The Crest of a Master

by PizzaSpino

When the Digital World is in peril it doesn't just turn to a regular group of kids. It turns to a group of kids raised in a world centralized around raising and battling monsters! Join Ash and Agumon as they make new friends, battle an army of monsters, and hopefully save both of their worlds from an ancient evil.

14. Coredramon's Siege Part 1

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction written by someone who enjoys creature collector franchises. Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc. and Satoshi Tajiri. Digimon is owned by Bandai, WiZ, Toei Animation, and Akiyoshi Hongo. If you want to support the official releases, worry not. Lord knows there is plenty of merchandise to choose from.

Listening to as I storm the castle: Skyrim Symphony (Pogo)

The Crest of a Master Chapter 14: Coredramon's Siege

Location: Unknown

The beast had long lost track of the time it had been imprisoned. It knew no sunlight nor fresh air. Only the darkness of its claustrophobic cage. About once a decade its eyes would flutter open and its limbs would try to stretch only to be held in place by the copious chains that had bound it in place. Not that it could do much anyway. Eons of rest and the enchantments placed on it kept the beast in a state of lethargy preventing it from even thinking of pushing back against its constraints.

Until one day, it was unearthed.

"You see it?! You see it?!"

Whereas once the catacombs of the subspace where the creature resided were deafeningly silent, now they were being filled with various voices. One of the creature's eyes cracked open ever so slightly. In front if the creature stood six figures. Each figure had a different size and body type, but all of them were ultimately minute in comparison to the beast.

The first figure hopped around the others on its stout legs. As it made its rounds, the lights from the torches carried by its compatriots glinted off the first figure's long ears and heavy gauntlets. "Told you I found him," she proclaimed proudly.

"Good on ya," breathed another figure. This second figure was one of the taller invaders and stood on two avian legs allowing the wings attached to its taloned arms to stretch as he moved them around. "And here I thought you were only good for fetchin' the wrong drinks."

"Hey! I get the right drinks! But Ms. Kiwimon said you weren't supposed to be drinking the bad stuff while you were on the job! So, I have to switch them out," pouted the first figure.

"Bloody snitch," grumbled the second figure clicking his beak.

A third figure, the smallest of the group, strutted over to the first figure. The third figure also had an avian build but was less humanoid. It stood on a pair of long legs, had a long beak, and no arms. She patted the first figure on the side with one of her legs in place of a hand. "Ignore Vulturemon, Prairiemon. You are doing just fine."

A fourth figure, which was by far the largest, looked up at the beast and snorted through its bovine nostrils. "I'm still not convinced Prairiemon found the right address. How do we know this guy is the real deal and not just another dumb animal that Prairiemon's dumb portal spat out?"

"Hey! My Dimension Holes don't spit out dumb animals!" Prairiemon cried out defensively. "They give us new pets who can help defend us. And every animal is a fun and unique friend. Like that wasp dragon. Or that guy whose head kept exploding!"

"Also, Prairiemon's portals aren't always random," Kiwimon lectured the larger Digimon. "They can be focused if she is given the domain's proper address."

"How do we know she had the 'proper address'?" challenged the fourth figure.

"Because I found it for her," stated Kiwimon with finality. "As the Colonel deduced, Mummymon's library had the scroll which contained the location of this Digimon. We just simply had to locate it, verify it, and recover it."

"But it was a close call," Prairiemon chirped. "Ms. Kiwimon almost dropped the scroll in the fire. It's a good thing I caught it."

"Yes, well," Kiwimon coughed. "Thank you."

"I didn't think that Mummymon would allow anyone to snoop through his junk," Vulturemon said.

"He didn't need to know we were there," Kiwimon replied.

"Spooks," Vulturemon grumbled.

"This is insane! Everyone here is insane!" panicked the fifth figure. His voice cracked as he spoke, and his tentacles trembled. "Do any of you realize how dangerous this guy is?! He has the power to destroy the Digital World!"

"I mean, yeah. But isn't that the Generals' plan?" questioned the fourth figure as he scratched the back of his head with his cannon arm. "You know? Use Millenniummon to destroy the world and rebuild it from scratch? I mean, the world's going to be destroyed no matter what we do."

"There's a big difference between an incoming asteroid that's months away and a gun that's pointed right at your head!" the fifth figure's voice rose several octaves. "Millenniummon is still chained up and trapped in another dimension! If we break the spell on this guy Millenniummon won't even get the chance to kill us!"

Completely unfazed by the fifth figure's terror, the lanky, sixth figure calmly walked up to the trapped beast and lifted one its long arms to place a large hand on the beast's scaly hide. "Vademon X is not lying. I can feel the rage and power pulsing just beneath the flesh. Once it awakens, I don't think the Digital World will be able to hold itself together much longer."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING IT?!" Vademon X almost screeched. "DO YOU WANT IT TO WAKE UP?!"

Any further freak-outs were quickly cut off when Vulturemon's talons clamped down on Vademon X's tube-like mouth. "If Antyl didn't wake it up you sure did," snapped the bird man.

"Yeah, Vademon, chill," scolded Prairiemon. "For someone who tries to emulate a tough guy you really are a wimp."

"Mimpy muff mom," replied Vademon X through his squished-up mouth.

"Alright, enough banter," Kiwimon turned towards the fourth figure. "Gyuukimon, use your webs to start weaving some rope to haul our package. Prairiemon, go and round up as many Triceramon and Vermillimon as you can. Antylamon…"

Kiwimon's orders were cut off when Antylamon swerved around. "Why do you presume a champion level such as yourself can order any of us, let alone me, around?"

Looking up straight into the altitudinous Digimon's eyes, Kiwimon spoke in a firm tone. "Because levels don't reflect competence and I am the most competent Digimon present. Who would you rather take charge? Vulturemon? Outside of surveillance he won't lift a talon unless paid."

"Bludger and proud," chipped in the vulture.

"Prairiemon is more a helper than a leader," Kiwimon continued.

