[Staten Island, One Week Later…]
"Hey Maddie! The moving guys are wrapping up!" Milo called from the front of the apartment.
"Tell them to hold up a second, I'll be right there!" she yelled back.
Milo turned to one of them hanging in the doorway and they nodded to acknowledge that they heard her. Afterward they headed down the hallway to the elevator.
Meanwhile, Milo leaned against the wall, taking one last glimpse at the empty apartment. A temporary home after everything that happened, it was a nice little space for him and his older sister, Madison.
In the aftermath of everything, both Milo and Mason came clean about what they were involved in. It wasn't as if she was ignorant of what was going on; more so she was aware of Mason's role in STREAM Corp, and didn't care enough to delve more into that surface level knowledge if she was being honest. Her older brother wasn't approachable; that is, until the day she learned the truth.
Ever since the trio of siblings have tried to build a relationship, their maternal family head not around to guide them any longer. Mason was at AEGIS, working as an informant, it seemed like, and with that service came the support from the organization, helping them find an apartment, and further compensation following, so long as what they learned remained confidential.
However, after nights of discussion and virtual family meetings, it was clear that Mason wasn't going to be home anytime soon. And what's more, Madison and Milo came to the conclusion that if they wanted this family dynamic to work, then they'd like it if Mason was with them to make it happen, hence the decision to move closer to him.
Madison came out of her bedroom, bookbag and suitcase in tow. Milo pulled away from the wall supporting him and grabbed his carry-on bags.
"All set?" Madison asked.
"About as much as I'll ever be." Milo admitted.
Herissmon appeared on his shoulder. "Your digital credentials are all up to date for the both of you."
"Plane tickets too, right?" Milo asked.
"Of course." Herissmon confirmed. "Remember, I'm an assistant AI first and foremost before I'm a Digimon partner."
"You're as handy as ever, little guy." Madison smiled. "Man, we'd be lost without your help."
"Mason said he was a special assistant, after all." Milo chuckled, as Herissmon took the compliment in stride. In truth, Herissmon was originally an AI given to Milo, so he'd have a companion, as prior to meeting Kaden and the others, he struggled with association and bullying. Then, it was through his interaction with the Nadir District and Drasil that resulted in the AI becoming what's known as Herissmon.
Herrismon perked. "You got a text from Kaden."
"Now he gets back to me?" Milo asked, accessing the message. "He promised he was gonna come and help out."
"Didn't you say he was going through some things recently?" Madison asked, locking the door one final time.
"Yeah, but still. This might be the last time I see him for a long time…" Milo read the message and took a moment to process what he was reading.
"So…is he coming to say goodbye?"
Milo took another moment before answering his sister. "No. He overslept."
Milo didn't say anything further, making his way to the elevator, leaving disappointment in his wake. Madison frowned, seeing her brother develop into this state, and followed him downstairs.
Of all the ways to end this chapter of their lives, why did it have to be so bitter?
Bianca materialized in her virtual space, the dark atmosphere greeting her with a comforting chill in the air. There, Shadramon was off to the side of the wall, seemingly resting up to this point. The motive behind Bianca's appearance before their "guest" was one of curiosity. Since being rescued from Lord Vermil, something has been nagging her young mind, to the point where she needed an answer.
She made her way up to Shadramon, the Digimon looking up at her.
"What do you want?"
"The Four Representatives were never your target, were they?"
Shadramon buzzed. "What makes you say that?"
"Because if they were, then you'd would've done me in already."
"Am I really the type to bite the hand that saved me?"
"Yes." She answered matter of factly. "Do you mind hearing my theory?"
"Will you leave me alone if I humor you?"
"Perhaps." Bianca sat before them.
Shadramon groaned and shifted in his spot. "Out with it, then."
"You were resurrected shortly after we brought Bagramon back to life," Bianca began. "taking the form of an ancient Omnian Digimon, one of whom possesses a fraction of the power of the so-called 'Paladin of the Zenith District.'"
Shadramon's attention was tugged upon hearing her utter the title. "How would you know something like that?"
"That's not important. What is, is that your identity holds the key to your secret objective. It's true that you want revenge. But we Reps aren't the targets. We were the bait."
Shadramon was silent.
"The reason why you haven't budged is because you're stuck. Lord Vermil put you in a tough position and now you have no way of reaching your goal for revenge, right?"
"You brat!" Shadramon shot up into the air, wings fluttering violently. "Need I remind you I'm more than this form you see before you!"
"I'm very aware. Which is why I'm here to point you in a direction, if you're interested."
Shadramon growled and lowered itself. They were forced to admit they were in a bind.
"Are you interested in my proposal?" Bianca smiled.
"What do you get out of this…?" Shadramon hissed.
