Digimon Adventure 04 Chapter 17: Kokuhaku
By Bluestar076
Hey there guys! Bluestar here finally with a new chapter of my main story! We started this year with Adventure 04 and we'll end it with Adventure 04! Since I was incredibly late with this chapter, I took two weeks to complete it! And now that is done I can focus on the other stories from tomorrow! It was good to be dedicated to this episode actually! As you can see, the title is based on the third movie of Digimon Adventure Tri, since the main characters will make a confession to the Chosen Children after all! Also in this chapters there will be many dialogues and interactions between the various characters, and another little surprise at the end And as always, enjoy!
And…HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Note: I do not own Digimon. All rights belong to Bandai and Toei Animation. Also, this is a fantasy story. All references to real people, groups, places, laws and names are completely casual.
Chapter 17: Kokuhaku
"What some of you heard is true…Saiba Rei is the one who is trying to kill us."
"NO WAY!"
These were the phrase and the consecutive answer to the truth revealed about the Chesire Cat Agency's enemy. A confession that the young detectives held for a long time to not make their parents worried. But as time flew and the battles continued, they came to realize that this truth couldn't have been held as a secret forever, not for someone like the Chosen Children, their own parents, who fought many times against similar threats to both human and Digital World. They really wanted to tell the truth…but not this way.
After the confession, the detectives decided to discuss with their parents individually, so they all went into different rooms.
Taichi was sitting down, covered in thoughts. He had a serious expression on his face. Not only because a new enemy appeared after 27 years of peace, but also because it was a person he knew well and that now was targeting his own daughters. Mimi was standing at his right and looked at him with a worried face.
Kasai on the other hand was looking at the window with her usual expression, but was taking the situation seriously. Aisu decided to break the silence with a sigh and talked. "We're…sorry…for keeping this secret for so long…" She said. Her mother tried to understand them. "…We know that your work is a dangerous one and that in a way or another you would have ended up in a situation like this. But…why didn't you tell us from the start?" She asked.
Kasai looked from the window for another while and then faced her parents faces. She wanted to tell how things were in her usual way, but she couldn't at this point. She sighed like her sister and told her mom the answer. "We…we didn't want to make you worry…" This made Taichi raise his head up. "What?" He asked.
"…Just like Kasai said. And…maybe for showing that we could have handled this." Aisu answered. "We know how many times you faced several dangers since you were little…and how much you worked for having the peace you wished for so long." She continued to explain before taking a deep breath. She couldn't find right words to express their intent. "…Hey…Aisu…" Taichi said with a reassuring tone. "Remember what I taught you…stay relaxed and you'll be fine."
"Yes…we'll listen to you." Mimi added with a smile, even if the news still shocked her. "…Ok…thanks…" Aisu answered and then explained. "In short…we didn't want you to get worried…we wanted to make you stay relaxed and…yes, maybe it could sound selfish but…we also wanted to show that we could save someone for one time…"
Taichi and Mimi were surprised by those words. Even if now they lived alone and were working as detectives, the two Chosen Children saw their two daughters still as innocent and carefree kids. But now that they were taking an initiative and wanting to save someone for one time from themselves made them surprise. Even if after all, they were grown ups now. So the two of them stood up, went to Kasai and Aisu…and hugged them, making them get surprised as well. "You're…not mad at us?" Aisu asked.
"Well…we're a little bit angry for not telling us but…" Mimi started. "At the same time…we're happy to see how much you've grown up." Taichi continued with a smile. "We're so proud of you…"
Aisu was almost moved from that act. Making parents proud is one of the most important things a son or a daughter would want in life. So the joy was obvious and Aisu hugged back with a smile. "Thanks…"
"Good grief…" Kasai on the other hand remained the same, but someone could tell she was happy as well. In the meantime, the four Digimon of the family were looking at the scene. "Man, Kasai and Aisu really had grown up, didn't they?" Agumon said. "Indeed…and now you two have to protect them!" Palmon added, looking at Veedramon and Strikedramon. The first dragon smirked and scratched his nose. "Naaah don't worry! Surely Kasai won't need to go in panic if he has a cool Digimon like me as a partner!" He said. "Now don't exaggerate…" Strikedramon said with a sceptic face.
The four of them then got out from the hug. "Don't worry…we're with you, girls. But! Promise us that from now on you'll tell everything to us!" Mimi said, with her index finger raised.
"Cross to heart." Aisu replied. Kasai simply nodded while fixing her hat. Then Taichi sighed, since due to the situation he thought of another thing. "What's wrong?" Her daughter Kasai asked.
"…To think that the one behind this is Saiba Rei…" Her father replied, making the others realize something as well. "Oh…right! Taichi, Saiba was a dear friend of yours, right?" Agumon asked. It was this question that made Taichi a little bit sad. Some flashes of his childhood came back on his mind, all about the person that once was righteous and cared about humans and Digimon, while now for some reason, he ended up becoming his children's villain. But why though? "…Yes. Me and Saiba know each other since we were kids. He was a dear friend to me…and he supported us to make Digimon be accepted by humans…" He said.
"Wait a second…now that I think of it…if you know him…then maybe you can know why he's doing all of this!" Aisu then guessed. But her father shook his head. "Unfortunately I don't know the reason. But…I'll assure you this…" Taichi replied, turning around to his family. "I'll do everything in my power to help you…even if I'm 49 years old by now…I'm still a Chosen Child…and most of all…I won't let him hurt my daughters anymore." He added with a resolute tone.
"Aw! That's my husband!" Mimi said. "Dad…" Aisu added with a joyful face. Kasai simply smiled.
Meanwhile in another room, Yamato and Sora were discussing with their children about it. Surely, the founder and leader had to talk the most about what happened during all this time. Yamato was pretty nervous, but was calm enough to discuss about it. "So…how long has this been going on?" He asked.
"Almost three months…" Kyoko replied, making Yamato more annoyed. "Are you serious!? Three months!?" He exclaimed. "Please, Yamato…calm down." Sora tried to make him stay relaxed.
"How can I be calm, Sora!? They've been targeted by a person like Saiba for three months and they didn't tell us anything for three months! Do you think it's ok!?" Yamato continued, while Gabumon was embarrassed.
"And don't you think we had our motivations, dad!? Did you really think we did that on purpose!?" Kyoko protested, finding her father's reaction exaggerated.
"What did you just say!?" Yamato continued, but in that moment, even Kumo stood up. "Dad…please. Let us explain." He said with a serious stare. Despite being still psychologically hurt by what he saw only a few moments ago, he knew that an argument wouldn't have solved anything on this particular moment. Yamato looked at everyone and even at his partner, who simply nodded. After all they were right. Maybe the pressure of the situation was getting him too far, and he didn't want to end up making a bad impression. So he took a deep breath and sat down. "…Sorry…"
Once the situation was more chill, Sora turned on her two children. "Back to the question…if you knew who was trying to kill you, then why didn't you guys say anything? We would have helped." She asked.
"We knew that, mom…but the main fact was that…Saiba Rei Is mainly targeting us. And since that…we wanted to focus the attention only on us, so other people wouldn't have gotten hurt…like you…you're our parents and we love you…wanting to protecting you was one of our prior objectives…" Kyoko answered. "And…for us, this situation was so sudden that we even didn't know what to do in the first place! And probably telling you how things were immediately wouldn't have been the most secure thing to do…" She added.
"Plus…we couldn't know if you could believe us. Probably, if you wouldn't have seen those mercenaries with your eyes, you wouldn't have believed us…you know Saiba Rei for a very long time, and you had a close contact with him. So telling you that he's trying to kill us wasn't really a good idea. The same probably goes for anyone else. They would have treated us like liars and maybe moved to close our activity, making us weaker. Or if they believed us, they would have brought too many attention around the case, and Saiba Rei could have taken the entire city as a hostage. As functionaries of the order, we couldn't have let this happen. So the only one we could trust until now were the ones from the Lion Fang Agency, who decided to help us. We're sorry…" Kumo said.
Yamato and Sora were surprised by the last thing Kumo said. They didn't know that their children were thinking this. "So…they thought of everything…" Piyomon said while standing beside Sora. The Chosen Child looked down and sighed. "We would wish if you didn't think that low of us." She said.
"Uh?" Both Kyoko and Kumo asked. And in that moment, their mother stood up. "It's true that this news is shocking for us, since we couldn't never guess that someone like him would have done that. But….we would have still believed you." She said.
"Mom…" Kumo said. "Sora's right. You're still her children, so it's natural that she would stay by your side. And just like her, I want to believe in you guys! After all of this and all the road you've done until now, there's no way we're gonna turn our backs to you! You still made a good job." Sora's partner, Piyomon added.
"Wow…thank you!" DORUgamon, who was standing at Kyoko's right said surprised. "Maybe we won't help in a way we would have done many years ago…but we're still going to add our forces to your case. After all, your parents were the Chosen Children once. Right Yamato?" Gabumon asked to his partner. "Correct. Even if it doesn't show, I still want to protect you." Yamato answered, looking at Kumo.
"…Oh…Mom…dad…I really don't know what to say!" Kyoko said full of joy. "A-And your next line will be 'Now now, you don't need to cry!'"
"Now now, you don't need to cry…" Sora said and then…"WHAT!?" She, her partner, Yamato and Gabumon exclaimed. Kumo turned to her sister. "Even in a situation like this, you have the courage to do that?" He asked with a sceptic face. "Eheh, come on! We need to be positive!" Kyoko answered.
In the meantime, Shoutmon made a thumb up to the grew up Chosen Children. "Thank you guys! That's the spirit!" He said, while DORUgamon shook his head in disappointment for his partner's usual joke.
In the meantime, even Rikka stayed alone with her parents Koushiro and Meiko to explain better the situation. While Meiko was speechless, Koushiro seemed to have an anxious face and was starting to breath heavily. "So…yes. It's we've been fighting his mercenaries for a while and at the same time we are getting more information about him. And yes…the barrier that at this moment is surrounding the government skyscraper of Somnus is the work of his Digimon's dark power. It seems that he gave the keys for entering inside the barrier to his henchmen. At the moment, we've got five of them. If we want to enter all, we still need eight of them. So we are doing our best to trace back the rest of the mercenaries." Rikka made a summary of what they had been doing.
"Wow…you really made a lot of work today. And…I've never thought things would have turned out to be in this way. I also knew Saiba Rei and…he seemed very comprehensive towards us and…uh? Koushiro?" Meiko's attention was caught by the expression her husband had in his face. This naturaly made Rikka, Leppamon and Tentamon turn to him as well. "Dad…are you ok?" Rikka asked. "Koushiro?" Even Tentomon added.
The Chosen Child of Knowledge was starting to sweat and panting heavily. He wanted to hear that wasn't true, he wanted to hear that the solution was another. In other words, he couldn't believe what he just heard. A strong sense of guilty and despair started to fill his heart, like he had seen an entire city getting destroyed. If he could, he could have screamed. But he had to accept the truth…everything he just heard was the truth. This time…he made a mistake.
Koushiro looked at his daughter trembling. "W-What have I done…What have I done!?" He said. "Uh? Dad, why do you feel in pain that much? You're not involved in-" Rikka was going to comfort him, but Koushiro himself interrupted her. "I AM INVOLVED IN THIS!" He shouted with a desperate tone. "K-Koushiro?" Tentomon asked.
"I…I thought that he had good intentions…all those speeches about wanting to defend the innocents and good people…his words seemed so sincere…I've known him for so many years, we've studied Digimon together! I-I…thought I was doing good!" Koushiro spoke while holding his head with his hands.
"Mister Koushiro, please calm down!" Leppamon said, getting even worried. "Dad, I don't understand, what are you talking about?" Rikka added. There was surely a reason why her father was having this exaggerated reaction. But it was a reason…she would have never expected…and didn't want to hear.
"I…I was helping Saiba Rei…in his research." At last, Koushiro made his own confession.
Rikka, Meiko, Tentomon and Leppamon had all their eyes wide open. Shock hit them at the more unexpected moment. A Chosen Children helping a villain? How was that possible? No one was able to support this. But the most shocked was surely Rikka. "W-What did you just say?" She asked, while her expression was slowly turning into a furious one.
