Chapter 7: The Book
Chapter Text
Fumamon had managed to return to the human world, but this time everything was different. This time, his mission had changed. The king trusted him much more. Admittedly, this time he had been given an additional weapon. But Fumamon would not use it immediately, only when it was necessary. But how should he proceed? Espionage was his specialty. Should he sneak into the enemy's territory and secretly steal the book? Normally, that would be an option, but not this time. The king had also ordered him to eliminate the enemy. A covert approach was therefore not possible. Only confrontation remained. Fumamon had decided to lure the enemy to him. Then he would pretend to be on the defensive and wait until the last moment to use the aid that the king had entrusted to him. Once the enemy's strongest fighters were eliminated, it would be easy to get the book. And so, he was looking for a suitable place to strike.
The DigiDestined had taken Rurimon to the ramen store first. But when Davis wanted to take a closer look at the book, the Digimon was unresponsive. Prismamon had asked for its friend to be given some time, and everyone had agreed. Takeshi had taken Rurimon home with him. One Digimon more or less wouldn't make a difference. While Prismamon was explaining the house rules to him, Takeshi was still chatting with Shun and Tsubasa for at least another hour. The last battle had been really hard, they now knew what a conflict with Digimon really felt like. Nevertheless, they had jointly decided to protect Rurimon. Now that they had come so far and found Rurimon, they would not back down.
So, they had made an appointment for the next day. Takeshi's mother did not notice that her son was leaving the house extra laden this time. Without any major detours, he went to the store and noticed that he was not alone there. Not only Shun and Tsubasa were already waiting for him, but also the familiar faces of T.K. and Kari were smiling at him.
Veemon was busy taking care of his Digimon comrades with food, while Davis was busy cleaning the counter. T.K. cleared his throat now.
"Hello, Takeshi. Did you bring Rurimon with you?" he asked.
The boy nodded and pointed to his bag.
"Very good, then we are all here and can set off," T.K. continued.
The new DigiDestined, however, only looked at him questioningly. It was Kari who helped them out.
"We mentioned our friend who is examining the drone. He has now built an energy source that is supposed to help us make contact with Gennai even without an open portal nearby."
Koemon now jumped off the table.
"That's urgently needed. We've completed the mission and found Rurimon. Now we need new orders urgently," it said determinedly.
Rurimon jumped out of the bag and spoke up indignantly.
"He wants the book too! But he's not getting it!" it said decisively.
Hebimon hissed at the dragon Digimon.
"Hey, listen! If anyone can handle the book responsibly, it's Master Gennai!"
Rurimon, however, was not thinking about it.
"I don't know this Gennai! The book stays with me for now!"
Shun and Takeshi tried to mediate between the Digimon.
"Well, well! You can get to know him first, and then we'll see," they suggested.
But Rurimon was not convinced. After a strengthening, they set off, and the new DigiRiders accompanied Kari and T.K. to the friend who was to establish the contact.
They were quite amazed when they arrived at their destination in front of a large office building. There was even a security guard here. Kari quickly exchanged a few words with him, and they were let in without a check. Inside, it looked noble and professional.
"Sure... that we're in the right place?" Tsubasa asked.
T.K. confirmed it here.
"Yes, the company belongs to our friend Izzy. He's the boss here, so we won't have any problems," he reassured them.
The group took the elevator to one of the upper floors and got out there. A nice woman in a suit, apparently a secretary, showed them the way. At the end of the hall, there was a wide wooden door with the inscription 'Izumi'.
TK knocked briefly, then they were already invited in. Inside, they were greeted by a pleasant atmosphere. A man came towards them and hugged first TK, then Kari.
"Hey, thanks for finding time for us," Kari greeted him, but he waved it off.
"Oh, come on. I always make time for you. And you must be the new ones. I'm Izzy," he greeted them.
They introduced themselves properly and thanked him for his help.
"Let's go to my workshop now," Izzy suggested and opened a side door.
Behind it was a room that was overflowing with computers.
"You can let your Digimon out here. I also have food for them," the company boss suggested.
They didn't have to tell Prismamon and the others twice. Immediately, they left their uncomfortable means of transport. But they were not the only ones. Another Digimon now flew towards them and eyed them curiously. It seemed to be a kind of fly or mosquito. One after the other, it shook their hands.