"Ah-uh…" Bianca wagged her finger. "You have your secrets, and I have mine."
"…very well." Shadramon accepted. "Tell me then, what do you have in mind…?"
Chapter 11: Confrontation
"Okay, you two…I want a clean battle!" Brandon eyed both Terrence and Daniel as the pair stared one another down across the terminal between them. After a week of building, tweaking, and playtesting, their new decks were ready for the main test run, and both were eager to see how well they'd perform.
"You're going down…!" Terrence gestured, running his finger across his neck. The D-Streamer on his arm was customized with a white body and a mix of red and blue highlights.
"Oh yeah?" Daniel matched his taunt, holding up his wrist, D-Streamer glistening in the store light. It was a navy blue color with purple and black highlights. "I'd like to see you try!"
Devices synced and decks materializing, Brandon raised his hand in the air while the pair set up. "Alright, here we go! 3…2…1…!"
DIGI-GATE: OPEN!
Maxine was off to the side with Sierra, the latter with a tablet in her hand. With the week she's had, Maxine had little time to focus on prepping for the tournament, anxious about the situation with Kaden. Sierra, fresh out of the hospital, was beside her, scrolling through the decklist that Maxine tried to put together.
"This is a cute deck," Sierra found herself amused by the theme going on within it. In addition to keeping Angoramon's digivolution line, Maxine also mixed in fairy-type digimon from Yellow, replacing Rosemon with Lotosmon who synergizes with them. Achillesmon too for the yellow and green digivolution requirements, as well as filling in the Beast side of the deck. "This deck seems very 'you-coded.'"
"You think so?" Maxine asked. "My mom was always a fantasy nerd, so I grew up with a lot of cottagecore stuff."
"Hm, I can kind of see it." Sierra took note. Despite Maxine appearance at face value, Sierra could tell there was more to her underneath it all. "You remind me so much of myself when I was around your age, come to think of it."
"Really?" Maxine turned. "Why is that?"
Sierra smiled and shrugged. "My family and I moved to the states when I was about your age from France. It was the summer before high school and, listening to bad advice from my cousins here, I went into Fiona Academy thinking I had to totally reinvent myself, to avoid looking like the weird 'baguette girl'." Sierra laughed lightly, hearing how silly in hindsight she sounds.
The same comment got a stifle out of Maxine too. "So, what did you do?"
"I tried to force myself to be something I wasn't. All it did was make me a target for bullies. One time I had enough and almost got into a fight with one of the girls tormenting me."
"And then what happened?"
"I accidentally tipped over some paint on another kid's artwork and…let's just say he had his own stuff he was dealing with…" Sierra blushed a bit and smiled awkwardly, reminiscing of her first meeting with Homura. "My point being," she cleared her throat, "is to just be yourself. Enjoy what you enjoy, and to those who want to tease and bother you, tell them to kick rocks."
"I get that, but it's hard," Maxine said. "Liking fantasy stuff like fairy and elves…? That's not cool. If I want to be popular then I can't be doing kid stuff."
"Oh? Define 'kid stuff'."
Maxine paused. This was starting to sound like a lecture. "Well…"
"Would you count 'Digimon' as 'kid stuff'?"
"I mean…?" Maxine was seeing the flaws in her argument. "Well Kaden's a popular streamer so I figured…"
"Aha…so you're playing Digimon because your popular cousin is a popular streamer?"
"…is that bad?" Maxine sheepishly asked.
Sierra smiled and laughed. "You're so cute! I'm just teasing you, no it's not bad!"
Maxine blushed out of embarrassment. She let herself feel guilty for no reason.
"I will say this though," Sierra continued. "Digimon is special to everyone. Everyone plays for one reason or another. Some play for fame, others play to bond with friends and family. Some play to grow as people, others play to escape from life's problems. And then there're some like you and I, who were inspired by those around us."
"Who inspired you to play Digimon?" Maxine asked.
"Well…it wasn't just one person. I've met and have dealt with a lot of people. Each one helped me grow in their own ways. The thing we all shared was this fun card game in the end. Thanks to them, I aim as a personal goal, to inspire others to grow as well."
Maxine could sense that from Sierra; she surely gave mentor vibes. "In that case…"
"What's up?"
"When I first made my promise to Kaden, I said I'll get strong enough to battle him. But, if I stay committed to this game, and do what I really want to do…I don't want to be strong enough. I want to surpass him. I need to surpass him."
"Well, if you want to get out from under his shadow, then you need to come to terms with whatever issues you have with him." Sierra pointed out, making Maxine tense up. The idea of confronting him about what she's learned felt like a gut punch in that instance. Would she have the courage to confront him?
As Kaden appeared in the doorway, the answer to her conundrum floated in the airspace between them.
"Kaden?" Sierra asked. "I thought you were helping Milo…?"