"Two months ago…Saiba came to our houses and said that he needed my help to make a better research about the potential of Digimon and the truth about the being known as Homeostasis. Since he said how important my job was during all these years, I gladly accepted, thinking that we could have improved our lives. So I've helped him with showing the energy that comes from a Digimon, the various stages of evolution and the bonds they have with humans…he…also asked me to make these…strange USB keys…which had something strange that I couldn't notice better…" Koushiro started to explain. This made Rikka boil with even more anger.
"I…just wanted to believe I could do something good…but never in my life…I would have thought that he was actually plotting against all of us for who knows what reason…i…a Chosen Child who always used his knowledge…for the sake of the world…ending up doing such a thing…" Koushiro continued.
Rikka at this point wasn't herself anymore. Her father was always an inspiring figure for her. All the experiments and researches she saw from him were the greatest inspiration for her. He was the figure she loved the most. And despite all flaws, he was a good father. But…this was too much for her. She couldn't handle it anymore. "…..Dad…..some time ago you said that you were worried for me since I started a job like this…but…tell me…" She said, before raising up her head with both anger and tear in her eyes. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO ASK THAT AFTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?" She shouted.
Koushiro was shocked by those words. He was feeling regretful, but he knew she was right to feel in that way. "I-I understand how you feel but-" He tried to say something, but his daughter wouldn't have made him speak.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN ME ANYTHING!" Rikka shouted. "How can I even LISTEN to you after hearing something like that!?"
"Rikka, please calm down…" Leppamon tried to make his partner relax. "Yes…maybe-" Even her mother Meiko tried to make her reason, but it was all pointless. "NO! DON'T SAY ANYTHING!" The young detective exclaimed. At this point, nothing was going to block her. "You…you were always so important for me…it was you who inspired me in anything for life! Even this investigation we've been doing! I was doing it basing on your teachings! But…hearing that you were helping the same person that wants us dead…i…I CANNOT FORGIVE YOU AFTER THIS! I HATE YOU!" With another strong shout, Rikka ran away and left the agency, slamming the door. "RIKKA! WAIT!" Koushiro tried to call her. But she already went away.
Silence ruled over that room. The Chosen Child was destroyed at this point. Koushiro already had to face a tremendous pain when it came to family, since he found out he was adopted when he was little. One of his preoccupations for Rikka was to never feel such despair like that again. But unfortunately…it happened. He lost his daughter's trust.
Koushiro fell to his knees and started to cry. Big tears came out of his face and soaked the floor. "W-What have I done…"He simply said while sobbing. Meiko and Tentomon came closer and tried to comfort him as best as they could. "Koushiro…don't cry please…everything will be alright…" Tentomon said. "Y-Yeah…she's just mad now…I think she'll calm down eventually…" Meiko added, hugging her husband with tears on her eyes as well. As part of the family and more especially as Rikka's mother, she felt hurt as well. Even if she joined lately the group, she felt as well a pain like that when she lost Meicoomon. So her reaction was natural.
Even Leppamon felt sad and uncomfortable there, so he looked at the direction Rikka went to and looked back to her parents. "Mister Koushiro…I'll try to follow Rikka. Please…wait here." He said before leaving the agency as well. Koushiro couldn't do nothing more than nod. They all needed to stay calm.
Meanwhile on another room, Chikara had his head close to the wall. He heard all the shouts that his colleague made just a few moments ago. So he was curious.
Jou, Shiro, Gomamon and Leomon were all looking at him. They've heard the noises too, and wondered what happen. But then Chikara sat down and shook his head. "It seems she has stopped." He said.
"Gosh…I wonder what happened…" Shiro said, a little bit worried. "Uhm…maybe is something private, honey. I don't think we should ask something right now…" Jou replied. "Hmmm…you have a valid point…" His wife said.
"Even though…she seemed pretty altered. Anyways…now you know all the truth…I know how shocking can be but…I hope you understand why we had to act like this…" Chikara said, before making a deep sigh. Like father, like son, as Jou too made a deep sigh while thinking about it. "It's real strange…we have known Saiba Rei for many years by now…and everytime he spoke to us, he seemed so sincere…what could have made him act this way?" Gomamon wondered. "That's another thing we are trying to find out, Gomamon…all we know for now is that he's trying to take the energy of the Digimon in order to gather a godlike power." Leomon explained, making Jou get his eyes wide open. "What!? But...that's terrible!" He exclaimed. "Such violence from him is unexpected!" Shiro added.
"I know! And that's what makes me pissed off! How a man like him could do that!?" Chikara answered with an annoyed tone. And that answer made their parents…giggle somehow. "Huh? What's so funny!?" Chikara asked, feeling mocked.
"Oh, that's nothing, dear! It's just that…we see that despite everything…you still have your authoritarian character." Shiro replied. "What…?" Chikara was confused at this point. What were they meaning? Does that have a connection with what they were talking about?
"What we're trying to say is that…even after we discovered the whole thing, you seem to still be yourself and you're still firm on your words. And for us, that's a big step forward! Because it clearly shows how much you care about your job and how much you are showing your personality as a Chosen Child!" Jou explained better. At this point, Chikara blushed a little. Hearing this type of praise from his parents and in a situation like this was…kind of embarrassing. "Gosh, seriously? What's wrong with you?"
But then Shiro held his hand. "We're only happy to see you like this! A Chosen Child like you and your father must never fall down in front of a threat! You know…one of your father's friends, Taichi, used to have the crest of Courage. Which is a thing you and your friends should never forget. No matter what happens…if you still have some courage and will, you can still strive to make something." She said. Those words made even someone like Chikara make a genuine smile. "Wow…I didn't expect that…thank you mom…"
"And don't worry! If you need anything with this investigation, I'll be there." Jou said with a reassuring smile. "Sure!" Chikara replied, making his partner Leomon smile as well. "He seems happy to get help from someone for once!" He thought.
As the night continued, the others members of the Chesire Cat Agency had their discussion with their parents. The Chosen Children were still shocked for the news, but in a way or another…they had to accept it. A person they thought having a pure heart…and thought of him as a friend…filled his heart with darkness…and was now trying to do something diabolical. But the question remained for them…why was he doing all of this?
People like Taichi, Yamato, Mimi, Sora, Daisuke, Jou and Ken were ready to give their help, while Takeru, Miyako, Hikari and Iori were still worried for what could have happened in the future, but still wanted to give their help as well, just like Norn's father, Sion.
But what about Aria's parents?
Their discussion was longer than the others. Unlike the other parents, Duke and Catherine were new to their daughter's job, since she was the last person who joined the agency, and were also more external from Saiba Rei, and due to this, they were actually more afraid than the others about this and scared for their daughter's safe.
"So…is that really true?" Duke asked. And Aria nodded. "Unfortunately. In fact, when I joined the agency, this story was barely started. At first I was confused as well, but I decided to use my abilities to help with the investigation and-" She tried to explain but then…
"That's not the point, Aria!" Duke exclaimed, standing up. "Dear?" Catherine asked. "Mister Artorias, is there something wrong?" Growmon added. "Just something!? This is all wrong! It's true that I knew something about the agency before and that there was someone after you…but…there's no way you can let this continue further Aria! This is a deadly danger! Why are you still here!?" Duke answered, showing his frustration for all of this. But Aria seemed more annoyed by this reaction and stood up as well. "What the hell do you mean by this!? As a detective is my job to face dangerous criminals!" She exclaimed.
"THEN YOU SHOULD JUST QUIT THIS JOB!" Duke shouted, shocking everyone. As a man of noble origins, this tone was unusual, and Duke was known to be a calm person even in critical situations. But this one in particular seemed to make him furious, probably because it regarded his daughter's life. "What…? What do you mean?" Aria asked.
"At first I was ok with this. I won't hide that I was enthusiastic to see you get a job at your age, and even an honorable one! Seeing my little girl that fights against criminals…never in my life I have been so proud…but now I can clearly see that I was wrong and that I underestimated this job! I...i just cannot see my only daughter get in this types of risks anymore…I cannot afford to lose you."
"But…Duke…if she and the others are still fine…then it means that they know what they're doing…right?" Catherine tried to make her husband reason. After all, she was a Chosen Child as well and wanted to help Aria. "Even if they managed to continue until this point, that doesn't mean they can always win. Even if you have a Digimon on your side, there can always be a possibility that you are going to be the ones to get killed! I'm sorry Aria…but now you'll go to Kyoko and you'll tell her that you are going to quit your job, right now!" Duke answered, still firm on his answer.
Aria looked down…and stayed in silence for some seconds. And then…she gave her answer. "…I refuse."
"What?" Her father asked. In that moment Aria raised her head up with a serious stare on her eyes. "You heard him right. I refuse to say what you said." She simply replied.
"What!? Did you even listen what I just said!? Are you telling me that you are fine with this!?" Duke exclaimed.
"I've listened to you, dad. And I'm happy to hear that you're thinking about my sake. But you cannot tell me to do such a thing! I cannot leave them in a situation like this! They need me as well!" Aria replied, raising her voice as well. "Aria…" Growmon simply said.
"How!? How can you say something like this!? Why do you insist on staying on this world where everything can kill y-" Duke insisted on believing in his words, but this time it was Aria's turn to shut him up.
"BECAUSE THEY MAKE ME FEEL ONE OF THEM!" She shouted, making Duke gasp. He never heard Aria answering back. "Even though I've been here for just a couple of weeks…I've never felt like I belonged to someone before…they're like a second family. And most of all…did you forget the fact that they saved my life!? If it weren't for them at this I would probably be inside some canteen, being used by that psycho that you believed so much!" She added, telling the truth and mentioning what happened with Kevin.
And this time…Duke didn't know how to answer. Her daughter made the most valuable reason about this crucial situation. It was clearly a checkmate. "…Now you understand. These guys were kind enough to help me and our family. So I have to be here. It's my debt to pay for everything they have done to me. I don't care if our enemy is some big celebrity! I'm not afraid of Saiba Rei! If it is to protect my friends and mostly you and mom, me and Growmon will fight with all our strengths!" She swore with resolution on her words. Just like she said, she was there for a little time, but yet…her sense of chivalry and loyalty towards Kasai, Kyoko and the others was as big as ever. Her partner Growmon made a smile after hearing those words. He felt happy to hear that she's happy that he's on her side.
Catherine looked at her husband, that was still silent. Aria glanced at him. "…So? You still think I should abandon them?" She simply asked.
Silence as answer.
Aria sighed. "I knew it…" She said, before looking at the door. "Let's go Growmon". And then…she came out of the room. "Oh! Yes." Growmon said as he followed her.
"Aria, wait!" Duke tried to call her, but her daughter was already away. He sighed as well. Now he knew to have made a mistake. Catherine came closer and tried to make him company with a smile. "Don't worry…you were just angry." She said.
"I…I failed for the second time…I…I'm just scared that they take her away…i…don't want to lose her when she's so young…" The main member of the Artorias family said.
Catherine looked at him and then at the window. "Darling…you just need to be more trustful towards her. Even if she comes from a noble family, she is most of all a Chosen Child, just like her mother and a detective. I'm pretty sure that when she decided to make that choice…she was aware of the consequences. I'm sure she will do a great job. And…just like she said, her friends and Growmon will be there for her." She explained.
Duke looked at her. "I know…i…maybe I'm too attached to the traditions…" He said.
All the conversations were done. While Sion and his daughter Norn were at the entrance of the agency. "So you knew it as well?" The leader of the police asked.
"I've discovered it yesterday." Norn simply replied, leaving his father stunned. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!? And why didn't you tell me!?" He said. "I decided to stick with them! It seemed that they cared about this!" Norn replied back, making Sion sigh. "Oh gosh."
Right after that, everyone came back at the entrance, as the Chosen Children and their Digimon came near the door.
"Well…now you know all the truth…again…sorry if we made you worry." Kyoko said to all of them. While she was talking, Kasai noticed that Koushiro seemed destroyed, but didn't say anything.
"…It's…ok, guys…we know you had your motivations…" Miyako said. "And we're personally happy that you tried to do something on your own." Ken added. "Yeah. Ken here's right. Just…remember that you can count on us, ok?" Daisuke said with a smile, trying to make everyone more positive.