"Speaking of which, I've baked everyone muffins!" chirped the rodent lagomorph hybrid.

"Gyuukimon is an ignoramus," Kiwimon pointed her beak at the giant.

"Hey! If you're going to insult me, use real words!" exclaimed the bull arachnid.

"Vademon X has made his complaints known," Kiwimon said with a sigh and a glance at the trembling Martian.

"I think it just blinked!" Vademon X squealed.

"Let's not forget the brown-nosing chicken," Antylamon held up one of his beefy hands which transformed into an axe. "Care to explain why I am unfit to lead my own team for this operation?"

"Because you serve the Forces of Chaos better as a rabid wrecking ball than an operator."

That last comment came not from Kiwimon, but from a new Digimon. This armor-clad, humanoid Digimon emitted an aura which not only dwarfed those of the Digimon already in the cavern, but completely smothered them. The Digimon calmly and confidently strode up to the beast and, just like Antylamon, took a moment to look over and even pet the subdued Digimon.

The new Digimon then turned to look over the other Digimon who had all grown quiet and still in his presence with only Kiwimon giving him a dutiful acknowledgment of "Colonel". "The fact that you held up an operation I explicitly told you needs to be swift and efficient as possible is evidence enough that I made the right call choosing the brown-nosing chicken over you. Now, get to work."

Behind the new Digimon, the lesser Digimon immediately began organizing and carrying out their assigned duties. As they did so, the new Digimon stared up into the glazed over vision of the restrained beast.

"You've seen better days, Master," the Digimon now spoke in a slightly more lighthearted tone than he did with his subordinates. "Don't worry. I'm not going to leave you to rot like you did with me. I'm going to introduce you to some new friends. Then we will remove these chains and get you some fresh air."

Castle of the Royal Knights

Elsewhere, far, far away from the excavation, a girl awoke. This girl had a dark complexion and was on the short side with a good chunk of her stature fluffed up by her voluminous, dark hair. Said hair was pulled back into three ponytails, two small tails that accented the top of her head and one big tail which shielded her back.

Blinking her amber eyes, the girl left the bed she was placed on. She took a moment to check over herself. It appeared that while her supplies had been taken, her kidnapper had at least the decency to leave her clothes. A cream blouse with pink trimmings, white pants, pink shoes, and a pink sash tied around her waist. Clipped to the sash was a Digivice with a black frame.

Smiling, the girl felt a sense of relief flood her person. She may have been separated from her partner, but her kidnapper wasn't smart enough to remove the piece of technology that connected her to him. The girl unclipped the Digivice and opened the DigiView app.

"Dracomon. Can you hear me?" Looking down at the picture, the girl could see through her partner's eyes. Wherever he was, it was in a clearing in a wooded area. The space looked to have once been home to a village of some kind. What kind of village the girl had a hard time telling since the buildings looked thoroughly destroyed.

"Iris!" the voice of a young boy exclaimed from the device. "You're alive! Don't worry, I'm tracking you down as we speak. Do you know where you are?"

Iris looked around the room she was kept in. The walls were all made of stone in contrast to the flooring which was completely wooden. The furniture in this room were sparse with only a large canopy bed, a small nightstand, and a chest at the foot of the bed.

After checking out the chest (empty), Iris made her way over to a window. Looking out, Iris's eyes widened to see a massive village below. Said village reminded her of one of those old historic villages that were made to attract tourist and teach people about the past. This village looked to be a collage of medieval towns from places like Kalos and Galar if the humans and Pokémon were replaced with Digimon.

More importantly, Iris found herself in one of the highest rooms in a tower. There were no ledges or ropes nearby, so climbing down was off the table. But there was a door. Creeping on over, Iris gave the nob an experimental jiggle to find that it was unlocked.

Iris was about to exit, but quickly pulled back when she saw some shadows approaching.

"Iris? Iris?" called her partner over the Digivice's link.

"Shhh" Iris whispered into the device and flattened herself against the wall. When it sounded like the guard passed, Iris continued to whisper. "I'm in some kind of castle. It's pretty tall. I don't think you can miss it."

"Okay," Dracomon whispered back. "Just stay put and I'll rescue you."

"Uhhhh," Iris's mind flashed back to the various adventures she shared with her Digimon since her arrival in the Digital World. There was the time that Dracomon helped her forage for food, only to anger a swarm of Fanbeemon when he took some of their honey. Then there was the time that he scouted out a sleeping spot which turned out to be a cave occupied by a wild Grizzmon. And who could forget the time that Dracomon tried to take on an Ankylomon who was blocking their path, even after Iris pointed out that they could just sneak around the giant dinosaur. Fortunately, the armored behemoth was more concerned with nibbling on a bush than retaliating against the small dragon spitting fire at its shell.

As awesome as it was for Iris to finally have a dragon of her very own, Dracomon could be such a kid.

"Dracomon," Iris spoke as diplomatically as possible. "I don't feel comfortable with you trying to rescue me on your own. That Digimon who grabbed me earlier looked strong and I don't know how many other Digimon are like that around here."

"But," Dracomon started.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," now Iris sounded a bit more like she was begging. "I'll slip out of the castle and meet you outside, okay?"

"Okay," Dracomon replied dejectedly.

With that, Iris hung up and pocketed her Digivice. She gave her bedroom one final look around before slipping out the door. Shame she had to leave. Kidnapping aside, this was the most comfortable sleep she had in a while. Except for that dream. It was fuzzy and Iris couldn't exactly recall what happened, but she couldn't quite get rid of the feeling of dread that she felt when she woke up.

A Couple Miles Away

Goh frowned as he scrolled through the pictures on his digital camera. His team still had a ways to go before reaching the temple and he was already running out of memory. Without any computers or any other devices to transfer the photos to he was going to have to start deleting some if he wanted to make room for any new pictures. The problem was in figuring out which pictures were expendable.