"Good day, I am Tentomon. I am Izzy's indispensable assistant," it introduced itself.
This confirmed that Izzy himself was also a DigiDestined. However, he seemed older than TK and Kari. He now made room first and uncovered a buried keyboard.
"Did you bring the drone with you?" he wanted to know.
TK confirmed and brought out the device. He put it on the table, and Izzy examined it thoroughly. He inquired whether it had moved again since the last time, but the others denied it.
"Hey, who exactly is this Gennai, anyway?" Shun wanted to know.
TK and Kari looked at each other. They had no idea how to explain it briefly.
"You know... in the Digital World, not only Digimon exist. There are also other digital beings. And Gennai is someone who wants to bring peace there," Patamon finally said.
Tsubasa nodded.
"So, he's not a Digimon himself, right? At least, he looked quite human last time."
Izzy had now connected the drone.
"He can explain it to you himself. I'm ready."
Takeshi took a step forward.
"Can we talk to him again?"
Izzy confirmed it to him.
"I have opened a small gate to the Digital World with a special program. That's enough to keep the connection going."
Further explanations were unnecessary, because the drone was now moving again and was hovering a few centimeters above the table. Once again, the monitor opened, and Gennai's face became visible.
"Master Gennai!" Hebimon and Koemon stormed towards him.
"Good day! It seems that everyone is doing well. I'm glad."
Hebimon immediately reported that they had found Rurimon and the book. Thereupon, the man's face became much more serious. He asked to see Rurimon. This one hesitated at first, but then stepped forward. However, it did not take the book out of its bag, it did not trust Gennai that much after all.
"Good, so the enemy has not been able to get you. That's already a lot of progress. I would like to ask you to visit me in my headquarters. The DigiDestined are, of course, also cordially invited to appear," he then said.
TK remembered the little house with a pond where they had first met the old Gennai. In the meantime, he should have expanded his base.
Izzy now turned to the guardian of the Digital World.
"I can send them to you via the gate, no problem," he said.
Gennai nodded.
"Good. But I am not currently in the Digital World, but in a transition world. I will send you the specifications."
Said and done, Izzy was already typing on his keyboard and had made the changes.
Kari now turned to the group.
"Ah, this will be your first trip, won't it?"
Tsubasa shook her head.
"Trip? Do you mean... we're really supposed to go to the world of Hebimon and the others?" she asked.
Izzy shook his head.
"The transition world in which Gennai is currently staying is also digital, but not yet the Digital World. Nevertheless, you will be digitalized during the trip."
Shun looked back and forth between the others.
"Don't worry, it just tickles a little," TK reassured them.
"Is it like jumping through a gate?" Prismamon asked to make sure.
Izzy confirmed it to him. For the Digimon, there would be no change. Then, he asked everyone who wanted to go to aim their DigiVice at a monitor. Then, it could already start. Kari and TK seemed to be used to it, Takeshi and Co. still hesitated a little before they raised their arms and held the DigiVice in front of the monitor. They had already started to glow, and they could not react so quickly as they were already drawn into the monitor and thus, into another world.
Izzy leaned back in his chair.
"Well, they'll be gone for a while. Shall we get something from the cafeteria?" he suggested.
Tentomon gave him a thumbs up.
Davis had just served the last guest in the store, who praised the meal and then paid his bill. As soon as he was gone, he called Veemon, who was to clear the dishes. At that moment, the door opened, and a familiar face entered. Ken seemed a little more exhausted than usual and sat down at the first free bar stool he could reach.
"Once as usual," he ordered, and Davis passed on the order. The employee looked around.
"Hm? Weren't TK and Kari supposed to come today as well?" he asked.
His friend confirmed it to him.
"They were there. They've gone to Izzy's. He wanted to establish contact with Gennai. The kids are also there," he informed him.
Ken nodded as Wormmon freed itself from his bag and looked at Veemon for something to eat.
Davis noticed that his friend was a little more depressed than usual today.
"Everything okay? Did Yolei come up with something completely absurd again? Like the costume wedding, I hope you were able to talk her out of it, right?" he asked.
Ken was able to reassure him about this.
