"You're such a foolish woman, Azurena." Cyrus Asghar said scoldingly at the injured woman in the hospital bed, the latter of whom could do nothing more than smile through her embarrassment. She'd strangle Homura for opening his mouth, but he was currently stationed outside to ensure that both she and Cyrus remained uninterrupted during his visit.
"Can I just say that I appreciate you coming to visit me despite that?" She said, having no way of defending herself.
To her surprise, Cyrus sighed softly and pulled a chair from off the wall. "We both know Arashimaru would have my head if I let anything happen to either of you." He took a seat and exhaled, his stoned faced noticeably softer than usual. "Start talking. Who did this to you and what are they after?"
Straight to the point, she thought to herself. Choosing her words carefully, Sierra began to explain what happened. "All I was able to gather from my encounter is that whoever it was, they knew I was the Eastern Representative. The assumption as it stands, is that they're hunting us to get to Drasil."
"Drasil remains in AEGIS custody, as is Dr. Woods and Lindberg."
"Which means the next targets will either be you or Bianca." Sierra explained.
"If they were strong enough to take you down, then why not go to AEGIS directly?"
"I don't know either. Besides that, their deck…uses a black Imperialdramon."
Hearing that piqued Cyrus' interest.
Sierra noticed.
"Do you know anything about it? The deck was a mix of red and purple, as was the Black Imperialdramon and its pre-digivolutions."
"I don't."
"And then there was the fact that what we know about Omnia's history may not be entirely true, regarding the Zenith's role in the past, as well as Imperialdramon's."
"That right?" Cyrus replied.
"Still nothing?"
"Tell me how their deck operates."
Sierra hesitated. "Hold on a second, you don't intend on fighting them, are you?"
"Are you suggesting that I lie on my back and wait to end up next to you in this hospital?"
"Knowing how much money Vermillion Pharmaceutical has contributed, I'd imagine you'd get a suite." Sierra joked.
Cyrus smirked, a rarity. "Don't mistake this as an act of vengeance. This assailant is making a mockery of everything I've built within Omnia. As the Southern Representative, it's my job to put them in their place." He stood and began to head to the door. "But before that, I have a meeting with the Hospital Board. I'll have Homura remain here for your protection in the intermit."
"Wait, Cyrus!" Sierra managed to catch him as he opened the door, startling Homura on the other side.
"What is it, Sierra?" he asked, dropping formalities for the brief moment.
"His Imperialdramon is deadly…if you can find a way to—!"
"Thank you." He cut her off, already having a plan in mind.
"Be careful…" she told him, worry in her voice.
He turned toward the younger woman and with a nod, he took his leave, giving Homura his instructions before parting. Homura came into the room afterward, closing the door behind him. "For the record, had I not told him where I was amongst all of this, he would've found out on his own."
"It's no problem," Sierra forgave him. "To be honest, to see that side of him is a rarity in itself. Just wish I didn't have to take getting hurt."
Homura, knowing what she means chuckled. Despite his tough, blunt demeanor, Cyrus' strong leadership is thanks in part to his desire to protect those close to him. Allies would argue he was the personification of tough love…
…whereas his enemies would describe him as the personification of raining hell.
Chapter 7: Red Tween, Blue Tween
"I hatch Pagumon and then it'll digivolve into Monitamon."
Daniel watched as Bianca went about her final turn. In an attempt to beat her claim of a 3-turn win, Terrence, making use of WarGreymon was able to slow her down—only for her ace, DarkKnightmon to unveil an ability that made his sudden comeback meaningless. Now all Terrence had to rely on was a miracle in his Security.
He felt a vibration in his pocket. He was able to ignore it initially but bit by bit they were increasing in frequency. He really hoped that Bianca was right about this being the last turn.
"SkullKnightmon, Security Attacks!" Bianca commanded. "Utilizing the effect, by sliding DeadlyAxemon into its sources, SkullKnightmon can digivolve into DarkKnightmon without paying its cost!"
DarkKnightmon arose once more, its intimidating stature imposing itself amongst its captive audience. With a swing of its weapon, Terrence's security burst apart upon impact, glistening into binary as they reformed into Greymon and Canoweissmon in their attempt to counter.
Greymon: 4000 DP
Canoweissmon: 8000 DP
DarkKnightmon: 9000 DP
Despite their combined, flaming might, DarkKnightmon snuffed out their combined firepower and mercilessly slayed both reptilian opponents. Before retreating back to their side, they looked down at Terrence, who stood eager and determined, not a shred of fear in his eyes. DarkKnightmon returned to Bianca's side, and if Daniel didn't know any better, he'd would've thought that the digimon acknowledged Terrence.
"SkullKnightmon Cavalier Mode, Direct Attack!" Bianca exclaimed, as the horseback hybrid digimon galloped and came centimeters from skewering Terrence. A light poke declared victory for Bianca, the game state dispersing around them as Terrence dramatically jumped backwards and landed on the digital floor, harder than he intended. Afterward he clutched his shoulder as let out a groan of regretful pain.