Some of pictures of the farming community where Goh first landed in the Digital World could probably be deleted, but that village had a wide range of different species of Digimon that Goh wanted to keep a record of. The pictures of the city with the Mekanorimon were empty of Digimon, but it felt like getting rid of pictures of an archeological dig site. He played around with the idea of deleting some of the old pictures he took of the Pokémon World back when he first got the camera, but anytime he even began to consider that action he would then remember that these pictures were all that he had left of home.

"I don't see why you want to take pictures of this place to begin with," May interrupted Goh's inner musings. "It's all burnt to the ground."

Indeed, the location their group now found themselves in did look like a rural village that was set ablaze. Well, mostly set ablaze. There were a few buildings that looked as though they were just smashed to the ground, no fire needed. Right now, the humans were all regulated to a small clearing at the mouth of the scorched village while their Digimon were scouting around to see if the arsonist was still present.

"I guess," Goh slipped the camera back into his backpack. "I was just thinking about taking some more pictures of the countryside to show the contrast with the cities."

May frowned and put her hands together to form her pretend lens. "Now that you mention it, why do the cities look so high tech while the villages look like they belong in the feudal era?"

"I'd say it's just because this village is just old," Gary supplied. "It's probably the same as our world. The places with the older buildings are there just because they haven't collapsed yet, so people just keep using them."

"It could also be a matter of isolation," Lillie guessed. "I read that locations that get less people passing through them are less likely to update their structures."

"Both of those are sound theories," the humans give a collective jump as Lekismon landed right in front of them. "But neither are correct. If you take a closer look at the buildings, you'll find they all look new. Design choice aside."

Walking up to the nearest shed, Goh could see that it the wood that was used to make it did look new. Lekismon continued. "The mountain village where I grew up was the same. Places like this are built with a wild Digimon risk assessment in mind. If the area is filled with wild Digimon or if the villagers don't have enough fighting skills or local rangers to ward strong Digimon off themselves then villages usually are built with the understanding that some buildings are going to be demolished at some point or another."

"Which also means that the Digimon wouldn't be incentivized to put too much effort in making the town state of the art," Goh surmised. He was willing to bet that this process was now even more difficult since most fighting capable Digimon were off to war. "Still, it sounds like a big risk to build somewhere with regular wild Digimon attacks."

Biyomon fluttered in and settled on a toppled chimney. "That's everywhere, Goh. Even cities, while less prone to attacks due to their population sizes, were at risk of pillaging either from powerful outsiders or unruly citizens if they were not careful. Or so I've been told."

"Yeah, insurance companies didn't last too long in our world," Gargomon commented as he walked on over to the rest of the group. "Looks like the perimeter is secure. We can pass through without any wild Digimon attacks."

"Alright, now that we've had our civics lesson for the day we can move on out," Gary said before looking over his shoulder to call out to his partner. "Hey, Garurumon! Stop harassing the squirrels, we need to get going!"

Garurumon, who was nose deep in some bushes called back. "In a second. I think I smell something."

"It better not be another skunk," Gary called back, irritated. "We already wasted a day cleaning up after the last encounter."

"No," Garurumon called back. "I think it's a Digimon."

At the sound of its cover being blown, a new Digimon dashed out from the bushes and headed straight for the humans. It was about to lunge at the group when Lekismon leapt forward and kicked the Digimon across the ground.

The Digimon skidded for a bit before rapidly fluttering its tiny wings to catch itself. Now stopped, the humans could see what this new Digimon looked like. It was about the average size for a rookie and had a body type that looked like a mix between a Dragonite and a Charizard. The dragon was mostly covered in green scales save for its underside which was cream colored and its pronged horns, wings, and glaring eyes which were red.

Well, don't just stand there. Scan it while it's standing there.

"Dracomon, rookie level," May read off of her Digivice. "This guy may be small, but he's very fierce and has jaws strong enough to snack on gems. If his Baby Breath doesn't burn down his enemies, he can just club them with his Tail Smash or go ballistic with his Great Strike."

Snarling, the Dracomon thumped the ground with its thick tail before charging forward. Fire began to build up in its mouth as it prepared another attack.

"Okay, little guy," Gargomon raised his arms and took aim. "Looks like you missed the memo. Three champions plus one rookie equals dead dragon."

"Wait!"

Garurumon ran forward and planted himself between the charging dragon and the rest of his pack. The Dracomon just growled and began to run around the large wolf. In response Garurumon brought his paw down on Dracomon pinning it to the ground. This stopped the charge, but it didn't stop Dracomon from squirming around. The dragon began spitting fire in every direction while its forelimbs scratched at the ground in a bid to break loose.

"Wow, talk about resilient," May marveled.

"I think you have to be if you want to last as a wild Digimon," Goh nodded.

Garurumon frowned. "I don't think this is a wild Digimon."

"Give them back!" cried out the Dracomon.

The group gave a little jump of shock that the Digimon they had all just passed off as a wild Digimon was actually talking. Lillie was the first to voice her surprise. "That's amazing, Garurumon. How were you able to tell?"

"Give those Digivices back!" snarled the Dracomon glaring daggers at the humans.

The humans exchanged looks before Gary addressed the angry lizard. "Uh, no. These belong to us."

"No, they don't!" Dracomon began flailing around more. "Only humans can own Digivices!"

"We are humans," Gary responded flatly.

This statement put a stop to Dracomon's squirming. He blinked up at the group in surprise. "But you guys don't look anything like Iris."

"It turns out that humans tend to look pretty different from each other," Garurumon explained to Dracomon as he lifted his paw. He then turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone, meet Dracomon, another one of the chosen Digimon."

"Wait," Dracomon squinted at the group in concentration. "You said 'another chosen Digimon,' and you guys are all humans with Digivices, and the Garurumon smells a lot like that one Gabumon who visited the village with my Digivice…"

Dracomon stared at the group for a good long minute computing the new information before his eyes snapped open in surprise. "Ah! I just attacked my own comrades!" Dracomon then straightened his back and bowed forward. "I am very sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Wow, the Digivices really picked a winner this time around," Gary commented dryly.

