[STREAM CORP Medical Wing, Feburary, 2050…]
"Nico, do me a favor and throw this in the cabinet for me…?" The receptionist reached behind her to pass the folder over. After a few seconds, she looked over her shoulder. "Nico!"
"Hm?" the boy asked, aloof and engrossed in his phone.
The receptionist shook the folder in her hand, "Cabinet!"
Nico looked up from his phone, taking note of the scowl she wore on her face. Not in the mood to argue, he snatched the folder from her and tossed it in the drawer nearest to him before going back onto his phone. Her face scrunched up, lifting herself from her chair to take it out.
"At least try and look productive, will you?" she slapped him lightly with the folder, prompting Nico to scowl back and take it from her.
"That would require me to want to be here," Nico said, opening the file cabinet and sliding the folder in. "Wasting my winter break working…" he slammed the cabinet. "What a joke."
"Hey! Careful with that!" the receptionist snapped.
Nico rolled his eyes and went back to his phone, continuing to scroll. He checked Babylon's webpage and read through the news. No one was able to figure out what was behind that mass server glitch weeks back, not that anyone seemed to care anymore. After skimming through the schedules of several exhibition matches at the Omni Stadium, he switched to another social media app and scrolled. He stopped upon coming across a headline:
RAESYL: An Angel Falling Into Obscurity.
"When Raesyl said she was taking a break, she wasn't kidding. Just totally dropped off the face of the planet…" he noted out loud, scrolling through the article.
He was slapped again with another folder. Looking over, rather than fight, he took it and went to put it in the cabinet. "Okay, Ocasio… O…casio…. Recognizing the surname, he looked over his shoulder to the receptionist, who was still putting files together. He took the chance to peek inside quickly. "Whoa!"
"What?" The receptionist turned back, making Nico quickly close the folder.
"Nothing!" Nico replied, sliding the folder inside the cabinet. He tried to play off his discovery despite the glaring side-eye from the receptionist.
Nico went back to his phone and kept up his silent demeanor until the end of his shift that afternoon…
"You may call me…Raesyl."
Even though he couldn't make out her features, her presence alone was enough to freeze the flames in the burning room. Milo's eyes burned from the smoke, and his head was throbbing. Even so, whether from shock or a sense of duty to remain and help, his body couldn't move.
"Raesyl…" Milo repeated. "New personality or…?"
The wings disappeared, and Raesyl jumped from the table, walking up to the pair. Mason reacted to her approach by swinging his arm forward, summoning an Agumon before them. This Agumon, however, was larger than normal, with a white underbelly, along with extended claws and the blue stripes of Greymon on its body. It hissed at Raesyl, who hesitated to take a step.
Mason left Raesyl to his Digimon as he took Milo and made a break for it. She quickly noticed and threw her hand out, only for Agumon to tackle her back into the room. Gritting her teeth angrily, she held Agumon in place when the lizard pounced on her, attempting to bite down on her.
"Stupid lizard…!" She got her foot underneath it and kicked it, launching it up into the ceiling with superhuman strength. Agumon crashed down with the light fixture behind it and dispersed into binary code. Raesyl stood up and rolled her neck. She took note of the security camera still visible and blew a kiss at it.
"I'm coming to see you!~" she taunted. She then took her leave from the room, ready to give herself a "tour" of the facility. "My, oh my, has it been a while since I've been here in person…
…Let's see what's changed."
[Myodin Manor, Nadir District…]
The Nadir Representative took the sword from the Eastern Representative who did not show any resistance to the transaction.
Kaden shuddered in disbelief. He could only guess that the Omni Sword was what he was searching for before; the power given to the paladin who slayed the leader of the Nadir thousands of years ago—!
Imperialdramon is a symbol within the Eastern District's history as a great hero who aided in preventing the destruction of our world thousands of years ago. According to our customs, those who wield its power are destined to be great heroes in their own right.
"Wait…wait, Sierra, what are you doing?!" Kaden realized. "That's the power Leomon mentioned before, right?! Imperialdramon's power!"
"Kaden, silence!" Sierra exclaimed.
"No! I'm not about to let you turn your back on the East like this—!" Kaden attempted to charge her, only for Dracmon to slide in front of him.
"Where are you going?!" Dracmon socked Kaden, causing him to double over. Kaden dropped, clenching his sides as deep pain erupted in his body.
The fact that he was feeling pain at all was unusual. He guessed this was what it was like not to have a Saibatar persona; Omnia became more real.
"He does have a point…" the Nadir Rep noted, swinging the sword and getting a feel for it. He looked to Sierra, "Why cooperate now? Our forces are locked in a stalemate as we speak."
"Because…you may have wreaked havoc on the Eastern District…but the Zenith didn't even try to prevent it."
As Kaden rolled over, he looked to Ryusei, who was studying what was happening. Meanwhile, Sierra knelt to the Nadir Rep, raising Kaden's anger.
"I'd sooner turn on the Zenith than allow them to take anything else from me…" Sierra stated firmly.
"RILEY WOULDN'T WANT THIS!" Kaden screamed.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE WOULD'VE WANTED!" Sierra screamed back, tears breaking from her. She punched the ground as her emotions took over. "You don't know a damn thing about her…!" She hit the ground again, "Not, a damn," she hit it once more, "THING!"
Kaden bit his tongue, unable to refute her statement. Dracmon crossed his arms, enjoying the scene unfolding. To him, the more support they had for their cause, the better the outcome. With the sword in hand, they only had to wait for a signal—!
