Disclaimer: Nothing mine.
Reviews.
Zero Fullbuster: Hey man.
Felipe1402XZA: Hisoka nullifying Killua was something it came to me while writing the chapter, but it was perfect to counter Killua's Godspeed imo.
Xavier Fall: Thank you. Thank you.
The night after one of the most stressing days on their task to protect the Digital World, a new session of their training regimen had been added to their late night sessions. It was just one thing to do at the moment, but one that will prove to be the most difficult challenge the Digidestined will have to face at the moment, not even facing their partners proved to be so taxing.
The training in question? Well, simple in concept and hard in execution: Spar with Killua.
Yeah, not an easy task, as Davis's face can attest to after meeting the ground once again.
"Agh!" The boy yelped at the impact, his whole clothing dirty and his face sporting now a red mark on his face. "Owww…"
Killua stood on the center of their training ground, hands on his pockets and a bored look on his face. He sidestepped to grab Yolei's wrist as she tried to swipe him from behind, and took advantage of the momentum to throw her at an incoming Cody.
He looked up to see a few stun grenades raining on him and ducked, while keeping his eyes on the floor as they detonated and ran to the one responsible of it.
Ken grimaced and pulled out his book, he leaned back to avoid a jab and focused aura on his feet to try and swipe the boy's legs to lost his balance, but Killua jumped back and landed on a handstand before flipping back into position. He tried to attack the boy again, but his hand was suddenly wrapped by threads. He glared behind his shoulders to see T.K holding him in position, and giving Ken a chance to rip a page from his book and summon his tonfas.
Killua gave a stomp and he tugged at the strings with all her might, pulling T.K towards him and swinging him at the purple haired boy. They both grunted as they landed on the floor on a tangled mess.
Finally Killua sidestepped to dodge a hit from Kari, she tried with jabs, kicks, hooks and uppercuts, but he moved out of the way on every chance.
Kari gritted her teeth in frustration, her ability was disabled at the moment, and now she really, really, was starting to see the downsides of it and regretting her choice on the matter, especially considering the current circumstances.
This brief distraction cost her as Killua grabbed her wrist and flipped her over his shoulder and her back struck the floor, the air left her lungs and then she felt the grip on her wrist tighten and she was brought back to her feet. Her body suddenly pressed against Killua's as he put his nails close to her neck.
"And now Kari's been captured and I, Hisoka, am going to make my daring escape," He said on a deadpan tone. "And since this is 'the Human World' there's no Homeostasis to help out this time. I win, you lose, suck on a lemon."
"Must you be so mean about it?" Kari slumped, ignoring the faint blush at being so close at the boy's body.
"Yes," He said, letting her go and ignoring the fuzzy feeling he had when being so close to her, "Mostly because I get off on it."
"Jerk," she pouted, caressing her wrist.
"Yeah, heard that one before," He said as everyone gathered, sulking at their lack of results against the former assassin. "C'mon, cheer up, this is the first day and you have to remember that I'm a professional Hunter, you guys are just starting."
"Flipped the switch very quickly there, buddy," Davis said.
Killua shrugged. "I guess you need a bit of positive reinforcement," He said. "The objective isn't to beat me, because realistically, and at fear of sounding arrogant, you guys can't beat me, but you can improve your coordination and teamwork with this."
"But if we can't beat you, then what can we do against Hisoka?" Yolei questioned, rolling her shoulder.
"Give a bit more of a fight," Killua said with a shrug. "To fend him off while waiting for reinforcements until we can save the temples so he can go back to our world."
T.K looks nervous at that. "Won't he hold it against you if that happened?"
"Nah," Killua brushed it off. "I think he is doing this so he can go back to our world, the means shouldn't matter to him."
"That's good then," Cody said, giving a sigh of relief.
"For now, I'll focus on you guys, and then we'll move to join in your partners," He said. "That includes working to see how accessible the Ultra Level at the moment, and work on how long it can last."
Those who unlocked the Ultra Level nodded, while Cody and Davis looked disheartened over their lack of progress on unlocking the power of their Crests.
"Oi, oi, no more sad faces!" Killua told them, with a serious tone. "Five years ago some Crests took more time than others, the situation will come where it's your time to shine… Literally."
"If ya say so," Davis said, still not knowing what the heck was he supposed to do for his Crest to shine, just how could he make a miracle happen anyways?!
Cody had similar thoughts, wondering just what justice meant. Recently his friends all talked about finishing their enemies off, but he didn't think of that as the right way to deal with their enemies despite their actions. But… what if he is the one who's wrong, then how could he make his Crest shine then?
"For now, it should be enough," He said folding his hands behind his head. "Rest now and tomorrow to scout for the next temple before the spider and the dog do it."
"Osu!"
With flashes of light, only he and Kari remained on the training ground. And now that the two were alone, he could finally address an issue he noticed during the spar.
"So, what's eating you?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.
Kari gave a sigh of defeat and fiddled with her fingers. "It's my ability," she said, her face reddening as she saw Killua's face fall flat. "I noticed that… It isn't so reliable."
"Told ya," He said on a tone as flat as his face. "Having an ability with a condition is good as long as it doesn't hinder you much. And with the temples getting destroyed dark clouds keep gathering on the sky, blocking you from the sun and sources of light."
"I like my ability," She said with a sigh. "I thought hard on it and it feels natural to use it… But I can't count of it all the time…"
Killua sat down and gestured her to do the same. "Normally I wouldn't hand you the answer on a silver platter since I'd prefer for all of you to reach the answer yourselves, but under the current circumstances I can make an exception so listen. You have an ability that only works while there's light, most of the time sunlight, so think of the opposite, an ability that activates when there's a certain obscurity on the area."
Kari pondered on it and let her aura flow. She stared at her hands and then up at the glistening moon, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and smiling. "I think I got it," She said.
"Then put a pin to that idea," He said, sitting up and holding a hand out. She grasped and was pulled back to her feet. "You have school, and we're already done with today's session. We'll sort out when to iron out this new ability you have in mind."
"Osu," she said. 'Thank you,' she wanted to say, but knew about his attitude towards the words of gratitude. She really wished there was something else she could do to repay all the things he's done.
"Alright then, let's go back," He said, walking to the nearest port.
Kari took out her Digivice and with a flash of light they were gone from the training ground.
"Ack!" A man dressed in fine clothing was slammed against the wall, his companions all crumbled on the floor.
Hisoka kept a bored look on his face as he kept a grip on the man's name, his companions had shouted out his name, but for the life of him Hisoka couldn't care less about what it was. "This situation could have been easily avoided if you hadn't tried to mug me," He told the man.
"F-fuck you!" He spat—literally as he gathered spit on his mouth and hurled it at the jester's face.
Hisoka didn't flinched, instead he tightened the grip on his hand and the man's face went from red to blue to purple, until finally a snap was heard. He relaxed his hand and allowed the man to fall down like broken doll.
"Taiyo!" One of the downed men yelled as they saw the corpse.
'Oh, so that's what it was,' He thought with a shrug. He turned back to the men and one of them pulled out a gun to fire at him, Hisoka just made a movement with his hand and suddenly there was a splash of blood and the man had a stump on its place.
