Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.
Chapter 8: Dedication and Defiance
It was proving to be the start of what had become a typical morning at the Mikihara household as Toya finished getting ready for school. Hackmon watched Toya prepare silently from the corner of the room he had been sleeping in ever since coming to live with is human partner. Once Toya had finished getting ready, he and Hackmon headed out to the kitchen. When the two arrived, they found Kotaro and Vic sitting at the table, along with Gankoomon. Meanwhile Blanc and Noir were in the process of putting out a very large breakfast, much of which would be eaten by the two of them, Gankoomon and Hackmon. This time however there were two things different about the bizarre yet now typical morning setting.
The first difference was that Himeko and Kudamon were also at the table, with Kudamon draped over Himeko's shoulders like normal. Himeko usually left for school earlier than Toya and Kotaro did. The second difference was the fact they had a guest at the table drinking from a coffee mug; a young-looking man who Toya knew as Gennai.
Gennai smiled when he saw Toya come up to the table with Hackmon and raised his mug in greeting. "Good morning Toya."
"Um, hello Mr. Gennai," Toya responded as he sat down. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I came by to ask if you were free today after school. There's something I need to give you and Hackmon, but it's something I can't give you here. You both have to come to the Digital World to get it."
"You really think they're ready to receive it, my old friend?" Gankoomon asked.
"To be honest, I was going to wait a little longer, but the incident the other day with DoneDevimon indicates we may be running out of time," Gennai answered.
Gankoomon nodded. "Very well. Hackmon! Young Toya! It is vital that you accompany Gennai to the Digital World this afternoon."
"As you wish, master!" Hackmon responded.
Toya shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't really have any plans anyway, and if it's really that important of course I'll go. Besides, I've never been to the Digital World before."
"Well I'm going with!" Himeko decided. "I may not be able to stand in the way of this destiny you've thrust on my younger brother, but I can at least tag along to make sure you don't get him killed."
"Sis, what're you still doing here?" Kotaro interrupted.
Himeko let out a heavy sigh. "If you must know, I lost time holding onto mom's hair while she vomited into the toilet." She then shot Gankoomon and accusing look. "It seems someone dared her into another drinking contest again!"
"Hey! Don't blame Master Gankoomon for this, Hackmon's partner's sister," Noir interrupted. "Your mom came up and challenged him without any prompting."
Gankoomon smirked. "I must admit I admire your mother's spirit. Her endurance is quite strong for a human."
Toya wasn't at all surprised to hear that his stepmother, Shiori had challenged Gankoomon to another drinking contest. Apparently in her youth, Shiori had been somewhat wild. In fact in high school she had been the leader of a motorcycle gang. Many in the family believed that Kotaro had gotten much of his personality from her.
"Anyway Himeko, you needn't be concerned for Toya's safety," Gennai interrupted, getting the conversation back on track. "All we're going to do is visit some ruins. The area we'll be traveling to is perfectly harmless."
"Well I'm still coming with!" Himeko declared.
"Vic and I are going too," Kotaro decided. "I've hardly been to the Digital World myself."
"Well…okay. I don't see any harm in you coming along," Gennai agreed.
"Who said I needed your permission old man?"
Himeko reached over and smacked Kotaro on the back of the head. "Show him some respect! The man's our guest!"
"Kiss off!" Kotaro responded.
"Why you little…" Himeko began as she rose from her chair.
"Okay! Let's all just step back and take a breath!" Kudamon interrupted. "No need to get into a fight over anything."
Kotaro got up from his chair. "Let's go Vic. Toya, we'll be waiting for you and Hackmon outside."
"Uh, sure," Toya responded. He watched as Kotaro and Vic left the table and went out the door. Once his stepbrother was gone Toya turned to Gennai. "I feel I should apologize on Kotaro's behalf, Mr. Gennai."
"It's quite all right," Gennai assured him. "Your brother certainly is strong-willed though."
Toya nodded. "I've always kind of admired that about him. Kotaro often does what he wants without caring what anyone thinks. If only I had that strength of will."
"It's not something you should admire so much, Toya," Himeko told him. "Kotaro's defiance is what makes him such a pain in the ass! The way you talk, you make it sound like a virtue."
A startled expression appeared on Gennai's face. "Defiance…as a virtue?"
"Is something wrong Master Gennai?" Blanc asked.
