40) The Gift
Ruki was peeling potatoes, and Lutramon was slicing them lengthwise into quarters and dropping them in a large pot in preparation for making mashed potatos.
"How did you do that?", Seiko asked. "That... transformation, I guess?"
"It's called 'Biomerge Digivolution'. It began with a strange dream, or at least that's what I thought it was. Something contacted me, with a message from the Digital World, telling me what the arrangement was. It involved digitizing me, the same as entering the Digital World itself, and storing that data in the digivice's memory. That's when I first met Lutramon. That's what allows what's called 'bio-merging' to take place here in the Material World.
"That was like reliving your whole life within minutes. Strange, indeed. What I don't understand is how...".
"That's easy", Lutramon explained. "The Ancient Ones knew that you wanted to make right your wrongs. They track all Tamers, I suppose. After all, they make the digivices and Blue Cards and make it possible for us to cross the Frontier and live here with physical forms. As for myself, I always wanted to come to the Material World. It was natural that I would be given this chance.
"It's happened before, in case you didn't know. Humans merging with digimon to assume new digimon forms. There are legends going back to the earliest times, back to the time just after the wars between anthroform and zooform digimon ended. I always thought they were just legends until now. Some say it was a human who invented the technique..."
"A human?", Ruki asked.
"So they say. Others say it was something different, that somehow the spirits of the Legendary Warriors possessed and digivolved humans into their own forms. That was how Cherubimon was finally defeated, and the history of those times are far from complete".
"But you're not a Legendary Warrior, and neither am I?".
"That's true, so I guess it was an Outworlder after all. It was after Cherubimon when Merukimon was the acting regent for Yggdrasil... some Outworlder who took it upon himself to declare war against the Digital World. He supposedly assassinated Merukimon to start his war. The details are vague, however. Like I said, it was a civil war against King Yggdrasil".
"I remember", Seiko said. "It was before your time, Ruki. All we knew back then was that these Unidentified Mysterious Animals were appearing – we called them 'UMAs' – after the fight in Odaiba we learned that these UMAs were actually digimon. They started appearing sometime during the mid-1990s".
"That would be about right", Lutramon agreed, "right around the time we attained self awareness".
"I see... I'm glad you came".
"The Ancient Ones definitely saw something worthy in you, enough to give you a second chance".
"I won't let you down this time".
"I'm sure you won't", both Lutramon and Seiko agreed.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
(Special News Report: The Abnormal Space in West Shinjuku. We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for a special report on the strange events taking place in West Shinjuku. The unknown space continues occupying the area in and around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. Reporter Toki Anamu is live at the scene...
"I am at the site of the JR Shinjuku station on the east side. As you can see, the abnormal space is expanding. It has pushed back half of the Shinjuku station based forces, and the railroad is no longer operational. Even though it's February, the temperature is 300 C, around the margins of the space, and it is getting hotter".
Prof. Uchiharado Tetsou: "There is little doubt but that the abnormal space arrived through the network surveillance system: Hypnos. These network surveillance systems have been in operation here, in Europe, and America since the days of the Cold War".
"So you're telling us that it was Hypnos that was responsible for this, and the appearance of the giant lifeforms last summer?"
"The virtual lifeforms known as digimon appeared in the Material World in physical form".
"So, it is related to the digimon after all?"
"Seems like an obvious conclusion"
"Some physical entities have been appearing from the unusual space, are they also digimon?"
Prof. Rob "Dolphin" McCoy: "They are entirely different from digimon. I was part of the original team which developed and researched digimon. Compared to our original designs, the digimon have accomplished a rapid evolution, and built their own world independent of the network. However, in accordance with the original intent to have them communicate with humans, the digimon are remarkably care-free. I can see no reason why they would desire to attack the Material World.
Completely unrelated to digimon, this space is the result of an obsolete program dedicated to deletion: the D-reaper. Somehow, it has evolved in an abnormal manner".