Ryusei made Dracmon topple over to the side, striking the side of his face clean with a right hook. Surprised, Kaden's attention darted to Dracmon, who was toppling to the floor, dazed and confused. The Nadir Rep looked over but then felt heat erupting beneath his feet. Reactively jumping back, the throne room floor burst apart, and flames spewed like a geyser. Taken aback, Gaiomon rode through the flames and appeared above everyone, grazing the ceiling with his twin swords. Homura appeared on his shoulder and saluted.
"Homura!" Kaden exclaimed excitedly.
"The hell?!" Dracmon exclaimed in shock. "But how?!"
"Pay attention!" Ryusei sent an uppercut toward Dracmon, knocking him back on his back. The Saibatar took the lanky individual by the neck and dragged him away from the main conflict.
"Kaden, the sword!" Sierra screamed, directing Kaden's and the Nadir Rep's attention. The weapon, getting knocked away across the room, sat idle and ownerless. Kaden and the Nadir Rep made eye contact and, in turn, bolted for the weapon.
Homura and Gaiomon dove down to intercept the Nadir Rep, shooting waves of energy with each sword swipe. "Cross Slicer!"
"Metal Impulse!" the Nadir Rep countered, shooting the black flames from his open palm. Smoke filled the air upon impact, shrouding the immediate area and blinding Sierra and Homura from the outside looking in.
Kaden charged regardless, ducking, diving, and securing the lone blade in his arms. But before he could call out to anyone, the Nadir Rep had him by the collar, throwing him out of the smoke cloud and across the room. Kaden managed to hold onto the weapon for dear life, crashing down and groaning afterward.
"KADEN!" Both Sierra and Homura charged down to get to him, only for the Nadir Rep to soar past them and make it first. Rather than go for the sword, he picked Kaden up and pulled him close to him, staring deep into his eyes. Kaden managed to look back, ignoring his aches to put up a resilient front for a moment.
He wouldn't back down. If at all else, he wanted the Nadir Rep to know that.
The Nadir Rep shoved Kaden back hard.
Instead of crashing on the floor, Kaden suddenly jumped in his seat, sweaty and breathing heavily, as if he had woken up from a nightmare. He scanned his surroundings, trying to get a grip on his situation. His computer screen indicated a connection error, and his D-Com was still slung around his ear, indicating that what he experienced wasn't a dream…
"How…did I make it back?" he questioned.
"Kaden!" Veemon exclaimed, making Kaden jump from his deep thoughts.
"Jeez, Veemon, what happened?" Kaden summoned Veemon onto his desktop. Veemon appeared, looking distressed about something, prompting Kaden to soften, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…I think." Veemon said, clearly unsure of himself. "My head feels weird, though."
"Mine too," Kaden admitted, feeling a headache coming on. "That was weird… it was as if I was kicked out or something…?"
Veemon looked up at Kaden. Something was bothering him; he could tell that much. At the same time, though, Veemon was equally bothered. His insides felt warm as if power was filling his being. It didn't hurt—if anything, it was soothing, familiar, arguably. But why was he suddenly feeling like this?
Kaden's phone rang, taking the attention of the pair away from themselves. Kaden looked at the screen, and his heart thumped when he saw Milo on the Caller ID. He quickly answered.
"Milo! Look man, I take back everything I said! I'm so sorry about—!"
"Are you home…?" Milo asked.
"…Milo?" Kaden grew hesitant.
"I can walk Mason…ow, maybe not…" Kaden heard on the other side.
"Milo, what happened? Where are you?!" Kaden demanded.
At that moment, he heard his doorbell ring. As he turned around, he could hear his parent's voices echo both from outside and through the speaker. Kaden dropped his phone and came out of his room, his stomach dropping upon seeing the injured brothers make their way inside. "MILO!"
Milo looked at Kaden and grinned a little. Both covered in soot, Milo hung on his brother's shoulder as the door closed behind them. His head was patched with a first-aid gauze, and his clothes were burned, as was his brother's. Kaden quickly grabbed Milo's other arm and helped Mason guide him to the couch.
"What happened?! Detective Howard immediately began questioning the pair.
"Being in a better headspace, Mason opted to answer, "STREAM Corp was hit from the inside."
"Hit? What do you mean?"
"It's Raelyn…" Milo specified. "Either she was hijacked, or she's been a sleeper agent for the Nadir District this whole time."
"Sleeper…?" the word hit Kaden harder than the Nadir Rep. "The hell you mean she was a sleeper agent?!"
"I mean, she suddenly grew black wings and went on a killing spree!" Milo snapped back hard, silencing Kaden. "Mason and I only barely escaped thanks to the X-Streamers providing evac, but Nico, Miranda, and even the CEO are still there as we speak.
Kaden backed off and apologized.
Detective Grant interjected from here, "Kaden," he put his hand on his son's shoulder. "If you can, tell us exactly what's been going on over there."
Kaden looked to Mason, under the impression that the inner workings of the war in Omnia were to be kept under wraps.
"AEGIS is going to be looking into this regardless," Detective Howard explained. He then turned to Milo, "If what you say is true, then we need to know exactly what we're dealing with."
"Then allow me to explain," Mason offered to come clean. "As an executive of STREAM Corp and the Director overseeing Project X-Stream, that is my responsibility…"
[STREAM Corp Medical Wing, March 2050…]
"Good morning," Dr. Woods came into the hospital room and took a seat before the long-raven-haired girl in the bed. Upon noticing him, she gave a bit of a scowl. "Riley, I presume?"
"Disappointed?" she asked.
