Hi everyone. I hope no one thought I had given up with this story due to the length it's taken to get this chapter posted. I seemed to suffer with writer's block quite a bit with this one, which was strange because I knew what I wanted to happen with it. I have a habit of writing a scene, then thinking it's not right, then I'll end up writing something else and so on. It's a vicious cycle, but I'd rather post something I feel happy with than rush a chapter out. I hope that makes sense!
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Thanks :)
RSBCS: Thank you :) haha yeah Tai should know that Sora will always find out what goes on in her absence.
Sweet-SnarkingFool: Yeah a short reunion though. I'm glad people are enjoying the twist with the prophecy, and there could be a few more twists to come!
Mizz hottie: Thanks, I've got the rest of the story planned out sorry so I don't think I would be able to add anymore characters
K-fanfics: Thank you. I'm going to go read your new chapter now :)
Sweet Cari: Yeah it's gonna be a tough battle against Grandracmon with a few more twists to come. Thanks :)
LadyGatomon97: Thank you. To be honest I haven't made a decision on that just yet
PBC: It does take me a while to get chapters finished sorry. I do try and write whenever I get free time but it does take me a good few months to get them done.
Loboaguilamon: Aw thank you :) Good to hear you enjoy it. And Baby Makes Five is on my list next to update.
Luca616: I haven't forgotten about the other Digimon. If they don't reach their mega forms in this story it will certainly be an idea for a future one
Smartalec121: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I did toy with the idea of it being Dawn and Stacey, but I guess I was a little worried it would come off too similar to how Tai and Matt were in the past, if that makes sense, so ultimately I decided on Dawn and Tai. Hopefully what I have planned won't disappoint.
Thanks to everyone else who left reviews, whether it was for chapter 53 or previous ones. I had a few reviews asking for the other children's Digimon to reach their mega levels. I just wanted to say I haven't forgotten about them, and to be honest it wasn't something I had originally planned for this story. But it's certainly something planned for future stories. Even though I have the rest of these chapters planned out I'm always changing/tweaking little bits so who knows? :)
Digimon 2.5 "Adventure 03"
Episode 54: 'ShadowSeraphimon's Last Stand'
.:Unknown location, Digital World:.
Somewhere in an unknown dimension that lay between the barrier of the Digital World and Earth, Azulongmon was floating in the air, waiting patiently. He was also taking the opportunity to rest and rebuild his strength after he had used quite a bit of his power to contact the DigiDestined earlier. It wasn't in his nature to lend help to his allies, but he knew if things didn't go to plan he would most likely be called upon and he would need to be at full strength if he were to face Grandracmon again.
His previous battle with Grandracmon was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't want history to repeat itself again. Back then he hadn't been strong enough to defeat Grandracmon on his own, and he certainly knew he still wouldn't be strong enough now. But he knew if the DigiDestined were to figure out the prophecy and combine their strengths together they would stand a chance of winning; but only if that piece of Grandracmon's soul was destroyed…
"This had better be good, Azulongmon."
The holy Digimon opened his eyes and slowly moved his long body as he turned his head to see Anubismon had now arrived, floating just behind him.
"You know I do not like to leave my post in the Dark Area," Anubismon stated.
"My apologies Anubismon, but this won't take long," Azulongmon began as he manoeuvred himself so he was facing the wizard Digimon front on. "I'm afraid I haven't called you here on good terms. Grandracmon has returned."
"What?" Anubismon gasped, his eyes widening a little. "How?"
"I won't bore you with the details other than he was able to regain that piece of his data I stole from him all those years ago." Azulongmon explained.
"Well you seem awfully calm about this Azulongmon. After all you said he would never be able to return once you trapped him in Myotismon's form… What do you plan on doing to solve this problem we now all face?" Anubismon questioned rather sharply. "Grandracmon is now free once more to continue his reign of destruction."
"The fate of the Digital World once more is now in the hands of the DigiDestined." Azulongmon replied. "I have already made contact with them and they now understand this is a much bigger fight than they originally expected. There is a prophecy foreseeing two of the DigiDestined will combine their strengths and destroy that piece of Grandracmon's soul that lies hidden away in his castle. That will be the key to his demise."
"But no human has ever entered the Dark Area Azulongmon… The Dark Area is designed to imprison the data of bad Digimon, and it is full of evil energies that can turn even the purest of Digimon to the dark side." Anubismon explained. "Who knows what the consequences will be if a human enters that domain?"
"It is a risk they will have to take. Whilst that piece of his soul remains intact the DigiDestined won't come remotely close to stopping him. It's the only way Anubismon, but I believe the DigiDestined do have the strength to defeat him, and they won't let us down."
Anubismon sighed. "I hope you are right. Because if the DigiDestined fail, then I fear the Digital World and Earth will be destined for destruction."
.:Tokyo Port, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
Tai opened the door to the roof of the warehouse, immediately spotting his wife standing on the opposite side looking out across the bay with her back to the door. She didn't move, which made Tai believe she hadn't heard him arrive. He sighed and stepped out, letting the door close on its own, before he made his way over.
Since Azulongmon's confession and with Izzy's theory regarding the prophecy things had gotten a little disorderly downstairs. Almost everyone had begun talking at once, each with their own opinion and questions about the situation. It had been a lot to take in, especially about finding out the true origins of their longest rival Myotismon. Naturally, a small squabble had started between Tai and Matt when the latter had offered to help, stating they would most likely need Omnimon in the Dark Area, but Tai had refused saying they needed everyone to stay and protect the city. As the squabble turned a little more heated, that's when Sora had decided she had heard enough and left the group heading up to the roof.
