[AEGIS HQ, Eight Months Ago...]
Lucas nervously paced back and forth in front of one of the examination rooms in the medical wing's clinic, trying to think of the best approach. Should he outright tell her? Be his jokey self and slide it in nonchalantly and hope she doesn't notice? How would she react? After everything that happened would she be surprised? Angry? Upset? Cathartic?
"You're going to burrow a hole if you keep at it." Adara's voice made him nearly jump out of his skin.
"Jeez since when did you become a ninja?!" he snapped reactively turning to see the middle-eastern woman exit the examination room, putting her jacket back on.
She straighten her jacket before answering him. "Nevermind that, what are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting with Executive Ward."
"Yeah I just got out from it and figured I'd wait for your examination to finish."
Adara crossed her arms, sensing more to his presence. "You really don't have anything else to do?"
"Nope. I mean, what is there to do here? Basically war criminals in this place..."
Hearing it phrased like that hit too close to home. In the aftermath of everything, AEGIS higher-ups assured that the X-Streamers were victims and wouldn't be held responsible for being coerced into being STEAM Corps' soldiers during the war in Omnia. Despite that, it didn't change the fact they felt like anomalies while stuck here.
Adara was envious of those in a coma as they wouldn't know the feeling of the dirty looks from some of these officers.
"So, what did you and Executive Ward discuss?" She began walking down the hall towards the lobby.
"Nothing much, just some stuff here and there, mostly about what's been going on in the last several days on Omnia's side.
"Several days for us is like a lifetime over there, right?" Adara questioned. "Anything special?"
"Well for starters, it looks like just after we all pulled out, some abnormal activity stirred up."
"Abnormal activity? Be specific."
"He didn't go into too much detail, just that the Director of AEGIS questioned if his role as Executive granted him of any knowledge of Omnia. Central District's King recounted what he knew, I know that much."
"Well, I guess its not our problem anymore, is it? Are the Sovereign Four going to do anything about it or..."
"Well they officially disbanded so I don't—!"
"What?" Adara stopped hearing Lucas' admittance.
"Hm? What did I say?"
"The Sovereign Four...disbanded?"
"...yeah." Lucas took a minute to study her reaction. "You seem..."
"I... sorry, that's...Uncle Cyrus got what's coming to him in the end..."
Lucas could see that she was trying to force a smile. Despite her gripes with the man, Adara took pride in Blazara, her V-Streamer persona, being one of the "Prodigy Flames of the South," as they were called. Those with such a title would one day have the chance to usurp Lord Vermil for command over the Southern District.
Adara once said she'd use that chance to get back at Vermil for letting her brother waste away in prison. Looks like now she has to rethink her strategy, if its even worth it at this point.
At this point they reached the lobby, and as they walked up to the door, Lucas began once again, "Listen, Ada...Executive Ward says that an official announcement has to be made regarding the Sovereign Four and what's to happen regarding Omnia and the Digimon. Until then, do me a favor and keep this under wraps? We're the only ones outside of them who are aware of this right now."
"Yeah, sure..." She replied, the harsh disappointment growing in her tone.
"WHERE'S MY SISTER?!" An unknown voice boomed in the lobby just as Adara leaned against the door.
She and Lucas turned and saw as a young man around their age was being forcibly escorted out of another doorway by security. He was visibly distraught and fuming at his treatment and it left Lucas and Adara both feeling anxious of their sudden presence.
"Tell me where she is! What did you do to her?!" He continued, drawing more eyes on him.
"Sir, calm down!" One of the guards scolded.
"To hell with that!" He snapped back. "Tell me where she is or I swear—!" the young man paused as a familiar face walked up to him.
Adara took immediate note of the individual. "Executive Ward..."
"Shane Ramirez, correct?" Mason stood before the young emotional man. The tall man was usually stoic and blunt, and yet there was an unusual softness in his voice that drew the duo's attention to watch the interaction.
"I know you...you're Mason Ward, right? Do you know anything about what happened to my sister?! My family hasn't been able to reach her and no one here will tell me—!"
"She's stable for the time being."
"'Stable...?'" Shane questioned. "What do you mean by that?"
"That's the best answer I can give I'm afraid, given the current circumstances."
"The..." Shane chuckled in disbelief. "My sister ran away from home to be a part of this STREAM Corp project. She promised me to not tell my parents—you people brainwashed her—into thinking she had a solemn duty to whatever this was! Explain to me how did it end up spiraling into us ending up in AEGIS Headquarters, halfway across the freaking country?!"
"Mr. Ward, I'm afraid that we have to interrupt." the lead Security officer cut in, leaving Shane answerless.
Mason cleared his throat. "Apologies..." he turned to Shane regretfully, "Once again I apologize for not giving you a proper explanation."
The young man tried to lunge at him but the guards wrestled him back and proceeded to take him outside. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this! Abby doesn't deserve this!"
Adara and Lucas stepped aside as the guards took him outside.
"That was..." Adara began.
"Interesting." Lucas finished her thought. "He said the name 'Abby', right?"