"Was that really necessary?" Daniel walked over to help him up.
Terrence took note of his friend and quickly grabbed his hand. "Tag in!"
Daniel blinked. "Huh?"
Terrence, with his wide grin, sprung from the ground, miraculously cured of his ailment. "Don't disappoint me now."
"Huh?!" Daniel repeated for emphasis. "I didn't agree to battle, are you nuts?!"
Terrence scoffed, "Come on, you really gonna chicken out from fighting a girl?"
"Said girl just kicked your butt." Daniel reminded.
"Yeah, but at least I battled so she could!"
"That's a terrible comeback! Besides, I could tell just by watching you that I have no shot at beating her."
"He's right." Bianca agreed. "My skills compared to the both of you are nowhere close to one another."
"See? Our skills are—!" Daniel felt another vibration, but instead played it off as if he were processing her blunt response and turned. "Ouch."
Justin walked over, overhearing the commotion, offering his two cents. "Then how about we battle then?" He turned to Bianca and held his hand out. She high-fived him, implicating their switch.
"I—I mean, do I…?" Daniel felt the pressure increasing around him.
And the incessant phone vibrations.
"Granted we can't force you," Justin noted. "If you don't feel comfortable then we can always just—!"
"AVENGE ME, DUDE!" Terrence exclaimed, dramatically crumbling to the floor. He laid on the floor and croaked, playing dead for a solid minute until he realized that it did little to motivate Daniel.
"Can I go home?" Daniel asked, half serious.
Bianca looked down at Terrence and—without any particular reason—laid down beside him and also pretended to play dead. This prompted Terrence to groan once more, "Avenge us…!"
"Oh, give me a break!" Daniel exclaimed, frustrated at the two of them.
Justin cackled, seeing an unfamiliar side to Bianca as she humored Terrence. He tapped Daniel on the shoulder, encouraging him to give into their demands. Reluctantly Daniel accepted that it would be faster to humor them than go against it. With that, the remaining pair got up and skipped off to the sidelines, while Daniel and Justin took their respected positions.
"Just to make things easier, I'm also running a Black deck," Justin stated. "You've seen how it works sort of, in their battle."
"Sort of? It was over so fast that I didn't really pick much up."
"Guess in that case it'd be wise to pay attention here then." Justin said, activating his device.
Daniel mimicked Justin's actions of activating his D-Streamer. To his surprise, all three of the starter decks were downloaded on the device. Perhaps that was a natural feature of the D-Streamers, hence their costly pricing? Is what he would've thought had he not been so skeptical thus far. Regardless of that, Daniel set it to the Blue Trinity Start Deck option and readied himself.
"Ready?" Justin asked.
Daniel nodded. "Let's do it."
DIGI-GATE: OPEN!
Turn 1: Daniel
"Guess I'll start then." He hatched Puyoyomon and digivolved it into Jellymon, his deck's mascot digimon floating about with a wink.
Puyoyomon (BT9-002)
Color: Blue
Level: 2
Jellymon (BT9-021)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"I end my turn by playing Gabumon to draw a card." Daniel continued, summoning Gabumon on his side and taking the available extra card to replace it.
Gabumon (BT1-029)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 1000
MEMORY
0-3 (Turn Change)
Turn 2: Justin
"Right then, my move." Justin drew. "I hatch Hopmon, and then I digivolve it into ToyAgumon." He stated, summoning initially a blue dragon digimon in the shape of a tear drop with yellow stripes and fin-like limbs on the side, as well as two tiny lower fangs. It bounced around briefly before converting into ToyAgumon via digivolution.
Hopmon (EX2-005)
Color: Black
Level: 2
ToyAgumon (BT2-055)
Color: Black
Level: 3
DP: 2000
After drawing, Justin continued his turn. "Next, I'll play Monodramon."
A purple child-like dragon digimon materialized, golden eyes matching the gold stripe around its horn and limbs, said limbs also sporting fin-like extensions on the sides. It got into a stance, eager for action.
Monodramon (EX2-030)
Color: Black
Level: 3
DP: 1000
MEMORY
3-0
"When Monodramon is played, I reveal the top four cards of my deck, and add any black tamers revealed. The rest are sent to the bottom of the deck." Justin explained as through Monodramon, four cards from the top of his deck appeared: Tai Kamiya, Ryo Akiyama, Sealsdramon and ToyAgumon. Justin took the former two and sent the latter away. "I end by playing Tai Kamiya from my hand."
Justin went about summoning Tai Kamiya, the blue shirt-wearing goggle boy usually associated with Red now supporting black. He tugged on his gloves and readied himself to support Justin's endeavors.
Tai Kamiya (BT2-089)
Color: Black
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change)
Turn 3: Daniel
Daniel drew and took a quick scan of his hand. With 4 memory, he could counter with his own Tamer and have Jellymon benefit from it. "Jellymon moves out, and then I play the Tamer Kiyoshiro Higashimitarai from my hand."
