DarkFoxKit: Okay, here we are, with another update.
ZAFT: And in a week or so, I turn a year older. ^^' I swear, I hate growing older. I want to remain the same age! DX
DarkFoxKit: Everyone who's in their prime do. Sadly, we can't, no matter how much we want to. I've had this crisis since I turned 14 years old.
ZAFT: Well, enough of the sad sack stuff. We have a chapter for the readers to get up!
(Two symbols, one red, and one blue, spin before colliding and flaring with light as they do so, showing the title)
Digital Phantom!
(Shows several forms in shadow before they are revealed to be Danny Fenton and Patamon, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Takuya Kanbara, Andy Fenton and Lopmon, and Jazz Fenton)
Falling into destiny
(A swirling green portal is shown, followed by the sky and cities of the living world before a computer monitor is zoomed in on, revealing another world of lush greenery through that)
Reaching across new boundaries
(Andy Fenton appears with Jazz beside him. Takuya Kanbara appears behind him as well, the form of Agunimon appearing behind Takuya himself)
Let our stories come together
(Andy is shown with the form of Phantom beside him, his twin brother Danny Fenton behind the ghost boy)
Growing stronger
(Andy looks on at Phantom fighting before running to help the ghost boy by taking out his Fenton Rod)
Our pasts intertwine
(Six glowing orbs of light are shown, each of a different color (red, teal, lavender, dark purple, white, and yellow) before the red orb speeds towards Takuya)
Showing our future
(Takuya holds up his D-Tector before fractal code surrounds him, dissipating as fire erupts from it, revealing him as Agunimon, lunging out from the fire as Plasmius fires off ecto-rays at him, only for a glowing orange orb to appear around Agunimon and deflect the beams)
As we evolve
(The blasts speed past the screen as Tucker is shown with a Fenton Wrist ray being fired at a ghost, Kokuwamon shown behind him)
Let's go… EVOLUTION
(Sam is shown with her Fenton Lipstick, firing it at a different ghost, with Biyomon shown behind her)
As our worlds collide
(Jazz is shown beside Andy, the form of Lopmon behind Andy while a shadowed form is behind Jazz)
We stand as one
(Jack and Maddie Fenton are shown, with the Fenton Works logo behind them as it glows green)
Growing strong
(Ghosts are shown flying all around Amity Park as the shadowy form of Walker is shown atop a building and sneering down)
As we move along
(Danny is shown walking down the street with those closest to him appearing one by one; Andy and Lopmon, Patamon, Tucker, Sam, Takuya, and Jazz)
CHOU… SHINKA!
(Fractal code is shown before it dissipates to reveal Agunimon lunging out of the dissipating data, fire around his left fist)
Let's go… EVOLUTION!
(The group is shown facing down Plasmius, who looms above them with hands outstretched as a dark form appears behind Plasmius himself)
Nothing will stand in our way!
(Andy, Lopmon, Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Takuya all appear with ribbons of fractal code streaming out from behind them, a swirling green orb behind the ribbons of fractal code)
Digital Phantom!
Chapter 49: Dangerous Games and Toys
Tucker and Kokuwamon were looking around the shops. There were a lot of interesting items that were on sale. Items that Tucker wondered would be useful to them. He saw how one of the players picked up some leather braces from a shop, and put them onto their Digimon partner.
"So we can buy equipment for our Digimon?" Tucker noted.
"It would appear so," Kokuwamon replied.
"I wonder if there's a way we can get some money then," Tucker remarked. "I'd like to be able to get some equipment for our friends."
"Is this really the time for such things?" Kokuwamon asked.
"Come on, let's at least check out what some of these shopkeepers have… for future references." Tucker grinned.
Kokuwamon sighed. "Very well, but only for future reference."
Tucker smiled even more. "Sweet!"
Tucker began checking out some of the shops, wanting to see what they could possibly get for their Digimon partners. One shop didn't seem to have a shopkeeper around, but the shop was apparently open.
"Hmm?" Tucker blinked. "Hey, is anyone working here? Helloooo?"
"Maybe it's closed and they forgot to put the 'closed sign' up?" Kokuwamon suggested.
"I doubt it… maybe they're in the back," Tucker said as he started to move to the back of the shop.
"H-hey, you shouldn't just walk into someone's shop! You could get into trouble!" Kokuwamon warned as he went after his partner.
Tucker looked around. "Huh… I wonder if the shopkeeper is out for lunch or something."
Kokuwamon landed next to Tucker. "We need to leave! This is going to get us in trouble!"
Before Tucker could reply, they heard what sounded like beeping sounds. Curious, Tucker went to see what was making the noise. Kokuwamon sighed, seeing that Tucker was ignoring his warning. "Tucker, will you please stop trying to get us in trouble?"
"I just want to see what's making that noise," Tucker replied. "We'll leave after that, no need to be a worrywart."
"If we get spotted, I'm pulling you out of here." Kokuwamon sighed.
Tucker crept closer to where the beeping sounds were coming from. "It sounds like it's coming from back here."
Tucker and Kokuwamon kept following the beeping noises until they saw something moving. It looked like a pretty small, machine Digimon. The Digimon had a large glass dome on its head, showing what looked like a computer processor inside. The right eye was a solid gold color while the left eye was an organic eye that was brown in color. The body was dark metal gray and it had sharp teeth that stuck out in alternating directions, some facing up and some facing down. The arms matched the body, as did the 4 legs, but the feet were organic… tail tips? Tucker couldn't tell what the feet were supposed to be.
"Whoa… who is that Digimon?" Tucker asked in a whisper to Kokuwamon.
"That is Datamon. He's not particularly a strong Digimon, but he's very intelligent, especially when it comes to machines," Kokuwamon explained. "Though I've heard he's not so great with people."
"Oh, sounds like my kind of Digimon!" Tucker smiled as he approached Datamon.
"W-wait! Did you not hear the part about him not being so great with people?" Kokuwamon called, but Tucker was already approaching Datamon. I wonder if this is what Tucker's friends have to go through when he gets excited about something?
Tucker peeked over Datamon's body to see what he was doing. He was surprised to see Datamon was playing a retro Atari game, where he was a spaceship shooting at other ships. It was a game Tucker himself would sometimes play on his PDA.
"Wow, I like this kind of game myself." Tucker remarked.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to beat the final level," Datamon grumbled, not seeming to care that a human child just snuck into the back of his shop.
Datamon was going against the mothership, and he was on his last life. Unfortunately, the mother ship destroyed his last ship. "Darn it! Now I have to start all over again!"
Tucker grimaced. "I feel your pain, dude. I've failed that level before myself."
"You say you play?" Datamon asked as he studied Tucker. "You're… a player, aren't you?"
"Well… I mean… kind of?" Tucker awkwardly replied.
"I'm sorry about him. I'm thinking about getting a leash for him," Kokuwamon apologized.
Datamon chuckled. "Well then, since you're here, and you're a player, let me see your gaming skills."
Tucker grinned. "Sure! I've never seen a Digimon play video games before!"
Tucker stepped up to the machine as Datamon stepped aside for Tucker to try his own skills at the game.
Tucker began playing. There was something cool about playing an old game like Altari with a joystick and buttons like an actual arcade. Kokuwamon was rather surprised that Datamon was letting Tucker play the game.
Tucker made it all the way to the final level, where the mother ship was coming in.
"You're pretty good at the game," Datamon noted.
"I have this very game installed on my PDA." Tucker informed Datamon. "I play it when I get the chance, so I like to think I have some skill at it."