"Hey, Sierra…" he waved. "Yeah, um…I overslept and couldn't make it. I think by this point they should be boarding their flight."
"Could've at least seen them off? Weren't you guys close?" Brandon asked, overhearing the conversation.
"Yeah well, people change." Kaden said walking behind the counter.
Maxine noticed the trained eye Sierra kept on Kaden, making her more nervous. As the seconds dragged, the ultimatum in her heart was beating against her harder and faster.
She would either confront him now, or let it fester until it drove her to insanity…
"Kaden!" Maxine shot up from her seat. "I challenge you!"
Eyes turned to her, and she could feel each pair of stares on her, her pointer finger trained towards the counter, directed at a confused Kaden.
"What?"
"Remember our promise? When I became strong enough, you'd come out of retirement and battle me."
"Are you sure, Max?" Sierra asked.
Maxine looked to Sierra, whose eyes looked as anxious as she felt. At the same time, Maxine was determined to commit. Her declaration carried more weight than just wanting to become stronger than him. Ever since she discovered what she did, the image of her beloved cousin has slowly crumbled in her mind. As much of an impact he's had on her relatively short life thus far, she'd much rather rip the band aid off now and save what's left of that image, rather than allow preconceived notions to ruin her perception of him.
Once and for all, she would get answers, she would put her anxieties to rest, and she would be able to see him once again as the hero she's always looked up to, and the one whom she inspires to become herself.
So to that end, how would he respond…?
Kaden took a moment to think to himself before smirking, "If you think you can beat Cobalius, the Cobalt Knight, then you got another thing coming!"
Hearing his response elated Maxine, yet she kept her composure and objective in mind. "Let's do this."
"Gammamon digivolves into BetelGammamon and attacks with Blitz for game!" Terrence exclaimed. "Woo! Let's go!"
Daniel backed away and conceded. Terrence's deck was swamy and quick, as compared to his slower, control-based deck. If anything, that told him what to be weary for as they went into the tournament scene. Daniel took note of Kaden walking past him and he turned, noticing that both he and Maxine were beginning to set up.
Terrence also took note and nearly leaped from the terminal. "Cobalius is battling?! Is this for real?!"
"Calm down," Daniel scolded lightly.
"Oh, right…" Terrence cleared his throat. "Sorry."
It didn't take long for them to sync their D-Streamers and draw their hands, Maxine's D-Streamer being a lime-green with yellow and lavender highlights to compliment her new deck scheme.
"You ready?" Maxine asked.
"More than you know…" Kaden responded.
Maxine took a deep breath. Now or never, she thought to herself.
DIGI-GATE: OPEN!
"You can start," Kaden stated to Maxine.
Turn 1: Maxine
"Okay. I start by hatching Bosamon." Maxine stated, summoning the small bunny ball digimon in her Raising Area.
Bosamon (BT10-003)
Color: Green
Level: 2
"Bosamon digivolves into Angoramon, and then from my hand I play the Tamer Ruli Tsukiyono to end."
Bosamon with the aid of the green binary encircling it transformed into Angoramon, whereas Ruli materialized on Maxine's side as well.
Angoramon (BT10-044)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Ruli Tsukiyono (BT10-091)
Color: Green
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change)
Turn 2: Kaden
Kaden drew. "I hatch DemiVeemon." Kaden stated, summoning a small, blue baby dragon-esque digimon
DemiVeemon (BT2-002)
Color: Blue
Level: 2
"DemiVeemon will digivolve into Veemon, and then I'll play Kokabuterimon from my hand."
Sierra took note of this as the small dragon digimon digivolved into Veemon, followed by another bipedal beetle digimon roughly the same size as Veemon.
Veemon (EX1-013)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Kokabuterimon (ST9-07)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
4-1
"I end by playing Davis Motomiya, who'll reveal the top 3 cards of my deck, allowing me to retrieve one blue and one green Digimon card from among them, sending the remaining to the bottom of the deck."
Davis appeared in the battle area, standing directly across from Ruli on the other side. He then snapped his fingers, triggering the top 3 cards of Kaden's deck to appear before them: Flamedramon, Ken Ichijoji and EX1 DinoBeemon. Kaden took Flamedramon and DinoBeemon, sending Ken to the bottom of the deck.
MEMORY
1-3 (Turn Change)
Turn 3: Maxine
As he wrapped up his turn, Kaden looked over, noticing Sierra's trained expression. "Something the matter?"
Sierra snapped out of her brief trance to acknowledge his question, "Just thinking to myself how nostalgic it is to watch you."
"Oh," Kaden chuckled, lightly. "I mean, is it really that surprising?"
"Guess not…" Sierra smiled back.