Yatsura giggled and answered back. "Sure!" "Well...it's starting to get late…maybe we should going…" Yamato said.
"Right. Good night, mom and dad." The detectives said. "Good night." Their parents answered back, before leaving.
And now, the young detectives were alone again. After some seconds of silence, Kyoko made a deep sigh. "So…that's how it went…" She said, still feeling blue. "I know but…in a way or another…it was inevitable that they would have found out." Aisu told her.
"We know Aisu…it's just that…we didn't want to make it this way…" Veedramon answered.
Kyoko looked at the door for some seconds and sighed. "…Aisu's right. At least…now they know…maybe it's better this way." She said before sitting down on the sofa. "Now that I think of it…could you tell me again the results of today?" She then asked.
"Well…Rikka was able to catch the mercenary, who turned out to be a little girl. While I faced Shizuka. I was able to beat her, but she escaped." Kasai answered first, making Tsuna stand up. "What? You met that girl!?" He exclaimed.
"Tsuna, calm down-" Coredramon told him. "I'm just asking!" Tsuna answered back. "Yes…now that I think of it…you did met her some day ago, right?" Kasai then asked.
"Yes…she was the one who knocked me down. She was connected to Yuuko. That girl that…wasn't so sure about her current job." The boy replied.
"I see…" Kyoko simply said while putting her hand on her chin. Then it was Sasuke and Rina's turn to report. "Me and Rina went to the Ice Temple and faced Koichi and another mercenary. While Koichi was able to escape, we were able to take down the other one! And we came back with this little buddy here!" Sasuke explained, pointing at Culumon, who was standing on his shoulder. "Yup yup! That's me!" The small Digimon said.
In that moment, everyone's attention was directed to that one little Digimon. They surely had never seen something like that. "Oh right! Him!" Shoutmon said. "He surely seems one of his kind…" Starmon added. "And he's so cute!" Yatsura said, delighted to see him, since she started to cuddle her. Culumon seemed to like it since she left her make the cuddles.
Even Kouta was curious about her, so he took his Digivice and started to scan her. "The Digivice says that his name is Culumon. She's a Child-Level Digimon that holds a great power that is connected to the evolution of Digimon. When she unleashes it, the red gem on his fronts shines brightly." He explained. "Really? So, how powerful can this Digimon really be?" BaoHackmon asked.
"We don't know, but we heard that this Digimon was held as a secret by the Four Holy Beasts." Kabuterimon answered. That led to a general silence…and then…
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Everyone shouted. "Ouch! My ears!" Kabuterimon exlclaimed.
"T-The Four Holy Beasts!? You mean like Qinglongmon!? The one our parents met in the past!?" Toriko asked. "So we really are holding something extremely great!" Yatsura added.
"So…Saiba Rei probably heard of this mysterious Digimon, and sent the two mercenaries to get her. Since he's trying to accumulate energy from the Digimon, Culumon was probably a great tank for her." DORUgamon said, making a possible explanation to what happened. In the meantime, Culumon hid behind Sasuke. "Is there something wrong?" He asked. The small Digimon was trembling. "N-No…it's just…too much noisy here…" Culumon replied.
"Oooooooh." Everyone said. "Sorry then!" Gladimon said. In that moment, Norn, who decided to still stay with the agency, came closer to the Digimon and looked at her better. Culumon raised his head as well and glanced at her. And in that moment, he felt something. Even he didn't know what was exactly. But…he felt something inside the girl's heart.
She remained silent, but if she could describe what he felt, he would have probably said that it was like a light that emitted a heat. A blue light that somehow…was familiar to them. Culumon felt some sort of pleasure when Norn came by. "Hello! My name is Norn!" The girl said with a small smile and her low voice.
"Oooooooh! Hi Norn!" Culumon answered back before starting to float around her while smiling. "Awww, she seems to like you!" Yatsura said, finding the scene adorable. "Well, it seems that I had found a new friend, am I right?" The blonde girl asked to the Digimon. "Yes!"
"Could it be that he will become her partner?" Kyoko thought while looking at them with a smirk. And then, Strikedramon turned on Kumo and Tsuna. "And what about you guys?" He asked. But the reaction he received wasn't nice.
While Kumo looked down and sighed, Tsuna turned around. "Unfortunately we failed…the two mercenaries were able to get the Digimon of the volcano. If it wasn't for Kyoko, we would have probably been killed." Kyoko's brother said. Tsuna didn't show it, but he was angry when Kumo gave the answer, since they both knew that wasn't everything that happened.
"Oh, I see. And what about them? Who were they?" Chikara asked. Kumo's heart froze for a moment. The trauma for him was too still too painful. But of course, he had to tell them in order to help with the investigation. "…Did you remember when I talked about my friends I used to hang out in Somnus?"
"Yes? Wait…don't tell me…" Rina already knew where this was going. The other Chosen Child sadly nodded. "…It was them."
Everyone gasped.
"What the fuck!? Is that true!?" Sasuke exclaimed. "Yes…me and Tsuna can confirm that." Kyoko replied. "So that is why they never answered to you after the incident…but It's still unbelievable. From what you told us they seemed nice guys…why would they do that?" Aisu asked.
"They think that I let Aija die that tragic day…or at least, this is Aleksi's motivation. I don't know exactly why Sigmund is doing this as well." Kumo simply replied.
"So…it's for a presumable revenge." Kasai simply said before turning around. "But we know you didn't do that!" Yatsura said, feeling sorry for her friend. "Yeah! You told us it was Saiba Rei who shot at him! Were you able to tell them the truth?" ExVeemon added.
"No…they didn't give him time." Shoutmon simply answered. "Oh…I see…" Yatsura spoke. Kumo made another sigh. Too many things happened for him that day.
"…I'm sorry for you Kumo…" Norn said while holding Culumon like a cat. "…Anyways…what are you going to do now?" She then asked to the rest of the detectives.
"Well…nothing changed that much actually. Sure, the fact that our parents know all the story is still a big modify, but we'll continue to do our works like we did until today!" Kyoko said with a smile, trying to raise the mood of her group. "I agree! And surely we'll think of getting their help as well if possible!" Aisu added. Even Kasai turned around and made a grin. In that moment, Kyoko reached out her hand, making the others curious. "We surely are discovering more and more as we proceed with this case, and many news are painful. But no matter what…we'll get through this investigation! Right?" She said.
Everyone looked at her…and smiled. It was true, they were still going on, and surely a confession wouldn't have make them do some step backwards. What didn't kill them made them stronger after all. So they joined their arms as well and smiled. "Right!" They exclaimed. Even Norn liked this gesture, so she joined her arm as well. "If there is something I can do…I will gladly help as well!"
"Well, an extra arm won't damage us, right?" Toriko jokingly asked, making the others (Except Kasai who just smirked) laugh. But it was then that Toriko himself noticed a particular. "Wait a second…is it me…or Rikka and Aria are missing?" He asked.
Everyone turned around. "He's right…" BaoHackmon said. "Where did they go?" Kouta asked. "Did something bad happened before?" Yatsura added. In that moment, Kasai remembered that Koushiro seemed extremely desperate before he went away. "Did Rikka and Koushiro had an argument?" She thought.
"Should someone go find them?" Kumo asked to his sister. "Hmmm…no…I don't know what happened, but probably they had their reason to leave. We can ask them tomorrow. In fact…we were going to close the agency at this moment." Kyoko replied. Even Chikara thought about Rikka in that moment. "Rikka…actually yelled before…but I couldn't figure out why…" This was his thought.
"Anyways…I'll stay a little bit more to make everything in order, could you help me out Kasai?" The leader of the agency then asked to her best friend. "Got it." Kasai simply replied.
"Thanks. Well, we've done for today! Goodnight everybody!" Kyoko then told everyone.
"Goodnight!" Everyone answered. And so, one by one, the detectives and Norn (Who still held Culumon), left the agency, leaving only Kasai and Kyoko to clear the place.
"Well…at least we took away one anxious fact…" Kyoko said while putting in order some papers. "Yes…" Kasai replied. The two girls continued to clear in silence for some minutes. Then Kyoko felt weird in that silence and decided to talk with her to break the ice. "So…what did your parents say?" She asked.
"Uh? Oh…they were shocked, like you could expect. But…they…seemed pretty happy to see that we made an initiative for once. I felt like…they were proud of us." Kasai answered. "And this thing made happy too, right Kasai?" Kyoko asked. "…Shut it." The other girl replied. "Eheh, I knew it." The leader of the agency thought.
"But…I think my father was more stunned than my mother. I could feel some sadness in him. But he understood the situation." Kasai then continued. "…Now that I think of it…your father and Saiba Rei were close friends when they were young, right?" Kyoko asked. Taichi's daughter nodded. "Yes…they first met when he was 11. Now that I think of it…they met just a few days before our parents had their first journey on the Digital World. Under a few circumstances even Saiba entered in contact with the Digital World. This made him closer to our parents, the Chosen Children. In fact…he was actually a Chosen Child himself."
"So…you're saying that…his Digimon…the one with the power of darkness…and that created that barrier around the skyscraper…" Kyoko started…"Yes. He probably met him when he was a boy." And Kasai ended her line. "Anyways…him and our parents worked hard in years to make humans accept Digimon until Saiba was able to achieve such goal. Surely…hearing about all of this gave him an outstanding sadness. I…I understand him a little…I mean…imagine if I discovered that you were some sort of mastermind that was planning on take over the world or killing us."
"I understand what you're saying…" Kyoko said with a smile. "So in conclusion…he said that he was going to help us to protect his family. Even if it meant fighting against him." Kasai ended.
Kyoko made a small sigh after hearing that. What Kasai said made her remember about Kumo and his old friends's situation. Not only Saiba was destroying her brother's friendship, but also his own. This made her want to know more the answers. What kind of purpose made him destroy every type of bond he ever had with others? But the only way to know that was to continue with the case and force him to know the answer.
"What about your parents, Kyoko?" Kasai then asked. "Oh! The usual story…I appreciated the fact that my father started to interact more with Kumo. We had a little argue but they understood why we acted this way…and promised to help us as well." Kyoko replied. "I'm glad to see that even if they have their age, they still are the Chosen Children we know!"
"After all, they're our parents. We must have taken something from them, haven't we?" Kasai said with a smile.
"Sure do! Eheheh. Now that I think of it…our father used to be hardcore rivals, right? I find it strange that the same didn't happen on us…" The leader of the agency said. "Well…i'm happy that it didn't happen. You are stupid, but I think that there's no other friend like you. Plus…probably we're more similar to Sora and Mimi." Kasai said with a strange happy tone. Something unusual for her. Maybe, because she was spending time with a person dear to her?
"Ehehe! You're right! So…I was wondering…do you want to go out with me tomorrow?" Kyoko then asked. "Huh?" Kasai said. "I was thinking that…it has been a while since we've hanged out together. I mean…not for the job. So…how about we spent some time? Just like the old times? Of course, after work time I mean!" Her friend explained.
Kasai looked at her for some seconds…and then turned around. "…Ok. Good grief…" she simply answered.
"Yatta!" Kyoko exclaimed triumphant.
And while they had this little chat, Veedramon and DORUgamon were watching them while taking a drink with straw. "Time passes but they remain the same, don't you think?" Veedramon asked. "Totally." DORUgamon replied while taking a sip.
The agency was closed. It was late night, so all the detectives were about to come back to their houses. It had been an exhausting day. Resting well was the more reasonable thing to do in order to be ready for the next days with the right energy. Just like Kyoko said, a change wasn't going to make them recoil. And some of them made the road together, since they had the same road to make.
Some of them were Kumo and Tsuna. The two guys walked along with their Digimon and stayed in silence. Kumo felt uncomfortable in that situation. Why didn't Tsuna was saying anything? They already made a big piece of the road before they were going to separate. Did he really had nothing to say? But then…something happened.
"Kumo…" Tsuna said suddenly out of nowhere, as he stopped walking. "Huh?" Kumo asked. And then…
The red haired boy turned to him and gave him a strong punch on the face, making him fall to the ground. "Kumo!" Shoutmon and Coredramon exclaimed together.
The other detective stood up and touched his cheek, noticing that he was bleeding. "Hey! What was that for!? That hurt!" Kumo exclaimed.