"Abigail Ramirez I'm guessing? In Omnia she went by Llamarada, and was OmniShoutmon X's user." She turned to Lucas.
Lucas grinned and chuckled, "yeah, this is gonna be real interesting..."
Adara took note of the returning guards and watched as they went back to Mason. Afterward they escorted him back to wherever he came and she watched until they eventually disappeared.
All she could do is sigh, wondering to herself how many lives were truly affected by this war.
Chapter 9: Flaring Shades of Blue
"I assume you two've caught wind of last night's events...?"
Adara and Lucas faced the holographic projection of Mason as he posed the question to them. They found themselves sitting on the steps of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, the largest branch of the New York Public Library system amongst the five boroughs, located near Grand Central Terminal.
As dense as the sidewalks and streets were that bright morning, the library itself was only just opening, leaving the otherwise densely populated building rather barren save for employees walking in and security stationed in and out of the building.
"Somewhat," Lucas admitted. "AEGIS scrubbed most social media outlets as they do. Honestly, Captain Garretson and his team get all the fun, don't they?"
"I'm not complaining," Adara replied. "Rather than focus on work I can focus on summer courses."
"Oh, you overachiever, where's your sense of adventure?" Lucas joked.
"It's not overachieving when you miss the Fall Semester fighting in a war, now is it?" she retorted.
"It was reported that it was Lord Vermil who drove the mysterious assailant away."
"Not surprised," Adara commented. "My Uncle is irritatingly strong, especially when he gets pissed off. You said Azurena was defeated just before?"
"Based on the reports."
"Then that'll do it."
"Huh," Lucas pondered. "Who would've thought those two had that kind of relationship?"
"They played the rivaled districts up for the fans and us Tamers, but in reality my uncle was more of a mentor for her from my understanding. His biases aside, how'd he do it without the power of Zhuqiaomon?"
"Using a Shell remotely, he baited the assailant out and faced him. From the recorded footage of the battle, it seems that he tapped into utilizing Digi-Xros."
Adara perked. "Oh..."
"Digi-what?" Lucas turned.
"It was an ancient Southern District technique," Mason explained. "SAIBA has been doing research on it and hopes to develop it into a new mechanic for the game."
"Cool..." Lucas thought. "Wait...could that be..."
"By the way Lucas," Mason directed his attention. "What's the status on Shane Ramirez?"
"Oh, he declared war on you apparently."
Mason smirked, holding his knee-jerk reaction in. "Has he? Very well then."
"Doesn't it bother you that he hates you?" Adara asked in her attempt to bring weight back to the conversation.
"What happened to his sister falls on my shoulders ultimately, so he's justified in harboring ill feelings towards me," Mason explained. "That said, if challenging me will help him heal, then I'll submit myself to whatever's necessary to achieve that."
"Well to be fair, he just made the statement, I couldn't tell over coms if he was actually being serious or not."
"I see...either way, I'll await the day he steps before me. In the meantime, continue to monitor him, and be sure to inform me if anything changes between now and the tournament."
"Understood." Adara replied.
With a confirming nod, Mason cut the communication, leaving Lucas and Adara with their instructions.
"Okay, so now what?" Lucas stood, "Wanna grab breakfast, or do you have class?"
Adara stood and slung her back over her shoulder, "I'm off this morning, but I do have to study."
Lucas looked back behind him, realization dawning on him. "No wonder you wanted to meet here…"
"Keep me posted if anything new happens," she headed up the rest of the stairs before turning. "Try not to though."
"No promises," Lucas replied, the woman taking her leave from that point. Lucas then climbed up the rest of the stairs and turned to his left. "So, do you have plans for this morning?"
Shane pulled himself from the pillar, revealing himself to have been eavesdropping the entire time. "Heading to the Wastelands to scout out Blue Flare territory this afternoon to see what I'm up against. Wanna tag along?"
"You're not planning on convincing Ren to join you for the tournament?"
"I mean if the opportunity presents itself then I'll give it a shot. But right now, if I were to challenge Blue Flare I'd get my butt handed to me."
"Glad you realize that. Ren's skill level was on par with Cobalius. Difference was that Ren wasn't big on making a name for himself in Omnia by comparison, so he and his crew mostly stuck to the background. When Omnia shut down, Blue Flare took to Babylon and made a quick name for themselves.
"I'm very familiar with their backstory which is why I'm being as cautious as I am. But enough about that, are you in or not? You're watching me for Ward, aren't you? Kill two birds with one stone."
Lucas smirked, joining Shane as they jogged down the stairs. "I get the feeling that you knew all this time."
"I'm not an idiot bro, I knew from the start you and Adara were keeping tabs on me. I figure if Ward's gonna humor me, then I'd better put on a show."
"Doesn't that sound tempting? Alright, bet. Been a while since I've talked to Ren so I may as well go say hi..."
Maxine approached the entrance to Sierra's hospital room and knocked on the open door. "Miss Levan...?"