As he yelled in agony and the others cowered in place, the jester crouched and grabbed one of them by the scruff of the neck.
"P-please man, we're sorry, you can take anything you want!" The cowardly man pleaded, while in the background the other whimpered while clutching his stump.
"Really?" Hisoka asked with a head tilt. "Then I'll take some answers from you. Tell me, do you know where we are?"
"O-On Shinjuku!" The man yelped. "Tokyo, Japan!"
"…" Hisoka knew those words should mean something, but unless he sees a map, or reads the language, he knew he was lost. "Tell me, do you know where to find certain people? How to get directions from anyone I want?"
"I-I…" The hand tightened around his throat. "I DON'T!" He yelped, and felt the hand tightening even further. "B-BUT I KNOW WHO DOES: OUR BOSS!"
"Oh, I see…" He said, letting go of the man, who fell on his butt and gasped for air. Hisoka crouched to his eye level and put a hand on his shoulder. "Then… Would you kindly take me to him?"
The man stared at Hisoka with fear on his eyes, if this man… This demon met his boss and he doesn't cooperate then there's no doubt that he would kill anyone present on the building. And if he refuses then he would die here and just find someone else to take him there.
'Sorry boss…' He thought as he felt urine on his pants. "I-I'll take you there…"
Hisoka chuckled. "Why thank you," He grabbed his arm and yanked him on his feet and gripped the back of his neck. "Lead the way."
Leaving the other scared members of the gang to tent to their now mutilated friend, Hisoka and his new 'friend' walked further into the alleyway, disappearing into the shadows.
On an arid town on the southern regions of the Digital World, Arukenimon and BlackMetalGarurumon made their next move, they needed to know the location of the next temple, and now that they lacked a car and a driver they decided to go through a much more aggressive approach.
BlackMetalGarurumon opened his mouth and unleashed a cyan blast against the Champions that were defending the town, MudFrigimon and JungleMojyamon, they tried to counter with attacks of their own, but the strength of the mega was too much and they were soon overpowered. Luckily for them, the blast exploded near them, only pushing them back with barely any injury.
Unfortunately that left them to the mercy of a snarling wolf and a cackling spider. "Calm now you cavemen," she sneered. "We only want to know if you can tell us the location of a temple on a volcanic area… If you don't tell us or if you don't' know well…"
BlackMetalGarurumon snarled and many slots opened around his body, revealing his various missiles, the way his lips were pulled back almost mimicking a sadistic smile.
"Narukami!"
A lightning bolt fell right in between the two violent Digimon and the residents of the town, forcing Arukenimon and the wolf to jump back. BlackMetalGarurumon growled while Arukenimon clenched her fists in anger as they glared at the top of one of the roofs, where Killua was standing with his fingers extended and lightning crackling on it, while behind them the Digidestined stood with their partners on their aerial forms.
"What a small Digital World," Davis said with crossed arms from Exveemon's back. "We came here for clues for the temple… seems we weren't the only ones."
"We need to evacuate the inhabitants while we get rid of those two," Kari said, landing on the streets of the town and dismounting Nefertimon.
Killua turned to the group. "T.K, Davis, you do that. Kari, Cody deal with Arukenimon. Ken, Yolei, with me against the pup!" He said jumping from the roof.
"Right!" Everyone chorused and focused on their respective tasks.
Nefertimon and Pteramon flew over Arukenimon and launched their attacks. Missiles were deployed from Pteramon's wings, while Nefertimon's paws glowed, "Missile Storm!"
"Nile Jewels!"
Arukenimon leaped back to avoid the attacks, and sneered when she saw Kari and Cody charging at her. She shot her arms forward and red tendrils were launched at them, "Spider Thread!"
Kari positioned herself in front of Cody, and stomped her feet on the ground, hard enough to leave a crater. She crossed her arms over herself and let the tendrils wrap around them, she gritted her teeth and grabbed them with her hands and with a mighty yell she tugged at the whips with all of her strength.
With a yelp, Arukenimon was suddenly dragged towards the girl's direction, and Cody took his chance to stand at Kari's side and prepare his weapon. Once she was close enough, he gave unleashed a powerful swing that struck the side of her face.
The force was enough to force her to retreat her threads, and Kari took advantage of her disorientation to grab her arms and pull her close to punch her on the gut. The spider-woman gagged as the air left her lungs, and as a cherry on top, Kari threw her into the air where Nefertimon and Pteramon were awaiting.
"Queen's Curse!" The top of Nefertimon's headset released twin beams of energy that struck the woman's chest.
"Missile Storm!" And finally, Pteramon launched his missiles, all of them impacting the already downed body of their enemy.
Cody observed this with a sweatdrop. "Isn't this a bit of an overkill?"
Kari tilted her head as she observed their enemy. "I guess that without backup she isn't much of a threat. And it shows that we've improved!" She finished with a semi-proud smile.
Meanwhile, to the side, BlackMetalGarurumon opened all the slots on his body and fired all the missiles inside of his body, all of them aimed to one body. Killua immediately used Godspeed's Lightning Speed to dodge the barrage solely aimed at him; the wolf seemed to be single him out from the rest of his friends for some reason.
Fortunately this gave his companions the chance to attack the wolf from his apparent blind spots. JewelBeemon aimed a thrust from his spear to the back of the wolf while Hippogryphmon opened his mouth and released an orange blast, "Heat Wave!"
"Spike Buster!"
Although the attacks seemed to hit their mark, they did little to harm the artificial Mega. His eyes turned to glare at the two, and a cyan blast was fired from his mouth, striking them head on and slowly freezing parts of their bodies. "Argh!"
Before he could finish, he felt something impact against his sides. Causing him to flinch and glare down at the floor. There, Ken was kneeling with nothing less than a freaking bazooka at his side that was soon dispelled as he summoned his book again.
With his flying opponents busy, the wolf dived down and charged another blast aimed this time to the boy. Ken quickly ripped a page from his book, and hastily leaped back as it took form. BlackMetalGarurumon snarled and got ready to blast the boy, when suddenly cords wrapped around his throat and pulled his neck up, making him fire the blast harmlessly at the sky.
Killua had returned to the battlefield after outrunning the missiles and used his yo-yos to restrain the animal. This gave Yolei the chance to strike the back of the wolf with her Nen blades; she slashed them down on a crossed motion—although it didn't seemed enough to cut through the hide of the artificial Digimon.
The paper on Ken's hand took the form of a TEC-9, he pressed the trigger and guns fired at the exposed abdomen of the Mega, while Killua unleashed an electric discharge that coursed through the cords and shook the wolf.
BlackMetalGarurumon growled at the barrage of attacks, and again the slots on his body opened. This time all weapons were fired towards the sky before raining down on them to get to them.
"Shit, scatter!" Killua said, unwrapping his yo-yos and jumping back to get away from the range of attack, Yolei and Ken doing the same, and their Digimon partners breaking free from the frost covering their bodies.
The missiles rained down and lifted a cloud of smoke around the wolf. The children covered their faces from it and waited for their opponent's next move.