Gennai shook his head and smiled. "Um, no. It's nothing. Anyway Toya, I'll see you and the others here later this afternoon to escort you to the Digital World."
CountMyotismon sat in a tattered easy chair in the abandoned house Meiko used as a base, sipping blood from a wine glass. Meiko and Meicoomon were upstairs, perhaps sleeping, though the vampire didn't really care what the two did either way. To him they were both pitiful creatures that would probably be better off dead. The only reason CountMyotismon put up with them because they were a means to an end.
As CountMyotismon continued to sip from his glass and reflect on his two new cohorts, the computer monitor on the nearby desk began to glow red. "CountMyotismon!"
Startled, the vampire quickly rose from his chair and kneeled before the monitor. "Elder One! I was not expecting to hear from you!"
The charming voice from the computer screen chuckled. "Calm yourself my young friend. I'm merely checking in to see how you're doing. I trust you've come up with a new plan to achieve our goals with dear Meiko and the Child of Light?"
"Everything is in place," CountMyotismon assured him. "We'll be putting the plan into action tonight."
"Good! I apologize again to you for dragging you into this matter. I know it puts your own plans on hold."
"It's quite all right, Elder One. I wouldn't miss an opportunity to make that wretched Kari suffer. Plus it amuses me that if we succeed, that traitorous Gatomon will become our instrument of destruction."
"Also, this operation will allow you to clean up your little mess with Norn. Her existence causes us nothing but problems."
CountMyotismon's eye twitched at the Elder One's last remark. Though the Elder One continued to act charming and friendly towards him and treat him like a prince, CountMyotismon knew his current benefactor was actually furious regarding his failure with Norn and now saw him as a bumbling incompetent. The reality was CountMyotismon's current mission to help Meiko was really punishment.
"By the way," the Elder One continued. "There's another matter I want you to look into. Recently Norn has gotten aid from a new pair of young Digidestined."
The computer screen then showed pictures of Toya and Hackmon, and of Kotaro and Vic.
"They're not very powerful at the moment, but they could become a problem to us later on. So if it's not too much trouble I'd like you to go ahead and eliminate them. I know you probably think these two aren't worth your time, but your tendency to underestimate things has gotten you in trouble before."
CountMyotismon's eye twitched once again. "They will be dealt with immediately."
"Good! I leave the matter in your capable hands," the Elder One responded. After those words the screen went dark.
CountMyotismon scowled as he sat back down in his chair and picked up his glass. "How much longer must I endure this humiliation?"
Himeko had left school early to be on time for Toya and Kotaro's trip to the Digital World. Ordinarily she would've spent the rest of the afternoon at her school's computer club, but she wasn't about to let her younger brothers go to the Digital World without her. Himeko had heard stories from Kudamon and from other kids at her school who had been to the Digital World a few times, and from those stories she learned that the Digital World could be a very dangerous place. By the time Himeko and Kudamon arrived at the Mikihara residence, they found Toya and Hackmon in the living room with Gennai, Noir and Blanc. Gennai had set up a laptop on the coffee table with a gate to the Digital World on the screen.
"Glad you could make it Ms. Himeko," Gennai greeted.
Himeko nodded and looked around the room. "Where are Kotaro and Gankoomon?"
"Master Gankoomon has gone back out into the city to search again for the Child of Darkness," Noir explained.
"And Kotaro?"
"He's on his way," Toya answered. "He said he had to take care of something before we left."
As if on cue, the door opened and Kotaro entered the apartment with Vic. "Yo! Sorry we're late."
Before anyone could ask Kotaro why he was late, Norn came into the apartment right after him and Vic, along with Agu and Gao.
"Hello everyone," Norn greeted, flashing her dazzling smile.
"Hold on! What's she doing here?" Himeko asked, pointing a finger at Norn.
"Geez sis, I invited her," Kotaro explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Why're you pitching such a fit?"
"Agu and Gao have never been to the Digital World before, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to take them," Norn explained.
"Wait, how could they have not been to the Digital World?" Kudamon asked.
"Yeah, aren't all Digimon from there?" Himeko added.
Norn suddenly became flustered. "Oh! Well…you see…"
Kotaro put a hand on Norn's shoulder. "Why the hell you gotta be so nosey sis? Now are we doing this thing or what?"
"Just hold on Kotaro!" Toya interrupted. "It's one thing for all of us to go to the Digital World, but don't you think it's too much of a risk to take Norn along too?"
