Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
Another Myself – Chapter 83 Part 3
Originally Written: Monday, October 02, 2017 617PM to Tuesday, October 03, 2017 506PM
A/N: Did I mention that this is one of my favorite chapters? You may despise me after tho, if you don't already. :P -points to genres-
. . . . .
Albedo reached into his bag, and turned down the volume on his D-Terminal's speakers. With quiet steps, he circled around the area, surveying his surroundings. A pale skinned male with long blue hair, dressed in a white lab coat and jeans, stood quite a ways behind a large digimon. Said digimon reminded Albedo of some kind of alien best suited to the earth's arctic regions, coated in layers and layers of white and gray ice and crystal covered fur. It held a morning star in one of its monstrous fists. Juggernaut informed him that Digimon was Vikemon.
Justimon stood next to Vikemon, red scarf fluttering behind him. He suddenly charged forward, blade poised for attack.
Albedo watched the pale sickly looking man, wearing a large black trenchcoat outlined in purple. He easily dodged Justimon, as the digimon attacked with skill. From his distance he couldn't hear what they were saying well. It appeared that Ryo never got the chance to turn his D-Terminal back on, he assumed.
Vikemon swung his mace, and it crashed into the ground creating a good sized crater in the asphalt. Eon casually threw an arm out towards the weapon, engulfing it in some kind of purple energy.
Albedo's eyes widened, "Drop it!" he whispered loudly, "Drop it!" He gripped the corner of the building he stood next to tightly.
Vikemon looked at his weapon, watching it crumble before its very eyes, turning into dust before floating away and bursting into bits of data.
Joe shouted something, but Albedo couldn't make out exactly what he was shouting. Justimon rushed and leaped forward, tackling Eon as the male moved to run up Vikemon's arm. Vikemon dropped the formidable weapon, watching it fade to nothing but data. Eon pushed Justimon back with his purple energy sword.
Albedo loosened his grip on the building, and worked his way further around the area. He looked up at the sign marking "Fukuoka Hospital," in the distance. He kept moving forward.
'Recommended action,' Juggernaut advised, 'locate Hideyoshi Akiyama.'
Memories floated through Albedo's mind. He saw Eon and a robot minion of his taunt Rika as Sakuyamon, circling around the Hideyoshi Akiyama he knew. He felt as though if he concentrated, he could reach out and physically touch them. Juggernaut's soulless blue eyes looked at him in his mind.
He nodded ever so slightly, and continued his trek. Every time he heard that odd swishing sound, indicating some kind of portal opening up, Albedo barely held in a shiver. He actually had jumped a few times.
He pressed up against a building. Mr. Akiyama turned his head to look at him, dark eyes full of fear. Albedo noted the differences between the Mr. Akiyama he was used to seeing in pictures on Ryo's phone, and the Mr. Akiyama standing before him today. This one had large bags under his eyes, and many more wrinkles than just aged based ones. His beard and hair were both a good deal more gray than brown. The frayed hat he wore did not hide his balding head well, if that was his intended use for it. Mr. Akiyama turned his attention back to the ensuing fight. He pretended as though he hadn't seen Albedo.
Albedo continued forward. Why was he standing outside? Why wasn't he inside? Did he foolishly follow Ryo outside to watch this fight? Didn't he realize how dangerous Eon was? If Ryo saw him out here his attention would be split, and he'd get injured easily. If he could get to him-
He froze, just as Mr. Akiyama did. He watched Eon run the flat side of his energy blade down his face, weapon just barely ghosting across the skin. Eon fluttered away again without a care.
Mr. Akiyama stood frozen, shaking. Eventually his fists clenched. Albedo rushed forward. He couldn't see Joe at all from his vantage point. He only saw parts of Vikemon as well. The large digimon howled loudly. The ground shook in response, and Albedo nearly lost his footing. He looked up. Mr. Akiyama was only still standing because Eon was standing behind him, gripping his neck tightly.
"That's two!"
He watched Eon hold up a hand showing two fingers. He heard him laugh a horrible cackle that made him flashback to one of his nightmares. Eon disappeared. Albedo charged forward once more. He noticed Eon activate a shockwave, surrounding himself with crackling purple energy. Justimon shuddered, and then went flying back, hit by a purple beam. He knocked back into Vikemon. Joe shouted his concerns.
He heard that horrible crackling buzzing sound once more. He reached Mr. Akiyama, and shoved him, hard.
'Query.'
Pain shot through his torso, from his hips up to his neck. He watched Mr. Akiyama stumble away from him, the man's eyes wide in terror. He shut his eyes tightly, working to hold in a scream. He failed spectacularly, screaming so loudly his throat went sore and he scared himself.
'Why did you do that?'
He felt himself float. Heard Eon laughing in what might as well be victory. He wrapped his arms around his torso. He felt himself fall as he curled in on himself. He landed on something soft, and what felt hard like concrete as well.
"Whoa!" Was that Davis?
He moaned loudly, pain moving through his arms. He curled up upon himself even tighter. He felt numb, nothing but pins and needles running through his body.