"Sora… you shouldn't be out here…" Tai said softly as he stopped beside his wife and glanced at her. She remained still, her eyes still fixed on the vast stretch of frozen water in front of them. "C'mon Sor', don't be angry with me. I-"
"I'm not angry with you Tai," Sora interrupted with a sigh. "I just came up here to be alone for a moment. I needed time to process what's just happened and everybody talking and arguing at once just got a bit too much for me." She then paused for a brief moment. "I finally get home after worrying about everyone to find out there's a prophecy predicting my family has to leave to venture into this unknown dangerous underworld."
"Hey it was a shock for me too you know." Tai said.
Just then, the door to the roof quietly opened and Dawn peered out watching her parents who were unaware she was now there.
"Azulongmon said the Dark Area is home to some of the most feared Digimon in the Digital World. You'll need Omnimon Tai." Sora added.
Tai sighed. "Sora you know why I can't let Matt go with me. Right now probably the most feared Digimon in the Digital World is here in Odaiba with an army of powerful Digimon. If Grandracmon decides to launch an attack MetalGarurumon will be needed to back up Imperialdramon. The Nightmare Six are strong. I don't want to risk putting the others in more danger if Matt leaves as well."
"Then at least let me come with you."
"What? No way, Sora. I don't want to put you in any more danger either."
"But you're okay with taking our daughter there?"
"Do you think I want to? Do you think I want to take our little girl to some dangerous dimension? Believe me Sor' if there was any other way in defeating Grandracmon I'd take it. But you heard what Azulongmon said, and as much as I hate it; Dawn's got a much bigger part to play in this now. If it was up to me I would have locked her in her bedroom where she would be safe from all this. I know you probably think I'm an idiot for refusing Matt's help, but I'm just thinking about the bigger picture Sor'. It's not just about making sure you, Kari and the others are safe. There's also the rest of Odaiba. I don't want to risk putting hundreds of more people in danger by taking MetalGarurumon out of the equation-"
"Dad, I can do this you know."
Tai and Sora both stopped and turned around to see their daughter was now standing a few feet behind them. She was looking up at them both with a firm look in her eyes.
"I know it's going to be dangerous, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I understand what's going on, and how bad the situation is. Dad, you told me everybody has a weakness and at the time I didn't believe Myotismon had one. But now we know what his weakness is. He's played on our weaknesses in the past and now it's time we take full advantage of his. Otherwise he's just going to keep causing destruction and hurting our friends wherever he goes."
Tai glanced at his wife, who was looking just as surprised as he was. He stepped forward and knelt down to Dawn's height, placing a hand on her shoulder as she continued to look at him with the same determined look. "I know you can do this kiddo. Even though I don't like to admit it; you've grown up a lot, and you certainly proved that on that island when you took on Myotismon by yourself. You and Agumon have definitely grown stronger together, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to protect you, especially from all of this. I know sometimes I can come off as being a little overprotective but no matter how old you get I'm always going to be looking out for you. So you can understand how I feel knowing I have to take you to unknown dimension that we've never been to before that's home to some really bad Digimon."
"I understand," Dawn replied. "I won't do anything careless Dad. I know how dangerous this will be, and I know how important it is too. We've both got a big part to play now. Everyone in Odaiba and in the Digital World will be counting on us… I don't wanna be locked away in my bedroom."
Tai laughed a little. "Oh... you heard that huh?" He ruffled her hair a little. "I was only joking, I didn't mean it."
Sora smiled a little before she knelt down between her husband and daughter. "You took on Myotismon all by yourself?" she quizzed Dawn who, now realising the secret was out, just smiled innocently back at her. Sora then turned her attention to Tai, who then gave her the same look their daughter just had. "Just what exactly has happened whilst I've been away?"
Downstairs Izzy was still sat at his makeshift desk, staring quizzically at his laptop. After working out the prophecy he still had one more thing to figure out; how to actually get into the Dark Area. His screen was full of data from the Digital World, specifically the Net Ocean. He was looking for any sort of clue in the ocean's code that might lead him to figuring out a way in. So far he had drawn a blank, with nothing in the data even indicating there was anything at all underneath the ocean.
"We cannot continue to waste anymore time hiding," BlackWarGreymon spoke up, causing Izzy to break his concentration from his laptop. "The longer we hide the more angry Grandracmon will become. We need to take action before he starts destroying everything."
"Well if you have a plan it would be a good idea if you shared it with us." Ogremon grunted sarcastically, earning a look from the mega Digimon.
Izzy sighed somewhat in defeat and rose from the crate he had been sitting on and walked over to the group of Digimon. "I completely agree with you BlackWarGreymon but we still have a little more work to do before we set out to fight Grandracmon. Do any of you know anything about the Dark Area? Anything at all that might help us figure a way to get there?"
Nearly all of the Digimon shook their heads in response. "Only what Azulongmon told us," Unimon replied.
Matt walked over standing beside Izzy. "I feel Azulongmon knew more than he was telling us." He said a little spitefully. "You think given the situation and the fact Azulongmon himself couldn't defeat Grandracmon he would have told us all the information we need if he expects us to finish the fight he couldn't."
"You know how mysterious Azulongmon is," Tentomon replied. "He wants us to figure it out on our own. He's not the sort of Digimon who lends help so easily."
"Let's face it, the only ones that truly know anything about the Dark Area is Grandracmon himself and his cronies." Davis commented.
Pumpkinmon grinned. "Maybe we can trick them into telling us how to get there?" he suggested, to which Gotsumon nodded in agreement.
"They're not that stupid," Leomon replied, who was standing behind the two smaller Digimon.