"What the matter Toya? You think you're too much of a wimp to protect her there? Besides, Norn really wants to go. Plus I thought the part of the Digital World we're headed to wasn't supposed to be dangerous."
"That's not the issue! Norn would be much safer if she didn't come with at all, and shouldn't her safety be a priority above all else?"
"So you just wanna treat Norn like some caged bird and keep her in her room all the time? Screw that!"
The argument was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a shot. Startled, everyone looked and saw Noir aiming one of her pistols at the ceiling. A small stream of smoke emanated from the barrel.
"Enough already!" Noir protested. "This argument you're having is just a big damn waste of time!"
"Are you out of your mind?" Himeko practically shouted. "There are people living in the apartment above us! What're you thinking shooting off a gun at the ceiling?"
"Relax Hackmon's partner's sister, all I fired was a blank," Noir assured her as she put away her pistol "Now let's quit standing around and get going! If the Child of Radiance really wants to come along, she can!"
Gennai nodded. "We really should be leaving. When each of you is ready, aim your digivice at the screen of the laptop and you'll be transported to the Digital World."
With those words, Gennai turned into a stream made out of while light and went through the portal. Noir and Blanc both turned into streams of light and followed immediately after him. Toya took out his D-3 and walked towards the laptop with Hackmon. Hesitantly, Toya held out his D-3 to the screen, and an instant later he and Hackmon turned into streams of red light and were pull into the portal. Shrugging, Kotaro went towards the laptop with Vic, aimed his own D-3 at the screen, and a second later he and Vic were changed into streams of blue light and pulled into the portal.
Himeko looked towards Norn. "Where's your digivice?"
"Oh. I don't have one," Norn answered.
"Really?" Himeko shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Too bad. Guess you can't go. I mean you need a digivice to go through the gate, right?"
"Not at all. Now that I've seen the code needed to activate the gate, I can use it."
Before Himeko could ask what she meant, Norn walked up to the laptop with Agu and Gao. Norn held the palm of her right hand out of the screen and her eyes began to glow green. Suddenly Norn and her two Digimon turned into streams made out of green light and were pulled through the gate. Himeko stood looking at the spot where Norn had been in shock.
"That girl certainly has some strange talents," Kudamon remarked.
Himeko finally regained her composure and sighed. "I don't know who or what Norn is, but I know she and her entire family seem to be a magnet for trouble. The last thing I want is for Kotaro and Toya to get pulled into her family's drama."
Yolei Inoue sat cross-legged in the middle of a floor of a vast stone chamber in front of a bulky black laptop. Sitting next to her was her Digimon partner, Hawkmon; an eagle-like bird with a brown body, a white head, and a black headband decorated with a single yellow and red feather. The laptop Yolei was sitting in front of was connected to two large pieces of box-shaped scanning equipment aimed at a large stone tablet placed against the rear wall of the chamber. Carved into this ancient tablet were several lines of writing in the language of the Digital World. The only symbol on the tablet Yolei recognized was the one at the top, the symbol of Norn's Crest of Radiance.
As soon as everyone had learned from Tai about Norn's supposed identity as the fabled Child of Radiance, Izzy had sent Yolei and her fellow Digidestined, Cody Hida to the Digital World to try and find out more about the prophecy concerning this so-called Digital Messiah. Yolei and Cody decided the best place to start would be to show an image of the Crest of Radiance to Digimon living all around the Digital World. In the beginning it seemed to the two like their search might take forever, but they ended up getting a lucky break pretty quickly. An ancient Digimon known as Jijimon told the duo about an ancient temple in the mountains containing a tablet that bore the Crest of Radiance. The moment Jijimon had told Yolei and Cody the exact location of the temple, they headed to the place immediately.
Reaching the temple wasn't a very difficult task thanks to Yolei having a Digimon capable of flight. Yolei and Cody saw the tablet immediately after they entered the temple. In the beginning Yolei attempted to translate the tablet herself using a program on her tablet Izzy had originally devised, but unfortunately the translation program couldn't make heads or tails of the writing. It seemed the writing of the tablet was of a very ancient language of the Digital World. Jijimon had told Yolei and Cody no one had been able to decipher what was on the tablet for centuries.