Sierra looked up from her phone and smiled as Maxine slowly walked in. "Hey there, long time no see!"
Maxine smiled and relaxed herself as Sierra's warm smile eased her nerves. So much was weighing on her mind since last evening that even at school she was distracted.
While Terrence and Daniel rushed home to jump on Babylon, Maxine had the opportunity to follow through and talk to Sierra.
"How are you feeling?" Maxine asked.
"Oh, I'm alright. Just got banged up a bit but the Doctor's said I'm all good to go tonight."
"That's great! We were worried about you."
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Sierra smiled reassuringly. " Speaking of, is Kaden with you?"
"Oh, no, my mom is waiting downstairs in the lobby. I did ask him to come along but he said he was busy with something..."
Sierra took note of the sunkeness of her voice. "Are you okay? You sound disappointed."
"I'm good..." Maxine replied, though she wasn't fooling Sierra.
"Upset that Kaden turned you down on coming?" Sierra deduced.
"...maybe?" She then remembered she turned him down just for this opportunity and retracted her statement. "Actually, no it's more than that..." Maxine took a seat. "Have you...ever looked up to someone and then you find out somethings about them that they kept hidden?"
"Perhaps..." Sierra replied coyly. "Did you find something out about Kaden?"
"Not exactly but...I got curious about his retirement and came across some stuff online..."
Maxine noticed the shift in Sierra's expression. "Well, I'm sure you know you can't believe everything you see, right?"
Even her question was suspicious. "Yeah but some of the stuff seemed too weird to be a coincidence...for example, last fall; do you remember the headlines circulating? The gas leak at his school, the earthquake in Staten Island, and then some time later the attack at STREAM Corp. All of that stuff happened so close and he has a connection to at least two of those things so—
"Aren't you a little detective…"
Maxine paused and looked at Sierra, noting the subtle look in her eyes. It made Maxine uncomfortable and so she hesitated to go further in detail. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to—!"
"Kaden told me once that his strong sense of justice is connected to you. It must run in the family.
Maxine didn't expect that. "…he said that?"
Sierra smiled and her voice continued to soften, "He told me that he had a particular cousin who idolized him. Sure she started out being a pest, but a situation he experienced changed his outlook. Since then, more than anything, he wanted to protect her.
Upon hearing that, Maxine processed and felt inklings of what felt like guilt that she couldn't explain.
"Even now, you admire Kaden a lot right?" Sierra's voice softened.
Maxine blushed, embarrassed by the call out. "Of course I do, he's my cousin it's just…I'm scared that he may not be the person I've always known him to be…"
"Well, for as long as I've known him, he's always been a good kid. Stubborn, rash, but optimistic and determined. In many ways, he was always like a knight in shining armor for those who needed him. And for the most part he's well respected."
"But…hasn't he seemed a bit different lately?" Maxine brought up.
"How so?"
Knock, Knock.
"Hey, Sierra!" Kaden's voice sent a chill down Maxine's spine.
Maxine spun around, "Kaden?! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, hey there, we were just talking about you! Thought you were too—!"
Maxine shot a look towards Sierra, and the latter quickly bit her tongue, picking up on Maxine's implication.
"Sorry, what?" Kaden blinked in confusion.
"Nothing! I just remembered you said that you would stop by after your errand right?"
"Yeah, it wasn't anything serious, and it wrapped up earlier than expected so I figured I'd drop by."
Maxine stood, "you can have the seat, I gotta get going."
Kaden furrowed his brow. "Are you okay?"
Maxine nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. You just seem nervous for some reason…"
"Nervous?" she brushed off, "I'm not—!"
Her hand was shaking.
She shoved it in her pocket and turned towards the doorway. "Mom's calling, I'll see you guys later!"
With that, Maxine rushed out the doorway, Kaden coming up to the door to see Maxine darting around the corner. Left feeling awkward, he looked in the other direction before shutting the door.
"So…" Kaden began as the lock clicked into place.
"Going forward…" Sierra began with a serious tone. "What are you planning to do?"
Kaden looked back at her and met her sharp gaze. With an equally sharp exhale he approached her bedside and began to speak…
[Wastelands, Cyber City Babylon…]
Outside the cityscape that is Cyber City Babylon is the wastelands: undeveloped out-of-bounds areas surrounding the city where hackers and other rule-breaking players have long since made it their home. While at first, Babylonian moderators heavily cracked down on users infiltrating the areas, the internet following became so overwhelming that SAIBA Enterprise opted to leave them be, albeit with some internal moderations.
In short, the Wastelands allow for groups of people like this to modify and custom create within reason. Mods are forbidden in the main city, as well as custom-made rules and proxy cards of unreleased content. But, like the wild west of old, the Wastelands are a no-holds-barred arena for anyone itching for more of a challenge.
And speaking of challenges, rumor has it that wild digimon lurk within the depths of the wastelands as well as malicious virus and potential bugs, eager for unsuspecting users to cross them. Hence, the mods and customized factors implemented aren't just for the sake of livening up the game…
…but in some cases, survival of one's account.