The wolf emerged from the cloud, shooting towards the sky and expanding his wings to keep air bone. The group fighting him regrouped and stared at him with growing trepidation as they noticed the intense glare on his yellow eyes.
"Welp, he's pissed," Killua said as he noticed the glare, slightly unnerved that what yesterday used to be only an animal now showed signs of emotions.
"Is that a good or a bad thing?" Yolei asked, slightly intimidated by the glare of the Digimon.
Before the white haired boy could respond, a distant growl caught their attention as well as their opponent's. BlackMetalGarurumon turned around in time to receive the full blunt of a black tornado straight to his torso.
The attack pushed him down at full speed; pass the Digidestined until he crashed on the ground. The tornado dissipated and revealed the towering figure of BlackWargreymon standing triumphantly over the wolf.
"Yet another problem," Ken said as he observed the dragon.
"We should've expected him to appear soon," JewelBeemon said, readying his spear, "Whenever these two go he's stepping on their shoes."
BlackWargreymon raised his foot to stomp the wolf down, but he quickly flipped back to his feet and head-butted the dragon on the stomach. The dragon skidded along the floor, stopping just before the group fighting the wolf.
"Let me guess, you're going to tell us to stay away from this fight," Killua deadpanned at the dragon.
"If you know what's good for you," The dragon confirmed, without turning to look at him before charging again.
As the two artificial Megas clashed against each other, the group looked at the Hunter for directions under this turn of events. "What now?"
Killua frowned and looked back at the town before taking out his Terminal and sending a message to T.K. After a few moments he received an answer. "T.K and Davis are done evacuating," He looked back at the fight. "There's no temple here, we can allow them to fight and when they're done we can help them rebuild some other day."
"So we retreat?" Ken asked, not entirely liking the idea.
Killua sighed and nodded. "Our priority is to find the temple and secure it before they can find it," He said. "And if that happens," he gestured towards the fight, "then it'll be the same tale over again of their squabble breaking down the thing."
"Okay then," Yolei said, turning to Hippogryphmon, "Time to go."
Ken jumped on JewelBeemon's hand, ready to take off. "Aren't you coming?" He said, noticing Killua was standing in place.
"I have to tell Cody and Kari about this," He explained, letting Godspeed cover him again. "We'll meet you there."
The two nodded and flew off to the outskirts of the town where everyone had been evacuated. Killua took off to join in the fight between Arukenimon and his friends, passing by the two brawling Megas.
BlackMetalGarurumon saw the white haired boy run pass them and snarled, charging a cyan blast on his mouth to fire it at him, but was interrupted by a powerful knee to the chin courtesy of the black dragon.
"Don't forget who you're fighting, you beast!" The dragon said, giving him a right hook that sent it down to earth.
Arukenimon for her part was on a tight spot, completely surrounded by the two children. Her body covered in soil and bruises, while Kari and Cody stood in front of her, ready for any movement she might do, while Pteramon and Nefertimon kept their sights on them. She gritted her teeth in rage and frustration, as well as a bit of longing. 'If only Mummymon was still here…'
"Guys!" Before any of them could do any movement, Killua arrived, dispelling Godspeed as he did. "We gotta go, we have company," He said, jerking his thumb to the fight occurring few meters away.
"BlackWargreymon?!" Kari gasped in shock.
"He's here so soon?" Cody mumbled, the grip on his sword tightening.
"We have to go while they're busy," Killua said. "The inhabitants of the town have been evacuated, we can repair any damage they cause but we have to continue our task!"
The two of them nodded, dispelling their Hatsus, they're partners flew down to allow them to mount them, with Killua jumping on Nefertimon's back to get away. The white haired boy turned to glare down at the spider lady, who matched his glare with her own, he hasn't forgotten that she's the one responsible for what happened to his partner, and he won't do it any time soon, but they had more pressing issues at the moment.
She would get what she deserved once her and her so called master's plans were stopped.
Arukenimon was left there, glaring at the retreating form of the Digidestined while her whole body ached with the injuries two of them gave her, when all of the sudden a figure crashed in front of her, making her yelp in fright.
The figure was BlackMetalGarurumon, who glared at the dragon floating above them with his hands cupped together, "Terra Destroyer!"
As the miniature sun approached them, BlackMetalGarurumon opened his mouth and unleashed a blue blast that crashed against his enemy's attack, causing an explosion that covered the entire area.
BlackMetalGarurumon launched various missiles at the dragon, which used his shield to block them. He started spinning rapidly to use his Black Tornado and charge at the wolf, who met him head on with a head-butt.
Arukenimon clenched her fists as yet another interruption to her plans popped in. "BlackMetalGarurumon, no time to waste here with that failure!" She said, "We have to retreat!"
Hearing the order of the lady, BlackMetalGarurumon fired a blast head on that pushed the dragon away from him. BlackWargreymon grunted as he used his gauntlets to try and fend off the attack, but BlackMetalGarurumon's slots opened and fired various projectiles that froze several parts of the dragon's body.
The assault stopped and BlackMetalGarurumon started back-flipping mid-air to launch larger missiles from his belly that upon impact caused tremendous explosions that sent the dragon crashing down while leaving a cloud of smoke behind.
The wolf took this chance to dive down and let the lady jump on his back and the two of them took off, retreating to be able to fight another day.
Moments later, BlackWargreymon emerged from the smoke as well, looking at the direction where they flew off and clenching his fists in frustration. 'They got away again! This can't keep up like this, there has to be some way to finally catch that beast to finish it off…' His mind wandered to the other encounters he's had with them. 'They're always looking for those temples… If I ambush them there then they wouldn't dare to run before finishing their task.'
He observed the direction where they flew off too and his eyes hardened. 'They're moving south, if they're looking for that temple then it must be in that direction. I'll get ahead of them and wait them there, to put an end to their existence once and for all!'
With a new plan on his mind, the dragon extended his wings and flew off further south.
From the outskirts of the town, a safe distance away from the fight, the Digidestined watched the smoke rising from the village with a grimace.
"Damn, those two never pull any punches, huh?" Davis said, crossing his arms and watching nervously.
T.K frowned. "They are a perfect match against each other, they're completely even…" He commented. "Who knows when one of them is going to win…"
"Or when are both going to destroy each other," Ken added, watching the fight with growing dread, specially knowing that those two were once Control Towers he planted on this world.
Cody bowed to the MudFrigimon and JungleMojyamon. "We're sorry we can't do much to protect your town right now."
"Nothing a good day at work can't fix," One of MudFrigimon answered kindly, the other folks of the town nodding in confirmation.
Killua walked to them with his hands on his pockets. "Say, do you guys know of a temple of some sorts around here?"
"Temple you say…" A JungleMojyamon pressed a hand to his chin and hummed. "Not around this arid dessert… But I heard rumors that at the top of a volcano, south-east from here, there's a structure resting at the top!"
"South-east huh…" Yolei said, typing on the D-Terminal. "I'm telling Izzy to check that area for volcanoes."
Kari looked at the sky and frowned. "It's getting late, should we head home?"
Killua nodded. "I doubt that Arukenimon would try something like this again with BlackWargreymon chasing her and her mutt around, as for big, dark and stupid himself there's little we can do at the moment," He declared.
