A/N: Wow, I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I've updated. Let me just say the writer's block mixed with A.P. tests makes a writer very unprepared to write a chapter. I would like to thank Taeniaea, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, Latina shewolf, lmv16, finalfan21, and kouji-fan for reviewing chapter 20. If anyone is still reading this, then I hope that you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. (If I did, I would never meet the deadlines)
The Warrior of Hope
Chapter 21
What Only You Can Do
Worry was nagging at my mind, something that I was growing used to. My search for Koji wasn't going anywhere. I figured it would be easy to find the two fighting digimon, but I was starting to doubt my abilities.
I know where to find him. A voice echoed in my mind.
I blinked in surprise, it didn't sound like Hope. "Who are you?" I asked.
A friend. I will send somebody to take you to where he is. The voice said.
"Really? Thank you so much." I said in relief.
A ghost digimon wearing a witch hat came out from the bushes. "Hello, are you LadyBlackGatowomon?"
I nodded, "Yes."
"I'm Soulmon. I was sent to bring you to the Warrior of Light." The ghost said.
I nodded, "Alright, where is he?"
"Follow me." He started through the forest, quickly weaving through the trees.
I followed, jumping from tree to tree. I wondered if I should trust this digimon. I had no idea where we were going, or even who the voice in my head was. That should be cause for worry, but my thoughts were filled with Koji. I didn't know what might happen while I was searching, and this was the only way I could think of to find him.
I looked up into the sky at the Rose Morning Star and noticed that we were getting closer to it. Did this mean that Duskmon was luring Koji towards it?
"Hurry, we're almost there." Soulmon called back to me. He started going faster and I sped up, my train of thought lost.
We reached a clearing and Soulmon stopped suddenly. "Here." He said.
I looked around, but the clearing was empty. "What's here?"
I am. The voice in my head spoke again, just as the earth around me started to shake. I flapped my wings and hovered in the air, looking down as a shadow covered the ground. Red eyes and a red mouth formed a face in the shadow. "Hello, Princess. Long time no see." A deep voice said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Cherubimon." The voice replied.
I glared at the shadow, "So, you're the one who kidnapped Ophanimon."
He laughed, "Don't worry; you'll be joining her soon." The shadow lifted from the ground, becoming a solid figure before my eyes. Cherubimon was a giant purple bunny.
I prepared myself to attack, "The only way that I'll be joining Ophanimon is if I'm rescuing her from your grasp."
He laughed, mocking the strength in my voice. "You really think that you're powerful enough to defeat me? Ophanimon couldn't even defeat me, and she's a Celestial Digimon. What chance do you, a mere human, have of defeating me?"
He was trying to make me doubt myself, but I wouldn't fall for it. I could feel the power of both darkness and light radiating through my body. "I am the Princess of the Digital World, and I will do whatever it takes to defend it! Wicked Claws!" My claws lengthened as I slashed the air in front of me, sending red marks through the air at him. It hit him right in the stomach.
He laughed, "Was that supposed to hurt?"
A low growl escaped my lips and I took my chain belt off, "Darkness Noose!" I flicked my wrist and the chain circled Cherubimon, squeezing tighter and tighter. While he was bound, I sent another attack at him, "Demonic Shock!" The ball of dark energy hit him directly in the chest.
His body was knocked back a little and Cherubimon smiled slightly, "I was right, you have become almost half as powerful as the original. That's far too much power for a mere human. It looks like I will have to end this fight quickly." He struggled against my Darkness Noose for a moment before the chain broke.
"Demonic Shock!" I sent another ball of dark energy at him.
It hit him and he grunted, "Lightening Spear!" He fired a spear of lightning at me.
I tried to dodge, but it caught my shoulder and I dropped to the ground. I fell on my knees. I struggled for a moment, but was able to stand. "Wicked-"
"Lightning Spear!" Cherubimon cut me off and hit me directly in the chest with the lightning.
I fell back, changing into my human self. I glared up at the dark figure.
He cocked his head to the side, "Oh, it looks like the warriors of light and darkness are facing off. I wouldn't want to miss the destruction of the light. Soulmon, take her to my castle. Reunite her with Ophanimon."