Shane and Lucas materialized on top of a blank pillar, the surrounding area just as empty and devoid of detail. Their goal was not far from them, the Blue Flare camp sticking out like a sore thumb with its flags blowing in the digital wind, the logo in the shape of a shield marked with a navy-colored fire-breathing dragon in the center.
"This is so like Ren to bring his group in the out of bounds area." Lucas noted as he looked out.
"Well? You said you wanted to say hi, right?" Shane turned. "What are we waiting for?"
"Aren't you forgetting someone?"
Lucas and Shane both jumped at the voice, Adara materializing behind them.
"Adara? How'd you—Executive Ward." Shane realized quickly.
"You two can't possibly be trying to pick a fight with Blue Flare." Adara crossed her arms.
"Well, it's not like I can ask either of you to be my teammates for the tournament, now can I?" Shane argued.
"The tournament?" Adara repeated. It took her a minute to wrap the concept around her head. "Okay, so let me get this straight: the both of you came to an area filled with viruses, hackers and cheaters, all to pick a fight with one of the Eastern Districts top players…all to recruit them for the tournament?"
Shane nodded. "Basically."
Adara groaned and brushed her hair back with her hand. "Okay, I'll bite. Otherwise you two will have more things to worry about than teammates."
"Glad you see things our way," Lucas grinned. "Vamos!"
All of the sudden, Lucas felt a rush of wind graze the side of his face and afterward an explosion went off from behind them. His enthusiasm deflated, as the latter two grew defensive, D-Streamers lighting up.
Shane's Shoutmon, Lucas' Gabumon X and Adara's Agumon X all materialized beside their partners, also ready to pounce on whatever missed their shot.
Gabumon X resembled a regular Gabumon, however like the other X-Antibody digimon, had a huskier, more aggressive appearance, with sharper claws on its pelt, as well as a more canine-leaning appearance than its normal reptilian form.
Agumon X likewise resembled a regular Agumon, albeit it was larger in size and sported the blue stipes of Greymon on its arms, torso and legs, essentially resembling an Agumon in mid-digivolution into its Greymon counterpart.
"You guys look lost!" A voice echoed from below. They looked down to find a middle-aged, burly man on the shoulder of a burly, viking-themed walrus digimon, one of its morning stars extended outward to indicate the attack just sent at them. The man wore a biker-esque outfit, including an open navy leather jacket, white undershirt, black pants and boots, and a belt with a dragon-shaped buckle.
Vikemon lunged upward, the heavyset digimon having no trouble reaching an adjacent pillar to meet them formally. "The next shot won't miss, so I'd suggest you book it if you know what's good for you."
"Neat, a welcoming committee," Shane noted, looking around to find an increasing amount of Tamers with their respected blue-centric partners surrounding them.
"Lucas, now's the time to say something…" Adara whispered.
"yeah yeah, I gotcha…" he whispered back before taking point. "Ahem! Erik my man, what's up? Been a while, hasn't it?"
"The hell are you supposed to be?" the burly man known as Erik crossed his arms.
"Boss, I think that's LoneShot." One of the nearby tamers made out.
"The one and only!" Lucas confirmed. "How's it hanging?"
"LoneShot…right I remember you now. Still being a sneaky rat I see."
"Perhaps. You all've been busy."
"But of course. We saw the writing on the wall since the rumors sprung up about the Central King suddenly disappearing. While you all were spiraling in Omnia, we came back to Babylon's wasteland to build our empire."
"Empire?" Adara questioned. "What kind of empire could you build if there were no users to serve it?"
Erik scoffed. "True that Omnia overtook the Babylonian population resulting in this becoming a dead space. We couldn't amass the following we have even if we tried. But because Omnia permanently shut down, players have been rushing back in droves, and under our powerful wings. That invitation is extended to you as well since you're nosy enough to pry. Just be warned that you'll become prey if you refuse. It's quite simple."
"Well what if I wanted to have you join me?" Shane raised his hand.
Erik and his underlings cackled at the sound of that statement. "Me? Join you? Ha! Fat chance, punk!"
Shane smiled in response, "sorry I misspoke. I meant the real boss of Blue Flare."
The burly man grew silent. "You seriously have a death wish, don't you?"
"Could say the same for you. Shoutmon?"
"Say less," Shoutmon smirked as red binary erupted around him. In a flash of red light, Shoutmon immediately warped digivolved into OmniShoutmon X, startling the surrounding Blue Flare members.
"So big, fat and badly built, either you kill this stupid intimidation act and tell me where Ren Igarashi is, or OmniShoutmon X lays you all flat." Shane stated, a tone of sharp seriousness in his voice. "Your choice."
"Do it anyway," a new voice said from overhead, one that shook the burly man as well as the rest of the surrounding members. A strong gust was felt from overhead and the trio looked up greeted by a blue mechanical bird-like digimon.
"What kind of digimon is that?" Adara asked.
"Never seen it before." Lucas replied, equally lost. "The voice on the other hand..."