He turned to Ken for a moment. "Mind tagging along for now, Izzy works fast and that way you can be updated with the news."
"Um, oh… sure," He said, shrugging with a tired Minomon on hands.
"Okay then, let's go back, check what we can found and prepare for yet another busy days," He told the others, who gave nods to him.
With an orange sky covering the sky, the kids all made their way back to their homes. Izzy had done his magic when sent the possible direction of the temple, according to him there was a single match of a volcanic area—where the temple could be.
"You think we can get there before those guys?" Davis asked.
"That's a constant worry we have on us," Killua said, arms crossed behind his back as he looked at the sky. "The only advantage they have is to be able to stay there twenty-four seven."
"But if it goes well, we can await them and fight them before they reach the temple," Kari said. "That is if we can get those two before BlackWargreymon appears and those two start fighting again."
"Tch, what's that guy's problem anyway?!" Davis asked angrily as he kicked an empty can. "He doesn't want to help us, nor does he want us to finish BlackMetalGarurumon while they're fighting, heck for all we know he'll get on a warpath if we kill the mutt before him!"
Yolei frowned and nodded in agreement. "It's almost unfair how we can do little to stop them, when they start going all out against each other."
"It's unforgivable," All eyes snapped to T.K as he scowled at the floor. "BlackMetalGarurumon is mindless; it just follows Arukenimon's orders, but BlackWargreymon is selfish and stubborn, he wouldn't care to condemn the whole Digital World if it means finishing this fight of his…"
The blonde's words rang true, yet it was also unnerving the amount of venom laced in them.
Cody observed the blonde with a conflicted look, remembering the events of the day prior. How the boy got so wound up when the black dragon was brought up, it was an animosity that went beyond the common anger the group felt towards him and the wolf. And it certainly confused him as to why he feels this way towards him.
Killua crossed his arms and hummed. 'Davis and T.K bring good points; those two are definitely too dangerous. If we take out Arukenimon we don't know how the wolf will react, he's already become more wild since I killed Mummymon, while BlackWargreymon could change his sights to us if we destroy BlackMetalGarurumon with the excuse that we 'robbed him of his fight' or some bullshit like that… our options are to first take care of BlackWargreymon and then BlackMetalGarurumon, to let BlackWargreymon finish BlackMetalGarurumon, or to let them destroy each other. None of those sound easy…' He exhaled softly from the nose.
The silence on the group was broken when Ken turned in the other direction. "I have to go now," he said, "if I want to make it home."
"Sorry I dragged you here, man," Killua said, giving the boy an apologetic look.
"It's okay, thank you for keeping me up with the discovery," Ken said, giving a calm smile.
Yolei frowned. "Will it be okay for you to go all the way to Tamachi by yourself, at this our?"
He shrugged. "I don't think I'll have problems as a Nen user…"
"Yeah, but that guy is still around," Davis reminded, causing a shiver to run by everyone's spine at the reminder of Hisoka lurking around on this world. Then he perked up. "So… Why don'tcha come to my place for the night?"
"EH?!" That was the common response to his sudden invitation.
"Well, aside from the psycho clown running around, there are some ideas on how to beat BlackWargreymon," then he inched closer to the boy to whisper, "And to find a way to actually hit Killua while training."
"I heard that!" The Hunter snapped.
Ken contemplated the idea. "There are some ideas I have too, things to add to my notebooks… to stop all three of them."
"See? It's good, tomorrow's Sunday, so we can stay late at my place to talk as much as we want before going to the Digital World tomorrow," Davis explained with a cheeky grin.
Ken gave a nervous smile as he nodded. "Sounds good, but I'll have to call my parents first."
Davis nodded. "Sure, go ahead."
"Seems Davis already made the plan for us," Yolei said grinning from ear to ear.
"Then I guess we'll be dropping by later, too!" Kari said cheerily.
Davis swiveled around, eyes almost sparkling. "Eh, you'll come too, Kari?! That sounds sweet!"
It was usual Davis fawning; nothing unusual for the team since day one, yet the annoyance Killua felt this time around was bigger than usual. "Y'know she means all of us, right?" He asked with a deadpan and then giving a cattish smirk. "And I'll hear those plans you have to land a hit on me."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Sparky," Davis waved off, still on his little world.
"Sorry, I don't think I can go," T.K said. "I'll be meeting you in the Digital World tomorrow then," before anyone could answer he ran off.
"Umm, same here excuse me," Cody hastily said before running off too.
As he looked at the back of the blonde, the intrigue came back. 'What is the reason behind that hate for the darkness? What is the reason to hate BlackWargreymon to the point of wanting him death?' He wondered.
"Wait you two, we live in the same building, wait up!" Yolei said as she ran after the two boys, leaving behind four confused Digidestined.
Riiiing, riiing.
The cellphone rang across the mostly empty home before being answered. "Yes, Ichijouji Household?" Miss Ichijouji asked as she picked the phone.
"H-Hi mom, sorry for calling so late," Ken's voice came through the other side of the call. 'But I… I was invited to dinner at a friend's house…' He informed—his voice low and shy.
The words surprised the woman and made her feel a warm feeling in her chest, "A-at a friends' place?" She asked shakily.
"Um, yeah, is that okay?" The boy asked nervously.
"O-of course it's okay sweetie," She said happily. After her and her husband had the epiphany on how their son's was being handled, she was over the moon over the news of this invitation. "And, maybe we can invite him someday soon."
"I'd like that," He responded. "I have to go now mom, I'll promise to call you later."
"Okay. Have fun, honey," She said as she hung the phone and wiped her tears, she couldn't wait to tell her husband about the news.
"Mom, Dad, sis, I know you guys probably know about him already, but I'd like you to meet my friend, Ken," Davis announced his and Ken's arrival to his family, all of them sitting on the couch observing the two boys in surprise.
"P-pleased to meet you," Ken said, giving the family a bow while making sure to keep Minomon hidden behind his back.
"Is it okay if he stays for dinner?" Davis asked his parents, with a similar bow, to beg and to keep Demiveemon hidden behind him.
"But of course!" His father said, sitting up with an excited expression that showed the clear resemblance with his son. "Can't believe we're having the boy genius himself at home, I hope it isn't a bother to ask you to tutor my son from time to time."
"Oh then I'll make sushi, you're okay with sushi, right?" The mother asked, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Tell me, Ken, how did ya met my chump of a brother, eh, come on you can tell me everything!" Jun said, leaning forward with a huge grin on her face.
Ken flustered at all the attention he received, wondering just how did he used to cope with all of it before, while Davis' face twitched with irritation at the eagerness from his family. "Ken how about we go to my room," he offered, pushing him out of the living room with his body. "I forgot my house was actually a madhouse."
"Yo, Matt, you have a visit!" The blonde's attention went from his guitar to one of his band-mates as he was called.
"A visit?" He asked, his band-mate pointed to the door and Matt did a double take as he saw Cody standing there with an apologetic look.
The two gathered outside, Cody sitting on some wooden crates while telling some of the most recent events around their mission while the blonde retrieved a pair of sodas for them, as well as a snack for Upamon.