"What if Grandracmon finds out what we're doing?" Mimi thought aloud worryingly. "If he has more henchmen there he might send them after Tai and Dawn. If they get ambushed they won't stand a chance."
"Grandracmon probably has his castle heavily guarded anyway," Matt said. "He wouldn't be foolish enough to leave it unguarded if that piece of his soul is so important to his existence. They're gonna come up against some powerful Digimon. I tried to explain that to Tai but he wouldn't listen."
Dan turned his head and looked over to where Wizardmon was standing with Piximon floating beside him. "Can't you two use your powers and magically open up a portal?"
"I'm afraid we don't possess that kind of power to perform such a trick." Wizardmon replied.
"The powers of darkness there are too great against our magic." Piximon added.
"You know, I did always wonder what happened to the data of the evil Digimon we destroyed. But still, it's a little concerning to think all this time there has been another dimension filled with darkness that we didn't know about." Joe commented.
"Just like the Dark Ocean." Gomamon spoke up.
Izzy, who had been making his way back to his makeshift desk, suddenly stopped. He turned back around and looked over to where the rookie Digimon was perched on Joe's shoulder. "What did you say Gomamon?"
"I said; just like the Dark Ocean."
Izzy didn't seem to move at first, and his expression didn't give much away as everyone now had their focus on him. "Of course…" he finally said as it dawned on him. "Why didn't I think of it before? The Dark Ocean… surely the two must be connected in some way."
"You mean there would be a way to enter the Dark Area through the Dark Ocean?" Cody asked.
"Yes-" Izzy nodded. "-I mean it's just a theory but perhaps they are in the same dimension... The Dark Ocean must source its energy from somewhere, and I think it feeds off the evil energies in the Dark Area. I have always been intrigued about the origins of the Dark Ocean and wondered if there was more to it than what we already knew, and now it seems to all make sense. If my theory is correct and it's all one world of darkness then all we have to do is open a portal to the Dark Ocean. From there Tai and Dawn will be able to find Grandracmon's castle."
Matt casually folded his arms across his chest. "Somehow I don't think it will be that easy as you just made it sound Izzy."
"Well… I'll admit there will be some problems they'll face along the way. It won't be an easy journey to find Grandracmon's castle, considering Azulongmon mentioning how big the Dark Area is and with the absence of a map."
"Not to mention the effects the darkness might have on them." Ken spoke up. "The Dark Ocean has the power to bring twisted thoughts to life and then magnifies and corrupts them. I know I was an easy target when I was a kid, but the darkness is strong and if what you say is true Izzy and the Dark Ocean is feeding off the evil energies of the Dark Area then the darkness will be even more powerful there… even someone as strong as Tai might fall victim to it."
"It's a good job Sora isn't here to hear all this," Gomamon commented.
"Gomamon." Joe quickly scolded, giving his partner a look.
TK glanced at Kari who was standing beside him. She hadn't said a word since the truth about the prophecy had been revealed, and the look of worry was even clearer on her face since the Dark Ocean had been mentioned. It had been so long since she and Ken had been affected by the darkness she probably thought she would never have to deal with that place again. But now twenty five years later it was threatening to show itself again. He knew Kari wouldn't be going there herself, but he was still worried what affect the concern for her brother would have on her. "Izzy… do you really want to send Tai and Dawn there? I know I was only in the Dark Ocean for a little while but that place gave me the creeps."
"We don't have a choice TK," Matt said before Izzy had a chance to answer, causing his brother to look at him. "Since Azulongmon told us the truth about Grandracmon this battle has just got a whole lot tougher for us, and to win this battle we need to do this, even if it means taking risks we might not all like… and I'm sure Tai would agree with me on this too."
TK sighed. "I know Matt, I understand… I... I just wish we had more time to try and come up with a better solution that's all."
"Speaking of which, we need to make a final decision on the plan of action quickly." Tentomon said, hovering beside Izzy. "The more time we spend talking about it the more of Tai and Dawn's time we're wasting. Remember the prophecy predicts whatever happens will be tonight."
Izzy nodded in agreement. "You're right." He briefly glanced at his watch before he then turned his attention to Ken. "Ken, can I borrow your D-3 for a sec?" he asked, to which Ken nodded and reached down for his digivice.
"Hold on," Yolei spoke up, causing her husband to pause. "If you need Ken's D-3 are you suggesting we open up a portal to the Dark Ocean just like we did all those years ago? I don't want Ken to go through all that again."
"Don't worry Yolei. Technology advanced a lot since that day. I do need Ken's D-3 but I won't need Ken himself to open up the portal. I can use my laptop as a source of energy to help channel the data hopefully still stored within his digivice to open it. My laptop has a powerful processor and the battery was fully charged before we left so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Except we do have one problem," Davis stated from his position just behind Ken. "You guys forgetting about Daemon?"
Veemon nodded in agreement. "We sealed Daemon away in the Dark Ocean remember? If we open up another portal he might escape."
"But that was twenty five years ago… would he be still there? If Izzy's theory on the Dark Area and Dark Ocean both being within the same dimension then it's a possibility Daemon could have moved on from there." Cody added.
"But what if he hasn't? What if he is still there?" Yolei said. "The last thing we want is to have to fight Grandracmon and Daemon. We couldn't destroy Daemon which is why we had to send him to the Dark Ocean in the first place."
"I don't think we should make any final decisions until Tai gets back." Kari claimed.