"Yes, Lord Cherubimon." Soulmon said. He picked me up and we started moving towards the Rose Morning Star.
My mind was calculating. If we were going towards the Rose Morning Star, then that meant that Cherubimon's castle was there. The Rose Morning Star was also pretty far away, giving me enough time to get some of my strength back. If I had enough strength, then I could escape and possibly even help Ophanimon to escape. Now the only problem was getting everyone else to know exactly what was happening. I shifted slightly, pushing the button on my D-Tector.
A voice came from my D-Tector, "Jade, where are you?" It was Zoe.
Soulmon looked at me with suspicion, "What was that?"
"Nothing." I said quickly. "I was just wondering where you were taking me."
"To Lord Cherubimon's castle." Soulmon replied.
"At the Rose Morning Star?" I asked.
"Yes." Soulmon replied.
"And Ophanimon is trapped there?" I asked.
"As Lord Cherubimon said, yes. You sure ask a lot of questions. You're our prisoner, you should shut up." Soulmon ordered.
I heard a gasp from my D-Tector. I coughed to cover it up. "I may be your prisoner, but I'm also the Princess of the Digital World, and you must answer my questions." I said in a commanding voice.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Soulmon said.
I looked at my D-Tector and was relieved to see that Zoe was no longer on the other end. My body was beginning to ache from the battle that I had just lost. I let myself relax, knowing that it was the only way to get my strength back. I knew that it would be at least a couple hours until we arrived, so I let myself drift off to sleep, hoping that I would be able to witness the fight between Koji and Duskmon.
Jade. Hope's familiar voice was once again in my mind.
I knew that I was asleep because I was floating behind my friends, minus Koji. "Hope, what's going on?"
The fight between Koji and Duskmon is about to end. I'll bring you there. Hope replied. We were suddenly right next to Koji, who was lying on the ground as his human self and a skeleton bird-like digimon was flying above him.
"Destroy Koji, destroy Koji." The bird was muttering to himself.
"What is that thing?" I asked.
That is Velgemon, the beast spirit of Duskmon. While you were battling with him, a part of him was corrupting the boy inside Duskmon even more. Hope said.
"Destroy!" The bird dove down towards Koji, its claws outstretched.
"No!" I screamed, unable to look away.
Koji tried to get up, but clutched his chest in pain. His D-Tector fell out of his pocket. A light shone in Velgemon's middle eyes and Ophanimon's voice spoke. Velgemon stopped in his tracks, only a few feet away from hitting Koji with his massive claws. Ophanimon spoke of remembering, but I chose to speak to Hope rather than listening.
"Hope, who is the boy inside Velgemon?" I asked.
I'm not sure if it is something that I should reveal. You should ask Ophanimon. It is not my duty to reveal something like that. What I can reveal is that his name is Koichi Kimura. Hope said.
I looked around, Velgemon had flown away and Koji was mumbling to himself.
"Koji! Are you okay?" Takuya ran up, followed by everyone else.
"Yeah…" He said. I frowned, he didn't sound so sure.
"That's good news." Zoe said.
"Yeah, we all heard that explosion and thought that you were in it." Tommy said.
"Explosion?" I wondered, but knew that they couldn't answer me.
"Well I kind of was." Koji said.
"You were? What do you mean?" Takuya asked.
"Well…" Koji looked around, and then a confused expression came over his face. "Where's Jade?"
Everyone frowned and looked away, except Zoe, who spoke. "Jade was captured. She was going after you when she was captured."
I sighed, "I must seem so useless to them. All I ever do is get captured."
Relax. You have something that only you can do. It isn't your destiny to help them at this point. You are meant to go to the castle. Hope said.
"Why? What's at the castle?" I asked.
You shall see. Hope replied.
I focused on the conversation again. "Really, it's because of this little guy that you were able to fusion evolve." Zoe said.
I looked at the orange guinea pig digimon with bat wings for ears. His name was unknown to me, but I already owed him for helping Koji. "Who is that little digimon?" I asked.
His name is Patamon. He is the rookie form of Seraphimon. Hope said.
"I see." I said.
We have to leave now; you are almost at the castle. Don't worry; you will see your friends again. Hope told me as I blinked and the landscape around me changed. I looked up at a massive tower that reminded me of a stack of jellyfish.