"Yes, she's long since replaced that idea with a new one. But that's not the point. I now have a management position and am getting married soon. It all feels like a new phase of life. I had automatically assumed that the battles would now be history. But first, the thing with Ukkomon and then Stingmon's defeat a few days ago," he confided in him.
Wormmon, who had heard this, felt a little guilty. Had it gotten too out of shape? It should have been able to take down the opponent. It hoped its partner wasn't too disappointed in it.
Davis twisted his lips.
"Yes, I understand. You're carrying more responsibility now than you used to. Don't worry, we'll manage without you. We won't drag you into any more battles," he assured him.
In the next moment, his cell phone rang, and Davis picked up. It was Izzy.
"Hey, can you switch to channel 3? I'm afraid we have a problem," Izzy said.
Davis pressed the button on the TV, which was usually only used for baseball game broadcasts, and turned it on. Ken also got up when he saw the coverage. The speaker was reporting on the attack of a Digimon in Chiba, which had already caused considerable devastation.
"We're seeing it. Can you send Takeshi and the others to Chiba?" he asked.
But he was disappointed.
"No, can't. They're with Gennai right now. Kari and TK are also with them. I can't leave myself because I have to bring them back," Izzy explained.
Davis looked at Ken, and Ken looked at Davis.
"Wormmon, overtime," he informed his partner.
"Okay, we'll take care of it," he informed Izzy and then hung up.
"Should we maybe get Cody and Yolei as reinforcements?" Veemon suggested.
Ken, however, was against it.
"No, better not. Cody is right in the middle of his state exams. And I don't want to put any more stress on Yolei than she already has. This time, we're two of us and we'll manage," he said.
Wormmon, who didn't want to disappoint its partner this time, was up for anything.
Davis locked the store and gave Ken a sign to follow him. They went to the back, where a door led to the garage.
"We'll take the operator's car, he'll surely understand," Davis said and got in. Ken took the passenger seat, while the Digimon sat in the back. Then, the ride was already underway.
Takeshi kept looking back and forth between the screen and Rurimon. The similarity was now unmistakable.
"Does that mean... Rurimon is Azulongmon?" he asked.
Gennai confirmed his theory.
"Yes, Azulongmon was also rebooted. But before that happened, it managed to send its magical orbs, which surrounded all the sovereigns, away. Some of them spread out in the DigiWorld, some in the human world, and three of them remained here. I used these three to construct the new DigiVices," Gennai explained.
Kari clapped her hands.
"I see! So, Rurimon is the rookie level of Azulongmon. It hatched from the egg, and because of the reboot, it no longer has its memories."
Gennai confirmed it.
"That's right. After that, I brought Rurimon to the Digital World, but we were attacked by the king's minions. They, like us, were after the book."
"What exactly is it about this book?" Shun now wanted to know.
Gennai changed the visual on the screen, and the book that Rurimon was carrying in its bag became visible.
"This is an ancient artifact that was once developed by Quantumon. It is capable of creating and storing the orbs that give the sovereigns their power," Gennai explained.
Kari remembered the power that these orbs held within them. They had even more power than their crests and had helped Agumon and Gabumon to reach their mega level in no time. If the enemy were to receive such a boost, they would be a serious threat.
Rurimon looked at the picture of itself in its old form.
"Yes... I vaguely remember. I took the book and since then, it has been leading me to the orbs. I have already found 4 of them in the Digital World. But I have also seen that the enemy already has 5," it reported.
For Takeshi, the situation was clear.
"Then, we must urgently protect the book. The enemy must not become any stronger," he agreed.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Who exactly is this enemy? And who is this king?" Kari wanted to know.
Gennai was about to explain.
Meanwhile, Izzy had not yet been able to inform TK and the others about the situation. Davis and Ken were on their way, but would they be enough? He had no information about the enemy and tapped into the surveillance cameras for this reason. He soon had a good picture of the Digimon and used the analyzer. Fumamon, a ninja Digimon, on ultra level. He leaned back and was sure that Davis and Ken could handle this opponent.
The public safety officers had already brought a large number of civilians to safety. They had already begun to cordon off the area on a large scale, but could not rule out that there were still people in the area. The car with Davis and Ken came to a stop, and they were first held back. Only when a higher-ranking officer checked them, they were allowed to pass through the cordon.
"It does have its advantages to have saved the city so often," Davis murmured.