"Not at all. I was hoping you'd be the personality I would speak to today."
"Ay, dios mio! Aren't I special?" Riley sarcastically beamed. "When do I get to go home?"
"Hopefully soon, my dear, hopefully soon." Dr. Woods skimmed through his tablet. "Tell me, how have you been feeling since we last spoke?
The girl's expression suddenly softened, "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"
"…Sylvia?"
Sylvia nodded. "Riley checked out. Said if we're not going home, then she wouldn't bother with the questions."
"Not entirely unexpected…that girl is shier than a clam with a pearl." Dr. Woods noted. "Nevertheless, I can ask you. How have you been feeling since we last spoke?"
"I've been feeling alright…Riley and I have found a way to get along," Sylvia explained. "We try and alternate set times between one another; however, with the number of doctors coming back and forth, I've been put more out in the spotlight, so to speak."
"Interesting. It's safe to say she's the more introverted personality then."
"That's one way of putting it," Sylvia laughed. "It's like having a little sister who's too shy to express herself…" Sylvia giggled. "She heard me."
Dr. Woods chuckled, "Well, that brings me to my next question, or rather, it's an opportunity."
Sylvia grew curious, "what kind of opportunity?"
"I have some colleagues who work in the field of AI and Biocybernetics, and while talking with them, they brought up a potential solution to our situation."
Sylvia tilted her head slightly.
"For several years now, AI has grown more advanced, allowing for them to inhabit mechanical bodies known as 'Shells,' and only recently has the medical field succeeded in transferring human consciousness into one via bio-digitization."
"You want…to separate us?" Sylvia questioned, assuming this was where he was leading the conversation.
"I'm obligated to warn you that this process is entirely experimental. It has never been done on someone who suffers from DiD, but if proven successful, this should lessen tension on the brain and allow you both to become your own individuals."
"I see…" Sylvia pondered the concept. From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone eavesdropping. Before she could say something, Riley took over.
"Can we help you?" she snapped, causing the eavesdropper to tense up.
"Ah-uh, Nico." Dr. Woods called out without turning around. "Get in here if you're going to be nosy."
They heard snickering. "Hehe, busted!"
"Shut it," Nico groaned, dragging himself into the room.
"Who're you?" Riley asked.
"This is my Grandson, Nicholas." Dr Woods explained.
"Call me Nico." Nico insisted.
"It seems apparent that Nicholas recognized you from school and was shy like yourself," Dr. Woods explained.
"I ain't shy!" Nico defended.
"Oh…creep." Riley glared.
Nico scoffed, "You wish."
"Ahem," Dr. Woods cleared his throat, "What is it that you needed, Nico?"
"Nothing, just…" he took a moment to scan Riley, the latter feeling uncomfortable.
Her expression softened, indicating the switch, "do you mind not staring so hard?"
Nico blushed and cleared his throat. "My bad, it's just…I didn't think I'd see anyone from school here."
"The Tri-State is smaller than you think," Dr. Woods chuckled. "With that said, my dears, you both get some rest. I'll check in with your parents and bring the proposition up with them, and we'll discuss the prospects together at another time.
"Understood," Sylvia said, lying back in bed. "Nice meeting you, Nico."
"…yeah, likewise," Nico replied, following his grandfather out afterward.
Walking through the hallway, Terriermon emerged from his D-Streamer, "why didn't you introduce me?"
"Didn't have a reason to," Nico replied.
"Wha—that's not fair!" Terriermon pouted.
"Hush, you two." Dr. Woods said sternly. "I hope you're satisfied."
"I…was that really Raelyn Ocasio?"
"It was," His grandfather confirmed. "They now go by Riley and Sylvia."
"And that procedure you mentioned…is it safe?"
Dr. Woods didn't answer that.
"Grandad, what are you planning to do?!" Nico got in front of him.
Dr. Woods sighed. "Get back to work."
"But—!"
"And don't involve yourself in this any further, understood?" His grandfather stared daggers into him until he got a nod. With that, Dr. Woods moved on and took his leave, leaving his conflicted grandson with more questions about what was happening at his grandfather's facility.
Noah watched the surveillance cameras studiously as Raesyl whistled and skipped down the hallway, leaving destruction in her wake. Things escalated so quickly that he had little time to react. All he worked to achieve was falling apart before him, and yet he was calm. Were they all right? Did he underestimate the situation? Perhaps, but somehow, he still had faith that things would get better so long as he was patient.
It was this patience—or rather submission—that earned him the role of the Zenith District's representative.
Bearing in mind what she said before...one would think that she was talking directly to him. And yet here she was, resting her hand on the pad that led into the facility's server room.
She's after the Zenith Sovereign themselves.
Regarding Raesyl, the doors to the room slid open for her, her feet coated red from the impromptu carpet she left behind her. She was greeted with a silent sea of towering machines. In a way, it felt surreal that after so long, she finally was able to reach her destination. All of the planning it took to get strong enough to stand against the Sovereign was before them. Walking deeper into the room, a smaller console was installed in the center of everything. While not visible, it was implied that this console was webbed underneath the tiles to the dozens of towers in the room.
"I wonder," Raesyl began, holding her hand over the console. "Would it be appropriate to say, 'I'm home!' in this instance?"
The console responded with a projected screen displaying login credentials. Raesyl's hand poured out binary code, which filled the spaces and granted access. The room whirled to life, and she patiently waited as the code surrounding her covered her completely and brought her inside the servers.
Watching this unfold, Noah smirked, assured that this was as far as she'd make it.