This left Yolei and Cody to do things the hard way, which was to scan the tablet using equipment Izzy had provided them with and let him do the decoding of it later. Unfortunately the scanning process had taken hours, but it was thankfully about ninety percent complete. At the moment, Yolei was watching the progress bar on the laptop's screen with Hawkmon while Cody busied himself outside with the task of making tea.
Hawkmon yawned and glanced at the wall to their right. "Hey Yolei. There's something I've been wondering about since we got here. What do you think those two big symbols on the walls are?"
Yolei looked away from the laptop to see what Hawkmon was talking about. On the wall to their right was a large heart-shaped symbol with a cross in the center. Meanwhile the opposite wall bore a symbol resembling broken chain cut in half by what looked like a sword.
After a moment, Yolei shrugged. "Not sure what those symbols are supposed to represent. They're probably not important though."
"Are you sure? Because it looks like the symbol of the chain and sword is also on the tablet."
Yolei adjusted her glasses and took a closer look at the tablet. Sure enough, a much smaller version of the chain symbol was engraved in the middle of the tablet with four large glyphs surrounding it like the points of a compass.
"Wow! You're right!" Yolei realized. "I don't know how I missed it before."
"Well, you have had a lot on your mind recently," Hawkmon pointed out.
Yolei sighed, realizing her Digimon friend was right. Ever since the start of the expedition Yolei had been thinking a lot about her last conversation with Ken and his sudden surprising career choice. At long last Cody walked into the temple chamber carrying a full cup of tea in each hand. Walking at Cody's side was a gold armadillo-like creature, which was of course his Digimon partner, Armadillomon.
Cody came over and handed Yolei one of the cups. "How's it going?"
"We're thankfully almost done," Yolei answered. "Hopefully in five or ten more minutes we'll be out of here."
"I can take over watching the screen. Why don't you take a moment and try giving Ken a call."
"…It can wait."
"You sure?"
"Hey! It's not like Ken and I are fighting or anything." Suddenly Yolei's expression saddened. "But…I honestly don't know how I feel about Ken becoming a cop. I told him I was fine with it to be supportive, but really I'm kind of scared of the idea. I mean, what if he gets shot and killed in the line of duty or something?"
"With Wormmon watching his back? I doubt very seriously any human criminals could cause him any real harm."
"Yeah, well what if Ken comes up against a criminal with a Digimon of his own, like the brainwashed guy he and Tai fought?"
"Yolei, you shouldn't waste all your time worrying about that. Besides, think of all the good Ken could accomplish if he was a police officer."
"I know that! And I know Ken really wants to do this. In fact I think there's a part of him that needs to do this. But…even so, I hate the idea of Ken purposely putting himself in danger. The last thing I want to do is stand in Ken's way, but still…"
Cody put a hand on Yolei's shoulder. "You should at least tell Ken how you feel. Only then can the two of you work this out."
Yolei smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You're right. I'll talk to Ken as soon as we get back."
"What the heck! There are people here?" a voice suddenly interrupted.
Yolei and Cody looked to find Himeko standing in the doorway with Kudamon and the rest of the party Gennai had brought to the Digital World. Both Cody and Yolei were equally surprised to see Gennai and Norn.
"Oh! Ms. Yolei. Mr. Cody. Hello!" Norn greeted.
"Uh, Norn? Do your parents know you're here?" Yolei asked.
"Um, perhaps? There wasn't enough time for me to inform them personally I was coming here, so at Kotaro's suggestion I sent them a text using my phone."
Yolei took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh man! Kari and T.K. are probably pitching a fit by now."
Cody nodded. "We better inform them as soon as possible."
Himeko slapped the back of Kotaro's head, causing him to protest. "What the hell was that for?"
"Making Norn's parents worry!" Himeko answered. "Clearly she needed their permission to come here!"
"If I may, what are the two of you doing here?" Gennai asked Yolei and Cody.
"We came here trying to find out about the prophecy you told Tai concerning…you know," Yolei explained, discretely pointing at Norn.
Gennai sighed and shook his head. "Of course. I should've shown you all these ruins sooner, but with all that's been going on…well, no matter."
"If I might ask Gennai, what brings all of you here?" Cody asked.
"Actually, we came here for young Toya. Toya, please aim your digivice at the heart-shaped symbol on the wall."
Toya looked a moment at his D-3 before pointing it at the wall showing the heart-shaped symbol with the cross. Suddenly the entire panel of the wall glowed red and became a stream of light that was pulled into the screen of Toya's D-3. In moments the panel was gone, and the symbol that had been upon it flashed briefly in red on the screen of Toya's digivice.