While Veemon was still able to keep up with him, Ken held Wormmon to him until they reached the danger zone.
"Well, then! Is everyone ready?" he asked, even though the question was unnecessary.
Both DigiRiders held their DigiVices high, which gave their partners strength.
"Veemon digivolves to... ExVeemon!"
"Wormmon digivolves to... Stingmon!"
Both of them now rushed forward until they reached the enemy. It was a black Digimon that seemed to have been waiting for them already. Stoically, it scrutinized them and seemed satisfied with their appearance. It stepped towards them and prepared itself.
"I assume that you haven't brought the book with you? That's not a problem, I'll get it after I've defeated you," it announced.
ExVeemon attacked with Vee-Laser, while Stingmon tried with Last Strike. Both attacks were in vain, as Fumamon was incredibly agile. It reached into its coat and pulled out throwing stars, which it fired at the opponent. Both of them hit and caused the Digimon to sink to their knees.
"Davis, the enemy is strong," Ken warned. His friend agreed with him. They had to adapt to him.
So, they synchronized and united their partners.
"ExVeemon... Stingmon... DNA-Digivolution!"
Immediately, Paildramon appeared in a white light and flew into the sky, which allowed it to easily dodge the throwing stars.
"Come on, you'll be able to handle him with ease!" Davis cheered him on.
Paildramon fired its Desperatorockets, but tried not to hit any of the buildings. Fumamon used this circumstance to take cover behind them.
It had known that the enemy was strong, but for this very purpose, the king had given it a secret weapon. It now produced it. A blue, glowing orb that would definitely make it stronger. The king had entrusted it to him, it had to use it wisely. So, it began to swallow it and felt the power rising within it.
Paildramon had caught up with it in the meantime and fired rockets again. These hit Fumamon and a lot of smoke was created.
"Have... we succeeded?" Ken asked.
His question was answered immediately. A huge data stream rose from the smoke, and a huge figure formed.
"Damn it! Is it... has it digivolved?" Davis cried out in horror.
Fumamon felt how its form was changing, and it felt even more powerful than in its last digivolution. Now, it was wearing heavy armor and a stable helmet. In addition, it felt a sword at its side with which it could cut its enemies to pieces.
Davis' cell phone rang, but he could not react at first. Then, he held it to his ear and heard Izzy's voice.
"I'm following the situation. It has digivolved to Tactimon, a mega-level Digimon. In this state, it can cause devastating destruction. You must be extremely careful!" he warned his friends.
This warning was unnecessary, as the two of them were staring up at the high Digimon, which resembled an old samurai. Tactimon now drew its sword, which was quite impressive. Paildramon fired rockets, but they bounced off it without much effect.
Tactimon was about to strike, and Paildramon instructed the two of them to seek cover. The attack that the sword caused was devastating.
"Damn it, we should have gotten reinforcements," Ken said.
His friend, however, was of a different opinion.
"Oh, come on, we can handle something like that on our own. But we have to hurry, this thing can cause a lot of destruction. And there may still be people here," he pointed out to him.
Ken nodded, and together they decided to digivolve Paildramon to the next level.
Just in time before Tactimon could unleash a devastating attack on it.
"Paildramon, Mega-Digivolution to... Imperialdramon!"
Since there was little space available, it immediately switched to its fighter mode, which was also useful for the humanoid Digimon. The distance allowed it to block the sword first with its cannon on the back of its hand.
But Tactimon executed a targeted kick that sent Imperialdramon backward. It crashed directly into a building, and the DigiDestined hoped fervently that it had already been evacuated. The enemy swung its sword again, but Imperialdramon was just able to dodge it.
Ken now turned to Davis.
"Hey, if it's up for a sword fight, we should give it a chance, don't you think?"
Davis understood what his friend was getting at. Once again, they sent their partners strength through the DigiVice.
Imperialdramon began to glow white and, after a short time, switched to its paladin mode. Now, a sword also formed with which it could offer something to Tactimon.
Both swords crossed, and the sound droned in the ears of the DigiDestined. They cheered on Imperialdramon further, which was actually able to push back the opponent. The eyes under Tactimon's helmet glowed red and angrily.
"The king himself has ordered me to destroy all humans. If you traitor get in my way, you will also pay the price for it!" it warned.