Assistant Prof. Aishuwarya "Curly" Rai: "As you can see from this video capture, the entity is connected to the space by some sort of cable or structure. By design, the D-reaper was simply a program that would set a memory field to null, or filling it with zeros: nothing more. However, in the process of deleting digimon, it somehow acquired the digimons' ability to evolve. It has also learned how to spawn these entities or agents that give it mobility here in the Material World...")
Another morning at the school.
"Takato?", Jen asked.
"Uhhhh... It's almost like summer all over again".
"Do you think we'll be able to do anything about this?", he asked. The destruction of the unknown critter wasn't the victory they were hoping for. The Chaos Mass was still there, still spreading.
"What's wrong?", Jen was getting the idea that there was something else.
"Yesterday...", Takato began, "I could have sworn I saw Juri. I called her step-mom, and she told me Juri had disappeared. They're still in Matsumoto, so how? Even if she somehow took an airline flight, there wouldn't be enough time for her to get here by the time I saw her..."
"I thought I heard you leave last night, so that's what you were doing?", Kazu entered the room. "And?"
"It's like I was saying to Jen: she disappeared yesterday evening, and they have no idea where she went. Yet I swear I saw her here, just about the same time she disappeared. How could that be?"
"Seeing things?", Kazu theorized. "You've been worried about Juri ever since we got back... Even before that. Could it be weighing on your mind? Wishful thinking? She has been acting in a most peculiar manner even before we returned".
"Well, she's been through a lot", Jen explained. "Losing Leomon like that, so suddenly... After losing her mother at such a young age..."
"I'm concerned that's not the whole story", Takato explained. "What if something else happened to her? What if she was hit by one of those bits of Chaos Mass in the Digital World? What if it somehow deleted a part of her?"
"I don't know what to tell you", Jen replied. "How could she be in two places at once?"
"That's the thing: I know what I saw. What I don't understand is, if it really was Juri, why didn't she say something? Why did she run off like that?"
"Can we worry about it after breakfast?", Guilmon requested.
"I don't think we're gonna solve it here", Impmon agreed.
"Yeah, I guess not", Takato agreed.
They left for the bakery. If something was going on, they wouldn't solve it at the school.
"Huh?", Takato asked. There was a paper flapping in the breeze that had been attached to the door. "Who left this?", he asked.
"Come to Ruki's house", he read it out loud.
"Huh?", Kazu asked. "Of all the places... that little bitch, what's she up to?"
"That's what it says", Takato reiterated. "Nothing more".
"That's odd indeed", Jen agreed. They set out, as it would be a longish walk.
"Hold on a sec", Kazu suddenly called out. "What if it's a trap?", he asked.
"What are you talking about?", Jen asked. "Who would be setting a trap anyway?"
"D-reaper agents?", he speculated. "given her track record, I wouldn't put that past her".
"I highly doubt that", Jen disagreed. "We've seen no evidence they can talk, let alone write notes and paste them on doors. How would they even know? Would Ruki's mother and grandmother allow that? I don't think so".
"The note's in my mother's hand writing", Takato explained. "No way those D-reaper things could fake that. Ruki couldn't either, even if she was working for the D-reaper".
"I... still don't like it", he objected. "I'd prefer to have nothing more to do with her".
"Let's see what she wants", Impmon announced.
"Moumentai!", Terriermon called out. "Even if it is an ambush, we'll take care of it".
Something caught Takato's eye: "Juri?", he called out. There she was, standing beside the entrance to an alley way.
"Just what is this chaotic world?", Juri asked herself. "Everybody lives by their own selfish interests. Is there any value in that?"
"Juri!", he called out again, louder. He began to run across the street, the others following. There was no one in sight.
"Takato!", Guilmon called out. "What's wrong?", he asked as they stood by the alley.
"I saw her!", Takato insisted, "here! Right here!"
"Anyone else see anything?", Kazu asked.
"No", Jen replied. "You?"
"I didn't see either, but I can't say I was looking", Kazu replied.
"Impmon?", he asked.
"Nothing", he replied.
"I felt the presence of something", Terriermon added. Takato felt relief at hearing that. Maybe he wasn't going crazy after all?
