What's this? A Saturday upload? Well, the bad news is I won't have internet where I'm going, good news is I was able to finish this week's writing early so I thought it'd be best to get this up before I go. After this it's back to the Sunday upload schedule. For now, let's see how the Resistance is doing, shall we?
"...Alright, that should be fine."
"Still working?"
Takumi looked behind him. Mameo was leaning against the wall. "Oh, hey Mameo. Need something?"
"Not really. I'm just surprised to see you so busy. Didn't Darcmon and the others tell you to take a break?"
"Yeah, but I can't just sit around while everyone is working hard."
"Look who's talking. You work harder than everyone else combined. You should get some rest every now and then or you're gonna burn yourself out."
"It would be a waste of time. It's not like I can relax when there's danger all around us. If people need help, I have to do everything I can to help. It's just natural to me."
Mameo smiled. "You really are just like them."
"Huh? Who?"
"Takuto and Shiki. They both work themselves as hard as they can for others. They just don't think it's right to stay still when they could be helping out."
Takumi laughed. "Sounds like you think highly of them."
"All of us in Flotia do. Those two are our pillar of strength. They always give us hope even in the most helpless situations. Just like how you do to everyone here."
Takumi tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"You mean you never noticed? You raise everyone's spirits with how hard you work and how kindly you treat those around you. You have a positive effect on others. You should be proud of who you are."
"Be proud of who I am..."
Mameo looked at Takumi's blank stare. "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just...Kyoko once told me the same thing."
"Kyoko? You mean the detective you and your sister work for? The one who Alphamon took over the body of?"
Takumi smiled. "Yeah. I guess you could say she's our pillar of strength. You kind of remind me of her, Mameo. She's smart, mature and super dependable."
"Heh. You flatter me kid." Mameo thought for a moment. "Hey Takumi, I got something I want you to have." He walked over and something shiny appeared in his hand. "Here."
Takumi stared at the object and reached his hand towards it. The moment he touched it the object glowed and flew into his hand. Then his goggles flashed. He put them on and looked at his menu.
Installation complete.
"What is this?"
"It's a special program Takuto and Shiki use. See both of them have two Digimon partners each. Think of that program as their ace in the hole. It allows them to combine the powers of their partners into one. It requires a strong bond between the partners and their human, so I bet you and your Digimon could pull it off."
Takumi pulled his goggles back up. "Why do you have this Mameo? And why are you giving it to me?"
"I kinda want to give raising two Digimon a try myself someday. So, after some through studying, I managed to replicate their specialty into a program. As for me giving it to you…well I kinda like you. You remind me of Takuto and Shiki with your care towards Digimon and work ethic. Plus, like I said it requires more than one Digimon, so who else is there besides you who can use it?"
"I see. Well, thanks."
"No problem. Now then, would I be correct in assuming you won't be spending any of your time off not working yourself to the bone?"
"You might."
"I was afraid of that." Mameo looked behind him. "Leomon!"
The Digimon entered the room. "You got it." Mameo stepped aside so he could pass through.
"Oh, hey." Takumi smiled. "Can I help you with something?"
"It is I who is here to help you." Leomin stood in front of Takumi for a minute.
Takumi looked at him uncomfortably. "Help me with whaaaaa!" The teen was lifted off the floor and hurled onto Leomon's shoulder. "Hey, what gives?!"
Takumi tried to squirm out of Leomon's grip as he turned around and walked away. "Sorry Takumi." Leomon adjusted his grip. "But you'll be taking some time off even if by force."
"Mameo, is this really necessary?!" Takumi asked looking at the man following them.
Mameo grinned. "Sorry kid. But as the "smart" "mature" and "dependable" adult you see me as, I gotta make sure you rest up."
"Oh, come on!"
"Work will be here tomorrow." Leomon said. "Just take this day off. Or do we need to involve your Digimon and your friends?"
Takumi sighed. "Alright, alright, you win."
Mameo laughed. "I hope we find Takuto and Shiki soon. I think they and Takumi will really get along."
"Finally, we got the forging materials we need." Nokia said as she and Yuugo traversed the forest. "Why do they need all this stuff anyway?"
"The Resistance is struggling to gather resources." Omegamon replied. "We need to use anything we can to create weapons and medical items."
"I just hope this will last us for a while." Yuugo sighed. "It doesn't help that our base of operations isn't even that big."
"Hey, don't get all gloomy on us Yuugo!" Nokia scolded. "We'll make it through this. We just need to put in some effort and heart into it, ya know?"