Once inside, Raesyl was surprised by the black digital space she found herself in. Looking around at her surroundings, she immediately realized that something was amiss.
"Y'know, I didn't say anything way back when, but I knew something was off about you when you smashed that debris with a single backhand…" Nico's voice echoed, startling her.
Raesyl turned and squinted at the sight of Nico and Miranda materializing before her. Sure enough, she was baited into a trap.
"So, you knew, did you?" Raesyl crossed her arms. "In my defense, I couldn't let her die, not with something as nonsensical as a slab of rock."
"Fair enough; guess I should thank you," Nico said, standing firmly. Being in a digital space allowed him to walk freely without worrying about his injured leg.
Raesyl smiled. She then turned her attention to Miranda, and her smile disappeared. "Don't bother. Your beloved plaything has already been assimilated."
Miranda scowled. "I've waited a long time to meet you finally."
"I could only imagine. Without Sylvia to bolster your career, could you be here to die by my hand?"
"On the contrary," Miranda armed herself, "Orders are to rid ourselves of a bug infestation and wipe our hands clean on the matter."
"Before that," Nico threw his arm up. "I wanna know something."
Raesyl motioned for him to speak.
"You've been watching us for a while now. How long exactly?"
"Longer than you can imagine," Raesyl responded confidently, arming herself and creating an amethyst gauntlet on her arm. "And I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."
Nico acknowledged that and turned to Miranda. "I got this. Guard the gate."
In a surprising gesture, Miranda adhered to Nico's order and respectfully backed off. Nico activated his D-Streamer and got into position across from Raesyl.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Let's go." Nico nodded.
"DIGI-GATE: OPEN!"
"I'll begin by hatching Nyaromon." Raesyl summoned the purple-stripped, golden cat ball Digimon, who bounced about on the invisible floor beneath them.
Nyaromon (ST10-01)
Color: Purple
Level: 2
"Nyaromon digivolves into Candlemon, and then I end by playing Salamon from my hand."
Nyaromon, with the aid of yellow binary code, transformed into a sentient candle stick with bright red eyes to accompany its waxy smile. The wick on its head resembled DemiMeramon, its blue eyes complimenting its small orange body.
Salamon followed, the cream-colored puppy appearing with a mischievous expression on its face, unusual for a docile Digimon as it.
Candlemon (BT8-035)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Salamon (BT9-072)
Color: Purple
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
0-3 (Turn Change: Nico)
"When Salamon enters play, I reveal the top 4 cards of my deck and choose one 2-color Purple card from among them to add to my hand, while the rest go to the bottom of the deck."
The top 4 cards revealed themselves: EX1 Leomon, EX1 Salamon, ST10 Angewomon, and ST10 Gatomon. Raesyl retrieved Gatomon and sent the rest to the bottom, ending her turn.
Nico drew. She was using a Yellow/Purple deck, an entirely new one separate from Riley and Sylvia. That unknown factor put him at a disadvantage. That, plus whoever this entity was, it likely knew his deck inside and out…
"I hatch Gummymon!" Nico stated, summoning a small green slime-like Digimon with tiny horns on its head.
Gummymon (EX2-004)
Color: Green
Level: 2
It was a good thing he's not one to back down from situations like this. "I digivolve Gummymon into Betamon and play Terriermon from my hand."
Gummymon transformed into the amphibian Digimon, while Nico's partner, Terriermon took center stage on his side of the Battle Area.
Betamon (BT7-044)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Terriermon (BT3-046)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 1000
MEMORY
3-0
"I end by playing the tamer Henry Wong from my hand."
The tamer materialized on Nico's side, removing his green-tinted sunglasses as he materialized.
Henry Wong (EX2-061)
Color: Green
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change: Raesyl)
"Restricting my memory intake while playing a Tamer…" Raesyl studied briefly. She drew and moved Candlemon forward. "Very well, I'll play along. Salamon, X-Digivolve into Salamon X-Antibody."
Nico perked up, not seeing that coming. Raesyl watched as the X-Antibody appeared before Salamon and, by touching it, it was enveloped in its energy and evolved as a result. It grew larger, its body losing some of its fluffy aesthetic for a leaner build. In addition, its holy collar grew in size and hung on its neck as opposed to being snug around it.
Salamon (X-Antibody) (BT9-034)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 3000
"When Salamon X is digivolved into, I can look at the top card of my deck and add it to my hand. Doing so will allow me to recover a Security Card." Raesyl smiled at her top card and added it to her hand. The taken security replaced itself.
"I'll end by playing MagnaAngemon from my hand. It's On Play effect lets me Recover +1 from my deck."
Nico watched as the Level 5 Angel Digimon made its appearance, tracing the air with its glowing blade to add to Raesyl's Security.
MagnaAngemon (BT1-060)
Color: Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 6000
Raesyl
Security: 5-6
MEMORY
3-4 (Turn Change: Nico)
Nico drew, "A bug using a bunch of Vaccine-type Digimon? How interesting."
Raesyl smirked as she watched Nico move Betamon forward. "Tis you all who accuse me of being a bug."
"Are you not hijacking my friend's brain?"
"She was mine to begin with."
That took Nico aback. "Say what now?"
"Oh, come now, you didn't think I targeted these two for any old reason, did you? She is mine after all…"
"I heard you the first time. And she's no one's property."
"So you say…" Raesyl smirked.
Nico swiped a card over his device. "I play the tamer Willis from my hand."
A blonde-haired tamer materialized beside Henry, ready to offer support to Nico's strategy.