"It's my turn." Maxine drew. "Angoramon moves into the Battle Area and then…Kokabuterimon gets blocker so long there's a Blue Digimon present…"
"That it does," Kaden confirmed.
Maxine took that knowledge and took a card from her hand. "So, in that case, I play the Option Card: Pyon Dump! Angoramon gains Piercing, and if I have a Digimon with Angoramon in its name or sources, one of your Digimon becomes suspended for the turn!"
MEMORY
3-1
The play was enough for Kaden to furrow his brow in surprise. Angoramon glowed with a green aura before leaping into the air and coming down on Kokabuterimon, using its weight to subdue the bug and nearly squash it before bouncing back. Kokabuterimon comically twitched in agony and daze.
"Then on top of that, whenever during my turn, Bosamon's IE effect grants 1000 DP whenever an effect suspends a Digimon in the Battle Area. Kokabuterimon suspends giving Angoramon 1000 DP for the turn."
Angoramon: 2000-3000 DP
"Angoramon, attack Kokabuterimon! Double Lariat!"
Angoramon: 3000 DP
Kokabuterimon: 2000 DP
Angoramon furiously swung its large arms as it charged ahead, contacting the dazed Kokabuterimon and launching it skyward. Kokabuterimon burst into green binary midair.
"And using Piercing, Security Attack!" Maxine kept going as Angoramon proceeded to mow down the security in front of it, giving Maxine an early advantage in the battle.
Kaden
Security: 5-4
"Don't get too excited," Kaden revealed his Security. "ExVeemon with 4000 DP."
ExVeemon appeared from the Security to counter Angoramon, bursting from the shattered remains with a fist landing squarely in Agoramon's fluffy exterior. Angoramon was launched back and tumbled back next to Ruli, dispersing and causing the virtual girl to yelp in surprise.
"Good thing I come prepared," Maxine took another card. "I play Shortmon to end my turn."
A small sentient cake digimon dressed in a waiter uniform materialized, its head resembling a strawberry shortcake slice.
Shortmon (BT10-033)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 3000
MEMORY
1-2 (Turn Change)
Turn 4: Kaden
"Way to keep up the pressure," Daniel commented.
"I'm far from done," she replied.
"Good, because I'm just getting started myself." Kaden said. "Davis sets my Memory to 3 and I draw."
MEMORY
2-3
"Veemon moves out, and then for 2 Memory, Veemon Armor Digivolves into Flamedramon!"
Veemon roared as red and blue binary encircled it digivolving it into Flamedramon. The digimon punched the air as it stood in a heroic pose.
Flamedramon (BT8-012)
Color: Red/Blue
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
3-1
"Flamedramon, Security Attack!" Kaden ordered. "When attacking, Flamedramon gains 3000 DP, totally 8000!"
Flamedramon: 5000-8000 DP
Flamedramon roared, iginiting its fist on fire before slamming the ground, sending a streaming fire geyser towards Maxine's side. Tinkermon appeared to defend, but was overtaken by the flames easily, tie-ing the score.
Maxine
Security: 5-4
"I end by digivolving Flamedramon into Paildramon." Kaden stated, transforming his digimon into the hybrid dragon-bug digimon. Paildramon held its guns steady as its transformation completed.
Paildramon (EX1-019)
Color: Blue
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
1-2 (Turn Change)
"When my digimon digivolves into Paildramon, if in its sources there's a Digimon with the 'Free' trait, Paildramon unsuspends. Then, thanks to Veemon and DemiVeemon's IE effects, Veemon grants me a Memory, and DemiVeemon gives Paildramon 1000 for the turn."
MEMORY
2-1
Paildramon: 7000-8000
"Wait, what was the point of that?" Terrence asked.
"The point of what?" Daniel asked.
"Maxine has Ruli on the field right? So why use Veemon's effect if she's just gonna set the Memory to 3 anyway? And DemiVeemon's effect ends the second his turn ends too."
Daniel blinked. "You're paying attention that closely?"
Terrence looked at his friend, confused at his confusion. "What?"
Daniel cleared his throat, "Anyway, fact is that even if an effect has little to no effect on the game state, it still triggers and must be acknowledged. Casual players will ignore effects that do little but I'm sure that in official tournament settings, they'll care for that stuff."
"That's right," Sierra chimed in. "And speaking of official settings, Kaden,"
"What now?" Kaden looked over, his snappy reply catching their attention.
"Just noting that it's been a while since you use the older versions of Paildramon. Did you just throw this deck together on a whim?"
"Well, I did have some extra cards lying around at home. Why?"
"You used similar cards during your first Exhibition Match…" Maxine stated, drawing eyes on her.
"What was that?" Kaden asked.
Maxine looked to Kaden, and a wave of anxiety ticked her throat briefly. She retracted her words immediately. "…nothing. My turn."