Stacey watched as their parents continued to discuss things. She was sitting down on top of a wooden crate with her two partners sitting at her feet just beside the wall. Even though she was a few good yards back from where the adults were gathered she had heard every word that been said. She still couldn't quite get over how quickly the situation had changed. From having the glimmer of hope of destroying Myotismon only hours ago to now hiding away in a warehouse from possibly the most feared Digimon in the Digital World was starting to scare her. Things had definitely turned extremely serious, and deep down she was glad she wasn't in Dawn's shoes right now.
MJ approached her younger cousin, standing just behind her. "Do you think everything will be okay?" she asked quietly.
The Ishida girl took a few seconds to respond. "I... I don't know." She replied honestly. "I've never seen our parents in such a deep discussion before…I know this sounds a little selfish, but I'm glad I'm not Dawn right now. The fate of both worlds is really down to her now huh?"
MJ nodded. "Yeah, I guess they are. But I don't think Dawn will let us down. Whenever she starts something she always aims to finish it, and the fact from having watched a few of her soccer games I know she hates losing." She said, a little humorously at the end.
Stacey scoffed a little laugh. "Yeah… true." It definitely was a fact Dawn always wanted to win in whatever she did, and from what Stacey had seen recently she always fought right till the end and never gave up… which was probably why she was the right DigiDestined for the job. Dawn hardly ever showed any fear or weaknesses, something which Stacey was a little jealous of. But she began to wonder if right now the Kamiya girl was feeling even remotely scared at the thought of entering such a dangerous place, and with so much expectations resting on her shoulders…
ShadowSeraphimon glided through the air as he passed over Tokyo Big Sight, heading in the direction of the harbour. His surveyed the ground below for any sign of the DigiDestined or potential hiding places. The streets and walkways were empty, except for a few members of the public who immediately fled at the sight of him. He descended down and floated still for a few moments taking in his surroundings. "Hmm… this looks promising…" he thought aloud as he looked over the vast stretch of the harbour.
In front of him were many warehouses of different sizes, some looking more run down than others. There were rows of shipping containers, as well as a single cargo ship docked at the port. Needless to say there were many places the DigiDestined could hide.
ShadowSeraphimon flew over and dropped down onto the ship's top deck. Everywhere was quiet and the ship looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Satisfied no one was on board he turned and was about to ascend back up into the air when something caught his eye. "Huh?" he looked over to the end of the port where one of the smaller warehouses was situated. He slowly smiled, which then turned into a small chuckle as he made out three figures standing on top of the roof…
Despite now knowing all that had happened whilst she had been away, Sora still didn't feel any better. In fact it only added to the guilt she had knowing she should never have left in the first place. Even before leaving she'd had a feeling deep down something bad was going to happen, and at the time she had put it down to the fact Myotismon had returned again. But she should have known that dream she had a few days prior to Myotismon's return was trying to tell her something, and now she felt disappointed in herself for leaving her family to deal with everything.
"A lot has happened whilst I've been away then huh?" she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry… I knew I should never have left."
"It's not your fault Sor'." Tai said softly. "You don't need to apologise."
"Yeah, but it'll be okay Mom," Dawn added. "What's happened is done now and we can't change that. But now me and Dad are gonna go and hit Grandracmon right where it hurts so we can all win this fight."
Sora smiled slightly. Despite all that had happened she was proud of her daughter for what she had done in her absence, but the ten year old still had that impulsive streak in her that Sora believed she would never fully grow out of. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I know how easy you and your father can get into mischief together, especially when I won't be there to keep an eye on you both." She said with a small smirk.
Dawn smiled a little sheepishly. "We didn't get into that much trouble whilst you were gone..."
Sora laughed a little. "Still, from what you just told me it just proved my point."
Tai just frowned at his wife, causing her to laugh even more.
"I fail to see what you find so funny DigiDestined." Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over the family, and they flinched at the sound of the familiar voice. They turned and looked up to see ShadowSeraphimon was now hovering in the air just above them. "Hiding in plain sight? Pretty foolish if you ask me."
Sora gasped and without delay she grabbed hold of her daughter, whilst Tai pushed them both behind him, protecting them.
"Not laughing now are you?" ShadowSeraphimon mocked as Tai slowly stepped back, guiding his family away from the mega level Digimon. "Running away from us has only fuelled Grandracmon's anger more, and unfortunately for you his patience has run out and he's now given us orders to destroy you all on sight!" he added before he began to form a sphere of energy with his hands. "I had a sneaky feeling you would be hiding in here somewhere. I was just going to flatten the harbour but thanks to you I can save my energy for destroying you all."
"Spiral Twister!"
"Pepper Breath!"
Just as ShadowSeraphimon was about to release his attack, Biyomon and the two Agumons unleashed their own, having just arrived out onto the roof in time. The three small attacks didn't harm him, but they were enough to knock his aim off course as the sphere of energy was released and it soared up and over the Kamiya family, striking an old crane behind the warehouse, blasting it apart.
Biyomon then flew ahead, soaring over her partner…
"BIYOMON DIGIVOLVE TO… BIRDRAMON!"
"BIRDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TO… GARUDAMON!"
Garudamon tackled ShadowSeraphimon in the air, forcing him back out over the bay. She then moved back and unleashed her attack. "Wing Blade!" The attack formed its shape of a bird and homed in on the mega Digimon, only for him to unleash a quick shockwave with a flick of his hand, disintegrating it. "Phoenix Claw!" Garudamon immediately attacked again by slashing at him with her claws. But ShadowSeraphimon was too quick and jumped up out of the way. She tried again, but he simply glided to the left, leaving her to slash thin air.
"Let's go Agumon!" Dawn commanded. She was about to release her digital ring when her father stretched his arm out blocking her path.
"No," Tai ordered. "He needs to save his strength."