"You mean someone?", Takato asked.
"No, not someone", Terriermon explained, "some... thing. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. Wasn't digimon either. I don't know what, but something was here".
"She was... here...", Takato insisted.
"I don't doubt you", Terriermon replied, "but it definitely wasn't Juri or anything human. I don't know what it was, but I'm certain of what it wasn't. I don't think you're going crazy".
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Good work", one Hypnos tech was calling to another as their shift ended.
"See you tomorrow", the other agreed.
Yamaki was standing on a balcony overlooking the main floor. Megumi brought him a cup of coffee.
"Are you going to take all the responsibility on yourself?", she asked. "Some day, the network will cease being a totally free world", she reminded. "Someone would try to control it via a surveillance system: it's inevitable. You were one of the first, that's all".
"Being the first fool: not my intention, nor a legacy I ever wanted", Yamaki replied, as he nearly choked on his coffee.
"I didn't mean it that way!", she stammered.
"I don't think I can do everything myself, not any more. Besides, the network shouldn't be under anyone's control".
"Hey!", Janyu interrupted. "We finally found the original code for the D-reaper", he explained the interruption.
"Where'd you get that?", Yamaki asked.
"From an old college buddy who's now living in Germany. He saved it all this time. Now we have something we can analyze. There's still a lot we can do".
"Hey, Tao", Shibumi called out, "hurry it up already!"
"Yeah, I'll put it on the server directly", Janyu called back.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Huh?!"
"Oh?!"
Takato and Kazu called out upon arriving at Ruki's.
"We never got a chance to give you a proper homecoming", Takato's father explained. "So we're making up for it now".
Everyone, all their parents were there, except for Janyu. Kenta and Marineangemon, however, couldn't make it. They had a fancy spread waiting in the main dining room.
"Go on and help yourselves to as much as you'd like", Ruki's grandmother was saying. "We made it all for you".
"Is this...". Guilmon began as he was escorted to his place.
"Guilmon bread", Takehiro explained, "just like I promised".
The Guilmon Bread was in the shape of Guilmon's head, and made bright red with a generous application of cinnamon. The eyes were cinnamon gumdrops.
"Mom, dad...", Takato said.
"This is great! This is great!", Terriermon was saying as he ran around the table until Jen caught him and made him sit.
"C'mon and give thanks and dig in", Ruki's mother encouraged.
"Thanks for the food", everyone said.
"This manjuu is excellent!", Terriermon complimented.
"Ah... we...", Takato began.
"We also brought you changes of clothing, and you can bathe and freshen up", Yoshi told them.
"I figured you'd like it", Jen's mother said.
"How'd you know?", Terriermon was asking
"Not hard to figure", she explained. "Jen was always taking lots of extras to his room".
"Oh"
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Calumon was standing in a deserted playground. "Where is everyone?", he asked himself. As he just arrived in Shinjuku, having flown the whole way from Matsumoto, he had heard nothing of the evacuations.
"Why are you looking so depressed?", startling him.
"Why'd you sneak up on me like that?! Culu?!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to", Renamon apologized.
"I was with Juri, and she disappeared, culu?", he explained.
"Juri... did what?", she asked.
"It's strange, culu? She was there one minute, and then she was gone from a blind hallway. There was just the one way in, and her brother didn't see her come out... Culu? Gone... just like that, culu?".
"That is odd", she agreed, as she walked off.
"Where you goin', culu?"
"I don't know, but we have to do something. Sounds like she's in some sort of trouble".
"Maybe I can help, culu?", Calumon volunteered.
Renamon and Calumon were walking along the street opposite the Hypnos building when he suddenly stopped.
"I want to go there, culu?!", he called out, pointing.
"What? That looks pretty dangerous and reckless", she objected.
"I have to, culu?!", he insisted. She had no choice nut to follow.
As they progressed deeper into the area, it was becoming obvious this was "ground zero" for the D-reaper's initial incursion into the Material World. Abandoned cars were smashed and overturned. Guard rails ripped from the ground and twisted. Utility poles down. From the cracked pavement, Chaos Mass bubbled up, just as it had done in the Digital World.