"Gary! He's apologizing, there's no need to be rude," Lekismon scolded. "I'm sure Dracomon has plenty of good qualities. For example, he seems to…uhm…"

"Go on," Gary drawled.

"Well, I for one think you have a fantastic gift for stealth," Biyomon congratulated as she fluttered down to greet the new rookie.

"Oh yeah," May backed up her partner. "All of our Digimon completely missed over Dracomon when they were scouting the area."

"All but one," Gary smugly threw in.

But Dracomon didn't seem to hear Gary. Instead, he sat up straight and proudly lifted his chin in the air. "A ranger does need to be able to sneak around at a moment's notice."

"You're a ranger?" Goh asked. "Do you mean a ranger as in a scouting ranger or a forest ranger?"

"Both!" Dracomon declared. "The Digimon from my brood work to maintain the balance of the natural world. We keep track of wild Digimon populations and try to make sure that they move into compatible territories."

"Compatible territories?" Goh pressed.

"Places where a wild Digimon can do the least amount of damage like hunt the local animal populations to extinction or destroy towns like this one," Gargomon explained. "Most groups like the Deep Savers and the Nature Spirits tend to keep some trained rangers on hand to survey the environment and make calls on how to handle nature junk."

"That sounds pretty useful," Lillie complimented.

"Doesn't it?" despite the dirt which coded his body from flailing on the ground, Dracomon was practically glowing. "When my village found out that I was one the human's reincarnated Digimon, Master Raindramon immediately took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew!"

At the mention of the dragon's master, Lekismon perked up. "Oh! I've heard of Master Raindramon. He was an old friend of Moosemon. How is he?"

Whatever high Dracomon seemed to be riding came to a screeching halt when Lekismon asked her question. The little dragon slumped forward and cast his gaze at the ground. "He's gone. Passed away just before Iris arrived."

….

"Iris!" Dracomon exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, where is your partner?" May inquired.

Dracomon began shifting the dirt around with his feet. "I kind of, sort of, might have been separated from her," he mumbled.

"You lost your human?!" the group collectively cried out, some in shock, others in anger.

"I didn't lose her!" Dracomon growled defensively. "She was taken from me! By an ultimate level Digimon!"

Back at the Castle

Quickly yet quietly, Iris snuck through the castle. The hard part was getting down the narrow staircase from the tower undetected. But once she memorized the guards' marching pattern, she was able to slip down to the tower into the main castle.

Once Iris reached the castle itself her adventure simultaneously became easier and harder at the same time. The halls of the castle were like a maze which sent Iris spiraling into confusion the more she ran around them. On the bright side, she had more cover to hide.

Unlike the barren tower, the corridors of the rest of the castle were fully decorated. Lavish tapestries lined the walls depicting armor clad warriors dueling various monsters. High up, just below the ceiling were ledges housing various gargoyles. The ground was just as embellished as it hosted various display cases showing different weapons and models alongside suits of armor and plaques with descriptions. Was this a museum?

Before Iris could inspect any of these items closely, her ears perked up. Judging by the sound of stomping and clanging more guards were heading her way! Iris began frantically looking around. She now had plenty of cover, but she needed to figure out what would be the best choice. She could duck behind a display and wait for the guards to pass or jump from the shadow of one suit of armor to another.

Or maybe Iris should play to her strengths.

Spotting a banner hanging low like a curtain, Iris quickly removed her shoes and tucked them in her sash. She then proceeded to scurry up the banner with the same speed and grace of an Emolga. Wild girl and proud!

Upon reaching the top of the banner, Iris swung onto a large ceiling joist and watched the approaching Digimon. Marching by, two by two, were Digimon who resembled short, medieval knights in either black or white armor. Each Digimon was equipped with a small shield and a spear.

There was only one way to figure out what was the deal with these guys: scan them.

'PawnChessmon, rookie level,' Iris silently read to herself. 'They come in two variants: black and white. Both are used as cannon fodder and foot soldiers by stronger Digimon, but that doesn't mean they should be underestimated. Turns out they have excellent teamwork and can stop you in your tracks with their Pawn Spear, Pawn Buckler, or Pyramid Formation attacks.'

Iris waited patiently for the pawns to pass before moving forward. Maybe if she crept around the ledges and followed the Digimon she'd find a way out!

Before making her move, Iris gave her surroundings one last glance. Strange, there was a gap between a couple of the gargoyles that Iris swore was occupied before. What happened to that statue?

You know what? It didn't matter. Iris carefully crawled over to the ledges where she then proceeded to quickly creep behind the statues all the while keeping track of the pawn Digimon below.

All in all, Iris was making good progress. That is until a smooth and polite voice spoke up behind her. "Are you enjoying the view?"

"AH!" Startled, Iris cried out and lost her footing. She slipped and fell to the floor below. Fortunately, she was used to falling from high places thanks to her years of tree hopping with her forest dwelling Pokémon friends and was able to safely land with minimal injury. Unfortunately, the PawnChessmon heard her fall and within seconds were able to summon back up to surround her.

Glaring at her opposition, Iris reached for the belt just beneath her sash. "I'm warning you," Iris called out to the surrounding Digimon. "I'm armed. Back down now if you don't want holes drilled into your chainmail!"

None of the PawnChessmon heeded her warning. Instead, they just raised their spears and shields in anticipation of her attack.

"Alright, you asked for it," Iris threw her Poké Ball into the air. "Exadrill, teach these guys a lesson!"

The ball snapped open unleashing a creature that was folded up into a pill shape with two tiny feet sticking out the back. Most of its body was covered in brown and red striped fur while the front was composed of multiple jagged, iron plates brought together in a makeshift drill.

The PawnChessmon raised their shields, anticipating an incoming attack.

Exadrill did nothing.

The PawnChessmon gripped their spears. No matter how powerful that creature was they were not going down without a fight!