A tall figure peeked from the wing of the bird digimon and then descended. They landed before them and stood, revealing themselves as a blonde-haired Japanese man no older than them. He wore a black top and blue zipped vest, along with blue-tinted aviator sunglasses, black pants and boots.
"Ren Igarashi..." Shane named the new individual to grace their presence.
"Shane Ramirez," Ren likewise addressed. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?"
"The Digi-Grand Prix is coming up soon and I'm rounding up a team to participate."
"So, you were hoping to join Blue Flare?"
"More like I was hoping to recruit you, specifically."
Ren furrowed a brow. He then looked over to Lucas who threw his hands up.
"Well?" Shane pressed.
"I don't see what I would get from teaming up with you." Ren crossed his arms.
"How about I prove it then?" He said pointing to OmniShoutmon X.
"Bro, I thought you said you weren't going to challenge them!" Lucas stepped in.
"Actually, I said if the opportunity came around to it, then I may as well give Ward a show, right?"
Ren sighed and turned. "I don't have time for this." Ren sighed and turned.
"Huh?! Ren wait!"
"I don't see the need to waste my time, do you?" Ren asked as he walked back towards his digimon. "If you think you can defeat me then either your desperate, delusional, or both."
Shane was taken aback but then a sudden idea struck.
"What if I am?"
Ren stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. "What?"
He took the bait, Shane thought. "What if I am desperate and delusional? I mean, who'd be crazy enough to take on the leader of Blue Flare, am I right? Besides, your subordinates here clearly were posing as the tough guys they are. Doesn't that say that some may be thinking their almighty leader is slipping…?"
Ren turned his whole body around, making Shane's grin wider. He looked to his subordinates who anxiously avoided eye contact before looking towards Shane, who began walking up to him.
"Look, all I'm saying is denying a challenge from someone not even on your radar can make you look weak…" he put his hand on Ren's shoulder. "Prove me wrong and battle me…"
Ren smacked his hand away and scoffed. "We'll add persistent to that list of traits."
Shane chuckled, "Personally I like 'determined' more."
Ren turned back to his Digimon. "Follow us."
After several minutes of traveling across the wasteland, the caravan of Blue Flare members as well as Shane and co. made it back to the Blue Flare base. As they passed the flags and came out onto the main battlefield, the trio were able to take note of more hidden details, including other members and Digimon of various appearances who didn't accompany the initial group, as well as small dome-like bunkers extending further out."
"Looking less of an empire the further we go in," Adara examined.
"This isn't our main base." Ren stated. "The main purpose of this camp is to scout potential members and capture wild digimon to add to our overall arsenal."
"So where's the main base then?" Shane asked.
Ren stopped and turned around, catching Shane's attention. Ren then pointed behind him. "I'd worry less about information you're not privy to and more about how you hope to beat me."
Shane was taken aback but shook his surprise away. "You're right, my bad." He turned and ran over to the other end of the field, with Lucas and Adara following a Blue Flare member flagging them down on the side.
"You think he's going to win this?" Adara questioned.
"Hard to say. He almost beat Milo that one time, but that's because Milo somehow got through by the skin of his teeth."
"Yeah, but we're talking about Blue Flare's leader." Adara reminded.
"Right so if I'm being real, I'd say Shane better have some blue in his closet going forward…"
Ren activated his navy blue and black D-Streamer, while Shane activated his. The battle field was set and spectators watched anxiously for the events to come.
"This is exciting!" the young Blue Flare member said out loud, drawing the pair's eyes on her.
"Is it now?" Lucas replied, aiming to strike up a conversation. "I'm guessing Ren doesn't battle often?"
"Not really, but not only that, rumors have been circulating on the campsite that on a recent expedition, he made a huge discovery. Now that's he's battling, all of us are expecting something crazy!"
Lucas blinked. "A new discovery…? In the wastelands?"
Adara's gaze narrowed. She had a bad feeling creeping up on her.
DIGI-GATE: OPEN!
Turn 1: Shane
"I'll start things off with DemiMeramon!" Shane stated, summoning the sentient fireball digimon in his raising area.
DemiMeramon (BT6-001)
Color: Red
Level: 2
"DemiMeramon will digivolve into Agumon, and then from my hand I play Shoutmon."
DemiMeramon twirled around as red binary code spiraled around it, transforming into Agumon, the red grips glistening in the artificial sun. Following that was Shoutmon, who wiped the tip of its snout and smirked, full of eagerness.
Agumon (ST7-02)
Color: Red
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Shoutmon (BT5-009)
Color: Red
Level: 3
DP: 1000
MEMORY
0-3
"When Shoutmon enters play, I reveal the top 5 cards of my deck. From among them, I can take one card with Shoutmon in its name, and a Digimon with Blitz and then I add both to my hand. The remainder go to the bottom of my deck."
Shoutmon on cue swung its microphone and sung into it, the music notes flowing from the other end and floating overhead, transforming into the revealed cards: BetelGammamon, Shoutmon DX, Tai, Growlmon and Greymon. Shane took the former two cards and sent the other 3 away.