Turn 5: Maxine
That look in his eyes threw her concentration off. She tried not to think of it as she drew. "Ruli sets my Memory to 3, then I hatch another Bosamon and it'll digivolve into another Angoramon."
MEMORY
1-3
"I then play Petermon from my hand." Maxine played a humanoid fairy digimon dressed in green with blonde hair who floated about in Maxine's Battle Area, dagger twirling in hand, design clearly referencing Peter Pan.
Petermon (BT1-056)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
3-2 (Turn Change)
"When Petermon is played, I can play a Tinkermon from my hand or trash without paying the cost of it. From my trash, I revive the Tinkermon from my Security to give Paildramon -1 Security Attack On Play."
In turn, Petermon pulled out a pipe and blew into it through its covered mouth, summoning his partner, Tinkermon from the trash. Tinkermon snickered and rushed Paildramon, slapping it with her rod, which resulted in Paildramon staggering from the stinging rod.
Tinkermon (BT10-030)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"I end my turn." Maxine stated, taking note of her board. She had a decent army going for her, compared to Kaden's sole Paildramon. Now that she thought about it, she could've attacked with Shortmon then and kept up the pressure…
She was distracted, surely. She needed to stay focused if she wanted to win.
"How come you mentioned the Exhibition Match I had…?" Kaden suddenly brought up, bringing Maxine's attention back to it.
"What?"
"Just curious. I didn't know you knew about what happened."
"Oh…well, when you said you retired from the game…I wanted to know why, is all. I found out about the rematch and…!"
Kaden's eyes narrowed at the nervous girl. "Do you believe I cheated?"
Maxine's throat closed. "I—uh…"
"You're so easy to read, you know that?" Kaden continued as he drew.
Turn 6: Kaden
"Davis sets my memory to 3 to start."
MEMORY
2-3
"I hatch DemiVeemon, then digivolve it into Veemon and then I play Two Kokabuterimon, both gain Blocker thanks to Paildramon's presence."
The pair of bug digimon appeared, all glowing blue thanks to said larger digimon.
MEMORY
3-0
0-3 (Turn Change)
Did she believe that? After all, the whole point of looking into him was because he wouldn't spill about his V-Streaming. She wasn't trying to prove he was a cheater, just that he didn't want to go into any detail about V-Streaming.
"…Did I make it so obvious that I was curious about the last year?" Maxine asked.
"I just know how nosy you can be." Kaden stated.
Nosy? Was…what she doing really being nosy?
"I mean, you wouldn't tell me anything, so what was I supposed to do? I had to find out that you were accused of being a cheater, and then your rematch got canceled around the same time so much stuff happened at your school? Plus, there was all that time when you were away for months…"
"You're letting your imagination get ahead of you," Kaden told her, rather sternly.
"I'm not! You can't do all of that and pretend everything is fine, nor can you blame me for being curious about what happened to you!"
The room grew quiet as Maxine finished baring out her frustrations. She stared intently at Kaden, waiting for a reply from him. Instead, all he gave in return was an expression lacking in patience by the second.
"Well?! Tell me I'm wrong!" Maxine demanded, nearly shouting at him.
"We're in the middle of a battle. I'll deal with your tantrum afterward." Kaden replied.
Being dismissed in such a way only pushed Maxine's frustrations further. "Angoramon moves out and digivolves into SymbareAngoramon!" She continued on with her turn as her Digimon digivolved. SymbareAngoramon appeared, holding a disdainful expression towards Kaden and his army of Digimon.
SymbareAngoramon (BT10-051)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 6000
MEMORY
3-1
"To think you were my hero, back then…" Maxine began to sniffle. "All this time I looked up to you…I admired you so much…I didn't want to believe you were a cheater, or even a criminal. I didn't want to believe it! But now I see you for who you really are…"
Seeing Kaden's indifference to her words, she fought back tears while pressing on, anger fueling her moves going forward. "SymbareAngoramon attacks your Security! Ruli suspends through her effect, suspending one of your Kokabuterimon!"
In turn, Ruli raised her braced arm and the device on it flashed, stunning one of Kaden's blockers.
"Since your Digimon was suspended, Angoramon's IE effect draws me a card, while Bosamon boosts SymbareAngoramon by 1000 DP!"
SymbareAngoramon: 6000-7000 DP
"My second Kokabuterimon blocks!" Kaden countered.
SymbareAngoramon: 7000 DP
Kokabuterimon: 2000 DP
SymbareAngoramon leapt into the air and spun, the winds around it stirring until it was a flying tornado barreling towards Kaden's Security. Kokabuterimon attempted to intercept, and was able to deflect it at the cost of its own life.
"Not done! Shortmon attacks your suspended Kokabuterimon!"