Exadrill did nothing.

The PawnChessmon began to share confused looks underneath their helmets. One even began scratching its helm with its spear.

Exadrill did nothing.

Finally, one of the PawnChessmon spoke up. "Is something supposed to happen?"

"Yes," Iris groaned as she brought back out her Pokémon's ball to return him.

"I'll have to ask you not to try anything else," Iris jumped when she heard a creature with the same smooth voice as before land behind her. "If a battle were to occur here, we'd risk damaging the exhibits."

Turning around Iris saw a new Digimon. This one was slightly taller than an adult human with a slender build and long limbs. Its draconic body was pure white save for its blue claws and tail while its wings and ears were feathered like an angel. The Digimon had no eyes, just a cross of belts across its face which matched the various belts tied around its body along with some extra armor on its shoulders and forearms.

Looks like Iris just lost her fight with the PawnChessmon before it could begin. Her consolation prize was being able to scan this new Digimon.

"Gargoylemon, armor level" Iris read off her Digivice. "The binds around its body are used to suppress its inner darkness which it can unless with its White Statue attack."

The Gargoylemon addressed the PawnChessmon. "I'll take care of the girl from here. Please go back to your assigned duties."

As the guards marched off, Iris looked up at Gargoylemon and put her hands on her hips. "Alright buster, just where do you guys get off kidnapping people?"

The gargoyle was about to respond when Iris's Digivice started to go off. "Shoot, hold on," Iris quickly said as she

Gargoylemon watched Iris type before responding. "Am I to assume that you are a human and that is your Digivice?"

Looking up from her Digivice, Iris's eyes squinted. "Yeah," she slowly responded.

"I see. I think there's been a mistake," Gargoylemon gave Iris a polite bow. "It was not our attempt to 'kidnap' you. The head guard was out on patrol and must have mistook you for a refugee in need of saving. You are not a prisoner here."

"Oh yeah," Iris said, still skeptical. "And where exactly is here?"

"Ah, I see formal introductions are in order. My name is Gargoylemon, I am the curator of this fine establishment," Gargoylemon gave Iris another bow, this time with a sweep of his wings for an added flare. "Welcome to the Castle of the Royal Knights."

Outside the Castle

"Okay, I've got a response," May said looking down at her Digivice. "She says she's fine for now, but she's trying to sort some stuff out."

"I don't like it!" Dracomon growled, pacing back and forth. "For all we know she was forced to type that! Or maybe something will go south and we won't be there to back her up!"

"Dracomon, settle down," Lillie plead. "You're not going to be able to help anyone if you work yourself up like this."

"Actually, I kind of agree with Dracomon," Goh said. He was peering over some bushes with a pair of binoculars. "I'd like to think that everything's going alright, but it would be better if we were there to back her up."

"See any way in?" Gary asked. Earlier they tried to get through the front entrance but were turned away when the guards told them that they were full. When the group began to complain, a bunch of PawnChessmon gathered and began aiming their crossbows at them. In favor of not wearing themselves down in case there were tough Digimon inside, the group voted to try and stealth their way in first.

"There's no back or side entrance," Goh reported. "Biyomon or Lekismon could go over the wall, but they'd be at risk of being shot down by those crossbows."

"Here, let me look," Gary said as he snatched the binoculars out of Goh's hands earning him a "Hey!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the Digimon, who had all reverted to rookie for the stealth operation, were conversing amongst themselves. "I can believe we're going to break into the Castle of the Royal Knights!" Lunamon squealed with stars in her eyes.

"So, for the people who are from out of town, who are the Royal Knights?" May asked.

"The Royal Knights were the grand defenders of the Digital World!" Lunamon explained. "They were all very powerful Digimon, who were said to answer to the god of the Digital World Yggdrasil itself!"

"So, why would they want to kidnap Iris?" May pressed.

"I doubt it was one of the actual knights who kidnapped her," Terriermon said. "The actual Royal Knights died off a long time ago. This castle just a museum dedicated to them. The guy who took Iris is probably just some guard or a caretaker or someone who's just staying at the castle for now."

"That still doesn't explain why he'd kidnap a human," May frowned.

"I guess we'll find out once we're inside" Gabumon surmised. He then turned over to give Gary a hopeful look. "And maybe we can look at some of the exhibits?"

"This isn't a field trip, Gabumon," Gary responded, not looking up from the binoculars.

"I know. I just want to see if they have anything that belonged to Omnimon," Gabumon said with a little tail wag.

"Was he your favorite?" Lillie kindly asked the rookie.

"Oh yes," Gabumon beamed. "It's said that Omnimon started as two mega level Digimon who almost died fighting to protect their home from an army. But because they put their lives on the line, everyone who they were trying to protect band together to share their energy with the two Digimon and they were able to be reborn as an ultra level knight who went on to not only protect his home, but the rest of the Digital World."

"Wait, Digimon can fuse?" Goh looked over to Terriermon.

"Usually we just absorb one another. But there have been some rare cases when two Digimon got absorbed into each other to make a new Digimon," Terriermon said with a shrug. "It's called Jogress or DNA Digivolution. Personally I can't imagine doing it myself. Freaky," the hound gave a little shudder.

"Omnimon wasn't a freak," Gabumon said sadly.

"I didn't say that fused Digimon are freaks. I just said that the process is freaky," Terriermon replied. "Met a Paildramon once. Good guy. Asked him which half was in the driver's seat and he said that neither were in charge. They were more like thoughts and memories swimming around in his head then two individuals forced to share the same body. No more individuality, just an amalgamation who can never separate."

The little dog then looked around to see that the group had various uncomfortable looks plastered on their faces with Gabumon looking the most put out. Terriermon quickly slapped a smile on his face. "But hey, that's just another reason why Omnimon was so heroic. His two halves sacrificed everything to give us someone who was even bigger than the sum of his parts. Now as for my favorites, I'd say it's tossup between Gallantmon and Magnamon. How about you guys?"