Matt took a large gulp from his can, as he processed the information the boy told him. "I see… So when The Emperor made Kimeramon, T.K really got angry, huh?"
Cody put his soda to the side as he took a sip from it, while Upamon devoured the snack in less than a minute. "Yes," He confirmed with a nod.
"He never told me about it," He huffed humorlessly. "Thank God Killua was there before he did something stupid," He said, wondering just what his brother planned to do against a Nen user, way before he became one.
"I didn't think much about it back then," Cody confessed as he sat up. "But now he's acting the same way again with BlackWargreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon. It's different from the anger we all feel towards their actions, it seems more… personal."
"Personal, huh…" Matt muttered as he looked down at his can and took a gulp.
"I just… I wish to understand where all that animosity comes from," The boy said, slightly embarrassed.
"Don't worry I get it," He reassured the boy and then a frown covered his face. "And… If this relates to the powers of darkness and how they're used to made the life of others miserable then… something did happened to him."
This made Cody give his full attention to the teen.
"We didn't go into detail about our first battle against a bad guy five years ago," Matt said. "But Devimon, our first real villain, increased his dark powers to make himself stronger than any of us at the time. None of us could do anything, until Angemon beat him… by sacrificing his own life."
This revelation caused the boy's eyes to widen in surprise.
"That was the first time Patamon evolved, so their first meeting was also a farewell," He revealed with a bitter look on his face. "T.K took care of the Digi-Egg his partner reverted to… So he could meet Patamon again."
Matt let out a heavy sigh as he revisited those memories, out of all the battles, he was sure he'll never forget that one due to the impact it left on his brother. His eyes hardened as he understood where the anger of T.K came from, "On that day he learned how terrifying the power of darkness is and how precious life is… all due to Angemon's sacrifice."
"To lose your Digimon partner…" He looked down at Upamon on his hand. "Ken and Wormmon went experienced that too…"
"Yeah, T.K and Ken went through the same experience," Matt nodded and turned to the boy. "That's why they can't forgive those who play with the powers of darkness, or with life itself. Arukenimon is doing both by using the Control Towers to create the artificial Digimon, and two of those Digimon are bringing nothing but harm to the Digital World, intentional or not."
"I understand… If something were to happen to Upamon…" He looked down at the yellow ball on his arms, who looked back at him with a smile.
"We all feel that way for our partners," Matt said with a smile
"I think I get it now," Cody said with a small smile. "Thank you Matt, sorry for interrupting your practice," He said with a bow.
"Don't worry, be safe on your way home, and on the Digital World," Matt said as the boy ran off.
His smile slowly fades and gave a way to a worried frown. 'T.K's being going through all that, huh…'
As Cody made his way back home, his expression remained conflicted, even after hearing Matt's explanation.
"What is it, Cody," Upamon asked, upon noticing his expression.
"Is it really necessary to destroy BlackWargreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon?" Cody wondered out-loud before looking down at Upamon. "I understand now why T.K dislikes them so much, and I know the risk they represent if they destroy the temples, but one is a living being and the other, despite being apparently mindless, seems to possess emotions… and even now I'm not sure on how to deal with Arukenimon to finally stop it."
"Cody, you are hesitating because they're all alive, right? They're not like the other artificial Digimon," Upamon commented, noticing his partner's distress.
Cody didn't responded, he just gave a sigh and continued walking.
A part of his mind wondered what his father would have done in this situation…
Upamon tried giving him comfort by snuggles. "You are just too kind, Cody," He said with a smile, making the boy smile a little.
"I see, thanks for telling me, bro…" T.K said as he hung the cellphone and walked out to the balcony of his home.
Matt just called him and informed him of Cody's visit to his band practice as well as the talk they just had. He leaned on the railing to look down at the street. 'He didn't have to go to my brother to learn this; he could've just asked me…' As he thought about this, he saw the boy in question arriving to the building. 'Well, I guess that's Cody, cautious about what to do around others,' He couldn't bring himself to get angry; it didn't hurt anyone for him to learn about it.
He sighed and went back to his room, today promised to be a busy day and he had to attend to today's session of training latter on, better to get rest.
"So what's the plan? Right now we're at a stale mate, two for two on how many stand and how many remain," Yolei said, sitting on the floor of Davis' room.
"Aside from the obvious of giving our all to protect them, once we secure the location I think about making a perimeter," Killua said, looking at the screen of Davis' computer to look at the possible places where the temple could be, "To prevent them from even reaching it."
"That way if we just deal with Arukenimon and BlackMetalGarurumon, we can just worry for defeating them, no worries about the temple," Kari said with a smile.
"And if BlackWargreymon appears then the temple won't get caught in the crossfire as usual," Gatomon provided.
"I think we can do more than that," Davis said. "Maybe we can gather some allies to gain firepower against wolfy."
"Good call, Davish," Demiveemon said.
"It really is, maybe we can gather locals to help, offer some support," Killua said, sending a message from his terminal. "I'll tell Izzy, see if he can contact Tentomon and the others to round up some Digimon."
As everyone chatted and planned, Ken couldn't help but just stay quiet and observe as everyone offered different perspectives and ideas. Some of he'd never thought of before.
"Ken," He looked down to see Minomon looking at him with stars on his eyes. "It's amazing to have so many people to rely on, right?"
The boy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you're right…"
Explosions of great magnitude rang across the deserted land, dark obelisks toppling down and getting vaporized in the progress. BlackWargreymon observed the damage with a scornful look on his face.
"These towers are the origin of my existence as well as that beast's…" The obsidian Digimon murmured. "If they continue to exist, they can breed more like it... I won't allow it!"
He cupped his hands together and unleashed another Terra Destroyer that vaporized anything along its path, leaving only dust on its awake. The dragon flew past the desert, leaving behind a path of destroyed towers.
He was looking for another of the temples the woman and the beast sought with so much desperation, as well as those children wished to protect. But once he laid eyes on the towers, his thoughts drifted to the beast as well as the reason behind his existence.
'Those towers do nothing more than cause trouble, to create empty husks like the dog… And yet… why am I like this, why do I have a soul?' He wondered as he scowled down at the ruined towers.
Unbeknown to him, from afar his trail of destruction was noticed, and Arukenimon wasn't happy for it.
"That moronic, childish, and uncontrolled twerp!" She seethed, clenching her fists, "Destroying the temples isn't going to help our cause if he keeps destroying my towers!"
BlackMetalGarurumon snarled, sensing the hatred his mistress felt towards the dragon. Arukenimon sighed and patted his head. "Don't worry, boy, we won't allow him to get away with this." She smirked devilishly. 'He thinks himself so clever, he's looking for the temples to wait us here and continue his fights with BlackMetalGarurumon. Well guess what you imbecile, we won't run away from you. Your fights are exactly what we need for those temples to fall. In the end you can escape your true purpose BlackWargreymon… to fulfill our plan by being the ultimate weapon that will disrupt the balance of the worlds!'
She mounted the back of the wolf and gave chase to the dragon, as well as the temple. 'Soon, the plan Mummymon died for will be complete. And whether you like it or not, you will be our trump card to destroy anyone who stands in our way!' She thought triumphantly as she patted the side of BlackMetalGarurumon's body. 'Both of you will…'
As he opened his eyes, Ken was immediately in alert as he realized he wasn't on his bed. 'Where… Am I?'