Shortmon: 3000 DP
Kokabuterimon: 2000 DP
The paralyzed bug digimon could only do so much as the cake digimon summoned an endless amount of oversized strawberries to pummel Kokabuterimon into binary.
"Tinkermon, Security Attack!"
Tinkermon flew forward, twirling her staff in hand, smacking the Security that appeared to intercept.
Kaden
Security: 4-3
The Security reformatted and appeared as Ken, landing besides Davis as Kaden's second Tamer.
Ken Ichijoji (BT3-094)
Color: Green
"Petermon, Security Attack!"
Petermon took hold of its dagger and charged behind Tinkermon, slashing the appearing Security in two.
Kaden
Security: 3-2
"Security Trigger: Howling Memory Boost to the Battle Area."
The Option Card materialized besides the tamer pair, hovering and awaiting the time when it would trigger its second effect.
"I end my turn by digivolving Shortmon into Weddinmon."
The shortcake digimon embraced the yellow binary, transforming into a woman-like digimon wearing a cake-like dress. She smiled as she graced the battle area with her presence, fanning herself with an icing-tipped fan.
Weddinmon (BT10-037)
Color: Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 8000
MEMORY
1-1 (Turn Change)
Turn 8: Kaden
As Davis set the gauge to 3, Kaden drew. "Your words cut deep…" He moved Veemon forward and Howling Memory Boost to the trash to signify the activation of the Delay effect.
MEMORY
3-5
"…so allow me to respond in due kind. I play Hell's Masquerade." Kaden revealed. "Paildramon gains 2000 DP, and since I have a Blue Digimon present, it'll also gain Piercing."
Paildramon: 7000-9000 DP
MEMORY
5-4
"Paildramon attacks SymbareAngoramon! Desperado Blaster!" Kaden declared.
Paildramon: 9000 DP
SymbareAngoramon: 7000 DP
Paildramon grabbed its two side guns and aimed towards the rabbit digimon, unleashing the barrage of energy bullets, showering SymbareAngoramon. Maxine's digimon collapsed into green binary, as stray bullets clashed against the appearing Security, revealing the Lillymon underneath.
Paildramon: 9000 DP
Lillymon: 7000 DP
Lillymon attempted to dodge the stray bullets, however it was to no avail as Paildramon dove in and skewered the fairy with its arm stingers, deleting her instantly.
Maxine
Security: 4-3
"Since Paildramon defeated one of your digimon in battle and survived, I suspend Ken to gain 1 Memory."
MEMORY
4-5
"Paildramon then digivolves into the cobalt meteor that'll set the world in emerald flames: Imperialdramon!"
Paildramon embraced the torrential downpour of blue binary, allowing it to transform it into Imperialdramon.
Imperialdramon (EX1-022)
Color: Blue
Level: 6
DP: 11,000-13,000
MEMORY
5-2
"Imperialdramon through its effect unsuspends, triggering Veemon's and DemiVeemon's effects. I gain another memory, and DemiVeemon grants Imperialdramon 1000 DP for the turn.
MEMORY
2-3
Imperialdramon: 13,000-14,000 DP
"Then for each color underneath Imperialdramon, it gains another 1000 DP. Flamedramon, contributes its red coloring and Paildramon, it's blue coloring, adding an additional 2000 DP to Imperialdramon.
Imperialdramon: 14,000-16,000 DP
"16,000 DP?!" Terrence exclaimed. "That's…?"
"Double the DP of Weddinmon." Daniel answered. "And assuming that Hell Masquerade's effect lasts until the end of the turn…"
"Imperialdramon, devour Weddinmon." Kaden ordered, siccing his dragon onto the underpowered Fairy digimon.
Imperialdramon: 16,000 DP
Weddinmon: 8000 DP
Weddinmon gasped as the mighty dragon came upon her. Despite a futile attempt at defending herself, she was quickly devoured by the ruthless dragon, binary code spilling from its jaws as it lifted its head up. Using what was left, the dragon charged its cannon on its back and fired forth towards Maxine's Security, as the piercing effect persisted.
Maxine
Security: 3-2
Maxine's new ace card, Lotosmon emerged from the Security, and waved her staff in defiance.
Imperialdramon: 16,000 DP
Lotosmon: 11,000 DP
Maxine reeled from the reveal, wishing that Lotosmon was elsewhere than her security in that moment. Lotosmon meanwhile went in to avenge Weddinmon, sending a wave of rainbow energy towards Imperialdramon. Imperialdramon retaliated with another cannon shot and both energy beams collided with one another. Lotosmon tried her utmost but was overwhelmed and removed from the field in like manner.
"Veemon, attack Tinkermon." Kaden ordered, sending Veemon to charge the fairy.