"What?" Dawn exclaimed. "But Dad-"
"Shadow Shockwave!" ShadowSeraphimon flicked his hand releasing an invisible shockwave. It engulfed the entire area, blowing out the remaining glass in the windows of the warehouse as well as throwing Garudamon back.
"Our Digimon need to be at full strength when we enter the Dark Area." Tai told his daughter firmly. "They can't waste their energy fighting him."
Dawn clenched her fists a little as she gritted her teeth. This was the Digimon who had captured her and Agumon, and she wanted nothing more than to get their revenge by showing him what they were made of. Surely it wouldn't take them long to take him down?
Down on the ground, the glass shattering from the shockwave had alerted everybody else inside. Matt, Izzy, Davis, Ken, their Digimon, and BlackWarGreymon all ran out from inside. "It's ShadowSeraphimon!" Veemon exclaimed. "He's found us!"
"It wasn't all that hard DigiDestined." ShadowSeraphimon scoffed, turning to face them. "And now I'm going to enjoy the pleasure of destroying you all myself."
BlackWarGreymon growled and jumped up into the air, joining the battle.
"Okay Gabumon, time to digivolve." Matt commanded.
"GABUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO… METALGARURUMON!"
"You too, Veemon and Wormmon." Davis added.
"VEEMON DIGIVOLVE TO… EXVEEMON!"
"WORMMON DIGIVOLVE TO… STINGMON!"
"EXVEEMON… STINGMON… DNA DIGIVOLVE TO… PAILDRAMON!"
"PAILDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TO… IMPERIALDRAMON FIGHTER MODE!"
"Terra Destroyer!" BlackWarGreymon was the first to attack as he formed his large red sphere of dark energy before unleashing it.
ShadowSeraphimon jumped up in the air, easily dodging the attack. He then soared down and punched BlackWarGreymon in the chest before he spun around and swung his leg kicking Garudamon away.
"Dragon Kick!" Imperialdramon attempted his own kick, swinging his leg around at full speed, but the fallen angel Digimon simply glided to the left, causing him to kick thin air.
ShadowSeraphimon then quickly formed two spheres of energy in the palm of his hands. He unleashed one down on Imperialdramon, hitting him from behind before he turned and thrust the second one at the oncoming MetalGarurumon. "I must say I'm slightly amused at your tactics DigiDestined," he said with a chuckle. "Pitting most of your strongest Digimon against me all at once? You'll feel extremely foolish once I destroy them all and you're left with the weaklings of your team."
Imperialdramon aimed his gun directly at him. "A little cocky for someone who is outnumbered four to one… we're just warming up here. Positron Laser!" he quickly fired a blast from his gun, which blasted ShadowSeraphimon's right arm.
The fallen angel Digimon grunted as he floated back a little. He was a little surprised the attack had caused him some pain, although he did not show it.
"Phoenix Claw!" Garudamon lunged forward. She raised her right claw and swung it down, but ShadowSeraphimon jumped back causing her to miss. She tried again, and again, forcing him to keep on jumping back to dodge each attack.
MetalGarurumon soared down and prepared to tackle ShadowSeraphimon from behind. But he anticipated the oncoming charge and quickly jumped up higher into the air causing Garudamon and MetalGarurumon to collide into each other.
Inside the warehouse, everyone else was listening to the sounds of the battle from outside. The whole warehouse shook as one attack missed its target and hit the side. Bits of dust and small pieces of the ceiling fell down, causing Margaret to stumble back out of the way and rejoin her mother's side.
"Should we help them?" Mimi asked concerned, as she held onto her husband's arm.
"Matt and Izzy told us all to wait in here." Joe replied.
TK nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure they'll let us know if they need our help."
Back outside, Tai jumped down from the steel ladder that was attached to the side of the building having climbed down it from the roof. Once Sora, Dawn and their two Agumons were safely down they hurried over to where Izzy, Matt, Davis and Ken were standing.
Izzy looked over his shoulder, seeing them approach. "Tai, we may have figured out a way to get you into the Dark Area."
"But there's one tiny problem…" Tentomon added.
Tai gave the rookie Digimon a curious look before he turned to the bearer of Knowledge. "We've got enough problems right now, what's one more?" he said light heartedly.
"I have a theory the Dark Ocean is in the same world as the Dark Area." Izzy opened up his laptop and turned it so it was facing Tai before he pointed to the slot below the screen. "Using Ken's digivice in this slot here I can use my laptop as a source of energy to help Ken's D-3 open up a portal to the Dark Ocean just like it did twenty five years ago."
"So what's the problem?" Dawn asked curiously.
"The last time we opened up a portal to the Dark Ocean it was to trap Daemon there." Ken replied. "If we open another portal there could be a chance he might escape."
"We didn't want to make any final decisions without you Tai." Izzy said. "It's going to be a big risk, but right now it's our only option and time is not on our side."
Tai remained quiet for a moment as he processed what Izzy had just told him. He could feel everyone was looking at him waiting for his answer, especially his wife who was standing just behind him. It was indeed a big risk to take. If they opened up a portal to the Dark Ocean and Daemon escaped then their troubles would be doubled, and he wouldn't be there to protect everyone… but without that piece of Grandracmon's soul destroyed they would never stand a chance at defeating him. It was down to him and his daughter to have that chance at victory. He didn't like the fact he had to leave everyone, as it felt like he was running away from the fight. But he knew in the grand scheme of things it was the right thing to do, especially as the more time they debated over it; the more time they were wasting. "… Alright then," he finally said. "Let's do it."