Willis (BT8-091)
Color: Green
MEMORY
4-1
"When Willis enters play, I can hatch a Digi-Egg into my free space in my Breeding Area," Nico said, using the chance to hatch another Gummymon. "Gummymon digivolves into Terriermon, then I suspend Willis to drop Gargomon's evo cost by 1. Betamon digivolve into Gargomon!"
As the Gummymon transformed into a 2nd Terriermon, Betamon morphed into the larger Gargomon, an adult-sized Terriermon with red markings on its face, Vulcan gauntlets, an ammo belt strapped on its body, and blue jeans.
Terriermon (EX2-025)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Gargomon (EX2-026)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
1-0
"I end my turn by digivolving Gargomon into Rapidmon. Since I have a green tamer present, Gargomon reduces the digivolution cost by 1.
Gargomon jumped into the dark space above as green binary streams circled around it, covering it in green armor. Rapidmon floated back down and aimed at Candlemon, shooting a small rocket that stunned it in place.
Rapidmon (EX2-027)
Color: Green
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
0-2 (Turn Change: Raesyl)
"When your Digimon becomes suspended, Gummymon's IE kicks in and lets me draw a card," Nico explained, drawing.
Raesyl shrugged as Candlemon unsuspended immediately afterward. She drew, hatched, and digivolved her new egg into a second Salamon. "Salamon X, Security Attack! Nyaromon's IE effect allows me to draw if I have a Yellow Digimon present while attacking."
"Here we go…" Nico braced himself.
Salamon X howled, the X-Antibody empowering its attack, causing stronger soundwaves to travel toward Nico. The intercepting Security broke and revealed BT3 Gargomon on the other side, who went into action to respond.
Salamon X: 3000 DP
Gargomon: 4000 DP
The second Gargomon aimed its gauntlets and fired upon the pup, who couldn't dodge fast enough. Gargomon rained bullets on it until the enhanced Digimon was nothing but code fading into the black ceiling over them.
Nico
Security: 5-4
"Candlemon digivolves into Leomon, and then into Maycrackmon: Vicious Mode." Raesyl swiped back-to-back, Candlemon embracing the 2-to-1 yellow and purple binary code ratio. The combination of codes transformed the candle into a corrupted version of Maycrackmon. While it resembled a normal Maycrackmon, this variant had darker fur, which was messier. Its red claws were longer, matching its crimson eyes that shined in the dark.
Leomon (EX1-027)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 5000
Maycrackmon: Vicious Mode
Color: Purple/Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 6000
MEMORY
2-0
0-4 (Turn Change: Nico)
"When Maycrackmon is digivolved into, I can discard one card from my hand. If it happens to be purple, which it is," she said, flashing Lucemon: Chaos Mode, "I can delete one of your Level 3 Digimon. I choose Terriermon."
Purple binary encircled Maycrackmon's claws, and the Digimon dashed forward, swiping the ground and sending waves of energy to strike Terriermon. The Digimon cried as it took the attack head-on and dispersed afterward, throwing Nico off slightly.
"Your turn," Raesyl said as her Digimon returned to her. When he didn't respond, she said, "Aww, sad to see your little bunny go bye-bye?"
Nico looked up at her. Riley would've never mocked him like that…
He smiled. "Sorry, was just trying to make sure this next move would hurt as much as I want it to."
Raesyl bit her lip in anticipation. Nico drew. This wasn't Sylvia or Riley…he was able to confirm that just then.
Which meant that he didn't have to hold back.
"Terriermon moves out, Willis suspends as I digivolve it into Gargomon!"
The second Terriermon, eager to avenge its counterpart, digivolved into Gargomon, carrying along a way to express its rage.
Gargomon (BT3-048)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 4000
Drawing for digivolution, Nico looked at the new card and smirked, "Perfect! Rapidmon, digivolve into the Emerald War Machine: MegaGargomon!"
Rapidmon, sympathizing with Nico's emotions as well, grew empowered as I took off into the air, like a green shooting star. Echoing into the endless void, Rapidmon's cybernetic frame converted, creaked, and whizzed into the towering mechanized machine, dropping before Raesyl, who, in the meantime, was thriving with excitement.
MegaGargomon (EX2-029)
Color: Green
Level: 6
DP: 13,000
MEMORY
4-0
"Upon digivolving, MegaGargomon suspends one of your Digimon for each tamer I have in the Battle Area! Maycrackmon and MagnaAngemon suspend!"
Flexing its shoulders, MegaGargomon shot the twin bunny rockets at them, targeting Raesyl's Digimon. Raesyl shielded herself from the impact, the smoke clearing and revealing both Digimon paralyzed, as their shocked, glitching frames indicated.
"Now, keep up alright? Rapidmon's IE effect activates; Since your Digimon was suspended during my turn, MegaGargomon gains Security Attack +1 for the turn. Gargomon beneath him, +2000 DP for the same reason. The Terriermon beneath Gargomon shares the same effect, and I draw one card for their respective Gummymons." Nico drew two cards while both his Digimon reaped the benefits of their inheritables.
MegaGargomon: 13,000-15,000 DP
Gargomon: 4000-6000 DP
"Now, MegaGargomon, Attack MagnaAngemon! When attacking, MegaGargomon can bounce one of your suspended Digimon back to your hand!"
Raesyl showed genuine surprise at that, while MagnaAngemon quickly reacted to the titan coming for him.