Picking up what Terriermon was putting down, Lunamon continued the more jovial atmosphere. "Well, since that Dae Virus gave us so much trouble UlforceVeedramon has soared up my favorites list. It's said that he would often foil Daemon's plans, most famously when he slayed the monstrous Arcadiamon. How about you Biyomon?"

Biyomon bashfully scratched at the ground. "Admittedly I'm not as well educated on the Royal Knights as the rest of you are. But my mentor did talk a lot about Leopardmon and his ability to balance his civil side with his beast side, so I guess him?"

"UGH!" Everyone turned to see Dracomon angrily slap the ground with his tail. "We need to focus people! Iris is still stuck in that castle! She's scared and alone and she needs me now! We can't just stand around and discuss who the best knight was, which was totally Examon, we need action!"

"I've got some good news and bad news on that front," Gary said with a grimace on his face. "I found a way in, but you guys aren't going to like it."

The Secret Way In

May's face fell when she saw the new found back door. "Are you sure this is the only way in?"

Gary just gave her a dispassionate expression. "Told you you wouldn't like it"

Sticking out form the side of a hill was a massive sewer pipe. It was about half a mile away from the castle which safely put them out of the range of any arrows. However, now they had to contend with the stench wafting from within the pipelines.

Goh ducked his nose into his tall collar. "What is a modern looking drain pipe doing attached to a medieval castle?"

"First you guys complain about things being medieval and now you complain about things being modern. Make up your mind!" Terriermon scolded, though he also was covering up his nose with his ears.

As per usual, Gary asserted himself in the front. "Alright, so here's what we are going to do…"

But before Gary could finish that thought, Dracomon leapt past him and landed in a large puddle splashing the rest of the group. "I'm coming Iris!" shouted the dragon as he charged down the tunnel and out of sight.

Face covered in muck, Goh stared down the pipe. "I think I'm starting to understand how this guy lost his human."

"Oh no!" Lillie exclaimed. "We need to follow him before a guard finds him and kills him!"

"Assuming none of us get our hands on him first," Terriermon growled after he finished spitting some gunk out of his mouth. "That guard is going to have to get in line."

"He's just trying to save his friend," Gabumon tried to defend the dragon while also wringing some of the sewage out of his hide's sleeve.

"And I'm just saying what everyone's thinking," Terriermon muttered before shaking himself like a wet Poochyena.

Inside

It was too bad that Iris had to hurry up and find the head guard who, according to Gargoylemon, she had get permission from to leave the castle as he was concerned about the uptick in wild Digimon attacks. Any other day Iris would have loved to take some time to look at all the art pieces and replicas of armors and weapons the ancient warriors would have once wielded. Even now she couldn't help but to wildly look around to try and see as many displays as she could.

"So, what happened to the knights?" Iris asked while she took a quick peep at a display showing a spear with dual, large bladed ends. "If they are the Digital World's protectors shouldn't they or someone like them be dealing with Millenniummon and his cronies?"

Gargoylemon gave a wistful sigh. "Once upon a time they would have. Back before the first manifestation of Millenniummon our world hosted a plethora of puissant Digimon. Many Digimon, such as the Royal Knights, the Legendary Warriors, and the Divine Beasts, used their powers to protect our world from adversarial threat both from abroad and from within. But as the years rolled by these encounters began to take their toll. Conflicts such as the Demon Lords' campaign to take over the Digital World and the clashes with the Olympus Twelve of Iliad had chipped away at our protectors' strength and their numbers. By the time Millenniummon finally manifested, our defenses were on their last legs and amongst the first causalities of that abomination's rampages."

The curator sighed and shook his head. "Truly the first human was a godsend."

"Is that a picture of him?" Iris pointed to a painting depicting a muscular man with red hair atop his head and a stark white coat draped down his back like a cape.

"I suppose he does bare a resemblance to your species, but no. That is Gankoomon. He and his squire, Hackmon, were famous for traversing the Digital World and helping local communities with their problems in addition to his knightly duties regarding more global issues."

"Hmm," Iris hummed and looked around at some of the other displays only to notice that some of them were empty. She pointed to an area on the wall that was clearly missing a tapestry. "What happened here?"

"A combination between recent events and time," Gargoylemon explained. "Most of our exhibits are currently being put in storage while others, both original art work and replicas, have been showing signs of wear and tear. We've had to box them up and ship them out to some of the few remaining lore masters for restoration."

"I see," Iris murmured. She went back to walking down the hallway until her eyes laid on a painting of a knight. For some reason, she just felt the need to stop and inspect the work. The knight in question was dawned in white armor with crimson and yellow accents. In one hand he held a round shield and in the other was a lance which sparked with electrical energy. The visor of the knight's helmet resembled a red dragon which matched well with the scarlet cape which flowed behind the warrior. The knight was battling a monster which resembled a magenta blob.

Following Iris's gaze, Gargoylemon let out a small chuckle. "I see you are drawn to Gallantmon."

"Is that his name?" Iris asked not taking her eyes off the picture. There was something about that knight. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like she knew him from somewhere.

Gargoylemon nodded. "He is often held up as an example by virus Digimon as a hero who used his naturally destructive programming to protect the innocent. He was an embodiment of chivalry and a master in magic. This picture in particular is depicting his battle against the dreaded D-Reaper. It's actually quite an interesting saga for you see, the story did not just end when the fiend was slayed for in the aftermath of the battle..."

"Tag! You're it!" Gargoylemon's tale was interrupted when a small group of in-training Digimon came barreling around the corner and past Iris. As the group "ran" (or bounced) they bumped into a model of three serpentine dragons, one pink, one blue, and one gold circling around a fourth red dragon. The model would have crashed into the ground had Gargoylemon not caught it right before it hit the ground.

"Children! Behave yourselves!" Gargoylemon called after the group. "In-trainings these days. All they think about is themselves, no respect for history."