"I guess you're right. No sense in dwelling in negativity. That being said, we can't just stay holed up and on the defensive forever."
"Yuugo has a point." Omegamon said. "In fact, that's all we've been doing before summoning you to this world."
"It's true." HiAndromon nodded. "If we're going to turn the tables, we need to start taking the offensive. The problem is, we don't have the numbers to hit a major target, yet we're afraid of wasting lives and resources on small-time targets. We just don't know what to do."
"And then there's Ami." Yuugo sighed.
Nokia looked down. "Yeah. Poor girl. I just hope she can hold out until we save her. Wait, what am I talking about, this is Ami! A cheerful, strong girl like her won't break so easily. And hey! Maybe she's gathering info for us on enemy lines!"
Yuugo chuckled. "That would be nice. For now, we just need to tackle this one problem at a time. Starting with Ami's rescue."
"Right." Nokia grinned. "Anyway, we need to pull our weight too! Can't just let Takumi and Ami, do everything for us."
"Yeah. I agree. Takumi's already doing so much. At least we convinced him to take today off."
Nokia squinted at Yuugo. "Uh-huh. And how likely do you think he is to keep his world? Takumi can do a lot of things but sitting still isn't one of them."
Yuugo laughed. "Good point. Let's check up on him when we get back to base." The rock formation came into view. "Ah, speak of the devil."
"Home sweet home." Nokia grinned.
"Keep your voices down." HiAndromon whispered. "We cannot let the enemy know we are here."
"Oh relax, it's not like they have eyes everywhere in the Digital World."
Hovering above the mountainside, a Okuwamon watched them enter the hidden path then flew away.
"Are you certain?" Hudiemon asked.
After returning from their mission, Keisuke gathered Hudiemon, Justimon, Shakkoumon, Takuto, Himari, and Kouta back in Hudiemon's room. "I would never forget that horrifying gaze." Keisuke replied. "It was Arcadiamon."
"No…"
"Guys, what's wrong?" Takuto asked.
"That Digimon Hosaka hatched from that egg back there." PileVolcamon replied. "That was a Digimon we defeated back in our world named Arcadiamon."
Keisuke looked down. "According to our Omegamon, it's a Digimon created to be the ultimate being. It was sealed away in the human world."
Justimon sighed. "Then after everything went to hell, my partner was influenced by Arcadiamon. I tried to stop him, but I was absorbed. They went on a rampage attacking hackers and absorbing their Digimon."
"Thanks to Chitose and Arata I managed to get through to Ryuji." Keisuke said. "But then Arcadiamon absorbed him. After that Erika and I were able to rescue him and Justimon and defeat Arcadiamon with…let's call it a special trick she pulled."
"Just how powerful is this Arcadiamon supposably?" Himari asked.
"Well, right now it's just in Rookie form, so it's not too, too bad. But if we let it evolve like before…Well let's just say Erika won't be able to pull that special trick anymore."
"Man, considering that you fought that Brother Sorrow guy to a standstill and this thing spooks you, I don't feel too good about this." Kouta muttered.
"Yeah, that guy sends shivers up my spine." Keisuke muttered. "He was the one who defeated Gankoomon."
"His Digimon…BlitzGreymon and CresGarurumon, he called them…" TyrantKabuterimon muttered. "They were very powerful. And those abilities Brother Sorrow himself has…It's like he could control a Digimon's flow of time."
"And that's not all." Takuto added. "The guy has Creepymon with him."
"One of the Deadly Digimon." Hudiemon noted. "And you said Hosaka has three. How is he even in this world anyway?"
"It sounded like someone helped him from this side." MetalSeadramon said. "One of the Royal Knights maybe?"
"Who is Hosaka anyway?" Yukimura asked.
"He's an EDEN Hacker." Keisuke replied. "He steals accounts people send him after for money. He hacked mine once…"
"You mentioned K when you spoke to him earlier." Nova asked.
"Yeah. K was the one who hired him to steal Keisuke's EDEN account." PileVolcamon replied.
"Really? Then maybe he knows who K really is!" Himari said.
"Possible." Keisuke replied. "But the K who hired him to steal my EDEN account can't be the K that's working with the Next Order." Keisuke replied.
"Oh yeah? How do you figure?"
"Because he would have forgotten all that had happened when the world changed."
"Are you sure about that Keisuke?" Hudiemon asked. "Hosaka should be the same, remember?"