As Jellymon floated forward, the bandage wearing teen materialized behind her, device flashing to signal their supportive role.
Kiyoshiro Higashimitarai (BT9-086)
Color: Blue
MEMORY
4-0
"When I play a Blue Tamer, Jellymon's effect allows me to draw a card." Daniel explained as the card materialized on top of his device. After taking it, Jellymon glowed with a blue aura, becoming empowered. "Not only that, but Puyoyomon's IE effect also kicks in, boosting Jellymon by 1000 DP for adding a card to my hand during my turn."
Jellymon: 2000-3000 DP
"Gabumon, Security Attack!"
Gabumon heeded Daniel's command and dashed forward, unleashing its stream of blue flame towards Justin's intercepting Security.
Justin
Security: 5-4
What revealed on the other side was a Commandramon, whose 3000 DP eclipsed Gabumon's 1000 DP. Commandramon sidestepped Gabumon's flame and fired a flurry of laser bullets that took it out.
"I end my turn by digivolving Jellymon into TeslaJellymon." Daniel finished, swiping a card across his device that transformed the mollusk girl into the more adolescent, hacker-esque variation of itself.
TeslaJellymon (BT9-025)
Color: Blue
Level: 4
DP: 6000-7000 DP
MEMORY
0-2 (Turn Change)
"Huh? Why didn't you attack with Jellymon?" Terrence called out.
"Obviously I don't know what I'm up against," Daniel replied. "Best play it safe until I know for sure."
Terrence scoffed, "Dude, how are you gonna avenge me if you're playing it cautious?"
Daniel was tempted to remind Terrence how many times his cautious playstyle often led to his victories against him, but he opted not to allow the distraction to get to him. His phone also was buzzing throughout that turn, and still he focused as Justin drew and got ready to make his move.
Turn 4: Justin
"Tai sets my memory to 3 to begin," Justin stated.
MEMORY
2-3
"Next, ToyAgumon moves out, and then digivolves into Sealsdramon." He said, transforming his digimon into a reptilian digimon dressed in tactical SEALS gear. Its red-tinted goggles whirled with data as it took in the information present on Daniel's side.
Sealsdramon (BT4-067)
Color: Black
Level: 4
DP: 6000
MEMORY
3-1
"As for Monodramon, I'll digivolve it into Strikedramon."
Monodramon roared as black binary encircled it, transforming it into an indigo-colored, large dragonoid with light silver-plated armor across its body, long red hair that matched the marking on its white torso, and olive-green pants. It stretched its limbs and flexed its muscles before getting into a standby fighting stance.
Strikedramon (EX2-032)
Color: Black
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
1-1
"Wait, he didn't attack either? Lame!" Terrence crossed his arms.
Justin chuckled, finding Terrence's commentary somewhat humorous. "I'm with Daniel here, it's always best to be cautious when facing off against a new opponent, lest you find yourself on the losing end of a battle."
"Yeah but dragging things out is a drag…" Terrence countered.
Bianca giggled from the play-on words. "I agree as well."
"See!" Terrence exclaimed.
Justin shrugged. "It all depends on one's playstyles. Some decks allow for hyper aggression, while others are more methodical in their approach. Sometimes battles are won with patience over speed. In any case, Strikedramon's effect: When digivolving, the top 4 cards of the deck are revealed, and from among them I can add one black tamer card from them to my hand."
The cards revealed were: ST12 Volcanomon, Justice Kick, Ryo Akiyama and Pride Memory Boost. As the only tamer amongst them, Justin retrieved Ryo and sent the remaining cards to the bottom.
(Turn Change)
Turn 5: Daniel
Daniel drew, and at the same time Kiyoshiro set the counter to 3.
MEMORY
1-3
As he looked at his options, he examined the board state: Two level 4s on Justin's side meant that Jellymon's IE effect wouldn't trigger. Sealsdramon was also a blocker. That said, Puyoyomon's effect would and that was good enough for now, as even if TeslaJellymon would be blocked, he can use her effect to get a 2nd attack in.
Okay. That's what he was gonna settle on.
"I hatch Puyoyomon, and then digivolve into Gaomon." Daniel said, as the boxing wolf digimon materialized on his side.
Gaomon (BT4-021)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"Next, I play the Option Boring Storm to draw a card." Daniel played the Option and drew.
MEMORY
3-2
"This'll trigger Puyoyomon's effect, boosting TeslaJellymon by 1000 DP."
TeslaJellymon: 6000-7000 DP
"To get over my blocker…" Justin realized.
"Now, TeslaJellymon, Security Attack!"
"Sealsdramon blocks!" Justin countered anyway.
"Go Danny!" Terrence exclaimed. "Hit 'em with that one-two punch!" Terrence's enthusiasm however deflated when he saw that Sealsdramon was able to intercept TeslaJellymon's electric pulses, using its tactical knife as a lightning rod. "What—why isn't it dead?!"