"Are you sure...", she never got to complete that thought. "Run!", she ordered. A new form of agent had appeared, this one with offensive capability, as it unleashed some sort of energy attack. It struck where they'd been standing. Another energy burst sent them flying.
"Now you gone and dunnit!", she called back to the attack drones.
Matrix Evolution: Renamon Evolve! ...
... TAOMON!
"Rajas!", she fired back with the digitizoid blades, slicing through the drones, dissolving them back into Chaos Mass.
"Juri's here, culu?!", Calumon called out as he took off for the twin towers, Taomon following.
"What?", she asked. Calumon was kicking at something. "You're sure about that?"
"Open, culu?! Open, culu?!"
Taomon ran into an impenetrable force field that she could not see.
"Stand back", she ordered.
"Fox Cards!". The red "cards" struck, and the force field cracked, then disintegrated, revealing a reddish sphere that was stuck between the towers.
"I'm going to try to crack it", she explained. "If you are sure you can get through, then do so, but only if you are certain. Understand?"
"Understand, culu?"
"Bonhitsusen!"
The sphere cracked, and Calumon headed for the opening. He almost made it.
"Here", Taomon boosted him through the opening, which healed itself with astonishing speed.
She saw movement inside, and dropped away just as these red tendrils extended from the sphere. A glance back showed that Taomon was the intended target. They barely missed her as she fell free. Once she saw that she was clear, she swooped up and away.
Inside, Calumon saw Juri. She was sitting, unmoving, inside a clear inner sphere that was attached to the outer sphere by sparks that looked like static electricity. He flew to the inner sphere.
"Juri, let me in, culu? I want to play, culu?"
Juri made no motion to indicate whether she heard him or not.
"Juri, I want to be with you, culu?"
Still nothing.
He sat on top of the sphere: "Culululu?", he asked himself. Suddenly, the sphere opened, and he dropped inside.
"Juri, culu?", he asked. Juri was sitting there, unmoving, knees pulled up, arms wrapped around her legs. "Are you sleeping, culu?"
Hypnos Temporary HQ
"Ummmm...", Shibumi was saying. "It is a kind of primitive AI", he was explaining of the original D-reaper program. "This would explain the eventual evolution of the program, as it had the seed planted already".
"The D-reaper you saw in the Digital World", Janyu was looking over the data, "is it the same?"
"Essentially, yes", Shibumi explained. "This is how it started out, but then, somehow, it managed to evolve beyond its original design, just as the digimon did. The main difference is that the Chaos Mass in the Digital World instantly deleted everything as soon as it touched it. Here, it doesn't seem to be doing that. The buildings inside the Chaos Mass are still there. Perhaps it hasn't yet learned how to delete material objects in the same manner as virtual objects? I wouldn't take too much encouragement from that: it's only a question of time until it figures this out".
"Putting up a satellite image of the area", Babel announced. "It seems to be avoiding the parks and the green belts for some reason", he explained.
Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Gyoen are clear. It hasn't spread past Shinjuku Chou Park either".
"It looks to be avoiding any place filled with physical life", Shibumi observed. "That's interesting: it would appear it doesn't understand the coding of DNA either".
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"This doesn't mean that the Network Administration Bureau has ever monitored the private communications of the public at large", a spokesman for Hypnos was telling a live press conference
"Are you saying it's a misunderstanding that Hypnos can not only access private information, but can publicize and even alter it?", a reporter asked.
"Well, that..."
"What about the incident in Shinjuku?", another interrupted.
("We apologize to interrupt, but there seems to be some new activity in West Shinjuku")
"After running a cable from Yotsuya, we can finally resume broadcasting", Toki Anamu was explaining. "As you can see, some new entities are appearing. These aren't like anything we've seen so far, and we have no idea as to what these new entities are planning..."
Ruki's House
"Ahhhhh, that was good", Guilmon complimented, "the Guilmon Bread was everything I was hoping for... I ate too much".