Veemon: 2000 DP
Tinkermon: 2000 DP
Veemon launched a headbutt towards Tinkermon, who blocked it with her staff. The two Level 3 digimon struggled with one another before both fatally wounding each other, both collapsing from the strain of the respected attacks.
"Man, Kaden's gotten brutal in his playstyle…" Brandon commented on the ruthlessness of this last turn.
"What can I say? If I'm going to be demonized, I may as well act the part right?" Kaden replied. "Besides, I'm no hero, right?"
Brandon hesitated to respond. So, Maxine did.
"How can you say all of that?!" She exclaimed, further hurt by his words.
"Is anything I've said thus far false?" Kaden questioned. "According to you, I'm no role model right? I'm no hero, I have nothing to show for it!"
"Of course you do!" Maxine cried. "I'm something to show for It!"
Everyone around them grew quiet as Maxine's tears finally streamed down her face. "Ever since that day...you promised..." she forced out. "You promised to protect me always... and have my back...!"
Kaden sighed, "I don't remember ever saying that."
Maxine choked, feeling the words twist about like a knife to the heart.
"And even if I did say all that, you should know by this point that I don't keep promises."
"Then you clearly don't know Kaden Grant." Sierra stepped up in between them. "Because the Kaden I know would never say or do anything to hurt those around him, under any circumstances."
"Then you put too much faith in him." Kaden shot a glare back at her. "Because the Kaden Grant I know, is full of empty promises and false hopes. All he knows how to do is hurt others, and watch as those around him suff—!"
Sierra slapped Kaden across the face, the sound echoing through the space. It was clearly reactionary, as Sierra herself was beginning to tear up in anger.
Kaden, after taking a moment to process the slap, began to laugh. "That felt nice..."
Sierra hesitated. Kaden's neck whipped upward, the mark on his face visibly red.
"That one was personal, wasn't it? I could sense the anger in that slap, the rage in your fingertips. You blame him as much as I do, don't you...?"
Sierra took a step back reactively, hardly noticing the impulsive gesture. Kaden's smile grew wider as he concentrated on the fear in her face.
"Max, your cousin's acting weird!" Terrence acknowledged the obvious elephant in the room.
"Weird...?" Kaden turned, causing Brandon to shield the other two tweens. "Well, that's okay. Going forward, I'll be more candid." He took a card from his hand and flipped it. "I play Veemon from my hand."
Veemon reappeared in the Battle Area, though it wasn't its actual appearance that drew their eyes to it, as were the border colors of the card itself.
Veemon (EX3-004)
Color: Red
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
3-0
"Why is that Veemon red...?" Brandon's voice shook a bit. He turned to Sierra, whose glare remained steady. She wasn't moving, which held him in place.
Guess it wasn't time yet.
Kaden looked to the crying girl. "Veemon's effect lets me discard Paildramon to draw 2 cards. I then end by digivolving Veemon into Flamedramon."
The newly summoned Veemon subsequently transformed into Flamedramon, bringing an end to Kaden's turn.
MEMORY
0-2 (Turn Change)
"Maxine you don't have to do this anymore." Sierra encouraged. "This match is over."
"Butt out; this is a family matter." Kaden replied.
"No, it's not." Trevor's voice echoed from the balcony above. As Kaden looked up, from the corner of his eye he was taken aback as several AEGIS agents came barreling out from the back hallway of the store, flooding the room, surrounding the already small crowd.
Kaden paused and looked around. "What's going on?!"
"Been a hot minute, hasn't it?" Trevor came down and walked over to them. "Really thought after Cyrus kicked your butt you'd wouldn't show your face any time soon and yet…here you are."
Kaden snickered. "You set me up…!"
Trevor smirked. "Took us a while to piece together what you were after. Fortunately for us, a certain someone gave us all the details necessary to figure out the big mystery concerning you."
Kaden questioned what Trevor meant and bought a clue. "I see…well sorry to say, but I can care less about Drasil."
"I know. After all, your goals hit closer to home, don't they?" He looked over to Maxine.
Kaden scowled.
"It's time to end this, Veemon…" Trevor's voice grew soft. "Kaden's waiting for you."
Brandon perked upon hearing that. "Huh?!"
The one now known as Veemon sighed. "Shame that I almost believed you when you said that…"
Trevor furrowed his brow, before suddenly getting a jolt from behind. Maxine and the others gasped in shock as he collapsed, and before anyone could aid him, one by one everyone except Maxine were also struck by the invisible force and collapsed. It took all of her willpower to not break down in tears all over again.
"Now then…" Veemon said, eyes turning red. "I'll give you a chance. Beat me, and I'll disappear, never to be seen again. Lose…and you and I will take a trip."
Maxine was shaking. Her mind was on fire, relief and terror fighting for dominance within. If this wasn't Kaden—her cousin…
…then who was this person? And why did they resemble Kaden?