"Tai's effect: All of my black digimon gain 1000 DP during my opponent's turn." Justin revealed. "In short, Sealsdramon also gets a boost."
TeslaJellymon: 7000 DP
Sealsdramon: 6000-7000 DP
Sealsdramon's eyes flashed, causing TeslaJellymon to hesitate and giving Sealsdramon the opportunity to go on the offensive. Tesla was forced to dodge and weave Sealsdramon electric-charged knife, but alas, it was no match for the tactically trained spec ops. TeslaJellymon was stabbed in the chest, and with a shriek, she reactively wrapped her feelers around Sealsdramon. Sealsdramon's mobility was instantly hindered and as it struggled to break free, TeslaJellymon snickered. Realizing it was a trap, it and TeslaJellymon went up in a blast of electric current, which forced the humans present to shield their eyes from the sudden flash of power. When the moment past, both Level 4 Digimon were nowhere to be seen, leaving Daniel's Battle Area empty as compared to Justin.
"Sick…!" Terrence said, growing giddy.
Daniel meanwhile couldn't share the sentiment. "Gaomon digivolves into Gaogamon, and then into MachGaogamon to end my turn."
Immediately following did the small boxing wolf warp into its mature, cyborg variation, where it lowered its sunglasses to hide the fury in its gaze.
Gaogamon (BT4-026)
Color: Blue
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MachGaogamon (BT4-032)
Color: Blue
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
2-0
0-3 (Turn Change)
Turn 6: Justin
"You're doing pretty well for someone whose just started playing." Justin drew. "I can tell you're thinking every move through and adapting."
"Thanks, I guess…" Daniel replied, the loss of TeslaJellymon still stinging him some. "My parents push academics so thinking like that just comes naturally."
"However," he continued, hatching a Hopmon, "That means that I also have to be methodical. Hopmon digivolves into Monodramon, and Strikedramon into Cyberdramon!"
Strikedramon roared as binary infused into it, causing it to grow taller, its semi-armored body now covered in a layer of navy-blue, somewhat like an underarmor. Small, tattered crimson wings extended from its backside, and its chrome claws glistened as he moved them around.
Cyberdramon (EX2-035)
Color: Black
Level: 5
DP: 10,000
MEMORY
3-0
"A 10,000 DP Level 5?!" Daniel was taken aback by Cyberdramon's appearance.
Justin smirked, "Cyberdramon's effect: From my hand, I play Ryo Akiyama directly into the Battle Area."
To add insult to injury, a brown-haired teen wearing bits of armor on his person as well along with a red scarf around his neck materialized besides Tai. Cyberdramon looked back and Ryo nodded, implying their natural synergy between one another.
Ryo Akiyama (EX2-062)
Color: Black
"When Ryo enters play, I reveal the top 4 cards of my deck, and from them I can add one card with "Dramon" or "Justimon in its name to my hand, sending the remaining to the bottom of my deck."
The cards materialized and flipped one by one revealing: Justimon: Blitz Arm, ToyAgumon, Strikedramon and EX3 Cyberdramon. Justin took Justimon, sending the others to the bottom of the deck.
"And since I have a tamer in play, Cyberdramon is allowed to attack. Go, Security Attack!"
Cyberdramon roared, its chrome talons glowing neon green.
"Strikedramon's IE effect kicks in: Since I have at least 2 Black Tamers in play, I gain a Memory.
MEMORY
0-1
"On top of that, when one of my Black Digimon attack, Ryo suspends to give that digimon 1000 until the end of your turn."
Cyberdramon: 10,000-11,000 DP
Raising its empowered claws in the air, it slashed its space in an X-shape, hurling the waves towards Daniel who shielded reactively. The Security appeared just before impact, taking the hit.
Daniel
Security: 5-4
Thetismon appeared from the Security, and took aim at Cyberdramon, however despite its attempt to counter, Cyberdramon dodged and weaved around Thetismon's attacks, and delivered a slashed uppercut towards the deck's mascot, rejecting her attempts wholly and leaving Daniel steadily frustrated,
"I'll end with Pride Memory Boost. I reveal the top 3 cards of my deck, then play one Level 4 from among them for free."
The shadowy presence from before materialized once again, throwing Daniel out of his concentrated trance to acknowledge it. Afterward the cards revealed were: Suijinmon, EX3 Sealsdramon and Monodramon. Sealsdramon heeded the call of the shadow, materializing alongside Cyberdramon, and further expanding Justin's army.
Sealsdramon (EX3-049)
Color: Black
Level: 4
DP: 4000
MEMORY
1-3 (Turn Change)
Turn 7: Daniel
"Uh, dude, you gotta be more aggressive!" Terrence commented. "His board is filling up!"