"Is this is?" I asked, mostly to myself.
"Welcome to the Rose Morning Star." Soulmon said.
We floated toward the first platform, where a doorway with two digimon guarding it awaited us. They were hooded figures carrying golden scythes. "Welcome, we've been expecting you." They said.
"Thank you, Phantomon." Soulmon said.
The doorway opened and we were faced with a giant staircase. We floated up the middle, not bothering to use the stairs. We finally emerged in a colorful room filled with crystals and light. I looked around in awe, the room was warm, nothing like anything I would imagine in Cherubimon's castle.
"Lady Ophanimon, you have a visitor." Soulmon called, looking up into a bright orb near the ceiling of the room.
"Jade, why are you here alone?" Ophanimon's voice called.
"I was captured." I replied.
"Don't worry, we'll make a nice little cage for this human girl for you, Lady Ophanimon." Soulmon said.
"You wish." I said as I jumped out of his hands. I pushed the side button on my D-Tector, "Execute, Spirit Evolution!" I turned into DeviAngewomon. "I have regained enough power to become my human spirit."
Soulmon gasped and turned toward the door, obviously going to get help. "Stop him." Ophanimon ordered.
"Evil Charm!" The black cross wrapped around Soulmon, immobilizing him.
"We cannot let Cherubimon know that you escaped just yet. He is busy with the Warrior of Darkness." Ophanimon said.
I shook my head, "You must know that Duskmon isn't the real warrior of darkness."
"Duskmon is a corrupt version of the Warrior of Darkness. Only by Koichi's power will Loweemon appear." Ophanimon said.
"Who exactly is Koichi? Why does he look like Koji?" I asked.
"They look alike because they are brothers, twin brothers to be exact." Ophanimon said.
I swallowed, "But Koji told me that he didn't have any siblings."
"I do not know exactly why, but the twins were separated when they were very young and do not remember each other." Ophanimon said.
"Alright, I'll free you, and then we can stop them from fighting each other." I said, determined to do what's right.
"No." Ophanimon said as I prepared to attack the cage of light surrounding her. "You have a different job that you must do."
"What is it?" I asked.
"You are different from the other children. You are the princess." Ophanimon said.
"So?" I asked.
"The princess was never meant to fight." Ophanimon said.
"So, what you're saying is that I'm useless?" I asked, outraged at this development.
"Far from it." Ophanimon replied. "You were not brought here to defeat Cherubimon. You have another purpose, one that only you can do. You must stop Cherubimon's army."
I blinked in surprise, "How am I supposed to do that?"
"It's not what you think. You will not be facing the army as the Warrior of Hope. You will be facing them as the Princess of the Digital World." Ophanimon said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"You will bring them what they need most, the hope of a new world. If you do not convince them to stop fighting, then they will join Cherubimon in battle against the ten Legendary Warriors and your friends will have no chance of winning." Ophanimon said.
"So, I'm supposed to take charge and bring them over to our side?" I asked.
"Yes. In some ways, this will be an even harder task than defeating Cherubimon." Ophanimon said.
"Why can't I just free you and let you do it?" I asked.
"They do not trust me. I am a human type digimon, while they are made up of beast types. They need someone who they have always trusted and loved, the Princess of the Digital World." Ophanimon explained.
I sighed, "Alright, I will try. I have never been exceptionally good at convincing people that I was right, but I will do what I can, or at least stall them for the sake of everyone else."
"Good. Now, you must go back the way you came and go down this time. The army is living underground, waiting for the final battle between the Legendary Warriors and their master." Ophanimon said.
I took a deep breath. "I'll go now. Hopefully everyone else will get here soon to rescue you."
"Don't worry about me. Just worry about the task at hand. I wish you good luck." She said.
I nodded, "Thank you. What should I do about Soulmon? He now knows all our plans."
"I'm afraid that you will have to get rid of him. We cannot risk him telling anybody." She said.
I nodded, "Slide Evolution!" I felt myself relax into Gatowomon's body. "Cat Claw!" I slashed Soulmon with my claws. His fractal code surrounded him. "Fractal code, Digitize!" His data was swallowed by my D-Tector. His egg flew away.