MegaGargomon: 15,000 DP
MagnaAngemon: 6000 DP
Doubling in strength, MegaGargomon raised its fist and slammed the Battle Area, sending a quake directed at the opposing Digimon. MagnaAngemon reactively flew up to avoid it while Maycrackmon was hit and sent back to Raesyl. The power erupted from where Maycrackmon stood and followed MagnaAngemon, hitting its target like a heat-seeking missile.
"Aww, what's wrong? Sad to see your friends go bye-bye?" Nico mocked her.
Raesyl didn't respond.
"Good. Gargomon, Security Attack!"
Gargomon excitedly grinned and cackled as its Vulcans let loose on Raesyl's Security, bringing her back to 5.
Raesyl
Security: 6-5
"Heads up, Henry suspends your Digimon whenever a Gargomon or Rapidmon Digimon attacks, so between them, good luck trying to keep anything on your field—!" Raesyl's cackle cut Nico off. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, and brushing her hair aside, she revealed the contents of her Security.
"Security…Trigger." Raesyl tilted her head. "Dead or Alive."
Suddenly, a purple vortex erupted before Raesyl, taking Nico aback. Over the noise, Raesyl explained the effect. "This card allows me to play one Level 5 or lower Purple Digimon from my trash. With it, I play Chaos Incarnate: Lucemon: Chaos Mode!"
The vortex grew more intense as the entity rose from within. Nico watched as the formerly discarded card that he paid no mind to arose with a sinister expression. Nico had a terrible feeling come over him for more than one reason.
Lucemon: Chaos Mode (BT7-111)
Color: Purple
Level: 5
DP: 12,000
"Lucemon…?" Nico tried to process. He was familiar with the original Lucemon, but this…it digivolved.
"When Lucemon: Chaos Mode is played or digivolved into, I can delete either one of your Digimon or Tamers." Raesyl then pointed to MegaGargomon. "Go extinct."
Lucemon teleported to MegaGargomon.
"CRAP!" Nico exclaimed, shielding himself.
Stabbing through the titanic Digimon with his hand and corroding its data from the inside, MegaGargomon exploded with little resistance, sending Nico flying backward, crashing, and rolling on the digital floor. He sat up groaning, internally reeling from the major setback this presented.
"Anything else before I proceed with my turn?" Raesyl asked, crossing her arms.
Nico by this point was able to get on his feet. "I…play a second Willis to end."
As stated, a second Willis appeared on his side.
MEMORY
0-3 (Turn Change: Raesyl)
Raesyl went about her turn, drawing and moving Salamon forward. "Salamon X-Digivolves into Salamon X once again."
Raesyl's Salamon digivolved once more into Salamon X, prompting her to look at her Security again. This time though, she set it back, opting not to add it to her hand. "Lucemon, Security Attack."
Nico braced himself again, Lucemon aiming for his Security and firing a shot of red energy. BT8 Rapidmon appeared and charged Lucemon, only for the evil Digimon to sidestep it and blast it in the back.
Nico
Security: 4-3
"I follow by playing Ghostmon and digivolving Salamon X into Angemon to end."
A blue ghostly Digimon materialized beside Salamon X, after which Salamon digivolved and turned into Angemon.
Ghostmon (ST10-07)
Color: Purple
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Angemon (BT8-024)
Color: Blue/Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 6000
MEMORY
3-0
0-3 (Turn Change: Nico)
"Since I have a Yellow Digimon present, Ghostmon gains Blocker."
"Good for you…" Nico drew. "Gonna show you how little that matters. I hatch Gummymon and then digivolve it into Pomumon."
The small pink-feathered bird-like Digimon materialized in Nico's breeding area.
Pomumon (BT9-047)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"I play Terriermon from my hand next," Nico followed, summoning Terriermon.
Terriermon (BT8-046)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
3-0
"Terriermon reveals the top 5 cards of my deck. From among them, I can add one card with Gargomon or Rapidmon in its name to my hand." He continued as the cards revealed themselves. MetalTyrannomon, Terror Cluster, BT8 Rapidmon, EX2 Gargomon, and Henry Wong were among them. Nico took Rapidmon and sent the rest to the bottom.
"Next, I suspend both Willis to digivolve my Gargomon into Rapidmon!"
Utilizing the power of the supporting tamers, Gargomon embraced the power up, transforming into Rapidmon.
Rapidmon (BT3-052)
Color: Green
Level: 5
DP: 6000
"Still waiting…" Raesyl called out. She retracted her words upon seeing the card that Nico revealed afterward.
"I Play the Option Card: Hidden Potential Discovered! By suspending my Terriermon, I reduce the cost of my next digivolution by 5!"
Raesyl knew where this was going, her theory supported by the massive vortex erupting around Rapidmon.
"Rapidmon, digivolve!"
Rapidmon took to the air and allowed the binary around it to encase it in MegaGargomon's armor. With Nico's Ace back on the field, the dynamic was back to what it was a turn prior. Per its effect, MegaGargomon suspended both of Raesyl's Digimon, paralyzing them for the following turn.
"But wait! It gets even better!" Nico exclaimed. "Gummymon draws me a card, Terriermon boosts by 2000 DP, and Gargomon and Rapidmon give MegaGargomon +1000 DP for each of your suspended Digimon. In total, that's 6000 DP, pushing him to 21,000 DP!"
MegaGargomon: 13,000-21,000 DP
Raesyl's eyes widened, feeling the sheer power scaling. With that much power, there wasn't anything in her Security that could kill it, let alone her battle area.
"MegaGargomon, Security Attack! Bounce Lucemon!" Nico ordered.