Terriermon swallowed the last of the manjuu: "I think I did too".
Now that they were done, Ruki and Rumiko stood. Lutramon stood by Ruki's side, and it was obvious she had a new partner. Rumiko was tapping a wine glass persistently to get everyone's attention. They all settled down to await the explanation for the invitation.
"Guys... everyone...", Ruki started to say, "I'm glad you came... I wasn't sure you would. I know it sounds inadequate, that 'I'm sorry' isn't nearly enough... I wanted to apologize for my behaviour when we were in the Digital World..."
There were quiet murmurs going around the table. As soon as Kazu opened his mouth... "Impmon, why'd you pinch me?"
"Let's hear what she has to say"
"...Nothing excuses what I did. I know I'll never make it right, not completely... I am so sorry... If there were any way I could take it back..."
"Well", Kazu began, "No, not this time Impmon... it needs to be said: yeah, you're right. 'Sorry' doesn't cut it. What you did, that's unforgivable..."
"Everyone deserves another chance", Impmon spoke up. "It could just as easily been me... Given how I was after I left Ai and Mako... In fact, it almost was me. That's why the Purple Pony, came here in the first place: to turn me against all of you. And he damn near succeeded, but for the fact he didn't know when to shut up. 'There but for the grace of God, go I' I heard that somewhere. If it hadn't been for Renamon, and the fact that she cared when she could just as easily looked the other way, I just might have taken Catsuramon up on the same offer he made to Ruki here.
"Hell, there was a time when Renamon might've fallen for it: she admitted as much to me just before we all left for the Digital World. I'm not sayin' forgive her or forget what she did, but I am sayin' give her a chance. Then decide for yourselves".
"You did come to help us when we really needed the help", Takato agreed. "I can't say I don't have mixed feelings about this, but I'm willing... You Guilmon?"
"If it's OK with Takato".
"I wanted for us to leave you behind", Kazu explained, "I didn't think you'd change, or even want to. I'm still not convinced you've changed, but if the others are OK with it, I'll go along for now".
Hypnos Temporary HQ
"Dammit, what now?!", Yamaki also noticed. These new agents looked very different from the bird-like agents seen so far. These new agents, unlike the "birds", had an offensive capability. They were firing energy bursts at something...
He was interrupted by the chirping coming from his lap top. He clicked on an icon representing his hand-held.
"What's...", he paused as he read the incoming message. "This is... from the Ark? I thought we lost it", he thought to himself.
Ruki's House
They were interrupted by the chirping of their digivices. All of them were going off at the same time, and that meant some sort of incursion. Their parents knew as well.
"We have to go!", Takato called out.
"Us too...", Jen started.
They were surprised and delayed, as all their parents rose as one.
"We...", Takato began apologetically.
"We discussed this matter among ourselves", Takehiro announced. "No one should just sit around and let their children do dangerous things like this. That's the height of neglectful parenting..."
"Uhhhh...", Takato was trying to think of something to say, and quickly.
"However, parents don't own their children, and should not interfere with what they feel they need to do". He took Takato's hands in his own.
His mother gave him a big hug: "Not too many parents find themselves in a situation like this", she explained. "We did our best to raise you right, to be responsible. We don't have to like it, but there really is no one else - the authorities can't handle it. I see that now".
"And you have to live up to your responsibilities to do the right thing. We'd expect nothing less from you... All of you".
"So we decided to quit being upset, just worrying and waiting for you to come home", Jen's mother explained. "We will do for you whatever we can".
"Mom...", he said.
"It's alright, mom?", Ruki asked.
"We're not saying it's alright. It's... far from alright", as she hugged Ruki. "I can't bring myself to say 'good luck'", she apologized.
"I'm sorry mom", she said as she looked to Seiko.
"You understand, Ruki?", Seiko said.
"I don't know how much longer we can stay here", Seiko announced, "but we will do whatever we can to help you. So, at the very least, take care of yourselves".
"Yes", the Tamers agreed. With that, they and their partners left to see what was alerting their digivices.