He sat up and saw Minomon sleeping peacefully at his feet and then looked at the side to see Davis sleeping on his own bed with Demiveemon on his torso. 'Oh, right… I stayed over at Davis' place.'
Minomon woke up a second later and grew a small, mischievous look before jumping to Davis' bed, landing on top of Demiveemon, "Wake up!"
"Agh, why you-!" Demiveemon was jolted awake by this action, and started a small wrestling match against the bug Digimon.
Their little fight woke Davis up, who grumpily pulled the covers over his face. "Be quiet you two, I'm trying to sleep!"
If anything that just made them wrestle harder, making the boy growl even louder and bringing a chuckle out from Ken.
"Davis!" The voice of Miss Motomiya called from the hall, "You got a call from Kari."
Davis sat up, now wide awake. "From Kari?!"
Before he could get himself any ideas, Ken gave him a more serious look.
When the two of them now dressed walked to the living room and attended Kari's call, the girl's urgent voice informed them of a change of events.
"Izzy located the temple, and Tentomon told him other Digimon had gathered to protect it last night, we should hurry to get there first before Arukenimon or BlackWargreymon appear," She told them.
The boys didn't doubt it twice; they went outside with the excuse of going to play football with a laptop hidden on a backpack. And once they were on a secluded area, where no one would take the laptop, or see them, they were gone with a flash of light.
The desert gave way to a volcanic area, a big mountain that spewed ashes and smoke and with an almost unbearable temperature. The Digidestined save themselves the trouble of climbing through that infernal landscape with their aerial partners, scouting for sights of their objective.
But cracked earth and ashes wasn't the only thing on the mountain, there was something else that made the Digidestined feel a pit on their stomachs. "What the hell…" Killua muttered.
Unconscious Digimon all lay scattered around the volcanic area, their bodies battered and bruised. The fact that they still conserved their bodies was all the proof they needed to know they were still alive, but the sight was still foreboding.
"These most be the Digimon Tentomon said gathered on the temple to help us…" Nefertimon deduced, her eyes narrowing behind the mask. "What happened?"
As he looked down at the downed Digimon with a frown, Cody's eyes landed on a silhouette hidden behind the smokes and vapors of the volcano. The temple, like the others before it, stood powerfully on the center of the volcano. It rested on a solid piece of rock that was floating on the middle of the magma, connected with the edge of the volcano by a bridge of stone.
And standing in front of the temple, was the towering figure of BlackWargreymon.
"He's already here?" Yolei mumbled, surprised of seeing the artificial Mega.
Everyone dismounted their partners and got close to the bridge, the dragon giving them all a cold stare. "Go away, don't get in the way."
"In the way of what, what are you doing here?" Killua asked, matching his stare.
"The beast and the woman will be here soon as per usual, it will be my best chance to finally destroying that creature," The dragon said with a sneer.
While surprised that the Mega had thought that far ahead and actually managed to find the temple before them, they had to treat this situation carefully, not knowing what to expect from their enemy.
"Are you the one who hurt all those Digimon?" T.K asked, scowling at him.
"They tried to stop me from getting here," BlackWargreymon replied coldly. "I hold back to not kill them; I don't have any reason to take their lives."
"What are you planning to do when they get here, the same, to fight again, even if it destroys the temple?" Kari asked her hands curled into fists.
"The destruction of this place is of no matter to me," BlackWargreymon repeated, "Just to end the existence of the black wolf!"
Killua glared at him and crossed his arms. "Then when he arrives, take your fight some other place like last time; don't stand here where you can destroy this place."
BlackWargreymon narrowed his eyes. "I can't guarantee the safety of this temple on the fight, as long as the wolf keeps hounding it."
Killua gave a long-suffering sigh, before uncrossing his arms and glaring at the dragon. "Then move aside and let us deal with the both of them, at least that way we won't put the temple in danger!"
Immediately, BlackWargreymon glared fiercely at the boy and put himself on a battling position. "I will not allow you to get in the way of my fight against the wolf!"
"So be it then," Killua said, letting his aura flow. "If you're going to act this way, and continue to put the temples at risk, then we'll make you stay out of here… By any means necessary," He murmured the last part, electricity dancing around his fingertips.
Nefertimon regressed back to Gatomon, while Ken and Yolei raised their Digivices.
"Stigmon Ultra Digivolves to… JewelBeemon!"
"Aquilamon Ultra Digivolves to… Hippogryphmon!"
Cody frowned at this confrontation, but summoned his shinai either way. Hoping this fight wouldn't have to go so far.
Everyone else activated their Hatsus, with Ken summoning a Desert Eagle gun while T.K's sleeves dissolved into strings. BlackWargreymon crouched and extended his hands to the side, his Dramon Killers glistening on the light.
He dashed forward with a roar and aimed a swipe at Killua being the closest; the boy caught his claw and threw him over his shoulder. The dragon landed on his feet and aimed to attack again, but his arms suddenly were wrapped in strings.
T.K gritted his teeth and tried to keep the Digimon in place, but the strength of the dragon was proving this to be a difficult task. Salvation for him came in the form of Kari and Gatomon, who both delivered an uppercut at the dragon that lifted him off his feet to then receive a blast to the chest from Davis' Fire Tornado.
The dragon landed on his back and bounced on the floor, before flipping back into a sitting situation. A shadow loomed over him and looked up to see JewelBeemon aiming his spear at him, the dragon armed his shield and blocked it, which left him open to Ken, who took aim and fired several rounds at his chest.
The dragon grunted as the bullets struck his chest, and with a push he moved JewelBeemon away from him and charged at the boy. Ken tensed and got ready to dodge, but luckily a yellow blast pushed him away.
The dragon skidded across the floor, glaring at Angemon whose knuckle was glowing with energy, "Hand of Fate!"
BlackWargreymon flew upward and dodged it, but up there were Pteramon, Exveemon and Hippogryphmon who attacked him in tandem. "Missile Storm!"
"Heat Wave!"
"X-Laser!"
The dragon crossed his arms and blocked the attack, but their magnitude pushed him down to the floor again.
From behind him, Yolei and Cody tried to attack him with overhead swings, but the dragon moved back and dodged them. Cody however, was able to crouch and land a strike to his knee, yet to his surprise the dragon didn't even flinched, for him the attack had the usual strength of the swing of a shinai.
Cody gasped as he realized his attack had no effect, 'H-How?!' The realization hit him immediately after. 'H-He doesn't possess any malicious intent?!'
Despite this revelation, BlackWargreymon trusted his claws down to the boy. Yolei acted quickly and grabbed the boy and propelled both of them back with a burst of Nen. "Cody, be more careful!" She said as she looked down at the boy.
The dragon was ready to attack them again, until a strike to his face pushed him away. The dragon scowled at the white haired boy who punched him, Killua returned the scowl and cracked his knuckles, ready to attack again. Despite their constant attacks, Killua noticed how the dragon didn't seemed hurt, aside from small scorches of Ken's gun.
'Tch, this might take a while…' He thought, as the others flanked him, cornering the dragon.