"You know what was that for!" Tsuna shouted. "Kumo…can you tell me…what happened back at the volcano!? You had Aleksi on your grasp! You had the chance to stop him, and like an idiot you just stayed there, waiting for him to get free and counterattack! JUST WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?" Tsuna then explained.
"S-So that's what you wanted to know? Really? Was a punch really necessa-" Kumo was about to answer back, but Daisuke's older son didn't let him finish. "Don't act dumb, Kumo! It's your fault if they were able to get that gigantic Digimon! If Kyoko didn't come to help us we would have been killed! But before that, IF YOU FINISHED ALEKSI, WE WOULD HAVE WON! Why didn't you finish the job!?" He said.
"Do you think is that easy!?" Kumo replied back. "Guys…please stop fighting…" Shoutmon tried to make them reason, but his partner denied. "No. Let me explain. How can you think I could do that?" Kumo asked. "How? Do you really think you wanted to let a bunch of mercenaries steal an Ultimate-Level Digimon so they can give it to Saiba Rei!? Are you telling me that you prefer that he wins!?"
"How can you even say that!? Are you kidding me!?" The blue haired boy shouted. "Then you know what was your job, Kumo! Take him down or kill him! How can that be so hard for you, DAMMIT!?" Tsuna answered back.
Kumo gritted his teeth and looked down. "…At first…there was an impulse on me that made me want to kill him. I wanted to pierce his throat." He said, with some remorse. "But…when I saw his face…too many memories flashed in my mind…of Aija…and the guy I killed three years ago…I couldn't kill him. I simply couldn't. My heart wasn't going to make me do that. I couldn't make the same mistake twice and…Aija probably wouldn't have want that. Seeing her brother join her in the other world…probably would have filled her with sadness." He continued before raising up his head and looking at Tsuna with a serious stare. "I hope that answered you." He simply said.
Tsuna looked at him, with still some anger. Even if he had his reasons not to do that, he still made the mission fail and made a fatal error. He couldn't just accept that. So he sighed and turned around. "You are too emotionally unstable, Kumo." He said. But now, Kumo had something to say. "Oh! Now that I think of it…talking like that after what happened with Yuuko…was kinda hypocritical." This was his last line before surpassing Tsuna and going away with Shoutmon. The other Chosen Child was frozen for a moment. Kumo just touched a critical fact. When he looked up, he was already gone.
"I…I know I shouldn't say this but…don't you think he's kinda…right? I mean…no one can already have the right amount of courage to…kill a friend." Coredramon said. Tsuna didn't know how to answer. He made a little sigh, put his hands in his pockets and started to walk. "I…I don't know…" He simply said. Just like before, he continued his road in silence. He was now feeling a little bit of guilt. Actually, what happened with Kumo remembered him of what happened with Yuuko. She, too, had reasons for what she was doing, even if they had to know more about her. So, why did he made a mistake with both of them? Why couldn't he see more in a person? Coredramon noticed his sadness and made a reassuring smile. "Hey…it's alright. You just had an argument…it happens…" He said. The Chosen Child looked at his Digimon and made a melancholy smile. "Thank you for your support but…maybe even I have to grow up a little more…" He answered, before looking at the stars. "I wonder when the day when I will be able to do the right thing shall come…"He thought before entering inside his house.
After they went away from the agency, the previous Chosen Children decided to go to the park and discuss about what they recently heard, just like they used to do many years ago. This was possible due also to the late hour, so there was no one there that could disturb them.
Everyone was there, including the ones that weren't from the original group, like Akane, Shiro and Teto. And everyone couldn't still believe what they heard. A man they once trusted was now their children's enemy.
"Sora…" Piyomon said, worried. The orange-haired girl sighed and looked up at the others. Even they were all lost in thoughts. "And to think that for over 27 years…everything was going alright…" Daisuke commented. "I know…but…unfortunately it happens. It seems that the darkness will never leave our worlds…" Ken replied. "But we can still help them stop this darkness…right?" His wife Miyako asked to them, while Hawkmon nodded.
"Heh…your optimism is admirable, Miyako but…" Takeru started. "It's not that easy…" Patamon finished his line with a little smile.
"Now that I think of it…we actually knew that Saiba Rei had a Digimon of his own, right?" Jou asked to the others. "Well yes but…he never told us anything about him. And…we've never seen him." Yamato replied. "He always said that…he was a shy one and didn't want to get seen by others…" Gabumon added.
"But…to think that he had a Digimon with such a terrible power…he probably is even stronger than Vamdemon…" Tailmon said, feeling a little bit of pain while saying that, due to her traumatic memories. Hikari already knew it and held her tight. "Don't worry, He's not here anymore. But…you're right, this Digimon can be even more worrying…do you have any idea of who could that be?" She then asked to the others.
"At this point…it's really hard to give an answer but…judging by the power…he's probably an Ultimate-Level Digimon." Taichi replied to her sister. "Really? Then we must act as soon as possible! Their Digimon cannot reach that level yet! Hell, they can't even reach the Perfect one!" Daisuke exclaimed, feeling alarmed. "That's right! We have to stop him right now!" Veemon added.
Those words made Taichi look down with serious eyes before looking at Agumon for a moment. "Taichi?" Mimi asked, looking at her husband. Taichi looked up. "Oh! It's…nothing." He simply replied.
"Don't act in a rush way, Daisuke. If you go there and fight, you will get noticed by everyone due to your fame. And…then both us and the agency will get too many attentions…" Iori fairly mentioned. "Yes…indeed…I'm already worried for my little Yatsura…If we do this…things would become much worse…." Teto added.
The leader of the Chosen Children in 2002 sighed. "Yeah but…it sucks to not being able to do nothing…" He said. "I know how you feel but…for us, it is better for us if we just help them with the investigations." Yamato said. "Surely. Now that I know everything, I will start the researches for Saiba's mercenaries. In fact…to think that even Jake Ambra is at his service…it actually scares me…" Ken added.
Now it was Mimi that had a little sigh. Naturally, Palmon held her arm and smiled. "Don't worry…everything is going to be ok…" She said. "I know Palmon…I was just wondering…if it was fate that made our Children face such enemies like we did…I still remember when they were little and carefree…will…they be ok?" Mimi asked.
The other Chosen Children had the same thought, but still smiled. "Well…it's true that some week ago I said that our children were about to face more dangerous journeys than ours but…I really didn't think things would have turned out like this. Yet…I still think that they will be able to solve this." Taichi said. "He's right! They also have their Digimon on their side!" Agumon added.
In that moment even Akane stood up. "Surely this battle will make them see if they are able to see if they are ready for the challenges that life has in store for them. But, Taichi is right! I think…everyone thinks that, right?" She asked. "Sure do, Akane! They are pretty tough people! And most of all…" Shiro continued.
"They're Chosen Children like us!" Everyone shouted. "Eheh! I see that there is still some positivity after all!" Miyako said happy. "Y-Yes…indeed." Koushiro answered, still with a blue expression. "Koushiro? Are you alright?" Mimi asked.
"He was like this since we left the agency…he…had an hard moment with Rikka…" Meiko explained. "I…..excuse me…" Suddenly Koushiro stood up and left the group, leaving everyone surprised. "Koushiro wait!" Tentomon exclaimed, as he started following him.
"Koushiro?" Iori asked. "I wonder what happened..." Armadimon added. "Whatever happened…it must have been really bad…I hope he's going to be ok…" Wormmon said, worried.
Taichi, who used to be a close friend to him since they were kids, looked as he walked away. His optimism was higher now, after that discussion. But still…he thought that something was not right yet. "…This situation really shocked everyone, huh? I know Kasai and Aisu can do this. But…I think there's something I can do…I need to know the answer to this, somehow." Taichi thought.
And…in that moment, a portal of light appeared not so distant from the Chosen Children. "Huh?" Everyone asked. The portal made a bright flash, making all of them cover their eyes. When the light faded away and they could see again…a figure was there. Someone who they knew very well. A man wearing a brown cassock, with brown hair collected in a small tail and blue eyes. "Hey there! It's been a while, hasn't'?" He said.
"Gennai!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Eheh! Glad to see that you remember me!" Gennai replied. "What are you doing here?" Jou asked. "And how is it possible that you never age?" Miyako added. "W-What? Miyako!" Hawkmon exclaimed.
"Err, the second one is a little bit complicated to explain, but good question Jou! I'm here to answer the first one." The digital being answered. The Chosen Children knew Gennai for many years by now, so if he appeared then it surely meant that the situation was more than a simple threat. "And…what is it then?" Gabumon asked.
"Actually…I was sent here by Homeostasis to tell you about everything that happened in the last weeks." Gennai said.
"What!? Homeostasis!?" Hikari exclaimed. "So…even the being that desires for stability has been observing Saiba Rei's actions?" Taichi asked, making Gennai nod. "Exactly. You see…It actually started a few months ago. Homeostasis started to feel some anomalies in all the Digital World." He started to explain.
"What types of anomalies?" Gomamon asked. "They felt like suddenly in all the Digital World, the amount of data was starting to decrease. As you know, the Digital World and its creature are completely made of data, so if a sudden lowering of the data appears, it means that something has changed in the internal structure of the Digital World. As the data grew up incredibly after the unification between humans and Digimon, this seemed to be a terrible damage to the structure of the Digital World itself. As such, the Homeostasis started to investigate about it. And then…during the research, he had discovered a disturbing fact. In many zones, there were Digimon who had their energy completely dried up. It was the first time that something like this happened. The Homeostasis tried to dig deeper, wanting to find an explanation to this. And then…they found it. At one point they had seen a strange black shadow near the exhausted Digimon." Gennai started to explain. It was the last thing he said that attracted the Chosen Children particularly.
"Shadow?" Veemon asked. "You mean like Vamdemon's spiritual form before getting inside Oikawa's body?" Tailmon then asked. But Gennai shook his head. "Not really…unlike Vamdemon, this wasn't some sort of spirit. He had a body. He was clearly a living Digimon." He answered.
"Strange…I've never heard of a Digimon like that…" Takeru said. "Neither i. Even for the Homeostasis it was the first time. They tried to dug deeper into that figure, but his darkness was so intense that couldn't prevent them to see their true form. But he surely felt a terrible power coming from it. Soon, the Homeostasis associated that Digimon to the case of data loss in the Digital World, and called it the HADES Entity." Gennai then continued, talking about Saiba's mysterious Digimon.
"The HADES Entity?" Iori asked. "Why that name?" He added. "It comes from the Greek mythology. Hades was known as the god of the underworld and the ruler of all souls." Ken replied, making his partner Wormmon shriek a little. "R-Really? Then this Digimon…can rule the souls…?" He asked terrified. "H-Hey, don't worry…" Ken tried to pet him in order to calm him.
"We can't tell yet unfortunately. But we think that he can do something similar. And then…yesterday, Hackmon talked with your children, the detectives of the Chesire Cat Agency, and they told us what they discovered. That the one behind this is…" Gennai said.
"…Saiba Rei." Taichi ended his line. Gennai nodded. "Yes…and it appeared that they discovered something about a dark Digimon in the old archives of the Radiant Garden, and the description they found was too familiar to what we've seen." He explained.
"Oh god…" Palmon commented, putting a hand over her mouth. "Never in my life I would have expected this…but…I still don't get it…how does such a Digimon can be Saiba's partner? A guy like him, who was so nice…" Mimi added.
"Even we were shocked as well. He helped both humanity and Digimon so much. But it appears that even he succumbed to the darkness." Gennai replied. "Then the answer is simple! It was that Digimon that corrupted him! If he disappears maybe he can turn back to the person we know!" Daisuke exclaimed, starting to get angrier about the situation. "I…I'm not so sure about this Daisuke…my fear is that…he's doing it of his own free will." Taichi said.
"D-Do you really think that?" Jou asked, shocked. "A Chosen Child that…uses the darkness as his own power…" Gomamon added. "Things…have really changed from when we were little…" Miyako commented sad.
"And…does the Homeostasis think that there is a way to stop him?" Hikari asked. "Of course. And…somehow…they count on the Chesire Cat Agency." Gennai replied.