The final boss was pretty difficult, however, even for Tucker. He was on his last ship and he was trying to survive while trying to shoot down the mother ship. Unfortunately, Tucker's ship was hit by a stray bullet, and he lost the final level.
"Ooh, tough luck there kid," Datamon remarked. "I guess it's going to take a real gaming genius to beat that mother ship."
Tucker groaned, he had been so close too. However, he saw a glimpse of something on the screen before the game went back to the menu. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Kokuwamon asked as he flew over to Tucker.
"I… thought I saw something… on the screen…" Tucker said with a small frown on his face. "It looked… like… a figurine of sorts… It was white and brown from what I could see."
"Don't worry about that," Datamon replied as he took the game cartridge out of the machine. "It's just supposed to be the prize for whoever can win the game. I haven't found anyone who's able to finish the game yet."
"You're waiting for someone who can beat the game?" Tucker asked.
"Yes, but no one has been able to so far." Datamon replied sadly. "If someone could beat it, then they would get the prize, which is supposed to be a powerful one from what I know."
Kokuwamon studied the cartridge for a moment. He could definitely sense a power inside it, but it was suppressed and hard to tell what it was exactly.
"But you got pretty far in the game, much further than any players who tried playing the game before," Datamon commended. "For that, I suppose I can give you something for it. Do you have anything of interest here?"
"Actually, I am looking for information on a player. She wears a red suit and flies around on a hoverboard. Her partner Digimon is a Salamon. My partner Kokuwamon and I are looking for her, and we would like to know where she was last seen." Tucker replied.
"Oh, you must be talking about that Valerie kid and Lady Salamon," Datamon noted.
"You know them?" Tucker blinked in surprise.
"Know them? They were the ones who turned Autumn Leaf Fair into a neutral ground for Digimon and players. Players used to try to raid our town, but luckily they were usually just upstarts with only Champion level Digimon, so the Digimon here were usually able to overpower them," Datamon explained. "But thanks to the efforts of Valerie and Lady Salamon, there was a law put in place where players are welcomed to do trading here, as long as they don't attack any Digimon unless it's out of self defense only. It helps benefit the players and us Digimon."
"That explains why I saw players here and why the Digimon aren't acting hostile towards them," Tucker noted.
"While it's good you know them, we are still waiting to hear the answer to the question," Kokuwmon pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there," Datamon replied. "Valerie and Lady Salamon did come this way, but they didn't stop by. Last I saw, they were heading further north. Now this is just a guess of mine, but they might be going to the Continent of Light, where Lady Ophanimon's castle is located."
"So we have to head to the Continent of Light, huh?" Tucker mused. "That doesn't sound too bad."
"I don't think it's going to be as easy as it sounds," Datamon warned. "For starters, you'll have to cross the ocean to get there from here. And second, I've been hearing nasty rumors lately, about the Continent of Light being covered in an unusual green fog. Digimon seem to disappear whenever they get too close to this fog, so I'd be careful if I were you."
Tucker paled at hearing this information. "Green fog? I think I know what you mean…" Aw man… that green fog is everywhere we seem to head!
"Well, I've told you all I know regarding Valerie and Lady Salamon," Datamon said. "If you could do me a favor… if you know or meet with someone who has good gaming skills, be sure to send them my way."
Tucker grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to do that. You've been a big help. Thank you."
"If you manage to bring the one who can beat this game, then thank you," Datamon replied.
"You really want someone to get that prize, huh?" Kokuwamon noted.
"Let's just say the prize has been waiting a long time for someone to claim it," Datamon chuckled.
Tucker wondered if he should get Sam to try it. She had better gaming skills than he did after all, but he wasn't sure if she was good at these types of games. He may as well ask her when they meet up.
A few minutes later, Tucker was bringing Sam into Datamon's shop. Sam rolled her eyes, not sure how she got sucked into this. But she tried her hand at the game as well since Tucker really wanted her to try it. While she was, Tucker was giving her the information about Valerie and Salamon's location.
"So they might be on the Continent of Light, but there are rumors about it being covered in that green fog," Tucker warned.
While Sam was gaming, she was able to multitask. She could talk while playing the game at the same time. Biyomon was nothing short of impressed by her partner's skills.
"Sounds like we need to be careful then." Sam said, not taking her eyes off the game. "But the fact that green fog has been seen there makes me worried. We seem to run into that fog wherever we go in the Digital World."
"If we do see that green fog, we'd have to wait for it to clear, or find another path to Ophanimon's castle." Biyomon noted.
"Finding another path may be difficult." Tucker admitted.
"We should get back to the others and inform them of this," Kokuwamon suggested.
"I'm not sure how easy that'll be. Aren't they looking for other people themselves right now?" Biyomon asked.
"That doesn't mean we can't go back and tell them about this. It would be dangerous to leave them alone and they try to find Valerie, only to end up in the green fog themselves," Sam suggested as she was finally at the final level.
Tucker grimaced. "Yeah, that's a valid point. Then we'd have more missing people to find, and you know how that would go down. Mr. and Mrs. F will go nuts looking for all of their kids."
Sam almost had the mother ship, but her last ship got destroyed and she grumbled. "I feel like the game is cheating…"
"Sorry about that," Datamon said. "I guess you just weren't the one the prize was waiting for."
"What prize?" Sam asked.
"It looks like this figurine of sorts." Tucker explained. "It looked brown and white too. I couldn't tell what it was exactly though because I only saw it briefly."
"You mean… like that?" Biyomon pointed at the screen with her wing.
The figurine showed up again for a brief moment before disappearing once more.
"Yeah, that was it!" Tucker exclaimed.
Sam blinked, and she wondered. "... Let's get back to the others, Tucker. We'll join them in searching for Jazz, then we'll look for Valerie together."
Tucker nodded. "Yeah… Good idea." Aw man… this is very bad… Valerie and Salamon may have gotten caught up in that green fog for all we know!
"Be careful out there, and be sure to bring back someone who can play really good!" Datamon waved as they began leaving.
When Sam, Tucker, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon left the shop, Sam looked around for a moment to see if anyone was listening to them.
"Tucker… that figurine we saw… Do you think that might've been a Legendary Warrior's spirit?" Sam asked.
Tucker frowned, but nodded. "It's not like there's anything else that could look like that. I remember seeing what BurningGreymon's Spirit looked like, and this one looked sort of like that, but not as… ornate. I do know it had a powerful force behind it though…"
"It definitely felt like it could be a Legendary Warrior's spirit." Biyomon noted.
"But why would a Legendary Warrior's spirit be in a game cartridge?" Kokuwamon asked. "Shouldn't any unclaimed Legendary Warrior's spirit be on a rampage to killing off players due to Cherubimon's vague and vengeful instructions?"
"Maybe that Spirit was sealed away, so it couldn't be summoned until someone beat the game?" Sam guessed. "That would explain why Datamon was waiting for someone to beat it, so the Spirit can finally come out…"
Tucker looked down in thought. "That actually makes sense." He mused before shaking his head. "But we can't worry about that right now. We have to find the others and tell them what we learned."
"Yeah… but let's keep that potential Legendary Warrior's Spirit in mind, just in case we might know someone who might be able to wield it," Sam suggested. "It'll be nice to have someone on our side who can use another Legendary Warrior's powers."
Tucker nodded. "Yeah, it would also help Takuya out too, since he is the only Legendary Warrior we know personally right now."
"My guess is that it would likely be someone who doesn't have a Digimon partner," Biyomon remarked. "Takuya doesn't have one, since he is his Digimon partner."
"Then we'll keep an eye out for someone without a Digimon partner," Sam agreed. "For now… let's get some food, then head back to the Flame Terminal."