"Well…true. But I know for a fact Yu knows nothing, he's been working with Hudie for a while now. Plus, I saw him at school a lot of times after K left for the Digital World. It can't be him."
"Well, if you say so. In that case, who do you think it is?"
"No idea."
Everyone fell silent. "Well…for now we need to focus on our main objective." Justimon said. "Conquering this city."
"Justimon is right." Rikka nodded. "It sounded like Brother Sorrow thinks we just came by to stop the experiment, so he must not now about the program that was uploaded or what we're planning."
"Good." Hidiemon said. "Then we can take them by surprise. Let's take our time to prepare before-
There was a banging at the door. "Hudiemon! We have a problem!"
"UlforceVeedramon? Come in."
The knight hurried into the room. "One of our spies reported back. It sounds like one of the Resistance teams is in danger."
"What kind of danger?"
"A scout has located the base of Rebel's Heart. Dynasmon is mobilizing an army to destroy them."
"Wait, did you say Rebel's Heart?!" PileVolcamon asked.
MetalSeadramon cringed. "Oh no…"
"That's where Nokia and the others are!" Keisuke gasped. "TyrantKabuterimon, MetalSeadramon, PileVolcmaon, come on! We gotta head back there and warn them!"
Hudiemon grabbed Keisuke's arm just when he was about to dash out of the room. "Keisuke, wait!"
"I can't just abandon the others! I owe them so much and we need them to win this war!"
"Trust me, I know that! But even if you somehow make it there before Dynasmon, you won't have much time before they strike! Besides, I need you here to help with our preparations for taking the city. Don't worry, we will help them, we just need to play this smart."
Keisuke took a deep breath. "Okay."
"So, what do we do?" Takuto asked.
Hudiemon looked at UlforceVeedramon. "You're the fastest one here. How confident are you that you can get out of the city undetected and still make it in time to help Rebel's Heart prepare to evacuate?"
"Depends. Do we know the exact location?"
"We do." Hudiemon went to her computer and pulled up a map with a flashing marker. "Keisuke pinpointed it for me."
"It's in a giant rock." Keisuke said. "The entrance is hidden via hologram, but a cave leads deeper underground."
UlforceVeedramon looked at the map. "Okay. It's not that far. Sneaking out of the city will be tricky, but once I'm out I can be there in a few minutes."
"A few minutes?" Keisuke asked. "Do you have any idea how long it took for me to get from there to here?"
"UlforceVeedramon is one of the fastest Digimon in this world." Justimon replied. "He can get there to warn your friends far faster than anyone else here."
"Okay, so, say we get them out of there in time, where do we take them?" Takuto asked. "I mean there's always here, but no way we're sneaking a large group throughout the city into this underground base."
"EVEN THEN WE LACK THE NECESSARY SPACE TO HOLD THAT LARGE A GROUP ALONG WITH OUR OWN FORCES." Shakkoumon added.
"I know." Hudiemon folded her arms and pondered. "I think we may have to hurry along our plans to capture Cache City."
"Are you sure?" Justimon asked. "You told me yourself that we need to proceed carefully."
"The whole point of us taking the city was so we can unite the Resistance. That will mean nothing if we lose Rebel's Heart. This is the only way. First things first. UlforceVeedramon, you will go to their base and have them begin marching towards this city. Kouta, Himari, I'll have you two lead a party to meet up with them along the way. Meanwhile, we will continue our preparations here. Once you arrive, I want you to wait until we send up a flare from the city, then begin your assault. The moment you do that, I'll use the backdoor program we installed to sabotage their security. While the enemy is confused, I'll take Keisuke and Takuto and take the central tower where I can directly hack into their system, so we can use their defenses against them. From there, all we need to do is chase out their forces and the city is ours."
"Okay."
"This will be a gamble." Justimon said. "If we fail, they'll piece together where we are, and we'll have nowhere to run."
"I know Justimon. But we have no choice."
"Then I shall depart at once." UlfirceVeedramon said. "If these humans at Rebel's Heart are the ones who saved our worlds, then this is a chance to repay my debt to them. And I cannot abandon my old friend Omegamon." He kneeled to Keisuke and put a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you, my friend. I will do everything in my power to save our allies. Please. Believe in me. I won't let your friends fall."
Keisuke took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm counting on you, UlforceVeedramon."
UlforceVeedramon nodded and hurried out of the room. "Do not worry Keisuke." Justimon said. "UlfroceVeedramon is a dependable guy. He won't let us down."