"Um, what just happened?" Toya asked as he looked at his D-3.
"You have just received your crest, the Crest of Dedication," Gennai explained. "In the old days you would've needed a tag, but with the advancements I made to the D-3 it became possible to simply load the crest into your digivice."
"Um, excuse me, but what are you even talking about?" Himeko asked, raising a hand as if she were in a classroom. "What's this crest thing supposed to be?"
"Oh. Certain Digidestined have their own Crests of Virtue," Gennai explained. "Toya's crest was hidden here for safe keeping. Now that he has it, Toya and Hackmon will be able to attain an even greater level of power."
Kotaro meanwhile noticed the carving on the opposite wall and walked towards it. As soon as he came near, the entire panel of the wall showing the carving began to glow blue. An instant later the carving turned into a stream of blue light and entered the screen of Kotaro's D-3. A few seconds later the panel was gone, and Kotaro looked at his D-3 to see the chain-like symbol of the carving briefly flash on the screen in blue.
"Huh…guess I got one of those crests too," Kotaro observed.
Gennai meanwhile had gone totally pale. "It…can't be!"
"Gennai, what crest did he get?" Yolei asked.
"That was…the Crest of Defiance. I knew the crest was here, but…I never imagined its barer would be Toya's brother."
Vic glanced and noticed the tablet Yolei and Cody had been studying. "It looks like Kotaro's crest is also on that big stone over there."
Kotaro looked and studied the tablet. "What's with all the writing?"
"It appears to be a prophecy of some sort," Norn answered as she came up to stand next to Kotaro.
"You can really read all that?"
Norn nodded. "Quite easily. Now if I'm not mistaken, the prophecy appears to be about someone called the Child of Radiance."
"Yo Hackmon! Isn't that what you called Norn once?" Vic asked.
Hackmon nodded. "It is indeed."
"Oh crap," Yolei whispered.
"So this is a prophecy about me?" Norn asked. "How fascinating."
"What's it say Norn?" Agu asked.
"Well…it appears I am to be the messiah of the Digital World," Norn answered. "And if Kotaro is indeed the Child of Defiance, then…" She turned back to Kotaro. "He is to be my personal knight and champion, fated to protect me and carry out my will in defiance of all others."
Upon hearing this, Kotaro's eyes widened and his face turned bright red. Toya meanwhile looked as though his soul was on the verge of leaving his body in despair.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Himeko whispered through gritted teeth as her hands balled into fists at her sides.
"Oh man! We totally screwed up!" Yolei whispered to Cody. "Tai and Matt didn't want Norn to know anything about this. What do we do?"
"There's nothing we can do," Cody responded. "I suppose Norn was always going to find out about her apparent destiny eventually, though I never imagined she'd find out like this."
The conversation came to an abrupt end by the sudden sound of howling outside. Everyone rushed out of the temple to find a massive pack of wolf-like creatures outside. These wolves were covered in shaggy grey and purple fur, with large red stripes resembling bat wings covering their backs, rear ends and tails. Each of these wolves had a pair of purple bat wings covering their eyes, and another pair wrapped around the backs of their necks. The front paws of these wolves also bore large blades.
The wolves were at least fifty in number. Many of them stood in the path leading to the temple, while the others stood atop the rocky canyon walls at the sides of the path. Yolei and the others were trapped.
"What are these things?" Himeko asked, frightened.
"They're Sangloupmon," Noir identified as she pulled out her guns. "Not a kind of Digimon you see around very often. In fact I've never seen so many in one place before."
Suddenly there was a mad cackle, and a second later something flipped through the air from the top of one of the two natural walls at the sides of the path and landed before the group of Digidestined on one knee. The creature was somewhat humanoid with long limbs. Its arms were inside baggy pinkish-red sleeves, and each ended with a set of five long blades serving as its fingers. The creature wore a pair of red baggy pants with large black eye-like symbols on each leg, and a pair of large blade-like shoes. A pair of small gold bat wings grew from the middle of the creature's back and curved around to cover its torso. Much of its head was covered by long straight orange hair. Its eyes were not visible, but it had a pronounced jaw resembling the head of an arrow.
"Looks like the boss of these things has shown up," Noir observed. "A Matadormon. I've only seen pictures of it in old texts."