Tucker grinned. "Food sounds good to me!"
"I'm starving after that flight here." Biyomon admitted sheepishly.
"Yeah, I figured, I don't want you degenerating on me because you got hungry in the sky," Sam chuckled. "And don't worry, I should have enough cash on me to afford a meal for all of us."
"Wow, you spoil us," Tucker chuckled. "... I'm not gonna have to owe you later, am I?"
Sam rolled her eyes. "No, you're not. Finding the information was good enough."
"Then I count my lucky stars!" Tucker grinned. "It's a good thing I went into that shop without permission after all!"
"Please don't make a habit out of it…" Kokuwamon sighed.
Takuya and Danny didn't really know how long they had walked since they left the Flame Terminal village, but it had likely been hours as the sun was starting to set now. Takuya wished Danny would use his ghost powers to fly them instead of just walking. But he also knew the risks if Danny did use his ghost form in the Digital World if the Technus incident was any indication. It also felt lonely without Patamon here, or any Digimon partner to break up the silence.
Since they were walking, Takuya decided maybe he could use this time to try to bond with Danny. With so many things happening before, Takuya realized he never really got to just talk to Danny alone since he walked into Fenton Works.
Only trouble was… I don't know where to start… Takuya thought in dismay. So many things have happened, I can't just start talking… Can I?
Takuya remembered something Andy mentioned about Danny. About how Danny could usually tell the time without a clock if he could look at the position of where the sun was. Maybe that would be a good conversation starter.
"So… Um… is it true you can tell the time just by the position of the sun, Danny?" Takuya asked, feeling a bit awkward for just randomly asking that question out of the blue.
"What brought that on?" Danny asked. "Did you want to ask me what time it was or something?"
"Um… yeah… Kinda, since the sun is setting and all." Takuya replied. "Plus, Andy did mention that to me a while back, but I never got to ask about that with all that happened recently."
"Oh, that. I think Andy gives me too much credit. I only managed to tell the time, and use the northern star to find our way home when we got lost in the woods when we were kids," Danny shrugged. "Besides, it's difficult for me to tell what time it is in the Digital World, even with the sun. I noticed the constellations are very different here than they are in our world."
"Really?" Takuya blinked. "I didn't know that. Err… at least about the constellations being different in the Digital World. I assumed they were the same as in our world."
"You don't pay attention to the stars that much," Danny chuckled. "Do you know why I love being able to fly? It brings me closer to the stars. Whenever I can, I'd like to fly as high as I could at night just to see the stars."
Takuya smiled. "Only you would use your flight for that." He joked before sighing. "Flying sure sounds like fun. Maybe, when I learn to control my Beast Spirit, I could join you on one of those flights. I mean, BurningGreymon has wings, so it makes sense I could fly in that form."
"Yeah…" Danny frowned a little. "But… do you think you'll be able to control that form any time soon? I have only seen you turn into BurningGreymon once, but I've heard how you lost control again when you used that form against Megadramon."
"I hope so…" Takuya sighed. "It's… more like… I need to find a way to channel that primal instinct into something else, but that's the hard part."
"It makes me wonder though… if my ghost form would have anything like that? A primal form, a form I'd have trouble controlling," Danny remarked in wonder. "I mean I know some ghosts, like Bertrand, are able to shapeshift into any form they want. I wonder if I'd be able to do that one day, or if that's just something only certain ghosts can do."
"You know… I wonder if you're just naturally more… flexible and powerful than normal ghosts," Takuya remarked.
"What brought that on?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Remember when we fought against Walker's goons? I know I'm pretty strong because I'm using the power of a Legendary Warrior, but you seemed to think they were pretty easy too," Takuya pointed out. "But they're supposed to be trained ghosts for arresting other ghosts, right? Why would Walker hire ghosts who can't handle a ghost child?"
Danny looked down. "I never thought about that before. I just assumed the ghost guards were weaker." He then looked back up at Takuya. "You really think I'm just more powerful than normal ghosts?"
"Uh, well… I mean I don't know what counts as 'normal ghosts' exactly. We've all been fighting against ghosts who were trying to disrupt our daily lives, and the lives of other people. For all we know, those could be the norm, or those could actually be strong ghosts," Takuya replied. "It was just something I only came to notice when we fought against Walker's minions."
"I see…" Danny said as he looked down, wondering if Takuya was right. It seemed to make sense, but it also bothered Danny a little.
Takuya noticed Danny looked a bit bothered and groaned to himself. Great… I just made the mood worse… And I thought it would make the mood better to talk to Danny… "Does that bother you?"
"I guess a little bit… It never really crossed my mind that I could be a powerful ghost. I always saw the ghosts as beings that needed to be stopped before they hurt someone," Danny admitted. "But looking back on it now… I wouldn't have been able to put up much of a fight if I was a weak ghost, right? I know I had help, from you, and from our friends, but still… I guess I'm just worried about changing too much the stronger I become, you know? Don't you ever worry about that when you Spirit Evolve? Becoming less human and more… like a Digimon?"
Takuya paused. "I… never really thought about it…" He admitted. "But now that you bring it up… I… kinda am… I mean… I have all of this power flowing through me, and it makes me feel more alive… kinda giddy… you know…? When I have to revert to my human form, I feel like a part of me wants to remain evolved… But I know I can't remain as such for long…"
"It makes me wonder… What happens when you use your Beast Spirit?" Danny questioned. "How much of you do you lose when you start going primal? It's… a scary thought to think about I suppose. Or maybe that's just Patamon rubbing off on me?"
"I think it's both Patamon rubbing off on you and that being a valid question." Takuya admitted. "And to answer that question… it's like… the primal side wants to just… attack… fight… go after those who hurt those I care about… I know I have to control that, direct it to something tangible, but that's… kinda a tall order."
"Hmm… well, I suppose since we have these powers and forms… worrying about the 'what ifs' isn't going to help us," Danny sighed before he smiled a little. "I'm glad I was able to get Andy to accept Phantom back then, before he knew I was Phantom. I don't think Andy would be as… accepting to my powers if he discovered me without really getting to know my ghost side. I remembered what he told me yesterday… about how my parents don't know my ghost half, and how Andy got to know both sides of me. It brought me comfort, knowing I was still me even as a ghost. But… I wondered if Andy would've still thought that if he never did get to know my ghost half, you know?"
"Yeah, I can kinda understand." Takuya admitted. "You know, when I first became Agunimon, I had planned to hide it like you did with your ghost powers, but of course, my mouth decided to run itself and I blurted out I was Agunimon right as Andy came into my room." Takuya then went red in the face. "I can't believe I just said that…"
Danny laughed. "Well I don't think that was a bad thing. If you had kept that a secret, who knows where you'd be? You wouldn't know what you were, or how to use your powers. Even without Andy knowing about my ghost powers, I at least had Tucker and Sam. You'd be really lonely, you know? Probably scared and wondering what you were, and if you were a good guy or not because of how intimidating you look as Agunimon, not to mention you'd probably be less trustful towards others over time. And to be fair, I was the one who accidentally revealed your secret to Tucker and Sam when I called out your name when Ember sent you here."
"I was wondering how they found out…" Takuya grumbled. "But… I guess it worked out anyways. At least I have people who know now and that I can count on."
Takuya's mind then jumped back to Kumamon. He wondered if that was how Kumamon felt right now. Alone, not knowing what he was, if he was a bad guy, and if he felt he couldn't really trust anyone. Of course, his and Zoe's treatment towards him certainly didn't help.
"Something wrong?" Danny asked, snapping Takuya out of his thoughts.