"We better get started ourselves." Hudiemon said. "Okay…to start…"
"…And that should be everything." Yuugo said.
"Much appreciated." Bokomon replied. "We should be able to make some good items out of these."
"Hey, has anyone seen Takumi?" Nokia asked.
"Oh, he's in the barracks." Arata replied. "Mameo caught him trying to work while we told him to take some time off, so he had Leomon drag him there and guard him."
"Figures." Yuugo chuckled.
"Sheesh, that blockhead." Nokia muttered. "When we tell him to relax, he should just relax! I oughta go in there and give him an earful!"
Yuugo squinted at her. "Nokia, isn't grilling Takumi when you want him to relax kind of counterproductive?"
"Too late." Arata said. "Yuuko beat her to it. She's watching him with Leomon right now."
"Ooooh~! Nokia grinned. "Takumi and Yuuko alone together, huh? That's big!"
"I just said Leomon is in there, you dolt."
"Wait, really? Well, let's see if I can't lure him out so those two can have some alone time!"
"Nokia, wait!" Yuugo sighed as his friend left the room ignoring him. "And there she goes." Shoma chuckled. "Shoma? What is it?"
"It's nothing, just…you guys are a lively bunch. You remind me of my friends. I wonder what they're doing right now…"
"You and Mameo got separated from them one night while under attack, yes?" Bokomon asked. "That was a while ago. Do you think something happened?"
"I'm sure they're fine. Takuto is with them after all. If I'm worried about anyone, it's Shiki. The one K took. I hope we find her soon…"
"I know how you feel." Arata sighed. "Damn it! If only I was a bit faster, I could have saved Ami before she was dragged away! We just have to find her…we have to."
"Ami, wake up."
Ami groggily mumbled as she started to stir. She saw Shiki leaning over her bed. "What's up Shiki?"
"We got guests." Shiki glanced to the side. Doctor Datamon, Professor Agumon and Terriermon Assistant were standing nearby.
Ami sat up and yawned. "Oh, hi guys. Sorry, just taking a nap. Not much else to do here."
"Right." Datamon sighed. "So…about the Digimon accompanying you…we spoke with Vademon…"
"Yeah, we just spoke with him too." Shiki sighed. "And we hated it."
Terriermon Assistant rolled his eyes. "Join the club."
"In any case…According to him the lab director is using those Digimon for some sort of project." Doctor Datamon said.
"What kind of project?" Ami asked.
"He doesn't know." Terriermon Assistant replied.
"So, wait, Vademon isn't in charge of this facility?" Shiki asked.
"No." Professor Agumon replied. "The director apparently only joined the Next Order somewhat recently, but he provided some of his research on humans and Digimon, granting him a high position."
"I saw him once." Terriermon Assistant shivered. "He gives me the creeps."
"Can you ask him what's happening to our partners?" Shiki asked.
Doctor Datamon, Professor Agumon and Terriermon assistant looked at each other uneasily. "Well…"
"Please." Ami said. The trio looked at the desperate look in her and Shiki's eyes.
"...I can't promise anything." Datamon said. "But I can try talking to him."
"Thank you." Shiki smiled.
UlforceVeedramon was flying as fast as he could over the forest. He pulled up a map as he approached a clearing. "It should be around here. A rock according to Keisuke." He stopped over the clearing and landed. He looked at the plateau and pressed his hand against it while walking around it until his hand slipped through. He stepped through the hologram. "I'm surprised the Next Order found them here in the first place." He stepped into the cave leading down.
Dinohumon and Grizzlymon were guarding the entrance as always. They looked up at the sound of footsteps. Dinohumon had a hand on his sword as Grizzlymon stood ready to pounce. "Who goes there?" Grizzlymon snarled.
"At ease." UlforceVeedramon said as he stepped forward. "I am with the Resistance."
"I do not recognize you among the four teams." Dinohumon said.
"I am with the secret fifth team. Hudie's dream."
"The team that Keisuke kid went after?"
"Preposterous." Grizzlymon scoffed. "What proof do you have?"
"Well..."
"What's going on here?"
The guards looked behind them to see who was approaching. "Sir Magnamon." Dinohumon turned to the knight. "This stranger claims to be from another Resistance team."
Magnamon looked at him in surprise. "UlforceVeedramon?! You're alive!"
"Magnamon! So, you're also working with Rebel's Heart."