"Thanks, Sargeant Sherlock, I didn't notice!" Daniel snapped. "Ugh, there's no chance I'm winning this…" his hand dropped to the side and was about to reach into his pocket when Terrence howled.
"Boo! Don't quit now!" he encouraged. "I still need to be avenged!"
Daniel turned to acknowledge him. "You're still on about that?"
Terrence grinned. "Only because I know you're better at this game than I am."
Daniel paused and turned his focus back on the game…
…That was far from a good thing.
"My turn," he drew. "MachGaogamon moves to the Battle Area, then Digi-Burst 2! Sealsdramon bounces back to your hand!"
MachGaogamon punched the air, sending blue gusts of wind towards Sealsdramon, the gusts reshaping into the silhouettes of Gaomon and Gaogamon. They both tackled Sealsdramon, causing the digimon to disperse and flow back into Justin's hand.
"Gaomon's IE effect: When used in a Digi-Burst, it returns to my hand. Puyoyomon's effect chains to it, bumping MachGaogamon's DP by 1000!"
MachGaogamon: 7000-8000 DP
"MachGaogamon, Security Attack!"
The motors in MachGaogamon's wrist began to whirl rapidly as its fist powered up. The boosters on its back ignited, and propelled MachGaogamon forward towards Justin. Pulling its fist back, MachGaogamon smashed the Security, jumping back afterward to await the contents.
Justin
Security: 4-3
"Security Trigger: Justice Kick! Using it's Security Effect allows me to play a second Tai Kamiya from my hand for free. Afterward, this Option goes to my hand."
A second Tai Kamiya indeed materialized, lining up on the other side of Ryo, adding to Justin's support line.
"I end by digivolving MachGaogamon into UlforceVeedramon." Daniel finished, transforming MachGaogamon into the draconic blue and white Royal Knight, light blue energy blades igniting from its gauntlets in defiance against Justin.
UlforceVeedramon (ST8-10)
Color: Blue
Level: 6
DP: 12,000
MEMORY
3-1 (Turn Change)
Turn 8: Justin
"Shame that you couldn't utilize Ulforce's effect just then." Justin drew. "Tai sets my Memory to 3 to start.
MEMORY
1-3
"Now, since you played your ace, it's only fair if I did the same." Justin moved Monodramon out first. "Hopmon's IE effect boosts Monodramon by 1000 DP."
Monodramon: 1000-2000 DP
He then turned his attention to his Option Card. "I activate the delay effect of Pride Memory Boost to gain 2 Memory."
MEMORY
3-5
"Cyberdramon, don the armor of the silver Hero of Justice and vanquish evil where it may lurk! Digivolve into Justimon: Blitz Arm!"
Daniel braced for what was the come as Cyberdramon was surrounded by a torrent of black binary code. Rising from where it stood, the code infused and transformed Cyberdramon, abandoning its draconic nature for a pure cyborg-type aesthetic. Like something straight from a superhero comic, Justimon landed, a blue and black body suit with silver plating on its torso, limbs and helmet, the red muffler around its neck contrasting the cool colors it otherwise sported.
Justimon: Blitz Arm (EX2-038)
Color: Black
Level: 6
DP: 11,000
MEMORY
5-2
"I activate Justimon's effect, boosting it by 2000 DP."
Justimon: 11,000-13,000 DP
Justin followed this by taking two additional cards from his hand. "From there, I pay 2 Memory to arm Justimon with Raijnmon and Fujinmon, further empowering it!"
Daniel watched as Justin swiped the cards across his device, a streams of yellow and green binary wrapping around Justimon; his right, "blitz arm" energized with an electric current running across it, while his opposing arm re-converted into a long hilt-like structure with a fiery energy beam at the end of it.
"Justimon attacks UlforceVeedramon! Raijinmon's IE effect -4000 DP from Ulforce!"
Justimon adhered to Justin's orders, using its natural speed to vanish and reappear before UlforceVeedramon and sock it in its gut, causing the dragon knight to double over, yet narrowly avoid the follow up.
Justimon: 13,000 DP
UlforceVeedramon: 12,000-8,000 DP
"Justimon's 2nd effect: When attacking, for each of my tamers I can activate one of it's When Digivolving effects!"
Daniel didn't comment.
"I unsuspend it, and then stack the 2000 DP effects to give it an additional 4000 DP!"
Justimon: 13,000-17,000 DP
Justimon, further empowered, wasted no time going after UlforceVeedramon, whose attempt to block Justimon's cutter blade resulted in its own swords being sliced through effortlessly. With no way to defend itself, UlforceVeedramon was forced to endure an electrified right hook that send UlforceVeedramon flying across the room and into the wall towards the opposite end of the room. Terrence and Bianca followed the trail of impact, the former left astounded and fueled with excitement, whereas Daniel remained fixated on his opponent.
The phone vibrations kicked up once again.
Justimon returned to Justin's side and Justin spoke up, "You look like you want to say something."
Daniel, acknowledging the pressure that's been surrounding him the whole time finally gave in. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I surr—!"