Matadormon cackled and twirled around. "So these are the Digidestined, eh? I can't wait to drain them of their blood!"
"Just what kind of Digimon are these things?" Toya asked, unsettled.
"Matadormon and Sangloupmon are a type of vampire Digimon," Noir answered.
"Vampire?" Yolei exclaimed.
"You don't think…" Cody began.
In answer to Cody's question, another laugh cut through the air. Everyone followed the sound and saw CountMyotismon standing atop one of the cliff-like walls.
"Hello everyone," CountMyotismon spoke. "I wasn't expecting this large of a gathering, but the more dead Digidestined, the better."
Norn stepped forward and glared up at the vampire. "CountMyotismon! Why have you come here?"
CountMyotismon scowled. "I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here, little Norn. Still, you being here is quite convenient. It will allow me to make up for the mistake of creating you."
Kotaro stepped forward and stood next to Norn. "You know this guy?"
"In truth, he is partly responsible for my birth," Norn explained. "He worked with Mr. Neo Saiba to create me all so he could kill me and take my powers for his own. Unfortunately for him, my blood carries the powers of my parents, making me untouchable."
"You were indeed a mistake," CountMyotismon declared. "Fortunately you being here means I can correct that mistake by killing you!"
"Like hell!" Kotaro shot back. "No way am I letting an undead piece of shit like you lay a finger on Norn!"
"Kotaro! Egging the head bad guy on seems like a really stupid idea!" Himeko told him.
CountMyotismon smirked. "You're one of the two children I actually came here to destroy. I think I'm going to make your death a slow and painful one. Matadormon! Dispose of them!"
"For the Elder One!" Matadormon shrieked as he raised a hand in the air.
The massive pack of Sangloupmon howled in response. Immediately Noir and Blanc glowed and took on their awakened forms.
"Hackmon, let's do it!" Toya told his partner.
Hackmon nodded in response and began to glow with a red light. "Hackmon digivolve to…BaoHuckmon!"
The light faded to reveal Toya's partner in his Champion form. BouHuckmon charged straight for Matadormon while the massive hoard of Sangloupmon began to rush in. Noir began shooting at the oncoming wolves. Each of her bullets hit a Sangloupmon right in the forehead, causing them to fall dead and start dissolving into data. At the same time Blanc began shooting beams of gold light from the tip of her spear, slaying even more of the Sangloupmon.
Blanc laughed madly as she slew the oncoming wolves. "Oh yeah! I'm gonna paint the walls of this canyon with their blood!"
"Oh we're just gettin' started, sis!" Noir declared as she continued shooting. "We're gonna leave a pile of corpses as high as these mountains!"
Yolei was left stunned. "These two are supposed to be nuns?"
"We should probably help as well," Cody told her.
"Oh. Good idea," Yolei responded. "Hawkmon, get in there!"
Hawkmon began to glow with a pinkish-red light. "Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquilamon!"
The light cleared to reveal the bird Digimon in a much larger form. Yolei's Digimon had grown into a giant eagle with a pair of curved black horns. As soon as Aquilamon joined the battle, several of the oncoming Sangloupmon jumped into the air and began spinning, firing off several large blades at the the eagle. Aquilamon flapped his wings and repelled most of the blades with a blast of wind. The others he managed to dodge.
Aquilamon then opened his beak and fired a massive ring of pinkish-red light at the airborne wolves. The attack knocked the wolves out of the sky, allowing Blanc and Noir to finish them off.
"You get in there too, Armadillomon!" Cody ordered.
Armadillomon nodded and began to glow with a yellow light. "Armadillomon digivolve to…Ankylomon!"
The light from Cody's Digimon faded to reveal a large dinosaur-like creature covered in golden-yellow armor. The sides of the helmet-like covering on his head had a pair of short thick horns that curved upward. The end of his tail had a large black ball similar to a mace. Ankylomon charged forth and rammed his body into the oncoming Sangloupmon, knocking them aside. He used his powerful tail to bash in the heads of the wolves that tried to attack him from behind.
Meanwhile BaoHuckmon was busy fighting Matadormon. Unfortunately the dragon had not been able to land a single blow on his opponent. The vampiric Digimon was proving to be too nimble for the BaoHuckmon to hit with his claws. Meanwhile it was taking everything the dragon had to parry the thrusts of Matadormon's finger blades.