"Huh? Our children?" Sora asked. "Why that?" Piyomon added. "No one can say for sure but…it seems that the Homeostasis has seen something in those teenagers that made them think that they can do it. It was the same feeling they had when they chose you that night." Gennai explained. "And the strange fact is that…this time…it wasn't the Homeostasis that made them have that feel. Like…they were guided by another force that they don't know."
"How strange…" Wormmon said. "Well, if that's so, then we have to help them do this!" Daisuke said with a grin. "That's right! This is their battle after all!" Veemon added.
"And it's now their time to shine, right guys?" Mimi asked to the others, who nodded. "Happy to see that you still have your spirit as Chosen Children even at your age! I will do my best to help those guys with the investigations as well. Good luck then!" Gennai said with a smile.
"Wait Gennai, there's still something I need to ask you." Yamato asked then. "What is it?" Gennai answered.
"It's about what we saw 32 years ago during the case of the infected Digimon. Who was that entity that had your look that tried to use Meicoomon?" Yamato then asked, making Meiko sigh. "I…would want to know that as well." She said.
"Oh…you mean that guy. I know how angry you must feel, It annoys me as well. As you remember, there are many clones of mine, some of them helped you when there were Control Obelisks in all the world." Gennai answered.
"Yeah, we remember well!" Miyako said. "Well, even that figure is a clone of mine but…unfortunately, it seems that Yggdrasil corrupted him and made him his personal slave that had to execute his plan. And it appears that, even after Yggdrasil was shut down by Homeostasis, that clone is still under a fiendish influence." Gennai answered.
"Really? And what happened to him? Is he dead?" Sora asked. "No…wherever he is right now…he's alive. But his location is unknown. Maybe…we'll see him again." The digital being replied.
"I see…well, when the time comes we'll be ready!" Jou exclaimed. "Hey! For the first time you make an initiative!" Shiro noticed happily, making her husband blush. "W-What do you mean!?" Jou exclaimed.
"I guess even my darling wants some revenge, am I right, Iori?" Teto asked. "Well…he and that giant Digimon had captured us…I guess it's natural?" The Chosen Child answered, while Armadimon nodded.
"Thank you for everything Gennai, we appreciate it." Akane said. "It's a pleasure! Well, I'll go now. See ya!" The digital being then saluted everyone before opening a portal behind him and crossed it. The old Chosen Children looked at him going away, now with their hearts full of resolution.
"Then…now we know what we must do then." Gabumon said to the others. "Yes. We'll help our guys…" Mimi started. "And trust them our future!" Ken continued.
"YES!" Everyone shouted. Taichi made a smile and looked at the full moon that was shining in that moment. "Kasai…Aisu…I know you will do a great job but…I will give my help too." He thought.
At this point, the night was deep, and almost everyone in the city of San Francisco went to sleep. But the ones who were walking in the shadow, were still awake and were waiting. In particular…the threat and nemesis of the young detectives was waiting.
Saiba Rei, contemplated the Digimon who were sealed inside the capsules that collected their energy. Until he heard the door behind him opening. Both him and his Digimon looked back and saw three figures: Aleksi, Sigmund and Koichi.
"Welcome back, my friends. It appears that you have been busy. Did those detectives intercepted you as well?" Saiba asked with a smile.
"Yes but…there's no problem. We did what you asked us to do." Aleksi replied, before giving to his new boss a strange and white orb. "This here is Volcanicdramon." He said.
The founder of the Rei Corporation found himself immediately attracted by that white orb, since he knew what tremendous power it held. "Oh, wonderful!" He said, as he took it. He then went near an empty capsule which was bigger than the other ones and put the orb inside a cavity. Once he did so, the capsule started to scan the orb and in a moment, Volcanicdramon was inside of it in a state of sleep. "The capture of this Digimon will help us incredibly for the creation of the Perfect Cube. Our purpose is much closer now." Saiba said before turning around to the mercenaries. "Good job Aleksi and Sigmund. It appears that you two are a better deal than I expected."
"Thank you, sir." Sigmund simply said. "But I have to ask…what took you so long?" Saiba's Digimon then asked, staring at them with his red glowing eyes. At first, the two boys weren't that sure of talking, but it was inevitable that they would have spoke one way or another. So they answered. "We…indeed met two detectives of the agency. But unfortunately, they were able to escape before we could finish them." Aleksi answered. FlaWizarmon looked at his partner worried, knowing that he was suffering.
"I see…well…it doesn't matter for now, since you accomplished your mission." Saiba said. "And that stare…that sorrow in your eyes…let me guess…you've met your old friend, haven't you?" He then asked with a grin.
Aleksi and Sigmund gritted their teeth. Even remembering what happened a few hours before gave them a strong pain in the heart. Since they were so sure of their words, even thinking of Kumo made their blood boil.
"Just as I thought. And tell me…how did it go? Has he answered your questions?" Their leader then asked. "…Yes. That bastard couldn't even answer, he seemed extremely terrified of seeing us. Tsk, this shows how coward he is!" Sigmund answered, showing clearly his disgust for the detective. "What he said…what he did…made me realize what type of person he really is. I have no doubt that he abandoned my sister that day. To think that he's supposed to be at service of justice…he is a villain! Someone who can't even help his friends of fear, is nothing more than a villain and a coward!" Aleksi added.
"How sad…that you ended up fighting against each other…" Saiba commented, hiding his pleasure of seeing them acting that way, since he knew how things really went. His Digimon could see him and made a smirk, unrecognizable due to the darkness that was surrounding him.
"Anyways, now try to relax, my dear friends. With a pacific mind, you will easily be able to kill him the next time." Saiba Rei said then to them. "We will…" Aleksi, Sigmund and their Digimon said together before exiting the room, leaving only Koichi with his Digimon Duskmon. The serial killer remained neutral during the whole conversation, and then looked at his leader.
"I guess it's your turn now, Koichi. Have you returned with the secret of the Four Holy Beasts as I told you?" Saiba asked. But Koichi didn't answer and kept his neutral stare. He wanted to try his best to not tell the truth, but he knew that it was impossible with someone like Saiba Rei, who could see immediately if someone was lying or telling the truth. "…I think Saiba made you a question." The mysterious Digimon said.
It was in that moment that Saiba noticed that he was hiding something, due to his strange behavior and something else. "…Koichi…where's Jamal? Didn't he come with you?" He simply asked. Koichi started to sweat. But still, he didn't answer. But he actually didn't need to answer. Saiba already understood what happened.
"…The agency defeated Jamal and you escaped without the secret, right?" The seeker simply asked. At this point Koichi couldn't just say in silence anymore. The only thing he could do was telling the truth. "…Yes."
And in a moment…
"MGH!" Koichi found himself grabbed by the face by Saiba in a second, who smashed him against the wall in a matter of seconds. He then let him go. The killer was still shocked for that injure and touched his head, noticing that he was bleeding. "S-Sir…why…?"
"Koichi Kimura…I promised you an abundant reward for this task and I've promised you to let you continue your career as a serial killer and kill all the people you want. But…as you can see, the Chesire Cat Agency is starting to fight back and they're already showing even too much skill. If they keep up like this…everything I've built for many years will fade like a castle of sand." Saiba said. "I-I understand but-" Koichi tried to apologize, but the mastermind of this plan didn't make him finish.
"You said you understand, yet you gave the enemy an open spot. Not only you didn't return with that power, but you also let Jamal get defeated by those Chosen Children. You literally gave them one of the USB keys that can make someone enter in the barrier of Somnus. How could you do something like that!?" Saiba said, showing for the first time some signs of alteration. Like some times before, Koichi felt a shriek going all down his spine. Even if he was a murdered, he felt terror in that precise point like a rabbit in front of a snake. "…F-Forgive me…i…won't fail next time…" He said, bowing his head.
At this point, the 50th years old man made a deep sigh and turned around. "You are forgiven this time. I can't lose my patience with one of my most useful henchmen. But…" He said, before turning on him again with a menacing stare. "Try to make an error like that again…and you will get much worse than that hit on the wall. Understood?" He asked.
"Yes…" Koichi simply replied. "Good. You can leave." Saiba concluded, making Koichi exit the room as well. After he left, Saiba's Digimon glanced at his partner. "It's rare for you to act like that…did his failure make you that angry?" He asked.
Saiba held his head and looked down. "Even I don't know why I did that…for the first time…I felt a terrible stress after hearing that one of the mercenaries has been taken down…as a rational person, I always try to maintain my patience but…this time was different. What…was that anger I felt?" He wondered. His Digimon came closer to him, moving like a ghost. "Yes…I can feel it as well…your anger…and your hate that starts to grow towards that group of detectives. Now that Jamal is gone…they have five keys now, right?" He asked.
"Exactly…we're still in advantage but…now that they're starting to fight back…I get a strange feeling…like a deep pain in my heart and my stomach that starts to close on itself…" Saiba said, looking at his fist. His Digimon understood, as his eyes glowed even more. "Is it…fear that you are feeling right now?" He said.
"What!?" Saiba exclaimed. "Fear!? That's…absurd! I've abandoned that feeling a long time ago! There's no way I can prove that, now that I've almost reached my purpose!"
"Yet you feel it…and you can't deny it. Many years ago, psychologists said that fear is one of the six main emotions of all living beings. And no matter how hard you fight it…it will never disappear completely. It's clear…that you are starting to think…that the Chesire Cat Agency…could find a way to stop you." The Digimon explained.
The seeker gulped. Was that true? Was he starting to feeling scared? How could that be? He, who was a man always ready for every inconvenient…scared? "I…didn't know this…" He simply said.
"It's understandable…no one would want this…but just like you said before…all that you need to do is relax…and keep moving forward…" His Digimon told him, pointing at the capsules. "As you can see, all of our works are starting to give their results…soon…what we have sought for a long time will be ours…the souls of those teenagers will be ripped out of their carnal bodies…and the fear in your heart…will quickly turn into pleasure." He added.
Saiba's worried face began slowly to make a smile, followed by a deep breath. "Right…ehehhehe…I wonder why I've got worried in the first place…everything is still according to the plan." He said. "Now this is the Saiba I know. Don't worry…as your partner…I will always be there to…cheer you up." His Digimon spoke. In that moment Saiba took out something from his pocket: A tissue. With a date written on it.
1st January 1987.
Saiba looked at the tissue with a more serious stare, meaning that it had a precious value for him. "Soon, father…soon…I'll make sure that your passion and love…won't go to waste." He simply said.
In the meantime, Koichi was already out from the Rei Corporation's building and was now walking in the streets of the city, while holding his head. "Dammit…" He said. In that moment, a dark aura surrounded his body and from it, came out Duskmon. "Are you feeling better, Koichi?" He asked. "Don't worry. It's just a wound. It will pass." His human partner simply answered.
"I hope so…why did Saiba raged like that? Was he really that nervous?" The dark Digimon then wondered. "I don't know. No one really knows what goes on inside that man's head. But…..maybe he's right. I've wanted to escape out of panic and make the mission fail." Koichi replied. "But why though? What happened?" Duskmon then asked.
Koichi looked down. For a moment, he remembered when Kabuterimon hit both him and Duskmon, and those tubes fell on the ground, with one of them getting broken. It was genuine fear when he saw it. In that moment, Koichi couldn't think of any other thing but to put those tubes in security. And the only solution was the escape. "They…fell for a moment." He simply replied.
Duskmon looked at him with his eyes wide open. "You mean…!?" He asked. Koichi nodded. "I…I see…" The Digimon ended.
Another moment of silence between them. And then…
"…Duskmon." Koichi said, getting the attention of his partner. "It has already been six months right?" The killer asked. "six months of research and collection…but still…the blood is not enough…and…Koji's disease only gets worse. The doctor said that…he could die in four months…but still…I'm not able yet to save him. Why Duskmon?" He said, showing some tracks of despair in his voice. "Am i…really unable to collide…my desire…and his salvation?"
The Hybrid-Level Digimon looked at him with a neutral stare. And then proceeded. "I don't know the answer for this. And no one can know it for sure. But…" He said, turning around on him. "We both know…that now is too late to change path. We decided to pick this choice and now we have to follow it until the end. Koji has a mortal disease and needs to be saved, and we also know that this desire of yours for blood is unbreakable. Remember Koichi. A purpose can be reached only by keep moving forward. No matter what. The only thing that can stop you is defeat and death, something we were always able to prevent. We started this career and we're going to finish it at all costs." He then explained.