"UlforceVeedramon of the Royal Knights?!" Grizzlymon gasped before he and Dinohumon bowed. "F-forgive my disrespect sir!"
"Pay that no mind." UlforceVeedramon replied. "More importantly I must speak with Omegamon right now."
"Did something happen?" Magnamon asked.
"Something is about to happen. The Next Order knows where you are."
"What?!" Omegamon gasped. "Are you certain?!"
Everyone had gathered at the war table. "I fear so. I spotted Dynasmon's attack force on the way here. It's huge. You have no hope of repelling them." UlforceVeedramon replied. "And they will be here soon."
"Damn it..." Arata growled.
"If we can't stop them, we need to evacuate the base ASAP." Darcmon said. "Spread the word to everyone and have them start packing the essentials immediately."
"I'm on it." Silphymon replied before he left.
Yuuko waited for him to leave before speaking up. "This didn't happen long after we recruited him and his men. You don't think they...?"
"I don't think Silphymon would betray us Yuuko." Takumi replied. "Besides we can't act without proof."
"According to our spies you were not ratted out." UlforceVeedramon replied. "An enemy scout spotted Omegamon entering this place."
Omegamon looked down. "No... how could I be so careless..."
"We can dwell on what happened later." Samudramon said. "We should help prepare the evacuation as well."
"But where do we go once we escape?" Shoma asked. "Do you guys have another camp nearby?"
"I'm afraid not." Leomon replied.
UlforceVeedrmon folded his arms. "You must come to Cache City with me."
"Cache City?" Magnamon asked.
"Wait, isn't that where Keisuke went?" Yuugo asked.
"That's right. He's with Hudiemon at our base. It's hidden under the city." UlforceVeedramon explained.
"That doesn't sound very…roomy." Nokia said. "You sure we can all fit down there?"
"No. Which is why once we arrive, we are going to chase all of the Next Order out of the city and take it all for ourselves. That will serve as our new home."
"What?" Yuuko asked. "You want us to start a large-scale assault right after escaping the Next Order?"
"The chances are not very high, I agree. But Hudiemon insisted this was the best option. She's been wanting to unite the Resistance for a while now."
"It is risky." Takumi nodded. "But I don't see an alternative at this point. We have nowhere else to go."
"Unfortunately, I don't think we can get to the city without running into Dynasmon's forces." UlforceVeedramon said.
"But we can't let them follow us to the city." Mameo said. "It will be hard enough to take it without Dynasmon breathing down our backs."
"But if we can get past them Hudiemon will send a unit to meet up with us so we can attack the city together. Among them will be two humans and their partners. I believe their names were Kouta and Himari."
"Did you say Kouta and Himari?!"
"Oh. You're acquainted?"
"Yeah, they're our friends, we came to this world together!"
"They're the ones you got separated from?" BlackWarGreymon asked.
"Was there anyone else with them?" Shoma asked. "A blond girl in white and a boy around my age?"
UlforceVeedramon nodded. "Yes. Luche and Takuto, if I recall."
"Thank goodness." Mameo smiled. "Sounds like they're all okay."
"So, once we meet with them our plan is to converge on the city?" Takumi asked.
"Yes. Hudiemon plans to sabotage the security before the strike. She said she will send up a flare when it is time to act."
"Erika is quite the daring strategist." Arata chuckled. "She's definitely Ryuji's sister."
"I was rather worried when Keisuke took off on his own." Yuuko said. "But it sounds like he found his friend just fine."
"So how do we plan on doing this?" Dorugoramon asked. "We need to push through Dynasmon's army before we can march to the city."
"And we'll need to do so while protecting our supplies as we march somehow." Magnamon added.
Darcmon thought for a moment. "First, we'll march into the woods. Then we will send our strongest fighters to engage the enemy head on. While they're distracted with us, any transports will sneak through them via the trees. Then we'll shake off Dynasmon and his crew and proceed to the city."
"That sounds dangerous." Yuugo said. "If the strike team gets surrounded, there will be no escaping."
"Don't worry. I have an idea if we get in real troule. Though I pray it doesn't come to that."
"Alright, we should get ready." Arata said. "The longer we dilly-dally, the more time Dynasmon and his goons have to get the drop on us."
"Alright." Takumi nodded. "Let's get ready to move out."
Short chapter today I'm afraid. I swear that has nothing to do with the early upload, I just thought this was a good breaking point for the chapter. But next week expect a lot of action as Rebel's Heart begins their escape while Hudie's Dream prepares their full-scale attack on Cache City.