"Uh… why would anything be wrong?" Takuya asked. I was sure I was keeping my face neutral…
"I just… felt you starting to get worried about something," Danny answered.
"You… felt it?" Takuya blinked.
"Uh… I think? Maybe it's because you're my cousin. Sometimes I would be able to feel how Andy feels," Danny shrugged.
Takuya blinked before looking down. "Yeah… maybe…" Aw man… this is getting awkward really fast…
Danny looked at Takuya before sighing. "Hey, it's alright, cuz. If you feel you can't talk about it, then I won't make you. Come on, don't forget, we're cousins, and friends, not awkward strangers traveling together."
Takuya smiled a bit. "Yeah, you're right." He agreed. He then looked down again. "To be honest, I'm glad I came here on that exchange program. I was worried we wouldn't be as close as we once were, but it appears we've gotten closer instead."
"Well… it's a good thing this isn't a horror movie," Danny chuckled.
"Why's that?" Takuya asked.
Danny grinned mischievously as he began to walk forward. "Because you just raised so many death flags that you'd be dead in a few minutes."
"H-huh?!" Takuya blinked. "W-what?" He felt his heart racing a bit. "H-hey! Danny, you're joking right!? Danny!"
Danny was snickering to himself while his cousin was freaking out. "What? Do you think I was joking? Come on, I'm half ghost, I know how these death flags work."
"D-Danny! This isn't funny! What the heck are death flags?!" Takuya exclaimed, looking freaked out now.
"Wow, you really have lost your American culture if you had to ask me that," Danny laughed.
Before Takuya could say anything, a large shadow began to loom over them. It was so big that it covered what was left of the sun. Takuya actually screamed a little, thinking that death had literally come for him.
Danny paused in his walking. "H-hey! Calm down! I was only joking!" He exclaimed, seeing how panicked Takuya looked now.
"What is that!?" Takuya shouted, pointing up at the large thing in the sky.
Danny looked up, taken by surprise himself. "It's… it's a…"
Both of them stared at the large thing for a moment.
"An… island in the sky?" Danny blinked, looking confused.
Not only was it an island in the sky, there was an airplane under it that happened to be flying the island somewhere.
"It… looks like it…" Takuya stated, seeming to be calming down. "Geez… that thing really made me think I had death coming for me, what with the way it blocked out the remaining sunlight so suddenly."
Then Takuya just had a question pop into his head. "Uh, Danny, is there such a thing as the Grim Reaper?"
"Why are you asking me?" Danny asked.
"You… uh…" Takuya looked at Danny. "I mean you… you know what? Nevermind. Maybe we should talk about the island now, yes? Okay, so that's a big island. Why's there a plane under it?"
Danny didn't press the issue of the Reaper thing, glad for the change in subject actually. "I think that plane is moving the island… But… How can we get to that island? And… Should we even attempt to go there?"
That was the question. Takuya and Danny were supposed to be looking for Jazz and Tommy, not get sidetracked by a floating island. But it wasn't like they knew where Jazz and Tommy were.
"Hmm… maybe… if there are any Digimon on that island, maybe they might've seen where Jazz and Tommy went," Takuya figured.
"Oh, good point, especially if they've been in the air, they likely would have seen them at some point," Danny agreed.
"The only question is how do we get up to that island?" Takuya grumbled.
"Maybe…" Danny began hesitantly. "I know this could be risky, but… maybe it wouldn't hurt the Digital World if I just used my ghost powers for a short period of time?"
Takuya looked at Danny in concern. Takuya was about to suggest he use his Beast Spirit instead, but when he remembered he had little control at the moment, decided it was best to risk Danny using his ghost powers instead.
"I guess not… especially if it's just for a short time." Takuya conceded. "Just… don't make this a habit, okay?"
"Well… we had to test it sooner or later, might as well do it when we're not fighting against an enemy," Danny remarked.
Danny had his rings of transformation appear on his torso, though he split the rings slowly, keeping an eye out for any glitches or small green mists that might appear around him when he transformed. Danny managed to fully transform into his ghost form. So far, nothing bad has happened. So Danny quickly picked up Takuya and flew up to the island. The island was a lot bigger up close.
"We might need to think about how we'll get off the island later," Danny remarked as he flew them higher, trying to get to the top of the island.
Eventually, the two of them made it to the top of the island and Danny flew down to land. He set Takuya down before landing and transforming back to human form.
"Whew… it looks like nothing bad happened when I used my ghost form," Danny said in relief. "At least for a short time."
"Yeah. Maybe a short flight is fine. Just be careful if you end up having to use your ghost ray or something," Takuya warned.
"Well, hopefully it won't come down to that," Danny said before he looked at the area. "Um… why does this place look like a giant toy land?"
Indeed, there was a giant ball pit, a huge, lavender castle with blue roofs, a giant rocking ship, a palace that looked to be filled with candy, and a bunch of places with, thankfully, normal sized toys.
"Wow… I think this is a toy land." Takuya whistled. "Why else would there be so many toys around?"
Danny looked around some more and saw what looked like a toy rocket ship on the ground. "Hey! It's a rocket! I had one like this when I was a kid!" He noted with a grin on his face.
"Really?" Takuya asked.
"Yeah, Mom and Dad took Andy and me to the mall on our 11th birthday, and I bought a ship like that." Danny smiled fondly at the memory. "I wonder what other toys they might have here? I thought that ship was a limited edition."
"Well, we'll find out, because I don't see any Digimon around here, which means we'll have to look around for the Digimon who live here." Takuya noted.
"Hmm, do you think the Digimon might be in that castle?" Danny wondered. "It seems to be the only building in this place."
Takuya looked at the castle himself. "Maybe… It seems likely. Let's go check it out."
Danny did have a question as he followed his cousin. "But why is the castle so… lavender?"
"Why does that matter?" Takuya asked, although he was thinking the same question, he just didn't think it was important enough to ask.
"I don't know… It's just so… It just really stands out." Danny admitted. "I guess it kinda reminds me of…"
"Of what?" Takuya asked.
"... Nevermind, I'm probably imagining it," Danny shook his head.
Danny then saw a toy train going by the toy tracks. The train looked big enough for them to ride on. Danny gave a bit of a smile. "Hey, Takuya? Would you like to ride on a toy train? Could be good practice for when we have to start riding on Trailmon."
Takuya gave Danny an amused look. "You just want to ride the train, don't you?" He joked cheekily.
"Come on, my feet are tired from all that walking, and I'm sure you feel the same. At least riding the toy train will be fun, and we can rest a bit," Danny pouted slightly.
"Alright, alright… We can take a break if you want." Takuya chuckled. "My feet are a bit sore as well…"
The two of them ran over to the toy train. Danny got on the front, while Takuya was riding on the caboose.
The toy train continued to move, this time with two passengers on it.
"Woohoo! This is what I'm talking about!" Danny cheered from the front of the toy train.
"No need to act like such a little kid." Takuya chuckled.
"Hey, you try being a superhero with people going after your head. I think Jazz would be all too happy to see me like this," Danny chuckled. "... But don't tell Andy, he would never let me live it down."
Takuya grinned. "I won't tell~" He teased Danny.
"You'd better not, or you'll wake up with ice cubes in your pillow the next day." Danny warned.
"... Noted…" Takuya gulped, remembering how… mischievous the twins used to be, and he didn't want to know how creative one with ghost powers could be. The only person who'd be worse than Danny with ghost powers would be… Andy…
Takuya shivered at the idea of Andy having ghost powers, the kid was dangerous enough without it.