Turn Change
Turn 2: Ren
Ren drew, presenting himself unimpressed by Shane's opening turn. "I hatch Bebydomon to begin."
A small green winged serpentine dragon with small, pink-tipped black horns wings materialized, staying afloat with its fluttering backside.
Bebydomon (BT10-002)
Color: Blue
Level: 2
"Bebydomon digivolves into Gaossmon."
As fast as it appeared, Bebydomon embraced the sudden sprinkle of blue binary code and reformed into a digimon resembling a blue dinosaur head with muscular legs attached on its sides as well as a tail extending from behind.
Gaossmon (BT10-018)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 1000
"Next, I play SnowAgumon from my hand," Ren continued, summoning a white variant of Agumon, crystal blue eyes being a notable feature of it.
SnowAgumon (EX3-016)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
3-0
"I end my turn by playing the Tamer Kiriha Aonuma." Ren said, as binary code rained down and formed into a young blonde-haired teen with a white t-shirt, mahogany vest and beige blazer jacket, along with dark grey pants and brown boots. The Tamer had a smug, condescending look on their face, not too dissimilar to Ren's calm, apathetic expressions.
Kiriha Aonuma (BT10-088)
Color: Blue
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change)
"A SnowAgumon, huh?" Lucas noted. "Talk about a contrast."
"You're not worried about that unfamiliar Tamer card?" Adara asked.
"What, you think there's something unique about it?" Lucas asked. "If anything that makes this more exciting, don't you think?"
Adara crossed her arms and turned her attention back to the battle, opting to keep her worries to herself.
Turn 3: Shane
Shane drew and moved Agumon forward. "Can't afford to be sloppy where you're concerned. From here on, I'm going all out! Shoutmon Warp Digivolves into OmniShoutmon for 4 Memory!"
Shoutmon grinned and jumped into the air as red binary rained down on it. It's body began to grow and glow gold, as its evolution commenced. OmniShoutmon touched the ground and towered over Shane and the crowd, glistening in its magnificent glory.
OmniShoutmon (BT5-014)
Color: Red
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
4-0
Ren didn't say anything, unfazed by the play.
"But that ladies and gentlemen is but the beginning. Allow me to introduce the Shouting X himself! Raise your voices for OmniShoutmon X-Antibody!"
With a forceful swipe a golden beam of light erupted from beneath OmniShoutmon's feet as the X-Antibody orb materialized before it. Grabbing hold of it, caused the light geyser to close in on OmniShoutmon, and transform it into its X-Antibody variant, creating gasps amongst the unknowing Blue Flare members spectating.
OmniShoutmon X-Antibody (BT9-013)
Color: Red
Level: 5
DP: 8000
"And finally, Agumon digivolves into BetelGammamon." Shane finishes by digivolves Agumon into the red bipedal ceratopsian digimon.
BetelGammamon (BT8-013)
Color: Red
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
0-2 (Turn Change)
"Hmph," Ren said simply.
"Don't 'Hmph' me," Shane spat. "Just because the counter slid to your side doesn't mean I'm done."
"What does he mean by that?" Adara overheard a Blue Flare member ask.
"Both his Digimon have Blitz." She answered for them. "Meaning..."
"Meaning that they both can attack!" Shane exclaimed. "Let's start with Frosty over here. OmniShoutmon X, thanks to his ability can attack unsuspected digimon since OmniShoutmon is in its sources. Plus, Shoutmon's IE effect gives it 2000 DP to boot."
OmniShoutmon X Antibody: 8000-10000 DP
"OmniShoutmon X, attack SnowAgumon with Blitz!" Shane ordered, causing his golden warrior to roar with a raised fist.
OmniShoutmon: 10,000 DP
SnowAgumon: 2000 DP
Slamming the digital ground sent a wave of fire erupting from the ground. It rushed SnowAgumon and exploded into a geyser of fire once it made contact. Blue binary rushed out of the flames as SnowAgumon melted away.
"And Betel, do the honors and attack his Security!" Shane followed, with the crimson dinosaur taking a running start before flipping into the air. "BetelGammamon gains the combined DP boost of 3000 from Agumon and DemiMeramon's IE effects."
BetelGammamon: 6000-9000 DP
Flaming fist igniting on his right, BetelGammamon punched the air, launching the fireball towards Ren, who reactively shielded himself along with his Security.
Ren
Security: 5-4
"MetalGreymon, 8000 DP." Ren stated as his digimon materialized to defend.
BetelGammamon: 9000 DP
MetalGreymon: 8000 DP
Shane, Adara and Lucas gasped at the appearance of MetalGreymon, in that it wasn't the iconic orange cyber-enchanted Greymon, nor was it the blue virus variant normally found in black decks. This MetalGreymon, while sharing similarities with the virus variant, was covered in blue chrome-like armor reminiscent of the bird digimon that Ren first appeared with.