"Positron Laser!" Imperialdramon fired a continuous round of energy bullets from his gun as he pursued ShadowSeraphimon out across the bay. But his attack was soon turned against him when ShadowSeraphimon suddenly spun around so he was facing him and unleashed an invisible shockwave. The force repelled the bullets back at Imperialdramon. Some of the bullets hit him across his body whilst the others exploded into the ice, cracking it open in places.
"He's just like Dianamon… his defence is too good." Davis commented.
"We just need to wait for that break in his concentration." Matt said. "Just like when Dianamon was preoccupied giving her little speech she didn't see Omnimon's attack coming."
Tai watched as BlackWarGreymon lunged at ShadowSeraphimon, striking him with his right claw, before he turned to the bearer of Friendship. "Matt, you guys gonna be okay handling this guy?" he asked.
"Of course," Matt replied with a small grin. "He's talking a big game but we'll soon bring him down."
Tai smiled slightly. At least he knew whilst he was gone the rest of the group would be in good hands with Matt taking the lead. He then turned to Izzy. "Okay Iz', time to work that magic of yours and open up that portal." He said, to which Izzy nodded in response.
Sora stretched her hand out and gently grabbed hold of Tai's. "You're leaving now?" she said quietly.
"We have to," Tai said as he turned to face her. "We don't have much time to find that castle." He could see the worry in her eyes, and he felt bad he had to leave so soon after she had arrived back home. "Don't worry Sor', we'll be back before you know it." He added before he gave her a quick peck on the lips.
At first Sora didn't let go of his hand, and she squeezed it a little tighter. "Please, be careful."
"Hey, aren't I always?" Tai replied, flashing his grin.
Sora frowned a little, but smiled at the same time. She didn't want to get angry at her husband for that little remark. She knew he was only trying to ease her worry. "Well you better be. Otherwise you'll have me to deal with when you get back." She humoured him.
"Terra Destroyer!" BlackWarGreymon suddenly appeared behind ShadowSeraphimon and unleashed his attack catching him by surprise.
ShadowSeraphimon cried out in pain as the force of the blast sent him falling down onto the ice face first. He hit the frozen water hard, causing it to crack a little under the pressure.
"Giga Missile!" MetalGarurumon fired a missile from his chest.
ShadowSeraphimon grunted as he pushed himself up. He looked over his shoulder and gasped, seeing the missile heading straight for him. He quickly threw himself out of the way and the missile hit the ice, smashing it apart and causing an almighty splash in the water. The ice around the impact point began to crack and break away, causing ShadowSeraphimon to almost lose his balance as a chunk of ice he had been standing on swayed a little on the water. He regained his composure by lifting himself off, levitating a few feet up in the air. He looked up, narrowing his eyes at the DigiDestineds' Digimon. "I'm starting to lose my patience with you fools now. It's time I put an end to this… Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!" he stretched his arms out, with his palms facing outwards which began to glow. Seven small spheres of dark energy appeared in front of him and began to shine before he thrust his arms forward firing them.
The energy spheres were fast and the Digimon were unable to defend themselves in time and were struck down out of the air. ShadowSeraphimon chuckled to himself as he watched the four smoke clouds rise up from the frozen bay where each Digimon had fallen.
Davis ran to the edge of the harbour as the smoke cleared and he saw his partner lying on his back. "C'mon Imperialdramon! Don't give up!" he exclaimed.
Imperialdramon grunted as he pushed himself up. "Don't worry… I won't quit until I've shattered his data into tiny pieces..." He said before he jumped back to his feet and lunged at the fallen angel Digimon. "Splendor Blade!" he manifested a sword of light from his gauntlet and swung it down with all his strength.
ShadowSeraphimon quickly raised his arm, allowing his thick metal armour to block the attack. "Two can play at that game…" he said slyly. He stretched his right arm out, and suddenly a streak of lightning appeared from above in the sky. It thundered down and formed the shape of a sword slightly bigger than Imperialdramon's.
Imperialdramon growled, grasping his weapon a little tighter before the two Digimon engaged in sword to sword combat.
Izzy placed his laptop down on a nearby old oil drum. He quickly set up the necessary programmes on the screen before Ken handed him his digivice. He then placed the D-3 into the slot in his laptop. "Okay, this should only take a few minutes…" he said as he began to type on the keyboard as Tai, Dawn and Ken watched on.
"If only you could have done this twenty five years ago." Wormmon said light heartedly from his position on Ken's shoulder.
"Izzy wasn't as well advanced back then." Tentomon replied.
Izzy chuckled a little. "That and the technology on my laptop has significantly improved…" he added.
The screen on Ken's D-3 began to glow as the dark data from within it began to manifest itself with the help from the power of Izzy's laptop. Izzy had aided the data by typing in specific codes to allow the dark energies to create the portal. The digivice began to shudder slightly within its slot as the energy built up more and more until suddenly a beam of bright purple light shot out from the screen and beamed up into the sky.
"Wing Blade!" Garudamon released her attack.
ShadowSeraphimon swiped his sword, repelling Imperialdramon, before he spun around and swung his sword down straight through Garudamon's attack disabling it instantly. As the Wing Blade attack fizzled out, his attention was drawn to the bright beam of light. "Huh?" he paused briefly as he looked down to see where the light was coming from. "What are they doing?" he muttered to himself as he looked up to see the light touching the sky above. His attention was briefly broken when he caught a glimpse of MetalGarurumon charging at him. He quickly turned and swung his sword, swatting Matt's partner away.
As the beam of light carrying the dark energy continued to shine, a hole in the clouded sky began to open up. It grew bigger and bigger, revealing a murky ocean with hills and mountains in the background.
"Prodigious, it worked!" Izzy proclaimed with a grin.
"Way to go, Izzy." Tai smiled.