He felt hands touch him softly. He heard ragged breathing.
'A-Albedo...'
"Jen...rya," He whispered. He looked where he thought was up. He felt liquid on his arms, soaking through his shirt, his jacket. Silver eyes full of tears looked at him, searching him.
"Holy shit..." He heard Davis for sure this time.
He breathed in short breaths, feeling nauseous.
'Nonsensical action,' Juggernaut questioned him again.
Jenrya turned his head. Terriermon stood next to Jenrya, shaking.
"Can you do your Miracle thingy!?"
Davis shook his head. "I-I can only use it twice a day. It doesn't work on Digidestined. It can't be used to save lives on the brink of death. I don't know how bad he's hurt. If it's something he's..." Davis trailed off and looked away. "It'll backfire on him."
'Why did you do that?'
'Shut up, Juggernaut!' Jenrya shouted in his mind, 'Shut up!' Jenrya looked at him again. 'We'll get you...' Jenrya trailed off.
His memories flew through his mind. The closest hospital was the one Eon was fighting in front of. He felt tears trail down his face. He rolled over onto his side, hoping to lessen the pain, and to no longer have to look at the despaired look on Jenrya's face.
"Don't. Attack. Ryo." He murmured, speaking slowly. "My. Fault."
"No!" Jenrya whispered to him, "It's not your fault. This is not your fault."
"Aww, poor thing."
His eyes widened. He looked at Eon's soulless purple irises. The heavy bags under his eyes. The hint of a smirk on an old, decrepit, angry face. A pale wrinkled hand caressed his face, "You got in the way there." The hand ran down his cheek so softly, so gently, it reminded Albedo of his very first teacher. She was so kind. He remembered not wanting to leave her. His mentor had looked so mean...
He felt fear rush through his body, and he wasn't sure if it was his own, or from someone else. The pain prevented him from telling the difference anyway.
"I can heal you, easily enough." Eon tapped his nose as though a parent would their young child's.
Albedo saw Paradox standing behind him, looking forlorn. His face in a frown Albedo could almost call a display of sadness.
"You know what I want from you."
He heard Jenrya shout loudly. He watched Eon dart away from him, dodging shots of greenish blue energy. Jenrya's hand guns firing sounded so loud in his ears.
"You son of a bitch!" Jenrya shouted, "Don't you touch him!"
He watched Jenrya step over him. He closed his eyes, trying to figure out how to breathe without feeling so much pain.
'Left lung has collapsed.' Juggernaut informed him. 'Eon has cleanly sliced through three ribs. Internal organ damage. Significant damage to right forearm. Arteries damaged. Medical attention required immediately.'
He felt cold armor against his skin. "Rika..." He whispered.
"You gogglehead." Sakuyamon scolded, voice shaky, "You're worse than Takato. You gogglehead. Stupid stupid gogglehead."
He smiled at her ranting. He felt her mana flowing through him. It felt warm, and cold. Like a hug from Jenrya when he was sad.
"Don't you go to sleep on me."
He thought he heard Imperialdramon shouting off attacks, but he couldn't be sure. Eon's laugh seemed to overpower everything.
"My. Fault." He whispered.
"Shhh, you gogglehead. Nothing is your fault. Let us take care of this asswipe. We are going to walk all over him. You just rest. Crazy nutjob."
He looked up at her. He reached a bloody hand up to her wrist. He rested his fingers there, noting the missing purple glove.
"I said, don't worry about us. Just focus on resting. Gogglehead."
He let his hand fall, leaving a trail of blood running down her arm. Eon still laughed, loud and satanically. He closed his eyes, breathing short sharp breaths. The world around him almost sounded calm.
"What have you done!?" A loud voice growled out in a roar that shook the entire area.
Albedo's eyes snapped open.
Sakuyamon startled against his frame.
"There you are!" He heard Eon call out loudly. "The star of the show!"
'Such an asshole.' He heard Jenrya snap angrily in his head. His Jenrya's anger washed over him, cold and frozen.
He tried to move his arm, as the new voice roared loudly once more. A darkness weighed him down, making it even harder to breathe.
"I've been waiting for you!" Eon continued.
A loud boom rang out, as though a cannon had just fired. Albedo flinched, and winced in pain.
"Don't move," Sakuyamon spoke softly to him, "you'll make it worse."
A part of him told him he couldn't possibly make his situation worse. He couldn't look up at her; he didn't have the strength to do so. So he looked off in the distance, at a building with a multitude of broken windows. More of them shattered as another cannon like sound boomed. He closed his eyes. Suddenly, it seemed too loud.
"I will kill you!" The loud voice boomed again, with an undertone of something Albedo couldn't make out well.
He heard Davis speak, and Ken replied to him. He heard Tai's voice when he arrived, and Matt's soon after. Juggernaut spoke to him in his head, but its words made little sense to him. He felt something he might call worry or fear, unsure of if it was him or Jenrya or Terriermon. He felt small paws pressed up against his leg. The area shook again.