"BRO NO!" Terrence interjected.
"Shut up, will you?!" Daniel snapped back, silencing Terrence. "God why did I even agree to this in the first place?!"
Terrence blinked. "Are—!"
"No, I'm not!" Daniel barked, signs of emotions creeping up. "It's only just now clicking that I let you drag me all the way here when I should be home like my parents expect me to!"
"I'm sorry…" Terrence apologized. "I just thought—!"
"No, you didn't!" Daniel shot. "You did this out of pure impulse like everything else! And I was the idiot who followed along to make sure you were okay through it all…" tears welled up. He fished for his phone and saw the near dozen missed calls. Dread filled his being and made the tears stream down his face. "I'm so screwed!"
Seeing Daniel begin to cry made Terrence retreat a bit. But then he himself grew somewhat annoyed. "If you didn't want to come, then why bother? Why do you bother hanging out with me then?!"
Daniel didn't need to hear that, and yet he felt pressured to answer. Unfortunately, he didn't have a solid response and fumbled to answer him. Justin, realizing the situation is going overboard, switched his device off, which in turn ejected everyone back into Bianca's office. The girl pouted, despite realizing the sensitivity of the situation, wanting to see the ending of the battle.
Taking note of the fact that things were over, Daniel grabbed his schoolbag and ran out the room, leaving Terrence angry in his own right.
"I can't believe that jerk! What did I do to deserve that?!" He turned to the remaining two for support. To his dismay, they were both silent. However, it wasn't for the reason he was thinking.
"Ahem…" A strong voice clear made Terrence tense up, as the voice was recognizable. Anger was replaced by fear as he slowly turned, praying that the person in mind wasn't behind him.
They were.
Arms crossed, and the hint of a bulging vein on the man's bald head, Deshawn Williams locked eyes with his son, clearly angered by the latter's presence. Mayor Negri appeared alongside Mr. Williams from behind, causing Bianca's eyes to light up as well.
"Dad!"
"Father…"
Terrence and Bianca's tones varied greatly at the presence of their two paternal figures, as did the demeanors of both men. Whereas Mayor Negri was calm and collected, Mr. Williams…
"What do you think you're doing here?!" Mr. Williams snapped. "You're mother is worried out of her mind; how did you even get here?!"
…was set to blow a gasket.
"Dad I can explain!" Terrence scrambled to justify his presence.
"I invited him," Bianca came to defend. "I should've asked if it was alright first though."
"Right!" Terrence didn't hesitate. "Bianca invited me and Danny after school and—!"
"I know." Mr. Williams replied, sharply. "That's something else we're gonna have to address after this."
"If I may, Mr. Williams," Mayor Negri interjected. "I'll take full responsibility for my daughter's actions. I've long since encouraged her to try and make friends before school let's out for the summer. I lacked the foresight to see how quickly she'd adapt to my instruction."
Mayor Negri tried to laugh things off, but it was clear that Mr. Williams wasn't having it. Mayor Negri respectfully backed off, then turned to Bianca. Transmitting their message through stares, Bianca caught wind of it. "I'm deeply sorry for any trouble caused," she proceeded to apologize, attempting to sound as sincere as possible. She even bowed for added effect. "I'm not very good at making friends, but Terrence seemed really approachable and well…"
"I lost my cards at school, and she found them for me." Terrence added, not knowing if it'd soften his father's scowl. "I know I messed up and should've told Mom but…I was really excited to have met someone else into Digimon as much as I am…"
"I'm also partly to blame for this as well," Justin spoke, deeming it safe. "As the adult tending to them, I should've had Terrence and Daniel reach out to you before leaving the school's premises…"
With the apologies flowing one after another, as if a miracle, Mr. Williams eventually conceded with a sigh. "Well, I appreciate you finding my son's cards…even though he was told not to bring them to school in the first place!"
Terrence tensed, realizing he outed himself.
"But still, all he had to do was let one of us know he was alright." Mr. Williams continued to soften in tone. "When we heard that you three weren't at that card shop your mother grew worried, as did I. Mr. and Mrs. Xiao were also blowing up my phone because Daniel wasn't picking up either."
Terrence recalled Daniel's words and felt the guilt hit him like a brick. "Is…he gonna be in trouble?"
Not giving Terrence a straight answer, he looked up at Justin, "I apologize if he gave you any trouble."
"Oh," Justin blinked, not expecting that. "He's a cool kid, no trouble whatsoever."
Bianca also nodded. "I want to battle again."
Terrence turned, putting a pause on his internal guilt trip. "Really?"
"You're strong," She answered. "Severely unrefined, but it's there. I want to see it grow."
"I'm…strong?" Terrence looked at the deactivated D-Streamer. The sound of it made him feel warm inside.
"We'll see about that after he's grounded."
The warm feeling went cold. "Grounded?!"