ShadowSeraphimon lowered his sword as his eyes fell upon the other world that had now appeared in the sky above them as the beam of light from Ken's D-3 faded. "That's…. that's the Dark Ocean..." he muttered in disbelief. "Why would the DigiDestined be opening a gateway to the Dark Ocean…. Unless…" his eyes widened as a realisation hit him. "No… could it be?" He then noticed the four Digimon coming at him once more. He chuckled under his breath. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid our little fight will have to be put on hold for a moment…" He spun round so he was facing them and stretched his palm outwards firing four dark spheres.
The spheres struck each of the Digimon, and their bodies were surrounded in a dark aura freezing them on the spot. They struggled, unable to move even the slightest muscle. "I… I can't move!" MetalGarurumon grunted as he slowly sunk down out of the air before touching down on the ice, as did BlackWarGreymon, Imperialdramon and Garudamon.
As that had happened, Ken turned to Tai. "You two better get moving. The portal won't stay open for long." He told them.
Just then, a blast exploded merely feet away from them, causing them to flinch and shield themselves. The force from the blast caused the oil drum to tip over, sending Izzy's laptop to the ground and knocking Ken's D'3 out. Tai lowered his arm to see ShadowSeraphimon now had his attention on them with the tip of his sword, which was pointing directly at them, still smoking from where he had fired the shot.
"Don't think I don't know what you are up to DigiDestined!" the powerful Digimon spat angrily. "There's only one reason why you would open up a portal to the Dark Ocean!"
"Looks like we've been rumbled." Gomamon commented.
"You are planning on finding our lord's castle and destroying the piece of his soul that has been preserved for years. Why else would you venture into such a dangerous place?" ShadowSeraphimon proclaimed, still pointing his sword at them.
A few of the DigiDestined gasped under their breaths. "How did he know?" Sora mumbled.
"At least on the plus side; he has now just confirmed my theory is correct…" Izzy said quietly.
Dawn clenched her fists as she glared up at the fallen angel Digimon. "And what are you going to do about it?" she demanded.
ShadowSeraphimon briefly retracted his sword. "I don't know how you came to know this secret but as a loyal member of the Nightmare Six it is my duty to protect Lord Grandracmon from anyone who threatens his existence. It is highly unlikely you will find his castle as it is buried deep within the realms of the Dark Area, but nevertheless; I must stop you from crossing through that gateway!" he then sprung forward, drawing his sword once more as he charged towards the DigiDestined…
"AGUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO… WARGREYMON!"
ShadowSeraphimon roared triumphantly as he raised his sword above his head and swung it down towards them. But there was a 'clang' sound as the sword hit something hard and metal, causing it to shatter away in his hands. ShadowSeraphimon grunted and floated back to see WarGreymon now standing in front of the DigiDestined, holding his brave shield up over his face.
WarGreymon lowered his shield and reattached it to his back. "Mega Claw!" he counter attacked by leaping forward and spinning at tremendous speed.
"WarGreymon!" Tai shouted after his partner.
ShadowSeraphimon wailed in pain as WarGreymon slammed into him at full speed. He was unable to withstand the strength from the Mega Claw attack and he was pushed out over the bay. WarGreymon then ceased his attack, but the momentum caused ShadowSeraphimon to keep going until he came crashing down into a building on the opposite side of the harbour. The impact of the collision caused the building to collapse down on top of him.
WarGreymon glided across the bay, over the top of the other four Digimon who were still unable to move due to the hold ShadowSeraphimon still had over them. He came to a stop just above the fallen building as the smoke from the debris began to clear. He was about to unleash his Terra Force attack when the rubble began to move slightly, and ShadowSeraphimon burst out from underneath causing pieces of debris to fly everywhere, almost hitting him.
ShadowSeraphimon ascended up into the air so he was now level with the dragon Digimon. He growled under his breath, covered in a few cuts and grazes from the building collapsing. The Mega Claw attack had winded him somewhat, and there was an obvious mark on his abdomen where the point of impact had been. "Shadow Starburst!" he commanded just as WarGreymon began to charge. There was a quick flash in the sky as he called on lightning to race across his body. The bolts thundered down and latched onto him.
WarGreymon came to a halt and backed away slightly, a little wary of the sparks and electricity that were now surrounding his foe.
ShadowSeraphimon chuckled at the mega Digimon's hesitance. "You are unable to touch me now, which means your Mega Claw attack is now useless. One touch of my body and your own body will be brutally paralyzed… sort of how your friends are just now." He mocked. He then flew forward, attempting to tackle Tai's partner.
WarGreymon jumped to the side, just missing contact with ShadowSeraphimon. But he was forced to retreat again as the fallen angel Digimon came at him once more.
The DigiDestined watched above them as WarGreymon continued to dodge each punch and kick ShadowSeraphimon threw at him. Their Digimon still immobilised on the ice tried their best to fight against the aura around their bodies, desperate to help their friend.
Dawn watched on, her frustration growing as her right hand hovered over her D-Power that was attached to her belt, debating whether to defy what her father had told her and join the fight. She pressed her hand against her digivice about to release her Digital Ring, when she glanced up to the sky and gasped slightly. "Dad, look!" she exclaimed, catching his attention. "The portal's starting to close!"
"Huh?" Tai looked up. The portal was indeed closing as the image of the Dark Ocean was slowly beginning to shrink. "We need to go now…" he said firmly before he turned his attention to his partner. "WarGreymon!" he shouted.