Suddenly Matadormon jumped into the air. "Earth Shattering Stomp!"
The vampiric creature struck BaoHuckmon several times with his right foot. The dragon Digimon was knocked hard onto his back.
Matadormon cackled with delight. "Give it up, lizard! Surrender and I shall make your death a peaceful one."
"BaoHuckmon! You good!" Toya called.
BaouHuckmon got back to his feet. "Of course! There's no way I'd yield to scum such as this creature!"
Toya nodded. "Same here! Honestly, I'm kinda scared out of my mind right now, but I made a pact with you and Kotaro to fight these guys and protect Norn! There's no way I'm running from this!"
"This is nuts!" Himeko declared. "How the hell did my brothers get involved in something this crazy? We should just run?"
"And go where?" Yolei asked her. "In case you haven't noticed, these guys have us pinned down. Our only option is to fight our way out."
"Maybe, but…my brothers shouldn't have to be the one to do the fighting!"
Suddenly a Sangloupmon that had somehow escaped the attacks of the Sistermon Sisters began to creep up behind Toya. Himeko was the only one to notice. By the time she saw it, the Sangloupmon jumped into the air to pounce on Toya.
"Toya! No!" Himeko yelled.
Suddenly Kudamon began to glow and became a streak of golden light that shot towards the Sangloupmon.
"Kudamon digivolve to…Reppamon!" Himeko's Digimon cried out, his voice changing with the utterance of his other name.
Right as the light began to fade from Himeko's Digimon, the transformed creature rammed into the Sangloupmon and knocked the beast away. The beast once known as Kudamon had transformed into a larger weasel-like creature with mostly cream-colored fur and black paws. A white and red mask covered much of the beast's face, and he had a mane of silver hair. A thick red and white rope was tied loosely around the creature's neck, and yin-yang symbols decorated the sides of his hind legs. He also had a tail in the form of a massive jagged blade. The Sangloupmon that Reppamon had knocked away got back up and snarled at him.
Before the wolf could make a move though and summersaulted into the air towards the beast. "Spinning Tackle!"
As he spun through the air towards the Sangloupmon, Reppamon's tail cut the wolf right down the middle. The two halves began to dissolve into particles of data the moment Reppamon landed on all fours.
"No way!" Himeko spoke, amazed. "Kudamon?"
The weasel Digimon turned to his partner and smiled. "I'm called Reppamon in this form, Himeko. Your desire to protect Toya and Kotaro caused me to evolve. Look, I know how much you don't like fighting. I don't like it either. But sometimes it's the only answer, like right now. If you wanna protect Kotaro and Toya, then let's fight right alongside them!"
Himeko got over her shock and nodded. "Okay. Help keep those damn wolves away from my brother!"
"You got it!" Reppamon responded before charging in to help with the remaining Sangloupmon.
Matadormon began to cackle. "How amusing! I'm perfectly fine with you struggling though. Killing you all slowly and painfully is way more fun! Still, I think you should all take my advice and just give up. Make it easy on yourselves."
"No way!" Toya declared. "Like I said, I made a pact with my parter and with Kotaro to protect Norn! It's also my duty to fight you guys as BaoHuckmon's partner! I take things like this very seriously. It may be a lot, but I'm giving this my all!"
Suddenly BaoHuckmon began to glow with a blazing red aura. "Toya! I can feel the great dedication! It is a dedication which I share. And your dedication is giving me great power!"
Suddenly a blinding pillar of crimson light erupted from around BaoHuckmon and radiated outward. Matadormon was forced to cover his face and jump back.
"BaoHuckmon digivolve to…SaviorHuckmon!" Toya's Digimon called out from within the pillar of light.
The light soon faded away to reveal the dragon in a new form. Toya's Digimon had become bipedal with a pair of black blades in place of feet. On each of the dragon's forearms was a piece of shield-like armor with a long red blade. A similar red sword-like blade was also on the end of the dragon's tail.
Though startled, Matadromon began to chuckle. "You evolved. So what? In the end it won't make a difference."
"Let's finish this freak, partner!" Toya declared.
SaviorHuckmon nodded. "This ends now! Trident Saber!"
The dragon rushed in and slashed at Matadormon with the two blades on his arms. Matadormon blocked both attacks with his finger blades, but SaviorHuckmon flipped through the air and slashed the vampiric creature right down the middle with the blade at the end of his tail. Matadormon let out one final shriek as the two halves of his body began to dissolve into particles of data. Meanwhile the Sistermon Sisters and the rest of the Partner Digimon finally finished off the remaining Sangloupmon.