After a while of riding the toy train, Danny felt his feet aching much less. "Ah… Glad I could rest my feet. They don't feel so sore anymore."
Takuya also felt glad they had taken a break. "Yeah, especially since we'll have to walk some more after we get off the toy train."
"Yeah, true," Danny sighed. "Well, we better… Huh?"
Danny's eyes caught sight of something yellow and fluffy walking around. "Is… is that a giant, walking teddy bear?" Oh gosh, Andy would be jumping off this island right now if he was here.
Takuya blinked, seeing the same thing. "Hey, I see it too! I think… that may be a Digimon living here!"
"Really? What kind of Digimon is that?" Danny questioned.
Takuya took a moment to think, hearing a voice in his head. "Hmm… Apparently that Digimon is called Monzaemon. He's a playful Digimon who likes to play with children, but he's an Ultimate level Digimon, so be careful."
"Why are we meeting with so many Ultimate level Digimon lately?" Danny groaned.
"I don't know… but I think he's harmless." Takuya said. "We should be careful regardless, but I don't think we have too much to worry about."
"Alright… just glad I'm not Andy right now," Danny chuckled as he and Takuya hopped off of the toy train.
The two of them began approaching Monzaemon. Monzaemon stopped as he looked over at the two approaching humans. Monzaemon quickly ran at them, surprising them. Danny yelped as he ran behind Takuya, who was quickly grabbed by the bear and thrown down to the ground.
"I win! I remain the champion of Digi-Wrestler!" Monzaemon raised his paw, shouting cheerfully.
"Ugh… We weren't trying to wrestle…" Takuya groaned as he sat up. "We just came looking for someone…"
Danny was beginning to think Andy was probably right about teddy bears… at least a little bit…
Monzaemon, for his part, did help Takuya back up to his feet. "Oh, sorry, you looked like you were running towards me to play. One normally only runs to the other when they want to play Digi-Wrestler."
"It's fine… My cousin and I didn't know that, so it's kinda on us…" Takuya admitted sheepishly. "But thanks for helping me up."
"Uh… so… could you answer some of our questions?" Danny asked.
"Sure! I like playing Trivia Questions!" Monzaemon smiled.
"It's not a game, we're just looking for some people," Takuya explained.
"Who are you looking for?" Monzaemon asked.
"Um… one is a boy who is about 11 years old, and one is a 16 year old girl." Takuya replied. "The boy has short brown hair and green eyes. He also wears a white shirt with green edges on the sleeves and neck, and tannish pants with green and white sneakers. The girl has orange hair going down to about her waist, a blue headband, blue eyes, and she wears a black shirt with blue jeans and black shoes."
"They're also both humans, like us," Danny added, hoping Monzaemon didn't think they were talking about Digimon.
"Ah… well I didn't see a human girl, but I saw the boy you're describing," Monzaemon stated. "Although he looked younger than 11 years old… then again, I guess human children look the same age to me."
Takuya felt his heart rate pick up. "Then can you take us to him? I've been looking for him for a while. Please, you have to!"
But if Tommy's here, where's Jazz? I thought Andy said they'd be together. Danny frowned, starting to get worried about his sister.
"Uh… well I don't know where he is. I just said I saw him, not that I know where he is," Monzaemon replied awkwardly. "He didn't want to stay around, despite there being many toys for him to play with. Although, unless he can fly, I doubt he could've gotten off the island on his own."
"That's okay. My cousin and I can see if we can find him then." Takuya reassured Monzaemon with a smile. "Don't worry about it. You were helpful enough by confirming he was here."
Danny was inwardly frowning, worried about Jazz, but right now he and Takuya had to find this boy, to see if it was Tommy. Maybe Tommy might know where Jazz was.
"Would you like for me to help you find him? I'm really good at hide-n-seek!" Monzaemon offered.
Takuya blinked, surprised at the offer. "I… I guess…" He looked at Danny. "What do you think, Danny? Monzaemon knows this place better than we do."
"I don't see any reason why not," Danny replied. "Just don't… toss the little guy around."
"I promise I won't," Monzaemon said. "If I find him, I'll take him to the castle! You guys can meet with us there, and we can all play together."
Before Takuya or Danny could say anything, Monzaemon was already running away, excited.
"Well… we can't say he isn't enthusiastic…" Takuya muttered with a sweatdrop running down the side of his head.
"Yeah… I think we should get started on our own search…" Danny added, also with a sweatdrop.
Danny and Takuya began looking around the island.
"Hey, Takuya, I've never met Tommy before. Could you tell me a little bit more about him?" Danny requested. "I'm surprised an 11 year old kid like him wouldn't be interested in sticking around to play with these cool toys. Heck, even I'm tempted to just play with the toys here."
"Well…" Takuya began slowly. "Tommy is… kinda closed off… for a kid his age. Heck… he only opened up to me because I promised to keep him safe. After that… I just bonded with the kid to try to get to know him better. Tommy… seems to have some issues with… a certain player we ran into earlier… Sir Michael… But Tommy won't tell me what those issues are."
"Sir Michael?" Danny frowned. "You mean the same guy with the PawnChessmon, and had Kwan in his group, right?"
"The same one," Takuya confirmed.
"We haven't really seen him since, I kinda forgot about him," Danny admitted. "But… I didn't think he'd be the one to give a little kid such a hard time. I know he wasn't the nicest guy around, but… what was he doing to Tommy that made him so closed off?"
"That's what I want to know, but Tommy refused to tell me. The only thing I know is that he's apparently hunting Tommy down," Takuya admitted. "I want to find Tommy, make sure he's alright so he doesn't get hurt by Sir Michael again. Whatever happened between them… it was bad… bad enough that Sir Michael is hunting down Tommy…"
Danny grimaced, remembering how Skulker was hunting him down. "I… think I can sympathize with Tommy then… Although his situation might be worse, since Skulker is a ghost and an enemy. But Sir Michael is a human, and Tommy is just a kid."
"And Tommy doesn't have powers to defend himself from Sir Michael," Takuya added.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find him. I doubt Sir Michael is able to get up here so easily," Danny reassured Takuya.
Takuya smiled at Danny. "Yeah, you're right. We're up on a flying island. It isn't easy to get here." He agreed.
The two of them looked around the ball bit, the rocking ship ride, and some of the areas with toys. They weren't sure where Tommy would be. Then Danny suggested they look in the candy store.
"We haven't looked in there yet, and… I am getting kinda hungry," Danny admitted.
Takuya sighed. "Alright, fine… If only because it's the one place we haven't checked yet besides the castle."
The two of them headed to the candy store. Inside, there were all sorts of colorful sweets, like cotton candy, candies from both Japan and America, and there were giant, colorful lollipops all over the place. There didn't appear to be any Digimon in the store though.
"Whoa… now I know what it feels like to be a kid in a candy store," Danny said in awe as he looked around.
"Yeah, but again, where are the Digimon? I'm… kinda getting a bad feeling about this place…" Takuya admitted. "Not to mention I don't see Tommy here."
Danny frowned when he realized Takuya was right. Tommy was indeed not in the candy store. "Then… where is he?"
"Maybe he's already at the castle?" Takuya suggested. "It's the only place we've yet to look."
"Maybe," Danny said as he grabbed a cotton candy. "But let's eat some of this before going there."
Takuya's stomach growled, making him blush a bit. "Yeah… maybe something to eat would be good…"
Takuya grabbed a cotton candy as well and began to chow down on it. "Wow… This is good!"
Danny chuckled as he looked at his cousin. "I didn't know you liked cotton candy. I figured you'd be sick of it after the cotton candy incident at the Swap Meet."