MetalGreymon pushed back against BetelGammamon and swing its blue armored claw, yet BetelGammamon weaved around it and slipped under it to deliver a flaming uppercut that rejected it back. As the MetalGreymon's appearance was cut short, the effect of its appearance wasn't dismissed quite as easily,
"What was up with that MetalGreymon just now?!" Adara demanded. She turned to Lucas, "Did you know about this?!"
"Bro what?! You really expect me to know about that thing?"
"It's blue, isn't it? It definitely came out of the Eastern District!"
"That doesn't mean anything!" Lucas argued.
"Care to enlighten us before they really get into it?" Shane asked.
Turn 4: Ren
MEMORY
2-3
Ren ignored the question and drew. "Kiriha sets my Memory to 3, Gaossmon moves into the Battle Area, and my Digimon attacks your Security. Since you currently have 2 digimon on your side, Bebydomon's effect draws me a card."
The small dinosaur head rushed Shane and jumped to headbutt, the Security appearing to intercept.
Shane
Security: 5-4
"Solarmon with 2000 DP!"
Gaossmon: 1000 DP
Solarmon: 2000 DP
Gaossmon landed from its initial attack and looked up at the orange cogwheel digimon materializing from the broken Security. Before it could react, Solarmon lit up into flames and tackled Gaossmon back, knocking it on its side where it burst into binary code afterward.
"Well so much for that." Shane commented as Gaossmon's binary code floated away.
"So you think. When Gaossmon is deleted, I'm allowed to play one Level 4 Digimon with Blue Flare in its traits for no cost." Ren flashed a blue card in his hand, also showing an iconic image. "Come forth Greymon!"
Shane had to be an idiot to be surprised, he thought to himself. He watched as a blue Greymon suddenly appeared, also sporting an altered appearance. While resembling a normal blue Greymon, the added horns along its headguard and limbs, metal attachments to its head and tail, as well as red-orange stripes along its body, making it more distinct, sharing similarities to the GeoGreymon subspecies.
Greymon (BT10-019)
Color: Blue
Level: 4
DP: 4000
"When Greymon enters play, I can reveal the top 4 cards of my deck and from among them I can add two cards with Blue Flare in their traits to my hand. However, since Kiriha is present in my Battle Area, I'll instead pull MetalGreymon from my trash." Ren explained, retrieving the aforementioned Level 5.
"Careful though, that 4-cost digivolution requirement didn't escape my notice. You sure you wanna do that?" Shane asked.
"You're naiveite knows no bounds, does it?" Ren countered, revealing Mailbirdramon in his hand.
It took Shane a moment to realize what was about to happen, to which his eyes widened upon realization. "Wait hold up! There's no way you—!"
"The Mailbirdramon in my hand, and the Greymon in my Battle Area, will Digi-Xros into the War Machine of Blue Flares! I play MetalGreymon!"
Adara shared Shane's shock as Greymon roared into the digital sky. Mailbirdramon materialized above Greymon and then suddenly broke apart at its joints, descending and latching onto the Digimon, covering it in armor. The trio were self in awe while the Blue Flare Spectators erupted in applause and cheers, chanting for their leader's powerful demonstration. MetalGreymon, upon transforming, unleashed a fierce roar to announce its empowered state.
MetalGreymon (BT10-024)
Color: Blue
Level: 5
DP: 8000
MEMORY
3-0
"Only…three memory?" Shane slowly pulled from the counter to stare at Ren. "MetalGreymon's…7 cost though…?"
"That's not important!" Adara snapped, Lucas grabbing her from going forward. "How are you able to utilize Digi-Xros?! And how is it your Digimon can do it?!"
"You honestly believed the art of Digi-Xrossing was exclusive to the Southern District?" Ren questioned.
Adara went silent. Digi-Xrossing is ancient Southern District, yet there's Eastern District Digimon with the same power. Did the Eastern District always have that power? Or are these Digimon as ancient as the art itself?
"Explain how in the world you obtained those Digimon." Adara had a serious tone to her.
"I'm not obligated to disclose that." Ren crossed his arms.
She seethed. "You—ow!" She yelped, whipping to Lucas who yanked her back.
"Sorry, we're just surprised is all. Up until now we assumed that the Southern District was the only District with that power. So imagine our surprise—mine especially—when we see the East's also privy to this skill…"
"LoneShot," Ren focused on Lucas. "You talk as if Omnia's Districts exist still."
Lucas hesitated. "Why wouldn't they? Just because users have migrated back to Babylon doesn't mean that Omnia's gone…"
Ren didn't respond, turning his focus back to Shane. "Utilizing Digi-Xros, the materials—Mailbirdramon and Greymon—reduce MetalGreymon's cost by 2, making his Play Cost 3.
"In addition, when MetalGreymon enters play, it gains Rush, and when Digi-Xrossed, 3 of your Digimon with equal or less sources than my Digimon are frozen, unable to attack or block until the end of your turn. Though, as you'll see, that effect won't matter."