WarGreymon quickly jumped up, just missing another charge from ShadowSeraphimon. He heard his partner shout, and glanced over his shoulder, immediately noticing the closing portal. He was a little out of breath as there had been no let up with ShadowSeraphimon's attacks, which meant he was unable to launch his own counter attack too. "Just give me a couple more seconds Tai…" he responded before he dodged an upper punch from ShadowSeraphimon.
Tai clenched his fists, growing a little impatient as Izzy walked up behind him.
"We need to hurry Tai. If that portal closes I'm not sure my laptop has enough power to open another." The bearer of Knowledge informed him.
ShadowSeraphimon chuckled as he floated up in line with WarGreymon. "It looks like you're running out of time." He teased.
"Not quite yet," WarGreymon responded quickly. He took no hesitation in ShadowSeraphimon's break and unleashed his own attack. "Terra Force!"
The large sphere of energy struck ShadowSeraphimon before he had chance to defend himself, and he cried out in pain as the blast sent him crashing down out of the air. He hit the ice and skidded to a stop, stunned from the attack.
WarGreymon swiftly turned and flew back down towards the edge of the port. He dove down and quickly scooped up Tai, Dawn and Agumon in his arms before he ascended back up into the sky, flying as fast as he could towards the closing portal.
Sora felt her chest tighten a little as she watched her family leave. She just hoped her husband was right, and that they would be back soon. Either way though, she knew this was going to be one of the longest waits of her life.
ShadowSeraphimon grunted as he pushed himself up off the cold ice, as the lightning continued to race across his body. He looked up to see WarGreymon flying straight towards the portal that was currently now half the size of a soccer field. "Oh no you don't..." he muttered. He lifted himself completely off the ice and drifted up into the air a little. "I'll stop you from entering that Dark Area if it's the last thing I do… Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!"
Suddenly, Whamon burst out from underneath the ice and immediately fired a jet of water from his blowhole. "Jet Arrow!" The water hit ShadowSeraphimon showering him all over, and with the lightning still surging across his body, the water caused his attack to turn against him. He froze up and wailed in pain as the electricity began to tear through his body, paralysing him, and also ending the hold he had on the other four Digimon.
But Whamon's attack had been a split second too late as ShadowSeraphimon had already unleashed his attack. Everyone watched in horror as the seven dark spheres flew up through the sky like shooting stars, homing in on WarGreymon who had just reached the portal.
At this point, Tai happened to look over his partner's shoulder to the others down below, and he spotted the seven spheres of energy heading straight for them. "WarGreymon, look out!" he exclaimed.
WarGreymon just passed through the small gap that was left of the portal, and as it closed behind him; the attack made impact. Down on the ground, all that everyone could do was watch as the sky filled with an almighty flash, streaking across the sky for a split second.
Matt flinched as the bright light caught his eyes. It disappeared as quickly as it came and the sky had now returned to normal, the portal to the Dark Ocean now gone. For a brief moment, he continued to stare up at where the portal had been; hoping Tai and his daughter had passed through unhurt until his thoughts returned to their situation, remembering they still had ShadowSeraphimon to deal with. He quickly turned to see the fallen angel Digimon was still paralyzed in the same spot. "MetalGarurumon, now's your chance!" he ordered, now that his partner could freely move once more.
"Metal Wolf Claw!"
"Terra Destroyer!"
"Positron Laser!"
"Wing Blade!"
"N-no!" ShadowSeraphimon gasped as he watched the four Digimon unleash their attacks. He tried to fight back against his own attack that was still cursing through his body but it was no use. He was frozen, and all he could do was watch as the attacks grew closer and closer… They hit, and four huge explosions ignited, engulfing the fallen angel Digimon in a thick cloud of smoke.
The DigiDestined held their breaths as their Digimon surrounded the spot where the attacks had hit, but were relieved when the smoke finally cleared to reveal ShadowSeraphimon was no more…
Across on the opposite of the harbour, close to where the building had collapsed earlier, Wisemon was perched on the edge of one of the cranes, sitting with his legs crossed. He had arrived moments earlier, and had witnessed everything that had just happened. He sighed, bowing his head as he shook it slightly. "This is not good news my lord…" he murmured to himself.
.:Dark Ocean, Digital World:.
Dawn groaned as she slowly began to wake up. She opened her eyes a little, her vision blurry at first. Once it focused, she noticed she was looking up at the sky, which even though there were hardly any clouds, was a dark shade of grey. Dawn then realised she was lying on her back on a soft surface. She slowly sat up and was greeted with the sight of a beach. But it wasn't like any beach she had been to whilst on vacation with her parents, or like the beach back home.
This beach looked dull, as if all the fun had been sucked out of it. Everywhere looked dreary and grey. Even the light shining from the lighthouse further down the beach was dark. The only sound was the waves of the murky ocean crashing gently against the sand.
Dawn then realised how cold she now felt, as a shiver ran down her spine. The last thing she could remember was travelling through the portal when a couple of ShadowSeraphimon's seven spheres had managed to pass through too and had hit WarGreymon.
She slowly got to her feet and looked around. The ocean stretched out as far as she could see, the horizon lost between the murky water and dark sky. Stretching along the back of the beach were some small cliffs, which were covered with trees on top. It looked as if it was a forest as the mass of trees covered the entire land right back until they were out of her view. The beach itself was deserted, with no sign of life.
And that's when it suddenly dawned on her; she couldn't see Agumon or her father anywhere…
.:Tokyo Big Sight, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
Meanwhile, not too far away from the port at Tokyo Big Sight, a large figure gently touched down on the roof of the convention centre. He lifted his head up, his blue eyes taking in his surroundings as he looked out over the rest of Odaiba. He chuckled quietly to himself, as the sun shone through a break in the clouds, casting his familiar shadow onto the ground below…
To be continued…