"Go now. You have a lot of work to do." Ophanimon said.
"Slide Evolution!" I changed back into DeviAngewomon. I flew out the door and let myself descend down the middle of the winding staircase. It was taking a lot longer than I wanted, so I tucked my wings in and dove at the ground, face first. The stairs were rushing by me, making me feel extremely alive. Oddly enough, I was afraid of heights. I had never really thought about it until now, but flying as a digimon had never scared me. Although I could never have the window seat on an airplane because it would make me sick. When I was about twenty feet from the bottom, I released my wings and pulled up, putting my feet below me. I flapped a few times and let my feet brush the ground. I folded my wings again and took a deep breath.
"Slide Evolution!" I knew that I couldn't face these beast digimon as DeviAngewomon. That would be suicide.
I walked toward a dark doorway, hearing many voices talking at once. I entered to find the biggest group of digimon that I had ever seen all eating dinner. They looked towards me at once, their conversations halted.
"Who are you?" A menacing voice asked from the back of the room. A path was made for a lion-like digimon. It was yellow with orange markings and large grey fangs.
I stood tall, trying to look strong. "I am Gatowomon."
The lion's eyes flashed with interest, "So, you're the Legendary Warrior of Hope?"
I felt the right words coming to me, "Some call me that, but I am better known as the Princess of the Digital World."
Mocking laughter came from all over the room and I knew that I had made a slight mistake. "So, Princess, what makes you think that you can come down here?" The lion asked.
I felt the beast in me rising to his challenge and I fought to suppress it. Then, I thought about it. If I was going to gain the trust of the beasts, then I would have to be a beast myself. I let the beast inside me take over, but I could still think straight. I felt like grinning. I had never thought that I could have this much control of my beast spirit. I felt my stance fall to the natural stance of my beast, ready for a fight. "What makes you think that I don't belong down here?" I asked.
He noticed the change in me, "So, you're trying to pose as a beast?"
"Do you think that I can't handle being with you beasts?" I asked.
"We shall see." He said. He started circling me.
I joined in his dance, knowing that this was the only way to be accepted by the beast digimon. "So, may I know my opponent's name?" I asked.
"I am SaberLeomon, general of Lord Cherubimon's army." He replied.
"I see." I said, and then focused on his movements. We continued circling; I was waiting for him to attack, wanting to know exactly what he was made of.
He dove toward me, "Howling Crusher!" He was trying to claw at me. Instead of dodging, I met his attack head- on.
"Cat Claw!" Our claws met and I was able to get SaberLeomon at a standstill.
He stared at me in surprise, "I suppose you are quite the beast."
I grinned, "Only when I need to be."
He nodded and stepped away, showing that he was done attacking. "You have almost the same presence as Lord Cherubimon. Only you have more elegance about you, less darkness."
"So, you already trust this girl?" A voice asked from the back of the room.
SaberLeomon turned in annoyance toward the voice. The crowd once again split, revealing a metal wolf-like digimon. "MetalGarurumon, she has proved herself worthy of being in our company."
MetalGarurumon growled, "You cat digimon are all the same. She didn't even land a blow on you, yet you trust her because she is nearly equal to you in power."
SaberLeomon glared, "How would you do it, dog?"
I saw that this beast would be much harder to please. Although, the similarity to KendoGarurumon made me weary to fight. "I am more than willing to pass whatever test you wish."
MetalGarurumon's head cocked to the side, "That is the problem. As a wolf, I am very loyal. I do not believe that you wish to join us. I believe that you wish to turn us away from Lord Cherubimon."
My tail swished, showing my interest in this wolf's words. "You are correct."
MetalGarurumon growled, "That means that we must destroy you."
"Does it?" I asked.
"Yes." He didn't sway.
"But, isn't your loyalty to the Digital World itself?" I asked.
"I am loyal to the Digital World, and Lord Cherubimon is in control of the Digital World." MetalGarurumon replied.
"I am also loyal to the Digital World. As the Princess, I will do what it takes to protect it. Cherubimon is destroying the Digital World. As someone who is loyal to the Digital World, you should be able to see why I would be against Cherubimon." I said. I knew that I was against a digimon that would listen to my words, but also do what he thought was right.