Koichi looked at him surprised. Despite his behavior, it was rare to see Duskmon tried to comfort him. This showed how strong their bond actually was, despite being two criminals. The serial killer then came back to a regular face and started to walk again. "…Duskmon. Thanks. I remember now…what i…no…what we have to do." He simply said.
"It's my duty." Duskmon simply replied. So the two of them walked again in the dark of the city, waiting for their next prey.
"No matter what happens…I will save you Koji." This was the killer's thought.
After the argument with her father, Aria came back home but even there she couldn't stay calm. The words of Duke hurt her too much. A father that always wanted to do everything in order to make her happy now wanted to let her leave the agency, a place where she could be herself and stay with others. She wasn't really expecting something like that. She needed to go somewhere where she could relax, lay down and think of nothing, despite the hour. So she took her Digivice, grabbed a computer and went to the Digital World.
And somehow, she found herself in what looked like a tropical island in the middle of the ocean. "Woah…" Aria felt attracted by the simplicity of that place. She felt like she found the perfect place. "I've never seen this island…where are we?" Growmon asked while looking around. The Chosen Child and her Digimon were walking on the beach, noticing that there were even some constructions in wood in the island.
"So, uh…what do you want to do Aria?" Growmon asked. In that moment, the blonde girl looked at the sea, illuminated by the bright light of the moon. An unforgettable view. This made her smile. "You know…maybe what I need…is a bath. Could you please turn around?" She then asked to her Digimon.
"Oh! Sure do!" The lizard Digimon replied, as he turned around, looking at the vegetation of the zone. Once he did that, Aria started to take off her clothes and then went straight to the water and started to swim. Despite the cold, the girl found herself comfortable in the sea. It was indeed a nice choice for do something relaxing and get rid of all the stress.
"Aaaaaah…the water is so clean and good…" Aria said, as she lay down in the water, looking at the stars in the sky. "Feeling good?" Growmon asked with high voice from the beach. "Yes!" The detective answered back. Looking his partner having some fun in the water made Growmon think of the same idea. "Maybe…I could do that too…" He said. So he started to walk towards the water and then swim in a similar way to Godzilla in his movies. "Yes…it's really nice!" He said happy.
"He started to swim as well I see…" Aria said looking at his partner. She was already feeling fine, but still…some sadness and disappointment were inside of her heart. "…I really wondered why dad acted in that way…I just don't get it…" She said to herself.
Meanwhile Growmon was much more relaxed than his partner, and to add the fun in his personal swim, he decided to go underwater. Soon, he found many corals and rocks, liking them. "This place is actually the ideal for a vacation! I wonder why we've never seen it…" The Digimon thought. Then, as he looked up, he noticed something. "Hm?"
There was someone else swimming, probably a Digimon. They seemed to have similar features to those of a mammal, judging by the paws. "Is another Digimon here too?" Growmon thought. Of course, he wasn't going to eat them, just see who they were. So they came closer and went to the surface again, not knowing that Digimon was actually Leppamon, who was, too, enjoying a calm swim in the sea, before noticing something bigger than him that appeared. "What the!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Leppamon shouted, getting scared at the sight of the creature. "Woah woah! Leppamon, calm down! It's me!" The other Digimon tried to calm him down.
Seeing him better made Leppamon calm down. "Uh? Growmon? Is that really you?" He asked. "Geez! I didn't mean to scare you like that pal!" Growmon replied. "S-Sorry. It was all…sudden." The lynx Digimon said.
Then Aria came closer, since she heard the shout from before. "Did something happened, Growmon?" Aria asked, before noticing that Leppamon was there. "Leppamon? Does that mean that…" And just like she thought, even Rikka came closer by swimming. "Is everything alright? I've heard you screaming before." She said. "Y-Yeah…it seems that we're not alone…" Her partner replied, making Rikka notice of Aria and Growmon's presence.
"Aria!" "Rikka!" Both Chosen Children said as they saw each other.
After the two of them saw each other, they returned to the beach and put their clothes on again. Now both Aria and Rikka were sitting on the sand while watching at the sea, while Growmon and Leppamon were building some figures with the sand.
"So…how did you find this place?" Rikka asked. "Honestly…I don't know! I just dived in the Digital World, hoping to find a place to relax and I ended up here!" Aria answered with a giggle. "But…what place is this?" Now it was her turn to make a question. "Oh, right…you are new to the agency. And…you weren't with us when you were little. We call this place…the Destiny Islands. It's…our little special place actually." Rikka replied. "Really?" The French girl said. "Yes. Back when we were kids, our parents found this uninhabited island…and decided to bring us here whenever we wanted to play. I can still remember…how many times we have been there…playing all types of games…making rafts…take baths…it's really nostalgic." Koushiro's daughter replied.
"I see…you sure have a lot of affection for this place. Since you go in here even now!" Aria said with a laugh. "But…I can understand why. It's indeed a beautiful place."
"Yes…nowadays, we come here whenever we want a moment to relax. During the night…this island gives such a reassuring feeling. Like a second home where you can always go." Rikka spoke. "Like…when my dad…used to bring me here…" She added, having a more melancholy tone since she mentioned Koushiro. In that moment, Aria noticed that something was wrong in her friend. "Did…something happen with your dad?" She asked.
Rikka sadly nodded. "Yes…back at the agency. When we told the truth about Saiba Rei…my father gave me a terrible truth…he…was actually helping our enemy." She confessed, shocking Aria as well. "W-What!?" She said incredulous. "That's right…it seems that he was helping him with the research of Digimon's potential. And…it appears that he had invented the USB keys we are collecting." The Chosen Child answered. "You…you can understand how I felt it. It was…terrible…for the first time…I've felt like…I hated my dad." She added while sighing.
Aria looked at her in silence and shared her sadness. After all, she had something similar before. "I…I can actually understand what you've been through. I've had an argument with my father as well…" She confessed as well. "Really?" Rikka asked. The other girl nodded and explained. "After hearing that Saiba was the one that was trying to kill us…he was clearly furious. And…he wanted me to leave the agency." She explained, surprising the other girl. "Oh dear…I couldn't have guessed...i mean…your father seems to be so kind…" Rikka said.
"He is kind and good indeed, but…those words hurt me. I mean…even though I was a complete stranger for the agency…you still wanted to help me. You gave me courage and…saved my life. From that moment, I've deeply felt in debt with you and the others. I…I wanted to help you just like you helped me. Plus…it's true that I have been here for a little time but…even so…I felt like I found some true friends…I used to be quite lonely before joining the agency. It was just me and Growmon. But then…I've joined you and started to feel happiness! So…hearing those words coming from my father, who wants the best for me…made me angry as well. I know that he was trying to protect me but…you know…" Aria explained. "I think we know what you want to say, Aria." Growmon said.
In that moment Rikka leaned her head to Aria's arm, making the other girl blush. "Sometimes…fathers have the good intentions but make wrong things…I guess that part is really true…even my dad said something similar. After I joined the agency a year ago…he was actually worried for me, knowing of all the dangers of the job…since criminals can be extremely dangerous with a Digimon on their side. He…actually feared that he could lose me…like he lost his parents." She said.
"He…lost his parents?" Growmon asked. "Unfortunately…my father's biological parents died during a car accident when he was only a baby. He was then adopted by a distant cousin of my father and his wife, who became his parents and my grandparents. It was a drama that he had when he was a kid, but then surpassed it thanks to the adventures he had with Tentomon. He…thought that he could lose me. I convinced him that everything was alright…and that he could count on me but…" Rikka answered. "Knowing what he did…I just…can't accept it…" She added, shedding some tears from her eyes.
Aria felt really bad for her friend. She was aware of the pain that she was feeling at the moment. And she knew that the best that she could do was to comfort her. "Hey Rikka…don't cry like this…I'm sure there's an explanation to this." She said. "Yes, she's right. After all he's your father…and we both know how goodhearted he is. He's a Chosen Child after all. He won't do anything to harm you or any of us." Leppamon added.
Rikka looked at both of them and made a small smile. "…Thank you for trying to comfort me. I appreciate it." She simply said. "Just…try to talk with him next time. Ok?" Aria said to her with a smile.
"Ok. I will." Rikka replied. At this point she was perfectly calm. Staying at the island helped her a bit and have that talk with Aria made the rest. "I'm…glad to have had this chat with you. It helped me knowing you better actually!" She said with a smile as well. "I can say the same!" Aria replied. They then looked at each other in silence for some seconds and then..."No homo right?" Aria asked. "Yes...sorry." Rikka answered.
But…that calm was about to fade away soon.
"Aaaah! As always, a good talk always made things be-" Growmon was about to comment the scene, but stopped himself as soon as he heard something from behind him. And as he turned around…he saw a giant laser beam coming towards them. "EVERYONE! JUMP AWAY!" He shouted.
"Uh?" The others asked, but when they saw it as well, they didn't hesitate a second. Luckily they made it in time and the laser beam hit the sand. "W-What the!?" Aria exclaimed. "What was that attack!?"
"Oh shoot! I've almost have you." A voice suddenly said, alarming the two detectives. "Who is there? Show yourself!" Rikka exclaimed. And in that moment, from the cave carved inside the island, a figure showed up.
It was a man that had purple hair, purple eyes and the skin pale as the snow. He was wearing a white shirt resembling a cobra with a red eye and with pants. And he also wore two boots. It was clear that this person didn't have good intentions, and the two Chosen Children knew it well. "And to think I have even waited for this opportunity to come! Well, I think I'll just do the work in the usual way." He said with a grin while getting in a pose that resembled a cobra that was ready to attack.
"What!? How did you get here!? This island is unknown to almost everyone!" Rikka exclaimed. "Oh that's simple! After you exited from the agency, all I needed to do was to follow you. Then, when you used your Digivice to go here, I just manipulated the keyhole of your dore with a screwdriver and dived in the portal of your laptop as well!" The man answered, letting them understand what his intentions were.
"No way…are you one of Saiba Rei's mercenaries!?" Leppamon exclaimed. "Correct!" The man replied, feeling proud of it. But then Aria looked at him better and remembered something. "Wait a second…I think I know him!" She said. "You do?" Rikka asked.
"Yes…Kumo actually told us! He's one of the mercenaries that helped Saiba take over the government skyscraper of Somnus!" Aria exclaimed, pointing at him.
"Kumo, you say? Oh, you mean that poor guy that wasn't able to help his little friend. I still feel pity for him!" The mercenary said followed by an insulting laugh which made the two detectives boil with rage. "What could you possibly know of his sorrow if it's your boss that killed her, son of a bitch!?" Aria shouted. "I can't wait to make you burn like a turkey!" Growmon added, looking at him with the eyes of a predator.
"We really are offensive I see. But you should know that is all pointless. I am the mercenary Maximillian Astaroth! And everyone knows that whoever ends up fighting me will feel my poison!" The mercenary exclaimed, revealing his name, that was already familiar to Rikka. "Maximillian Astaroth!?" She exclaimed.
"You know him?" Aria asked, turning on her. "Yes…he was known to be a martial arts fighter…but was deprived of his title after the media discovered a shocking truth about him. It seems that he put a cobra's poison inside his nails and killed every opponent he fought. After that…he became a note mercenary." The detective explained. "So we're dealing with another dangerous being here…we have to be careful…" Aria spoke, while standing ready.
"I see that my legend is already famous then…" Maximillian said pleased before touching his nail with the tongue. "That's right. My nails are full of poison. And Saiba knew how useful they could be. So he hired me as one of his personal guards. A wise choice I should say! But enough talk! Because these same nails will be the ones that will drag you to hell!" He then exclaimed.
"Oh I don't think so!" Growmon exclaimed. "Not if we have something to say!" Leppamon added.
"That's how we talk. They're all yours, Deltamon!" Maximillian shouted. And in that moment, from the top of the island, jumped a giant reptile Digimon that was of the same size as Growmon. He was blue and had two other heads as hands: One more carnal and one more skeletal. Once he reached them, the Digimon roared.
"Deltamon?" Aria asked. Rikka took her Digivice and scanned him. "He's an Adult-Level Digimon. He seems to be a combination of three Digimon." She said.