Surprised, Raesyl braced for impact as her Security swooped in to block the barrage. Lucemon also shielded themselves, only to be blown back.
Raesyl
Security: 5-4
Nico grinned. "You didn't think I'd target your Digimon for my attack, did you? The last thing I need is for you to resurrect something easily."
Raesyl lowered her arms, revealing a smirk.
Nico went cold.
"Security Trigger: Flame Hellscythe." Raesyl revealed. "Terriermon gets -6000 DP for the turn."
Nico gasped as a red scythe-like wave of energy sliced through Terriermon and drained it to the point where it collapsed and dispersed.
Terriermon: 2000-0 DP
To Nico's shock, what made the scene worse was that Terriermon's dispersed binary traveled onto Raesyl's side, turning yellow and reforming into MagnaAngemon.
"In addition, I can revive one Yellow or Purple Digimon from my trash with 6000 DP or less. And when played…"
MagnaAngemon used its ability to regenerate a Security for Raesyl.
Raesyl
Security: 4-5
"You're actually kidding me right now!" Nico reacted to the regenerating security.
"Afraid not," Raesyl replied. "Were you not at all curious as to why I didn't retrieve my Security with Salamon X before?"
Nico gritted his teeth in response, realizing his folly. With MegaGargomon's power boost, even if she left a Level 6 hidden, it would've toppled it. What were the chances she would have back-to-back triggers? "Fine. I end my turn."
MEMORY
0-3 (Turn Change: Raesyl)
"Good boy," Raesyl drew. She hatched another Nyaromon and digivolved it into another Candlemon. "I play the tamer Meiko Mochizuki."
On Raesyl's side appeared a tall, glasses-wearing Japanese girl in a school uniform, with a neutral expression on her face. Nico didn't expect her to have Tamers in her deck, though naturally this one probably synergized with it nonetheless.
Meiko Mochizuki (BT9-091)
Color: Purple
MEMORY
3-0
"When Meiko enters play, I reveal the top 3 cards of my deck. I'm allowed to take one two-colored purple Digimon from among them to add to my hand, while the rest go to the trash."
From among the cards appeared Lucemon, Gatomon, and Ophanimon: Falldown Mode. Raesyl took Ophanimon and trashed the other two. Nico grew weary of the card chosen.
"Now then...Magnamon, digivolve into the agent of Twilight's Requiem! Become Ophanimon: Falldown Mode!"
Nico braced for what was to come, yellow and purple binary code swirling around MagnaAngemon and causing it to glow in the dual colors. An intense wave of power began to emanate, only fueling the dire atmosphere present. When things calmed, MagnaAngemon was replaced by an Ophanimon whose armor was sharp and jagged, devilish gold wings extending from her back, and her humanoid features were covered underneath silver plating, including her human-like face. She wielded a large scythe, ignited with crimson flames.
Ophanimon: Falldown Mode (BT8-082)
Color: Purple/Yellow
Level: 6
DP: 12,000
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change: Nico)
"When my Digimon digivolves into Ophanimon: Falldown Mode if Digivolving from a yellow Digimon..." she snapped her fingers and a Security Card appeared to Nico's dismay.
Raesyl
Security: 5-6
"Makes all of your prior bravado pointless, now doesn't it?"
Despite the feeling of hopelessness encroaching on him, he still had a reply for her. "Y'know, someone who spends the whole match rebuilding their wall means they're hiding something."
"Or keeping intruders away from their possessions..." She replied, knowing he wouldn't like hearing that.
Glaring at her, Nico drew. "Pomumon moves forward. Its effect's gonna keep you from playing anything through effects. Now, MegaGargomon, Security Attack! Henry suspends to suspend Ophanimon, and allows MegaGargomon to bounce her back to your hand!"
MegaGargomon unlocked the hatches on its body, unleashing a flurry of missiles towards Raesyl, some of which hit Ophanimon and sent her back to her hand, while the rest were aimed at the LadyDevimon who emerged from the Security. Getting blasted away, Raesyl's security was reduced yet again.
Raesyl
Security: 6-5
Drawing two cards from the Gummymon effects, Nico continued. "I play Terriermon, and then I armor digivolve it into the Gunslinger of Destiny: Rapidmon!"
The newly appearing Terriermon bounced forward as yellow and green binary streams spiraled around it, transforming it into a gold Rapidmon variant.
Rapidmon(BT8-039)
Color: Yellow/Green
Level: 4
DP: 6000
MEMORY
3-0
0-4 (Turn Change: Raesyl)
"Upon digivolving, Rapidmon suspends your Digimon equal to the amount of Tamers I have. Then, up to 3 of your suspended Digimon get -5000 DP for the turn."
Rapidmon lined up like an upside-down triangle, unleashing a golden beam on the pair of Digimon.
Angemon: 6000-1000 DP
Ghostmon: 2000-0 DP
Angemon staggered to one knee, while Ghostmon was completely erased. Raesyl waited and watched Nico exhale sharply. While Nico could be witty with his words, he was unable to hide the pain in his face. Raesyl watched his expressions hidden beneath the whole match. Some level of her felt empathetic.
She drew. "Candlemon moves forward, and Angemon digivolves into Maycrackmon. Discarding Meicoomon subtracts –3000 DP from Pomumon, deleting it."
Maycrackmon re-emerged in place of Angemon and used its powers to make Pomumon disappear, therefore uplifting the ban of free plays for her.
MEMORY
3-0
"Maycrackmon Security attacks."