"I didn't eat any of the cotton candy that time. And I do need to get energy so I can evolve if it comes to fight." Takuya pointed out. "Plus… I was in my Digimon form for so long during that whole invasion, I kinda need to eat more because of it…"
"You ate before we came here," Danny chuckled.
"Still, I'm allowed to treat myself," Takuya remarked, eating more of the cotton candy. "Are you going to eat anything?"
"I'm not into cotton candy right now, but…" Danny looked at some candies that looked star shaped. "These look good. I think I remember seeing these types of candies in a Japanese anime."
Takuya looked at one of the star shaped candies. "Yeah, it does look familiar. I think they sell these back in Japan. I believe they're called Konpeito, or 'sugar candy' in English."
Danny picked one up and opened it before taking a bite. "Oh wow! This tastes good!"
Danny began munching on more of the colorful star shaped candies.
Takuya and Danny had their fill of sweet treats, though Danny took a plastic bag and put more of the sugar candies into the bag and put them into his pocket.
"I might share these with Andy," Danny said. "And we don't have these candies in our stores, so this is probably the best chance for us to enjoy them."
"I think Andy would be happy with that, given he's more of an anime nut." Takuya chuckled.
The two of them left the candy store, and they began to head for the castle.
"Don't you think it's weird? We've been all over this island, and other than that giant teddy bear Digimon, we haven't seen a single soul out here," Danny remarked.
"I do think it's odd." Takuya agreed. "I'm not liking this at all. Where are the other Digimon? Did something happen to them?"
"I don't know… maybe that Monzaemon Digimon is the only Digimon who lives here?" Danny questioned.
"Someone's gotta be operating the plane that's moving the island, right?" Takuya pointed out.
"Hey, I don't know how this crazy world works. For all we know, that plane is automated," Danny argued.
Takuya sighed. "Let's just get to the castle. Maybe the Digimon are in the castle for all we know."
"Seems kinda creepy they'd all be holed up in the castle," Danny remarked. "Usually people only get holed up in a shelter if a disaster is happening outside, like a plague, or a natural disaster. But as far as I can tell, it's pretty peaceful out here… you know, ignoring the rogue Legendary Warriors having their player hunts and all."
"Either that, or players." Takuya mused with a small frown. "It's… we're the only humans here aside from Tommy, right…? Maybe… the Digimon are hiding from us?"
Danny frowned. "I wonder why Monzaemon didn't seem scared of us then."
"Maybe he's just the odd one out," Takuya shrugged.
The two of them got close to the castle. They could see a drawbridge was over a moat.
"Well, here's the lavender castle," Danny remarked.
"We'd best be careful." Takuya cautioned. "We don't know what awaits us."
The two of them began to walk onto the drawbridge, but the drawbridge was suddenly being lifted up, which caught Danny and Takuya off guard. They both yelped as they lost their balances and fell into the water.
Takuya and Danny swam to the surface of the moat, both boys breaking through the surface of the water.
"Aw man… So much for entering the castle peacefully." Takuya grumbled.
"Talk about a rude welcome." Danny added.
They saw darkness over the castle's walls staring down at them. Takuya deduced quickly, however, it wasn't darkness, but black Digimon, hundreds of them. They began to fire out some kind of attacks at them.
"Shit! Under the water! Now!" Takuya exclaimed as he took a deep breath before diving under the water again.
Danny yelped as one of the attacks sped over his head before taking a deep breath himself and diving under as well.
Something black and white came swimming at them, and grabbed them both, dragging them deeper underwater. Takuya and Danny struggled in a panic, neither of them thinking clearly enough to use their powers to escape whatever was taking them deeper. However, they noticed the being was taking them into a cave below the castle, and after entering the cave, the black and white being brought them to the surface of the water, allowing them to breathe again.
"Aw man… I'm pretty sure we seem to encounter enemies wherever we go…" Danny panted.
"Tell me about it…" Takuya agreed before looking at the black and white being that had taken them to the cave. "Huh… Are you a Digimon, or a stuffed toy?"
The being in question turned out to be a panda, or what looked like a stuffed panda standing on two legs. It seemed to resemble Monzaemon a bit, but appeared to be smaller. It had a red scarf on its neck.
"I'm a Digimon, you may call me Pandamon," The stuffed panda explained. "I used to work at this castle, it was once part of Cherubimon's kingdom before the players took over it. We have been on the run since then. Unfortunately, you came at a bad time, humans. The ToyAgumon have lost their faith in humanity after the players chased us out of our homes, and they've turned into ShadowToyAgumon. They see other players as their enemies and will attack indiscriminately."
Takuya frowned, as did Danny.
"You mean those black Digimon that attacked us?" Danny asked, suddenly feeling sorry for the poor Digimon.
"Yes," Pandamon confirmed. "Monzaemon and I are the only Digimon left on this island who still see the good in humanity, however, we do not believe all players are bad."
Takuya began to worry about Tommy, since Tommy had been on this island before them.
"I'm… not gonna lie, I'm kinda worried about a friend of mine…" Takuya admitted. "Apparently he's on this island… but if the ToyAgumon are attacking humans… he could be in danger…"
"Is this friend of yours a human boy?" Pandamon asked.
"Yes," Takuya said as he perked up. "Have you seen him?"
"I have," Pandamon confirmed. "He was wandering around the island, he seemed to be looking for something, or someone. Like you, he started coming to the castle when he was attacked by the ShadowToyAgumon."
Takuya grew pale in the face. Crap… "Is… Is he okay? Or did the ShadowToyAgumon capture him?"
"He fell into the water. I managed to save him and brought him here, like I did for you two. But he was determined to get to the bottom of this, and went to the castle to see if he could face the ShadowToyAgumon," Pandamon explained. "He likely got captured, but the funny thing is I saw him running out of the castle before Monzaemon ran into him. The ShadowToyAgumon gathered around both of them and took them back into the castle. I didn't think a lone human child would've been able to escape the first time."
"Then we have to get to the castle to save them." Danny said with determination. "Tommy apparently doesn't have a Digimon partner, and could be in trouble."
Pandamon walked forward, then pointed at some stairs leading to a door. "You'll get to the castle grounds up those stairs. But you may have to face an army of ShadowToyAgumon, are you sure you want to do this? You could end up like your friend."
Takuya nodded, as did Danny.
"Yeah, we're sure." Takuya confirmed. "Besides, my cousin and I can handle ourselves." He reached into his pocket and took out his D-Tector into his hand. "We have a few tricks to handle Digimon that attack us."
"Yeah, we can do it." Danny smiled.
"Very well then. The ShadowToyAgumon, from what I've heard, had been gifted with abilities they normally wouldn't have from one of the Legendary Warriors, I believe he said his name was Mercurymon. So be careful, they may be Rookie levels, but there are many of them, and who knows what kind of abilities Mercurymon had gifted them with," Pandamon warned.
Takuya frowned at this. Sounds like a rogue Legendary Warrior. I've never met Mercurymon though, so Danny and I will have to be careful.
Danny nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be careful." He promised Pandamon.
"I wish you the best of luck, my friends," Pandamon said as Takuya and Danny walked up the stairs.
Takuya opened the door and peeked outside.
"So far, so good… We're at least in the castle grounds from what I can see." Takuya noted as he and Danny exited from the tunnel stairway.
"Yeah, but we can't just rush in." Danny warned. "Those ShadowToyAgumon may jump us."
As if on cue, they were suddenly surrounded by the black lego dinosaurs. They were glaring at the two humans.
"Players are not welcomed here!"
"We will destroy or capture you!"
"We will do to you what you have done to us!"