Outside, Daniel was receiving the same verdict, though in the form of harsh sounding Mandarin. Tears dry, he submissively nodded to the words spoken through his cellphone, the voice on the other end berating him for his carelessness of not returning home when expected and heading to an unknown location within the city among other things. The sound of disappointment wasn't missed on him, and despite him blaming Terry's actions earlier, he couldn't blame him in this case. He messed up, and he was mature enough to accept that, even though it stung badly.
"Get home now." The stern maternal voice hissed with few words, each striking. It then cut, leaving Daniel free from anymore verbal punishment.
"There you are," the calm voice of Mayor Negri spoke out, causing Daniel's head to turn. The older gentleman jogged up to him, relieved to find the young boy hadn't gone too far after bolting from the premises.
"Mr. Mayor? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see him all of the sudden.
"Mr. Williams and I noticed you running out of Bianca's office before. Do you have a moment?"
"Actually I…" Daniel thought about it, yet a brief twinge of rebellion sparked, and he nodded. He was already grounded until college anyway so what did it matter?
The pair took a few steps down the long staircase and sat side-by-side as Mayor Negri glimpsed at the busy street before him. "Since becoming Mayor I've decided to learn all of the nuances of this city. All the things that get glossed over so those voices can reach the skies as well. So, from one New Yorker to another, tell me, what's on your mind?"
Daniel, be it emotion, or a sensing a sense of comfort from the mayor, parted his lips to speak. "My parents…they don't approve of my friends."
Mayor Negri nodded, somewhat humored. "Interesting you say that. My daughter doesn't approve of my attempt for her to socialize either. She's very picky when it comes to association."
"It's just…my grandparents were astrophysicists working for the CNSA decades back. They gave my parents the means to start their lives here in America, and as such, they've always pushed academics; we're a family of scholars after all."
"I get the impression that you may not necessarily share their views…"
"It's not that," Daniel replied. "I know that school is important, and that I need to study to be ready for SHSATs coming up in November, and other scholarship opportunities. I've long since mapped out my goals for the rest of the year."
"But…?"
"But…Digimon. I'd be remised to say that I've been willingly letting my guard down."
"It's an outlet, I understand."
"It is. And Terry's…"
"You want to be like him."
"I'm envious of his lack of worry; the fact that he just blindly jumps into things because their interesting. I can't do that. I can't just…lose myself to impulse. I've told myself I'm friends with him to pull him back when things got too hot but…"
"You want to experience it yourself."
"…yeah. He's the type of kid to light fires in people, make them do things outside of their comfort zone, regardless of the outcome. It's contagious, but also reckless and dangerous…"
Mayor Negri smirked and looked towards the sky, reminiscing for a moment. "I once knew a fellow a long time ago…He was strong, just and efficient…and was also deemed reckless and dangerous by his peers. As a result, there was much contention about his method of doing things. His philosophy was that so long as the desired results were met, the methods were irrelevant. I've respected that about him, his ability to think outside the box, to not worry about the opinions of those around him. He was a formidable ally when I called to him, and toward the very end he never disappointed…"
Daniel turned and saw the nostalgic look in the mayor's eyes. It was safe to assume this person in particular was probably a federal official or even a politician, yet something in the back of his mind told him it was a bit more than that.
With a smirk, Mayor Negri stood and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out, to Daniel's surprise, a card. "You mentioned your grandparents were Astrophysicists, correct?"
He nodded. "What about them?"
"Nothing, it just humorous is all." He handed the card to Daniel, to which he took it. Looking at the front, it had a purple border, the illustration on the card depicting a black warrior digimon. Its obsidian armor had golden metal teeth that lined the pauldrons, arms and faulds and on its back it wore a dark red cape that flowed in the illustration. Even its thin, mechanical tail had teeth at the tip of it as well. A long navy tongue also was whipping about in the illustration, indicating an organic connection beyond just armor.
"Plutomon…?" Daniel questioned.
"The truth is, I was watching your battle with Justin from my office." Mayor Negri revealed. "Since that particular Starter Deck relies on hand sizes and discard effects, I believe you can expand on that with Purple cards."
Daniel hesitated, as if gears began to churn in his head. He tried to dismiss it, as he had to remember that he was grounded; chances were that his days of playing Digimon were long gone at this point. And yet, the desire to experiment was growing stronger inside him.
"I respect your parent's desire to have you better your education, but as a parent, I well know that sometimes, recreation is necessary. Speaking of, are you looking to participate in the Digi-Grand Prix?"
Daniel snapped out of his trance in that moment. "I…at this point, I'm not sure anymore. It'll depend on how screwed I am when it comes to my parents."
"That's completely fair. Regardless, you have my permission to come here anytime you wish. If you seek to grow stronger, I'll have Justin make himself available for you. I also don't think Bianca will be opposed either."
"Thank you, sir." Daniel said, his mood shifting a bit more positive.
