a chance."
"That doesn't matter to me. But that's not the real reason I stopped him." He looked up at Blake and motioned with a nod. All eyes turned to the kid and the fist by his chest, a small amount of light seeping through the clasped fingers. "This is the first time his crest has ever activated." Chip continued, drawing a gasp from the crowd.
"You mean you guys are..." Yolei started.
"Digidestined." Ken concluded, surmising for himself.
Chip nodded. "Yep." He turned to the woods and called out: "Come on out." A short, humanoid digimon walked out, roughly as tall as Chip's waist. It marched over to the crater and hopped in, landing gracefully. He carried a pitchfork in one hand and had a Wizardmon-like bandana wrapped around his neck. His clothes were rather tattered and he looked dirty, but he had the brightest blue eyes and purest yellow hair imaginable. It was so yellow in fact that it was reminiscent of straw.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my best friend, Militamon." The little digimon smiled and nodded at the group. Chip reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin neck chain with a tag hanging from it. He held it up at the level of his eye and it glowed a faint golden color. The crest was one that they had never seen before; it was a series of triangles all linked together in a larger triangle, looking almost like an inverted hazard sign.
"What crest is that?" Davis asked.
"This, my friends," he said with a smile, "is the crest of Loyalty." His eye twinkled as he spoke the word. "My pride and joy..." For some reason, this phrase brought him slight pain, but as quickly as it came, it had passed.
"What about him?" Matt asked, looking at Blake.
"I speak, you know." Blake said quietly. Too quiet for really anyone to hear, so Chip answered for him. Kari noticed, however, and felt sad for him.
"Peace. He hasn't found his partner yet."
BlackWarGreymon started to regain his thoughts and he sat up with a groan. He knew who this boy was, 'But how did he get so powerful?' he thought. 'He isn't more powerful than me, but he is no mere human anymore. If I needed to kill him, I could, but what good would it do? I would only end up fighting all of them and inevitably be beaten by something greater, forced to start my search over again...I cannot go back to that emptiness, that nothing. There must be a better way, a better-'
His thoughts were again interrupted as Yolei screamed to Chip. "Watch out Chip, he's getting up!"
"Gabumon!" Matt called. All of the other digidestined, except for Tai grabbed their digivices too. Everyone digivolved as quick and to as high of a level as they could.
"Gabumon, Warp digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!"
"Biyomon, Warp digivolve to...Albatramaromon!" (A/N read No Way Out Chapter 4)
"Hawkmon digivolve to...Aquilamon!"
"Gatomon...Aquilamon...DNA digivolve to...Silphymon!"
"Patamon, digivolve to...Angemon, digivolve to...MagnaAngemon!"
"Palmon, digivolve to...Lilymon!"
"Gomamon, digivolve to...Zudomon!"
"Tentomon, digivolve to...MegaKabuterimon!"
"Wormmon, digivolve to...Stingmon!"
"Veemon, digivolve to...ExVeemon!"
"ExVeemon...Stingmon...DNA digivolve to...Paildramon!"
"Paildramon, digivolve to...Imperialdramon!...mode change to...Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!"
They all stood ready, but to everyone's surprise, Chip stood in the way. He put himself right infront and held his arms out to the side to stop restrict any attacks.
Matt showed the most surprise. "Are you really defending him?!"
Chip shrugged. "He hasn't done anything that I would consider wrong." He dropped his arms. "If anyone's in the wrong, it's this guy." He said, pointing to Tai. Tai was lying up against the side of the crater, not moving but not unconscious. "He's the real menace here."
"Yeah, but we know Tai. He wouldn't hurt us." TK said. "Now move so we can end this."
Chip squinted. "No."
Matt had had enough of this. "I'm not gonna sit here and watch our only chance to kill this thing once and for all pass because of one stubborn moron. Take them both out, MetalGarurumon!" The wolf snarled and jumped into the pit, charging Chip.
But Chip didn't move.