"Well, they certainly didn't waste any time," Danny muttered as he took out his own Fenton Rod, he figured if he couldn't fight as a ghost, then he should at least fight as a human.
Takuya growled. "Looks like we're fighting then," He agreed as he got ready. He held out his D-Tector and the blue digital form of his first Spirit appeared visible on the screen of his D-Tector as he formed the familiar fractal coding on his left hand. Takuya swiped the D-Tector over the coding, calling out the familiar phrase he knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" His clothes ripped away as his body became digital, and the process began. Coding surrounded him as the power of the Spirit flowed into his body. Red armor formed and latched onto his body as his hair changed to blonde and became long and wild. His height increased, as did his strength and agility. His eyes snapped open, now a brilliant blue instead of brown, and his canine teeth were sharper than a human's as well. He landed, crying out his name. "Agunimon!"
The ShadowToyAgumon were taken by surprise when they saw Takuya turning into Agunimon.
"What's this?"
"A player turned into a Digimon?"
"Isn't that a Legendary Warrior?"
"Don't be fooled! Master Mercurymon warned us about these filthy players using the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors!"
Agunimon noticed the Fenton Gloves were still fused to his fists as they crackled with little embers of fire.
"Huh… Didn't expect that…" Agunimon mused before he grinned. "But I can't complain about it."
Danny frowned a little. "Don't get overconfident. We have an army of these guys to face." He warned.
Agunimon knew Danny was right. "Yeah… But it's not like we didn't face an army before."
"Plastic Blaze!"
The ShadowToyAgumon began firing out what looked like plastic fireballs. Danny and Agunimon weren't sure if a plastic fireball was all that dangerous, however, they were soon shown that these plastic fireballs were definitely dangerous as when one whizzed past their heads, it blew up like a small bomb against the wall.
"Dang… have to watch those attacks… They could do some real damage…" Danny gulped.
Agunimon nodded, feeling a bit uneasy now. If those attacks hit Danny… I could be overwhelmed too…
The ShadowToyAgumon began firing out more of their Plastic Blaze attacks at the two. Danny and Agunimon began moving, trying to dodge the attacks while going in for the attack. Danny slammed his Fenton Rod into a few of the ShadowToyAgumon, knocking several of them back.
Agunimon turned to face some of the ShadowToyAgumon himself and used his Pyro Punch on a few of them, sending them flying backwards into other ShadowToyAgumon behind them.
Agunimon and Danny moved to stand back to back. "These guys are everywhere!" Agunimon growled out.
"But it looks like we're doing pretty well. This reminds me of our battle against Walker and his minions," Danny joked.
"Let's hope it doesn't end the same way," Agunimon replied. "We don't have a 'Digimon Shield' to keep us safe if we get overwhelmed."
"Heh, might have to tell my parents to make one then," Danny said as he used the Fenton Rod to bat back an incoming Plastic Blaze right back at the ShadowToyAgumon, causing it to explode in its face.
The ShadowToyAgumon were getting quite annoyed that despite their overwhelming numbers, they were still getting beaten by these two players.
"We can defeat them! We just need to use the blessing Master Mercurymon had bestowed on us!" One of the ShadowToyAgumon announced to the others.
Agunimon tensed up when he heard that. "Get ready, Danny… Looks like these guys are going to bring out the big guns." He warned.
Danny gulped. "Great… just our luck…"
ShadowToyAgumon began to assemble on each other. Hundreds of them piled on each other, creating what looked like a giant black tank. Another few hundred of ShadowToyAgumon created a second black tank, their guns pointing at Agunimon and Danny.
"Oh, crap…" Danny sweatdropped. "This is not good…"
Agunimon raised an eyebrow. "It's just a toy tank, right?"
The toy tank shot out a much more powerful version of the Plastic Blaze attack at them. Danny and Agunimon got down to the ground as the attack shot over them, creating a much bigger blast.
"Yeah, just a toy tank that happens to have toy explosives!" Danny grumbled.
"Geez… this is nuts! We have to find a way to defeat these things!" Agunimon exclaimed. "If we get hit by those shells, we're done for!"
"Thanks for the newsflash, Captain Obvious!" Danny exclaimed back.
The two toy tanks continued to fire their explosives at Agunimon and Danny. Danny tried hitting the tanks with his Fenton Rod, but it didn't do much damage. He had to drop his Fenton Rod when the tank turned its gun around at him and he had to roll away before it could take his head off.
Agunimon saw Danny barely avoiding getting hit and growled to himself. He was glad Danny was able to avoid getting hit, but it still made him worried. Darn it… we're getting in over our heads… "And here it was supposed to be easy to rescue Tommy!"
"When has it ever been easy? Pandamon warned us this wouldn't be easy!" Danny called back. Okay, clearly I don't have the tools on me to fight against tanks… Would I have better luck using my ghost powers? But what if that causes the world to start glitching? Can I even risk that?
Danny knew he had to do something, but if he did, it was a big risk to the Digital World's stability. This thing in his chest was screaming at him to use it, to use his ghost powers, to fulfill the desire to help others, but his worry for the well-being of the Digital World was holding him back.
Agunimon dodged another explosion that nearly threw him to the ground. "Danny! We need a better plan!"
Danny gasped as he dodged another explosion, though this one was close enough that threw him a few feet away, and smacked his head into a wall.
Danny groaned as he fell to the ground. What can I do? What would Andy do? I wish Patamon was here to help…
"Did you need me?"
Danny blinked, seeing what might be an imaginary version of Andy sitting in front of him.
"You look worse for wear, bro," Imaginary Andy chuckled.
"W-what do I do? Takuya and I are in over our heads…" Danny groaned out, feeling embarrassed he was talking to an imaginary version of his twin.
"There are two of those tanks, right?" Imaginary Andy asked. "And they both hit really hard? Have you tried having them hit each other?"
Danny's eyes went wide as he got the gist of the idea. "No… But if we can…" He realized. "Then this fight is over…"
"I knew you could figure it out, bro," Imaginary Andy chuckled. "I better go, or Lopmon will think I've gone into a coma."
"Wait… are you the real Andy?" Danny asked.
"I'm as real as you think I am, bro," Imaginary Andy replied before he vanished.
Danny stared for a moment before he shook his head. I have to focus! Takuya and I have to defeat the tanks. And I think I know how now.
Danny got to his feet, just in time to see Agunimon get blown back and landing on the ground in front of him. "Ow…"
Danny ran over to Agunimon, though Agunimon quickly got back to his feet and ran at one of the tanks. "Pyro Punch!"
The attack was powerful enough to cause a hole in the tank.
"Now've you done it! You've made us really, really mad!" The ShadowToyAgumon snapped. "Let's use everything we've got!"
The two tanks began to change before their eyes. Danny and Agunimon looked up in surprise as the tanks turned into two giant black robots.
"I think you just pissed them off, cuz…" Danny sweatdropped.
"You think…?" Agunimon muttered with a sweatdrop himself.
The two robots made to punch the two of them, forcing Agunimon to put up his Plasma Sphere to shield both himself and Danny since neither of them could dodge in time.
The Plasma Sphere cracked a little under the two punches, which surprised Agunimon as the only time he ever saw his Plasma Sphere crack was when it was being bombarded by ecto bullets, and even then it took several ecto bullets to get it to crack.
"So this is the power of the Legendary Warrior's blessing…" Danny noted. "Those are two very powerful punches."
"I'll say… but what can we do to beat them? It's like these things can't be beat." Agunimon growled.
Danny grinned. "I think I have an idea on how to beat them." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What? How?" Agunimon asked.