"DANNY!" Terrence's voice boomed, drawing the pair's attention. They turned and saw both Terrence and Mr. Williams exiting the building. Terrence slid to a halt and was out of breath by the time he reached them.
"What are you—!"
"I'm sorry!" Terrence apologized. "I shouldn't have pressured you into coming or battling if you didn't want to. I shouldn't have made you come in the first place either! I didn't mean to get you into trouble with your parents, I swear!"
Daniel, taken aback by Terrence's apology looked up to Mr. Williams, who nodded subtly.
"Look man, it's all good. I'm sorry for not speaking up before. I made you think I was free…when I wasn't."
Terrence looked up, snot beginning to run down his nose along with the tears. Mayor Negri was right on cue with a handkerchief.
"Are…are we still best friends?" Terrence blew his nose.
"What? Dude of course! Who else is gonna make sure you stay out of trouble?"
Terrence didn't have a direct answer for that, so he sniffled some more.
Softening, Daniel held his fist out. "Besides, we're both're gonna be grounded for the rest of our lives so, may as well live with it I guess."
Terrence cracked a smile and wiped his eyes before fist bumping. "Yeah, that's true."
"Come on you two," Mr. Williams said. "Daniel, I'm taking you home. I'll talk to your mother about today personally."
"You don't have to, Mr. Williams. My sentence has already been declared," Daniel half-joked.
"No, no I have to. It's the principle in all of this." He said it with a begrudging tone, of which Daniel picked up with the same sentiment.
"Send my regards as well," Mayor Negri told him. "Boys, you have a good evening."
"Thanks, sir." Terrence nodded, getting ready to hand back to the dirty handkerchief, only to think briefly and stuff it into his pocket.
The trio then proceeded to walk down toward the end of the block before disappearing around the corner. Mayor Negri waved them off until they were out of sight, in which case he slid his hands into his pocket.
"May you guide that child on the path towards ruthless justice, my old friend…"
[Vermillion Pharmaceutical, Midtown Manhattan…]
The black limousine rode along the east side as rush hour began to die down for the night. Cyrus was engrossed in his tablet, while his chauffer, a brawn middle-aged man cruised, both men appreciating the silence. The meeting at Mount Sinai dragged on longer than expected, however Cyrus was too distracted with other matters to give it his full attention. After all, Sierra was nearly assassinated, and he as well had a target painted on his back. His anxiety wasn't built on fear, but an eagerness for vengeance if anything.
He sought the head of this coward. Little did he realize…
The chauffer suddenly slammed on the breaks and swerved, throwing Cyrus out of his train of thought before his senses were completely shattered by an explosion of impacts. Everything happened so quickly.
He was upside down.
He felt blood on his face.
He felt heat.
Had he not've worn his seatbelt things would've been much worse. Dazed, he felt around for the latch to disengage it, slowly lowering himself to the roof of the long car. Screams were now registering as the ringing in his ears faded. But what truly got him awake…
…was otherworldly roar of the monster at the center of this.
Adrenaline fueled every motion going forward.
His chauffer managed to stumble out from their end, and he dragged himself to the rear door, ripping it off the hinges with herculean strength. "Are you alright Mr. Asghar?!"
Cyrus grunted as he slid out. "Where…where is he?"
"That's not important! We need to get you checked—!" The chauffer paused as Cyrus rose to his feet.
Suit ruined, and half his face dyed red, his anger locked his expression into a permanent position. "I said…where is he?!"
"I'm right here, Representative of the South!" The assailant called out, drawing his attention. Cyrus turned, glimpsed the black Imperialdramon hovering over the lone figure and grinned.
"Excellent…" He took a step forward, before grunting, pain shooting up his leg.
"Sir!" His chauffer went to catch him.
"Don't bother…" Cyrus instructed. "Search for survivors…and help evacuate them."
"And what about you? You can't fight him on your own!"
"You doubt my power, Marsmon?" Cyrus glared.
The former king of the Southern District bit his tongue. "I'm merely suggesting that we work together on this."
"Not when your son is awaiting your return. You don't get to die today." Cyrus unbuttoned his suit jacket and tossed the tattered clothing off to the side.
The assailant smirked under their hood. "Big talk, not unexpected of someone of your caliber."
"Well? Get a move on!" Cyrus barked.
Not liking the idea, Marsmon nodded and turned. "When I'm done, I'm coming back for you." And with that he took off to aid the paramedics who were racing to the scene from the distance. Cyrus meanwhile slowly marched forward, allowing anger and adrenaline to be his lifeline.
"Unlike the Eastern Rep, I'll ensure that no one comes to save you."
Cyrus smirked, undoing his cuff link to reveal the fully crimson D-Streamer underneath his sleeve. "Save? Since when does an immortal need saving? Now then as for you…I'm going to make you beg for hell."
The Assailant readied their gauntlet, Dark Imperialdramon phasing out and transferring itself into it. Devices activating, they readied themselves and cried out in unison:
DIGI-GATE: OPEN!