"So…what'll it be?"
By the time she realized it, her hand moved on its own and drew.
Turn 9: Maxine
MEMORY
2-3
"Good…" Veemon grinned. "I'm looking forward to seeing how much further we can take this!"
"…you…" Maxine managed to utter. "What…did you do to him…?!"
Veemon blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I said…WHAT DID YOU DO TO KADEN?!" Maxine screamed, slamming the drawn Option card on the terminal.
MEMORY
3-5 (Turn Change)
The terminal began to shine between them, drawing Veemon's attention. Suddenly from that light, came a glowing spear that pierced Imperialdramon, causing the dragon to roar in agony before the light dispersed and wrapped around it, converting it into a Security card.
Veemon
Security: 2-3
"You little…!" Veemon hissed.
"The Option card Lonkhe Adistakto… sends one of your Digimon into your Security if I have less than 3 Security…" She explained, trembling voice and all. "I'll ask again…where is Kaden?!"
Veemon snarled and exhaled sharply, "You really think I'd be doing all of this if I knew?!"
"Hurry up and end this…" Maxine heard the familiar voice and it only shook her further. Slowly she turned, to find Bianca sitting on the small seating area against the wall.
What was she doing here? And more importantly, how long has she been here?
"I told you not to get in my way brat." Veemon spat.
"Bianca?! What are you…?" Maxine was even more confused.
Bianca shot her a glare. A brief glow from her eyes sent Maxine's head whipping back, as if struck by something. In an instant, it was as if she could see static. Distorted senses made her collapse onto the floor, vision darkening and body growing heavy rapidly. As her consciousness faded, the sound of their voices became muffled, until she fell silent, one more tear escaping before her eyes shut.
"Rude…" Veemon snickered, pulling away from the terminal.
"Reinforcements from AEGIS have been made aware of the situation." Bianca rose from her seat. "I'd suggest you take the girl and do what you will with her."
"Not having buyer's remorse are you? She seemed as if she knew you." Veemon said, picking up Maxine bridal style from the floor, the young girl's limbs drooping.
"This isn't the time to entertain human delusions, as I made out." Bianca raised her hand and flexed it, making a Digital Gate materialize before them. "Now go."
Veemon nodded, turning to the gate. As they began to walk forward, Milo's voice shouted as the doors to the store opened.
"Hold up!" Milo stumbled into the store, along with Homura and more AEGIS agents.
Veemon stopped and turned. "Shouldn't you be on an airplane about now?"
"I should. But someone asked me to protect that girl in your arms, so I'm here." Milo said, holding up his D-Streamer."
Hearing that Veemon hesitated. Getting an idea on who the requester could've been, made him angrier. "Are you kidding me?!"
"Give it up!" Milo pushed. "Surrender quietly and we'll find a way to—!"
"No, you won't!" Veemon exclaimed. Growing angrier, binary encircled it, transforming it into Shadramon. "There's no fixing anything! He can't fix what he's done to everyone—to me! That son of a…he abandoned me! After everything we've done, he left me…!"
"You can handle this right…?" Homura whispered. He was keeping a trained eye on Bianca who was patiently awaiting her chance to speak up.
"I don't have a choice…" Milo said back. "I made a promise after all…"
Homura nodded and looked back at them. "To be honest, Bianca, I'm not surprised you're here. Ever since the Omnian War, there were signs you were scheming something in the Western District."
"Hmm…" Bianca pondered with a smirk, "Perhaps. But for now," she pointed to Veemon entering the gate, "Focus on one thing at a time."
Milo looked over and saw them escaping with Maxine. "Oh no you don't!" he charged forward, and Bianca went to aim her free hand. However, she was grabbed onto from below, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"MAX…!" Terrence dozily exclaimed as he tried his best to hold onto Bianca's arm.
The small window allowed Homura to hold down Bianca as well. Milo was able to run into the gate, with it closing behind him afterward. Meanwhile Bianca looked down and snarled. "How is it you're awake?!"
Terrence looked up at her. "What do you mean…?"
Growing annoyed, Bianca once again used her ability to push them both off her, as she skipped off to build space between them. However, the agents accompanying them sprang into action, cutting her off some and surrounding the crowded lobby.
"What was that…?" Terrence groaned. "It was like the air smacked me or something…"
Some agents who weren't helping to move those already knocked out, helped Homura and Terrence.
"You can start explaining yourself," Homura instructed to Bianca. "What did you do to Veemon?"
Bianca shook her head. "I didn't do anything but watch and support from the sidelines. Everything that's happened from the time they fought against Lady Azurena, is a result of one man's actions: Kaden Grant."
Terrence and Homura were taken aback.
"Kaden Grant, is responsible for the suffering of everyone involved…
…including his former partner…"