"C'mon! Bring on the next opponent!" Blanc called out. "I'm ready!"
"Crimson Shocker!" CountMyotismon called out.
Powerful bolts of red lighting rained down from the vampire's hands, striking SavioHuckmon and the other Digimon. In a matter of seconds the Partner Digimon collapsed and reverted to their Rookie forms. The Sistermon Sisters had returned to their normal forms as well. When the attack ended, CountMyotismon floated down into the canyon with his arms, crossed.
"No way!" Noir spoke as she attempted to get up. "He took us all out with one shot? Who the hell is this guy?"
Though dazed from CountMytosimon's lightning, Toya rushed over and picked up an unconscious Hackmon. Himeko ran out of the temple doorway with Yolei and Cody to grab their respective Digimon as well.
"To think the Elder One would give me such useless servants," CountMyotismon remarked.
'The Elder One?' Genni thought as he watched the horror unfold from inside the temple. 'No! He couldn't mean…'
"Ah well. I suppose it just proves that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," CountMyotismon continued.
"Hey!" Kotaro called as he stepped forward with Norn, Vic, Agu and Gao.
CountMyotismon smirked. "I noticed you were staying out of the action earlier. No doubt to try and protect little Norn. I think I'll go ahead and dispose of you first."
"I cannot let your evil continue!" Norn declared. "Agu! Gao! We must finish him here and now!"
"Vic! Let's do it!" Kotaro ordered.
All three Digimon nodded and started to glow as the signal of their transformations.
"Agumon warp digivolve to…VictoryGreymon!" Agu called out as he transformed.
"Gaomon warp digivolve to…ZeedGarurumon!" Gao called out as he changed to his Mega form.
"Veemon digivolve to…Veedramon!" Vic called out as he transformed.
In moments the lights faded and the three newly evolved Digimon stood before CountMyotismon.
CountMyotismon smirked when he saw Vic. "Well now, it seems one of you might not be quite up to the task of defeating me. Kotaro, was it? It would be wise for you to run away. You might just live a bit longer by doing so."
"No way in hell and I running away from a son of a bitch like you!" Kotaro declared.
"Kotaro! You and Vic should just back off!" Himeko told him. "I don't know what this guy's story is, but he's way out of your league! Let Norn's Digimon handle him!"
"She's right!" Cody agreed. "CountMyotismon is a very powerful enemy! Even the strongest members of our teams have trouble with him! It's best just to fall back for now."
Kotaro gritted his teeth in anger. "All of you…JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Suddenly a massive pillar of blue light erupted from the ground around Vic. The light was so bright CountMyotismon was forced to shield himself with his cape.
"Veedramon digivolve to…AeroVeedramon!" Vic called out from within the pillar of light.
The light soon faded to reveal Vic had grown even larger. The horns on his head had grown a little longer and he had gained grey blade-like spikes on each elbow. Grey armored plates now covered the dragon's shoulders, and on his back had grown a massive pair of tattered red membranous wings. A look of amazement formed on Kotaro's face upon seeing the new form of his partner.
Vic looked back at Kotaro and flashed him a fanged grin. "We're not gonna let anyone tell us to run away, right Kotaro? Now that I've powered up, this CountMyotismon guy doesn't stand a chance in hell."
Kotaro smirked. "Right you are, Vic. Let's tear this guy apart!"
Author's Note: The battle in this chapter is actually one of the reasons progress on this story stalled for so long. Before getting into the little "surprise" Meiko and CountMyotismon prepared for Kari, I wanted to do a chapter showing Kotaro and Vic's Digimon reaching their Ultimate forms. I also wanted Himeko's Digimon to reach its Champion form because I have some big plans for her later on. The only way to do that properly was to have a large-scale battle, and for the longest time I didn't know how I wanted it to go. I felt like I had set a pretty daunting task for myself, and then I had that thing at my former job happen while I was struggling with how I wanted this battle to go. Thus things with this story ground to a total halt.
Anyway, I hope I did a satisfactory job with the battle scene shown in the second half of this chapter. Scenes like this are always tough for me, and it was even more difficult because the battle was a major development event for multiple characters.
Please review and let me know what you think.