But the dragon warrior was not impressed by this.
"Your king is wrong! Humans do everything to protect us Digimon."
Tactimon only hissed.
"Lies! I will not allow you to harm the Digital World!"
Now, it was pushing Imperialdramon back.
"Well, then, you're not giving me a choice. Maybe, you'll come to your senses someday. But here and now... I have to defeat you! Omega-Sword!"
Its sword now rushed forward and shattered that of Tactimon. Next was its armor, and the sword cut the opponent in two halves. It screamed as it slowly dissolved into data.
Davis and Ken dared to approach again while Imperialdramon split and turned back into Veemon and Wormmon. They inquired about the condition of their partners, but they only needed a break.
Davis called Izzy and gave the all-clear.
"Tell the authorities that they can now send in the rescue workers. It doesn't look like there's anyone else here, but you can't be too careful," he said.
Izzy promised to take further action. Ken went to the spot where Tactimon had been.
"Somehow... I understand the enemy. It seems to be as fixated on a point of view as I was back then."
Davis raised his eyebrows.
"You mean... as the Digimon-Emperor? That was something different. That was because of the Dark-Seed. This self-proclaimed king knows what he's doing. He's not being influenced or anything like that."
Ken shrugged his shoulders. Was that really true? At the moment, they knew practically nothing about him.
Izzy had everything ready for the return. First, the young DigiDestined returned. Tsubasa felt herself again to see if everything was back in its place. Kari and TK were the last ones. Izzy noticed that Rurimon had also returned with its book. Of course, he was curious to know what his friends had discussed. It was TK who reported everything in detail.
Izzy nodded repeatedly.
"I understand, that makes sense. Yes, now I see a certain similarity to Azulongmon. And its orbs are incredibly powerful. Without them, we probably wouldn't have been able to defeat enemies like BlackWarGreymon or Armagemon back then. We must prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy."
Gatomon nodded.
"That's why we've brought the book back. It wouldn't be safe enough with Gennai."
Its partner agreed with it.
"Yes, Gennai has Hackmon, who guards the dome, but that's the only defense mechanism. If the enemy were to launch a serious attack, he wouldn't stand a chance. So, Rurimon will stay with us for now," it reported, what it had decided together with Gennai.
"Besides, the enemy seems to have 5 of these orbs. We have to prepare for a serious attack," TK added.
Only now, Izzy had the opportunity to tell them what had happened in their absence. Takeshi felt bad that he had not been able to help. Shun, on the other hand, reassured him in this regard, as more experienced people had taken care of the problem. They decided that Rurimon should stay with Takeshi for the time being, as it did not want to separate from its friend Prismamon anyway.
"Well, then, the new mission is to find the orbs that Azulongmon sent to the human world before the enemy does," Koemon summarized.
The others agreed with him. Izzy now asked them to leave him alone, as he still had a lot to clarify with the authorities. So, they said goodbye for the time being, but already made a new appointment, at which they could speak with Gennai again, after they had made progress. Outside, they were provided with drinks by Izzy's secretary before they finally left the building. Since Kari and TK still had things to do, they said goodbye there and went home separately.
On the way home, Takeshi turned to his partner.
"Prismamon, the enemy won't rest."
It agreed with him.
"Yes, then, we'll just have to get even stronger. I first wanted to get stronger for Ruri, but now also for you."
Takeshi smiled and was glad to have found a friend like Prismamon.
Takutoumon had sensed the defeat of his servant. No, actually, he hadn't even expected that he would come away with a victory. He was only good for testing the strength of the enemy. The battle might have been lost, but only the result of the war was important.
He stomped into a large hall where 100 of his subordinates had already gathered. He had summoned the strongest of them. He built himself up in front of them and raised his arms.
"Listen to me, you brave warriors! I will exterminate the humans and free the Digital World! But for that, I need generals! That's why I've called you here. I want you to fight each other and prove to me who among you is really fit to be a soldier. The four of you who survive will be my generals. And the others... will be reborn. In a world that is no longer tormented by humans. Go! Show me what you're capable of!" he gave the order.
And immediately, his subordinates began to tear each other apart in the truest sense of the word. A bloody battle ensued, in which only four Digimon were to be left in the end. These would then become Takutoumon's generals and unstoppable opponents for the humans.