"Got it!" Both Growmon and Leppamon said.
"Triplex Force!" In that moment, Deltamon shouted a combined attack from the three heads that became a giant laser beam. "Exhaust Flame!" As an answer, Growmon shooted a giant flame that soon clashed with the beam. Taking advantage of the situation, Leppamon quickly started to ran towards the reptile Digimon and jumped high. "KuruKuru-" He wanted to attack his head with his tail, but soon found himself got slammed on the ground from Deltamon's tail. "Gah!" Despite the attack, the lynx Digimon stood up and looked at the two giant Digimon that were still clashing their attacks. "Despite being focused on Growmon, he was still able to attack me…but I still have to attack! Shinkū Kamaitachi!" He then proceeded on shooting various blades of winds from his tail, but these seemed to have no effect on Deltamon. "Dammit! His skin is too solid for my wind! I have no choice…I have to find a way to attack him directly!" Leppamon thought.
"He's like a living bastion…" Aria noticed. "But even he must have some weaks points…" Rikka added, but their attention then was dragged by something else. "Hey you two! You should focus on your enemy!" When they turned around, they saw Maximillian approaching them with his long nails. It was clear that he wanted to stab them.
"SHIT!" Both Rikka and Aria exclaimed while getting away from him. "Alright! You've asked for it!" Aria then started to attack the criminal with some punches, but it seemed that Maximillian was able to block them all with one hand. "Come on! Is this the better you can do?" He said with a mocking grin. "Curse you!" Even Rikka started to give punches and kickes, but Maximillian simply had to use the other arm to block even her attacks.
Even if they continued attacking, the mercenary was still unharmed. "He's too agile! He really is a martial arts champion!" Aria exclaimed. "Good! Now that you know, how about PERISH!?" Maximillian shouted before taking both Rikka and Aria's arms and throw them to the ground, making them slam against the step of the constructions. "AGH!" The two girls had an hard impact with the step, and they even heard a bone from their backs crack. "D-Dammit…" Rikka said, standing up while trembling for the pain. "Still able to get up? Impressive for two beginners!" Maximillian commented.
Aria gritted her teeth and ran fast towards him. "I'm sick of your being cocky!" She exclaimed, as she started to give him various punches and kicks. Like before, Maximillian didn't have much difficulties on blocking them. "Try what you want! But you should understand that now it's-" He was going to insult him but was stopped by a sudden kick on the side that made him fall to the sand. "GAH!"
"How's that for a beginner?" Aria asked, still angry. "You hit him!" Rikka noticed. "Yes…as a detective, even I know how to deal with people like this!" The blonde girl replied. In that moment the mercenary stood up and looked at them more serious. "Fine…guess I'll have to be serious."
In the meantime, Growmon's Exhaust Flame and Deltamon's Triplex Force converted into a little explosion. "Now's the chance!" Growmon exclaimed while running towards the other reptile once the smoke was gone. "Grow Claw! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONON!" He proceeded with giving at the enemy a barrage of attacks with his long claws. Deltamon used his other heads to defend himself but got hit by one scratch at the head, which made him roar to pain. "Yes!" Growmon was about to celebrate, but in that moment one of Deltamon's head grabbed his arm and bite him, making him bleed as well. The red Digimon roared with pain, and by taking advantage of this, Deltamon lifted him up and slammed him to the sand. He then pushed him away with a kick.
"Haven't you forgotten someone!?" Leppamon exclaimed, making Deltamon turn around, but when he did that, the lynx Digimon was already on his head, scratching him. "Jūga Rangeki!" The combined Digimon roared out of pain as well and started to recoil and fell down in the end. "D-Did you get him?" Growmon said while helding his bleeding arm. "No…I'm afraid it will take much more than this to take him down…" Leppamon said after a gulp.
And like he said, after some seconds, Deltamon was already standing up and shoot another laser beam. "Triplex Force!"
Caught by surprise, the two Digimon ended up getting hit by the beam. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Fortunately they were still alive. "This is bad…" Growmon said. "He's too resistant. We need a way to distract him and give him a good amount of attacks…" Leppamon added.
"HAA!" While the Digimon were fighting, the match between the detectives and Maximillian continued, as Rikka tried to kick him on the head, but the mercenary was incredibly fast, fast enough to dodge it. "Take this!" Aria gave a punch that was detected by Maximillian, who used his arm to defend himself. Then with the free arm, he grabbed Aria's face and made her crash against the sand. "What taste does sand have, blondie?" He asked, before getting hit by another kick from Rikka. "Gh…I guess this is all about tag team, huh? Fine…guess I'll have to use my secret." He said. In that moment Aria stood up and tried to punch him, while Maximillian gave another punch at the same time, making them clash and jump away. The two detectives were breathing heavily. This battle was making them use many of their energies. "Come on…we're at his level now…" Rikka said. "Yes…we just have to take him down now." Aria replied.
"I must say you are impressive. No wonder why six of us got defeated. But now let's see how you shall deal with these!" The killer said, opening his hands in order to reveal his long nails. "Try to avoid the cobra fang itself!" He exclaimed before running faster than before and starting to give a strong combo of fists.
"Gh!" Both Aria and Rikka did their best to block the fists with their arms, but now Maximillian's speed was about to reach its maximum level, and like a cobra that gets his prey, he starts to give fast and strong scratches at the two girls. And then he gave a tough attack on Rikka's face, making her fall to the sand and stabbed Aria's chest with his nails. "BLARGH!" Aria splitted blood from her mouth and then looked furious at her enemy.
"I think this is over." Maximillian commented with a smirk, but his target then did something unexpected. She used one arm to block the one that stabbed her, like she wanted to make him unable to use one arm. "What!?" He exclaimed.
"If…if you think this will stop me…you're terribly wrong!" Aria exclaimed, before gritting her teeth for the pain. "You idiot, let go! Don't you get it? The poison already went inside your body and if you continue like this you'll lay on the ground dead!" Maximillian answered, starting to get irritated by his enemy behavior and then started to give her punches and elbows on her head with the attempt of making her let go. But Aria held out and did her best to maintain that position. And then…she was ready to answer. "Just like I said…you're WRONG!" She exclaimed before giving a stronger punch that made Maximillian recoil and let her go. And in that moment, Rikka, who was still on the ground, grabbed the mercenary by his shoulders with her legs and threw him away. "What!? AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The mercenary was once again slammed on the ground. "I think now you know that we don't mess around." Rikka said while standing up. At this moment, Maximillian was starting to get terribly irritated by this, and gave the two girls a stare that could be translated in a wish for their blood on the water. "I'm starting to getting sick of this. Now you've made me angry!" He shouted.
"Plasma Blade!" Growmon was using his the blades he had on his arms to attack Deltamon, who counterattacked with his other heads. They ended up with Growmon stabbing Deltamon's shoulder and Deltamon's skeletal head biting Growmon's belly. "NGH!" The Red Dinosaur gritted his teeth for the pain, but he was not alone. "Kurukuru Rekkūzan!" Leppamon attacked Deltamon with the blade on his tail and managed to cut his eye and make him roar of pain. "You did it!" Growmon exclaimed, but Deltamon was far from over as he charged another laser beam. "Triplex Force!"
"Dammit! Move, quick!" The red dinosaur said to his friends, before they jumped away. "Fire Blaster!" Growmon then attempted to burn him with flames, but Deltamon's two heads swallowed the fire with their wide mouths.
"Even with an eye off, he still has a lot of energies!" Growmon said. "Still…what can we do…wait a second!" Leppamon noticed then where his paws where standing. "Did you have an idea?" The red Digimon asked. "Yes! We just have to wait for him to come closer!" The lynx one replied.
In that moment, Deltamon made a strong roared and ran towards the two Digimon, but he didn't know that by doing this…he done what Leppamon has been waiting for. "Now! Shinkū Kamaitachi!" In that moment, Leppamon threw three blades of winds to the sand, making it go towards Deltamon's various eyes. All three heads shouted for pain as they felt blind. "Brilliant plan! By throwing sand at their eyes, you can make them vulnerable! This island is absolutely awesome!" Growmon said, looking happy, while Leppamon landed on his feet. "Now's the chance!" He said.
"Aye aye! Grow Claw! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONOOOON!" Growmon started to give Deltamon a barrages of attacks with his claws, and this time the attack went successfully and the other reptile had to recoil. "And now take this! Kurukuru Rekkūzan" Then Leppamon attacked him with the blade on his tail. "KYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAAA!" Deltamon couldn't resist that much and fell down. "Yes!" Both the two Digimon exclaimed.
And then, both Aria and Rikka continued to attack Maximillian tougher than ever, and now it was Maximillian that was having difficulties to defense himself. "Shit…to think that they are that tough!"
"See? Now you know that you don't have to mess with us!" Aria exclaimed while he and Rikka were about to give the final strike.
But then…suddenly…
The two detectives started to feel an incredible in all their body and fell on their knees. "AAAAAH! W-WHAT!?" Aria shouted. "W-WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY BODY!?" Rikka added, before they started to spit a strange foam from their mouth. It was in this moment that Maximillian knew that he won. "Ahahahahahahaah! It looks like it worked! It appears that the poison that I gave you with these nails worked! Now it's just a matter of time before it will kill you." He said.
"Y-You…bastard…" Rikka said. "T-This is infamous!" Aria exclaimed. "Hey, I've never said something about doing a fair fight. You know that my purpose is to kill you! But you know…it's kinda pity to see you die in this way, so…" Maximillian said, as he showed his nails again.
"RIKKA!" Leppamon shouted. "ARIA!" Growmon yelled as well. The two Digimon were about to go help their partners, but in that moment, Deltamon stood up and shoot another Triplex Force attack at them. "H-He's still standing!? AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Two Digimon ended up being hit again by the beam.
In the meantime, there was nothing that for the two detectives…this was really the end. The poison was too strong. "I guess this is really goodbye then…but thank you for the nice fight! I will remember you! SAY HELLO FROM ME IN THE OTHER WORLD!" Maximillian exclaimed as he was going to kill the two girls.
But then…
"Mega Blaster!" A beam of electricity fully hit Maximillian sending him to the ground. "WHAAAAT!?" He shouted.
"U-Uh?" Both Aria and Rikka said confused, as they looked up. By doing that, they were surprised to see who helped them. There were both Koushiro and Duke on Kabuterimon's back. The giant insect descended on the beach and the two fathers jumped off from his back. "Rikka! Aria! Are you ok?" Koushiro asked.
"D-Dad…?" Rikka asked. "W-Why are you here?" Aria added. "We were worried for both of you and we've tried to look for you everywhere. But we couldn't find you. It was then that Mister Koushiro remembered of this place and went right here. And it appears that we arrived at the right time." Duke answered, surprising the two girls. "You…you really wanted to find us…" Rikka said.
"Of course! I…I wanted to apologize for what I have done…i know you probably hate me at the moment. But…if there's something you want me to do…I'll do it!" Koushiro replied. "Me too! Anything to be forgiven!" Duke added.
Rikka and Aria were almost moved from these words, but unfortunately they didn't have time to say what they wanted to say, since they felt the poison dug deeper in their body. "Agh!" They shouted, alarming the two fathers. "What's going on!?" Kabuterimon asked. "T-That mercenary put a poison inside us…please…you have to suck it away before it kills us!" Rikka explained. "Hurry!" Aria added.
"What!? Right away!" Both Koushiro and Duke exclaimed. Removing the poison of a snake by using the mouth is considered pretty dangerous, due to the fact that the poison could enter inside the one who sucked it, but given the circumstances, this was the only thing they could do at the moment. Both Koushiro and Duke sucked the poison away from Rikka's head and Aria's chest and spit it out immediately, and in the end, they took a deep breath. "Done…thank god…" Duke commented.
The two girls were laying down on the ground for the pain they were still feeling, but they were happy that their fathers took the risk and saved them. "You…saved our life…" Aria said. "Of course! We are always ready to save you. You are our daughters after all." Koushiro replied.
Now that everything was done, Rikka had the chance to say what Aria told her. "D-Dad…" She started. "Yes?" Koushiro replied. "…I-" But in that moment…Rikka was interrupted.
Because it was not over yet.