Shane braced himself for what was to come, MetalGreymon leaning forward, with the barrels on its mechanical wings glowing with a blue hue. Both of Shane's Digimon didn't know what to expect, and as such left themselves vulnerable to getting blasted by MetalGreymon's beams, leaving them paralyzed where they stood.
"Not good!" Shane exclaimed, watching as both his Digimon struggled to remain on two feet.
"MetalGreymon, start with BetelGammamon! Trident Arm!"
MetalGreymon: 8000 DP
BetelGammamon: 6000 DP
MetalGreymon roared, pulling its large claw back before using its thrusters to propel it ahead towards BetelGammamon. Unable to move, BetelGammamon grit its teeth and took the full strike of MetalGreymon's slash, causing it to roar in pain before crumbling into binary.
"Greymon's IE effect triggered upon attacking," Ren followed. "So long as my Digimon is a Blue Flare Digimon, and you have two or more Digimon in the Battle Area at the time of activation, my Digimon unsuspends!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Shane reacted, silencing as MetalGreymon turned its head towards him. OmniShoutmon X, growled angrily at its helplessness. The look on OmniShoutmon X filled Shane with similar feelings. Of helplessness in the face of forces beyond his understanding. Of circumstances no one asked for.
"Take it out, MetalGreymon. Trident Arm!" Ren commanded.
MetalGreymon: 8000 DP
OmniShoutmon X Antibody: 8000 DP
Yet this time was different. This time he had the power to understand.
"OmniShoutmon X!" Shane yelled.
By sheer willpower, OmniShoutmon barely avoided being sliced by MetalGreymon's attack, grabbing the claw mid-strike. The surprise from the Blue Flare spectators radiated all around, while Adara and Lucas watched eagerly to see what would happen next.
"You must be hella overconfident to be deleting your own Digimon like this…" Shane sharply stated.
OmniShoutmon X's claws began to glow with flames and with enough force applied, it was able to break MetalGreymon's trident arm and back away to build distance.
"I'll be honest," Shane began as OmniShoutmon fought to remain steady. "I'm desperate. I'm also naïve. But, y'know, those are just building blocks to a burning soul of passion!"
OmniShoutmon X whipped its arms, with crimson flames snaking up in spirals.
"Win or lose, from here on out brace yourself, for the passionate force that is Xros Heart!" Shane declared. "Go! Zeal Magnum!"
OmniShoutmon X dashed forward towards Ren, with MetalGreymon intercepting to blast it back. OmniShoutmon X halted and dashed to the side to avoid the barrage of lasers that came after it, the space around the camp becoming a spectacle of red and blue light from all directions. MetalGreymon followed aggressively into the skies above as the digimon clashed relentlessly for all to witness.
Lucas especially was taking this in, surprised such a power existed in the Eastern District. "You know, Ada…you gotta wonder sometimes…"
Adara turned to him, only barely breaking her eyes away.
"How little did we know about Omnia?" he posed the question.
That was a question she didn't have an answer to. She turned back to watch the climax of the overhead clash, his question lingering in her mind as well as her own...
...how much was Executive Ward keeping from them?
Both Digimon broke away from their clash, clearly worn, binary code leaking from their bodies. MetalGreymon charged one final blast, with its cannons and jaw lighting blue, whereas OmniShoutmon X ignited its whole body.
Greymon fired.
OmniShoutmon X rushed back.
The pair went up in a massive explosion that shook the area all around, ending the fearsome clash between two evenly matched opponents thus far.
Or at least, that's what Shane and the rest of the spectators perceived.
"Material Save 2." Ren announced as Kiriha raised his personal device, the remnant code descending into the small screen of the blue object. "When MetalGreymon is deleted, up to two of its sources can be placed underneath my Tamer. Greymon and Mailbirdramon return to Kiriha."
A cold shiver went down Shane's spine. Ren's Digimon even share that ability too…
"I'll end my turn with Marcus Damon." Ren played the Red Tamer, deviating from his otherwise mono-blue deck.
Marcus Damon (BT4-092)
Color: Red
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change)
"It's a shame that your passion only amounted to so much." Ren said. "I was looking forward to you backing up your words then."
Shane, taken aback by Ren's words chuckled. "Don't worry. Like I said from here on out, I'm going to show you what Xros Heart is made of."
Hearing it the second time brought out sneers from the Blue Flare spectators, all jeering for Shane to give up and quit while he's ahead.
Ren raised a hand into the air which brought their comments down some. "'Xros Heart…so you've interacted with him then?'"
Shane grew curious. "What? You'd think I'd know what Digi-Xrossing is without knowing where it originated from?"
"Its more so you're not utilizing the power yourself. As it stands, you can't beat me."
"Our tied scores and empty boards say otherwise." Shane countered.
Ren narrowed his gaze. "You haven't mastered the power, have you?"
Shane didn't answer.
Sighing as if the answer was irrelevant. "Desperate, delusional…and determined to be a pain in the neck." He held his hand out. "It's your move. Don't disappoint me."
"Likewise. You have the power on you, so make good use of it!" Shane drew fiercely, locking eyes with Ren as his turn began…