"Class field trip?" Iris asked remembering the field trips she took back when she was a student at Drayden's Academy. Best days of the school year, mostly because she wasn't cooped up in the awkward school atmosphere.

"Sadly, no," Gargoylemon delicately placed the model back on its pedestal. "You may recall the 'recent events' I mentioned earlier? Well, thanks to those we've been forced to renovate the museum and turn it into a refugee camp."

To emphasize his point, Gargoylemon opened a pair of doors into a new room. Inside this room were various Digimon that were all settling into the various small groups. Backpacks and blankets littered the floor. Older Digimon, which looked to either be rookies or armors, were talking amongst themselves while the fresh and in-training Digimon were scampering around looking for ways to entertain themselves.

"We're trying to be accommodating while preserving our exhibits," Gargoylemon sighed. "It doesn't help that none of these children can read." To emphasize his point, Gargoylemon gave a "Packing in Progress. Please Do Not Enter" sign a tap.

"We can read it," quipped a passing Pagumon. "We just don't care."

Gargoylemon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is why I've got the PawnChessmon on patrol."

"Wait, I'm confused," Iris looked up at Gargoylemon. "Where are these refugees from? Are we close to the war zone?"

"Not quite," Gargoyle began leading Iris through the crowds. "You see, before the war began this museum had a secondary purpose: to pass on the ways of knighthood to any Digimon seeking to learn from the past. When the fighting between the Forces of Chaos and the Celestial Army escalated, the majority of battle capable Digimon were called to the front lines. As a result, most villages were understaffed and their guards were slowly chipped away. Unguarded, many villages were at the mercy of wild Digimon who don't turn down an easy catch."

"Which is why all these Digimon have come here?" Iris watched a Kokabuterimon hand out soup bowls to various in-trainings and rookies. "To hide behind the village's walls?"

"Essentially," Gargoylemon nodded. "But there is a bit more to the story. About several months ago a graduate from our knight program returned from the front lines. He immediately went to work to protect the neighboring villages from wild Digimon and for a time it looked like this area was safe until, ah! There he is now!"

Iris didn't have to search long to see the Digimon that Gargoylemon had pointed out. Towering over a group of in-trainings was a Digimon who resembled a hulking man clad in a heavy suit of armor. Strapped to his waist was a broad sword and guarding his back was a massive shield that looked as though it was over half the size of his body.

"Wait a minute, I know this guy!" Iris immediately took out her Digivice to scan the new Digimon. "Knightmon, ultimate level. He is a dutiful Digimon who wears armor to keep his power in check so that he doesn't go berserk. He has more than enough strength to wield his heavy weapons which he can use with his Berserk Sword attack."

"Ultimate level?" Iris blinked at the description. Yep, this guy was listed as an ultimate level. "Aren't those guys supposed to be really strong? Why did he return?"

"Honorable discharge," Gargoylemon nodded towards the knight who was now letting the pool of in-trainings climb all over him. "Before the war Knightmon was one of the trainees here. He just so happened to be close to the border between the civilian and warzone when he was grievously injured. As such he was able to be sent back to protect the locals and die in peace."

"Grievously injured?" Iris scowled at the knight. "He looked just fine when he was kidnapping me!" With that, Iris marched right up to Knightmon ignoring Gargoylemon's cry of "Wait!"

"Hey! Where do you get off kidnapping…people…" Iris's rant died on her lips when she finally reached Knightmon. Sure she saw that the knight was big at a distance, but that was different from standing right in front of him. This guy may have not been the largest Digimon she'd seen since coming to the Digital World, but he still looked like he could crush her with a thrust of his hand.

While Iris was trying to remember what to say, the knight noticed her. "Ah, young maiden," he said in a jovial voice. "I am glad to see you are up and about. Sorry about putting you in the watch tower, we ran out of room down here, here, here, here…"

Knightmon's sentence came to a halt when the large warrior began to, for lack of a better word, glitch. At first the warrior began to stutter like the singer on a scratched CD. Then his image fizzled in and out of existence. It was as though Knightmon was about to burst into energy particles like a dying Digimon, but would pull himself together at the last minute.

"Holy!" Iris leapt back while all the Digimon who had gathered around Knightmon ran away screaming. Iris knew that the name Digimon stood for "Digital Monsters," but up until now all the Digimon she had seen looked just like any ordinary flesh and blood Pokémon. Were all Digimon like this? Was Dracomon deep down just a computer program come to life?

"Knightmon!" A swarm of older rookie and armor Digimon came flocking around the knight asking him if he was okay or pleading with him to hold on.

Finally, Knightmon stabilized and shooed the crowd of worried Digimon off. "It's alright everyone. False alarm. Today is not the day!" Knightmon then turned back to Iris and probably smiled down at her (or at least that's what Iris could infer based on the look in his eyes). "Sorry you had to see that. Now, where you about to say something?"

"Uh, yeah," Iris carefully came forward, not sure if the knight would begin to glitch again. "I was told by Gargoylemon that you 'saved' me from a dragon."

"Ah yes, I recall the little devil," Knightmon chuckled. "Feisty little beast, but one smooth conk to the head put him down…I apologize, now that I think about it I think I may have accidently hit you too."

"Well, that's the thing. I was trying to get in your way. You had no right to pick on Dracomon," Iris explained huffing up a little.

"I had to! The villagers I have been saving told me that they had been spotting a green dragon raining fire down at the villages I had been protecting," Knightmon proclaimed. He rested his chin on his hand in a more thoughtful expression. "Though I must admit, I didn't think it would be so small. Oh well, hopefully its defeat taught it a lesson about burning down villages."

"But Dracomon wouldn't destroy a village!" Iris exclaimed. "Maybe set fire to some parts, but never destroy!"

"Hmm," Knightmon closed his eyes and folded his arms in thought. His eyes then snapped open and he slammed a fist in the palm of his other hand. "Wait a minute! That dragon was a rookie! It wouldn't be strong enough to burn down those villages!"