"That is one way of looking at it, but Lord Cherubimon has always looked after our interests. He is just freeing us from the suppression of the human type digimon." He said.
"But, who has suppressed you?" I asked.
"Ophanimon and Seraphimon didn't listen to Lord Cherubimon's suggestions to let us beasts run wild." MetalGarurumon said.
"Would it be such a good thing to have beasts running wild? Would loyalty apply to those who are running wild? Would anyone care about other's rights if everyone was running wild?" I questioned.
He blinked in surprise, "You bring up very good points. I am surprised that you would see such things."
"Why is that? I am merely doing what is best for all. As someone who can turn into either a beast or a human, I can see both sides." I said.
"I suppose that you are right. But I do not see why you try so hard to bring us over to our side. Do you not have the strength to fight us off?" He asked, calling my strength as a beast into question.
I fought the urge to claw his eyes out, "Where would fighting get us? Fighting started this war. What is needed is for us to realize that we need to stop for the good of everyone. I could fight you, but no matter how strong I am, I can't defeat you all. It is cruel to defeat so many digimon just to end a war. It is better to just stop the fighting."
The beasts were looking at me with a sort of respect in their eyes. "Then, how will the winner be decided?" MetalGarurumon asked.
"By the fighting of the Legendary Warriors and Cherubimon. This fight is up to them. They are the ones that will decide the outcome. Just know that the Legendary Warriors will not hold the fact that you were on the side of Cherubimon against you. While Cherubimon is planning on destroying everyone in order to be the most powerful." I said.
"But, are you sure that the Legendary Warriors can win?" MetalGarurumon asked.
There was a large crash ringing through the walls of the castle. "Yes, they will win. They have to. For the sake of every digimon in the Digital World."
The beasts looked around in confusion, "What is that?" SaberLeomon asked.
"The Legendary Warriors have begun their fight with Cherubimon." I replied.
MetalGarurumon and SaberLeomon looked at me, obviously waiting for orders. "What would you have us do, Princess?" MetalGarurumon asked.
I shook my head, "I do not wish for you to fight. I want you to be safe. Leave this place. Get as far away as possible. I'm not sure what might happen, but I can tell that there will be a lot of destruction."
"Are you sure?" SaberLeomon asked.
"Yes. I will help you to evacuate." I said.
"What about your friends? Shouldn't you help them?" MetalGarurumon asked.
"I will help you first. Before being a warrior, I am a princess. A princess must protect her people. I know that the Legendary Warriors can do it without me. I was meant to help you." I said, knowing that my words were true.
"If you're sure, then we will start the evacuation." MetalGarurumon said.
Things got slightly confusing after that. MetalGarurumon told everyone to escape while SaberLeomon started up the stairs, finding the best way out. I felt useless once again; I didn't know what to do. I saw a group of young beasts looking around in confusion and I knew what I must do. I walked over to them. "We must get out in an orderly fashion, alright?"
They nodded at me. I saw a dog-like digimon that looked like a Doberman pinscher with a silver spiked collar. "Excuse me, but could you make sure that these young ones make it out all right?" I asked.
The digimon bowed, "I am Dobermon, and I would be happy to escort them."
"Thank you." I said. I walked around the room, helping other groups like this. It took quite a while. At last, we were at the final group. I trailed behind them, making sure that nobody tripped. By now, the crashes from upstairs were so intense that I didn't even want to know how bad it was. We finally made it outside and I was surprised by the amount of damage. The floor that Ophanimon had occupied was in ruins.
I looked toward the sky. Two unknown digimon were facing off against Cherubimon.
"Go to them. We can take it from here." MetalGarurumon said.
"Save the Digital World. We know that you can." SaberLeomon said.
I smiled, "Thanks guys." I headed off toward the sky, not knowing what to expect.
A/N: So, that's it for now. I'm not sure how I feel about the chapter, but I wanted it to be different from the original story, but also make it seem like it could have actually happened. Tell me what you think. Reviews are what got me through my writer's block. :)
P.S.: Starting tomorrow, I am officially on summer vacation! With this wonderful break from school, I will be spending most of my free time writing. Look forward to much faster updates. (I'm shooting for at least once a week) Thanks for reading. :)