BlackWargreymon growled and got ready to attack. However, his whole body tensed and his eyes narrowed, he started flew upwards and cupped his hands together, "Terra Destroyer!"
The giant fireball was launched, yet it wasn't aimed at the Digidestined. It went pass them and they turn to see how the sphere was intercepted by a blue stream of energy, causing an explosion. From the smoke, the black wolf emerged, the spider-woman riding his back, "BlackMetalGarurumon, you know what to do."
The wolf howled and the slots on his body opened.
Knowing what was to come, Killua looked at the remaining flying Digimon, "Block those missiles!"
The wolf fired, causing various reactions. The Digimon fulfilled Killua's order, using their attacks to detonate the missiles before they could get close to the temple. Many of the projectiles were detonated mid-air, but some went past their defense and struck the ceiling of the temple, causing some cracks to form around it.
BlackWargreymon for his part charged at the wolf, using his shield to block the missiles and then ramming it into the snout of the wolf. He put it again on his back and went to strike the wolf, but a red whip wrapped around his arm and he looked up to see Arukenimon sneering down at him. "Be a good kid for once and get out of our way. Now, BlackMetalGarurumon!"
BlackMetalGarurumon opened his mouth after recovering and launched a blast point blank at the dragon. Arukenimon let go of him and the dragon was sent crashing down on the floor, frost covering his torso.
It didn't take long for him to recover, his whole body glowed and with a shout the ice cracked with a burst of energy. His body started spinning as he used the Dark Tornado shot himself forward to attack the wolf. BlackMetalGarurumon moved out of the way, and launched another blast of energy. The dragon changed his trajectory to dodge the blast and dived down; he stopped spinning to land a kick on the face of the beast.
The Digidestined all watched the fight take place with growing worry, "So, what now?" Davis asked.
Killua looked between the fight and the temple. "They're not so close to the temple as to cause damage right now, but that could change at any moment. We have to force Arukenimon and the mutt to retreat, that way the big guy will follow them."
"How do we do that?" Ken asked.
"That's the hard part," Killua said with gritted teeth. "If we interfere, then BlackWargreymon will turn on us, and then it'll be two Megas we'll have to worry about. He could tag team with them to get rid of us, so he can finally battle that thing in peace."
Kari bit her lip and turned to him. "Then what should we do?"
Killua opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes widened and a shout came from his mouth. "LOOK OUT!"
Everyone moved out of the as a stray Terra Destroyer almost hit them, forcing them to scatter. A cloud of smoke was lifted in the area, before it was cleared by the body of BlackMetalGarurumon being sent crashing down to the floor, with Arukenimon getting thrown off his body in the process, the wolf landed dangerously close to the temple.
BlackWargreymon landed a few meters in front of the wolf as it struggled to get up. The dragon cupped his hands together and started to form yet another Terra Destroyer, if he launched it not only would it damage the wolf but it would also cause severe damages to the temple's structure.
However, before he could launch it, someone stepped in front of him.
"Stop already!" Cody said, as he stood in front of the dragon with his arms extended in a sign of defense.
The other kids observed his actions in alarm. "Cody!" Yolei gasped.
"What is that idiot doing?!" Killua mumbled with wide panicked eyes.
Pteramon got ready to dive down and defend his partner but was stopped by Angemon. "Don't, one wrong movement and Cody could get hurt!"
"But—" Pteramon tried to discuss, but knew the angel was right. 'Cody…'
"You dare to defend that creature?" BlackWargreymon asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy.
"I am not defending it, but rather what it's behind it," The boy said with resolve, despite the growing fear he's feeling.
"If you don't want to die then move," The dragon said, taking a threatening step forward.
"No, I won't!" The boy refused. He looked at the dragon with a steely gaze. "Despite being born from Control Tower, you have a soul, right? Then please, understand that damaging the temples is only going to cause more damage."
"I don't know how many times must I repeat myself, but I do not care for that," The dragon said, his eyes landing on the unmoving wolf behind him. "I only care about destroying that being; it is the only way I would finally be at ease. Otherwise, I'll never be at peace with myself!"
"Then find another way, take this fight of yours some other place that won't disrupt the peace of our worlds!" The boy insisted.
"SHUT UP!" The dragon gave a stomp, causing the boy to flinch. "Anything you or your companions say is useless! I can only think about one thing and that is to destroy that beast behind you, no matter what stands in my way! Be it you, your friends, or that temple! Now, move!"
"I won't" Cody, yet again refused, as if hoping it would achieve anything.
"Then die!" The dragon gave a stomp forward, making everyone around to tense.
"I do not wish to fight you. Not if you have soul," He clenched his fist around his shinai. "Not when you don't have malicious intentions!"
BlackWargreymon glared down at the kid in anger for interrupting his fight, yet as he looked into his eyes he found his body momentarily frozen. 'Why? Why is he staring at me like that?'
The boy's eyes seemed to be searching something within him. What was it, he didn't know, but it brought another thought to his mind.
The image of those wildflowers.
'Why am I remembering those flowers?' He wondered, his eyes narrowing in confusion. 'Why? Why do I have to hesitate now? That creature is right before this boy, I could finish the two of them off and finally be at peace! … Is it because of this soul again?!' He clenched his fist in anger. 'This soul hasn't brought me anything good…'
The words of Agumon and Killua resonated in his mind. They said that his heart, his soul was a good thing, but up until now having has soul is only making him feel this aching sensation each time he sees the beast, and to make him hesitate when his goal is finally at hand.
'I wish I didn't have a soul!' He thought as blind anger took over and he levitated, charging another attack.
Cody gasped and from behind him BlackMetalGarurumon's eyes opened and he sat up, charging another blue blast on his mouth.
"Cody!" Pteramon dived and picked his partner up, taking him away from the middle of the two Megas.
"Incoming!" Yolei said as she saw the two attacks about to be launched.
Killua frowned and looked around the battlefield, his eyes widening when he saw Arukenimon struggling to sit up after the crash. His eyes narrowed and he made a run for it, a plan forming on his mind.
The attacks of both Megas collided and as was expected an explosion took place, covering the area with a cloud of smoke. As it cleared, BlackMetalGarurumon jumped on the ceiling of the temple, opening all of the slots of his body to launch his projectiles, while BlackWargreymon already prepared another Terra Destroyer.
"We can't let them continue!" Angemon said, gripping his staff, all the flying Digimon ready to stop them before they launch their attacks.
"EVERYONE STOP, NOW!"
At the scream, everyone froze and turned to the source of the voice. Killua was standing there, with a struggling Arukenimon on his arm while pointing his clawed hands at her neck.
"Killua?!" Most of the Digidestined gasped, seeing their leader with a hostage.
Killua stared at the woman with a half-lidded glare. 'I wish I could get rid of her right now, it'll be so easy…' Just the right amount of pressure and her neck will snap, just a swipe and her head will fall of her shoulders, but then he looked at the wolf—which was snarling at his direction, while also keeping his eyes on the spider-woman. 'But that thing already aimed all of its anger at me when I killed Mummymon, who knows how it'll react to this…'
He narrowed his eyes and addressed the wolf. "You want her boy? Then go…" He grabbed her head and the back of her neck and started spinning her around like an Olympic hammer. "GET HER!"