"Triplex Force!" Suddenly Deltamon shot a laser beam towards the group. "WATCH OUT!" Kabuterimon shouted before going in front of them and getting hit by the beam. This caused him to go back in Tentomon. "Tentomon!" Koushiro exclaimed, as he ran over his partner and grabbed him. "No way!" Rikka said, noticing with horror that Deltamon was still there and their two Digimon partners were on the ground. "GROWMON!/LEPPAMON!" The two girls shouted.
"That Digimon is still there!" Duke exclaimed. "How are we going to-" Koushiro was saying his opinion, but then…like a flash, Maximillian stabbed both him and Duke, making them fall to the ground, while the two detectives watched with horror.
"Fuck you, stupid geezers! Dammit, your intervention ruined that perfect scene! Oh well, this doesn't mean I cannot repair! Now…where was I? Oh right, starting to write down your epitaph!" Maximillian said.
Their fathers came there…to make an apologize. Even if they made them angry…they still wanted to be there and explain better what they meant. They still wanted to close the wound that they opened in their daughter's heart. They showed what was a genuine paternal love. And then…that heartless mercenary wounded them right in the moment where their argument could have a solution.
The blue flame in their eyes was lifted. The eyes of a killer.
"What?" Maximillian was confused by their stares. "You know…we could forgive everything…we could forgive that you followed us…we could forgive that you are working for Saiba Rei…we could even forgive that you almost killed us with that poison…" Rikka started, feeling her blood boiling with rage. "But…you've made one terrible mistake…no one…and I said no one…SHOULD EVER DARE TO HARM ONE MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY IN THAT WAY!" Aria ended the line. "WE'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" They then shouted together, before throwing themselves towards Maximillian giving him a double punch on the face, whick made him split blood.
"BLARGH! GRRRR! DELTAMON! KILL THEM!" The mercenary ordered his Digimon to kill the two detectives. Deltamon was ready to use again his Triplex Force attack to pulverize them, but he wasn't the only Digimon that was still standing.
"Exhaust Flame!" Suddenly, a burst of fire hit Deltamon on the back, making him roar out of pain. Then, even a blade made of wind hit him in the head. "Shinkū Kamaitachi!"
When Deltamon turned around, he saw Growmon and Leppamon. Despite all the injures, like him, they were still alive. "W-We've seen everything! Your actions are unforgivable!" Growmon exclaimed. "I think it's time we finish this fight!" Leppamon added.
"You're ok!" Both Rikka and Aria said, before reaching their Digimon. "Of course Aria! As your partner, I have to make a solid figure!" Growmon replied. "We may are injured, but we still have enough energy!" Leppamon added.
"T-This is insane! How can you still keep moving!?" Maximillian exclaimed. "We could say the same of you…plus, this could be even your fault!" Aria answered. "By harming our fathers and Tentomon in that way…you gave us a new reason to take you down! And then…after you! It will be the others turn!" Rikka added. And…in that moment…another unexpected moment…happened.
Both Rikka and Aria's Digivice started to release a bright light, which made them notice that. "Our…Digivice?" Rikka asked. It was then…that they understood what was happening. "Could it be…?" Aria said. Even Growmon and Leppamon started to get surrounded by light, while their enemy looked at the scene with his eyes wide open. "W-What is happening!?"
"Rikka! I'm ready!" Leppamon exclaimed. "Let's kick their asses, Aria!" Growmon added. There was nothing more to say. They were ready to unleash what they have been waiting for a long time. "GO!" They both shouted. And the event happened.
The event…of evolution.
"LEPPAMON! SUPER EVOLUTION!" The lynx Digimon's body started to change. His body grew bigger, and his paws started to become clogs. Two long wings grew on his back, which became green and a horn grew up on his heat. He even had two radiant moustaches on his mouth, which was covered by a white beard. This was his new Perfect-Level stage. "TYLINMON!"
"GROWMON! SUPER EVOLUTION!" Even the fierce dinosaur started to mutate. As his size grew bigger, a grand and strong armor started to appear all over his body. On his arms appeared two long blades made of metal, accompanied by two cannons on his chest, two thrusters on his shoulders, a long line on his back and a strong iron jaw on his mouth. The beast evolved into a mechanic Digimon. "MEGALO GROWMON!"
The light faded, revealing the two newly evolved Digimon, who looked at Deltamon. "N-No way…they…THEY…!" Maximillian was now trembling with fear.
"They evolved!" Duke exclaimed. "Rikka's Digimon…finally reached the Perfect-Level!" Koushiro said while tears started to go down from his eyes. He had waited this moment for so long.
The two detectives were bewitched by all of this. For many years, Leppamon and Growmon remained at their Adult-Level stage. An event like this seemed unrealistic, but beautiful. Just like Strikedramon did the day before, now their Digimon evolved. "I-Incredible…Tyilinmon…and Megalo Growmon…" Aria said, feeling happy for this. While Rikka took her Digivice and scanned them both. "Tylinmon, a Perfect-Level Digimon…despite his level, it's a Digimon that even holds the power to stand against an Ultimate-Level Digimon. He hates senseless killings and commits punishments for those who are wicked. While Megalo Growmon is a Perfect-Level Digimon that uses more power of the Digital Hazard. The evolution made his body be covered with an armor made of strong metal digizoid." She explained.
"T-They're…AWESOME! I've been waiting for such a long time to see Growmon become like this!" Aria exclaimed.
"W-We…we really evolved!" Megalo Growmon said, surprised. "Rikka and Aria's love for their fathers made the impossible! Now we can finish this! Even though…from a lynx to a horse…it's weird." Tylimon commented his new form. "Ahahah! You can complain later! Let's finish them right now!" His friend said, getting ready.
"Are…Are you kidding me!? Right in the moment I could finish this homicide, THEY EVOLVED!? Now you've pissed me off! FOR REAL! DELTAMON! DESTROY THEM WITH ONE BLOW!" Maximillian shouted, incredibly frustrated for what he just saw.
"Triplex Force!" Deltamon was about to shoot another laser, but this time, he was going to fail. Megalo Growmon started to ran towards him while putting his armored arms to X and managed to block the beam thanks to the metal of his armor. "W-WHAT!?" Maximillian shouted.
"Double Edge!" Then, once he was close enough to him, Megalo Growmon started to hit Deltamon with a barrage of attacks with his blades. "NONONONONONONONONONONONONONON!" The other Lizard was unable to defend himself and felt every attack. "Shippū Tenshouken!" Even Tylinmon started to attack repeatedly with his horn through the enemy's body. "KYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAKYAAAAA!"
"N-No! This absurd! There's no way this is the end! I can't…I CAN'T-" Maximillian was about to complain, but in a moment, he saw Tylinmon appear in front of him, stabbing his chest with his horn. "I can't…lose!" He said, before falling to the ground, dead.
And now, only Deltamon was left. "All we have to do is deliver the final blow! Are you ready, Megalo Growmon?" Aria asked to her partner. "Affirmative, Aria!" The giant dragon said, as he pointed Deltamon with the cannons on his chest, which started to accumulate energy. "THEN GOOOOO!" The blonde girl shouted.
"Since you like beams so much, have a load of this! ATOMIC BLASTER!" And in the end, Megalo Growmon released the energy, which converted in two gigantic beams that aimed directly at Deltamon, fully hitting them. This time, the power was too great, and the Digimon ended up disappearing in data.
"YES!" Both Rikka and Aria shouted. "They did it!" Koushiro and Duke exclaimed. The two Digimon looked at each other with a grin. "Wow! They really evolved! And they are also so cool!" Tentomon commented, but…in that moment…both Tylinmon and Megalo Growmon reverted back to their Adult-Level forms. "OH COME ON!" Growmon shouted.
After it was over, Duke and Koushiro reached their daughter and looked at them. "Are…are you alright?" Rikka asked.
"Yes. To think that Leppamon would evolve right now…it's really amazing, isn't it?" Her father said. "I could say the same thing!" Duke added. "Yeah. And…listen…I'm…sorry for what I have done…i…I've made a terrible mistake. I didn't know what I was doing." Koushiro then bowed his head and apologized sincerely and from the bottom of his heart. "Dad…there….there's no need to do it…i…" Rikka said, as she started to sob. "I should have known that there was an explanation to this…Saiba tricked you with his words and played with your trusts…my father would never help a villain…he…he's a Chosen Child after all." She added before noticing that her father was covering his eyes. "Dad! Are you…crying?" She asked.
"N-No…maybe..i have some sand in my eyes…" Koushiro replied. "You're the same as ever!" Tentomon said, finding it funny. And then…Rikka made a step forward…and hugged her father. "I…I love you dad."
Koushiro looked at her and remembered of all the times that happened when she was a little girl. So he hugged her back. "I love you too, Rikka…" He simply said.
Duke looked at them and then at his own daughter. "I have to apologize as well. My rage took the control of me and hurt you…I'm sorry. I should know better that this is your life…and you decide what to do with it. Even with all those injures…will you still keep your work as a detective?" He said.
"…As I said. They need me. And as their friend…I have to be there for them. I'm…sorry if this goes against what you expected." Aria replied. "It's ok. I've learned my lesson. At least…do your best." Duke said, making his daughter smile. "I will." Aria said, before hugging him. "Thank you for understanding, dad…"
"It's alright, Aria…it's alright." Duke simply answered. "All ends well!" Growmon commented.
It's natural for humans to make mistake, but there Is always some space for mercy into someone's heart. Sometimes, the love from the family is the thing that makes people remember what's important. And this is a lesson that both Rikka and Aria learned well today.
The next day…
It was early morning, and all the detectives were at the agency. That day, Rikka and Aria were the first ones to come, so that they could explain their sudden disappearance of last night, the fight with Maximillian and his Digimon and the evolution of Growmon and Leppamon.
"I see…well…a lot really happened last night for you two, hasn't it?" Kyoko asked.
Aria nodded. "Indeed. But we are happy that we managed to get out of that situation. Thanks also to our dads." Aria replied. "And you guys even evolved! How was it?" Veedramon then asked to the two Digimon.
"It was amazing! You should have seen us, Veedramon! I was freaking big and robotic!" Growmon answered. "Please tell me more!" The blue dragon exclaimed with stars on his eyes. "It's like you wish to evolve as well, Veedramon." His partner Kasai commented. "Of course! I've been waiting a whole life! And now that Strikedramon, Growmon and Leppamon evolved as well, there's the possibility that I will evolve well in the future!" Veedramon replied.
"Good grief…well, one day Veedramon. One day." Kasai answered.
"Anyways…did this mercenary you fought had an USB key with them?" Kouta then asked. "Yes! Here." Aria replied, while taking another key from the pocket.
"Oh yes! Now we have six of them, right?" Sasuke asked. "Affirmative! We are getting closer to our goal!" Kyoko replied, happy to see another key. "If we continue like this…" Kumo started a line. "Then we can head directly to Saiba Rei!" Shoutmon ended.
"Yes! It's true that we had to confess the truth to our parents last night. But I actually think that this will make us stronger! Plus, two of our Digimon evolved, and with it, we have three Digimon that can reach the Perfect-Level! We just have to make things as usual and pursue those mercenaries! Then, once we have all the USB keys we can stop Saiba's plan! Who's with me?" Kyoko then said.
"I DO!" Everyone exclaimed. "Let's continue the investigation as always! Shall we work together, Aria?" Rikka asked. "With pleasure!" Aria replied.
"Very well then! Let's go to work!" Kyoko answered before everyone went in different rooms, leaving only her and Kasai at the entrance.
"Glad to see that nobody was depressed." Kasai ironically commented. "Yeah! I'm actually happy to see that Rikka and Aria were able to solve things with their fathers. And Growmon and Leppamon even evolved…"Kyoko replied.
"If more of our Digimon would reach the Perfect-Level, then things would become easier." Kasai said. "I'm sure that everyone will have their time to do this! We have a strong bond with our Digimon after all! I'm sure they will all evolve one way or another!" Kyoko replied. "By the way, Kasai! Ready for our date tonight?" She then asked. Kasai nodded. "Great! I'm sure it will be great! After a long time, finally just the two of us again!" Kyoko added. She was clearly delighted to hang out with her best friend after a long time, hoping that everything would have been nice.
But sadly…that was not going to be the case.