"He's gonna get crushed if we stay here."
"I am not risking moving him in his condition." He thought that was Sakuyamon, but he couldn't be sure.
The ground shook again, and the sound of rushing water assaulted his ears. Something crashed, the sound loud and oppressive, just like the energy pressing down on him.
He strained his ears against his own pain. The loud voice shouted in anger once more, voice booming. It sounded like something was growling alongside it, maybe?
Juggernaut said something about bleeding, but it didn't make sense to him, so he ignored it. He focused on that loud voice, roaring and growling and shouting words of death and destruction and revenge.
He opened his eyes. "Do...do you hear him?" He whispered.
"Who?" Sakuyamon spoke. A hand carded through his hair.
"Ryo..." He directed his eyes to the cracked street below him. "He. He. Screaming."
He felt the body holding him freeze.
"This is what I tried to warn you about," Someone sounding suspiciously like the Time Walker spoke.
"Painful." He closed his eyes again. "My. Fault."
"Sometimes, things are better left untouched. Unfixed."
The ground shook again. Lightning crackled loudly. Juggernaut mentioned something about Bens.
"No matter how broken the end result is."
Footsteps rushed past him, sounding loud against the broken ground.
"Ryo..." He looked at the glow of energy surrounding him. Juggernaut told him something about Omnimon and an Imperialdramon. It took him a few moments to remember it was speaking of digimon. Slowly, he reached an arm up, hand touching smooth skin.
"You are a gogglehead, I swear!"
A hand grabbed his own. The ground shook again, and something else crashed. He looked at the doctor, Professor Paradox, standing a little ways in front of him wearing that still somehow white coat. Dust, dirt and debris assaulted the air.
"Sometimes, that broken end result is the best fix that one can achieve."
His body screamed in protest at him as he looked at Sakuyamon. A firm, determined scowl marred her face. He reached his other hand up to her black shoulder. He moaned in pain, barely holding in a shout as he pushed himself up to his knees.
"You shouldn't even be moving, but you're so stubborn it doesn't make sense stopping you."
He only understood her words because he was looking right at her, and had directed all his attention to her. He thought he had chuckled, or smiled or something, but couldn't be sure. Pain numbed his entire being.
He looked past Sakuyamon, at the sky covered in clouds so black it seemed like night. He saw the purple man easily, eagerly dodge four large transparent clawed hands that swung wildly in the air. Below the long transparent arms stood a digimon dressed in blue and white. He couldn't see his face, but he knew that was Ryo. They held some kind of blue energy blade firmly in their hand.
The swinging claws barely missed a man dressed in mostly gray. He watched navy blue flutter and swing wildly in the unstable air. Juggernaut said something about Ken. Maybe it was telling him who he was looking at, he couldn't be sure. The man dressed in gray blocked the digimon's path, arms spread wide. His small frame somehow prevented all but the claws from stepping forward. Two other digimon stood on the ground behind the figure his mind somehow told him was Eon, large powerful weapons poised for attack.
The ground shook again, as two large horizontal cylinders of dull silver and gray shot off large shots of deep purple, almost black energy. He collapsed against Sakuyamon, and hissed loudly. He coughed and breathed quick short breaths. A few pathetic sobs broke from his lips. Indescribable pain wracked his person. Juggernaut mentioned a Terriermon. He felt something weigh down his head as he picked himself back up.
He watched the digimon surrounded by dark arms and large horizontal cylinders of dull silver and gray raise his sword-like weapon. He noted his Jenrya, weapons poised, one at Eon, and the other at Ryo. The one he thought was Ken stared down Ryo. Albedo almost felt defiant, powerful, watching him.
He swallowed thickly. "Ryo..."
"Shit...!" He heard Sakuyamon hiss. He felt liquid run down his torso, soaking further into his clothes.
Ryo turned to look at him. Pained, saddened blue eyes dull widened. Dying light hidden behind a well polished helmet.
"I..." He focused, trying to force his mind to think. Force himself to focus on something other than the pain. "Okay." He whispered. He raised a hand from his position kneeling on and around Sakuyamon. "I'm...," he reached his hand towards Ryo. He wiggled his fingers, "See...?" He thought he had tried to smile, but it didn't quite feel right. He felt liquid run down his face. It tasted salty as he licked his lips, and burned as it came into contact with his wounds. He felt his hand fall. He couldn't hold it up anymore.
He blinked a few times as his vision went blurry. He saw a figure with brown hair and blue eyes, trying to run towards him, tiny hands and arms swiping at the transparent arms. Those four large claws grabbed at the figure, who struggled and screamed incoherently. Bright sparkles like stars surrounded them. That loud oppressive roar shook the area once more. He ducked his head and closed his eyes. He dreamed of traveling with his mentor, and Jenrya, and Ryo, wearing a powerful green watch. He collapsed against Sakuyamon, breathing shallowly. He imagined he felt a hand touch his head, and that he was smiling as his senses dulled. "Ryo...Okay..."