Maycrackmon unleashed its claws and dashed towards Nico, slicing apart his Security. MetalTyrannomon roared in response, and chomped back, causing Maycrackmon to cry in agony as it clawed at MetalTyrannomon. The Dinosaur Digimon charged energy in its jaws and ignited them both, wiping them out.
Nico
Security: 3-2
"Candlemon, Security Attack."
Candlemon hopped forward and fired small fireballs from its mouth, shattering the Security, and unveiling Dino Memory Boost, which resided in the Battle Area.
Nico
Security: 2-1
"I end by playing Angewomon from my hand." Raesyl finished her turn, summoning the angelic Digimon.
Angewomon (ST10-05)
Color: Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 6000
"When Angewomon is played, she gives -2 Security Attack to one of your Digimon. I choose MegaGargomon."
Angewomon responded by aiming her arrow and shooting MegaGargomon, causing the machine to malfunction. Nico looked up and watched as his machine creaked and groaned with stiff movements.
MEMORY
0-6 (Turn Change: Nico)
Raesyl didn't care if she gave him so much memory. It was clear to both of them that this match was over when Nico realized that her defense was impenetrable. Raesyl watched as he drew and nothing else, trying hard to put up a brave front while internally raging at his inability to stop her.
At that moment, she decided that she would grant him the mercy of seeing them again.
Drawing, she had Candlemon take out his last Security, where Rapidmon emerged and bashed Candlemon away, unaware of the circumstances. As the Digimon faded, Angewomon had already had her arrow charged and aimed for Nico. Nico closed his eyes, awaiting the moment to pass; all the while, one final memory flashed in his mind…
[STREAM Corp Dormitory, April 2050]
Nico opened the room door slowly; one hand dug into his jacket pocket. Riley was in the bed across the room, back turned against the wall. When he came in before, he didn't notice the bandages wrapped around her head.
Or rather, it wasn't that he didn't notice; he ignored them.
He didn't want to think the separation would be as brutal as it was shaping up to be.
"Riley…?"
"I'm sleeping." She replied.
Nico stopped in place and took a second to contemplate his next words. Riley shifted in the bed, sitting up, allowing Nico to see her side profile.
She was crying at some point. Makes sense.
"I…"
"She lied to me…" Riley cut him off. "We agreed that we weren't going to separate, that we would make this work. So why did she abandon me?"
Before he knew it, Riley was breaking down again. Nico choked, making it harder to suppress the bubbling anger he felt. However, he pulled out the D-Streamer from his pocket rather than add fuel to the flame. "She said…it was so she could see your beautiful face from her own eyes."
Riley turned to Nico, who blushed at the lie he had just made. Sylvia didn't actually say that, but he figured it'd make her feel better. "I…have a get-well present from my Grandfather. Sylvia went down to get hers, so… here." he walked over and handed her the D-Streamer.
Riley took it and examined it all around. Nico watched, somewhat thrown by her reaction to it. When she pressed a button, she shrieked when a small projection appeared. A brown bunny resembling Terriermon, and the device landed on her lap, the former standing and looking up curiously.
"What is this thing?" Riley asked.
"What, really?" Nico was surprised. "It's a Digimon."
"Digimon…?" Riley repeated. She cupped her hands around it and picked it up instinctively, ignoring that she could interact with the projection the way she was.
"Her name is Lopmon," Nico went on to explain, summoning Terriermon.
"And I'm Terriermon!" he said excitedly.
Riley looked over, seeing the cream-colored variant. Terriermon hopped into her palms and embraced Lopmon, who reacted shyly. Terriermon laughed while Lopmon cried.
"Um…" Riley began, feeling awkward.
"Terri, behave."
Terriermon pouted, hopping off Lopmon and helping it back up with its ears. It patted her until she relaxed.
Riley couldn't help but find it cute.
"I know things are going to be rough going forward. But I hope you can see that you're not alone in this…" Nico said as Terriermon hopped back to him. "Consider us 'Bunny Buddies!'"
Riley visibly cringed at the sound of that.
Nico immediately regretted it.
They never spoke about it again…
"Angewomon, Direct Attack..." Raesyl stated.
Angewomon took her shot.
Nico felt the arrow pierce his digital body and staggered from the impact. Despite not bleeding, he collapsed onto the ground anyway, the arrow dispersing.
Raesyl relaxed as the field cleared. Nico lay on the ground, his consciousness beginning to fracture. As promised, Raesyl knelt, rested her hand on his chest, and steadily absorbed his data until she was the only one in the dark void.
The ability to live within her, along with those he held dear. That was the extent of her empathy.
Sensing the presence of others, she turned and reached out, conjuring a Digital Gate. The Nadir Rep and Dracmon emerged from it, both of whom seemed worn physically.
"My liege…" Raesyl knelt.
The Nadir Rep looked down at her and forward. "Let's end this once and for all…"
Raesyl rose and turned forward again, reaching outward with both hands. Unleashing her black wings, she conjured her powers and concentrated until the space cracked vertically. At which point Dracmon stepped in and fired shots at the crack, expanding on it. A white light began to pierce through, growing with more shots until it was wide enough for one strike. The Nadir rep conjured his powers, got in front of his two subordinates, and jabbed his hand through before forcefully pulling the space apart. Light spilled out like a gaping wound as the one dark area became a white void.
Raesyl and Dracmon dropped to their knees, overexerting themselves while the Nadir rep took steps forward. Awaiting him was none other than the Zenith Representative, Noah Lindberg, clapping away at their achievement.
"Congratulations on making it this far," he stated.
"I'm relieved to see you've accepted our invitation…"