With a roar, Killua threw the woman off the volcano as far as he could, with her screaming bloody murder as she fell from such a height, "KYAAAAAAAH!"
The wolf howled and launched himself off the ceiling of the temple to fly after his mistress. BlackWargreymon narrowed his eyes and chased after the wolf.
The two Megas flew pass the boy, and he could feel their glares on him, one out of sheer, uncontrolled anger and hatred, while the other was one of anger and annoyance towards the interruption. The boy stonily stood in place and put his hand on his pockets, he turned around to see them fly down the volcano waiting to see how his gamble will play out.
"THAT DAMN BRAAAAAAAAT!" Arukenimon shrieked as she changed to her battle form mid-air to try and find a way to stop her fall, yet her tendrils got burn or weren't able to hold to a single piece of rock without it breaking apart.
As she saw the floor get nearer and nearer, she braced herself to either her death or a grave injury that would left her useless for weeks. But at the nick of time, something grabbed her hair and kept her from becoming a paste on the floor.
BlackMetalGarurumon held the spider-woman, by biting down on her hair and holding her by it. The woman sneered and crossed her arms. "Couldn't you find a better way?!"
The wolf gave a mere whimper at being scolded.
She huffed and looked up to see BlackWargreymon flying down to continue their fight. She scowled. 'If they fight we won't be able to go back to the top, and even if we do, the Anomaly and the Digidestined have us outnumbered now more than ever… Curse you Anomaly…!' She seethed. "Boy, retreat, for now!"
The wolf didn't question her, either because he couldn't talk or out of sheer loyalty she didn't know, and flew away from the volcano, and away from the dragon chasing them.
As he gave chase to them, BlackWargreymon turned his eye to the temple, narrowing them as he did so. 'They interfered again…' He turned back to the direction where the wolf went. 'I won't hesitate next time; if they get in the way again they will die.'
The dragon for now decided to continue to chase the wolf; he could always go back to that temple if it escapes him again. Soon that beast will die; the ache on this damned soul of his will go away… soon he will be at peace.
The Digidestined gathered at the edge of the volcano to check for any possible return of their enemies, but after a while they allowed themselves to relax.
"Seems they're gone for now," Kari said with a sigh of relief.
"Yup…" Killua said with a tired sigh.
"What you did back there…" T.K started.
Killua sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "We needed to find a way to break their fight and keep them away from the temple, wherever Arukenimon goes the wolf goes and wherever it goes BlackWargreymon goes. Seemed like a good option then."
"Why didn't you finish Arukenimon at that moment?" Gatomon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because that thing has already set its eyes on me after Mummymon," He explained. "Who knows how it will act if I killed Arukenimon too, it could either go even wilder and dangerous and lash out to innocent Digimon, or start blasting the moment he sees me, which near a temple would be troublesome and we already know how that went on the previous temple."
Most could see the reasoning behind his thoughts, BlackMetalGarurumon was already dangerous with a leash—a very loose leash—but at least it was predictable, without Arukenimon to boss it around who knows what it might happen.
Cody for his part averted his gaze and looked down. 'Killua always seems ready to end Arukenimon and BlackWargreymon if necessary, just like T.K, and I can understand why… yet I can't bring myself to think I'd be able to do it...' The boy thought, a conflicted look on his face.
"So, we actually won?!" Yolei asked excitedly.
"Pff, I wish," Killua said. "It isn't over until the Harmonious Ones either wake up or we find a way to stop all of them for good. And worst of all, now they know where one of the temples is, they could come and attack it while we're gone."
"Then what now?" Davis asked, hands fondled behind his back.
Killua was quiet for a moment before he exhaled and walked towards the temple. "I have an idea, bear with me for it. I was thinking… of staying here to keep guard."
"EH?!"
"Listen, listen," He said, raising his hands on a placating manner. "If any of them comes around again then I'll send you a message, it will be until we find the next temple."
The group exchanged uncertain looks, wondering if it was a good idea for their leader to stay behind. Especially considering that last time he stayed… they found him severely wounded.
But it was either that or left the temple unguarded, and all the Digimon that offered to protect it were easily defeated by BlackWargreymon.
Kari gave a sigh and stepped forward. "It sounds like a good plan, but you have to tell us if something happens!"
Killua gave a shrug and a smirk. "Sure, sure," He then gave them a half-lidded glare. "And don't skip training, I might not be there but that doesn't mean slacking off!"
"Oh come on…" Davis groaned, only to receive an elbow from both Cody and Yolei. "Ugh!"
"Then, we'll see you later," T.K said, giving the boy a smile. "We'll cover for you back there."
"'Kay, see ya tomorrow guys," He said.
Everyone mounted their partners and flew off to the nearest port, leaving Killua alone on the volcano.
He looked back at the temple and walked closer to it, he noticed that it didn't have a door, and wondered if the others were like these too, he didn't noticed with the previous one.
He looked around and tilted his head. "For a temple it's kinda empty…" He mumbled.
He walked in and took out his long-sleeved sweater, leaving him only on a white sleeveless shirt. "Better to kill some time training…" He thought, not finding anything better to do.
Tonight was going to be a long night for him.
Night had fallen on the city, and on a luxurious building, a woman made her way to her apartment.
She opened her door, put her purse and keys on a night table and walked to the living room and sat down lazily on the couch while turning the TV on.
"On Shinjuku the bodies of various males that were rumored to be a part of a criminal gang were found death, by bleeding out, and with their arms being cut," A male reporter said as the bodies were shown.
The woman scrunched her nose in a cringe as she saw the bodies and quickly changed the channel, looking for something better to watch before making dinner.
"I didn't want to kill them, but they pointed their guns at me… so rude."
She bolted from her couch and turned around, her hand going to her hip and drawing a gun. Someone had entered to her house and if she hasn't heard wrong then it was the same person responsible for this murders.
She kept her eyes on the figure, which was shrouded in the shadows of her living room. The figure took some steps forward while chuckling. "Please, don't do the same as those thugs… I'd like to believe you're better than them after all these years."
She scowled at the figure, but then she saw who it was. It was a tall man, but the things she immediately took notice where his eyes and hair. His hair was an unnatural bubblegum color, while his yellow, piercing eyes, detonated memories from her.
"H-Hisoka?!" She gasped.
The man chuckled. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Maki?" He asked, pointing a finger at her.
Suddenly, Maki was tugged towards him by some invisible force until her body collided with his. She looked up at his eyes and he smirked.
"We'll talk in a bit. For now… sleep."
She felt a blow on her stomach and her world faded to black.
Killua's back rested on a pillar his head bowed and eyes closed as he slept.
Normally, for someone with Killua's background, nothing would escape his noticed, even while slumbering. But there were forces that went beyond his skill set.
From deep within the temple, a soft, orange glow lit the floor and a silhouette emerged from the floor. It resembled a giant bird with orange eyes, they looked down at the Anomaly and its eyes narrowed slightly.
The interior of the temple glowed with a soft orange light.
And… anyone who entered it would find it completely empty.
Donezo.
See ya soon.