South Shinjuku
Koichi received the same alert, and set out. He had a good idea as to where the trouble was, having followed the whole drama on the news.
"I'll catch up with Renamon", he explained as he was leaving.
"Don't take any unnecessary chances", Doyle reminded.
Cho-sensei's Home
"Shuichon", her mother asked, "where's your friend, Lopmon?"
"Here he comes"
"He... evolved?", she asked.
"Lopmon's Antiramon now", Shuichon explained. "Jen's in trouble; he needs us"
"Where do you think you're going?!", she called out as Shuichon climbed to Antiramon's head.
"We have to help Jen!", Shuichon called back.
"NO! COME BACK!"
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
They made their way to the pedestrian overpasses linking several office complexes.
"There!", Jen called out.
"Time to get serious", Galgomon announced.
These new attack drones they'd never seen before were gathering on an intersecting overpass, aiming at something...
"Gatling Arm!", Galgomon fired at them, taking out several.
"Exhaust Flame!", Growlmon incinerated another dozen or so.
"Grand Slam!", Lutramon produced a softball-sized metal sphere and threw it with unexpected force. It tore through the ranks of even more of these drones.
"There's someone there!", Kyuubimon_Ag had seen first: a small figure running towards them.
"Demon Spirit Fireballs!", he attacked, just in time to save this unknown stranger who shouldn't've been there. He got the last of them, leaving none for Antiramon to take out, who was just now arriving with his partner.
"Shuichon!", Jen called out.
"Sorry I'm late", his little sister said as she climbed down.
"Are you OK?", Jen asked of a girl. She was laying on the walkway. Golden hair in two pony tails, but dressed completely in black. Even the ribbons in her hair were black.
"Who... Who are you?", Takato called out. She pushed herself to her feet and stood by a large dog. She was wearing a poofy dress, long stockings that completely covered her legs to the hemline. Since she had obvious breasts, they figured her being thirteen maybe fourteen. They were unfamiliar with Goth style.
"It's not...", Takato said to himself. He was hoping it was Juri, despite the odd attire, the wrong hair colour, the blue eyes, the obviously European look.
"Who?", Ruki asked.
Hypnos Temporary HQ
"What is it trying to communicate?", Yamaki asked himself. The signal was very weak, and he wondered that it was getting through at all.
"Dolphin!", he called out. McCoy came running.
"What did you use for the Ark's on-board systems?", he asked.
"We didn't believe it was necessary to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, so we used the core digimon program as its AI. It's just the digicore: the most basic part of the entire program... Why do you ask?"
"Still, it ended up acting on its own", Yamaki told him. "It's trying to communicate. Is it possible that it has a will of its own?"
"We didn't know it at the time", McCoy explained, "but it's likely that the digimon had something special all along - something that exceeded our design parameters. Why do you ask?"
"The Ark is trying to send us something", Yamaki explained.
"I... suppose it's possible", McCoy explained, "but for it to attain self-awareness so quickly... I mean, it took years before the digimon became entirely self-aware. What did you have in mind?", he asked.
"We need to know what it's trying to tell us, if it went self-aware, that is"
Dolphin got to work, trying to clear the noise from the transmission. After he succeeded, they saw it was video from the Digital World. Zhuqiaomon was firing his Blazing Helix repeatedly at a massive column of Chaos Mass that reached, and attached itself, to the Material World Sphere.
The sky was no longer that dark blue, but was filled with very dark gray clouds. They couldn't tell if these were storm clouds, or if the sky was thick with smoke. They assumed the latter.
The Overpass
"The ones who fight with digimon...", she began, "...Tamers"
"You mean us?", Takato asked.
"I've been looking for you", she explained.
"Who are you? Where did you come from?", Ruki asked.
"Takato!"
"What is it, Growlmon?"
"That... dog. It's not a pet... It's a digimon!"
"Alice", the "dog" asked (so they knew her name) "are they the ones?"
"I believe so", Alice said. "Unfortunately..."
She seemed sad, but they had no idea why. The "dog" was growling at them.