Iris nearly fainted over in exasperation. Was this guy for real? He's like an over grown kid!

Gargoylemon came up behind Iris and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Sir Knightmon is noble and valiant, but he has never been very bright. One time he fought against a bunch of windmills thinking they were giants."

"Oh well," Iris slumped forward and sighed in relief. "At least he's no longer going to keep Dracomon away from me."

Knightmon nodded. "Of course. If I find your friend I'll send him to the castle. In the mean time I've got to hunt down and slay that other dragon. Now, where's my crossbow?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping that you'd let me go and met up with Dracomon and maybe the other humans, but I guess we can wait a while here while you…wait! You're going to do what!?"

AN: I used to be a Digidestined like you, then I took a glitch to the knee.

Ah! It happened again! I typed too much. Time to split up the chapters again. Sorry if this chapter was a bit too exposition heavy, I'll try to get more character interactions and a battle in part 2.

Dracomon! I just had to give Iris a Digimon from the Dragon's Roar field and Dracomon is the most dragon of dragon Digimon. His personality is based on the victory animation from Cyber Sleuth where he tries to fly but falls on his face.

I flopped back and forth between black and white for Iris's Digivice's color. Eventually I just went with black because the main body of the Digivice is already white so this way you get a yin yang coloration like the Black and White games.

Hey, check it out. More villain characters for me to introduce and then forget about for a while. The reason for this is that while I do appreciate Team Rocket as the textbook lovably incompetent villains, it drove me mad seeing them almost every single episode. So as we head into Arc 2 and beyond expect the villains to rotate.

And before anyone asks why Vulturemon has an Australian accent it's because he's a sniper and I was thinking about making a video game reference with him. This idea didn't fully pan out but the accent stuck in my head. Look forward to me misusing various pieces of Australian slang whenever he pops up.

Reader Response Recess!

Legoguy67: Oh yeah, the code for that Dae Virus vaccine is going to be very useful.

The one who reads and writes: I have no problem replying to your reviews. I very much enjoy reading them. Your observations do give me stuff to think about and have even helped influence some of the character interactions. Now, as for some of your questions…

Normal sickness wouldn't be carried over by the bond between trainer and Digimon. The Dae Virus is kind of unique in that it is just as much a form of demonic possession as it is a disease. As for death in this fanfic, what happens depends on a number of variables ranging from the nature of the death to what the other partner is able to do post mortem.

For example, the first human did not die when any of his Digimon partners passed away. Which is quite unfortunate. It would be a mercy killing compared to where he is now.

Won't lie, I have given a little thought as to which elite/champions would partner with each Digimon: Agumon with Leon (Agumon is just as much the Charizard of his franchise as he is the Pikachu)

Gotsumon with Steven or Brandon (rock enthusiast or golem specialist)

Dracomon with Lance (from one dragon champion to another)

Betamon or Dawn's partner with Wallace (Water showman master could work with either)

Biyomon with Larry (Biyomon wonders why her human constantly looks like he's about to collapse)

Terriermon with Emmet (White twins who love to fight, also Ingo has already been isekaied, it's Emmet's turn)

Basically the way I see it, if a bunch of elite trainers were partnered with Digimon instead of our kids it would result in the trainers being more efficient, but that could come with the cost of them changing events that could have been beneficial. For example, if these guys went through the woods with the Loogarmon they may have been able defeat the Loogarmon without getting infected, thus they wouldn't have to look around more, and thus they wouldn't bump into Datamon. This chain of events would mean that it may take longer for Datamon to work on his secret project which sounds good, but it would also mean that once Datamon is finished the trainers would have missed out on getting vaccinated themselves which would actually make saving the day more difficult (it'll make sense by the end of the arc). Just goes to show that some adversity is necessary in the long run.

Yeah, as far as Gary is concerned he is the self-appointed leader. Partially because he does have the skills and partially because of his big head.

You probably would not have seen anything different from a combo of Ash's and Agumon's blood as the blood test doesn't rely on the human having extra powers like Aura sensitivity or a psychic mind. It's a visual representation of something else. That or I subconsciously felt like throwing in a nod to The Thing on top of all the other monster movie troops I was using in the previous chapters.

The bit with Anubismon cursing the Demon Lords is a nod to his bio stating that he has the power to either allow a Digimon to be reborn if they are good or seal them in darkness if they are evil. Also, I kind of wanted to try something new with the Demon Lords.

As for why our tube dwelling friend wants Lillie: that Digimon is on life support and nothing looks more delicious to it now than a species that's said to give Digimon enough energy to Digivolve. Would eating a human help her? Maybe, maybe not. But this nearly dead Digimon is not above consuming children to find out.

Name wise, it's a coincidence that works out. Lillie may not fully grasp this just yet, but that tube demon is going to haunt her in a more personal way than any other enemy in this fic.

To Ashpoke55, Giblo126 and everyone else turning in: Thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to leave a comment or ask questions (won't guarantee I'll give a straight answer). God loves you and so do I!

Digimon Introduced

Dracomon: Rookie, Data, Dragon

Knightmon: Ultimate, Data, Warrior

Gargoylemon: Armor, Free, Dark Beast

PawnChessmon (Black and White): Rookie, Virus, Puppet

Prairiemon: Armor, Free, Beast

Vulturemon: Ultimate, Virus, Bird Man

Kiwimon: Champion, Data, Ancient Bird

Gyuukimon: Ultimate, Virus, Dark Beast

Vademon X: Ultimate, Virus, Alien

Antylamon: Ultimate, Virus, Holy Beast

Gallantmon: Mega, Virus, Holy Knight

Gankoomon: Mega, Data, Holy Knight

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Pokémon Introduced

Exadrill: Ground/Steel, The Subterrene Pokémon

Next Time: Iris tries to find a peaceful solution to this dragon problem, Dracomon tries to find Iris, Knightmon tries to find his misplaced weapons, the infiltration team tries to navigate a sewer, and PizzaSpino tries to juggle a bunch of characters.