"I'm gonna need you to follow my lead, though I'll have to use my ghost form for this," Danny said.
"You can't! If you fight with your ghost form, you could damage the Digital World!" Agunimon warned.
"I'm not using it to fight, I'm using it to be able to pull off this maneuver," Danny explained. "Just being in my ghost form doesn't seem to do any harm, so this is the best way to use it."
The two giant mega robots were pulling back their arms to punch again. The Plasma Sphere's cracks were getting larger.
"We can't hesitate too long, Takuya, it's now or never," Danny quickly said before he transformed into his ghost form. "Just trust me!"
Agunimon frowned, but nodded. "Okay… I'll… I'll trust you…" He said at last.
"Okay. Once you take down the shield, run in front of the robot on the right, I'll do the same for the one on the left. Get its attention on you, then run to me, we'll jump and then kick each other's feet to bounce away from each other," Danny instructed.
"What's that going to do?" Agunimon asked.
The two robots began pulling back their fists once more.
"No more time to explain, just do it!" Danny quickly said.
Agunimon nodded and dropped his shield. The Plasma Sphere dissipated, and the two of them ran out. Agunimon ran to the robot on the right while Danny went for the one on the left.
"This had better work…" Agunimon muttered before he figured out a way to get the robot's attention. "Hey! You can't hit the broadside of a warehouse, your aim's so off!"
The black robot turned to Agunimon.
Danny rushed to the other robot and yelled out. "I've met smaller toy robots way cooler than you! And they didn't need to pull a rip-off Transformer!"
The other robot turned to Danny.
The two robots were pulling back their arms to punch them. Danny and Agunimon began running towards each other. Agunimon didn't know what Danny was planning, but all he could do was put his trust in his half ghost cousin.
When they got close to each other, Danny and Agunimon jumped up high before they kicked each other's feet, bouncing off of each other. The two robots' fists ended up missing them, and instead, smashed both of their faces in.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt!" Danny remarked when he heard the loud crunching sound from both robots when they got punched.
Two rings of fractal codes appeared on the robots.
Agunimon grinned. "Nice plan, Danny!" He complimented before he took out his D-Tector and faced the first of the robots.
"Time to purify the ShadowToyAgumon back to normal." Agunimon declared as he held up his D-Tector. He pressed the button on the side as the scanner on the top lit up, showing the symbol of Flame on the screen. Agunimon swung his arm, allowing the scanner to scan the code. "Fractal Code… Digitize!"
The code was scanned, before Agunimon then held his D-Tector to his chest. "Purification, complete."
Danny was facing the other robot with its fractal code exposed, he heard a beeping coming from his D-Arc. He hadn't heard it do anything since it had that error message, and after Patamon left, he wasn't sure if it would work anymore. But much to his surprise, when he took it out of his hazmat suit's pocket, which he was surprised to see had pockets, he saw the D-Arc was working again. It was pointing an arrow at the fractal code.
I wonder if this means… my bond with Patamon hasn't completely shattered yet? Danny wondered with hope. Wait… could I use this like Agunimon did with his D-Tector?
Danny looked up at the ring of fractal code. Only one way to find out.
"I hate it when good toys go bad," Danny remarked as he pushed a button on the D-Arc.
The D-Arc's screen glowed before Danny began to slide the device across the ring of code. "Fractal code… digitized!"
The fractal code was scanned before the robot Danny was facing began to break apart into colorful forms that looked like the ShadowToyAgumon. The robot Agunimon was facing also began to break apart into similar forms.
"I think we beat these guys…" Agunimon realized, seeing what was happening.
The now colorful ToyAgumon looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Is that Agunimon? The Legendary Warrior of Flame?"
"What's that next to him? Is that… a ghost?"
"What's a ghost doing here?"
"Wait, I think that ghost helped save us from our corruption."
"But… it's a ghost, why would a ghost save us?"
"Did the Legendary Warrior do something to make the ghost cooperate?"
"No, I'm just Agunimon's friend, and I wanted to help you guys," Danny explained. "Not all ghosts are evil."
Agunimon nodded. "It's okay, he's friendly. He couldn't hurt me, or you guys, if he tried." He said, trying to reassure the ToyAgumon.
Danny pouted at that. "Why did you have to say that?" He whined, folding his arms in a pout.
"What? Would you?" Agunimon asked.
"Is that a trick question?" Danny groaned.
"Thank you for saving us, Agunimon, ghost boy. We had so much distrust and hatred in our Digi-Core that we transformed into something we didn't want to be…" A ToyAgumon frowned.
"Mercurymon and WaruMonzaemon kept feeding into our worry and fears about the players that I guess it was only a matter of time before we started believing everything they said…" Another ToyAgumon explained.
"But we're peaceful Digimon. We don't like fighting, we just like playing, especially with human children," Another ToyAgumon sighed. "This went against our nature."
"Wait… did you say… Monzaemon?" Danny frowned, having picked up on the name.
"Yes? Well, WaruMonzaemon, he's the one who runs the toy castle," A ToyAgumon explained. "He was the first to get corrupted, and made a deal with Mercurymon to make us stronger."
"We met… a Digimon called…" Agunimon's eyes began to widen slightly, "Monzaemon… No… It can't be!"
Danny looked at Agunimon. "Is… everything okay?" He asked, but he was getting a bad feeling in his gut.
"Danny, we need to find Tommy, now!" Agunimon quickly said.
"Are you talking about that human boy who escaped us the first time? I think WaruMonzaemon took him to the top of the castle's tower," ToyAgumon pointed up at the highest castle's tower.
"WaruMonzaemon? But we were told Monzaemon and Tommy were taken in by you guys." Danny frowned, confused.
"Oh… WaruMonzaemon can slide evolve into his normal form to bring human children in… it's easier than taking them while kicking and screaming," A ToyAgumon informed worriedly. "That was the gift Mercurymon bestowed him, the power of deception."
"Can you let us into the castle?" Agunimon asked the ToyAgumon. "Please, it's an emergency!"
"S-sure, but be careful, WaruMonzaemon is strong," The ToyAgumon warned. "His Heart Break Attack can drain your will to fight."
"That's cheating." Danny frowned.
"WaruMonzaemon isn't exactly about fighting with honor." The ToyAgumon frowned. "Hence the deal with Mercurymon."
"If you want to save your friend, it might already be too late… but don't let us stop you from trying," Another ToyAgumon warned.
Agunimon nodded. "Thank you. We'll save Monzaemon, I promise."
Agunimon looked at Danny. "C'mon, let's go." He said before turning and running into the castle.
Danny frowned, wondering what WaruMonzaemon was truly like, and what he planned to do with Tommy. Since he was still in his ghost form, and they didn't have a lot of time, Danny decided to fly to Agunimon and pick him up.
"It'll be faster if I just fly us there," Danny stated.
"Guess so." Agunimon agreed with a sigh. "If this becomes a habit though, I'm going to get spoiled…"
Danny turned them intangible as they flew through the ceiling and headed directly up to the tower. Agunimon was nervous about what they would find once they reached the top of the tower. Danny didn't stop until they reached their destination, coming up from the floor, both of them were shocked at what they saw.
Titanic X: ZAFT: Yeah, but that will change with Dash and Labramon. :3
DarkFoxKit: Dash's relationship with Andy and the others is complicated.
pokemon fan 1991: ZAFT: Thanks for the feed back. :3 Yeah, Dash will need new friends if his companions don't accept him. Although, he kinda already does have new friends… XD
DarkFoxKit: Interesting, using Biyomon's Japanese name. And yeah, Patamon needs some time away from Danny, and everything else.