"Is he your partner?", Jen asked, "And what's he so pissed off about?"
"This is Dobermon", Alice introduced. "When I found him, I thought he was road kill. That's when I took him home, seeing he was still alive. Once he regained consciousness, he spoke. Scared hell out of me, at first. He explained where he came from and why. He asked for my help, seeing he's not real familiar with our world. That, whatever-it-is has been after him ever since his arrival. This attack, it wasn't the first, just the worst... I'm happy he trusted me".
"But why did he come here?", Ruki asked.
"What does he want with us?", Kazu asked.
"I came to give you something..."
"Give us... something?", Jen asked.
Before they could get an answer, two long, gray-blue tendrils appeared out of nowhere. These wrapped themselves around the overpass, several times. It happened with unbelievable speed.
"Look out!", Shuichon called out as they began to glow orange-white. They began to melt their way through the structure, melting glass and steel. It neatly sliced through the overpass; everyone ran uphill as the overpass began dropping to the street below.
"It's huge!", Takato called out as the latest D-reaper agent finally appeared. It was the same colour as its tendrils, was vaguely anthroform with heavily muscled arms, ill-formed head with red eyes, though its body looked skeletal, with structures suggesting an exposed rib cage.
Matrix Evolution
Galgomon Evolve! ...
... RAPIDMON!
Kyuubimon_Ag Evolve! ...
... DEINONDRAMON!
Growlmon Evolve!
... MEGALOGROWLMON!
"Raptor Slash!"
"Dammit!", he swore as he watched a bunch of those smaller attack drones take the hit instead.
"It had Megalogrowlmon by the throat.
"Golden Triangle!", Rapidmon didn't get the chance to launch it, as the other hand shot out, grabbing him, throwing him to the ground.
"Ring of Bright Water!", Lutramon released the hydrodynamically improbable ring of water that encircled and contracted itself atound the latest D-reaper agent. At least that made this thing release Megalogrowlmon.
"Rapidmon!", Jen called out.
"Antiramon!", Shuichon called out as it batted the tall anthro rabbit aside as if he were nothing.
"Ring of Bright Water!", Lutramon tried to sever the cable, but it was waiting for that, and flattened the anthro otter.
"Fuck!", she swore, as Ruki ran to her side.
"Lutramon!"
Deinondramon could only look on: that thing was too close to the other digimon and their Tamers for either an Electromagnetic Disruptor or a Raptor Slash. He doubted he'd get close enough to claw the thing.
"Fox Cards!", Taomon attacked it, diverting its attention.
"Hey guys!", Koichi called out as he came running. "Better late than never. Saw it on the news, and I figured you'd be here".
"We have to get to Mega!", Takato called out.
"This isn't the Digital World", Jen reminded. "There's no way..."
"Yes there is", Alice called out.
"What the hell're you talking about?!", Jen challenged.
"It's why I brought him", she explained. "He's come with a power of the Digital World".
"Huh?", Takato asked.
"I came to bring you this: a gift from Qinglongmon", Dobermon explained.
"Uh? The Holy Beasts?", Jen asked.
"Alice, I thank you for bringing me this far", Dobermon told her, "now it's best if you stand well back", he warned.
"Al... ready?", she asked.
Dobermon gave a mighty leap, was he soaring or flying? They couldn't tell.
"The Holy Beasts are fighting along side all the digimon of the Digital World. However, the most evolved part of the D-reaper is here, in this world. You are the only ones who can stop it: Tamers who fight with digimon. The four Holy Beasts grant you this power!"
With that, Dobermon seemed to dissolve, leaving just his head. The head split lengthwise into two pieces, one trailing a blue light, the other a red light.
"Dobermon", Alice said.
"What?", Takato asked.
"A power from the Digital World", Jen replied as he watched these "lights" twist and swirl around, seemingly at random.
"The same power we got", Ruki told them, "I'm sure of it!".
"We have to do something!', Kazu called out.
"Right: we're the only ones who can do this!", Takato agreed. "Megalogrowlmon!"